LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 DDD177E7bflD 
 
A'S'AM A^W 1»4BT» 
 
 AN INDIAN STORY 
 
 By Mrs. SHERWOOD. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "LITTLE HENRr AND HIS BEARER, &e. &«- 
 
 _ m 
 
 From the Third London, Edition. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 ;A>rr«;i. t. Armstrong and crocker & brewster^ 
 
 NEW YORK: JOHN P, HAVEN. 
 
 1822. 
 

 

 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The stories in this little work treating also of the 
 same subjects which form the matter of the Stories on 
 the Church Catechism, it follows, that, in some places, 
 : considerable resemblance will be found between them; 
 ^ t as most of these relations were founded npon real 
 . enes which passed before the eyes of the i '-^r, it 
 is thought best to make no considerable alterations in 
 them, lest they should become less accurate descriptions 
 than they now are of the manners and real modes of life 
 in Hindoo&tan. 
 
THE 
 
 AYAH AKB I.ADYc 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 On our Obligation to shew Kindness to our 
 Fellow -Creatures, 
 
 There was a Lady in this country, who 
 had an Jyah who had lived with her several 
 years; and although this Ayah had a great 
 many faults, and was by no means faithful to 
 her mistress, yet the Lady was very kind to 
 her, not only when she was well and could 
 do her work, but also when she was sick 
 and could do nothing. This Lady paid her 
 Ayah seven rupees per month; besides which, 
 she gave her a new suit of clothes twice a 
 year, and money, and many other little things, 
 such as tea and sugar when she had a cold, 
 so that the Ayah had a very good place. 
 Now the reason why the Lady was so kind 
 to her Ayah was this, that the Lad}' feared 
 God, and God has commanded us in his Holy 
 #1 
 
b THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 Bible to love one another, and not to de- 
 spise people that are lower than ourselves; so 
 she was very kind to her Ayah, and to all 
 her servants, and to all the people that were 
 about her. Now the Ayah had a small house 
 in the Lady's compound, where she used to 
 have her victuals cooked; this house was 
 just opposite the door of the Ladj's bunga- 
 
 It happened one day that the Lady was sit- 
 ting in her dressing-room at work, just at 
 the time that the Ayah was eating her khau- 
 na at the door of her house. The Ayah had 
 half a see?' of rice boiled with fish curry, very 
 excellent, served upon a bright brass dish, 
 and her shining lota and paun-hox were plac^ 
 cd by her side, so that the Begum herself 
 could not have wished to have fared better 
 had she been there. Now while the Ayah 
 sat eating her curry hhaut at her leisure, a 
 very old woman, who had scarcely any 
 clothes, and was half starved, came into the 
 compound; and she made salam to the Ayah, 
 and asked charity for God's sake. The 
 Ayah just lifted up her eyes from her khauna, 
 and then looking down again she called the 
 beggar some very bad names, such as should 
 never be spoken by a woman, and bid her g<» 
 out of the compound, <'Give me two or three 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. t 
 
 cowries, or one handful of rice," said the 
 poor woman; «<for 1 am starving. 1 have 
 been very ill, and unable to work; and 1 am 
 now ready to die of hunger." 
 
 The Ayah raised her voice, and hid the 
 poor woman begone, or she would call one of 
 the servants to beat her out of the covipound. 
 So the poor woman was frightened, and got 
 off as quick as she could; and the Ayah went 
 on eating till she was quite satisfied. She 
 eat all the airrij^ hut she had two handfuls 
 of rice left, which she could not eat; there- 
 fore, as she wanted to clean her dishes, she 
 threw these two handfuls of rice upon the 
 ground for the crows. She then drank some 
 water, and when she had scoured her brass 
 dishes, and washed her hands, and face, and 
 mouth, she lay down and slept until it was 
 time to dress her Lady. 
 
 And now I will tell you what her Lady 
 said to her when she came in; for she had 
 seen e\eiy thing that had passed, and had 
 sent a servant after the poor woman with 
 some rice, and a piece of coarse cloth for a 
 sheet. 
 
 <»Ayah," said the Lady, "who was that 
 \> ho came up to you, when you were eating 
 vour dinner?" 
 
B THE AYAH AND XADT» 
 
 *Byah, I saw no one, Ma'am, but a poor 
 wretch who lives in a hut in the bazar, who 
 came to ask charity. 
 
 Lady, Did you give her any thing? 
 
 dyah. Ma'am knows that i am but a poor 
 woman^ how could I give charity? 
 
 Lady. What did the poor woman expect 
 you to give her? Did she ask you for rupees? 
 
 Jya/i. 0! no, Ma'am: she wanted a lew 
 cowries to buy khauna. 
 
 Lady. And could you not spare her a few 
 cowries? It is a saying in my country. That 
 no person is poorer for what he gives away: 
 you would never have missed a few cowries, 
 
 Jiyah. But 1 do not think 1 had any by 
 me, Ma'am. 
 
 Lady, If you had then given the poor 
 woman those two handfuls of rice, which you 
 'threw to the crows, yon would have been 
 nothing tlie poorer, and the old woman would 
 have blessed you, and God would have been 
 pleased with you; for the wise king Solomon, 
 the son of David, in his Proverbs, saith, 
 lie that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed^ 
 for he giveth of his bread to the poor; and also, 
 He that giveth to the poor^ shall not lack, 
 
 Ayah, 1 have not been used. Ma'am, to 
 sl»are my victuals with such people. Thp 
 old woman has no cast; she lives in a little 
 
THE AYAH AND tADY. 9 
 
 clay hut in the ba^ar^ itciir to t!»e great jyejml 
 tree. She has nothing hut filthy rags to 
 wear; and tlie people say, that she has been 
 eating rats and mice, and dead dogs, in the 
 highway, and upon the dunghills. 
 
 Lady. How can she eat such nasty things? 
 
 Jlijalu 0! Ma'am, what can she do? She 
 has nothing better. 
 
 Lady. Then, it seems, she is not to blame 
 for eating these things, she would eat in a 
 more cleanly manner if she could? 
 
 Jiyah. To be sure, Ma'am, she would; 
 but she is very old, and veiy poor. 
 
 Lady. And do you despise this woman, 
 because she is old, and poor, and forced to 
 endure hard necessities? Is this right, Ayah? 
 
 Jynh. She is nothing to me, Ma'am; she 
 has no cast: even our maitix would not eat 
 with her. 
 
 Lady. Whether she has cast or not, I do 
 not know, because these are things 1 have 
 nothing to do with; but one thing I do know, 
 that this old woman whom you despise, is 
 your sister. 
 
 .iyah. My sister, Ma'am! No, indeed, our 
 family were all good Mussulmauns: we never 
 lost cast any of us; nobody can say we ever 
 did. 
 
10 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 Ladij. Notwithstanding which, I tell you, 
 she is your sister, anil mine also. — I will ex- 
 plain this matter to you. We have a hook, 
 written hy Moses, which gives an account of 
 the creation of the workl. God made the 
 world, and all things in it, in six days. He 
 nrddCf at first, one man, and one woman, call- 
 ed Adam and Eve, from which first pair, all 
 i\te men and women that ever were upon the 
 face of the earth are descended^ to that there is 
 not a human heing, high or low, rich or poor, 
 that does not bear the relation of hrotlier or 
 sister to you; for Adam was the common 
 father of all, as Eve was the mother; for 
 God hath made of one blood all nations under 
 heaven. For this reason, we ought to feel 
 the affection of brothers and sisters to each 
 other; we ought to pity each other, and not 
 despise any man or woman, be they ever so 
 low or poor in this world's goods. 
 
 By this time the Lady was dressed; but 
 before she went out of the room, she said, 
 "Ayah, if you are sorry for having despised 
 the poor woman, I will tell you how you shall 
 make up your unkindness to her.'* 
 
 «*Wiiat can I do, Ma'am?" said the Ayah. 
 
 «Go to her," said the Lady, *<and ask her 
 if she can spin; and if she can. Til make her 
 a present of a spinning-wheel: for it would 
 
THE AYAH AND LADT. 11 
 
 be better for Jier to spin than to go about 
 begging." 
 
 ♦*l*li go, Ma'am," said the Ayah; "and if 
 you give beV a wheel, I'll make her a present 
 of two puckahf to purchase cotton for a be- 
 ginning." 
 
 Then the Lady was pleased with the Ayah. 
 So the Ayah went to the poor woman's hut 
 under the pepil, to inquire if she could spin. 
 <*l could spin very well, but 1 have no wheel," 
 said the poor woman. 
 
 *«I will bring you one to-morrow from my 
 Lady, with two yiickah of cotton from my- 
 self," said the Ayah. 
 
 The old woman blessed the Lady and the 
 Ayah; and when she got her spinning-w heel 
 she never went a begging any more,jnor had 
 -reason to eat rats, mice, and dead dogs. 
 And we should ail remember, that we are 
 brothers and sisters made by the same hand, 
 even the band of God, and descended from 
 the same man, our father Adam- 
 
 ^ 
 
12 THE AYAH AN»D LADY. 
 
 CHAPTER ir. 
 
 On the Depravity of Human JVlature, 
 
 One morning the Lady called her Ayah, and 
 said, <'Ayah, 1 have bought several pieces ot* 
 coarse cloth and chintz, and I have a mind 
 to give some to such of our servants' wives 
 as are the most in want of clothes; can you 
 tell me which are most deserving of charity?'* 
 
 "Ma'am is very good," said the Ayah. 
 
 "First," said the Lady, <'tliere is the 
 musalc/iee, I know that he has a large fami- 
 ly; what kind of woman is his wife?" 
 
 Tlie Ayah tossed up her head at hearing 
 of the musalchee's wife. «*()! Ma'am," she 
 said, "the musalchee's wife is a good-for- 
 nothing, idle creature, as ever was seen; she 
 sits all day smoking and chewing paim—l 
 am sure she is not worthy of Ma'am's chari- 
 ty." 
 
 "'^^he cook has good wages," said the La- 
 dy, "and his wife can afford to wear silver 
 Imngles and ear-rings, therefore I shall not 
 give her any cloth; hut the cook's mate has 
 a wife, I think, Ayah, and a young child." 
 
THE AY All AND LADY. 13 
 
 "0! Ma'am," says (lie Ayah, "she is not 
 the cook's mate's wife at all: she is some poor 
 wretch he picked up in the bazar. My Lady 
 will not, 1 am sure, bestow her charity on 
 such a poor wretch." 
 
 <«Has the beheistie a wife?" said the Lady; 
 ifperhaps slie may be worthy of some cloth." 
 
 .iyah. She is no more the beheistie^ s wife 
 than I am; she has another husband at Luck- 
 now. 
 
 Lady. The maitre has a poor sickly wife, 
 and a large family^ I must give them some 
 cloth. 
 
 <»0! the mailre^s wife," said the Ayah; 
 "if she is sick, she deserves to be so. Ma'am 
 docs not know what a bad w^oman she is, and 
 what a bad tongue she has," 
 
 Lady. Wiiy, it seems. Ayah, from your 
 account, that there is not one good woman 
 in the compound; are tliere any in the ba%ar?^^ 
 
 Jiyah. This place, Ma'am, is a very 
 wretched place; all here are very bad. 
 
 "So then," said the Lady, "there is not 
 one woman worthy of my cloth; I must, 
 send it back to the copra-waulla.'^ 
 
 Wiien the Ayah heard the Lady say she 
 would send the copra back to the copra-waul- 
 la, she bowed down before the Lady, and 
 
14 THE AYAII AND lADT. 
 
 said, "Ma'am, please to give her slave a suit 
 of clothes." 
 
 <*What, Ayah," said the Lady, "do you 
 tliink yourself better than all the women in 
 the compound and tlie bazar^ tliat I should 
 give you the cloth I bought for charity? You 
 know, Ayah, that you have many faults: you 
 often tell lies to me; you spend most of your 
 time in chewing ;;a?«i, sleeping, and gossip- 
 ing; you often use very bad language when 
 you are talking with your companions: these 
 things 1 know you do; and what other bail 
 things you do, when I don't see you, your 
 own heart can tell, and God knows. There- 
 fore, if none but good women are to have the 
 cloth, I think it will not be yours, for you 
 are not good." 
 
 <*Then," said the Ayah, "Ma'am must 
 keep the copra for herself, for she alone is 
 good, we are all bad; but Ma'am is like none 
 other, she is without fault." 
 
 «Ayah," said the Lady, *<you know now 
 that you are saying what is not true; al- 
 though I hope, by the help of God, 1 do not 
 fall into th(»se ojien and shameful sins wljicli 
 some poor creatures do, such as getting in- 
 toxicated, robbing people of their money, say- 
 ing bad words, and faults of that kind, yet i 
 (ivery day I do wrong things: how often iiavc i 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY, 15 
 
 you seen me angry without reason, and idle 
 vvljcn 1 otight to be serving God, and proud 
 and fretful, I do not pretend to be good, 
 Ayah, 1 know I never was, nor ever sliall 
 be truly good, while 1 live upon the earth, 
 although 1 trust that God will assist mc from 
 day to day to get better, for he has promised 
 us his help, if we will ask it in the manner 
 which he has ordained; w) you must under- 
 stand that I do not consider myself without 
 fault, but as a very great and miserable sin- 
 ner. And I do not only know myself to be 
 in sin, but I know that all the men, and 
 women, and children, that are upon the face 
 of the earth are sinners also, as our Bible 
 snys, there is none good; (Rom. iii, 10,) in sin 
 did my mother conceive me, (Psalm li, 5.) 
 And your Mussulmaun, and even the Hindoo, 
 teachers say the same thing, that all men are 
 sinners." 
 
 ^yah. Why, to be sure, Ma'am, one can- 
 not live many years in this world, without 
 seeing that the world is wicked. Ma'am does 
 not know half the wickedness that is done in 
 the bwzar, or even in this compound, 
 
 Lady.^ And what is more than this, Ayah, 
 I do not know half the wickedness of my own 
 heart, though I have often endeavored to un- 
 derstand it; but in our book it is written, 
 
lb THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 The heart is deceitful above all thingSf and 
 desperately wicked. (Jer. xvii, 9.) 
 
 jiijah. How happened it, Ma'am, that peo- 
 ])le are so wicked? Did God make men 
 wicked? 
 
 <»The Lord God," said the Lady, "never 
 sins, no does any thins; wicked; on the con- 
 trary, he hates every thing wicked, and every 
 kind of sin or uncleanness is hateful in his 
 sight. He made the first man, our father 
 Adam, and Eve his wife, in his ow n image 
 and likeness, even in the likeness of God; but 
 I will read you the account of ihese things out 
 of my book." Then the Lady directed the 
 Ayah to bring her a large book from the 
 dressing-table: the Ayah knew the book, 
 becavise her Lady read in it every day; and 
 the Lady read and explained to the Ayah the 
 second chapter of Gencf-sis, from the eighth to 
 tlie nineteenth verse, and also the third chap- 
 ter, for the Bible was not then translated 
 into the language of the country. 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 17 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 The Mcessity of our tJVature being changed 
 before we are capable of Happiness, 
 
 One night, in the month of August, some 
 time after this discourse, there was a dread- 
 ful storm of wind and rain, and some of the 
 servants' houses in the compound were hlowu 
 down: these were, the Ayah's house, and the 
 cook's house, and the khaunsaumaun^s house, 
 and the dobee^s. Through the mercy of God, 
 however, nobody was hurt, excepting the old 
 woman who cooked the Ayah's food,who had 
 her foot a little crushed by the fall of a piece 
 of clay, which formed part of the wall. 
 
