thus: 'In the Year of the Hare, in the fourth month, on the
seventeenth day, at the Hour of the Serpent, this tile, after
serving as a pillow, will be thrown at a rat and broken.' Now the
prediction had really been fulfilled at the Hour of the Serpent
on the seventeenth day of the fourth month of the Year of the
Hare. Greatly astonished, Shoko Setsu once again looked at the
fragments, and discovered the seal and the name of the maker. At
once he left his hut, and, taking with him the pieces of the
tile, hurried to the neighboring town in search of the tilemaker.
He found the tilemaker in the course of the day, showed him the
broken tile, and asked him about its history.

"After having carefully examined the shards, the tilemaker said:
--'This tile was made in my house; but the characters in the clay
were written by an old man--a fortune-teller,--who asked
permission to write upon the tile before it was baked.' 'Do you
know where he lives?' asked Shoko Setsu. `He used to live,' the
tilemaker answered, 'not very far from here; and I can show you
the way to the house. But I do not know his name.'

"Having been guided to the house, Shoko Setsu presented himself
at the entrance, and asked for permission to speak to the old
man. A serving-student courteously invited him to enter, and
ushered him into an apartment where several young men were at
study. As Shoko Setsu took his seat, all the youths saluted him.
Then the one who had first addressed him bowed and said: 'We are
grieved to inform you that our master died a few days ago. But we
have been waiting for you, because he predicted that you would
come to-day to this house, at this very hour. Your name is Shoko
Setsu. And our master told us to give you a book which he