Pathway to Japanese Literature

Author: Sasaki Kuni

A Serene Autumn Excursion

“Aki-chan.”

Mizumachi spotted her and called out over people’s shoulders.
It was inside a crowded train.

“Oh my!”

Aki-chan turned around and took in even Mizumachi-kun’s appearance,

“Shore fishing?”

she guessed correctly.

“Indeed.
The weather’s fine.”

“Where?”

“Ōiwa Beach.”

“I’m going to Ōiwa too.”

“What brings you there?”

“Because I have relatives there.”

Mizumachi-kun had come from the village to the city and boarded the train from there.
After passing five stations, the sea began to come into view.
The first station along that coast was Ōiwa, and it was there that they went fishing on Sundays.
Aki-chan was also from the same village as Mizumachi-kun.
Today, she had gone out to relatives in Ōiwa for a household errand.

Mizumachi-kun’s family had been major landowners, and Aki-chan’s family had been their tenant farmers for generations, but with the changing times, they were now small landowners themselves.
Due to the difference between those forced to buy fields and those made to sell them, Mizumachi-kun’s family too had now become small landowners.
There was no longer any distinction between the two families.
However, the old relationship from the past, where landlords were lords and tenant farmers their retainers, still lingered.

At each station there were passengers boarding and alighting, and the two were finally able to sit together.
Aki-chan talked about the relatives in Ōiwa.
They seemed to be fishing operators.
She explained that if he didn’t catch anything, there was also the option of getting some there.
She told him to come for lunch and explained the house’s location in detail.

“Well.”
“If there’s no catch, I’ll go.”

“Are fish more interesting?”

“Indeed. If I get bored, I’ll go.”

“Then I’ll wait without counting on it.”

“Since I’m planning to catch something, you’d better not count on it. But more importantly, what time are we heading back?”

“If we take the three o’clock down train back, it should be just about the perfect time.”

“I’ll wrap things up by three.”
“Let’s head back together.”

“Yes—”
“I’ll be waiting at the station.”
“Get some fish.”

“No need for that.”

They parted immediately upon arriving at Ōiwa.
On the return trip, they ended up on the same train departing around three o’clock—a splendidly clear Sunday it was.
Because anglers all returned en masse at one o’clock, once they boarded the train there was no room to move.
They got off at the city station and took a bus.
That too was packed.
By the time they disembarked from the bus, dusk had already fallen.

It was quite a distance to the house.
For the two of them, that was their busy season.

“A good haul, then?”

Aki-chan drew close.
Aki-chan was also carrying a fish souvenir.

“Indeed.
I struck it lucky today.”

“No wonder I was stood up at lunch.
Aunt was all excited because Mr. Mizumachi from Izumi was going to come.”

“My bad.
I was just so focused.”

“Fish are better, aren’t they?
Than me.”

“Indeed.”

“Fine, then. Goodbye!”

“Just kidding. Wait for me.”

And Mizumachi-kun ran two or three steps to catch up.
Of course, Aki-chan’s display was also nothing more than a joke.

“…………”

“Are you upset?”

“Not exactly, but someone might see us.”

“We’re just returning together by chance.”
“This sort of thing happens to everyone.”

“Do you really think it’s fine?”

“It’s perfectly aboveboard.”
“Why should I care?”

“But I still hate it.”

“Why?”

“When I’m with you, it causes trouble later. I just keep thinking about you.”

“Really?”

“Yes—
“Even if I think about it, it won’t do any good, but—”

“Then what are we supposed to do?
“I’m seriously thinking of a way to make it work.”

“It’s a lie. You’re a liar.”

“Why?”

“The other day when I went to see a movie, weren’t you with Ms. Katsuko Sudō?”
“I really thought I’d been tricked after all.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.
I was with Sudō-kun.
Ms. Katsuko came along with Sudō-kun.
What could possibly be going on?
That pockmarked spinster.”

“Really?”

“I swear to God. After all, we made that promise before God on the night of the festival. I don’t think there’s any romance as solid and pure as this.”

“…………”

“Aki-chan, have you already grown tired of me?”

“Someone’s coming.”

An elderly person passed by,

“That’s enough now.”

they said and walked on.

“That’s enough now.”

Mizumachi-kun answered,

“Aki-chan, please stay in a good mood.”

“Yes. I—”

“What is it?”

