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i 


OPENED    IT    WITH    AN    EXPRESSION    OF    NERVOUS    ANXIETY." 

[Frontispiece. 


CHINESE     STOEIES 


BY 


ROBERT    K.    DOUGLAS 


it!)    Illustrations 


WILLIAM     BLACKWOOD     AND     SONS 

EDINBURGH      AND      LONDON 

M  D  C  C  CXCIII 


f^J 


CONTENTS. 


7 


INTRODUCTION, 

A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD, 

WITHIN    HIS    DANGER,      . 

THE    TWINS,   . 

A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE, 

HOW   A    CHINESE   B.A.  WAS    WON, 

LE    MING'S    MARRIAGE,     . 

A   BUDDHIST   STORY, 

A   FICKLE    WIDOW, 

A   CHINESE   GIRL   GRADUATE, 

LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY, 

A    CHINESE   BALLAD, 

THE   LOVE-SICK   MAIDEN:    A    CHINESE   POEM, 


PAGE 

xi 
3 

:;i 

82 
125 
172 
202 
231 
249 
265 
321 
344 
347 


ORIiLNi'Ai) 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FULL-PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

"opened  it  with  an  expression  of  nervous  anxiety,"     Frontispiece 

■L  HE  WAS  QUITE  UNAWARE   THAT   AN   EVEN   MORE    ATTRAC- 
TIVE object  had  entered  the  room,"        .  To  face  page  16 

"THREW   HIM   BACKWARDS   ON    THE    PATHWAY,"       .                              n  42 

"WHAT   IS    THE    WARRANT    FOR?" — "  MURDER  !  "                      .              n  62 
"THE  MERRY  STRAINS  OF  THE  'DRAGON  AND  THE  PHCENIX  ' 

PLAYED    BY   MORE   THAN   ONE   BAND,"                   .                 .             n  94 

"THEY    LEANED    OVER   TO    GREET    THEIR    LOVERS.'                    .              m  110 

"THE  FLOWERY    ONES,"           .....              n  144 

"WANG,"          ......."  168 

ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   THE   TEXT. 

P  M.I 

"  THE    PREFECT    SURVEYED     HIS     GUEST    WITH     CURIOSITY    NOT 

UNMIXED    WITH    LOATHING,"  ....  6 

"YOU  HIDEOUS  deformity!"        .  .  ■  •  .11 

"HE   BURST   OUT   OF   THE    ROOM,"  .  .  -  .26 

"SHE    WAS    PRONOUNCED    PRESENTABLE,"  .  .  3] 


Vlll  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

"  here   was  a  pretty  position   for   a   graduate  and  ax 

expectant  mandarin,"         .            ....  48 

''with  much  caution  the  expedition  was  made,"    .            .  55 

"huddled  up  against  an  angle  in  the  wall,"       .           .  76 

"marked  it  as  the  entrance  to  the  prison,"         .            .  81 

"but,  mother,  we  do  not  wish  to  marry,"  ...  88 

"mrs  ma  stood  ready  for  the  assault,"       ...  97 

"  a  sorrier  quartet  it  would  be  difficult  to  find,"        .  106 

"oh,  there  is  te  ! "        .            .            .             .             .            .  115 

"te  is  in  difficulties,"             .....  115 

"this  is  too  bad,"          ......  142 

"  with  one  piercing  shriek   .    .    .    she  sank  beneath  the 

SURFACE,"  .  .  .  .  .  .  .154 

"I   AM    INDEED    DOUBLY   YOUR   WIFE,"         ....  171 

"  MING    PICKED    IT    UP,    AND    FOUND    THE    PAPER    TO    CONTAIN    A 

COUPLET,"  .  .  .  .  .  .  .178 

"  HE    WAS    SITTING     ...      IN    HIS    GARDEN  -  STUDY    COMPOSING 

COUPLETS,"        .......  203 

"ON    NO    ACCOUNT   TO    LEAVE    HIS    MASTER,"             .                  .                  .  234 
"RUSHED     OUT     OF     THE     ROOM     .      .     .     AND     RAN     DOWN     THE 

ROAD,"                   .......  236 

"'OH,'      HE      CRIED,     'THE      FIRE -DEMON      HAS     FOLLOWED     ME 

HERE  !  '"             .                  .                  .                  .                  .                  .                  .  237 

"'All!'    SAID    THE    CARP,    'i    FORGOT    YOU    WERE    A    MAN,'"             .  239 
"IN     SPITE     OF     HIS     EFFORTS     HE     WAS     DRAWN     OCT     OF     THE 

WATER,"               .......  243 

"  '  HAI-YAH  !    CHANG,    YOU    ARE    IN    LUCK    TO-DAY,'  "              .                  .  246 
"HERE    IS   THE    FAN,     .     .     .     FAN    IT    DRY    AS    QUICKLY    AS    POS- 
SIBLE,"              .......  251 

"THERE    ARRIVED   A   YOUNG   AND    ELEGANT    SCHOLAR,       .                 .  254 
"SHE    WENT    BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS    TO    Tin:   CHAMBER  OF 

DEATH,3                .......  257 

"THE   COFFIN    rem<>\  ED,                    .....  260 

"THE    PRINCE    WAS    SEIZED    WITH    VIOLENT    CONVULSIONS,"             .  261 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  IX 

"SHE  .   .  .  DROPPED   THE   HATCHET   FROM   HER  PALSIED 

HANDS,"      .       .       .       .       .       .       .262 

''THE   STREETS   WITHIN    THE    WALLS    .    .    .    ARE    SCENES    OF    BUST 

LIFE,"  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  267 

"IN    A    SITUATION    WHICH    THE    SON    OF    HEAVEN     MIGHT     ENVY, 

STANDS   THE    OFFICIAL    RESIDENCE    OF   COLONEL   WEN,"  .  269 

"SHE    SANG    IN    THE    MOST     FAULTLESS    FALSETTO,    SHE    PLAYED 

THE    GUITAR    WITH    TASTE    ANT)    EXPRESSION,"  .  .  -71 

"SHE   TOOK    UP    HER    BOW    AND    ARROW,    AND    WITH    UNERRING 

AIM    COMPASSED   THE   DEATH   OF   HER   VICTIM,"  .  .  276 

"THE     FIRST    EVENING     WAS     SPENT     BY    THE     THREE    STUDENTS 

IN   JOYOUS   CONVERSE,"  .....  281 

"TU    AND    WEI    ON    THEIR    KNEES    BEFORE    HER,"  .  .  283 

"AS     SHE     PASSED     THROUGH      THE     COURTYARD      SHE     INSTINC- 
TIVELY   LOOKED    UP    AT    THE    WINDOW,''  .  .  .  288 
"  SHE     PRESENTED     TO     JASMINE     THE     BOX,    WHICH     CONTAINED 

PEARS   AND    A    PACKET    OF   SCENTED   TEA,"      .  .  .  290 

"TU    WAS    RECLINING   AT    HIS    EASE,''  ....  302 

"COLONEL   WEN,"     .......  310 

"  WITH     EVERY     REGARD     TO     CEREMONY     AND     ANCIENT     USAGE, 
THE    MARRIAGE   OF    TU    AND    JASMINE    WAS    CELEBRATED    IN 
THE    PRESENCE    OF   RELATIVES    AND    FRIENDS,"  .  .  313 

"  MISS     KING     OPENED     HER     EYES     WIDE     AT     THIS      STARTLING 

ANNOUNCEMENT,"  .  .  .  .  .  .318 

'•'  A    HANDSOME,  GAILY-DRESSED    .MAN    LED   A   LADY   OF  EXQUISITE 

BEAUTY    ON   TO   THE   YACHT,"  ....  325 

"THE    STRANGER   LOOKED    UP    FROM    HIS    BIRD    WITH   AN   ENGAG- 
ING  SMILE,"      .......  ?>-~ 

"  BOTH    GUEST    AND    HOST    WERE    IN    EXCELLENT    SPIRITS,"  .  331 

"THE    LADY    PRESENTLY    APPEARED,"  ....  335 

"'WHY,    WHAT    HAS    HAPPENED!"    HE    EXCLAIMED,"  .  .  341 


INTKODUCTION. 


CHINESE    FICTION. 

ABECENT  writer  has  pointed  out  that,  in  one  re- 
spect, the  Chinese  are  much  in  the  condition  of 
a  character  in  one  of  Eichter's  novels,  who  assumed 
that  the  first  meridian  lay  through  his  own  skull. 
Everything  which  belongs  to  them  forms  part  of  the 
centre  of  the  universe,  and  all  that  is  beyond  their 
immediate  cognisance  is  foreign  and  negligeable.  The 
same  principle  holds  good  in  the  matter  of  literary 
taste.  It  is  laid  down,  as  a  law  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  that  the  canonical  books  and  the  works  re- 
lated to  them  contain  all  the  wisdom  that  it  is  good 
for  man  to  know,  and  all  the  interest  and  amuse- 
ment which  a  rational  being  should  require.  It  is 
of  no  use  to  attempt  to  explain  to  a  be-spectadcd 
and  self-important  scholar  that  the  efforts  of  the 
imagination  are  as  much  worthy  of  study  as  the 
solemn    dicta   of    Confucius    and    the    aphorisms    of 

b 


Xll  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Mencius.  Pity  and  contempt  are  the  only  feelings 
which  such  an  attempt  to  swim  against  the  current 
would  arouse.  Years  of  careful  training  will  make 
a  tree  whose  shoots  should  spring  heavenwards  bend 
the  points  of  its  branches  towards  the  earth.  Cen- 
turies of  constraint  have  had  a  parallel  effect  on  the 
Chinese.  If  ever  they  possessed  a  desire  to  soar  into 
the  higher  atmosphere  of  imagination,  their  efforts 
have  been  thwarted,  and  their  aspirations  have  been 
forced  downwards  to  the  solid  groundwork  of  prosaic 
literature.  By  this  careful  and  persistent  training 
they  have  learned  to  believe  that  to  pass  from  the 
contemplation  of  the  classical  and  historical  literature 
to  that  of  the  lighter  efforts  of  more  subtle  authors, 
is  to  descend  from  Parnassus  into  the  gutter.  This 
is,  however,  a  pious  opinion  in  which  there  is  no 
re; i son  that  we  should  concur.  The  standard  of  taste 
in  Peking  is  happily  not  necessarily  the  same  as  in 
London,  and  we  may  be  forgiven  if,  in  this  instance, 
we  dissent  from  the  orthodox  view.  In  the  classical 
literature  we  have  reflected,  it  is  true,  the  serious 
bent  of  the  people's  mind,  but  it  fails  to  reproduce 
the  fancy  and  personal  esprit  which  are  brought  out 
in  their  romances  and  plays.  On  all  such  works  the 
Chinese  pour  out  the  vials  of  their  contempt.  Siao 
hwa,  or  "  small-talk,"  is  the  only  term  they  can  find 
to  express  their  opinion  of  them,  and  they  profess 
to  relegate  them  to  the  apartments  of  the  women 
and   the   homes  of  the  uneducated. 

Fortunately,  however,  the  learned  Chinese  are  not 
•  piite  such  literary  prigs  as  they  pretend  to  be ;  and 
just    as   the   most  pronounced   Confucianist   keeps    a 


INTRODUCTION.  Xlll 

soft  place  in  his  heart  for  Buddhist  deities  and  the 

mysticisms  of  Tao,  so  the  most  pedantic  scholar 
occasionally  indulges,  under  the  rose,  in  the  study 
of  the  loves  and  adventures  of  heroes  and  heroines 
who  are  mere  fictions  of  the  brain.  It  is  difficuTl 
to  say  when  the  first  story  was  published  in  China, 
but  it  is  quite  safe  to  assume  that  stories  have  been 
current  from  all  time.  There  never  was  a  land  in 
which  stories  did  not  exist.  Even  the  dull  nomads  of 
the  deserts  of  Mongolia  and  of  the  still  drearier  wastes 
of  Tibet  attempt  to  vary  the  monotony  of  their  ex- 
istence by  telling  weird  tales  as  they  crowd  round 
their  camp-fires.  To  such  people  the  efforts  of  the 
imagination  are  to  life  what  froth  is  to  champagne. 
They  keep  it  fresh  and  brisk,  and  impart  liveliness 
to  what  without  them  would  be  flat  and  wearisome. 

The  earliest  stories  which  we  know  of  in  China  are 
those  which  are  enshrined  in  the  '  Book  of  Odes,'  the 
contents  of  which  date  back  to  the  time  of  Solomon. 
In  these  ballads  we  find  talcs  and  fragments  of  tales 
which  doubtless  formed  part  of  the  stock-in-trade 
of  professional  story-tellers  who  sought  to  amuse  the 
Chinese  immigrants  on  their  arrival  in  the  strange 
land  of  their  adoption.  In  these,  as  in  everything 
Chinese,  there  is  a  lack  of  that  vivid  fancy  which 
belongs  to  more  imaginative  races.  The  fiery  inspi- 
ration of  the  Aryan  peoples  has  been  denied  to  the 
Scythian  mind.  No  torrents  of  passion  nor  eloquent 
denunciations  break  the  calm  narratives  which  flow 
from  the  placid  pens  of  Chinese  story-tellers.  Their 
themes  are  for  the  most  part  the  idyllic  scenes  of 
country  life,  in  which  love,  tempered  with  subdued 


XIV  CHINESE    STORIES. 

passion,  plays  a  prominent  part.  On  such  matters 
they  only  speak  right  on,  and  give  us  plain  and 
detailed  particulars  of  the  events  which  they  wish 
to  describe.  Compared  with  Western  writers,  they 
labour  under  the  disadvantage  of  having  to  work 
out  their  own  literary  systems.  No  ideas  from  the 
people  of  other  countries,  except  those  of  India,  have 
ever  reached  them,  and  all  opportunities  of  sharpening 
their  wits  by  communication  with  other  foreigners 
have  been  denied  them.  To  India  they  owe  much 
that  gives  lightness  and  variety  to  their  works  of 
fiction.  Buddhistic  fancies  and  the  philosophical 
conceptions  which  underlie  Brahmanism  introduced 
new  and  interesting  phases  into  the  native  literature  ; 
and  indirectly  those  supernatural  and  magical  ideas 
which  first  made  their  appearance  in  the  writings  of 
Taoist  sages,  and  which  have  since  become  part  of 
the  stock-in-trade  of  Chinese  novelists,  were  derived 
from  the  same  sources. 

Chinese  novels  may  be  divided  into  two  classes, 
historical  and  social.  Chinese  history,  as  all  students 
of  the  subject  know,  has  through  all  its  long  course 
been  broken  up  into  short  lengths  by  rebellions, 
wars,  and  dynastic  changes,  and  thus  furnishes 
abundant  matter  for  novels  of  the  first  of  these 
kinds.  It  has  also  this  great  advantage  in  the  eyes 
of  native  novelists,  that  it  supplies  them  with  plots 
ready-made.  All  that  is  required  of  them  is  that 
they  should  dispose  the  characters  and  events  in 
picturesque  arrangements,  and  introduce  the  leaven 
of  dialogue,  and  any  touches  of  fancy  they  may  be 
capable   of,   to  give  lightness   and   variety  to    their 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

pages.  The  most  celebrated  Chinese  historical  novel 
is  the  San  kwo  chi,  or  'History  of  the  Three  King- 
doms,' bv  one  Lo  Kwanchung.  a  writer  of  the  Yuen 
dynasty  (1268-1368).  The  period  chosen  as  fche  sub- 
ject of  this  work  is  that  which  embraces  the  fall  of 
the  Han  dynasty  (a.d.  25-220)  and  the  existence  of 
the  three  states  into  which  the  empire  was  tempo- 
rarily divided  during  the  succeeding  fifty-five  years. 
This  epoch  was  one  of  great  disorder.  There  were 
wars  and  rumours  of  wars  on  all  sides.  The  reins 
of  power  had  fallen  from  the  nerveless  grasp  of  the 
degenerate  rulers  of  the  Han  dynasty  and  had  been 
seized  by  a  usurper  named  Tung  Clio,  who  put  the 
reigning  emperor  to  death  and  placed  a  puppet  of 
his  own  on  the  throne.  The  violence  and  atrocities 
of  this  man  have  made  him  a  proverb  and  a  byword 
in  Chinese  history.  One  particular  act  attributed  to 
him  has  been  singled  out  as  being  even  more  atro- 
cious than  his  many  butcheries  and  murders.  With 
remorseless  cruelty  he  enforced  the  removal  of  the 
population  of  the  imperial  capital,  Lohyang,  number- 
ing, it  is  said,  several  millions,  to  the  city  of  Ch'an- 
yang,  and  ordered  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the 
deserted  town.  At  length  Fate  overtook  him — as 
it  commonly  overtakes  tyrants — and  he  was  assassi- 
nated by  one  of  the  countless  enemies  which  he  had 
raised  up  against  himself.  His  fall,  however,  failed 
to  bring  about  peace,  and  rebel  after  rebel  rose  to 
keep  alive  the  prevailing  disorder.  The  puppet 
whom    Tung    Clio    had    placed    on    the    throne    was 

O  J- 

murdered  in  his  turn,  and  a  successful  leader,  assum- 
ing the  imperial  purple,  proclaimed  himself  the  first 


XVI  CHINESE    STORIES. 

of  the  emperors  of  the  Wei  dynasty.  Simultaneously 
with  this  new  line  of  sovereigns  another  usurper 
established  a  kingdom  for  himself  in  the  modern 
province  of  Szech'uen  ;  and  yet  another  founded  one, 
which  he  styled  the  kingdom  of  Wu,  in  Southern 
China.  The  rivalries  of  these  three  states  made  a 
very  pretty  quarrel,  and  probably  no  half-century  in 
Chinese  history  has  so  bloody  a  record  as  that  of 
this  epoch.  It  is  therefore  a  model  period  for  the 
pen  of  a  historical  novelist,  and  Lo  Kwanchung  has 
taken  every  advantage  of  the  materials  thus  placed 
at  his  disposal.  With  considerable  skill  he  unfolds 
the  complicated  drama,  and  moves  the  puppets, 
crowded  on  the  stage,  with  precision  and  without 
confusion.  The  principal  characters  stand  promi- 
nently forward,  and  the  action  of  the  plot  goes  on 
about  them  without  in  the  least  obscuring;  their 
presence.  Nor  is  the  romance  ever  allowed  to  drop 
to  the  prosaic  level  of  history.  The  more  serious 
records  of  wars  and  political  movements  are  lightened 
by  a-  plentiful  introduction  of  artistic  by-play.  By 
the  exercise  of  the  novelist's  licence  we  are  admitted 
into  the  palaces  of  the  emperors,  and  are  initiated 
into  the  secrets  of  court  intrigues.  Even  the  imperial 
harems  are  thrown  open  for  our  benefit,  and  we  are 
made  confidants  of  the  plots  hatched  in  the  busy 
brains  of  idle  ladies,  which  on  more  than  one  occasion 
overthrew  emperors  and  caused  fire  and  sword  to 
overspread  the  land.  The  supernatural  also  is  largely 
introduced.  Times  of  political  disorder  are  generally 
favourable  to  superstition,  and  it  is  quite  possible 
thai  Lo  may  have  only  given  a  picturesque  colouring 


INTRODUCTION.  XV11 

to  the  reported  wonders   and  strange  Omens  wliich 
were  commonly  current  at  the  time. 

The  'History  of  the  Three  Kingdoms '  is  unquestion- 
ably the  best  Chinese  novel  of  its  class.  There  are 
others — the  Shui  hit  ch'uen,  for  instance  —  but  by 
common  consent  the  one  above  described  has  received 
the  general  suffrages  of  the  people. 

The  social  novel  is  of  quite  a  different  kind.  Like 
the  Babylonians  of  old,  Chinamen  look  upon  war  as 
an  uncultured  accomplishment,  and  the  writers  of 
romances  of  this  order  eschew  battles  and  bloodshed 
with  a  horror  equal  to  the  avidity  with  which  some 
Western  novelists  indulge  in  them.  With  us,  as 
with  all  Aryan  nations,  a  gallant  soldier  is  the  pop- 
ular hero,  and  the  atmosphere  of  the  camp  is  a  fa- 
vourite scene  for  the  plot.  But  with  the  Chinese  this 
is  not  so.  Military  prowess  does  uot  attract  the 
applause  of  the  people.  In  their  eyes  a  man  is  a 
model  hero  who  takes  the  highest  degree  at  the  ex- 
aminations, and  quotes  the  classics  with  the  greatest 
fluency.  It  is  true  that  he  should  be  a  Bayard,  satis 
■peiir  et  sans  reproche;  that  he  should  with  the 
strength  of  his  right  arm  vanquish  all  those  who 
oppose  him,  and  should  even  dare  to  brave  the  anger 
of  the  emperor  and  his  ministers  in  the  cause  of  right. 
■But  he  must  not  be  a  soldier  by  profession.  That 
would  degrade  him  at  once  in  the  eyes  of  all  the 
cultured  classes,  and  reduce  the  heroine,  whom  he 
always  marries  in  the  last  chapter  amid  the  plaudits 
of  the  court  and  the  people,  to  a  very  common  level. 
In  addition  to  these  eminent  qualities,  he  must  be 
clothed  with  virtue   as   with   a  garment.     He  must 


XV111  CHINESE    STORIES. 

cast  behind  him  every  temptation  to  evil,  and  however 
difficult  may  be  the  circumstances  with  which  he  is 
surrounded,  he  must  invariably  act  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  the  "rules  of  propriety."  He  should 
venture  all  in  the  cause  of  oppressed  virtue,  and 
esteem  it  the  highest  honour  to  have  exposed  the 
wrong-doer. 

A  typical  novel  of  this  kind  is  the  Hao  ch'iu  ch'uen, 
which  was  translated  by  Sir  John  Davis  under  the 
title  of  'The  Fortunate  Union.'  There  the  hero  acts 
up  to  the  letter  of  the  description  just  given.  His 
name  is  Tieh  or  "  Iron,"  and  his  conduct  is  as  in- 
flexible as  that  metal. 

There  is  plenty  of  movement  in  the  plot,  but  the 
scenes  are  placed  before  the  reader  as  a  succession  of 
tableaux  ;  and  though  the  action  of  the  principal  char- 
acters is  sufficient  to  describe  them  in  a  general  way, 
there  is  no  close  analysis  of  motive,  and  no  grada- 
tions in  their  good  and  evil  qualities.  They  are  all 
either  very  black  or  very  white.  Half-tones  are  un- 
known to  Chinese  novelists,  and  the  reader  has  to  ap- 
ply his  knowledge  of  nature  to  the  events  recorded  to 
complete  the  novel.  It  is,  however,  unquestionably 
interesting,  as  being  descriptive  of  certain  and  curious 
phases  of  Chinese  life,  and  as  accurately  reflecting 
the  sentiments  of  the  people  under  man)' and  varying 
circumstances. 

One  fault  which  is  observable  in  all  Chinese  novels 
is  the  want  of  conciseness  in  the  style  in  which  they 
arc  written.  The  same  leisurely  manner  which  marks 
every  movement  of  a  Chinaman  distinguishes  the 
way  in   which    his   romances  are   composed.      Neither 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

the  readers  nor  the  authors  are  in  a  hurry,  and 
therefore  the  former  are  ready  to  accept  and  the 
latter  to  provide  a  prolixity  and  minuteness  of  detail 
which  would  be  the  ruin  of  any  work  of  the  kind 
published  in  Europe.  This  is  a  vice  inherent  in  all 
Eastern  works,  from  the  '  Arabian  Nights '  down- 
wards, and  Orientals  will  have  to  become  unoriental- 
ised  before  any  reform  in  this  direction  can  be  ex- 
pected. To  a  great  extent  the  shorter  tales  of  the 
Chinese  are  free  from  this  defect  in  style.  The 
authors  who  have  to  complete  their  plots  within  a 
given  number  of  pages,  have  not  space  in  which  to 
indulge  the  prolix  meanderings  of  their  more  elabo- 
rate brethren  of  the  pen,  and  consequently  their  pages 
are  free  from  this  fault  of  larger  works.  All  Easterns 
are  fond  of  stories,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  country 
east  of  or  about  the  Nile  in  which  the  professional 
story-teller  is  not  a  familiar  figure.  Whether  in  the 
bazaars  in  Egypt,  under  the  village  trees  in  India,  or 
in  the  temples  in  Burma,  crowds  are  constantly  to  be 
found  listening  to  the  tales  of  wandering  narrators 
whose  guerdons  of  reward  vary  in  accordance  with 
their  power  to  amuse  their  audiences.  In  China, 
where  printing  is  so  cheap  and  where  the  knowledge 
of  letters  is  so  general,  the  book-shops  cater  to  the 
taste,  which  is  as  pronounced  there  as  elsewhere ; 
and  of  an  evening,  when  the  day's  work  is  done,  a 
favourite  amusement  of  the  people  is  to  listen  to  the 
tales  from  the  Liao  chai  chi  i,  the  Chin  hu  clii  kwan, 
or  some  other  well-known  collection,  read  by  the 
better  educated  among  them.  The  stories  in  the 
Chin  hu  ch'i  Jcwan  are  the  best  of  their  kind.     They 

c 


XX  CHINESE    STORIES. 

are  more  carefully  edited,  and  free  from  the  crude 
marvels  which  Chinese  authors  are  so  fond  of  in- 
troducing into  their  works  of  imagination.  The 
critical  faculty  is  not  largely  developed  among  the 
Chinese.  However  much  a  statement  may  be  sur- 
passing belief,  they  have  no  difficulty  in  accepting 
it.  Nor  does  the  fact  that  it  clashes  with  opposing 
assertions  or  with  ascertained  facts  disturb  them  for 
a  moment.  Their  mode  of  procedure  is  simple  ;  they 
accept  both,  and  never  trouble  themselves  to  reconcile 
the  conflicting!;  statements.  This  credulousness  re- 
lieves  writers  from  the  necessity  of  being  consistent, 
and  allows  them  to  wander  in  the  realms  of  the  mar- 
vellous to  their  hearts'  content.  To  the  mind  of  the 
more  matter-of-fact  and  logical  European  this  flighty 
imagination  is  sometimes  carried  to  excess,  and 
supernatural  wonders  which  arrest  the  attention  and 
excite  the  interest  of  native  audiences  serve  only  to 
weary  him.  Ghosts  and  magical  apjoearances  are 
favourite  properties  with  Chinese  authors,  and  are 
often  brought  in  with  telling  effect,  as,  for  instance, 
in  the  story  of  the  'Fickle  Widow.'1 

Another  typical  specimen  of  the  contents  of  the 
collection  from  which  the  above  is  taken  is  a  story 
entitled  '  A  Girl  Graduate,'  which  will  be  found  re- 
lated in  the  following  pages. 

In  times  gone  by  Chinese  historians  were  officially 
divided  into  historians  of  the  left  hand  and  historians 
of  the  right  hand,  the  former  being  charged  with  the 
duty  of  recording  at  length  imperial  charges,  minis- 
terial speeches,  &c,  and  the  latter  with  that  of  nar- 

1  See  p.  249  et  seq. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

rating  bare  facts.  A  division  somewhat  of  this  kind 
is  observable  in  the  collections  of  stories.  We  have 
on  the  one  hand  full  and  lengthy — sometimes  too  full 
and  lengthy  —  tales,  and  on  the  other  good  short 
stories  something  after  the  manner  of  Dean  Ramsay's 
'  Reminiscences  of  Scottish  Life  and  Character.' 
Many  of  these  are  of  too  oriental  a  character  to  be 
translatable,  and  others  turn  on  such  minute  points 
of  orthography  and  diction  that  they  are  difficult  of 
explanation.  Some,  however,  are  thoroughly  good 
and  amusing,  as,  for  instance,  the  story  of  a  wine- 
bibber  who  dreamed  one  night  that  a  friend  had  sent 
him  a  flask  of  excellent  Suchow  wine.  Without  loss 
of  a  moment  he  put  it  on  the  fire  to  heat  (Chinese 
always  drink  their  wine  hot),  but  before  it  was  ready 
he  awoke.  Overcome  with  regret  at  the  loss  of  the 
treat  which  his  imagination  had  conjured  up,  he 
exclaimed,  "How  I  wish  I  had  drunk  it  cold!" 
This  is  almost  identical  with  the  Irish  story  of  the 
man  who  dreamed  that  while  hobnobbing  with  the 
Pope,  the  Holy  Father  invited  him  to  drink  a  glass 
of  grog.  While  the  water  was  boiling,  the  same 
calamity  overtook  Pat  as  discomfited  the  Chinaman, 
and  was  productive  of  the  same  wish. 

Unless  a  number  of  these  stories  are  base  mis- 
representations, Chinese  wives,  down-trodden  as  they  t/ 
are  in  theory,  manage  to  assert  themselves  in  a  most 
unmistakable  manner.  Henpecked  husbands  are  the 
common  butts  of  these  story-tellers,  who  are  never 
tired  of  representing  the  superior  sex  in  most  inferior 
positions.  For  example  :  A  certain  official  under- 
ling one   day  drew   upon  himself  the  wrath   of  his 


XX 11  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

wife,  who  scratched  his  face  so  severely  that  when 
he  presented  himself  before  his  chief  the  next  morn- 
ing, that  officer  asked  him  the  cause  of  his  wounds. 
With  ready  wit  the  underling  replied,  "  While  tak- 
ing my  ease  in  my  garden  last  evening  a  portion  of 
the  vine-trellis  fell  on  me  and  scratched  my  face." 
The  officer,  who  knew  something  of  his  domestic 
relations,  at  once  divined  the  true  cause,  "Don't 
talk  nonsense,"  he  replied ;  "  it  was  your  wife  who 
scratched  you.  Send  a  policeman  to  bring  her  before 
me."  As  it  happened,  his  own  wife  had  been  listen- 
ing to  this  interview  behind  the  door,  and  in  defence 
of  her  sex  burst  in  upon  the  scene.  The  officer,  ter- 
rified by  this  invasion,  said  hurriedly  to  the  under- 
ling, '•'  Go  away,  never  mind  your  wife ;  my  vine- 
trellis  is  about  to  fall  on  me." 

Female  curiosity  is  another  fruitful  subject  of  these 
anecdotes,  and  one  is  told  in  which  this  failing 
brought  to  a  close  a  life  almost  as  long  as  Noah's. 
According;  to  Chinese  tradition  the  kino;  of  Hades 
keeps  a  register  of  the  lives  of  men.  To  each  person 
is  given  a  single  page,  and  so  soon  as  that  is  filled  up, 
the  person  whose  career  it  represents  is  at  once  called 
to  appear  before  the  dread  sovereign.  It  chanced, 
however,  that  on  one  occasion  the  king;  observing  that 
the  binding  of  his  book  required  mending,  tore  out  a 
leaf  from  the  volume  with  which  to  repair  the  back. 
The  man  to  whose  career  this  leaf  was  appropriated 
was  thus  overlooked,  and  the  page  not  being  filled 
up,  he  went  on  living  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-two,  when  he  had  occasion 
to  mourn  the  death  of  his  seventy-second  wife.     This 


INTRODUCTION.  XXU1 

lady,  being  of  an  inquisitive  turn  of  mind,  had  often 
been  puzzled  by  the  length  of  her  husband's  career, 
and  on  appearing  in  her  turn  before  the  king  of 
Hades,  she  made  bold  to  ask  him  for  an  explanation 
of  such  unusual  longevity.  The  king  at  once  ordered 
an  investigation  to  be  made,  and  the  mistake  being 
discovered,  he  filled  up  the  page  at  once,  and  Chang's 
matrimonial  ventures  were  incontinently  cut  short. 

Like  many  of  the  religious  and  philosophical  ideas 
of  the  Chinese,  the  drama  was  first  introduced  from 
India,  whence,  in  the  sixth  century,  a  band  of  travel- 
ling gymnasts,  dressed  in  the  skins  of  wild  animals, 
initiated  the  people  into  the  pleasures  of  pantomimic 
performances.  For  several  centuries  the  art  made 
little  progress,  and  it  was  not  until  the  latter  end  of 
the  T'ang  dynasty  (618-907)  that  the  wild  dances 
and  songs  of  the  pantomimists  were  arranged  in 
regular  plays.  Even  then  the  playwright's  profes- 
sion seems  to  have  been  languidly  practised,  and  it 
required  the  infusion  of  Mongol  blood  to  make  the 
Chinese  seriously  take  to  dramatic  performances. 
During  the  dynasty  founded  by  Jenghiz  Khan,  a 
liberal  patronage  was  extended  to  the  drama,  and 
under  this  generous  influence  were  produced  plays 
which  are  universally  recognised  as  the  best  speci- 
mens of  Chinese  dramatic  writing.  At  the  present 
day  the  taste  for  the  stage  is  general  and  absorbing. 
On  most  great  official  and  religious  functions  theatri- 
cal displays  bear  a  part,  as  well  as  on  all  occasions  of 
social  festivity.  Permanent  theatres  are  to  be  found 
in  most  towns  and  larg;e  villages ;  and  where  none 
exists,  a  mat  building  is  readily  extemporised  on  the 


XXIV  CHINESE    STORIES. 

appearance  of  a  strolling  band  of  actors.  Where, 
however,  even  the  erection  of  such  a  makeshift  is 
inconvenient,  the  village  temple  is  turned  for  the 
nonce  into  a  Thespian  theatre.  The  very  simple 
stage  arrangements  required  make  the  adaptation  of 
this  or  any  other  building  an  easy  matter.  Stage 
scenery  is  unknown,  and  all  that  the  actors  require 
is  a  dressing-room  from  which  they  can  enter  on 
the  stage,  and  to  which  they  can  retreat  from  it. 
Custom  forbids,  as  a  rule,  the  appearance  of  more 
than  two  interlocutors  at  once  on  the  stage,  and 
this,  coupled  with  the  absence  of  scenery,  compels 
each  actor  as  he  presents  himself  to  describe  in  a 
monologue  who  he  is,  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  appears.  These  explanations  mar  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  the  literary  effect  of  a  Chinese  play ;  but 
with  the  exception  of  this  fault  of  manner,  the  best 
Chinese  dramas  are  good  specimens  of  the  play- 
wright's art.  The  subjects  chosen  for  the  plots  are 
much  the  same  as  those  in  vogue  in  other  countries. 
Historical  events  are  very  commonly  selected  as 
topics  for  the  legitimate  drama ;  while  the  materials 
for  tragedies,  comedies,  and  forces  are  found  in  the 
events  of  daily  life. 

One  of  the  best  known  historical  plays  is  the  Han 
Kung  Ctiou,  which  was  translated  by  Sir  John  Davis 
under  the  title  of  the  "  Sorrows  of  Han."  The  scene 
is  laid  in  the  first  century  before  Christ,  and  describes 
with  not  more  than  the  usual  poetic  licence  events 
which  actually  occurred.  The  play  opens  with  the 
appearance  of  the  Tartar  khan,  who,  after  the  usual 
manner,  describes  himself  in  these  words  : — 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

"  I  am  Han  Chenyu,  the  old  inhabitant  of  the  sandy  wastes, 
the  sole  rnler  of  the  northern  regions.  The  wild  chase  is  our 
trade  ;  battle  and  conquests  our  chief  occupation.  The  Em- 
peror Wenwang  retired  before  our  eastern  tribes  ;  the  state  of 
Wei  trembled  at  us,  and  sued  for  our  friendship.  The  ancient 
title  of  our  chief  has  in  the  course  of  time  been  changed  to 
that  I  now  bear.  When  the  two  races  of  Tsin  and  Han  con- 
tended in  battle,  and  filled  the  empire  with  tumult,  our  tribes 
were  in  full  power.  .  .  .  For  seven  days  my  ancestor  hemmed 
in  with  his  forces  the  Emperor  Kaoti,  until  by  the  contri- 
vance of  a  minister  a  treaty  was  concluded  and  the  prin- 
cesses of  China  were  yielded  in  marriage  to  our  khans.  Since 
the  time  of  Hwuiti  and  the  Empress  Lti  How  each  successive 
generation  has  adhered  to  the  established  rule,  and  sought 
our  alliance  with  its  daughters.  In  the  reign  of  the  late 
Emperor  Suenti  my  brother  contended  with  myself  for  the 
rule  of  our  nation,  and  its  power  was  weakened  until  the 
tribes  elected  me  as  their  chief.  I  am  a  real  descendant  of 
the  empire  of  Han.  I  command  a  hundred  thousand  armed 
warriors.  We  have  moved  to  the  south,  and  have  approached 
the  border,  claiming  an  alliance  with  the  imperial  race. 
Yesterday  I  despatched  an  envoy  with  tributary  presents  to 
demand  a  princess  in  alliance,  but  know  not  if  the  emperor 
will  satisfy  the  engagement  with  the  customary  oaths.  The 
fineness  of  the  season  has  drawn  away  our  chiefs  on  a  hunt- 
ing excursion  amidst  the  sandy  steppes.  May  they  meet 
with  success,  for  we  Tartars  have  no  fields,  our  bows  and 
arrows  are  our  sole  means  of  subsistence." 

At  this  point  the  khan  exits,  and  is  succeeded  by 
the  Chinese  minister  Mao,  who  proceeds  to  hold  up 
a  mirror  to  his  character  which  reflects  his  aims 
and  motives  in  the  most  odious  light.  He  does 
not  scruple  to  confess  to  the  employment  of  the 
meanest  of  sycophantic  arts  to  keep  the  favour  of 
his  sovereign,  and  of  the  vilest  injustice  in  order  to 


XXVI  CHINESE    STORIES. 

plunder  the  people.  Having  made  this  frank  avowal, 
he  is  joined  by  the  emperor,  who,  having  explained 
his  existence  to  the  audience,  proceeds  to  consult  his 
minister  as  to  the  internal  affairs  of  the  palace. 
Prompted  by  evil  design,  Mao  suggests  to  his  sover- 
eign that  he  should  seek  to  fill  up  his  harem  in 
accordance  with  the  liberal  examples  set  by  the 
more  rollicking  of  his  predecessors.  With  little  re- 
luctance the  emperor  accepted  the  proffered  advice, 
and  forthwith  appointed  Mao  to  select  ninety-five 
of  the  most  beautiful  girls  in  the  country  for  his 
inspection.  Armed  with  the  imperial  command,  Mao 
travelled  through  the  provinces,  making  choice  of  all 
the  pretty  girls  whose  parents  are  willing  to  pay  him 
a  oood  round  sum  for  the  honour  of  havino;  their 
daughters  placed  among  the  favoured  beauties.  In 
the  course  of  his  travels  he  discovered  at  Ch  engtu, 
in  Szech'uen,  a  girl  of  such  surpassing  loveliness  that 
his  first  impulse  was  to  write  her  down  at  once  as 
one  of  the  selected  fair  ones ;  but  on  his  intimating 
to  her  father  that  he  should  require  a  bribe  in  return 
for  the  service,  he  was  frankly  told  by  the  hardy 
westerner  that  he  was  quite  unable,  even  if  he  were 
willing,  to  offer  such  a  lordly  gift.  On  receiving 
this  rebuff  Mao's  first  inclination  was  to  strike  Chao 
Chun's  name  off  his  list,  but  the  evil  nature  of  the 
man  prompted  a  more  subtle  revenge.  He  directed 
her  to  appear  at  the  palace  with  the  rest,  and  as  was 
his  practice  in  all  such  cases,  he  carried  her  portrait 
back  with  him  to  the  capital.  There  he  employed  an 
artist  to  make  a  copy  of  the  picture,  in  which,  while 
preserving  some   of  the  beauty  of  the  original,  the 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV11 

painter  was  so  to  mar  the  general  effect  as  to  ensure 
the  relegation  of  the  lady  to  the  "Cold  Palace"  for 
the  rest  of  her  life. 

At  first  the  plan  succeeded  admirably.  Poor  Chao 
Chun  was  not  even  sent  for  to  be  looked  at,  and  con- 
soled herself  as  best  she  might  by  singing  to  her  lute. 
It  so  happened,  however,  that  one  evening  when  the 
emperor  was  strolling  through  his  palace  he  approached 
her  room  and  heard  her  singing;.  Being;  struck  by  the 
richness  of  her  voice,  he  sent  to  summon  her  to  his 
presence.  The  sight  of  her  exquisite  beauty  filled 
him  with  astonishment,  and  when  he  heard  from  her 
lips  the  infamous  conduct  of  Mao,  he  in  righteous 
angler  ordered  his  execution.  Bv  chance  the  minister 
g-ot  wind  of  the  evil  that  was  intended  against  him, 
and  fled  precipitately  from  the  capital,  taking  with 
him  the  true  portrait  of  the  lady  Chao.  At  this  time 
the  Tartar  khan  above  introduced  was  threatening-  the 
northern  frontier  of  the  empire,  and  Mao,  filled  with 
schemes  of  revenge,  betook  himself  to  the  Mongol 
camp. 

"  A  long  journey,"  he  says,  "  has  brought  me  to  this  spot, 
ami  from  the  troops  of  men  and  horses,  I  conclude  I  have 
reached  the  Tartar  camp.  Leader  (to  a  soldier),  inform  King 
Han  Chenyu  that  a  great  minister  of  the  empire  of  Han  is 
come  to  wait  on  him. 

"  Khan  (on  Icing  informed).  Command  him  to  approach. 
(Seeing  Mao.)     What  person  are  you? 

"  Mao.  I  am  a  minister  of  Han.  In  the  western  palace  of 
the  emperor  is  a  lady  named  Chao  Chun,  of  rare  and  surpass- 
ing charms.  When  your  envoy,  great  king,  came  to  demand 
a  princess,  this  lady  would  have  answered  the  summons ;  but 
the  emperor  of  Han  could  not  bring  himself  to  part  with 

d 


XXV111  CHINESE    STORIES. 

her,  and  refused  to  yield  her  up.  T  repeatedly  renewed  my 
bitter  reproaches,  and  asked  bow  he  could  bear  for  the  sake 
of  a  woman's  beauty  to  implicate  the  welfare  of  two  nations. 
For  this  the  emperor  would  have  beheaded  me;  and  I  there- 
fore escaped  with  the  portrait  of  the  lady,  which  I  present, 
greal  king,  to  yourself.  Should  you  send  away  an  envoy 
with  the  picture  to  demand  her,  she  musl  certainly  be  deliv- 
ered up.     I  Lere  is  the  portrait." 

The  khan  adopts  the  advice,  and  sends  an  envoy  to 
the  emperor  demanding  the  lad}'  Chao  as  the  only 
price  at  which  he  might  purchase  peace.  The  envoy 
arrives  just  when  the  emperor  is  at  the  full  tide  of 
his  affection  for  the  lady,  and  the  subject  of  his 
mission  brings  despair  to  the  imperial  lover's  heart. 

"The  Emperor.  Let  our  civil  and  military  officers  consull 
and  report  to  me  the  best  mode  of  causing  the  foreign  troops 
to  retire  without  yielding  up  the  princess  to  propitiate  him. 
.  .  .  It  would  seem  that  for  the  future,  instead  of  men  for 
ministers,  we  need  only  have  fair  women  to  keep  our  empire 
in  peace. 

"Tin-:  Lady  Chao.  In  return  for  your  majesty's  bounties, 
it  is  your  handmaid's  duty  to  brave  death  to  serve  you.  I 
can  cheerfully  enter  into  this  foreign  alliance  for  the  sake 
of  producing  peace,  and  shall  leave  behind  me  a  name  ever 
green  in  history.  But  my  love  for  your  majesty,  how  can  I 
lay  that  aside  ? 

"Emperor.  Alas,  I  know  too  well  that  I  can  do  that  no 
more  than  yourself ! 

"President.  I.  entreat  your  majesty  to  sacrifice  your  love, 
and  think  of  the  security  of  your  dynasty.  Hasten,  sir,  to 
send  the  princess  on  her  way. 

•■  Emperor.  Let  her  this  day  advance  a  stage  on  her  journey 
and  be  presented  to  the  envoy.  To-morrow  we  will  repair  as 
far  as  to  the  bridge  of  Pahling,  and  give  her  a  parting  feast." 


INTRODUCTION.  Xxi.X 

With  man}-  tears  the  lady  prepares  to  take  her 
journey  to  the  inhospitable  north,  and  the  emperor 
escorts  her  the  first  stage.  A  bitter  parting  here 
takes  place,  and  she  pursues  her  solitary  way  to  the 
Tartar  camp.  The  khan,  overcome  by  her  beauty, 
receives  her  with  effusion,  and  orders  his  invading 
army  to  retreat  to  his  khanate.  In  due  course  they 
arrive  at  the  frontier  river,  the  name  of  which  the  lady 
asks  of  her  lord.  On  being  told  that  it  is  the  river 
of  the  Black  Dragon,  which  divides  the  emperor's 
territory  from  that  of  the  khan,  she  drinks  a  cup 
of  wine  in  honour  of  the  khan,  pours  out  a  libation 
in  the  direction  of  the  emperor's  palace,  and  throws 
herself  into  the  stream.  The  khan  makes  even- 
effort  to  save  her,  but  in  vain,  and  his  regret  for  her 
loss  and  for  her  untimely  fate  is  coupled  with  a 
hearty  desire  to  inflict  punishment  on  Mao  for  the 
evil  he  had  wrought.  Full  of  regret  at  the  wrong 
he  had  been  induced  to  do  the  emperor,  he  deter- 
mines to  send  an  envoy  to  make  terms  of  binding 
peace  with  his  neighbour,  and  hands  over  Mao  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  his  rightful  master. 

The  scene  now  changes  again  to  the  emperor's 
palace,  and  we  are  shown  the  emperor  still  mourning 
the  loss  of  his  bride,  and  offering  incense  before  her 
portrait.  Presently  he  sleeps,  and  in  a  vision  of  the 
night  the  lady  Chao  appears  before  him  and  vanishes 
as  he  wakes.  At  that  moment  the  Tartar  envoy 
arrives,  bringing  Mao  with  him.  His  story  is  soon 
told.  Peace  is  established,  and  Mao  expiates  his 
crimes  at  the  hand  of  the  executioner. 

Some  of  the  scenes  in  this  play  are  full  of  pathos, 


XXX  CHINESE    STORIES. 

and  the  story  is  told  with  very  considerable  dignity 
and  feeling.  The  moral,  as  in  all  Chinese  plays, 
tends  to  elevate  virtue,  and  to  hold  up  tyranny  and 
wrong  to  just  execration.  The  fact  that  the  emperor 
should  have  been  so  weak  and  cowardly  as  to  yield 
to  the  khan's  demands  does  not,  from  a  Chinese  point 
of  view,  seriously  affect  his  character.  So  long  as  he 
gives  vent  to  exalted  aspirations  and  highly  patriotic 
sentiments  his  conduct  is  of  minor  consequence. 
The  same  inconsistency  is  as  observable  in  real  life 
at  the  present  day  as  in  the  "Sorrows  of  Han."  The 
emperor  and  his  ministers  pour  out  in  the  pages  of 
the  'Peking  Gazette'  sentiments  which  should  be- 
long to  the  most  virtuous  of  mankind,  and  which  are 
held  to  cover  the  vices  and  follies  which  daily  dis- 
grace the  court  and  the  empire. 

The  same  inconsistency  is  observable  in  the  plays 
which  represent  the  everyday  life  of  the  people. 
Characters  which  on  our  stas;e  would  be  reckoned  as 
infamous  are  allowed  to  whitewash  themselves  by  the 
expression  of  lofty  moral  utterances,  and  to  enjoy  the 
odour  of  sanctity  in  recognition  of  their  high-sounding 
professions.  For  example,  in  the  well-known  play 
entitled  "The  Son  of  his  Old  Age,"  the  old  father 
behaves  most  unfeelingly  to  the  mother  of  his  son, 
and  with  great  cruelty  towards  his  nephew,  and  yet 
lie  is  described  as  a  pattern  of  virtue  when  at  the 
end  of  the  play  he  makes  some  amends  for  his  mis- 
deeds and  expresses  himself  in  well-rounded  periods. 
This  play  was  considered  by  Voltaire  worthy  to  be 
adapted  for  the  French  stage.  In  his  opinion  it  was 
superior  to  anything  that  Europe  could  boast  of  at 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXI 

the  time  at  which  it  was  written,  and  no  doubt  such 
was  the  case.  But  unhappily  the  dramatic  art  lias 
not  advanced  in  China  as  in  Europe,  and  the  plays 
of  later  ages,  so  far  from  improving  in  matter  and 
manner  on  those  of  the  twelfth  century,  have  rather 
retrograded 

It  is  curious  to  find  in  them,  as  well  as  in  many 
stories,  incidents  which  bear  striking  resemblances  to 
events  narrated  in  the  Bible.  This  is  by  no  means 
uncommon,  and  it  is  within  the  bounds  of  possibility 
that  just  as  the  story  of  Joseph  and  Potiphar's  wife 
has  spread  all  over  Western  Asia,  other  incidents 
may  have  been  borrowed  from  the  sacred  book.  The 
story  of  Balaam's  ass  is  with  variations  reproduced 
in  a  well-known  collection  of  Chinese  tales.  In  the 
Chinese  version  a  judge's  clerk  was  going  to  a  neigh- 
bouring town  to  make  an  investment.  As  he  rode 
along,  his  ass's  pace  became  so  very  slow  that  in  his 
impatient  anger  he  beat  the  creature  unmercifully. 
To  his  boundless  surprise,  instead  of,  as  at  other  times, 
receiving  the  chastisement  in  silence,  the  ass  spoke, 
ami  remonstrated  energetically  against  the  cruelty 
inflicted  on  him,  pleading  his  length  of  faithful  ser- 
vice. Upon  this  new  departure  the  clerk  dismounted 
and  led  the  gifted  creature  the  rest  of  the  way.  In 
like  manner,  in  a  play,  the  plot  of  which  may  be  briefly 
sketched,  an  incident  bearing  a  likeness  to  the  judg- 
ment of  Solomon  is  introduced.  In  this  drama,  which 
is  called  "A  Circle  of  Chalk,"  we  are  first  admitted  to  a 
stormy  scene  at  the  house  of  a  widow  who  is  ambitious 
to  bestow  her  beautiful  daughter  as  a  secondary  wife  on 
a  wealthy  but  childless  neighbour,  Ma  by  name.    The 


XXX11  CHINESE    STORIES. 

family  is  miserably  poor,  and  the  girl  is  as  anxious 
for  the  alliance  as  her  mother.  But  the  son,  Changlin, 
stoutly  objects  to  his  sister  taking  a  secondary  posi- 
tion in  any  household,  and  when  he  finds  his  remon- 
strances unavailing,  shakes  the  dust  of  the  house  off 
his  shoes  and  leaves  the  neighbourhood.  So  soon  as 
he  is  gone  the  marriage  takes  place,  and  before  long 
the  bride  presents  her  husband  with  a  son.  For  a 
time  all  goes  well  on  the  surface,  although  the  first 
wife  cherishes  a  deeply  rooted  jealousy  of  the  superior 
fortune  of  Haitang.  While  matters  are  in  this  po- 
sition, Changlin,  who  has  been  reduced  to  extreme 
want,  returns  to  his  mother's  house,  which  he  finds 
empty,  and  in  reply  to  his  inquiries  the  neighbours 
tell  him  that  his  mother  is  dead,  and  that  Haitanq;  is 
the  happy  wife  of  Ma  and  the  mother  of  his  son.  In 
his  extremity  all  his  high  protestations  disappear,  and 
he  goes  to  Ma's  house  to  beg  bread  from  his  sister. 
She  receives  him  with  scorn,  taunts  him  with  former 
professions,  and  turns  him  out  into  the  street.  Weary 
and  exhausted,  he  throws  himself  on  the  doorstep, 
and  is  there  found  by  Mrs  Ma,  who,  learning  from 
him  that  he  is  Ilaitang's  brother,  brings  him  in  and 
tells  Haitano-  to  give  him  her  hair  ornaments  and 
trinkets  that  he  may  buy  himself  food.  To  Haitang's 
question,  "  What  will  Ma  say  if  I  give  away  his 
presents?"  she  replies  that  she  will  undertake  to 
explain  matters  to  their  common  husband.  Haitang 
therefore  does  as  she  is  told,  and  Changlin  carries 
off  her  jewellery.  Mrs  Ma,  we  are  told,  has  been 
carrying  on  a  flirtation  with  a  judge's  clerk  named 
Chao,  and  has  received  from  him  some  poison  with 


INTRODUCTION.  XXX111 

which  to  get  rid  of  her  husband  in  his  favour.  She 
now  sees  her  opportunity,  and  when  on  his  return 
home  Ma  asks  her  what  Haitang  lias  done  with  her 
trinkets,  she  invents  a  story  in  which  she  describes 
her  rival  as  having  given  them  to  an  old  lover  who 
had  fallen  into  poverty.  In  his  anger  Ma,  without 
asking  Haitang  for  an  explanation,  beats  her  unmerci- 
fully. While  she  is  yet  aching  with  the  blows  she 
has  received,  Mrs  Ma  orders  her  to  prepare  a  basin  of 
soup  for  her  husband.  When  Haitang  brings  the 
soup,  Mrs  Ma  sends  her  for  some  salt,  and  in  her 
absence,  and  while  her  husband's  back  is  turned,  she 
pours  the  poison  into  the  basin.  Haitang  then  enters 
and  presents  the  soup  to  Ma,  who  having  taken  it, 
falls  dead  on  the  floor.  Mrs  Ma's  course  is  now  clear. 
She  charges  Haitang  with  the  murder  of  her  husband, 
and  in  order  to  secure  the  family  property  claims 
Haitang's  son  as  her  own. 

The  case  is  carried  to  the  magistrate's  court,  where 
Chao  has  managed  to  secure  the  influence  of  the  man- 

o 

darin  and  a  goodly  jwsse  of  friendly  witnesses.  On 
the  charge  of  murder  Haitang  is  speedily  committed 
for  trial,  and  Chao's  suborned  witnesses  declare  that 
the  boy  is  the  son  of  Mrs  Ma.  On  this  point  the 
magistrate  is  evidently  not  clear,  and  he  orders  a 
policeman  to  draw  a  circle  of  chalk  on  the  floor  of 
the  courtyard.  In  the  centre  of  this  he  places  the 
boy,  and  tells  each  of  the  two  women  to  hold  one 
of  his  hands  at  opposite  sides  of  the  circle,  and  to 
pull  one  against  the  other.  The  one  who  pulled  him 
to  her  was  to  be  considered  the  mother.  Mrs  Ma 
roughly  seizes  the  hand  nearest  to  her,  but  Haitang, 


XXXIV  CHINESE   STORIES. 

fearing  to  hurt  the  tender  arms  of  her  child,  refuses 
the  contest,  and  her  opponent  gains  the  day.  Very 
unlike  Solomon,  the  magistrate  considers  this  result 
to  be  satisfactory,  and  awards  the  child  to  the  pre- 
tended mother.  Poor  Haitang,  loaded  with  a  cangue, 
is  put  into  prison,  and  is  after  some  time  taken  to 
the  provincial  capital  for  trial  before  the  governor 
of  the  province.  At  a  restaurant  at  the  outskirts 
of  the  city,  where  her  jailers  stop  for  refreshment, 
she  meets  her  brother,  who  has  gained  employment 
in  the  governor's  office,  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion.  While  Haitang  is  telling  him  her  story,  Mrs  Ma 
and  Chao  arrive  at  the  same  halting-place,  on  their 
way  to  give  evidence  against  the  accused.  The 
appearance  of  these  two  conspirators  in  company 
convinces  Changlin  of  the  accuracy  of  Haitang's 
account  of  the  whole  plot,  and  he  repeats  to  the 
governor  the  story  as  he  had  received  it.  The  gov- 
ernor, thus  put  on  his  guard,  severely  cross-examines 
Chao,  who,  though  brave  at  first,  eventually  loses 
his  nerve  and  makes  a  full  confession  of  the,  plot, 
throwing,  however,  the  whole  blame  on  Mrs  Ma. 
who  retaliates  by  accusing  him  of  having  suggested 
the  murder  of  Ma,  and  of  having  given  her  the 
poison.  The  crooked  places  are  thus  made  straight. 
Haitang  is  acquitted,  and  is  given  both  her  son  and 
Ma's  wealth  ;  Chao  and  Mrs  Ma  are  put  to  death  by 
the  slicing  process ;  while  the  magistrate  is  degraded 
for  his  want  of  discrimination.  Thus  all  ends  hap- 
pily, although  it  is  difficult  to  feel  much  sympathy 
for  any  of  the  characters.  But  the  Chinese  play- 
wright  lias  attained  his  object   when  he  secures  the 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXV 

punishment  of  the  principal  offenders,  and  he  is  con- 
tent to  leave  to  the  compassion  of  the  audience  the 
other  principal  characters,  whose  imperfections  may 
be  held  to  have  been  expiated  by  their  misfortunes. 
Farces  are  very  popular  with  the  Chinese  people, 
who,  though  matter  of  fact,  arc  possessed  of  a  keen 
sense  of  humour,  and  delight  in  the  presentation 
on  the  stage  of  situations  which  are  provocative  of 
laughter.  As  among  all  Eastern  nations,  these  situa- 
tions  are  often  such  as  would  not  be  permitted  for  a 
moment  in  an  English  theatre.  On  the  other  hand, 
many  of  the  plots  are  counterparts  of  pieces  which 
are  nightly  played  in  Paris  and  in  London.  Not  only 
in  plot  but  in  name  a  farce  which  is  very  popular  in 
Northern  China  is  identical  with  a  play  which  is  well 
known  both  on  the  French  and  English  stages.  Chieh 
chi  may  lie  translated  into  French  by  the  well-known 
title  of  "Pretez-moi  votre  femme,"  which  has  become 
familiarised  among  us.  In  the  Chinese  play  an  im- 
pecunious ne'er-do-weel  applies  for  help  to  his  uncle, 
who  refuses  to  give  him  a  cash  until  he  shall  have 
married,  and  thus  shown  a  disposition  to  settle 
down.  The  nephew  is  cpiite  willing  to  marry,  but 
not  unnaturally  he  finds  a  difficulty  in  getting  any 
one  to  marry  him  in  his  present  out-of-elbows  con- 
dition. He  therefore  o-oes  to  a  friend  and  asks  him 
to  lend  his  wife,  to  go  as  his  bride  on  a  visit  to  his 
uncle,  who  lives  some  few  miles  away.  The  friend 
consents  on  condition  that  the  expedition  does  not 
occupy  many  hours.  The  bargain  being  thus  struck, 
our  hero  hires  two  carts,  which  it  chances  are  so 
delayed  in   coming  up  to  the  house  that  it  is   late 

e 


XXX VI  CHINESE    STORIES. 

before  a  start  is  made.  On  arriving  at  their  destina- 
tion the  licio  introduces  the  lady  as  his  wife,  and  both 
his  uncle  and  aunt  are  delighted  at  his  choice.  In 
the  discussion  of  family  matters  and  other  congenial 
subjects  the  time  slips  away,  and  before  the  meal 
given  in  their  honour  is  finished  the  evening  closes 
in  on  them.  The  uncle  now  insists  on  their  remain- 
ing for  the  night,  and  in  spite  of  their  most  earnest 
protestations,  orders  the  servants  to  prepare  the  best 
bedroom  for  their  reception.  The  despair  of  the 
pseudo-bride  and  the  misery  of  the  hero  are  amus- 
ingly described,  and  with  the  most  acute  feelings  of 
horror  they  are  finally  solemnly  conducted  by  the 
uncle  and  aunt  to  their  chamber.  Left  alone,  they 
consult  as  to  what  is  to  be  done,  and  they  agree  to 
sit  up  all  night  and  long  for  the  day.  At  earliest 
dawn  a  thundering  knocking;  is  heard  at  the  front 
door,  and  a  servant  comes  in  to  say  that  there  is  a 
man  outside  demanding  his  wife,  who,  he  asserts,  is 
no  other  than  our  hero's  bride.  Fearing  that  the 
noise  should  disturb  his  uncle,  our  hero  goes  to  the 
front  door  and  attempts  to  quiet  his  friend.  This  is 
more  than  he  can  do,  and  the  intruder  insists  on  see- 
ing his  wife,  and  demands  an  explanation.  A  terrible 
scene  ensues,  in  which  all  the  characters  take  part. 
For  some  time  confusion  reigns  supreme,  but  finally 
matters  are  so  explained  to  the  outraged  husband 
that  he  becomes  satisfied  and  carries  off  his  wife, 
leaving  our  hero  to  the  just  reproaches  of  his  uncle, 
wlio  sees  even  less  reason  than  ever  to  help  so  grace- 
less a  nephew. 

.Man)'  of  the  foregoing  remarks  are  aptly  illustrated 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXV 11 

in  the  stories  and  ballads  which  will  be  found  in  the 
following  pages,  and  which  are  here  reprinted  by  per- 
mission from  '  Blackwood's  Magazine,5  the  '  Cornhill 
Magazine,'  the  '  Hour  Glass,'  '  Atalanta,'  the  '  Illus- 
trated London  News,' and  the  '  St  James's  Gazette.' 
For   reasons    which    have    been    already    sufficiently 
indicated,    these    stories    have    not    been    translated  r 
literally  from  the  original ;  but  while  the  plots  and/ 
incidents   have   been  faithfully  retained,   they  have 
been  pruned  and  adapted  to  meet  the  requirements 
of   Western    readers.      As    illustrating    the   popular 
literature  of  China  they  have  more  than  a  passing 
interest.     They  hold  ,up,  as  it  were,  a  mirror  to  the 
life  of  the  people,  and  thus  bring  home  to  our  con- 
sciousness the  fact  that  human  passions  and  feelings 
are  much  the  same  on  the  banks  of  the  Yang-tsze- 
kiang  as  on  the  shores  of  the  Thames. 

EOBEET   K.   DOUGLAS. 

British  Museum,  November  1,  1892. 


CHINESE    STORIES 


CHINESE    STOEIES. 


A  MATRIMONIAL  FRAUD. 

ADAPTED  FROM  A  CHAPTER  OF  A  CHINESE  NOVEL. 

ONE  hot  August  afternoon  the  Prefect  of  Ping-chow 
might  have  been  seen  sitting  in  the  verandah  of 
his  private  apartments  smoking  his  post-prandial  pipe 
and  admiring  the  flowers,  which  threw  a  fragrance 
and  beauty  over  the  courtyard  which  stretched 
before  him.  The  official  work  of  the  morning  had 
fatigued  him.  Litigants  had  been  troublesome,  and 
as  witnesses  had  refused  to  give  the  evidence  ex- 
pected of  them,  he  had  been  obliged  to  resort  to  the 
application  of  thumb  -  screws  and  ankle  -  squeezers. 
Having  a  natural  repugnance  to  torture,  its  use 
always  disturbed  him ;  and  after  such  occasions  as 
the  present,  he  exchanged  his  seat  in  the  judgment- 
hall  for  his  easy-chair  and  pipe  with  a  redoubled 
sense  of  enjoyment.  On  this  particular  afternoon 
his  wife,  Mrs  Le,  was   seated  by  him,   and  was  re- 


4  CHINESE    STORIES. 

counting,  among  other  events  of  the  morning,  the 
particulars  of  a  visit  she  had  received  from  a  certain 
.Mrs  Wang. 

"  From  the  moment  she  entered  the  room  I  took 
a  dislike  to  her,"  she  said.  "  She  had  a  fawning, 
catlike  maimer,  with  her  'May  it  please  you, 
madam,'  or  'May  I  be  permitted  to  say,  your 
Excellency ; '  and  all  the  while  that  she  was  thus 
fawning  on  me  and  praising  your  learning  and  wis- 
dom, I  felt  sure  she  had  some  object  in  coming 
besides  the  desire  to  pay  her  respects.  Then  she 
went  on  to  say  how  rich  her  husband  was,  and  how 
willing  he  would  be  at  any  time  to  advance  you 
money  in  case  you  should  need  it.  At  last  out  came 
the  canker-worm  from  this  rosebud  of  flattery.  Her 
son,  it  seems,  is  very  anxious  to  marry  a  Miss  Chang, 
the  daughter  of  a  rich  President  of  the  Board  of  War. 
who  is  at  present  engaged  on  service  on  the  An- 
namese  frontier.  His  suit  is  countenanced  by  the 
young  lady's  uncle,  but  is  rejected  by  herself." 

"And  why?" 

"Well,  according  to  Airs  Wang, — but  then  I 
should  not  believe  anything  because  she  said  it, — 
there  is  some  clandestine  love  affair  which  disinclines 
her  to  the  proposed  match.  As  her  father  is  away,  it 
was  necessary  that  she  should  be  consulted,  although, 
of  course,  her  uncle  would  be  justified,  as  Mrs  Wang 
hinted,  in  arranging  matters  in  his  absence.'' 

At  this  moment  a  servant  entered  the  courtyard 
and  presented  to  the  Prefect  a  red  visiting-card,  on 
which  was  inscribed  the  name  of  Mr  Wang,  the 
father  of  the  would-be  bridegroom. 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  5 

"Why,  this  is  the  husband  of  your  visitor  of  this 
morning,"  said  he,  as  he  glanced  at  the  card.  "  They 
are  evidently  determined  to  push  on  the  affair.  If 
they  are  as  keen  in  the  pursuit  of  virtue  as  they 
are  of  this  marriage,  they  will  soon  out-virtue  Con- 
fucius." 

" My  belief  is,"  said  his  wife  sententiously,  "that 
they  might  dine  off  their  virtue  without  breaking 
their  fast." 

"  Well,  at  all  events,  I  will  go  to  hear  what  this 
man  has  to  say ;  but  having  fortunately  seen  his 
hook,  I  shall  refuse  the  bait,  however  skilfully  he 
may  throw  the  line." 

The  host  and  his  cmest  were  as  unlike  as  it  was 
possible  for  two  men  to  be.  The  Prefect  moved  into 
the  room  with  the  manner  of  a  polished  gentleman, — 
one  who,  being  well  assured  of  his  relative  position, 
knew  perfectly  what  was  expected  of  him,  and  what 
he  had  a  right  to  expect  from  others.  He  was  tall 
too,  and  his  refined  features  expressed  a  composure 
which  was  engendered  by  power  and  assured  by 
habit.  Wang,  on  the  other  hand,  was  his  antipodes. 
He  was  short,  stout,  broad-featured,  and  altogether 
vulgar-looking.  His  eyes  were  small  and  ferret-like 
in  their  restlessness,  while  his  natural  awkwardness 
of  manner  was  aggravated  by  a  consciousness  that  he 
had  come  on  a  dishonest  mission.  As  the  two  men 
met  and  bowed,  the  Prefect  surveyed  his  guest  with 
curiosity  not  unmixed  with  loathing,  much  as  a 
young  lady  might  regard  a  strange  kind  of  toad.  To 
his  repeated  requests  that  Wang  would  seat  himself, 
that  worthy  feigned  a  constant  refusal,  until  at  last, 

B 


i  HINESE    STORIES. 


in  despair,  the  Prefect  was  fain  to  sit  down,  when  his 
guest,  with  bated  breath,  followed  his  example.  The 
progress   of  the   interview  was    not    more  propitious 


Prefect  surveyed  his  guest  with  curiosity  not  unmixed  with  loathing." 


than    its  opening.      Wang  attempted  some   classical 
allusions,  but  having  but  a  vague  knowledge  of  his- 


A    MATKIMONIAL    FRAUD.  7 

tor)',  succeeded  only  in  likening  his  host  to  the 
reprobate  Chow-sin.  Being  a  stupid  man  also,  he 
was  quite  unaware  of  the  contempt  which  was  suf- 
ficiently obvious  in  the  Prefect's  manner,  and  he 
opened  the  real  object  of  his  visit  with  assurance. 

"  The  presence  of  your  Excellency  in  our  district 
has  shed  a  ray  of  golden  light  among  us.  But  a 
lamp,  as  I  well  know,  cannot  give  light  unless  it  is 
supplied  with  oil.  Now  Mencius  said — I  think  it 
was  Mencius,  was  it  not,  your  Excellency  ? — -that  out 
of  their  superfluity  people  ought  to  satisfy  the  wants 
of  those  not  so  bountifully  provided  for.  If,  then, 
your  Excellency  should  at  any  time  require  that 
which  it  is  within  the  power  of  your  servant  to 
supply,  I  beseech  you  to  give  him  the  gratification 
of  knowing  that  he  can  be  of  service  to  you." 

"  As  your  classical  knowledge  is  so  profound," 
answered  the  Prefect,  "  you  doubtless  remember  the 
passage  in  which  an  ancient  sage  declares  that  an 
official  who  receives  anything,  except  in  return  for 
services  performed,  is  a  '  fellow.'  Now  it  happens 
that  I  am  not  inclined  to  play  the  part  of  a  '  fellow.'  ' 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  ! "  chuckled  Wang,  who  thought  this 
was  a  hint  for  him  to  state  his  business  in  full,  "your 
Excellenc}7,  I  see,  likes  to  come  to  the  point.  The 
fact  is,  then,  that  my  son  is  deeply  enamoured  of  a 
Miss  Chang,  whom  he  once  saw  from  a  window  in 
her  uncle's  house  as  she  walked  in  her  garden.  Her 
beauty  has  completely  ravished  him.  He  can  neither 
oat  nor  sleep  from  the  intensity  of  his  passion,  and 
his  very  life  depends  upon  his  marrying  her.  Be- 
sides, I  don't  mind  saying  to  your  Excellency  that 


8  CHINESE    STORIES. 

ilir  connection,  —  her  father  is  a  President  of  the 
Board  of  War, — would  be  both  agreeable  and  useful 
in  me." 

"I  am  sure  I  wish  your  son  every  success,"  said 
the  Prefect ;  "  but  I  cannot  see  how  otherwise  the 
affair  concerns  me  in  the  least." 

"  Why,  is  not  your  Excellency  the  '  father  and 
mother '  of  your  people  ?  and  in  the  absence,  there- 
fore, of  the  President,  it  is  on  you  that  the  duty  falls 
of  arranging  a  marriage  for  this  young  lady.  As 
was  said  by  Confucius,  '  Every  girl  on  arriving  at  a 
marriageable  age  should  be  betrothed  ; '  and  it  is 
plain,  therefore,  that  Miss,  Chang's  bridal  presents 
should  be  prepared.  If  your  Excellency  would  deign 
to  direct  the  betrothal  of  this  young  lady  and  my 
unworthy  son,  my  joy  would  be  endless,  and  my 
gratitude  without  bounds.  I  may  mention,  also,  that 
Mr  Chang,  the  young  lady's  uncle,  who  is  in  every 
way  a  most  estimable  man,  cordially  supports  my 
son's  suit." 

"  But  why,"  asked  the  Prefect,  "  does  the  young 
lady  decline  the  proposal  which  I  understand  you 
have  already  made  her  '.  " 

"Well,  the  fact  is,"  said  Wang,  "that  she  has 
formed  a  foolish  attachment  for  a  young  man  who 
sonic  months  ago  met  with  a  bad  accident  outside 
her  door,  and  who  was  carried  into  her  house  to  die, 
as  every  one  thought.  But,  marvellous  to  say,  by 
iln'  doctor's  caiv  and  the  watchful  attention  of  the 
lady's  servants,  he  recovered.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, his  cure  took  some  tine;  and  during  his  con- 
valescence,  ii   seems  that   the  two  young  people  held 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  9 

several  conversations  together,  always,  I  am  bound 
to  say,  through  an  impenetrable  screen,  and  in  the 
presence  of  attendants ;  and  she  was  so  struck  with 
liis  sentiments  and  appearance — for  I  am  told  that 
she  managed  to  see  him,  though  he  never  caught  a 
glimpse  of  her — that  she  vowed  a  vow  never  to  marry 
any  one  but  him." 

"  And  who  was  the  young  man  ?  " 

"His  name  was  Tieh  (iron);  and  he  must  have 
been  as  hard  as  iron  not  to  have  been  killed  by  his 
fall,  for  he  fell  on  his  head  and  was  kicked  by  his 
horse.  He  doubtless  has  a  certain  kind  of  ability, 
as  he  has  just  taken  the  third  degree,  or  that  of 
'advanced  scholar,'  and  was  on  his  way  home  from 
his  examination  at  Peking  when  he  met  with  his 
accident/' 

"  A  certain  amount  of  ability,  indeed  !  "  ejaculated 
the  Prefect ;  "  why,  the  whole  capital  rang  with 
praises  of  his  scholarship ;  and  in  his  native  town 
a  tablet  has  already  been  raised,  as  a  memorial  of 
his  conspicuous  success.  However,  as  you  have 
appealed  to  me  officially  on  behalf  of  your  son,  I 
will  cause  inquiries  to  be  made,  and  will  let  you 
know  my  determination." 

The  Prefect  wTas  as  good  as  his  word,  and  the  re- 
ports he  received,  both  of  the  Wang  family  and  of 
the  young  lady's  uncle,  were  so  eminently  unsatis- 
factory, that  he  directed  his  secretary  to  write  a 
short  letter  to  Mr  Wang,  stating  that  he  must  de- 
cline to  interfere  in  the  matter. 

On  receipt  of  this  note,  the  look  of  cunning  which 
usually  rested  on  the  coarse  and  blurred  features  of 


10  <  HINESE    STORIES. 

the  elder  Wang,  changed  into  one  of  furious  hate. 
Never  having  been  accustomed  to  exercise  self-re- 
straint  in  anything,  his  anger,  like  the  man)'  other 
passions  which  alternately  possessed  him,  raged  with 
unchecked  fury,  and  he  broke  out  with  a  volley  of 
imprecations,  calling  down  endless  maledictions  on 
the  Prefecl  personally,  and  casting  frightful  imputa- 
tions on  the  honour  of  his  ancestors  both  male  and 
female.  Hearing  his  curses — for,  like  all  Chinamen, 
Wang  found  shouting  a  relief  to  his  feelings — Mrs 
Waii"'  rushed  in  to  know  their  cause. 

"Nicely  you  managed  matters  with  the  Prefect's 
wife,  you  hideous  deformity ! "  screamed  her  infuri- 
ated husband  as  she  entered.  "  The  hypocritical 
prig  now  refuses  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
marriage,  and  has  actually  returned,  without  a  word, 
the  bill  of  exchange  for  a  thousand  taels  which  I 
enclosed  him." 

"  And  you  don't  seem  to  have  done  much  better 
with  the  '  hypocritical  prig '  yourself,"  replied  his 
wife ;  "  but  don't  be  a  fool ;  cursing  people's  grand- 
mothers won't  do  you  any  good,  and  certainly  won't 
do  them  any  harm.  So  just  sit  down  and  let  us  see 
what  we  had  better  do  in  the  circumstances." 

These  words  fell  like  a  cold  shower-bath  on  Wang. 
In  his  heart  he  was  afraid  of  his  wife,  who  was  both 
cleverer  and  more  unscrupulous  than  lie  was,  and 
who,  having  been  the  instigator  of  most  of  his  un- 
righteous deeds,  was  in  possession  of  secrets  which 
Lefl  his  p<ace  of  mind,  and  even  his  liberty,  very 
much  in  her  power.  In  all  such  matters  as  were  a1 
presenl   in  dispute,  therefore,  she  took  the  lead,  and 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD. 


11 


on  this  occasion  sat  herself  down  opposite  her  dis- 
turbed lord,  and  began — 

"  Well  now,  since  we  cannot  expect  any  help  from 
this  pattern  of  assumed  virtue,  I  think  we  had  better 
try  what  the  girl's  uncle  will  be  able  to  effect  by 
cajolery.     You  must   go  to  him  at  once,  before  the 


You  hideous  deformity  !  " 


idea  gets  abroad  that  the  Prefect  is  against  us,  and 
persuade  him  by  promises  of  money  to  represent  to 
his  niece  that  he  now  stands  in  the  place  of  a  father 
to  her,  and  that  as  such  he  strongly  urges  her  to 
agree   to    the   match. 


Let   him    dangle  every  bait 


12  CHINESE   STORIES. 

likely  to  catch  our  fish  that  he  can  think  of.  He 
should  enlarge  on  our  wealth,  on  our  influence  with 
the  official  classes,  and  on  the  good  looks  and  en- 
gaging qualities  of  our  son.  Living  so  completely 
secluded  as  she  does,  she  is  not  likely  to  have  heard 
of  his  escapades,  and  Chang  can  at  times  lay  the 
] t;iin I  on  thick,  I  know.  But  before  you  start,  take 
a  few  pipes  of  opium  to  steady  your  nerves.  Your 
hand  shakes  as  though  you  had  the  ague,  and 
you  look  like  a  man  on  the  verge  of  the  Yellow 
Springs."  l 

This  last  advice  was  so  thoroughly  congenial  that 
Wang  at  once  retired  to  follow  it.  His  wife,  having 
compassion  on  his  quivering  fingers,  accompanied 
him  to  his  study,  and  having  arranged  his  pillow, 
proceeded  to  fill  his  pipe.  With  practised  skill,  she 
mixed  the  paste  with  a  long  needle,  and  gathering 
on  the  point  a  piece  about  the  size  of  a  pea,  laid  it 
neatly  in  the  small  orifice  in  the  centre  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  flat-topped  wooden  receptacle  which  pro- 
truded from  the  side  of  the  long  stem.  When  thus 
prepared,  she  handed  the  pipe  to  her  recumbent  hus- 
band, who  eagerly  clutched  it,  and  applied  the  pellet 
of  opium  to  the  lamp  which  stood  ready  lighted  on 
the  divan.  The  effect  of  the  first  few  whirl's  was 
magical.  His  face,  which  a  few  moments  before 
had  been  haggard  with  excitement,  and  twitching 
with  nervous  irritability,  now  softened  down  into  a 
calm  and  placid  expression  ;  his  eyes  lost  their  rest- 
hv— ,  anxious  look;  and  his  limits,  which  had  been 
drawn  up  with  muscular  rigidity,  relaxed  their  ten- 

1  I.e.,  Hades. 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FKAUD.  13 

sion.  Once,  twice,  and  thrice  did  Mrs  Wang  refill 
his  pipe ;  and  then,  fearing  lest  a  prolonged  indul- 
gence should  disincline  him  to  move,  she  urged  him 
to  rise  and  to  pay  his  visit. 

Eefreshed  and  calmed,  Wang  arose.  All  his  ex- 
citement had  disappeared,  and  a  sensation  of  plea- 
surable enjoyment,  which  threw  a  rose-tinted  hue 
even  on  the  present  state  of  affairs,  had  succeeded 
to  it.  A  very  few  minutes  sufficed  for  the  arrange- 
ment of  his  toilet.  The  application  of  a  damp  towel 
to  his  face  and  hands,  a  few  passes  of  a  wooden 
comb  to  smooth  backwards  the  stray  locks  which 
had  escaped  from  his  queue,  and  a  readjustment  of 
his  cap  and  robe,  were  all  that  were  needed  to  fit 
him  for  his  interview  with  Chang.  As  he  was  borne 
swiftly  through  the  streets  he  leaned  back  in  his 
sedan,  lost  in  a  reverie,  in  which  he  saw,  as  in  a 
dream,  his  son  married  to  the  object  of  his  admira- 
tion, himself  decorated  by  the  Emperor  with  a  blue 
button  in  exchange  for  a  few  thousand  taels ;  and 
the  Prefect,  bound  hand  and  foot,  being  carried  off 
to  prison.  Whether  this  last  vision  was  suggested 
or  not  by  an  official  procession  which  he  encountered 
on  the  way,  will  never  be  known ;  for  so  lost  was  he 
in  dreamy  indifference  to  external  objects,  that  he 
was  quite  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  his  arch- 
enemy in  the  same  street,  although  his  chair  coolies 
had,  as  in  duty  bound,  stood  at  the  side  of  the  road 
while  "  the  great  man  "  passed  on  his  way. 

Having  been  warned  by  a  forerunner  of  the  ap- 
proaching arrival  of  Wang,  Chang  was  waiting  ready 
to  receive  him.     Profoundly  the  two  friends  bowed 


1  4  CHINESE    STORIES. 

to  one  another  as  they  seated  themselves  on  the 
divan  :  and  after  a  remark  or  two  on  general  topics, 
Wang  went  straight  to  the  point.  He  related  the 
Prefect's  refusal  to  interfere,  and  then  enlarged  on 
the  proposal  indicated  by  his  wife,  and  ended  up  by 
making  (hang  the  oiler  of  a  round  sum  of  money  in 
<-ase  lie  succeeded  in  arranging  matters  with  his  niece. 
(hang  listened  patiently,  feeling  confident,  from  his 
knowledge  of  his  guest,  that  a  bribe  would  be  offered 
him,  and  being  well  assured  that  it  would  be  the  in- 
ducement held  out  last,  though  in  reality  first,  in 
importance.  The  sum  named  settled  the  question  so 
far  as  Chang  was  concerned.  He  was  a  needy  man, 
being  considerably  in  debt ;  and  besides,  he  foresaw 
that  if  he  could  once  induce  his  niece  to  regard  him  in 
loco  parentis,  he  would  be  able  to  get  into  his  hands, 
for  a  time  at  least,  the  management  of  his  brother's 
property.  This  trust,  he  knew  well,  might  be  turned 
to  profitable  account,  and  his  eyes  sparkled  at  the 
prospect  that  loomed  large  before  him.  When,  there- 
fore, Wang  ceased  to  speak,  he  said,  with  effusion — 

"  I  have  listened  to  your  commands,  and  have  been 
overcome  with  admiration  at  the  lucidity  of  your  ex- 
pressions, the  knowledge  you  possess  of  the  rites  of 
antiquity,  and  the  general  wisdom  of  your  views.  It 
remains  only  for  me  to  say  that  I  will  obey  your 
orders  to  the  best  of  my  mean  ability,  and  that  I 
regard  with  infinite  gratitude  your  munificent  inten- 
tions towards  your  '  younger  brother.'  Let  me  now 
oiler  for  your  refreshment  a  pipe  of  '  foreign  dirt,'  " 

WhIm.u1  wailing  for  assent  Chang  nodded  to  a 
servant,  who,  being  evidently  used  to  the  habit,  left 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  15 

the  room  and  speedily  returned  bearing  two  small 
lacquer-trays,  each  of  which  contained  an  opium-pipe 
and  the  necessary  adjuncts.  By  the  side  of  both  his 
master  and  Wang,  who  were  now  recumbent,  he  placed 
a  tray,  and  then  withdrew,  leaving  the  two  friends  to 
the  enjoyments  of  intoxication.  Pipe  after  pipe  they 
smoked,  until  at  last  their  pipes  dropped  from  their 
mouths,  and  they  passed  into  the  opium  -  smoker's 
paradise — a  state  of  dreamy  unconsciousness,  in  which 
strangely  fanciful  visions  passed  before  their  other- 
wise sightless  eyes,  and  strains  of  sweetest  music 
charmed  and  delighted  their  ears.  It  was  late  the 
next  morning  before  they  awoke,  and  it  was  then 
plain,  from  the  expression  of  their  faces,  that  the 
pleasurable  sensations  of  the  early  part  of  the  night 
had  long  since  passed  away.  Their  eyes,  which  were 
surrounded  by  broad  black  rims,  bore  a  haggard  and 
painful  look.  Their  lips  were  blue  and  parched,  and 
their  complexions  wore  a  mahogany  hue,  as  though 
saturated  with  their  favourite  narcotic.  Many  "  hairs 
of  the  dos;  that  had  bitten  him "  and  some  hours' 
quiet  rest  were  necessary  before  Chang  was  in  a  fit 
condition  to  pay  his  visit  of  persuasion  to  his  niece. 
When  at  last  he  walked  across  to  her  house,  he  was 
shown,  by  right  of  his  relationship,  into  her  private 
apartment, — which  even  he  could  not  fail  to  observe 
was  prettily  furnished  and  tastefully  adorned.  Flow- 
ers of  every  hue  and  shape — azaleas,  hydrangeas,  and 
roses — were  arranged  about  it  on  stands  in  symmet- 
rical confusion ;  while  on  the  tables  and  sideboard 
was  displayed  a  wealth  of  ancient  bronzes,  cracked 
china,    and    old    enamel    vases,    which    would    have 


16  CHINESE    STORIES. 

driven  most  collectors  wild  with  excitement.  The 
walls  were  hung  with  scrolls,  on  some  of  which 
celebrated  caligraphists  had  inscribed  sentences  from 
the  classics,  which  Chang  did  not  very  well  under- 
stand ;  and  on  others,  distant  hills,  dotted  with  tem- 
ples and  enlivened  by  waterfalls,  were  depicted  by 
old  masters.  One  cool  and  shady  scene,  representing 
two  old  men  playing  at  chess  on  a  mountain-top 
beneath  a  wide-spreading  pine-tree,  and  attended  by 
boys  hearing  pipes  and  liasks,  which  might  possibly 
be  supposed  to  contain  tea,  especially  attracted  his 
attention  ;  and  so  absorbed  was  he  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  it,  that  he  was  quite  unaware  that  an  even 
more  attractive  object  had  entered  the  room.  Plum- 
blossom,  for  so  the  new  arrival  was  named,  seemed  at 
first  indisposed  to  interrupt  her  uncle's  meditation, 
and  stood  watching  him,  holding  the  door  in  her  hand. 
She  had  evidently  attired  herself  with  some  care.  Her 
hair  was  trimly  arranged  in  a  bunch  on  each  side, 
after  the  manner  of  maidens  ;  while  a  short  fringe 
drooped  over  her  forehead,  which  was  both  high  and 
broad.  Her  silken  robe  hung  in  graceful  folds  over 
her  plaited  satin  petticoat,  from  beneath  which  her 
small  embroidered  shoes  obtruded  their  toes.  In 
figure  she  was  tall  ;  and  her  features,  which  were  fine 
and  sharply  marked,  told  a  tale  of  high  breeding  and 
intelligence.  Her  eyes  were  large  and  well  opened, 
and  paid  their  tribute  to  her  race  by  being  slightly 
drawn  up  towards  the  outside  corners.  Her  com- 
plexion needed  neither  powder  nor  rouge  to  add  to 
its  beauty;  and  the  expression  of  her  countenance 
generally  was  brighl  and  mobile.      Even  Chang,  when 


'HE  WAS    QUITE    UNAWARE    THAT   AN    EVEN    MORE   ATTRACTIVE 
OBJECT    HAD    ENTERED    THE    ROOM."— Page  16. 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  17 

she  advanced  to  meet  him,  rose  to  greet  her  with 
admiring  cordiality. 

