ot surprise her
that Shotaye did not appear on the first day, but on the evening of the
second she began to tremble. When the night of the third came, her
apprehensions became distressing. On the fourth, Shotaye must surely
come; expectation, and finally disappointment, almost tortured to death
the poor woman, for Shotaye came not.

Everything seemed to conspire to render her hopelessly miserable. She
lost sight of her surroundings, grew speechless, and almost devoid of
feeling. The others explained her state as one of profound and very
natural grief, and let her alone. But it was uncomfortable in the house
when the mistress took no notice of anything, and did not even provide
the most necessary things, not even drinking-water. Therefore Zashue, as
well as Okoya, preferred to go out of doors, there to await the
termination of the disagreeable period of mourning at the end of which
they confidently expected Say to return to her normal condition.

After he had separated from Mitsha, Okoya sauntered, without really
knowing whither, up the gorge and down the northern side of the
cultivated plots. He gradually neared the cliffs, and found himself
beyond the dwellings of the Water clan, and therefore beyond the
uppermost caves that were inhabited. The gorge, narrow and covered
mostly with underbrush and pines, afforded to his sight but a single
conspicuous object, and toward this he turned at once.

To his right lay some caves that had been long ago forsaken, and whose
front wall had partly crumbled. Below the short slope leading up to them
are the traces of an old round estufa. A plain concavity in the ground
indicates its site to-day. At the time when Okoya strolled about, the
roofing alone was destroyed, and part of the interior was filled with
blocks of stone that had tumbled from the cliffs, crushing the roof.
Okoya, from where he stood, had the interior of the ruin open before
him, and he saw in it, partly sitting and partly reclining, the figure
of his friend Hayoue. It was a welcome discovery.

He had not met Hayoue since the death of his grandfather, for the
brother of Zashue had avoided the great house and its inmates on
purpose. He mourned earnestly and sincerely, and wished to be alone with
his thoughts. But Okoya was not disposed to let him alone. He knew that
if his uncle spoke to any one he would speak to him, and that if he felt
indisposed to enter into any conversation he would say so at once.
Hayoue was