Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/387

Rh cart, must suffer severely from the cold. I am very sorry for you, and heartily thank you, my dear wife!"

"Oh, don't talk like that! A man should not thank his wife. By the bye, I think our enemy"

"Hush!" interrupted Katsugorō. "Walls have ears! Take care!"

"I am sorry," said Hatsuhana looking about her in alarm.

At this moment the three above-mentioned beggars, flushed and intoxicated, tottered out of the courtyard. When Sea-slug saw Katsugorō and his wife, his face became sullen, and he grumbled:

"Look there, comrades! Why should such a miserable cripple have so beautiful a wife? What an ill-assorted couple! Such injustice offends me. But I feel still more upset to think of the folly of the relief officers, who gave us beggars plenty of rice and money, and entertained us with saké and good food. The luxurious alms are paid for at the expense of farmers and merchants who are burdened with heavy taxes. Surely such treatment of beggars tends to increase their number. The authorities are very foolish."