After  the  first  compliments  were  over,  Chang  pro- 
ceeded to  open  the  object  of  his  visit.  "  Yon  are 
aware,  my  niece,"  said  he,  "  how  much  your  future 
has  been  in  my  mind  since  your  father  has  been  en- 
gaged in  his  present  distant  and  doubtful  service. 
I  need  not  remind  you  of  the  saying  of  Mencius,  that 
'  when  a  boy  is  born,  the  desire  of  his  parents  is  that 
he  may  found  a  household  ;  and  from  the  time  a  girl 
appears  in  the  world,  the  main  object  of  her  parents 
is  to  see  her  married  ; '  nor  need  I  go  on  to  quote  to 
}'ou  the  sage's  disapproval  of  all  such  who  so  far  for- 
sake the  right  path  as  to  bore  holes  in  partition  walls 
and  peep  behind  screens  to  catch  glimpses  of  persons 
of  the  other  sex "  (this  was  a  stab  at  Mr  Iron). 
"  Now,  as  I  cannot  but  regard  myself  in  the  light  of 
your  father,  I  feel  it  incumbent  on  me  to  urge  you  to 
give  your  consent  to  be  betrothed.  I  have  made  in- 
quiries as  to  the  young  men  of  equal  rank  with  your- 
self in  the  district,  and  with  one  consent  my  inform- 
ants join  in  extolling  the  young  Mr  Wang,  of  whom 
I  have  before  spoken  to  you,  as  being  in  every  way  a 
carp  among  minnows  and  a  phoenix  among  magpies." 

"  If  the  minnows  are  drunkards  and  magpies 
roues,  that  is  true  enough,"  muttered  Violet,  Plum- 
blossom's  attendant  maiden,  who,  standing  behind 
her  mistress's  chair,  had  listened  with  ill-concealed 
disgust  to  Chang's  address.  Fortunately  Chang's 
senses  were  not  very  acute,  and  the  interpolation 
was  unnoticed  by  him. 

"  But,  uncle,"  answered  Plum-blossom,  "  though  it 


18  CHINESE    STORIES. 

is  true  thai  my  father  is  engaged  on  a  distant  mis- 
sion, and  that  I  have  no1  beard  from  him  for  a  long 
time,  yel  I  have  no  right  to  assume  cither  that  he  is 
dead  —which  may  the  Fates  forbid — or  that  he  may 
qo1  at  any  moment  return;  and  according  to  the 
'Book  of  Rites,'  it  is  the  father  who  should  betroth 
his  daughter.  My  obvious  duty  is  therefore  to  wait 
until  1  hear  something  definite  either  from  him  or  of 
him."' 

'•  What  you  say  is  perfectly  true  in  a  general  way," 
said  ( lhang  ;  "  but  even  the  sages  acknowledged  that, 
under  certain  circumstances,  it  was  allowable,  and 
sometimes  even  necessary,  to  depart  from  the  com- 
mon usage.  Now  yours  is  a  case  where  such  a 
departure  is  plainly  called  for.  I  have  talked  over 
the  matter  with  the  Prefect,"  added  Chang,  with 
some  slight  embarrassment,  "  and  he  is  entirely  of 
my  opinion." 

"  That  certainly  adds  weight  to  your  arguments/' 
answered  Plum-blossom,  demurely;  :' for  though  I 
have  no  personal  knowledge  of  the  Prefect,  I  have 
repeatedly  heard  of  his  fame  as  a  man  of  wisdom  and 
uprightness.  So  I  will  go  as  far  as  to  say,  uncle, 
that  if  you  choose  to  act  in  all  respects  a  father's 
pari  in  this  matter,  I  will  give  my  consent.  But, 
tell  me,  have  you  spoken  on  the  subject  to  the  young 
gentleman  himself?  I  hope  you  have  not  been  pay- 
ing me  compliments  behind  my  back." 

"  I  have  spoken  to  him  several  times  about  the 
match,"  replied  ("hang;  "but  I  should  no  more  think 
of  attempting  to  compliment  you,  as  you  say.  than  I 
should  try  to  whiten  a  cloth  washed  in  the  waters  of 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  19 

the  Han  or  Keang  and  bleached  in  the  sun.  And, 
let  mc  tell  you,  your  good  sense  was  never  more 
apparent  than  at  this  moment.  I  felt  convinced  thai 
a  girl  of  your  perception  and  wisdom  would  fall  into 
the  proposal  which  I,  wholly  and  entirely  in  your 
interest,  have  so  repeatedly  made  you.  And  now 
3'ou  know  there  will  be  a  number  of  arrangements  to 
be  made,"  said  Chang,  determined  to  strike  while  the 
iron  was  hot ;  "  and  first  of  all,  you  must  send  to 
your  future  husband  the  eight  characters  represent- 
ing the  year,  month,  day,  and  hour  of  your  birth, 
that  they  may  be  submitted  to  the  fortune-teller." 

"But  already,  uncle,"  said  Plum  -  blossom,  "you 
are  breaking  your  agreement  ;  and  remember,  if  you 
break  yours  I  may  break  mine.  You  undertook  to 
act  the  part  of  a  father  to  me,  and  it  is  therefore  for 
you  to  send  the  Pa-tsze  "  (eight  characters). 

"  You  may  be  quite  sure  that  I  shall  not  retreat 
from  my  engagement,"  replied  Chang ;  "  but  that 
there  may  not  be  any  mistake,  I  should  like  you  to 
write  me  a  draft  of  the  characters,  that  I  may  send 
them  to  be  copied  in  gold,  and  that,"  he  added  aside, 
"  I  may  hold  your  own  handwriting  as  evidence 
against  you,  if  by  any  chance  you  should  turn  fickle 
and  change  your  mind." 

"  Certainly  ;  "  and  calling  for  paper  and  pencil, 
Plum-blossom  wrote  down  eight  cyclical  characters, 
and  presented  them  to  her  uncle. 

"Oh,  lady,  what  have  you  done?"  exclaimed 
Violet,  wringing  her  hands  as  the  door  closed  on 
Chang ;  "if  you  only  knew  as  much  about  that 
young  Wang  as   I   do,  you  would  die  sooner  than 


20  CHINESE    STORIES. 

marry  him.  He  is  a  brawler,  a  drunkard,  an  opium- 
smoker,  a " 

"Hush!"'  said  her  mistress;  "perhaps  I  know 
more  than  you  think  I  do.  And  now  listen  to  what 
T  say.  Don't  feel  or  express  surprise  at  anything  I 
say  or  do  in  this  matter  ;  and  as  to  the  outside  world, 
keep  your  eyes  and  cars  open,  and  your  mouth  shut." 

The  look  of  despair  which  had  taken  possession  of 
Violet's  quaint-looking  features  gradually  gave  way 
under  the  influence  of  these  words  to  one  of  surprised 
bewilderment.  Her  narrow  slits  of  eyes  opened  their 
widest  as  she  gazed  with  a  searching  look  on  the 
features  of  her  mistress.  By  degrees  she  appeared  to 
gather  comfort  from  her  inspection,  and  she  promised 
implicit  obedience  to  the  instructions  given  her. 

In  the  house  of  Chang  there  was  wild  rejoicing 
over  the  event.  Only  Mrs  ('hang  seemed  to  have 
any  misgiving.  "  I  cannot  make  the  girl  out,"  she 
said.  "  It  was  but  the  other  day  that  she  vowed 
and  declared  she  would  not  listen  to  the  match,  and 
now,  with  scarcely  a  show  of  resistance,  she  gives 
way.  I  hope  she  won't  change  her  mind  again  as 
suddenly." 

"There  is  no  danger  of  her  doing  that,"  replied  her 
husband,  "  for  I  persuaded  her  to  write  out  her  natal 
characters  with  her  own  hand,  and  here  is  the  paper  ;" 
and  so  saying,  he  drew  from  his  sleeve  the  paper 
given  him  by  Plum-blossom.  " But,"  he  added,  "she 
insists  that  as  I  am  acting  in  the  place  of  her  father 
in  this  matter,  /must  have  the  characters  cut  out  in 
gold-leal',  and  the  cards  prepared  to  send  to  the  bride- 
groom.    I  should  be  quite  willing  to  do  this,  but,  as 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  21 

a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  not  got  the  money  by  me  to 

pay  for  them." 

"Oh,  Wang  will  find  the  money  readily  enough. 
Go  round  to  him  at  once  and  ask  for  it,  and  a  little 
more  in  addition;  and  when  the  cards  are  read}",  our 
eldest  son  shall  act  as  emissary  to  take  them  to  the 
bridegroom.  It  was  a  clever  thought  to  get  her  to 
put  pen  to  paper." 

Mrs  Chang  was  right.  Wang  produced  the  money 
almost  with  eagerness,  and  signalised  the  subsequent 
appearance  of  young  Chang  with  the  card  by  a 
sumptuous  feast.  In  due  course,  also,  the  bride- 
groom, having  prepared  numerous  and  costly  wed- 
ding-gifts, sent  word  to  Chang  that  on  a  given  day 
he  would  :'  humbly  venture  to  send  his  paltry 
offering "  to  the  young  lady's  "  princely  mansion." 
On  receipt  of  this  gratifying  intimation,  Chang  went 
in  high  spirits  to  warn  his  niece  of  the  intended 
ceremony. 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  said  the  young  lad}",  "  in  the 
absence  of  my  father,  and  in  this  empty  and  dis- 
mantled house,  I  could  not  possibly  receive  the 
presents.  It  would  be  neither  proper  to  do  so,  nor 
would  it  be  respectful  to  young  Mr  Wang.  As  you 
were  kind  enough  to  send  the  wedding-card  for  me, 
the  return  presents  should,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be 
carried  to  your  house  ;  and  besides,  I  cannot  help 
feeling  that  as  you  have  undertaken  so  much  expense 
on  my  behalf,  it  is  only  fair  that  the  presents,  what- 
ever they  may  be  worth,  should  belong  to  you." 

"  Your  wisdom  and  discretion  really  astonish  me," 
said  Chang,  who  could  scarcely  conceal  his  delight  at 

D 


22  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  prospect  of  turning  the  presents  into  gold;  "but 
while  assenting,  on  the  -round  of  propriety,  to  the 
arrangement  you  propose,  I  think  the  card  of  thanks 
had  better  be  in  your  handwriting." 

"Certainly,"  said  Plum-blossom;  "but  it  must  of 
course  run  in  your  name,  as  it  would  have  done  in 
my  father's  name  had  he  been  here." 

So  saying,  she  sat  down  and  inscribed  a  card  of 
thanks.  "There,  I  think  that  will  do.  Listen  to 
what  1  have  written:  'Chang  Teming  bows  his  head 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  wedding-presents  sent  to 
his  daughter.' '' 

"Why  put  'his  daughter'?"  objected  Chang, 
doubtingly.  "Young  Wang  is  not  going  to  marry 
my  poor  ugly  daughter, — I  wish  he  were ;  it  is  you, 
my  niece." 

"But  as  you  have,  with  so  much  kindness  and  dis- 
interestedness, taken  upon  yourself  the  part  of  a 
father  towards  me,  it  follows  that  I  must  be  your 
daughter.  To  call  yourself  '  my  father,'  and  me 
•  your  niece,'  would  make  people  laugh  and  wonder." 

"Very  well,  be  it  as  you  will,"  rejoined  Chang, 
overcome  by  Plum-blossom's  logic. 

The  new  view  proposed  by  his  niece  as  to  the 
ownership  of  the  presents  gave  Chang  an  additionally 
keen  interest  in  their  arrival  and  value;  and  certainly 
nothing  on  the  score  of  costliness  could  have  been 
more  gratifying  to  him  than  they  were.  So  soon  as 
he  had  carefully  arranged  them  with  his  own  hands 
in  the  family  hall,  he  invited  Plum-blossom  over  to 
insped  them.  She  expressed  admiration  at  the  taste 
shown  in  their  choice,   and   at   their   great   intrinsic 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  23 

value,  and  congratulated  her  uncle  on  their  acquisi- 
tion, adding,  at  the  same  time,  that  as  she  had  n<> 
brother,  the  bulk  of  the  family  property  would,  she 
supposed,  like  these  presents,  pass  into  his  possession. 

"But  whatever  happens,"  said  Chang,  with  a  wave 
of  his  hand  as  though  all  such  sordid  ideas  were  ab- 
horrent  to  him,  "  remember  I  shall  always  consider 
you  as  a  daughter,  and  hope  that  you  will  in  the 
same  way  look  upon  me  in  the  light  of  a  father." 

If  Chang  had  observed  closely  his  niece's  face  as 
he  spoke,  he  would  have  seen  an  expression  of  sup- 
pressed amusement,  which  might  either  have  sug- 
gested to  him  the  possibility  that  she  had  doubts  on 
the  subject  of  his  disinteiv>t((hiess,  or  given  him  reason 
to  suspect  that  some  scheme  lurked  beneath  her  seem- 
ingly extremely  yielding  demeanour.  But  his  mind 
was  just  then  so  full  of  the  prospect  of  freedom  from 
debt,  and  of  large  perquisites,  that  such  a  trivial  mat- 
ter as  his  niece's  face  was  obviously  beneath  his  notice. 

To  young  Wang  the  favourable  turn  which  affairs 
had  taken  was  an  unfailing  source  of  delight,  and 
was  marred  only  by  the  enforced  exercise  of  patience 
required  by  the  astrologer,  who,  after  comparing  the 
ticket  of  nativity  sent  by  Chang  with  that  of  the 
intending  bridegroom,  had  pronounced  that  the  loth 
of  the  next  month  was  the  date  prescribed  by  fortune 
for  the  nuptials.  At  last  the  fateful  day  arrived,  as 
all  days  will,  however  long  waited  for ;  and  at  early 
morn  the  impatient  bridegroom  sent  his  best-man  to 
Chang;  to  announce  that  on  that  same  evening  he 
should  come  to  claim  his  bride.  Chang  could  scarcely 
restrain  his   impatience  sufficiently  to  perform  pro- 


24  CHINESE    STORIES. 

perly  the  duties  of  a  host  to  the  welcome  emissary ; 
and  no  sooner  had  that  young  gentleman  executed 
bis  Las1  bow  outside  the  front  door,  than  his  enter- 
tainer hurried  over  to  Plum-blossom  to  warn  her  of 
the  bridegroom's  intended  arrival.  Demurely  the 
young  lady  listened  to  her  uncle's  excited  congratu- 
lations, and  with  an  expression  of  assumed  uncon- 
sciousness on  her  uplifted  face,  replied — 

"  But,  my  dear  uncle,  although  I  am  profoundly 
interested  in  the  future  welfare  of  my  cousin, 
Autumn-leaf,  yet  you  can  hardly  expect  me,  I  am 
sure,  in  my  present  condition  of  doubt  as  to  my 
father's  whereabouts,  and  even  his  life,  to  appear  at 
the  wedding;  and  I  am  at  a  loss,  therefore,  to  under- 
stand why  }'ou,  who  must  have  so  much  to  do,  should 
have  thought  it  necessary  to  inform  me  in  such  haste 
of  the  coming  event." 

Surprise,  doubt,  fear,  and  anger  coursed  in  turn 
across  Chang's  features  as  these  words  fell  upon  his 
confused  ears  ;  and  when  his  niece  ceased  to  speak, 
all  four  sensations  found  full  expression  both  in  his 
countenance  and  voice. 

"  What  do  you  mean,"  he  hissed  out,  "by  speaking 
of  my  daughter's  marriage  '.  Are  you  joking,  or  are 
you  trying  to  play  me  false  ?  It  is  you  that  young 
Wang  is  coming  to  marry,  and  it  is  you  he  shall 
marry  this  very  night." 

'•  My  dear  uncle,  you  are  strangely  inconsistent  in 
this  matter.  If  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  think, 
you  will  recollect  that  the  wedding-cards  were  made 
oul  in  the  name  of 'your  daughter,' and  that  when 
the    presents   arrived   at  your   house  —  not   at  mine, 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  25 

remember,  uncle — you  returned  thanks  for  'your 
daughter.'  It  is  plain,  then,  that  my  cousin  was  the 
intended  bride  ;  for  had  you  meant  me,  you  would 
have  spoken  of  me  as  your  '  youngest  daughter,'  or 
'adopted  daughter';  but  there  was  no  such  qualifi- 
cation, was  there,  uncle  ?  I  can  assure  you,  also, 
that  I  have  no  present  intention  of  marrying,  and 
least  of  all  marrying  such  a  man  as  Wang,  wdio, 
though  he  enjoys  the  benefit  of  your  friendship, 
would  hardly,  I  fear,  prove  a  congenial  companion 
to  me."  Plum-blossom  could  not  deny  herself  this 
Parthian  shot. 

Chang  listened  like  one  thunder  -  struck ;  then 
springing  from  his  chair,  he  paced  up  and  down  the 
room  with  long  strides,  giving  vent  to  his  passion  in 
violent  and  most  unoriental  gesticulations. 

"  You  deceitful  wretch  !  "  he  cried,  "  do  you  sup- 
pose that  I  am  going  to  be  cheated  and  outraged  by 
an  ignorant  young  girl  like  you  ?  I'll  make  you 
marry  Wang ;  and,"  he  added,  as  a  sudden  thought 
struck  him,  "  though  you  may  think  yourself  very 
clever,  you  have  forgotten  that  you  have  left  an 
evidence  in  my  hand  of  your  consent  to  the  match. 
A  murderer,  you  know,  ought  to  destroy  his  weapon, 
and  a  thief  should  hide  his  crowbar ;  but  you  have 
given  me,  in  your  own  handwriting,  the  evidence 
against  you.  I  have  only  to  produce  your  auto- 
graph-ticket of  nativity  before  the  Prefect,  and  he 
would  order  you  to  fulfil  the  contract." 

This  last  retort  Chang  expected  would  have  silenced 
Plum-blossom,  or  at  least  disconcerted  her,  but  her 
outward  calm  was  unruffled. 


26 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


"Your  answer  would  be  complete,  uncle,"  she 
replied,  with  almosl  a  smile,  "but  for  one  small 
circumstance,  which,  strangely  enough,  you  appear 
to  have  overlooked.     The  cyclical  characters  on  the 

ticket  represented  the  year, 
month,  day,  and  hour  of  my 
cousin's  birth,  not  mine." 

The  sound  of  a  chuckle  of 
suppressed  laughter  from  be- 
hind the  door  where  Violet  was 
hidden,    was    interrupted    by    a 


¥0 

He  burst  out  of  the  room." 


v  e  h  e  m  e  n  t      o  u  t  b  u  r  st 
from  Chang. 

"You  lie!"  he  shout- 
ed ;  "  and  I  will  prove 
it."  So  saying,  he  burst 
out  of  the  room  so  sud- 
denly that  he  nearly 
knocked  down  Violet, 
who  was  in  the  act  of 

peeping  round  the  corner  to  watch  the  effect  of  her 
mistress's  words. 

"Oh,  my  lady!"  she  exclaimed,  as  ('hang's  re- 
treating figure  disappeared,  "  how  could  you  be  so 
calm  and  quiet  when  lie  was  raging  so?" 

"Because,"  replied  Plum-blossom,  "I  had  him  in 
the  palm  of  my  hand,  being  conscious  of  my  own 
integrity    and    of    his    evil    intentions.       Don't    you 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  27 

remember  how  Confucius  played  a  tunc  on  his  lyre 
when  he  and  his  disciples  were  attacked  by  banditti  ? 
And  if  he  could  show  such  indifference  to  danger  in 
circumstances  of  so  great  peril,  should  not  I  be  able 
to  preserve  a  calm  demeanour  in  the  presence  of  this 
storming  bully  ? " 

The  sound  of  Chang's  returning  footsteps  drove 
Violet  again  into  her  place  of  concealment.  "  There," 
he  said  as  he  entered  the  room,  "is  the  paper  you 
gave  me;  and  now  deny  your  own  handwriting  if 
you  dare." 

"  Please  sit  down,  uncle,  and  let  me  ask  you  one  or 
two  questions.     What  was  the  date  of  my  birth  ?  " 

"You  were  born  on  the  15th  of  the  8th  month,  in 
the  second  watch.  I  and  your  father  were,  as  it 
happened,  drinking  to  the  full  moon  when  the  news 
was  brought  us." 

"  And  when  did  your  daughter,  Autumn-leaf,  first 
see  the  light  ?  " 

"  On  the  Gth  of  the  6th  month,  as  I  well  remember  ; 
for  the  weather  was  so  intensely  hot  that  her  mother's 
life  was  in  danger." 

"And  now,  uncle,  will  you  read  the  date  repre- 
sented b}^  the  cyclical  characters  on  the  paper  which 
you  hold  in  your  hand  ?  " 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  anything  about  cyclical  char- 
acters," replied  Chang.  "  Such  knowledge,"  he  added 
in  a  vain  attempt  to  conceal  his  ignorance,  "  is  only 
fit  for  astrologers  and  women." 

"  Is  it  possible,"  said  Plum-blossom,  in  a  tone  of 
revengeful  mockery,  "  that,  with  your  wide  circle  of 
knowledge,  you  don't  understand  these  simple  char- 


28  CHINESE   STORIES. 

acters?  Well  then,  let  me,  'ignorant  young  girl' as 
I  am,  explain  them  to  you.  These  first  characters, 
Ke  wei,  stand  for  the  month  which  is  vulgarly  known 
as  tli<'  Serpent  month,  which,  as  perhaps  you  know, 
is  the  sixl  li  month." 

••  Yes,  I  know  that." 

"Well,  these  next  characters,  Ked  yin,  represent 
the  sixth  day  of  the  month,  and  this  is,  therefore,  the 
date  of  my  cousin's  birth,  and  not  of  mine — the  yea]1 
of  our  births  being  the  same.'"' 

"Y«ai  have  attempted  to  ruin  me,"  he  said,  "by  an 
abominable  fraud;  but  I  will  be  even  with  you.  I 
will  impeach  you  before  the  Prefect,  and  then  see 
whether  you  will  be  able  to  escape  from  the  clutches 
of  the  law  as  easily  as  you  think  you  have  from 
mine.' 

"  You  had  better  not  be  in  too  great  a  hurry,  uncle. 
From  things  I  have  lately  heard,  the  Prefect  has  not 
been  altogether  acting  with  you  in  this  matter;  and 
if  I  were  to  charge  you  with  attempting  to  decoy  me 
into  a  marriage  in  the  absence  of  my  father  and 
against  my  consent,  it  might  go  hardly  with  you." 

"What  does  it  matter?"  groaned  the  wretched 
man,  as  he  threw  himself  back  in  his  chair;  "1  am 
ruined,  whatever  happens.  So  what  can  1  do  better 
than  either  throw  myself  into  the  well  or  take  a  dose 
of  gold-leaf,  and  so  end  my  miseries  ?  " 

"I  have  a  better  plan  than  either  of  those  you 
suggest,"  said  Plum-blossom;  "and  if  you  will  listen 
to  my  advice,  I  think  I  can  get  you  out  of  your 
difficulty.  You  would  like  to  have  your  daughter 
married,  1  suppose  ?" 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  29 

"  Does  not  a  weary  man  long  to  throw  his  burden 
off  his  Lack?" 

"Very  well,  then,  why  should  you  not  throw 
this  burden  into  the  lap  of  young  Wang  ?  He 
has  throughout  the  business  negotiated  for  '  your 
daughter';    then  let  him  take  your  daughter." 

"  But  he  will  discover  the  fraud." 

"Not  until  it  is  too  late.  He  won't  see  her  face 
until  she  is  his  wife,  and  then  he  will  be  ashamed  to 
confess  that  he  has  been  hoodwinked." 

"  WelJ,"  said  Chang,  after  a  few  minutes'  reflection, 
'•  as  it  is  the  only  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  I  will  risk 
it.  But  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost ;  and  the  least 
you  can  do,  after  the  way  you  have  behaved,  is  to 
come  over  and  help  us  with  the  arrangements,  for 
young  Wang  is  to  be  here  this  evening-." 

Peace  being  thus  restored,  the  unnatural  allies 
went  to  propose  their  scheme  to  Autumn-leaf.  That 
young  lady,  who  was  as  free  from  any  bashfulness  or 
refined  feeling  as  her  worthy  parent,  was  delighted  at 
the  idea,  Being  very  plain  in  appearance  and  un- 
gainly in  figure,  she  had  entertained  but  faint  hopes 
of  matrimony,  and  the  prospect,  therefore,  of  gaining 
a  husband  so  rich  as  young  Wang  was  charming 
beyond  measure  to  her.  She  at  once  consented  to 
play  the  part  required,  and,  without  a  moment's  loss 
of  time,  prepared  to  bedeck  herself  for  the  occasion. 
Anticipating  the  marriage,  Chang  had  arranged  every- 
thing in  readiness  except  the  bride.  The  decorations 
and  scarlet  hangings  were  all  at  hand,  and  a  very  few 
hours'  work  sufficed  to  adorn  the  family  hall  and  altar 
with   the  splendours  usual  on   such  occasions.     But 

E 


30  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  bride  was  not  so  easily  beautified.  However, 
after  all  the  resources  of  Plum-blossom's  wardrobe, 
as  will  as  her  own,  had  been  exhausted  iu  choosing 
dresses  and  petticoats  which  became  her  best,  she 
was  pronounced  presentable.  Much  the  confederates 
trusted  to  the  long  red  veil  which  was  to  cover  her 
face  and  person  until  her  arrival  at  her  new  home; 
and  minute  were  the  directions  which  Plum-blossom 
gave  her  for  concealing  her  features  until  the  next 
morning. 

"  Assume  a  modesty,  even  if  you  don't  feel  bashful. 
Shrink  within  the  curtains  when  your  husband  ap- 
proaches yon,  and  protest  against  his  keeping  the 
lamp  alight.  If  in  the  morning  there  should  be  an 
outbreak  of  anger  on  his  part,  try  to  soften  him  with 
tears  ;  and  if  that  should  prove  unavailing,  pretend 
to  be  in  despair  and  threaten  suicide.  No  man  likes 
a  fuss  and  a  scandal ;  and  after  a  time,  you  may  be 
quite  sure  he  will  settle  down  quietly." 

Primed  with  this  excellent  advice,  Autumn-leaf 
went  through  the  ceremonies  of  the  day  without 
betraying  herself.  The  awkwardness  with  which  she 
entered  the  audience-hall  and  bowed  to  the  bride- 
groom was  put  down  by  himself  and  his  friends  to 
natural  timidity.  The  remaining  rites  she  executed 
faultlessly.  She  did  reverence  to  heaven  and  earth 
and  to  her  ancestors,  and  finally  entered  the  bridal 
sedan-chair  which  was  to  carry  her  to  her  new  home 
with  complete  composure,  much  to  the  relief  of  her 
father,  who  all  day  Jong  was  so  tremulous  with 
nervous  excitement,  that,  from  time  to  time,  he  was 
compelled    to    seek    courage    from    his    opium-pipe. 


■  She  was  pronounced  presentable. 


32  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Wlirn  at  last  the  doors  were  shut  on  the  bridal  pair 
his  gratification  was  great,  although,  at  the  same 
time,  it  was  painfull)'  mingled  with  a  sense  of  the 
possible  evil  consequences  which  might  very  likely 
ensue  on  the  course  he  had  taken.  However,  for 
the  present  there  was  freedom  from  anxiety,  and  he 
wisely  determined  to  let  the  future  take  care  of 
itself. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  Mr  Wang's  face  when  he 
wakes  to-morrow  morning,"  said  Violet,  laughing,  as 
she  followed  her  mistress  back  to  her  apartments. 
"  But,"  she  added,  as  the  sound  of  loud  raps  were 
heard  at  the  front  door,  "  who  can  that  be  knocking 
at  the  street  gate  so  violently  ?  He  cannot,  surely, 
have  found  out  the  trick  already  ?  If  he  has,  what 
will  you  do  ?  " 

The  first  question  was  soon  answered,  for  just  as 
she  finished  speaking,  a  servant  announced  that  the 
Prefect  had  sent  his  secretary  to  inquire  whether 
Plum-blossom's  marriage,  which  he  had  only  just 
heard  was  in  course  of  performance,  was  taking  place 
with  her  full  consent  or  not,  as  he  was  prepared  to 
interfere  in  case  she  was  being  coerced;  and  at  the 
same  time  to  hand  her  a  letter  from  her  father  which 
had  been  forwarded  with  the  usual  official  despatches 
from  Peking. 

"  Beg  the  secretary  to  assure  the  Prefect,"  replied 
Plum-blossom,  "that  his  infinite  kindness  fcowards  me 
is  deeply  engraven  on  my  heart  ;  and  to  inform  him 
that,  happily  for  me,  it  was  not  I  who  was  married 
this  evening  but  1113^  cousin." 

\\  ith   impatience  and  deep  emotion   Plum-blossom 


A    MATRIMONIAL    FRAUD.  33 

now  turned  to  open  her  father's  letter,  the  contents 
of  which  brought  tears  of  delight  to  her  eyes,  and 
caused  Violet  to  perform  a  dance  as  nearly  resembl in g 
a  fandango  as  is  possible,  with  feet  just  two  inches 
and  a  half  long.  That  the  President  should  have 
returned  from  the  frontier  covered  with  honours  was 
only  what  Plum-blossom  felt  might  have  been  looked 
for ;  but  that  he  expected  to  arrive  at  Ping-chow  on 
the  very  next  day,  was  a  cause  of  unspeakable  joy 
and  relief  to  her.  This,  however,  was  not  quite  all 
the  news  the  letter  contained.  "  I  am  bringing  with 
me,"  wrote  her  father,  "a  young  Mr  Tieh,  to  whose 
foresight  and  courage  I  mainly  attribute  ••  the  successful 
issue  of  my  mission." 


34 


WITHIN     HIS     DANGER. 

"  You  stand  within  Ids  danger,  do  you  not?  " 

— Merchant  of  Venia  . 

IT  was  a  common  saying  among  the  ancients  that 
lie  who  had  visited  Hang-chow  had  been  to  the 
City  of  Heaven.  The  modern  Chinaman,  breathing 
the  same  enthusiastic  admiration  for  the  most  beauti- 
ful city  in  Eastern  Asia,  says,  "  See  Hang-chow  and 
die  ;  "  and  unless  we  are  to  suppose  that  every  tra- 
veller wdio  has  visited  the  town  has  been  a  victim  to 
hallucinations,  there  are  few  spots  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth  which  surpass  in  bright  beauty  the  city  and 
neighbourhood  of  Hang-chow.  Earth,  sky,  and  water 
there  combine  to  form  one  of  the  most  lovely  pieces 
of  landscape-gardening  on  a  gigantic  scale  that  it  is 
possible  to  imagine  ;  while  the  coloured  roofs  of  the 
yamun  and  pagodas,  the  countless  bridges  and  splen- 
did temples  of  the  city,  present  objects  of  man's  art 
which  are  not  unworthy  of  their  natural  environments. 
Even  the  wondrous  beauty  of  the  lake  which  washes 
the  western  wTall  of  the  city,  is  held  to  be  heightened 
by  the  temples,  palaces,  and  pavilions  which  adorn 
the    islands    scattered    over    its    surface;'  while    all 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  35 

around  it  are  erected  beautiful  palaces  and  man- 
sions, of  the  richest  and  most  exquisite  structure. 

On  summer  evenings  it  is  the  habit  of  these  noble 
citizens  to  take  their  pleasure  on  the  lake  in  barges, 
which  reflect  in  their  bright  decorations  and  luxurious 
fittings  the  meretricious  beauty  of  their  surround- 
ings. In  such  a  galley,  one  glorious  evening  in  early 
autumn,  the  magistrate  of  Hang-chow  was  taking  his 
ease  at  the  close  of  a  hard  day's  work,  and  by  contact 
with  the  fresh  breezes  of  heaven,  was  seeking  to  rid 
himself  of  the  taint  of  chicanery,  bribery,  and  intrigue 
which  infected  every  nook  and  corner  of  his  yamun. 
His  compagno7i  de  voyage  was  a  Mr  Tso,  an  old  resi- 
dent at  Hang-chow,  and  one  in  whose  judgment  the 
magistrate  placed  much  confidence.  Being  rich  and 
independent,  he  could  afford  to  hold  his  own  opinions, 
even  when  they  clashed  with  those  of  his  present 
host ;  and  accustomed  as  the  magistrate  was  to  the 
society  of  toadies,  it  was  refreshing  to  find  a  man 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  contradict  him  to  his  face. 
The  evening  was  one  rather  for  still  enjoyment  than 
for  much  talking,  and  for  some  minutes  not  a  word 
had  been  spoken  between  the  friends,  when,  on  round- 
ing a  point  in  the  lake,  the  boat  sailed  into  view  of 
the  house  and  grounds,  famed  in  local  history  as  being 
the  most  beautiful  among  the  beautiful,  and  as  hav- 
ing descended  in  the  Ts'eng  family  from  father  to  son 
throuQ-h  countless  generations. 

"  Well,"  said  the  magistrate,  after  gazing  long  and 
admiringly  at  the  landscape,  "  if  I  were  not  the 
magistrate  of  Hang-chow,  I  would  be  Mr  Ts'eng. 
What  an  enviable  lot  his  is  ! — young,  rich,  talented,  the 


3  6  CHINESE    STORIES. 

husband  of  a  charming  wife,  if  report  speaks  truly, 
and  the  owner  of  such  a  lovely  house  and  gardens  as 
those  yonder.  That  willow  clump  is  just  the  spot 
where  Su  Tungp'o  would  have  loved  to  have  written 
sonnets;  and  that  mass  of  waving  colour  is  enough 
to  make  Tsau  Fulling  rise  from  his  grave  and  seize 
his  paint-brush  again." 

"I  don't  deny,"  replied  Mr  Tso,  "that  Ts'eng's 
lot  has  fallen  to  him  in  pleasant  places.  But  though 
I  should  much  like  to  exchange  possessions  with  him, 
nothing  would  induce  me  to  exchange  personalities. 
He  never  seems  really  happy.  His  is  one  of  those 
timid  and  fearful  natures  which  are  always  either  in 
the  depths  of  misery  or  in  the  highest  of  spirits.  He 
is  so  sensitive  that  the  least  thing  disturbs  him  ;  and 
he  is  so  dependent  on  outside  influences,  that  a  smile 
or  a  frown  from  Fortune  either  makes  or  mars  him. 
And  then,  between  ourselves,  I  have  my  doubts  as  to 
his  scholarship.  It  is  true  that  he  passed  his  B.A. 
examination  with  honours,  but  it  did  so  happen  that 
his  uncle  was  the  chief  examiner  on  the  occasion ;  and 
though  I  don't  charge  either  uncle  or  nephew  with 
anything  underhand,  yet  my  son  tells  me  that  others 
are  not  so  charitable." 

"  You  are  all,  I  think,  hard  on  our  friend,"  said  the 
magistrate.  "  I  don't  know  much  of  him,  but  I  have 
always  heard  him  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  learning  and 
ability.  However,  I  have  written  to  invite  him  to 
my  picnic  on  the  lake  to-morrow,  and  we  will  then 
try  him  at  verse-making,  and  see  what  he  is  really 
made  of." 

That  the  magistrate's    admiration  for  the  Ts'eng 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  37 

gardens  was  fully  justified,  every  admirer  of  brilliant 
colouring  would  readily  admit.  Indeed  no  fairer  pro- 
spect could  be  imagined,  and  as  the  autumn  sun  sent 
its  slanting  rays  through  the  waving  branches  of  the 
willows  and  oaks,  and  added  lustre  to  the  blood-red 
leaves  of  the  maples,  it  was  difficult  to  suppose  that 
anything  but  peace  and  content  could  reign  in  so 
lovely  a  spot. 

But  Tso  was  not  far  wrong  in  his  estimate  of 
Ts'eng's  character;  and  in  addition  to  the  bar  to  hap- 
piness presented  by  its  infirmities,  there  was  one  dire 
misfortune  which  took  much  of  the  brightness  out  of 
his  life.  Though  he  had  been  married  six  years  he 
had  but  one  child,  and  that  a  daughter.  It  was  true 
that  he  was  devotedly  fond  of  the  little  Primrose,  as 
he  called  her,  but  nothing  could  make  up  to  him  for 
the  failure  of  a  son  to  carry  on  the  succession  of  his 
name  and  fortune,  and  to  continue  the  worship  at  the 
family  graves. 

At  the  very  moment  that  the  magistrate  and  his 
friend  were  passing  down  the  lake,  Tseng  and  his 
wife,  Golden-lilies,  were  sitting  in  a  pavilion,  which 
stood  in  the  midst  of  the  flower-garden,  surrounded 
by  a  profusion  of  blue  hydrangeas,  China  asters,  pome- 
granates, citrons,  jasmines,  peonias,  honeysuckles,  and 
other  flowers  indigenous  to  the  favoured  ree-ions  of 
Central  China,  watching  Primrose  chasing  a  curly- 
coated  puppy  along  the  crooked  paths  as  well  as  her 
poor  little  cramped  feet  would  allow  her,  and  try- 
ing to  catch  the  leaves  which  were  beo-inning  to 
sprinkle  the  earth  with  specks  of  every  hue  ;  and  they 
were  still  so  employed  when  a  servant  handed  a  letter 

F 


38  CHINESE    STORIES. 

to  Ts'6ng,  who,  recognising  from  the  envelope  that  it 
was  from  the  magistrate,  opened  it  with  an  expression 
of  nervous  anxiety.  His  trepidation,  however,  turned 
into  pleasure,  as  he  read  as  follows: — 

"  With  greal  respect  I  beg  to  invite  you  to-morrow 
at  noon  to  the  still  clear  waters  of  immeasurable 
depth,  to  enjoy  the  delights  of  poetry  and  the  wine- 
cup.  As  our  galley  shall  glide  through  the  crystal 
waves  of  the  lake,  we  will  watch  the  floating  leaves 
strike  her  gentle  sides;  and  when  we  have  exhausted 
our  songs,  and  drained  the  cup  of  our  delights,  we 
will  turn  our  prow  towards  the  shore." 

This  invitation  was  one  of  those  smiles  of  fortune 
which  had  a  strangely  exhilarating  effect  on  Ts'eng's 
variable  temperament,  and  he  hurried  off  to  his  study 
in  the  highest  spirits  to  accept  it. 

" Reverently,"  he  wrote,  "I  return  answer  to  your 
jade-like  epistle.  What  can  surpass  the  calm  beauty 
of  the  lake  by  moonlight  or  the  tragic  aspect  of 
its  waves  in  storm  and  rain  ?  Your  honour  having 
deigned  to  command  my  presence  on  your  stately 
boat,  I,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  seize  whip  to  follow 
you.  My  paltry  literary  attainments  you  will,  I  fear, 
find  infinitely  deficient;  and  I  am  much  afraid  that 
I  shall  weary  you  with  my  efforts  to  express  in  verse 
my  admiration  for  the  mountains  and  lake." 

The  day  of  the  magistrate's  picnic  opened  bright 
and  fine,  and  with  commendable  punctuality  Ts'dng 
and  his  fellow-guests  assembled  at  the  landing-place, 
to  which  usually  dreary  spot  their  silk  and  satin 
robes  and  highly  coloured  skull-caps  gave  an  un- 
wonted  air   of  gaiety.      The   last  to  arrive  was   the 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  39 

host,  who,  on  dismounting  from  his  sedan,  bowed 
collectively  and  repeatedly  to  his  friends,  lifting  his 
joined  hands  to  his  forehead  as  if  in  supplication,  and 
then  bending;  low  in  an  attitude  of  humble  adoration. 
His  twelve  guests  returned  his  salutation  with  supple 
knees  and  effusive  tokens  of  respect.  These  cere- 
monies accomplished,  the  whole  party  embarked  on 
the  barge.  The  vessel  was  one  of  the  best  of  its 
kind,  but  was  not  a  bark  to  brook  a  mighty  sea.  The 
two  masts  were  innocent  of  sails,  and  were  burdened 
only  with  flags,  setting  forth  in  large  character  the 
rank  and  titles  of  the  magistrate.  The  forepart  was 
decked  over,  and  formed  the  abode  night  and  day  of 
the  crew.  Abaft  this  forecastle  was  an  open  space, 
extending  to  midships,  where  arose  a  large  and 
luxuriously  furnished  deck-house.  The  window- 
frames  were  prettily  painted  and  adorned  with  wood- 
carving,  while  at  the  portal  were  suspended  painted- 
glass  lanterns,  from  which  hung  fringes  and  tassels. 
Inside,  chairs,  tables,  and  a  divan  afforded  abundant 
accommodation  ;  and  round  the  room  were  ranged 
stands  on  which  stood  rare  and  curiously  trained 
plants  in  costly  porcelain  pots. 

At  the  word  K'aich'uen  ("unmoor  the  ship"), 
given  by  the  magistrate,  the  crew,  with  the  help  of 
a  crowd  of  idlers  on  the  wharf,  launched  the  vessel 
into  the  deep.  The  island  to  which  they  were  bound 
was  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  thitherwards* 
the  crew,  with  that  happy  absence  of  all  signs  of 
hurry  which  belongs  to  us  orientals,  impelled  the 
craft  by  slow  and  deliberate  strokes  of  their  long 
sweeping  oars.     On  landing,  the  magistrate  led  the 


40  CHINESE    STORIES. 

way  to  a  Buddhist  temple  which  stood  on  a  plat- 
form of  rocks  overlooking  the  lake.  No  more  ap- 
propriate spot  could  possibly  have  been  chosen  for 
the  occasion.  The  view  over  the  still  waters  of  the 
lake  dotted  here  and  there  with  verdure-clad  islets 
of  every  shape,  was  indescribably  beautiful;  and  the 
temple,  winch  in  its  arrangements  and  adornments 
resembled  rather  a  temple  of  the  god  of  pleasure 
than  of  the  ascetic  Buddha,  supplied  all  that  was 
necessary  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  magis- 
trate and  his  friends. 

With  the  help  of  the  priests  the  feast  was  quickly 
spread,  and  with  sharpened  appetites  the  guests  sat 
down  to  the  excellent  cheer  provided  for  them. 
Merrily  the  wine  went  round,  and  under  its  influence 
Tseng's  spirits,  which  had  been  encouraged  by  the 
marked  attention  shown  him  by  the  magistrate  and 
Tso,  rose  considerably.  Even  the  proposition,  in- 
geniously made  by  Tso  towards  the  end  of  the  feast, 
that  they  should  amuse  themselves  by  verse-making, 
had  only  a  slightly  depressing  effect  upon  him.  At 
any  other  time  the  thought  of  having  to  submit 
extempore  compositions  to  the  criticism  of  twelve 
judges  would  have  reduced  him  to  trembling  fear; 
but  now,  as  the  themes  were  given  out,  he  seized 
his  pencil  and  hazarded  stanzas  which,  though  they 
saved  him  from  the  accustomed  penalty  of  drinking 
'•oil'  three  cups  of  wine,  brought  the  magistrate  rapidly 
round  to  Tso's  estimate  of  his  literary  ability. 

lUit  the  significant  glances  which  were  exchanged 
between  the  two  observant  friends  were  quite  lost 
upon    Tseng,   who   talked   more   and  laughed  louder 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGEE.  41 

than  anybody  else  ;  and  finally,  on  their  return,  he 
made  his  adicux  to  his  host  and  companions,  and 
turned  homewards  flattered  and  self-satisfied.  The 
night,  for  it  was  late,  was  fine  and  warm,  and  as  he 
sauntered  on  his  way,  he  recalled  with  pleasure  the 
compliments  which  had  been  paid  him  and  the  smart 
things  he  had  said.  As  he  approached  his  house, 
however,  these  grateful  cogitations  were  interrupted 
by  the  sound  of  angry  voices,  which,  on  advancing, 
he  perceived  were  centred  at  his  own  doorway.  His 
presence  produced  a  momentary  lull  in  the  storm  of 
angry  abuse. 

"  What  is  all  this  about  ?  "  he  demanded,  rather 
for  something  to  say  than  for  the  sake  of  informa- 
tion :  for,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  voices  of  the  dis- 
putants had  been  so  high  that  he  was  already  fully 
aware  of  the  cause  of  quarrel  between  two  of  his 
servants,  Tan  and  Le,  and  an  old  pedlar,  who  now 
stood  breathless  with  passion  before  him. 

"  The  matter,  your  honour !  Why,  this  old  rogue 
wants  to  cheat  us  out  of  a  hundred  cash  for  these 
two  trumpery  rice-bowls,  the  like  of  which  we  could 
buy  anywhere  for  fifty  ! " 

"May  your  words  choke  you,  you  idle,  good-for- 
nothing  vagabonds  !  "  shouted  the  old  man,  trembling; 
with  anger,  and  shaking  his  fist  at  the  speaker. 
"  Eighty  cash  I  gave  for  them  at  Su-chow ;  and 
after  having  carried  them  on  my  bamboo  all  these 
miles,  am  I  to  sell  them  to  you  for  less  than  they 
cost  me  ? " 

At  any  other  time  Ts'eng  would  have  avoided 
all  participation  in  the  quarrel,  and  would  probably 


42  CHINESE    STORIES. 

have  hastened  to  put  himself  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  angry  voices.  But  the  magistrate's  wine  was  still 
potent  in  him,  and  he  felt  disposed  to  let  his  servants 
see  that  when  he  was  so  minded  he  could  face  even 
so  formidable  an  adversary  as  an  angry  old  pedlar. 

"  I  cannot  have  vou  making  such  a  disturbance  at 
niv  door,"  he  said,  with  a  motion  of  the  hand,  which 
was  meant  to  be  haughty ;  "  nor  can  I  have  my 
servants  abused  by  a  man  like  you.  So  be  off,  and 
take  the  price  they  offer  you  for  the  bowls." 

But  the  waves  of  the  old  man's  wrath  were  too 
high  to  be  stilled  by  a  word  from  Ts'eng,  and  he 
turned  fiercely  on  that  young  gentleman — 

"  Who  are  you,"  he  cried,  "  that  you  should  tell 
me  what  to  take  and  what  to  leave  ?  Because  you 
got  a  degree  through  your  uncle's  favouritism,  you 
think  yourself  entitled  to  dictate  to  me,  do  you? 
Nay,  don't  pretend  to  be  angry ;  you  know  what  I 
say  is  true,  and  other  people  know  it  also.  Did  I 
not  hear  young  Mr  Liu  charge  you  with  it  in  the 
street  of  Longevity  the  other  day  ?  and  did  I  not 
see  you,  instead  of  facing  him,  sneak  away  like  a 
whipped  cur  ? " 

The  greater  the  truth  the  more  bitter  the  sting. 
The  pedlar's  words  cut  Ts'eng  like  a  whip,  and  the 
anger  which  rose  in  his  breast  being  supported  by 
his  borrowed  courage,  he  seized  the  old  man  by  the 
throat,  and  with  a  violent  shove  threw  him  back- 
wards on  the  pathway.  Having  accomplished  this 
heroic  feat,  lie  turned  to  his  servants  with  an  expres- 
sion which  said  plainly,  "  See  what  I  can  do  when  I 
am  really  roused." 


'THREW   HIM    BACKWARDS    ON    THE    PATHWAY."— Page  42. 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  43 

Catching  his  cue,  the  servants  assumed  attitudes  of 
astonished  admiration. 

"Hai-yah,"  said  one,  "your  honour's  anger  is  more 
terrible  than  a  lion's  rage  ! " 

"If  he  had  only  known  the  measure  of  your 
honour's  courage,"  said  the  other,  "  he  would  have 
mounted  a  tiger's  back  rather  than  anger  you." 

Pleased  and  triumphant.  Ts'eng  turned  to  take 
another  look  at  his  fallen  victim,  when,  to  his  horror 
and  alarm,  he  saw  him  lying  silent,  motionless,  and 
death -like  on  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen.  In- 
stantly his  assumed  air  of  braggadocio  left  him,  the 
blood  fled  from  his  flushed  cheeks,  and  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye  there  passed  through  his  mind  a  vision 
of  himself  branded  as  a  murderer,  carried  before  the 
magistrate,  imprisoned,  tortured,  and  beheaded.  The 
vision,  momentary  though  it  was,  was  enough  to  rack 
his  nervous  temperament  with  fearful  terrors ;  and 
forgetful  of  his  former  attitude,  he  threw  himself  on 
the  ground  by  the  prostrate  pedlar,  imploring  him  to 
rouse  himself,  and  calling  on  his  servants  to  help  him 
raise  the  apparently  lifeless  man. 

But  the  servants  were  nearly  as  unnerved  as  their 
master ;  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the 
three  men  carried  their  victim  into  the  doorkeeper's 
room.  There  Golden-lilies,  who  had  been  disturbed 
by  the  noise,  found  the  three  men  helplessly  gazing 
at  the  senseless  form  of  the  old  man.  Hastily  send- 
ing one  servant  for  cold  water,  and  another  for  a  fan, 
she  took  her  place  by  the  bedside,  and  having  un- 
fastened the  pedlar's  collar,  turned  to  her  husband 
to  ask  an  explanation  of  the  affair.     As  well  as  his 


44  CHINESE    STORIES. 

confused  mind  would  let  him,  lie  told  liis  story  with 
tolerable  accuracy.  Only  in  one  place  did  lie  kick 
over  the  traces  of  truth,  and  that  was  when  he 
roundly  asserted  that  lie  had  not  used  violence  to- 
wards the  sufferer.  "I  merely,"  said  he,  "laid  my 
hand  upon  his  shoulder,  and  it  was  while  starting 
back  in  a  nervous  tremor  that  his  foot  slipped  on 
the  pavement  and  down  he  fell."  To  the  servants 
who  had  now  returned  Ts'eng  appealed  for  confirma- 
tion of  this  statement,  and  received  from  them  a 
warm  verbal  support  of  this  very  newT  story;  alas! 
how  different  a  one  from  that  in  which  he  had 
gloried  but  a  few  moments  before! 

Meanwhile  ({olden-lilies  was  sprinkling  the  old 
man's  face  with  the  water,  and  gently  fanning  him, 
in  response  to  which  judicious  treatment  he  opened 
his  eyes.  At  first  his  gaze  was  strange  and  wild, 
but  presently  he  recognised  those  about  him ;  and  to 
Ts'eng's  infinite  relief,  asked  where  he  was,  and  what 
had  happened.  Keturning  consciousness  gave  life  to 
his  formerly  death-like  features,  and  the  recognition 
of  it  produced  a  no  less  change  in  Ts'eng's  counte- 
nance. The  vision  which  had  passed  through  his 
mind  when  he  thought  the  old  man  was  dead,  had 
haunted  him  still,  and  no  effort  would  prevent  the 
pictures  his  imagination  had  conjured  up  from  re- 
turning to  his  mental  sight.  Now  he  could  thrust 
them  on  one  side  as  a  man  throws  off  a  nightmare ; 
and  in  his  delight  he  seized  the  awakened  pedlar's 
hand,  and  would  have  shaken  it  wildly  had  not 
Golden-lilies  warned  him  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind. 
By  degrees  the  old  man  recovered  his  recollection  of 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  45 

all  that  had  passed ;  and  when  a  cup  of  tea  had  still 
further  revived  him,  Ts'eng  led  him  to  the  divan  in 
the  reception-hall,  while  wine  was  warmed  for  his 
benefit.  Again  and  again  Tseng  expressed  his  regret 
at  the  accident ;  and  when  the  old  man  insisted  on 
starting  homewards,  lest  he  should  be  too  late  for 
the  ferry-boat  across  the  lake,  his  host  presented 
him,  as  a  peace-offering,  with  two  ounces  of  silver 
and  a  roll  of  silk,  neatly  packed  away  in  one  of 
Golden -lilies'  baskets.  When  the  door  was  closed 
on  his  guest,  Ts'eng  betook  himself  to  Golden-lilies' 
apartments  with  an  intense  feeling  of  relief.  His 
mind  was  incapable  of  perspective  ;  and  in  all  affairs 
of  life  the  present  loomed  so  large  to  his  mental 
sight,  that  everything  else  was  invisible.  At  this 
moment  his  escape  from  a  great  peril  gave  a  nervous 
elasticity  to  his  spirits  which  contrasted  painfully 
with  his  abject  dejection  of  a  few  hours  before. 
Golden-lilies,  rightly  divining  the  frame  of  mind  in 
which  he  was  likely  to  be,  had  prepared  for  him  a 
soothing  repast  of  chicken's  liver,  sweetmeats,  and 
ginseng,  with  a  pot  of  some  excellent  Su-chow  wine 
to  wash  them  down.  Though  not  hungry,  Tseng- 
was  feverish  and  thirsty,  and  the  quantity  of  wine 
he  took  was  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  quantity 
of  viands  he  ate.  However,  Golden-lilies'  end  was 
attained.  He  was  revived  and  strengthened,  and 
she  even  did  not  object  to  his  becoming  somewhat 
excited.  It  was  better  than  seeing  him  leaden-eyed 
and  trembling.  By  degrees,  under  the  iufluence  of 
the  wine,  he  began  to  explain  away  the  slip  which 
he  had  been  so   glad  to  invent  to  account  for  the 


46  CHINESE    STORIES. 

pedlars  fall,  and  was  just  describing  the  pot-valiant 
part  he  had  played,  when  Tan  hurriedly  entered  with 
the  news  that  Lai,  the  ferryman,  Avas  outside,  and 
insisted  on  seeino-  his  honour  at  once.  The  man's 
face  and  manner  were  so  perturbed  that  all  the  bene- 
ficial effects  of  Golden-lilies'  feast  vanished,  and  she 
turned  to  see  her  lord  and  master  again  pale  and 
limp. 

••  What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Ts'eng,  as  the  ferry- 
man, without  waiting  for  an  invitation,  entered  the 
room.  This  man  was  one  of  Tseng's  many  betes- 
noires.  He  was  a  rough,  determined  fellow,  with  a 
truculent  face,  and  a  no  less  truculent  manner.  He 
had,  further,  an  unconcealed  contempt  for  Ts'eng, 
and  lost  no  opportunities  of  showing  it.  That  this 
man,  therefore,  should  be  the  bearer  of  what  Ts'eng 
instinctively  knew  to  be  bad  tidings,  was  an  addi- 
tional bitterness  to  the  pill. 

"  I  have  brought  you  bad  news,  Mr  Ts'eng,  and 
thought  I  would  just  step  in  and  tell  you,  before 
going  on  to  the  magistrate,"  added  the  man, 
ominously. 

"  What  is  your  news  ? "  said  Ts'eng,  in  vain  at- 
tempting to  suppress  his  apprehensions. 

"The  old  pedlar,  Ting,  whom  you  threw  down 
on  the  pavement,  is  dead." 

If  the  executioner's  axe  had  at  that  moment  de- 
fended on  the  neck  of  jjoor  Ts'eng,  he  could  not 
have  looked  more  bereft  of  life  than  he  did  as  he 
threw  himself  back  in  his  chair  at  these  words.  For 
some  seconds  his  power  of  speech  failed  him,  and 
at    last   he  gasped   out — 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  47 

"What  do  you  mean?  How  did  he  die?  Xot 
that  it  matters  to  me,"  he  added,  with  a  violent 
effort  to  appear  calm. 

"  He  came  down  to  my  boat  to  cross  the  lake," 
said  Lai,  looking  steadfastly  on  his  victim,  "  and 
after  we  had  gone  a  short  way  across  he  appeared 
to  turn  faint  and  giddy,  and  at  last  he  tumbled 
off  the  seat  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  As  quickly 
as  I  could  I  put  down  my  oars  to  help  him  up,  when 
I  saw  it  was  something  worse  than  a  faint,  and  he 
had  just  time  to  tell  me  of  the  scuffle  at  your  door, 
and  that  you  had  pushed  him  down  and  killed  him, 
when  he  fell  back  dead." 

"  It  is  a  lie,"  screamed  Tseng ;  "  when  he  left  this 
house  he  was  cpiite  well." 

"  Well,  all  I  know  is,"  said  Lai,  "  that  he  is  now 
dead,  and  that  when  in  the  act  of  death  he  said  you 
were  his  murderer.  These  are  some  things,"  he  added, 
holding  up  Golden-lilies'  basket  with  the  roll  of  silk, 
"  which  he  had  in  his  hand  when  he  came  into  the 
boat." 

Ts'ensc  gazed  at  these  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the 
man's  story  with  a  fixed  and  glassy  stare,  while  poor 
Golden-lilies  stood  by  with  her  face  in  her  hands 
weeping  bitterly.  In  one  short  day  all  that  had  been 
pleasurable  in  their  existence  had  been  exchanged 
for  blank  despair.  The  morning  had  opened  with 
bright  hopes  and  brilliant  expectations,  and  now  the 
evening  had  set  in  with  a  black  darkness  of  misery 
which  crushed  them  to  the  ground.  For  some  seconds 
not  another  word  was  uttered.  But  presently  Golden- 
lilies  went  over  to  her  husband,  and  taking  his  hand 


48 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


in  hers,  whispered  something  in  his  ear,  which  brought 

a  ray  of  intelligence  into  his  face. 

"  Yes,  you  are  right ;  I  will  try,"  he  faltered. 

"  You  and  I  have  known  one  another  a  Ions;  time, 

Lai,"  he   said,   "  and   I   am   sure  you  would  not  do 

an  injury  to  an  old 
neighbour  and  friend. 
This  is  a  bad  business, 
and  I  swear  to  you  I 
am  not  to  blame.  His 
foot  slipped  and  he  fell 
down.  It  will  do  you 
no  good  to  tell  any  one 
about  it ;  and  if  you 
will  keep  the  secret,  I 
will  willingly  pay  you 
handsomely.  Oh,  pro- 
mise me  that  you  will," 
said  the  wretched  man, 
throwing     himself     at 

^3§fl§|^  ^  Lai's  feet 

Here  was  a  pretty 
position  for  a  gradu- 
ate and  an  expectant 
mandarin  !  On  his 
knees  at  the  feet  of 
;i  common  fellow,  who 
did  not  know  one 
character  from  another,  and  who  knew  as  much  about 
( Jonfucius  as  he  did  about  the  Book  of  Changes  ! 

"Well,   Mr  Tseng,"  said   Lai,    "I   don't   want  to 
do  anything  to  injure  you,  but  the  man  died  in  my 


' '  II,  a  was  a  pretty  positioii  for  a  graduaU 

and  an  expectant  mandarin  !  " 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  49 

boat ;  so  that  unless  I  can  explain  his  death,  I  shall 
be  charged  with  the  murder." 

"Where  is  he  ?  "  gasped  poor  Ts'eng. 

"In  my  boat,"  said  Lai.  "  I  have  anchored  it  in  a 
quiet  place  up  the  river,  so  that  no  one  should  go  on 
board." 

"  Oh,  if  you  will  only  keep  the  matter  a  secret," 
said  Ts'eng,  rising  as  his  hopes  rose,  "  I  will  give  you 
any  sum  you  ask." 

"  But  what  am  I  to  do  with  the  body  ? "  hesitated 
Lai. 

"You  can  bury  it  in  my  graveyard,  which  is, 
as  you  know,  on  the  bank  of  the  lake.  The  night 
is  very  dark,  and  the  wall  round  the  yard  is  high, 
so  that  no  one  will  see  you." 

"  But  I  cannot  do  it  by  myself." 

"No;  but  I  will  send  two  of  my  servants  with 
you.  If  you  will  only  do  this  for  me,  I  will  be  your 
slave  for  the  rest  of  my  life." 

"  Well,"  said  Lai,  after  a  few  moments'  apparent 
consideration,  "if  you  will  give  me  money  enough 
to  set  up  a  fish-shop,  I  don't  mind  doing  this  job 
to  oblige  you." 

"Gladly  I  will,"  said  Ts'eng;  "and  now  I  will 
call  the  servants."  So  having  summoned  Tan  and 
Le,  he  repeated  to  them  the  story  told  by  Lai.  With 
many  appeals  to  their  good  feeling  and  sense  of 
gratitude,  he  begged  them  to  do  him  this  service, 
promising  that  he  would  give  them  substantial  re- 
wards if  they  consented.  After  some  hesitation  and 
discussion,  the  men  came  to  terms,  and  went  off  with 
the  ferryman,  armed  with  spades. 


50  CHINESE    STORIES. 

The  three  men  stole  out  like  conspirators  into  the 
street,  and,  following  devious  lanes  and  unfrequented 
ways,  they  reached  the  boat,  snugly  moored  under 
the  bank  of  the  lake. 

"  Take  care  where  you  go,"  said  Lai,  as  they 
stepped  on  board,  "and  just  sit  where  you  are  while 
I  get  to  the  oars."  The  men,  who  wTere  beginning 
to  feel  nervous  and  frightened,  needed  no  second 
bidding ;  and  after  half  an  hour's  pull,  Lai,  who 
knew  the  lake  as  well  by  night  as  by  day,  ran  the 
boat  ashore  at  Ts  eng's  family  graveyard. 

"  Now  come  here  and  help  me  with  the  old  man," 
said  he,  as  soon  as  he  had  secured  the  boat  to  the 
bank. 

"  Why,  he  is  all  wet,"  said  Tan,  as  he  helped 
to  lift  the  body. 

"I  know,"  answered  Lai;  "he  fell  into  the  water 
when  he  turned  giddy,  and  I  had  to  pull  him  out." 

"  You  did  not  say  anything  about  that  up  at  the 
house,"  said  Tan. 

"  Well,  I  tell  you  now,  and  that  is  enough,  is  it 
not  ? "  answered  Lai,  sullenly. 

With  considerable  difficulty  the  three  men  groped 
their  way  into  the  graveyard  bearing  their  ghastly 
burden,  and  at  once  set  to  work  to  dig  a  grave. 
Every  now  and  then  the  sound  of  passing  footsteps 
made  them  pause  in  their  work  ;  and  once  they  wTere 
evidently  heard,  for  through  the  darkness  there  came 
the  challenge — "  Who  is  that  in  Mr  Ts'eng's  grave- 
yard ?  "  But  presently  the  challenger  went  on,  and 
before  long  the  dead  body  was  safely  laid  to  rest,  and 
the  soil  beaten  Hat  over  it.     So  soon  as  the  work  was 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  51 

done,  the  men  made  their  way  hastily  to  the  boat, 
being  glad  enough  to  escape  from  the  dark,  silent, 
and  ghostly  cemetery.  On  their  return  they  found 
Ts'eng  anxiously  awaiting  them.  Again  and  again 
he  made  them  assure  him  that  no  one  had  seen  them, 
and  as  often  he  made  them  swear  that  they  would 
keep  his  secret  faithfully.  That  night  the  two 
servants  went  to  bed  rich  men,  while  Ts'eng  retired 
to  Golden-lilies'  apartment  to  try  to  lose  his  con- 
sciousness of  misery  in  sleep.  But  this  was  beyond 
his  power ;  occasionally  he  dosed,  but  only  to  dream 
that  the  pedlar  was  standing  in  the  street  accusing 
him  aloud  of  his  murder,  and  then  with  a  violent 
start  and  scream  he  awoke.  Poor  Golden-lilies  fared 
very  little  better ;  and  when  morning  dawned  they 
both  arose,  weary  and  unrefreshed,  to  meet  they  knew 
not  what,  and  to  face  their  difficulties  with  the  best 
courage  they  could  muster. 

The  sio-ht  even  of  the  two  confederate  servants 
was  a  torture  to  poor  Ts'eng,  who  knew,  or  fancied 
he  knew,  that  they  were  watching  him  to  see  how 
a  murderer  would  behave  himself,  and  were  men- 
tally speculating  on  what  would  happen  if  the  secret 
they  held  in  their  possession  ever  became  known. 
In  the  same  way  every  incident  which  occurred  bore 
reference  in  his  imagination  to  the  terrible  event  of 
the  preceding  evening.  Even  little  Primrose's  inno- 
cent questions  of  why  he  looked  so  pale,  and  why  he 
would  not  come  out  with  her  into  the  garden  as  usual, 
were  more  than  he  could  endure ;  and  the  child  was 
promptly  handed  over  to  her  nurse,  who  had  orders 
to  keep  her  quiet  and  at  a  distance.     As  to  his  being 


52  CHINESE    STORIES. 

able  to  eat  any  breakfast,  that  was  quite  out  of  the 
question ;  and  if  there  had  been  any  chance  of  his 
having  an  appetite  for  dinner,  it  was  dissipated  by 
a  note  he  received  from  a  neighbour,  who  wrote  to 
say,  that  in  passing  the  Ts'eng  cemetery  on  the  pre- 
ceding night  he  had  heard  the  sound  of  pickaxes  and 
shovels,  and  that  to  his  question  of  "  Who  was 
there  ? "  he  had  failed  to  get  a  reply.  The  writer 
excused  himself  for  not  having  gone  into  the  grave- 
vard,  by  pleading  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the 
darkness  of  the  night.  But  he  "  humbly  ventured 
to  recommend  that  Ts'eng  should  look  into  the 
matter." 

With  a  look  of  indescribable  misery,  Ts'eng  handed 
this  letter  to  Golden-lilies,  who  throughout  the  morn- 
ing, partly,  possibly,  because  hers  was  not  the  head 
in  danger,  had  shown  a  much  bolder  front  to  fortune 
than  her  lord  and  master  had  been  able  to  do,  but 
also,  doubtless,  because,  though  of  the  softer  sex,  she 
was  made  of  sterner  stuff. 

"  Sit  down  and  answer  the  letter  at  once,"  she  said, 
"and,  while  thanking  him  for  his  vigilance"  ("Curse 
him  for  it,"  muttered  Ts'eng),  "  say  that  you  will  send 
at  once  to  make  inquiries." 

Ts'eng  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  then  relapsed  into 
blank  misery.  Possibly  he  was  under  the  delusion 
that  remorse  for  having  taken  the  life  of  a  fellow- 
creature  was  the  mainspring  of  his  mental  agony; 
but  had  he  analysed  his  feelings  carefully,  he  would 
have  found  that  that  feeling  hardly  entered  at  all 
into  his  cogitations.  Blank  fear  it  was  that  op- 
pressed him;  fear  of  being  dragged  off  to  prison  as 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  53 

a  murderer — fear  of  having  to  face  the  magistrate 
who  had  so  lately  entertained  him — fear  of  being 
tortured  if  he  did  not  confess,  and  fear,  if  lie  did,  of 
the  executioner's  fatal  weapon.  If  he  had  been  capa- 
ble of  diving  into  his  inner  feelings,  he  would  have 
known  that  an  assurance  that  his  crime  would  never 
be  discovered,  had  that  been  possible,  would  have 
lifted  the  whole  weight  from  his  over-burdened  soul ; 
but  now,  while  at  one  moment  in  his  terror  he  almost 
wished  that  it  might  be  brought  to  light  at  once,  that 
lie  might  escape  from  his  torturing  suspense — at  an- 
other, he  tried  to  buoy  himself  up  with  the  hope  that 
it  would  never  be  found  out.  One  thing  he  had 
determined  to  do,  and  that  was,  as  soon  as  he  had 
settled  with  Lai,  who  was  to  call  after  dusk,  he  would 
go  himself  to  the  graveyard  to  make  quite  sure  that 
the  work  was  well  done.  Much  though  he  hated  and 
feared  the  ferryman,  he  now  had  a  morbid  longing 
for  his  arrival ;  and  when  that  worthy  appeared,  he 
received  him  with  open  arms. 

Lai  was  as  undemonstrative  and  self-possessed  as 
Ts'eng  was  effusive  and  Hurried ;  and  a  glance  at 
that  unfortunate  young  gentleman  was  enough  to 
convince  his  visitor  that  he  had  the  game  in  his 
hands. 

"Well,  Mr  Ts'eng,"  he  began,  as  he  seated  himself 
uninvited,  "  I  have  come  according  to  arrangement  to 
settle  about  last  night's  job." 

"Yes,  yes;  don't  say  anything  more  about  that" 
said  Tseng,  shuddering.  "  I  have  here  two  hundred 
taels  of  silver,  which  I  hope  you  will  accept  from 
me." 

H 


54  CHINESE    STORIES. 

"That  is  not  enough,"  answered  Lai;  "do  you 
think  I  would  have  buried  a  murdered  man " 

"  Oh  don't,  don't.  Well,  come,  I  will  give  you  an- 
other fifty  taels ;  surely  that  will  satisfy  you,"  said 
Ts'tmg,  who,  though  anxious  to  quiet  Lai,  had  an  in- 
tense dislike  to  parting  with  his  money. 

"Now,  look  here,  Mr  Ts'eng,"  said  Lai  deliberately, 
and  with  a  threatening  countenance,  "  if  you  don't 
give  me  down  three  hundred  taels,  good  weight,  I 
shall  o'o  on  at  once  to  the  magistrate's  to— — ■" 

"Say  no  more,  you  shall  have  the  three  hundred. 
And  now,  I  have  something  to  ask  of  you — I  want 
you  to  row  me  up  to  the  graveyard  and  show  me 
where  it  is." 

"Very  well,"  replied  Lai,  "there  will  not  be  any 
one  wanting  to  cross  the  lake  to-night,  so  we  can 
start  now  if  you  like." 

"  Is  it  dark  enough  ?  "  asked  Ts'eng. 

"  It  is  so  dark  that  you  might  run  into  your  best 
friend's  arms  without  his  knowing  you  ;  and  unless 
you  have  the  eyes  of  a  cat  or  an  owl,  you  won't  see 
much  when  you  get  there." 

With  much  caution  the  expedition  was  made,  and 
Ts'eng  satisfied  himself,  so  far  as  the  darkness  would 
allow,  that  every  care  had  been  taken  to  make  the 
newly  made  grave  as  much  like  the  surrounding  soil 
as  possible.  He  returned,  therefore,  with  his  mind 
now  at  rest,  and  as  days  went  by  and  nothing  serious 
occurred  to  arouse  his  fears,  he  gradually  recovered 
much  of  his  ordinary  placidity.  Not  that  he  alto- 
gether escaped  annoyance  ;  for  Lai,  luxuriating  in 
his  suddenly  acquired  wealth,  showed  a  tendency  to 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER. 


:,:, 


break  out  into  riot,  and  in  his  cups  ho  allowed  him- 
self to  talk  of  his  friendship  with  "young  Ts'eno;"  in 
a  way  which,  coupled  with  his  sudden  wealth,  made 
his  neighbours  wonder  and  gossip.  From  some  of 
these  Ts  eng  learnt  what  was  going  on.  The  bare 
idea  of  his  alliance  with  Lai  becoming  a  subject  of 
tittle-tattle   was    torture    to    him,   and    he    took  an 


With  muck  caution  the  expedition  was  wade." 


opportunity  of  begging  the  ferryman  to  be  more 
cautions.  Being  not  unwilling  to  worry  poor  Ts'eng, 
Lai  affected  to  be  indifferent  to  anything  people 
might  say,  and  adopted  altogether  so  defiant  a  tone, 
that  he  brought  Ts'eno-  once  again  to  his  knees. 

To  add  to  Ts'eng's  anxieties,  little  Primrose  was 


56  CHINESE    STOPJES. 

seized  one  evening  with  a  violent  headache  and  every 
symptom  of  high  fever.  For  three  days  the  child 
lay  tossing  to  and  fro  with  burning  skin,  parched 
mouth,  and  throbbing  head  ;  and  when,  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  these  symptoms  abated,  their  origin  was 
made  plain  by  an  eruption  which  was  unmistakably 
that  of  smallpox.  The  doctor  who  was  summoned 
felt  the  pulse  of  the  sufferer  and  prescribed  ginseng, 
and  broth  made  of  cassia  shoots,  in  accordance  with 
the  dictum  of  the  highest  authorities.  But  to  this 
orthodox  treatment  the  disease  declined  to  submit. 
Tin1  virulence  of  the  distemper  was  unchecked  ;  and 
though  Golden  -  lilies  paid  numerous  visits  to  the 
shrine  of  the  Goddess  of  Smallpox,  and  spent  large 
sums  of  money  in  the  purchase  of  offerings  to  that 
deity,  the  child  daily  and  hourly  grew  worse,  until 
the  doctor  had  unwillingly  to  acknowledge  that  he 
could  do  nothing  more.  It  is  difficult  to  say  which 
of  the  parents  during  these  dark  days  suffered  the 
greatest  mental  agony.  Golden-lilies'  distress  was 
that  of  an  agonised  mother,  tortured  by  the  fear 
of  losing  her  only  child;  while  Ts'eng's  grief  at  the 
possible  loss  of  his  fondling,  was  aggravated  by  a 
superstitious  belief  that  his  own  crime  had  brought 
this  misery  upon  him.  Even  the  doctor,  accustomed 
as  he  was  to  displays  of  affection,  was  touched  by  the 
grid'  of  the  young  couple,  and,  forgetful  of  all  pro- 
fessional etiquette,  he  recommended  Ts'eng,  as  a  last 
hope,  to  send  for  a  quack  practitioner,  residing  at 
a  town  some  twenty  miles  away,  who  had,  he  said, 
acquired  ;i  reputation  for  the  successful  treatment  of 
similar  desperate  cases. 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  57 

Eagerly  catching  at  this  straw,  Ts'&ng  wrote  a  note 
begging  the  doctor  "  to  deign  to  visit  his  reed  hut, 
and  to  bend  his  omniscient  mind  to  the  case  of  his 
insignificant  child,'"'  and  bade  Tan  carry  it  at  once  to 
its  destination.  But  since  the  night  when  Ts'eng  had 
been  obliged  to  place  his  secret  in  the  hands  of  his 
two  servants,  their  manner  had  been  less  respectful 
than  formerly,  and  sometimes  even  defiant.  To  Tan 
the  present  mission  was  evidently  distasteful ;  and  it 
was  only  by  the  promise  of  a  handsome  reward  that 
Ts'eng  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  him  off.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  afternoon  of  that  day,  time  seemed 
to  the  watchers  to  stand  still  ;  and  towards  night, 
when  they  hoped  that  the  expected  doctor  might 
appear,  every  approaching  horse's  hoof  brought  hope, 
which  as  often  was  destined  to  be  disappointed  as  the 
tramp  died  away  again  in  the  distance.  Meanwhile 
Primrose  grew  worse  and  worse.  As  night  came  on 
unconsciousness  set  in  ;  and  just  before  dawn  the  little 
thing  gave  a  deep  sigh  and  passed  into  the  land  of 
shades. 

Both  Ts'eng  and  Golden  -  lilies  were  completely 
crushed  by  the  ruin  of  all  their  hopes  ;  and  when  Tan 
made  his  appearance  towards  noon,  they  scarcely 
heeded  his  explanation  that  he  had  waited  all  night 
at  the  doctor's  house,  expecting  his  return  from  a  dis- 
tant professional  visit,  and  that,  when  morning  came, 
he  had  thought  it  best  to  come  back,  even  without 
the  doctor,  to  report  his  want  of  success. 

Much  sympathy  was  felt  with  the  sorrow-stricken 
parents  at  the  loss  of  their  only  child,  and  many  were 
the  visits  of  condolence  which  Ts'eng  received  during 


58  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  ensuing  days.  Among  others,  a  relation  called, 
who,  after  Inning  expressed  his  sympathy,  added  with 
evident  reluctance — "  There  is  a  matter,  my  brother, 
about  which  I  feel  bound  to  speak  to  you,  although  I 
am  most  unwilling  to  trouble  you  about  ordinary 
affairs  at  such  a  time  as  this." 

"  Please  don't  let  my  affliction  interfere  with  any 
matter  of  business,"  said  Ts'eng. 

"  Well,  the  fact  is,"  said  his  guest,  "  that  the  other 
morning — it  was,  I  remember,  the  morning  when  your 
little  one  departed  for  the  '  Yellow  Springs ' — one  of 
my  servants  came  home  very  much  the  worse  for 
wine  and  opium  ;  and  on  my  asking  him  for  an  ex- 
planation of  his  conduct,  he  said  that  a  man  of  yours 
named  Tan  had  kept  him  up  all  night  drinking  and 
smoking  at  an  opium-tavern  in  the  town.  Can  this 
be  true  ?  " 

"  It  is  cpiite  impossible,"  replied  Ts'eng;  "for  the 
whole  of  that  night  Tan  was  twenty  miles  away,  at 
the  house  of  a  doctor  to  whom  I  had  sent  him." 

"  Well,  I  have  brought  my  man,"  said  the  other, 
"  that  he  may  repeat  his  story  in  your  presence,  and 
that,  if  necessary,  we  should  confront  him  with  Tan." 

"  Let  him  come  in,  by  all  means,"  said  Ts'eng. 

In  obedience  to  a  summons  Tan's  accuser  entered 
the  room.  He  was  a  dissipated-looking  fellow.  His 
face  was  thin  and  drawn,  and  of  that  peculiar  mahog- 
any hue  which  is  begotten  by  long-continued  indul- 
gence in  the  opium-pipe.  From  the  same  habit  his 
teeth  were  blackened,  and  the  whites  of  his  eyes 
looked  as  though  they  had  been  smoke-dried.  On 
entering  he  bowed  his  knee,  and  then  proceeded  to 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGEE.  59 

give  a  circumstantial  account  of  the  night  in  question. 
At  first  Ts'eng  had  treated  his  accusations  with  con- 
tempt ;  but  the  remarkably  coherent  manner  in  which 
the  man  retailed  his  story,  suggested  doubts  to  his 
mind,  which  tortured  him  with  misgivings.  Without 
waiting  for  the  conclusion  of  the  man's  statement, 
therefore,  he  summoned  Tan  to  face  his  accuser.  With 
a  glance  Tan  took  in  the  position  of  affairs,  and  having 
with  a  considerable  effort  mastered  the  uneasiness 
which  the  crisis  provoked,  he  stood  ready  to  brazen 
it  out. 

"  This  man  tells  me,"  said  Ts'eng,  "  that  instead  of 
carrying  my  letter  to  the  doctor  the  other  evening, 
you  passed  the  night  drinking  and  smoking  with  him 
at  a  tavern  in  the  town.     Is  this  true  or  false  ?  " 

"  It  is  false,  your  honour ;  and  I  can  only  suppose 
that  this  man,  to  whom  I  have  only  spoken  once  or 
twice  in  my  life,  must  have  invented  this  story  out 
of  spite,  or  in  order  to  shield,  in  some  way  which  I 
do  not  understand,  his  own  conduct  from  blame." 

"  Are  not  you  ashamed  to  tell  such  a  lie  in  the 
sight  of  heaven  ?  "  said  the  man,  quite  taken  aback  by 
the  coolness  of  the  denial  ;  "but  fortunately  I  have 
some  evidence  of  the  truth  of  my  story,  which  you 
will  find  it  hard  to  meet.  Did  you  deliver  your 
master's  letter  to  the  doctor  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  did." 

"  That  is  curious ;  for  I  happen  to  have  here  a  let- 
ter which  I  found  on  the  floor  of  the  room  we  occu- 
pied at  the  tavern,  and  which  I  strongly  suspect  is 
the  letter  you  were  intrusted  with.  Will  you  see  for 
yourself,  sir,  whether  this  is  your  letter  or  not  ? "  said 


60  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  man,  handing  to  Ts'eng  an  unopened  envelope, 
which  lie  produced  from  his  sleeve. 

With  a  trembling  hand  Ts'eng  took  the  letter,  and 
at  a  glance  recognised  it  as  the  one  he  had  written 
with  such  eager  haste,  and  with  such  a  longing  hope. 
The  thought  that  but  for  the  treachery  of  the  wretch 
before  him  his  little  Primrose  might  have  been  still 
with  him  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  For  a  mo- 
ment he  fell  back  in  his  chair  with  quivering  lips  and 
cheeks  as  pale  as  death,  and  then  as  suddenly  the 
blood  rushed  headlong  through  his  veins,  and  with  wild 
eyes  and  uttering  savage  curses  he  sprang  from  his 
chair  and  rushed  upon  Tan,  who,  accepting  the  turn 
things  had  taken,  had  fallen  on  his  knees,  and  was 
performing  the  kotow  with  every  token  of  humble 
submission. 

With  wild  fury  Ts'eng  kicked  at  the  bowing  head 
of  his  follower,  and  might  probably  have  been  charged 
a  second  time  with' manslaughter,  had  not  his  guest 
dragged  him  by  main  force  back  to  his  chair  and 
dismissed  Tan  from  the  room. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  Ts'eng  could  recover  his 
composure.  His  nerves  were  completely  unstrung, 
and  he  trembled  like  a  leaf.  His  friend,  who  was 
a  determined  fatalist,  used  every  argument  at  his 
command  to  soothe  his  remorse  and  regrets.  He 
pointed  out  that  Heaven  having  doomed  the  death 
of  little  Primrose,  nothing  could  have  prevented  it ; 
that  even  if  the  doctor  had  come,  he  could  not  have 
lengthened  out  her  life  one  moment  beyond  the  time 
;il lowed  her  by  the  Fates  ;  and  that,  therefore,  though 
Tan's  conduct  had  been  infamous,  it  had  not  in  any 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  61 

way  influenced  the  result.  "I  quite  admit  that  the 
man  deserves  punishment  for  his  disobedience,  and 
I  would  suggest  that  you  should  now  order  him  to 
be  bambooed  on  the  spot.  It  will  satisfy  justice, 
and  will,  at  the  same  time,  be  a  relief  to  your 
feelings." 

"It  will  certainly  be  a  relief  to  me  to  see  the 
fiendish  brute  surfer,"  said  Ts'eng,  "and  it  shall  be 
done  at  once."  So  saying,  he  directed  three  of  his 
servants  to  seize  Tan  and  to  floo;  him  in  the  court- 
yard.  The  men,  who  were  evidently  not  unused  to 
the  kind  of  business,  dragged  the  offender  in  and 
stretched  him  face  downwards  on  the  stones  of  the 
yard.  One  then  sat  on  his  shoulders,  another  on  his 
ankles,  while  a  third,  being  provided  with  half  a  split 
bamboo,  prepared  to  inflict  chastisement.  At  a  signal 
from  Ts'eno;  the  concave  side  of  the  bamboo  descended 
on  the  back  of  the  thighs  of  the  culprit  with  tremen- 
dous force  and  effect.  The  wretched  man's  frame 
quivered  throughout,  and  as  blow  after  blow  fell  he 
uttered  cries  for  mercy,  and  bitter  groans  which  would 
have  appealed  to  the  heart  of  any  one  whose  feelings 
were  not  deadened  by  mental  tortures.  But  Ts'eng, 
in  his  present  unhinged  frame  of  mind,  had  no  mercy, 
and  if  a  restraining  hand  had  not  been  outstretched 
he  would  have  allowed  the  wretched  man  to  die  un- 
der the  lash.  As  it  was,  his  friend  interfered,  and 
warned  Ts'eng  that  the  punishment  was  becoming 
excessive.  To  this  remonstrance  Ts'eng  yielded,  and 
the  blows  were  stayed.  But  Tail,  whose  cries  had 
gradually  died  away  into  silence,  remained  motion- 
less, and  unconscious  of  the  mercy  which  had  been 

I 


G2  CHINESE    STORIES. 

extended  to  him.  Seeing  his  condition,  the  servants 
carried  him  off  to  his  bed,  where,  under  the  influence 
of  restoratives,  he  was  by  degrees  brought  hack  to 
Life.  But  it  was  many  days  before  he  was  able  to 
move  :  and  even  then  his  weakness  was  so  great,  and 
his  nerves  s<»  shattered,  that  lie  had  the  air  of  a  man 
recovering  from  a  lone-  illness.  If,  however,  Ts'emg 
had  hoped  that  the  punishment  would  have  produced 
penitence,  he  was  much  mistaken.  At  the  best  of 
limes  Tan's  temper  was  not  good.  He  was  by  nature 
morose  and  revengeful,  and  a  certain  want  of  courage 
in  his  composition  disposed  him  towards  deceit.  With 
regaining;  strength  he  brooded  more  and  more  over 
the  treatment  he  had  received,  and  he  vowed  a  fierce 
vow  that  for  every  blow  that  had  been  inflicted  on 
him  he  would  exact  a  tenfold  vengeance. 

