“At last we have succeeded in driving him out; come, you too must be hungry; let us have our dinner together.”
Two leaves were spread on the ground, and all the dishes were equally divided into them. Meanwhile Mr. Won’t-Leave was watching all that took place below him and, being himself very hungry, was slyly watching for an opportunity to jump down. Mr. Won’t-Give, gloating over his trickery, said to his wife:
“Well, my love, did I not beat you without hurting you?” to which she replied:
“Did I not continue to cry without shedding tears?” when suddenly there fell on their ears:
“And did I not come to have my dinner without going away?” and down jumped Mr. Won’t-Leave, from the loft, and took his seat in front of the leaf spread by Mr. Won’t-Give for his wife. And Mr. Won’t-Give, though disappointed, was highly pleased at the cleverness of his guest.
This story is cited as the authority for three proverbs that have come into use in Tamil.
- “Nôvâmal aḍitten.”
- “Oyâmal aluden.”
- “Pôkâmal vandên.”
which represent the exchanges of politeness between the husband, the wife, and the guest, quoted in the foregoing paragraphs.
[1] Kodâmundan.