Once Saburo told his wife that the General Affairs section of the company planned to start English conversation classes for the staff in the Head Office, and that they had discreetly inquired of Saburo if his wife was available as an instructor. At that time Alice was still expecting her baby and was physically not able to accept the offer. Now that the baby was settled into a routine, Alice decided to devote herself to the teaching of English. Since the American Occupation everyone in Japan was eager to learn English and foreign teachers were in great demand. Alice had heard that many Germans and other Europeans whose mother tongue was not English pretended to be American-it was not difficult to deceive the good-natured Japanese-and taught English for fabulous fees. In fact the Japanese, since the defeat in the war, tended to think that all Caucasians were American, and Alice herself had often been taken for an American. Alice remembered how generous the Tozai London branch office had been when she taught English to its Japanese personnel during off-duty hours and how the pupils had appreciated her service.
