They do not, we must wait as the
Buddhists say until the future birth. Then I want to be a very rich man,
or woman, and you a very dear little sister or brother;--and I want to
have a steam yacht of 30,000 horse-power.

"--Your sweetest little daughter, may you live to see her happiness in
all things! I am glad I have no daughter. A boy can fight--must fight
his way; but a daughter is the luxury of a rich man. Had I a daughter,
she would be too dear; and I should feel inclined to say if dying:--'My
child, I am unable to guard you longer, and the world is difficult: you
would do better to come to Shadowland with me.' But your Marjory will be
well guarded and petted, and have the world made sweet for her; and you
will have no more grief. You have had all your disappointments and
troubles in girlhood--childhood;--the future must be kind to you. As for
me, I really think the Gods owe me some favours; they have ignored me so
long that I am now all expectation."

Then again:--

"MY VERY SWEET LITTLE SISTER,

"Your dear letter came yesterday, and filled us all with gladness. You
see I say US;--for my folks prayed very hard for you to the ancient Gods
and to the Buddhas,--that I might not lose that little sister of
mine.--And now to answer questions.

"Indeed, Setsu got the photos, and wondered at them, for she had never
seen a carriage before of that kind, or a room like your room; and very
childishly asked me to make her a room like yours. To which I
said:--'The cost of such a room would buy for you a whole street in your
native city of Matsue; and besides, you would be very unhappy and
uncomfortable in such a room.' And when I explained, she wondered still
more. (A very large Japanese house could be bought with the grounds for
about L30--I mean a big, big merchant's house--in Izumo.) Another wonder
was the donkey in the other photo, for none had ever seen such an
animal.

"--As for your ever coming to Japan, my dear, if you do, you shall have
a chair. But I fear--indeed I am almost certain--that the day is not
very far away when I must leave Setsu and Kajiwo to the care of the
ancient Gods, and go away and work bravely for them elsewhere, till
Kajiwo is old enough to go abroad. The days of foreign influence and of
foreign teaching in Japan are rapidly drawing to a close. Japan is
learning to do well without us; and we have not been kind enough to her
to win her love. We have persecuted her with hordes of fanatical