XI.

THE GOOD HUSBAND AND THE

BAD WIFE.

In a remote village there lived a Brâhmin whosegood nature and charitable disposition were pro-verbial. Equally proverbial also were the ill- natureand uncharitable disposition of the Brahmani- hiswife.But as Paramêśvara( God) had joined themin matrimony, they had to live together as husbandand wife, though their temperaments were so incom-patible. Every day the Brahmin had a taste of hiswife's ill- temper, and if any other Brâhmin wasinvited to dinner by him, his wife, somehow or other,would manage to drive him away.

One fine summer morning a rather stupid Brâhminfriend of his came to visit our hero and was at onceinvited to dinner. He told his wife to have dinnerready earlier than usual, and went off to the river tobathe. His friend not feeling very well that daywanted a hot bath at the house, and so did not