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Story CLXXII without imposing obligation and insult. They accumulate property with difficulty, guard it with meanness, and abandon it with reluctance, according to the saying of illustrious men that the silver of an avaricious man will come up from the ground when he goes into the ground. One man gathers wealth with trouble and labour, and if another comes, he takes it without either."

I retorted: "Thou hast not become aware of the parsimony of wealthy men except by reason of mendicancy; or else, to him who has laid aside covetousness, a liberal and an avaricious man would appear to be the same. The touchstone knows what gold is, and the beggar knows him who is stingy."

He rejoined: "I am speaking from experience when I say that they station rude and insolent men at their gates to keep off worthy persons, to place violent hands upon men of piety and discretion, saying: 'Nobody is here'—and verily they have spoken the truth. Of him who has no sense, intention, plan, or opinion, the gatekeeper has beautifully said: No one is in the house."

I said that this is excusable because they are teased out of their lives by people expecting favours, and driven to lamentation by petitions of mendicants; it being according to common sense an impossibility to satisfy beggars even if the sand of the desert were to be transmuted into pearls. The eye of greediness the wealth of the world can no more fill than dew can replenish a well. Hâtim Tâi dwelt in the desert; had he been in a town he would have been helpless against the assaults of beggars, and they would have torn to pieces his upper garments, as it is recorded in the Tayibât: