... The village was very dark when It[=o] reached it; for the sun had set, and the after-glow made no twilight in the shadowing of the trees. "Now, kind sir," the child said, pointing to a narrow lane opening upon the main road, "I have to go this way." "Permit me, then, to see you home," It[=o] responded; and he turned into the lane with her, feeling rather than seeing his way. But the girl soon stopped before a small gate, dimly visible in the gloom,--a gate of trelliswork, beyond which the lights of a dwelling could be seen.

"Here," she said, "is the honorable residence in which I serve. As you have come thus far out of your way, kind sir, will you not deign to enter and to rest a while?" It[=o] a.s.sented. He was pleased by the informal invitation; and he wished to learn what persons of superior condition had chosen to reside in so lonesome a village. He knew that sometimes a family of rank would retire in this manner from public life, by reason of government displeasure or political trouble; and he imagined that such might be the history of the occupants of the dwelling before him. Pa.s.sing the gate, which his young guide opened for him, he found himself in a large quaint garden. A miniature landscape, traversed by a winding stream, was faintly distinguishable.

"Deign for one little moment to wait," the child said; "I go to announce the honorable coming;" and hurried toward the house. It was a s.p.a.cious house, but seemed very old, and built in the fashion of another time. The sliding doors were not closed; but the lighted interior was concealed by a beautiful bamboo curtain extending along the gallery front. Behind it shadows were moving--shadows of women;--and suddenly the music of a _koto_ rippled into the night. So light and sweet was the playing that It[=o] could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses. A slumbrous feeling of delight stole over him as he listened,--a delight strangely mingled with sadness. He wondered how any woman could have learned to play thus,--wondered whether the player could be a woman,--wondered even whether he was hearing earthly music; for enchantment seemed to have entered into his blood with the sound of it.

The soft music ceased; and almost at the same moment It[=o] found the little _miya-dzukai_ beside him. "Sir," she said, "it is requested that you will honorably enter." She conducted him to the entrance, where he removed his sandals; and an aged woman, whom he thought to be the _R[=o]jo_, or matron of the household, came to welcome him at the threshold. The old woman then led him through many apartments to a large and well-lighted room in the rear of the house, and with many respectful salutations requested him to take the place of honor accorded to guests of distinction. He was surprised by the stateliness of the chamber, and the curious beauty of its decorations. Presently some maid-servants brought refreshments; and he noticed that the cups and other vessels set before him were of rare and costly workmanship, and ornamented with a design indicating the high rank of the possessor. More and more he wondered what n.o.ble person had chosen this lonely retreat, and what happening could have inspired the wish for such solitude. But the aged attendant suddenly interrupted his reflections with the question:

"Am I wrong in supposing that you are It[=o] Sama, of Uji,--It[=o]

Tatewaki Norisuke?"

It[=o] bowed in a.s.sent. He had not told his name to the little _miya-dzukai_, and the manner of the inquiry startled him.

"Please do not think my question rude," continued the attendant. "An old woman like myself may ask questions without improper curiosity.

When you came to the house, I thought that I knew your face; and I asked your name only to clear away all doubt, before speaking of other matters. I have some thing of moment to tell you. You often pa.s.s through this village, and our young Himegimi-Sama[73] happened one morning to see you going by; and ever since that moment she has been thinking about you, day and night. Indeed, she thought so much that she became ill; and we have been very uneasy about her. For that reason I took means to find out your name and residence; and I was on the point of sending you a letter when--so unexpectedly!--you came to our gate with the little attendant. Now, to say how happy I am to see you is not possible; it seems almost too fortunate a happening to be true! Really I think that this meeting must have been brought about by the favor of Enmusubi-no-Kami,--that great G.o.d of Izumo who ties the knots of fortunate union. And now that so lucky a destiny has led you hither, perhaps you will not refuse--if there be no obstacle in the way of such a union--to make happy the heart of our Himegimi-Sama?"

[Footnote 73: A scarcely translatable honorific t.i.tle compounded of the word _hime_ (princess) and _kimi_ (sovereign, master or mistress, lord or lady, etc.).]

For the moment It[=o] did not know how to reply. If the old woman had spoken the truth, an extraordinary chance was being offered to him.

Only a great pa.s.sion could impel the daughter of a n.o.ble house to seek, of her own will, the affection of an obscure and masterless samurai, possessing neither wealth nor any sort of prospects. On the other hand, it was not in the honorable nature of the man to further his own interests by taking advantage of a feminine weakness.

Moreover, the circ.u.mstances were disquietingly mysterious. Yet how to decline the proposal, so unexpectedly made, troubled him not a little.

