the black bow of the tenyo maru cut into the broad ribbon of moonlight stretching, interminably, straight into the vast spaces of the opalescent night. somewhere ahead, bathed in that same pale illumination, invisible, lay japan.
arms folded over the rail, hugh kent looked forward into the opaque dimness. from the main deck below the plaint of a bamboo flute came softly up to him. the following wind brought stray bits of the dance music from astern where the cabin passengers were enjoying their last night at sea. ahead the orient, dim, mysterious, indefinitely veiled as the flute notes—behind him the virile, strident, restless clamor of the west; ever approaching, the two, east and west, seeking to blend, even partly blending, yet each as yet too strongly individual, mutually strange, to combine in full harmony.
the vastness of space, vagueness of translucent darkness, shimmer of niveous sparkle of foam cascaded before the tall prow and glimmer of phosphorescence flickering in the dark water below, all induced to introspection, reflection, vague wonder as to what lay before him, what new revelations would life in japan bring to him.
it had surely changed vastly in the score of years which had passed since he had left it, at fifteen. he[pg 4] would find much that he knew though, would enjoy recapturing fluency in the speech which he had prattled expertly as a toddler in amah's care and as a boy in the streets and gardens of kyoto. it would be a new, a more sophisticated japan that he would see, spoiled without doubt; still how he had longed for years to return, to rediscover.
a shadow fell over his thoughts. how he had cherished that dream, a few years ago, during the first years of their marriage, to go there with isabel. how they had both looked forward to it, to the time when he should attain a post as correspondent at tokyo for one of the great dailies, to which his knowledge of the language gave him good reason to aspire. even after the first years of marriage had passed, when in time they had gradually drifted apart, had become almost indifferent, he had hoped that when japan should provide a new scene for their lives, it might be possible to revive interest, to make a new start. he had felt that it contained some vague potentiality of that sort, and when the offer came from the san francisco herald to be its tokyo correspondent, he had felt certain that the opportunity had come for them, that she would appreciate it as well as he. for that reason he had said nothing to her about it until every arrangement had been made, the contract signed, that he might carry the glad tidings to her, complete, that the realization of all that this meant to them might sweep her off her feet and envelop her, as it had him. and then the shock of her absolute coldness, when he had brought his surprise to her; her absolute refusal to go to japan. it had thrown him off his feet, confused him, so that when she reproached him with secrecy, with having taken this important step without even consulting her, trying to learn her wishes, he had been able to explain only confusedly how with[pg 5] the very best intentions he had meant to give her a splendid surprise; how, in fact, he had had to restrain himself from telling her when the first inkling of the great news came, just in order that he might make the marvel of the revelation more complete. as he had tried to justify himself, to explain, to convince her, her indifference had baffled him—surely, commonplace and torpid as their relations had become, he had never felt towards her the indifference which she apparently felt towards him. and this had been followed by her absolute refusal to go with him, accompanied by her statement that she did not object to his going, that, in fact, she could understand that he must not lose the great opportunity, that it really might be for the best for both of them to live apart for some time, for some years—she had veiled her speech in obscure indefiniteness, giving him, suddenly, the impression that she expected that they would never come together again.
it had been borne in on him that in her heart she welcomed this as an opportunity to end, through propitious circumstance, a relationship which had become apathetic, a marriage which had failed. he could understand her feeling—the thought was not unfamiliar to him—but she had evidently progressed much farther than had he on the road of indifference. further conversations had brought the same result. she had resolutely refused to place credence in his belief that life in a new country might revive affection. she was not romantic, she had said, and it was plain that separation would cause neither of them to suffer. he had felt that had she given him but a little encouragement, the slightest sympathy, he might ardently have swept her over to his belief that here lay a chance for renewal of the affection of the first years; but her indifference had chilled him.
so they had parted, phlegmatically. now he felt certain that this episode had come to an end. he had tried marriage, and it had been a failure. and such a stupid failure. there had been no other woman, and, he felt sure, no other man. it had failed simply through inanition. still, it might have been worse. at least, there was no heartbreak, no anguish. he had tried the marriage experiment. probably he would never have been content until he had tried it. now, he had found that it did not work; yet he was not much the worse. he enjoyed the company of women only in the manner of a mild stimulant. thus he would live henceforth. he would have his new work to occupy him, and curiosity to lift the curtain veiling the mystery of marriage would not affect him. like men who regard lack of desire for liquor as an asset, thus he felt that his freedom from relation to, from craving for woman would be an advantage. it would make for a peaceful and well-ordered life.
