Mrs Hammond was old and blind, but she was determined to do everything for herself. She even used to go for walks by herself once a day for exercise, and found her way by touching things with her white stick. She learned where everything was, so she never lost her way.
One day, some men came and cut down some of the familiar trees at the side of one of the paths which she followed. When she reached that place that evening, she did not feel the trees with her stick, so she was in difficulty.
She waited for a while and listened, but did not hear any other people, so she went for a kilometre or two, and then she heard water beneath her.
"I lost ? I suppose so," she said, "I must be on a bridge , and there must be a river under me. I've been told that there's a river in this part of the country, but I don't know its exact position . How am I going to get back to my house from here?"
All at once she heard a man's friendly voice near her. "Excuse me, can I help you?"
"How kind of you!" Mrs Hammond answered. "Yes, please. Some of the trees which I follow have been removed today, and if I hadn't been lucky enough to meet you, I don't know what I'd have done. Can you please help me to get home?
"Certainly," the man answered. "Where do you live?"
Mrs Hammond told him, and the man took her to her house. She told the man how wonderful she was that she had met him. But the man said, "I want to thank you."
Mrs Hammond asked, "Whatever for?"
"Well," the man said quietly, "I was balanced on the edge of that bridge for ages in the dark, because I was trying to make up my mind to throw myself into the river and drown myself. But I'm not going to do it now."