“Then by the royal blood of my ancestors, I swear,” he cried, “that I shall be guilty of the same offence as thy honorable parent, and for thy sweet sake I, too, shall become an Eta.”
With a little, trembling cry she started towards him.
“But thy cause! Oh, my lord, thy noble cause!”
“The cause!” He threw back his head and laughed with buoyant joyousness.
“Fuji-wara,” he said, “do you not perceive that a new life is about to dawn for this Japan of ours?”
“A new life,” she repeated, breathlessly, hanging upon the words that escaped his lips.
“A new life,” he said, “with our country no longer broken up into factions, when men shall have equal rights and privileges.”
He smiled at her rapt face, and possessed himself of both her little hands.
“Dearest and sweetest of maidens,” he said, tenderly, “in marrying me you do not wed a prince. I am pledged to the welfare of the people. Know you not that the great cause of the Imperialist will bring about that Restoration which will overturn all these crushing tyrannies and injustices which press our people to the earth? Repeat with me, then: ‘Daigi Meibunor! Banzai the Imperialist!’”
Suddenly she remembered the blow she had dealt the cause. Her head fell upon their clasped hands.