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"Oh!" replied Kashiku, who, notwithstanding her distress, was obliged<br />
to invent an answer, "I felt so dull all alone here, that I asked an old woman<br />
from next door to come in and drink a cup <strong>of</strong> wine with me, and<br />
have a chat."<br />
All this while Tônoshin was looking for the hidden lover; but, as he<br />
could not see him, he made up his mind that Kashiku must have let him<br />
out by the back door; so he secreted one <strong>of</strong> the sandals in his sleeve as<br />
evidence, and, without seeming to suspect anything, said:—<br />
"Well, I shall be very busy this evening, so I must go home."<br />
"Oh! won't you stay a little while? <strong>It</strong> is very dull here, when I am all<br />
alone without you. Pray stop and keep me company."<br />
But Tônoshin made no reply, and went home. Then Kashiku saw that<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the sandals was missing, and felt certain that he must have carried<br />
it <strong>of</strong>f as pro<strong>of</strong>; so she went in great trouble to open the lid <strong>of</strong> the box, and<br />
let out Hichirobei. When the two lovers talked over the matter, they<br />
agreed that, as they both were really in love, let Tônoshin kill them if he<br />
would, they would gladly die together: they would enjoy the present; let<br />
the future take care <strong>of</strong> itself.<br />
The following morning Kashiku sent a messenger to Tônoshin to implore<br />
his pardon; and he, being infatuated by the girl's charms, forgave<br />
her, and sent a present <strong>of</strong> thirty ounces <strong>of</strong> silver to her lover, Hichirobei,<br />
on the condition that he was never to see her again; but, in spite <strong>of</strong> this,<br />
Kashiku and Hichirobei still continued their secret meetings.<br />
<strong>It</strong> happened that Hichirobei, who was a gambler by pr<strong>of</strong>ession, had an<br />
elder brother called Chôbei, who kept a wine-shop in the Ajikawa Street,<br />
at Osaka; so Tônoshin thought that he could not do better than depute Jiuyémon<br />
to go and seek out this man Chôbei, and urge him to persuade<br />
his younger brother to give up his relations with Kashiku; acting upon<br />
this resolution, he went to call upon Jiuyémon, and said to him—<br />
"Sir Jiuyémon, I have a favour to ask <strong>of</strong> you in connection with that<br />
girl Kashiku, whom you know all about. <strong>You</strong> are aware that I paid thirty<br />
ounces <strong>of</strong> silver to her lover Hichirobei to induce him to give up going to<br />
her house; but, in spite <strong>of</strong> this, I cannot help suspecting that they still<br />
meet one another. <strong>It</strong> seems that this Hichirobei has an elder brother—one<br />
Chôbei; now, if you would go to this man and tell him to reprove his<br />
brother for his conduct, you would be doing me a great service. <strong>You</strong><br />
have so <strong>of</strong>ten stood my friend, that I venture to pray you to oblige me in<br />
this matter, although I feel that I am putting you to great inconvenience."<br />
114
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