The evening world. Newspaper, September 27, 1922, Page 24

THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY. TRE HONORABLE GEUFPr EY BalKRINGLON, son of Lord Brandan, a | Captain in the British Aimy resigns his commission when he weds TASAKO FUJINAMI, rerress, daughter of Japanese parents, who are dead. % drought up and sducated in french convent schools and introduced to Br London society by BRADY EVERINGION. a rilliant matchmaker. who did not foresee the result & Of the oringing together # tne wo At the reception toasts are drunk to the a Closer union of Britain and I-pan. but both British and Japanese diplomats © in the distinguished -oimpany evade the suggestion that the couple visit | Japan. as appears to be chen desire Some of the reception guests trankly } Question the wisdom of the marrage anc doubt the possibility of a happy © lite tor the pair Lady Everington, m her anxtety for the young Captain, + who has been her special protege, nterviews QouNn! SAI1O, the Japanese Ami ussador, who tells her the Fujinamis belona © to the nouveaux riches of Japan, but gives little information of thetr origin or the source of their wealth A vist. to his wite’s guardians, the Muratas, @ Japanese tamily living <7 Paris, and a sojourn among the cosmopolitans ‘ot Deauville sharpen he sesi's to see Japan. Aboard the ship they meet VISCOUNT KAMIMURA, -eturning home te wed a bride chosen by his tamily, |} Whom he has never seen A stop at Nagasaki ts the first sight of reat Japan A part of the revelation 1s the Chonkina, or Geisha dance, seen by Barrington tn company wth two tnglish acquaintances Barrington ts shocked by the performance, He 1s disturbed to learn from the talk of | Americans and Englishmen that marriages with Japanese women are not favorably regarded TANAKA. a nondescript Japanese, attaches himself to the Barringtons, follows them everywhere and accumpanies them to lokyo, where Geollrey meets REGGIE FORSYIH. Attache of the British Embassy, musical and romantic, shaking off old attachments m Paris tor a new one in Japan, the novelty being \ YAE SMITH, daughter of a apanese mother and an English father. Bar- Tington meets Miss Smith, who st okes and languishes in Morsyth’s apart- ments at the Embassy. warrington. trom a talk with LADY CYNIHIA CAIKNS, vite of the Bnush Ambassador, learns of Yae's Mmany—some tatal—iove attairs and of the Embassy's disapproval ot For- syth s engagement to che young woman. ITO, lawyer for. the Fujinami estate, who has made regular remittances to Mrs Barnngton, arranges tor ner and her husband to meet the Fu. jinamis of lokyo. Ihe entertainments fail te impress Barrington, to whom Japanese tamily customs -eem odd and contradictory A family bus ness conference discloses the .act that the Fuyinami income is derived from the Geisha house privileges in Tokyo and elsewhere, At the same conference Asako's marriage to Bairiugton ts discussed, the decision being that she should be marred to a Ja,anese, the matter of divorce being easy, Under the tutelage of her cousin, ASAKY, Barnington’s bride. begins to learn something of Japanese family cu toms and hear about er lather and mother, the one a poet, the other a delicate. clinging little woman, who died wher Asako was born. Barrington and Yae Smith are torsyth’- guests at Kamakura. hey leave a dance to watch the Japanese peasants on the beach Yae flirts with Geoffrey. who ¢arnes her back to “orsyths house in his arms. They have been seen by ‘anaka. Asako learns trots ner cousin that childlessness is cause for divorce in Japan. She spends riuch time in the Fujinami household Forsyth surprises Geoffrey and Yae Smith in tis own rooms, Geoffrey 5 declares his innocence: the gi:! accuses him, and in a violent tirade gives oe his first knowledge of the source of his wife's income. Asako ims of the inci ums a ¥ i aad pies fon poeas ae t deaf ear to her husband's explanations CHAPTER XXI. (Continued.) Savonara (Goodbye). URING the recep- tion of the Aus- trian Embassy ing aside to order another drink @éoffrey had a letter in his pocket received from his wife that morning It ran: Dear Geoffrey—1 am very sorry T cannot come back, It is not which followed only what has happened. 