The meal over, off they went to the museum and, but for the rain, would have stopped to see a fortune-teller who tried to lure them into her booth.
"We couldn't understand what she said, so what's the use?" remarked Mary Lee.
In some such manner were many rainy days spent, but at last there came a morning in May when the sun shone, and when from houses far and near floated strange figures of fish, "The Honorable Carp," for this was the Boy's Festival, and, as good luck would have it, the sun shone.
"Come and see! Come and see!" cried Mary Lee as she looked from the window that morning. "Isn't it a sight?"
"What is?" Nan hurried over. "Oh, we forgot entirely that this would be the fifth of May and that we might expect to see his honor, the carp, flying all over the city."
"I remember now, and Mr. Montell told us all about it. The carp is the symbol of courage and bravery which are the two things Japanese boys are taught to acquire."
"Those qualities, and loyalty to the emperor for whom any one of them would cheerfully die and say thank you."
"Why carp, I wonder. Why not shark or whale or dolphin, for example?"
"Because the carp is supposed to smile sweetly when you carve a slice from his living self, and to say, 'Hack away, good people; it doesn't hurt me and seems to please you.'"