“I’ve felt this way since before that. Ever since that time we walked back from the city together, talking all the way. Because you said those things to me, I started feeling this way and thinking about it—but I thought it was impossible since our statuses were different.”

“There’s no such thing as status in today’s world, you know. You don’t need to worry about such things. Just keep believing in me, no matter what.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve felt this way since even before that. Since back when you were going to school.”

“We often met on the way back, didn’t we?”

“I might have tried to meet you on purpose. It was when I hadn’t started going to the bank yet and had free time.”

“I didn’t mind it either. Because I respected you. I still respect you, though—”

“You added ‘still,’ didn’t you?”

“Ohoho.”
“Because now respect has changed into something else.”

“What did it change into?”

“I don’t know.”

“Aki-chan, I want to talk with you more, but...”

“No, that’s enough now.”

“Not now.”

“When?”

“Instead of looking so flustered, there’s a proper way for us to sit together and talk openly.”

“What a clever scheme.”
“What sort of scheme?”

Aki-chan drew close again.
She was utterly guileless.

“If you join the literary discussion group, it’ll be fine.”
“It’s held twice a month at Date-kun’s house.”

“I’ve heard about that group, but someone like me wouldn’t fit in.”
“That’s a gathering for the intellectual crowd.”

“There’s no such thing as intellectuals or anything.”
“It’s just a gathering for literature.”

“How can I join?”

“Let me see.
“It wouldn’t be good if I recommended you.”

“That’s a bad idea.”

“How about asking your brother? Since Akiko likes literature, we can have Date-kun talk about it. Since your brother and Date-kun went to middle school together, they probably get along well.”

“That’s true.”

“You qualify because you’re a literary girl.”

“What kind of talks do they have at the meetings?”

“It’s a casual conversation group.”
“We talk about books we’ve read too, but...”

“Then I can do it too.”

“The best approach is to make use of the group.”
“It’s foolproof.”
“We can sit together and talk all night.”

“But we can’t have this kind of conversation openly, can we?”

“We’ll speak with our eyes.”

“So it becomes something like deceiving people, doesn’t it?”

“A little deception can’t be helped.”
“After all, I’ll make Date-kun take responsibility.”
“Since we’ve become close through the literary discussion group, I’ll earnestly ask you to use your influence to persuade your father.”

“Shinzaburō-san, you’re serious about this, right? It must seem like I’m asking again and again.”

“I swear to God. As I’ve been saying all along—I’m serious.”

“I’m happy. I won’t waver anymore.”

“I won’t waver either.”

“In that case, I’ll ask Brother.”

“We’ll say it’s because you’re fond of literature—it’s better not to mention the real reason.”

“Is it wrong to say so?”

“Does Brother know? About me?”

“Since you drop by so often, he seems to have noticed.”
“He probably doesn’t have any ill intentions, but he said to be careful.”

“He doesn’t trust me.”

“More than that, he’s mistaking a paper lantern for a temple bell.”

“Once I’ve properly shown my sincerity later on, you can let a little of it show through.”
“Just treat it as my own idea for now.”
“It’s absolutely secret from Father for now.”

“Your father’s rather old-fashioned, isn’t he?”

“He plays it safe because he’s old-fashioned.”
“If he were more modern, we wouldn’t have to struggle this much.”

Mizumachi stopped.
They had already reached the point where they needed to part ways.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ll have Date-kun take responsibility.”
“He’s a teacher at the city’s high school.”
“He carries authority.”
“But I’ll use not only Date-kun but his father as well.”
“He’s different from my father—more progressive.”
“If you flatter him by calling him forward-thinking, he’d even climb a pepper tree upside down.”

“You’re quite the schemer too, aren’t you?”

“Even if it’s underhanded, it can’t be helped in an emergency.”

“Someone’s coming.”
“A woman.”

“Go quickly.”

“Goodbye.”

Akichan ran off.

Two Groups

The village too had its intellectual class.
That consisted mainly of sons from the former landowner faction.
They all went to Tokyo—some graduating from university and some not—but were distinctly different in their choices compared to the village youth.
About half of them were engaged in agriculture at home.
About half were employed at companies, banks, schools, and other institutions in the city.
The remainder idled about.
The city was a short bicycle ride from the village.
Buses also connected them.
It was a privileged village.
Both rural and urban lifestyles were possible.

