“I have come to your house this night for no other purpose than to restore to you the sword which your father gave me;” and with this he placed the sword before Matagoro.

“Indeed,” replied the other, “I trust that you will not pain me by returning a present which my father made you.”

“Amongst men of gentle birth,” said Yukiye, laughing scornfully, “it is the custom to requite presents, in the first place by kindness, and afterwards by a suitable gift offered with a free heart.  But it is no use talking to such as you, who are ignorant of the first principles of good breeding; so I have the honour to give you back the sword.”

As Yukiye went on bitterly to reprove Matagoro, the latter waxed very wroth, and, being a ruffian, would have killed Yukiye on the spot; but he, old man as he was, was a skilful swordsman, so Matagoro, craven-like, determined to wait until he could attack him unawares.  Little suspecting any treachery, Yukiye started to return home, and Matagoro, under the pretence of attending him to the door, came behind him with his sword drawn and cut him in the shoulder.  The older man, turning round, drew and defended himself; but having received a severe wound in the first instance, he fainted away from loss of blood, and Matagoro slew him.

The mother of Matagoro, startled by the noise, came out; and when she saw what had been done, she was afraid, and said—­“Passionate man! what have you done?  You are a murderer; and now your life will be forfeit.  What terrible deed is this!”

“I have killed him now, and there’s nothing to be done.  Come, mother, before the matter becomes known, let us fly together from this house.”

“I will follow you; do you go and seek out my Lord Abe Shirogoro, a chief among the Hatamotos,[16] who was my foster-child.  You had better fly to him for protection, and remain in hiding.”

[Footnote 16:  Hatamotos. The Hatamotos were the feudatory nobles of the Shogun or Tycoon.  The office of Taikun having been abolished, the Hatamotos no longer exist.  For further information respecting them, see the note at the end of the story.]

So the old woman persuaded her son to make his escape, and sent him to the palace of Shirogoro.

Now it happened that at this time the Hatamotos had formed themselves into a league against the powerful Daimios; and Abe Shirogoro, with two other noblemen, named Kondo Noborinosuke and Midzuno Jiurozayemon, was at the head of the league.  It followed, as a matter of course, that his forces were frequently recruited by vicious men, who had no means of gaining their living, and whom he received and entreated kindly without asking any questions as to their antecedents; how much the more then, on being applied to for an asylum by the son of his own foster-mother, did he willingly extend his patronage to him, and guarantee him against all danger.  So he called a meeting of the principal Hatamotos, and introduced Matagoro