The minister turned to her. “I will tell you one,” he said, “that you will not find in the literature of my country. It is a story of the secret service, and it came to me through my personal acquaintance with some of the participants.”
“Oh, that will be splendid!” exclaimed the woman.
The minister waited for a moment. He turned his face toward Orme, and asked politely: “You will not mind listening to what I have to say, Mr. Orme?”
“Why, to be sure not,” replied Orme, wondering.
“My stories are not always short,” continued the minister, “as the others already know. But they sometime hold meanings which, in my country, at least, would be perfectly plain.”
After this odd bit of by-play, he began his narrative:
“There was a man who lived in the city of Takamatsu, on the island of Shikoku. His name was Kimaga, and he was much respected by all who knew him, for he was painstakingly devoted to his aged and mos’ honorable parents. By trade he was a maker of vases—a—what you call him—a potter.
“One day while Kimaga was walking upon the road, he saw before him on the ground a letter. He picked it up. It was sealed, but he discovered upon the outside a curious writing which he could not make out. In fact, Kimaga could not read at all. He was very poorly educate.
“But Kimaga was charm by the grace and beauty of the writing. Though he could not read it, it fascinated his eyes. He decided to keep it, making no attempt to find the rightful owner. You must know that in Nippon beauty is worship by the humblest workman.
“It happened that the letter had been written by a Chinese spy, and it contained a report concerning our fortifications. Now there is in Nippon a very secret service. It is not responsible to the government. It is compose of nobles who for many and many a generation have bound themselves by a strong oath to do patriotic service which the government itself might be too embarrassed to undertake. If they are oblige to use extreme measures, and are arrested because of what they have done, they calmly accept the punishment of the law without explaining their actions. Sons of noble houses have been executed for assassinating secret enemies of Nippon, and they have met this fate as their oath demanded.