MORAL LIFE OF THE JAPANESE. 



335 



his choice, he summons a mutual friend to act as nakodo. In 

 this case the engagement is usually of very short duration ; fre- 

 quently not more than a few days or weeks. The nakodo arranges 



everything the dower, the wedding itself, and the subsequent 

 entertainment. The engaged couple may see each other, but 

 never alone. Their previous acquaintance may have been a long 

 one, and the young people themselves may have come to a 

 mutual understanding ; but to all intents and purposes the groom 

 elect, prior to the betrothal, has merely been a friend of the 

 family in general. The Occidental custom, or rather usage, which 



