The travelers on the road...
The travelers on the road to Emmaus didn't get what they expected. Neither did the emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, at a state dinner party. Everybody knew he would typically ask guests the same questions, in the same order. One aging woman, hard of hearing, feared she wouldn't hear his questions properly, so she memorized the answers in advance. Unfortunately for her, Napoleon changed the order of his questions. She thought he was asking, "How old are you?" when, in fact, he queried, "How many children do you have?" She replied confidently, but to his astonishment, "Fifty-two, sire."