Part 18 (1/2)
Not she, but Isonna, spoke out:--
”Yes, lord. It was as I said. I am here now, when men might wish her, to see that none approach. There has been no one but you.”
”Little Lady Hos.h.i.+,” said s.h.i.+jiro Arisuga, to her bruised heart, ”there is but one reparation I can make for yesterday. It is to wish you to become my wife--to-day.”
”But, lord, beautiful lord,” cried the girl, ”you did not hear what I said. I spoke too low. I was at your feet--” and now she deliberately raised her agonized face to his that there might be no mistake--”Lord, I am an eta! The accursed, despised caste! To the samurai we are as lepers! No samurai in all the thousands of years of our empire has ever married an eta! None has ever touched one! Lord, you did not hear!”
”I heard. Pray, call me lord no more, but husband.”
”Li--li--Pardon me, husband, I have been taught that I am not to expect marriage.”
”Who taught you that?”
”Even my father! My mother!”
”G.o.ds! It shall be to-morrow.”
”Yi--yes, li--li--husband,” chattered Hos.h.i.+ko.
”And on that day there shall be a new G.o.ddess to be wors.h.i.+pped, and her name shall be called Star-Dream! And the first prayer she shall hear will be from a very brutal soldier to be forgiven for a little start upon hearing a certain untrue word. For no G.o.ddess can be an eta--even if it were possible for a mortal as beautiful as you to be an eta. So, even to-day, see,” as he gathered her from the floor strongly into his arms, ”you are my G.o.ddess--to-morrow you will be my wife.”
”Lord, I have no wedding garments! You know that though a j.a.panese maiden has always ready her garments for death or marriage, an eta maid has only those for death ready. It is presumption to have--the--the others.”
”Then there shall be no wedding garment but this,” and he touched the dainty thing she wore. ”Where are your parents that I may ask their consent?”
Hos.h.i.+ko did not know. But Arisuga suspected that they were close behind the fusuma listening with staring eyes and gaping mouths.
He suddenly pushed aside the slides--and there they were.
”To-morrow I wed your daughter,” he said to them with his soldier's savagery.
He respectfully gave them time for an answer--but he meant them to understand that they dare not refuse. And together, when they had the breath for it, they bowed to the very earth and said:--
”Yea, august lord!”
Arisuga bowed haughtily in return, and closed the slides upon them.
”You see,” he said to Hos.h.i.+ko, ”there is nothing but the three times three between us and our earth-heaven, G.o.ddess!”
”Yes, lord,” she s.h.i.+vered.
She begged for delay, but he would not grant it, so all that night, while he slept near, she and Isonna in the next room strove to make a trousseau out of her shroud.
THE ETA
XVII
THE ETA