Page:Eminent Authors of Contemporary Japan.pdf/31

Rh *Osayo.—(Half believing him) But, how do you know of this?
 * Kakutaro.—When she was in Kobe she dwelt in a very old and large foreign-style house very near the office of the company I worked for. Ah, I know her very well!… In that house there were several foreign women living with her. As soon as it was evening, they would always put on pretty red or white clothes, and would paint their faces in a very charming way…. But, after a little time, this woman became indisposed, then some disease developed.
 * Osayo.—Even though you may believe that, none of the villagarsvillagers [sic] believe she has any disease. In the evening, she always is seen walking up the valleys or near the stream, and she seems very happy, and is a very pleasant woman, they say. All the villagers admire her greatly, and for a woman they think she is an excellent walker.
 * Kakutaro.—Yes, because she is gradually recovering from her sickness, owing to these baths that she takes each night. You can be sure that, if she were in good health, she would never stay here for such a long time. You know very well that it is getting much colder every day, and that no one stays in the village at this time of the year.(While Osayo is thinking over what he says, he gets a chance to escape from her. He suddenly jumps off the bridge, and goes down toward the cottage again.)