CONSOLATION

She wept as she spoke. The sight affected him deeply; but then he thought, this is exactly why it happened! and felt such a wave of revulsion that he, too, always the tenderhearted gallant, burst into tears. Never mind if she had erred gravely, he could never, never reject her, she was just too sweet and too dear; and so it was that his anger left him, and he said no more. Instead he turned to consoling her.

The next morning he arose from a pleasant night, washed up, and took his breakfast there as well. The style of her rooms made a striking change from the glittering layers yonder of brocade or damask from Koma and Cathay. It all felt so plain and familiar, and her women, too, some in softly rumpled clothes, gave him a feeling of peace.

(The Tale of Genji, chap. 49, pp. 950-951)