Meanwhile  the  anxiety,  grief,  and  excitement  of 
the  last  few  days  had  reduced  Ts'eng  to  the  verge  of 
illness,  and  his  general  debility  added  a  new  cause 
of  anxiety  to  poor  Golden-lilies'  already  overburdened 
bosom.  So  serious  was  his  condition,  that  she  per- 
suaded him  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  brother  at  Su-chow, 
for  the  sake  of  the  change  of  scene  and  air.  The 
remedy  was  exactly  what  he  required;  and  after  a 
fortnight's  absence,  lie  wrote  to  say  that  he  was  so 
much  better  that  lie  should  follow  his  letter  at  the 
interval  of  a  day. 

By  this  time  Tan  was  able  to  walk,  and  so  soon  as 
he  was  assured  of  the  date  of  his  master's  return,  he 
absented  himself  from  the  house  for  the  rest  of  the 
day.  Towards  evening  he  returned,  and  though  his 
mood  was  exultant,  he  was  strictly  reticent  as  to  his 


'WHAT    IS    THE    WARRANT    FOR? "— "  MURDER  !  "-Page  62. 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  63 

doings  while  abroad.  His  fellow-servants  were  too 
busy  to  be  inquisitive ;  and  as  his  enfeebled  condi- 
tion still  prevented  him  from  serving,  he  was  left  to 
himself. 

The  next  day,  towards  evening,  as  Tseng's  chair 
turned  into  the  road  in  which  his  house  stood,  two 
police-rimners,  who  had  been  sitting  on  a  doorstep 
opposite,  rose  and  crossed  over  to  Ts'eng's  gateway. 
At  the  familiar  shout  of  the  chair-coolies,  Tung-chia 
lai-lo  ("The  master  has  come"),  the  big  folding-doors 
were  thrown  open,  and  the  bearers  were  on  the  point 
of  crossing  the  threshold,  when  one  of  the  policemen 
advanced,  and  producing  a  warrant,  ordered  the 
coolies  to  stop  and  Ts'eng  to  dismount.  Instinc- 
tively Ts'eng  obeyed,  and  was  for  the  first  moment 
or  two  so  dazed  that  he  hardly  seemed  to  be  aware 
what  was  going  on.  By  degrees  the  dress  of  the 
policeman,  with  his  red-tasselled  official  cap  and  long- 
robe,  helped  him  to  realise  the  situation,  and  he 
gasped  out,  "  What  is  the  warrant  for?  "  "  Murder," 
answered  the  man,  as  he  laid  his  hand  on  Ts'eng's 
arm.  It  was  fortunate  for  Ts'eng  that  he  did  so,  for 
without  some  support  he  would  have  Mien  prone  to 
the  ground.  As  it  was,  it  was  as  much  as  the  two 
men  could  do  to  support  his  tottering  steps  for  a  few 
yards,  and  then  his  legs  refused  to  move,  and  his 
head  fell  forward  on  his  chest  as  he  dropped  off  into 
a  dead  faint.  Seeing  the  condition  of  their  master, 
the  coolies  brought  forward  his  sedan,  and  the  police- 
men accepting  their  aid,  put  the  inanimate  form  of 
their  prisoner  into  the  chair,  and  directed  the  coolies 
to  carry  it  to  the  prison  at  the  district  magistrate's 


64  CHINESE    STORIES. 

yamun.  The  distance  was  not  great,  and  the  coolies, 
anxious  to  save  their  master  from  additional  shame, 
hurried  fast  through  the  streets.  On  arriving;  at  the 
yamun,  they  entered  the  front  gates,  and  were  then 
directed  by  the  policemen  to  turn  off  to  the  left 
through  a  door,  the  insignia  of  which,  a  painted 
tiger's  head  with  huge  staring  eyes  and  widely 
opened  jaws,  marked  it  as  the  entrance  to  the  prison. 
Passing  through  this  they  entered  a  narrow  passage, 
at  the  end  of  which  was  a  courtyard,  where  the 
coolies  were  ordered  to  put  down  their  load.  It  had 
never  been  the  fate  of  either  of  these  two  men  to  find 
themselves  within  a  prison  before;  and  the  sights 
which  met  their  eyes  made  them  shudder  to  think 
what  their  master's  feelings  would  be  when  he  awoke 
to  consciousness  and  found  himself  in  such  a  place. 

In  the  courtyard  itself,  groups  of  prisoners,  bound 
with  heavy  chains,  were  huddled  together,  whose 
appearance  was  enough  to  carry  horror  and  compas- 
sion to  the  minds  of  all  but  those  case-hardened  by 
habit.  Their  faces  were  thin  and  worn,  and  bore  the 
cadaverous  line  which  is  commonly  begotten  by  want 
and  foul  air  ;  while  the  listless  expression  of  their 
eyes  and  the  languid  movements  of  their  limbs 
furnished  additional  testimony  to  the  state  of  weak- 
ness to  which  they  had  been  reduced.  The  con- 
dition of  their  persons  was  filthy  in  the  extreme. 
Skin -disease  in  every  form  was  rife  among  them; 
and  it  was  plain  that  a  rich  harvest  was  ripening  for 
death  within  the  walls  of  the  jail.  As  the  poor 
wretches  crowded  round  the  sedan-chair  to  see  who 
could    lie    the    new   arrival    who    came   in    such    state. 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  65 

the  coolies  instinctively  drew  back  ;  and  if  the  head 
jailer  had  not  made  his  appearance  at  the  moment, 
and  with  a  sweeping  blow  and  a  curse  driven  his 
charges  backwards,  the  still  insensible  Ts'eng  would 
have  been  left  in  his  chair.  Scarcely  less  repulsive 
than  the  prisoners  was  the  jailer,  but  for  different 
reasons.  There  were  no  signs  of  want  or  ill  health 
about  him,  nor  was  he  dirtier  than  Chinamen  of  his 
class  generally  are,  but  a  harder  and  more  malignant 
face  than  his  it  is  impossible  to  imagine.  And  that 
these  outward  signs  were  but  the  reflection  of  the 
savage  cruelty  of  his  character,  was  proved  by  the 
look  of  abject  terror  with  which  the  prisoners  re- 
garded him.  In  a  voice  thick  and  grating,  he  ordered 
two  of  his  myrmidons  to  manacle  Ts'eng,  and  then 
to  carry  him  into  one  of  the  cells  which  formed  the 
eastern  and  western  sides  of  the  courtyard.  Even 
from  the  outside  these  places  looked  more  like  wild- 
beast  dens  than  the  dwellings  of  human  beings.  The 
roofs  were  low,  and  a  double  row  of  strong  wooden 
palisades,  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the  eaves, 
guarded  them  in  front.  Into  one  of  these  dungeons, 
over  whose  portal  was  inscribed,  as  if  in  bitter 
mockery,  the  motto,  "The  misery  of  to-day  may 
be  the  happiness  of  to-morrow,"  Ts'eng  was  carried. 
The  coolies,  determined  to  see  the  last  of  their  mas- 
ter, followed  him  in.  As  they  reached  the  door  they 
recoiled  as  though  a  blast  of  a  charnel-house  had 
rushed  out  against  them.  Never  were  human  senses 
assailed  by  an  atmosphere  more  laden  with  pesti- 
lence and  death.  After  a  moment's  hesitation,  how- 
ever, they  mustered  up  courage  to  enter,  and  waited 


66  CHINESE   STORIES, 

just  long  enough  to  see  their  master  laid  on  the 
raised  wooden  platform  which  extended  along  the 
side  of  the  den.  As  they  were  not  allowed  to  do 
anything  for  him,  and  as  the  turnkeys  promised 
that  he  should  be  looked  after,  they  escaped  into 
the   open   air. 

True  to  their  word,  and  possibly  in  the  hope  of  a 
reward,  the  turnkeys  applied  water  to  Ts'eng's  face 
and  head,  and  succeeded  in  reawakening  life.  At 
first  he  began  to  move  restlessly  and  to  moan  pit- 
eoiisly,  and  then  opened  his  lack-lustre  eyes.  For  a 
moment  or  two  he  saw  nothing,  but  by  degrees  his 
power  of  conscious  sight  returned,  and  he  looked 
wildly  round  the  cell.  His  first  impression  was  that 
he  had  passed  into  a  land  of  eternal  punishment, 
such  as  he  had  heard  Buddhists  speak  of,  and  he 
shrieked  aloud  for  mere}'.  The  sight,  however,  of 
the  policeman  who  had  served  the  warrant  on  him, 
recalled  to  his  recollection  the  circumstances  of  his 
arrest ;  and  as  his  real  condition  dawned  upon  him, 
he  sank  back  on  the  stage,  overcome  with  horror  and 
despair.  How  long  he  lay  in  this  condition  he  knew 
not,  but  he  was  aroused  from  it  by  the  entrance  of 
the  prisoners  from  the  courtyard,  who  were  being 
driven  in  for  the  night.  Already  the  platform  was 
full  enough,  but  with  these  new  arrivals  the  over- 
crowding became  excessive  ;  and  as  the  weary 
wretches  struggled  with  their  little  remaining 
strength  for  the  places  nearest  to  the  grating,  they 
jostled  TsYnig,  and  fought  across  him  like  wild 
beasts,  adding  a  new  horror  to  his  misery.  The 
atmosphere  of  the  den  became  also  even  fouler  than 


WITHIN    HIS   DANGER.  G7 

before;  and  what  with  the  heat  and  stench,  Ts'£ng 
began  to  feel  feverish  and  ill.  His  head  ached 
fiercely,  his  skin  burnt,  and  his  month  was  dry  and 
parched.  In  his  agony  he  called  aloud  for  water; 
and  though  at  first  his  cries  were  disregarded,  his 
importunity  prevailed  with  a  prisoner  less  callous 
than  the  rest,  who  filled  a  tin  mug  from  a  tub  which 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  cell.  The  act  of  moving 
the  water  caused  a  fetid  stench  to  rise  from  the 
slimy  surface  of  the  reservoir ;  and  so  foul  were  the 
contents  of  the  mug,  that,  though  burning  with 
fever,  Ts'eng  could  scarcely  make  up  his  mind  to 
taste  them.  But  thirsty  men  will  swallow  any- 
thing ;  and  at  last  he  drained  the  cup  to  its  dregs, 
and  even  returned  it  to  his  benefactor  with  grateful 
thanks. 

All  night  long  he  tossed  about,  burning  with  fever 
and  tortured  by  delirium.  His  restlessness  earned 
for  him  the  anathemas  of  his  fellow-prisoners,  who, 
having  been  long  inured  to  the  foul  atmosphere  of 
the  den,  slept  in  comparative  cpiiet.  As  daylight 
dawned  the  figures  about  him  mixed  themselves  up 
with  his  delirious  dreams,  which,  however,  could  add 
nothing  to  the  horrors  actually  presented  to  his  eye. 
Shocking  as  had  been  the  aspect  of  his  fellow-pris- 
oners in  the  courtyard  the  day  before,  it  was  nothing 
to  be  compared  to  the  condition  of  many  of  those 
whom  weakness  had  prevented  from  groping  their 
way  into  the  outer  air.  One  group  of  these  were 
huddled  together  at  the  end  of  the  platform,  whose 
emaciated  bodies  and  look  of  fierce  agony  told  only 
too  plainly  that   they  were  starving.      One  of  their 


68  CHINESE    STORIES. 

number  had  already  been  released  from  his  tortures 
by  death;  and  the  rats,  more  conscious  of  the  fact 
than  the  jailers,  were  gnawing  at  the  only  fleshy 
parts  of  his  skeleton-like  form.  A  like  fate  was  the 
only  portal  of  escape  left  to  those  about  him,  and 
eagerly  they  desired  to  meet  it.  Ever  and  anon 
sleep  relieved  Tseng's  eyes  from  the  contemplation 
of  these  horrors,  and  then  in  his  dreams,  as  though 
by  a  law  of  contraries,  he  wandered  in  the  asphodel 
meadows  of  Elysium,  surrounded  by  every  object 
calculated  to  gratify  the  imagination  and  delight  the 
senses.  The  transition  from  these  visions  to  a  per- 
ception of  his  actual  surroundings  was  sharp  and 
bitter.  In  moments  of  reason  he  sought  for  the 
means  of  escape  from  the  terrors  of  his  present  cell. 
He  knew  enough  of  prisons  to  know  that  it  was  in 
the  power  of  the  turnkeys  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of 
their  charges,  and  he  knew  that  money  was  the  key 
to  open  the  door  of  their  sympathies.  He  remem- 
bered that  when  arrested  he  had  some  ten  or  twelve 
ounces  of  silver  in  his  pocket,  and  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  try  the  effect  of  these  on  the  turnkey  when 
lie  should  come  to  open  the  cell  in  the  morning.  At 
hist  that  ha})}))7  moment  arrived.  The  man  who  had 
turned  the  key  on  him  the  night  before  now  threw 
open  the  door,  and  Ts'eng,  in  company  with  most  of 
his  fellow-prisoners,  crawled  out  into  the  fresher  air 
of  the  courtyard.  As  the  turnkey  passed  through 
I  lie  yard,  Ts'eng  accosted  him,  and  in  exchange  for 
the  contents  of  his  purse,  procured  a,  breakfast  which 
was  the  fe,-ist  of  ;in  epicure  compared  to  the  fare  dealt 
out  to  i  he  common  herd. 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  G9 

Meanwhile  Golden-lilies'  night  had  been  scarcely 
more  pleasantly  spent  than  her  husband's;  and  to 
her  also  had  occurred  the  idea  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  bay  with  money  the  consideration  of  the 
jailers.  While  it  was  yet  early,  therefore,  she  col- 
lected all  the  available  cash  in  the  house,  and  set  out 
in  her  sedan-chair  for  the  prison.  The  head  jailer 
received  the  announcement  of  her  name  with  a 
cynical  smile.  He  had  expected  that  she  would 
come,  and  knew  well  the  object  of  her  visit.  Accus- 
tomed to  such  interviews,  and  to  the  readiest  means 
of  turning  them  to  the  best  account,  he  at  first 
assumed  a  hard  and  unrelaxing  manner,  and  yielded 
only  to  Golden-lilies'  entreaties  when  he  had  drained 
her  resources.  The  upshot,  however,  of  the  visit 
was,  that  Tseng  was  summoned  before  the  jailer, 
and  was  told  that,  in  consideration  of  his  being 
untried,  he  should  be  removed  to  another  courtyard, 
"  where,"  said  the  jailer,  with  something  approaching 
a  smile,  "  I  hope  you  will  be  more  comfortable  than 
you  probably  were  last  night."  In  fulfilment  of 
this  concession,  Ts'eng  was  led  off  to  a  neighbouring 
compound,  which  appeared  almost  clean  and  healthy 
in  comparison  with  the  one  he  had  just  left.  The 
prisoners  in  it  also  were  fewer  in  number,  and  though 
they  were  dirty  and  unshaven,  they  were  evidently 
of  a  higher  class  than  Tseng's  late  companions. 
They  welcomed  Ts'eng  with  some  attempts  at  con- 
versation, and  performed  various  kindly  offices  for 
him,  which,  in  his  weak  state  of  health,  were  more 
than  he  had  either  energy  or  strength  to  accomplish 
for  himself.     One  man  in  particular,  a  stout,  cheery - 

K 


70  CHINESE    STORIES. 

looking  son  of  Ham,  was  very  kind  and  attentive  ; 
and  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  they  began  to  know 
more  about  one  another,  and  the  offences  with  which 
they  were  severally  charged,  this  man  did  much  to 
Lighten  tin'  cares  of  all,  and  of  Ts'eng  in  particular, 
to  whom  lie  seemed  to  have  taken  a  liking.  Of 
Tseng's  prospects — "as  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "you 
are  willing  to  be  liberal  with  your  money," — he 
professed  to  take  a  hopeful  view  ;  while  he  did  not 
conceal  the  fact  that  his  own  career  would  in  all 
probability  be  quickly  cut  short. 

"  Instigating  a  rebellion  is  not  a  crime  that  finds 
mercy,  even  though  it  might  be  justified,  as  in  my 
case,  by  the  tyranny  of  the  local  mandarins." 

"But  if  you  are  without  hope,  how  can  you 
possibly  be  as  cheerful  as  you  are  ? "  said  Ts'eng. 

"  Because  I  am  a  philosopher,"  said  Lung — for  that 
was  his  name  ;  "  because  I  have  drunk  deep  at  the 
fountain  which  inspired  Lao-tsze,  Ohwang-tsze,  and 
others,  and  have  learnt  with  them  the  true  value  of 
life  and  the  art  of  living  and  dying." 

"The  men  you  speak  of  were  heretics,"  replied 
Ts'eng,  "and  went  so  far  as  even  to  speak  disre- 
spectfully of  our  great  master  Confucius.  Nothing 
but  disappointment  must  follow^  on  faith  in  such  as 
those." 

"  You  boast  yourself  in  Confucius,  do  you  ? "  re- 
joined Lung.  "I  thought  you  did  when  you  first 
came  in,  by  your  look  of  misery.  Now  tell  me, 
how  does  he  help  you  in  your  present  difficulty? 
Which  is  in  the  best  mental  case — you  who  trust 
in    the   stereotyped   phrases   of  that   old   formalist, 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  71 

or  I  who  follow  the  kindly  lead  of  the  Taoist  phil- 
osophers? You  look  on  the  future  life  with  terri- 
fied uncertainty  ;  while  I,  regarding  it  in  its  true 
light,  see  in  it  but  a  continuance  of  existence  in  a 
new  shape." 

"  These  are  all  fallacies." 

"  Show  me  that  they  are." 

"  Did  not  Confucius  say,  in  answer  to  Ke  Lu's 
question  about  a  future  state,  '  We  do  not  know 
about  life,  and  how,  then,  can  we  know  about  any- 
thing beyond  the  grave  ? '  And  if  Confucius's  in- 
telligence stopped  short  with  life,  who  can  possibly 
hope  to  peer  beyond  it  ? " 

"  And  are  you  really  such  a  blind  follower  of  the 
blind  as  that  comes  to?  Has  it  never  occurred  to 
you  to  ask  yourself  whence  you  came  and  whither 
you  are  going  ?  But  I  need  not  put  the  question 
to  you,  for  if  you  had,  you  would  never  tremble  so 
at  the  bare  idea  of  stepping  over  the  brink.  To 
me,  the  knowledge  that  the  executioner's  sword  will 
help  me  to  return  to  the  Great  Mother  of  all  things, 
from  whence  I  came  and  to  which,  in  common  with 
all  created  things,  I  must  return,  is  no  unpleasing 
prospect.  I  have  played  my  part  on  this  stage. 
I  have  dreamed  my  earthly  dream,  with  its  fancies, 
its  nightmares,  and  its  moments  of  pleasurable  ex- 
citement, and  now  I  am  read}'  and  willing  to  pass 
into  the  loving  arms  of  'Abyss  Mother.'  Here  we 
Taoists  have  the  advantage  over  you  Confucianists. 
You  strut  about,  talking  loudly  over  the  relations 
between  man  and  man.  parents  and  children,  and 
sovereigns   and   ministers — all   good   things  in  their 


72  CHINESE    STORIES. 

way — but  you  forgel  or  close  your  eyes  to  the 
fact  that  existence  does  not  end  with  what  we  call 
death.  You  limit  your  system  to  the  short  space 
of  man's  life  upon  earth,  while  we,  overleaping  all 
bounds  of  time,  claim  our  right  to  immortality,  and 
step  with  assurance  into  the  grave." 

"That  is  all  very  plausible,"  said  Ts'eng,  "  but  you 
have  no  evidence  that  there  is  any  continuance  of 
existence  after  death.  No  one  has  ever  returned  to 
life;  to  give  us  his  experiences,  and  your  creed  on 
this  point  must  of  necessity,  therefore,  be  merely  an 
assumption."' 

"  Nay,  it  is  more  than  that.  Do  we  not  see  all 
around  us  that  nothing  in  creation  is  ever  absolutely 
destroyed?  It  suffers  ceaseless  change,  but  always 
exists.  Look  at  the  wood  on  a  fire:  it  ceases  to 
be  wood  after  the  flames  have  consumed  it,  but  it 
reappears  as  smoke  and  ashes.  Look  at  the  leaves 
which  strew  the  ground  in  autumn  :  decay  transforms 
their  shapes,  but  they  do  but  change  into  mould, 
which  again  enters  into  the  life  of  plants  and  trees, — 
and  so  created  thing's  g-o  on  for  ever." 

"  That  is  a,  kind  of  reasoning  that  I  don't  under- 
stand," replied  Ts'eng.  "  If  you  can  produce  any 
positive  evidence  that  there  is  a  future  existence,  I 
will  believe  it;  but  I  cannot  accept  a  faith  which  is 
based  on  an  analogy  of  burnt  wood  and  deca}red 
leaves.  And  so  to  tell  me  to  take  comfort  in  the 
contemplation  of  a  future  state  of  happiness,  is  like 
telling  a  hungry  man  to  satisfy  his  appetite  by  think- 
ing of  a  feast,  or  a  man  shivering  with  cold  to  feel 
warm   by  imagining  a   roaring  fire." 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  73 

"  So  this  is  what  it  comes  to ;  that  Confucius 
serves  as  a  guide  through  life  when  a  man  oughl  to 
be  able  to  guide  himself,  and  deserts  you  just  at  the 
moment  when,  in  the  face  of  death,  you  want  -one 
staff  to  support  you,  and  some  hand  to  lead  you. 
But  here  comes  the  jailer,  looking  more  like  a  demon 
than  ever ;  he  must  have  bad  news  for  one  of  us." 

At  this  moment  the  jailer  entered  with  the  list  of 
those  whose  names  had  been  marked  with  the  ver- 
milion pencil  of  the  emperor  for  immediate  execution, 
and  turning  to  Lung,  he  told  him,  without  any  un- 
necessary verbiage,  that  his  time  had  come.  The 
seal  thus  set  to  the  fate  of  his  acquaintance  was  a 
severe  shock  to  poor  Ts'eng.  His  tongue  refused  to 
speak,  and  he  durst  not  look  on  the  face  of  the 
condemned  man.     But  Lung  was  quite  unmoved. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  addressing  Ts'eng,  "  my  race 
is  run,  and  I  only  hope  that  if  ever  you  should  be  in 
a  like  position,  you  may  be  enabled  to  face  the  future 
with  the  same  composure  that  I  do,  and  to  place  as 
sure  a  faith  in  the  loving  tenderness  of  the  Great 
Mother  of  us  all,  as  that  which  now  supports  me." 

Tseng  was  too  much  overcome  to  utter  a  word, 
but  wrung  his  friend's  hands,  and  with  weeping  eyes 
watched  him  led  off  to  be  questioned  by  the  judge 
before  being  borne  to  the  execution-ground. 

This  event  cast  a  gloom  over  the  prison  for  the 
rest  of  the  day  ;  and  the  approach  of  night,  even 
though  it  entailed  a  retreat  into  the  close  and  fetid 
atmosphere  of  the  cell,  was  a  relief  to  all.  The  next 
morning,  immediately  after  breakfast,  the  jailer  paid 
another  visit  to  the  courtyard  and  summoned  Ts'eng 


i  4  CHINESE    STORIES. 

to  appear  before  the  magistrate.  The  contrast  be- 
tween his  last  interview  with  his  judge  and  the  pres- 
ent occasion,  covered  Ts'eng  with  shame  and  remorse. 
As  he  entered  the  judgment-hall  he  scarcely  ventured 
to  lift  his  eyes  to  his  former  host,  who  was  seated 
behind  a  large  table  covered  with  red  cloth,  attend- 
ed by  secretaries,  interpreters,  and  turnkeys.  He 
thought  it  just  possible  that  when  the  magistrate 
recognised  him  he  would  pay  him  some  consideration. 
But  these  hopes  were  rudely  dispelled  when  two  of 
the  executioners,  who  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  dais, 
taking  him  by  the  arms,  forced  him  on  his  knees. 
At  the  same  moment,  at  a  signal  from  the  magis- 
trate, one  of  the  secretaries  read  out  the  accusation, 
in  which  he  was  charged  with  having  murdered  "a 
wandering  pedlar,  named  Ting." 

"  Are  you  guilty  of  this  charge,  or  not  guilty  ? " 
asked  the  magistrate,  in  a  cold,  clear  voice. 

"  Not  guilty,  your  Excellency,"  said  Ts'eng,  vaguely 
hoping  that  his  denial  would  be  sufficient. 

"Call  the  witnesses,"  said  the  magistrate;  and  to 
Ts'eng's  horror,  at  a  sign  from  the  secretary,  Tan 
stepped  forward  and  fell  on  his  knees. 

"Now  tell  us  what  you  know  of  this  matter,"  said 
the  magistrate. 

Thus  adjured,  Tan  told  the  whole  story  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  and  though  he  laid  great  stress  on 
the  pressure  Ts'eng  had  put  upon  him  to  induce  him 
to  help  to  bury  the  body,  he,  on  the  whole,  made 
liis  statement  plainly  and  truthfully.  Still  Ts'eng 
thought  it  possible  that,  if  no  other  evidence  *was 
produced,  his  word  would  be  taken  against  his  ser- 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  75 

vant's, — at  all  events,  the  only  answer  that  occurred 
to  his  cod  fused  mind  was  a  flat  denial. 

"The  whole  story,  your  Excellency,  is  a  lie  from 
beginning  to  end,"  he  said,  "  and  is  invented  by  this 
man  out  of  spite,  in  consequence  of  my  having  had 
occasion  to  flog  him  for  a  gross  falsehood  and  breach 
of  trust."  The  confident  manner  in  which  Ts'£ng 
made  this  uncompromising  assertion,  evidently  pro- 
duced a  favourable  effect  on  the  magistrate,  who, 
turning  to  Tan,  asked — 

"  Have  you  any  evidence  of  the  truth  of  your 
story  ? " 

"  Well,  your  Excellency,  I  can  show  you  where  we 
buried  the  body,  and  where  it  is  at  this  moment,  if  it 
has  not  been  removed." 

At  these  words  Tseng,  who  felt  the  ground  slipping 
from  under  him,  trembled  all  over,  and  would  have 
Mien  forward  had  not  a  turnkey  supported  him  on 
his  knees.  These  signs  of  trepidation  were  not  un- 
marked by  the  magistrate,  who  ordered  two  police- 
men to  go  with  Tan  to  exhume  the  body,  and  directed 
Ts'eng  in  the  meantime  to  stand  on  one  side.  So 
completely  had  his  nerves  now  forsaken  him,  how- 
ever, that  to  stand  was  impossible,  and  he  was  there- 
fore allowed  to  sit  huddled  up  against  an  angle  in 
the  wall  at  the  side  of  the  court.  Here  he  suffered 
all  the  mental  tortures  to  which  weak  and  cowardly 
natures  are  susceptible.  Shame,  remorse,  and  anger 
all  tortured  him  in  turns,  and  dominating  all  was  the 
abject  terror  which  possessed  him.  The  knowledge 
that  he  was  completely  in  the  power  of  others  over 
whom  he  had  not  the  slightest  influence  or  control ; 


7G 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


that  he  was  alone  without  a  single  friend  to  whom  to 
turn  for  advice  or  help  ;    that  he  was  guilty  of  the 
crime  laid  to  his  charge  ;   and  that  death  at  the  hand 
of  the  executioner  would  in  all  probability  be  his  fate, 
— was  an  instrument  which  plagued  him  with  such 
intensity,  that  it  almost  bereft  him  of  reason.     Rock- 
ing   himself   to   and   fro, 
and    moaning    piteously, 
he   sat  the  very  picture 
of  misery.      Other  cases 
were   called   on   and   dis- 
posed   of,   but   he    heard 
not     a    word,     and    was 
only     recalled     to     con- 
sciousness by  being  drag- 
ged once  again   into  the 
courtyard,    and    put    on 
his      knees     before     the 
tribunal.     He  knew  that 
this  meant  that  Tan  had 
returned,     and     he     in- 
stinctively felt  that   the 
body    of    the    murdered 
man     was     close     beside 
him,    but    he    durst    not 
look  round.     Almost  life- 
less, he  knelt  waiting  for 
the  firs)   words,  which  seemed  as  though  they  were 
never  to  be  uttered.     At  last    they  came. 
"Have  you   brought  the  body?" 
"  We     have,     your    Excellency,'-    answered     Tan, 
'"  and    here    it    is  ;    we    put    it    into    this    coffin    as 


Qrst-. 


r-Rs-. 


"  Huddled  up  against  an  angle  in 
the  wall." 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  77 

it  has  been  dead  for  some  time;  shall  we  open 
it  ?  " 

"  Wait,"  said  the  magistrate,  who  was  evidently 
anxious  to  avoid  that  operation  if  possible,  and  turn- 
ing to  Ts'eng,  he  asked,  "Do  you  still  deny  your 
guilt  ? " 

"  No,"  replied  Tseng,  who  had  now  lost  all  hope; 
"  but  I  did  not  mean  to  kill  him,  it  was  an  accident. 
indeed  it  was.  Oh,  have  mercy  on  me,"  cried  the 
wretched  man,  "and  spare  my  life!  Punish  me  in 
any  way,  but  oh,  let  me  live!" 

"  Your  pitiable  cries  for  mercy,"  said  the  magis- 
trate, "  only  make  your  conduct  worse.  You  had 
no  compassion  on  the  man  you  murdered  and 
who  now  lies  there  in  evidence  against  you,  and 
I  shall  therefore  have  none  on  you.  I  sentence 
you " 


At  this  moment  a  sound  of  voices  and  a  rush  of 
persons  were  heard  at  the  other  end  of  the  courtyard. 
The  magistrate  paused  and  looked  up,  prepared  to 
inflict  the  bastinado  on  the  intruders,  but  their  ap- 
pearance warned  him  that  something  unusual  had 
happened.  Golden-lilies  led  the  van,  and  falling  on 
her  knees  before  the  magistrate,  cried — 

"  Spare  him,  spare  him,  your  Excellency  !  it  is  all 
a  mistake.     Ting  is  not  dead,  but  is  here." 

At  the  sound  of  Golden-lilies'  voice,  Ts'eng  awoke 
from  the  trance  into  which  he  had  fallen  at  the 
magistrate's  rebuke,  and  turned  his  lack-lustre  eyes 
upon  his  wife.  Her  eager  look  gave  him  confidence, 
and  following  the  direction  of  her  outstretched  finger, 
he  beheld  the  old  pedlar  on  his  knees.     But  he  was 

L 


78  CHINESE    STORIES. 

still  too  dazed  to  grasp  the  situation.  .Meanwhile 
Golden-lilies'  volubility  was  unchecked. 

••  Ask  him,  your  Excellency,  and  he  will  tell  you 
he  is  the  man  ;  that  the  ferryman  told  a  wicked  lie  ; 
and  that  far  from  having  been  killed,  he  has  not 
suffered  the  slightest  inconvenience  from  his  fall." 

"  But  your  husband  has  confessed  that  he  murdered 
him,"  said  the  magistrate. 

"The  ferryman  told  him  he  had,  and  he  believed 
liim  :  but  it  was  not  true,"  urged  Goldendilies  ;  "and 
just  when  I  thought  that  the  darkest  hour  of  my  life 
had  come,  when  all  hope  of  seeing  my  husband  again 
alive  seemed  vanishing,  who  should  knock  at  our 
door  but  the  pedlar  himself.  Without  waiting  to  hear 
his  explanation,  I  have  brought  him  with  me;  and 
now  do  let  my  husband  go." 

"  Xot  so  fast,"  said  the  magistrate.  "  I  must  first 
satisfy  nryself  that  this  is  Ting,  and  then  I  must 
inquire  who  that  dead  man  yonder  is,  or  rather  was. 
Call  Tan." 

At  this  invocation  Tan  took  up  his  former  position 
on  his  knees  ;  but  in  the  interval  since  his  last  appear- 
ance he  had  lost  confidence,  and  the  turn  events  had 
taken  did  not,  he  saw  clearly,  reflect  so  brightly  on 
his  prospects  as  they  did  on  Ts'eng's.  He  felt  that  he 
was  compromised,  though  he  could  not  understand  it 
all,  and  was  not  quite  sure  how  the  magistrate  would, 
on  review,  regard  his  conduct. 

"Do  you  recognise  thai  man.''"  asked  the  magis- 
trate,  pointing  at  Ting. 

"Yes,  your  Excellency;  he  is  Ting  t lie  pedlar,  or 
lii.-,   ghost." 


WITHIN    HIS    DANGER.  79 

"But  in  your  evidence  you  charged  your  master 
with  murdering  Ting,  and  you  swore  that  you  buried 
him  ;  and  in  support  of  your  assertions  you  produce  a 
body  which  is  not  Ting's,  since  Ting  is  here  How 
do  you  explain  this  ?  " 

"  All  I  can  say,  your  Excellency,  is,  that  my  master 
ordered  me  to  bury  Ting;  and  Lai,  the  ferryman, 
told  me  that  the  man  I  buried  was  Ting."' 

"  Arrest  Lai  and  bring  him  before  me  at  once," 
said  the  magistrate  to  a  police-runner;  "and  mean- 
while I  will  hear  the  pedlar's  evidence.  Bring  him 
forward.     Who  are  you  ?  " 

"My  contemptible  surname,  your  Excellency,  is 
Ting,  and  my  personal  name  is  'Heavenly  Bright- 
ness. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  know  of  this  matter." 

"  After  leaving  the  house  of  his  honour  Ts'eug. 
said  Ting,  "I  got  into  Lai's  feny-boat  to  cross  the 
lake.  On  the  way  over  I  told  him  the  story  of 
the  fracas  at  his  honour's  door,  and  showed  him  the 
silk  which  had  been  given  me.  He  took  a  fancy  to 
the  pattern  on  it,  and  bought  it  from  me,  as  well  as 
the  basket  in  which  I  carried  it.  Nothing  else  hap- 
pened until  just  as  we  got  to  the  other  shore,  when 
we  saw  the  corpse  of  a  man  floating  in  the  water. 
As  I  walked  away  from  the  shore  I  turned  round  and 
saw  Lai  rowing;  towards  the  body.  I  reached  home 
the  same  evening;  and  remained  there  until  to-day, 
when  I  called  at  his  honour's  house.  On  showing 
myself  at  the  door  I  was,  to  my  surprise,  hurried 
off  here,  and  now  I  kneel  in  your  Excellency's 
presence." 


SO  CHINESE    STORIES. 

At  tliis  juncture  Lai  entered.  The  last  few  weeks' 
dissipation  had  not  improved  his  appearance,  and 
his  ill  -  concealed  terror  at  his  present  predicament 
added  a  ghastly  paleness  to  his  bleared  and  sallow 
complexion. 

•■  How  is  this,"  said  the  magistrate,  "that  you  have 
charged  an  innocent  man  with  murder,  and  have 
palmed  off  on  him  the  body  of  some  one  else  as  that 
of  the  man  you  said  he  had  murdered  ?  " 

Seeing  that  circumstances  were  against  him,  Lai 
was  silent. 

••  Now  listen/'  said  the  magistrate  :  "you,  Lai,  are 
the  principal  culprit  in  this  affair.  You  brought  an 
unjust  accusation  against  an  innocent  man,  and  by 
menus  of  it  extorted  money  from  him.  For  these 
crimes  I  sentence,  you  to  receive  a  hundred  blows 
with  the  large  bamboo,  and  to  be  transported  into 
Mongolia  for  five  years.  Because  you,  Tan,  having 
connived  at  the  concealment  of  what  you  believed  to 
be  a  murder,  charged  your  master  with  the  murder 
out  of  a  spirit  of  revenge,  1  sentence  you  to  receive 
fifty  blows  on  the  mouth,  and  fifty  blows  with  the 
large  bamboo.  And  as  to  you,  Ts'eng,  though  your 
conduct  has  been  bad  in  attempting  to  conceal  what 
you  believed  to  be  your  crime,  and  in  bribing  others 
to  silence,  yet,  in  consideration  of  your  imprison- 
ment and  of  what  you  have  gone  through,  I  acquit 
yon. 

Never  were  more  life-giving  words  uttered  than 
those  addressed  by  the  magistrate  to  Ts'eng.  Their 
effed  was  visible  upon  him  physically  ;  he  seemed  to 
grow  in  bulk  under  their  gracious  influence,  and  his 


WITIIIX    HLS    DANGER. 


81 


face  reverted  from  the  pallor  of  death  to  the  colour 
of  life. 

"May  your  Excellency  live  for  ever,"  said  he,  as 
he  kotowed  before  his  judge,  who.  however,  had  let'! 
the  judgment-seat  before  he  had  completed  his  nine 
prostrations.  As  the  magistrate  turned  away  from 
the  hall,  he  met  Mr  Tso,  who  had  come  to  call  upon 
him. 

"  So  our  friend  Ts'eng  has  got  off,  I  see,"  said  his 
visitor. 

"Yes,"  said  the  magistrate,  "but  I  have  quite 
come  round  to  your  estimate  of  his  character.  He  is 
a  poor  creature.  I  sent  a  much  liner  fellow  to  the 
execution-ground  yesterday." 


/*«*^ 


" Marked  it  as  the  entrance  to  the  prison." — l'age  64 


82 


THE    TWINS. 


FROM   THE   CHINESE   OF  WU   MING. 


Q 


IHE  saying  commonly 
attributed  to  Mencius, 
that  '"  Marriao-es  are 
made  in  heaven,"  is  one  of 
those  maxims  which  unfor- 
tunately find  their  chief  sup- 
port in  the  host  of  excep- 
tions which  exist  to  the 
truth  which  they  lay  down. 
Not  to  go  further  for  an 
instance  than  the  Street  of 
Longevity,  in  our  notable 
town  of  King-chow,  there 
is  the  case  of  Mr  and  Mrs 
Ma,  whose  open  and  de- 
clared animosity  to  each  other  would  certainly  sug- 
gest that  the  mystic  invisible  red  cords  with  which 
Fate  in  their  infancy  bound  their  ankles  together, 
were  twined  in  another  and  far  less  genial  locality 
than    Mencius  dreamed  of. 


THE    TWINS.  83 

With  the  exception  of  success  in  money-makino-, 
fortune  has  undoubtedly  withheld  its  choicest  dfts 
from  this  quarrelsome  couple.     The  go-between  who 

arranged  their  marriage  spoke  smooth  things  to  Ma 
of  his  future  wife,  and  described  her  as  being  as 
amiable  as  she  was  beautiful,  or,  to  use  her  own 
words,  "  as  pliant  as  a  willow,  and  as.  beautiful  as  a 
gem;  "while  to  the  lady  she  upheld  Ma  as  a,  para- 
gon of  learning,  and  as  a  possessor  of  all  the  virtues. 
Here,  then,  there  seemed  to  be  the  making  of  a  very 
pretty  couple  ;  but  their  neighbours,  as  I  have  been 
often  told,  were  not  long  in  finding  out  that  harmony 
was  a  rare  visitant  in  the  household.  The  daily  wear 
and  tear  of  life  soon  made  it  manifest  that  there  was 
as  little  of  the  willow  as  of  the  gem  about  Mrs  Ma, 
whose  coarse  features,  imperious  temper,  and  nagging 
tongue  made  her  anything  but  an  agreeable  com- 
panion ;  while  a  hasty  and  irascible  temper  made 
Ma  the  constant  provoker  as  well  as  the  victim  of 
her  ill-humours. 

By  a  freak  of  destiny  the  softening  influences  of 
the  presence  of  a  son  has  been  denied  them  ;  but  en 
revanche  they  have  been  blessed  with  a  pair  of  the 
most  lovely  twin  daughters,  who,  like  pearls  in  an 
oyster-shell,  or  jewels  in  the  heads  of  toads,  have 
grown  up  amid  their  sordid  surroundings  free  from 
every  contamination  of  evil.  They  are  beyond  ques- 
tion the  most  beautiful  girls  I  have  ever  seen.  In 
figure  they  are  both  tall  and  finely  shaped,  with 
plastic  waists  and  gracefully  bending  forms.  In 
feature — for  both  Daffodil  and  Convolvulus,  as  they 
are  called,  are  so  exactly  alike,  that  in  describing  one 


84  CHINESE    STORIES. 

I  describe  both  —  they  are  lovely,  having  eyebrows 
like  half-moons,  eyes  which  are  so  lustrous  that  one 
would  expect  them  to  shine  in  darkness,  lips  of  the 
most  perfect  vermilion,  finely  shaped  noses,  and  softly 
modelled  cheeks.  In  fact,  they  are  more  like  children 
of  the  gods  than  the  daughters  of  men  ;  and  from  all 
I  have  ever  heard  of  them,  their  tempers  and  dis- 
positions are  counterparts  of  their  outward  appear- 
ance All  these  charms  of  mind  and  of  person  were, 
however,  cmite  lost  upon  their  sordid  mother,  who 
until  lately  regarded  them  as  though  they  were  of 
the  same  mould  as  herself.  So  much  so,  that  when 
they  reached  the  prescribed  marriageable  age,  instead 
of  proposing  to  seek  the  empire  for  two  incomjDar- 
ables  to  pair  with  such  matchless  beauties,  she  an- 
nounced to  her  husband,  in  her  usual  brusque  and 
overbearing  manner,  that  she  intended  to  look  out 
for  two  rich  young  shopkeepers  as  husbands  for 
"the  oirls."  The  moment  she  chose  for  making 
this  announcement  was  not  happily  timed.  She 
had  already  succeeded  in  ruffling  Ma  once  or  twice 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  day,  so  that  when  she 
now  blurted  out  her  intention  his  colour  rose  with 
more  than  usual  rapidity  in  his  commonly  sallow 
cheeks,  and  he  replied  angrily — - 

"  I  forbid  your  doing  anything  of  the  kind.  You 
have  no  business  to  meddle  with  matters  which  don't 
pertain  to  you.  Your  duty  in  life  is  to  obey  me,  and 
to  do  nothing  without  my  instructions." 

"  Hai-yah !  If  I  did  that,"  said  Mrs  Ma,  now 
thoroughly  aroused,  "  the  household  would  soon  come 
to  a  pretty  pass.      What  do  you  know  about  manag- 


THE    TWINS.  85 

ing  matters?  You  remind  me  of  the  owl  which 
made  itself  look  like  a  fool  by  trying  to  sing  like  a 
nightingale  ! " 

"  You  ignorant  woman  ! "  replied  her  husband  ; 
"how  dare  you  bandy  words  with  me!  Don't  you 
know  that  Confucius  has  laid  it  down  as  an  im- 
perishable law  that  a  woman  before  her  marriage 
should  obey  her  father,  and  after  her  marriage  her 
husband  ? " 

"  And  do  you  know  so  little  of  the  Book  of  Rites," 
said  Mrs  Ma,  nothing  abashed,  "  as  not  to  be  aware 
that  the  mother  should  arrange  the  marriages  of  her 
daughters  ?  So  just  you  leave  this  matter  to  me.  If 
you  want  to  be  doing  something,  open  your  chem- 
ist's shop  again.  What  will  it  matter  if  you  do  poison 
a  few  more  people  by  dispensing  the  wrong  drugs  ? " 

"  You  infamous  creature  !  how  dare  you  utter  such 
slanders  !  If  you  ever  again  venture  on  such  unpar- 
alleled insolence,  I  will  divorce  you  !  for  remember 
that  one  of  the  seven  grounds  for  divorce  is  violence 
of  language.  And  how  would  you  like  to  be  turned 
adrift  into  the  cold  world  at  your  age,  and  with  your 
anything  but  pleasing  appearance  ?  " 

This  last  shot  told,  and  Mrs  Ma  flung  herself  out 
of  the  room  without  a  word,  contenting  herself  with 
expressing  her  anger  and  defiance  by  banging  the 
door  furiously  after  her.  No  sooner  was  the  door 
shut  than  Ma  took  paper  and  pencil  and  wrote  to 
invite  his  friend  Ting  "  to  direct  his  jewelled  chariot 
to  the  mean  abode  of  the  writer,  who  was  preparing 
a  paltry  repast  for  his  entertainment."  Ting  was  one 
of  Ma's  oldest  friends,  and,  being  linked  to  a  wife  of 

M 


86  CHINESE    STORIES. 

a  harridanish  temperament,  had  a  common  bond  of 
union  with  him.  Like  Ma  also,  he  was  secretly  afraid 
of  his  better  half,  and  bis  counsel,  therefore,  on  the 
several  occasions  of  domestic  dispute  on  which  he  had 
been  consulted,  had  naturally  tended  rather  towards 
artifice  than  open  war.  Ma's  note  at  once  suggested 
to  Ting  a  family  disagreement,  and  he  lost  no  time  in 
obeying  the  summons,  being  always  glad  to  find  fresh 
evidences  that  others  were  as  evilly  circumstanced  as 
himself.  He  was  a  tall,  stout  man,  witli  a  loud  voice, 
but  wanting  that  steadiness  of  eye  which  should 
match  those  outward  seemings.  By  man}'  people  he 
was  credited  with  a  firm  and  somewhat  overbearing 
character;  but  his  wife  probably  showed  more  dis- 
cernment when  on  one  occasion,  after  a  shrill  out- 
burst, she  reminded  him  that  "an  empty  pot  makes 
the  greatest  noise." 

As  Ting  entered  Ma's  room  the  two  friends  greeted 
one  another  cordially,  and  into  the  sympathetic  ear 
of  his  guest  Ma  poured  the  story  of  his  griefs. 

•"  And  now.  what  do  you  advise  me  to  do?"  asked 
the  host.  '■'  My  insignificant  daughters  have  arrived 
at  a  marriageable  age.  and  though  the}'  profess  an 
aversion  to  matrimony  and  a  contempt  for  the  young 
men  of  this  place,  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  settle 
them  in  life.  But  I  see  clearly  that  if  I  am  to  do  it 
at  all,  I  alone  must  be  the  doer.  My  wife's  views 
are  so  invariably  opposed  to  mine,  that  it  is  hopeless 
to  attempt  to  act  in  harmony  with  her.  ' 

"Well,7'  replied  Ting,  "I  myself  always  act  on 
the  principle  of  the  proverb,  *  What  the  eye  does  not 
see,  the  heart   does  not  grieve  after.'      1  have  on  sev- 


THE    TWINS.  S7 

era!  occasions  made  family  arrangements  without  let- 
ting my  wife  into  the  secret  until  the  time  for  inter- 
ference has  passed,  and  then,  of  course,  she  has  been 
compelled  to  accept  the  inevitable.  It  is  true  the 
artifice  has  resulted  in  very  unpleasant  outbursts  of 
wrath  ;  but  that  is  nothing — nothing,  my  dear  Ma." 
Here  Ting's  voice,  in  spite  of  his  brave  words,  trem- 
bled, as  a  recollection  of  certain  domestic  scenes  came 
back  to  his  memory.  "  Besides,  I  have  in  this  way 
succeeded  in  asserting  my  position  as  master  of  my 
own  household.  And  my  advice  to  you  in  your 
present  circumstances  is  that  you  should  do  likewise. 
If  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  marry  your 
daughters,  employ  a  go-between  to  look  out  fitting 
partners,  and  make  the  necessary  arrangements  with- 
out saying  anything  to  }'our  wife  about  it.  Then, 
when  the  presents  have  been  sent  and  the  cards 
exchanged,  she  will  find  it  as  easy  to  dam  up  the 
river  with  her  pocket-handkerchief  as  to  bar  their 
marriages." 

"Excellent!  excellent:''  said  Ma;  "I  will  act 
upon  your  advice.  But  I  must  he  very  circumspect, 
Ting,  very  circumspect;  for  .Mrs  Ma  has  a  number  of 
old  cronies  about  her,  who  gather  gossip  from  stone 
walls,  rumours  from  the  wind,  and  scandal  from 
everything. ' 

"  Perhaps  then  it  would  be  as  well,"  replied  Ting, 
rising  to  take  his  leave,  "  if  you  were  to  make  use  of 
my  study  for  seeing  the  go-between  and  others  whom 
you  may  wish  to  employ  in  the  affair.  It  is  quite  at 
your  disposal." 

'■  Ten  thousand   thanks."  said  Ma.      "  Your  advice 


38 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


has  made  a  man  of  me,  Ting,  and  your  kindness  has 
carved  for  itself  a  place  in  my  heart  in  which  it  will 
be  for  ever  enshrined.' 

.Meanwhile  Mrs  Ma,  although  for  the  moment  dis- 
comfited, was  by  no  means  inclined  to  give  up  the 
struggle.  After  a  short  communing;  with  herself  she 
senl  for  Daffodil  and  Convolvulus,  and  announced  to 
them  her  intention  of  forthwith  providing  them  with 
husbands  of  their  own  rank  in  life,  directing  them  at 


"But,  mother,  we  do  not  wish  to  marry.'''' 

the  s.nne  line  to  preserve  absolute  silence  on  the  sub- 
ject to  all  but  old  "  Golden-lilies,"  their  maid  and 
chaperon. 

"■  But,  mother,  we  do  not  wish  to  marry,"  said 
Convolvulus;  "least  of  all  to  be  tied  for  life  to  the 
sorl  of  young  man  whom  you  are  kind  enough  to 
contemplate  for  us.  Why  should  we  not  remain  as 
we  are  '.  " 


THE    TWINS.  89 

"You  are  too  young  to  understand  such  matters," 
replied  Mrs  Ma.  "I  have  seen  mischief  enough  arise 
from  leaving  young  girls  unmarried,  and  1  am  deter- 
mined that  you  shall  not  be  exposed  to  any  such 
danger.  Besides,  I  have  been  so  bothered  lately  by 
suitors,  who,  it  seems,  have  heard  of  your  beauty, 
that  I  shall  have  no  peace  until  you  are  settled." 

"  Remember,  mother,"  put  in  Daffodil,  "  that  as 
you  have  no  sons,  you  and  father  are  dependent  on 
us  to  tend  and  wait  upon  you.  Then,  mother,  we  are 
so  perfectly  happy  in  each  other's  society  that  we 
need  no  other  companionship,  and  it  would  break  our 
hearts  to  be  separated  from  each  other  and  from  you." 

"  I  am  touched  by  your  expressions  of  affection, 
my  children,"  answered  their  mother;  "but 'my 
mind  is  quite  made  up,  as  I  have  just  told  your 
father,  who  is  foolish  enough  to  think,  poor  man,  that 
he  ought  to  have  the  management  of  the  business. 
And  now  go  back  to  your  embroideries,  and  remember 
what  I  have  said  to  you  about  keeping  the  matter 
secret." 

Mrs  Ma's  announcement,  although  not  altogether 
unexpected,  fell  with  a  heavy  blow  upon  the  twins, 
who  had  other  and  deeper  reasons  than  those  they 
had  expressed  for  disliking  the  idea  of  having  hus- 
bands of  their  mother's  choice  forced  upon  them. 
Women  seldom,  if  ever,  in  the  first  instance  give 
their  real  reasons,  at  least  in  China.  Their  habit  is 
to  fence  them  round  with  a  succession  of  outworks, 
in  the  shape  of  plausible  excuses,  which,  if  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  questioner,  preserve  inviolate 
their  secret  motives.     If,  however,  they  are   driven 


90  CHINESE    STORIES. 

by  persistence  out  of  the  first  line  of  defence,  they 
retreal  to  the  second,  and  so  on,  until  the  citadel  is 
reached,  when  they  arc  commonly  obliged  to  yield, 
though  even  then  they  generally  manage  to  march 
out  with  all  the  honours  of  war.  In  this  case  Mrs 
Ma  had  no  motive  for  breaking  the  fence  of  the  twins, 
and  so  never  learnt,  as  she  might  otherwise  have  pos- 
sibly done,  that  though  the  garden  wall  was  high,  it 
was  not  too  hard  to  climb,  and  that  often  when  she 
fancied  her  daughters  were  engaged  at  their  embroid- 
eries, or  practising  their  guitars,  they  were  flirting 
merrily  in  the  garden  with  the  two  young  scholars, 
under  the  chaperonage  of  "  Golden-lilies,"  to  whom 
recollection  brought  a  fellow-feeling  for  such  esca- 
pades, and  who  always  carefully  watched  over  her 
charges,  though  at  a  judicious  distance.  These  two 
youths,  Messrs  Tsin  and  Te,  presented  the  real  ob- 
stacles to  the  adoption  of  Mrs  Ma's  proposals  by 
the  twins.  And  it  was  at  least  evidence  of  the  good 
taste  of  the  young  ladies  that  they  preferred  them  to 
the  young  men  of  the  shopkeeper  class,  among  whom 
their  mother  thought  to  find  them  husbands.  It  was 
tine  that  neither  Tsin  nor  Te  had  at  that  time  much 
of  this  world's  goods,  nor  did  there  appear  any  imme- 
diate prospect  of  their  being  able  to  many;  for  their 
fathers,  who  were  ex-officials,  were  unendowed  with 
anything  beyond  the  savings  they  had  accumulated 
during  their  terms  of  office,  and  these  were  not  more 
than  enough  to  enable  them  to  end  their  days  in 
retired   comfort. 

In  these  circumstances  the  ambitions  of  the  young 
men  centred   in   their  chance  of  winning  ollicial  rank 


THE    TWINS.  91 

at  the  examinations.  Of  Tsin's  success  no  one  who 
had  sounded  the  depth  of  his  scholarship  had  any 
doubt.  Te,  however,  was  by  no  means  so  gifted. 
His  essays  were  dull  reading,  and  his  odes  were  wooden 
things,  painfully  elaborated  in  accordance  with  purely 
mechanical  rules.  He  had  none  of  the  facility  with 
which  Tsin  struck  off  a  copy  of  verses,  and  could  no 
more  have  penned  the  lines  to  Daffodil's  eyebrows, 
which  first  attracted  the  attention  of  the  sisters  to 
the  young  scholars,  than  he  could  have  flown.  It 
was  on  the  occasion  of  the  Feast  of  Lanterns  at  the 
beginning  of  this  year,  that  Tsin  and  Te  first  became 
aware  of  the  existence  of  the  twins,  who,  under  the 
charge  of  Golden-lilies,  were  on  the  evening  of  that 
festival  admiring  the  illuminations  in  the  streets. 
Struck  by  the  incomparable  beauty  of  the  young 
ladies,  the  youths  followed  them  about  in  blank 
amazement,  until  Tsin's  imagination  having  been 
suddenly  fired  by  seeing  an  expression  of  delight 
pass  over  Daffodil's  beaming  countenance  at  the  sight 
of  an  illumination  more  brilliant  than  usual,  he  hur- 
riedly penned  a  stanza,  in  which  the  ideas  of  willow- 
leaf  eyebrows  and  jade-like  features  were  so  skilfully 
handled,  that  when  it  fell  into  that  young  lady's 
hands  she  was  lost  in  admiration  at  the  grace  and 
beauty  of  the  lines.  A  hurried  glance  of  acknow- 
ledgment was  enough  to  keep  the  young  men  at  the 
heels  of  the  twins  until  the  portals  of  the  ex-chemist 
closed  upon  them  ;  and  when,  on  the  next  afternoon, 
Convolvulus  found  in  the  summer-house  a  stanza 
marked  by  all  the  grace  of  diction  which  character- 
ised the  ode  of  the  previous  day,  she  had  no  hesita- 


92  CHINESE    STORIES. 

lion  in  ascribing  the  authorship  to  the  same  gifted 
being.  This  message  of  homage  was  a  prelude  to  a 
hurried  visit  paid  and  received  beneath  the  bunches 
of  wistaria  which  hung  around  the  favourite  garden 
retreat  of  the  twins,  and  this  again  to  other  and 
Longer  interviews,  in  which  Tsin  gradually  came  to 
devote  himself  to  Daffodil,  and  Te  to  Convolvulus. 

It  was  while  toying  at  one  such  meeting  that  the 
twins  were  summoned  to  hear  the  designs  which  their 
mother  had  formed  for  their  future;  and  when  they 
left  the  maternal  presence,  it  was  with  feelings  akin 
to  despair  that  they  poured  their  griefs  into  Golden- 
lilies'  sympathetic  bosom.  "  What  are  we  to  do  ?  " 
was   their  plaintive  cry. 

'■'  Do  ?  "  said  Golden-lilies  cheerily—"  why,  do  as 
the  juggler  did  who  was  sentenced  to  death  last 
year." 

"  You  have  always  some  wise  saying  or  queer  story 
ready,  dear  Golden-lilies.  But  explain;  what  did  the 
juggler  do  except  die  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  he  did  not  do,  for  when  the 
Emperor  told  him  that  his  life  should  be  spared  on 
condition  that  he  made  the  Emperor's  favourite  mule 
speak,  the  man  undertook  to  do  it  within  twelve 
months  by  the  calendar." 

"  What  a  fool  he  must  have  been  !  " 
•■  So  his  friends  said;  but  he  replied,  'Not  so,  for 
many  things  may  happen  in  a  year:  the  mule  may 
die,  or  the  Emperor  may  die,  or  I  may  die;  and  even 
if  the  worst  conies  to  the  worst,  and  none  of  these 
things  happen,  1  shall  at  least  have  had  another  year 
of  life.'     Now,  though  you  are  not  in  such  a  parlous 


THE    TWINS.  93 

state  as  the  juggler  was,  yet,  as  you  cannot  resist 
your  mother,  you  had  better  appear  to  submit,  and 
trust  to  the  chapter  of  accidents." 

But  Mrs  Ma  was  evidently  disposed  to  leave  as 
little  as  possible  to  accident,  for  the  very  next  morn- 
ing she  sallied  out  in  her  sedan-chair,  and  paid  a 
visit  to  a  well-known  "go-between"  in  the  town. 
This  woman,  delighted  to  have  the  credit  of  arrang- 
ing the  marriage  of  the  beautiful  twins,  chose  from 
her  list  of  bachelors  two  young  men,  one  the  son  of 
a  silk-mercer  and  the  other  of  a  salt-merchant,  who 
fulfilled  Mrs  Ma's  main  requirement  of  being  rich. 

"  They  are  nice  young  men,  too,"  she  added, 
"  though  neither  of  them  is  likely  to  attract  the 
admiration  of  the  goddess  of  the  North  Star  like 
the  matchless  Chang  -  le.  But  if  ugly  men  never 
mated,  the  imperial  race  of  China  would  soon  die 
out." 

"  I  don't  care  a  melon-seed,"  said  Mrs  Ma,  as  she 
ate  two  or  three  of  those  delicacies  from  the  dainty 
dish  by  her  side,  "  about  beauty  in  a  man.  None 
can  be  called  deformed  but  the  poor :  money  is 
beauty,  and  to  my  mind  the  true  deformity  is  an 
empty  purse.  So  please  make  the  proper  overtures 
at  once,  and  let  me  know  the  result.  I  have  reasons 
for  wishing  to  preserve  secrecy  in  this  matter,  and 
I  would  therefore  beg  you  not  to  talk  of  it  until 
all  is  arranged." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  go-between  reported 
confidentially  that  her  proposal  had  been  received 
both  by  the  silk-mercer  Yang  and  the  salt-merchant 
Le  on  behalf  of  their  sons  with  enthusiasm.     Nor  did 

N 


94  CHINESE   STORIES. 

the  fortune-teller  throw  any  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
the  speedy  fulfilment  of  Mrs  Ma's  schemes  ;  for  the 
almanac  pointed  with  unmistakable  clearness  to  the 
next  full  moon  as  being  one  of  the  most  fortunate  in 
the  whole  year  for  marriages. 

Everything  seemed  therefore  to  lie  level  with  the 
wish  of  Mrs  Ma;  and  under  the  combined  influences 
of  Q-ood  fortune  and  satisfaction  evoked  from  the  con- 
viction  that  she  was  doing  her  duty  as  a  mother,  her 
good-nature  knew  no  bounds.  She  was  even  civil  to 
Mi.  and  in  her  superior  way  smiled  to  herself  at  the 
beaming  self -content  which  had  lately  come  over 
him,  and  which  she  naturally  regarded  as  a  reflection 
of  her  own  good -humour.  As  the  day  for  receiving 
the  presents  approached,  she  chuckled  to  see  how 
easily  he  was  persuaded  to  have  the  chairs  and  divan 
in  the  reception-hall  re-covered  and  the  walls  redec- 
orated. On  the  day  itself — poor  foolish  man  ! — far 
from  expressing  any  surprise  at  the  superlative  toilet 
in  which  she  had  bedecked  herself,  he  paid  her  the 
compliment  of  likening  her  to  a  fairy  from  the  palace 
of  the  "  Ro}Tal  Mother  of  the  West,"  and  even  went 
the  length,  as  though  following  her  example,  of  ar- 
raying himself  in  his  costliest  garments.  As  the 
day  advanced,  the  actions  of  each  seemed  to  have  a 
strange  fascination  for  the  other;  and  when,  at  the 
usual  evening  hour  for  the  presentation  of  betrothal 
presents,  the  merry  strains  of  the  "Dragon  and  the 
Phoenix,"  played  by  more  than  one  band,  struck 
upon  their  ears,  they  glanced  at  one  another  with 
gratified  curiosity  rather  than  surprise.  As  the  noise 
in    the    street    swelled    into    a    roar   compounded    of 


THE    MERRY   STRAINS    OF    THE   'DRAGON    AND    THE    PH(ENIX' 
PLAYED    BY   MORE    THAN    ONE    BAND."— Page  94. 


THE    TWINS.  95 

bands,  drums,  and  the  shouts  of  coolies,  Mrs  Ma's 
pride  rose  at  the  thought  that  she  had  succeeded  in 
capturing  such  liberal  and  munificent  suitors,  and  she 
had  almost  forgotten  the  opposition  of  her  husband 
when  four  young  men,  bearing  letters,  and  each  lead- 
ing a  goose  and  a  gander — the  recognised  emblems 
of  conjugal  affection — followed  by  servants  carrying 
a  succession  of  rich  presents,  advanced  to  the  audi- 
ence hall.  That  her  two  proteges  should  have  sent 
eight  geese  appeared  to  her  unnecessary,  although 
she  accepted  the  multiplication  of  the  birds  as  a 
pretty  token  of  the  ardour  of  the  lovers  ;  but  her 
sense  of  this  excess  was  soon  lost  in  her  admiration 
of  the  unusually  numerous  gifts  which  now  filled  the 
courtyard. 

"With  many  deep  reverences  the  young  men  pre- 
sented their  letters  to  Ma,  who  was  at  first  too  much 
dazed  by  the  confusion  which  reigned  about  him  to 
do  more  than  to  incline  his  head  and  open  the  en- 
velopes. As  he  read  the  first  letter,  however,  his 
confused  expression  of  countenance  was  exchanged  for 
one  of  puzzled  surprise. 

"There  is,"  he  said,  "some  mistake  here.  I  know 
nothing;  of  this  Mr  Yang  who  writes.  You  must,"  he 
added,  turning  to  the  young  man  who  had  pre- 
sented  the  letter,  "have  come  to  the  wrong  house 
by  mistake." 

"Pardon  me,"  replied  the  young  gentleman,  "your 
humble  servitor  has  made  no  mistake,  unless,  indeed, 
you  are  not  the  honourable  father  of  the  incompar- 
able twins  whom  you  have  deigned  to  betroth  to  my 
principal,  Mr  Yang,  and  his  friend,  Mr  Le." 


96  CHINESE   STORIES. 

The  mention  of  these  names  recalled  Mrs  Ma  to 
the  actualities  of  the  position;  and,  advancing  to- 
wards her  husband,  she  said  with  some  embarrass- 
ment— 

"  There  is  no  mistake  in  the  matter.  I  told  you 
that  I  should  arrange  our  daughters'  marriages,  and 
I  have  done  so.  Messrs  Yang  and  Le  are  the  gentle- 
men I  have  chosen,  and  these  are  their  presents  in 
due  form." 

For  a  moment  Ma  looked  at  her  in  angry  astonish- 
ment, and  then,  as  the  whole  affair  took  shape  in  his 
mind,  he  lost  all  control  over  himself,  and,  trembling 
with  passion,  he  broke  out — ■ 

"  You  stupid,  obstinate  woman,  how  dare  you  dis- 
obey my  orders  and  practise  this  deceit  upon  me  ?  By 
what  pretence  of  right  have  you  ventured  to  inter- 
fere in  this  matter  ?  You  have  brought  disgrace 
upon  me  and  infamy  upon  yourself,  /have  arranged 
alliances  for  the  twins  with  the  sons  of  my  friends 
Messrs  Tsai  and  Fung,  and  it  is  these  they  shall 
marry  and  no  others  !  "  Then  turning  to  Yang's  and 
Le's  young  squires,  he  added  with  scant  courtesy — 
"  Take  away  your  gifts,  young  men,  and  tell  your 
principals  that  this  rebuff  serves  them  right  for 
dealing  in  an  underhand  way  with  a  headstrong 
woman." 

"Don't  listen  to  him,"  cried  Mrs  Ma.  "I  accept 
your  presents." 

"Take  them  away  !"  shouted  Ma. 

"  You  shameless  boor  !  "  screamed  Mrs  Ma — "you 
miserable,  vapouring,  good-for-nothing!  Do  you 
talk  to  me  of  'daring'  and  'venturing'?     Why,  you 


THE    TWINS. 


97 


ma}^  thank  Buddha  that  you  have  got  a  wife  who 
knows  how  and  when  to  act ;  and  I  tell  you  that  your 
friends  Tsai  and  Fung  may  as  well  try  to  join  the 
hare  in  the  moon  as  hope  to  raise  the  veils  of  my 
daughters.  So  if  these  young  men  represent  them 
they  had  better  be  off  at  once  and  take  their  rubbish 
with  them." 

This  was  more  than  Ma's  irascible  nature  was  able 
to  endure,  and  raising  his  hand  to  strike,  he  rushed 


"Mrs  Ala  stood  ready  for  the  assault." 

at  his  wife.  Fortunately  his  servants  were  near 
enough  to  intervene,  and  an  exchange  of  blows — for 
Mrs  Ma  had  seized  a  flute  from  an  amazed  musician, 
and  stood  ready  for  the  assault — was  for  the  moment 
averted.  Foiled  in  finding  the  natural  outlet  for  his 
rage,  Ma,  with  as  wild  gesticulations  as  were  possible 
with  a  man  holding  each  arm  and  a  third  dragging 
at  his  skirts,  shouted  orders  to  his  servants  to  turn 


98  CHINESE   STOEIES. 

Yang's  and  Le's  squires,  with  their  presents,  out  into 
the  street.  With  equal  vehemence  Mrs  Ma  invoked 
the  direst  misfortunes  and  deepest  curses  on  the  head 
of  any  one  who  ventured  to  lay  hands  on  them,  and 
at  the  same  time  called  on  her  partisans  to  throw  the 
other  people  and  their  gifts  out  of  doors.  The  hubbub 
thus  created  was  aggravated  by  the  incursion  of  idlers 
from  the  street,  some  of  whom  presently  took  sides, 
as  the  squires  and  their  followers  showed  signs  of 
acting  on  the  taunts  and  adjurations  of  Ma  and  his 
wife.  From  words  the  adverse  hosts  speedily  came 
to  blows,  and  a  scene  of  indescribable  confusion  en- 
sued. The  presents,  which  had  made  such  a  goodly 
show  but  a,  few  minutes  before,  were  broken  to  pieces 
and  scattered  over  the  courtyard  ;  while  the  eight 
geese,  with  outstretched  wings  and  wild  cacklings, 
flew,  seeking  places  of  refuge.  With  impartial  wis- 
dom the  servants  of  the  house,  aided  by  some  unbi- 
assed onlookers,  threw  their  weight  on  the  combatants 
in  the  direction  of  the  door.  By  this  manoeuvre  the 
courtyard  was  gradually  cleared,  and  eventually  the 
front  gates  were  closed  on  the  surging  fighting 
crowd,  which  was  dispersed  only  when  some  few  of 
the  ringleaders  had  been  carried  off  to  the  magistrate's 
yamun. 

As  ,i  neighbour  and  an  acquaintance  of  Ma,  I 
thought  it  best,  on  being  informed  of  what  had  taken 
place,  to  call  in  to  see  if  I  could  be  of  any  use.  I 
had  some  difficulty  in  getting  inside  the  front  gates; 
I  nit  when  I  did,  a  scene  of  confusion  presented  itself 
such  as  I  have  never  seen  equalled.  The  courtyard 
was   covered   with    debris,  as  though   some   typhoon 


THE    TWINS.  99 

had  been  creating  havoc  in  an  upholsterer's  shop ; 
while  in  the  audience-hall  Ma  was  inflicting  chastise- 
ment on  his  wife  with  a  mulberry-twig,  which  he  had 
evidently  torn  from  the  tree  at  hand  in  the  yard.  I 
was  fortunately  in  time  to  prevent  the  punishment 
becoming  severe,  though  at  the  time  I  could  not  but 
feel  that  Mrs  Ma's  conduct  was  of  a  kind  which  could 
only  be  adequately  punished  by  corporal  chastisement. 

As  a  husband  and  a  Confucianist,  I  deprecate  the 
use  of  the  rod  towards  a  wife  except  in  extreme  cases. 
There  are,  however,  some  women  whose  intellects  are 
so  small  and  their  obstinacy  so  great  that  reasoning 
is  thrown  away  upon  them.  They  have  nothing  to 
which  one  can  appeal  by  argument ;  and  with  such 
persons  bodily  fear  is  the  only  fulcrum  on  which  it  is 
possible  to  rest  a  lever  to  move  them.  From  all  I 
hear,  Mrs  Ma  is  a  typical  specimen  of  this  class.  She 
prides  herself  on  her  obstinacy,  which  she  regards  as 
a  token  of  a  strong  mind,  and  she  is  utterly  destitute 
of  that  intelligence  which  should  make  her  aware  of 
the  misery  and  discomfort  it  causes  to  those  about 
her.  No  camel  is  more  obstinate  and  no  donkey 
more  stupid  than  she. 

But  while  quite  recognising  this,  I  could  not  but  feel 
some  compassion  for  her,  as,  weeping  and  dishevelled, 
she  escaped  from  the  hall  when  I  succeeded  in  releas- 
ing her  from  her  husband's  wrath.  At  first  Ma's  fury 
was  so  uncontrollable  that  I  could  do  nothing  with 
him  ;  but  gradually  he  quieted  down,  and,  acting  on 
my  advice,  went  over  to  his  friend  Ting  to  consult  as 
to  what  should  be  done  in  the  very  unpleasant  cir- 
cumstances in  which   he  was  placed.      It  was  plain 


100  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

thai  some  decided  step  would  have  to  be  taken,  as 
il,t.  arresl  of  some  of  the  rioters  had  brought  the 
whole  affair  within  the  cognisance  of  the  mandarins, 
and  it  is  always  best  in  such  matters  to  be  the  one 
to  tli row  tlif  first  stone.  After  much  discussion  it 
was,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  decided  that  Ma  should 
present  a  petition  to  the  prefect,  praying  him,  in  the 
inter*  si  of  marital  authority  and  social  order,  to  com- 
mand the  fulfilment  of  the  contract  entered  into  by 
the  petitioner  with  Fung  and  Tsai. 

On  the  following  morning  Ma,  in  pursuance  of 
this  arrangement,  presented  himself  at  the  prefect's 
ya  in  u  a,  and,  after  having  paid  handsome  douceurs  to 
the  doorkeeper  and  secretary,  was  admitted  into  the 
august  presence  of  his  Excellency  Lo.  Having  only 
lately  arrived  in  the  prefecture,  Lo's  appearance  had 
been  hitherto  unknown  to  Ma,  who  was  much  awed 
and  impressed  by  the  dignified  airs  and  grand  ways 
of  his  Excellency.  A  man  severe  he  is  and  stern  to 
view,  and  yet  beneath  his  outward  seeming  there  is 
a  strong  undercurrent  of  human  nature,  held  in  check, 
it  is  true,  by  the  paralysing  effect  of  our  educational 
system,  but  still  capable  of  being  aroused  and  worked 
upon  at  times.  As  Ma  knelt  before  him  he  glanced 
down  the  memorial,  and  demanded  a  full  explanation 
of  the  circumstances.  Nothing  loath,  Ma  poured 
forth  bis  version  of  the  story,  in  which  he  by  no 
means  extenuated  his  wife's  conduct,  and  wound  up 
by  emphasising  the  importance  of  cheeking  the  in- 
subordination of  the  women,  which  was  becoming 
only  too  prevalent    in  that  neighbourhood. 

■  You  certainly  bave  made  out  a  primd  facie  case 


THE    TWINS.  101 

for  further  investigation,"  said  the  prefect;  "and 
what  you  say  about  women  is,  to  your  credit,  pre- 
cisely in  accord  with  the  teachings  of  Confucius,  who 
laid  down  that  '  women  should  yield  absolute  obedi- 
ence to  their  husbands,  and  that  beyond  the  threshold 
of  their  apartments  they  should  not  be  known  either 
for  good  or  for  evil.'  I  shall  therefore  summon  your 
wife  to  appear  at  once  before  me  ;  and  meanwhile  you 
may  stand  aside." 

The  summoniuo-  officer  was  not  lono-  in  executing 
his  mission,  and  the  time  had  scarcely  begun  to  hang 
heavily  on  Ma's  hands  when  Mrs  Ma  entered  the 
i/d  in  an.  That  lady  looked  anything  but  comfortable 
when  she  saw  her  husband  talking  with  an  assured 
air  to  the  officers  of  the  court,  and  answered  his 
glance  of  recognition  with  the  kind  of  look  that  a 
house-dog;  gives  a  stranger  cur  when  it  crosses  his 
threshold.  On  learning  that  Mrs  Ma  had  arrived, 
the  prefect  at  once  took  his  place  on  the  bench  ;  and 
as  both  disputants  fell  on  their  knees  in  the  court- 
yard, he  ordered  Mrs  Ma  to  explain  her  conduct  in 
disobeying  the  commands  of  her  husband. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency,"  she  began,  "  I 
am  a  poor  ignorant  woman." 

"  So  far  I  am  with  you,"  said  the  prefect ;  "  but  go 
on  with  your  story." 

"And,  your  Excellency,  I  have  always  tried  to  do 
my  duty  by  my  husband  and  children." 

"  That  is  not  the  point.  Tell  me  why,  when  your 
husband  had  forbidden  you  to  interfere  in  the  matter 
of  the  marriage  of  your  daughters,  you  persisted  in 
doing;  so." 


1  HI'  CHINESE   STORIES. 

••  May  it  please  your  Excellency,  nry  great-grand- 
mother  " 

••  ( >li.  may  curses  resl  on  your  great-grandmother  !" 
shouted  the  prefect,  losing  patience.  "Speak  to  the 
matter  in  hand  or  you  shall  be  flogged." 

"  I  was  only  going  to  explain,  your  Excellency."' 

••  \o\\  lake  care  what  you  are  saying." 

"It  is  true  my  husband  told  me  that  he  would 
arrange  our  daughters'  marriages,  but  I  knew  that 
anything  he  touched  he  marred,  and  I  thought,  there- 
fore, thai  as  1  had  always  been  told,  at  least  by  my 
greal  A  warning  glance  from  the  prefect  here 
checked  her  eloquence,  and  she  went  on — "I  have 
ahvavs  learned  that  the  marriage  of  a  daughter  is  the 
particular  province  of  her  mother.  I  should  never 
have  dreamed,  your  Excellency,  of  interfering  if  it 
had  been  our  son's  marriage.  Not  that  we  have  a 
son,  your  Excellency,  though  many  is  the  time  I 
have  been  to  the  temple  of  Kwanyin  to  pray  for  one ; 
and  as  to  money,  your  Excellency " 

"  Bring  a  one-inch  bamboo,"  said  the  prefect  to  one 
of  the  lictors. 

"Oh,  please  spare  me,  your  Excellency,  and  1  will 
say  anything  you  wish  !" 

"All  I  want  is  that  you  should  tell  the  truth  and 
speak  only  the  record.  Do  this,  and  I  will  listen  ;  lie 
or  wander,  and  I  shall  nog  you." 

••  Well  then,  your  Excellency,  I  found  also  that  the 
two  young  men  selected  by  my  husband  were  in  no 
way  proper  matches  for  my  daughters,  who  are  very 
beautiful.  One  of  these  wretched  youths  is  blind  in 
one  eye,  and  the  other  has  one  leg  shorter  than  its 


THE    TWINS.  103 

fellow.  In  these  circumstances  I  took  the  matter  in 
hand,  and  discovered  two  veritable  dragons,  who  were 
yearning  to  link  their  fate  with  the  pair  of  phoenixes 
who  rest  beneath,  my  humble  roof.  As  destiny  de- 
creed, my  husband's  cripples  sent  their  betrothal 
presents  at  the  same  moment  that  Messrs  Yang  and 
Le  sent  theirs.  Upon  this  my  husband  gave  way 
to  wild  fury,  broke  the  presents  to  atoms,  beat  the 
servants,  and  flogged  your  humble  servant  until  she 
was  one  mass  of  bruises." 

"Is  it  true  that  these  proteges  of  yours  are  as  your 
wife  describes  them  ?  "  asked  the  prefect  of  Ma. 

"  No,  your  Excellency  ;  she  has  grossly  exaggerated 
their  defects.  It  is  true  that  the  sight  of  one  of 
Fung's  eyes  is  partially  affected,  and  that  Tsai's  legs 
are  not  quite  of  an  equal  length,  but  the  difference 
between  them  is  so  slight  that  it  is  outwardly  invis- 
ible, and  is  only  perceptible  if  he  walks  over  a  wooden 
floor,  when  there  is  a  slightly  hop-and-go-one  sound 
about  his  steps.  But,  your  Excellency,  she  would 
have  been  wise  to  have  remembered  the  proverb, 
'Don't  laugh  at  your  neighbours  wart  when  your 
own  throat  is  disfigured  by  a  wen  ; '  for  it  is  as  well 
known  as  that  your  Excellency  is  the  quintessence  of 
wisdom,  that  Yang  is  only,  as  we  people  say,  nine 
parts  of  a  whole ;  and  as  for  young  Le,  he  bears  so 
evil  a  reputation  that  no  respectable  citizen  will  allow 
him  to  enter  his  doors." 

"  Well,  if  this  were  a  matter  which  only  concerned 
you  two,  I  should  not  trouble  myself  further  about 
it,  for  you  are  a  pair  of  the  simplest  of  simpletons ; 
but  as  your  daughters'  interests  are  at  stake,  I  have 


104  CHINESE    STORIES. 

thought  it  right  to  send  for  them,  that  I  may  find 
ou1   what  they  feel  on  the  subject." 

At  this  moment  the  twins  entered  the  court,  and 
advanced  with  graceful  modesty,  swaying  from  side 
to  side  like  tender  shrubs  gently  moved  by  a  passing 
breeze.  Never  had  they  looked  more  lovely;  their 
jade-like  complexions,  exquisite  features,  and  lustrous 
eyes  lent  so  ethereal  a  beauty  to  their  budding 
womanhood  that  they  seemed  more  than  mortal. 
With  the  winsomesl  mien,  and  wielding  their  fans 
as  only  Chinese  women  can,  they  bowed  low  before 
the  prefect,  and  then  stood  awaiting  his  orders.  The 
poor  man  gazed  on  them  as  a  man  gazes  on  spirits 
from  the  other  world.  He  had  looked  up  as  they 
entered,  expecting  to  see  in  tliem  repetitions  of  their 
vulgar-looking  parents;  but  to  his  unutterable  sur- 
prise they  stood  before  him  resplendent  as  the  moon 
on  the  fourteenth  night,  and  as  fascinating  as  fairies. 
As  it  happened,  they  had  just  arrayed  themselves 
in  their  most  becoming  costumes  in  expectation 
of  a  visit  from  Tsin  and  Te,  when  the  prefect's 
summons  came.  Every  charm,  therefore,  which  per- 
sonal adornment  could  add  to  their  natural  beauty 
was  present  with  them,  and  the  picture  they  made 
as  they  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  courtyard  was 
one  which  struck  the  spectators  dumb  with  astonish- 
ment. The  prefect  dropped  his  pencil,  and  seemed 
quite  to  forget  that  anything  was  expected  of  him; 
and  for  the  moment  no  one,  except  the  twins  and 
their  parents,  did  expect  anything  from  him;  for 
one  and  all — secretaries,  ting-chais,  lictors,  and  clerks 

were  so  ravished  by  the  sight,  that  all  conscious- 


THE    TWINS.  105 

ness  of  the  fitness  of  things  was  lost  to  view.  After 
some  moments  of  silence,  which  seemed  to  the  twins 
like  so  many  hours,  the  prefect  awoke  from  his  rapt 
astonishment,  and  said — 

"  Are  yon  really  the  daughters  of  these  people 
before  me  ?  Is  it  possible  that  nature  should  have 
played  such  a  trick,  and  should  have  moulded  you 
in  manners  as  in  shape,  in  blood  and  in  virtue,  on  a 
model  as  widely  separated  from  your  parents  as  earth 
is  from  heaven  ? " 

"May  it  please  your  Excellency,"  replied  Daffodil, 
in  a  low  and  nervous  tone,  "  we  are  the  children — the 
only  children — of  these  our  parents." 

"  Come  nearer,"  rejoined  the  prefect,  in  a  voice 
that  had  no  stern  judicial  ring  about  it,  "and  speak 
without  reserve  to  me ;  for  if  I  do  not  espouse  your 
cause  and  shield  you  from  wrong,  may  my  father's 
ashes  be  scattered  to  the  wind,  and  my  mother's  grave 
be  dishonoured.  Tell  me,  now,  have  you  any  desire 
to  marry  any  of  the  four  suitors  your  father  and 
mother  have  provided  for  you  ?  and  if  you  have,  tell 
me  to  which  you  incline." 

"  We  know  nothing  of  these  young  men,  your 
Excellency,"  said  Daffodil. 

"  Well,  when  you  hear  that,  according  to  your 
parents'  description,  one  is  blind,  another  lame,  a 
third  silly,  and  the  fourth  wicked,  I  should  hardly 
expect  that  you  would  care  to  make  their  acquaint- 
ance. However,  as  they  are  in  attendance  I  shall 
have  them  in,  that  you  may  see  wdiat  manner  of  men 
they  are."  Turning  to  an  officer,  he  added,  "  Send  in 
the  four  suitors  in  this  case." 


10G 


(HINKSH    STORIES. 


As  the  young  men  entered,  all  eyes  were  turned 
towards  them,  and  certainly  a  sorrier  quartet  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find 
anywhere.  Their 
natural  failings  fully 
justified  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  them 
by  Ma  and  his  wife, 
and  were  in  this 
instance  exaggerated 


by  the  consci- 
ousness of  the 
ordeal  they 
were  called 
upon  to  under- 
go. The  pre- 
fect looked 
at  them  with 
surprise  and 
disgust;  and 
the  twins,  who 

held  Tsin  and  Te  as  their  models,  regarded  them  with 

honor  from  behind  their  fans. 

■  Well  ?"  said   the  prefect,  turning  to  Daffodil  and 

( '<>ii\  olvulus. 

"Oh,  your  Excellency!"  plaintively  ejaculated  the 

i  wins  in  one  breal  h. 


A  sorrier  quartet  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.' 


