Page:Tayama Katai and His Novel Entitled Futon (Reece).pdf/155

 thinking that she would abandon her ambition feeling disgusted with him. Searching for a map of Okayama Prefecture, he took it out of his bookcase and investigated the location of Niimi-Chō, Atetsu District, which was located over ten miles from the Sanyō Main Line up the Takahashi River valley. He was surprised to find that a stylish woman such as she was living in this type of remote mountain region; nevertheless, Tokio was somewhat beguiled, and studied in detail the mountains, rivers, and the general topography of the vicinity of her home town.

Well, he thought that she would not reply; but on the contrary, on the fourth day, he unexpectedly received a thick envelope which was even thicker than the previous letters. It was a three-page letter written horizontally in small characters with purple ink on western-style paper which had blue lines. She repeatedly asked him not to give her up as his pupil. She wanted to come to Tokyo and enter an appropriate institute after obtaining her parents' approval. Her honest desire was thoroughly and deligentlydiligently [sic] to study literature. Tokio was deeply moved by the girl's ambitions. Even in Tokyo--even those girls who were graduated from girls' schools failed to appreciate the value of literature, yet the content of her letter indicated that she knew everything about literature which prompted him to decide to form a mentor-pupil relationship; thereupon he immediately sent her his reply.

In this way they became more and more acquainted with each other, and before long Tokio was expecting letters from her. On one occasion wanting to request her photograph he jotted down in small