other heir besides you, and the townspeople have refrained from touching the estate until they could inform you.’

The ascetic asked, ‘How long ago did he die?’
‘Such-and-such a time,’ the man replied.

‘And how long has it been since I left you?’ the ascetic inquired.
‘Such-and-such a time,’ he answered.

The ascetic said, ‘Then I died before him by that very span.’ He then turned his back on the man and went his way, leaving the inheritance behind.