you shall not come," the priest exclaimed. "You are not
a human being, but a Well-Person.... Why do you thus wickedly try to
delude and destroy people?"

The Well-Person made answer in a voice musical as a tinkling of jewels
(_tama-wo-korogasu-ko[:e]_.):--

"It is of that very matter that I want to speak.... I have never
wished to injure human beings. But from ancient time a Poison-Dragon
dwelt in that well. He was the Master of the Well; and because of him
the well was always full. Long ago I fell into the water there, and
so became subject to him; and he had power to make me lure people to
death, in order that he might drink their blood. But now the Heavenly
Ruler has commanded the Dragon to dwell hereafter in the lake called
Torii-no-Ik['e], in the Province of Shinsh[=u]; and the gods have
decided that he shall never be allowed to return to this city. So
to-night, after he had gone away, I was able to come out, to beg for
your kindly help. There is now very little water in the well, because
of the Dragon's departure; and if you will order search to be made,
my body will be found there. I pray you to save my body from the well
without delay; and I shall certainly return your benevolence."...

So saying, she vanished into the night.

* * * * *

Before dawn the tempest had passed; and when the sun arose there was
no trace of cloud in the pure blue sky. Matsumura sent at an early
hour for well-cleaners to search the well. Then, to everybody's
surprise, the well proved to be almost dry. It was easily cleaned; and
at the bottom of it were found some hair-ornaments of a very ancient
fashion, and a metal mirror of curious form--but no trace of any body,
animal or human.

Matusmura imagined, however, that the mirror might yield some
explanation of the mystery; for every such mirror is a weird thing,
having a soul of its own,--and the soul of a mirror is feminine. This
mirror, which seemed to be very old, was deeply crusted with scurf.
But when it had been carefully cleaned, by the priest's order, it
proved to be of rare and costly workmanship; and there were wonderful
designs upon the back of it,--also several characters. Some of the
characters had become indistinguishable; but there could still be
discerned part of a date, and ideographs signifying, "_third month,
the third day_." Now the third month used to be termed _Yayoi_
(meaning, the Month of Increase); and the third day of the thi