steal money from his master’s shop.
Yoshisaburo, who noticed this, felt very sorry for Jita-ko, and instead of reproaching him, he gave him kindly advice every now and again. But still these petty thefts continued. At last, after putting up with his two apprentices’ misdeeds for a month longer, Yoshi was obliged to dismiss them from his shop.
After that, Yoshisaburo engaged two new apprentices. Kane-ko, the elder of the two, was a pale-faced and rather dull youth of twenty. The other was a boy of about twelve years of age named Kin-ko. The latter youth had a remarkably strange-shaped head which projected at the back.
During the busiest season, just before festival-time, the work in the shop progressed at a snail’s pace owing to the slowness of these two assistants, and it was quite natural that poor Yoshi was in an agony of anxiety. He eventually fell sick, and becoming rather feverish, had to confine himself to his bed.
One day, towards noon, the customers increased in number. The noisy opening and shutting of the sliding glass-door of the shop, and the creaking of the partly broken wooden clogs, which the slovenly Kin-ko walked about in, reduced to exasperation the already strained nerves of the sick barber.
Again the glass door clattered, and this time a maid-servant of some gentleman who lived near-by, entered the shop, and he heard her say to his assistants: “I’m from Mr. Yamada’s at Rindo-cho. My master is starting on a journey tomorrow morning, so will you
