26 Shadowings 



even for a moment ! " (The Japanese author 

 says " for a few seconds.") In short, he became 

 enamoured of the picture, so much enamoured 

 of it as to feel that he never could love any 

 woman except the person whom it represented. 

 Yet that person, if still alive, could no longer 

 resemble the painting: perhaps she had been 

 buried long before he was born ! 



Day by day, nevertheless, this hopeless passion 

 grew upon him. He could not eat ; he could not 

 sleep : neither could he occupy his mind with 

 those studies which had formerly delighted him. 

 He would sit for hours before the picture, talking 

 to it, neglecting or forgetting everything else. 

 And at last he fell sick so sick that he believed 

 himself going to die. 



Now among the friends of Tokkei there was 

 one venerable scholar who knew many strange 

 things about old pictures and about young hearts. 

 This aged scholar, hearing of Tokkei's illness, 

 came to visit him, and saw the screen, and under- 

 stood what had happened. Then Tokkei, being 

 questioned, confessed everything to his friend, 

 and declared : " If I cannot find such a woman, 

 I shall die." 