1 am the Mass, an inct- wapeness: You are English. You never really love me. Our dent occurred marriage was a mistakt. E which altered the body says eo even Reggie For Whole set of the syth. I tried my best to want to young diplomat's come back. [T went to Reggie last night, und asked him what actually happened. Hoe saya that our marriage was a mistake, and that ow coming to Japan was a thoughts, and, most surprisingly sent him posting down to the Im- mistake. So do I. I think we perial Hotel to micht have heen hapny in En sland, I want you to divorce me. find Geoffrey Barrington, as one wh> has discovered a treasure and must share {t with his friend. ‘The big Englishman was contem- plating a whiskey-and-soda in the hall of the hotel. It was by no means the first of its neries. He gazed dully at Reggie. ‘6 “Thought you were at Chuzenji,"" he said thickly. L had to come down for the specir service for the Archduke Frenz F. dinand,”’ said Reggie, excited! / “They cave us a regular wake, cham- pagne by the gelion! Several of corps diplomatique became inspli sew visions and made prop! fogs. Von Falkenturm, the German malitary attache, was shouting out, it ms to be very easy in Japan, “You only have to write a let- ter, which Mr. Ito will give you. Then I can become quite Japan ese again and Mr. Fusinam! c take me back Into his family Also you will be free to marry an English girl, But don't have anything to do with Mirs Smith. She ts a very bad girl, 1 shall never marry anybody clse. My cousins are very kind to me. It ix much better for me to etay tn Japan, Titine sald 1 was wrong to go away. Please give her fifty pounds from me and send her back to France, If she wants to n ‘We've got to fight! Russia, France, &° 1 don't think It ts good for | Bngiand; yes, the whole lot of them us to we each other. We only The man was drunk, of course; but, Make each other unhappy. Tan- after all, in vino fas. The rest of ka ts here, 1 do not like him the square-heads were getting very 201%. Good-bye! Good-bye! Tattied, and at Jast they succeeded in Your Joving, suppressing. Falkenturm, But, I tell ASAKO letter ¢ ey gia Fe also was The request for a di How could you, Geoffrey, it's coming at last; it's _ Fealiy coming! “What's coming? “Why, the Great War, ‘Thi t's coming!" ‘Why thank God ‘Because we've all become too crti- ficial and beastly. We want exterm!- mating and to start afresh. We shall him, Against yorce baffied him entirely. he divorce his wife when he had noth ing against her? In answer, he wrote enother frantic appeal to her to re- turn to him. There was no answer. Then he left Tokyo for Yokohama-— pemue at last from women and draw- {t is only’ elghtcen miles away—to : and silly gossip. We shall wait ther: until his boat started Become men. It will’give us ali sume- fy iu!ther he was pursued by Ilo. | Sung to do and something to think «1 am sorry for you." The revolt- _ about. "Yes," echoed Georffrey, T could get something to do. "You'll get it all right, I wish I ‘Were a soldier. Are you going to stop wishes very much to have her name { Japan much longer?" Inscribed on family register of Fuji- Me solng next week — soln nami house. If there is no divorce. thin is ne thle." Mook here, I'll put in my resigna- But,” objested Geoffrey, it Is not ‘dom eb @wey and I'll come alone 94 easy to get divorced as to get mar- th you. es r rled—unfortunately.” mo, Uanks,” sald Gooftrey, “In Japan,” sald the lawyer, “it ts t."* More easy, because we have different rb custom, < “The ing little man always began lis dis- course now with this exasperating phrase, “Mrs. Rarrington wou!d like very much to obtain the divorce. She “I wish "rather excitement Reggio had failed rve the ‘chillincss of his demeanor. This snub direct it up the whole chain of events, Regeic had momentarily for- there must be a lot of dl- s “There are very many,” answered uy the Japanese, ‘m than in any Bs D or which were two recent 48 other coun In divorcee Japan } set to have assumed complete reality, die the world. Even s SMT worry, Grey,” Le said, uF come second to onr 5 y rame to go. the low-cinas persons in man th & said Burrington, are even women who have boon & Wot ut all,” meg his iriend’s band and turn- ricd thirty-five times, married prop- ‘ ” 1 ‘ PETS SR OUI, wtetaon Ja atmm te THE EVENING WORLD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTE By Jon n Paris. “4 lllustrated By Will. B. Johnstone. » honorably and legally, In up- per sowety, loo, many divorce, but not 40 many, for It makes the family aner Marvellous! you do it?” ‘'Thore Is divorce by law-courte, as ‘n your country," ald Ito, "The tn- Jured party can sue the other party, and the court can grant decree. But very few Japanese persons go to the court for divorce, It Is not nice, as you say, to wash dirty shirt