Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/475

Rh Tei Shiryō looked up to his daughter's face through the hazy light of the spring moon. "Oh!" said he, "are you indeed Kinshō? I am your father, Tei Shiryō. I parted from you when you were a mere baby two years old. Nevertheless, you must have heard of me from your nurse. I crossed over to Japan, and settled in a part called Hirado. I married a Japanese woman, who has since borne me a son. Both of them are here with me. We have come to have a private consultation with your husband, and to ask for his assistance in a matter of great importance. Please order the gates to be opened, and allow us to come in."

Kinshō rejoiced greatly to hear Tei Shiryō's words, and she longed to rush down and embrace him. But she was the wife of General Kanki, the lord of the castle; so it was impossible for her to act with such lack of dignity in the presence of the soldiers.

"All those matters are well known to me," returned Kinshō, overcome with emotion. "But unless you will give me some proof, I cannot believe that you are my father. Give me some proof, if you can!"