woman had a cruel, bad heart. She did not love her step-daughter at
all, and was often very unkind to the little motherless girl, saving
to herself:

"This is not my child! this is not my child!"

But Hase-Hime bore every unkindness with patience, and even waited
upon her step-mother kindly and obeyed her in every way and never
gave any trouble, just as she had been trained by her own good
mother, so that the Lady Terute had no cause for complaint against
her.

The little Princess was very diligent, and her favorite studies were
music and poetry. She would spend several hours practicing every
day, and her father had the most proficient of masters he could find
to teach her the koto (Japanese harp), the art of writing letters
and verse. When she was twelve years of age she could play so
beautifully that she and her step-mother were summoned to the Palace
to perform before the Emperor.

It was the Festival of the Cherry Flowers, and there were great
festivities at the Court. The Emperor threw himself into the
enjoyment of the season, and commanded that Princess Hase should
perform before him on the koto, and that her mother Princess Terute
should accompany her on the flute.

The Emperor sat on a raised dais, before which was hung a curtain of
finely-sliced bamboo and purple tassels, so that His Majesty might
see all and not be seen, for no ordinary subject was allowed to
looked upon his sacred face.