"We do not see the gods," their Father answered. "But we must worship and obey them just the same.""I think Kwannon must love little children," said Take, "because she wants them to have such good times in her Temple."They said good-bye to the little horse, and walked through an opening into a courtyard beyond. The moment they stepped into the courtyard a flock of white pigeons flew down and settled all about them.
"Take may feed the pigeons," the Father said. "They are Kwannon's pigeons."Take threw her rice on the ground. The pigeons picked it all up.
So many people fed them that they were almost too fat to fly!
At another booth their Father bought some little rings of perfumed incense. He put them in his sleeve. His sleeves could hold more things than all a boy's pockets put together!
When they reached the great door of the Temple itself, the Father said: "Now, we must take off our shoes." So they all slipped their toes out of their clogs, and went into the Temple just as the bell in the courtyard rang out with a great--boom--BOOM--BOOM! that made the air shiver and shake all about them.
The Temple was one big, shadowy room, with tall red columns all about.
"It's just like a great forest full of trees, isn't it?" Taro whispered to Take, as they went in.
"It almost scares me," Take whispered back; "it's so big."Directly in front of the entrance there was another bell. A long red streamer hung from its clapper, and under it was a great box with bars over the top. On the box there perched a great white rooster!
The Father pulled the red streamer and rang the bell. Then he threw a piece of money into the box. It fell with a great noise.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," crowed the rooster! He seemed very much pleased about the money, though it was meant for the priests and not for him. "The rooster is saying thank you," cried Take.
"Hush," said her Mother.
Then the Father drew from his sleeve a little rosary of beads.
He placed it over his hands, and bowed his head in prayer while Grannie and Mother and Baby and the Twins stood near him and kept very still. When he had finished, a priest came up.
The Father bowed to the priest. "Will you show us the way to the shrine of Kwannon?" he asked.
Away off at the farther end of the Temple, the Twins could see a great altar. Banners and lanterns hung about it, and people were kneeling on the floor before it, praying. Before the altar was an open brazier with incense burning in it.
"Come this way," said the priest. He led them to the altar.
The Father took Bot'Chan from his Mother, and held him in his arms. The priest said a prayer to Kwannon, and blessed the Baby.
Then the Father threw incense rings on the little fire that burned in the brazier before the altar. Wreaths of smoke began to curl about their heads. The air was filled with the sweet odor of it. Some of it went up Bot'Chan's nose. It smarted.
Bot'Chan didn't like it. He had behaved beautifully up to that time, and I am sure if the incense hadn't gone up his nose he would have kept on behaving beautifully. But it did, and Bot'Chan sneezed just as the priest finished the prayer.
Then he gave a great scream. Then anther, and another. Three of them!
The priest smiled. But the Father didn't mile. He gave Bot'Chan back to his mother just as quickly as he could.
He said, "The honorable worshippers will be disturbed. We must go out at once."They hurried back to the entrance and found their clogs, and the moment they were outdoors again, in the sweet, fresh air, Bot'Chan cuddled down on his Mother's back and went to sleep without another sound.
Near the Temple they found an orchard of cherry trees in full bloom. People were sitting under the cherry trees, looking at the blossoms. Some of them were writing little verses, which they hung on the branches of the trees. They did this because they loved the blossoms so much. Children were playing all about. Near by was a pretty little tea-house.
Grannie saw it first. "I am thirsty," she said.
"So am I," said Take.
"So am I," said Taro.
"We're all thirsty," the Father said.
Outside the tea-house, under the trees there were wooden benches. They sat down on these, and soon little maids from the tea-house brought them trays with tea and sweet rice-cakes.
They sat on the benches and sipped their tea, and watched the people moving about, and looked up at the cherry blossoms against the blue sky, and were very happy, indeed.
The Mother had carried Bot'Chan all the way on her back, so maybe she was a little tired. Anyway, she said to the Father:--"If you and the Twins want to go farther, let Grannie and me stay here and rest. You can come back for us.""Would you like to see the animals?" the Father asked the Twins.
Taro and Take jumped right up, and took their Father's hands, one on each side, and then they all walked away together under the blossoming trees to another part of the park.
In this part of the park there were cages, and in the cages were lions, and tigers, and monkeys, and zebras, and elephants, and all kinds of animals! There were birds, too, with red and blue plumage and beautiful golden tails. There were parrots and cockatoos and pheasants. Wild ducks were swimming in the ponds;and two swans sailed, like lovely white ships, to the place where the Twins stood, and opened their bills to be fed.
In the Father'ssleeve was something for each one. Taro and Take took turns. Take fed the swans, and Taro fed the great fish that swam up beside them and looked at them with round eyes. When they saw the food the fish leaped in the water and fought each other to get it, and when they ate it they made curious noises like pigs.
"I don't think they have very good manners," said Take.
By and by they came to a queer little street. This little street must have been made on purpose for little boys and girls to have fun in, for there were all sorts of astonishing things there.
There were jugglers doing strange tricks with tops and swords.
There were acrobats, and candy-sellers and toy-sellers going about with baskets hung from long poles over their shoulders. It was almost like a circus.