his thoughts lost themselves in indefiniteness, a pleasant nirvana of emptiness which resented the sound of footsteps approaching along the deck behind him. he turned, annoyed. still, it was not so bad. he would rather have it be lüttich than any of the others. the russian had a fortunate faculty of sympathetic adjustment, of ever being able to attune himself to one's mood of the moment, serious, gay, reflective. and he admired his talents, the facility with which he spoke french, german, english, even japanese, his easy mastery of the violin, and, above all, his unobtrusive friendliness. he felt for him, also, sympathy for his misfortunes and admiration for the careless manner in which he had adapted himself to new circumstances. hardships as an officer during the war, imprisonment, escape through siberia, and, finally, adjustment to a fairly precarious existence as a teacher[pg 7] of languages and the violin to japanese, had caused no bitterness. "you never know what it is to be free from care until you have lost everything," he had explained to hugh. "nichivo!"
lüttich pointed out into the night before them. "to-morrow, japan. what will it bring?"
hugh smiled. "something like that. one dreams, reflects, speculates at the future."
the russian snapped his fingers. "unprofitable. if the dreams are pleasant, disappointment and disillusionment follow. if they are unpleasant, why, they are not worth having. the true philosophy lies in gathering the fullest measure of the pleasures of the moment. this is the last night on board, remember. they are short of men, as usual. come on. join the dance, and have a drink with me, auf wiedersehen in japan."
they walked aft together, where the ship's orchestra played to the couples dancing in the obscure half-light of the moon and the japanese lanterns strung crisscross in wavy lines. along the wall of the deckhouse tables and chairs had been set close together so as to give room for the dancers. they sat down and had their drink. hugh was still half immersed in reverie, but the russian was active, febrile. presently he joined the dancers. hugh watched the scene languidly. he could always find enjoyment, food for idle speculation in the odd assortment of passengers, international, americans and japanese predominating; some falling into easily defined classes, missionaries, business men, tourists; others more definitely characteristic, individualistic; some particularly interesting in their baffling of curiosity, about whom ship's gossip had contrived fanciful fables.
at the table next to him sat baron saiki, returning after years of service at the japanese embassy at[pg 8] washington, man of the world, polyglot, marvelously well informed in international politics, a striking contrast to his wife, who spoke little and who appeared to have retained, in spite of years of residence abroad, the self-effacement of japanese women. another contrast, again, was young miss suzuki, who sat with them, college educated in america, stylish, with even a french-like chic, in her fashionable gown and cleverly arranged hair. farther over was miss wilson, an american stenographer returning to yokohama, after a vacation in california, with miss elliott, who had lived long in japan where she was beginning to make a success with her painting, water colors following largely the manner of the japanese color prints, but combining therewith a hint of maxfield parrish, with intense blues and deft arrangement of light and shadow contrast, which she cleverly contrived to work out into a style quite peculiarly her own. she was one of the passengers whom hugh hoped he would meet again in his life in japan.
still farther over was a group of tourists, guidebooks on the table before them, arranging the itinerary for a breathless chase through the most conspicuous marvels of japan. then a table with a couple of girls with bobbed hair, and a youth on his way to shanghai. farther over were others whose faces were half effaced in the shadows. the approach to land caused general animation. the dancers swung and gyrated to the rhythm of jazz. good-bys were said and promises to meet in japan made as drinks more numerous than usual marked the last night at sea.
"are you glad to come back to japan?"
it was miss suzuki who had turned to him. she spoke in japanese. he had often practiced speaking the language with her, rejoicing at the facility with which he was regaining the once familiar tongue.
[pg 9]
"of course, though to me it will be like a new country," he answered. "but i know that you must certainly be happy to return."
he was surprised to see the wistful expression which came over her face. "i don't know." she spoke in english. he had noticed that she found greater facility therein than in japanese. "i don't know. i was only eight when i left japan. i am afraid i have become too foreign in my ways and my mind, and my parents are such old-fashioned japanese. it may be very difficult; i am really quite afraid."
the orchestra crashed into a new dance. from the dimness beyond the lanterns the ship's adonis strode into the light, a young fellow on his way to tokyo as a student interpreter. he walked towards miss wilson. hugh saw her straighten expectantly, eyes meeting the boy. but adonis' roving eye had perceived miss kanae, a japanese girl who with her parents had joined the ship at honolulu. he changed direction, bowed, smiled, and the two glided in among the dancing couples.
miss wilson flushed angrily. her glance swept away, encountered his for a moment, took in his companion with obvious disapproval.
