# Tayama Katai and His Novel Entitled Futon/Futon/Chapter 8

VIII
On the tenth, Tokio returned to Tokyo.
The next day, he received a reply from Bitchū informing him that Yoshiko's father would leave for Tokyo within a couple of days.
Yoshiko and Tanaka seemed to be expecting her father's arrival in Tokyo, and did not show any visible surprise at this news.
Yoshiko's father, on arriving in Tokyo, reserved a room in Kyōbashi; it was at eleven in the morning of the 16th when he paid a visit to Tokio's house in Ushigome.
Fortunately it was Sunday; Tokio was at home. Yoshiko's father was wearing a frockcoat and a medium-high hat, and he appeared to be tired after the long trip.
On that day, Yoshiko had gone to a doctor. About three days earlier she had caught a cold and had a little fever. She had been complaining that she had a headache. After a while she returned home. When she was by chance entering through a back door Tokio's wife said to her, "Yoshiko-san, Yoshiko-san, guess what? Your father is here."
"My father?" replied Yoshiko taken aback.
She went directly upstairs and remained there.
"Where is Yoshiko?" A voice was heard calling out from an inner room. Tokio's wife called her downstairs, but there was no reply. On going upstairs, she found Yoshiko with her face on her arms on the desk.
"Yoshiko-san!" No reply came from Yoshiko. When Tokio's wife came close to her, and again called her name, Yoshiko raised a pale face.
​"They're calling you."
"I know it, but how can I face my father?" She was crying.
"But it has been a long time since you've seen your father. In any case, you can't avoid meeting him. Come now, you don't need to worry so much. You'll have no trouble."
"That's what you say, but Oku-san...."
"I assure you everything will be all right. Come, come, pull yourself together, and talk to your father frankly. I promise you there'll be no trouble."
At last Yoshiko presented herself to her father. On seeing her father's beloved bushy-beared face which looked dignified, though there was something tender-hearted in his apparence, Yoshiko could not hold back her tears. Her father was an old-fashioned and stubborn man who did not understand the feelings of young people; nevertheless, he was her tender-hearted father. Her mother was attentive about everything and took good care of Yoshiko's needs, but somehow Yoshiko liked her father more than her mother. Yoshiko surmised that her father might be moved in her favor if she appealed to him about her present predicament and explained at great length the seriousness of her love affair.
"Yoshiko, It's been a long time since I last saw you. Are you in good health?"
"Father...." Her voice choked in her throat.
“When I was coming up," her father turned to Tokio,who was seated beside him, "something happened to the train between Sano and Gotenba, and we were detained for about two hours. I heard that the engine had broken down.
​"Oh, my!"
"As the train was running at full speed, it suddenly tilted to one side and went backwards making a great deal of noise. I wondered what had happened. I was later told that the engine had exploded and two stokers were instantly killed...."
"Ah! That's very dangerous!"
"We were detained for over two hours until they brought another locomotive from Numazu. In the meantime I thought if anything should happen to me during my journey," turning to his daughter, he said, "Yoshi would feel sorry for her brother."
Drooping her head Yoshiko kept silent.
"How serious! I'm glad that you escaped injury," Tokio said.
"Thank you...."
Mr. Yokoyama and Tokio talked for some time about the engine explosion. Suddenly interrupting them Yoshiko asked, "Father, how's everyone at home?"
"They're all fine."
"And mother?"
"Yes, she's fine. I asked your mother to come up to Tokyo instead of me as I was busy, but in the long run we thought it best if I came up to Tokyo...."
"How's my brother getting along?"
"Nowadays he's just settling down."
Meanwhile, lunch trays were brought in. Yoshiko returned to her room. After lunch, Tokio continued to talk with Mr. Yokoyama about the pending problems over a cup of tea.
​"In any case, do you still disapprove of their marriage?"
"It would still be out of the question whether I agreed or not. Suppose I permit their marriage: He is only 22 years old, and still a junior student at Dōshisha...."
"Yes, you are right, but after you have interviewed him, and if he meets with your expectations, would you promise that they might marry some time in the future...."
