There was a man who arrived in Moscow on a business trip. He was tired and went to a tavern. He ordered a meal but he forgot about tableware. He had to leave his meal on the table and go find the spoon and the fork. When he returned, he saw a complete stranger sitting in his chair and eating his soup. What could he do? “It would be un-Christlike to drive that arrogant man away, wouldn’t it?” he thought and, showing exemplary humility, took a clean bowl, poured half of the soup into the bowl, and did the same with the other dishes. Finally, the lunch was over, and the unwanted guest went away, not even thanking the poor traveler for the meal. The traveler also rose to his feet to leave the tavern when he heard the barmaid call out loudly, “Hey!” He turned and saw the woman point at a table in a neighboring room, where his own meal stood untouched…
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
