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CONTENTS 

Introduction,  by  Franz  Kuhn  xiii 

The  Chia  Family  xvii 

Principal  Waiting  Maids  xix 

Translators'  Note  xxi 

CHAPTER  1:  Shih  Ying  is  carried  away  in  a  dream  and  receives  a 
revelation.  Amidst  the  toil  and  welter  of  daily  life  Yu  Tsun  finds 
the  maiden  of  his  heart. 

CHAPTER  2 :  In  Yangchow  a  high-born  lady  joins  the  company  of  the 
Blessed.  In  the  tavern  Yu  Tsun  learns  more  about  his  noble 
relatives.  13 

CHAPTER  3 :  Mr.  Ling  gives  his  guest  from  the  West  an  introduction 
to  the  Yungkuo  palace.  The  Princess  Ancestress  takes  a  motherless  -~  " 
child  lovingly  into  her  home.  20 

CHAPTER  4:  An  unfortunate  girl  finds  an  unfortunate  suitor.  A  little 

bonze  from  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd  acts  as  judge.  34 

CHAPTER  5:  The  spirit  of  Pao  Yu  ivanders  about  in  the  Phantom 
Realm  of  the  Great  Void.  The  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening  vainly 
interprets  for  him  in  songs  the  Dream  of  the  Red  Chamber.  43 

CHAPTER  6:  Pao  Yu  tries  for  the  first  time  the  "Play  of  Cloud  and 
Rain."  In  the  Ningkuo  palace  he  becomes  acquainted  with  his 
nephew  Chin  Chung.  52 

CHAPTER  7 :  Pao  Yu  is  shown  the  gold  amulet  of  his  girl  cousin.  The 
girl  cousin  is  shown  Pao  Yu's  stone.  58 

CHAPTER  8:  Chia  Cheng  reprimands  his  delinquent  offspring.  Ill- 
behaved  boys  create  a  disturbance  in  the  school.  65 

CHAPTER  9:  The  Prince  Hermit's  birthday  is  celebrated  in  the  N'ng- 
kuo  palace.  The  sight  of  Phoenix  awakens  carnal  desires  in  the 
heart  of  Chia  Jui.  74 

CHAPTER  10:  Phoenix  maliciously  incites  an  unrequited  passion.  In 
spite  of  warnings,  Chia  Jui  looks  into  the  forbidden  side  of  the 
Wind  and  Moon  Mirror.  84 

CHAPTER  11 :  Ko  Ching  dies  and  receives  the  posthumous  title  of  wife 
of  a  mandarin  of  the  fifth  rank.  Phoenix  takes  over  the  household 
management  in  the  Ningkuo  palace.  93 

CHAPTER  12:  Pao  Yu  meets  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  on 
the  road.  Chin  Chung  enjoys  himself  in  the  nunnery.  101 


CHAPTER  13 :  Beginning  of  Spring  is  exalted  by  Imperial  favor  and 
chosen  to  be  Mistress  of  the  Phoenix  Palace,  Chin  Chung  sets  out 
prematurely  on  kis  journey  to  the  Yellow  Springs.  114 

CHAPTER  14:  Pao  Yu  reveals  his  talent  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vi- 
sion. Black  Jade  is  annoyed  by  the  bite  of  a  fly.  123 

CHAPTER  15 :  On  'the  day  of  the  Lantern  Festival  the  Imperial  consort 
pays  her  family  a  visit.  134 

CHAPTER  16: -One  night  the  maid  Pearl  tests  Pao  Yu's  feelings  and 
stipulates  her  conditions.  Black  Jade  makes  fun  of  Cousin  Little 
Cloud.  144 

CHAPTER  17:  The  maid  Pearl  sulks  and  takes  Pao  Yu  quietly  to  task. 
The  maid  Little  Ping  keeps  silence  and  saves  Chia  Lien  from  being 
discovered.  154 

CHAPTER  18:  Pao  Yu  falls  out  with  two  of  his  cousins  at  the  same 
time.  Two  lovers  tease  one  another  with  quotations  from  "The  Play 
of  the  Western  Pavilion."  166 

CHAPTER  19:  Ni  the  usurer  proves  impulsively  generous  when  drunk. 
A  lovelorn  maid  gets  queer  ideas  about  a  lost  handkerchief.  177 

CHAPTER  20:  A  sorcerer  bewitches  the  cousins.  The  marvellous  power 
of  the  magic  stone  brings  about  their  recovery.  188 

CHAPTER  21:  On  the  Wasp  Waist  Bridge  a  lovelorn  maid  expresses 
her  feelings  in  commonplace  words.  The  "Courtesan  Yang"  startles 
two  butterflies  in  the  Pavilion  of  the  Kingfisher-Blue  Drops.  200 

CHAPTER  22 :  The  better  off  one  is,  the  more  one  troubles  about  one's 
welfare.  The  more  a  woman  is  cherished  and  loved,  the  more  love 
does  she  demand.  214 

CHAPTER  23:  A  lost  unicorn  amulet  causes  Little  Cloud  to  expose  her 
bare  i  ad  to  the  fierce  sun.  Gold  Ring  cannot  get  over  the  insult  she 
suffers  and  seeks  the  death  of  honor.  228 

CHAPTER  24:  The  degenerate  offspring  experiences  the  pain  of  a 
paternal  flogging.  238 

CHAPTER  25:  The  Begonia  Club  meets  in  the  Hermitage  of  Clear 
Autumn  Weather.  The  Princess  Ancestress  entertains  the  god- 
mother from  the  country  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision.  245 

_  'A  TER  26:  Pao  Yu  sets  out  to  burn  incense  in  the  dust  of  the  high- 
way in  memory  of  a  dear  departed.  On  the  Day  of  the  Thousand 
Autumns  Phoenix  unexpectedly  turns  into  a  vinegar  barrel.  264 

CHAPTER  27:  The  windy  and  rainy  mood  of  a  gloomy  autumn  eve- 
ning inspires  Black  Jade  with  an  elegy  on  the  wind  and  the  rain. 
The  maid  Mandarin  Duck  renounces  the  bliss  of  a  Mandarin  Duck 
union.  274 


CHAPTER  28:  The  Mad  Robber  Count  has  improper  designs  and  ex- 
periences a  flogging.  The  Cold  Knight  sets  off  on  a  journey  to  avoid 
trouble.  294 

CHAPTER  29:  The  libertine,  shamed  and  disgraced,  seeks  distraction 
in  a  business  expedition.  A  superior  girl  practices  the  art  of  poetry, 
studying  the  best  masters.  302 

CHAPTER  30:  A  quack  doctor  treats  Bright  Cloud  with  *' 'tiger  and 
wolf  medicines"  Despite  being  ill,  Bright  Cloud  heroically  sacri- 
fices herself  for  Pao  Yu  and  mends  his  peacock-plume  cloak.  311 

CHAPTER  31 :  The  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  slyly  tests  Pao  Yu's  feelings 
and  upsets  his  mental  balance  by  hinting  at  a  parting.  A  kindly 
aunt  pacifies  a  lovelorn  maiden  with  gentle  words.  326 

CHAPTER  32:  Chia  Lien  secretly  takes  the  second  Miss  Yu  to  wife. 
The  third  Miss  Yu  aspires  to  the  hand  of  the  Cold  Knight.  342 

CHAPTER  33:  A  fiery  maiden,  ashamed  of  her  unrequited  passion, 
takes  her  life.  The  Cold  Knight  strides  with  a  cold  heart  through 
the  Gateway  of  the  Great  Void.  356 

CHAPTER  34:  Phoenix  cross-examines  the  servant  and  so  finds  out  the 
master's  deceits.  The  unhappy  Yu  girl  allows  herself  to  be  lured 
into  a  trap.  366 

CHAPTER  35:  Phoenix,  with  cunning  and  malice,  plays  the  young 
rival  off  against  the  older  one.  Driven  to  desperation,  the  second 
Yu  kills  herself  by  swallowing  gold.  382 

CHAPTER  36:  The  bag  with  the  springlike  embroidery  becomes  a 
traitor  in  the  hands  of  a  simple  girl.  The  girls  in  the  Park  of  De- 
lightful Vision  fall  into  discredit  and  have  to  suffer  the  torture  of  a 
house  search.  393 

CHAPTER  37:  A  sinister  occurrence  at  the  nocturnal  banquet  awakens 
'.Inrh  forebodings.  At  the  Mid-AutWfl-n  Festival  a  new  stanza  awak- 
ens happy  promises  for  the  future.  411 

CHAPTER  38:  The  charming  maid  cannot  get  over  the  wrong  done 
her,  and  dies  in  the  flower  of  her  youth.  The  unhappy  scion  of 
princes  dedicates  a  funeral  hymn  to  the  dead  maid.  422 

CHAPTER  39:  The  Plaster  Priest  makes  game  of  Pao  Yu  and  invents  a 
remedy  for  jealousy.  Four  beauties  question  fate  with  the  fishing 
rod.  431 

CHAPTER  40:  An  evil  dream  frightens  an  unhappy  lovesick  maiden 
in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  Beginning  of  Spring  is  visited  by  her 
relatives  on  her  sickbed  in  the  Imperial  Palace.  441 


CHAPTER  41 :  The  beautiful  saint  is  caught  up  in  the  fire  of  sin  as  she 
sits  on  her  prayer  cushion,  and  is  carried  away  into  ecstasy  by 
demoniacal  forces.  Black  Jade  is  frightened  by  the  shadow  of  the 
snake  in  the  beaker,  and  rejects  all  nourishment  with  sublime 
resolution.  452 

CHAPTER  42:  The  Ancestress  puts  a  reverse  interpretation  upon  the 
evil  omen  of  the  begonia  blossoming  in  winter  and  tries  to  drown 
anxious  doubts  in  the  joyous  tumult  of  a  banquet.  Pao  Yu  loses  the 
spirit  stone  and  forfeits  his  reason  as  a  consequence.  463 

CHAPTER  43:  Black  Jade  consigns  her  poetical  works  to  the  flames 
and  finally  renounces  her  unhappy  love.  Precious  Clasp  crosses  the 
threshold  of  her  maidenly  bower  for  the  last  time,  and  goes  through 
the  great  ceremony  of  her  life.  480 

CHAPTER  44:  The  plant  Purple  Pearl  returns  to  the  Sphere  of  Ban- 
ished Suffering.  The  spirit  stone  drenches  with  tears  the  place  of 
dear  memories.  500 

CHAPTER  45:  Taste  of  Spring  marries  far  from  home,  and  Pao  Yu 
weeps  bitter  tears  after  her.  Ghosts  disport  themselves  at  night  in 
,  the  deserted  park.  507 

CHAPTER  46:  Yu  Tsun  recognizes  in  the  mysterious  hermit  his  old 
friend  and  benefactor.  The  moneylender  Ni,  known  as  the  Drunken 
Diamond,  becomes  the  pike  in  the  carp  pond.  516 

CHAPTER  47 :  The  unhappy  lover,  Pao  Yu,  stirs  up  past  feelings.  The 
bailiffs  of  the  Minister  of  Finance  take  possession  of  the  western 
palace.  529 

CHAPTER  48:  The  Princess  Ancestress,  prostrate  before  heaven,  nobly 
takes  upon  her  own  head  the  guilt  of  the  whole  clan,  and  generously 
distributes  her  treasures.  The  Imperial  grace  is  showered  upon 
Chia  Cheng,  and  the  princely  title,  restored  once  more,  is  passed 
on  to  him.  541 

CHAPTER  49:  Robbers  loot  the  property  left  by  the  Ancestress  and 
abduct  the  beautiful  anchoress.  Pao  Yu  gets  back  his  stone  and  is 
awakened.  550 

CHAPTER  50:  Pao  Yu  passes  the  examination  with  honors  and  re- 
nounces the  red  dust  of  the  world.  Shih  Ying  and  Yu  Tsun  meet 
once  more  and  conclude  the  story  of  the  stone.  569 


INTRODUCTION 


Author:  The  authorship  of  the  Hung  Lou  Meng,  which  first  appeared 
in  1791,  was  for  a  long  time  unknown.  As  late  as  1921  Dr.  Hu  Shih's 
exhaustive  research  made  it  possible  to  ascribe  the  first  eighty  chap- 
ters of  the  original,  which  has  one  hundred  twenty  chapters,  to  Tsao 
Hsueh  Chin,  and  the  remaining  forty  chapters  to  Kao  Ngoh,  one  of  the 
two  editors  of  the  first  printed  edition  published  in  1791.  This  dual 
authorship  seems  to  indicate  that  Tsao  Hsueh  Chin  probably  left  more 
than  eighty  chapters  and  that  Kao  Ngoh  edited,  expanded,  and  cor- 
related the  remaining  forty  chapters. 

The  versions  on  which  the  present  text  is  based  are  an  edition  of 
1832  published  by  the  Tsui  Wen  Company,  and  a  modern  annotated 
version  with  commentary  published  by  Commercial  Press,  Shanghai. 

Title:  Chinese  architecture  provides  for  the  mass  of  the  population 
low,  one-story  buildings.  A  mansion  with  a  second  story  is  called  lou — 
and  Hung  Lou  stands  for  "Red  Two-Story  Building."  According  to 
Buddhist  usage,  it  is  also  a  metaphor  for  such_concepts  as  worldly 
glory,  luxury,  wealth,  and  honors — similar  to  the  Buddhist  interpreta- 
tion of  "red  dust"  as  "worldly  strivings,"  "the  material  world." 

Period:  The  text  does  not  mention  any  particular  date.  However,  there 
are  implicit  indications  that  the  action  takes  place  during  the  Chinp 
Dynasty  (1644-1912).  Official  titles  and  ranks  correspond  to  those  o 
the  last  dynasty,  and  Manchuria  could  be  referred  to  as  a  provinc 
only  since  the  Ching  Dynasty.  According  to  the  findings  of  Dr.  Hi 
Shih,  the  author  Tsao  Hsueh  Chin  wrote  about  contemporary  event, 
and  his  own  experiences.  Internal  evidence  indicates  that  the  mail 
narrative  covers  the  period  between  1729_and  1737. 

Place:  The  text  speaks  alternately  of  the  capital  and  Chin  ling.  Th<: 
capital  under  the  Ching  Dynasty  was  Peking.  Chin  ling,  which  means 
"golden  tombs,"  is  probably  an  allusion  to  the  well-known  imperial 
burial  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Peking.  The  mountains  outside  the  city 
gates,  where  the  Prince  Hermit  lives  in  seclusion,  suggest  the  famous 
western  mountains  near  Peking,  with  their  splendid  temples. 


The  Hung  Lou  Meng  has  been  described  to  the  Westerner  as  a  for- 
bidding literary  monument  with  hundreds  of  characters.  Only  one 


European  before  myself,  Bancroft  Joly,  an  English  consul  in  China, 
ha.i  dared  to  approach  the  task  of  translation.  However,  he  did  not 
even  reach  the  halfway  point  of  the  original.  His  two-volume  transla- 
tion, Dream  of  the  Red  Chamber,  was  published  by  Kelly  and  Walsh  in 
Hong  Kong  in  1892-93. 

Another  more  recent  attempt  to  make  the  Hung  Lou  Meng  ac- 
cessible to  the  Western  mind  came  from  the  Chinese  side,  Chi  Chen 
Wang's  translation  and  adaptation,  Dream  of  the  Red  Chamber 
(George  Routledge  &  Sons  Ltd.,  London,  no  date).  But  Mr.  Wang's 
work  covers  barely  one-fourth  of  my  version  and,  particularly  in  its 
later  part,  is  more  in  the  nature  of  an  abstract  than  a  translation.  He 
eliminates  a  great  many  details  of  compelling  interest  to  the  Western 
reader,  and  also  a  number  of  incidents  essential  to  the  logical  develop- 
ment of  the  story,  for  instance,  the  entire  magnificent  dream  vision 
toward  the  end  of  the  book  (Chapter  49  in  the  present  version),  which 
is  one  of  the  literary  peaks  of  the  novel  and  quite  indispensable  to  it. 

My  translation  into  the  German,  on  which  the  present  English  trans- 
lation is  based,  presents  about  five-sixths  of  the  original.  It  is  intended 
not  so  much  for  a  restricted  scholarly  audience  as  for  the  general 
reader  interested  in  Chinese  literature.  Though  my  translation  is  not 
a  complete  one,  I  may  still  claim  to  be  the  first  Westerner  to  have 
made  accessible  the  monumental  structure  of  the  Hung  Lou  Meng.  My 
version  gives  a  full  rendering  of  the  main  narrative,  which  is  or- 
ganized around  the  three  figures  of  Pao  Yu,  Black  Jade,  and  Precious 
Clasp.  I  have  treated  the  secondary  plots  more  or  less  comprehensively 
according  to  their  importance,  always  with  a  view  to  avoiding  gaps 
in  the  story  development.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  sociologically 
this  novel  is  of  the  greatest  interest.  But  it  can  claim  our  attention 
equally  on  purely  literary  grounds:  the  narrative  is  compelling,  the 
characters  are  most  vividly  individualized,  the  background  is  im- 
pressively and  realistically  drawn. 

In  China  the  Hung  Lou  Meng  is  considered  the  outstanding  classic 
novel  of  the  Ching  Dynasty.  A  considerable  body  of  critical  literature 
has  grown  up  around  it.  The  general  assumption  is  that  the  author 
drew  on  his  own  experiences  and  that  his  hero,  Pao  Yu,  is  a  self- 
portrait.  Tsao  Hsueh  Chin  was  the  pampered  son  of  a  rich  and  highly 
cultivated  Mandarin  family  in  which  the  lucrative  office  of  Inspector 
of  the  Imperial  Silk  Factories  in  Kiangsu  had  been  hereditary  for 
generations.  In  spite  of  his  great  intellectual  gifts,  he  failed  at  the 
Literary  Examinations  and  was  barred  from  office.  He  took  refuge 
in  the  spheres  of  philosophy  and  letters. 

Chinese  literary  criticism  has  offered  other  solutions  to  the  puzzle, 
however.  A  not  improbable  theory  identifies  Pao  Yu  with  the  youthful 


Emperor  Chien  Ling  (r.  1736-1796),  of  whom  it  is  said  that,  like  Pao 
Yu,  he  had  .V  habit  v,f  licking  the  rouge  off  the  lips  of  the  young 
ladies  of  his  entourage.  According  to  this  theory,  Pao  Yu's  father, 
the  stern  Chia  Cheng,  represents  Emperor  Yung  Cheng  (r.  1723- 
1735),  Chien  Ling's  predecessor.  This  theory  has  much  to  commend  it. 
Among  the  host  of  characters  in  the  novel,  Chia  Cheng  is  the  pure 
type  of  the  stern  Confucian.  History  preserves  the  memory  of  Emperor 
Yung  Cheng  as  that  of  the  great  Confucian  on  China's  throne,  the 
ruler  of  common  sense  and  social  consciousness. 


Though  at  first  sight  the  Hung  Lou  Meng  appears  to  be  an  inexpli- 
cable chaos  of  innumerable  characters  and  events,  on  closer  scrutiny 
the  novel  reveals  itself  to  be  a  harmonious  structure,  well  ordered, 
logical,  consistent.  The  main  characters — Black  Jade,  of  a  nearly 
saintly  chastity;  the  Princess  Ancestress,  earthy  and  motherly;  Precious 
Clasp,  womanly,  warm,  sensible;  Bright  Cloud  and  Mandarin  Duck, 
touchingly  loyal  and  devoted;  Chia  Cheng,  stern  and  dutiful — are  ad- 
mirably drawn.  But  the  many  secondary  figures  also  fill  their  positions 
solidly  and  have  their  definite  functions  within  a  carefully  calculated 
plan.  To  -  give  one  example  among  many,  the  seemingly  gratuitous 
appearance  of  the  old  servant  and  grumbler  at  the  opening  of  the 
novel  becomes  meaningful  when  he  reappears  at  the  end  of  the  story 
and  the  reader  realizes  that  the  old  warrior  functions  as  the  unwanted 
and  unheeded  prophet. 

The  two  mysterious  monks  that  keep  reappearing  add  an  element 
of  the  supernatural;  they  are  messengers  from  the  beyond.  They  repre- 
sent the  recurring  motif  of  the  fundamental  themes  of  the  work,  which 
is  undeniably  Taoist.  The  action  begins  with  a  prologue  in  the 
Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void,  the  Taoist  heaven;  it  ends  with 
an  epilogue  in  the  Blessed  Regions  of  Purified  Semblance,  which  is 
another  name  for  the  same  sphere.  Four  times  we  see  characters  pass 
through  the  gate?  of  the  Greai  Void,  which,  in  Taoist  language,  means 
to  renounce  the  world:  Shih  Ying,  the  Cold  Knight,  Grief  of  Spring, 
and  finally  Pao  Yu,  the  hero  himself. 

A  second  motif  of  the  novel  seems  to  me  the  matriarchy,  eloquently 
represented  by  the  Ancestress,  who,  always  optimistic  and  ready  to 
celebrate,  admonishing  and  pacifying,  holds  the  family  together.  The 
Confucian  philosophy  of  life,  of  course,  could  not  be  absent  from  a 
Chinese  novel.  It  appears  in  the  person  of  Pao  Yu's  father,  Chia  Cheng. 

What,  briefly  summarized,  is  the  core  of  the  novel? 

From  the  Confucian  point  of  view,  it  might  be  the  story  of  the  wealth 
and  honor  of  a  great  and  noble  house  and  its  self-destruction.  The 

xv 


house  is  rehabilitated  in  the  end  through  the  intellectual  and  moral 
achievement  of  a  son  hitherto  considered  degenerate — since  Pao  Yu 
dutifully  conforms  to  the  wishes  of  his  parents  and  submits  to  the 
ordeal  of  the  examinations. 

From  the  Buddhist  and  Taoist  points  of  view  the  answer  might  be: 
It  is  a  story  of  the  gradual  awakening,  purification,  and  final  transcend- 
ence of  a  soul  originally  sunk  in  the  slime  of  temporal  and  material 
strivings. 

From  the  Western  point  of  view  the  answer  might  be  this:  It  is  the 
case  history  of  a  highly  gifted  but  degenerate  young  aristocrat,  a 
psychopath  and  a  weakling,  asocial,  effeminate,  plagued  by  inferiority 
complexes  and  manic  depressions,  who,  though  capable  of  a  temporary 
rallying  of  energies,  founders  among  the  demands  of  reality  and 
slinks  cravenly  away  from  human  society. 

The  last  stage  of  Pao  Yu's  development,  his  change  into  a  spirit, 
goes  beyond  the  comprehension  of  the  Western  mind.  For  Taoism  is 
not  only  a  theory  but,  above  all,  practical  experience. 

And  finally,  the  often-mentioned  spirit  stone  probably  symbolizes 
the  innate  disposition,  the  spiritual  nature,  of  a  man,  which  he  may 
not  betray  without  risking  the  loss  of  his  essential  self. 

The  goddess  Nu  Kua  and  the  36,501  stones  for  the  repair  of  the 
pillars  of  heaven,  with  which  the  novel  starts,  are  mythological  meta- 
phors of  rather  prosaic  significance.  Countless  as  stones,  men  inhabit 
the  earth;  among  them  Providence  picks  a  certain  number  and  assigns 
them  to  administer  the  State  as  members  of  the  hierarchy  of  officials 
and  to  preserve  the  mass  of  the  people  from  the  threat  of  anarchy. 
Pao  Yu  was  rejected  as  unfit  for  this  service,  but  he  had  been  touched 
by  the  hand  of  the  goddess  and  ennobled  by  her  touch.  Laziness  makes 
him  wish  to  be  an  ordinary  stone  among  stones,  but  a  higher  destiny 
frees  him  and  he  becomes  conscious  of  his  quality  as  "Precious  Stone." 
For  this  reason  our  novel  has  a  second  title  in  China,  Shi  tou  chi, 
"The  Story  of  the  Stone." 

FRANZ  KUHN 


KVl 


THE   CHIA   FAMILY 


HEADS     OF     THE     FAMILY 

Princess  Ancestress,  nee  Shih,  widow  of  Chia  Tai^Shan,  second  Prince  of 

Yungkuo.  Ruler  of  the  eastern  and  western  palaces 

-Chia  Ching  (Prince  Hermit),  son  of  Chia  Tai  Hua,  the  second  Prince  of 
Ningkuo.  Retired  to  a  Taoist  temple 

THE    SENIORS 

Chia  Chen  (Prince  Chen),  son  of  Chia  Ching;  in  his  place  master  of  the 

Ningkuo  palace 
Chia  Shieh  (Prince  Shieh),  elder  son  of  the  Princess  Ancestress;  master 

of  the  Yungkuo  palace 

Chia  Cheng,  younger  son  of  the  Princess  Ancestress 
Princess  Chen,  nee  Yu,  wife  of  Prince  Chen 
Princess  Shieh,  nee  Hsin,  wife  of  Prince  Shieh 
Madame  Cheng,  nee  Wang,  wife  of  Chia  Cheng 

TH  E     J  UNIORS 

Chia  Yung,  son  of  Prince  Chen 
Chia  Lien,  son  of  Prince  Shieh 

*>Chia  Pao  Yu,  son  of  Chia  Cheng  by  his  wife,  Madame  Cheng    -<AAO  i 
Chia  Huan,  son  of  Chia  Cheng  by  his  secondary  wife  Chao;  half  brother 

of  Pao  Yu 

Chia  Lan,  son  of  Chia  Chu,  the  deceased  son  of  Chia  Cheng 
Mistress  Yung,  wife  of  Chia  Yung,  also  known  by  her  childhood  name,  Ko 

Ching 

Madame  Phoenix,  wife  of  Chia  Lien 
Widow  Chu,  mother  of  Chia  L_in 
Beginning  of  Spring,  daughter  of  Chia  Cheng  and  his  wife,  nee  Wang; 

Bister  of  Pao  Yu;  Imperial  secondary  wife 
Taste  of  Spring,  daughter  of  Chia  Cheng  by  his  secondary  wife  Chao; 

half  sister  of  Pao  Yu 

Grief  of  Spring,  daughter  of  Chia  Ching,  the  Prince  Hermit 
Greeting  of  Spring,  daughter  of  Prince  Shieh  by  a  secondary  wife    >  /»^   ftfr,, 

RELATIONS    OF   THE    CHIA   FAMILY 
living  within  the  confines  of  the  Ningkuo  and  Yungkuo  estates 

-    Black  Jade  (Miss  Ling),  daughter  of  Ling  Ju  Hai,  granddaughter  of  the 
Princess  Ancestress 


Aunt  Hsueh,  nee  Wang,  sister  of  Madame  Cheng 
-Precious  Clasp  (Pao  Chai) ,  daughter  of  Aunt  Hsueh 
Hsueh  Pan,  son  of  Aunt  Hsueh 
Mother  Yu,  stepsister  of  Princess  Chen 

Second  Sister  Yu,  elder  daughter  of  Mother  Yu;  later  Chia  Lien's  sec- 
ondary wife 
Third  Sister  Yu,  younger  daughter  of  Mother  Yu 


PRINCIPAL  WAITING   MAIDS 


ANCESTRESS 

Mandarin  Duck 

Amber 

Numskull 

MADAME  CHENG 
Gold  Ring 
Nephrite  Buckle 

PHOENIX 

Little  Ping 
Little  Fong 
Siao  Hung 


PAoYu 


Pearl 
Musk 

Bright  Cloud 
Autumn  Wave 


PRECIOUS  CLASP 
Oriole 
Apricot 

BLACK  JADE 
Cuckoo 
Snowgoose 

GREETING  OF  SPRING 
Orange 
Chess  Maid 

GRIEF  OF  SPRING 

Painting  Maid 


xix 


TRANSLATORS'   NOTE 


To  avoid  confusion,  male  names  have  been  transliterated,  while  nearly 
all  female  names  have  been  freely  rendered  in  an  approximation  of  their 
literal  meaning. 

Forms  of  address  used  throughout  the  book: 

Tai  tai  (literally  "great-great" ),  for  the  master's  wife. 
Old  Tai  tai,  for  the  master's  mother. 
Nai  nai,  for  the  wife  of  the  master's  son. 

Mei  mei  (literally  "younger  sister,  younger  sister"),  for  younger 
sisters  and  young  female  cousins. 

The  term  "secondary  wife"  is  used  in  preference  to  concubine,  since 
the  Western  connotation  of  concubine  does  not  apply  to  the  moral  and 
legal  status  of  concubines  in  China,  who  are  formally  taken  into  the 
family. 


THE  DREAM  OF  THE  RED  CHAMBER 


CH*APTER    1 

Shih  Ying  is  carried  away  in  a  dream  and  receives  a  revelation.  Amidst 
the  toil  and  welter  of  daily  life  Yu  Tsun  finds  the  maiden  of  his  heart. 

OUR  STORY  BEGINS  IN  SUCHOW,  THE   STRONG  CITY   SITUATED  IN  THE 

southeastern  edge  of  the  great  plain  of  China.  Beyond  the  Emperor's 
Gate,  which  leads  into  the  quarter  of  the  rich  and  aristocratic,  the 
region  of  comfortable  living  and  "red  dust,"  stretched  the  "Ten  Mile 
Street."  In  a  narrow  bottleneck  of  that  street,  close  by  an  old  temple 
familiarly  known  as  the  "Temple  of  the  Gourd,"  lived  the  respected  citi- 
zen Shih  Ying  with  his  good  and  virtuous  wife,  nee  Feng. 

Shih  Ying  was  one  of  the  most  respected,  if  not  the  most  aristocratic, 
people  in  his  suburb.  Being  the  fortunate  possessor  of  a  nice  country 
estate,  he  was  able  to  live  a  life  of  leisure.  He  was  not  a  lover  of  honors 
or  riches  and  was  quite  happy  just  tending  his  flowers,  cultivating  bam- 
boo, or  reciting  poetry  over  a  glass  of  good  wine.  In  short,  he  lived  an 
idyllic  and  unworldly  life.  Only  one  thing  was  lacking  to  his  complete 
happiness:  he  was  already  past  fifty  and  had  no  little  son  to  rock  on 
his  knee.  Fate  had  granted  him  only  a  little  daughter,  now  three  years 
old,  named  Lotus. 

On  one  of  those  seemingly  endless  summer  days  he  was  poring  over 
his  books  in  the  library.  Overcome  with  the  heat,  his  head  had  sunk 
down  and  his  forehead  lay  against  the  edge  of  the  table.  As  he  dropped 
off  to  sleep  he  seemed  to  be  wandering  through  an  unknown  dream- 
land. While  he  was  walking  two  priests  joined  him  on  his  way  and 
went  along  beside  him.  One  of  them  was  a  Taoist,  the  other  a  servant 
of  Buddha.  He  heard  the  first  saying  to  the  second:  "Why  did  you  take 
the  stone  with  you?" 

The  bonze  replied:  "In  order  to  intervene  in  a  love  drama  which  by 
the  will  of  fate  is  about  to  be  enacted  in  the  earthly  world.  The  hero  of 
the  drama  has  not  yet  experienced  his  earthly  reincarnation.  I  wish  to 
take  the  opportunity  of  sending  the  stone  into  the  world  to  enable  the 
hero  to  play  his  role  in  that  drama." 

"And  where  does  the  drama  begin?" 

"That  is  a  strange  story.  In  the  distant  west,  on  the  shores  of  the 
River  of  the  Spirits,  where  stands  the  boundary  stone  of  the  three  ex- 
istences, the  plant  Purple  Pearl  once  grew.  At  that  time  our  stone  was 
still  living  a  restless,  wandering  life.  The  goddess  Nu  Kua,  whose  task 
it  was  to  repair  the  damaged  posts  of  the  gate  of  heaven,  had  finally  re- 
jected it  as  unfit,  because  of  its  composition,  out  of  the  36,501  stones 


which  she  had  set  aside  for  her  purpose.  By  contact  with  her  divine 
hand  it  had  become  possessed  of  a  soul,  hence  it  could  change  its  loca- 
tion whenever  it  pleased,  and  make  itself  larger  or  smaller.  It  felt  pain- 
fully conscious  day  ancr  night  of  the  humiliation  which  it  had  suffered 
in  being  rejected  by  the  goddess  as  unsuitable. 

"In  the  course  of  its  wanderings  it  came  one  day  to  the  palace  of  the 
Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening.  The  fairy,  who  knew  its  higher  destiny, 
took  it  into  her  household  staff  and  gave  it  the  title  of  'Guardian  of  the 
Radiance  of  the  Stone  of  the  Gods'  in  the  Palace  of  the  Red  Clouds. 
But  it  simply  could  not  settle  down  and  give  up  its  wandering  life. 

"It  used  to  steal  away  frequently  from  its  duties  in  the  palace  and  go 
off  to  the  shores  of  the  River  of  the  Spirits.  There,  one  day,  it  discov- 
ered the 'plant,  Purple  Pearl.  It  became  very  fond  of  Purple  Pearl  and 
to  show  its  affection  used  to  sprinkle  it  daily  with  fragrant  dew.  Thus  it 
saved  the  delicate  plant  from  f .  ding  away  too  soon.  Thanks  to  the  be- 
neficent refreshment  with  fragrant  dew,  through  which  it  drank  in  the 
finest  powers  of  the  mutual  relations  between  heaven  and  earth,  it  was 
enabled  later  to  drop  its  earthly  form  of  plant  and  take  human  shape. 
The  delicate  plant  turned  into  a  young  girl. 

"An  invincible  longing  often  drove  this  young  girl  beyond  the  calm 
'Sphere  of  Banished  Suffering.'  When  she  was  hungry  she  loved  to  eat 
of  the  'Tree  of  Secret  Love  Fruits.'  When  she  was  thirsty  she  loved  best 
to  sip  from  the  'Source  of  Drenching  Grief.'  Again  and  again  she  re- 
membered how  in  the  past,  when  she  was  a  frail  plant,  someone  used 
to  water  her  with  sweet  dew,  and  her  longing  to  requite  that  kindly 
deed  never  left  her.  I  cannot  repay  him  by  doing  the  same  for  him,  she 
used  often  to  think  to  herself.  But  if  it  should  be  granted  me,  in  my  next 
existence,  to  meet  him  as  a  fellow  being  on  earth,  then  I  hope  I  shall 
thank  him  with  as  many  tears  as  I  can  shed  in  a  whole  long  life. 

"That,  then,  is  the  prehistory  of  the  love  drama  which  by  the  will  of 
Providence  is  now  about  to  be  enacted  upon  earth.  Those  taking  part, 
among  them  the  plant  Purple  Pearl,  are  already  preparing  to  step 
down  upon  the  earthly  stage.  Therefore  let  us  hasten  to  take  back  our 
stone  to  its  mistress,- the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening,  so  that  she  can 
enter  it  in  the  list  of  those  taking  part  in  that  drama,  and  send  it  to 
join  the  other  players." 

"Very  strange  indeed,"  remarked  the  Taoist.  "To  repay  a  debt  of 
gratitude  with  tears  is  definitely  something  new.  The  story  seems  to  me 
to  be  sufficiently  worthwhile  to  induce  us  too  to  step  down  into  the 
dust  of  the  earth.  Perhaps  we  may  succeed  thereby  in  effecting  the  re- 
demption of  some  erring  souls.  This  would  indeed  be  a  meritorious 
work." 

"That  is  certainly  my  opinion  too.  I  therefore  propose  that  we  first 


of  all  deliver  our  foundling,  the  stone,  to  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awaken- 
ing, and  later  descend  ourselves  also,  when  all  the  actors  in  this  drama 
of  misfortune  are  already  met  together  down  below.  Up  to  the  present 
only  half  of  them  are  gathered  there." 

"Good.  Let  us  be  off,  then,  to  the  Palace  of  the  Red  Clouds." 
The  sleeper  Shih  Ying  had  followed  every  word  of  their  con^yersa- 
tion.  He  now  stepped  ahead  of  the  two,  who  were  walking  besidye  him, 
saluted  them  with  a  bow,  and  addressed  them  as  follows:  "Reverend 
Masters,  this  simple  fellow  was  an  accidental  listener  to  your  strange 
conversation.  He  did  not  understand  its  full  meaning.  If  you  would 
favor  him  with  a  more  detailed  explanation  of  it,  he  would  listen  most 
devoutly  and  respectfully.  He  would  very  much  like  to  profit  in  some 
small  measure  from  your  wisdom,  and  so  not  sink  into  the  vortex  of 
foolishness." 

"It  is  not  permitted  to  us  to  speak  in  advance  of  matters  concerning 
destiny,"  was  the  reply.  "When  the  time  comes,  think  of  us.  If  you  do 
so  you  will  escape  the  fiery  pit  of  perdition." 

"May  I  not  at  least  see  the  object  of  your  conversation?" 
"That  is  permitted  to  you,  by  the  will  of  Providence,"  said  the  bonze, 
passing  him  the  desired  object.  Shih  Ying  took  it  in  his  hand  and 
looked  at  it.  It  was  a  lovely  jade  stone  with  a  fresh,  pale  radiance.  On 
the  upper  surface  were  engraved  the  four  ideographs  tung  ling  pao-yu, 
"Stone  of  penetrating  spiritual  power."  The  bottom  surface  too  showed 
a  series  of  small  written  characters.  Shih  Ying  was  about  to  decipher 
them  when  the  bonze  took  the  stone  out  of  his  hand  again,  saying:  "We 
have  arrived  at  the  Realm  of  Illusion,"  and  strode  on  ahead  with  the 
Taoist.  Shih  Ying  saw  them  walking  in  through  a  high  stone  archway, 
over  which  stood  the  words  in  big  letters:  "Phantom  Realm  of  the 
Great  Void."  On  the  two  pillars  of  the  arch  he  read  the  couplet: 

When  seeming  is  taken  for  being,  being  becomes  seeming, 
Where  nothing  is  taken  for  something,  something  becomes  nothing. 

He  was  about  to  hurry  after  the  two  men  when  a  frightful  clap  of 
thunder  resounded  in  his  ears.  It  seemed-  as  if  the  earth  were  about  to 
collapse.  With  a  loud  cry  he  woke  up.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  blinked 
at  the  glowing  orb  of  the  evening  sun,  which  was  blazing  slantwise 
through  the  banana  leaves.  Already  he  had  half  forgotten  his  vision. 

The  nurse  appeared  on  the  threshold  with  little  Lotus  in  her  arms. 
Shih  Ying  took  the  child  from  her,  pressed  it  tenderly  as  a  jewel  to  his 
bosom,  and  dandled  it  and  played  with  it  for  a  while.  Then  he  took  it 
with  him  outside  the  hall  door,  and  stood  there  looking  at  the  noisy 
throng  in  the  street.  He  was  just  about  to  go  back  into  the  house  when 


two  men  in  priestly  attire  passed  by — one  a  servant  of  Buddha,  the 
other  a  disciple  of  Lao  Tzu.  The  bonze  was  barefooted.  His  shorn  head 
was  full  of  scurf  and  scratches.  The  Taoist  was  lame  in  one  foot;  the 
hair  of  his  bare  head  hung  about  in  an  uncombed  tangle.  Along  they 
came  gesticulating  wildly  and  laughing  like  a  pair  of  madmen.  They 
stopped  in  front  of  Shih  Ying's  threshold  and  remained  a  moment 
staring  at  him  and  the  child.  Then  the  bonze  suddenly  began  to  sigh 
loudly,  and  he  said  to  Shih  Ying:  "Sir,  what  ill-fated  creature  is  that 
you  hold  in  your  arms?  It  will  bring  nothing  but  sorrow  to  its  parents!" 

Shih  Ying  thought  the  man  was  mad,  so  he  took  no  notice  of  his 
talk.  But  the  bonze  continued  to  address  him  with  great  emphasis. 
"Give  it  to  me!  Give  it  to  me!"  he  urged,  pointing  to  the  child  in  his 
arms. 

This  was  too  much  for  Shih  Ying.  He  pressed  the  baby  more  firmly 
to  his  breast,  and  was  already  turning  to  go  away,  when  the  bonze 
broke  into  a  shrill  peal  of  laughter  and  called  out  after  him: 

"A  fool  dotes; 
Tender  blossoms 
Are  cut  by  the  frost. 
Take  care 
at  New  Year, 
Fire  and  flame." 

Shih  Ying  hung  back.  He  would  have  very  much  liked  to  have  the 
mysterious  rhyme  explained  to  him.  But  he  heard  the  Taoist  priest  say 
to  the  bonze:  "From  now  on  our  paths  divide.  We  shall  work  apart. 
After  three  aeons  1  shall  await  you  in  the  well-known  cemetery  on  the 
Pei  Mang  Hill  near  Lo  yang.  We  shall  then  go  back  together  to  the 
Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void  and  have  the  affair  of  the  stone  ob- 
literated from  the  register." 

"Good,"  Shih  Ying  heard  the  bonze  reply,  whereupon  the  two  sud- 
denly disappeared.  Shih  Ying  was  still  in  a  dazed  and  stupefied  state, 
thinking  over  the  strange  incident,  when  he  saw  his  good  friend  and 
neighbor  Chia  Yu  Tsun  coming  towards  the  house.  Yu  Tsun  was  a  poor 
young  student  who  lodged  near  by  in  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd.  He  was 
the  son  of  an  official  in  Huchow,  who  had  died  early,  leaving  his  family 
in  poor  circumstances.  A  year  ago  he  had  set  out  to  make  his  way  to  the 
capital,  intending  to  enter  for  the  great  public  examinations  and  win 
fame  and  success.  He  had  only  got  as  far  as  Suchow,  however,  when  his 
money  ran  out.  So  he  had  foun.d  temporary  refuge  and  lodging  in  a 
monk's  cell  in  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd.  Here  hte  continued  his  studies 
industriously,  at  the  same  time  earning  his  board  and  keep  by  writing 
for  the  unlettered.  In  this  way  he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Shih 
Ying,  and  was  soon  on  terms  of  friendship  with  him.  For  Shih  Ying  had 


a  great  regard  for  the  art  of  letters,  and  he  took  a  keen  delight  in 
the  profound  and  genuine  culture  of  the  brilliant  young  scholar. 

Yu  Tsun  now  approached  with  a  polite  bow  saying:  "I  see  that  you 
are  leaning  against  the  doorpost  and  craning  your  neck.  No  doubt  you 
are  looking  out  for  any  novel  happenings  in  the  town?" 

"That  is  not  it,"  replied  Shih  Ying,  "but  the  child  was  restless,  and 
I  tried  to  distract  her  a  bit  by  taking  her  to  the  door  with  me.  My 
worthy  brother  has  come  just  at  the  right  time.  Let  us  go  in  and  shorten 
the  endless  day  with  pleasant  conversation." 

He  gave  the  child  to  the  nurse  and  showed  his  visitor  into  the  library. 
They  had  barely  had  time  to  drink  a  bowl  of  tea  and  exchange  four  or 
five  sentences  when  the  host  was  called  away  to  another  visitor  in  the 
outer  room.  Shih  Ying  asked  his  friend  to  remain  but  to  excuse  him  for 
a  few  minutes.  So  Yu  Tsun  stayed  and  passed  the  time  of  waiting  rum- 
maging and  searching  out  old  books  from  among  the  volumes  in  the 
library.  While  he  was  thus  engaged  he  suddenly  heard,  through  the 
window,  the  clear  tones  of  a  feminine  voice.  He  laid  the  old  books  aside, 
slipped  over  to  the  window,  and  leaned  out.  Not  far  from  the  window 
he  saw  a  young  girl  bent  down  between  the  flower  beds.  She  was  pick- 
ing flowers  and  humming  a  song  as  she  did  so.  She  was  not  exactly 
ten-tenths_beautiful,  nevertheless  she  was  quite  uncommonly  charming. 
At  any  rate,  Yu  Tsun  remained  at  the  window,  staring  steadily  out  at 
her.  Then,  chancing  to  look  up,  she  also  caught  sight  of  him. 

He  is  poorly  clothed,  it  is  true,  but  stately  in  form  and  appearance, 
she  thought  to  herself  as  she  turned  away  hastily.  What  handsome 
features  he's  got,  and  what  expressive  eyes!  He  must  surely  be  the 
scholar  Yu  Tsun,  the  friend  of  whom  my  master  speaks  so  much,  and 
whom  he  is  so  anxious  to  help  whenever  he  has  a  chance.  Yes,  it  must 
be  he,  because  all  the  other  people  who  frequent  our  house  are  of  the 
well-to-do  classes.  But  one  has  only  to  see  him  to  understand  why  our 
master  always  believes  that  he  will  not  have  to  go  about  much  longer  in 
such  old  and  torn  clothes.  She  could  not  resist  looking  back  once  more 
at  the  window.  Then  she  disappeared  farther  into  the  garden. 

Yu  Tsun  was  immense'y  pleased  at  having  obviously  made  an  im- 
pression on  her  despite  his  shabby  appearance.  That  girl  is  hoth  wise 
and  observant,  he  said  to  himself,  and  she  can  perceive  the  higher 
value  of  a  person  like  myself  despite  unfavorable  circumstances. 

Moved  by  these  thoughts,  he  strode  meditatively  through  the  garden 
and  out  into  a  street  by  a  side  door.  For  the  guest  was  remaining  to  din- 
ner, as  a  servant  had  informed  him,  and  so  it  would  be  too  long  for 
him  to  wait.  He  could  not  forget  the  little  incident  of  the  pretty  girl  in 
the  garden  who  had  turned  round  twice  to  look  at  him. 

On  the  evening  of  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival,  after  the  usual  family 


meal  was  over,  his  patron  went  round  to  invite  him  to  drink  a  friendly 
glass  of  wine  alone  with  him  in  his  library.  Yu  Tsun  was  sitting  by  him- 
self in  his  monastery  cell  in  a  melancholy  mood.  Contemplation  of  the 
harvest  moon  had  inspired  him  to  write  a  poem  of  eight  lines  in  which 
he  had  described  in  cryptic  words  his  recent  experience  and  revealed 
the  secret  wishes  which  it  had  awakened.  The  thought  that  an  unkind 
fate  would  deny  him  the  fulfillment  of  his  desires  made  him  sigh  deeply, 
look  up  full  of  sorrow  at  the  moon,  and  bring  forth  the  following  addi- 
tional lines: 

In  darkness  languishes  the  precious  stone. 

When  will  its  excellence  enchant  the  world? 

The  precious  clasp  hidden  away 

Longs  for  wings  to  fly  to  the  bride. 

While  he  was  repeating  these  lines  over  to  himself  in  came  Shih 
Ying. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  my  worthy  brother  makes  high  demands  of  life 
and  considers  himself  much  above  the  common  herd,"  he  remarked 
with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  I  was  not  referring  to  myself,"  replied  Yu  Tsun,  embarrassed. 
"That's  an  old  poem.  It  just  occurred  to  me  by  chance.  You  flatter  me 
m  thinking  it  mine." 

Shih  Ying  gave  his  invitation  and  took  Yu  Tsun  back  with  him  to  his 
library.  He  drank  his  health  gaily  and  encouraged  him  to  help  himself 
from  the  many  dishes  of  dainties  which  he  kept  on  tirelessly  ordering 
for  him.  Thus  it  happened  that  Yu  Tsun,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  the 
spare  diet  of  a  monk,  fell  more  and  more  into  that  mood  of  exhilara- 
tion in  which  the  mouth  expresses  the  things  which  move  the  heart. 
The  pleasant  sound  of  strings  and  flutes  and  merry  songs  drifted  in 
from  the  street  and  from  the  neighboring  houses.  Up  in  the  heavens 
hung  the  shining  white  orb  of  the  full  moon.  In  a  trice  Yu  Tsun  had 
improvised  a  quatrain  in  praise  of  the  harvest  moon. 

"Magnificent!  Divine!"  cried  his  host,  enthusiastically.  "Once  more 
my  worthy  brother  has  given  a  proof  of  his  poetic  ability.  I  have  always 
said  that  you  would  not  wade  for  long  in  the  slough  of  dejection.  Soon 
you  will  be  floating  upon  the  clouds.  I  congratulate  you  in  advance.  Do 
me  the  honor  to  drink!" 

And  he  reached  him  another  beaker  of  wine  filled  with  his  own  hand. 

Yu  Tsun  emptied  the  beaker.  Then  he  took  a  deep  breath  and  said: 
"Pray  do  not  think  that  it  is  the  wine  which  has  inspired  your  humble 
younger  brother  with  daring  words.  I  am  confident  that  I  shall  be  able 
to  pass  the  examination  and  have  my  name  written  in  the  list  of  the 
chosen.  But  of  what  avail  is  all  my  ability  if  my  travelling  trunk  is 
empty?  The  road  to  Peking  is  a  long  one.  If  some  good  souls  do  not 

8 


help  me,  I  fear  I  shall  not  make  it  with  the  little  I  earn  as  a  scrivener." 

"Why  has  my  worthy  brother  not  spoken  of  this  sooner?"  his  host 
interrupted  quickly.  "I  have  been  thinking  of  this  matter  for  some  time 
past,  but  I  did  not  trust  myself  to  broach  it.  Now,  however,  I  can  make 
up  for  lost  time.  True,  I  am  not  a  highly  educated  man;  nevertheless  I 
know  what  is  seemly  between  friends.  Next  spring,  after  an  interval 
of  three  years,  a  State  examination  is  to  be  held  again.  My  worthy 
brother  must  on  no  account  miss  this  opportunity  and  he  must  therefore 
set  out  for  the  capital  as  soon  as  possible  in  order  there  to  prove  his 
abilities.  I  shall  bear  the  cost  of  the  journey  and  of  everything  else 
that  is  necessary.  My  worthy  brother  shall  at  least  not  have  squandered 
his  friendship  in  vain  upon  an  unworthy  person." 

He  whispered  an  order  to  one  of  his  servants.  The  man  disappeared 
and  came  back  straight  away  to  lay  before  his  master's  protege  a 
moneybag  containing  fifty  shining  ounce  pieces,  and  two  beautiful 
quilted  winter  coats.  Meantime  the  master  of  the  house  had  been  look- 
ing through  the  calendar. 

"The  nineteenth  is  a  favorable  day  for  setting  out  on  a  journey,"  he 
continued.  "My  worthy  brother  should  take  timely  steps  to  secure  a 
hired  boat  for  that  day.  And  perhaps,  when  the  year  is  over,  I  shall 
once  more  have  the  honor  of  basking  in  the  radiance  of  your  presence, 
after  the  wings  of  your  talents  have  carried  you  up  to  giddy  heights. 
That  would  indeed  be  a  day  of  high  festival  for  me." 

Yu  Tsun  was  so  exhilarated  by  the  wine  that  he  only  mumbled  a  few 
banal  words  of  thanks  before  settling  down  once  more  to  easy  and 
loquacious  chatting  and  drinking.  Not  until  far  into  the  night,  about 
the  time  of  the  third  drum  roll,  did  the  friends  take  leave  of  each  other. 

The  next  morning  Shih  Ying  remembered  that  he  had  also  intended 
to  give  his  protege  letters  of  introduction  to  two  civil  servants  whom 
he  knew  in  the  capital.  He  therefore  sent  a  servant  over  to  the  Temple 
of  the  Gourd  to  ask  Yu  Tsun  to  come  over  once  more  to  receive  these 
letters  of  recommendation.  But  on  returning,  the  servant  reported  that 
Yu  Tsun  had  set  out  very  early  that  morning.  He  had  left  with  one  of 
the  temple  bonzes  a  farewell  greeting  for  his  patron  and  a  further  mes- 
sage to  the  effect  that  people  of  education  like  himself  were  in  the  habit 
of  considering  only  the  matter  in  hand  and  were  not  influenced  by 
superstitious  directions  in  the  calendar.  And  that  was  that,  whether 
Shih  Ying  liked  it  or  not. 

Light  and  shadow  change  swiftly.  The  first  full  moon  of  the  New 
Year,  the  time  of  the  Lantern  Festival,  had  come  around  again  unper- 
ceived.  In  the  evening  Shih  Ying  had  sent  a  servant  to  take  his  little 
daughter  outside  the  hall  door  so  that  she  might  enjoy  the  sight  of  the 


gay  lanterns  and  the  merry  fireworks — the  "spirit  fires."  The  servant 
had  gone  right  into  the  throng  of  the  Ten  Mile  Street.  He  found  so 
many  fascinating  sights  and  sounds  there  that  he  was  completely  spell- 
bound and  could  not  tear  himself  away.  But  needing  a  moment's 
privacy,  he  thoughtlessly  left  the  child  in  his  charge  sitting  on  a  stone 
parapet  in  front  of  a  strange  house  while  he  disappeared  round  the 
nearest  corner.  When  he  came  back  the  little  girl  was  gone.  He  searched 
the  streets  and  lanes  for  her  all  night,  but  in  vain.  The  next  morning, 
being  too  much  aft  aid  of  punishment  to  return  to  his  master's  house, 
he  fled  from  the  town  and  ran  back  to  his  native  village. 

Shih  Ying,  in  desperation,  sent  his  whole  household  out  to  search 
for  the  lost  child,  but  without  success.  Then,  mourning  fell  upon  the 
house  which  had  formerly  been  such  a  happy  one.  Both  parents  were 
already  past  fifty,  and  could  scarcely  hope  to  have  more  children.  Their 
sighs  and  lamentations  did  not  cease,  either  by  day  or  by  night,  and 
soon  physicians  and  soothsayers  became  daily  guests  in  the  house.  But 
the  loss  of  their  child  was  not  to  be  their  only  misfortune. 

On  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  third  month,  namely,  on  All  Souls'  Day, 
a  fire  broke  out  in  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd.  The  Brother,  who  was 
cooking  the  sacrificial  foods,  had  carelessly  allowed  the  flames  of  the 
fire  to  shoot  out  over  the  pan  and  set  alight  the  parchment  panes  and 
wooden  frame  of  the  kitchen  window.  All  the  buildings  round  about 
had  bamboo  fences,  and  wooden  walls,  so  the  flames  spread  rapidly 
from  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd  to  the  neighboring  house,  and  thence 
farther  and  farther  from  house  to  house.  Soon  all  the  streets  around 
the  temple  were  one  single  mass  of  flames,  against  which  the  inhabit- 
ants and  the  town  fire  brigade  strove  in  vain.  The  fire  raged  for  a  whole 
night  before  burning  itself  out.  Shih  Ying's  house  too  had  gone  down 
in  ruins  and  ashes.  The  inmates  had  barely  been  able  to  escape  with 
their  lives.  So  what  could  poor  Shih  Ying  do  but  bow  his  knees  and 
utter  short  sighs  and  long  ones? 

At  first  he  and  his  wife  went  to  live  on  their  country  estate.  But  they 
found  life  hardly  tolerable  there,  for  owing  to  drought  and  famine  the 
whole  countryside  was  overrun  with  robber  bands,  which  fell  upon 
the  villages  like  swarms  of  bees.  Soldiers  came  to  drive  away  the  rob- 
bers, but  they  in  their  turn  became  a  scourge  which  made  country  life 
highly  unpleasant.  On  account  of  all  this  the  sorely  tried  Shih  Ying  de- 
cided to  sell  his  land.  He  then  went  with  his  wife  and  two  maids  to  live 
with  his  father-in-law,  old  Feng,  in  the  safe  town  of  Ta  yu  chow.  Old 
Feng,  who  was  likewise  a  former  landowner,  was  fairly  comfortably  off. 
All  the  same  he  was  not  exactly  overjoyed  at  seeing  his  son-in-law 
coming  to  seek  refuge  with  him  in  such  a  wretched  state  of  want. 
Happily,  Shih  Ying  did  not  come  empty-handed;  he  brought  some  cash 

10 


•vith  him — the  proceeds  of  his  landed  property.  This  he  handed  over 
to  his  father-in-law,  asking  him  to  buy  a  little  house  and  a  piece  of 
land  for  him  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  Old  Feng  did  this  most 
willingly,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that  half  the  money  disappeared 
into  his  own  pocket.  With  the  other  half  he  bought  a  very  rickety  old 
cottage  and  a  piece  of  worthless  land.  Now  Shih  Ying  was  somewhat 
spoiled  by  his  previous  life  of  pleasant  leisure;  he  much  preferred 
lingering  over  books  to  occupying  himself  with  practical  things  such 
as  tillage  and  harvest  work.  It  was  small  wonder,  then,  that  such  tasks, 
carried  out  so  much  against  his  grain,  were  not  blessed  with  success, 
and  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  completely  destitute.  His  father- 
in-law  was  thoroughly  dissatisfied  with  him  and  blamed  him  for  being 
lazy  and  soft.  True,  he  did  not  say  these  things  to  his  face,  but  he  com- 
plained of  him  behind  his  back  to  others.  Shih  Ying,  who  got  to  hear 
of  this  indirectly,  felt  grieved  and  depressed.  The  disappointments 
and  vicissitudes  of  the  past  few  years  had  worn  him  down  visibly.  He 
had  become  an  old  man  who  had  nothing  more  left  to  hope  for. 

One  day  he  was  taking  a  leisurely  stroll  along  the  street  leaning 
wearily  on  his  stick,  like  an  old  man.  Suddenly  a  wandering  Taoist 
monk  of  very  odd  appearance,  dressed  in  a  ragged  smock  and  wearing 
bast  sandals,  came  limping  along  beside  him.  He  could  hear  the  monk 
murmuring: 

"Sweet  world-forsaking!  Precious  solitude! 

Honor  and  fame:  how  little  worth  are  these! 
The  great  ones  of  the  world,  when  all  is  done, 

Are  but  a  mound  of  earth,  with  grass  thereon. 

"Sweet  world-forsaking!  Precious  solitude! 

Riches  and  gold — who  would  be  fain  of  these? 
Our  clutching  hands  seize  them,  and  cannot  hold: 

One  day  we  must  leave  all — yes,  wealth  and  gold. 

"Sweet  world-forsaking!  Precious  solitude! 

Do  lovely  women,  then,  ensnare  your  hearts? 
These  swear  to  love  one  man  till  death  doth  part: 

He  dieth — soon  another  claims  that  love. 

"Sweet  world-forsaking!  Precious  solitude! 

Are  children,  and  their  children,  your  desire? 
Loving  parental  hearts  wear  out  in  vain: 

The  only  thanks  which  children  give  is — pain." 

"Your  words  touch  my  soul  to  its  very  depths,  honored  Master," 
said  Shih  Ying  with  a  sigh  to  his  travelling  companion.  "Will  you  allow 
me  to  supplement  your  verses  with  a  few  sentences  expressing  the  ex- 
perience gained  in  the  Bourse  of  my  own  wretched  life?" 

"Proceed!"  cried  the  disciple  of  Lao  Tzu  with  friendly  encourage- 

11 


ment.  Thereupon  in  well-chosen  and  skillfully  disposed  words  Shih 
Ying  improvised  a  melancholy  homily  on  the  splendor  of  his  past  life, 
the  misery  of  his  present  situation,  and  the  transitory  nature  of  all 
earthly  things. 

"Splendid!  You  have  put  it  all  in  deeply  impressive  words,"  said 
the  monk  admiringly,  when  Shih  Ying's  outpouring  had  ended. 

"I  should  like  to  go  along  with  you,"  said  Shih  Ying  simply.  He  took 
the  heavy  knapsack  from  the  monk's  shoulders,  and  buckled  it  onto  his 
own.  Then,  without  even  going  back  to  his  house,  he  joined  the  strange 
holy  man  in  his  casual  wandering. 

His  disappearance  formed  the  subject  of  conversation  for  some  time 
in  his  quarter  of  the  town.  His  wife  almost  died  of  shock  and  grief,  it 
was  said.  When  all  inquiries  for  his  whereabouts  proved  in  vain  and 
the  missing  man  failed  to  return,  she  went  back  to  the  house  of  her 
parents  with  her  two  maids,  and  from  that  time  on,  working  day  and 
night  with  her  needle,  she  strove  to  keep  up  the  household  for  herself 
and  her  aged  father. 

One  day  the  elder  of  her  maids  was  standing  at  the  street  door  buy- 
ing yarn  from  a  hawker.  Suddenly  she  heard  the  yamen  outriders  as 
they  came  nearer  and  nearer  down  the  street  shouting:  "Make  way! 
Make  way!"  The  new  district  Mandarin  was  taking  up  his  office  today, 
the  people  told  her.  Leaning  back  in  the  doorway,  she  watched  the 
procession  pass.  It  was  a  stately  cortege.  In  front  were  postillions  on 
horseback,  then  came  police  and  yamen  officials  in  two  lines  carrying 
banners  and  the  insignia  of  office.  In  between  the  lines  was  the  great 
official  sedan  chair  with  the  Mandarin  in  his  scarlet  State  robe  seated  in 
it.  Behind  walked  more  flunkies.  The  maid  gave  a  start.  It  seemed  to  her 
that  she  had  seen  the  handsome  face  of  the  man  in  the  scarlet  robe 
sometime  somewhere  before. 

When  the  procession  had  passed  by  she  went  into  the  house  again 
and  had  soon  forgotten  the  trifling  incident. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  that  same  day,  just  as  everyone  was  going  to 
bed,  there  was  a  sudden  loud  and  peremptory  knocking  at  the  door  of 
the  Fengs'  house.  A  troop  of  yamen  servants  were  outside  demanding 
to  be  let  in. 

"The  old  Governor  has  sent  us,"  they  said  in  a  chorus.  "We  have  a 
load  to  deliver." 

Old  Feng  was  as  frightened  as  if  a  tiger  stood  in  his  path.  What 
new  trouble  was  this,  in  the  name  of  heaven?  If  you  want  to  know  you 
must  read  what  the  next  chapter  has  to  report. 


12 


CHAPTER   2 

In  Yangchow  a  high-born  lady  joins  the  company  of  the  Blessed.  In 
the  tavern  Yu  Tsun  learns  more  about  his  noble  relatives. 

As  SOON  AS  OLD  FENG  HAD  RECOVERED  SOMEWHAT  FROM  HIS  SHOCK, 

he  went  to  the  door  and  asked  the  people  from  the  yamen  what  they 
wanted.  "A  certain  Shih  Ying  is  said  to  live  here,  and  we  have  orders  to 
take  him  to  the  old  Governor,"  came  the  answer. 

"My  name  is  Feng,  but  my  son-in-law's  name  is  Shih  Ying.  He  no 
longer  lives  in  this  town,  however;  he  joined  the  wandering  monks  and 
hermits  two  years  ago." 

"Then  you  must  come  with  us  instead  of  him,"  they  said.  And  they 
took  old  Feng  along  with  them  and  brought  him  to  the  yamen  of  the 
new  Mandarin. 

It  was  late  at  night  when  old  Feng  returned  home  to  his  family,  who 
were  awaiting  him  anxiously.  His  report  at  once  banished  all  their 
fears  and  turned  their  sadness  into  joy. 

"The  new  Mandarin's  name  is  Chia,  with  the  surname  of  Yu  Tsun. 
He  is  a  native  of  Huchow,  and  in  former  days  when  he  lived  for  a  time 
in  Suchow  he  was  a  good  friend  and  neighbor  of  my  son-in-law,  Shih 
Ying,"  recounted  old  Feng.  "As  he  was  passing  by  our  house  yester- 
day in  the  ceremonial  procession,  he  espied  our  maid  Apricot  standing 
in  the  doorway.  He  remembered  her  and  concluded  that  her  former 
master,  Shih  Ying,  must  live  here.  He  wanted  to  renew  the  old  friend- 
ship, so  he  sent  his  men  along.  He  was  very  much  distressed  when  I 
told  him  of  the  sad  fate  of  his  former  benefactor.  He  also  inquired  for 
my  granddaughter,  and  deeply  regretted  her  disappearance.  He  prom- 
ised me  that  he  would  have  an  official  search  made  for  her  whereabouts. 
When  I  was  taking  leave,  he  gave  me  a  present,  moreover,  of  two 
ounces  of  silver." 

"Our  new  Mandarin  is  a  friendly,  affable  gentleman!"  was  the 
unanimous  verdict  of  the  family. 

Early  the  next  day  messengers  again  arrived  from  the  yamen.  They 
brought  two  ingots  of  silver  and  four  pieces  of  satin  for  Shih  Ying's 
wife.  The  Mandarin  sent  them — so  the  message  ran — as  a  small  return 
for  the  kindness  he  had  enjoyed  in  her  husband's  house.  The  mes- 
sengers handed  old  Feng  a  personal  note  as  well.  In  it  the  Mandarin 
asked  if  he  might  take  home  the  maid  Apricot  to  be  mistress  of  his 
side-chamber.  Old  Feng,  who  was  very  happy  at  being  thus  honored, 
naturally  gave  his  consent  to  this.  In  gratitude  the  Mandarin  sent  him 
a  hundred  ounces  of  gold,  and  many  more  gifts  for  Shih  Ying's  wife, 
and  the  same  evening  he  had  the  maid  Apricot  fetched  in  a  gay  little 
red  sedan  chair. 

13 


Lucky  Apricot!  Who  would  have  thought  that  the  two  hurried  glances 
which  she  had  once  bestowed  upon  the  poor  student  Yu  Tsun  while 
plucking  flowers  in  the  garden  should  one  day  decide  her  fate?  But 
merely  being  accepted  into  the  side-chamber  of  the  highly  respected 
Mandarin  Yu  Tsun  was  by  no  means  the  end  of  her  good  luck.  A  year 
afterwards  she  bore  him  a  little  son,  and  when  the  mistress  of  the 
principal  chamber  fell  ill  and  died  soon  afterwards,  Apricot  was  raised 
to  the  rank  of  principal  wife.  It  could  well  be  said  of  her: 

In  the  chance  look  of  an  eye — lifelong  happiness. 

Here  we  must  mention  that  as  soon  as  his  patron  had  given  him 
means  for  the  journey,  Yu  Tsun  had  gone  straight  off  to  the  capital, 
without  waiting  for  the  lucky  day  which  had  been  looked  up  for  him 
in  the  calendar.  There  he  passed  his  examination  brilliantly  and  gained 
the  third  highest  doctorate,  chin  shih,  which  procured  him  acceptance 
into  the  "hall  of  silk-blossoming  talent"  and  entrance  to  public  office. 
He  was  assigned  to  provincial  government  and  appointed  District 
Mandarin  of  Ta  yu  chow.  Unfortunately,  he  prejudiced  his  career  by 
certain  faults- of  character.  Consciousness  of  his  unusual  ability  led  him 
to  show  a  lamentable  lack  of  respect  towards  his  colleagues  and  su- 
periors and  of  consideration  towards  the  common  people.  He  thus  made 
himself  equally  unpopular  with  both  his  superiors  and  his  subordinates. 
After  scarcely  two  years  in  office,  he  found  himself  denounced  at  Court. 
He  was  accused  of  having  arbitrarily  abolished  old  traditional  rites  and 
national  customs;  of  hiding,  under  the  mask  of  correctness,  a  wolfish 
and  tigerish  disposition;  of  fomenting  disorder  in  his  area  of  jurisdic- 
tion and  making  life  unbearable  for  the  population.  Thus  ran  the  letter 
of  censure  which  his  Provincial  Governor  submitted  at  Court. 

The  dragon  face  of  the  Son  of  Heaven  darkened,  and  the  Imperial 
hand  wrote  on  the  margin  of  the  letter  of  complaint  an  angry  decree 
relieving  the  accused  official  of  his  post,  to  the  joy  of  his  jealous  col- 
leagues. 

Yu  Tsun  bore  the  blow  with  philosophic  resignation.  In  the  past  two 
years  he  had  saved  enough  from  his  salary  to  enable  him  to  live  a  care- 
free private  life  for  some  time.  Having  duly  handed  over  office  to  his 
successor,  he  gave  up  his  house,  sent  his  wife  and  servants,  well  pro- 
vided with  money,  back  to  their  families  for  the  time  being,  and  set 
out  on  a  great  roaming  tour  of  the  country.  Free  of  all  responsibility 
and  care,  with  no  other  hindrance  than  "the  wind  on  his  shoulders,  the 
moonlight  in  his  sleeves,"  he  wished  to  be  free  for  once  and  to  travel 
about  for  a  time  just  wherever  he  wanted  to,  learning  to  know  the 
country  and  the  people. 

In  the  course  of  his  travels  he  came  one  day  to  the  capital  of  the  im- 

14 


portant  salt-mining  district  of  Yangchow.  He  learned  that  a  certain 
Ling  Ju  Hai  was  the  newly  appointed  Royal  Treasurer  of  the  salt  mines 
there.  The  family  of  this  Ling  had  basked  in  the  Imperial  favor  from 
ancient  times  and  had  been  raised  five  generations  ago  to  the  second 
class  of  nobility.  According  to  the  letters  patent  the  title  was  to  have 
descended  only  to  the  third  generation,  butvby  special  Imperial  favor 
it  had  been  extended  to  the  present  Lings,  father  and  son,  thus  carry- 
ing it  down  to  the  fifth  generation.  Besides  their  exterior  nobility  the 
family  Ling  were  also  endowed  with  the  j  ancient  inherited  fragrance 
of  a  highly  developed  culture  and  education,  and  our  Ling  too  was 
not  only  the  son  of  his  fathers  but,  by  his  own  attainments  and  a  bril- 
liant career,  had  proved  himself  worthy  of  them. 

He  was  in  his  fifties  and  was  the  last  of  his  line,  for  apart  from  a 
little  son  of  three  who  had  died  recently,  fate  had  not  granted  him 
any  male  descendant  despite  the  many  concubines  who  filled  his  side- 
chambers.  Only  a  little  daughter,  the  delicate,  precocious  Tai  Yu, 
Black  Jade,  had  been  presented  to  him  by  his  principal  wife,  nee  Chia. 
Black  Jade,  as  an  only  child,  was  tended  with  exaggerated  love  and 
care,  and  being  intelligent  and  quick-witted,  was  educated  with  the  ut- 
most care,  just  as  if  she  were  to  replace  the  son  who  was  unfortunately 
lacking. 

Precisely  at  the  time  when  Yu  Tsun  came  to  Yangchow  Mr.  Ling 
was  looking  for  a  clever  tutor  for  his  little  daughter.  After  all  his  wan- 
derings, Yu  Tsun,  on  his  side,  felt  a  wish  to  follow  for  a  change  a  regu- 
lar occupation  which  would  enable  him,  moreover,  to  replenish  his  ex- 
hausted funds.  He  found  the  suitable  sponsors  in  two  former  fellow 
students  whom  he  met  by  chance  in  his  lodgings  and  who  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  treasurer  of  the  salt  mines,  and  thanks  to  their 
recommendations  he  received  the  post  of  tutor  in  the  Ling  household. 

His  position  was  not  particularly  arduous  and  left  him  plenty  of 
free  time,  for  his  pupil  was  a  tender  creature  who,  owing  to  frequent 
indispositions,  could  study  only  very  irregularly.  Two  young  waiting 
maids  always  kept  her  company  during  her  lessons. 

He  had  thus  passed  two  years  in  his  quiet  and  pleasant  post  when 
the  mother  of  his  pupil  fell  ill  and  died.  The  good  child  had  dedicated 
herself  with  such  touching  devotion  to  nursing  her  sick  mother,  and 
after  the  mother's  death  had  fulfilled  the  many  elaborate  mourning 
conventions  so  exactly,  that  her  already  delicate  health  suffered  seri- 
ously and  the  lessons  had  to  be  stopped  for  a  long  time.  During  this 
period  Yu  Tsun  was  left  to  himself  a  great  deal,  and  when  the  weather 
was  fine  he  availed  of  his  leisure  to  make  frequent  excursion?  into  the 
surrounding  countryside. 

On  one  of  these  excursions  he  had  visited  an  old  temple  hidden  in 

15 


a  copse  outside  the  town,  and  then  had  found  a  village  inn  near  by  where 
he  went  to  refresh  himself  with  a  glass  of  wine.  In  the  tavern  he  un- 
expectedly met  an  old  acquaintance  from  the  capital.  He  was  the  curio 
and  antique  dealer  Leng,  with  whom  he  had  become  friendly  when  he 
had  stayed  in  Chinling  for  the  State  examination.  He  esteemed  Leng  as 
a  practical  businessman,  and  Leng  esteemed  him  as  a  man  of  knowl- 
edge and  culture.  Leng  was  on  his  way  back  from  his  native  place, 
where  he  had  celebrated  the  New  Year,  and  had  broken  the  journey 
at  Yangchow,  where  he  was  staying  with  a  business  friend  for  a  few 
days.  Just  by  chance  he  too  had  made  a  trip  into  the  country  that  day. 
After  the  unexpected  meeting  had  been  duly  celebrated  with  drinks,  a 
mutual  exchange  of  news  started. 

"Any  news  from  the  capital?"  asked  Yu  Tsun. 

"Nothing  of  importance  to  you  except  perhaps  that  the  circum- 
stances of  your  noble  relations  are  beginning  to  chanpe." 

"I  do  ndt  know  what  noble  relations  you  mean." 

"I  mean  two  princely  houses  who,  like  you,  bear  the  family  name 
of  Chia  and  therefore  are  of  your  clan;  and  I  do  not  think  you  need 
deny  this  relationship." 

"Ah,  you  must  mean  the  two  houses  of  Ningkuo  and  Yungkuo?" 

"Yes,  exactly." 

"You  are  right.  We  are  in  the  same  genealogical  table.  But  since  the 
Han .  dynasty  the  Chia  clan  has  spread  all  over  the  provinces  and  so 
one  can  no  longer  identify  all  the  branches  of  the  family.  Besides,  such 
a  great  social  difference  separates  the  illustrious  houses  of  Ningkuo  and 
Yungkuo  from  my  humble  person  that  it  would  be  most  impertinent  on 
my  part  to  claim  their  relationship." 

"I  am  not  so  sure  of  that.  Recently  the  two  families  of  Ningkuo  and 
Yungkuo  have  been  going  down  seriously;  the  former  splendor  is  be- 
ginning to  diminish." 

"I  can  scarcely  credit  that.  Last  year,  when  I  was  travelling  through 
Chinling,  and  passed  along  the  street  of  which  one  entire  side  is  occu- 
pied to  the  east  by  the  Ningkuo  palace  and  to  the  west  by  the  Yungkuo 
palace,  I  got  an  impression  of  the  utmost  splendor  and  greatness.  Cer- 
tainly, there  was  not  much  going  and  coming  at  the  gates,  but  inside 
those  great  halls  and  single-story  pavilions  everything  was  still  in  per- 
fect condition  and  undiminished  splendor.  And  behind  them  that  mag- 
nificent park,  with  .its  cliffs  and  crags  and  fishponds  and  exotic  plants 
- — no,  that  did  not  look  in  the  least  like  decay  and  decline." 

"Now,  Doctor  Know-Ail,  how  can  one  judge  just  by  the  outside? 
The  centipede  goes  on  wriggling  when  he's  already  dead.  Naturally,  in 
spite  of  everything,  the  two  houses  are  still  more  splendid  and  imposing 
today  than  the  average  aristocratic  home.  But  the  difficulty  of  feeding 

16 


so  many  mouths  and  of  maintaining  such  a  large  and  expensive  house- 
hold in  a  manner  becoming  its  rank  is  continually  increasing.  Such  an 
establishment  needs  to  be  wisely  financed,  and  that  is  what  has  gone 
wrong  in  recent  times.  But  still  more  serious  is  the  fact  that  the  former 
ability  of  the  family  is  diminishing  in  the  younger  generation." 

"What?  Is  the  education  of  the  younger  generation  proving  at  fault 
in  that  house  of  ancient  hereditary  culture?  I  can  hardly  believe  it.  But 
I  must  confess  that  I  am  not  well  informed  about  all  the  circumstances. 
Perhaps  you  will  have  the  kindness  to  enlighten  me?" 

"With  pleasure.  It  is  now  five  generations  since  the  family  of  Chia 
was  raised  to  princely  rank.  It  was  two  blood  brothers  who  first  bore 
the  princely  title  as  a  reward  for  their  splendid  services  to  the  Throne, 
the  elder  as  Ningkuo  Kung,  Prince  of  the  Honor  of  the  Throne,  the 
younger  as  Yungkuo  Kung,  Prince  of  the  Peace  of  the  Throne.  The 
decline  of  the  family  had  already  begun  with  the  grandson  of  the 
former.  He  fell  a  victim  to  the  folly  of  the  Taoist  heresy,  devoted  him- 
self to  alchemy,  and  thought  of  nothing  else  but  brewing  elixirs  of  life 
and  baking  vermilion  pills.  He  lives  as  a  hermit  in  the  mountains  in 
front  of  the  capital  and  allows  his  son  Chen  to  hold  the  title  in  his 
place.  This  Prince  Chen,  who  has  got  a  sixteen-year-old  son,  is  there- 
fore the  present  ruler  of  the  Ningkuo  palace.  But  unfortunately  he  does 
not  rule  worthily,  for  through  his  father's  fault  he  was  deprived  of  a 
sensible  upbringing.  He  lives  for  his  humors  and  pleasures,  and  un- 
happily there  is  no  one  who  dares  to  tell  him  the  truth.  In  short,  every- 
thing is  going  to  rack  and  ruin  in  the  palace  of  Ningkuo. 

"In  the  palace  of  Yungkuo  matters  are  somewhat  better.  There  the 
Princess  Ancestress,  widow  of  the  second  Prince  of  Yungkuo,  is  the 
ruler.  She  belongs  to  the  noble  family  of  Shih,  from  the  Chinling 
neighborhood.  The  elder  of  her  two  sons,  Shieh  by  name,  the  present 
holder  of  the  princely  title,  is  a  friendly,  somewhat  phlegmatic  gentle- 
man, who  likes  a  quiet  life  and  does  not  trouble  too  much  about  the 
management  of  the  estate. 

"The  younger  son,  Cheng,  on  the  other  hand,  possesses  outstanding  > 
gifts  of  mind  and  character.  He  is  really  worthy  of  his  illustrious  pro- 
genitor and  had  always  been  his  favorite.  At  the  wish  of  his  grand- 
father and  also  following  his  own  bent,  he  received  a  sound  and 
thorough  training  for  the  civil  service.  Through  special  Imperial  favor 
he  was  exempted  from  the  third  State  examination  and  is  now  an  as- 
sistant in  one  of  the  ministries. 

"There  are  two  strange  incidents  worthy  of  mention  regarding  the 
family  of  this  Chia  Cheng.  The  first  of  his  four  daughters,  namely  a 
child  of  his  principal  wife,  one  of  the  Wang  family,  was,  strange  to  say, 
born  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month.  But  here  is  something  still  more 

17 


curious:  A  year  later  Madame  Cheng  gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  came  into 
the  world  with  an  opalescent,  crystal-bright  jade  stone  in  his  mouth! 
And  this  stone,  moreover,  showed  distinct  traces  of  an  inscription!  The 
son  was  therefore  named  Pao  Yu  or  'Precious  Stone.'  Have  you  ever 
heard  of  anything  more  extraordinary?" 

"I  must  confess  I  never  have.  Presumably  this  phenomenon  points 
to  a  remarkable  future." 

"That  is  the  general  opinion,  and  the  boy  is  in  fact  the  avowed 
favorite  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  But  just  listen!  According  to  an- 
cient custom  they  placed  a  whole  lot  of  toys  near  the  child  on  his  first 
birthday,  in  order  to  ascertain  his  gifts  and  his  future  aptitudes  from 
the  choice  which  he  would  make.  And  what  do  you  think  the  child 
clutched  at?  Not  at  any  boy's  toy,  mind  you.  Instead,  he  reached  for 
the  cosmetics  and  powder  boxes,  bangles  and  hair  ornaments !  His  father 
was  not  exactly  pleased  with  this  choice  and  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  boy  was  unlikely  to  grow  up  manly  and  would  probably  be  a  weak- 
ling and  a  dandy,  and  since  then  he  has  not  been  able  to  stand  him. 
Of  course,  because  of  this  his  grandmother  spoils  him  all  the  more. 
Now,  at  twelve  years  of  age,  he  is  a  very  wayward  but  intelligent  and 
precocious  boy.  Many  astonishing  utterances  have  already  come  from 
his  childish  mouth.  He  said  once,  for  instance,  that  it  seemed  to  him 
that  females  were  made  of  water  while  males  were  made  of  clay;  for  in 
feminine  society  he  always  felt  revived  and  refreshed,  whereas  in  male 
society  he  felt  dull  and  depressed.  Now,  what  do  you  think  of  this  ex- 
traordinary pronouncement?  Wouldn't  you  say  he  is  possessed  by  the 
demon  of  lustfulness?" 

"I  do  not  know;  perhaps  he  is  misjudged,"  said  Yu  Tsun  thought- 
fully. "It  may  be  an  inherited  disposition,  and  if  so,  how  can  the  boy 
help  it?  I  have  come  across  a  similar  case  myself.  During  my  two 
years'  wandering  around  I  happened  to  be  tutor  for  some  time  to  the 
son  of  a  Nanking  family.  When  he  had  his  lessons  alone  he  was  a  diffi- 
cult and  insufferably  inattentive  pupil,  with  whom  one  could  do  abso- 
lutely nothing.  He  always  declared  that  in -order  to  be  able  to  learn 
and  to  concentrate,  he  needed  girls  near  him;  and,  in  fact,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  young  cousins,  who  lived  in  the  same  house,  he  was  quite  a 
different  person.  He  would  then  be  the  best-mannered,  gentlest,  most 
well-behaved  boy  one  could  imagine.  The  mere  word  'girl'  seemed  to 
excite  an  almost  holy  reverence  in  him.  'Before  you  utter  the  word 
"girl"  with  your  filthy  mouth,  kindly  rinse  it  out  with  pure  water  and 
perfumed  tea,  or  else  I  will  break  your  teeth  and  poke  out  your  eyes!' 
he  used  to  warn  his  household  servants  and  valets.  When  his  father 
thrashed  him  he  used  to  cry  out:  'Chieh  chieh!'  and  lMei  mei/' — 
'Sister!  Little  sister!'  When  his  cousins  laughed  at  him  because  he  was 

18 


not  ashamed  to  cry  like  a  girl  when  he  suffered  pain,  he  explained  to 
them  that  the  mere  words  chieh  chieh  and  mei  mei  were  a  magic  formula 
to  him  which  made  him  forget  the  most  terrible  pain.  What  do  you 
think  of  this  strange  case?" 

"It  is  very  similar  to  what  I  have  told  you  about  our  Pao  Yu.  In  the 
palace  of  Yungkuo  too  there  is  no  lack  of  the  indispensable  chieh  chieh 
and  mei  mei.  Pao  Yu  has  no  less  than  three  'sisters'  around  him.  The 
fourth  and  eldest,  who  was  given  the  name  of  Beginning  of  Spring  be- 
cause, as  I  already  mentioned,  she  was  born  on  the  first  day  of  the  first 
month,  no  longer  lives  at  home.  As  she  is  remarkably  beautiful  and 
gifted,  she  was  deemed  worthy  of  being  accepted  into  the  Imperial 
Palace  for  attendance  on  the  Empress.  The  next  in  age  is  a  daughter 
of  Prince  Shieh  arid  is  called  Greeting  of  Spring.  The  third  sister,  again, 
is  a  child  of  Cheng  by  another  wife.  She  is  called  Taste  of  Spring.  The 
fourth  in  age  is  a  sister  of  Prince  Chen  of  the  Ningkuo  palace  and  is 
called  Grief  of  Spring.  The  Princess  Ancestress  loves  to  have  these 
three  grandchildren  around  her.  They  are  usually  together,  learn  their 
lessons  together,  and  are  in  every  way  virtuous  and  well-behaved  young 
girls." 

"How,  exactly,  was  the  late  wife  of  my  present  employer,  Mr.  Ling, 
related  to  the  families  of  Ningkuo  and  Yungkuo?" 

"She  was  a  sister  of  the  brothers  Shieh  and  Cheng  of  the  Yungkuo 
branch  of  the  family." 

"It  is  a  pity  she  died;  she  was  a  most  noble  lady.  And  her  daughter, 
my  pupil,  is  in  no  way  inferior  to  her.  The  poor  child  has  taken  the 
early  death  of  her  mother  terribly  to  heart.  Has  Prince  Shieh  also  got 
sons?" 

"He  has  two,  and  the  younger  of  them,  twenty-year-old  Lien,  is  de- 
serving of  mention.  True,  he  has  bought  the  rank  of  a  subprefect,  but 
he  avoids  books  and  any  official  activity  as  much  as  possible,  and  has 
more  of  a  head  for  business  matters.  He  has  been  married  for  the  past 
two  years  to  the  beautiful  and  clever  niece  of  Chia  Cheng's  wife,  one 
of  the  Wang  family,  and  he  helps  his  uncle  Cheng  to  manage  the 
Yungkuo  estate.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  his  energetic  wife,  who  enjoys 
the  greatest  respect  and  admiration,  takes  a  far  greater  part  in  the  man- 
agement than  he." 

"Thank  you  for  all  this  friendly  information.  I  am  now  adequately 
enlightened  on  the  subject  of  my  noble  relatives.  It  seems  to  me  that 
many  influences,  both  good  and  bad,  are  combined  in  the  family." 

"Whether  good  or  bad,  what  does  it  matter  to  us  outsiders?  Let  us 
have  another  drink!" 

A  few  more  glasses  were  emptied,  and  then  they  set  off  for  home. 
Dusk  was  falling  and  they  had  to  hurry  to  be  in  time  before  the  city 

19 


gates  shut.  On  the  way  a  man  came  running  after  them,  beckoning  and 
shouting  from  quite  a  distance:  "Congratulations,  brother  Yu  Tsun! 
Congratulations!  I  have  been  running  after  you  half  the  day  to  bring 
you  good  news." 

If  you  want  to  know  who  this  person  was  and  what  good  news  he 
had  to  bring,  you  must  listen  to  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    3 

Mr.  Ling  gives  his  guest  from  the  West  an  introduction  to  the  Yungkuo 
palace.  The  Princess  Ancestress  takes  a  motherless  child  lovingly  into 

her  home. 

I  U  TSUN  STOOD  AND  LOOKED  BEHIND.  THE  PERSON  WHO  HAD  BECKONED 

and  called  out  to  him  from  far  off  was  a  former  fellow  student  who,  like 
himself,  had  been  dismissed  from  a  government  post  some  time  ago 
and  since  then  had  been  living  in  his  native  town,  Yangchow. 

"There's  good  news  for  you  and  for  me!"  he  said  to  Yu  Tsun,  beam- 
ing with  joy.  "An  Imperial  edict  has  just  been  issued  graciously  per- 
mitting us  to  resume  office.  Now  it  is  a  matter  of  stirring  ourselves 
and  looking  around  for  patronage." 

After  mutual  congratulations  the  two  friends  parted,  each  making 
for  his  own  dwelling. 

"He  is  right;  you  must  look  around  for  patronage,"  said  Leng  to  Yu 
Tsun.  "What  about  asking  Mr.  Ling  to  use  his  influence  for  you  at  the 
Yungkuo  palace?" 

Yu  Tsun  acted  on' his  advice.  But  first  of  all  he  procured  the  latest 
edition  of  the  State  newspaper,  and  in  fact  he  found  in  it  the  edict  an- 
nouncing his  rehabilitation. 

The  next  day  he  presented  himself  before  Mr.  Ling  and  put  his  re- 
quest to  him. 

"What  a  strange  and  favorable  coincidence!"  cried  Mr.  Ling.  "Just 
by  chance,  and  before  you  made  this  request  of  me,  I  had  already 
written  a  letter  of  introduction  for  you  to  my  brother-in-law  Cheng,  of 
the  Yungkuo  palace.  It  happens  that  my  mother-in  law,  the  Princess 
Ancestress,  wishes  to  take  my  motherless  child  into  her  home.  She  has 
already  sent  two  boats  with  attendants  co  fetch  the  girl,  but  the  de- 
parture has  been  delayed  on  account  of  her  indisposition.  Now,  how- 
ever, she  is  sufficiently  recovered  to  make  the  journey.  I  was  availing 
of  this  opportunity  to  give  her  a  letter  of  introduction  for  you  to  my 
brother-in-law  Cheng,  as  I  wished  in  this  way  to  repay  you  in  some 
measure  for  the  good  services  which  you  have  rendered  my  house. 

20 


Would  it  not  be  doubly  advantageous,  since  you  are  going  to  the  capi- 
tal in  any  case,  if  you  accompanied  my  daughter  and  introduced  your- 
self personally  to  my  brother-in-law?" 

Yu  Tsun  bowed  politely  and  with  many  earnest  words  of  thanks  as- 
sured Mr.  Ling  that  he  would  carry  out  the  commission  with  pleasure. 

"May  I  ask  what  is  the  rank  of  your  brother-in-law?"  he  added.."! 
fear  that  it  might  appear  presumptuous  if  a  man  of  my  rough  manners 
were  to  venture  into  such  an  illustrious  presence." 

"Now,  now,  no  exaggerated  modesty,  please!"  said  the  Count,  smil- 
ing. "After  all,  you  belong  to  the  same  clan.  Actually,  I  have  two 
brothers-in-law  in  the  Yungkuo  palace.  The  elder  one,  Prince  Shieh, 
holds  the  title  of  a  marshal  of  the  first  rank.  The-younger,  Cheng,  is  an 
assistant  in  the  Ministry  of  Public  Works.  He  is  a  man  of  simplicity 
and  generosity,  and  possesses  a  great  deal  of  the  'breath'  and  stature 
of  his  great  ancestor.  There  is  no  haughtiness  or  aristocratic  pride  in 
him.  You  can  approach  him  without  hesitation  and  with  absolute  confi- 
dence. As  regards  the  expenses  necessary  for  your  advancement,  I  have 
arranged  for  these  too  in  the  letter.  Moreover,  I  have  fixed  the  date  of 
departure  as  the  second  day  of  next  month." 

Accordingly,  on  that  day  Black  Jade  embarked  on  one  boat  with  the 
female  servants  while  Yu  Tsun  followed  her  in  the  other  with  the  male 
staff.  There  had  been  some  tears  and  some  fatherly  admonitions  before 
the  little  one  would  consent  to  going. 

"I  am  already  past  fifty  and  do  not  intend  to  marry  again,"  the  Count 
had  said  to  his  young  daughter.  "Here  at  home  you  are  deprived  of  the 
advice  and  guidance  of  a  mother  and  the  merry  company  of  sisters. 
You  will  find  both  in  the  home  of  your  grandmother.  I  am  doing  this 
for  your  good." 

After  several  days'  travelling  they  arrived  in  the  capital.  Yu  Tsun 
put  on  his  best  coat,  made  his  way  to  the  Yungkuo  palace,  and  handed 
in  his  visiting  card.  Chia  Cheng  was  already  expecting  his  visit,  be- 
cause the  letter  of  introduction  had  been  sent  on  in  advance,  and  he 
received  Yu  Tsun  at  once.  He  found  his  visitor  to  be  a  man  of  stately 
and  prepossessing  appearance  and  extremely  well  spoken — just  the  type 
of  man  of  culture  and  knowledge,  as  well  as  refined  bearing,  whom  he 
greatly  esteemed.  And  as  he,  following  the  tradition  of  his  illustrious 
forefather,  liked  to  assist  the  weak  and  oppressed,  he  did  not  hesitate 
to  appeal  to  the  Sovereign  in  Yu  Tsun's  favor,  with  the  result  that  within 
two  months  the  latter  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  appointed  Prefect  of 
the  district  of  Ying  lien  fu,  close  to  the  capital. 

But  let  us  return  to  Black  Jade.  When  her  boat  was  moored  and  she 
stepped  on  to  the  river-bank,  she  found  awaiting  her  a  sedan  chair  and 
a  whole  crowd  of  servants  and  luggage  trucks.  At  home  she  had  often 

21 


heard  her  mother  speak  of  the  wealth  and  grandeur  in  which  the  rela- 
tives in  the  capital  lived.  This  display  of  attendance  on  the  journey  and 
upon  arrival  was  a  foretaste  of  what  was  in  store.  There  on  the  spot 
were  three  kinds  of  servants,  each  lot  dressed  differently.  And  how  well 
equipped  they  were,  and  how  well  fed  and  well  cared  for  they  looked! 

Black  Jade  resolved  to  act  with  the  utmost  prudence  and  circum- 
spection in  her  new  home  and  never  to  say  a  word  too  much.  Other- 
wise she  might  possibly  be  laughed  at  as  being  provincial  and  un- 
sophisticated. On  the  way  she  could  not  refrain  from  peeping  out  right 
and  left  through  the  silk  gauze  curtains  of  the  sedan  chair,  and  she  could 
not  get  over  her  astonishment  at  the  crowds  of  people  and  the  great 
bustle  in  the  streets  and  squares  which  surrounded  them  once  they  had 
passed  in  through  the  city  gates.  She  had  never  known  anything  like 
that  in  Yangchow. 

After  a  long  march  the  procession  passed,  on  the  right,  by  a  great 
triple-arched  gateway,  flanked  by  two  massive  cowering  marble  lions. 
Each  of  its  three  doors  had  a  knocker  in  the  form  of  an  animal's  head. 
About  a  dozen  servants  in  splendid,  brightly  colored  livery  were  squat- 
ting in  front  of  the  doors.  Through  the  side  doors,  which  were  open,  a 
lively  stream  of  people  were  passing  in  and  out.  Above  the  middle  door, 
which  was  closed,  Black  Jade  read  the  inscription  written  on  a  tablet 
in  five  large  characters:  "Ningkuo  palace,  built  at  the  Imperial  com- 
mand." 

A  little  farther  west  her  sedan  chair  was  carried  through  a  gateway 
of  similar  style  and  size,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the  street.  This  was 
the  entrance  to  the  Yungkuo  palace.  At  first  they  went  straight  ahead 
about  the  length  of  an  arrow-shot.  Then,  at  a  turning,  the  sedan  chair 
was  put  down,  and  four  young  fellows  in  smart  livery  came  and  took 
the  places  of  the  former  bearers.  At  the  same  time  the  female  attendants 
got  out  of  their  sedan  chairs  and  from  this  point  followed  Black  Jade's 
chair  on  foot.  The  procession  halted  once  more,  this  time  at  a  gate 
covered  with  flowering  creepers.  The  bearers  stepped  back  while  the 
female  attendants  hurried  forward,  opened  the  door,  and  helped  Black 
Jade  descend.  Supported  on  either  side  by  a  sturdy  serving  matron,  she 
Itepped  through  the  Gate  of  Flowers.  From  the  Gate  of  Flowers  two 
covered  passages  led  to  an  open  entrance  hall,  in  the  middle  of  which 
•*tood  a  stone  slab,  beautifully  decorated  with  strange,  landscape-like 
cross-hatching  and  supported  on  a  red  sandal  wood  pedestal.  This  was 
the  spirit  screen.  Behind  the  entrance  hall  the  way  led  through  three 
small  pavilions  into  the  great  inner  courtyard  which  lay  in  front  of  the 
five-room  dwelling  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  The  building  was  re- 
splendent in  brilliant  colors,  and  the  pillars  and  roof  beams  were  richly 
carved.  Covered  verandas,  leading  here  and  there  through  overhanging 

22 


rocks,  extended  along  the  sides  of  the  building  which  overlooked  the 
courtyard.  They  were  alive  with  the  twittering  and  screeching  of  bril- 
liantly colored  parakeets  and  parrots,  whose  cages  were  swinging 
everywhere  from  the  walls  and  pillars. 

Several  ladies'  maids  dressed  in  red  and  green  were  sitting  on  the 
steps  of  the  stairway  which  led  to  the  central  apartment  of  the  building. 
As  Black  Jade  approached  they  rose  and  came  towards  her  smiling  and 
curtsying,  led  her  up  the  steps,  and,  calling  out  "Miss  Ling  is  here," 
drew  the  glistening  curtain  cords.  Black  Jade  walked  in  and  found  her- 
self facing  a  group  of  women;  one  of  them,  a  silver-haired  matron, 
came  forward  supported  by  two  servants,  one  on  her  right  and  one  on 
her  left. 

That  must  be  my  grandmother,  thought  Black  Jade  to  herself, 
and  was  about  to  kneel  down  to  make  her  kowtow  right  away.  But  the 
Princess  Ancestress  came  up  to  her  and  with  outstretched  arms  clasped 
her  to  her  breast. 

"My  heart!  My  liver!  Flesh  and  blood  of  my  child!"  she  cried  in  a 
voice  so  stifled  with  emotion  that  the  room  became  filled  with  the 
sounds  of  sobbing  and  sniffling,  and  Black  Jade  too  could  not  keep  back 
her  tears.  They  all  pressed  around  her  speaking  loving  and  comforting 
words.  At  last  she  pulled  herself  together  somewhat  and  dutifully  made 
her  kowtow  before  the  Princess  Ancestress.  Then  the  introductions  be- 
gan. "This  is  your  eldest  aunt;  this  is  your  younger  aunt;  this  is  your 
sister-in-law  Chu,  the  widow  of  your  late  cousin,  Chia  Chu."  This  went 
on  for  quite  a  while,  Black  Jade  taking  a  step  towards  each  person  and 
bowing  in  salutation. 

"The  three  young  ladies  may  come!"  said  the  Princess  Ancestress, 
turning  towards  the  company.  "In  honor  of  our  guest's  arrival  they  are 
being  excused  from  their  lessons  today." 

After  some  time  the  three  girls,  Greeting  of  Spring,  Taste  of  Spring, 
and  Grief  of  Spring,  appeared  escorted  by  three  worthy  matrons  and 
six  young  waiting  maids.  The  first  was  of  medium  height,  plump,  with 
ice-fcesh  cheeks  and  a  little  flat  nose  which  looked  as  if  molded  in  goose- 
fat — a  charming  sight.  The  second  was  slender,  slim-waisted,  with  some- 
what sloping  shoulders,  a  face  oval  as  a  duck's  egg,  and,  beneath 
perfectly  arched  brows,  two  soulful  eyes  with  a  most  fascinating  glance 
— an  arresting  sight.  The  third,  as  yet  too  childish  in  face  and  form  to 
make  a  verdict  possible.  All  three  were  dressed  in  the  same  simple  way 
and  wore  similar  agraffes  and  bangles. 

After  the  introductions  were  finished  the  company  sat  down  and 
drank  tea,  and  then  began  to  overwhelm  Black  Jade  with  sympathetic 
questions.  What  had  her  mother's  malady  been?  What  medicines  had 
she  been  given?  How  did  the  mourning  ceremonies  pass  off?  And  so  on. 

24 


The  Ancestress  could  not  get  over  the  fact  that  her  favorite  daughter 
should  have  gone  to  her  rest  before  her.  Then  the  attention  of  all  was 
directed  on  the  new  member  of  the  household  herself.  They  found  her 
strikingly  grave  and  mature  for  her  twelve  years  of  age.  Her  form  was 
so  delicate  that  she  seemed  scarcely  strong  enough  to  bear  the  trifling 
weight  of  her  clothing.  And  yet  there  was  in  her  transparent,  pale  face 
a  curious  shimmer  of  voluptuousness  and  love  of  life.  Anemic,  they  all 
thought  to  themselves. 

"You  look  ailing.  Do  you  do  nothing  for  your  malady?"  she  was 
asked. 

"I  have  been  sickly  from  my  earliest  childhood,  and  ever  since  I 
have  been  old  enough  to  use  chopsticks  I  have  been  swallowing  medi- 
cine also.  I  do  not  know  how  many  doctors  have  treated  me,  but  none 
could  help  me.  I  remember  when  I  was  three  years  of  age  an  unkempt, 
ugly  wandering  monk  wanted  to  take  me  away  from  home  and  put  me 
into  a  convent.  My  parents  would  not  hear  of  it.  Then  he  told  them  that 
in  the  bosom  of  my  family  I  would  never  become  a  healthy  person,  be- 
cause the  inevitable  daily  annoyances  and  troubles  of  home  life  would 
harm  me.  I  should  see  no  other  relatives  except  my  father  and  mother  if 
I  were  to  be  well.  Naturally,  no  one  took  the  talk  of  the  dirty,  crazy 
monk  seriously.  Since  then  I  have  been  treating  my  illness  with  the 
health-giving  ginseng  root  and  blood-strengthening  pills." 

"That  is  sensible,"  said  the  grandmother.  "Those  are  also  our  trusted 
home  remedies,  and  I  shall  see  that  you  get  your  accustomed  daily  ra- 
tion of  them  here  too." 

She  had  not  finished  speaking  when  the  sound  of  laughter  and  chat- 
ter sounded  from  the  park,  and  Black  Jade  heard  a  woman's  clear  voice 
saying:  "Oh,  I'm  terribly  late  in  coming  to  greet  our  distinguished 
guest." 

While  Black  Jade  was  still  wondering  who  this  might  be  who  ven- 
tured to  burst  so  gaily  and  boisterously  into  the  solemn  and  formal  at- 
mosphere surrounding  the  revered  First  Lady  of  the  family,  she  saw  a 
smartly  dressed  young  woman  enter,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  ladies- 
in-waiting  and  maids.  She  was  glittering  with  jewels  and  beautiful  as  a 
fairy,  and  her  vermilion  lips  were  parted  in  a  sparkling  smile.  Black 
Jade  had  hurriedly  risen  from  her  seat. 

"You  do  not  know  her  yet,"  said  the  Princess  Ancestress  to  Black 
Jade  with  a  smile.  "This  is  our  famous  merry  household  fairy,  without 
whom  we  should  all  be  dull  and  bored.  Just  call  her  Phoenix!" 

"But  I  do  not  even  know  her  real  name  yet,"  said  Black  Jade  embar- 
rassed. 

"She  is  your  sister-in-law,  Lien.  Her  maiden  name  is  Phoenix,"  sev- 
eral voices  explained  to  her.  Now  she  could  place  her.  Her  mother  had 

25 


often  told  her  about  this  sister-in-law.  She  was  the  beautiful  and  clever 
niece  of  Uncle  Cheng's  wife,  nee  Wang,  and  wife  of  Chia  Lien,  Prince 
Shieh's  second  son.  After  the  formal  greetings  had  been  exchanged, 
Madame  Phoenix  took  the  young  girl  familiarly  by  the  hand  and  coolly 
inspected  her  for  several  minutes  from  head  to  foot.  Then  she  brought 
her  back  to  her  seat  by  the  side  of  the  old  Princess  and  sat  down  be- 
side her. 

"To  think  that  any  human  form  in  the  world  could  be  so  tender  and 
delicate!"  she  exclaimed,  turning  to  the  old  lady.  "I  would  not  have 
believed  it  possible  if  I  had  not  been  convinced  of  it  with  my  own  eyes. 
The  poor  little  mei  mei!  How  sad  that  she  should  lose  her  mother  so 
young!" 

She  dabbed  her  eyes  with  her  handkerchief  to  rub  away  some  tears. 

"Do  you  want  to  reduce  us  to  tears  again?  Our  eyes  are  only  just 
dried,"  said  the  Princess  Ancestress  jocosely.  "Our  guest  is  tired  from 
the  long  journey,  and  besides  she  has  delicate  nerves.  Better  not  open 
the  old  wound,  but  let  the  past  rest." 

Madame  Phoenix  obediently  resumed  her  usual  merry  manner  at 
once.  "Grandmother  is  right  and  the  careless  child  deserves  a  slap- 
ping," she  said,  holding  out  her  little  lily-white  hands  with  a  comic 
gesture,  like  a  school  child  who  expects  to  be  caned.  Once  more  she 
took  Black  Jade  by  the  hand  and  plied  her  with  every  possible  ques- 
tion about  her  age,  health,  education,  favorite  dishes,  and  favorite 
games.  She  hoped  she  would  be  happy  here  and  not  suffer  from  home- 
sickness, and  if  she  lacked  or  needed  anything,  would  she  please  not 
ask  the  simple  chamberwomen  or  maids  but  come  straight  to  her  sister- 
in-law,  Phoenix. 

"Has  Miss  Ling's  luggage  been  brought  up?"  she  asked,  turning  to 
her  attendants.  "And  are  the  rooms  prepared  for  the  servants  whom 
she  has  brought  with  her  from  Yangchow?" 

She  attentively  handed  her  guest  tea  and  cake,  and  then  began  to  dis- 
cuss with  Aunt  Cheng  practical  matters  such  as  household  expenses  and 
clothing.  Black  Jade  got  the  immediate  impression  that  this  sister-in- 
law  was  the  soul  of  the  whole  great  household. 

This  first  reception  was  followed  by  a  visit  of  introduction  to  Uncle 
Shieh  and  Uncle  Cheng.  At  the  Gate  of  Flowers  Black  Jade,  escorted  by 
Aunt  Shieh,  got  into  a  big,  dark  blue,  lacquered  wheel  sedan  with  a 
light  blue  silk  awning,  which  was  drawn  at  first  by  bearers  and  later  by 
mules  which  had  been  specially  trained  to  go  at  a  very  gentle  pace.  For 
it  was  a  long  distance  to  the  residences  of  the  two  uncles,  and  there 
were  many  courtyards  and  gateways  to  be  passed  through.  At  last  the 
sedan  chair  was  set  down  and  Aunt  Shieh  took  Black  Jade  by  the  hand 

26 


and  led  her  into  a  reception  hall.  It  seemed  to  Black  Jade  that  this 
part  or  the  gigantic  homestead  must  have  once  been  part  of  the  park,  so 
romantically  did  the  various  buildings,  each  highly  ornate  and  of  the 
most  superb  architectural  style,  lie  nestling  among  groups  of  trees  and 
rocks. 

Aunt  Shieh  sent  a  messenger  to  the  library  for  her  husband,  but  the 
Prince  excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  he  was  not  feeling  well.  His 
niece  must  make  herself  quite  at  home  here  and  not  be  homesick.  Her 
cousins  were  in  themselves  silly  and  simple  little  creatures,  but  when 
they  all  got  together  it  would  be  very  pleasant.  And  if  she  was  ever  in 
any  trouble  she  must  not  hesitate  to  open  her  mouth. 

Black  Jade  remained  standing  while  she  listened  to  this  message  from 
her  princely  uncle.  After  a  short  time  she  took  her  leave  and  was  then 
taken  in  the  wheel  sedan  drawn  by  mules  along  the  endless  paths  which 
led  to  Uncle  Cheng's  residence.  First  she  was  brought  into  the  central 
reception  hall.  She  looked  around  her  in  astonishment.  What  splendor 
and  what  marvels  met  her  gaze !  Raised  high  on  a  stand  formed  of  nine 
intertwined  golden  dragons  stood  a  tall  tablet,  on  the  azure  background 
of  which  three  large  ideographs  in  gold  announced  that  this  was  the 
"Hall  of  Glory  and  Beatitude."  On  the  wall  behind  it  was  an  inscrip- 
tion of  the  date  on  which  the  Son  of  Heaven  had  honored  the  first 
Prince  of  Yungkuo  with  this  tablet.  Wherever  she  looked  she  saw  works 
of  art  with  the  Imperial  sign-manual  engraved  upon  them. 'Here,  on  a 
red  sandalwood  table  with  snake-pattern  carving,  stood  an  ancient 
three-foot-high  tripod  kettle  covered  with  verdigris.  There,  there  glit- 
tered magnificent  goblets  of  embossed  gold.  Here,  again,  sparkled 
transparent  bowls  of  crystal.  Along  the  walls  stood  sixteen  carved  seats 
of  precious  cedarwood.  But  Black  Jade  had  not  nearly  enough  time  to 
admire  all  the  valuable  objects  assembled  here,  for  they  soon  moved 
on,  out  of  the  reception  hall,  into  a  tastefully  and  comfortably  furnished 
living  room  situated  to  the  east  of  it.  Here  there  was  no  lack  of  snug 
divan  seats  in  the  corners,  with  cushions  and  upholstered  back-rests, 
soft  armchairs  and  carpets,  and  lacquered  tea  tables  all  set  ready  for 
tea;  footstools,  incense  bowls  from  which  rose  bluish  wreaths  of  smoke, 
as  elaborate  in  formation  as  beautiful  signatures,  filling  the  room  with 
aromatic  vapors  which  vied  with  the  perfume  of  the  fresh  flowers  that 
adorned  a  beautiful  porcelain  vase  fashioned  in  the  form  of  a  woman. 

Not  far  from  the  window  stood  a  great  internally  heated  couch 
covered  with  an  exotic  scarlet  plush  overlay.  It  was  divided  in  two  by  a 
low  couch  table  which  stood  in  the  center  of  it  covered  with  books  and 
tea  things.  To  the  right  "and  left  of  this  table  comfortable  back-rests  with 
soft  red  cushions  embroidered  with  scaly  gold  dragons  held  out  an  in- 
vitation to  recline. 

27 


Aunt  Cheng  was  already  reclining  at  the  right  side.  With  a  friendly 
wave  of  the  hand  she  invited  her  niece,  as  she  entered,  to  recline  com- 
fortably on  the  left.  But  Black  Jade  said  to  herself  that  no  doubt  the 
master  of  the  house  was  accustomed  to  rest  on  these  cushions  and 
hence  it  would  be  unseemly  of  her  to  take  that  place.  She  therefore 
modestly  sat  down  on  a  simply  covered  chair  near  the  couch,  and  not 
until  she  had  been  asked  three  times  to  do  so  did  she  change  over  to 
her  aunt's  side. 

"Your  uncle  is  in  the  temple  today,  fasting  and  attending  services," 
said  the  aunt,  "but  he  will  soon  come  home  and  greet  you.  Meantime 
he  has  asked  me  to  say  a  few  words  to  you  from  him.  Your  three  cous- 
ins are  all  intelligent,  well-brought-up  girls.  You  will  all  learn  your 
lessons  nicely  together,  do  needlework  and  have  pleasant  games,  and  I 
think  you  will  also  get  on  well  together.  But  there  is  one  thing  which 
makes  us  parents  uneasy:  we  have  a  truly  incorrigible  young  son  who 
is  a  real  torment 'and  a  mischievous  imp  in  the  house.  He  also  is  in  the 
temple  today  fulfilling  a  vow,  but  he  will  be  back  towards  evening  and 
then  you  will  get  to  know  him  personally*.  I  want  you  to  know  the  facts 
in  advance.  It  will  be  best  if  you  treat  him  as  your  cousins  do,  that  is, 
take  as  little  notice  of  him  as  possible  and  leave  him  alone." 

Black  Jade  remembered  that  her  mother  had  often  spoken  of  a 
nephew  who  had  been  born  with  a  jade  stone  in  his  mouth  and  was  a 
somewhat  strange,  freakish  boy  who,  instead  of  keeping  to  his  books, 
loved  roaming  about  the  women's  quarters  playing  all  sorts  of  silly 
pranks,  and  in  spite  of  this  was  very  much  favored  and  spoiled  by  his 
grandmother,  with  the  result  that  no  one  dared  to  be  severe  with  him. 

"Ah,  Aunt  means  no  doubt  the  cousin  who  was  born  with  the  jade 
stone  in  his  mouth?"  she  asked,  smiling.  "Mother  often  spoke  of  him. 
He  is  Pao  Yu  and  is  a  year  older  than  I,  is  he  not?  Mother  thought  he 
was  just  inclined  to  be  easygoing  and  playful  but  that  otherwise  he  was 
very  polite  and  nice  to  his  sisters.  Now,  I  shall  be  in  the  company  of  my 
girl  cousins  most  of  the  time,  and  I  shall  not  have  much  opportunity  of 
meeting  this  cousin  and  provoking  him  to  tricks.  The  house  is  so  very 
roomy." 

"Oh,  do  not  say  that!"  replied  Aunt  Cheng,  laughing.  "The  con- 
founded boy  cannot  do  without  the  company  of  girls  and  will  be  able 
to  find  you  even  if  you  do  not  look  for  him.  As  long  as  the  girls  do  not 
take  notice  of  him  he  behaves  tolerably,  but  one  word  too  much  from 
them  is  enough  to  make  him  do  the  maddest  things  just  through  sheer 
high  spirits.  'So  you  must  remember  this  and  not  let  yourself  be  either 
charmed  by  his  honey-sweet  words  or  frightened  by  his  foolish  rages." 

A  servant  entered  and  said  that  the  old  Tai  tai  bade  them  come  to 
supper.  Aunt  Cheng  took  her  niece  by  the  hand  and  led  her  out  through 

28 


a  back  exit  and  across  by  many  zigzag  paths.  On  the  way  she  stopped 
once  and  pointed  to  a  dainty  house  built  in  three  tiers  with  a  veranda 
running  all  along  the  south  side. 

"Your  sister-in-law  Phoenix  lives  here,"  she  said,  smiling.  "No  doubt 
you  will  be  going  in  and  out  here  often.  Whenever  you  want  anything 
you  have  just  to  go  to  her." 

At  last,  after  much  winding  in  and  out,  they  passed  through  a 
covered  corridor  and  found  themselves  in  the  garden  behind  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  The  old  lady  was  already  awaiting 
them  in  the  dining  room.  Despite  her  modest  protests,  Black  Jade  was 
obliged,  as  guest,  to  take  the  place  of  honor  at  her  left  side.  Three 
chairs  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  Princess  Ancestress  remained  unoc- 
cupied. Actually,  they  were  meant  for  Aunt  Cheng  and  the  two  sister? 
in-law,  Phoenix  and  Chu.  But  today  these  three  were  in  attendance  OM 
the  Ancestress.  Sister-in-law  Phoenix  placed  fresh  chopsticks,  before 
her  for  each  course,  Aunt  Cheng  served  her  soup,  and  sister-in-law  Chu 
served  the  other  dishes  to  her.  Later  Aunt  Cheng  had  to  sit  at  her  right- 
hand  side.  The  three  "Spring"  girls  ate  at  a  separate  taWe.  The  meal 
was  eaten  silently  and  ceremoniously.  From  the  swarm  of  serving 
women  and  girls,  of  whom  some  noiselessly  carried  the  dishes  in  and 
out  while  others  stood  ready  in  the  anteroom  with  washbasins,  dusters, 
and  hand  towels,  not  the  slightest  cough  or  clearing  of  the  throat  was 
audible.  Black  Jade  had  to  be  very  attentive  in  order  to  adapt  herself 
to  the  many  forms  of  table  etiquette  which  were  new  to  her.  For  in- 
stance, perfumed  tea  was  served  immediately  after  the  meal.  She  was 
about  to  drink  it  reluctantly,  for  at  home  she  had  always  been  taught 
that  it  was  harmful  to  drink  tea  straight  after  a  meal,  but  the  example 
of-  the  others  soon  made  it  clear  to  her  that  this  tea  was  only  meant  for 
rinsing  out  the  mouth.  With  the  words  "You  others  may  go;  I  wish  to 
talk  to  our  guest  for  a  little  while  alone,"  the  Ancestress  rose  from  the 
table. 

"How  far  have  you  g^ne  in  your  reading?"  she  inquired  of  her 
grandchild. 

"I  have  just  finished  studying  the  Six  Classical  Books,"  replied 
Black  Jade.  "And  what  are  my  cousins  reading?" 

"Ah,  they  can  barely  understand  a  few  words." 

There  was  a  crunching  on  the  gravel  outside,  and  immediately  after- 
wards a  servant  announced:  "Pao  Yu  is  coming." 

Black  Jade  looked  towards  the  entrance  in  eager  expectation.  There- 
upon he  walked  in.  She  was  most  pleasantly  surprised.  He  wore  on  his 
head  a  purple  cap  interwoven  with  gold  and  trimmed  with  brightly 
colored  jewels.  A  golden  band  in  the  form  of  two  dragons  snapping  at 
a  pearl  encircled  his  forehead.  His  close-fitting  dark  red  jerkin,  em- 

29 


broidered  with  golden  butterflies  and  bright  flowers,  was  fastened  with 
a  colored  belt  woven  in  a  design  of  flower  stems  and  ears  of  corn.  Over 
the  jerkin  he  wore  a  slate-blue  satin  Japanese  cloak,  embroidered  with 
eight  bunches  of  flowers,  and  fringed  at  the  edges.  His  feet  were  en- 
veloped in  blue  satin  shoes.  His  face  was  as  bright  as  the  mid-autumn 
moon,  his  color  fresh  as  spring  flowers  in  the  morning  dew;  his  hair 
was  as  sharply  outlined  above  his  temples  as  if  it  had  been  cut  with  a 
knife,  his  eyebrows  seemed  as  if  painted  on  with  India  ink,  the  fine  out- 
line of  his  nose  betokened  boldness  of  character,  his  eyes  glistened  with 
the  wet  shine  of  autumn  waves,  his  mouth  seemed  to  smile  even  in  ill- 
humor,  and  his  glance  radiated  warmth  and  feeling  even  in  anger.  A 
golden  chain  in  the  form  of  a  snake  encircled  his  neck,  and  also  a  s*ilken 
cord  of  five  colors  from  which  hung  a  beautiful  stone. 

Black  Jade  was  taken  completely  by  surprise  at  his  appearance.  It  is 
strange  how  familiar  his  features  seem  to  me,  just  as  if  I  had  met  him 
before,  she  thought  to  herself. 

As  soon  as  the  Princess  had  returned  his  salutation,  she  bade  him  go 
and  say  good  day  to  his  mother,  whereupon  he  immediately  disap- 
peared. When  he  returned  after  a  little  while  he  was  no  longer  wearing 
his  cap.  His  front  hair  was  dressed  acound  his  head  in  single  short  pig- 
tails interwoven  with  red  braid,  which  were  drawn  up  and  joined  on  the 
top  of  his  head  to  form  a  crown.  He  wore  his  back  hair  in  a  long  jet- 
black  shining  pigtail  which  was  wound  around  a  braid  decorated  with 
four  big  pearls  and  eight  golden  pendants  representing  the  various  em- 
blems of  the  eight  Taoist  saints — the  Sword,  the  Flute,  the  Lotus 
Flower,  and  so  on.  Instead  of  the  blue  cloak  he  now  wore  a  satin  coat  of 
a  flowered  silver  and  red  pattern,  below  which  showed  fir-tree-green 
flowered  silk  brocade  trousers.  Dark  red  thick-soled  satin  slippers 
covered  his  black-stockinged  feet.  His  countenance  was,  if  possible, 
more  radiant  than  before.  The  natural  color  of  his  cheeks  triumphed 
over  the  artificial  effect  of  powder  and  paint,  his  glance  was  soulful,  his 
speech  was  a  smile.  But  his  character  expressed  itself  most  eloquently 
in  the  highly  expressive  play  of  his  brows.  All  the  hundred  human  feel- 
^ings  seemed  to  find  place  in  a  corner  of  his  eye. 

