back his maces and bells with a confession of failure. How he ruffles back his hair and scratches his head with many a yawn he lays himself down to sleep!"
Visit of the Empress to a Court Noble
"When the Empress visited the Daishin Narimasa, her carriage went in by the East Gate, which is wide with four pillars. Her women, however, preferred to have their carriages go round to the North Gate, where there were no guards. Some who had not done up their hair thought to themselves with some disdain, "Oh, we shall drive up to the door, so we need not be very particular." But the palm-leaf-covered carriages stuck fast in the narrow portal, and there was no possibility of getting in. So the usual path of matting was laid, and we were told to get down, to our no small annoyance and indignation. But there was no help for it. It was provoking to see the courtiers and servants standing together in the guard-room to watch us pass. When we came before her Majesty, and told her what had happened, she only laughed at us, saying, 'Is there nobody looking at you now? How can you be so untidy?' 'Yes,' replied I, 'but everybody here is used to us, and would be greatly surprised if we took special pains about our appearance. To think that a mansion like this should have a gate too small to admit a carriage! I shall have a good laugh at the Daishin when I meet him.' Presently he came in bringing the Empress's ink-stone and writing materials. 'This is too bad of you,' said I. 'How can you live in a house with such a narrow gate?' To which he replied with a smile, that his house was on a scale suited to his station. 'And
