Cobwebs from an Empty Skull

An oyster who had got a large pebble between the valves of his shell, and was unable to get it out, was lamenting his sad fate, when—­the tide being out—­a monkey ran to him, and began making an examination.

“You appear,” said the monkey, “to have got something else in here, too.  I think I’d better remove that first.”

With this he inserted his paw, and scooped out the animal’s essential part.

“Now,” said he, eating the portion he had removed, “I think you will be able to manage the pebble yourself.”

To apprehend the lesson of this fable one must have some experience of the law.