THE    TWINS.  107 

"  I  quite  understand  you,  and  your  verdict  is 
exactly  what  I  should  have  expected ;  and  since  it 
is  plain  to  me, — come  a  little  nearer;  I  fear  you 
cannot  hear  what  I  say, — that  your  parents  are  as 
incapable  of  understanding  your  value  as  monkeys 
are  of  appraising  the  price  of  apple-green  jade,  I  shall 
take  on  myself  the  matter  of  your  marriages.  Are 
not  prefects  '  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  people  '  ? 
and  if  so,  then  I  am  both  your  father  and  your 
mother.  Put  yourselves  into  my  hands,  then.  Trust 
in  me;  and  if  I  do  not  do  the  best  I  can  for  you, 
may  I  die  childless,  and  may  beggars  worship  at  my 
tomb  ! " 

"  How  can  we  thank  you,"  said  Daffodil,  who  was 
always  readiest  with  her  words,  "for  your  boundless 
condescension  and  infinite  kindness  towards  your 
handmaidens  ?  May  your  Excellency  live  for  ten 
thousand  years,  and  may  descendants  of  countless 
generations  cheer  your  old  age  ! " 

"  Thank  you  for  your  good  wishes,"  said  the  pre- 
fect. "  I  must  take  time  to  consider  the  course  I 
shall  pursue,  and  will  let  you  know  the  result."  Then 
turning  to  Ma  and  his  wife,  he  said  in  quite  another 
tone — "Take  your  daughters  home,  and  do  not  venture 
to  make  any  arrangements  for  their  future  until  you 
hear  from  me." 

So  saying  he  rose,  but,  contrary  to  his  usual  habit, 
waited  to  arrange  his  papers  until  the  sylph  -  like 
forms  of  the  twins  had  disappeared  through  the 
folding-doors,  when  he  retired  precipitately. 

The  next  morning  Ma  was  surprised  by  a  visit  from 
the  prefect,  who  had  found  it  necessary,  he  said,  to 


108  CHINESE    STORIES. 

inform  the  twins  in  person  of  his  intentions  towards 
them.  I  [aving  greeted  his  wards  with  all  the  affection 
of  a  guardian,  he  said — ■ 

"On  thinking  over  the  matter  of  your  marriages, 
I  have  determined  to  hold  an  examination  preliminary 
to  the  coming  official  examination,  and  I  propose  to 
offer  you  as  the  prizes  to  be  awarded  to  the  two 
scholars  who  shall  come  out  at  the  top  of  the  list. 
In  this  way  we  shall  have  at  least  a  guarantee  that 
your  husbands  will  be  learned,  and  likely  to  gain 
distinction  in  official  life/' 

"  But  suppose,"  put  in  Convolvulus  timidly,  "  they 
should  be  married  men  ?  " 

"  Ah,  I  never  thought  of  that ! "  said  the  prefect, 
laughing.  "Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do.  It 
happens  that  a  hunter  brought  me  in  this  morning 
a  brace  of  the  most  beautiful  gazelles,  and  these  I 
will  give  to  the  two  top  married  men,  as  dim  and 
bleared  emblems  of  the  still  more  lovely  creatures 
which  will  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  two  successful 
bachelors." 

The  prefect  accompanied  his  remark  with  a  smile 
and  bow  which  added  another  tinge  of  colour  to 
the  blushes  which  had  already  suffused  the  brilliant 
cheeks  of  the  twins,  whose  modest  confusion  had 
scarcely  subsided  when  he  took  his  departure. 

The  appearance,  two  or  three  days  after  this  inter- 
view, of  a  semi-official  proclamation  announcing  the 
examination  and  specifying  the  prizes  in  store  for  the 
winners,  produced  the  wildest  excitement  in  the 
town.      The    proceedings     before    the    prefect    had 


THE    TWINS.  109 

become  notorious,  and  the  rare  beauty  of  the  twins 
was,  if  possible,  exaggerated  by  the  thousand- tongued 
rumours  which  spread  of  their  exceeding  loveliness. 
To  Daffodil  the  ordeal  suggested  no  uneasiness.  For, 
feeling  confident  of  the  surpassing  talent  of  Tsin,  she 
entertained  no  doubt  that  he  would  come  out  first 
upon  the  list.  But  with  Convolvulus  the  case  was 
different ;  for,  though  devotedly  attached  to  Te,  she 
had  wit  enough  to  recognise  that  his  literary  talents 
were  not  on  a  par  with  his  distinguished  appearance. 
The  uneasiness  she  thus  felt  found  vent  in  words  at 
one  of  the  stolen  interviews  in  the  arbour,  and  Te 
frankly  admitted  that  he  had  been  tortured  by  the 
same  misgiving. 

o  o 

"  If  I  could  only  dive  into  the  prefect's  mind,"  he 
said,  "  and  find  out  what  themes  he  has  chosen  for 
the  two  essays,  I  should  have  no  fear." 

These  words  sank  deep  into  Convolvulus's  soul,  and 
in  a  conversation  with  Daffodil,  in  which  she  ex- 
pressed her  fears  for  Te,  she  repeated  what  he  had 
said,  adding — 

"  Do  you  think  that  we  could  worm  out  of  the 
prefect  something  about  the  themes  he  is  going  to 
set  ? " 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  we  might  try,"  replied  her 
sympathetic  sister.  "  The  best  plan  would  be,  I 
think,  that  we  should  express  in  a  casual  way  a  lik- 
ing for  some  classical  piece,  and  it  is  possible  that  to 
pay  us  a  compliment  he  might  be  kind  enough  to 
choose  the  themes  out  of  it.  For,  dear  old  man,  I 
saw  from  behind  my  fan  a  look  in  his  eyes  when  he 
made  us  that  pretty  speech  the  other  day  that  made 

p 


110  CHINESE    STORIES. 

#ne  think  of  mother's  saying,  'Men  propose  and 
women  dispose.'  Only  yesterday  dear  Tsin  taught 
me   a   lovely  ode  out  of  the  'Book  of  Poetry,'  be- 


cnnnmg- 


■  See  where  before  you  gleams  the  foaming  tide 
(  If  Tsin  and  Wei  down-sweeping  in  their  pride.' 

1 1  was  so  pretty  of  him  to  choose  an  ode  in  which  his 
own  dear  name  occurs,  was  it  not  ?  Now,  don't  you 
think  that  in  the  letter  we  have  to  write  to  the  pre- 
fect to-day  about  the  copy  of  the  proclamation  he 
-cut  us,  we  might  put  in  a  quotation  from  this  ode? 
1 1  would  at  least  please  him,  for  I  know  he  is  fond  of 
poel  rv.  and  it  is  possible  that  it  might  draw  a  remark 
from  him  which  we  may  turn  to  account.  It  is  full 
of  lines  which  would  make  capital  themes." 

"  Oh,  Daffodil,  how  clever  you  are  !  If  you  and 
Tsin  have  sons  they  will  all,  I  am  sure,  be  Chivang- 
yuen}  Your  device  is  excellent.  Let  us  set  to  work 
at  once  to  compose  the  letter." 

So  down  they  sat  to  the  task,  and  after  much  cog- 
ii.it ion,  Daffodil  drafted  the  following:— 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency, — Your  humble 
servants  on  their  knees  have  received  the  jade-like 
epistle  and  proclamation  which  you  deigned  to  send 
them.  With  rapture  they  have  admired  the  pearl- 
like style  of  your  brilliant  pencil,  and  with  endless 
gratitude  they  recognise  your  kindness  and  bounty, 
which  are  as  wide  and  far-reaching  as  'the  gardens 
beyond  the  Wei'  described  in  the  'Book  of  Poetry.' ' 
"  Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that?"  said  Daffodil, 

1  The  title  of  the  senior  wrangler  of  the  empire. 


THE    TWINS.  Ill 

as  she  put  down  her  pencil,  "/think  it  is  neat.  It 
brings  in  the  reference  to  the  ode  without  any  seem- 
ing effort,  and  will,  if  I  mistake  not,  tickle  our  friend's 
fancy  for  classical  quotations." 

"  Oh,  it  is  excellent,"  said  Convolvulus.  "  With 
the  twig  so  cleverly  limed,  I  feel  sure  we  shall  catch 
our  bird." 

And  the  results  proved  Convolvulus  to  be  right ; 
for  on  the  following  day  the  prefect  called  again,  and 
in  conversation  with  the  twins,  with  whom  he  had 
now  grown  familiar,  he  remarked — 

"  So  I  see  you  have  read  the  '  Book  of  Poetry.' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Convolvulus  ;  "  and  it  was  such  a  pleas- 
ure to  be  able  to  quote  our  favourite  ode  in  writing 
to  our  dearest  friend." 

The  prefect,  touched  and  pleased  at  this  artless 
expression  of  regard,  rejoined — 

"  It  so  happens  that  that  is  one  of  my  favourite 
odes  also.  The  description,"  added  he,  waxing  en- 
thusiastic, "of  the  wide -sweeping  rivers,  and  the 
lovely  gardens,  with  the  admixture  of  human  inter- 
ests in  the  mention  of  lovers  toying  beneath  the 
shade,  presents  to  my  mind  a  picture  which  is  liter- 
ally laden  with  beauty  and  delight." 

"  Though,  of  course,  I  am  quite  incapable  of  under- 
standing all  that  you  mean,  it  has  occurred  to  me  in 
reading  the  ode,"  replied  Daffodil,  "  that  every  line  is 
like  a  seed  of  corn,  which,  if  properly  treated,  may  be 
made  to  bring  forth  rich  literary  fruit." 

"  I  cannot  help  thinking,  Miss  Daffodil,"  said  the 
prefect,  "  that  if  you  were  to  enter  the  lists  at  the 
examination  you  would  probably  win  yourself." 


1  1 11  CHINESE   STORIES. 

■■  What  a  barren  triumph  it  would  be  !"  said  Daffo- 
dil. Laughing.  "But  if  I  competed  at  all,"  she  added, 
"  I  should  insist  on  your  taking  this  ode  as  our  text, 
and  then  I  should  reproduce  the  ideas  you  have  just 
given  us.  and  win  the  prize." 

"Well,  I  tell  you  what  I  will  do  if  you  will  keep 
my  secret,"  said  he.  "1  will  give  the  themes  from 
this  ode.  and  then  you  and  your  sister  will  be  able  to 
judge  whether  the  winners  deserve  the  prizes.  But 
what  is  the  matter  with  your  sister?" 

This  exclamation  was  caused  by  Convolvulus  drop- 
ping her  teacup  on  to  the  floor  and  breaking  out  into 
hysterical  sobbing. 

'"  <  >h,  she  is  rather  subject  to  these  attacks  at  this 
time  of  the  year,"  said  Daffodil,  running  to  her  side. 
•  Will  vim  excuse  my  attending;  to  her?" 

"  Oh,  don't  think  of  me  for  a  moment.  Please  look 
after  your  sister.  I  will  go  oft'  at  once,  and  shall  send 
over  in  the  afternoon  to  inquire  how  she  is." 

As  the  door  closed  on  the  prefect,  Convolvulus 
sobbed  out:  "  Oh,  how  stupid  I  have  been!  But  I 
could  not  help  it.     Dear  Te  is  now  safe." 

That  afternoon  there  were  great  rejoicings  in  the 
summer-house,  and  Daffodil's  finesse  was  eulogised  in 
terms  which  loan  unprejudiced  observer  might  have 
seemed  adulatory.  And  it  was  generally  agreed  be- 
tween the  four  lovers  that  by  steady  application  dur- 
ing the  month  which  intervened  before  the  examina- 
tion, Te  might,  easily  make  himself  so  completely 
master  of  all  that  had  been  written  on  the  ode  in 
question  that  he  could  not  fail  to  succeed.  With 
ready  zeal,  on  the  very  next  morning  he  set  to  work 


THE    TWINS.  113 

at  the  commentaries,  and  beginning  with  Mao's,  he 
waded  carefully  through  the  writings  of  every  weighty 
critic  down  to  the  present  time.  In  the  intervals  of 
leisure  he  practised  essay-writing  under  the  guidance 
of  Tsin,  and  made  such  progress  that  Convolvulus 
was  in  raptures ;  and  even  Daffodil,  reflecting  the 
opinion  of  Tsin,  was  loud  in  her  praises  of  his  dili- 
gence and  success. 

At  last  the  examination  day  arrived,  and  armed 
with  the  good  wishes  and  benedictions  of  the  twins, 
the  two  friends  betook  themselves  to  the  prefect's 
yarnun.  On  entering  the  courtyard  they  found  that 
rows  of  tables,  separated  by  temporary  partitions  on 
the  sides  and  at  the  back,  were  ranged  in  the  usually 
empty  space.  At  the  door  was  a  secretary  —  a 
stranger — who  gave  to  each  a  numbered  ticket,  and 
inscribed  their  names  on  a  register ;  while  another 
official  allotted  to  each  a  table,  and  distributed  paper, 
ink,  and  pencils.  In  their  impatient  anxiety  our  two 
heroes  had  come  early ;  but  from  the  noise  and  ex- 
citement which  began  immediately  to  echo  on  every 
side  of  them,  it  was  plain  that  there  were  very  many 
others  who  were  minded  to  be  in  good  time  also.  At 
length,  when  every  table  was  full,  and  every  ticket 
given  away,  a  drum  was  sounded,  the  folding-doors 
were  closed,  and  the  competitors  were  cut  off  from 
the  outer  world  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  Presently 
the  prefect  entered  at  the  upper  end  of  the  hall,  and 
having  taken  his  seat  on  a  raised  dais,  thus  addressed 
the  assembled  scholars  : — • 

"  You  are  all  doubtless  aware  of  the  unusual  cir- 
cumstances under  which  I  am  holding  this  examina- 


Ill  CHIXESE    STORIES. 

t ion.  and  I  take  il  for  granted  that  you  are  cognisant 
of  the  prizes  which  are  to  be  won  by  the  two  most 
successful  competitors."  .Many  an  eye  sparkled  at 
this  reference  to  the  twins.  "The  two  themes  on 
which  I  shall  ask-  you  to  write  as  many  essays  are 
taken  from  the  ode  of  the  'Book  of  Poetry,'  entitled 
'  The  Tsin  and  the  Wei.3 "  Here  Te  gave  a  great  sigh 
of  relief.  "  The  first  consists  of  the  two  opening 
lines — 

-  See  where  before  you  gleams  the  foaming  tide 
i  If  Tsin  and  Wei  down-sweeping  in  their  pride;' 

and  the  second,  of  what  I  may  call  the  refrain  of  the 
od<  — 

'  Beyond  the  watery  waste  of  mighty  Wei 
There  blooms  a  garden  rich  in  blossoms  gay, 
Where  lads  and  lasses  toy  in  shady  bowers, 
And  pelt  each  other  with  soft-scented  flowers.' 

You  will  have  observed  that  a  secretary,  who  has  been 
kindly  lent  me  for  the  occasion  by  the  Viceroy  of 
the  province,  took  down  your  names  at  the  door, 
placing  them  on  his  scroll  opposite  the  numbers  cor- 
responding with  those  on  your  tickets.  Having  fin- 
ished your  essays,  you  will  be  good  enough  to  sign  at 
the  foot  of  each  the  number  on  your  tickets — not  your 
nanus.  After  the  papers  have  been  examined,  and 
the  order  of  merit  arranged,  this  sealed  envelope 
which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  and  which  contains  the 
secretary's  scroll,  will  be  opened,  and  the  names  of 
the  winners  ascertained  and  announced.  As  the  task 
of  going  over  the  essays  will  be  a  long  one,  I  propose 
to  proclaim  the  award  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  present 
month  at  noon.      And  now  to  your  tasks.     The  prizes 


THE    TWINS. 


1 1;, 


"  Oh,  there  is  Te  I  " 


offered  you  are  well  worth  a  struggle,  and  I  cannot 
imagine  any  objects  more  calculated  to  stir  the  blood 
and  fire  the  imaginations 
of  young  men  like  your- 
selves than  the  lovely 
daughters  of  Ma." 

When  the  students  had 
settled  down  to  their  work, 
the  prefect,  acting  on  a 
sudden  impulse,  sent  to 
invite  the  twins  to  look 
down  at  the  competitors 
from  the  latticed  gallery 
which  ran  along  one  side 
of  the  courtyard.  Such 
an  opportunity  of  look- 
ing down  upon  five  hundred  possible  husbands  was 
not  to  be  lost,  and  as  quickly  as  their  chair  coolies 
could  carry  them  they  presented 
themselves  at  the  door  of  the 
private  apartments.  The  pre- 
fect, who  had  grown  quite  alert 
when  Daffodil  and  her  sister 
were  in  question,  snatched  a 
moment  from  his  duties  in  the 
hall  to  escort  them  to  the  gal- 
S^(LL^2  PP^  lery.     Once   alone  they  eagerly 

IP'  scanned    the    five    hundred    for 

"Te  is  in  difficulties."       tne  lineaments  of  their  lovers. 
"  Oh,     there     is     Te  !  "     said 
Daffodil.     "I  know  him  by  the  lie  of  his  pigtail." 
"  Where  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Convolvulus,  seeing 


116  CHINESE    STORIES. 

thai  her  sister  was  looking  in  quite  another  direction 
to  tlic  one  in  which  her  eyes  had  been  riveted  for 
some  minutes. 

"  In  the  front  row,  and  about  the  tenth  from  this 
end." 

•■  Why,  you  silly  thing,  there  the  dear  fellow  is, 
sitting  in  the  fourth  row,  with  his  sleeves  tucked  up 
and  his  spectacles  on." 

"Well,  then,  all  I  can  say  is,  that  there  is  another 
young  man  with  a  pigtail  exactly  like  Te's.  Do  you 
sec  Tsiu  '.  "  she  added,  after  a  pause.  "He  is  writing 
as  though  his  life  depended  on  it,  and  smiling  at 
times  as  though  some  happy  thoughts  were  crossing 
his  mind." 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Convolvulus  presently,  "  Te  is  in 
difficulties.  He  is  biting  the  end  of  his  pencil,  as  he 
always  does  when  he  is  stranded  for  want  of  matter. 
I  wish  I  were  by  him  to  encourage  him." 

"  I  don't  think  your  presence  would  be  likely 
to  add  much  to  the  concentration  of  his  thoughts," 
remarked  her  sister. 

'•Oh,  there,  lie  is  off  again!  I  wonder  what 
thought  suggested  itself  to  him  at  that  moment. 
Do  you  know,  I  sometimes  think  that  Te  and  I  are 
able  to  communicate  mentally  by  speechless  messages, 
for  I  have  several  titties  found  that  we  have  both  been 
thinking  of  the  same  thing  at  the  same  moment." 

"Oh,  wonderful,  wonderful,  wonderful!  But  now 
we  must  be  going,  or  those  men  near  us  will  hear  us 
chattering."  So  sending  a,  dutiful  farewell  to  the  pre- 
fect,  they  returned  home  to  await  the  arrival  of  their 
lovers,  who  had  promised  to  report  progress  after  the 


"THEY    LEANED    OVER    TO    GREET    THEIR    LOVERS."— Page  116. 


THE    TWINS.  117 

labours  of  the  day.  As  the  shades  of  evening  fell,  the 
sound  of  well-known  footsteps  brought  the  sisters  to 
the  balcony  of  the  summer-house,  and  as  they  leaned 
over  to  greet  their  lovers,  the  young  men  instinctively 
paused  to  admire  the  beauty  of  the  picture  they  made. 
Their  light  and  graceful  forms,  clothed  with  all  the 
taste  and  brilliancy  of  richly  embroidered  robes,  and 
their  exquisite  features  lit  up  with  pleasure  and  ex- 
pectancy, presented  a  foreground  which  found  fitting 
surroundings  in  the  quaint  carving  of  the  arbour  and 
the  masses  of  wistaria -blossom,  which  drooped  like 
bunches  of  grapes  from  the  eaves  and  every  coign  of 
vantage. 

"  Well  ?  "  they  asked. 

"Good  news,"  was  the  answer.  "The  prefect  was 
as  good  as  his  word,  and  everything  turned  out  ex- 
actly as  we  had  expected." 

"  That  is  capital.  But  we  were  sorry  you  did  not 
sit  together,"  said  Daffodil. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  we  did  not  ? "  said  Tsin, 
with  surprise. 

"And  why,  Te,  did  you  tuck  up  your  sleeves,  as 
though  you  were  going  to  contend  with  a  sword, 
rather  than  with  a  pen  ?  "  said  Convolvulus. 

"  Now,  who  told  you  that  I  tucked  up  my  sleeves  ? 
Confess,  or  111 " 

"  Oh,  what  a  pair  of  unsympathetic  mortals  you 
are  !  "  broke  in  Daffodil,  who  was  too  happy  to  be 
silent.  "  There  were  we  looking  down  upon  you  from 
the  latticed  gallery,  and  you  were  no  more  conscious 
of  our  presence  than  if  you  had  been  made  of  stone." 

"And,    Te,  dear,"  said    Convolvulus,   "once  when 

Q 


118  CHINESE    STORIES. 

your  ideas  had  evidently  forsaken  you,  I  longed  to  be 
al  your  side  to  help  you  out.  And  I  think  my  long- 
inu'  wish  must  have  been  of  some  use,  for  almost  im- 
mediately yon  se1  i"  work  again." 

"  Let  us  go  for  a  stroll  in  the  garden,  and  we  will 
talk  it  all  over,"  was  the  reply  of  the  enamoured  Te. 

The  ten  days  which  'elapsed  between  the  exam- 
ination and  the  announcement  of  the  results  passed 
slowly  with  Tsin  and  Te,  and  were  mainly  occupied 
in  going  over  each  point  they  had  made  and  each 
opportunity  they  had  missed.  In  the  preliminary 
studies  Tsin  had  among  other  points  striven  to 
impress  upon  Te  the  importance  of  drawing  a  com- 
parison between  the  effect  of  the  licentious  music  of 
the  state  of  Thing,  as  illustrated  by  the  manners  of 
the  people  described  in  the  ode,  and  that  produced  by 
the  austere  strains  of  Wei.  But  when  the  moment 
came  for  the  use  of  this  comparison,  Te  found  him- 
self hopelessly  confused,  and  ended  by  attributing 
to  the  exceptionally  pure  airs  of  Wei  an  impropriety 
which  bordered  on  grossness. 

The  recollection  of  this  and  other  shortcomings 
weighed  heavily  on  TV's  spirits,  and  tortured  him 
even   in  the  presence  of  his  lady-love. 

■■  I'm t  what  matters  it,"  said  that  young  lady,  "if 
you  do  fail  in  one  direction,  so  long  as  you  make  up 
for  it  in  others  '.     It  is  no  use  making  a  bridge  wider 

O  CD 

t haii  tlie  river." 

'  True,  '  replied  Te  ;  "  but  what  if  an  architect  puts 
his  materials  together  so  badly  that  they  topple  over 
into  t  he  si  ream  ?  " 

'  What  should  you  say  of  an  architect,"  answered 


THE    TWINS.  119 

Convolvulus,  "  who  built  a  good  bridge,  and  could  not 
sleep  of  a  night  if  a  leaf  stirred  for  fear  it  should  be 
blown  down  ? " 

"  Well,  my  eyes  will  not  now  be  long  '  blackened 
with  the  pencil  of  sleeplessness,'  to  use  your  own 
pretty  imagery,"  answered  her  lover.  "  And  I  really 
don't  know  whether  to  wish  that  between  this  and 
the  fifteenth  Time  should  fly  or  move  with  leaden 
feet.  At  all  events,  I  enjoy  your  presence  now,  and 
it  may  be  that  then  it  will  be  lost  to  me  for  ever." 

"  I  should  not  give  up  hope  even  if  you  failed," 
replied  the  cheery  little  Convolvulus.  "  There  are 
more  ways  of  catching  a  bird  than  grasping  his  tail." 

The  intense  anxiety  felt  by  Tsin  and  Te  as  to  their 
success  or  failure  caused  them,  as  perhaps  was  only 
natural,  to  lose  sight,  to  a  certain  extent,  of  the  fact 
that  to  the  young  ladies  there  was  even  more  depend- 
ing on  the  fifteenth  than  to  themselves ;  for,  after  all, 
their  failure  would  only  bring  on  them  a  negative 
misfortune,  while  it  was  within  the  bounds  of  possi- 
bility that  Daffodil  and  Convolvulus  might  find  them- 
selves bound  to  partners  whom  they  loathed.  The 
twins'  interest  in  the  day  was  heightened  by  the 
arrival  of  the  prefect  on  the  afternoon  of  the  four- 
teenth, to  invite  them  to  be  present  on  the  following 
morning. 

"  I  have  arranged,"  said  he,  "  a  pretty  little  alcove 
on  one  side  of  the  hall,  where  you  can  sit  with  your 
mother  and  watch  the  proceedings.  As  you  know, 
I  inserted  a  saving  clause  into  my  proclamation, 
reserving  to  myself  the  right  of  rejecting  any  student 
who  should  appear  physically  unworthy  of  you  ;  and 


120  CHINESE    STORIES. 

it  may  be  that  I  may  wish  to  refer  the  decision  on 
such  a  delicate  point  to  yourselves." 

••  How  thoughtful  you  are,  your  Excellency!  But 
I  am  sure  we  may  trust  you  not  to  give  us  pock- 
marked, bald,  or  stunted  husbands,"  said  Daffodil, 
smiling. 

•■  Now  describe  your  idea  of  what  a  husband  should 
be,"  replied  the  prefect. 

"  First  of  all,  he  must  be  tall,"  answered  Daffodil, 
drawing  a  mental  picture  of  Tsin,  "with  broad 
shoulders  and  an  upright  figure.  He  should  have 
a  well  -  formed  nose,  a  bright  eye,  and  a  glossy 
pigtail." 

"  Just  what  I  used  to  be  in  bygone  days,"  thought 
the  prefect  to  himself.  Somehow1-  lately  he  had  taken 
to  wishing  that  life  was  beginning  with  him  anew, 
and  after  each  interview  with  the  twins  he  had 
returned  to  regard  Madam  Lo's  matronly  figure  with 
increasing  disfavour.  On  this  particular  occasion  he 
was  evidently  bent  on  enjoying  himself,  and  seemed 
disposed  to  reproduce  in  Ma's  garden  the  free  and 
easy  manners  of  the  frequenters  of  the  "shady 
1  lowers"  "beyond  the  watery  waste  of  mighty  Wei." 
Nothing  loath,  the  girls  indulged  his  humour,  and 
when  he  finally  took  his  leave  he  carried  off  with 
him  one  of  Daffodil's  prettily  enamelled  hairpins  and 
( !onvolvulus's  bangle. 

On  the  following  morning  the  town  was  early  astir, 
and  quite  a  crowd  collected  at  Ma's  doorway  to  see 
the  twins  start  for  the  prefect's  yamun.  In  that 
usually  decorous  building  the  scene  was  tumultuous. 
Xoi    only  did  the  five  hundred   competitors   present 


THE    TWINS.  121 

themselves,  but  when  it  became  known  that  the 
beautiful  twins  would  be  present,  nearly  the  whole 
male  population  of  the  town,  including  myself,  poured 
into  the  courtyard.  The  police  and  lictors  had  no 
light  task  in  keeping  order;  and  when  the  twins 
stepped  into  the  alcove  a  rush  was  made  to  that  side 
of  the  courtyard,  which  threatened  to  break  down 
the  barrier  that  enclosed  the  hall.  Even  the  sound- 
ing of  the  drum  and  the  appearance  of  the  prefect 
produced  little  or  no  effect  on  the  disorder  which 
prevailed ;  and  it  was  not  until  two  or  three  of  the 
most  obtrusive  admirers  of  the  two  beauties  had 
been  seized  and  flogged  on  the  spot,  that  sufficient 
silence  was  obtained  to  allow  of  the  opening  of  the 
proceedings. 

"  I  have  read,"  said  the  prefect,  addressing  the 
competitors,  "  with  the  greatest  care  the  essays  which 
you  handed  in  on  the  fifth,  and  after  much  consider- 
ation I  have  selected  two  sets  as  being  the  best  of 
those  contributed  by  bachelors,  and  two  whose 
authors  are  married  men.  As  there  is  less  to  say 
about  the  married  men,  I  will  dispose  of  them  first. 
I  find  that  Ping;  and  Lung-  are  the  winners  in  that 
competition.  Let  Ping  and  Lung  step  forward. 
Your  essays,"  said  the  prefect,  addressing  the  two 
scholars,  "  are  extremely  creditable,  and  I  have  much 
pleasure  in  presenting  you  with  the  gazelles  which 
I  advertised  as  your  reward.  I  am  only  sorry  for 
you  that  they  are  not  the  gazelles  on  my  left  hand," 
pointing  to  the  twins. 

"  Most  cordially  do  we  echo  your  regret,  your 
Excellency,"  said  Ping,  casting  longing  eyes  towards 


122  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  alcove;  "but  failing  those  priceless  prizes,  we 
thank  you  for  the  gifts  you  have  conferred  upon  us. 
'•  Now."'  said  the  prefect,  '"'  I  come  to  the  bachelors." 
At  these  words  there  was  a  movement  and  excite- 
ment in  the  hall,  which  showed  how  deeply  the 
admiration  of  the  competitors  had  been  stirred  by 
the  unparalleled  beauty  of  the  two  sisters.  To  both 
Tsin  and  Te  the  moment  was  one  of  supreme  con- 
cern. Tsin  held  his  breath  and  bit  his  lip,  while  Te 
wrung  his  perfectly  dry  pocket-handkerchief  as  though 
it  had  been  used,  as  well  it  might  have  been,  to  wipe 
the  perspiration  from  off  his  streaming  forehead. 

"  With  regard  to  the  winner  of  the  first  prize,"  he 
added,  "  I  have  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  my 
derision.  Beyond  compare  the  essays  of  Tsin,  in 
whom  I  am  glad  to  recognise  the  son  of  an  old  friend, 
are  infinitely  the  best.  Not  only  do  they  display 
originality  of  thought  and  brilliancy  of  diction,  but 
the  depth  of  the  scholarship  they  manifest  is  per- 
fectly wonderful.  I  could  not  have  believed  that 
any  scholar  could  have  possessed  so  minute  and 
accurate  a  knowledge  of  the  writings  of  the  scholiasts 
of  all  ages.  I  have  known  men  who  have  been 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  critics  of  the  Chow 
dynasty;  others  with  those  of  the  Han  dynasty; 
others,  again,  with  those  of  the  T'ang  dynasty; — but 
never  have  I  met  with  any  who  had  mastered  so 
thoroughly  the  writings  of  all  of  them.     And  it  be- 

c s  almost  bewildering  when  one  thinks  that  his 

knowledge  of  the  scholia  on  every  other  ode  in  the 
'Book  of  Poetry'  is  as  perfeel  as  his  knowledge  of 
the    commentaries    of   this    one.      For   why   should    I 


THE    TWINS.  123 

suppose  that  his  attention  has  been  especially  at- 
tracted to  this  ode  ?  Without  question,  then,  I  give 
the  palm  to  Tsin.  But  with  regard-  to  the  second 
prize  I  confess  to  have  been  in  some  doubt.  How- 
ever, after  mature  consideration,  I  have  determined 
to  award  it  to  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Te." 
Here  Convolvulus,  who  had  been  leaning  forward  to 
catch  every  word,  threw  herself  back  in  her  chair 
with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "The  genius,"'  went  on  the 
prefect,  "  displayed  by  Tsin  is  wanting  here,  and 
there  is  a  lack  of  literary  ease,  and  sometimes  a  con- 
fusion of  thought  which  has  surprised  me  ;  but  at  the 
same  time  I  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that,  like  Tsin, 
Te  possesses  an  extraordinarily  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  ancient  commentators.  His  power  of  quotation 
is  prodigious,  and  it  would  almost  seem  that  he  had 
learnt  the  commentaries  by  heart.  Proof  of  such 
untiring  diligence  and  of  such  a  wonderful  memory 
may  not  be  passed  over,  and  I  therefore  proclaim 
Te  the  winner  of  the  second  prize.  Tsin  and  Te 
stand  forth." 

With  some  trepidation  the  two  young  men  stepped 
forward  and  made  a  profound  bow  to  the  prefect, 
who  rose  and  went  over  to  the  twins. 

"  Do  these  young  men  satisfy  your  requirements, 
young  ladies  ?  "  asked  the  prefect,  smiling  on  them. 

''Exceedingly  well,  your  Excellency,"  said  Daffodil. 

Then  returning  to  his  seat,  the  prefect  continued — 

"  To  you,  0  most  fortunate  Tsin,  the  fates  have 
awarded  the  incomparable  Daffodil ;  while  to  your  lot. 
Te,  falls  the  equally  matchless  Convolvulus.  Ascend 
the  dais  and  let  me  introduce  you  to  your  brides." 


124  CHINESE    STORIES. 

With  alacrity  the  young  men  mounted  the  steps 
and  advanced  towards  the  alcove.  At  the  moment 
thai  they  made  their  bow  and  swore  their  fealty,  the 
band,  which  the  prefect  had  provided  for  the  occa- 
sion, .-truck  up  the  well-known  wedding  air,  "The 
Phoenixes  in  concord  sing,"  and  the  courtyard  rang 
with  the  shouts  of  "Good!"  "good!"  "Very 
aood  !"  "good  !"  "good  !" 

After  a  short  pause,  caused  by  the  difficulty  of 
getting  Ma  and  his  wife  to  their  appointed  places  in 
the  hall,  the  happy  couples  made  obeisance  to  heaven 
and  earth,  and  to  their  parents  ;  and  then,  with  a 
deep  reverence  to  the  prefect,  turned  at  his  invitation 
towards  the  private  apartments  of  the  yamun,  where, 
as  I  afterwards  learned,  lie  entertained  them  at  a 
sumptuous  feast.  At  the  moment  that  the  bridal 
procession  passed  from  the  hall  the  prefect  turned 
to  the  crowd  and  said — • 

"  I  am  quite  aware  that  the  course  I  have  pursued 
on  this  occasion  is  an  unusual  one,  and  that  it  could 
only  lie  justified  by  circumstances  such  as  I  was 
called  upon  to  encounter.  The  result,  however,  has 
surpassed  my  highest  expectations,  and  to-day  we 
have  seen  two  veritable  dragons  of  learning  united 
to  beings  of  more  than  earthly  beauty.  Such  a  con- 
summation is  worthy  the  labours  of  the  wisest  of 
mankind,  and  reminds  me  of  those  well-known  lines 
of  the  great  poet  of  the  T'ang  dynasty — 

•  In  all  tin'  regions  watered  by  Hwang-ho 

Or  icang-tse-Keang's  current,  tell  me  where 
you'd  find  on  sultry  plain  or  mountain  snow 
Men  half  so  wist'  or  women  half  so  fair?' ' 


125 


A  TWICE-MAEEIED   COUPLE. 

WELL,  if  I  could  make  versos  like  you,  and  were 
as  well  up  in  the  classics  as  you  are,  I  should 
look  for  a  wife  among  the  families  of  the  city  mer- 
chants, and  not  throw  myself  away  upon  a  cashless 
girl  like  Green-jade." 

The  speaker  was  a  young  man  of  the  people,  and 
of  a  forbidding  aspect.  His  sallow  cheeks  were 
deeply  marked  with  smallpox,  his  brow  was  over- 
hanging, and  his  features  were  coarse  and  unintel- 
lectual.  His  dress  was  at  the  same  time  pretentious 
and  dirty,  and  his  manners  were  cringing  and  bois- 
terous. The  person  addressed  was  a  man  of  about 
his  own  agje,  but  bore  higher  marks  of  culture  than 
any  displayed  by  Le  Poko.  Not  that  his  appearance 
was  by  any  means  pleasing.  His  eyes  were  small 
and  restless,  his  cheek-bones  were  abnormally  high, 
his  under  lip  protruded  in  a  manner  suggestive  of 
meanness,  and  there  was  a  general  air  of  timidity 
and  unrest  about  his  gait.  Le's  remark  evidently 
made  an  impression  upon  him.  His  eyes  danced 
at  the  thought  of  the  wealth  and  position  which 
his  friend's  suggestion  conjured  up — for  he  was  very 

R 


126  CHINESE    STORIES. 

poor,  and  was  often  dependent  on  kindly  neighbours 
for  his  daily  food.  But  presently  a  softening  influ- 
ence affected  his  expression. 

"If  you  knew  Green-jade  as  well  as  I  do,"  lie  said 
to  his  friend,  "you  would  not  give  such  advice  so 
readily.  She  has  the  beauty  of  Kinlien,  the  talents 
of  Su  Siao-siao,  and  all  the  virtues  of  the  mother  of 
Mencius.  Added  to  which  she  is  very  fond  of  me, 
and  would  be  content  to  keep  house  in  a  mat-shed 
and  live  on  broken  victuals,  if  I  could  make  her  my 
wife." 

"  And  if,  my  dear  Wang,  you  were  to  marry  her, 
what  would  be  your  position  ?  You  would  be  un- 
able to  study,  for  you  would  not  be  able  to  buy  the 
commonest  books,  and  so  all  hope  of  advancement 
would  be  over  for  you.  And  to  earn  your  bread  you 
would  be  obliged  to  become  either  a  common  hawker 
of  cheap  goods,  or  a  hanger-on  at  a  mandarin's  yamun. 
But  if  }'ou  were  to  take  my  advice,  you  might  have  a 
library  at  your  disposal,  powerful  patrons  to  befriend 
you,  and  rich  scholars  to  associate  with.  You  would 
then  be  sure  to  win  your  way  at  the  Examination 
Halls,  and  you  might  easily  rise  to  a  high  post  in  the 
empire." 

Lis  mean  advice  was  in  accordance  with  the  gen- 
uine instincts  of  his  nature;  but  he  had  another 
motive  in  urging  his  friend  to  be  faithless  to  Green- 
jade.  Being  the  daughter  of  poor  parents,  Green- 
jade  was  unable  to  preserve  the  seclusion  common 
i"  young  ladies,  and  had  not  only  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Wang  in  the  market-place  and  in  the  street, 
but  had  also  occasionally  chatted  with  Le.     Not  that 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  127 

she  had  any  sympathy  whatever  with  that  graceless 
young  man ;  hut  knowing  that  he  was  a  friend  of 
Wang — for  whom,  strange  to  say,  she  had  formed 
a  deep  attachment — she  was  ready  to  be  courteous 
to  him.  It  is,  however,  a  law  of  nature,  that  persons 
should  be  most  attracted  towards  those  of  the  oppo- 
site sex  who  possess  qualities  in  which  they  them- 
selves are  deficient.  And  thus  it  came  about  that 
sensual,  mean,  coarse,  and  ignorant  Le  fell  head  and 
ears  in  love  with  the  refined,  intellectual,  and  grace- 
ful young  person  whom  her  parents  had  christened 
Green-jade,  in  recognition  of  her  priceless  value.  He 
was  not  long  in  discovering,  however,  that  Green- 
jade's  affections  were  settled  on  his  friend;  nor  had 
he  any  difficulty  in  finding  out  from  Wang  that  what 
passed  for  his  heart  was  given  in  exchange.  Indeed 
the  intercourse  between  the  lovers  had  gone  beyond 
the  stage  of  chats  in  the  market-place.  Wang  had  of 
late  been  constantly  in  the  habit  of  dropping  in  of 
an   evenino;  to   see  his  neighbour  Mr  Chans,  whose 

o  o  o  * 

daughter  would  bring  them  tea  and  fill  their  pipes, 
while  listening  to  their  conversation  on  the  wisdom 
of  the  ancients,  the  deep  philosophy  of  the  classics, 
and  the  soul-stirring  poetry  of  the  days  of  Confucius. 
To  these  things  did  Green-jade  seriously  incline,  and 
with  a  greedy  ear  she  devoured  the  discourse  of  the 
twro  scholars.  It  even  sometimes  happened  that  when 
her  father  was  called  away  on  household  matters  she 
would  take  up  the  theme,  and  Wang  was  charmed 
to  find  howr  just  a  literary  taste  was  combined  with 
the  striking  personal  charms  of  his  inamorata. 
By  degrees  their    chance    interviews    became    less 


128  CHINESE    STORIES. 

classical  and  more  personal.  And  though  never 
crossing  by  one  iota  the  boundary  -  line  of  strict 
propriety,  Green-jade  gave  Wang  evidences  which 
were  not  to  be  misunderstood,  that,  if  he  would 
play  the  pari  of  a  Feng,  she  would  be  willing  to 
take  the  rdle  of  a  Hwang.1 

Such  was  the  position  of  affairs  when  Le  poured 
the  poison  of  his  advice  into  Wang's  ears.  Not 
on  one  occasion  only  but  repeatedly  he  urged 
the  same  counsel,  and  even  went  the  length  of  in- 
quiring in  the  town  for  an  heiress  whose  parents 
might  be  willing-  to  link  her  fate  with  that  of  a 
promising  scholar.  Little  by  little  his  proposal, 
which  had  at  first  shocked  Wang,  became  more 
palatable  to  him,  and  before  long  he  even  began 
to  form  schemes  of  work,  and  to  dream  of  promo- 
tion won  by  the  wealth  of  his  rich  bride.  In  this 
frame  of  mind  he  found  visits  to  Chang's  house 
distasteful,  and  he  avoided  meeting  Green-jade  as 
far  as  possible.  Though  he  had  enjoyed  her  com- 
pany, lie  was  incapable  of  feeling  any  deep  affection 
for  her.  He  was  nattered  by  her  evident  liking 
and  admiration  for  him,  but  beyond  the  sensation 
of  gratified  vanity,  he  had  no  sentiment  towards 
her.  With  Green-jade,  however,  matters  were  very 
different.  She  had,  with  that  wild  infatuation 
which  is  common  to  imaginative  voung  women, 
given  her  heart  entirely  to  Wang,  and  she  had  become 
accustomed  to  regard  his  visits  to  her  father  as  the 
bright  spots  in  her  existence.     In  her  blind  partiality 

1  The  Feng  and   Hwang  are  the  male  and  female  phoenixes  which  arc 
<  mbL  ins  of  bride  and  bridegroom. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  129 

she  licTcl  entirely  overlooked  the  meanness  of  his  char- 
acter, which  was  sufficiently  obvious  to  less  preju- 
diced observers.  The  discontinuance  of  his  visits  was 
therefore  a  grief  and  a  surprise  to  her.  Day  after 
day  she  watched  eagerly  for  his  arrival.  Every  foot- 
fall raised  her  expectations,  and  her  disappointment 
as  they  disappeared  in  the  distance  was  in  proportion 
to  the  depth  of  her  longing. 

With  unnecessary  scrupulousness  she  reproached 
herself  with  having  done  something  to  offend  Wang, 
never  imagining  it  possible  that  any  fickleness  on  his 
part  could  account  for  the  change ;  and  even  when 
rumours  reached  her  —  and  Le  took  care  that  they 
should — that  Wang  was  seeking  to  ally  himself  with 
a  wealthy  family  in  the  neighbourhood,  she  still 
attributed  his  altered  conduct  to  some  fault  of  her 
own  which  she  had  unconsciously  committed.  With 
stern  self-introspection  she  examined  the  whole  course 
of  her  conduct  from  the  time  of  her  first  acquaintance 
with  Wang  to  find  out  wherein  her  fault  lay,  and 
wept  bitter  tears  over  words  spoken  and  deeds  done 
which  she  fancied  might  have  given  offence. 

Meanwhile  Le's  agents  had  been  busy,  and  had 
brought  Wang  a  proposal  which  in  some  respects  ful- 
filled his  highest  expectations.  As  in  all  large  cities, 
the  beo-gars  in  K'aifeno-  Fu  were  a  numerous  and 
powerful  body.  They  exercised  a  social  tyranny 
over  the  inhabitants,  and  habitually  levied  blackmail 
from  them.  If  any  one  more  daring  than  the  rest 
ventured  to  resist  their  exactions,  they  invaded  his 
dwelling  or  place  of  business,  and  kept  up  such  a 
clatter  with  bells,  broken  dishes,  and  hollow  bamboos, 


130  CHINESE    STORIES. 

that  lie  was  soon  obliged  to  yield  to  their  demands. 
There  was  only  one  man  to  whom  these  lawless 
vagabonds  yielded  ready  obedience.  From  time 
immemorial  the  chieftainship  of  the  beggars  of  K'ai- 
f£ng  Fu  had  been  vested  in  a  certain  Chu  family 
which  had  grown  rich  on  the  dues  paid  by  the 
individual  beggars,  and  by  the  interest  exacted  on 
money  lent  to  unfortunate  members  of  the  ragged 
army  in  times  of  need.  80  wealthy  had  the  existing 
chief  become,  that  he  had  for  some  time  before  the 
period  at  which  our  story  opens  ceased  to  take  any 
active  part  in  the  administration  of  the  beggar  elan, 
and  having  no  son,  had  delegated  his  authority  to  a 
nephew,  known  as  "the  Leper,"  from  the  fact  of  his 
having  unfortunately  contracted  that  disease  in  pur- 
suit of  his  calling. 

Chu  had  been  early  left  a  widower,  with  one 
daughter,  of  whom  he  was  dotingly  fond.  Her 
slightest  wish  was  eagerly  attended  to,  and  in  all 
household  matters  her  word  was  law.  She  was  pretty 
also,  and  though  not  highly  cultured  she  possessed 
many  pleasant  qualities.  She  was  generous,  affec- 
tionate and  bright-humoured,  and  was  highly  pop- 
ular among  her  associates. 

So  soon  as  she  arrived  at  a  marriageable  age,  her 
lather  sought  to  find  her  a  suitable  husband  among 
the  young  men  of  the  city.  Being  rich,  he  thought 
that  he  might  naturally  expect  to  ally  her  with  a 
youth  of  the  official  class,  and  accordingly  employed 
a  go-between,  a  certain  Mrs  Kin,  to  search  out  one 
who  should  be  worthy  of  her.  The  go-between,  who 
had   a  bitter  appreciation  of  the  position  than  Chu, 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  131 

undertook  the  mission  with  many  doubts,  which  were 
confirmed  when  the  parents  of  one  and  all  declined 
with  scorn  to  connect  their  son  with  so  meanly  born  a 
maiden. 

It  was  just  as  she  had  received  a  rebuff  from  the 
wife  of  the  district  magistrate,  whose  son  had  origin- 
ally been  low  down  in  the  list  which  Chu  had  given 
her,  that  Le's  proposal  on  behalf  of  Wang  reached 
her.  The  suggestion  appeared  to  her  to  be  a  reason- 
able one,  but  she  felt  that  some  diplomacy  would  be 
required  to  reconcile  Chu  to  the  idea.  There  was  a 
wide  difference  between  the  son  of  a  mandarin  and 
the  penniless  son  of  a  deceased  small  shopkeeper, 
who  though  clever,  it  is  true,  had  yet  all  his  honours 
to  win.  It  was  with  some  trepidation,  therefore,  that 
she  presented  herself  before  Chu  to  report  on  her 
mission. 

"Well,  dame,  what  news  have  you  for  me?" 
inquired  Chu  as  he  greeted  her. 

"In  some  respects,"  replied  Mrs  Kin,  "the  Fates 
have  been  adverse,  but  they  have  been  cruel  only  to 
be  kind.  It  so  happens  that  all  those  families  you 
mention  to  me,  from  that  of  the  Taotai  downwards, 
are,  for  one  reason  or  another,  prevented,  much  to 
their  annoyance,"  she  added  without  a  blush,  "  from 
accepting  your  most  tempting  offer.  In  some  cases 
the  young  men  were  already  engaged,  in  others  ill 
health  made  marriage  impossible,  and  in  one  or 
two  instances  I  heard  such  dreadful  accounts  of 
the  young  men's  manners  of  life  that  I  suggested 
difficulties." 

"  So  far  the  Fates  seem  to  have  been  very  adverse," 


L32  CHINESE    STORIES. 

said  Chu;  ubui  whal  have  you  to  set  on  the  other 
side  of  the  accounl  '.  " 

•■  Why,  then,"  replied  the  go-between,  "just  as  I 
had  begun  to  think  that  T  should  have  but  a  poor 
accounl  to  give  of  my  negotiation,  I  happened  to 
meel  a  Mr  Le,  who  is  himself  a  no  mean  scholar,  and 
who  mentioned  to  me  casually  that  a  young  bachelor 
friend  of  his,  who  is  as  learned  as  Chu  Hi  and  as 
Loftily-minded  as  Confucius,  was  anxious  to  ally 
himself  with  a  lady  who  might  be  fitted  in  all  re- 
spects to  share  the  greatness  which  unquestionably 
awaits  him,  so  soon  as  he  shall  have  passed  his 
examinations. 

■•  Ami  who  is  this  paragon  V  asked  Chu. 

"His  name  is  Wang,"  said  Mrs  Kin,  "and  most 
appropriately  is  he  so  called,1  for  he  is  made  to  rule. 
The  only  thing  against  him  is  that  at  present  he  is 
poor;  but  if  you  consent  to  bestow  your  honoured 
loved  one  upon  him  you  will  cure  that  fault,  and  will 
give  wings  to  this  butterfly  which  will  enable  him 
to  rlv  at  once  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain  of 
honour." 

"  What    is   his  parentage  ?  " 

"His  father,"  replied  the  go-between,  "was  a 
trader,  and  unfortunately  died  before  he  had  made 
that  fortune  which  would  have  inevitably  been  his 
if  the  hates  had  not  snapped  his  thread  of  life.  On 
his  mother's  side  he  is  related  with  a  very  distin- 
guished family  in  Peking,  one  member  of  which  now 
holds  office  in  the  Board  of  War;  and  another  would 
have  doubtless  succeeded  to  great  honour,  had  not 
1  Wang  means  to  rule. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  133 

some  colleagues,  jealous  of  his  rising  fame,  accused 
him  of  treason,  and  so  turned  the  Dragon  counte- 
nance against  him  that  he  was  most  unjustly  be- 
headed." 

"Dear,  dear!  that  was  unlucky,"  said  Chu,  who, 
in  face  of  the  non-success  of  his  first  proposals,  began 
to  take  kindly  to  Mrs  Kin's  overtures.  "  But  tell  me 
something  of  this  young  man's  personal  appearance." 

"To  be  quite  truthful  with  you,"  replied  Mrs  Kin, 
who  constantly  employed  this  kind  of  adjuration 
when  she  spoke  the  truth,  in  order  to  give  an  air  of 
authenticity  to  her  statements  generally,  "  I  have 
not  seen  him  yet.  But  if  Mr  Le,  who  has  honesty 
stamped  on  his  face  if  ever  man  had,  is  to  be  be- 
lieved, he  is  as  handsome  as  one  of  the  eight  im- 
mortals." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  his  circumstances  are  so-  poor," 
said  Chu,  anxious  not  to  seem  over-desirous  for  the 
match. 

"  What  is  there  in  that  ?  "  said  Mrs  Kin.  "  Was 
not  Kwan  Ti1  a  seller  of  bean -curd  in  early  life? 
And  was  not  Han  Sin.2  when  young,  so  poor  that 
he  was  obliged  to  obtain  sustenance  by  angling  for 
fish  in  a  castle  moat  ? " 

Overwhelmed  by  these  historical  allusions,  Chu 
gave  way,  and  commissioned  Mrs  Kin  to  consult  a 
soothsayer  as  to  the  agreement  of  the  Mentanghu 
(family  relationships)  on  either  side.  Pleased  with 
her  success,  Mrs  Kin  went  direct  to  Wang  and  com- 

1  Kwan  Ti,  a  celebrated  general  who  was  canonised  as  the  God  of 
War. 

2  Han  Sin,  a  statesman  who  was  created  Prince  of  Ts'u. 

S 


1  $4  CHINESE    STORIES. 

immicatr.l  to  him  the  result  of  her  interview.  At 
tli,.  same  time  she  enlarged  on  the  immense  wealth 
of  the  Lady's  family,  and  the  beauty  and  accomplish- 
ments of  Miss  Pearl.  Wang  was  secretly  delighted 
with  her  news,  but  was  shrewd  enough  to  appear 
indifferent. 

••  1  am  sure,"  he  said.  "I  am  very  grateful  to  you 
for  the  interesl  you  have  taken  in  this  matter.  But 
unfortunately  my  circumstances  are  not  .such  as  would 
enable  me  to  in; ike  the  necessary  wedding-presents, 
and  I  propose,  therefore,  to  put  off  all  thoughts  of 
marriage  until   I  have  won  my  way  to  office." 

'•  If  Miss  Pearl  were  an  ordinary  young  lady,  I 
should  applaud  your  prudence,"  answered  Mrs  Kin; 
■•  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  she  is  one  in  ten  thousand, 
a  stork  among  poultry,  a  sun  among  stars,  and  to 
neglect  the  chance  of  an  alliance  with  her  is  to  fly 
in  the  lace  of  the  gods.  And  as  to  the  wedding- 
presents,  do  not  bestow  one  moment's  thought  upon 
them.  1  will  arrange  that  they  shall  be  as  handsome 
as  any  that  the  Prefect's  daughter  got  yesterday,  and 
that  vou  shall  not  be  asked  for  a  single  cash  on 
account  of  them  until  your  pockets  are  overflowing 
with   Miss  Pearl's  taels." 

"On  those  conditions  1  am,  if  the  lady  is  all  you 
describe  her  to  be,  read)-  at  least  that  you  should 
ope igotiations  on   the  subject." 

With  this  consent  .Mrs  Kin  took  her  leave,  and 
Lost  no  time  in  consulting  a  soothsayer  on  the  pros- 
pect- of  the  match.  As  she  was  able  to  promise 
a  liberal  fee,  the  result  of  her  conference  with  the 
deities  coincided  exactly. with  her  wishes.     The  next 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  135 

full  moon  was  the  time  indicated  by  the  Fates  for  the 
marriage,  and  the  happiness  promised  to  the  young 
people  was  such  as  was  to  surpass  the  common  lot 
of  men.  Mr  Chu  made  most  liberal  preparations  for 
the  ceremony ;  and  a  complaisant  money-lender,  who 
had  many  a  time  and  oft  advanced  money  in  promo- 
tion of  Mrs  Kin's  schemes,  willingly  lent  the  sum  re- 
quired by  Wang  to  provide  the  wedding-gifts. 

As  the  match  was  not  a  particularly  brilliant  one 
in  a  social  point  of  view,  Mr  Chu  determined  that 
he  would  make  up  in  magnificence  for  what  was 
wanting  in  that  respect.  As  the  day  approached  his 
house  became  a  scene  of  wild  confusion.  Upholsterers 
were  at  work  in  the  reception-rooms,  as  well  as  in 
those  the  young  couple  were  to  occupy  ;  presents  for 
the  bride  came  pouring  in  ;  and  milliners,  accom- 
panied by  coolies  bearing  loads  of  silks  and  satins, 
haunted  Miss  Pearl's  apartments.  That  young  lady 
looked  forward  to  her  bridal  day  with  mingled  feel- 
ings. She  knew  enough  of  life  to  know  that  the 
reports  of  professional  go-betweens  were  not  always 
to  be  believed,  and  that  marriage  was  not  always  the 
state  of  bliss  that  it  was  commonly  reported  to  be. 
At  the  same  time,  her  ambition  was  stirred.  She 
saw  plainly,  if  her  father  did  not,  that  her  parentage 
was  a  fatal  bar  to  a  good  marriage,  and  she  felt  that 
her  only  chance  of  escape  from  the  stigma  which  was 
cast  upon  her  by  her  father's  calling  lay  in  marrying 
a  man  who  would  win  by  his  talents  a  position  for 
himself  in  the  State.  The  inquiries  she  made  privately 
convinced  her  that  Wariff's  abilities  were  such  as  to 
secure   him   an   official   appointment,  and  she  deter- 


136  CHINESE   STORIES. 

mined  thai  no  expense  should  be  spared  to  enable 
him  to  surround  himself  with  rich  and  powerful 
friends. 

Meanwhile  the  report  which  had  reached  Green- 
jade's  cars  of  Wang's  intended  marriage  was  fully 
confirmed  with  every  circumstance  of  time  and  place. 
The  hope  which  she  had  cherished  that  he  might  yet 
return  to  his  old  intimacy  at  her  father's  house  was 
crushed  fifty  limes  a -day  by  the  rumours  which 
reached  her  of  the  magnificent  preparations  which 
were  being  made  at  Mr  Chu's,  and  of  the  bridal  gifts 
which  Wang  was  collecting  for  presentation  to  his 
bride.  Little  did  the  gossips  know  the  misery  which 
they  were  inflicting  on  the  poor  girl  by  the  news 
they  1  nought  her,  and  much  did  they  wonder  that 
she  turned  away  from  their  chatter  without  asking 
;i  single  question  about  the  bride  and  bridegroom. 
She  never  told  her  love,  and  struggled  on  through 
her  daily  employments  with  a  heavy  heart  and  a 
deepening  sorrow.  The  light  was  taken  out  of  her 
life.  There  were  no  longer  any  meetings  and  talks  to 
look  forward  to,  and  there  remained  only  a  danger  of 
ber  sett  ling  down  into  a  condition  of  despair.  Even 
her  father,  who  was  not  an  observant  man,  could  not 
help  not  icing  that  she  had  lost  all  elasticity  of  manner, 
;iii(l  putting  it  down  to  ill  health,  urged  her  to  pay 
a  visit  to  a  relative  living  at  Tsining,  on  the  Grand 
( 'anal. 

Fortunately  at  this  juncture  a  letter  came  from  the 
relative  in  question,  asking  Green-jade,  for  whom  the 
writer  had  a  greal  affection,  to  undertake  the  instruc- 
tion  of  her  little  girl,  her  own  health  being  unequal 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  137 

to  the  task.  The  proposal  was  accompanied  by  main- 
expressions  of  kindness  and  regard,  and  a  liberal  re- 
muneration was  offered  for  the  required  service.  The 
lady,  a  Mrs  Ting,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Green-jade's 
father,  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  marry  a  man 
who  was  not  only  an  excellent  husband,  but  was  also 
a  man  of  great  ability.  With  unusual  rapidity  he 
had  risen  through  the  lower  grades  of  the  public 
service,  and  was  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak  Pre- 
fect of  Tsining.  Green-jade,  in  the  frame  of  mind  in 
which  she  then  was,  eagerly  welcomed  the  offer  ;  and 
her  father,  though  grieved  at  the  idea  of  losing-  the 
society  of  his  daughter,  felt  that  it  was  an  opportunity 
of  providing  for  her  which  he  ought  not  to  refuse. 
The  proposal  was  therefore  accepted,  and  poor  little 
Green -jade  busied  herself  in  making  such  prepara- 
tions as  it  was  within  her  means  to  compass. 

The  news  of  Green-jade's  intended  departure  pro- 
duced on  Wang  and  Le  very  opposite  effects.  To 
Wang  it  was  a  relief  to  know  that  he  would  be  no 
longer  annoyed  by  the  consciousness  of  her  presence. 
He  was  not  the  least  conscience-stricken  for  the  part 
he  had  played?  but  it  was  disagreeable  to  him  to 
witness  the  effect  of  his  misconduct.  But  Le  was  in 
despair.  With  all  the  force  possible  to  men  of  his 
coarse  nature  he  loved  Green-jade,  and  the  idea  of 
losing  sight  of  her  was  misery  to  him.  He  had  not 
intended  urging  his  suit  until  after  Wang's  marriage, 
lest  his  treachery  to  his  friend  should  become  too 
apparent.  But  the  turn  which  events  had  taken 
determined  him  to  seek  an  interview  with  Chans;  at 
once.     He  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  him  alone. 

o 


L38  CHINESE    STORIES. 

':  I  hear/5  he  said  to  his  host,  "that  your  'honoured 
loved  ciic'  is  preparing  for  a  journey.  May  I  ask 
if  she  is  likely  to  be  long  absent  from  your  palace?" 

"My  insignificanl  daughter,"  replied  Chang,  "has 
qo1  been  wel]  of  late,  and  I  had  proposed  that  she 
should  pay  a  visit  to  the  wife  of  the  Prefect  of 
Tsining,  who  is  a  relative  of  mine,  when  an  invita- 
tion from  thai  lady  came,  asking  her  to  undertake 
i  he  charge  of  her  daughter.  So  that,  in  all  pro- 
bability,  she   will   he   away  for  some   years." 

•■  I  have  long  watched  your  honoured  daughter 
growing  up  like  a  fairy  among  her  young  companions, 
up  like  a  phoenix  among  crows.  I  have  admired  her 
beauty,  and  have  wondered  at  her  learning.  As  you 
know,  I  have  not  yet  'established  a  family,' and  it 
would  overjoy  me  to  receive  your  beloved  one  into 
my  cold  dwelling  as  my  bride.  May  I  ask  'my  ben- 
evolent elder  brother'  how  he  regards  my  proposal?" 

Chang  had  never  liked  he,  and  he  was  well  aware 
that  his  daughter  shared  in  the  same  feeling :  he 
had  therefore  n<>  hesitation  in  declining  the  offer, 
n lore  especially  as  he  knew  that  Le's  means  were 
of  the  straitest,  and  that  his  modest  description  of 
his  house  was  more  in  accordance  with  truth  than  his 
assertions  commonly  were.     He  replied  therefore — 

"Honoured  sir,  your  proposal  reflects  glory  on  our 
humble  family.  But  my  daughter,  having  under- 
taken the  charge  of  Prefect  Ting's  little  one,  cannot 
snatch  the  precious  fruit  which  you  so  temptingly 
offer  for  her  acceptance." 

••  I'.ni  would  it  not  be  possible  to  decline  the 
Prefect's  proposal  '.  "  pleaded   Le. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  139 

"I  fear  not,"  replied  Chang;  "and  therefore, 
while  I  am  much  honoured  by  the  proposal  you 
have  made,   I  am  regretfully  obliged  to  decline   it." 

Chang  spoke  in  so  positive  a  way  that  Le  felt 
that  it  would  be  useless  to  press  his  suit  further, 
and  he  therefore  took  his  leave  in  a  by  no  means 
enviable  mood.  Regret  at  losing  Green-jade,  whom 
he  had  regarded  as  a  sure  prize,  was  largely  mingled 
with  wounded  vanity,  and  anger  against  Chang.  For 
a  time  he  even  thought  of  kidnapping  Green-jade 
when  on  her  way  to  Tsining,  but  there  were  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way,  not  the  least  of  which  was 
that  arising  from  want  of  cash,  and  he  eventually 
made  up  his  mind  to  take  every  means  in  his  power 
of  revenging  himself  upon  Chang,  and  of  so  humiliat- 
ing; him  as  to  make  him  wish  that  he  had  given  his 
consent  to  the  match. 

Meanwhile  Green-jade's  departure  for  Tsining  was 
speedily  followed  by  Wang's  marriage  to  Jliss  Pearl. 
Every  accessory  which  money  could  buy  was  pro- 
vided to  add.  lustre  to  this  last  ceremony.  The 
procession  of  bridal  presents  on  the  evening  before 
the  wedding;  was  a  sight  to  be  seen,  and  the  street 
arabs  pronounced  it  to  be,  without  question,  the 
finest  thing  of  its  kind  that  had  been  seen  for 
many  years  in  K'aifeng  Fu.  But  these  exterior 
splendours  were  entirely  eclipsed  by  the  sumptuous 
decoration  of  Chu's  reception-rooms,  and  by  the  feast 
provided  for  the  wedding  guests.  Wishing  to  do 
Wang  every  honour,  Chu  had  begged  him  to  ask 
all  his  associates  to  the  entertainment  ;  and  Wang, 
desirous  to  mitigate  his  friends'  sneers  at  his  marriage 


140  CHINESE    STORIES. 

by  showing  them  the  evidences  of  his  father-in-law's 
wealth,  took  advantage  of  Chu's  hospitality  to  invite 
all  his  fellow  -  students  and  literary  acquaintances. 
But  numerous  as  these  were,  there  was  plenty  for 
them  all.  The  t aides  literally  groaned  under  the 
weight  <»f  the  delicacies  which  were  piled  upon  them. 
Birds'  lasts  from  the  islands,  venison  from  Mongolia, 
w  in.-  troin  ( Shekeang,  pears  and  grapes  from  Shantung, 
and  preserves  from  Canton,  were  provided  in  more 
than  sufficient  quantities  to  satisfy  the  appetites  of 
the  feasters,  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  marriage 
ceremony  and  the  retirement  of  the  bride  and  her 
bridesmaids,  were  left  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  the 
luxuries  before  them. 

Nor  were  the  festivities  entirely  confined  to  the 
inside  Of  the  house,  for  in  the  street  the  arrival  of 
the  guests  had  caused  a  crowd  to  collect,  among 
whom,  by  Chu's  orders,  cash  and  common  viands 
were  distributed.  The  news  of  this  lavish  expen- 
diture quickly  reached  the  beggars'  headquarters. 
The  Leper  had  been  aware  of  the  wedding,  and 
supposing  that  it  would  be  conducted  quietly,  had 
Qot  east  a  thought  on  the  fact  that  he,  as  a  kinsman, 
had  no1  been  invited.  When,  however,  his  emissaries 
brought  him  word  that  crowds  of  guests  were  pouring 
into  ('hit's  wide-opened  doors,  and  that  the  feast  was 
almost  a  public  one,  he  felt  that  he  had  been  slighted. 
He  was  naturally  of  a  touchy  nature,  and  ill  health 
had  increased   his  infirmity. 

••  What  does  this  proud  cousin  of  mine  mean,"  he 
exclaimed  to  a  wretched  beggar  who  had  crawled  in 
"ii  crutches  to  tell   him  of  the  food  and  cash  which 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  141 

were  to  be  had  outside  Chu's  house,  "  by  ignoring 
me,  his  kinsman,  and  the  beggars  who  have  raised 
him  to  his  present  position  of  wealth,  by  not  invit- 
ing us  to  his  feast?  The  fact  that  his  daughter  is 
marrying  one  of  the  literati  is  no  reason  why  he 
should  turn  his  back  on  his  relations  and  old 
associates." 

"That  was  just  what  1  was  thinking  as  I  came 
along,"  said  the  old  beo-cmr  in  a  whining  tone. 
"When  I  was  told  that  you,  honoured  sir,  were  not 
among  the  guests,  and  that  food  and  cash  were 
being  distributed  without  any  notice  having  been 
sent  to  us,  I  could  scarcely  believe  it.  But  now  I 
have  seen  what  is  going  on  with  my  own  eyes,  or 
eye  I  should  say,"  parenthetically  remarked  the  old 
man  with  a  grim  smile,  for  he  had  long  been  blind 
on  one  side, — "  and  here,"  he  said,  fumbling  in  his 
scrip,  "are  some  of  the  spoils  I  brought  along  with 
me. 

"This  is  too  bad,"  said  the  Leper,  working  himself 
up  into  a  state  of  anger.  "  I  will  teach  him  that 
we  are  to  be  reckoned  with,  though  we  are  beggars. 
Go,"  said  he  to  the  old  cripple,  "and  call  twenty 
men  from  the  lodging-house,  and  we  will  give  Chu 
some  clatter  which  he  won't  forget  in  a  hurry." 

In  obedience  to  this  summons,  the  courtyard  was 
speedily  filled  with  a  group  of  beings  who  represented 
every  ill  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  The  lame,  the  maimed, 
the  halt,  and  the  blind  were  all  there,  and  with  them 
victims  to  every  form  of  disease.  Nothing  but  rags 
and  tatters  covered  the  persons  of  these  lazar-house 
inmates,  while  in  the  hands  of  each  were  bells,  hollow 

T 


142 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


bits  of  bamboo,  horns,  and  whistles,  besides  the  staffs 

which  supported  their  tottering  frames. 

On  this  motley  crew  the  Leper  looked  with  pride. 

Though    1  letter    dressed    than    the    beggars,    he    was 

scarcely  less   repulsive-looking  than  they.     The  dis- 
ease   from    which 
his  nickname  was 
7>  .sss^r-^  derived  had  made 

strange  havoc  with 
his  features.  The 
skin  of  his  face 
was  lumpy  and 
discoloured,  and 
the  irritation  un- 
der which  he  was 
at  the  moment  suf- 
fering had  added  a 
malignant  expres- 
sion to  his  afflicted 

il\v~*^    l\         \   \  \  countenance. 

"  Come  with  me 
to  my  cousin  Chu's 
house,"  he  cried,  as 
he  stepped  into  the 
courtyard,  "  and 
help  me  to  give 
him  a  lesson  in 
propriety.  All  the  city  are  feasting  at  his  table, 
and  he  has  not  had  the  decency  either  to  invite 
me  as  a  guest  or  to  send  us  a  present  of  flesh  and 
wine.  But  I  will  give  him  and  his  friends  some 
music  which   they  will  find  it  hard  to  dance  to.'? 


This  is  too  bad." 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  143 

Thus  saying,  lie  led  the  way  to  Chu's  house,  and 
arrived  just  as  the  convives  were  toasting  each  other 
in  wine,  and  asking  and  answering  riddles,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  custom  of  wedding-feasts.  As  he  and 
his  troop  entered  the  outer  courtyard  he  gave  the 
word  to  begin  the  riot,  and  instantly  there  rose  a 
clamour  which  defies  description.  Imitations,  and, 
to  do  the  beggars  justice,  very  good  imitations,  of 
dogs  yelping,  cats  screeching,  and  cocks  crowing, 
were  mingled  with  the  sound  of  bells,  o-oiws,  hollow 
bamboos,  and  whistles.  Never  out  of  Pandemonium 
had  such  discords  been  heard.  At  the  first  outbreak 
of  the  noise  Chu  dropped  his  cup  and  turned  deadly 
pale,  for  he  recognised  at  once  the  meaning  of  the 
disturbance.  The  guests,  less  instructed,  thought  it 
was  the  beginning  of  a  mask  or  play  devised  for  their 
entertainment,  and  looked  with  curiosity  towards  the 
door  which  separated  them  from  the  outer  yard. 
They  had  not  long  to  wait  before  it  was  thrown  open, 
when,  to  their  astonished  gaze,  the  Leper  at  the  head 
of  his  followers  marched  into  their  midst.  Straight 
they  walked  up  to  the  principal  table,  and  while  the 
Leper  took  the  cup  of  wine  out  of  Wang's  hand,  his 
troop,  who  were  now  silent,  pounced  greedily  upon 
the  viands  which  still  encumbered  the  tables. 

Involuntarily  the  guests  slunk  away  from  the  in- 
truders, while  Chu,  who  had  partly  recovered  his 
presence  of  mind,  came  forward,  and  with  the  best 
pretence  of  cordiality  which  he  could  assume,  paid 
his  compliments  to  the  Leper. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  my  honoured  brother,"  he 
said,  "  and  I  should  have  written  to  invite  you  if  I 


144  CHINESE    STORIES. 

had  not  delegated  my  powers  for  the  day  to  my  new 
son-in-law.  On  the  third  day  after  the  wedding  I 
am  to  have  my  own  feast,  and  you  will  get  an  invi- 
tation to  that  in  due  course.  And  now  let  me  intro- 
duce my  son-in-law  to  you."  80  saying,  Chu  turned 
to  the  place  where  Wang  had  been  sitting,  but  his 
chair  was  empty.  So  were  all  the  seats  round  the 
table,  and  Chu  met  the  gaze  of  the  Leper  with  a  look 
of  blank  and  astonished  annoyance. 

"  Ha  !  ha  ! "  cried  the  Leper,  "  your  fine  holiday 
guests  seem  as  frightened  of  me  as  poultry  are  of  a 
fox.  Why,  there  is  not  one  of  them  left;  and  as  it 
is  a  pity  that  the  table  should  remain  empty,  I  and 
my  mates  will  sit  down  and  enjoy  ourselves." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  the  Leper  sat  down 
in  Wang's  seat,  and  his  noisome  companions  ranged 
themselves  on  the  chairs  which  had  been  so  recently 
occupied  by  the  silk  and  satin  friends  of  the  bride- 
groom. 

The  circumstances  were  trying,  but  Chu  did  his 
utmost  to  maintain  an  outward  show  of  pleasure, 
even  when  his  mind  was  tortured  with  the  thought 
that  in  the  eyes  of  his  son-in-law  and  his  companions 
he  was  disgraced  for  ever.  When  his  tattered  guests 
had  satisfied  their  hunger,  which  was  not  for  a  long 
time,  he  turned  to  the  Leper  and  said — 

"I  1  rust  that  my  benevolent  elder  brother  will 
accepl  from  me  a  present  of  food  and  wine  for  those 
ei  her  'flowery  ones'1  who  dwell  in  his  palace,  and 
who  have  not  honoured  my  lowly  cottage  by  their 
presence  to-day." 

1  An  expression  for  beggars. 


"THE    FLOWERY    OX  EH." -Page  144- 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  145 

"Pray,  do  not  put  yourself  to  so  much  trouble," 
replied  the  Leper.  In  spite  of  this  gentle  disclaimer, 
Chu  ordered  his  attendants  to  take  a  goodly  supply 
of  the  choicest  fare  to  the  Leper's  house.  The  Leper 
now  rose  to  take  his  leave. 

"  I  fear  we  have  put  you  to  infinite  trouble,"  said 
he,  as  he  made  his  bow,  "  and  that  we  have  sadly 
disturbed  your  other  guests.  But,  believe  me,  my 
object  in  coming  was  to  show  you  that  though  poor 
and  degraded,  I  have  not  lost  all  interest  in  my  kins- 
folk and  relations." 

"  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  you,"  said  Chu,  "  for 
having  directed  the  course  of  your  chariot  to  my 
humble  dwelling:.  Your  condescension  is  engraven 
on  the  tablets  of  my  heart,  and  I  only  regret  that  I 
had  such  poor  fare  to  put  before  such  honoured 
guests." 

So  soon  as  the  last  cripple  had  dragged  his  dis- 
torted limbs  over  the  threshold,  Chu  hurried  to  his 
daughter's  apartments  to  express  to  Wang  his  intense 
regret  at  the  contretemps.  To  his  surprise  he  found 
his  daughter  alone,  weeping  bitterly  at  the  disgrace 
which  had  fallen  on  her.  Wang,  at  the  invitation  of 
one  of  the  guests,  had  taken  refuge  in  a  neighbouring- 
house  until  the  unwelcome  intruders  should  have 
taken  their  departure.  While  Chu  was  explaining 
matters  to  his  daughter  Wang  returned,  and  it  was 
easy  to  see  that,  though  outwardly  polite,  he  was 
greatly  annoyed  at  the  incident.  He  accepted  Chu's 
apologies  with  courtesy,  and  that  worthy  was  fain  to 
leave  to  his  daughter's  charms  and  the  advantages  of 
the  wealth  now  at  his  disposal  the  task  of  gradually 


14G  CHINESE    STORIES. 

obliterating  the  sense  of  shame  which  was  plainly 
uppermosl  in  the  mind  of  his  son-in-law.  And  to 
some  extent,  as  time  went  on,  these  influences  had 
their  effect. 

Miss  Pearl  did  all  she  could  to  soothe  and  amuse 
her  husband;  and  to  one  who  had  been  accustomed 
.•ill  his  life  long  to  grinding  poverty,  the  pleasure  of 
having  as  many  taels  at  command  as  he  had  formerly 
had  cash  brought  a  sensation  of  comfort  and  relief, 
which  inclined  him  for  a  time  to  fall  a  satisfied  victim 
to  his  bride's  endearments. 

His  more  liberal  income  enabled  him  also  to  sur- 
round himself  with  books,  and  by  degrees  his  former 
fellow-students  so  far  consented  to  forget  the  past  as 
to  join  him  in  his  study,  and  to  cap  verses  with  him 
over  the  excellent  Suchow  wine  with  which  his  father- 
in-law  supplied  him.  By  the  help  of  these  advan- 
tages Wang's  scholarship  received  a  finish  which  en- 
abled him  to  compete  successfully  at  the  examinations, 
and  by  the  influence  of  his  friends  his  success  was 
crowned  by  the  receipt  of  an  appointment  to  the  post 
of  commissariat  officer  to  the  brigade  of  troops  sta- 
tioned at  Ch'ung  K'ing  on  the  Yangtsze-kiang. 

There  are  some  men  in  whom  prosperity  brings 
out  into  relief  the  worse  points  in  their  characters. 
W'aiiL!'  was  one  of  these.  So  soon  as  the  noveltv 
of  wealth  had  worn  off,  the  consciousness  that  he 
was  tied  to  the  daughter  of  a  beggar  chieftain  became 
more  and  more  unendurable  to  him;  and  his  sense 
of  the  advantages  he  had  derived  from  the  alliance 
was  lost  in  regret  that  now  that  he  was  in  a  position 
to   marry  a  lady  of  rank  he  was  no  longer  able  to  do 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  147 

so.  Le,  who,  like  a  true  parasite,  had  allied  himself 
more  closely  to  Wang  as  that  scholar  had  risen  in  the 
social  scale,  fostered  these  feelings  for  the  double 
purpose  of  currying  favour  with  his  patron,  and  of 
avencrino-  himself  for  some  slight  which  he  had 
suffered,  or  fancied  he  had  suffered,  at  the  hands 
of  Pearl.  So  successfully  had  he  wound  himself 
into  the  good  graces  of  Wang,  that  he  received 
the  appointment  of  private  secretary  to  the  new 
commissary,  and  embarked  with  his  patron  on  the 
vessel  which  was  to  carry  him  to  his  post.  Pearl 
took  leave  of  her  father  with  a  heavy  heart.  The 
change  which  had  come  over  her  husband's  demeanour 
towards  her  was  of  too  marked  a  character  to  admit 
of  any  self-deception,  and  in  leaving  K'aifeng  Fu  she 
felt  that  she  was  putting  herself  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  a  man  whom  she  despised,  and  whose  principles 
were  nought.  She  was  of  a  hopeful  nature,  however, 
and  trusted  to  winning  back  her  husband  by  devo- 
tion to  his  interests  and  attention  to  his  whims  and 
wishes. 

The  removal  from  Chu's  house  and  influence  j^ro- 
duced  an  evil  effect  upon  Wang's  cowardly  nature. 
He  was  one  of  those  men  with  whom  fear  is  the 
most  potent  influence,  and  with  his  freedom  from 
his  father-in-law's  presence  disappeared  the  conven- 
tional consideration  with  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  treat  his  wife.  He  left  her  more  and  more 
to  the  society  of  her  maid-servants,  and  spent  the 
whole  of  the  day  in  the  company  of  his  graceless 
secretaiy.  Pearl,  who  was  of  an  impressionable 
nature,  longed  frequently  to  get  him  to  join  in  her 


148  CHINESE    STORIES. 

admiration  of  the  scenery  through  which  they  passed 
as  they  glided  up  the  great  river.     But  after  one  or 

two  attempts  she  gave  up  trying  to  attract  his  at- 
tention, and  sat  silently  wondering  at  the  beetling 
cliffs  of  the  gorges,  and  the  whirling  rapids  which 
rushed  through  them.  Accustomed  as  she  was  to 
the  comparatively  level  country  near  K'aifeng  Fu, 
the  height  of  the  mountains  on  either  side,  and  the 
gloom  of  the  passages,  occasionally  produced  a  feeling 
of  awe  and  impending  danger  which  quite  unnerved 
her;  and  not  unfrequently  she  was  obliged  to  tell 
Peony,  her  maid,  to  shut  out  the  sight  by  putting  up 
the  shutters  of  the  boat. 

To  these  terrors  of  the  imagination  was  not  un- 
frequently added  the  presence  of  real  danger.  On 
more  than  one  occasion  the  rope  by  which  the 
trackers  were  towing  the  boat  over  the  rapids  broke, 
and  the  craft  was  sent  whirling  down  through  the 
boiling  water,  and  was  only  saved  from  destruction 
by  the  boatmen's  skill  in  using  the  sweeps.  After 
one  such  adventure  in  the  Witches'  Gorge  the  trackers 
had  with  infinite  labour  dragged  the  boat  up  through 
the  foaming  surges  into  the  comparatively  smooth 
water  above.  There  they  had  anchored  for  the  night, 
and  for  the  first  time  that  day  Pearl  ventured  to  look 
out  (in  the  scenery  about  her. 

"  How  infinitely  grand  these  mountains  are  !"  she 
said  to  her  faithful  attendant,  Peony,  "  but  their  size 
and  gloom  oppress  me.  I  feel  so  strangely  little  and 
powerless  in  t  heir  presence."' 

•■  I  am  beginning  to  feel  the  same  sensation  my- 
self," said    Peony;    "but  all   day  long  I   have  been 


A    TWICE-MARPJED    COUPLE.  149 

watching  the  monkeys  on  the  cliffs  and  the  trackers 
on  the  towing-path,  and  I  don't  know  which  looked 
the  most  ridiculous.  The  monkeys  were  playing  all 
sorts  of  antics,  springing  from  crag  to  crag,  fighting, 
throwing  down  stones  into  the  river,  and  chattering 
all  the  while  like  a  lot  of  magpies  ;  while  the  men, 
who  had  no  more  clothes  on  than  the  monkeys,  were 
jumping  from  rock  to  rock,  tumbling  into  the  water, 
and  balancing  themselves  on  narrow  ledges,  like  so 
many  boys  at  play.  I  wish  you  could  amuse  your- 
self as  I  do,  but  since  we  have  been  on  the  river 
you  seem  to  have  lost  all  interest  in  what  is  going 
on  about  you." 

"  I  suppose  I  am  not  well,"  said  Pearl,  "  but  I 
feel  a  depression  as  of  impending  danger,  and  last 
night  I  dreamt  that  that  old  woman  who  told  me 
my  fortune  in  the  Willow  Garden  last  year  appeared 
before  me,  and  chanted  again  the  doggerel  couplet 
which  I  had  quite  forgotten  until  it  came  back  to 
me  in  my  dream.     Do  you  remember  it  ? — 

'  When  witches'  cliffs  encircle  you  ahout, 
Beware  your  fate;  your  sands  are  near  run  out.' 

What  do  they  call  this  gorge  ?  " 

"The  Witches'  Mountain  o-orge." 

"Here,  then,  the  fortune-teller's  words  will  be  put 
to  the  test.  And  if  it  is  true  that  coming  events 
cast  their  shadows  before,  this  woman  spoke  with  the 
inspiration  of  a  seer." 

"Oh,  madam,  you  frighten  me,"  said  Peony,  half 
inclined  to  cry ;  "  please  think  no  more  about  what 
that  stupid  old  woman  said.     My  father  used  to  say 

u 


L50  CHINESE    STORIES. 

in  his  joking  way,  '  All  women  are  liars,  and  fortune- 
telling  women  are  the  greatest  liars  of  all.  They 
only  say  those  things  to  mystify  and  amuse  people."1 

"  Well,  time  will  show  whether  she  was  right  or 
not.  But  I'm  so  weary  that  I  shall  go  to  bed,  and 
try  to  forgel  in  sleep  the  woman's  prophecy  and  my 
own  forebodings.  ' 

••  And  in  the  morning,  madam,  we  will  laugh  over 
your  fancies,  and  will  begin  the  new  day  with  fresh 
hopes.  Who  can  say  that  a  new  life  may  not  be 
opening  to  you   to-morrow!" 

"  I  would  it  might ! — but  come  now  and  help  me  to 
undress." 

AV;iii(>'  took  no  notice  of  his  wife's  retirement.  For 
some  lime  her  comings  and  goings  had  been  matters 
of  complete  indifference  to  him.  On  this  particular 
evening,  having  dined  heavily,  he  was  lying  in  the 
forepart  of  the  boat  with  Le,  smoking  opium.  As 
had  not  been  unusual  of  late,  Wang's  mesalliance, 
as  he  was  good  enough  to  call  it,  was  the  subject  of 
their  conversation,  and  Le  drew  many  a  glowing 
picture  of  the  matches  Wang  might  make  were  he 
but  live.  As  the  night  wore  on  Le  became  more 
and  more  eloquent  on  the  theme,  unchecked  by 
Wang,  whose  mean  and  covetous  nature  was  all 
aglow  a1  the  imaginary  prospects  which  his  friend's 
words  conjured  up  before  him.  At  length  Le's  fancy 
failed  him,  and  the  two  men  lay  inhaling  their  opium 
and  enjoying  the  mental  hallucinations  which  the 
drug  provides  for  its  votaries.  Suddenly  Le  raised 
himself  on   his  elbow,   and  said  slowly — 

"How  the  water  rages  and  foams  past  the  boat! 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  151 

If  any  one  were  to  fall  overboard  on  such  a  night  as 
this,  they  would  be  swept  miles  away  before  people 
would  be  aware  of  what  had  happened.  No  shriek 
would  be  heard  in  such  a  rushing  stream,  and  the 
body  would  never  be  found  in  these  countless  eddies 
and  whirlpools." 

Wang  turned  sharply  round  at  these  words  and 
gazed  into  Le's  face.  But  that  worthy  avoided  his 
eye,  and  appeared  to  be  absorbed  in  watching  the 
water  lashing;  itself  against  a  boulder  -  rock  which 
stood  out  of  the  river,  unmoved  by  the  waves 
which  leapt  over  it  and  the  current  which  gurgled 
round  it. 

"What  do  }Tou  mean?"  he  said,  in  a  deep  excited 
voice. 