 The Saheb and the Lady went the next 
 morning to see the fallen houses; and the 
 Saheb said, "These houses must be rebuilt, 
 hut I think there is a much pleasanter situa- 
 tion than this. I like to be comfortable my- 
 self, and 1 like to see my servants comforta- 
 ble; therefore I will have these new houses 
 built in the most agreeable part of the com- 
 pound^ and the houses shall be convenient." 
 -So iliG Saheb chose a pleasant spot of ground 
 2# 
 
18 THE AYAH AND LADY.' 
 
 in the compound; it was airy and cool, and 
 covered witli fresh grass, and the garden 
 was so near, that the sweet smell oftliellow- 
 ers reached the place. Thei-e the Saheb 
 caused four houses to he huilt: in each house 
 there were two rooms, and in the front there 
 was a verandah^ in which, during the heat 
 of the day, any one might sit down, shelter- 
 ed from the sun, and see the hoats upon the 
 river, for the river was only a little way off. 
 
 So, when the houses were finished, the do- 
 iee and his wife had one; the khaunsaumaun 
 and iiis family another; the cook, and his 
 wife and child, had the third; and the Ayah 
 and iier old woman had the fourth. 
 
 "Well," said the Ayah to her old woman, 
 as soon as she had got possession of her 
 house, "this is indeed a delightful jdace! 
 and two rooms within, hesides the verandah! 
 In the hot weather 1 sliall sit on the north 
 side, and have a prospect of the river; I 
 shall see all the budgerows that go up and 
 down: and in the cold weather 1 shall sit on 
 the south side, and enjoy the warmth of the 
 sun. And now spread my mat, and I will 
 eat my curry in the verandah.^' 
 
 While the Ayah sat waiting in the door of 
 her house for her khaiina, s!ie called first to 
 one neighbor, then to another: ^'We shall 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 19 
 
 sleep well here, khaunsaumaunf^' said 
 she; no disturbance from those dirty chil- 
 dren of tlie maitrc^sl My Lady's clothes will 
 he very white! there is no smoke here from 
 the bazar."'' And thus she proceeded in high 
 good humor; and when she came in to dress 
 iier Lady, she went on in the same way, 
 saying, that she should be as happy in her 
 new house, as if she were in Paradise; and 
 that her house was the best of the four. 
 
 "1 Ijope it may be so," said the Lady; "l 
 liopc that you may be as happy as you ex- 
 pect." 
 
 The next day, when the Ayah went to her. 
 khauna^ the khaunsaumaun^s wife came to 
 the door of her own house, and lifting aside 
 the corner of the purdah^ (for she was one 
 that never shewed herself out of doors,) she 
 threw some water out of her hookah directly 
 upon the Ayah's lota and paim-box. 
 
 <«What have you done so for?" said the 
 Ayah, in a loud angry voice. 
 
 By this time the khaunsaumaun^s wife 
 was gone from the door, but not so far off 
 that she could not hear what the Ayah said. 
 She came to the door again, and peeping 
 half her head out from behind the purdah, 
 •*Why did you say then that your house is 
 ihe best of all these four?" said she. 
 
20 THE AYAH AND XADT, 
 
 «I said no such thing," said the Ayah. 
 
 <*Yes, but you did," said the kliaunsau- 
 mauii's wife, «and the dobine knows it, and 
 the cook's wife. You said it to the Bebee- 
 Saheb, and the matranee heard you." 
 
 "Well, and if I did say so," said the Ayah, 
 <*l said no more than is true; my house is 
 the best of tlie four, and my Lady meant 
 that 1 should have the best." 
 
 Upon this, out came the dobine, and the 
 cook's wife, with her child upon her hips, 
 and they all three set upon the Ayah, abus- 
 ing her so loud that their voices might he 
 heard over Aie river; neither was the Ayah 
 behind them, but she scolded, in her turn, 
 till she was out of breath. The old woman 
 left off also preparing the Ayah's curry, and 
 came out into the verundah, to speak in be- 
 half of her mistress. At length the khaun- 
 saumaun^s wife, from behind the purdah^ 
 threw an old shoe at the Ayah, upon wjiich 
 the Ayah got up and flew at tlie khaunsau' 
 mnun*s wife to beat her; the khaunsaumaiui's 
 wife called in the dobine^ and the Ayah her 
 old woman; and the cook's wife set down 
 her child, and took her part in the quarrel: 
 and so presently all the five women were 
 fighting together. 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 21 
 
 Now the Sahch and Bcbee-Saheh wci-e sit- 
 ting at tiffin, with all the doors and windows 
 open. *<Wliat noise is that?" said the /Jebee- 
 Saheb: ^'a noise ot* people screaming; and I 
 think I hear blows, like fighting." 
 
 **It comes from the bazar ^'" said the Saheb, 
 
 «'Nay, my dear," said the Lady, <»1 think 
 it comes from the new houses." 
 
 "And so it does," said the Sahcb; "surely 
 the women there are fighting!" 
 
 Then the Saheb ordered the khaunsau- 
 maun to go and see what was the matter. 
 When tiie khaunsaumaiin came to his house, 
 lie found all the women still fighting; some 
 had bloody noses: others had their faces 
 torn and scratched; and the Ayah's eye was 
 swelled by a blow the dobine had given her. 
 When the women saw the khaunsaumaun 
 coming, each ran into her own house, for 
 they knew he came from the Saheb, The 
 khaunsaumaun, who was a steady old man, 
 locked up his wife in the house and returned 
 to his master. 
 
 In the evening, when the Ayah came to 
 dress her Lady, her eye, and lips, and one 
 side of her face, were dreadfully swelled. 
 She drew her chaudur over her face as well 
 as she could; nevertheless her mistress saw 
 the condition in which she was. Then the 
 
22 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 Bebee-Saheb said to llie Ayah, "Yesterday,) 
 Ayah, you told me, that you should be as, 
 happy in the new house, as if you were in 
 Paradise; but 1 fear you have found some i 
 cause of discontent as you and your neigh- 
 bors liave fallen out lo-day." 
 
 *»Ma'am," said the Ayah, "there is no 
 fault in the houses; there is no gentleman's 
 servants in all Hindoostaun have such 
 houses: but with such neighbors, I could not 
 be content, if 1 were to be in the king's pal- 
 ace. Ma'am does not know what a proud, 
 ill-tempered woman that khaunsaumaurC s 
 wife is: then the dobine — see, she struck mo 
 on one side of the fare with all her strength; 
 she would have killed me, if she could." 
 
 Lady. And what did you do aU this time? 
 Did you stand still, to be beat awd ahuscd? 
 
 ''No, indeed," said the Ayah; does the 
 Bebec-Saheb think 1 would stand to be beat 
 by such low people?" 
 
 ♦»It seems, Ayah, by your own account," 
 said tlie Lady, «»that you arc full as ready- 
 to quarrel with the women as they are with 
 you, and that you hate them as much as they 
 do you. With these evil tempers one to- 
 wards another, — this hatred, malice, and 
 envy, — you could not be happy in heaven 
 
t;he ayah and lady. 23 
 
 itself; and this shews, Ayah, that what our 
 holy book says is true, viz. that the heart of 
 man niust be changetl, and made altogether 
 new, before he can enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven.*' (John iii, 5, 7.) 
 
 The Ayah told the Lady, that she did not 
 know what changing the heart meant. 
 
 Ladij. 1 told you, Ayah, some time ago, 
 that God made mankind at first innocent and 
 holy; but Satan, that is, the devil, or the old 
 serpent, came to the first woman, and tempt- 
 ed her to disobey God, by eating the forbid- 
 den fruit: and siie did eat, and gave also to 
 her husband. From that time, their hearts 
 became sinful; and their children, who were 
 formed after their likeness, in tlK^ir own 
 image, were born full of sin. Every little 
 child that you sec. Ayah, is disposed to all 
 kinds of sin. Little babies will quarrel with 
 each other, and with their mothers, even be- 
 fore they can speak or walk; and as they 
 get older, they become every day more and 
 more wicked: so that children who are not 
 sometimes corrected, and kept under fear of 
 their parents, become altogether intolerable. 
 Now we are told, there are two places pre- 
 pared for mankind after death: the one, 
 heaven; the other, hell. In speaking of 
 heaven, our holy book says, For since the be- 
 
24 THE AYAH AND LADY, 
 
 ginning oj the world men have not heard, nor 
 perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, 
 O Gody besides thee^ what he hath prepared 
 for him that waitcth for him. (Isaiah Ixiv, 
 4; 1 Coi". ii, 9.) But tliis we ai-e sure of, 
 that it is a place beautiful beyond any thing 
 we ever saw; and that in that happy place 
 there shall be no more deaths neither sorrow, 
 nor cryingf neither shall there be any more 
 pain. (Rev. xxi, 4.) Hell, on the other 
 hand, is a place burning with fire and brim- 
 stone; and there their worm dieth not, neither 
 is their fire quenched. (Mark ix,43,44.) Now- 
 all those, who, like the old serpent, entertain 
 malice, hatred, answer, and revenge in their 
 hearts, will, we are told, be shut out from 
 heaven, (Gal. v, 19 — 21;) and after death 
 they will be forever confined with satan in 
 hell: (Rev. xxi, 8;) for if God were to admit 
 people burningwith rage and malice in to heav- 
 en, heaven itself would be filled with disorder 
 and confusion, misery and ruin. Therefore, 
 Ayah, God has taught us that we must pray 
 him to take from us our proud, spiteful 
 hearts, and give us|ifew hearts, that we may 
 be kind to one another, tender-liearted, lov- 
 ins: one another. (Psalm li, 10: Matt, vii, 
 7,'kc.) 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 25 
 
 Ayah, Did Ma'am ever pray to God to 
 give her a new heart? 
 
 Ladtj, It is time for me, Ayah, to go oii«; 
 but to-morrow evening, wlien I am dressing, 
 1 will answer your question. And now you 
 would do well to go home, and pray to God 
 that he would put into your heart to live in 
 peace with your neighbors. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In which it is shewn, how we may exchan-ge 
 our evil JS*ature for a better. 
 
 The next morning, when the Lady was sit- 
 ting at work, she called in her Ayah, to 
 wind some thread; and as the Ayah sat by 
 her, on the carpet, the Lady entered into the 
 following discourse with her. 
 
 "Yesterday, you asked me, if I had ever 
 prayed to God to give me a new heart. I 
 will now answer your question. I was born 
 in Europe, where all people are called Chris- 
 tians, although there are many persons there 
 who think nothing about religion. About 
 
S6 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 ten years ago, I came to lliis country; at 
 tliitt time 1 hud no tear of God upon my 
 mind: 1 tliought ot nothing but how 1 should 
 get hue clothes, and jewels, and of going out 
 to great dinners and nautclies, I was very 
 proud and hard-hearted to my fellow crea- 
 tures; for 1 loved no one but myself: and i 
 went on for a long time in this way, till I 
 was taken ill, and so ill, that 1 thought ( 
 should die. JVow 1 knew that there were 
 two places in the next world: hell, for such 
 persons as did not fear God; and heaven, 
 for those who did. And 1 began to fear, 
 lest hell should be the place provided for me; 
 liir 1 knew I had not lived in the fear of God, 
 nor kept his commandments. And 1 began, 
 as I said, to be very much frightened; but 1 
 i\k\ not know what to do. 
 
 ••Now there was in the place w]ier§ 1 lay 
 ill a Christian padre, SVhen this /;rt(/rc 
 iieard I was so ill, and that 1 was afraid of 
 dying, and going to the place apjiointed for 
 the wicked, he came to see me. He found 
 me lying upon my couch, and looking very 
 unliappy. When he had made his salam to 
 me, he said, «I heard that you are in great 
 trouble of mind, and I am come to comfort 
 vou." 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 27 
 
 <•' <I tliank you, Sir,' I said; *buj: you can't 
 comfort me, tor 1 have led a very sinful life, 
 and novv 1 fear tliat 1 sliall die, and that I 
 shall be condemned to hell. 
 
 ^* 'So far,' said the padre, «you are riajht, 
 and say wliat is true. You are a sinner, as 
 all mankind are; but you have been brought 
 up in a Christian country, and do you not 
 know, that there is a way jirovided by which 
 the greatest sinner may be saved from hell?' 
 « *I was born in a Christian country,' I 
 answered, *but I never thought about relig- 
 ion; all my time has been spent in dressing, 
 and dancing, and singing, and eating, and 
 drinking.' 
 
 ''Then the good padre taught me, that all 
 mankind were sinners, and fit only, through 
 their exceeding sinfulness, for hell-fire; hut 
 that the Almighty Lord God had, in iiis 
 great mercy and kindness, sent his only Soji 
 into the world, to die for men, and that all 
 who believe in him should have their sins 
 forgiven tl>em. The Son of God, he re- 
 peated to me, was equal with God, and one 
 with God; and that he came down from 
 heaven, and was made man in the womb of 
 a holy Virgin; that he lived thirty-three 
 years in this world, spending all his time in 
 doing good; at the end of which time he 
 
£8 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 gave up his life upon tlie cross, receiving in 
 his own person the punishment of all our 
 sins. He told me, also, that J must helieve 
 in this blessed Savior, and love him; that 
 through him J shouM receive the Holy Spirit 
 of God, which would enter into my heart, 
 and make my heart clean, so that I should 
 no longer love sin. He taught me, also, 
 how to seek the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, 
 by praying to him, and confessing myself to 
 be a miserable sinner, which is what 1 really 
 am. He directed nie, also, to read God's 
 holy book, and to think upon the words of 
 the book* a!]d pray for help that my life 
 might be ruled by it. 
 
 "So 1 observed what this holy padre told 
 me, and applied myself to read God's holy 
 book, and pray, and think upon all the 
 things which the Son of God had done for 
 me; and 1 found my heart by degrees begin- 
 ning to change; and then (he evil things that 
 I used to love, became hateful to me. And 
 whereas I used to live in enrnity with God 
 and my fellow-creatures, 1 now began to 
 love my Gixl, who gave his Son for me; and 
 his commandments, which I once despised, 
 now became precious in my sight." 
 