"Will  you  not  greet  your  cousin  at  last?"  the  Princess  Ancestress 
smilingly  asked  her  favorite,  who  had  sat  down  politely  at  her  side, 
apparently  overlooking  the  new  cousin  completely.  But  of  course  he 
had  seen  her.  He  now  stood  up,  went  over  to  the  young  girl,  and  with 
his  hands  raised  to  his  breast  made  a  slight  bow  to  her.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  his  place  and  gazed  at  her  for  a  while  fixedly  and  attentively. 
He  found  her  different  from  the  other  girls.  How  full,  of  contradictions 
was  the  expression  of  her  features!  Her  eyebrows,  like  two  finely  out- 
lined threads  of  smoke,  were  close  together  and  seemed  to  express  sor- 

30 


row,  even  when  she  was  quite  merry.  Her  soulful  eyes  looked  serious 
even  when  she  was  laughing  gaily.  She  was  beautiful,  but  her  beauty 
was  clothed  with  the  cloak  of  suffering.  Her  eyes  were  always  glistening 
as  if  full  of  tears.  And  how  faint  and  soft  was  her  breathing.  In  repose 
she  was  like  the  dewy  reflection  of  a  flower  in  water.  In  motion  she  was 
like  a  willow  branch  trembling  in  the  wind. 

"I  must  have  met  her  before,"  murmured  Pao  Yu  to  himself,  lost  in 
thought. 

"What  ridiculous  nonsense  you  are  talking  again!  How  could  you 
have  met  her  already?"  His  grandmother's  voice  recalled  him  to  re- 
ality. 

"But  her  face — it  seems  so  familiar  to  me — just  as  if  we  had  met 
again  after  a  long,  long  separation,"  he  murmured. 

"All  the  better,  for  then  you  will  get  on  well  with  her,"  remarked  the 
old  Princes^  with  a  smile. 

Pao  Yu  stood  up,  then  sat  down  right  beside  his  cousin  and  regarded 
her  once  more  with  attention. 

"Have  you  gone  far  in  your  reading  of  literature,  Mei  mei?"  he 
asked  her. 

"Not  very  far.  I  have  had  barely  two  years'  education  and  am  still  at 
the  beginning,"  replied  Black  Jade. 

"Were  you  also  born  with  a  jewel  in  your  mouth?" 

"No.  Such  a  silly  thing  as  that  scarcely  happens  twice." 

Her  harmless  remark  caused  him  to  break  into  a  real  rage.  He  tore 
the  cord  with  the  stone  On  it  from  his  neck  and  flung  it  scornfully  on 
the  ground. 

"Nasty  thing!  What  do  I  care  about  you?"  he  cried  abusively  to  the 
stone.  "Are  you  a  bit  of  me,  a  being  endowed  with  reason,  that  people 
make  so  much  fuss  about  you?  Away  with  you!  I  am  sick  of  you!" 

The  ladies-in-waiting  stood  around  the  enraged  boy,  terrified.  One  of 
them  picked  up  the  cord  with  the  stone  and  handed  it  to  the  old  Prin- 
cess. The  Princess  hurriedly  clasped  her  grandchild  in  her  arms. 

"Control  yourself,  child!"  she  said  reproachfully.  "Be  angry  with 
people  if  you  want  to.  But  what  harm  has  this  innocent  stone,  this  bit  of 
yourself,  done  to  you,  that  you  treat  it  so  roughly?" 

"None  of  my  brothers  and  sisters  has  a  horrible  stone  like  this  at- 
tached to  them,  not  even  this  new  angelic  cousin,"  he  sobbed.  "So  it 
must  be  a  useless,  bad  thing.  I  don't  like  it!" 

"Your  new  cousin  also  came  into  the  world  with  a  stone  like  that," 
lied  the  grandmother  to  quiet  him.  "Out  of  filial  devotion  she  buried 
it  with  her  mother,  to  whom  she  was  greatly  attached,  so  that  even  in 
death  a  bit  of  herself  would  be  close  to  her  mother.  It  is  through  shy- 

32 


ness  that  she  has  not  spoken  of  it  to  you.  And  now  be  sensible.  What 
would  your  mother  say  if  she  heard  of  your  behavior?" 

He  became  thoughtfully  silent  and  allowed  his  grandmother  to  fasten 
the  cord  with  the  stone  round  his  neck  with  her  own  hands.  A  chamber- 
maid entered  and  asked  where  the  young  lady  was  to  sleep  in  future. 

"We  shall  change  Pao  Yu  over  to  my  apartments,  and  Miss  Ling  can 
move  for  the  time  being  into  the  green  pavilion  in  his  place.  Later  on, 
when  the  winter  is  over,  we  will  arrange  another  place  for  her." 

"Ah,  dear,  good  Grandmother,"  begged  Pao  Yu,  "let  me  stay  in  the 
green  pavilion!  I  can  sleep  quite  well  in  a  side-chamber.  I  am  so  noisy, 
I  would  destroy  your  peace." 

"Very  well,  you  may,"  the  grandmother  decided,  after  a  moment's 
consideration. 

Accordingly,  from  that  time  the  two  cousins  shared  the  green  pavil- 
ion which  was  part  of  the  premises  of  the  old  Princess.  Each  of  the  two 
children  had  their  own  personal  domestic  staff  in  attendance  on  them 
day  and  night.  Black  Jade  had  brought  with  her  from  Yangchow  her 
own  serving  matron,  Mother  Wang,  and  a  little  ten-year-old  waiting 
maid  called  Snowgoose.  The  Princess  Ancestress  found  little  Snow- 
goose  too  young  and  Mother  Wang  too  old  for  service,  so  she  gave  her 
granddaughter,  in  addition  to  her  own  household  staff,  the  waiting  maid 
Cuckoo.  Besides  these  she  got  as  her  staff  half  a  dozen  maids  for  the 
light  and  heavy  work,  just  like  her  cousins.  Pao  Yn  had  an  elderly  serv- 
ing matron,  Mother  Li,  and  a  smart  young  trustworthy  waiting  maid. 
This  maid,  who  enjoyed  the  special  confidence  of  the  Princess  Ances- 
tress, was  called  Pearl.  That  night,  a  long  time  after  it  had  become 
quiet  in  the  side-chamber  where  Pao  Yu  slept,  the  maid  Pearl  noticed 
that  there  was  still  light  in  the  inner  bedroom,  and  that  people  were 
talking  there.  Being  curious,  she  slipped  in  in  her  nightdress^.  She  found 
Black  Jade  sitting  on  the  edge  of  her  bed  talking  to  the  maid  Cuckoo. 

"Why  is  the  young  lady  still  up?"  she  asked,  astonished. 

"Sit  down,  sister,"  Black  Jade  invited  her  amiably.  Pearl  also  sat 
down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed.  Then  Cuckoo  made  her  report.  The  young 
lady  had  been  weeping  in  a  heart-rending  way  this  first  evening,  she 
said.  Her  eyes  had  filled  with  tears  again  and  again  as  soon  as  she 
wiped  them  dry.  She  was  disconsolate  over  having  provoked  the  son  of 
the  house  to  a  fit  of  rage  at  their  very  first  meeting,  and  she  felt  she  was 
a  bringer  of  misfortune. 

"Dear  young  lady,  you  should  not  take  a  thing  like  that  so  tragi- 
cally," said  Pearl,  smiling  at  Black  Jade.  "I  fear  you  will  experience 
much  more  crazy  and- extraordinary  behavior  from  him  in  the  future.  If 
you  take  everything  to  heart  like  that,  I  fear  you  will  become  quite  ill 
with  heart  trouble.  You  must  not  be  so  sensitive!" 

33 


"Thank  you,  sister!  I  will  think  of  what  you  say,"  said  Black  Jade, 
somewhat  calmed,  and  soon  afterwards  she  was  able  to  get  to  sleep  at 
last. 

When  Black  Jade  went  next  morning  with  her  cousins  to  wish  Aunt 
Cheng  good  morning  as  usual,  they  found  the  aunt  and  Phoenix  in  lively 
conversation  over  a  letter  from  a  relative,  which  two  messengers  had  just 
brought  from  the  town.  Black  Jade  only  half  understood  what  the  lively 
discussion  was  about.  Her  cousins  enlightened  her.  The  letter  was  from 
Uncle  Wang,  an  elder  brother  of  Aunt  Cheng,  and  concerned  a  distress- 
ing affair  in  which  their  nephew  Hsueh  Pan  was  involved.  Young  Hsueh 
Pan,  a  son  of  Aunt  Cheng's  sister,  presuming  on  the  power  of  the 
family  to  protect  him,  had  killed  a  rival  in  a  quarrel,  and  was  now  to 
answer  for  it  before  .the  Prefect  of  Ying  tien  f u.  You  will  learn  from  the 
next  chapter  the  ramifications  of  this  painful  affair,  and  how  it  is  con- 
nected will)  our  story. 


CHAPTER   4 

An  unfortunate  girl  finds  an  unfortunate  suitor.  A  little  bonze  from  the 
Temple  of  the  Gourd  acts  as  judge. 

As  ALREADY  MENTIONED,  AFTER  HIS   REINSTATEMENT   Yu   TSUN   GOT 

the  position  of  Prefect  of  Ying  tien  fu  thanks  to  the  patronage  he  re- 
ceived through  the  influence  of  Lin  Ju  Hai  and  his  brother-in-law 
Cheng.  Immediately  after  he  took  up  office  the  case  of  a  murder  com- 
mitted in  his  district  less  than  a  month  previously  came  before  him  for 
hearing.  In  a  quarrel  over  the  ownership  of  a  pretty  slave  girl  one  buyer 
had  had  his  rival  beaten  to  death.  The  plaintiff  was  the  servant  of  the 
murdered  man.  In  his  evidence  he  declared: 

"The  murdered  man  was  my  master.  My  master  had  bought  the  slave 
fairly  from  her  owner,  a  child-thief,  and  had  also  paid  the  purchase 
price,  but  it  was  arranged  that  he  was  only  to  bring  the  slave  to  his 
house  three  days  later,  because  that  day  was  stated  in  the  calendar  to 
be  a  lucky  day.  Now  the  rogue  of  a  child-thief  had  used  this  interval  to 
secretly  sell  the  slave  a  second  time,  namely,  to  a  man  named  Hsueh 
Pan.  My  master  heard  in  time  of  this  deal  and  set  off  to  fetch  the  girl 
from  the  slave  dealer,  but  the  servants  of  that  brutal  fellow  Hsueh  Pan, 
who,  relying  on  the  power  of  his  family,  has  contempt  for  law  and  jus- 
tice, stopped  him  by  force  and  beat  him  to  death  with  sticks.  The  cul- 
prits then  made  off  with  the  slave  girl,  and  there  has  been  no  trace  of 
them  sinfce.  It  is  already  a  month  since  I  made  a  charge,  but  your  prede- 
cessor in  office  did  not  take  up  the  case.  I  beg  of  you  to  have  the  mur- 

34 


derers  traced  &nd  to  give  them  the  punishment  they  deserve,  that  jus- 
tice may  be  done  and  innocence  may  triumph  over  wickedness." 

When  Yu  Tsun  had  lisle;  ed  to  the  end,  he  angrily  hit  the  judge's 
table  with  his  fist. 

"What!  A  murderer  is  let  go  scot-free!  How  is  that  possible?"  he 
cried  indignantly.  "I  shall  immediately  write  out  warrants  for  arrest, 
and  send  detectives  to  the  relatives  of  the  murderer.  And  if  they  do  not 
disclose  the  whereabouts  of  the  murderer  voluntarily,  they  will  be  tor- 
tured!" 

He  was  just  about  to  take  up  his  writing  brush  when  he  noticed  that 
one  of  the  yamen  secretaries  who  were  standing  around  the  judge's 
table  winked  at  him  quite  visibly.  He  realized  that  the  secretary  obvi- 
ously wished  to  communicate  something  of  importance  to  him,  so  he 
laid  down  his  brush,  interrupted  the  sitting,  and  withdrew  to  his  private 
office.  There  he  spoke  privately  to  the  official  conceraed. 

"The  old  Governor  has  probably  completely  forgotten  my  humble 
self  since  he  came  into  his  high  administrative  office?"  began  the  man 
with  a  cunning  smile.  "But  of  course  it  is  already  eight  or  nine  years 
since  we  met." 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,  your  face  is  very  familiar  to  me,  but  I  cannot 
really  recall  at  the  moment  .  .  ." 

"Yes,  indeed,  when  fortune  smiles  on  them,  great  gentlemen  do  not 
•like  to  look  back  upon  their  early  struggles.  But  you  surely  still  remem- 
ber the  Temple  of  the  Gourd?" 

Now  Yu  Tsun  knew  who  he  was. 

"Why,  of  course,  you  were  the  young  brother  who  used  to  clean  the 
incense  vessels  and  had  the  cell  next  to  mine  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Gourd  in  those  days.  Tell  me,  how  have  you  been  getting  on  since 
then?"  he  said  laughing,  and  amiably  invited  the  other  to  take  a  seat. 

But  the  man  who  was  now  a  yamen  secretary  remained  politely 
standing  and  recounted  briefly  how  he  was  homeless  after  the  burning 
of  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd,  but  soon  decided  to  let  his  hair  grow  again 
and,  having  long  since  tired  of  the  cold  and  dreary  convent  life,  became 
a  yamen -servant. 

"But  now  sit  down!"  said  Yu  Tsun,  giving  him  a  friendly  push  onto 
a  chair:  but  the  other  only  ventured  to  sit  shyly  on  the  edge  of  it.  "Old 
friendships  made  in  times  of  poverty  and  want  should  not  be  forgotten. 
Moreover,  we  are  now  in  my  private  office  and  not  in  a  public  court.  So 
why  this  ceremony?  But  now  explain  why  you  winked  at  me  just  now 
as  I  was  about  to  write  out  the  order  for  arrest.". 

"Has  no  Protection  List  been  placed  before  you  since  you  have  been 
in  office  here?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  Protection  List?" 

35 


"It  is  customary  nowadays  for  government  officials  in  the  provinces 
to  keep  a  secret  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  specially  prpminent,  well-off, 
and  influential  citizens  domiciled  in  their  district,  above  all  the  'Wear- 
ers of  the  Belt,'  or  former  high  officials  who  have  important  connections 
with  government  circles  at  the  Court.  A  prudent  provincial  magistrate 
will  take  great  care  not  to  come  into  conflict .  with  these  important 
people,  otherwise  he  endangers  his  position  or  in  certain  circumstances 
even  his  life.  That  is  why  it  is  called  the  Protection  List.  Now,  that  man 
Hsueh  Pan  is  one  of  the  prominent  people  of  the  district  whom  one  dare 
not  annoy.  That  is  why  your  predecessor  in  office  did  not  take  any  steps 
in  the  murder  case,  although  Hsueh  Pan's  guilt  is  quite  obvious." 

While  he  was  speaking  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  folded  paper  which 
he  handed  to  Yu  Tsun.  It  was  the  Protection  List  which  he  kept  for  his 
personal  use.  Yu  Tsun  found  it  full  of  the  names  of  the  leading  families 
in  the  district,  and  beside  the  individual  names,  written  in  the  common 
tongue,  were  marginal  notes  of  what  people  said  about  the  families  in 
question.  Among  others  he  read  the  four  names  Chia,  Shih,  Wang,  and 
Hsueh. 

"These  four  powerful  families,"  the  secretary  explained  to  him,  "are 
all  blood  relations  or  connected  by  marriage,  and  are  bound  together 
for  good  or  ill.  The  punishment  you  mete  out  to  one  family  hits  all  four; 
the  honor  you  show  to  one  family  is  shared  by  the  others.  Besides  this 
powerful  family  bloc  at  his  back,  the  murderer  Hsueh  Pan  also  has  an 
influential  connection  at  the  Court  and  in  the  provinces.  If  you  now 
issue  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  his  supporters,  how  many  people  will 
you  actually  have  to  lock  up?" 

"Hm.  I  had  not  thought  of  that.  But  what  line  am  I  to  take  in  this 
matter,  then?  Evidently  the  murderer's  whereabouts  are  well  known  to 
you?" 

The  secretary  gave  a  cunning  smile. 

"If  I  may  speak  frankly,  old  Governor,  I  may  say  that  I  know  not 
only  the  whereabouts  of  the  murderer  but  also  a  good  deal  about  the 
other  persons  implicated,  the  murdered  man,  the  slave  dealer,  and  the 
slave  girl.  If  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  listen  to  me  patiently,  I  will  tell 
you  the  whole  story  absolutely  correctly. 

"The  murdered  man  was  named  Feng.  He  came  from  a  modest 
family  of  civil  servants,  and  since  his  parents  died,  having  no  brothers  or 
sisters  to  share  the  heritage,  he  was  able  to  live  modestly  on  what  his 
father  left  him.  The  twenty-year-old  was  by  nature  averse  to  women, 
and  preferred  the  companionship  of  men.  Probably  Providence  in- 
tended to  make  him  atone  for  some  crime  committed  in  a  previous  ex- 
istence when  to  his  misfortune  it  led  him  to  that  child-thief  who  had 
the  slave  girl.  At  all  events,  quite  contrary  to  his  usual  habits,  he  be- 

36 


came  infatuated  with  the  slave  girl  at  first  sight,  decided  to  make  her 
his  concubine,  and  renounced  all  intercourse  with  men  for  the  future. 
The  fool  took  the  matter  so  seriously  that  he  even  looked  up  a  lucky 
day  in  the  calendar  for  taking  home  the  girl,  and  that  was  the  third  day 
after  he  had  made  the  bargain  and  paid  the  purchase  price. 

"The  cunning  slave  dealer  now  took  it  into  his  head  to  avail  of  the 
interval  to  sell  the  girl  again  for  cash,  this  time  to  Hsu^h  Pan.  But  be- 
fore he  could  clear  off  with  the  double  proceeds,  he  fell  uu^  the  hands 
of  the  two  rivals,  neither  of  whom  wanted  his  money  back,  but  both  of 
whom  wanted  possession  of  the  girl.  So  he  was  nearly  beaten  dead  by 
the  two  of  them.  Then  the  two  rivals  fell  upon  each  other.  Thanks  to  his 
large  suite  of  servants,  Hsueh  Pan  had  the  advantage.  Those  fellows 
beat  the  unfortunate  Feng  until  he  was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  stir 
any  more.  He  died  three  days  later.  But  his  rival  then  went  off  to  the 
capital  with  his  booty  and  his  suite  of  servants,  not  as  a  fugitive,  but 
quite  coolly,  openly,  and  at  his  ease,  like  any  innocent  traveller,  just  as 
if  nothing  at  all  had  happened.  But  now  comes  the  most  remarkable 
part  of  the  story.  Who  do  you  think  that  slave  girl  was?" 

"How  should  I  know  that?" 

"Little  Lotus,  the  daughter  of  your  great  friend  and  patron,  Shih 
Ying,  of  your  Temple  of  the  Gourd  days!" 

"What  on  earth  are  you  saying?  But  she  was  hardly  three  years  old 
when  she  was  stolen  that  time  on  the  evening  of  the  Lantern  Festival. 
And  you  say  the  thief  was  only  selling  her  now,  eight  years  later?" 

"It  is  the  custom  of  child-thieves  to  keep  the  little  girls  they  steal 
and  bring  them  up  until  they  are  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age  and 
then  put  them  on  the  market  in  another  part  of  the  country.  So  the  mar 
who  stole  our  little  Lotus  kept  her  hidden  in  his  lair  near  Suchow  for 
eight  years,  and  then  he  brought  her  here  to  Ying  tien  fu  to  sell  her.  I 
am  not  mistaken;  I  definitely  recognized  her  again.  For  during  his  stay 
here  the  thief  actually  lodged  in  the  same  house  where  I  do,  with  the 
little  girl. 

"We  monks  of  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd  were  on  the  most  friendly 
and  neighborly  terms  with  little  Lotus.  The  trustful  child  used  to  come 
over  to  the  temple  every  day  and  we  used  to  play  with  her  and  have  all 
sorts  of  fun.  That  is  why  her  face  remained  impressed  upon  my  mem- 
ory. Her  features  have  developed  and  gained  in  their  beautiful  propor- 
tions in  the  course  of  the  years,  but  they  have  remained  essentially  the 
same.  Besides,  I  recognized  her  by  her  birthmark,  a  freckle  the  size  of  a 
grain  of  rice  between  her  eyebrows  above  the  bridge  of  her  nose. 

"Once  when  the  slave  dealer  was  out  and  she  was  alone  in  the  house, 
I  went  to  her  and  questioned  her  urgently,  but  she  was  unwilling  to 
speak  out.  She  must  not  speak  or  she  would  be  beaten,  she  said,  quite 

37 


scared,  and  she  insisted  that  the  thief  was  her  father,  who  had  to  sell  her 
to  pay  his  debts.  When  I  continued  to  press  her  with  questions  she  be- 
gan to  weep  and  said  she  could  not  remember  her  early  childhood.  But 
later  on  she  betrayed  herself.  The  day  that  young  Feng  bought  her  I 
listened  at  the  door  and  spied  into  the  room  through  a  crack.  The 
slave  dealer  had  celebrated  the  deal  with  young  Feng  and  had  got  thor- 
oughly tipsy.  Believing  herself  unobserved,  Lotus  let  a  deep  sigh  of 
relief  escape  her.  'Today  my  debt  from  a  former  existence  has  at  last 
been  paid  off!'  she  cried.  But  when  she  heard  that  she  would  be  fetched 
by  her  suitor  only  three  days  later,  her  cheerfulness  changed  to  sadness. 

"I  watched  out  for  the  next  time  that  she  was  alone,  and  sent  my  wife 
to  her  room  to  speak  words  of  comfort  to  her.  My  wife  said  to  her  that 
the  fact  that  young  Feng  was  waiting  for  a  lucky  day  to  take  her  home 
showed  that  he  had  honorable  and  serious  intentions  towards  her,  and 
looked  on  her  as  a  wife  and  not  as  a  slave;  since  this  man,  who  had 
always  been  known  as  a  woman-hater,  had  paid  a  heap  of  money  for 
her,  he  must  be  very  much  in  love  with  her  indeed.  She  should  wait  pa- 
tiently for  the  three  days,  then  her  lucky  hour  would  come,  and  she 
would  find  a  pleasant  life  and  a  good  home.  At  this  she  became  more 
tranquil. 

"Who  would  have  thought  it  would  all  turn  out  quite  differently?  The 
following  day  the  rogue  of  a  slave  dealer  sold  the  poor  thing  again,  this 
time  to  that  fellow  Hsueh  Pan.  If  it  had  been  anyone  else  at  all  it  would 
not  have  been  so  bad.  But  that  this  brutal  libertine  and  spendthrift,  who 
is  known  among  the  people  as  'the  Mad  Robber  Count,'  should  become 
her  master — that  was  the  last  straw!  Showering  blows  on  her  as  thick  as 
autumn  leaves,  he  dragged  the  poor  thing  away  with  him,  more  dead 
than  alive.  One  can  really  feel  sorry  for  her  hapless  suitor,  young  Feng. 
His  joy  came  to  nought,  and  he  sacrificed  his  life  and  his  money  in 
vain." 

Yu  Tsun  sighed  deeply. 

"The  poor  things!  Who  knows  what  crimes  they  may  have  com- 
mitted in  a  former  existence,  since  they  have  to  atone  so  much  now.  For 
the  girl  is  also  to  be  pitied.  True,  her  first  suitor  could  not  offer  her  any- 
thing like  the  comfort  and  the  luxury  which  she  now  enjoys  in  the 
house  of  the  second,  but  on  the  other  hand  she  must  share  with  many 
other  women  the  favor  of  a  spoiled,  bad-tempered  pleasure-seeker, 
whereas  in  the  house  of  the  other  she  would  have  been  the  only  wife 
and  mistress.  But  what's  the  good  of  philosophizing  afterwards?  For 
me,  the  important  thing  just  now  is  to  make  a  wise  decision." 

"Esteemed  sir,  long  ago  in  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd  you  used  to  be 
a  very  shrewd,  clearheaded  man.  Therefore,  after  so  many  years'  pro- 
fessional experience,  it  really  should  not  be  difficult  for  you  to  come  to 

38 


a  decision.  After  all,  you  owe  your  present  position  to  the  patronage  of 
these  same  families  Chia  and  Wang,  who  belong  to  the  set  of  that  Hsueh 
Pan.  Do  you  want  to  fight  against  the  stream  and  annoy  your  protec- 
tors? I  advise  you  to  drop  the  matter  gracefully,  so  that  you  may  be 
able  to  look  your  patrons  in  the  face  without  embarrassment  in  the 
future!" 

"Hm,  that  sounds  reasonable.  Nevertheless,  it's  a  matter  of  a  human 
life.  How  could  I  dare  to  repay,  by  acting  with  partiality  and  defeating 
the  ends  of  justice,  the  trust  which  the  Son  of  Heaven  has  placed  in 
me!" 

"You  may  be  right  in  theory.  But  in  practice,  unfortunately,  one  can- 
not always  heed  such  moral  considerations  nowadays.  'The  wise  man 
adapts  himself  to  circumstances,'  says  the  old  maxim.  'The  wise  man 
strives  for  a  friendly  settlement  and  avoids  wicked  conflict,'  runs  an- 
other trustworthy  rule.  If  you  were  to  act  strictly  according  to  theory, 
you  would  very  soon  lose  your  position  and  consequently  no  longer  be 
able  to  justify  the  confidence  of  the  Son  of  Heaven;  indeed,  you  would 
actually  risk  losing  your  head." 

Yu  Tsun  was  thoughtful  for  a  moment. 

"Good.  What,  then,  in  your  opinion,  should  be  done?" 

"I  have  a  splendid  plan.  When  you  continue  with  the  case  again  to- 
morrow, play  the  severe,  pitiless  judge,  shout  and  rage  and  issue  a  war- 
rant for  the  arrest  of  the  murderer  Hsueh  Pan.  Do  not  put  it  into  force, 
however,  but,  instead,  just  to  appease  the  other  side,  have  some  unim- 
portant members  o*  his  household  here  arrested,  and  examine  them!  I 
will  visit  these  people  in  their  prison  cell  behind  your  back  and  let  them 
know  that  the  matter  is  not  to  be  taken  so  seriously,  and  that  they 
should  say  at  their  examination  that  their  master,  the  murderer  Hsueh 
Pan,  has  meantime  died  of  a  sudden  illness.  Moreover,  I  will  see  to  it 
that  a  death  certificate  made  out  by  the  chief  members  of  the  Hsueh 
clan,  and  the  officials  of  the  Ward  concerned,  is  produced. 

"In  the  further  course  of  the  hearing,  in  order  to  stifle  any  possible 
discontent  on  the  part  of  the  people,  you  will  play  a  little  at  calling  up 
spirits  and  stage  a  public  performance  with  an  altar  of  sacrifice  and 
magic  wands,  and  cause  the  spirits  of  the  dead  to  announce  that  they 
had  been  enemies  in  a  former  existence  and,  meeting  on  a  narrow  path- 
way, had  killed  one  another;  that  the  murderer  Hsueh  Pan  had  been 
afflicted  with  a  malignant  disease  by  the  avenging  spirit  of  the  mur- 
dered Feng,  and  had  also  died.  Therefore,  the  murder  was  already 
atoned  for,  and  apart  from  punishing  the  fraudulent  slave  dealer,  there 
was  no  necessity  for  the  authorities  to  pursue  the  matter  further. 

"If  you  wish  to  do  something  more,  you  can  sentence  the  Hsueh 
family  to  compensate  the  relatives  of  the  murdered  man  for  the  costs  of 

39 


his  burial.  The  Hsueh  family  are  rich.  They  will  not  mind  paying  five 
hundred  or  a  thousand  ounces.  The  dead  man's  relatives  are  insignifi- 
cant, humble  people.  They  will  be  glad  to  get  a  nice  sum  of  money  into 
their  hands  and  to  shut  their  mouths.  What  do  you  think  of  this  little 
plan?" 

"Impossible!"  said  Yu  Tsun  with  an  evasive  laugh.  "But  I'll  think 
the  matter  over  again." 

He  did  not  need  to  consider  for  long  before  deciding  on  the  plan. 
And  then  he  carried  it  out,  point  for  point,  just  as  his  adviser  had  whis- 
pered to  him,  with  the  result  that  there  was  no  murmuring  among  the 
people,  and  both  parties  were  satisfied.  Finally  he  wrote  two  letters,  to 
Chia  Cheng  and  Marshal  Wang  Tzu  Teng,  the  influential  uncles  of  the 
criminal,  informing  them  that  the  proceedings  against  their  worthy 
nephew  had  been  satisfactorily  settled  and  that  they  need  not  be  the 
least  troubled  about  it  any  more.  And  thus,  thanks  to  the  cunning  idea 
of  a  former  little  monk  from  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd,  law  and  justice 
were  set  aside  and  a  painful  lawcase  was  liquidated  in  an  ingenious 
way. 

But  after  this  Yu  Tsun  found  the  proximity  of  the  unpleasing  sharer 
of  his  secret  disturbing  and  uncomfortable.  It  pained  him  to  think  that 
the  former  temple  bonze  might  tell  tales  or  by  careless  gossip  disclose  to 
the  people  the  obscure,  miserable  past  of  the  present  highly  respected 
magistrate.  Therefore  on  the  excuse  that  the  secretary  had  acted  in  a 
blameworthy  manner  in  the  execution  of  his  duties,  he  took  the  first 
available  opportunity  to  pack  him  off  to  a  distant  position  in  his  dis- 
trict. But  this  is  enough  about  Yu  Tsun  for  the  present.  Let  us  now  talk 
about  Hsueh  Pan. 

Although  descended  from  a  good  family  redolent  from  generation  to 
generation  of  the  highest  culture,  Hsueh  Pan,  as  the  only  son  of  an 
early-widowed  mother,  had  been  spoiled  and  pampered  from  childhood, 
and  deprived  of  any  serious  discipline  or  guidance,  and  had  only  had  a 
very  superficial  education.  Thanks  to  old  and  good  connections,  which 
he  owed  to  his  forefathers,  and  to  having  inherited  a  fortune  of  some 
millions  of  taels,  he  had  procured  the  lucrative  position  of  a  privileged 
buyer  for  the  Imperial  Wardrobe;  but  apart  from  the  fact,  that  his  name 
stood  in  the  register  of  contractors  of  the  Ministry  of  Finance  and  that 
he  regularly  drew  his  emoluments,  he  left  the  actual  execution  of  his 
official  duties  to  his  agents  and  trusted  employees,  as  he  understood 
nothing  about  business.  He  himself  lived  completely  for  his  passions, 
and  passed  his  time  in  cockfighting,  horse  racing,  and  riotous  living. 
He  was  a  spendthrift  and  a  voluptuary,  a  licentious,  brutal  fellow  of 
rough  manners  and  arrogant  speech. 

His  mother,  a  afster  of  Marshal  Wang  Tzu  Teng  of  the  capital  and  of 

40 


the  wife  of  Chia  Cheng  of  the  Yungkuo  palace,  was  now  forty  years 
of  age,  and  besides  this  son  she  also  had  a  daughter  about  thirteen 
years  of  age,  named  Pao  Chai,  "Precious  Clasp."  In  her  soft,  rounded 
beauty.  Precious  Clasp  resembled  a  smoothly  polished,  glistening  agate. 
But  her  perfect  polish  was  not  only  physical.  Thanks  to  her  great  zeal 
for  learning  and  to  the  care  her  late  father  had  bestowed  upon  her  edu- 
cation from  earliest  childhood,  she  was  ten  times  better  educated  than 
her  brother,  Hsueh  Pan,  who  was  her  senior.  But  when  she  realized  that 
her  widowed  mother  could  expect  no  real  help  from  her  ill-behaved 
elder  child,  she  had  laid  aside  her  books  for  the  past  few  years  in  order 
to  relieve  her  mother  of  the  household  worries,  like  a  good,  conscien- 
tious daughter. 

On  account  of  her  outstanding  virtues  and  qualities,  she  had  recently 
been  placed  on  the  list  of  the  young  women  annually  chosen  from 
among  the  respected  families  of  the  nobility  and  mandarin  class 
throughout  the  Empire,  to  be  presented  at  Court  and  retained  there, 
some  as  concubines  of  the  Emperor,  others  as  ladies  of  the  Court  and 
chaperons  to  the  Princesses.  For  the  present  Son  of  Heaven  valued  the 
exalted  teachings  and  philosophical  writings  of  Master  Confucius,  and 
desired  that  the  Princesses  at  the  Court  should  be  favorably  influenced 
and  encouraged  to  exemplary  behavior  by  the  companionship  of  girls 
educated  in  the  classics. 

Now,  when  Hsueh  Pan  decided  to  escort  his  sister  to  the  Court,  he  did 
so  for  three  reasons.  First  of  all,  he  wished  to  take  the  opportunity  of 
visiting  his  relatives  in  the  capital;  secondly,  he  wished  to  present  him- 
self to  his  employers,  the  Ministry  of  Finance,  and  to  settle  some  official 
business  matters;  but  the  third  and  most  potent  reason  of  all  was  that 
he  wanted  to  enjoy  himself.  For  it  had  always  been  his  desire  to  know 
the  capital  with  its  splendor  and  gay  life,  of  which  he  had  heard  so 
much  praise. 

All  preparations  for  the  journey  had  already  been  made,  the  numer- 
ous trunks  as  well  as  the  presents  intended  for  the  friends  and  relatives 
had  been  packed,  and  a  favorable  day  for  departure  looked  up  in  the 
calendar,  when  the  previously  mentioned  incident  with  the  slave  dealer 
happened,  in  the  course  of  which  the  unfortunate  Feng  lost  his  life  and 
little  Lotus  fell  into  the  hands  of  Hsueh  Pan.  Leaving  the  household  in 
the  care  of  some  of  the  older  trusted  servants,  Hsueh  Pan  had  set  out 
for  the  capital  with  his  mother,  sister,  concubines,  baggage,  and  serv- 
ants, on  the  prearranged  day.  The  affair  of  the  murder  ,did  not  trouble 
him  in  the  least;  to  him  it  was  just  a  trifle  which  could  be  disposed  of 
with  a  handful  of  dirty  coins. 

Actually,  Madame  Hsueh  had  intended  to  stay  with  her  brother 
Marshal  Wang  in  the  capital.  But  shortly  before  they  reached  the  walls 

41 


of  the  Imperial  City  news  reached  them  that  Marshal  Wang  had  just 
been  appointed  Imperial  Marshal  of  the  Nine  Provinces  and  had  re- 
ceived orders  to  proceed  without  delay  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the 
frontiers.  This  news  was  a  secret  relief  to  Hsueh  Pan.  Now,  he  said  to 
himself,  lie  would  be  free  of  the  irksome  authority  and  supervision  of 
his  uncle  and  have  absolute  freedom  for  his  pleasures,  and  he  thanked 
heaven  for  having  disposed  matters  according  to  his  wishes.  The  altered 
circumstances  now  rendered  a  family  council  necessary. 

"We  should  send  some  of  our  servants  on  in  advance  to  fix  up  one 
of  our  own  houses  which  has  been  unused  for  years,"  the  son  suggested. 
The  mother  was  against  this. 

"Why  all  this  fuss?  What  have  we  got  relatives  for?  We  can  stay 
either  with  my  brother  Wang  or  my  brother-in-law  Cheng.  There  is 
plenty  of  room  in  the  Yungkuo  palace.  We  can  still  move  into  one  of 
our  own  houses  later  on." 

"Uncle  Wang  is  in  the  midst  of  preparations  for  his  journey  to  the 
frontier;  his  house  is  in  confusion.  It  would  really  be  somewhat  tact- 
less of  us  to  invade  him  like  a  swarm  of  hornets,"  said  the  son,  doubt- 
fully. 

"You  are  right.  Well,  then  we  shall  go  to  the  Yungkuo  palace.  My 
sister  has  invited  me  again  and  again  to  visit  her,  so  she  will  be  happy 
to  have  us  as  her  guests.  But  I  quite  understand  that  you  want  to  be 
free  and  unhampered,  so  you  may  go  and  look  for  quarters  of  your 
choice  wherever  you  like.  But  I  shall  go  and  stay  in  the  Yungkuo  palace 
with  Precious  Clasp." 

Naturally,  Hsueh  Pan  could  not  go  off  and  leave  his  family  right  at 
the  beginning ;  that  would  have  made  a  bad  impression  on  the  relatives. 
So,  suppressing  his  displeasure,  he  submitted  to  his  mother's  wish  and 
sent  off  messengers  to  announce  their  arrival  at  the  Yungkuo  palace. 
There  the  travellers  were  received  with  the  greatest  cordiality,  and  both 
the  Princess  Ancestress  and  Aunt  Cheng  urged  them  to  stay  on.  Uncle 
Cheng  had  a  suite  of  ten  unused  rooms  prepared  for  the  guests  in  the 
southeastern  tip  of  his  domain — the  so-called  Pear  Garden. 

The  Pear  Garden  was  a  delightful  pleasure  house  set  in  enchanting 
surroundings  in  the  park,  the  favorite  dwelling  of  the  first  Prince  of 
Yungkuo  in  his  old  age.  With  its  grounds  it  formed  a  separate,  walled- 
off  area  within  the  estate.  To  the  inside  it  was  connected  with  the  dwell- 
ing of  Aunt  Cheng  by  a  little  gate  and  a  narrow  path,  and  to  the  outside 
it  had  its  own  exit  to  the  street.  This  latter  fact  was  specially  pleasing 
to  Hsueh  Pan,  for  it  enabled  him  to  go  in  and  out  unimpeded  and 
without  the  annoyance  of  his  movements'  being  checked  at  the  gate. 
Altogether,  the  displeasure  he  had  felt  when  moving  in  diminished 
more  and  more.  His  fear  that  his  uncles  would  supervise  him  at  every 

42 


step  proved  unfounded.  Uncle  Cheng  had  his  ministerial  work,  and 
Prince  Shieh,  who  as  elder  had  first  authority  in  the  place,  was  far  too 
easygoing  to  bother  himself  about  the  goings-on  of  the  many  different 
inmates  of  the  house.  He  preferred  to  meditate  in  his  library  and  over  a 
chessboard  and  only  wanted  to  be  left  undisturbed.  Hsueh  Pan  on  his 
part  found  among  the  various  male  cousins  in  the  two  palaces  just  the 
companions  he  needed.  Most  of  these  cousins  wore  "silk  trousers"  and 
"airy  coats" — jovial,  merry  young  people,  from  whom  even  he  could 
learn  much  in  the  art  of  savoir-vivre.  If  he  had  a  wish  for  a  little  game 
of  cards,  a  drinking  bout,  a  stroll  through  the  town,  or  an  amorous  ad- 
venture, there  was  always  suitable  company  to  be  found  for  it.  In  short, 
Hsueh  Pan  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  boredom,  and  made  himself  so 
much  at  home  in  his  new  surroundings  that  in  the  course  of  one  month 
all  thought  of  changing  his  quarters  had  vanished.  How  the  main  story 
goes,  after  this  digression,  will  be  seen  from  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   5 

The  spirit  of  Pao  Yu  wanders  about  in  the  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great 

Void.  The  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening  vainly  interprets  for  him  in 

songs  the  Dream  of  the  Red  Chamber. 

VERY  SOON  BLACK  JADE  HAD  BECOME  THE  AVOWED  FAVORITE  OF  THE 
Princess  Ancestress,  and  was  put  before  the  other  grandchildren  in 
every  respect,  just  like  Pao  Yu.  These  two  had  become  as  closely  at- 
tached to  each  other  as  glue  and  lacquer  and  were  now  an  inseparable 
pair.  In  the  daytime  they  sat  side  by  side  and  went  about  hand  in  hand ; 
in  the  evening  they  stood  taking  a  long  and  affectionate  leave  of  one 
another  and  slept  wall  to  wall. 

Now  this  new  cousin  had  suddenly  come  to  the  house.  Although  not 
much  older  than  the  other  cousins,  Precious  Clasp  was  so  polished  in 
her  manners  and  of  such  charming  appearance  that  according  to  the 
general  verdict  even  Black  Jade  was  not  her  equal.  Besides,  she  knew 
how  to  win  the  hearts  of  all,  even  the  servants,  by  her  friendly,  com- 
passionate ways,  whereas  Black  Jade  was  a  solitary  individual  and  went 
around  with  her  head  in  the  air.  With  secret  annoyance  in  her  heart, 
Black  Jade  felt  herself  displaced  in  the  general  popularity  by  her  new 
cousin,  and  her  annoyance  turned  to  resentment  when  she  perceived 
that  even  Pao  Yu  was  not  untouched  by  her  charm. 

Pao  Yu  was  still  toox  immature  to  discriminate  tactfully  between  an 
old  privileged  friendship  and  a  new  acquaintance;  for  him  one  cousin 
was  the  same  as  another.  In  short,  Black  Jade  felt  offended  whenever 

43 


he  said  a  friendly  word  too  much  to  Precious  Clasp,  and  this  led  to 
many  scenes  of  jealousy  in  the  course  of  which  she  would  rush  weeping 
to  her  room,  and  in  the  end  forgive  the  faithless  one  again  and  again 
when  he  would  come  running  after  her  with  bowed  head  and  apologize 
to  her  with  youthful  impetuosity. 

One  day  at  the  time  of  the  plum  blossoms  Prince  and  Princess  Chen 
had  invited  the  near-by  relatives  to  visit  them  in  the  Ningkuo  palace. 
After  the  company  had  walked  about  for  a  while  in  the  Garden  of  As- 
sembled Perfumes,  which  was  shimmering  in  the  full  splendor  of  bios- 
somtime,  they  all  sat  down  at  one  great  table  to  the  usual  family  feast, 
about  which  there  is  nothing  special  to  say. 

At  the  end  of  the  meal  Pao  Yu  felt  sleepy  and  expressed  the  wish  to 
lie  down  for  a  while.  Mistress  Yung,  the  beautiful  young  daughter-in- 
law  of  Prince  Chen,  undertook  to  conduct  him  herself  to  a  room  which 
she  thought  seemed  suitable  for  a  midday  nap.  It  was  a  small,  beauti- 
fully and  comfortably  furnished  guestroom,  but  two  mottoes  which 
decorated  one  of  the  walls  caused  the  boy  obvious  discomfort.  For 
when  he  read: 

For  knowledge  of  nature  and  the  world 
Do  not  neglect  the  sciences. 
For  knowledge  of  the  human  heart 
Devote  yourself  to  the  study  of  history 

he  turned  petulantly  back  and  said:  "Let  us  get  out  quickly!"  His 
beautiful  companion  thereupon  laughingly  offered  to  give  him  her  own 
bedroom. 

"But,  Mistress,  the  uncle  cannot  well  sleep  in  the  niece's  bed;  that 
would  be  contrary  to  all  good  form,"  objected  a  chamberwoman,  who 
was  in  attendance. 

"Ah,  why  be  so  prudish?  The  uncle  is  after  all  still  a  boy,"  replied 
the  young  woman,  laughing,  and  leading  Pao  Yu,  who  in  kinship  was  in 
fact  her  uncle  but  in  age  could  well  be  her  nephew,  into  her  bedroom. 
As  he  entered  he  was  met  by  a  wave  of  delightful  perfume  which  intoxi- 
cated his  senses  and  melted  his  bones. 

"Oh,  it  smells  nice  here!"  he  remarked  with  pleasure,  and  his  pleas- 
ure increased  when  he  saw  a  painting  by  Master  T'ang  Pei  Hu  repre- 
senting someone  sleeping  beneath  begonia  branches  in  early  spring, 
and  read  the  following  words  written  to  the  right  and  left  of  it: 

Gentle  coolness  surrounds  the  dreamer — early  spring! 
The  breezes  which  caress  him — fragrant  as  wine! 

In  silent  admiration  Pao  Yu  let  his  eyes  wander  round  the  splendid 
furnishings  of  the  room.  Here  on  the  dressing  table  was  a  bronze  mirror 
which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  mirror  palace  of  the  Empress  Wu 


of  the  T'ang  dynasty.  There  was  a  magnificent  flat  golden  dish  on  which 
the  celebrated  dancer  "Flying  Swallow  '  might  once  have  danced  be- 
fore her  Imperial  lord.  That  splendid  jewel-studded  couch  on  a  raised 
dais  would  have  been  worthy  to  adorn  the  bedroom  of  Princess  Shou 
Yang  iii  the  Han  Chang  palace.  The  strings  of  pearls  which  hung 
around  the  couch  might  have  been  fastened  there  by  the  hand  of 
Princess  Tung  Chang. 

"What  a  beautiful  room!"  cried  Pao  Yu,  enraptured. 
"Yes,  isn't  it?  Even  spirits  and  genii  could  feel  happy  here,"  re- 
marked his  niece,  smiling. 

Saying  this,  she  threw  off  the  blossom-white  bedcover  with  her  own 
hand,  and  arranged  the  soft  pillow  embroidered  with  mandarin  ducks, 
which  the  "Red  Maiden'*  might  once  have  clasped  to  her  bosom  as  she 
yearned  for  her  lover.  The  swarm  of  waiting  maids  and  chamberwomen 
helped  Pao  Yu  to  undress  and  put  him  to  bed  on  the  couch;  and  then 
they  all  withdrew  noiselessly.  Pearl  and  three  other  chambermaids  had 
to  keep  watch  outside  the  bedroom  door. 

"Take  good  care  that  the  cats  do  not  start  fighting  under  the  window 
and  disturb  your  master's  rest!"  Mistress  Yung  impressed  upon  them 
thoughtfully. 

Hardly  had  Pao  Yu  shut  his  eyes  than  he  felt  himself  carried  away 
into  a  land  of  dreams.  His  beautiful  niece  seemed  to  hover  in  front  of 
him  and  lead  him  to  a  fairy  palace  with  walls  of  jasper  and  pillars  and 
balustrades  of  ruby,  surrounded  by  the  rustling  of  treetops  and  the  mur- 
mur of  silver  brooks. 

"It's  good  to  be  here,"  he  sighed  happily  in  his  dream.  "I  much  pre- 
fer being  here  to  being  at  home,  where  I  am  always  watched  and  always 
expecting  blame  and  scoldings  from  Father  and  Mother."  His  guide 
had  disappeared  in  the  meantime.  He  listened.  From  somewhere  or 
other  beautiful  celestial  singing  like  a  woman's  voice  resounded  in  his 
ears.  Immediately  afterwards  he  saw  a  most  lovely  fairy  appearing 
from  behind  a  hill  and  gently  floating  towards  him.  Pao  Yu  raised  his 
hands  to  his  breast  in  greeting  and  said  to  her,  bowing:  "Sister  fairy,  I 
have  lost  my  way.  Would  you  be  so  kind  as  to  direct  me,  and  tell  me 
who  you  are?" 

The  fairy  replied:  "I  am  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening.  I  live  not 
far  from  here,  in  the  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void,  in  the  Sphere 
of  Banished  Suffering,  behind  the  Drenching  Sea  of  Trouble,  on  the 
Heights  of  Liberated  Spring,  in  the  Grottoes  of  Everlasting  Perfumes.  I 
judge  the  Play  of  Wind  and  Clouds  between  human  beings  and  settle 
the  unbalanced  debts  of  love  between  unhappy  maidens  and  languish- 
ing youths.  It  is  not  chance  but  destiny  which  leads  me  to  you  today.  I 
shall  lead  you  to  my  kingdom  and  entertain  you  in  my  palace  with  a 

45 


bowl  of  celestial  tea  plucked  by  myself  and  a  goblet  of  magic  wine 
which  I  have  brewed.  My  maids  shall  entertain  you  with  their  magic 
dances  and  sing  to  you  the  twelve  new  spirit  songs  from  'The  Dream  of 
the  Red  Chamber.'  Will  you  follow  me?" 

"I  will,"  agreed  Pao  Yu  joyfully  and  followed  the  fairy.  It  was  not 
long  until  the  fairy  led  him  through  a  high  stone  arch,  over  which  he 
read  the  inscription :  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void.  On  the  pillars 
to  the  right  and  left  was  written : 

When  seeming  is  taken  for  being,  being  becomes  seeming, 

Where  nothing  is  taken  for  something,  something  becomes  nothing. 

Very  shortly  they  passed  through  a  palace  gateway,  over  which  was 
written  in  big  letters:  Sea  of  Lover's  Grief  and  Heaven  of  the  Passions, 
while  to  right  and  left  stood  written: 

Passions  without  end,  old  and  new, 

Swell  broad  as  the  earth,  wide  as  the  sky. 

Too  late,  amorous  youth,  languishing  maid,  is  your  repentance, 

Ah,  to  atone  for  the  guilt  of  wind-  and  moon-play  costs  pain ! 

That's  true,  thought  Pao  Yu  to  himself,  in  his  innocence.  If  only  I 
knew  what  is  meant  by  "passions  old  and  new"  and  by  "to  atone  for  the 
guilt  of  wind-  and  moon-play."  I  must  certainly  find  out  through  per- 
sonal experience. 

In  making  this  resolution  he  had  unconsciously  invited  the  wicked 
demons  of  sensual  agitation  to  come  into  his  body  and  take  up  their 
abode  between  his  heart  and  his  diaphragm. 

After  passing  through  another  gateway,  they  came  to  a  row  of 
apartments,  on  the  closed  doors  of  which  he  read  strange  inscriptions 
such  as  Department  of  Love's  Folly,  Department  of  Jealousy,  Depart- 
ment of  Morning  Tears,  Department  of  Night  Sighs,  Department  of 
Spring  Grief,  Department  of  Autumn  Suffering. 

Pao  Yu  asked  if  he  might  view  the  different  chambers.  The  fairy 
shook  her  head.  In  the  apartments,  she  said,  there  were  registers  of  the 
memorable  destinies  of  numerous  women  and  girls,  of  whom  some  had 
already  lived  and  others  were  yet  to  live.  To  a  human  being  like  himself, 
with  his  profane  eyes  and  his  body  of  dust,  it  was  not  to  be  granted  to 
glance  into  the  future.  "Follow  me,"  she  said.  "I  have  something  far 
more  beautiful  to  show  you  than  these  tiresome  registers." 

Pao  Yu  followed  the  fairy  farther  into  the  interior  of  the  palace,  un- 
til they  came  to  a  glittering  hall.  His  eyes  were  quite  dazzled  by  the 
splendors  which  appeared  before  him  here:  walls  of  jasper,  floors  of 
gold  mosaic,  glistening  panes  of  glass,  purple  curtains  in  front  of  red 
doors,  luminous  colored  pillars,  artistically  carved  roof  beams,  and  all( 
around  gardens  full  of  spirit  plants,  and  marvellous  flowers,  and  rare 

46 


perfumes.  While  Pao  Yu  was  still  sunk  in  amazed  contemplation,  he 
heard  the  fairy  call  in  to  the  hall:  "Come  out  and  greet  your  worthy 
guest!"  Immediately  four  elves  appeared  at  the  entrance.  They  wore 
light  feather  garments,  lotus  leaves  hung  from  their  shoulders  as  sleeves, 
their  stride  was  a  dance,  their  walk  was  a  glide,  a  gentle  radiance  like 
autumn  moonlight  enveloped  them.  When  they  noticed  Pao  Yu,  a  look 
of  disappointment  crossed  their  flower  faces,  and  they  said  reproach- 
fully to  the  fairy:  "We  thought  you  were  bringing  Purple  Pearl,  for 
whom  we  have  waited  so  long,  to  visit  us.  Why  do  you  bring  this  dirty 
creature  here  instead,  and  allow  him  to  soil  and  profane  by  his  presence 
this  dwelling  of  pure  maidens?" 

Pao  Yu  heard  this  with  shame,  and  he  would  have  liked  to  run  away 
at  once.  He  was  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  they  were  right,  and  that 
in  the  presence  of  these  pure  beings  he  really  seemed  an  insufferably 
dirty  person.  But  the  fairy  took  him  kindly  by  the  hand  and  said  to 
the  elves  with  a  smile:  "You  do  not  know  the  why  and  the  wherefore 
of  my  action.  I  really  wanted  to  go  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  today,  as  I 
had  promised  you,  to  fetch  your  sister,  Purple  Pearl.  But  as  I  was  pass- 
ing by  the  Ningkuo  palace  on  my  way  there,  I  met  the  ghosts  of  the 
two  ancestors  of  the  Yungkuo  and  Ningkuo  palaces.  They  implored 
me  to  take  charge  of  their  descendant  Pao  Yu.  After  a  hundred  years 
of  fame  and  splendor  their  families  are  threatened  with  ruin,  and 
among  their  many  great-grandchildren  Pao  Yu  is  the  only  one  who 
is  capable  of  perpetuating  the  race  in  honor.  It  is  true  that  he  is  of  a 
somewhat  peculiar  and  frivolous  disposition,  but  his  intellect  and 
talents  justify  the  greatest  hopes.  All  he  lacks  is  the  right  guidance. 
Therefore,  they  earnestly  asked  me  to  warn  him  of  the  dangers  of  fool- 
ishly trifling  with  love  and  following  the  instincts  without  restraint,  to 
guard  him  against  pitfalls  and  allurements  and  direct  him  on  the  right 
path.  They  would  be  grateful  to  me  forever  if  I  do  this. 

"Moved  with  pity,  I  have  brought  him  here  in  order  to  have  him 
learn  and  realize  the  folly  of  earthly  sensual  indulgence.  Perhaps  it  will 
be  possible  to  awaken  him,  so  that  he  will  take  my  warnings  to  heart 
for  his  future  life,  and  so  become  proof  against  dangers." 

When  she  had  finished  speaking  she  led  Pao  Yu  into  the  hall.  In- 
side, a  wave  of  indescribably  sweet  perfume,  such  as  he  had  never 
smelled  before,  assailed  his  nostrils.  When  he  asked  what  the  perfume 
came  from,  the  fairy  informed  him,  smiling:  "In  your  world  of  dust  this 
aromatic  mixture  is  quite  unknown.  It  is  distilled  from  the  manifold 
juices  of  precious  young  plants  and  rare  trees  which  grow  on  holy 
mountains.  It  is  called  the  Marrow  of  Gathered  Perfumes." 

They  sat  down  at  the  table  and  drank  a  most  wonderful  tea,  such  as 
Pao  Yu  had  never  before  tasted. 

48 


"What  is  the  name  of  this  kind  of  tea?"  he  asked. 

"A  thousand  red  drops  in  one  mouthful,"  replied  the  fairy.  "The 
shrub  grows  near  the  Grottoes  of  Everlasting  Perfumes  on  the  Heights 
of  Liberated  Spring,  and  its  leaves  are  boiled  in  the  morning  dew  of 
magic  flowers  and  plants." 

"It  is  a  wonderful  tea!"  said  Pao  Yu  approvingly,  nodding  his  head. 
He  looked  around  the  room  once  more.  His  glance  fell  on  jewel-studded 
lutes,  precious  tripods,  incense  vessels,  old  paintings,  new  mottoes  on 
the  walls.  Nothing  required  for  the  equipment  of  a  comfortable  living 
room  was  lacking.  There  were  even  velvet  dusters  hanging  under  the 
windows  to  wipe  away  the  dust  from  time  to  time.  Then  he  asked  the 
names  of  the  elves.  The  fairy  introduced  them:  Elf  of  Amorous  Dreams, 
Great  Mistress  of  Passion,  Golden  Maiden  of  Sorrowful  Longing, 
Bodhisattva  of  Avenged  Lovers'  Rancor. 

Meantime  young  maidservants  had  laid  the  table.  They  now  carried 
in  a  sumptuous  meal  and  filled  amber  goblets  with  a  choice  golden  wine 
from  crystal  jugs. 

"What  is  this  wonderful  wine?"  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"It  is  prepared  from  the  pollen  of  a  hundred  flowers,  the  juices  of  a 
thousand  plants,  the  marrow  of  unicorns,  and  the  milk  of  the  phoenix, 
and  it  is  called  A  Thousand  Delights  in  One  Goblet." 

Pao  Yu  did  not  weary  of  drinking  the  wine  freely  and  praising  it 
fervently.  Meantime  twelve  dancing  maidens  had  appeared  and  taken 
up  positions  in  front  of  the  table. 

"To  what  text  shall  we  dance?"  they  asked  the  fairy. 

"To  the  twelve  new  spirit  songs  from  'The  Dream  of  the  Red 
Chamber'!"  the  fairy  ordered. 

The  dancers  bowed  obediently  and  began  to  sing  and  dance  to  the 
gentle  music  of  their  twelve-stringed  silver  lutes  and  the  measure  of 
their  sandalwood  castanets.  In  order  that  he  might  understand  it  bet- 
ter, the  fairy  ordered  a  servant  to  hand  her  guest  the  written  text  of  the 
twelve  songs,  and  now  he  sat  and  tried  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
the  performance,  listening  to  the  music  while  his  eyes  followed  the  text. 
Yet  his  efforts  were  in  vain.  True,'  he  could  not  escape  the  effect  of  the 
music,  but  what  the  text,  with  its  many  cryptic  sayings  and  hidden 
allusions,  might  mean  remained  a  complete  mystery  to  him.  But  the 
melody  was  so  exquisite  and  charming  and  so  superbly  performed  as 
to  bewitch  the  mind  and  intoxicate  the  senses,  and  he  asked  no  trouble- 
some questions  in  the  intervals,  but  only  listened  to  the  music  while 
just  reading  the  text  mechanically. 

At  last  the  girls  had  finished  the  long  performance  of  the  twelve 
ings.  Actually,  they  were  about  to  continue  with  a  last  refrain,  but 

40 


the  fairy,  who  had  noticed  the  sleepy  indifference  of  her  guest,  signed 
to  them  to  go  away. 

"It  was  all  in  vain,"  she  sighed.  "The  fool  has  remained  un- 
awakened." 

Pao  Yu  was  glad  that  the  fairy  stopped  the  performance,  and  he  him- 
self hurriedly  called  out  to  the  girls  not  to  sing  any  more.  He  felt  ex- 
hausted and  sleepy  from  the  meal  and  the  abundance  of  wine,  and  asked 
if  he  might  lie  down  for  a  while. 

The  fairy  gave  orders  to  clear  away,  and  had  Pao  Yu  led  into  one 
of  the  women's  chambers.  He  thought  he  had  never  in  his  life  seen  such 
luxurious  furnishings  as  he  saw  here.  But  a  still  greater  surprise  awaited 
him.  He  found  in  the  room  a  young  girl  who  resembled  his  cousin 
Precious  Clasp  in  form  and  beauty  but  in  expression  and  demeanor  was 
the  image  of  his  cousin  Black  Jade.  While  he  was  still  feeling  quite 
dazed,  he  heard  the  fairy  say:  "Ah,  how  many  green-windowed  inner 
chambers  in  the  houses  of  the  rich  and  aristocratic  of  this  world  of  dust 
are  misused  by  frivolous  youth  for  sinful  amorous  play!  The  reason 
that  I  take  such  a  kindly  interest  in  you  is  that  you  are  the  most  in- 
veterate amorous  profligate  of  all  time." 

Pao  Yu  stammered,  abashed:  "Sister  fairy,  you  are  mistaken.  It  may 
be  that  I  am  lazy  at  lessons  and  have  brought  on  myself  deserved 
parental  rebuke.  But  I  am  not  aware  that  I  am  an  amorous  profligate. 
After  all,  I  am  still  too  young  and  I  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  be 
profligate  in  love." 

"There  are  two  kinds  of  amorous  profligates,  the  carnal  apd  the 
intellectual  ones.  The  first  strives  only  for  physical  possession;  he  is  in- 
satiable in  his  sensual  desires,  and  regrets  he  cannot  have  all  the  beau- 
tiful women  and  girls  under  heaven  as  prey  for  his  lusts.  You  do  m  be- 
long to  that  category,  but  to  the  second.  Your  dissolute  desire  s  ;eks 
the  intellectual  company  of  girls,  therefore  you  would  have  been  t  uite 
a  suitable  mate  for  the  women's  apartments  of  our  spirit  kingd  >m; 
whereas  in  the  world  of  dust  you  will  not  be  understood;  there  you  will 
become  an  object  of  mockery  and  contempt.  Touched  by  the  plead  ngs 
of  your  two  ancestors,  I  have  led  you  into  my  kingdom,  welcomed  you 
with  magic  tea  and  fairy  wine,  and  tried  to  awaken  you  with  spirit 
songs.  Now  I  present  to  you  my  younger  sister,  Ko  Ching,  so  that  she 
may  share  your  couch  tonight.  The  hour  for  your  union  is  favorable. 
The  joys  of  this  bridal  couch  in  our  Phantom  Realm  will  enable  you  to 
form  an  estimate  of  the  delights  of  the  bridal  chamber  in  your  world 
of  dust.  From  today  on  wake  up  and  change  your  former  ways!  Direct 
your  mind  to  the  wise  teachings  of  the  Masters  Confucius  and  Mencius 
and  resolutely  tread  the  path  of  common  sense." 

When  she  had  finished  speaking  she  confided  to  him  some  further  in- 

50 


timate  information  regarding  the  practice  of  the  "Play  of  Cloud  and 
Rain."  Then  she  shut  him  into  the  chamber.  Still  quite  confused  and 
stupefied,  Pao  Yu  followed  her  instructions  and  carried  out  with  Ko 
Ching  that  time-honored  practice  of  which  an  exhaustive  description 
would  no  doubt  be  superfluous. 

The  two  found  so  much  delight  in  each  other  and  had  so  many 
caressing  and  affectionate  words  to  say  to  one  another  that  they  did 
not  want  to  part  the  next  morning.  Hand  in  hand,  they  walked  out  of 
the  palace  and  got  lost  wandering  about.  They  were  so  engrossed  in 
each  other  that  they  did  not  notice  the  road  at  all.  Suddenly  they  found 
themselves  in  a  wilderness  of  thorn  bushes  and  thick  brushwood  and 
saw  that  wolves  and  tigers  were  their  travelling  companions.  Then  the 
road  suddenly  came  to  an  end.  They  were  standing  on  the  bank  of  a 
dark  rushing  stream,  over  which  no  bridge  led.  While  they  were  still 
hesitating  as  to  where  they  should  flee  from  the  wild  beasts  which  were 
pursuing  them,  they  heard  the  warning  voice  of  the  fairy  behind  them, 
crying:  "Stop!  Do  not  go  farther!  Turn  back!" 

"Where  are  we?"  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"At  the  Witches'  River,"  cried  the  fairy.  "It  is  a  thousand  fathoms 
deep  and  runs  a  thousand  li  in  zigzag  windings.  No  boat  and  no  boat- 
man can  find  the  way  through  this  labyrinthine  stream.  Only  the  old 
ferryman  Mu  Ku  Chi  would  be  able  to  take  you  across  in  his  raft.  But 
he  does  not  do  this  for  gold  or  silver;  he  does  it  only  if  Destiny  com- 
mands him.  If  he  does  not  help  you,  then  you  are  lost,  and  all  my 
trouble  will  have  been  in  vain.  .  .  ."  She  had  not  finished  speaking 
when  a  sound  like  a  peal  of  thunder  came  from  the  Witches'  River,  and 
a  swarm  of  night  demons  and  river  devils  rose  up  from  the  river  with 
a  roaring  sound  and  came  fluttering  up  to  Pao  Yu  shrieking  terribly, 
to  seize  him  and  drag  him  into  the  depths  of  the  river.  Cold  sweat 
dripped  from  his  body  like  rain,  and  in  his  terror  he  cried  out:  "Ko 
Ching,  save  me!" 

Thereupon  he  woke  up  from  his  dream.  The  maid  Pearl  was  sitting 
on  the  bed  with  the  three  other  maids,  and  she  clasped  him  tenderly 
to  her  with  comforting  words:  "Do  not  be  afraid,  Pao  Yu!  We  are 
here!'' 

Pao  Yu  had  cried  out  so  ioudly  in  his  dream  that  his  cry  was  heard 
outside  by  liis  niece,  the  beautiful  Mistress  Yung.  "No  one  in  the  whole 
house  knows  my  childhood  name,"  she  said  to  herself  surprised.  "How 
is  it  that  he  called  me  by  my  childhood  name  in  his  dream?" 

She  was  not  able  to  explain  it,  but  she  did  not  dare  to  ask  the 
dreamer. 


51 


CHAPTER    6 

Pao  Yu  tries  for  the  first  time  the  "Play  of  Cloud  and  Rain."  In  the 
Ningkuo  palace  he  becomes  acquainted  with  his  nephew  Chin  Chung. 

lAO  Yu  LAY  ON  THE  BED  FOR  A  WHILE  LONGER,  QUITE  EXHAUSTED  AND 

giddy  from  the  experience  of  his  dream.  He  felt  as  if  he  had  lost  some- 
thing. Having  strengthened  himself  with  a  few  sips  of  cinnamon  soup, 
he  got  up  and  the  maid  Pearl  helped  him  to  dress.  As  she  was  about  to 
fasten  his  garter  her  finger  chanced  to  touch  his  bare  thigh  and  she 
felt  something  like  cold,  sticky  sweat.  She  drew  her  hand  back  in  alarm. 

"What  has  happened  to  you?"  she  whispered.  His  blush  and  a  light 
pressure  of  the  hand  was  the  answer.  Now,  Pearl  was  quite  an  intelli- 
gent girl  and  besides  she  was  two  years  older  than  he  and  already  knew 
the  facts  of  life.  She  understood  at  once,  blushed  herself,  and  did  not 
ask  anything  more. 

When  she  was  helping  him  to  undress  again  that  same  night  before 
he  went  to  bed,  she  happened  to  be  in  the  room  with  him  alone  for  a 
while. 

"Look  here,  dear  sister,  you  will  keep  it  to  yourself,  won't  you?"  he 
begged  her,  blushing  again. 

"What  did  you  actually  dream,  that  this  happened  to  you?"  she  re- 
plied, with  an  understanding  smile. 

"I  cannot  tell  it  all  to  you  in  one  word."  And  he  began  to  describe 
his  dream  adventure  in  detail.  When  he  came  to  the  part  of  his  story 
where  the  fairy  instructed  him  in  the  practice  of  the  "Play  of  Cloud  and 
Rain,"  Pearl  coyly  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  doubled  up 
with  laughter.  Pao  Yu  had  always  been  very  familiar  with  Pearl.  He 
liked  the  friendly,  pretty  little  thing  better  than  all  the  other  maids  and 
servants.  Pearl  on  her  part  was  aware  of  the  special  position  of  con- 
fidence with  which  the  Princess  Ancestress  had  honored  her.  Because 
of  this  she  permitted  herself  some  liberties  in  her  association  with  her 
charge. 

In  short,  she  did  not  hesitate  to  try  out  at  once  with  him  the  "Play 
of  Cloud  and  Rain,"  whereby  they  faithfully  followed  the  instructions 
imparted  to  him.  Luckily,  they  were  left  undisturbed  while  thus  oc- 
cupied. From  that  hour  he  no  longer  treated  her  as  a  servant  but  as  an 
intimate  friend,  and  she  rewarded  his  confidence  with  still  rnqre  ardeni 
devotion. 

One  day  Madame  Phoenix  was  over  in  the  Ningkuo  palace  visiting 
Princess  Chen  and  her  daughter-in-law  Mistress  Yung.  At  his  own  re- 
quest she  had  taken  Pao  Yu  with  her.  While  the  three  ladies  were  con- 
versing as  usual  about  household  matters  the  time  seemed  very  long  to 

52 


him.  Mistress  Yung,  who  noticed  that  he  was  restlessly  fidgeting  about 
this  way  and  that  way  on  his  seat,  said  to  him: 

"My  younger  brother,  for  whom  you  recently  asked,  happens  to  be 
here  today.  He  is  probably  in  the  library  now.  If  you  like,  go  and  wel- 
come him!" 

Pao  Yu  quickly  slid  down  from  the  heated  divan. 

"Why  do  you  not  have  him  come  here?  I  should  also  like  to  make 
his  acquaintance,"  suggested  Madame  Phoenix.  "Or  perhaps  I  should 
not  ask  to?" 

Mistress  Yung  tried  to  dissuade  her  from  her  request.  The  boy  was 
so  shy  and  simple,  quite  different  from  the  cheeky,  lively  boys  of  the 
Chia  clan.  She  would  be  disappointed  and  would  only  be  inclined  to 
laugh  at  him.  But  Madame  Phoenix  stuck  to  her  request,  and  so  to 
please  her  Chin  Chung,  for  so  the  boy  was  called,  was  brought  in. 
Madame  Phoenix  was  most  agreeably  surprised.  The  boy,  who  bowed 
to  her  and  politely  inquired  about  her  health,  compared  very  well  with 
Pao  Yu,  who  was  the  same  age.  He  was  somewhat  slimmer  than  the 
latter,  but  in  beauty  of  face  and  form,  in  liveliness  of  expression,  in  his 
whole  deportment  and  his  charm  of  manner,  he  almost  surpassed  him, 
except  that  he  was  a  little  shy  and  awkward,  almost  like  a  girl.  Madame 
Phoenix  took  him  by  the  hand,  drew  him  down  to  her  side,  and  began 
questioning  him  energetically  abobt  his  name,  age,  lessons,  and  every- 
thing possible.  Meantime  she  had  hurriedly  sent  some  servants  of  her 
retinue  back  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  belatedly  to  fetch  some  gifts  such 
as  are  usually  presented  by  the  elder  to  the  younger  upon  first  meeting. 
Bearing  in  mind  the  close  friendship  between  Madame  Phoenix  and 
Mistress  Yung,  they  chose  some  specially  valuable  presents,  namely,  a 
piece  of  silk  for  a  new  coat,  and  two  gold  medallions  inscribed  with  the 
wish  that  the  owner  would  win  first  place  at  examinations.  Madame 
Phoenix  considered  these  gifts  too  insignificant,  so  great  was  her  sym- 
pathy for  her  new  nephew. 

While  the  ladies  then  settled  down  to  a  game  of  chess,  Pao  Yu  took 
the  opportunity  of  leaving  the  table  with  his  nephew  and  going  to  chat 
with  him  undisturbed  in  a  side  room.  The  boy  had  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  him.  When  he  first  saw  him,  he  thought  to  himself,  quite 
abashed:  Compared  to  such  a  person  I  am  no  better  than  a  dirty  pig 
or  a  mangy  dog!  Who  knows,  if  I,  like  him,  had  grown  up  in  the  cold 
poverty  of  a  simple,  honorable,  middle-class  family,  I  might  have  made 
his  valuable  acquaintance  long  ago  and  not  dawdled  away  my  time 
uselessly  as  I  have  done  up  to  now.  What  is  the  good  of  riches  and 
rank?  This  silk  finery  which  I  wear  only  hides  the  hollow,  rotten  core  of 
an  inferior  being.  These  luxurious  meals,  on  which  I  feed  every  day, 

53 


only  conceal  the  dirty  refuse-pit  of  a  corrupt  character.  The  two  con- 
ceptions, riches  and  rank,  mean  nothing  hut  dirt  and  poison ! 

The  painful  reflection  of  Chin  Chung  upon  seeing  Pao  Yu  for  the 
first  time,  in  all  his  finery  and  with  his  large  retinue,  was  exactly  the 
opposite.  Oh,  what  misfortune,  he  mused,  to  come  from  a  poor,  even 
though  honorable,  civil  service  family!  That  is  indeed  the  curse  of 
poverty,  that  it  sets  up  an  insurmountable  barrier  between  people  like 
him  and  people  like  me.  If  it  were  not  for  that  I  should  probably  long 
ago  have  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  his  company. 

Thus,  both  one  and  the  other  of  them  was  moved  by  confused,  fool- 
ish reflections.  After  a  few  opening  questions  about  books  and  studies, 
they  became  friendly.  Pao  Yu  was  so  eager  to  get  to  know  the  inner 
family  circumstances  of  his  new  companion  that  he  quite  forgot  about 
the  dainty  morsels  and  fruits  which  had  been  sent  over  to  them  from 
the  table.  He  learned  that  at  the  moment  Chin  was  without  schooling, 
as  his  previous  tutor  had  had  leave  of  absence  for  months  past.  His 
father  was  old,  sickly,  and  overburdened  with  official  duties,  and  there- 
fore unable  to  bother  much  about  his  education.  AH  he  could  do  at 
present  was  to  go  through  his  old  lessons  over  and  over  again,  but  un- 
fortunately he  lacked  the  company  of  a  good  comrade,  for  one  could 
learn  much  better  in  company  than  alone. 

"That  is  what  I  think  too!"  interrupted  Pao  Yu  eagerly.  "You  know 
we  have  a  free  family  school  here  for  those  members  of  the  clan  who 
cannot  have  their  own  tutor  or  do  not  want  to  keep  one.  At  my  father's 
wish  I  myself  am  soon  going  to  attend  this  school  for  a  time;  for  my 
former  tutor  has  also  got  several  months'  leave,  and  my  father  does  not 
want  to  have  me  sittjng  around  idle  meantime,  forgetting  what  I  have 
learned.  I  would  have  been  attending  the  school  long  ago  if  I  had  not 
been  ill.  Besides,  Grandmother  was  against  it  up  to  now,  because  she 
thinks  that  in  a  class  with  a  lot  of  pupils  there  would  be  nothing  but 
disturbance  and  mad  pranks.  But  my  father  now  insists  that  there  must 
be  an  end  to  my  idling.  Would  you  not  like  to  come  to  our  school  too? 
Then  we  could  learn  together  and  help  one  another.  Won't  you  speak  to 
your  father  about  it?" 

"With  pleasure!  Only  recently  my  father  greatly  praised  the  insti- 
tution of  your  family  school.  In  fact,  he  has  been  intending  to  apply 
to  my  sister's  father-in-law,  Prince  Chen,  to  accept  me.  But  he  has  put 
off  doing  so  again  and  again  because  he  did  not  like  to  bother  his  il- 
lustrious relatives  about  such  a  trifle,  and  did  not  wish  to  seem  ob- 
trusive. But  if  my  uncle  thinks  that  his  nephew  would  be  of  any  use  to 
him  in  the  school,  maybe  to  stir  the  India  ink  or  to  clean  his  writing 
implements,  perhaps  he  would  see  about  the  matter  himself  and  put  in 
a  word  of  recommendation?  How  grand  it  would  be  if  we  could  study 


together!  Besides,  we  could  become  real  friends  and  give  our  parents 
less  to  worry  about.  There  would  be  many  advantages  in  it." 

"Do  not  worry !  I  will  speak  about  it  to  my  grandmother  at  once.  We 
will  also  tell  your  sister  Yung  and  my  sister-in-law  Feng  of  our  wishes, 
and  you  yourself  must  talk  to  your  father.  Then  we  shall  see  if  the 
thing  can  be  managed." 

Meantime  darkness  had  fallen  and  the  time  had  come  to  get  their 
lanterns.  The  two  finished  their  earnest  consultation,  joined  the  com- 
pany at  the  table  again,  and  watched  the  ladies  playing  chess  for 
a  while.  Princess  Chen  and  Mistress  Yung  lost  the  game  to  Madame 
Phoenix  and  pledged  themselves  to  pay  their  gambling  debt  by  stand- 
ing a  banquet  and  theater  the  evening  after  next.  Then  they  sat  down 
again  for  an  evening  snack,  after  which  the  guests  started  to  depart. 

"Who  is  going  to  take  Chin  Chung  home?"  Princess  Chen  asked  her 
women  attendants. 

"The  majordomo  has  ordered  Chiao  Ta  to  do  so,"  they  said:  "He  is 
tipsy  again  and  in  his  usual  abusive  humor." 

"It  is  just  too  stupid  to  choose  that  old  boor  as  an  escort,"  ex- 
claimed both  Princess  Chen  and  Mistress  Yung  at  the  same  time,  with 
annoyance.  "But  to  cancel  the  order  now  would  only  irritate  the  old 
man." 

"Is  the  carriage  ready?"  asked  Madame  Phoenix,  turning  to  her  at- 
tendants. 

"It  is  waiting  in  front  of  the  great  hall,"  they  replied.  Madame 
Phoenix  said  good-by,  took  Pao  Yu  by  the  hand,  and  walked  through 
the  brightly  illuminated  hall  between  a  solemn  double  row  of  silent 
servants  to  the  carriage.  Among  the  servants  was  old  Chiao  Ta,  who  was 
so  drunk  that  he  could  not  be  prevented,  even  before  the  visitors,  from 
disturbing  the  stately  farewell  ceremony  by  kicking  up  a  horrible  row 
and  uttering  filthy  abuse.  His  rancor  was  directed  against  the  major- 
domo  Lai  Sheng:  "Is  that  the  thing  to  do,  to  chase  out  an  old  man  like 
me  on  a  cold  winter's  night?"  he  howled  at  him.  "When  there's  an  un- 
pleasant job  to  be  done,  I'm  good  enough  for  it,  but  for  a  nice  job 
there  are  others.  Is  that  justice?  And  to  think  that  such  a  clumsy,  blind 
tortoise  should  be  majordomo!  But  beware  that  old  Chiao  Ta  does  not 
raise  his  foot  and  crush  you,  you  miserable  worm!" 

During  this  volley  of  abuse  Chia  Yung  walked  through  the  hall  by 
the  side  of  Madame  Phoenix  and  escorted  her  to  her  carriage.  When 
the  old  man  would  not  stop  reviling,  in  spite  of  appeals  from  the  other 
servants,  Chia  Yung  rebuked  him  angrily: 

"Will  you  shut  up  at  last?  If  not,  I  will  have  you  tied  and  locked  up 
until  you  are  sober  again!  And  we  shall  see  if  you  get  out  this  time 
safe  and  sound!" 

56 


But  the  angry  old  man  refused  to  be  intimidated.  He  walked  up  to 
him  menacingly,  shouting:  "Little  friend,  don't  play  the  great  gentle- 
man before  old  Chiao  Ta!  If  your  forefathers  did  not  dare  to  reprimand 
old  Chiao  Ta,  how  dare  you,  little  cock,  start  cackling!  Where  would 
all  your  greatness  be  today  without  old  Chiao  Ta?  Nine  times  I 
snatched  your  grandfather  from  the  jaws  of  death!  It  was  he  who  piled 
up  all  your  riches.  Is  this  treatment  the  thanks  I  get  for  my  good  serv- 
ices? Instead  of  rewarding  me  properly,  you  blow  yourself  up  like  a 
frog  and  play  the  great  gentleman!  The  least  I  can  expect  is  that  you 
keep  your  mouth  shut.  Otherwise,  just  take  care  that  my  sword  does 
not  go  into  your  body  white  and  come  out  red!" 

"Why  have  you  not  got  rid  of  that  dangerous  old  bandit  long  ago?" 
whispered  Madame  Phoenix  to  her  nephew  from  the  carriage  window, 
disgusted  at  the  painful  scene.  "He  is  endangering  the  reputation  of  the 
whole  family  and  making  you  a  laughingstock  before  the  people." 

"You  are  right,"  agreed  her  nephew,  nodding;  and  he  ordered  the 
servants  to  fetter  the  old  man  and  lock  him  up  in  an  empty  shed  near 
the  stable.  While  they  were  dragging  him  away  by  force,  Chiao  Ta  con- 
tinued to  shout  and  rage.  "I  will  go  to  the  Temple  of  the  Ancestors  and 
complain, to  the  great  old  master!  He  shall  learn  what  a  clean-living 
brood  he  has  left  behind!  Whoring  like  rutting  dogs  and  fowls;  cousins 
and  brothers-in-law  carrying  on  together  'scratching  in  the  ashes' — 
that's  all  the  accursed  brood  is  good  for!  .  .  ." 

In  the  face  of  this  horrible,  grossly  obscene  speech,  which  caused  the 
sun  to  disappear  behind  the  clouds  in  shame,  and  made  the  souls  of  the 
listeners  almost  leave  their  bodies  in  horror,  the  servants  who  were 
dragging  him  away  could  do  nothing  but  stop  his  mouth  with  mud  and 
horse  manure. 

Madame  Phoenix  and  her  nephew  Yung,  who  understood  every  word 
of  his  abusive  speech,  behaved  nevertheless  as  if  they  had  heard  noth- 
ing. But  Pao  Yu,  in  his  innocence,  could  not  refrain  from  asking 
Madame  Phoenix  during  the  journey  in  the  carriage:  "Sister,  what  did 
he  mean  by  the  expression  'scratching  in  the  ashes'?" 

Violently  angry,  which  was  quite  unusual  for  her,  she  rebuked  him: 
"Do  not  ask  stupid  questions!  You  not  only  listen  to  the  foolish  chatter 
of  a  drunkard,  but  have  to  ask  questions  about  it!  Just  wait  until  I  tell 
your  grandmother!  You  will  pay  for  this  with  a  thrashing!" 

"Ah,  dear  big  sister,  please  do  not  tell  on  me!  I  certainly  will  not 
ask  such  a  stupid  question  again,"  pleaded  the  frightened  Pao  Yu.  In- 
deed, he  would  not  have  asked  if  he  had  known  that  the  expression  'to 
scratch  in  the  ashes'  referred  to  illicit  association  between  a  father-in- 
law  and  a  daughter-in-law. 

"Very  well,  dear  child,''  said  Madame  Phoenix,  quickly  appeased. 

57 


"And  when  we  are  home  I  shall  speak  to  Grandmother  and  ask  her  for 
your  sake  to  help  to  have  your  nephew  Chin  Chung  admitted  to  your 
school." 


CHAPTER   7 

Poo  Yu  is  shown  the  gold  amulet  of  his  girl  cousin.  The  girl  cousin  is 
shown  Pao  Yu's  stone. 

1  WO  DAYS  LATER  THERE  WAS  A  GREAT  BANQUET  AND  THEATRICAL  PER- 

formance  given  in  the  Ningkuo  palace  in  honor  of  the  relatives  in  the 
Yungkuo  palace.  Pao  Yu  missed  his  cousin  Precious  Clasp  in  the  crowd. 
He  had  not  seen  her  for  days.  He  was  told  that  she  was  not  quite  well  and 
was  keeping  to  her  room.  He  so  longed  to  see  her  again  that,  early  that 
afternoon,  while  the  rest  of  the  family  was  still  together,  he  accom- 
panied the  Princess  Ancestress  back  to  the  Yungkuo  palace,  and  was 
able  then  to  steal  off  to  the  Pear  Garden  by  unfrequented  side  paths, 
untroubled  by  tedious  attendants  and  undesired  watchers.  He  first 
politely  greeted  Aunt  Hsueh  who  was  sitting  over  some  sewing  with  her 
maids.  She  embraced  him  warmly. 

"How  touchingly  thoughtful  of  you  to  come  over  to  see  your  aunt 
in  this  cold  weather!  But  get  up  here  quickly  on  the  warm  kang!  And 
then  strengthen  yourself  with  a  bowl  of  hot  tea!" 

"Is  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan  at  home?"  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"Ah,  I  have  great  trouble  with  this  playboy,"  sighed  Aunt  Hsueh. 
"He  is  like  a  horse  without  a  bridle  or  halter.  Not  a  single  day  does 
he  spend  at  home." 

"Is  Precious  Clasp  well  again?" 

"Yes,  thank  you,  she  is.  It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  send  someone 
over  lately  to  ask  how  she  was.  She  is  in  her  room  now.  You  can  go  in 
and  visit  her.  It  is  warmer  there  than  here.  I  will  follow  later  on;  I  want 
to  clear  up  my  work  here  first." 

Pao  Yu  accepted  her  suggestion  only  too  willingly.  He  slid  down 
quickly  from  the  kang  and  rushed  off  to  the  room  with  the  red  brocade 
curtain  before  the  door.  Lifting  the  curtain,  he  stepped  inside.  There  he 
found  Precious  Clasp  sitting  on  the  heated  divan,  likewise  busy  with 
her  needle  and  thread.  Her  hair  was  tied  in  a  loose  knot  on  top  of  her 
head.  It  was  black  as  lacquer  and  shone  like  oil.  She  wore  a  honey- 
colored  padded  coat,  a  pink  waistcoat  trimmed  with  two-colored  gold 
and  silver  squirrel  fur,  and  a  short  onion-colored  slit  tunic.  Her  lips 
needed  no  rouge,  her  blue  black  brows  no  brush;  her  face  was  smooth 
as  a  silver  dish,  and  her  eyes  were  like  almonds  swimming  in  water. 
The  fact  that  she  was  so  sparing  of  her  words  and  so  prudent  in  her 

58 


speech  was  interpreted  by  many  as  pose  and  affection.  "I  am  on  the 
guard  against  foolishness,"  she  was  wont  to  say,  explaining  her  cautious 
way. 

"Are  you  well  and  cheerful  again,  sister?"  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"I  am  very  much  better,"  she  replied,  and,  smiling,  invited  him  to 
sit  down  beside  her  on  the  warmed  divan.  The  maid  Oriole  came  and 
poured  out  tea.  There  were  some  conventional  inquiries  for  Grand- 
mother, aunts,  and  cousins,  and  at  last  the  conversation  became  per- 
sonal. Now  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  five-colored  cord  from  which 
dangled  the  precious  stone. 

"I  have  heard  so  much  about  your  stone,  may  I  look  at  it  closely 
just  once?"  she  asked.  As  she  spoke  she  came  nearer  to  him.  He  also 
sidled  up  a  little  closer  to  her,  took  the  cord  with  the  stone  from  his 
neck,  and  laid  it  in  her  hand.  Precious  Clasp  looked  attentively  at  the 
shining  thing  in  the  palm  of  her  hand.  It  was  about  the  size  of  a  spar- 
row's egg  and  shone  with  a  subdued  pinkish  hue  like  light  morning 
clouds,  and  it  felt  as  smooth  to  the  touch  as  clotted  cream.  It  was  con- 
tained in  a  fine  protective  net. 

On  the  front  of  the  stone  was  written  in  minute  script:  "Stone  of 
penetrating  spiritual  power."  Under  this  were  two  lines,  each  consisting 
of  four  symbols: 

Never  lose  me,  never  forget  me! 
Glorious  life — lasting  prosperity! 

On  the  back  were  three  lines,  each  of  four  engraved  characters. 

First:  I  drive  away  wicked  spirits. 
Second:  I  cure  you  of  trouble  of  mind. 
Third:  I  announce  happiness  and  misfortune. 

Precious  Clasp  hummed  twice  in  a  low  voice: 

Never  lose  me,  never  forget  me!  ' 
Glorious  life — lasting  prosperity! 

Then  she  looked  at  the  maid.  Oriole,  who  was  standing  beside  her. 
"Why  do  you  stand  there  gaping  instead  of  making  haste  and  pouring 
the  tea?"  she  asked. 

Oriole  answered  with  a  giggle:  "The  two  lines  which  you  have  just 
repeated  are  quite  familiar  to  me.  They  are  very  much  like  the  lines  on 
the  gold  medallion  around  your  neck." 

"Is  it  possible?"  interrupted  Pao  Yu  quickly.  "You" wear  a  medallion 
with  eight  similar  ideographs?  Do  let  me  see  it!" 

"Nonsense!  Do  not  listen  to  her  chatter!"  objected  Precious  Clasp, 
laughing. 

But  Pao  Yu  insisted. 

59 


"I  have  shown  my  amulet,  so  do  me  the  same  favor,  dear  sister, 
please ! "  he  begged. 

Precious  Clasp  could  resist  no  longer. 

"Well,  it  is  true.  I  also  wear  an  amulet.  If  it  were  not  for  the  lucky 
inscription  I  would  not  drag  around  the  heavy,  awkward  thing  with 
me  every  day." 

With  these  words  she  loosened  the  clasp  of  her  chain  and  showed  the 
piece  of  jewelry  which  had  been  hidden  under  the  seam  of  her  dress.  It 
was  a  massive  golden  medallion,  studded  with  pearls  and  jewels.  Pao 
Yu  took  it  out  of  her  hand  and  held  it  eagerly  before  his  eyes.  Right 
enough,  there  on  the  front  and  the  back  were  eight  characters  likewise 
engraved  in  minute  script.  They  read: 

Never  leave  me,  never  reject  me! 
Precious  youth — lasting  bloom! 

Pao  Yu  read  the  two  lines  twice  aloud. 

"They  complement  the  lines  of  my  stone  exactly;  together  they  form 
a  four-line  stanza!"  he  cried,  joyfully  surprised. 

"A  mangy-headed  bonze  once  gave  her  the  lines,  and  advised  her  to 
have  them  engraved  on  a  gold  medallion,"  Oriole  threw  in  importantly. 

"That's  enough.  Stir  yourself  and  pour  out  our  tea!"  said  Precious 
Clasp,  cutting  short  her  chatter. 

"Where  have  you  come  from?"  she  said,  turning  to  her  visitor  and 
changing  the  delicate  conversation.  But  Pao  Yu  did  not  hear  her  ques- 
tion; his  attention  was  fixed  on  the  strange  fragrance  which  emanated 
from  her.  For  when  viewing  the  amulet  they  had  drawn  close  to  each 
other. 

"What  perfume  have  you  used,  sister?"  he  wanted  to  know.  "I  have 
never  smelled  it  before." 

"Perfume?"  she  said  slowly.  "I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  spoiling  my 
good  clothes  with  perfume."  Then,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  she  con- 
tinued quickly:  "You're  right',  it  must  be  the  smell  of  the  medicine 
which  I  took  this  morning." 

"What  is  the  name  of  your  medicine?" 

"Pills  of  cold  balsam." 

"Oh,  let  me  also  taste  those  fragrant  pills!"  he  begged. 

"You  silly  thing!"  she  burst  out,  laughing.  "How  can  one  swallow 
any  rnedicine  at  random!" 

They  stopped  short  in  their  conversation.  The  voice  of  a  servant 
announced  from  outside: 

"Miss  Ling  is  here!" 

And  immediately  Black  Jade  entered. 

"Oh,  am  I  disturbing  you?"  she  asked,  smiling,  with  a  hurried  glance 

60 


at  the  pair.  Pao  Yu  had  risen  and  politely  offered  her  his  place  on  the 
warmed  divan. 

"And  why  should  you  disturb  us?"  said  Precious  Clasp  casually. 

"I  just  thought  .  .  .  naturally,  I  would  not  have  come  if  I  knew  that 
he  was  here." 

"I  don't  see  what  you  mean,"  replied  Precious  Clasp  coolly. 

"I  mean  that  it  would  be  far  nicer  for  you  if  you  did  not  have  all  of 
us  visiting  you  at  the  same  time,  and  then  have  no  visitors  at  all.  Better 
have  him  today  and  me  tomorrow.  That  would  give  more  variety  and 
better  distribution  of  our  visits.  You  would  not  feel  either  too  neglected 
or  too  much  besieged.  Is  that  so  difficult  to  understand?" 

"Is  it  snowing  outside?"  asked  Pao  Yu,  to  change  the  conversation, 
pointing  to  Black  Jade's  red  cloak. 

"It  has  been  for  a  long  time,"  the  voice  of  his  nurse,  Mother  Li,  who 
had  accompanied  Black  Jade,  replied  from  outside. 

"Bring  me  over  my  raincoat,"  Pao  Yu  called  out  to  her. 

"Ah,  when  I  come,  he  must  go,  of  course,"  remarked  Black  Jade 
pointedly. 

"Who  said  that  I  wanted  to  go  now?  I  only  wanted  my  ccat  to  be 
here  for  later  on  when  we're  going,"  he  said,  trying  to  pacify  the  over- 
sensitive cousin. 

Pao  Yu  and  his  two  cousins  passed  in  to  the  living  room,  where  Aunt 
Hsueh  had  meantime  set  a  table  with  all  kinds  of  sweet  dishes  and 
dainties.  Pao  Yu  had  recently  praised  a  dish  of  geesefeet  and  ducks' 
tongues  which  he  had  eaten  at  Princess  Chen's  for  the  first  time.  To 
please  him  Aunt  Hsueh  had  had  this  dish  prepared  for  him  today. 

"But  it  tastes  even  better  with  some  wine,"  the  spoiled  Pao  Yu  re- 
marked. Aunt  Hsueh  thereupon  sent  for  the  very  best  wine  which  she 
had  in  the  house. 

"No  wine,  please!"  his  old  nurse,  Mother  Li,  objected. 

"Just  one  goblet!"  he  begged. 

"No!"  insisted  Mother  Li  severely.  "If  your  mother  or  grandmother 
were  present  you  could  drink  a  whole  jugful  for  all  I  would  care.  But 
I  am  responsible  for  you  now,  and  I  do  not  want  to  get  into  trouble  as 
I  did  lately  when  some  fool  gave  you  wine  the  moment  I  turned  my 
back.  I  had  to  bear  reproaches  for  days  on  end  over  that.  You  do  not 
know,  Tai  tai,  what  a  rascal  he  is,  and  what  he  can  do  when  he  has  even 
one  drop  of  wine,"  she  said,  turning  to  Aunt  Hsueh. 

"All  right,  do  not  excite  yourself  so  much,  old  nurse!"  said  Aunt 
Hsueh,  laughing,  to  calni  her.  "You  shall  have  a  goblet  yourself  too.  In 
this  weather  wine  is  good  for  one,  to  protect  one  against  colds.  I  shall 
take  care  that  he  does  not  drink  too  much,  and  I  shall  be  responsible 
for  him  to  his  grandmother." 

61 


Mother  Li  yielded,  and  was  taken  into  the  servants'  room  by  a  maid, 
to  share  a  cup  of  wine  with  the  others. 

"But,  please,  cold  wine!  I  do  not  care  for  it  warm,"  Pao  Yu  was 
heard  again. 

"I  can  only  allow  you  to  have  it  warmed,"  objected  Aunt  Hsueh. 
"Cold  wine  makes  one's  hand  shake  when  writing." 

"At  home  you  have  the  opportunity  every  day  of  increasing  your 
knowledge,  and  you  do  not  yet  know  anything  about  the  nature  of 
wine?"  Precious  Clasp  added  somewhat  sarcastically  and  precociously. 
"Wine  makes  one  hot  and  rises  to  the  head.  But  one  can  do  away  with 
this  effect  if  one  takes  the  wine  warm.  Cold  wine,  on  the.  other  hand, 
runs  through  the  body  and  spreads  its  harmful  influences  through  all 
the  five  intestines." 

What  was  said  by  such  a  beautiful  mouth  must  of  course  be  right 
and  sensible,  so  he  had  the  warm  wine  served  to  him.  • 

But  it  was  not  a  matter  of  just  one  goblet.  As  soon  as  that  strict 
watcher,  Mother  Li,  had  withdrawn,  he  could  drink  to  his  heart's  con- 
tent, encouraged  by  Aunt  Hsueh.  At  last,  towards  evening,  he  was 
slightly  tipsy  and  so  tired  from  all  the  drinking  that  he  would  have  liked 
to  accept  Aunt  Hsueh 's  invitation  to  spend  the  night  in  her  house.  But 
Black  Jade  who  did  not  like  his  intimacy  with  the  Hsueh  family,  was 
able  to  prevent  it. 

"Are  you  not  thinking  of  going  home  at  last?"  she  asked  him. 

His  dull  eyes  blinked  at  her.  "When  you  go.  I  will  go  with  you," 
he  replied. 

Whereupon  Black  Jade  immediately  rose  and  bade  farewell.  He  fol- 
lowed her  example  politely,  and  asked  for  his  wraps.  When  the  maid, 
Snowgoose,  put  the  broad-rimmed,  reddish-brown,  monkey-fur  winter 
hat  somewhat  awkwardly  on  his  bent  head,  he  pulled  it  off  again  and  re- 
buked her  angrily. 

"Let  me  do  it!"  said  Black  Jade  hurriedly  running  over  to  him.  He 
willingly  submitted.  How  gently  and  carefully  her  delicate  fingers 
manipulated  his  coiffure!  So  skillfully  did  she  fix  his  hat  on  his  head 
that  his  hair  remained  unruffled;  the  inner  hatband  fitted  against  his 
forehead  exactly,  and  the  red  velvet  tassel  the  size  of  a  walnut  dangled 
down  to  just  below  the  rim. 

At  home,  on  account  of  his  tipsiness  he  was  not  taken  in  to  the 
evening  meal  but  sent  straight  to  bed.  The  maid,  Bright  Cloud,  was 
awaiting  him  in  his  room. 

"Well,  you're  a  nice  one ! "  she  greeted  him,  laughing,  pointing  to  the 
writing  table  where  the  writing  implements  were  still  lying  just  as  she 
had  left  them  for  him  in  the  morning.  "You  got  me  to  prepare  a  whole 
lot  of  India  ink  for  you  this  morning,  and  you  wrote  only  three  charac- 

62 


ters.  Then  off  you  went.  I  waited  for  you  here  all  day  in  vain.  But  now, 
set  to  work  quickly  and  write  until  the  supply  of  India  ink  is  ex- 
hausted!" 

"Where  are  the  three  characters  you  spoke  of?"  he  wanted  to  know. 

"Indeed,  you  must  be  tipsy!  When  you  left  this  morning  you  told  me 
to  fasten  the  characters  outside  on  top  of  the  door.  I  went  up  on  the 
ladder  myself  and  did  the  job  for  you.  My  fingers  were  quite  stiff  with 
cold." 

"Ah,  I  remember  now.  Give  me  your  hand.  I'll  warm  it  in  mine!" 

He  took  her  by  the  hand  and  drew  her  with  him  outside  the  door  to 
look  at  the  characters  on  the  door.  Just  then  Black  Jade  came  along. 

"Dear  sister,  please  say  quite  honestly  which  of  the  three  characters, 
in  your  opinion,  have  I  done  best?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

Black  Jade  looked  up.  There,  resplendently  drawn  in  three  large 
characters,  stood  the  proud  inscription:  Purple  Chamber  of  the  Fra- 
grance of  Culture. 

"I  find  all  three  characters  simply  masterly,"  she  approved,  with  a 
smile.  "What  about  painting  a  beautiful  inscription  like  that  for  my 
room?" 

"Ah,  go  on.  You  are  just  making  fun  of  me.  But  where  is  Pearl?" 

Bright  Cloud  curled  her  lips  and  pointed  to  the  bed.  Pearl  had  made 
herself  comfortable  there.  She  lay  in  her  clothes,  apparently  sound 
asleep. 

"Very  early  to  go  to  sleep,"  he  remarked,  laughing.  Then  he  re- 
flected for  a  moment. 

"Where  are  the  curd  balls,  which  I  had  sent  here  from  the  midday 
meal?  I  asked  sister-in-law  Chen  to  send  some  over,  as  I  wanted  to  eat 
them  in  the  evening.  They  were  meant  for  you,  as  you  like  them  so 
much." 

"I  thought  at  once  they  were  meant  for  me  and  was  Idoking  forward 
to  eating  them  in  the  evening.  But  then  Mother  Li  came  along  and 
took  them.  You  had  already  eaten  quite  enough,  and  she  would  prefer 
to  give  them  to  her  grandchild,  she  said." 

Another  maid  brought  him  tea. 

"A  bowl  for  Cousin  Ling  as  well,"  he  ordered. 

"She  has  gone  long  ago,"  they  laughingly  told  him. 

He  drank  just  one  mouthful,  then  stopped. 

"But  I  had  maple  tea  made  for  me  this  morning,  and  I  said  distinctly 
that  it  was  to  be  infused  and  drawn  off  three  or  four  times,  for  only  then 
does  it  taste  good.  Why  do  you  give  me  this  other  tea?" 

"I  had  prepared  a  pot  of  maple  tea  for  you,"  replied  the  maid,  "but 
Mother  Li  drank  it." 

63 


In  a  rage  Pao  Yu  flung  the  full  china  bowl  to  the  ground,  so  that  it 
crashed  in  fragments  and  the  contents  splashed  the  maid's  skirt. 

"Mother  Li!  It's  always  Mother  Li!  Who  is  she,  anyway,  that  every- 
one must  submit  to  her  and  die  of  awe  before  her?  She  nursed  me  for 
a  bit  when  I  was  a  child,  that's  all!  That  does  not  give  her  the  right  to 
put  on  airs  here  as  if  she  were  the  Princess  Ancestress  herself.  She 
must  be  chased  from  the  house,  then  it  will  be  better  for  all  of  us."  And 
he  would  have  gone  straight  off  to  his  grandmother  to  complain  of  her 
if  the  maid  Pearl  had  not  intervened.  Pearl  had  only  been  pretending 
to  be  asleep.  She  wanted  to  allure  him  when  he  returned  and  found  her 
there  before  him  on  the  bed,  so  that  he  would  flirt  with  her  and  make 
love  to  her.  She  had  not  bothered  to  listen  to  the  preceding  discussion 
about  the  three  written  characters  and  the  curd  balls,  but  the  crash  of 
the  smashed  teacup  made  her  jump  up  nimbly  to  try  to  calm  him.  At 
the  same  moment  a  servant  sent  by  the  Princess  Ancestress  came  to  ask 
the  reason  'of  the  noise. 

"It  is  nothing,  really,"  countered  Pearl,  before  he  had  time  to 
speak.  "I  was  pouring  out  tea  and  I  slipped  because  there  was  snow  on 
my  shoes;  so  the  cup  fell  out  of  my  hand  and  got  broken." 

And  when  the  servant  had  gone  she  continued,  turning  to  Pao  Yu: 
"If  you  want  to  drive  Mother  Li  away  we  others  shall  go  too.  No  doubt 
you  will  find  it  easy  to  get  better  than  us." 

He  remained  silent  and  allowed  himself  to  be  undressed  and  put  to 
bed.  Very  soon  his  tired  eyes  closed.  Pearl  did  not  forget  to  take  the 
stone  amulet  from  his  neck  and  put  it  carefully  wrapped  in  a  handker- 
chief under  his  pillow,  so  that  it  would  be  nicely  warm  next  morning 
and  not  harm  him  by  making  his  bare  neck  cold. 

Early  the  next  day  the  nephew  Yung  from  the  Ningkuo  palace  ar- 
rived accompanied  by  his  brother-in-law  Chin  Chung,  to  present  the 
latter  to  the  Princess  Ancestress.  The  old  lady  was  just  as  charmed  by 
the  young  boy  as  were  the  other  ladies  of  the  house.  He  was  kept  for 
the  midday  meal  and  loaded  with  gifts  on  leaving.  The  Princess  An- 
cestress gave  him  a  purse  and  a  golden  statuette  of .  the  divinity  of 
letters.  She  considered  him  a  suitable  companion  and  schoolfellow 
for  Pao  Yu  and  gladly  agreed  that  he  should  be  accepted  into  the 
family  school. 

"You  live  far  away  from  here,"  she  said  to  him,  "and  in  very  hot  or 
in  frosty  weather  you  will  find  the  journey  too  much.  At  such  times  you 
can  remain  here  for  as  long  as  you  like  and  stay  with  your  uncle  Pao 
Yu.  It  is  better  for  two  to  study  here  at  home  than  to  associate  with  a 
pack  of  lazy  young  rascals." 

Chin  Chung's  father  was  highly  pleased  with  the  good  reception 

64 


which  his  offspring  had  been  given  by  his  aristocratic  relatives  and  was 
very  glad  that  the  question  of  the  boy's  education  had  now  been  solved 
without  the  humiliating  necessity  of  a  visit  of  petition.  He  saw  that  his 
son  would  be  in  the  best  hands  in  a  school  of  which  the  Principal  was 
the  worthy  old  Chia  Tai  Ju,  a  splendid  scholar  and  Confucian.  Of  course 
he  could  not  avoid  paying  a  formal  visit  to  the  latter  and  giving  him 
the  customary  gift  of  money.  He  did  not  wish  to  be  too  much  behind 
the  better-placed  parents  of  other  boys  in  this  matter.  Thus,  this  little 
insignificant  governor's  secretary  had  to  pinch  and  scrape  and  calculate 
in  every  way  in  order  to  get  together  the  entrance  gift  of  twenty-five 
silver  pieces  proper  for  a  person  of  his  station.  After  the  father  and  son 
had  paid  their  respects  and  presented  their  gift  to  the  Principal,  the 
uncle  and  nephew  set  out  for  the  school  on  a  lucky  day  which  Pao  Yu 
had  chosen  in  the  calendar.  The  next  chapter  will  tell  of  the  riotous  in- 
cidents which  were  to  take  place  in  the  school  soon  afterwards. 


CHAPTER    8 

Chia   Cheng   reprimands  his    delinquent    offspring.    lU-behaved    boys 
create  a  disturbance  in  the  school. 

I  HE  DAY  PICKED  OUT  IN  THE  CALENDAR  TOR  THE  FIRST  ATTENDANCE 
at  the  school  had  arrived.  The  maid  Pearl  had  risen  early  and  got  ready 
the  writing  materials  and  books  for  her  master,  and  now  she  sat  sadly 
waiting  on  the  edge  of  his  bed  for  him  to  wake  up.  As  she  helped  him 
to  dress  he  noticed  her  dejected  look. 

"Dear  sister,  why  do  you  look  so  unhappy?"  he  asked  her.  "I  hope 
you  do  not  feel  cast  aside  and  unwanted  now,  because  I  am  going  to 
school?" 

"It  is  not  that,"  she  replied,  smiling.  "One  has  to  be  educated,  other- 
wise one  gets  nowhere  in  life.  But  just  now  I  have  been  thinking  one 
should  not  overdo  even  learning.  Study  is  like  food:  too  much  doesn't 
agree  with  you.  You  must  consider  .your  health  and  enjoy  a  little  leisure 
sometimes.  During  study  keep  your  attention  only  on  your  books,  but 
in  your  hours  of  leisure  think  of  the  people  at  home  who  are  near  to 
you.  And  one  thing  more:  do  not  get  involved  in  any  trouble  or  fights 
with  your  fellow  students.  You  know  that  your  father  won't  stand  for 
any  nonsense.  It  has  been  on  my  mind  to  remind  you  of  that  before 
you  go." 

Pao  Yu  promised  to  take  her  advice  to  heart. 

"You  will  probably  be  freezing  in  the  sdioolroom,"  she  continued. 
"Anyway,  I  have  packed  up  a  fur  coat  for  you;  I  have  also  given  your 
servants  a  hand-warmer  for  you.  But  you  must  ask  for  these  things 

65 


when  you  are  cold.  The  lazy  rascals  will  not  stir  a  hand  for  you  on  their 
own.  Do  think  of  your  health!" 

"Thank  you,  I  will  certainly  take  care  of  myself.  But  you  need  not 
sit  here  all  the  time  in  my  room  while  I  am  away,  getting  bored  to 
death.  Go  over  to  Cousin  Black  Jade  and  talk  to  her." 

On  Pearl's  advice  he  also  took  leave  of  his  grandmother  and  his 
parents  before  going  off.  The  last  person  he  went  to  see  was  his  stern 
father,  Chia  Cheng.  Today  it  happened  that  the  latter  was  back  early 
from  his  office  and  entertaining  some  visitors  in  the  library.  In  the  midst 
of  the  conversation  his  son  entered  and,  falling  on  his  knees,  offered 
his  greeting — tsing  an — and  announced  that  he  was  going  to  school. 
Mr.  Cheng  regarded  him  with  a  contemptuous  smile.  "Do  not  disgrace 
me  before  these  worthy  gentlemen  with  your  jabbering  about  'going 
to  school,'  "  he  said  mockingly.  "For  all  I  care  you  may  go  on  with 
your  childish  tricks,  but  kindly  leave  me  in  peace!  Your  presence  soils 
this  respectable  place." 

"Do  not  be  so  stern,  worthy  old  friend!"  his  visitors,  who  had  risen 
from  their  seats,  urged  him  benignly.  "Let  our  young  nephew  go  to  his 
school  happy.  He  will  certainly  get  over  his  boyish  ways  soon  and  make 
a  glorious  name  for  himself  in  two  or  three  years.  And  you,  esteemed 
nephew,  should  not  dally  here,  but  say  farewell,  for  it  is  almost  dinner- 
time." 

And  two  of  the  worthy  gentlemen  took  Pao  Yu  between  them  and  led 
him  out  of  the  room. 

"Who  is  accompanying  him?"  asked  Mr.  Cheng  of  the  retinue  of 
servants  who  were  waiting  for  his  son  outside  the  door.  Four  strong 
fellows  came  forward,  bowed  their  knee,  and  offered  their  tsing  an. 
Mr.  Cheng  turned  to  the  biggest  of  them,  who  was  called  Li  Kwei  and 
was  a  son  of  the  nurse  Mother  Li.  "You,  fellow,  are  responsible  to  me 
for  him!"  he  said.  "What  has  he  learned  up  to  now?  Nothing  but 
empty  words  and  jumbled  phrases.  His  belly  is  full  of  cunning  wicked- 
ness. But  just  wait!  As  soon  as  I  have  leisure  I  will  have  you  stripped 
naked  and  then  we  shall  settle  our  accounts  over  this  useless  rascal!" 
In  utter  consternation  Li  Kwei  pulled  off  his  cap  and  touched  his  head 
to  the  ground. 

"Old  Governor,"  he  stammered,  "this  miserable  fellow  would  not 
dare  to  lie  to  you.  But  the  young  Governor  already  really  knows  by 
heart  three  parts  of  the  holy  book  of  Shih  Ching,  the  Book  of  Songs. 
He  has  come  to  the  part  which  tells  of  the  stag  crying  in  the  distance 
and  the  lotus  leaf  drifting  on  the  waves." 

These  particulars  caused  the  worthy  gentlemen  to  laugh  aloud,  and 
even  Mr.  Cheng  could  not  keep  up  his  stern  expression  but  had  to 
smile. 

66 


"And  even  if  he  knows  thirty  chapters  of  the  Shih  Ching  by  heart, 
that  is  still  just  as  much  vain  noise  and  illusion  as  if  a  person  who 
steals  a  beii  wcic  to  stop  up  his  ears  and  pretend  to  be  dumb,"  he 
said.  "Give  my  kind  regards  to  the  old  schoolmaster  and  tell  him  not 
to  waste  his  time  teaching  the  Shih  Ching  and  such  antiquated  useless 
rubbish;  he  should  rather  make  them  study  the  Four  Classical  Books 
so  thoroughly  that  his  pupils  will  know  the  text  by  heart  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  That  is  the  most  important  thing." 

"Shih,  yes,"  murmured  Li  Kwei  eagerly,  and  as  the  old  Governor 
said  nothing  more  he  withdrew  quickly  with  his  companions  to  where 
Pao  Yu  was  waiting  outside,  alone  and  neglected.  "Did  you  hear,  little 
brother?"  said  Li  Kwei  to  him  on  the  way.  "He'll  have  us  stripped 
naked  and  thrashed.  In  other  places  a  little  honor  and  glory  comes  to 
the  servants  from  the  master.  We,  on  the  other  hand,  spend  ourselves  in 
vain  in  your  service  and  only  get  rewarded  with  scoldings  and  beat- 
ings. We  would  be  happier  if  we  were  treated  with  a  little  more  con- 
sideration in  the  future." 

"Do  not  take  it  badly,  good  elder  brother!"  urged  Pao  Yu  kindly. 
"As  soon  as  I  can  I  will  show  my  gratitude  for  your  good  services  and 
invite  you  to  be  my  guest." 

"That  would  be  too  great  an  honor,  little  ancestor!  It  will  be  enough 
if  you  would  listen  to  me  if  I  have  something  to  say  to  you." 

They  were  back  at  the  residence  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  She  was 
talking  to  Chin  Chung,  who  had  come  to  fetch  Pao  Yu.  After  another 
farewell  the  uncle  and  nephew  set  off  together  for  the  school.  But  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  Pao  Yu  that  he  should  also  bid  farewell  to  Black 
Jade.  He  therefore  turned  back  again  to  the  green  pavilion.  There  he 
found  his  cousin  at  the  window  in  front  of  a  mirror,  busy  doing  her 
hair.  When  she  heard  that  he  was  on  the  way  to  school,  she  said  with 
a  slightly  ironical  smile:  "To  school?  Splendid!  You  will  certainly  be- 
come a  great  man  and  pluck  cinnamon  flowers  in  the  Palace  of  the 
Moon.  It  is  a  pity  I  cannot  go  with  you." 

"Dear  Mei  mei,  you  will  wait  with  the  supper  until  I  come  back 
from  school,  won't  you?"  he  begged.  "And  I  would  like  to  help  you  to 
make  up  your  face  as  usual.  Please  postpone  doing  it  until  I  come  home 
again!" 

"Will  you  not  say  good-by  to  Cousin  Precious  Clasp  too?"  she  called 
after  him  as  he  was  leaving.  He  only  smiled  and  at  last  went  off  to 
school  with  his  nephew.  The  school  had  been  founded  by  the  first  Prince 
of  Yungkuo,  and  according  to  the  founder's  intention  it  was  primarily 
meant  for  the  gifted  sons  of  the  poorer  families  of  the  clan,  who  could 
not  afford  the  luxury  of  their  own  private  tutors.  The  school  was  sup- 
ported by  the  contributions  of  those  members  of  the  families  who  had 

67 


attained  lucrative  positions.  These  contributions  provided  the  pupils 
not  only  with  free  education  but  also  free  food.  According  to  the  deed 
of  foundation,  the  Principal  was  to  be  an  old  and  worthy  scholar, 
proved  in  the  virtues  of  the  Confucian  philosophy. 

"•From  this  first  day  of  attendance  at  school  together,  Pao  Yu  and 
Chin  Chung  became  inseparable  comrades.  They  went  to  school  to- 
gether and  came  home  together,  they  sat  together  at  their  lessons  and 
stood  together  during  recreation.  The  Princess  Ancestress  treated  Chin 
Chung  as  if  he  were  a  grandchild  or  great-nephew  by  blood.  She  often 
kept  him  as  her  guest  for  three  or  five  days  on  end,  and  she  also  helped 
him  generously  with  clothing  and  other  necessities.  After  two  months 
Chin  Chung  was  as  intimate  with  everyone  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  as  if 
he  belonged  to  the  family. 

When  it  came  to  satisfying  a  mood  or  humor,  Pao  Yu  was  apt  to  be 
neither  particularly  sensible  nor  logical.  Thus,  he  suggested  that  good- 
fellowship  should  be  the  keynote  of  relations  with  his  nephew.  "We  are 
the  same  age  and  studying  side  by  side.  Why  should  we  keep  up  the 
ceremonial  distinction  between  uncle  and  nephew?  Let  us  in  the  future 
call  each  other  friend  and  brother!"  He  kept  dinning  this  into  the 
other's  ears  so  continually  that  at  last  Chin  Chung  overcame  his  initial 
shyness  and  accepted  the  suggestion. 

The  many  pupils  at  the  family  school  almost  all  belonged,  it  is  true, 
to  the  same  clan  and  were  all  more  or  less  interrelated  by  blood  or  mar- 
riage, but  as  the  proverb  so  aptly  says,  even  among  dragons  there  are 
nine  varieties,  and  each  variety  is  different  from  the  other.  In  short,  it 
is  easy  to  realize  that  there  were  snakes  and  vipers  creeping  around 
among  the  dragons  of  the  family  school,  and  that  high  and  low  were 
mixed  together. 

.  It  was  inevitable  that  the  two  handsome,  blossom-fresh  young  new- 
comers should  very  soon  attract  general  attention  among  their  fellow 
pupils,  Chin  Chung  on  account  of  his  gentle,  mild  ways  and  his  bash- 
ful, shy  nature,  which  made  him  blush  like  a  girl  when  spoken  to;  Pao 
Yu,  on  account  of  his  wealth  and  his  self-assured  bearing,  his  master- 
ful behavior,  his  ease  and  skill  with  words.  Their  close  friendship  was 
much  remarked  upon  and  discussed  behind  their  backs.  Envy  and 
jealousy  did  their  worst.  In  short,  it  was  not  long  before  the  relation- 
ship of  the  two  was  whispered  about  and  secretly  discussed  everywhere 
both  inside  and  outside  the  schoolrooms. 

Friend  Hsueh  Pan  too  was  attending  the  family  school,  but  less 
through  zeal  for  learning  than  for  certain  private  ends.  When  he  heard 
for  the  first  time  of  the  existence  of  this  school,  in  which  there  was  such 
a  choice  selection  of  charming  young  boys,  this  news  at  once  awakened 

68 


base  desires  in  him.  Pretending  that  he  wished  to  improve  and  enrich 
his  knowledge,  he  had  procured  his  admission  from  old  Tai  Ju  by  a 
substantial  gift  of  money.  In  reality,  he  wanted  to  be  like  the  fisherman 
who  fishes  for  three  days,  and  idles  about  for  the  next  two  days  while 
his  nets  are  drying.  He  had  less  interest  in  learning  than  in  forming 
friendships  with  boys.  He  did  in  fact  find  among  the  pupils  some  who 
let  themselves  be  enticed  by  gifts  of  money  and  other  favors  to  be  ac- 
commodating to  his  purposes,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  in 
more  detail.  Chief  among  these  were  two  elegant  boys,  who  on  account 
of  their  smart  and  attractive  appearance  were  nicknamed  Hsiang  Lien, 
"Fragrant  Attachment,"  and  Yu  Ai,  "Precious  Favorite."  In  the  school 
they  were  on  a  whole  admired,  but  only  in  secret,  for  through  fear  of 
Hsueh  Pan  none  of  the  other  boys  ventured  to  make  friends  with  them. 

Pao  Yu  and  Chin  Chung  were  also  attracted  to  these  two  soon  after 
coming  to  the  school,  but  through  fear  of  Hsueh  Pan  did  not  dare  to 
show  their  liking,  and  confined  themselves  to  admiring  glances  from  a 
distance.  And  Hsiang  Lien  and  Yu  Ai  reciprocated  in  kind.  Day  after 
day  the  same  secret  game  went  on  in  the  class  during  instruction:  from 
four  different  seats  four  pairs  of  eyes  met  and  spoke  together  the  silent 
language  of  love.  In  conversation  during  recreation  they  expressed  their 
hidden  sentiments  and  feelings  by  means  of  gentle  allusions  and  am- 
biguous phrases. 

