“Yes, my child. But this story is not of Gozo.”
It was the first time since his return that he had mentioned his son’s name, and he did it without any sign of bitterness. His wife reached out and sought his hand, which she held for a moment closely.
“Go on,” urged Billy. “What do you want to interrupt for, Iris?”
She leaned against her father. He put his arm about her.
“Ten million egscuse,” said she to Billy.
“Where does the widow come in?” asked Billy.
“Well, she was not a widow at the beginning. She was just a very young and very beautiful girl. But she had the spirit of a man. You see, before she came, her parents had prayed for a son to give to the service of Ten-shi-sama; but they were unfortunate. Their gods gave them only a girl, and they never felt quite the same to her as they would to a boy. They were very powerful people, and of noble ancestry, so they did not wish their race to die out. They prayed constantly for a son, and all they got was one daughter. Quite unfairly, they neglected the girl, just as if it were her fault that she were not born a boy. She grew up in the great shiro (palace) all alone, under the care of servants and tutors. None of the relatives cared to see her. Her mother died when she was born, and her father, being in the cabinet service of the Mikado, rarely saw her. But though a maiden, as I have said, she had the soul of a man, and she yearned to do the deeds of a man and a hero. Every morning of her life, as a little girl, she would prostrate herself before her shrine and beseech the gods to perform some miracle whereby she might indeed become a man. But that was a child’s prayer, and of course vain. So from childhood she came to womanhood. Looking one day into her mirror, she beheld the most beautiful face she had ever seen. Hitherto she had scorned to loiter over her mirror. Her thoughts were on other matters than her looks, she told herself. But this day she picked up her mirror on a sudden impulse, and the face which looked back at her so enthralled her that she could not put it down.
“‘Why,’ said she, ‘I am the most beautiful maiden in Japan!’ For a long time she continued to look at her face. Then she spoke again:
“‘And to think,’ said she, ‘that no one but my servants have ever seen me!’”
“What did she look like?” asked Marion.