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will have a meaning for her existence, but how can the husband who is deprived of his wife by his children, and deprived of his children by his wife help but be desolated?" Tokio stared fixedly at the lamp.
Maupassant's Stronger than Death was open on his desk.
A couple of days later, when Tokio came home from his office at his regular hour and sat down in front of the hibachi, his wife said in a low voice, "He's here today."
"Who?"
"Upstairs....Yoshiko-san's sweetheart," his wife smiled.
"Is that so...."
"Today about one o'clock, some one came to our front door. When I went out I found a student who had a round face, wearing a haori with splashed patterns, and a white-striped hakama.[1] I thought that he might be another one of those students who come with their manuscripts, but he asked if Yoshiko-san was living here. I thought it strange, but when I asked for his name, he replied that his name was Tanaka. Then I realized he was Yoshiko-san's fiancé. He seemed an unpleasant person. I can't understand Yoshiko-san's whimsical mind selecting such a student for her fiancé, when there are so many nice men around. He's hopeless."
"Then, what happened?"
"Although Yoshiko-san was delighted, she seemed to be embarrassed. When I brought up tea for them, Yoshiko-san was sitting in front of her desk. He was facing her. They abruptly stopped talking when they saw me. I thought it strange, and at once came downstairs. Isn't it strange? How can young people do such things nowadays! In
- ↑ Divided skirt for men's formal wear.
