t home. Again Saturn in the guise
of a beggar covered with sores came to the house. He asked as
before for hot water, oil, and food. But his daughter-in-law said,
"I have nothing to give you." The god pressed her, saying, "Give me a
little of anything that you have." But the daughter-in-law repeated,
"I have nothing." The god replied, "Very well, you will lose that
little you have." With this threat he disappeared. But, when the
daughter-in-law went upstairs to fetch grain for dinner, she could
find nothing in any of the jars. Shortly afterwards the family came
home, but there was no dinner for them. So they all got angry with
the daughter-in-law, and, although she told them about the beggar,
they scolded her harder than ever. A third Saturday came round, and
a third daughter-in-law remained at home. Again Saturn came, and the
third daughter-in-law behaved just as the second had done. She gave
the god neither hot water, oil, nor food. And the god told her that
she should lose the little she had. When the family came home there
was no dinner for them, and they scolded the third daughter-in-law
just as hard as they had scolded the second one.

The fourth Saturday it was once more the
turn of the youngest daughter-in-law. Again
Saturn came in the guise of a beggar covered
with sores and asked for hot water, oil, and
food. The little daughter-in-law gave them
as she had done before, and the god blessed
her, saying, "God will make you rich and
happy." Then he folded up the leaves from
which he had eaten and stuck them into a
corner of the eaves. When the little daughter-in-law
went upstairs, she saw any amount of
grain in the jars, and she prepared a splendid
dinner. So when the family came home they
were delighted. They could no longer restrain
their curiosity, and exclaimed, "Where did all
this food come from?" The little daughter-in-law
told them about the beggar covered with
sores and about his blessing. To test her
story, they looked for the folded leaves which
he had stuck into a corner of the roof. They
found them, but when they pulled them out
they were full of pearls and diamonds. Then
the old Brahman guessed that the beggar was
Saturn in disguise, and he also understood why,
when the other two daughters-in-law gave him
nothing and were cursed by him, there was
nothing for dinner. So they all knelt down
and prayed to Saturn, and the god forgave the
two-daughters-in-law who had given him
nothing. And he wa