 Then the Ayah asked the lady what God's 
 commandments are? 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 29 
 
 Tiie lady answered, "There are ten com- 
 mandments which God has given to men: 
 these I will teach you at some future time. 
 No man was ever yet able to keep these 
 commandments perfectly, by reason of the 
 sinfulness of the nature of man; but those 
 who' love God, and have been reconciled to 
 him by the blood of the Son of God, are 
 best able to keep them, because to them is 
 given the assistance of the Holy Spirit." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Conversation on the Ten Commandments, 
 
 One morning, when the Ayah was brushing 
 her Lady's hair, and the dayuh standing by 
 with a punkah, the Lady said, "Ayah, you 
 asked me one day what the ten commaiid- 
 meiits are. I will tell you what they are, 
 and wlien they were delivered to man. 
 There was a certain mountain in Arabia, 
 u[)im which the Lord God himself came 
 do'.vrj, with tliundtjrs, and lightnings, and 
 
so THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 smoke, and there he delivered unto Moses 
 the ten commmidments, written upon stone." 
 
 The Lady then repeated the ten com- 
 mandments. 
 
 By the time the Lady had repeated the 
 ten commandments, her hair being dressed, 
 she got up and went out of the room, leav- 
 ing tlie Ayah and dayuh together. 
 
 Then tlie dayuh said to the Ayah, ^«What 
 words were those which the Uebee-Saheb re- 
 peated?" 
 
 The Ayah answered, that they were God's 
 own words, and very good words. 
 
 "They were not good w-ords," said the 
 dayuh; «they were false words. Did not 
 the Bebee-Saheb say, that there is but one 
 God? This 1 know to be false. Is there not 
 Brumhu, and Vishnoo, and Seib, and 
 Doorgha, and Goness, and Luckshmee? 
 Then there is Honeemaun, whose temple is 
 on the river-side, not a hundred yards from 
 the compound, does my mistress say he is 
 not a god, though 1 knew an old woman, 
 wliose son was cured of a fever by only 
 looking at him?" 
 
 "What my mistress said was very right," 
 said the Ayah; "there is but one God, what- 
 ever you Hindoos may say. Our syeuds 
 always say so." 
 
THE AYAJHL AND LADY. 31 
 
 "Your Sijeuds then say thjit winch is 
 false," said the dayuh; and she began to 
 give the Ayah gaullee. And the Ayah art- 
 swercd the dayii/i in the same manner. 
 
 Now the Bebee-Saheb was sitting in tije 
 parlor, teaching her little girl to read, (for 
 the Bebee-Saheb had a little daughter just 
 five years old,) when she heard the noise 
 which the Ayah and the dayuh made. 
 «*What is that noise that 1 hear?" said the 
 Bebee-Saheb to her little girl. *»Go, my 
 dear, and see what is tlie matter." 
 
 When the little girl came back, she told 
 her mother, that the Ayah and dayuJi were 
 quarrelling. 
 
 "Go again," said the Bebee-Saheb, '^and 
 call them to me." 
 
 When the Ayah and the dayuh camo into 
 the presence of the Bebee-Saheb^ slie asked 
 them what they were quarrelling about. 
 Then the Ayah told her Lady the cause of 
 the quarrel: namely, that the dayuh had 
 said, that there were a great nrany gods, 
 and that slie herself had asserted that there 
 was but one God. 
 
 The Lady answered, <<I would not have 
 you quarrel on the subject. I wish my 
 servants to live in peace with one another; 
 and when they speak upon religious subjects, 
 
S2 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 I would liave them speak in kindness and 
 
 good-will. 1 will tell you what my holy 
 
 book teaches about God." Then the Lady 
 
 read these words out of the book: **Then 
 
 Paul stood in the midst of Mars' Hill, and 
 
 said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in 
 
 all things ye are too superstitious. For as 
 
 I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I 
 
 found an altar with this inscription, to the 
 
 UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye igno- 
 
 rantly worship, him declare 1 unto you. 
 
 God that made the world, and all things 
 
 therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven 
 
 and earth, dvvelhMh not in temples made 
 
 with hands; ntithcr is worsliippcd witli 
 
 men's hands, as though he needed any thing; 
 
 seeing he giveth to all, iife, and breath, and 
 
 all things; and hath made of one hh)o(l all 
 
 nations of men for to dwell on all the face 
 
 of the earth; and hatli determined the times 
 
 before appointed, and the bounds of their 
 
 habitation; that they should seek the Lord, 
 
 if haply they might feel after him, and find 
 
 him, though he be not far from every one of 
 
 us: for in him we live, and move, and have 
 
 our being: ascertain also of your own poets 
 
 have said, For we are also his oiTspring, 
 
 Forasmuch then as we air tlie offsj/sir.g of 
 
 God, we ought not to think that the Godhead 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 3i> 
 
 is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven 
 by art and man's device. And the times of 
 this ignorance God winked at; but now 
 commandeth all men every where to repent: 
 because he hath appointed a day, in the 
 which he will judge the world in righteous- 
 ness, by that man whom he hath ordained; 
 whereof he hath given assurance unto all 
 men, in that he hath raised i»im from the 
 dead." (Acts xvii, 22 — 31.) *<Is there a 
 God besides me? yea, there is no God; I 
 know not any. They that make a graven 
 image are all of them vanity; and th^^ir de- 
 lectable things shall not profit: and th.ey are 
 their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; 
 that they may be ashamed. Who hatU 
 formed a god, or molten a graven image 
 that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all 
 his fellows shall be ashamed; and the work- 
 men, they are of men: let them all be gatii- 
 ered together, let them stand up; yet they 
 shall fear, and they shall be ashamed togeth- 
 er. The smith with the tongs both worketh 
 in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, 
 and worketh it with the strength of his 
 arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength 
 faileth:^he drinketh no water, and is faint. 
 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule, lie 
 marketh it out with a line, he fitteth it 
 
34 THE AYAH AKD lADY. 
 
 with planes, and he marketh it out with (he 
 conjpass, and maketh it after the figure of a 
 man, according to the beauty of a man, that 
 it may remain in the house. He hewcth him 
 down cedars, and taketli the cypress and the 
 oak, wliich he strengtheneth for himself 
 among the trees of the forest: he planteth 
 an ash, and the rain doth nourisli it. Then 
 shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take 
 thereof aryd warm himself; yea, he kindleth 
 it, and bakcth bread; yea, he maketh a god, 
 and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven 
 image, and falleth down tjjereto. He burn- 
 eth \rr\rt thereof in the fire; with part there- 
 of he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is 
 satisfied; yea, be warmeth himself, and 
 sai!h, Aha, I am warm, 1 have seen the 
 i'iiv: and the residue thereof he maketh a 
 goil even his graven image: he falleth down 
 livsto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth un(o 
 it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 
 They have not known nor understood: for he 
 liath shut their eyes, that (hey carmot see; 
 and their hearts, that they cannot understand. 
 And none considereth in his heart, neither is 
 there knowledge nor understanding to say, [ 
 have burnt part of it in the fire; yea, also, I 
 liave baked bread upon the coals thereof; I 
 have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I 
 
THE ATAH AND I*ADY. 35 
 
 make the residue tliereof an abomination? 
 s'laii 1 1'all down to tlie stock of a tree? He 
 fcedctli on ashes: a deceived heart hath tnrn- 
 ed hiin aside, that he cannot deliver his 
 soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right 
 handr" (Isaiah xliv, 8 — 20.) 
 
 When the Lady had done reading, she 
 said to the dayu/i, <«I believe, according to 
 my holy book, that there is but one God; 
 and you have been brought up to think that 
 there are many gods. It would please me, 
 if I could persuade you to leave off worship- 
 ping idols of wood and stone, and bring 
 you to serve the true God. But I do not 
 quarrel with you about it, or use you ill 
 about it; therefore I would not have you 
 quarrel with the Ayah any more upon the 
 subject." 80 the Lady, and the Ayah, and 
 the dayuh went to their dinners. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 On the Third CommandmenL 
 
 "Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
 vain; for the Lord will oot hold him guiltless that taketh 
 i his name in vain." 
 
 OxE day the Lady said to the Ayah, "I 
 never hear yon speak, Ayah, but you use 
 
36 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 the name of God in your discourse. I think 
 you make very free with that holy name," 
 
 "It is my custom, Bebee-Sahcb,''^ said the 
 Ayah; ♦<! mean no harm." 
 
 **l once read the history of a certain king," 
 said the liebeeSalieb^ *<who would not set 
 bis foot upon a bit of paper, lest the name of 
 God should be written on it: I wish 1 could 
 see you have the same fear of God as that 
 king possessed. Ayah." 
 
 "All our people speak in the same way, 
 Ma'am," replied the Ayah; "but we do not 
 mean to offend God." 
 
 "But then, I suppose," said the Lady, 
 <»that your people do not know the com- 
 mandment — Thou shall not take the name of 
 the Lord thij God in vain; for the Lord rvill 
 not hold him giiiltless that taketh his name in 
 vain?'' 
 
 "How should we know the command- 
 ments, Ma'am?" said the Ayah; "very few 
 of us can read, and our holy book is written 
 in a ton£?ue which we cannot understand." 
 
 "But," added the Lady, "supposing that 
 you cannot read, yet your conscience, if you 
 would listen to it, would tell you, that you 
 must not make free with the name of God: 
 For the wrath of God is revealed from heav- 
 en against all ungodliness and unrighteous- 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 37 
 
 ness of merif who hold the truth in unright- 
 eoasness: because that which may be known 
 of' God is manifest in them; for God hath 
 shewed it tutto them. For the invisible things 
 of him from the creation of the world are 
 clearly seen, being understood by the things 
 that are made^ even his eternal power and 
 godhead: so that they are without excuse.*^ 
 (Rom. i, 18—20.) 
 
 •*Your slave," said the Ayah, "does not 
 understand what her Lady said." 
 
 "Do you not know, Ayah," answered the 
 Lady, "that the Almighty God hears every 
 word that his creatures say?" 
 
 "Yes, Ma'am," answered the Ayah, 
 
 "Will not, then, your common sense tell 
 you," said the Lady, "without the heJp of a 
 booli, that this great God is angry when his 
 holy nanie is taken in vain?" 
 
 Before the Ayah could make any answer, 
 there appeared before the window one of 
 ihone fakeerSf who go about with long hair, 
 daubed with mud and filth, and having no 
 clothes. Now the Lady had given orders 
 tliat no such persons should ever be admitted 
 into the compoujid; nevertheless, through 
 favor of the chockedaur, who was a Hindoo, 
 this man was admitted into it, and, as I 
 said, he stood before the door, and began to 
 4 
 
38 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 demand charity. The Lady immediately 
 ordeied the Ayah to drop the purdah^ and 
 called to the hearers in the verandah^ to see 
 the man turned out. Now the Jakeer was 
 a sturdy young man, and was as well able 
 to work for his bread as any in India; 
 and tliis he would have proved, for he was 
 ready to fight the bearers when they went to 
 order him away, and, indeed, would have 
 done so, if the Saheb had not appeared in the 
 verandah. He then made off; but not before 
 he had called the Saheb by name, and told 
 him that he did not care for him, and did not 
 fear him. 
 
 When the Ayah, who was peeping through 
 the purdah in the Lady's room, heard the 
 Jakeer mention her master's name, she began 
 to call the Jakeer names in her turn, scream- 
 ing from behind the purdah; and she was so 
 angry, that her Lady was obliged to speak 
 more than once to her, before she was silent. 
 
 "Ma'am does not know," said the Ayah, 
 <'what liberties that Jakeer takes with the 
 Saheb's name; if she did, surely she would 
 have him taken up and flogged." 
 
 «I heard what the Jakeer said," replied 
 the Lady, "and know that he deserves pun- 
 ishment for coming into people's compound^ 
 and raising disturbance; these things are 
 
THE AYAH AND lADY. S9 
 
 not right. But, perhaps. Ayah, if we all 
 had our deserts, we should require punish- 
 ment as much as that/a/eeer. You are very 
 angry at that fakeer, because l»e took liber- 
 ties with your master's name; but whose 
 holy name do you take in vain every day, 
 and every hour, and that in his presence too? 
 -<»For great is the Lord, and greatly to be 
 praised; he also is to be feared above all 
 gods. For all the gods of the people are 
 idols: but the Lord made tiie heavens. Glo- 
 ry and honor are in his presence; strength 
 and gladness are in his place." (l Chron. 
 xvi, 25 — 27.) <' Behold, in this thou art not 
 just: L will answer thee, that God is greater 
 than man. Why dost thou strive against 
 him? for he giveth not account of any of his 
 matters." (Job xxxiii, 12, 13.) Now, in- 
 asmuch as God is greater than your master, 
 your sin is greater than the fakeer^s; for 
 while he only took liberties with your mas- 
 ter's name, you make light of the sacred 
 name of God." 
 
 Then the Lady proceeded to talk to the 
 Ayah about God. She told her, that there 
 is but one God, that the throne of his glory 
 is in heaven, but that there is not a place in 
 the whole universe where God is not, as the 
 holy book says, <^Whither shall 1 go from 
 
40 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy 
 presence? It i ascend up into heaven, tliou 
 art there; it 1 make my hed in hell, behold, 
 thou art there. If 1 take the wings of the 
 morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of 
 the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, 
 and thy right hand sliall hold me." (l*salm 
 cxxxix, r — 10.) 
 
 *»if G'A is every where," said the Ayah^ 
 «*why cannot we see himr" 
 
 The Lady answered, "Because God has 
 not flesi) and bones like you; he is a Spirit, 
 and with the eyes of our bodies we cannot 
 see spirits; but we shall see God after death, 
 when our souls are set free from our bodies." 
 
 <*Then," said the Ayah, «»God does not 
 eat nor drink?" 
 
 The Lady answ^ered, "Eating and drink- 
 ing, and sleeping, are necessary to support 
 our bodies; but a spirit lives without these 
 things: therefore the Hindoos, who pretend 
 that their gods eat, and drink, and sleep, 
 like men, shew that they know nothing 
 about the nature of God. ** Among the gods 
 there is none like unto thee, O Lord: neither 
 are there any works like unto thy works. 
 For thou art great and doest wondrous 
 things: thou art God alone." (Psalm Ixxxvi, 
 8, lb.) 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 41 
 
 I do not know whether the Ayah under- 
 stood what the Bebee-Saheb said; but wlien 
 her Lady ceased to speak, the Ayah an- 
 swered, *'True words, Ma'am; true words." 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 On the Fourth Commandment, 
 
 ^'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Six days 
 shalt thou labor, and do all that thou hast to do; but the 
 seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it 
 thou shalt do no manner of work; thou, and thy son, and 
 thy daughter, thy man-servant, and sthy maid-servant, 
 thy oattle, and the stranger that is within thy gates. For 
 in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, 
 and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: 
 wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hal- 
 lowed it." 
 
