After the First World War, a small group of old soldiers returned to their village in Britain.Most of them managed to 1 fairly well, but one-Francis Binstering, who had been wounded and never recovered his 2 -was unable to work regularly. 3 he became very poor.Yet he was too 4 to accept anything from the people in the village.
Once these old soldiers held a reunion dinner in the home of Jules Grandin, who had made 5 money.Grandin produced a curiosity(稀奇的东西)-a large old 6 coin.Each man examined it with 7 as it passed around the long table.All, 8 , had drunk wine freely and the room was full of noisy talk, 9 the gold piece was soon forgotten.Later, when Grandin 10 it and asked for it, the coin was gone.
One of them suggested everyone be searched, 11 which all agreed, except Blustering.“You 12 , then?” asked Grandin.Blustering said with a red face, “Yes, I cannot allow it.”
One by one, the others turned out their pockets.When the coin was 13 to appear, attention was ?focused? on poor Blustering.Under the 14 stares of his friends, he walked out and returned to his home.
A few years later, Grandin had his house repaired.A workman found the gold coin. 15 in dirt between planks(板)of the floor.Hurrying to Blustering’s home, Grandin apologized to him.
“But why didn’t you allow yourself to be 16 ?” Grandin asked.
“Because I was a 17 ,” Blustering said brokenly.“For weeks we had not enough to eat and my pockets were full of 18 , that I had taken from the table to 19 home to my wife and 20 children.”