この
茶の間では
「
「わたし、いやよ」
「どうして」と細君は
「どうしてでも」と雪江さんはやにすました顔を
「あら
「でも、わたし、いやなんですもの」と読売新聞の上から
「ちっとも
Young master Buemon, who up until now had been listening with silent envy to Kangetsu's talk on the tiger, is seemingly pulled back to reality by the master's "We'll have to see." "I'm worried to death, sir. What can I do?" Kangetsu casts a quizzical look at Buemon's oversized head. As for me, having seen enough here I excuse myself and make my way to the living room.
In the living room, the wife is grinning from ear to ear as she fills a Kyō-yaki teacup to the brim with coarse tea and lifts it onto an antimony saucer.
"Yukie dear, if I can impose once more, please take this in."
"I'd really rather not."
"What's that?" The wife is somewhat taken aback. The grin fades from her face.
"I'd just rather not." Yukie tightens her face, leans over the Yomiuri newspaper spread at her side, and casts her eyes onto the print. The wife attempts to re-engage her.
"I don't understand. It's just Kangetsu. No need for formality."
"I know that, but I'd still rather not." She keeps her eyes fixed on the paper. She's not, in fact, taking in the text, but if confronted with such she'll only burst out bawling again.
"There's no reason to be bashful." Taking a gentler tact, the wife pushes the teacup onto the paper with a smile. "Stop already." Yukie reacts by pulling at the paper. In the process, she overturns the cup, sending tea across the paper and down into the seams of the tatami. "Look now," the wife scolds. "Oh no," Yukie exclaims as she dashes into the kitchen, no doubt after a rag. I find this little episode telling.