Before leaving the board at the end of a session, the players would check
the number of moves and the time consumed. The Master was not quick to
understand.
On July 16 Otaké sealed the last play, Black 43, at half past four.
Informed that there had been a total of sixteen plays in the course of the
day, the Master found the statement hard to accept.
“Sixteen? Can we have made that many?”
The girl explained again that from White 28 through the sealed play
there had been a total of sixteen. Otaké concurred. The game was still in its
early stages and there were only forty-two stones on the board. A glance
should had sufficed to confirm the girl’s statement, but the Master had his
doubts. He counted up stone by stone on his fingers, and still did not seem
convinced.
“Let’s line them up and see.”
Taking away the stones played that day, he and Otaké replaced them in
alternation: one, two, three, and so to sixteen.
“Sixteen?” muttered the Master vacantly. “Quite a day’s work.”
“That’s because you’re so fast, sir,” said Otaké.
“Oh, but I’m not, though.”
The Master sat absently by the board and showed no inclination to leave.
The others could not leave before him.
“Suppose we go on over,” said Onoda after a time. “You’ll feel better.”
