During the summer of 1856, there sat a poor woman in the corner of a large doorway in one of the most aristocratic parts of Paris. She was selling flowers, neatly formed as bouquets, to those passing by. Beside her was a little boy, her only child, who was about five years old. The poor woman depended on the sale of her flowers for the support of herself and her young child.

One day, a stranger belonging to the more wealthy class of society, happened to pass by the doorway. This gentleman was accompanied by a young lady, apparently his daughter, who was about fifteen years old. Attracted by the arrangements of flowers, the man went to her table, and picked up one or two of the bouquets.

He examined the collections of flowers in his hands. But they did not suit his taste, so he placed them back down on the table. He turned to leave, without noticing the sad look of the poor woman, whose feelings and disappointment were shown as two tears began to fall from her eyes.

But while the gentleman did not see this, his daughter did. Only a glance at the tears made the girl realize the woman’s destitute condition. The poor flower-seller’s pitiable source of income was from this little table of bouquets. She and her child suffered extreme poverty. The young lady was deeply moved at the sight, and pretending not to have observed the tears, which were now flowing in streams down the woman’s cheeks, the girl silently let a pound-note fall on the head of the little boy at her side. She then hurried away to join her father, who had already continued on down the street.

The pound-note fell from the child’s head, and he noticed it on the ground. He picked it up and called to his mother. "Mother," he said, showing her the piece of paper, "What is this?"

"Where did you find that paper, my child?" asked the mother.

"That young lady let it fall as she was going away."

The poor woman immediately left her corner, and ran after the two who’d just been by her selling place. Catching up with the strangers, she said to the young lady, "Please excuse me, madam, you have lost some money", and she handed the pound-note to the daughter.

But the young lady pretended not to understand what she meant and she told the woman to go away. The woman, however, continued to follow them, insisting that the money belonged to the girl. Again the girl told her to go, and again the woman insisted.

At length, the gentleman turned around to see the what the small commotion behind him was. He immediately saw the poor woman, holding a single note in her hand, who explained to him that his daughter had dropped it. Taking the returned note, he was putting it into his pocketbook, when he felt gently a hand on his arm. His daughter took her father aside and spoke to him in a low voice for a few moments.

The good man opened up his pouch again and took out a piece of paper. Turning back to the poor woman, he handed to her the twenty-pound note, together with the original one she had received from his daughter.

He then told the poor woman, who face now showed her confusion, "My daughter gave you one pound because you are poor." With a smile, he continued, "I now give you twenty times as much because you are honest. May God bless you, my good woman."

So saying this, the gentleman and his daughter went their way, leaving the poor flower-seller gratefully astonished at the sudden blessing that had fallen upon her, all because of her honesty. God will always reward honesty, even in this life.