But  carefully  though  they  carried  on  this  secret  game,  it  could  not 
remain  hidden  from  the  sharp  eyes  of  certain  sly  boys.  Consequently, 
there  was  much  winking,  and  suggestive  clearing  of  the  throat,  and 
coughing  behind  the  backs  of  the  four. 

The  Principal,  Chia  Tai  Ju,  happened  to  be  absent  from  school  one 
day  owing  to  a  domestic  celebration.  To  keep  his  pupils  busy  he  had 
given  them  one  half  of  a  stanza.  They  were  to  compose  a  complemen- 
tary second  half.  That  was  their  assignment.  He  had  entrusted  the  care 
of  the  school  during  his  absence  to  his  assistant  and  grandson,  Chia  Jui. 

Just  by  chance  Hsueh  Pan  was  absent  from  the  school  that  day.  Chin 
Chung  and  Hsiang  Lien  availed  of  his  absence  to  signal  each  other  by 
glances  more  open  than  usual,  and  finally,  on  the  pretext  of  attending 
to  the  wants  of  nature,  they  stole  away  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the 
school  courtyard  for  an  undisturbed  conversation. 

"Would  your  father  object  if  we  were  friends  openly?"  Chin  Chung 
had  just  asked  the  other,  when  they  heard  someone  clearing  his  throat 
behind  their  backs.  Greatly  startled,  they  turned  around  to  find  a  fellow 
pupil,  one  King  Yung,  standing  before  them  laughing  maliciously.  He 
had  sneaked  along  secretly  behind  them.  Unlike  the  gentle  Chin  Chung, 
Hsiang  Lien  was  inclined  to  be  hot-tempered. 

"What  does  this  silly  coughing  mean?  Are  we  not  allowed  to  speak 

69 


together?"  he  said  to  the  mischief-maker,  embarrassed  and  annoyed  at 
the  same  time. 

"Don't  let  me  disturb  you!"  the  other  replied  mockingly.  "But  if  you 
claim  the  right  to  speak,  may  I  on  my  part  be  allowed  to  cough? 
Though  if  you  have  something  to  say  to  each  other,  why  do  you  not  do 
so  openly?  One  just  wonders  what  secret  doings  you're  up  to  here.  Let's 
not  pretend;  I  know  all  about  it!  And  now  you  can  have  your  choice: 
either  you  let  me  in  on  your  game  and  I'll  keep  my  mouth  shut,  or  the 
whole  school  will  hear  about  it." 

"What  is  there  to  hear?"  asked  Chin  Chung  and  Hsiang  Lien  both 
together,  blushing  to  the  roots  of  their  hair. 

"The  truth!"  replied  the  other,  laughing.  Then  he  clapped  his  hands 
and  called  out  loudly  across  the  school  yard:  "Hi,  come  here!  "Freshly 
baked  pancakes  for  sale!" 

The  two  friends  rushed  raging  into  the  school  and  complained  to 
Chia  Jui,  who  was  in  charge,  of  their  schoolfellow's  gratuitous  insults. 
Now,  this  Chia  Jui  put  profit  above  conscience;  he  used  his  position  as 
teacher  in  the  school  to  fleece  thoroughly  the  pupils  entrusted  to  his 
ca.re.  Hence  he  did  not  try  to  check  Hsueh  Pan  in  his  disgraceful  doings 
but  he  actually  aided  and  abetted  him  to  win  the  favor  of  the  rich 
libertine  and  thus  obtain  money  and  good  meals. 

If  Chin  Chung  and  Hsiang  Lien  believed  they  would  be  protected  by 
Chia  Jui,  they  were  very  much  mistaken.  Chia  Jui  bore  a  grudge 
against  Hsiang  Lien,  because  while  the  latter  was  going  with  Hsueh  Pan 
— this  drifting  water  plant  had  meantime  dropped  him  for  new  friends 
— he  had  never  procured  the  least  favor  for  him  from  his  rich  patron. 
When  the  two,  therefore,  came  with  their  complaint,  he  showed  himself 
very  offhand  and  promptly  took  the  side  of  their  enemy,  King  Yung. 
Moreover,  at  the  time  King  Yung  was  in  high  favor  with  Hsueh  Pan, 
and  that  was  all  that  mattered  to  him.  True,  he  did  not  dare  censure 
Chin  Chung,  in  consideration  of  his  influential  friend  Pao  Yu,  with 
whom  he  did  not  wish  to  quarrel.  But  all  the  less  did  he  restrain  his  dis- 
pleasure towards  Hsiang  Lien;  he  blamed  him  before  the  whole  class 
and  pointed  him  out  as  a  quarrelsome  disturber  of  the  peace. 

Annoyed  and  hurt  by  the  undeserved  blame,  Hsiang  Lien  went  back 
to  his  seat  in  the  class,  whence  he  signalled  his  displeasure  by  glances, 
growling,  and  whispered  abuse  to  his  friends.  King  Yung,  on  his  part, 
felt  obliged  as  victor  to  make  himself  important  and  conspicuous  by 
significant  nods,  grimaces,  and  self-complacent  mutterings  directed  to 
this  side  and  that. 

"I've  just  caught  them  in  the  darkest  corner  of  the  courtyard,"  the 
whispering  went  to  right  and  left.  "I  saw  them  quite  distinctly  kissing 
and  caressing,  and  I  heard  them  talking  about  wanting  to  belong  to 

70 


each  other.  And  they  were  so  much  engrossed  in  their  important  con- 
versation that  they  never  even  noticed  me!" 

Among  the  listeners  on  the  near-by  seats  was  one  who  was  much  an- 
noyed by  such  talk.  He  was  sixteen-year-old  Chia  Chiang,  who  belonged 
to  the  Ningkuo  branch  of  the  clan.  Prince  Chia  Chen  had  taken  him  in 
as  an  orphan  child  and  brought  him  up  as  his  own  son.  But  his  extraor- 
dinarily close  friendship  with  Chia  Yung,  the  Prince's  son,  had  caused 
suspicious  whispering  and  comment  among  the  servants  which  had 
finally  come  to  the  ears  of  the  Prince.  In  order  to  save  his  house  from 
disrepute  the  Prince  had  recently  decided  to  have  his  foster  son  live 
outside  the  Ningkuo  palace.  Thus  Chia  Chiang  was  more  or  less  per- 
sonally stung  by  King  Yung's  nasty  talk  and  as  intimate  friend  of  Chia 
Yung,  felt  impelled  to  stand  by  the  latter's  brother-in-law,  Chin  Chung. 
To  be  sure,  he  did  not  want  to  get  personally  involved,  as  he  was  afraid 
of  a  quarrel  with  Hsueh  Pan  if  he  should  openly  take  sides  against  the 
latter's  protege,  King  Yung.  Being  clever,  he  chose  a  good  way  of  at- 
taining his  end  without  taking  any  personal  risk,  but  remaining  com- 
fortably in  the  background. 

On  the  favorite  pretext  of  having  to  relieve  himself,  he  suddenly  dis- 
appeared from  the  class.  Outside  in  the  school  courtyard  he  went  up  to 
Pao  Yu's  attendants,  took  aside  Ming  Yen,  who  was  known  as  a  turbu- 
lent, daredevil  fellow,  and  thoroughly  incited  him  against  King  Yung. 
He  insisted  that  by  insulting  Chin  Chung,  King  Yung  had  also  insulted 
his  master  Pao  Yu,  and  if  the  shameless  fellow  was  not  made  to  shut  up 
very  soon  he  would  take  still  greater  liberties  in  the  future.  Having  per- 
formed the  work  of  incitement,  he  returned  to  the  class,  calmly  put  on 
his  outdoor  clothes,  and  asked  permission  of  Chia  Jui  to  leave  tne 
school  a  little  earlier  today,  as  he  had  an  urgent  errand  to  do.  He 
wished  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  approaching  storm,  which  he  himself 
had  provoked.  He  was  just  in  time,  for  already  Ming  Yen,  who  had 
been  stirred  up  by  him,  came  rushing  into  the  classroom,  his  face  blaz- 
ing red,  and  without  using  the  title  of  "young  gentleman,"  which  was 
fitting  for  him  as  a  servant  to  use,  he  called  out  roughly  and  without 
respect: 

"Which  of  you  here  is  King  Yung?" 

When  the  boy  he  was  looking  for  was 'pointed  out  to  him,  he  seized 
him  boldly  and  firmly  by  the  shoulder,  and  shouted  at  him:  "Whatever 
we  do  with  our  behinds  is  no  damn  business  of  yours,  you  chicken-arse! 
Be  glad  if  we  leave  your  old  man  in  peace!  But  I  advise  you,  King 
Yung,  to  kindly  leave  my  young  master  alone!" 

There  was  general  pandemonium  in  the  class.  Chia  Jui  exhorted  the 
intruder  to  behave  somewhat  less  wildly.  But  King  Yung,  whose  face 
was  yellow  with  rage,  cried:  "Rebellion!  Anarchy!  A  slave  dare  not 

71 


take  liberties  like  that!   But  just  wait,  I'll  have  a  word  with  your 
master!" 

He  freed  himself  from  Ming  Yen's  grasp,  and  was  about  to  fall  on 
Pao  Yu.  At  that  moment  Chin  Chung  heard  a  whizzing  noise  close  to 
him.  By  a  lucky  chance  he  moved  aside,  so  that  the  missile  which  was 
slung  by  an  unknown  hand — it  was  a  square  India  ink  stone — whizzed 
by  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  the  back  of  his  head,  and  clattered  down 
on  a  bench  farther  up  in  front,  between  the  places  of  Chia  Lan  and  Chia 
Chun.  At  the  same  time  a  china  pot  full  of  India  ink  was  broken  into 
fragments,  and  the  books  which  lay  about  were  splashed  all  over  with 
ink.  In  reply  a  heavy  book  box  was  hurled  from  this  bench  to  the  back, 
but  it  fell  short  and  landed  on  the  bench  of  Pao  Yu  and  Chin  Chung, 
where  it  knocked  down  the  books  and  writing  materials  and  shattered 
Pao  Yu's  tea  bowl  too.  Meantime  little  hot-tempered  Chia  Chun  had 
jumped  up  to  fight  whoever  had  thrown  the  India  ink  stone.  In  a  trice 
a  tangle  of  fighters  had  formed  round  King  Yung,  who  had  suddenly 
got  hold  of  a  feather  duster,  the  long  bamboo  handle  of  which  he 
brandished  wildly  and  hit  out  with.  Ming  Yen  also  got  a  blow  from  it. 
This,  in  turn,  gave  Ming  Yen  a  reason  to  call  in  his  three  colleagues 
who  were  waiting  outside,  the  servants  Sao  Hung,  Chu  Yo,  and  Mo  Yu, 
to  support  him.  The  three  rushed  in  like  a  swarm  of  hornets,  shouting 
wildly:  "You  bastard  brood  dare  to  raise  your  weapons  against  us!" 
Mo  Yu  was  armed  with  a  wooden  door  bar,  while  Sao  Hung  and  Chu  Yo 
brandished  horsewhips  in  their  hands.  In  the  wild  confusion  which  now 
followed,  the  despairing  deputy  schoolmaster  tried  in  vain  to  make  his 
warning  and  imploring  voice  heard.  They  were  all  utterly  beyond  con- 
trol; discipline  and  order  were  at  an  end.  Some  joined  in  heartily  just 
for  the  fun  of  it,  hitting  out  in  all  directions;  others  stood  on  the 
benches  and  tables  and  egged  on  the  fighters  by  clapping  their  hands 
and  shouting:  "Stand  firm,  stand  firm!  Flay  them!  Flay  them!"  Only  a 
few  of  the  more  timid  boys  kept  shyly  away  from  the  general  tumult. 
The  whole  class  was  like  a  boiling  caldron.  The  intervention  of  some  of 
the  older,  more  sensible  servants  such  as  Li  Kwei  at  last  brought  the 
uproar  to  an  end.  To  the  question  regarding  the  cause,  the  answers 
were  varied,  everyone  attributing  the  blame  to  someone  else.  Li  Kwei 
saw  to  it  first  of  all  that  the  warlike  Ming  Yen  and  his  three  companions 
were  got  away  from  the  scene  of  battle.  Then  there  was  quietness.  Pao 
Yu  was  just  wiping  with  the -lapel  of  his  coat  a  bleeding  wound  which 
his  friend  Chin  Chung  had  received  on  the  for' -head  from  the  handle  of 
King  Yung's  feather  duster,  when  along  came  Li  Kwei. 

"Have  my  books  put  together  and  send  my  horse!"  he  ordered  Li 
Kwei.  "I  shall  ride  straight  off  to  old  Tai  Ju  and  complain  of  his 
deputy.  He  not  only  failed  to  give  us  protection  against  those  who  in- 

72 


suited  us,  but  even  encouraged  the  offenders  to  do  us  violence;  and  this 
led  to  the  general  attack.  Ming  Yen  was  quite  right  to  come  to  my  aid. 
They  hit  him  and  Chin  Chung  until  they  bled.  Naturally,  I  cannot  re- 
main longer  in  this  school."  Li  Kwei  pacified  him  and  tried  his  best  to 
dissuade  him  from  his  purpose.  It  would  not  be  very  nice  or  becoming 
to  worry  the  worthy  old  gentleman  about  such  a  trifle,  he  said. 

"And  you  are  to  blame  for  it  all,"  he  continued,  turning  to  Chia  Jui. 
"As  deputy  schoolmaster  and  brain  of  the  class  you  should  have  inter- 
vened justly  and  not  let  things  go  so  far.  Instead,  you  looked  on  idly 
and  let  the  mischief  develop." 

"I  warned  often  enough  and  called  for  order,  but  they  did  not  listen 
to  me,"  protested  Chia  Jui. 

"Take  it  badly  or  not  when  I  speak  so  openly,  sir,  but  it  is  your  own 
fault  that  you  are  not  respected  in  the  school,"  Li  Kwei  continued  his 
censure  unflinchingly.  "If  you  had  always  behaved  in  a  blameless  man- 
ner, you  would  be  respected.  The  matter  may  still  be  very  unpleasant 
indeed  for  you  if  it  comes  to  the  ears  of  the  worthy  old  Master  Tai  Ju. 
You  must  strive  to  unravel  the  tangled  net  as  quickly  as  possible,  sir." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  unravelling?"  interjected  Pao  Yu  indig- 
nantly. "I  am  going  to  make  a  complaint." 

"Either  King  Yung  leaves  the  school  or  I  do  not  come  any  more," 
added  Chin  Chung. 

"It  would  be  a  fine  thing  indeed  if  we  were  to  yield  the  ground  be- 
fore that  insolent  fellow!"  said  Pao  Yu,  flaring  up  in  anger.  "I  shall  see 
that  he  gets  out.  Anyway,  how  is  this  King  Yung  related  to  us?" 

"He  is  a  nephew  of  Mrs.  Chia  Huang  of  the  Ningkuo  branch,"  the 
voice  of  the  servant  Ming  Yen  was  heard  to  say  from  outside  the  win- 
dow. "Mrs.  Huang  is  his  aunt  on  the  father's  side.  She  is  always  on  her 
knees  to  our  second  mistress,  Madame  Phoenix,  to  make  this  or  that 
request  or  petition.  It  is  impudent  enough  for  such  a  wretched  lickspittle 
even  to  rub  shoulders  with  us.  How  can  we  be  expected  to  respect  such 
'masters'?" 

"Be  silent,  son  of  a  bitch!"  muttered  Li  Kwei  aside  to  him.  "What 
are  the  flybites  of  other  people  to  you?" 

"Then  he  is  a  nephew  of  sister-in-law  Huang,"  remarked  Pao  Yu 
contemptuously.  "Good,  I  will  go  to  her  and  give  her  a  piece  of  my 
mind  about  her  scamp  of  a  nephew." 

"Why  take  all  that  trouble  yourself?"  the  turbulent  Ming  Yen  inter- 
jected again.  "Let  me  go!  I  shall  tell  her  that  the  old  Princess  Ances- 
tress wishes  to  speak  to  her.  And  I'll  take  her  over  straight  away  in  a 
hired  coach.  In  your  grandmother's  presence  one  can  make  a  statement 
much  better." 

"Be  off!"  Li  Kwei  rebuked  him.  "Or  do  you  want  to  get  a  thrashing? 

73 


I  have  only  just  managed  to  quench  the  fire,  and  you  want  to  poke  it  up 
again!  If  you  don't  stop  trying  to  stir  up  your  master  I  will  have  you 
punished." 

While  Li  Kwei  was  trying  with  all  his  might  to  make  peace  in  the 
school  dispute,  the  deputy  schoolmaster  Chia  Jui,  who  was  thoroughly 
frightened,  was  begging  and  beseeching  first  Chin  Chung,  then  Pao  Yu, 
to  spare  him  and  let  the  matter  be  hushed  up.  After  holding  out  for  a 
long  time  Pao  Yu  at  last  declared  that  he  would  be  prepared  to  refrain 
from  complaining  if  King  Yung  would  make  a  full  and  formal  apology. 
King  Yung  was  now  pressed  hard  from  every  side.  He  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  make  a  slight  bow  in  token  of  apology  to  his  chief  opponent, 
Chin  Chung,  whom  he  had  so  grievously  offended.  But  Pao  Yu  did  not 
consider  this  reparation  sufficient.  He  insisted  upon  a  full  ceremonial 
kowtow.  Chia  Jui  implored  King  Yung  to  give  in.  "Be  wise,"  he  urged, 
"and  remember  the  proverb: 

Banish  the  moment's  anger, 

And  spare  yourself  many  days'  anguish." 

Coerced  and  urged  on  all  sides,  King  Yung  at  last  submitted  and  con- 
sented to  perform  the  required  kowtow.  And  with  this  the  school  brawl 
ended. 


CHAPTER   9 

The  Prince  Hermit's  birthday  is  celebrated  in  the  Ningkuo  palace.  The 
sight  of  Phoenix  awakens  carnal  desires  in  the  heart  of  Chia  Jui. 

KJNG  YUNG  HAD  INDEED  PERFORMED  HIS  KOWTOW  OF  APOLOGY,  BUT 
he  was  still  devoured  with  resentment.  Having  come  home,  he  said  to 
his  mother,  nee  Hu:  "This  Chin  Chung  is  just  as  distantly  related  to 
the  house  of  Chia  as  I  am;  he  is  only  connected  by  marriage  and  has  no 
better  claim  to  a  place  in  the  family  school  than  I  have.  But  on  the 
strength  of  his  close  friendship  with  Pao  Yu  he  thinks  he  can  put  on  airs 
and  look  down  on  the  like  of  us.  If  he  at  least  behaved  blamelessly  one 
could  excuse  him,  but  he  must  think  we  are  all  bHnd,  he  carries  on  so 
openly,  now  with  this,  now  with  that  one.  The  quarrel  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  I  caught  him  at  it  today.  And  must  I  lie  down  before  him  after 
that?" 

"Do  not  be  so  headstrong,  and  keep  out  of  other  people's  affairs!" 
his  mother  advised  him.  "Thanks  to  my  intercession  with  Aunt  Huang, 
and  to  her  ceaseless  petitions  to  Madame  Phoenix,  you  have  been 
lucky  enough  to  procure  a  scholarship  in  the  family  school.  Do  you 
want,  through  your  defiance,  to  throw  away  the  benefits  of  this  free  edu- 

74 


caticn?  What  should  we  do  then?  We  cannot  afford  the  luxury  of  a  pri- 
vate tutor.  Besides,  you  get  free  meals  in  the  school,  and  how  could  I 
manage  to  clothe  you  properly  except  for  this  saving  in  food?  And  you 
think  a  lot  of  being  well  and  neatly  dressed.  Besides,  you  have  to  thank 
the  school  for  the  valuable  friendship  of  that  elegant  young  gentleman, 
Hsueh  Pan.  In  the  one  year  you  have  been  friendly  with  him,  he  has 
given  you  up  to  seventy  or  eighty  taels.  Where  else  would  you  have  so 
many  advantages  combined  if  by  your  obstinate  folly  you  forfeit  the 
chance  of  staying  on  at  the  school?  You  might  as  well  try  to  climb  up 
to  heaven.  Therefore  be  sensible  and  swallow  your  resentment!" 

To  this  King  Yung  had  nothing  to  reply,  so  he  just  had  to  swallow  his 
anger.  The  mother  had  succeeded  in  silencing  her  son,  but  she  herself 
could  not  refrain  from  telling  Aunt  Huang,  who  visited  her  the  next 
day,  the  whole  story  of  the  incident  in  the  school,  from  beginning  to 
end.  Aunt  Huang  was  a  sister  of  King  Yung's  deceased  father  and  the 
lawful  wife  of  one  Chia  Huang,  who  was  a  poor  collateral  relation  of 
the  Ningkuo  branch  of  the  family.  He  had  only  a  very  small  private  in- 
come and  was  notorious  in  both  the  eastern  and  the  western  palaces  for 
the  frequent  begging  visits  which  he  paid,  together  with  his  wife,  now 
to  Princess  Chen,  now  to  Madame  Phoenix. 

When  Aunt  Huang  heard  of  the  humiliations  which  had  befallen  her 
nephew  in  the  school,  she  felt  that  her  family  pride  was  hurt.  So  she 
got  into  her  carriage  again  as  quickly  as  she  could  and  drove  straight 
off  to  the  Ningkuo  palace.  She  wished  to  pay  her  respects  to  Princess 
Chen  and  then  to  complain  to  the  latter's  daughter-in-law,  Mistress 
Yung,  of  the  behavior  of  her  brother  Chin  Chung.  But  she  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  carrying  out  her  intention.  When,  after  a  few  preliminary  words 
about  the  weather,  she  asked  the  Princess  why  her  daughter-in-law  was 
not  to  be  seen,  she  learned  that  young  Mistress  Yung  had  been  seriously 
ill  for  the  last  two  months  and  was  unable  to  receive  visitors.  The  whole 
household  was  worried  and  troubled  about  her,  and  tomorrow  a  new 
doctor,  a  young  man,  was  expected,  the  skill  of  all  the  other  doctors 
who  had  been  consulted  having  proved  in  vain.  Moreover,  everyone  in 
the  Ningkuo  palace  was  fully  occupied  preparing  for  the  celebrations 
which  were  to  take  place  in  two  days'  time  in  honor  of  the  birthday  of 
the  head  of  the  family,  the  Prince  Hermit  Chia  Ching.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  visitor  rightly  thought  it  would  be  tactless  to  bring  for- 
ward a  complaint  about  a  mere  trifle.  Besides,  the  kindly  way  Prince 
Chen  personally  invited  her  to  stay  to  a  meal  helped  to  change  her  ini- 
tial ill-humor  into  a  feeling  of  .Satisfaction,  and  so  she  took  her  leave  in 
the  end  without  having  touched  on  the  school  incident  by  a  single  word. 

"What  on  earth  did  she  want?"  the  Prince  asked  his  wife  when  the 
visitor  had  departed.  He  suspected  that  it  was  some  new  request. 

75 


"Nothing  special.  In  the  beginning  something  seemed  to  be  on  her 
mind,  but  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  when  I  told  her  about  the 
illness  of  our  daughter-in-law,  her  face  became  more  tranquil.  She  was 
actually  considerate  enough  not  to  accept  your  invitation  to  a  meal. 
This  time  she  did  not  ask  for  anything." 

The  Prince  nodded  thoughtfully.  A  visit  from  sister-in-law  Huang 
without  a  request  seemed  to  him  decidedly  odd. 

"I  visited  our  Elder  today  in  his  hermitage  out  in  the  mountains  and 
invited  him  to  come  here  the  day  after  tomorrow  to  receive  birthday 
congratulations  from  the  whole  family,"  he  reported.  "The  old  gentle- 
man declined  with  thanks,  however.  'I  do  not  wish  to  be  disturbed  in 
my  contemplative  peace,'  he  said,  'and  I  have  no  desire  to  return  to 
your  world  of  conflicting  opinions  and  to  take  part  in  a  useless,  noisy 
feast.  If  you  wish  to  give  me  pleasure,  see  that  my  recently  completed 
treatise  on  "The  Blessedness  of  Work  in  Solitude"  is  neatly  and  per- 
fectly copied  out  and  engraved  upon  wood  for  the  purpose  of  making 
copies  of  it.  I  would  prefer  that  a  hundred  times  to  any  outward  display 
of  festivity.  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  the  family  may  feast  to  their 
hearts'  content  at  home  with  you 'for  the  two  days.  But  spare  me  from 
gifts  and  visits !  Even  you  may  spare  yourself  the  trouble  of  a  visit,  but 
if  you  insist  upon  making  me  a  kowtow  of  congratulation,  well,  you  are 
at  liberty  to  make  it  now  in  advance.  But  kindly  leave  me  in  peace  the 
day  after  tomorrow!'  In  these  circumstances,  then,  there  is  nothing  for 
us  to  do  but  celebrate  without  the  old  gentleman.  Give  your  orders  to 
the  majordomo  Lai  Sheng  in  good  time  to  arrange  the  two  days'  ban- 
queting." 

The  Princess  accordingly  sent  the  necsssary  instructions  to  the  ma- 
jordomo by  her  son  Chia  Yung.  Then  Chia  Yung  had  to  go  to  the  west- 
ern palace  and  personally  invite  the  "old  Tai  tai"  and  the  "big  Tai  tai" 
and  the  "second  Tai  tai"  and  sister-in-law  Phoenix  to  the  birthday  fes- 
tival. 

On  the  morning  of  the  birthday  Prince  Chen  sent  his  son  to  the 
"Great  Elder"  at  his  hermitage.  A  troop  of  servants  had  to  drag  with 
them  sixteen  large  gift  boxes  filled  with  select  dishes  and  chosen  fruits. 

"Tell  the  Elder,"  he  said  to  his  son,  "that  your  father  has  complied 
with  his  orders  and  is  refraining  from  paying  a  visit.  At  home,  before 
the  assembled  members  of  the  family,  he  will  dutifully  show  his  rever- 
ence by  performing  a  kowtow  before  the  Elder's  throne  of  honor.  And 
do  note  whether  this  form  of  respect  meets  with  his  approval." 

The  first  visitors  to  appear  were  Chia  Lien  from  the  Yurigkuo  palace 
and  Prince  Chen's  foster  son,  Chia  Chiang.  They  viewed  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  tables  with  curiosity,  for  they  wanted  to  know  what  enter- 
tainment would  be  offered.  They  were  informed  that  a  company  of  ac- 

76 


tors  and  a  troupe  of  musicians  had  been  engaged  and  were  just  now 
getting  ready  to  appear  on  the  garden  stage.  The  chief  guests,  who 
were  received  by  the  Prince  and  Princess  Chen  at  the  entrance  to  the 
reception  hall  and  accompanied  up  the  steps,  gradually  arrived.  They 
were  Princess  Shieh,  Madame  Cheng,  and  Madame  Phoenix,  with  Pao 
Yu  and  the  others.  Only  the  Princess  Ancestress  had  remained  at  home. 

"The  old  Tai  tai  is  the  oldest  of  all  the  kinfolk,  our  Elder  is  only  her 
nephew,  and  no  doubt  it  was  presumptuous  of  us  to  expect  her  to  take 
the  trouble  to  come  over  for  a  nephew's  birthday,"  remarked  Prince 
Chen,  hiding  under  a  smile  his  unpleasant  surprise  at  the  absence  of  the 
Ancestress.  "But  we  invited  her  all  the  same  because  of  the  beautiful 
autumn  weather  and  as  the1  chrysanthemums  are  just  in  full  bloom  with 
us.  We  thought  it  would  give  her  pleasure  and  entertainment  to  take 
part  in  the  general  family  gathering  and  to  see  all  the  children  and 
grandchildren  together.  It  is  a  pity  that  we  are  deprived  of  the  pleasure 
of  her  presence." 

"Only  yesterday  she  still  intended  to  come,"  Madame  Phoenix  re- 
plied quickly,  instead  of  Madame  Cheng,  who  really  should  have  an- 
swered. "But  last  night  she  upset  her  stomach  with  a  fresh  peach  and 
this  morning  she  felt  too  weak  to  go  out.  She  wishes  to  be  excused,  and 
asks  if  there  is  anything  special  on  the  table  to  send  her  over  a  morsel 
to  taste,  but  nothing  rich,  only  invalid  food." 

The  Prince  was  satisfied. 

"I  thought  at  once  there  must  be  some  special  reason  for  her  not 
coming.  Usually  she  loves  these  family  parties  so  much." 

The  conversation  turned  to  the  illness  of  Mistress  Yung  and  to  medi- 
cal matters.  Then  Chia  Yung  appeared  and  reported  on  his  visit  to  the 
Prince  Hermit.  The  old  gentleman  had  shown  himself  visibly  pleased  at 
the  attentions  planned  for  him,  and  asked  his  son,  Prince  Chen,  to  give 
the  best  possible  hospitality  and  entertainment  to  the  whole  family. 
Moreover,  he  again  expressed  the  wish  that  his  treatise  on  "The  Bless- 
edness of  Work  in  Solitude"  should  be  quickly  printed.  It  would  be  the 
greatest  birthday  pleasure  possible  for  him  to  see  his  work  printed  in 
an  edition  of  ten  thousand  copies  and  circulated. 

After  the  sumptuous  banquet,  served  to  the  male  and  female  guests 
separately,  had  been  successfully  consumed,  and  the  company  had 
rinsed  their  mouths  and  washed  their  hands,  Chia  Yung  appeared  again 
and  invited  the  ladies  to  come  to  the  theatrical  performance  in  the  gar- 
den. The  gentlemen  had  already  taken  their  seats.  Four  Imperial 
princes,  six  princes,  and  eight  counts  had  sent  their  congratulations  to- 
gether with  presents*  he  said.  He  had  had  all  the  gifts  registered  in  the 
Estate  Office  and  given  the  various  messengers  their  receipts,  and  the 
messengers  had  been  decently  served  with  food  and  drink. 

77 


Princess  Chen  accepted  her  son's  report  with  satisfaction,  and  then 
rose  from  the  table  with  the  other  ladies  in  order  to  see  the  theatrical 
performance  in  the  garden.  Madame  Phoenix  left  the  company.  She  was 
longing  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  patient,  Mistress  Yung,  of  whom  she  was 
very  fond.  Pao  Yu  expressed  the  wish  to  go  with  her. 

"But  do  not  stay  too  long  in  the  sickroom!  Remember,  the  patient 
is  your  niece!"  his  mother  impressed  upon  him. 

Soon  afterwards,  at  his  cousin  Phoenix's  side,  he  entered  the  familiar 
room  which  awakened  in  him  a  secret  memory  of  that  strange  dream  in 
which  he  was  carried  off  to  the  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void.  How 
terribly  his  poor  lovely  niece  had  changed !  She  wanted  to  get  up  from 
her  bed  when  her  visitors  entered,  but  Cousin  Phoenix  anxiously 
pressed  her  down  on  the  pillow  again. 

"Do  stay  quietly  on  your  back,  good  Nai  nai!  Otherwise  you  might 
get  dizzy,"  she  said,  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  and  taking  the  pa- 
tient's hand.  "Oh,  how  thin  you  have  got,  you  poor  thing,  since  I  saw 
you  last!" 

"Yes,  unfortunately  I  have  lost  weight!"  sighed  the  patient,  forcing 
herself  to  smile.  "It  is  my  misfortune  not  to  be  very  well.  What  love  and 
kindness  I  have  enjoyed  from  all  sides!  My  parents-in-law  treat  me  as  if 
I  were  their  own  child.  My  husband,  although  he  is  so  young,  esteems 
me  as  I  esteem  him;  our  marriage  is  a  most  happy  one.  And  also  from 
the  other  relations,  both  old  and  young,  I  receive  nothing  but  kindness 
and  sympathy.  And  now  this  silly  illness  comes  along  and  prevents  me 
from  repaying  all  this.  And  to  you,  dear  Aunt,  I  should  like  to  make 
some  acknowledgment  for  all  your  touching  love  and  attention,  but  un- 
fortunately I  lack  the  strength  to  do  so.  I  feel  as  if  my  end  were  near. 
Who  knows  if  I  shall  live  to  see  the  New  Year?" 

While  they  were  talking  Pao  Yu  was  looking  steadily  at  the  painting 
on  the  wall,  which  represented  a  person  sleeping  beneath  begonia 
branches,  to  the  right  and  left  of  which  was  written: 

Gentle  coolness  surrounds  the  dreamer — early  spring! 
The  breezes  which  caress  him — fragrant  as  wine. 

The  remembrance  of  his  own  spring  dream,  which  he  had  experi- 
enced in  this  same  room  and  with  this  same  beautiful  Ko  Ching  whom 
he  now  heard  uttering  gloomy  presentiments  of  death,  gripped  him 
powerfully  and  touched  him  to  the  very  core.  He  felt  his  heart  pierced 
by  a  thousand  arrows,  and  his  eyes  rilled  with  tears.  This  did  not  escape 
Cousin  Phoenix,  who  herself  was  deeply  moved.  But  she  remembered 
that  the  purpose  of  her  visit  was  to  cheer  and  comfort  the  patient,  and 
not  to  make  her  still  more  sad  by  wearing  a  sad  face. 

"Pao  Yu,  do  not  behave  like  an  old  woman!"  she  cried,  rousing  her 

78 


cousin  out  of  his  soft  mood.  "Your  niece  is  still  young  and  will  be  able 
to  overcome  this  little  illness.  She  makes  out  that  she  is  much  worse 
than  she  really  is. 

"You  should  not  give  in  to  such  gloomy  thoughts!  That  does  not 
help  to  make  your  condition  better,"  she  admonished  the  patient 
gently. 

"Above  all,  she  must  get  back  her  appetite,  then  I  shall  not  be  wor- 
ried about  her  any  more,"  interjected  the  young  husband,  Chia  Yung, 
reassuringly. 

"That  is  my  opinion  too,"  agreed  Phoenix.  "And  now  be  so  good  as 
to  take  Pao  Yu  back  to  his  mother.  She  told  him  emphatically  not  to 
stay  here  too  long.  I  should  like  to  stay  alone  with  our  patient  for  a 
little  while." 

The  uncle  and  nephew  then  left  Phoenix  alone  with  the  patient  and 
went  to  the  theatrical  performance  in  the  Garden  of  Assembled  Per- 
fumes. 

Phoenix  stayed  on  for  a  long  time  by  the  sickbed,  and  they  had  to 
send  for  her  three  times  before  she  came  away.  After  she  had  quietly 
and  thoroughly  discussed  all  kinds  of  confidential  matters  with  the  sick 
woman  and  tried  to  cheer  her  up,  she  at  last  stood  up  to  go. 

"Well,  I  wish  you  a  speedy  recovery,  and  I  will  come  again  soon," 
she  said  on  departing.  "Meantime,  do  not  be  downhearted!  The  new 
doctor  will  certainly  cure  you." 

"Perhaps  he  will  be  able  to  give  me  some  relief,  but  he  will  not  be 
able  to  alter  my  fate  even  if  he  were  gifted  with  supernatural  powers," 
replied  the  patient  with  a  weak  smile.  "I  know  perfectly  well  that  I  am 
only  dragging  on  from  day  to  day." 

.  "Do  not  give  in  to  such  ideas!  Your  fears  are  quite  groundless.  You 
are  having  the  best  possible  care  now,  and  luckily  you  belong  to  a 
family  where  there  is  no  lack  of  every  available  remedy,  even  the  best 
and  dearest  ginseng.  But  now  excuse  me,  I  must  go  back  to  the  others." 

"You  must  excuse  me  for  not  seeing  you  out,  and  do  please  visit  me 
soon  again  when  you  have  time!" 

"You  may  rely  on  me!" 

Sunk  in  thought,  Phoenix,  after  traversing  many  winding  paths, 
came  through  a  side  door  into  the  Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes.  The 
charm  of  the  scenery  which  surrounded  her  here  made  her  slacken  her 
pace  and  stroll  along  thoughtfully. 

The  ground  at  her  feet  shimmered  yellow  with  chrysanthemums, 
from  the  hills  and  slopes  aspen  trees  and  silver  poplars  nodded.  Orna- 
mental bridges  stretched  over  murmuring  brooks,  narrow  zigzag  path- 
ways crossed  wide  roads  which  led  to  moon  terraces.  From  cliffs  shin- 
ing springs  trickled  down.  Exquisite  perfumes  came  borne  on  the 

80 


breeze  from  fruit  trellises.  From  time  to  time  a  light  gust  of  wind  irom 
the  w«3st  made  the  reddish  tops  of  the  trees,  which  stood  here  and  there 
in  artistic  groups,  tremble  and  shake.  The  song  of  the  golden  oriole  and 
the  chirp  of  the  grasshopper  could  still  be  heard  in  the  warm  sunshine. 
Up  above,  the  watchtower  beckoned  from  a  steep  height;  down  below, 
the  water  pavilion  with  its  triple  arched  roof  was  reflected  in  the  lake. 
In  the  distance  the  playing  of  flutes  and  the  beating  of  drums  could  be 
heard. 

Phoenix  was  walking  along  quietly  completely  absorbed  in  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery,  when  she  suddenly  heard  hersel  called  by  some- 
one who  emerged  unexpectedly  from  behind  an  artificial  stone  cliff  and 
now  stood  before  her. 

"Tsing  an,  Sister-in-law!"  he  greeted  her,  bowing  politely. 

Phoenix  stepped  back  startled. 

"Is  that  you,  Chia  Jui?"  she  asked  a  little  uncertainly. 

"How  is  that?  Don't  you  recognize  me,  Sister-in-law?" 

"Yes,  I  do;  only  I  was  rather  confused  by  your  sudden  appearance." 

"It  must  indeed  be  Providence  which  has  caused  us  to  meet  here," 
Chia  Jui  remarked  with  an  oily  smile.  "I  stole  away  from  the  table  just 
now  to  take  a  little  walk  after  the  meal  in  this  quiet  secluded  spot.  And 
here  I  meet  you!  Really,  it  must  be  the  work  of  Providence." 

While  he  j was  speaking  his  little  eyes,  bright  with  wine,  blinked 
fixedly  and  brazenly  at  the  beautiful  woman  opposite  him.  Phoenix  had 
sufficient  knowledge  of  human  nature  to  enable  her  to  size  up  the  situa- 
tion by  nine-tenths. 

"I  have  always  heard  much  that  is  good  and  praiseworthy  of  you," 
she  flattered  him,  with  assumed  friendliness.  "And  now  hearing  you 
speak  I  know  that  people  have  not  exaggerated  when  they  praised  you 
as  a  man  of  intellect  and  great  worth.  Unfortunately,  at  this  moment  I 
must  deny  myself  the 'privilege  of  a  long  conversation  with  you,  as  I  am  ' 
expected  to  join  the  ladies  over  there.  But  perhaps  we  shall  meet  again 
another  time." 

"It  has  long  been  my  intention  to  pay  my  respects  to  you.  But 
through  consideration  for  your  tender  youth,  I  did  not  venture  to  do  so 
up  to  now,"  interjected  Chia  Jui  eagerly. 

"Oh,  among  near  relations  age  and  years  are  not  so  important."  she 
said,  seeming  to  encourage  him  and  putting  on  a  charming  smile. 

Chia  Jui  could  hardly  contain  himself  for  secret  triumph.  I  would 
never  have  dreamt  that  I  would  succeed  so  easily  with  her!  he  thought 
to  himself,  while  his  mien  betrayed  his  lustful  desires  so  distinctly  and 
disgustingly  that  Madame  Phoenix  thought  it  advisable  to  get  rid  of 
him  as  quickly  as  possible. 

"Hurry  back  to  your  companions,  otherwise  you  will  have  to  pay  a 

81 


fine  of  a  drink,"  she  urged  him  cunningly,  and  in  fact  she  succeeded  in 
making  him  move  hesitantly  away,  though  he  could  not  refrain  from 
turning  round  again  and  again  to  look  at  her.  She  let  him  go  on  a  good 
way,  and  then  she  herself  followed  slowly.  On  the  way  she  thought  to 
herself:  A  man  like  that  has  a  human  face,  but  behind  it  there's  only  a 
beast.  My  word,  he  will  get  to  know  me  yet  if  he  dares  try  any  liberties. 

At  a  bend  in  the  road  behind  a  projection  of  rock  three  serving 
women  came  breathlessly  towards  her.  Princess  Chen  had  sent  them  to 
look  for  her,  being  quite  worried  because  she  had  stayed  away  so  long. 

"After  all,  I  am  not  a  spirit  that  can  fly,"  remarked  Phoenix  dryly, 
continuing  at  her  easygoing  pace,  not  in  the  least  disconcerted. 

"How  many  acts  have  already  been  performed,  then?" 

"Eight  or  nine." 

Talking  and  chatting  away,  they  arrived  at  the  spectators'  entrance  to 
the  garden  theater.  In  front  of  the  entrance  Phoenix  caught  sight  of  her 
cousin  Pao  Yu  engaged  in-  a  visibly  lively  and  exuberant  conversation 
with  a  crowd  of  young  waiting  maids  and  actresses. 

"Mind,  no  silly  tricks,  Cousin  Pao  Yu!"  she  called  over  to  him  in 
mocking  threat. 

"This  is  the  stairway  to  the  upper  platform,"  said  a  maid,  leading  the 
way.  "The  other  ladies  are  all  up  there  already." 

Phoenix  tucked  up  her  skirt  and  followed  the  maid  up  the  steps  to  the 
upper  platform.  Princess  Chen  was  waiting  for  her  at  the  top  of  the 
stairs. 

"You  have  been  gone  a  long  time,"  she  said  with  gentle  reproach. 
"Since  y6u  find  it  so  difficult  to  tear  yourself  away  from  your  beloved 
niece,  it  will  be  better  if  you  move  over  to  us  at  once  and  go  to  live 
with  her.  But  now  take  your  seat.  Here  is  a  program.  Read  it  through 
and  see  if  there  is  a  piece  which  you  would  like  to  have  performed." 

"Why  am  I  to  have  that  honor?  That  is  a  matter  for  the  others  who 
have  precedence  of  me  in  rank  and  age,"  protested  Phoenix  modestly. 

"Oh,  please  choose;  we  others  have  chosen  already,"  said  Princess 
Shieh  and  Madame  Cheng. 

Phoenix  read  the  program  attentively  and  indicated  two  items,  the 
sketch  "Ghostly  Apparition"  and  a  song  accompanied  by  lute  music. 

"Where  are  the  gentlemen  gone  to?"  she  asked,  bending  down  to 
look  over  the  balustrade. 

"To  the  Pavilion  of  Crystal  Brilliance  to  continue  their  drinking;  and 
they  have  taken  tiie  band  with  them,"  she  was  told. 

"Aha,  they  want  to  be  to  themselves;  who  knows  what  mischief  they 
will  be  up  to  behind  our  backs!" 

"You  cannot  expect  everyone  to  be  as  good  and  virtuous  as  you  are," 
said  Princess  Chen  jocularly. 

82 


When  the  theatrical  program  had  come  to  an  end  the  company  sat 
down  to  another  abundant  meal.  After  this  the  female  guests  took  their 
leave.  Pao  Yu  went  with  them,  trotting  on  horseback  behind  his 
mother's  carriage.  The  other  male  members  of  the  clan  remained  on  for 
a  long  time  drinking  merrily  together,  and  continued  their  revels  the 
next  day. 

After  that  meeting  with  Phoenix,  Chia  Jui  had  no  more  peace  of 
mind.  He  wanted  to  see  the  beautiful  sister-in-law  again  without  fail, 
and  as  the  foolish  fellow  had  almost  convinced  himself  that  she  had 
made  advances  to  him  in  the  Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes,  he  was 
brazen  enough  to  call  repeatedly  at  the  Yungkuo  palace  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  her.  But  it  always  happened  that  Phoenix  was  not  at  home.  At 
last  he  was  lucky  enough  to  meet  her. 

It  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  month.  Phoenix  had  just  re- 
turned from  one  of  her  frequent  visits  to  the  eastern  palace  and  had 
changed  her  visiting  frock  for  a  nice  comfortable  house  gown  which  the 
maid  Little  Ping  had  carefully  warmed  at  the  stove. 

"Did  anything  special  happen  in  the  house  while  I  was  away?"  she 
asked  the  maid. 

"Nothing  special.  Mrs.  Wang  sent  the  interest  she  owed  you  on  the 
three  hundred  taels.  And  Chia  Jui  inquired  again  whether  you  were  at 
home.  He  wished  to  pay  his  respects  to  you." 

Phoenix  shuddered  with  horror. 

"Is  the  fellow  bent  on  ruining  himself?  Well,  I  shall  just  let  him  visit 
me!" 

"Why  does  he  want  to  visit  you?"  asked  the  maid.  Phoenix  told  her 
of  that  fatal  meeting  two  months  previously  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Ningkuo  palace. 

"What?  Does  the  mangy  toad  lust  after  tender  swan's  flesh?"  cried 
the  maid  indignantly.  "How  can  a  man  disregard  all  the  rules  of  the 
basic  human  relationships  like  that?  Such  presumption  deserves  to  be 
punished  with  death!" 

"Let  him  come !  He  will  experience  something  more  than  he  bargains 
for!"  declared  Phoenix,  smiling. 

What  Chia  Jui  was  to  experience  will  be  revealed  in  the  next  chapter. 


83 


CHAPTER   10 

Phoenix  maliciously  incites  an  unrequited  passion.  In  spite  of  warnings, 
Chia  Jui  looks  into  the  forbidden  side  of  the  Wind  and  Moon  Mirror. 

PHOENIX  HAD  HARDLY  FINISHED  THE  SENTENCE  WHEN  A  VOICE  FROM 
outside  announced:  "Chia  Jui  is  here." 

"Let  him  come  in,"  ordered  Phoenix. 

Beaming  with  joy  all  over  his  face,  the  visitor  entered,  bowing  and 
scraping  and  rubbing  his  hands,  and  burst  out  with  a  rush  of  questions 
about  the  "esteemed"  well-being  and  the  "precious"  and  "nephrite" 
health  of  his  hostess.  She  welcomed  him  with  hypocritical  friendliness, 
invited  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  served  him  tea. 

The  fact  that  he  was  permitted  -to  see  her  in  her  negligee  attire  made 
him  soft  as  cheese,  and  his  amorous  gaze  dripped  honey  as  he  asked, 
suddenly  resolved  to  come  straight  to  the  point: 

"Why  is  Cousin  Lien  not  here?" 

"How  can  I  know  where  he  may  be?"  she  replied  with  an  air  of  in- 
difference. 

"Perhaps  his  foot  became  entangled  in  some  gentle  snare  on  his  way 
home?" 

"Possibly.  Men  are  like  that;  they  fall  in  love  at  first  sight  with  the 
first  woman  they  meet." 

"Oh,  Sister-in-law,  I  am  certainly  not  one  of  that  inconstant  kind." 

"Then  you  must  be  a  praiseworthy  exception.  One  could  hardly  find 
one  man  in  ten  of  your  sort,"  she  flattered  him.  And  he  found  her  flat- 
tery so  pleasing  that  he  almost  felt  as  if  she  were  fondling  his  ear  and 
stroking  his  cheek. 

"You  must  suffer  great  boredom  in  your  solitude,  day  in,  day  out," 
he  bravely  continued. 

"Indeed,  yes.  And  my  only  comfort  is  when  someone  comes  to  visit 
me  now  and  then  and  breaks  the  monotony." 

"How  would  it  be  if  I  were  to  take  over  this  role  of  your  comforter  in 
loneliness?  I  have  plenty  of  free  time  and  would  be  at  your  disposal 
every  day  with  the  greatest  pleasure." 

"Surely  you  are  joking!  Would  you  really  take  as  much  trouble  as 
that?" 

"May  I  be  struck  by  lightning  and  split  in  two  halves  if  my  intentions 
towards  you  are  not  sincere!  Up  to  now  I  did  not  really  trust  myself  to 
show  my  feelings,  you  were  always  said  to  be  so  terribly  strict  and  cor- 
rect. But  having  convinced  myself  of  how  entertaining  and  charming 
and  delightful  you  are,  I  shall  no  longer  refrain,  but  shall  hasten  to 
come  to  you,  and  I  will  give  my  life  willingly  if  only  I  may  enjoy  your 
company ! " 

84 


"What  a  high  and  noble  nature  your  words  betray!"  she  said,  assum- 
ing an  enraptured  tone.  "How  absolutely  different  you  are  from  your 
simple  cousins  Chia  Yung  and  Chin  Chung,  whose  attractions  are 
merely  superficial  and  who  do  not  possess  a  scrap  of  understanding  or 
delicacy  of  feeling." 

This  praise  tickled  his  very  vitals  and  encouraged  him  to  edge  closer 
and  closer  to  her  side  and  to  fondle  her  with  his  eyes  more  and  more 
brazenly.  His  glance  rested  boldly  in  the  region  of  her  lotus-shaped 
girdle  pocket.  He  was  in  a  fever  to  touch  her. 

"May  I  have  a  close  look  at  your  ring?"  he  asked  her,  boldly  trying 
to  grasp  her  hand. 

"Not  so  vehement,  please!"  she  rebuffed  him  gently.  "What  if  some- 
one should  catch  us  unawares?" 

He  quickly  moved  away  from  her  again  as  obediently  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  an  Imperial  edict  or  a  command  of  Buddha. 

"Now  you  must  go!"  she  said,  smiling. 

"Do  not  be  so  cruel,  but  let  me  stay  a  little  longer!"  he  begged. 

"Impossible!"  she  breathed.  "There  are  too  many  people  about  here 
during  the  day.  It  would  be  too  risky.  But  tonight  at  the  time  of  the 
first  night  watch  wait  for  me  outside  in  the  park  by  the  western  covered 
passage." 

Chia  Jui  received  this  with  a  feeling  of  keen  delight,  as  if  a  precious 
jewel  had  fallen  into  his  hands. 

"You  are  not  joking,  are  you,  Sister-in-law?  And  are  we  safe  from 
eavesdroppers  there?"  he  asked  excitedly. 

"Do  not  worry!  I  will  give  leave  of  absence  to  the  servants  who  are 
due  for  watch  there  tonight;  and  once  the  gates  above  and  below  are 
locked,  no  one  can  come  through,"  she  reassured  him. 

He  hurried  off  in  blissful  anticipation  of  what  was  to  come.  As  dusk 
was  falling  he  slipped  once  more  into  the  Yungkuo  palace  precincts, 
and  shortly  before  the  gates  were  locked  took  up  his  position  in  the  pas- 
sage indicated.  Soon  the  surrounding  park  lay  in  complete  darkness  and 
silence.  Not  a  human  sound  was  to  be  heard.  Half  the  night  through  he 
waited  and  listened  in  vain.  She  had  made  the  appointment  with  him 
for  the  first  night  watch.  The  second  night  watch  had  passed  meantime, 
and  she  had  not  arrived.  Then  it  became  clear  to  him  that  he  had  been 
hoaxed  and  he  decided  to  get  away.  But  he  tried  the  east  gate  and  the 
west  gate  in  vain.  They  were  securely  locked  and  bolted  from  the  out- 
side. He  now  tried  to  climb  the  wall;  but  it  was  too  high  and  there  was 
no  ledge  or  foothold  anywhere  by  which  he  could  heave  himself  up.  For 
good  or  ill,  he  had  to  pass  the  whole  night  in  the  inhospitable,  empty 
passage.  That  was  far  from  pleasant  at  that  wintry  season.  An  icy  wind 
blew  right  in  around  the  edges  of  the  door  and  window  and  cut  him  piti- 

85 


lessly  to  the  very  bone.  His  limbs  were  stiff  with  cold  when  morning 
dawned  at  last  and  an  old  gatekeeper  came  and  first  opened  the  eastern 
gate  and  then  began  rattling  at  the  western  one.  As  soon  as  she  turned 
her  back,  he  slipped  swiftly  from  his  hiding  place  and  flew  like  smoke 
out  through  the  eastern  gate.  Luckily,  everyone  was  still  asleep  at  this 
early  hour,  so  that  he  was  able  to  escape  unseen  from  the  estate  by  a 
postern  gate  at  the  back.  Then  he  ran  home  to  his  grandfather's  house. 
For  Chia  Jui,  who  was  orphaned  young,  lived  with  old  Tai  Ju,  who 
maintained  him. 

The  old  gentleman  kept  the  grandson  under  strict  control  and  super- 
vision and  watched  him  conscientiously  to  prevent  him  from  loafing 
about  and  neglecting  his  studies.  The  fact  that  the  rascal  had  remained 
out  the  whole  night  naturally  merited  the  severest  reproof  from  his 
grandfather.  He  suspected  that  wine  and  women  had  kept  him  out,  and 
when  he  arrived  home  at  last  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  he  met 
with  anything  but  a  friendly  reception.  The  grandfather  could  certainly 
never  have  guessed  that  the  matter  was  actually  far  worse  than  it 
seemed,  and  that  the  scoundrel  was  well  on  the  way  to  creating  a  seri- 
ous family  scandal. 

Mopping  the  cold  sweat  from  his  brow,  the  night  reveller  appeared 
before  the  enraged  old  gentleman  and  tried  to  lie  himself  out  of  his 
predicament  as  well  as  he  could.  Yesterday,  when  visiting  a  relative  he 
had  stayed  too  late  and  had  been  kept  for  the  night.  But  Tai  Ju  read 
the  lie  on  his  face. 

"You  should  not  go  out  without  my  permission!"  he  said  severely. 
"And  for  deceiving  me  as  well,  you  deserve  all  the  greater  punishment." 
And  he  made  him  kneel  down  and  gave  him  thirty  or  forty  strokes 
with  a  cane.  Besides  this,  he  left  him  without  food  for  the  whole  day  and 
gave  him  as  additional  punishment  an  appropriate  lesson  to  learn 
kneeling  out  in  the  yard.  After  having  been  frozen  through  all  night, 
the  poor  devil  had  to  atone  still  more  for  his  folly  with  a  thrashing, 
hunger,  still  more  cold,  and  some  strenuous  brainwork. 

But  all  these  sufferings  failed  to  cure  his  depravity.  Scarcely  two 
days  had  passed  when  he  slipped  across  again  during  a  free  hour  to  the 
Yungkuo  palace.  He  was  once  more  received  by  Phoenix.  She  had  de- 
cided to  cure  him  even  more  thoroughly  this  time.  At  first  she  acted  as 
if  she  were  offended  and  reproached  him  for  having  failed  to  keep  his 
word  recently.  With  secret,  malicious  pleasure  she  listened  to  his  prot- 
estations to  the  contrary  and  let  him  tell  her  all  he  had  endured  and 
suffered  on  her  account.  Then  she  suggested  a  new  meeting  for  that 
same  evening,  but  in  a  different  place.  She  indicated  a  little  unused  gar- 
den house,  close  behind  her  dwelling.  He  was  to  wait  for  her  there. 
"But  you  really  mean  it?"  he  asked  diffidently. 

86 


"If  you  do  not  trust  me,  you  need  not  come,"  she  informed  him 
coolly  and  abruptly. 

"I  shall  come  even  if  I  have  to  suffer  a  hundred  deaths!"  he  declared 
passionately. 

Whereupon  she  graciously  dismissed  him.  While  she  was  holding  her 
council  of  war  and  preparing  all  the  measures  to  entice  him  more 
thoroughly  than  the  first  time  into  the  trap,  he,  waiting  at  home,  could 
scarcely  contain  his  patience.  For  he  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
this  time  he  would  attain  his  end.  But  first  he  had  to  wait  until  relations 
who  by  chance  had  come  that  day  to  visit  had  left  the  house.  And  then 
he  had  to  be  patient  a  little  longer  until  his  grandfather  retired  to  rest 
after  the  evening  meal.  At  last  he  was  able  to  venture  forth.  It  was  high 
time.  Darkness  was  already  falling  and  the  people  were  carrying  lan- 
terns in  their  hands  in  the  streets.  Shortly  before  the  gates  were  closed 
he  successfully  slipped  into  the  Yungkuo  palace  grounds  and  stole  into 
the  empty  garden  house  close  behind  the  dwelling  of  the  beloved  one. 
There  he  sat  and  waited,  and  ill  his  excitement  and  impatience  he  was 
like  the  proverbial  boiling  kettle  on  the  hearth.  But  to  the  left  no  human 
form  showed  itself,  and  to  the  right  no  human  sound  was  to  be  heard. 

Already  anxious  doubts  were  rising  in  his  bosom.  Would  she  leave 
him  another  whole  night  waiting  and  freezing  in  vain?  But  then  he 
suddenly  heard  soft  footsteps.  He  stepped  to  the  door  and  saw  a  ghost- 
like shadow  emerge  out  of  the  darkness  and  come  straight  towards  him. 
He  had  not  the  least  doubt  that  it  was  Phoenix,  and  without  thinking 
long  or  waiting  to  distinguish  black  from  white,  he  rushed  at  the  ap- 
proaching form  like  a  hungry  tiger  at  its  prey,  seized  it  in  his  arms, 
and  carried  it  to  the  couch  inside  the  little  house. 

"Beloved,  I  had  almost  died  of  longing!"  he  groaned,  while  his  lips 
sought  those  of  his  supposed  sweetheart  and  his  hand  excitedly  fumbled 
for  her  garter.  What  easy  game  he  had !  The  beloved  let  him  have,  his 
way  completely,  and  did  not  stir.  He  had  now  gleefully  opened  his  own 
clothing  and  was  just  getting  down  to  work  when  a  gleam  of  light  from 
outside  made  him  stop  short. 

"What's  going  on  here?"  asked  someone  who  had  slipped  in  un- 
noticed, carrying  a  lighted  candle.  It  was  Nephew  Chia  Chiang. 

"Uncle  Jui  had  gentle  impulses,"  came  the  laughing  reply  from  the 
couch.  The  voice  betrayed  to  the  horrified  Chia  Jui  that  he  had  taken 
his  nephew  Chia  Yung  for  the  beloved.  Overcome  with  shame,  he  tried 
to  run  away,  but  Chia  Chiang  blocked  his  path. 

"Stop!  Stay  here!  Aunt  Phoenix  has  already  told  everything  to  the 
old  Tai  tai.  In  order  to  escape  your  attentions  she  has  played  a  little 
trick  on  you.  The  old  Tai  tai  is  enraged  at  your  behavior  and  has  or- 
dered us  two  to  take  you  to  her  at  once.  Come  along!" 

87 


"Dear  nephew,  let  me  get  away  and  do  not  betray  me!"  begged  Chia 
Jui,  utterly  dismayed.  "I  promise  you  a  fat  reward." 

"I  could  let  you  run  off,"  replied  Chia  Chiang,  "but  first  I  must  know 
exactly  how  much  you  are  willing  to  pay.  And  a  verbal  promise  is  not 
enough  for  me;  you  will  have  to  sign  a  promissory  note.  For  the  sake 
of  decency,  the  amount  in  question  can  be  put  down  on-*the  note  as  a 
gambling  debt." 

"Agreed.  But  where  can  we  get  paper  and  ink  here?" 

"They  will  be  brought  to  you  immediately.  Wait  one  moment!" 

Chia  Chiang  disappeared  and  at  once  returned  with  writing  materials. 
After  lengthy  bargaining  Chia  Jui  had  to  agree  to  write  out  a  promis- 
sojy  note  for  fifty  taels.  Chia  Chiang  put  the  note  in  his  pocket  and  took 
Chia  Yung  by  the  hand  to  depart.  But  suddenly  Chia  Yung  became  re- 
fractory and  declared  defiantly  that  he  would  tell  the  story  to  all  the 
clan  in  the  morning.  This  threat  gave  Chia  Jui  a  new  fright,  and  even 
induced  him  to  humiliate  himself  by  making  a  kowtow  to  his  torturer. 
But  the  latter  would  not  let  him  go  until  he  too  had  a  promissory  note 
for  fifty  taels  in  his  pocket. 

"Well,  for  today  we  will  let  you  go  free  on  our  own  responsibility," 
salu  Chia  Chiang  magnanimously.  "But  now  you  must  get  off,  it  is  only 
a  question  of  which  way.  You  cannot  go  through  the  domain  of  the  old 
Tai  tai,  for  all  the  gates  are  locked.  And  you  dare  not  venture  near  the 
residence  of  Great-Uncle  Cheng.  He  is  still  sitting  up  over  his  official 
documents.  Woe  betide  you  if  he  were  to  catch  you !.  But  you  cannot  stay 
here  any  longer,  either;  at  any  moment  one  of  the  servants  may  come 
over,  for  there  is 'a  storeroom  near  by.  The  only  exit  possible  for  you 
is  the  back  park  gate;  but  we  must  first  go  out  and  see  if  the  coast  is 
clear,  for  if  you  were  caught,  it  would  be  bad  for  us  too.  I  know  a  cer- 
tain place  where  you  can  wait  for  us  in  the  meantime.  Come  with  us!" 

He  blew  out  his  wax  candle,  seized  Chia  Jui  by  the  hand,  and  dragged 
him  out.  He  carefully  groped  his  way  in  the  darkness  until  they  got  into 
a  farmyard  where  they  stopped  beneath  a  stairway.  "You  are  safe  here 
for  the  present,"  he  whispered.  "Squat  down  on  the  ground  and  keep 
very  quiet  until  we  come  back  and  call  you!" 

He  went  away  with  the  other  youth.  Chia  Jui  squatted  obediently  on 
the  ground  at  the  edge  of  the  stairs,  hardly  daring  to  breathe.  While  he 
was  crouching  there  thinking  over  his  strange  position,  he  suddenly 
heard  above  him  a  gurgling,  splashing  noise  and  immediately  a  thick, 
disgusting  fluid — human  excrements — was  poured  over  him.  A  sup- 
pressed cry  escaped  him,  but  immediately  remembering  that  he  had 
been  ordered  to  keep  silent,  he  pressed  his  hand  to  his  mouth.  The  evil- 
smelling  liquid  dripped  down  his  forehead  and  cheeks,  drenched  his 
clothing  through  from  top  to  bottom,  and  made  him  shiver  with  cold 

88 


and  discomfort.  How  long  must  he  endure  this  miserable  state?  He  was 
immensely  relieved  when  at  last  he  heard  the  two  return  and  call  out: 
"Quick,  get  away,  get  away!"  He  got  up  quickly  from  his  crouching 
position  and  ran  in  great  bounds  to  the  back  garden  gate.  Completely 
exhausted  and  out  of  breath,  he  arrived  about  midnight  in  front  of  his 
home.  The  houseboy  who  opened  the  door  shrank  back  startled  at 
sight  of  him; 

"What  has  happened  to  you?"  he  asked,  holding  his  nose. 

"I  fell  into  a  cesspool  in  the  dark,"  lied  Chia  Jui;  and  he  rushed  to 
his  room,  where  he  threw  off  his  odorous  clothes  and  washed  himself 
thoroughly.  Although  he  was  dead-tired,  he  could  not  sleep  a  wink  that 
night,  his  mind  was  so  agitated  by  the  adventure  he  had  gone  through. 
Indeed,  he  could  not  but  feel  a  grudge  against  the  beloved  one  who  had 
played  him  such  a  vile  trick,  but  her  lovely  image,  which  persistently 
flitted  across  his  mind,  again  dispelled  the  grief  and  rancor  and  only 
left  place  for  one  craving — to  be  permitted  to  fold  her  in  his  arms  in 
spite  of  everything.  To  be  sure,  his  desire  for  further  visits  at  the 
Yungkuo  palace  had  vanished  completely  after  this  last  experience. 

A  period  of  real  suffering  now  began  for  him.  The  persistent  dunning 
by  his  two  creditors  for  payment  of  the  promissory  notes  which  they 
had  extorted  from  him,  the  constant  fear  of  being  found  out  by  his 
strict  grandfather,  the  consuming,  unfulfilled  desire  for  the  beloved 
woman  which  reduced  the  unmarried  twenty-year-old  to  frequent 
nerve-shattering  finger  play;  added  to  this  the  burden  of  the  debts 
which  he  felt  heavier  day  by  day,  and  finally,  the  cold  which  he  had 
caught  as  a  result  of  his  two  nocturnal  adventures — all  these  things  had 
the  cumulative  effect  of  making  him  a  sick  man  in  a  short  time.  He  lost 
his  appetite,  his  digestion  failed,  he  felt  heavy  and  giddy  as  if  his  legs 
were  made  not  of  bones  and  sinews  and  muscles  but  of  cotton-wool;  his 
eyes  became  dull,  as  if  vinegar  had  been  sprayed  into  them,  he  spat 
blood  when  he  coughed,  fever  and  sleeplessness  tortured  him  by  night, 
by  day  he  suffered  drowsy  exhaustion.  When  he  did  go  to  sleep  he  fell 
into  restless  dreams  and  stammered  in  delirium.  Such  were  the  manifold 
infirmities  which  came  upon  him  by  degrees  in  the  course  of  a  year. 

His  anxious  grandfather  tried  all  possible  doctors,  and  made  him 
swallow  pounds  of  medicine,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  Only  a  good  dose  of 
ginseng  could  save  him,  said  the  doctors.  But  where  could  a  poor 
scholar  get  the  means  to  acquire  this  unusual  and  expensive  drug? 

The  old  Tai  Ju  turned  to  his  rich  relations  in  the  Yungkuo  palace. 
Madame  Cheng,  to  whom  he  made  his  request,  passed  it  on  to  Madame 
Phoenix,  the  mistress  of  the  kitchens  and  stores.  She  asked  her  to 
weigh  out  two  ounces  of  ginseng  for  him.  But  Madame  Phoenix  had  no 
intention  whatever  of  helping  the  invalid,  whom  she  preferred  to  see 

90 


die.  She  replied  that  she  had  recently  given  her  last  supply  to  the  sick 
wife  of  Marshal  Yang,  at  the  request  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  Let  her 
try  to  get  some  from  her  mother-in-law,  Princess  Shieh,  or  from  Princess 
Chen,  for,  after  all,  it  was  a  matter  of  a  human  life,  urged  Madame 
Cheng.  But  Madame  Phoenix  sent  neither  to  the  house  of  Chen  nor  to 
the  house  of  Shieh  but  scraped  together  a  small  remnant  of  waste  roots 
from  her  own  supply,  scarcely  one-tenth  of  an  ounce,  and  sent  the 
rubbish  to  the  home  of  the  invalid.  The  Tai  tai  Cheng  sent  it  but  would 
be  unable  to  send  any  more,  she  gave  word.  She  deceitfully  told  her 
aunt,  however,  that  in  accordance  with  her  instructions  she  had  bor- 
rowed two  ounces  of  the  best  ginseng  for  the  sick  man.  Naturally,  the 
miserable  refuse  which  she  really  sent  him  did  not  have  the  least  effect. 

One  day  a  lame  wandering  Taoist  monk  knocked  at  old  Tai  Ju's 
door,  begging  for  alms.  He  offered  in  return  to  cure  anyone  of  any 
illness  of  mind  or  soul.  Chia  Jui,  who  from  his  sickbed  could  hear  the 
stranger  commending  his  power  of  spiritual  healing,  became  intensely 
excited  and  loudly  implored  those  around  him  to  bring  the  master  to 
his  bedside  so  that  he  might  save  his  life.  They  complied  with  his  wish 
and  brought  the  lame  priest  into  the  sickroom. 

"Save  me,  Master!"  the  sick  man  implored  again  and  again,  kow- 
towing in  his  bed  to  the  visitor. 

The  priest,  lost  in  thought,  observed  him  for  a  while  and  then  he 
said:  "Your  illness  cannot  be  cured  by  medicine.  But  I  have  a  precious 
object  here  with  me,  which  I  will  give  you.  You  need  only  to  look  at  it 
every  day,  and  you  will  get  well  again." 

With  these  words  he  rummaged  in  his  knapsack  and  drew  out  a 
veiled  mirror.  The  back  of  the  mirror,  in  which  one  could  also  see  one's 
reflection,  had  the  inscription  engraved  on  it:  Magic  Mirror  of  the 
Moon  and  the  Wind. 

"This  mirror  comes  from  the  airy  phantom  castle  of  the  Fairy  of 
Fearful  Awakening  in  the  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void,"  the 
priest  explained.  "Its  power  consists  in  purifying  corrupted  souls  and 
freeing  them  from  impure  thoughts  and  desires.  The  fairy  has  entrusted 
it  to  me  in  order  that  I  may  save  highly  educated  and  high-minded 
young  people  like  you,  and  so  preserve  them  from  destruction.  But  you 
may  look  only  in  the  reverse  side  of  it.  A  thousand  times,  ten  thousand 
times,  beware  of  looking  in  the  front  side!  Remember  that!  Remember 
that!  I  shall  return  in  three  days  and  take  back  the  mirror.  In  the  mean- 
time it  will  have  cured  you." 

He  had  hardly  finished  speaking  when,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
bystanders  who  tried  in  vain  to  hold  him  back,  he  vanished  into  thin 
air. 

The  invalid  asked  the  company  to  leave  him  alone.  Why  should  he 

91 


not  try  out  the  mirror?  The  strange  priest  had  diagnosed  his  condition 
remarkably  correctly;  this  the  others  could  not  know,  of  course.  So  he 
took  the  mirror  in  his  hand  and  looked,  as  the  priest  had  told  him  to, 
into  the  reverse  side.  He  recoiled  in  horror.  A  skeleton  grinned  at  him 
from  the  mirror! 

"Did  the  accursed  fellow  only  want  to  frighten  me?"  he  cried 
angrily.  "Now  I  will  just  look  into  the  forbidden  side." 

And  he  turned  the  mirror  arid  looked  into  the  other  side.  0  marvel! 
The  lovely  image  of  Phoenix  met  his  gaze !  She  was  smiling  at  him  and 
beckoning  him  to  her  with  her  hand.  Blissfully  happy,  he  felt  himself 
drawn,  he  knew  not  how,  into  the  mirror  by  some  magic  force,  and  en- 
joyed with  the  beloved  one  the  passionate  Play  of  Wind  and  Cloud. 
When  this  was  over  she  led  him  gently  out  of  the  mirror  again.  He 
found  himself  once  more  lying  in  his  bed,  still  groaning  and  moaning 
from  the  aftereffects  of  the  delightful  experience. 

Now  he  turned  to  the  mirror  again  and  looked  once  more  at  the 
other  side.  Again  the  horrible  skeleton  grinned  at  him,  bringing  a  cold 
sweat  out  of  his  pores.  Though  still  exhausted  from  the  first  enjoyment 
of  love,  he  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  looking  into  the  forbidden 
side  of  the  mirror  a  second  time,  and  again  Phoenix  beckoned  him  and 
smiled  at  him  alluringly  and  drew  him  with  magic  power  into  the 
mirror,  once  more  to  perform  the  Play  of  Wind  and  Cloud.  The  experi- 
ence was  repeated  four  times.  When  she  led  him  out  for  the  fourth  time 
he  suddenly  felt  himself  being  seized  by  two  men,  who  put  him  in  iron 
chains. 

"I  will  follow  you!  But  let  me  take  the  mirror  with  me!"  he  cried 
aloud. 

These  were  his  last  words.  Those  outside  had  heard  his  cry.  They 
opened  the  door  of  the  sickroom  and  peeped  inside  and  could  just  see 
him  staring  at  the  mirror  with  wide-open  eyes,  when  it  slid  to  the  ground 
as  his  grip  loosened.  They  all  pressed  around  the  bed,  but  the  sick  man 
did  not  breathe  again.  They  found  the  sheets  wet  with  traces  of  human 
emissions.  The  servants  washed  and  dressed  the  dead  man  and  laid  him 
on  a  bier  in  accordance  with  custom.  Then  they'  informed  his  grand- 
parents that  he  had  passed  away. 

The  relatives  raised  a  loud  dirge  and  did  not  fail  to  abuse  the  lame 
priest  and  his  magic  mirror. 

"The  magic  mirror  must  be  destroyed;  otherwise  it  will  do  still  more 
barm,"  cried  old  Tai  Ju  angrily;  and  he  ordered  them  to  throw  it  into 
the  fire.  But  before  they  had  time  to  carry  out  his  order  a  voice  was 
heard  in  the  air  saying:  "Why  do  you  want  to  burn  my  mirror?  It  is 
innocent.  The  dead  man  himself  is  to  blame.  Who  told  him  to  ignore 
my  prohibition  and  look  into  the  wrong  side?" 

92 


At  the  same  time  the  mirror  rose  from  the  ground  of  itself  and  floated 
out  through  the  window.  Old  Tai  Ju  rushed  out  the  door  after  it  and 
tried  to  catch  it,  when  he  saw  the  same  lame  priest  standing  there. 

"Who  dares  to  seize  my  mirror?"  he  heard  him  crying  in  a  threat- 
ening voice,  and  then  he  saw  him  stretch  out  his  hand  and  catch  the 
floating  mirror.  The  next  moment  both  priest  and  mirror  had  vanished 
into  nothingness. 


CHAPTER    11 

Ko  Ching  dies  and  receives  the  posthumous  title  of  wife  of  a  mandarin 

of  the  fifth  rank.  Phoenix  takes  over  the  household  management  in  the 

Ningkuo  palace. 

1  OWARDS  THE   END  OF  THE  YEAR  THE  NEWS   CAME   FROM   YANGCHOW 

that  Black  Jade's  father,  Ling  Ju  Hai,  was  very  ill  and  urgently  desired 
to  see  his  daughter  once  more.  The  Princess  Ancestress  thought  it  right 
that  the  father's  wish  should  be  granted,  and  so  she  sent  her  grand- 
daughter home  under  the  escort  of  her  cousin,  Chia  Lien.  Pao  Yu  was 
naturally  very  sad  at  being  deprived  of  the  company  of  his  favorite 
cousin  for  a  considerable  time.  Phoenix,  too,  found  it  hard  to  bear  the 
long  separation  from  her  husband.  Added  to  this  was  her  anxiety  for 
the  seriously  sick  friend  in  the  eastern  palace.  She  passed  the  lonely 
evenings  until  bedtime  as  best  she  could  chatting  and  gossiping  mer- 
rily with  the  maid  Little  Ping. 

One  night,  though  tired  from  talking  and  working  late,  her  restless 
thoughts  kept  her  lying  awake  long  after  her  maid  Ping  was  fast 
asleep.  By  patiently  counting  on  her  fingers  she  had  at  last  man- 
aged to  lull  herself  into  an  uncertain  doze.  Outside,  the  third  beat  of 
the  drum  had  just  announced  midnight  when  it  seemed  to  her  that  her 
niece  Ko  Ching  was  standing  beside  her  bed. 

"Well  may  you  sleep,  dear,"  Ko  Ching  said  to  her,  smiling,  "but  I, 
of  course,  have  to  set  out  on  the  return  journey  today.  Would  you  not 
like  to  accompany  me  part  of  the  way?  We  have  always  been  so  fond 
of  each  other  and  understand  each  other  so  well  that  I  did  not  wish 
to  go  without  saying  good-by  to  you.  Besides,  I  have  many  things  to 
say  to  you  which  I  would  never  confide  to  anyone  else.  For  you  are 
not  an  average  woman,  and  in  the  matter  of  intellect  and  energy  you 
are  the  equal  of  any  man  or  any  high  official." 

She  now  explained  ih  a  long  discourse  that  she  was  concerned  for 
the  future  of  the  house  of  Chia.  True,  the  Chia  clan  had  endured, 
strong  and  powerful,  for  hundreds  of  years  already,  but  blossoming  is 

93 


likely  to  be  followed  by  decay,  and  the  day  might  come  when  the 
mighty  tree  would  fall,  and  the  crowd  of  monkeys  which  it  had  sheltered 
in  its  branches  and  crown  up  till  now  would  be  scattered  in  every  direc- 
tion. This  meant  that  in  good  times  provision  should  be  made  for  bad 
times.  Two  things  were  on  her  mind:  the  consolidation  of  the  family 
school  and  insurance  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  quarterly  sacrifices  to  the 
ancestors.  She  entertained  a  fear  lest  lean  times  should  come  when  there 
would  be  no  funds  available  for  these  two  objects.  She  would  there- 
fore like  to  recommend  the  Elders  of  the  clan  to  take  advantage  of  the 
present  favorable  circumstances  and  buy  up  as  much  land  and  property 
as  possible  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  family  vaults,  thereby  forming 
a  lasting  and  inalienable  family  foundation.  The  purpose  of  this  foun- 
dation must  be  to  maintain  the  family  school  and  assure  the  perpetuity 
of  the  ancestors'  sacrifices  from  the  proceeds  of  the  communal  lands. 
A  fortune  dedicated  to  such  cultural  purposes  would,  even  if  the  worst 
came  to  Fne  worst,  be  safe  from  seizures  by  the  State  in  the  event  of 
the  offices  and  dignities  of  the  heads  of  indjvidual  families  being  for- 
feited and  their  private  fortunes  confiscated,  in  consequence  of  Im- 
perial disfavor  or  the  like.  In  such  an  emergency  the  members  of  the 
family  concerned  would,  moreover,  find  a  place  of  refuge  in  the  lands 
of  the  family  foundation,  where  they  could  continue  to  support  them- 
selves by  farming.  The  family  school  would  then  give  the  sons  and 
grandsons  the  possibility  of  rising  in  the  world  once  more.  Farming 
and  education — these  were  the  two  solid  pillars  upon  which  a  great 
aristocratic  family  like  the  Chia  clan  must  rely  if  the  inevitable  vicis- 
situdes of  fortune  were  to  be  outlived  and  if  the  clan  was  to  be  proof 
against  downfall.  The  speaker  ended  with  the  quotation: 

Spring  passes,  fragrance  fades, 

Be  watchful  of  the  position  acquired. 

Phoenix  had  followed  this  intelligent  discourse  with  profound  atten- 
tion. She  was  just  about  to  ask  some  questions  when,  through  the  still- 
ness of  the  night,  she  heard  the  Cloud  Gong  booming  at  the  second 
gateway.  Its  heavy  thud  resounded  four  times.  That  was  the  signal  that 
somebody  in  the  house  had  died.  Phoenix  started  up,  alarmed,  out  of 
her  light  sleep,  and  immediately  a  messenger  appeared  with  the  an- 
nouncement that  Mistress  Yung  of  the  eastern  palace  had  just  passed 
away.  Phoenix  dressed  quickly  and  hurried  over  to  her  aunt,  Madame 
Cheng.  Needless  to  say,  the  sad  news  of  the  early  death  of  the  young 
and  beautiful  lady,  who  was  so  universally  beloved,  caused  sobbing 
and  lamenting  everywhere,  in  the  eastern  as  well  as  in  the  western 
palace. 

Pao  Yu  also  got  news  of  the  death  during  the  night  while  he  was  in 

94- 


bed.  It  made  him  start  up  violently  and  jump  out  of  bed.  As  he  did  so 
he  felt  a  stab  through  his  heart  like  the  stab  of  a  dagger  and  at  the 
same  moment  he  spat  up  a  mouthful  of  blood.  The  maids  ran  to  him  in 
consternation  and  asked  what  was  the  matter  with  him  and  whether 
they  should  send  for  a  doctor,  but  he  would  not  have  it. 

"It  is  of  no  importance,"  he  said.  "It  is  a  little  heart  attack  caused 
by  the  sudden  shock.  Some  blood  has  gone  out  of  its  course." 

He  dressed  and  went  to  the  Princess  Ancestress  to  ask  permission 
to  go  over  while  it  was  still  night  to  visit  the  bier.  The  Princess  An- 
cestress pointed  out  in  vain  that  one  should  avoid  the  unclean  proximity 
of  a  fresh  corpse,  that  his  health  might  suffer  if  he  were  to  go  out  in  the 
middle  of  a  winter's  night,  and  that  it  would  be  wiser  to  wait  until  the 
morning.  He  would  not  be  dissuaded.  At  last  the  anxious  Ancestress 
allowed  him  to  go  in  a  closed  carriage  and  in  the  care  of  a  numerous 
retinue. 

Despite  the  late  hour,  he  found  the  entrance  gateway  to  the  Ningkuo 
palace  wide  open  and  brightly  lit  up,  and  there  was  an  excited  coming 
and  going  of  people  with  torches  and  lanterns  in  their  hands.  From  the 
inner  rooms  he  could  hear  loud  cries  of  lamentation  which  made  the 
hills  tremble  and  the  mountains  shake.  Pao  Yu  also  gave  free  vent 
to  his  sorrow  with  many  tears  and  loud  laments  by  the  side  of  the 
bier.  Then  he.  greeted  the  relatives,  who  had  come  in  a  dense  crowd. 

A  time  of  strenuous  commotion  and  excitement  now  followed  in  the 
Ningkuo  palace;  for  Prince  Chen  made  it  his  business  to  carry  out  the 
customary  mourning  ceremonies  in  honor  of  the  beloved  departed  with 
all  possible  pomp.  No  less  a  person  than  the  Court  Necromancer  of  the 
Imperial  Observatory  was  given  the  order  to  fix  the  days  and  times  of 
the  various  ceremonies.  He  directed  that  the  burial  should!  take  place 
in  seven  weeks'  time;  that  during  those  seven  weeks  the  body  was  to 
remain  on  a  bier  in  the  house  of, mourning;  that  on  the  third  day  after 
the  death  the  seven  weeks'  mourning  ceremonies  were  to  be  opened 
by  the  issue  of  the  death  notices;  that  a  hundred  and  eight  bonzes  were 
to  recite  their  Buddhist  requiems  in  the  great  hall  while  ninety-nine 
Taoist  priests  were  to  offer  sacrifice  and  pray  according  to  the  Taoist 
rite  for  the  salvation  of  the  departed  before  an  altar  to  be  erected  by 
themselves  in  the  Tower  of  Heavenly  Balm.  That,  besides  this,  fifteen 
bonzes  and  fifteen  Taoist  priests  of  high  rank  were  to  hold  pious  de- 
votions in  front  of  the  spirit  tablet  of  the  departed  lady  in  the  Hall  of 
Glorification  in  the  Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes. 

The  only  one  of  the  whole  clan  whom  the  sad  event  left  untouched 
was  the  Elder  of  the  house,  the  Prince  Hermit  Chia  Ching.  He  himself 
would  ascend  sooner  or  later  into  the  heavenly  spheres,  so  his  message 
ran.  Why  should  he  emerge  now  from  his  holy  solitude  and  soil  him- 

95 


self  again  with  the  red  dust  of  this  world,  after  he  had  happily  attained 
to  some  degree  of  purification  and  perfection?  Accordingly,  he  took 
no  further  notice  of  the  event,  but  remained  in  his  hermitage,  and  left 
the  entire  execution  of  the  mourning  program  in  the  hands  of  his  son, 
Prince  Chen. 

Right  at  the  beginning  of  the  mourning  period  an  episode  occurred 
which  attracted  much^notice  and  called  forth  great  praise.  A  maid  of 
the  deceased  lady,  one  Jui  Chu,  in  an  effort  to  give  visible  expression 
to  her  sincere  sorrow  at  the  death  of  her  mistress,  had  hit  her  head  so 
hard  against  a  wooden  post  that  she  had  died  of  the  effects.  The  whole 
clan  praised  the  behavior  of  this  maid  as  an  extraordinary  and  memo- 
rable example  of  self-sacrificing  fidelity  and  devotion,  and  Prince  Chen 
ordered  that,  as  a  reward,  the  brave  girl  should  be  buried  with  the 
ceremony  due  to  a  granddaughter  by  blood  and  that  her  spirit  tablet 
also  should  be  set  up  in  the  Hall  of  Glorification  in  the  Garden  of  As- 
sembled Perfumes. 

Yet  another  episode  indicating  praiseworthy  piety  and  devotion  was 
announced.  Another  servant,  one  Pao  Chu,  nobly  offered  to  allow 
herself  to  be  adopted  posthumously  as  a  daughter  of  the  deceased 
woman  who  was  childless,  in  order  that  she  might  carry  out  during  the 
mourning  period  and  at  the  funeral  the  difficult  and  onerous  role  in- 
cumbent on  a  surviving  child,  which  demanded  among  other  things 
that  she  should  walk  by  the  coffin  swaying  from  side  to  side  during  the 
whole  course  of  the  funeral  procession.  Prince  Chen  accepted  her  offer 
with  grateful  emotion  and  rewarded  her  by  directing  that  henceforward 
she  should  be  called  "Miss"  and  respected  as  a  daughter  of  the  house. 
And  Pao  Chu  undertook  her  duty  as  a  daughter  in  such  a  conscientious 
way  and  exaggerated  to  such  an  extent  the  prescribed  lamenting  and 
wailing  beside  the  coffin  that  she  almost  lost  her  life  by  it. 

In  his  efforts  to  carry  out  the  funeral  with  as  much  outward  mag- 
nificence as  possible,  Prince  Chen  saw  himself  hindered,  to  his  an- 
noyance, by  one  circumstance.  "My  son  possesses  neither  rank  nor 
office,"  he  reflected.  "The  only  thing  he  has  to  be  proud  of  is  a  title  of 
doctor  of  the  first  and  lowest  degree  acquired  by  purchase.  The  in- 
scription on  the  banners  of  honor  of  his  late  wife  will  look  paltry  and 
mean  indeed.  The  deceased  will,  moreover,  be  deprived  of  any  official 
mourners.  This  is  a  painful  deficiency." 

Then  it  happened  very  appropriately  that  on  the  fourth  day  of  the 
firtt  week  of  mourning,  Tai  Kuan,  the  influential  chief  Imperial  eunuch 
and  superintendent  of  the  Imperial  Palace,  came  to  pay  a  yisit.  Mes- 
sengers went  ahead  bringing  gifts  for  his  sacrifice  to  the  departed  spirit. 
Then  he  himself  appeared  in  the  big  State  sedan  chair,  his  arrival 
being  ceremonially  proclaimed  by  heralds  and  gong  beaters.  Prince 

96 


Chen  invited  him  into  the  Pavilion  of  the  Resting  Bees,  where  they  were 
able  to  chat  undisturbed,  and  in  the  course  of  the  conversation  he  put 
forward  his  request  regarding  promotion  for  his  son.  The*  chief  eunuch 
understood  at  once  what  he  was  driving  at  with  his  guarded  hints. 

"If  I  understand  you  aright,  you  would  like  to  give  a  greater  air  of 
brilliance  and  importance  to  the  funeral,"  he  remarked,  smiling. 

"Your  assumption  is  right,  old  Chancellor  of  the  Interior,"  Prince 
Chen  hastened  to  confirm. 

"Hm,  your  request  comes  just  at  the  right  time.  I  know  by  chance  of 
a  nice,  suitable  vacancy  for  your  son.  Of  the  three  hundred  officers' 
posts  of  command  in  the  Imperial  Palace  Guard,  there  are  two  vacant 
at  the  moment.  True,  one  post  I  have  already  given  away  elsewhere — 
namely,  to  Count  Hsiang  Yang's  son.  Since  the  Count  has  requested 
me  repeatedly  and  urgently,  and  moreover  had  sent  one  thousand  five 
hundred  silver  taels  to  my  house,  I  could  not  very  well  turn  a  deaf  ear 
to  his  request,  especially  as  we  are  very  old  friends.  Someone  else  has 
applied  for  the  remaining  vacancy,  it  is  true — the  fat  Provincial  Treas- 
urer Yung  Hsing,  who  wants  it  for  his  son,  but  I  have  not  answered  his 
request  yet.  You  are  therefore  free  to  hand  in  a  statement  of  your  son's 
curriculum." 

The  Prince  did  not  have  to  be  told  twice;  he  ordered  his  secretaries 
to  write  out  the  requested  curriculum  on  nice  red  paper.  The  chief 
eunuch  read  the  paper  on  the  spot,  then  he  handed  it  to  a  young  man  of 
his  retinue  with  the  words:  "Take  this  paper  to  my  old  friend  Chao, 
the  Minister  of  Finance.  Give  him  my  kind  regards,  and  ask  him  to 
prepare  a  document  of  investiture  for  an  appointment  of  officer  in  the 
palace  guards  with  letters  patent  for  a  button  of  the  fifth  rank.  Say  that 
I  shall  fetch  the  document  myself  tomorrow  and  bring  with  me  the 
appropriate  amount  of  duly  weighed  sih  ir." 

The  young  attendant  nodded  and  lef  A  little  later  the  chief  eunuch 
himself  stood  up  to  go.  Prince  Chen  p  Jlitely  accompanied  him  to  the 
outer  gate. 

"Shall  I  send  the  money  to  the  Ministry  or  to  your  house?"  he 
asked,  as  his  visitor  got  into  the  sedan  chair. 

"It  might  prejudice  you  with  them  if  you  sent  it  to  the  Ministry. 
Better  send  me  the  round  sum  of  a  thousand  taels  to  my  house,  then 
you  will  have  no  further  bother,"  was  his  answer.  Prince  Chen  thanked 
him  exuberantly. 

"When  the  mourning  period  is  over  I  shall  not  fail  to  go  personally 
to  your  noble  threshold  and  take  my  unworthy  dog  of  a  son  with  me, 
so  that  he  may  dutifully  make  his  kowtow  of  thanks  to  you,"  he  assured 
him. 

As  early  as  the  following  day  Chia  Yung  received  from  the  Ministry 


his  document  of  investiture  and  his  letters  patent  of  rank,  and  from 
that  day  the  spirit  tablet  of  the  deceased  lady  bore  the  inscription 
"Spirit  tablet  of  the  Lady  Ching,  by  marriage  of  the  house  of  Chia,  by 
Imperial  patent  wife  of  a  Mandarin  of  the  fifth  rank." 

In  front  of  the  wide-open  outer  gates  of  the  Garden  of  Assembled 
Perfumes  there  shone  from  high  posts  two  bright  red  notices,  visible 
from  a  distance,  which  announced  in  large  gold  letters  that  the 
obsequies  of  "Lady  Ching,  by  letters  patent  wife  of  an  officer  of  the 
Imperial  Palace  Guard  in  the  inner  precincts  of  the  Red  Forbidden 
City"  were  being  held  here. 

Prince  Chen  was  very  happy  and  relieved  that  his  request  had  been 
granted  so  quickly.  But  there  was  still  another  dilemma  which  greatly 
disquieted  him. 

His  wife  was  ill  and  confined  to  bed,  and  just  in  these  days  when 
there  was  ^a  rush  of  visits  and  receptions,  and  there  were  so  many 
arrangements  to  be  made,  the  mistress  of  the  house,  who  could  deputize 
for  him  with  dignity  and  keep  the  servants  in  control,  was  sadly  missed. 
Her  absence  was  a  calamity.  How  easily  could  transgressions  against 
custom  occur,  which  would  leave  him  open  to  the  mockery  of  his  noble 
and  illustrious  guests.  As  it  was,  the  servants  were  used  to  easy  disci- 
pline and  now,  without  direction  and  supervision,  they  would  if  possible 
be  even  more  careless.  The  Prince  was  in  a  sweat  of  anxiety,  and  con- 
fided the  matter  to  his  cousin  Pao  Yu.  The  advice  which  Pao  Yu 
whispered  in  his  ear  made  his  troubled  face  brighten  up,  and  he  re- 
solved to  follow  it  at  once. 

He  left  his  male  guests  alone  and  appeared  shortly  afterwards  ac- 
companied by  Pao  Yu  in  the  ladies'  sitting  room.  As  luck  had  it,  there 
were  present  only  Princess  Shieh,  Madame  Cheng,  Madame  Phoenix, 
and  a  few  other  ladies,  all  close  relations.  Prince  Chen  himself  did  not 
feel  very  well  today  and  was  exhausted  from  the  rushing  around  and 
night  watching  of  the  last  few  days.  He  had  twinges  of  pain  in  his  limbs, 
and  limped  into  the  room,  supported  on  a  stick,  groaning  and  with 
difficulty.  The  ladies  rose  from  their  seats  when  he  appeared,  and 
Princess  Shieh  asked  anxiously:  "Do  you  not  feel  well?  You  look  ex- 
hausted, you  should  rest  and  take  care  of  yourself." 

The  Prince,  clutching  his  stick,  got  down  on  his  knees  with  difficulty 
to  salute  the  ladies  with  his  tsing  an.  The  ladies  signed  to  Pao  Yu  to 
help  him  up,  and  asked  him  to  take  a  seat.  But  the  Prince  modestly 
insisted  on  making  his  request  standing. 

"The  unworthy  nephew  has  come  here  to  ask  a  favor  of  the  two 
worthy  aunts  and  the  esteemed  cousin,"  he  began,  forcing  himself  to 
smile.  And  then  he  told  of  the  embarrassment  he  was  in  owing  to  the 
lady  of  the  house  being  laid  up  just  now,  and  he  asked  if  Madame 

98 


Phoenix  would  be  willing  to  help  out  by  taking  over  the  role  of  mistress 
ol  the  house  during  the  weeks  of  mourning. 

That  all  depends  on  whether  Aunt  Cheng  can  do  without  her,"  re- 
marked Princess  Shieh  laughing. 

"She  is  still  young  and  inexperienced,  and  will  scarcely  be  able  to 
undertake  such  a  difficult  task.  What  if  she  were  to  make  some  mis- 
take?' It  would  be  better  if  you  would  ask  someone  else,"  said  Aunt 
Cheng,  dubiously. 

But  Phoenix  did  not  consider  the  matter  for  long.  She  was  confident 
of  her  ability  for  the  difficult  task,  and  as  the  princely  cousin  begged 
and  implored  so  pathetically,  she  gave  her  consent.  The  Prince  thanked 
her  with  a  low  bow  and  straight  away  gave  her  full  authority  in  writing. 
He  warmly  impressed  upon  her  that  she  should  manage  the  servants 
and  the  palace  housekeeping  funds  quite  freely  and  absolutely  at  her 
discretion  just  as  if  they  were  her  own  servants  and  her  own  funds. 
Further,  he  suggested  that  she  should  move  over  to  the  Ningkuo  palace 
for  the  period  of  her  management  in  order  to  spare  herself  the  frequent 
journeys  back  and  forth.  But  Phoenix  said,  smiling,  that  she  thought 
she  could  not  be  done  without  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  either,  so  she 
would  prefer  to  come  over  every  day. 

That  same  day  Phoenix  took  up  the  management.  The  first  thing  she 
did  was  to  make  a  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  staff.  And  then,  every 
morning  at  half-past  six  punctually,  she  held  the  roll  call.  With  this  list 
in  her  hand  and  the  wife  of  the  majordomo  Lai  Sheng  by  her  side, 
she  had  each  manservant  and  maidservant — more  than  a  hundred,  in 
all — come  to  her  one  after  another,  and  she  herself  set  them  their  tasks 
for  the  day.  And  even  when  she  had  had  only  a  few  hours'  sleep,  she 
never  missed  this  hour  of  the  roll  call.  She  demanded  the  same  punctu- 
ality from  the  servants.  Her  own  servants  all  had  watches  and  were 
trained  to  be  punctual  to  the  minute,  she  told  the  staff.  There  must  also 
be  watches  in  the  Ningkuo  palace.  Among  other  things,  she  introduced 
a  daily  consultation  hour  from  ten  until  half-past  eleven,  when  all  re- 
quests and  needs  were  to  be  submitted  to  her.  Every  evening  at  seven 
o'clock  she  made  the  round  of  the  entire  premises.  She  took  stern  meas- 
ures against  any  dawdling  or  negligence.  Once  when  a  servant  was  miss- 
ing from  the  roll  call  she  punished  him  with  twenty  strokes  and  the 
deduction  of  a  full  month's  wages.  This  had  its  effect.  The  slovenliness 
which  hitherto  had  reigned  in  the  Ningkuo  palace  was  replaced  by  stern 
discipline,  and  the  long  weeks  of  mourning  ceremony  passed  off  to  thi 
great  satisfaction  of  Prince  Chen  and,  thanks  to  the  energy  and  discre- 
tion of  Phoenix,  without  the  least  violation  of  form  or  custom  which 
would  have  given  cause  for  mockery  or  laughter. 


TOO 


CHAPTER    12 

Poo  Yu  meets  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  on  the  road.  Chin 
Chung  enjoys  himself  in  the  nunnery. 

IKE    PRINCIPAL   DAY   OF  THE    WEEKS-LONG   OBSEQUIES,    NAMELY,   THE 

day  of  the  funeral  procession,  had  come.  After  the  company  had  spent 
the  whole  night  long  feasting  in  the  brilliantly  illuminated  halls  and  be- 
ing entertained  by  the  performances  of  two  troupes  of  players  and  one 
troupe  of  acrobats,  the  gigantic  funeral  procession  set  out  early  in  the 
morning  for  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings,  where  the  ancestral  vaults 
of  the  two  princely  families  were.  The  cortege,  which  followed  the  coffin 
with  its  sixty-four  bearers,  all  dressed  in  dark  green,  stretched  for  well 
over  four  miles.  The  adopted  daughter,  Pao  Chu,  who  tottered  along 
beside  the  coffin  in  an  attitude  of  complete  dejection,  sobbing  inces- 
santly, led  the  procession.  The  male  relatives,  friends,  and  funeral 
guests — among  them  princes,  counts,  and  high  officials — followed  on 
foot;  then  came  the  female  members  of  the  families  and  female  funeral 
guests  in  more  than  a  hundred  carriages  and  sedan  chairs,  and  finally 
the  numerous  servants  and  the  bearers  of  the  customary  banners,  sym- 
bols, and  funeral  gifts. 

At  regular  intervals  along  the  route  the  procession  passed  brightly 
colored  sacrificial  tents,  erected  by  prominent  individual  mourners  for 
the  purpose  of  presenting  a  wayside  offering  of  sorrowful  music  to  the 
dead  lady  as  she  passed.  Th,e  owners  of  the  first  four  of  these  tents  were 
the  Princes  of  Tung  Ping,  Nan  An,  Hsi  Ning,  and  Peh  Ching.  As  their 
respective  titles,  "Prince  of  the  Eastern  Covenant,"  "Prince  of  the  South- 
ern Peace,"  "Prince  of  the  Western  Tranquillity,"  and  "Prince  of  the 
Northern  Quietness,"  betrayed,  their  bearers  were  descendants  of  meri- 
torious men  of  Imperial  blood,  who  had  helped  the  founder  of  the 
dynasty  in  his  conquest  of  the  Empire.  Of  these  four,  again,  the  bearers 
of  the  title  Peh  Ching  Wang,  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness,  were 
the  most  famous  and  the  most  respected,  because  their  ancestor  had 
taken  an  exceedingly  prominent  part  in  the  foundation  of  the  ruling 
dynasty.  The  present  holder  of  the  title,  Prince  Chi  Yung,  an  excep- 
tionally handsome  young  man  not  yet  twenty,  was,  moreover,  loved  and 
respected  by  all  for  his  charming  modesty  and  friendliness.  In  consid- 
eration of  the  warm,  brotherly  friendship'  which  had  existed  between 
his  ancestor  and  the  first  Prince  of  Ningkuo,  he  would  not  be  denied 
the  privilege  of  appearing  today  personally  in  his  sacrificial  tent,  in  or- 
der to  render  the  last  honors  to  the  dead  lady  when  her  coffin  passed  by. 

Immediately  after  the  audience  which  had  brought  him  to  the  Im- 
perial Palace  at  five  o'clock  this  morning  like  every  other  morning,  he 

101 


changed  his  Court  dress  for  a  white  mourning  garment,  and  had  him- 
self taken  to  his  mourning  tent  in  his  State  litter,  preceded  by  men 
beating  gongs,  and  followed  by  his  ceremonial  umbrella  and  a  great 
retinue.  There  he  had  waited  patiently,  sitting  in  his  litter,  until  the 
funeral  cortege  came  by  from  the  Ningkuo  palace.  Around  him,  also 
waiting  in  silence,  crowded  his  troop  of  servants,  and  a  respectful  si- 
lence likewise  reigned  among  the  masses  who  stood  ranged  on  either 
side  of  the  processional  route  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  princely  tent. 
At  long  last,  winding  its  way  from  the  north,  and  looking  all  white  like 
a  silver  stream,  came  the  endless  funeral  procession. 

Runners  and  ushers,  who  had  hastened  out  far  ahead  of  the  actual 
procession  to  clear  the  route,  had  meantime  sent  back  word  that  His 
Excellency  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  was  present  in  person 
in  his  funeral  tent.  Prince  Chen  halted  the  procession  and,  accompanied 
by  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia  Cheng,  went  aside  to  greet  the  distinguished 
guest  in  his  sacrificial  tent.  All  three  fell  on  their  knees  before  the 
Prince  and  paid  homage  to  him  with  a  ceremonial  state  kowtow,  as 
befitted  his  rank.  Smiling  courteously  and  quite  naturally,  without 
any  affectation,  as  if  he  were  among  good  old  friends,  the  Prince,  sit- 
ting in  his  litter,  returned  the  salutation  with  a  slight  bow. 

Prince  Chen  expressed  thanks  for  the  unmerited  honor  which  the 
Prince  had  shown  him  by  appearing  in  person.  The  Prince,  in  reply, 
referred  to  the  old  hereditary  terms  of  friendship  which  existed  between 
the  two  houses,  in  view  of  which  his  coming  was  only  to  be  expected. 
Then  he  made  a  sign  to  his  master  of  ceremonies  to  offer  the  sacrifice 
in  honor  of  the  dead.  When  the  ceremony  was  at  an  end  he  turned 
courteously  to  Pao  Y,u's  father  and  asked:  "Where  is  the  young  gentle- 
man who  came  into  the  world  with  a  je\vel  in  his  mouth?  It  has  long 
be«  i  my  wish  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  Will  you  please 
ask  him  to  come  over  here?" 

Chia  Cheng  hurried  back  to  the  funeral  procession,  to  return  imme- 
diately afterwards  with  Pao  Yu.  Pao  Yu  too  had  long  cherished  the 
wish  to  meet  that  Prince  of  whom  people  always  said  with  such  en- 
thusiasm that  he  united  outward  beauty  with  nobility  of  soul  and  the 
first  and  highest  degree  of  unaffected  and  kindly  tact.  But  the  complete 
lack  of  freedom  of  movement  which  his  strict  father  imposed  upon  him 
had  made  this  impossible  hitherto.  Therefore  he  was  all  the  happier 
when  his  ardent  wish  so  unexpectedly  found  fulfillment  today  by  the 
wayside.  As  he  entered  the  tent,  full  of  eager  expectation,  he  looked  up 
at  the  Prince  who  sat  enthroned  before  him  on  his  litter,  august  and 
full  of  dignity.  He  was  wearing  on  his  head  the  silver-winged  cap  with 
white  tassels  worn  by  princes.  His  white,  knife-pleated  mourning  gar- 
ment was  embroidered  in  a  design  of  five-clawed  dragons,  and  he  wore 

102 


a  red  leather  belt  studded  with  emeralds.  His  face  was  like  a  jewel,  his 
eyes  were  lustrous  stars,  beauty  radiated  from  his  whole  form.  Pao  Yu 
eyed  him  with  secret  admiration,  and  it  was  with  no  less  satisfaction 
that  the  Prince's  eyes  rested  upon  his  visitor.  Pao  Yu  was  wearing  a 
silver  cap,  and  round  his  forehead  was  the  usual  gold  band  in  the  form 
of  two  dragons  snapping  at  a  pearl.  His  white  mourning  garment,  which 
was  embroidered  with  a  snake  design,  was  fastened  by  a  silver  belt  set 
with  pearls.  His  face  glowed  with  the  freshness  of  a  spring  flower,  his 
eyes  shone  like  lacquer. 

When  he  had  paid  his  homage  to  the  Prince,  the  latter  opened  his 
arms  wide  and  drew  the  boy  to  him. 

"Truly,  it  is  not  in  vain  that  you  bear  your  name,"  he  said,  smiling. 
"You  really  look  like  a  'Precious  Stone.'  But  where,  actually,  is  the 
stone  with  which  you  came  into  the  world?" 

Pao  Yu  promptly  took  out  the  stone,  which  he  wore  on  a  five-colored 
cord  hidden  under  his  coat,  and  handed  it  to  the  Prince.  The  Prince 
examined  the  amulet  and  its  inscription  carefully. 

"Has  the  stone  already  shown  its  magic  power?"  he  asked. 

"Up  to  the  present  it  has  had  no  chance  of  doing  so,"  replied  Chia 
Cheng  for  his  son. 

While  the  Prince  went  on  speaking  in  terms  of  the  utmost  astonish- 
ment about  the  strange  birth  phenomenon,  he  fastened  the  cord  with 
the  amulet  back  on  Pao  Yu's  neck  with  his  own  hands.  Then  he  drew 
him  into  a  more  intimate  conversation  about  his  age  and  his  studies  and 
other  personal  things.  Enchanted  by  Pao  Yu's  clear,  distinct  speech  and 
the  pleasing  tone  of  his  voice,  the  Prince  remarked  to  Mr.  Cheng: 
"Your  little  lord  seems  to  be  a  real  young  phoenix.  Far  be  it  from  the 
unworthy  Prince  to  utter  flatteries  to  his  honored  old  friend,  but  who 
knows,  perhaps  the  fame  of  this  young  phoenix  may  one  day  outshine 
that  of  the  old  one." 

"Oh,  my  loathsome  young  cur  is  falsely  misleading  you  into  such 
golden  eulogies,"  replied  Mr.  Cheng  with  a  smile.  "But  if,  thanks  to 
your  inexhaustible  princely  favor,  your  prophecy  should  be  fulfilled,  it 
would  be  a  source  of  the  greatest  joy  to  me  and  to  my  house." 

"I  would  only  point  out  one  thing  to  you,"  continued  the  Prince 
thoughtfully.  "Because  of  his  many  perfections,  your  little  lord  is 
doubtless  surrounded  with  very  special  love  and  tenderness  at  home  by 
his  revered  grandmother  and  the  whole  family.  But  such  love  can  easily 
lead  to  pampering,  and  in  this  lies  the  danger  for  young  people  like  our- 
selves that  an  otherwise  good  education  might  be  utterly  nullified.  I 
know  this  from  my  own  experience,  and  I  think  that  the  same  may  be 
the  case  with  your  little  lord.  If,  as  I  believe,  your  little  lord  is  hindered 
at  home  in  the  full  development  of  his  abilities,  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
104 


vent  him  from  visiting  me  frequently  in  my  cold  home.  True,  I  myself 
am  worthless  and  without  merit,  but  I  enjoy  the  advantage  of  being 
acquainted  with  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  Empire, 
and  when  one  of  them  comes  to  the  capital,  he  seldom  fails  to  grant  me 
the  honor  of  a  favorable  glance  from  his  blue-black  eyes.  Thus  it  hap- 
pens that  many  high  and  noble  spirits  meet  in  my  cold  dwelling,  and 
your  small  princeling  would  find  in  my  house  many  opportunities  for 
advantageous  and  beneficial  exchange  of  thought." 

Chia  Cheng  accepted  the  gracious  invitation  without  hesitation  and 
with  many  polite  bows  and  thanks.  The  Prince  now  unfastened  a  prayer 
chaplet  from  his  wrist  and  handed  it  to  Pao  Yu. 

"Because  of  the  unexpectedness  of  this,  our  first  meeting,  I  have  no 
worthy  gift  at  hand  with  which  to  honor  ycu,"  he  added.  "But  for  the 
present  please  accept  these  prayer  beads  of  carved  yunnan  root  as  a 
small  sign  of  my  regard.  They  were  a  gift  from  the  Son  of  Heaven." 

Pao  Yu  passed  the  chaplet  on  to  his  father,  and  both  expressed  their 
thanks.  Chia  Cheng  and  Prince  Shieh  then  besought  the  Prince  not  to 
allow  himself  to  be  detained  any  longer  by  the  funeral  procession, 
but  the  Prince  gently  insisted  upon  remaining  until  the  corpse  had 
passed. 

"The  departed  lady  has  joined  the  blessed,"  he  said.  "She  is  now  a 
higher  being  than  we  ordinary  mortals  who  are  still  toiling  in  the  red 
dust  of  this  earthly  world.  Although  by  the  favor  of  the  Son  of  Heaven 
I  have  been  permitted,  unworthy  though  I  am,  to  inherit  the  rank  of 
Prince,  it  would  be  an  impertinence  on  my  part  if  I  were  to  take  preced- 
ence over  a  blessed  spirit." 

And  so  Prince  Shieh  and  Mr.  Cheng  and  Pao  Yu  could  not  do  other- 
wise than  take  leave  of  the  Prince  and  let  the  procession  proceed  once 
more.  But  they  ordered  that  the  funeral  music  should  cease  as  a  mark 
of  respect  for  as  long  as  the  Prince  remained  in  his  tent.  Thet  Prince 
waited  for  the  whole  procession  to  pass  by;  only  then  did  he  continue 
on  his  way. 

After  the  procession  had  passed  through  the  city  gates  into  the  open 
countryside,  Prince  Chen  decided  that  the  time  had  come  to  invite  the 
male  mourners,  who  up  till  now  had  been  following  the  coffin  on  foot,  to 
continue  the  remaining  stretch  of  the  route,  to  the  Temple  of  the  Iron 
Railings,  in  a  more  comfor*able  manner.  Accordingly,  the  older  gentle- 
men took  their  places  in  their  carriages  and  litters  while  the  younger 
ones  mounted  their  norses.  Pao  Yu  wanted  to  mount  his  horse  too,  but 
Madame  Phoenix,  fearing  that  he  would  take  advantage  of  the  greater 
freedom 'of  movement  and  lack  of  supervision,  once  outside  the  town,  to 
indulge  in  all  sorts  of  wild  pranks,  asked  him  to  get  into  her  carriage. 

"Come,  dear  cousin,  get  in,"  she  invited  him  with  a  smile.  "I  know 

105 


you  always  like  feminine  society.  Therefore  you  will  surely  feel  much 
more  comfortable  in  my  carriage  and  by  my  side  than  in  the  company 
of  those  apes  on  horseback." 

Pao  Yu  dismounted  obediently  from  his  horse  and  slipped  into  her 
carriage,  and  the  two  continued  their  way  chatting  merrily. 

After  a  while  two  servants  on  horseback  came  galloping  up  and  an- 
nounced to  Madame  Phoenix  that  the  procession  was  just  approaching 
a  resting  point.  Would  not  the  Nai  nai  wish  to  rest  for  a  time  and 
change  her  garments?  Madame  Phoenix  agreed  to  this  and  ordered  her 
carriage  to  follow  the  two  guides,  who  turned  aside  from  the  highway 
into  the  open  countryside.  At  Pao  Yu's  wish,  his  friend  Chin  Chung 
joined  the  party  on  horseback. 

After  going  a  short  stretch  they  arrived  in  front  of  a  farmhouse.  It 
was  a  modest  little  dwelling  of  a  few  rooms  in  which  the  numerous 
family  lived  crowded  together.  When  the  simple  folk  saw  the  magnifi- 
cent carriage  with  its  elegantly  attired  occupants  and  its  formidable 
train  of  servants,  of  course  they  stood  and  gaped  in  astonishment  as  if 
it  were  a  heavenly  apparition. 

Madame  Phoenix  got  out  and  disappeared  into  the  straw-thatched 
cottage.  She  had  previously  told  Pao  Yu  that  he  could  look  around  the 
farm  for  a  bit  with  his  friend  and  follow  her  in  a  little  later.  Pao  Yu 
understood  the  hint  and  set  out  with  Chin  Chung  on  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion of  the  farm. 

He  had  never  seen  the  various  farming  implements  before.  He  did 
not  even  know  their  names,  and  had  to  ask  the  servants  who  were  ac- 
companying him  to  explain  their  use  and  purpose.  When  told,  he  could 
not  get  over  his  astonishment  at  the  number  of  new  things  he  was  learn- 
ing there. 

"Only  now  do  I  understand  the  meaning  of  the  old  proverb  about  the 
rice  in  the  dish,  of  which  every  grain  is  the  result  of  endless  trouble 
and  exertion,"  he  remarked  thoughtfully. 

In  the  course  of  his  tour  he  came  to  a  room  in  which  he  saw,  lying 
on  the  kang,  a  strange  implement  which  seemed  to  him  even  more  curi- 
ous than  the  others.  That,  he  was  told,  was  a  spinning  wheel  with  which 
was  made  the  yarn  that  was  later  woven  into  cloth.  Full  of  high  spirits, 
Pao  Yu  jumped  up  on  the  kang  and  began  turning  the  spinning  wheel. 
A  peasant  girl  about  seventeen  years  of  age  came  up  and  stopped  him. 

"That  is  not  for  playing  with!"  she  said.  "You  will  put  it  out  of 
order!" 

Pao  Yu  promptly  desisted.  "This  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  seen  a 
spinning  wheel,"  he  excused  himself,  with  some  embarrassment,  "and  I 
wanted  to  try  it,  just  for  fun." 

106 


"You  c  on't  understand  how  to  work  it,  but  if  you  would  like  I  shall 
show  you,"  said  the  girl,  amiably. 

"This  is  getting  really  interesting,"  whispered  Chin  Chung  into  Pao 
Yu's  ear,  at  the  same  time  plucking  his  sleeve. 

"Stop  chattering  or  we  shall  come  to  blows,"  retorted  Pao  Yu  jocu- 
larly, giving  the  other  a  cuff.  He  too  was  all  eyes  for  the  pretty  girl,  who 
had  meantime  set  the  spinning  wheel  in  motion  and  was  reeling  off  the 
finished  yarn  with  skillful  fingers.  Pao  Yu  thought  he  had  not  seen  such 
a  charming  sight  for  many  a  day,  and  he  could  not  tear  his  eyes  away 
from  the  graceful  spinster. 

But  alas,  their  pleasure  was  prematurely  interrupted  by  an  old 
woman,  who  called  over  from  the  other  side  of  the  farmyard.  In  a  trice 
the  pretty  girl  had  jumped  down  from  the  spinning  wheel  and  run  out 
of  the  room.  Pao  Yu  gazed  after  her  disappointed,  then  went  back  to 
the  farmhouse  with  the  servant  whom  Phoenix  had  sent  to  find  him,  to 
share  the  frugal  breakfast  which  the  friendly  peasants  had  prepared  for 
their  guests.  In  return  for  the  meal  Phoenix  had  little  packages  of 
broken  silver  distributed  among  them  by  the  servant  Wang,  after  which 
the  party  went  back  to  the  carriage  and  set  off  to  rejoin  the  funeral 
procession. 

At  their  departure  their  carriage  was  surrounded  by  the  farm  folk, 
big  and  small,  but  Pao  Yu  looked  in  vain  among  the  crowd  for  the 
pretty  girl  of  the  spinning  wheel.  Yet  when  the  carriage  had  gone  a 
short  way  he  was  to  see  her  again.  Surrounded  by  some  village  children, 
she  came  towards  them  from  the  opposite  direction  chattering  and 
laughing,  and  carrying  in  her  arms  a  small  boy,  apparently  a  little 
brother.  Pao  Yu  gazed  at  her  with  tenderness.  Unfortunately,  the  car- 
riage had  already  gained  a  lively  pace  and.  like  a  cloud  chased  by  the 
wind,  went  all  too  quickly  past  the  group.  When  Pao  Yu  looked  back 
once  more  the  girl  was  already  lost  to  view. 

Towards  noon  the  procession  reached  the  goal  of  its  journey,  the 
Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings.  The  bonzes,  who  had  taken  up  their  posi- 
tions in  front  of  the  temple  in  two  rows  on  either  side  of  the  road,  wel- 
comed the  procession  with  drums,  cymbals,  banners,  and  pennants.  In 
the  temple  yet  another  Buddhist  requiem  for  the  dead  was  held,  sacri- 
fice was  offered  and  incense  was  burned,  after  which  the  coffin  was 
placed  in  the  side  chamber  of  an  inner  hall.  The  deceased's  adopted 
daughter,  Pao  Chu,  also  withdrew  into  this  same  chamber  together 
with  her  bed  equipment,  there  to  spend  the  next  three  nights  until  the 
burial. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  most  of  the  funeral  guests  took  their 
leave  and  went  back  to  the  town.  Only  a  few  of  the  nearer  relatives  re- 
mained, and  took  up  their  quarters  in  the  temple  for  the  three  days  un- 

107 


til  the  burial.  Princess  Shieh  and  Madame  Cheng  also  returned  home 
that  day.  They  intended  to  take  Pao  Yu  with  them,  but  Pao  Yu  was  so 
pleased  with  the  unaccustomed  change  of  this  stay  in  the  country  that 
he  contrived  to  be  allowed  to  remain  there  in  the  company  of  Phoenix 
until  the  end  of  the  solemnities. 

The  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings  had  been  erected  long  ago  by  the 
two  ancestors  of  the  Ningkuo  and  Yungkuo  dynasties,  and  destined  as  a 
hereditary  burial  place  for  all  those  members  of  both  families  who 
should  die  in  the  capital.  It  was  maintained  from  the  proceeds  of  an 
estate  which  had  been  bequeathed  to  the  temple  in  addition  to  the 
temple  lands  proper.  Thanks  to  the  rich  revenues  yielded  by  this  con- 
vent farmland,  the  temple  was  maintained  in  the  best  possible  style,  and 
on  occasions  such  as  the  present  one  neither  ample  board  nor  suitable 
accommodation  was  lacking  for  the  funeral  guests. 

Phoenix  preferred,  however,  to  spend  the  three  nights  until  the  burial 
in  a  nunnery  situated  not  far  from  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings.  Ac- 
cordingly, after  the  temple  bonzes  had  carried  out  their  priestly  duties 
and  the  majority  of  the  funeral  guests  had  bidden  farewell,  she  repaired 
together  with  Pao  YU  and  Chin  Chung  to  the  Convent  of  the  Watery 
Moon,  as  it  was  called.  This  nunnery  was  also  known  as  the  "Bread 
Convent"  among  the  country  folk  around,  because  it  had  a  bakery 
which  produced  excellent  bread.  The  Abbess,  with  two  younger  nuns, 
received  the  guests  at  the  convent  gate  and  accompanied  them  to  their 
guest  cells.  Then,  while  Phoenix  and  the  Abbess  sat  down  for  a  good 
long  chat  over  a  bowl  of  tea,  Pao  Yu  and  Chin  Chung  passed  the  time 
strolling  through  the  courtyards  and  halls  and  examining  the  interior 
of  the  convent.  "There  goes  Chi  Neng,"  remarked  Pao  Yu  suddenly, 
nudging  his  companion.  Chi  Neng  was  one  of  the  two  young  nuns  who 
had  received  them  shortly  before. 

