One day, Nasreddin was up on the roof of his house, mending a hole in the tiles. He had nearly finished, and he was pleased with his work. Suddenly, he heard a voice below call 

• “Hello!” 

When he looked down, Nasreddin saw an old man in dirty clothes standing below.

• “What do you want?” asked Nasreddin.
• “Come down and I’ll tell you,” called the man.

Nasreddin was annoyed, but he was a polite man, so he put down his tools. Carefully, he climbed all the way down to the ground.

• “What do you want?” he asked when he reached the ground.
• “Could you spare a little money for an old beggar?” asked the old man. Nasreddin thought for a minute.

Then he said, 

• “Come with me.” 

He began climbing the ladder again. The old man followed him all the way to the top. When they were both sitting on the roof, Nasreddin turned to the beggar.

• “No,” he said.