"Nothing,"  said  Le.  "But  I  am  going  to  bed. 
Good  night."  So  saying,  Le  sauntered  off,  but  turned 
as  he  reached  the  cabin  door  and  cast  one  glance  at 
Wang,  who  had  followed  his  retreating  form  with  a 
feverish  gaze.  Presently  that  worthy  rose,  inflamed 
by  wine  and  evil  passion,  and  paced  excitedly  up  and 
down  the  deck.  Then  he  looked  out  upon  the  waters, 
and  walking  carefully  along  the  edge  of  the  boat,  re- 
moved a  temporary  taffrail  which  had  been  put  in  the 
forepart  of  the  vessel.  His  hand  shook  so  that  he  ac- 
complished it  with  difficulty.  He  next  assured  him- 
self that  the  sailors  and  servants  were  all  asleep,  and 
then  went  to  his  wife's  room.  He  pushed  back  the 
door  and  called  "Pearl." 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "  shrieked  Pearl,  who  awoke  startled 
from  her  sleep,  and  failed  to  recognise  her  husband's 
voice,  so  hollow  and  quivering  it  was. 


152  CHINESE    STOKIES. 

■•  It  is  1.  your  husband,"  said  Wang;  "come  out 
and  look  a1   the  moon  shining  on  the  river." 

Such  an  invitation  sounded  so  strange  to  Pearl  that 
she  was  delighted  and  rose  at  once,  and  began  to  hope 
that  Peony  was  a  truer  prophet  than  the  fortune- 
teller.  But  when  by  the  light  of  the  moon  she  saw 
Wang's  face,  a  horrible  presentiment  came  over  her. 
She  shuddered  all  over  as  with  cold. 

•  I  won't  come  out  on  to  the  deck,"  she  said,  "  the 
nigh)  air  is  so  chill,  and  I  can  see  perfectly  here." 

•■  Nonsense/'  said  Wang,  seizing  hold  of  her  arm; 
"you   must  come  when  I  tell  you." 

"Your  looks  frighten  me,"  she  cried,  trembling. 
••  Why  do  you  look  so  pale,  and  why  do  your  eyes 
glare  so  )  But  if  I  must  come,  let  me  call  Peony  to 
bring  me  a  cloak." 

"  Call  Peony  !  call  the  devil !  "  he  said,  as  he  dragged 
her  to  t  he  prow. 

"Oh,  have  mercy  upon  me!"  said  poor  Pearl,  as 
she  struggled  vehemently  to  get  free.  "Only  let  me 
go,  and  1  will  promise  to  do  everything  you  wish, 
and  will  serve  you  as  a  dog  his  master.  Or  if  you 
want  to  get  rid  of  me,  T  will  go  home  to  my  father. 
Have   pity  on   me,  and  spare  my  life!" 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  and  stand  here!"  cried  Wang, 
as  he  supported  her  almost  fainting  form  near  the 
edge  of  I  he  boat. 

"  Oh,  you  can't  be  so  cruel  as  to  mean  to  kill  me! 
I  Ia\  e  pity,  have  mercy  upon  me  !  " 

For  a  moment  Wang's  face  seemed  to  soften,  but 
only  for  a  moment.  With  a  wild  glance  he  looked 
round  to  see  that  no  one  was  about,  and  then  tearing 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  153 

poor  little  Pearl's  arms  from  his  neck,  round  which 
she  had  thrown  them  in  her  misery,  he  hurled  her 
into  the  torrent. 

With  one  piercing  shriek,  and  one  wild  reproachful 
look,  she  sank  beneath  the  surface.  Almost  instantly 
she  rose  again  into  sight,  and  was  then  swept  away 
by  the  force  of  the  current  into  the  distance.  Wang 
had  not  the  nerve  to  watch  her  fate,  and  to  listen  to 
her  screams,  but  ran  into  the  cabin  and  closed  the 
door  on  the  outer  world.  In  a  few  minutes,  which 
seemed  to  him  like  hours,  he  crept  out  and  gave  one 
hasty  glance  over  the  broken,  foaming  waters  astern 
of  the  boat.  No  sign  of  his  victim  was  visible,  and 
he  went  back  and  threw  himself  on  his  bed.  Sleep 
was  out  of  the  question.  His  wife's  last  shriek  rang 
again  and  again  in  his  ears,  and  whenever  he  closed 
his  eyes  her  face  rose  up  before  him  out  of  the  dark- 
ness, after  an  instantaneous  consciousness  that  it  was 
coming,  in  a  way  which  made  rest  impossible.  Once 
or  twice  in  the  night  he  went  on  deck  to  cool  his 
brow,  but  the  sight  of  the  spot  on  the  boat  where  he 
had  done  the  deed,  and  of  the  waters  which  held  his 
secret,  was  too  much  for  him,  and  he  crept  back  again 
to  bed. 

At  earliest  dawn  he  awoke  the  captain  of  the  boat, 
and  ordered  him  to  push  on  at  once.  The  man, 
though  half  asleep,  could  not  but  be  struck  with  the 
deathlike  look  of  AVang's  face  ;  but,  putting  it  down 
to  the  wine  and  opium  of  the  night  before,  made  no 
remark.  The  noise  of  the  sailors  moving  about  was 
an  infinite  relief  to  Wang,  and  he  began  to  picture  to 
himself  what  they  would  say,  and  how  Peony  would 


"  With  one  piercing  shriek   .    .    .    she  sank  beneath  the  surface. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  155 

behave  when  Pearl's  disappearance  became  known. 
This  made  him  think  what  part  he  ought  to  play  in 
the  matter.  So  soon  as  he  could  bring  his  thoughts 
to  bear  on  the  subject,  he  determined  to  let  Peony 
make  the  discovery  when  she  went  to  her  mistress's 
cabin  in  the  morning,  and  to  profess  complete  ignor- 
ance of  the  event,  allowing  it  to  be  supposed  that  it 
was  a  case  of  suicide. 

At  his  wife's  usual  hour  for  rising  he  heard  Peony 
go  to  her  cabin,  and  afterwards  out  on  to  the  deck. 
Presently  she  returned,  and  seemed  to  be  making  a 
search,  and  then  he  heard  her  hurry  off  as  fast  as  her 
small  feet  would  carry  her  to  the  servants'  part  of 
the  boat.  Almost  immediately  his  valet  came  to 
his  cabin. 

"Your  Excellency,"  said  the  man,  "  Peony  cannot 
find  my  lady ;  she  has  searched  everywhere  for  her. 
But  what  is  the  matter,  sir  ?  "  he  added,  as  he  saw 
Wang's  blanched  and  terror-stricken  face  ;  "  has  any- 
thing happened  ? " 

"Why,  you  fool,"  said  Wang,  "you  tell  me  your- 
self that  something  has  happened,  when  you  say  that 
your  lady  cannot  be  found.     Help  me  to  dress." 

Help  was  indeed  needed.  Wang  was  so  completely 
unnerved  that  he  was  scarcely  able  to  stand. 

"Shall  I  bring  your  Excellency  some  opium?" 
sim-o-ested  the  man,  seems;  his  condition. 

"  Yes,  quickly." 

The  materials  for  a  pipe  of  the  drug  were  always  at 
hand  in  Wang's  household,  and  before  many  minutes 
had  elapsed  he  was  stretched  on  the  divan  greedily 
inhaling   the   "foreign   dirt."     Gradually  under  the 


156  CHINESE    STOFJES. 

soothing  influence  of  his  pipe  his  eyes  lost  their  wild 
excited  look,  his  features  relaxed,  and  his  hand  re- 
covered some  of  it-  steadiness.  While  thus  engaged, 
Le  came  in  and  expressed  concern  at  the  disappear- 
ance of  Pearl.  lie  just  glanced  at  Wang  with  a 
strange   inquiring  look,  and  then  turned  away. 

"Come  and  help  me  search  for  her,"  said  Wang, 
who  had  now  partly  recovered  his  composure. 

Together  the  pair  went  out  to  go  through  the  form 
of  looking  for  one  of  whose  fate  they  were  equally 
well  informed,  lor  Le  had  watched  the  struggle  on  the 
deck  through  his  cabin  window,  and  had  heard  Pearl's 
wild  despairing  shriek  as  she  disappeared  overboard. 

Peony  was  heart-broken  when  it  became  apparent 
that  Pearl  was  not  in  the  boat.  The  tone  of  her 
mistress's  remarks  on  the  previous  night  suggested 
to  her  mind  the  idea  of  suicide,  and  this  being  re- 
peated to  Wang  by  his  valet,  brought  some  degree 
of  relief  to  the  terror-stricken  mind  of  the  murderer. 
The  idea  of  searching  in  the  troubled  waters  of  the 
rapids  was  obviously  futile,  and  no  halt  was  therefore 
made  in  the  progress  up-stream.  As  the  day  wore  on 
Wang  regained  his  calmness  under  the  influence  of 
opium  and  the  consciousness  of  personal  safety.  The 
sailors  aotieed  that  he  never  went  to  the  forepart 
"1'  the  Ihi.h  as  had  been  his  wont;  and  Peony  took  a 
strange  and  unaccountable  aversion  to  him,  which  she 
was  (piite  unable  to  repress.  Thus  the  days  wore  on 
in  the  gloom-surrounded  boat,  and  it  was  an  infinite 
relief  to  all  when  at  the  end  of  a  week  they  ran  along- 
side the  wharf  at  ( ih'ung  EL'ing. 

Meanwhile  the  same   fair  wind  of  promotion  which 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  157 

had  made  Wang  Commissary  at  Ch'ung  K'ing  had 
brought  the  rank  of  Intendant  of  Circuit  at  the  same 
place  to  Ting,  the  Prefect  of  Tsinihg.  By  a  further 
chance  the  Commissary's  boat  was  only  the  length  of 
the  rapid  ahead  of  that  of  his  superior  officer.  And  on 
the  particular  night  on  which  poor  Pearl  was  thrown 
overboard,  Ting,  his  wife,  and  Green-jade,  were  sit- 
ting on  deck  enjoying  the  beauty  of  the  moon,  and 
watching  the  foaming;  waters  which  came  rushing 
down  ahead  of  them.  While  thus  sitting  they  were 
startled  by  a  woman's  crv  coming-  from  the  broken 

%J  J  O 

water  of  the  rapid.  Such  an  alarm  was  no  uncom- 
mon tiling  at  that  spot.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  but 
some  boat  was  upset,  or  some  tracker  lost  his  pre- 
carious footing  and  fell  into  the  flood.  The  watch- 
man  on  the  police  boat,  which  was  moored  close,  to 
Ting's,  took  the  incident  as  a  matter  of  course.  Not 
so  Ting,  who,  not  being  accustomed  to  these  stern 
alarums,  rushed  to  the  head  of  the  boat  armed  with 
a  boat-hook,  and  eagerly  looked  out  over  the  rushing 
waters.  Another  wild  scream  drew  his  attention  to 
a  direction  in  which  he  dimly  descried  a  living  object 
being  borne  rapidly  along  towards  his  boat.  With 
nervous  energy  he  awaited  its  approach,  and  as  it 
passed  he  deftly  caught  the  dress  of  the  woman,  as 
it  now  turned  out  to  be,  with  the  boat-hook.  Mrs 
Ting  and  Green-jade  stood  by  breathless,  watching 
his  manoeuvres  ;  and  as  he  dragged  the  sufferer 
alongside,  they  caught  hold  of  her,  and  by  their 
united  efforts  pulled  her  on  board. 

"  Is  she  alive  ? "  asked  Green-jade,  pale  and  trem- 
bling with  excitement. 

x 


1  5  8  CHINESE    STORIES. 

•  She  was  a  minute  or  two  ago,"  said  Mrs  Ting. 
"Bui  don'1  waste  time  by  asking  questions.  Chafe 
her  hands  while  1  rub  her  chest,  and  maybe  she  will 
recover." 

"]  hope  I  did  not  make  that  bump  on  her  fore- 
head," put  in  Ting. 

"No,  you  did  not  touch  her  face,"  said  his  wife; 
••that  must  have  been  done  by  a  blow  against  one 
of  i  lie  rocks  iu  the  river.  See!  she  breathes.  lam 
so  glad.  Now,  if  we  can  only  get  her  comfortably 
to  I  led.  we  may  bring  her  round.  Do  you  carry  her 
to  Green-jade's  bed,  and  I  will  get  her  wet  clothes 
off,  poor  thing."' 

Tenderly  Ting  bore  the  apparently  lifeless  form  to 
Green-jade's  cabin,  and  left  her  to  the  care  of  the 
two  women. 

That  she  was  alive  was  all  that  could  be  said,  and 
it  was  hours  before  she  woke  to  consciousness. 

"•  Where  am  I  ?  "  she  murmured,  as  she  opened  her 
eyes. 

"With  friends,"  answered  Green-jade,  "who  are 
going  to  take  care  of  you  until  you  are  quite  well. 
And  now  take  a  little  of  this  hot  wine  which  I  have 
or  you. 

"lie  did  not  mean  to  do  it,"  she  wandered  on, 
having  taken  Green -jade's  kindly  dose;  "I  am  sure 
he  did  not.  It  was  an  accident — quite  an  accident;" 
and  having  said  this,  she  dropped  off  into  a  sound 
sleep. 

From  an  inspection  of  Pearl's  clothes,  Mrs  Ting 
and  Green-jade  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  she 
belonged   to  the   official  class;    but  it  was  late  the 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  159 

next  day  before  she  was  sufficiently  coherent  to 
explain  her  immersion.  With  this  explanation,  in 
which  she  did  all  she  conld  to  shield  her  husband, 
came  the  announcement  of  who  she  was,  and  Green- 
jade  recognised  in  her  the  bride  of  her  faithless  lover. 
By  degrees  the  whole  truth  came  out,  partly  in  con- 
sequence of  the  explanation  required  to  account  for 
her  rooted,  objection  to  return  to  her  husband,  and 
partly  in  response  to  the  confidences  which  Green- 
jade  imparted  to  her.  A  warm  attachment  sprang 
up  between  the  two  women,  which  had  for  its  central 
point  their  abhorrence  of  Wang's  ungrateful  and  cruel 
conduct.  Before  they  reached  Ch'ung  King  they  had 
sworn  eternal  sisterhood  ;  and  Ting,  in  whose  eyes 
also  Pearl  had  found  favour,  had  formally  adopted  her 
as  his  daughter. 

The  fact  of  the  rescue  was  kept  a  profound  secret 
outside  the  boat,  and  Ting,  his  wife,  and  Green-jade 
were  the  only  people  who  were  aware  of  Pearl's 
identity.  On  landing  at  Ch'ung  K'ing,  Pearl  went 
with  the  other  ladies  of  the  household  to  the  In- 
tendant's  yamun,  and  not  a  word  was  breathed  as  to 
the  way  in  which  she  had  entered  their  household. 

The  first  duty  Ting  had  to  perform  was  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  his  subordinates,  and  amongst 
others  that  of  Wang.  That  gentleman  had  not  quite 
recovered  from  the  shock  to  his  nerves  occasioned  by 
the  tragedy  in  the  boat,  and  indeed  it  had  been 
prolonged  by  the  heavy  doses  of  opium  which  he 
had  since  been  in  the  habit  of  taking.  His  apj^ear- 
ance  as  he  presented  himself  before  his  superior  officer 
was  not  prepossessing.     His  usual  forbidding  features 


160  CHINESE    STORIES. 

were  distorted  by  mental  disquiet  and  blurred  by  the 
effects  of  stimulants.  For  some  few  seconds,  as  lie 
made  his  bows,  he  was  unable  to  speak  coherently, 
and  even  when  seated  beside  his  host  he  found  Ting's 
searching  gaze  so  disconcerting  that  lie  had  great 
difficulty  in  expressing  himself.  Altogether,  Ting's 
report  to  his  wife  of  his  interview  was  not  in  Wang's 
favour,  although  he  had  to  admit  that  one  or  two 
classical  allusions  which  he  had  succeeded  in  making 
showed  a  scholarly  training. 

Before  Pearl  had  been  domesticated  at  the  Inten- 
dant's  yamun  many  days  she  opened  communication 
with  Peony  through  a  discreet  servant,  who  brought 
thai  faithful  maid  to  the  yamun,  without  divulging 
by  the  way  more  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 
Peony's  surprise  and  delight  when  she  saw  her  mis- 
tress safe  and  sound  were  overwhelming.  She  cried 
and  laughed,  and  became  quite  hysterical  in  her  joy. 
Bu1  the  account  she  brought  of  the  life  which  she  and 
her  fellow-voyagers  had  led  for  some  days  after  the 
eventful  night  was  terrible.  Wang's  condition  she 
described  as  having  been  little  short  of  madness.  His 
temper  had  been  to  the  last  degree  irritable,  and  any 
sudden  noise  or  unexpected  intrusion  into  his  presence 
had  produced  uncontrolled  outbursts  of  anger.  Le's 
influence  had,  according  to  Peony,  greatly  increased, 
and  Wang  evidently  stood  in  awe  of  him.  Suspicions 
"I  foul  play  had  been  generally  entertained,  and  an 
air  of  doubt  and  reticence  had  pervaded  the  vessel. 

As    time    wore    on,    however,    Wang's    mental   and 

physical    condition    improved.     He    settled   down   to 

new   work   at    Ch'ung    K'ing  with   zeal   and  dili- 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  161 

gence,  finding  in  active  employment  the  best  antidote 
against  the  reproaches  of  his  conscience.  Though 
having  a  profound  contempt  and  dislike  for  him, 
Ting  was  compelled  to  admit  that  he  showed  con- 
siderable administrative  ability  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties.  The  one  fault  which  his  superior  officer 
had  to  find  was  that  he  permitted  Le  to  levy  black- 
mail on  contractors  and  tradesmen  in  virtue  of  his 
official  position.  Repeated  remonstrances  on  this  sub- 
ject produced  no  effect,  Wang  being  afraid  to  offend 
or  get  rid  of  a  man  who,  he  instinctively  felt,  knew 
so  much.  At  length  Ting  was  obliged  to  take  the 
matter  into  his  own  bands,  and  finding  a  strong- 
case  against  the  offender,  he  threw  him  into  prison, 
and  thus  made  it  impossible  for  Wang  any  longer 
openly  to  support  him. 

Meanwhile  rumours  reached  Ting  that  Wang  was 
again  contemplating  marriage.  He  announced  him- 
self as  a  widower ;  and  as  his  official  position  and 
future  prospects  were  decidedly  good,  his  appearance 
in  the  matrimonial  market  made  quite  a  stir  among 
the  ladies  at  Chung  K'ing.  This  gave  Ting  an 
opportunity  of  carrying  out  a  scheme  which  he  had 
long  had  in  his  mind.  He  had  felt  for  some  time 
that  if  Wang  and  his  wife  could  be  brought  together 
again  in  circumstances  which  would  secure  her  against 
a  repetition  of  wrong,  it  was  his  duty  to  arrange  it. 
It  now  occurred  to  him  that  if  he  could,  by  offering 
Wang  his  wife  in  remarriage  under  the  guise  of  his 
adopted  daughter,  bring  this  about,  it  would  destroy 
the  principal  motive  which  had  actuated  Wang  in 
the  commission  of  his  crime,  and  would  give  Pearl 


162  CHINESE    STORIES. 

a  position  which  would  make  any  ill-usage  on  his 
pari  impossible.  After  consultation  with  his  wife, 
he  asked  I 'rail  to  give  him  an  interview  in  his 
study. 

••  Your  position,"  he  said,  "has  long  been  a  cause 
of  anxiety  to  me.  If  anything  were  to  happen  to  me, 
you  would  be  obliged  to  return  to  your  father,  and 
then  ;ill  the  circumstances  connected  with  your  trag- 
edy would  necessarily  become  public  property.  The 
only  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  is 
that  you  should  marry  again." 

"  How  can  you,  of  all  men  in  the  world,  propose 
such  a  thing  to  me?  Don't  you  know  that  a  faithful 
minister  can  serve  only  one  sovereign,  and  a  virtuous 
wife  only  one  husband  ?  " 

"  I  expected  some  such  answer  from  you.  But 
what  should  you  say  if  I  married  you,  my  adopted 
daughter,  to  Commissary  Wang,  who  is,  as  I  have 
reason  to  believe,  looking  out  for  a  wife  to  supply  the 
place  of  his  dear  departed  ?  " 

"What!  remarry  my  own  husband,  and  one  who 
has  attempted  to  murder  me?     Impossible." 

"  He  attempted  to  murder  you  because  you  were 
a  beggar  chieftain's  daughter :  now  you  are  the 
daughter  of  the  Intendant  of  Ch'ung  K'ing.  He 
fell  safe  in  doing  it  because  he  knew  that  you  had 
no  official  influence,  but  he  would  not  dare  now  to 
touch   a    hair  of  your  head." 

"'  I >ut    1    have  a  horror  of  him." 

■■  Remember,  also,  you  have  a  duty  towards  him. 
II'  you  I't  him  marry  some  one  else,  what  will  the 
position  of  both  of  you  be?     Think  it  all  over,  and 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  163 

come  to  me  again  when  you  have  made  up  your 
mind." 

Deeply  Pearl  pondered  the  matter,  and  long  were 
the  consultations  which  she  held  on  the  subject  with 
Mrs  Ting,  Green-jade,  and  Peony.  Dutifully  Mrs 
Ting  advised  the  course  recommended  by  her  husband. 
Green-jade's  advice  was  less  pronounced,  and  Peony 
was  loud  in  her  expressions  of  horror  at  the  idea. 

"Why,  if,  after  once  having  escaped  from  his 
cruelty,  you  were  to  tempt  fortune  again,  you  would 
be  like  the  rat  in  the  fable,  who,  having  got  out  of 
the  trap  with  the  loss  of  his  tail,  went  back  and  lost 
his  head.  Besides,  a  wife  ought  at  least  to  like  her 
husband,  and  how  could  you  ever  endure  a  man  who 
has  tried  to  mur " 

"Hush,"  said  Pearl,  "you  must  not  talk  in  that 
way.  And  did  you  never  hear  of  Lady  Le,  the  wife 
of  an  officer  in  AYu-te's  court,  who  recovered  the 
affections  of  her  husband  after  years  of  cruel  estrange- 
ment,  by  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  ?  " 

"  No,  I  never  did ;  and  I  can  never  believe  that  it 
can  be  the  duty  of  any  one  to  outrage  nature  to  such 
an  extent.  Before  I  could  o-o  back  to  a  man  who 
had  treated  me  as  the  Commissary  has  treated  yon, 
I  would  take  an  overdose  of  laudanum,  or  go  on  a 
voyage  to  England,  or  do  anything  else  desperate  in 
its  folly." 

In  spite,  however,  of  Peony's  eloquence,  Pearl 
eventually  agreed  to  accept  Ting's  advice,  and  that 
gentleman  arranged  that  his  secretary  should  make 
it  known  privately  to  Wang  that  a  proposal  on  his 
part  for  the  hand  of  the  Intendant's  adopted  daughter 


104  CHINESE   STORIES. 

would  be  favourably  received.  Wang  was  delighted 
a1  the  hint.  He  felt  that  such  a  marriage  would 
pu1  him  al  once  al  an  advantage.  Already  Ting's 
position  was  illustrious,  and  his  abilities  and  influence 
were  such  thai  it  was  beyond  question  that  before 
Loner  he  would  be  within  reach  of  the  highest  offices 
of  the  State.  How  different,  he  thought,  was  his 
present  condition  from  that  in  which  he  had  been 
glad  to  marry  the  beggar  chiefs  daughter!  Filled 
with  delight  at  the  prospect  before  him,  he  lost  no 
time  in  opening  negotiations,  and  had  just  sent  off 
the  bridal  presents,  when  a  note  from  Ting  informed 
him  that,  owing  to  his  wife's  serious  illness,  the  mar- 
riage would  have  to  be  postponed.  A  few  days  later 
a  further  notice  reached  him  of  the  fatal  conclusion 
of  the  illness.  "The  Fates,"  wrote  Ting,  "have 
snapped  the  thread  of  her  life,  and  I  am  left  alone 
like  a  stork  in  the  desert.  I  fear  that  it  will  be 
necessary  lor  you  to  postpone  plucking  the  plum- 
blossom  '   for  a  while." 

Wang  was  loud  in  his  condolences,  and  was  <juite 
content  to  wait,  so  long  as  he  felt  sure  of  the  alliance. 
Indeed  the  affliction  which  had  overtaken  Ting  was 
father  gratifying  to  him  than  otherwise.  The  sudden 
death  of  so  great  a  lady  was  naturally  a  subject  of 
general  gossip,  and  the  reflected  notoriety  which 
Wang  enjoyed,  as  the  intended  son-indaw  of  the 
ised,  pleased  him  not  a  little.  He  waited  pa- 
tiently, therefore,  during  the  six  months  required 
of  him,  and  was  not  the  least  annoyed  when  he 
received  an   intimation,  towards  the  end  of  that  time, 

1  A  poetical  expression  for  marrying. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  165 

that  for  certain  private  reasons  the  Intendant  wished 
for  a  still  further  postponement  for  three  months.  The 
fact  being  that,  for  the  due  management  of  his  house- 
hold, he  was  about,  as  he  told  Wang  in  confidence, 
"  to  take  as  my  second  wife  a  relative  of  the  late  Mrs 
Ting,  one  Green-jade,  who,  for  some  time,  has  been  a 
member  of  my  household,  and  who  is  in  happy  posses- 
sion of  all  the  virtues."  He  further  proposed  that  the 
two  weddings  should  take  place  on  the  same  day,  when, 
as  he  wrote,  "  in  the  words  of  the  great  T'ang  poet — 

'Two  happy  pairs  shall  taste  the  richest  joy, 
And  welcome  pleasure  'reft  of  all  alloy.'  " 

To  this  proposal  Wang  readily  assented.  To  share 
a  marriage-feast  with  so  high  and  exalted  an  officer 
as  the  Intendant  filled  his  soul  with  delight.  He 
revelled  in  the  thought  of  the  contrast  between  his 
condition  as  a  poor  penniless  scholar  at  K'aifeng  Fu 
and  his  present  state,  and  he  compared  with  pride 
the  splendour  of  his  proposed  marriage  with  the 
ignominy  which  attached  to  his  former  alliance.  His 
mind  scarcely  reverted  to  the  midnight  scene  in  the 
boat.  He  had  written  to  tell  Mr  Chu  of  "the  sad 
event,"  and  had  received  in  reply  a  piteous  letter  full 
of  grief,  and  then,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  the 
matter  had  ended.  He  was  not  of  an  imaginative  turn 
of  mind  ;  and  so  soon  as  all  danger  to  himself  had  dis- 
appeared, his  spirits  revived,  and  his  mind  recovered 
its  wonted  serenity.  Le  was  the  only  man  who  could 
bring  evidence  against  him,  and  he  was  fast  bound 
in  prison,  and  was,  if  report  said  rightly,  likely  to 
exchange    his    cell    for   the    execution  -  ground.      He 

Y 


166  CHINESE    STORIES. 

therefore  prepared  the  wedding-presents  with  a  light 
heart,  and  penned  the  following  epistle  to  accompany 
them  : — 

"With  joy  and  humility  I  rejoice  that  your  Excel- 
lency  has  deigned  to  give  your  consent  to  the  marriage 
of  your  beloved  one  with  me.  The  approach  of  the 
time  when  I  may  taste  of  the  feathery  verdure  of  the 
matrimonial  peach  fills  me  with  delight,  and  I  trust 
that  our  union  may  establish  an  alliance  between  our 
1  \\"( )  families  which  shall  stand  as  firm  as  the  heavenly 
tripod.  I  send  herewith  some  mean  and  paltry  pres- 
ents, which  I  pray  your  Excellency  to  receive." 

"  Prostrate,"  wrote  the  Intendant  in  reply,  "  I  re- 
ceived your  honourable  presents ;  and  I  look  forward 
with  pleasure  to  the  time  when  the  red  cords  of  Des- 
tiny l  shall  bind  your  feet  to  those  of  my  despicable 
daughter.  I  am  heartily  ashamed  to  send  the  accom- 
panying paltry  gifts  in  exchange  for  your  magnificent 
presents;  but  I  beg  you  to  excuse  my  deficiencies. 
On  the  15th  of  next  month  1  shall  await  the  arrival 
of  your  jade  chariot,  and  the  emblematic  geese'2  will 
be  read)'  prepared  in  my  mean  dwelling." 

As  the  wedding-day  drew  near,  Pearl  became  more 
and  more  anxious  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  step  she 
was  about  to  take  ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
support  she  received  from  Ting,  she  would  even  at 
the  eleventh  hour  have  evaded  the  engagement. 
Green-jade,  in  whom  the  love  she  had  borne  towards 
\\  ang    was   turned   to   bitterest   contempt   and   hate, 

'   Destiny,  i!  is  believed,  binds  the  feet  of  those  who  aiv  to  be  united 
in  marriage  with  red  cords. 

:•  the  emblems  of  conjugal  fidelity. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  167 

could  not  cordially  recommend  her  former  rival  to 
take  upon  herself  again  the  yoke  which  had  proved 
so  uncongenial,  and  Peony  had  no  words  in  which 
to  express  her  disapproval  of  the  arrangement. 

"  I  would  as  soon  hold  out  my  head  under  the 
executioner's  knife  as  marry  that  man  again,  if  I  were 
you,  madam." 

"  He  has  probably  seen  the  errors  of  his  ways  by 
this  time,"  said  Pearl,  "  and  will,  I  have  no  doubt, 
make  a  o-ood  husband  in  the  future." 

o 

"The  proverb  says,  'The  body  may  be  healed,  but 
the  mind  is  incurable,'  "  replied  Peony  ;  "  and  until  I 
see  a  leopard  change  its  spots,  I  will  not  believe  that 
that  mean  and  cruel  man  can  ever  be  reformed." 

"Well,  perhaps  it  was  my  fault,"  said  Pearl,  "that 
he  was  not  better  at  first.  Besides,  he  will  no  longer 
have  Le  to  lead  him  astray.  I  will  cap  your  proverb 
with  the  saying,  '  A  yielding  tongue  endures  ' ;  and  as 
1  intend  to  be  yielding  in  everything,  I  have  every 
confidence  that  Wang  will  turn  out  as  good  as  he  has 
been  bad." 

"  One  more  proverb  and  I  have  done,"  said  Peony. 
'' '  Ivory  does  not  come  from  a  rat's  mouth.'  But  as 
you  have  made  up  your  mind,  I  will  say  no  more.  I 
will  only  ask  that  if  Mr  Ting  will  give  leave,  we 
should  follow  a  custom,  when  introducing  Mr  Wang 
into  your  chamber,  which  is  common  in  my  part  of 
the  country." 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  said  Pearl. 

"  We  make  the  bridegroom  run  the  gauntlet  be- 
tween  old  women  armed  with  switches,"  said  Peony  ; 
"  and  it  is  such  fun  to  see  the  way  they  run." 


16S  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

Ting,  on  being  consulted,  readily  gave  his  consent 
to  Peony's  proposal,  and  even  hinted  that  if  she  stood 
among  the  old  women  with  a  stouter  switch  than 
usual,  he  should  make  no  objection. 

"Only  confine  your  custom  to  Mr  Wang,  if  you 
please,  Miss  Peony.'"  he  added;  "I  have  no  inclina- 
tion to  have  my  shoulders  switched." 

On  the  eventful  day  Wang  arrived  dressed  in  can- 
onicals, and  full  of  that  satisfaction  which  small 
minds  feel  at  the  achievement  of  social  success.  He 
received  the  congratulations  of  the  subordinate  offi- 
cials with  haughty  condescension,  and  conversed 
affably  with  Ting  before  the  ceremonies  began.  He 
went  through  his  part  with  perfect  composure,  which 
is  more  than  can  be  said  for  Pearl  and  Green-jade, 
who,  if  they  had  not  been  concealed  behind  their 
wedding  -  veils,  would  have  broken  down  entirely. 
At  last  the  vows  having  been  made  to  Heaven,  Earth, 
and  the  ancestors  of  the  brides  and  bridegrooms,  and 
the  marriage-feast  having  been  brought  to  a  conclu- 
.-ion.  the  bridegrooms  were  conducted  to  the  apart- 
ments of  their  brides.  As  Wang  crossed  the  hall 
leading  to  his  bridal  chamber,  a  number  of  old  women, 
headed  by  Peony,  formed  up  in  double  line,  and  as 
the  unconscious  Wang  passed  between  them,  each 
drew  from  her  ample  sleeve  a  stick  with  which  she 
belaboured    the    unfortunate     bridegroom.        It    did 

P< y's   heart    good  to  sec  how  the  stately  swagger 

with  which  he  entered  their  ranks  became  a  hasty 
flight,  as  the  blows  rained  upon  his  shoulders.  A 
parting  blow  which  Peony  aimed  with  nervous 
strength   on   his   luckless    head   drew   a   cry   of  pain 


•■  WANG."— Page  16S. 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE.  169 

from  him,  and  lie  rushed  headlong  into  his  wife's 
room,  almost  tripping  over  the  door-curtain  in  his 
haste  to  reach  a  place  of  safety. 

Pale  and  breathless  he  stood  before  the  veiled 
figure  of  his  wife,  and  it  was  some  seconds  before  he 
could  sufficiently  recover  his  nerves  to  raise  the  red 
veil  which  concealed  Pearl's  features.  When  he  did 
so  he  started  back  with  horror  and  amazement.  The 
little  presence  of  mind  which  remained  to  him  de- 
serted him  entirely.  He  trembled  all  over,  and  put- 
ting his  hand  before  his  eyes,  cried,  "  Take  it  away, 
take  it  away  !     What  fool's  trick  is  this  ?  " 

So  saying,  he  turned  and  ran  towards  the  door, 
where  he  encountered  Ting. 

"Whither  away?"  said  that  gentleman.  "You 
run  from  your  wife  as  though  she  were  the  plague. 
Have  you  had  a  quarrel  already  ?  " 

"  Let  me  go,"  replied  Wang.  "  Either  she  is  a 
ghost,  or  some  trick  has  been  played  upon  me." 

"She  is  no  ghost,  but  your  wife  Pearl,  whom  now 
for  the  second  time  you  have  married.  Speak  to  your 
husband,  lady." 

"  I  am  indeed  doubly  your  wife,"  said  Pearl.  "  And 
I  trust  that  our  second  nuptials  will  be  the  prelude 
to  a  longer  and  happier  wedded  existence  than  was 
vouchsafed  to  us  by  the  gods  before." 

At  these  words,  and  fortified  by  the  presence  of 
Ting,  Wang  regained  enough  composure  to  glance 
furtively  at  Pearl,  the  placidity  and  good  temper  of 
whose  features  bore  in  upon  him  the  consciousness 
that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  her.  This  convic- 
tion  gave  him  courage. 


170  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

"  But  how  has  this  all  happened  ? "  lie  said.  "  Is 
it  possible  that  you  were  saved  from  drowning  in  the 
rapid  ? " 

"  It  is  possible,"  said  Ting.  "  And  now  let  me  lead 
you  to  vour  wife's  side,  and  I  will  then  leave  her  to 
explain  it  all." 

So  saying,  he  led  him  to  a  seat  beside  his  wife,  and 
then  retired. 

In  as  few  words  as  were  possible,  Pearl  related  how 
she  had  been  saved,  and  enlarged  with  warmth  on  the 
kindness  she  had  received  from  Ting.  Not  a  word  of 
reproach  did  she  utter,  and  she  gave  him  to  under- 
stand by  her  manner  that  the  past  was  forgotten. 

Tortured  by  a  remorse  which  was  awakened  by  her 
presence,  and  fearful  lest  Ting  should  take  a  more 
judicial  view  of  his  conduct  than  she  did,  Wang  fell 
on  his  knees  before  his  wife  and  implored  her  forgive- 
ness, vowing  at  the  same  time  that  he  would  be  a 
true  and  kind  husband  to  her  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Pearl  hastily  raised  him  from  the  ground,  and  assured 
him  that,  so  far  as  both  she  and  Ting  were  concerned, 
what  had  happened  would  be  as  though  it  had  never 
taken  place.  Peace  was  thus  restored ;  and  as  with 
advancing  night  quiet  took  possession  of  the  court- 
yards, so  harmony  reigned  in  the  bridal  chambers. 

After  ten  years  of  most  undeservedly  placid  mar- 
ried life,  AVang  was  stricken  down  with  fever,  and  in 
;i  vision  of  the  night  a  spirit  passed  before  his  face. 
Trembling  and  terrified  he  gazed  into  the  darkness, 
and  though  he  could  see  nothing,  he  was  conscious 
that  some  form  stood  before  him.      He  was  too  frio-ht- 


A    TWICE-MARRIED    COUPLE. 


171 


ened  to  cry  out,  and  after  a  silence  which  seemed  to 
him  to  last  for  hours,  he  heard  a  voice  saying — 

"According  to  the  original  decree  of  the  God  of 
Hades,  you  should  have  fifteen  more  years  of  life  be- 
fore you ;  but  inasmuch  as  you  have  been  guilty  of 
the  heinous  crime  of  attempting  to  murder  your  wife, 
the  thread  of  your  existence  is  about  to  be  snapped." 

With  these  words  the  vision  vanished,  and  AVang 
fell  back  unconscious.  In  this  condition  Pearl  found 
him  a  few  minutes  later,  and  as  the  morning  light 
broke  through  the  lattice-window  his  spirit 
into  the  land  of  forgetfulness. 


I  am  indeed  doubly  your  wife." — Page  169. 


17l' 


HOW  A  CHINESE   B.A.  WAS  WON. 


BOUT  two  centuries  before  the 
time  of  Abraham,  the  emperor 
who  then  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  China  ordained  that  trien- 
nial examinations  should  be  held 
among  the  officials  of  the  empire, 
in  order  that  the  "  unworthy  might 
be  degraded  and  the  meritorious 
promoted  to  honour.'7  The  plan 
answered  excellently  well,  we  are 
told,  and  would  probably  have 
thenceforth  become  a  recognised 
part  of  the  machinery  of  govern- 
ment, had  not  evil  times  fallen  upon  the  country. 
The  peaee  which  reigned  so  long  as  the  virtuous 
sovereigns  Slum  and  Yu  (b.c.  2255-2197)  occupied 
the  throne,  disappeared  with  the  death  of  Yu,  and 
disorder  spread  like  a  flood  over  the  empire.  In 
the  council  -  chambers  of  the  succeeding  emperors, 
armed  warriors  took  the  place  of  the  learned  scholars 
who  had  advised  their  predecessors,  and  no  examin- 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.    WAS    WON.  173 

ation,  but  such  as  tried  the  strength  of  their  right 
arms  and  their  skill  in  warlike  fence,  found  favour 
with  these  soldiers  of  fortune  for  an  instant. 

Thus,  though  at  intervals  the  nation  returned  to 
its  right  mind  under  the  guidance  of  wise  and  bene- 
ficent  rulers,  the  scheme  inaugurated  by  Shun  fell 
into  abeyance,  and  it  was  not  until  nearly  three 
thousand  years  later  that  Yang-te  (a.d.)  605-617 
varied  the  monotony  of  his  otherwise  profligate  reign 
by  reinstituting  a  system  of  examination  for  office. 
Unlike  everything  European,  and  therefore  thorough- 
ly Chinese,  the  highest  degree  was  instituted  first, 
and  the  lowest  last.  Yang-te,  like  Shun,  began  by 
examinations  among  his  courtiers.  His  successors, 
arguing;  that  what  was  good  for  the  courtiers  would 
be  good  for  the  people  at  large,  ordained  that  "  search 
should  be  made  each  year  in  every  prefecture  and 
district  for  elegant  scholars  and  dutiful  sons,"  who 
should,  after  satisfying  the  examiners,  be  employed 
in  the  State. 

In  this  way  were  called  into  being  the  three 
degrees  which  exist  at  the  present  day — viz.,  the 
Siu-ts'ai,  or  Elegant  Scholar ;  the  Keu-jin,  otherwise 
Heaou-leen,  or  Dutiful  Son ;  and  Tsin-sze,  or  Ad- 
vanced Scholar,  the  earlier  creation  of  Yang-te.  The 
same  books  also  upon  which  it  was  ordained  that  the 
candidates  should  be  examined  eleven  hundred  years 
ago,  are  still  used  for  the  like  purpose.  But  as  with 
advancing  culture  the  number  of  competitors  have 
multiplied  exceedingly,  it  has  become  obviously  impos- 
sible that  offices  should  be  found  for  all  those  wdio  are 
successful ;  and  the  contests,  especially  for  the  lowest 

z 


174  CHINESE    STORIES. 

degree  of  Siu-ts'ai,  have  ceased  to  be  for  anything  more 
than  the  honour  of  the  degree.  Those  who  succeed  in 
becoming  Tsin-sze  are,  as  a  general  rule,  appointed  at 
once  to  the  mandarinate,  and  a  Keu-jin  who  has  influ- 
ence in  high  quarters  generally  gets  employment ;  but 
1  he  degree  of  Siu-ts'ai  does  nothing  more  than  qualify 
the  holder  for  official  life.  Unfortunately  for  the 
chances  of  these  pass-men,  the  practice  of  drawing 
all  officials  from  the  literati  has  fallen  into  desuetude  ; 
and  to  such  an  extent  has  this  departure  from  ancient 
custom  been  carried,  that  nearly  one -half  of  the 
mandarins  of  the  present  day  have,  it  is  said,  never 
faced  the  examiners.  Still  the  competitive  examina- 
tions form  the  only  officially  recognised  road  to  the 
mandarinate,  and  this  alone  is  enough  to  keep  the 
examiners'  lists  full.  But,  apart  from  this  considera- 
tion, the  high  value  which  is  attached  by  tradition 
to  literary  culture  induces  every  one  in  whom  glim- 
mers the  least  intellectual  light  to  tempt  fortune  in 
the  examination-hall.  The  first  ambition  of  every 
self-made  man  is  that  a  son  may  be  born  to  him 
who  will  reflect  glory  on  his  grey  hairs  by  winning 
a  degree.  He  feels  that  his  acquired  wealth  is  as 
nothing  to  him,  so  long  as  his  household  is  without 
the  wearer  of  a  buttoned  cap  to  raise  it  above  the 
families  of  the  people,  and  to  link  it  with  the  in- 
habitants of  yam ii iis  {i.e.,  official  residences). 

Such  a  one  was  Le  Tai,  the  great  salt  merchant, 
who  gave  the  name  of  Le-chia  Chwang  to  the  village 
wIkiv  he  lived.  He  had  begun  life  in  a  very  small 
way,  having  been  a  junior  clerk  in  the  office  of  a 
farmer   of    the   salt  gabelle,    to   whose    business   he 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.    WAS    WON.  1/5 

eventually  succeeded.  By  constant  perseverance, 
and  by  the  help  of  some  well-devised  ventures,  he 
gradually  accumulated  so  considerable  a  fortune  that, 
when  his  employer  signified  his  intention  of  retiring, 
he  was  able  to  pay  him  down  a  good  round  sum  for 
the  goodwill  of  the  business,  and  to  set  at  rest  some 
official  cravings  which  it  was  necessary  to  satisfy 
before  he  could  obtain  the  Salt  Commissioner's  seal 
to  his  appointment.  Fortune  had  been  kind  also  to 
him  in  his  domestic  relations.  The  two  sons  who 
grew  up  before  him  were  a  double  assurance  to  him 
that  the  sacrifices  at  his  tomb  would  be  duly  and 
regularly  offered.  He  had  daughters  too,  but  they 
satisfied  no  ambition  and  dissipated  no  fear,  and  he 
laid,  therefore,  no  great  store  on  their  existence. 
Not  that  he  was  an  unkind  father.  On  the  contrary, 
he  was  fond  of  toying  with  his  little  daughters,  but 
his  heart  was  with  his  sons,  Le  Taou  and  Le  Ming. 

Taou  had  at  an  early  age  developed  a  taste  for  the 
counting-house,  and  was  rapidly  becoming  as  skilled 
as  his  father  in  driving  bargains  and  defrauding  the 
revenue.  Ming,  on  the  other  hand,  had,  from  his 
childhood  up,  displayed  a  studious  bent  of  mind. 
When  little  more  than  an  infant  he  would  stand  in 
the  village  school  with  his  face  to  the  wall  and  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  after  the  recognised  fashion, 
and  repeat,  without  stumbling,  the  "  Three  Character 
Classic  "  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  heedless  of  the  like 
shrill  utterances  of  the  young  Wangs  and  Changs 
who,  envious  of  his  superior  attainments,  declaimed 
in  his  ears  their  by  no  means  perfect  lessons.  From 
such  promising  beginnings  he  made  rapid  strides  in 


L76  CHINESE    STORIES. 

his  studies,  until,  as  lie  now  boasts,  he  could  say 
with  Confucius  that  "  at  fifteen  he  bent  his  mind  to 
learning."      Under  the   guidance   of   a  tutor,   whose 

CD  ^ 

tit].'  t<>  teach  consisted  only  in  the  fact  of  his  having, 
after  many  ineffectual  efforts,  taken  the  lowest  degree 
of  Siu-ts'ai  some  twenty  years  before,  he  made  himself 
master  of  the  "  Five  Classics"  and  "  Four  Books,"  and 
could  talk  with  equal  fluency  on  the  eight  diagrams 
of  Fuh-he,  the  doctrine  of  the  "Superior  Man,"  and 
the  excellences  of  the  "Mother  of  Mencius."  His 
acquaintance  with  the  interpretations  put  upon  these 
texts  by  every  scholar,  from  K'ung  Ying-ta  to  Yuen 
Yuen,  was  profound;  and  his  knowledge  of  rites  and 
ceremonies  was  such  as  to  put  to  shame  his  less 
cultured  father  and  brother.  His  scrupulous  atten- 
tion to  every  deferential  observance  inculcated  in 
the  rites  of  Chow  proclaimed  him  a  scholar,  but 
marked  him  in  their  minds  as  a  prig.  He  was  not 
a  lively  companion,  for  his  studies,  instead  of  making 
him  think  or  rousing  his  imagination,  had  only  stored 
his  mind  with  philosophical  platitudes  and  well-worn 
truisms.  But  as  the  accumulation  of  a  o-ood  stock  of 
these  was  essential  to  enable  him  to  pass  the  examina- 
tion which  would  make  him  a  possible  mandarin,  his 
friends  put  up  with  his  references  to  Confucius  and 
the  other  sages,  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  bored 
to  death  with  his  odes  and  essays.  It  was  quite  a 
relief  to  them,  however,  when,  as  the  examination 
drew  near,  lie  betook  himself  to  a  summer-house  in 
the  garden,  whither  he  carried  his  books  and  "the 
four  precious  things"  of  a  scholar's  study  —  viz., 
pencil,   paper,  ink,  and  inkslab.     Here  he  spent  his 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WON.  177 

clays  and  a  great  part  of  his  nights  in  learning  by 
heart  the  Nine  Classics,  laboriously  conning  the  com- 
mentaries, and  getting  up  the  contents  of  the  rhym- 
ing dictionaries.  Once  or  twice  he  allowed  himself 
to  be  enticed  by  his  quondam  schoolfellows,  Wang 
and  Chang,  who  also  hoped  to  nice  the  Literary 
Chancellor,  into  a  picnic  up  the  river  to  a  Buddhist 
monastery  embosomed  in  trees  among  the  mountains. 
On  these  occasions  the  friends,  as  became  scholars, 
lightened  their  feast  by  making  couplets  ;  and  as  he 
who  failed  in  his  task  had  to  drink  three  cups  of 
wine,  it  not  unfrequently  happened  that  Ming  was, 
on  the  morning  after  such  expeditions,  more  fit  for 
his  bed  than  his  books.  When  he  declared  his  in- 
tention of  giving  up  these  merry-makings  as  inter- 
fering with  his  work,  his  friends  laughed  at  him, 
and  confided  to  him  their  intention  of  smuggling 
"  sleeve  "  editions  of  the  classics  into  the  examination- 
hall,  plaited  in  their  queues,  and  advised  him  to  do 
the  same.  But  Ming,  though  inclined  at  first  to 
yield  to  the  temptation,  refused,  and  went  back  to 
his  summer-house  and  his  books.  From  these  nothing 
now  withdrew  him — not  even  the  artifices  of  Kin 
Leen,  the  pretty  waiting -maid  of  Miss  Ling  next 
door,  who  one  day  threw  over  the  wall,  so  as  to  fall 
in  front  of  his  study  window,  a  stone  with  a  bit  of 
paper  tied  to  it.  Ming  picked  it  up,  and  found  the 
paper  to  contain  a  couplet,  which  it  did  not  require 
his  deep  reading  to  discover  was  an  invitation  to 
him  to  take  the  reverse  direction  of  the  stone.  But 
he  crunched  the  note  in  his  hand  and  buried  his  face 
in  the  '  Book  of  Changes.' 


Ming  picked  it  up,  and  found  the  paper  to  contain  a  couplet.'''' 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WON.  179 

But  soon  the  time  came  when  he  thought  himself 
ripe  for  examination  for  the  degree  of  Siu-ts'ai ;  so 
one  morning  he  presented  himself  at  the  Le-fang 
department  of  the  magistrate's  yamun  in  the  neigh- 
bouring city,  and  demanded  of  the  secretary  in  charge 
the  conditions  under  which  he  could  appear  at  the 
next  ordeal.  "First  of  all."  said  the  secretary,  who 
was  not  in  a  good  humour  that  morning,  "  if  you 
are  the  son  of  an  actor,  or  a  servant,  it  is  no  use 
your  coming,  for  such  people  are  not  allowed  to 
compete  at  all.  But  if  you  are  not,  you  must  send 
us,  in  writing,  your  name  and  age,  your  place  of  resi- 
dence, the  names  of  your  father,  your  mother,  your 
grandfather  and  grandmother,  your  great-grandfather 
and  great-grandmother.  And  further,  you  must  give 
us  a  description  of  your  appearance,  the  colour  of  your 
complexion,  and  whether  you  have  any  hair  on  your 
face.     And  now  I  must  attend  to  other  business." 

Acting  on  this  hint,  Ming  made  his  bow,  and  as 
soon  as  he  got  home  he  sat  down  to  supply  the  in- 
formation required  of  him.  He  had  some  difficulty  in 
going  as  far  back  as  his  great-grandparents,  and  when 
he  came  to  the  question  of  the  colour  of  his  com- 
plexion he  hesitated,  and  would  have  liked  to  describe 
it  as  white,  but  after  consulting  the  glass  he  saw  the 
truth  was  too  obvious,  so  he  wrote  "  yellow."  Armed 
with  this  paper,  he  returned  to  the  yamun,  and  when 
it  had  been  examined  and  pronounced  satisfactory, 
he  was  allowed  to  take  away  a  packet  of  examination 
paper.  Each  morning  after  this  he  walked  into  the 
city  and  past  the  yamun,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  the 
official  notice  fixino;  the  date  of  the  next  examination. 


180  CHINESE    STORIES. 

At  last,  one  day,  as  lie  turned  the  corner  of  the 
principal  street,  lie  saw  a  crowd  at  the  yamun  gate, 
standing  before  a  fresh  placard.  In  his  excitement  he 
forgot  for  a  moment  the  Confucian  maxim,  never  to 
walk  quickly,  and  he  had  almost  broken  into  a  run 
before  i  lie  recollection  of  the  words  of  the  sage  steadied 
his  pace.  As  he  came  up,  Wang  met  him  with  a  face 
full  of  excitement :  "  His  Honour  has  appointed  the 
5th  of  next  month,"  said  he;  "so  we  have  now  got 
ten  more  days  for  work,  and  as  I  have  been  rather 
idle  of  late  I  shall  go  straight  home  and  make  up  for 
lost  time." 

Ming  scarcely  heard  what  he  said,  but  pushed  into 
the  crowd  to  read  for  himself  the  notification.  True 
enough,  it  was  as  Wang  had  reported.  The  5th  was 
to  be  the  day,  and  full  of  his  tidings  Ming  went  home 
to  give  the  news  to  his  parents.  From  that  time  he 
was  treated  with  the  consideration  due  to  one  who  is 
about  to  take  his  first  great  step  in  life,  and,  as  the 
excitement  prevented  his  working,  he  spent  most  of 
his  time  in  visiting  those  of  his  friends  who  were 
to  be  among  his  competitors,  and  talking  over  with 
them  their  respective  chances.  One  thing  filled  him 
with  alarm.  As  the  day  drew  near  he  learned  that 
he  was  to  be  one  of  upwards  of  two  thousand  com- 
petitors for  the  degrees. 

I  )aylight  on  the  5th  saw  crowds  of  students  on 
their  way  to  the  Kaopeng-tsze,  or  examination-hall, 
in  the  magistrate's  yamun.  As  soon  as  they  had  all 
assembled  the  doors  were  thrown  open  at  the  upper 
•  ■nil  of  the  hall,  and  the  magistrate  entered  and  seated 
himself  at  a  table  covered  with   red   cloth,  on  which 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.    WAS    WON.  181 

were  arranged  pencils,  inkstones,  and  paper,  and  at 
which  also  sat  the  secretaries  who  were  to  assist  in 
the  examination.  Presently,  amid  a  deathlike  silence, 
a  notice-board  was  displayed,  on  which  it  was  an- 
nounced that  the  work  for  the  day  wonld  consist  of  an 
essay  on  the  passage  from  the  Lun-yn  :  "  The  Master 
said,  'Is  it  not  pleasant  to  learn  with  a  constant 
perseverance  and  application  ? '  "  another  essay  on  the 
passage,  also  from  the  Lun-yu  :  "A  youth  should  over- 
flow with  love  for  all  men ; "  and  a,  poem  on  "  Wine,'' 
after  the  manner  of  the  poets  of  the  T'ang  dynast  v. 

Instantly  two  thousand  pencils  were  seized  by  as 
man}7  nervous  and  eager  hands,  and  the  work  of  the 
day  began.  Fortunately  for  Ming,  the  commentator's 
remarks  on  the  first  passage  were  tolerably  fresh  in 
his  recollection,  so  that  he  was  able  to  start  off 
without  delay.  "Learning,"  he  wrote,  "is  only 
the  first  step  towards  perfection,  and  he  who  desires 
to  become  a  superior  man  must  strive  daily  to  im- 
prove his  knowledge  and  perfect  his  understanding. 
But  the  Master's  words  have  also  a  wider  signification. 
They  are  intended  to  impress  upon  us  that  in  every 
concern  we  undertake  we  must  not  only  begin,  but 
must  also  make  an  end.  It  is  better  not  to  begin 
a  matter  than,  having  begun,  to  leave  it  unfinished. 
But  let  us  further  consider  this  text.  It  is  with  the 
whole  body  that  we  pursue  after  an  object,  but  it 
is  with  the  heart  that  we  accomplish  it.  Let  us 
therefore  try  to  keep  our  hearts  pure  and  our  in- 
tentions sincere,  and  we  shall  then  be  able  to  do 
great  things.  But  how  are  we  to  keep  our  hearts 
pure  ? "      And    then    he    went    on    with    some    very 

2  A 


182  CHINESE    STORIES. 

excellent  Confucianism  to  answer  his  own  question, 
and  brought  his  essay  to  a  conclusion  with  a  eulogy 
on  the  supreme  wisdom  of  the  text. 

Flushed  with  his  first  success,  he  took  up  his 
second  paper ;  but  his  views,  or  rather  those  he  had 
imbibed  from  the  commentators  Chu  He,  Ch'ing 
Hao,  and  others,  were  not  so  clearly  defined  on 
the  love  with  which  a  youth  should  regard  all  men, 
as  on  the  first  text.  However,  he  began  :  "In  this 
passage  it  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  the  distinction 
the  Master  would  draw  between  the  love  of  a  }'outh 
and  the  love  of  a  full-grown  man.  A  youth  brought 
up  within  his  father's  house  has  no  experience  of  the 
world,  and  has  not  arrived  at  that  knowledge  when 
it  is  safe  for  him  to  hate  as  a  man  should  hate,  or 
love  as  a  man  should  love.  The  Master  said  that 
he  hated  those  who  spoke  evil  of  others,  those  who 
slandered  their  superiors,  and  those  who  were  for- 
ward and  violent,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  contracted 
understanding.  It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that  men 
should  rightly  hate  as  well  as  rightly  love.  But 
how  can  a  }7outh  who  is  still  unlearned  decide  for 
himself  whom  to  love  and  whom  to  hate  ?  Therefore 
the  Master  says  he  should  love  all  men."  Here  his 
memory  failed  him,  and  as  he  was  incapable  of  any 
original  thought,  he  would  have  had  to  lay  down 
his  pencil  had  it  not  occurred  to  him  that  he  might 
drag  into  his  essay  a  panegyric  on  the  love  of  children 
for  their  parents.  The  idea  was  a  happy  one,  and 
enabled  him  to  complete  the  required  number  of 
line-  before  poor  Wang,  who  sat  near  him,  had  done 
much  more  than  write  down  the  text. 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.    WAS    WOX.  183 

But  the  poem  he  felt  to  be  a  more  serious  matter 
than  either  of  the  essays.  Fortunately  the  subject 
was  one  upon  which  his  favourite  author  Le  Tai-pih 
had  repeatedly  written,  and  finding  that  he  had  still 
plenty  of  time  before  him,  he  shut  his  eyes  and  tried 
to  recall  to  his  recollection  the  praises  which  that 
great  wine-loving  poet  had  lavished  on  the  bottle. 
Gradually  his  memory  summoned  up  lines  and  parts 
of  lines  and  conventional  expressions  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  enable  him  to  begin  the  mosaic,  which  he 
was  fully  aware  must  make  up  any  poetical  effusion 
on  his  part.  After  much  "ploughing  with  the 
pencil "  and  long  mental  struggles,  he  wrote  as 
follows  : — 

""When  o'er  the  village  shine.-;  the  evening  sun, 
And  silent  stand  the  tombs  of  bygone  men, 
AVhen  birds  sing  evening  chant  beside  the  way, 
Then  sit  you  down  to  drink  your  perfumed  wine. 
The  men  of  old  did  quickly  pass  the  flask, 
And  sharp  of  wit  did  improvise  their  songs, 
Then  youths  were  only  bidden  to  the  feasts 
Who  drained  their  goblets  to  the  latest  drop." 

With  this  final  effort  his  work  for  the  day  was 
over,  and  he  returned  home  with  the  happy  conscious- 
ness that  he  had  done  well.  For  the  benefit  of  his 
anxious  friends  he  had  to  fight  his  mental  battle  o'er 
again,  and  he  retired  to  bed  to  dream  of  honours 
lost  and  won;  and  just  as  he  imagined  himself 
introduced  into  the  imperial  presence  as  Cliwang- 
yuen,  or  first  literate  of  the  year,  he  was  roused  by 
his  father,  who  came  to  tell  him  that  the  morning 
was  breaking,  and  that  it  was  time  to  be  up  and 
stirring.      The  sun  had  scarcely  risen  on  the  earth 


184  CHINESE    STORIES. 

when  lie  found  himself  once  again  in  the  examination- 
hall  surrounded  by  his  fellow-competitors  of  yester- 
day. Again  the  magistrate  took  his  seat  at  the 
table,  and  without  further  preface  it  was  announced 
that  the  work  for  that  day,  which  would  be  the  last 
of  that  examination,  would  consist  of  three  essays: 
one  on  the  passage  from  the  Le  Ke — "  Tsze-shang's 
mother  died,  and  he  did  not  mourn  for  her.  His 
father's  disciples  therefore  asked  of  Tsze-sze,  '  In 
bygone  days  did  not  Confucius  mourn  for  his  di- 
vorced mother  ? ' :  Another  on  the  text  from  the 
I  llassic  of  Filial  Piety  :  "  The  Master  said,  '  Formerly 
the  intelligent  kings  served  their  fathers  with  filial 
piety,  and  therefore  they  served  heaven  with  intelli- 
gence ;  they  served  their  mothers  with  filial  piety, 
and  therefore  they  served  earth  with  discrimination.' ' 
And  a  third  upon  the  passage  from  the  Sing-le  or 
Mental  Philosophy  of  Chu  He  :  "  Water  belongs  to 
the  female  principle  of  nature,  yet  it  has  its  root  in 
the  male  ;  fire  belongs  to  the  male  principle,  yet  it  has 
its  rout  in  the  female." 

By  the  time  the  papers  were  handed  in  Ming  felt 
that  he  had  written  three  fairly  good  essays.  On 
several  occasions  during  the  day  his  attention  had 
been  attracted  to  his  next  neighbour,  an  old  man, 
whose  trembling  hand  seemed  scarcely  able  to  trace 
the  characters  he  wished  to  write.  His  ideas  also 
evidently  flowed  slowly,  and  Ming  had  several  times 
longed  to  be  able  to  otter  him  suggestions.  How 
much  they  were  needed  was  obvious  from  the  un- 
finished state  of  the  papers  the  old  scholar  handed 
in   at  the  close  of  the  day,  and  his  dejected  mien  as 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WON.  185 

he  left  the  hall  showed  that  he  was  painfully  conscious 
of  his  shortcomings.  But,  truth  to  tell,  the  feeling 
that  he  had  done  well  soon  drove  the  recollection  of 
the  veteran  out  of  Ming's  mind,  and  he  hurried  home 
to  satisfy  the  eager  expectancy  of  his  parents  with 
the  tale  of  his  exploits.  He  knew,  however,  that  his 
success  would  have  to  remain  problematical  until 
the  publication  of  the  lists  in  two  or  three  days' 
time ;  and  he  wisely  determined  to  give  himself  the 
rest  which  he  felt  he  needed,  and  not  to  attempt  to 
read  for  the  second  five-day  examination,  which  he 
knew  he  would  have  to  face  almost  immediately  if 
his  name  should  now  appear  in  the  charmed  circle  of 
successful  competitors. 

On  the  third  day  he  went  into  the  city  to  see  if  by 
chance  the  lists  were  published,  and  found  the  streets 
thronged  by  his  associates,  who  had  come  on  the  same 
fruitless  errand  as  himself.  As,  after  mid-day,  there 
was  no  hope  of  his  anxieties  being  set  at  rest  before 
the  morrow,  he  allowed  himself  to  be  tempted  by 
some  of  his  fellow-students  to  join  them  in  a  picnic 
to  a  suburban  garden,  where  the  pleasure -seekers 
amused  themselves  by  extemporising  couplets  and 
drinking  wine  among  the  flowers.  Towards  evening 
the  fun  grew  fast  and  furious,  and  Ming  found  it 
necessary  at  last  to  retreat  to  a  secluded  summer- 
house  to  sleep  off  the  effects  of  his  potations  before 
returning  home.  His  debauch,  however,  did  not  pre- 
vent his  being  in  the  city  early  the  next  morning,  as 
it  had  been  reported  among  his  convives  of  the  pre- 
vious evening  that  the  lists  would  be  out  soon  after 
daybreak.     On  entering  the  gates  he  was  met  by  a 


186  CHINESE    STORIES. 

candidate,  by  whose  excited  appearance  Ming  saw  at 
once  that  his  fate  was  sealed  one  way  or  the  other. 
"  The  lists  are  out,"  said  his  friend,  "  and  my  name  is 
in  the  circle."  "  I  congratulate  you,"  answered  Ming, 
"and  may  you  rise  to  office  and  reap  emoluments! 
But  where  does  my  name  appear  ? "  "I  had  not  time 
to  look,"  said  his  friend  as  he  hurried  on.  With  all 
possible  speed  Ming  made  his  way  to  the  magistrate's 
yamun,  outside  the  walls  of  which  he  saw  an  excited 
crowd  gathered  round  a  long  strip  of  paper,  covered 
for  the  most  part  with  names  written  perpendicularly, 
but  having  at  one  end  a  circle  composed  of  the  cen- 
trifugally  written  names  of  those  who  had  passed  best. 
When  fairly  within  sight  of  the  paper  which  was  to 
resolve  his  doubts,  Ming  suddenly  felt  an  inclination 
to  slacken  his  pace  and  to  look  in  at  the  shop-windows. 
At  last,  however,  he  made  his  way  into  the  crowd, 
and  had  just  discovered  his  name  in  the  circle  when 
an  acquaintance  cried  out,  "  Ah  !  Le  Laou-ye,1  I  con- 
gratulate you.  My  name  is  only  two  from  yours. 
But  I  am  afraid  our  poor  friend  Wang  is  left  out  in 
the  cold."  "  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  replied  Ming,  "  but 
let  me  congratulate  you  on  your  success.  Have  you 
heard  when  the  second  examination  is  to  be  held  ? " 
"  In  two  days'  time.  May  you  become  a  chwang- 
yuen!  Good-bye."  "And  may  you  have  a  seat  at 
I  he  Feast  of  the  Blowing  of  the  Deer!"2  replied 
Ming,  as  he  hurried  off  homewards  to  announce  his 
good  fortune. 

At  the  news  of  his  son's  success  the  old  salt  mer- 

1  A  complimentary  title  equivalent  to  "your  worship." 

a  A  feast  given  to  the  graduates  at  the  provincial  examinations. 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WON.  187 

chant's  joy  knew  no  bounds,  and  lie  instantly  issued 
invitations  for  a  feast  on  the  next  afternoon  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event.  In  the  meantime  the  house 
was  besieged  by  friends — more  especially  poor  ones — 
who  came  to  congratulate  Ming,  and  who  exhausted 
every  good  wish  it  was  possible  to  devise  for  his  fu- 
ture happiness  and  advancement.  In  the  estimation 
of  his  mother  and  sisters  his  success  had  already  raised 
him  on  a  pinnacle  of  fame  ;  and,  after  their  first  burst 
of  joy  was  over,  his  mother  reminded  him  that  a  go- 
between  had  been  to  her  several  times  to  propose  a 
marriage  for  him  with  Miss  Yang,  the  daughter  of  an 
ex-Prefect  living  in  the  neighbourhood ;  "  and  now 
that  you  are  on  the  fair  road  to  office,"  added  she, 
"  do  let  me  authorise  her  to  open  negotiations."  "  Let 
us  wait  until  I  have  made  a  name  for  n^self  by  tak- 
ing my  degree,"  answered  her  son,  "  and  then  I  will 
obey  your  wishes  in  that  as  in  all  other  respects." 

In  the  pleasurable  enjoyment  of  being  made  much 
of,  the  two  days'  interval  passed  quickly  to  Ming, 
and  the  morning  of  the  third  day  found  him  seated 
again  in  the  magistrate's  hall,  surrounded  by  all  his 
former  competitors,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  whose 
names  had  fiomred  so  near  the  tail  of  the  loiio-  straight 
list  that  they  had  recognised  the  hopelessness  of  com- 
peting any  more.  The  same  old  man  who  had  ex- 
cited his  compassion  at  the  first  examination  was 
there,  however,  looking  excited  and  nervous.  Ming 
was  now  the  more  sorry  for  him,  as  he  had  recognised 
his  name  almost  last  upon  the  list ;  but  the  entrance 
of  the  magistrate  presently  drove  all  thoughts  but 
those   on  the   subjects  before  him   out  of  his  head. 


188  CHINESE    STORIES. 

This  examination,  it  was  announced,  was,  as  usual,  to 
lasl  five  days.  The  course  on  each  of  the  first  four 
days  was  to  consist  of  an  essay  on  a  text  taken  from 
the  "  Four  Books,'  as  well  as  of  a  poem.  On  the  third 
day  an  ode  on  a  given  subject  was  to  be  optional,  and 
on  the  fourth  day  an  opportunity  was  promised  to 
aspiring  candidates  of  writing  additional  poems.  On 
the  fifth  day  the  work  was  to  consist  only  of  half  an 
essay  on  a  theme  from  the  '  Four  Books.' 

At  this  examination  Ming  worked  with  varying 
success.  His  profound,  knowledge  of  the  classics  and 
the  writings  of  the  commentators  stood  him  in  good 
stead,  and  his  constant  study  of  the  T'ang  dynasty 
poets  was  amply  rewarded  by  the  way  in  which  they 
honoured  his  drafts  on  them  to  meet  his  poverty  of 
ideas.  The  ode  on  the  third  day,  which  was  "  On  the 
Pleasure  men  take  in  talking  of  the  Signs  of  the 
Seasons,"  exercised  his  imagination  to  the  utmost. 
Thrice  he  put  pencil  to  paper,  and  as  often  he  tore 
to  shreds  his  lines.  The  fourth  time  he  wrote  as 
follows,  and,  as  the  hour  of  closing  was  drawing 
near,  he  handed  the  result  in  with  his  other  com- 
positions :— 

"  When  the  belated  guest  his  host  reseeks, 
And  cloudless  skies  proclaim  the  close  of  day, 
"lis  sweet  to  talk  of  treacherous  weather  past, 
And  watch  the  dying  sun's  effulgent  ray." 

Ming  was  no  poet,  but  even  he  felt  that  his  lines 
larked  freshness  of  ideas  and  vigour  of  diction.  He 
was  conscious,  however,  of  having  made  one  or  two 
happy  turns  in  the  rhymes,  which,  truth  to  tell,  were 
borrowed  from  some  old  published  examination  papers; 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WON.  189 

but,  knowing  the  somewhat  pedantic  literary  taste  of 
the  magistrate,  he  founded  some  hopes  upon  them. 
And  he  was  right.  After  a  few  days  of  suspense  his 
name  appeared  on  the  walls  of  the  yam  mi.  high  up 
in  the  list  of  successful  candidates.  Again  the  re- 
joicings  at  Le-chia  Chwang  were  repeated,  and  again 
congratulations  poured  in  upon  him  from  all  sides. 
Even  the  ex-Prefect,  upon  whose  daughter  Mrs  Le 
was  keeping  her  eye,  deemed  the  occasion  of  sufficient 
importance  to  warrant  a  note,  which  he  sent,  accom- 
panied with  a  red-laccpier  tray  full  of  dainty  dishes  and 
luscious  sweets,  some  of  which  Mrs  Le  shrewdly  sus- 
pected had  been  prepared  by  the  delicate  fingers  of 
Miss  Yang.  This  was  the  most  gratifying  recognition 
that  Ming  had  as  yet  received,  and  he  took  the  letter 
from  the  servant  reverentially  in  both  hands.  Eagerly 
he  tore  open  the  envelope,  and  read  as  follows  :— 

"  In  ancient  times  men's  merits  were  judged  by 
the  speed  with  which  they  chased  a  deer,  the  fleetest 
of  foot  winning  the  prize.  But  now  the  way  to  fame 
is  bridged  by  learning,  and  for  many  years  it  has  been 
my  fate  to  speed  and  bid  farewell  to  old  friends  like 
yourself,  who  fly  on  the  wings  of  success  to  the 
capital.  Of  all  the  batches  of  brilliant  scholars  who 
have  ever  passed  at  these  examinations,  I  hear  that 
that  to  which  you  have  lent  your  countenance,  and 
which  has  now  entered  the  epidendrum  city  l  of  the 
learned,  is  the  most  conspicuous.  Humbl}"  I  offer 
you  the  paltry  things  which  with  this  letter  I  lay  at 
your  feet,  and  respectfully  long  for  the  sound  of  the 
gold  fastening  of  your  response." 

1  I.e.,  the  joyous  company. 
2  B 


190  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Scarcely  had  Ming  replied  to  this  nattering  epistle 
when  a  messenger  arrived  with  an  invitation  from 
the  magistrate  to  dinner  on  the  following  clay.  As 
it  was  in  accordance  with  immemorial  usage  that  the 
successful  candidates  should  be  entertained  by  the 
magistrate,  this  summons  was  no  surprise  to  so  keen 
a  student  of  rites  and  ceremonies  as  Ming;  and  on 
the  next  afternoon  he  went  in  a  sedan-chair  to  the 
yamun,  fully  prepared  for  the  company  he  found 
assembled  there.  But  he  was  much  flattered  by  the 
way  in  which  the  magistrate  received  him.  "Your 
honourable  essays  are  genuine  pearls  of  literature," 
said  his  host,  "  and  you  are  possessed  of  a  supply 
of  classical  knowledge  which  cannot  but  gain  you 
admittance  to  the  Dragon  (i.e.,  imperial)  presence." 
■•  Your  honour  overrates  the  mean  pencil-scratchings 
of  this  dullard,  and  allows  the  reflection  of  your  lofty 
genius  to  brighten  the  in  elegancies  of  his  wretched 
compositions,"  replied  Ming.  This  speech  he  had 
carefully  prepared  as  he  came  along  in  his  chair, 
on  the  chance  of  his  having  to  reply  to  a  compli- 
mentary greeting.  His  fellow -students,  however, 
being  unaware  of  his  forethought,  saug  aloud  their 
praises  of  his  readiness  as  they  sat  down  to  the  feast. 
Before  starting,  Mrs  Le  had  strictly  enjoined  Ming 
to  bring  back  an  account  of  the  good  things  he 
was  to  partake  of,  and  in  obedience  to  her  orders 
tored  liis  memory  with  the  following  list  of 
dishes  : — 

B&che  de  mer ;  stewed  duck,  served  with  force- 
iicit  :  birds'-nest  soup;  hashed  pigeon,  with  ham; 
Btewed  crabs;  fried  black  fish;  stewed  mutton,  with 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.  WAS    AVON.  191 

bamboo  shoots  ;  fowl  and  ham  ;  turtle-soup  ;  hashed 
dog;  stewed  black  cat;  fried  rat;  macaroni  -  soup ; 
salt  fish  ;  salted  eggs  ;  minced  pork  ;  basins  of  rice  ; 
and  an  infinite  variety  of  fruits  and  sweets. 

Before  beginning,  the  magistrate  poured  out  a  liba- 
tion, and  without  more  ado  the  guests  set  to  work  at 
the  good  things  before  them.  The  wine  circulated 
freely,  and  lent  material  aid  to  the  magistrate  in  his 
endeavours  to  set  every  one  at  his  ease.  To  Ming 
the  magistrate  showed  marked  attention,  and  with 
his  own  chopsticks  carried  a  fine  slug  from  the  dish 
to  the  lips  of  the  favoured  guest,  a  compliment  which 
made  quite  a  stir  among  the  other  scholars.  Not  far 
from  Ming,  but  apart  from  every  one,  sat  the  old 
student  whom  he  had  noticed  in  the  examination-hall, 
but  whose  want  of  success  scarcely  entitled  him  to  a 
seat  at  the  feast.  Some  such  remark  Ming  made  to 
the  magistrate,  who  explained  that  each  year  a  cer- 
tain number  of  degrees  were  given  away  to  plucked 
old  students,  and  that  he  was  going  to  recommend 
his  guest  for  one  on  this  occasion.  After  dinner  Ming 
made  a  point  of  congratulating  the  old  man,  who  in 
quavering  accents  made  a  pedantically  complimentary 
reply,  every  word  of  which  was  taken  from  the  '  Four 
Books.7  Wang,  Ming  noticed,  was  not  among  the  in- 
vited, and  the  magistrate  told  him  that  though  there 
were  clever  thoughts  and  much  sound  reasoning  in 
his  essays,  yet  it  was  too  plain  that  his  knowledge  of 
the  texts  of  the  classics  and  the  views  of  the  com- 
mentators were  not  sufficiently  thorough  to  pass  him, 
and  that  therefore  he  had  been  obliged  to  advise  him 
to  come  up  again  next  time. 


1  92  CHINESE    STORIES. 

From  private  sources  Ming  heard  that  Wang  was 
sorely  disappointed  at  his  want  of  success,  so  the  next 
morning  he  wrote  him  the  following  note  of  condo- 
Lence:  •■The  decayed  willows  on  the  Sin-ting  Pass 
-.lit  forth  a  sweel  savour,  and  rotten  Tung  trees  de- 
lighted  Tsai  Yung1  with  their  melody.  If  a  jewel  be 
encased  in  a  hidden  casket,  it  is  not  every  sword 
which  can  cleave  it  so  as  to  display  the  jewels2  found 
by  Pien  II<>  on  the  King  Mountain,  or  the  pearls 
snatched  by  the  Earl  Suy  from  the  serpent's  head. 
Who  can  explain  the  lofty  talents  enjoyed  by  some, 
or  account  for  the  meaner  abilities  bestowed  on 
others?  We  are  as  we  are  made,  and  there  is  no 
helping  ourselves."  To  this  kindly  epistle  Wang 
sent   reply  : — 

"Well  may  I  adopt  the  lines  of  Chang  Shu  as  my 
chant — 

'A  thousand  miles  o'er  sea  and  fields 
1  have  followed  at  your  horse's  heels; 
I  have  travelled  over  hill  and  dale, 
And  now  have  missed  the  dragon's  scale.'  3 

Gratefully   I   acknowledge  your  S3rmpathetic  words, 
in  which  I  recognise  the  lofty  nature  which  has  en- 

1  A  celebrated  scholar  and  musician  of  the  second  century.  It  is  re- 
corded  of  him  that  while  seated  at  the  fireside  of  a  friend  in  the  State 
of  Wu,  his  attention  was  attracted  to  the  sounds  emitted  from  a  log  of  a 
T'ung  tree  which  was  burning  on  the  hearth,  and  declaring  that  its  tone 
gave  promise  of  rare  excellence,  he  converted  it  into  a  lute. 

A  block  nt'  jade  which,  being  believed  to  he  spurious,  was  rejected 
by  two  emperors  in  succession,  the  last  of  whom  condemned  Pien  Ho 
(eighth  century  B.C.)  to  lose  his  left  foot  as  an  impostor.  The  next  em- 
peror,  however,  perceiving  the  genuineness  of  the  stone,  graciously  ac- 
cepted it,  ami  offered  Pien  Ho  a  title  of  nobility,  which  he  declined. 

/  .  "  Ami  now  have  missed  taking  my  degree."  The  idea,  a  poetical 
mil-,  being  that  a  successful  scholar  resembles  a  soaring  dragon. 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.  WAS    WON.  193 

abled  you  to  overcome  all  the  difficulties  in  your  path. 
Though  incapable  through  grief  to  write,  I  fear  to 
return  you  a  verbal  message.  As  night  approaches 
my  sorrow  almost  seems  to  weigh  me  clown,  and  I 
wrap  myself  in  a  cattle  cloak,  after  the  manner  of 
Wang  Chang,1  and  weep  bitter  tears.  What  else  is 
left  for  me  to  do  ?  " 

Ming  knew  that  he  would  now  have  a  respite  of 
two  or  three  months  before  the  time  came  for  him  to 
be  examined  by  the  Prefect,  as  a  preliminary  to  his 
going  up  for  his  final  examinations  before  the  Literary 
Chancellor.  He  retired  therefore  again  to  his  sum- 
mer-house,  and  devoted  himself  to  a  renewed  study 
of  the  books  which  had  already  served  him  so  well. 
As  the  day  drew  near,  his  father  wrote  to  an  old 
friend  at  the  prefectural  city,  asking  him  to  receive 
his  son  for  the  examination,  and,  in  response  to  a 
cordial  invitation  which  was  returned,  Ming  mounted 
his  mule  one  morning  at  daybreak,  and  started  off  on 
his  momentous  journey.  Late  in  the  evening  he 
reached  the  hospitable  door  of  his  father's  friend,  and 
woke  the  next  morning,  after  a  sound  sleep,  refreshed 
and  ready  for  the  work  before  him.  After  eating  a 
hasty  breakfast,  he  hurried  off  to  the  yamun  of  the 
Literary  Chancellor,  and  arrived  only  just  in  time, 
for  he  had  scarcely  got  into  the  hall  when  a  gun 
was  fired  as  a  signal  for  the  fast  closing;  of  the 
doors.  The  arrangements  he  found  to  be  in  all  re- 
spects  similar  to  those  at  the  magistrate's  yamun, 
and  the  subjects  for  examination  were  taken  from  the 

1  A  well-known  character,  who,  after  enduring  great  poverty,  after- 
wards became  a  metropolitan  magistrate. 


194  CHINESE    STORIES. 

same  books,  the  only  difference  being  that  the  Pre- 
fect's more  liberal  mind  was  reflected  in  the  texts  he 
had  chosen  for  the  essays.  With  each  of  his  five  days' 
work  Ming  was  fairly  satisfied,  and  when  the  examina- 
tion was  over  he  waited  with  some  acquired  confidence 
for  the  publication  of  the  result.  The  appearance  of 
his  name,  however,  in  the  first  flight  of  successful 
competitors  was  none  the  less  a  delight  to  him,  and 
he  sent  off  an  express  messenger  to  Le-chia  Chwrang 
to  proclaim  his  success  to  his  parents.  "  Your  stupid 
son,"  he  added,  "is  but  waiting  to  obey  the  invitation 
sent  him  by  his  Excellency  the  Prefect  to  dinner  to- 
morrow before  hastening  to  your  honourable  dwelling 
to  throw  himself  at  your  feet."  The  dinner  at  the 
Prefect's  was  very  much  a  repetition  of  that  given  1  >y 
the  magistrate,  except  that  there  wTas  a  marked  weed- 
ing out  in  point  of  numbers.  The  reputation  which 
Ming  had  brought  with  him  for  scholarship,  and  which 
he  had  just  maintained,  ensured  him  friendly  notice  at 
the  hand  of  the  Prefect,  who,  however,  did  not  seem 
much  to  relish  his  stilted  style  of  conversation  and 
his  Confucius-or-nothing  train  of  thought.  Before 
the  students  parted  their  host  announced  that,  as 
usual,  he  should  send  the  seat  numbers  and  not  the 
names  of  the  successful  competitors  to  the  Literary 
( Ihancellor,  who  would  hold  the  final  examinations  on 
that  day  month  in  that  city. 

The  next  day  Ming  went  home,  and  was  met  at  the 
entrance  of  the  village  by  a  number  of  his  associates, 
who  greeted  him  with  cries  of  congratulation.  The 
welcome  he  received  from  his  immediate  family  was 
especially  joyous,  and  for  days  a  succession  of  visitors 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.  WAS    WON.  195 

poured  in  upon  him  to  offer  their  felicitations  on  his 
marked  and  sustained  success.  Under  such  agreeable 
circumstances  he  took  little  heed  of  time,  and  almost 
before  Ming  was  aware  he  was  reminded  that  it  was 
time  to  betake  himself  again  to  the  prefectural  city. 
The  merchant  who  had  been  his  host  on  the  previous 
occasion  was  glad  enough  once  more  to  open  his  doors 
to  a  scholar  who  was  already  winning  for  himself 
eminence ;  and  though  he  cared  little  for  his  compan- 
ionship, preferring  lively  and  suggestive  conversation 
to  dull  platitudes  and  measured  periods,  he  paid  him 
marked  deference,  as  one  to  whom  the  door  of  office, 
the  highest  object  of  ambition,  would  soon  be  opened. 
The  ordeal  Ming  was  now  called  upon  to  face  was 
more  terrible  to  him  than  any  of  the  other  examina- 
tions had  been.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  presented 
himself  only  before  the  local  officials,  men  whom  he 
had  constantly  seen,  and  with  whom  he  was  in  a  sense 
familiar.  Besides,  hitherto  the  contests  had  been  but 
preliminary,  whereas  the  examinations  in  which  he 
had  now  to  compete  were  either  to  make  or  to  mar  him, 
at  all  events  temporarily  ;  and  the  examiner  was  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  dignity  and  awe  of  an  unknown 
great  personage.  It  was  with  no  slight  trepidation, 
therefore,  that  he  took  his  seat  again  on  stool  No.  33, 
by  which  number  he  was  known  for  the  time  being. 
As  soon  as  the  gun  was  fired  and  the  door  shut,  the 
Chancellor  entered.  As  he  approached  the  table,  all 
rose,  and  every  eye  was  turned  towards  the  man  in 
whose  hands  their  fate  rested.  He  was  of  medium 
height,  and  a  plump  figure,  with  a  round  good-natured 
face,  a  pair  of  small  twinkling  eyes,  and  a  long  scanty 


L96  CHINESE    STORIES. 

moustache.  After  bowing  politely  to  the  students, 
be  seated  himself  at  the  table  and  straightway  pro- 
claimed on  the  notice-board  that  on  this  occasion  he 
should  require  from  bhem  two  essays  on  the  texts 
from  the  '  Four  Books  ' :  "  The  Master  said,  '  It  is  by 
the  odes  thai  the  mind  is  aroused;  it  is  by  the  rules 
of  propriety  that  the  character  is  established;  and  it 
is  from  music  that  the  finish  is  received.' '  And, 
••  When  a  rider  sympathises  in  his  people's  joys,  they 
take  pleasure  in  his  rejoicings;  and  when  he  shares 
i  heir  sorrows,  they  sympathise  with  his  griefs."  And 
a  poem  on  the  "Pleasure  of  hearing  the  notes  of  a 
distant  lute  amid  the  sound  of  drippings  from  the 
roof  on  a  wet  day.'' 

