A Clean Gain

Anand was a gambler, and worse yet, he lost almost every time he played. All of his income from his lands and shop went into the gambling pot. One night, however, he returned home looking unusually jolly.

“You look quite bright! Did you win a couple of coins in gambling today?” his wife asked, intrigued.

“Couple of coins? Must you call a clean gain of two thousand rupees a couple of coins?” Anand rebuffed her with a grin.

His wife, taken aback, replied, “Let me see the money!”

“How foolish of you! Is there any law stating that a gain must be visible? Here’s the truth: I lost three thousand rupees, but I had not a paisa on me. What could they do? They took my diamond ring as collateral for my debt. Do you remember how much I paid for that ring? Only one thousand rupees. So, didn’t I make a clean gain of two thousand?” Anand explained with a sense of pride.

His wife sighed and fell silent, pondering his clever justification.