Текст книги "The Hell Screen"

Автор книги: Ingrid J. Parker

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Kobe frowned and was about to make some comment. Akitada added quickly, “I do, however, have some information I discovered on another visit to the Eastern Mountain Temple. Only my family’s arrival and my mother’s death have intervened.”

Kobe looked interested. “Oh? Well, what is it?”

Akitada outlined his visit to the temple and his conversations with the gatekeeper Eikan and the novice Ancho. He explained the mechanism of the lock and his theory that the murder could have been committed by someone other than the prisoner.

Kobe sat frowning as he digested the information. When Akitada finished, he pointed out that this discovery did not clear Kojiro. Still Akitada’s reasonable and cooperative manner had not only calmed the stormy waters, but given Kobe something to think about. He even looked slightly ashamed of himself when he said, “It is unfortunate that the death of your mother has intervened. I am pressed for time, or I would not insist on your looking into the other matter right away. Shall I expect you tomorrow morning, then, at the hour of the snake? I’ll be at the eastern prison.” Kobe rose.

Akitada stood also. They bowed formally to each other, and the superintendent left, closing the door almost gently after himself.

Now that his fear for Yoshiko’s safety had been allayed, Akitada could not remember when he had last felt so angry with anyone. How could she have done this to him? He tried to control his fury before going to his sister’s room, but the memory of Kobe’s charges and the thought of what lay ahead the next day upset him anew. He would have it out with her now.

He entered Yoshiko’s room without knocking. The two women sat huddled together, Yoshiko weeping softly and Tamako with her arm around his sister’s shoulders. They both looked up at him, Tamako clearly put out by his sudden unannounced arrival.

Akitada ignored the unspoken reproach and said to Yoshiko, “I just had a most unpleasant visit from the superintendent of police.”

Yoshiko gasped and turned white.

“It appears,” Akitada continued, “that you have been paying regular visits to a prisoner who is about to come to trial. Superintendent Kobe assumes that I arranged these visits in order to communicate with the man after being warned away from him. He intends to file an official complaint.”

The two women cried out together, protesting vehemently. Akitada raised his hand and snapped, “One at a time.” He glared at Tamako. “And I believe I was speaking to Yoshiko.”

Tamako flushed and bowed stiffly. Yoshiko rose and came forward, kneeling before him, her head bowed.

“I beg your pardon for having offended you, Elder Brother,” she said, her voice catching. “I acted most selfishly and foolishly and I have brought shame and embarrassment upon my elder brother and this family. Whatever amends I can make, I shall gladly perform. My rash behavior has already brought grievous pain to Kojiro—” She broke off and fought for composure. After a moment, during which Akitada ignored a pleading gesture from Tamako, she continued, “When you told me that Kojiro had been arrested for murder, I had to go to him. Kojiro and I… we were once very close … many years ago.” She hesitated to glance quickly up at Akitada’s face. “He is the man who wished to marry me. I know I should have asked your permission before going, but I was afraid you would not give it. And I could not ask Mother.” She dabbed at her tear-stained face.

It was worse than he had feared. “You are quite right,” he snapped. “I would certainly not have allowed a sister of mine to masquerade as a common slattern carrying food to her criminal husband. I assume, of course, that no marriage has taken place between you and this man, formal or otherwise?”

“Of course not.” Yoshiko flushed and raised her head proudly. “Both Kojiro and I have behaved with the utmost propriety. He wished to marry me. I accepted, and he immediately spoke to Mother, who refused his offer with many cruel remarks. We never saw each other again until now.”

Akitada found her calm admission infuriating. “Your behavior, then as now, was reprehensible,” he said coldly. “He is the brother of a local merchant, a mere farmer himself, and certainly not a suitable acquaintance, let alone husband, for a daughter of the Sugawaras. You had no right to accept an offer of marriage, or to encourage it.”

Yoshiko was looking down at her hands. She was quite calm and firm. “You were away at the time and you never met Kojiro. It is not well to judge a man one does not know. Master Confucius teaches us to be kind to everyone and to seek out the good in men. Kojiro is a good man.”

