this rare object could be had--for another fifty
_ryo[u]_. The temple gave no credit; but Suzuki, the usurer who was one
of the party, after some demur agreed to hand over the amount, which he
had just received from Akiyama Cho[u]zaemon, the service bounty of the
daughter O'Tsuru. With some reluctance the long nosed, long faced, long
limbed Kamimura went security for the repayment on their return to the
ward. With cheerful recklessness Iemon pledged the last chance of any
income from the pension and resources of Tamiya for the next three
years; so heavily was he in debt. Shu[u]den on his part lost no time.
With at least one member of the committee in attendance, to see that he
played fair, for seven days vigorously was the sutra intoned by the
loudest and most brazen of his subordinates, backed by the whole body of
priests. Day and night a priest would slip to the side altar, to invoke
the pity of the Buddha on the wandering spirit of the deceased lady in
few pithy but hasty words, and to spend the rest of his vigil in a
decent slumberous immobility.

The seven days accomplished, the procession formed. Six men in new
uniforms--provided by Iemon--made pretence of great difficulty in
carrying the long box (_nagamochi_). Four men carried the _sambo_, or
sacred tray of white wood, on which rested the section of bamboo wrapped
by the hands of Shu[u]den himself in the sacred roll of the sutra of
Kwannon. Officialdom of the ward was present. The citizens turned out
_en masse_. For long Yotsuya had not witnessed such a scene. Within its
precincts the _yashiki_ of the great nobles were conspicuously absent;
their long processions of spearman, _chu[u]gen_, _samurai_ and officials
were only to be witnessed at times on the highway which leaves Shinjuku
for the Ko[u]shu[u]kaido[u] and the alternate and then little used
Ashigarato[u]ge road. Arrived at Samoncho[u] the ground selected was
inspected by Shu[u]den. The bishop's eyebrows puckered in questioning
mien. "Here there are too many people. Is there no other place?" They
led him to another site. The wrinkle deepened to a frown--"Here there
are too many children. Their frolics and necessities are unseemly. These
would outrage the tender spirit. Is there no other place?" The committee
was nonplussed. Iemon was in terrible fear lest all his effort and
expenditure would go for naught but to swell Shu[u]den's cash roll. A
thought came into his mind. "There is no other open land, but t