“Other things?”
Her voice dragged slowly over the word as she spoke in answer.
“Masago!” she murmured in a low voice.
“And who, I pray, is this Masago?”
“Masago,” she repeated; and then again, “Masago. Do you like the sound of the name, cousin?”
“It has a fair but common sound. The ‘morning glory’ is esteemed. It is, in truth, a pretty name.”
“But not so sweet as—Sado-ko. Pray you, say so, cousin.”
“Why, no; not so sweet, so rare, so royal. Who but a princess might carry such a name as that? Does not the ‘ko’ mean ‘royal’ and ‘Sado,’ sweetest name for maiden, ‘chastity’?”
Her restless hands unclasped. She raised a trembling face.
“Komatzu, I would exchange that royal name for the simple one—Masago.”