6

Kaoru would have liked to send the bishop's letter in immediately, but he had attracted too large an audience. He dispatched the boy the next day, escorted by two or three trusted courtiers of low rank and a guardsman who had often taken messages to Uji.

He was careful to let no one overhear his instructions to the boy. “You remember your dead sister well enough to recognize her, I suppose? Well, I had resigned myself to the fact that she was no longer among us, but now it seems quite clear that I was wrong. But it would not do to have people know, and especially the people closest to her. See what you can find out. You are not to tell your mother, not for the moment, at least. The news might unsettle her, and we must prepare her gradually; and there is always the possibility that people who shouldn't be in on the secret might hear. My main reason for wanting to find your sister is that I feel so sorry for your mother.”

Very young and impressionable, the boy had continued to grieve for his sister, much superior to his many other siblings. Delight at this news brought him close to tears.

“Yes, my lord,” he answered gruffly, trying not to weep.