It was a Saturday and Takao, now at primary school, together with his younger halfbrothers Kazuya and Tomoya, were dashing about in the shifting flecks of sunlight that fell through the green leaves, helping Suga and the maids to shake the trees or carrying baskets for the fruit.

Standing in the fork of the largest tree of all could be seen the thin legs of a young man whose face was hidden among the foliage.

‘Mr. Konno – isn’t that all yet? This tree has an awful lot of fruit, doesn’t it!’ called Suga, in her voluminous indigo-striped flannel kimono, as she peered up into the swaying branches. A thin face with silver-framed spectacles peered out through the leaves and thin lips parted in a smile to reveal white teeth.

‘No, not yet. I can get at least two or three pounds more.’

‘I should think that’s about enough, isn’t it? We must have got nearly thirty pounds already. We can’t eat pickled damsons all the year round.’

‘Konno – come on down! Let’s go and play ball on the front lawn!’

‘Yes, I’m fed up with plum picking, Mr. Konno. Come on down, now!’

There was a difference in the way the two grandchildren of the family – Takao the eldest son, brought up at the big house by his grandparents, and Kazuya who lived in his parents’ smaller house – addressed the houseboy.

Deaf to their pleas, Konno stayed where he was in the fork of the tree.

‘I’ll be down in a minute. Why don’t you boys go ahead? If I don’t get them all down your grandmother will be cross,’ he said and went on shaking the branches busily.

For a while Takao and his companions continued to set up a clamor, but before long they called, ‘You come later then – we’ll be on the lawn,’ and ran off gleefully up the slope.

‘It’s really all right, though, Mr. Konno. Don’t bother any more, now – come down and have a rest. Look, you said you have to get down to work for your exams today, didn’t you?’

‘Yes, but they don’t start till six.’

‘Even so, when you have an exam you ought to settle down and look at your books a bit first.’

‘I’m all right,’ he said with a laugh and clambered down out of the tree, placing one foot after the other on knots in the branches then leaping lightly down the last few feet.

‘Nobu and Yoshi, take these to the kitchen and wash them, will you?’ Suga ordered the maids, who raised the basket with great apparent effort and set off with bowed backs up the slope.

‘Look what a lot of leaves you shook off ! They give off such a leafy smell,’ she said, taking up the broom and setting about sweeping together the scattered foliage.

‘I’ll do that, Mrs. Shirakawa.’

‘No, you have a rest.’