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384 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
Japan, Fujimaro, whose wedding my father attended,
has also passed away."
"
And what of his beautiful wife, the Higo bride
you remember, whose betrothal your father arranged,
and who was, as I thought, one of the handsomest
ladies in Japan " ?
" Ah, yes ;
I am sorry to say she died a few years
ago. Her son, who was studying at an English university,
returned in time to be chief mourner at his
father's funeral. He is very promising, and has his
mother's winning ways."
" I am sorry to hear of her death. Here, in this
cabinet drawer, is some of her beautiful handiwork
in silk and crpe ; and as for that rare old kakemono,
with the painting on silk of the palace-lady, which
reminds me of her, do you know how I got that?"
"
No ; please tell me."
" Well, in those days when I first came to Fukui,
for fear of the foreigner-haters' assassinating the
American teacher, Mr. Honda Jiro's father, by order
of the Prince Fujimaro, used to send two mounted
yakunin
with me when I took a horseback ride
through the country. In clumsily leading his horse
over the boat-bridge at Funabashi, first built by
Shibata Katsuiye", the horse of one of the guards
slipped into the water and was nearly drowned. For
fear I should inform on him to the prince, he insisted
on my accepting this rare old bit of art-work
of the fifteenth century. By the "
way, how is he ?
" He is dead also, but his son is the pastor of a
Methodist church near Yokohama.
He was a bright