“Dear friend! Thy demand is quite fair and just. Yet, stay! I accepted thy gift only after I had consulted my wife, and now before I repay my debt, I must again ask her advice.”
Whereupon he turned to his wife who was present and said to her,—
“Beloved wife! please advise me how am I to repay our debt to our generous benefactor here?”
“Let me,” she cried, “settle accounts with [[83]]him.” Turning to him she said, “I will show thee how we have spent the fortune entrusted to our care through thy kindness. Behold the account books.”
The kind stranger looked with deep interest at the long lists recording the money spent in charity.
“You have, indeed,” he cried, “spent plenty of money.”
“But, good sir!” she added, “if thou dost believe for a moment that thy money might be entrusted to better guardians, take away then thy gift. If, on the other hand, thou art satisfied with the manner in which we have used the wealth placed in our care, then let us continue to hold our trust.”
Thereupon the stranger, who was Elijah the prophet, blessed the good couple and bade them enjoy the wealth they knew so well how to use. In a moment the prophet had departed and the happy couple kept his coins and bequeathed them to their eldest son as a family heirloom.
Yalḳuṭ, Ruth §§ 607, 601. [[84]]
