"Daddy, can I learn to play the violin?" young Sarah asked her father. She was
always asking for things and her father was not very pleased.#
"You cost me a lot of money, Sarah," he said. "First you wanted to learn horse
riding, then dancing, then swimming. Now it's the violin."#
"I'll play every day, Daddy," Sarah said. "I'll try very hard."#
"All right," her father said. "This is what I'll do. I'll play for you to have
lessons for six weeks. At the end of six weeks you must play something for me.
If you play well, you can have more lessons. If you play badly, I will stop
the lessons."#
"O.K., Daddy," Sarah said. "That is fair."#
He soon found a good violin teacher and Sarah began her lessons. The teacher
was very expensive, but her father kept his promise.#
The six weeks passed quickly. The time came for Sarah to play for her father.#
She went ot the living room and said, "I'm ready to play for you, Daddy,"#
"Fine, Sarah," her father said. "Begin."#
She bagan to play. She played very badly, She made a terrible noise.#
Her father had one of his friends with him, and the friend put his hands over
his ears.#
When Sarah finished, her father said, "Well done, Sarah. You can have more
lessons."#
Sarah ran happily out of the room. Her father's firend turned to him. "You've
spent a lot money, but she still plays very badly," he said.#
"Well, that's true," her father said. "But since she started learning the
violin I've been able to buy five apartments in the building very cheaply. In
another six weeks I'll own the whole building!"&