"No, I'll not make any promise to that effect. I've never seen him, nor do I know anything about him, but I think a man who took advantage of my daughter and made her break her journey en route to Tokyo, and deserted a benefactor in the Kobe Church to whom he had been indebted for a long time, is not worth talking about. The other day, in her letter to her mother, she said that as Tanaka was suffering from lack of money, please take this into consideration; it would be all right to her even if her tuition were reduced, if he were given the money so that he could continue his studies at Waseda. I have a feeling Yoshiko has been taken in by some such scheme."
"I don't think there has been any deception."
"There's something questionable about him. Right after he became acquainted with Yoshiko, he gave up religion at once and became attached to literature. It's even more strange that he followed my daughter and stayed in Tokyo, disregarding your advice, even though he found it very hard to make both ends meet. I have a feeling that there is something queer about his behavior."
"It could be interpreted in his favor since it might be his all-absorbing passion for love...."
​"Even so, it has nothing to do with whether I give my permission or not, as a promise of marriage is of the greatest moment. Before we consent to their marriage, we must first investigate his social standing, and compare if our status are compatible, and we have to check his lineage. Above all, his character is of the most importance. With what you've seen of him, you seem to regard him as an able student, but...."
"No, I might have made a mistake about the boy."
"Then, tell me what you really think about him?"
"I understand that your wife is better informed...."
"No, my wife doesn't know him well; she met him only once or twice at the Sunday school at Suma. They say he was quite a talented Person in Kobe; Yoshi has known him since she was in a girls' school there. I understand he showed promise in preaching and praying which could not be matched by his elders."
Tokio now understood why Tanaka spoke in oratorical and perfunctory tones, and why his unpleasant upturned eyes always expressed supplication. Tokio felt distaste at the idea that Tanaka had captivated a young woman with such a displeasing expression.
"Then, what do you propose to do about it? Are you going to take Yoshiko-san home?"
"Well...I hope that I'll not have to do so. If I suddenly took her home, it would be too conspicuous and therefore undesirable. As both my wife and I are engaged in many charitable organizations in our village and we hold some honorable positions, we would be very embarrassed if the news of my daughter's return spreads around. ​Therefore, I'll follow your suggestion and send Tanaka back to Kyoto, if possible, and I would like to ask you to keep my daughter under your care for another couple of years."
"That's a good idea," Tokio said.
They also conversed on one or two things relating to Yoshiko and Tanaka. Tokio told Yoshiko's father about their stay at Saga in Kyoto, and developments since then; he concluded by saying that it was his belief that only platonic love had been established between them, and they had had no disgraceful relationship. On hearing this, although Yoshiko's father nodded and said, "Even so, I must assume a disgraceful relationship has taken place between them."
All too late, her father's mind was filled with remorse concerning his daughter. He had sent Yoshiko to live in a dormitory of a fashionable girls' school in Kobe out of a provincial's vanity, by granting her earnest desire to study writing, he had agreed to send her to Tokyo. He did not hold too strict a control over her actions and allowed her to have her own way because of her delicate health. These things recurred in his mind.
An hour later, Tanaka, who had been summoned, entered the room where Tokio and Mr. Yokoyama were seated. Yoshiko seated herself beside Tanaka and listened, with her pompadour head leaning forward, to what they were talking about. From the start, her father's impression of Tanaka was not very favorable. The shabby appearance of Tanaka, who wore a white-striped hakama and a navy blue haori with white splashes, induced feelings of disdain and abhorrence in Yoshiko's father's heart. His sense of resentment against Tanaka for stealing ​one of his precious possessions was very similar to the feelings Tokio had had when he first met Tanaka.
After adjusting the pleats of his hakama, Tanaka sat the whole time in an upright position, staring most of the time at a point about two feet in front of him on the tatami. His attitude clearly indicated resistance rather than an air of obedience. He was much too stiff, and seemed to feel he had a certain right to possess Yoshiko of his own free will.
