He passed by a statue and mistook it for a fine gentleman, so he asked it, "Sir, would you like to buy this fine cloth? Yes or no? If you don't say anything, that means you do. Look here! Do you like it? Yes? Good! Then take it!" and he left the cloth beside the statue and went home.
"Mum! Mum!" he cried. "I've sold the cloth to a very well-dressed gentleman!" The woman asked: "How much did he give you for it?" David muttered, "Oh! I forgot to ask him for the money! Don't worry, I'll go and ask him for it." He ran back to the statue but the cloth had gone. Someone had clearly taken it away. David said to the statue, "I see you've taken the cloth home already. Fine, now give me the money!" Of course, the statue did not reply. David repeated his request, then losing his temper, he picked up a stick and began to beat the statue about the head, which broke off and rolled to the ground. Out of the head poured a handful of gold coins, hidden there by goodness knows who! David picked up the coins, put the head back in position and went home.
"Look!" he called. And his mother stared in astonishment at this small fortune. "Who gave you such a good price?" his mother asked him. The lad replied, "A very dignified-looking gentleman. He didn't speak, and do you know where he kept his money? In his head!" At this, David's mother exclaimed, "David, listen! You killed the broody hen, broke the eggs, flooded the cellar with wine, wasted five bags of flour, smashed plates, bottles, vases and glasses; you nearly ate the cream, if you think you're going to pull my leg as well, you're badly mistaken! Get out of here!" And grabbing the broom, she chased him out of the house.
"I don't want to see you again till tonight! Off you go into the vegetable plot." But, as the boy was sitting on the doorstep and did not budge, his exasperated mother picked up the first thing that came within her grasp and hurled it at David's head. It was a big basket of dried figs and sultanas.
David shouted then, "Mum! Mum! Quick! Bring a bag! It's raining dry figs and sultanas!" His mother slumped into a chair and said sorrowfully, "What can I do with a boy like him?" Now, since David was about telling folk he had a lot of gold coins, the magistrates sent for him. "Where did you find those coins?" they asked him. David replied, "A gentleman gave me them in payment for a roll of cloth." "What gentleman?" said the magistrates severely. "The gentleman that is always standing at the corner of Plane Tree Street and Jasmine Road," replied the boy. "But that's a statue!" gasped the magistrates. David said, "He didn't say what his name was, but maybe it is Mr. Statue. He kept his money in his head." The magistrates gaped at each other in utter astonishment. Then the chief magistrate asked, "Tell us, David, when did you do this piece of business?" "It was the day it rained dry figs and sultanas!" the boy replied. Again the magistrates exchanged looks, and now certain that David was really dopey, they said, "You can go home, lad, you're free!" And so David went home and lived happily there with his mother. A bit dopey, yes, but he never did anybody any harm, and that's all that counts.
