small lamp before the tablet of O-Tsuyu, and lighted the
lanterns.

The night was clear, with a great moon,--and windless, and very
warm. Shinzaburo sought the coolness of his veranda. Clad only in
a light summer-robe, he sat there thinking, dreaming, sorrowing;
--sometimes fanning himself; sometimes making a little smoke to
drive the mosquitoes away. Everything was quiet. It was a
lonesome neighborhood, and there were few passers-by. He could
hear only the soft rushing of a neighboring stream, and the
shrilling of night-insects.

But all at once this stillness was broken by a sound of women's
geta (1) approaching--kara-kon, kara-kon;--and the sound drew
nearer and nearer, quickly, till it reached the live-hedge
surrounding the garden. Then Shinzaburoe, feeling curious, stood
on tiptoe, so as to look Over the hedge; and he saw two women
passing. One, who was carrying a beautiful lantern decorated with
peony-flowers,(2) appeared to be a servant;--the other was a
slender girl of about seventeen, wearing a long-sleeved robe
embroidered with designs of autumn-blossoms. Almost at the same
instant both women turned their faces toward Shinzaburo;--and to
his utter astonishment, he recognized O-Tsuyu and her servant O-
Yone.

They stopped immediately; and the girl cried out,--"Oh, how
strange!... Hagiwara Sama!"

Shinzaburo simultaneously called to the maid:--"O-Yone! Ah, you
are O-Yone!--I remember you very well."