on ceased; and then he perceived,
clearly reflected in the still surface, the figure of a young woman,
apparently about nineteen or twenty years of age. She seemed to be
occupied with her toilet: he distinctly saw her touching her lips
with _b['e]ni_[67] At first her face was visible in profile only; but
presently she turned towards him and smiled. Immediately he felt a
strange shock at his heart, and a dizziness came upon him like the
dizziness of wine, and everything became dark, except that smiling
face,--white and beautiful as moonlight, and always seeming to grow
more beautiful, and to be drawing him down--down--down into the
darkness. But with a desperate effort he recovered his will and closed
his eyes. When he opened them again, the face was gone, and the light
had returned; and he found himself leaning down over the curb of the
well. A moment more of that dizziness,--a moment more of that dazzling
lure,--and he would never again have looked upon the sun...

[Footnote 67: A kind of rouge, now used only to color the lips.]

Returning to the house, he gave orders to his people not to approach
the well under any circumstances, or allow any person to draw water
from it. And the next day he had a strong fence built round the well.

* * * * *

About a week after the fence had been built, the long drought was
broken by a great rain-storm, accompanied by wind and lightning and
thunder,--thunder so tremendous that the whole city shook to the
rolling of it, as if shaken by an earthquake. For three days and three
nights the downpour and the lightnings and the thunder continued; and
the Kamogawa rose as it had never risen before, carrying away many
bridges. During the third night of the storm, at the Hour of the Ox,
there was heard a knocking at the door of the priest's dwelling, and
the voice of a woman pleading for admittance. But Matsumura, warned by
his experience at the well, forbade his servants to answer the appeal.
He went himself to the entrance, and asked,--

"Who calls?"

A feminine voice responded:--

"Pardon! it is I,--Yayoi![68]... I have something to say to Matsumura
Sama,--something of great moment. Please open!"...

[Footnote 68: This name, though uncommon, is still in use.]

Matsumura half opened the door, very cautiously; and he saw the same
beautiful face that had smiled upon him from the well. But it was not
smiling now: it had a very sad look.

"Into my house