Gratitude of the Samebito 61 



expect to obtain her for his wife. Even suppos- 

 ing that there were as many as ten thousand 

 jewels in the whole country, only a great prince 

 could hope to procure them. 



But not even for a single hour could Totaro 

 banish from his mind the memory of that beauti- 

 ful being. It haunted him so that he could 

 neither eat nor sleep; and it seemed to become 

 more and more vivid as the days went by. And 

 at last he became ill, so ill that he could not 

 lift his head from the pillow. Then he sent for 

 a doctor. 



The doctor, after having made a careful exam- 

 ination, uttered an exclamation of surprise. " Al- 

 most any kind of sickness," he said, "can be 

 cured by proper medical treatment, except the 

 sickness of love. Your ailment is evidently love- 

 sickness. There is no cure for it. In ancient 

 times Roya-O Hakuyo died of that sickness ; and 

 you must prepare yourself to die as he died." 

 So saying, the doctor went away, without even 

 giving any medicine to Totaro. 



About this time the Shark-Man that was living 

 in the garden -pond heard of his master's sickness, 

 and came into the house to wait upon Totaro. 



