ancient Chinese books of love between the living and the dead;
but he had never believed it possible. Now, however, he felt
convinced that the statement of Tomozo was not a falsehood, and
that something very strange was really going on in the house of
Hagiwara. Should the truth prove to be what Tomozo imagined, then
the young samurai was a doomed man.

"If the woman be a ghost,"--said Yusai to the frightened servant,
"--if the woman be a ghost, your master must die very soon,--
unless something extraordinary can be done to save him. And if
the woman be a ghost, the signs of death will appear upon his
face. For the spirit of the living is yoki, and pure;--the spirit
of the dead is inki, and unclean: the one is Positive, the other
Negative. He whose bride is a ghost cannot live. Even though in
his blood there existed the force of a life of one hundred years,
that force must quickly perish.... Still, I shall do all that I
can to save Hagiwara Sama. And in the meantime, Tomozo, say
nothing to any other person,--not even to your wife,--about this
matter. At sunrise I shall call upon your master."

When questioned next morning by Yusai, Shinzaburo at first
attempted to deny that any women had been visiting the house; but
finding this artless policy of no avail, and perceiving that the
old man's purpose was altogether unselfish, he was finally
persuaded to acknowledge what had really occurred, and to give
his reasons for wishing to keep the matter a secret. As for the
lady Iijima, he intended, he said, to make her his wife as soon
as possible.

"Oh, madness!" cried Yusai,--losing all patience in the intensity