Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/182

128 nights for the death of Hisamatsu. In return he promised to pay a large quantity of silver and gold coins. These arrangements were concluded, and the three of them took leave of each other.

To return to Hisamatsu. On the afternoon of the same day, he went on an errand in order to collect a sum of 150 ryō from his mistress' customers. The villainous Kosuké determined to seize this opportunity to execute his evil design against Hisamatsu. With this intent he secretly shadowed him.

Hisamatsu was quite unaware of this, and after he had received the money, he hastened back in the direction of the shop.

Just in front of the fortune-teller's stand he fell in with his sweetheart O-Somé, who was strolling about the Zama Shrine, hoping to meet him.

The young lovers were rejoiced at meeting each other, and for a while they were engaged in happy conversation. They soon found it inconvenient to talk on the public street, so they entered the fortune-teller's house, from which the old man was fortunately away. There they were safe from observation so they were able to talk freely