 The seventh day of the week is that day 
 which the Christians are commanded by 
 God to keep holy; and these are the words 
 of the commandment — '^Remenibtr that 
 thou keep holy the Sabbath-day; six days 
 shalt thou labor, and do all th at thou Jjast;to 
 do, &c." At the same time that God e^ave the 
 #4 
 
J 
 
 42 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 command, he gave the reason for it, namely, 
 that he made the world in six days, and on 
 the seventh rested from his work, and there- 
 fore he commanded all mankind to rest from 
 their work, and to keep it holy. Now the 
 Jtiebee was very caret'ul to keep it holy, and 
 to observe this commandment: she never 
 gave her Ayah any needle-work to do on a 
 Sunday; on that day the dirge had a holiday; 
 and the bearers hitd nothing to do but to car- 
 ry their Lady to church; and the horses 
 rested all that day in the stable. The Lady 
 never gave great dinners on a Sunday, that 
 the khaunsaximaun and his people might have 
 rest; and she was not pleased to see the 
 mollees do any thing on that day which could 
 be put off to the next. It was also a custom 
 of hers, that the Ayah and dayuh should 
 make themselves quite clean on a Sunday; 
 and she was well pleased to see all her ser- 
 vants so. 
 
 It happened one Sunday when the Bebee- 
 Saheb had been at church, that when she re- 
 turned home, she saw the Ayah sitting in 
 her dirty clothes sewing. ''What are you 
 doing there, Ayah?" said the Lady. 
 
 «I am making Ma'am's caps," said the 
 Ayah. 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 4S 
 
 <^\Vhat, to-day!" answered the Lady. 
 »'Do you not know that it is Sunday?" 
 
 «*Sunday is no holiday to me, Ma'am," 
 replied the Ayah; "I am a Mussulmaun." 
 
 «*Why do you answer me in that wa>?" 
 said the Lady: "I am a Christian, if you 
 are not; and I am forbid by my God to al- 
 low any one to work for me on a Sunday. 
 These are the words of the command — 
 "Thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, 
 and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man- 
 servant, and thy maid-servant, and thy cat- 
 tle, and the stranger that is within thy 
 gates;" therefore, it is my duty to forbid 
 your sewing for me, or in my presence. If 
 you choose to go out and sew for yourself, 
 I have nothing to do with it; but 1 would 
 rather you should not." 
 
 The x\yah said nothing, but put up the 
 work, and went and washed, and put on 
 clean clotlies, and came back and stood be- 
 fore her Lady. Then the Lady bid her sit 
 down on the carpet, and she spoke to her in 
 this manner: "There are many white peo- 
 ple, who are called Christians, in this coun- 
 try, who despise the Sabbath, or holy day of 
 the Lord, and will not take rest on that day, 
 or serve their God upon it. But when the 
 Sabbath day is properly kept, it is the hap- 
 
44 THE AYAH AND lADY. 
 
 piest day in the week; and 1 will tell you 
 how it is kept among the native Christians ^ 
 in India." " 
 
 ^'O, Ma'am," said the Ayah, "the black 
 Feringhees do not keep Sunday at all; there 
 are several familie^s of them in the ba%ar, 
 and they are great wine drinkers, and very 
 bad people." 
 
 <<ln this part of India they are very bad, 
 1 know," said tiie Lady: "and the reason is, 
 that they have been many ages without the 
 holy book, or teachers; and having no cast 
 to lose, they have become worse than even 
 the Hindoos and Mussulmauns. But there 
 is on the Malabar coast, very far away from 
 this place, a certain country which, for 
 above a thousand years, has been inhabited 
 by black Christians. A few years ago, a 
 certain English gentleman travelling round 
 the coast, from Madras to Bombay, visited 
 the country of the native Christians, and 
 sent an account of them to his friends. Their 
 dwelling places are among the mountaijis, 
 and are exceedingly beautiful, abounding 
 with various trees and flowers, and watered 
 with rivulets from the hills. The first of 
 these Christians, many hundred years ago, 
 being persecuted by wicked people, who 
 hated God, fled from their own country to 
 
THE ATAH AND LADY. 45 
 
 this place, and they have lived there ever 
 since, shut out from the rest of the world by 
 tlie mountains. Here they built churches, 
 which remain to this day. In those 
 churches, every Sabbath-day, the people 
 meet to hear God's holy word read by the 
 priest, and to sing the praises of God; and 
 the little boys are taught to write down the 
 words of the priest upon palm leaves, to the 
 end that they may remember them the bet- 
 ter, and be able to read them to their moth- 
 ers on the evening of holy days. These 
 people live in peace and holiness. Every 
 one marries but one wife; for the fear of 
 God is with the people, and their hearts are 
 turned from the abominations which are 
 practised in this part of India." 
 
 When the Lady had done speaking, the 
 Ayah answered, **I could not have thought 
 there were so many black Christians in In- 
 dia, and that they lived so happily." 
 
 Then answered the Lady, «*The Fering- 
 hees who do love their God, are happy in 
 every country, because the commandments 
 of God, when kept, tend to make men happy 
 in this world: and faith in the Lord has 
 taken from them the fear of death, having a 
 sure promise, that those who love God will 
 be received into happiness the moment they 
 
46 THE AYAH AND XADY. 
 
 (lie; then every day, for ever and for ever, 
 will be like Sunday to them, because they 
 dwell in the house of their God, and rest ^ 
 from all their labor and sorrow." 
 
 By this time tiffin was ready, so tlie Lady 
 dismissed her Ayah. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 On the Fifth Commandment. 
 
 "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be 
 long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 
 
 One day when the Saheb was out, the Behee- 
 Sahcb took a walk round the compoimd with 
 her little girl. When they came opposite 
 the new houses, she sent a bearer to fetch 
 her a chair, that she might sit down, and 
 enjoy the prospect, which was there, as I 
 said before, very beautiful. While the Lady 
 sat looking about her, and enjoying the cool 
 air, and sweet smell of the flowers in the 
 garden, the cook's w ife came out of the door 
 of her house, to make her salam to the Be- 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 47 
 
 bee. Her little boy, who was now able to 
 walk, ran out after her, and held out his 
 arms to her, to take him up; but she not 
 seeiuaj him at first, he began to beat her, 
 with his li tie hands, with all his might: and 
 though he could not speak plain, yet his lit- 
 tle tongue went as fast as it could, trying to 
 give gauUee to his mother. His mother 
 took him up in her arms, and kissed him; 
 upon which he became more fuiious, and 
 tried to scratch her face and bite her. The 
 I Uebec-Salieb called to him, and looked an- 
 grily at him, whereupon the child immedi- 
 I ately ceased crying, and was silent. 
 I Then the Lady called the cook's wife to 
 I her, and said, ««When your little boy struck 
 you, and fell into so violent a passion, why 
 did you allow it?" 
 
 *«What could I do, Bebee-SahebP'^ said the 
 cook's wife, 
 
 <«I will tell you," said the tiebee-Saheb, 
 «what 1 do when my little gir! is naughty: 
 I beat her with a rod; and the reason why I 
 beat her is, that God has commanded us, in 
 his holy book, to correct our children." 
 
 "But, Bebee-Sabebf how can I beat this 
 little child?" said the cook's wife: <'he is so 
 little!" 
 
48 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 ^Because he is little," said the Lady, "is 
 the very reason that you should correct him.. 
 He cannot resist you now, or run frt>m you,*^ 
 hut when he is bigger he will do both. 'I'he 
 reason why we see so many undutifui chil- 
 dren as we do in this country is, that parents, 
 will not correct their children while they 
 are young, but allow them to go on, from 
 day to day, following their own evil desires." 
 
 Tlien the Lady bid the cook's wife and 
 the Ayah sit down, for the Ayah was come 
 up to hear what the Lady had to say, and 
 tlie Lady told them this story. 
 
 THE PORTUGUESE AYAH. 
 
 Some years ago, (said the Lady,) 1 had an 
 Ayah, a Portuguese woman. These Portu- 
 guese profess to be Christians, although too 
 many of them have very little of the fear of 
 God. This Ayah had a son who was not 
 more than three years of age when 1 first 
 saw him, and he used to run after her as she 
 went about her work. One morning before 
 I was up, 1 heard this little creature say bad I 
 words to his mother in the verandah, 1 
 called her into my room, and said, *<Ayah,, 
 you say that you fear God, and believe in 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 49 
 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for you 
 upon the cross; w hy do you permit tliat child 
 to say wicked words? Do you not know tliat 
 God hates filthy language? and that such as 
 use it will not be admitted into the kingdom 
 of heaven?" 
 
 <«What can I do, Ma'am?" said the Ayah. 
 
 I answered, *<Beat him with a rod, and 
 teach him the following commandment of 
 God — '<Honor thy father and mother, that 
 thy days may be long in the land which the 
 Lord thy God giveth thee." " 
 
 «He is too young, Ma'am," said the Ayah; 
 **I cannot beat him." 
 
 "Well then," said F, "you must keep him 
 at your house; for if he is not taught to bo 
 good, he shall not come here." 
 
 So the Ayah kept him in her house in the 
 compound, I used to see him running about 
 with the little children in the bazar; and 
 when his mother found fault with him, he 
 used either to run away, or say bad words 
 to her. After a time, I again said to her, 
 ^<Ayah, if you do not correct your boy, and 
 make him obedient to you, he will grow up 
 to be a wicked boy." 
 
 "Ah, poor child!" she answered, "ho\v 
 can I correct him? he is so young!" 
 5 
 
50 THE AYAH AND lADY. 
 
 When the boy was about seven years old, 
 I spoke to the Ayah again, and that very se- 
 riously: "That hoy ot* yours," said 1, 'Hsi 
 growing up in wickedness, and it grieves me 
 to see it. Bring him to me to-morrow; I 
 will give the moons/iee orders to teach him." 
 
 '•Yes, Ma'am,", said the Ayah. 
 
 When next morning came, she did not 
 bring him. "Where is your boy, Ayah?" 
 said 1. 
 
 "Ma'am, his clothes are dirty," she an 
 swered; "I will bring him to-morrow." 
 
 The next day, however, he did not come 
 Again 1 said, "Ayah, where is your boy?' 
 
 "Ma'am," she said, "he has hurt his loot, 
 and can't come." 
 
 Tlie next day she told me, that his head 
 ached; and thus made excuses for seven or 
 eight days. At last 1 grew angry, and said, 
 <«Ayah, if you do not tell me tiie truth why 
 you do not brir)g your boy to learn to read, 
 J will send you away." 
 
 Then she was frightened, and said>i 
 "Ma'am, he won't come." 
 
 "Why don't you make him come?" I said 
 
 <*i cannot," she answered; "he is too 
 strofig foi me." 
 
 Tiien 1 said, <<The last time I spoke to 
 you, Ayah, about your child, you said you 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 51 
 
 could not correct him, because he was too 
 little; and now you cannot manage him, he- 
 cause he is too strong for you: and so, with 
 you, the time of correction never comrs. 1 
 am afraid yours will be a wicked boy." 
 
 Then I sent the c/inprassee to bring the 
 boy in by force; and the moonshee, in order 
 to please me, tried to teach him: but he had 
 been brought up to disobey his mother, and 
 now he would not obey his master, and the 
 moonshee was forced to leave off teaching 
 him, and he was given up to his mother 
 again. He grew more and more headstrong 
 every day, and turned out a very bad young 
 man; and the end was, that he robbed his 
 poor mother of all her bangles, and a little 
 hoard of rupees which she had made, and 
 went off, and we heard that he was drowned 
 in a small boat, with three or four more of 
 his own evil sort, going down to Benares. 
 I took what care I could of the poor Ayah 
 after he was gone; nevertheless, she was so 
 grieved, that she died shortly after. One of 
 the last things she said to me was, "Oh, 
 Ma'am, if 1 had corrected my son when he 
 was a child, he would not have broken my 
 heart when he grew up.** 
 
 The cook's wife made salam to tbe Lady 
 when she had finished the story, but she did 
 
52 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 not promise to correct her boy. So Hie 
 Ladv and her little girl returned to the bun- 
 galow, ^ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 On the Sixth Commandment, 
 
 "Thou shalt do no murder." 
 
 In the service of the Saheb were two young 
 kidmntgars^ whom the Saheb had taken in 
 Irom citarity; as one of them had no parents, 
 and the parents of the other were very poor. 
 The name of one of these was Shumsheer; 
 the name of the other, Peer Bukhs. Shnm- 
 sheer, the elder of the two, was a tall hand- 
 some lad: his hair was always cut neatly, and 
 his turban put on with taste; he was very 
 clean in his person, and quick and active at 
 work, and always e^ood humored among the 
 servants; and could sing several songs, and 
 tell several stories: so that his company was 
 much sought after among the other kidmut- 
 gars. And this led him to drinking and 
 smoking, so that he never had a rupee before- 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 53 
 
 liand, and was in debt with half the servants 
 oC the family; but still, from his good humor 
 and agreeable appearance, he was liked by 
 many. 
 
 Peer Bukhs, on the other hand, was a 
 clumsy ill-looking boy; and he was not less 
 drunken or vicious than Shumsheer. More- 
 over, he was very ill-natured, and dirty in 
 liis person, so that none liked him, neither 
 did he like anyone; but above all, he hated 
 Siuimsheer. His malice was such, that he 
 could not hide it; but he was always in a «ly 
 way striving to spite and injure him> though 
 as yet his ill-will had not broken out into an 
 open quarrel. As to Shumsheer, he used 
 to entertain himself with the malice of Peer 
 Bukhs, and endeavor to provoke him more 
 and more, by laughing at his clumsy figure, 
 and dirty face, and ugly person. 
 
 Several times the Saheb overheard what 
 passed between these boys; and as the Saheb 
 was a man that feared God, and hated sin, he 
 used to reason with the boys in this manner: 
 — ''I am sorry," he would say, **to hear of 
 these disputes and disagreements between 
 you. Have you not, Shumsheer and Peer 
 Bukhs, the same wages, and tlie same work 
 to do? and am not I the master of both, and 
 do i make any manner of dilTerence bet^veen 
 ^^5 
 
54 THE AYAH AJfD lADT. 
 
 you? When you behave well, am not I equally 
 pleased with both? and am not I equally an- 
 gry with both, when you behave ill? Uo I 
 shew any partiality to either of you? Why, 
 then, should there be those little disputes be- 
 tween you? Know you not, that the Almighty 
 God, that lives on high, but who takes ac- 
 count of every thing which is done on earth, 
 is very angry when his creatures fall out and 
 quarrel with each other? We are all the chil- 
 dren of one man, and are, therefore, all breth- 
 ren, and, as such, we should love each other; 
 *'not rendering evil for evil, or railing for 
 railing; but contrariwise blessing." " (l Pet. 
 iii, 9.) Then the Saheb shewed the bo}s 
 how often it had happened that men had be- 
 gun with jests, and a few angry words, to 
 provoke each otiier, and that their hatied 
 had arisen to such an height as to end in mur- 
 der. He taught them, also, the sixth com- 
 mandment, which is, "Thou shalt do no 
 murder;" and explained to them, that if 
 they hated each other, they were no better 
 than murderers, as it is written in the holy 
 book, "He that hateth his brother is a mur- 
 derer," 
 
 About this time the Saheb and the Bebee- 
 Saheb had occasion to go to Calcutta by wa- 
 ter. They took with them most of the ser- 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 55 
 
 t vants; and among the rest, Peer Bukhs and 
 ISliumslieer. These two boys had very little 
 to do, as the pinnace glided down the stream 
 of the Ganges, but to sit at the top of the 
 boat smoking their hookahs; and on this oc- 
 casion, Shumsheer, to make sport for the 
 dandies, and other people in the boat, re- 
 newed his old custom of mocking Peei* 
 Bukhs. Peer Bukhs had nothing to say in 
 return, for he had no ready wit; but he 
 hated Shumsheer in his heart, and began to 
 plot dark schemes of vengeance. 
 
