31

Niou had his own worries. She gave no sign of surrender, and he seldom even heard from her any more. Kaoru's reasonable arguments had no doubt led her in the safer direction. He could not deny their justice. Yet he boiled with resentment and jealousy. She had been fond of him and he had been defeated by the women around her. His gloom and longing seemed to spread until the heavens offered them no further refuge.*

Impulsively, as always, he rushed off to Uji.

He tried the reed fence that had admitted him before, but the guards were more alert.

“Who's there?” came voices.

He withdrew and this time sent a man who knew the precincts well. Again came the challenge. Matters were not as simple as they had been.

“An emergency message from the city,” said the man, asking for one of Ukon's maids.

Ukon was in consternation. “It will be quite impossible for him to disturb her tonight. I am very sorry indeed that he should have come all this way for nothing.”

Niou was wringing his hands. How could they be so unfeeling?

He called Tokikata. “Go and arrange something with Jiju~.”

A devious fellow, Tokikata contrived an interview.

“It will be difficult.” Jiju~ could only second Ukon. “The guards have had some special order from the general, I don't know what or why. It touched their pride and they are being careful. My lady has been very upset to think that the prince might come all this way for nothing, but if they catch you things will only be worse. Suppose you tell him that we are making our plans and not letting anyone know, and we will be ready when the night he has spoken of comes.” And she added that Nurse was even jumpier than usual.

“You know of course that he can't run off on these trips every day. If you make me go slinking back to tell him she just won't see him, he'll think I'm not worth my keep. Come with me, and the two of us can fly to explain.”

Out of the question, completely out of the question. And as they argued the night wore on.

Still on his horse, Niou waited some distance away. Numbers of dogs had come bounding up and were barking most inelegantly. His men were in the cruelest apprehension. There were very few of them and they were far from help. What would they do if someone were to leap out from the underbrush?

“Enough of this.” Tokikata dragged the protesting Jiju~ after him. Her long hair under her arm, she was very pretty even in this extremity. Since she quite refused to get on his horse, he walked beside her, helping with her skirts. He appropriated the rough clogs of a guardsman for himself and let her have his shoes.

It did not seem prudent to confer in an exposed position. Tokikata spread a saddle blanket* at a spot backed by a woodcutter's fence and protected by brambles and matted grasses. Niou dismounted.

What a queer fix to be in, he was thinking, told of what had happened. Suppose he really were to take a bad fall on this road he had chosen and lame himself for life? He was in tears, and to the susceptible Jiju~ his plight seemed even sadder. Had he been a veritable fiend of an enemy, his powers of persuasion would still have had their way.

“Can't I have a single word with her?” He struggled to control his tears. “Why have things come to this, after all that has happened? You people have turned her against me.”

She explained recent events as carefully as she could. “Don't let anyone know what day you have decided on. You have been very good to come all this way, and I will do everything I can, even if it means ruining myself.”

Terrified of being found out, he could not reprove her for this caution. His men chased the dogs away repeatedly but still they barked. From the villa came the twang of bowstrings and the rough voices of the guard alerting the house to the danger of fire.

We need not seek words to describe Niou's feelings as Jiju~ hurried him on his way.

“I weep, I go—to lose myself!—where soar

No mountains but know the white of clinging clouds.

“Hurry home yourself.”

Jiju~ wept the whole of the way back. There was nothing in the world to compare with his gentle persuasions and the perfume from his robes, drenched in the late-night dew.