Their talk was serious and heated. The old man did not dare to accuse Tanaka to his face for his shameless behavior, but from time to time he spoke to him with occasional irony. At the start Tokio took command of the talk, but later the discussion was mainly taken up by Tanaka and the old man. Yoshiko's father's intonation was very skillful as would be expected of a former member of a prefectural assembly; even Tanaka, who was well accustomed to oratory, was once in a while silenced. The question of whether or not to permit Yoshiko and Tanaka's marriage was raised but it was rejected by the old man on the grounds that this subject should not be taken up at this time; their talk turned to the more pressing problem of Tanaka's return to Kyoto.
This separation appeared to very hard for these two lovers--especially for the young man. Tanaka insisted repeatedly that it was impossible for him to return to his home on the grounds that he had completely lost his faith in religion, that he had no house to live in there and no home town to go to, and that he could not bear to give up his hopes when he saw a bright future after two to three months of suffering in Tokyo.
​The old man constantly tried to dissuade him from his plan.
"You say that it's no use for you to return to Kyoto, and I think you may be right. But I'm saying you could make a sacrifice for my daughter. You say you're unable to return to Kyoto, but you can go back to your home town in the country, can't you? You claim if you leave Tokyo, you'll not be able to carry out your plans, but I'm asking you about that point. I'm saying that you could make a sacrifice on this point."
Tanaka, hanging his head, kept silent. He did not appear to be ready to yield to the old man's arguments.
Tokio, who had been silently listening for some time, suddenly raised his voice, as Tanaka seemed to be too stubborn, and said, "Look, I've been listening for some time, but can't you understand even when he has gone into such great detail to explain his point of view to you? He's not accusing you. He is saying that regardless of your sins and your shameless behavior if things work out that way in the future, he won't forbid your marriage. You're too young; Yoshiko-san is also still in the midst of her studies. Can't you get it through your head that for these reasons he wants you to leave unresolved, for the time being, the problem of marriage, and wait and see how the future turns out? Under the present conditions, you and Yoshiko can't stay together in the same town. One of you must leave Tokyo. With regard to leaving Tokyo, it's proper that you should do so first. The reason being that you followed Yoshiko to Tokyo."
"I understand very well," Tanaka answered.
​"Since I'm to be blamed for everything, I should be the first to leave. Just now you, sir, said that Mr. Yokoyama was willing to grant our marriage at a later date, but according to what he himself said just now, it appears that he is still dissatisfied."
"What do you mean?" retorted Tokio.
"He means that he's not satisfied because I didn't make a firm promise," the old man cut in. "But I thought that I had fully explained that point to Tanaka just now. Under the present conditions, I'm unable to consider whether or not I can grant this marriage. I'm not inclined to trust you when you say you will make a living for two when you are still a student who can't at this time make enough money to even support yourself. Therefore, I believe it's best for both parties involved to study for the next three or four years. You should be able to understand that much if you seriously consider the points I made. If I were to deceive you at this time and marry Yoshi to another man then you would be dissatisfied. But I swear to God, I say in the presence of Mr. Takenaka, I do not have the remotest intention of giving Yoshi away for at least three years. A man's world is always at the mercy of Jehovah; we sinful humans are destined to wait for his powerful judgment. I can't promise you that I'll give Yoshi to you. My conscience at this time doesn't permit me to do so. I don't believe that this recent affair meets with God's wishes. I can't predict in three years whether or not your desires are suitable to God's wishes. But I believe that if you are truly sincere and serious this marriage will surely please God's will."
​"Mr. Yokoyama is quite reasonable," said Tokio taking up the old man's words. "He said he would wait three years for your sake. For him to say he will grant you three years sufficient time for you to prove your sincerity is indeed the greatest favor that could be bestowed on you, Tanaka. Even if he said a man who seduced another man's daughter need not talk seriously about marriage, and unknown to you he took Yoshiko home, you would have no just reason to grudge him for his action. But he said that he would wait for three years, and would not give Yoshiko to another man until you've had the opportunity to show your honest sincerity. His words do indeed show benevolence. They're more generous than if he had said that he might approve your marriage. Can't you understand that?"
Tanaka lowered his head and frowned, and tears poured immediately down his cheeks.
Silence reigned over the room.
Tanaka wiped away his tears with his fist. Tokio taking quick advantage of the situation, said, "How about it? Give us your answer!"
