“Did you notice the charming little incident back there when our friend closed the door?” asked Doctor Trigg delightedly. “Knowledge is indeed power!” He tapped the little Japanese-English phrase book in his hand. “I had the pleasure of speaking to the young man in his native tongue. I wish you had noticed the surprise and interest depicted on his countenance. He seemed scarcely able to believe his ears. I am rather an old man to attempt the mastery of a new tongue.”
“What did you say, doctor?” asked Dulcie.
He stared uncertainly at the little book.
“I would refresh my memory, but the light is so bad. Can you read it? It is the first line on the left-hand page.”
Dulcie snapped on the dome light, and looked. She could well imagine the amazement of the young Japanese!
“You have stolen the rice of my honorable father,” was the translation beneath the phonetic pronunciation. She closed the book hastily.
“I think you are just too smart for words, doctor,” she said.
CHAPTER XI
A STUDENT PRINCE
The Imperial Hotel afforded the travelers every conceivable luxury, perfect service, and cosmopolitan meals. Dulcie found her room a bower of flowers. She had her personal maid, a demure, slant-eyed little thing. Little Kamani did not seem to sense any handicap in the fact that neither could speak the other’s language. Smiles made easy contact.
Very early the following morning, the lobby was filled with important-looking Japanese, all in immaculate European clothes. Only in their homes, or on very special state occasions, do the modern Japanese wear the beautiful kimonas of the old regime. Many of the men present were members of the Imperial household.