Miic  was  too  nervous  to  collect  his  thoughts  and  set 
his  memory  at  work  at  once,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  he  put  pencil  to  paper.  But  when  he  did,  he 
made  fair  progress,  and  at  the  end  of  the  day  he  had 
t  lie  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  if  his  essays  contained 
no  new  or  striking  thoughts,  they  were  at  all  events 
thoroughly  orthodox,  and  that  the  sentences  were 
framed  in  accordance  with  the  rules  laid  down  by 
some  of  the  best-known  essayists.  He  was  rather 
disappointed,  therefore,  to  find,  when  the  list  of  eighty 
uptimes  came  out,  that  "  Thirty  -three "  was  barely 
within  the  lirst  forty.  This  was  the  first  check  of 
any  kind  which  he  had  met  with,  and  it  alarmed  him  ; 
tur  he  gathered  from  it  that  the  Commissioner  did 
ii"i  take  the  same  favourable  view  of  his  literary 
matter  and  manner  as  the  magistrate  and  prefect  had 
done.  It  was  with  a  sobered  countenance,  therefore. 
that  he  took  his  seat  again  for  the  second  trial.     This 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.   WAS    WOX.  197 

time  several  themes  were  given  out  from  the  '  Four 
Books,'  upon  which  the  students  were  expected  to 
compose  half  essays.  To  these  Ming  devoted  his  best 
energies,  and  was  rewarded  bv  finding  his  number 
published  two  days  later  in  the  circle  of  successful 
competitors. 

Having  recovered  some  confidence  from  this  result, 
Ming  took  his  seat  in  the  hall,  on  the  morning  after 
the  publication  of  the  lists,  with  some  assurance.  The 
comparatively  small  number  of  competitors,  which 
had  been  reduced  to  eighty,  or  just  double  the  num- 
ber of  degrees  competed  for,  by  the  Chancellor,  gave 
a  silent  and  business-like  air  to  the  assembly.  On  this 
occasion  the  candidates  wrote  an  essay  on  a  text  from 
the  '  Four  Books,'  one  on  a  text  from  the  '  Five 
Classics,'  and  a  poem.  At  the  close  of  the  day's 
work  the  Commissioner  announced  that  after  examin- 
ing the  papers  he  should,  as  was  customary,  write  to 
the  Prefect  for  the  names  of  the  best  men,  whom  at 
present  he  only  knew  by  their  numbers,  and  should 
at  once  publish  them.  "  And  I  have  arranged,"  he 
added,  "  that  the  first  competitors  from  the  other 
districts  shall  meet  you  here  in  ten  days'  time  finally 
to  compete  for  the  degrees."  The  next  few  days 
were  spent  by  Ming  in  a  fever  of  suspense,  which  the 
complimentary  speeches  of  his  merchant  host  were 
quite  ineffectual  to  allay.  To  fail  now,  he  felt,  would 
be  a  terrible  blow  both  to  his  fortunes  and  to  his 
pride.  What  would  all  his  friends  say  ?  and  what 
would,  above  all,  the  ex-prefect  Yang  say  ?  However, 
fortune  was  kinder  to  him  than  his  forebodings,  and 
once  again   he   saw  with  triumph    his   name  among 

2  c 


]  9  8  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  number  of  the  successful.  On  this  occasion  his 
pleasure  was  all  the  greater,  since  he  felt  that  now  he 
was  pract  ically  sure  of  his  degree.  The  final  examina- 
tion spoken  of  by  the  Commissioner  would,  he  knew, 
consist  only  of  a  test  of  his  knowledge  of  the  text  of 
ihe  sixteen  "  Sacred  Edicts  "  of  the  Emperor  K'ang- 
he,  and  of  "the  Amplification"  of  the  same  by  his 
sod  and  successor,  Yung-Ching.  On  this  point  he 
felt  that  he  could  trust  his  memory  to  carry  him 
through,  for  had  he  not  in  his  study  at  Le  -  chia 
Chwang  repeated  them  over  and  over  again  by  heart 
without  missing  a  character  ?  However,  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure,  he  devoted  some  hours  of 
each  of  the  succeeding  days  to  conning  them  over. 
( In  the  appointed  morning  at  daybreak  he  made  his 
way  to  the  Chancellor's  hall,  where  he  found  assem- 
bled his  fellow  pass-men,  together  with  the  picked 
competitors  from  the  other  four  districts  of  the  pre- 
fecture. There  was  a  semi-holiday  air  about  them 
all,  as  though  they  looked  on  this  trial  more  as  a 
formality  than  anything  else.  The  Commissioner, 
too,  entered  the  hall  with  a  lighter  step,  and  his  voice 
had  ;i  cheery  tone  in  it  as  he  ordered  the  announce- 
ment to  be  made  that  the  morning's  work  would 
consist  of  writing  out  from  memory  the  seventh  edict 
of  i  lie  Beneficent  Emperor  K'ang-he,  beginning  "  Chu 
c  twan,"  "  Flee  strange  doctrines,"  with  the  "Ampli- 
fication" of  the  same  by  his  august  and  intelligent 
son   Yung-Ching. 

Fortunately  for  Ming,  this  particular  edict  had  been 
frequently  in  evidence  lately  at  Le-chia  Chwang  with 
reference  to  the  foreign  missionary  epiestion,  which 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.  WAS    WON.  109 

was  beginning  to  disturb  that  otherwise  quiet  district. 
The  passage  in  the  "Amplification,"  Yew  ju  se-yang 
Jceao  tsung  Teen  elm,  yih  shuh  puh  king — "As  to 
the  religion  of  the  Western  foreigner  which  exalts  the 
Lord  of  Heaven,  it  is  also  contrary  to  our  sacred 
books,"  &c. — had  been  constantly  quoted  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  proselytising  zeal  of  the  missionaries, 
and  the  context  had  been  carefully  studied  by  village 
Confucianists.  His  task  was  therefore  a  comparatively 
light  one,  and  when  he  put  down  his  pencil,  he  felt 
assured  that  he  had  not  missed  one  of  the  six  hundred 
and  forty  characters  composing  the  extract.  Shortly 
after  noon  he  walked  into  his  host's  family  hall,  and 
with  so  jaunty  a  step  that  it  needed  no  words  of  his 
to  assure  his  entertainer  that  he  was  speaking  to  a 
Siu-ts'ai  almost  in  esse.  It  now  only  remained  for 
him  to  await  the  public  notification  of  the  final  result 
of  the  series  of  examinations  which  he  had  gone 
through  during  the  last  two  months.  On  the  third 
day  this  was  published,  and  the  local  world  was  made 
acquainted  with  the  fact  that  Le  Ming,  together 
with  thirty-nine  others  from  the  same  district,  had  ob- 
tained the  degree  of  Siu-ts'ai.  So  soon  as  Ming  had 
despatched  a  letter  with  the  news  to  his  father,  and 
received  the  congratulations  of  his  merchant  host,  he 
hurried  off  to  one  of  the  first  tailors  in  the  city  to 
order  the  canonicals  belonging  to  his  newly  acquired 
honour. 

The  next  day,  as  in  duty  bound,  the  newly  made 
Siu-ts'ais  went  at  the  recognised  hour  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  the  Chancellor,  who  received  them  graciously, 
and  entertained  them  on  tea  and  sweets,  while  a  band 


200  <  iiinf.sk  STORIES. 

iii  the  courtyard  enlivened  the  company  with  inspirit- 
ing music.  Ming  was  not  musical,  but  even  he  could 
not  help  recognising  thai  well-known  and  deservedly 
popular  air,  "The  Autumn  Tints  stretch  across  the 
Sky,"  and  when  the  musicians  struck  up  the  first 
bars — 


fe 


^«eeES^e^*eEe^*eee^E 


I 


(*    m    *    =rp=zp^-^= 


^=t=t 


it 


he  could  not  resist  humming  to  himself  the  pictur- 
esque refrain — 

"  Yao  loh  ch'iu  t'ung, 
Ngai  nan  chih  hwei  tsui, 
Yuen  k'e  tsan  t'ung, 
Hao  chang  shuy  k;c  kung  chwang  t'un." 

There  was  one  more  prescribed,  ceremony  to  begone 
through  before  he  could  return  home.  On  the  after- 
noon following  the  visit  to  the  Chancellor's,  the  same 
gay  company  went  to  worship  at  the  temple  of  Con- 
fucius, where,  after  having  prostrated  themselves  be- 
Inj-c  the  image  of  the  Sage,  they  partook  of  a  feast 
spread  in  the  courtyard  at  the  expense  of  the  city. 
Towards  evening  the  scene  became  one  of  revelry, 
and  the  amount  of  wine  consumed  as  forfeits  in  the 
game  of  Mora  senl   many  of  the  guests  to  bed  with 


HOW    A    CHINESE    B.A.  WAS    WON.  201 

"very  red  cheeks,"  to  "get  up  very  white  in  the 
morning."  When  Aline--  reached  his  host's,  he  found 
his  canonicals  had  arrived  from  the  tailor's,  and,  tired 
though  he  was,  he  could  not  resist  the  pleasure  of 
trying  them  on.  Early  dawn  saw  him  again  before 
the  looking-glass,  and  after  a  hasty  breakfast,  he  set 
off  for  Le-chia  Chwang  amid  the  congratulations  and 
good  wishes  of  the  worthy  merchant  and  his  family. 
In  the  evening  he  reached  his  home,  and  when  he 
walked  into  the  family  hall,  bearing  on  his  person  the 
insignia  of  his  success,  his  father  fairly  wept  with  de- 
light. Xor  wtere  the  other  members  of  the  family 
less  demonstrative  as  with  one  consent  they  offered 
their  congratulations,  and  expressed  their  admiration 
of  the  becoming  and  dignified  dress  which  it  was  now 
his  right  to  wear.  After  his  mother  had  carefully 
examined  his  silver-buttoned  cap,  surmounted  by  a 
silver  bird,  his  robe  of  blue  silk  bordered  with  black, 
and  his  girdle  with  silver  pendants,  she  whispered  in 
his  ear,  "  And  now  may  I  speak  to  the  go-between  ? " 
"  Yes,  now,"  replied  her  son. 


202 


LE   MING'S   MARRIAGE. 

IT  was  about  six  weeks  after  Le  Ming  had  achieved 
success  in  the  examination  -  halls  that  he  was 
sitting  one  sultry  evening  in  his  garden  study  com- 
posing couplets.  Not  a  breath  of  wind  stirred  the 
lotus-haves  which  covered  the  pond  in  front  of  his 
windows.  The  air  was  laden  with  the  scent  of  a 
hundred  flowers,  which  grew  in  profusion  in  pots 
and  eccentrically  shaped  borders  on  all  sides  of  the 
pavilion.  For  the  moment  he  had  put  aside  his 
tobacco-pipe,  and,  yielding  to  the  influences  of  a 
weary  brain  and  the  heat  of  the  weather,  was  just 
dropping  off  into  a  state  of  dreamy  drowsiness,  when 
lie  was  aroused  by  the  sound  of  a  footstep  crossing 
ilif  quaintly  devised  bridge  which  spanned  the  pond. 
Looking  up,  he  saw  his  father's  old  body-servant 
approaching. 

"Young  sir,"  said  the  attendant,  "the  old  master 
requests  your  presence  in  the  reception-hall." 

Uncertain  as  to  what  the  business  could  be  on 
which  he  was  summoned,  Le  Ming  followed  the  man 
i'»  the  hall,  where  he  found  his  father  and  mother 
sitting  in  state,  evidently  prepared  for  the  discussion 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE. 


20; 


of  some  important  family  matter.  Having  made 
his  obeisances,  and  having  seated  himself  on  a  chair 
especially  placed  for  him  on  his  mother's  right  hand, 
his  father  thus  addressed  him  : — 

"  Having    now    taken    your    degree,    and    having 
thus  a  prospect  of  soon  gaining  office  and  enjoying 


"  He  was  silt  ins 


in  his  garden  study  composing  couplets." 


emolument,  it  is  right  and  fitting  that  you  should 
think  of  marrying.  Remember,  a  man  is  accounted 
able  to  govern  a  district  only  when  he  has  shown 
himself  capable  of  ruling  well  a  household  ;  and  how 
can  you  show  that  you  can  rule  a  household  until 
you  have  one  on  which  to  try  your  hand  ?     Besides, 


204  CHINESE    STORIES. 

who  knows  what  fate  may  be  in  store  for  you  ?  Were 
von  to  visit  the  'Yellow  Springs'1  before  I  depart 
from  this  life,  who  would  offer  the  yearly  sacrifices 
at  my  tomb  ?  or  if  you  were  to  remain  a  barren  pole,2 
who,  in  course  of  years,  would  there  be  to  perform 
the  same  offices  at  your  grave?  On  all  accounts, 
then,  ii  is  your  duty  to  marry,  and  your  mother  will 
therefore,  without  loss  of  time,  communicate  with  a 
go-between." 

"  To  hear  is  to  obey,  as  it  always  has  been  with 
me,"  replied  Ming;  "but,  at  the  same  time,  I  should 
like  to  know  something  about  the  lady  you  may 
select  as  my  wife  before  you  exchange  the  wedding- 
presents.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  in  some  western 
countries  youths  and  maidens  associate  together 
and  choose  their  wives  and  husbands  for  themselves, 
and  that  even  within  the  eighteen  provinces  of  China 
there  exist  barbarians  who  exercise  a  similar  freedom 
of  choice.  Now  I  have  no  wish,  as  you  may  imagine, 
so  to  outrage  the  rules  of  propriety  laid  down  by  the 
Master3  as  to  follow  the  example  of  such  people ;  but 
I  should  like  to  know  what  my  future  wife  is  like — 
whether  she  is  as  beautiful  as  Kin-leen  or  as  hideous 
as  the  old  vegetable-seller  at  the  corner  of  the  street 
—whether  she  is  good-tempered  or  a  shrew — whether 
she  is  of  a  complacent  disposition,  or  jealous  and 
revengeful." 

L  Marriages,  my  son,"  said  his  mother,  "are  made 

in   heaven,  and  you  can  no  more  break  the  heavenly 

lords    which,    unfelt    but    surely,    bind    your   ankles 

t<>    those   of  your  future   bride,   than   you   can  upset 

1    Hades.  -  A  bachelor.  3  Confueius. 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  205 

any  other  decree  of  the  gods.  The  family  with 
which  I  purpose  to  desire  the  go-between  to  com- 
municate in  the  first  instance  is  that  of  the  ex-prefect 
Yang.  I  have  already  spoken  to  you  about  his 
daughter  Tsai-yen,  the  'Variegated  Swallow,'  who 
is,  as  I  myself  know — having  seen  her — extremely 
pretty,  with  a  beautiful  complexion  and  a  willow-like 
waist.  Besides,  a  good  daughter  makes  a  good  wife  ; 
and  remember  last  year,  when  her  mother  was  so  ill, 
what  she  did, — -how  she  cut  a  slice  out  of  her  leg  to 
mix  with  the  broth  which  the  doctor  ordered  for  her 
mother's  recovery  !  No — depend  upon  it,  my  son, 
if  the  Variegated  Swallow  enters  your  household  she 
will  make  an  excellent  wife,  and  in  educating  your 
children  will  not  fall  far  short  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
Mother  of  Mencius." 

"As  I  said  just  now,"  replied  Ming,  upon  whom 
this  description  had  a  marked  effect,  "  my  only  wish 
is  to  obey  you,  and  I  am  therefore  ready  to  be  led  by 
you  whithersoever  you  desire." 

"  That  is  spoken  like  a  true  son  of  mine  ! "  said 
Mrs  Le,  smiling  on  the  youth.  "  I  will  now  at  once 
write  to  my  old  friend  Mrs  Siu,  who  has  the  best 
practice  as  a  go-between  in  the  district,  and  who 
knows  more  about  the  youths  and  maidens  than  a 
great  many  of  their  own  parents  do." 

When  Ming  returned  to  his  study  after  this  inter- 
view he  fell  into  a  reverie,  in  which  he  pictured  to 
himself  the  delights  of  being  constantly  in  the  so- 
ciety of  a  beauty  such  as  one  of  those  of  whom 
he  had  occasionally  caught  glimpses  through  the 
blinds    of  their   sedan  -  chairs  ;    and  if   such    a   one 

2  D 


206  CHINESE    STORIES. 

could  only  write  verses,  lie  felt  that  his  cup  would 

be  full. 

Meanwhile  Mrs  Le  retired  to  her  room,  and  taking 
pencil  m  hand,  addressed  the  following  note  to  the 
redoubtable  match-maker  Mrs  Siu : — 

"My  unworthy  son,  though  grown  up,  has  not  as 
yet  achieved  wedded  harmony.  I  know,  most  re- 
spected lady,  that  you  delight  in  pairing  the  youths 
and  the  maids  of  the  harems,  and  in  thus  dissipat- 
ing the  coldness  of  their  existences.  If  you  could 
establish  an  alliance  firm  as  a  tripod,  and  ally  our 
house  with  that  of  the  ex -prefect  Yang,  your  old 
companion  would  be  grateful  to  you  for  ever. 
Begging  you  to  help  in  this  matter,  I  wish  you 
boundless  prosperity  and  continual  joy." 

Early  the  next  morning,  before  Mrs  Le  had  quite 
completed  her  usual  housekeeping  arrangements,  a 
messenger  announced  that  Mrs  Siu  was  already  on 
her  way  to  pay  her  respects.  Scarcely  had  the  warn- 
ing been  given,  when  a  sedan-chair  bearing  the  ex- 
pected guest  stopped  at  the  side-door  leading  to  the 
ladies'  apartments.  Without  a  moment's  delay,  Mrs 
Siu  was  conducted  to  the  presence  of  Mrs  Le,  who 
greeted  her  cordially.  The  match-maker  was  stout 
and  comely,  with  laughing  bright  eyes;  and  though 
her  nose  was,  judged  by  a  European  standard,  rather 
too  flat  and  her  mouth  too  wide  to  be  considered 
really  pretty,  yet,  taken  as  a  whole,  she  was  a  good- 
looking  woman.  Her  manner,  too,  was  cheery  and 
confident,  and  she  had  a  power  of  inspiring  her  clients 
with  a  profound  belief  in  her  skill  and  sincerity. 

•  For  some  rune,"  she  said,  when  the  first  greetings 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  207 

were  over,  "  I  have  been  expecting  to  receive  from 
yon  some  such  pearl-like  epistle  as  that  which  reached 
me  last  night  ;  and,  curiously  enough,  I  had  scarcely 
put  down  your  letter  when  a  servant  brought  me  in 
a  note  from  Mrs  Yang  on  the  same  subject.  As  I 
thought  you  would  like  to  see  what  she  says,  I 
brought  it  with  me.  Between  our  two  selves,  Mrs 
Yang  is  not  a  very  wise  woman,  and  her  note,  as  you 
will  see,  is  no  more  to  be  compared  with  the  rlowings 
from  your  pencil  than  anything  I  could  write  would 
be  to  the  latest  composition  of  your  talented  son. 
But  read  it  for  yourself." 

Nothing  loath,  Mrs  Le  took  the  note,  and  read  as 
follows  : — 

"My  daughter,  though  still  young,  is,  let  me  tell 
you  in  confidence,  anxious  to  have  her  feet  tied  with 
the  red  silk  with  which  heaven  connects  the  feet  of 
brides  and  bridegrooms.  Let  me  beseech  you  to  act 
as  a  go-between  for  me,  and  I  shall  eagerly  await  the 
result.     He  !  he  !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs  Le,  returning  the  note,  "  it  is  at 
all  events  fortunate  that  her  daughter  should  be  this 
way  of  thinking  just  now.  But  do  tell  me  all  you 
know  of  the  Variegated  Swallow ;  for  though  I  have 
seen  her,  I  have  no  very  distinct  recollection  of  her. 
But  wait ;  I  will  send  for  my  son,  and  you  shall  de- 
scribe her  to  us  both.  Before  he  comes,  however, 
let  me  ask  you  whether  there  is  any  reason,  phys- 
ical or  otherwise,  which  might  make  the  marriage 
objectionable." 

"  None  whatever,"  replied  Mrs  Siu  ;   and  the  two 
ladies  had  scarcelv  finished  a  conversation  carried  on 


208  CHINESE    STOKIES. 

for  a  minute  or  two  in  an  undertone  when  Le  Ming 
entered.  As  the  young  man  bowed  his  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  presence  of  the  two  ladies,  Mrs  Siu  cast 
upon  him  a  scrutinising  glance,  which  ended  in  a  look 
of  that  kind  of  contemptuous  amusement  with  which 
women  of  experience  regard  pedantic  young  men. 
After  a  few  words  leading  up  to  the  subject  in  hand, 
she  said,  addressing  Ming,  "  And  now  let  me  tell  you, 
young  sir,  something  about  the  Variegated  Swallow. 
1  have  known  her  all  her  life,  and  so  can  speak  con- 
fidently about  her.  Her  filial  piety  is  renowned 
throughout  the  prefecture  ;  she  attends  upon  her 
parents  in  complete  fulfilment  of  the  '  Book  of  Rites  '; 
a  i nl  though  so  learned  a  scholar  as  yourself  might  not 
consider  her  deeply  versed  in  literature,  she  is  yet 
well  read,  and  has  an  art  of  striking  off  a  copy  of 
verses  which  is  wonderful.  Only  last  week  I  was 
remarking  on  the  beautv  of  the  view  of  the  distant 
hills  from  their  garden,  and,  quick  as  thought,  she 
composed  this  couplet : — 

'  Sec,  floating  clouds  enshroud  the  distant  hills, 
A  down  whoso  sides  pour  countless  dazzling  rills.' 

Then  her  appearance  is  perfect.  Her  eyebrows  are 
arched  like  the  rainbow;  her  complexion  is  as  the 
mingled  white  and  pink  of  the  apple-blossom;  her 
lips  are  red  as  roses;  her  feet  are  veritable  golden 
lilies  ;  and  she  sways  as  she  walks  like  a  willow 
branch  swinging  [n  the  wind.  In  a  word,  she  is 
perfection;  and  a,  marriage  between  so  ripe  a  scholar 
as  yourself  and  so  accomplished  a  maiden  would,  in 
truth,  be  as  the  marriage  of  a  pair  of  phoenixes." 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  209 

It  was  impossible  that  Ming  could  be  otherwise 
than  moved  by  the  description  of  such  excellences, 
and  the  interview  ended  with  a  cordially  expressed 
wish  on  his  part  that  Mrs  Siu  might  be  successful 
in  her  negotiations.  Thus  far  all  was  well,  and  the 
match-maker  started  in  prosecution  of  her  mission  to 
the  Variegated  Swallow's  parents  in  high  spirits,  which 
were  by  no  means  lessened  when,  on  arriving,  she 
found  Mrs  Yang  was  already  a  keen  partisan  of 
young  Le  Ming.  The  Variegated  Swallow  also,  who 
joined  in  their  deliberations,  and  who,  seen  by  the 
light  of  nature,  and  not  through  Mrs  Siu's  rose- 
coloured  spectacles,  or  through  the  medium,  of  Mrs 
Le's  doubtful  recollection,  appeared  as  a  very  ordi- 
nary-looking young  woman,  with  a  heavy  expression 
of  face  and  a  somewhat  stout  unwieldy  figure,  as- 
sented with  alacrity  to  endow  the  young  graduate 
with  her  abundant  person.  The  only  other  member 
of  the  family  concerned — the  ex-Prefect — after  some 
inquiries  as  to  the  probability  of  young  Ming  obtain- 
ing employment  in  the  mandarinate,  and  as  to  the 
provision  which  Mr  Le  was  willing  to  make  for  the 
young  couple,  on  both  of  which  points  Mrs  Siu 
satisfied  him  by  drawing  on  her  sanguine  imagina- 
tion, solemnly  gave  his  consent  to  the  proposed 
alliance,  and  finally  arranged  with  Mrs  Siu  that  on 
receiving  notice  from  her  at  any  time  during  the 
next  few  days,  he  would  be  ready  to  receive  the 
messenger  who,  according  to  custom,  should  be  the 
bearer  of  a  formal  proposal  from  Air  Le. 

With  this  favourable  response  Mrs  Siu  hurried 
back  to  Mrs  Le,  not  altogether  without  some   mis- 


210  CHINESE    STOKIES. 

otivings  as  to  what  Ming  would  think  of  his  bride 
when  he  should  lift  her  veil  on  the  wedding-day. 
';  If  she  had  only  cut  a  slice  or  two  off  her  waist  to 
mix  with  her  mother's  broth,  instead  of  from  her 
thigh,  she  would  have  come  nearer  my  description 
of  her.'"  she  said  to  herself*  as  she  was  carried  through 
the  streets  in  her  sedan.  But,  after  all,  she  consoled 
herself  with  the  reflection  that  bridegrooms  are  not 
over  particular,  and  that  Ming  did  not  appear  likely 
to  be  very  observant.  Mrs  Le  was,  she  found,  await- 
ing her  return  in  full  dress.  Her  hair  was  stiffened 
out  with  bandoline,  and  gay  with  bright-headed  hair- 
pins and  gaudy  flowers.  Her  face  was  thickly  covered 
with  cosmetics,  and  her  lips  were  painted  a  ruddy  red. 
She  wore  a  handsomely  embroidered  dress,  Avhich  only 
half  concealed  a  many-coloured  plaited  petticoat,  be- 
neath which  her  crippled  bandaged  feet  appeared,  as 
she  tottered  rather  than  walked  forward  to  receive 
her  guest.  Mrs  Sin's  complacent  expression  of  face 
as  she  returned  Mrs  Le's  greeting  at  once  assured 
that  lady  that  she  was  the  bearer  of  good  news. 
Eagerly  Mrs  Le  listened  to  all  that  had  passed  at  the 
interview,  and  nothing  that  had  been  said  which  was 
complimentary  lost  anything  in  Mrs  Siu's  recital. 
After  communicating  the  news  to  Mr  Le,  it  was  de- 
li th  lined  that  he  should  send  a  formal  proposal  on 
the  following  day  at  noon,  and  that  Mrs  Siu  should 
take  a  message  to  the  ex-Prefect  to  that  effect. 

So  soon  as  Mrs  Siu  had  taken  her  leave,  a  family 
council  was  held,  to  which  Ming  was  summoned. 
The  proceedings  of  the  last  two  days  had  added  con- 
siderably to   his  sense  of  self-importance,  which  had 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  211 

already  been  sufficiently  developed  by  his  success  as 
a  scholar,  and  he  entered  the  family  hall  with  a 
swagger  and  a  conceited  air  which  fairly  reflected 
the  condition  of  his  mind,  lie  listened  with  an  ex- 
pression of  approval  to  his  father's  account  of  the 
negotiations,  and  then  replied:  "My  gratitude  is 
boundless  for  the  infinite  trouble  you  are  taking  on 
behalf  of  your  unworthy  son,  and  I  can  assure  you 
that  it  will  be  the  endeavour  of  this  little  one  to 
insist  on  my  future  wife  paying  every  respect  to  you, 
my  exalted  parents.  But  let  me  remind  you  that, 
being  now  a  Siu-ts'ai,  more  is  expected  of  me  in  the 
matter  of  ceremonial  than  from  one  who  has  not 
conquered  in  the  examination  -  halls  " — Mr  Le  here 
rather  winced  as  he  thought  of  the  three  ineffectual 
attempts  he  had  made  years  ago  to  win  a  bachelor's 
robe — "and  I  would  therefore  pray  you  that  in 
every  respect  the  marriage-rites  as  laid  down  in  the 
Kitual  of  the  Great  Pure  Dynasty  may  be  followed 
on  this  occasion.  I  have  just  been  looking  over  the 
chapters  relating  to  the  subject,  and  I  find  that  the 
next  step  will  be  for  you,  honourable  sir,  to  send  a 
messenger  with  a  letter  of  proposal  to  the  lady's 
father." 

"  I  am  quite  aware  of  the  fact,"  said  the  old  man 
testily ;  "  and  you  may  be  sure  that  nothing  will  be 
done  which  could  by  any  possibility  be  considered 
derogatory  to  your  position  as  a  Siu-ts'ai.  I  have 
already  requested  your  cousin  Chang  Kin,  'the 
Golden,'  to  act  as  my  ambassador,  and,  if  you  like, 
you  may  be  present  when  I  give  him  directions  to- 
morrow at  noon." 


212  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Of  this  permission  Ming  availed  himself,  partly 
out  of  a  desire  to  sec  that  the  prescribed  etiquette 
was  really  carried  out,  and  partly  out  of  a  wish  to 
display  again  his  uniform  as  a  graduate.  On  enter- 
ing i  he  hall  at  the  appointed  hour,  he  found  that 
careful  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  ceremony. 
The  room  had  been  swept  and  garnished,  and  the 
red  li;iP"in"S  which  adorned  the  divan  and  the  chairs 
were  new  and  brilliant.  He  had  scarcely  time  to 
notice  these  particulars  when  his  cousin  was  ushered 
in.  dressed  like  himself  in  the  full  canonicals  of  a 
Siu-ts'ai,  and  with  him  he  exchanged  ceremonial 
greetings.  Almost  immediately  afterwards,  Mr  Le 
entered,  attired  in  robes  of  the  finest  silks,  but  lack- 
ing those  insignia  of  scholarship  or  of  office  which 
are  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  Chinamen.  Having 
1  lowed  to  the  young  men,  he  advanced  by  slow  Con- 
fucian steps  to  the  east  side  of  the  hall,  while  young 
I  Jhang,  who  had  evidently  been  drilled  for  the  occa- 
sion, took  up  a  position  on  the  west  side,  facing  him. 
They  then  both  advanced,  and  Mr  Le,  with  an  obei- 
sance, gave  a  letter  to  his  nephew,  at  the  same  time 
describing  to  him  its  contents,  and  requesting  him 
to  hand  it  to  the  ex -prefect  Yang,  together  with 
the  presents  which  he  confided  to  his  care.  With 
many  bows,  Chang  the  Golden  retired  from  the 
hall,  and  entering  his  sedan,  was  borne  swiftly  to 
his  destination. 

Not  so  swiftly,  however,  but  that  a  messenger  had 
preceded  him  to  announce  his  approach  to  the  ex- 
Prefeel  s  aide-de-camp,  who  was  awaiting  his  arrival 
in   the  outer  courtyard.     The  instant  the  messenger 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  213 

came,  word  was  sent  in  to  the  ex -Prefect,  who 
reached  the  front  door  just  as  ('hang  the  Golden "s 
sedan  arrived  in  front  of  it.  "Lai  lot"  (he  has 
come  !)  shouted  the  porters,  as  they  threw  open  the 
central  doors ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  ex-Prefect 
stepped  outside  to  receive  the  welcome  guest.  A 
small  knot  of  spectators,  who,  attracted  by  the  evi- 
dent preparations  which  had  been  made,  had  col- 
lected to  see  who  the  expected  stranger  could  be, 
were  greatly  edified  at  the  low  bows  which  were 
exchanged  by  the  host  and  his  guest,  and  by  the 
glimpse  they  caught  of  the  easy  courtesy  with  which 
Mr  Yang  ushered  young  Chang  through  the  outer 
courtyard,  before  the  heavy  doors  were  again  swung 
back  in  their  faces. 

The  house  had  been  in  the  possession  of  the  head 
of  the  Yang  clan  for  many  generations,  and  was  of 
considerable  pretensions.  In  the  outer  courtyard, 
on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  which  were  servants' 
rooms,  stood  a  number  of  ornamental  shrubs  in 
immense  wooden  tubs,  while  in  the  middle  there 
splashed  a  fountain.  A  passage  through  a  hall  at 
the  northern  end  of  this  courtyard  led  into  another 
which  was  gay  with  flowers,  and  at  the  northern  end 
of  which  was  the  hall  to  which  Mr  Yang  conducted 
his  guest,  followed  by  the  aide-de-camp  and  two  or 
three  servants  in  full  official  livery.  On  reaching 
the  middle  of  the  hall,  Chang  the  Golden,  who  had 
entered  on  the  left  of  his  host,  faced  eastwards  and 
handed  to  him  Le's  letter,  at  the  same  time  briefly 
describing  its  contents,  while  the  servants  spread  the 
ceremonial  gifts  on  a  table  especially  prepared  for 

2  E 


214  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  occasion.  Mr  Yang,  having  made  an  obeisance 
northwards  towards  the  family  altar,  took  the  letter 
with  a  deep  reverence  from  Chang,  who  bowed  and 
made  as  though  he  would  retire,  saying,  "  I  will 
trouble  you  no  further,  but  beg  to  be  allowed  to 
depart." 

The  aide-de-camp,  however,  here  stepped  forward, 
and  invited  him  to  a  room  at  the  side  of  the  court- 
yard, where  he  besought  him  to  stay  his  footsteps 
tor  a  few  minutes.  The  young  men  wTere  acquaint- 
ances of  long  standing,  and  the  half-hour  they  now 
spent  in  each  other's  company  passed  quickly  enough 
in  conversation  over  the  coming  event,  accompanied 
by  sips  of  tea  and  whiffs  of  their  tobacco-pipes. 

Meanwhile  Mr  Yang,  having;  first  laid  the  letter 
upon  a  table  before  the  family  altar,  again  raised  it, 
and  opening  the  envelope,  read  as  follows  : — 

"My  unworthy  son's  name  is  Ming,  and,  bowing 
his  head,  he  pays  his  respects  to  you. 

"  Respectfully  I  beg  that  your  Excellency  may 
deign  to  be  kind,  and  not  reject  these  cold  and  mean 
advances,  but  may  listen  to  the  proposal  of  the  go- 
between,  and  be  pleased  to  bestow  your  beloved 
daughter  in  marriage  on  the  son  of  your  servant. 
Let  us,  I  beseech  you,  fulfil  the  ritual  to  the  letter, 
and  respectfully  cast  the  horoscopes  of  your  honour- 
able! daughter  and  my  unworthy  son,  that  by  faithful 
at  lent  ion  to  the  wedding  ceremonies  we  may  weld 
together  a  compact  which  shall  unite  our  families  for 
a  century  to  come.  I  send  herewith  a  few  paltry 
presents,  in  accordance  with  usage,  and  I  pray  your 
Excellency  to  cast  the  light  of  your  countenance  upon 


le  ming's  marriage.  2 1  5 

them.  I  will  say  no  more,  but  merely  append  tlie 
date  of  my  son's  birth,  which  was  at  the  hour  of  the 
Rat  (between  11  p.m.  and  1  a.m.),  on  the  7th  day  of 
the  9th  month  of  the  10th  year  of  the  reign  of  Heen- 
fung  (I860)." 

In  a  short  invocation  Mr  Yang  informed  the  spirits 
of  his  deceased  ancestors  of  the  contents  of  the  letter, 
and  of  his  intention  to  accept  the  proposal  for  his 
daughter's  hand  ;  and  with  a  prayer  for  their  blessing 
on  the  union,  and  a  prostration  before  the  altar,  he 
returned  to  his  study,  where,  taking  pencil  in  hand, 
he  wrote  this  reply  : — 

"Humbly  I  rejoice  that  you  have  listened  to  the 
words  of  the  go  -  between,  and  have  selected  the 
daughter  of  your  slave  to  be  the  bride  of  your  hon- 
ourable heir.  I  quite  agree  with  you  that  we  should 
proceed  in  accordance  with  the  rites,  and  thus  cement 
an  alliance  which  shall  last  for  all  time.  I  am  per- 
fectly ashamed  to  offer  in  exchange  for  your  lustrous 
presents  the  paltry  turnip-like  things  which  I  now 
venture  to  send,  and  upon  which  I  beg  that  you  will 
deign  to  cast  a  glance.  My  daughter  was  born  at  the 
hour  of  the  Dragon  (between  7  a.m.  and  9  a.m.),  on 
the  21st  day  of  the  3d  month  of  the  4th  year  of  the 
reign  of  Tung-che  (1865)." 

This  epistle,  which  was  written  on  delicately  tinted 
sheets  of  paper  on  which  were  stamped  sprays  of 
plum-blossom,  the  emblems  of  marriage,  having  been 
enfolded  in  a  handsome  envelope  to  match,  was  car- 
ried by  Mr  Yang  to  the  hall,  whither  the  aide-de- 
camp had  already  reconducted  Chang  the  Golden. 
Here  the  principals  took   up   the  same  positions  as 


21G  CHINESE    STORIES. 

before,   and,   with   a  profound  bow,   the   ex -Prefect 
handed    the    document   to    Chang,    who   received   it 
with   every  expression  of  respect,  and  having  given 
ir  into  the  charge  of  a  servant,  begged  leave  to  retire. 
This   he   well  knew  Mr  Yang  would  not  allow,  and 
was  prepared  with  an  acceptance  when  his  host  in- 
vited Iiim  to  a  repast  in  the  outer  hall.     As  a  matter 
of  course,   though  not  until  he   had  protested  vehe- 
mently,   Chang    the    Golden    occupied   the    seat    of 
honour   on    the    left    of   his   host.      The   sweetmeats 
and   viands  were  all  good,  and  the  wine  was  excel- 
lent :    so    that,   although   Mr  Yang   was  not  a  man 
after  the  Golden  One's  heart,  that  worthy  succeeded 
in  enjoying  himself.     Love  for  the  Confucian  classics 
was  the  only  bond  of  union  between  the  two  men. 
The  one  was  by  nature  cold  and  austere,  and  having 
spent  many  years  in  official  life,  his  natural  reserve 
had  grown  upon  him  until  lie  had  become  as  uncom- 
municative a  man  as  it   was  possible  to  meet  with. 
Chang,  on  the  other  hand,  was  of  a  rollicking  nature, 
and   found    an   even    greater  delight  in   a  convivial 
supper  than  in  a  chapter  of  the  'Confucian  Analects.' 
After  a  few  vain  attempts  to  break  the  ice,  Chang 
determined  to  devote  his  attention  to  his  plate  and 
cup ;   and   so   gratifying   were   their    contents   to   his 
taste  that  it  was  with  some  unwillingness  that,  when 
(lie   wine   had  been  passed  round  thrice,   he  rose  to 
take  his  leave.      With  much  formality  Mr  Yang  con- 
ducted   him   to  the  door,    and  bade  him  adieu,  with 
many   bows,  at  the  side  of  his  sedan-chair. 

.Mi-    Le    was   delighted    with    the   account    brought 
back    by  Chang   of  the   reception   he   had  met  with 


LE    MING''S    MARRIAGE.  217 

from  Mr  Yang,  and  having  read  that  gentleman's 
answer,  lie  spread  it  on  the  family  altar  for  the 
information  of  those  unseen  but  ever  present  mem- 
bers of  his  household  who,  though  dead,  yet  spake, 
and  who  were  as  real  and  'living  personages  in  the 
imagination  of  the  worshipper  as  when  they  walked 
the  halls  of  the  family  dwelling  in  corporeal  form. 
An  inward  consciousness  assured  him  that  these 
guardian's  of  his  household  approved  of  the  proposed 
alliance,  and  he  therefore  at  once  sent  for  a  Taoist 
priest  to  cast  the  horoscope  of  the  youthful  couple 
from  their  nativities.  Mr  Yang  also  followed  exactly 
the  same  course,  and,  as  it  happened,  sent  for  another 
priest  of  Tao  from  the  same  temple.  By  a  private 
understanding;  these  worthies,  having  extracted  the 
largest  possible  amounts  from  their  patrons  by  means 
of  threatened  difficulties,  agreed  to  a  favourable  re- 
port on  the  destinies  of  the  young  people.  They 
further  earned  an  additional  fee  by  choosing  a  lucky 
day  for  the  interchange  of  a  formal  engagement. 
At  one  moment  there  was  a  danger  that  this  might 
never  be  entered  upon,  for  on  the  very  day  after 
the  horoscopes  had  been  cast,  Mrs  Le,  in  dusting 
her  china  ornaments,  dropped  from  her  hands  one 
of  her  most  cherished  bowls,  and  broke  it  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  Horror-stricken  at  the  ill  omen, 
she  was  at  first  inclined  to  forbid  the  banns  ;  but 
in  talking  the  matter  over  with  her  less  supersti- 
tious husband,  it  was  agreed  between  them  that  the 
marriage  offered  so  many  positive  advantages  that  it 
would  be  a  pity  to  break  it  off  for  an  idea.  So 
the  incident  was   suppressed,  and   Mr  Le   set  about 


218  CHINESE    STORIES. 

preparing  the  presents  which  were  to  be  the  seal 
of  the  engagement. 

Willi  great  care  lie  chose,  with  the  help  of  his  wife, 
six  silken  dresses  befitting  the  Variegated  Swallow's 
future  rank  as  wife  of  a  Siu-ts'ai,  six  ornaments  con- 
sist in-'-  of  bangles  and  earrings,  and  eight  boxes  of 
cakes.  Having  carefully  packed  these  in  red-lacquer 
boxes,  each  inscribed  with  a  complex  character  mean- 
ing "double  happiness,"  he  despatched  them,  borne 
by  servants  dressed  in  red  tunics,  together  with  a 
pair  of  engagement-cards,  adorned  with  a  dragon  and 
a  phoenix,  and  a  complimentary  letter  addressed  to 
the  ex-Prefect,  all  of  which  he  again  intrusted  to  the 
care  of  Chang  the  Golden.  After  another  formal  in- 
terview and  silent  meal,  the  ambassador  was  glad  to 
hurry  hack,  bearing  a  suitable  reply,  to  the  more  con- 
genial household  of  his  principal,  where  a  place  was 
kept  for  him  at  the  dinner  which  was  spread  to 
celebrate  the  engagement. 

A  few  days  later  another  procession  left  the  Le 
mansion.  This  time  Chang  the  Golden's  sedan-chair 
was  followed  by  another  and  a  larger  band  of  red- 
tunicked  men  bearing  on  bamboo  poles  red-lacquer 
boxes  containing  ladies'  ornaments  and  knick-knacks, 
a  couple  of  wild  geese,  a  sheep,  and  jars  of  wine. 
On  his  arrival  at  Mr  Yang's  house  he  was  met 
by  that  gentleman,  as  at  other  times,  at  the  door- 
way, and  was  conducted  to  the  hall,  where,  after 
a  few  complimentary  remarks,  Air  Yang  begged 
thai  lie  would  name  a  day  for  the  marriage.  In 
answer  to  this  cue  Chang  produced  from  the  folds 
of   a     ivd    cloth    a   letter,    which    Mr    Yang,    having 


LE   MINGS    MARRIAGE.  219 

first  laid  on  the  family  altar,  opened  and  read  as 
follows  : — 

"  Humbly  and  joyfully  I  congratulate  myself  that 
your  Excellency  lias  given  your  consent  to  the  mar- 
riage of  your  beloved  daughter  to  my  unworthy  son, 
who  is  now  longing  to  go  forth  to  meet  her.  Let  me, 
therefore,  beseech  your  Excellency  to  choose  a  fortu- 
nate day  for  their  nuptials.  Should  you  not  already 
have  determined  upon  one,  I  venture  to  suggest  the 
15th  day  of  the  9th  month  of  the  present  year.  I 
beg  to  hand  you  herewith  a  few  trifling  presents, 
and  trust  that  they  may  not  be  utterly  beneath 
your  notice." 

Exactly  the  same  formalities  were  observed  in  the 
delivery  of  this  letter  as  on  the  former  occasion,  and 
after  a  similar  delay  in  the  aide-de-camp's  room  and  a 
repetition  of  the  same  ceremonious  repast,  Chang  the 
Golden  returned  to  Mr  Le  bearing  this  reply  : — 

"  Prostrate  I  received  your  felicitous  commands. 
The  emblematic  geese  are  in  my  cold  hall.  But  I 
long  for  a  respite,  for  the  thought  of  the  separation 
from  my  daughter  is  more  than  I  can  bear.  I  pray 
you  to  overlook  my  shame,  and  to  receive  kindly  my 
contemptible  presents.  As  to  the  time  you  name  for 
the  marriage,  I  should  not  dare  to  oppose  your  de- 
cision, but  listen  reverently  for  your  orders  to  assist 
as  may  be  necessary.  On  my  knees  I  beseech  you  to 
look  down  on  this  epistle." 

As  the  eighth  month  was  already  far  advanced, 
not  much  time  was  left  to  the  parents  of  the  young 
people  for  the  completion  of  all  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments ;  and  while  the  Variegated  Swallow,  her  sisters, 


(  1 1 1  N  ES 1  ■:    STORIES. 

female  cousins,  and  servants  daily  wept  with  loud 
lamentations  at  the  prospecl  of  her  removal  from  her 
old  home,  Le  Ming  was  entertaining  his  friends  in  a 
series  of  banquets.  Ob  the  day  immediately  preced- 
ing the  wedding,  a  procession  of  porters  arrived  at 
Mr  Le's  door,  bearing  on  open  trays  the  trousseau  of 
the  bride,  together  with  a  basket,  a  broom,  curtains, 
cushions,  a  mattress,  and  other  things  for  domestic 
use.  These  objects  were  both  numerous  and  hand- 
some :  and  as  the  procession  had  paraded  the  principal 
streets  on  its  route,  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood 
had  ample  opportunities  of  admiring  the  liberality  of 
Mr  Yang. 

Just  as  the  evening  was  closing  in,  a  letter  was 
brought  to  Ming  by  a  travelling  merchant,  who  said 
he  had  been  strictly  enjoined  to  give  it  into  the  hands 
of  Ming  by  a  gentleman  whose  name  he  had  forgotten, 
,ii  a  town  he  had  stopped  at  for  the  night  two  days 
before.  He  added  that  he  should  be  starting  on  his 
return  by  the  same  road  the  next  morning,  and  that 
if  Ming  would  send  an  answer  to  his  inn,  it  should 
be  faithfully  delivered.  Ming  recognised  the  hand- 
writing as  that  of  his  former  companion  and  com- 
petitor in  the  examination-halls,  Wang,  who,  having 
failed  to  take  his  degree,  had  entered  his  uncle's  bank 
in  a  neighbouring  prefecture  as  accountant.  Glad  to 
lind  that  his  friend  had  not  forgotten  him,  Ming 
opened  the  envelope  and  read  as  follows: — 

"  I  rejoice  that  the  male  and  female  phoenixes  sing 
in  harmony,  and  that  you  are  within  reach  of  the 
feathery  verdure  of  the  matrimonial  peach,  and 
within   sight   of  the   river's    banks.      May   every  joy 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  221 

attend  you  !  Let  not  any  coldness  or  backwardness 
on  your  part  mar  your  joys,  and  may  heaven  and 
earth  combine  to  give  you  progeny  !  And  now  I  pray 
that  the  heavenly  chanticleer1  may  delay  his  crowing, 
and  that  the  river  drum 2  may  not  break  in  upon  your 
slumbers." 

Ming,  who  was  in  high  good-humour,  was  delighted 
at  receiving  the  good  wishes  of  his  friend,  and  with- 
out loss  of  time  he  retired  to  his  study  and  thus 
wrote  in  reply  : — 

"  It  is  true  that  I  have  now  harmoniously  arranged 
a  well-assorted  marriage,  and  that  the  silken  threads 
which  entwined  our  feet  have  done  their  work.  It 
now,  therefore,  only  remains  for  me  to  hope  that,  as 
the  ode  says,  '  the  dawn  may  be  darkened.'  I  was 
overcome  with  gratitude  when  I  read  your  letter,  the 
words  of  which  are  engraved  on  my  heart.  I  thank 
you  for  the  wish  it  contains  that  the  heavenly  chan- 
ticleer may  forget  to  crow,  and  that  the  river  drum 
may  leave  me  undisturbed.  Did  these  wishes  orig- 
inate from  a  recollection  of  a  similar  period  in  your 
own  existence  ?     Ha,  ha  !  " 

It  was  late  before  the  last  light  was  put  out  at  Le's 
house,  while  at  Yang's  the  friends  of  the  bride  wailed 
without  ceasing  throughout  the  night.  As  to  the 
bride  herself,  she  was  sent  off  to  bed  early  in  pre- 
paration for  the  morrow.  But  at  early  dawn  the 
servants  and  work-people  in  both  houses  were  astir. 
Mr  Le  had  portioned  off  two  courtyards,  which  ad- 

1  This  is  an  allusion  to  the  belief  that  the  cocks  are  set  crowing  each 
morning  by  a  heavenly  chanticleer,  who  crows  at  earliest  dawn. 

2  The  morning  star. 

2  F 


222  CHINESE    STORIES. 

joined  the  principal  buildings  of  his  mansion,  for  his 
son's  use,  and  to  these  rooms  the  carpenters  and 
upholsterers  had  given  their  final  touches  on  the 
previous  .veiling.  On  the  wedding  morning  the 
servants  took  possession,  and  devoted  their  first  care 
to  the  preparation  of  the  wedding  -  feast.  In  the 
private  apartment  they  set  out  two  tables,  one  facing 
easl  and  the  other  west,  on  which  they  placed  fruit, 
vegetables,  ajar  of  wine,  four  cups,  and  the  wedding 
goblet.  The  legs  of  the  two  tables  they  bound  to- 
gether with  threads  of  red  silk,  and  on  the  threads 
they  hung  two  silver  bells  to  tinkle  sweet  harmony. 

All  these  and  other  preparations  occupied  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  and  as  the  evening  ad- 
vanced, Ming,  who  was  already  dressed  in  full  canon- 
icals, was  summoned  to  the  family  hall,  where  he 
found  his  father  awaiting  him.  Having  graciously 
received  the  homage  of  his  son,  Mr  Le  handed  him, 
while  yet  on  his  knees,  "  the  parting  cup,"  filled  with 
the  choicest  wine  of  Suchow.  This  Ming  drained 
to  the  dregs,  and  returned  empty  to  the  ever-present 
Chang  the  Golden,  who  stood  by  ready  to  take  it, 
•'  And  now,  my  son,"  said  his  father,  "  as  you  wish 
to  go  in  person  to  receive  your  bride,  go  forth,  and 
may  every  blessing  attend  you.  As  soon  as  }~ou 
have  crossed  the  threshold  I  shall  betake  myself  to 
the  family  altar,  there  to  inform  the  spirits  of  my 
ancestors  of  the  events  of  this  day."  "  I  obey," 
replied  .Mine-;  and  rising  from  his  knees  he  went  out, 
followed  by  ('hang  Kill  carrying  a  pair  of  live  wild 
geese  under  his  arms, — for  Ming  was  determined  to 
have  tie'  real  thing,  and  none  of  the  artificial  sym- 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  223 

bols  common  on  such  occasions.  Before  the  front 
door  the  wedding  procession  had  already  been  duly 
marshalled.  In  front  were  twelve  drummers  and 
musicians ;  behind  these  stood  two  servants  carrying 
lighted  candles,  for  by  this  time  it  was  dusk ;  next 
came  Ming's  and  Chang's  horses,  followed  by  servants 
and  bannermen  ;  and  last  of  all  came  the  bride's  sedan- 
chair,  richly  carved,  adorned  with  many  colours  and 
bright  with  gay  fringes.  As  Ming  mounted  his  steed 
and  the  procession  started,  the  musicians  struck  up 
a  sonorous  and  appropriate  air,  which  attracted  a 
crowd  of  sightseers  along  the  route. 

Meanwhile  the  Variegated  Swallow  had  been  going 
through  the  formalities  proper  to  the  occasion.  After 
having  been  attired  in  her  wedding  garments  by  the 
professional  Instructress  of  matrimony,  who  had  been 
engaged  for  the  occasion,  she  also  went  to  receive 
a  parting  cup  at  the  hand  of  her  father ;  but,  less 
fortunate  than  Ming,  she  was  doomed  to  listen  on 
her  knees  to  a  long  lecture  on  the  duties  of  her  new 
position,  in  which  implicit  obedience  to  the  orders  of 
her  husband  and  dutiful  attention  to  her  father-  and 
mother-in-law  were  duly  insisted  upon.  This  ex- 
hortation ended,  her  mother  had  scarcely  time  to  say 
a  few  words  of  supplementary  wisdom  when  a  servant 
came  to  say  that  the  bridegroom's  procession  was 
approaching.  Instantly  the  ex-Prefect  hurried  to  the 
front  door,  while  the  bride  betook  herself  again  to  her 
bedroom,  to  add  the  last  finishing  touches  to  her 
dress.  The  meeting  between  Mr  Yang  and  Ming,  as 
the  latter  dismounted  from  his  horse,  was  ceremonious 
and  cordial,  and  the  ex-Prefect  lavished  most  unusual 


1>24  CHINESE    STORIES. 

compliments  on  his  guest,  who,  with  a  wild-goose 
under  each  arm,  had  some  difficulty  in  performing 
the  necessary  bows  as  lie  accompanied  his  host  to 
the  hall  of  audience.  The  scene  at  this  moment  was 
bustling  and  bright.  The  courtyard  was  full  of  the 
male  friends  of  the  Yang  family,  all  dressed  in  their 
most  brilliant  robes,  while  those  among  them  who 
were  or  had  been  holders  of  office  wore  on  their  caps 
the  coloured  buttons  of  their  ranks,  to  which,  in  the 
ciMS  of  some  who  had  distinguished  themselves,  were 
attached  peacocks'  feathers  of  one,  two,  or  three 
"eyes,"  according  as  the  wearers  had  earned  a  greater 
or  less  amount  of  the  Emperor's  approval.  Inside 
the  hall,  under  the  glazed  tiles  and  upturned  corners 
of  the  roof,  were  visible  the  rich  red  hangings  of  the 
furniture,  the  delicate  tracery  and  exquisite  carving 
of  the  doorway,  and  numerous  priceless  curiosities 
arranged  artistically  about  the  room  ;  while  countless 
servants  moved  to  and  fro  bearing  the  nuptial  gifts 
brought  by  the  guests,  and  attending  to  the  wants 
of  all. 

Through  this  throng  the  ex-Prefect  led  Ming  up 
the  steps  into  the  hall.  All  eyes  wTere  now  turned 
to  the  two  men  as  they  walked  with  measured  pace 
to  the  centre  of  the  hall  and  stopped.  The  ex-Pre- 
fect, with  a  slight  inclination  of  his  head,  then  turned 
towards  -Ming,  who  still  kept  his  face  northwards; 
while  ('hang  the  Golden,  taking  the  geese  from 
Ming's  arms,  quickly  tied  their  legs  together  with 
red  silk,  and  placed  them  in  position  on  the  ground. 
Mr  Yang's  aide-de-camp  now  stepped  forward,  and 
with  a  bow  presented  a.  goblet  of  wine  to  Ming,  who 


LE    MINGS    MARRIAGE.  225 

poured  from  it  a  libation  to  the  bound  birds,  ac- 
companying the  action  with  a  loto/r  towards  the 
family  altar. 

At  this  moment,  from  behind  the  screen  which  con- 
cealed the  doorway  at  the  northern  end  of  the  hall, 
entered  the  Variegated  Swallow,  whose  features  and 
even  form  were  completely  hidden  under  a  red  silken 
veil,  which  at  the  last  moment  the  Instructress  had 
thrown  over  her  head.  This  veil  made  Mi  no-  as  in- 
visible  to  her  as  she  was  to  him.  and  it  was  only, 
therefore,  by  the  guidance  of  her  two  attendants, 
who  supported  her  one  on  each  side,  that  she  was 
able  to  advance  and  bow  in  the  direction  of  the  spot 
where  her  future  husband  stood.  While  Ming  was 
gazing  with  eager  curiosity  on  the  figure  before  him, 
the  attendants  cried  in  chorus,  "  Bridegroom,  bow ; 
your  bride  departs."  Thus  recalled  to  a  sense  of  his 
duties,  Ming  returned  the  poor  Variegated  Swallows 
reverence,  and  inviting  her  to  accompany  him,  left 
the  hall,  followed  by  his  bride.  On  reaching  the 
doorway  the  bride's  two  attendants,  who  had  been 
particularly  selected  for  the  office  as  being  "  women 
of  luck,"  with  husbands  and  children  living,  lifted 
the  helpless  Variegated  Swallow  into  the  chair  and 
carefully  shut  the  door.  Again  the  chorus  chanted, 
"  Bridegroom,  mount  your  horse  and  go  before  the 
chair ; "  and,  again  obedient  to  the  cue,  Ming  did 
as  he  was  bidden.  At  the  same  moment  the  pro- 
cession started  on  its  return  journey,  the  musicians 
in  front  performing  an  air  of  triumph.  Only  one 
addition  was  made  to  the  cavalcade,  and  that  was 
the  sedan-chair  of  the  bride's  youngest  brother,  which 


2  2G  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

followed   immediately  behind  his  sister's  more   gor- 
geous conveyance. 

<  >n  arriving  at  the  door  of  his  house,  Ming  dismount- 
ed and  stood  ready  to  receive  his  bride,  whose  sedan 
was  carried  to  the  door  between  the  lines  of  musicians 
and  bannermen,  who  on  halting  had  formed  up  on 
either  side  of  the  road.  As  the  chair  was  deposited, 
Ming  stepped  forward  rather  nervously  and  tapped 
t  lie  door  of  the  chair  with  his  fan.  The  summons  was 
answered  by  the  Instructress,  who  opened  the  door 
and  handed  out  the  trembling  Variegated  Swallow, 
who  was  still  enshrouded  in  her  impenetrable  veil. 
With  the  help  of  an  attendant  the  Instructress  lifted 
her  bodily  over  a  pan  of  lighted  charcoal  which  stood 
on  the  threshold,  while  at  the  same  time  a  servant 
went  through  the  form  of  offering  her  some  rice  and 
preserved  fruits.  At  one  time  Ming  had  intended  to 
receive  the  homage  of  his  bride  on  entering;  the  house, 
as  was  the  custom  of  the  neighbourhood,  but  not 
finding  any  sanction  for  the  practice  in  the  '  Rituals,' 
he  determined  to  dispense  with  it ;  and  he  therefore 
at  once  conducted  his  bride  to  the  ancestral  hall, 
where  already  the  attendants  had  spread  two  prayer- 
mats  mi  the  floor.  As  Ming  took  up  his  position  on 
the  eastern  mat,  the  Instructress  led  the  Variegated 
Swallow  to  the  western  mat,  and  al  a  signal  from  the 
master  of  the  ceremonies  the  pair  fell  on  their  knees 
before  the  ancestral  altar,  while  Ming  repeated  the 
following  invocation  : — 

'The  relation  of  man  and  wife  is  that  of  the  high- 
esl  importance;  and  of  all  the  rites  marriage  is  the 
mosl  estimable,  since  from  it  How  successive  genera- 


Wn'o 


LE    MING  8    MARRIAGE.  227 

tions.  Acting  on  my  father's  command,  I  have  marrie<  1 
Yang-Tsai-yen ;  and  in  obedience  to  the  lots  cast  be- 
fore the  altars  of  our  respective  ancestors,  we  have  on 
this  day  completed  the  ceremony.  We  now  offer  up 
this  information  to  you.  beseeching  you,  at  the  same 
time,  to  help,  and  bestow  your  gifts  upon,  this  well- 
ordered  house  and  harmonious  family." 

At  a  word  from  the  master  of  the  ceremonies  the  pair 
now  rose  to  their  feet,  and  again  at  another  word  of 
command  prostrated  themselves  in  humble  adoration 
to  heaven  and  earth.  Again  they  rose,  and  once 
more  knelt  to  call  down  the  blessings  of  the  house- 
hold  gods  on  their  union.  This  concluded  the  re- 
ligious  part  of  the  ceremony  ;  and  as  the  da}'  had  been 
a  long  one,  and  the  formalities  endless,  even  Ming, 
ritualist  as  he  was,  was  glad  to  think  that  they  had 
nearly  performed  their  task.  As  for  the  poor  Varie- 
gated Swallow,  whose  cramped  feet  made  every  move- 
ment wearisome,  and  whose  long  silken  veil  effectually 
excluded  every  breath  of  air,  she  was  wellnigh  ready 
to  sink  down  from  heat  and  fatigue.  Gladly,  there- 
fore, they  retired  to  their  private  apartment,  where, 
though  servants  were  constantlv  bustling  in  and  out, 
guided  by  the  orders  of  the  Instructress,  they  were 
to  be  allowed  a  few  minutes'  respite.  An  additional 
interest  also  attached  to  the  adjournment  in  Ming's 
eyes,  as  now  for  the  first  time  he  was  to  see  the  face 
of  his  bride. 

The  apartment  was  a  large  one.  In  the  centre 
were  placed  the  two  tables  which  had  already  been 
prepared  facing  one  another,  while  against  the  back 
wall  stood  the  mat-covered  bedstead  which,  denuded 


22S  CHINESE    STORIES. 

as  it  was  of  all  bed  furniture  with  the  exception  of 
the  curtains,  looked  less  like  a  bedstead  than  a  divan, 
the  purpose  of  whirl)  it  was  now  intended  to  serve, 
and  for  which  it  might  have  been  mistaken  had  it  not 
been  for  various  mottoes  hung  about  it,  such  as, 
••  May  a  hundred  sons  and  a  thousand  grandsons  be 
your  portion."  Slowly — too  slowly  for  Ming's  impa- 
tience— the  instructress  led  the  Variegated  Swallow  to 
the  back  of  the  tables,  and  slowly  lifted  the  veil  from 
her  head,  when  she  stood  revealed  before  her  husband. 
The  moment  was  a  trying  one.  Custom  had  forbidden 
her  to  paint  or  adorn  her  face  in  anyway.  No  henna 
grave  lustre  to  her  eyes,  or  relieved  the  black  rims 
which  fatigue  had  imprinted  around  them.  No  rouge 
added  colour  to  her  pale  cheeks,  nor  was  there  a  trace 
of  powder  to  conceal  the  somewhat  yellow  tinge  which 
the  heat  of  the  day  and  the  natural  bilious  hue  of  her 
complexion  had  together  produced.  Conscious  of  the 
disadvantages  under  which  she  appeared,  and  natur- 
ally nervous  at  having  to  face  Ming's  inspection,  the 
poor  Variegated  Swallow  looked  shy  and  awkward, 
and  was  once  or  twice  on  the  point  of  bursting  into 
tears.  Ming  on  his  part  was  certainly  disillusioned, 
but  he  was  not  much  accustomed  to  the  presence  of 
young  ladies.  His  two  sisters  were  the  only  maidens 
of  his  own  rank  with  whom  he  had  ever  been  brought 
into  contact,  and  nature  had  not  endowed  them  boun- 
tifully. It  was  true  that  he  had  occasionally  caught 
glimpses  in  the  streets  and  temples  of  ladies  very  un- 
like his  sisters  in  appearance,  but  they  had  always 
seemed  to  him  as  something  visionary;  whereas  here 
was  his  bride  standing  before  him  in  very  substance, 


LE    MINGS    MAERIAGE.  229 

and  being  a  young  man  of  a  kindly  disposition,  he 
felt  compassion  for  the  nervous  shyness  of  the  poor 
trembling  maiden.  He  spoke  to  her  encouragingly 
and  cordially,  therefore,  and  seated  her  on  the  bed- 
stead divan.  The  Instructress  watched  this  process 
with  superstitious  eyes,  and  remarked  with  inward 
satisfaction  that  the  Variegated  Swallow  had  seated 
herself  on  the  lappet  of  Ming's  robe. 

"  Dull  as  she  undoubtedly  is,"  said  the  Instructress 
to  herself,  "  it  is  plain  that  she  has  sense  enough  to 
rule  in  this  house." 

At  this  moment  the  servants  announced  that  the 
feast  was  ready,  and  Ming  sat  down  at  the  eastern 
table  opposite  his  bride.  In  the  courtyard,  outside 
the  open  doors  of  the  apartment,  tables  were  spread 
for  the  guests,  who  had  no  sooner  taken  their  places 
than  there  broke  forth  a  continual  clatter  of  chop- 
sticks, wine-cups,  and  conversation,  after  the  manner 
of  wedding-feasts.  The  appearance  and  conduct  of 
the  bride  were  freely  observed  and  criticised ;  and  as 
etiquette  forbade  her  to  eat  anything,  she  had  to  go 
through  the  trial  of  sitting  motionless,  and  of  enduring 
the  gaze  of  her  husband  opposite  and  of  the  guests  in 
the  courtyard.  So  soon  as  Ming's  appetite  was  ap- 
peased, the  Instructress  presented  him  with  the  wed- 
ding goblet  in  which  to  pledge  his  bride,  who  in  her  turn 
received  the  same  goblet,  replenished,  from  the  hands 
of  Chang  the  Golden,  and  timidly  returned  the  pledge 
of  her  husband.  With  this  ceremony  the  feast  came 
to  an  end,  and  the  newly  married  pair  rose  from  the 
table.  The  Variegated  Swallow  betook  herself  to  the 
divan,  and  Ming,  after  exchanging  a  few  words  with 

2  g 


230  CHINESE    STORIES. 

her,  went  out  to  join  the  revellers  in  the  courtyard. 
As  he  passed  out  of  the  door  it  was  shut  behind  him 
l>v  the  [nstructress,  who  remained  in  full  possession 
to  make  such  alterations  as  were  necessary  to  fit  the 
room  for  its  original  purpose. 

The  presence  of  Ming  added  zest  to  the  revel  in  the 
courtyard,  which  was  by  this  time  becoming  rather 
tame.  To  have  the  bridegroom  in  person  at  whom  to 
launch  their  jokes  and  sallies  was  the  vinegar  to  the 
salad  of  their  wit,  while  his  somewhat  clumsy  attempts 
to  answer  their  attacks  served  only  to  stimulate  their 
mirth.  Altogether  this  part  of  the  entertainment 
was  not,  in  Ming's  opinion,  a  success,  and  he  was  by 
no  means  sorry  to  bid  adieu  to  the  last  guest.  Tired 
though  he  was,  however,  his  countenance  brightened 
and  his  spirits  rose  as  he  turned  towards  his  bride's 
apartment.  As  he  entered  the  room  the  Instructress 
was  in  the  act  of  bidding  good-night  to  the  Varie- 
gated  Swallow,  Avho  seemed  unwilling  to  part  from 
her  only  remaining  link  with  her  old  home. 

"  You  won't  be  far  off? "  she  whispered. 

"No,"  replied  the  Instructress;  "I  shall  sleep  on 
your  door-mat,  so  as  to  be  at  hand  if  you  want  me." 

The  faithful  and  weary  woman  was  true  to  her 
word,  and  in  five  minutes  the  rays  of  the  full  moon 
shone  through  the  lattice  of  the  window  on  her  sleep- 
ing form  coiled  up  at  the  door  of  the  bridal  chamber. 


231 


A  BUDDHIST   STORY. 


[The  following  story  is  of  Buddhist  origin,  and  has  reference 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls.  According 
to  this  tenet  of  the  faith  every  soul  passes  through  a  variety 
of  existences,  the  conditions  of  the  successive  states  of  which 
depend  on  the  amount  of  merit  or  demerit  acquired  in  the 
previous  life.  Those  who  have  done  good  pass  into  higher 
spheres  of  enjoyment  and  prosperity,  while  those  who  have 
done  evil  descend  in  the  scale  of  creation  by  leaps  and  by 
bounds.  Thus,  a  man  who  has  kept  most  of  the  command- 
ments of  Buddha,  but  failed  in  others,  may  expect  to  be 
born  a  horse  or  one  of  the  more  respectable  animals  in  Ins 
next  state  of  existence ;  while  one  who  has  persistently 
broken  the  whole  law,  may  think  himself  fortunate  if  he 
reappears  as  a  fish  or  a  dog.  This  doctrine,  which  rep- 
resents all  animated  creation  as  being  one  and  inter- 
changeable, makes  the  killing  of  animals  acts  of  murder 
and  of  possible  impiety.  For  how  can  one  be  sure  that  in 
killing  an  ox  or  a  horse  one  is  not  murdering  a  friend  who, 
when  a  man,  may  have  failed  in  some  of  his  religious 
duties  ?  or  in  crushing  a  beetle,  that  one  is  not  cutting 
short  the  career  of  a  near  but  perhaps  dissolute  relative  ? 
Eating  animal  flesh,  of  course,  only  adds  to  the  crime  of 
murder,  and  in  the  following  pages  we  see  how  very  easily 
Mr  Le  may  have  eaten  his  old  friend  Sin.] 


232  CHINESE    STORIES. 

SO^NIE  years  ago  there  lived  in  the  village  of 
"Everlasting  Felicity,"  in  the  province  of  "  The 
Four  Streams,"  two  officials,  who  from  different 
causes  had  been  relieved  from  the  necessity  of 
serving  their  country  and  their  emperor.  Mr  Le, 
the  elder  of  the  two,  was  a  somewhat  heavy  and 
morose  man — one  in  whom  it  was  difficult  to  say 
whet  her  his  appetite  for  his  creature-comforts  or  his 
indifference  to  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  his  fellow- 
men  predominated.  In  the  last  post  which  he  had 
had  the  honour  to  fill  he  had  been  charged,  his  friends 
said  unjustly,  with  having  inflicted  on  innocent  per- 
sons illegal  torture,  some  refinements  of  which  had 
emanated  from  his  not  otherwise  inventive  brain,  and 
of  having  levied  blackmail  with  so  greedy  a  hand  that 
the  people  had  been  driven  to  the  verge  of  rebellion. 
"When  the  storm  was  about  to  break  Le  wisely  retired 
to  the  village  of  "Everlasting  Felicity,"  carrying  with 
him  quite  a  little  fortune  which  he  had  neither  in- 
herited nor  had  saved  out  of  his  official  income. 

Mr  Sin,  the  younger  of  the  two,  was  of  an  im- 
pulsive and  a  rather  erratic  nature.  As  an  official 
his  chief  fault  was  the  restlessness  of  his  administra- 
tion. He  worried  the  people  in  his  district ;  and 
when  the  infliction  of  constant  worry  is  combined 
with  an  itching  palm,  even  the  sluggish  Chinese 
nature  will  after  a  time  turn  on  the  worrier.  And 
so  it  came  about  that  he  was  recommended  by  his 
superiors  to  resign;  and  he  also,  having  gathered 
together  his  ill-gotten  goods,  found  his  way  to  the 
same  haven  of  rest  to  which  Mr  Le  had  turned  his 
footsteps. 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY.  233 

The  similarity  of  their  fates  induced  these  two 
worthies  to  set  up  house  together.  Both  being  rich, 
they  surrounded  themselves  with  every  comfort,  and 
spent  their  leisure  in  entertaining  those  of  their 
neighbours  who  could  entertain  them  in  return,  and 
in  discussing  the  ineffable  wisdom  of  the  moral 
maxims  of  Confucius.  While  pursuing  the  even 
tenor  of  this  most  inestimable  way,  it  chanced  that 
Mr  Sin,  having  exposed  his  clean-shaven  head  unduly 
to  the  sun,  fell  sick  of  a  fever.  Mr  Le,  though 
annoyed  at  the  circumstance — for  he  was  expecting 
some  rich  friends  to  dinner  that  day — sent  for  a  doc- 
tor and  gave  generally  directions  that  Sin  was  to 
be  looked  after.  In  answer  to  the  call  the  doctor 
arrived.  He  was  an  old  man  and  lean,  perhaps  from 
much  study,  and  he  wore  a  pair  of  large  horn-rimmed 
spectacles.  His  first  glance  at  his  patient  showed 
him  that  the  hot  principle  in  Sin's  nature  was  riding 
rough-shod  over  the  cold  principle,  and  had  com- 
pletely upset  the  equilibrium  which  should  be  main- 
tained in  all  well  -  regulated  constitutions.  The 
symptoms  of  high  fever  were  so  plain  that  he 
thought  it  unnecessary  even  to  feel  the  patient's 
pulse,  but  at  once  prescribed  a  decoction  of  powdered 
deer  horns  and  dragon's  blood,  with  pills  made  from 
hare's  liver,  to  be  taken  at  intervals.  Before  leaving 
the  house  he  took  Ting,  Sin's  valet,  aside,  and  told 
him  that  on  no  account  was  he  to  leave  his  master 
alone.  "At  any  moment,"  said  he,  "he  may  be- 
come delirious,  and  then  Buddha  alone  can  say  what 
he  may  do." 

Ting    promised,    with    many    asseverations,    that 


234 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


nothing  should  induce  him  to  leave  his  master's 
presence  for  an  instant.  But  even  Chinamen  oc- 
casionally  fail  to  act  up  to  their  professions,  and 
when,  after  some  restlessness,  Sin  fell  off  into  a  pro- 


found sleep,  Ting,  hearing  sounds  of  merriment  in 
the  servants'  quarters,  persuaded  himself  that  it  would 
'•<•  quite  safe  to  leave  his  master  for  a  bit,  and  went 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY.  235 

noiselessly  out  to  enjoy  himself  among  his  fellows. 
He  had  scarcely  left  the  room,  however,  when  Sin 
became  restless  again.  He  turned  and  twisted  in 
bed  and  rolled  his  weary  and  aching-  head  from  side 
to  side. 

"Hot,  hot,  hot!"  he  moaned;  "my  head  burns, 
the  pillow  scorches  !  I  can't  breathe  !  The  room  is 
suffocating  me  !  Oh  for  a  breath  of  the  fresh  air  of 
heaven  in  the  fields  and  woods  !  Why  should  I  not 
go  and  enjoy  it  ?  I  will ! "  he  exclaimed,  and  in  an 
instant  he  sprang  out  of  bed,  rushed  out  of  the  room, 
threw  open  the  front  door,  and  ran  down  the  road  into 
the  neighbouring  meadows. 

"  Ah,"  he  shouted  as  he  threw  himself  on  a  bank. 
"  this  is  delicious  !  Xow  I  can  live  and  breathe. 
The  air  of  heaven  cools  my  throbbing  head,  and  I 
am  myself  again." 

But  presently  the  air  again  became  oppressive. 
Shooting  pains  pierced  his  brain.  His  skin  burned 
and  his  tongue  became  parched.  "  Oh,"  he  cried, 
"the  fire-demon  has  followed  me  here!  What  can 
I  do  to  cool  my  tortured  head  \  If  I  might  only 
plunge  into  a  river  of  cold  water  I  should  be  well." 
So  saying,  he  rose  from  the  bank  and  wandered  on 
through  woods  and  fields  until,  to  his  infinite  delight, 
he  saw  before  him  a  broad,  cool,  shining  river. 

"Now  is  my  chance,"  he  exclaimed,  and  without 
a  moment's  hesitation  he  plunged  into  the  rolling 
tide.  Being  an  expert  swimmer  he  dived  to  the 
bottom,  then  skimmed  along  the  top,  his  queue 
looking  like  an  eel  floating-  behind  him  on  the  sur- 
face,  and  presently  stretched  himself  out  flat  on  the 


236 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


water.     "Ah,"    lic   said>    " tllis   is   happiness.     Wno 

would  live  on  land  who  can  live  in  water?"     As  lie 

ed   speaking,   he  heard  close   to  him  a  kind  of 

gurgling  chuckle,  something  between  the  noise  made 

by  a    person   choking,  and  by  water  poured  out  of  a 


Rushed  out  of  the  room 


and  ran  do7<.<n  the  road." 


bottle,  and  turning  round  he  saw  a  large  tench  which 
was  staring  at  him  with  round  e}Tes,  and  with  a  con- 
torted  expression    of  mouth   which    ftin    rightly   in- 
terpreted  to  be  the  effect  of  laughter. 
"  What   arc  vou  laughing  at?"  he  asked. 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY. 


237 


"You  !  "  replied  the  fish. 

"And  what  do  you  see  in  me  to  laugh  at?"  he 
inquired,  somewhat  angrily. 

"I  heard  what  you  said,"  answered  the  fish,  "and 
the  idea  of  a  man  knowing  what  the  delight  of 
living  in  water  is,  was  so  ludicrous  that  it  sent  me 
into  a  fit  of  laughter  which  has  made  me  feel  very 


«$4,s$;.-'~: 


"Oh,"  he  cried.  " the  fire  demon  has  followed  me  here  I  " — Page  235. 


uncomfortable,  for  I  am  not  much  accustomed  to 
laugh." 

"  So  I  should  imagine  from  the  hideous  noise  you 
made,"  said  Sin.  "  But  tell  me,  how  can  you  enjoy 
the  water  more  than  I  do  ? " 

"  Why,  you  are  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner  to  the 
element.     For  a  few  minutes  you  may  enjoy  swim- 

2  H 


238  CHINESE    STORIES. 

ming  and  diving,  but  your  limbs  would  soon  tire, 
those  ugly  limbs  which  make  you  look  like  a  frog, 
though  frogs  have  the  advantage  over  you  of  moving 
horizon  (ally,  while  yon  by  some  perversion  in  your 
nature  are  born  to  walk  upright,  for  all  the  world 
like  trees  moving.  And  then,  when  you  are  hungry, 
you  have  to  seek  your  food  on  land,  while  we,  as 
we  glide  swiftly  through  the  rushing  waters  with- 
out fatigue,  and  almost  without  movement,  find 
the  means  of  our  nourishment  in  the  midst  of 
our  enjoyment." 

"  If  this  is  really  so,"  said  Sin,  "  I  would  give 
something  to  be  like  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  would  like  to  become  a 
fish  ? " 

"  Yes ;  I  would  give  up  all  the  money  I  squeezed 
out  of  the  people  when  I  was  a  magistrate  to  enjoy 
the  river  as  you  enjoy  it." 

"  Come  with  me,  then,"  said  the  fish  ;  and  turning 
round,  he  swam  up-stream  at  such  a  pace  that  Sin 
was  obliged  to  call  to  him  to  stop. 

"  Ah  !"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  pitying  contempt,  "  I 
forgot  you  were  a  man." 

After  going  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  reduced  speed, 
the  fish  led  the  way  into  a  small  bay  in  the  bank, 
where,  surrounded  by  attendant  fishes,  lay  a  huge 
e;np  whose  size  and  gravity  of  deportment  marked 
him  out  as  a  ruler  of  his  kind. 

As  Sin's  guide  approached  the  monarch  he  indi- 
cated reverence  and  submission  by  wriggling  towards 
him  in  the  mud. 

••  May  it    please  your  Majesty,"  he  began,  "I  have 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY. 


239 


found  a  poor  man  who  wants  very  much  to  become 
a  fish.  Knowing  your  infinite  benevolence  I  have 
ventured  to  bring  him  into  your  august  presence." 
So  saying,  he  motioned  Sin  to  approach,  who,  being 
anxious  to   propitiate  the  king,  began  wriggling  in 

the  mud  in  imitation  of  his  guide.     But  in  so  doing 

©  © 

he  made  such  a  commotion  in  the  water  and  stirred 
up  so  much  dirt  that  the  fishes  all  began  to  choke, 
and  his  own  eyes  were  so  completely  blinded  that  he 
could  not  see  where  he  was  goino'. 


"  Ah  !  "  said  the  carp,  "  1 forgot  you  were  a  man.' 


"  Stop  !  "  shrieked  the  king.  "  What  are  you 
doing  ? "  Sin  was  glad  enough  to  obey,  and  when 
the  water  had  cleared  a  little  he  lay  prone  before 
the  carp  awaiting  instructions. 

"Are  you  really  desirous  of  becoming  a  fish?" 
inquired  the  king,  in  a  husky  voice,  for  his  throat 
had  not  quite   recovered   from    the   effects    of  Sin's 


wrio-o-linor 


;'I  am,  your  Majesty,"  replied  Sin.     "This  gentle- 


240  CHINESE    STORIES. 

man  here  has  shown  me  that  fishes  alone  can  really 
appreciate  life  in  streams,  and  as  the  slight  taste  of 
that  existence  which  I  am  able  to  enjoy  is  so  de- 
lightful, I  am  persuaded  that  the  full  enjoyment  of 
it  must  be  ravishing. ' 

"You  shall  have  your  desire  then,"  said  the  king, 
and  turning  to  an  attendant  trout  he  told  him  to  go 
and  fetch  a  large  fish's  skin. 

Presently  the  messenger  returned  with  a  carp's 
skin  of  a  size  which  proved  to  be  just  the  right 
length.  At  a  word  from  the  king  the  courtiers  put 
Sin  into  it,  and  having  tucked  him  in  with  the  ex- 
ception of  his  hands  and  feet,  fastened  him  up.  For 
a  moment  or  two  Sin  felt  very  uncomfortable,  but 
by  degrees  he  became  conscious  of  a  physical  change 
in  his  constitution.  His  limbs  began  to  tingle  and 
to  lose  their  identities.  His  arms  gradually  con- 
tracted, while  his  hands  flattened  out  and  assumed 
the  shape  of  fins.  His  legs  became  welded  together, 
and  his  feet  by  degrees  took  the  form  of  a  tail.  When 
this  strange  transformation  was  completed,  Sin  was 
desirous  of  trying  his  new  powers,  and  so,  with  a  bow 
and  an  expression  of  thanks  to  his  Majesty,  he  turned 
to  swim  off. 

"  Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry,"  said  the  king ;  "  1 
have  a.  word  of  advice  to  give  you.  Know,  then,  that 
i m 'i i  are  always  trying  to  catch  us  fishes,  and  that 
there  are  two  methods  which  they  especially  employ 
-hook  and  net.  Now,  if  ever  you  see  a  worm 
dangling  in  the  water  in  the  shape  of  a  hook,  don't 
touch  it,  for  if  you  do  you  will  be  a  dead  fish;  and 
it'  ever  you  chance  to  see  a  net  before  you,  turn  round 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY.  241 

and  swim  as  fast  as  you  can  in  the  opposite  direction, 
lest  you  should  be  caught  in  its  meshes." 

"I  thank  your  Majesty  for  your  instructions," 
answered  Sin,  "  and  your  words  shall  be  engraven 
on  my " — he  was  going  to  say  heart,  but  he  was 
not  sure  whether  fishes  had  hearts,  and  so  he  said 
"memory."  So  saying,  and  with  a  reverent  wriggle 
in  the  mud,  he  turned  down -stream.  At  first  he 
experienced  some  little  difficulty,  being  unaware  of 
the  steadying  force  of  his  tail  and  fins.  He  wagged 
his  tail  as  a  man  would  kick  out  his  legs,  and  the 
result  was  that  instead  of  turning  slightly,  as  was  his 
intention,  to  avoid  a  stick,  he  made  a  complete  circuit. 
And  he  more  than  once  threw  himself  on  his  back  by 
the  too  violent  use  of  a  fin.  But  by  degrees  he  be- 
came master  of  the  situation,  and  swam  fairly  along, 
the  cool  water  gently  lashing  his  sides  as  he  glided 
swiftly  with  the  current.  Never  in  his  life  on  earth 
had  he  felt  so  fresh  and  invigorated.  The  sensa- 
tion  of  activity  and  power  in  an  element  which  con- 
stantly refreshed  without  stint  and  without  foil  was 
exquisitely  delightful.  Every  variety  of  movement 
added  fresh  enjoyment  to  the  enraptured  Sin,  who 
was  fairly  entranced  with  the  pleasures  of  his  new 
existence.  After  a  time,  however,  he  began  to  feel 
the  discomforts  of  hunger,  and  remembering  that  he 
had  now  to  seek  his  own  food,  he  devoted  his  energies 
to  finding  a  worm.  But  whether  through  want  of 
skill  in  the  kind  of  search,  or  from  scarcity  of  worms, 
certain  it  is  that  he  was  eminently  unsuccessful.  He 
prowled  along  the  muddy  banks,  he  dived  down  to 
the  bottom,  and  he  peered  among  the  rubbish  collected 


242  CHINESE    STORIES. 

round  the  wrecks  of  punts  and  stumps  of  trees  which 
strewed  the  bed  of  the  river.  But  all  in  vain ;  and 
what  made  his  failure  the  more  distressing  was  that 
his  appetite  was  becoming  voracious. 

In  one  of  his  predatory  expeditions  he  saw  a  worm, 
and  at  first  his  joy  was  intense ;  but  he  was  fain  to 
recognise  that  it  hung  in  the  water  in  the  shape  of  a 
hook,  and  remembering  the  king's  words  of  warning, 
he  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  After  many  fruitless 
.swimmings  to  and  fro,  however,  and  when  his  strength 
began  to  fail  and  his  energies  to  slacken  for  want  of 
food,  it  chanced  that  he  again  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  the  dandling  worm  which  he  had  before 
avoided.  "Eat  it,'"  whispered  the  demon  of  hunger 
in  his  ear  ;  "  never  mind  what  the  old  carp  said.  He 
is  a  fish  of  a  past  generation,  and  has  not  the  know- 
ledge and  intelligence  that  we  have.  As  to  its  shape, 
who  ever  saw  a  worm  straight  ?  and  see,  its  tail  is 
quite  wagging  with  enjoyment."  "  Or  pain,"  sug- 
gested prudence.  "  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  answered  the 
demon.  "But  if  you  are  afraid  of  gulping  it  down 
altogether,  bite  a  bit  off  and  then  you  can  put  it  to 
the  proof."  Weakened  by  hunger,  Sin  yielded  to  the 
temptation  and  nibbled  off  a  piece.  The  taste  of  food 
and  the  innocuousness  of  the  first  mouthful  broke 
down  the  little  hesitation  he  bad  left,  and  with  greedy 
maws  he  swallowed  the  whole  worm. 