"Yes,  but  what  about  her?"  answered  Chin  Chung  with  affected  in- 
difference. 

"Do  not  be  such  a  humbugl"  said  Pao  Yu,  laughing.  "Who  was  it 
who  embraced  her  so  tenderly  in  Grandmother's  room  one  time  when 
no  one  was  looking,  eh?" 

"It  would  never  occur  to  me  to  do  such  a  thing!"  retorted  Chin 
Chung,  embarrassed. 

"Well,  I  will  not  interfere.  But  will  you  please  speak  to  her  and  ask 
her  to  bring  us  some  tea?" 

Chin  Chung  did  as  he  was  bidden.  "Little  Neng,"  he  called  out, 
"please  be  so  good  as  to  bring  us  some  tea."  From  her  childhood  little 
Chi  Neng  had  been  frequently  in  and  out  of  the  Yungkuo  palace  on 
messages  from  the  convent.  Everyone  in  the  palace  knew  her,  and  Pao 
Yu  and  Chin  Chung  had  already  exchanged  many  a  glance  and  many  a 

108 


Q      "W£cSJ2%  J& 

.  ^-^/r^^L  /• 


joke  with  her.  Now  she  had  grown  into  a  mature  young  woman  and  had 
gradually  awakened  to  an  awareness  of  the  Play  of  Wind  and  Moon. 
The  handsome,  lively  Chin  Chung  had  won  her  heart,  and  he  on  his 
part  had  become  very  fond  of  the  charming  creature.  True,  they  had 
not  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  indulging  in  intimacy,  but  in  their  secret 
hearts  they  had  long  been  united. 

So  Chi  Neng  ran  into  the  kitchen,  and  after  a  while,  with  a  pot  of  tea 
in  one  hand  and  a  plate  of  cakes  in  the  other,  came  along  to  the  guest 
cell  occupied  by  the  two  young  boys.  The  two  held  out  their  tea  bowls 
to  her  at  the  same  time. 

"Me  first,  please!"  begged  Chin  Chung. 

"No,  me  first!"  pleaded  Pao  Yu. 

"What  contention  for  a  bowl  of  tea!"  she  said,  her  lips  curling  in  a 
pert  smile.  "You  are  really  behaving  as  if  it  were  honey  to  be  licked  off 
my  hand."  In  the  end  Pao  Yu  succeeded  in  having  his  bowl  filled  first. 
While  seeming  to  sip  the  drink,  he  tried  to  engage  Chi  Neng  in  conver- 
sation, but  unfortunately  another  nun  came  along  and  called  her  away. 
Strangely  enough,  as  soon  as  she  was  gone  the  two  boys  suddenly  found 
they  had  no  more  appetite  for  tea  and  cakes,  and  leaving  both  almost 
untouched,  they  went  out  again  in  search  of  new  discoveries. 

When  Phoenix  retired  in  the  evening  to  her  "Cell  of  Immaculate 
Chastity,"  the  Abbess  who  accompanied  her,  seeing  that  only  a  few 
trusted  chambermaids  were  near,  broached  the  subject  of  a  personal 
request. 

"I  have  something  on  my  mind,"  she  said,  "which  I  should  like  to 
discuss  one  of  these  days  with  your  aunt,  the  Tai  tai  Cheng,  but  I  should 
like  to  have  your  good  advice  first,"  she  began. 

"Please  speak  out  and  tell  me  what  it  is,"  replied  Phoenix. 

"Holy  Amida  Buddha !  I  have  to  begin  rather  far  back,"  groaned  the 
Abbess.  Then  she  went  on: 

"You  will  recall  that  before  I  took  over  the  rule  of  this  convent,  I 
was  Abbess  of  the  Convent  of  Good  Works  in  the  Chang  an  district.  A 
rich  patron  of  that  convent,  one  Mr.  Chang,  used  to  stay  in  the  convent 
every  year  with  his  family  in  order  to  offer  sacrifices  and  burn  incense 
with  pious  devotion.  He  has  got  a  daughter  named  King  Kuo.  During 
one  of  these  visits  it  happened  that  a  young  Mr.  Li,  a  brother-in-law  of 
the  Prefect  of  Chang  an,  was  staying  with  us  too,  and  he  saw  the  young 
lady  King  Kuo.  He  fell  in  love  with  her  at  first  sight  and  insisted  that 
he  wanted  to  marry  her,  but  when  he  sent  his  intermediaries  to  Mr. 
Chang's  house  he  heard  to  his  grief  that  King  Kuo  was  already  formally 
engaged  to  the  son  of  the  City  Commandant  of  Chang  an.  Therefore 
Mr.  Chang  could  not  do  otherwise  than  refuse  the  suit  of  young  Mr.  Li. 

"But  young  Li  would  not  take  no  for  an  answer,  and  insisted  upon 

110 


pursuing  his  suit.  Mr.  Chang,  who  did  not  at  all  like  getting  into  bad 
terms  with  the  family  of  the  mighty  prefect,  was  extremely  embarrassed 
and  felt  inclined  to  give  way  to, his  wishes.  Unfortunately,  the  City 
Commandant,  hearing  of  young  Li's  designs,  came  rushing  along  an- 
grily to  Mr.  Chang  and  made  a  terrible  scene.  It  was  a  nice  state  of 
affairs  if  a  young  lady  could  contract  several  engagements  at  the  same 
time,  he  stormed.  He  had  no  intention  whatsoever  of  renouncing  the 
first  engagement  and  giving  up  the  girl,  and  he  would  go  to  law.  He 
did  in  fact  bring  an  action  against  Mr.  Chang  for  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  of  marriage.  Mr.  Chang,  who  definitely  wished  to  get  out  of  the 
first  engagement,  turned  in  his  dilemma  to  me  with  the  request  that  I 
should  find  some  influential  advocate  for  him  in  the  capital,  he  did  not 
mind  at  what  cost.  Now,  as  I  was  Abbess  there  at  the  time,  I  feel  that  I 
am  primarily  responsible  for  the  fact  that  young  Li  and  Miss  King  Kuo 
met  in  the  convent,  and  I  also  feel  indebted  to  Mr.  Chang  for  old  times' 
sake.  Therefore,  I  was  unable  to  refuse  his  request  and  I  promised  him 
that  I  would  do  my  best  for  him. 

"For  this  purpose  my  intention  was  to  avail  of  the  kind  support  of 
your  aunt.  As  far  as  I  know,  Marshal  Yun  Kwang  of  Chang  an  is  a  good 
friend  of  your  family,  and  if  your  aunt  would  move  her  husband  to 
write  requesting  the  Marshal  to  intervene,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the 
City  Commandant  would  give  way  to  pressure  from  his  commanding 
officer,  the  Marshal.  If  your  aunt  should  be  disposed  to  take  up  the 
matter,  Mr.  Chang  would  be  ready  to  make  any  monetary  sacrifice, 
even  if  it  were  to  make  him  bankrupt." 
Phoenix  had  listened  attentively. 

"The  matter  in  itself  offers  no  difficulties,"  she  remarked  with  a 
smile,  "but  of  late  my  aunt  has  not  concerned  herself  with  requests  and 
acts  of  mediation  of  that  kind." 

"Oh,  but  could  not  you  yourself  take  up  the  matter,  esteemed  Nai 
nai?" 

"I  am  not  interested  in  money,  and  moreover  I  do  not  concern  myself 
with  such  transactions,"  said  Phoenix,  discouragingly. 

But  the  Abbess  would  not  let  the  personal  advantage  which  the  busi- 
ness offered  her  escape  her  so  easily.  She  searched  strenuously  for  an- 
other argument  to  win  Phoenix.  At  last  she  found  it.  With  a  sigh  she 
continued:  "Mr,  Chang  already  knows  that  I  intended  to  seek  influence 
for  him  in  your  palace.  What  will  he  think,  then,  if  my  efforts  are  in 
vain?  It  will  simply  not  occur  to  him  that  you  refrain  from  such  trans- 
actions as  a  matter  of  principle  and  that  you  scorn  monetary  gain.  He 
will  think,  on  the  contrary,  that  your  family  is  so  lacking- in  power  and 
influence  that  it  cannot  carry  through  even  such  a  trifling  matter  as 
that." 

Ill 


This  argument  worked.  Phoenix  felt  her  family  honor  attacked,  and 
she  saw  in  this  a  convenient  excuse  for  giving  up  her  attitude  of  aloof- 
ness. In  actual  fact  she  by  no  means  despised  a  little  financial  gain. 

"Oho,  you  have  known  me  for  quite  a  long  time,"  she  said  vehe- 
mently, "and  you  should  surely  know  that  I  do  not  fear  even  the  devil 
himself  and  his  court,  when  it  is  a  question  of  getting  my  way.  So,  let 
Mr.  Chang  produce  three  thousand  ounces  of  silver  and  I  will  have  the 
matter  put  right  for  him." 

"Splendid,  if  that's  all  you  want!"  cried  the  Abbess,  delighted. 

"But  let  him  not  imagine  for  a  moment  that  it  is  for  his  money  I  will 
help  him,"  continued  Phoenix.  "To  pull  strange,  stubborn  oxen  by  the 
halter  for  money!  That  is  something  which  I  prefer  to  leave  to  other 
people.  I  need  those  three  thousand  ounces  of 'silver  merely  for  the 
expenses  of  my  emissaries,  so  that  they  shall  have  a  little  tip  for  their 
trouble  and  their  running  hither  and  thither.  I  do  not  ask  a  single  cop- 
per coin  for  myself.  At  the  moment  I  have  ten  times  as  much — some 
thirty  thousand  silver  ounces — -over  and  to  spare,  so  I  am  in  no  need 
of  money." 

"Yes,  of  course.  And  may  one  trust  that  the  gracious  Nai  nai  will  lose 
no  time,  but  will  get  to  work  straight  away  tomorrow  to  fulfill  her 
kindly  promise?" 

"You  see  for  yourself,  I  am  sure,  how  extremely  busy  I  am,  and  how 
everyone  turns  to  me.  But  since  I  have  given  my  word,  you  may  count 
upon  my  fulfilling  it  promptly." 

"Good.  My  mind  is  at  rest  now.  And  since  I  know  that  the  matter  is 
now  in  your  hands,  I  have  no  doubt  as  to  its  successful  outcome,"  flat- 
tered the  Abbess.  "A  clever,  energetic  woman  like  you  succeeds  so 
easily.  She  has  only  to  give  one  little  wink." 

Praise  such  as  this  pleased  Phoenix,  and  though  she  was  tired,  she 
remained  quite  a  while  longer  talking  earnestly  with  the  Abbess. 

Meanwhile  Pao  Yu  and  Chin  Chung  had  availed  of  their  free  time  to 
examine  the  convent  thoroughly  and  observe  its  various  apartments 
in  detail.  Therefore,  when  the  evening  grew  darker,  Chin  Chung  had 
little  difficulty  in  finding  his  way  unseen  to  Sister  Chi  Neng's  cell.  And 
he  was  lucky,  too.  She  was  alone,  busily  washing  up  tea  things  by  the 
light  of  a  lamp.  Without  any  more  ado  he  took  her  in  his  arms  and 
hugged  and  kissed  her  as  hard  as  he  could.  At  first  the  little  creature 
resisted  fiercely  and  stamped  and  kicked,  in  an  effort  to  free  herself. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  cried.  "I'll  scream  out!"  But  she  did  not 
scream. 

"Darling,  I  am  dying  of  longing  for  you!"  he  pleaded.  "And  if  you 
don't  listen  to  me  I  shall  die  here  on  the  spot." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of?  Here  in  this  narrow  convent  cell,  where 

112 


we  may  be  surprised  at  any  moment?  It  won't  do  here!  Have  patience 
until  I  am  out  of  this  and  free,"  she  whispered. 

"That  is  cold  comfort  for  my  burning  need.  Fire  such  as  mine  must 
be  quenched  at  once,"  he  groaned.  And  already  he  had  blown  out  the 
lamp,  leaving  the  room  in  pitch  darkness.  Now  she  no  longer  put  up 
much  resistance,  but  let  him  lift  her  up  and  carry  her  over  to  her  kang. 
True,  she  struggled  a  bit  and  bent  and  swayed,  but  she  did  not  cry  out, 
and  she  let  him  have  his  way.  He  was  in  full  swing,  and  the  cloud  was 
about  to  discharge  its  rain,  when  the  couple  sudden!  felt  themselves 
grasped  by  a  strange  hand  and  torn  apart.  Whoever  it  was  had  crept  in 
silent  and  unobserved.  The  hearts  of  the  lovers  almost  stood  still  with 
fright.  The  intruder  now  betrayed  his  identity  by  a  suppressed  giggle. 
It  was  Pao  Yu.  Chin  Chung  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  this?"  he  cried,  enraged. 

"Let  me  in  on  your  bit  of  fun,  too.  If  you  do  not,  I  will  raise  the 
alarm,"  threatened  Pao  Yu,  laughing. 

But  the  frightened  Chi  Neng  had  already  fled  from  her  cell  under 
cover  of  the  darkness.  Pao  Yu  drew  his  friend  out  of  the  room  with 
him. 

"Now,  which  of  the  two  of  us  is  the  stronger?"  he  asked  jokingly. 

"Very  well,  you  may  come  in  on  our  game  as  much  as  you  like  in  the 
future,"  replied  the  other,  speedily  mollified. 

The  next  morning  Madame  Cheng  sent  for  Pao  Yu,  asking  him  to 
come  home  at  once.  But  Pao  Yu  had  so  enjoyed  his  brief  stay  in  the 
Convent  of  the  Watery  Moon  that  he  contrived  to  get  permission 
through  Phoenix  to  remain  on  there  one  more  night  with  his  friend. 
Then,  on  the  third  day,  they  returned  together  t6  the  town,  after  Chin 
Chung  and  the  nun  Chi  Neng  had  exchanged  numerous  kisses  and  come 
to  many  secret  agreements. 

In  fulfillment  of  her  word  to  the  Abbess,  Phoenix  had  already,  the 
previous  day,  confided  the  aforementioned  matter  to  one  of  her  confi- 
dential servants,  Lai  Wang,  and  sent  him  back  to  the  Yungkuo  palace 
with  instructions  to  get  a  letter  written  to  Marshal  Yun  Kwang  of 
Chang  an,  ostensibly  on  behalf  of  her  absent  husband,  Chia  Lien,  by 
the  latter's  secretary.  He  rushed  off  to  Chang  an  with  this  letter  the 
same  day.  The  Marshal,  who  was  indebted  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  for 
previous  good  services,  could  not  do  otherwise  than  accede  willingly  to 
a  request  coming  from  thence.  He  accordingly  exercised  the  desired 
pressure  on  his  subordinate,  the  City  Commandant,  to  such  good  effect 
that  the  latter  relinquished  his  resistance  and  cancelled  the  engagement 
between  his  son  and  the  daughter  of  the  rich  citizen  Chang. 

It  had  taken  barely  two  days  to  carry  through  the  whole  transaction, 
for  the  distance  between  Chang  an  and  the  capital  was  only  a  hundred 

113 


li.  There  was  naturally  no  question  of  heavy  outlay  in  tips  and  the  lik«. 
Phoenix  kept  the  tidy  little  sum  of  three  thousand  taels  all  for  herself, 
and  nobody  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  except  the  trusted  servant  Lai  Wang 
and  her  husband's  secretary  heard  a  word  about  the  whole  matter.  This 
success  strengthened  Phoenix's  self-confidence  and  encouraged  her  to 
undertake  numerous  similar  shady  transactions  later  on,  on  her  own 
initiative,  undeterred  by  any  qualms  of  conscience. 


CHAPTER    13 

Beginning  of  Spring  is  exalted  by  Imperial  favor  and  chosen  to  be 

Mistress  of  the  Phoenix  Palace.  Chin  Chung  sets  out  prematurely  on  his 

journey  to  the  Yellow  Springs. 

C/NE  DAY,  WHEN  THE  BIRTHDAY  OF  CHIA  CHENG  WAS  BEING  CELEBRATED 

in  the  Yungkuo  palace  by  a  great  family  banquet,  a  doorkeeper  ap- 
peared suddenly  in  the  midst  of  the  feasting  and  announced  excitedly: 
"The  chief  Imperial  eunuch,  Hsia,  superintendent  of  the  six  royal 
harems,  is  outside.  He  bears  an  Imperial  message/' 

The  announcement  naturally  put  the  whole  company  into  a  state  of 
commotion.  The  banquet  and  the  theatrical  performance  were  aban- 
doned at  once.  The  male  heads  of  the  families  hastened  to  the  great 
reception  hall,  where  they  gathered  around  an  incense  table  which  was 
specially  reserved  for  receiving  Imperial  messages;  an  order  was  given 
to  open  the  center  panels  of  all  the  doors  for  the  Imperial  ambassador, 
and  the  company,  kneeling  in  devout  silence,  awaited  the  arrival  of  the 
chief  eunuch.  He  was  already  approaching  on  horseback,  accompanied 
by  a  large  retinue  of  under-eunuchs.  He  dismounted  in  front  of  the  en- 
trance to  the  great  hall  and,  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  mounted  the  steps 
leading  to  the  south  front  of  the  hall.  There  he  remained  standing,  and 
did  not,  as  expected,  produce  a  written  decree,  but  simply  announced: 
"At  the  command  of  the  Most  High  One,  Master  Chia  Cheng  shall  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  the  Hall  of  Respectful  Approach  for  an  audience." 

Having  pronounced  this  brief  message,  he  left  forthwith  without  even 
taking  a  sip  of  tea.  Everyone  was  puzzled.  Was  the  mysterious  message 
to  be  interpreted  favorably  or  unfavorably?  But  Mr.  Cheng  had  no  time 
to  consider  the  matter  at  length.  He  changed  quickly  into  Court  attire, 
got  in  his  carriage,  and  hastened  to  the  palace. 

Tortured  with  uncertainty,  the  Princess  Ancestress  sent  one  mounted 
messenger  after  another  at  short  intervals  after  him.  Nevertheless,  she 
had  to  wait  two  double  hours  before  any  news  arrived.  At  last  four 

114 


breathless,  gasping  servants  reached,  all  at  the  same  time,  the  inner  gate 
which  led  to  the  apartments  of  the  Princess  Ancestress. 

"Good  news!"  they  cried  from  a  distance.  "Our  master  asks  the  old 
Tai  tai  to  go  at  once  to  the  Imperial  Palace  together  with  the  other 
ladies  of  the  house,  to  render  thanks  for  Imperial  favor." 

The  Princess  Ancestress,  who  happened  at  the  time  to  be  pacing  up 
and  down  the  covered  corridor  of  the  inner  courtyard  with  the  other 
ladies,  all  of  them  in  the  same  state  of  restiveness  and  expectation, 
beckoned  the  eldest  of  the  four  servants,  one  Lai  Ta,  and  asked  for 
more  detailed  information. 

"We  only  got  as  far  as  the  outer  porch  in  front  of  the  audience  hall," 
reported  Lai  Ta.  "From  there  we  could  not  hear  what  was  going  on  in- 
side. But  then  the  chief  eunuch  Hsia  came  out  and  informed  us  that  our 
house  had  met  with  great  good  fortune,  for  the  eldest  daughter  of  our 
house  had  been  raised  t§  the  rank  of  a  'noble  and  virtuous'  Imperial 
wife  of  the  first  rank  and  appointed  mistress  of  the  Phoenix  Palace. 
Later  our  master  himself  came  out  for  a  moment,  confirmed  this  news, 
and  ordered  us  to  come  as  quickly  as  possible  and  call  the  old  Tai  tai  to 
an  audience  of  thanks  in  the  palace." 

This  happy  news  freed  the  ladies  from  all  their  anxious  doubts,  and 
proud  joy  was  visible  on  every  face.  The  Princess  Ancestress  and  the 
Princesses  Shieh  and  Chen  and  Madame  Cheng  all  hastened  to  attire 
themselves  in  the  ceremonial  robes  proper  to  their  rank,  mounted  four 
large  litters,  and  proceeding  like  a  shoal  of  fishes,  one  after  the  other, 
set  out  for  the  Imperial  Palace.  The  Princes  Shieh  and  Chen  followed 
behind  with  Chia  Yung  and  Chia  Chiang. 

Only  one  person  remained  untouched  by  the  joyful  spirits  which  had 
taken  possession  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Yungkuo  and  Ningkuo 
palaces,  both  masters  and  servants,  and  that  was  Pao  Yu.  For  he  was 
oppressed  with  anxiety  for  his  friend  Chin  Chung,  who  had  come  back 
grievously  ill  from  his  two-day  visit  to  the  Convent  of  the  Watery 
Moon.  He  had  always  been  a  delicate  youth,  and  he  had  to  do  penance 
now  with  a  severe  feverish  cold  for  his  surreptitious  nocturnal  journeys 
to  Chi  Neng's  cell,  and  the  sudden  change  from  the  warmth  of  his  bed 
to  the  cold  night  air,  and  since  his  return  from  the  country  he  had 
been  confined  to  bed.  Mental  excitement  contributed  to  make  his  condi- 
tion worse.  Urged  by  longing  to  see  him,  Chi  Neng  had  paid  him  a 
secret  visit  one  day,  but  unfortunately  she  encountered  his  father,  who 
drove  her  from  his  threshold  with  words  of  abuse.  Chin  Chung  had 
come  in  for  a  beating  too;  but  the  old  gentleman  had  died  of  excitement 
a  few  days  later.  Now,  alas  too  late,  Chin  Chung  repented  of  his  fri- 
volity. Bitter  self-reproach  and  grief  for  the  loss  of  his  father  weakened 

115 


his  physical  resistance  utterly,  he  felt  more  wretched  day  by  day,  and 
was  slowly  and  steadily  pining  away. 

That  was  why  Pao  Yu  could  work  up  no  enthusiasm  for  the  good  for- 
tune of  his  sister,  Beginning  of  Spring.  He  did  not  take  the  smallest  part 
in  all  the  excitements  of  those  days — his  father's  and  mother's  and 
grandmother's  audience  with  the  Son  of  Heaven,  and  the  visits  of 
congratulation  paid  by  relatives  and  friends.  Weary  and  indifferent,  he 
sat  moping  in  his  room,  and  when  anyone  teased  or  reproved  him  for 
his  strange  behavior  he  became  irritable  and  shut  himself  off  still  more 
from  the  company  of  the  others. 

There  was  only  one  thing  which  could  cheer  him  up  a  bit,  and  that 
was  the  return  of  Black  Jade.  Her  father,  Ling  Ju  Hai,  had  died  in  the 
meantime,  and  after  the  obsequies  had  been  carried  through  and  the 
inheritance  put  in  order  with  the  help  of  her  cousin  Chia  Lien,  the  two 
cousins  had  returned  together  to  the  capital.  • 

"Now  she  will  never  leave  you  again,"  Phoenix  had  said  with  a  smile 
to  Pao  Yu,  on  Black  Jade's  return.  The  reunion  of  Pao  Yu  and  his  now 
completely  orphaned  cousin  was  joyful  and  sorrowful  at  the  same  time, 
and  tears  flowed  freely  on  both  sides.  After  the  parting  of  several 
months,  Pao  Yu  found  Black  Jade  considerably  more  mature  and  far 
more  beautiful  and  attractive  than  before.  She  had  brought  back  a 
whole  library  of  books  with  her,  and  also  various  graceful  objects  for 
the  writing  table,  and  these  she  shared  out  among  her  cousins  and  Pao 
Yu.  Wishing  to  show  himself  grateful,  Pao  Yu  sought  to  honor  her  with 
a  gift  of  the  prayer  chaplet  which  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness 
had  given  him,  but  his  gift-  did  not  please  Black  Jade  at  all.  It  immedi- 
ately roused  her  jealousy  of  the  Prince. 

"Shall  I  thank  you  for  a  thing  that  has  been  worn  already  by  a 
strange  man?"  she  cried  disdainfully,  flinging  the  chaplet  on  the 
ground.  He  picked  it  up  and  took  it  back  in  silence. 

Phoenix  and  her  husband  Chia  Lien  naturally  had  a  great  deal  to  tell 
each  other  the  first  day  of  their  reunion.  Phoenix  had  just  finished  her 
long  repprt  of  her  seven  weeks  in  charge  of  the  Ningkuo  palace  when 
the  little  handmaiden  Ping  stuck  her  head  in  the  door.  When  she  saw 
that  Chia  Lien  was  there  she  stopped  short  and  was  just  about  to  disap- 
pear .again. 

"What  is  it?"  Phoenix  called  after  her. 

"Nothing  special.  Mrs.  Hsueh  of  the  Pear  Garden  sent  Sister  Lotus 
over  for  some  information.  I  have  already  given  it  to  her  and  she  has 
gone  away  again,"  replied  Little  Ping,  slipping  out  again. 

"Lotus?  Is  not  that  the  charming  young  slave  whom  Cousin  Hsueh 
Pan  bought  in  Ying  tien  shortly  before  coming  here?"  remarked  Chia 
Lien  with  a  smirk.  "When  I  was  over  in  the  Pear  Garden  just  now  pay- 

116 


ing  my  respects  to  Aunt  Hsueh  on  my  return,  I  saw  a  strikingly  pretty 
young  thing  there.  I  had  never  seen  her  before,  and  then  I  heard  from 
Aunt  Hsueh  that  she  was  that  girl,  Lotus.  She  looked  really  quite  en- 
chanting. What  a  pity  that  she  belongs  to  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan.  She  is  far 
too  good  for  the  fool!" 

"My  word!  Here's  a  man  just  back  from  a  long  journey.  He  has  had 
a  surfeit  of  beautiful  women  in  Suchow  and  Hanchow,  and  still  he  is  not 
satisfied!"  said  Phoenix  laughing.  "Well,  then,  if  you  find  little  Lotus  so 
charming,  you  shall  have  her.  I  have  only  to  exchange  her  for  our  Little 
Ping  and  bring  her  over  here  for  myself.  I  believe  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan  is 
tired  of  her  already.  He  is  one  of  those  insatiable  and  fickle  men  who 
while  they  are  eating  one  dish  always  keep  watching  for  the  next.  He 
nearly  talked  his  mother  to  death  to  persuade  her  to  give  him  the  girl. 
Aunt  Hsueh  gave  in  at  last,  and  handed  him  over  the  little  one  with  all 
due  solemnity  to  be  his  concubine.  And  she's  not  an  ordinary  slave  girl 
at  all,  but  seems  in  her  whole  person  and  in  all  her  ways  to  be  more  like 
a  well-brought-up  girl  from  a  good  family.  But  the  fellow  hardly  had  her 
two  weeks  when  he  ceased  even  to  look  at  her,  and  threw  her  on  the 
scrap-heap  like  all  the  crowd  of  cheap,  ordinary  girls  he  has  had.  I  am 
really  sorry  for  the  poor  thing ! " 

Chia  Lien  had  no  chance  to  reply,  for  a  servant  came  in  to  call  him  to 
his  father,  Prince  Shieh,  who  awaited  him  in  the  library.  When  he  was 
gone  Phoenix  called  her  little  maid,  Ping. 

"What  did  Aunt  Hsueh  want  when  she  sent  Lotus  over  just  now?" 
she  asked. 

"She  wanted  nothing  and  she  sent  nobody  over.  I  was  just  fibbing  a 
bit,  but  it  was  a  white  lie,"  replied  the  maid  with  a  sly  smile.  "Lai 
Wang's  wife  came  to  bring  you  some  interest.  Could  the  stupid  creature 
not  have  found  a  more  suitable  time  to  do  it?  She  had  to  blunder  in 
just  when  your  husband  was  there,  and  she  did  it  purposely  so  that  he 
should  get  to  know  of  your  business  and  learn  that  you  have  private 
funds  at  your  disposal.  If  he  knew  that  he  would  be  even  more  spend- 
thrift than  he  is  already.  Luckily,  I  was  able  to  intercept  old  Mrs.  Wang 
just  in  time  and  get  the  money  from  her." 

"Bravo!  You  have  acted  most  cleverly!"  said  Phoenix  appreciatively. 
"I  was  really  wondering  what  on  earth  should  have  made  Aunt  Hsueh 
interrupt  my  first  chat  with  my  husband  so  rudely  and  inconsiderately." 

After  a  little  time  Chia  Lien  returned,  and  just  after  that  in  came 
Mother  Chao,  his  old  nurse,  to  welcome  him  home  after  his  long  ab- 
sence. She  was  most  cordially  invited  to  sit  down,  food  and  drink  were 
served  to  her,  and  Phoenix  settled  down  to  listen  to  her  conversation. 
But  Chia  Lien  only  half  listened  to  her  leisurely  chatter;  he  ate  and 
drank  in  an  absent-minded  way,  and  his  thoughts  were  obviously  else- 

117 


where.  Would  they  please  excuse  him  for  not  taking  part  in  the  conver- 
sation, but  he  was  in  a  hurry  and  had  to  go  over  at  once  for  an  impor- 
tant discussion  with  Prince  Chen,  so  he  said. 

"Do  not  let  us  detain  you,  but  what  had  the  old  gentleman  to  discuss 
with  you  just  a  little  time  ago?"  asked  Phoenix. 

"He  spoke  about  the  coming  visit  of  filial  reverence." 

"Has  the  visit  been  already  approved  by  the  Court?" 

"Not  yet  formally.  But  it  is  as  good  as  certain." 

"Is  it  really?"  cried  Phoenix,  joyfully.  "That  would  indeed  be  a  quite 
new  and  unprecedented  act  of  grace  on  the  part  of  our  present  mon- 
arch, and  one  of  which  there  is  no  record  either  in  our  historical  annals 
or  in  our  theatrical  pieces." 

"What  is  all  this  talk  about?"  asked  Mother  Chao  stupidly.  "For  the 
past  few  days  I  have  heard  everyone  here  talking  and  chattering  about 
a  visit  of  filial  reverence,  but  I  have  grown  dull  from  old  age  and  I 
could  not  make  head  or  tail  of  all  the  talk." 

"I  will  explain  the  matter  to  you,"  said  Chia  Lien.  "Our  present  Son 
of  Heaven  is  a  great  advocate  of  filial  reverence.  He  regards  the  respect- 
ful attitude  of  children  to  their  parents  as  a  universal  law  of  nature 
which  is  binding  upon  the  whole  human  race  regardless  of  difference  of 
class;  and  he  considers  that  the  maintenance  of  filial  reverence  is  the 
most  important  duty  of  a  wise  government,  because  by  it  human  society 
can  be  kept  in  order  in  the  simplest,  most  natural  way.  Our  reigning 
monarch  himself  shines  forth  with  good  example  in  this  respect  by  sur- 
rounding his  aged  parents,  their  former  Majesties,  with  every  conceiv- 
able sign  of  filial  love,  day  and  night.  And  yet  he  considers  that  he  does 
not  fulfill  his  filial  duty  as  completely  as  he  would  wish  to  do,  so  stern 
and  exalted  are  his  ideals. 

"Now,  he  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  his  wives  and  secondary 
wives  and  other  worthy  persons  who  dedicate  their  lives  to  the  service 
of  the  palace  are  hindered  in  the  expression  of  their  natural  feelings  of 
filial  reverence  and  must  suffer  spiritually  by  their  long  years  of  separa- 
tion from  their  fathers  and  mothers,  and  that  the  parents,  on  their  part, 
who  pine  for  the  daughters  who  have  been  torn  from  them  have  much 
to  endure  from  this  state  of  things.  He  has  decided  that  the  divinely 
appointed  harmony  which  should  reign  in  human  society  is  severely  in- 
jured by  this.  Moved  by  these  considerations,  he  has  had  a  memo- 
randum presented  to  his  parents,  their  former  Majesties,  in  which  he 
has  suggested  that  parents  of  the  Imperial  wives  shall  be  permitted  in 
future  to  come  to  the  palace  to  visit  their  daughters  on  the  second  and 
sixth  days  of  each  month  alternately. 

"Their  former  Imperial  Majesties  were  most  deeply  moved  by  this 
suggestion,  the  noble  motives  of  which  they  fully  recognized,  but  they 

118 


expressed  the  fear  that  such  private  visits  of  relatives  might  be  detri- 
mental to  the  majesty  and  dignity  of  the  Imperial  Palace.  In  a  decree 
which  has  been  published  they  have  now  made  the  alternative  ruling 
that  the  Imperial  wives  and  secondary  wives  should  be  permitted,  6n 
request,  to  visit  their  parents,  provided  that  the  parents  have  at  their 
disposal  suitable  separate  apartments  for  the  worthy  reception  and 
accommodation  of  an  inmate  of  the  Imperial  Palace  and  her  suite. 

"As  can  be  imagined,  this  gracious  decree  has  been  greeted  every- 
where with  tears  of  joy.  The  Emperor's  secondary  wives  Chou  and  Wu 
are  the  first  who  will  avail  of  this  grace  of  the  All  Highest.  Their  respec- 
tive fathers  are  already  busily  preparing  a  worthy  place  to  receive  them 
on  their  visit." 

"Holy  Buddha!"  exclaimed  Mother  Chao.  "Then  we  also  shall  have 
to  get  ready  here  for  a  visit  from  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  house?" 

"Yes,  naturally,"  replied  Chia  Lien,  smiling.  "Otherwise  why  would 
there  be  so  many  important  matters  to  discuss  and  consult  about?" 

"That  is  splendid!  Now  I  shall  at  last  get  a  glimpse  of  the  world  of 
the  great!"  cried  Phoenix  joyfully.  "I  have  always  bemoaned  my  mis- 
fortune in  having  come  into  the  world  several  years  too  late.  If  I  were 
twenty  or-  thirty  years  older  I  would  not  have  had  to  stay  at  home  here, 
being  treated  as  a  stupid,  inexperienced  child.  I  too  would  have  seen 
the  first  ruler  of  our  present  dynasty  when  he  made  his  celebrated 
journey  through  the  kingdom,  in  order,  following  the  example  of  the 
Emperor  Shun  of  old,  to  see  for  himself  how  justice  was  being  adminis- 
tered. To  really  take  part  in  something  like  that  is  so  much  more  inter- 
esting than  any  learning  from  Head  books." 

"Yes,  indeed,  something  like  that  happens  only  once  in  a  thousand 
years.  I  well  remember  what  you  are  referring  to,"  interjected  Mother 
Chao,  eagerly.  "Our  Chia  family  lived  at  that  time  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Suchow  and  Hanchow  and  had  charge  of  the  Imperial  wharves  and 
dykes.  I  was  present  when  the  Son  of  Heaven  was  received  in  those 
parts.  Oh,  indeed,  a  reception  like  that  swallows  a  whole  heap  of 
money." 

"On  that  occasion  my  grandfather  received  the  Son  of  Heaven  in  his 
house,"  declared  Phoenix  proudly.  "He  was  Commissar  for  Tributes 
and  for  Foreign  Relations  at  that  time.  All  tributes  from  foreign  coun- 
tries passed  through  his  hands,  and  all  ambassadors  from  abroad  had 
to  dismount  at  his  house  first.  An  immense  amount  of  goods  and  treas- 
ures which  foreign  ships  brought  from  the  southern  ports  came  into  the 
possession  of  our  family  in  those  days." 

A  servant  entered  and  announced  the  two  nephews,  Chia  Yung  and 
Chia  Chiang,  from  the  Ningkuo  palace.  They  were  let  in. 

"Father  sends  you  word,  Uncle,  that  the  land  for  the  reception  has 

119 


already  been  measured  and  marked  out,"  announced  Chia  Yung.  "It 
unites  the  park  of  the  eastern  palace  and  that  of  the  western  one  and 
measures  three  and  a  half  li  wide,  therefore  it  is  quite  sufficient  for  a 
dignified  place  of  reception  for  the  distinguished  visitor.  An  architect 
has  already  been  instructed  to  prepare  the  sketches  of  the  necessary 
buildings,  and  he  will  present  his  plans  tomorrow.  As  Father  assumes 
that  you  are  tired  from  your  journey,  he  asks  us  to  say  that  you  need 
not  trouble  to  come  over  today;  and  would  you  please  postpone  your 
visit  until  tomorrow  morning  if  you  wish  to  discuss  anything." 

"Tell  vour  father  that  I  thank  him  very  much  for  his  kind  considera- 
tion and  I  shall  not  go  over  until  tomorrow  morning,"  replied  Chia 
Lien.  "Tell  him  that  I  agree  fully  regarding  the  place  that  has  been 
arranged;  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  most  fortunate  arrangement  in  every 
way.  It  will  save  us  very  considerable  expense  as  it  obviates  the  neces- 
sity of  acquiring  a  piece  of  ground  specially  for  this  one  visit." 

Chia  Chiang  then  stepped  forward  and  began  to  speak. 

"I  have  been  instructed  to  travel  to  Suchow,"  he  said,  "and  there  to 
entrust  capable  agents  with  the  task  of  finding  outstandingly  accom- 
plished young  dancing  girls  as  well  as  musical  instruments  and  theater 
requisites.  Two  sons  of  the  majordomo  Lai  Sheng  will  accompany  me, 
anc3.  Uncle  asks  you  to  please  give  me  two  of  your  people  as  well." 

Chia  Lien  measured  the  youthful  speaker  with  a  critical  eye.  "Can 
you  trust  yourself  to  carry  out  this  task,  worthy  nephew?"  he  asked. 
"True,  it  is  not  an  immense  one,  but  all  the  same  .  .  ."  he  remarked 
somewhat  sarcastically. 

Chia  Chiang,  who  was  standing  right  beside  Phoenix  outside  the  ra- 
dius of  the  lamplight,  plucked  her  dress  surreptitiously.  Phoenix  under- 
stood the  hint. 

"You  are  overanxious,"  she  said  to  her  husband  with  a  reassuring 
smile.  "Cousin  Chen  is  surely  able  to  judge  better  than  we  are  who  are 
suitable  persons  to  whom  to  entrust  his  commissions.  The  boys  are  no 
longer  children,  and  even  if  they  have  not  yet  probed  the  mystery  of  the 
taste  of  roast  pork,  they  have  at  least  already  seen  a  live  pig  running 
about  the  road  and  they  know  what  it  looks  like  in  its  living  state.  And 
after  all,  Uncle  Chen  has  only  sent  them  into  the  fray  as  standard- 
bearers.  He  hardly  expects  them  to  wage  the  battle  themselves;  in  other 
words,  to  bargain  over  prices  with  the  agents.  That  is  what  our  people 
will  be  there  for.  Let  them  go !  They  will  get  on  all  right." 

"Very  well,  I  have  no  objections,"  Chia  Lien  assured  her.  "But  per- 
haps I  can  help  them  with  some  advice. 

"Where  are  you  getting  the  necessary  funds  from?"  he  asked,  turn- 
ing to  Chia  Chiang. 

"Our  princely  master  has  already  instructed  us  regarding  that,"  re- 


plied  Chia  Chiang.  "We  do  not  need  to  take  any  money  from  the  funds 
here,  as  the  Chia  family  has  a  credit  of  fifty  thousand  silver  taels  with 
the  Chen  family  in  Kiang  nan,  where  we  shall  be  stopping  on  our  jour- 
ney. He  will  give  us  a  draft  for  thirty  thousand  taels,  with  which  we  can 
draw  on  this  credit.  The  remaining  twenty  thousand  taels  will  be  used 
later  for  the  purchase  of  lanterns,  colored  candles,  banners,  pennants, 
cloth  for  curtains,  and  other  festive  decorations." 

Chia  Lien  nodded  approvingly.  Phoenix  decided  upon  two  sons  of 
Mother  Chao  as  travelling  companions  and  assistants  for  Chia  Chiang, 
then  she  bade  them  good-by.  Chia  Yung  went  after  her  and,  before  she 
reached  the  door,  said  he  had  to  have  a  private  word  with  her. 

"If  you  want  anything  from  Suchow,  dear.  Aunt,  just  write  it  all  out 
on  a  list,"  he  whispered;  "I  will  give  the  list  to  my  brother  and  he  will 
attend  to  it  promptly  on  the  journey." 

"Oh,  what  a  silly  idea!"  she  laughed,  parrying  his  offer.  "I  do  not 
want  a  thing.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  not  got  sufficient  space  for  all  the 
stuff  which  I  have!  What  odd,  artful  ideas  you  get!" 

And  off  she  went. 

Meanwhile,  inside  the  room,  Chia  Chiang  was  importuning  his  elder 
cousin  in -exactly  the  same  way.  "If  there  is  anything  you  want,  I  shall 
not  fail  to  get  it  for  you  along  with  my  other  commissions,  and  lay  it  at 
your  feet  as  a  small  token  of  my  respect,"  he  was  saying  glibly.  But 
Chia  Lien  too  dismissed  the  offer  with  thanks. 

"Not  so  fast,  my  boy!  Beginners  like  you  should  stick  to  the  job  in 
hand  in  your  first  transactions,  and  not  start  distracting  yourselves  with 
trifles.  If  I  want  anything  I  shall  write,"  he  added  smiling,  and  sent 
the  two  young  people  off. 

The  next  morning  Chia  Lien  went  to  Prince  Chen.  Various  experts 
among  the  friends  of  the  families  and  some  of  the  older  and  more  ex- 
perienced members  of  the  household  staffs  were  present,  and  there  was 
a  great  consultation,  building  plans  were  examined,  and  questions  of 
labor  and  materials  thoroughly  discussed. 

That  same  day  a  lively  scene  of  building  activity  commenced  at  the 
western  side  o£  the  Ningkuo  palace  and  the  eastern  side  of  the  Yungkuo 
palace.  Laborers,  carpenters,  and  builders  came  in  hordes,  and  a  cease- 
less succession  of  carts  and  handbarrows  full  of  building  materials — 
timber,  bricks,  glazed  roof  tiles,  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  tin — rolled  in. 
At  one  side  outer  walls,  turrets,  and  pavilions  were  pulled  down  in  the 
Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes;  at  the  other  side  the  whole  former 
block  of  servants'  residential  quarters  was  torn  down  in  order  to  make 
way  for  one  continuous  area  of  magnificent  pleasure  gardens  and  pa- 
vilions. 

Here  we  must  mention  that  the  two  estates  were  separated  merely  by 

121 


a  narrow  private  path  enclosed  by  high  walls.  It  was  therefore  only  nec- 
essary to  knock  down  the  walls  in  order  to  turn  the  whole  domain  quite 
easily  into  one  single  piece  of  territory.  Moreover,  a  stream  flowed 
through  the  Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes,  and  it  was  found  possible 
to  divert  this  stream  into  the  Yungkuo  park  without  difficulty,  so  that 
waterworks  could  be  contrived  at  a  reasonable  cost.  The  Ningkuo  pal- 
ace grounds,  again,  were  lacking  in  artificial  hills,  rocks,  and  trees.  This 
lack  was  overcome  by  transporting,  for  the  time  being,  from  Prince 
Shieh's  residence  and  grounds,  which  were  really  part  of  the  original 
Yungkuo  park,  several  hills  and  pieces  of  rock  as  well  as  a  number  of 
trees,  bridges,  and  balustrades,  and  setting  them  down  again  in  the  Ning- 
kuo palace  grounds.  In  this  way  a  great  deal  of  money  which  would 
have  had  to  be  spent  on  new  materials  was  saved,  and  the  aim  of  achiev- 
ing a  single  and  continuous  new  layout  of  magnificent  ornamental  gar- 
dens was  achieved  under  the  expert  guidance  of  the  capable  old  Hu,  a 
former  Court  architect,  in  an  astonishingly  short  space  of  time. 

New  rocky  gorges,  ponds,  waterfalls,  airy  pavilions  and  pagodas, 
bamboo  hedges  and  flowery  groves  came  into  being.  The  male  members 
of  the  families  of  both  palaces  conscientiously  shared  the  supervision  of 
the  work.  To  be  sure,  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia  Cheng  remained  out  of 
things  for  the  most  part;  the  latter  was  too  greatly  occupied  with  his 
ministerial  office,  while  the  former  loved  the  leisure  of  his  library,  and 
left  it  to  his  son  Chia  Lien  to  represent  him  and  to  report  to  him  in 
writing  from  time  to  time  on  the  progress  of  the  work.  Prince  Chen  with 
his  majordomo  supervised  the  actual  building  operations  and  the  rolls 
of  work  people;  his  son  Chia  Yung  supervised  the  metal  work  in  gold 
and  silver.  And  so  each  one  had  his  clearly  defined  field  of  activity.  As 
already  mentioned,  owing  to  the  illness  of  his  friend  Chin  Chung,  Pao 
Yu  took  scarcely  any  part  in  all  the  busy  doings  which  were  going  on 
in  the  house.  Even  the  fact  that  his  father,  owing  to  his  many  other 
urgent  occupations  during  that  time,  was  unable  to  watch  him  and 
supervise  his  studies  as  much  as  usual,  failed  to  cheer  his  depressed 
spirits,  as  it  would  assuredly  have  done  at  another  time. 

One  morning  his  inner  unrest  drove  him  out  of  bed  just  at  break  of 
dawn.  While  he  was  dressing  he  was  informed  that  an  old  servant  of  his 
friend  had  come  to  call  him  urgently  to  the  sickbed.  Filled  with  anxious 
forebodings,  he  hastened  to  his  friend's  house;  but  he  came  too  late. 
The  sick  boy,  whom  he  found  lying  on  his  bed  with  wax-white  face  and 
closed  eyes,  painfully  gasping  for  breath,  made  no  reply  to  his  thrice- 
repeated  cry:  "Brother  Chin,  Pao  Yu  is  here!"  Unable  to  utter  one 
word  of  farewell,  he  had  breathed  out  his  last  remnant  of  breath  in  the 
presence  of  his  friend  and  set  out  on  his  journey  to  the  Yellow  Springs. 


122 


CHAPTER    14 

Poo  Yu  reveals  his  talent  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision.  Black  Jade 
is  annoyed  by  the  bite  of  a  fly. 

1  HE  WORK  ON  THE  MAGNIFICENT  NEW  PLEASURE  GROUNDS  WAS  COM- 

pleted,  and  one  fine  day  Prince  Chen  came  with  his  helpers  and  asso- 
ciates to  invite  Chia  Cheng  to  view  them. 

"The  work  as  a  whole  is  finished,"  he  told  him,  "and  now  we  would 
like  to  have  your  verdict  on  it,  and  any  suggestions  for  alterations 
which  you  may  wish  to  express.  But  above  all  we  want  your  suggestions 
for  the  inscriptions  which  have  not  yet  been  made  and  which  are  to  em- 
bellish the  principal  places  in  the  grounds." 

"Hm,  these  inscriptions  are  going  to  offer  difficulty,"  said  Chia 
Cheng,  thoughtfully.  "Strictly  speaking,  according  to  the  Book  of  Rites, 
we  must  leave  to  our  noble  guest  the  honor  of  deciding  upon  suitable 
titles  and  inscriptions;  but  without  a  personal  impression  of  the  land- 
scape and  the  scenery  the  Imperial  spouse  will  lack  the  necessary  in- 
spiration for  this.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  await  the  happy  hour  of  her 
visit  and  refrain  from  putting  up  any  inscription  or  any  motto  until 
then,  the  scenery,  despite  all  its  charms,  will  still  lack  something  es- 
sential." 

"Quite  so,"  they  replied.  "And  to  surmount  this  difficulty  it  seems  to 
us  that  the  best  we  can  do  for  the  time  being  is  to  write,  in  three  or  four 
characters,  only  the  basic  theme  of  the  various  inscriptions  and  mottoes 
and  to  leave  the  final  composition  of  the  text  to  our  illustrious  visitor 
herself  to  decide  at  the  happy  hour  of  her  arrival." 

"I  agree;  let  us,  then,  commence  our  tour  of  inspection,  for  which 
this  lovely  spring  weather  is  ideal,"  decided  Chia  Cheng,. leading  the 
way.  It  just  happened  that,  as  the  party  approached,  Pao  Yu  was  in  the 
new  park,  which  he  had  been  visiting  frequently  of  late  at  his  grand- 
mother's wish,  to  seek  distraction  after  the  many  weeks  of  mourning 
for  his  dead  friend.  Prince  Chen,  who  had  gone  on  ahead  of  the  rest  of 
the  company,  laughingly  advised  him  to  disappear  as  fast  as  he  could 
because  his  stern  old  governor  was  coming  that  way.  Much  frightened, 
Pao  Yu  hurried  towards  the  exit,  but  just  as  he  got  outside,  he  ran 
straight  into  the  much-feared  parent.  There  was  no  way  of  escape,  so 
he  stood  shyly  at  the  edge  of  the  path  waiting  for  the  company  to  pass 
by. 

"Come  with  us!"  his  father  ordered  tersely  and  abruptly.  He  had 
heard  recently  from  old  Tai  Ju  that  his  scion,  while  not  overstudious  in 
school,  was  showing  a  truly  extraordinary  talent  for  the  composition  of 
couplets  and  antitheses.  So  he  wished  to  test  him  out  a  bit  today. 

123 


Mr.  Cheng  stopped  first  in  front  of  the  covered  gateway  and  let  the 
impression  of  the  view  from  outside  work  upon  him.  The  roofs  of  the 
five-doored  gateway,'  which  were  covered  with  copper  tiles,  stood  out 
like  the  shimmering  scaly  backs  of  lizards  or  alligators.  The  balustrades 
and  steps  of  the  marble  bridge  which  led  to  the  entrance  were  adorned 
with  artistically  wrought  ornaments  in  the  Western  style.  Neither  the 
gateway  nor  the  bridge  had  any  whitewash  or  paint;  both  above  and 
below  everything  glittered  in  the  natural  white  of  water-clear  marble. 
White  was  also  the  color  of  the  lime-washed  wall  enclosing  the  whole, 
which  ran  from  left  and  right  of  the  gateway.  The  wall  rose  from  a  base 
of  natural  freestones  which  were  ribbed  like  a  tiger's  pelt,  and  cut  and 
placed  in  such  a  way,  one  over  the  other,  that  they  gave  the  wall  a  most 
pleasing  appearance.  The  whole  impression  was  that  of  an  unusual 
setting  for  a  beautiful  jewel. 

Well  content,  Mr.  Cheng  moved  on.  Just  inside  the  gateway  the  eye 
was  met  by  a  green  Bill. 

"What  a  beautiful  hill ! "  they  all  exclaimed,  enraptured. 

"This  hill,  which  at  first  shuts  out  the  view,  heightens  expectation.  If 
one  were  to  see  the  whole  park  immediately  upon  entering,  the  effect 
would  be  monotonous,"  remarked  Chia  Cheng. 

"Quite  so!"  the  others  agreed.  "One  must  have  heights  and  depths  to 
enliven  the  spirit." 

They  walked  on  by  a  narrow  path  which  wound  upwards  through  a 
narrow  gorge  formed  by  mighty,  gray  rocks  overgrown  with  moss  and 
creepers.  These  rocks,  with  their  grotesque  shapes,  lying  this  way  and 
that,  looked  as  fantastic  as  goblins  or  mighty,  fabulous  animals.  Half- 
way up,  in  front  of  a  single  mirror-bright  sheet  of  stone,  they  halted. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  the  right  place  for  an  inscription.  What 
name  shall  we  give  to  this  spot?  Your  suggestions,  please,  gentlemen!" 
.urged  Chia  Cheng. 

A  dozen  suggestions,  such  as  "Stratified  Kingfisher  Green,"  "Em- 
broidered Cra'gs,"  and  the  like,  were  heard.  Pao  Yu  was  the  last  to  be 
called  upon  to  speak.  He  gave  it  frankly  and  freely  as  his  opinion  that 
an  inscription  would  be  somewhat  premature  here,  where  one  had  just 
taken  the  first  step  into  the  grounds,  but  if  it  were  definitely  desired  to 
adorn  this  in  itself  unimportant  spot  with  a  motto,  he  would  suggest  the 
words,  reminiscent  of  an  ancient  text:  "On  twisted  paths  through  twi- 
light shades."  There  was  general  applause. 

"This  suggestion  of  our  worthy  nephew  expresses  true  natural  talent. 
Compared  with  him,  we  others  are  only  clumsy  duffers  and  dry  ped- 
ants," said  the  seniors,  flatteringly. 

"No  exaggerated  praise,  if  you  please,  or  the  boy  will  get  notions 
about  his  bit  of  knowledge.  Better  laugh  at  him;  it  would  be  more  bene- 

124 


ficial  to  him,"  objected  Chia  Cheng,  smiling.  "At  any  rate  we  have  still 
got  time  to  consider  the  matter." 

The  path  led  on  through  dark  grottoes  into  bright  clearings  over 
slopes,  some  covered  with  bushes,  some  with  trees,  and  others,  again, 
with  flowers,  along  by  a  babbling  brook  which  here  wound  sleepily 
through  level  land  and  there  hopped  in  gay  leaps  down  towards  a  valley, 
to  disappear  into  a  narrow  fell,  and  finally  to  disperse  in  the  form  of  a 
steep,  foaming  waterfall  into  a  small,  shimmering  lake.  A  white  marble 
balustrade  encircled  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  over  its  narrow  side  the 
triple  arch  of  a  marble  bridge  stretched  like  the  gaping  jaws  of  a  sea 
monster.  The  pavilion  which  stood  on  the  bridge  and  overhung  the 
water  was  chosen  as  the  next  halting  place. 

All  were  fully  agreed  that  this  charming  water  pavilion  was  not  only 
worthy  of  a  poetical  name  but  definitely  had  to  be  extolled  in  a  hepta- 
metric  couplet.  Hence,  there  followed  a  lively  literary  debate  in  which 
Pao  Yu  once  more  had  an  opportunity  of  shining.  While  all  the  others 
thought  at  once  of  an  apt  quotation  from  the  celebrated  ode,  "Pavilion 
of  a  drunken  old  man,"  in  which  the  poet  glorifies  a  pavilion  near  the 
source  of  the  Niang,  and  wanted  to  take  from  this  ode  the  name  of 
Waterfall  of  Jasper,  Pao  Yu  maintained  that  this  was  not  a  suitable 
name.  On  the  occasion  of  receiving  such  an  exalted  visit,  one  must  pay 
heed  to  etiquette  and  remember  that  the  ideograph  for  waterfall  also 
stood  for  something  very  indelicate,  namely,  diarrhea,  and  might  there- 
fore cause  disgust  in  the  highest  quarters.  This  argument  was  quite  un- 
answerable. Chia  Cheng  stroked  his  beard  thoughtfully  and  remarked 
that  the  boy  was  full  of  the  spirit  of  contradiction  and  that  nothing  was 
right  to  him.  First  he  had  been  all  in  favor  of  old  quotations,  and  now 
when  an  old  quotation  had  been  proposed  he  had  an  objection  to  raise 
to  it.  In  the  end,  Pao  Yu's  suggestion  of  "Through  Perfumed  Glades" 
as  title  for  the  place,  where  a  waterfall  emerged  from  a  flowery  glade, 
found  unanimous  acceptance,  and  the  couplet  which  he  improvised  on 
the  spot  at  his  father's  wish  aroused  still  more  admiration. 

The  company  next  made  a  round  of  the  lake,  in  the  course  of  which 
each  mount,  crag,  flower,  and  tree  was  the  subject  of  a  separate  and 
thorough  examination.  Suddenly  they  found  themselves  before  a  shady 
bamboo  grove  surrounded  by  a  low,  whitewashed  wall.  Inside  this  green 
belt  lay  hidden  a  friendly  little  country  house,  built  on  piles. 

"What  a  charming  little  place!"  they  all  exclaimed.  They  went  in.  An 
arbor-covered  walk  led  in  zigzag  bends  from  the  gateway  up  to  the  little 
cottage,  which  had  only  three  rooms,  two  of  them  opening  onto  open 
verandas,  and  all  three  furnished  tastefully  but  with  the  utmost  econ- 
omy of  space.  From  the  center  room  a  narrow  door  led  into  a  back 
garden  full  of  pear  trees  and  banana  plants  in  bloom.  From  a  foot-wide 

125 


opening  down  by  the  garden  wall  a  clear  spring  bubbled,  which,  turning 
into  a  babbling  brook,  wound  its  way  through  the  garden  around  the 
little  cottage,  and  splashed  down  from  the  bamboo  glade,  to  hasten, 
finally,  into  the  near-by  lake. 

"What  a  delightful  spot!  Think  of  sitting  here  at  the  window  on  a 
beautiful  moonlit  night,  studying;  that  would  not  be  spending  one's  life 
in  vain!"  exclaimed  Chia  Cheng,  with  a  censorious  glance  at  his  son,  Pao 
Yu,  who  at  once  bowed  his  head  timidly.  Once  more  a  lively  literary 
contest  arose  regarding  a  suitable  motto,  and  again  it  was  Pao  Yu's  idea 
which  won  the  day.  He  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  distinguished 
visitor  would  make  her  first  rest  at  this  spot  and  that  for  this  reason  the 
inscription  must  contain  some  pleasant  personal  allusion.  The  classical 
quotation  which  he  recommended,  "A  phoenix  comes  with  grace  to 
rest,"  aroused  the  general  enthusiasm  of  the  seniors  no  whit  less  than 
did  the  further  stanza  which  he  had  to  compose  at  his  father's  com- 
mand. His  father  alone  dissented,  and  was  heard  to  mutter  disparag- 
ingly something  about  "mediocrity"  and  "the  brains  of  an  insect." 

The  way  now  curved  around  a  green  projecting  hillock,  behind  which 
there  emerged  into  view  a  rice  plantation  protected  by  low  yellow  clay 
walls.  Adjoining  this  paddy  field  was  an  orchard  of  some  hundreds  of 
apricot  trees  in  bloom.  Behind  the  flame-red  cloud  of  blossoms  the 
straw-thatched  roof  of  a  farmhouse  peeped  through.  At  the  other  side 
of  the  farmhouse  stood  a  mixed  group  of  trees,  such  as  elms,  mulberry 
trees,  and  cherry  trees.  Around  them  was  a  green  hedge  and  "behind 
this,  on  a  hill,  a  country  well,  complete  with  bucket  and  lever.  Beyond 
the  well  stretched  extensive  plantations  of  choice  vegetables,  each  kind 
in  its  accurately  measured  plot. 

"That  is  what  pleases  me!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Cheng,  enchanted  at  the 
sight  of  all  the  tillage.  "A  piece  of  land  laid  out  like  that  has  sense  and 
meaning.  I  cannot  contain  my  feelings,  for  the  sight  moves  me  to  the 
depths  of  my  being  and  awakens  my  longing  for  a  peaceful  country 
life.  Let  us  go  in  there  and  rest!" 

But  at  the  same  moment  he  discovered  by  the  wayside,  behind  the 
j>ath  through  the  hedge,  a  single  block  of  rock  which  doubtless  lay  there 
to  invite  the  wayfarer  to  sit  down  and  meditate.  This  rock  awaited  an 
inscription.  "No!  Come  here  instead.  It  is  even  lovelier  here!"  he 
cried  from  outside,  and  they  all  followed  him  and  gathered  around 
the  slab  of  rock.  Once  more  a  profound  literary  discussion  arose.  "Vil- 
lage of  Blossoming  Apricot"  was  proposed  unanimously  by  the  elders. 
But  here  again  Pao  Yu  was  of  another  opinion,  and  this  time,  no  doubt 
emboldened  by  the  previous  applause,  he  put  forward  his  opinion 
somewhat  audaciously,  without  waiting  to  be  asked  for  it  by  his  father. 
This  brought  him  a  sharp  paternal  reprimand. 

126 


The  company  now  entered  the  straw-thatched  farmhouse.  How  simple 
it  was  inside!  Parchment  panes  were  pasted  over  the  window  frames, 
simple  wooden  bunks  served  as  beds.  Every  trace  of  luxury  or  refine- 
ment was  washed  away,  as  it  were.  This  was  all  entirely  to  Mr.  Cheng's 
taste.  But  was  it  to  his  son's  taste  loo? 

"Now,  how  do  you  like  it  here?"  he  asked,  to  put  him  to  the  test.  The 
seniors,  who  did  not  fail  to  see  the  hidden  intention  behind  this  ques- 
tion, tried  to  convey  to  Pao  Yu  by  signs  and  taps  that  he  should  answer 
in  a  manner  pleasing  to  his  father.  But  Pao  Yu  seemed  to  be  slow  of 
comprehension. 

"This  one  cannot  at  all  compare  for  beauty  with  the  other  co  \ntry 
house  to  which  we  gave  the  title  ''A  phoenix  comes  with  grace  to  rest'  " 
was  his  glib  verdict. 

"Stupid  boy!"  roared  Chia  Cheng.  "Must  you,  then,  always  have  red 
balconies  and  brightly  colored  pillars?  It  is  plain  that,  to  your  depraved 
taste,  nothing  is  beautiful  which  is  not  costly  and  fine.  You  have  no 
understanding  whatsoever  of  the  pure  charm  of  nature  simplicity  which 
this  place  breathes.  In  this  you  betray  your  utter  lack  of  culture." 

Pao  Yu  had  the  impertinence  to  differ,  and  plunged  into  a  lengthy 
dissertation  on  the  interpretation  of  the  term  "natural,"  and  denying 
that  this  piece  of  ground,  which  only  simulated  nature,  had  any  real 
naturalness.  It  was  an  artificial  creation  made  by  human  hands,  iso- 
lated, and  set  down  without  any  natural  affinity,  in  an  environment  en- 
tirely alien  to  it.  True,  there  were  fields  here  but  there  was  no  highroad 
leading  to  a  near-by  market  in  which  the  crops  could  be  sold;  there  was 
no  village  in  the  neighborhood,  no  temple  on  the  hill.  In  fact,  it  lacked 
this,  that,  and  the  other  things  necessary  to  maintain  the  illusion  of 
nature,  in  contrast  to  the  other  country  house  where  there  was  nothing 
contradictory  to  the  surroundings  and  which,  despite  the  artificial  bam- 
boo plantation  and  the  artificial  watering,  nevertheless  merited  the  ad- 
jective "natural."  In  his  ardor  he  became  more  and  more  theoretical, 
until  his  father  lost  patience  at  last  and  cut  short  his  stream  of  elo- 
quence with  an  angry:  "Shut  up  and  be  off!" 

Much  taken  aback,  Pao  Yu  slipped  out  the  gate,  only  to  be  immedi- 
ately recalled  with  a  harsh:  "Stop!  Stay  here!"  He  was  not  allowed  to 
evade  dutifully  producing  the  required  couplet. 

Pao  Yu  did  his  best  and  improvised  a  most  charming  couplet,  but  his 
father  only  greeted  this  latest  product  of  his  muse  with  a  muttering, 
"Worse  and  worse  each  time!" 

On  they  went.  The  path  rounded  a  hill,  wound  through  a  flowery  field 
in  which  there  was  a  rock  spring  surrounded  by  willows,  led  to  an  arbor 
of  Kashmir  thistles,  from  there  to  a  grove  of  peonies,  and  thence 
through  a  rose  garden  to  a  banana  plantation.  After  various  zigzag 


bends  they  stood  before  a  rock  grotto,  overhung  with  creeping  plants, 
from  which  they  could  hear  the  rippling  sound  of  water.  Here  the  com- 
pany came  to  a  halt  and  broke  into  exclamations  of  delight.  Naturally, 
this  again  was  the  right  place  for  a  motto.  "Wu  ling  Spring"  and 
"Grotto  of  the  Strange  Hermit"  were  suggested,  while  Pao  Yu  proposed 
"Bank  of  the  Ferns."  "Nonsense!"  exclaimed  Chia  Cheng,  cutting  short 
the  discussion  and  walking  on  through  the  grotto.  At  the  other  side  its 
noisy  brook  ran  into  a  silent  dam. 

"Can  one  not  go  on  farther  from  here  in  a  boat?"  asked  Chia  Cheng. 

"There  are  to  be  four  boats  for  picking  water  lilies  and  one  for  row- 
ing," replied  Prince  Chen,  "but  unfortunately  they  are  not  here  yet." 

"What  a  pity!" 

""Yes,  we  must  go  over  the  mountain  on  foot,"  replied  Prince  Chen, 
taking  the  lead.  A  steep  mountain  path  wound  upwards  along  the  gorge, 
It  was  so  narrow;  indeed,  that  one  had  to  hold  on  to  shrubs  and 
branches.  Then  it  ran  down  again,  and  the  wayfarers  found  themselves 
on  the  edge  of  a  silent,  lonely  fishpond  overhung  with  willow,  peach, 
and  apricot  trees.  At  the  other  end  of  the  fishpond  they  caught  a 
glimpse,  between  the  gre"en  foliage  of  the  trees,  of  a  wooden  bridge  with 
a  red  railing.  Crossing  this,  they  came  upon  a  neat  but  apparently  quite 
tasteless  brick  house  surrounded  by  a  wall. 

"Quite  devoid  of  charm!"  was  the  verdict  of  Chia  Cheng. 

Yet  immediately  beyond  this  plain  building  the  landscape  became 
romantic  once  more.  For  the  house  lay  with  its  back  embedded,  as  it 
were,  in  a  great  boulder-strewn  gorge,  from  which  one  single  rugged 
peak  of  rock  rose  steeply  upwards.  One  felt  suddenly  and  completely 
transported  to  an  austere  highland  landscape  Flowers  and  trees  were 
completely  absent.  Only  mosses,  rare  herbs,  and  trailing  plants  which 
exuded  aromatic  and  .exotic  perfumes  were  visible  here. 

"This  is  really  interesting,"  said  Chia  Cheng,  correcting  his  first  im- 
pression. "What  a  pity  one  knows  so  little  about  these  plants." 

His  remark  encouraged  Pao  Yu  to  display  .his  botanical  knowledge. 
In  a  long  dissertation,  interlarded  with  many  learned  quotations,  he 
identified  the  various  plants  one  after  another,  glibly  rolling  off  the  un- 
familiar botanical  names,  until  his  father  at  last  lost  patience  and 
stopped  him  with  a  gruff:  "Be  silent!  Who  asked  you?"  Pao  Yu,  who 
had  rather  expected  some  praise,  was  so  intimidated  that  he  did  not 
dare  to  open  his  mouth  at  all  for  a  long  time. 

A  twin  pair  of  covered  corridors  led,  like  two  outstretched  arms, 
from  this  alpine  herdsman's  hut  to  an  ornate  building.  This  one  con- 
sisted of  five  rooms,  was  completely  encircled  by  an  open  veranda,  and, 
with  its  graceful  curved  root,  its  prettily  varnished  walls,  and  the  green 

128 


gauze  curtains  at  the  windows,  it  made  an  even  more  pleasing  impres- 
sion than  the  various  buildings  which  had  been  viewed  up  to  this. 

"If  a  man  could  brew  his  tea  and  peacefully  play  his  lute  here,  he 
could  even  find  consolation  and  escape  from  the  thought  that  he  would 
die  without  a  son  and  have  no  one  to  offer  sacrifice  and  burn  incense 
for  him  after  his  death,"  sighed  Chia  Cheng.  Then,  while  the  usual  liter- 
ary debate  was  going  on,  he  turned  brusquely  to  his  son,  who  was  still 
remaining  silent. 

"Why  do  you  not  speak  when  you  should?"  he  asked.  "No  doubt  you 
are  waiting  to  be  politely  requested  to  grant  us  the  favor  of  your  gra- 
cious instruction?" 

Pao  Yu  could  not  evade  the  paternal  challenge,  and  once  more  his 
motto  and  his  couplet  met  with  the  unanimous  applause  of  the  seniors. 
But  Mr.  Cheng  muttered  something  disparaging  about  "plagiarism" 
and  quoted  the  original  verse  upon  which  Pao  Yu  had  based  his  compo- 
sition. The  seniors,  however,  defended  Pao  Yu  and  asserted  that  at  that 
rate  even  the  great  Li  Tai  Po  himself  could  be  accused  of  plagiarism, 
since  he  had  based  his  ode,  "The  Terrace  of  the  Phoenix"  entirely  upon 
an  earlier  poem,  "The  Tower  of  the  Yellow  Crane."  What  mattered  was 
the  excellence  of  the  new  version,  and  in  this  case  Pao  Yu's  was  de- 
cidedly better  than  the  original. 

A  gruff  "Nonsense"  was  Mr.  Cheng's  only  reply. 

After  a  short  walk  they  reached  a  high  and  magnificent  castle.  A 
pleasure  gallery  one  story  high  led  from  this,  in  many  curves  and  wind- 
ings, far  into  the  countryside.  The  tops  of  pine  trees  caressed  the  edges 
of  the  roofs.  The  marble  terraces  were  lined  with  orchids.  The  bodies  of 
dragons  and  other  fabulous  animals  glittered  in  gold,  silver  and  bronze. 

"The  main  hall,"  cried  Mr.  Cheng.  "The  only  fault  one  can  find  with 
it  is  a  certain  excess  of  magnificence." 

"We  are  aware  that  the  Imperial  spouse  values  simplicity,  yet  con- 
sidering her  high  rank  the  outlay  entailed  here  did  not  seem  to  us  to  be 
excessive,  but  on  the  contrary  called  for  as  our  due  tribute  of  respect," 
the  others  replied. 

On  they  went  until  they  came  to  a  high  triumphal  arch  made  of  soft 
white  soapstone.  Its  frieze  was  ornamented  with  a  design  of  dragons  in 
bas-relief. 

"What  title  shall  we  give  this?"  asked  Mr.  Cheng.  "Entrance  to  the 
Domain  of  the  Blessed  Spirits"  was  the  unanimous  suggestion.  Pao  Yu 
was  sunk  deep  in  thought.  The  remembrance  of  a  similar  stone  arch 
which  he  had  once  seen  though  he  could  not  remember  when — neither 
the  day,  the  month,  or  the  year — had  been  reawakened  in  him.  He  was 
so  lost  in  thought  that  he  still  remained  silent  even  when  his  father 
asked  him  for  a  title. 


"Give  him  until  tomorrow!"  the  seniors  urged  Mr.  Cheng.  They  as- 
sumed that  Pao  Yu  was  so  exhausted  from  being  asked  so  often  that  his 
brain  had  now  ceased  to  function,  and  they  feared  that  if  he  was  too 
much  harried  and  goaded  like  an  ox  in  harness  his  health  might  suffer, 
and  then  they  would  have  to  expect  the  reproaches  of  the  Princess  An- 
cestress. Did  not  Mr.  Cheng  think  the  same? 

"Ha,  ha,  the  infant  prodigy  has  reached  the  end  of  his  wits,"  he 
jeered.  "Yes,  you  may  be  right."  Then,  turning  to  the  boy:  "Very  well, 
I  give  you  until  tomorrow,  but  woe  betide  you  if  you  have  not  found  a 
title  by  then.  You  will  pay  for  it!" 

It  was  now  decided  to  cut  short  the  tour  of  inspection  somewhat,  for 
there  was  too  much  to  be  seen.  Of  all  the  parks  and  grounds,  only  about 
five-  or  six-tenths  had  been  viewed  so  far.  The  company  halted  once 
more  near  a  big  bridge.  Here  there  was  a  weir,  over  which  the  dammed- 
up  watercourse  dropped  like  a  glistening  crystal  curtain. 

"What  name  shall  we  give  this  weir?"  asked  Mr.  Cheng. 

"Weir  of  Penetrating  Perfumes,"  suggested  Pao  Yu. 

"Rubbish!  Out  of  the  question!"  snapped  Mr.  Cheng,  cutting  short 
the  debate  and  striding  on.  There  followed  in  gay  succession  imposing 
halls  and  simple  straw-thatched  huts,  massive  brick  walls  and  graceful, 
flowery  arbors,  silent  mountain  temples,  hermits'  cells  hidden  in  dense 
woods,  and  witches'  caves  where  love  potions  might  be  brewed,  pleasure 
galleries  and  winding  cloisters  cut  out  of  rock,  angular  kiosks,  circular 
pavilions,  and  many  other  things  worth  looking  at.  But  Mr.  Cheng  did 
not  give  himself  time  to  stop  everywhere.  His  legs  were  tired  from  walk- 
ing for  such  a  long  time,  and  he  pressed  on  towards  the  exit. 

A  separately  hedged  off  part  of  the  park  now  emerged  into  view. 

"Let  us  go  and  rest  in  there  for  a  while,"  suggested  Mr.  Cheng.  They 
turned  aside  from  the  road  and,  passing  under  peach  trees  in  bloorn  and 
through  a  rose  arbor  made  of  tall  bamboo  rods,  came  to  a  circular 
moon  gateway.  Right  and  left  of  the  gateway  was  an  encircling  white- 
washed wall,  shaded  with  willows  from  the  outside.  Along  the  side  of 
the  wall  ran  a  covered  pleasure  gallery.  Apart  from  a  few  banana  plants 
which  stood  among  groups  of  rocks,  the  courtyard  contained  only  one 
magnificent  specimen  of  that  rare  plant,  the  golden  begonia.  Its  crown 
spread  out  like  an  open  umbrella,  its  branches  shimmered  like  golden 
threads,  the  calices  of  its  flowers  seemed  as  it  were  to  spit  out  ver- 
milion. 

"What  magnificent  blossoms!"  they  all  cried  in  chorus.  "Was  such  a 
magnificent  specimen  ever  seen  before?" 

"It  is  the  foreign  kind  which  is  called  'Maiden  Begonia,'  "  remarked 
Chia  Cheng.  "The  popular  explanation  for  the  name  is  that  this  variety 

130 


comes  from  a  distant  country  of  amazons.  But  that  is  only  a  wild 
legend." 

"This  explanation  does  not  seem  to  us  so  completely  without  founda- 
tion," said  the  seniors.  "The  blossoms  are  indeed  quite  extraordinary. 
It  may  well  he  true  that  the  plant  comes  from  a  country  of  amazons." 

"Very  pr6bably  the  legend  originated  in  the  fertile  brain  of  some 
poet  or  travelling  minstrel,"  remarked  Pao  Yu.  "The  rose  tint,  the 
maidenly  delicacy  and  fragility  of  the  blooms  may  have  inspired  him 
with  it.  And  then,  in  the  course  of  time,  his  fantastic  explanation  came 
to  be  regarded  as  truth,  because  it  is  such  a  lovely  and  plausible  ex- 
planation." 

"Splendid!  Well  said!"  applauded  the  seniors. 

They  sat  down  for  a  brief  rest  on  the  seats  in  the  pleasure  corridor 
and  agreed  upon  the  title  "Towering  Radiance  and  Shimmering 
Beauty."  Pao  Yu  too  found  the  title  good  though  not  quite  adequate, 
since  it  only  referred  to  the  begonia  and  left  the  banana  plants  uncon- 
sidered.  The  combination  of  the  red  of  the  begonias  and  the  green 
of  the  bananas  was  a  deliberate  one  and  therefore  required  to  be  ex- 
pressed in  the  title.  Hence  he  suggested  "Fragrant  Red  and  Nephrite 
Green." 

"Bad,"  growled  Chia  Cheng,  shaking  his  head  and  standing  up  to  go 
on. 

On  crossing  the  courtyard  the  party  came  to  a  circular  hall.  Its  walls 
were  covered  from  top  to  bottom  with  intricately  carved,  perforated 
woodwork.  This  showed  the  most  varied  assortment  of  patterns  and 
pictures — driving  clouds,  fluttering  bats,  trees  and  shrubs,  flowers  and 
birds,  landscape  pictures  and  scenes  from  human  life,  interlaced  every- 
where with  the  ever-recurrent  lucky  signs  fit  and  shou,  signifying 
"Happiness"  and  "Long  Life."  All  these  things,  carved  by  an  artist's 
hand,  veneered  with  gold  leaf  and  five  colors  besides,  and  encrusted 
with  brilliant  stones,  gave  a  deceptively  lifelike  impression.  From  this 
artistic  background  there  projected  fanlike  wall  partitions  on  which 
there  were  arranged  book-rests,  flower  vases,  pewter  dishes,  and  similar 
objects.  These  wall  partitions  were  most  varied  in  form.  Some  were 
angular,  some  were  round,  some  had  the  shape  of  banana  leaves,  others 
that  of  sunflower  leaves,  and  yet  others  took  the  form  of  intersected 
half-circles;  and  they  all  fitted  into  their  graceful  frames  like  samplers 
of  tapestry.  Then,  there  were  here  and  there  niches  in  the  walls, 
screened  with  silk  curtains,  which  gave  the  impression  of  being  secret, 
hidden  doors;  and  inside  these  were  precious  antiques  and  works  of 
art  such  as  bronze  swords,  lutes,  porcelain  vases,  and  the  like. 

The  astonishment  and  admiration  of  the  company  knew  no  bounds 
and,  carried  away  by  their  delight  in  the  sights,  they  had  already  em- 

131 


barked  upon  a  second  round,  when  Chia  Cheng  announced  that  it  was 
time  to  leave.  But  he  could  no  longer  find  the  exit.  The  circular  hall 
contained  a  number  of  mirror  doors,  all  similar,  and  several  windows, 
lil  vise  similar,  and  the  pattern  on  the  wall  was  so  confusingly  con- 
tinu  ?  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  see  where  it  began  and  where 
it  ended.  But  Prince  Chen,  who  knew  the  place  thoroughly,  smilingly 
led  the  party  out  of  this  mazelike  hall  through  the  correct  mirrored 
door.  Threading  their  way  between  flower  beds  and  rose  trellises,  they 
passed  for  a  time  along  a  clear  watercourse  and  around  the  foot  of  a 
hill  before  reaching  level  ground  once  more. 

"A  truly  enchanting  parjk,  a  peak  achievement  of  brilliant  inven- 
tion!" Such  was  the  verdict  of  the  highly  gratified  company.  Pao  Yu 
was  glad  that  the  time  had  come  to  leave.  He  was  yearning  for  the 
company  of  girls,  which  he  had  had  to  do  without  for  so  long.  But  he 
had  to  wait  on,  for  his  father  had  not  yet  dismissed  him. 

The  word  of  release  came  at  last.  "What  are  you  doing  still  hang- 
ing about  here?  Have  you  not  had  enough?  Be  off!  Your  grandmother 
will  be  asking  for  you,"  said  Chia  Cheng,  suddenly  turning  to  him.  He 
made  off  in  a  trice. 

The  party  was  hardly  out  of  sight  when  several  of  his  father's  serv- 
ants came  rushing  along  behind  him,  and  surrounded  him,  chatter- 
ing and  laughing  excitedly. 

"Rejoice,  young  Master!  The  old  master  is  in  a  good  humor,"  they  in- 
formed him  with  solemn  faces.  "Your  grandmother  sent  for  you  sev- 
eral times,  but  the  old  master  sent  her  word  that  he  was  pleased  with 
you  and  wished  to  keep  you  for  a  little  time  longer  in  his  company. 
Everyone  is  full  of  praise  of  your  talent,  and  they  are  all  saying  that 
your  mottoes  were  much  more  beautiful  than  the  others.  And  now  you 
must  give  us  something  to  celebrate  the  day." 

"Very  well,  each  of  you  shall  have  a  string  of  coppers,"  said  Pao  Yu, 
laughing. 

"No,  coppers  are  no  use  to  us.  We  want  a  proper  souvenir,"  they 
protested  vigorously,  and  without  waiting  for  his  consent  they  took  hold 
of  him  and  in  no  time  had  pulled  off  the  purse,  the  fan-shaped  case,  and 
all  the  other  little  things  which  he  carried  on  his  belt. 

"Now,  that's  settled,"  they  declared,  "we  will  be  your  guard  of  honor 
and  take  you  to  the  old  Tai  tai."  And  they  escorted  him  in  triumph  into 
the  presence  of  the  Princess'  Ancestress.  "Oh,  they've  plundered  you 
shamelessly!"  remarked  the  maid  Pearl  with  a  smile,  as  she  poured  him 
tea  in  the  green  pavilion. 

Black  Jade,  who  had  overheard  this  remark  from  the  next  room,  came 
and  looked  at  him  attentively. 

"You  have   given  them  the  embroidered  lotus-leaf  purse   that   I 

132 


gave  you!  That's  nice!  You  may  be  certain  that  I  will  never  give  you 
a  present  again!"  she  said  petulantly,  turning  her  back  on  him.  On  re- 
turning to  her  room  she  took  her  scissors  and  began  angrily  cutting 
to  pieces  the  still  unfinished  perfume  bag  which  he  had  asked  her  to 
make  for  him  a  short  time  before.  Pao  Yu,  who  came  running  in  after 
her,  looked  on  regretfully  at  the  work  of  destruction. 

"What  a  pity  to  destroy  the  lovely  bag!"  he  said.  "But  look!  What's 
this  I've  got  here?"  Saying  this,  -he  turned  back  the  facing  of  his  coat 
and,  pulling  out  a  lotus-leaf  purse,  held  it  towards  her,  smiling.  She 
looked  up.  It  was  the  one  she  had  given  him.  She  immediately  re- 
pented her  hastiness  and  hung  her  head,  silent  and  ashamed.  He  must 
really  treasure  her  gift,  she  thought,  to  keep  it  so  safely  hidden  under 
his  clothing.  But  to  punish  her  he  now  began  to  play  the  offended  party. 

"You  need  not  have  been  so  quick  with  your  scissors.  But  if  you 
think  me  unworthy  of  your  gift,  please  take  back  your  purse!"  he  said 
coolly,  aiming  the  purse  so  truly  at  her  that  it  slid  straight  down  her 
bosom.  Whereupon  he  left  the  room.  Black  Jade  burst  out  crying,  took 
the  purse  from  inside  her  dress,  and  was  just  beginning  to  cut  it  up 
with  the  scissors.  But  suddenly  there  was  Pao  Yu  standing  before  her 
again.  With  a  rapid  movement  he  snatched  from  her  this  second  victim 
of  her  ill-temper. 

"Spare  it,  dear  little  sister!"  he  begged  her,  smiling.  She  let  the 
scissors  fall  to  the  ground  and,  dabbing  her  tear-filled  eyes  with  her 
handkerchief,  said  in  a  voice  choked  with  sobs:  "It  is  horrible  of  you 
to  toy  with  me  as  you  do.  Nice  one  time  and  nasty  the  next  ...  I 
can't  bear  it.  .  .  ." 

She  jumped  up  and  threw  herself  on  her  bed,  the  better  to  go  on 
drying  her  eyes  with  her  face  turned  to  the  wall.  Pao  Yu  could  not 
refrain  from  jumping  up  after  her  and  assuring  her,  with  many  tender 
words,  how  sorry  he  was  to  have  offended  her,  and  that  he  recognized 
his  guilt  and  would  be  better  in  the  future. 

Meanwhile  the  Princess  Ancestress  had  been  inquiring  where  her 
grandson  was.  He  was  in  Miss  Ling's  room,  she  was  told. 

"That's  all  the  better,"  said  the  grandmother.  "His  father  has  been 
tormenting  and  persecuting  him  half  the  day.  Why  begrudge  him  a 
little  time  enjoying  himself  with  his  cousin,  out  of  harm's  way?  Do  not 
call  him,  but  only  see  that  they  do  not  quarrel!" 

Black  Jade,  who  found  Pao  Yu's  endearments  too  overwhelming 
for  her  liking,  had  got  up  from  the  bed  again. 

"You  tormenter!  You  do  not  leave  me  a  moment  in  peace!  I  am 
going  to  leave  you,"  she  said,  going  towards  the  door. 

"Then  I  shall  go  with  you,"  he  declared,  beginning  to  fasten  the 

133 


lotus-leaf  purse  back  on  his  belt.  But  suddenly  she  snatched  it  from 

him. 

"I  think  you  do  not  like  it.  You  are  a  plague  and  a  nuisance! 

"Dear  Mei  met,  give  it  back  to  me!" 

"First  say  'please'  nicely!" 

"Please,  please!  And  you  will  give  me  the  perfume  bag  ypu  promised 
me  too,  won't  you?" 

"That  will  depend  entirely  on  my  mood." 


CHAPTER    15 

On  the  day  of  the  Lantern  Festival  the  Imperial  consort  pays  her 

family  a  visit. 

THE  FINAL  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  MISTRESS  OF 

the  Phoenix  Palace  had  now  been  completed.  Chia  Chiang  had  brought 
back  with  him  from  Suchow  a  troupe  of  twelve  picked  dancing  and 
singing  girls,  who  were  to  prepare  a  repertoire  of  twenty  dance-plays 
under  the  direction  of  a  competent  ballet  mistress.  The  troupe  was 
housed  in  the  Pear  Garden,  in  the  premises  hitherto  inhabited  by 
Aunt  Hsueh  and  her  family,  the  latter  being  temporarily  quartered  in 
a  quiet  and  secluded  spot  at  the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  Ningkuo 
palace.  For  attendance  on  the  young  artists  a  few  elderly  women 
who  in  their  youth  had  also  been  versed  in  singing  and  dancing  but 
were  now  settled,  gray-haired  matrons,  were  picked  out  from  among 
the  domestic  staff.  Chia  Chiang  was  entrusted  with  the  task  of  seeing 
to  the  maintenance  6f  the  troupe  and  rendering  an  account  of  the  cost 
of  what  they  consumed. 

At  the  last  great  session  of  the  festival  committee,  which  took  place 
in  the  tenth  month,  the  individual  committee  members  had  submitted 
a  detailed  account  of  their  various  departments,  and  it  had  been  estab- 
lished that  there  was  absolutely  nothing  lacking.  From  the  brightly 
colored  singing  bird  and  the  Manchurian  spirit  crane,  the  stag  and  the 
hare  in  the  game  preserve,  the  geese  and  fowls  in  the  farmyards,  down 
to  the  last  bronze  bowl  and  the  smallest  ornament,  everything  was  in 
its  place.  The  troupe  of  dancing  girls  had  completely  mastered  their 
repertoire  of  twenty  numbers,  and  the  choirs  of  twelve  Buddhist  and 
twelve  Taoist  nuns  were  able  to  reel  off  their  liturgies  at  their  fingers' 
end.  Yet  another  general  inspection  of  the  festival  gardens  was  made, 
this  time  by  the  Princess  Ancestress  and  her  ladies-in-waiting.  Now 
Chia  Cheng's  great  moment  had  come  at  last:  he  composed  his  petition 
to  the  Throne,  officially  begging  the  Imperial  consent  to  his  eldest 

134 


daughter's  visiting  her  family.  The  same  day  on  which  he  handed  in 
his  petition  a  gracious  rescript,  consenting  to  the  visit  requested,  and 
fixing  the  date  for  the  fifteenth  of  the  first  month,  the  day  of  the  first 
full  moon  in  the  New  Year,  namely,  the  Lantern  Festival,  was  received. 

A  week  before  this  date  the  Chief  Eunuch  Hsia,  superintendent  of 
the  six  Imperial  harems,  arrived.  He  examined  with  the  utmost  detail 
the  preparations  which  had  been  made  and  inspected  the  whole  of  the 
festival  gardens  even  to  the  most  secluded  nooks  in  which  the  august 
visitor  was  to  make  herself  comfortable  and  "change  her  attire."  He 
brought  with  him  a  great  crowd  of  other  eunuchs  who  had  been 
specially  selected  for  guard  and  sentry  duties  and  were  now  posted 
at  various  points.  Moreover,  the  inmates  of  the  two  palaces  received 
detailed  instructions  as  to  where  each  person,  down  to  the  kitchen 
staff,  was  to  be  for  the  duration  of  the  august  visit,  as  well  as  the 
exact  ceremonial  which  was  to  be  observed  at  the  reception.  Further- 
more, servants  of  the  Ministry  of  Public  Works  from  the  capital  were 
detailed  to  clean  the  streets  leading  from  the  Imperial  Palace  to  the 
princely  palace,  and  posses  of  special  police  were  sent  to  keep  them 
clear  of  traffic  and  pedestrians. 

During  the  night  of  the  fourteenth  to  the  fifteenth  no  one  closed  an 
eye,  and  from  break  of  dawn  everyone,  from  the  Princess  Ancestress 
down,  was  ready  and  waiting  ceremonially  attired  in  his  or  her  place 
for  the  visitor.  In  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  the  hangings  became 
inflated  and  welled  out  like  dragons  and  snakes,  the  brightly  em- 
broidered curtains  fluttered  like  phoenixes,  the  gold  and  silver  glis- 
tened, the  pearls  and  precious  stones  shimmered,  clouds  of  aromatic 
fumes  ascended  from  tripod  burners  and  from  incense  vessels,  the 
fragrant  green  of  young  foliage  shone  from  pots  and  vases.  A  solemn 
silence  reigned  everywhere.  Not  a  hem  nor  a  cough  was  audible. 

The  male  members  of  the  family  had  taken  their  stand  outside  in 
the  middle  of  the  closed-off  street,  in  front  of  the  western  gate,  while 
the  ladies,  sheltered  from  the  vulgar  gaze  by  high  cloth  screens,  waited 
close  by  the  gate. 

The  exhaustion  caused  by  the  hours  of  waiting  was  already  becoming 
noticeable  when  a  solitary  eunuch  on  horseback  came  galloping  along. 
Chia  Cheng  stopped  him  and  asked  when  the  Imperial  spouse  would 
arrive. 

"Not  for  a  long  time  yet/'  was  the  answer.  "At  one  o'clock  she  in- 
tends to  dine,  at  two  she  will  pray  to  Buddha  in  the  Hall  of  Precious 
Strength  from  God,  at  five  she  will  attend  the  banquet  in  the  Palace  of 
Great  Clarity,  and  after  that  she  will  go  to  see  the  lantern  display  in 
the  Imperial  Gardens.  She  can  hardly  be  here  before  seven  this  eve- 
ning." 

135 


\t  the  suggestion  of  Phoenix,  who  had  heard  the  whole  conversa- 
ti  i  through  the  partition,  the  older  ladies  retired  indoors  for  a  time 

rest.  In  the  late  afternoon  the  loud  trot  of  horses  was  heard  once 
more.  This  time  ten  eunuchs  came  riding  along.  They  were  out  of 
breath  and  as  they  dismounted  they  clapped  their  hands  excitedly.  This 
was  the  prearranged  signal  to  the  many  eunuchs  who  ha.d  been  dis- 
tributed over  the  parklands  for  several  days  before,  that  the  august 
visitor  was  approaching,  and  they  all  rushed  to  their  posts. 

A  little  more  time  passed  in  silent  expectation,  then  two  outriders 
appeared  riding  at  an  easy  trot.  They  leaped  from  their  horses  and,  with 
their  faces  turned  towards  the  west,  took  up  their  position  beside  the 
ladies'  screen.  After  a  time  another  pair  of  outriders  came  along  and 
joined  the  first.  Then  ten  more  pairs  of  outriders  arrived  and,  with 
the  first  two  pairs,  formed  a  double  row.  From  a  distance  came  the 
sound  of  music.  And  now,  two  by  two,  the  long  procession  approached: 
dragon  banners,  great  fans  of  'phoenix  and  pheasant  feathers,  cere- 
monial palace  umbrellas  swayed  to  and  fro.  Next  came  bearers  carry- 
ing lighted  censers  of  gold;  then,  stretched  over  an  arched  framework, 
an  immense  canopy  of  yellow  silk  on  which  were  embroidered  seven 
phoenixes;  a  crown,  robes,  girdle,  and  shoes  were  borne  on  cushions; 
then  came  more  eunuchs  carrying  basins  of  warm  perfumed  water, 
embroidered  hand  towels,  perfumed  handkerchiefs,  dusters  and  simi- 
lar objects,  which  they  held  ready.  And  finally,  borne  by  eight  men, 
came  the  great  yellow-gold  silken  State  sedan  chair,  embroidered  with 
phoenixes,  with  a  golden  knob  at  the  back  and  little  bells  which  tinkled 
sweetly  at  each  side.  At  its  approach  the  entire  crowd  which  was  waiting 
went  down  on  its  knees.  Eunuchs  came  rushing  along  to  help  the 
Princess  Ancestress  and  the  other  great  ladies  to  their  feet  again.  Then 
they  all  surrounded  the  sedan  chair  and  followed  it  on  foot  in  orderly 
procesrion  into  the  palace  precincts.  In  front  of  the  entrance  to  a  some- 
what secluded  courtyard  situated  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Yung- 
kuo  palace  the  litter  was  set  down.  A  eunuch  hastened  up  to  the  door, 
knelt  down,  and  invited  the  Imperial  spouse  to  dismount  and  "changt 
clothes."  The  eunuch  then  withdrew  to  make  way  for  the  Imperial 
ladies-in-waiting,  who  helped  the  distinguished  inmate  out  of  the  sedan 
chair  and  escorted  her  to  the  apartment  in  question. 

After  Beginning  of  Spring  had  "changed  clothes"  she  got  into  the 
chair  again  and  had  herself  carried  to  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision. 
The  park  glittered  with  the  multicolored  shimmer  of  innumerable 
brightly  colored  lamps  and  lanterns,  the  air  was  heavy  with  the  aromatic 
perfumes  which  rose  on  all  sides  in  spirals  of  smoke  from  censers  and 
tripods,  and  filled  with  the  sweet  strains  of  an  invisible  orchestra  which 
made  itself  heard  from  time  to  time. 

136 


"Much  too  luxurious,  much  too  costly!"  murmured 'Beginning  of 
Spring,  shaking  her  head,  when  she  saw  from  inside  her  sedan  chair 
all  the  unheard-of  magnificence  around  her. 

A  eunuch  approached  the  chair,  knelt  down,  and  invited  Her  High- 
ness to  enter  a  boat.  Beginning  of  Spring  left  the  chair  and  entered 
the  gorgeous  State  boat,  which  then  glided  gently  along  the  glittering 
watercourse  that  wound  between  high  slopes.  To  right  and  left  the  cliffs 
and  stone  balustrades  glittered  with  the  colored  lights  of  innumerable 
little  crystal  and  glass  lamps.  The  trees  and  shrubs  along  the  banks, 
which  were  still  bare  of  leaves,  had  been  given  a  springlike  appearance 
by  artificial  leaves  and  flowers  made  of  gaily  colored  fabric  and  tissue, 
and  everywhere  among  the  branches  and  leaves  bright  little  lamps  and 
lanterns  were  glowing.  Down  below  on  the  water,  too,  lights  rocked 
and  swayed,  for  everywhere,  among  the  reeds  and  the  lotus  leaves  and 
water  lilies,  glowed  little  lamps  made  in  the  shape  of  oysters  and  shells, 
while  others,  fastened  to  the  pinions  of  herons,  swans,  and  ducks,  drew 
fantastic  circles  of  light  over  the  surface  of  the  water.  One  could  im- 
agine oneself  transported  into  a  fairy  realm  of  crystal,  a  sparkling 
wonderland  of  pearls  and  precious  stones.  The  boat  itself  was  likewise 
a  blaze  of  multicolored  lights,  and  these,  playing  upon  the  sumptuous 
pearl-studded  curtains  and  embroidered  damask  portieres,  and  on  the 
wet  oars  carved  of  precious  wood,  made  a  brilliant  galaxy  of  reflections. 
The  journey  ended  at  a  marble  landing  place  which  bore  the  title 
"Pepper  Plant  Quay,"  after  which  the  journey  was  continued  by  litter 
under  the  stone  arches  of  honor  with  their  dragons  in  relief,  up  to  the 
main  hall. 

On  the  way  Beginning  of  Spring  expressed  various  wishes  regarding 
mottoes  and  inscriptions  which  she  desired  changed.  For  instance,  she 
wished  the  exuberant  title  on  the  arch  of  honor,  "Entrance  to  the  Do- 
main of  the  Blessed  Spirits,"  to  be  changed  to  the  simple  inscription, 
"Entrance  to  the  Country  House  of  the  Filial  Visit."  Each  of  these 
wishes  was  immediately  conveyed  by  eunuchs  to  Chia  Cheng,  who  had 
the  required  alterations  carried  out  there  and  then;  for  all  the  existing 
mottoes  and  inscriptions  had  only  been  put  up  provisionally.  They  were 
almost  all  based  upon  Pao  Yu's  suggestions. 

It  must  be  remarked  here  that  Beginning  of  Spring  had  a  particularly 
tender  affection  for  her  young  brother.  While  she  was  still  living  at 
home  and  Pao  Yu  was  hardly  four  years  old,  she  used  to  take  an  almost 
motherly  interest  in  the  development  of  his  mind,  and  industriously 
instructed  him  in  the  first  foundations  of  a  classical  education,  and 
taught  him  several  thousand  ideographs.  Even  after  she  had  been  taken 
into  the  service  of  the  Imperial  Palace,  she  had  never  ceased  to  inquire, 
in  her  letters  to  her  father  and  mother,  how  he  was  getting  on  and  what 

137 


progress  he  was  making  in  his  studies.  In  making  use  everywhere  of  the 
products  of  Pao  Yu's  brain  in  texts  for  mottoes,  Chia  Cheng's  idea  was 
to  give  his  sister  pleasure.  She  was  to  perceive  from  these  that  the 
trouble  she  had  taken  with  him  in  her  childhood  days  had  not  been 
wasted  and  had  brought  forth  good  fruit.  For  even  if  Pao  Yu's  inspira- 
tions did  not  exactly  show  genius,  at  least  they  betrayed  considerable 
talent  and  a  certain  originality. 

The  main  hall  shone  festively  in  the  resplendent  glow  of  immense 
candelabra.  Everywhere  smoldering  tripods  and  incense  pots  stood 
about  on  the  grounds,  filling  the  air  with  aromatic  perfumes  from  the 
musk  glands  of  the  civet  and  musk  ox.  It  would  be  impossible  to  de- 
scribe adequately  the  sumptuousness  of  the  interior  decorations — to 
depict  and  recount  in  detail  all  the  splendors  of  the  carpets  and  hang- 
ings, the  walls  and  the  windows,  the  staircases  and  the  banisters.  It  was 
a  real  fairy  castle,  a  genuine  "cinnamon  hall,"  a  "palace  of  orchids," 
worthy  to  be  the  dwelling  place  of  the  Imperial  spouse. 

Beginning  of  Spring  remarked  that  there  was  no  inscription  over  the 
front  of  the  building.  A  eunuch  explained  to  her  that  this  was  the  main 
hall,  and  that  no  one  had  dared  to  anticipate  her  own  choice  at  this,  the 
most  important  point  in  the  whole  of  the  festive  gardens.  A  head 
eunuch,  who  was  acting  as  master  of  ceremonies,  now  invited  her  to  as- 
cend the  throne  and  receive  the  homage  of  the  members  of  the  family. 
At  each  side  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  throne  music  began  to  play. 
Meantime  Prince  Shieh  and  the  other  seniors  had  grouped  themselves, 
under  the  guidance  of  two  eunuchs,  on  the  Terrace  of  the  Moon  in  front 
of  the  entrance  to  the  hall,  and  stood  awaiting  a  sign  to  appear  before 
the  face  of  Her  Imperial  Highness  and  perform  their  kowtow  of  homage 
in  the  manner  prescribed  by  Court  ceremonial.  But  Her  Imperial  High- 
ness released  them,  and  also  the  ladies,  from  the  performance  of  this 
kowtow,  and  contented  herself  with  a  simple  levee.  In  the  course  of 
these  proceedings  tea  was  handed  to  Her  Highness  three  times.  She 
then  stood  up  and  descended  from  the  throne.  As  she  did  so  the  music 
ceased.  And  with  this  the  official  part  of  the  reception  came  to  an  end. 

The  Imperial  wife  now  entered  a  side  chamber  and  changed  her  at- 
tire. She  then  left  the  park  in  a  carriage  belonging  to  the  house  and 
went,  now  a  simple  daughter  of  the  family  once  more,  to  visit  her  par- 
ents and  her  grandmother.  This  second,  private  reception  took  place  in 
the  home  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  Strictly  speaking,  Beginning  of 
Spring  should  now,  as  daughter  and  granddaughter,  have  had  to  throw 
herself  upon  her  knees  before  the  old  Tai  tai  and  her  mother.  But  the 
old  Tai  tai  and  the  other  female  relatives  approached  her  with  a  curtsy 
and  forbade  her  to  conform  with  the  ceremony  prescribed  by  Court 
etiquette. 

138 


After  the  formalities  had  been  sufficiently  complied  with  the  human 
emotions  which  the  reunion  awoke  were  given  full  vent.  All  the  as- 
sembled female  relations  welcomed  Beginning  of  Spring  in  their  turn, 
and  as  she  stood  there  holding  her  grandmother's  left  hand  and  her 
mother's  right,  tears  rolled  ceaselessly  down  her  cheeks.  The  relatives 
were  likewise  overcome  with  emotion.  All  had  so  much  in  their  hearts 
which  they  would  have  dearly  loved  to  express,  but  for  a  long  while 
nothing  could  be  heard  but  wordless  sobbing.  Princess  Shieh  and  Phoe- 
nix and  the  three  cousins,  Greeting  of  Spring,  Grief  of  Spring,  and 
Taste  of  Spring,  who  were  modestly  standing  somewhat  in  the  back- 
ground, were  all  seized  with  the  prevalent  emotion  too,  and  continu- 
ously wiped  their  eyes. 

At  last  Beginning  of  Spring  mastered  her  emotions,  and  forced  her 
voice  to  a  gay  and  jocular  tone  as,  turning  to  her  grandmother  and 
mother,  she  said:  "Since  I  was  taken  away  to  that  place  which  is  closed 
to  you,  I  have  today  been  permitted  to  see  you  again  for  the  first  time 
after  a  long  separation  and  many  difficulties.  And  now  instead  of  chat- 
ting and  laughing  merrily  together,  we  are  all  weeping  and  wailing  at 
one  another.  We  should  be  enjoying  the  present  moment  instead  of 
doing  this.  Soon  I  shall  have  to  leave  you,  and  who  knows  when  we 
shall  meet  again  .  .  .!" 

She  could  say  no  more  and  began  sobbing  anew.  They  all  pressed 
around  to  console  and  comfort  her.  She  was  now  brought  to  an  arm- 
chair on  which  she  sat  receiving  the  homage  of  the  entire  female  staff 
of  both  palaces,  who  passed  in  order  of  precedence  before  the  doorway 
and  performed  their  kowtow. 

"Our  family  is  so  big,  it  is  sad  that  there  is  not  time  to  greet  every- 
one," sighed  Beginning  of  Spring. 

Her  mother  asked  her  whether  she  wished  to  receive  Aunt  Hsueh  and 
her  daughter  and  cousin  Black  Jade.  They  were  waiting  outside  but 
were  not  venturing  to  appear  unless  called,  as  they  considered  them- 
selves without  rank  or  dignity.  Beginning  of  Spring  had  them  called  in 
and  had  a  few  friendly  words  for  each  of  them.  Meanwhile  her  attend- 
ants were  being  refreshed  in  various  quarters;  only  four  young  eunuchs 
had  remained  behind  in  her  vicinity.  This  absence  of  guards  and  ret- 
inue allowed  the  family  more  unrestricted  conversation.  Beginning  of 
Spring  also  exchanged  a  few  words  with  her  father,  Chia  Cheng,  though 
only  through  the  folding  screen,  of  course,  because  according  to  Court 
etiquette  no  strange  man,  not  even  her  own  father,  was  permitted  to 
look  with  his  profane  eyes  upon  a  wife  of  the  Emperor. 

"The  poor  peasants  who  live  on  salted  cabbage  and  dress  in  shoddy 
cotton  are  better  off  than  we  are,"  lamented  Beginning  of  Spring 
through  the  screen.  "They  can  foster  and  satisfy  their  natural  desire  for 

139 


family  life  to  their  hearts'  content.  But  we,  on  the  contrary,  though  we 
are  made  of  the  same  flesh  and  blood  as  they,  have  to  endure  sorrowful 
separation.  What  good  to  us  are  all  of  our  splendors  and  riches?" 

Her  father  too  was  on  the  verge  of  tears,  but  he  spoke  words  of  com- 
fort to  her  and  exhorted  her  not  to  quarrel  with  fate,  which  had  treated 
her  so  well,  but  to  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the  favor  granted  to  her 
by  the  Son  of  Heaven  and  to  repay  it  with  redoubled  dutifulness. 

"Who  would  ever  have  dreamed  that  it  would  be  granted  to  a  simple, 
obscure  subject  such  as  I  to  rear  a  precious  phoenix  in  his  poor,  cold 
household  among  ordinary  birds  of  the  hen  and  goose  species?  Next  to 
the  favor  of  the  Emperor  and  the  inscrutable  designs  of  nature,  such 
great  good  fortune  is  doubtless  also  to  be  ascribed  to  the  blessed  and 
benign  influence  of  our  ancestors.  Therefore,  we  must  show  ourselves 
worthy  of  our  ancestors  by  redoubled  self-sacrifice  and  devotion  to  the 
Throne,  the  more  so  now  that  the  Throne  has  granted  us  this  hitherto 
unknown  favor  of  a  visit  to  the  family.  Even  if  we  were1  to  dash  our 
brains  out  against  the  ground  in  doing  homage,  we  should  still  not  have 
paid  the  ten-thousandth  part  of  our  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  Son  of 
Heaven — may  he  see  a  thousand  harvests!  Let  the  Imperial  spouse — 
and  this  is  my  most  earnest  prayer — not  think  so  much  of  the  years  she 
has  wasted  in  the  society  of  her  parents,  but  rather  let  her  dedicate  all 
her  mind  and  all  her  strength  to  the  service  of  His  Imperial  Majesty!" 

Chia  Cheng  then  went  on  to  speak  of  Pao  Yu,  remarking  that  most  of 
the  inscriptions  and  mottoes  in  the  park  had  been  planned  by  him.  If 
she  would  deign  to  take  notice  of  one  or  other  of  these  inscriptions  and 
help  to  improve  upon  them,  she  would  certainly  make  Pao  Yu  very 
happy. 

"Oh,  what  splendid  progress  he  has  made!"  cried  Beginning  of 
Spring,  joyfully.  Then,  when  Chia  Cheng  had  withdrawn,  she  asked 
those  around  her:  "Why  do  I  not  see  Pao  Yu?" 

"As  a  male  relative  without  office  or  title,  he  does  not  dare  to  appear 
without  being  called  for,"  replied  the  Princess  Ancestress. 

"Bring  him  here,"  the  eunuchs  were  ordered.  Soon  afterwards  Pao 
Yu  appeared,  and  saluted  his  sister  by  falling  on  his  knee  and  touching 
the  ground  with  his  forehead.  But  she  took  him  quite  unceremoniously 
by  the  hand  and,  clasping  him  to  her  breast,  fondly  stroked  his  head 
and  neck. 

"How  big  you  have  grown!"  she  exclaimed,  smiling,  but  immediately 
overcome  by  her  childhood  memories,  she  broke  down  in  tears  once 
more. 

"The  banquet  is  ready.  We  beg  the  Imperial  spouse  to  grant  us  the 
happiness  of  sharing  it."  With  these  words  they  sought  to  distract  her 
from  her  grief.  Beginning  of  Spring  stood  up,  ordered  Pao  Yu  to  lead 

140 


the  way,  and  set  out  on  foot  through  the  new  park,  together  with  the 
entire  company,  for  the  main  hall,  where  the  banquet  was  to  take  place. 
On  the  way  the  most  important  parts  of  the  park,  which  was  illuminated 
with  innumerable  bright  lanterns,  were  inspected  thoroughly.  Beginning 
of  Spring  was  lavish  with  her  praise  and  approval,  but  she  begged  her 
family  very  earnestly  not  to  indulge  in  such  excessive  expenditure  when 
she  should  visit  them  again.  At  the  banquet  Princess  Chen  and  Phoenix 
shared  the  office  of  handing  her  food  and  filling  her  glass. 

After  the  meal  Beginning  of  Spring  asked  for  writing  brush  and  ink 
and  wrote  with  her  own  hand  on  strips  of  flowered  silk  the  names  and 
inscriptions  which  she  gave  to  the  most  important  places  in  the  new 
park.  The  grounds  as  a  whole  were  to  receive  the  name  of  "Park  of 
Delightful  Vision"  and  the  facade  of  the  main  hall  the  inscription  "Re- 
membering the  Imperial  Favor,  intent  upon  Faithful  Fulfillment  of 
Duty,"  and  so  name  after  name,  motto  after  motto,  text  after  text  came 
under  review.  After  this,  a  competition  in  poetical  composition  began 
between  the  sisters  and  cousins  and  Pao  Yu.  Greeting  of  Spring,  Grief 
of  Spring,  Taste  of  Spring,  Precious  Clasp,  Black  Jade,  and  Li  Wan, 
the  young  widow  of  the  deceased  brother  Chia  Chu,  each  received  a 
motto  as  theme  and  had  to  compose  a  stanza  on  it.  Actually,  Pao  Yu 
was  given  four  themes.  He  was  required  to  extol  in  stanzas  6f  particu- 
larly choice  language  the  four  places  in  the  park  which  pleased  him  the 
most.  And  so  the  improvising  and  versifying  went  on  until  far  into  the 
night.  Of  the  six  samples  of  feminine  literary  talent,  Beginning  of 
Spring  declared  the  efforts  submitted  by  Black  Jade  and  Precious  Clasp 
to  be  the  best;  so  excellent  indeed,  she  added  modestly,  that  she  herself 
could  not  compete  with  them. 

Pao  Yu  too  had  finished  his  task  with  real  effort  and  with  the  secret 
friendly  help  of  his  two  gifted  cousins,  Precious  Clasp  and  Black  Jade. 
Precious  Clasp  had  helped  hint  with  the  third  stanza  by  reciting  a 
missing  line  which  he  could  not  remember  from  a  poem  of  the  cele- 
brated T'ang  poet,  Han  Yu;  and  Black  Jade  had  actually  written  the 
whole  fourth  stanza  for  him  and  passed  it  to  him  secretly  scribbled  on  a 
crumpled  piece  of  paper.  Beginning  of  Spring  promptly  declared  this 
fourth  stanza  to  be  by  far  the  best  of  his  efforts.  Taste  of  Spring,  who 
wrote  a  beautiful  hand,  now  had  to  copy  all  the  ten  stanzas  out  afresh 
on  paper,  after  which  they  were  taken  by  a  eunuch  to  Chia  Cheng,  so 
that  he  might  rejoice  at  these  specimens  of  the  literary  talent  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  family. 

Cousin  Chia  Chiang,  who  was  burning  with  desire  to  shine  with  his 
troupe  of  dancing  girls,  was  almost  beside  himself  with  impatience 
when  at  last  a  eunuch  came  rushing  in  behind  the  dancing  stage. 

142 


"The  literary  competition  is  finished,"  he  announced.  "The  dance 
program  can  begin  now.  Give  me  a  program  quickly." 

Chia  Chiang  handed  him  a  program  and  a  list  of  the  names  of  the 
twelve  dancers.  Beginning  of  Spring  chose  four  out  of  the  twenty  num- 
bers: "The  Glorious  Banquet,"  "The  Strange  Beggar,"  "Meeting  of 
Phantoms,"  and  "Separated  Souls."  The  audience  took  their  places  in 
front  of  the  stage,  Chia  Chiang  gave  the  command  to  raise  the  curtain, 
and  the  twelve  girls  began  to  display  their  carefully  rehearsed  art.  They 
danced  so  enchantingly  that  the  audience  could  only  stare  as  if  be- 
witched; their  singing  melted  all  hearts;  and  in  their  acting  they  ex- 
pressed joy  and  grief  to  such  perfection  that  the  onlookers,  quite  car- 
ried away,  almost  took  their  playing  for  reality. 

After  the  performance  a  eunuch  appeared  behind  the  stage  with  a 
golden  plate  full  of  cakes 

Chia  Chiang  made  the  dancer,  Ling  Kuan,  step  in  front  of  the  cur- 
tain to  perform  a  kowtow  of  thanks  before  the  august  donor. 

"The  Imperial  wife  has  declared  that  Ling  Kuan  is  the  best  of  the 
troupe,"  continued  the  eunuch,  "and  she  desires  her  to  give  two  or  more 
solo  pieces." 

Chia  Chiang  accordingly  sent  Ling  Kuan  onto  the  stage  once  more 
and  ordered  her  to  give  as  encores  the  two  numbers  "A  Walk  through 
the  Garden"  and  "Terrible  Awakening  from  a  Dream."  As  these  two 
numbers  did  not  form  part  of  her  special  repertoire,  the  rather  inde- 
pendent Ling  Kuan  performed  instead  two  dance  scenes,  "Rendezvous" 
and  "Quarrel."  Beginning  of  Spring  was  again  delighted  with  the  girl's 
ability  and  rewarded  her  with  an  extra  fee  in  the  form  of  two  bales  of 
silk  from  the  palace  and  two  purses  filled  with  pieces  of  gold  and  silver. 

With  this  the  banquet  ended.  Beginning  of  Spring  stood  up  to  visit 
some  other  parts  of  the  park  which  she  had  not  yet  seen,  among  them  a 
Buddhist  temple  set  on  a  hill,  where  she  burned  incense  and  prayed  to 
Buddha.  She  chose  as  inscription  for  this  temple  the  words:  "On  the 
Boat  of  Mercy  through  the  Sea  of  Bitterness." 

After  this  there  was  a  great  distribution  of  gifts  in  the  main  hall.  Be- 
ginning of  Spring,  seated  on  a  dais,  held  a  comprehensive  gift  list  in 
her  hand  and  inspected  every  single  present  as  the  eunuchs  laid  it  at  her 
feet.  No  one  in  the  two  palaces,  from  the  Princess  Ancestress  down  to 
the  coolie  who  collected  the  garbage  and  the  ypungest  kitchen  maid, 
went  empty-handed.  The  Princess  Ancestress  received  two  house  scep- 
ters, one  of  gold,  the  other  of  jade,  inscribed  "May  your  Wishes  come 
True,"  an  aloe  rod,  a  prayer  chaplet  of  sandalwood  beads,  four  pairs  of 
satin  sheets  from  the  Imperial  Palace  stores  with  the  words  "Long 
Spring,"  "Riches  and  Nobility,"  "Good  Fortune,"  and  "Long  Life" 
embroidered  on  them;  also  a  gold  writing-brush  case,  ten  gold  bars 

143 


wrought  in  the  form  of  the  ideographs  representing  "May  your  Wishes 
come  True,"  and  ten  silver  bars  in  the  form  of  the  ideograph  represent- 
ing "Happiness  and  Blessings."  To  enumerate  all  the  other  gifts  would 
be  too  lengthy  a  task.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  combined  household 
staffs  of  the  east  and  west  palaces  received  gifts  comprising  a  hundred 
bales  of  silk,  a  thousand  ounces  of  silver,  and  many  bottles  of  Imperial 
wine. 

It  was  already  approaching  three  in  the  morning  when  the  Chief 
Eunuch,  who  was  in  charge,  announced  that  it  was  time  to  leave.  Once 
more  the  eyes  of  the  Imperial  wife  filled  with  tears,  but  she  bravely 
forced  herself  to  smile  cheerfully,  pressed  the  hands  of  her  mother  and 
grandmother  once  more,  and  begged  them  not  to  let  the  parting  grieve 
them  too  greatly.  The  Son  of  Heaven,  in  his  immense  generosity,  would 
surely  permit  them  to  see  each  other  again  one  day,  but  on  the  occasion 
of  her  next  visit  they  should  refrain  from  such  excessive  expenditure  in 
her  honor.  And  finally  they  parted  with  heartbreaking  tears  and  lamen- 
tations. As  the  Imperial  litter  disappeared  out  of  sight  with  Beginning 
of  Spring,  her  mother  and  grandmother  had  to  be  supported  on  each 
side,  Jest  they  should  sink  to  the  ground  with  the  weight  of  their  grief. 


CHAPTER    16 

One  night  the  maid  Pearl  tests  Poo  Yu's  feelings  and  stipulates  her 
conditions.  Black  Jade  makes  fun  of  Cousin  Little  Cloud. 

ON  RETURNING  TO  THE  IMPERIAL  PALACE,  BEGINNING  OF  SPRING  GAVE 

her  Imperial  husband  a  report  of  her  harmonious  and  pleasant  visit  to 
her  home.  The  dragon  countenance  of  the  Son  of  Heaven  grew  bright 
with  joy  and  in  token  of  his  favor  and  recognition  he  sent  rich  gifts 
of  silk,  gold,  and  silver  to  his  father-in-law  Chia  Cheng,  for  himself  and 
his  family  and  also  for  distribution  among  the  personal  attendants  of 
the  Imperial  spouse. 

After  all  the  trouble  and  exertion  which  the  illustrious  visit  had 
.caused,  the  inmates  of  the  east  and  west  palaces  permitted  themselves 
a  few  days  of  well-earned  rest  and  recreation.  The  New  Year  celebra- 
tions continued,  it  is  true,  but  they  were  less  formal  than  usual.  Apart 
from  Phoenix,  who  continued  to  carry  out  her  household  duties  with 
her  wonted  energy,  everyone  sought  his  or  her  own  comfort  and 
bothered  as  little  as  possible  about  others.  Thus  it  happened  that  Pao 
Yu  was  left  to  his  own  devices  more  than  usual,  and  as  the  family  school 
was  closed  for  the  New  Year  holidays,  he  hardly  knew  what  to  do  with 
all  his  free  time.  He  got  bored  by  the  monotony  of  the  days,  and  lack  of 
supervision  whetted  his  desire  for  freedom. 

144 


One  afternoon  he  slipped  away  from  the  theatrical  performance  in 
the  Ningkuo  palace.  The  demon  dances  on  the  stage,  with  their  accom- 
paniment of  wild  cries  and  the  intoxicating  music  of  gongs  and  drums 
which  could  be  heard  right  out  on  the  street,  where  they  held  a  crowd 
of  loiterers  spellbound  with  admiration,  were  not  at  all  to  his  taste.  He 
found  this  kind  of  art  too  rough  and  ready. 

