FUJEITHER EXPERIENCES OF MR. STALE, 
modities, salt, salt-fish, rice, coconuts, and all kinds 
of curry stuffs, and master at once came to the con- 
clusion, they would be of no more use as pillow-cases, 
for no amount of washing could ever take away that 
very peculiar smell, with which they were impregnated 
a smell which cannot be better described than by 
saying it can be experienced in its native freshness, 
in walking along the Kandy streets, where the bazars 
are situated, on a Sunday afternoon. But what is this the 
boy has for his pillow? More towels? No. Well did 
you ever see such a dodge ? Two damask table napkins 
roughly sewn together and stuffed with dried moss, or 
short leaves. Where, then, will the discoveries come to 
an end ? Oh, Mr. Stale, what made you enter that kitchen ? 
Why did you do it! for “where ignorance is bliss 
’t is folly to be wise. ” 
“How so?” the reader may say. ^*How can it 
be folly to expose and find out stealing and pilfering?” 
Just because it is no use, irritates and vexes one, with 
out creating any corresponding advantage ; in proof of 
which, master when rummaging about the boy’s 
platform, or bed, suddenly laid his hands upon a 
much esteemed meerschaum pipe, stuck in a crevice 
of the wall. This pipe had disappeared months before, 
and had been long given up as lost, lost from the 
pocket, while scrambling through that piece of awful 
jungle. It had been regretted and mourned over at 
the time, but of course eventually forgotten, and re- 
placed. All old recollections now returned. Here is the 
pipe, as black, as dirty and filthy as the skin of the 
thief. What use is it to him now ? Can he ever bring 
himself to put that pipe in his mouth, and suck it 
as sweetly as he did before ? In comparison to the 
finding of that pipe, the idea of having lost it in 
the jungle was a pleasing illusion. Not onlj^ this, but 
what memories and suspicions it stirred up of other 
articles supposed, and perhaps with justice, to have 
been lost ! Most probably he did lose his pruning 
knife : it fell out of his pocket, on coming down the 
hill, after work was done, but he does not believe 
it now. A boy who can purloin a pipe will 
never hesitate about a pocket-knife. A strict search 
is instituted : the knife is not found,, but a razor is I 
and as he had grown a beard for the last four months, 
and did not intend to shave any more, the razor was 
of no use to him at all. The boy would have been 
welcome to it, had he asked it, and thus it frequently 
was, that in searching for articles which you firmly 
believed were stolen, but were not, you would find 
articles to have been purloined, which were never 
suspected. Perhaps a good deal of tact would be put 
in play, in this process of stealing. The boy 
would secretly plaoe away, in some back drawer or 
