to work
so hard when she was a daughter-in-law that she takes it out on her son's
wife later."

"I'd like to see an American wife ridden by her mother-in-law that way,"
broke in Elinor indignantly.

"But then the Japanese daughter-in-law's turn comes later," said Mary
laughing, "when she gets to be a mother-in-law. So it's all nicely
balanced."

But the streets were too interesting to pursue the subject of
mother-in-law any further. They were passing a row of open-fronted shops
on the edges of which customers were squatted looking at materials while
the proprietor bobbed and smiled and dickered over his bargains. Red and
yellow banners hung in a row from the roof of the shop, the gay colored
hieroglyphics on them indicating what manner of goods were displayed
within.

"Here's a nice little silk shop, Komatsu. Let us stop here," called Miss
Campbell.

But Komatsu only grinned over his shoulder and called:

"Too littleness for gracious big lady."

"But I like the looks of this place, Komatsu," said the gracious big lady
helplessly.

However Komatsu had his own ideas of obedience and he trotted on, never
pausing until he reached a large silk store thronged with clerks and
customers.

Here all the 'rikshas drew up and the girls alighted with Miss Campbell,
who was a little red in the face but determined to overlook the
annoyance of orders disregarded.

The front of the store was screened from the street by dark blue cotton
curtains behind which was a roofed platform carpeted with matting. Here
sat a group of clerks, each with his _soroban_ or adding machine at his
side. Little Japanese boys, their shoulders loaded with bales of rich
materials, staggered about, and through the open doors of the fire-proof
warehouse they caught glimpses of costly stuffs stored away. An
obsequious clerk who spoke excellent English came forward and presently,
when their eyes became accustomed to the busy, brilliantly colored scene,
they began to examine silk materials on their own account. Miss Campbell
made each of her charges a present of _cr