百五十五

　小林と会見の場所は、東京で一番にぎやかな大通りの中ほどを、ちょっと横へ切れた所にあった.向こうからうちへ誘いに寄ってもらう不愉快を避けるため、またこっちで彼の下宿を訪ねてやる面倒を省くため、津田は時間をきめてそこで彼に落ち合う手順にしたのである。

その時間は彼が電車に乗っているうちに過ぎてしまった。しかし着物を着換えて、お延から金を受け取って、少しの間坐談していたために起こったこの遅刻は、何らの痛痒(つうよう)を彼に与えるに足りなかった。ありていに言えば、彼は小林に対して克明に律義(りちぎ)を守る細心の程度を示したくなかった。それとは反対に、少し時間をおくらせても、放縦(ほうしょう)なかれの鼻柱を挫(くじ)いてやりたかった。名前は送別会だろうが何だろうが、その実金をやるものと貰うものとが顔を合わせる席にきまっている以上、津田は確かに優者であった。だからその優者の特権を出来るだけ緊張させて、主客の位地をあらかじめ作っておく方が、相手の驕慢(きょうまん)を未前に防ぐ手段として、彼には得策であった。利害を離れた単なる意趣返しとしてもその方が面白かった。

彼はごうごう成る電車の中で、時計を見ながら、ことによるとこれでもまだ横着な小林には早過ぎるかも知れないと考えた。もしあまり早く行き着いたら、一通り夜店でもひやかして、慾の皮で硬く張った小林の予想を、もう少し焦(じ)らしてやろうとまで思案した。

　停留所で降りた時、彼の眼の中を通り過ぎた燭光(あかり)の数は、夜の部の活動を目覚しく物語るに充分なくらい右往左往へちらちらした。彼はその間に立って、目的の横町へ曲がる前に、これらの燭光とともに十分ぐらい動いて歩こうか歩くまいかと迷った。ところが顔の先へ押し付けられた夕刊を除(よ)けて、四辺(あたり)を見廻した彼は、急におやと思わざるを得なかった。

　もう大分持ちくたびれているに違いないと仮定してかかった小林は、案外にも向こう側に立っていた。位地は津田の降りた鋪床と車道を一つ隔てた四つ角の一端なので、二人の視線が調子よく合わない以上、ことによると人とちらちらする燭光が、相互のにんしきを遮る便利があった。のみならず小林はまともにこっちを向いていなかった。彼は津田のまだ知らない青年と立ち談(ばなし)をしていた。青年の顔は三分の二ほど、小林のは三分の1ほど、津田の方角から見えるだけなので、かれはほぼ露見の恐れなしに、自分の足の停まった所から、二人の模様を注意して観察することが出来た。

二人は決してよそ見をしなかった。顔と顔を向き合わせたまま、いつまでも同じ姿勢を崩さない彼らの体(てい)が、ありありと津田の眼に映るにつれて、まじめな用談の、互いの間に取り換わされていることは明瞭にわかった。

  二人のうしろには壁があった。あいにく横側に窓が付いていないので、強い光はどこからも射さなかった。ところへ南から来た自動車が、大きな音を立てて四つ角を曲がろうとした。その時二人は自動車の前側に装置してある巨大な燭光を身に浴びて立った。津田ははじめて青年の容貌を明らかに認めることが出来た。蒼白い血色は、帽子の下から左右に垂れている、幾ヶ月となく刈り込まれない毿々(さんさん)とる髪の毛とともに、彼の視覚を冒した。彼は自動車の過ぎると同時に踵(きびす)を回らした。そうして二人の立っている鋪道を避けるように、わざと反対の方向へ歩き出した。

彼には何の目的もなかった。はなやかに電燈で照らされた店を一軒ごとに見て歩く興味は、ただ都会的で美しいというだけに過ぎなかった。商売が違うにつれて品物が変化する以外に、何ら複雑な趣は見いだされなかった。それにもかかわらず彼は至るところに視覚の満足を味わった。しまいにある唐物屋の店先に飾ってあるハイカラな襟飾(ねくたい)を見た時に、彼はとうとうその家の中へはいって、自分の欲しいと思うものを手に取って、ひねくり廻したりなどした。

もうよかろうという時分に、彼は再び取って返した。鋪道の上に立っていた二人の影ははたしてどこかへ行ってしまった。彼は少し歩調を早めた。約束の家の窓からは暖かそうな光が往来へ射していた。煉瓦(れんが)作りで窓が高いのと、模様のある玉子色の布(きぬ)に遮られて、間接に夜の中へ光線が放射されるので、通りぎわに見上げた津田の頭に描き出されたのは、おだやかな瓦斯暖炉(ガスだんろ)を供えた品のいい食堂であった。