After  a  hurried,  passing  glance  into  the  inner  rooms,  where  he  said 
good-by  to  Princess  Chen  and  various  secondary  wives,  he  stole  into  a 
somewhat  secluded  part  of  the  building,  a  little  reading  pavilion.  In  this 
pavilion  hung  the  picture  of  a  marvelously  beautiful  woman  which  was 
painted  in  a  manner  so  true  to  nature  that  it  almost  seemed  to  breathe. 
I  will  keep  this  beautiful  lady  company  so  that  she  will  not  feel  so  for- 
saken on  this  merry  holiday,  he  thought  to  himself. 

He  was  all  alone,  for  the  servants  too  had  a  great  deal  of  freedom  that 
day.  The  older  ones  were  free  to  indulge  in  their  beloved  card  games  or 
spend  the  day  with  their  relatives  in  the  town;  the  younger  ones  were 
allowed  to  attend  the  theatrical  performances  and  fireworks.  Today 
none  of  them  was  required  to  bother  much  about  the  little  master. 

As  Pao  Yu  passed  under  the  window  of  the  pavilion  he  heard  a  sound 
of  sighing  and  groaning  from  inside.  What's  this?  Can  the  picture  have 
come  to  life?  he  thought  in  alarm,  poking  a  hole  in  the  window  parch- 
ment to  look  in.  No,  the  picture  had  not  come  to  life;  the  noise  came 
instead  from  two  real  mortals  who  were  absorbed  in  that  pleasurable 
game  which  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening  had  once  taught  him.  In 
the  male  half  of  the  couple  he  recognized  his  valet,  Ming  Yen. 

"Stop  that!"  he  shouted,  pushing  the  door  open  with  his  foot.  The 
lovers  separated  in  haste,  hurriedly  fastening  their  clothing.  Ming  Yen 
fell  on  his  knees  before  his  master  and  begged  for  mercy. 

"This  is  a  nice  way  to  behave  in  clear  daylight;  if  the  master  of  the 
house  hears  of  it,  it  will  go  ill  with  you,"  scolded  Pao  Yu,  at  the  same 
time  taking  a  good  look  at  Ming  Yen's  partner.  She  was  not  exactly  a 
beauty,  this  little  kitchen  maid,  but  she  was  charming  and  pretty 
enough  not  to  leave  a  male  heart  unmoved.  She  had  become  red  to  the 
ears,  and  was  standing  with  downcast  eyes,  silent  and  embarrassed. 

"Why  don't  you  clear  out?"  asked  Pao  Yu  angrily,  stamping  his  foot. 
The  little  creature  slipped  out  like  the  wind.  Pao  Yu  followed  her. 

"Don't  be  afraid;  I  am  not  a  telltale !"  he  called  after  her. 

"Not  so  loud,  little  ancestor.  Your  shouting  will  certainly  betray  us!" 
cried  Ming  Yen,  following  him,  in  his  turn.  Pao  Yu  stopped  and  let  the 
young  girl  slip  off.  After  he  had  questioned  Ming  Yen  about  her  age 
and  parentage,  he  said  that  he  would  like  to  take  some  kind  of  expedi- 
tion. Ming  Yen  suggested  a  good  long  walk  outside  the  city  walls,  but 
his  master  thought  that  too  daring.  He  finally  decided  on  a  visit  to  the 

145 


home  of  Pearl,  who  had  got  leave  to  spend  the  day  with  her  mother. 
The  hou^e  was  only  a  bare  mile  away. 

Pearl,  who  was  just  taking  tea  and  cake  with  her  mother  and  brother 
and  half  a  dozen  female  cousins,  felt  not  a  little  surprised  and  honored 
by  the  unexpected  visit  of  her  young  master.  He  must  surely  be  very 
fond  of  her  indeed  if  he  could  not  do  without  her  for  a  few  hours. 

She  had  wondered  what  urgent  matter  had  brought  him  here,  but  he 
said  he  was  merely  bored  and  wanted  her  company.  Yet  she  had  to 
scold  him  for  his  folly  in  daring  to  leave  the  house  all  on  his  own  and 
she  wanted  to  send  him  straight  back.  What  if  they  missed  him?  Or  if 
he  met  his  stern  old  father  on  the  way?  Or  if  his  horse  took  fright  in 
the  crowded  streets  and  threw  him?  she  asked  anxiously.  Her  brother, 
who  was  older  than  she,  calmed  her,  saying  that  since  the  young  gentle- 
man was  here  they  were  bound  in  decency  to  entertain  him  for  a  while. 
So  they  took  him  into  the  living  room,  made  him  sit  down  on  the 
heated  kang,  and  set  before  him  all  kinds  of  modest  titbits  which  he  did 
not  touch.  Little  comfort  though  Pearl's  simple  home  could  offer  him, 
nevertheless  the  change  pleased  him.  The  easygoing  atmosphere  of 
humble  folk  which  this  living  room  breathed  was  something  quite  new 
to  the  spoiled  young  aristocrat  from  a  great  house,  and  several  of  the 
simple  young  things  who  sat  with  downcast  eyes  and  flushed  cheeks 
around  the  family  board  seemed  to  him  quite  charming.  Pearl  herself 
was  touching  in  her  attentions  to  him.  She  pushed  her  own  cushion  be- 
hind his  back,  put  her  own  foot-warmer  to  his  feet,  and  set  alight  in  his 
honor  two  sweet-smelling  offerings  of  pressed  plum  blossoms.  He  no- 
ticed that  there  were  red  circles  round  her  eyes  and  signs  of  tears  on  her 
powdered  cheeks. 

"Have  you  been  crying?"  he  asked  gently. 

"No,  no !  A  speck  of  dust  got  in  my  eye,  and  the  lid  has  got  red  from 
rubbing  it,"  she  answered  brightly.  "But  you  are  very  smartly  dressed ! 
It  was  not  for  us,  was  it?"  she  asked,  changing  the  subject  hurriedly. 

"No,  it  was  for  that  awful  theatrical  show  at  Prince  Chen's.  I  have 
just  come  from  it." 

"And  you  must  go  back  to  it  as  quickly  as  you  can.  Our  poor  hut  is 
no  place  for  you  to  be." 

"I  am  going,  but  you  must  come  back  soon."  She  gave  him  a  know- 
ing smile.  Then  she  took  the  five-colored  cord  with  the  stone  amulet 
from  his  neck  and  handed  it  round  the  family  circle. 

"Look,  this  is  the  wonderful  thing  I  have  often  told  you  about. 
Now  you  can  look  at  it  and  wonder  at  it  with  your  own  eyes.  Have  a 
really  good  look  at  it;  you  don't  have  the  chance  to  see  such  a  strange 
thing  as  that  every  day,"  she  declared  proudly,  fastening  the  cord 
round  his  neck  again.  After  this  Pao  Yu  cut  short  his  brief  visit.  On 

146 


Pearl's  advice  he  hired  a  small  covered  sedan  chair,  which  brought  him 
up  near  the  side  gate  of  the  Ningkuo  palace,  so  that  he  might  avoid 
being  recognized  on  the  way.  Only  there  did  he  mount  his  horse  again; 
and  in  this  way  he  got  in  unobserved.  Thus  his  little  flight  into  freedom 
passed  without  repercussions,  and  it  would  have  been  scarcely  worth 
mentioning  here  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  it  contributed  to  strengthen- 
ing Pearl's  self-assurance  to  a  very  great  extent,  as  was  soon  apparent. 

In  his  absence  his  former  nurse,  Mother  Li,  had  come  hobbling  along 
on  her  stick  to  pay  him  a  New  Year  visit.  Although  she  had  long  since 
retired  from  service  because  of  her  age,  nevertheless  she  felt  that  she 
was  still  as  important  and  indispensable  as  ever.  She  had  scolded  the 
waiting  maids  and  housemaids  as  usual  and  held  forth  loudly  about  the 
loose  ways  that  had  crept  into  the  household  since  she  had  left  it;  and 
had  gone  away  at  last,  still  chiding  and  scolding^  having  eaten  up  the 
delicious  mousse  which  had  been  sent  specially  that  morning  from  the 
Imperial  kitchens  for  Pao  Yu,  and  which  Pao  Yu  had  set  aside  for  the 
maid  Pearl. 

When  Pearl  came  home  in  the  evening  he  apologized  to  her  because 
the  greedy  old  woman  had  once  more  snapped  up  her  titbit  out  of  envy. 
Pearl,  in  her  nice  considerate  way,  had  laughed  it  off,  saying:  "Thank 
you  for  the  good  intention,  but  the  last  time  I  took  that  mousse  it  did  not 
agree  with  nie  at  all,  tasty  though  it  is.  So  I'm  not  a  bit  sorry  for  it.  I 
should  much  prefer  a  few  nice  roast  chestnuts  before  going  to  bed.  Per- 
haps you  would  peel  some  for  me?" 

Pao  Yu  obediently  ordered  a  plate  of  roast  chestnuts,  picked  out  the 
best,  and  peeled  them  for  her  with  his  own  hands. 

"Who  was  that  girl  in  red,  this  afternoon?"  he  inquired  casually, 
absorbed  in  his  occupation. 

"She  was  a  cousin  of  mine.  But  what  are  you  sighing  for?  No  doubt 
you  are  thinking  she  is  not  grand  enough  to  dress  so  strikingly?" 

"Quite  the  contrary.  Who  has  a  better  right  than  she  to  dress  in  red? 
Could  she  not  be  taken  on  here?" 

"Certainly  not.  My  people  find  it  quite  enough  to  have  one  slave  in 
the  family.  You  shall  have  to  look  around  for  someone  else,"  retorted 
Pearl,  insolently. 

"Do  not  be  so  touchy.  I  did  not  mean  that  she  should  come  as  a 
slave,  but  only  to  visit,  as  your  relative." 

"She  is  not  suitable  company  for  you." 

Pao  Yu  fell  silent  and  went  on  peeling  the  chestnuts. 

''Why  don't  you  speak?"  she  went  on  after  a  fairly  long  pause.  '"I 
suppose  I've  offended  yot1?  Very  well,  for  all  I  care,  if  you're  so  struck 
with  her,  it  need  only  cost  you  a  few  ounces  of  silver  and  she's  yours." 

"You  misunderstand  me.  I  only  meant  to  say  that  she  deserves  far 

147 


better  than  an  inferior  creature  like  me  to  pass  her  life  in  these  spacious 
halls  and  extensive  gardens." 

"That  good  fortune  has  certainly  been  denied  her,  but  she  has  never 
had  to  suffer  want  and  her  parents  have  spoiled  her  in  every  way.  She 
is  seventeen  now  and  she  has  already  got  her  full  bridal  equipment 
ready  in  her  trunks  and  cases.  For  she's  getting  married  this  year." 

A  regretful  "Ah!"  escaped  from  Pao  Yu. 

"Yes,  indeed,  it's  a  pity,"  continued  Pearl  with  a  sigh.  "We  cousins 
have  seen  so  little  of  each  other  all  these  years  that  I've  been  here.  And 
now,  just  when  I  am  about  to  return  home,  she  is  leaving  us." 

Pao  Yu  was  so  startled  that  he  let  the  chestnuts  roll  onto  the  ground. 
"What?  You  want  to  return  home?"  he  asked,  dumfounded. 

"Yes.  Just  when  you  came  this  afternoon  we  were  having  a  family 
council  over  it.  My  mother  and  my  brother  were  urging  me  to  remain 
just  one  more  year  in  service;  then  they  would  have  got  together  enough 
money  to  buy  my  freedom." 

"Why  do  they  want  to  buy  you  free?" 

"What  a  funny  question !  After  all,  I  am  not  a  daughter  of  the  house. 
Do  you  think  perhaps  that  I  should  end  my  days  here?" 

"What  if  I  do  not  let  you  go?" 

"Oho !  Even  at  the  Imperial  Court  there  is  no  such  thing  as  perpetual 
servitude.  The  domestic  staff  is  changed  and  added  to  every  few  years. 
There  are  special  laws  about  these  things.  If  even  the  Court  must  bow 
to  those  laws,  then  your  house  must  assuredly  do  so." 

Pao  Yu  could  not  hide  from  himself  the  fact  that  she  was  right. 
Nevertheless  he  tried  to  put  forward  other  objections. 

"You  will  find  it  difficult  to  get  free  without  the  permission  of  the 
old  Tai  tai,"  he  remarked. 

"Why  should  she  be  against  it?  Am  I  perchance  so  special  that  she 
could  not  do  without  me?  That  she  should  perhaps  consent  to  an  addi- 
tion to  my  mother's  allowance,  in  order  to  keep  me?  It  seems  to  me, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  I  am  no  better  than  the  average  girl  and  can 
be  easily  replaced  at  any  time.  At  any  rate,  I  have  been  in'the  service 
of  your  family  long  enough,  first  several  years  with  Miss  Little  Cloud, 
the  old  Tai  tai's  granddaughter,  and  after  that  who  knows  how  many 
years  with  you.  It's  really  time  for  me  to  go.  Your  grandmother  will  be 
pleased,  on  the  contrary,  I  do  believe,  when  she  is  rid  of  me  at  last,  and 
she  won't  demand  a  specially  big  ransom.  The  fact  that  I  have  served 
you  well  was  only  my  duty.  Others  do  their  duty  just  as  well  or  better." 

Pao  Yu  fidgeted  uneasily  on  his  seat. 

"But  what  if  I  greatly  desire  you  to  remain?  Would  your  mother  not 
desist  from  her  intention  if  my  grandmother  asks  her  to,  and  offers  her 
an  increased  allowance?" 

148 


"My  mother  would  certainly  not  dare  to  resist  if  the  old  Tai  tai  in- 
sisted absolutely  that  I  should  remain,  and  in  that  case  there  would  He 
no  need  of  increasing  the  allowance  by  a  single  copper.  But  the  question 
is,  would  the  old  Tai  tai  insist?  As  far  as  I  know,  it  lias  never  been  the 
custom  of  your  family  to  misuse  their  power  and  influence  in  order  to 
intimidate  and  coerce  the  weak.  From  what  I  know  of  the  old  Tai  tai  I 
doubt  very  much  whether  she  would  depart  from  this  noble  family  tradi- 
tion in  order  to  force  my  mother  -and  me  to  sometfiing  which  would  be 
of  no  particular  advantage  to  your  family  and  a  human  hardship  for 
mine." 

Pao  Yu  remained  thoughtful  for  a  few  moments. 

"If  I  understand  you  aright,  you  are  seriously  resolved  to  leave?" 

"Yes." 

Ungrateful  creature!  he  thought  to  himself,  angrily.  Then  aloud, 
with  a  sigh:  "If  I  had  guessed  that  before  I  would  never  have  taken  you 
into  my  service.  Now  I  shall  remain  behind  alone  here,  a  poor  forsaken 
ghost." 

He  slipped  off  sadly  to  his  bed  and  lay  down.  He  did  not  know  that 
Pearl  had  only  been  play-acting  a  bit,  in  order  to  test  his  feelings  for 
her.  In  reality,  she  had  declared  today  at  home,  when  her  mother  and 
brother  had  expressed  the  intention  of  buying  her  back,  that  she  had  no 
desire  to  be  ransomed  and  would  rather  die  than  leave  her  service.  At 
a  time  when  there  was  not  another  grain  of  rice  to  eat  at  home,  she  her- 
self had  decided  to  be  sold  into  servitude  to  save  her  family  from  star- 
vation. She  was  lucky  enough  to  have  a  position  now  where  she  lacked 
neither  clothing  nor  good  food,  was  treated  almost  like  a  daughter  of 
the  house,  and  was  neither  beaten  by  day  nor  misused  by  night;  and  was 
she  to  be  so  foolish  as  to  give  up  this  pleasant  life  now  to  return  to  the 
narrowness  of  her  home?  Certainly  not.  She  did  not  wish  to  hear  an- 
other word  about  being  bought  back,  and  meantime  would  prefer  her 
family  to  regard  her  as  being  dead. 

An  excited  family  discussion  had  followed,  in  the  course  of  which 
some  tears,  of  which  Pao  Yu  had  remarked  the  traces,  had  been  shed. 
The  result  was  that  the  mother  and  brother  gave  way  and  dropped  their 
intention.  Pao  Yu's  unexpected  visit  had  shown  them  the  warm  relations 
existing  between  servant  and  master  and  left  them  completely  con- 
vinced and  reassured.  In  short,  all  that  Pearl  had  just  said  about  leaving 
and  being  ransomed  was  sheer  fiction. 

Pao  Yu  had  not  been  in  bed  for  long  when  Pearl  came  to  his  bedside 
and  gave  him  a  cheerful  shaking.  She  noticed  tears  on  his  cheeks. 

"What  has  wounded  your  heart?"  she  asked  gently.  "It  all  depends 
on  whether  you  are  really  bent  on  keeping  me.  If  you. are,  I  could  per- 
haps stay,"  she  added  unexpectedly. 

149 


He  jumped  up. 

"Oh,  is  that  so?  And  what  can  I  do  to  keep  you?" 

"You  would  have  to  promise  me  three  things.  If  you  can  do  that,  I 
will  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  your  wish,  and  then  I  will  stay,  even  if 
they  were  to  cut  my  throat  here." 

"Name  three,  name  a  hundred  conditions,  dearest  little  sister!  I 
will  do  everything  you  ask  if  you  will  only  stay  with  me.  Remain  at 
least  until  I  have  turned  into  fleeting  ashes — no,  not  ashes,  for  ashes 
would  still  contain  too  big  a  remnant  of  my  bodily  being.  Remain  until 
1  have  turned  into  a  streak  of  smoke  and  been  blown  away  by  the  wind 
without  leaving  a  trace.  Then  I  will  need  you  no  longer;  then  you  may 
go  wherever  your  fancy  urges  you.  .  .  .  !" 

As  he  spoke  he  became  more  and  more  vehement.  She  sealed  his 
mouth  with  her  hand  and  stopped  him  from  speaking  more. 

"Stop!  You  need  not  be  so  sentimental.  You  need  only  fulfill  three 
small  conditions." 

"And  what  would  they  be?" 

"Firstly,  you  must  admit  your  faults  when  you  are  reproved." 

"I  will.  And  you  may  wrench  out  my  tongue  if  I  ever  talk  nonsense 
again.  Go  p"'" 

"Secondly,  whether  you  are  really  learned  or  only  pretend  to  be,  you 
must  be  more  unassuming  before  people,  and  not  mock  and  criticize  so 
much,  annoying  your  father  as  you  do.  In  any  case,  he  is  not  particu- 
larly impressed  by  your  achievements  and  he  takes  it  ill  that  you  speak 
contemptuously  behind  his  back  of  worthy  older  people  who  have 
achieved  something  by  dint  of  ability  and  whom  you  like  to  call  'salaried 
blockheads.'  So,  not  so  overbearing,  if  you  please!" 

"You  are  quite  right.  And  I  will  never  again  repeat  those  silly 
things  that  I  have  said  in  the  immaturity  of  my  youth.  Go  on!" 

'Thirdly,  you  must  have  more  respect  for  pious  bonzes  and  holy 
Taoist  priests,  and  -not  make  fun  of  them.  Moreover,  you  must  be  less 
frivolous  and  irresponsible  in  your  -behavior  with  young  girls,  and  not 
run  after  all  the  girls  you  see  with  painted  lips  and — in  red  dresses!" 

"All  right.  I  will  mend  my  ways.  Anything  else?" 

"No.  It  is  enough  for  me  if  you  fulfill  these  three  conditions;  if  you 
do,  not  even  a  litter  with  eight  bearers  will  entice  me  to  leave  the 
house." 

"Why  not?  Who  knows,  you  may  yet  have  a  litter  with  eight  bearers 
at  your  disposal,  if  you  stay  here  long  enough." 

"Oh,  no.  I  am  not  so  very  eager  for  that." 

They  were  still  talking  late  into  the  night  when  another  waiting  maid 
appeared  and  asked  them  would  they  not  settle  down  to  sleep  at  last.  It 
was  already  the  third  watch  of  the  night.  Pao  Yu  asked  her  to  hand 

150 


him  the  clock.  Yes,  the  hand  did  in  fact  point  to  midnight.  Pao  Yu 
washed  his  face  and  rinsed  his  mouth  once  more,  then  lay  down  to 
sleep  at  last.  Pearl  was  to  learn  soon  enough,  to  her  annoyance,  how 
lightly  he  was  going  to  regard  the  promises  which  he  had  just  solemnly 
given  her. 

The  next  day  brought  new  life  and  change  to  the  Yungkuo  palace 
with  the  arrival  of  the  cousin  Hsiang  Yun,  or  Little  Cloud.  She  belonged 
to  the  noble  family  of  the  Counts  Shih  and  was  a  granddaughter  of  the 
Princess  Ancestress.  Because  of  her  saucy  freshness  and  exuberant 
gaiety  pretty  little  Miss  Hsiang  Yun  had  always  been  a  very  welcome 
guest,  and  from  childhood  a  good  comrade  of  her  cousin  Pao  Yu,  who 
was  her  own  age,  and  with  whom  she  had  played  many  a  prank.  One 
occasion  remembered  with  particular  amusement  in  the  palace  was  the 
time  she  had  disguised  herself  as  Pao  Yu  and  imitated  him  so  perfectly 
that  she  could  only  be  distinguished  from  him  by  her  voice. 

Pao  Yu  happened  to  be  with  Precious  Clasp  when  the  arrival  of  his 
childhood  playmate  was  announced  to  him.  Accompanied  by  Precious 
Clasp,  he  went  off  at  once  to  welcome  her.  He  found  her  with  the 
Princess  Ancestress,  and  the  sound  of  gay  chatter  and  merry  laughter 
betrayed  her  presence  from  a  long  way  off.  Black  Jade  and  the  other 
cousins  were  all  there  already. 

"Where  have  you  come  from  now?"  asked  Black  Jade,  turning  to 
Pao  Yu. 

"I  was  with  Sister  Precious  Clasp." 

"Aha,  that's  why  you  are  so  late.  Otherwise  you  would  certainly 
have  dashed  along  here  long  ago." 

"Do  you  think  I  exist  only  to  pass  the  time  for  you?" 

"No,  but  you  may  think  so  if  you  like.  Moreover,  I  never  asked  you 
to  while  away  time  for  me.  and  in  future  1  shall  willingly  do  without 
the  pleasure  of  your  company." 

And  already  she  was  out  the  door  and  had  run  to  her  room.  He  ran 
after  her. 

"Do  not  be  so  terribly  touchy,"  he  pleaded.  "What  bad  thing  have  I 
said  again?  Instead  of  staying  here  and  amusing  yourself  with  us,  you 
go  off  and  make  yourself  miserable." 

"Are  you  my  guardian  that  you  speak  like  that?" 

"Of  course  I'm  not,  but  I  cannot  look  on  and  see  you  torturing  your- 
self." 

"If  I  torture  myself,  even  if  I  torture  myself  to  death,  that's  my 
affair." 

"How  can  one  even  speak  of  death  now  in  this  joyful  New  Year 
Festival  time?" 

151 


"That  is  just  what  I  will  speak  of,  and  now.  You  are  afraid  of  death, 
I  am  sure,  and  would  like  to  live  to  be  a  hundred.  Isn't  that  so?" 

"A  charming  conversation  like  this  would  almost  make  one  wish  for 
death." 

"Thank  you.  So  you  would  wish  me  dead?" 

"Who  is  speaking  of  your  death?  I  meant  mine.  How  you  twist  the 
words  in  a  person's  mouth!" 

"Cousin  Little  Cloud  is  waiting  for  you!"  With  these  words  Precious 
Clasp  broke  in  on  their  conversation  and  snatched  Pao  Yu  away  with- 
out more  ado.  Black  Jade  remained  obstinately  behind;  she  sat  down 
by  the  window  and  wept,  but  she  had  not  been  there  long  when  Pao 
Yu  came  back.  As  soon  as  he  appeared  Black  Jade's  suppressed  weeping 
changed  to  loud  sobbing.  He  started  trying  to  pacify  her. 

"Why  are  you  bothering  me  again?"  she  asked,  forestalling  him. 
"You  have  got  someone  else  who  can  entertain  you  much  better  than  I 
can,  and  who  is  much  cleverer,  and  more  practical,  and  more  edu- 
cated, and  more  amusing  than  I — who  is  always  anxious  for  your  wel- 
fare and  takes  you  away  in  good  time  when  you  are  in  boring  company. 
So  what  do  you  want  here,  please?" 

"Do  be  reasonable!"  he  pleaded  gently.  "You  know  just  as  well  as 
I  do  that  close  relations  come  before  distant  ones,  and  old  friendships 
before  new  ones.  I  am  much  more  closely  related  to  you  than  to  Precious 
Clasp  and  I  have  known  you  much  longer  than  I  have  known  her.  We 
two  have  eaten  together,  lived  together,  learned  and  played  together, 
for  years  now,  day  after  day — so  you  have  really  no  reason  at  all  to 
feel  slighted." 

"Pah !  I  am  not  so,  anxious  for  your  favor  that  I  would  compete  with 
others  for  it.  I  do  what  suits  me.  What  others  think  matters  nothing  at 
all  to  me." 

"I  am  just  the  same.  That  is  why  we  have  such  frequent  misunder- 
standings." 

"Oh,  I  understand  you  thoroughly  well.  But  you  will  no.t  tolerate 
any  well-meant  reproof,  and  by  your  whims  you  are  always  challenging 
people  to  reprove  you.  To  give  an  example  right  away:  why  do  you 
take  it  into  your  head  to  leave  off  your  warm  blue  fox  collar  just  now 
in  this  cold  weather?" 

"Because  your  bad  humor  has  made  me  quite  hot,"  he  replied 
gaily. 

"You  will  catch  a  fine  cold,"  she  sighed.  While  they  were  skirmish- 
ing in  this  way  Cousin  Little  Cloud  came  skipping  along. 

"You  two  have  each  other  the  whole  time;  you're  together  day  after 
day,"  she  said  with  her  comical-sounding  lisp.  "I  come  here  so  seldom, 
you  might  really  give  a  little  more  time  to  me." 

152 


"What  a  funny  pronunciation  the  little  one  has!"  exclaimed  Black 
Jade,  mockingly  mimicking  her.  "If  you  counted  one,  two,  three  her 
way  you  would  bite  your  tongue  in  two." 

"Take  care  that  you  do  not  bite  your  own  tongue  in  two  by  mimick- 
ing her  so  well!"  said  Pao  Yu  to  Black  Jade  in  the  same  tone  of 
mimicry. 

"You're  terrible.  You  won't  overlook  the  tiniest  defect  in  your  fellow 
creatures;  you  must  always  find  fault  with  us,"  lamented  the  victim. 
"You  may  put  on  superior  airs  with  others,  but  I  know  someone  whom 
you  would  never  dare  to  find  fault  with." 

"Oh,  indeed?  I  would  really  love  to  know  whom  you  mean,"  replied 
Pao  Yu. 

"If  you  have  enough  courage  to  find  fault  with  Cousin  Precious 
Clasp,  you  can  be  really  proud  of  yourself." 

"Oh,  with  her?  Very  well,  just  see  if  I  don't.  .  .  ." 

Pao  Yu  tried  to  'cut  her  short,  and  began  talking  about  something 
else.  But  Little  Cloud  would  not  give  up  and  rattled  away  in  mock 
indignation  to  Black  Jade:  "I  hope  you  will  one  day  have  a  man  who 
will  bite  his  tongue  when  he  speaks  and  torture  you  day  and  night 
with  his  stutter.  If  I  live  to  see  that,  I  will  believe,  holy  Buddha,  in  you 
and  your  power  of  retribution !" 

And  with  this  last  shaft  she  was  out  of  the  room  in  a  flash  amid  the 
laughter  of  the  others. 

Black  Jade  wanted  to  dash  after  her,  but  Pao  Yu  stood  in  the  door- 
way with  outstretched  arms,  laughingly  barring  her  way. 

"Be  generous  and  let  her  off!" 

"No,  I  won't;  she  will  have  to  pay  for  this!"  said  Black  Jade  heatedly, 
trying  in  vain  to  push  him  aside. 

"Dearest,  best  sister,  I  beg  for  mercy!"  pleaded  Little  Cloud,  who 
had  stopped  outside. 

"Be  friends  again  for  his  sake,"  urged  Precious  Clasp  from  inside. 

"No,  I  will  not!"  insisted  Black  Jade,  stamping  her  foot  defiantly. 
"I  see  you  have  all  plotted  together  to  make  game  of  me." 

"But  it  was  you  who  began  it.  Now,  do  be  reasonable  and  give  it 
up!"  Pao  Yu  tried  to  persuade  her. 

And  so  the  lively  contest  went  on  for  a  while,  this  way  and  that,  un- 
til a  servant  appeared  to  call  them  to  their  evening  meal.  They  broke 
off  their  squabble  and  went  off,  all  four  together,  hot-cheeked  and 
chattering  gaily,  to  the  apartments  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  Little 
Cloud  also  went  to  her  quarters  just  as  usual,  and  shared  a  bed  peace- 
ably with  Black  Jade. 


153 


CHAPTER    17 

The  maid  Pearl  sulks  and  takes  Pao  Yu  quietly  to  task.  The  maid  Little 
Ping  keeps  silence  and  saves  Chia  Lien  from  being  discovered. 

IKE  NEXT  MORNING  ?AO  Yu  JUMPED  OUT  OF  BED  VERY  EARLY,  PUT 

on  his  slippers  and  dressing  gown,  and  tripped  along  next  door  to  the 
bedroom  of  his  two  cousins.  He  found  them  still  in  bed  fast  asleep.  The 
absence  of  the  maids  made  it  possible  for  him  to  observe  them  at 
leisure.  How  different  they  looked  even  when  asleep!  Black  Jade  lay 
all  carefully  wrapped  and  muffled  up  to  her  ears  in  the  apricot-colored 
silk  eiderdown,  while  Little  Cloud  had  let  the  cover  slide  off  her  so 
much  that  her  right  shoulder  and  her  right  arm,  decorated  with  two 
gold  bangles,  and  even  a  bit  of  her  round  smooth  thigh  lay  bare  and 
naked.  The  blue-black  ringlets  of  her  loosened  hair  fell  over  the  edge 
of  the  pillow. 

"She  cannot  be  still  even  when  asleep!"  murmured  Pao  Yu  to  him- 
self. "She'll  get  a  fine  cold  and  then  complain  of  twinges." 

And  he  drew  the  cover  gently  and  carefully  up  over  her.  Thereupon 
Black  Jade  turned  round  and  opened  her  eyes.  "What  are  you  doing 
here  so  early?"  she  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"It's not  at  all  so  early.  Quick,  get  up!" 

"You  must  go  out  first." 

Pao  Yu  waited  a  little  while  in  the  adjoining  dressing  room,  then 
he  came  back.  In  the  meantime  the  two  cousins  had  got  up  and  were 
just  at  their  morning  toilet.  Pao  Yu  sat  down  by  the  dressing  table  and 
looked  on  as  Little  Cloud  washed  herself.  When  she  had  finished,  the 
maid  Blue  Thread  was  about  to  take  away  the  washing  water. 

"Stop!"  cried  Pao  Yu,  holding  her  back.  "I  would  like  to  have  it  to 
wash  in." 

And  he  stooped  over  the  basin,  wetted  his  face  and  hands  in  the  same 
water  which  Little  Cloud  had  used,  and  dried  himself  with  the  same 
towel  with  which  she  had  dried  herself.  Then  he  quickly  rinsed  out 
his  mouth  and  cleaned  his  teeth  with  blue  salts  and,  this  done,  turned 
round  again  to  Little  Cloud.  She  had  just  finished  doing  her  hair. 

"Dear  little  sister,  please  do  my  hair  too!"  he  begged. 

"No,  I  cannot  do  that." 

"But  you  used  to  be  able  to  do  it  before." 

''Perhaps  so,  but  I  have  forgotten  how  to." 

'You  must  do  it!  I  will  not  go  away  from  here  or  put  on  my  fore- 
head band  or  my  cap  until  you  have  done  my  hair!  Just  to  plait  the  few 
little  pigtails  is  not  so  very  difficult!" 

Finally  she  gave  in  and  did  what  he  asked;  she  drew  his  head  nearer 

154 


to  her,  plaited  the  front  hair  into  a  ring  of  little  pigtails  which  when 
all  tied  by  the  ends  and  drawn  up  formed  a  crown-shaped  coiffure, 
and  dressed*  his  back  hair  in  a  long  pigtail  with  a  red  braid  plaited 
through  it.  This  braid  was  decorated  with  four  pearls  and  it  was 
weighted  down  with  a  gold  clasp  at  the  end. 

"Look  here,  the  fourth  pearl  does  not  match  the  other  pearls.  I  re- 
member that  all  four  used  to  be  alike,"  remarked  Little  Cloud  while 
she  was  plaiting. 

"That's  right.  It  is  a  replacement;  I  lost  the  original  one." 

"Out  in  the 'street,  I  suppose.  It's  a  pity,  the  lovely  pearl  is  in 
strange  hands  now." 

"Who  knows,  perhaps  he  did  not  lose  it  but  presented  it  to  some- 
one as  a  mark  of  regard,"  interjected  Black  Jade. 

Pao  Yu  did  not  reply,  but  continued  to  handle  and  peep  inta  the 
bottles  and  boxes  which  covered  the  dressing  table.  Now  he  caught 
sight  of  an  open  jar  of  rouge.  He  would  have  liked  to  stick  in  his  finger, 
as  was  his  habit,  and  taste  the  red  stuff,  but  he  was  afraid  his  cousins 
would  catch  him  at  it  and  scold  him.  While  he  was  hesitating  and 
staring  fascinated  at  the  tempting  red  paste  he  suddenly  got  a  slap 
from  behind  which  made  him  drop  the  pot  of  rouge. 

"You  shouldn't  do  that!  When  will  you  give  up  such  silliness?" 
Little  Cloud  rebuked  him. 

At  that  moment  the  maid  Pearl  appeared,  but  immediately  with- 
drew again  when  she  saw  how  matters  stood.  She  found  she  was  super- 
fluous at  such  times.  While  she  was  doing  her  own  morning  toilet  Pre- 
cious Clasp  entered  her  room. 

"Where  is  Pao  Yu?"  she  asked. 

"He  is  busy,"  replied  Pearl  with  an  ironical  smile,  indicating  the 
next  room. 

Precious  Clasp  understood. 

"Yes,  one  can  preach  to  him  as  much  as  one  likes,  but  it  only  goes 
in  one  ear  and  out  the  other,"  continued  Pearl  with  a  sigh.  "They  are 
his  cousins,  of  course,  but  even  with  cousins  there  are  certain  limits. 
This  boisterous  playing  about  day  and  night — he  knows  no  modera- 
tion!" 

Precious  Clasp  thought  she  was  speaking  very  sensibly.  She  sat  on 
the  edge  of  the  bed  and  started  a  little  talk  with  her,  asking  about  her 
age  and  family  and  other  personal  things;  and  the  more  she  chatted 
with  her  the  more  she  was  charmed  by  her  kind  and  understanding  na- 
ture. At  last  Pao  Yu  returned.  Precious  Clasp  stood  up  at  once  and  went 
off  without  a  word  or  a  greeting. 

"Why  did  she  go  off  so  suddenly  when  I  came  in?"  he  asked  in  sur- 
prise. 

156 


"Why  do  you  ask  me?  I  cannot  know  what  there  is  between  you 
two,"  replied  Pearl  coolly.  Pao  Yu  did  not  fail  to  notice  her  annoyed 
expression. 

"Why  are  you  in  such  a  bad  humor?"  he  continued,  smiling. 

"I  did  not  know  that  I  was  in  a  bad  humor.  Moreover,  in  future  you 
need  not  set  your  foot  in  my  room  any  more,  and  when  you  want  some- 
one to  serve  you,  please  get  someone  else!  From  now  on  I  would  prefer 
to  serve  the  old  Tai  tai  again." 

Saying  this,  she  threw  herself  on  her  bed.  Pao  Yu  sat  down  beside 
her  and  spoke  kind  words  to  her,  but  she  shut  her  eyes  tight  and  did 
not  take  any  notice  of  him.  He  was  utterly  perplexed. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  her?"  he  asked  the  maid,  Musk,  who  came 
in  just  then. 

"How  do  I  know?  You  must  ask  her  yourself,"  answered  Musk 
brusquely,  and  disappeared  again.  Pao  Yu  looked  after  her,  puzzLJ 

"Ah,  well!  I'll  lie  down  to  sleep  too,"  he  said  ill-humoredly;  and 
standing  up  he  went  into  his  bedroom  and  threw  himself  on  the  bed. 
For  a  while  it  was  quiet  in  both  rooms.  Then  Pearl  heard  the  sound 
of  regular  breathing.  She  thought  he  had  really  gone  to  sleep,  so  she 
got  up  quietly,  went  over,  and  covered  him  with  a  blanket.  But  he 
pushed  the  covering  away  crossly  and  continued  to  pretend  to  be 
asleep.  She  saw  through  his  pretense. 

"If  it  suits  you  that  way,  I  also  can  pretend  to  be  deaf  and  dumb  in 
future,"  she  said. 

He  gave  up  his  pretending  and  sat  up. 

"How  have  I  deserved  your  displeasure  again?  I  have  no  objection 
to  your  scolding  me.  But  to  sulk  silently  without  any  reason,  and  not 
to  notice  me  at  all,  that's  no  manners!  I  do  not  understand  your  be- 
havior/' 

"It  is  a  pity  that  you  lack  the  necessary  insight." 

He  had  no  time  to  reply,  for  the  Princess  Ancestress  sent  for  him  to 
come  to  breakfast.  When  he  returned  again  after  a  breakfast  taken 
hurriedly  and  absent-mindedly,  Pearl  had  made  herself  comfortable  on 
the  divan  in  the  veranda,  while  Musk  was  squatting  down  beside  her 
tranquilly  laying  out  dominoes.  They  behaved  as  if  they  did  not  see 
him.  He  knew  that  they  always  made  common  cause.  Engaged  and 
without  even  deigning  to  glance  at  them,  he  passed  them  by  and  went 
into  his  own  room.  Musk  got  up  slowly  and  followed  him  in  silently, 
expecting  an  order.  But  without  hesitation  he  pushed  her  out  the  door. 

"Please  do  not  let  me  disturb  you  two!"  he  said  angrily.  Musk  turned 
away,  giggling  to  herself,  and  sent  him  two  little  auxiliary  maids  in- 
stead. Meantime  Pao  Yu  had  again  thrown  himself  on  the  bed  and 
was  buried  in  a  book.  When  he  looked  up  after  a  while  and  wished 

157 


to  order  tea  he  saw  the  two  little  things  standing  quietly  and  shyly  in 
a  corner.  One  of  them,  the  older,  he  found  most  charming. 

"What  is  your  name?"  he  asked. 

"Orchid  Perfume." 

"Who  gave  you  that  name?" 

"Sister  Pearl.  My  real  name  is  Perfume  of  Resin." 

"Ridiculous!"  he  murmured.  "How  many  sisters  have  you  at  home?" 

"There  are  four  of  us." 

"And  where  do  you  come  in?" 

"I'm  the  fourth." 

"Good.  Then  I  shall  just  call  you  Little  Fourth.  Why  these  elaborate 
names?  Hurry  up  and  bring  me  tea!" 

The  two  elder  maids  who  were  outside  on  the  veranda  had  heard  the 
conversation.  They  pressed  their  lips  tightly  together  to  keep  from 
laughing  out  loud. 

That  whole  day  Pao  Yu  remained  quietly  in  his  room,  contrary  to 
his  usual  custom,  and  cured  his  bad  humor  as  best  he  could  by  reading 
and  writing.  He  left  all  the  maids  alone,  with  the  exception  of  Little 
Fourth.  Little  Fourth  naturally  felt  very  much  favored,  and  being  very 
wide  awake,  she  took  the  opportunity  to  fawn  upon  him  and  dance 
attendance  on  him,  thus  completely  winning  his  favor.  But  he  was  not 
inclined  to  pay  her  much  more  attention  today. 

When  evening  came  he  felt  his  self-imposed  loneliness  doubly  op- 
pressive. A  few  glasses  of  wine  which  he  had  taken  at  table  had  ex- 
cited and  stimulated  him.  His  eyes  burned  and  his  ears  glowed.  Nor- 
mally, in  such  a  mood  as  this  he  would  have  joked  and  been  boisterous 
with  his  cousins  and  the  maids.  Today  it  was  cold  and  quiet  all  around 
him.  He  sat  alone  in  front  of  the  lamp  indulging  in  sad  thoughts. 
Should  he  not  go  to  them  all  the  same,  seek  their  company  as  usual? 
No,  his  pride  would  not  allow  that.  He  did  not  want  to  run  after  them. 
If  lie  did  so,  they  would  treat  him  with  more  contempt  than  ever  in  the 
future  and  take  even  more  liberties  in  making  critical  remarks.  Better  to 
ignore  them  completely,  as  if  they  were  dead,  and  to  be  content  with 
his  own  company  for  once. 

After  he  had  forced  himself  to  this  heroic  decision  a  feeling  of  cheer- 
ful composure  came  over  him.  He  got  Little  Fourth  to  pour  him 
out  some  fresh  wine,  and  took  down  the  work  of  the  great  philosopher 
Chuang  Tzu.  That  was  just  the  right  book  for  his  mood.  As  he  was 
looking  through  it  he  came  on  a  passage  in  the  chapter  about  robbers 
and  thieves  entitled  "Open  the  Cupboards"  which  read:  "Away  with 
morality  and  education!  Then  there  will  be  no  more  street  robberies. 
Away  with  pearls  and  precious  stones!  Then  thefts  will  cease.  Burn  the 
documents  of  investiture!  Smash  up  the  seals  of  office!  Then  people 

158 


will  become  honest  and  simple  again.  Destroy  the  weighing  machines! 
Smash  up  the  weights  and  measures !  Then  there  will  be  no  more  quar- 
relling and  strife!  Do  away  with  laws  and  regulations!  Then  people 
will  become  sensible  of  their  own  accord.  Away  with  the  study  of 
harmony  and  musical  instruments!  Then  people  will  learn  to  hear  of 
themselves.  Away  with  calligraphy  and  color  theories!  Then  people 
will  learn  to  see  for  themselves.  Away  with  arithmetic  and  geometry, 
with  angles  and  compasses !  Then  people  will  become  clever  and  shrewd 
of  themselves.  .  .  ." 

When  Pao  Yu  had  read  thus  far,  he  dipped  his  brush  in  the  India 
ink  and,  inspired  by  the  wine  and  by  the  spirit  of  the  wise  Chuang  Tzu, 
he  wrote  on,  continuing  the  theme:  "Away  with  the  Pearls  and  the 
Musks !  Then  the  inmates  of  the  inner  chambers  will  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Smash  up  the  Precious  Clasps!  Let  the  Black  Jades  return  to 
ashes !  Bury  all  yearnings  and  passions !  Then  will  the  beautiful  and  the 
ugly  inmates  of  inner  chambers  bear  with  one  another  and  reciprocally 
and  without  rancor  accept  wise  instructions  one  from  the  other.  Should 
Precjous  Clasp's  divine  beauty  fade  away,  I  would  be  cured  of  the  de- 
lusion of  love.  Should  Black  Jade's  splendid  mind  go  to  ashes,  then  I 
would  no  longer  need  to  be  consumed  with  admiration  for  her.  These 
four,  Clasp,  Jade,  Pearl,  and  Musk,  cast  out  their  nets  and  set  their 
malicious  snares  and  fool  and  bewitch  all  who  come  within  their  range." 

Having  written  these  passages  from  his  heart,  Pao  Yu  flung  aside 
his  brush  well  pleased,  lay  down  in  bed,  and  fell  asleep  at  once. 

When  he  awoke  the  next  mooring  and  turned  over  on  the  other  side, 
he  saw  the  maid  Pearl  lying  at  his  side,  fully  clothed,  on  top  of  the 
bedclothes.  He  gave  her  a  push. 

"Lie  down  properly  in  the  bed!  You  will  catch  cold  like  that,"  he 
said  to  her.  He  had  long  ago  forgotten  the  little  quarrel  of  yesterday, 
but  she  had  not.  When  she  remained  silent,  he  stretched  out  his  hand 
and  tried  to  pull  off  her  jacket.  But  he  had  scarcely  undone  the  first 
button  when  she  pushed  back  his  hand  and  buttoned  her  jacket  again. 
He  grasped  her  hand  and  asked  kindly:  "What  is  the  matter  with  you?" 

She  looked  at  him  astonished.  "There  is  nothing  at  all  wrong  with 
me,  but  I  wouM  advise  you  to  go  over  quickly  to  your  morning  toilet, 
or  else  you  will  arrive  too  late." 

"Over  where?" 

"As  if  i  need  tell  you!  Let  the  two  of  us  keep  at  a  distance  from  each 

other,  for  there's  only  cockfighting  between  us  for  the  amusement  of 

others.  So  go  along  over  there,  where  you  find  it  so  pleasant.  And  if 

's  no  longer  pleasant  over  there,  there's  always  a  Little  Fourth  or  a 

Little  Fifth  at  your  disposal  over  here.  What  do  you  want  with  an  awk- 

160 


ward  creature  like  me,  who  stupidly  misuses  beautiful  flower  names?" 

"Can  you  not  forget  about  yesterday,  then?" 

"Never!  Not  if  I  were  to  live  for  a  hundred  years!  I  am  certainly 
not  like  you,  past  whose  ear  all  well-meant  words  are  blown  away  by 
the  wind  unheard,  and  who  does  not  know  the  next  morning  what  has 
been  said  the  night  before." 

Pao  Yu  seized  a  jade  hair  clasp  which  had  slid  down  near  the  pillow, 
and  flung  it  so  violently  to  the  ground  that  it  broke. 

"May  that  happen  to  me  too  if  I  do  not  listen  to  you  in  the  future!" 
he  said  with  emphasis. 

"Better  not  to  swear!"  said  Pearl,  laughing.  "Besides,  you  do  not 
really  mean  it." 

"If  you  knew  how  heavy  my  heart  is!" 

"What  do  you  know  about  grief,  anyway?  You  would  have  to  look 
into  my  heart  to  know  that.  But  enough  of  this.  It's  time  to  get  up." 

Pao  Yu  got  up  and  dressed  himself.  This  time  he  did  not  go  over 
to  Black  Jade  and  Little  Cloud  but  remained  quietly  with  Pearl  and  let 
her  do  his  hair.  Shortly  after  he  had  gone  to  take  breakfast  with  his 
grandmother  as  usual,  Black  Jade  came  into  his  room.  Full  of  curiosity, 
she  ransacked  his  writing  table.  There  she  found  the  book  of  Chuang 
Tzu  lying  open  and  beside  it  the  supplementary  composition  written  in 
Pao  Yu's  own  hand.  She  did  not  really  know  whether  to  laugh  at  his 
outpourings  or  to  be  angry.  At  any  rate,  she  took  the  writing  brush 
and  wrote  the  following  satirical  verse  as  further  supplement,  under  his 
effusion: 

"Who  is  the  clumsy  fool  that  dares  to  prattle 
And  nibble  at  the  words  of  Master  Chuang  Tzu? 
Let  him  attend  to  his  own  business 
And  keep  his  hands  off  the  affairs  of  others." 

Phoenix's  little  daughter  was  ill  with  smallpox,  and  the  doctor  had 
ordered  the  usual  precautions  to  be  taken.  Phoenix  and  her  husband 
Chia  Lien  had  to  evacuate  their  house  temporarily  on  account  of  the 
danger  of  infection,  and  live  separately,  Chia  Lien  in  the  outer  library 
and  Phoenix  with  her  aunt,  Madame  Cheng.  The  dwelling  was  swept 
out  and  fumigated  in  accordance  with  the  prescribed  formula,  an  altar 
was  erected  to  the  goddess  of  smallpox,  and  Phoenix  devoutly  offered 
sacrifice  and  prayed  before  it  every  day.  Everything  roasted  or  baked 
was  banished  from  the  kitchen  of  the  Yungkuo  household  during  the 
days  of  the  illness.  The  nurse  and  the  maids  who  had  to  attend  to  the 
sick  child  were  dressed  in  new  dark  red  garments.  Two  doctors  took 
turns  in  caring  for  the  little  patient  and  were  not  allowed  to  leave  the 
house  for  twelve  days. 

161 


The  temporary  interruption  of  marital  relations  was  a  hard  trial  for 
Chia  Lien,  and  he  found  the  loneliness  of  his  sleeping  quarters  in  the 
outer  library  so  oppressive  that  by  the  third  day  he  was  already  looking 
around  for  some  compensation.  The  company  of  a  few  nice  young 
serving  boys  did  not  satisfy  him  for  long.  Then  his  eyes  fell  on  the 
wife  of  the  cook  To  Kuan.  This  woman,  who  was  barely  twenty,  was 
full  of  voluptuous  charm,  and  having  been  married  off  by  her  parents 
to  a  drunken  blockhead  whom  she  did  not  love,  she  made  it  a  practice 
to  compensate  herself  for  this  as  well  as  she  could  behind  his  back.  The 
cook  no  longer  bothered  about  her  doings;  he  only  cared  for  money  and 
good  food  and  drink,  and  it  was  his  habit  to  throw  himself  on  his  bed 
quite  early  in  the  evening  to  sleep  off  his  usual  tipsiness.  So  it  was  easy 
for  his  wife  to  pick  flowers  by  the  wayside  or  enjoy  secret  fruits,  and 
there  was  scarcely  a  man  either  in  the  western  or  in  the  eastern  palace 
who  had  not  enjoyed  her  favors  at  one  time  or  another. 

Chia  Lien's  mouth  too  had  long  been  watering  for  this  juicy  peach,  but 
fear  of  Phoenix  had  restrained  him  up  to  now.  Under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances, however,  he  put  aside  all  his  qualms,  and  as  the  woman, 
moreover,  was  encouraging  him  by  ostentatiously  strutting  about  in 
front  of  the  windows  of  his  quarters,  he  easily  arranged  for  a  first  meeting 
with  her.  One  evening  when  the  cook  was  again  lying  on  the  kang 
helplessly  drunk  and  snoring,  he  slipped  into  her  room.  Her  proximity 
was  sufficient  to  make  him  immediately  lose  complete  control,  and  no 
preliminary  amorous  declaration  or  skirmishing  about  was  necessary, 
straight  away  they  undressed  and  lay  down  side  by  side.  With  keen 
delight  he  relished  her  oft-tried  arts  of  love,  which  had  already  made 
many  a  man's  bones  and  nerves  soft  as  wax.  He  felt  in  her  arms  as  if 
he  were  bedded  in  cotton-wool,  and  revelled  in  the  union  of  their 
bodies. 

"You  are  a  real  villain!"  she  remarked  laughing,  as  they  lay  there. 
"Your  child  is  ill,  your  wife  is  praying  to  the  goddess  of  smallpox, 
and  you  should  be  mortifying  yourself  in  virtuous  solitude.  Be  off  at 
once!" 

"You  are  my  goddess!  What  do  I  want  with  other  goddesses?"  he 
stammered,  continuing  his  devout  exercise.  After  this  first  time  he  came 
to  her  daily  and  was  almost  sorry  when,  after  twelve  days,  the  child 
was  well  again  and  the  worship  of  the  goddess,  as  he  understood  it,  was 
at  an  end.  The  altar  and  the  statue  of  the  goddess  of  smallpox  were 
taken  down  and  in  their  place  a  solemn  ceremonial  thanksgiving  sacri- 
fice was  offered  to  heaven  and  to  the  ancestors  by  the  assembled  fam- 
ily. And  Phoenix  and  Chia  Lien  returned  to  their  common  home. 

The  maid  Little  Ping  was  putting  Chia  Lien's  clothing  and  bed 
liner  back  in  their  place  again,  when  she  discovered  between  the  pil- 

162 


lows  a  long  strand  of  a  woman's  blue-black  hair.  She  knew  what  that 
meant,  wound  up  the  strand  carefully,  hurried  off  to  Chia  Lien,  and 
triumphantly  held  up  her  find  to  him. 

"Look  here,  what  is  this?" 

The  astonished  Chia  Lien  tried  to  snatch  the  strand  out  of  her  hand, 
but  Little  Ping  was  quicker  than  he  and  dodged  him  cleverly.  He 
rushed  after  her,  caught  her  and  pushed  her  down  on  the  divan.  There 
was  a  violent  struggle  for  the  possession  of  the  dangerous  piece  of  evi- 
dence. 

"Let  me  go!"  screamed  the  ticklish  maid,  choking  with  laughter. 
"You  should  be  thankful  that  I  have  not  betrayed  you,  you  rascal!  But 
if  you  torment  me  any  more  I  will  not  spare  you  but  will  tell  your 
wife." 

"Dearest,  best  one,  do  not  do  that !  •  I  will  treat  you  well  in  the  fu- 
ture!" he  begged,  letting  her  go  quickly,  for  he  had  heard  Phoenix's 
voice  outside. 

"Do  not  betray  me!"  he  repeated  again,  in  a  low  voice.  Thereupon 
the  redoubtable  lady  entered.  She  cast  a  quick,  searching,  sidelong 
glance  at  her  husband  and  then  said  to  the  maid:  "Have  you  moved  all 
my  husband's  things  in  here?" 

The  maid  nodded. 

"Nothing  is  missing?"  The  maid  answered  in  the  negative. 

"Is  there  nothing  among  them  which  should  not  be  there?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Little  Ping,  laughing.  "Is  it  not  enough 
that  nothing  is  missing?" 

"Hm,  one  cannot  know,"  replied  Madame  Phoenix  also  laughing,  and 
looking  askance  at  her  husband  again.  "In  two  weeks'  separation  many 
things  can  happen.  Who  knows?  Might  not  a  ring,  or  a  cambric 
handkerchief,  or  some  other  tender  souvenir  be  found  perchance  among 
his  things?" 

Chia  Lien  had  become  waxen  yellow  in  the  face  with  fright  and  be- 
hind his  wife's  back  cast  despairing  looks  at  the  maid,  like  a  fowl  that  is 
just  about  to  be  killed. 

"How  strange  that  we  should  think  the  same  thing,  Mistress!"  said 
Little  Ping,  quite  unembarrassed.  "Because  I  feared  the  same  thing  as 
you  did  I  have  just  looked  through  his  things  thoroughly,  and  have 
not  found  the  slightest  trace  of  anything.  But  if  you  don't  believe  me, 
look  yourself." 

"Nonsense!  He  wouldn't  be  so  stupid  as  to  put  our  noses  on  the 
scent,  so  let  it  be!"  replied  Phoenix,  as  she  turned  round  laughing,  to 
go  out.  Chia  Lien  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  as  she  turned  her  back. 
Little  Ping  held  her  nose  to  prevent  herself  from  bursting  out  laughing. 

163 


"Well,  have  I  acted  my  part  well?  You  should  be  very  grateful  to 
me,"  she  said  to  him. 

"My  heart!  My  liver!  My  little  meat  ball!"  he  flattered  her,  em- 
bracing her  tenderly.  Little  Ping  had  again  produced  the  telltale  strand 
of  hair  and  swung  it  gleefully  in  his  face. 

"Look,  with  this  I  have  you  fettered  for  life!"  she  cried  exultantly. 
"If  ever  you  are  not  nice  to  me,  I  can  go  to  your  wife  and  betray 
you." 

But  with  a  sudden  grab  he  had  snatched  at  her  waving  hand  and 
torn  the  booty  frpm  her. 

"The  thing  is  safer  with  me.  At  best,  you  will  do  some  mischief  with 
it,"  he  said  laughing  and  stuffed  the  strand  into  the  leg  of  his  boot. 

"Fie!  You  are  very  rude!"  she  pouted,  disconcerted.  "You  are 
hardly  safely  across  the  stream  when  you  break  down  the  bridge.  But 
do  not  imagine  that  I  will  tell  lies  for  you  again!"  With  this  she  disen- 
gaged herself  from  his  tender  embrace  and  slipped  out  of  the  room. 
"Such  a  hussy;  first  you  entice,  and  then,  when  the  fire  is  alight,  you 
run  off!"  he  called  after  her. 

"Who  told  you  to  get  on  fire?"  she  called  back  through  the  window, 
laughing.  "You  do  not  imagine  that  I  could  belong  to  you?  Your  wife 
would  certainly  have  it  in  for  me  if  she  got  to  know  of  it." 

"Oh,  she!  You  need  not  be  afraid  of  her.  Sometime  I'll  shatter  that 
vinegar  pot  in  pieces!  She'll  learn  to  know  me,  with  her  damned 
jealousy!  I've  been  tired  of  this  tedious  spying  for  a  long  time  past. 
She  watches  me  as  if  I  were  a  thief.  If  she  had  her  way,  I'd  only  asr 
sociate  with  men  and  never  speak  to  any  female.  Even  the  very  prox- 
imity of  a  woman  arouses  her  suspicion.  She,  on  the  other  hand,  enjoys 
herself  freely  and  unashamedly  with  brothers-in-law  and  cousins  and 
nephews.  But  just  wait,  I  will  pay  her  back!" 

"She  has  every  reason  to  mistrust  you,  but  you  on  your  part  have 
no  reason  to  be  jealous.  She  is  the  best  and  most  faithful  married 
woman  living.  But  you  are  a  depraved  scoundrel  and  villain." 

"Aha,  you  have  both  conspired  against  me.  But  just  wait,  I  will  have 
an  opportunity  someday  of  stopping  your  slanderous  tongues  .  .  .!" 
The  approach  of  Phoenix  stopped  any  further  abuse.  When  she 
noticed  the  maid,  Little  Ping,  conversing  with  him  at  the  window, 
she  said  to  her  teasingly:  "If  you  want  something  from  him,  please 
arrange  it  inside!  Why  do  you  talk  with  him  through  the  window?" 

"That's  right.  She  behaves  as  if  there  were  a  tiger  in  here  who  wanted 
to  eat  her,"  interjected  Chia  Lien~  laughing. 

"There  is  no  one  in  there  but  himself,"  remarked  Little  Ping,  sharply. 
"Oh,  but  that's  all  the  better,"  continued  Phoenix  ironically. 
"All  the  better  for  whom?"  asked  Little  Ping,  irritated. 

164 


*-- 


"For  you,  of  course!" 

"You  would  do  better  not  to  force  me  to  speak.  For  if  you  do,  all 
kinds  of  nice  things  might  come  to  light,"  the  maid  replied  in  an  in- 
jured tone,  turning  her  back  on  her  mistress  without  drawing  aside  the 
curtain  for  her.  Phoenix  raised  the  curtain  herself  and  went  into  the 
roorr 

"The  creature  seems  to  have  gone  crazy,"  she  remarked  angrily  to 
her  husband.  "But  if  she  should  take  it  into  her  head  to  want  to  get 
the  better  of  me,  I  would  like  to  advise  you  also  to  save  your  skin." 

Chia  Lien  threw  himself  full  length  on  the  divan  and  clapped  his 
hands  with  pleasure. 

"What?  Is  she  really  so  dangerous?"  he  exclaimed,  laughing.  "If 
that  is  so,  I  must  look  at  her  with  quite  different  eyes  in  future." 

"Of  course  you  are  to  blame !  You  must  have  encouraged  her,"  said 
Phoenix  severely.  "Take  care  that  I  do  not  settle  accounts  with  you!" 

"Ha,  then  I  had  better  be  off!" 

"Stop!  Stay  here!  I  have  something  else  to  speak  to  you  about." 

What  she  had  to  speak  to  him  about  will  be  revealed  in  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER    18 

Poo  Yu  jails  out  with  two  of  his  cousins  at  the  same  time.  Two  lovers 
tease  one  another  with  quotations  from  "The  Play  of  the  Western 

Pavilion." 

CiHIA  LlEN  REMAINED  STANDING. 

"Well?" 

"The  twenty-first  will  be  Cousin  Precious  Clasp's  birthday.  How 
shall  we  celebrate  it?" 

"You  must  surely  know  that  best  yourself.  You  have  had  sufficient 
experience  in  celebrating  birthdays." 

"Yes,  those  of  grown-up  people;  there  are  definite  rules  about  those. 
But  one  cannot  yet  count  Cousin  Precious  Clasp  as  an  adult,  and 
neither  is  she  a  child.  That  is  the  trouble." 

"It's  quite  simple.  We  can  celebrate  her  birthday  just  as  Black  Jade's 
was  celebrated  last  year." 

"Of  course  I  had  already  thought  of  that.  But  it  won't  do,  for  when 
Grandmother  recently  inquired  the  ages  of  her  various  grandchildren, 
we  realized  that  Precious  Clasp  is  now  fifteen,  so  she  is  marriageable. 
Grandmother  thinks  that  we  should  pay  special  attention  to  the  im- 
portance of  this  day." 

166 


"Good.  Then  we  can  arrange  for  the  celebration  to  be  somewhat 
more  sumptuous  than  that  for  Black  Jade's  birthday." 

"That's  what  I  think  too.  I  only  wanted  to  have  your  agreement, 
so  that  you  would  not  reproach  me  afterwards  and  scold  me 
inconsiderately." 

"Very  well,  very  well !  I  am  not  as  petty  as  all  that.  You  worry  your- 
self with  unnecessary  scruples.  I  am  quite  satisfied  if  you  do  not  lecture 
me  about  my  own  affairs;  I  just  mind  my  own  business." 

And  he  turned  away  laughing. 

At  the  wish  of  the  Princess  Ancestress,  Precious  Clasp,  for  whom  she 
had  a  particular  affection  on  account  of  her  even,  kindly,  and  courteous 
manner,  was  specially  honored  on  her  birth  'ay  with  a  theatrical  per- 
formance as  well  as  with  the  usual  banquet.  The  evening  before  she  was 
permitted  to  choose  the  menu  and  also  the  theatrical  program.  Precious 
Clasp  was  wise  enough  to  choose  certain  sweet  dishes  and  sensational 
and  gruesome  dramas,  which  she  knew  for  certain  were  the  Princess 
Ancestress's  favorite  dishes  and  favorite  theatrical  pieces.  The  banquet 
was  held  in  the  apartments  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  The  nice  little 
private  stage,  on  which  a  troupe  of  youthful  artists  from  Suchow 
showed  their  versatile  talents,  was  set  up  in  the  inner  courtyard  of  her 
residence. 

When  the  performance  was  about  to  begin  and  all  the  female  rela- 
tives had  assembled,  Black  Jade  was  the  only  one  missing.  Pao  Yu  went 
off  to  fetch  her.  He  found  her  lying  on  the  divan  in  her  room  poring 
over  books. 

"Get  up!  Get  up!  It's  time  for  breakfast.  And  besides,  the  perform- 
ance is  going  to  begin  at  once,"  he  rallied  her.  "Have  you  any  special 
wish  with  regard  to  the  program?  If  so,  I  shall  have  it  noted  at  once." 

"No,  thank  you.  If  I  were  to  choose,  I  would  choose  the  whole  pro- 
gram. The  performance  today  is  not  in  my  honor." 

"Have  patience  a  little  while !  Then  your  turn  will  come,  and  you  will 
be  able  to  choose  the  whole  program.  But  come  now!" 

And  he  laughingly  dragged  the  reluctant  Black  Jade  back  with  him. 
The  performance  lasted  from  morning  until  night,  and  exciting  scenes 
from  the  adventurous  "History  of  a  Journey  to  the  West"  were  alter- 
nated with  merry  farces  such  as  "Mr.  Lu  Mislays  his  Coat"  and  "The 
Drunken  Lu  Brawls  on  the  Wu  tai  shan,"  for  the  Princess  Ancestress 
liked  coarse  low  comedy  turns  too.  After  the  entertainment  she  had  two 
of  the  young  artists  with  whom  she  was  specially  pleased  brought  to 
her.  One  of  them  had  played  the  heroine;  the  other,  the  merry  buffoon. 
The  whole  company  gasped  with  admiring  sut,  nse  when  the  two  gifted 
artists  declared,  when  asked,  that  they  were  only  eleven  and  nine  years 
old  respectively.  The  Princess  Ancestress  had  them  sumptuously  enter- 

167 


tained  and  gave  each  of  them  a  thousand-piece  string  of  money  as  an 
extra  fee. 

"Does  not  the  elder  one,  in  his  female  attire,  resemble  a  certain  per- 
son we  all  know?"  remarked  Phoenix. 

Precious  Clasp  understood  at  once  whom  she  meant;  she  did  not 
mention  a  name,  however,  but  just  nodded  her  head.  Pao  Yu  followed 
her  example.  But  Cousin  Little  Cloud  could  not  refrain  from  bursting 
out  in  her  impetuous  way:  "Why,  of  course,  he  is  like  Sister  Black 
Jade!" 

The  warning,  sidelong  glance  which  Pao  Yu  shot  at  her  came  too 
late.  Everyone  n^aced  now;  all  scrutinized  Black  Jade  and  agreed 
amid  laughter:  "Yes,  indeed,  they  are  so  much  alike  one  could  mis- 
take them  for  one  another!" 

When  Pao  Yu  was  going  to  bed  that  night  he  heard  Little  Cloud  in 
the  next  room  ordering  her  maid  to  pack  her  things,  and  saying  in  re- 
ply to  the  maid's  astonished  question:  "Yes,  I  am  going  away  early  in 
the  morning.  I  do  not  wish  to  stay  here  any  longer.  This  everlasting 
criticizing  and  watching  of  every  word  and  every  look  does  not  suit 
me." 

Pao  Yu  ran  across  to  her  room. 

"Dear  little  sister,  you  are  unjustly  angry,"  he  said,  trying  to  placate 
her.  "Black  Jade  is  so  terribly  sensitive,  and  that  is  why  I  tried  to  warn 
you  by  a  look  not  to  mention  her  name;  I  was  afraid  she  would  take 
offense  at  being  compared  to  an  actor.  I  meant  it  well  and  you  need  not 
be  so  angry  with  me  on  account  of  it.  If  it  was  about  anyone  else  .  .  ." 

"That's  enough!"  Little  Cloud  interrupted  him  indignantly.  "Spare 
me  your  flowery  words!  What  am  I  beside  your  cousin  Black  Jade?  An 
ordinary  girl  beside  a  high-born  lady,  isn't  that  so?  Others  may  make 
remarks  about  her,  but  I  dare  not.  If  I  open  my  mouth,  it's  a  crime." 

"If  I  have  ever  thought  of  slighting  you  in  the  least,  may  I  be  turned 
instantly  into  the  dirt  of  the  road,  on  which  everyone  may  trample!" 
protested  Pao  Yu  in  dismay. 

"Make  those  flowery  speeches  to  inferior  people  of  your  own  kind, 
who,  in  their  insensitiveness,  know  no  better  than  to  ridicule  and  mock 
their  fellow  beings,  but  spare  me  your  common  street  jargon  and  do 
not  provoke  me  to  spit  out  before  you!"  replied  Little  Cloud  furiously 
as  she  ran  out  of  the  room  to  the  apartments  of  the  Princess  Ancestress, 
where  she  spent  the  night. 

Pao  Yu,  who  had  run  after  her  in  vain,  turned  back  much  dejected. 
He  was  longing  for  Black  Jade's  company;  but  scarcely  had  he  set  foot 
in  her  room  than  Black  Jade  pushed  him  out  and  shut  the  door  behind 
him.  Pao  Yu  was  perplexed. 

168 


"Dearest,  best  Mei  mei!"  he  called  with  gentle  entreaty  through  the 
door  to  her. 

But  Black  Jade  remained  silent  and  invisible.  Pao  Yu  hung  his  head 
and  sank  into  sad  thoughts.  As  there  was  no  sound  for  a  long  time, 
Black  Jade,  thinking  he  had  gone  to  his  room,  opened  the  door.  Then 
she  saw  him  still  standing  there  like  a  poor  sinner.  Now  she  had  pity  on 
him  and  let  him  in. 

"Will  you  not  at  least  tell  me  why  you  are  angry?"  he  began 
hesitantly. 

She  gave  a  short,  dry  laugh. 

"You  ask  that?  I  should  take  it  quietly  when  I  am  compared  with  a 
comedian  and  made  ridiculous  Before  the  whole  company?" 

"But  I  did  not  make  such  a  comparison,  neither  did  I  laugh  at  you." 

"No,  but  your  secret  exchange  of  glances  with  Little  Cloud  hurt  me 
even  more.  I  know  well  what  you  meant  by  it,  that  you  think  more  of 
Little  Cloud  than  of  me,  that  she  gives  up  something  and  lowers  herself 
when  she  associates  with  me.  Naturally,  she  is  a  high-born  lady,  a 
count's  daughter,  and  I  am  only  an  ordinary  girl  of  the  people!  Is  not 
that  what  you  meant?  It's  a  pity  that  with  your  good  intentions  you 
have  found  so  little  reciprocal  love  from  her  and  have  to  be  reproached 
by  her  for  going  about  with  an  inferior  person  like  me,  who,  in  her 
insensitiveness,  knows  no  better  than  to  ridicule  and  mock  her  fellow 
beings!  I  really  do  not  understand  your  anxious  consideration  for  her. 
She  certainly  does  not  thank  you  for  it." 

Pao  Yu  understood  that  she  had  been  listening  just  now  to  his  argu- 
ment with  Little  Cloud. 

That  is  what  I  get  for  my  good  intention  of  trying  to  play  the  part 
of  mediator  between  them!  he  thought  to  himself  bitterly.  Now  I  have 
fallen  foul  of  both  of  them,  and  have  to  put  up  with  reproaches  from 
both  sides.  The  wise  Chuang  Tzu  was  right  when  he  said:  "Why  so 
much  activity?  It  only  gives  one  worry.  Why  trouble  about  all  sorts  of 
things?  One  is  only  annoyed  by  them.  How  splendid,  on  the  other  hand, 
only  to  care  about  one's  own  modest  necessities  of  life,  and  so  float  on 
the  waves  free  and  alone  as  a  boat  adrift!"  How  useless  is  my  striving 
and  trouble!  I  do  not  even  succeed  in  bringing  about  reconciliation  and 
harmony  between  two  girls!  Why  should  I  set  myself  higher  aims? 

Sunk  in  thought,  he  turned  away  from  Black  Jade  to  go  back  to  his 
room. 

"Go  away!  You  need  not  come  back  again  and  you  need  not  speak 
to  me  any  more,"  she  called  after  him. 

Without  taking  any  more  notice  of  her  he  slipped  back  to  his  room 
and  threw  himself  on  the  bed  with  a  sigh.  Pearl's  voice  startled  him  out 
of  his  brooding. 

169 


"We  shall  probably  see  more  theatrical  performances  in  the  next  few 
days,  for  Miss  Precious  Clasp  is  sure  to  make  the  best  of  her  opportu- 
nity," she  remarked,  trying  to  distract  him. 

"It's  all  the  same  to  me,"  he  replied,  brusquely. 

"How  is  that?  In  this  happy  New  Year  season  everyone  is  merry  and 
in  good  spirits.  Why  are  you  alone  out  of  humor?" 

"What  is  it  to  me  if  the  others  are  enjoying  themselves?" 

"You  should  get  on  better  with  them;  then  you  also  would  enjoy 
yourself." 

"What  have  I  to  do  with  the  others?  After  all,  I  am  alone,  quite 
ajone.  No  one  wants  me." 

Tears  came  to  his  eyes  and  he  gave  a  loud  sob.  Then  he  got  up,  went 
to  "the  writing  table,  took  his  brush,  and  worked  off  his  ill-humor  by 
writing  a  stanza  full  of  the  weariness  of  life  and  Buddhist  renuncia- 
tion of  the  world.  Having  done  this,  he  felt  more  free /and  relieved,  and 
lay  down  peacefully  to  sleep. 

A  little  later  Black  Jade  slipped  into  his  room  full  of  curiosity,  under 
the  pretext  of  looking  for  Pearl. 

"He's  already  asleep,"  Pearl  intimated  to  her  quietly.  "Here,  read 
this!  He  has  just  written  it." 

Black  Jade  scanned  the  page  of  writing.  She  was  amused  at  the  con- 
tents but  at  the  same  time  felt  sorry  for  the  boy. 

"It's  only  a  little  foolery  and  means  nothing,"  she  said  with  apparent 
indifference,  but  she  could  not  refrain  from  taking  the  sheet  of  paper 
away  with  her  and  giving  it  to  Little  Cloud  and  the  nevt  morning  to 
Precious  Clasp  to  read. 

"Do  what  you  want  to !  Come,  go,  as  you  please ! 
Weep!  Laugh!  It's  all  the  same  to  me. 
What  do  I  care  about  the  world!" 

Thus  read  the  stanza,  the  first  part  of  which  was  written  in  the  Sutra 
style. 

"Oh,  Cousin  Pao  Yu  wants  to  join  the  saints  and  renounce  the 
world!"  the  three  of  them  cried,  looking  at  each  other  with  embar- 
rassed smiles.  Each  of  them  felt  a  little  bit  guilty. 

"Come,  let  us  go  to  him  together  and  bring  him  to  reason!"  sug- 
gested Black  Jade.  And  the  three  of  them  set  off  together  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  the  Fragrance  of  Culture.  Black  Jade  drew  his  attention  to  the 
fact  that  his  Buddhist  stanza  was  incomplete,  and  she  added  the  missing 
conclusive  point;  and  Precious  Clasp  mentioned  the  case  of  a  well- 
known  Buddhist  sectarian  who  had  resigned  the  leadership  of  his  sect 
in  favor  of  his  cook,  when  the  latter  put  him  to  shame  by  the  correct 
criticism  of  a  similarly  defective  stanza  which  he  had  composed.  Pao 

170 


Yu  remarked  with  embarrassed  astonishment  that  his  clever  cousins 
knew  more  than  he  himself  did  about  a  sphere  which  he  had  thought 
quite  unknown  to  them.  If  they  in  spite  of  this  did  not  presume  to  be- 
long to  the  "awakened,"  he  concluded  that  his  chance  of  attaining  to 
even  a  modest  degree  of  holiness  was  positively  nil.  He  therefore  re- 
signed himself  to  abandoning  all  idea  of  further  striving  after  Buddhist 
contemplation. 

"It  was  only  a  jest,  the  mood  of  a  moment,"  he  explained,  smiling. 
And  with  this  the  happy  old  relationship  between  the  cousins  was 
restored. 

When  Beginning  of  Spring,  the  Emperor's  wife,  had  returned  to  the 
Court  from  her  visit  to  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision,  she  had  expressed 
the  wish  that  a  monument  should  be  erected  in  the  park  with  an  inscrip- 
tion which  would  commemorate  for  all  time  the  happy  event  of  her 
visit.  Chia  Cheng  hastened  to  fulfill  her  wish,  and  entrusted  the  work  to 
the  most  skillful  stonecutters  and  engravers  he  could  find. 

The  Imperial  wife  reflected,  furthermore,  that  the  Park  of  Delightful 
Vision,  which  had  been  made  specially  for  her  visit,  would  be  shut  up 
and  sealed  by  her  father  after  the  visit  through  a  sense  of  dutiful  re- 
spect, and  she  said  to  herself  that  it  would  really  be  a  pity  if  these 
beautiful  places  were  to  be  left  abandoned  and  unused  in  the  future. 
Why  should  it  not  be  made  accessible  to  her  sisters  and  cousins,  who 
could  make  rhymes  and  stanzas  so  splendidly?  Were  they  not  worthy 
to  lift  up  their  minds  and  hearts  amid  the  beautiful  vistas  of  the  park? 
And  should  not  her  brother  Pao  Yu  also  share  this  special  privilege? 
For  since  his  childhood  he  had  been  accustomed  to  the  company  of 
girls,  and  would  find  himself  terribly  lonely  and  neglected  if  he  were 
suddenly  deprived  of  the  accustomed  companionship. 

Moved  by  these  considerations,  the  Imperial  spouse  sent  the  Chief 
Eunuch  Hsia  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  with  orders  to  this  effect.  Mr. 
Cheng  and  his  wife  lost  no  time  in  sending  people  to  the  park  to  clean 
up  and  furnish  comfortably  the  various  places  of  abode  destined  for 
Pao  Yu  and  the  young  girls. 

Pao  Yu  was  very  specially  pleased  with  the  changes  which  were  to 
take  place.  He  was  just  then  with  his  grandmother  discussing  this  and 
that  matter  regarding  the  change-over,  when  a  servant  came  in  to  call 
him  to  his  father.  Pao  Yu  turned  pale.  His  happy  mood  was  swept  away 
immediately.  Craving  protection,  he  pressed  convulsively  against  his 
grandmother's  right  side  as  if  she  were  a  piece  of  sugar  which  was  to 
be  crushed  to  besprinkle  a  sweet  dish.  He  did  not  want  to  go  at  any 
price,  for  he  believed  it  was  again  to  be  one  of  those  fatherly  repri- 
mands which  he  feared  so  much.  The  Princess  Ancestress  encouraged 

171 


him,  saying  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear,  and  that  his  father  probably 
only  wished  to  give  him  some  instructions  on  good  behavior  before  he 
left  for  the  future  dwelling.  Accompanied  by  two  worthy  matrons,  who 
had  to  act  as  personal  guards,  Pao  Yu  set  out  on  the  dreaded  journey, 
but  he  went  so  slowly  and  unwillingly  that  he  hardly  progressed  three 
inches  with  every  step.  At  last,  very  hesitantly,  he  entered  the  parental 
pavilion.  How  unpleasant  were  those  half-curious,  half-mocking  glances 
which  met  him  as  he  walked  through  the  rows  of  servants  in  front  of  the 
entrance.  A  maid  named  Golden  Bangle  was  actually  so  impudent  as  to 
pluck  his  sleeve  as  he  passed  by  and  whisper:  "Now,  what  about  it? 
Would  you  not  like  to  lick  the  rouge  from  my  lips?  It  is  quite  fresh 
and  has  a  perfume." 

'Whereupon  an  older  maid  named  Bright  Cloud  gave  her  a  push  and 
said  reprovingly:  "Ill-mannered  creature!  You  see  that  he  is  not  in  a 
mood  for  such  jests  just  now!  Be  off!" 

Inside,  Pao  Yu  found  his  father  and  mother  sitting  opposite  each 
other  on  the  divan  engaged  in  conversation.  The  three  Spring  girls, 
and  the  younger  brother  Chia  Huan,  the  son  of  a  secondary  wife  of  his 
father,  were  sitting  at  their  feet  on  low  stools.  The  younger  relations, 
Taste  of  Spring,  Grief  of  Spring,  and  Chia  Huan,  stood  up  as  Pao  Yu 
entered.  Mr.  Cheng  scrutinized  the  newcomer  sharply,  then  his  glance 
v.-andered  over  to  the  other  son,  and  he  compared  them.  How  favorably 
Pao  Yu's  prepossessing,  cultivated  appearance  compared  with  the  thick- 
set, coarse  appearance  of  the  bastard!  Mr.  Cheng  went  on  to  reflect  that 
his  hair  was  already  beginning  to  turn  gray,  and  that  he  could  scarcely 
hope  to  have  another  and  better  offspring  than  Pao  Yu.  Nine-tenths  of 
the  aversion  which  he  usually  felt  towards  Pao  Yu  vanished  as  a  result 
of  this  silent  reflection,  and  he  sounded  more  gentle  than  usual  when 
he  said:  "Her  Imperial  Highness  has  deigned  to  give  orders  that  you 
are  to  continue  your  studies  in  future,  in  the  company  of  your  sisters 
and  cousins,  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision.  But  she  desires  you  to 
pull  yourself  together  and  study  seriously  instead  of  loafing  around.  So 
now,  comply  with  this  order  and  be  on  your  guard!" 

Pao  Yu  managed  to  murmur  a  hurried  shih — yes;  there  followed  a 
short  conversation  between  mother  and  son  concerning  his  health,  then 
a  gruff  "Why  is  that  creature,  that  plague  of  my  life,  still  standing 
there?"  scared  him  quickly  outside  the  door.  Now  looking  happy,  he 
ran  nimbly  through  the  lines  of  servants  in  the  anteroom,  cheekily 
sticking  out  his  tongue  at  the  maid  Golden  Bangle  as  he  passed. 

Chia  Cheng  fixed  the  twenty -second  of  the  month  as  the  most  suitable 
day  for  the  move.  Meantime  the  various  buildings  which  had  been  as- 
signed as  dwellings  had  been  put  in  habitable  order.  Pao  Yu  and  Black 
Jade  managed  to  arrange  for  their  quarters  to  be  quite  near  one  an- 

172 


other.  They  each  lived  on  their  own,  and  besides  the  maids  whom  they 
had  had  up  to  now  each  had  two  elderly  chaperons  to  supervise  them 
and  four  maids  for  the  rough  work  of  the  house. 

Thus,  on  the  twenty-second  of  the  month,  life  and  youth  entered  the 
hitherto  desolate  park,  and  the  colorful  flower  beds. and  the  willow 
leaves  waving  in  the  zephyr  breezes  could  no  longer  be  sad  and  com- 
plain of  loneliness.  The  change  of  dwelling  seemed  to  alter  Pao  Yu's 
whole  personality.  His  dejection  vanished  and  gave  place  to  merry 
spirits.  From  now  on  he  passed  his  days  with  the  girls,  reading  and 
writing,  strumming  the  lute  or  playing  chess,  painting  or  reciting  verse, 
while  the  girls  embroidered  their  phoenix  patterns  industriously, 
plucked  flowers  and  identified  plants,  amused  themselves  playing  dice 
and  other  drawing-room  games,  and  sang  songs  in  their  gentle  voices. 
He  was  completely  happy  and  had  never  before  been  in  such  a  good 
mood  for  writing  poetry.  Many  of  his  verses  and  stanzas,  though  not 
perhaps  showing  extraordinary  talent,  but  replete  with  feeling  and  keen 
observation  of  nature,  as,  for  instance,  his  "Songs  of  the  Four  Seasons," 
found  their  way  to  the  public.  For  there  was  no  lack  of  flatterers  and 
spongers  eager  to  win  his  favor,  who  felt  obliged  to  noise  abroad  in  the 
streets  and  market  places  the  fame  of  the  distinguished  fourteen-year- 
old  boy  poet  of  the  Yungkuo  palace,  and  to  display  copies  of  his 
poems.  It  became  the  fashion  among  the  gay  young  set  to  decorate  fans 
and  walls  of  rooms  with  the  latest  soulful  outpourings  from  the  brush 
of  the  celebrated  Pao  Yu;  it  was  considered  intellectual  to  recite  his 
latest  poems  at  social  functions;  people  competed  fiercely  to  obtain  a 
few  lines  written  by  his  own  hand,  whether  verse,  or  maxims,  or  even 
just  short  mottoes.  Pao  Yu  felt  very  important  and  had  his  hands  full 
satisfying  all  the  claims  made  on  him  from  outside. 

Who  would  have  thought  that  in  spite  of  everything  his  'old  restless- 
ness would  be  stirred  up  again  so  soon?  One  day  the  splendors  of  the 
park,  which  had  charmed  him  so  much  in  the  beginning,  began  to  bore 
him.  He  found  fault  with  this  and  criticized  that,  and  felt  annoyed  and 
dissatisfied.  Also,  the  society  of  his  companions  did  not  satisfy  him; 
their  merry,  boisterous  playing,  their  ingenuous,  frivolous,  girlish  ways 
left  him  cold.  He  longed  for  new  diversions,  stronger  impressions.  The 
f9ol! 

His  valet  Ming  Yen  had  been  trying  in  vain  for  a  long  time  to  banish 
his  ill-humor  with  various  suggestions  and  distractions,  but  at  last  he 
got  a  new  idea  which  succeeded.  One  day,  after  a  walk  through  the 
booksellers'  lane,  he  took  home  to  his  master  a  whole  stack  of  unknown 
light  literature,  all  novels  and  romances  both  old  and  modern,  obscene 
love  stories  and  tales  of  the  adventures  of  famous  courtesans  and  the 
like. 

173 


Pao  Yu  had  never  before  seen  such  books.  When  he  peeped  into 
them  now  he  became  as  if  intoxicated,  and  as  happy  as  if  they  were  a 
valuable  find.  And  the  fact  that  ha  might  only  read  these  books  secretly, 
as  Ming  Yen  impressed  upon  him,  made  them  doubly  fascinating.  He 
hid  them  as  well  as  he  could  in  his  bed  and  in  other  safe  places,  and 
from  now  on  he  spent  his  time,  whenever  he  was  alone  and  undisturbed, 
eagerly  delving  into  them. 

One  day,  about  the  middle  of  the  third  month,  he  sauntered  along 
after  breakfast  to  the  bridge  leading  to  the  Weir  of  Penetrating  Per- 
fumes, carrying  the  Hsi  Hsiang  Chi,  "Play  of  the  Western  Pavilion," 
in  his  hand,  and  sat  down  to  read  on  a  rock  under  blossoming  peach 
trees  at  the  edge  of  the  pond.  As  he  was  sitting  there  and  had  just  come 
to  a  place  in  the  book  which  described  "falling  red,  gathered  up  in 
heaps,"  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  blew  through  the  branches  and  caused 
a  heavy  rain  of  petals  to  ripple  down  on  him  and  his  book.  He  was  cov- 
ered all  over  with  the  reddish  petals  and  had  to  shake  himself  to  get  rid 
of  the  delicate  burden.  So  lovely  and  charming  did  these  petals  seem  to 
him  that  he  would  have  been  sorry  to  tread  on  them  with  his  feet. 
Therefore,  he  gathered  up  with  both  hands  the  rosy  piles  which  lay 
round  about  his  seat  and  carried  them  to  the  near-by  bank,  there  to 
shake  them  over  the  surface  of  the  water.  And  each  time  that  he  had 
shaken  out  two  handfuls  in  this  way,  he  remained  for  a  while  on  the 
bank  looking  after  the  flower  petals  thoughtfully,  as  they  danced  about 
on  the  waves  and  were  gently  drawn  by  the  current  towards  the  weir. 

Just  as  he  was  bending  down  to  gather  together  another  heap  of 
petals,  he  heard  a  girl's  voice  behind  him  asking:  "What  are  you  do- 
ing here?" 

He  turned  around.  There  he  saw  Black  Jade  standing  in  front  of 
him.  She  was  carrying  a  spade  over  her  shoulder,  on  the  handle  of 
•which  hung  a  flower  carrier  made  of  light  gauze;  in  her  left  hand  she 
had  a  broom. 

"It's  good  that  you  have  come!  You  can  help  me  to  sweep  up  these 
flower  petals  and  throw  them  into  the  water.  I  have  already  thrown  in 
quite  a  lot,"  he  said. 

"You  should  not  do  that!  Here  the  water  is  tolerably  clean,  but  later 
on  when  the  petals  have  drifted  farther  along  with  the  current,  and  float 
into  other  estates,  they  will  come  in  contact  with  all  kinds  of  dirt  and 
refuse.  It  would  be  a  pity  for  the  lovely,  pure  petals  to  become  soiled. 
No,  it  is  better  if  we  take  them  to  the  petal  grave  which  I  have  just  dug 
behind  that  hill.  I  shall  sweep  them  up.  You  stuff  them  into  the  bag  and 
then  we  will  carry  them  to  the  grave  together.  In  the  course  of  time  they 
will  turn  into  good  garden  soil.  Is  not  that  nicer  and  cleaner  than 
throwing  them  into  the  water?" 

174 


Pao  Yu  had  to  admit  that  she  was  right. 

"Wait  a  moment  until  I  put  my  book  away;  then  we  will  set  to  work 
at  once." 

"What  book  have  you  got?"  she  asked. 

"Nothing  special;  a  commentary  on  The  Great  Philosophy'  of  Mas- 
ter Confucius,"  he  replied  quickly,  trying  to  hide  the  book  from  her 
sight. 

"Show  it  at  once,  you  rogue!" 

"For  all  I  care  you  may  see  it,  Mel  mei,  but  please  be  so  kind  as  not 
to  say  a  word  about  it  to  other  people.  Anyway,  it  is  quite  a  splendid 
book;  the  style  is  wonderful.  You  will  not  be  able  to  give  a  thought  to 
sleeping  or  eating  if  you  read  it.  Here." 

Black  Jade  laid  down  her  garden  implements  and  took  the  book.  She 
sat  down  on  the  rock  and  began  to  read,  and  the  more  she  read  the 
more  she  was  fascinated  by  the  book,  and  she  did  not  stop  reading  un- 
til she  had  skimmed  through  all  its  sixteen  chapters  in  one  go.  Content 
and  style  enchanted  her  equally,  and  when  she  had  finished  she  seemed 
still  to  taste  in  her  mouth,  as  it  were,  the  sweetness  she  had  enjoyed; 
and,  lost  in  thought,  she  recited  to  herself  this  and  that  passage  which 
had  remained  impressed  on  her  memory. 

"Well,  how  did  you  like  it?"  he  asked,  smiling. 

"It  is  really  fascinating." 

"Yes,  isn't  it?  And  does  it  not  apply  most  remarkably  to  the  two  of 
us?  I  am  the  hero  full  of  faults  and  weaknesses,  and  you — you  are  the 
heroine  whose  beauty  causes  the  downfall  of  cities  and  countries,"  he 
quoted  jokingly. 

His  remark  made  Black  Jade  flush  a  sudden  deep  crimson  right  up  to 
her  ears.  She  raised  her  brows  and  her  dilated  pupils  flashed  with  anger 
as  she  hissed:  "What  impertinence!  I  must  object  to  your  connecting 
those  common  expressions  and  those  improper  passages  with  me!  It  is 
an  insult!  But  just  wait,  I  shall  tell  your  parents!" 

At  the  word  "insult"  fine  little  red  veins  became  visible  around  her 
pupils.  Now  she  turned  away  quickly  and  ran  off.  He  ran  after  her  dis- 
mayed and  held  her  firmly. 

"Dearest  Mei  mei,  I  beg  your  pardon  a  thousand — ten  thousand 
times!"  he  pleaded.  "I  see  that  I  have  been  talking  nonsense,  but  I  did 
not  mean  to  insult  you.  If  I  did.  may  I  be  drowned  in  a  deep  pond  and 
may  a  mangy  tortoise  eat  me,  and  may  I  myself  be  turned  into  a  big 
tortoise,  and  in  some  future  time  when  you,  the  wife  of  a  mandarin  of 
first  rank,  have  died  of  old  age,  may  I  for  all  time  carry  the  socket  of 
the  pillars  of  your  grave  on  my  back!" 

Black  Jade  could  not  help  bursting  out  laughing  on  hearing  this  long, 
comical  oath.  She  was  soon  appeased  again.  Casting  a  roguish  glance 

175 


at  him,  she  said:  "Besides,  I  could  reply  to  you  in  the  same  tone  if  I 
wished  to,  and  by  way  of  example  speak  of  a  certain  someone  who  re- 
sembles the  famous  lance  with  the  silvered  wax  point." 

"If  you  say  such  things  I  also  will  go  and  tell  tales  on  you!"  he 
threatened,  jokingly. 

"I  only  wanted  to  show  you  that  I  can  read  just  as  quickly  as  you 
can,  and  can  remember  what  I  read  just  as  easily  as  you  can.  It  is  noth- 
ing to  me  to  read  ten  lines  of  writing  with  one  single  glance.  Or  do  you 
doubt  that?" 

"Oh,  indeed  I  believe  it.  But  now  we  will  be  sensible  again  and  bury 
our  poor  petals." 

They  set  to  work  again,  and  swept  up  and  heaped  the  fallen  petals 
and  carried  them  to  the  petal  grave  behind  the  hill.  Meantime  the  maid 
Pearl  appeared.  She  had  been  sent  by  the  Princess  Ancestress  to  fetch 
Pao  Yu.  Prince  Shieh  was  not  well  and  Pao  Yu  was  to  go  to  him 
straight  away  and  wish  him  a  speedy  recovery,  as  was  proper.  The 
Spring  girls  had  already  visited  the  sickbed.  Pao  Yu  therefore  bade 
farewell  to  Black'Jade  and  left  the  park  accompanied  by  Pearl. 

Deep  in  thought,  Black  Jade  sauntered  slowly  back  to  her  house.  As 
she  was  passing  by  the  wall  of  the  Pear  Garden  she  heard  from  within 
the  gentle  sounds  of  flute  playing  and  charming  singing.  The  music 
came  from  the  twelve  dancing  girls  from  Suchow,  who  had  their  quar- 
ters in  the  Pear  Garden  and  were  just  now  practicing  a  new  theater 
piece.  Black  Jade  was  not  paying  particular  attention  to  the  singing,  but 
two  lines  of  one  of  the  songs  caught  her  ear  so  distinctly  that  she  was 
able  to  understand  every  word,  it  was  about  a  wonderfully  beautiful 
purple  flower,  which  blooms  gloriously,  only  to  be  plucked,  to  wither, 
and  .to  end  miserably  in  some  refuse  pit. 

Black  Jade  was  touched  to  the  core  by  the  melancholy  expressed  in 
these  two  lines.  Involuntarily  she  slackened  her  pace  and  listened  hard 
in  an  effort  to  follow  the  rest,  of  the  text.  And  she  could  not  but  si- 
lently agree  with  the  sentiments  of  the  next  two  lines,  which  spoke  of  the 
transience  of  exterior  splendor  and  good  living  when  inner  happiness 
was  destroyed.  And  she  had  to  sigh,  thinking  of  the  superficiality  of 
human  beings,  who  go  to  the  theater  only  to  be  entertained  and  do  not 
think  at  all  of  looking  into  themselves  and  applying  to  their  own  lives 
the  truths  which  they  hear  on  the  stage.  While  still  tunk  in  meditation, 
she  heard  the  words: 

"As  a  flower  in  spring,  beauty  fades, 
As  a  fleeting  wave,  youth  passes." 

She  felt  deeply  moved  and  frightened.  Her  head  became  dizzy,  her 
feet  refused  to  move,  she  staggered  as  if  she  were  drunk,  and  had  to  sit 

176 


down  on  a  near-by  rock.  There  she  sat,  murmuring  to  herself  again  and 
again  the  words  she  had  just  heard: 

"As  a  flower  in  spring,  beauty  fades, 
As  a  fleeting  wave,  youth  passes." 

At  the  same  time  it  occurred  to  her  that  in  the  past  she  had  read  in 
old  stories  and  also  today  in  the  "Play  of  the  Western  Pavilion"  similar 
words  about  falling  petals  and  running  waters,  passing  spring  and  last- 
ing sorrow.  A  feeling  of  infinite  anguish  and  sadness  stole  upon  her,  her 
heart  shrank,  tears  dropped  frdm  her  eyes.  She  would  have  so  loved  to 
speak  to  someone,  to  let  herself  be  comforted.  Suddenly  she  felt  a  light 
tap  on,  her  shoulder.  She  turned  around.  A  young  girl  was  standing  be- 
fore her.  You  will  learn  from  the  next  chapter  who  this  girl  was. 


CHAPTER    19 

Ni  the  usurer  proves  impulsively  generous  when  drunk.  A  lovelorn  maid 
gets  queer  ideas  about  a  lost  handkerchief. 

WHEN  BLACK  JADE  TURNLD  ROUND  THERE  .WAS  LOTUS,  THE  STOLEN 
slave  girl  and  daughter  of  Shih  Ying,  standing  before  her. 

"Stupid  creature  to  frighten  me  so!"  said  Black  Jade,  angrily.  "What 
are  you  looking  for  here?" 

"I  am  looking  for  my  young  mistress,  Miss  Precious  Clasp,  but  I  can- 
not find  her  anywhere.  And  your  maid  Cuckoo  has  been  inquiring  for 
you.  Madame  Cheng  has  sent  you  a  package  of  tea  from  the  new 
hai  vest.  Would  you  please  come  and  receive  the  gift." 

Black  Jade  set  out  hand  in  hand  with  Lotus  towards  her  pavilion. 
She  accepted  the  tea  from  the  new  harvest,  and  of  the  best  quality, 
which  her  Aunt  Cheng  had  just  sent  her  and  kept  Lotus  with  her  for  a 
while.  She  found  her  company  pleasant  in  her  present  state  of  mind. 
She  discussed  with  her  the  excellence  of  this  tapestry  and  the  charm  of 
that  piece  of  embroidery,  and  did  not  let  her  go  until  they  had  played 
a  game  of  chess  and  read  some  passages  from  a  book  together.  But  let 
us  now  leave  those  two  alone  for  a  while  and  talk  of  Pao  Yu. 

When  he  got  back  to  his  dwelling  with  Pearl  he  found  the  maid 
Mandarin  Duck  lying  on  his  divan  examining  a  piece  of  embroidc  y 
which  Pearl  had  begun. 

"Where  have  you  been  hiding?"  she  asked  Pao  Yu  when  he  entered. 
"The  old  Tai  tai  sent  over  for  you  quite  a  long  time  ago.  You  are  to 
hurry  across  and  visit  your  sick  uncle.  Quick!  Change  your  clothes." 

While  the  maid  Pearl  went  into  the  next  room  to  fetch  his  visiting 
clothes,  he  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  divan  and  pushed  his  slippers  off  with 

177 


his  toes.  Then  he  turned  round  and,  taking  advantage  of  Pearl's  ab- 
sence, thoroughly  inspected  Mandarin  Duck,  who  waa  lying  behind 
him.  She  was  Tying  with  her  face  towards  the  wall  and  was  so  absorbed 
in  the  embroidery  that  she  no  longer  noticed  him.  He  found  her  most 
bewitching,  in  her  little  bright  red  silk  jacket  over  the  green  bodice  and 
the  white  satin  sash  which  encircled  her  slender  waist.  And  he  could 
not  resist  bending  over  her  neck  eagerly  to  sniff  the  fragrance  which 
emanated  from  her,  and  to  stroke  her  back  playfully. 

"Dear  Mei  mei,  do  let  me  lick  a  little  of  the  pink  stuff  from  your 
lips,"  he  whispered,  nestling  close  up  to  her  and  encircling  her  with  his 
arm  and  leg. 

"Come  and  look,  Pearl!"  cried  the  girl,  laughing  loudly  as  she  tried 
to  disengage  herself  from  him.  "You  have  been  with  hyn  goodness 
knows  how  long,  and  you  have  not  yet  taught  him  to  behave." 

Pearl  hurried  along  with  a  bundle  of  clothes  in  her  arms.  With  one 
glance  she  grasped  the  situation. 

"I  see  that  all  my  good  teaching  is  in  vain,"  she  said,  turning  to  Pao 
Yu.  "If  that  ever  happens  again  I  will  leave  at  once." 

Pao  Yu  kept  a  rather  shamefaced  silence,  changed  his  clothes,  and 
went  off  to  his  grandmother  accompanied  by  two  maids.  In  the  fore- 
court of  her  pavilion  he  found  his  servants  already  waiting  with  his 
saddled  horse,  to  take  him  to  Prince  Shieh.  As  he  was  mounting  his 
horse  while  at  the  same  time  exchanging  a  few  words  with  Cousin  Chia 
Lien,  who  had  just  come  back  from  a  ride,  he  heard  a  young  man  call- 
ing up  to  him  from  the  side:  "Tsing  an,  Uncle!" 

Pao  Yu  looked  down  from  the  saddle.  The  young  man  might  have 
been  eighteen  or  nineteen  years  old.  He  was  slender  and  well  built,  his 
finely  formed  face  seemed  somehow  familiar,  but  Pao  Yu  could  not 
recall  his  name  or  who  his  family  were. 

"Why  on  earth  are  you  staring  at  him  like  that?  Do  you  not  know 
him?  He  is  our  nephew  Little  Yun,.  son  of  our  sister-in-law  Five," 
Cousin  Lien  informed  him,  laughing. 

"Oh,  of  course!  I  remember  him  now.  And  the  boy  behaves  as  if  he 
were  my  son!" 

"Don't  be  funny!  He  is  four  or  five  years  older  than  you  are," 
laughed  Cousin  Lien. 

"Hello,  how  old  are  you,  then?"  asked  Pao  Yu  condescendingly. 
"Eighteen,"  replied  Little  Yun  smiling  and  added  with  quick  wit: 
"No  doubt  my  worthy  uncle  is  thinking  of  the  proverb  of  the  grand- 
parents who  have  kept  themselves  until  old  age  as  young  as  the  child  in 
the  cradle  and  of  the  grandchildren  who  are  old  before  their  years. 
Now,  even  if  I  surpass  you  somewhat  in  years,  that  does  not  prevent 
your  surpassing  me  in  worth  as  the  sun  surpasses  the  mountain,  and 

178 


since  my  real  father  is  dead,  \  would  deem  myself  most  happy  if  you 
would  do  me  the  honof  of  making  me  your  adopted  son." 

"At  the  moment  I  have  no  time  for  you,  but  come  and  visit  me  to- 
morrow and  we  shall  have  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  good  chat,"  said  Pao  Yu, 
flattered.  "I  shall  show  you  the  park.  But  keep  clear  of  the  girls." 

And  with  a  salute,  he  rode  off,  followed  by  the  troop  of  servants,  to 
the  dwelling  of  Prince  Shieh.  His  attention  pleased  the  Prince,  who 
after  a  brief  greeting  sent  him  off  to  the  Princess.  It  turned  out  that 
Prince  Shieh's  indisposition  was  not  very  serious;  he  had  only  caught 
a  slight  cold.  The  Princess  kept  Pao  Yu  to  dinner,  and  !  °  found  hir 
cousins  there  also,  and  so  he  returned  to  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision 
in  their  company.  But  let  us  return  now  to  Little  Yun. 

Little  Yun  belonged  to  a  poor  branch  of  the  Chia  clan,  and  being  the 
only  son  of  a  widow,  he  was  intent  upon  finding  occupation  and  a  liveli- 
hood by  rendering  occasional  small  services  to  his  rich  and  fashionable 
relatives.  His  visit  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  today  had  this  end  in  view. 

"Is  there  anything  for  me  to  do?"  he  asked  his  uncle  Lien  when  Pao 
Yu  had  ridden  away. 

"I  had  something  in  view  for  you  recently,  but  unfortunately  my 
wife  has  meantime  given  this  worjc  to  Chia  Lin,  who  also  needed  it 
urgently.  However,  there  will  soon  be  various  jobs  in  the  garden  to  do, 
and  my  wife*  has  promised  me  that  she  will  give  you  the  task  of  super- 
intending them.  I  cannot  do  anything  for  you  today,  but  come  round 
again  in  the  morning  immediately  after  the  roll  call  and  you  will  have 
an  opportunity  of  presenting  your  petition  to  my  wife  in  person.  But 
now  excuse  me;  I  have  an  appointment." 

Little  Yun  thanked  him  and  went  off.  On  the  way  he  said  to  himself 
that  it  would  do  his  prospects  good  if  he  could  win  the  favor  of  the 
almighty  Madame  Phoenix  by  means  of  some  little  attention.  But  where 
was  he  to  get  money  for  a  gift?  He  decided  to  look  up  his  maternal 
uncle,  the  spice  and  provision  dealer  Pu,  and  to  extract  something  from 
him. 

"I  need  your  assistance,  dear  Uncle,"  he  said  to  him-.  "Do  please  let 
me  have  four  ounces  of  camphor  and  four  ounces  of  musk  on  credit.  I 
will  pay  you  promptly  at  the  Mid-Harvest  Festival." 

Uncle  Pu  put  on  a  sour  grin.  "I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  "that  I  cannot 
enter  into  such  credit  transactions.  Only  a  short  time  ago  one  of  my 
employees  abused  my  good  nature  and  took  goods  on  credit  from  the 
business  and  of  course  did  not  keep  his  promise.  The  result  was  that 
my  partners  and  I  had  to  cover  the  loss  out  of  our  own  pockets.  Since 
then  we  have  agreed  together,  under  pain  of  a  fine  of  twenty  taels, 
never  again  to  enter  into  similar  private  credit  transactions.  I  have  to 
keep  strictly  to  this.  Moreover,  the  stock  of  camphor  and  musk  in  my 

179 


modest  shop  is  quite  small,  and  I  could  not  satisfy  your  requirements 
completely  even  if  you  were  to  pay  cash.  You  had  therefore  better  look 
around  elsewhere.  Besides,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  money  transac- 
tions spoil  friendship.  You  are  a  thoughtless  young  fellow  and  none  too 
particular  about  what  is  right  and  wrong.  You  would  take  your  debt 
lightly,  you  would  forget  to  pay,  I  would  have  to  keep  dunning  you  for  it, 
and  you  would  take  that  ill  of  me.  My  advice  to  you  is  this:  Help  your- 
self and  save  money  in  good  time,  so  that  you  will  not  have  to  borrow 
at  all  and  your  uncle  will  be  pleased  with  you ! " 

"You  are  perfectly  right,  dear  Uncle,"  replied  Little  Yun,  controlling 
his  feelings  with  difficulty.  "But  you  must  take  into  account  that  I  lost 
my  father  while  I  was  still  a  child,  and  for  that  reason  have  not  had  the 
right  instruction  and  upbringing.  My  mother  has  always  said  how  lucky 
we  were  in  at  least  having  your  support  and  help,  most-honored  Uncle. 
That  is  why  I  thought  I  could  count  upon  your  help.  Moreover,  I  was 
not  aware  that  I  had  frivolously  squandered  away  any  inherited  prop- 
erty, whether  a  house  or  a  piece  of  land.  Even  the  best  housewife  can- 
not cook  rice  soup  if  there  is  no  rice  to  hand.  How,  then,  could  I  have 
put  anything  aside  up  to  the  present  when  I  had  not  got  an  income? 
However,  you  may  count  yourself  lucky  that  I  do  not  importune  you 
two  or  three  times  a  day  with  this  and  that  request,  as  many  another 
in  my  position  would  do." 

"My  dear  boy,  I  am  in  a  pretty  bad  way  myself;  otherwise  I  would 
most  willingly  give  you  a  hand.  But  why  do  you  not  turn  to  your  rich 
paternal  relations?  See  that  you  fill  your  pockets  as  full  as  you  can  in 
the  Yungkuo  palace  behind  the  backs  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  house.  Or 
why  not  try  to  ingratiate  yourself  with  their  majordomo  by  dint  of  flat- 
tery, and  engage  in  some  rewarding  enterprise  that  will  bring  in  a  good 
commission?" 

Little  Yun  remained  silent  and  turned  to  go. 

"Why  are  you  in  such  a  hurry?  You  can  surely  stay  for  a  bite,"  said 
the  avaricious  uncle,  just  for  form's  sake.  But  at  the  same  moment  the 
scolding  voice  of  his  wife  became  audible.  "Are  you  hovering  up  in 
the  clouds  again?"  she  asked.  "I  have  Jbarely  enough  food  for  ourselves 
in  the  larder,  and  there  you  are,  playing  the  splendid  host!" 

"If  that's  so,  buy  some  more  provisions  for  our  guest!"  he  replied, 
whereupon  the  ill-tempered  female  voice  was  heard  once  more:  "Go 
over  to  neighbor  Wang  and  ask  her  could  she  help  us  out  with  twenty  or 
thirty  pence  worth  of  rice;  I  would  pay  it  back  tomorrow,"  she  ordered 
her  daughter. 

But  Little  Yun  had  had  enough  of  this  miserable  kind  of  hospitality, 
and  he  contrived  to  get  away,  and  so  he  set  out  on  his  nocturnal  journey 
home  in  depressed  spirits.  As  he  walked  along  deeply  sunk  in  his 

180 


thoughts,  he  stumbled  absent-mindedly  against  a  drunken  man  who 
had  come  reeling  towards  him.  The  drunkard  grabbed  him  by  the  arm 
and  shouted:  "Hi,  have  you  no  eyes  in  your  head?" 

The  voice  seemed  familiar  to  Little  Yun,  and  right  enough  it  was  his 
neighbor  Ni,  the  well-known  usurer  and  gambler,  drunkard  and  rowdy. 

"Let  me  go,  old  friend!  It  is  I,  your  neighbor,  Little  Yun,"  he  de- 
clared, laughing. 

The  drunken  man  scrutinized  him  intently  out  of  glazed  eyes.  At  last 
he  recognized  him.  He  let  him  free,  murmuring  a  few  words  of  excuse. 

"Where  are  you  going,  little  friend?"  he  asked. 

"Ah,  don't  ask  me.  I'm  in  a  bad  humor.  One's  dear  fellow  beings  are 
so  annoying!" 

"Speak  your  mind  with  confidence!  Who  has  annoyed  you?  I,  the 
drunkard  Ni,  stand  up  for  my  friends  in  the  whole  neighborhood.  Any- 
one who  harms  one  of  them  will  have  to  reckon  with  me.  I'll  pull  down 
his  shop  and  chase  his  wife  and  children  out  on  the  street!" 

Little  Yun  told  him  of  his  futile  begging  visit  to  his  uncle. 

"The  wretch!  If  he  did  not  happen  to  be  your  relative,  I  would  make 
him  pay  dearly  for  that!"  stormed  neighbor  Ni  indignantly.  "But  don't 
worry.  I  have  some  small  change  with  me  by  chance,  and  I  will  lend 
you  a  few  taels,  naturally  without  interest,  as  is  right  and  proper  be- 
tween good  neighbors." 

He  put  his  hand  in  his  belt  pocket. 

"Here  are  fifteen  taels.  I  hope  they  are  enough." 

"You  are  a  good  fellow,  and  I  would  not  like  to  offend  you  by  refus- 
ing your  friendly  offer;  so  I  accept  it  with  thanks.  As  soon  as  I  get 
home  I  shall  write  you  a  receipt." 

"What  nonsense!  If  you  come  to  me  with  a  receipt  I  won't  give  you 
a  copper." 

"As  you  wish,  then.  Many  thanks." 

"That's  good.  And  now  I  must  be  getting  along,  as  I  have  another 
business  call  to  make;  otherwise  I  would  ask  you  to  have  a  drink.  And 
now,  when  you  go  home,  would  you  be  good  enough  to  call  at  my  house 
and  tell  my  people  that  I  shall  not  be  home  tonight,  and  that  if  they 
want  anything  they  must  send  for  me  in  the  morning.  They  will  find  me 
at  the  horse  dealer  Wang's." 

And  he  reeled  on.  But  Little  Yun  was  delighted  with  his  unexpected 
good  fortune,  and  his  only  fear  was  that  as  soon  as  his  benefactor  be- 
came sober  he  would  repent  the  noble  impulse  which  had  overcome 
him  when  drunk,  and  would  demand  back  the  sum  lent  with  the  addition 
of  a  usurious  interest.  But  he  would  find  it  easy  enough  to  pay  even 
usurious  interest  if  only  Madame  Phoenix  would  give  him  the  hoped- 
for  order. 

181 


Very  early  the  next  morning  he  sought  out^a  grocery  store  in  the  high 
street  outside  the  South  Gate  and  bought  a  package  of  camphor  and  a 
package  of  musk.  Then,  well  groomed  and  dressed  in  his  best  clothes, 
he  went  to  the  Yungkuo  palace.  There  he  was  told  that  Madame  Phoe- 
nix was  just  about  to  go  to  the  Princess  Ancestress.  Her  husband  was 
not  at  home  either.  He  waited  in  the  forecourt,  which  several  servants 
were  busily  sweeping  and  cleaning  with  enormous  brooms.  Just  at  that 
moment  the  wife  of  the  majordomo  Chou  called  out: 

"Clear  the  way.  Put  by  your  brooms!  The  mistress  is  coming!" 

Immediately  afterwards  Madame  Phoenix  appeared,  surrounded  by 
a  swarm  of  serving  matrons  and  waiting  maids.  Little  Yun  stepped  up 
a  bit  closer  and  paid  her  reverence  with  a  deep  bow.  She  did  not  deign 
to  look  at  him,  but  continued  to  walk  straight  on,  merely  inquiring 
casually  how  his  mother  was  and  why  she  never  came  to  see  her. 

"She  has  not  been  quite  herself  these  days,  but  she  is  very  often  with 
you  in  her  thoughts,  and  is  longing  to  see  you,"  replied  Little  Yun 
glibly.  He  knew  that  Madame  Phoenix  was  extremely  amenable  to 
flatteries. 

"Come,  come!  Don't  be  too  gushing!"  she  remarked  with  a  smile, 
slowing  down  her  pace  a  little.  "I  am  pretty  sure  she  would  not  have 
thought  of  me  if  I  did  not  happen  to  mention  her." 

"Oh,  how  would  I  dare  to  tell  lies  in  your  presence,  revered  Aunt? 
Only  yesterday  my  mother  spoke  of  you.  In  spite  of  your  delicate 
health,  she  said,  you  had  taken  the  whole  burden  of  the  great  house- 
hold upon  your  shoulders,  and  it  is  only  thanks  to  your  incomparable 
energy  that  everything  runs  as  if  on  well-oiled  wheels  in  the  western 
palace.  You  are  simply  indispensable  and  irreplaceable,  she  thinks." 

Madame  Phoenix  stood  still.  A  benign  smile  spread  over  her  face. 

"And  what  was  your  reason  for  discussing  me  with  your  mother  be- 
hind my  back?"  she  asked,  graciously. 

"Oh,  I  had  a  very  sound  reason.  A  good  friend  of  mine,  a  wealthy 
dealer  in  spices,  has  recently  obtained  by  purchase  the  post  of  subpre- 
fect  in  a  district  of  the  province  of  Yunnan.  Before  setting  out  with  his 
family  to  take  up  his  position  he  sold  out  his  stock  and  closed  down  his 
shop  here.  When  he  did  this  he  gave  many  valuable  lots  of  goods  as 
gifts  to  his  close  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  remembered  me  too  and 
gave  me  a  parcel  of  camphor  and  musk.  I  consulted  my  mother  as  to 
the  best  use  I  could  make  of  his  gift.  It  seemed  to  us  a  pity  to  sell  these 
valuable  drugs  below  their  value,  and  there  did  not  seem  anyone  among 
our  close  friends  worthy  of  giving  them  to.  Then  we  remembered  that 
you,  esteemed  Aunt,  always  need  a  great  deal  of  camphor  and  musk  for 
incense,  and  we  thought  that,  especially  in  view  of  the  proximity  of  the 

182 


Boat  Festival  of  the  Dragon,  you  would  not  disdain  to  accept  this  little 
parcel  from  us  as  a  small  token  of  our  true  devotion  to  you." 

And  with  a  deep  bow  he  handed  her  a  beautiful  little  pinewood  box 
in  which  a  small  package  of  camphor  and  another  of  musk  were  neatly 
packed.  His  gift  was  really  very  welcome  to  Madame  Phoenix,  for  she 
could  not  have  anything  like  enough  incense  materials  in  her  household 
stores  for  the  approaching  Boat  Festival  of  the  Dragon.  With  a  gra- 
cious inclination  of  the  head  she  indicated  that  one  of  her  retinue  should 
receive  the  box  on  her  behalf. 

"Thank  you  for  your  attention,  dear  Nephew,"  she  said.  "I  see  that 
my  husband  is  not  mistaken  in  saying  that  you  possess  understanding 
and  tact,  and  in  speaking  favorably  of  you  in  other  respects  too." 

"Oh,  does  he  really  speak  of  me  sometimes?" 

Madame  Phoenix  was  on  the  point  of  telling  him  that  she  had  already 
decided,  at  the  instance  of  her  husband,  to  give  him  the  task  of  super- 
vising the  intended  garden  work.  But  then  she  said  to  herself  that  if  she 
expressed  her  approval  of  his  appointment  so  promptly  he  would  prob- 
ably imagine  that  her  favor  could  be  bought  with  trifling  gifts  such  as  a 
few  ounces  of  camphor  and  musk,  and  would  think  the  less  of  her  for 
it.  She  therefore  refrained  from  replying  to  his  question  and  went 
proudly  on  her  way. 

There  was  nothing  for  Little  Yun  to  do  but  return  home  still  in  un- 
certainty; in  the  afternoon,  however,  he  set  out  again  for  the  Yungkuo 
palace  to  accept  the  invitation  given  him  by  Pao  Yu  the  previous  day. 
In  front  of  the  library,  not  far  from  the  apartments  of  the  Princess  An- 
cestress, he  met  Pao  Yu's  valet,  Ming  Yen. 

"Is  your  master  not  coming  over  from  the  Park  at  all  today?"  he 
asked. 

"I  do  not  know,  but  I  shall  go  and  announce  you." 

Little  Yun  passed  the  long  time  of  waiting  looking  at  the  pictures 
and  curios  in  the  library.  While  he  was  absorbed  in  gazing  at  them,  he 
heard  a  girl's  gentle  voice  calling  for  one  Ko  ko.  He  went  out  and 
caught  sight  of  a  pretty  little  maid  of  about  fifteen  or  sixteen.  When  she 
saw  him  she  turned  away  hurriedly  and  ran  off.  As  it  happened,  Ming 
Yen  was  just  at  that  moment  coming  back.  He  went  up  to  her  and 
asked  her  whether  she  had  seen  her  master,  Pao  Yu.  "You  see,  she 
belongs  to  his  staff,"  he  explained  to  Little  Yun,  who  had  come  run- 
ning up  to  him.  "I  myself  have  been  unable  to  find  him." 

"Dear  girl,  be  so  good  as  to  announce  to  your  master  that  his  nephew, 
Little  Yun,  is  here,"  he  asked  the  little  girl.  This  time  she  did  not  run 
away.  Hearing  that  the  stranger  belonged  to  the  family  had  reassured 
her  to  some  extent,  but  she  seemed  still  not  quite  to  trust  him. 

"Come  again  tomorrow,  because  I  shall  hardly  have  a  chance  of 

183 


speaking  to  my  master  before  this  evening,  and  you  surely  would  not 
wish  to  wait  until  then,"  she  said,  briefly  and  definitely,  with  the  man- 
ner of  one  fully  convinced  of  the  importance  of  her  own  person.  And 
with  this  she  dismissed  him.  Little  Yun  could  not  help  casting  a  few 
furtive  glances  at  her  as  he  went  away. 

When  he  returned  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  early  the  next  day  he  had 
the  good  fortune  to  meet  Madame  Phoenix  as  soon  as  he  arrived.  She 
had  just  got  into  her  carriage  to  take  an  outing.  When  she  saw  Little 
Yun  she  had  him  called  over  to  her  carriage  door. 

