This Question Usually Had To Be Translated Into
Japanese, And The Usual Answer Was, "The Tokaido, The Nakasendo, To
Kiyoto, To Nikko," Naming The Beaten Tracks Of Countless Tourists.
Do You Know Anything Of Northern Japan And The Hokkaido?
"No,"
with a blank wondering look.
At this stage in every case Dr.
Hepburn compassionately stepped in as interpreter, for their stock
of English was exhausted. Three were regarded as promising. One
was a sprightly youth who came in a well-made European suit of
light-coloured tweed, a laid-down collar, a tie with a diamond (?)
pin, and a white shirt, so stiffly starched, that he could hardly
bend low enough for a bow even of European profundity. He wore a
gilt watch-chain with a locket, the corner of a very white cambric
pocket-handkerchief dangled from his breast pocket, and he held a
cane and a felt hat in his hand. He was a Japanese dandy of the
first water. I looked at him ruefully. To me starched collars are
to be an unknown luxury for the next three months. His fine
foreign clothes would enhance prices everywhere in the interior,
and besides that, I should feel a perpetual difficulty in asking
menial services from an exquisite. I was therefore quite relieved
when his English broke down at the second question.
The second was a most respectable-looking man of thirty-five in a
good Japanese dress. He was highly recommended, and his first
English words were promising, but he had been cook in the service
of a wealthy English official who travelled with a large retinue,
and sent servants on ahead to prepare the way. He knew really only
a few words of English, and his horror at finding that there was
"no master," and that there would be no woman-servant, was so
great, that I hardly know whether he rejected me or I him.
The third, sent by Mr. Wilkinson, wore a plain Japanese dress, and
had a frank, intelligent face. Though Dr. Hepburn spoke with him
in Japanese, he thought that he knew more English than the others,
and that what he knew would come out when he was less agitated. He
evidently understood what I said, and, though I had a suspicion
that he would turn out to be the "master," I thought him so
prepossessing that I nearly engaged him on the spot. None of the
others merit any remark.
However, when I had nearly made up my mind in his favour, a
creature appeared without any recommendation at all, except that
one of Dr. Hepburn's servants was acquainted with him. He is only
eighteen, but this is equivalent to twenty-three or twenty-four
with us, and only 4 feet 10 inches in height, but, though bandy-
legged, is well proportioned and strong-looking. He has a round
and singularly plain face, good teeth, much elongated eyes, and the
heavy droop of his eyelids almost caricatures the usual Japanese
peculiarity. He is the most stupid-looking Japanese that I have
seen, but, from a rapid, furtive glance in his eyes now and then, I
think that the stolidity is partly assumed.
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