III
BUDHIBANTA, THE BOY WEAVER
IN a certain village in rural Bengal there lived a young weaver, Budhibanta by name. He had a mother to whom he was very obedient. The power of judging for himself was not to be found in him, and he did everything his mother told him to do. He was married, but his wife was too young to leave her father's house, and live in her husband's. It was necessary, however, that husband and wife should sometimes meet, and so one day our hero's mother wished him to visit his better half. But how the weak and foolish boy would behave in society was a source of anxiety to his mother. She at length thought that it would be best to send her son with a friend, as his protector and guide, after giving him some good advice, and accordingly, on the most auspicious day named by the village astrologer, Budhi left home with his friend and the parting instructions of his mother, which were to bow deeply to any grave-looking lady of his father-in-law's house, for there were several ladies there who were worthy of his respect; to put as much food into his mouth as could be taken up with only five fingers, that is, to eat as little food as possible, for to appear greedy in one's father-in-law's house was an inexcusable indecency; and to take the shortest and the most direct path when returning home alone, for his friend might not find it convenient to wait during the whole time he might be detained by his mother-in-law.
With these words of advice stored in his mind, and his friend Juggo accompanying him, he reached his destination,
