The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller

A charcoal-burner who plied his trade in a certain house, seeing a fuller settle near him, went to him and urged him to come and live with him, pointing out that they would be on closer terms and would live at less expense, having only one dwelling. But the fuller answered, "For me it is utterly impossible: for whatever I whitened, you would blacken with soot."