"i don't see how a white man can bring himself to dance with one of these."
it was said loudly enough to carry across the tables. evidently intentionally, with a desire to wound. hugh saw the baron wince almost imperceptibly. he knew that the girl at his side must have heard. the orchestra fiddled on to a crashing finish. the dancers called for an encore. the violins struck up again. hugh turned to her.
"i wish you would let me have this dance, miss suzuki?"
he saw her flush. "i think i would rather not. i did not think you danced. i have not seen you dance at all."
"i have not." he did not care greatly for dancing. "but this is the last night, you know. surely you will not deny me this one dance at parting."
she hesitated. he bowed ceremoniously. she arose slowly, and he led her out among the dancers. he was pleased to find how lightly she danced, elfin-like fine and graceful movements following his. the glare of miss wilson's eyes directly into his as they passed her gave him grim satisfaction. he knew that she knew what was in his mind. she would be implacable. how easy it was to make enemies in this world. he danced mechanically. the thought spoiled his enjoyment. then his mind reverted to his partner. she was smiling up to him. what a shame it was to wound wantonly such a dainty child, for, after all, that was all she was.
"we shall dance often like this, in japan, shall we not?"
"i don't know." her smile became a little dubious. "i hope so. we shall see."
he made up his mind that he must try to come into touch with her in tokyo. the music ceased. he led her back to her seat. the baron smiled. "you will have a drink with me before we go below, mr. kent. it is getting late, but we shall have our nightcap." they drank slowly. "i hope to see you in tokyo," said the baron. "your business will take you to the foreign office very often, i know. i expect to be in japan for a while. look me up there. i may be of some use to you. good night."
after all, how easy it was to make friends, also.
they arose. the baroness bowed to him silently. the girl gave him her hand. "good night. arigato de gozaimazu." she smiled to him and followed the[pg 11] others before he could collect himself to reply. she was a charming child. he hoped that he would come to know her better, in japan.
the russian came up to him. "good boy." he patted him on the shoulder. so others had noticed. he looked over for the wilson girl, but she had disappeared. miss elliott caught his glance, beckoned him over.
"you throw yourself into the battle quickly, even before you have reached japan," she smiled. "you have chosen your side early. it may not be entirely wise, but i liked it. thank you."
it embarrassed him. "but surely it was the only thing to do, you know. she heard it. it was so unexpected, so utterly undeserved."
"i know. still, you will see much of just that kind of thing in japan. i feel sorry for that poor girl. she will have a hard time, and she suspects it. you know, she went to america when she was only eight years old, was adopted by her uncle and aunt. they sent her to college. she has been thoroughly foreignized. now they have both died and she is going back to her own family. i know of them. her brothers have both been abroad and have the foreign manner, but they are japanese. she is nothing, neither japanese nor foreign, or, rather, she is both, japanese body and foreign mind. and her parents are typically old-fashioned japanese. she has learned to expect the courtesy, the deference paid our women, the 'ladies first' of our world. now she will be forced into the strait-jacket of japanese women. she will be beautifully dressed and will have motor cars and all that, but she will learn that her freedom is gone, her personality is gone, and that it is 'men first' always in japan. that is the way it will be with her with the japanese, and then, if she goes with the foreigners, if she is allowed to mingle with them well—you saw what happened to-night. it is fortunate for her that she will not live in yokohama. in tokyo it is better. there the foreigners are scattered, and they mingle more sympathetically, generally, with the japanese; but in yokohama, where all the foreigners live together in the settlement, with their little cliques, and coteries, and constant gossip and observing what every one does, there a girl like she is much held at arm's length. it is the women mainly who cause it. they make the men feel that they must not show too much interest, or they suffer their displeasure."
"but a girl like that; why she's a mere child!"
"a mere child." she laughed. "i have so often wondered, when the men always say that about these girls, whether they really are so dense. is it possible that the mere smallness and quaintness really blind them. can't they see that they are as much women as we are, with the same thoughts, with passions as intense as those of all other women. of course, many of the men must know better, must have learned——" she seemed to seek for words, gave it up, laughed. "you know, i am becoming involved in a delicate subject. after all, you must see for yourself and form your own conclusions."
the russian was coming towards them. she rose. "it is late, and we must be up early if we are to see fuji. if you want more information, ask mr. lüttich. men can explain such things better. good night."
