"Nagato was furious. 'You'll put a stop to my marriage,' he said.
"I set off again, winking my eyes and imitating the gait of my strange fellow-travellers as best I could. They struck the ground with their sticks, and, at this noise, people leaned from their windows and called them in. In this way we came to a house of poor appearance. The noise of sticks was redoubled. A voice demanded two shampooers.
"'Come,' said Nagato to me; 'this is the place.'
"Leaving the band, we went up a few steps and found ourselves in the house. I saw two women, whom Nagato awkwardly saluted, turning his back to them as he did so. I hastily shut my eyes and bowed to the wall. But I managed to half open one eye again, prompted by curiosity. There were a young girl and an old woman, probably her mother.
"'Take us first,' said the latter; 'you shall rub my husband later.'
"She then squatted on the floor and bared her back. I foresaw that the old woman would fall to my lot, and that I must certainly play the part of shampooer. Nagato was lost in salutations.
"'Ah! ah! ah!' he mumbled, as inferiors do when saluting a person of high rank.
"I began to rub the old lady violently, and she uttered lamentable groans; I struggled bravely to resist the laugh which again rose in my throat and nearly choked me. The girl had uncovered one shoulder, modestly, as if we had had eyes.
"'It is there,' she said; 'I gave myself a blow, and the doctor said that it would do me good to be rubbed.'
"Nagato began to rub the young girl with amazing gravity; but all at once he seemed to forget his rôle of blind man.