Thereafter Narihiro carried a silver pipe with him every time he
went to the castle. It, too, was a most elaborate pipe with the
plum-blossom-and-spear-point crest scattered over it.
Of course he was not so proud of the new pipe as he had been of the
old one. In the first place, he seldom took it in his hand even when
he was conversing with others. Even when he did, he put it away again
immediately. This was because the same Nagasaki tobacco did not taste
so good to him as it had when he smoked it in his pure gold pipe. But
the changing of the metal of which the pipe was made did not affect
only Narihiro. As the three loyal retainers had expected, it had an
effect on the attendants as well. However, in the end, this effect
utterly betrayed their expectation. For when the attendants saw that
the gold had been replaced with silver, even those of them who had
up to this time stood back because of the pure gold raced to ask for
a pipe. Moreover, Narihiro, who begrudged not even a pure gold pipe,
naturally was not averse to giving away a silver pipe. Whenever he was
asked for one, he promptly tossed it away ungrudgingly. Finally even
he himself could not say whether he gave away a pipe when he went to
the castle or went to the castle to give away a pipe,--at least, he
hardly could.
At this, Yamazaki, Iwata and Ueki knit their brows and conferred again.
Now at last there was nothing for it but to make brass pipes as Ueki
had proposed. Then when they were just on the verge of sending an order
to Sumiyoshiya Shichibei as usual, a personal attendant came to them
with a message from Narihiro.
“Our liege lord says that when he carries a silver pipe, he’s tormented
by the attendants’ importunities. Henceforward you are to make his
pipes of gold as heretofore.”
The three were struck dumb and knew not what to do.