The servant went in and repeated this to Zempachi, who worked himself
up into a great rage, and ordered Tsunehei to be brought before him,
and said--

"Here, fellow, is your name Tsunehei?"

"Yes, sir, at your service. I am almost afraid to ask pardon for my
carelessness; but please forgive me, and let me have the ball."

"I thought your master, Shozayemon, was to blame for this; but it
seems that it was you who kicked the football."

"Yes, sir. I am sure I am very sorry for what I have done. Please, may
I ask for the ball?" said Tsunehei, bowing humbly.

For a while Zempachi made no answer, but at length he said--

"Do you know, villain, that your dirty football struck me in the
face? I ought, by rights, to kill you on the spot for this; but I will
spare your life this time, so take your football and be off." And with
that he went up to Tsunehei and beat him, and kicked him in the head,
and spat in his face.

Then Tsunehei, who up to that time had demeaned himself very humbly,
in his eagerness to get back the football, jumped up in a fury, and
said--

"I made ample apologies to you for my carelessness, and now you have
insulted and struck me. Ill-mannered ruffian! take back the
ball,--I'll none of it;" and he drew his dirk, and cutting the
football in two, threw it at Zempachi, and returned home.

But Zempachi, growing more and more angry, called one of his servants,
and said to him--

"That fellow, Tsunehei, has been most insolent: go next door and find
out Shozayemon, and tell him that I have ordered you to bring back
Tsunehei, that I may kill him."

So the servant went to deliver the message.

In the meantime Tsunehei went back to his master's house; and when
Shonosuke saw him, he said--

"Well, of course you have been ill treated; but did you get back the
football?"

"When I went in, I made many apologies; but I was beaten, and kicked
in the head, and treated with the greatest indignity. I would have
killed that wretch, Zempachi, at once, but that I knew that, if I did
so while I was yet a member of your household, I should bring trouble
upon your family. For your sake I bore this ill-treatment patiently;
but now I pray you let me take leave of you and become a Ronin, that I
may be revenged upon this man."

"Think well what you are doing," answered Shonosuke. "After all, we
have only lost a football; and my father will not care, nor upbraid
us."

But Tsimehei would not listen to him, and was b