"I don't give a damn what happens! Go ahead and bury me in my home town!" Again Tanaka wiped away his tears.
"Shame on you. There's no use talking so defiantly. The purpose of this meeting is for us to talk frankly from the bottom of our hearts and settle the problem to everyone's satisfaction. If you unreasonably insist on not going back to your home town, then there's no other alternative but that Yoshiko must return to her home."
"Is there any chance for Yoshiko and me both to remain in Tokyo?"
"No, you can't. Both of you can't stay in Tokyo because it'll conflict with my supervision of Yoshiko and your futures."
​"In that case, I'm willing to be buried in my home town!"
"No, I'll go home," Yoshiko said tearfully in a quivering voice, "I'm...a woman. If only Tanaka succeeds in his future plans, I'm quite ready to be buried in the country. I will return home."
Dead silence again prevailed in the room.
After a while, Tokio said, changing his tone, "Let that be as it may, why can't you return to Kyoto? You can go back to Dōshisha after explaining about the situation to your benefector in Kobe, apologizing to him for your past misbehavior. There's no logical reason for you to try to become a literary man, just because Yoshiko-san is hoping to become a writer. You could once more become a religious man, a theologian, a minister."
"I've no claim to become a religious man. I'm quite unfit to preach....Besides, what make me have regrets is that at last after three months of suffering, with the help of my friend, I have found a means of living....I can't bear to be buried in my home town."
The three talked on. At last their talk, for the present, came to a halt. Tanaka left saying he was going to consult that night with his friend, and would give them a definite answer the next day or the day after that. It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon, the winter day was coming to a close, and the sunlight which had been shining into a corner of the room had already disappeared.
Mr. Yokoyama and Tokio were left alone in the room.
"Tanaka seems to be an indecisive character, doesn't he?" The old man insinuated to Tokio.
"He's unduly formal and his talk is too vague. I do wish he would speak a little more frankly with us...."
​"The trouble with the people of the central part of the country appears to be their inability to speak frankly. They're small in caliber, resort to petty tricks, and are ready to eat crow. People from the Kanto and the Northeastern regions are quite different from them. They express their thoughts frankly, calling what is good "good," and what is bad "bad"; that's why I like them. But those of the central part of the country are indeed crafty. Tanaka is tricky, has lame excuses, and weeps like a woman...."
"Tanaka does seem to have that sort of fault."
"Wait and see, I'm sure he'll not agree with our terms tomorrow. He'll make various excuses to delay returning home."
Suddenly suspicion regarding the relationship between Yoshiko and Tanaka flashed through Tokio's mind. Tanaka's attitude and his vigorous declamations as if he had the right to possess Yoshiko as his very own prompted Tokio's suspicions.
"And how do you see their relationship?" Tokio asked the old man.
"I wonder. I suppose I must assume that they had had relations."
"At this juncture, I think, we need to find out for sure. Shall I have Yoshiko explain her trip to Saga? Because she said she first felt her love for Tanaka after she left Saga, I believe she will have some letters to prove this point."
"No, I don't think it's necessary to go that far...."
While Mr. Yokoyama believed that they had had relations, he nevertheless seemed afraid to have it proven true.
Unfortunately, at that point Yoshiko came bringing tea.
​Tokio stopped her as she was about to leave and pressed her to show them Tanaka's letters dating from before and after her trip to Saga, to prove her innocence.
On hearing this, Yoshiko suddenly blushed. Her face and attitude clearly revealed that she was very much embarrassed.
"I recently burned all his letters from those days," she said in a low voice.
"You burned them?"
"Yes." Yoshiko hung her head.
"Burned them? I don't believe it."
Yoshiko blushed all the more. Tokio could not hold his temper. The reality forcefully stabbed his breast.
Tokio stood up and went out to the lavatory. He was irritated and felt dizzy. The realization of having been deceived by her intensely pierced his mind. When he came out of the lavatory he found Yoshiko nervously standing outside of the sliding door.
"Sensei...honestly, I burned them all...."
"Don't lie!" Tokio said in a tone of rebuke and slamming the sliding door he went back into the room.