All the party devoted to the son of Taiko-Sama were assembled there. Fide-Yori wore for the first time, that warlike and royal costume which he alone had the right to assume. The cuirass of black horn girt his body, and heavy skirts, made of a series of plates fastened together by stitches of red silk, fell over a pair of loose trousers confined from the ankle to the knee by velvet gaiters. He had a sword on his left side, and another on the right. Three golden stars glittered on his breast; his hand rested upon an iron wand. The young man was seated on a folding stool such as warriors use in their tents. On his right stood his mother, the beautiful Yodogimi, pale and nervous, but splendidly arrayed; on his left, the Prince of Mayada, who shared the regency with Hieyas; but being very old, and for some time past an invalid, this Prince held himself aloof from business matters. He however kept watch over Hieyas, and maintained the interests of Fide-Yori as far as possible. On one side were the princes of Satsuma, Satake, Arima, Aki, and Issida; on the other, the warriors,--General Sanada-Sayemon-Yoke-Moura at their head,--in battle array; Aroufza, Moto-Tsoumou, Harounaga, Moritzka, and a very beautiful and serious young man, named Signenari. All the Shogun's friends, in fact, and all the mortal enemies of the Regent were assembled; yet Nagato was absent. Hieyas cast a haughty glance around the assembly. "Here I am," he said, in a firm voice; "I am waiting. What are your wishes?" A profound silence was the only answer. Fide-Yori turned away his eyes from him in horror. At last the Prince of Mayada began to speak. "We wish nothing from you but justice," said he; "we would simply recall to you a fact which you seem to have forgotten,--that your term of regency as well as mine, expired some months since, Hieyas; and in your zeal for governing the empire you have not heeded this. The son of Taiko-Sama is now of a fit age to reign; your rule is therefore over. It only remains for you to lay down your powers at the master's feet, and render him an account of your conduct, as I shall render an account of my actions while he was under our tutelage." "You do not consider what you say," cried Hieyas, his face growing purple with rage; "you apparently mean to urge the country to its ruin!" "I have spoken gently," replied Mayada; "do not force me to assume a different tone." "You desire an inexperienced child," continued Hieyas, heedless of the interruption, "to wield the power before he has had any practice in the difficult profession of the head of a nation. It is as if you put a heavy porcelain vase into the hands of a new-born babe: he would let it fall to the ground, and the vase would break into a thousand bits." "You insult our Shogun!" exclaimed the Prince of Satake.