And as he proceeded to express his gratitude, Chobei replied—­

“I am but a poor wardsman, a humble man in my way, sir; and if the robbers ran away, it was more by good luck than owing to any merit of mine.  But I am filled with admiration at the way you fought; you displayed a courage and a skill that were beyond your years, sir.”

“Indeed,” said the young man, smiling with pleasure at hearing himself praised; “I am still young and inexperienced, and am quite ashamed of my bungling style of fencing.”

“And now may I ask you, sir, whither you are bound?”

“That is almost more than I know myself, for I am a ronin, and have no fixed purpose in view.”

“That is a bad job,” said Chobei, who felt pity for the lad.  “However, if you will excuse my boldness in making such an offer, being but a wardsman, until you shall have taken service I would fain place my poor house at your disposal.”

Gompachi accepted the offer of his new but trusty friend with thanks; so Chobei led him to his house, where he lodged him and hospitably entertained him for some months.  And now Gompachi, being idle and having nothing to care for, fell into bad ways, and began to lead a dissolute life, thinking of nothing but gratifying his whims and passions; he took to frequenting the Yoshiwara, the quarter of the town which is set aside for tea-houses and other haunts of wild young men, where his handsome face and figure attracted attention, and soon made him a great favourite with all the beauties of the neighbourhood.

About this time men began to speak loud in praise of the charms of Komurasaki, or “Little Purple,” a young girl who had recently come to the Yoshiwara, and who in beauty and accomplishments outshone all her rivals.  Gompachi, like the rest of the world, heard so much of her fame that he determined to go to the house where she dwelt, at the sign of “The Three Sea-coasts,” and judge for himself whether she deserved all that men said of her.  Accordingly he set out one day, and having arrived at “The Three Sea-coasts,” asked to see Komurasaki; and being shown into the room where she was sitting, advanced towards her; but when their eyes met, they both started back with a cry of astonishment, for this Komurasaki, the famous beauty of the Yoshiwara, proved to be the very girl whom several months before Gompachi had rescued from the robbers’ den, and restored to her parents in Mikawa.  He had left her in prosperity and affluence, the darling child of a rich father, when they had exchanged vows of love and fidelity; and now they met in a common stew in Yedo.  What a change! what a contrast!  How had the riches turned to rust, the vows to lies!

“What is this?” cried Gompachi, when he had recovered from his surprise.  “How is it that I find you here pursuing this vile calling, in the Yoshiwara?  Pray explain this to me, for there is some mystery beneath all this which I do not understand.”