Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/365

Rh to fit it perfectly to the length and breadth of each garment. Since young girls can do all this if properly disciplined, it is a mistake to leave them to do as they please.

Once, on the evening of the seventh day of the New Year, some neighbors asked leave to send their sons to Fuji-ichi’s house to seek advice on how to become millionaires. Lighting the lamp in the sitting room, Fuji-ichi set his daughter to wait, bidding her let him know when she heard a noise at the private door from the street. The young girl, doing as she was told with charming grace, first carefully lowered the wick in the lamp. Then, when she heard the voices of the visitors, she raised the wick again and retired to the scullery. By the time the three guests had seated themselves the grinding of an earthenware mortar could be heard from the kitchen, and the sound fell with pleasant promise on their ears. They speculated on what was in store for them.

“Pickled whaleskin soup?” hazarded the first.

“No. As this is our first visit of the year, it ought to be rice-cake gruel,” said the second.

The third listened carefully for some time, and then confidently announced that it was noodle soup. Visitors always go through this amusing performance. Fuji-ichi then entered and talked to the three of them on the requisites for success.

“Why is it that today is called the Day of the Seven Herbs?” one asked him.

“That was the beginning of economy in the Age of the Gods: it was to teach us the ingredients of a cheap stew.”

“Why do we leave a salted bream hanging before the God of the Kitchen Range until the sixth moon?” asked another.

“That is so that when you look at it at meal times you may get the feeling of having eaten fish without actually doing so.”

Finally he was asked the reason for using thick chopsticks at the New Year.

“That is so that when they become soiled they can be scraped white again, and in this way one pair will last the whole year.

“As a general rule,” concluded Fuji-ichi, “give the closest attention to even the smallest details. Well now, you have kindly talked with