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letter but he was still not finished when Lord Tamura came back with the censor and his assistants. They waited for him to conclude his message and for the note to dry and be sealed. Then the censor stepped forward and started to help him rise. With dignity and authority Lord Asano shook off his arm and stood unaided. He had already started to follow Lord Tamura out into the garden when there was a commotion in the entry way. Kataoka had arrived and breathlessly asked to be allowed to see his master. Lord Tamura conferred briefly with the censor and the request was granted, although they stood close by, anxious to conclude matters as swiftly as possible. Kataoka hesitated before the others, but could not control his emotions and burst forth in a heartfelt apology for not having been aware of the terrible events in the castle. Lord Asano raised his hand.
    "I'm glad to see you, Gengoemon" he said, calhng •44 •

    Chapter Two
    him by his given name. "Yours is the first friendly face I've seen since morning."
    Kataoka felt the tears well into his eyes but Lord Asano pretended not to notice. He handed his follower the note.
    "This is my farewell to the others. Please deliver it to . . .to my wife." He paused for a moment and a faraway look came into his eyes. "Tell everyone . . . tell them . . . Oishi will know what to do."
    In the garden, before Lord Tamura's entire company of samurai, three mats had been placed on the ground and covered with a white rug. In the early evening it was beginning to grow dark and paper lanterns were lit at each corner of the improvised stage. Lord Asano was led to seat himself in the center of the rug before a small stand on which lay a dirk with a nine-inch blade. Lord Asano picked it up to look at it curiously and saw that it was an heirloom of the Tamura family. He gave Lord Tamura a quick smile of appreciation and then listened without expression as the censor officially read the terms of the offense and the sentence. The dogs were howling in his head again and he felt rather than heard when the reading was finished. He knew what was expected of him and he had confidence in his ability to perform with the dignity required. At least when it came to this, no one would be able to say he did not know his place.
    He grasped the dirk in both hands and murmured a quick prayer as he placed it low on the left side of his abdomen. He plunged it in and drew it across, and then all sound stopped as one of the assistant censors stepped forward to behead him with one powerful swing of his long sword.

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    9 m 9
    "Why aren't you with our master?" was Oishi's first angry response when the dirty, sweat-covered Kara was brought before him in the middle of the night. In the old warrior's present condition he was a disgrace to the rank of samurai, and Oishi suffered the shame he knew Lord Asano would feel to see one of his men like this. But at Hara's first wild-eyed cry, when the servant who had brought him was gone,' such trivial considerations were forgotten.
    "Our master is dead," Hara blurted out, "and the castle is to be confiscated!"
    Oishi felt as though water had been poured into his ears while he was asleep. He was stunned, speechless, sure that he must still be asleep and dreaming the most horrible dream imaginable. He wanted to call out to Hara to say no more, but he forced himself to hsten, incredible as it all seemed. Lord Asano had been like his brother; his loss was insupportable.
    Hara, kneehng on the floor of the anteroom rocked his head alternately down and up again as he sobbed out his story while the ungainly Mimura, who had accompanied him, nodded tearfully.
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    Chapter Three
    "It was Kira who did it! Kira, the court Master of Ceremonies, who provoked our master into an attack in the castle. Our master was forced to draw his sword and strike him down, even though he knew as we all do the penalty for drawing one's sword in the castle of the