Page:Tayama Katai and His Novel Entitled Futon (Reece).pdf/215

 Tokio spread his bedding beside that of his sister-in-law in the six-mat room; Yoshiko slept in her eight-mat room. In a short while he heard his sister-in-law faintly snoring. The clock audibly struck one o'clock. He heard occasionally from the eight-mat room a deep sigh indicating Yoshiko was unable to fall asleep. A freight train of the Kōbu Line passed by with a terrific rumbling sound. Tokio could not sleep either.

The next morning Tokio took Yoshiko to his home. As soon as he was alone with her he was anxious to have an explanation of the previous day; but seeing Yoshiko following him dejectedly with her head down, he felt some pity for her, and walked on in silence holding back his growing irritation.

Tokio and Yoshiko walked up a slope of Sanaizaka; few people were on the street. Tokio suddenly looked back and asked her point-blank,"What's happened since then?"

"What?" Yoshiko replied frowning.

"I'm talking about yesterday's affair. Is he still here?"

"He's going to return home tonight on the six-o'clock express."

"In that case, don't you have to see him off?"

"No, it's all over now."

They stopped talking and went on walking silently.

Tokio's home at Yarai-Chō had two upstairs rooms--a three-mat and a six-mat--that had been used as storerooms; these were cleaned up and made tidy for Yoshiko's use. These rooms had been used a long