before all people, So there Is divorce by cus- tom," “Well?” asked the Engitshman, Now, a# you know, our marriage is alwo by custom, There ts no cere- mony of religion, unless parties desire, Ony the man and the woman go to the Bhlyaktsho, to the office of the city yor the village; and the man say, ‘This woman ts my wife; please write her name on the register of my family, Then when he want to dt+ vorce her, hoe goes again to the office of the city and says, 'l have sent my wife away; please take her name from the register of my fam'ly, and writo it wguin on the register of her father's family. You see, our cus- tom Is vory convenient, No expense, 1a, trouble." "Very convenient,” Geoffrey agreed “So, If Cupt. Barrington will come with me to the olfice of Akusalw, Tokyo, and will give notice that he has sent Mrs, Barrington baci to her fumily, then the divorce is finished. Mrs. Barrington becomes again a Jap- anese subject. Her name becomes Fujinam!, he ts again one of her sald Geoffrey, “How “THERE GEOFFREY SIGNED A DECLARATION IN JAPANES? AND EN@LISH TO COPYRIGHT, wife away from me. my Embassy to get her restored."* Ito muttered under his breath. That had He turned to Sadako Fujinam! and spoke to her In volubie Sadako whispered in her Then she rose and with- was a contingency which he Rreatly dreaded. Japanese. cousin's ear. drew with Ito, He now realized that his former wife a person absolutely different from him- had become entirely a Japanese, self, a visitant from another sphere He was English; she was Japanese. They were divorced already, The big man and held out his hand to his wife. “I'm sorry, little Asako!" he sald, It Good-bye, and—QGot very gently. was a mistake, bless you always! “You are quite right. With Immense relict and gratitude sho took the glant'’s paw in hor own It seemed to have lost its to have become like a Japanese tiny he grip, hand, ‘He opened the door for her. again, us George’ on He closed the door behind her, empty firep! After a time, with Asako Fujinamt father's family. “Ne i ory efoRtr Fe S$ BbLa\roule est syie Code Ng rose from his chair Once the altar-steps of St. tull shoulders bent over the tiny flyure with a movement of instinctive protection and tenderness, ros crossed the room and stared into the Ito returned. The two men went together to the district office of the Akasaka Ward. There Geoffrey signed a declaration in Japanese and English to the cffect that his marriage was cancelled, and that she was free to return to her inteht have opinions quite opposed to apanese conventions—but that there were suit Indeed, In the direct Iino of atic mm there was only young Mr. Fujinam! Takeshl, the youth with the purple blotches, who had distingulsh- ed himself by his wit and his savolr vivre on the night of the frst family banquet very few adequately qualified rs True, he had a wife already; but she could easily be divorced, as her mily were nobodles, If he married Asako, however, was he atili capable of breeding healthy children? Of course, be Ynizht adopt the children whom he already possessed by his first wife, but the elder boy showed signs of being mentally deficient, the younsor was certainly deaf and dumb, and the two others were girls and did not count. Grandfather Fujinamt Gennosuke, ) hated and despised his grandson, was for «weeping him and his brood out of the way altogether, and for adopting a carefully selected and creditable yosht (edopted non) by with either Sadako or But tf this Asa is barren?’ said Mrs. ami Shidzuye, who natural- ly des!red that her daughter Sadako's husband should be the heir of the Fujinam!. “That Englishman was rong and healthy, There was living sther for more than & year, and no child, barren, then a son must sald the old ‘gentleman, sion ts un- to: still “It al adopted," » adept twice in su FUJINAMI WAS CANCELLED.” uly. ‘This is her prayer to you.” Next morning at daylight his ship And Myra, Barrington’s money?" left Yokohama arked Geoffrey sarcastically. “You Before he reached Liverpool war have forgotten that.” had been dechire “Ob, no," was the answer, “we don't - forget (ie money. Mr, Fujinams quite CHAPTER XXII. understand that it is a great loam to send away Mrs. Barrington, He will Fujinami Asako. give big compensation as mach as Okite mitsu Capt. Barrington desire Nete mitsu kaya no ‘To Ito's surprise, lis victim left the Hirosa kana, ale and did not return, So be in tired from the servants about Ca,t. nd learned from ans that the vig bnlshman plenty of whiskey soda; but