ing song.

_DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND_

In a village in Hindustan there once lived a merchant who, although he
rose early, worked hard, and rested late, remained very poor; and
ill-luck so dogged him that he determined at last to go to some
distant country and there to try his fortune. Twelve years passed by;
his luck had turned, and now he had gathered great wealth, so that
having plenty to keep him in comfort for the rest of his days, he
thought once more of his native village, where he desired to spend the
remainder of his life among his own people. In order to carry his
riches with him in safety over the many weary miles that lay between
him and his home, he bought some magnificent jewels, which he locked
up in a little box and wore concealed upon his person; and, so as not
to draw the attention of the thieves who infested the highways and
made their living by robbing travellers, he started off in the poor
clothes of a man who has nothing to lose.

Thus prepared, he travelled quickly, and within a few days' journey
from his own village came to a city where he determined to buy better
garments and--now that he was no longer afraid of thieves--to look
more like the rich man he had become. In his new raiment he approached
the city, and near the great gate he found a bazaar where, amongst
many shops filled with costly silks, and carpets, and goods of all
countries, was one finer than all the rest. There, amidst his goods,
spread out to the best advantage, sat the owner smoking a long silver
pipe, and thither the merchant bent his steps, and saluting the owner
politely, sat down also and began to make some purchases. Now, the
proprietor of the shop, Beeka Mull by name, was a very shrewd man, and
as he and the merchant conversed, he soon felt sure that his customer
was richer than he seemed, and was trying to conceal the fact. Certain
purchases having been made, he invited the new-comer to refresh
himself and in a short time they were chatting pleasantly together. In
the course of the conversation Beeka Mull asked the merchant whither
he was travelling, and hearing the name of the village, he observed:

'Ah, you had better be careful on that road--it's a very bad place for
thieves.'

The merchant turned pale at these words. It would be such a bitter
thing, he thought, just at the end of his journey to be robbed of all
the fortune he had heaped up with such care. But this bland and
prosperous Beeka Mull must surely