10 Shadowings 



words; and in her turn she told him about all 

 that had happened in Kyoto since the time of 

 his departure, excepting her own sorrows, of 

 which she sweetly refused to speak. They 

 chatted far into the night: then she conducted 

 him to a warmer room, facing south, a room 

 that had been their bridal chamber in former 

 time. " Have you no one in the house to help 

 you ? " he asked, as she began to prepare the 

 couch for him. "No," she answered, laughing 

 cheerfully : " I could not afford a servant ; so 

 I have been living all alone." "You will have 

 plenty of servants to-morrow," he said, " good 

 servants, and everything else that you need." 

 They lay down to rest, not to sleep : they had 

 too much to tell each other; and they talked 

 of the past and the present and the future, until 

 the dawn was grey. Then, involuntarily, the 

 Samurai closed his eyes, and slept. 



When he awoke, the daylight was streaming 

 through the chinks of the sliding-shutters ; and 

 he found himself, to his utter amazement, lying 

 upon the naked boards of a mouldering floor. 

 . . . Had he only dreamed a dream? No: 

 she was there ; she slept. ... He bent above 



