A man once caught another in the very act of picking his pocket. The thief excused himself by saying that he was unemployed and starving, and how, after he had served a term of imprisonment, nobody would empty him. Whenever he gave his name his reputation became known, and no one would trust him.
“Well,” said the other, “take my name, which I have never yet sullied. I give it to you. Take it and keep it clean.” He then took steps to find the man employment.
Fifteen years later he was told that a gentleman was waiting to see him. A glance at his visiting card revealed that he bore the same name as himself, and when he opened his lounge door to see his visitor, he was confronted by a man of fine and noble appearance, who said, “I have called to tell you that today I have been made a partner in the firm to which you recommended me fifteen years ago, and all you see me to be, I owe to your noble generosity, and above all to the gift of your name which is still unsullied. God bless you, Sir, and reward you.”