streets of the city between them, the Bodisat went round selling his goods in the street allotted to him, while the other took the street that fell to him.
Now in that city there was a wealthy family reduced to abject poverty. All the sons and brothers in the family had died, and all its property had been lost. Only one girl and her grandmother were left; and those two gained their living by serving others for hire. There was indeed in the house the vessel of gold out of which the head of the house used to eat in the days of its prosperity; but it was covered with dirt, and had long lain neglected and unused among the pots and pans. And they did not even know that it was of gold.
At that time the avaricious hawker, as he was going along, calling out, "Buy my water-pots! Buy my water-pots!" came to the door of their house. When the girl saw him, she said to her grandmother, "Mother! do buy me an ornament."
"But we are poor, dear. What shall we give in exchange for it?"
"This dish of ours is no use to us; you can give that away and get one."
The old woman called the hawker, and after asking him to take a seat, gave him the dish, and said, "Will you take this. Sir, and give something to your little sister[1] for it?"
The hawker took the dish, and thought, "This must be gold!" And turning it round, he scratched a line on its back with a needle, and found that it was so. Then hoping to get the dish without giving them anything, he said, "What is this worth? It is not even worth a half-
- ↑ On this mode of politeness see above, p. 70.
