3 182202465 1721 s$J%*mf- m^W Jfe*'^^*^ *'* WWW;: -'W

86 HONDA THE SAZfUEAI.
" Why must they come to Yedo, instead of Kyoto?
Is not Kyoto the Ho, or capital ? We boys were talk-
ing about this matter in school to-day,
teacher would n't satisfy us."
but our
"Yes, Kyoto is the capital."
" And is not the Mikado the only emperor and the
chief ruler of all Japan ? "
" Yes."
" Then why do not the
Kyoto?"
daimios visit and live in
" Because the general in Yedo has the power to
command and enforce his commands."
" Has he more power than the Mikado ? "
"
Well, yes. The Mikado has the law on his side
and the honor and love of the people, but none dare
disobey a word from Yedo."
" Must men obey the general in Yedo more than
the emperor in Kyoto ? '
" Hardly ;
but you are asking hard questions, my
boy. What are you thinking of ?"
"I was thinking of a story I heard to-day, of a
boy
who was sent on an errand when it looked as
if it were going to rain. His father told him to
wear clogs, but his mother bade him put on sandals.
Between the two he did n't know what to do ; so he
put a clog on one foot and a sandal on the other,
and hobbled along the best he could. What would
our prince do if the emperor ordered him to Kyoto
while the general in Yedo commanded him to come
eastward ? "
" This is a puzzle, my son. The question has not