At first Akitada thought he had misheard. Yoshiko had never spoken this way to him, or anyone, before. Had she really dared reprimand him? After her behavior? After all the trouble she had caused? He felt his anger begin to boil over and clenched his hands together behind his back to keep from striking her. Through his teeth, he said, “I have no wish to discuss your shameful past with this man any further. I barely prevented your arrest tonight. Unless I can convince Kobe of your innocence tomorrow morning, you will find yourself in a cell—in the same jail as your lover. And you, too, will be stripped of your clothes, in front of male prison guards, and beaten with bamboo rods until your back is lacerated from shoulders to buttocks or until you confess to having plotted with me to get Kojiro’s charges dismissed. You will be asked about the lies I told you to suggest to Kojiro, and after a while you will tell them what they want to hear.”

Both Tamako and Yoshiko stared at him in horror.

“No,” cried Yoshiko. “I would never say what isn’t true. I would die first.”

Tamako said, “They would not dare lay a hand on your sister.”

“Don’t be a fool!” Akitada stormed at her. Then he looked from one to the other. They were well-brought-up young women, belonging to the “good people,” their skin white and soft because they did not have to work for their food, their hair long and glossy because they had leisure to brush it. What did either of them know of the extremities of existence? He said harshly, “You know nothing of such things, but I do. As part of my duties I have had to witness such interrogations, and once or twice in my life I myself have come to know what it is like to go beyond caring about anything but the unbearable agony.”

Tamako paled and bowed her head. “Forgive me, Akitada,” she murmured.

But Yoshiko’s stubborn chin was raised. “I am as certain as I can be that you did not dishonor your name on those occasions,” she said, her eyes flashing. “But I, too, am Sugawara and, I tell you, I should rather die than submit.”

“Keep in mind that your lover will undergo the same treatment as you. Will he also be willing to die to protect your family?”

“Yes. Kojiro has already suffered through one interrogation without telling them about me,” Yoshiko said proudly. “It was because of me that he was beaten today. His guard told me when I got to the prison.”

“That was the reason Yoshiko was so distraught when she came home,” said Tamako.

“You were followed,” Akitada informed his sister.

Yoshiko nodded. “Yes. I am very sorry to have caused you trouble, Akitada,” she said. “And I am even more sorry for Kojiro. He has suffered for my sake. But I am not sorry that I love him. Once he is cleared of the murder charge, we shall be married.”

“What?” Akitada ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Was there no way he could assert his authority in his own family? First the trouble with Akiko, and now Yoshiko, too! It must be their mother’s blood which made them so unmanageable, so bent on causing mischief. He shouted, “You will do nothing of the sort. I forbid it! He is not a suitable husband for a sister of mine.”

Yoshiko was quite pale now, but her chin was still up and she looked him straight in the eyes. “I am only your half sister. You owe me nothing. Having brought disgrace upon you, it will be best if I leave this house. I shall go to my sister. Toshikage will speak to Superintendent Kobe to explain to him that you knew nothing about my relationship with Kojiro. Then, if the superintendent wishes to arrest me, at least he will not need to come to your house to do so.”

Their eyes locked. The pain of her rejection twisted like a knife deep in his stomach. Belatedly appalled at his treatment of her, he stammered, “You cannot do that… why Akiko?… or Toshikage? What can they do for you that I cannot do? Have I not always stood by you? By both of you? Why are you doing this to me, Yoshiko?”

Yoshiko’s eyes faltered. She murmured, “I am sorry, Akitada, but I have given my word to Kojiro and I cannot break it.”

Seimei’s phrase! Everyone in his family seemed eager to pledge allegiance to others! Who would desert him next? Staring bleakly down at his sister, Akitada shook his head, turned on his heel, and left the room.

He did not share his wife’s bed that night but spent restless, guilt-ridden hours in his father’s room, trying to find answers to his family troubles. Tamako came once, perhaps in an effort to make peace, but he said, “Not now. I must think what to do.” She inclined her head and left silently, returning much later with his bedding, which she spread for him without a word. He felt intensely lonely after she had left again.

Sometime during the night it began to snow. When the shadows of the room began to close in on him, Akitada threw back the shutters onto a pitch-black night. It was cold, but there was little wind now. The light from his lamp caught the large flakes as they fell slowly, drifting a little on unseen air currents, spinning in circles before floating gently to the ground. Shimmering like moving stars, they seemed to arrive from a void beyond, materializing only within the reach of his study light. The nearer shrubs and trees showed dimly with faint white highlights, but the gravel and the veranda boards were solid sparkling silver. Only the surface of the fishpond lay like a black mirror reflecting a black universe beyond.

