A Charcoal1-burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a fuller（漂洗工） , and entreated2（懇求，請(qǐng)求） him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened3. The Fuller replied, "The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal（木炭） ."

　　Like will draw like.

　　燒炭人在一所房子里干活，看見(jiàn)有一個(gè)漂布人搬遷到他的旁邊來(lái)住時(shí)，滿懷高興地走上去勸他與自己同住，并解釋說(shuō)這樣彼此更親密，更方便，還更省錢。漂布人卻回答說(shuō)：“也許你說(shuō)的是真話，但完全不可能辦到，因?yàn)榉参宜椎?，都將被你弄黑?rdquo;

　　這故事說(shuō)明，不同類的人難相處。