he tolk to any or gp to the Barrington's habits, the boy on els Perhaps he was a litte mad lio returned to the charge next day This time Geofirey had an inspiration ile sald that if he‘could be anterd an fnterview alone with Asaio he would discuss with her the divorce project, and would consent, ehe asked lim personally, After soinw de- mur, the lawyer agreed. The last interview between husband And wife took place in Ito's office, which Geoffrey had visited once be- fore In hin search for the fortune of the Bujinamt. The seene of the rendezvous was well chosen to repress any revival of old emotions. Geoffrey's wife appeared hand with Cousin Sadako, There was nothing glish in her looks. She had become completely Japanese from her black helmet-like coiffure to the hand in little white feet which shuffled over he dusty carpet, 'T was no hand- thaking, ‘The two women sat down ily on chairs against the wall re- mote from Geoffrey, like two swallows perched uneasily on an unsteady wire. Asko held @ fan, There was com- plete silence, “I wish to see tiny wife alone," paid with two who griane 1 the wrrassment omen, Asake 1 made it quite ele said Gearty pad Was ut I understand that pressuse has beep used to keep my 1 looked Mr thi condition When I riss, 1 look— When |} lie down, | look— Alas, how v st is the mosquito curtain. SAKO BARRINGTON was re- stored to the name and hone o¢ the Fujinamt, 1 on had been the result of heredit instinct, of the natural current circum stances, and of the adroit diplomacy of her relatives nad been hunt ed and caught like a wild animal; and the was soon to find that the walls of: her inclosure, which at seemed so while that she perceived them not e clo in upon -ver a 4y as in a mediaevel tor- ture chamber, forcing her step by step toward the v Jwpanese matrimony The Fujinamt had not adopted thatr foreign cousin out of pure altruism. Far from it, Like Japanese in gen- eral, they resented the Intrusion of athomable pit of ‘tanin” (outside person) into their intimacy, They took her for what she was worth to them Since Asako wax now a mein family, custom allowed My. Wuj!- mi Gentaro to control her mon tut Mr. Ito warned his patron thet, lly, the money was still hers, and hers lone, and that in case of her marrying a second time It might amain slip away. It was Imperative, therefore, to the pe of the Fost nant h that A should marry Fasinginl, and that 6 goon as poe sit ! mt] Ava # , ow hus band—it never cocurred to the Fujina- lucky," abjected Mr. Fujinami Gen- tar “Then,” said Mrs. Shidzuye, “tae old woman of Akabo shall come for con- sultation, She shall tell if it is pos- sible for her to have babies. abo was the up-coun viling whemce the first Fujinam: tad com lo Tokyo to seek his fortune. The touch hig ancestral villave: and for a hundred years thy Tokyo ¥ had paid their annie vi th to render their fore= Japanese never completely lo: with ov mi mountains of the n¢ the ribute to the graves o hers, They still preserved an In- ited faith in the “wise woman” of who from time to time he the district, Was summoned to the pital to give her advice. Their otner medical enun- selor was Prof. Kashic, who held de- srees from Munica and Vien During the first deys of her self- chosen widowhood Asko was litJde better than a convalescent. She bad never looked at sorruw Defore; and the shock of what she had seen had para- lyzed her vitality without as yet open- ing her understanding, Like a dng, who in the midst of his faithti afte tion has been struck for a fauit of which he ts unconscious, ehe took ref- uge in darkness, solitude and despar The Japanese, who are us a rule intultively aware of others’ emotions, recognized her case. A corm was pre- pared for her in « distant wing of the straggling house, a “foreign style" room in an upper story with gl. in the windows—stained glass too--with w muslin blinds, a colored }itho- graph of Napoleon and a real bed, re- cently purehased on Sadako's piead- ng must be done to py for thelr guest Mr, in t everytl mate fet “But she is a Japanese, jinam! Gentaro had objected. not right that a Japanese sleep upon a tall bed. She learn to give up luxurious ways mt It is should must Satako protested that ler healit ai was not ured was ¢ yet luxe 0 host oF her tall be azing through th i doorway across the polished wood ve~ \is22. BY BON! AND LIVERIGHT, I will apply to mi! that this stranger from Europe randa ike the toffeo veranda of @ Asako thought tho creatures must confectioner's tnodel, past the