Geoffrey had never spoken to her of her mother. He had never seemed to have the least interest in her identity. These "Jap women," as he called them, were never very real to him. She dreaded the possibility of revealing to him her secret, and then of receiving no response to her emotion. Also she had an instinctive reluctance to emphasise in Geoffrey's mind her kinship with these alien people. After dinner, when she had gone up to her room, Geoffrey was left alone with his cigar and his reflection. "Funny that she did not speak more about her father and mother. But I suppose they don't mean much to her, after all. And, by Jove, it's a good thing for me! I wouldn't like to have a wife who was all the time running home to her people, and comparing notes with her mother." Upstairs in her bedroom, Asako had unrolled the precious _obi_. An unmounted photograph came fluttering out of the parcel. It was a portrait of her father alone taken a short time before his death. At the back of the photograph was some Japanese writing. "Is Tanaka there?" Asako asked her maid Titine. Yes, of course, Tanaka was there, in the next room with his ear near the door. "Tanaka, what does this mean?" "Japanese poem," he said, "meaning very difficult: very many meanings: I think perhaps it means, having travelled all over the world, he feels very sad." "Yes, but word for word, Tanaka, what does it mean?" "This writing means, World is really not the same it says: all the world very many tell lies." "And this?" "This means, Travelling everywhere." "And this at the end?" "It means, Eveything always the same thing. Very bad translation I make. Very sad poem." "And this writing here?" "That is Japanese name--Fujinami Katsundo--and the date, twenty-fifth year of Meiji, twelfth month." Tanaka had turned over the photograph and was looking attentively at the portrait. "The honoured father of Ladyship, I think," he said. "Yes," said Asako. Then she thought she heard her husband's step away down the corridor. Hurriedly she thrust _obi_ and photograph into a drawer. Now, why did she do that? wondered Tanaka. CHAPTER XIV THE DWARF TREES _Iwa-yado ni Tateru maisu no ki, Na wo mireba, Mukashi no hito wo Ai-miru gotashi._ O pine-tree standing At the (side of) the stone house, When I look at you, It is like seeing face to face The men of old time.