` Your dog , ' said he , pretending to weep , ` has suddenly fallen down dead , though I took every care of him , and gave him everything he could wish for . And I thought I had better come straight and tell you . ' Weeping bitterly , the old man went to fetch the body of his favourite , and brought it home and buried it under the fig-tree where he had found the treasure . From morning till night he and his wife mourned over their loss , and nothing could comfort them . At length , one night when he was asleep , he dreamt that the dog appeared to him and told him to cut down the fig-tree over his grave , and out of its wood to make a mortar . But when the old man woke and thought of his dream he did not feel at all inclined to cut down the tree , which bore well every year , and consulted his wife about it . The woman did not hesitate a moment , and said that after what had happened before , the dog 's advice must certainly be obeyed , so the tree was felled , and a beautiful mortar made from it . And when the season came for the rice crop to be gathered the mortar was taken down from its shelf , and the grains placed in it for pounding , when , lo and behold ! in a twinkling of an eye , they all turned into gold pieces . At the sight of all this gold the hearts of the old people were glad , and once more they blessed their faithful dog . But it was not long before this story also came to the ears of their envious neighbour , and he lost no time in going to the old people and asking if they happened to have a mortar which they could lend him . The old man did not at all like parting with his precious treasure , but he never could say no , so the neighbour went off with the mortar under his arm . The moment he got into his own house he took a great handful of rice , and began to shell off the husks , with the help of his wife . But , instead of the gold pieces for which they looked , the rice turned into berries with such a horrible smell that they were obliged to run away , after smashing the mortar in a rage and setting fire to the bits . The old people next door were naturally very much put out when they learned the fate of their mortar , and were not at all comforted by the explanations and excuses made by their neighbour . But that night the dog again appeared in a dream to his master , and told him that he must go and collect the ashes of the burnt mortar and bring them home . Then , when he heard that the Daimio , or great lord to whom this part of the country belonged , was expected at the capital , he was to carry the ashes to the high road , through which the procession would have to pass . And as soon as it was in sight he was to climb up all the cherry-trees and sprinkle the ashes on them , and they would soon blossom as they had never blossomed before . This time the old man did not wait to consult his wife as to whether he was to do what his dog had told him , but directly he got up he went to his neighbour 's house and collected the ashes of the burnt mortar . He put them carefully in a china vase , and carried it to the high road , Sitting down on a seat till the Daimio should pass .
The cherry-trees were bare , XXXXX it was the season when small pots of them were sold to rich people , who kept them in hot places , so that they might blossom early and decorate their rooms .
At about as for from in into on though to