wan- dering branch of an old twisted pine tree which crouched by the aldo of the mansion ike u falthful beast, over the plgmy landscapo of the garden, to the acalolike roof# of the distant eg and to the pagoda on the opposite Hh, It rested her to lis thus and look at her country, From time to time jako would steal into the room, Her cousin would leave the Invalid in silence, but she always smiled, and she would bring some offering with her, @ dish of fool—Asako's favorite dishes, of which Tanaka had already compiled a complete Ust—or some- times @ flower. At the open door she would pause to shuffle off her pale blue sori (sandals); and she would glide across the clean rice-straw mat- Ung shod in her snow-white tabi only. Asako gradually accustomed herself to the noises of the house. First, there was the clattering of the amado, the wooden shutters whose removal announced the beginning of the day, then the gurgling and the expectora- tlons which accompanied the family @blutions, then the harsh sound of the men’s voices and their rattling laughter, the sound of their zeta on the gravel paths of the garden Ike the tedious dropping of heavy rain on an fron roof, then the flicking and dusting of the maids as they went about their dally sofi (house cleaning), their shrill mouselike chirps and thetr stily giggle; then the afternoon still- ness when every one was absent or HE EFFECT THAT HIS MARRIAGE WITH ASAKO sleeping; and then, the revival of life and bustle at about six o'clock, when the clogs were shuffled off at the front door, when teacups began to jing! and when sounds of swishing came up from the bath house, crackle of the wood fire under bathtub, the smell of the burning 1 nd the distant odors of the kitchen. Outside the twilight was beginning to gather. A big black crow flopped lazily on to the branch of the neigh- boring pine tree. His harsh croak listurbed Asako's mind like a threat. High overhead passed a flight of wild keese in military formation on their way to the continent of Asia. Lights began to peep among the trees. Be hind the squat pagoda a sky of rasp- berry pink close? the Hackground, The twilight {s brief in Japan, The night is velvety and the moonlight and the starlight transfigure the dolls’ house architecture, the warped pine trees, the feathery bamboo clumps and the pagoda spires, From a downatair room there came the twang of Cousin &: ko's koto, water the the a kind of zither instrument, upon whieh she played interminable met- ancholy sonatas of Houid, detached holes, like desultory thoughts against 4 background of silence, There was ho accompaniment to this music and no song to chime with (t; for, as the Japanese say, the accompaniment for koto mustz is the summer night-time and its heavy fragrance, and the voice with which it harmonizes is the whisper of the breeze in the pine branches, Q have got Into her room, and feared for entanglements In her hair, Then she remembered that her mother's nickname had been “the Semi," and that she hed been so called because ehe was nlways happy and singing fo ler little house by the river. This memory roused Asako one day with a wish to see how her own house was progressing. This wish was the first positive thought which had stirred her mind since her husband had left her; and it marked a stage in her convalescence, “If the house ts ready," she thought, “I will go there soon. The Fujinam! will not want me to live here per- manently."’ This showed how little she under- stood as yet the Japanese family sy: tem, whereby relatives remain as per- manent guests for years on end. “Tanaka,” she sald one morning, !n what was almost her old manner, “T think I will haye the motor car to-day." Tanaka had become her body servant as in the old days. At first she had resented the man's reappear- ance, which awakened such cruel memories, She had protested against him to Sadako, who had smiled and promised. But Tanaka continued his ministrations; and Asako had not the Strength to go on protesting, As a matter of fact, he was specially em- ployed by Mr. Fujinami Gentaro to Spy on Asako's movements, an easy task hitherto, since she had not moved from her room. “Where 1s the motor car, Tanaka?" she asked again. Ho grinned, as Japanese always do when embarrasse “Very sorry for you," he answered; motor car has gone away." “Has Captain Barrington——-? Asako began instinctively; then, re- membering that Geoffrey was now many thousands of miles from Japan, she turned her face to the wall and an to cry. Young