Twelve

One night Suezō returned from Muenzaka to find that his wife, Otsune, had put the children to bed but was still up herself. Generally when she put the children to bed she lay down on her pallet beside them. Tonight, however, she sat staring at the floor and, though well aware when Suezo crawled in under the mosquito net, made no move to look up. Suezō’s pallet was laid far over by the wall, separated a little from the other pallets. By the pillow was a mat, along with his smoking tray and tea things. He sat down, lit a