LITMIR.BIZ

      * "Elder sister" (onesan) is what one would call the wife of an elder sibling, even if one is older than the woman* "Elder sister" (onesan) is what one would call the wife of an elder sibling, even if one is older than the woman.

      2

      Tami was a farm girl of seventeen with a sunken face. She was not noted for her quick wit, but her extreme talkativeness appealed to Ichi. While Ichi listened, Tami would chatter aimlessly about nothing in particular, appearing perfectly happy as long as she could talk.

      Ichi listened to her tales of customs and events in her native village, stories she had heard many times before. Some of these stories caused Ichi to blush, but Tami herself seemed to feel that they were quite natural, despite their occasional indecency.

      "Oh, you've gained weight," Tami began as soon as Ichi went into the bathroom. "Your breasts look different now, don't they! When I washed you the last time, they weren't even as large as fists. And your back and hips ... oh my, my!"

      "You shouldn't talk so much about my body, Tami, you embarrass me. Put this hot water into the pail."

      "You shouldn't be embarrassed about becoming so beautiful. If you are, . . . now the younger lady, ^* I think she should . . ." And Tami launched into news about the wife of Ichi's eldest brother and about Ichi's brothers, adding that the retainer had had a child, that their dog Tachi had grown old, that a guest who was famous for his fondness for saké and drunkenness had fallen from the veranda and gotten a bump on his head, that she herself had received a marriage proposal, that she had no intention of marrying the man since she knew he was a good-for-nothing, that as many as three of the rose mallows in the garden had died this year. She continued with one thing and another, and by the time Ichi had washed and changed into her kimono she knew everything that had happened in the house since New Year's. Her ears were ringing. There was strict discipline in this house, and no one but Ichi would listen to Tami's chatter. She thought that Tami must have saved up these stories for her, and she could not scold the girl.

      Ichi went to see her mother, who was sitting beside the bedding. Her mother's complexion had not changed, and she did not look like a sick person. Ichi's sister-in-law Kayo was preparing tea and cakes.

      "Oh, my, your eyes have started again," her mother said, paying no attention to Ichi's inquiries. "I'm afraid this eye disease is going to be a lifelong habit with you. Are you visiting your doctor, Sekitai? Hmm ... I guess the Kugata family lives differently, but you're not taking care of yourself, are you? You look worse than you usually do."

      Though Ichi insisted that she had not done any fine work for a long time and that she was even troubled because she had nothing to do, her mother's suspicious expression remained.

      Ichi's father and oldest brother were at work, but two of her brothers, Heizaburo and Bennosuke, soon appeared. They looked as meticulous as ever, sitting so straight that even the pleats of their hakama ^* did not crumple. Their conversation covered conventional subjects, and they ran out of topics after only one cup of tea.

      The brothers soon left. But Ichi had detected a subtle change in the atmosphere of this house. Her mother and brothers had not asked her about the Kugata family and very plainly indicated that they wished to avoid the subject when Ichi was about to tell them about her in-laws. Her mother's remark that Ichi must not have been able to take care of herself had a critical tone somehow.

      "Please stay with us for a while," her mother said casually. "While I'm not seriously ill, somehow I feel weak. I've been having sleepless nights, and I feel depressed."

      "But I can't stay, mother. I don't have permission from my husband, and moreover I came here with the intention of going back by evening."

      "You can send a message by the maid you brought with you, and I'll also send them a message. Moreover, with those infected eyes, you've got to have a good rest."

      "Yes, mother," Ichi answered vaguely, and stood up. "I heard the rose mallows died. Were they infested with vermin?"

      "Father replanted them because he wanted to enlarge the chrysanthemum garden. It might have been all right if it had rained. ... I guess this long drought has damaged them. But only three of them have died."

      Ichi went down to the garden.

      It was said that the Okumura family belonged to the rich families among the roshoku or chief vassals. Since the Okumuras were samurai, their everyday life was humble, and their wealth could not have been detected from their way of life. But their stone garden, believed to have been copied from the garden of the Ryoan temple in Kyoto, and the construction of the house, which gave the impression of being palatial, seemed to be indicative of wealth. Ichi's father claimed he had selected such construction because this land suffered from flooding about once every five years (this figure was something of an exaggeration). But the same good taste was visible in their paintings and vases for incense, tea, and flowers, and in their furniture. Every object was carefully chosen, dignified, and expensive, and there was not a single one which did not have an interesting history.

      Ichi had been about five years old when her parents said, "This house is a bit too harsh for a girl." They had made her a flower garden at the side of the house. Since then she had not visited the back garden and had no interest in seeing it.

      The house has an atmosphere of quiet dignity everywhere and in every object, Ichi thought as she walked toward the flower garden. How different from the Kugatas—both the house and the people.

      In the Kugata house there were many stains on the walls from old floods, and gashes in the pillars. The dishes, while beautiful, were not expensive. A black-and-white brush painting of a pine tree hung permanently in an alcove, and there was nothing which could be classified as an antique. Everything in the house, however, was always neat and clean. Not a few of the things which Ichi had brought with her in her trousseau—an oil vase from the Philippines,· coral, jade, or tortoise-shell hair pieces, a dressing box made of sandalwood, and other small items and dresses— clashed with the Kugata family's decor or scheme of things. Ichi had wisely put most of these things away in a storage chest. Now the difference between these two families was impressed upon her more clearly.

      But what was the real reason for the big change in her family's attitude toward the Kugatas? What was behind her mother's suggestion that Ichi remain with her for a while? Kyunosuke had asked whether she was returning that day; his attitude too had seemed different. Something must have happened. These were not simple coincidences.

      When Ichi reached the flower garden, she saw Bennosuke coming toward her, and she was seized by an uneasy feeling.

      Bennosuke had the most delicate build of all the brothers, and his

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