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XII.

THE GOOD WIFE AND THE BAD

HUSBAND.*

In a remote village there lived a man and his wife,who was a stupid little woman and believed every-thing that was told her.

Whenever people wantedanything from her they used to come and flatterher; but this had to be done in the absence of herhusband, because he was a very miserly man, andwould never part with any of his money, for all hewas exceedingly rich. Nevertheless, without hisknowledge cunning beggars would now and thencome to his wife and beg of her, and they usedgenerally to succeed, as she was so amenable toflattery. But whenever her husband found her outhe would come down heavily upon her, sometimeswith words and sometimes with blows. Thusquarrels arose, till at last, for the sake of peace, thewife had to give up her charitable propensities.

*

Now there lived in the village a rogue of the first

Compare the Singalese folktale given on p. 62, Vol I. ofthe Orientalist Glossar ::: zum Glossareintrag  Orientalist.- ED.