 At Patna, the pinnace and the other boats 
 stopped two days, and the Saheh went on 
 shore, to dine with a certain great gentle- 
 man who lived there; and he took with him 
 Shumsheer and Peer Bukhs, to attend him 
 at dinner. 
 
 Now when Shumsheer came to stand be- 
 hind his master's chair, at the great SaheVs 
 table, he was dressed, as usual, quite clean, 
 his hair neatly cut, his turban well folded, 
 and his face newly washed. But Peer 
 Bukhs looked as if he had slept for a week 
 in the clothes he had then on, and his hair 
 WHS all tangled, and his face dirty. As they 
 attended at the great Saheb-s table, the great 
 Saheb said, <*What a difference tJiere is be- 
 tween those two boys behind your chair! one 
 
56 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 is as neat and smart a servant as ever I saw, 
 and the other as dirty and ill-looking a lad 
 as can be seen." 
 
 Now Shumsheer and Peer Bukhs knew 
 what the great Saheb said, althougli he spoke 
 in English; and when they got back to 
 their boats, Shumsiieer triumphed over Peer 
 JBukhs, and told all the words of the great 
 Saheh to the servants and the dandies. Then 
 Peer Bukhs determined in his heart, that 
 he would be revenged tlie very fiist opportu 
 nity; but he dissembled his wicked thoughts 
 
 After a few days, the pinnace was moored 
 one afternoon in a solitary place, where the 
 banks were covered witli thick jungle down 
 to the very brink of the water. Under tlie 
 trees were many foot-paths, leading up in- 
 land. Now Peer Bukhs knew tiiis place, for 
 he had been here before; and he knew that 
 up in tlie wood there was a hut, where toddy 
 was sold, for thereabouts were fnany foddij 
 trees. So, pretending friendship for Slium- 
 sheer, he proposed that they should go on 
 shore, and buy toddrj: <*For," said he, «our 
 master does not dine till it is dark, and we 
 shall not be w anted till it is time to make 
 the table ready." 
 
 Shumsheer loved strong liquor, tlierefore 
 he accepted the proposal, and together t!jey 
 both went up into the wood. 
 
THE AYAH ANB XADT. 57 
 
 Now the house I spoke of was as much as 
 half a coss up the country, and it stood alone; 
 and near it were many tall toddy trees, 
 Shumsheer had no pice to buy toddij with, but 
 Peer Bukhs had abundant. So Peer Bukhs 
 paid for the toddy whicli Shumsheer drank, 
 and pressed him to drink more, till Shum- 
 sheer was quite drunk, but Peer Bukhs kept 
 himself sober. 
 
 Now beyond this house where the toddy 
 was sold, was a footpath, winding among 
 the trees, to a deep well, which was now 
 dry, and the top was grown over with grass 
 and bushes. Peer Bukhs knew the place, 
 for he was from this country. So, when he 
 thought Shumsheer had drank enough for 
 his purpose, he proposed that they should 
 return to the boats. Accordingly, Shum- 
 sheer got up, and gave Peer Bukhs his hand, 
 to lead him to the river; for he was not able 
 to guide himself. But the wicked Peer 
 Bukhs, instead of conducting him towards 
 the boats, led him to the brink of the dry 
 well, and there giving him a push, he fell 
 through the weeds and brushwood, and rose 
 no more. Shumsheer had a cummer-hand^ 
 of rose-colored muslin, and as he fell, it 
 caught upon the briers at the top of the well. 
 
58 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 But Peer Bukhs did not observe this; for as 
 soon as lie perceived his companion in tlio 
 well, he fled towards the boats, rejoicin.i^ in 
 the destruction of his enemy, and saying 
 within himself, *<No man has seen what I 
 have done." But there was one above that 
 saw it, even God. He caused the voice of 
 his brother's blood to cry from the ground, 
 to bring the muiderer to punishment. 
 
 Wlien Peer Bukhs came to the river, be 
 went about his business as usual, making the 
 table ready in the piunace,the kliaunsaumaun 
 and the other kidmutgars being in the cook- 
 ing-boats, and the Lady and Safieb walking 
 on the bank of ihe river with their little 
 girl. When dinner was ready, the 
 hliaunsaumaun came in with the first dish; 
 <»Where is Shumsheer?" said he. 
 
 «*1 do not know," said Peer Bukhs; <'i8 
 he not in the cooking-boat?" 
 
 "No," answered the khaunsaumaun: "did 
 he not go out with you when the boats came 
 to?" 
 
 "Yes," said Peer Bukhs, "we went on 
 shore together, but he went one way, and I 
 another; and 1 know nothing about him." 
 
 "0!" said the khaunsaumaun^ "he is at his 
 old tricks, getting drunk.'* 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 95 
 
 There was not much inquiry made for 
 Shuinslieer tliat nii^ht; but the next morning 
 the khaunsaumauii informed the Saheb at 
 breakfast, that Shumsheer was missing, and 
 the Saheb immediately ordered the boats lo 
 stop, for they already liad advanced some 
 miles, and sent several persons back to the 
 place from which they had started in the 
 morning, to inquire for him. But they all 
 returned in the evening without having 
 gained any informalion concerning him, 
 only that the old man who sold the toddy 
 said, that two young men, looking like 
 kidmutgars^ had come to his house, in the 
 afternoon of the day before, to buy toddy, 
 but that he could give no account of whence 
 tlicy came or whither they went. 
 
 As no news could be got of Shumsheer, 
 the Saheb believed that he had run away, 
 and ordered the boats to go on next morning. 
 Then Peer Bukhs rejoiced again in his 
 own mind, saying within himself, '*No eye 
 hath seen what 1 have done, and I am re- 
 venged of my enemy." 
 
 So tlie Saheb went down to Calcutta, and 
 remained there with his family three weeks; 
 after which, he i-eturiied up the river, and 
 arrived again at tUv place where poor Shum- 
 sheer had been murdered, about three months 
 
60 THE AYAH AND LADY, 
 
 after he had left it. <*0! mamma! mamma!'' 
 said the choutee-bebee, wiien the boat came 
 to anchor ujider the wood, **here is tl»e very 
 place where poor iShuiiisheer was lost." 
 
 "It is, my dear,'' said the ISebee: "poor 
 Shiimsheer!*' 
 
 While they were speakini^, the Saheb 
 called them to take a walk under the trees. 
 So the Saliebf and the Lady, and the little 
 girl, went on shore; and the bearers follow- 
 ed, to carry the little girl when she was 
 tired. 
 
 So ihey walked through the wood path: 
 and the litlle girl gathered flowers; and the 
 Saheb and Bebee were much pleased with the 
 singing of ti»e minors ainong the trees, and 
 the cooing of the doves. They saw no 
 habitation of man in the wood, till they 
 came to the house where toddy was sold; 
 and there they saw the old man giving out 
 toddy, in earthen jais, to the dandies of the 
 boats. When the dandies saw the Saheb^ 
 they made off as quickly as they could, and 
 the old man was standing alone at the door 
 of the hut, when the Salieh and his family 
 came up. "You follow a bad trade there," 
 said the Saheb to the old man: *'you are a 
 great promoter of di'unkenness; and do you 
 not know that God hates drunkenness?" 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 61 
 
 i^Haun, Saheb, haun, Saheb,^' said the old 
 man: but he did not seem to understand the 
 Salieb^s words. 
 
 The Saheb then asked the old man, if he 
 remembered two youngs; kidmutgars coming 
 to him about three months ago to buy toddy; 
 one of which was remarkably smart, and 
 well-looking. But the old man had now 
 forgotten the circumstance; so the Safieb 
 and his family passed on. 
 
 It happened that they took the very path 
 which led to the dry well. The little girl, 
 who ran on before, was seeking on this side 
 and that side for flowers; but she never 
 went out of the pathway, because her moth- 
 er had ordered that she should not. When 
 she came opposite the dry well, she saw the 
 rose-colored muslin on the briars. It had 
 never rained since Shumsheer had been 
 thrown into the well; therefore the muslin, 
 although somewhat faded, had not very 
 much lost its color. "What is that," said 
 the little girl, "on the briars? I see rose- 
 colored muslin. Shumsheer's cummerbund 
 was rose-colored." 
 
 "There is a well there," said the bearers; 
 and they bid the little Bebee not to step out 
 of the path, for fear she should fall into the 
 well. 
 
 6 
 
62 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 "Perhaps Shumshecr is in that well," said 
 the little girl. 
 
 By this time, the Saheh and Behee carne up; 
 and when the Saheb saw the rose-coh)!ed 
 muslin upon the briars, and perceived that 
 there was a well, he began to be afraid that 
 Shumsheer had lost his way, and fallen into 
 the well. He stepped nearer the mouth of: 
 the well, and saw more of the rose-colored i 
 muslin; and a little lower down, hanging; 
 upon the bushes, he saw poor Shumshecr's 
 turban. Be stepped back, very much 
 siiocked, and said, **Poor fellow! his body is 
 no doubt at the bottom of the well. This* 
 was the effect of drunkenness. He gotj 
 drunk, 1 have no doubt, at that old man's 
 house, and lost his way, as he endeavored t< 
 get back to the boats. Poor sinful youni 
 man!" The Saheh then turned back, an( 
 the rest followed mouinfully to the boats. 
 
 When they came back to the boats, th< 
 dandies and some of the servants were cook- 
 ing their dinners on the shore. It was soon 
 told among them, that Shumshecr's body 
 was found; and one of the bearers called to 
 Peer Bukhs, who was laying the cloth in the 
 pinnace, to tell him that the body of Sbum- 
 sheer was found. «» Well," said Peer Bukhs, 
 "have i any thing to do with that?" 
 
THE AYAH AND lADT. 63 
 
 »*Wli() said you had?'' replied the bearer. 
 
 <»Did I push him into the well?'' said 
 Peer Bukhs. 
 
 <»Who said you did?" said the bearer. 
 "And if it comes to that, who told you he 
 was found in a well?" 
 
 It happened that tlie Saheb was just step- 
 ping over the plank into the pinnace, and 
 overheard wiiat passed between the bearer 
 and Peer Bukhs, and now, remembering the 
 hatred that used to be between Peer Bukhs 
 and Shumsheer, it struck him at once, that 
 Peer Bukhs had murdered Shumsheer. He 
 also wondered that he had not himself before 
 perceived the contradiction between the an- 
 swer of Peer Bukhs, when questioned by 
 the khaunsaiimauu on the evening when they 
 first missed Shumsheer, and the report made 
 by the servants the next day, which was, 
 tiiat Peer Bukhs said, <*VVe went on shore 
 together; and he went one way, and I 
 another, and 1 know nothing about him:" 
 whereas, the servants in the morning, re- 
 turning from the search, had reported from 
 the old man who sold toddy^ that two young 
 men, looking like kidmutgarSf had been at 
 his house together. He instantly called the 
 clashees, and bade them seize the boy. But 
 before they could obey his orders, Peer 
 
t)4 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 Bukhs jumped out of the windows of the 
 boat, thinking to swim across the river, as 
 he was a good swimmer; but the stream in 
 that place was too strong for him, and lie 
 was carried under the cooking-boat,and seen 
 no more: and this was the end of this mur- 
 derer. And if we could, in like manner, 
 trace the history of every murderer, we 
 should find, that, sooner or later, he paid 
 the price of his bloody deed; for it is one of 
 the commandments of God, Thou shall do 
 no murder. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 On the Seventh Commandment, 
 
 "Thou shalt not commit adultery." 
 
 One day the Bebee-Saheb went out to dine 
 at a neighboring lady's house. Before she 
 went, she said, *» Ayah, as soon as 1 am gone, 
 give my little daughter khauna; and when 
 she lias said her prayers, put her to bed, and 
 do not tak$ her out again.'' 
 
 ' 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 6S 
 
 So the Bebee-Saheb went out; but it hap- 
 pened that, just as she sat down, she was 
 taken ill, and was obliged to return home. 
 Now the Ayah, the dayuh^ and the mairaizee, 
 did not expect to see the Uebee-Saheb; and 
 behold, they had not put the little missy to 
 bed, but were all dancing, and singing, and 
 making tomac/iee; and the little bebee was 
 sitting in the midst of them laughing. Now 
 the Bebee-Saheb understood Hindoostaunee 
 very well; and she knew that the songs 
 which the women were singing, were bad 
 songs, such as bad women sing. When the 
 Lady came in, the women were frightened, 
 and were all silent in a minute. The Bebee- 
 Saheb was angry; and first she spoke to her 
 little girl: ''Did not 1 order you to go to bed 
 immediately after 1 was gone? You have 
 disobeyed me, therefore I shall punish you 
 immediately; for disobedience to parents is 
 a great sin, and makes God very angry." 
 So the Lady whipped her little girl, and put 
 ber to bed. 
 
 Then the Lady called the three women 
 into the next room, and thus she spoke to 
 them; <*You have been guilty," said she, 
 *'of several very great offences: first, in dis- 
 obeying your mistress. It is the will of God 
 that servants should obey their masters: 
 *6 
 
66 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as 
 the sei^ants of Christ, doing the wilt of God 
 Jrom the heart. Therefore, those servants 
 who do not ohey the lawful commands of 
 their masters and mistresses, are committing 
 a great sin against God. But the fault 
 which makes me even more angry with you 
 than your disobedience to me, is that shame- 
 ful custom which you Hindoostaunee women 
 have, whenever you are together, of using 
 bad words, and making filthy jests: whether 
 you are Hindoos, or Mussulmauns, or Chris- 
 tians, you must know, that God hates these 
 wicked jestings. And if you do not know 
 it, I will tell you, that the Almighty Lord 
 God will not receive any person into his 
 heavenly kingdom, who loves these filthy 
 jestings, but will send all such persons to 
 live with the devil in everlasting fire." 
 
 The Ayah and the matranee made no an- 
 swer, for they were ashamed; but the dayiih 
 answered ^*Bebee-Saheb, do not be angry. 
 We did not say any thing bad; we were 
 only singing and dancing to please the little 
 bebee: we said no bad words.'* 
 
 ^'-Dayuh,^' said the Bebee-Saheb, «I have 
 been in this country many years, and know 
 when you say bad words, as well as you do 
 yourselves; and I often charged you never 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 67 
 
 to let any person speak bad words before 
 my little girl. Do you love my little girl, 
 dayuh?'' 
 
