So they wrangled together about this matter for many days. At last they
disputed so noisily that their neighbours threatened to drive them out
of the village. Then, as neither the husband nor the wife would give in,
they decided to seek the wise man who lived at Shela, for sure he would
know and could settle this great question.
So they each took a dollar and tied it in the corner of their robes and
set out for Shela, quarrelling so hard all the way that everybody turned
round to stare at them.
At last they arrived at the town of Shela and found the wise man at his
house. When he saw the big round dollars bulging out of their clothes he
smiled upon them and invited them in.
[Illustration: THE WISE MAN WHO LIVED AT SHELA.]
Then the woman asked him, "Look up for us in your learned books whether
a cat's tail is stuck in or whether it sprouts out."
The man said, "No. Look up whether it does not sprout out or whether it
is stuck in."