In Safe Keeping
Bhaskar was a wealthy merchant and admittedly, being very fond of money, his greatest joy was to sit every evening counting the day’s takings before he locked it in his safe.
One evening, as he fondly arranged coins into stacks and carefully counted each precious note, there was a loud knock on the door. Before Bhaskar could cover his money, the man Raghunath walked in.
Raghunath was another merchant, but with an unsavory reputation for never paying his debts. Bhaskar groaned inwardly, for he was sure Raghunath had come to borrow money. He was quite right too, for Raghunath, eyeing all the money on the floor, said with an expansive smile, “My good friend, I want a loan of five hundred rupees just for a few days, and I will pay whatever interest you want.”
Bhaskar shook his head sadly. “You couldn’t have come at a worse time. Tomorrow I have a lot of bills to meet, and I too, need to borrow some money.”
Before Raghunath could reply, there was an electricity failure, and the room was plunged into darkness. Bhaskar jumped to his feet and embraced Raghunath in a bear-like hug. “Ah! My dear friend,” he cried, “although I cannot lend you any money, you must stay and dine with us.”
Raghunath was so surprised, he couldn’t utter a word. Just then, Bhaskar’s wife came into the room carrying a lighted candle, and at the same time, the electric lights came on again. Bhaskar released Raghunath from his loving embrace.
“How wrong of me to invite you to dine at such short notice,” he said smilingly, “I am sure your wife has prepared a meal for you. But you must come and visit us again.” Saying that, he almost propelled Raghunath out of the door, which afterwards he carefully bolted.
Bhaskar’s wife looked at her husband in amazement. “Are you mad? Fancy embracing that awful man as though he was a long-lost brother and inviting him to dine with us.”
Mopping his brow with a handkerchief, Bhaskar said quietly, “If I hadn’t grabbed that rascal when the lights went out, he would have helped himself to some of my money.”
