Page:Modern Japanese Stories.pdf/161

him. From time to time we startle the wild birds who are mating amidst the branches.

After we have walked along at a rapid pace for about half an hour, Frate suddenly comes to a halt. At the same moment I seem to hear the gurgling sound of running water. (This part of the country abounds in springs.) Jerking his ears irritably, Frate walks back a few yards, sniffs the ground once again and then sets off to the left. I am surprised to find how deep the forest is. I had never imagined that there were such vast thickets in this part of the country. From the look of it there must be almost 700 acres of woods. My dog’s peculiar behaviour and the endless forest combine to fill me with curiosity. After another half an hour or so of walking, Frate stops once again. He gives out a couple of staccato barks. Until this moment I had not noticed it, but now I see that a house is standing directly in front of me. There is something very strange about it. Why should anyone have a house in a place like this? For this is no ordinary charcoal shed such as one finds in the forests.

A quick glance tells me that there is nothing in the way of a garden; the house blends abruptly into the woods. ‘Blends’ is indeed the only word, for as I have said I came upon the house all of a sudden and could not catch a glimpse of it from the distance. The house has clearly been built in such a position that it can only be seen when one is standing directly before it. As I walk closer I see that it is quite a commonplace sort of house. At the same time, it is rather hard to put my finger on exactly what type of house it is. It has a thatched roof, but it is not like an ordinary farm house. The windows are all glazed in the Western style. Since I cannot see any entrance, I gather that we must be facing the back and the side. From where I stand I notice that the two side walls are half covered with ivy. This is the only embellishment to give the house any interest or character.

At first I thought it was a lodge, but it is too big for that and, besides, this wood does not seem large enough to require