she wanted to cut off her hair immediately, and to become a nun.
But I was able to prevent her from cutting off her hair; and I
persuaded her at last to become a nun only in her heart.
Afterwards her father wished her to marry a certain young man;
and she refused. Then there was a great deal of trouble,--chiefly
caused by O-Kuni;--and we went away from the villa, and found a
very small house in Yanaka-no-Sasaki. There we are now just
barely able to live, by doing a little private work.... My
mistress has been constantly repeating the Nembutsu for your
sake. To-day, being the first day of the Bon, we went to visit
the temples; and we were on our way home--thus late--when this
strange meeting happened."

"Oh, how extraordinary!" cried Shinzaburo. "Can it be true?-or is
it only a dream? Here I, too, have been constantly reciting the
Nembutsu before a tablet with her name upon it! Look!" And he
showed them O-Tsuyu's tablet in its place upon the Shelf of
Souls.

"We are more than grateful for your kind remembrance," returned
O-Yone, smiling.... "Now as for my mistress,"--she continued,
turning towards O-Tsuyu, who had all the while remained demure
and silent, half-hiding her face with her sleeve,--"as for my
mistress, she actually says that she would not mind being
disowned by her father for the time of seven existences,(3) or
even being killed by him, for your sake! Come! will you not allow
her to stay here to-night?"

Shinzaburo turned pale for joy. He answered in a voice trembling
with emotion:--"Please remain; but do not speak loud--because