BOTCHAN
“About twelve minutes past nine,” said he, pulling out a watch with a nickel case, “and, say put out the light. It would be funny to have two silhouettes of bonze heads on the shoji. The fox is too ready to suspect.”
I blew out the lamp which stood upon the lacquer-enameled table. The shoji alone was dimly plain by the star light. The moon has not come up yet. I and Porcupine put our faces close to the shoji, watching almost breathless. A wall clock somewhere rang half past nine.
“Say, will he come to-night, do you think? If he doesn’t show up, I quit.”
“I’m going to keep this up while my money lasts.”
“Money? How much have you?”
“I’ve paid five yen and sixty sen up to to-day for eight days. I pay my bill every night, so I can jump out anytime.”
“That’s well arranged. The people of this hotel must have been rather put out, I suppose.”
–260–
