Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) The Devoted Friend

The Devoted Friend

Once upon a time there was an honest little fellow named Hans who was known for his kind heart, lie lived in a tiny cottage all by himself, and every day he worked in his garden. In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his.
Little Hans had a great many friends, but the most devoted of all was the Miller. Indeed, so devoted was the rich Miller to little Hans, that he would never go by his garden without pick¬ing some beautiful flowers, or filling his pockets with plums and cherries if it was the fruit season.
"Real friends should have everything in common," the Miller used to say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of having a friend with such noble ideas.
Sometimes, indeed, the neighbours thought it was strange that the rich Miller never gave little Hans anything in return, though he had a hundred sacks of flour stored away in his mill, and six cows, and a large flock of woolly sheep; but Hans never troubled his head about these things, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things the Miller used to say about the unselfishness of true friendship.
Little Hans worked away in his garden. During the spring, the summer, and the autumn he was very happy, but when the winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to take to the mar¬ket, he suffered a lot from cold and hunger, and often had to go to bed without any supper except for a few dried pears or some hard nuts. In the winter, also, he was extremely lonely, as the Miller never came to see him then.
"There is no good in my going to see little Hans as long as the winter lasts," the Miller used to say to his wife, "for when peo¬ple are in trouble it is better to leave them alone and not to bother them. That is my idea about friendship, and I am sure I am right."
"You are certainly very thoughtful about others," answered the Wife, as she sat in her comfortable arm-chair by the big fire; "very thoughtful indeed. It is quite a pleasure to hear you talk about friendship. "
"But could we not invite little Hans up here?" said the Mill¬er's youngest son. "If poor Hans is in trouble, I will give him half my porridge, and show him my white rabbits."
"What a silly boy you are!" cried the Miller; "I really don't know what is the use of sending you to school. You seem not to learn anything. If little Hans comes up here, and sees our warm fire, and our good supper, he may get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and can spoil anybody's nature. Besides, Hans may ask me to give him some flour on credit, and that I can't do. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they should not be confused. The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that."
"How well you talk!" said the Miller's Wife.
"Lots of people act well," answered the Miller; "but very few people talk well, which shows that talking is much the more difficult thing of the two, and much the finer thing also."
As soon as the winter was over, and the flowers began to blos¬som, the Miller said to his wife that he would go down and see little Hans.
"Good morning, little Hans," said the Miller, "and how have you been all the winter? We often talked of you during the win¬ter and wondered how you were getting on. How lovely your flowers are looking!"
"They are certainly very lovely," said Hans, "and it's a most lucky thing for me that I have so many. I am going to take them to the market and sell them, and buy back my wheelbarrow and other things with the money. I was obliged to sell some things because the winter was a very bad time for me, and I really had no money at all to buy bread with."
"Hans," said the Miller. "I will give you my wheelbarrow. It is not in very good repair; but in spite of that I will give it to you. I know it is very generous of me, and many people would think me extremely foolish for parting with it, but I am not like the rest of the world. I think that generosity is the essence of friendship, and, besides. I have got a new wheelbarrow for myself."
"Well, really, that is very generous of you," said little Hans, "I can easily repair it, as I have a plank of wood in the house."
"A plank of wood!" said the Miller; "that is just what I want for the roof of my barn. There is a very large hole in it. How lucky you mentioned it! It is quite remarkable how one good action leads to another. I have given you my wheelbarrow, and now you are going to give me your plank. Of course, the wheel¬barrow is worth far more than the plank but true friendship never notices little things like that."
"Certainly," said little Hans, and he ran to the shed and came back carrying a large plank.
"And now, as I have given you my wheelbarrow," the Miller went on, "I am sure you would like to give me some flowers in return. Here is a basket, and mind you fill it quite full."
"Quite full?" said little Hans, rather sorrowfully, for it was really a very big basket, and he knew that if he filled it he would have no flowers left for the market, and he was very anxious to get his things back.
"Well, really," answered the Miller, "as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I don't think that it is much to ask you for a few flowers. I may be wrong, but I think that friendship, true friend¬ship, is quite free from selfishness of any kind."
"My dear friend, my best friend," cried little Hans, "you are welcome to all the flowers in my garden." And he ran and picked all his pretty flowers, and filled the Miller's basket.
The next day when little Hans was working in his garden he heard the Miller's voice calling to him from the road. The Mill¬er had a large sack of flour on his back.
"Dear little Hans," said the Miller, "would you mind carry¬ing this sack of flour for me to market and selling it for me? As I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I don't think you will refuse."
"Oh, no, no," cried little Hans and he went to the market be¬cause the Miller was his best friend.
It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty. Hans got very tired when he reached the market. He had waited there for some time and at last sold the sack of flour at a very good price.
"It has certainly been a hard day," he said to himself as he was going to bed, "but I am glad I did not refuse the Miller, for he is my best friend and, besides, he is going to give me his wheel¬barrow."
Early the next morning the Miller came down to get the mon¬ey for his sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.
"Upon my word," said the Miller, "you are very lazy. Really, I think you ought to work harder. Idleness is a great sin, and I certainly don't like my friends to be idle. You must not mind my speaking quite plainly to you. Of course I should not dream of doing so if I were not your friend. But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say nice things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really good friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good." "I am very sorry," said little Hans, "but I was so tired that I thought I would lie in bed for a little while, and listen to the birds singing. Do you know that I always work better after hearing the birds sing?" "Well, I am glad of that," said the Miller, "for I want you to come up to the mill as soon as you are dressed and mend my barn roof for me."
Poor little Hans was very anxious to go and work in his gar¬den, for his flowers had not been watered for two days, but he did not like to refuse the Miller, as he was such a good friend to him. So he jumped out of bed, and dressed himself, and went up to the barn.
Hans was never able to look after his flowers at all, for his friend the Miller was always coming round and sending him off or asking him to come up and help at the mill.
"There is no work so delightful as the work one does for oth¬ers," the Miller used to say. So little Hans worked away for the Miller, and the Miller said all kinds of beautiful things about friendship.
One rainy evening little Hans was sitting by his fireside when a loud knock came at the door. "It is some poor traveller," said little Hans to himself, and he ran to the door. There stood the Miller.
"Dear little Hans," cried the Miller, "I am in great trouble. My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself.
I thought that it would be much better if you went for the Doctor instead of me. You know I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, and so it is only fair that you should do something for me in return."
"Certainly", cried little Hans, "but you must lend me your lantern, as the night is so dark that I am afraid of falling into the ditch!"
"I am very sorry," answered the Miller, "but it is my new lan¬tern, and it would be a great loss to me if anything happened to it."
"Well, never mind, I will do without it," cried little Hans and started off. What a terrible storm it was! The night was so black that little Hans could hardly see, and the wind was so strong that he could hardly stand. However, he was very courageous, and after he had been walking about three hours, he arrived at the Doctor's house. The Doctor immediately rode off towards the Miller's house.
Little Hans was walking behind him. The storm grew worse and worse and he could not see where he was going. At last he lost his way and found himself in a very dangerous place which was full of deep holes, and there poor little Hans was drowned.
"Little Hans is certainly a great loss to me," said the Miller. "I have given him my wheelbarrow, and now I don't know what to do with it. One certainly suffers for being generous."

