A man used to walk about in tattered clothes and sit in the synagogue among the very poor. One day R. Akiba wanted to sell a pearl of inestimable value. No one would buy it. Meeting that man in the market, the latter bought it and asked R. Akiba and his pupils to follow him to his house. Akiba wondered but reaching the house they found a magnificent building with many servants. The man sat on a golden seat. After paying for the pearl, he gave them a meal. Akiba, still more surprised, asked the meaning of it. The man replied, “Riches are not stable. To-morrow I might lose everything. No man should, therefore, be so proud and I prefer the poor station so as not to be dismayed if a change for the worse should come.” Then R. Akiba blessed him for his modesty and wisdom.