The Husband of the Rat's Daughter

The Husband of the Rat’s Daughter

Once upon a time there lived in Japan a rat and his wife who came of an

old and noble race, and had one daughter, the loveliest girl in all the

rat world. Her parents were very proud of her, and spared no pains to

teach her all she ought to know. There was not another young lady in

the whole town who was as clever as she was in gnawing through the

hardest wood, or who could drop from such a height on to a bed, or run

away so fast if anyone was heard coming. Great attention, too, was paid

to her personal appearance, and her skin shone like satin, while her

teeth were as white as pearls, and beautifully pointed.

Of course, with all these advantages, her parents expected her to make

a brilliant marriage, and, as she grew up, they began to look round for

a suitable husband.

But here a difficulty arose. The father was a rat from the tip of his

nose to the end of his tail, outside as well as in, and desired that

his daughter should wed among her own people. She had no lack of

lovers, but her father’s secret hopes rested on a fine young rat, with

moustaches which almost swept the ground, whose family was still nobler

and more ancient than his own. Unluckily, the mother had other views

for her precious child. She was one of those people who always despise

their own family and surroundings, and take pleasure in thinking that

they themselves are made of finer material than the rest of the world.

“HER daughter should never marry a mere rat,” she declared, holding her

head high. “With her beauty and talents she had a right to look for

someone a little better than THAT.”

So she talked, as mothers will, to anyone that would listen to her.

What the girl thought about the matter nobody knew or cared—it was not

the fashion in the rat world.

Many were the quarrels which the old rat and his wife had upon the

subject, and sometimes they bore on their faces certain marks which

looked as if they had not kept to words only.

“Reach up to the stars is MY motto,” cried the lady one day, when she

was in a greater passion than usual. “My daughter’s beauty places her

higher than anything upon earth,” she cried; “and I am certainly not

going to accept a son-in-law who is beneath her.”

“Better offer her in marriage to the sun,” answered her husband

impatiently. “As far as I know there is nothing greater than he.”

“Well, I WAS thinking of it,” replied the wife, “and as you are of the

same mind, we will pay him a visit to-morrow.”

So the next morning, the two rats, having spent hours in making

themselves smart, set out to see the sun, leading their daughter

between them.

The journey took some time, but at length they came to the golden

palace where the sun lived.

“Noble king,” began the mother, “behold our daughter! She is so

beautiful that she is above everything in the whole world. Naturally,

we wish for a son-in-law who, on his side, is greater than all.

Therefore we have come to you.”

“I feel very much flattered,” replied the sun, who was so busy that he

had not the least wish to marry anybody. “You do me great honour by

your proposal. Only, in one point you are mistaken, and it would be

wrong of me to take advantage of your ignorance. There is something

greater than I am, and that is the cloud. Look!” And as he spoke a

cloud spread itself over the sun’s face, blotting out his rays.

“Oh, well, we will speak to the cloud,” said the mother. And turning to

the cloud she repeated her proposal.

“Indeed I am unworthy of anything so charming,” answered the cloud;

“but you make a mistake again in what you say. There is one thing that

is even more powerful than I, and that is the wind. Ah, here he comes,

you can see for yourself.”

And she DID see, for catching up the cloud as he passed, he threw it on

the other side of the sky. Then, tumbling father, mother and daughter

down to the earth again, he paused for a moment beside them, his foot

on an old wall.

When she had recovered her breath, the mother began her little speech

once more.

“The wall is the proper husband for your daughter,” answered the wind,

whose home consisted of a cave, which he only visited when he was not

rushing about elsewhere; “you can see for yourself that he is greater

than I, for he has power to stop me in my flight.” And the mother, who

did not trouble to conceal her wishes, turned at once to the wall.

Then something happened which was quite unexpected by everyone.

“I won’t marry that ugly old wall, which is as old as my grandfather,”

sobbed the girl, who had not uttered one word all this time. “I would

have married the sun, or the cloud, or the wind, because it was my

duty, although I love the handsome young rat, and him only. But that

horrid old wall—I would sooner die!”

And the wall, rather hurt in his feelings, declared that he had no

claim to be the husband of so beautiful a girl.

“It is quite true,” he said, “that I can stop the wind who can part the

clouds who can cover the sun; but there is someone who can do more than

all these, and that is the rat. It is the rat who passes through me,

and can reduce me to powder, simply with his teeth. If, therefore, you

want a son-in-law who is greater than the whole world, seek him among

the rats.”

“Ah, what did I tell you?” cried the father. And his wife, though for

the moment angry at being beaten, soon thought that a rat son-in-law

was what she had always desired.

So all three returned happily home, and the wedding was celebrated

three days after.

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