ＷＥＢ絵本「電報（黒島伝治）」

第５回配信

She was paying attention to the face of the boy, who faced the young master and talked continually.
As their conversation stopped a little, she got close to the boy and asked about her son hastily.

若旦那の方に向いて、しきりに話している坊っちゃんの顔に、彼女は注意を怠らなかった．

そして、話が一寸中断したのを見計らって、急に近づいて、息子のことをきいた．

"Tanimoto said he had to stay there," the boy said to her.
"The exam already finished, didn't it?"
"Well, our exam finished. But Tanimoto said he would take another exam."
"I see. Thank you very much," Okino said and bowed.
She was confused oddly when the young master faced her.

「谷元はまだ残っとると云いよった．」と、坊っちゃんは、彼女に答えた．

「試験はもうすんだんでござんしょうな．」

「はあ、僕等と一緒にすんだんじゃが、谷元はまだほかを受ける云いよった．」

「そうでござんすか．どうもありがとうさん．」と、おきのは頭を下げた．彼女は若旦那に顔を見られるのが妙に苦るしかった．

The next afternoon, a post card came from the cousin.
It said as follows:
The son will certainly pass the exam of the prefectural junior high school. But he must take an entrance exam of a private junior high school if he fails the exam. And so, the cousin keeps him staying until the result will be announced.

翌日の午後、従弟から葉書が来た．

県立中学に多分合格しているだろうが、若し駄目だったら、私立中学の入試を受けるために、成績が分かるまで子供は帰らせずに、引きとめている．ということだった．

"If he fails the exam, we will not need to make him take another exam. We will not need to send him to a private junior high school. We are poor. If we send him to school in the city, the village officials might have an eye on us. And they might raise our tax. If so, we will be in trouble," Okino said to Gensaku.
Gensaku kept silent. He was also unwilling to send their son to private junior high school.

「もう通らなんだら、私立を受けさしてまで中学へやらいでもえいわやの．家のような貧乏たれに市の学校へやって、また上から目角を取られて等級でもあげられたら困らやの．」と、おきのは源作に云った．

源作は黙っていた．

彼も、私立中学へやるのだったら、あまり気がすすまなかった．
（つづく）