"lüttich," kent turned to the russian. "miss elliott was just hinting that the lot of the foreign-educated japanese girl in japan is not a very happy one. what do you know about it? it interests me."
lüttich shrugged his shoulders. "one of the pangs of the transition that japan is going through. it is the whole keynote to japan to-day. the nation is trying to squeeze a feudal chain and mail outfit in under the white shirt front of modernity, and the process causes difficulties. the point is that, with all her modern veneer, railroads, electric lights, factories, street cars and all that, japan is still feudal entirely in thought. take your friend, baron saiki, for instance; as polished a diplomat as you can find in washington or london. to-morrow, back in japan, his mind will be as feudal as was that of his ancestors three hundred years ago. in fact, it has always remained so, but the japanese have learned to put on a foreign suit of thought, just as they put on a foreign suit of clothes, and, under it all, the old feudal thought remains unchanged, just like their skins.
"in that way you see these well-bred men and women of japan attending social functions, dressed like us, acting like us, following our codes and manners, and that is about all you see of their lives, the modern, the outward part. but the everyday life, that which goes on behind the walls and shoji, which you seldom get even a glimpse of, that has not changed. there the old feudal era is persisting. the wife is subservient to her husband, the daughters must obey and serve their brothers. and after all, it works well; in fact, apparently better than our system. they have practically no marital scandals. the empire is built on the foundation of the family and it seems to wear well; it would be foolish to tamper with it, to try to replace it with something, our system, for instance, which is hardly a success. and it is my firm belief that generally the japanese women are happy, every bit as happy as those of america or europe. that system is what they have always known. it may be the bliss which is born of ignorance, but as long as the ignorance remains they are happy.
"now that is where the point comes in about girls like miss suzuki. she has become accustomed to our ways, our point of view. she expects to take the usual precedence, to receive the usual courtesies from men, to be waited on by them. and now, in her home, the men will walk in advance and she will follow. if she drops something she will pick it up herself, but if her brothers drop it, she will have to scramble after it, and if a servant is not handy, they will order her about like one. now, if she had never seen anything else all her life, that would be natural; she would never give it a thought. but she has grown up under our conventions. she cannot help but long for the courtesy, the deference, which she has become used to, which she craves for. but, first of all, she does not go out much, as do our girls, for japanese women don't attend, generally, social functions where both sexes are present, except garden parties, receptions and other boresome affairs. but even if she does go out, say to teas, hotel dances and such things, and even if she receives there from the modernized young japanese the outward show of courtesy which is part of modern social usage, she knows that it is all for the moment only. her brother who picks up her fan at the imperial hotel will send her scurrying for his slippers at home. if she marries the young blood who obsequiously leads her to her seat in the ballroom, she will jolly well walk behind him if she marries him.
"that, i think, is the tragedy of the modernized japanese girl, that she has had a glimpse of ideals which she will probably never attain. of course, there may be some heart-burning at the attitude of some of the foreign lady cats, who would prevent white men from associating with the japanese girls. it is natural that they resent the charm which these girls have for many of the young men who should be the exclusive property of the women of their own race; but that[pg 15] obtains mainly in yokohama, and very little in tokyo, where the foreigners are scattered and where the biggest guns in the social world are undeniably japanese. and outside of some isolated incidents like that to-night, i don't think that point counts much. the fact is that while the japanese girl who has had some contact with foreigners undoubtedly wishes that our manner of treating our women might be extended to them, you will find that marriages of ladies of the aristocracy with foreigners are extremely rare. the man who thinks he is regarded as a prize simply because he is white is a fool. among the lower and middle classes it is probably different. to many of these girls the courtesy and consideration shown by foreign men to their women must contrast sharply with the prospect of a life of constant obedience, subservience and drudgery, first to her brothers and then to her husband. they say that once a japanese girl has had relations with a foreigner, at least a decent foreigner, she almost never wishes to take up with men of her own people. i've seen a lot of cases which make me believe that this is true. but girls of the class of miss suzuki are practically never allowed to marry foreigners, and foreigners of their class hardly ever marry japanese. so they must be unhappy, poor dears. they despise the trammels of japanese married life, and that which they have learned to wish for they can't attain. the lives of these girls, the pioneers of their sex in attainment of western culture, is one of the many tragedies of japan in transition."