 <«0! surely I do," said the dayuh: "is she 
 Mot mine? Did I not give her my milk?" 
 
 "Then," said the Lady, "would you like 
 to see her grow up to be a bold woman, des- 
 pised by her husband, and by all the world? 
 and, after her death, to see her, perliaps, 
 condemned to everlasting fire in hell?" 
 
 "0! Heaven forbid!" said the dayuh, 
 
 "Do you not know," said the Lady, "that 
 as you bring up a child, so will it go when 
 it grows up. Now, if you are always using 
 bad words, and making wicked jests before 
 a child, the child will learn those wicked 
 jests, and take delight in them; and when 
 it grows higger, it will proceed from wicked 
 words to wicked deeds." 
 
 Then the Lady told the women a story. 
 "There was once in my service," said she, 
 "some years ago, a dayuh, who had one 
 daughter. This daughter was a very hand- 
 some girl, and 1 was so much afraid lest any 
 harm should happen to her, that J kept the 
 girl in my bungalow with her mother. The 
 mother, too, seemed to be careful of Jier daugh- 
 ter; she dressed her with nicety, plaited her 
 hair neatly, and caused her to stain the 
 
68 
 
 THE AYAII AND XADY. 
 
 palms of her hands and feet with the juice of 
 mindy. She would upon no account let her 
 speak to a man; and if by chance the Saheb 
 came into the room, she made the girl cover 
 her face. But, with ail this might)' seeming 
 care, the dayuh was always talking lightly 
 and uttering vain jests before the girl. 
 \^Mien 1 was told of this, 1 spoke to the dayuh: 
 *You are afraid of your daughter, daynli; 
 you do not even permit her to speak to a 
 man.' 
 
 **The dayuh ansvvered, *If she makes free 
 "with men, no one will marry her. I am a 
 poor woman, and as my daughter is very 
 handsome, if I take care of her, slie may, 
 perhaps, marry well, and then 1 shall have 
 a home in my daughter's house.' 
 
 « <But are you not afraid,' said I, <wben 
 she does marry, that sire may not behave 
 "WpH to her husband? Many women have left 
 their husbands and gone to other men, 
 breaking the commandment of God, namely, 
 Thou shall not commit adultery,^ 
 
 "'Many women have done so,' said the 
 dayuh^ ♦but why should I suppose that my 
 daughter will?' 
 
 »<l answered, *Do you not continually, in 
 the presence of your daughter, make a jest 
 aud mockery of those kind of sins? Is it not 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 69 
 
 your delight to talk of them? and when you 
 think I do not hear, are they not constantly 
 the subject of your discourse? Modesty, with 
 you, is all outward; it consists in covering 
 the face, putting down the eyes, and pretend- 
 ing to be ashamed to look at a man. But 
 the modesty which Jesus Christ teaches us, 
 is inward modesty: Christian women are 
 taught to refrain from filthy c'on\ ^rsation, 
 and to hate even filthy thoughts. Christian 
 modesty is from the heart.' 
 
 <*The dayuh would not pay any attention 
 to what I said, but she took her own way 
 with her daughter. After a short time, the 
 girl was married to a man who had a great 
 deal of money, and the mother went with 
 her to her husband's house. 1 heard noth- 
 ing of her for some years, when, one day, 
 the dayuh came crying to me, saying, that 
 her daughter had run away the night before 
 from her husband's house. I asked her, if 
 her daughter had had any quarrel with her 
 husband. After much hesitation, she con- 
 fessed that her son-in-law was jealous of her 
 daughter, and that he had beaten her se- 
 verely, 
 
 "I found afterwards, by inquiry, that the 
 man had good reason to be jealous of his 
 
70 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 wife, and that she liad deserved the chas- 
 tisement lie had given hei*. 
 
 <'For many years we heard no more of the 
 young woman; but I was at length told by a 
 servant, whom we hired some time after- 
 wards, at Calcutta, that the young woman 
 had fled there in company with some man, 
 and that, after a few years spent there in 
 vice and misery, she had died in the streets, 
 and her body had been thrown out upon the 
 banks of the river, to be devoured by vul- 
 tures and jackals. And this was the end of 
 this handsome girl, who, if she had been 
 modest, as well as handsome, might have 
 lived honorably with her husband, and died 
 respected and happy. 
 
 <«liut being miserable in this world," said 
 the Lady, '^is not the worst punishment of 
 bold women. My holy book tells me, that 
 adulterers God will judge; (Heb. xiii, 4,) and 
 in another place, speaking of a bad woman, 
 it says, Her ho-.ise is the watj to hell, going 
 down to the chambers of death, (Prov. vii, 
 57.) Mow, if we think what a dreadful 
 place hell is, a place burning with fire and 
 brimstone — a place of everlasting fire, where 
 there never will be one drop of water to cool 
 the tongue, 1 think we ought to pray to the 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 7% 
 
 Almi.i^lity God to make us modest both in our 
 words anil deeds." 
 
 The Lady said no more, but went to bed; 
 and I am happy to say, that the women, 
 from that time, were careful never to say a 
 bad word before tlie child. 
 
 CHAVTER XL 
 
 On the Eighth CommandmenU 
 
 "Thou shalt not steal." 
 
 In the first of these stories, I told you that 
 the Ayah had a great many faults; one of 
 these faults was, tliat she would steal, if she 
 thought s!ie could without being found out. 
 Her way of taking things was this: if she 
 saw any thing she fancied, she would put it 
 in some odd place, whereshe was pretty sure 
 nobody would look for it; under the mat, or 
 behind an almirah, or under the mattress of 
 the bed. And she would keep it there, till 
 she found whether it was inquired for; and 
 if it was not inqjiired after for some time> 
 she would carry it away. 
 
72f THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 The Bebee-Saheb had a very pretty pair of 
 Europe scissars, which the Ayah coveted. 
 So one day she took the scissars out of the 
 box where the Lady kept her work, and put 
 them under the cover of the carpet in the 
 Lady's dressing-room. 
 
 The Lady having several pair of scissars 
 did not miss these; and several days passed 
 away, when, one morning, the little bebee was 
 idle, and her mother made her stand in the 
 corner of the room to learn her task. As 
 the little girl stood shuffling about the cor- 
 ner, she felt something under her feet, and, 
 looking under the carpet, she found the scis- 
 sars. *'0, mamma!*' she cried, here are 
 your new scissars under the carpet!" 
 
 "How could they get there, my dear?" 
 said the Lady. 
 
 <* Somebody must have put them there,'* 
 answered th? little girl; it must be the 
 Ayah, or the matranee,''* 
 
 Then the Lady called the matranee and 
 the Ayah, and said, "How does it happen 
 that my scissars are put under the carpet in 
 the corner of the room?'* 
 
 The Ayah and the matranee answered, 
 that they knew nothing at all about the mat- 
 ter. 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 73 
 
 Then sai(] the Lady, "You do not tliink I 
 lam so foolish as to suppose, that the scissars 
 were put there without hands; and you must 
 have put them there, hecause you have the 
 care of the things in this room. Kut, as I 
 do not know wliicli of you it was, I shall 
 jiass the affair over for this time; but be 
 careful in future, and remember, that one of 
 God's commandments is, Thou shall not 
 steal:* 
 
 Then the Lady dismissed the matranee, 
 but she further spoke to the Ayah: "Ayah," 
 she said, **I have once or twice before sus- 
 pected you of not being quite honest. I have 
 lost many little things since you lived with 
 me. It grieves me to think of this, not be- 
 cause 1 care for the things which I have lost, 
 but because 1 know from my holy book, that 
 no thieves (ui»less they repentand turn away 
 from their evil practices) will enter into the 
 kingdom of God; neither will the goods 
 their dishonesty acquires, bring them pleas- 
 ure or advantage in this world. It is better 
 to liave a few coxvrics lionestly earned, than 
 a hundred rupees not gained honestly: for 
 with the one comes the blessing of God; 
 with the other, his curse. There is a say- 
 ing of King Solomon's written in my holy 
 book, — "There is an evil which 1 have seen 
 
74 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 under the sun, and it is common among 
 men: a man lo whom God hath given riches, 
 wealth, and honor, so that he vvanteth noth- 
 ing tor his soul of all that he desireth, yet 
 God giveth him not power to eat thereof, 
 but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, 
 and it is an evil disease*'^ (Eccles, vi, 1, 2.) 
 
 Now the Ayah heard what the Behee-Sa- 
 heb said, but she paid no heed to the words 
 in her heart, but went on in her old custom, 
 taking such little things as she thought 
 would not be missed: sometimes a few pins, 
 sometimes a needle, a clue of thread, a piece 
 of cloth or muslin, a handkerchief, or bit of 
 ribbon. At length, it happened, that a neigh- 
 boring lady came to spend the day with tlie 
 Bebee-Sahth; and, as is the custom with the 
 European ladies, she brought her work with 
 her, and sat working in the Bebee-Saheb^s 
 dressing room. 
 
 While the strange lady sat working, the 
 Ayah saw that she had a golden thimble, 
 and coveted it. So, when the lady went to 
 tiffin, and left her work and thimble upon 
 the table, the Ayah watched her opportunity, 
 and placed the thimble under the table, in a 
 place where it was partly hid by one of the 
 feet of the table. It so happened, that when 
 the lady gathered her work together, to go 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 75 
 
 home, she did not think of her thimble, and, 
 two or three days afterwards, she went out 
 of the country: so the Ayah made sure of the 
 thimble. However, for more than a year, 
 she did not dare to change it, ]est it should 
 be inquired for. At length, she sent it to the 
 ha%ar^ and changed it for a pair of bangles, 
 whicii were to be made for her ancles. 
 
 The old woman brought the bangles home 
 in the morning; but the conscience of the 
 Ayah smiting her, she could not put them 
 on as soon as they came. In the evening, 
 after she had dressed the Bebee-Saheb^ she 
 went over to her house, and when she had 
 eaten her khauna, she put on the bangles. 
 As she was fastening on the last of these, 
 she heard some of the servants call her from 
 the bungalow. She jumped up, and ran over 
 in a great hurry; and as she ran, one of the 
 bangles fell fr-oai her ancle into the grass, for 
 it was not rightly fastoned. So she un- 
 dressed the /Sebee-Sa/i^lif; arid when the Lady 
 was in bed, the Ayah lay down in the ojuttf 
 room near the Lady's door. 
 
 Now there was a lamp burning in the 
 room; and when she had lain awiiile, she 
 got up to look at her new bangles. It vvas 
 then that she found out that one of the new 
 bangles was gone. Without speaking a 
 
76 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 word, she took up the lamp, and searched all 
 the room; but not finding it, she ran out, 
 (not staying to put on her shoes) into the 
 grass wliich she had crossed over in her 
 haste when she was called from the house. 
 As she ran along, she set her foot upon a 
 serpent, and it immediately turned and b^t 
 her in the fleshy part of her leg. The poor 
 Ayah screamed so loud when she felt the 
 bite of the serpent^ that not only the chocke- 
 daurs, but the bearers, who were sitting talk- 
 ing in the verandah, and several other ser- 
 vants came running out. While some of 
 them pursued the serpent, the bearers, by the 
 master's orders, (who was also roused by 
 the noise,) lifted the Ayah into the palanquin, 
 and ran away with her to the doctor's bun- 
 galow; for there was an European doctor 
 living near the Saheb, 
 
 When the doctor saw the Ayah's leg, 
 without saying a word, he took a knife, and 
 cut out the part that Jjvas bit, saying, ''That 
 may save you; nothing else will:" for by 
 this time, the other servants, and the Saheb 
 himself, were come over with the dead ser- 
 pent, which was very large, and of a deadly 
 sort. It was dreadful pain to the poor Ayah 
 when the piece of flesh was cut out; but she 
 was forced to submit, for the doctor's ser- 
 
THE AYAH AND lADT. 77 
 
 vants held her, and her own master stood by. 
 After this, the doctor gave her some medi- 
 cine, which she was to take every hour till 
 the danj^er was over. 
 
 Through the mercy of God, the Ayah did 
 not die; but she suffered dreadful pain for a 
 long time, and never quite recovered: the 
 use of her leg, but went lame all her life: 
 and the servants and people in the ha%ar 
 used to call her the Limping Ayah. 
 
 The Ayah used often to say to the old 
 woman, «0! that 1 had never seen that gol- 
 den thimble: what has it ever profited me? 
 I had done well, if 1 had minded the Behee- 
 SalieVs words. How often has she told me, 
 that God has forbidden us to steal any thing, 
 and assured me, that nothing i ever should 
 steal would do me any service!" 
 
 From that time the Ayah was very much 
 afraid of stealing; and when she was tempt- 
 ed to steal any thing, she used to say in her 
 heart, "0 Lord God, ^keep me from steal- 
 ing." 
 
78 THE AYAH AND LADY, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 On the JSTinth Commandment, 
 
 '♦Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.** 
 
 It happened ene morning in tlie cold sea* 
 son, that the Saheb got up very early to 
 take a ride. After he was dressed, as he 
 was passing through the inner verandah in 
 great haste, he ran against a chair, and 
 knocked it down, and it hroke a little glass 
 shade, which had heen used the evening he- 
 fore, and was set in a corner with some 
 shoes and brushes, and other thin,a:s, belong- 
 ing to the 5earer5. There was nobody with 
 the Saheb when the accident happenefl; and, 
 as he was in a great hurry, he went out of 
 the house without telling any one what he 
 had done. 
 
 Soon after the Saheb was gone, the maitre 
 came into the verandah at one end, and be- 
 gan sweeping; and the Ayah came in at 
 another door, with the candlestick from her 
 Lady's room. As she was setting down the 
 candlestick^ she saw the broken shade: 
 **Uaun! ha%in,' what is here?*' said the Ayah. 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 79 
 
 »«You have broken the shade, maitre^ with 
 your brush, and what will the Sali^b say? 
 Your tulub will be cut for it." 
 
 The maitre laid down his brush, and came 
 running to see what was the matter. <«Don't 
 say that 1 broke the shade," said he, "for I 
 have not been near it." 
 
 Now the Ayah had had a quarrel with the 
 maitre^s wife, and she thought that the pre- 
 sent occasion was a good opportunity for 
 taking her revenge. «Yes, but you did 
 break it," said she: "did not 1 see you 
 throw it down, as I stood at the door? and 
 did not I hear the shade fall? I shall take 
 care to let the Bebee-Saheb know." So down 
 sli8 set the candlestick, and though the maitre 
 called after her, she made no answer, but 
 went back to her Lady's room, where she 
 waited an opportunity to tell her story to 
 the tiebee-Saheb, 
 
 The maitre was much vexed, as you may 
 suppose, and was afraid that the Ayah's 
 story might prevail against him; but, lest 
 some of the other servants should accuse 
 him of the same thing, he left the verandah 
 in haste, and went to sweep the other side of 
 the hingalow. 
 
