," and to my great amazement Fukuchi at
once began to draw in a rapid masterly manner the scene of a gentleman's
house and garden. No detail, however trivial, was overlooked, and the
infinite pains and care with which he executed these delightful little
drawings both astonished and charmed me. I could see at once the utter
impossibility of any one attempting to interfere with this man, who had
a complete grasp of his subject not only from the literary standpoint,
but also from the pictorial.

To give any idea of the exquisite delicacy and precision with which
these sketches of Fukuchi's were carried out, I must describe one or two
of the scenes. First of all there was the garden; this was to have on
its right a bamboo fence, a pine-tree, and a grass plot. On the left was
placed a willow-tree, and stepping-stones leading from the house to the
gate. Then the gentleman's house was to be considered. Mr. Fukuchi
decided that this was to be thatched and have a projecting floor, while
in front he placed a bamboo fence, a well, and a cluster of
chrysanthemums. "Now at the back of the house I must have a range of
mountains with autumnal tints," said Fukuchi; and no sooner said than
done--in a few minutes there stood the range of mountains with their
autumnal tints, ranging from orange to brown, noted in the margin, with
directions as to the quality of cotton cloth to be used for their
construction. Every detail in this garden scene was exact, and no one
could have altered so much as a leaf without ruining the picture. Next
Fukuchi proceeded to make for the costumier a drawing of a girl. By the
dressing of her hair the girl was shown to be not over nineteen years of
age, the ornaments being one of red and the other silver. She was to
hold a fan, and Fukuchi even decided on the colour of the fan and the
way the girl should hold it. It was to have a gold ground with a silvery
moon, light and black grass growing in white water. The lady's kimono
was of dark purple at the bottom and light purple at the top; this was
arranged purely for decorative reasons in order to harmonise with the
obi, which was black. As a rule the colours in a dress graduate from the
top downwards; but the obi looked best against the light purple, and
custom was sacrificed to art. The figures on the kimono were to be all
white with silver strings, and a delicate white wave pattern.

[Illustration: A BLIND BEGGAR]

Mr. Fukuchi next proceeded to consider the ha