"Look  here,  my  boy,  you  are  being  a  bit  cheeky  with  me,  I  think," 
she  said,  smiling  out  the  carnage  window.  "Your  gift  of  yesterday  was 
only  an  excuse,  of  course.  My  husband  has  meantime  told  me  what  you 
want." 

"Oh,  has  he?  How  awkward!  Yes,  that  is  quite  right;  I  would  like 
very  much  ...  I  am  only  sorry  that  I  did  not  come  straight  to  you  in 
person  in  the  beginning,  dear  Aunt.  If  I  had  done  so,  the  matter  would 
have  been  settled  long  ago.  But  one  does  not  realize  that  Uncle  Lien 
really  has  so  little  say  in  things." 

"So  that's  the  way,  is  it?  It  was  only  after  having  been  unlucky  with 
him  that  you  wanted  to  try  it  with  me  yesterday?" 

"You  do  me  an  injustice,  dear  Aunt.  I  regarded  it  as  my  duty  as  a 
nephew  not  to  go  over  the  head  of  my  uncle.  But  now  that  I  know  how 
matters  stand,  I  shall  apply  only  to  you  in  future.  And  will  you  be  so 
good  as  to  lend  me  a  kindly  ear  now?" 

"Oh,  now,  straight  away?  You  should  have  opened  your  mouth 
sooner.  There  are  all  sorts  of  trees  to  be  planted  and  flower  beds  to  be 
laid  out  in  the  park.  If  you  had  only  said  a  timely  word  to  me,  I  would 
perhaps  have  entrusted  you  with  the  matter." 

"Do  please  do  so  even  yet!" 

"That  can  hardly  be  managed  now.  But  have  patience  until  next  New 
Year  i'estival,  when  we  shall  have  to  buy  fireworks.  I  may  perhaps  con- 
sider you  then." 

"Dear,  dear  Aunt.  Do  please  try  me  out  right  away  instead.  You  may 
depend  upon  me  to  acquit  myself  well.  You  will  be  so  pleased  with  me 
that  you  will  entrust  me  with  the  New  Year  Festival  order  straight 
away." 

"My  word!  The  boy  does  know  how  to  look  ahead!  Well,  you  may 
thank  your  uncle  for  having  put  in  a  word  for  you.  I  would  not  have 
bothered  about  you  of  myself.  So  now,  to  come  to  the  point:  Come  back 
again  today  after  breakfast.  Call  at  the  Estate  Cashier's  office,  and  see 
that  you  get  started  with  the  garden  \\ork  the  day  after  tomorrow!" 
And  giving  a  sign  to  the  coachman,  she  drove  off. 

Little  Yun  was  overjoyed.  He  hoped  to  fill  in  the  time  of  waiting  until 

184 


after  breakfast  by  visiting  Pao  Yu.  But  Pao  Yu  was  spending  the  whole 
of  today  in  the  house  of  his  new  friend,  the  Prince  of  the  Northern 
Quietness. 

Punctually  at  eleven  o'clock  Little  Yun  went  to  the  Estate  Cashier's 
Office,  armed  with  the  letter  of  authority  which  Madame  Phoenix  had 
sent  to  him  in  the  meantime,  and  there  he  was  handed  the  handsome 
sum  of  two  hundred  taels.  He  then  hurried  home  and  had  a  good  time 
for  the  whole  day  with  his  mother.  The  next  morning  he  settled  his  ac- 
count with  his  neighbor  Ni,  then  went  to  the  nursery  garden  of  Fang 
Chun  outside  the  Western  Gate  and  bought  flower  plants  and  trees  to 
the  value  of  fifty  taels.  But  let  us  leave  him  for  the  time  being  to  his 
new  occupation  and  return  to  Pao  Yu. 

When  he  had  made  an  appointment  the  day  before  yesterday  with 
Little  Yun,  this  was  only  one  of  those  polite  but  empty  compliments 
which  upper-class  people  are  in  the  habit  of  expressing  without  a  mo- 
ment's thought  to  people  of  lower  social  station.  He  had  of  course  for- 
gotten the  appointment  meantime.  When  he  returned  home  towards 
evening  from  his  visit  to  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  he  felt 
that  he  would  like  a  bath.  It  happened  by  chance  that  he  was  sitting 
quite  alor.e  in  his  room  for  a  long  time,  because  the  maid  Pearl  had 
accepted  an  invitation  from  Precious  Clasp,  the  maid  Musk  was  ill  in 
bed,  and  two  other  maids  had  gone  off  to  fetch  hot  bath  water.  Thus  it 
happened  that  now  when  he  called  two  or  three  times  for  tea,  only  the 
two  elderly  matrons  who  had  been  assigned  to  him  as  chaperons  an- 
swered his  call. 

"That  is  all  right.  You  may  go,"  he  said,  shooing  them  straight  out 
again  with  a  wave  of  the  hand.  He  would  prefer  to  get  the  tea  himself, 
he  said.  So  he  went  into  the  kitchen  and  pottered  around  the  hearth, 
and  was  just  about  to  pour  a  pot  of  boiling  water  into  the  teapot  when 
he  heard  someone  behind  him  saying:  "You  will  burn  your  hand. 
Please  let  me  do  it!" 

At  the  same  moment  a  pretty  young  thing  came  to  his  side,  took  the 
pot  of  hot  water  from  him,  filled  the  teapot,  and  took  the  tea  things 
into  his  room.  As  he  sipped  '  is  tea  he  eyed  the  young  maid  attentively. 
He  had  not  noticed  her  at  all  before.  What  lovely  curly  hair  she  had, 
and  what  a  slim,  delicate  little  face. 

"Do  you  belong  to  my  staff  loo?"  he  asked. 

"Yes." 

"How  is  it,  then,  that  I  have  never  seen  you  before?" 

"There  are  so  many  of  us,  it  would  be  hard  for  you  to  know  each  one. 
Besides,  I  am  still  new,  and  I  have  never  had  any  personal  services  to 
do  for  you,  such  as  making  your  tea." 

"Why  not?" 

185 


"Because  the  others,  the  older  ones,  who  have  been  longer  with  you, 
keep  those  services  for  themselves." 

"That  is  a  pity,  for  one  cannot  see  you  at  all  then." 

"Not  unless  there  is  a  special  order,  such  as  the  one  on  which  I  came 
here  just  now.  A  certain  Mr.  Yun  asked  for  you  yesterday  afternoon.  I 
told  him  to  come  back  today  as  you  had  had  no  midday  sleep  yesterday 
and  were  tired.  Now,  today  you  were  with  the  Prince  of  .the  Northern 
Quietness,  and  so  Mr.  Yun  has  missed  you  a  second  time." 

"Oh,  indeed,  so  he  was  here?" 

He  would  have  liked  to  continue  the  conversation  with  the  dainty 
little  creature,  but  she  suddenly  darted  off  because  two  older  waiting 
maids  were  coming  along  laughing  and  chatting.  They  were  carrying  a 
splashing  tub  of  bath  water.  With  their  free  hands  they  were  holding  up 
the  edges  of  their  skirts,  which  had  been  wetted  by  the  splashes  of  wa- 
ter. Little  Siao  Hung  ran  towards  them,  amiably  anxious  to  help  them 
carry  the  tub.  When  the  two  older  maids  reached  the  room  they  ob- 
served to  their  surprise  and  annoyance  that  Pao  Yu  was  all  alone.  After 
they  had  prepared  the  bath  for  him  they  took  the  little  new  maid  to 
task.  "What  were  you  doing  with  him  just  now  when  we  came?"  they 
asked  her  suspiciously. 

"Nothing  at  all.  I  was  looking  for  my  handkerchief,  which  I  had  lost. 
He  called  for  tea  and  as  no  one  else  was  there  to  serve  him,  I  gave  him 
his  tea.  That's  all." 

"Don't  try  to  hoodwink  us,  you  cheeky  creature!"  cried  the  elder 
girl  angrily,  spitting  in  the  young  one's  face.  "We  can  see  now  why 
you  did  not  run  to  fetch  the  bath  water  just  now,  as  was  your  duty,  but 
left  it  to  us  two  to  go  instead  of  you.  Your  excuse  that  you  hadn't  time 
was  just  invention  and  deceit.  You  wanted  to  get  rid  of  us  so  that  you 
would  be  alone  with  the  young  master.  But  just  look  in  the  glass  and 
see  if  you  art  fit  to  show  yourself  in  his  presence." 

"I'll  tell  Pearl  tomorrow  how  you  pushed  yourself  forward,"  the  sec- 
ond one  put  in.  "The  next  thing  will  be  that  you  will  want  to  serve  the 
young  master  alone.  We  others  have  become  unnecessary,  isn't  that 
so?" 

After  the  quarrel  had  been  going  on  this  way  for  a  while,  a  serving 
matron  arrived  with  a  message  from  Madame  Phoenix  to  the  effect  that 
the  gardeners  would  be  coming  into  the  park  tomorrow  and  that  the 
waiting  maids  must  keep  modestly  in  the  background  and  not  <un 
around  out  of  curiosity  and  that  they  must  not  Show  their  underclothes 
openly  on  the  washing  line  before  the  eyes  of  the  strange  men.  More- 
over, all  the  part  of  the  park  which  was  to  be  planted  would  be  screened^ 
off. 

186 


"Who  is  supervising  the  work?"  the  two  elder  waiting  maids  wanted 
to  know. 

"One  Mr.  Yun,"  replied  the  chambermaid.  The  name  was  quite  new 
to  them.  But  little  Siao  Hung  remembered  very  well  that  the  nice  young 
man  who  had  spoken  to  her  yesterday  in  front  of  the  library  door,  and 
had  then  turned  round  so  noticeably  to  look  after  her,  was  called  Yun. 
Would  she  really  see  him  again,  she  wondered.  For  the  little  creature 
was  ambitious  and  wanted  to  rise  in  the  world.  For  a  long  time  past  she 
had  been  hoping  to  he  noticed  by  Pao  Yu,  but  her  elder  colleagues  al- 
ways knew  how  to  keep  her  in  the  background.  And  after  being  caught 
out  today,  the  very  first  time  she  had  been  alone  with  Pao  Yu,  she  would 
have  to  suffer  more  envy  and  more  slights  than  ever  from  now  on.  But 
her  forlornness  was  changed  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  into  joyous  an- 
ticipation when  she  heard  the  old  serving  matron  utter  the  name  Yun, 
and  for  the  whole  day  she  could  not  stop  thinking  of  her  meeting  of 
yesterday  with  the  nice  young  man.  Then,  that  night,  when  she  was 
alone  in  her  room  and  lay  down  to  sleep,  the  thought  of  him  did  not 
leave  her  even  in  her  sleep.  Suddenly  she  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  outside 
her  bedroom  window  saying:  "I  have  found  your  handkerchief,  Siao 
Hung." 

She  got  up  and  went  to  the  door.  There  was  the  young  man  of  yes- 
terday standing  before  her. 

"Where  did  you  find  it?"  she  asked,  shyly. 

"Come  with  me.  I  will  show  you  the  place,"  he  answered,  drawing 
her  to  him  and  clasping  her  in  his  arms.  She  disengaged  herself  and 
tr^ed  to  run  back  to  her  room,  but  stumbled  over  a  step  on  the  way. 
This  awoke  her.  What  a  pity!  She  had  only  been  dreaming. 


CHAPTER   20 

A  sorcerer  bewitches  the  cousins.  The  marvellous  power  of  the  magic 
stone  brings   about   their  recovery. 

AFTER  AN  UNEASY  SLEEP  SIAO  HUNG  GOT  UP  VERY  EARLY  THE  NEXT 
day,  to  go  about  her  work.  She  was  far  too  excited  by  her  beautiful 
dream  to  be  able  to  give  the  usual  care  to  her  toilet.  She  barely  dipped 
her  fingers  quickly  in  the  washbasin,  carelessly  pinned  up  her  long 
braids  in  front  of  the  mirror,  and  fixed  a  hand  towel  as  apron  into  the 
belt  of  her  skirt.  Then,  with  a  sigh  she  took  her  broom  and  was  once 
more  an  ordinary  housemaid. 

Pao  Yu  had  also  kept  in  his  heart  the  memory  of  his  first  meeting  of 
yesterday  with  the  pretty  little  new  maid.  He  would  have  liked  to  call 

188 


her  to  do  him  this  or  that  service,  but,  in  the  first  place,  he  was  afraid 
of  arousing  the  jealousy  of  the  older  maids,  and  in  the  second  place,  he 
did  not  even  know  the  little  one's  name.  He  got  out  of  bed  very  early  in 
the  morning  feeling  in  a  bad  humor,  went  to  the  window,  and  remained 
leaning  out  for  a  while  watching  the  maids  sweeping  the  courtyard. 
How  nicely  the  vain  creatures  had  decked  themselves  out!  There  was 
not  one  of  them  who  had  not  put  on  powder  and  rouge  and  stuck  flow- 
ers coquettishly  in  her  hair.  Unfortunately,  he  could  not  discover  the 
little  new  one  of  yesterday  among  them,  but  he  definitely  wanted  to  see 
her  again.  He  slipped  quickly,  into  his  clothes  and  went  out  into  the 
park.  He  pretended' to  have  come  out  to  look  at  the  flowers,  but  in 
reality  he  was  watching  out  furtively  to  the  east  and  the  west  for  little 
Siao  Hung.  At  last  he  discovered  her  leaning  on  the  parapet  of  a  pleas- 
ure gallery,  hidden  under  plum  blossoms  and  behind  begonia  branches, 
sunk  in  thought.  He  went  up  to  her  and  was  just  about  to  speak  to  her 
when  an  older  maid  came  along  and  told  him  that  it  was  time  to  wash. 
It  was  really  a  pity  to  be  disturbed!  So  he  had  to  leave  the  little  one 
standing  there  without  having  exchanged  a  word  with  her,  and  turn 
back  to  the  house. 

Shortly  after  he  had  gone  Pearl  sent  Siao  Hung  to  Black  Jade's  pa- 
vilion. A  flower  vase  had  been  broken,  and  she  wanted  to  get  the  loan 
of  another  one  from  Black  Jade.  As  Siao  Hung  crossed  over  the  Bridge 
of  Blue-Green  Foam  on  her  way  there,  she  noticed  that  the  adjacent 
hilly  part  of  the  park  was  fenced  in  and  shut  off  by  screens.  This  was 
the  part  where  trees  and  shrubs  were  to  be  planted  today.  Right  enough, 
she  saw  people  at  work  everywhere  digging  and  planting.  And  there,  at 
the  edge  of  the  drive,  she  caught  sight  of  Little  Yun  seated,  giving  or- 
ders. She  felt  inclined  to  go  over  to  him,  but  then  her  self-confidence 
failed  her,  and  she  stole  along  by  a  roundabout  way  to  Black  Jade's  pa- 
vilion. As  soon  as  she  had  done  her  errafid  she  slipped  into  her  room 
and  threw  herself  dejectedly  onto  the  couch.  The  other  maids  noticed 
her  depressed  appearance,  but  they  thought  she  was  not  feeling  well, 
and  took  no  further  notice  of  her. 

On  the  following  day  the  bastard  Chia  Huan  had  just  returned  from 
the  family  school  and  was  in  Madame  Cheng's  sitting  room  busily  copy- 
ing out  the  Diamond  Sutra  for  her.  She  wanted  a  nice  legible  copy  for 
learning  by  heart.  The  bastard  felt  very  important  on  account  of  this 
commission,  and  was  giving  orders  all  around.  One  maid  was  to  trim 
and  light  the  wax  candle  for  him,  another  was  to  bring  him  tea,  he 
rebuked  a  third  because  she  stood  in  his  light,  and  so  it  went  on  inces- 
santly. As  he  was  unpopular  with  the  staff,  who  had  little  respect  for 
him,  no  one  took  any  notice  .of  him  except  the  maid  Dawn,  who  brought 
him  tea. 

189 


"Do  not  give  so  many  orders!  You  are  only  making  yourself  still 
more  unpopular!"  she  whispered  to  him,  as  she  poured  out  his  tea.  He 
looked  at  her  angrily. 

"I  know!  You  are  all  for  Pao  Yu  and  have  conspired  against  me!"  he 
said  sharply. 

Dawn  showed  her  teeth  and  rapped  his  head  with  her  fingers.  "Nasty, 
snappish  cur!"  she  scolded,  and  was  about  to  begin  a  longer  sermon 
when  the  arrival  of  Phoenix  and  Pao  Yu  prevented  her  from  doing  so. 
The  two  were  coming  from  a  birthday  celebration  in  the  house  of 
Madame  Cheng's  elder  brother,  Marshal  Wang  Tzu  Teng.  Pao  Yu's 
cheeks  were  red  from  drinking  wine  and  he  felt  sleepy.  While  his 
mother  was  asking  Madame  Phoenix  how  the  birthday  celebrations  had 
passed  off,  and  about  the  guests  and  the  theatrical  performance,  he  let 
the  maids  take  off  his  cap,  overcoat,  and  shoes,  then  he  nestled  down  on 
the  divan  beside  his  mother  and  leaned  his  head  wearily  on  her  breast. 
She  tenderly  stroked  his  cheeks  and  neck,  and  he  in  turn  caressed  her. 

"How  hot  you  are!"  she  said.  "You  have  certainly  drunk  too  much 
again.  Make  yourself  comfortable  and  stretch  yourself  out,  so  that  you 
won't  feel  ill!" 

He  followed  her  advice  and  stretched  himself  out  behind  her  on  the 
cushions.  At  the  same  time  he  called  Dawn  and  asked  her  to  massage 
him  a  bit.  But  Dawn  did  not  want  to  and  kept  looking  at  the  bastard  -who 
was  writing  near  by.  Pao  Yu  took  her  by  the  hand  and  tried  to  draw  her 
nearer  to  him. 

"Dear  elder  sister,  do  look  after  me  a  little  bit  too!"  he  begged. 

"Be  quiet,  or  there  will  be  a  quarrel!"  she  whispered,  parrying  him 
and  withdrawing  her  hand,  for  sbe  had  noticed  the  looks  of  hatred 
which  the  bastard  was  casting  at  tne  spoiled  favorite  of  the  family. 
Actually,  Chia  Huan  had  observed,  with  growing  resentment,  how  Pao 
Yu  was  once  more  claiming  the  general  attention  and  putting  him,  the 
bastard,  in  the  shade.  He  was  devoured  with  envy  and  this  inspired 
him  to  think  of  a  malicious  plan.  With  intentional  awkwardness  he 
tipped  over  the  bowl  into  which  the  melting  wax  from  the  candle  was 
flowing,  in  such  a  way  that  the  hot  wax  splashed  over  Pao  Yu's  face. 
When  the  latter  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  pain  they  all  rushed  over  to  him 
and  shone  the  lamps  on  his  face.  Then  they  saw  to  their  horror  that  his 
face  was  covered  with  a  trickling  layer  of  hot  liquid  wax.  Filled  with 
consternation,  Phoenix  and  the  maids  started  to  scrape  down  the  wax 
and  to  wash  the  injured  skin  with  tepid  water. 

"Such  a  blockhead!  And  he's  no  longer  a  stupid  small  chick!"  she 
scolded,  casting  a  threatening  sidelong  glance  at  the  bastard.  "He  does 
not  yet  even  know  how  to  manage  lights!  It  just  shows  how  badly  his 
mother  is  bringing  him  up!" 

190 


Her  remark  was  the  cue  for  Madame  Cheng  to  send  for  the  bastard's 
mother,  the  secondary  wife  Chao,  and  to  overwhelm  her  with  violent  re- 
proaches. She  should  kindly  take  more  trouble  with  the  upbringing  of 
her  spoiled  offspring,  otherwise  she  need  not  expect  any  further  con- 
sideration and  kindly  treatment.  The  scolded  woman  swallowed  her 
humiliation  silently  and  went  away,  after  having  tried  to  help  a  little 
with  the  injured  boy  for  form's  sake. 

The  left  half  of  Pao  Yu's  face  had  been  disfigured  with  ugly  blisters. 
It  was  lucky  that  his  eye  was  not  injured.  His  mother  was  in  the  greatest 
consternation;  she  feared  the  reproaches  of  the  Princess  Ancestress. 
She  had  ointment  smeared  on  him  and  sent  him  to  bed.  He  himself  be- 
haved bravely  and  generously. 

"It  does  not  hurt  much  at  all,"  he  consoled  her.  "And  when  Grand- 
mother asks  about  it  I  will  just  say  that  I  got  burned  through  my  own 
carelessness." 

"Then  we  others  will  have  to  bear  reproaches  for  not  having  looked 
after  you  well  enough.  In  any  case,  it  is  a  tiresome  affair,"  said  Phoenix. 

Black  Jade  had  not  seen  Pao  Yu  all  this  day.  When  she  heard  of  his 
accident  she  visited  him,  though  it  was  late  evening.  She  got  a  great 
shock  when  she  saw  his  disfigured  face,  which  was  covered  all  over 
with  ointment.  Knowing  her  high-strung  nature,  he  quickly  put  his 
hand  over  the  injured  places  and  asked  her  to  go  away.  But  she  wanted 
to  know  first  if  he  was  suffering  pain,  and  she  would  not  be  dissuaded 
from  sitting  a  while  on  his  bed  and  showing  her  sisterly  sympathy.  The 
next  day  when  he  went  to  his  grandmother  he  most  generously  took  the 
blame  for  the  accident  upon  himself.  And  as  Phoenix  had  rightly 
guessed,  the  Ancestress  vented  all  her  displeasure  on  his  mother  and 
Phoenix  and  the  maids,  who  thus  had  to  suffer,  though  innocent,  for 
the  malice  of  the  bastard. 

Mother  Ma  happened  to  pay  a  vioit  the  next  day.  She  was  well  known 
as  a  sorceress  and  also  as  one  who  prayed  professionally  for  the  sick. 
When  Pao  Yu  was  born  she  was  his  godmother  and  enjoyed  the  honor 
of  having  him  call  her  his  adopted  mother.  When  she  saw  Pao  Yu's 
burns  she  described  magic  circles  with  her  fingers  over  them,  at  the 
same  time  murmuring  mysterious  charms,  further,  she  proposed  to  the 
Princess  Ancestress  that  she  should  pray  for  the  speedy  recovery  of  her 
favorite — naturally,  for  an  appropriate  remuneration. 

"You  must  know,  old  Ancestress,  old  Bodhisattva  of  the  house,"  she 
said  to  the  Princess  Ancestress,  "that  young  people  of  noble  descent  are 
particularly  prone  to  be  persecuted  and  afflicted  by  invisible  devils  and 
hobgoblins.  The  holy  writings  of  Buddha  teach  that.  These  wicked 
demons  torment  them  and  scratch  them,  make  the  plates  and  dishes 
fall  out  of  their  hands  when  they  are  eatirig,  make  them  stumble  and 

191 


take  false  steps.  These  young  people  are  exposed  to  the  afflictions  of 
the  wicked  devils  at  every  step  during  their  tender  yea^s,  and  frequently 
they  lose  their  lives  by  them." 

"Is  there,  then,  no  effective  charm  against  them?"  asked  the  alarmed 
Ancestress. 

"Certainly,  with  the  help  of  Buddha  the  devils  can  be  driven  out.  But 
Buddha  demands  some  good  work  as  a  counter-offering.  It  is  written, 
moreover,  in  the  holy  writings,  that  in  the  West  there  is  a  mighty  bod- 
hisattva  of  light  whose  special  office  it  is  to  protect  the  children  of  good 
people  from  the  demons  of  darkness.  But  one  has  first  tc  conjure  up  this 
protecting  spirit  and  render  him  well  disposed  by  means  of  suitable' 
offerings  and  sacrifices." 

"What,  then,  does  he  demand  as  an  offering?" 

"Oh,  not  so  much.  A  couple  of  ounces  of  frankincense  every  day  and 
plenty  of  oil  for  a  beautiful  big  altar  lamp.  For  the  lamp  must  not  be 
allowed  to  go  out  day  or  night.  It  is  the  symbol  of  the  Spirit  of  Light." 

"Very  well.  You  shall  have  the  money  for  the  frankincense  and  the 
lamp.  How  much  oil  is  required?" 

Mother  Ma  named  a  whole  scale  of  the  sums  usually  given,  which 
were  graded  according  to  the  social  position  of  the  house  concerned. 
After  lengthy  bargaining  a  daily  quantity  of  five  ounces  of  oil  was 
agreed  upon.  Mother  Ma  was  to  receive  the  money  for  this  each 
month  in  advance  from  the  cashier's  office. 

On  the  advice  of  the  wise  woman  the  Ancestress  ordered,  moreover, 
that  Pao  Yu's  servant  should  in  future  carry  with  him  some  thousand- 
piece  strings  of  money  to  distribute  as  alms  to  monks  and  beggars  when 
he  went  out.  With  the  assurance  that  Buddha  would  reward  her  charity, 
the  wise  woman  took  leave  of  the  Princess  Ancestress.  When  making  a 
round  of  the  women's  quarters  in  the  western  palace  she  arrived  at  the 
room  of  the  secondary  wife  Chao,  mother  of  the  bastard  Chia  Huan. 
She  was  sitting  on  the  warmed  kang  putting  slippers  together.  As  she 
glanced  at  the  heap  of  brightly  colored  pieces  of  satin  beside  her, 
Mother  Ma  remarked:  "Ah,  I  could  do  with  some  new  material  for 
covering  my  shoes.  Perhaps  the  Nai  nai  would  have  some  bits  left  over 
for  me?" 

"Look  here,  there's  nothing  very  good  left,  but  if  you  do  not  disdain 
these  shabby  remnants,  pick  out  some  that  you  like!" 

While  Mother  Ma  was  rummaging  through  the  material  and  making 
the  best  pieces  disappear  into  her  roomy  skirt  pocket,  Mrs.  Chao  con- 
tinued: "Did  you  deliver  to  the  Temple  of  the  God  of  Medicine  the  five 
hundred  copper  pieces  which  I  recently  sent  you?" 

Mother  Ma  said  that  she  did. 

"It  was  terribly  little,"  continued  Mrs.  Chao  with  a  sigh.  "I  should 

192 


so  much  like  to  give  more  and  oftener,  but  just  now  my  hands  are  tied. 
I  certainly  do  not  lack  good  will." 

"Have  patience.  Better  days  will  certainly  come  for  you.  Only  wait 
until  your  son  is  grown  up!  He  will  surely  have  a  nice,  lucrative  posi- 
tion someday." 

Mrs.  Chao  gave  an  embarrassed  smile. 

"Ah,  please  do  not  speak  about  that.  I  do  not  wish  to  expect  much 
in  that  direction,  my  son's  position  is  so  very  difficult  owing  to  Pao  Yu. 
The  whole  household  revolyes  around  one  person,  namely,  Pao  Yu.  But 
I  won't  crawl  to  that  woman.  .  .  !" 

She  significantly  stretched  two  fingers  of  her  right  hand  up  in  the  air. 

Mother  Ma  understood  her  sign  language. 

"You  mean  the  second  JVai  nai,  Madame  Phoenix?" 

"Hush!"  said  Mrs.  Chao,  frightened,  standing  up  to  peep  through 
the  curtain  and  make  sure  that  nobody  was  listening.  There  was  no  one 
outside.  She  sat  down  again,  reassured. 

"Yes,  the  autocratic  way  that  person  is  allowed  to  rule  the  house  is 
simply  unendurable,"  she  continued  in  a  whisper.  "I  have  no  voice  in 
anything;  1  am  hardly  a  human  being  beside  her." 

"Hm.  I  understand,  you  are  powerless  and  dare  not  show  any  op- 
position openly.  Still,  why  not  try  to  do  so  secretly?  But  I  should  not 
say  anything." 

"Oh,  please  speak!"  interjected  Mrs.  Chao  eagerly.  "I  am  burning  to 
deal  just  one  blow  at  her  secretly.  If  I  only  knew  how  to!  I  shall  not 
fail  to  show  my  gratitude  if  you  will  help  me." 

"Holy  Buddha,  how  can  I  reconcile  my  conscience  to  that?  I  have 
such  a  tender  conscience!" 

"Now,  you  are  not  usually  so  timid!  Or  are  you  afraid  that  I  do  not 
sincerely  mean  what  I  say  about  my  gratitude?" 

A  broad  grin  spread  over  Mother  Ma's  face. 

"What,  then,  would  you  think  of  giving  me?"  she  asked  frankly. 

"You  are  both  clever  and  wise,  Mother  Ma,  and  you  know  better 
than  anyone  that  the  whole  palace,  with  everything  belonging  to  it, 
would  fall  to  me,  if  you  succeeded  in  getting  those  two,  Phoenix  and 
Pao  Yu,  out  of  the  way.  In  that  case  you  could  demand  as  much  as  you 
wished  from  me." 

"Hm,  that  is  very  nice.  But  assuming  that  everything  goes  according 
to  your  wishes  and  you  become  the  mistress,  you  might  go  back  on  yout 
promise.  I  cannot  undertake  the  business  without  something  in  writ- 
ing." 

"If  that  is  all  you  want  I  shall  most  willingly  write  out  a  promissory 
note  for  you.  It  will  be  paid  punctually  later  on,  you  can  rely  on  that! 

193 


Besides  this,  I  can  give  you  some  articles  of  clothing  _and  some  pieces 
of  jewelry  in  advance." 

"Yes.  I  agree  to  that." 

So  Mrs.  Chao  opened  her  chests  and  picked  out  some  pieces  of 
clothing  and  articles  of  jewelry  for  Mother  Ma,  and  added  to  this  some 
broken  silver,  and  moreover 'she  wrote  out  in  Mother  Ma's  favor  a  for- 
mal promissory  note  for  fifty  taels.  When  the  financial  side  of  the  mat- 
ter had  thus  heen  satisfactorily  settled,  Mother  Ma  got  down  to  work 
without  any  more  moral  scruples,  and  without  distinguishing  blue  from 
red  or  black  from  white.  She  took  scissors  and  cut  out  two  human  fig- 
ures from  a  sheet  of  white. paper.  Mrs.  Chao  had  to  write  on  each  of 
them  a  set  of  four  double  cyclic  signs — namely,  the  year,  month,  day, 
and  hour  of  the  birth  of  Phoenix  and  of  Pao  Yu.  Then  she  cut  from  a 
sheet  of  blue  paper  two  sets  of  five  figures  of  devils  and  got  Mrs.  Chao 
to  sew  them  carefully  with  needle  and  thread  onto  the  first  two  figures. 
She  had  barely  time  to  explain  that  she  would  carry  out  the  rest  of  the 
charm  at  home  by  herself,  and  quickly  to  gather  up  the  pieces  of  paper 
which  were  sewn  together,  when  a  maid  appeared  to  call  Mrs.  Chao  to 
a  meal  Mother  Ma  took  leave  hurriedly  and  set  out  for  her  home. 

That  afternoon  Black  Jade  went  to  visit  her  sick  cousin,  Pao  Yu.  On 
the  veranda  in  front  of  his  pavilion  she  found  several  maids  busy 
washing  themselves,  making  up  their  faces,  and  painting  their  eye- 
brows. From  inside  came  the  sound  of  merry  chatter  and  laughter. 
Phoenix,  Precious  Clasp,  and  the  three  Spring  girls  were  there  enter- 
taining the  patient  with  their  pleasant  company. 

"Ah,  here  comes  another!"  they  cried  in  chorus  as  Black  Jade  en- 
tered. 

"You  must  all  have  been  invited  by  letter,  to  arrive  in  such  num- 
bers?" said  Black  Jade  playfully, 

"Have  you  tried  the  tea  which  I  sent  you  recently?"  Phoenix  asked 
her. 

"Oh,  I  had  quite  forgotten  it.  Many  thanks  for  the  kind  gift." 

"It  did  not  taste  very  good  to  me,"  interjected  Pao  Yu. 

"I  think  it  tastes  good,  but  the  color  is  not  very  special,"  remarked 
Precious  Clasp. 

"It  is  tribute  tea  from  Siaui,"  declared  Phoenix  "I  did  not  like  it 
very  much  either;  I  think  our  Chinese  tea  is  better." 

Of  course  Black  Jade  had  to  disagree. 
'1  liked  it.  Your  stomachs  must  be  out  of  order,  it  seems." 

"If  you  like  it,  you  can  have  more  of  the  same  kind,"  said  Phoenix. 

"Oh,  yes,  please.  I  shall  send  my  maid  for  it." 

194 


"That  is  not  necessary.  I  was  going  to  send  over  to  you  tomorrow 
for  something  in  any  case." 

"Oh,  indeed?  T  should  very  much  like  to  know  what  service  is  de- 
sired of  me  in  return  for  the  package  of  tea." 

"Who  knows?  Perhaps  you  will  be  asked  to  prepare  to  be  a  little 
bride  for  our  family,"  said  Phoenix  blithely. 

"Marvellously  witty!"  remarked  Precious  Clasp  somewhat  acidly, 
while  the  others  laughed  loud. 

"Witty?  I  find  the  remark  in  very  bad  taste  and  most  unfitting," 
Black  Jade  burst  out  violently.  She  had  gone  red  to  the  roots  of  her 
hair  and  one  could  hear  herjeeth  gnashing. 

"Now,  would  you  be  throwing  yourself  away  if  you  were  to  be  a 
bride  to  that  member  of  the  family  there?"  continued  Phoenix  calmly, 
pointing  her  finger  at  Pao  Yu.  "Does  his  person  or  his  origin  not 
please  you?" 

Black  Jade  had  stood  up  and  gone  silently  to  the  door.  Precious 
Clasp  hurried  after  her  and  drew  her  back. 

"How  can  one  take  offense  so  easily  and  just  run  off?"  she  said  to 
her.  At  that  moment  the  two  secondary  wives,  Chao  and  Chou,  who  had 
also  come  to  inquire  after  Pao  Yu's  health,  entered  the  room.  Every- 
one stood  up  politely  when  they  appeared.  Phoenix  alone  remained 
seated  and  ignored  them  deliberately.  Shortly  afterwards  Phoenix  and 
the  cousins  were  called  away  to  Madame  Cheng's,  to  greet  the  wife  of 
the  latter's  brother,  Marshal  Wang  Tzu  Teng,  who  had  come  to  visit. 
The  sickroom  was  soon  empty. 

"Will  you  at  least  stay  with  me  a  little  while!"  begged  Pao  Yu,  when 
Black  Jade  too  was  about  to  leave  him. 

"Do  you  hear  that?  Your  presence  is  desired  here,"  said  Phoenix, 
supporting  his  request,  as  she  turned  around  and  with  a  laugh  pushed 
Black  Jade  back  into  the  room.  Pao  Yu  caught  her  by  the  hand  and 
smiled  at  her  in  silent  entreaty.  Black  Jade  flushed  and  tried  to  dis- 
engage herself  from  him.  Suddenly  he  let  her  go,  grasped  his  head,  and 
uttered  a  loud  cry  of  pain. 

"Oh,  how  my  head  aches!"  he  groaned.  The  next  moment  he  gave  a 
great  leap  into  the  air  and  began  to  run  round  the  room  like  a  pos- 
sessed person,  shouting  and  stammering  out  disconnected  words.  Hear- 
ing Black  Jade's  and  the  maids'  frightened  cries  for  help,  Pao  Yu's 
mother,  the  Ancestress,  and  their  visitor,  Aunt  Wang,  came  hurrying. 
They  saw  Pao  Yu  wildly  brandishing  a  naked  dagger  and  a  fencing  foil 
as  he  jumped  up  and  down  the  room  roaring  frantically.  Shaking  with 
:error,  the  women  snatched  up  their  skirts  and  ran  out  of  the  pavilion 

Kenng  loud  cries  of  grief.  With  lightning  speed  the  awful  news  spread 

irough  both  palaces  that  Pao  Yu  had  gone  mad,  and  in  the  course  of 

1% 


time  his  father  and  Prince  Shieh,  and  Prince  Chen,  and  Chia  Lien,  and 
many  other  men  and  women  of  the  clan  arrived  at  the  ill-fated  spot. 

In  the  midst  of  the  general  tumult,  when  all  minds  were  concentrated 
on  Pao  Yu,  Phoenix  was  suddenly  seen  running  through  the  park  in 
great  bounds.  She  was  armed  with  a  long  kitchen  knife,  with  which 
she  was  slashing  out,  here  beheading  a  hen  which  happened  to  cross 
her  path,  and  there  stabbing  a  dog  which  had  come  too  near  her.  Her 
rolling  eyes  glared  with  lust  for  blood  as  she  now  approached  the  group 
of  relatives  and  servants.  Everyone  fell  back,  crying  out  in  fright,  but 
some  brave,  strong  serving  men  and  maids  surrounded  her,  forced  the 
weapon  from  her  grasp,  and  carried  her  off  to  her  residence. 

There  was  an  excited  family  council.  In  great  confusion  they  all 
talked  together.  Some  suggested  this  devil-catcher,  others  that  exorcist 
of  spirits;  some  were  for  calling  a  doctor,  others  for  trying  magic,  and 
finally  it  was  decided  to  send  for  both  doctors  and  magicians.  But  in 
spite  of  a  hundred  medical  endeavors  and  magic  incantations  and  in 
spite  of  thorough  sprinkling  with  holy  water,  the  two  possessed  persons 
continued  their  ravings  until  their  bodies  were  plowing  like  fire,  and 
they  sank  down  at  last  exhausted  on  their  bods.  But  even  lying  there, 
they  continued  to  babble  incoherently,  and  during  the  night  their  rav- 
ings took  on  really  terrible  forms.  No  one  dared  to  go  near  them 
throughout  the  whole  night.  The  next  day  the  two  were  shut  up  in  one 
room  in  the  dwelling  of  Pao  Yu's  mother,  and  guards  were  posted  to 
watch  in  turns  day  and  night  and  prevent  the  maniacs  from  escaping. 
But  not  far  away  the  Ancestress  and  Madame  Cheng,  Prince  Shieh,  and 
Aunt  Hsueh  sat  together,  never  moved  a  step  from  the  vicinity,  and, 
filled  with  a  thousand  fears  and  sobbing  ceaselessly,  followed  the  de- 
velopment of  the  condition  of  the  two  favorites  of  the  house.  When 
three  days  and  three  nights  had  passed  without  any  improvement,  Mr. 
Cheng  gave  up  hope. 

"The  number  of  our  years  is  determined  by  heaven,"  he  said  to 
Prince  Shieh,  who  kept  tirelessly  pulling  forward  new  suggestions. 
"With  only  our  human  strength  we  can  do  nothing.  The  illness  of  these 
two  defies  every  treatment.  We  must  leave  them  to  their  fate!" 

By  this  time  Phoenix  and  Pao  Yu  were  lying  on  couches  in  an  ex- 
hausted and  apathetic  condition,  and  were  breathing  only  weakly. 
Everyone  regarded  their  case  as  hopeless,  and  the  ciders  had  decided  to 
make  preparations  for  their  death,  which  was  expected  at  any  moment. 
This  news  caused  renewed  lamentation  ami  mourning  in  the  women's 
apartments.  Only  one  woman  was  untouched  by  the  general  sorrow  and, 
while  pretending  sympathy,  was  quietly  rejoicing.  That  was  the  second- 
ary wife  Chao. 

On  the  fourth  day  Pao  Yu  suddenly  oj>encil  his  eyes  and  askc.d  for 

197 


his  things.  He  could  not  stand  it  here  any  longer,  he  said,  and  he  wished 
straight  away  to  leave  the  house  forever.  The  Ancestress  was  incon- 
solable and  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  his  intention.  But  the  secondary 
wife  Chao  urged  her  to  let  him  have  his  way. 

"Do  not  be  sad  about  it,  old  Tai  tail"  she  said.  "Let  him  put  on  his 
clothes  and  go  off.  In  any  case  he  is  no  longer  any  good  for  his  family. 
He  must  be  permitted  to  have  his  way  or  he  will  get  another  attack  of 
madness." 

Her  remark  put  the  Ancestress  into  such  a  rage  that  one  could  hear 
her  teeth  gnashing  and  see  the  foam  dropping  from  the  corners  of  her 
mouth. 

"May  the  tongue  dry  up  in  your  -md ath,  you  confounded  woman!" 
she  cursed.  "You  will  persecute  him  to  his  death!  Do  not  imagine  that  I 
am  blind!  I  know  well  how  convenient  it  would  be  for  you  if  he  died. 
I  know  whose  fault  it  is  that  he  trembles  before  his  father  like  a  mouse 
before  a  cat,  and  that  his  liver  is  bursting  through  constant  fear.  You 
would  like  to  be  rid  of  him.  That  would  suit  you  very  well!  But  I  will 
not  allow  it.  .  .  ."  Her  voice  dropped  and  she  was  overcome  by  a  fit 
of  coughing.  Mr.  Cheng,  who  was  standing  beside  her,  was  painfully 
aware  of  the  reproaches  directed  at  him,  and  turned  away  muttering. 
While  the  woman  who  had  received  this  scolding  was  trying  to  justify 
herself  and  to  calm  the  enraged  Ancestress,  a  servant  arrived  and  an- 
nounced that  the  two  coffins  had  been  made.  The  Ancestress  now  was 
beside  herself.  She  felt  as  if  her  heart  were  pierced  by  daggers. 

"Who  did  such  a  wicked  thing  as  to  order  those  coffins?"  she  cried 
in  a  screeching  voice.  "Bring  whoever  did  it  straight  to  me  that  I  may 
have  him  beaten  to  death!" 

In  the  midst  of  the  tumult  the  sound  of  a  wooden  clapper,  such  as 
pious  Buddhists  are  in  the  habit  of  using  at  prayer,  was  heard  from  far 
down  the  street,  and  a  loud  voice  commending,  in  the  name  of  the 
Southern  Redeemer,  certain  healing  recipes  for  those  possessed  by  the 
devil  became  distinctly  audible.  The  Ancestress  forthwith  sent  servants 
out  the  front  gate  to  find  the  travelling  miracle  healer  and  bring  him  to 
the  house.  It  was  not  long  before  the  servants  came  back  with  two  very 
odd-looking  individuals.  One  of  them  was  a  mangy-looking  bonze,  the 
other  was  a  lame  Taoist  priest.  The  prominent  nose  of  the  former  indi- 
cated boldness  of  character,  his  elongated  eyes  sparkled  like  bright 
stars,  the  patched  bast  sandals  which  he  wore  left  no  tracks  in  the  dust, 
his  grimy  bald  head  was  covered  with  scurf.  The  other  walked  with  a 
limp,  for  one  foot  was  shorter  than  the  other,  and  his  shabby  habit  was 
dirty  and  -stained  with  perspiration  from  top  to  bottom.  From  where 
else  could  they  have  come  than  from  the  Islands  of  Spirits  in  the  West- 
ern Sea,  where  the  sun  sets?  Chia  Cheng  wished  to  submit  the  two 

198 


chance  guests  to  the  usual  polite  questioning  about  their  person  and 
origin,  and  started  by  asking  them  on  which  mountain  or  in  which 
temple  they  had  been  trained  in  holiness.  But  they  laughingly  refused 
any  information. 

"No  superfluous  questions,  please!  We  have  learned  that  certain  in- 
mates of  this  house  are  lacking  peace  of  soul,  and  we  have  come  to  cure 
them." 

"You  are  right.  Two  members  of  this  house  are  possessed  by  wicked 
demons.  What,  then,  are  your  remedies?" 

"Your  house  shelters  a  precious  jewel  which  can  cure  the  two  sick 
people.  Why  seek  other  remedies?" 

Chia  Cheng  understood  what  they  meant. 

"You  surely  mean  the  stone  which  my  child  had  in  his  mouth  when 
he  was  born.  The  inscription  on  it  certainly  asserts  that  it  renders  the 
owner  proof  against  the  influences  of  wicked  spirits.  But  so  far  it  has 
not  shown  its  magic  power." 

"That  is  not  the  fault  of  the  stone,"  the  bonze  informed  him.  "The 
stone  originally  possessed  magic  power,  but  its  magic  has  been  lost 
owing  to  the  influences  of  the  flesh  and  the  senses.  Bring  the  stone  to  ust 
We  will  restore  its  magic  powers  by  incantations." 

Chia  Cheng  obeyed,  took  the  stone  from  Pao  Yu's  neck,  and  passed  it 
to  the  monk.  The  monk  laid  it  on  the  palm  of  his  hand,  closed  his  fin- 
gers over  it,  gave  a  long  sigh,  and  addressed  it  thus  in  a  low  murmur: 
"It  is  now  fifteen  years  since  you  left  your  place  under  the  green  cliff. 
Light  and  shade  alternate  quickly  in  this  human  world.  It  cannot  be 
helped;  you  must  remain  until  your  earthly  destination  has  been  ful- 
filled. And  now  I  adjure  you:  become  again  what  you  once  were,  pure 
and  free!" 

Murmuring  a  few  more  mysterious  sentences,  he  rubbed  the  stone  for 
a  while  on  the  palm  of  his  hand,  then  handed  it  back  to  Chia  Cheng. 

"Now  it  has  regained  its  old  magic  power,"  he  said.  "But  take  care 
lest  it  get  soiled!  Hang  it  on  the  balustrade  in  front  of  the  invalid's  bed- 
room until  he  is  well  again,  and  take  care  that  no  female  except  a  rela- 
tion of  his  own  blood  touches  it!  Follow  these  instructions,  and  the  sick 
person  will  be  cured  in  thirty-three  days." 

Chia  Cheng  was  about  to  order  his  servants  to  bring  food  and  drink, 
but  the  two  queer  fellows  had  already  disappeared.  He  followed  their 
instructions  exactly,  and  the  health  of  the  two  cousins  did  in  fact  im- 
prove from  day  to  day.  It  was  just  as  if  they  were  waking  up  after  a 
long  sleep;  they  got  back  their  appetites  and  asked  for  food  and  drLnk, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  thirty-three  days  they  were  completely  cured. 
The  Princess  Ancestress  and  Madame  Cheng  were  immensely  relieved, 
and  the  recovery  of  Pao  Yu  caused  great  joy  among  his  cousins,  who 

199 


had  been  waiting  expectantly  crowded  outside  the  door  of  the  sickroom. 
Black  Jade  was  the  first  who  showed  her  relief  by  crying  from  her 
heart:  "Thanks  be  to  Buddha!"  Precious  Clasp  said  nothing  but  only 
laughed. 

"Why  are  you  laughing?"  Grief  of  Spring  wanted  to  know. 

"I  have  to  laugh  at  all  the  good  Buddha  has  to  do.  He  must  make 
the  sick  well  and  bring  poor  sinners  to  regeneration.  He  can  do  every- 
thing; one  has  only  to  call  upon  him.  The  next  thing  will  be  that  he 
will  negotiate  marriages  on  request." 

"Shame!  How  can  you  be  so  wicked  and  frivolous!"  cried  Black 
Jade,  flushing,  as,  full  of  indignation,  she  ran  out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER    21 

On  the  Wasp  Waist  Bridge  a  lovelorn  maid  expresses  her  feelings  in 

commonplace  words.  The  "Courtesan  Yang"  startles  two  butterflies  in 

the  Pavilion  of  the  Kingfisher-Blue  Drops. 

AT  THE  END  OF  THE  THIRTY-THREE  DAYS  NOT  ONLY  WAS  PAO  Yu  CURED 

of  his  mental  derangement  but  the  disfiguring  burns  on  his  face  were 
also  completely  healed.  He  felt  stronger  and  in  better  form  than  before, 
and  he  was  glad  to  be  able  to  move  back  at  last  to  his  beloved  park. 
And  another  person  rejoiced  at  his  return:  that  was  little  Siao  Hung; 
for  now  she  could  see  her  secretly  beloved  Little  Yun  again,  if  only  at  a 
distance,  for  he  was  still  engaged  on  his  garden  work.  And  Little  Yun's 
heart  too  beat  faster  every  time  he  saw  the  graceful  figure  of  the  little 
maid  appearing  in  his  vicinity.  If  only  he  could  manage  to  speak  to 
her!  But  he  did  not  dare,  for  after  all  Pao  Yu  had  forbidden  him  at  the 
outset  to  have  any  contact  with  the  female  inmates  of  the  park.  Siao 
Hung  had  once  noticed  a  dainty  little  pale  green  silk  handkerchief  in 
Little  Yun's  hand.  It  was  her  handkerchief  which  she  had  lost  recently! 
Perhaps,  after  all,  her  dream  might  yet  come  true? 

One  day  Pao  Yu,  remembering  the  promise  he  had  made  quite  a 
while  ago,  braced  himself  to  invite  Little  Yun  to  a  cup  of  tea.  Chance 
would  have  it  that,  just  as  the  waiting  maid  Earring  was  escorting  the 
guest  along,  not  far  from  the  Wasp  Waist  Bridge,  little  Siao  Hung  was 
walking  over  the  bridge.  Siao  Hung  stopped  and  exchanged  a  few 
words  with  Earring.  What  she  had  to  say  was  something  quite  unim- 
portant, but  the  delay  allowed  her  to  look  profoundly  into  Little  Yun's 
eyes,  and  this  hurried  exchange  of  glances  caused  them  both  to  blush. 
She  had  not  yet  found  the  pale  green  handkerchief  which  she  had  lost, 
the  artful  little  creature  remarked  quite  casually  as  she  continued  her 
way. 

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Pao  Yu  had  ordered  that  his  guest  should  be  brought  into  the  library 
in  the  Court  of  Harmonious  Red.  While  the  maid. went  to  announce  his 
arrival  Little  Yun  had  an  opportunity  to  look  round  him.  The  "court" 
was  an  alluring  rock  landscape,  planted  here  and  there  with  cypresses, 
banana  plants,  and  one  huge  golden  begonia.  Beneath  a  cypress  tree 
stood  two  Manchurum  spirit  cranes  preening  their  feathers  with  their- 
long  beaks.  The  chirping  and  shrieking  of  rare,  colored  birds  in  numer- 
ous cages  resoun.Jerl  from  the  walls  of  the  pleasure  gallery  which  en- 
circled the  round  inner  courtyard  wall.  Above  the  entrance  door  to  the 
circular  main  building  hung  a  tablet  bearing  the  inscription  "Harmo- 
nious Red,  Joyful  Green."  While  Little  Yun  was  still  pondering  over  the 
meaning  of  these  four  characters,  he  was  called  in.  Pao  Yu  was  reclin- 
ing on  a  magnificent  carved  black  lacquered  divan  beneath  a  red  silk 
canopy  edged  with  gold  and  embroidered  with  flowers.  In  his  hand  he 
held  an  open  book  which  he  laid  down  when  the  visitor  entered. 

Pao  Yu  apologized  for  the  fact  that  he  had  been  prevented  from 
carrying  out  his  promise  until  today,  two  months  late,  owing  to  his  ill- 
ness. Little  Yun  protested  politely  how  sorry  he  had  been  about  his  ill- 
ness, and  'what  an  inexpressible  happiness  his  ultimate  recovery  was  to 
his  whole  family.  When  Pao  Yu  spoke  he  only  half  listened,  for  his 
thoughts  were  distracted  as  much  by  the  splendor  of  his  surroundings 
as  by  the  charm  of  the  two  waiting  maids  in  attendance.  He  assumed 
the  elder  one,  who  was  so  sumptuously  resplendent  in  red  and  green 
and  silver  silk,  to  be  Pao  Yu's  personal  maid,  Pearl.  As  he  had  heard 
what  an  important  role  Pearl  played,  ne  did  not  dare  to  allow  her  to 
serve  him.  When  she  was  about  to  pour  out  tea,  he  stood  up  respectfully 
and  shyly  asked  to  be  allowed  to  pour  it  out  himself.  Pao  Yu  laughingly 
pushed  him  down  en  his  seat  again,  saying  he  need  not  be  so  ceremoni- 
ous with  waiting  maids,  but  in  his  secret  heart  he  found  the  obsequious 
manner  of  the  poor  relation  somewhat  tedious,  hence  he  cut  the  visit  as 
short  as  possible  and  limited  the  conversation  to  such  superficial,  com- 
monplace themes  as  the  weather,  servants,  garden  planning,  good  food, 
and  the  like.  Quite  soon  he  felt  weary  of  his  guest  with  his  incessant  and 
extravagant  praise,  and  he  bade  him  farewell.  The  waiting  maid  Ear- 
ring had  to  conduct  him  out  again. 

On  the  way  Little  Yun  deliberately  walked  slowly  and  kept  watching 
in  all  the  four  directions  of  heaven  for  little  Siao  Hung;  but  she  was  no- 
where to  be  seen.  He  determined  to  become  friendly  with  the  waiting 
maid  Earring  in  order  through  her  to  come  nearer  to  his  objective.  He 
asked  her  about  her  age  and  her  family,  her  work  and  her  salary,  and 
every  other  possible  matter.  When  he  had  become  somewhat  more 
familiar  with  her  in  this  way  he  took  up  courage  and  asked  straight 

202 


out:  "Is  the  name  of  die  little  one  who  hailed  you  a  while  ago  on  the 
bridge  Siao  Hung,  by  any  chance?" 

"Yes.  Why  do  you  ask?" 

"Only  this — did  she  not  say  something  about  a  lost  handkerchief?" 

"She  has  asked  me  about  it  again  and  again,  and  begged  me  to  help 
her  to  find  it,  but  I  was  not  able  to;  I  have  more  important  things  in  my 
head." 

"I  have  found  it." 

"Oh,  then,  give  it  to  me.  She  will  be  grateful  to  you." 

Little  Yun  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  drew  out  a  pale  green  silk 
kerchief. 

"Here.  But  can  I  depend  upon  you  to  bring  me  her  thanks?" 

"You  can  depend  upon  me!" 

Feeling  very  happy,  Little  Yun  walked  out  the  park  gateway.  He  had 
come  considerably  nearer  his  aim  today. 

After  disposing  of  his  visitor  Pao  Yu  had  lain  down  again  and  begun 
to  daydream.  He  did  not  feel  in  the  mood  even  for  reading.  The  waiting 
maid  Pearl  came  up  beside  him  and  gave  him  an  encouraging  cuff. 

"How  can  anyone  be  so  lazy  as  to  go  to  sleep  again?  You  should  go 
out  and  take  some  exercise!" 

"I  would  like  to,  but  I  find  it  so  hard  to  leave  you,"  he  replied  smil- 
ing, taking  her  by  the  hand. 

"Nonsense!  Get  up!  Get  up!"  she  said,  pulling  him  up. 

"But  where  shall  I  go?"  he  yawned.  "Oh,  I  feel  so  terribly  tired  and 
limp!" 

"No  wonder  when  you  stick  in  your  room  the  whole  day  like  a  silly 
little  girl!  Get  Out  into  the  fresh  air;  it  will  cheer  you  up!" 

He  got  up  and  stretched  himself,  then  slipped  out  yawning  into  the 
open  air.  First  he  made  the  round  of  the  pleasure  gallery  by  the  inner 
courtyard  wall  and  amused  himself  there  for  a  while  teasing  the  birds 
which  were  swinging  in  their  cages,  then  he  went  into  the  open  park, 
sauntered  along  by  the  brook,  looked  at  the  goldfishes  in  their  basins, 
and  went  on  to  the  game  preserve.  Here  he  perceived  two  young  stags 
bounding  away  over  a  hillside.  Why  did  the  tame  animals  take  to  their 
heels  so  quickly  at  sight  of  him?  While  he  was  pondering  over  this  he 
caught  sight  of  his  nephew  Chia  Lan  in  the  thicket.  The  rascal  was 
armed  with  bow  and  arrow  and  was  glowing  with  the  joy  of  the  chase. 

"What  mischief  are  you  up  to  here?"  challenged  Pao  Yu. 

"Oh,  I  thought  Uncle  had  gone  Out,"  stammered  the  boy,  confused. 
"I  was  free  from  school  and  I  wanted  to  pass  the  time  practicing 
archery." 

"I  will  knock  in  your  teeth  if  you  ever  again  attempt  to  hunt  here!" 

203 


said  Pao  Yu  severely,  and  then  continued  on  his  way.  At  last  he  came  to 
a  secret  door  which  was  hidden  away  behind  a  thicket  of  high  ferns  by 
the  edge  of  a  quiet  pond.  A  mysterious  humming,  which  seemed  to 
come  from  a  water  dragon  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  filled  the 
air.  Pao  Yu  had  arrived  at  Black  Jade's  pavilion.  He  quietly  lifted  the 
bamboo  screen  and  stepped  into  the  front  garden.  There  was  deep  si- 
lence everywhere.  He  crept  under  the  open  window,  which  had  only  a 
thin  gauze  curtain,  and  peered  inside.  A  wave  of  heavy  fragrance  met 
his  nostrils.  Before  he  had  perceived  the  inmate,  he  heard  a  deep  sigh 
and  then  the  following  words  spoken  in  an  undertone: 

Alone  all  day  long  on  my  pillow, 

Where  can  I  put  my  feelings  but  in  thought.  .   .   . 

She  is  quoting  from  the  "Western  Pavilion,"  thought  the  listener, 
amused,  peering  with  difficulty  through  a  slit  in  the  gauze.  For  he  could 
see  distinctly  that  she  was  lying  on  the  divan,  her  limbs  stretched  out 
as  if  in  sleep. 

"Why  do  you  always  lie  alone  on  a  pillow  just  thinking  what  you 
feel?" 

With  these  words  he  burst  into  the  room,  smiling.  She  quickly  put 
her  arm  over  her  blushing  face  and  turned  towards  the  wall,  pretending 
to  be  asleep.  He  went  up  to  her  couch  and  tried  to  draw  her  over  to  the 
other  side,  but  he  was  disturbed  in  his  efforts  by  two  serving  women. 

"The  young  lady  is  still  asleep;  please  wait  outside  until  she  wakes 
up!"  the  sedate  guardians  of  order  informed  the  intruder.  But  Black 
Jade  had  already  turned  over  onto  the  other  side; 

"Who  is  asleep  here?"  she  asked  pleasantly. 

"Oh,  we  only  thought  .  .  ."  the  matrons  excused  themselves,  with 
embarrassed  smiles,  and  withdrew  to  give  place  to  the  maid  Cuckoo. 
Black  Jade  had  sat  up,  and  began  to  do  her  hair. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  surprising  me  in  the  middle  of  a  beautiful 
sleep?"  she  asked,  turning  to  Pao  Yu  with  a  smile. 

How  bewitchingly  beautiful  she  seemed  to  him  with  her  checks 
flushed  with  sleep  and  the  melancholy  sweetness  of  her  expression !  He 
pushed  his  seat  nearer  to  her  and  gazed  at  her,  fascinated. 

'Excuse  me,  but  what  were  you  saying  just  now?"  he  asked,  ab- 
sently. 

"Oh,  nothing  in  particular." 

"I  mean  just  now." 

"I  do  not  know  what  you  mean." 

"Won't  you  give  me  some  nuts  to  crack?  But  I  certainly  heard  what 
you  said  just  now.  Bring  me  a  good  bowl  of  tea!"  he  said,  turning  to 
the  waiting  maid  Cuckoo. 

204 


"I  don't  think  you  like  our  tea.  Better  let  your  Pearl  get  you  some!" 
retorted  Cuckoo,  pertly. 

"It's  all  right,  pour  it!" 

Cuckoo  obeyed,  and  then  turned  towards  the  door. 

"Listen!  When  one  day  I  am  united  to  your  beloved  litle  mistress 
beneath  the  curtain  embroidered  with  a  pair  of  mandarin  ducks,  you 
shall  always  be  allowed  to  settle  the  cushions  and  spread  the  covers,"  he 
called  after  her  jokingly,  quoting  from  the  "Western  Pavilion." 

His  words  instantly  banished  the  merry  expression  from  Black  Jade's 
face. 

'Are  you  treating  me  again  to  the  street  expressions,  the  coarse 
offensiveness,  which  you  read  in  lewdsbooks?  I  will  not  listen  to  such 
talk!"  she  burst  out  passionately.  In  one  jump  she  was  off  the  couch 
and  out  of  the  room.  He  ran  after  her. 

"Dearest,  best  Mei  mei,  I  deserve  death!"  he  called  out,  quite  be- 
wildered. "But  I  will  never  again  utter  such  expressions,  or  if  I  do,  may 
my  tongue  rot  out.  .  .  ." 

The  arrival  of  the  waiting  maid  Pearl  prevented  him  from  elaborat- 
ing his  oath. 

"Quick!  Dress  yourself!  The  old  governor  wants  to  speak  to  you," 
she  announced.  The  words  "old  governor"  went  through  his  limbs  like 
a  stroke  of  lightning.  For  the  moment  all  other  troubles  were  forgotten, 
and  he  hurried  back  to  his  pavilion  at  Pearl's  side  in  order  to  get  ready 
for  the  dreaded  visit.  His  valet  Ming  Yen  was  waiting  for  him  at  the 
park  gate. 

"Do  you  know  why  the  old  man  wants  to  speak  to  me?"  he  asked  him 
excitedly. 

"No.  But  hurry  up!  You  will  know  soon  enough." 

With  his  stomach  heaving  with  torturing  doubts,  Pao  Yu  hurried  on. 
From  behind  a  projection  of  wall  near  the  great  reception  hall  a  shrill 
laugh  greeted  him  and  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan  suddenly  stepped  out  in  front 
of  him.  He  was  clapping  his  hands  wildly  and  doubling  up  with  laugh- 
ter. 

"Just  look  how  the  boy  can  hurry !  One  only  needs  to  mention  his  old 
man  to  frighten  him  out  of  his  wits!"  he  cried  gleefully. 

Pao  Yu  stood  dumfounded.  He  saw  that  he  had  been  hoaxed  and  was 
about  to  burst  out  in  rage,  but  Hsueh  Pan  now  greeted  him  jokingly 
with  a  ceremonious  bow  and  tried  to  appease  him. 

i  admit  my  offense  and  beg  your  kind  forbearance.  But  I  wanted 
your  company  so  very  much.  There  are  a  whole  crowd  of  us  and  you 
are  the  only  one  missing.  My  birthday  will  be  very  soon,  on  the  third  of 
the  fifth  month,  and  we  are  having  a  preliminary  celebration  today. 

ithout  this  little  trick  I  could  hardly  have  enticed  you  out  so  quickly. 

206 


But  it  is  worth  coming  to;  there  are  all  kinds  of  delicacies  to  feast  on — 
crisp  fresh  lotus  roots  covered  with  bread  crumbs,  giant  melons,  giant 
tribute  salmon  from  Siam,  Siamese  tribute  pork  fragrant  with  cedar- 
wood.  I  have  already  sent  your  mother  a  fine  big  taste  of  all  these 
things,  but  there  is  still  so  much,  I  cannot  possibly  manage  it  myself; 
you  simply  must  help  me  to  eat  it.  Besides,  there  is  a  pretty  little  boy 
singer  who  will  make  the  meal  more  pleasant  for  us." 

Faced  with  such  enticing  pleasures,  Pao  Yu  was  soon  appeased  of 
course,  and  he  laughingly  gave  in  to  the  wild  cousin's  invitation.  He 
returned  home  in  the  evening  half  tipsy.  Cousin  Precious  Clasp,  eager 
for  details  of  the  party,  paid  him  a  visit,  late  though  the  hour  was.  Let 
us,  then,  leave  these  two  to  their  lively  conversation  for  the  time  being 
and  return  to  Black  Jade.,She  had  spent  the  whole  day  in  acute  anxiety, 
wondering  how  the  supposed  visit  of  Pao  Yu  to  his  stern  father  ha^ 
passed  off,  and  it  was  long  past  the  hour  of  the  evening  meal  when  sh : 
was  informed  that  Pao  Yu  had  at  last  returned. 

She  set  out  hurriedly  for  his  pavilion,  for  she  was  very  eager  to 
speak  to  him  before  bedtime.  It  happened  that  Precious  Clasp  arrived 
there  just  before  her.  She  could  see  her  distinctly  in  the  bright  moon- 
light disappearing  into  Pao  Yu's  front  garden,  though  she  was  still  quite 
far  away. 

Arriving  shortly-  after  her,  she  found  to  her  astonishment  that  the  en- 
trance gate  was  locked.  Nobody  opened -when  she  knocked,  and  a  peev.- 
ish  maH's  voice  called  out:  "The  little  master  is  already  asleep.  After 
all,  it  is  now  the  third  night  watch.  Come  back  in  the  morning!'' 

The  waiting  maid  was.  in  fact  already  not  very  pleased  at  Precious 
Clasp's  late  visit,  which  compelled  her  to  stay  up  longer  than  usual. 
Moreover,  she  was  out  of  humor  on  account  of  a  quarrel  she  had  just 
had  with  a  colleague.  It  was  purely  on  her  authority  and  through  ill- 
humor  that  she  did  not  open  the  door.  Naturally.  Black  Jade  could  not 
know  this;  being  of  a  suspicious  nature,  she  sought  the  reason  for  this 
refusal  to  let  her  in  in  quite  another  direction. 

"But  it  is  I!  Why.  ther,  won't  you  open?"  she  repeated  impatiently. 

•"It's  all  the  same  who  you  are.  The  little  master  expressly  ordered 
that  I  was  not  to  let  anyone  in,''  came  the  unfriendly  reply  from  inside. 

Black  Jade  was  raging  and  felt  like  starting  to  scold  aloud,  but  then 
she  reflected  that  after  all  she  was  an  outsider,  a  guest  here,  and  must 
therefore  show  restraint  before  the  staff.  This  reflection  made  her  pain- 
fully aware  how  alone  in  the  world  and  how  completely  orphaned  she 
was,  and  once  more  her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  As  she  stood  thus,  per- 
plexed and  weeping  before  the  locked  gate,  she  suddenly  heard  merry 
laughter  from  within,  and  could  distinguish  clearly  the  voices  of  her 
boy  and  girl  cousins.  Her  heart  contracted  convulsively.  She  felt  as  if 

207 


she  would  cry  aloud  in  her  grief.  Why  did  he  lock  her  out  so  heart- 
lessly? She  thought  and  thought  and  racked  her  brains  right  and  left. 
Did  he  want  to'  punish  her  for  having  reprimanded  him  today  and  then 
run  away?  But  she  had  not  really  meant  it  so  seriously.  Would  he  dare 
to  treat  her  so  insultingly  for  that?  The  next  thing  would  be  that  he 
would  refuse  to  see  her  at  all ! 

For  a  long  time  she  stood  there,  lonely  and  forsaken,  in  the  shadow 
of  a  corner  of  the  wall,  and  heedless  of  the  night  chill  which  came  down 
from  the  bluish,  glistening  hillsides  wet  with  dew  and  enveloped  her. 
Then  she  crept  away  slowly,  sobbing  wildly.  And  her  sobbing  awak- 
ened the  birds  in  the  branches  by  the  wayside  from  their  sleep  and 
caused  them  to  fly  away  in  alarmed  flutters  to  more  distant  resting 
places.  She  had  not  gone  far  when  she  heard  behind  her  a  door  creak- 
ing on  its  hinges.  She  stopped  and  turned  round.  Precious  Clasp  was 
just  coming  out  of  Pao  Yu's  garden  gate.  Pao  Yu  and  the  waiting  maid 
Pearl  were  accompanying  her  a  few  steps.  Black  Jade  would  have  liked 
to  hurry  back  and  call  Pao  Yu  to  account,  but  she  did  not  want  to  be- 
tray herself  to  Precious  Clasp  and  Pearl.  So  she  remained  where  she 
was  and  watched  from  a  distance  as  Pao  Yu  parted  from  his  cousin, 
returned  with  Pearl,  and  disappeared  inside  the  garden  gate.  As  soon 
as  the  gate  had  been  shut  she  continued  her  way  in  tears. 

Her  two  waiting  maids  Cuckoo  and  Snowgoose  had  long  since  grown 
accustomed  to  the  sudden  fits  of  melancholy  from  which  their  mistress 
suffered  at  frequent  and  regular  intervals.  At  first  they  had  thought  it 
was  homesickness,  or  grief  for  her  dead  parents,  and  they  had  made 
efforts  to  comfort  her;  but  as  the  months  passed  by  and  these  tearful 
attacks  of  melancholy  continued,  they  ceased  to  be  surprised,  and  took 
these  states  as  inevitable  expressions  of  a  somewhat  strange  disposition. 
Hence,  when  Black  Jade  came  home  in  a  broken  state  this  night,  they 
did  not  take  any  notice  of  her  condition  or  ask  the  reason  of  her  sorrow. 
But  Black  Jade  shut  herself  into  her  "bedroom  and  sat  crouched  on  the 
edge- of  her  bed  for  a  long  time  with  her  hands  clasped  over  her  knees, 
motionless  as  a  statue,  until  at  last  she  lay  down  to  rest  as  dawn  was 
breaking. 

The  following  day,  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  fourth  month,  the  begin- 
ning of  summer  was  celebrated.  This  is  the  day  when  the  flower  spirits 
come  down  from  their  thrones  and  the  corn  comes  into  its  glory.  Ac- 
cording to  ancient  custom  this  day  was  also  celebrated  in  the  Park  of 
Delightful  Vision  with  the  usual  offering  of  sacrifices,  the  traditional 
flower  banquet,  and  boisterous  festivity.  The  youthful  female  inmates 
of  the  park  and  their  waiting  maids  had  put  on  gaily  colored  garments, 
the  dazzling  splendor  of  which  made  the  gaudy  parrots  pale  with  envy, 

208 


and  brightness  and  cheerfulness  reigned  everywhere.  Only  one  person 
was  missing  from  the  merry  company,  and  that  was  Black  Jade. 

"Where  on  earth  is  Cousin  Black  Jade?"  Greeting  of  Spring  asked. 
"The  lazy  thing  seems  to  want  to  sleep  all  day." 

"Wait,  I  will  go  and  rouse  her ! "  suggested  Precious  Clasp,  and  hur- 
ried off.  On  the  way  she  met  the  troupe  of  twelve  dancing  girls  from  the 
Pear  Garden. 

"The  others  are  over  there,"  she  said  to  them,  pointing  behind  her. 
"Just  go  along!  I  shall  follow  immediately;  I  am  only  going  to  fetch 
Black  Jade." 

As  she  came  near  Black  Jade's  pavilion  she  saw  Pao  Yu  just  entering 
it.  She  slackened  her  pace  and  reflected  a  moment.  Should  she  disturb 
them?  No,  she  would  not  be  so  inconsiderate.  On  this  festive  day  she 
did  not  want  to  upset  the  sensitive  Black  Jade,  who,  she  knew,  liked  to 
have  her  cousin  all  to  herself.  She  promptly  made  up  her  mind,  turned, 
and  ran  back.  As  she  went  she  noticed  a  pair  of  big,  wonderfully  beau- 
tiful butterflies  close  by  the  path,  fluttering  up  and  down  in  the  gentle 
wind.  How  she  would  love  to  catch  them!  She  drew  her  fan  out  of  her 
sleeve  pouch  and  started  to  chase  them.  But  each  time  she  thought  she 
was  quite  near  them,  the  two  winged  fugitives  cleverly  dodged  her  fan 
and  enticed  her  farther  and  farther  from  the  pathway  and  into  the  grass 
right  up  to  the  edge  of  the  near-by  pond.  Here  she  had  to  give  up  the 
chase.  The  fugitives  escaped  from  her  over  the  water. 

Precious  Clasp  was  about  to  turn  round  again  when  she  became 
aware  of  the  sound  of  lively  whispering  coming  from  the  Pavilion  of 
the  Kingfisher-Blue  Drops.  The  pavilion,  which  stood  out  airily  in 
the  middle  of  the  pond,  was  connected  with  the  bank  by  means  of  four 
covered  wooden  footbridges.  It  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high 
folding  screens.  Precious  Clasp  crept  across  the  nearest  bridge  and  lis- 
tened in  through  the  wood  carving  of  one  of  the  big  folding  screens, 
which  was  pasted  up  with  parchment,  and  which  shut  out  the  view  all 
around.  She  distinguished  two  women's  voices.  Now  she  heard  one  of 
them  saying:  "Well,  tell  me  at  last,  is  this  your  handkerchief  which  you 
lost  that  time?  If  not,  I  must  take  it  back  to  Mr.  Yun." 

"Of  course  it's  mine.  Give  it  to  me!"  she  heard  the  other  reply. 

"Just  a  minute!  Not  so  quick!  First  out  with  the  reward,  for  you're 
not  going  to  get  it  for  nothing!  I  definitely  promised  Mr.  Yun  only  to 
give  it  up  in  exchange  for  the  reward." 

"Nonsense!  Why  a  reward?  After  all,  it's  a  duty  to  give  up  what  one 
finds  in  a  strange  house." 

"Very  well,  then  you  won't  get  it." 

The  dispute  continued  for  a  while  longer.  Then  a  voice  said:  "Very 

209 


well,  give  him  this  bangle  as  a  reward!  But  promise  me  you  won't  say  a 
word  to  anyone  about  it!  Swear  it!" 

"I  swear  it,  and  if  I  do  not  keep  my  word  may  I  get  a  big  boil  in  my 
mouth  and  be  miserably  suffocated  to  death  by  it!" 

"Sh!  Not  so  loud!  What  if  anyone  should  be  listening  outside!  We 
had  better  push  aside  the  screen  a  little  so  as  not  to  awaken  suspicion, 
and  to  see  better  if  anyone  is  coming." 

Precious  Clasp,  who  did  not  want  to  be  caught  eavesdropping,  re- 
treated quickly  across  the  footbridge,  only  to  return  immediately,  this 
time  intentionally  clattering  loudly  on  the  boards.  She  had  recognized 
little  Siao  Hung  and  Earring  by  their  voices,  and  was  astonished  at  the 
cunning  of  these  youngest  of  all  the  waiting  maids,  who  appeared  to  be 
so  extremely  innocent,  yet  here,  behind  their  master's  back,  were  gaily 
knotting  the  first  threads  of  a  pleasant  little  love  game. 

"Hi,  Sister  Black  Jade,  where  have  you  crept  away  to?  I  can't  find 
you  anywhere,"  she  called  aloud,  putting  on  a  completely  innocent  air. 
Abashed  and  startled,  the  two  young  girls  stared  at  the  unexpected  in- 
truder through  the  space  between  the  two  folding  screens  which  they 
had  pushed  aside  just  before.  Then  they  shot  out  to  greet  Precious  Clasp 
with  due  respect. 

"Where  have  you  hidden  my  cousin?"  asked  Precious  Clasp  quite 
naturally. 

"We  do  not  know  where  Miss  Ling  is,"  said  Earring,  surprised. 

''But  I  just  saw  her  by  the  pond.  I  thought  she  must  have  crept  along 
the  bank  somewhere  here,  wanting  to  take  you  by  surprise,  but  appar- 
ently she  saw  me  coming  and  evaded  me.  Or  could  she  have  hidden  her- 
self here  in  the  pavilion?" 

She  stepped  in  and  craned  her  neck  and  stretched  her  limbs,  as  if 
searching  intently. 

"She  must  have  just  crept  into  a  grotto  outside.  Let  us  hope  she  won't 
get  bitten  by  snakes!"  she  murmured.  Then  she  went  away  again,  se- 
cretly amused  at  the  little  incident  and  the  successful  trick  which  had 
helped  her  out  of  her  embarrassment. 

Having  spent  half  the  night  sitting  up,  Black  Jade  slept  longer  than 
usual  today.  The  others  had  been  in  the  park  a  long  time  before  she 
awoke.  She  did  her  toilet  in  frantic  haste,  for  she  did  not  want  to  arrive 
too  late  at  the  farewell  banquet  in  honor  of  the  departing  flowers,  nor  to 
be  laughed  at  by  the  others  as  a  sleepyhead.  She  was  just  getting  ready 
to  go  out  when  Pao  Yu  entered. 

"Dear  Mei  mei"  he  said  as  gently  as  possible,  "the  whole  night 
through  I  have  been  turning  over  your  words  of  yesterday  in  my 
mind.  .  .  ." 

210 


Just  as  if  he  were  not  present  at  all  Black  Jade  turned  quite  uncon- 
cernedly to  the  maid  Cuckoo  and  said:  "Look  here,  tidy  up  the  place 
thoroughly!  Take  down  the  window  curtains  and  the  door  curtains!  Put 
a  light  in  the  incense  pot  and  do  not  forget  to  cover  it  again !  You  may 
go  to  see  the  banquet,  hut  when  it  is  over  come  back  and  await  me  by 
the  stone  lions  in  front  of  the  door!" 

Having  given  these  instructions,  she  went  out  into  the  park,  passing 
by  Pao  Yu  without  looking  at  him.  Pao  Yu  still  believed  that  her 
strange  behavior  was  due  to  his  joking  remarks  to  Cuckoo  yesterday, 
which  she  had  taken  so  much  amiss.  How  could  he  guess  that  a  new 
cause  for  her  ill-humor  had  arisen  the  night  before?  Why  did  she  bear  a 
grudge  against  him  for  so  long,  contrary  to  her  usual  habit,  on  account 
of  the  little  offense  of  yesterday  afternoon,  he  asked  himself  in  vain  as 
he  trotted  behind  her,  tortured  with  uncertainty.  Without  having  spoken 
one  word  to  each  other,  each  of  them  arrived  separately  to  join  the  rest 
of  the  company. 

Black  Jade  joined  Precious  Clasp  and  Taste  of  Spring,  who  were 
just  delightedly  watching  the  strange  jumping  of  a  pair  of  cranes.  When 
Pao  Yu  arrived  a  little  later  his  half-sister  Taste  of  Spring  took  him 
aside  under  a  pomegranate  tree,  away  from  the  other  two  girls. 

"What  happened  yesterday?  I  heard  that  our  father  sent  for  you 
suddenly,"  she  asked. 

"Nonsense!  Whoever  told  you  that  must  have  misheard.  I  was  at 
Cousin  Hsueh  Pan's." 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  it  is  nothing.  But  I  have  a  request  to  make  of  you.  I 
have  saved  up  a  dozen  thousand-piece  strings  of  money  recently.  Would 
you  buy  something  pretty  for  me  with  this  money  the  next  time  you  are 
in  the  town?  A  lovely  picture  or  some  old  curio?" 

"With  pleasure.  But  what?  In  my  strolls  inside  and  outside  the  city 
walls,  and  in  the  shops  and  temple  markets,  I  have  not  seen  anything 
outstanding  in  the  way  of  pictures  or  curios  for  a  long  time.  It  is  always 
the  same  kind  of  thing — gold,  bronze,  jade,  china,  but  nothing  uncom- 
mon. Would  you  not  perhaps  prefer  a  pretty  dress  or  something  nice  to 
eat?" 

"No,  no!  But  it  just  occurs  to  me,  I  would  like  to  have  a  plaited 
willow  workbasket  or  a  perfume  box  made  of  bamboo  root  like  one  you 
brought  home  recently,  or  an  earthenware  air-draft  furnace  or  some- 
thing like  that.  But  let  this  be  strictly  between  ourselves,  won't  you? 
For  I  know  from  experience  that  whenever  I  like  something  the  other 
girls  take  a  fancy  to  it  too  and  make  off  with  it." 

"But  the  things  you  suggest  are  quite  simple,  cheap  things,"  said 
Pao  Yu,  laughing.  "You  can  buy  things  like  those  for  a  few  hundred 
coppers  from  any  coolie.  You  do  not  need  me  for  that!" 

211 


"What  kind  of  taste  would  a  coolie  have?"  replied  his  sister  indig- 
nantly. "No,  I  should  like  you  to  choose  for  me,  then  I  would  be  sure 
of  getting  something  uncommon.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  a  great 
many  more  wishes.  For  instance,  I  should  like  a  pair  of  slippers  exactly 
like  the  ones  you  got  for  yourself  recently,  but  mine  would  haVe  to  be 
a  little  more  daintily  worked.  .  .  ." 

They  went  on  like  this  for  quite  a  while,  until  at  last  Precious  Clasp 
came  along  and  interrupted  the  important  secret  consultation,  saying: 
"Will  you  two  ever  have  finished  talking?  We  others  do  not  seem  to 
exist  for  you  any  longer.  After  all,  you  are  brother  and  sister  and  need 
not  have  any  secrets  from  us." 

The  three  of  them  returned  to  the  rest  of  the  company,  laughing 
merrily. 

Pao  Yu  missed  Black  Jade.  She  is  avoiding  me,  but  her  resentment 
never  lasts  more  than  two  days,  I  know  her  ways — he  comforted  him: 
self  with  these  thoughts.  As  he  mused  thus,  his  head  bent  thoughtfully, 
his  eyes  on  the  ground,  he  suddenly  perceived  that  the  ground  was 
completely  strewn  with  camellia  and  pomegranate  blossoms.  How  dis- 
traught she  must  be  when  she  no  longer  finds  time  to  bury  her  blossoms! 
he  thought.  When  he  looked  up  again  Precious  Clasp  also  had  disap- 
peared from  his  sight.  Now  they  have  both  forsaken  me,  he  thought 
miserably.  He  bent  down  and  gathered  up  two  handfuls  of  blossoms  to 
carry  to  Black  Jade's  flower  grave.  His  path  thence  wound  its  way  over 
hills  and  water  courses,  through  groves  and  pastures.  Just  as  he  was 
nearing  his  objective  he  heard  a  plaintive  girl's  voice  coming  from  be- 
hind the  last  shelf  of  rock.  He  stood  still  and  listened.  It  must  be  some 
maid  who  is  weeping  away  her  grief  for  some  injustice  in  this  heart- 
rending fashion,  he  conjectured,  and  stepping  softly  nearer,  he  peered 
inquisitively  round  the  shelf  of  rock.  He  started  back  in  dismay — for 
the  girl  was  Black  Jade. 

Black  Jade  had  not  yet  got  over  the  insult  which  she  wrongly  im- 
agined she  had  suffered  from  Pao  Yu  the  evening  before.  The  merry- 
making with  which  the  Feast  of  the  Departing  Flowers  was  being  cele- 
brated today  did  not  at  all  harmonize  with  her  gloomy  frame  of  mind, 
and  so  she  had  withdrawn  from  the  circle  of  her  playmates  into  soli- 
tude. She  had  set  out  for  her  flower  grave  with  an  armful  of  fallen 
petals.  While  burying  the  petals  in  the  grave  just  now  she  had  been 
overwhelmed  with  unspeakable  grief.  Perhaps  it  was  sympathy  for  the 
poor  blossoms;  perhaps  it  was  the  thought  of  the  transience  of  her  own 
blossoming  youth.  Whatever  it  was.  she  was  quite  overcome  with  mel- 
ancholy and  broke  out  into  a  long  lamentation  in  which  she  compared 
herself  with  a  tender  blossom  and  bewailed  her  inevitably  sad  destiny — 
the  destiny  of  a  fading  flower.  And  so  moving  was  her  melody  that  in 

212 


the  midst  of  this  song  of  lamentation,  intermingled  with  tears,  the  lis- 
tener by  the  shelf  of  rock  was  seized  with  emotion,  let  his  load  of  petals 
fall  to  the  ground,  and  broke  out  in  loud  sobbing  too.  What  would  be- 
come of  him  if  all  the  gentle  blossoming  maidens  around  him — Black 
Jade,  Precious  Clasp,  Pearl,  and  all  the  rest — were  to  fade  away  and 
withdraw  to  those  unknown  glades  where  there  is  no  seeking  and  no 
finding?  These  were  the  thoughts  which  invaded  his  mind. 

Black  Jade,  suddenly  hearing  the  echo  of  her  own  pain  from  the 
wall  of  rock  behind  her,  stopped  short  in  her  lament.  They  always  laugh 
at  me  for  being  foolish,  but  it  seems  there  is  some  other  fool  here  be- 
sides myself,  she  thought,  turning  round.  And  then  she  discovered 
PaoYu. 

"Oh,  it's  that  loathsome  one!"  she  gasped,  half  aloud.  Then,  shocked 
at  her  own  outburst,  she  quickly  covered  her  mouth  with  her  hand, 
jumped  up, -and  ran  away.  He  followed  her  timidly  some  distance  be- 
hind for  a  while,  then  he  ventured  to  come  nearer. 

"Please  stop!"  he  implored  her.  "I  know  you  do  not  like  me,  and  I 
will  certainly  keep  away  from  you  in  the  future,  but  I  would  like  to 
speak  just  one  single  sentence  to  you!" 

"Very  well,  but  only  one  sentence,"  she  said,  turning  round  quickly 
and  slackening  her  pace. 

"Will  you  listen  to  me  even  if  it  is  a  bit  more?" 

She  instantly  resumed  a  quicker  pace.  He,  following  close  behind 
her,  heaved  a  deep  sight  and  then  cried  out:  "Why  is  it  so  different  be- 
tween us  nowadays  from  what  it  was  in  the  past?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  she  asked,  stopping. 

"Were  you  not  my  faithful  companion  and  playmate  when  you  came 
here?  Did  we  not  eat  at  the  same  table  and  rest  on  the  same  couch? 
Were  not  my  favorite  dishes  your  favorite  dishes  too?  Did  we  not  grow 
up  together?  And  now  that  you  are  grown  up,  you  will  not  look  at  me 
and  you  avoid  me  for  whole  days  on  end.  Am  I  not  just  as  much  alone 
and  forsaken  as  you  are?  I  have  a  brother  and  a  sister,  it  is  true,  but 
their  mother  is  a  stranger.  Since  we  two  have  no  real  brothers  or  sis- 
ters, are  we  not  fellow  sufferers?  Should  we  not  be  a  comfort  and  sup- 
port to  each  other?  And  now  is  it  all  to  come  to  an  end.  .  .  .?" 

He  could  not  get  any  further.  Tears  choked  his  voice.  She  had 
listened  to  him  silently  with  bent  head.  Sympathy  welled  up  in  her 
breast,  her  anger  had  more  than  half  turned  to  ashes.  Now  she  in  turn 
was  infected  by  his  tears  and  began  to  weep  too.  Encouraged  by  her 
softening  of  heart,  he  continued:  "I  know  that  I  am  bad.  But  what 
harm  have  I  done  you?  When  I  commit  a  fault  you  may  blame  me, 
and  warn  me,  and  scold  me,  and  even  beat  me,  I  can  bear  all  that.  But 
that  you  just  do  not  notice  me,  that  drives  me  to  despair!  It  makes  me 

213 


demented.  Do  you,  then,  really  wish  me  to  die  a  poor  sinner  whom  no 
Buddhist  or  Taoist  requiem  can  save  from  damnation?" 

His  moving  plaint  had  banished  the  last  remnant  of  her  resentment 
into  the  ninth  region  of  heaven. 

"Why  did  you  not  let  your  maid  open  the  door  to  me  last  night?" 
she  commenced,  changing  her  tone. 

"You  called  on  me  last  night?  May  I  die  on  the  spot  if  I  know  any- 
thing about  that!"  he  protested,  astonished. 

"One  should  not  use  the  word  'die'  so  thoughtlessly!  You  know  I 
hate  those  strong  protestations.  A  simple  yes  or  no  is  enough  for  me." 

"But  really,  I  knew  nothing  about  your  coming.  I  only  know  that 
Cousin  Precious  Clasp  was  there." 

Black  Jade's  face  brightened  up. 

"Hm.  Then  it  seems  that  it  was  through  indolence  or  bad  humor 
that  your  maids  did  not  open  the  door  "  she  remarked  after  a  moment's 
reflection. 

"That  must  be  it!"  replied  Pao  Yu  eagerly.  "I  will  investigate  the 
matter  at  once  when  I  go  home.  I  will  give  the  lazy  things  a  good  piece 
of  my  mind!" 

"Yes,  do  so,  but  not  for  my  sake!  That  this  should  happen  to  me  is 
not  so  very  bad.  But  it  might  happen  sometime  to  one  of  your  other 
more  favored  cousins,  and  then  the  scandal  would  be  inconceivable. 
Isn't  that  so?"  she  said,  smiling  ironically. 

And  so  for  the  thne  being  peace  reigned  again. 


CHAPTER   22 

The  better  off  one  is,  the  more  one  troubles  about  one's  welfare.  The 
more  a  woman  is  cherished  and  loved,  the  more  love  does  she  demand. 

1  HE  FIFTH  OF  THE  MONTH,  THE  DAY  OF  THE  DRAGON  BOAT  FESTIVAL, 

had  almost  come.  The  Princess  Ancestress  had  decided  to  spend  this 
day  with  Phoenix  and  Pao  Yu  and  the  granddaughters  outside  the  town 
in  the  Taoist  Temple  of  the  Serene  Void.  She  had  declared  that  the 
continuous  monotony  of  home  life  dulled  the  mind  in  the  long  run;  she 
needed  a  change  and  looked  forward  to  the  much-desired  diversion 
provided  by  the  theatrical  performances  which  just  at  this  time  took 
place  at  the  temple.  Phoenix  had  agreed  enthusiastically  and  added 
that  she  was  already  thoroughly  sick  of  the  repertory  of  the  house 
theater.  She  undertook  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  holi- 
day, which  was  to  last  for  several  days.  The  temple  was  comfortably 
furnished  and  was  closed  to  the  general  public  during  the  visit  of  the 

214 


distinguished  ladies.  The  majority  of  the  priests  were  quartered  out- 
side for  the  time. 

Accordingly,  in  the  forenoon  of  the  first  of  the  month  the  long  pro- 
cession of  sedan  chairs  and  carriages  set  out.  At  its  head  came  the 
great  sedan  of  the  Princess  Ancrestress  borne  by  eight  men,  and  ac- 
companied by  Pao  Yu  on  horseback;  then,  each  in  a  smaller  sedan 
chair  with  four  bearers  apiece,  came  Aunt  Hsueh,  Phoenix,  and  the 
Widow  Chu.  There  followed  Black  Jade  and  Precious  Clasp  in  a  blue 
carriage,  the  three  Spring  girls  in  a  red  carriage,  then  four  chamber- 
maids of  the  Ancestress,  Black  Jade's  maids,  Cuckoo  and  Snowgoose, 
Precious  Clasp's  maids,  Oriole  and  Apricot,  six  maids  of  the  three 
Spring  girls,  two  of  Aunt  Hsueh's  serving  women,  Hsueh  Pan's  young 
secondary  wife  Lotus  with  her  maid,  two  of  Widow  Chu's  maids,  and 
three  waiting  maids  of  Madame  Phoenix,  Little  Ping  and  Little  Fong, 
and  the  newest  recruit  Siao  Hung,  the  two  chambermaids  Gold  Ring  and 
Nephrite  Buckle  belonging  to  Madame  Cheng,  who  had  remained  at 
home  herself  owing  to  indisposition,  the  little  daughter  of  Madame 
Phoenix  and  her  nurse,  then  numerous  serving  women  and  maidser- 
vants. A  large  troupe  of  servants  on  horseback  brought  up  the  rear.  It 
was  an  endless  procession.  The  last  participants  were  still  climbing  into 
their  equipages  and  disputing  about  the  seats,  when  the  head  was  al- 
ready well  out  of  sight.  What  pushing  and  shoving,  what  chattering 
and  tittering!  "No,  this  seat  is  engaged!"  someone  sa\d  here.  "Don't 
crush  my  mistress's  good  dress!"  cried  another  over  there.  "Don't 
spoil  my  coiffure!"  was  heard  here.  "Don't  sit  on  my  fan!"  came  a  cry 
of  distress  from  over  there.  The  majordomo  bustled  to  and  fro  warn- 
ing the  company  to  be  orderly  and  behave  properly  in  the  street,  while 
all  along  the  route  the  stewards  and  runners  had  their  hands  full  keep- 
ing the  streets  clear  and  forcing  back  the  gaping  crowd. 

A  dull  boom  of  salutation  resounded  from  the  drum  and  bell  tower 
as  the  long  procession  of  sedan  chairs  and  carriages  arrived  at  the 
Temple  of  the  Serene  Void — Ching  hsu  kuan.  Before  the  temple  gate 
the  Prior,  at  the  head  of  a  double  row  of  priests  swinging  censers,  had 
taken  up  his  position  to  welcome  the  guests  ceremoniously.  In  the 
courtyard  of  the  temple,  behind  the  Mountain  .Gate,  between  the 
statues  of  the  patron  deities  of  the  town,  Prince  Chen  awaited  the 
guests  at  the  head  of  a  crowd  of  cousins  and  nephews  from  the  Yung- 
kuo  and  Ningkuo  palaces.  The  Princess  Ancestress's  sedan  was  put 
down,  and  as  the  serving  women  and  waiting  maids  were  still  far  be- 
hind, Phoenix  hurried  up  to  help  the  old  lady  to  dismount.  Just  as  she 
set  foot  on  the  tiles  of  the  temple  courtyard,  a  little  temple  boy  of  about 
twelve  ran  past  her  and  carelessly  bumped  into  her.  The  boy  had  charge 
of  trimming  and  cleaning  the  temple  candles.  He  had  been  surprised 

215 


at  his  work  by  the  arrival  of  the  ladies  and  wanted  to  slip  out  quickly. 
Phoenix,  annoyed  at  his  clumsiness,  dealt  him  a  resounding  box  on  the 
ear. 

"Just  look  out  where  you  are  running,  little  savage!"  she  rebuked 
him  angrily.  The  boy,  who  had  fallen  and  lost  his  snuffers  in  his  panic, 
picked  himself  up  quickly  and  ran  off  towards  the  exit.  In  doing  so  he 
got  more  and  more  into  the  crowd,  for  the  occupants  of  the  oncoming 
sedan  chairs  had  dismounted  meanwhile,  and  the  young  ladies,  to- 
gether with  their  waiting  maids  and  serving  women,  formed  such  a 
dense  throng  at  the  temple  gate  that  a  drop  of  rain  could  not  have 
fallen  to  the  ground  between  them.  The  women  were  horrified  at  the 
impudence  of  the  young  boy  who  was  trying  to  squeeze  through  them, 
and  they  cried  out:  "Stop  him!  Knock  him  down!" 

"What  is  the  matter?"  the  Ancestress  asked  Prince  €hen. 

The  Prince  rushed  to  the  door,  inquired  what  the  hubbub  was  about, 
and  had  the  boy  arrested  by  the  servants. 

"A  little  candle-trimmer  was  late  at  his  work  and  ran  into  the  ladies 
as  they  came  in,"  he  reported  to  the  Ancrestress. 

"Bring  him  here,"  ordered  the  Ancestress.  "But  be  very  patient 
with  him!  One  cannot  demand  a  high  standard  of  manners  from  the 
children  of  such  humble  people,  and  one  must  have  consideration." 

Dragged  along  by  Prince  Chen,  the  boy  fell  to  the  ground  trembling 
and  shaking  in  front  of  the  Ancestress.  The  Ancestress  made  him  stand 
up,  spoke  kind  words  to  him,  and  asked  him  various  questions,  to 
which  the  boy  was  too  shy  to  reply.  Finally  the  Ancestress  let  him  run 
off  after  having  recommended  the  Prince  to  give  him  a  few  coppers 
to  buy  cakes  and  hejp  him  recover  from  his  fright.  Prince  Chen  did 
what  he  was  told,  and  moreover  took  strong  measures  together  with  the 
majordomo  to  enclose  the  premises  so  that  unpleasant  incidents  of  the 
kind  would  not  occur  again.  Even  the  young  people  and  the  servants 
from  the  Ningkuo  and  the  Vungkuo  palaces,  who  had  come  out  with 
the  others,  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  inner  precincts  of  the  temple, 
which  were  strictly  reserved  to  the  ladies. 

The  High  Priest  Chang,  who  had  been  standing  aside  shyly  in  front 
of  the  entrance  to  the  temple  a^the  time,  now  asked  with  a  smile:  "And 
what  about  me?  May  your  humble  servant  pay  his  respects  to  the  ladies 
inside?  Perhaps  the  old  Tai  tai  may  desire  my  direction  and  miss  me. 
However,  I  will  certainly  not  act  upon  my  own.  authority,  but  will  con- 
form entirely  to  your  princely  instructions." 

The  Prince  did  not  hesitate,  for  the  worthy  old  man  enjoyed  a  repu- 
tation for  holiness.  Moreover,  he  used  formerly  to  come  and  go  fre- 
quently in  the  Yungkuo  and  Ningkuo  palaces  discharging  the  duties  of 
exorcist,  so  he  was  no  stranger  to  the  ladies. 

216 


"Of  course  the  temple  is  open  to  you,  and  if  you  make  any  more 
words  about  it  I  shall  take  you  by  your  long  beard  and  pull  you  in," 
replied  the  Prince  jokingly,  leading  him  into  the  inner  precincts  and  up 
to  the  Ancestress.  The  High  Priest  bowed  to  the  Ancestress  and  the 
younger  ladies  and  smilingly  offered  his  greetings:  "May  the  old 
Ancestress  be  granted  the  same  abundance  of  health,  happiness,  and 
long  life  which  has  been  granted  her  up  to  the  present!  Since  I  have 
had  the  honor  of  offering  her  my  greetings  in  her  palace,  it  seems  to 
me  that  her  health  and  appearance  have  distinctly  improved." 

"How  do  you  do,  holy  old  man?"  replied  the  Ancestress,  smiling. 

"The  state  of  health  of  the  little  monk  depends  entirely  upon  the 
well-being  of  the  old  Ancestress,"  replied  the  Prior  gallantly,  and  turned 
the  conversation  on  to  Pao  Yu.  At  his  request  the  Ancestress  had  her 
grandson  called. 

"How  magnificently  the  little  brother  is  getting  on!"  cried  the  old 
man. 

"That  is  only  on  the  surface,  unfortunately;  he  is  really  a  very  weak 
boy,"  said  the  Ancestress,  sighing.  "No  wonder,  for  he  studies  so  hard. 
His  father  keeps  him  down  to  his  books  continually  and  allows  him  no 
recreation;  he  will  become  ill  yet  through  overwork." 

"I  do  not  understand  at  all  why  the  old  master  is  displeased  with  his 
progress.  I  have  had  proof  again  and  again  of  how  splendidly  the  little 
brother  can  handle  the  writing  brush  and  make  verses.  When  I  ob- 
serve him  attentively — his  face,  his  figure,  his  deportment,  his  way 
of  speaking — he  seems  to  me  more  and  more  to  be  the  image  of  his 
great  progenitor,  the  Ancestor  Prince,"  he  continued. 

"You  are  right,"  agreed  the  Ancestress,  with  emotion  in  her  voice. 
"Of  all  my  sons  and  nephews  and  grandsons,  none  resembles  his  An- 
cestor so  much  as  this  child." 

The  old  man's  face  grew  cunning. 

"Recently,  in  the  home  of  a  certain  noble  family,  I  came  across  a 
fifteen-year-old  daughter,  a  perfectly  charming,  clever,  educated  young 
girl.  She  would  be  a  suitable  partner  for  the  little  brother.  If  the  old 
Tai  tai  would  honor  her  humble  servant  with  instructions  to  that  effect, 
he  would  willingly  place  his  services  at  her  disposal  and  open  his  mouth 
in  the  house  in  question." 

"Thank  you  for  the  kind  offer,"  said  the  Ancestress,  evasively.  "But 
there  is  time  enough  for  that.  A  holy  young  Buddhist  informed  us  re- 
cently that  it  was  the  will  of  Providence  that  my  grandson  should  not 
marry  too  early,  so  we  are  waiting  until  he  is  somewhat  more  grown-up. 
But  if  you  wish  to  keep  a  preliminary  lookout  for  a  suitable  partner,  I 
do  not  mind.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  me  that  the  character 
of  the  person  in  question  should  harmonize  with  that  of  my  grandson; 

217 


I  attach  little  importance  to  aristocratic  and  rich  descent;  she  may  well 
come  from  a  poor  family.  Therefore,  let  me  know  whenever  you  have 
suitable  suggestions  to  make!" 

Thereupon  the  old  man  expressed  the  wish  to  be  allowed  to  show 
Pao  Yu's  famous  amulet  to  his  priestly  colleagues.  At  the  order  of  the 
Ancestress,  Pao  Yu  took  off  the  chain  with  the  spirit  stone  and  handed 
it  to  the  Prior.  The  Prior  laid  it  in  a  bronze  bowl  and  limped  out  lean- 
ing on  his  staff.  When  he  returned  after  a  little  while  he  brought  back 
in  the  bowl  about  forty  or  fifty  other  amulets,  presents  from  the  priests 
to  Pao  Yu. 

"My  colleagues  thank  you  for  the  happiness  of  letting  them  see  the 
strange  magic  stone,"  he  said.  "They  want  to  take  this  opportunity  of 
proving  their  friendly  and  humble  devotion  to  the  little  brother.  As 
they  have  nothing  better  at  hand,  they  offer  him  these  little  emblems  of 
Taoist  piety.  He  can  keep  them  as  souvenirs  or  pass  them  on  as  pres- 
ents, just  as  he  pleases." 

The  Ancestress  looked  with  curiosity  at  the  contents  of  the  bowl. 
They  were  mostly  semicircular  gold  or  jade  tablets,  pierced  with  holes, 
some  of  them  set  with  pearls,  and  all  of  them  graven  with  inscriptions 
such  as  "May  your  wishes  all  come  true,"  or  "Long  life  and  health." 

"How  did  you  dare  to  allow  your  poor  colleagues  to  go  to  such  ex- 
pense? We  cannot  accept  these  presents  under  any  circumstances!"  the 
Ancestress  protested,  thanking  him. 

"Oh,  they  insisted  upon  proving  their  devotion.  I  could  not  prevent 
them  from  doing  so.  They  will  feel  hurt  if  they  see  that  their  well-in- 
tentioned gifts  are  disdained." 

"Of  course  the  Ancestress  did  not  wish  to  hurt  the  donors,  so  she 
accepted  their  gifts. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  these  things?"  asked  Pao  Yu  in  a  somewhat 
scornful  tone.  "I  shall  give  them  to  beggars  on  the  way  home." 

"Do  not  do  that!"  objected  the  Prior.  "Indeed,  I  do  not  fail  to  recog- 
nize your  praiseworthy  intention,  but  beggars  do  not  appreciate  such 
things;  beggars  want  money.  Keep  these  little  objects!  Though  they 
may  seem  to  you  outwardly  insignificant  and  worthless,  nevertheless 
they  possess  beneficent  power." 

Pao  Yu  took  the  hint,  and  in  the  evening  he  ordered  that  money 
should  be  distributed  among  the  beggars  in  front  of  the  temple  gate. 

The  Prior  retired  and  the  ladies  went  to  their  living  quarters.  Three 
one-story  temple  buildings  had  been  placed  at  their  disposal.  The  mid- 
dle one  was  intended  for  the  Ancestress,  the  eastern  one  for  the  other 
ladies,  and  the  western  one  for  the  domestic  female  staff.  After  a  while 
Prince  Chen  came  to  the  Ancestress  and  advised  her  of  the  theatrical 
program.  The  first  piece  was  to  be  "The  History  of  the  White  Snake." 

218 


"Is  not  that  ancient  history?"  asked  the  Ancestress. 

"Yes,  the  play  is  founded  on  the  old  story  of  how  Liu  Pang,  the 
founder  of  the  first  Han  dynasty,  killed  the  white  snake  and  estab- 
lished the  rule  of  justice.  The  second  piece  is  called  'The  Audience 
Tablets  in  the  Bed';  the  third  piece  is  The  Dream  of  Nan  ko.'  " 

Prince  Chen  went  down  again  to  supervise  the  final  preparations  for 
the  theatrical  performance. 

Pao  Yu,  who  was  sitting  above  with  the  Ancestress,  passed  the  time 
turning  over  in  the  bowl  the  temple  souvenirs  which  had  been  pre- 
sented to  him,  and  trying  one  piece  after  another  on  his  jade  belt.  Each 
time  the  Ancestress  had  to  give  her  opinion  as  to  how  the  piece  in 
question  suited  him.  A  lucky  'orange-colored  unicorn,  spotted  with 
kingfisher  blue,  pleased  her  specially.  She  took  it  in  her  hand  to  ex- 
amine it,  and  remarked:  "It  is  very  pretty.  I  must  have  seen  something 
like  this  on  one  of  the  girls." 

"Yes,  you  have.  'Cousin  Little  Cloud  wears  a  unicorn  like  that,  but 
it's  somewhat  smaller,"  said  Precious  Clasp  quickly. 

"You  are  right,  it's  Little  Cloud,"  agreed  the  Ancestress. 

"It  is  certainly  strange  that  I  have  never  yet  noticed  it  on  her,  al- 
though she  is  so  often  in  and  out  of  our  place,"  said  Pao  Yu. 

"Yes,  Cousin  Precious  Clasp  has  a  good  memory,"  remarked  Taste 
of  Spring  innocently. 

"Especially  for  matters  which  concern  others,"  added  Black  Jade 
caustically. 

Precious  Clasp  looked  away  and  pretended  not  to  have  heard  the  re- 
mark. Pao  Yu  stuck  the  golden  unicorn  quickly  into  his  breast  pocket, 
at  the  same  time  looking  around  shyly  to  see  if  anyone  had  noticed 
him.  He  was  afraid  they  might  draw  conclusions  from  the  fact  that 
he  kept  just  this  piece  of  jewelry  after  having  heard  that  Little  Cloud 
had  a  piece  exactly  the  same.  But  nobody  had  noticed  it,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Black  Jade,  and  he  thought  he  read  approval  and  agreement 
from  her  nods  and  the  expression  on  her  face.  In  order  to  escape  from 
his  embarrassment  he  took  out  the  jewel  again  and  held  it  up  to  her. 

"Pretty,  isn't  it?  I  have  kept  it  for  you,"  he  said,  smiling.  "I'll  have 
a  string  put  on  it,  and  then  you  will  wear  it!" 

Black  Jade  tossed  her  head. 

"I  do  not  care  for  it  in  the  least,  thank  you,"  she  replied  coldly. 

"Very  well,  then  I  shall  keep  it  myself,"  he  said  laughing,  and  hiding 
it  away  again. 

After  they  had  amused  themselves  for  some  hours  with  the  enter- 
tainment offered  on  the  temple  stage,  in  the  late  afternoon  the  An- 
cestress quite  unexpectedly  announced  that  they  would  return  to  the 
town.  When  the  news  of  her  holiday  trip  had  gone  around  among  the 

219 


circle  of  friends  and  relations,  these  dear  people  had  hastened  to  send 
messengers  with  all  possible  marks  of  attention  and  with  sacrificial 
gifts,  and  even  to  come  themselves,  as  if  they  thought  that  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  a  solemn  temple  ceremony.  Now,  this  was  not  at  all  what  the 
Princess  had  intended.  She  had  only  wanted  to  have  some  recreation 
and  for  once  to  have  a  really  quiet  carefree  time  with  just  a  few  favor- 
ite relatives,  She  was  even  displeased  when  Princess  Chen  turned  up 
belatedly  with  the  new  wife  of  Chia  Yung,  and  she  did  not  receive  the 
two  unwelcome  arrivals  in  a  very  friendly  way.  Fearing  that  she  might 
be  even  more  inundated  in  the  following  days,  she  cut  short  her  sojourn 
and  went  home  in  ill-humor. 

The  enterprising  Phoenix,  who  did  not  approve  of  this  at  all,  tried 
to  "persuade  her  the  next  day  to  make  another  trip  to  the  temple,  but  in 
vain.  It  happened  that  Pao  Yu  also  did  not  want  to  go  there.  He  was  out 
of  humor  too  because  the  Prior  Chang  had  brought  up  the  matter  of 
marriage  the  day  before,  and  pushed  himself  forward  as  a  negotiator. 
Pao  Yu  did  not  need  this  unsolicited  mediation;  he  had  made  his  own 
choice  long  ago.  He  had  no  desire  to  appear  before  old  Chang  ever 
again,  he  declared  angrily  to  his  grandmother  when  he  got  home.  No 
one  could  really  understand  why  he  was  so  much  annoyed  with  the 
friendly  old  man.  Moreover,  Black  Jade  had  caught  cold  on  the  way 
home  and  was  a  little  feverish  today.  For  these  three  reasons  the 
Piincess  Ancestress  remained  firm  and  let  Phoenix  and  the  others  go 
alone. 

Pao  Yu  took  Black  Jade's  slight  cold  so  much  to  heart  that  he  could 
not  touch  a  bite  the  whole  day.  His  anxiety  impelled  him  to  visit  her 
constantly  and  to  find  out  how  she  was. 

"Why  won't  you  go  with  the  others  to  the  plays  at  the  temple  in- 
stead of  sticking  at  home  and  being  bored?"  asked  Black  Jade,  wishing 
to  put  him  to  the  test.  Her  question  annoyed  him  greatly.  If  anyone 
else  had  asked  it  he  would  not  have  been  specially  upset,  but  Black  Jade 
should  surely  know  perfectly  well  that  he  was  avoiding  the  temple 
solely  on  her  account  and  because  he  wanted  to  evade  the  annoying 
marriage  plans  of  the  Prior. 

"I  see  that  it  is  useless  for  us  to  know  one  another.  Very  well,  let  us 
finish  with  it!"  he  replied,  deeply  disappointed.  She  made  matters 
worse  by  adding  sharply:  "Yes,  it  is  certainly  useless.  Unlike  certain 
other  persons,  I  have  nothing  at  all  about  me  which  suits  you." 

He  Went  up  close  to  her,  deeply  agitated,  and  said  to  her  in  a  voice 
which  trembled:  "With  these  words  you  have  cold-heartedly  spoken  a 
curse  of  damnation  over  me." 

"I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,  and  I  do  not  understand  your  agita- 
tion at  all,"  she  replied.  "Evidently  you  are  worried  lest  the  beautiful 

220 


marriage  plan  of  which  the  Prior  spoke  yesterday  should  fall  through, 
and  are  making  me  suffer  for  your  irritation." 

Foolish  girl !  Foolish  boy !  Why  were  they  shamming  and  saying  the 
exact  opposite  of  what  was  in  the  depths  o*  their  hearts?  They  had  be- 
longed to  each  other  secretly  long  since.  Why  did  they  torture  them- 
selves and  behave  as  if  they  were  strangers  and  enemies?  They  were 
spiritually  so  close  to  each  other.  Why  did  they  outwardly  struggle 
away  from  each  other?  But  alas,  that  has  always  been  the  way  with 
lovers,  and  doubtless  always  will  be. 

At  the  words  "beautiful  marriage  plan"  Pao  Yu  completely  lost  his 
self-control.  In  a  sudden  fit  of  passion  he  tore  the  spirit  stone  from  his 
neck  and  flung  it  fiercely  to  the  ground. 

"I  will  smash  you  up,  accursed  thing!  Then  I  shall  have  peace  at 
last!"  he  cried,  beside  himself.  But  the  good  stone  was  made  of  such 
sound  material  that  the  fall  could  not  harm  it;  it  did  not  bear  the 
slightest  trace  of  damage.  When  Pao  Yu  noticed  this  he  turned  round 
and  began  to  look  for  some  hard  object  with  the  help  of  which  he  could 
smash  the  stone. 

Black  Jade  bemoaned  his  absurd  action.  "What  has  that  deaf  and 
dumb  object  done  to  you,  that  you  ill-treat  it  so?  Better  ill-treat  me!" 
she  said. 

Bhck  Jade's  waiting  maids  Cuckoo  and  Snowgoose  had  already 
witnessed  many  arguments  between  their  mistress  and  Pao  Yu,  but  no 
previous  discussion  had  led  to  so  much  excitement  as  this  today.  In 
their  dilemma  they  fetched  Pearl  along  to  help.  The  first  thing  Pearl 
did  was  to  try  to  save  the  threatened  spirit  stone. 

"Do  not  interfere ! "  ordered  Pao  Yu  brusquely.  "What  is  it  to  you  if 
I  destroy  my  property?" 

Pearl  was  startled  by  the  expression  of  his  face  as  he  uttered  these 
words.  This  rage-distorted,  livid  face!  She  had  never  before  seen  him 
in  such  a  condition.  She  tried  gently  to  pacify  him. 

"Do  you  not  think  at  all  of  your  cousin's  delicate  health  when  you 
rage  against  her  so  unkir.dly?"  she  asked  reproachfully,  taking  him 
gently  by  the  hand.  As  if  to  confirm  her  words,  just  at  that  moment 
Black  Jade's  mental  excitement  caused  her  to  vomit  up  the  invalid  soup 
she  had  taken  shortly  before.  The  maid  Cuckoo  rushed  to  help  her, 
quickly  holding  a  handkerchief  to  her  mouth. 

"You  should  not  take  the  little  quarrel  so  much  to  heart,"  she  said 
to  her.  "How  can  you  get  well  .if  you  vomit  up  your  medicine  straight 
away?  Do  you  not  see  how  our  little  master  suffers  when  you  are  ill?" 

At  the  sight  of  the  vomiting  Pao  Yu  himself  was  overtaken  with 
nausea,  and  bile  rose  from  his  stomach.  At  the  same  time  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  remorse  for  his  violent  behavior  and  with  sympathy  for 


his  poor  cousin.  His  anger  had  melted  away;  he  was  on  the  verge  of 
tears.  As  he  struggled  convulsively  on  the  one  hand  against  his  tears 
and  the  other  against  the  inclination  to  vomit,  he  was  such  a  picture  of 
misery  that  Pearl  was  now  moved  to  tears  and  began  to  sob  loudly. 
And  Cuckoo,  who  was  fanning  her  mistress  to  cool  her,  was  in  her 
turn  affected  by  Pearl,  so  a  sobbing,  and  sniffing  and  sighing  resounded 
from  four  directions  at  the  same  time,  and  the  whole  company  was 
howling.  Pearl  was  the  first  to  pull  herself  together. 

"Look  at  the  silk  tassel  on  your  stone  which  your  cousin  made  for 
you  with  her  own  hands!"  she  said  to  Pao  Yu,  forcing  herself  to  smile. 
"Is  it  not  enough  of  a  reminder  to  you  to  forget  your  quarrel  and  be 
friends  again?"  Unfortunately,  her  well-meant  words  brought  about  an 
undesired  effect.  Forgetting  her  illness,  Black  Jade  jumped  up  and  tore 
from  Pearl's  hand  the  amulet  with  the  five-colored  cord  and  the  tassel 
which  she  had  made;  she  seized  scissors  and  began  wildly  to  cut  up  the 
tassel.  Before  Pearl  and  Cuckoo  with  united  strength  were  able  to  wrest 
the  cord  from  her,  the  tassel  was  already  badly  damaged  with  many  cuts. 

"Let  it  alone!  After  all,  he  cares  nothing  for  what  I  took  so  much 
trouble  to  make  for  him !  He  can  get  someone  else  to  make  a  new  tassel 
for  him,"  cried  Black  Jade,  sobbing. 

"Do  not  take  it  badly  of  her!  I  am  to  blame  with  my  thoughtless 
chatter,"  pleaded  Pearl  apologetically  to  Pao  Yu,  as  she  gave  him  back 
the  cord. 

"Please  cut  it  up  as  much  as  you  like!  I  won't  ever  wear  the  un- 
lucky thing  again,"  declared  Pao  Yu  coolly,  and  the  quarrel  would 
have  flared  up  with  new  force  if  Pa  Yu's  mother  and  grandmother,  who 
had  been  called  to  the  rescue  by  his  serving  women,  had  not  come  be- 
tween them  just  at  the  right  moment.  When  they  entered  the  two  cous- 
ins became  silent,  while  Pearl  and  Cuckoo  furtively  scolded  one  an- 
other, because  each  believed  that  the  other  had  called  the  two  Tai  tais 
and  thereby  made  the  matter  worse. 

As  the  two  cousins  could  not  be  got  to  utter  a  word,  the  ladies  dis- 
charged their  anger  on  Pearl  and  Cuckoo  and  reproached  them  furi- 
ously  for  not  having  looked  after  their  master  and  mistress  better  and 
been  able  to  prevent  the  quarrel.  Finally,  the  Ancestress  took  Pao  Yu  by 
the  hand  and  led  him  away  with  ber. 

The  following  day,  the  third  of  the  fifth  month,  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan's 
birthday  was  celebrated.  In  his  honor  a  great  family  banquet  and  a 
theatrical  performance  were  given.  All  the  relatives  assembled;  only 
Pao  Yu  and  Black  Jade  were  missing.  After  the  happenings  of  yester- 
day they  were  not  in  the  humor  to  attend  a  banquet  or  a  theatrical  per- 
formance. They  both  excused  their  absence  on  the  plea  of  being  ill.  In 
reality  there  was  nothing  wrong  with  Pap  Yu,  and  Black  Jade  was  al- 

222 


ready  recovered  from  her  slight  cold.  The  Ancestress  had  hoped  that 
the  two  of  them  would  be  diverted  by  the  feast  and  the  theatricals  and 
forget  their  resentments.  When  the  grandson  and  granddaughter  did 
not  appear  as  expected  she  thought  with  annoyance:  "What  crime  have 
I  committed  in  my  former  existence  that  I  am  being  punished  with  these 
two  bad-tempered  grandchildren?  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  they  do 
not  cause  me  annoyance  and  agitation.  If  they  would  only  wait  until 
my  eyes  are  closed  and  I  have  drawn  my  last  breath,  then,  as  far  as  I 
am  concerned,  they  may  quarrel  and  argue  as  much  as  they  like!"  She 
stopped  and  wiped  a  few  bitter  tears  from  her  eyes.  The  news  that  the 
Ancestress  had  shed  tears  on  their  account  at  table  moved  Black  Jade 
and  Pao  Yu  and  caused  them  to  relent  somewhat.  But  still,  they  pre- 
ferred to  avoid  each  other.  The  one  sat  in  her  Bamboo  Hermitage  and 
sobbed  her  sorrow  to  the  wind;  the  other  sat  in  his  Begonia  Courtyard 
and  sighed  his  grief  up  to  the  moon.  Although  separated  physically, 
they  were  together  at  heart.  On  the  one  side  Pearl  urgently  exhorted 
Pao  Yu  to  make  it  up  again. 

"Have  you  not  over  and  over  made  peace  when  there  were  quarrels 
among  the  servants?"  she  asked.  "And  today  you  yourself  cannot  man- 
age to  calm  a  little  girl's  heart !  The  day  after  tomorrow,  the  day  of  the 
Dragon  Boat  Festival,  are  you  going  to  persist  in  your  waywardness 
and  spoil  the  festival  for  the  old  Tai  tai?  Give  in  and  beg  your  cousin's 
pardon,  so  that  the  quarrel  may  have  an  end!" 