 As soon as the maitre was gone, one of 
 i\\Q palanquin- bearers came into the verandah^ 
 
80 THE AYAH AND XADY. 
 
 and went to the corner of the room where 
 the broken shade was, and vsat down to brush 
 his master's boots. Now^ the bearer had 
 chewed such a quantity of bang, during the 
 iji.c;ht, that his eyes were quite red and dull, 
 and he had but just sense enough to put his 
 hand into the boot and brush it; but as to 
 the broken shade, he never saw it. 
 
 The bearer had no sooner set to work, 
 than the sirdar-bearer came in. This man 
 had lived long with the Salieb^ and was very 
 careful of any thing for which he considered 
 himself accountable. "What is tliis?" said 
 he, as soon as he saw the broken shade: 
 <<what have you been about, Paunch Cow- 
 rie?" (for that was the bearer^s name.) *'So 
 you have broken one of the shades! Well, I 
 shall let the Saheb know. I will not be 
 blamed, Paunch Cowrie, for your careless- 
 ness.'' 
 
 Paunch Cowrie lifted up his stupid eyes, 
 and, for the first time, saw the broken 
 pieces. Then, as the maitre had done before 
 liim, he began to assert, that he had not 
 broken it. 
 
 "Did not I see you kick it down with 
 your foot?", said the sirdar. «Did not I see 
 it fall, and hear the crash?'* 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 81 
 
 It was of no use for Paunch Cowrie to 
 declare his innocence; the sirdar affirmed, 
 that he had seen liim kick the shade down 
 with his foot, and called him a drunkard, 
 and all kind of had names, and that in a 
 voice so loud, that the Behee-Saheb, who was 
 reading, came out of her room, followed by 
 the Ayah. "What is the matter, sirdar?'^ 
 said the Behee-Saheb, 
 
 The sirdar was by this time in such a 
 passion with the hearer^ that he could scarce- 
 ly speak articulately. At length he stam- 
 mered out the cause of the quarrel. Now 
 it happened that Paunch Cowrie was a great 
 favorite of the Ayah's, and that she hated 
 the sirdar as much as slie did the maitre's 
 wife; so, without waiting until her I^ady 
 should speak, <*How^ dare you say," said 
 she, "that Paunch Cowrie broke the shade, 
 when I myself, not half an hour ago, saw 
 the maitre break it with his brush?" 
 
 "Have I no eyes?" said the sirdar. "Do 
 not I know when I see things? Look at the 
 man, he is drunk now." 
 
 «<Bring me the Korann," said the Ayah, 
 "and I will this moment swear upon it, that 
 I this morning saw the mnitr'e break it with 
 his Jarran." 
 
82 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 "I will also swear," said the sirdar, ^«by 
 Giuiga, that Paunch Cowrie broke it. I 
 saw him kick it with his foot. I saw it fall, 
 and heard the crash." 
 
 By this time the maitre was come, and 
 took iiis part in the quarrel, offering to swear 
 that he had not been in the verandah that 
 inorninja;. Anger now ran so high, that the 
 Bebee-Saheb could not make herself heard, 
 and all the servants came crowding in to see 
 what was the matter. Things were in thi^ 
 state when the Suheb came home. As soo 
 as the Safieb came into the verandah^ h 
 coinmanded silence, and then asked th 
 Bebee-Saheb tiie reason of all this uproar. 
 
 The Bebee answered, <*The little shade is 
 broken, and the Ayah says she saw the 
 maitre break it. The maitre says he has 
 not been in the verandah this morning til 
 now, and the sirdar declares he saw th 
 bearer break it; and they are all ready t 
 take their oaths to what they say. 
 
 "Yes, Sahebf^' said the sirdar, "I will 
 swear by the waters of Gunt^a, that I saw 
 Paunch Cowrie break the shade." 
 
 •*lt was broken before Paunch Cowrie 
 came into the verandah,''"' said the Ayah; 
 "and I will swear to that. 1 saw Paunch 
 
 I 
 
THE AYAH AND lADY. 83 
 
 Uowrie asleep out of doors when the maitre 
 vas sweeping the verandah.*' 
 
 "Did you see the maitre break the shade, 
 Vyah?" said the Salieb, 
 
 "Yes, Saliebf" answered the Ayah. 
 
 "And are you willing to swear to it?" 
 laid the Saheb, 
 
 "1 am,'* answered the Ayah. 
 
 ««Then," said the Saheb, «*I am convinced 
 hat you and the sirdar-bearer are liars; and 
 ire not only .guilty of the great sin of lying, 
 mt also of bearing false witness, and also 
 calling Upon God, or those you call gods, to 
 »e witness of your malicious falsehood. We 
 -Cnglish people arc wicked enough, but in 
 his respect we are not half so sinful as you 
 Flindoos and Mussulmauns are. Very few 
 English men or women will tell lies upon 
 )ath; but among you there is no truth: you 
 ire all liars; and, for the purpose of gain, 
 )r love of vengeance, there is nothing to 
 ,vhich you would not swear. You, Ayah, 
 ire a Mussulmaunee, and the Mussulmauns 
 )retend to respect the commands of Gud; 
 inow that this is one of God's command- 
 nents — Thou shall not bear false witness 
 igabist thy neighbor. And it is also written 
 n my holy book, that every liar shall have 
 
84 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 liis portion in the lake which burneth with 
 fire and brimstone." 
 
 Then the Saheb mentioned in what manner 
 he had brolien the shade himself, and finish- 
 ed, by ordering both the Ayah and sirdar to 
 leave his service: "For," said he, "1 will 
 not keep such wicked liars under my root." 
 
 The Ayah looked at the Bebee-Saheb; but 
 what could her Lady do for her now? She 
 had often, indeed, told her, it was wicked to 
 tell lies; and if she had listened to her, she 
 w ould not have been in this trouble. So the 
 Ayah and the sirdar received their wages, 
 and were turned away. The sirdar went to 
 his own country, and the Bebee-Saheb allow- 
 ed the Ayah to remain in her house in the 
 compound till she could get a place. But she 
 could not get a place, on account of her 
 lameness, nobody would take her. So she 
 I'emaincd in the compound for one year 
 Then the Bebee-Sahtb begged the Saheh to let* 
 her take her again into her service, for she 
 was sorry for her, as she had lived with her 
 so many years. 
 
 ^•' ■ \ 
 
 i 
 
TUB AT AH AND LADY. 85 
 
 CHxiPTER XIII. 
 
 On the Tenth Commandment. 
 
 **Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not 
 covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, 
 nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his." 
 
 One morning, a poor woman came into the 
 compound to be,^ charity. She came to the 
 doDr of the Lady's bungalow. She had a 
 little child with her, about four years of 
 age. Now it was the cold weather, and the 
 little child had no clothes; so the Lady sent 
 the Ayah for one of her little daughter's 
 ifocks, and put it upon the po(»r woman's 
 child. After the poor woman was gone, the 
 Lady perceived that the Ayah looked as if 
 she was not well pleased; and she heard her 
 say to the matranee in the next room, that 
 slie did not think it right that the little 
 liebee's clothes should be given to the 
 fakeers. 
 
 Then the Lady called the Ayah, and said, 
 <«Ayah, you are displeased because I gave 
 an old frock to a poor child," 
 8 
 
&6 THE AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 <«I am a poor woman," said the Ayah, 
 <<and 1 have taken care of the little Bebee 
 since she was born, therefore 1 hoped the 
 Bebee-Saheb would have given me all the 
 child's clothes." 
 
 The Lady replied, "You have a good 
 house, and clothes, and food, and many 
 silver bangles and rings; therefore you can- 
 not be called a poor woman; and yet you 
 grudge an old frock to a poor naked child." 
 
 To this the Ayah made no answer, and 
 the Lady said, "You are a Mussulmaunee, 
 Ayah, and the Mussulmauns hold the ten 
 commandments to be good. Now in the 
 tenth commandment it is written. Thou shalt 
 not covet thy neighbors house^ thou shalt not 
 covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his servant^ nor 
 his maid^ nor his 0X9 nor his ass, nor any 
 thing that is his. When you came to me, 
 1 promised you seven rupees a month, and 
 two suits of clothes every year; but 1 prom- 
 ised you neither my old clothes nor my 
 child's, and although 1 often give them to 
 you, yet you have no right to covet or desire 
 them, particularly as you are in want of 
 nothing." 
 
 The Ayah answered, "The Bebee-Saheb 
 does not recollect that I have a sun, for 
 whom I wish to lay up a little." 
 
THE ATAIl AND LADY. 87 
 
 "Your son, Ayah/' i**: plied the Lady, <*is 
 growing up, and able to work for himself; 
 you need not, tiierefore, be covetous on hia 
 account. It would be better for him to have 
 the blessing of God and be poor, than all 
 the riches in the world." 
 
 Then the Lady bade the Ayah sit down, 
 and she told her a story. 
 
 THE COVETOUS MAN. 
 
 There was once in a certain village in 
 Bahar, a dirge and his wife, who, for many 
 years, had no children. They were indus- 
 trious people, and very careful of their 
 money, so that every year they were ena- 
 bled to lay by a considerable sum of money 
 to support them in their old age. After a 
 time, however, it pleased God to give them 
 a son, a very fine and promising child, of an 
 agreeable countenance, and affectionate 
 temper. <«Now we have got this son," said 
 the dirge'^s wife, "we must endeavor to save 
 more than we used to do, in order that we 
 may be enabled to provide handsomely for 
 him at our death," 
 
 "True," answered the dirge: "neverthe- 
 less, I would have no expence spared in his 
 education, that he may have e\ery accom- 
 
88 THE AYAH AND XADY. 
 
 plishment suitable t^ the fortune we hope to 
 give him." 
 
 Accordingly, the boy was brought up 
 with care, and at the age of sixteen he was 
 a fine youth, the delight of his parents. 
 
 The dirge had a brother named Peeru, 
 who had left his native village some years 
 before tlie dirge^s marriage, and had never 
 been heard of from that time. One evening, 
 just as it was dusk, a man came and pre- 
 sented himself at the door, making himself 
 known to be Peeru. When the dirge re- 
 cognized his brother, he embraced him cor- 
 dially, presenting his son to him, and desir- 
 ing his wife to prepare something good for 
 his supper. 
 
 While the dirge'^s wife was grinding the 
 miissala in the inner room, she heard Peeru 
 telling his brother and nephew what had hap- 
 pened to him during his long absence from 
 home, and how he had fallen into good ser- 
 vices, and met with kind friends. From all 
 which, the dirge^s wife inferred, that Peeru 
 did not return without some considerable 
 treasure, which was probably concealed 
 about some part of his clothes. And now 
 her covetous heart began to suggest to her, 
 <*If I could get possession of his treasure, 
 how would it enrich me and my son!" So 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 89 
 
 she made liaste, and prepared a supper, and 
 set it before her husband, and his brother, 
 and her son. Peeru was hungry, and ate 
 heartily; after which, <*Brotber," said he, 
 <*I feel weary: will you point out to me 
 where I shall go to rest?" 
 
 His nephew said, «<Here is a bed in this 
 room, where I frequently sleep; and there is 
 another in the verandah. Take your choice, 
 uncle; either is at your service." 
 
 The uncle made choice of the bed which 
 was in the verandah; and the young man 
 conducted his uncle to it, himself taking the 
 couch in the inner apartment. 
 
 All this the dirge's wife observed, and 
 when she and her husband were retired to 
 their own chamber, which was at the top of 
 the house, she thus addressed her husband: 
 <«Husband, I perceive, from what I over- 
 heard, that your brother is returned home 
 very rich." 
 
 The dirge answered, that he believed what 
 his wife said was true, and that he had rea- 
 son to think that all his treasure was con- 
 cealed about him. 
 
 The dirge^s wife then opened her covetous 
 heart to her husband. <*1 have a great de- 
 sire," she said, «to possess these riches, and 
 I know not what would be more easy than 
 *8 
 
90 THE AYAH AND lADY. 
 
 to take them from your brother while he is 
 asleep." 
 
 "But when he awakes," said the dirge^ 
 <<will he not inquire after his treasure, and 
 perhaps bring us to justice?" 
 
 "Take this sharp knife," said the wife; 
 «it would very soon put it out of his power 
 to tell who robbed liim. And when you have 
 done this, we will throw the body into the 
 well." 
 
 The dirge answered, that he should like to 
 possess the money, but that he could not do 
 jcs she would have him. 
 
 "Then I will do it," said the wife. "But 
 first I will wait till the moon is down." 
 
 While this discourse passed between the 
 dirge and his wife, Peeru tried his bed in the 
 verandah; but the night being somewhat 
 cold, he thought that he should sleep more 
 comfortably within. Accordingly, he got 
 up, and went to his nephew, and proposed 
 that they should change beds. "This was 
 done, as he desired. And when the dirge*s 
 wife came down, in the dead of the night, to 
 commit the dreadful deed which her covetous 
 desires suggested, instead of plunging the 
 knife into the heart of her husband's broth- 
 er, slie stabbed her darling and only child! 
 And thus the Almighty God frequently con- 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 91 
 
 founds the wicked schemes of sinful men, 
 turning their plots against themselves. 
 
 The poor young man uttered one dreadful 
 groan, and expired! But although his voice 
 was altered by his dying agonies, yet his 
 mother knew it, and at once understood the 
 dreadful mistake she had been guilty of. In 
 tlie horror of her mind, she screamed aloud. 
 Her husband, his brother, and the neigh- 
 bors, came with lights to her, being called 
 by her shrieks. What a dreadful spectacle 
 presented itself to them! The body of the 
 fine youth still bleeding abundantly, and his 
 distracted mother, covered with blood, hold- 
 ing in her hand the knife with which she 
 had stabbed her son! The father of the mur- 
 dered boy fainted away at the sight; and 
 Peeru, who guessed how this accident hap- 
 pened, and that he was the person whom the 
 wicked woman had intended to have murder- 
 ed instead of her son, caused the neighbors 
 to carry her to the magistrate, where she 
 suffered the punishment which the law in- 
 flicts on murderers. 
 
 The dirge lived not to see her end; for, 
 shocking to tell, not being able to bear his 
 own thoughts, the day after the murder he 
 touk poison and died. 
 
92 THE AYAH AND LADY, 
 
 When the Lady had finished the story, the 
 Ayah said, "What a very wiciied woman 
 the dirge's wife was!" 
 
 «*I tell you, Ayah," replied the Lady, 
 *<that she is not much worse than you are. 
 You, perhaps, do not stick a knife into any 
 person, or poison them; but this 1 know you 
 would do: you would see any one starve to 
 death, rather then spare them one cowrie. 
 And this is the case with many in your coun- 
 try, and, 1 fear, in others too; for the heart 
 of man is desperately wicked." 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The happy Death of the Bebee-Saheb. 
 