Fujinamt San," said Tan- has taken motor He go y to mountains with ha girl. i an, very roue, Asako thought that it was rather impertinent tu borrow her own motor var without asking permission, even she was their guest. She did not understand that she and all her sessions belonged from henes ferth to her fomi to her male rela- tives, that Js to say; for she was only a woman. “Old Mr. Pufinan: San," Tanaka went on, happy to find his mistress, to whom he was attached in a queer Japanese sort of way, interested and responsive at last, ‘old Mr. Fujinam) San, he also go to mountain with geisha girl, but different mountain. Japanese people all very roue. All Japanese people like to go away in summer season with gelsha girl. Very bad custom. Old Mr. Fujinam! San, not so very bad, keep same eis! sirl very long time, Perhaps Ladyship Sev one Ilttle girl, very nice little girl, come sometimes with Miss Sadako and bring meal-time things. That ittie girl is geisha girl's daughter. Perhaps old Mr. Fujinami San's vier also, I ;U don't know! So he rambled on in the fashion of servants al] the world over, until Asako knew all the ramifications of her relatives, legitimate and illegtti- mate. » gathered that the men had all okyo during the hot season, and t only the women were left In te This encouraged her to de- scend from her eyrie, and to endeavor to take up her position in her family, which was beginning to appear the less reassuring the more she learned about its history. The life of a Japanese lady of quall- ty is pecullarly tedious, She Is re- lieved from the domestic cares which rive occupation to her humbler sis- ters, But she is not treated as an equal ov as a companion by her men- folk, who are taught that marriage is for business and not for pleasure, and consequently that home-life is a bore, She is supposed to find her own amusements, such as flower-arrange- ment, tea-ceremony, music, kimono- making and the composition of poetry. More often, this refined and Innocent ideal degenerates into a poor trickle of an existence, enlivened only by appy magazine reading, servants’ gossip, empty chatter about clothes, children, backbiting, en- tec Jako took her cousin to a entertainment given for the Red Cross at the house of a rich no- bleman. A hundred or more ladies were present; but stiff civility pre- vailed. None of the guests seemed to know each other. There was no friendly talking. There were no men guests. There was three hours’ agony of squatting, a careful adjustment of expensive kimono: weak tea and tasteless cakes, a blank staring at a dull conjuring performance, and dead- ly silence. “Do you ever have dances?'" Asako asked her cousin. “The geisha dance, because they are paid,” sald Sadako primly. Her pose was no longer cordial and sympa- thetic. She set herself up as mentor to his young savage, Who did not know Long after Sadako had finished her the usages of civilized goclety, practice, came borne upon the a@is- ‘o, not like that,” sald the girl tance the still inore melancholy PIP grom England; “but dancing among of a student's flute, ‘This was the yourselves with your men friends,"* last human sound. After that. the ? hight was left to the orchestra of the cts—the grasshoppers, the erick- ety and the semi (cieadas). Asako soon was able to distinguish at least ten or twelve ‘event ce, all motall en ' \ onnd t jet down with a pun, ‘The nignt aud the house vibrated with these in+ Bnitesimal chromatics, Sometimes ‘ “Oh, no, that would not be nice at all, Only tipsy persons would dance like that."" Asako tried, not very successfully, fo chat In easy Japanese with her cousin; but she fled from the Inter minable talking perties of her rela- tives, where she could not understand one except the innumerable parentheses—nuruhodo (indeed!) and 4 so des’ka (is it 60?7)—with which the conversation was studded. As the realization of her\ solitude made her nerves more Jumpy she began to im- agine that the women were forever talking about her, criticising her un- favorably and disposing of her future. ‘The only man whom she saw dure ing the hot summer months, besides the inevitable Tanaka, was Mr, Ito, the lawyer, He could talk quite good English. He was not so egotistical and bitter as Sadako. He had travelled in America and Europe. He seemed to understand the trouble of Asako's mind, and would offer sympathetic ad- vic “It 1s difficult to go to school when we are no longer children,’’ he would say sententiously. ‘Asa Sun must bo patient. Asa San must forget. Asa. San must take Japanese husband, I think it is the only Y “Oh, no,’ the poor girl shivered; “I ldn't marry again for anything."