ee
attendants be in readiness." Koremitz, having received these orders,
retired.

Long before dawn broke, Genji prepared to leave the mansion. Lady Aoi,
as usual, was a little out of temper, but Genji told her that he had
some particular arrangements to make at his mansion at Nijio, but that
he would soon return to her. He soon started, Koremitz alone following
him on horseback.

On their arrival Koremitz proceeded to a small private entrance and
announced himself. Shionagon recognized his voice and came out, and
upon this he informed her that the Prince had come. She, presuming
that he did so only because he happened to pass by them, said, "What!
at this late hour?" As she spoke, Genji came up and said:--

"I hear that the little one is to go to the Prince, her father, and I
wish to say a few words to her before she goes."

"She is asleep; really, I am afraid that she cannot talk with you at
this hour. Besides, what is the use?" replied Shionagon, with a smile.

Genji, however, pressed his way into the house, saying:--

"Perhaps the girl is not awake yet, but I will awake her," and, as the
people could not prevent his doing so, he proceeded to the room where
she was unconsciously sleeping on a couch. He shook her gently. She
started up, thinking it was her father who had come.

Genji pushed the hair back from her face, as he said to her, "I am
come from your father;" but this she knew to be false, and was
alarmed. "Don't be frightened," said Genji; "there is nothing in me to
alarm you." And in spite of Shionagon's request not to disturb her, he
lifted her from the couch, abruptly saying that he could not allow her
to go elsewhere, and that he had made up his mind that he himself
would be her guardian. He also said she should go with him, and that
some of them should go with her.

Shionagon was thunderstruck. "We are expecting her father to-morrow,
and what are we to say to him?" She added, "Surely, you can find some
better opportunity to manage matters than this."

"All right, you can come afterward; we will go first," retorted Genji,
as he ordered his carriage to drive up.

Shionagon was perplexed, and Violet also cried, thinking how strange
all this was. At last Shionagon saw it was no use to resist, and so
having hurriedly changed her own dress for a better one, and taking
with her the pretty dress of Violet which she had been making in the
evening, got into the carriage, where Genji had already placed t