Page:Tayama Katai and His Novel Entitled Futon (Reece).pdf/205

 back to his sister-in-law's house, but Yoshiko had not yet returned.

Tokio entered the house.

As soon as he entered the inner six-mat room, he called out, "What's happened to Yoshiko-san?"

So surprised to see that Tokio's kimono was badly soiled with mud, his sister-in-law was unable to answer his question right away, and said, "Oh! Goodness gracious! What happened to you, Tokio-san?"

Sure enough, upon a closer look under a bright light, mud was everywhere on his plain white kimono from his shoulders to his waist, and down to his knees.

"Nothing, I just stumbled there. . . ."

"But, you've got mud all the way to your shoulders! You're drunk again, aren't you?"

"Never mind," Tokio smiled and thus evaded replying.

Then, wasting no time he said to her, "Where did Yoshi-san go?"

"This morning, she went out saying she was going to take a walk to Nakano with a friend, and hasn't been back since. She should soon be back. Do you have something in particular that you want to talk to her about?"

"Yes, something. . . . Did she get home late yesterday?"

"No, she said she was going to meet a friend at Shimbashi Station and left the house after four and got back about eight."

Watching Tokio's face she said, "Is something wrong?"

"No. But sister. . . ." Tokio's voice became formal. "To be frank, if I leave Yoshiko under your care and something like her recent affair in Kyoto should happen again, I would be embarrassed; I'm thinking of keeping Yoshiko in my house so that I can