The Reconciliation 7 



At last the Governor's official term expired, 

 and the Samurai was free. " Now I will go back 

 to my dear one," he vowed to himself. " Ah, 

 what a cruelty, what a folly to have divorced 

 her!" He sent his second wife to her own 

 people (she had given him no children); and 

 hurrying to Kyoto, he went at once to seek his 

 former companion, not allowing himself even 

 the time to change his travelling-garb. 



When he reached the street where she used to 

 live, it was late in the night, the night of the 

 tenth day of the ninth month; and the city 

 was silent as a cemetery. But a bright moon 

 made everything visible ; and he found the house 

 without difficulty. It had a deserted look: tall 

 weeds were growing on the roof. He knocked 

 at the sliding-doors, and no one answered. Then, 

 finding that the doors had not been fastened from 

 within, he pushed them open, and entered. The 

 front room was matless and empty : a chilly wind 

 was blowing through crevices in the planking; 

 and the moon shone through a ragged break in 

 the wall of the alcove. Other rooms presented 

 a like forlorn condition. The house, to all seem- 

 ing, was unoccupied. Nevertheless, the Samurai 