Date-kun was likely the foremost among the intellectual group.
He had graduated from a certain university’s humanities department and was now teaching at a city high school.
In the city, there were schools from First High to Third High.
First High was for boys, Second High for girls, and Third High for agriculture and forestry.
The names alone didn’t make their contents clear.
The naming system, much like National Highway Number X, carried a militaristic scent.

Be that as it may, one autumn evening, when Date-kun, an instructor at First High, had finished his classes and was heading home,

“Mr. Date Takashi.”

Someone called out and caught up from behind.
It was Komori-kun，the vice president of the village youth association.

“Hey.”

“Are you heading home now?”

Komori-kun got off and walked alongside, pulling his bicycle.

“I had a feeling that was the case, so I hurried here.”

“It’s been a while since we last met.”

Date-kun had attended both elementary and middle school with Komori-kun.
Yet belonging to different social circles, they seldom had chances to speak.

“It’s been too long.”

“Same here.”

“By the way, Mr. Date—I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something for days now, but we just haven’t crossed paths.”

“What is it?”

“Your group and ours belong to different factions. You’re intellectuals and we’re farmers—it can’t be helped, but...”

“There’s no intellectual class or anything like that.”

Date-kun strongly denied this and stared intently at the other man’s face.

“That divide does exist. If the youth association members and your intellectual group drift apart, I don’t think it would benefit the village.”

“Are we drifting apart, you wonder?”

“There seems to be a gap between us. Just like the old days.”

“So you mean we appear to be holding ourselves above you all, like in the past?”

“To be frank, some do see it that way. Being the Youth Association—wearing those blue-tinted glasses.” He laughed awkwardly. “Ha ha ha...”

Komori Tasaku remained diplomatic. He delivered the critique with forced levity.

“That’s a problem. We certainly don’t have any such intentions, though...”

“You and Mr. Mizumachi understand how things work, but there are some among us cultural types who go around acting all high and mighty.”

“This is good to hear. We can’t let even a hint of that tendency persist. I’ll be more careful too.”

“You’re fine as you are.”

“No—if anything, I need to be doubly vigilant.”

Date-kun didn’t press the point. As he considered Komori’s words, he realized there might indeed be comrades who fit that description, and he reflected on this with sincere contrition.

“So I’ve got something important to ask.”
“Apologies for all that high-minded talk first...”

“What is it?
“No need for formal requests between us.”
“This is just you and me.”

“I’d like you to take my sister Akiko into your literary group. What do you say?”
“She’s a high school graduate.”

“It’s the village association.”
“No permissions needed.”
“Does she want to join?”

“Well...”
“She’s quite the bookish girl.”
“Always has her nose in novels.”

“When you call it a literary discussion group, it sounds rather formal, but it’s really just a gathering where literature lovers come together to chat.”
“They’re all quick to lose interest, so the group hasn’t been very active lately.”
“We’re at the point where we want to recruit new members ourselves.”
“Please do tell her we welcome her most heartily.”
“We hold them at my house on the evenings of the first and third Sundays.”

“Do girls come too?”

“Two or three members’ sisters come.”
“They’re all faces she’d recognize from school.”
“Just perfect.”

“In that case, I’ll make this earnest request.”

Komori-kun seemed satisfied.

“You, since I’m an advocate of walking, please go on ahead.”
“Don’t hold back.”

And soon Date-kun urged.
The company wasn't troublesome, but he felt sorry about him having to walk his bicycle.

“No, it’s fine.
“Just a bit longer.
“You usually ride a bicycle too, right?”

“I broke it.
“It’s such a rattling old thing that it’s beyond repair now.
“A new one would cost twenty thousand yen.
“I’d have to go without eating for February and March, you see.”

“You must be joking.”

“It’s true. Things are different now.”

“The old landlords may have been having a hard time, but even us new landowners aren’t any better off with these high taxes.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“Half gets swallowed up by fertilizer and taxes.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s terrible. If neither your side nor ours is better off, then who exactly has benefited?”

“That’s precisely what I don’t understand at all. Wherever you look, it feels like an autumn evening.”

“A group to study these matters wouldn’t be a bad idea. Since it’s a problem for both sides, have it come from both.”

“What do you mean by ‘both’?”

“The intellectual group and the farmer group.”

