left hand; and the characters were quite plain to read,-- 'RIKI-BAKA'!


"So the people of that house knew that the birth must have happened in
answer to somebody's prayer; and they caused inquiry to be made everywhere.
At least a vegetable-seller brought word to them that there used to be a
simple lad, called Riki-Baka, living in the Ushigome quarter, and that he
had died during the last autumn; and they sent two men-servants to look for
the mother of Riki.


"Those servants found the mother of Riki, and told her what had happened;
and she was glad exceedingly -- for that Nanigashi house is a very rich and
famous house. But the servants said that the family of Nanigashi-Sama were
very angry about the word 'Baka' on the child's hand. 'And where is your
Riki buried?' the servants asked. 'He is buried in the cemetery of
Zendoji,' she told them. 'Please to give us some of the clay of his grave,'
they requested.


"So she went with them to the temple Zendoji, and showed them Riki's
grave; and they took some of the grave-clay away with them, wrapped up in a
furoshiki [1].... They gave Riki's mother some money,-- ten yen."... (4)



"But what did they want with that clay?" I inquired.


"Well," the old man answered, "you know that it would not do to let the