“I presume I shall have to go there or not see her at all.”

“She seldom goes away from the house, and when she does her mother-in-law goes foremost, you can be sure of that.”

“Well, I shall manage in some way before I go, though probably it will not be until later. I shall have to encounter the husband first.”

“Oh, do, Shibusawa; I shall be so glad, and I know it will cheer her up. You remember that she was always so fond of you, and you may be able to encourage her. Please do not fail.”

“Very well; I promise you.”

Presently Ikamon came toward them, and the conversation was changed to something less personal. Then after a few pleasantries the callers began to make ready to take leave.

“I dare say,” said Ikamon, adroitly, as they were about to leave the house, “Yasuko has enjoyed this evening; her brother is seldom absent from her mind, and did I not share the same good trait I certainly should be a little jealous. Yes, sir; we think of you and your good father often, and we regret to see you going so far away from us. Yet we hope that the country will not hold you long, and that you will soon be returning to the capital, where you are so exceedingly welcome, and so illy spared.”

While it pleased Shibusawa to see such good cheer and hear praise bestowed upon his father, the encomium did not in any manner carry him away nor cause him to suspect the giver; he merely passed it by as a personal trait, without any regard to the real source of its apparent emanation. Secretly he had long ago determined that he and his family, or any other, would be courted just so long as they made themselves worth the while. He appreciated Ikamon’s kindness in suggesting the entertainment, and, regardless of the motive or consequences, proposed to enjoy such benefits as were of right his portion, so long as no moral or material right was infringed upon.

After consulting Maido’s convenience as to the time of the entertainment, Ikamon and his wife withdrew amid hearty salutations and started toward their home. The sky was clear and the moon up as they sped along in the cool of night, listening to the patter of the carriers’ feet, or looking out upon the world of beauty around them. Theirs was a happy contrast with those less fortunate, for—even in feudal Japan—this mighty statesman once delved into mother earth for meagre sustenance. There, too, the lowly rose to power and fame, and, as the great minister leaned back under the golden canopy and sniffed the balmy air floating in at the open sides, he marvelled at his own success and swelled with pride at his extraordinary rise.

“It is the power of logic that sends men on their destined way. The sway of chance or the hand of justice has little to do with the mysteries of man’s universe; it is the certainty of the thing that counts for much. The success makes right, and Ikamon knows no wrong,” said he to himself as they came close to their gilded mansion and a hundred tired backs welcomed the small relief.