--Blame me not for it, master.
The father's occupation, though despised
By others, casts no shame upon the son,
And he should not forsake it. Is the priest
Who kills the animal for sacrifice
Therefore deemed cruel? Sure a lowborn man
May, though a fisherman, be tender-hearted.
SUPERINTENDENT.--Well, well; go on with your story.
FISHERMAN.--One day I was cutting open a large carp I had just hooked,
when the sparkle of a jewel caught my eye, and what should I find in the
fish's maw but that ring! Soon afterwards, when I was offering it for
sale, I was seized by your honors. Now you know everything. Whether you
kill me, or whether you let me go, this is the true account of how the
ring came into my possession.
SUPERINTENDENT [_to one of the Constables_].--Well, Januka, the rascal
emits such a fishy odor that I have no doubt of his being a fisherman;
but we must inquire a little more closely into this queer story about
the finding of the ring. Come, we'll take him before the King's
household.
BOTH CONSTABLES.--Very good, master.
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