Free To the Spring Equinox and Beyond by Natsume Sōseki

truth," Keitaro began, "I too visited your relative at Uchisaiwaicho today."
    "Oh, did you?" said Sunaga's mother, her face suggesting she was apologizing for having been so concerned about her son she had failed to pay attention to Keitaro's situation. She must have known perfectly well either by seeing it herself or hearing of it from her son that Keitaro had been desperately trying to find a job for some days past, that after several unsuccessful efforts he had asked Sunaga for an introduction, and that Sunaga had arranged an interview for him with his uncle at Uchisaiwaicho. She was probably thinking that with this knowledge about Keitaro's circumstances, a considerate person ought to have asked him about it before he had mentioned it himself.
    With this observation of her state of mind, Keitaro tried to make his words into an introduction of the entire course of events that had taken place. But the interjections she uttered every now and then—"That is certainly correct!" or "My, what an unfortunate occurrence!" —which could be interpreted as sympathetic to either party, caused him to omit from his narrative all the abusive language he had used in his fit of anger. After many a repetition of the word "Sorry," she said as if defending Taguchi, "He's truly an enormously busy man. So much so that even my sister, living under the same roof, is unlikely to have even a single day in the week to talk with him undisturbed. I can't stand by indifferently, so I often say to him, 'What good, Yosaku-san, is all the money you earn if you ruin your health by such hard labors! Relax a little. The condition of your body is everything, is it not?' And he replies, 'My thought exactly. But business comes to a boil so quickly that unless you ladle it out soon, it spoils. It can't be helped.' And so he laughs away my advice. But then he sometimes surprises his wife and daughters by saying, as if the idea had just struck him, 'I'm taking all of you to Kamakura. Go get ready.'"
    "He has daughters?"
    "Yes, two. And both at the marriageable age. Sooner or later the parents will have to find them husbands, either marrying them off or getting them husbands willing to take the girls' family name as their own."
    "Isn't one of them expected to become your son's wife?"
    For a moment words failed her. Keitaro realized he had gone too far in trying to satisfy his curiosity. He was wondering how he could change the subject when she said, "Well, I don't know. There are always the parents' feelings to consider. And I can't be certain of what's between the two persons in question unless I ask them. In such matters, however eagerly one may desire to do this or that, one can't bring about what one really wishes."
    At these significant words, Keitaro's curiosity, which had been receding, started to roll forward, but he checked its improper impetus.
    Sunaga's mother continued to defend Taguchi. Sometimes, due to being so busy, he might possibly have been unable to keep a promise in spite of his good intentions. But once he took something upon himself, he never let it drop. Whether by way of caution or comfort, she advised Keitaro to wait for Taguchi's return from his trip and to see him again when he could spare more time.
    "The uncle at Yarai, even when he's at home, won't see anyone, and there's nothing to be done about it. But the one at Uchisaiwaicho has such character that he'll run back home as soon as he has time for someone who has come during his absence. When he returns from his journey, I'm sure he'll say something to Ichizo, even without a word from us. You may depend upon that."
    Her words made Keitaro feel Taguchi must certainly be this kind of man. But he would show kindness only to those who behaved well, certainly not to someone who had gone off in a rage as he had that day. Because it was too late to confide this fact to her, Keitaro remained silent.
    "With that face of his," Sunaga's mother went on with a slight laugh to herself, "he's