of society she takes entire care of the children, except for the help which her older children may give her.  During much of the time she goes about her work with an infant tied to her back.  Though she does not work hard at any one time (and is it to be wondered at?) yet she works long.  Especially hard is the life of the waiting girls in the hotels.  I have learned that, as a rule, they are required to be up before daylight and to remain on duty until after midnight.  In some hotels they are allowed but four or five hours out of the twenty-four.  The result is, they are often overcome and fall asleep while at service.  Sitting on the floor and waiting to serve the rice, with nothing to distract their thoughts or hold their attention, they easily lose themselves for a few moments.

Two other strongly contrasted traits are found in the Japanese character, absolute confidence and trustfulness on the one hand, and suspicion on the other.  It is the universal testimony that the former characteristic is rapidly passing away; in the cities it is well-nigh gone.  But in the country places it is still common.  The idea of making a bargain when two persons entered upon some particular piece of work, the one as employer, the other as employed, was entirely repugnant to the older generation, since it was assumed that their relations as inferior and superior should determine their financial relations; the superior would do what was right, and the inferior should accept what the superior might give without a question or a murmur.  Among the samurai, where the arrangement is between equals, bargaining or making fixed and fast terms which will hold to the end, and which may be carried to the courts in case of differences, was a thing practically unknown in the older civilization.  Everything of a business nature was left to honor, and was carried on in mutual confidence.

A few illustrations of this spirit of confidence from my own experience may not be without interest.  On first coming to Japan, I found it usual for a Japanese who wished to take a jinrikisha to call the runner and take the ride without making any bargain, giving him at the end what seemed right.  And the men generally accepted the payment without question.  I have found that recently, unless there is some definite understanding arrived at before the ride, there is apt to be some disagreement, the runner presuming on the hold he has, by virtue of work done, to get more than is customary.  This is especially true in case the rider is a foreigner.  Another set of examples in which astonishing simplicity and confidence were manifested was in the employment of evangelists.  I have known several instances in which a full correspondence with an evangelist with regard to his employment was carried on, and the settlement finally concluded, and the man set to work without a word said about money matters.  It need hardly be said that no foreigner took part in that correspondence.