sentenced to six years. I don't regret what I did, for from that day, I've stopped worrying about Riri. And my conscience is it rest."

I asked Jean what were his plans for the future.

"A clever accountant like me, and a man who's honest and industrious, can always get work. Of course I shan't be able to live in Le Havre, but the director of my firm has business connections at Lille and Lyons and Marseilles. He's promised to do something for me. Now, I look forward to the years to come with a good deal of confidence. I shall settle down somewhere, and as soon as I'm comfortably fixed up I shall marry. After what I've been through I want a home."

Jean Charvin's eyes searched the distance as though to see the future.

"But next time I marry," he said thoughtfully, "I shan't marry for love, I shall marry for money."

Answer thefollowing questions.

1.Who is the narrator of the story and what questions interested him?

2.Why did Jean Charvin interest him?

3.What had Jean done before he was put to prison?

4.Who was he friendly with and what things did they share? What sort of man

was Riri?

5.How did it so happen that both of them fell in love with one and the same girl? Do such things often happen?

6.What can you say about the girl?

7.Did Marie-Louise love either of them?

8.Did she make her choice at last and why?

9.Did Marie-Louise agree to go to Cambodia with her future husband?

10.How does it characterize her?

11.What did Jean feel when Riri told him his bad news?

12.Why were his hopes shattered one day?

13. Why did the director of his firm send for him one day? What did he want to know?

14.What was his conversation about? What was the only discreditable action Jean had done in his life?

15.Did he in fact betray his best friend?

16.What were the consequences of this betrayal?

17.Were Jean and Marie-Louise happy at first?

18.What did Jean understand about his wife later?

19.What terrible thing happened then? Did Jean’s attitude to his wife change?

20.How did it so happen that Jean kill his wife?

21.Did he regret what he had done?

22.What were his plans for the future?

23.Is there anything in the world worth betraying your friend?

A FABLE COLUMN

The Hare With Many Friends

There was once a hare who had so many friends in the forest and the field that she truly felt herself to be the most popular member of the animal kingdom. One day she heard

the hounds approaching.

"Why should a popular creature like me have to run for her life every time she hears a dog?" said she to herself. So she went to the horse, and asked him to carry her away from the hounds on his back.

"There is nothing I would rather do, friend hare," said the horse, "but, unfortunately, right now I have some important work to do for my master. However, a popular creature like you should have no difficulty in getting someone to help you."

Then the hare went to the bull and asked him if he would ward off the hounds with his horns.

"My dear friend," replied he, "you know how I feel about you, and how glad I always am to be of service. But at this very moment I have an appointment with a lady. Why don't you ask our mutual friend the goat?"

But the goat was busy too, and so was the ram, and so were the calf and the pig and the ass. Each assured the hare of his undying friendship and anxiety to aid her in her trouble, but each had some excuse which prevented him from performing the service. By this time the hounds were quite near, so the hare took to her heels and luckily escaped.

MORAL: He who has manyfriends has nofriends.

The Hen And The Fox

A fox was out looking for a late supper. He came to a henhouse, and through the open door he could see a hen far up on the highest perch, safe out of reach.

Here, thought the fox, was a case for diplomacy. Either that or go hungry! So he gave considerable thought to just how he should approach his intended supper.

"Hello, there, friend hen," said he in an anxious voice. "I haven't seen you about of late. Somebody told me that you have had a sick spell, and I was sincerely worried over you. You look pale as a ghost. If you will just step down I'll take your pulse and look at your tongue. I'm afraid you are in for quite a siege."

"You never said a truer word, cousin fox," replied the hen. "It will have to be a siege, for I am in such a state that if I were to climb down to where you are, I'm afraid it would be the death of me."

MORAL: Beware of the insincerefriend!

The Falconer And The Partridge

A falconer discovered that he had captured a partridge in his net. The bird cried out piteously when he approached, "Please, Master Falconer, let me go. If you will set me free I promise you that I will decoy other partridges into your net."

"No," replied the falconer. "I might have set you free. But one who is ready to betray his innocent friends to save his own miserable life deserves, if possible, worse than death."

MORAL: Treachery is the basest crime o fall.

The Wolf And The Goat

A wolf saw a goat browsing near the edge of a high cliff. "My dear friend," he cried in his most sympathetic voice, "aren't you afraid you will get dizzy and fall and hurt yourself?" But the goat went on feeding.

The wolf tried again. "Isn't it terribly windy up there so high with no shelter at all?" But the goat went on plucking grass.

"Besides," shouted the wolf, "I am sure that you will find the grass far sweeter and more abundant down here."

Then the goat replied, "Are you quite sure, friend wolf, that it is my dinner you are so solicitous about, and not your own?"

MORAL: Beware o f afriend with an ulterior motive.

The Travellers And The Hatchet

Two men were travelling along a highroad towards town. Suddenly one of them spied a hatchet half hidden in the fallen leaves.

