有一個老太婆患了眼疾，接近失明了。她請一位醫生給她治療，因為眼睛看不清不方便出門，所以請醫生上門診治，並和醫生談妥了費用。醫生每次上門治療完畢要離開的時候，總是順手牽羊偷走一些老太婆家裡的東西。過了一段時間，老太婆的眼疾終於要治好了，她漸漸能看得清了，但是她家裡的東西也被醫生偷得差不多了。

　　治療結束時，醫生向老太婆討取之前談妥的治療費，老太婆拒絕付這筆錢，於是被醫生告到法官那裡。在法庭上，老太婆承認她許諾過要付給醫生治療費，條件是把她的眼病治好，讓她重見光明。但是醫生不但沒有治好她的眼睛，她眼睛的狀況還比以前更糟了。她說：“以前我還能看見家裡的所有物品，現在卻什麽都看不見了。”

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【老太婆與醫生的寓意】

　　這個故事說明，貪得無厭的人，總會不知不覺地留下自己的罪證。

                                         

                                                THE OLD WOMAN AND THE DOCTOR
　　

    An Old Woman became almost totally blind from a disease of the eyes, and,
after consulting a Doctor, made an agreement with him in the presence of witnesses
that she should pay him a high fee if he cured her, while if he failed he was to receive
nothing. The Doctor accordingly prescribed a course of treatment, and every time he
paid her a visit he took away with him some article out of the house, until at last,
when he visited her for the last time, and the cure was complete, there was nothing
left. When the Old Woman saw that the house was empty she refused to pay him his
fee; and, after repeated refusals on her part, he sued her before the magistrates for
payment of her debt. On being brought into court she was ready with her defense.
“The claimant,” said she, “has stated the facts about our agreement correctly. I
undertook to pay him a fee if he cured me, and he, on his part, promised to charge

nothing if he failed. Now, he says I am cured; but I say that I am blinder than ever,
and I can prove what I say. When my eyes were bad I could, at any rate, see well
enough to be aware that my house contained a certain amount of furniture and other
things; but now, when according to him I am cured, I am entirely unable to see
anywhere at all.”