大きなブロックの片隅に、形容した言葉でいうと、むしろひっそり構えているその食堂は、大して広いものではなかった。津田がそこを知りだしたのもつい近ごろであった。長い間仏蘭西(フランス)とかに公使をしていた人の料理番が開いた店だからうまいのだと友人に教えられたのがもとで、四五遍食いに来た因縁を措(お)くと、小林をそこへ招き寄せる理由は他に何もなかった。

　彼は容赦なく扉を押してうちへはいった。そうしてそこに案のごとく少し手持ち無沙汰ででもあるような風をして、まじめな顔を夕刊か何かの前に向けている小林を見いだした。

 

155

The meeting place with Kobayashi was on a side street, just a short distance from about the half way point of the busiest avenue in Tokyo. To avoid the unpleasantness of having Kobayashi come to call for him at his home, and also to eliminate the bother of his calling on Kobayashi at his boarding-house, Tsuda had decided on the time, and had arranged to meet him there.

  The appointed time had already passed while he was riding on the streetcar. But this tardiness, which had come about because he had changed his colthes, received the money from O-Nobu, and for a short while had talked with her, was not sufficient to cause him the slightest distress. In plainer terms, the did not wish to show Kobayashi that he was concerned about strictly observing rules of courtesy. On the contrary, by being slightly late he wanted to unnerve the too free and presumptuous Kobayashi. In name it may have been a farewell party but since it actually was a meeting wherein one was to give money and the other was to receive it, Tsuda was certainly in the superior position. Therefore it was advisable for him to demonstrate the privileges of the superior person as much as possible, and to create beforehand the positions of host and guest, as a means of preventing a display of Kobayashi’s pride. He felt this was appropriate even as a simple act of spite divorced from any consideration of advantage.

As he looked at his watch on the clanging streetcar he thought that even as it was it was perhaps still a bit too early for the cheeky Kobayashi. He went so far as to calculate that if he arrived too early he would go to have a look at the night stalls and increase Kobayashi’s expectations, which were already aroused by desire, a bit further.

 When he got off at the streetcar stop, the numerous lights gleaming on all sides of him sufficed to tell him brilliantly of the activity of the metropolis at night. He stood among them, and before turning down the side street which was his objective, for about ten minutes he was perplexed as to whether he should walk along the well-lit main street or not. However, upon folding up the evening newspaper and looking around him, he could not help being surprised.

 For Kobayashi, whom he had certainly supposed was already quite tired of waiting, was most unexpectedly standing in the other side of the street. Since he was on a corner

of an intersection separated by the pavement and the streetcar track from where Tsuda had alighted,as long as their lines of sight did not actually meet, the night, the crowds, and the flickering lights were helpful in preventing their mutual recognition. Furthermore, Kobayashi was not facing him directly. He was talking to a young man whom Tsuda had never met. Since from Tsuda’s position only about two-thirds of the young man’s face and about one-third of Kobayashi’s were visible, with hardly any fear of being seen himself he could carefully observe the appearance of the two from where he stood at that moment. They certainly were not looking around them. While Tsuda could clearly make them out as they faced each other and maintained the same stance for a long time, he could also clearly perceive that they were engaged in some serious conversation.

Behind them was wall. Unfortunately since there was no window on the side, there was no strong light cast on them from anywhere. However, an automobile coming from the south screeched as it was about to turn the corner. At that moment the two were caught in the full glare of its large headlights. Tsuda for the first time could clearly make out the features of the young man. His pale complexion, together with an unkempt mass of hair that had not been cut for several months, which hung down on both sides from under his hat, assailed Tsuda’s sight. As the far passed, Tsuda turned swiftly around. And he purposely began walking in the opposite direction so as to avoid the sidewalk where the two men stood.

 　He had no particular objective. His purpose in looking into each of the brilliantly illuminated shops was simply to note the urban beauty of the scene. Apart from the fact that the articles exhibited differed according to the nature of the shops he could not feel any particular interest in them. Nevertheless he sensed satisfaction with everything he saw. Finally, when he saw some stylish neckties displayed in the window of a certain shop selling foreign foods, he entered the shop, took up the one he thought he wanted, and fingered it awhile.

 When he thought that it would now be safe for him, he retraced his steps. The two, who had been standing on the sidewalk, had indeed gone off somewhere. He quickened his pace a bit. Cheerful light streamed into the street from the windows of the brick building where they were supposed to meet. The windows were high, and since the light was obstructed by the patterned ivory tablecloths, it was reflected indirectly into the night. The interior scene, as he looked up at it from the street, was one of a pleasant and fashionable, gas-heated restaurant.

 The restaurant, which was on the corner of a long block, and which was of rather austere construction, was not so very large. Tsuda had learned of it only recently. A friend had told him that the food was good since it had been opened by the cook of a man who had for a long time been a minister to French and other European countries, and thus simply because Tsuda had eaten there four of five times he had invited Kobayashi to meet him there.

 He pushed the door open brusquely and went in. As expected, he found Kobayashi, with what appeared to be an evening paper in front of his serious face, and with an air of being rather ill at ease.