OISHI. No, you are wrong. Though there might be a difference of not merely five hundred _koku_, but even of ten thousand, we would not object to taking for wife a great man’s daughter if only our hearts matched. TONASE. I should like to hear more of this, Mistress OISHI. You say, if your hearts matched. Whose hearts, pray, tell me? OISHI. My master Lord Enya Hangwan’s death was due, it is true, to his hasty temper; but it arose originally from his love of honesty. On the other hand, Master Honzo cajoled Moronao with bribe and receives the stipend of a fawning samurai. We cannot take for wife a woman who is an ill match for the beloved son of Yuranosuke who refuses to serve a second master. RECITATIVE. Instantly Tonase shuffles forward. TONASE. Whom do you mean by a fawning samurai? According to your answer, I may refuse to let it pass; but I will overlook it for the love of my daughter. It is the wife’s duty to submit to her husband. Whether the marriage ceremony has taken place or not, she is, since she has been betrothed to Rikiya, his wife in the eyes of all men. OISHI. Humph, that is interesting. If she is his wife, her husband divorces her; I divorce her in my son’s name. RECITATIVE. With these words she stands up and going out, shuts the sliding-door behind her. The daughter bursts out crying. KONAMI. I came here relying upon your promise to let me see Master Rikiya, to whom I was betrothed as we loved each other, and now his mother divorces me; but I have done nothing to deserve it. Please, plead for me, mother, and let the marriage ceremony take place. RECITATIVE. She clings to her mother and weeps; and the mother gazes long at her face. TONASE. It may be due to a parent’s partiality; but your beauty appears to me to be more than ordinary. We looked for a good husband for you and betrothed you to Rikiya; and now our journey has been in vain. I understand now. Being a _ronin_ with no one to turn to, Rikiya has, on the strength of his high birth, become the husband of a wealthy merchant’s daughter and lost all sense of duty and justice. Come, Konami. That fellow’s spirit is as I have just said. Since he has divorced you, you will find many a one anxious to marry you; and have you no wish to go elsewhere? This is a critical moment. Answer firmly without weeping. Come, what do you say? RECITATIVE. The mother’s nerves are tense as a bow.