GOEMON. By your kindness everything has now been arranged; and Yuranosuke should himself have come to thank you; but as he intends to start for Kamakura to-day or to-morrow, he is very busy and has sent in his stead his son Rikiya to apologise for his discourtesy. GIHEI. That is very good of you. If you are to start so suddenly, you must be very busy with one thing or another. RIKIYA. Yes, as Master Goemon has said, we shall start early to-morrow morning; and as my father is very busy, he has told me to take the liberty to thank you myself and to ask if the remaining boxes we asked you for have all been shipped to-night. GIHEI. Yes, the weapons you ordered have been sent one after another by sea; the gauntlets, leggings, and smaller weapons have been put in a long box; and seven boxes in all were delivered to a skipper who luckily sails this evening. There remain dark-lanterns and chain head-bands, and I intend to send them later by land. RIKIYA. Do you hear that, Master Goemon? We are greatly beholden to him. GOEMON. Yes, Master Yura saw that though there are many merchants who received favours from our Lord Enya, Amakawaya Gihei is the only one who possesses a manly spirit which even samurai cannot surpass, and it was natural that he should have entrusted to him this great task. But, setting aside swords and spears, coats of mail and rope-ladders are unusual articles. Did you not arouse any suspicion when you bought them? GIHEI. No, when I ordered them, I gave the makers earnest-money without telling them my address; and when they were made, I paid the money down and took them, so that they do not know who their customer is. RIKIYA. Indeed, that is true. Now I should like, too, to ask you. When you brought home the weapons and packed them, how did you evade the notice of your servants? GIHEI. Oh, that, too, is a natural question. When this task was entrusted to me, I sent my wife back to her father, all my servants I discharged on one pretext or another, and now only remain a fool and my son who is four years old. There is no danger of the plot being discovered. RIKIYA. You really astonish me. I will tell my father and he will feel relieved. Master Goemon, shall we not take leave? GOEMON. Yes, we are impatient to start. Master Gihei, we take our leave. GIHEI. Then, please, present to Master Yuranosuke........ GOEMON. Your compliments. With pleasure. Now, farewell. GIHEI. Farewell. RECITATIVE. They part, and the two men return to their inn. Just as Gihei is about to shut the front-door, his father-in-law, Ota Ryochiku, pushes himself in. RYOCHIKU. No, you don’t shut it in my face. Are you in? RECITATIVE. He walks straight in and looks about him restlessly. GIHEI. You are welcome, father. I sent you the other day my wife for her health; and I am afraid she is a trouble to you. Does she take medicine? RYOCHIKU. Yes, she takes medicine and she takes food, too. GIHEI. That is excellent.