An American went to Paris and bought a picture from a French artist (艺术家). The American thought the picture was very good. But when he came back to his room and was going to put the picture on the wall,he couldn't tell the top from the bottom of the picture. He turned the picture this way and that,but he still didn't know.
He thought and thought. He hung(悬挂) the picture in the dining room. Then he asked the artist to dinner.When the artist came,the American said nothing to him about the picture,he went with the artist into the dining room to have the meal. When the artist began to eat,he looked at the picture for some time. When he began to eat the fish,he put on his glasses and looked at the picture again. Before he began to eat his apples,he stood up and walked to the picture and looked at it carefully. At last when he began to have his tea,he looked again and found the picture was upside down (颠倒).
"Why,my friend," he said,"the picture is upside down. "
"Indeed! But why did it take you so long to find that out?" said the American. "You painted it, didn't you?