No: 25 — 1882.] folk-lore in ceylon. 



211 



called dan or ddna, " a gift or any thing given/ 3 it is not 

 permitted to the priest to decline the invitation, except under 

 unavoidable circumstances such as sickness or a prior engage- 

 ment. 



The story then runs thus. 



Once on a time there was a simple and dull-witted man 

 who had a cunning and artful wife. The woman was, however, 

 much devoted to religion, and was a regular attendant on pay a 

 days at the Vihara and Pansala in order to worship Buddha and 

 to receive sil. The man, who had previously paid no attention 

 to religion, was one day seized all of a sudden with a desire to 

 follow the example of his wife, and calling her immediately to 

 his side said, " I wish to take sil : tell me how I should set 

 about it." 



The wife delighted to see her husband form so good a reso- 

 lution said, " Get up very early in the morning, go to the 

 Pansala with a pingo of boiled rice and curries, offer them to the 

 priest, and repeat the words which he will pronounce." 



The earnestness with which the man formed his resolution 

 and his anxiety to act on it were so great that sleep fled from 

 his eyes, and he impatiently watched for the dawn to hasten to 

 the priest's residence. Long before the break of day he set out 

 for the Pansala which lay about a mile from his house. On ar- 

 riving there he found the door closed, but he knocked with such 

 violence as to rouse the priest who was fast asleep in an inner 

 chamber. 



" I wonder" said the priest to himself " who this can be 

 that disturbs my repose at this ungodly hour." So saying he 

 rose and began to rub his eyes. The knocks on the door con- 

 tinued with redoubled vigour. The priest then jumped out of 

 bed, and approaching the door with some degree of anxiety 

 said " Kavuda ?", "Who's there ?" 



The man, following literally the instructions of his wife as 

 to repetition, replied " Kavuda V 



The priest could not understand how any one could be in 

 the mood for fun at such a time or place, and drawing still nearer 

 the door said, " MokadaV\ " What's the matter ?" 