“Look here. Aren’t you the ones creating this divide on your side?”

“Ha ha ha.”
“The greed’s showing through after all, isn’t it?”

“That might not be true, but you’re fixated on something.”
“We’re supposed to do everything together.”

“When you say ‘together,’ it’s because there’s a divide keeping us split in two, right?”

“Hmm. The traces of that old divide still remain. We’ll erase those marks together.”

“Since you said ‘mutually’...”

“Ugh, Taa-chan. Stop nitpicking every little thing.”

“Ha ha ha.”
“It’s not exactly that, but I can’t help being bothered by the divide.”

“Don’t dwell on such trivial things.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Please go ahead - I’m slow.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, Komori-kun bowed politely and leaped onto the bicycle.

Literary Discussion Group

On the evening of the third Sunday, the regular meeting of the Literary Discussion Group was held at Date-kun’s place.
Date-kun was both the president and the venue host.
Mizumachi-kun, who had been absent for quite some time, was the very first to arrive, so

“Oh,” Date joked, his tone dry yet welcoming. “This is unusual. No wonder it’s been raining.”

“I’ve been entirely remiss in keeping in touch,” Mizumachi replied with a formal bow.

“You came after all.” Date’s voice softened momentarily before adopting his customary metaphorical flair. “Lately, the autumn wind feels rather desolate around here.”

“Is the turnout poor?” Mizumachi asked.

“Hmm.
The last time, it was just two people.
With me included, that made three.
Before long, I’ll be left all alone.”

“I’ve resolved to reform myself from now on.
Because I’ve come to feel certain things.”

“Wouldn’t twice a month be too heavy a burden?”

“That probably isn’t the case,” said Mizumachi-kun. “Even three times would be fine, I think.”

“That’s quite the determination,” Date-kun remarked.

“I felt it was necessary,” he continued. “If you spend every day glued to ledgers doing nothing but money calculations, even someone inherently vulgar will become increasingly more so.”

“It’s true that even practical people need to indulge in flights of fancy now and then,” Date-kun conceded.

As they spoke, a voice requesting entry could be heard at the front door.

“Someone’s here,” Mizumachi-kun observed. “It must be a visitor. If they were a member, they’d come right up.”

said Mizumachi-kun.

Date-kun went out and came back guiding Komori’s Aki-chan.
“Mizumachi-kun, this is Komori-kun’s sister.
You know her right?”
He was far from merely knowing her.

“Oh.
Well, this is—”

“I have come to attend your discussion.”
“Though I may be imposing, I do hope you’ll indulge me.”

And Akichan was quite the clever one.
She wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Date-kun mentioned that Komori-kun had recently asked him about Akiko-san,

“It’s rare for you to show up.”
“We’ll have a new member.”
“I’ve also found renewed resolve.”

he declared cheerfully.

However, after that, no one else came.
Mizumachi-kun also had a conscience.
When alone with Akichan, he thought even using his best friend was going too far.

“So in the end, it’s just us two, huh?”
“Indeed, attendance has been poor.”

After saying this, he realized that "the two of us" had come out a bit awkwardly.

“It’s usually like this.”

“Because it’s raining.”

“That’s part of it. Enthusiasts like you are another matter—”

“...”

“Even if you prepare discussion topics, there’s no real incentive. It just devolves into aimless chitchat. Then when it gets boring like that, people stop showing up. We’re making our own meetings dull.”

The president attributed the group’s decline to the members’ lack of enthusiasm.

“I’m partly to blame too.”

“There’s plenty indeed.
You haven’t shown up since summer.”

“Since I’ve steeled myself this time, I’ll make proper amends.
Let’s begin immediately.
Say something, pray tell.
You must have read some book.”

“That’s precisely why I don’t read.”

"But you're a schoolteacher—reading books is your trade. There must be something."

"It's not that I have nothing prepared, but..."

"Please do proceed."

Akichan added her encouragement.
They had to maintain the literary society's dignity—there was no alternative.

"Let me think."

Date-kun fell into deep thought,

“Why don’t we do a reading instead of just talking?”
"I was writing a novel just now."
“It’s only half-finished, but would you read it and give me your criticism?”

“Sounds good.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“A romance novel?”

“It’s a romance.”
“Not one of those thrift parables.”

“There it is.”
“I surrender.”

