e him to it also. Her face leered
at him through a parted shoji. He gave a bound in her direction.
Instantly she had slammed the panels together; and before he could
reopen them had armed herself with a huge, glittering fish-knife.
"None of your mountain wild-cat ways for me!" she screamed.

In spite of wretchedness and alarm the boy laughed aloud. "I wish not
to hurt you, old fool," he said. "I desire nothing but to know where
my wife is."

"With her father," snapped the other.

"Yes, but where,--where? And why did she go without telling me? Where
did he take her? Answer quickly. I must follow them."

"I have no answers for you," said Mata. "And even if I had you would
not get them. Go, go, out of my sight, you Bearer of Discord!" she
railed, feeling that at last an opportunity for plain speaking had
arrived. "This was a happy house until your evil presence sought it.
Don't glare at me, and take postures. I care neither for your tall
figure nor your flashing eyes. You may bewitch the others, but not old
Mata! Oh, Dragon Painter! Oh, Dragon Painter! The greatest since
Sesshu!" she mimicked, "show me a few of the wonderful things you were
to paint us when once you were Kano's son! Bah! you were given my
nursling, as a wolf is given a young fawn,--that was all you wanted.
You will never paint!"

"Tell me where she is or I'll--" began the boy, raving.

"No you won't," jeered Mata, now in a transport of fury. "Back, back,
out of my kitchen and my presence or this knife will plunge its way
into you as into a devil-fish. Oh, it would be a sight! I have no
love for you!"

"I care not for your love, old Baba, old fiend, nor for your knife.
Where did my Ume go? You grin like an old she-ape! Never, upon my
mountains did I see so vicious a beast."

"Then go back to your mountains! You are useless here. You will not
even paint. Go where you belong!"

"The mountains,--the mountains!" sobbed the boy, under his breath.
"Yes, I must go to them or my soul will go without me! Perhaps the
kindlier spirits of the air will tell me where she is!" With a last
distracted gesture he fled from the house and out into the street.
Mata listened with satisfaction as she heard him racing up the slope
toward the hillside. "I wish it were indeed a Kiu Shiu peak he
climbed, instead of a decent Yeddo cliff," she muttered to herself, as
she tied on her apron and began to wash the supper dishes. "But, alas,
he will