“Ah, but, honored sir, you do not know everything.”
Mr. Blount looked over his gold-rimmed spectacles sharply, endeavoring to pierce beneath the softness of her tone. Japanese women were all guile was his inner comment.
“Well, now, suppose you explain to me why your son is not his sister’s guardian?”
“Because, august minister, he is not the little one’s actual brother.”
Mr. Blount started so that he actually bounded from his seat.
“What do you mean?” he jerked out to Aoi.
“The little one is only my adopted child,” said Aoi, smiling serenely.
The minister could scarcely believe he heard aright. The Japanese woman continued to smile in a manner whose guileless, impenetrable innocence of expression had the effect of irritating him excessively.
“If Hyacinth is not your child, Madame Aoi, who are her parents?”
“The gods forsaken little Hyacinth. She has no true parents.”
In his acute interest in the matter, the minister actually overlooked the slip of Aoi when she alluded to the “gods.” What he said, with his eyes fixed very sternly upon her face, was:
“You are deceiving me, Madame Aoi. You are hiding the truth from me.”
The slightest frown passed over Aoi’s face. Her color deepened, then faded, leaving her inscrutable and impassive once more.
The honorable one was augustly mistaken, for the humble one had nothing to hide. Since the affairs of her adopted child concerned only her foster-parent, it was impossible to deceive the honorable minister.
It was the visitor’s turn to flush, and he did so angrily. Plainly this Japanese woman was attempting to conceal, with the prevarication and guile of her people, some mystery concerning Hyacinth. If the girl was not the daughter of Aoi by her English husband, who then was she? She certainly was not pure Japanese. Could it be that she was not even in part Japanese? The possibility staggered the missionary.
“Madame Aoi, you are taking a most unusual attitude towards me to-day.”
Aoi inclined her head in a motion that might have meant either assent or negation.
“Hitherto,” continued the other, “you have not hesitated to accept my advice—”
“In matters concerning that religion, yes,” interposed Aoi, softly.
“Which surely concerns all other matters connected with your welfare and that of Hyacinth. No one knows better than you do that the lives of our parishioners, our children, are our particular care and charge. I take the interest of a parent in our little band. So you would not withhold your confidence from a parent?”