After a short silence, he replied:--

"There would be no obstacle, as I have no wife, and no betrothed, and no relation with any woman. Until now I have lived with my parents; and the matter of my marriage was never discussed by them. You must know that I am a poor samurai, without any patron among persons of rank; and I did not wish to marry until I could find some chance to improve my condition. As to the proposal which you have done me the very great honor to make, I can only say that I know myself yet unworthy of the notice of any n.o.ble maiden."

The old woman smiled as if pleased by these words, and responded:--

"Until you have seen our Himegimi-Sama, it were better that you make no decision. Perhaps you will feel no hesitation after you have seen her. Deign now to come with me, that I may present you to her."

She conducted him to another larger guest-room, where preparations for a feast had been made, and having shown him the place of honor, left him for a moment alone. She returned accompanied by the Himegimi-Sama; and, at the first sight of the young mistress, It[=o] felt again the strange thrill of wonder and delight that had come to him in the garden, as he listened to the music of the _koto_. Never had he dreamed of so beautiful a being. Light seemed to radiate from her presence, and to shine through her garments, as the light of the moon through flossy clouds; her loosely flowing hair swayed about her as she moved, like the boughs of the drooping willow bestirred by the breezes of spring; her lips were like flowers of the peach besprinkled with morning dew. It[=o] was bewildered by the vision.

He asked himself whether he was not looking upon the person of Amano-kawara-no-Ori-Hime herself,--the Weaving-Maiden who dwells by the shining River of Heaven.

Smiling, the aged woman turned to the fair one, who remained speechless, with downcast eyes and flushing cheeks, and said to her:--

"See, my child!--at the moment when we could least have hoped for such a thing, the very person whom you wished to meet has come of his own accord. So fortunate a happening could have been brought about only by the will of the high G.o.ds. To think of it makes me weep for joy." And she sobbed aloud. "But now," she continued, wiping away her tears with her sleeve, "it only remains for you both--unless either prove unwilling, which I doubt--to pledge yourselves to each other, and to partake of your wedding feast."

It[=o] answered by no word: the incomparable vision before him had numbed his will and tied his tongue. Maid-servants entered, bearing dishes and wine: the wedding feast was spread before the pair; and the pledges were given. It[=o] nevertheless remained as in a trance: the marvel of the adventure, and the wonder of the beauty of the bride, still bewildered him. A gladness, beyond aught that he had ever known before, filled his heart--like a great silence. But gradually he recovered his wonted calm; and thereafter he found himself able to converse without embarra.s.sment. Of the wine he partook freely; and he ventured to speak, in a self-depreciating but merry way, about the doubts and fears that had oppressed him. Meanwhile the bride remained still as moonlight, never lifting her eyes, and replying only by a blush or a smile when he addressed her.

It[=o] said to the aged attendant:--

"Many times, in my solitary walks, I have pa.s.sed through this village without knowing of the existence of this honorable dwelling. And ever since entering here, I have been wondering why this n.o.ble household should have chosen so lonesome a place of sojourn.... Now that your Himegimi-Sama and I have become pledged to each other, it seems to me a strange thing that I do not yet know the name of her august family."

At this utterance, a shadow pa.s.sed over the kindly face of the old woman; and the bride, who had yet hardly spoken, turned pale, and appeared to become painfully anxious. After some moments of silence, the aged woman responded:--

"To keep our secret from you much longer would be difficult; and I think that, under any circ.u.mstances, you should be made aware of the facts, now that you are one of us. Know then, Sir It[=o], that your bride is the daughter of Shigehira-Ky[=o], the great and unfortunate San-mi Chuj[=o]."

At those words--"Shigehira-Ky[=o], San-mi Chuj[=o]"--the young samurai felt a chill, as of ice, strike through all his veins.

Shigehira-Ky[=o], the great Heke general and statesman, had been dust for centuries. And It[=o] suddenly understood that everything around him--the chamber and the lights and the banquet--was a dream of the past; that the forms before him were not people, but shadows of people dead.

But in another instant the icy chill had pa.s.sed; and the charm returned, and seemed to deepen about him; and he felt no fear. Though his bride had come to him out of Yomi,--out of the place of the Yellow Springs of death,--his heart had been wholly won. Who weds a ghost must become a ghost;--yet he knew himself ready to die, not once, but many times, rather than betray by word or look one thought that might bring a shadow of pain to the brow of the beautiful illusion before him. Of the affection proffered he had no misgiving: the truth had been told him when any unloving purpose might better have been served by deception. But these thoughts and emotions pa.s.sed in a flash, leaving him resolved to accept the strange situation as it had presented itself, and to act just as he would have done if chosen, in the years of Ju-ei, by Shigehira's daughter.

