ＷＥＢ絵本『女中奉公（金子文子）』第２１巻

待ちに待った大晦日が来た．
夜の十二時過ぎにやっとどうやら仕事の片もついたので、私は、自分の荷物を纏めたり、髪をとかしつけたりして、お訣れの挨拶をみんなの前にした．

The long-awaited New Year's Eve came.

I finally finished my duties. It was past midnight.
So I packed my belongings and I tidied myself.

And then I said goodbye to them all.

大奥さんは、「おかげ様で大変助かりました」と礼を言ってくれて、「これは旦那からのお礼です．もっとあげたいんだけれど、何分、年上のきよが以前からいるんでその釣合もあってそうもならないんですから悪しからず」と半紙に包んで水引をかけた物を盆にのせて出した．

"You've been of great assistance to us."
The old mistress thanked me.

"This is your reward from my husband. We want to give you more money, but Miss Kiyo is elder than you, and she has a long period of work. I hope you'll accept the balance."
She said and gave me an envelope on a tray.

解き放たれた気持で、私は、風呂敷包をかかえて勝手口から出た．
電車の停留所までゆくと折よくそこへ赤電車が来た．それに乗って私は、小石川の河田さんの家へ行った．

In my free mind, I went out through the back door with my baggage.

I got to the train stop. Just at the moment, a red train came.
I took it toward Miss Kawada's house in Koishikawa town.

電車には十三、四人しか乗っていなかった．
出口の空席の広い所に腰を落ちつけて私は仲木から貰って来た紙包をそっと出して見た．

驚いたことには中には五円紙幣３枚しかなかった．
三ヶ月と一週間の不眠不休の労働に対してである．
私の期待はまんまとはずれたのである．私は大きな声で自分を罵ってやりたい気がした．

給金をきめなかったのは私がわるい．
けれどそれは要するに秋原さんの教訓に従ったまでだ．

秋原さんは言った．
「お金のことなんか言うものではありません．それは卑しいことです．言わなくても仲木さんの家は立派な商家ですから無茶なことは決してしません．ただ任しておきなさい」と．

私は秋原さんの言葉に従って「ただ任して」いたのだ．
だが、仲木さんは無茶なことをしなかったであろうか．
私は学校に行きたくてたまらなかったのに、また、河田さんからあんなよい機会を与えられたのに、ただ仲木家の都合のために、仲木家のために、自分の望みの一切を捨ててまで働いてやったのではないか．

それだのに、仲木家は私に、月五円にも足らぬ報酬をしか与えないのだ．
私にそれだけの報酬を与えたものは妾を囲って、待合に入りびたって、賭博ばっかりうっている老人や、おめかしに二時間もかかる老婦人や、朝寝をし、夜更かしをして、自分達ばかりが贅沢三昧に耽りながら、女中にはほんの四、五時間の睡眠のほか何らの休息をも与えなかった人々なのだ．

Only 13 or 14 passengers were on the train.
I took one of empty seats by a door.

I took out the envelope given by the family and peeped its inside.
There were only three 5-yen bills in the envelope. The money was for my work without sleep or rest in three months and a week.

It was disappointing. I had an urge to swear at myself.
I didn't make agreement on my wages. That was my fault.

But, in a word, I only followed Mrs. Akiyama's advice.

Mrs. Akiyama said, "You shouldn't talk about wages. That's vulgar behavior. You don't need to talk about them. Mr. Nakagi is a respectable merchant. He never makes an unreasonable treatment. Only you leave them to him."

I followed her advice and I only leave them to him.
But he didn't make an unreasonable treatment, did he?

I was eager to go to school. Besides, I gave up hope and worked for Nakagi family, though Miss Kawada gave me such a good chance.
But Nakagi family only gave me wages less than five yen a month.

The old master who gave me the wages kept a woman outside. He spent every day in night club. And he was a lover of gamble.
The old mistress spent two hours in getting dressed up.
They slept in and stayed up late. They indulged in luxury. They gave us no break but sleep of 4 or 5 hours.