Botchan · 十一 3

と赤シャツは依然として鄭寧な言葉を使ってる。顔の色は少々蒼い。 「取締上不都合だから、蕎麦屋や団子屋へさえはいってはいかんと、云うくらい謹直な人が、なぜ芸者といっしょに宿屋へとまり込んだ」野だは隙を見ては逃げ出そうとするからおれはすぐ前に立ち塞がって「べらんめえの坊っちゃんた何だ」と怒鳴り付けたら、「いえ君の事を云ったんじゃないんです、全くないんです」と鉄面皮に言訳がましい事をぬかした。おれはこの時気がついてみたら、両手で自分の袂を握ってる。追っかける時に袂の中の卵がぶらぶらして困るから、両手で握りながら来たのである。おれはいきなり袂へ手を入れて、玉子を二つ取り出して、やっと云いながら、野だの面へ擲きつけた。玉子がぐちゃりと割れて鼻の先から黄味がだらだら流れだした。野だはよっぽど仰天した者と見えて、わっと言いながら、尻持をついて、助けてくれと云った。おれは食うために玉子は買ったが、打つけるために袂へ入れてる訳ではない。ただ肝癪のあまりに、ついぶつけるともなしに打つけてしまったのだ。しかし野だが尻持を突いたところを見て始めて、おれの成功した事に気がついたから、こん畜生、こん畜生と云いながら残る六つを無茶苦茶に擲きつけたら、野だは顔中黄色になった。 　おれが玉子をたたきつけているうち、山嵐と赤シャツはまだ談判最中である。 「芸者をつれて僕が宿屋へ泊ったと云う証拠がありますか」 「宵に貴様のなじみの芸者が角屋へはいったのを見て云う事だ。胡魔化せるものか」 「胡魔化す必要はない。僕は吉川君と二人で泊ったのである。芸者が宵にはいろうが、はいるまいが、僕の知った事ではない」 「だまれ」と山嵐は拳骨を食わした。赤シャツはよろよろしたが「これは乱暴だ、狼藉である。理非を弁じないで腕力に訴えるのは無法だ」 「無法でたくさんだ」とまたぽかりと撲ぐる。「貴様のような奸物はなぐらなくっちゃ、答えないんだ」とぽかぽかなぐる。おれも同時に野だを散々に擲き据えた。しまいには二人とも杉の根方にうずくまって動けないのか、眼がちらちらするのか逃げようともしない。 「もうたくさんか、たくさんでなけりゃ、まだ撲ってやる」とぽかんぽかんと両人でなぐったら「もうたくさんだ」と云った。野だに「貴様もたくさんか」と聞いたら「無論たくさんだ」と答えた。 「貴様等は奸物だから、こうやって天誅を加えるんだ。これに懲りて以来つつしむがいい。いくら言葉巧みに弁解が立っても正義は許さんぞ」と山嵐が云ったら両人共だまっていた。ことによると口をきくのが退儀なのかも知れない。 「おれは逃げも隠れもせん。今夜五時までは浜の港屋に居る。用があるなら巡査なりなんなり、よこせ」と山嵐が云うから、おれも「おれも逃げも隠れもしないぞ。堀田と同じ所に待ってるから警察へ訴えたければ、勝手に訴えろ」と云って、二人してすたすたあるき出した。 　おれが下宿へ帰ったのは七時少し前である。部屋へはいるとすぐ荷作りを始めたら、婆さんが驚いて、どうおしるのぞなもしと聞いた。お婆さん、東京へ行って奥さんを連れてくるんだと答えて勘定を済まして、すぐ汽車へ乗って浜へ来て港屋へ着くと、山嵐は二階で寝ていた。おれは早速辞表を書こうと思ったが、何と書いていいか分らないから、私儀都合有之辞職の上東京へ帰り申候につき左様御承知被下度候以上とかいて校長宛にして郵便で出した。 　汽船は夜六時の出帆である。山嵐もおれも疲れて、ぐうぐう寝込んで眼が覚めたら、午後二時であった。下女に巡査は来ないかと聞いたら参りませんと答えた。「赤シャツも野だも訴えなかったなあ」と二人は大きに笑った。 　その夜おれと山嵐はこの不浄な地を離れた。船が岸を去れば去るほどいい心持ちがした。神戸から東京までは直行で新橋へ着いた時は、ようやく娑婆へ出たような気がした。山嵐とはすぐ分れたぎり今日まで逢う機会がない。 　清の事を話すのを忘れていた。――おれが東京へ着いて下宿へも行かず、革鞄を提げたまま、清や帰ったよと飛び込んだら、あら坊っちゃん、よくまあ、早く帰って来て下さったと涙をぽたぽたと落した。おれもあまり嬉しかったから、もう田舎へは行かない、東京で清とうちを持つんだと云った。 　その後ある人の周旋で街鉄の技手になった。月給は二十五円で、家賃は六円だ。清は玄関付きの家でなくっても至極満足の様子であったが気の毒な事に今年の二月肺炎に罹って死んでしまった。死ぬ前日おれを呼んで坊っちゃん後生だから清が死んだら、坊っちゃんのお寺へ埋めて下さい。お墓のなかで坊っちゃんの来るのを楽しみに待っておりますと云った。だから清の墓は小日向の養源寺にある。 （明治三十九年四月）

