Page:Eminent Authors of Contemporary Japan, volume 2.pdf/53

Rh *Wife.—I said no!
 * Husband.—How silly! You said you had never bathed in the sea, didn’t you?
 * Wife.—Yes.
 * Husband.—Well, you shouldn’t be afraid of trying everything so that you will get used to the water when you go in. But even if you can’t swim, it is a delightful feeling to float on the waves. The sensation is almost indescribable … If you want to compare it to anything at all, … well, we might compare it to that feeling of dreamy ecstasy that lovers experience when exchanging their first vows of love!
 * Wife.—Oh, stop saying such stupid things!
 * Husband.—Why is it stupid? You always look at everything in that way, you are far too prosaic. After all, both our lives are rather insipid. I spend from morning till night bending over sheets of paper, counting and counting, and you only move backwards and forwards between the oven and your sewing! All the dreams we ever had have gone. There is no more talk of the cherished future … we are already forgetting ourselves!
 * Wife.—(does not answer.)
 * Husband.—The small amount of money and leisure we have derived has enabled us to stand up and face a hope as great and limitless as that vast sea out there … Just look at it! … Are you listening to what I am saying?
 * Wife.—(remains silent.)