life's fire came, some days, to the high hill of the cherry-blossoms. He spoke often and of many things. He spoke to people—to my mother and to my father, and to others. And rarely he spoke to me. Rarely he looked at me. He had been in the great world. He knew wonderful women and wonderful men. He had been touched with all things.
"What a human being was he!
"And of all things in Japan, what a thing it is to fall in love!
"When three days had gone my heart knew rapture beyond any that it had dreamed. It knew the mysteries and the fullnesses.
"After three days the world turned to that divine white, and was white for seven days.
"And afterward all was heavy gray.
"The one from the north country returned back to the north country.
