i=;2 



Byrani and Ghopal. 



" and strangers here, and my man has been 

 absent six months and I have no tidings of 

 him " 



" Have you no jewels ? " asked Ghopal. 



*' No, worthy Faquir," said she, " the bunya 

 has them all for my debt, and will not ad- 

 vance half a rupee (twenty-five cents) for 

 wood." 



Then Byram took out a rupee from his 

 girdle, and handed the woman, saying, " Go 

 and get wood and burn the child, and get 

 food for thyself, and when that is done it 

 may be thy husband will return." 



"Oh, holy Faquir," said the woman, "I 

 cannot kiss thy feet, for thou hast none, but 



let me kiss the feet of him that bears thee 

 about to deeds of mercy," and she flung 

 herself on the ground and would have kissed 

 Ghopal's feet, but Ghopal sprang backward, 

 and Byram said: 



"Not so, good woman, go and burn thy 

 child and give thanks to Brahma who sent 

 us." 



Then they left the town and went on their 

 way to the next town in silence. After they 

 had traveled a mile or so, Byram asked: 



"What thinkest thou, Ghopal, of my char- 

 ity to the woman ? Was the rupee well ap- 

 plied ?" 



"The money was thine," said Ghopal, 



and I find no fault with the manner of its 

 disposal." 



" But supposing," said Byram, " I had 

 had no money but that on which thou hast 

 a lien, what objection wouldst thou have 

 raised in this case ? " 



"The burning her child's body was a 

 pious duty," said Ghopal, "and I can find 

 no fault with thy charity, but hadst thou 

 sought to relieve her with the money on 

 which I have a lien, the thought of my loss 

 might have sharpened my wits." 



Another mile or so was passed in silence, 

 which was abruptly broken by Ghopal ask- 

 ing, " Say, Byram. There must be a great 

 many people in all India?" 



"About two hundred millions," said By- 

 ram. 



"Most of them very poor ? "asked Ghopal. 



"Yes," said Byram, "there are a great 

 many very poor people." 



"Quite a number of people must die 

 every day ? " 



" Yes — about twenty-five thousand peo- 

 ple, old and young, die every day." 



"And a great many of these leave wives 

 or children or parents who, like the Sunari,* 

 want money for wood to burn their dead .'' " 



" Every day's sun sets on many troubled 

 hearts," said Byram. 



" Perhaps in all India there may have 

 been five hundred such cases of distress as 

 the poor Sunari's this day.'' " 



" It is quite possible," said Byram. 



"And to how many of these do you sup- 

 pose Brahma sent a benevolent Faquir to 

 relieve that distress?" 



Byram was silent a few moments, and 

 then asked: 



" Say, Ghopal, how many people do you 

 suppose there are in all India ready to 

 devote their lives to Brahma, and apply 

 their means to relieve the sufferings of his 

 creatures?" 



"Well, I supj)ose not a great many," said 

 Ghopal. 



* Goldsmith's wife. 



