d outstretched to open the door for me to pass, he paused. Once
again the sound of a song reached us:

"Before I slept, I thought of thee;
Then fell asleep and sought for thee
And found thee.
Had I but known 'twas only seeming,
I had not waked, but lay forever dreaming."

There was enough sweetness in Zura's voice to woo a man to Heaven or
lure him to the other place. Page listened till the last note, then
softly closed the door and walked beside me. The look on his face held
me speechless. It was a glorious something he had gained, yet never to
be his; a glimpse into paradise, then the falling of the shadows
between; but the vision was his reward.

Usually it takes endless time in Japan to unwind the huge ball of red
tape that is wrapped about the smallest official act. That morning, when
Page and I presented ourselves at the Government office, the end of the
tape seemed to have a pin stuck in it, so easily and swiftly was it
found. Promptly announced, we were ushered without delay into a small
inner office.

The walls of this room were lined with numberless shelves filled with
files and papers. Any remaining space was covered by pictures of famous
persons, people wanted or wanting, and a geisha girl or two.

I noticed two other things in the room. Adorning the center of the
table, before which we were seated, was a large cuspidor. The fresh
flowers inside matched the painted ones outside. To Japanese eyes the
only possible use for such an ornament was to hold blossoms. It was
neither beautiful nor artistic, but being foreign was the very thing
with which to welcome American guests. Anxious as I was I felt myself
smiling, if rather palely, at the many ways in which Kishimoto's
prophecy was being fulfilled.

The other thing was not amusing, only significant. Page sat opposite me
and I faced a heavily curtained recess, and some one was behind the
drapery. I had seen the folds move. I had no way of warning the boy. Had
we been alone, I doubt if I would have made the effort. Concealment for
Page, unendurable suspense for those who loved him, must end. I spoke
only when necessary to interpret an unusual word.

A small official with a big manner began by eulogizing Mr. Hanaford's
skill in teaching and his success in imparting English. He felt it a
great rudeness of manner to the honorable teacher gentleman, but the law
compelled applicant for the position of Professor of English in the
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