8

He went to speak to some courtiers of the higher ranks who had gathered before the stands. They had come from To~ no Chu~jo~'s mansion with Kashiwagi, who represented the inner guards. Koremitsu's daughter too had come as a royal legate. A much admired young lady, she was showered with gifts from the emperor, the crown prince, and Genji, among others. Yu~giri managed to get a note through the cordons by which she was surrounded. He had seen her from time to time and she had been pained to learn of his marriage to so fine a lady.

“This sprig of—what is it called?—this sprig in my cap.

So long it has been, I cannot think of the name.”

One wonders what it may have meant to her. She answered, even in the confusion of being seen into her carriage.

“The scholar armed with laurel should know its name.

He wears it, though he may not speak of it.

“Not everyone, perhaps—but surely an erudite man like you?” *

Not a very remarkable poem, he thought, but better than his own.

Rumor had it that they were still meeting in secret.