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were two brothers, of whom one was a layman and the other a parson. The former had often heard his brother declare that there never was a woman who could keep a secret. He had a mind to put his maxim to the test in the person of his own wife, and one night he addressed her in the following manner: "My dear wife, I have a secret to communicate to you, if I were certain that it would remain so. Should you divulge it, it would cause me the greatest uneasiness and vexation." "My lord," answered his wife, "fear