April 8,1909

April 8

Even though two hours had passed after washing his face, any maid had not served his breakfast on the small low table to his room.

He clapped his hands to send for a maid.

About 8:00, he went out to buy a needle and thread for mending his clothes.

He didn’t buy them but bought a notebook for his diary, Japanese socks, underpants, rolled letter paper, and 2 flower pots of pansies.

He went to Kyosuke’s room with a pot of pansy.

They talked about a maid, Okiyo.
Okiyo started working here at the end of February.

She had a sexy body and healthy complexion.

Her thick eyebrows and a little square face showed her bold mind.

She was the prettiest among the 5 maids.

They said she’s 20 years old.

She worked hardest.

But she lay down just after 10:00 usually, without minding the other maids.

In the early days after her beginning to work here, she was trying to lure Kyosuke.

That was obstructed seriously by another maid, Otsune.

Then, Okiyo had changed her behavior toward Kyosuke. On the last day of the March, Kyosuke gave some money to Okiyo.

Kyosuke had never given any money to any maid.

It seemed Okiyo said to the other maids about that.

The next day, Otsune had changed her attitude.

Since April 1, 10 or so students of Kyoto University had come to the geshukuya and been staying in the room No.7 and No.8 between his room and Kyosuke’s.

The maids were very busy only for them.

Especially, Okiyo in charge of the third floor was working for these energetic young students almost from morning to midnight.

They called “Okiyo san, Okiyo san”, sometimes used obscene words and seemed to touch her body.

Almost all the students had left.

Two of them had still been staying.

One was in the room No.7. Another was in No.8.
He had stayed up late.

About 1:20, when he was keeping his mind in writing, he heard sounds of footsteps and short and hard breathing.

He pricked up his ears.

The breathing was hard like a storm in the midnight quiet air.
Suddenly, the shadow of an upswept hair woman had appeared quietly on the paper of the sliding door of his room’s entrance by the light of bulbs in the corridor.

He thought her hard breathing showed her hurrying up the stairs and her heart beating violently.
The Western style entrance door next to his room was opened quietly.

The woman had entered and closed it.
A faint voice.

She seemed to awake the sleeping man.

She opened the door again a little.

They seemed to de whispering.

Then she closed the door.

A clock struck 1:30 in a distant room and a rooster cried faintly.
It’s very difficult and took about 10 minutes for him to put off his Japanese jacket and socks without making any sound and lie down in the bedding.

The sound of quick, warm and irregular breathing was coming from the next room.
The clock struck 2:00.

After a while, he had slept.