Honesty really is the best policy.

Have any of you ever been out shopping or something and had a homeless person come up to you and ask for spare change, usually claiming that they want it for a cup of tea, a bite to eat or to get the bus home?
Sometimes we ignore them, sometimes we give a polite 'no sorry' and sometimes we pass them a few coppers.
I don't know about any of you, but I tend to give a polite 'no sorry' and keep walking, unwilling to help pay for their drugs or alcohol.

However, yesterday, whilst sat outside a bar on Bristol's Harborfront, we were approached by such a person.
My initial reaction to him approaching our table was to roll my eyes and turn my head.
"Excuse me, can I be honest with you?" he asked as he approached.
"Of Course." Barrie replied as the rest of us chuckled slightly.
The man then extended his hand, showing us his hand, on which he wore a tatty fingerless glove, in which were a few coppers, amounting to no more than about ten pence.
"Could you give me a few coppers so I can get a can of cider?" he said, these words, and their honesty shocking all five of us, all of us immediately congratulating the man for his honesty by delving into our wallets and pockets and giving him change, that must have added up to well over two pounds!
"I could have lied to you and said that I wanted it for tea, sandwich, the bus, but I'm not like that." the man said, counting off the usual excuses on his fingers as we gave him his change.

This man had just proved that honesty is the best policy, and all five of us knew that if he'd come up to us and said he wanted it for tea or food we would have turned him down. I was quite happy to reward this man for being so honest with us. It was refreshing to see and hear.