everything. That was partiality; father was obstinate, but I am sure he
was not a man who would indulge in favoritism. To Kiyo, however, he
might have looked that way. There is no doubt that Kiyo was blind to the
extent of her undue indulgence with me. She was said to have come from a
well-to-do family, but the poor soul was uneducated, and it could not be
helped. All the same, you cannot tell how prejudice will drive one to
the extremes. Kiyo seemed quite sure that some day I would achieve high
position in society and become famous. Equally she was sure that my
brother, who was spending his hours studiously, was only good for his
white skin, and would stand no show in the future. Nothing can beat an
old woman for this sort of thing, I tell you. She firmly believed that
whoever she liked would become famous, while whoever she hated would
not. I did not have at that time any particular object in my life. But
the persistency with which Kiyo declared that I would be a great man
some day, made me speculate myself that after all I might become one.
How absurd it seems to me now when I recall those days. I asked her once
what kind of a man I should be, but she seemed to have formed no
concrete idea as to that; only she said that I was sure to live in a
house with grand entrance hall, and ride in a private rikisha.

And Kiyo seemed to have decided for herself to live with me when I
became independent and occupy my own house. "Please let me live with
you,"--she repeatedly asked of me. Feeling somewhat that I should
eventually be able to own a house, I answered her "Yes," as far as such
an answer went. This woman, by the way, was strongly imaginative. She
questioned me what place I liked,--Kojimachi-ku or Azabu-ku?--and
suggested that I should have a swing in our garden, that one room be
enough for European style, etc., planning everything to suit her own
fancy. I did not then care a straw for anything like a house; so neither
Japanese nor European style was much of use to me, and I told her to