English Original
When Jack bowed to someone, he always did it at lightning speed. As soon as he nodded his head, he would straighten up, which led others to blame him for having no manners. Some warm-hearted men then taught him: "Next time you bow to someone, count silently: 'January, February, March...' all the way to December. Then lift your body up. That will make the ceremony perfect."
The next day, Jack met his uncle and followed this advice. His bow was so prolonged that his uncle, feeling quite surprised, quickly slipped away. When Jack finally looked up, his uncle was nowhere to be seen. He then asked a passerby, "Which month did he go away?"
中文翻译
杰克向人鞠躬时，速度总是快如闪电。头一点，他就立刻直起身来。因此，大家都责怪他不懂礼貌。一些热心人便教他："下次你向人鞠躬时，就在心里默数：'一月、二月、三月……'一直数到十二月。然后再直起身来。这样礼节就周全了。"
第二天，杰克遇到了他的叔叔，便照此方法做了。他鞠躬的时间太长了，叔叔感到非常惊讶，赶紧溜走了。当杰克终于抬起头时，叔叔早已不见踪影。于是他问一个路人："他几月走的？"