The old man smiled and said, “Sir, you speak according to your knowledge, it is easy to see that you are not familiar with gardening. That tree there is old, and misshapen, no one can make it straight now. Trees must be trained while they are young.”

“That is how it was with your son,” said the stranger, “if you had trained him while he was still young, he would not have run away; now he too must have grown hard and misshapen.”

“Truly it is a long time since he went away,” replied the old man, “he must have changed.”

“Would you know him again if he were to come to you?” asked the stranger.