Akitada stood for a long time, watching the mysterious arrival of the snow, before he closed the shutters and returned to his bed.

When he woke the next morning, the blackness outside had changed to a uniform gray. The snow had stopped, but heavy low clouds seemed to brush the stark treetops, and the light was so faint that the snow on the ground and on the roof of his house looked dull like unbleached silk.

Akitada dressed quickly in a dark robe, his court hat with the taboo pendant, leggings, and boots. Seimei knocked and entered with a bow and murmured a greeting, bringing a dish of rice gruel and a pot of hot water for tea. He asked for instructions for the day.

Akitada sipped his tea. “Do what you like! Carry on with the accounts,” he said. “I have to go out this morning.”

Seimei hesitated, looking unhappy, then bowed and left.

In spite of the early hour, Kobe was waiting at the prison when Akitada was shown to the office set aside for his use. Kobe’s mood was almost conciliatory. He offered Akitada warm wine.

“No, thank you.” Akitada found it impossible to produce a polite smile. Seating himself across from Kobe, he plunged into his speech. “Last night I was shocked and angered by your accusations. Today I find that I must apologize for the foolish and dangerous actions of a member of my family. As head of the family, I take full responsibility for what happened, even though I had no knowledge of it.”

Kobe nodded. He looked politely attentive. “Please continue!”

“I am afraid that the woman your men followed from the prison to my house is my younger sister Yoshiko.”

At that Kobe’s eyes widened. “Your sister?”

“Yes. It appears that she formed an attachment to the prisoner many years ago. I am to blame for her visits, because I carelessly discussed the Nagaoka murder with her. At the time, I had no idea that she knew anyone in that family, and she did not tell me.”

Kobe seemed too astonished to doubt Akitada’s words. “I see,” he murmured. “How very unpleasant for you! It would hardly have occurred to you that your sister would form such a very unsuitable … relationship with a person of that type. You have my sympathy.”

For a moment, Akitada thought he was being mocked. But Kobe’s face expressed only shock and concern. Perversely, this easy acceptance of his explanation, entailing as it did revelations of a personally embarrassing nature, angered Akitada. Surely the man Yoshiko had become involved with was not so completely contemptible. Nagaoka was a merchant, but a highly respected one and a man of considerable culture. And the man Akitada remembered meeting in the rain at the temple gate had appeared gentlemanly. Then he realized that, to Kobe, Kojiro was a criminal, and that his sister’s reputation depended on clearing her lover of the murder charge.

He pulled himself together and said, “I am much obliged to you for believing me, Superintendent. Since my sister is now deeply implicated in the case, I wonder if you might reconsider your position and allow me to assist you.” He steeled himself for another refusal.

To his surprise, Kobe pursed his lips and studied the ceiling thoughtfully. He said, “Hmm,” and after a moment, again, “Hmm.”

Encouraged by this, his heart beating faster, Akitada promised rashly, “I would, of course, do nothing but what you had approved beforehand, work under your supervision, so to speak.”

Kobe brought his eyes back from the ceiling and looked at him. He seemed amused; the corner of his mouth twitched. “I did not think the famous Sugawara would ever say such words to me. Will you go another step, my lord, and promise to be bound by my decision?”

Akitada flushed with shame, but said steadily enough, “Yes.”

Kobe rose. “Come along, then. You shall speak to the prisoner. In my presence.”

Akitada hardly knew what to make of Kobe’s sudden compliance and assumed it had been bought with his own humiliation. So be it! As they walked through the outer offices and past scores of police officers and constables toward the wing of the building where the cells were, it occurred to him that he had no idea how to proceed. The man’s relationship with Yoshiko made any thorough questioning awkward. And Kobe’s presence at this first meeting between them was more than just embarrassing.

The figure who rose with a rattle of chains and stood, supporting himself against the wall, bore little resemblance to the sturdy young man at the mountain temple. Both his hair and beard had grown untended, he wore a ragged, stained shirt and loose cotton pants, and stood barefoot on the cold dirt floor of the cell. There was a smear of blood on his shoulder where the shirt had slipped, and more traces of bleeding on his chin from biting his lower lip.

