s with some displeasure therefore that O'Taki had
her offices interrupted to respond to a loud and harsh--"Request to
make!" sounded at the house entrance. Said she crossly--"Who is it?...
Ah! O'Take and O'Haru San of Toemon Sama." Then in wonder--"Oya! Oya!
O'Take San.... Your honoured face.... Has O'Take San gone to bed in the
dark with the cat?" Answered O'Take, in no amiable mood--"It could well
have been. Your man Cho[u]bei deals in such articles. There are the
marks of O'Iwa's nails. As for Cho[u]bei, is the precious rascal at
home?"

O'Taki heard her with rising rage--"O'Iwa? What has Cho[u]bei San to do
with any O'Iwa and the house of Toemon San? Why call the man of Taki a
scoundrel?"--"Because he is such. Nay, Okamisan, don't get
angry."--O'Haru was speaking--"has your husband a brother in
Abegawacho[u], a brother in need of twenty _ryo[u]_ and with a daughter
who would do nothing but run after the men?" O'Taki was puzzled.
"Cho[u]bei San has no brother, in Abegawacho[u] or any other _cho[u]_.
Hence such brother has no daughter O'Iwa; nor are there children of his
own, except the one born to him by this Taki, and a girl already
sold...." A light was breaking in on O'Taki. Months before she had come
home to find that the Ojo[u]san had taken her departure. Explained
Cho[u]bei--"At Yotsuya everything has been adjusted. Iemon Dono is
established again with his wife. The Okusama will not come back to us.
Deign to rejoice at the auspicious settlement of her affairs." Which
O'Taki did; all the more as Cho[u]bei often was in funds in the
successive days through Tamiya. Now she looked from one woman to the
other, her fists clenched and working. Said the harsh voice of
O'Take--"Cho[u]bei lied then; just as the Danna Sama thought. Nearly a
year ago he brought to the house the daughter of his brother Kanemon. He
sold her into life service as a night-hawk. For this she turned out to
be worthless. O'Taki San knows our Okamisan. No matter how severely
beaten, even until the blood came, O'Iwa would not consent to serve.
Other means were tried, but the men of the house would have nothing to
do with her. She was too ugly. Finally she was degraded into being the
kitchen wench, to fetch and carry, and do the hardest and most
nauseating tasks. At this downfall in her prospects like a very fool she
rejoiced. To-day she met the toilet dealer Mobei. He recognized her as
the Lady O'Iwa of Tamiya in the Yotsuya. Drawn apart they spoke