Mizumachi-kun knocked his forehead.
At this point, it was all about keeping him in good spirits.

Date-kun brought out the manuscript and began reading.
Since there were fifty or sixty pages, the listeners grew bored.
He occasionally interjected explanations.

“How’s this part?”

he demanded praise.

It took two hours,

“This is as far as I’ve gotten.”
“There’s more in the drafts, though.”

With that, Date-kun made to stand up.

“That’s quite enough from you.”

Mizumachi-kun interjected hastily.

“Let’s stop here for now.”
“Rather amusing, don’t you think?”

“Hmm.”
“It’s grown rather complex.”

“You’ve crammed in too many characters—that’s why it lacks focus.”
“Even the author himself seems lost about where it’s headed.”

“Is your heroine becoming a nun?”

“That part still remains undecided.”
“I believe I’ll settle on a happy ending after all.”
“A novel where the protagonist isn’t saved would never please readers.”

“I do want someone to save her.”

“The continuation is eagerly awaited.”

Akichan played along.

After some brief small talk continued, the meeting adjourned.
Mizumachi-kun and Aki-chan left together.

The rain was still falling.

“Ha ha ha!”

Mizumachi-kun roared with laughter.

“Ho ho ho ho”

“We can’t be too harsh.
We were at our wit’s end with it.”

“A novel?”

“Hmm. It’s so drawn-out that I can’t make heads or tails of it.
Normally I’d tear into it harshly, but...”

“At any rate, it certainly has the sheer force to bore people.”

“To think he’s trying to win some prize with that—he’s got some nerve.
Commander’s really lost it.”

“But we’ll have to listen to it next time too, won’t we?”

“No need to endure it. But if he keeps that up, the fish’ll stop biting for sure.”

“He’s reading aloud because the fishing’s poor.”

“That’s right. Because he reads aloud, the masu salmon’ll stop biting.”
“It’s an endless cycle.”

“But I think it’s better than his story.”
“Since he’s reading aloud, I can look at your face without worrying.”

“We can speak through our eyes.”

“That’s precisely why the plot becomes incoherent, you realize.”
“It’s not merely clumsy.”

“Because you’re listening with half your mind elsewhere.”

“I felt bad about it.”

“It’s definitely not a good thing. Since we’re deceiving our close friend, my conscience is bothering me. It might be better to just come clean and ask him right away.”

“Please do that.”

“We’ll wait until the right moment comes. Since Date-kun writes so many romance novels, he’ll surely notice and say something about it.”

“Is waiting the more discerning course?”

“Aki-chan’s being sarcastic too.”

“Ho ho ho.”

“It’s pitch dark, so this is just perfect, isn’t it?”

“What is?”
“Because no matter who we meet, they won’t notice.”
“If it weren’t raining, we’d walk more though.”

Fellow passengers

At the next regular meeting, Aki-chan arrived first, with Mizumachi-kun following a step behind.
Just as they thought they might have to endure another reading session alone together, Fujioka Asako-san—a year senior to Aki-chan—appeared.
Though she was considered the village beauty, Aki-chan remained unimpressed, casually attributing her reputation to family standing.
Then came Jinbo-kun and Sōsuke-san, creating something of a crowd.
Sōsuke-san had graduated from agricultural college and already taken a wife.
As the eldest present, he received deferential treatment marked by repeated invocations of his name.

“Sōsuke-san, do you have anything to share?”

Chairman Date-kun showed respect.

“Let me see.”
“In due time.”

“I have something interesting to show you all.”

With that, Jinbo-kun took out a moth-eaten notebook.

“What is this?”

Date-kun took it in hand, opened it, and looked at it.
It read "Hikohei Travel Diary".

“It’s a diary of my ancestor’s pilgrimage to Ise.”

“That’s quite unusual.”

“When he gets dragged into a brothel in a post town, he always escapes. Quite the upright one.”

“He’s indeed your ancestor.”

“There are others waiting to get dragged in too.”
“Since each entry lists family names, you can tell whose ancestor it is.”
“I brought it to circulate for reference.”

“I’ll borrow this for now.”
“Your ancestors were the waiting type.”
“Ha ha ha!”

