The Case of the Lost Ring

The Discovery

Ramesh’s face brightened up. The little boy was playing on the village road when something glittering in the dust caught his attention. He bent down and picked up a ring.

Ramesh tried it on his fingers, but it was too big, even for his thumb! He gazed at the ring, unsure of what to do with it.

The Exchange

Subodh, a shopkeeper seated on his veranda, observed Ramesh. “Hello, little one,” he called out. “What are you going to do with that useless thing? Hand it over to me, and in exchange, I will give you a luddoo, the best sweetmeat from my shop.”

The ring changed hands, and Ramesh ran home, excited about his prize. However, just as he took his first bite of the luddoo, his mother, Lata, caught sight of him.

The Confrontation

“Where did you get that?” she demanded.

“Why should I pinch it? Didn’t Uncle Subodh give it to me for a useless thing?” Ramesh replied, a piece of the luddoo still in his mouth.

Lata was surprised. She knew Subodh was miserly and would not give away sweets for nothing. Through many questions, she eventually uncovered the truth.

The Argument

Without delay, she went to confront Subodh. “A gold ring for a luddoo? How cheap things have become! If you care for your face, return my son’s ring,” she shouted.

“What do you mean, Ramesh’s mother? I don’t know anything about the ring! I gave your son a luddoo out of sheer love. Must you hurl accusations at me?” Subodh replied.

As the two quarreled, villagers gathered around. Soon, a stranger arrived and asked, “Have any of you seen a gold ring? It slipped out of my pocket when I took out my handkerchief.”

The Revelation

The villagers quickly understood the issue at hand. They whispered advice to the gentleman, who then told the quarreling pair, “Stop wasting your energy. The ring belongs to me. Give it back.”

Both Lata and Subodh looked at each other. They quickly united in an attempt to deceive the gentleman.

“What ring are you talking about? We are arguing over the price of sweetmeats that my son bought from this man,” said Lata.

“That’s right! She thinks I gave her son two sweetmeats for the price of one!” added Subodh.

The Headman’s Intervention

“How strange these people are!” exclaimed the gentleman. “Let’s go to the headman of your village.”

The headman was clever. Through persistent questioning and threats, he forced Subodh and Lata to confess about the ring. Both were fined, and Subodh placed the ring with the headman for safekeeping.

The Deception Unfolds

After the villagers dispersed, the gentleman asked the headman, “Thank you, sir. Now please return the ring to me.”

“Well, how can I do that? Tomorrow, someone else might claim it! I cannot be sure it belongs to you. It must remain with me until I am certain,” replied the cunning headman.

The gentleman sighed and departed. That night, the headman took the ring to the village goldsmith, claiming he needed the money for his wife’s precious ring.

The goldsmith examined the ring. “This is a costly ring. The stone is a diamond and should fetch you a thousand rupees, but I can only give you a couple of hundred now,” he said.

The Betrayal

“You can keep the ring and pay me the rest later,” the headman said with joy, leaving with two hundred rupees after making the goldsmith promise not to speak of the transaction.

A few days later, when the headman returned for the balance, the goldsmith denied ever buying a ring from him. Furious, the headman went to the king to lodge a complaint.

The Courtroom Drama

The goldsmith was summoned to court. Before the king, he confessed to buying the ring from the headman.

“You must pay the headman his due, as well as a fine,” ordered the king.

“My lord! The headman’s due is heavy punishment,” protested the goldsmith, narrating the ring’s backstory. He revealed that it was made for a gentleman whose wife lost the imitation ring on her journey.

“The gentleman to whom it truly belongs is present here,” the goldsmith concluded, pointing at a courtier. The king learned that the goldsmith’s account was true.

The Conclusion

“Regardless, you tried to cheat the headman, did you not?” asked the king.

“My lord, if that were my motive, why would I pay him two hundred rupees for an imitation ring worth hardly twenty? I wanted to expose his mischief,” the goldsmith replied.

The villagers echoed the goldsmith’s words, and the king punished the headman while rewarding the goldsmith for his honesty.