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VI.

VIDÂMUNDAN KODÂMUNDAN.

MR. WON’T-GIVE AND MR. WON’T-LEAVE.

In a certain town there lived a clever old Brâhmaṇ, named Won’t-Give.[1] He used to go out daily and to beg in all the houses round, under the pretence that he had to feed several Brâhmaṇs in his own house. Good people, that believed in his words, used to give him much rice and curry stuffs, with which he would come home, and explain to his wife how he had deceived such and such a gentleman by the imposition of feeding in charity many persons at home. But if any hungry Brâhmaṇ, who had heard of his empty boast of feeding Brâhmaṇs at home, came to him, he was sent away with some excuse or other. In this way Mr. Won’t-Give brought home a basketful of rice and other necessaries every day, of which he only used a small portion for himself and his wife, and converted the remainder into money.

  1. Kodâmundan.