He could handle correspondence and calculations, and his earnest, unassuming character had earned him the confidence of both Shirakawa and Tomo, who as the necessity arose would ask Iwamoto to undertake troublesome negotiations and legal business that could not be left to the agents.

Finishing a letter to a tenant who had left his rent unpaid for more than a year and in addition was demanding compensation for removal, Iwamoto handed a copy to Tomo. Carefully she read through the letter in the fine, well-written characters that contrasted so oddly with his short, thickset appearance, then said:

‘Thank you. Things are much easier for me nowadays, now that I have you to write these for me. This kind of letter is too much for a woman, and your uncle can’t be bothered with such matters.’

One side of her mouth lifted in a smile, and she took up her pipe for the first time since the interview had started.

‘How is your business? Does it look as though you’ll get more customers?’

‘Yes – one mustn’t complain, I suppose. Only the other day we had an order from the supplies office of the Finance Ministry for quite a large number of wicker baskets for keeping papers in; two of the lads and myself went at it frantically and just managed to get them done in time.’

All the while Iwamoto spoke, in his slow halting way with the provincial accent that had never left him, the good-natured smile never once deserted his face. Last year, again with the Shirakawas’ help, he had started a small business selling boxes and hampers in the Tamuracho district of Shiba. He was unusually skillful with his hands and back home in the country was said to have woven the hampers to hold the trousseaus of all the brides in the neighborhood, so the Shirakawas had provided capital for the business in the expectation that it would not do too badly in a field where there was little competition.

‘Really? Well, that’s very good. It seems it takes a few years for a business to build up a clientele, so keep hard at it, won’t you.’

‘I will. Why, it’s you I have to thank for everything, so the least I can do is to work hard to repay your kindness.’

Tomo, the short pipe between her teeth, had been steadily surveying Iwamoto as he sat with his hands on his knees, bobbing his head up and down like a bear.

‘It’s about time you got married and settled down, isn’t it?’ she said suddenly as though half to herself.

‘There’s nobody would have a man like me.’

He smiled and wriggled uncomfortably, but his dark-skinned features flushed in a clumsy betrayal of feeling.