A woman once went to a priest and complained of her husband's passion, temper, and angry words. The priest, aware of a guilty accomplice to the unhappy home, gave the woman a small bottle of pure water.

“Take this,” he said, “and when next your husband gets angry, have a mouthful and you will soon find the value of it: your husband will remain quiet.”

It was not long before an opportunity came to test the priest's promise and water. The woman did as he advised not only once, but two and three times with growing wonder. The mysterious water worked! Her angry husband stopped yelling and was quiet.

Overjoyed and quite marveled, the wife returned to thank the priest for what she considered miraculous water.

The wise priest then explained to the woman what the true solution was.

“There's no miracle in the water,” he told her. “Your own tongue has done the good, by keeping silence for once. The only merit the water has is to have forced you to keep quiet; for you were unable to talk, while you had your mouth full.”