A Cautious Move

One night, Shantilal, the shopkeeper, returned home late. A play was being performed in front of his house, and his wife stood at one end of their verandah, enjoying the performance.

Shantilal quickly understood that a thief had taken advantage of the situation and was hiding in the luggage space under the roof. He knew that if he shouted “Thief!”, the criminal might attack him with a dagger, as thieves often did.

When his wife came inside, Shantilal said, “I hear that a gang of thieves has come to our town. Bring your ornament box; I shall hide it.” His wife brought the box, while the thief remained quiet, eagerly waiting to see where they would conceal it.

Shantilal opened the box and cried out, “There’s a snake inside the box! A snake!” Hearing this, several people from the crowd outside rushed in to help.

“Now that you are here, let us capture the thief,” said Shantilal. The thief was apprehended without much difficulty, thanks to Shantilal’s quick thinking and resourcefulness.