前にも話した通り、奥さんは私の此所置に對して始めは不贊成だつたのです。下宿屋ならば、一人より二人が便利だし、二人より三人が得になるけれども、商賣でないのだから、成るべくなら止した方が好いといふのです。私が決して世話の燒ける人でないから構ふまいといふと、世話は燒けないでも、氣心の知れない人は厭だと答へるのです。それでは今厄介になつてゐる私だつて同じ事ではないかと詰ると、私の氣心は初めから能く分つてゐると辯解して已まないのです。私は苦笑しました。すると奥さんは又理窟の方向を更へます。そんな人を連れて來るのは、私の爲に惡いから止せと云ひ直します。何故私のために惡いかと聞くと、今度は向ふで苦笑するのです。
translation
As I said before, Okusan was initially unhappy with my position. In the case of a boarding house, two people are more convenient than one, and three people are more profitable than two people, but since it's not a commercial business, it's better to avoid it if possible. When I say that I don't care because I'm not the kind of person who cares, he replies that he doesn't care about people who don't care. When I asked if it was the same for me, who is now in trouble, he refused to give up, saying that he knew my mind well from the beginning. I smiled wryly. Then Okusan changes the direction of Wori cave. It would be wrong for me to bring such a person, so I told him to stop. When I asked him why he was evil for me, he gave me a wry smile.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 前: point (さき), tip, end, nozzle, head (of a line) | 話: talk (はなし), speech, chat, conversation, topic | 通: authority (つう), expert, connoisseur, well-informed person, counter for messages, letters, notes, documents, etc. | 奥: inner part (おく), interior, back (of a drawer, one’s throat, etc.), depths (e.g. of a forest), recesses (e.g. of a cave) |
| 此所: here (ここ), this place, this point, here, now | 對: versus (たい), against, vs., v., to (e.g. score of 4 to 2, ratio of 3 to 1, vote of 320 to 180) | 下宿屋: lodging house (げしゅくや) | 一人: one person (いちにん), one person (ひとり), being alone, being alone, being by oneself |
| 便利: convenient (べんり), handy, useful | 三人: three people (さんにん), three people (みたり) | 得: profit (とく), advantage, benefit, gain, rebirth in paradise, entering nirvana | 方: direction (かた), way, person, lady, gentleman |
| 決: decision (けつ), vote | 世話: care (せわ), looking after, help, assistance, aid | 人: -ian (e.g. Italian) (じん), -ite (e.g. Tokyoite), -er (e.g. performer, etc.), person working with …, man | 構: structure (かまえ), construction, appearance, posture (e.g. in martial arts), pose |
| 厭: disliking (いや), disliking (や), disliking (イヤ), not wanting, not wanting | 答: answer (こたえ), reply, response, answer, solution | 厄介: trouble (やっかい), burden, nuisance, bother, worry | 同: the same (どう), the said, likewise |
| 詰: stuffing (つめ), stuffing (づめ), packing, packing, end (esp. the foot of a bridge) | 初: first (うい), first (はつ), new, new, innocent (うぶ) | 能: talent (のう), gift, function, noh (theatre) | 分: minute (unit of time) (ふん), fun (one tenth of a monme, 5.787 grains), one-tenth (ぶ), one percent (one-tenth of a wari), 3 mm (one-tenth of a sun) |
| 苦笑: bitter smile (くしょう), wry smile, strained laugh, sarcastic laugh | 理窟: theory (りくつ), reason, logic, (unreasonable) argument, strained logic | 方向: direction (ほうこう), orientation, bearing, way, course (e.g. of action) | 更: alternately (こもごも), in succession, one-fifth of the night (approx. 2 hours) (こう), growing late (ふけ), latening |
| 爲: good (ため), advantage, benefit, welfare, sake | 惡: evil (あく), wickedness, (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.), the bad guy | 直: straight (なお), ordinary, common, doing nothing, earnestly (ひた) | 何故: why (なぜ), why (なにゆえ), how, how |
| 今度: this time (こんど), now, next time, another time, shortly |