{"id":14371,"date":"2024-06-20T23:02:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T03:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/?p=14371"},"modified":"2026-05-04T21:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T01:33:51","slug":"oscar-wilde-the-devoted-friend-full-story-summary-and-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/short-stories\/oscar-wilde-the-devoted-friend-full-story-summary-and-analysis\/14371\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Wilde: The Devoted Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> \u201cThe Devoted Friend\u201d is a short story by Oscar Wilde, published in 1888 in the collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales<\/em>. Presented as a fable within a fable, the story begins when a lark tells a water rat and a duck the story of little Hans, a kind-hearted young man who carefully tends his garden and maintains an unequal relationship with a miller who takes advantage of his generosity and unconditional devotion. Through this allegorical structure, Wilde critiques the hypocrisy and selfishness hidden behind discourses of virtue, and shows how true friendship can be corrupted by self-interest and manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Oscar<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Devoted Friend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oscar Wilde
(Full Story)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One morning the old Water-rat put his head out of his hole. He had bright beady eyes and stiff grey whiskers and his tail was like a long bit of black india-rubber. The little ducks were swimming about in the pond, looking just like a lot of yellow canaries, and their mother, who was pure white with real red legs, was trying to teach them how to stand on their heads in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou will never be in the best society unless you can stand on your heads,\u201d she kept saying to them; and every now and then she showed them how it was done. But the little ducks paid no attention to her. They were so young that they did not know what an advantage it is to be in society at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat disobedient children!\u201d cried the old Water-rat; \u201cthey really deserve to be drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing of the kind,\u201d answered the Duck, \u201cevery one must make a beginning, and parents cannot be too patient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh! I know nothing about the feelings of parents,\u201d said the Water-rat; \u201cI am not a family man. In fact, I have never been married, and I never intend to be. Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher. Indeed, I know of nothing in the world that is either nobler or rarer than a devoted friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cAnd what, pray, is your idea of the duties of a devoted friend?\u201d asked a green Linnet, who was sitting in a willow-tree hard by, and had overheard the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, that is just what I want to know,\u201d said the Duck; and she swam away to the end of the pond, and stood upon her head, in order to give her children a good example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a silly question!\u201d cried the Water-rat. \u201cI should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what would you do in return?\u201d said the little bird, swinging upon a silver spray, and flapping his tiny wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand you,\u201d answered the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet me tell you a story on the subject,\u201d said the Linnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs the story about me?\u201d asked the Water-rat.  \u201cIf so, I will listen to it, for I am extremely fond of fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is applicable to you,\u201d answered the Linnet; and he flew down, and alighting upon the bank, he told the story of The Devoted Friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce upon a time,\u201d said the Linnet, \u201cthere was an honest little fellow named Hans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWas he very distinguished?\u201d asked the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d answered the Linnet, \u201cI don\u2019t think he was distinguished at all, except for his kind heart, and his funny round good-humoured face. He lived in a tiny cottage all by himself, and every day he worked in his garden. In all the country-side there was no garden so lovely as his. Sweet-william grew there, and Gilly-flowers, and Shepherds\u2019-purses, and Fair-maids of France. There were damask Roses, and yellow Roses, lilac Crocuses and  gold, purple Violets and white. Columbine and Ladysmock, Marjoram and Wild Basil, the Cowslip and the Flower-de-luce, the Daffodil and the Clove-Pink bloomed or blossomed in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower\u2019s place, so that there were always beautiful things to look at, and pleasant odours to smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLittle Hans had a great many friends, but the most devoted friend of all was big Hugh the Miller. Indeed, so devoted was the rich Miller to little Hans, that he would never go by his garden without leaning over the wall and plucking a large nosegay, or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with plums and cherries if it was the fruit season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Real friends should have everything in common,\u2019 the Miller used to say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of having a friend with such noble ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSometimes, indeed, the neighbours thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave little Hans anything in return, though he had a hundred sacks of flour stored away in his mill, and six milch cows, and a large flock of woolly sheep; but Hans never troubled his head about these things, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things the Miller used to say about the unselfishness of true friendship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo little Hans worked away in his garden. During the spring, the summer, and the autumn he was very happy, but when the winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to bring to the market, he suffered a good deal from cold and hunger, and often had to go to bed without any supper but a few dried pears or some hard nuts. In the winter, also, he was extremely lonely, as the Miller never came to see him then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201c\u2018There is no good in my going to see little Hans as long as the snow lasts,\u2019 the Miller used to say to his wife, \u2018for when people are in trouble they should be left alone and not be bothered by visitors. That at least is my idea about friendship, and I am sure I am right. So I shall wait till the spring comes, and then I shall pay him a visit, and he will be able to give me a large basket of primroses, and that will make him so happy.