THE RAT 



him of what a real dinner ought to be, and he 

 threw a crumb of bread, now to this one and now 

 to that. 



Poor fellow ! he could ill spare even the crumbs 

 from his scanty meal, but he told the rats that their 

 cheerful presence did more to keep him alive and in 

 his right mind than many loaves of bread. For in 

 those lonely cells the prisoners often went mad, 

 and with the strength of madness tore their chains 

 from off their limbs, and so died, beating with their 

 naked hands against the pitiless walls. 



But at last his friends collected a great army and 

 conquered his cruel rival, and came with torches in 

 their hands, but with small hope in their hearts, for 

 many days had now passed away. And judge of 

 their surprise and delight when they found him 

 well and cheerful ; and they smote the fetters from 

 his limbs, and carried him tenderly away, and laid 

 him softly in a room full of flowers and other 

 delights, to call him back to the joys of life. But 

 his cruel rival they haled off and cast into the self- 

 same dungeon, where, because he had a mighty 

 dread of rats, he went mad and died. But the 

 kindly knight passed a law in his land that for 

 three months in every year no rat should be killed, 

 except it were by accident, which is perhaps as 



