نامه و خوانندهٔ پنهانی

A learned man is writing a letter to a close friend with whom he can share his secrets. Another person is sitting beside him and secretly reading what he writes. The writer is annoyed by this unwanted interest in a private letter.

He adds a message saying that he would tell his friend all his secrets if a shameless thief were not sitting beside him and reading the page. The man beside him immediately denies reading the letter. He even swears that he has not looked at its contents.

The writer asks how he knows what to deny if he has not read the message. The denial itself gives away the very behaviour it is supposed to hide. The spoken exchange ends with this question, leaving the reader to recognise the contradiction. The joke depends on the difference between what the neighbour claims and what his answer reveals.