First the Twins' Father took it down off the wall and rolled it up. Then he took it in his hand, and he and Taro and Take all went out into the garden.
When they reached the Kura, the Father unlocked the door, and all three stepped inside.
It was not very light, but the air was sweet and spicy. On the shelves about the room were many beautiful boxes of all sizes and shapes.
The Father reached up to a high shelf and took down three boxes, that looked just alike on the outside. He opened the first and took out a roll neatly wrapped and tied with a silk string. It was this picture of a Japanese lady who has run out quickly to take her washing off the line because of a shower of rain.
He held it up high so the Twins could see it.
"Ho, ho," laughed Taro. "The lady has lost her clog, she is in such a hurry!"
"She's just as wet as the crow," Take said, "and I don't believe she feels a bit happier!"
"She'll be wetter still before she gets her washing in, won't she?" the Father said. "The clouds seem to have burst just over her head! And, dear me,—how the wind is blowing her about! No, she won't do beside the plum branch."
He opened another box and unrolled the next picture. Here it is.
Taro and Take looked at it a long time.