 During the tenth hot season after the Ayah 
 came to live with the 8ebee-Saheb, the Bebee- 
 Saheb^s health began to decline. She grew 
 yery pale, and wasted away; and although 
 many doctors were consulted, they could do 
 nothing for her. The Saheb had been mar- 
 ried many years to the Behee^ and they loved 
 each other with an entire and perfect love; 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 93 
 
 SO that it was a great grief to the Saheb to 
 see his beloved wife failing away. But the 
 Saheb was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and he was happy in the sure i»ope of meet- 
 ing her, whom he loved, in the kingdom of 
 heaven: for those who love Christ have this 
 promise, — "They shall hunger no more, 
 neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun 
 light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, 
 which is in the midst of the throne, shall 
 feed them, and shall lead them unto liv- 
 ing fountains of waters: and God shall wipe 
 away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. vii, 
 16, 17.) 
 
 The Bebee-Saheb herself, also, was pre- 
 pared to leave this world, for she felt within 
 herself that she could not live long; and she 
 requested the Saheb, when she should be no 
 more, to send her little daughter to England, 
 where she had a pious mother and dear 
 sister. 
 
 One afternoon, when it was very hot, the 
 BebeC'Saheb lay upon a couch in an upper 
 room, and the Ayah stood by, keeping off 
 the flies with a choury. The Ayah had been 
 very attentive to her Lady during her ill- 
 ness, and sincerely grieved for her. "When 
 I am dead," said the Lady to the Ayah, will 
 
94 THE AYAH AND I^ADY. 
 
 yon go with my little giil to Europe, and 
 take care of her at sea?" 
 
 **Ah, Ma'am," said the Ayah, «<why do 
 you talk of djing? you will get well, and 
 live many years." 
 
 *»No, Ayah," said the Lady; "1 know that 
 1 caMiiot live long. 1 feel death vtithin me, 
 and 1 am willing to die; nay, 1 do not wish 
 to stay here, if I could." 
 
 «* Ma'am is so good," said the Ayah, "that 
 she is sure to be happy in heaven." 
 
 <*Ah, 4.yah," said the Lady, **have I not 
 oftrn lold you, that there is no one good on 
 the face of the earth. You know the com- 
 mandments of God; I have often explained 
 them to you, and have often told you, that no 
 person is good: «<f<)r all have sinned and 
 come short of the glory of God." (Rom. iii, 
 23.) I have, during my life, broken God's 
 commandments many and many times; and 
 as he that breaks one of the commandmrnts 
 of God deserves hell, so, if I were to receive 
 the due reward of my deeds, I should cer- 
 tainly go to that dreadful place." 
 
 <*But Ma'am has done many good things," 
 said the Ayah: «and I have heard it said, 
 that our good and bad actions will be weigh- 
 ed in a balance; and if our good actions 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 95 
 
 weigh down our bad ones, we shall go to 
 paradise." 
 
 «lf that is true," said the Bebee-Saheb, 
 "we are all in a bad way; for the good deeds 
 of the best man living are much fewer than 
 his evil deeds, and for this reason: to be 
 wicked is natural to us, we sin without pain 
 or difficulty; but to do well is contrary to 
 our nature, and even when we are striving to 
 do well, sin mixes with our best actions. 
 So, as 1 before said, if our good and bad 
 actions are to be weighed against each other, 
 we shall be found wanting." 
 
 "But," said the Ayah, «»I have lived ten 
 years with Ma'am, and I never remember 
 to have seen her do a wicked thing." 
 
 "I recollect your having said this before. 
 Ayah, answered the Bebee-Saheb; «<and if 
 you believe what you say, it is because you 
 cannot look into my heart, and because the 
 Almighty God has kept me from foul and 
 open sins. But still I say, supposing that 
 diiring the ten years which you have lived 
 with me, I had only broken the command- 
 ments once, for that one transgression 1 
 should be condemned to death; «<fr)r he that 
 said, Do not commit adultery, said also. Do 
 not kill." (James ii, 11.) Now, if I have 
 killed, though ! have not committed adultery. 
 
96 THE AYAH AND XADY. 
 
 yet I am a transgressor of the law, and wor- 
 thy of death." Then the Lady told the 
 Ayah a story. 
 
 THE KING AND HIS THREE LAWS. 
 
 There was once in the Decan a certain 
 king, who built a very fair palace, set in a 
 walled garden, which he planted with roses 
 and apple trees from Persia. The palace 
 was fitted up with all manner of costly fur- 
 niture for the habitation of his queen. Then 
 the king enacted three laws, to be observed 
 under pain of death. The first was, that no 
 man without the king's permission should 
 enter the garden; the second was, that no 
 one but the queen and her household should 
 presume to gather of the fruit of the garden; 
 and the thiid, that no man should presume 
 to speak to any of the female slaves belong- 
 ing to the queen. 
 
 it happened once upon a time, that the 
 king and his courtiers went a hunting in a 
 certain forest not far distant from the queen's 
 garden. But the king being suddenly taken 
 ill, left his train to pursue their diversion, 
 afid himself, with two servants, turned in 
 haste to the queen's palace. SVhen they 
 
 i 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 97 
 
 came to the garden it was dusk, and they 
 found the door open. Tlie king dismounted 
 in haste, and entered the garden, when be- 
 hold, a man was standing within the door! 
 Tlie king immediately ordered him to be 
 seized, and brought before him the next 
 day. As the king proceeded, he found another 
 man gathering and eating apples; and when 
 he drew near the palace, he found a third 
 person speaking to one of the female slaves, 
 who stood in the balcony, and offering her 
 some of the fruit of the garden which he had 
 gathered. The king was exceeding angry, 
 and caused these men also to be seized, and 
 brought before him the next day. 
 
 In the morning, the king sat in tlie hall of 
 justice, with all his nobles about him, when 
 the three men were brought bciund before 
 him. The king addressed himself first to 
 the man whom he had found under the bal- 
 cony. <'Wretched slave,'* said he, "did I 
 not enact three laws? First, that no man 
 should enter the king's garden; secondly, 
 that no stranger should presume to gather 
 of the fruit of the garden; and thirdly, that 
 no person should presume to speak to any of 
 the female slaves. But thou hast broken 
 these three commandments, and thy life is 
 9 
 
98 THE AYAH AND lADY. 
 
 forfeited." So saying, Ijc commanded tiiat 
 the man should be carried out to execntion. 
 
 Then the kin.i^ addressed himself to him 
 Nvho was found .gathering the iVuit. *'And 
 thou," said he, "hast broken two of njy com- 
 mandments; therefore is thy life forfeited, 
 liear him hence to pay the penalty of his 
 crime." 
 
 Then he which had been found within the 
 door, fell down before the king, begging for 
 his life, attesting that he had only broken 
 one of the king's commandments." 
 
 Then the king answered, *'l have sworn, 
 and my oath shall stand fast, that he wlio 
 breaks any one of my commandments shall 
 die. My honor and my Justice are engaged; 
 know, therefore, that thy life is forfeited by 
 tiic breaking of one commandment as ( es - 
 tainly as if thou hadst broken them all, and 
 tliou shalt die." 
 
 When tije Lady had fjuislicd, the Ayah 
 said, "Then, if God is like this great king, 
 we must all be condemned; for what ujari 
 ever lived who can say, ♦'! have not broken 
 one of God's commandments?" 
 
 "According to my holy book," said the 
 JiCbee-Saheb, "if we are to he judged by what 
 we have done, we sliould all certainly go t<; 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY. 99 
 
 hell; for we know that the Almighty God will 
 not tolerate sin." 
 
 <'Then," said the Ayah, "why are you not 
 afraid to die, Ma'am? For you look cheerful, 
 aii<l seem willing to depart. Are you not 
 afraid of hell?" ' 
 
 «•! sljall explain that to you, Ayah," said 
 the Bebee-Saheb. "You are a Mussulmaunee, 
 and your religion is quite different from 
 mine; though so far we agree, that there is 
 but <me God, and that man ought to keep 
 God's commandments. But my religion tells 
 me, that 1 am by nature so wicked, that 1 
 cannot keep the commandments, and for 
 that reason am fit only for hell; but it tells 
 me also, that if I will believe in the Son of 
 God, who came down from heaven to die in 
 my place for my sins, that my sins shall be 
 forgiven me, and the righteousness of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ shall be given me to ap- 
 pear in before God, as at a wedding-feast a 
 fair garment is given to a stranger; and 
 more than this, that the spirit of God will 
 be sent to me while on earth, by which I 
 shall be so changed, as to hate the sin which 
 I once took so great delight in. It is, there- 
 fore, through the firm confidence which I 
 have that my Savior has already suffered 
 the punishment of my sins, and that 1 shall 
 
100 TUB AYAH AND LADY. 
 
 Jjavea robe of righteousness given me where- 
 in to appear before God, that 1 am enabled 
 not only to meet death without foar, but 
 even with joy and delight: for 1 kwow that 
 when Christ, who is my life, shall appear, I 
 shall also appear with him in glory. This 
 has been my hope for yoars past, and will, I 
 trust, be the hope of my dear child when I 
 am in the dust." 
 
 The Ayah made no answer, but she often 
 afterwards thought of the words of the Lady, 
 and thought how happy real Christians 
 must be, because the Lord Jesus Christ has 
 taken from them the fear of death, which to 
 other people is so great a trouble. 
 
 The Lady grew more and more weak, but 
 she was easy and happy in her mind, and 
 spent tlie last days of her life in talking 
 about the Lord Jesus Christ to every body 
 about her, ami that happy place, even the 
 kingdom of God, to which she was going; 
 and though she was often in pain, yet she 
 was very gentle and patient. When she 
 died, all the servants grieved very much; 
 but none so much as the poor Ayah, who 
 said she should never know so kind a Lady 
 again. 
 
 The Saheb remains in the same bungalow 
 which he lived in with the Behee-Saheby and 
 
THE AYAH AND LADY, 110 
 
 he takes care of all the poor people in the 
 bazaar to whom she used to give alms; and he 
 often talks with delight of the time when he 
 shall meet with her in heaven, and when 
 they shall be as the angels of God. 
 
 The Ayah went home with the little Be- 
 bee, and took so much care of her, that the 
 Saheb gave her a very handsome present 
 when she returned, and allowed her to con- 
 tinue with her old woman in her pleasant 
 house in the compound. Moreover, he has 
 taken her son into his service as a kidmut- 
 gar. 
 
 #9 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 ALMIRAH, a Portuguese | 
 
 word tor a clothes-press. | 
 
 Jiyah, a waiting-maid. S 
 
 Jiang) an intoxicating seed. | 
 
 Bangle, a silver ornament. S 
 
 JBaxar, a market. S 
 
 Bearer, a servant, whose $ 
 
 work is to carry a palan- ? 
 
 quin; but who is frequent- 5 
 
 ly employed to take care ? 
 
 of children. < 
 
 Bebee-Saheby a lady. ^ 
 
 Begum, a queen. | 
 
 Beheistie, a water-carrier, | 
 
 BudgeroiVf an ornamented 5 
 
 barge. £ 
 
 Bungalow, a house with a S 
 
 thatched roof. I 
 
 Cast. — The natives of India 5 
 
 are divided into various j 
 
 ranks, called casts: each | 
 
 cast has respective era- e 
 
 ployments, which descend i 
 
 from father to son. < 
 
 Chaprassce, a kind of mes- 1 
 
 senger, who takes his < 
 
 name from wearing a 5 
 
 badge or breastplate. 5 
 
 Chaudnr, a web of cloth, 5 
 
 used as a girdle by men t 
 
 and as a veil by women. 5 
 
 Chockedaur, a watchman. \ 
 
 Chotee-bebeef a little lady. \ 
 
 Choury, a fan for driving 
 away flies: commonly 
 made of hair or feathers. 
 
 Compound, the inclosure 
 I'ound a house, generally 
 walled. 
 
 Copra, cloth. 
 
 Copra-ioaulla, cloth-mer- 
 chant. 
 
 Costs, two miles. 
 
 Cowries, shells which pass 
 current as money, of very 
 small value. 
 
 Ciimmerbund, a girdle. 
 
 Curry, a stew made of va- 
 rious spices, the common 
 food of the natives of India. 
 
 Curry-bhaut, boiled rice. 
 
 Dandies, boatmen. 
 
 Dayuh, a nurse. 
 
 Decan, South — Applied to 
 the Coromandel coast. 
 
 Dirge, a tailor. 
 
 Dobee, a washerman. 
 
 Dobi7ie, a washerwoman. 
 
 Fakeer, a religious mendi- 
 cant. 
 
 Fenn^Aees, Franks. A name 
 given generally to Euro- 
 peans in India, and to the 
 descendants of the Portu- 
 guese, who first settled in 
 India: these are called 
 
104 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Black Feringhees, being 
 remarkably dark. 
 
 GaulleCy bad language. 
 
 Gung-a, the I'iver Ganges. 
 
 Ilaun, ay. 
 
 Hookah, a peculiar appara- 
 tus for smoking, by which 
 the smoke passes through 
 water. 
 
 Jarron, a broom. 
 
 Jungle, brushwood, or very 
 high grass. 
 
 Khuuna, food. 
 
 Khaimsaumaun, a house 
 steward, 
 
 JCidmutg-ar, a serving-man. 
 
 Lota, a drinking-vesse!. 
 
 Jifaitre, a sweeper. 
 
 JUatranee, a low Hindoo fe- 
 male, who does the most 
 servile work. 
 
 JMindy, a red dye. 
 
 JMol/ee, a gardener. 
 
 Moonshee, a teacher, or 
 learned man. A moon- 
 shee is kept in most res- 
 pectable English families 
 in India. 
 
 Jihisalchee, a torch-bearer 
 and scullion. 
 
 thiussalttt ingredients; gen- 
 erally spices. 
 
 ? JVantch, a dance or ball. 
 
 5 Padre, a Christian minister. 
 
 S Palanquin, an Indian sedan 
 
 5 or chair. 
 
 I Paun, a substance chewed 
 
 5 by the natives of India. 
 
 \ Pepul, a kind of tree,which, 
 
 ? on account of the trem- 
 
 S bling of the leaves, and 
 
 I the rustling noise amoiig 
 
 J the branches, is supposed 
 
 i to be the habitation of a 
 
 I god. 
 
 i Pice, pence. 
 
 5 Punkah, a fan. 
 
 I Purdah, a screen. 
 
 < Rupee, a silvei* coin about 
 
 I the value of half a crown. 
 
 \ Saheb, master. 
 
 I Sala7n, salutation. 
 
 5 Seer, two pounds weight. 
 
 I Sirdar, chief, 
 
 S Tiffin, lunclieon. 
 
 \ Toddy, palm wine. 
 
 > Tomachee, an uproar, 
 
 J Tulub, wages. 
 
 I Turban, a covering for the 
 
 f head. 
 
 \ Verandah, a piazza. 
 
 *rHE END. 
 
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