* 3ut,'’ Ito went on relentlessly, “it hurtful to the body when once it has custom to be married, 1 think that’ is reason why so many widow women are unfortunate and become w mad,"" Every day he would spend hour or so in convegsation with Asako, She thought that this was a sign of friendliness and sympathy. As a mat- ter of fact, his object at first was to improve his English. Later on more ambitious projects developed in bis fertile brain, He would talk about New York and London in his queer stilted way. He had been a fireman on board ship, a teacher of Jiujitsu, a Juggler, a quack dentist—heaven knows what else. Driven by the conscientious inquist- tiveness of his race, he had endured hardships, contempt and rough treat- ment with the smiling patience incul- cated in the Japanese people by their education, ‘We must chew our gall, and bide our time," they say, when the too powerful foreigner insults or abuses them, He had seen the magnificence of our cities, the vastness of our undertak- fags and had returned to Japan with great relief to find that life among his own people was less strenuous and flerce, that It was ordered by cireum- stances and the family system, that less was left to Individual courage and enterprise, that things happened more often than things were done. The tmpersonality of Japan was as restful to him as it 4s aggravating to European. But it must not be tmagined th Ito was an Idle man. On the con trary, he was exceedingly hard work ing and ambitious. His dream was to become a statesman, to enjoy un imited patronage, to make men and to break men, and to die a peer. When he returned to Japan from his wander ings with exactly two shillings in hls pocket, this was his programme. Like Cecil Rhodes, his hero among white men, he made a will distribut ing millions. Then he attached him self to his rich cousins, the Fujinami and very soon he became indispens able to them. Fujinami Gentaro, a indolent man, gave him more and mor authority over the family fortune. 1 was dirty business, this buying « girls and hiring of pimps, but it was immensely profitable; and more anil more of the profits found their wa into Ito's private account, Fujinami Gentaro did not seem to care. keshi, the son and heir, was a ndo entity. Ito's intention was to con- tinue to serve his cousins until he had amassed a working capital of a hun dred thousand pounds. Then he would go into polities. But the advent of A a short cut to his hope ried her he would gain immediate control of a large interest in the jinam! estate. Besides, she hei all the qualifications for tho wife of u Cabinet Minister, knowledge of elgn languages, ease in foreign iety, experience of foreign dress am customs, Moreover, passion was stir ring In, his heart, the swift, stormy passion of the Japanese male, which, when thwarted, drives him towarc murder and suicide Like many Japanese, he had felt the attractiveness of foreign women when he was travelling abroad. Their in- dependence stimulated him, thelr savagery and thelr masterful ways Ito had found in Asako the physt- cal beauty of his own race together with the character and energy which had pleased him so much tn white women, Everything seemed to favor his suit. Asako clearly seemed to prefer his company to that of other members of the family, He had « hold over thé Fujinam! which would compel them to assent to anything he might require, True, he had e wife already, but she could easily be divorced. ako tolerated him, faute ée mieux. Cousin Sadako was becom- ing tired of their system of mutua} instruction, as she tired sooner or later of everything. She had developed a romantic in- terest in one of the pet students whom the Fujinam! kept as an adver~ tisement and a bodyguard. He was ® pale youth with long greasy halr spectacles and more gold In his teeth than he had ever placed In his watst- band. Propriety forbade any actual conversation with Sadako, but there was an interchange of letters almost every day—long, subjective letters, describing states of mind and high ideals, punctuated with shadowy Jap- anese poems and with quotations from the Bible, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Bergson, Eucken, Oscar Wilde and Samuel Smiles. Sadako told her cousin that the young man was a genius, and would t one day be professor of literature at the Imperial University, (Continued To-Merrow.)