"Look what I have found!" he cried, picking up the tool.

"Do not say 'I,' " replied his companion. "It is more proper to say, 'Look what we have found!' "

The finder of the hatchet shrugged his shoulders, and they continued on their way. Presently they came upon a group of men whose eyes were on the roadway as though they were looking for something. Suddenly one of the strangers pointed to the approaching two, and they rushed up to them, pointing to the hatchet.

"Alas," said the traveller who had found the hatchet, "It looks as though we are in trouble."

"What do you mean 'we are in trouble'? What you really mean to say is that 'I am in trouble!"

MORAL: He who will not allow his friend to share the prize must not expect him to share the danger.

A FAIRY-TALE COLUMN

INDIAN TALES

The Ant And The Bird

Once an ant went to the river to drink. Suddenly it fell into the water.

Now, a bird was sitting in a tree near the river. When she saw the ant in the water she decided to help it. So the bird picked up a leaf in her beak, carried it to the river and dropped it on the water near the ant. The leaf helped the ant to get to the bank.

After a few days the bird was again sitting in the same tree. She did not see that a man was coming towards her from behind. He was a fowler who wanted to catch the bird. The ant was near and saw the fowler. It ran up to him and began to bite his feet. The fowler cried out from pain. The bird turned round, saw him and flew away.

Three Gold Dolls

Once a certain padishah wanted to learn if his neighbour - the king - was clever. So he sent him three gold dolls. They all looked alike, but their prices were different. The padishah asked the king to choose the doll whose price was the highest.

The king looked at the dolls and thought for a long time but he could think of no answer. Now, there was a certain young man in the king's capital. He was clever and honest, but he quarreled with his rich neighbour - an evil man - who sent him to prison. In the prison the young man heard about the padishah's dolls and asked to tell the king that he could tell their prices. The king ordered to bring him to the palace. The young man came, looked at the dolls and saw that each of them had a little hole in its ear. Then he took a straw and pushed it into the ear of one doll. The end of the straw showed out of the doll's mouth. The young man took another doll and pushed the straw into its ear. The end of the straw showed out of the other ear. When the young man pushed the straw into the ear of the third doll the whole of the straw remained inside. The young man thought a little and said:

"Listen, о king, these dolls are very much like people. The first one is like a man who tells others everything that you tell him. Such a man is a bad friend. The second doll is like a man who soon forgets what you tell him. Such a man is also a bad friend. But the third

doll is like a man who forgets nothing and does not tell others what he must not tell. Such a man is a true friend. So the price of the third doll is the highest.

The king was very glad to hear this clever answer. He sent it together with the dolls to the padishah and ordered to set the young man free.

The Birds' Quarrel

Once a certain fowler caught some birds in his net. The fowler left the net in the field and went home to dinner. The birds saw that they were alone and began to say to each other: "Let us try to get free. If all of us pull one way we can fly."

So they flapped their wings all at once and pulled the net. Soon the net was flying. When the fowler came back he saw the flying net and ran after it. He said to himself:

"There are different birds in the net. Soon they will start to quarrel. And if they quarrel they cannot fly. Then the net will fall to the ground."

And that is what happened. At first all the birds pulled the net together, but soon the crows began to say: "We alone are pulling the net. The other birds are just flapping their wings."

The other birds became angry. "Stop your silly talk," they said to the crows, "we are also pulling the net." All the birds were quarrelling now and they forgot all about the net. It fell to the ground and with it fell the birds. The fowler ran up and seized the net. Then he carried it home and put every bird in a cage.

A Rich Friend

A man suddenly became rich. His best friend came to tell him how glad he was to hear about it. But the rich man pretended that he did not know his friend.

"Who are you and why did you come?" he said.

The friend answered: "Do you not know me? I am your old friend. I hear that you became blind. So I came to see you."

King Suleiman And The Wise Bird

Once upon a time there lived King Suleiman. He ruled over all the people and over all the animals. Once the gods gave him a cup of magic water and said:

"Drink from this cup and you will live three hundred years. If you don't drink, you will die very soon."

King Suleiman thought: "Before I drink from the cup I must ask my wise men for advice." And he ordered the wise men to his palace. When they came the king said:

"The gods gave me this cup. They tell me to drink from it. If I drink, they say, I shall live three hundred years. If I do not drink, I shall die very soon. Must I do as the gods tell me?"

"There is no better thing on earth than life, was the answer. "We advise you to drink from the cup". King Suleiman said: I see that all of you think so. But is there any wise man or animal who is not here?"

"Yes, о king," the wise men answered, "there is a wise bird who lives far away at the end of the earth. She did not come to the palace."

Then the king ordered his soldiers: "Go and bring the wise bird." The king's soldiers went and brought the wise bird before the king.

King Suleiman told the wise bird about the cup of magic water and then asked: "Tell me, о wise bird, must I drink from the cup?" The wise bird asked:

"Will you drink from the cup alone or will all your friends drink from it too?"