And Red Shirt was still using his calm, composed words. His face was somewhat pale. "If he's so strict that he says it's improper for supervision and you mustn't even step into a soba or dango shop, why did he hole up at an inn with a geisha?" Noda kept looking for a chance to escape, so I immediately blocked his path and shouted, "What's this 'beranmee young master' crap?" He brazenly offered some excuse, saying, "No, I wasn't talking about you, not at all." I noticed then that I was gripping my sleeve with both hands. When I chased after him, the eggs in my sleeve were swinging around annoyingly, so I'd come holding them with both hands. I suddenly plunged my hand into my sleeve, took out two eggs, and as I yelled, hurled them at Noda's face. The eggs splattered and cracked, and the yolk dripped down from the tip of his nose. Noda seemed utterly astonished; he cried out, dropped to his haunches, and said, "Help me!" I'd bought the eggs to eat, not to smash them into someone. It was just that in my rage, I ended up throwing them without thinking. But seeing Noda squatting on his haunches, I realized for the first time that I'd succeeded, so cursing "You bastard, you bastard," I wildly flung the remaining six at him, and Noda's face turned completely yellow.

While I was smashing eggs, Yamakaze and Red Shirt were still in the middle of their negotiation. "Do you have any proof that I stayed at an inn with a geisha?" "I'm saying it because I saw your regular geisha go into Kadoya at nightfall. You think you can fool me?" "There's no need to fool you. I stayed there with Mr. Yoshikawa, just the two of us. Whether a geisha goes in at night or not is none of my concern." "Shut up," Yamakaze said and socked him with a fist. Red Shirt staggered but said, "This is violence, an outrage. To resort to force without distinguishing right from wrong is lawless." "Enough of your lawlessness," Yamakaze hit him again with a thud. "Scum like you won't answer unless you're beaten," he said, hitting him repeatedly. At the same time, I thoroughly pelted Noda. In the end, both of them crouched by the cedar roots, unable to move, or maybe their eyes were spinning—they didn't even try to flee. "Had enough, or should I keep hitting?" Yamakaze and I thudded them both and they said, "We've had enough." I asked Noda, "Have you had enough too?" and he answered, "Of course I have." "You two are scoundrels, so we're meting out heavenly punishment like this. Learn from this and behave from now on. No matter how cleverly you talk your way out, justice won't permit it," Yamakaze said, and both fell silent. Perhaps they were too weary to speak. "I won't run or hide. I'll be at Minato-ya by the beach until five o'clock tonight. If you've got business, send a policeman or whoever," Yamakaze said, so I also said, "I won't run or hide either. I'll be waiting at the same place as Hotta, so if you want to file a complaint with the police, go right ahead," and the two of us strode off.

I got back to my lodgings a little before seven. As soon as I entered the room, I started packing, and the old woman was shocked and asked what on earth was going on. "Old lady, I'm going to Tokyo to bring my wife back," I answered, settled the bill, and immediately caught the train to the coast; when I arrived at Minato-ya, Yamakaze was asleep upstairs. I meant to write my resignation right away, but not knowing what to write, I penned: 'I, for personal reasons, hereby resign and return to Tokyo; kindly take note accordingly,' addressed it to the principal, and mailed it.

The steamer departed at six in the evening. Both Yamakaze and I were exhausted and slept soundly; when we woke up, it was two in the afternoon. I asked the maid if any policemen had come, and she said no. "So Red Shirt and Noda didn't file complaints after all," and the two of us laughed heartily.

That night, Yamakaze and I left this impure land. The further the ship drew from shore, the better I felt. From Kobe straight to Tokyo, and when we arrived at Shinbashi, I felt at last like I'd returned to the human world. Yamakaze and I parted right then and haven't met since.

I forgot to tell about Kiyo. — When I arrived in Tokyo, without even going to my lodgings, carrying my leather bag, I burst in crying, "Kiyo, I'm home!" and she plopped tears down, saying, "Oh, young master, oh, how wonderful you've come back so soon." I was so happy that I said I'd never go to the countryside again, that I'd set up a home in Tokyo with Kiyo.

After that, through someone's arrangement, I became an engineer at the streetcar company. My salary is twenty-five yen, and rent is six. Kiyo seemed perfectly satisfied even without a house with a proper entrance, but sadly, this February she caught pneumonia and died. The day before she died, she called me and said, "Young master, for pity's sake, when Kiyo dies, please bury her at your temple. In the grave, I'll happily wait for young master to come." So Kiyo's grave is at Yogen-ji in Kohinata.

(April 1906)