II
It is one thing in Japan to make a bargain; it is another and far more difficult thing to secure its fulfilment. Though by no means infatuated with O Maru, Beauregard had been touched by her devotion and amused by her simplicity. What seemed to him certain was that he had merely to send word to Ishinomaki, and the faithful girl would fly to his side. But this showed his utter ignorance of Japanese character and methods of procedure. Before the two were reunited, an interchange of six letters and thirteen telegrams, spread over six weeks, taught him some useful lessons touching the unimportance of time and the futility of haste.
About ten days after our return to the capital, he wrote a long letter to the Asano-ya, in which he offered to take O Maru with him for two or three months if her uncle made no objection, and enclosed several yen for travelling expenses. Four days passed and brought no reply. Then he wired: "Have you received money? When are you coming?" and was somewhat pacified by the answer: "Money received; will come soon." His knowledge of the language was not then fixed, or he would have found little consolation in the treacherous words, sono uchi, soon. Another
