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
that effect.
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