Narrator: When he unfolds the paper and displays it
Kuheiji claps his hands in recollection.
Kuheiji: Yes, it’s my seal all right. Oh, Tokubei, I never thought that you would do such a thing, not even if you were starving and forced to eat dirt. Know then, that on the twenty-fifth of last month I lost a wallet containing my seal. I put up notices everywhere advertising for it, but without any success, so as of this month—as I’ve already informed these gentlemen—I changed my seal. Could I possibly have affixed my seal to a paper on the twenty-eighth when I lost it on the twenty-fifth? No—what happened was that you picked it up, wrote a promissory note, and then put my seal to it. And now you are trying to extort money from me. That makes you a worse criminal than a forger. You would do better, Tokubei, to commit out-and-out robbery. You deserve to have your head cut off, but for old times’ sake, I’ll forgive you. Now see if you can get any money out of this.
Narrator: He throws the note in Tokubei’s face
And glares at him in feigned innocence.
Tokubei is filled with rage and cries aloud.
Tokubei: You’ve been damned clever. You’ve put one over on me. Oh, what mortification! What am I to do? Am I supposed to let you get away shamelessly with my money? You’ve planned everything so cleverly that even if I go to court I’m sure to lose. I’ll take it back with my fists!
Look here! You’re dealing with Tokubei of the firm of Hirano, a man with a sense of honor. Do you get me? I’m not someone to cheat a friend out of his money. Come on, let’s have it out!
Narrator: He seizes hold of Kuheiji.
Kuheiji: You insolent little apprentice! I’ll knock that out of you.
Narrator: Kuheiji grabs him by the front of his kimono,
And they exchange some hard and heavy blows.
Ohatsu, barefoot, rushes up to them.
Ohatsu: I beg you everybody, help stop them! I think I know the men who are fighting. Where are my chair-bearers? Why doesn’t somebody stop them? Oh—it’s Tokubei!