Akitada had seen men look like this before—too many times—and he met the eyes of the prisoner. The eyes usually told the story. If they had that dull, hopeless look, a sign of having stopped fighting against a stronger force, one knew that the prisoner had told all he knew. He had come to wish for it as much as it sickened him, for it meant there would be no more beatings.

Kojiro did not have that look yet. He seemed both defiant and indifferent as he glanced from Kobe to Akitada. He frowned, then returned his attention to the superintendent. Apparently he did not remember their meeting. He neither bowed nor spoke, but an expectant silence hung heavy between them.

Akitada wondered what Yoshiko could have seen in this man. True, he was not at his best at the moment, but even cleaned up, he would only be an ordinary man of middling height, certainly shorter than either Akitada or Kobe, squarely built, with a face which was neither distinguished nor handsome. The cheekbones were broad, the nose flat, and the lips too wide and thick. He looked like what he was, a peasant. To be sure, he was not as blackened by the sun, nor as stringy and bent from labor in the rice paddies, but he certainly lacked every vestige of male grace as it was defined by people of Akitada’s rank. Akitada was not vain and thought poorly of his own appearance, but he had formed certain ideas about the sort of men women admired. Kojiro did not fit them.

It was Kobe who broke the silence first. “Well, Kojiro. I understand you continued your stubbornness during questioning yesterday.”

The prisoner did not answer, but he moved his shoulders slightly, as if he wanted to remind himself of the occasion. Akitada had seen the backs of “stubborn” prisoners and knew the man was in pain.

Kobe continued, “It was a waste of time, you know. We found out who the young lady was.”

Something flickered in Kojiro’s eyes, but he said nothing. He fears a trap, thought Akitada, mildly surprised that the peasant had attempted to protect Yoshiko’s honor with his own skin.

The prisoner finally opened his lips and croaked, “What do you want, Superintendent?”

Kobe grinned unpleasantly. “I? Nothing. I am here because this gentleman has some questions to put to you.”

The man turned to look at Akitada warily.

Akitada did not like the cat-and-mouse game. He said brusquely, “My name is Sugawara. Yoshiko has told me of her visits here.”

That brought a reaction. The prisoner jerked and his eyes grew large with shock. A slow flush rose from his neck into his face. He said hoarsely, “It was nothing. The young lady took pity and brought food a few times. A charitable act to please Buddha. If some people have chosen to put a dishonorable interpretation on her generous gesture, it only shames them. The guard can testify that nothing passed between us but a few rice cakes.”

“I am not here to discuss my sister’s visits, but to see if you can be helped in some way.”

A sudden wild and joyous hope flashed in the man’s eyes. “You mean to help us?”

Akitada snapped, “You make a mistake. If I have anything to say in the matter, you will never see my sister again. A union between your family and mine is, as you have been told before, out of the question.” He saw the light die in Kojiro’s eyes without regret. It was best to be brutally frank in such matters.

The prisoner said tonelessly, “I see. Or rather, I don’t see. Why bother to come, in that case?”

Akitada cleared his throat. “My interest in your case predates the recent revelations about your… acquaintance with my sister, as Superintendent Kobe will verify. In fact, we met once briefly at the temple gate. It was raining, and you were with your sister-in-law.”

Kojiro nodded. “Yes. I do remember now. However, that still does not explain your interest in me, my lord. It is, of course, very good of you, but I must beg you to leave the matter alone. Under the circumstances, you will find it only distasteful, and I have nothing to lose.” He turned away from them to face the wall. They could see the large dried bloodstains on the back of his shirt now.

Akitada bit his lip. If his sister had not meddled, this man might not have been tortured. He said, “My distaste extends only to injustice,” with a glance at Kobe, who pursed his lips and studied the ceiling of the cell. “I have been told that you confessed to the murder of your sister-in-law, but later withdrew that confession. Are you innocent?”

Without turning around, the prisoner said, “Guilt or innocence, my lord, are relative terms. Of all the people I know, only one is truly innocent, your sister. The rest of us manage to gather enough sins of the flesh or against our fellow creatures to make suitable game for the demons of hell.”

Akitada stared at the bloodied, chained, sagging figure of the man. Where had a man of his class learned such language? And why was he so uncooperative when his life was at stake? Instead of eagerly accepting the proffered help, he had made Akitada uncomfortably aware of his own shortcomings, and—in view of recent events—of those of his parents. He thought fleetingly about their sins and their likely fate at the hands of the mighty judge of the dead. Noami’s hell screen depicted vividly the punishments in the netherworld, and he recalled his nightmare in the temple. The chained and bloodstained Kojiro looked little better than Noami’s persecuted souls in the hell of the sharp knives. The human world also had its demons.

