Judgement

Long, long ago, there lived a farmer who led a contented life with his wife. One day, while returning from the fields with her, he noticed a flash of light radiating from a crow’s nest high up in the fork of a tree. Curiosity getting the better of him, he climbed the tree and discovered, to his delight, a bag full of lovely bright pearls. Hurriedly, he climbed down and dragged his wife home.

The Necklace

After securely bolting the door from the inside, the couple emptied the bag and counted out two hundred sparkling pearls. The farmer’s wife asked him to make her a necklace of a hundred pearls. So, the farmer took the pearls to a jeweler and requested that he create a necklace.

The Refusal

When the necklace was ready, it was so lovely that the jeweler’s wife fell in love with it and refused to part with it. The poor jeweler did not know what to do and put off the farmer with various excuses each time he came for it. Annoyed at the jeweler’s delaying tactics, the farmer began to threaten him, but the jeweler bluntly denied ever having received the pearls to make the necklace.

Seeking Justice

At last, the poor farmer went to the local Magistrate and recounted everything. The Magistrate reassured him, saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll ensure that you get justice. But don’t tell anyone that you’ve complained to me.”

The Confrontation

The Magistrate then called the jeweler and said, “Look here, man, I have a hundred pearls in this bag. I want to make a beautiful necklace. Do it quickly.” The goldsmith went home and, counting the pieces, discovered that there were only ninety-six pearls. However, he could not go back and inform the Magistrate, fearing he would not be believed. Instead, he took out the farmer’s necklace and gave it to the Judge, reasoning that since all the pearls were of the same variety, no one would know the difference.

The Truth Emerges

As soon as the Judge saw the necklace, he exclaimed, “Ah! So this is the farmer’s necklace. After all, I only gave you ninety-six pearls!” The goldsmith and his wife were taken aback and remained silent. Then the Magistrate said in a stern voice, “Tell the truth, and I’ll excuse you! Lie, and you will go to jail.” At that moment, the jeweler blurted out the truth and returned the pearls to the Magistrate.

Conclusion

Thus, the farmer got back his necklace, proving that honesty holds its own weight in the tapestry of life.