REVEALING THE SECRET TO THE EX-MINISTER.
“At first I thought you were a Chinese as you said, but later I became very doubtful, because among the many Chinese I have met, there is none who equals you in earnestness of devotion to Buḍḍhism. I have also often thought that most of the Chinese priests are ignorant of the Buḍḍhist religion, and that even the so-called learned and famous priests do not amount to much, but that the district of Foochee, from which you said you came, might be an exception, and that Buḍḍhism might be studied there with much zeal. Anyhow I thought it strange, but now my doubts have been removed.
“But I heard,” he continued after a pause, “that the Japanese are of the same race as the Europeans. Is it really so?”
I explained that they were entirely different races and that the Japanese belong to the same stock of races as the Tibetan, which is called the Mongolian. I also told him that the religion of the two countries is the same. It seemed he knew such things as these without waiting my explanation.
After a few such questions and answers he said, “Is that all that you call your secret? Is there anything else to tell me?”
I answered: “There is another thing. I think I must tell the Papal Government that I am a Japanese.”
When he heard me say this he frowned a little, and said, “Why must you talk? Is there any necessity for doing so?”
I replied that there was, and told him how my secret had been betrayed by Tsa Rong-ba, and how it had been told to the Pope’s brother, and so forth. But I did not say anything about the silent contemplation, because if I told it they would possibly have thought that I was anxious to leave for India without caring for their future, though my judgment said that my departure would cause no great harm to them.
He considered in silence for some time after I had finished my story, and then he said: “What are you going to do next?”