A gentleman strolling alongside a canal observed an old man and his son fishing. A moment later, a splash was heard. The boy had fallen into the water. The old man, however, jumped in after the lad, and succeeded in getting him safely to the bank. There he stood the victim on his head to let the water drain out, and it was at this moment that the gentleman arrived on the scene with profuse expressions of admiration for the prompt rescue.
“It was noble of you,” the gentleman declared rather rhetorically, “to plunge into the water in that way at the risk of your life to save the boy. I congratulate you on your brave display of heroic magnanimity.”
The old man answered with an amiable grin:
“All right, sir. I don’t know anything about magnanimity. But I just had to get the boy out of the water. He had the bait in his pocket.”