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Updated: June 29, 2025
"As honest as Francisco," repeated Piedro's father, when he one day heard this saying. "Let them say so; I say, 'As sharp as Piedro'; and let us see which will go through the world best." With the idea of making his son SHARP he made him cunning.
Bankers and merchants used formerly to count their money, and write their bills of exchange upon benches in the streets; and when a merchant or banker lost his credit, and was unable to pay his debts, his bench was broken. They pressed on to Francisco's board, obtained his measure, found that it held something more than a quarter above the quantity that could be contained in Piedro's.
This advertisement attracted the attention of all who could read; and many who could not read heard it repeated with delight. Crowds of children surrounded Piedro's board of promise, and they all went away the first day amply satisfied. Each had a full measure of coloured sugar- plums at the usual price, and along with these a burnt almond gratis.
Piedro's father saw that his SMART son, though scarcely sixteen years of age, was a match for him in villainy. He promised him that he should have half of whatever the Jew would give for the diamonds, and Piedro insisted upon being present at the transaction. We do not wish to lay open to our young readers scenes of iniquity.
No sooner did Piedro's companion hear of the rich furniture, plate, etc., which the imprudent orator had described as belonging to the Count de Flora's villa, than he longed to make himself master of the whole. "It is a pity," said Piedro, "that the count has sent Francisco, with his servants down to guard it." "And who is this Francisco of whom you seem to stand in so much awe?"
When the mob had dispersed, after satisfying themselves with executing summary justice upon Piedro's bench and board, Francisco found a carpenter's rule lying upon the ground near Piedro's broken bench, which he recollected to have seen in the hands of Carlo.
This belief, and Piedro's popularity, continued longer even than he had expected; and, as he thought his sugar-plums had secured their reputation with the GENEROUS PUBLIC, he gradually neglected to add burnt almonds gratis. One day a boy of about ten years old passed carelessly by, whistling as he went along, and swinging a carpenter's rule in his hand.
"With all my heart," said Piedro, still maintaining an unmoved countenance, and they returned immediately to the little wood-market. On their way, they had passed through the fruit-market, and crowds of those who were well acquainted with Piedro's former transactions followed, to hear the event of the present trial.
"You have a measure for sugar-plums; and we have all agreed to refer to that, and to see how much we have been cheated before we go to break Piedro's bench and declare him bankrupt, * the punishment for all knaves." * This word comes from two Italian words, bunco rotto broken bench.
"What! not when you have, by your own account, been out of them a great while? I did not know it required so much time to blot out a few words let us try."; and as he spoke, Carlo, for that was the name of Piedro's new customer, pulled a bit of white chalk out of his pocket, and drew a broad score across the line on the board which promised burnt almonds gratis.
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