Struggling for control, and for patience with this obstinate man, he said, “I was there that night, though I did not stay in the visitors’ quarters. I heard a woman scream. I am not convinced that you killed Mrs. Nagaoka. If you will allow me, I shall do my best to find out what really happened. I am afraid the evidence against you is too strong to clear you of the crime, but perhaps we may find the real killer.”

Kojiro turned around. He looked at Akitada and then at Kobe. To Kobe he said, “Have you changed your mind also, Superintendent?”

Kobe shook his head. “Not at all. But I am a fair man.”

Kojiro turned back to Akitada. “I cannot fathom your motives for wishing to clear me, but I am prepared to do what I can. Mind you, I still do not care what happens to me, but she would wish me to. She hoped once that you would take my case. For her sake, I shall tell you what I remember and answer all your questions, but do not expect much. There was a time when I thought I was guilty.”

Akitada was irritated by the renewed reference to Yoshiko but decided to overlook it. “Begin by telling me about your relationship with your sister-in-law.”

“My brother met his wife on one of his periodic buying trips in the country. Nobuko was the daughter of a retired academician with a small country estate. She was younger than my brother, but eager to find a husband of suitable background and income.” Kojiro grimaced slightly. “Some young women,” he said, “seem to wish for a life of luxury, and the trade may, after all, be a fair one. My brother was middle-aged and, no doubt, rather dull company for a pretty and lively young woman. But he had two advantages. He had money and he resided in the capital. Her father’s motive was more complicated, I think. Professor Yasaburo is an educated man who struggled to make ends meet and could not afford to pay for a dower for his daughter. No doubt he wished to provide for his only child. In any case, she came to my brother’s house and I acquired a sister-in-law. I liked Nobuko very much at first. She was close to my age and talented in music. On my visits, we used to play the lute and sing songs together while my brother watched and listened.” A sadness passed over Kojiro’s face. “My brother was deeply attached to Nobuko. He could not take his eyes off her, and I was glad. But this soon changed.” The prisoner moved uncomfortably and sighed.

They were all uncomfortable standing there on that filthy, cold floor, thought Akitada, but Kojiro, chained and in pain, was much the worse off. Still, there was nothing to be done about it. To hurry the tale along, Akitada urged, “What changed?”

Kojiro said bleakly, “One day my sister-in-law asked me to make love to her. She claimed that my brother could no longer … satisfy her and that she could not sleep for love of me. I was appalled and immediately left my brother’s house. From then on I stayed away as much as I could, but my brother would send for me. I could not tell him what had happened.”

“You never acceded to her wishes?”

“Never. I detested that woman from the moment she offered to betray my brother.” Kojiro’s hard stare dared Akitada to doubt it. “I avoided her like the smallpox.”

“Hah!” Kobe interrupted suddenly. “That is part of the string of lies you told us. If you had been avoiding her so much, why did you go off with her on trips around the countryside, eh? And without a maid or chaperone? I tell you what you really did: You seduced your brother’s wife and when diddling her got a bit difficult in his house, you took her on little excursions. You intended to take your sexual pleasures at the temple. The night of her death, you both got drunk, and you killed her. Maybe it was an accident, or maybe she refused you. When you saw what you had done, you panicked and slashed her face, so she wouldn’t be recognized and you could get away. But you didn’t make it. The wine proved stronger.”

Kojiro gave Kobe a contemptuous glance. “No,” he said. “I have done nothing but think about that night. I do not know how I got into her room, but I did not drink anything but tea at the temple, and I certainly had no desire to make love to my brother’s wife. I went on the trip because my brother asked me to accompany her, and I could not refuse without telling him why. Her maid did not come with us because she was violently ill the day we left. Nobuko insisted on going, and my brother supported her. He will confirm this.”

Kobe said, “Oh, he did. But then, he has done his best to cover for his little brother all along.”

Kojiro glared at Kobe, and Akitada said quickly, “I have been told by your brother that you used to drink too much. In fact, he said you had prior episodes of forgetting where you had been and what you had done. Is it not likely that this happened again?”