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018You are certainly very thoughtful about others,\u2019 answered the Wife, as she sat in her comfortable armchair by the big pinewood fire; \u2018very thoughtful indeed. It is quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship. I am sure the clergyman himself could not say such beautiful things as you do, though he does live in a three-storied house, and wear a gold ring on his little finger.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018But could we not ask little Hans up  here?\u2019 said the Miller\u2019s youngest son. \u2018If poor Hans is in trouble I will give him half my porridge, and show him my white rabbits.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018What a silly boy you are!\u2019 cried the Miller; \u2018I really don\u2019t know what is the use of sending you to school. You seem not to learn anything. Why, if little Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, and our good supper, and our great cask of red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody\u2019s nature. I certainly will not allow Hans\u2019 nature to be spoiled. I am his best friend, and I will always watch over him, and see that he is not led into any temptations. Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me to let him have some flour on credit, and that I could not do. Flour is one thing and friendship is another, and they should not be confused. Why, the words are spelt differently, and mean  quite different things. Everybody can see that.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018How well you talk!\u2019 said the Miller\u2019s Wife, pouring herself out a large glass of warm ale; \u2018really I feel quite drowsy. It is just like being in church.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Lots of people act well,\u2019 answered the Miller; \u2018but very few people talk well, which shows that talking is much the more difficult thing of the two, and much the finer thing also\u2019; and he looked sternly across the table at his little son, who felt so ashamed of himself that he hung his head down, and grew quite scarlet, and began to cry into his tea. However, he was so young that you must excuse him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that the end of the story?\u201d asked the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCertainly not,\u201d answered the Linnet, \u201cthat is the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen you are quite behind the age,\u201d said  the Water-rat. \u201cEvery good story-teller nowadays starts with the end, and then goes on to the beginning, and concludes with the middle. That is the new method. I heard all about it the other day from a critic who was walking round the pond with a young man. He spoke of the matter at great length, and I am sure he must have been right, for he had blue spectacles and a bald head, and whenever the young man made any remark, he always answered \u2018Pooh!\u2019 But pray go on with your story. I like the Miller immensely. I have all kinds of beautiful sentiments myself, so there is a great sympathy between us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said the Linnet, hopping now on one leg and now on the other, \u201cas soon as the winter was over, and the primroses  began to open their pale yellow stars, the Miller said to his wife that he would go down and see little Hans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Why, what a good heart you have!\u2019 cried his Wife; \u2018you are always thinking of others. And mind you take the big basket with you for the flowers.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo the Miller tied the sails of the windmill together with a strong iron chain, and went down the hill with the basket on his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Good morning, little Hans,\u2019 said the Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Good morning,\u2019 said Hans, leaning on his spade, and smiling from ear to ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018And how have you been all the winter?\u2019 said the Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, really,\u2019 cried Hans, \u2018it is very good of you to ask, very good indeed. I am afraid I had rather a hard time of it, but now the spring has come, and I am quite happy, and all my flowers are doing well.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018We often talked of you during the winter, Hans,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018and wondered how you were getting on.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018That was kind of you,\u2019 said Hans; \u2018I was half afraid you had forgotten me.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Hans, I am surprised at you,\u2019 said the Miller; \u2018friendship never forgets. That is the wonderful thing about it, but I am afraid you don\u2019t understand the poetry of life. How lovely your primroses are looking, by-the-bye!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018They are certainly very lovely,\u2019 said Hans, \u2018and it is a most lucky thing for me that I have so many. I am going to bring them into the market and sell them to the Burgomaster\u2019s daughter, and buy back my wheelbarrow with the money.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Buy back your wheelbarrow? You don\u2019t mean to say you have sold it? What a very stupid thing to do!