“Come,” said Genzaburo, smiling, “hadn’t you better sit a little closer to me?”

“Thank you, sir; really I’m afraid.”

But Genzaburo, laughing at her for her idle fears, said—­

“Don’t behave as if you hated me.”

“Oh, dear!  I’m sure I don’t hate you, sir.  That would be very rude; and, indeed, it’s not the case.  I loved you when I first saw you at the Adzuma Bridge, and longed for you with all my heart; but I knew what a despised race I belonged to, and that I was no fitting match for you, and so I tried to be resigned.  But I am very young and inexperienced, and so I could not help thinking of you, and you alone; and then Chokichi came, and when I heard what you had said about me, I thought, in the joy of my heart, that it must be a dream of happiness.”

And as she spoke these words, blushing timidly, Genzaburo was dazzled with her beauty, and said—–­

“Well, you’re a clever child.  I’m sure, now, you must have some handsome young lover of your own, and that is why you don’t care to come and drink wine and sit by me.  Am I not right, eh?”

“Ah, sir, a nobleman like you is sure to have a beautiful wife at home; and then you are so handsome that, of course, all the pretty young ladies are in love with you.”

“Nonsense!  Why, how clever you are at flattering and paying compliments!  A pretty little creature like you was just made to turn all the men’s heads—­a little witch.”

“Ah! those are hard things to say of a poor girl!  Who could think of falling in love with such a wretch as I am?  Now, pray tell me all about your own sweetheart:  I do so long to hear about her.”

“Silly child!  I’m not the sort of man to put thoughts into the heads of fair ladies.  However, it is quite true that there is some one whom I want to marry.”

At this O Koyo began to feel jealous.

“Ah!” said she, “how happy that some one must be!  Do, pray, tell me the whole story.”  And a feeling of jealous spite came over her, and made her quite unhappy.

Genzaburo laughed as he answered—­

“Well, that some one is yourself, and nobody else.  There!” and as he spoke, he gently tapped the dimple on her cheek with his finger; and O Koyo’s heart beat so, for very joy, that, for a little while, she remained speechless.  At last she turned her face towards Genzaburo, and said—­

“Alas! your lordship is only trifling with me, when you know that what you have just been pleased to propose is the darling wish of my heart.  Would that I could only go into your house as a maid-servant, in any capacity, however mean, that I might daily feast my eyes on your handsome face!”

“Ah!  I see that you think yourself very clever at hoaxing men, and so you must needs tease me a little;” and, as he spoke, he took her hand, and drew her close up to him, and she, blushing again, cried—­

“Oh! pray wait a moment, while I shut the sliding-doors.”