Once upon a time there was an Ass who was a very good Ass, but whose life were very agitated. This was because of a little difficulty of hearing, with which he was afflicted. When his right ear heard "Yes," his left ear heard "No." When the right ear heard "Turn to the right," the left ear heard "Turn to the left,"—an embarrassing situation! In this case the Ass used to decide not to budge—which was in accordance with his contemplative character.
In the morning he went as usual to his master, when he got up, to take his orders for the day, waving his ears to show that he was ready to obey.
"Shall I bear the cabbages to market?" he asked with an intelligent look.
