A certain Merchant who had two costly pearls worth a thousand rupees each, having occasion to proceed on a journey, having occasion to proceed on a journey, entrusted the pearls to his neighbour to be returned to him when he came back. On his return, he claimed the return of his deposit, but his neighbour, taking advantage of there being no witnesses to the transaction, gave him a point-back denial of having ever been entrusted with any pearls.
The owner therefore, had recourse to Mariada Ramanna in his difficulty. Raman on examining both the parties, and keenly observing their demeanour, came to the conclusion that the case was true as represented by the Plaintiff, but to make assurance doubly sure, he deferred judgement for a few days. Meanwhile, having acquainted himself from the Plaintiff's deposition with the exact size and appearance of his pearls, he obtained ninety-eight pearls, of the same quality, size and appearance, which he passed through an old worn-out string, and sending for the Defendant, handed them to him with a request to have them restrung on a new silken cord saying, as he did so, that he had every confidence in the Defendant's integrity and that he trusted he would return the entire 100 intact. The Defendant, who felt honored by this mark of confidence, cheerfully undertook to do so, but on coming home and counting the pearls, he found only 98. Imagining that the missing ones must have been lost on the way, and fearing an unfavourable verdict in the merchant's suit if he reported the deficiency, he quietly substituted the pearls he had robbed the merchant of and returned a sting of 100 pearls to Mariada Ramanna. The later, finding his suspicions confirmed, passed suitable sentence on the Defendant, and restored his pearls to the Plaintiff.