Questions and tasks

1. What do you know about Oscar Wilde j life?
2. Speak about the works by Oscar Wilde.
3. Give a summary of the play "An Ideal Husband". Speak about the main characters of the play.
4. How did the Miller show that he was devoted to little Hans?
5. What did the Miller think people should do when their friends were in trouble? Do you agree?
6. How did the Miller's youngest son show that he did not understand his father's idea of friendship?
7. Why was little Hans obliged to sell things in winter?
8. What did little Hans do for the Miller the next two days?
9. What happened to the Miller's son one evening?

1.Oscar Wilde was an outstanding Irish writer, poet, and simply one of the most popular playwrights of all times
2.I've only read The Picture of Dorian Gray,and this is a wonderful book.
3. In the summer of 1893, Oscar Wilde began writing "An Ideal Husband", and he completed it later that winter. In April of that year, Wilde was arrested for "gross indecency" and his name was publicly taken off the play. "An Ideal Husband" is a comedic which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour.
4. Miller didn't do anything good for the little Hans.
5. Miller thinks, that when people are in trouble they should be left alone, and not be bothered by visitors.
6. The younger son Miller said, if poor Hans is in trouble he would give him half of his porridge.
7. Hans sold things in the winter, because he had no money for bread.
8.In two days Hans, had tooked a bag of flour on the market, repaired the roof of the mill, herded sheep, walked for the doctor for son Miller.
9. One evening the Miller's son  has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself.

1.Oscar Wide was one of the most popular playwrights of all times and outstanding irish writer,poet.
2.I've only read The offense by the lord Artur Sevil.
3.Oscar Wide began writing "An Ideal Husband" in the summer of 1893 and he completed it later that winter.
"An Ideal Husband" is a comedic which revolves political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour.
4.For the little Hans Miller didn't do anything good.

5.When people are in trouble they should be left alone thinks Miller.
6.If poor Hans is in trouble said the younger son Miller he would give him half of his porridge.
7.Hans hadn't money for bread so he sold things in the winter.
8.In two days Hans, had tooked a bag of flour on the market, repaired the roof of the mill, herded sheep, walked for the doctor for son Miller.

9.One evening the Millers son hurt himself because he has fallen off a ladder.

1. Oscar Wilde - Irish writer and poet. One of the most popular playwrights of all time.
2. I've only read The Picture of Dorian Gray,and this is a wonderful book.
3. "An Ideal Husband" is a comic that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches themes of social and personal honor.
4. Miller does not do any good for Hans.
5. Miller believes that when people are in trouble they should be left alone.
6. Miller said, if Hans is in trouble, it will give him half my porridge.
7. Hans had no money for bread.
8. In two days Hans, had tooked a bag of flour on the market, repaired the roof of the mill, herded sheep, walked for the doctor for son Miller.
9. Miller went down the stairs and crashed.

1). Oscar Wilde - Irish writer and poet. One of the most popular playwrights of all time.
2). I've only read The Picture of Dorian Gray,and this is a wonderful book.
3). "An Ideal Husband" is a comic that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches themes of social and personal honor.
4). Miller does not do any good for Hans.
5). Miller believes that when people are in trouble they should be left alone.
6). Miller said, if Hans is in trouble, it will give him half my porridge.
7). Hans had no money for bread.
8 ). In two days Hans, had tooked a bag of flour on the market, repaired the roof of the mill, herded sheep, walked for the doctor for son Miller.
9). Miller went down the stairs and crashed.