"Say, where are you stopping? Yamashiro-ya? Well, I'll come and
talk it over."

So saying, Porcupine, chalk in hand, left the room to his class. That
was rather humiliating for a head-teacher to come over and see his
subordinate, but it was better than to call me over to him.

After leaving the school, I thought of returning straight to the hotel,
but as there was nothing to do, I decided to take in a little of the
town, and started walking about following my nose. I saw prefectural
building; it was an old structure of the last century. Also I saw the
barracks; they were less imposing than those of the Azabu Regiment,
Tokyo. I passed through the main street. The width of the street is
about one half that of Kagurazaka, and its aspect is inferior. What
about a castle-town of 250,000-koku Lord! Pity the fellows who get
swell-headed in such a place as a castle-town!

While I walked about musing like this, I found myself in front of
Yamashiro-ya. The town was much narrower than I had been led to believe.

"I think I have seen nearly all. Guess I'll return and eat." And I
entered the gate. The mistress of the hotel who was sitting at the
counter, jumped out of her place at my appearance and with "Are you
back, Sire!" scraped the floor with her forehead. When I took my shoes
off and stepped inside, the maid took me to an upstairs room that had
became vacant. It was a front room of 15 mats (about 90 square feet). I
had never before lived in so splendid a room as this. As it was quite
uncertain when I should again be able to occupy such a room in future, I
took off my European dress, and with only a single Japanese summer coat