A peasant with a troubled conscience went to a monk for advice. He said he had circulated a vile story about a friend, only to find that the story was not true. "If you would make peace with your conscience," said the monk, "you must first fill a bag with goose downs, go to every door in the village, and drop in each one of them a feather." The peasant did as he was told. Then he came back to the monk and said he had done penance for his folly."Not yet," replied the monk. "Take a bag, go two rounds again, and gather up every down that you have dropped." "But the wind must have blown them all away," said the peasant."Yes, my son" said the monk. "And so it is with your vile words. Words and goose downs are quickly dropped, but try as hard as you will, you can never get them back."