After Date-kun talked about a novel he had recently read, Sōsuke-san was pressed,

“There’s an English novel I was made to read during university that left quite an impression on me.”
“My place is by the riverside—to enter from the back, you have to cross a bridge.”
“A little way up from the bridge, there’s a steady roar.”
“Though low, it’s still a waterfall, adding a touch of refinement.”
“Whenever I pass by there, I can’t help but remember that novel.”

he began to narrate.

“Whose novel is it?”

“I’ve forgotten the author’s name.”
“The content’s hazy in my memory.”
“A tenant farmer youth named Ferdinand fell in love with the landowner’s daughter.”
“The daughter didn’t dislike the man, but she rejected him because he lacked education.”
Ferdinand, fired up with determination, left the village.
He traveled the world, gained knowledge, saved money, and returned.
However, he was already nearing fifty.
Meanwhile, the daughter married the son of the village’s major landowner.
However, he was a wastrel.
“He was cold and indifferent toward his wife and constantly went off to London.”

“Unlike you, Sōsuke-san.”

Fujioka Asako said teasingly.

“That’s right. Nowadays this would be grounds for divorce, but the wife endured her lonely life and grew old. That’s when Ferdinand came back. Unable to forget the woman he’d once adored, he made inquiries and soon learned everything. When he went to visit, dinner preparations had been made. Of course, they weren’t for Ferdinand. A telegram had arrived saying the husband was returning from London, so they were waiting—Ferdinand waited together with the wife. However, he didn’t return. Ten years passed, and still he didn’t return.”

“He died, didn’t he?”

“When they’d waited three or four years, Ferdinand proposed they should marry since he must have died by then, but the wife insisted they must endure until evidence of his death could be obtained.”
“Her heart had leaned toward Ferdinand from the very beginning, but there was nothing to be done.”
“And thus ten years flowed by.”

“A happy ending after all.”

Asako-san chimed in brightly.

“Then there was a flood, the bridge below the steady roar was washed away, making replacement necessary.”
“The Steady Roar Bridge behind my place often gets washed away, but the one in the novel was apparently a stone bridge.”
“During the bridge replacement construction, a skeleton was discovered among the rocks beneath it.”
By the initials on the watch found alongside it, they identified the body as that of the landowner from Steady Roar Bridge.
“That evening, while attempting to take a shortcut by entering from the back, he seems to have fallen from the bridge.”
“The two of them had spent ten years talking about him on that very bridge while waiting for news—that must have been ironic.”
“And then they don’t get married.”
“Since both had already gotten old, they had no interest.”
They spent the rest of their lives as friends, it’s said.
“That’s the story.”

“That’s quite good.”

Date-kun echoed in agreement.

“How pitiful, both of them. If Ferdinand is sixty, the wife must be in her fifties.”

Asako-san lamented.

“Nowadays there are countless such couples, but those two had grown weary and lost the will to defy fate’s irony.”
“Therein lies food for thought.”

Sōsuke-san concluded.

After some casual conversation, everyone stood up.
Mizumachi-kun went out to the entrance slightly late in order to leave together with Aki-chan.
Date-kun, who had been seeing everyone off, put his hand on Mizumachi-kun’s shoulder,

“Mizumachi-kun, I’d like you alone to stay behind for a moment, please.”

he commanded.

“Do you need something?”

“Hmm.”

Mizumachi-kun saw Aki-chan off and returned to the sitting room.
He sat back down in his original seat,

“What is it with you?”

When he asked this, he noticed that Date-kun was acting with an unusually stiff demeanor.

“Shin-chan, you and I have known each other since we were kids—do you think I’m blind?”

“What is it? Coming out of nowhere?”

“Tell me about your relationship with Aki-chan. If need be, I’ll lend you my support.”

Mizumachi-kun confessed every detail and earnestly entreated him for help.
He’d always known this moment would come eventually, but having failed to find the right opening until now, he apologized profusely for his delay.

“Alright.”
“I accept.”
“But there’s a condition.”

“I’ll fulfill anything.”
“I’ll do as you say.”

“Actually, I too want to marry Fujioka Asako-san who just left. We understand each other, but since our parents don’t get along, I’ve struggled to broach the subject.”
“I need to involve your father.”
“With our families being of comparable standing, things should work out if someone proper mediates.”

“I accept.”

“I accept as well.”

“Ha ha ha.”

“What?”

“With this arrangement, there was no need to go through all that trouble from below.”

(June 1952, King)