Tugas bahasa inggris

The Mirror of
Matsuyama
In ancient days there lived in a
remote part of Japan a man and
his wife, and they were blessed
with a little girl, who was the
pet and idol of her parents. On
one occasion the man was
called away on business in
distant Kyoto. Before he went he
told his daughter that if she
were good and dutiful to her
mother he would bring her back
a present she would prize very
highly. Then the good man took
his departure, mother and
daughter watching him go.
At last he returned to his home,
and after his wife and child had
taken off his large hat and
sandals he sat down upon the
white mats and opened a
bamboo basket, watching the
eager gaze of his little child. He
took out a wonderful doll and a
lacquer box of cakes and put
them into her outstretched
hands. Once more he dived into
his basket, and presented his
wife with a metal mirror. Its
convex surface shone brightly,
while upon its back there was a
design of pine trees and storks.
The good man's wife had never
seen a mirror before, and on
gazing into it she was under the
impression that another woman
looked out upon her as she gazed
with growing wonder. Her
husband explained the mystery
and bade her take great care of
the mirror.
Not long after this happy
homecoming and distribution of
presents the woman became
very ill. Just before she died she
called to her little daughter, and
said: "Dear child, when I am
dead take every care of your
father. You will miss me when I
have left you. But take this
mirror, and when you feel most
lonely look into it and you will
always see me." Having said
these words she passed away.
In due time the man married
again, and his wife was not at
all kind to her stepdaughter. But
the little one, remembering her
mother's words, would retire to
a corner and eagerly look into
the mirror, where it seemed to
her that she saw her dear
mother's face, not drawn in
pain as she had seen it on her
deathbed, but young and
beautiful.
One day this child's stepmother
chanced to see her crouching in
a corner over an object she
could not quite see, murmuring
to herself. This ignorant woman,
who detested the child and
believed that her stepdaughter
detested her in return, fancied
that this little one was
performing some strange
magical art--perhaps making an
image and sticking pins into it.
Full of these notions, the
stepmother went to her husband
and told him that his wicked
child was doing her best to kill
her by witchcraft.
When the master of the house
had listened to this
extraordinary recital he went
straight to his daughter's room.
He took her by surprise, and
immediately the girl saw him
she slipped the mirror into her
sleeve. For the first time her
doting father grew angry, and
he feared that there was, after
all, truth in what his wife had
told him, and he repeated her
tale forthwith.
When his daughter had heard
this unjust accusation she was
amazed at her father's words,
and she told him that she loved
him far too well ever to attempt
or wish to kill his wife, who she
knew was dear to him.
"What have you hidden in your
sleeve?" said her father, only
half convinced and still much
puzzled.
"The mirror you gave my
mother, and which she on her
deathbed gave to me. Every time
I look into its shining surface I
see the face of my dear mother,
young and beautiful. When my
heart aches--and oh! it has
ached so much lately--I take out
the mirror, and mother's face,
with sweet, kind smile, brings
me peace, and helps me to bear
hard words and cross looks."
Then the man understood and
loved his child the more for her
filial piety. Even the girl's
stepmother, when she knew
what had really taken place,
was ashamed and asked
forgiveness. And this child, who
believed she had seen her
mother's face in the mirror,
forgave, and trouble forever
departed from the home.