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used, the Kakemonos hung - the costume of the girl filled the place with an air of refinement and solemnity too charming and too reverent for my pen.  She seemed as poetical a creature as my unpoetical mind could conceive --- not beautiful from our standard but dainty as a butterfly, graceful as young foliage and the general impression left upon my mind is somewhat like a mirage --- a quiver of light and life which I scarcely realize as a real woman.  She and a few others I have seen prove to me that what I said about the better men is also applicable to the better women.  The best are delightful, wonderful and doubtless are accomplishing withtheir own sex such splendid results as are gradually being achieved by the men, Ichihara and others --- of another class???

At this place the only thing of interest to me is the old palace and castle.  I obtained permission to visit them through our minister, Mr. Dun at Tokio, but when I presented this pass at the proper place and hour this morning I was allowed to see only the castle for which I cared little, the palace with its paintings by Tanya, Eishin, Motonobu and carvings by Jingoro was refused because of some slight irregularity in documents.  Of course I was much disappointed yes, very much, for I particularly wanted to see the pictures.  But the Orient teaches patience, so I smothered my mental oaths and bowed as profoundly as possible to the courteous attendants and came back as profoundly as possible to the courteous attendants and came back to a damnable hotel with a detective at my heels who will stick closer than a brother or the other fellow's sister until I get into some other town to be watched by some other equally diligent officer.  Since my association with the American Consul at Nagasaki who met me at Kioto and with whom I spent some time the police seem to regard me most suspiciously.  From here I will go to Gifu and from there into the mountains (very unfrequented) for a ten days' trip including twelve hours down the rapids of the Tenvyugawa by a special boat engaged for the trip --- I require eight men all of the ten days and in some places three or four additional --- accommodations are limited and my guide is trying to find out if some blasted detective will also have to be provided for.  This does not worry me any but I would like to know whether it's my own bad conduct or that of our Consul at Nagasaka which makes my personality so interesting to the police ---perhaps it's the combination!!

Harvie Newberry is still at Kioto where I found him on my arrival.  He has been ill but is all right again.

I am quite well and in the mood for a little mountaineering but shall attempt no mountain climbing-for two reasons-First, I don't want to take too much exercise.  Second, I am a little suspicious