s. At once he hung up the mosquito net and
went inside. Not knowing front from rear he went to sleep. Pressed by a
necessity the sound of the wooden clappers (_hyoshigi_) made him open
his eyes. It was the harlot quarter, the 9th hour and more (after 3
A.M.), and the liveliness of the night was over. The quiet of the place
inspired fear. From evening he had not stirred from the mosquito net,
but had slept. The light had gone out, and it was pitch dark. Soundly
had he slept. In the jar was fresh water for drinking. Greedily he
drank.

_Yoshi_--"I have slept--in a way to cause fear. It is now past the 9th
hour. I still can sleep without stint."

Again he entered the net. He drew the tobacco box close to his pillow
head. He would smoke. Looking toward the _andon_, beneath it, faintly
outlined, he saw somebody.

_Yoshi_--"Who is there? This place used to be a brothel. Now it is a
tenement. I rent it. It don't do to have it taken for a brothel. Oi!
You--whence do you come?"

At the words--he! It disappeared.

_Yoshi_--"I say now! A marvellous thing--that over there. A kind of
dream--extraordinary: I don't remember having a grudge with anyone. Yai!
If the spirit which just came entertains a grudge I have never even
dreamed of such. I am a dissolute fellow, but remember no grudge with
anyone."

Thus loud and wrathfully he shouted out. As one without fear he went to
sleep. Waking up, the next day he left the house to go to the hot bath
in Umacho[u]. On the way he breakfasted. Then he went to the Morita-za.
Although the performance had not begun, as it was a first representation
the theatre was crowded with people. Said a friend:

_Friend_--"Yoshi San, the colour of your face is bad. Are you affected
by the heat?"

_Yoshi_--"Liking strong spirits, I feel badly. Moreover, last night a
strange thing was witnessed. I feel out of sorts."

_Friend_--"What was it?"

_Yoshi_--"In the middle of last night I opened my eyes. Dimly outlined
beside the lantern (_andon_) sat a rascal; some fellow who had been
amusing himself at a neighbouring brothel. I thought that being drunk
with wine he had come there by mistake. 'Who are you?' Thus I shouted.
It disappeared. _Do[u]mo!_ It was a strange occurrence. Was it a ghost,
thought I? I could remember no grudge with another person. Anyhow, in
all likelihood it is no ghost, thought I. However I look at it, I don't
understand."

_Friend_--"Hei! Yoshi San, it was your own imagination."