Explore "The Shogun's Daughter" by Robert Ames Bennet on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
In quick response to the signal, the chamberlain who had conducted us to the palace entered at the side of the room. Over his feet and a yard behind trailed a grotesque prolongation of his trouser legs that gave him the appearance of walking on his knees. I supposed he had been summoned to usher us out. But when he crept forward on hands and knees and kowtowed, the Shogun commanded harshly: "Look at the _tojin_, Gengo. Report has been made that he committed the crime of firing a gun within the bounds of Yedo. Speak the truth."
The chamberlain raised his head a little above the floor, and stared across at me, his face gray with fear beneath its set smile.