"Ah, the pity of it!" he exclaimed; "I have heard of the cruel fate of the august Lord Shigehira."

"Ay," responded the aged woman, sobbing as she spoke;--"it was indeed a cruel fate. His horse, you know, was killed by an arrow, and fell upon him; and when he called for help, those who had lived upon his bounty deserted him in his need. Then he was taken prisoner, and sent to Kamakura, where they treated him shamefully, and at last put him to death.[74] His wife and child--this dear maid here--were then in hiding; for everywhere the Heke were being sought out and killed.

When the news of the Lord Shigehira's death reached us, the pain proved too great for the mother to bear, so the child was left with no one to care for her but me,--since her kindred had all perished or disappeared. She was only five years old. I had been her milk-nurse, and I did what I could for her. Year after year we wandered from place to place, traveling in pilgrim-garb.... But these tales of grief are ill-timed," exclaimed the nurse, wiping away her tears;--"pardon the foolish heart of an old woman who cannot forget the past. See!

the little maid whom I fostered has now become a Himegimi-Sama indeed!--were we living in the good days of the Emperor Takakura, what a destiny might be reserved for her! However, she has obtained the husband whom she desired; that is the greatest happiness.... But the hour is late. The bridal-chamber has been prepared; and I must now leave you to care for each other until morning."

[Footnote 74: Shigehira, after a brave fight in defense of the capital,--then held by the Tara (or Heke) party,--was surprised and routed by Yos.h.i.tsune, leader of the Minamoto forces. A soldier named Iyenaga, who was a skilled archer, shot down Shigehira's horse; and Shigehira fell under the struggling animal. He cried to an attendant to bring another horse; but the man fled. Shigehira was then captured by Iyenaga, and eventually given up to Yoritomo, head of the Minamoto clan, who caused him to be sent in a cage to Kamakura.

There, after sundry humiliations, he was treated for a time with consideration,--having been able, by a Chinese poem, to touch even the cruel heart of Yoritomo. But in the following year he was executed by request of the Buddhist priests of Nanto, against whom he had formerly waged war by order of Kiyomori.]

She rose, and sliding back the screens parting the guest-room from the adjoining chamber, ushered them to their sleeping apartment. Then, with many words of joy and congratulation, she withdrew; and It[=o]

was left alone with his bride.

As they reposed together, It[=o] said:--

"Tell me, my loved one, when was it that you first wished to have me for your husband."

(For everything appeared so real that he had almost ceased to think of the illusion woven around him.)

She answered, in a voice like a dove's voice:--

"My august lord and husband, it was at the temple of Ishiyama, where I went with my foster-mother, that I saw you for the first time. And because of seeing you, the world became changed to me from that hour and moment. But you do not remember, because our meeting was not in this, your present life: it was very, very long ago. Since that time you have pa.s.sed through many deaths and births, and have had many comely bodies. But I have remained always that which you see me now: I could not obtain another body, nor enter into another state of existence, because of my great wish for you. My dear lord and husband, I have waited for you through many ages of men."

And the bridegroom felt nowise afraid at hearing these strange words, but desired nothing more in life, or in all his lives to come, than to feel her arms about him, and to hear the caress of her voice.

But the pealing of a temple-bell proclaimed the coming of dawn. Birds began to twitter; a morning breeze set all the trees a-whispering.

Suddenly the old nurse pushed apart the sliding screens of the bridal-chamber, and exclaimed:--

"My children, it is time to separate! By daylight you must not be together, even for an instant: that were fatal! You must bid each other good-by."

Without a word, It[=o] made ready to depart. He vaguely understood the warning uttered, and resigned himself wholly to destiny. His will belonged to him no more; he desired only to please his shadowy bride.

She placed in his hands a little _suzuri_, or ink-stone, curiously carved, and said:--

"My young lord and husband is a scholar; therefore this small gift will probably not be despised by him. It is of strange fashion because it is old, having been augustly bestowed upon my father by the favor of the Emperor Takakura. For that reason only, I thought it to be a precious thing."

It[=o], in return, besought her to accept for a remembrance the _k[=o]gai_[75] of his sword, which were decorated with inlaid work of silver and gold, representing plum-flowers and nightingales.

[Footnote 75: This was the name given to a pair of metal rods attached to a sword-sheath, and used like chop-sticks. They were sometimes exquisitely ornamented.]

Then the little _miya-dzukai_ came to guide him through the garden, and his bride with her foster-mother accompanied him to the threshold.

As he turned at the foot of the steps to make his parting salute, the old woman said:--