On  the  other  side  the  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  lectured  Black  Jade: 
"You  should  not  have  been  so  furious.  You  know  his  tender  spot  bet- 
ter than  others  do.  After  all,  it's  not  the  first  time  that  he  has  got  into 
a  state  on  account  of  the  stone." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'furious'?  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  taking 
sides  against  me,"  remarked  Black  Jade  irritably. 

"Why  did  you  have  to  vent  your  anger  over  the  tassel?  By  that  you 
incurred  seven-tenths  of  the  blame.  He  had  such  good  intentions 
towards  you,  but  you  grieve  him  with  your  exaggerated  suspicions." 

Black  Jade  was  just  going  to  reply  when  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
outer  gate. 

"The  young  master!"  shouted  Cuckoo  joyfully  when  she  had  peeped 
out.  "He  must  be  coming  to  apologize  to  you." 

"Do  not  let  him  in  on  any  account!" 

"Do  you  want  to  do  him  harm  again?  We  cannot  possibly  leave  him 
standing  waiting  in  the  heat  of  the  sun!" 

And  already  she  had  hurried  out.  She  opened  the  gate  end  let  Pao 
Yuin. 

"So  there  you  are!  I  thought  you  would  never  find  the  way  to  our 
door  again!"  she  said  jokingly. 

223 


"And  why  not?  Why  should  one  take  everything  so  tragically!"  he 
replied,  falling  in  with  her  lighthearted  tone.  "And  if  I  were  dead,  my 
spirit  would  come  to  visit  your  little  mistress  not  once  but  a  hundred 
times  a  day.  How  is  she  today?" 

"Physically,  she  is  well,  but  her  heart  is  not  yet  quite  calm  and  in 
order." 

"I  can  well  believe  that,"  he  said  smiling,  as  he  walked  into  the  liv- 
ing room.  He  found  Black  Jade  lying  on  the  divan  crying  again. 

"Are  you  quite  well  again,  Mei  mei?"  he  asked  kindly.  She  wiped 
away  her  tears,  but  remained  silent.  He  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the 
couch  and  continued  brightly:  "I  know  you  are  not  angry  with  me  at 
all.  But  if  I  am  never  seen  with  you,  the  others  may  think  that  we  have 
quarrelled  and  that  you  are  really  angry  with  me,  and  then  they  would 
interfere  and  want  to  lecture  us.  I  think  we  could  spare  ourselves  this 
annoying  interference  from  outsiders.  If  you  have  anything  against  me, 
blame  me,  quarrel  with  me,  hit  me!  Only  do, not  ignore  me!" 

During  his  speech  he  had  used  the  terms  "dearest  Mei  mei"  and 
"best  Mei  mei"  at  least  a  dozen  times.  From  the  remark  that  other  peo- 
ple need  not  interfere  in  their  affairs,  Black  Jade  understood  that  he 
felt  specially  near  and  intimate  with  her.  This  filled  her  with  secret 
joy  and  unsealed  her  lips. 

"You  need  not  come  here  at  all.  You  only  want  to  annoy  me.  I  at 
any  rate  will  take  care  not  to  come  too  near  you.  The  best  thing  is  for 
me  to  go  away  altogether,"  she  said,  still  seemingly  quite  irreconcilable. 
But  he  did  not  let  himself  be  intimidated. 

"Where  will  you  go,  then?"  he  asked  blithely. 

"Home." 

"I'll  go  with  you." 

"And  what  if  I  die  soon?" 

"Then  I  will  become  a  monk." 

"Indeed?  You  used  to  declare  that  you  also  would  die  in  that  case. 
One  can  see  from  that  that  your  talk  isn't  to  be  taken  at  all  seriously. 
Besides,  you  have  other  cousins.  Will  you  become  a  monk  every  time 
^one  of  them  dies?  If  so,  you  will  have  to  multiply  yourself.  What  if  I 
tell  them  of  your  praiseworthy  intention?" 

He  realized  that  his  statement  had  been  rather  silly.  He  thought  of 
Precious  Clasp  and  blushed.  What  a  good  thing  it  was  that  no  one  else 
was  present!  There  was  a  long,  embarrassed  pause  in  the  conversa- 
tion. At  last  she  tapped  him  lightly  in  a  significant  way  on  the  fore- 
head with  her  finger. 

"You  .  .  ."  she  began,  but  could  not  continue.  Instead,  she  took  out 
her  handkerchief  and  wiped  her  eyes.  His  eyes  became  tearful  too,  and 
as  he  had  forgotten  his  handkerchief  he  passed  his  silk  sleeve  over  the 

224 


moist  lids.  She  noticed  it  and  without  a  word  handed  him  one  of  her 
own  handkerchiefs.  Touched  by  this  service  of  love,  he  clasped  her 
hand  tenderly  and  said:  "Enough  of  tears!  My  five  entrails  are  already 
torn  asunder  from  all  this  howling.  Come,  let  us  go  to  the  old  Tai  tai 
together." 

Black  Jade  pushed  his  hand  away. 

"Leave  off  this  coarse  caressing!  You  are  growing  older  every  day. 
When  will  you  learn  to  behave  yourself  at  last?" 

The  voice  of  Phoenix  was  heard  outside.  Startled,  the  *wo  cousins 
separated  hurriedly. 

"Now,  are  you  friends  again?"  asked  Phoenix,  laughing.  "The  old 
Tai  tai  has  been  grieving  up  to  the  heights  of  heaven  about  you.  She 
sent  me  here  to  see  if  everything  is  all  right.  At  first  I  did  not  want  to 
come,  and  I  said  to  her  that  by  the  end  of  three  days  you  would  have 
made  it  up  yourselves,  but  she  got  angry  at  that  and  gave  me  a  great 
scolding.  And  so  I  am  here.  Why  are  you  two  not  to  be  seen?  What  has 
happened  to  you  again?  Must  you  quarrel  every  three  days?  The  older 
you  grow  the  more  you  fly  into  passions  like  children.  And  now  come 
to  the  old  Tai  tai  with  me  to  assure  her  that  all  is  well." 

She  took  Black  Jade  by  the  hand  and  .drew  her  out  with  her.  Black 
Jade  turned  round  and  called  for  her  waiting  maids,  but  both  maids 
had  disappeared. 

"Why  do  you  need  them?  My  maids  are  at  your  disposal,  but  let  us 
not  delay!"  urged  Phoenix  and  dragged  the  resisting  Black  Jade  with 
her.  Pao  Yu  followed  behind,  and  so  all  three  arrived  at  the  home  of 
the  Ancestress. 

"Now,  was  I  not  right?"  said  Phoenix  cheerfully.  "I  did  not  have 
to  interfere  at  all;  they  had  already  made  it  up  themselves.  They  had 
asked  each  other's  pardon  and  were  sitting  together  quite  peacefully, 
chatting  and  joking  and  affectionately  clawing  each  other  like  an 
eagle  and  a  female  hawk  sitting  on  the  same  hunting  ring." 

The  Ancestress  and  all  present  had  to  laugh  heartily  at  the  odd  com- 
parison. Black  Jade  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  Ancestress^  she  felt 
rather  embarrassed  by  Cousin  Precious  Clasp's  presence  and  did  not 
open  her  mouth.  Pao  Yu  apologized  to  Precious  Clasp  for  having  been 
unable  to  make  his  birthday  kowtow  to  her  brother  and  bring  a  pres- 
ent, owing  to  not  being  well,  but  he  would  make  up  for  the  omission 
later.  Then  he  wanted  to  know  why  she  was  not  at  the  theatrical  per- 
formance. 

"I  saw  two  pieces,  and  then  I  could  not  endure  the  heat  any  longer, 
so  I  sneaked  off,"  replied  Precious  Clasp. 

Pao  Yu  wanted  to  make  some  reply.  Involuntarily,  his  attention 
was  caught  by  Precious  Clasp's  plump  white  arm,  which  he  had  re- 

225 


cently  seen  when  she  took  off  a  gold  bangle  for  him  to  look  at  more 
closely.  And  it  came  into  his  mind  how  Precious  Clasp  generally  went 
by  the  nickname  of  "Courtesan  Yang,"  because  that  celebrated  Im- 
perial courtesan  of  the  T'ang  dynasty  is  the  only  plump  lady  the 
Chinese  gallery  of  famous  beauties  has  to  show.  So,  in  order  to  say 
something,  he  remarked  jocularly:  "I  am  not  surprised  that  people  al- 
ways compare  you  with  the  Courtesan  Yang,  for  she  also  was  somewhat 
plump  and  sensitive  to  heat." 

His  remark  greatly  annoyed  Precious  Clasp.  She  got  red  and  sought 
for  a  long  time  for  a  suitable  reply.  At  last  she  gave  two  short  dry 
laughs  and  remarked  derisively:  "If  I  am  so  very  like  the  Courtesan 
Yang,  it  is  really  a  pity  that  I  lack  the  suitable  cousin,  a  second  Yang 
Chung.  He  was  certainly  a  fine  fellow!" 

It  was  painful  to  Pao  Yu  to  have  once  more  laid  himself  open  to 
correction  by  a  cousin  on  account  of  a  thoughtless  remark,  and  this 
time,  moreover,  before  everyone,  whereas  Black  Jade  had  only  cor- 
rected him  when  they  were  alone  just  now.  Black  Jade,  who  had  been 
secretly  pleased  at  the  apt  if  somewhat  crude  faux  pas  which  he  had 
just  perpetrated  at  the  expense  of  Precious  Clasp,  and  was  sorry  to  see 
him  writhing  with  embarrassment,  decided  to  come  to  his  help. 

"Which  play  have  you  seen,  then?"  she  asked  turning  with  a  smile 
to  Precious  Clasp. 

"It  was  called  'The  Tyrant  Li  Kwei  Abuses  Sung  Chiang  and  Lator 
Admits  His  Injustice'  or  something  like  that,",  replied  Precious  Clasp 
coolly. 

"You  are  so  well  versed  otherwise  in  ancient  and  modern  literature 
and  yet  you  do  not  know  the  short  popular  title  of  this  piece,"  con- 
tinued Black  Jade,  derisively.  "As  everyone  knows,  it  is  called  simply 
'A  Visit  of  Petition  with  the  Rod.'  " 

"Yes,  very  well,  let  it  be  'A  Visit  of  Petition  with  the  Rod'!  You,  of 
course,  are  so  well  educated  and  so  learned  that  you  must  know  it  too. 
I  really  did  not  know  anything  until  now  about  a  visit  of  that  kind," 
replied  Precious  Clasp  sharply,  and  she  noted  with  satisfaction  the 
embarrassment  which  the  sudden  blushes  on  the  faces  of  Pao  Yu  and 
Black  Jade  distinctly  betrayed.  Her  stab  had  hit  the  mark.  Of  those 
present,  a  fourth  person  had  understood  the  import  of  Precious 
Clasp's  words,  and  that  was  Phoenix;  and  she  hastened  to  clear  the 
uneasy  atmosphere  with  a  pleasant  joke. 

"Is  anyone  here  chewing  green  ginger  on  account  of  the  heat?"  she 
asked  unexpectedly. 

Everyone  answered  the  cryptic  question  in  the  negative. 

I  jusMhought  there  might  be,  there  is  such  a  sharp  and 
biting  smell  here,"  she  said,  pretending  surprise  arid  making  a  comic 

226 


face.  Precious  Clasp  burst  out  laughing,  and  the  others  laughed  with 
her,  although  most  of  them  did  not  know  why.  The  tension  had  been 
broken,  and  the  company  dispersed  in  merry  mood.  When  Precious 
Clasp  had  gone  off  with  Phoenix,  Black  Jade  remarked  with  a  smile 
to  Pao  Yu:  "Now  are  you  convinced  that  other  people  can  have  wick- 
eder tongues  than  I?  Compared  with  them  I  am  positively  shy  and 
harmless!" 

He  found  the  one  just  as  bad  as  the  other,  so  he  left  Black  Jade  stand- 
ing there  and  ran  off. 

CHAPTER   23 

A  lost  unicorn  amulet  causes  Little  Cloud  to  expose  her  bare  head  to 

the  fierce  sun.  Gold  Ring  cannot  get  over  the  insult  she  suffers  and 

seeks  the  death  of  honor. 

ON  THE  FOLLOWING  DAY  AFTER  THE  MIDDAY  MEAL  IN  THE  RESIDENCE 

of  the  Ancestress,  when  everybody,  employer  and  servant  alike,  was 
taking  a  midday  rest  on  account  of  the  stupefying  heat,  and  even  the 
birds  in  the  trees  and  bushes  were  silent  with  exhaustion,  Pao  Yu  strode 
slowly  through  the  back  gardens  and  grounds  of  the  western  palace, 
his  hands  behind  his  back.  After  walking  through  the  western  corridor 
pavilion  he  came  past  the  self-contained  dwelling  of  Phoenix  and  on 
to  the  home  of  his  mother.  Here  also  the  noonday  silence  reigned  over 
all.  Passing  by  several  maids  who  were  drowsing  over  their  needlework, 
he  arrived  at  the  living  room  of  the  Tai  tai.  She  was  lying  asleep  on 
a  divan  of  matting.  The  waiting  maid  Gold  Ring  was  leaning  against 
the  end  of  the  divan,  with  her  legs  stretched  out  limply,  dozing. 

Pao  Yu  slipped  quietly  up  to  her  and  plucked  at  her  earring.  "Are 
you  so  tired?"  he  whispered.  Gold  Ring  blinked  at  him  sleepily,  pointed 
to  the  door  with  a  smile,  and  shut  her  eyes  again.  But  Pao  Yu  did  not 
move  from  her  side.  When  he  had  furtively  ascertained  that  the  Tai  tai 
was  really  asleep,  he  pulled  out  of  his  belt  pouch  a  tube  of  damp,  sticky, 
perfumed  cinnamon  paste,  squeezed  out  a  little  ball,  and  pushed  it  be- 
tween the  maid's  lips.  She  liked  it  and  swallowed  it  down  without  open- 
ing her  eyes.  He  took  hold  of  her  hand. 

"Look  .here,  shall  1  ask  the  Tai  tai  to  give  you  to  me?"  he  asked, 
quietly.  She  remained  silent 

"As  soon  as  the  Tai  tai  wakes  up,  I  shall  ask  her  for  yofi,"  he  con- 
tinued. Gold  Ring  opened  her  eyes  and  looked  at  him,  smiling. 

"You  are  in  a  mighty  hurry!  What  about  having  Lamb's  Fleece?  If 
you  go  into  the  little  eastern  garden  you  can  take  her  by  surprise  with 
Master  Chia  Huan." 

228 


"They  may  enjoy  themselves  for  all  I  care.  I  want  you!"  He  had 
scarcely  finished  speaking  when  the  Tai  tai  suddenly  stood  up  and 
dealt  the  waiting  maid  a  vigorous  slap  on  the  face. 

"Abandoned  creature!  I  shall  just  show  you!  Trying  to  seduce  my 
son!"  she  scolded. 

Pao  Yu  had  flown  out  like  a  streak  of  smoke  the  instant  the  Tai  tai 
had  stirred.  While  Gold.  Ring  rubbed  her  burning  cheek  in  bewilder- 
ment, not  daring  to  open  her  mouth,  several  waiting  maids  and  serving 
women  came  rushing  in,  ready  to  serve.  The  Tai  tai  turned  to  Nephrite 
Bangle,  the  younger  sister  of  the  girl  whom  she  had  just  rebuked. 
"Tell  your  mother  that  she  is  to  take  your  sister  out  of  the  house  this 
very  day!"  she  said.  Gold  Ring  threw  herself  on  her  knees  and  with 
tears  and  kowtows  implored  her  enraged  mistress  to  be  merciful. 

"Hit  me,  beat  me,  but  do  not  turn  me  out!"  she  implored.  "I  have 
already  been  serving  you  honorably  for  ten  years.  I  could  not  survive 
the  shame  of  being  driven  away  in  the  end!"  But  the  Tai  tai,  who  was 
usually  so  kindhearted,  and  had  never  been  in  the  habit  of  beating 
her  maids,  would  not  be  softened  this  time,  and  that  very  day  poor 
Gold  Ring  had  to  leave  the  house  in  disgrace. 

The  next  day,  the  fifth  of  the  fifth  month,  the  Dragon  Boat  Festival 
was  celebrated.  Reeds  and  wormwood  were  placed  over  the  doors,  and 
everyone  wore  amulets  and  magic  charms  and  spells.  Madame  Cheng 
gave  a  family  banquet  at  midday,  but  nobody  was  in  a  really  festive 
mood.  Madame  Cheng  was  still  out  of  humor  on  account  of  the  un- 
pleasant incident  of  yesterday  when  she  had  caught  Pao  Yu  with  Gold 
Ring,  and  she  ignored  Pao  Yu  intentionally.  Phoenix,  who  had  been 
told  of  the  matter  by  Madame  Cheng  the  evening  before,  also  showed 
her  displeasure  and,  contrary  to  her  usual  manner,  was  neither  talkative 
nor  inclined  to  laugh.  Pao  Yu  was  still  suffering  from  the  effect  of  the 
painful  snubbing  to  which  his  cousins  Precious  Clasp  and  Black  Jade 
had  subjected  him  yesterday  and  did  not  venture  to  enter  into  con- 
versation with  them,  and  his  bad-tempered  silence  infected  them  in 
turn.  And  so  the  banquet  proved  a  most  strained  and  tedious  affair  and 
everyone  was  relieved  when  it  was  over,  but  particularly  Black  Jade. 
At  no  time  was  she  very  keen  on  social  gatherings.  The  more  pleasure 
people  find  in  merry  parties,  the  more  keenly  do  they  feel  their  cold 
and  forlorn  state  when  these  parties  are  over;  hence  it  is  best  to  avoid 
such  social  gatherings  altogether.  Thus  she  philosophized.  She  thought 
of  the  flowers,  whose  fading  was  all  the  more  painful  the  more  one 
had  enjoyed  their  blooming,  and  she  felt  it  would  have  been  better 
had  they  never  bloomed.  And  so  her  face  was  mournful  when  other 
people  had  happy  faces,  and  vice  versa. 

Luckily,  the  arrival  of  Little  Cloud  next  day  brought  life  and  merri- 

229 


ment  into  the  house.  All  the  cousins  were  just  assembled  for  the  mid- 
day meal  at  the  home  of  the  Ancestress  when  she  arrived.  The  young 
people  jumped  up  to  meet  her  and  overwhelmed  her  with  all  sorts  of 
questions.  They  had  not  seen  her  for  a  month,  and  of  course  there  was 
plenty  to  relate. 

"Will  you  not  make  your  clothing  more  comfortable  on  account  of 
the  heat?"  suggested  the  Ancestress. 

Little  Cloud  stood  up  and  took  off  the  outer  layer  of  her  drapery. 
And  with  this  the  conversation  turned  to  Little  Cloud's  cleverness  in 
disguising  herself. 

"Don't  you  remember  that  time  that  she  put  on  Pao  Yu's  coat  and 
shoes  and  put  his  forehead  band  round  her  head?"  asked  Precious 
Clasp,  laughing.  "She  looked  so  like  him  that  when  the  old  Tai  tai 
came  in  and  saw  her  back  as  she  stood  over  there  by  the  armchair,  she 
was  deceived  and  said  to  her:  'Pao  Yu,  come  here  and  look  at  the 
crystal  chains  on  the  ceiling  lamps!  They  are  quite  covered  with 
smoke  and  dull  the  light.'  But  Little  Cloud  did  not-stir  from  the  spot. 
And  how  we  laughed!" 

"Yes,  she  dresses  up  splendidly  as  a  boy,"  added  the  Ancestress. 

"That  is  nothing  for  her!"  continued  Black  Jade.  "Do  you  remember 
that  snowy  day  in  the  first  month  of  last  year  when  she  secretly  put  on 
the  old  Tai  tai's  new  red  monkey -hair  cloak?  It  was  so  long  and  wide 
for  her  that  she  had  to  tie  it  up  around  her  hips  with  two  scarves.  She 
played  snowballs  wildly  around  the  garden  with  the  maids,  finally 
stumbling  over  a  ditch  and  tumbling  down  full  length  in  the  snow,  and 
everyone  thought  it  was  the  old  Tai  tai." 

The  whole  company  broke  out  into  merry  laughter  at  the  memory 
of  this. 

"Where  on  earth  is  Cousin  Pao  Yu?"  inquired  Little  Cloud. 

"Of  course  she  is  only  thinking  of  the  naughty  companion  of  her 
youthful  pranks;  she  has  no  thought  for  us  others,  she  is  incorrigible," 
said  Precious  Clasp  jokingly.  Thereupon  Pao  Yu  came  along  and 
greeted  the  visitors  joyfully. 

"He  has  something  nice  for  you!"  Black  Jade  whispered  to  her. 

"Something  nice  for  me?"  asked  Little  Cloud,  incredulously. 

"It  is  true,  you  can  believe  it,"  Pao  Yu  assured  heri  "How  big  you 
have  grown,  Little  Cloud!" 

"You  should  not  call  each  other  by  your  first  names  any  more,"  his 
mother  rebuked  him.  "The  old  Tai  tai  does  not  wish  it.  You  are  no 
longer  the  children  you  used  to  be." 

"How  is  your  Pearl?"  asked  Little  Cloud. 

"Very  well.  Thank  you  for  your  kind  inquiry." 

"I  have  brought  her  something." 

230 


She  produced  a  little  polished  box,  in  which  were  four  rings.  In  the 
red  stone  of  each  ring  a  name  was  engraved. 

"You  have  given  us  presents  like  that  in  the  past!"  cried  Black 
Jade,  disappointed.  "I  was  expecting  you  to  produce  some  novelty,  but 
you  are  not  very  ingenious.  You  certainly  do  not  take  much  trouble 
to  think  up  something  new." 

"Oh,  please,  but  on  the  other  hand  the  presents  are  very  practical," 
said  Little  Cloud  in  self-defense.  "For  Pearl,  Mandarin  Duck,  Gold 
Ring,  and  Little  Ping — a  suitable  ring  for  each  of  them,  so  that  one 
can  distinguish  them.  Otherwise  one  can  hardly  tell  all  the  waiting 
maids  and  other  maids  apart.  Now,  is  it  not  practical?" 

"Extremely  practical!"  they  all  agreed,  amused. 

"How  she  can  talk!  She's  never  at  a  loss  for  an  answer,"  said  Pao 
Yu,  smiling. 

"She  has  no  conversatior ,  but  on  the  other  hand  she  wears  a  golden 
unicorn  like  a  certain  other  person,"  Black  Jade  interrupted  sharply, 
and  went  out.  Luckily,  her  remark  had  been  understood  only  by  Pao 
Yu  and  Precious  Clasp;  it  was  received  by  her  with  an  understanding 
smile,  and  by  him  with  an  embarrassed  one.  Precious  Clasp  also  got 
up  and  went  to  join  Black  Jade. 

"Refresh  yourself  with  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  snack,  and  rest  a  while! 
Then  later  you  can  greet  your  sister-in-law  and  play  in  the  park,"  sug- 
gested the  Ancestress  to  her  granddaughter.  Little  Cloud  took  her  ad- 
vice, and  after  she  had  greeted  Phoenix  and  the  Widow  Chu  she  set 
out  for  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  escorted  by  a  swarm  of  serving 
women  and  waiting  maids.  Shortly  before  reaching  Pao  Yu's  dwell- 
ing, the  Courtyard  of  Harmonious  Red,  she  dismissed  her  retinue,  with 
the  exception  of  her  own  waiting  maid,  Blue  Thread.  As  they  came 
through  the  rose  arbor  she  noticed  something  shining  like  gold  lying 
on  the  ground.  She  told  her  maid  to  pick  it  up,  and  she  examined  it 
with  curiosity.  It  was  an  amulet  in  the  shape  of  a  golden  unicorn,  very 
like  her  own,  only  somewhat  bigger  and  more  finely  worked.  She  took 
it  in  her  hand  and  observed  it  thoughtfully. 

How  odd!  Where  can  this  thing  have  come  from?  I  have  never 
noticed  it  on  anyone  in  the  house,  she  thought.  While  she  was  still 
pondering,  Pao  Yu  appeared. 

"Look  here,  why  are  you  two  standing  there. in  the  strong  sun?  Why 
not  come  in  and  greet  Pearl?"  he  asked. 

"We  are  just  going  to  her,"  said  Little  Cloud,  quickly  hiding  her 
find.  The  three  of  them  went  into  the  Begonia  Courtyard  together. 
Pearl  was  sitting  on  the  steps  in  a  shady  corner  in  front  of  the  en- 
trance, leaning  against  the  balustrade  and  fanning  herself  to  get  cool. 

232 


She  stood  up,  went  to  greet  Little  Cloud  and  her  maid,  and  led  them  by 
the  hand  into  the  house. 

"I  have  been  expecting  you  for  a  long  time.  I  have  something  nice 
to  show  you,"  said  Pao  Yu  to  his  cousin,  beginning  to  rummage  and 
search  in  his  pockets. 

"Have  you  put  the  thing  away?"  he  asked,  turning  in  embarrass- 
ment to  Pearl,  after  searching  for  a  long  time. 

"What  thing  do  you  mean?"  asked  Pearl. 

"The  gold  unicorn  amulet  which  I  recently  got  as  a  present." 

"You  always  carry  it  about  with  you.  I  have  no  idea  where  it  is." 

"Then  I  must  have  lost  it  outside.  Come,  help  me  to  look  for  it!" 

He  was  about  to  rush  out  to  the  park  but  Little  Cloud  held  him 
back  and  showed  him  her  find,  with  a  smile. 

"Is  this  it?" 

He  seized  it  with  delight. 

"You  found  it?" 

"Oh,  how  can  one  be  so  careless!  Luckily,  it  was  only  a  trinket  this 
time,  but  if  you  should  lose  your  stone  the  next  time,  it  might  be  a 
great  misfortune." 

"Oh,  the  loss  of  my  stone  would  not  trouble  me  at  all.  But  this  ar- 
ticle, which  you  call  a  trifle,  is  irreplaceable;  its  loss  would  mean  death 
to  me." 

Little  Cloud  bent  blushing  over  the  teacup  which  Pearl  had  passed 
to  her.  Then  the  conversation  turned  to  other  things.  In  the  midst  of 
the  happy  chattering  a  servant  of  Mr.  Cheng's  arrived  and  announced: 
"Master  Yu  Tsun  from  the  Street  of  Blooming  Prosperity  has  come  to 
visit.  The  old  master  asks  the  young  gentleman  to  come  over  to  salute 
the  guest." 

Pao  Yu's  good  humor  was  instantly  over. 

"Is  it  not  enough  if  the  old  man  receives  him?  Why  must  I  be  there?" 
he  murmured  ungraciously,  while  he  slowly  made  himself  ready  for  the 
visit. 

"How  can  one  loiter  so  long  when  the  old  gentleman  calls  one!" 
cried  Little  Cloud,  dealing  him  a  rap  with  her  fan  by  way  of  en- 
couragement. 

"Ah,  it  is  not  my  old  governor  who  has  expressed  a  wish  to  see  me, 
but  this  Master  Yu  Tsun  himself." 

"It  is  all  the  more  flattering  for  you  w*\en  such  a  very  distinguished 
gentleman  shows  interest  in  you.  He  will  certainly  use  his  influence  for 
you.  That  can  only  be  to  your  advantage." 

"Pah!  What  do  I  care  about  patronage  and  knowing  distinguished 
people?  I  am  an  average  person  and  do  not  want  anything  more  than 
to  be  a  human  being  among  other  human  beings." 

233 


"You  are  quite  incorrigible!  After  all,  you  are  growing  up.  Have 
you  no  special  ambition?  Are  you  not  thinking  at  all  of  your  future? 
If  you  want  to  pass  your  State  examinations,  you  must  seek  the  ac- 
quaintance of  serious  people  and  future  ministers  in  good  time.  Their 
conversation  is  profitable  to  you,  and  their  friendship  will  ensure  you 
patronage  later  on.  Being  always  in  the  company  of  girls  will  not  get 
you  on ! " 

"Would  you  be  sc  kind  as  to  go  to  your  cousins'  apartments,  young 
lady!  I  would  not  wish  that  a  serious  person  like  you  should  be  morti- 
fied by  a  sojourn  in  my  unworthy  dwelling,"  said  Pao  Yu,  his  tone 
suddenly  grown  gruff.  Pearl  surreptitiously  plucked  Little  Cloud  by  the 
sleeve. 

"He  does  not  like  anyone  to  bring  up  this  subject,"  she  said  to  her 
in  a  low  voice.  "Recently  he  simply  ran  away  when  Miss  Precious 
Clasp  began  to  speak  of  it.  It  was  lucky  that  it  was  Miss  Precious  Clasp, 
for  she  did  not  take  it  badly.  If  it  had  been  Miss  Black  Jade,  oh,  then 
there  would  have  been  a  nice  scene !  She  would  not  have  looked  at  him 
again  until  he  had  admitted  his  wrong  with  all  formality  and  had 
begged  for  pardon." 

"She  is  not  capable  of  such  a  lack  of  good  taste,  otherwise  I  would 
have  broken  with  her  long  ago,"  interjected  Pao  Yu  emphatically. 

Just  by  chance  Black  Jade  was  a  witness  to  his  last  remark.  She  knew 
that  Little  Cloud  had  set  out  for  the  Begonia  Courtyard,  she  presumed 
that  Pao  Yu  would  show  her  the  counterpart  to  her  .gold  unicorn  amulet 
and  in  doing  so  would  introduce  all  kinds  of  affectionate  allusions,  as 
was  his  way,  and  she  had  therefore  crept  along  secretly  to  listen  for 
a  bit  under  the  window.  She  had  just  arrived  in  time  to  hear  Little 
Cloud  recommending  him  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  serious  men. 
So  when  he  declared  emphatically  that  she,  Black  Jade,  was  not  capable 
of  such  lack  of  good  taste  in  conversation,  she  felt  simultaneously  moved 
by  four  sensations — joy,  fear,  pain,  and  regret.  She  was  joyful  at  not 
being  disappointed  in  his  love  and  his  noble-mindedness;  she  was 
frightened  at  his  acknowledging  his  preference  for  her  so  openly  before 
people;  she  thought  with  pain  of  how  alone  she  was  in  the  world  since 
the  death  of  her  parents,  and  how  she  had  no  one  to  confide  in  regard- 
ing matters  of  the  heart.  And  she  had  to  sigh  regretfully  because  she 
was  wasting  away  with  a  malady  which  would  not  give  her  much  time 
to  wait,  no  matter  how  sure  she  might  feel  of  his  love.  She  was  over- 
come with  grief  at  the  frightening  presentiment  that  she  might  die  too 
soon  to  experience  the  f ulfillment  of  her  wish.  Her  eyes  filled  with  tears 
and  she  went  away  again  slowly. 

Meantime  Pao  Yu  had  finished  dressing,  and  when  he  went  into  the 

234 


park  he  came  upon  Black  Jade  and  noticed  traces  of  tears  on  her 
cheeks. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Mei  mei?  You  have  been  crying?  Has  anyone 
offended  you?"  he  asked  tenderly.  Black  Jade  forced  herself  to  smile. 
"Crying?  I  did  not  know  it." 

"But  I  still  see  the  traces  of  tears!" 

He  raised  his  hand  and  tried  to  wipe  a  few  damp  spots  on  her  cheek 
with  his  finger.  She  recoiled  two  steps. 

"Do  not  trouble  yourself!  You  are  again  ready  to  die,  are  you  not?" 
she  said,  derisively. 

"Why  not?" 

"It's  nothing  to  me.  But  would  it  not  be  difficult  to  part  from  a  cer- 
tain gold  unicorn  amulet?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?  Do  you  want  to  drive  me  into  a  rage 
again?"  he  burst  out  hotly. 

She  saw  that  she  had  offended  him. 

"It  was  only  my  chatter,"  she  said,  quickly  changing  her  tone.  "But 
do  not  get  so  excited!  The  veins  on  your  forehead  are  all  swollen  up 
with  anger!  And  how  you  are  perspiring!" 

She  went  up  close  to  him  and  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  face 
with  her  handkerchief.  He  submitted  to  it  and  looked  at  her  fixedly  for 
a  long  time. 

"Be  quite  reassured!"  he  said  at  last. 

"Reassured?  About  what?" 

He  gave  a  deep  sigh. 

"Are  you  pretending,  or  do  you  really  not  understand  me?  Can  I 
have  been  so  much  deceived  in  you  all  the  time  that  you  do  not  guess 
my  innermost  thoughts?  If  that  is  so,  our  daily  misunderstandings  are 
not  surprising." 

"I  really  do  not  know  what  you  mean  by  saying  that  I  should  be  re- 
assured." 

"Dearest  Mei  mei,  please  do  not  pretend !  You  must  know.  You  make 
your  illness  worse  by  your  constant  worrying." 

His  reference  to  her  suffei  ng  condition  hit  her  like  a  thunderbolt. 
How  correctly  he  felt  what  she  herself  had  realized  shortly  before  \vith 
secret  fear!  She  had  so  mucu  more  on  her  mind  which  she  wanted  to 
say,  but  she  could  not  utter  a  word.  The  tears  sprang  to  her  eyes,  and 
with  a  stifled  "Oh"  she  turned  away.  He  ran  after  her  and  took  her  by 
the  hand. 

"Dearest  Mei  mei,  do  stay  for  a  while!  I  have  something  more  to  say 
to  you." 

"I  know  everything,"  she  said  gently,  then  freed  herself  arid  ran  off. 

He  stood  where  he  was  and  went  on  talking  to  himself  as  in  a  trance. 

235 


"Dearest  Mei  mei,  up  to  now  I  have  not  dared  to  disclose  to  you  what 
touches  my  heart  to  the  core,  but  today  I  feel  the  courage  in  me,  and  I 
will  speak,  even  if  I  have  to  pay  for  my  impudence  with  my  death.  Do 
you  know  that  I  also  am  ill,  ill  on  your  account,  and  I  will  not  get  well 
again  until  you  are  well.  Dreaming  and  waking,  I  am  always  thinking 
only  of  you.  .  .  ." 

"You  must  be  completely  possessed  by  wicked  spirits!  Hurry  up! 
They  are  waiting  for  you!"  He  was  brought  back  from  his  ecstasy  by 
the  voice  of  Pearl.  Pearl  had  run  after  him  to  bring  him  the  fan  he  had 
forgotten,  and  had  been  listening  for  quite  a  while  with  growing  aston- 
ishment to  his  soliloquy.  In  his  withdrawn  state  he  had  not  noticed  her 
approach. 

"Ah,  it's  you!"  he  now  burst  out,  startled,  took  the  fan,  and  hurried 
off.  Pearl  looked  after  him  for  a  while  thoughtfully.  It  was  clear  to  her 
that  the  confession  of  love  which  she  had  just  heard  could  only  refer  to 
Black  Jade.  What  would  become  of  herself,  Pearl,  later  on?  While  she 
stood  there  sunk  in  thought  Precious  Clasp  came  along. 

"What  is  Cousin  Pao  Yu  up  to?"  she  called  out  to  the  maid.  "I  have 
just  seen  him  all  dressed  up  rushing  to  the  park  gate  with  long  strides." 

"The  old  Governor  has  sent  for  him." 

"Oh,  woe,  no  doubt  another  fatherly  reprimand.  The  poor  boy!" 

"No,  it  is  not  that.  He  is  to  greet  a  guest." 

"Is  Little  Cloud  in  there?" 

"Yes." 

"What  is  she  doing?" 

"Oh,  we  have  just  been  chatting  a  bit." 

""I  am  sorry  for  the  poor  girl.  Things  are  not  going  very  well  at  home. 
She  admitted  to  me  that  she  often  sits  up  late  at  night  doing  needle- 
work." 

"Oh,  I  am  sorry  for  that.  And  I,  stupid  thing,  was  just  about  to  ask 
her  for  a  new  pair  of  hand-embroidered  slippers.  I  was  surprised  that 
recently  she  sent  me  back  half  finished  a  piece  of  embroidery — a  butter- 
fly-patterned cloth — that  she  had  promised  to  do  for  me.  She  excused 
herself,  saying  that  she  would  finish  it  at  her  next  visit  here.  Under 
these  circumstances  one  cannot,  of  course,  expect  her  to  do  any  more 
needlework.  It's  a  pity;  now  I  must  go  without  my  slippers." 

"It  is  not  as  bad  as  that.  I  shall  make  a  pair  for  you." 

"Really?  Oh,  that  is  fine;  then  I  shall  bring  you  the  material  this 
evening." 

While  they  were  chatting  a  serving  woman  came  along  gasping  in  the 
greatest  excitement  and  called  out  to  them:  "Do  you  know  that  Gold 
Ring  has  jumped  into  the  well  and  drowned  herself!" 

"But  why?"  asked  Pearl,  horrified. 

236 


"Just  recently  she  was  suddenly  dismissed  and  sent  home  by  the  Tai 
tai  Cheng,  no  one  knows  why.  She  could  not  get  over  it,  and  she  sat 
about  at  home  the  whole  day  crying.  Then  she  suddenly  disappeared. 
Finally  they  found  her  body  in  the  well  when  they  were  drawing  water. 
They  tried  to  bring  her  to  life  again,  but  it  was  too  late." 

"Why  can  she  have  drowned  herself?  It's  strange!"  said  Precious 
Clasp  thoughtfully,  while  Pearl  shook  her:  head  in  silence  and  wept. 
Precious  Clasp  went  off  at  once  to  Aunt  Cheng,  to  hear  more  details. 
She  found  the  Tai  tai  alone,  in  tears.  She  sat  down  beside  her  without 
speaking. 

"Where  have  you  come  from?"  asked  Aunt  Cheng. 

"From  the  park." 

"Did  you  see  your  cousin  Pao  Yu?" 

"Yes,  at  a  distance.  He  was  in  visiting  dress  and  seemed  to  be  in  a 
hurry." 

"Have  you  heard  that  Gold  Ring  has  drowned  herself  in  the  well?" 
continued  Madame  Cheng,  with  a  deep  sigi 

"I  heard  about  it.  Why  did  she  do  it?" 

"She  broke  something  in  my  room  recently  and  I  dismissed  her  in 
anger.  I  intended  to  take  her  back  again  in  a  few  days.  Who  would 
have  thought  that  she  would  take  it  to  heart  like  that  and  immediately 
jump  into  the  well!  I  am  beside  myself  and  am  reproaching  myself 
bitterly." 

"You  should  not  do  that,  dear  Aunt,"  said  Precious  Clasp  consol- 
ingly. "After  all,  you  were  always  so  good  to  her!  She  has  certainly  not 
taken  her  life  on  account  of  that.  I  believe  it  is  more  likely  that  she  fell 
into  the  well  by  accident,  but  if  she  really  threw  herself  in  on  account 
of  such  a  trifle  that  would  be  such  a  foolish  thing  that  one  really  should 
not  feel  sorry  for  her." 

"It  may  be  as  you  think.  But  in  any  case  her  death  grieves  me  to  the 
core." 

,  "Do  not  take  it  so  much  to  heart!  Send  her  relatives  a  little  indem- 
nity! Then  you  will  have  done  your  duty  and  made  restitution,  and 
complied  with  the  obligations  of  a  mistress  to  her  servant." 

"I  have  already  sent  her  family  fifty  taels.  I  really  wanted  to  give  her 
a  beautiful  new  funeral  robe  and  thought  to  take  something  from  my 
daughter's  wardrobe,  but  she  has  already  worn  all  her  dresses  once. 
And  to  put  a  dress  which  has  been  worn  on  a  corpse  in  a  coffin  is  con- 
trary to  the  Rites.  There  is  nothing  for  fne  to  do  but  to  send  fox  a  tailor 
to  come  to  the  house." 

"Why  bother  so  much?  Surely  the  money  puts  everything  right?" 

"No,  the  dead  girl  was  particularly  dear  to  me — almost  like  a  daugh- 
ter," said  Aunt  Cheng  significantly,  beginning  to  weep  again. 

237 


"Very  well,  then,  I  shall  help  you  out  from  my  wardrobe.  1  have  two 
dresses  which  I  have  hardly  ever  worn  at  all  and  can  do  without.  The 
dead  girl  shall  have  them.  She  was  my  size  and  often  wore  my  old 
clothes." 

"That  is  very  nice  of  you.  But  are  you  not  afraid?  You  say  you  have 
already  worn  the  two  dresses  yourself?" 

"Oh,  I  disregard  those  superstitious  rules,"  replied  Previous  Clasp 
merrily,  jumping  up.  When  she  came  back  later  to  Aunt  Cheng  with  the 
two  dresses  for  the  dead  girl,  she  found  Pao  Yu  in  the  room.  He 
looked  as  if  he  had  been  crying.  When  she  entered,  mother  and  son 
suddenly  stopped  talking.  Precious  Clasp  thought  she  knew  to  seven- 
or  eight-tenths  what  they  were  talking  about;  she  did  not  let  it  be  no- 
ticed, however,  and  silently  delivered  the  two  dresses  which  Aunt 
Cheng  later  on  presented  to  the  mother  of  Gold  Ring. 

CHAPTER   24 
The  degenerate  offspring  experiences  the  pain  of  a  paternal  flogging. 

AND  so  MADAME  CHENG  GAVE  TWO  BURIAL  ROBES  TO  GOLD  RING'S 
mother,  together  with  several  buckles  and  rings,  and  also  sent  a  con- 
tingent of  bonzes  to  her  house  to  celebrate  a  solemn  requiem  for  the 
deceased  at  her  expense. 

At  the  news  of  Gold  Ring's  voluntary  death  Pao  Yu  felt  all  his  five 
intestines  torn  with  pain.  He  had  to  submit  to  a  stern  lecture  from  his 
mother.  Then  when  Precious  Clasp  came  in  he  went  off  quickly  and 
wandered  about  his  parents'  estate  aimlessly  and  quite  distraught.  As 
he  walked  about,  sighing  and  thinking,  with  his  eyes  on  the  ground  and 
his  hands  behind  his  back,  without  noticing  the  pathways  or  the  sur- 
roundings, it  happened  that  he  ran  into  his  father  at  the  spirit  wall  in 
front  of  the  large  reception  hall.  Frightened,  he  stepped  aside  and 
waited  in  a  humble  attitude  for' his  father  to  pass  by. 

"What  on  earth  is  the  matter  with  you?"  asked  Mr.  Cheng  severely. 
"Just  now,  when  Mr.  Yu  Tsun  wanted  to  see  you,  you  kept  us  wait- 
ing half  the  day  for  you.  When  you  showed  yourself  at  last,  you  sat 
there  indifferent  and  apathetic  and  did  not  open  your  mouth.  I  observed 
that  your  depraved  thoughts  were  somewhere  else.  And  now  you  are 
running  around  with  a  mournful  face.  What  does  it  mean?" 

Normally  Pao  Yu  was  not  at  a  loss  for  a  suitable  excuse,  but  this 
time  he  could  think  of  nothing.  The  tragic  fate  of  poor  Gold  Ring 
touched  him  so  deeply  that  everything  else  was  unimportant  to  him.  He 
would  have  liked  best  to  follow  her  to  her  death.  Annoyed  at  his  silence 
and  his  confused  behavior,  Mr.  Cheng  was  about  to  storm  at  him 

238 


angrily  when  a  servant  appeared  and  announced  that  a  representative 
of  the  Prince  of  Chung  Shun  wished  to  speak  to  him. 

"Take  him  into  the  reception  hall!"  he  ordered  his  servant,  at  the 
same  time  asking  himself,  much  bewildered,  why  the  Prince,  whom  he 
hardly  knew,  should  have  sent  a  messenger  to  him.  He  left  Pao  Yu 
standing  there  and  hurried  away  to  salute  the  visitor.  He  was  the  Palace 
Superintendent  of  the  Prince  of  Chung  Shun. 

"I  come  at  the  order  of  my  princely  master,"  began  the  Superintend- 
ent very  formally.  "The  Prince  requests  your  intervention  in  a  certain 
matter,  the  settlement  of  which  is  very  important  to  him." 

Chia  Cheng  stood  up  politely. 

"May  I  ask  you  kindly  to  inform  me  of  the  princely  wishes?  I  shall 
not  fail  .  .  ." 

"For  many  days  my  master  has  missed  a  young  actor  named  Chi, 
who  plays  the  part  of  youthful  heroines,  and  whom  he  values  very  much 
and  is  accustomed  to  seeing  every  day  in  the  palace.  All  investigations 
as  to  his  whereabouts  have  been  without  result,  but  in  eight  of  ten 
houses  where  the  boy  has  been  inquired  for  he  received  the  same  in- 
formation, namely,  that  the  young  actor  has  recently  been  a  close  friend 
of  your  esteemed  son,  the  one  who  was  born  with  a  jewel  in  his  mouth. 
As  I  did  not  ..ish  to  intrude  into  your  esteemed  house  without  cere- 
mony, I  first  of  all  made  my  report  to  the  Prince.  The  Prince  declared 
that  he  would  be  willing  to  give  up  any  other  actor  to  your  son,  but  this 
young  Chi,  whom  he  finds  pleasing  in  every  way,  and  who  is  infinitely 
important  to  him,  he  cannot  do  without  in  any  circumstances.  He 
therefore  politely  and  urgently  requests  you  to  influence  your  esteemed 
son  to  relinquish  young  Chi.  It  would  contribute  greatly  to  placating  my 
princely  lord'  and  relieve  me  personally  of  the  painful  task  of  undertak- 
ing further  urgent  measures,  if  you  would  graciously  comply  with  his 
request,"  concluded  the  Superintendent  with  a  polite  bow. 

Mr.  Cheng  sent  for  Pao  Yu  without  delay. 

"Confounded  scamp!"  he  raged  at  the  completely  unsuspecting  boy. 
"Is  it  not  enough  that  you  are  lazy  at  home  and  learn  nothing?  Must 
you  also  do  outside  the  house  things  which  outrage  heaven?  What  do 
you  mean  by  seducing  this  young  Chi  and  taking  him  away  from  his 
illustrious  master  and  patron  the  Prince  of  Chung  Shun?  Now  the  mis- 
fortune has  come,  and  I  have  to  pay  for  your  infamous  deeds!" 

"But  I  know  nothing  of  all  this!  I  do  not  know  this  Chi  at  all,"  pro- 
tested Pao  Yu,  frightened. 

"Do  not  sham,  young  man!"  remarked  the  Superintendent  with  a 
frosty  smile.  "If  you  have  not  got  him  hidden  in  your  quarters,  at  least 
you  know  where  he  is.  It  would  be  better  for  all  of  us  if  you  would  open 
your  mouth." 

239 


"I  really  know  nothing,"  repeated  Pao  Yu.  "I  have  been  falsely 
accused." 

"Oh,  indeed?  Perhaps  I  may  ask,  then,  how  young  Chi's  red  silk 
handkerchief  comes  to  be  in  your  belt,  young  man?" 

Pao  Yu  felt  his  ears  humming  and  buzzing.  To  be  sure,  he  had  not 
thought  of  this  piece  of  evidence.  If  the  Superintendent  really  knew  of 
such  intimacies,  then  his  denials  would  be  of  no  avail. 

"Since  you  are  informed  of  such  small  details,  esteemed  sir,  then  I 
am  surprised  that  the  fact  of  young  Chi's  recent  change  of  address  has 
escaped  you,"  he  said  as  coolly  as  possible.  "As  far  as  I  have  heard,  he 
has  recently  settled  in  the  eastern  suburb,  twenty  li  distant  from  the 
city  walls.  The  district  is  called  'Red  Sandalwood  Stronghold'  or  some- 
thing like  that;  he  is  said  to  have  bought  a  house  and  a  piece  of  land 
there." 

The  Superintendent's  face  brightened. 

"I  shall  lose  no  time  but  shall  go  there  at  once  to  satisfy  myself.  If 
your  information  tallies,  my  errand  is  executed.  Otherwise  I  shall  un- 
fortunately have  to  trouble  you  again." 

Having  said  this,  he  took  leave.  Mr.  Cheng  accompanied  him  to  the 
gate,  not  without  having  first  said  sternly  to  his  son:  "Do  not  stir  from 
here !  I  have  something  to  ask  you  afterwards." 

At  the  gate  Mr.  Cheng  met  his  son  Chia  Huan,  who  was  running 
along  in  remarkable  haste  with  several  servants. 

"Hi!  Where  are  you  going?  And  what  is  all  the  hurry  for?  You  are 
running  like  a  frightened  horse!"  Mr.  Cheng  called  out  to  him. 

"I  have  just  come  from  the  well  in  which  our  poor  waiting  maid  has 
drowned  herself.  I  have  seen  the  corpse,  the  swollen  head,  the  inflated 
limbs!  Ugh!  Such  a  terrible  sight!  I  have  run  as  quickly  as  I  could, 
just  to  get  away  at  once,"  said  Chia  Huan',  shuddering  with  horror. 

"What?  A  waiting  maid  has  drowned  herself?  That  is  unheard  of!" 
cried  Mr.  Chei*g,  dumfounded.  "In  my  house  the  servants  have  always 
been  treated  justly  and  with  kindness.  Since  the  days  of  my  illustrious 
ancestors  such  a  thing  has  not  occurred.  Presumably  the  majordomos 
have  misused  their  authority  in  my  absence.  I  cannot,  after  all,  look 
after  everything  myself.  But  on  no  account  must  the  news  of  the  regret- 
table occurrence  get  to  the  town.  The  reputation  and  honor  of  my  house 
are  at  stake.  And  now  tell  me  this!  What  do  you  know  "about  how  it  all 
happened?"  And  he  turned  sternly  to  Chia  Huan.  The  boy  fell  upon  his 
knees. 

"Do  not  get  excited,  Father!  No  one  but  the  Tai  tai  and  her  intimates 
know  about  the  story,"  he  began.  "As  the  Tai  tai  told  me  .  .  . 

He  stopped  and  looked  furtively  around  him.  The  servants  who  were 
near  by  understood  and  stepped  back  to  a  proper  distance. 

240 


"Recently,  when  the  Tai  tai  was  asleep,  brother  Pao  Yu  tried  to  se- 
duce the  waiting  maid  Gold  Ring,"  he  continued  in  a  whisper.  "The 
Tai  tai  punished  her  by  hitting  her,  and  then  dismissed  her.  Gold  Ring 
drowned  herself  through  grief  because  of  this." 

His  words  caused  Chia  Cheng's  face  to  turn  suddenly  pale.  His  com- 
plexion became  yellowish,  like  gold  paper. 

"Stir  yourselves!  Seize  the  boy!"  he  ordered  his  servants,  and  rushed 
into  the  library.  There  several  friends  of  the  family  were  waiting  for 
him. 

"If  it  ever  again  occurs  to  any  of  you  to  admonish  me  and  persuade 
me  to  leniency,  I  shall  tear  out  one  by  one  the  last  hairs  which  I  still 
have  got  despite  trouble  and  annoyance,  give  over  to  this  worthy  son  of 
mine  my  cap  of  office,  my  belt,  and  all  my  possessions,  and  go  into  a 
monastery!"  he  shouted.  "Then  I  shall  at  last  have  peace  and  shall  no 
longer  be  shamed  before  my  ancestors  by  my  unruly  offspring." 

The  friends  of  the  family,  realizing  that  his  outburst  of  rage  was 
directed  against  Pao  Yu,  let  their  tongues  hang  out  of  their  mouths  with 
fright,  and  deemed  it  wise  to  get  out  of  the  way  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Groaning  and  snorting,  Chia  Cheng  sank  into  an  armchair. 

"Bring  the  boy  here  to  me !  Tie  him  with  a  rope !  Fetch  me  the  heavy 
cudgel!  Lock  the  doors!  Let  nobody,  under  pain  of  death,  dare  to  run 
to  the  wome_n's  apartments  and  chatter  about  what  is  going  on  here!" 
Thus  ran  his  various  orders,  in  quick  succession.  Several  of  the  servants 
obediently  went  to  the  great  hall  to  fetch  Pao  Yu. 

When  his  father  had  ordered  him,  shortly  before,  not  to  stir  from 
where  he  was,  Pao  Yu  had  already  realized  the  calamity  that  threatened 
him;  but  he  certainly  could  not  have  guessed  that  in  the  interval  his 
position  had  been  made  very  much  worse  by  his  half  brother's  talebear- 
ing. Tortured  with  painful  uncertainty,  he  had  been  pacing  restlessly 
up  and  down  the  great  hall.  If  only  he  could  let  his  mother  or  his  grand- 
mother know!  But  not  one  of  the  servants  came  within  hailing  distance. 
Even  his  personal  servant,  Ming  Yen,  was  not  to  be  seen.  At  last  he  saw 
an  old  serving  woman  crossing  the  courtyard.  As  overjoyed  as  if  he  had 
discovered  a  precious  trea'sure,  he  dashed  out  and  stopped  her. 

"Quick!  Run  to  the  Tai  tai  or  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and  tell  them  that  the 
old  Governor  is  going  to  beat  me  to  death!  But  hurry  up!  I'm  in  ter- 
rible danger!"  he  said  to  her. 

Unfortunately,  the  old  serving  woman  was  hard  of  hearing  and  only 
understood  a  fraction  of  what  he  was  blurting  out  in  the  greatest  agita- 
tion, and  even  that  fraction  she  took  up  wrongly.  Instead  of  Yao  Chin, 
"greatest  danger,"  she  thought  he  was  saying  tiao  chin,  "jumped  into 
the  well." 

"Let  her  jump  into  the  well!  You  need  not  worry  yourself  on  that 

241 


account,  young  gentleman!"  she  said  with  a  grin.  At  this  Pao  Yu  re- 
alized that  he  was  speaking  to  a  deaf  person.  He  felt  desperate. 
"Run  and  call  my  servant  here!"  he  roared  at  her. 
"Why  do  you  still  excite  yourself?  The  family  of  the  dead  girl  have 
got  a  nice  lump  of  hush  money,  and  that  settled  the  matter,"  came  the 
delicate  answer.  Pao  Yu  broke  into  a  frenzy.  He  stamped  his  feet  and 
clutched  at  the  air  with  his  hands  as  if  he  were  seeking  some  invisible 
support  to  cling  on  to.  But  his  excitement  was  in  vain.  Now  he  saw  his 
father's  servants  appearing  in  the  distance.  He  had  to  get  back  to  the 
hall  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  servants  took  him  between  them  and 
brought  him  to  Chia  Cheng's  library.  The  distorted  features,  the  rolling 
eyeballs,  the  red  eyelids  of  his  father  boded  ill. 

Mr.  Cheng  wasted  no  words  with  a  lengthy  examination.  He  limited 
himself  to  an  angrily  snorted  greeting  of  "Loafer!  Tramp!  Seducer!" 
and  then  came  the  brief  order.  "Beat  him  to  death !" 

And  soon  they  had  him  strapped  to  a  bench  and  began  to  flog  him 
with  the  heavy  bamboo  stick.  Mr.  Cheng  seemed  to  think  that  the  serv- 
ant whom  he  ordered  to  administer  the  beating  was  doing  it  far  too 
mildly.  He  stamped  his  feet  in  rage,  grabbed  the  stick  from  the  serv- 
ant's hand,  and  began  with  all  his  strength  to  beat  the  victim  of  his  pa- 
ternal anger,  until  he  was  out  of  breath  and  could  continue  no  longer. 
The  pampered  Pao  Yu  had  never  in  his  life  suffered  such  an  experi- 
ence. His  first  roars  of  pain  soon  changed  to  a  dull  rattling  in  his  throat 
as  his  breathing  became  weaker,  and  after  a  short  while  no  further 
sound  escaped  his  lips.  He  had  lost  consciousness.  In  vain  the  servants 
and  some  friends  of  the  family  who  had  remained  behind,  seized  with 
compassion,  tried  to  intercede  for  him;  Mr.  Cheng  refused  to  be  moved. 
"Ask  him  what  he  has  done,  and  then  judge  for  yourselves  whether 
leniency  is  called  for  here,"  he  cried,  beside  himself.  "Formerly  I  have 
allowed  myself — too  often,  alas — to  be  persuaded  to  leniency  and  con- 
sideration. Now  you  can  see  what  that  has  led  to.  If  I  let  him  off  again 
this  time,  the  next  thing  may  be  that  he  will  become  his  own  father's 
murderer!" 

The  bystanders  stood  in  dumfounded  silence  and  sent  a  message  se- 
cretly to  the  women's  quarters.  Very  soon  Madame  Cheng  appeared  on 
the  scene.  Upon  hearing  the  alarming  news  she  had  rushed  along  in 
great  haste,  accompanied  by  only  one  waiting  maid.  When  she  arrived 
Mr.  Cheng  was  about  to  continue  the  flogging  which  he  had  interrupted 
only  to  pause  for  breath.  Her  appearance  acted  upon  him  like  oil  on 
fire,  and  his  blows  now  fell  if  possible  more  rapidly  and  heavily  than 
before.  Terrified,  the  Tai  tai  tried  to  throw  herself  in  front  of  him. 

"Get  away  from  me!"  he  shouted  furiously.  "The  measure  is  full.  To- 
day he  has  to  die!" 

242 


"Let  him  die!  But  do  you  think  at  all  of  the  old  Tai  tai?"  wailed  his 
wife.  "As  it  is,  she  is  not  well  on  account  of  the  hot  weather.  The  death 
of  her  grandson  will  break  her  up  completely!" 

"Do  not  worry !  In  begetting  and  bringing  up  this  degenerate  whelp  I 
have  failed  sufficiently  in  my  duty.  I  have  always,  alas,  allowed  myself 
to  be  talked  around  by  you  in  the  past  and  have  refrained  from  giving 
him  this  long-deserved  chastisement.  But  today  that  is  at  an  end.  It  is 
better  that  the  young  cur  should  breathe  his  last  now  than  that  htf 
should  live  to  do  still  greater  harm  later  on." 

With  these  words  he  rushed  on  the  boy,  who  was  lying  there  as  if 
dead,  intending  to  strangle  him  with  the  free  end  of  the  rope  with  which 
he  was  bound  to  the  bench. 

Madame  Cheng  flung  herself  into  his  arms  screaming: 

"If  you  are  really  going  to  kill  him,  take  the  rope  and  strangle  me 
first.  I  am  past  fifty,  and  he  is  my  only  son.  I  cannot  hope  for  another. 
Let  me  die  with  him,  so  that  in  the  Realm  of  Shades  I  shall  at  least  hav* 
the  support  and  succor  of  a  son ! " 

And  she  threw  herself,  sobbing,  over  Pao  Yu's  body. 

Chia  Cheng  sank  with  a  sigh  into  the  armchair  and  covered  his  eyes- 
to  hide  his  emotion.  As  the  mother  clasped  the  body  of  heiflon  she  per- 
ceived with  horror  that  his  green  silk  shirt  was  soaked  through  with 
blood.  She  drew  out  her  .handkerchief  and  tenderly  wiped  the  bloody 
scars  which  covered  his  thighs  and  his  whole  bottom.  This  macltf'  her 
think  of  Chia  Chu,  her  first-born,  who  had  died  young,  and  in  a  loud 
lament  she  cried:  "My  son  Chia  Chu,  I  would  give  up  a  hundred  other 
sons  to  have  you  still  alive.  Why  did  you  leave  me?" 

In  the  meantime  the  news  of  the  incident  had  spread  to  the  remaining 
women's  quarters,  and  now  the  other  ladies,  hurried  along  one  after  the 
other — the  Widow  Chu,  Phoenix,  and  the  three  Spring  girls.  At  the 
mention  of  her  deceased  husband,  naturally  the  Widow  Chu  could  not 
refrain  from  breaking  into  loud  lamentations  on  her  part.  This  dual 
lament  of  the  women  was  too  much  for  Chia  Cheng,  and  he  also  broke 
into  violent  sobbing.  While  tears  were  thus  flowing  in  three  directions, 
a  maidservant  appeared  and  announced:  "The  old  Tai  tai  is  coming." 

The  shuffling  of  numerous  feet  was  heard  outside,  and  then  through 
the  open  window  came  the  voice  of  the  old  Tai  tai:  "Let  him  kill  me 
first  and  then  the  boy;  that  will  at  least  be  a  clean  sweep!" 

Chia  Cheng  rushed  out,  greatly  agitated,  to  receive  on  the  threshold 
the  old  lady  who  now  entered,  gasping  and  out  of  breath,  supported  by 
two  maids  and  accompanied  by  a  swarm  of  serving  women. 

"What  drives  my  mother  out  into  the  open  air  in  this  heat?  Why 
does  she  not  order  her  son  to  come  to  her,  if  she  has  something  to  say 
to  him?"  asked  Chia  Cheng,  bowing  politely.  The  old  Tai  tai  stood  still, 

243 


paused  to  take  breath,  and  then  said  with  an  effort:  "I  would  have  had 
something  to  say,  but  as  a  good  son  has,  alas,  been  denied  to  me,  I  do 
not  really  know  to  whom  I  could  speak  my  mind." 
Chia  Cheng  quickly  fell  to  his  knees. 

"Your  reproach  grieves  me  beyond  words,  Mother.  I  have  only  given 
my  son  a  lesson.  I  owed  this  to  the  memory  of  my  glorious  ancestors." 
"Indeed?  To  beat  to  death — you  call  that  a  lesson?  Did  your  father 
ever  give  you  such  lessons?" 

She  could  not  continue  to  speak;  she  was  weeping  too  much. 
"Mother,  do  not  take  it  so  much  to  heart!  I  admit  that  I  have  let 
myself  be  carried  away  by  anger;  I  shall  never  beat  him  again,"  he  said, 
trying  to  calm  her.  The  Ancestress  laughed  dryly. 

"Oh,  please,  do  not  restrain  yourself  on  my  account!  After  all,  he  is 
your  son.  Ill-treat  him  as  much  as  you  wish!  But  really,  you  cannot 
blame  us  women  if  we  prefer  to  leave  the  house  under  these  circum- 
stances. It  is  better  for  the  sake  of  peace." 

She  gave  instructions  to  her  retinue  to  get  the  large  sedan  chair 
ready. 

"I  wish  to  travel  to  the  southern  capital  at  once  with  the  Tai  tai  and 
my  grandson,"  she  declared  briefly  and  definitely. 

"But,  Mother,  surely  you  will  not  do  that!  I  am  beside  myself!"  cried 
Chia  Cheng,  astounded. 

"It  is  better  that  I  go;  then  you  can  have  quietness  and  need  not  let 
yourself  be  talked  out  of  things  again  by  anyone,"  persisted  the  Ances- 
tress. And  once  more  she  ordered  her  retinue  to  pack  quickly  and  get 
ready  the  carriages  and  the  sedan  chairs.  Chia  Cheng  hit  his  forehead 
on  the  ground  despairingly  and  acknowledged  his  guilt,  but  the  Ances- 
tress took  no  notice  of  him.  Her  grandson's  pitiable  condition  absorbed 
all  her  attention,  and  she  broke  out  again  into  violent  sobbing.  Madame 
Cheng  and  Phoenix,  by  their  united  efforts,  succeeded  gradually  1'n 
calming  her.  Now  several  waiting  maids  and  serving  women  began  try- 
ing to  help  Pao  Yu  to  his  feet. 

"You  stupid  creatures,  kindly  open  your  eyes!"  scolded  Phoenix.  "Do 
you  not  see  that  he  cannot  walk  in  that  condition?  Fetch  a  stretcher 
quickly!" 

Thereupon,  they  carried  Pao  Yu  on  the  stretcher  to  the  home  of  the 
Ancestress.  Chia  Cheng  joined  the  procession  of  women  who  accom- 
panied him.  On  the  way  he  had  to  listen  to  the  ceaseless  laments  of  his 
wife,  which  cut  him  to  the  soul  and  finally  cooled  the  remnants  of  his 
anger.  He  realized  that  he  had  gone  too  far  and  endeavored  once  more 
to  talk  the  Ancestress  round  in  a  conciliatory  way. 

"You  should  have  thought  of  me  before  you  maltreated  the  poor  boy 
so  wickedly!  You  are  a  bad  son.  What  do  you  want  here?  Do  you  want 

244 


the  further  pleasure  of  looking  on  at  his  death?  Get  out  of  here!  I  do 
not  wish  to  see  you!"  she  rebuffed  him  indignantly. 

Chia  Cheng  slipped  away  disconcerted.  In  the  meantime  Aunt  Hsueh, 
Precious  Clasp,  Lotus,  Black  Jade,  and  Pearl  had  also  arrived  on  the 
scene.  They  all  pressed  around  the  ill-treated  boy  and  helped  to  wash 
his  burning  wounds  and  to  cool  him  with  their  fans.  But  Pearl  was  long- 
ing to  find  out  the  reason  for  the  ill-treatment,  so  she  went  out  and 
searched  for  Pao  Yu's  servant,  Ming  Yen. 

"Why  did  you  not  inform  the  Tai  tai  and  the  old  Tai  tai  in  time?" 
she  asked  him  reproachfully. 

"I  just  happened  not  to  be  with  him  and  only  heard  about  it  when 
they  were  in  the  middle  of  the  Hogging,"  declared  Ming  Yen.  "There 
were  two  reasons  for  the  chastisement — the  matter  of  the  actor  Chi,  and 
the  suicide  of  Gold  Ring." 

"How  did  the  old  master  get  to  know  of  these  things?" 

"Hsueh  Pan  was  jealous  of  young  Chi  and  out  of  envy  spread  the 
story  of  his  association  with  Pao  Yu  through  the  town,  and  so  the  fire 
ran  on  until  it  reached  the  old  master.  And  as  for  the  matter  of  Gold 
Ring,  apparently  Chia  Huan  has  been  gossiping.  At  least  I  heard  that 
just  before  the  flogging  he  ran  across  the  old  gentleman  and  privately 
whispered  something  in  his  ear." 

Pearl  kept  these  things  in  her  heart  and  returned  to  the  bedside  of 
her  master  to  help  to  nurse  him  devotedly. 


CHAPTER   25 

The  Begonia  Club  meets  in  the  Hermitage  of  Clear  Autumn  Weather. 

The  Princess  Ancestress  entertains  the  godmother  from  the  country  in 

the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision. 

I  HE  TOUCHING  SYMPATHY  OF  HIS  TWO  COUSINS  PRECIOUS  CLASP  AND 

Black  Jade  afforded  Pao  Yu  comfort  in  his  sufferings.  Precious  Clasp 
herself  brought  him  a  healing  powder  which  Pearl  had  to  dissolve  in 
wine  and  spread  on  the  injured  places.  And  when,  towards  evening,  he 
woke  up,  still  quietly  weeping,  out  of  a  light  sleep,  he  found  Black  Jade 
sitting  by  his  bed  and  had  to  promise  her  that  he  would  get  well.  She 
had  many  other  things  on  her  heart  which  she  wanted  to  say  to  him,  but 
unfortunately  their  short  time  together  was  disturbed  by  the  intrusion  of 
Phoenix  and  Madame  Cheng,  before  whom  Black  Jade  quickly  fled. 
Soon  after  she  had  gone  Pao  Yu  dropped  off  to  sleep  once  more.  When 
he  awoke  again  Pearl  put  before  him  the  two  bottles  containing  essence 
of  olives  and  essence  of  roses  which  his  devoted  mother  had  left  to 

245 


strengthen  him.  Pao  Yu  drank  the  lightly  perfumed  drink  with  great 
relish;  then  he  thought  of  Black  Jade.  He  felt  a  great  longing  for  her 
and  wanted  to  see  her  without  fail,  but  Pearl's  presence  would  be  in- 
convenient. Accordingly,  under  the  pretext  of  wanting  her  to  fetch  a 
certain  book  from  Precious  Clasp,  he  first  got  Pearl  out  of  the  way. 
Then  he  called  the  waiting  maid,  Bright  Cloud.  "Go  to  Miss  Ling  and 
see  what  she  is  doing!"  he  ordered  her.  "If  she  asks  how  I  am,  say  I 
am  getting  on  well." 

"But  I  can't  just  go  up  to  her  like  that  without  any  excuse,"  objected 
Bright  Cloud.  "Don't  you  have  any  message  for  her?" 

"I  cannot  think  of  any." 

"Well,  just  let  me  ask  her  for  something  or  take  something  to  her. 
Then  the  matter  will  be  correct." 

Pao  Yu  thought  it  over.  Then  he  reached  out  for  two  handkerchiefs 
which  were  lying  near  by  and  gave  them  to  her. 

"Here.  Take  these  two  handkerchiefs  to  her  in  my  name!" 

"What  will  she  do  with  these  two  handkerchiefs,  which  are  no  longer 
new?  She  will  be  angry  and  think  that  you  want  to  make  game  of  her," 
said  Bright  Cloud  doubtfully. 

"Do  not  worry  about  that!  She  will  know  well  what  to  think  about 
it,"  Pao  Yu  reassured  her  with  a  smile. 

So  Bright  Cloud  took  the  two  handkerchiefs  and  ran  to  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage.  Black  Jade  was  lying  in  complete  darkness,  without  any 
lamp  to  light  her.  Bright  Cloud  was  shown  into  the  bedroom  where  she 
lay  on  her  bed,  sadly  daydreaming. 

"Who  is  that?"  she  asked. 

"It  is  I,  Bright  Cloud." 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"The  young  master  sends  you  these  two  handkerchiefs." 

What  shall  I  do  with  them?  thought  Black  Jade  to  herself,  taken 
aback. 

"Let  him  keep  them  or  give  them  to  someone  else,"  she  said  aloud.  "I 
have  no  need  for  new  fancy  handkerchiefs." 

'They  are  not  new  ones,  but  used  everyday  ones." 

Black  Jade  was  still  more  puzzled;  she  wondered  for  a  while  what  the 
reason  of  this  strange  gift  might  be,  and  then  suddenly  it  became  clear 
to  her. 

"That  is  all  right;  leave  them  here!"  she  said  quietly. 

Bright  Cloud  put  them  down  and  went  away.  When  she  had  gone 
Black  Jade  ordered  the  lamp  to  be  lighted,  ground  some  Chinese  ink  on 
the  ink-stone,  dipped  her  brush  in  it,  and  wrote  on  the  plain  handker- 
chiefs three  improvised  quatrains  in  which  she  expressed  without  any 
shyness  or  hesitation  the  secret  longings  of  her  lonely  maidenhood. 

246 


In  the  ardor  of  composition  and  writing  she  was  overcome  with 
feverish  excitement,  her  face  burned,  and  her  whole  body  glowed.  She 
got  up  and  stood  before  the  mirror,  pushed  aside  the  cotton  curtain, 
and  looked  at  herself  in  the  shining  glass.  The  peach-blossom  color  of 
her  cheeks  frightened  her.  Was  that  only  due  to  her  illness?  She  lay 
down  again,  put  out  the  lamp,  and  went  to  sleep,  but  her  thoughts  still- 
remained  on  the  two  handkerchiefs  which  she  held  clasped  in  her  hand. 

The  following  morning,  urged  by  longing,  Black  Jade  went  off  very 
early  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard  and,  hidden  by  branches  and  bushes, 
watched  from  a  distance  the  coming  and  going  there.  She  saw  the  three 
Spring  girls, and  the  Widow  Chu  coming  to  pay  a  visit,  and  later  on, 
accompanied  by  a  large  retinue,  the  Tai  tai,  and  the  old  Tai  tai  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  Phoenix;  and  after  them  Princess  Shieh,  and  Aunt  Hsueh 
with  Cousin  Precious  Clasp.  And  she  thought  to  herself  how  lucky  Pao 
Yu  was  to  have  so  many  relatives  to  concern  themselves  about  him,  and 
she  pitied  herself,  the  poor  forlorn  orphan.  Thus  she  stood  for  a  long 
time,  spying  and  watching  from  her  secret  observation  post,  until  she 
was  tracked  down  by  her  maid  Cuckoo. 

"Come  and  drink  your  medicine,  Mistress,  and  do  not  let  it  get  cold!" 
the  maid  warned  her. 

"Ah,  there's  time  enough  for  that.  Anyway,  it  can't  make  any  differ- 
ence to  you  whether  I  take  my  medicine  or  not." 

"But  you  must  get  rid  of  your  bad  cough!  To  be  sure,  we  are  in  the 
fifth  month  and  the  middle  of  the  hot  summer,  but  in  spite  of  that  you 
must  beware  of  catching  cold.  To  stand  this  way  on  the  wet  grass  early 
in  the  morning  is  really  unwise.  Come  and  lie  down  for  a  while!" 

Black  Jade  reluctantly  took  her  advice  and,  leaning  on  her  arm,  re- 
turned slowly  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  As  she  walked  through  the 
front  garden,  where  the  bamboo  branches  cast  dappled  shadows,  now 
dark,  now  pale,  on  the  green  mossy  ground,  she  thought  involuntarily 
of  that  passage  in  "The  Play  of  the  Western  Pavilion"  which  describes 
a  hidden  little  glade  with  its  dove-speckled,  bluish  moss.  And  with  a 
sigh  she  compared  herself  ;o  the  heroine  of  the  famous  play.  She  also 
was  unhappy,  it  is  true,  but  at  least  she  had  a  mother  and  a  little 
brother  by  her  side;  while  I,  unfortunate  one,  have  neither.  Thus  she 
thought  sorrowfully  to  herself.  The  noise  of  her  parrot  in  the  veranda, 
which  came  fluttering  onto  her  shoulder  with  a  hurried  flapping  of  its 
wings  and  joyful  shrieks,  startled  her  out  of  her  meditation.  "Be  quiet! 
You  frighten  me  to  death  and  fill  my  hair  with  dust!"  she  said  to  him. 

The  parrot  flew  back  gracefully  to  its  perch  and  shrieked:  "Raise  the 
curtain  quickly,  Snowgoose*  the  young  lady  is  here!" 

Black  Jade  stood  in  front  of  him,  tapped  his  perch,  and  asked: 
"Have  you  had  your  proper  food  and  drinktoday?" 

. 

247 


The  parrot  gave  a  deep  sigh,  in  just  the  tone  that  it  had  learned  from 
listening  to  its  mistress,  and  then  recited: 

"I  bury  the  flower  petals  today; 
They  laugh  at  my  foolishness. 
When  I  die, 
Who  will  tend  my  tomb?" 

The  maid  Cuckoo  had  to  laugh  out  loud. 

"Just  listen,  how  well  he  has  memorized  your  own  words,  Mistress!" 
she  cried. 

Black  Jade  made  her  take  the  perch  down  and  hang  it  on  a  nail  in 
front  of  the  moon  window.  Then  she  went  inside,  took  her  medicine, 
and  sat  down  by  the  window.  She  sat  there  for  a  long  time,  staring  at 
the  cooling  shadows  which  fell  into  the  room  from  the  bamboo  branches 
outside,  dappling  the  floor  and  the  wicker  furniture  with  bluish  green 
spots,  and  gave  herself  up  to  her  melancholy  thoughts.  At  intervals,  for 
a  change  and  to  pass  the  time,  she  conversed  with  her  parrot,  baiting 
him  and  teasing  him,  and  ardently  repeating  this  or  that  favorite  verse 
to  him. 

Thanks  to  the  loving  care  which  surrounded  him  on  all  sides,  Pao 
Yu's  recovery  made  rapid  progress.  In  order  to  protect  him  from  fur- 
ther ill-treatment  by  his  father,  his  grandmother  gave  instructions  that 
she  was  to  be  informed  at  once  every  time  that  Mr.  Cheng  wished  to  see 
his  offspring,  whether  it  was  to  examine  him  or  to  present  him  to  promi- 
nent guests.  Then  the  servants  were  to  give  the  message  in  her  name  to 
Mr.  Cheng  that  Pao  Yu  was  still  in  urgent  need  of  care  ar\d  not  fit  for 
visiting.  Pao  Yu  rejoiced  when  he  heard  of  his  grandmother's  instruc- 
tions, for  these  formal  conversations  with  serious  men,  these  solemn 
formalities,  and  this  troublesome,  hurried  dressing  up  in  his  best  clothes 
were  exceedingly  repugnant  to  him.  And  the  fact  that  he  was  to  be  free 
ior  the  present  from  the  dreaded  daily  morning  and  evening  visits  t« 
the  stern  old  gentleman  relieved  him  immensely. 

Every  morning  now  he  only  had  to  go  to  his  mother  and  his  grand- 
mother to  inquire  dutifully  after  their  health.  Then,  for  the  remainder 
of  the  day,  he  could  do  and  behave  as  he  wished.  He  was  able  to  follow 
his  favorite  pui suits  and  his  amorous  inclinations  and  enjoy  himself 
with  cousins  and  waiting  maids  to  his  heart's  content.  Now  and  then 
Precious  Clasp  or  Black  Jade  felt  obliged  to  rebuke  him  for  his  frivo- 
lous manner  of  living,  and  to  exhort  him  to  earnest  endeavor.  But  then 
he  would  get  angry  and  reply:  "It  is  a  pity  that  even  the  pure,  merry  at- 
mosphere of  the  girls'  apartments  in  this  unhappy  house  is  spoiled  by 
the  dirty,  ill-humored  gossip  of  men !  I  do  not  want  to  hear  anything  of 
tiresome  words  such  as  office,  and  dignity,  and  State,  and  fame!  These 
boring  things  were  invented  long  ago  by  placf  hunters  and  pedants  in 


order  to  keep  stupid,  uncouth  men  in  their  place.  What  have  gentle, 
innocent  girls  like  you  to  do  with  such  dull  things?  It  is  an  ingratitude 
and  an  offense  against  kind  nature,  which  has  made  you  for  more 
beautiful  purposes,  if  you  occupy  yourselves  with  these  nasty  things:" 

In  the  end  none  of  his  cousins  or  waiting  maids  dared  to  come  to  him 
with  admonitions  or  suggestions  any  more.  It  was  just  this  that  he 
esteemed  so  highly  in  Black  Jade — that  she  had  always  tactfully  spared 
him  any  unpleasant  questioning  regarding  his  calling,  or  future,  or  such 
worldly  matters. 

Many  months  passed  thus  for  Pao  Yu  in  pleasant  routine  and  in 
merry  company,  happy  play  and  eager  verse-making  in  the  Park  of  De- 
lightful Vision.  His  life  became  even  more  pleasant  and  carefree  owing 
to  the  fact  that  his  father  was  called  away  to  a  distant  province  as  Chief 
Magistrate. 

One  day  Pao  Yu  received  from  his  half  sister,  Taste  of  Spring,  a 
written  invitation  to  take  nart  in  the  formation  of  a  poetry  circle.  He 
set  out  at  the  appointed  hour  for  her  dwelling,  the  Hermitage  of  Clear 
Autumn  Weather,  where  he  found  all  the  cousins  already  assembled. 
There  was  unanimous  enthusiasm  for  the  proposal,  and  it  was  decided 
to  hold  a  poetry  meeting  on  the  second  and  sixteenth  of  each  month. 
Each  member  was  to  be  host  in  turn  and  entertain  the  other  members 
with  wine  and  light  refreshments.  The  Widow  Chu,  who  on  account  of 
her  prosaic  and  practical  disposition  was  not  exactly  made  for  poetic 
composition,  was  entrusted  with  the  business  management  of  the  club. 
Greeting  of  Spring,  who  excelled  in  calligraphy,  was  given  charge  of 
making  the  fair,  clean  copies  of  all  finished  compositions,  for  the'  club 
archives.  Grief  of  Spring  was  appointed  judge  of  rhyming  on  account 
of  her 'skill  in  making  rhymes.  Each  member  received  a  literary  club 
name  which  occasionally  was  derived  from  the  name  of  the  place  where 
the  member  lived.  The  club  itself  was  called  Hai  tang,  or  Begonia  Club, 
in  honor  of  the  two  pots  of  white  begonia  which  Pao  Yu  had  just  by 
chance  received  as  a  present  that  day.  The  begonia  was  also  the  theme 
for  the  first  composition  at  this  foundation  meeting,  for  Black  Jade  had 
insisted  that  the  club  should  begin  its  activity  at  once.  On  this  occasion 
the  chairman  of  the  club,  the  Widow  Chu,  awarded  the  first  prize  to 
Precious  Clasp  for  the  depth  of  feeling  which  she  revealed  in  her 
poetry.  The  opinions  "had  been  divided.  Other  members  wanted  to 
awaf d  the  first  prize  to  Black  Jade  on  account  of  the  perfection  of  form 
of  her  composition. 

At  the  next  meeting  the  youngest  member,  Little  Cloud,  was  to  act  as 
hostess.  At  Pao  Yu's  instigation  she  had  been  invited  by  the  Ancestress 
on  a  long  visit  again  and  was  living  with  Precious  Clasp.  Precious  Clasp 

249 


shared  the  duties  of  entertaining  with  her  in  a  sisterly  way,  and  fur- 
nished the  table  with  some  baskets  of  delicate  if  not  exactly  expensive 
crabs  at  her  own  cost. 

This  time  the  theme  was  the  chrysanthemum,  and  it  was  to  be  treated 
in  twelve  variations.  Following  the  natural  course  of,  events,  the  first 
subtheme  chosen  v/as  the  motto:  "One  thinks  of  chrysanthemums,"  then 
"One  looks  for  chrysanthemums,"  "One  plants  chrysanthemums," 
"Happy  observation  of  the  flower,"  "Chrysanthemums  in  a  vase," 
"Chrysanthemums  in  song,"  "Chrysanthemums  in  pictures,"  "Ques- 
tions to  chrysanthemums,"  "Thanks  to  chrysanthemums,"  "Chrysanthe- 
mums in  the  shade,"  and  finally  "When  chrysanthemums  dream"  and 
"When  chrysanthemums  die."  Little  Cloud  fastened  the  list  of  the 
twelve  themes  on  the  garden  wall,  and  every  member  was  permitted  to 
pick  one  or  several  themes,  at  choice.  After  the  compositions  had  been 
handed  in  and  fair  copies  made  by  Greeting  of  Spring,  they  were  sub- 
jected to  a  scrupulous  examination  by  the  Widow  Chu.  She  crowned  as 
the  three  best  works  in  order  of  merit  the  poems  "Chrysanthemums  in 
song,"  "Questions  to  chrysanthemums,"  and  "When  chrysanthe- 
mums dream."  The  Princess  of  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  was  announced 
as  the  author  of  all  three  compositions.  This  was  Black  Jade's  club 
name. 

It  just  happened  that  that  same  day  Godmother  Liu  from  the  coun- 
try arrived  on  a  visit  at  the  Yungkuo  palace.  The  vigorous  old  peasant 
woman  was  a  distant  relative  of  Madame  Cheng  and  had  been  to  visit 
once  before,  three  years  ago.  She  brought  with  her  as  presents  some 
bags  full  of  dates,  melons,  gourds,  and  various  other  country  produce. 
Actually,  she  had  only  come  to  visit  Madame  Cheng  and  Phoenix,  but 
when  the  Ancestress  heard  of  her  arrival  and  was  told  of  her  jolly  dis- 
position, she  expressed  a  wish  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  this  god- 
mother from  the  country. 

"You  should  deem  yourself  lucky;  the  old  Tai  tai  wishes  to  make 
your  acquaintance,"  the  wife  of  the  majordomo  Chou  Jui,  who  had 
escorted  her  in  and  announced  her,  told  the  visitor.  "Come  and  follow 
me!" 

"But  I  cannot  possibly  let  myself  be  seen  in  this  poor  peasant  attire!" 
objected  Godmother  Liu,  horrified.  "Go  and  tell  the  old  Tai  tai  that  I 
have  gone  home  already." 

"Do  not  worry!"  the  other  reassured  her,  laughing.  "Our  old  Tai  tai 
is  goodness  itself  and  kind  and  generous  to  simple  people.  The  waiting 
maid  Little  Ping  will  take  you  to  her." 

Trembling  and  hesitant,  Godmother  Liu  followed  the  waiting  maid 
Little  Ping  into  the  living  room  of  the  Ancestress.  Pao  Yu  and  the 

250 


young  ladies  from  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  were  gathered  there 
too.  Godmother  Liu  was  quite  dumfounded  by  all  the  splendor  of  the 
garments  and  the  glitter  of  the  jewels  and  needed  a  little  time  to  collect 
herself.  She  noticed  a  dignified  old  lady  reclining  on  a  divan  in  the 
midst  of  the  beautifully  dressed  young  people.  That  must  certainly  be 
the  Ancestress,  she  thought.  She  bowed  as  low  as  her  old  bones  would 
allow  her  to,  and  said  solemnly:  "I  wish  the  old  Bodhisattva  a  long  life 
of  peace!" 

The  Ancestress  replied  kindly  to  her  exuberant  greeting  and  asked 
her  to  sit  down. 

"How  old  are  you  now,  Cousin?"  asked  the  Ancestress. 

"Seventy-five,"  replied  the  old  woman,  standing  up  briskly. 
""So  you  are  older  than  I  am!  See  how  healthy  and  strong  she  has  re- 
mained!" said  the  Ancestress  admiringly,  turning  towards  the  bystand- 
ers. ''Who  knows  how  decrepit  I  may  be  if  I  ever  reach  her  years!" 

"There  must  be  distinctions;  wise  Providence  sees  to  that.  Our  kind  is, 
after  all,  born  for  work,  the  old  Tai  tai  for  gentle  living.  What  would 
become  of  farming  without  people  like  us?"  said  Godmother  Liu. 

"Are  your  teeth  and  eyes  still  sound?"  the  Ancestress  asked,  con- 
tinuing her  inquiries. 

"They  are  in  the  best  of  order.  Only  a  back  tooth  on  the  left  side  has 
become  a  little  loose  recently." 

"What  a  useless  creature  I  am  compared  with  you!"  sighed  the 
Ancestress.  "My  eyesight  is  getting  bad,  my  hearing  is  weak,  my  mem- 
ory plays  tricks  on  me.  I  avoid  the  company  of  strangers  in  order  not  to 
show  my  physical  weakness.  All  I  do  is  eat  what  my  shaky  teeth  allow 
me  to,  and  sleep,  and  entertain  myself  with  my  children  and  grandchil- 
dren when  I  need  diversion." 

"One  can  see  from  that  how  high  you  stand  in  the  favor  of  heaven;  I 
wish  life  were  as  kind  to  me!"  said  Godmother  Liu. 

The  Ancestress  was  so  charmed  by  the  country  simplicity  and  the 
ingenuity  of  her  visitor  that  she  promptly  invited  her  to  remain  for  a 
few  days  as  her  guest.  Phoenix  saw  to  it  that  she  had  comfortable 
quarters. 

The  next  day  the  Ancestress  would  not  let  herself  be  dissuaded  from 
personally  showing  her  guest  the  beauties  of  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vi- 
sion. Here  daughter-in-law  and  grandchildren  helped  to  show  her 
around.  Godmother  Liu  could  hardly  get  over  her  astonishment. 

"We  country  people  have  an  old  custom  of  hanging  up  pictures  of 
magnificent  palaces  and  parks  on  the  walls  of  our  rooms  at  New  Year," 
she  said.  "Up  to  now  I  always  thought  that  such  splendors  existed  only 
in  the  imagination  of  the  painters,  but  now  I  see  that  here  in  this  splen- 
did park  everything  is  even  more  beautiful  than  in  our  pictures.  1  wish 

252 


I  "ould  take  pictures  of  this  park  home  with  me  to  show  to  my  people 
in  the  country.  They  would  open  their  eyes  in  surprise." 

The  Ancestress  smilingly  pointed  to  her  granddaughter  Grief  of 
Spring,  and  promised  that  her  artistic  hand  would  produce  some  beau- 
tiful views  of  the  park  for  her.  The  midday  meal  was  taken  in  the  Clear 
Autumn  Weather  Hermitage,  the  home  of  Taste  of  Spring.  Phoenix, 
always  ready  for  a  joke,  had  secretly  arranged  with  Mandarin  Duck, 
the  favorite  waiting  maid  of  the  Ancestress,  to  amuse  the  company  at 
table  at  the  expense  of  the  good  lady  Liu.  Even  at  gentlemen's  dinner 
parties  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  it  was  a  favorite  custom  to  make  a  new 
guest  at  table  the  object  of  general  anjusement.  Accordingly,  before  the 
meal  Mandarin  Duck  took  Godmother  Liu  quietly  aside  and  informed 
her  of  various  alleged  "customs  of  the  house,"  and  instructed  her  that 
she  must  keep  silent  about  such  and  such  and  say  such  and  such  things 
if  she  was  not  to  cause  displeasure  and  excite  laughter. 

Godmother  Liu  was  given  her  place  at  the  table  beside  the  Ances- 
tress. The  waiting  maid  Mandarin  Duck,  whose  task  it  was  today  to  pass 
warmed  handkerchiefs  to  the  Ancestress  from  time  to  time  or  to  chase 
away  the  flies  with  a  feather  duster  or  to  wield  a  cooling  fan  upon  her 
mistress,  had  taken  up  her  position  behind  the  Ancestress's  back, 
whence  she  was  able  to  keep  an  eye  on  old  Liu  and  give  her  a  surrepti- 
tious wink  now  and  then. 

As  soon  as  they  had  taken  their  seats  the  first  thing  to  be  laid  before 
the  guest  was  a  pair  of  heavy,  old-fashioned,  ivory  chopsticks  with 
golden  tops. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  these  heavy  things?"  Godmother  Liu  blurted 
out  in  alarm.  "They  are  even  more  difficult  to  manage  than  our  iron 
chopsticks  in  the  country." 

There  was  suppressed  giggling  all  around.  Then  the  maids  brought 
along  big  serving  trays  with  many  different  kinds  of  food  in  little  dishes 
and  bowls.  Phoenix  chose  a  bowl  with  dainty  pigeons'  eggs,  which  she 
put  before  the  guest.  The  old  Tai  tai's  saying  "please!"  politely  gave 
her  guest  a  sign  to  begin  the  meal.  Remembering  the  instructions  she 
had  received  from  Mandarin  Duck  beforehand,  Godmother  Liu  rose  at 
once  from  her  seat  and  recited  the  following  words  loudly  and  solemnly 
over  the  table : 

"I  am  old  Mother  Liu, 
Into  my  mouth  fits  a  whole  cow. 
A  good,  fat  mother  swine, 
I  eat  alone,  and  in  no  time!" 

As  soon  as  she  had  said  her  piece,  she  slapped  herself  several  tim*js 
on  the  cheeks,  sat  down  again,  and  silently  set  about  eating  her  di?h  of 
pigeons'  eggs.  The  party  were  astonished  at  first  at  her  strange  be- 

253 


havior,  but  they  soon  guessed  that  the  good  old  lady  was  the  victim  of 
alleged  "customs  of  the  house."  Soon  hearty  laughter  spread  down  the 
table.  Little  Cloud  had  to  splutter  out  the  tea  which  she  had  just  taken 
in  her  mouth.  Black  Jade  had  to  hold  on  to  the  edge  of  the  table,  she 
was  so  shaken  with  laughter.  Pao  Yu  fell  on  the  breast  of  the  Ances- 
tress, and  the  Ancestress  clasped  him  crying  out:  "My  heart,  my  liver!" 
her  voice  stifled  with  laughter.  Madame  Cheng,  who  guessed  that  the 
originator  of  the  lark  was  the  jester  Phoenix,  silently  threatened  her 
with  her  raised  finger.  Aunt  Hsueh  also  had  to  splutter  out  a  mouthful 
of  tea,  whieh  spilled  over  Taste  of  Spring's  frock.  And  Taste  of  Spring 
in  her  turn  spilled  the  contents  of  her  teacup,  which  she  was  holding  in 
her  hand,  over  Greeting  of  Spring's  skirt.  They  were  all  doubled  up 
with  laughter.  This  one  and  that  one  slipped  out  quietly  from  the  table 
to  laugh  her  fill  undisturbed  outside  and  put  on  a  clean  dress  which  the 
maid  had  ready.  Only  Phoenix  and  the  waiting  maid  Mandarin  Duck 
remained  impassive  and  continued  to  serve  old  Liu  with  dignity  and 
kindness,  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  while  old  Liu  herself  seemed  not 
to  have  noticed  that  she  was  the  cause  of  the  general  merriment.  She 
calmly  took  the  heavy  chopsticks  in  her  hand  and  set  to  work  on  the 
pigeons'  eggs. 

"Oh,  what  pretty  little  hens  you  must  have  to  lay  such  dainty  little 
eggs  as  these!  I,  too,  would  like  to  have  a  specimen  of  this  kind  of  hen," 
she  remarked;  and  her  remark  let  loose  another  burst  of  laughter. 

"These  rare  eggs  cost  a  good  deal  of  money,  too — a  silver  tael  each," 
declared  Phoenix  importantly.  "Eat  them  and  do  not  let  them  get 
cold!" 

Godmother  Liu  made  a  great  effort  to  catch  the  slippery  little  things 
between  her  awkward  chopsticks.  They  scorned  her  efforts  and  rolled 
again  and  again  with  an  audible  plop  back  into  the  bowl.  At  last  she 
succeeded  in  getting  one  close  to  her  mouth.  She  stretched  out  her 
neck  to  snap  at  it,  but  at  the  last  moment  it  escaped  from  her  chopsticks 
and  rolled  onto  the  floor.  She  put  down  the  chopsticks  and  was  about  to 
catch  the  runaway  egg  with  her  hand,  but  a  maid  got  there  before  her, 
picked  up  the  egg,  and  put  it  aside. 

"It's  a  pity!"  sighed  Godmother  Liu.  "One  tael  apiece,  and  only  to 
look  at!" 

"Who  gave  those  heavy  chopsticks  to  our  guest!"  asked  the  An- 
cestress reproachfully  of  those  around  her.  "After  all,  we  are  not  having 
a  solemn  banquet  today.  Of  course,  it's  another  nasty  trick  of  aur  hob- 
goblin Phoenix!  Fetch  other  chopsticks  quickly!" 

They  obediently  laid  a  more  manageable  pair  of  chopsticks  in  front 
of  the  guest.  These  were  made  of  ebony  and  mounted  with  silver. 

"These  silver  things  do  not  seem  to  me  to  be  much  better  than  the 

254 


gold  ones  I've  had,"  muttered  Godmother  Liu  suspiciously.  "There's 
nothing  like  our  simple  country  prongs." 

"The  silver  tops  are  there  as  a  protection  against  poisoning,"  ex- 
plained Phoenix.  "When  there  is  poison  in  the  food  the  silver  becomes 
tarnished,  and  so  one  is  warned." 

"Oh,  my  goodness!  Can  there  be  poison  in  such  splendid  food?" 
Godmother  Liu  burst  out.  "Then  our  food  in  the  country  must  consist 
of  pure  arsenic.  Now,  such  poisonous  food  pleases  me  very  well,  and  I 
would  willingly  die  eating  it." 

The  Ancestress  was  glad  to  note  her  good  appetite;  she  had  heaping 
portions  put  before  her  and  even  gave  her  the  best  bits  off  her  own 
plate. 

After  the  meal  they  took  a  siesta  in  Taste  of  Spring's  bedroom.  The 
waiting  maid  Mandarin  Duck  stole  along  to  Godmother  Liu's  side  and 
asked  her  not  to  be  offended  at  the  tricks  they  had  played  on  her  at 
table. 

"What  is  there  to  be  offended  at?"  replied  Godmother  Liu,  laugh- 
ing. "I  took  part  in  them  of  my  own  free  will  and  play-acted  for  your 
Ancestress,  in  order  to  cheer  up  her  old  heart  a  bit.  That  was  all  ar- 
ranged beforehand  with  Madame  Phoenix.  When  I  am  really  angry  I 
am  in  the  habit  of  keeping  my  mouth  shut." 

When  the  Ancestress  looked  out  the  window,  after  her  siesta,  at  the 
beautiful  group  of  pine  trees  in  the  courtyard  in  front  of  the  back  pleas- 
ure veranda,  the  wind  wafted  to  her  ears  the  gentle  murmur  of  distant 
music. 

"It  sounds  like  music  from  a  wedding  procession.  Are  we,  then,  so 
near  the  street  here?"  she  remarked  to  those  around  her. 

"Oh,  no.  The  street  is  much  too  far  away  from  here.  It  is  probably 
our  dancing  girls  rehearsing  in  the  Pear  Garden,"  said  Madame  Cheng. 

"Let  them  come  and  rehearse  here  before  us!  They  will  be  glad  to 
be  allowed  to  walk  in  the  park,  and  we  shall  enjoy  their  art,"  sug- 
gested the  Ancestress  cheerfully. 

Phoenix  sent  at  once  to  tae  Pear  Garden  and  was  preparing  to  set 
up  an  improvised  dancing  stage  composed  of  tables  covered  with  red 
carpets,  in  the  courtyard. 

"No,  not  here!  Order  them  to  go  to  the  Lotus-Root  Pavilion  by  the 
pond!  There  is  enough  room  there;  and  besides,  the  splashing  of  the 
near-by  waterfalls  will  make  splendid  accompanying  music.  We  will 
watch  their  performance  from  the  bank,  and  will  also  take  a  glass  of 
wine  in  the  Damask  Kiosk!"  said  the  Ancestress. 

Her  suggestion  met  with  unanimous  applause. 

"Very  well,  let  us  go  over!"  said  the  Ancestress,  turning  and  wink- 
ing at  Aunt  Hsueh.  "Our  young  girls  do  not  like  strange  visitors  to  stay 

255 


a  long  time  with  them  profaning  their  maidenly  apartments.  Is  that 
not  so?" 

"Oh,  please  do  remain  here  as  long  as  you  like!"  protested  Taste  of 
Spring. 

"No,  no,  two  other  'Jades'  of  grandchildren  might  be  jealous,"  said 
the  Ancestress  jokingly,  alluding  to  the  sensitive  Black  Jade  and  Pao 
Yu.  "Now  let  us  have  a  little  drink,  and  then  we  shall  invade  the  two 
of  them!" 

Laughing  and  chattering,  the  company  stood  up  and  went  to  the 
boat-slip  near  the  Duck-Plant  Bank.  Two  boats  were  already  awaiting 
them  there,  staffed  by  hired  ferrywomen  from  Suchow,  with  long 
wooden  poles.  The  Ancestress,  Madame  Cheng,  Aunt  Hsueh,  God- 
mother Liu,  Widow  Chu,  and  Phoenix  as  well  as  the  two  waiting  maids, 
Mandarin  Duck  and  Nephrite  Bangle,  took  their  seats  in  the  first  boat. 
The  high-spirited  Phoenix  sat  at  the  bow  and  took  hold  of  a  pole  in 
order  to  have  a  hand  in  running  the  boat. 

"It's  better  to  leave  that  alone!  Poling  is  not  child's  play,  it  has  to 
be  learned!"  cried  the  frightened  Ancestress  from  the  cabin.  "It's  true, 
we  are  not  on  a  huge  river  here,  but  the  water  is  deep  enough  to  drown 
one.  Be  good  enough  to  come  in  here  at  once!" 

"I  am  not  the  least  afraid!  The  old  Ancestress  need  not  worry!"  re- 
plied Phoenix,  laughing  and  pushing  off  vigorously  from  the  bank.  In 
the  beginning  it  went  well,  but  when  they  were  in  midstream  the  heavily 
loaded  little  boat  began  to  toss,  and  Phoenix  became  dizzy.  She  quickly 
gave  the  pole  to  the  ferrywoman  who  was  standing  near  by  and  squatted 
down  on  the  deck  boards;  otherwise  she  would  have  fallen  over.  Pao 
Yu  followed  in  the  second  boat  with  his  sister  and  cousins.  The  female 
servants  ran  along  the  near-by  river-bank.  Pao  Yu  was  drawing  his 
companions'  attention  regretfully  to  the  many  withered  lotus  leaves, 
and  said  they  should  get  the  gardeners  to  sweep  them  up.  Precious 
Clasp  agreed  with  him,  but  once  more  Black  Jade  was  of  a  different 
opinion. 

"On  the  whole  I  do  not  think  much  of  the  poems  of  Li  Shan,"  she 
remark-ocT  thoughtfully.  "But  one  line  of  his  I  find  splendid:  'Leave  the 
"withered  lotus  leaves  as  they  are;  they  make  us  understand  the  lament 
of  the  rain.'  " 

"That  is  definitely  a  magnificent  line,"  agreed  Pao  Yu  fervently. 
"So  let  us  leave  the  withered  leaves  where  they  are." 

The  boats  glided  into  the  Sandbank  Harbor  of  Blossoming  Purity. 
Shadowy  darkness  lay  over  the  river-bank,  which  was  densely  timbered 
with  trees.  The  withered  reeds,  the  faded  green  of  the  water-chestnut 
trees,  exhaled  autumnal  melancholy.  Precious  Clasp's  pavilion  was  not 
far  from  the  river-bank.  The  Ancestress  decided  to  pay  a  visit  there  in 

256 


passing.  A  narrow,  steep  "Cloud  Path"  led  over  stone  steps  up  to  the 
Jungle  Court.  In  the  front  garden  the  visitors'  nostrils  were  assailed  by 
a  strange,  strong  perfume.  There  the  wonder  plant,  the  spirit  creeper, 
grew,  its  beautiful  fruits  peeping  forth  from  under  frost -blue  foliage, 
and  hanging  in  heavy  clusters  and  tresses  like  reddish  and  bluish 
corals. 

On  entering  the  pavilion  the  Ancestress  felt  as  if  she  had  been  ' 
ported  to  a  snow  grotto,  so  drab  and  inhospitable  did  the  interior  ap- 
pear to  her.  Not  a  bit  of  decoration,  no  curios,  and  no  knickknack1:. 
Only  on  the  writing  table  a  simple  pottery  vase  with  some  chrysanthe- 
mums in  it.  The  green  gauze  curtain  above  the  bed,  the  ft-w  cushions 
and  covers,  were  of  the  simplest  kind.  A  few  books  and  tea  bowls  com- 
pleted the  scanty  equipment.  The  Ancestress  sighed. 

"Such  simplicity!"  she  said,  shaking  her  head  and  turning  towards 
her  attendants.  "Everything  is  lacking  here.  Why  did  you  not  make  it 
more  attractive  for  the  child?  We  have  everything  available  in  thi 
house!  I  cannot  look  after  every  single  thing  myself.  Mandarin 
must  fit  up  the  room  with  some  pretty  works  of  art.  You  should  really 
have  seen  to  this  long  ago,"  she  said  reproachfully,  turning  to  Phoenix. 

"But  she  attaches  no  importance  to  furnishings,"  replied  Phoenix, 
smiling.  "She  sent  me  back  all  the  articles  I  had  placed  at  her  dis- 
posal." 

"At  home,  too,  she  never  thought  much  of  jewelry  or  trinkets,"  said 
her  own  mother,  Aunt  Hsueh,  reassuringly,. 

"It's  unbelievable!"  said  the  Ancestress.  "Her  desire  for  simplicity 
and  economy  may  indeed  be  very  praiseworthy,  but  what  kind  of  im- 
pression does  such  a  tasteless  room  make  on  visitors?  Besides,  she  is  a 
young  person  who  must  enjoy  lovely  things.  If  the  youth  are  so  ab- 
stemious, then  we  old  people  should  really  be  contented  with  a  stable. 
Luckily,  I  have  some  nice  things  I  can  do  without,  which  my  grandson 
Pao  Yu  has  not  seen  yet;  otherwise  he  would  have  taken  them  away 
from  me  long  ago."' 

She  turned  to  Mandarin  Duck.  "Bring  the  young  lady  the  marble 
bowl  with  the  country  scenes,  and  also  the  cheval  mirror  with  the 
green  silk  hangings,  and  the  stone  tripod  for  burning  Chinese  ink! 
Also  change  this  shabby  gauze  curtain  for  the  white  silk  hand-painted 
one!" 

"The  articles  are  stored  in  the  lumber-room  in  the  eastern  tower,  but 
I  do  not  know  which  box  they  are  in.  It  will  take  some  searcliing  to  find 
them,"  remarked  the  waiting  maid. 

"'One  or  two  days  do  not  make  any  difference.  But  I  will  not  allow 
the  matter  to  be  forgotten." 

After  a  brief  delay  in  the  inhospitable  Jungle  Court  thev  went  on 

257 


to  the  Damask  Kiosk.  There  the  twelve  dancing  girls  from  Suchow 
paid  their  respects  and  asked  what  the  company  wished  the  program 
to  be. 

"Only  perform  something  which  you  have  practiced  well,"  ordered 
the  Ancestress,  whereupon  the  troupe  of  dancers  went  off  to  the  Lotus- 
Root  Pavilion  across  the  pond  in  order  to  stage  their  performance  there. 
In  the  Damask  Kiosk  a  merry  drinking  party  now  started  with  the  fa- 
vorite game  of  improvising  rhymes,  at  which  the  unrestrained  doggerel 
and  the  peasant  coarseness  of  Godmother  Liu,  who  was  proof  against 
drink,  provided  ceaseless  merriment.  Godmother  Liu  partook  heartily 
of  the  good  wine  and  the  delicious  pastries  handed  around  with  it,  and 
fell  more  and  more  into  a  state  of  bibulous  exhilaration;  and  when  the 
captivating  strains  of  dance  music  sounded  across  from  the  water 
pavilion,  her  delight  knew  no  bounds  and  she  accompanied  the  music 
with  violent  gesticulating  of  her  hands,  rhythmical  stamping  of  her 
feet,  and  swaying  of  her  body.  Pao  Yu  secretly  nudged  Black  Jade  to 
draw  her  attention  to  the  comic  gestures  of  the  old  lady,  whereupon 
Black  Jade  remarked  wittily:  "In  our  old  writings  they  speak  of  the 
calming  influence  of  holy  music,  which  even  tames  the  wild  animals 
and  makes  them  dance  sedately  in  sets.  One  can  say  of  this  music  that 
at  least  it  can  enrapture  a  cow." 

When  the  dancing  performance  was  finished,  the  company  rose  from 
the  table.  The  Ancestress  took  Godmother  Liu  by  the  hand  and,  mak- 
ing an  extensive  tour,  showed  her  the  remaining  splendors  of  the  Park 
of  Delightful  Vision.  The  inquisitive  old  lady  could  not  get  over  her 
astonishment,  and  ceaselessly  questioned  and  asked  for  information, 
now  about  this  kind  of  mineral,  and  now  about  that  plant  or  tree.  Once 
she  remarked  pensively:  "Who  would  have  thought  that  here  in  the 
town  not  only  do  the  people  acquire  fine  polish  and  education,  but 
even  the  birds  attain  to  knowledge  and  the  power  of  speech  under  your 
salutary  influence!" 

And  when  she  saw  the  .surprised  expressions  around  her,  she  con- 
tinued: "The  green  bird  with  the  red  beak  sitting  there  on  the  golden 
perch  is  a  parrot,  and  I  know  already  what  he  can  do.  But  now  I  would 
very  much  like  to  know  whether  the  big  blackish  gray  fellow  over  there 
in  the  cage,  which  looks  like  a  phoenix,  has  been  taught  to  talk  by 
you?" 

With  amusing  remarks  such  as  these  she  provided  gaiety  and  merri- 
ment again  and  again. 

The  company  had  arrived  at  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  Hermitage,  where 
a  beautiful  young  nun  named  Miao  Yu  lived.  The  highly  educated 
eighteen-year-old  girl  came  from  a  noble  mandarin  family  of  Suchow. 
After  the  death  of  her  parents  she  had  renounced  the  world  and  dedi- 

258 


cated  herself  to  the  service  of  Buddha.  On  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of 
the  Imperial  spouse  she  had  been  transferred  to  the  park  from  her  con- 
vent in  front  of  the  city  gates.  In  the  seclusion  of  the  Kingfisher's  Cage 
she  now  lived  the  life  of  a  holy  anchoress  with  two  elderly  attendants 
and  a  young  maid,  and  strove  zealously,  by  severe  mortification  and 
deep  meditation  pleasing  to  God,,  to  subdue  the  refractory  flesh  and, 
despite  her  youth,  to  work  her  way  up  step  by  step  to  an  early  sanctity. 
The  nun  was  as  well  known  for  her  beautiful  crochet  work  as  for  her 
skill  in  preparing  tea.  Therefore,  immediately  after  the  salutations,  the 
Ancestress  asked  for  a  bowl  of  her  celebrated  tea.  The  nun  brought  her, 
with  her  own  hands,  on  a  lacquered  tray  decorated  with  begonia  petals, 
clouds,  dragons,  and  shu  signs,  a  fire-colored  bowl  of  best  K'ang  Hsi 
china  of  the  Ch'eng  Hua  period,  filled  with  that  fine  kind  of  tea  which 
is  known  as  "Lao  Tzu's  eyebrows." 

"What  kind  of  water  is  it  made  with?"  asked  the  Ancestress. 

"With  rain  water  collected  last  year,"  the  nun  declared.  The  An- 
cestres?  drank  half  the  bowl  and  left  the  other  half  for  Godmother 
Liu  to  drink.  Then  she  wanted  to  know  how  she  liked  the  tea. 

"Quite  well,  only  it's  a  little  insipid  and  heavy.  It  should  have  been 
allowed  to  draw  a  little  longer,"  Godmother  Liu  admitted  frankly.  Her 
verdict  provoked  laughter  on  all  sides  and  greatly  annoyed  the  nun. 
While  the  rest  of  the  company  were  being  served  by  a  hermitage  maid 
with  the  same  kind  of  tea  in  white  covered  cups  of  the  new,  thin  "egg- 
shell" china  of  State  manufacture,  Precious  Clasp  and  Black  Jade  were 
favored  by  the  nun  with  another  specially  exquisite  kind  of  tea.  She 
plucked  the  two  girls  by  the  lapels  of  their  gowns  and  led  them  into  a 
private  room  apart.  The  inquisitive  Pao  Yu  could  not  refrain  from 
sneaking  after  the  three  and  observing  through  a  slit  in  the  door  what 
the  nun  was  doing. 

He  saw  how  she  gave  Precious  Clasp  a  seat  on  a  wooden  guard-bed 
and  Black  Jade  on  a  prayer  mat,  then  put  a  pot  of  water  on  a  wind- 
furnace -and  finally  poured  the  boiling  water  into  a  tea  pot.  He  flung 
open  the  door  and  burst  into  the  room  saying:  "Just  look,  you  are  en- 
joying your  best  tea  here  in  secret!" 

"Certainly,  and  there's  nothing  for  you  to  look  for  here!"  replied  the 
cousins,  laughing.  Pao  Yu  would  not  be  intimidated,  however,  but  re- 
mained where  he  was  and  insisted  on  having  a  sample  of  the  "favorite 
tea"  put  before  him,  too.  The  nun  was  just  collecting  cups  for  her 
guests  when  the  hermitage  maid  came  in  with  the  same  bowl  out  of 
which  the  Ancestress  and  Godmother  Liu  had  previously  drunk.  The 
nun  would  not  have.it. 

"No,  not  that  one!  Put  it  aside;  it  is  not  to  be  used  again,"  she  de- 
clared. Aha!  Obviously  she  considers  the  bowl  desecrated  because  old 

259 


Liu  frank  out  of  it,  said  Pao  Yu  to  himself.  At  last  the  nun  found 
two  suitable  tea  vessels  for  the  two  girls.  One  was  a  precious  antique 
pewter  goblet  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  as  the  following  engraved  inscrip- 
tion showed:  "In  the  fourth  month  of  the  fifth  year  of  the  Yuan  Fong 
Period  of  the  Sung  dynasty  Su  Tung-po  was  received  into  the  Han  Lin 
Academy."  The  three-legged  goblet  with  handle  had  obviously  be- 
longed originally  to  the  famous  poet,  Su  Tang-po.  The  nun  presented 
it  to  Precious  Clasp.  The  other  vessel,  which  was  also  of  metal,  re- 
sembled one  of  those  alms  bowls  used  by  Buddhist  begging  monks, 
except  that  it  was  somewhat  smaller.  The  inscription  showed  it  to  be 
of  still  greater  antiquity,  for  in  that  characteristic  seal  script  which 
stood  out  like  drops,  one  read:  "Wen  Chiao,  who  lighted  up  a  rhinoc- 
eros's horn."  Presumably  the  bowl  once  belonged  to  Wen  Chiao,  a 
literary  and  political  celebrity  of  the  eastern  Chin  dynasty,  of  whom 
tradition  relates  that  he  conceived  the  brilliant  idea  of  illuminating 
the  depths  of  a  river  by  means  of  a  light  inside  a  rhinoceros's  horn, 
which  he  let  down  into  the  water.  The  nun  presented  this  historic  re- 
ceptacle to  Black  Jade.  Finally,  she  poured  tea  into  a  beautiful  green 
nephrite  bowl  which  she  herself  used  every  day,  and  passed  it  to  Pao 
Yu.  Pao  \  u  was  disappointed. 

"My  two  cousins  have  got  such  wonderful  antique,  precious  things 
to  drink  from,  and  I  have  to  be  satisfied  with  a  simple,  everyday  piece 
of  china.  This  means,  I  suppose,  that  my  cousins  are  very  special  peo- 
ple and  that  I  am  just  an  ordinary  fellow,"  he  pouted  in  joke. 

"You  call  that  everyday  ware?"  said  the  nun,  turning  to  him,  much 
offended.  "I  do  not  wish  to  be  at  all  presumptuous,  but  I  believe  that 
you  will  not  find  such  everyday  ware  in  your  own  home."  s 

"In  your  select  proximity  ordinary  precious  objects  such  as  gold, 
pearls,  and  nephrite  become  everyday  trifles,"  said  Pao  Yu  gallantly, 
seeking  to  make  amends. 

The  nun  was  placated  once  more  and  compensated  him  by  giving  him 
a  monster  tankard  made  of  knotty  bamboo  roots  plaited  in  varied 
snake  coils,  which  she  rummaged  out  for  him.  Pao  Yu  found  the  nun's 
favorite  tea,  which  he  sipped  out  of  the  huge  "seaman's  goblet,"  in- 
comparable and  could  not  praise  it  highly  enough. 

"Is  this  tea  also  prepared  with  last  year's  rain  water?"  Black  Jade 
wanted  tc  know. 

The  nun  smiled  contemptuously.  "That  just  shows  what  very  ordi- 
nary people  you  are!"  she  said.  "People  like  you  cannot  even  distin- 
guish the  quality  of  tea  water!  Five  years  ago.  when  I  was  living  in  the 
Temple  of  the  Dark  Funeral  Incense  Fumes,  I  obtained  the  water  which 
made  this  tea  from  the  snow  that  covered  the  plum  blossoms.  I  col- 
lected the  snow  in  that  blue  glass  jug  with  the  specters'  heads,  and 


260 


kept  the  jug  untouched,  deep  down  in  the  earth,  for  five  years.  Only 
this  summer  I  dug  it  up  and  took  out  the  snow  water.  Today  is  the 
second  time  that  I  have  prepared  tea  with  some  of  this  precious  water 
supply.  How  could  you  think  that  one  could  get  from  ordinary  last 
year's  rain  water  such  a  pure,  fine  taste  as  this  precious  tea  possesses?" 

Black  Jade  was  afraid  of  irritating  the  irascible  nun  still  more  by  any 
unguarded  remark,  and  she  therefore  took  her  leave  shortly  after- 
wards with  Precious  Clasp.  Pao  Yu  remained  behind  a  little  longer.  He 
turned  the  conversation  to  the  subject  of  the  K'ang  Hsi  china  bowl, 
out  of  which  old  Liu  had  drunk  a  while  since. 

"I  admit  that  the  bowl  is  soiled  and  desecrated,  but  would  it  not  be  an 
utter  shame  simply  to  throw  away  the  beautiful  article  as  rubbish?"  he 
remarked.  "In  my  opinion  it  would  be  best  to  give  it  to  that  good,  sim- 
ple peasant  woman.  She  could  sell  it  and  make  a  nice  profit  on  it.  What 
do  you  think?" 

"Yes,  certainly,  one  could  do  that,"  said  the  nun  after  reflecting  for 
a  moment.  "It  is  lucky  that  I  have  never  used  it  myself,  otherwise 
I  would  have  broken  it  to  fragments  at  once.  Well,  as  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, you  may  take  it  and  give  it  to  the  old  woman  yourself!"  Pao 
Yu  went  off  with  his  china  bowl  for  booty.  Outside,  he  handed  it  to 
the  waiting  maid  Mandarin  Duck  with  the  request  that  she  should  give 
it  to  Godmother  Liu  the  next  day  as  a  parting  gift  to  the  guest  for  her 
journey.  The  Ancestress  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  company  had  already 
stood  up  to  go.  The  nun  accompanied  them  as  far  as  the  temple  gate, 
then  she  hurried  back  quickly  and  bolted  the  gate  behind  the  undesired 
guests  from  the  profane  world. 

