t it became the property of O'Mino. It was part of the wedding
outfit of O'Naka herself. With this little fiction the mother
continued--"When the child is born allow the grandmother at least a
distant sight of it. Perhaps it will resemble Tamiya; be like its
mother, and soften a father's heart." Now she wept bitterly; and
Kyu[u]bei wept with her--bitterly. "Like the mother! The Buddhas of
Daienji[5] would indeed weep at the appearance of such a monster." This
was his thought; not expressed with the humble gratitude, prostration,
and promises which he fully intended to keep. Kyu[u]bei reverentially
accepted the mirror, the goods, the money. Taking his leave of
Yotsuya--a long one he feared--with sighs he set out for Kanda. Here he
made his report. Said the old townsman with severity--"The will of the
parent is not to be disobeyed. It is the duty of this Kyu[u]bei to see
to its performance." He had O'Naka more in mind than the master of
Tamiya. O'Mino might yet be the goose to lay golden eggs. A goose of
such plumage! Kyu[u]bei made a wry face in the darkness of the corridor.

CHAPTER III

TAKAHASHI DAIHACHIRO[U]

Some means of support had to be found. Employed in a _kenin's_ house,
and leaving it under such conditions, kindred occupation was out of the
question. There was a sort of black list among these officials to cover
all grades of their service. Time and the host of servants of some great
House would get the lad back into the only occupation he understood.
Trusting to some such accident of fortune, Kyu[u]bei made Densuke his
agent on commission. Densuke was no idler. Kyu[u]bei managed to meet the
Tamiya security for his loans, largely through the efforts of the
younger man. The married couple at this time set up their establishment
in Goro[u]beicho[u] of Kyo[u]bashi Ku. Coming and going, often with no
definite task in hand, Densuke to all appearance was an out-and-out
idler. For the first time released from the trammels of her class,
O'Mino could attend the theatres and farce shows of the capital. She
delighted in acting this part of a tradesman's wife. Moreover she was
very sure of not meeting with Matazaemon, of whom she was in great fear.
Bound to the _formulae_ of his class, her father might feel bound to cut
her down on sight.

One day Densuke was idling and hanging over the parapet of the
Nihonbashi. Some fishermen were violently quarrelling in the fish market
on the bank just below the bridge. As