Brihatsphika smiled and said, "Listen, and I shall tell you. In a certain village lived a woman named Shandili. One day she washed a quantity of sesame seeds with great care and spread them in the courtyard to dry beneath the sun. Having finished her work, she went inside the house to attend to her other duties.

"After some time, a stray dog wandered into the courtyard. As it passed over the drying sesame seeds, they were scattered and spoiled. When Shandili came outside and saw what had happened, she gathered the seeds into a basket. She stood thinking for a while and then walked to the house of one of her neighbours.

"Placing the basket before the housewife, she said, 'Sister, these sesame seeds have already been cleaned. If you wish, take them and give me the same measure of uncleaned sesame seeds in return.'

"The housewife looked into the basket and said, 'This seems a good exchange. We need not spend time washing or cleaning them ourselves.' She was about to bring another basket of sesame seeds when her husband, who had overheard the conversation from inside the house, came out and stopped her.

"'Do not make that exchange,' he said.

"The woman looked at him in surprise. 'Why should I refuse? She is asking for uncleaned sesame seeds and offering cleaned ones. We lose nothing by it.'

"The man replied, 'That is exactly why I am suspicious. No one willingly gives away something better in exchange for something of lesser value without a reason. We may not know what that reason is, but there is surely one. It is wiser to leave such a bargain alone than to regret it afterwards.'

"Hearing this, the housewife stepped back and returned the basket to Shandili. Without another word, Shandili took the sesame seeds and went back to her own house.

"Brihatsphika paused for a moment before continuing. 'The man did not refuse the exchange because he knew what had happened to the sesame seeds. He simply understood that unusual actions seldom happen without a cause. I think in the same way. No ordinary mouse could leap to the height of your hanging alms bowl. Such strength is uncommon. There must be a reason for it, and I believe that reason is hidden wealth beneath its burrow.'

Tamrachuda sat quietly for a while. The story had answered the question that had puzzled him for so many days. If an unusual bargain deserved careful thought, then the deeds of an unusual mouse deserved the same.

The neighbour's husband did not refuse the exchange because he knew the truth. He simply knew that unusual actions often have a hidden cause. Brihatsphika judged the mouse in the same way. He looked beyond what was before him and searched for the reason behind it.