1124
PARTISAN REVIEW
neighboring town to the west, an adventure both painful and attrac–
tive to Rosie.
It
was attractive because there were four Hayano girls,
all lovely and each one named after a season of the year (Haru,
Natsu, Aki, Fuyu), painful because something had been wrong with
Mrs. Hayano ever since the birth of her first child. Rosie would
sometimes watch Mrs. Hayano, reputed to have been the belle of
her native village, making her way about a room, stooped, slowly
shuffling, violently trembling
(always
trembling), and she would be
reminded that this woman, in this same condition, had carried and
given issue to three babies. She would look wonderingly at Mr. Hay–
ano, handsome, tall, and strong, and she would look at her four pretty
friends. But it was not a matter she could come to any decision about.
On this visit, however, Mrs. Hayano sat all evening in the rocker,
as motionless and unobtrusive as it was possible for her to be, and
Rosie found the greater part of the evening practically anaesthetic.
Too, Rosie spent most of it in the girls' room, because Haru, the
garrulous one, said almost as soon as the bows and other greetings
were over,. "Oh, you must see my new coat!"
It was a pale plaid of grey, sand, and blue, with an enormous
collar, and Rosie, seeing nothing special in it, said, "Gee, how nice."
"Nice?" said Haru, indignantly. "Is that all you can say about
it? It's gorgeous! And so cheap, too. Only seventeen-ninety-eight,
because it was a sale. The saleslady said it was twenty-five dollars
regular."
"Gee," said Rosie. Natsu, who never said much and when she
said anything said it shyly, fingered the coat covetously and Haru
pulled it away.
"Mine," she said, putting it on. She minced in the aisle between
the two large beds and smiled happily. "Let's see how your mother
likes it."
She broke into the front room and the adult conversation, and
went to stand in front of Rosie's mother, while the rest watched
from the door. Rosie's mother was properly envious. "May I inherit
it when you're through with it?"
Haru,. pleased, giggled and said yes, she could, but Natsu re–
minded gravely from the door, "You promised me, Haru."
Everyone laughed but Natsu, who shamefacedly retreated into
the bedroom. Haru came in laughing, taking off the coat. "We