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, the fact is,\u2019 said Hans, \u2018that I was obliged to. You see the winter was a very bad time for me, and I really had no money at all to buy bread with. So I first sold the silver buttons off my Sunday coat, and then I sold my silver chain, and then I sold my big pipe, and at last I sold my wheelbarrow. But I am going to buy them all back again now.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Hans,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018I will give you my wheelbarrow. It is not in very good repair; indeed, one side is gone, and there is something wrong with the wheel-spokes; but in spite of that I will give it to you. I know it is very generous of me, and a great many people would think me extremely foolish for parting with it, but I am not like the rest of the world. I think that generosity is the essence of friendship, and, besides, I have got a new wheelbarrow for myself. Yes, you may  set your mind at ease, I will give you my wheelbarrow.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, really, that is generous of you,\u2019 said little Hans, and his funny round face glowed all over with pleasure. \u2018I can easily put it in repair, as I have a plank of wood in the house.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018A plank of wood!\u2019 said the Miller; \u2018why, that is just what I want for the roof of my barn. There is a very large hole in it, and the corn will all get damp if I don\u2019t stop it up. How lucky you mentioned it! It is quite remarkable how one good action always breeds another. I have given you my wheelbarrow, and now you are going to give me your plank. Of course, the wheelbarrow is worth far more than the plank, but true friendship never notices things like that. Pray get it at once, and I will set to work at my barn this very day.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Certainly,\u2019 cried little Hans, and he ran into the shed and dragged the plank out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It is not a very big plank,\u2019 said the Miller, looking at it, \u2018and I am afraid that after I have mended my barn-roof there won\u2019t be any left for you to mend the wheelbarrow with; but, of course, that is not my fault. And now, as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I am sure you would like to give me some flowers in return. Here is the basket, and mind you fill it quite full.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Quite full?\u2019 said little Hans, rather sorrowfully, for it was really a very big basket, and he knew that if he filled it he would have no flowers left for the market, and he was very anxious to get his silver buttons back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, really,\u2019 answered the Miller, \u2018as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I don\u2019t think that it is much to ask you for a few flowers. I may be wrong, but I should have thought  that friendship, true friendship, was quite free from selfishness of any kind.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018My dear friend, my best friend,\u2019 cried little Hans, \u2018you are welcome to all the flowers in my garden. I would much sooner have your good opinion than my silver buttons, any day;\u2019 and he ran and plucked all his pretty primroses, and filled the Miller\u2019s basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Good-bye, little Hans,\u2019 said the Miller, as he went up the hill with the plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Good-bye,\u2019 said little Hans, and he began to dig away quite merrily, he was so pleased about the wheelbarrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe next day he was nailing up some honeysuckle against the porch, when he heard the Miller\u2019s voice calling to him from the road. So he jumped off the ladder, and ran down the garden, and looked over the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was the Miller with a large sack of flour on his back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Dear little Hans,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Oh, I am so sorry,\u2019 said Hans, \u2018but I am really very busy to-day. I have got all my creepers to nail up, and all my flowers to water, and all my grass to roll.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, really,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018I think that, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you to refuse.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Oh, don\u2019t say that,\u2019 cried little Hans, \u2018I wouldn\u2019t be unfriendly for the whole world;\u2019 and he ran in for his cap, and trudged off with the big sack on his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty, and before Hans had reached the sixth milestone he was so tired that he had  to sit down and rest. However, he went on bravely, and at last he reached the market. After he had waited there some time, he sold the sack of flour for a very good price, and then he returned home at once, for he was afraid that if he stopped too late he might meet some robbers on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It has certainly been a hard day,\u2019 said little Hans to himself as he was going to bed, \u2018but I am glad I did not refuse the Miller, for he is my best friend, and, besides, he is going to give me his wheelbarrow.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarly the next morning the Miller came down to get the money for his sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Upon my word,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018you are very lazy. Really, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I think you might work harder. Idleness is a great  sin, and I certainly don\u2019t like any of my friends to be idle or sluggish. You must not mind my speaking quite plainly to you. Of course I should not dream of doing so if I were not your friend. But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018I am very sorry,\u2019 said little Hans, rubbing his eyes and pulling off his night-cap, \u2018but I was so tired that I thought I would lie in bed for a little time, and listen to the birds singing. Do you know that I always work better after hearing the birds sing?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, I am glad of that,\u2019 said the Miller, clapping little Hans on the back, \u2018for I want  you to come up to the mill as soon as you are dressed and mend my barn-roof for me.