Never  was  delight  turned  more  instantly  into  pain. 
The  hook,  which  had  been  concealed  in  the  worm, 
pierced  l  he  roof  of  his  mouth  with  an  agonising  prick. 
In  bis  pain  and  terror  he  tried  to  swim  away,  but 
every  movement,  every  writhe,  added  to  his  misery, 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY. 


24: 


and  to  complete  his  horror,  he  found  that  he  was 
being  pulled  up  towards  the  surface.  When  he  he- 
came  conscious  of  this  he  struggled  violently,  re- 
gardless of  the  torture  it  entailed,  but  all  in  vain. 
In    spite    of  his    efforts    he   was    drawn    out    of   the 


"/«  spite  of  his  efforts  he  -was  drawn  out  of  the  water.'1'' 

water,  when,  looking  upwards,  he  saw,  to  his  sur- 
prise and  relief,  that  his  captor  was  his  own  boat- 
man, ^hang. 

"  Let  me  go  this  instant,  Chang,"  he  said.     "  I  am 
not  a  fish,  but  your  master   Sin.     Take  this  horrid 


244  CHINESE    STORIES. 

hook  out  of  my  mouth  and  put  me  back  in  the  water 
at  once." 

"  Well,"  thought  Chang,  "  I  never  heard  a  fish 
make  ;i  noise  like  that  before.  But  he  is  a  won- 
derfully fine  one,  and  I  will  just  take  him  home 
to  Mr  I.e."  So  thinking,  he  seized  the  fish,  tore 
the  hook  out  of  its  jaws  and  threw  it  down  in  the 
boat. 

"Ah,  you  scoundrel!"  shouted  Sin.  "How  dare 
you  treat  your  master  in  this  way  ?  You  have  broken 
my  jaw,  and  injured  my  side.  I  dismiss  you  from 
my  service.     Put  me  back  into  the  water." 

"  I  have  heard  old  women  tell  tales  of  birds  that 
talked,"  said  Chang,  aloud,  "  but  I  will  be  bambooed 
if  I  don't  think  I  have  got  hold  of  a  fish  that  talks. 
But  I  daresay  he  will  eat  just  as  well  as  one  that 
does  not." 

"  What  are  you  talking  about,  you  fool  ?  "  said  Sin. 
"  I  am  not  a  fish,  but  your  master.  Once  again  I 
order  you  to  let  me  go."  These  brave  words  ill  con- 
sorted with  the  terror  suggested  by  Chang's  word 
"  eat."  The  idea  of  being  served  up  as  a  meal  was 
almost  more  than  he  could  endure. 

At  this  moment  the  boat  touched  the  shore,  and 
without  more  ado  Chang  lifted  the  fish  by  its  gills, 
and   stepped  on  to  the  bank. 

-Oh!  oh!  oh!  you  will  kill  me!"  shouted  Sin. 
••  How  dare  you  behave  to  me  in  this  way?  I  will 
have  you  flayed  alive  for  this.  Oh,  for  an  hour  of 
manhood ! " 

By  this  time  Chang  had  learned  to  disregard  the 
strange  noises  made  by  the  fish,  and  he  trudged  home 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY.  245 

with  it,  full  only  of  the  thought  of  the  "cumshaw  "  ' 
which  Mr  Le  would  probably  give  him  for  bringing 
home  so  fine  a  carp.  Sin,  also,  who  was  beginning 
to  feel  weak  from  pain  and  the  absence  of  water, 
determined  to  reserve  his  energies  until  he  should 
come  to  his  house,  when  he  felt  sure  that  the  old 
porter  would  certainly  know  him. 

On  arriving  at  the  gate,  they  were  met  by  the 
porter,  who,  on  seeing  Chang  and  his  prize,  ex- 
claimed, "  Hai-yah  !  Chang,  you  are  in  luck  to-day. 
What  a  splendid  fish  you  have  got  !  Mr  Le  has 
just  sent  out  to  know  whether  you  have  brought 
in  anything." 

"Porter,"  said  Sin,  "I  am  not  a  fish,  but  your 
master  Sin,  and  this  insolent  fellow  Chang  has  tor- 
tured me  inexpressibly,  and  refuses  to  put  me  back 
in  the  river.  I  depend  on  you  to  take  me  back  at 
once." 

"Now,  by  Confucius!  Chang,"  said  the  door- 
keeper, "  you  have  got  hold  of  a  queer  fish.  I 
never  heard  a  carp  growl  and  snuffle  like  that  be- 
fore.    You  had  better  take  it  in  at  once  to  Mr  Le." 

Alas  !  thought  Sin,  it  is  useless  trying  to  make 
these  fools  understand  me.  I  must  wait  until  I  can 
explain  myself  to  Le.  His  opportunity  soon  came, 
for  Chang  carried  off  his  prize  straight  to  Mr  Le's 
apartment. 

"  Well,  Chang,  what  have  you  got  there  ? "  asked 
Le. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency,  I  have  brought 
one  of  the  finest  carp  T  ever  saw." 

1  I.e.,  present. 
2  i 


24G 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


"  Le;"  said  Sin  in  the  loudest  voice  he  could  now 
command,    "listen   to   me    a  moment.      I  am  your 


"  Hai-yah  !  Chang,  you  air  in  luck  to-day." 

friend   Sin,  and  I  put  on  this  fish's  skin  merely  to 
try  what  it  is  to  be  a  fish.     Alas  !  I  know  now  only 


A    BUDDHIST    STORY.  247 

too  well  what  that  is.  This  villain  Chang  has  tor- 
tured me  beyond  endurance.  Tell  him,  as  he  will 
no  longer  obey  me,  to  take  me  back  to  the  river, 
as  I  should  be  glad  now  to  resume  my  former  shape. 
I  have  had  enough  of  fins  and  scales."  And  hooks 
and  worms,   he  might  have  added. 

"Why,  Chang,  you  have  got  hold  of  an  extraor- 
dinary beast.  He  grunts  like  a  pig.  However,  I 
daresay  he  will  make  a  good  dish."  ("  Oh  !  "  groaned 
Sin.)     "  Take  him  to  the  cook." 

"  What !  eat  your  old  friend  Sin  ?  Impossible, 
Le!" 

"And  tell  him  to  split  him  open  and  grill  him  with 
some  of  that  hot  sauce  I  had  yesterday." 

"  Le  !  Le  !  Le  !  has  it  come  to  this — that  you  will 
eat  your  old  friend  ? "  screamed  Sin.  "  Alas  that 
my  end  should  be  to  be  split  open  and  grilled  !  My 
only  chance  now  is  that  the  cook  may  know  me." 

But  even  this  last  hope  was  destined  to  be  disap- 
pointed. As  Chang  handed  the  fish  to  the  cook,  Sin 
said,  as  loudly  and  as  distinctly  as  he  could — "  Cook, 
I  am  not  a  real  fish,  I  am  Mr  Sin.  I  have  always 
been  kind  to  you,  cook,  and  I  now  beg  you  to  take 
me  back  to  the  river." 

"  Your  carp  makes  strange  noises,  Chang,"  said  the 
cook,  "  but  I  will  soon  stop  his  grunting.  Give  me 
the  chopper." 

"  Oh  !  spare  me  !  spare  me  my  life  !  "  screamed  Sin. 
But,  regardless  of  his  cries,  the  cook  complacently 
placed  him  on  the  kitchen  block,  and  lifting  the  chop- 
per, gave  him  a  violent  blow  on  the  head. 

"  Oh  ! "  exclaimed  Sin,  sitting  up  in  bed  and  thor- 


248  CHINESE    STORIES. 

oughly  aroused,  "what  a  knock  I  have  given  my 
head  against  the  bedpost !  "  At  first  he  could  scarcely 
realise  that  he  was  safe  in  his  own  bed,  his  sensations 
had  been  so  vivid.  But  at  length  he  fell  back  with 
a  sigh  of  relief,  for,  behold  !  it  was  a  dream. 


249 


A    FICKLE     WIDOW. 


ADAPTED    FROM   THE   CHINESE. 


[At  the  time  when  Plato  and  Aristotle  were  elaborating  their 
systems  of  ethical  and  political  philosophy,  the  Taoist  phil- 
osophers of  China  were  devoting  their  lives  to  the  study  of 
mysticism,  and  to  vain  attempts  to  master  the  powers  of 
Nature  by  the  use  of  the  philosopher's  stone.  One  of  the 
most  noted  of  these  searchers  after  immortality  was  a  certain 
Chwang  Chow  (circd  B.C.  330),  who  is  popularly  believed  to 
have  been  endowed  with  rare  supernatural  gifts.  Many 
weird  stories  are  told  of  his  extraordinary  powers,  not  the 
least  strange  of  which  is  the  following,  which  is  adapted 
from  the  tale  as  told  in  the  '  K'in  koo  k'e  Kwan/  or  '  Strange 
Stories  of  Ancient  and  Modern  Times.'  The  story  has  been 
translated  into  several  languages,  and  in  some  of  its  details 
bears  a  resemblance  to  Voltaire's  '  Zadig.'  It  may  possibly 
also  have  inspired  the  author  of  "  The  Knight  and  the  Lady," 
in  the  '  Ingoldsby  Legends.'] 

})T  a  distance  from  the  capital,  and 
in  the  peaceful  retirement  of  the 
country,  there  dwelt  many  cen- 
turies ago  a  philosopher  named 
Chwang,  who  led  a  pleasurable  ex- 
istence in  the  society  of  his  third 
wife,  and  in  the  study  of  the  doc- 
trines of  his  great  master,  Lao-tsze.  ^Like  many 
philosophers,  Chwang  had  not  been  fortunate  in  his 


250  CHINESE    STORIES. 

early  married  life.  His  first  wife  died  young;  his 
second  he  found  it  necessary  to  divorce,  on  account 
of  misconduct ;  but  in  the  companionship  of  the 
Lady  Tien  he  enjoyed  a  degree  of  happiness  which 
had  previously  been  denied  him.  Being  a  philos- 
opher, however,  he  found  it  essential  to  his  peace 
that  he  should  occasionally  exchange  his  domestic 
surroundings  for  the  hillsides  and  mountain  soli- 
tudcs.  On  one  such  expedition  he  came  unexpect- 
edly on  a  newly  made  grave,  at  the  side  of  which 
was  seated  a  young  woman  dressed  in  mourning, 
who  was  gently  fanning  the  new  mound.  So  strange 
a  circumstance  was  evidently  one  into  which  a  phil- 
osopher should  inquire.  He  therefore  approached  the 
lady,  and  in  gentle  accents  said,  "  May  I  ask  what 
you  are  doing  ]  " 

"Well,"  replied  the  lady,  "the  fact  is  that  this 
grave  contains  my  husband.  And,  stupid  man,  just 
before  he  died  he  made  me  promise  that  I  would  not 
marry  again  until  the  soil  above  his  grave  should 
be  dry.  I  watched  it  for  some  days,  but  it  got  dry 
so  very  slowly  that  I  am  fanning  it  to  hasten  the 
process."  So  saying,  she  looked  up  into  Chwang's 
face  with  so  frank  and  engaging  a  glance  that  the 
philosopher  at  once  decided  to  enlist  himself  in  her 
service. 

"  ^  our  wrists  are  not  strong  enough  for  such  work," 
lie  said,  "let  me  relieve  you  at  it." 

"  By  all  means,"  replied  the  lady  briskly.  "  Here 
is  the  Jan,  and  1  shall  owe  you  an  everlasting  debt  of 
gratil  ude  if  you  will  fan  it  dry  as  quickly  as  possible," 

Without  more  ado  Chwang  set  to  work,  and  by  the 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW. 


251 


exercise  of  his  magical  powers  he  extracted,  every 
drop  of  moisture  from  the  grave  with  a  few  waves 
of  the  fan.  The  lady  was  delighted  with  his  success, 
and  with  the  sunniest  smile  said,  "  How  can  I  thank 
you  sufficiently  for  your  kindness  !  As  a  small  mark 
of  my  gratitude,  let  me  present  you  with  this  em- 
broidered fan  which  I  had  in  reserve ;  and  as  a  token 
of  my  esteem  I 

really  must  ask  ,        "l/fe'  lA^' 

you    to    accept  f^  ^Lf 

one  of  my  sil- 
ver hair-pins."  ^T^^^r"" 
W i  t  h  these 
words  she  pre- 
sented the  phil- 
osopher with 
the  fan,  and 
drawing;  out 
one  of  her  or- 
namented hair- 
pins, she  offered 
it  for  his  accept- 
ance. The  phil- 
osopher took 
the  fan,  but, 
possibly  having 
the  fear  of  Lady  T'ien  before  his  eyes,  he  declined 
the  pin.  The  incident  made  him  thoughtful ;  and 
as  he  seated  himself  again  in  his  thatched  hall,  he 
sighed  deeply. 

"  Why  are  you  sighing,"  inquired  the  Lady  T'ien, 
who  happened  to  enter  at  that  moment,  "and  where 


"■Heir  is  the  fan.    .    .    .  fan  it  dry  as  quickly 
as  possible." 


252  CHINESE    STORIES. 

does  the  fan  come  from  which  you  hold  in  your 
hand? " 

Tims  invited,  Chwang  related  all  that  had  passed 
at  the  tomb.  As  he  proceeded  with  the  tale,  Lady 
T'ien's  countenance  fell,  and  when  he  had  concluded 
she  broke  forth  indignantly,  inveighing  against  the 
young  widow,  whom  she  vowed  was  a  disgrace  to  her 
sex.  So  soon  as  she  had  exhausted  her  vituperations, 
Chwang  qnietly  repeated  the  proverb,  "Knowing 
i lien's  faces  is  not  like  knowing  their  hearts." 

Interpreting  this  use  of  the  saying  as  implying 
some  doubts  as  to  the  value  of  her  protestations, 
Lady  T'ien  exclaimed: — 

"  How  dare  you  condemn  all  women  as  though 
they  were  all  formed  in  the  same  mould  with  this 
shameless  widow  ?  I  wonder  you  are  not  afraid  of 
calling  down  a  judgment  on  yourself  for  such  an 
injustice  to  me,  and  others  like  me." 

"  What  need  is  there  of  all  this  violence  ?  "  rejoined 
her  husband.  "  Now,  tell  me,  if  I  were  to  die,  would 
you,  possessed  as  you  are  of  youth  and  beauty,  be 
content  to  remain  a  widow  for  five,  or  even  three 
}Tears  ?  " 

"  A  faithful  minister  does  not  serve  two  princes,  and 
.1  virtuous  woman  never  thinks  of  a  second  husband," 
sententiously  replied  the  lady.  "  If  fate  were  to  de- 
rive that  you  should  die,  it  would  not  be  a  question 
of  three  years  or  of  five  years,  for  never,  so  long  as 
life  lasted,  would  I  dream  of  a  second  marriao;e." 

"It  is  hard  to  say,  it  is  hard  to  say,"  replied 
( ihwang. 

"Do  you  think,"  rejoined  his  wife,  "that  women 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW.  253 

are  like  men,  destitute  of  virtue  and  devoid  of  jus- 
tice ?  When  one  wife  is  dead  you  look  out  for 
another,  you  divorce  this  one  and  take  that  one ; 
but  we  women  are  for  one  saddle  to  one  horse. 
Why  do  you  say  these  kind  of  things  to  annoy 
me  L. 

With  these  words  she  seized  the  fan  and  tore  it  to 
shreds. 

"Calm  yourself,"  said  her  husband;  "I  only  hope, 
if  occasion  offers,  you  will  act  up  to  your  protesta- 
tions." 

Not  many  days  after  this  Chwang  fell  dangerous- 
ly ill,  and  as  the  symptoms  increased  in  severity,  he 
thus  addressed  his  wife — 

"  I  feel  that  my  end  is  approaching,  and  that  it  is 
time  I  should  bid  you  farewell.  How  unfortunate 
that  you  destroyed  that  fan  the  other  day  !  }Tou  would 
have  found  it  useful  for  drying  my  tomb." 

"  Pray,  my  husband,  do  not  at  such  a  moment  sug- 
gest such  suspicions  of  me.  Have  I  not  studied  the 
'  Book  of  Kites,'  and  have  I  not  learnt  from  it  to  fol- 
low one  husband,  and  one  only  ?  If  you  doubt  my 
sincerity,  I  will  die  in  your  presence  to  prove  to  you 
that  what  I  say,  I  say  in  all  faithfulness." 

"I  desire  no  more,"  replied  Chwang;  and  then,  as 
weakness  overcame  him,  he  added  faintly,  "I  die. 
My  eyes  grow  dim." 

With  these  words  he  sank  back  motionless  and 
breathless. 

Having  assured  herself  that  her  husband  was  dead, 
the  Lady  T'ien  broke  out  into  loud  lamentations,  and 
embraced  the  corpse  again  and  again.     For  days  and 

2  k 


254 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


nights  she  wept  and  fasted,  and  constantly  dwelt  in 
her  thoughts  on  the  virtues  and  wisdom  of  the  de- 
ceased. As  was  customary,  on  the  death  of  so  learned 
a  man  as  Chwang,  the  neighbours  all  came  to  offer 
their  condolences  and  to  volunteer  their  assistance. 
Just  as  the  last  of  these  had  retired,  there  arrived  at 
the  door  a  young  and  elegant  scholar,  whose  face  was 

like  a  picture,  and 
whose  lips  looked 
as  though  they  had 
been  smeared  with 
vermilion.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  violet 
silk  robe,  and  wTore 
a  black  cap,  an  em- 
broidered girdle, 
and  scarlet  shoes. 
His  servant  an- 
nounced that  he 
was  a  Prince  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Tsoo, 
and  he  himself  ad- 
ded by  way  of  ex- 
planation— 

"  Some  years  ago 
I  communicated  to 
( 'liwang  my  desire  to  become  his  disciple.  In  further- 
ance of  this  purpose  I  came  hither,  and  now,  to  my 
inexpressible  regret,  I  find  on  my  arrival  that  my 
master  is  dead." 

To  evince  his  respectful  sorrow,  the  Prince  at  once 
exchanged   his   coloured   clothing  for  mourning  gar- 


'•  There  arrived  a  young  cmd  elegant  scholar." 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW.  255 

ments,  and  prostrating  himself  before  the  coffin,  struck 
his  forehead  four  times  on  the  ground,  and  sobbed 
forth— 

"  Oh,  learned  Chwang,  I  am  indeed  unfortunate  in 
not  having  been  permitted  to  receive  your  instruc- 
tions face  to  face.  But  to  show  my  regard  and  affec- 
tion for  your  memory,  I  will  here  remain  and  mourn 
for  you  a  hundred  days." 

With  these  words  he  prostrated  himself  again  four 
times,  while  he  watered  the  earth  with  his  tears. 

When  more  composed,  he  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
pay  his  respects  to  Lady  T'ien,  who,  however,  thrice 
declined  to  see  him,  and  only  at  last  consented  when 
it  was  pointed  out  to  her  that,  according  to  the  most 
recondite  authorities,  the  wives  of  deceased  instruc- 
tors should  not  refuse  to  see  their  husband's  disciples. 

After  then  receiving  the  Prince's  compliments  with 
downcast  eyes,  the  Lady  T'ien  ventured  just  to  cast 
one  glance  at  her  guest,  and  was  so  struck  by  his 
beauty  and  the  grace  of  his  figure,  that  a  sentiment 
.of  more  than  interest  suffused  her  heart.  She  beowcl 
him  to  take  up  his  abode  in  her  house,  and  when 
dinner  was  prepared,  she  blended  her  sighs  with  his. 
As  a  token  of  her  esteem,  so  soon  as  the  repast  was 
ended,  she  brought  him  the  copies  of  "  The  Classic  of 
Nan-hwa,"  and  the  "  Sutra  of  Reason  and  of  Virtue," 
which  her  husband  had  been  in  the  habit  of  using, 
and  presented  them  to  the  Prince.  He,  on  his  part, 
in  fulfilment  of  his  desire  of  mourning  for  his  master, 
daily  knelt  and  lamented  by  the  side  of  the  coffin, 
and  thither  also  the  Lady  T'ien  repaired  to  breathe 
her  sighs.     These  constant  meetings  provoked  short 


256  CHINESE    STORIES. 

conversations,  and  the  glances,  which  on  these  occa- 
sions were  exchanged  between  them,  gradually  be- 
took less  of  condolence  and  more  of  affection,  as  time 
went  on.  It  was  plain  that  already  the  Prince  was 
half  enamoured,  while  the  lady  was  deeply  in  love. 
Being  desirous  of  learning  some  particulars  about  her 
rii"a<>ino-  guest,  she  one  evening;  summoned  his  ser- 
vant  to  her  apartment,  and  having  plied  him  with 
wine,  inquired  from  him  whether  his  master  was 
married. 

"My  master,"  replied  the  servant,  "has  never  yet 
been  married." 

"  What  qualities  does  he  look  for  in  the  fortunate 
woman  he  will  choose  for  his  wife  ?  "  inquired  the  lady. 

"  My  master  says,"  replied  the  servant,  who  had 
taken  quite  as  much  wine  as  was  good  for  him,  "that 
if  he  could  obtain  a  renowned  beauty  like  yourself, 
madam,  his  heart's  desire  would  be  fulfilled." 

"  Did  he  really  say  so  ?  Are  you  sure  you  are  tell- 
ing me  the  truth  ? "  eagerly  asked  the  lady. 

"  Is  it  likely  that  an  old  man  like  myself  wTould  tell 
you  a  lie  ?  "  replied  the  servant. 

"  If  it  be  so,  will  you  then  act  as  a  go-between,  and 
arrange  a  match  between  us  ?  " 

"  My  master  lias  already  spoken  to  me  of  the  mat- 
ter, and  would  desire  the  alliance  above  all  things,  if 
it  were  not  for  the  respect  due  from  a  disciple  to  a 
deceased  master,  and  for  the  animadversions  to  which 
such  a  marriage  would  give  rise." 

"But  as  a  matter  of  fact,"  said  the  Lady  Tien, 
"  the  Prince  was  never  my  husband's  disciple ;  and 
as  to  our  neighbours  about  here,  they  are  too  few  and 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW. 


'Zoi 


insignificant  to   make   their  animadversions  worth  a 
thought. " 

The  objections  having  been  thus  overcome,  the  ser- 
vant undertook  to  negotiate  with  his  master,  and 
promised  to  bring  word  of  the  result  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  or  night  at  which  he  might  have  anything  to 
communicate. 

So  soon  as  the  man  was  gone,  the  Lady  T'ien  gave 
way  to  excited 
impatience.  She 
went  backwards 
and  forwards  to 
the  chamber  of 
death,  that  she 
might  pass  the 
door  of  t  h  e 
Prince's  room, 
and  even  list- 
ened at  his  win- 
dow, hoping  to 
hear  him  dis- 
cussing with  his 
servant  the  pro- 
posed alliance. 
All,  however,  was  still  until  she  approached  the 
coffin,  when  she  heard  an  unmistakable  sound  of 
hard  breathing.  Shocked  and  terrified,  she  ex- 
claimed, "  Can  it  be  possible  that  the  dead  has 
come  to  life  ao-ain  !  " 

A  light,  however,  relieved  her  apprehensions  by 
discovering  the  form  of  the  Prince's  servant  lying  in 
a  drunken  sleep  on  a  couch  by  the  corpse.     At  any 


"  She  went  baclavards  and 
fotiuards  to  the  chamber  of 
death." 


258  CHINESE    STORIES. 

other  time  such  disrespect  to  the  deceased  would  have 
drawn  from  her  a  torrent  of  angry  rebukes,  but  on 
this  occasion  she  thought  it  best  to  say  nothing,  and 
on  the  next  morning  she  accosted  the  defaulter  with- 
out any  reference  to  his  escapade  of  the  night  before. 
To  her  eager  inquiries  the  servant  answered  that  his 
master  was  satisfied  on  the  points  she  had  combated 
on  the  preceding  evening,  but  that  there  were  still 
three  unpropitious  circumstances  which  made  him 
hesitate, 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"  First,"  answered  the  man,  "  my  master  says  that 
the  presence  of  the  coffin  in  the  saloon  makes  it  diffi- 
cult to  conduct  marriao-e  festivities  in  accordance  with 
usage ;  secondly,  that  the  illustrious  Chwang  having 
so  deeply  loved  his  wife,  and  that  affection  having 
been  so  tenderly  returned  by  her  in  recognition  of  his 
great  qualities,  he  fears  that  a  second  husband  would 
probably  not  be  held  entitled  to  a  like  share  of  affec- 
tion ;  and  thirdly,  that  not  having  brought  his  lug- 
o-ao-e,  he  has  neither  the  money  nor  the  clothes  neces- 
sarv  to  play  the  part  of  a  bridegroom." 

"  These  circumstances  need  form  no  obstacle  to  our 
marriage,"  replied  the  lady.  "As  to  the  first  objection, 
I  can  easily  have  the  coffin  removed  into  a  shed  at 
the  back  of  the  house  ;  then  as  to  the  second,  though 
my  husband  was  a  great  Taoist  authority,  he  was  not 
by  any  means  a  very  moral  man.  After  his  first 
wife's  death  he  married  a  second,  whom  he  divorced, 
and  just  before  his  own  decease,  he  flirted  outrage- 
ously with  a  widow  whom  he  found  fanning  her  hus- 
band's grave  on  the  hill  yonder.     Why,  then,  should 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW.  259 

your  master,  young,  handsome,  and  a  prince,  doubt 
the  quality  of  my  affection  ?  Then  as  to  the  third 
objection,  your  master  need  not  trouble  himself  about 
the  expenses  connected  with  our  marriage,  I  will  pro- 
vide them.  At  this  moment  I  have  twenty  taels  of 
silver  in  my  room,  and  these  I  will  readily  give  him 
to  provide  himself  clothes  withal.  Go  back,  then, 
arid  tell  the  Prince  what  I  say,  and  remind  him  that 
there  is  no  time  like  the  present,  and  that  there  could 
be  no  more  felicitous  evening;  for  our  marriage  than 
that  of  to-day." 

Carrying  the  twenty  taels  of  silver  in  his  hand,  the 
servant  returned  to  his  master,  and  presently  brought 
back  word  to  the  lady  that  the  Prince  was  convinced 
by  her  arguments,  and  ready  for  the  ceremony. 

On  receipt  of  this  joyful  news,  Lady  Tien  ex- 
changed her  mourning  for  wedding  garments,  painted 
her  cheeks,  reddened  her  lips,  and  ordered  some  vil- 
lagers to  carry  Chwang's  coffin  into  a  hut  at  the  back 
of  the  house,  and  to  prepare  for  the  wedding.  She 
herself  arranged  the  lights  and  candles  in  the  hall, 
and  when  the  time  arrived  stood  ready  to  receive  the 
Prince,  who  presently  entered,  wearing  the  insignia 
of  his  official  rank,  and  dressed  in  a  gaily  embroidered 
tunic.  Bright  as  a  polished  gem  and  a  gold  setting, 
the  two  stood  beneath  the  nuptial  torch,  radiant  with 
beauty  and  love.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony, 
with  every  demonstration  of  affection,  the  Prince  led 
his  bride  by  the  hand  into  the  nuptial  chamber. 
Suddenly,  as  they  were  about  to  retire  to  rest,  the 
Prince  was  seized  with  violent  convulsions.  His 
face  became   distorted,   his   eyebrows  stood   on   end, 


260 


CHINESE    STOEIES. 


and  lie  fell  to  the  ground,  beating  his  breast  with 
his  hands. 

The  Lady  Tien,  frantic  with  grief,  embraced  him, 
rubbed  his  chest,  and  when  these  remedies  failed  to 
revive  him,  called  in  his  old  servant. 

"Has  your  master  ever  had  any  fits  like  this  be- 
fore?" she  hurriedly  inquired. 

"Often,"  replied  the  man,  "and  no  medicine  ever 


"•  The  coffin  removed.' 


alleviates  his  sufferings;  in  fact,  there  is  only  one 
thing  that  does." 

"  Oh,  what  is  that  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"The  brains  of  a  man,  boiled  in  wine,"  answered 
the  servant.  "  In  Tsoo,  when  he  has  these  attacks, 
the  king,  his  lather,  beheads  a  malefactor,  and  takes 
his  lira  ins  to  form  the  decoction;  but  how  is  it  pos- 
sible Imtc  to  obtain  such  a  remedy?" 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW. 


2G1 


"Will  the  brains  of  a  man  who  has  died  a  natural 
death  do  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"  Yes,  if  forty-nine  days  have  not  elapsed  since  the 
death." 

"  My  former  husband's  would  do  then.  He  has 
only  been  dead  twenty  days.  Nothing  will  be  easier 
than  to  open  the  coffin  and  take  them  out." 

"  But  would  you  be  willing  to  do  it  ? " 

"  I  and  the  Prince  are  now  husband  and  wife.  A 
wife  with  her  body 
serves  her  husband, 
and  should  I  refuse 
to  do  this  for  him 
out  of  regard  for  a 
corpse,  which  is  fast 
becoming  dust  ? " 

So    saying,   she  ^?fcL 

told  the  servant  to 
look  after  his  mas- 
ter, and  seizing  a 
h  a  tc  h  e  t,  w  ent 
straight  to  the  hut 
to  which  the  corpse 
had  been  removed. 

Having  arranged  the  light  conveniently,  she  tucked  up 
her  sleeves,  clenched  her  teeth,  and  with  both  hands 
brought  down  the  hatchet  on  the  coffin -lid.  Blow 
after  blow  fell  upon  the  wood,  and  at  the  thirty-first 
stroke  the  plank  yielded,  and  the  head  of  the  coffin 
was  forced  open.  Panting  with  her  exertions,  she 
cast  a  glance  on  the  corpse  preparatory  to  her  further 
grim  office,  when,  to  her  inexpressible  horror,  Chwang 

2  L 


The  Prince  was  seized  with  violent 
convulsions.'" — Page  259. 


262 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


sighed  twice,  opened  his  eyes,  and  sat  up.  With  a 
piercing  shriek  she  shrank  backwards,  and  dropped 
the  hatchet  from  her  palsied  hands. 

"My  dear  wife,"  said  the  philosopher,   "help   me 
to  rise." 

Afraid  to  do  anything  else  but  obey,  she  assisted 
him  out  of  the  coffin  and  offered  him  support,  while 
he  led  the  way,  lamp  in  hand,  to  her  chamber.  Ee- 
membering  the  sight  that  would  there 
meet  his  eyes,  the  wretched  woman 
trembled  as  they  approached  the  door. 
What  was  her  relief,  however,  to  find 

that  the  Prince 
and  his  servant 
had  disappeared. 
Taking;  ad  van- 
tage  of  this  cir- 
cumstance, she 
assumed  every 
woman's  wile, 
and  in  softest 
accents,  said — 
"  Ever  since  your  death  you  have  been  in  my 
thoughts  day  and  night.  Just  now,  hearing  a  noise 
in  your  coffin,  and  remembering  how,  in  the  tales 
of  old,  souls  are  said  to  return  to  their  bodies,  the 
hope  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  so  in  your  case, 
and  I  took  a  hatchet  to  open  your  coffin.  Thank 
Eeaven  and  Earth  my  felicity  is  complete;  you  are 
once  more  by  my  side." 

'Many  thanks,  madam,"  said  Chwang,   "for  your 


'She  .  .  .  dropped  the 
hatchet  from  her  palsied 
hands." 


A    FICKLE    WIDOW.  263 

deep  consideration.  But  may  I  ask  why  you  are 
dressed  in  such  gay  clothing." 

"  When  I  went  to  open  your  coffin,  I  had,  as  I  say, 
a  secret  presentiment  of  my  good  fortune,  and  T  dare 
not  receive  you  back  to  life. in  mourning  attire." 

"  Oh  ! "  replied  her  husband,  "  but  there  is  one 
other  circumstance  which  I  should  like  to  have  ex- 
plained. Why  was  my  coffin  not  placed  in  the 
saloon,  but  tossed  into  a  ruined  barn  ? " 

To  this  question  Lady  T'ien's  woman's  wit  failed 
to  supply  an  answer.  Chwang  looked  at  the  eups 
and  wine  which  formed  the  relics  of  the  marriage 
feast,  but  made  no  other  remark  thereon,  except  to 
tell  his  wife  to  warm  him  some  wine.  This  she  did, 
employing  all  her  most  engaging  wiles  to  win  a  smile 
from  her  husband;  but  he  steadily  rejected  her  ad- 
vances, and  presently,  pointing  with  his  finger  over 
her  shoulder,   he  said — 

"  Look  at  those  two  men  behind  you." 

She  turned  with  an  instinctive  knowledge  that  she 
would  see  the  Prince  and  his  servant  in  the  court- 
yard, and  so  she  did.  Horrified  at  the  sight,  she 
turned  her  eyes  towards  her  husband,  but  he  was 
not  there.  Again  looking  towards  the  courtyard  she 
found  that  the  Prince  and  his  servant  had  now  dis- 
appeared, and  that  Chwang  was  once  more  at  her 
side.  Perceiving  then  the  true  state  of  the  case,  that 
the  Prince  and  his  servant  were  but  Chwang' s  other 
self,  which  he  by  his  magical  power  was  able  to 
project  into  separate  existences,  she  saw  that  all 
attempts  at  concealment  were  vain  ;  and  taking  her 


264 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


girdle  from  her  waist,  she  tied  it  to  a  beam  and  hung 
herself  on  the  spot. 

So  soon  as  life  was  extinct  Chwang  put  his  frail 
wife  into  the  coffin  from  which  he  had  lately  emerged, 
and  setting  fire  to  his  house,  burnt  it  with  its  con- 
tents to  ashes.  The  only  things  saved  from  the 
flames  were  the  "  Sutra  of  Reason  and  of  Virtue,"  and 
"  The  Classic  of  Nan-hwa,"  which  were  found  by  some 
neighbours,  and  carefully  treasured. 

As  to  Chwang,  it  is  said  that  he  set  out  as  on  a 
journey  towards  the  West.  What  his  ultimate  des- 
tination was  is  not  known,  but  one  thing  is  certain, 
and  that  is,  that  he  remained  a  widower  for  the  rest 
of  his  life. 


265 


A  CHINESE   GIKL  GRADUATE. 


CHAPTEE   I. 


w 


HO  among  the 

three  hundred 
million  sons  of 
Han  does  not 
know  the  s  a  y- 
ing — 

There's  Paradise  above, 

'tis  true ; 
Put   here    below  we've 
Hans:  and  Soo  "  1 1 


And  though  no  one  will  deny  the  beauty  of  those 
far-famed  cities,  they  cannot  compare  in  grandeur  of 
situation  and  boldness  of  features  with  many  of  the 
towns  in  the  province  of  the  "  Four  Streams."  Fore- 
most among  the  favoured  spots  of  this  part  of  the 
empire  is  Mienchu,  which,  as  its  name  implies,  is 
celebrated  for  the  silky  bamboos  which  grow  in  its 
immediate    neighbourhood.       These    form,    however, 

1  Hano-chew  and  Soochew. 


266 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


only  one  of  the  features  of  its  loveliness.  Situated 
at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  mountains  which  rise  through 
all  the  gradations  from  rich  and  abundant  verdure  to 
the  region  of  eternal  snow,  it  lies  embosomed  in  groves 
of  beech,  cypress, 
and  bamboo, through 
the  leafy  screens  of 
which  rise  the  up- 
turned yellow  roofs 
of  the  temples  and 
official  residences, 
which  dot  the  land- 
scape like  golden 
islands  in  an  emer- 
ald sea ;  while  be- 
yond the  wall  hur- 
ries, between  high 
and   ruo-o-ed    banks. 

oo 

the  tributary  of  the 
Fu    river,    which 
bears  to  the  mighty 
waters    of   the 
Yangtsze  -  Ki  - 
ang-  the  goods 
and  passengers 
which  seek  an 
mullet    to    the 
•  astern     prov- 
inces. 

The  streets  within  the  walls  of  the  city  are  scenes 
of  life  and  bustle,  while  in  the  suburbs  stand  the 
residences   of  those  who  can  afford  to  live  in  peace 


■ 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


267 


and   quiet,  undisturbed   by  the   clamour   of  the   Les 
and   Changs1   of  the    town.      There,   in    a    situation 


"  The  streets  within  the  walls     .     .     .     are  scenes  of  busy  life." 

which  the  Son  of  Heaven  might  envy,  stands  the 
official  residence  of  Colonel  Wen.  Outwardly  it 
has  all  the  appearance   of  a    grandee's   palace,    and 

1  I.e.,  the  people.     Le  and  Chang  are  the  two  commonest  surnames 
in  China. 


2  68  CHINESE    STORIES. 

within  the  massive  boundary-walls  which  surround 
it,  the  courtyards,  halls,  grounds,  summer-houses,  and 
pavilions  are  not  to  be  exceeded  in  grandeur  and 
beauty.  The  office  which  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of 
Colonel  Wen  was  one  of  the  most  sought  after  in 
the  province,  and  commonly  only  fell  to  officers  of 
distinction.  Though  not  without  fame  in  the  field, 
Colonel  Wen's  main  claim  to  honour  lay  in  the  high 
degrees  he  had  taken  in  the  examinations.  His  liter- 
ary  acquirements  gained  him  friends  among  the  civil 
officers  of  the  district,  and  the  position  he  occupied 
was  altogether  one  of  exceptional  dignity. 

Unfortunately,  his  first  wife  had  died,  leaving  only 
a  daughter  to  keep  her  memory  alive  ;  but  at  the 
time  when  our  story  opens,  his  second  spouse,  more 
kind  than  his  first,  had  presented  him  with  a  much- 
desired  son.  The  mother  of  this  boy  wTas  one  of 
those  bright,  pretty,  gay  creatures  who  commonly 
gain  the  affections  of  men  much  older  than  them- 
selves. She  sang  in  the  most  faultless  falsetto,  she 
played  the  guitar  with  taste  and  expression,  and  she 
danced  with  grace  and  agility.  What  wonder,  then, 
that  when  the  Colonel  returned  from  his  tours  of  in- 
spection and  parades,  weary  with  travel  and  dust,  he 
luu iid  relief  and  relaxation  in  the  joyous  company  of 
Eyacinth !  And  was  she  not  also  the  mother  of  his 
-<>n  {  Next  to  herself,  there  can  be  no  question  that 
this  young  gentleman  held  the  chief  place  in  the 
( 'oloiiel's  affections  ;  while  poor  Jasmine,  his  daughter 
by  his  first  venture,  was  left  very  much  to  her  own 
resources.  No  one  troubled  themselves  about  what 
she   did,  and   she   was   allowed,   as   she   grew   up,  to 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


209 


follow  her  own  pursuits 
and  to  give  rein  to  her 
fancies  without  let  or 
hindrance.  From  her 
earliest  childhood  one  of 
her  lonely  amusements 
had  been  to  dress  as  a 
boy,  and  so  unchecked 
had  the  habit  become, 
that  she  gradually  drift- 
ed into  the  character 
which  she  had  chosen  to 
assume.  She  even  per- 
suaded her  father  to  let 
her  go  to  the  neighbour- 
ing  boys'  school.  Her 
mother  had  died  before 
the  Colonel  had  been 
posted  to  Mienchu,  and 
among  the  people  of  that 
place,  who  had  always 
seen  her  in  boy's  attire, 
she  was  regarded  as  an 
adopted  son  of  her  father. 
Hyacinth  was  only  too 
glad  to  get  her  out  of 
the  way  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and  so  encouraged 
the  idea  of  allowing;  her 
to  learn  to  read  and  write 
in  the  company  of  their 
neighbours'  urchins. 


hi  a  situation  -which 
the  Son  of  Heaven 
might  envy,  stands  the 
official  residence  of 
Colonel  JVen."—Page 
267. 


2   M 


2  70  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Being  bright  and  clever,  she  soon  gained  an  intel- 
lectual lead  among  the  boys,  and  her  uncommon 
beauty,  coupled  with  the  magnetism  belonging  to 
her  sex,  secured  for  her  a  popularity  which  almost 
amounted  to  adoration.  She  was  tall  for  her  age,  as 
are  most  young  daughters  of  Han;  and  her  per- 
fectly oval  face,  almond-shaped  eyes,  willow-leaf  eye- 
brows, small,  well-shaped  mouth,  brilliantly  white 
teeth,  and  raven-black  hair,  completed  a  face  and  fig- 
ure which  would  have  been  noticeable  anywhere.  By 
the  boys  she  was  worshipped,  and  no  undertaking  was 
too  difficult  or  too  troublesome  if  it  was  to  give  pleas- 
ure to  Tsunk'ing,  or  the  "Young  Noble,"  as  she  was 
called ;  for  to  have  answered  to  the  name  of  Jasmine 
would  have  been  to  proclaim  her  sex  at  once.  Even 
the  grim  old  master  smiled  at  her  through  his  horn 
spectacles  as  she  entered  the  school-house  of  a  morn- 
ing, and  any  graceful  turn  in  her  poetry  or  scholarly 
diction  in  her  prose  was  sure  to  win  for  her  his 
unsparing  praise.  Many  an  evening  he  invited  the 
"  young  noble "  to  his  house  to  read  over  chapters 
from  Confucius  and  the  poems  of  Le  Taipoh  ;  and 
years  afterwards,  when  he  died,  among  his  most 
cherished  papers  were  found  odes  signed  by  Tsunk'ing 
in  which  there  was  a  o-ood  deal  about  bending 
willows,  light,  flickering  bamboos,  horned  moons, 
wild  geese,  the  sound  of  a  flute  on  a  rainy  day,  and 
the  pleasures  of  wine,  in  strict  accord  with  the 
models  set  forth  in  the  'Aids  to  Poetry-Making' 
which  are  common  in  the  land. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  the  indifference  with  which 
she  was  treated  in  her  home,  the  favour  with  which 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


271 


she  was  regarded  abroad  would  have  been  most 
prejudicial  to  Jasmine ;  but  any  conceit  which  might 
have    been    engendered    in    the    school-house    was 


5s 


•*, 


^ 


^ 


speedily    counteracted    when    she     got    within    the 
portals   of  the  Colonel's  domain.     Coming  into  the 


272  CHINESE    STORIES. 

presence  of  her  father  and  his  wife,  with  all  the 
incense  of  kindness,  affection,  and,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, flattery  with  which  she  was  surrounded  by 
her  schoolfellows  fresh  about  her,  was  like  stepping 
into  a  cold  bath.  Wholesome  and  invigorating  the 
change  may  have  been,  but  it  was  very  unpleasant, 
and  Jasmine  often  longed  to  be  alone  to  give  vent 
to  her  feelings  in  tears. 

One  deep  consolation  she  had,  however :  she  was 
a  devoted  student,  and  in  the  society  of  her  books 
she  forgot  the  callousness  of  her  parents,  and,  living 
in  imagination  in  the  bygone  annals  of  the  empire, 
she  was  able  to  take  part,  as  it  were,  in  the  great 
deeds  which  mark  the  past  history  of  the  State,  and 
to  enjoy  the  converse  and  society  of  the  sages  and 
poets  of  antiquity.  When  the  time  came  that  she 
had  gained  all  the  knowledge  which  the  old  school- 
master could  impart  to  her,  she  left  the  school,  and 
formed  a  reading  party  with  two  youths  of  her  own 
age.  These  lads,  by  name  Wei  and  Tu,  had  been  her 
schoolfellows,  and  were  delighted  at  obtaining  her 
promise  to  join  them  in  their  studies.  So  industri- 
ously were  these  pursued,  that  the  three  friends 
succeeded  in  taking-  their  B.A.  degree  at  the  next 
examination,  and,  encouraged  by  this  success,  deter- 
mined to  venture  on  a  strug-gle  for  a  still  higher 
distinction. 

Though  at  one  in  their  affection  for  Jasmine,  Tu 
and  Wei  were  unlike  in  everything  else,  which  prob- 
ably accounted  for  the  friendship  which  existed 
between  them.  Wei  was  the  more  clever  of  the 
two.     He  wrote  poetry  with   ease  and  fluency,  and 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  273 

his  essays  were  marked  by  correctness  of  style  and 
aptness  of  quotation.  But  there  was  a  want  of 
strength  in  his  character.  He  was  exceedingly  vain, 
and  was  always  seeking  to  excite  admiration  among 
his  companions.  This  unhappy  failing  made  him 
very  susceptible  of  adverse  criticism,  and  at  the  same 
time  extremely  jealous  of  any  one  who  might  happen 
to  excel  him  in  any  way.  Tu,  on  the  other  hand, 
though  not  so  intellectually  favoured,  had  a  rough 
kind  of  originality,  which  always  secured  for  his 
exercises  a  respectful  attention,  and  made  him  at 
all  times  an  agreeable  companion.  Having  no  ex- 
aggerated ideas  of  his  capabilities,  he  never  strove 
to  appear  otherwise  than  he  was,  and  being  quite 
independent  of  the  opinions  of  others,  he  was  always 
natural.  Thus  he  was  one  who  was  sought  out  by 
his  friends,  and  was  best  esteemed  by  those  whose 
esteem  was  best  worth  having.  In  outward  appear- 
ance the  youths  were  as  different  as  their  characters 
were  diverse.  Wei  was  decidedly  good-looking,  but 
of  a  kind  of  beauty  which  suggested  neither  rest 
nor  sincerity  ;  while  in  Tu's  features,  though  there  was 
less  grace,  the  want  was  fully  compensated  for  by  the 
strength  and  honest  firmness  of  his  countenance. 

For  both  these  young  men  Jasmine  had  a  liking, 
but  there  was  no  question  as  to  which  she  preferred. 
As  she  herself  said,  "Wei  is  pleasant  enough  as  a 
companion,  but  if  I  had  to  look  to  one  of  them  for 
an  act  of  true  friendship — or  as  a  lover,"  she  men- 
tally added,  "I  should  turn  at  once  to  Tu."  It  was 
one  of  her  amusements  to  compare  the  young  men 
in    her   mind,    and    one    day  when   so   occupied    Tu 


274  CHINESE    STORIES. 

suddenly  looked  up  from  his  book  and  said  to 
her — 

"  What  a  pity  it  is  that  the  gods  have  made  us 
both  men  !  If  /  were  a  woman,  the  object  of  my 
heart  would  be  to  be  your  wife,  and  if  you  were  a 
woman,  there  is  nothing  I  should  like  better  than 
to  be  your  husband." 

Jasmine  blushed  up  to  the  roots  of  her  hair 
at  having  her  own  thoughts  thus  capped,  as  it 
were  ;  but  before  she  could  answer,  Wei  broke  in 
with — 

"  What  nonsense  you  talk !  And  why,  I  should 
like  to  know,  should  you  be  the  only  one  the  '  young 
noble '  might  choose,  supposing  he  belonged  to  the 
other  sex  ? " 

"  You  are  both  talking  nonsense,"  said  Jasmine, 
who  had  had  time  to  recover  her  composure,  "  and 
remind  me  of  my  two  old  childless  aunts,"  she 
added,  laughing,  "who  are  always  quarrelling  about 
the  names  they  would  have  given  their  children  if 
the  goddess  Kwanyin  had  granted  them  any  half 
a  century  ago.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  are  three 
friends  reading  for  our  M.A.  degrees,  neither  more 
nor  less.  And  I  will  trouble  you,  my  elder  brother," 
she  added,  turning  to  Tu,  "  to  explain  to  me  what 
the  poet  means  by  the  expression  '  tuneful  Tung ' 
in  the  line — 

'  The  greedy  flames  devour  the  tuneful  Tung.' " 

A  learned  disquisition  by  Tu  on  the  celebrated 
musician  who  recognised  the  sonorous  qualities  of 
;i   piece  of  Tung  timber  burning  in  the  kitchen  fire, 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  275 

effectually  diverted  the  conversation  from  the  incon- 
venient direction  it  had  taken,  and  shortly  afterwards 
Jasmine  took  her  leave. 

Haunted  by  the  thought  of  what  had  passed,  she 
wandered  on  to  the  verandah  of  her  archery  pavilion, 
and  while  gazing  half- unconsciously  heavenwards, 
her  eyes  were  attracted  by  a  hawk  which  flew  past 
and  alighted  on  a  tree  beyond  the  boundary-wall, 
and  in  front  of  the  study  she  had  lately  left.  In 
a  restless  and  thoughtless  mood,  she  took  up  her 
bow  and  arrow,  and  with  unerring  aim  compassed 
the  death  of  her  victim.  No  sooner,  however,  had 
the  hawk  fallen,  carrying  the  arrow  with  it,  than 
she  remembered  that  her  name  was  inscribed  on  the 
shaft,  and  fearing  lest  it  should  be  found  by  either 
Wei  or  Tu,  she  hurried  round  in  the  hope  of  recover- 
ing it.  But  she  was  too  late.  On  approaching  the 
study,  she  found  Tu  in  the  garden  in  front,  examin- 
ing the  bird  and  arrow. 

"  Look,"  he  said,  as  he  saw  her  coming,  "what  a 
good  shot  some  one  has  made  !  and  whoever  it  is,  he 
has  a  due  appreciation  of  his  own  skill.  Listen  to 
these  lines  which  are  scraped  on  the  arrow — 

'  Do  not  lightly  draw  your  bow  ; 
But  if  you  must,  bring  down  your  foe.' " 

Jasmine  was  glad  enough  to  find  that  he  had  not 
discovered  her  name,  and  eagerly  exchanged  banter 
with  him  on  the  conceit  of  the  owner  of  the  arrow. 
But  before  she  could  recover  it,  Wei,  who  had  heard 
the  talking  and  laughter,  joined  them,  and  took  the 
arrow  out  of  Tu's  hand  to  examine  it.     Just  at  that 


276 


CHINESE    STOEIES. 


moment     a    messenger    came  to 

summon  Tu    to   his  father's  >|\ 

presence,  and  he  had  no  ,v*  *«k" 

sooner  gone  than  ^  <. 


Wei   exclaimed — • 


' '  She  took  up  her  bow  and  ar- 
7-010,  and  with  unerring  aim 
compassed  the  death  of  her  vie- 
tin/." 


"  But,  see,  here  is  the  name 
of  the  mysterious  owner  of  the 
arrow,  and,  as  I  live,  it  is  a  girl's  name — Jasmine  ! 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  277 

Who,  among  the  goddesses  of  heaven,  can  Jasmine 
be?" 

"  Oh,  I  will  take  the  arrow  then,"  said  Jasmine. 
'•It  must  belong  to  my  sister.     That  is  her  name." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  yon  had  a  sister,"  said  Wei. 

"  Oh  yes,  I  have,"  answered  Jasmine,  quite  forget- 
ful of  the  celebrated  dictum  of  Confucius — "  Be  truth- 
ful." "She  is  just  one  year  younger  than  I  am," 
she  added,  thinking  it  well  to  be  circumstantial. 

"  Why  have  you  never  mentioned  her  ? "  asked 
Wei,  with  animation.  "  What  is  she  like  ?  Is  she 
anything  like  you  ?  " 

"  She  is  the  very  image  of  me." 

"  What !     In  height  and  features  and  ways  ?  " 

"  The  very  image,  so  that  people  have  often  said 
that  if  we  changed  clothes  each  might  pass  for  the 
other." 

"  What  a  good-looking  girl  she  must  be  ! "  said 
Wei,  laughing.  "But,  seriously,  I  have  not,  as  you 
know,  yet  set  up  a  household ;  and  if  your  sister 
has  not  received  bridal  presents,  I  would  beg  to  be 
allowed  to  invite  her  to  enter  my  lowly  habitation. 
What  does  my  elder  brother  say  to  my  proposal  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  what  my  sister  would  feel  about  it," 
said  Jasmine.  "  I  would  never  answer  for  a  girl,  if  I 
lived  to  be  as  old  as  the  God  of  Longevity." 

"  Will  you  find  out  for  me  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  will.  But  remember,  not  a  word 
must  be  mentioned  on  the  subject  to  my  father,  or, 
in  fact,  to  anybody,  until  I  give  you  leave." 

"So  long  as  my  elder  brother  will  undertake  for 
me,    I    will    promise    anything,"   said    the    delighted 

2  N 


278  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Wei.  "  I  already  feel  as  though  I  were  nine-tenths 
of  the  way  to  the  abode  of  the  phoenix.  Take  this 
box  of  precious  ointment  to  your  sister  as  an  earnest 
of  my  intentions,  and  I  will  keep  the  arrow  as  a 
token  from  her  until  she  demands  its  return.  I 
feel   inclined  to  express  myself  in  verse.      May  I?" 

"  By  all  means,"  said  Jasmine,  laughing. 

Thus  encouraged,  Wei  improvised  as  follows  :— 

"  'Twas  sung  of  old  that  Lofu  had  no  mate, 
Though  Che  was  willing ;  for  no  word  was  said. 
At  last  an  arrow  like  a  herald  came, 
And  now  an  honoured  brother  lends  his  aid." 

"Excellent,"  said  Jasmine,  laughing.  "With  such 
a  poetic  gift  as  you  possess,  you  certainly  deserve  a 
better  fate  than  befell  Lofu." 

From  this  day  the  idea  of  marrying  Jasmine's  sister 
possessed  the  soul  of  Wei.  But  not  a  word  did  he 
say  to  Tu  on  the  matter,  for  he  was  conscious  that, 
as  Tu  was  the  first  to  pick  up  the  arrow  through 
which  he  had  become  acquainted  with  the  existence 
of  Jasmine's  sister,  his  friend  might  possibly  lay  a 
claim  to  her  hand.  To  Jasmine  also  the  subject 
\vas  an  absorbing  one.  She  felt  that  she  was  becom- 
ing most  unpleasantly  involved  in  a  risky  matter, 
and  that,  if  the  time  should  ever  come  when  she 
.should  have  to  make  an  explanation,  she  might  in 
1 1  on  our  be  compelled  to  marry  Wei — a  prospect  which 
tilled  her  with  dismay.  The  turn  events  had  taken 
bad  made  her  analyse  her  feelings  more  than  she  had 
ever  done  before,  and  the  process  made  her  doubly 
conscious  of  the  depth  of  her  affection  for  Tu.  "A 
horse,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  cannot  carry  two  saddles, 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  2  79 

and  a  woman  cannot  marry  more  than  one  num. 
Wise  as  this  saw  was,  it  did  not  help  her  out  of  her 
difficulty,  and  she  turned  to  the  chapter  of  accidents, 
and  determined  to  trust  to  time,  that  old  disposer  of 
events,  to  settle  the  matter.  But  Wei  was  inclined 
to  be  impatient,  and  Jasmine  was  obliged  to  resort  to 
more  of  those  departures  from  truth  which  circum- 
stances had  forced  upon  this  generally  very  upright 
young  lady. 

"  I  have  consulted  my  father  on  the  subject,"  she 
said  to  the  expectant  Wei,  "and  he  insists  on  your 
waiting  until  the  autumn  examination  is  over.  He 
has  every  confidence  that  you  will  then  take  your 
M.A.  degree,  and  your  marriage  will,  he  hopes,  put 
the  coping-stone  on  your  happiness  and  honour." 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  said  Wei ;  "  but  autumn  is 
a  long  time  hence,  and  how  do  I  know  that  your 
sister  may  not  change  her  mind  ? " 

"  Has  not  your  younger  brother  undertaken  to 
look  after  your  interests,  and  cannot  you  trust  him 
to  do  his  best  on  your  behalf  ? " 

"  I  can  trust  my  elder  brother  with  anything  in 
the  world.  It  is  your  sister  that  I  am  afraid  of,"  said 
Wei.     "  But  since  you  will  undertake  for  her " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Jasmine,  laughing,  "  I  did  not  say 
that  I  would  undertake  for  her.  A  man  who  answers 
for  a  woman  deserves  to  have  '  fool '  written  on  his 
forehead." 

"  Well,  at  all  events,  I  will  be  content  to  leave  the 
matter  in  your  hands,"  said  Wei. 

At  last  the  time  of  the  autumn  examination  drew 
near,  and  Tu  and  Wei  made  preparations  for  their 


280  CHINESE   STORIES. 

departure  to  the  provincial  capital.  They  were  both 
bitterly  disappointed  when  Jasmine  announced  that 
she  was  not  going  up  that  time.  This  determination 
was  the  result  of  a  conference  with  her  father.  She 
had  pointed  out  to  the  Colonel  that  if  she  passed  and 
took  her  M.A.  degree,  she  might  be  called  upon  to 
take  office  at  any  time,  and  that  then  she  would  be 
compelled  to  confess  her  sex;  and  as  she  was  by  no 
means  disposed  to  give  up  the  freedom  which  her 
doublet  and  hose  conferred  upon  her,  it  was  agreed 
between  them  that  she  should  plead  illness  and  not 
go  up.  Her  two  friends,  therefore,  went  alone,  and 
brilliant  success  attended  their  venture.  They  both 
passed  with  honours,  and  returned  to  Mienchu  to  re- 
ceive the  congratulations  of  their  friends.  Jasmine's 
delight  was  very  genuine,  more  especially  as  regarded 
Tu,  and  the  first  evening  was  spent  by  the  three 
students  in  joyous  converse  and  in  confident  antici- 
pations of  the  future.  As  Jasmine  took  leave  of  the 
two  new  M.A. 's,  Wei  followed  her  to  the  outer  door 
and   whispered  at  parting — 

"  I  am  coming  to-morrow  to  make  my  formal  pro- 
posal to  your  sister." 

Jasmine  had  no  time  to  answer,  but  went  home  full 
of  anxious  and  disturbed  thoughts,  which  were  des- 
tined to  take  a  more  tragic  turn  than  she  had  ever 
anticipated  even  in  her  most  gloomy  moments.  The 
same  cruel  fate  had  also  decreed  that  Wei's  proposal 
was  to  be  suspended,  like  Buddha,  between  heaven 
and  earth.  The  blow  fell  upon  him  when  he  was 
■  lit  i  pin-  himself  in  the  garments  of  his  new  degree,  in 
preparation  for  his  visit.     He  was  in  the  act  of  tying 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


281 


his  sasli  and  appending  to  it  his  purse  and  trinkets, 
when  Jasmine  burst  into  the  young  men's  study, 
looking  deadly  pale  and  bearing  traces  of  acute 
mental  distress  on  her  usually  bright  and  joyous 
countenance. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  cried  Tu,  with  almost  as 


"  The  first  evening  was  spent  by  the  three  students 
in  joyous  converse." 


much  agitation  as  was  shown  by  Jasmine.  "  Tell  me 
what  has  happened."' 

"  Oh  !  my  father,  my  poor  father  !  "  sobbed  Jasmine. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  your  father  ?  He  is  not 
dead,  is  he  ? "  cried  the  young  men  in  one  breath. 


282  CHINESE    STORIES. 

•■  No,  it  is  not  so  bad  as  that,"  said  Jasmine,  "but  a 
great  and  bitter  misfortune  has  come  upon  us.  As 
von  know,  some  time  ago  my  father  had  a  quarrel 
with  the  Military  fntendant,  and  that  horrid  man 
has,  out  of  spite,  brought  charges  against  him  for 
which  he  was  carried  off  this  morning  to  prison." 

The  statement  of  her  misery  and  the  shame  in- 
volved in  it  completely  unnerved  poor  Jasmine,  wTho, 
l  rue  to  her  inner  sex,  burst  into  tears  and  rocked 
herself  to  and  fro  in  her  grief.  Tu  and  Wei,  on  their 
knees  before  her,  tried  to  pour  in  words  of  consolation. 
Willi  a  lack  of  reason  which  mioht  be  excused  under 
the  circumstances,  they  vowed  that  her  father  was 
innocent  before  they  knew  the  nature  of  the  charges 
against  him,  and  they  pledged  themselves  to  rest 
neither  day  nor  night  until  they  had  rescued  him 
from  his  difficulty.  When,  under  the  influence  of 
their  genuine  sympathy,  Jasmine  recovered  some 
composure,  Tu  begged  her  to  tell  him  of  what  her 
father  was  accused. 

"The  villain,"  said  Jasmine,  through  her  tears, 
"has  dared  to  say  that  my  father  has  made  use  of 
I  rovernment  taxes,  has  taken  bribes  for  reconimendino; 
men  for  promotion,  lias  appropriated  the  soldiers' 
ration-money,  and  has  been  in  league  with  highway- 
men." 

'•  Is  it  possible  ?  "  said  Tu,  who  was  rather  staggered 
by  this  long  catalogue  of  crimes.  "I  should  not 
have  believed  that  any  one  could  have  ventured  to 
have  charged  your  honoured  father  with  such  things, 
least  of  all  the  Intendant,  who  is  notoriously  possessed 
of  an   itching  palm.      But  I  tell  you  what  we  can  do 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


283 


at  once.  Wei  and  I,  being  M.A.'s,  have  a  right  to 
call  on  the  Prefect,  and  it  will  be  a  real  pleasure  to  us 
to  exercise  our  new  privilege  for  the  first  time  in  your 
service.  \Ve  will  urge  him  to  inquire  into  the  matter, 
and  I  cannot  doubt  that  he  will  at  once  quash  the 
proceedings." 

Unhappily,    TVs    hopes  were   not  realised.       The 


"  Tu  and  Wei  on  their  knees  before  her. 


Prefect  was  very  civil,  but  pointed  out  that,  since  a 
higher  court  had  ordered  the  arrest  of  the  Colonel,  he 
was  powerless  to  interfere  in  the  matter.  Many  were 
the  consultations  held  by  the  three  friends,  and  much 
personal  relief  Jasmine  got  from  the  support  and 
sympathy   of  the   young   men.     One    hope   yet   re- 


284  CHINESE    STORIES. 

mained  to  her:  Tu  and  Wei  were  about  to  go  to 
Peking  for  their  doctor's  degrees,  and  if  they  passed 
fchey  might  be  able  to  bring  such  influence  to  bear  as 
would  secure  the  release  of  her  father. 

"Let  not  the  'young  noble'  distress  himself  over- 
much," said  Wei  to  her,  with  some  importance. 
"This  affair  will  be  engraven  on  our  hearts  and 
minds,  and  if  we  take  our  degrees  we  will  use  our 
utmost  exertions  to  wipe  away  the  injustice  which  has 
been  done  your  father." 

"Unhappily,"  said  the  more  practical  Tu,  "it  is 
too  plain  that  the  examining  magistrates  are  all  in 
league  to  ruin  him.  But  let  our  elder  brother  remain 
quietly  at  home,  doing  all  he  can  to  collect  evidence 
in  the  Colonel's  favour,  while  wTe  will  do  our  best  at 
the  capital.  If  things  turn  out  well  with  us  there, 
our  elder  brother  had  better  follow  at  once  to  assist 
us  with  his  advice." 

Before  the  friends  parted,  Wei,  whose  own  affairs 
were  always  his  first  consideration,  took  an  oppor- 
tunity of  whispering  to  Jasmine,  "  Don't  forget  your 
honoured  sister's  promise,  I  beseech  you.  Whether 
we  succeed  or  not,  I  shall  ask  for  her  in  marriage  on 
my  return." 

"  Under  present  circumstances,  wre  must  no  longer 
consider  the  engagement,"  said  Jasmine,  shocked  at 
his  introducing  the  subject  at  such  a  moment,  "and 
the  best  thing  that  you  can  do  is  to  forget  all  about 
11." 

The  moment  for  the  departure  of  the  young  men 
bad  come,  and  they  had  no  time  to  say  more.  With 
bitter  tears,  the  two  youths  took  leave  of  the  weep- 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  285 

ing  Jasmine,  who,  as  their  carts  disappeared  in  the 
distance,  felt  for  the  first  time  what  it  was  to  be  alone 
in  misery.  She  saw  little  of  her  stepmother  in  those 
dark  days.  That  poor  lady  made  herself  so  ill  with 
unrestrained  grief  that  she  was  quite  incapable  of 
rendering  either  help  or  advice.  Fortunately  the 
officials  showed  no  disposition  to  proceed  with  the 
indictment,  and  by  the  judicious  use  of  the  money  at 
her  command  Jasmine  induced  the  prison  authorities 
to  make  her  father's  confinement  as  little  irksome  as 
possible.  She  was  allowed  to  see  him  at  almost  any 
time,  and  on  one  occasion,  when  he  was  enjoying  her 
presence  as  in  his  prosperous  days  he  had  never 
expected  to  do,  he  remarked — 

"  Since  the  officials  are  not  proceeding  with  the 
business,  I  think  my  best  plan  will  be  to  send  a 
petition  to  Peking  asking  the  Board  of  War  to  acquit 
me.  But  my  difficulty  is,  that  I  have  no  one  whom 
I  can  send  to  look  after  the  business." 

"  Let  me  go,"  said  Jasmine.  "  When  Tu  and  Wei 
were  leaving,  they  begged  me  to  follow  them  to 
consult  as  to  the  best  means  of  helping  you,  and 
with  them  to  depend  on  I  have  nothing  to  fear." 

"  I  quite  believe  that  you  are  as  capable  of 
managing  the  matter  as  anybody,"  said  her  father, 
admiringly ;  "  but  Peking  is  a  long  wTay  off,  and  I 
cannot  bear  to  think  of  the  things  which  might 
happen  to  you  on  the  road." 

"  From  all  time,"  answered  Jasmine,  "  it  has  been 
considered  the  duty  of  a  daughter  to  risk  anything  in 
the  service  of  her  father,  and  though  the  way  is  long, 
I  shall  have  weapons  to  defend  myself  with  against 

2  o 


286  CHINESE    STORIES. 

injury,  and  a  clear  conscience  with  which  to  answer 
any  in1  err<  >ga1 1  >ries  which  may  be  put  to  me.  Besides, 
I  will  take  our  messenger,  'The  Dragon/  and  his  wife 
with  me.  I  will  make  her  dress  as  a  man — what  fun 
it  will  be  to  see  Mrs  Dragon's  portly  form  in  trousers 
and   gaberdine  !     When  that  transformation  is  made, 

■ 

we  shall  be  a  party  of  three  men.  So,  you  see,  she 
and  I  will  have  a  man  to  protect  us,  and  I  shall  have 
a  woman  to  wait  upon  me;  and  if  such  a  gallant 
company  cannot  travel  from  this  to  Peking  in  safety, 
I'll  forswear  boots  and  trousers  and  will  retire  into 
the  harem  for  ever. 

"  Well,"  said  her  father,  laughing,  "  if  you  can 
arrange  in  that  way,  go  by  all  means,  and  the  sooner 
you  start  the  sooner  I  hope  you  will  be  back." 

Delighted  at  having  gained  the  approval  of  her 
father  to  her  scheme,  Jasmine  quickly  made  the 
arrangements  for  her  journey.  On  the  morning  of 
the  day  on  which  she  was  to  start,  the  results  of  the 
doctors'  examination  at  Peking  reached  Mienchu,  and, 
to  Jasmine's  infinite  delight,  she  found  the  names  of 
Tu  and  Wei  among  the  successful  candidates.  Armed 
with  this  good  news,  she  hurried  to  the  prison.  All 
difficulties  seemed  to  disappear  like  mist  before  the 
sun  as  she  thought  of  the  powerful  advocates  she  now 
had  at  Peking. 

'  Tu  and  Wei  have  passed,"  she  said,  as  she  rushed 
into  her  father's  presence,  "and  now  the  end  of  our 
troubles  is  approaching." 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  287 


CHAPTER    II. 

AVith  impatient  hope  Jasmine  took  leave  of  her 
father,  and  started  on  her  eventful  journey.  As 
evening  drew  on  she  entered  the  suburbs  of  Ch'&Qfftu, 
the  provincial  capital,  and  sent  "  The  Dragon  "  on  to 
find  a  suitable  inn  for  the  couple  of  nights  which  she 
knew  she  would  be  compelled  to  spend  in  the  city. 
"The  Dragon"  was  successful  in  his  search,  and 
conducted  Jasmine  and  his  wife  to  a  comfortable 
hostelry  in  one  of  the  busiest  parts  of  the  town. 
Having  refreshed  herself  with  an  excellent  dinner, 
Jasmine  was  glad  to  rest  from  the  fatigues  and  heat 
of  the  day  in  the  cool  courtyard  into  which  her  room 
opened.  Fortune  and  builders  had  so  arranged  that 
a  neighbouring  house,  towering  above  the  inn,  over- 
looked  this  restful  spot,  and  one  of  the  higher 
windows  faced  exactly  the  position  which  Jasmine 
had  taken  up.  Such  a  fact  would  not,  in  ordinary 
circumstances,  have  troubled  her  in  the  least ;  but 
she  had  not  been  sitting  long  before  she  began  to 
feel  an  extraordinary  attraction  towards  the  window. 
She  did  her  best  to  look  the  other  way,  but  she  was 
often  unconsciously  impelled  to  glance  up  at  the 
lattice.  Once  she  fancied  she  saw  the  curtain  move. 
Determined  to  verify  her  impression,  she  suddenly 
raised  her  eyes,  after  a  prolonged  contemplation  of 
the  pavement,  and  caught  a  momentary  sight  of  a 
girl's  face,  which  as   instantly  disappeared,  but  not 


As  she  passed  thr 


Wgk  /he  courtyard  <;hr  ;„  -r     j- 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  289 

before  Jasmine  had  been  able  to  recognise  that  it 
was  one  of  exceptional  beauty. 

"Now,  if  I  were  a  young  man,"  said  she  to  herself, 
"  I  ought  to  feel  my  heart  beat  at  the  sight  of  such 
loveliness,  and  it  would  be  my  bounden  duty  to 
swear  that  I  would  win  the  owner  of  it  in  the  teeth 
of  dragons.  But  as  my  manhood  goes  no  deeper 
than  my  outer  garments,  I  can  afford  to  sit  here  with 
a  quiet  pulse  and  a  whole  skin." 

The  next  day  Jasmine  was  busily  engaged  in  in- 
terviewing some  officials  in  the  interest  of  her  father, 
and  only  reached  the  shelter  of  her  inn  towards 
evening.  As  she  passed  through  the  courtyard  she 
instinctively  looked  up  at  the  window,  and  again 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  vision  of  beauty  which  she 
had  seen  the  evening  before.  "  If  she  only  knew," 
thought  Jasmine,  "  that  I  was  such  a  one  as  herself, 
she  would  be  less  anxious  to  see  me,  and  more  likely 
to  avoid  me." 

While  amusing;  herself  at  the  thought  of  the  fair 
watcher,  the  inn-door  opened,  and  a  waiting-woman 
entered  carrying  a  small  box.  As  she  approached 
Jasmine  she  bowed  low,  and  with  bated  breath  thus 
addressed  her — 

"  May  every  happiness  be  yours,  sir.  My  young- 
lady,  Miss  King,  whose  humble  dwelling  is  the  ad- 
joining house,  seeing  that  you  are  living  in  solitude, 
has  sent  me  with  this  fruit  and  tea  as  a  compli- 
mentary offering." 

So  saying,  she  presented  to  Jasmine  the  box,  which 
contained  pears  and  a  packet  of  scented  tea. 

"To  what  am  I  indebted  for  this  honour?"  replied 


290 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


Jasmine;    "I   can  claim  no   relationship   with   your 
lady,  nor  have  I  the  honour  of  her  acquaintance." 

"My  youn<y  lady  says,"  answered  the  waiting- 
NV(llll.m  •'•,],;,,  among  the  myriads  who  come  to  this 
mll   .,,„]  the  thousands  who  go  from  it,  she  has  seen 

D ie  to  equal  your  Excellency  in  form  and  feature. 

At  sight  of  you  she  was  confident  that  you  came  from 


" She  presented  to  Jasmine  the  box,  which  contained  pears  and 

a  packet  of  scented  tea." 

.1  l"fi\  and  noble  family,  and  having  learnt  from 
your  attendants  that  you  are  the  son  of  a  colonel, 
-lif  ventured  to  send  you  these  trifles  to  supplement 
ilif  ueedy  fare  of  this  rude  inn." 

'Tell  me  s ething  about  your  young  lad}7,"  said 

Jasmine,  in  a  moment  of  idle  curiosity. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  291 

"My  young  lady,"  said  the  woman,  "is  the 
daughter  of  Mr  King,  who  was  a  vice-president  of 
a  lower  court.  Her  father  and  mother  having  both 
visited  the  '  Yellow  Springs,' l  she  is  now  living  with 
an  aunt,  who  has  been  blessed  by  the  God  of  Wealth, 
and  whose  main  object  in  life  is  to  find  a  husband 
whom  her  niece  may  be  willing  to  marry.  The 
young  gentleman,  my  young  lady's  cousin,  is  one  of 
the  richest  men  in  Chengtu.  All  the  larger  inns 
belong  to  him,  and  his  profits  are  as  boundless  as  the 
four  seas.  He  is  as  anxious  as  his  mother  to  find  a 
suitable  match  for  the  young  lady,  and  has  promised 
that  so  soon  as  she  can  make  a  choice  he  will  arrange 
the  wedding." 

"I  should  have  thought,"  said  Jasmine,  "that,  be- 
ing the  owner  of  so  much  wealth  and  beauty,  the 
young  lady  would  have  been  besieged  by  suitors  from 
all  parts  of  the  empire." 

"  So  she  is,"  said  the  woman,  "  and  from  her  win- 
dow yonder  she  espies  them,  for  they  all  put  up  at 
this  inn.  Hitherto  she  has  made  fun  of  them  all, 
and  describes  their  appearance  and  habits  in  the  most 
amusing  way.  '  See  this  one,'  says  she,  '  with  his 
bachelor  cap  on  and  his  new  official  clothes  and 
awkward  gait,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  barn- 
door  fowl  dressed  up  as  a  stork  ;  or  that  one,  with  his 
round  shoulders,  monkey-face,  and  crooked  legs  ; '  and 
so  she  tells  them  off." 

"What  does  she  say  of  me,  I  wonder?"  said  Jas- 
mine, amused. 

"  Of  your  Excellency  she  says  that  her  comparisons 

1  Hacks. 


CHINESE    STORIES. 

fail  her,  and  that  she  can  only  hope  that  the  Fates 
win)  guided  your  jewelled  chariot  hitherwards  will 
not  tantalise  her  by  an  empty  vision,  but  will  bind 
your  ankles  to  hers  with  the  red  matrimonial  cords." 

"How  can  I  hope  for  such  happiness?"  said  Jas- 
mine, smiling.  '-'But  please  to  tell  your  young  lady 
that,  being  only  a  guest  at  this  inn,  I  have  nothing 
worthy  of  her  acceptance  to  offer  in  return  for  her 
bounteous  gifts,  and  that  I  can  only  assure  her  of  my 
boundless  gratitude. " 

With  many  bows,  and  with  reiterated  wishes  for 
Jasmine's  happiness  and  endless  longevity,  the  woman 
took  her  leave. 

"Truly  this  young  lady  has  formed  a  most  per- 
verted attachment,"  said  Jasmine  to  herself.  "She 
reminds  me  of  the  man  in  the  fairy  tale  who  fell  in 
Love  with  a  shadow,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  she  is 
not  likely  to  get  any  more  satisfaction  out  of  it  than 
he  did."  So  saying,  she  took  up  a  pencil  and  scribbled 
the  following  lines  on  a  scrap  of  paper  : — ■ 

"  With  thoughts  as  ardent  as  a  quenchless  thirst, 
She  scuds  me  fragrant  and  most  luscious  fruit; 
Without  a  blush  she  seeks  a  phoenix  guest1 
Who  dwells  alone  like  case-enveloped  lute." 

A  Tier  this  mental  effort  Jasmine  went  to  bed.  Nor 
had  her  interview  with  the  waiting-woman  made  a 
sufficient  impression  on  her  mind  to  interfere  in  any 
way  with  her  sleep.  She  was  surprised,  however, 
-mi  coming  into  her  sitting-room  in  the  morning,  to 
meet    the   same   messenger,  who,  laden  with  a  dish 

1  A  bachelor. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  293 

of  hot  eggs  and  a  brew  of  tea,  begged  Jasmine  "  to 
deign  to  look  down  upon  her  offerings." 

"Many  thanks,"  said  Jasmine,  "for  your  kind 
attention." 

"You  are  putting  the  saddle  on  the  wrong 
horse,"  replied  the  woman.  "  In  bringing  you 
these  I  am  but  obeying  the  orders  of  Miss  King, 
who  herself  made  the  tea  of  leaves  from  Pu-erh  in 
Yunnan,  and  who  with  her  own  fair  hands  shelled 
the  eggs." 

"Your  young  lady,"  answered  Jasmine,  "  is  as 
bountiful  as  she  is  kind.  What  return  can  I  make 
her  for  her  kindness  to  a  stranger  ?  Stay,"  she  said, 
as  the  thought  crossed  her  mind  that  the  verses  she 
had  written  the  night  before  might  prove  a  whole- 
some tonic  for  this  effusive  young  lady,  "  I  have  a 
few  verses  which  I  will  venture  to  ask  her  to  accept." 
So  saying,  she  took  a  piece  of  peach-blossom  paper, 
on  which  she  carefully  copied  the  quatrain  and  handed 
it  to  the  woman.  "  May  I  trouble  you,"  said  she, 
"to  take  this  to  your  mistress?" 

"  If,"  said  Jasmine  to  herself  as  the  woman  took 
her  departure,  "  Miss  King  is  able  to  penetrate  the 
meaning  of  my  verses,  she  won't  like  them.  Without 
saying  so  in  so  many  words,  I  have  told  her  with 
sufficient  plainness  that  I  will  have  nothing  to  say  to 
her.  But  stupidity  is  a  shield  sent  by  Providence 
to  protect  the  greater  part  of  mankind  from  many 
evils ;  so  perhaps  she  will  escape." 

It  certainly  in  this  case  served  to  shield  Miss  King 
from  Jasmine's  shafts.  She  was  delighted  at  receiv- 
ing  the  verses,  and  at  once  sat  down  to  compose  a 

2  p 


294  CHINESE    STORIES. 

quatrain  to  match  Jasmine's  in  reply.     With  infinite 
labour  she  elaborated  the  following  :— 

"Sung  Vuli  on  th'  eastern  wall  sat  deep  in  thought, 
A  n.l  longed  with  P'e  to  pluck  the  fragrant  fruit. 
If  all  the  well-known  tunes  be  newly  set, 
What  use  to  take  again  the  half-burnt  lute?" 

I  [aving  copied  these  on  a  piece  of  silk-woven  paper, 
she  sent  them  to  Jasmine  by  her  faithful  attendant. 
On  looking  over  the  paper,  Jasmine  said,  smiling  : 
"  What  a  clever  young  lady  your  mistress  must  be  ! 
These  lines,  though  somewhat  inconsequential,  are 
incomparable." 

But,  though  Jasmine  was  partly  inclined  to  treat 
the  matter  as  a  joke,  she  saw  that  there  was  a  serious 
side  to  the  affair,  more  especially  as  the  colours  under 
which  she  was  sailing  were  so  undeniably  false.  She 
knew  well  that  for  Simp-  Yuh  should  be  read  Miss 
King,  and  for  P'e  her  own  name  ;  and  she  determined, 
therefore,  to  put  an  end  to  the  philandering  of  Miss 
King,  which,  in  her  present  state  of  mind,  was  doubly 
annoying  to  her. 

"  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  your  young  lady,"  she 
>aid,  and  then,  being  determined  to  make  a  plunge 
into  the  morass  of  untruthfulness,  for  a  good  end  as 
she  believed,  added:  "and,  if  I  had  love  at  my  dis- 
posal, I  should  possibly  venture  to  make  advances 
inwards  the  feathery  peach ; 1  but  let  me  confess  to 
you  that  I  have  already  taken  to  myself  a  wife.  Had 
1  had  the  felicity  of  meeting  Miss  King  before  I 
committed  myself  in  another  direction,  I  might,  per- 
haps,  have   been  a  happier  man.     But,  after  all,  if 

1  A  nuptial  emblem. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  295 

this  were  so,  my  position  is  no  worse  than  that  of 
most  other  married  men,  for  I  never  met  one  who 
was  not  occasionally  inclined  to  cry,  like  the  boys  at 
'  toss  cash,'  '  Hark  back  and  try  again.' ' 

"  This  will  be  sad  news  for  my  lady,  for  she  lias 
set  her  heart  upon  you  ever  since  you  first  came  to 
the  inn ;  and  when  young  misses  take  that  sort  of 
fancy  and  lose  the  objects  of  their  love,  they  are  as 
bad  as  children  when  forbidden  their  sugar-plums. 
But  what's  the  use  of  talking  to  you  about  a  young 
lady's  feelings!"  said  the  woman,  with  a  vexed  toss 
of  her  head  ;  "  I  never  knew  a  man  who  understood  a 
woman  yet." 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry  for  Miss  King,"  said  Jas- 
mine, trying  to  suppress  a  smile.  "  As  you  wisely 
remark,  a  young  lady  is  a  sealed  book  to  me,  but  I 
have  always  been  told  that  their  fancies  are  as  vari- 
al  tie  as  the  shadow  of  the  bamboo ;  and  probably, 
therefore,  though  Miss  King's  sky  ma}'  be  overcast 
just  now,  the  gloom  will  only  make  her  enjoy  to- 
morrow's sunshine  all  the  more." 

The  woman,  who  was  evidently  in  a  hurry  to  con- 
vey the  news  to  her  mistress,  returned  no  answer  to 
this  last  sally,  but,  with  curtailed  obeisance,  took  her 
departure. 

Her  non-appearance  the  next  morning  confirmed 
Jasmine  in  the  belief  that  her  bold  departure  from 
truth  on  the  previous  evening  had  had  its  curative 
effect.  The  relief  was  great,  for  she  had  felt  that 
these  complications  were  becoming  too  frequent  to 
be  pleasant,  and,  reprehensible  though  it  may  appear, 
her  relief  was  mingled  with  no  sort  of  compassion  for 


CHINESE    STORIES. 

Miss  King.  Hers  was  not  a  nature  to  sympathise 
with  such  sudden  and  fierce  attachments.  Her  affec- 
tion for  Tu  had  been  the  growth  of  many  months, 
and  she  had  no  feeling  in  common  with  a  young  lady 
who  <-<»uld  lake  a  violent  liking  for  a  young  man 
simply  from  seeing  him  taking  his  post-prandial  ease. 
1 1  was  therefore  with  complete  satisfaction  that  she 
lff'i  i  lie  iuu  in  the  course  of  the  morning  to  pay  her 
farewell  visits  to  the  Governor  and  the  Judge  of  the 
province,  who  had  taken  an  ususual  interest  in  Colo- 
nel WenV  case  since  Jasmine  had  become  his  personal 
advocate.  Both  officials  had  promised  to  do  all  they 
could  for  the  prisoner,  and  had  loaded  Jasmine  with 
tokens  of  goodwill  in  the  shape  of  strange  and  rare 
fruits  and  culinary  delicacies.  On  this  particular  day 
the  Governor  had  invited  her  to  the  mid-day  meal, 
and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  she  found  her 
way  back  to  the  inn. 

The  following  morning  she  rose  early,  intending  to 
start  before  noon,  and  was  stepping  into  the  court- 
yard to  give  directions  to  "The  Dragon"  when,  to 
lei'  surprise,  she  was  accosted  by  Miss  King's  servant, 
who,  with  a  waggish  smile  and  a  cunning  shake  of 
the  head,  said — 

"How  can  one  so  young  as  your  Excellency  be 
such  a  proficient  in  the  art  of  inventing  flowers  of 
the  imagination?" 

■  What  do  you  mean?"  said  Jasmine, 

•  \\  h\\  last   night  you  told  me  you  were  married, 

and    my    poor  young  lady  when   she    heard    it    was 

wrung  with   grief.      But,   recovering  somewhat,   she 

senl  me  tu  ask  your  servants  whether  what  you  had 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  297 

said  was  true  or  not,  for  she  knows  what  she's  aboul 
as  well  as  most  people,  and  they  both  with  one  voice 
assured  me  that,  far  from  being  married,  you  had  not 
even  exchanged  nuptial  presents  with  anybody.  You 
may  imagine  Miss  King's  delight  when  I  took  her 
this  news.  She  at  once  asked  her  cousin  to  call  upon 
you  to  make  a  formal  offer  of  marriage,  and  she  has 
now  sent  me  to  tell  }'ou  that  he  will  be  here  anon.'' 

