Arnold Wu was a proud man. "I am sure my family is one of the oldest in the
country," he often told people. "It has a long history."#
One day he went to see an expert in family history, Mrs. Li.#
"I want you to find out everything about my family," he said. "Where do we
come from? Who was the first Wu? Were there any famous people in the family?
Do I have any rich relatives?"#
"O.K.," Mrs. Li said, "but it will cost you $2,000."#
Arnold thought about this. Two thousand dollars was a lot of money.#
At last he said, "All right. But for $2,000 I want a complete history. I want
full details."#
The expert agreed. "Come back in three months," she said.#
Three months later Arnold visited Mrs. Li again.#
"Well," he said, "have you found out everything about my family?"#
"Yes," she said. "It is a very interesting family. However, my price is now
$5,000."#
"Five thousand dollars!" Arnold shouted. "But you told me the cost was only
$2,000."#
"I know. It was $2,000 to find out about your family," she said. "It is
another $3,000 to keep secret what I found out!"&