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor little Hans was very anxious to go and work in his garden, for his flowers had not been watered for two days, but he did not like to refuse the Miller as he was such a good friend to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Do you think it would be unfriendly of me if I said I was busy?\u2019 he inquired in a shy and timid voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, really,\u2019 answered the Miller, \u2018I do not think it is much to ask of you, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow; but of course if you refuse I will go and do it myself.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Oh! on no account,\u2019 cried little Hans; and he jumped out of bed, and dressed himself, and went up to the barn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe worked there all day long, till sunset, and at sunset the Miller came to see how he was getting on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Have you mended the hole in the roof yet, little Hans?\u2019 cried the Miller in a cheery voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It is quite mended,\u2019 answered little Hans, coming down the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Ah!\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018there is no work so delightful as the work one does for others.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It is certainly a great privilege to hear you talk,\u2019 answered little Hans, sitting down and wiping his forehead, \u2018a very great privilege. But I am afraid I shall never have such beautiful ideas as you have.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Oh! they will come to you,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018but you must take more pains. At present you have only the practice of friendship; some day you will have the theory also.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Do you really think I shall?\u2019 asked little Hans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018I have no doubt of it,\u2019 answered the Miller, \u2018but now that you have mended the  roof, you had better go home and rest, for I want you to drive my sheep to the mountain to-morrow.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor little Hans was afraid to say anything to this, and early the next morning the Miller brought his sheep round to the cottage, and Hans started off with them to the mountain. It took him the whole day to get there and back; and when he returned he was so tired that he went off to sleep in his chair, and did not wake up till it was broad daylight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018What a delightful time I shall have in my garden!\u2019 he said, and he went to work at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut somehow he was never able to look after his flowers at all, for his friend the Miller was always coming round and sending him off on long errands, or getting him to help at the mill. Little Hans was very much distressed at times, as he was afraid his flowers  would think he had forgotten them, but he consoled himself by the reflection that the Miller was his best friend. \u2018Besides,\u2019 he used to say, \u2018he is going to give me his wheelbarrow, and that is an act of pure generosity.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo little Hans worked away for the Miller, and the Miller said all kinds of beautiful things about friendship, which Hans took down in a notebook, and used to read over at night, for he was a very good scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow it happened that one evening little Hans was sitting by his fireside when a loud rap came at the door. It was a very wild night, and the wind was blowing and roaring round the house so terribly that at first he thought it was merely the storm. But a second rap came, and then a third, louder than any of the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It is some poor traveller,\u2019 said little Hans to himself, and he ran to the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere stood the Miller with a lantern in one hand and a big stick in the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Dear little Hans,\u2019 cried the Miller, \u2018I am in great trouble. My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I am going for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it is such a bad night, that it has just occurred to me that it would be much better if you went instead of me. You know I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, and so it is only fair that you should do something for me in return.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Certainly,\u2019 cried little Hans, \u2018I take it quite as a compliment your coming to me, and I will start off at once. But you must lend me your lantern, as the night is so dark that I am afraid I might fall into the ditch.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018I am very sorry,\u2019 answered the Miller, \u2018but it is my new lantern and it would be a great loss to me if anything happened to it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Well, never mind, I will do without it,\u2019 cried little Hans, and he took down his great fur coat, and his warm scarlet cap, and tied a muffler round his throat, and started off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a dreadful storm it was! The night was so black that little Hans could hardly see, and the wind was so strong that he could scarcely stand. However, he was very courageous, and after he had been walking about three hours, he arrived at the Doctor\u2019s house, and knocked at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Who is there?\u2019 cried the Doctor, putting his head out of his bedroom window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Little Hans, Doctor.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018What do you want, little Hans?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018The Miller\u2019s son has fallen from a ladder, and has hurt himself, and the Miller wants you to come at once.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018All right!