Page:Modern Japanese Stories.pdf/56

 in front of the children she would nestle up amorously to her solemn-faced husband and cause him the liveliest embarrassment. The fact that she was a couple of years older than Wasao made her affection all the keener.

“You know, my girl,” he said to Kanako, “I really love the old woman. So long as she’s alive I won’t do anything to cause her unnecessary worry. But when she’s dead I’m going to find myself someone better. After all, what’s the use of sweating away and making a pile if I can’t get any pleasure out of it? The way things are now, I come straight home from work every day. I never set foot in a tea-house, I never go to the races or have any real fun. I just have a bottle or two of saké, get a little tipsy, turn out the lights and go to bed. Sometimes I feel pretty fed up, I can tell you. There are lots of ways a man can enjoy himself in this world if he’s got a little money. Why shouldn’t I want to do the same things that Sōichi likes doing? Most men of my age when they’ve made a decent position for themselves keep a mistress or two. Now don’t get the idea that I’m waiting for the old woman to die. But sometimes I can’t help feeling that it would be a good thing if she did die fairly soon. It’s not simply that I want my freedom. Just think what would happen if I died first! It would be terrible for my poor wife and the rest of the family would be in a pretty bad state, too.”

Wasao muttered away affectedly. He drained his cup and handed it to Kanako.

“Here, have some saké,” he said.

Kanako found it irritating enough to have to pour the saké; to be asked to drink it was doubly annoying.

“Me?” she laughed. “How absurd!”

“Too shy to drink, eh, my girl? That’s rather sweet.”

He pressed the cup on her, but when she again refused he gave up and resumed his rambling monologue. “That boy of mine’s an awful fool,” he said, “but I still love him the best, you know. Of course, my children are all the same and there’s no real reason I should love one of them more than the others.