Every  one  knows  what  it  is  to  pass  suddenly  from 
a  state  of  pleasurable  high  spirits  into  deep  despon- 
dency, to  exchange  in  an  instant  bright  mental  sun- 
shine for  cloud  and  gloom.  All,  therefore,  must 
sympathise  with  poor  Jasmine,  who,  believing  the 
road  before  her  to  be  smooth  and  clear,  on  a  sudden 
became  thus  aware  of  a  most  troublesome  and  diffi- 
cult obstruction.  She  had  scarcely  finished  calling 
down  anathemas  on  the  heads  of  "  The  Dragon  "  and 
his  wife,  and  cursing  her  own  folly  for  bringing  them 
with  her,  than  the  inn-doors  were  thrown  open,  and 
a  servant  appeared  carrying  a  long  red  visiting-card 
inscribed  with  the  name  of  the  wealthy  inn-proprie- 
tor. On  the  heels  of  this  forerunner  followed  young 
Mr  King,  who,  with  effusive  bows,  said,  "  I  have  ven- 
tured to  pay  my  respects  to  your  Excellency." 

Poor  Jasmine  was  so  upset  by  the  whole  affair  that 
she  lacked  some  of  the  courtesy  that  was  habitual  to 
her,  and  in  her  confusion  very  nearly  seated  her  guest 
on  her  right  hand.  Fortunately  this  outrageous 
breach  of  etiquette  was  avoided,  and  the  pair  eventu- 
ally arranged  themselves  in  the  canonical  order. 

"  This  old  son  of  Han,"  began  Mr  King,  "  would  not 
have  dared  to  intrude  himself  upon  your  Excellency 


298  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

if  it  were  not  that  lie  lias  a  matter  of  great  delicacy 
to  discuss  with  you.  He  has  a  cousin,  the  daughter 
of  Vice-President  King,  for  whom  for  years  he  has 
been  trying  to  find  a  suitable  match.  The  position 
is  peculiar,  for  the  lady  declares  positively  that  she 
will  not  marry  any  one  she  has  not  seen  and  approved 
of.  Tn til  now  she  has  not  been  able  to  find  any  one 
whom  she  would  care  to  marry.  But  the  presence 
of  your  Excellency  has  thrown  a  light  across  her  path 
which  has  shown  her  the  way  to  the  plum-groves  of 
matrimonial  felicity." 

Here  King  paused,  expecting  some  reply;  but  Jas- 
mine was  too  absorbed  in  thought  to  speak,  so  Mr 
King  went  on — 

"  This  old  son  of  Han,  hearing  that  your  Excellency 
is  still  unmarried,  has  taken  upon  himself  to  make  a 
proposal  of  marriage  to  you,  and  to  offer  his  cousin  as 
your  'basket  and  broom.'1  His  interview  with  you 
has,  he  may  say,  shown  him  the  wisdom  of  his  cousin's 
choice,  and  he  cannot  imagine  a  pair  better  suited  for 
one  another,  or  more  likely  to  be  happy,  than  your 
Excellency  and  his  cousin." 

"  I  dare  not  be  anything  but  straightforward  with 
your  worship,'-'  said  Jasmine,  "  and  I  am  grateful  for 
the  extraordinary  affection  your  cousin  has  been 
pleased  to  bestow  upon  me  ;  but  I  cannot  forget  that 
she  belongs  to  a  family  which  is  entitled  to  pass 
through  the  gate  of  the  palace,2  and  I  fear  that  my 
rank  is  not  sufficient  for  her.  Besides,  my  father  is 
;it  present  under  a  cloud,  and  I  am  now  on  my  way 
to  I 'eking  to  try  to  release  him  from  his  difficulties. 

1  Will1.  -  A  family  of  distinction. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  299 

It  is  no  time,  therefore,  for  me  to  be  binding  myself 
with  promises." 

"As  to  your  Excellency's  first  objection,"  replied 
King,  "you  are  already  the  wearer  of  a  hat  with  a 
silken  tassel,  and  a  man  need  not  be  a  prophet  to 
foretell  that  in  time  to  come  any  office,  either  civil  or 
military,  will  be  within  your  reach.  Xo  doubt,  also, 
your  business  in  Peking  will  be  quickly  brought  to  a 
satisfactory  conclusion,  and  there  can  be  no  objection, 
therefore,  to  our  settling  the  preliminaries  now,  and 
then,  on  your  return  from  the  capital,  we  can  cele- 
brate the  wedding.  This  will  give  rest  and  com- 
posure  to  my  cousin's  mind,  which  is  now  like  a 
disturbed  sea,  and  will  not  interfere,  I  venture,  to 
think,   with  the  affair  which  calls  you  to  Pekino-." 

As  King  proceeded,  Jasmine  felt  that  her  diffi- 
culties were  on  the  increase.  It  was  impossible  that 
she  should  explain  her  position  in  full,  and  she  had 
no  sufficient  reason  at  hand  to  give  for  rejecting 
the  proposal  made  her,  though,  at  the  same  time, 
her  annoyance  was  not  small  at  having  such  a 
matter  forced  upon  her  at  a  moment  when  her 
mind  was  filled  with  anxieties.  "  Then,"  she  thought 
to  herself,  "there  is  ahead  of  me  that  explanation 
which  must  inevitably  come  with  AVei ;  so  that,  al- 
together, if  it  were  not  for  the  deeply  rooted  con- 
viction which  I  have  that  Tu  will  be  mine  at  last, 
when  he  knows  what  I  really  am,  life  would  not  be 
worth  having.  As  for  this  inn-proprietor,  if  he  has 
so  little  delicacy  as  to  push  his  cousin  upon  me  at  this 
crisis,  I  need  not  have  any  compunction  regarding 
him ;   so,  perhaps,  my  easiest  way  of  getting  out  of 


300  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  present  hobble  will  be  to  accept  his  proposal  and 
to  present  the  box  of  precious  ointment  handed  me 
by  Wei  for  my  sister  to  this  ogling  love-sick  girl." 
So  turning  to  King,  she  said — 

••  Since  you,  sir,  and  your  cousin  have  honoured  me 
with  your  regard,  I  dare  not  altogether  decline  your 
proposal,  and  I  would  therefore  beg  you,  sir,  to  hand 
this."  she  added,  producing  the  box  of  ointment,  "to 
vour  honourable  cousin,  as  a  token  of  the  bond  be- 
tween us,  and  to  convey  to  her  my  promise  that,  if 
I  don't  marry  her,  I  will  never  marry  another  lady." 

Mr  Kino-  with  the  greatest  delight,  received  the 
box,  and  handing  it  to  the  waiting  -  woman,  who 
stood  expectant  by,  bade  her  carry  it  to  her 
mistress,  with  the  news  of  the  enp;ag;ement.  Jas- 
mine  now  hoped  that  her  immediate  troubles  were 
over,  but  King  insisted  on  celebrating  the  event  by 
a  feast,  and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  afternoon 
that  she  succeeded  in  making  a  start.  Once  on  the 
road,  her  anxiety  to  reach  Peking  was  such  that  she 
travelled  night  and  day,  "feeding  on  wind  and 
lodging  in  water."  Nor  did  she  rest  until  she  reached 
an  hotel  within  the  Hata  Gate  of  the  capital. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  301 


CHAPTER    III. 

Jasmine's  solitary  journey  had  given  her  abundant 
time  for  reflection,  and  for  the  first  time  she  had  set 
herself  seriously  to  consider  her  position.  She  recog- 
nised that  she  had  hitherto  followed  only  the  impulses 
of  the  moment,  of  which  the  main  one  had  been  the  de- 
sire to  escape  complications  by  the  wholesale  sacrifice  of 
truth  ;  and  she  acknowledged  to  herself  that,  if  justice 
were  evenly  dealt  out,  there  must  be  a  Nemesis  in 
store  for  her  which  should  bring  distress  and  possibly 
disaster  upon  her.  In  her  calmer  moments  she  felt 
an  instinctive  foreboding  that  she  wTas  approaching 
a  crisis  in  her  fate,  and  it  was  with  mixed  feelings, 
therefore,  that  on  the  morning  after  her  arrival  she 
prepared  to  visit  Tu  and  Wei,  who  were  as  yet  igno- 
rant of  her  presence. 

She  dressed  herself  with  more  than  usual  care  for 
the  occasion,  choosing;  to  attire  herself  in  a  blue  silk 
robe  and  a  mauve  satin  jacket  which  Tu  had  once 
admired,  topped  by  a  brand-new  cap.  Altogether  her 
appearance  as  she  passed  through  the  streets  justified 
the  remark  made  by  a  passer-by  :  "  A  pretty  young- 
ster, and  more  like  a  maiden  of  eighteen  than  a  man." 

The  hostelry  at  which  Tu  and  Wei  had  taken  up 
their  abode  was  an  inn  befitting  the  dignity  of  such 
distinguished  scholars.  On  inquiring  at  the  door, 
Jasmine  was  ushered  by  a  servant  through  a  court- 
yard to  an  inner  enclosure,  where,  under  the  grateful 

2Q 


302 


CHINESE    STOKIES. 


shade  of  a  wide-spreading  cotton-tree,  Tn  was  reclin- 
ing a1  his  ease.  Jasmine's  delight  at  meeting  her 
friend  was  only  equalled  by  the  pleasure  with  which 
Tu  greeted  her.  In  his  strong  and  gracious  presence 
she  became  conscious  that  she  was  released  from  the 
absorbing  care  which  had  haunted  her,  and  her  soul 
Leaped  out  in  new  freedom  as  she  asked  and  answered 
questions  other  friend.     Each  had  much  to  say.  and 


a  « 


"  /'//  was  reclining  at  his  case." 


it  was  not  for  some  time,  when  an  occasional  refer- 
ence brought  his  name  forward,  that  Jasmine  noticed 
the  absence  of  Wei.  When  she  did,  she  asked  after 
him. 

•■  lie  left  this  some  days  ago,"  said  Tu,  "having 
some  special  business  which  called  for  his  presence  at 
1 1 "inc.  He  did  not  tell  me  what  it  was,  but  doubtless 
it  was  something  of  importance." 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  303 

Jasmine  said  nothing,  but  felt  pretty  certain  in  her 
mind  as  to  the  object  of  his  hasty  return. 

Tn,  attributing  her  silence  to  a  reflection  on  Wei 
for  having  left  the  capital  before  her  father's  affair 
was  settled,  hastened  to  add — 

"  He  was  very  helpful  in  the  matter  of  your  hon- 
oured father's  difficulty,  and  only  left  when  he  thought 
he  could  not  do  any  more." 

"How  do  matters  stand  now?-'  asked  Jasmine, 
eagerly. 

"  We  have  posted  a  memorial  at  the  palace  gate," 
said  Tu,  "  and  have  arranged  that  it  shall  reach  the 
right  quarter.  Fortunately,  also,  I  have  an  acquaint- 
ance in  the  Board  of  War  who  has  undertaken  to  do 
all  he  can  in  that  direction,  and  promises  an  answer 
in  a  few  days." 

"I  have  brought  with  me,"  said  Jasmine,  "a  peti- 
tion prepared  by  my  father.  What  do  you  think 
about  presenting  it  ? " 

"At  present  I  believe  that  it  would  only  do  harm. 
A  superabundance  of  memorials  is  as  bad  as  none 
at  all.  Beyond  a  certain  point,  they  only  irritate 
officials." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Jasmine  ;  "  I  am  quite  content  to 
leave  the  conduct  of  affairs  in  your  hands." 

"Well  then,"  said  Tu,  "that  being  understood,  I 
propose  that  you  should  move  your  things  over  to 
this  inn.  There  is  Wei's  room  at  your  disposal,  and 
your  constant  presence  here  will  be  balm  to  my  lonely 
spirit.  At  the  Hata  Gate  you  are  almost  as  remote  as 
if  you  were  in  our  study  at  Mienchu." 

Jasmine    was    at    first    startled    by    this    proposal. 


304  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Though  she  had  been  constantly  in  the  company  of 
Tu,  she  had  never  lived  under  the  same  roof  with 
him,  and  she  at  once  recognised  that  there  might  be 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  her  keeping  her  secret  if  she 
were  to  be  constantly  under  the  eyes  of  her  friend. 
But  she  had  1  teen  so  long  accustomed  to  yield  to  the 
present  circumstances,  and  was  so  confident  that 
Fortune,  which,  with  some  slight  irregularities,  had 
always  stood  her  friend,  would  not  desert  her  on  the 
present  occasion,  that  she  gave  way. 

"By  all  means,"  she  said.  "  I  will  go  back  to  my 
inn,  and  bring  my  things  at  once.  This  writing-case 
I  will  leave  here.  I  brought  it  because  it  contains 
my  father's  petition." 

So  saying,  she  took  her  leave,  and  Tu  retired  to  his 
easy-chair  under  the  cotton-tree.  But  the  demon  of 
curiosity  was  abroad,  and  alighting  on  the  arm  of  Tu's 
chair,  whispered  in  his  ear  that  it  might  be  well  if  he 
ran  his  eye  over  Colonel  Wen's  petition  to  see  if  there 
was  any  argument  in  it  which  he  had  omitted  in  his 
statement  to  the  Board  of  War.  At  first  Tu,  whose 
nature  was  the  reverse  of  inquisitive,  declined  to 
listen  to  these  promptings,  but  so  persistent  did  they 
become  that  he  at  last  put  down  his  book — '  The 
Spring  and  Autumn  Annals' — and,  seating  himself  at 
I  lie  sitting-room  table,  opened  the  writing-case  so 
innocently  left  by  Jasmine.  On  the  top  were  a  num- 
ber <if  red  visiting-cards  bearing  the  inscription,  in 
black,  of  Wen  Tsunk'ing,  and  beneath  these  was  the 
petition.  Carefully  Tu  read  it  through,  and  passed 
mental  eulogies  on  it  as  he  proceeded.  The  Colonel 
bad  put  his  case  skilfully,  but  Tu  had  no  difficulty  in 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  305 

recognising  Jasmine's  hand,  both  in .  the  composition 
of  the  document  and  in  the  penmanship.  "  If  my 
attempt,"  he  thought,  "  does  not  succeed,  we  will  try 
what  this  will  do."  He  was  on  the  point  of  returning 
it  to  its  resting-place,  when  he  saw  another  document 
in  Jasmine's  handwriting  lying  by  it.  This  was  evi- 
dently a  formal  document,  probably  connected,  as  he 
thought,  with  the  Colonel's  case,  and  he  therefore  un- 
folded it  and  read  as  follows  : — 

"The  faithful  maiden,  Miss  Wen  of  Mienchu  Hien, 
with  burning  incense  reverently  prays  the  God  of  War 
to  release  her  father  from  his  present  difficulties,  and 
speedily  to  restore  peace  to  her  own  soul  by  nullifying, 
in  accordance  with  her  desire,  the  engagement  of  the 
bamboo  arrow  and  the  contract  of  the  box  of  precious 
ointment.    A  respectful  petition." 

As  Tu  read  on,  surprise  and  astonishment  took  pos- 
session of  his  countenance.  A  second  time  he  read 
it  through,  and  then,  throwing  himself  back  in  his 
chair,   broke   out  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"  So,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  have  allowed  myself  to 
be  deceived  by  a  young  girl  all  these  years.  And  yet 
not  altogether  deceived,"  he  added,  trying  to  rind  an 
excuse  for  himself;  "for  I  have  often  fancied  that 
there  was  the  savour  of  a  woman  about  the  '  young 
noble.'  I  hope  she  is  not  one  of  those  heaven-born 
genii  who  appear  on  earth  to  plague  men,  and  who, 
just  when  they  have  aroused  the  affections  they  wished 
to  excite,  ascend  through  the  air  and  leave  their  lovers 
mourning." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Jasmine 
entered,  looking  more  lovely  than  ever,  with  the  flush 


30 G  CHINESE    STORIES. 

begotten  by  exercise  on  her  beautifully  moulded 
cheeks.  At  sight  of  her  Tu  again  burst  out  laughing, 
to  Jasmine's  not  unnatural  surprise,  who,  thinking 
that  there  must  be  something  wrong  with  her  dress, 
Looked  herself  up  and  down,  to  the  increasing  amuse- 
ment of  Tu. 

"So,"  said  he  at  last,  "you  deceitful  little  hussy, 

yon  have  been  deceiving  me  all  these  years  bypassing 

yourself  off  as  a,  man,  when  in  reality  you  are  a  girl." 

Overcome  with  confusion,  Jasmine  hung  her  head, 

and  murmured — 

"  Who  has  betrayed  me  ?  " 

"  You  have  betrayed  yourself,"  said  Tu,  holding  up 
the  incriminating;  document ;  "  and  here  wre  have  the 
story  of  the  arrow  with  which  you  shot  the  hawk, 
but  what  the  box  of  precious  ointment  means  I  don't 
know. 

Confronted  with  this  overwhelming  evidence,  poor 
Jasmine  remained  speechless,  and  dared  not  even  lift 
her  eyes  to  glance  at  Tu.  That  young  man,  seeing 
her  distress,  and  being  in  no  wise  possessed  by  the 
scorn  which  he  had  put  into  his  tone,  crossed  over  to 
Ikt  and  gently  led  her  to  a  seat  by  him. 

"  Do  you  remember,"  he  said,  in  so  altered  a  voice 
that  Jasmine's  heart  ceased  to  throb  as  if  it  wished 
t<»  force  an  opening  through  the  finely  formed  bosom 
which  enclosed  it,  "on  one  occasion  in  our  study  at 
home  i  wished  that  you  were  a  woman  that  you 
mi-lit  become  my  wife?  Little  did  I  think  that  my 
wish  might  be  gratified.  Now  it  is,  and  I  beseech 
you  t<>  let  us  join  our  lives  in  one,  and  seek  the  hap- 
piness <»!'  the  gods  in  each  other's  perpetual  presence." 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  307 

But,  as  if  suddenly  recollecting  herself,  Jasmine 
withdrew  her  hand  from  his,  and,  standing  up  be- 
fore him  with  quivering  lip  and  eyes  full  of  tears, 
said — 

"  No.     It  can  never  be." 

"  Why  not  ? "  said  Tu,  in  alarmed  surprise. 

"  Because  I  am  bound  to  Wei." 

"  What !     Does  Wei  know  your  secret  ?  " 

"  No.  But  do  you  remember  when  I  shot  that  arrow 
in  front  of  your  study  ?  " 

"Perfectly,"  said  Tu.  "But  what  has  that  to  do 
with  it  ? " 

"Why,  Wei  discovered  my  name  on  the  shaft,  and 
I,  to  keep  my  secret,  told  him  that  it  was  my  sister's 
name.  He  then  wanted  to  marry  my  sister,  and  I 
undertook,  fool  that  I  was,  to  arrange  it  for  him. 
Now  I  shall  be  obliged  to  confess  the  truth,  and  he 
will  have  a  right  to  claim  me  instead  of  my  supposed 
sister." 

"But,"  said  Tu,  "I  have  a  prior  right  to  that  of 
Wei,  for  it  was  I  who  found  the  arrow.  And  in  this 
matter  I  shall  be  ready  to  outface  him  at  all  hazards. 
But,"  he  added,  "Wei,  I  am  sure,  is  not  the  man  to 
take  an  unfair  advantage  of  you." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  "  asked  Jasmine. 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  said  Tu. 

"  Then — then — I  shall  be — very  glad,"  said  poor 
Jasmine,  hesitatingly,  overcome  with  bashfulness,  but 
full  of  joy. 

At  which  gracious  consent  Tu  recovered  the  hand 
which  had  been  withdrawn  from  his,  and  Jasmine 
sank  again  into  the  chair  at  his  side. 


308  CHINESE    STORIES. 

"But,  Tu,  dear,"  she  said,  after  a  pause,  "there  is 
something  else  that  I  must  tell  you  before  I  can  feel 
that  my  confessions  are  over." 

"  What !  You  have  not  engaged  yourself  to  any 
one  else,  have  you  ?  "  said  Tu,  laughing. 

"Yes,  I  have,"  she  replied,  with  a  smile;  and  she 
then  o-ave  her  lover  a  full  and  particular  account  of 
how  Mr  King  had  proposed  to  her  on  behalf  of  his 
cousin,  and  how  she  had  accepted  her. 

"  How  could  you  frame  your  lips  to  utter  such 
untruths?"  said  Tu,  half  laughing,  and  half  in 
earnest. 

"Oh,  Tu,  falsehood  is  so  easy  and  truth  so  diffi- 
cult sometimes.  But  I  feel  that  I  have  been  very, 
very  wicked,"  said  poor  Jasmine,  covering  her  face 
with  her  hands. 

"  Well,  you  certainly  have  got  yourself  into  a 
pretty  hobble.  So  far  as  I  can  make  out,  you  are 
at  the  present  moment  engaged  to  one  young  lady 
and  two  young  men." 

The  situation,  thus  expressed,  was  so  comical,  that 
Jasmine  could  not  refrain  from  laughing  through  her 
tears;  but,  after  a  somewhat  lengthened  consultation 
with  her  lover,  her  face  recovered  its  wonted  serenity, 
and  round  it  hovered  a  halo  of  happiness  which  added 
light  and  beauty  to  every  feature.  There  is  some- 
thing particularly  entrancing  in  receiving  the  first 
confidences  of  a  pure  and  loving  soul.  So  Tu  thought 
on  this  occasion,  and  while  Jasmine  was  pouring  the 
most  secret  workings  of  her  inmost  being  into  his 
ear,  those  lines  of  the  poet  of  the  Sung  dynasty  came 
irresistibly  into  his  mind  : — 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  309 

"  'Tis  sweet  to  see  the  flowers  woo  the  sun, 

To  watch  the  quaint  wiles  of  the  cooing  dove, 
But  sweeter  far  to  hear  the  dulcet  tones 

Of  her  one  loves  confessing  her  great  love." 

But  there  is  an  end  to  everything,  even  to  the 
'  Confucian  Analects,'  and  so  there  was  also  to  this 
lovers'  colloquy.  For  just  as  Jasmine  was  explaining, 
for  the  twentieth  time,  the  origin  and  basis  of  her 
love  for  Tu,  a  waiter  entered  to  announce  the  arrival 
of  her  luggage. 

"  I  don't  know  quite,"  said  Tu,  "  where  we  are 
to  put  your  two  men.  But,  by  the  by,"  he  added,  as 
the  thought  struck  him,  "  did  you  really  travel  all 
the  way  in  the  company  of  these  two  men  only  ? " 

"  Oh,  Tu,"  said  Jasmine,  laughing,  "I  have  some- 
thing else  to  confess  to  you." 

"What!  another  lover?"  said  Tu,  affecting  horror 
and  surprise, 

"  No  ;  not  another  lover,  but  another  woman. 
The  short,  stout  one  is  a  woman,  and  came  as  my 
maid.     She  is  the  wife  of  'The  Dragon." 

"Well,  now  have  you  told  me  all?  For  I  am 
getting  so  confused  about  the  people  you  have  trans- 
formed from  women  to  men,  that  I  shall  have  doubts 
about  my  own  sex  next." 

"Yes,  Tu,  dear;  now  you  know  all,"  said  Jasmine, 
laughing.  But  not  all  the  good  news  which  was 
in  store  for  him,  for  scarcely  had  Jasmine  done 
speaking  when  a  letter  arrived  from  his  friend  in 
the  Board  of  War,  who  wrote  to  say  that  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  Military  Inteiidant  of  Mienchu 
transferred  to   a  post  in   the   province   of  Kwangsi, 

2  R 


310 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


and  that  the  departure  of  this  noxious  official  would 
mean  the  release  of  the  Colonel,  as  he  alone  was  the 
Colonel's  accuser.     This  news  added  one  more  note 

to  the  chord  of 
joy  which  had 
been  making 
harmony  in 
Jasmine's  heart 
for  some  hours, 
and  readily  she 
agreed  with  Tu 
that  they 
should  set  off 
homewards    on 


the      following 


With  no  such 
adventure  as 
that  which  had 
attended  Jas- 
mine's journey 
to  the  capital, 
they  reached 
Mienchu,  and, 
to  their  delight, 
were  received 
by  the  Colonel 
in  his  own  ya- 
rn un.  After 
congratulating 
him  on  his  release,  which  Jasmine  took  care  he 
should  understand  was  due  entirely  to  Tu's  exertions, 


Colonel  Wen. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  311 

she  gave  him  a  full  account  of  her  various  experi- 
ences on  the  road  and  at  the  capital. 

"  It  is  like  a  story  out  of  a  book  of  marvels,"  said 
her  father,  "  and  even  now  you  have  not  exhausted 
all  the  necessary  explanations.  For,  since  my  re- 
lease, your  friend  Wei  has  been  here  to  ask  for  my 
daughter  in  marriage.  From  some  questions  I  put 
to  him,  he  is  evidently  unaware  that  you  are  my 
only  daughter,  and  I  therefore  put  him  off  and 
told  him  to  wait  until  you  returned.  He  is  in  a 
very  impatient  state,  and,  no  doubt,  will  be  over 
shortly." 

Nor  was  the  Colonel  wrong,  for  almost  immediate- 
ly Wei  was  announced,  who,  after  expressing  the 
genuine  pleasure  he  felt  at  seeing  Jasmine  again, 
began  at  once  on  the  subject  which  filled  his  mind. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  he  said,  "to  have  this  opportunity 
of  asking  you  to  explain  matters.  At  present  I  am 
completely  nonplussed.  On  my  return  from  Peking 
I  impaired  of  one  of  your  father's  servants  about  his 
daughter.  '  He  has  not  got  one,'  quoth  the  man. 
I  went  to  another,  and  he  said,  '  You  mean  the 
"  young  noble,"  I  suppose.'  '  No,  I  don't,'  I  said, 
'  I  mean  his  sister.'  '  Well,  that  is  the  only  daughter 
I  know  of,'  said  he.  Then  I  went  to  your  father, 
and  all  I  could  get  out  of  him  was,  '  Wait  until  the 
"young  noble"  comes  home.'  Please  tell  me  what 
all  this  means." 

"  Your  crreat  desire  is  to  marry  a  beautiful  and 
accomplished  girl,  is  it  not  ? "  said  Jasmine. 

"  That  certainly  is  my  wish,"  said  Wei. 

"Well,   then,"  said  Jasmine,   "I   can    assure   you 


;  |  _'  CHINESE    STORIES. 

thai  your  betrothal  present  is  in  the   hand  of  such 
a  one,  and  a  girl  whom  to  look  at  is  to  love." 

"That  may  be,"  said  Wei,  "but  1113-  wish  is  to 
marry  your  sister. 

"Will  yon  go  and  talk  to  Tu  about  it?"  said 
Jasmine,  who  felt  that  the  subject  was  becoming  too 
difficull  for  her,  and  whose  confidence  in  TVs  wisdom 
was  unbounded,  "  and  he  will  explain  it  all  to  you." 

Even  Tu,  however,  found  it  somewhat  difficult  to 
explain  Jasmine's  sphinx  -  like  mysteries,  and  on 
certain  points  Wei  showed  a  disposition  to  be  any- 
thing but  satisfied.  Jasmine's  engagement  to  Tu 
implied  his  rejection,  and  he  was  disposed  to  be 
splenetic  and  disagreeable  about  it.  His  pride  was 
touched,  and  in  his  irritation  he  was  inclined  to 
impure  treachery  to  his  friend  and  deceit  to  Jasmine. 
To  the  first  charge  Tu  had  a  ready  answer,  but  the 
second  was  all  the  more  annoying  because  there  was 
some  truth  in  it.  However,  Tu  was  not  in  the 
humour  to  quarrel,  and  being  determined  to  seek 
pence  and  ensue  it,  he  overlooked  Wei's  innuendoes 
and  made  out  the  best  case  he  could  for  his  bride. 
On  Miss  King's  beauty,  virtues,  and  ability  he  en- 
larged with  a  wealth  of  diction  and  power  of  imag- 
iu.it  ion  which  astonished  himself,  and  Jasmine  also, 
t<>  whom  he  afterwards  repeated  the  conversation. 
"Why,  Tu,  dear,"  said  that  artless  maiden,  "how 
can  you  know  all  this  about  Miss  King?  You  have 
1  ie\cr  seen  her,  and  I  am  sure  I  never  told  you  half 
of  all  this." 

'Don't  ask    questions,"    said  the  enraptured  Tu. 
"Lei    it    be  enough  for  you  to  know  that  Wei  is  as 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE. 


31! 


eager  for  the  possession  of  Miss  King  as  he  was  for 
your  sister,  and  that  he  has  promised  to  be  my  best- 
man  at  our  wedding  to-morrow." 

And  Wei  was  as  good  as  his  word.     With  every 


is 


- 


regard  to  ceremony  and  ancient  usage,  the  marriage 
of  Tu  and  Jasmine  was  celebrated  in  the  presence  of 
relatives  and  friends,  who,  attracted  by  the  novelty 


;i  1  CHINESE    STORIES. 

of  the  antecedent  circumstances,  came  from  all  parts 
of  the.  country  to  witness  the  nuptials.  By  Tu's 
especial  instructions  also  a  prominence  was  allowed 
to  Wei,  which  gratified  his  vanity,  and  smoothed 
.low  11  the  ruffled  feathers  of  his  conceit, 

Jasmine  thought  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in 
reducing  Miss  King  to  the  same  spirit  of  acquiescence 
to  which  Wei  had  been  brought,  and  on  the  evening 
of  her  wedding-day  she  broached  the  subject  to  Tu. 

"I  shall  not  feel,  Tu,  dear,"  she  said,  "that  I  have 
gained  absolution  for  my  many  deceptions  until  that 
very  forward  Miss  King  has  been  talked  over  into 
marrying  AVei ;  and  I  insist,  therefore,"  she  added, 
with  an  amount  of  hesitancy  which  reduced  the  de- 
mand to  the  level  of  a  plaintive  appeal,  "that  we 
start  to-morrow  for  Ch'engtu  to  see  the  young 
woman." 

"  Ho  !  ho  !  "  replied  Tu,  intensely  amused  at  her 
attempted  bravado.  "These  are  brave  words,  and 
I  suppose  that  I  must  humbly  register  your  decrees." 

"  Oh,  Tu  !  you  know  what  I  mean.  You  know 
that,  like  a  child  who  takes  a  delight  in  conquering 
toy  armies,  I  love  to  fancy  that  I  can  command  so 
strong  a  man  as  you  are.  But,  Tu,  if  you  knew 
how  absolutely  I  rely  on  your  judgment,  }^ou  would 
humour  my  folly  and  say  'yes.'  " 

There  was  a  subtle  incense  of  love  and  flattery 
a  I  mii  it  this  appeal  which,  backed  as  it  was  by  a  look 
"I  tenderness  and  beauty,  made  it  irresistible;  and 
1  he  arrangements  for  the  journey  were  made  in  strict 
accordance  with  Jasmine's  washes. 

(  Mi  arriving  at  the  inn  which  was  so  full  of  chasten- 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  315 

ing  memories  to  Jasmine,  Tu  sent  his  card  to  Mr 
King,  who,  flattered  by  the  attention  paid  him  by  so 
eminent  a  scholar,  cordially  invited  Tu  to  his  house. 

"  To  what,"  he  said,  as  Tu,  responding  to  his  in- 
vitation, entered  his  reception-hall,  "  am  I  to  attribute 
the  honour  of  receiving  your  illustrious  steps  in  my 
mean  apartments  ? " 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  Tu,  "  that  the  beautiful  Miss 
King  is  your  Excellency's  cousiu,  and  having  a  friend 
who  is  desirous  of  gaining  her  hand,  I  have  come  to 
plead  on  his  behalf." 

"  I  regret  to  say,"  replied  King,  "  that  your  Ex- 
cellency has  come  too  late,  as  she  has  already  received 
an  engagement  token  from  a  Mr  Wen,  who  passed 
here  lately  on  his  way  to  Peking." 

"  Mr  Wen  is  a  friend  of  mine  also,"  said  Tu,  "  and 
it  was  because  I  knew  that  his  troth  was  already 
plighted  that  I  ventured  to  come  on  behalf  of  him 
of  whom  I  have  spoken." 

"  Mr  Wen,"  said  King,  "  is  a  gentleman  and  a 
scholar,  and  having  given  a  betrothal  present,  he  is 
certain  to  communicate  with  us  direct  in  case  of  any 
difficulty." 

"  Will  you,  old  gentleman,"  l  said  Tu,  producing  the 
lines  which  Miss  King  had  sent  Jasmine,  "just  cast 
your  eyes  over  these  verses,  written  to  Wen  by  your 
cousin  ?  Feeling  most  regretfully  that  he  was  unable 
to  fulfil  his  engagement,  Wen  gave  these  to  me  as 
a  testimony  of  the  truth  of  what  I  now  tell  you." 

King  took  the  paper  handed  him  by  Tu,  and  re- 
cognised at  a  glance  his  cousin's  handwriting. 

1  A  term  of  respect. 


316  CHINESE    STORIES. 

"  Alas  !  "  lie  said,  "  Mr  Wen  told  us  lie  was  engaged, 
but,  not  believing  him,  I  urged  him  to  consent  to 
marry  my  cousin.  If  you  will  excuse  me,  sir,"  he 
added,  "  I  will  consult  with  the  lady  as  to  what 
should  be  done." 

After  a  short  absence  he  returned. 

•My  cousin  is  of  opinion,"  he  said,  "that  she 
cannot  enter  into  any  new  engagement  until  Mr  Wen 
has  come  here  himself  and  received  back  the  betrothal 
present  which  he  gave  her  on  parting." 

"  I  dare  not  deceive  you,  old  gentleman,  and  will 
tell  you  at  once  that  that  betrothal  present  was  not 
W6n's,  but  was  my  unworthy  friend  Wei's,  and  came 
into  Wen's  possession  in  a  way  that  I  need  not  now 
explain." 

"Still,"  said  King,  "my  cousin  thinks  Mr  Wen 
should  present  himself  here  in  person  and  tell  his 
own  story  ;  and  I  must  say  that  I  am  of  her  opinion." 

"  It  is  quite  impossible  that  Mr  Wen  should  return 
here,"  replied  Tu  ;  "  but  my  '  stupid  thorn ' *  is  in  the 
adjoining  hostelry,  and  would  be  most  happy  to  ex- 
plain fully  to  Miss  King  Wen's  entire  inability  to 
play  the  part  of  a  husband  to  her." 

"  If  your  honourable  consort  would  meet  my  cousin, 
she,  L  am  sure,  will  be  glad  to  talk  the  matter  over 
with  her. 

Willi  Tu's  permission,  Miss  King's  maid  was  sent 
to  the  inn  to  invite  Jasmine  to  call  on  her  mistress. 
The  maid,  who  was  the  same  who  had  acted  as  Miss 
King's  messenger  on  the  former  occasion,  glanced 
long  and  earnestly  at  Jasmine.      Her  features  were 

1  Wife. 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  317 

familiar  to  her,  but  she  could  not  associate  them  with 
any  lad)'  of  her  acquaintance.  As  she  conducted  her 
to  Miss  King's  apartments,  she  watched  her  stealthily, 
and  became  more  and  more  puzzled  by  her  appear- 
ance. Miss  King  received  her  with  civility,  and 
after  exchanging  wishes  that  each  might  be  granted 
ten  thousand  blessings,  Jasmine  said,  smiling — 

"  Do  you  recognise  Mr  Wen  ?  " 

Miss  King  looked  at  her,  and  seeing  in  her  a  like- 
ness  to  her  beloved,  said — 

"  What  relation  are  you  to  him,  lady  ?  " 

"  I  am  his  very  self! "  said  Jasmine. 

Miss  King  opened  her  eyes  wide  at  this  startling 
announcement,  and  gazed  earnestly  at  her. 

"  Haiyah  !  "  cried  her  maid,  clapping  her  hands, 
"  I  thought  there  was  a  wonderful  likeness  between 
the  lady  and  Mr  Wen.  But  who  would  have  thought 
that  she  was  he  ?  " 

"  But  what  made  you  disguise  yourself  in  that 
fashion  ?  "  asked  Miss  King,  in  an  abashed  and  some- 
what vexed  tone. 

"My  father  was  in  difficulties,"  said  Jasmine," " and 
as  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  go  to  Peking  to 
plead  for  him,  I  dressed  as  a  man  for  the  convenience 
of  travel.  You  will  remember  that  in  the  first  in- 
stance I  declined  your  flattering  overtures,  but  when 
I  found  that  you  persisted  in  your  proposal,  not 
being  able  to  explain  the  truth,  I  thought  the  best 
thing  to  do  was  to  hand  you  my  friend's  betrothal 
present  which  I  had  with  me,  intending  to  return 
and  explain  matters.  And  you  will  admit  that  in 
one  thing  I  was  truthful.'' 

2  s 


318 


CHINESE    STORIES. 


■  What  was  that  ? "  asked  the  maid. 

••Why;'  answered  Jasmine,   "I  said  that  if  I  did 


-SS 


nol    marry    your   lady    I    would    never    marry    any 
woman." 


A    CHINESE    GIRL    GRADUATE.  319 

"Well,  yes,"  said  the  maid,  laughing,  "you  have 
kept  your  faith  royally  there." 

"The  friend  I  speak  of,"  continued  Jasmine,  "has 
now  taken  his  doctor's  degree,  and  this  stupid  hus- 
band and  wife  have  come  from  Mienchu  to  make 
you  a  proposal  on  his  behalf." 

Miss  King  was  not  one  who  could  readily  take  in 
an  entirely  new  and  startling  idea,  and  she  sat  with 
a  half-dazed  look  staring  at  Jasmine  without  utter- 
ing a  word.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  maid,  the 
conversation  would  have  ceased,  but  that  young 
woman  was  determined  to  probe  the  matter  to  the 
bottom. 

"You  have  not  told  us,"  she  said,  "the  gentleman's 
name.  And  will  you  explain  why  you  call  him  your 
friend  ?  How  could  you  be  on  terms  of  friendship 
with  him  ? " 

"From  my  childhood,"  said  Jasmine,  "I  have  always 
dressed  as  a  boy.     I  went  to  a  boys'  school " 

"  Haiyah  ! "  interjected  the  maid. 

"And  afterwards  I  joined  my  husband  and  this 
gentleman,  Mr  Wei,  in  a  reading  party." 

"  Didn't  thev  discover  your  secret  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Never  ? " 

"Never." 

"  That's  odd,"  said  the  maid.  "  But  will  you  tell 
us  something  about  this  Mr  Wei  ?  " 

Upon  this,  Jasmine  launched  out  in  a  glowing 
eulogy  upon  her  friend.  She  expatiated  with  fervour 
on  his  youth,  good  looks,  learning,  and  prospects, 
and  with  such  effect  did  she  speak,  that  Miss  King, 


320  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

who  began  to  take  in  the  situation,  ended  by  accept- 
ing cordially  Jasmine's  proposal. 

••  And  now,  lady,  you  must  stay  and  dine  with 
me,"  said  Miss  King,  when  the  bargain  was  struck, 
';  while  my  cousin  entertains  your  husband  in  the 

hall." 

At  this  meal  the  beginning  of  a  friendship  was 
formed  between  the  two  ladies  which  lasted  ever  after- 
wards, though  it  was  somewhat  unevenly  balanced. 
Jasmine's  stronger  nature  felt  compassion  mingled 
with  liking  for  the  pretty  doll-like  Miss  King,  while 
that  young  lady  entertained  the  profoundest  admira- 
tion for  her  guest. 

There  was  nothing  to  delay  the  fulfilment  of  the 
engagement  thus  happily  arranged,  and  at  the  next 
full  moon  Miss  King  had  an  opportunity  of  com- 
paring her  bridegroom  with  the  picture  which  Jas- 
mine had  drawn  of  him. 

Scholars  are  plentiful  in  China,  but  it  was  plainly 
impossible  that  men  of  such  distinguished  learning  as 
Tu  and  Wei  should  be  left  among  the  unemployed, 
and  almost  immediately  after  their  marriage  they 
were  appointed  to  important  posts  in  the  empire. 
Tn  rose  rapidly  to  the  highest  rank,  and  died,  at 
a  good  old  age,  Viceroy  of  the  Metropolitan  Province 
and  senior  guardian  to  the  heir-apparent.  Wei  was 
not  so  supremely  fortunate,  but  then,  as  Tu  used 
to  say,   "  he  had  not  a  Jasmine  to  help  him." 


LOYE    AND    ALCHEMY. 


TT  was  a  lovely  autumn  evening,  when  a  young 
-L  man,  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion,  sat  in  the 
verandah  of  one  of  the  villas  which  dot  the  bank  of 
the  beautiful  western  Lake  of  Hangchow,  grazing  at 
the  exquisite  landscape  which  lay  before  him.  The 
sun  had  just  sunk  below  the  mountains  on  the  western 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  its  lingering  rays  were  still 
touching  with  gold  the  hill  -  tops  and  the  highest 
branches  of  the  tallest  trees.  At  the  moment  of 
the  disappearance  of  the  sun  a  cool  breeze  had 
sprung  up,  bringing  refreshment  and  renewed  vigour 
on  its  wing.  Mr  Pan,  for  that  was  the  young  man's 
name,  was  looking  with  admiration  on  the  scene 
before  him.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  are 
easily  affected  by  the  sight  of  the  beautiful,  and 
in    his    wonderment    at    the    exquisite    mixture    of 


322  CHINESE    STORIES. 

c«  .louring  thrown  over  the  lake  and  the  islands 
which  diversified  its  surface,  he  rose  from  his  seat 
and  bent  forward  over  the  railing  of  the  balcony  with 
an  eager  attitude,  which  was  in  entire  disregard  of  the 
Confucian  directions  as  to  the  positions  proper  to  the 
person  of  a.  "superior  man." 

It  was  plain,  from  the  deep  lines  which  marked 
Pan's  youthful  features,  that  this  was  not  by  any 
means  the  first  time  that  nature  had  mastered  the 
rules  of  propriety,  and  it  was  obvious  that  the 
workings  of  his  mind  had  not  infrequently  produced 
excitement  such  as  was  fatal  to  the  calm  engendered 
by  rites  and  ceremonies.  And  such,  indeed,  was  the 
c.isc.  His  excitable  imagination  had  at  an  early  age 
seduced  him  from  the  eminently  correct,  though 
rather  prosy,  literature  of  the  Confucian  school,  and 
had  led  him  into  the  wild  rhapsodical  writings  of  the 
early  Taoist  prophets.  From  their  fascinating  pages 
he  learned  the  oneness  of  matter,  that  life  and  death 
were  the  same  things  under  varying  conditions,  and 
that  as  it  was  within  the  power  of  man  to  perpetuate 
the  joys  of  life  by  use  of  elixirs  from  the  isles  of  the 
blest,  so  it  was  also  possible  for  him  to  transmute  the 
commonest  metals  into  their  most  precious  shapes  by 
the  application  of  the  philosopher's  stone. 

Being  rich  and  enthusiastic,  he  had  devoted  him- 
self with  the  keenest  relish  to  discover  the  secrets  by 
which  the  high  priests  of  the  Taoist  faith  had  been 
able  t<»  convert  the  merest  dross  into  gold  and  sil- 
ver. After  the  most  approved  models  of  antiquity, 
he  built  a  laboratory  in  the  garden  of  his  house 
al    Sungkianff,  and  furnished  it  with   the  furnaces, 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY.  323 

crucibles,  and  other  paraphernalia  necessary  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  great  task.  Sums  of  money, 
which,  if  devoted  to  any  other  purpose,  he  would 
have  considered  extravagant,  he  expended  without 
question  on  the  ingredients  which  composed  the 
mysterious  tan  by  which  he  was  to  be  made  the 
richest  of  the  rich.  Eepeated  failures  had  in  no  way 
damped  his  ardour ;  for  was  it  not  a  fact,  that  on 
each  occasion  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  success, 
when  some  unforeseen  accident  had  just  snatched  the 
prize  from  his  grasp  ?  It  was  after  one  such  mis- 
fortune when,  at  the  moment  when  the  mass  of  metal 
in  the  crucible  was  assuming  the  yellow  tinge  which 
marked  its  conversion  to  the  precious  metal,  a  demon 
of  misfortune  in  the  shape  of  a  fox  had  looked  in  at 
the  door,  which  by  some  accident  had  blown  open, 
and  the  subtle  metal,  influenced  by  the  presence  of 
the  ill-omened  creature,  had  turned  black  in  an  in- 
stant, as  though  it  had  been  blasted. 

In  proportion  to  his  hopes,  which  had  on  that  occa- 
sion been  raised  higher  than  ever,  Pan's  disappoint- 
ment now  was  bitter ;  and  so  completely  upset  was 
lie  by  his  constant  watching,  and  by  his  blighted 
expectations,  that  his  friends  advised  him  to  seek 
rest  and  refreshment  in  change  of  scene  and  surround- 
ings. It  was  in  obedience  to  these  recommendations 
that  he  betook  himself  to  the  villa  on  the  Western 
Lake,  where  we  now  find  him.  With  rapt  admiration 
on  the  evening  in  question,  which  was  about  a  week 
after  his  arrival,  he  gazed  on  the  beauties  before  him 
until,  to  his  imagination,  the  features  of  the  land- 
scape assumed  the  aspect  of  the  fabled  islands  of  the 


324  CHINESE    STORIES. 

blest,  and  he  fell  to  wondering  what  manner  of  persons 
were  the  honri  and  genii  of  the  place.  While  thus 
lost  in  the  pleasures  of  imagination,  his  attention 
was  drawn  to  a  sumptuously-fitted-up  yacht,  which 
was  brought  from  a  neighbouring  boat-house  to  the 
landing-place  at  the  adjoining  villa,  which  on  that 
day  had  received  its  tenants.  So  entirely  was  the 
appearance  of  the  vessel  in  keeping  with  his  fanciful 
dreams,  that  its  actuality  in  no  way  disturbed  the 
tenor  of  his  thoughts,  and  when,  presently,  a  hand- 
some, gaily-dressed  man  led  a  lady  of  exquisite  beauty 
on  to  the  yacht,  followed  by  a  number  of  servants  and 
singing-girls,  the  illusion  was  complete. 

So  fascinated  was  Pan  by  the  beauty  of  the  lady, 
that  he  was  lost  to  a  perception  of  all  other  surround- 
ing objects.  Intently  he  watched  the  yacht  as  it 
sailed  out  into  the  lake,  and  as  the  sound  of  minstrelsy 
was  wafted  over  the  waters  from  her  deck,  he  longed 
for  that  spiritual  elixir  which  had  enabled  some  of 
the  greatest  of  alchemists  to  annihilate  space  and 
form,  and  which  might  enable  him  to  bask  even 
spiritually  in  the  presence  of  such  ineffable  loveliness. 
Absorbed  in  his  thoughts  he  remained  motionless, 
until,  hours  afterwards,  the  vessel  was  borne  again 
lightly  over  the  waves  to  the  landing-place,  when 
merry  thrills  of  joyous  laughter,  testifying  to  the 
enjoyment  which  the  voyagers  had  experienced  on 
their  cruise,  delighted  his  ears. 

The  shades  of  night  prevented  Pan  from  seeing 
more  than  dimly  the  figures  of  the  pleasure-seekers ; 
but  he  recognised  the  object  of  his  admiration,  and 
«nily  withdrew  from  the  verandah  when  the  door  of 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY. 


!25 


the  villa  closed  upon  her.  Restless  and  excited,  he 
wandered  round  the  home  of  the  lady,  and  in  the 
morning  he  sauntered  along  the  shores  of  the  lake 
in  the  vague  hope  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity 


"A  handsome,  gaily-dressed  man  led  a  lady  of  exquisite  beauty  on  to  the  yacht. " 


of  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  happy  possessor 
of  so  priceless  a  jewel.  Once  he  flattered  himself 
that  he  saw  the  lady  herself  at  an  upper  window. 
and  he  drew  near  to  make  a  closer  inspection.     But 

2  T 


326  CHINESE    STORIES. 

great  was  his  disappointment  when  he  found  that 
the  form  which  had  attracted  him  was  that  of  a 
singularly  ill-favoured  old  woman,  who  was  engaged 
in  washing  clothes,  and  who  very  nearly  drenched 
him  to  the  skin  by  throwing  the  contents  of  her 
basin  over  the  wall  close  to  the  spot  where  he  stood. 
Disheartened,  but  not  in  despair,  he  turned  for 
another  stroll  by  the  lake.  By  a  turn  of  her  wheel 
Fortune  now  befriended  him.  For,  on  his  return 
towards  his  villa,  he  saw  his  happy  neighbour  saun- 
tering towards  him,  and  talking  as  he  walked  to  a 
beautifully  sleek  pet  mocking-bird,  which  he  carried 
perched  on  a  crooked  stick  of  ivory,  to  which  one 
leg  of  the  bird  was  fastened  by  a  golden  thread. 
As  the  two  men  approached  each  other  the  stranger 
looked  up  from  his  bird  with  an  engaging  smile 
towards  Pan,  who,  encouraged  by  his  friendly  atti- 
tude, made  him  a  deep  obeisance.  The  stranger  ap- 
peared pleased  by  this  advance,  and,  having  bowed 
in  return  with  all  ceremony,  asked  Pan  what  his 
"honourable  surname"  and  "exalted  personal  name" 
might  be.  Pan  replied  that  his  "  despicable  surname  " 
was  Pan,  and  that  his  "mean  personal  name"  was 
Kaentseng.  By  a  similar  process  he  learned  that 
bis  new  friend's  name  was  Le  Kwaitso.  The  two 
nnii  now  entered  into  conversation,  in  the  course 
of  which  Pan  was  made  aware  that  Le  came  from 
Chungchow,  and  that  he  was  paying  a  visit  to  the 
beaut  if'nl   Western  Lake  for  rest  and  enjoyment. 

'•  It  seems  difficult  to  suppose."  said  Pan,  "that 
my  honourable  elder  brother  can  be  in  need  of 
I'M,   seeing    that    he    has   constantly  about    him    in 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY, 


327 


abundance  all  that  can  make  life  enviable  and 
enjoyable." 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Le,  "  that  I  now  have  wealth 
at  my  command,  and  wealth  into  which  I  can  dip 
at  will  without  diminishing  it.  But  it  has  not  always 
been  so,  and  it  is  'only  after  much  study  and  man}^ 
disappointments  that  I  have  reached  my  present  posi- 
tion of  complete  independence." 

Pan  had  not  intended  his  remark   to  refer  only  to 


"  The  stranger  looked  up  from  his  bird  with  an  engaging  smile." 


Le's  wealth,  and  he  was  at  first  shocked  that  his 
friend  should  so  undervalue  his  beautiful  wife,  for  so 
she  turned  out  to  be,  as  not  to  mention  her  among 
the  blessings  he  enjoyed.  But  Le's  reference  to  a 
wealth  which  could  be  used  at  will  without  diminish- 
ing the  store  directed  his  thoughts  into  another  and 
quite  an  unexpected  direction. 

"My  elder  brother  talks  in  riddles,"  said  Pan,  hur- 


32 S  CHINESE    STORIES. 

riedly,  and  with  a  most  un-Confucian  agitation  ;  "  how 
can  wealth  be  expended  and  not  diminished  except 
by  the  art  which  filled  the  coffers  of  Heu  Chenchun."1 

Le  smiled,  and  said,  "Perhaps  yon  are  right." 

"If  that  be  so,"  replied  Pan,  "I  beseech  yon  to 
divulge  to  your  younger  brother  this  great  secret. 
For  years  I  have  toiled  in  pursuit  of  this  object, 
and  though  sometimes  I  have  nearly  gained  it,  the 
prize  has  by  some  misfortune  been  invariably  snatched 
from  my  hand." 

"It  is  not  a  matter  to  be  lightly  divulged,"  said 

Le.      "  If  I  could  really  believe ;    but  no,  what 

reason  have  I  to  suppose  that  you  are  a  fit  recipient 
of  the  hidden  mystery?  But  come  and  dine  with 
me  this  evening  on  my  yacht,  and  we  will  talk  further 
on  these  matters." 

Pan  gratefully  accepted  the  invitation,  and  the 
two  men  parted.  Once  Pan  turned  round  to  look 
after  the  alchemist,  and  watched  his  retreating  figure, 
resplendent  with  the  choicest  silks  and  satins,  and 
possessing  all  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a  scholar,  as, 
with  sauntering  steps,  he  chirrupped  to  his  bird, 
which  fluttered  in  response  to  the  length  of  his  golden 

Punctual  to  a  moment,  Pan  went  to  Le's  landing- 
stage.  As  he  had  sat  over  a  bottle  of  wine  in  the 
early  part  of  the  afternoon  he  had  wondered  for  the 
first  time  whether  by  any  chance  the  lovely  Mrs  Le 
would  accompany  her  husband  on  that  evening's 
cruise.     Her  presence,  he  had  felt,  would  add  a  new 

'A  celebrated   alchemist  of  the  third  century  who  had  learned  the 
I   of  converting  base  metals  into  gold. 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY.  329 

delight  to  the  explanation  which  he  hoped  was  forth- 
coming. This,  he  knew,  would  not  be  in  accordance 
with  the  rules  of  strict  propriety,  but  then,  he 
thought  to  himself,  may  not  a  man  possessing  such 
a  secret  be  above  all  conventionalities. 

However,  when  the  time  came  Mrs  Le  was  not 
present.  In  other  respects  the  dinner  was  all  that 
could  be  desired.  The  viands  were  excellent ;  the 
wine  was  of  the  choicest  kinds ;  the  music  which 
accompanied  the  feast  was  bright  and  joyous ;  and 
Le's  conversation,  which  never  flagged,  was  marked 
by  scholarly  knowledge  and  brilliancy  of  diction.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  repast,  which  lasted  an  inordin- 
ate time,  the  two  diners,  satiated  with  the  good  things 
on  the  table,  threw  themselves  back  on  the  divan 
and  lazily  smoked  the  pipes  which  were  carried  to 
their  lips  and  lighted  by  two  very  pretty  attendant 
maidens,  whose  names,  as  Pan  afterwards  discovered, 
were  "  Autumn  Moon  "  and  "  Springday  Cloud." 

After  smoking  for  a  few  minutes  in  silence,  Pan 
said  :  "  May  I  ask  you,  sir,  to  continue  to  your  lowly 
pupil  your  instructions  of  this  morning  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  thinking  over  our  conversation,"  said 
Le ;  "and,  believing  you  to  be  a  genuine  inquirer, 
I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  admit  you  into  the 
mystical  body  of  the  initiated."  At  these  words  Pan 
raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  leaned  eagerly  to- 
wards the  alchemist.  "  I  have  learned,"  continued 
Le,  "  the  secret  of  the  nine  transmutations  which,  by 
the  virtue  of  tan,  convert  lead  and  mercury  into  gold 
and  silver.  And  since  I  am  of  opinion  that  every 
holder  of  so  vast  a  secret  should  ensure   it  against 


330  CHINESE    STORIES. 

being  lost  by  imparting  it  to  a  pupil,  I  am  willing  to 
make  known  to  you  the  materials  of  the  mystic  tan, 
and  the  method  by  which  it  is  to  be  used.  But  this 
«»nly  on  one  condition,  and  that  is,  that  you  give  me 
your  word  of  honour  that  you  never  will,  directly 
or  indirectly,  tell  the  secret  to  a  soul,  except  in  after- 
years  to  the  one  pupil  whom  you  shall  choose  as  your 
scientific  heir." 

'•'  I  promise  with  my  whole  heart,"  said  Pan,  en- 
thusiastically. 

"That  is  well,"  said  the  alchemist.  "And  now, 
when  are  we  to  set  to  work  ?  I  would  invite  you  to 
visit  me  at  Chungchow,  where  I  live,  but  the  distance 
is  so  great  that  I  hesitate  to  do  so." 

o 

"  But  will  not  my  benevolent  elder  brother  honour 
my  humble  cottage  with  his  presence  ?  I  have  there 
all  that  is  necessary  for  our  work  except  the  know- 
ledge, which  you,  0  my  master,  would  supply." 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  visit  your  honourable 
palace ;  but  were  I  to,  I  should  not  know  what  to  do 
with  my  wife,  as  I  should  not  like  her  to  travel  home 
alone,  and  I  cannot  leave  her  in  a  strange  place  like 
this." 

"  Though  a  bachelor,"  said  Pan,  "  my  humble 
dwelling  is  a  large  one,  and  if  the  honourable  lady 
would  condescend  to  enter  my  door  I  would  set  apart 
a  c(»)n pound  for  her  residence." 

With  considerable  reluctance,  which  kept  Pan  in 
a  I  oil  ure  of  suspense,  the  alchemist  assented  to  this 
arrangement,  and  when  the  two  friends  parted  at  the 
wharf,  the  day  was  arranged  for  their  departure  for 
Suneddana:. 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY. 


131 


To  describe  the  joy  which  filled  Pan's  heart  at  the 
double  prospect  before  him  of  learning  the  great 
mystery,  and  of  entertaining  the  lovely  Mrs  Le, 
would  be  quite  impossible.  With  early  dawn  he 
sent  a  trusted  servant  to  Sungkiang  to  see  that 
everything  was  put  in  order  for  the  reception  of  his 
guests,  and  at  the  same  time  he  wrote  a  note  on  red 


' Both  guest  and  host  were  in  excellent  spirits.'' 


paper  inviting  the  alchemist  to  a  sail  on  the  lake  in 
a  yacht  which  he  hired  for  the  occasion.  The  invita- 
tion was  accepted,  and  the  expedition  proved  emi- 
nently successful.  Both  guest  and  host  were  in 
excellent  spirits,  and  in  the  interval  between  the 
small  repasts  of  wine  and  tea,  which  diversified  the 
day,  the  conversation  turned,  always  on  Pan's  initia- 


332  CHINESE    STOEIES. 

tive,  on  the  burning  question  of  the  transmutation 
of  metals.  "  And  now,"  he  said,  on  one  such  occasion, 
' '  to  come  to  the  practical  point  of  ways  and  means. 
What  shall  you  require  for  the  operation  ?  " 

"  First  of  all,"  replied  the  alchemist,  "  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  certain  quantities  of  pure  gold  and 
silver,  which  form,  as  we  call  them,  the  mothers  of 
the  gold  and  silver,  because  they  give  birth  to  and 
nourish  the  product  which  is  obtained.  The  mother- 
metals  must  be  carefully  purified  before  they  are  put 
in  the  crucible.  They  must  then  be  submitted  to  nine 
fusions,  during  which  must  be  added  to  them  chemi- 
cals known  as  '  yellow  germs'  and  '  coagulated  snow.' 
When  the  moment  arrives  for  opening  the  crucible, 
a  small  quantity  of  the  mystic  tan  powder  must  be 
thrown  in,  when  the  masses  of  metal  become  trans- 
muted at  once  into  the  finest  gold  and  silver." 

"  How  much  of  the  mother-metals  do  you  require  ?  " 

"  That  depends  on  the  amount  of  gold  and  silver 
you  wish  to  obtain.  The  greater  the  quantity  of 
mother-metal,  the  more  powerful  is  the  action  of  the 
tan.  Thus,  if  any  one  wTere  to  put  into  the  crucible 
a  considerable  weight  of  gold,  he  might  become 
possessed  of  riches  before  which  the  wealth  of  the 
State  would  appear  as  nothing." 

"  My  resources  are  moderate,"  said  Pan,  "  but  I 
can  scrape  together  several  millions  of  taels,1  which 
I  will  place  at  your  disposal." 

Pan  was  too  absorbed  in  the  prospect  of  the  wealth 
before  him  to  notice  a  queer  twinkle  in  the  alchemist's 
eye  at  the  mention  of  the  sum  available,  and  he  heard 

1  A  tael  is  worth  about  5s.  6d. 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY.  333 

only  the  somewhat  condescending  tone  of  his  voice  as 
he  said — 

"  As  to  the  amount,  that  is  your  affair,  not  mine." 
On  the  following  day,  the  two  friends  started  by 
boat  for  Sungkiang.  Pan  and  Le  occupied  a  yacht 
hired  by  the  former,  and  the  lovely  Mrs  Le  travelled 
in  the  gorgeously-appointed  vessel  which  belonged  to 
her  husband. 

During  the  last  day  or  two,  Pan  had  been  so 
entirely  absorbed  in  the  idea  of  the  boundless  wealth 
which  was  now  within  his  reach,  that  his  mind  had 
only  reverted  to  Mrs  Le  at  such  times  as,  with  pipe 
in  mouth  and  a  flask  of  the  famous  Suchow  wine  at 
his  elbow,  he  took  his  ease  after  his  mid -day  and 
evening  meals.  But  now  that,  though  not  in  the 
same  boat,  they  were  near  neighbours,  the  thought  of 
her  exquisite  beauty  more  frequently  occurred  to  him, 
more  especially  as  every  now  and  then,  when  the 
yachts  came  abreast,  he  caught  glimpses  of  her 
almond  -  shaped  eyes  and  arched  eyebrows,  and  it 
caused  him  infinite  pleasure  to  notice  that,  far  from 
appearing  to  avoid  his  eye,  she  rather  encouraged  his 
gaze,  and  even  cast  furtive  glances  in  reply  to  his 
obvious  but  unexpressed  admiration.  As  a  poet  of 
the  Han  Dynasty  sings — 

"  Across  the  flood  quick  glances  pass  as  token 
That  love  is  there  though  not  a  word  be  spoken." 

After  a  voyage  of  two  days  the  travellers  arrived 
at  Sungkiang,  and  Pan  invited  Le  to  inspect  his  town 
house,  which  stood  close  to  the  wharf.  In  reply  to 
Le's  look  of  disappointment  at  the  situation  of  the 

2  u 


334  CHINESE    STORIES. 

house  in  so  busy  a  thoroughfare,  and  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  other  houses,  Pan  hastened  to  say,  "This 
is  QOt  the  place  for  our  great  work.  Beyond  the 
western  suburbs  stands  my  villa,  enwalled  and  closely 
fenced  about  with  lofty  trees.  There,  undisturbed  by 
human  eye  or  noise,  we  may  disclose  the  secret  power 
of  tan,  and  make  a  captive  of  the  god  of  wealth." 

So  saying,  the  two  men  returned  to  their  yachts, 
and,  following  the  course  of  the  grand  canal,  soon 
reached  the  wharf,  which  abutted  on  the  western 
suburbs.  With  some  pleasure  Pan  led  Le  into  the 
spacious  grounds  of  his  favourite  residence,  and  in- 
deed they  were  such  as  to  justify  his  pride.  A  long 
avenue  of  handsome  trees  led  from  the  portal  into 
a  park  where,  through  vistas  of  flowering  plants  and 
dwarfed  shrubs,  were  seen  pointed  kiosques  and  dec- 
orated pavilions,  which  added  colour  and  brilliancy 
to  the  views  by  the  painted  tiles  which  adorned  their 
upturned  roofs.  The  principal  building  contained 
apartments  without  number,  some  of  which  were  so 
concealed  that  they  might  readily  have  escaped  the 
observation  of  a  visitor,  while  the  pavilions  scattered 
over  the  park  offered  charming  retreats,  and  were  so 
placed  as  to  refresh  the  eye  by  views  from  their  win- 
dows of  picturesque  rockwork,  high  bridges  and  arti- 
ficial grottos. 

Le  gazed  around  him  with  admiration. 

•■  Admirable !"  he  cried,"  admirable  !  This  is  exactly 
i  he  place  fur  our  work.  The  calm  of  solitude  such  as 
this  place  affords  is  precisely  what  we  want.  Here 
we  cannot  fail  to  be  successful,  and  my  wife  may  stay 
herewith  all  the  privacy  and  safety  which  are  ordained 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY. 


335 


for  married  Ladies  by  the  Book  of  Rites,  and  which 
I  would  desire  for  her.  Pray,  send  for  her  at  once. 
But  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  remind  you  that 
each  of  the  nine  mutations  occupies  nine  clays,  so  thai 
if  we  are  to  complete  our  work,  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
remain  the  un- 
worthy guests  of 
my  benevolent 
elder  brother  for 
three  moons." 

The  thought 
of  having  Mrs 
Le  as  a  neigh- 
hour  for  so  long 
gave  Pan  a  thrill 
of  pleasure, 
which  added 
emphasis  to  his 
declaration  that 
if  it  were  three 
years  it  would 
be  too  short  a 
time.  In  re- 
sponse to  the 
message  sent  to 


W^iCH-' 


"  The  lady  presently  appeared" 


her    yacht,    the 
lady     presently 
appeared,     at- 
tended by  "Autumn  Moon"  and  "Springday  Cloud." 
She  was  tastefully  dressed,  and  her  dainty  walk  and 
willow-like  waist  added  grace  to    her   beauty.      As 
she   approached  the   two   friends,   Pan   would   have 


336  CHINESE    STORIES. 

withdrawn  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  propriety. 
But  the  alchemist  stopped  him. 

"  We  now  form,"  said  he,  "  one  family.  Suffer  my 
unworthy  wife  to  salute  you,  and  let  there  be  no 
restraint  between  us." 

For  the  first  time  Pan  had  now  an  opportunity  of 
making  a  close  inspection  of  the  lady's  features,  and 
the  sight  was  almost  too  much  for  him.  As  he  after- 
wards said,  "  her  beauty  eclipsed  that  of  the  moon, 
and  was  enough  to  make  the  flowers  jealous."  For 
the  moment  all  thought  of  his  approaching  alchemistic 
triumphs  disappeared,  and  his  heart  melted  in  him  as 
snow  at  the  touch  of  a  flame.  So  soon  as  he  could 
recover  himself  he  said — 

"  The  pavilions  in  the  gardens  are  all  ready  for 
your  reception.  Will  it  please  you  to  make  your 
choice  of  the  one  you  may  like  to  occupy  ?  " 

While  the  lady  made  her  inspection,  Pan  selected 
from  among  his  family  heirlooms  a  pair  of  gold 
bracelets  and  a  pair  of  earrings,  and  bringing  them 
to  Le,  presented  them  to  him,  saying,  "  Allow  me  to 
offer  these  trifles  to  your  noble  wife.  Such  an  offering 
is  authorised  by  the  Book  of  Rites,  and  I  trust  that  she 
will  not  disdain  my  humble  homage." 

"  Your  generosity  is  overwhelming  ;  but  while  such 
tilings  as  these  are  of  value  to  you,  they  are  none  to 
us,  who  can  coin  them  at  pleasure  ;  so  take  them 
back,  for  to  accept  them  would  be  to  abuse  your 
hospitality." 

"  I  had  hoped  that  you  would  have  seen  in  this 
insignificant  present  a  token  of  the  sincerity  of 
my  friendship,"   replied    Pan.       "Though    in   them- 


LOVE   AND    ALCHEMY.  337 

selves   worthless,    I    pray    you    to   regard    only    my 
intentions." 

At  these  words  the  alchemist's  countenance  relaxed. 
"Your  words,"  said  he,  "have  overcome  all  my  ob- 
jections. I  accept  with  pleasure  these  signs  of  your 
kindness."  So  saying,  he  handed  the  trinkets  to  a 
servant,  with  directions  to  take  them  to  the  lady, 
and  to  invite  her  to  come  in  person  to  thank  their 
host.  Again  Pan  had  the  infinite  pleasure  of  meeting 
her  face  to  face,  but  so  overcome  was  he  with  her 
beauty  that  words  failed  him,  and  he  did  nothing  but 
bow  and  gaze  in  return  for  her  courtly  inclinations 
and  gracious  words  of  thanks. 

o 

On  the  next  morning  the  two  friends  entered 
seriously  upon  their  work.  Having  carefully  ex- 
amined the  laboratory,  the  furnaces,  and  the  sur- 
roundings, to  see  that  they  were  perfectly  free  from 
all  trace  of  impurity  of  every  kind  ("  For  know,"  said 
Le,  "  that  the  existence  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
laboratory  of  any  material  or  moral  impurity  is  fatal 
to  the  transmutation  of  the  metal "),  he  pronounced 
himself  satisfied.  He  then  retired,  and  presently 
returned,  dressed  with  infinite  care  in  new  robes  of 
brilliant  blue,  encircled  round  the  waist  by  a  broad 
red  sash. 

Meanwhile,  Pan  had  seen  to  the  lighting  of  the 
furnace,  and  had  made  ready  the  mother  -  metal, 
which  was  to  produce  the  priceless  offspring.  When 
all  was  in  order  Le,  with  much  solemnity,  approached 
the  crucible,  and  with  certain  cabalistic  utterances, 
dropped  the  metal,  accompanied  by  a  due  proportion 
of  "  yellow  germs,"  into  the  pot,  and  fastened  close 


338  CHINESE    STORIES. 

the  lid.  Day  after  day,  with  unremitting  care,  the 
two  friends  kept  alight  the  fire,  which  was  to  burn 
without  intermission  until  the  completion  of  the 
transmutation,  and  were  so  engaged  on  the  twen- 
tieth day  of  the  process,  when  a  messenger,  dusty 
and  travel-stained,  arrived,  bearing  a  letter  for  the 
alchemist.  As  Le  read  the  contents,  the  colour  left 
his  cheeks,  and  Pan  saw  a  man,  to  whom  the  most 
subtle  secrets  of  nature  had  been  revealed,  reduced 
almost  to  tears. 

"  I  hope  your  messenger  is  not  one  of  ill  tidings," 
said  Pan. 

"  Indeed  he  is,"  replied  the  alchemist,  in  a  broken 
voice.  "  I  regret  to  say  that  my  aged  mother  is 
dangerously  ill,  and  that  I  must  at  once  go  to  her 
bedside." 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry  to  hear  it,"  answered  Pan, 
"  and  though  I  fear  that  your  absence  will  put  an 
end  to  our  present  experiment,  I  trust  that  you  will 
be  able  to  return  at  some  subsequent  time  to  com- 
plete the  work." 

"  It  is  my  earnest  desire  to  carry  out  our  under- 
taking. But  what  can  I  do  ?  I  must  go  to  my 
mother's  dwelling,  and  my  wife,  who  might  have 
filled  my  place,  having  been  accustomed  to  watch 
the  furnace  at  home  with  me,  is  too  young  to  be 
left  in  the  house  of  even  such  a  friend  as  you 
are. 

"  Do  we  not,  to  quote  your  own  words,  now  form 
one  family,"  said  Pan,  "  and  cannot  you  trust  to  my 
honour?  Have  I  not  studied  the  writings  of  Con- 
fucius,  and  do  I  not  know  the  rules  of  propriety  by 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY.  339 

heart?  Let  my  elder  brother  leave  his  wife  here, 
and  her  honour  shall  be  my  first  care." 

Long  the  alchemist  hesitated,  but  at  last  he 
yielded. 

"  I  have,"  he  said,  "  complete  confidence  in  you, 
and  as  evidemce  of  it  I  accept  your  proposal.  But  1 
must  go  to  prepare  for  my  departure,  and  to  give  full 
instructions  to  my  wife." 

"  All  is  saved,"  muttered  Pan,  in  a  voice  suffocated 
with  emotion,  as  Le  went  in  the  direction  of  the 
lady's  apartments. 

After  an  interval,  which  seemed  to  Pan  to  be 
interminable,  the  alchemist  came  to  take  leave  of  his 
host. 

"A  thousand  times  ten  thousand  times,"  said  he, 
"  I  commend  my  wife  to  you.  Be  very  careful,  and  do 
not  for  a  moment  neglect  the  furnace.  Remember 
the  least  fault  of  omission  or  of  commission  may  work 
irrevocable  evil." 

With  a  feeling  of  inexpressible  joy,  Pan  saw  the 
alchemist  ride  off  rapidly  from  his  door,  and  as  he 
turned  into  the  garden  his  imagination  pictured  the 
infinite  delights  of  the  tete-a-tete  interviews  with  his 
lovely  guest,  which  were  now  possible.  Nor  had  he 
long  to  wait  for  one  such,  for  on  the  very  next 
morning  "Autumn  Moon"  presented  herself  at  his 
study  door,  and  invited  him  to  accompany  her 
mistress  to  the  laboratory.  Overjoyed  at  the  pro- 
posal, Pan  escorted  the  lady  to  the  hallowed  spot, 
the  arrangements  of  which  he  found  it  necessary  to 
explain  to  her  very  fully  indeed.  Nor,  as  Pan 
fancied,  was  there  any  desire  on  the  lady's  part  to 


340  CHINESE   STOEIES. 

cut  short  the  lengthy  descriptions  and  minute  details 
in  which  he  indulged.  On  the  next  day  there  were 
more  matters  to  talk  over,  and  in  the  momentary 
absence  of  "Springday  Cloud,"  who  had  gone  to 
fetch  her  mistress's  fan,  the  lady  gave  him  one  of 
those  dangerous  glances  which  had  electrified  him  on 
former  occasions.  By  degrees  the  attendance  of 
"  Autumn  Moon "  and  "  Springday  Cloud  "  became 
less  inevitable,  and  Pan  enjoyed  the  exquisite  pleasure 
of  unrestrained  converse  with  the  beautiful  enchant- 
ress.    By-and-by  she  became  confidential. 

"  You  doubtless  think,"  she  said  on  one  occasion, 
"  that  I  live  a  life  of  careless  joy.  But  my  husband 
is  very  different  at  home  to  what  he  is  abroad." 

"  Is  he  unkind  to  you  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly  unkind,  but  he  is  very  harsh." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  he  does  not  love  you  ? " 

"  He  does  in  a  kind  of  way,"  sighed  Mrs  Le,  "  but 
his  love  is  the  cold  love  of  an  unsympathetic  nature, 
and,"  she  added  in  a  faltering  voice,  "it  is  that 
which  is  so  painful  to  me.  I  am  one  of  those  to 
whom  love  is  second  nature,  and  I  long — oh,  how  I 
long ! — for  a  congenial  intercourse  with  a  true  and 
affectionate  soul." 

"I  am  true  and  I  am  affectionate,"  said  Pan, 
trembling  with  excitement,  "and  I  love  you  with 
all  my  heart.  Let  me  devote  my  life  and  being 
to  you."  With  these  burning  words  the  man  who 
knew  the  rules  of  propriety  by  heart,  so  far  forgot 
himself  as  to  clasp  the  blushing  lady  round  the 
waist. 

With  a  scream  she  shook  herself  free.     "  Are  you 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY. 


341 


mad?"  said  she.  "Don't  you  know  that  the  least 
taint  in  the  magic  atmosphere  of  the  laboratory  is  fatal 
to  the  success  of  the  work  ?  " 

':  What  care  I  for  the  work  ?  "  said  Pan.  "  It  is  you 
I » 

At  this  inopportune  moment  "Autumn  Cloud" 
rushed  in  to  say  that  the  alchemist  had  suddenly 
returned.     The  announcement  was  hardly  made  when 


': '  IV/iy,  what  has  happened?  '  he  exclaimed." 

the  unwelcome  intruder  entered.  After  exchanging 
cordial  greetings  with  Pan  and  his  wife,  the  alchemist 
turned  gaily  towards  the  furnace,  saying,  "  Now  let 
us  see  how  the  ingredients  are  working.  Whv,  what 
has  happened  ? "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  blanched 
horror,  as  he  examined  the  contents  of  the  crucible. 
"  The    metals    are   curdled.     Some  wrong;   has   been 

2  x 


^42  CHINESE    STORIES. 

committed.  Some  evil  influence  has  found  its  way 
into  the  laboratory." 

With  a  searching  look  the  alchemist  turned  his 
gaze  on  Pan  and  on  his  wife.  At  first  Pan  attempted 
to  return  his  stare,  but  his  evil  conscience  made  a 
coward  of  him,  and  he  trembled  from  head  to  foot. 
As  to  the  lady,  she  fairly  burst  into  tears,  and  hurried 
out  of  the  laboratory  as  fast  as  her  feet,  three  inches 
long,  could  carry  her.  The  fury  depicted  on  Le's  face 
was  terrible  to  behold.     He  seized  Pan  by  the  throat. 

"You  perjured  villain,"  he  screamed,  "this  is  your 
honour  !  This  is  the  care  you  have  taken  of  my  wife. 
Prepare  for  death,  for  by  Amito  Full  you  shall  visit 
the  yellow  springs  (Hades)  before  sunset." 

Fairly  paralysed  with  terror,  which  he  afterwards 
constantly  affirmed  was  on  account  of  the  lady,  Pan 
begged  for  mercy. 

"Oh,  spare  our  lives,  for  pity  sake,"  said  he,  "and 
anything  you  demand  shall  be  yours  ! " 

"You  miserable  creature!  do  you  think  that 
money  can  satisfy  my  wounded  honour  ? "  screamed 
Le.  "No  ;  you  shall  die,  and  my  apostate  wife  with 
you. 

At  this  juncture  Le's  valet  threw  himself  at  his 
master's  feet.  "Lofty  sir,"  he  cried,  "before  you 
cany  out  your  fell  decree,  hear,  oh  hear  the  evidence 
which  I  have  gathered  from  the  servants  !  Upon  my 
honour,  this  is  the  first  time  Mr  Pan  and  Mrs  Le  have 
been  alone  together.  And  though  the  evidence  of  the 
crucible  is  enough  to  warrant  your  inflicting  death 
upon  them,  yet  remember  their  youth,  and  oh! 
remember  the  situation." 


LOVE    AND    ALCHEMY.  343 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  Le,  in  slightly  modi- 
fied tones.     "Would  you  have  me  let  the  villain  oo 

o 

unpunished  ?  " 

"By  no  means,"  pleaded  the  valet;  "his  god 
is  his  wealth.  Tear  a  portion  of  that  god  from  him, 
and  in  so  doing  you  will  inflict  a  punishment  on  him 
to  which  the  loss  of  life  will  be  as  nothing." 

"  There  is  something  in  what  you  say,"  said  Le,  in 
still  milder  accents.  "  But  I  have  no  taste  for  such 
bargainings.  Let  him  send  me  an  offer  which  I  can 
accept  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  or  he  dies." 

In  less  than  the  required  time,  Pan  sent  his  out- 
raged guest  a  packet  containing  ten  thousand  taels 
of  silver  (£3,000),  which  sum  Le's  valet  afterwards 
assured  Pan  he  had  had  much  difficulty  in  inducing 
his  master  to  accept  in  condonation  of  the  wrong  done 
to  him  through  the  flagrant  breach  of  etiquette  of 
which  Pan  had  been  guilty.  Accept  it  he  did,  how- 
ever, and  in  less  than  an  hour  the  indignant  alchemist 
had  shaken  the  dust  of  Pan's  dwelling  from  his  feet, 
taking  with  him  his  wife,  Pan's  packet  of  silver,  and, 
presumably,  the  mother-metal,  for  no  trace  of  it  was 
ever  afterwards  found. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  he  left  the  town  when  the 
magistrate  called  on  Pan  to  inquire  into  the  where- 
abouts of  his  departed  guest,  who  was  much  "  want- 
ed" for  a  series  of  alchemistic  frauds,  "to  the  success 
of  which,"  added  the  magistrate,  "he  has,  I  under- 
stand, been  largely  indebted  to  his  extremely  beauti- 
ful and  fascinating  wife,  and  a  very  astute  valet." 


344 


A    CHINESE     BALLAD. 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  ORIGINAL. 

A    MAID  was  sitting  in  her  boudoir  snug, 
-£*-  Stitching  away ; 

On  coloured  shoes  embroidering  blossoms  bright, 
When  lo  !  a  fortune-teller  met  her  sight 

Passing  that  way.       [She  calls  to  him.'] 

The  master  stopped,  right  glad  to  hear  her  call, 

"  Come  here  !  " 
"Advance,  most  learned  man,"  she  gently  said, 
"  And  deign  to  converse  with  this  lonely  maid, 

0  honoured  sir." 

Handing  the  sage  a  wooden  bench  she  said, 

"You're  welcome,  sir. 
You  here  will  rest  awhile,  so  let  me  hope, 
W  hile  I  impart  to  you  my  horoscope, 

0  honoured  sir. 


A    CHINESE    BALLAD.  345 

'Twas  in  the  fourth  month  that  I  first  saw  light ; 

Then  high  up  there 

{.'pointing  to  the  skies] 
The  pretty  hare  l  was  gambolling  in  the  moon, 
And  peach  and  plum  trees  were  about  to  bloom, 

0  honoured  sir. 

In  that  same  month,  the  thirteenth  day  thereof, 

My  mother  dear 
To  me,  the  humble  maid  you  see,  gave  birth 
When  from  the  East  the  sun  first  touched  the  earth, 

0  honoured  sir. 

I  ask  not  riches,  at  such  paltry  stuff 

1  do  but  sneer ; 

Nor  for  high  honours  do  I  greatly  care, 
I  only  crave  the  festive  marriage-chair, 
0  honoured  sir." 

The  master  took  his  pen  and  quickly  wrote 

With  learned  air ; 
And  having  reckoned,  said  in  voice  sedate, 
"  You  have  another  three  years  yet  to  wait, 

My  maiden  fair." 

The  hapless  maiden,  when  she  listening  heard 

This  sentence  drear, 
Grew  angry,  and  with  countenance  irate, 
Said,  "  You  know  nothing  of  the  books  of  Fate, 

0  honoured  sir ! 

1  The  hare  is  the  sign  of  the  fourth  month,  and  is  popularly  be- 
lieved to  derive  its  origin  from  the  vital  essence  of  the  moon,  in  which 
luminary  a  sublimated  figure  of  the  animal  is  visible  to  the  Chinese 
fancy. 


346  CHINESE    STORIES. 

Across  the  street  there  lives  a  lady  fair, 

Born  King  by  name  ; 
Her  father's  third  child  she,  and  strange  to  say, 
Her  birth  with  mine  is  both  to  month  and  day 

The  very  same. 

Yet  she  when  fifteen  years  of  age  embraced 

A  son  and  heir ; 
And  the  next  year  to  this  most  welcome  joy 
She  added  still  another  little  boy, 

0  honoured  sir. 

Then  take  these  copper  cash  and  go  thy  way, 

Nor  linger  here ; 
And  never  darken  more  my  humble  gate. 
You  are  not  fit  to  read  the  books  of  Fate, 

0  honoured  sir." 


147 


THE    LOVE-SICK    MAIDEN. 


A  CHINESE   POEM. 


WITHIN  a  silken  curtained  bed  there  lay 
A  maiden  wondrous  fair  but  vaguely  ill, 
Who  cared  for  nothing  in  the  outside  world, 
Contented  only  to  lie  lone  and  still. 

While  lying  thus  her  neighbour  Mrs  Wang 
Stepped  lightly  o'er  to  ask  her  how  she  fared ; 

And  drawing  back  the  curtains,  stood  aghast 
To  see  how  wan  and  pale  her  cheeks  appeared. 

"  Tell  me  what  ails  you,  dear,"  she  kindly  said. 

"  My  mind's  diseased,"  the  maiden  soft  replied  : 
"  I  cannot  sleep,  I  loathe  the  sight  of  food, 

And  I'm  so  weary."     Then  she  turned  and  sighed. 

"  Shall  I  a  doctor  call  to  see  you,  dear  ? " 
"  A  doctor  ?     No  ;  I  don't  want  any  such. 

They  countless  questions  ask  to  earn  their  fees, 
And  sometimes  end  by  finding  out  too  much." 


348  CHINESE    STORIES. 

"  Shall  I  call  in  a  priest  to  pray  with  you  ?  " 
'•'  A  priest  ?     Oh  no,  that  would  be  worse  again. 

His  snuffling  chants  and  dismal  tinkling  bells 
Would  rather  aggravate  than  ease  my  pain." 

"  Shall  I  go  seek  a  nurse  to  wait  on  you  ? " 
"  A  nurse  ?     Oh  no,"  the  pretty  maiden  said  ; 

';  I  could  not  bear  to  have  her  watching  me, 
And  purring  like  a  cat  about  my  bed." 

"  But  what's  the  cause  of  this  distemper,  dear  ?  " 
The  maiden  raised  herself  and  blushing  said  : 

"  Last  spring  young  Le,  who  to  the  wars  has  gone, 
Was  wont  to  saunter  over  hill  and  glade. 

He  loved  to  wander  forth  amongst  the  flowers, 
To  revel  in  the  beauties  of  the  spring, 

To  watch  the  blossoms  opening  to  the  sun, 
And  hear  the  lark  and  tuneful  throstle  sing." 

"  But  what  has  that  to  do  with  you,  my  child? " 
"  Oh  blind,  oh  blind,  and  can't  you  really  see  ? 

I  love  him  as  the  wakening  dawn  loves  light ; 
And  let  me  whisper  to  you,  he  loves  me." 

"  Then  shall  I  call  this  Mr  Le  to  you  ? " 

"  What  use  to  call,  he's  many  leagues  away. 

Oh,  if  I  could  but  see  him  once  again  ! " 

"  You  shall,  my  child,  for  he  comes  home  to-day." 


TRINTED   BY   WILLIAM    BLACKWOOD   AND  SONS. 


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