Botchan (Master Darling) Part 14

Next day I impatiently glanced over the paper, the arrival of which I had been waiting with eagerness, but not a correction of the news or even a line of retraction could be found. I pressed the matter on Badger when I went to the school, and he said it might probably appear tomorrow. On that "tomorrow" a line of retraction was printed in tiny types. But the paper did not make any correction of the story. I called the attention of Badger to the fact, and he replied that that was about all that could be done under the circ.u.mstance. The princ.i.p.al, with the face like a badger and always swaggering, is surprisingly, wanting in influence. He has not even as much power as to bring down a country newspaper, which had printed a false story. I was so thoroughly indignant that I declared I would go alone to the office and see the editor-in-chief on the subject, but Badger said no.

"If you go there and have a blowup with the editor," he continued, "it would only mean of your being handed out worse stuff in the paper again.

Whatever is published in a paper, right or wrong, nothing can be done with it." And he wound up with a remark that sounded like a piece of sermon by a Buddhist bonze that "We must be contented by speedily despatching the matter from our minds and forgetting it."

If newspapers are of that character, it would be beneficial for us all to have them suspended,--the sooner the better. The similarity of the unpleasant sensation of being written-up in a paper and being bitten-down by a turtle became plain for the first time by the explanation of Badger.

About three days afterward, Porcupine came to me excited, and said that the time has now come, that he proposes to execute that thing we had planned out. Then I will do so, I said, and readily agreed to join him.

But Porcupine jerked his head, saying that I had better not. I asked him why, and he asked if I had been requested by the princ.i.p.al to tender my resignation. No, I said, and asked if he had. He told me that he was called by the princ.i.p.al who was very, very sorry for him but under the circ.u.mstance requested him to decide to resign.

"That isn't fair. Badger probably had been pounding his belly-drum too much and his stomach is upside down," I said, "you and I went to the celebration, looked at the glittering sword dance together, and jumped into the fight together to stop it. Wasn't it so? If he wants you to tender your resignation, he should be impartial and should have asked me to also. What makes everything in the country school so dull-head. This is irritating!"

"That's wire-pulling by Red Shirt," he said. "I and Red Shirt cannot go along together, but they think you can be left as harmless."

"I wouldn't get along with that Red Shirt either. Consider me harmless, eh? They're getting too gay with me."

"You're so simple and straight that they think they can handle you in any old way."

"Worse still. I wouldn't get along with him, I tell you."

"Besides, since the departure of Koga, his successor has not arrived.

Furthermore, if they fire me and you together, there will be blank spots in the schedule hours at the school."

"Then they expect me to play their game. Darn the fellow! See if they can make me."

On going to the school next day I made straightway for the room of the princ.i.p.al and started firing;

"Why don't you ask me to put in my resignation?" I said.

"Eh?" Badger stared blankly.

"You requested Hotta to resign, but not me. Is that right?"

"That is on account of the condition of the school......"

"That condition is wrong, I dare say. If I don't have to resign, there should be no necessity for Hotta to resign either."

"I can't offer a detailed explanation about that......as to Hotta, it cannot be helped if he goes...... ......we see no need of your resigning."

Indeed, he is a badger. He jabbers something, dodging the point, but appears complacent. So I had to say:

"Then, I will tender my resignation. You might have thought that I would remain peacefully while Mr. Hotta is forced to resign, but I cannot do it"

"That leaves us in a bad fix. If Hotta goes away and you follow him, we can't teach mathematics here."

"None of my business if you can't."

"Say, don't be so selfish. You ought to consider the condition of the school. Besides, if it is said that you resigned within one month of starting a new job, it would affect your record in the future. You should consider that point also."

"What do I care about my record. Obligation is more important than record."

"That's right. What you say is right, but be good enough to take our position into consideration. If you insist on resigning, then resign, but please stay until we get some one to take your place. At any rate, think the matter over once more, please."

The reason was so plain as to discourage any attempt to think it over, but as I took some pity on Badger whose face reddened or paled alternately as he spoke, I withdrew on the condition that I would think the matter over. I did not talk with Red Shirt. If I have to land him one, it was better, I thought, to have it bunched together and make it hot and strong.

I acquainted Porcupine with the details of my meeting with Badger. He said he had expected it to be about so, and added that the matter of resignation can be left alone without causing me any embarra.s.sment until the time comes. So I followed his advice. Porcupine appears somewhat smarter than I, and I have decided to accept whatever advices he may give.

Porcupine finally tendered his resignation, and having bidden farewell of all the fellow teachers, went down to Minato-ya on the beach. But he stealthily returned to the hot springs town, and having rented a front room upstairs of Masuya, started peeping through the hole he fingered out in the shoji. I am the only person who knows of this. If Red Shirt comes round, it would be night anyway, and as he is liable to be seen by students or some others during the early part in the evening, it would surely be after nine. For the first two nights, I was on the watch till about 11 o'clock, but no sight of Red Shirt was seen. On the third night, I kept peeping through from nine to ten thirty, but he did not come. Nothing made me feel more like a fool than returning to the boarding house at midnight after a fruitless watch. In four or five days, our old lady began worrying about me and advised me to quit night prowling,--being married. My night prowling is different from that kind of night prowling. Mine is that of administering a deserved chastis.e.m.e.nt. But then, when no encouragement is in sight after one week, it becomes tiresome. I am quick tempered, and get at it with all zeal when my interest is aroused, and would sit up all night to work it out, but I have never shone in endurance. However loyal a member of the heavenly-chastis.e.m.e.nt league I may be, I cannot escape monotony. On the sixth night I was a little tired, and on the seventh thought I would quit. Porcupine, however, stuck to it with bull-dog tenacity. From early in the evening up to past twelve, he would glue his eye to the shoji and keep steadily watching under the gas globe of Kadoya. He would surprise me, when I come into the room, with figures showing how many patrons there were to-day, how many stop-overs and how many women, etc. Red Shirt seems never to be coming, I said, and he would fold his arms, audibly sighing, "Well, he ought to." If Red Shirt would not come just for once, Porcupine would be deprived of the chance of handing out a deserved and just punishment.

I left my boarding house about 7 o'clock on the eighth night and after having enjoyed my bath, I bought eight raw eggs. This would counteract the attack of sweet potatoes by the old lady. I put the eggs into my right and left pockets, four in each, with the same old red towel hung over my shoulder, my hands inside my coat, went to Masuya. I opened the shoji of the room and Porcupine greeted me with his Idaten-like face suddenly radiant, saying:

"Say, there's hope! There's hope!" Up to last night, he had been downcast, and even I felt gloomy. But at his cheerful countenance, I too became cheerful, and before hearing anything, I cried, "Hooray! Hooray!"

"About half past seven this evening," he said, "that geisha named Kosuzu has gone into Kadoya."

"With Red Shirt?"

"No."

"That's no good then."

"There were two geishas......seems to me somewhat hopeful."

"How?"

"How? Why, the sly old fox is likely to send his girls ahead[Q], and sneak round behind later."

"That may be the case. About nine now, isn't it?"

"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."

"That's all right with the hotel; only I can't take my mind off the house."

"But you take some sleep in daytime."

"Yes, I take a nap, but it's nuisance because I can't go out."

"Heavenly chastis.e.m.e.nt is a hard job, I'm sure," I said. "If he gives us the slip after giving us such trouble, it would have been a thankless task."