The Silver Key

There was a traveler going to a distant town. When he reached the town it was almost midnight. He came to an inn but it locked from the inside. He knocked at the door. “Who are you?” asked a voice from inside the inn. “What do you want? The door cannot be unlocked at such an odd hour”. The traveler needed rest, food and shelter. He said, “Please, innkeeper, unlock the door. See, how cold outside!”

“It’s a strange lock and can be opened only with a silver key,” replied the innkeeper. The traveler passed a silver coin through a slit in the door, got the door unlocked and entered into the inn.
“I have left one of my two bags outside,” said the traveler. “Will you please bring it in?”
No sooner had the innkeeper gone out than traveler locked the door from inside. The greedy innkeeper was now shut out. He requested the traveler to unlock the door. “I’m helpless,” replied the traveler. “It’s a strange lock. It can be opened only with a silver key. The innkeeper was obliged to push through the slit a silver coin. The traveler got back his rupee and unlocked the door.