“I don’t deny that I used to drink. Wine has always affected me worse than other men, and there was a time in my life when I welcomed oblivion for a few hours. However, by the time my brother married, I had stopped.” He paused. “I repeat, I did not drink at the temple. At least, I did not do so knowingly. It would have been difficult in any case, because I did not bring wine with me, and the monks, of course, do not serve wine.”

“Yes. I had thought of that.” Akitada nodded, exchanging a look with Kobe, who merely raised an eyebrow quizzically, as if to say, Believe what you like! “Did you spend any time with Mrs. Nagaoka after you had been shown to your rooms?”

“No!” The denial was emphatic and bitter. “I stayed in my own room, except for a brief visit to the bath. When I returned, I had a cup of tea and immediately went to bed. I was very tired. And that is the last thing I remember.”

“Tea?” asked Akitada surprised. “I thought the monks served only water.”

“There was tea in a pot on a small brazier when I returned from my bath. I do not like tea, and this tasted very bitter, but I was thirsty and the water had been removed.”

Akitada exchanged another glance with Kobe, who frowned.

“You said that you remember nothing after you went to sleep in your own room. Did you have any dreams?”

Kojiro looked startled. “No,” he said, “but when I woke up I felt exactly the way I did after a night of drinking. My head was pounding, I was nauseated, and my sight was blurred. And I could hardly speak. It was as if my tongue had turned into a heavy rock, and my mouth was full of sand. They told you, no doubt, that I reeked of wine and that an empty wine pitcher was next to me. I can only theorize that I was knocked out and the wine poured over me.”

Kobe snorted. “We checked your head. Nobody knocked you out.

“Hmm!” Akitada stared at the prisoner thoughtfully. “Do you have any ideas who could have killed your sister-in-law and set you up as the killer?”

Kojiro’s face lengthened. He shook his head. “No, my lord, I do not. No one knew us there. Only the gatekeeper saw us arrive together. And he was an old man and a monk. You saw him yourself.” He sagged against the wall, his face suddenly drawn and very white. “I warned you,” he said tiredly. “I know of nothing that might help my case.”

“You do not suspect your brother of the murder?”

The prisoner came upright with a jerk and a rattle of chains. “What do you mean?” he cried, his eyes suddenly blazing. “My brother was not there. And he loved her to the point of madness. He would never have laid a hand on her… or implicated me! If you plan to shift the blame to my brother, I want none of your help. I will confess to the crime myself before I’ll allow that to happen.”

Kobe suddenly looked like the cat who caught the fish. “Well, Sugawara?” he asked. “Are you finished?”

Akitada nodded. To Kojiro he said, “I shall try to find out the truth. If it falls on your brother, so be it. You have spent all your time here thinking about what happened that night at the temple. I now want you to think about your sister-in-law. Anything you recall about her life before and after her marriage may be important. All her interests, her relationship with your brother and with anyone else in his house.”

Kojiro opened his mouth, but Akitada raised his hand. “No. Not now. Rest and take your time! I shall return … if the superintendent permits it.”

Kobe unlocked the cell door. “We shall see!” he said noncommittally.

Akitada nodded to the prisoner and turned to leave. Behind his back the chains rattled, then the hoarse voice said, “Thank you, my lord.”

Once they were away from the cells, Akitada confronted Kobe. “You heard him. He was drugged, of course. With that tea. I spoke to the monks who serve the visitors. They never provide anything but water.”

Kobe only grunted.

“Have you turned up anyone else who might have had a reason to kill Mrs. Nagaoka?”

“No one but her husband. By all accounts, she was a woman of few morals.”

“Yes. But I met Nagaoka. He was strangely unemotional about her death. His whole concern seemed to be for his brother. Perhaps he suspected an affair between them.”

Kobe cocked his head. “I’ve had the same thought just now. He was supposed to be besotted with her. But why defend his brother? Maybe he’s a good actor. Why don’t you look into it?”

Akitada thought of Nagaoka handling the mask the day he had visited. Could he have known the actors at the temple? Could he have paid some starving entertainer to murder his wife and make it look as though his brother had done it?

They parted at the gate. The weather was still depressing. Dense, low clouds and a leaden atmosphere hung over the city. Now and then a snowflake drifted down, settled on the mud of the roadway, and melted.

Akitada remembered miserably what awaited him at home.