ould rightly repeat them." So speaking, he told the
story of Speckle-neck. Thereupon Slow-toes made a profound obeisance to
Golden-skin, and said, "How came your Majesty, may I ask, to retire to
an unfrequented forest?"

"I will tell you," said the King. "You must know that in the town of
Champaka there is a college for the devotees. Unto this resorted daily a
beggar-priest, named Chudakarna, whose custom was to place his
begging-dish upon the shelf, with such alms in it as he had not eaten,
and go to sleep by it; and I, so soon as he slept, used to jump up, and
devour the meal. One day a great friend of his, named Vinakarna, also a
mendicant, came to visit him; and observed that while conversing, he
kept striking the ground with a split cane, to frighten me. 'Why don't
you listen?' said Vinakarna. 'I am listening!' replied the other; 'but
this plaguy mouse is always eating the meal out of my begging-dish,'
Vinakarna looked at the shelf and remarked, 'However can a mouse jump as
high as this? There must be a reason, though there seems none. I guess
the cause--the fellow is well off and fat,' With these words Vinakarna
snatched up a shovel, discovered my retreat, and took away all my hoard
of provisions. After that I lost strength daily, had scarcely energy
enough to get my dinner, and, in fact, crept about so wretchedly, that
when Chudakarna saw me he fell to quoting--

'Very feeble folk are poor folk; money lost takes wit away:--
All their doings fail like runnels, wasting through the summer day.'

"Yes!" I thought, "he is right, and so are the sayings--

'Wealth is friends, home, father, brother--title to respect and fame;
Yea, and wealth is held for wisdom--that it should be so is shame,'
'Home is empty to the childless; hearts to them who friends deplore:--
Earth unto the idle-minded; and the three worlds to the poor.'

'I can stay here no longer; and to tell my distress to another is out of
the question--altogether out of the question!--

'Say the sages, nine things name not: Age, domestic joys and woes,
Counsel, sickness, shame, alms, penance; neither Poverty disclose.
Better for the proud of spirit, death, than life with losses told;
Fire consents to be extinguished, but submits not to be cold.'

'Verily he was wise, methought also, who wrote--

'As Age doth banish beauty,
As moonlight dies in gloom,
As Slavery's menial duty
Is Honor's certain