12
Eminent Authors of Japan
- (The sound of the flute comes nearer. Okuni puts a Japanese towel on her head, and Gohei hangs his head, and continues to smoke. A komuso-priest enters from the left. He wears an overhanging sedge-hat, of peculiar shape, as worn only by a komuso-priest. He passes by, piping away on his shakuhachi-flute, and is passing off to the right.)
- Gohei.—Pray, stop, your reverence! … Holy priest, stop!
- (After hearing the second call from Gohei, the priest stops playing his flute, pauses, and without turning round he stops, with the flute still to his lips.)
- Holy priest, … may I ask you … (The priest removes the flute from his lips, and slowly turns toward the place where Okuni and Gohei are seated.)
- Are you not the one who came with us from Kumagaya in the Nakasendo road as far as Utsunomiya the other day? Sometimes you were in front of us, and sometimes we overtook you. Do you remember?
- Komuso.—(In a faint voice) Yes, I remember, indeed it was I.
- Gohei.—I was not mistaken then, … I have really nothing very important to ask you, but as chance has caused us to meet so often, and so strangely, I could not help but speak to you. May I ask where you are going?
- Komuso.—I have no particular destination …
- Gohei.—But, since you pass this way, you must surely
