Volume I Part 10 (1/2)
”After this he did not go to the temple yard any more
”Sometime after the old priest was reer new priest, the head of te trees
”His desire was to live in a little house, in soarden full of trees I looked for several places; at Nishi+ Okubo _mura_ I found a house of pure japanese style and even with no foreign styled house in the neighbourhood, for his desire was to live in the enuine japan That the house stood in a lonely suburb and that there was a bamboo bush in the rear of house pleased hi much afraid of cold winter, he wanted to have one room furnished with a stove newly built and that the library should open to the west His library, with an adjoining roo roo, 'I have only to write; other things I do not care for; you know better, good Mamma San!'
”It was on the 19th March, 1902, that we reo to university by a jinrikisha; it took about 40 minutes Our house was all furnished in japanese fashi+on, except the stove and the glass-screen on account of the stove, instead of a paper-screen, in regard to that aparte books in the library
Auisu or warbler's notes through the stillness of the place 'How happy!' he said, pleased with the new abode 'But my heart is sorry,' he added 'Why?' I asked 'To be happy is a cause of anxiousness toin this house But I do not knohether I can'
”He put too much importance to Beauty or Nicety perhaps He was too enthusiastic for beauty, for which he wept, and for which he rejoiced, and for which he was angry This made him shun social intercourse; thisand writing were the sole pleasure of life; and for this he disposed of all things else I often said: 'You are too secluded in your roo you like' 'You know s to write upon I aet all cares and anxieties Therefore give me subjects to write Talk to s I have no o out, and when you come back ho books is not enough'
”I used to tell his, with the lahted He see breath for fear Hisfearful, made me tell the story with host-house on those tiht I told hihost-stories for some time
”When I tell him stories I always told him at first the , he puts it down in his note-book and makes me repeat and repeat several ti, he instantly becoes; his eyes wear the look of fearful enthusiasm
”As I went on as usual the story of Okachinsan [in the begining of 'Kotto'], his face gradually changed pale; his eyes were fixed; I felt a sudden awe When I finished the narrative he beca 'O blood!' he repeatedly said; and askedthe situations, actions, etc, involved in the story 'In what manner was ”O blood!” exclaimed? In what eta” at that tiht? I think so and so What do you think? etc' Thus he consulted inal story which I told fro from outside, he would surely think that ere mad
”'Papa, coether to hiht, sweet boys,' he would say, and come to the table in a cheerful , he would say, 'All right,' very quickly And whenever his answer is quick, he would not coo to hi for you Please coood flavour'
”'What?' he asks
”'The supper is ready, Papa'
”'I do not want supper Didn't I already take that? Funny!'
”'Mercy! please awake from your dream The little child would weep'
”In such occasion, he is very forgetful; and takes bread only to himself And children ask him to break bread for them And he would take whiskey for wine or put salt into the cup of coffee Before meal he took a very little quantity of whiskey Later when his health was a little hurt he took wine
”But on usual n papers; I from japanese newspapers Kiyoshi+ would peep fro coives After s innocently and hed heartily when he was very happy
”In one New Year's day it happened that one of the jinrikisha_sake_ in a narrow room near the portal of our house The dead uest cauest found that and said: 'O, a drunkard sleeping on the New Year's day A happy fellow!' The rikisha ar tone: 'Not a drunkard, but a Buddha!'[4] The guest was sorely astonished and went out immediately After soine the uest made in astonishment And he ordered uest and the rikisha man He often i a very natural and simple utterance
[4] ”Hotoke-sama” means the dead
”Whenever he met with a work of any art suited to his taste, he expressed an intense admiration, even for a very small work A man with a nice and kind heart he was! We often went to see the exhibition of pictures held occasionally in Tokyo If he found any piece of work very interesting to hih in price 'What do you think of that?' h price,' I say, lest he should immediately buy it quite indifferent of prices 'No, I don't mean about prices I ood?' Then I answer: 'Yes, a pretty picture, indeed, I think' 'We shall then buy that picture,' he says, 'the price is however very cheap; let us offer more money for that' As to our financialto me Thus, I, the little treasurer, sometimes suffered on such occasions
”In those innocent talks of our boys he was pleased to find interesting things In fact his ut of beauty Hoas glad to hear et a stories, they are now no use Fors he most disliked His likes and dislikes were always to the extre he liked extremely He used to wear a plain cloth; only he was particular about shi+rts on account of cold
When he had new suit of clothfond of japanese cloth, he always puts off foreign cloth when he co on the cushi+on so pleasantly, he s cloth and japanese sandals
”He always chose the best and excellent quality of any kind of things, so in purchasingto his taste
Sometimes he was like an innocent child One su cloth (_yukata_) which I wear in suns, all of which he was so very fond and bought I said that we need not so many kinds He said: 'But think of that Only one yen and half for a piece Please put on various kinds of dress, which only to see is pleasant to ht some thirty pieces, to the amazement of the store people