Once, late at night, an Englishman came out of his hotel room into the corridor and asked a servant for a glass of water. The servant complied. The Englishman returned to his room, but reappeared a few minutes later to repeat his request. Again, the servant brought him water. This pattern continued every few minutes. After half an hour, the astonished servant decided to ask what the Englishman was doing with all the water.
"Nothing," the Englishman answered imperturbably. "It's simply that my room is on fire."