Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/100

 tapestry, which had served as a covering to the couch on which they had slept. This they carried to the market-place; and waiting till their kind host had arrived, pretended to offer it for sale, and asked him how much he thought it worth. Abba Umana mentioned a certain sum. "Dost thou not think it worth more?" asked the men. "No," answered the physician; "this is the very sum I gave for one much like it." "Why, good man," rejoined the disciples, "this is thine own: we took it from thy house. Now tell us truly, we beseech thee, after missing it, hadst thou not a very bad opinion of us?" "Certainly not," replied the pious man; "ye know that a son of Israel must not impute evil intentions to anyone, nor judge ill of a neighbor by a single action; and since I was satisfied in my mind that no ill use would be made of it, let it even be so. Sell it, and distribute the money among the poor." The disciples complied with his wishes, left him with admiration and thanks, and increased, by their report, his well-earned fame.

But the most noble trait in this good man's character was, that he never accepted any remuneration from the poor, and even provided them with everything that could, during their illness, contribute to their comfort; and when he had, by his skill and assiduity, restored them to health, he would give them money, and