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362 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
aging him at the same time. Through the influence
of friends in Yedo he had the teacher, who was government
spy at Doctor Grey's house, promoted to a
higher office in Yedo.
During the months spent in waiting he read carefully
the Gospels, spending the mornings purely as
an inquirer and seeker after truth. In the afternoons
he occupied himself as a literary student, comparing
the Chinese New Testament with the Japanese, and
making a transcription of what he thought was the
best Japanese expression of some of the wonderful
ideas and most impressive sentences. He found the
Gospel of St. John very difficult. Without a teacher,
its
study seemed more loss than profit, except for
occasional flashes where the missionary
had found
the Japanese words worthy to match the thought.
The Gospel of St. Mark was most easy, and this he
read again and again with delight, though many of
his old ideas were rudely shaken. His wife also
became interested in the reading; but her favorite
was the Gospel of St. Luke.
The couple now came to Yokohama, and renting
a little house, made their home in the nicer part of
the Japanese quarter. When Doctor Grey's teacher
accepted the offer of official position in Yedo, Honda
had the great joy of being invited by Doctor Grey
to become his assistant and instructor in Japanese.
and at
Doctor Grey wished to fix a modest salary,
first insisted on paying, but Honda explained that
his office was sufficient for his support, and that any
money intended as remuneration for work or tran-