\u2019 said the Doctor; and he ordered his horse, and his big boots, and his  lantern, and came downstairs, and rode off in the direction of the Miller\u2019s house, little Hans trudging behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the storm grew worse and worse, and the rain fell in torrents, and little Hans could not see where he was going, or keep up with the horse. At last he lost his way, and wandered off on the moor, which was a very dangerous place, as it was full of deep holes, and there poor little Hans was drowned. His body was found the next day by some goatherds, floating in a great pool of water, and was brought back by them to the cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody went to little Hans\u2019 funeral, as he was so popular, and the Miller was the chief mourner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018As I was his best friend,\u2019 said the Miller, \u2018it is only fair that I should have the best place;\u2019 so he walked at the head of the procession in a long black cloak, and every now  and then he wiped his eyes with a big pocket-handkerchief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Little Hans is certainly a great loss to every one,\u2019 said the Blacksmith, when the funeral was over, and they were all seated comfortably in the inn, drinking spiced wine and eating sweet cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018A great loss to me at any rate,\u2019 answered the Miller, \u2018why, I had as good as given him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don\u2019t know what to do with it. It is very much in my way at home, and it is in such bad repair that I could not get anything for it if I sold it. I will certainly take care not to give away anything again. One always suffers for being generous.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWell?\u201d said the Water-rat, after a long pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, that is the end,\u201d said the Linnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what became of the Miller?\u201d asked the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! I really don\u2019t know,\u201d replied the Linnet; \u201cand I am sure that I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is quite evident then that you have no sympathy in your nature,\u201d said the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am afraid you don\u2019t quite see the moral of the story,\u201d remarked the Linnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe what?\u201d screamed the Water-rat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe moral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you mean to say that the story has a moral?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the Linnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, really,\u201d said the Water-rat, in a very angry manner, \u201cI think you should have told me that before you began. If you had done so, I certainly would not have listened to you; in fact, I should have said \u2018Pooh,\u2019 like the critic. However, I can say it now;\u201d so he shouted out \u201cPooh\u201d at the top of his voice, gave a whisk with his tail, and went back into his hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd how do you like the Water-rat?\u201d asked the Duck, who came paddling up some minutes afterwards. \u201cHe has a great many good points, but for my own part I have a mother\u2019s feelings, and I can never look at a confirmed bachelor without the tears coming into my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am rather afraid that I have annoyed him,\u201d answered the Linnet. \u201cThe fact is, that I told him a story with a moral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh! that is always a very dangerous thing to do,\u201d said the Duck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I quite agree with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE END<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Devoted Friend\u201d is a short story by Oscar Wilde, published in 1888 in the collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Presented as a fable within a fable, the story begins when a lark tells a water rat and a duck the story of little Hans, a kind-hearted young man who carefully tends his garden and maintains an unequal relationship with a miller who takes advantage of his generosity and unconditional devotion. Through this allegorical structure, Wilde critiques the hypocrisy and selfishness hidden behind discourses of virtue, and shows how true friendship can be corrupted by self-interest and manipulation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[573,594,592],"class_list":["post-14371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories","tag-fantasy","tag-ireland","tag-oscar-wilde-en","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":559,"label":"Short stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":573,"label":"Fantasy"},{"value":594,"label":"Ireland"},{"value":592,"label":"Oscar Wilde"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lecturia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Oscar-Wilde-El-amigo-fiel.jpg",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Juan Pablo Guevara","author_link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/author\/spartakku\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":559,"name":"Short stories","slug":"short-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":424,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":559,"category_count":424,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Short stories","category_nicename":"short-stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":573,"name":"Fantasy","slug":"fantasy","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":573,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":91,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":594,"name":"Ireland","slug":"ireland","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":594,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":18,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":592,"name":"Oscar Wilde","slug":"oscar-wilde-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":592,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27776,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14371\/revisions\/27776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}