n one, whose name was Dobbin, and who was thought to be the wisest
of them all, said, "Let me tell you something. Many a man has been
punished because he was wise, but I have never heard of any one being
harmed because he was a fool. So, when the king's sher-iff comes, let
us all act like fools."

"Good, good!" cried the others. "We will all act like fools."

It was no easy thing for the king's men to open the roads; and while
they were doing it, the king grew tired of waiting, and went back to
London. But very early one morning, the sheriff with a party of fierce
soldiers rode through the woods, and between the fields, toward
Gotham. Just before they reached the town, they saw a queer sight. The
old men were rolling big stones up the hill, and all the young men
were looking on, and grunting very loudly.

The sheriff stopped his horses, and asked what they were doing.

"We are rolling stones up-hill to make the sun rise," said one of the
old men.

"You foolish fellow!" said the sheriff. "Don't you know that the sun
will rise without any help?"

"Ah! will it?" said the old man. "Well, I never thought of that. How
wise you are!"

"And what are _you_ doing?" said the sheriff to the young men.

"Oh, we do the grunting while our fathers do the working," they
answered.

"I see," said the sheriff. "Well, that is the way the world goes
every-where." And he rode on toward the town.

He soon came to a field where a number of men were building a stone
wall.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Why, master," they answered, "there is a cuck-oo in this field, and
we are building a wall around it so as to keep the bird from straying
away."

"You foolish fellows!" said the sheriff. "Don't you know that the bird
will fly over the top of your wall, no matter how high you build it?"

"Why, no," they said. "We never thought of that. How very wise you
are!"

The sheriff next met a man who was carrying a door on his back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I have just started on a long jour-ney," said the man.

"But why do you carry that door?" asked the sheriff.

"I left my money at home."

"Then why didn't you leave the door at home too?"

"I was afraid of thieves; and you see, if I have the door with me,
they can't break it open and get in."

"You foolish fellow!" said the sheriff. "It would be safer to leave
the door at home, and carry the money with you."

"Ah, would it, though?" said the man. "Now, I never