In  the  further  course  of  the  sight-seeing  tour  Godmother  Liu  became 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  company  and  lost  her  way.  She  had  sud- 
denly felt  violent  stomach  pains,  accompanied  by  sinister  internal 
rumblings,  and  a  serving  woman  had  to  take  her  hurriedly  to  a  little 
secluded  nook  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  park.  As  was  inevitable 
after  a  meal  so  heartily  partaken  of,  the  session  there  lasted  rather 
long,  and  when  she  reappeared  her  escort  had  long  since  gone  away. 
Tired  from  so  much  running  about,  she  had  taken  the  welcome  oppor- 
tunity to  steal  away  to  her  room  and  take  the  midday  nap  which  she 
had  missed.  There  was  no  trace  of  the  rest  of  the  company  either.  Alone 
and  abandoned,  Godmother  Liu  now  wandered  at  random  through  the 
paths  and  enclosure^,  of  the  vast  and  unfamiliar  park,  flowers  dancing 
before  her  eyes  ahd  her  limbs  heavy  with  wine,  until»  after  asking 
the  way  of  s^wall  painting  of  a  beautiful  young  girl  which  she  had  mis- 
taken for  a  living  person,  and  run  'her  head  against  the  painted 
scenery  on  a  spirit  wall,  she  at  last  found  herself  in  a  magnificent,  cir- 
cular hall,  glittering  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  a  bewildering  maze 

262 


of  woodcarving  on  the  walls,  and  numerous  niches  concealing  vases  and 
weapons  and  lutes,  and  all  kinds  of  works  of  art.  There  she  had  first 
of  all  a  one-sided  conversation  with  an  old  woman  dressed  exactly  like 
herself,  whom  she  took  to  be  a  distant  cousin  from  her  own  vil- 
lage, until  she  remembered  at  last  that  she  had  heard  in  the  past 
of  great  wall  mirrors  which  were  said  to  be  found  in  the  houses  of  the 
rich,  and  it  dawned  on  her  that  she  had  just  been  talking  to  her  own 
reflection.  After  she  had  long  been  looking  in  vain  for  an  exit,  a  mirror 
panel,  furnished  with  Western  door  mechanism,  yielded  to  a  chance 
pressure  of  her  hand  and  admitted  her  to  a  luxuriously  furnished  bed- 
room. Dulled  by  wine  and  exhausted  by  her  wanderings,  without  much 
ado  she  made  herself  comfortable  on  the  soft  cushioned  couch  under 
the  magnificently  embroidered  damask  canopy.  When  the  missing  guest 
was  at  last  discovered  by  Pearl  after  much  searching,  and,  being  sober 
once  more,  had  asked  to  which  of  the  young  ladies  the  magnificent 
room  belonged  in  which  she  had  slept  off  her  tipsiness  and  had  felt  as 
if  in  heaven,  she  learned  to  her  horror  that  she  had  wandered  into  the 
bedroom  of  the  son  of  the  house.  Luckily,  no  one  in  the  house  with  the 
exception  of  Pearl  knew  of  the  daring  escapade  of  the  old  woman,  for 
the  whole 'staff  of  the  Begonia  Courtyard  had  gone  out  that  afternoon, 
and  Pao  Yu,  whom  Pearl  dutifully  told,  very  considerately  took  care 
that  the  matter  should  not  become  known.  He  agreed  with  Pearl  to  say 
that  the  old  lady  had  lost  her  way  in  the  park  and  had  been  found 
asleep  on  a  mossy  rock.  It  can  well  be  understood  that  a  powerful 
fumigation  with  frankincense  of  sandalwood  and  musk  was  required  to 
dispel  the  unseemly  traces  which  the  tipsy  guest  had  left  behind  her  in 
Pao  Yu's  bedroom.  The  Ancestress,  who  otherwise  was  accustomed  to 
seeing  at  most  two  or  three  interesting  parts  of  the  park  at  one  time, 
felt  quite  worn  out  the  next  day  from  the  exertions  which  she  had  under- 
gone for  the  sake  of  Godmother  Liu.  But  in  view  of  the  lively  entertain- 
ment which  her  guest  had  given  in  return,  she  did  not  regret  her  ex- 
ertions, and  on  bidding  farewell  to  the  godmother  from  the  country 
she  loaded  her  with  rich  gifts  and  expressed  the  wish  that  she  should 
come  back  again  very  soon. 


263 


CHAPTER   26 

Pao  Yu  sets  out  to  burn  incense  in  the  dust  of  the  highway  in  memory 

of  a  dear  departed.  On  the  Day  of  the  Thousand  Autumns  Phoenix 

unexpectedly  turns  into  a  vinegar  barrel. 

PHOENIX'S  BIRTHDAY  WAS  CELEBRATED  ON  THE  SECOND  DAY  OF  THE 
ninth  month.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  Ancestress  everyone  abstained 
this  time  from  giving  individual  gifts,  and  instead  all  the  ladies  and 
girls  of  the  two  palaces  as  well  as  all  the  female  servants  had  each  to 
contribute,  according  to  her  means  and  position,  from  one  tael  to  twenty 
taels  to  a  common  birthday  fund.  This  fund  went  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  the  various  amusements  of  the  day.  The  management  of  the 
funds  was  entrusted  to  Princess  Chen.  Besides  the  usual  festive  banquet, 
there  were  many  other  pleasures:  a  troupe  of  actors  performed  plays,  a 
troupe  of  jugglers  showed  their  hundred  tricks,  and  a  storyteller  recited 
amusing  stories. 

The  company  had  been  assembled  for  quite  a  long  time;  only  Pao 
Yu  was  missing.  When  he  was  sent  for  word  came  back  that  he  had 
gone  into  the  town.  They  could  hardly  believe  this,  so  they  sent  for 
Pearl,  from  whom  they  expected  more  information. 

"He  said  yesterday  that  he  would  have  to  go  to  the  'Prince  of  the 
Northern  Quietness'  today  on  an  urgent  matter,"  Pearl  was  able  to  tell 
them.  "I  tried  to  dissuade  him,  but  in  vain.  He  rode  off  very  early  to- 
day." 

Everyone  thought  it  very  tactless  of  him  to  go  off  just  then,  especially 
as  a  meeting  of  the  Begonia  Club  had  also  been  fixed  for  that  day. 

"Curiously  enough,  he  did  not  put  on  his  visiting  suit  but  just  wore 
his  everyday  clothes  going  out,"  added  Pearl.  "Very  likely  he  had  to 
pay  the  Prince  a  visit  of  condolence  on  the  death  of  a  secondary  wife, 
but  I  do  not  know  anything  more." 

"That  would  excuse  him  to  a  certain  extent,"  people  said,  modifying 
their  first  judgment. 

It  was  in  a  sense  true  that  Pao  Yu  had  gone  out  on  account  of  a 
death,  but  he  did  not  tell  anyone  around  him  who  the  dead  person  in 
question  was.  The  day  before,  he  had  only  given  a  brief  order  to  his 
valet  Ming  Yen  to  have  two  horses  ready  early  the  next  morning  at  the 
back  gate  of  the  park.  And  the  servant  Li  Kwei  had  been  ordered  to 
say,  if  anyone  should  ask  for  Pao  Yu,  that  he  had  gone  to  visit  the 
Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness,  but  that  they  should  not  send  for 
him,  as  he  would  be  back  in  good  time. 

Quite  early,  then,  on  that  morning  he  appeared  at  the  back  gate  of 
the  park,  dressed  in  the  simplest  attire,  and  without  saying  a  word  he 

264 


mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off  at  a  smart  trot,  his  body  bent  right  over 
the  saddlebow.  Ming  Yen  had  to  use  his  whip  in  order  to  keep  pace 
with  him.  Asked  where  he  was  going,  Pao  Yu  had  replied:  ''Straight 
on,  out  through  the  northern  city  gate!" 

"But  there  is  nothing  interesting  out  there;  the  district  is  desolate 
and  lonely,"  Ming  Yen  had  declared.  Pao  Yu  had  nodded  and  replied: 
"The  more  desolate  and  lonely  it  is,  the  better." 

Ming  Yen  was  very  much  puzzled  by  the  strange,  distraught  manner 
of  his  master.jThey  had  ridden  six  or  seven  li  at  a  quick  trot,  and  were 
now  out  in  open,  thinly  populated  country,  when  Pao  Yu  stopped^his 
horse. 

"I  wonder  whether  incense  could  be  procured  in  this  neighborhood?" 
he  asked,  turning  to  Ming  Yen.  » 

"It's  possible;  but  the  question  is:  What  kind  would  it  be?" 

"I  need  sandalwood,  lavender,  and  olibanuin  incense." 

"Such  fine  varieties  as  those  will  be  difficult  to  get  in  this  deserted 
region,"  said  Ming  Yen,  laughing.  "But  don't  you  usually  carry  some 
incense  with  you  in  your  belt  pouch?" 

Pao  Yu  r  timmaged  in  his  lotus-leaf  bag  and  did  in  fact  find  two  little 
fragment  of  Cambodian  aloewood.  "Good,  we've  got  incense!"  he  said, 
gratified.  "Now,  I  only  need  a  brazier." 

"How  can  you  expect  to  get  a  brazier  out  here  in  this  wilderness?" 
asked  Ming  Yen,  shaking  his  head  dubiously.  Then  an  idea  occurred  to 
him. 

"If  we  ride  on  just  another  two  li,  we  will  come  to  the  nunnery  known 
as  the  Temple  of  the  Water  God,  and  there  we  can  get  everything  we 
want." 

"That's  splendid!"  said  Pao  Yu,  and  whipped  his  horse  up  to  a  swift 
trot.  Ming  Yen  wondered  to  himself  how  it  was  that  his  master,  who 
usually  seemed  rather  contemptuous  of  the  Temple  of  the  Water  God, 
was  apparently  so  eager  to  visit  it  today. 

The  old  Abbess  of  the  Temple  of  the  Water  God,  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  dropping  in  at  the  Yungkuo  palace  now  and  then,  was  much 
surprised  and  felt  as  greatly  honored  at  the  unexpected  visit  of  the 
aristocratic  young  grandson  of  a  prince  as  if  a  living  dragon  had  de- 
scended onto  her  threshold  straight  from  the  skies.  But  Pao  Yu  took 
no  special  notice  either  of  her  or  of  the  Water  God.  He  only  glanced 
hurriedly  and  without  any  show  of  reverence  at  the  statue  of  the  god 
within  the  temple,  which,  though  only  roughly  fashioned  of  clay  and 
plaster,  was  nevertheless  quite  imposing;  then  he  went  straight  off  to 
the  garden  at  the  back  of  the  temple.  He  procured  a  burning  brazier 
from  the  Abbess,  and  chose  a  spot  beside  the  temple  \vell  as  the  site  for 
his  offering.  Now  Ming  Yen  guessed  the  connection  and  understood 

265 


why  his  master  seemed  to  be  thrilled  with  joy  just  now  when  he  had 
mentioned  the  Temple  of  the  Water  God.  Pao  Yu's  pious  act  of  de- 
votion to  the  dead  naturally  referred  to  Gold  Ring,  who  had  lost  her 
life  through  his  fault.  It  was  on  Phoenix's  birthday  a  year  before  that 
the  poor  creature  had  thrown  herself  into  the  well. 

While  Pao  Yu  was  lighting  his  two  fragments  of  Cambodian  aloe- 
wood  over  the  burning  coals,  wefping,  and  devoutly  prostrating  himself 
in  silent  salutation  to  the  dead,  his  sympathetic  servant  also  fell  upon 
his  knees  and,  striking  his  forehead  several  times  on  the  ground,  be- 
gan to  pray  thus:  "I,  Ming  Yen,  who  have  served  my  young  master 
faithfully  all  these  years,  have  always  until  now  known  the  secrets  of  his 
heart.  Only  today  he  has  not  confided  in  me,  and  has  been  silent  with 
regard  to  the  reason  of  his  burnt  offering.  Propriety  forbids  me  to 
importune  him  with  curious  questioning.  But  I  have  no  doubt  that  you, 
Spirit  in  the  Realm  of  Shades,  for  whom  this  offering  is  made,  but 
whose  name  I  do  not  know,  once  lived  among  the  people  as  a  sensible, 
clever,  chaste,  splendid,  and  incomparable  young  lady  or  little  sister.  As 
my  little  master  cannot  speak  out  in  my  presence  regarding  the  matters 
which  weigh  on  his  heart,  let  me  pray  instead  of  him,  and  give  ear  to 
my  supplication  since  you  are  a  spirit  and  have  the  power  of  spirits. 
Graciously  listen  to  my  little  master,  who  remembers  you  so  faith- 
fully; protect  and  guard  him  when  he  enters  into  the  Realm  of  Shades, 
and  help  him,  that  in  a  future  existence  he  may  be  born  again  as  a 
girl,  and  so  may  be  able  to  play  and  joke  and  be  happy  with  such  as 
you  to  his  heart's  content!" 

When  he  had  finished  his  prayer  he  made  a  few  more  kowtows.  Then 
he  hurriedly  rose  from  his  knees.  Pao  Yu  had  listened  to  him  with  in- 
creasing amusement  and  during  his  prayer  had  given  him  a  friendlv 
push  with  his  foot. 

"Cease  your  nonsense!"  he  whispered  to  him,  shaking  with  laughter. 
"How  awful  if  anyone  should  hear  you!  You  make  me  a  laughingstock 
before  the  people!" 

Thanks  to  the  innocent  simplicity  of  the  good  Ming  Yen  the  sor- 
rowful cerempny  thus  lost  nine-tenths  of  its  bitterness,  and  after  hur- 
riedly refreshing  themselves  with  a  frugal  snack  in  the  convent,  master 
and  servant  set  out  for  home  in  cheerful  spirits. 

Pao  Yu  quickly  exchanged  his  dusty  everyday  clothes  for  exuberantly 
colorful  festive  attire  and  went  to  the  birthday  party.  All  were  assembled 
in  the  large,  newly  built  Hall  of  Blossoms,  from  which  the  merry  piping 
of  flutes  and  the  sound  of  shrill  singing  could  already  be  heard  in  the 
distance.  As  he  was  striding  through  the  corridor  pavilion  near  the  en- 
trance to  the  hall  he  came  upon  the  maid  Nephrite  Bangle,  the  sister 
of  the  dead  girl,  Gold  Ring.  She  was  sitting  under  the  projecting  roof, 

266 


weeping.  When  she  saw  him  she  turned  away  with  a  deep  sigh  and  then 
said,  with  a  sad  smile:  "Hurry  in!  You  are  being  waited  for  as  if  you 
were  a  magic  phoenix  who  brings  healing!" 

"Guess  where  I  have  been!"  he  said  to  her  gently.  Nephrite  Bangle 
shuddered  and  silently  wiped  away  her  tears.  , 

When  he  appeared  in  the  Hall  of  Blossoms  Pao  Yu  was  indeed  re- 
ceived and  greeted  with  as  much  amazement  as  if  he  were  a  fabulous 
creature.  Everyone  surrounded  him,  overwhelmed  him  with  ques- 
tions, and  heaped  reproaches  on  him.  He  should  have  said  beforehand 
where  he  wanted  to  go  to  and  how  long  he  would  be  away,  and  it  was 
certainly  no  manners  simply  to  run  off  on  his  sister-in-law's  birthday, 
and  they  had  been  worried  about  him,  and  so  on.  Pao  Yu  replied 
calmly  that  he  had  paid  a  visit  of  condolence  to  the  Prince  of  the 
Northern  Quietness,  whose  favorite  wife  had  died.  But  it  was  difficult 
to  pacify  the  Ancestress,  and  she  threatened  that  if  he  ever  again  went 
out  of  the  house  without  saying  a  word,  she  would  tell  his  father  and 
have  him  thrashed.  Pao  Yu  solemnly  promised  to  be  better,  and  with 
this  the  incident  was  closed  and  the  merry  party  continued.  Who  would 
have  thought  that  in  the  course  of  the  day  the  festive  spirit  was  again  to 
be  overcast  by  a  new  and  this  time  more  serious  occurrence? 

The  theatrical  troupe  was  just  performing  "The  Thorn  as  Agraffe," 
that  well-known  play  about  the  poor  girl  and  the  rich  suitor.  It  was  a 
really  touching  piece  which  made  the  Ancestress  weep  and  laugh  alter- 
nately, sigh  one  moment  and  swear  the  next.  When  it  came  to  the  scene 
in  which  the  hero  offers  sacrifice  to  his  drowned  sweetheart,  Black  Jade 
remarked  to  Precious  Clasp:  "This  young  man  is  an  utter  fool!  Has  he 
really  got  to  run  to  the  river-bank  in  order  to  offer  sacrifice  to  the  be- 
loved with  water  from  the  river?  Could  he  not  satisfy  his  feelings  just 
as  well  at  home  with  a  bowl  of  water  from  the  well?  Water  is  water. 
What  is  in  one's  heart  is  what  matters!" 

Precious  Clasp  did  not  reply,  but  Pao  Yu  distinctly  felt  the  pointed 
allusion  to  himself  which  was  hidden  in  her  remark.  How  closely  the 
action  on  the  stage  coincided  with  what  he  had  gone  through  today, 
and  how  correctly  his  clever  cousin  had  seen  through  him  once  more! 
But  he,  pretending  not  to  have  noticed  anything,  asked  for  another  gob- 
let of  wine,  and  drank  to  the  health  of  sister-in-law  Phoenix. 

Phoenix,  Who  usually  did  not  drink  much,  and  did  not  enjoy  cere- 
monial dinner  parties  where  one  had  to  sit  quiet  for  such  a  long  time, 
was  obliged  today  at  the  express  order  of  the  Ancestress  to  sit  in  the 
place  of  honor  for  longer  than  she  wished,  receiving  the  homage  of  the 
company,  as  the  most  important  person  present.  All  the  female  relations, 
as  well  as  some  privileged  ladies  of  the  female  retinue,  down  to  the  wait- 
ing maid  Mandarin  Duck,  came  up  one  after  another  and  drank  to  her 

267 


health,  and  she  could  not  avoid  allowing  her  glass  to  be  filled  afresh 
each  time  in  response.  The  effect  of  this  unaccustomed  quantity  of 
wine  soon  became  evident.  She  suddenly  felt  rumbles  in  her  stomach 
and  had  to  go  to  her  apartments  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  waiting 
maid  Little  Ping  in  the  middle  of  the  performance  by  the  troupe  of 
jugglers. 

Now,  as  she  approached  the  corridor  pavilion  of  her  home,  she 
could  see  from  a  distance  how  one  of  her  maids,  who  had  been  keep- 
ing a  lookout  in  front  of  the  entrance,  turned  quickly  as  lightning  at 
sight  of  her  and  ran  into  the  house.  The  strange  behavior  of  the  maid 
immediately  awakened  her  suspicions.  She  called  out  to  her  to  stop, 
but  the  maid  behaved  as  if  she  did  not  hear  her  and  disappeared 
inside.  Then  she  became  really  suspicious.  She  ran  into  the  inner  court- 
yard of  her  house  as  quickly  as  her  legs  would  carry  her  and  sat  down 
on  the  steps  of  the  stone  terrace.  Then  she  called  out  the  maid  in  ques- 
tion and  ordered  her  to  kneel  down  before  her.  She  next  sent  Little  Ping 
to  fetch  two  doorkeepers  from  the  inner  gate,  who  were  to  bring  ropes 
and  whips  with  them. 

"Tie  up  the  miserable  bitch,  the  wretched  hussy,  who  no  longer  has 
eyes  for  her  mistress,  and  beat  her  until  she  is  half  dead!"  she  ordered 
the  two  servants  harshly.  The  maid,  almost  swooning  with  fright,  de- 
spairingly beat  her  forehead  on  the  stone  flags  and  whined  for  mercy. 

"Am  I  a  ghost  or  why  did  you  run  away  when  you  saw  me  coming?'' 
shouted  Phoenix. 

"I  did  not  see  the  Nai  nai  at  all;  it  just  occurred  to  me  that  the  house 
was  empty  and  unwatched,  and  that  is  why  I  ran  in,"  the  maid  tried  to 
excuse  herself. 

"Oh,  indeed?  If  the  house  was  empty,  what  were  you  loafing  about 
outside  the  entrance  for?  Besides,  I  shouted  myself  hoarse  calling  you. 
You  were  not  far  away,  you  are  not  deaf  and  must  have  heard  me,  but 
in  spite  of  that  you  ran  on.  Spare  yourself  the  trouble  of  lying.  My 
patience  is  at  an  end." 

And  she  dealt  the  maid  two  such  powerful  slaps  on  the  face  that  both 
her  cheeks  immediately  swelled  up  and  turned  purple. 

"You  will  sprain  your  hand,  Arai  nai/"  cried  the  waiting  maid  Little 
Ping,  trying  to  pacify  her. 

"Very  well,  strike  her  instead  of  me!"  hissed  her  angry  mistress. 
"And  if  she  still  remains  stubborn,  I  will  have  her  tongue  singed  with 
a  hot  iron." 

''I  will  confess,"  howled  the  maid  in  terror.  "The  master  is  in  the 
house.  He  ordered  me  to  watch  out  for  you  and  to  warn  him  as  soon 
as  you  returned." 

Aha,  now  \ve  are  getting  somewhere,  thought  Phoenix. 

268 


"Why  should  you  keep  a  lookout  for  me?  Was  he  anxious  lest  I 
could  not  find  the  way  alone?"  she  persisted.  "Out  with  the  truth,  or 
I  will  prick  you  with  pins!" 

In  order  to  show  that  she  was  in  earnest  she  drew  from  her  hair  a 
long,  pointed  hairpin,  which  she  waved  threateningly  in  the  face  of 
the  kneeling  girl.  The  maid  drew  back  her  head  in  terror  and  moaned: 
"Do  not  stick  me!  I  will  tell  you  everything!  But  please  do  not  betray 
me!  When  the  master  came  home  today  he  took  two  pieces  of  loose 
silver,  two  agraffes,  and  two  pieces  of  satin  out  of  the  treasure  trunk. 
I  had  to  take  them  secretly  to  the  wife  of  the  servant  Little  Pao  and 
bring  her  back  to  the  master.  She  is  still  inside  in  the  master's  room. 
I  was  to  keep  watch  outside.  What  has  taken  place  in  the  room  I  do 
not  know." 

Phoenix  had  to  pause  to  get  over  an  attack  of  faintness,  then  she 
picked  herself  up  and  rushed  to  her  husband's  pavilion.  On  the  way 
there  she  noticed  that  another  maid  was  cautiously  spying  out  the 
courtyard  gate,  and  on  seeing  her  quickly  drew  in  her  head  and  made 
off.  Phoenix  called  her  by  name.  This  maid  was  cleverer  than  the  first 
one.  When  she  saw  that  she  was  detected  she  turned  iound  quickly, 
hurried  up  to  Phoenix,  and  said  quite  coolly:  "I  was  just  on  my  way 
to  you,  and  now  you  come  along  yourself!" 

"What  message  did  you  have  forme,  then?" 

The  maid  reported  that  the  master  was  in  the  house  and  had  Little 
Pao's  wife  with  him,  and  so  on. 

"And  why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  at  once  instead  of  only  doing 
so  now  to  save  yourself  when  you  see  you  are  found  out?"  said  Phoenix, 
giving  her  a  slap.  Then  she  ran  on  and  crept  under  the  window  of  her 
husband's  bedroom.  Scraps  of  an  animated  conversation  reached  her 
ear.  Now  she  distinguished  a  woman's  voice:  "Just  wait,  sooner  or 
later  that  Princess  of  the  Underworld  will  die;  then  your  sufferings  will 
be  at  an  end!"  To  which  the  voice  of  her  husband  replied:  "Yes,  but 
what  then?  Shall  I  marry  another  then,  and  have  all  the  old  misery 
begin  over  again?" 

The  woman's  voice  continued:  "After  all,  you  have  Little  Ping. 
Make 'her  your  first  wife  when  the  other  one  dies.  Then  you  will  have 
no  more  worries." 

To  which  he  replied:  "She  is  dead  bent  on  seeing  that  I  have  nothing 
to  do  with  Little  Ping.  I  know  that  Little  Ping  suffers  because  of  her 
suspicions,  but  she  does  not  dare  to  do  anything.  That  woman  is  just 
my  fate,  my  unlucky  star." 

Phoenix  was  trembling  with  indignation.  Little  Ping,  whom  she  had 
always  regarded  as  fidelity  personified,  had  now  been  unmasked  as  a 
secret  enemy  by  the  conversation  she  had  just  overheard!  She  was  un- 

269 


able  to  contain  herself  any  longer  and,  suddenly  turning  round,  dealt  the 
puzzled  Little  Ping  two  slaps  on  the  ears.  Then  she  stormed  into  her 
husband's  bedroom,  pushing  open  the  door  with  her  foot.  Without 
wasting  a  word  she  rushed  at  the  rival  and  commenced  beating  her 
with  all  her  strength.  When  she  could  continue  no  longer,  she  planted 
herself  before  the  door  in  order  to  prevent  her  husband  from  escaping, 
and  shouted  at  the  woman:  "You  crazy  hussy,  so  you  want  to  steal 
my  husband  from  me  and  would  like  to  kill  me  into  the  bargain?  Those 
are  fine  plans!  Come  here,  Little  Ping!  You  are  no  better  than  that 
woman  and  you  are  involved  in  the  same  guilt  as  she  is.  You  have 
meanly  betrayed  me  behind  my  back!"  And  once  more  she  boxed  poor 
Little  Ping's  ears  right  and  left.  The  outraged  Little  Ping  in  her  turn 
vented  her  anger  on  the  wife  of  Little  Pao  by  dealing  her  a  couple  of 
blows. 

"Could  you  not  get  on  with  your  dirty  game  by  yourselves?  Why  did 
you  have  to  drag  me  into  it?"  she  shouted. 

Chia  Lien,  who  was  somewhat  drowsy  from  all  the  wine  he  had  been 
drinking,  had  at  first  looked  on  in  confusion  at  the  scene  which  was 
being  enacted  with  such  dramatic  rapidity  before  his  eyes.  When 
Phoenix  had  thrashed  his  paramour  just  now,  he  had  felt  angry  and 
ashamed,  but  respect  for  his  wife  had  nevertheless  restrained  him. 
Now,  however,  seeing  the  maid  Little  Ping  also  dealing  out  abuse  and 
blows,  he  felt  impelled  to  give  up  his  passive  attitude  and  come  to  the 
aid  of  his  doubly  maltreated  paramour. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  hitting  out  like  that?"  he  said  roughly  to 
Little  Ping,  pushing  her  with  his  foot.  While  Little  Ping  drew  back 
frightened  Phoenix  pommelled  her  in  the  back,  rebuked  her  for 
cowardice,  and  again  pushed  her  forward.  In  desperation  she  ran  out 
of  the  room  into  the  kitchen,  and  was  in  the  act  of  gashing  herself  with 
.a  kitchen  knife  when  she  was  stopped  just  in  time  by  the  maids  who 
were  near  her.  Meanwhile,  Phoenix  in  the  bedroom  was  venting  her 
rage  on  her  faithless  husband.  "She  rammed  her  head  wildly  against  his 
chest  and  shouted  in  his  face:  "You  have  been  conspiring  against  me 
with  that  woman!  I  heard  you  raging  against  me  in  here.  You  will  drive 
me  in  the  end  to  take  my  life." 

Her  raging  drove  him  into  a  frenzy.  He  pulled  down  a  sword  from 
the  wall  and  shouted  back  at  her:  "If  you  really  want  to  die,  I  can  do 
you  a  favor  and  kill  us  both  together.  For  I  also  am  tired  of  life  and 
would  willingly  sacrifice  myself  with  you  for  the  sake  of  peace." 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  Princess  Chen  appeared  escorted  by  sev- 
eral women. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this  row?  Why,  just  now  the  most  beautiful 
harmony  was  reigning!"  she  cried  in  amazement. 

270 


The  presence  of  others  and  the  fiery  influence  of  the  wine  caused 
Chia  Lien  to  enjoy  more  than  ever  striking  the  exalted  pose  of  the 
angry  husband,  and  he  waved  his  sword  so  wildly  around  him  that  it 
really  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to  kill  his  wife.  The  appearance  of  Princess 
Chen  had  quite  the  opposite  effect  on  Phoenix.  Her  defiant  ferocity 
changed  instantly  to  an  attitude  of  meek  dejection,  she  crept  away  be- 
hind the  Princess's  back  and  fled  weeping  from  the  dangerous  battle 
zone  to  the  safe  proximity  of  the  Ancestress. 

"1  was  just  going. to  my  house  to  change  my  dress,  when  I  heard 
my  husband  inside  talking  to  someone,"  she  reported  in  tears,  touch- 
ing up  the  narrative  a  little  in  her  own  favor.  "I  did  not  venture  to  go 
in  at  once,  but  remained  standing  at  the  window  for  a  bit.  Then  I  dis- 
tinguished the  voice  of  Little  Pao's  wife  and  to  my  horror  heard  the 
woman  discussing  a  horrible  plot  against  me  with  my  husband.  They 
wanted  to  poison  me  and  after  my  death  he  was  to  make  Little  Ping  h:  - 
chief  wife!  You  can  imagine  my  indignation!  In  spite  of  that  I  kept 
control  of  myself,  went  in  quite  quietly,  and  confined  myself  solely  to 
taking  the  disloyal  Little  Ping  to  task,  and  giving  her  two  cuffs  on  the 
ear.  Had  I  not  a  perfect  right  to  do  that?  And  what  does  he  do?  He 
snatches  a  sword  down  from  the  wall  and  tries  to  kill  me!" 

"That  is  really  going  too  far!  Bring  the  rough,  low  fellow  here  to 
me  at  once!"  ordered  the  Ancestress  indignantly.  She  took  Phoenix's 
narrative  to  be  quite  true.  But  her  order  was  unnecessary,  for  Chia 
Lien  came  storming  in,  the  naked  sword  in  his  hand,  followed  by  a 
crowd  of  frightened  people.  Princess  Shieh  and  Madame  Cheng  stood 
barring  the  way  of  the  raging  man. 

"What  barbaric  behavior  this  is!  Have  you  no  consideration  for  the 
old  Tai  tai?"  they  shouted  at  him. 

"It  is  all  due  to  the  fact  that  the  old  Tai  tai  has  always  made  a  favor- 
ite of  her!  But  I  will  not  put  up  with  her  impudent  insults!"  he  shouted 
back,  blinking  askance  at  them  with  bleary,  drunken  eyes. 

His  mother  succeeded  in  taking  the  sword  from  him. 

"Quick!  Be  off!  Get  ouf  of  here!"  she  cried,  trying  to  push  him 
towards  the  door.  But  he  struggled  and  gesticulated  savagely,  and 
filthy  language  streamed  from  his  mouth  like  spittle. 

"Fetch  his  father  here!"  ordered  the  Ancestress,  enraged  at  his 
shocking  behavior.  "He  will  inspire  him  with  respect." 

Her  threat  was  sufficient  to  bring  Chia  Lien  to  his  senses.  He 
stumbled  out  the  door  and  took  himself  off,  muttering,  to  the  outer 
library.  Meantime  the  fedies  endeavored  to  calm  Phoenix. 

"It  is  not  as  serious  as  all  that.  A  little  squabble,  such  as  young  peo- 
ple often  have,"  remarked  the  Ancestress  soothingly.  "It  is  I  who  am 

271 


really  to  blame.  I  should  not  have  induced  her  to  drink  wine.  No  wonder 
that  it  rises  up  in  her  afterwards  in  bile,  sour  as  vinegar." 

They  all  had  to  laugh  at  her  good  joke,  for  the  word  "bile"  not  only 
means  sick  vomiting  but  also  jealousy. 

"Calm  yourself!"  continued  the  Ancestress,  turning  to  Phoenix.  "He 
will  have  to  beg  your  pardon  formally  tomorrow;  I  will  see  to  that! 
But  you  must  keep  away  from  your  house  today  and  leave  him  alone, 
otherwise  he  may  get  into  a  fury  again.  But  what  has  come  over  that 
hussy.  Little  Ping,  that  she  should  carry  on  this  base  intrigue  behind 
your  back?  I  always  thought  she  was  good  and  respectable." 

"Little  Ping  is  innocent,"  said  Princess  Chen,  with  a  smile,  in  de- 
fense of  the  absent  maid.  "Instead  of  coming  to  blows  with  each  other 
the  couple  have  vented  their  rage  on  an  innocent  person.  She  does 
not  deserve  a  word  of  blame.  She  has  been  bitterly  wronged." 

"Oh,  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  said  the  Ancestress  regretfully.  "She  cer- 
tainly never  gave  me  the  impression  of  being  a  bad  girl,  eager  to  be 
seduced.  Of  course  she  must  be  compensated  for  this.  Amber,  quick, 
run  to  Little  Ping  and  tell  her  I  know  now  that  she  has  been  wronged, 
and  I  shall  make  her  mistress  beg  her  pardon  tomorrow.  But  today, 
her  mistress's  birthday,  is  not  the  right  time  to  do  so.  Meantime,  tell 
her  not  to  fret,  and  to  have  patience  until  tomorrow." 

Little  Ping  had  run  to  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  and  been  con- 
soled alternately  by  Pao  Yu  and  Pearl.  Pao  Yu  had  received  her  kindly 
in  ihe  Begonia  Courtyard,  had  let  her  put  on  one  of  Pearl's  gowns  in- 
stead of  her  own  which  had  been  soiled  with  wine  and  tears,  placed 
Pearl's  dressing  table  at  her  disposal,  and  refreshed  her  with  a  bowl  of 
punch.  Then,  when  Amber  brought  the  comforting  message  from  the 
Ancestress,  Little  Ping  felt  her  face  glowing  with  renewed  beauty  and 
her  tears  turned  to  joy.  She  spent  that  night  with  Widow  Chu  in  the 
Rice  Farm  Courtyard,  while  Phoenix  remained  with  the  Ancestress. 

The  following  morning  the  domestic  quarrel  of  the  day  before  was 
satisfactorily  settled  with  due -formality  according  to  the  instructions 
of  the  Ancestress.  Chia  Lien  was  called  to  the  Ancestress,  and  had  to 
beg  her  pardon  on  his  knees,  and  in  doing  so  he  pleaded  drunkenness 
as  an  excuse  for  his  conduct.  Then  he  had  to  go  to  Phoenix,  who  was 
standing  there,  her  eyes  red  from  weeping,  her  hair  undone,  without 
jewelry,  unpainted  and  unpowdered,  looking  miserable  and  lovely  at 
the  same  time,  and  had  to  bow  to  her  and  beg  her  pardon.  His  penitent 
words:  "I  have  done  you  wrong,  Nai  nai,  and  1  beg  you  not  to  be 
angry  with  me  any  longer,"  caused  a  sigh  of  relief  from  all  those  pres- 
ent. 

"You  must  not  be,  otherwise  you  will  make  me  angry,"  said  the 
Ancestress,  turning  with  a  smile  to  Phoenix.  When  peace  had  been 

272 


restored  between  the  husband  and  wife,  Little  Ping  was  sent  for.  Chia 
Lien  bowed  politely  to  her  too  and  begged  her  pardon  for  the  injustice 
done  to  her  yesterday  by  himself  and  his  wife. 

"Will  you  not  say  a  kind  word  to  her  too?"  the  Ancestress  urged 
Phoenix.  But  already  Little  Ping  had  prostrated  herself  on  the  ground 
before  her  mistress,  and  as  she  kowtowed  she  said  with  deep  humility: 
"I  deserve  death  for  having  caused  my  Nai  nai  annoyance  yesterday, 
the  day  of  her  thousand  autumns!" 

Phoenix,  moved  to  tears,  drew  her  to  her  feet.  She  felt  thoroughly 
ashamed.  How  on  earth  could  she  have  forgotten  herself  so  utterly, 
yesterday,  as  to  beat  the  good  girl?  It  was  certainly  all  because  she  had 
drunk  too  much  wine. 

"In  all  the  years  in  which  I  have  served  you,  you  have  never  once 
raised  your  little  finger  against  me!"  continued  Little  Ping,  likewise 
moved  to  tears.  "You  have  always  been  g<x>d  to  me.  Therefore  I  will 
bear  you  no  grudge  for  the  little  incident  of  yesterday." 

"Well,  everything  is  right  again  now!  And  anybody  who  makes  a 
fuss  about  the  story  after  this  will  get  a  sound  thrashing."  And  so  the 
Ancestress  closed  the  ceremony  of  reconciliation  and  dismissed  the  par- 
ticipants, after  having  received  a  parting  kowtow  from  all  three  of  them 
together.  But  when  the  husband  and  wife  were  alone  in  their  home  once 
more,  Phoenix  could  not  refrain  from  remarking:  "Is  there  really 
something  so  repulsive  and  loathsome  about  me  that  that  hussy  dares 
to  call  me  princess  of  the  Underworld  and  a  nightmare?  And  you  backed 
her  up  in  wishing  me  dead !  When  an  inferior  woman  like  that  is  more 
pleasing  to  you  than  I  am,  how  can  I  keep  face  and  continue  living 
beside  you?" 

She  talked  with  increasing  excitement  and  broke  out  into  sobs. 

"Are  you  beginning  again?  Did  you  not  have  enough  of  a  scene  yes- 
terday?" he  growled,  peevishly.  "I  have  humiliated  myself  before  the 
people  and  asked  your  pardon  on  my  knees.  Is  that  not  enough  for 
you?  Do  you  want  me  to  go  down  on  my  knees  again,  so  that  your  face 
may  brighten  once  more?  One  should  not  be  too  arrogant,  else  one  gets 
just  the  opposite  of  what  one  wants." 

Phoenix  saw  he  was  right,  so  she  remained  silent. 

"Let  it  be  now!  I  admit  that  I  have  been  wrong!"  he  continued, 
amiably,  when  suddenly  a  maidservant  came  rushing  in  and  announced 
excitedly:  "The  wife  of  Little  Pao  has  hanged  herself."  After  the  fir^t 
shock  Phoenix  pulled  herself  together  quickly. 

"Well,  enough  of  this!  What  is  there  really  so  exciting  about  it?" 
she  asked  callously.  The  majordomo  Ling's  wife,  who  looked  after  the 
female  start,  came  in  timidly  and  confirmed  the  news. 

273 


"The  members  of  her  clan  intend  to  lodge  a  complaint  with  the  au- 
thorities," she  added,  reluctantly. 

"I  do  not  mind.  I  intended  to  do  the  same  myself,"  said  Phoenix, 
coldly. 

"I  tried  as  hard  as  I  could  to  dissuade,  them  from  their  intention.  Per- 
haps they  could  be  indemnified  with  money,"  continued  Mrs.  Ling. 

"Money?  I  have  no  money  for  that.  And  even  if  I  had,  I  would  not 
think  of  doing  such  a  thing.  Let  them  lodge  their  complaint,  and  you 
may  spare  yourself  the  trouble  of  trying  to  mediate,"  declared  Phoenix 
resolutely. 

Chia  Lien  winked  surreptitiously  at  Mrs.  Ling.  She  understood  the 
hint  and  took  her  leave,  but  waited  for  him  outside  the  door.  He  went 
out  after  her. 

"I  will  see  what  can  be  done!"  he  said  to  Phoenix. 
"But  do  not  give  any  money !"  she  called  after  him. 
The  outcome  of  the  consultation  between  Chia  Lien  and  Ling's  wife 
was  that  she  was  authorized  to  offer  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  two 
hundred  taels  as  hush  money.  Chia  Lien  had  a  bad  conscience  and 
wanted  to  avoid  a  scandal  at  any  cost.  He  arranged  with  Mrs.  Ling  that 
the  money  was  to  be  taken  from  the  housekeeping  funds  and  drawn 
out  under  cover  of  current  expenses  by  means  of  falsified  accounts. 
The  matter  was  hushed  up  in  this  way  without  Phoenix  having  to  know 
anything  about  it.  The  relatives  were  satisfied,  pocketed  the  nice  sum 
of  money,  and  swallowed  their  resentment.  Moreover,  Chia  Lien  took 
Little  Pao  aside,  consoled  him  with  a  few  ounces  of  silver  and  some 
words  of  condolence,  and  promised  to  help  him  to  get  another  wife. 
This  pleased  the  servant  Little  Pao  quite  well,  and  so  the  painful  matter 
was  settled. 


CHAPTER  27 

The  windy  and  rainy  mood  of  a  gloomy  autumn  evening  inspires  Black 

Jade  with  an  elegy  on  the  wind  and  the  rain.  The  maid  Mandarin  Duck 

renounces  the  bliss  of  a  Mandarin  Duck  union. 

DLACK  JADE  WAS  ACCUSTOMED  TO  EXPERIENCING  AN  AGGRAVATION  OF 
her  old  complaint  in  the  spring  and  autumn.  During  these  autumn  days 
she  was  troubled  more  than  usually  with  her  feverish  symptoms  and  her 
bad  cough;  she  had  to  stay  in  bed  often  and  seldom  emerged  from  the 
Bamboo  Hermitage.  She  suffered  greatly  from  being  alone  so  much 
and  was  always  watching  out  longingly  for  the  distraction  of  a  visit 
from  any  of  her  cousins.  But  when  the  longed-for  visitor  came  she 

274 


grew  weary  after  only  a  few  sentences  of  conversation,  and  was  glad 
when  the  visit  came  to  an  end.  Her  companions,  aware  that  she  was  ill 
and  even  in  normal  times  a  somewhat  oversensitive  person,  did  not 
mind  this  lack  of  ceremony  and  of  cordial  hospitality. 

One  day  Precious  Clasp  came  to  visit  her  and  turned  the  conversa- 
tion to  Black  Jade's  ailment.  She  did  not  think  very  much  of  the  fam- 
ily doctors  and  medicines  she  had  had  up  to  the  present,  and  she 
thought  that  Black  Jade  should  try  for  once  to  Jiave  herse' "  examined 
and  treated  by  some  real  authority.  Trying  to  drag  herself  around  like 
this  was  simply  no  life. 

"No  doctor  can  help  me!"  said  Black  Jade  gloomily.  "I  know  my 
ailment,  and  there  is  no  remedy  for  it.  Even  on  the  days  when  I  am 
well,  am  I  really  a  completely  normal  person?" 

"Food  is  our  life!"  continued  Precious  Clasp  eagerly.  "It  is  owing  to 
the  wrong  kind  of  food  that  your  vital  forces  are  failing." 

"Our  life  and  death  are  predetermined,"  sighed  Black  Jade.  "We 
cannot  overcome  our  fate.  This  time  the  illness  has  been  more  severe 
than  usual.  .  .  ." 

A  violent  fit  of  coughing  prevented  her  from  speaking  further.  Pre- 
cious Clasp  was  sincerely  sorry  for  her. 

"I  looked  at  your  prescriptions  recently,"  she  said.  "In  my  opinion 
you  are  using  too  much  ginseng  and  cinnamon.  They  may  well  stimulate 
the  vital  forces,,  but  too  much  of  them  is  harmful.  And  do  not  take  your 
ginseng  and  cinnamon  infusions  too  hot!  Above  all,  you  must  keep 
your  liver  rested  and  cool,  for  too  much  heat  in  the  liver  injures  the 
substance  of  the  organ  and  impairs  the  digestion,  and  thereby  en- 
dangers life.  You  should  eat  an  ounce  of  best  swallows'  nests  and  half 
an  ounce  of  ice  sugar  every  morning,  stirred  into  a  warm  brew  of  silver 
flakes.  That  will  strengthen  you  more  than  any  medicine." 

"How  kind  of  you  to  trouble  so  much  about  me!"  said  Black  Jade, 
touched.  "I  really  do  not  deserve  it.  Formerly  I  believed  all  kinds  of  bad 
things  about  you.  But  since  you  enlightened  me  in  such  a  sisterly  way 
recently  about  bad  books,  and  showed  me  so  much  loving  sympathy 
today,  I  realize  that  I  have  misjudged  you  up  to  the  present.  You  must 
excuse  me  on  account  of  my  being  so  much  alone  and  deprived  of  the 
advice  of  parents  or  brothers  and  sisters.  I  am  now  fifteen  years  of  age, 
but  until  now  no  one  has  found  such  friendly  and  understanding  words 
for  me  as  you  have.  In  the  past  I  was  always  somewhat  incredulous 
when  Little  Cloud  sang  your  praises,  but  now  I  am  convinced  that  she 
was  right.  It  is  quite  true  that  this  doctoring  with  cinnamon  and  gin- 
seng infusions  has,  never  done  me  much  good.  Grandmother,  Aunt 
Cheng,  and  Cousin  Phoenix  have  never  said  anything  to  me  about 
swallows'  nests  and  ice  sugar,  and  the  serving  women  and  waiting 

275 


maids  do  not  trouble  about  me  at  all.  They  do  not  regard  me  as  really 
belonging  here,  and  look  upon  me  as  a  stranger  whom  they  only  serve 
unwillingly.  I  doubt  very  much  if  I  will  be  allowed  to  have  the  daily  ra- 
tion of  swallows'  nests  and  ice  sugar  which  you  think  is  necessary." 

"Confide  in  me!  I  am  in  the  same  position  as  you  are,"  said  Precious 
Clasp. 

"But  you  have  still  got  your  mother  and  your  brother,  who  is  older 
than  you.  Your  family  still  possess  a  house  and  a  piece  of  land  of  their 
own!  You  are  not  thrown  upon  the  charity  of  strangers!  If  it  suits  you 
you  can  go  away  any  time  you  like  and  live  on  your  own  property.  But  I 
have  no  home;  I  have  no  means  to  dress  and  feed  myself.  Naturally, 
under  these  circumstances  I  am  not  fully  accepted  by  the  servants  and 
get  but  little  respect.  You  are  in  a  much  better  position  than  I  am!" 

"Well,  wricrt  more  do  you  need  for  your  future  than  a  little  bridal 
jewelry?  It  is  a  pity  that  it  is  not  yet  time  for  that,"  said  Precious 
Clasp  jokingly. 

Black  Jade  blushed. 

"I  confide  my  troubles  to  you  because  you  seem  so  kindhearted,  and 
then  you  mock  me !  That  is  not  right,"  she  said  smiling. 

"It  was  only  a  joke!"  said  Precious  Clasp,  cheerfully  and  uncon- 
cernedly, excusing  herself,  "but  perhaps  there  was  some  truth  in  it, 
who  knows?  In  any  case,  have  confidence  in  me!  When  anything  wor- 
ries you,  when  you  have  anything  to  complain  of,  tell  me  about  it,  and 
I  will  help  you  as  far  as  is  in  my  power.  But  as  for  my  brother,  Hsueh 
Pan,  whom  you  have  just  mentioned,  well,  you  know  yourself  how  much 
he  is  worth  and  how  little  support  I  have  from  him!  Of  course  I  am  in 
a  somewhat  better  position  than  you  are,  because  I  have  still  got  my 
mother.  One  can  talk  things  over  and  share  one's  joys  and  sorrows  with 
her.  But,  to.  make  up  for  that,  you  have  intelligence.  After  all,  you  are 
not  a  silly  dairymaid  who  cannot  help  herself  and  only  knows  how  to 
sigh.  You  can  open  your  mouth  to  me  with  confidence.  I  will  talk  to 
my  mother  tomorrow  about  the  swallows'  nests;  I  think  she  has  still  got 
a  supply.  I  will  send  you  a  few  ounces;  and  one  of  my  maids  will  pre- 
pare the  dish  for  you  every  day;  you  need  not  trouble  the  other  servants 
at  all.  But  now  I  will  go.  You  must  be  exhausted." 

"Come  back  in  the  evening!" 

Precious  Clasp  promised  to  do  so  and  went  away.  Black  Jade  partook 
of  a  few  mouthfuls  of  thin  rice  soup,  then  she  stretched  herself  on  her 
bed  and  lay  there  in  a  dreamy  state  throughout  the  long  gray  autumn 
afternoon.  How  gloomy  it  was  outside!  The  sky  had  become  overcast;  a 
fine  drizzle  made  it  seem  already  dusk.  How  sad  the  monotonous  drip- 
ping sounded  on  the  bamboo  leaves  in  front  of  the  window!  Black  Jade 

276 


lay  there  for  hours,  and  waited  in  vain  for  Precious  Clasp's  return.  She 
will  not  go  out  in  this  weather,  she  said  to  herself. 

When  darkness  fell  she  had  the  lamps  brought  and  picked  a  book  at 
random  from  the  bookshelves.  It  was  a  collection  of  well-known  poems 
set  to  music.  On  turning  over  the  pages  she  came  upon  headings  such  as 
"Pain  of  Parting"  and  "Autumn  Suffering  in  the  Maiden's  Chamber" 
and  such  like.  These  elegiac  poems  suited  her  mood  and  inspired  her  to 
compose  one  of  her  own,  which  she  called  "Elegy  on  the  Wind  and  the 
Rain  Written  Sitting  by  the  Window  on  an  Autumn  Evening." 

She  had  just  finished  her  long  poem,  consisting  of  ten  seven-word 
couplets,  and  had  lain  down  again,  when  Pao  Yu  was  announced.  And 
he  walked  straight  in,  a  broad-rimmed  weather-hat  of  plaited  bast  on 
his  head,  and  a  wide  cloak  made  of  reeds,  like  those  worn  by  fishermen, 
over  his  clothes. 

"Oh,  what  kind  of  fisherman  is  this!"  Black  Jade  greeted  him,  laugh- 
ing. 

"Do  you  feel  better  today?  Have  you  been  taking  your  medicine 
regularly?  How  is  your  appetite?"  he  inquired  anxiously,  as  he  laid 
aside  his  rain-wear.  He  took  the  lamp  in  his  right  hand  and  held  it  close 
to  Black  Jade's  face,  shading  with  his  left  hand  the  side  nearest  her. 

"You  look  distinctly  better  today,"  he  declared  contentedly  after  a 
searching  inspection,  during  which  Black  Jade,  on  her  part,  had  been 
observing  him  also  more  closely.  He  wore  a  short  red  damask  smock, 
no  longer  quite  new,  which  was  tied  around  the  hips  with  a  green  cotton 
sash.  Under  the  smock  green  satin  breeches,  embroidered  with  flowers, 
reached  to  his  knees.  Thickly  quilted  stockings  of  a  woven  golden  mate- 
rial covered  his  legs,  and  beautiful,  comfortable  satin  slippers  em- 
broidered with  flowers  and  butterflies  enveloped  his  feet. 

"Only  the  upper  part  of  you  is  protected  from  the  rain.  How  is  it  that 
in  spite  of  this  your  stockings  and  slippers  are  clean  and  dry?"  asked 
Black  Jade. 

"Oh,  on  the  way  here  I  wore  a  pair  of  stout  wooden  rain-shoes  made 
from  the  wood  of  wild  apple  trees.  I  left  them  outside  under  the  project- 
ing roof,"  replied  Pao  Yu,  smiling. 

"Where,  then,  did  you  get  that  beautiful  fine  weather-hat?  It  is  so 
light  and  pliable,  not  at  all  the  usual  prickly  kind  that  one  gets  in  the 
market,"  inquired  Black  Jade  further. 

"All  three  articles — the  bast  hat,  the  reed  cloak,  and  the  wooden 
shoes — are  presents  from  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness,"  Pao 
Yu  declared  proudly.  "He  wears  the  same  outfit  himself  in  bad  weather. 
Do  you  like  it?  If  you  do,  I  shall  get  the  same  kind  of  costume  for  you. 
The  rain-hat  is  the  most  valuable  of  all.  The  top  is  made  of  bamboo  pith 
and  is  removable.  One  can  take  it  out  and  shape  it  to  one's  liking.  In 

277 


winter,  in  snowy  weather,  one  can  take  it  out  and  turn  back  the  remain- 
ing wide  brim  over  a  warm  fur  cap.  Practical,  is  it  not?  Would  you  also 
like  to  have  a  rain-hat  like  that?" 

"No,  thank  you !  I  would  not  like  to  go  about  dressed  up  like  a  fisher- 
woman  on  the  stage.  .  .  ." 

She  stopped  short  and  a  hot  flush  spread  over  her  face.  Too  late  it 
occurred  to  her  that  she  had  just  now  greeted  Pao  Yu  as  a  fisherman. 
Pao  Yu  took  no  notice  of  her  embarrassment,  which  she  tried  to  hide  by 
convulsive  coughing.  He  had  found  on  the  table  the  poem  she  had  just 
finished,  and  was  reading  it  through  eagerly. 

"Splendid!"  he  exclaimed  involuntarily. 

In  a  second  she  had  grabbed  the  sheet  of  paper  and  burned  it  over 
the  lamp. 

"Too  late!"  he  laughed.  "I  know  it  by  heart  already !" 

"I  should  like  to  sleep  now.  Please  go  away!"  she  said. 

He  turned  up  the  lapel  of  his  coat  and  took  out  a  gold  pocket  watch 
the  size  of  a  walnut.  The  hands  already  pointed  to  the  hour  of  the  boar, 
the  tenth  hour. 

"You  are  right.  It  is  high  time  for  you  to  go  to  bed.  You  must  be 
worn  out." 

He  quickly  put  on  his  rain  wear  and  took  his  leave.  At  the  door  he 
turned  around  once  more.  "Have  you  a  wish  for  anything  special  to 
eat  tomorrow?"  he  asked.  "If  so,  I  will  tell  the  old  Tai  tai.  You  can  rely 
on  me  more  than  on  those  old  women." 

"Give  me  time  until  the  morning.  Perhaps  I  shall  think  of  something 
nice  during  the  night.  But  now  hurry  up!  See  how  it's  pouring  outside! 
Have  you  anyone  to  accompany  you?" 

"We  are  here,"  answered  two  serving  women,  who  were  in  the  act  of 
opening  a  huge  umbrella  and  lighting  a  pole  lantern  outside  the  door. 

"You  think  of  lighting  a  lantern  in  this  weather?  It  will  soon  be 
soaked  through  and  go  out,"  said  Black  Jade. 

"It's  a  horn  lantern,  made  of  a  ram's  horn,  and  it's  rainproof." 

Black  Jade  took  a  glass  lantern  from  the  bookshelf,  got  her  waiting 
maid  to  put  a  lighted  wax  candle  into  it,  and  handed  it  to  Pao  Yu. 
"Please  take  this  glass  one  instead.  It  is  brighter  than  your  dull  horn, 
and  it  also  is  rainproof." 

"No,  thank  you,  I  have  a  glass  one  like  that  myself,  but  I  was  afraid 
that  the  bearers  might  slip  on  the  slippery  damp  path  and  break  the 
lamp.  That  is  why  I  did  not  use  it." 

"Do  take  this  one!  Better  for  the  lamp  to  be  broken  than  for  you  to 
slip  in  the  dark  and  be  hurt.  You  are  not  used  to  those  awkward  wooden 
shoes.  Have  the  horn  lantern  carried  in  front  and  take  the  glass  one  in 
your  hand  yourself!  You  can  send  it  back  tomorrow." 

278 


How  touchingly  concerned  she  is  about  me,  thought  Pao  Yu,  as  he 
politely  took  her  glass  lantern  and  now  really  set  off.  A  serving  woman 
walked  in  front  with  the  horn  lantern,  the  other  serving  woman  fol- 
lowed with  the  umbrella,  and  behind  them  walked  Pao  Yu  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  a  maid  who  had  to  carry  the  glass  lantern.  Another  maid 
carrying  an  umbrella  brought  up  the  rear. 

Scarcely  had  he  gone  with  his  retinue  when  a  serving  woman  with 
umbrella  and  lantern  arrived  from  the  Jungle  Courtyard.  She  had  been 
sent  by  Precious  Clasp  and  brought  a  big  parcel  of  swallows'  nests, 
plum  dumplings,  and  foreign  candied  sugar. 

"Here,  enjoy  these!  And  when  you  have  finished  them,  my  young 
lady  will  send  you  more,"  said  the  messenger  from  the  Jungle  Court- 
yard. 

"It  is  too  kind  of  you  to  have  taken  the  trouble  to  come  out  so  late! 
Please  refresh  yourself  in  the  waiting  maids'  room  with  a  bowl  of  tea!" 

"Thank  you,  but  I  cannot  wait,  I  have  still  some  things  to  do." 

"I  understand,  you  intend  to  have  a  turn  in  the  gambling  house.  On 
these  long  dull  evenings  one  likes  to  pass  the  time  with  a  little  game," 
said  Black  Jade,  smiling. 

"The  young  lady  has  guessed  rightly.  Recently  I  have  been  enjoying 
some  pleasant  and  most  respectable  society.  We  gather  every  evening 
for  a  game,  and  just  today  I  am  to  preside  at  our  club.  So  I  should  not 
like  to  be  late." 

"Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  that  you  have  sacrificed  your  little  game  for  my 
sake  and  taken  the  trouble  to  come  over  to  me  in  this  rainy  weather. 
Naturally,  I  must  compensate  you  for  that." 

Black  Jade  ordered  her  waiting  maid  to  give  a  few  hundred  coppers 
to  the  serving  woman,  and  to  fortify  her  with  a  bowl  of  punch  against 
the  bad  effects  of  the  rainy  weather.  The  serving  woman  thanked  her 
with  a  kowtow,  but  confined  herself  to  accepting  the  coppers  only,  and 
trotted  away  in  a  great  hurry  with  her  umbrella  and  lantern. 

When  she  was  gone  the  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  had  to  help  her  mis- 
tress to  undress,  and  she  cleared  away  the  parcel  and  the  lamp.  But  in 
spite  of  being  so  tired,  Black  Jade  could  not  get  to  sleep.  She  felt  ob- 
sessed with  the  thought  that  Precious  Clasp  had  an  advantage  over  her, 
the  orphan,  in  having  a  mother  and  a  brother,  and  that  Pao  Yu,  despite 
his  declaration  of  friendship,  would  reject  her  in  the  end.  The  monoto- 
nous sound  of  the  rain  pattering  down  ceaselessly  on  the  bamboos  and 
the  banana  leaves  made  her  feel  desperately  depressed.  A  shudder 
passed  through  her  and  she  buried  her  face  in  her  pillow,  weeping. 
Half  the  night  had  long  since  passed  when  at  last,  about  the  hour  of  the 
fourth  beat  of  the  drum,  she  fell  asleep. 

279 


The  next  morning  Phoenix  was  summoned  to  Princess  Shieh.  After  a 
hurried  toilet  she  went  off  in  her  carriage  to  her  mother-in-law.  The 
Princess  first  sent  her  attendants  away,  then  she  started  in  a  low  and 
confidential  tone:  "I  need  your  advice  in  a  somewhat  delicate  matter. 
My  husband  has  cast  his  eyes  on  the  old  Tai  tai's  favorite  waiting  maid, 
Mandarin  Duck.  He  would  like  to  make  her  his  'side-chamber'  and  has 
asked  me  to  undertake  the  necessary  steps  with  the  old  Tai  tai.  In  itself, 
the  matter  is  not  of  so  much  importance,  but  I  rather  doubt  whether  the 
old  Tai  tai  will  give  up  Mandarin  Duck.  I  do  not  quite  know  what  at- 
titude I  should  take.  What  would  you  advise?'r 

"It  is  a  ticklish  order,  and  you  will  run  your  head  against  a  nail  in 
carrying  it  out,"  replied  Phoenix  promptly.  "The  old  Tai  tai  will  lose 
her  appetite  completely  if  she  is  separated  from  Mandarin  Duck,  who  is 
indispensable  to  her.  Moreover,  the  old  Tai  tai  has  said  often  that  your 
husband  is  really  too  old  now  to  have  a  'side-chamber  to  the  left'  and  a 
'side-chamber  to  the  right.'  This  causes  him  to  neglect  the  management 
of  the  palace,  and  besides,  this  merry  life  of  pleasure  is  not  beneficial  to 
his  health,  in  her  opinion.  You  can  see  from  this  that  the  old  Tai  tai  is 
not  overly  pleased  by  your  husband's  ways.  He  would  do  better  to  get 
well  out  of  the  tiger's  way,  rather  than  to  tickle  its  nose  with  a  blade  of 
grass  just  now.  Do  not  be  angry  with  me,  but  you  cannot  count  on  me 
in  this  matter.  I  consider  it  would  be  useless  for  me  to  intercede.  Your 
husband  is  no  longer  a  young  fellow,  he  has  children  and  grandchildren. 
What  would  the  people  think?  It  would  give  rise  to  nice  gossip;  you 
should  bring  him  to  reason  and  talk  him  out  of  his  intentions." 

The  Princess  did  not  seem  very  pleased  at  her  words. 

"Other  aristocratip  gentlemen  can  keep  three  'side-chambers'  and 
four  concubines,  and  is  my  husband  not  to  be  allowed  this?"  she  asked 
with  a  frosty  smile.  "If  I  tried  to  dissuade  him,  I  would  be  unlikely  to 
make  any  impression  on  him.  You  know  how  obstinate  and  irascible 
he  is.  Who  is  asking  you,  in  any  case,  to  intercede  with  the  old  Tai  tai? 
I  shall  go  to  her  myself,  of  course.  I  merely  wished  to  ask  your  advice. 
As  far  as  Mandarin  Duck  herself  is  concerned,  if  she  were  the  old  Tai 
tai's  favorite  waiting  maid  ten  times  over,  she  would  hardly  decline  such 
an  advantageous  match." 

Phoenix  considered  it  advisable  to  give  in.  She  knew  that  partly  for 
the  sake  of  peace,  and  partly  out  of  cunning,  the  Princess  did  not  dare 
to  oppose  her  husband  in  any  way.  For,  as  the  wife  of  the  family  Elder, 
on  whom  the  business  management  of  the  estate  devolved  and  through 
whose  hands  all  income  and  outlay  went,  she  knew  how  to  make  a  good 
thing  of  it  and  to  feather  her  own  nest  under  the  pretext  that  her  hus- 
band was  somewhat  extravagant.  In  view  -of  such  important  advantages 
it  would  naturally  not  occur  to  her  to  annoy  her  husband.  Presumably 

280 


some  personal  profit  was  the  motive  of  her  attitude  in  this  matter  today 
also.  So  Phoenix  immediately  altered  her  opinion  and  pretended  to  be 
in  full  agreement. 

"You  are  quite  right;  in  my  youthful  inexperience  I  had  not  thought 
of  that  at  first,"  she  said,  skillfully  changing  her  course.  "The  old  Tai 
toi's  remarks  about  your  husband,  which  I  mentioned  just  now,  I  only 
know  from  hearsay,  of  course.  It  was  really  too  simple  of  me  to  take 
such  foolish  talk  seriously.  Parents  often  talk  like  that  in  anger  when 
their  children  do  something  wrong,  and  very  quickly  make  a  harsh 
judgment  and  threaten  to  beat  them  to  death.  But  as  soon  as  they  see 
their  children  again,  parental  love  conquers,  and  the  first  anger  blows 
over.  Why  should  not  the  old  Tai  tai  fall  in  with  the  harmless  wish  of 
her  son  and  give  him  a  waiting  maid  to  whom  he  has  taken  such  a 
fancy?  We  should  get  to  work  at  once.  Luckily,  the  old  Tai  tai  is  in  a 
good  humor  today.  Shall  I  go  on  in  advance  and  prepare  the  ground 
for  you?  Then,  when  you  come  along  I  will  see  that  the  other  people 
there  clear  off,  leaving  you  to  discuss  everything  alone  and  undisturbed 
with  the  old  Tai  tai." 

The  Princess  was  visibly  pleased  at  her  altered  attitude. 

"Very  4vell,  go  on  ahead,  but  do  not  mention  anything  to  the  old  Tai 
tai  yet!  We  must  gently  win  her  over  by  indirect  means  through  Man- 
darin Duck  herself.  But  first  let  us  get  to  work  on  Mandarin  Duck!  She 
will  probably  resist  and  be  bashful  and  coy  in  the  beginning;  I  shall  do 
my  part  later  to  dispel  her  doubts.  Once  we  have  Mandarin  Duck's  con- 
sent, the  old  Tai  tai  will  not  resist  either,  remembering  the  old  rule: 
'Never  keep  anyone  who  wants  to  leave.'  " 

"Splendid!  Those  are  the  right  tactics!"  agreed  Phoenix  eagerly. 
"Mandarin  Duck  will  certainly  co-operate.  Indeed,  she  would  be  utterly 
stupid  if  she  were  to  refuse  such  an  opportunity,  which  would  raise  her 
from  the  position  of  a  servant  almost  to  that  of  a  mistress,  and  wish  to 
remain  in  service  instead,  with  the  prospect  of  becoming  at  some  future 
time  the  wife  of  a  fellow  servant." 

"Quite  right!  Certainly  she  can  only  congratulate  herself  on  this 
match.  So  go  on  ahead  and  speak  to  her!  I  shall  take  my  breakfast 
quickly  and  follow  you  immediately." 

The  clever  Phoenix  had  in  the  meantime  thought  of  something  else. 
She  was  not  at  all  so  certain  that  Mandarin  Duck  would  be  amenable. 

If  I  fail  to  win  over  Mandarin  Duck,  the  Princess  will  probably  blame 
me  and  reproach  me  afterwards,  she  thought  to  herself.  Better  for  us  to 
go  together.  Then  I  shall  be  free  of  the  responsibility  of  any  possible 
failure. 

"Aunt  Cheng  sent  me  two  baskets  of  freshly  baked  quails  for  the 
breakfast  table  a  little  while  ago;  I  was  about  to  set  half  of  them  aside 

281 


for  you  in  any  case,"  she  said  smiling.  "Besides,  the  hem  of  your  sedan 
chair  curtain  is  torn.  I  chanced  to  hear  your  bearers  talking  about  it 
just  now  as  I  was  coming  through  the  main  gateway.  They  were  carry- 
ing it  away  to  have  it  repaired.  Would  it  not  be  best  if  you  come  with 
me  now  in  my  carriage;  we  could  have  breakfast  together,  and  then  go 
on  to  the  old  Tai  tai," 

The  Princess  saw  the  point  of  her  suggestion;  she  dressed  quickly 
and  got  into  the  carriage  with  her.  Finally,  Phoenix  was  cunningly  able 
to  arrange  that  the  Princess  should  go  on  alone  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and 
that  she  should  follow  her  later.  Accordingly,  the  Princess  went  off  to 
the  Ancestress,  exchanged  a  few  conventional  words  with  her,  and  left 
her  soon  again  on  the  pretext  that  she  wanted  to  visit  Madame  Cheng; 
in  reality,  however,  she  slipped  off  to  the  room  of  the  maid,  Mandarin 
Duck.  Mandarin  Duck  was  just  sitting  there  doing  needlework.  When 
the  Princess  appeared  she  rose  politely. 

"Oh,  what  a  lovely  piece  of  embroidery  you  are  doing!  Please  let  me 
see  it!"  said  the  Princess.  And  she  took  the  embroidery  out  of  the  girl's 
hand,  examined  it  for  a  while  with  exclamations  of  delight,  and  re- 
turned it  to  her  again.  Then  she  submitted  the  young  girl  to  a  searching 
inspection,  noting  the  fact  that  she  was  wearing  a  silk  tunic  of  pale 
violet — the  color  of  lotus  root — and  water-green  trousers,  and  that  she 
had  a  suppje  wasp  waist,  round,  gently  sloping  shoulders,  a  narrow  face 
oval  as  a  duck's  egg,  hair  that  shone  like  lacquer,  a  small  finely  arched 
nose,  and  a  delicate  mole  on  each  cheek.  Mandarin  Duck  felt  somewhat 
unpleasantly  surprised  at  the  close  inspection  and  conjectured  at  once 
.  that  there  must  be  something  special  behind  it. 

"What  brings  the  Tai  tai  here  at  such  an  early  hour  in  the  morning?" 
she  asked,  with  a  smile. 

The  Princess  let  her  retinue  understand  by  a  glance  that  she  wished 
to  be  alone,  whereupon  the  attendants  went  away.  Then  she  sat  down 
and  took  Mandarin  Duck  by  the  hand  in  a  friendly  way. 

"I  have  come  here  specially  to  congratulate  you." 

Mandarin  Duck  thought  she  could  guess  up  to  three-tenths  of  what  it 
was  all  about.  She  bowed  her  head,  blushed,  and  remained  silent. 

"My  husband  has  regretted  for  a  long  time  past  that  he  has  no  one 
in  his  permanent  environment  on  whom  he  can  really  rely,"  the  Prin- 
cess continued.  "It  is  repugnant  to  him  to  obtain  what  he  wants  in  the 
usual  way  through  a  professional  negotiator,  for  money.  He  has  a 
prejudice  against  what  one  gets  through  such  negotiators,  and  he  thinks 
that  a  strange  girl  bought  in  this  way  might  disappoint  later  through 
this  or  that  physical  or  other  defect  and  reveal  all  kinds  of  bad  man- 
ners and  seductive  monkey  tricks  after  two  or  three  days.  Now,  for  the 
past  six  months  he  has  been  dispassionately  observing  our  girls  here, 

282 


and  after  thorough  scrutiny  he  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  of  them 
all  there  is  only  one  he  would  consider  having,  and  that  is  you.  He  finds 
to  his  satisfaction  that  meekness,  reliability,  and  all  the  other  feminine 
virtues  are  incorporated  in  you.  Therefore,  he  now  wishes  to  take  you 
into  his  chambers.  Your  position  would,  of  course,  be  quite  different 
from  that  of  the  kind  of  girl  one  buys  through  some  broker.  You  would 
have  the  rank  of  a  secondary  wife  with  the  title  of  'Aunt'  and  enjoy 
corresponding  honor,  respect  and  power.  Does  it  not  mean  to  you  the 
fulfillment  of  everything  you  could  possibly  wish  that  my  husband  has 
chosen  you  and  now  offers  you  a  position  which  will  place  you  beyond 
all  the  intrigues  and  envy  of  your  kind?  So  now  come  with  me  to  the 
old  Tai  tai  to  obtain  her  consent  J" 

She  had  stood  up  and  was  just  taking  Mandarin  Duck  by  the  hand  to 
lead  her  out.  Contrary  to  her  expectation,  however,  the  blushing  girl 
withdrew  her  hand  and  refused  to  go  with  her. 

"You  need  not  be  bashful,  and  whatever  is  to  be  said  to  the  old  Tai 
tai  I  shall  say  myself;  you  only  need  to  follow  me,"  the  Princess  said 
with  gentle  persuasion. 

But  Mandarin  Duck  still  kept  her  eyes  on  the  ground  and  did  not 
move  from  the  spot. 

"Surely  you  have  nothing  against  it?"  persisted  the  Princess.  "You 
would  indeed  be  silly  if  you  turned  down  the  prospect  of  being  the  Nai 
nai  of  a  gentleman  and  preferred  to  be  the  wife  of  a  servant.  If  you  say 
yes,  you  may  expect  to  have  a  most  pleasant  life.  You  are  aware,  of 
course,  that  I  am  of  a  kind  and  peaceable  nature,  and  my  husband  also 
will  treat  you  in  the  best  way,  the  more  so  if  you  make  him  happy  with 
a  little  girl  or  perhaps  a  little  boy  by  the  end  of  one  year.  Then  you  will 
be  in  exactly  the  same  position  aslffyself,  and  will  be  able  to  command 
the  staff  just  as  I  do,  and  the  servants  will  obey  your  slightest  wish.  So 
be  reasonable  and  do  not  miss  this  favorable  opportunity !  It  will  never 
be  offered  to  you  again.  How  is  this?  You  still  keep  silent — you,  who 
are  usually  so  wide  awake?  Have  you  anything  on  your  mind?  Do 
speak  out!  Ah,  I  understand,  you  are  shy  to  say  'yes'  yourself  and 
would  prefer  to  leave  it  to  your  parents.  Very  well,  I  shall  come  to  an 
understanding  with  your  family."  With  this  the  Princess  broke  off  the 
difficult  negotiations  for  the  time  being  and  went  to  look  for  Phoenix. 

Meantime  Phoenix  had  begun  by  questioning  her  waiting  maid  Little 
Ping.  Little  Ping  had  shaken  her  head  doubtfully  and  confirmed  her 
own  misgivings  regarding  the  success  of  the  plan. 

"I  have  tried  in  vain  to  dissuade  the  Princess,"  Phoenix  said  to  her. 
"Now  she  will  have  to  put  up  with  the  public  disgrace  of  possible  fail- 
ure. But  she  will  be  here  at  any  moment.  Go  to  the  kitchen  and  have 
the  quails  roasted  for  breakfast,  and  see  that  there  are  some  other  suit- 

283 


able  dishes  to  go  with  them !  While  the  Princess  is  with  me  you  need  no 
come  in;  you  can  go  into  the  park  for  the  time  being!  Come  back  again 
when  she  is  gone!" 

Little  Ping  carried  out  her  orders  in  the  kitchen,  and  then  she  went 
for  a  walk  in  the  garden.  There  she  met  Mandarin  Duck.  When  the 
Princess  had  left  her,  Mandarin  Duck  had  thought  it  wisest  to  make  her- 
self invisible  for  a  time.  "If  the  old  Tai  tai  should  ask  for  me,  say  I  am 
ill!"  she  said  to  her  companion,  Amber,  and  then  she  disappeared  into 
the  park. 

"Ah,  here  comes  the  new  aunt!"  she  heard  herself  jokingly  called  by 
Little  Ping. 

"Are  you  taking  part  in  the  conspiracy  against  me  with  your  mis- 
tress?" replied  Mandarin  Duck,  flushing  angrily. 

Little  Ping  regretted  her  thoughtless  joke  and,  smiling,  drew  the 
other  over  to  a  ledge  of  rock  under  a  plane  tree,  and  assured  her  that 
Phoenix  was  not  taking  part  in  the  conspiracy  at  all  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, was  on  her  side.  Mandarin  Duck,  her  cheeks  red  with  excitement, 
replied:  "With  Gold  Ring  dead,  we  are  barely  a  dozen  waiting  maids 
here  now — Pearl,  Amber,  Gray  Cloud,  Bright  Cloud,  Cuckoo,  Nephrite 
Bangle,  Musk,  Blue  Ink,  Little  Cloud's  maid  Blue  Thread,  you,  and  my- 
self. Formerly  we  always  told  one  another  everything  and  confided  in 
one  another.  Recently  all  you  others  go  your  own  way,  only  I  keep  to 
the  old  ways  and  stick  to  the  rule  of  confiding  in  you  when  there  is 
something  special  on.  And  so  I  will  also  now  confide  to  you  my  solemn 
decision:  Quite  apart  from  the  fact  that  Prince  Shieh  now  wishes  to 
make  me  his  secondary  wife  without  more  ado,  and  even  if  he  wished 
to  make  me  his  chief  wife  in  case  of  the  death  of  the  Princess,  and  even 
if  he  were  to  submit  his  offer  of  marriage  according  to  all  the  rules  of 
good  form  through  three  negotiators  and  the  sending  of  the  six  kinds 
of  bridal  gifts,  nevertheless  I  would  not  consider  it !  .  .  ." 

"Why,  what  kind  of  secret  discussions  are  going  on  here?"  a  voice 
blurted  out  from  behind  the  trunk  of  the  plane  tree,  and  Pearl,  who  had 
slipped  along  unnoticed,  sat  down  laughing  beside  the  two  others  on 
the  rock.  Little  Ping  explained  matters  briefly  to  Pearl. 

"What  an  old  libertine!"  said  Pearl,  disapprovingly.  "Of  course  he 
has  no  more  prospects  with  women  of  his  own  station,  so  that's  why  he 
does  it  this  way." 

"I  know  how  you  could  foil  him  in  his  project,"  said  Little  Ping. 

"How  then?"  asked  Mandarin  Duck  curiously. 

'Simply  tdl  the  old  Tai  tai  that  you  have  already  given  yourself  to 
Mr.  Chia  Lien!  The  father  cannot  very  well  take  his  son's  sweetheart." 

Mandarin  Duck  took  her  suggestion,  which  was  meant  as  a  joke,  ex- 
tremely badly.  "You  stupid  thing!"  she  hissed.  "You  have  seen  only 

284 


*»->s>  \'^-\k*i   1\     4r&'l  _X«\ 


•*V»t..«-**t>t>'    •      \VM***^rfe39u 


recently  how  Madame  Phoenix  raged  when  she  caught  her  husband 
with  Little  Pao's  wife.  I  would  only  expose  myself  to  the  greatest  un- 
pleasantness." 

"I  have  a  better  suggestion,"  interjected  Pearl,  laughing.  "Say  to  the 
old  Tai  tai  that  she  should  make  the  Prince  believe  that  she  has  already 
promised  you  to  my  little  master.  The  Prince  will  have  a  fit!" 

"Fie,  you  two  depraved  creatures,  to  make  game  of  me  in  my  pre- 
dicament and  repay  my  confidence  with  mockery!"  wailed  Mandarin 
Duck,  overcome  with  anger  and  shame. 

"Do  not  take  it  so  badly,  dear  sister!"  said  the  two,  trying  to  calm 
her.  "We  were  getting  on  so  well  together.  A  little  joke  like  that  among 
good  friends  is  not  really  so  wicked.  But,  seriously,  what  are  you  think- 
ing of  doing?" 

"I'm  not  thinking  of  doing  anything  at  all!  I  am  just  not  going  to 
appear!  That  will  be  enough!" 

Little  Ping  shook  her  head  doubtfully. 

"That  won't  help  you  much.  The  Prince  is  a  stubborn  person  and 
will  not  give  way.  If  he  does  not  succeed  now,  then  it  will  be  later  on. 
The  old  Tai  tai  will  not  live  forever,  and  cannot  protect  you  your  whole 
life  long.  When  she  is  dead  he  will  take  possession  of  you  by  force.  That 
would  be  still  worse,  whereas  now  the  matter  would  still  have  some  for- 
mality at  least." 

"Pshaw!  He  would  not  succeed  so  quickly.  First  of  all,  as  her  son,  he 
would  have  to  do  the  three  years'  mourning  and  during  that  time  would 
have  to  put  all  thoughts  of  marriage  out  of  his  head.  Meanwhile  I  would 
gain  time  to  know  what  to  do.  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  I  will  cut 
off  my  hair  and  go  into  a  convent." 

"You  have  courage!"  the  two  companions  sighed  admiringly. 

"I  will  take  a  chance!"  declared  Mandarin  Duck  firmly.  "The  Prin- 
cess intends  to  apply  to  my  parents,  as  she  said  just  now.  My  parents 
live  in  the  southern  capital.  Ha-ha!  She  can  be  looking  for  them  there 
for  a  long  time!" 

"But  they  are  not  lost  to  the  world.  As  far  as  I  know  they  are  stew- 
ards of  a  house  there;  they  will  find  them,  all  right,"  objected  Little 
Ping.  "Besides,  you  have  your  elder  brother  and  your  sister-in-law 
here  in  the  neighborhood.  They  can  turn  to  them  too.  It  is  a  pity  that 
you  were  born  and  grew  up  here  in  the  house,  and  are  therefore  not  so 
free  as  we  are,  who  only  came  to  belong  to  it  later." 

"Ha,  that  makes  no  difference  to  me!  The  stubborn  ox  cannot  be 
made  to  drink.  .  .  ." 

"Be  quiet,  here  comes  your  sister-in-law!"  said  Pearl,  interrupting 
her  talk. 

"They  have  sent  the  right  person!  That  is  just  a  suitable  errand  for 

286 


this  capable  universal  camel-dealer!"  muttered  Mandarin  Duck  con- 
temptuously. Meantime  the  sister-in-law  had  come  up  to  them.  The 
three  stood  up  and  wanted  to  make  room  for  her  on  the  ledge  of  rock. 

"No,  thank  you.  Do  not  stir!"  said  the  sister-in-law.  "I  only  want  to 
discuss  something  with  our  girl." 

"What  is  the  hurry?  Do  take  a  seat.  We  are  just  passing  the  time 
guessing  riddles;  you  can  guess  with  us,"  prattled  Pearl  and  Little  Ping, 
pretending  not  to  understand. 

"Don't  mind  this  nonsense!  What  is  the  matter,  then?  Out  with  it!" 
said  Mandarin  Duck,  turning  to  the  sister-in-law. 

"Come  with  me!  Not  here!"  said  the  sister-in-law,  beckoning  her.  "I 
have  a  pleasant  bit  of  news  for  you." 

"Ah,  you've  come  on  the  instructions  of  Prince  Shieh,  of  course?" 

"Well,  come  along,  then,  so  that  I  can  tell  you  details  of  your  won- 
derful luck!" 

Mandarin  Duck  stood  up,  drew  up  a  mouthful  of  saliva  from  her 
throat,  and  spat  it  right  into  her  sister-in-law's  face. 

"Kindly  keep  your  dirt  to  yourself  and  be  off — and  get  as  far  away 
from  me  as  possible!"  she  began  angrily.  "I  won't  listen  to  this  stupid 
talk  of  good  luck  and  pleasant  news !  You  really  behave  as  if  I  were  to 
be  envied  for  the  prospect  of  pining  away  my  life  at  the  side  of  an  old 
tyrant,  a  profligate  old  man!  That  means  wanting  to  chase  me  into  a 
fiery  pit  with  your  eyes  open!  But  I  will  not  be  misled  by  anyone,  and 
I  will  decide  my  own  weal  or  woe  for  myself!" 

The  dumfounded  sister-in-law  had  not  expected  such  a  quick  and 
thorough  rebuff,  and  went  away  grumbling  and  sulking.  Pearl  and 
Little  Ping  tried  for  some  time  to  calm  the  excited  Mandarin  Duck; 
then,  turning  to  Pearl,  Little  Ping  said:  "From  where  did  you  come  so 
unexpectedly  just  now?  We  didn't  notice  you  coming." 

"I  had  been  with  Miss  Grief  of  Spring  to  fetch  Pao  Yu  but  I  arrived 
a  moment  too  late  for  he  had  already  gone  back  to  the  Begonia  Court- 
yard, so  they  said.  That  seemed  doubtful  to  me,  for  I  would  have  met 
him  on  the  way.  I  thought  he  would  be  with  Black  Jade,  but  he  was  not 
there  either.  On  the  way  back  I  saw  you  in  the  distance,  so  I  hid  myself 
in  the  bushes  and  slipped  along  quietly,  and  did  a  little  eavesdropping. 
I  am  only  surprised  that  your  four  eyes  did  not  discover  me." 

"And  I  am  surprised  that  your  six  eyes  did  not  notice  me,"  a  voice 
was  suddenly  heard  to  say  behind  their  backs.  Three  startled  heads 
turned  around  as  Pao  Yu  stepped  out  laughing  from  behind  a  project- 
ing rock. 

"Where  did  you  come  from?  My  eyes  are  worn  out  watching  for 
you!"  said  Pearl. 

"I  saw  you  long  ago  and  disappeared  just  for  fun.  The  way  you 

287 


stretched  your  neck  this  way  and  that  way  and  ran  here  and  there 
searching  desperately — it  was  too  funny !  Finally  I  chose  your  own  nook 
here  to  hide  in." 

"Let  us  look  around  quickly!  Perhaps  someone  else  will  suddenly 
emerge,"  said  Little  Ping  in  joke. 

"So  now  he  too  has  spied  on  us  successfully,"  said  Mandarin  Ducl^, 
stretching  herself  out  on  the  rock  and  yawning.  Pao  Yu  shook  her  to 
make  her  sit  up. 

"You  will  get  cold  on  the  bare  stone.  Better  come  in  with  me.  It  will 
be  more  comfortable,  and  you  can  refresh  yourself  with  a  bowl  of  tea." 
And  the  four  of  them  went  off  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard. 

Meantime  Princess  Shieh  had  got  information  from  Phoenix  about 
Mandarin  Duck's  family  and  learned  that  the  parents  had  a  position  as 
house  stewards  in  the  southern  capital  and  that  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
get  hold  of  them,  but  that  on  the  other  hand  an  elder  brother  and  his 
wife  were  within  reach  at  any  time,  for  both  of  them  were  in  the  service 
of  the  Ancestress.  The  brother,  whose  name  was  Wen  Hsiang,  was  a 
buyer,  and  his  wife  was  chief  laundress.  The  Princess  had  had  the  wife 
called  at  once  and  had  sent  her  to  importune  and  harangue  the  obsti- 
nate Mandarin  Duck,  with  the  unfortunate  results  already  reported. 

"She  abused  me,  using  expressions  which  I  cannot  repeat  before  the 
Tai  tai,  and  Pearl  too  attacked  me,"  the  sister-in-law  complained,  as  she 
reported  to  the  Princess  the  rebuff  she  had  received.  Because  Phoenix 
was  present  she  did  not  dare  to  mention  that  Little  Ping  also  had  at- 
tacked her.  "The  old  master  should  look  around  for  another  woman. 
That  nasty  female  would  only  bring  him  the  greatest  unhappiness." 

"How  did  Pearl  know  about  the  business?  Was  anyone  else  pres- 
ent?" asked  the  Princess,  suspiciously. 

"Yes,  Little  Ping." 

"Little  Ping?  What  was  she  doing  there?"  interjected  Phoenix,  feign- 
ing ignorance.  "Did  she  also  take  sides  against  you?  You  should  have 
given  her  a  box  on  the  ear,  the  deserter!  I  have  been  looking  for  her 
half  the  day." 

"I  don't  mean  that  she  was  actually  present.  I  saw  her  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  I  may  have  made  a  mistake,"  said  the  other,  embarrassed, 
trying  to  correct  herself.  She  did  not  want  to  incur  the  disfavor  of  the 
dreaded  Phoenix.  Happily,  it  escaped  Princess  Shieh  that  Phoenix  had 
been  playing  a  double  game. 

When  she  told  her  husband  in  the  evening  of  the  failure  of  her  mis- 
sion, Prince  Shieh  sent  for  his  son  Chia  Lien. 

''Go  to  the  southern  capital  and  bring  old  Chin  Tsai,  Mandarin 
Duck's  father,  here  to  me!"  he  ordered.  "Somebody  can  surely  be 
found  to  hold  his  job  for  him  in  the  meantime." 

288 


Chia  Lien  felt  little  desire  for  this  journey  and  tried  by  every  possible 
excuse  to  get  out  of  the  request. 

"The  journey  will.be  useless.  According  to  recent  news  old  Chin  Tsai 
has  been  dying  of  consumption  for  some  time,"  he  lied.  "His  coffin  has 
been  ready  for  a  long  while.  Perhaps  he  has  died  already.  And  one  can- 
not do  much  with  the  mother,  she  is  deaf  .  .  ." 

"Get  out  of  my  sight,  you  ill-bred  jailbird's  brat!"  the  Prince  inter- 
rupted him  angrily,  and  showed  him  the  door.  Then  he  had  Mandarin 
Duck's  brother  brought  in.  But  the  next  morning  the  brother  had  to 
report  failure  to  his  master.  Mandarin  Duck  had  definitely  refused.  The 
Prince  raged. 

"I  know,  it  has  been  like  that  since  ancient  times;  women  prefer  the 
young  to  the  old,"  he  complained.  "Probably  she  has  designs  on  my  son 
or  on  Pao  Yu.  But  she  must  give  up  any  such  ideas.  I  would  like  to 
know  what  rascal  here  would  have  the  impudence  to  want  her  after  I 
have  stretched  out  my  hand  for  her.  And  if  sLe  thinks  she  could  marry 
outside  the  house  with  the  help  of  the  old  Tai  tai,  she  should  think  twire 
about  it.  Whoever  she  marries,  she  remains  within  my  reach.  Unless  she 
prefers  death  or  a  convent,  I  will  still  force  her,  if  not  by  fair  means, 
then  by  foul.  She  would  do  better  to  change  her  obstinate  mind  and 
agree.  Go  and  tell  her  that!  And  take  care  not  to  tell  me  lies.  To  make 
sure,  I  will  get  my  wife  to  speak  to  her  again.  If  you  come  back  to  me 
with  a  'No'  and  my  wife  brings  a  'Yes,'  I  warn  you  to  mind  your  skull." 

Wen  Hsiang  promised  to  do  his  best,  went  to  his  sister,  and  repeated 
the  Prince's  words  to  her.  Mandarin  Duck  was  speechless  at  first  at  the 
threat.  But  after  a  moment  she  had  pulled  herself  together. 

"Very  well,  I  will  give  in  and  will  go  to  the  old  Tai  tai  at  once  to  in- 
form her  of  my  decision,  and  your  wife  shall  accompany  me  there,"  she 
declared  firmly. 

Pleased  at  her  apparent  change  of  mind,  the  brother  fetched  his  wife, 
and  so  Mandarin  Duck,  accompanied  by  her  sister-in-law,  went  to  the 
Ancestress's  apartments.  She  found  the  old  Tai  tai  in  the  midst  of  a  big 
family  circle:  Madame  Cheng,  Aunt  Hsueh,  Widow  Chu,  Phoenix,  Pao 
Yu,  Precious  Clasp,  and  the  three  Spring  girls  were  present,  as  well  as  a 
swarm  of  waiting  maids  and  serving  women  and  several  wives  of  the 
majordomo.  Princess  Shieh  was  missing. 

Mandarin  Duck  went  fearlessly  up  to  the  Ancestress,  threw  herself 
with  a  loud  cry  at  her  feet,  and  began  to  relate  the  outrageous  demand 
which  Prince  Shieh  had  made  of  her,  how  he  had  importuned  her,  first 
through  the  Princess,  then  in  the  park  through  her  sister-in-law,  and 
finally  through  her  brother;  how  he  had  pressed  her,  tried  to  intimidate 
her  by  threats,  insulted  her,  and  accused  her  falsely  of  an  association 
with  Pao  Yu  and  Chia  Lien,  and  had  threatened  never  to  let  her  out  of 

289 


reach  of  his  claws  as  long  as  she  lived,  even  if  she  were  to  marry  some- 
one somewhere  else,  and  even  if  he  had  to  fetch  her  down  from  the 
clouds.  But  she  now  solemnly  declared  before  all  present  that  she  would 
remain  unmarried  all  her  life  long,  and  that  if  the  old  Tai  tai  should  try 
to  force  her  to  marry,  she  would  prefer  to  take  a  knife  and  cut  her 
throat.  She  wished  to  serve  the  old  Tai  tai  faithfully  as  long  as  she  lived, 
and  if  the  old  Tai  tai  should  die  one  day,  she  would  follow  her  volun- 
tarily into  the  Realm  of  Shades  or  else  cut  off  her  hair  and  become  a 
nun. 

"Heaven,  earth,  sun,  and  moon,  all  good  and  wicked  spirits,  be  wit- 
ness that  I  sincerely  mean  it;,  and  may  I  suffocate  from  thick  boils  in  my 
throat  if  I  lie!"  she  cried  solemnly. 

At  the  same  time  she  quickly  pulled  out  a  scissors  which  she  had 
hidden  in  her  sleeve,  loosened  her  hair,  and  began  wildly  cutting  off  her 
beautiful  long  braids.  Luckily,  she  did  not  get  very  far  in  her  work  of 
destruction,  for  some  of  the  waiting  maids  and  serving  women  standing 
by  fell  excitedly  upon  her  and  stopped  her. 

The  Ancestress  trembled  all  over,  she  was  so  excited  and  startled  by 
the  unexpected  scene. 

"What!  They  are  trying  to  take  away  the  best,  the  truest,  and  the 
only  dependable  support  I  have!"  she  cried  indignantly.  And  then,  turn- 
ing to  Madame  Cheng,  she  said:  "That  shows  all  your  falseness!  Out- 
wardly you  are  a  wonder  of  goodness  and  filial  devotion,  but  behind 
my  back  you  plot  vile  actions!  Do  not  begrudge  me  just  what" is  dearest 
tome!" 

Madame  Cheng,  who  had  been  addressed  so  ungraciously,  though  in 
reality  she  was  not  implicated,  stood  up  and  endured  the  undeserved 
reprimand  of  the  Ancestress  humbly  and  in  silence  like  a  well-behaved 
daughter-in-law.  The  other  ladies  present  were  likewise  hindered 
through  respect  from  uttering  a  word  of  reply.  Just  at  the  beginning  of 
the  scene  the  Widow  Chu  had  pushed  the  young  girls  out  the  door  in 
order  not  to  let  them  hear  Mandarin  Duck's  painful  revelations.  But 
Taste  of  Spring,  Madame  Cheng's  stepdaughter,  had  stood  under  the 
window  and  attentively  followed  the  further  development  of  the  scene. 
It  grieved  her  to  see  how  her  stepmother  had  been  wrongfully  repri- 
manded, and  how  no  one  had  dared  to  say  a  word  in  her  defense. 
Bravely  and  resolutely  she  went  in  again  and  walked  up  to  the  Ances- 
tress, with  a  smile.  "The  Tai  tai  is  not  to  blame,"  she  said.  "After  all 
she  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  the  deeds  of  the  elder  brother-in- 
law." 

'The  child  is  right.  Really,  I  have  become  rather  thoughtless  with 
age,"  the  Ancestress  admitted  with  a  smile,  and  turning  to  Aunt  Hsueh 
she  continued:  "Do  not  laugh  at  me!  I  have  wronged  your  good,  kind 

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sister.  My  reprimand  should  really  be  made  to  my  other  daughter-in- 
law,  the  wife  of  my  elder  son,  who  has  taken  part  in  this  intrigue 
through  fear  of  her  husband." 

And  then  turning  to  Pao  Yu,  she  said:  "Why  did  you  not  draw  my 
attention  to  the  fact  that  I  had  done  an  injustice  to  your  mother?" 

"The  respect  due  to  my  uncle  and  aunt  forbade  me  to  take  sides  with 
my  mother.  Naturally,  I  was  wrong  and  must  ask  her  pardon." 

"You  are  right.  Kneel  down  and  ask  her  not  to  be  angry,  and  to  for- 
give me  on  account  of  my  age  and  for  your  sake." 

Pao  Yu  knelt  down  obediently  in  front  of  his  mother  and  was  about 
to  begin  the  required  speech  of  apology,  but  Madame  Cheng  drew  him 
to  his  feet  with  a  smile  and,  as  a  devoted  daughter-in-law,  refused  to 
accept  an  apology  from  his  mouth  excusing  her  mother-in-law. 

"Now,  Phoenix,  what  do  you  think?"  said  the  Ancestress,  turning  to 
Phoenix. 

"Oh,  if  I  were  perchance  not  your  granddaughter  but  your  grandson, 
I  would  certainly  have  been  after  Mandarin  Duck  long  ago  myself," 
said  Phoenix,  cleverly  evading  the  delicate  question  with  a  joke,  for 
she  could  not  very  v/ell  take  sides  openly  against  Prince  and  Princess 
Shieh. 

"Very  well  then,  I  will  give  her  up  to  you.  You  can  have  her,"  de- 
clared the  Ancestress. 

"Thank  you,  but  give  me  time  until  my  next  rebirth.  Perhaps  I  shall 
come  into  the  world  as  a  man  next  time,  and  then  I  shall  fetch  her." 

"Take  her  and  give  her  to  your  husband !  Then  your  father-in-law  will 
surely  lose  all  further  desire  for  her." 

"Oh,  she  is  too  good  for  my  husband.  Two  stale  rolls  like  myself  and 
Little  Ping  are  good  enough  for  him." 

The  whole  company  burst  out  in  loud  laughter.  Then  Princess  Shieh 
was  announced. 

The  Princess  had  come  along  quite  unsuspecting,  and  only  outside 
the  door  was  she  secretly  informed  of  what  had  happened  by  some  serv-  ' 
ing  women.  In  her  dismay  she  .would  have  liked  to  get  away  again  at 
once,  but  it  was  too  late,  for  she  had  already  been  announced  inside 
and  Madame  Cheng  had  come  out  to  greet  her.  For  good  or  ill  she  had 
therefore  to  make  the  best  of  the  painful  visit. 

There  was  an  embarrassed  silence  as  she  entered.  The  Ancestress 
made  no  reply  whatever  to  her  tsing  an.  Phoenix  ha^  already  gone  away 
on  some  excuse,  and  so  had  Mandarin  Duck.  Aunt  Hsueh  and  Madame 
Cheng  took  their  leave  shortly  afterwards,  one  after  the  other,  tactfully, 
in  order  to  avoid  witnessing  the  humiliation  of  the  Princess. 

"You  have  played  marriage  broker  for  your  husband,"  the  Ances- 
tress began,  when  she  was  alone  with  the  Princess.  "It  was  no  tloubt 

291 


very  kind  and  self-sacrificing  of  you,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  your  con- 
sideration for  your  husband  goes  a  bit  too  far.  You  have  children  and 
grandchildren,  and  yet  you  still  let  yourself  be  tyrannized  by  your 
husband?" 

"I  have  already  called  him  to  account  at  various  times,  but  unfor- 
tunately without  success.  It  is  so  difficult  to  advise  him;  the  old  Tai  tai 
knows  that  herself,"  said  the  Princess  in  embarrassed  self-defense. 

"Then  you  would  no  doubt  even  go  so  far  as  to  commit  a  murder  for 
your  husband,  if  he  were  to  suggest  it  to  you?"  asked  the  Ancestress 
sharply.  "You  know  how  dependent  I  am  on  Mandarin  Duck.  My  sec- 
ond daughter-in-law  is  ailing  and  cannot  give  me  much  attention.  Phoe- 
nix is  indeed  helpful,  but  she  has  to  look  after  everything  in  the  house, 
therefore  she  cannot  devote  much  time  to  me.  So  I  have  only  Mandarin 
Duck  to  count  on.  She  is  zealous  and  efficient;  she  knows  what  I  need 
and  knows^my  peculiarities  and  my  wishes,  and  in  the  course  of  her  life 
which  she  has  spent  in  this  house  she  has  devoted  herself  entirely  to  me. 
In  short,  she  is  indispensable  to  me.  I  am  old  and  cannot  very  easily  get 
accustomed  to  a  new  maid.  I  was  just  about  to  send  word  to  your  hus- 
band that  if  he  must  have  another  wife,  he  may  buy  one  at  my  expense; 
I  shall  place  eighteen  thousand  taels  at  his  disposal  for  the  purpose; 
but  he  shall  not  get  Mandarin  Duck  under  any  circumstances.  She  is 
more  precious  to  me  for  the  remainder  of  my  life  than  he  is,  for  all  his 
filial  devotion,  even  if  he  were  to  exert  himself  for  my  well-being  day 
and  night.  And  that  is  enough  about  that!  It  is  a  good  thing  that  you 
have  come  yourself,  for  you  can  deliver  this  message  from  me  to  him 
personally  straight  away.  That  is  surer  than  if  he  were  to  hear  it 
through  my  servants." 

And  with  this  the  matter  was  settled  for  the  Ancestress.  She  had  the 
other  ladies  recalled  and  enjoyed  herself  with  them  over  a  game  of 
mah-jongg. 

While  they  were  in  the  middle  of  the  game  Chia  Lien  came  sneaking 
along  cautiously.  He  had  been  sent  by  his  father,  Prince  Shieh,  to  spy 
out  the  result  of  the  Princess's  mission.  Just  in  the  nick  of  time  he  ran 
into  Little  Ping  outside  the  door.  She  told  him  how  matters  stood  and 
warned  him  not  to  appear  before  the  old  Tai  tai.  She  had  been  very 
angry  indeed  a  short  while  ago  and  now,  during  the  game,  Phoenix  had 
at  last  succeeded  in  getting  her  out  of  her  bad  humor  to  some  extent  by 
her  funny  tricks. 

"Well,  since  she  is  in  a  good  humor  again  I  can  venture  to  show  my- 
self," Chia  Lien  insisted,  and  in  spite  of  being  warned  came  nearer  to 
the  waiting  maid.  When  Phoenix  saw  him  sticking  his  head  inside  the 
door  she  gave  him  a  warning  look,  which  mefint  to  say  that  he  should 
disappear  as  quickly  as  possible.  At  the  same  moment  Princess  Shieh 

292 


deliberately  stepped  in  front  of  the  Ancestress,  on  the  pretext  of  having 
to  pour  out  some  tea,  in  order  to  screen  him  from  her  eyes,  but  the 
Ancestress  had  already  caught  sight  of  him. 

"Who  is  outside?  It  seems  to  be  one  of  the  sons  of  the  house,"  she 
said. 

"I  shall  go  and  look,"  said  Phoenix,  and  slipped  out  in  order  not  to 
be  there  when  her  husband  was  rebuked.  Chia  Lien,  having  once  been 
discovered,  could  not  very  well  deny  his  presence.  He  walked  up  to  the 
Ancestress  as  coolly  as  possible  and  with  a  smile  offered  his  tsing  an! 

"I  only  wanted  to  know  whether  the  old  Tai  tai  will  be  present  on  the 
fourteenth,  when  the  majordomo  Lai  Sheng  gives  his  banquet  in  honor 
of  the  promotion  of  his  son.  If  so,  I  want  to  have  the  large  sedan  chair 
put  in  order  in  good  time,"  he  began. 

"If  that  is  all  you  have  to  say,  then  you  could  come  in  without  cere- 
mony and  need  not  first  creep  around  outside  like  a  ghost,"  replied  the 
Ancestress  crossly. 

"I  did  not  want  to  disturb  the  old  Tai  tai  at  her  game  and  only 
wanted  to  ask  my  wife  to  come  out,"  he  said  in  embarrassed  excuse. 

"You  could  very  well  have  waited  until  your  wife  went  home.  This 
ghostlike  lurking  and  sneaking  around  is  not  mannerly!  You  frighten 
me  unnecessarily !  And  now  kindly  let  your  wife  finish  her  game  with 
me  and  do  not  disturb  us  any  more!  Run  off  now  and  weave  some 
more  plots  with  Little  Chao's  wife  against  your  wife!"  retorted  the 
Ancestress  indignantly. 

"Little  Pao,  not  Little  Chao,"  Mandarin  Duck  corrected  her,  while 
they  all  laughed  at  the  confusion  of  the  name.  The  Ancestress,  too, 
smiled. 

"Well,  Little  Pao  or  Little  Chao !  I  have  no  memory  for  such  treach- 
eries!" she  burst  out  heatedly.  "In  my  time  I  came  here  as  the  young 
wife  of  a  great-grandson  of  this  house.  Now  I  have  great-grandsons.  In 
the  fifty  or  sixty  years  since  then  I  have  lived  through  much  and  seen 
many  things,  but  such  a  base  scandal  as  this  I  have  never  before  ex- 
perienced. Off  with  you!  Out  of  my  sight!  What  are  you  doing,  still 
lurking  around  here?" 

Silent  and  abashed,  the  culprit  withdrew. 

"I  warned  you,  and  yet  you  stumbled  right  into  the  net!"  Little  Ping 
called  after  him  derisively  outside. 

"The  old  man  is  to  blame  for  the  whole  scandal,  and  we  two  have  to 
suffer  for  it!"  said  Chia  Lien  peevishly  to  Princess  Shieh,  who  had  hur- 
ried out  after  him. 

"Fie,  how  can  you  be  so  unfilial!  Other  sons  suffer  even  death  for 
their  fathers!"  his  mother  too  rebuked  him  now.  "Take  care  not  to 

293 


irritate  your  father  these  days!  If  you  do  you  will  get  a  thrashing  into 
the  bargain!" 

"Will  you  please  go  to  him  first?"  her  son  begged  her  dejectedly.  "I 
don't  dare." 

So  Princess  Shieh  went  off  to  her  husband  alone  and  informed  him 
of  the  sad  result  of  her  mission.  The  Prince  realized  that  further  steps 
would  be  useless,  so  he  swallowed  the  insults  which  had  been  aimed  at 
him,  but  he  was  so  annoyed  that,  under  the  pretext  of  being  ill,  he  did 
not  show  himself  to  the  Ancestress  for  some  time,  and  left  his  wife  and 
his  son  to  make  the  daily  duty  visits  on  his  behalf.  Moreover,  he  sent 
out  his  servants  to  look  around  for  another  suitable  wife  for  him  else- 
where. At  last  he  succeeded  in  finding,  for  the  price  of  eight  hundred 
taels,  a  fresh  seventeen-year-old  to  wed  and  conduct  to  bis  chambers. 


CHAPTER    28 

The  Mad  Robber  Count  has  improper  designs  and  experiences  a  flog- 
ging. The  Cold  Knight  sets  off  on  a  journey  to  avoid  trouble. 

1  HE  SON  OF  LAI  SHENG,  MAJORDOMO  OF  THE  YUNGKUO  PALACE,  HAD 
attained  to  a  high  official  position  thanks  to  the  patronage  of  his  former 
princely  masters.  The  proud  parents  had  decided  to  celebrate  the  happy 
event  duly  by  a  banquet  in  their  home  lasting  three  days.  The  first  day 
»was  reserved  for  the  noble  gentlemen  and  ladies  and  young  girls  from 
the  Yungkuo  palace  and  the  Ningkuo  palace,  as  well  as  some  important 
guests  from  mandarin  circles.  On  the  second  day  the  relatives  and 
friends  were  to  be  feasted,  and  on  the  third  day  former  colleagues  from 
both  palaces.  The  Princess  Ancestress  had  graciously  accepted  the  invi- 
tation, and  on  the  fourteenth,  accompanied  by  many  members  of  the 
clan,  both  male  and  female,  she  personally  graced  with  her  presence 
the  home  of  the  former  majordomo  and  his  wife.  The  garden,  with  its 
beautiful  pavilions,  was  reserved  to  the  ladies,  while  the  gentlemen 
were  entertained  in  the  reception  hall. 

Among  the  guests  was  a  certain  Liu  Hsiang  Lien,  a  close  friend  of 
Pao  Yu  and  of  the  late  Chin  Chung.  This  orphaned  scion  of  an  ancient 
noble  family  was  a  merry  fellow  who  was  not  much  addicted  to  his 
books,  but  rather  favored  hunting  and  and  military  pursuits,  flute  and 
lute  playing,  wine  and  dice;  neither  did  he  disdain  the  abodes  of  flowers 
and  willows.  The  handsome,  well-built  young  man  possessed,  moreover, 
a  great  liking  and  talent  for  the  theater  and  occasionally  appeared  in 
amateur  performances  as  the  gifted  impersonator  of  the  youthful  hero- 
ine of  sentimental  "Wind  and  Moon"  pieces.  On  the  occasion  of  some 

294 


jfc*  * 


such  amateur  performance  the  libertine  Hsueh  Pan  had  seen  and  ad- 
mired him,  and  had  been  unable  to  dismiss  him  from  his  mind  ever 
since.  He  had  a  burning  desire  to  make  his  acquaintance  and  become 
friends  with  him,  erroneously  believing  him  to  be  one  of  those  loose- 
living  theatrical  youths  who  are  ready  to  be  seduced  for  an  amorous 
game  of  "Wind  and  Moon."  Therefore,  his  joy  knew  no  b.ounds  when 
he  met  him  by  chance  at  the  feast,  and  he  firmly  decided  to  make 
friends  with  him  then  and  there. 

The  host  had  engaged  a  troupe  of  actors  to  entertain  his  guests,  and 
at  the  special  wish  of  Prince  Chen,  who  was  merry  from  wine  and  who 
also  was  an  admirer  of  his  art  and  his  person,  young  Liu  had  performed 
in  two  acts  of  one  of  his  own  pieces.  Afterwards  the  Prince  had  made 
him  sit  beside  him  at  the  table  for  distinguished  guests,  and  drawn  him 
into  a  long  and  affable  conversation.  And  so  Hsueh  Pan,  who  was  sit- 
ting near  by,  became  acquainted  with  him  and,  as  he  grew  more  and 
more  exhilarated  by  wine,  importuned  him  so  obtrusively  with  insidious 
questions  and  amiable  attentions  that  it  gradually  became  irksome  to 
young  Liu,  who  availed  of  a  favorable  moment  to  rise  from  the  table, 
and  quickly  decided  to  leave  the  party. 

The  host's  son  asked  him  to  stay  a  while  longer  as  Pao  Yu,  who  was 
over  there  with  the  ladies,  specially  wished  to  speak  to  him  alone  after 
the  company  had  risen  from  the  table — a  wish  easily  understood,  as 
Pao  Yu  had  to  be  wary  of  exposing  himself  to  the  chatter  of  his  watch- 
ful cousins  or  to  the  mockery  of  the  tipsy  gentlemen.  But  if  he,  Liu, 
really  must  go  already,  perhaps  he  would  wait  just  a  little  until  the 
host's  son  had  called  out  Pao  Yu.  Young  Liu  agreed  to  this,  and  his 
host  sent  a  serving  woman  over  to  Pao  Yu  to  call  him  away  discreetly 
from  the  ladies. 

Pao  Yu  took  his  friend  to  the  library,  which  was  somewhat  secluded 
and  where  two  people  could  chat  undisturbed. 

"I  am  worried  about  our  good  Chin  Chung's  tomb.  Have  you  been 
out  there  recently?"  began  Pao  Yu. 

"Yes,  quite  recently,  when  out  hunting  with  falcons.  We  were  hunt- 
ing scarcely  two  li  away,  and  I  took  the  opportunity  of  visiting  the 
tomb  secretly.  I  was  afraid  that  it  might  be  washed  away  or  swimming 
in  water  after  the  heavy  rains  of  last  summer.  My  misgivings  were 
well  founded;  it  looked  very  much  in  need  of  repair,  so  I  went  out  there 
again  two  days  later  with  two  coolies,  and  put  it  in  order.  The  job  cost 
me  a  few  coppers." 

"Ah,  now  I  understand.  Last  month  I  sent  my  servant  Ming  Yen  out 
there  and  ordered  him  to  lay  on  the  tomb  as  an  offering  ten  ripe  lotus 
kernels  which  I  had  plucked  from  the  pond  in  the  park  with  my  own 
hand.  On  his  return  I  asked  him  in  what  condition  he  had  found  the 

296 


tomb  and  whether  it  had  suffered  very  much  from  the  summer  rains.  He 
said  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  looked  much  better  than  it  had  looked  be- 
fore, in  fact  like  new.  I  thought  at  once  that  it  must  have  been  the 
work  of  some  friend.  Now  I  know  that  it  was  you.  Unfortunately,  I  find 
it  most  difficult  to  get  away  from  home,  I  am  continually  under  observa- 
tion; every  step  I  take  is  watched  and  criticized.  Therefore,  I  could  not 
see  to  the  tomb  personally.  And  the  silly  thing  is  that  I  cannot  even 
spend  money  on  my  own,  although  there  is  really  enough  money  in  our 
family." 

"Do  not  worry  on  that  account!  After  all,  you  have  me.  Call  on  me 
with  confidence  any  time  you  want  something  from  outside!  More- 
over, I  have  seen  to  it  that  on'  his  next  anniversary,  the  first  of  the 
tenth  month,  our  dead  friend  shall  receive  a  worthy  burnt  offering." 

"I  am  glad  of  that.  I  was  going  to  send  Ming  Yen  to  you  about  it; 
but  you  are  such  a  drifting  water  plant,  one  can  never  know  where  to 
look  for  you." 

"That  is  true,  and  now  I  have  another  long  journey  before  me.  This 
time  I  shalt  certainly  not  be  back  for  three  or  four  years." 

"So  long?  What,  then,  is  driving  you  away?" 

"I  cannot  explain  it  to  you  now,  in  such  a  hurry.  You  will  hear  of  it 
later.  But  now  I  would  like  to  go." 

"Could  we  not  have  another  talk  again  this  evening  when  the  com- 
pany has  dispersed?" 

"Unfortunately,  it  cannot  be !  I  do  not  want  to  stay  here  any  longer, 
or  else  there  will  be  a  quarrel  with  your  cousin  Hsueh  Pan — you  under- 
stand?" 

"Yes,  I  well  understand.  Indeed,  it  is  best  for  you  to  get  out  of  the 
way.  But  before  you  set  out  on  your  long  journey,  we  will  see  one  an- 
other to  say  good-by,  won't  we?  Promise  me!" 

"Of  course  I  shall  say  good-by  to  you  before  I  go.  And  please  do 
not  speak  to  anyone  about  my  journey!  Now  go  in  again  and  let  me 
disappear  unobtrusively!" 

They  separated,  and  young  Liu  went  towards  the  gateway.  He  was 
just  about  to  leave  through  the  gate  when  he  encountered  Hsueh  Pan, 
who  shouted:  "Where  is' little  Liu  hiding?  Who  has  let  little  Liu  go 
out?"  as  he  watched  and  searched  for  him.  Young  Liu's  eyes  flashed 
angrily  when  he  saw  the  drunken  fellow  and  heard  him  bawling.  He 
would  have  liked  best  to  knock  him  to  the  ground  with  a  powerful  blow, 
but  consideration  for  his  host  prevented  him  from  committing  a  violent 
outtage  on  his  premises.  Meantime  Hsueh  Pan  had  noticed  him,  and 
now  greeted  him  as  if  he  were  a  jewel  he  had  lost  and  found  again. 

"Where  do  you  want  to  go,  dear  little  one?"  he  babbled,  catching 
him  by  the  arm. 

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"I'm  going  to  take  a  little  exercise,  I'll  come  back  again,"  replied 
young  Liu. 

"Ah,  don't  go  away!  There's  no  life  here  without  you.  Stay  for  my 
sake!  I  will  do  anything  for  you  that  you  ask.  Do  you  want  money?  Do 
you  want  a  position?  Your  elder  brother  can  get  anything  for  you  if 
you  are  just  a  little  nice  to  him." 

Young  Liu  felt  greatly  disgusted  with  the  tiresome  fellow.  If  he 
could  only  fix  him  once  and  for  all!  Then  a  good  idea  came  to  him. 
Assuming  friendliness,  he  drew  the  other  aside  into  a  corner. 

"Do  you  really  want  to  be  my  friend,  *r  are  you  only  pretending?" 
he  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"But,  dear,  good  brother,  how  can  you  still  ask  such  a  thing?"  re- 
plied the  other  joyfully,  eying  him  askance.  "If  I  do  not  mean  it  sin- 
cerely, may  I  fall  dead  immediately!" 

"Very  well.  But  here  in  this  house  we  are  hampered.  Let  us  wait  a 
little  while.  I  will  go  away  alone  first.  Follow  me  to  my  home  a  little 
later  on !  We  will  have  a  bit  of  a  carouse  tonight  at  my  place.  Besides,  I 
have  two  charming  young  things  there  for  company.  But  come  alone, 
without  servants !  I  myself  have  people  to  serve  us." 

Hsueh  Pan  became  almost  sober  again  with  joy  at  his  words. 

"Really?  Do  you  want  to?" 

"How  can  you  still  be  doubtful?" 

"But  where  shall  I  find  you?" 

"I  live  outside  the  city  walls  in  front  of  the  North  Gate.  You  could 
stay  the  night  with  me." 

"Oh,  if  I  only  have  you  I  shall  not  think  any  more  of  home." 

"Very  well,  I  shall  await  you  by  the  bridge  at  the  North  Gate.  And 
see  that  you  are  not  noticed  going  away  from  here!" 

Hsueh  Pan  promised,  and  the  two  returned  to  the  table  and  con- 
tinued the  carouse  for  a  while  longer.  In  his  excessive  joy  Hsueh  Pan 
tossed  down  so  much  wine  that  within  a  short  time  he  was  nine-tenths 
drunk.  Young  Liu  soon  left  the  table  again,  sent  his  servant  home,  and 
rode  alone  to  the  bridge  in  front  of  the  Northern  Gate.  After  the  time 
required  to  take  a  moderate  meal,  he  saw  Hsueh  Pan  approaching 
at  a  trot  on  his  big  saddle  horse.  He  was  a  ridiculous  sight  as  he  rode 
along,  swaying  to  and  fro  in  the  saddle,  his  round  head  ceaselessly 
turning  to  right  and  left  like  a  peddler's  drum,  his  mouth  open  and  his 
staring  wine-drunk  little  eyes  peering  frantically  about  him.  In  the  dusk 
he  naturally  failed  to  see  Liu,  who  had  stopped  by  the  bridge,  and 
quickly  rode  past  him  farther  and  farther  along  the  highroad,  out  into 
the  open  country.  In  spite  of  his  angry  mood,  Liu  had  to  laugh  at  the 
blundering  fellow,  and  he  followed  him  at  a  discreet  distance.  As  the 
district  became  more  lonely  and  deserted,  Hsueh  Pan  turned  round  his 

298 


horse  in  a  circle  and  made  for  the  road  back.  Then  at  last  he  caught 
sight  of  young  Liu. 

"You  are  a  decent  fellow,  you  have  kept  your  word!"  he  called  out 
to  him  joyfully 

"Farther,  farther!  We  go  straight  on  for  a  while,"  Liu  urged  him, 
laughing,  and  trotted  quickly  ahead  of  him  along  the  highroad.  Hsueh 
Pan  trotted  after  him,  panting  with  exhaustion.  At  a  very  lonely  spot, 
near  a  pond  surrounded  by  reeds,  Liu  stopped,  dismounted  from  his 
horse,  and  tied  it  to  a  tree. 

"Get  down !  Here  at  this  spot  we  will  confirm  our  union  by  a  solemn 
oath.  Accursed  be  he  who  breaks  faith  and  'betrays,  the  other.  You  swear 
first!"  he  cried  grimly  to  Hsueh  Pan. 

"Agreed!"  babbled  Hsueh  Pan,  slipping  down  from  the  saddle  and 
likewise  tying  his  horse  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  Then  he  knelt  down  on 
the  ground  and  began  solemnly:  "I  hereby  vow  eternal  fidelity.  Should 
I  change  my  feelings  and  become  a  traitor,  may  the  punishment  of 
heaven  and  the  vengeance  of  earth  fall  on  me  .  .  .!" 

He  had  not  yet  finished  his  oath  when  he  heard  behind  him  a  whiz- 
zing sound  and  immediately  felt  a  powerful  blow  on  his  neck  as  if  from 
an  iron  cudgel.  Everything  went  black  before  his  eyes,  and  golden  stars 
danced  through  the  darkness.  He  lost  his  balance  and  toppled  over. 

"Weakling!"  snorted  Liu  contemptuously  at  the  man  lying  in  the 
dust.  "He  has  felt  only  three-tenths  of  my  anger  as  yet  and  already  he 
is  finished.  Wait,  there's  more  to  come!" 

He  dealt  him  a  few  blows  of  his  fist  in  the  face  and  several  kicks  in 
the  body,  which  brought  the  other  down  again  and  again  as  often  as  he 
tried  to  raise  himself  up. 

"You  call  that  friendship?"  groaned  Hsueh  Pan.  "If  you  did  not 
wish  to  associate  with  me,  why  could  you  not  say  so  in  a  friendly  way? 
Why  this  deceit  and  maltreatment?" 

He  was  about  to  go  on  to  angry  scolding,  but  Liu  rudely  cut  him 
short. 

"For  whom  have  you  taken  me,  the  great  Liu,  in  your  blindness?"  he 
shouted  at  him  angrily.  "If  you  try  any  impudence,  you  will  get  a 
lesson!" 

And  he  gave  him  thirty  or  forty  strokes  of  his  horsewhip,  then 
dragged  him  by  the  left  foot  to  the  muddy  bank  of  the  near-by  reedy 
swamp  and  flung  him  down  flat  in  a  stagnant  pool  some  steps  from  the 
edge. 

"Do  you  know  me  now?  Will  you  make  an  apology?"  he  asked  him 
furiously. 

Hsueh  Pan,  half  sobered  by  the  rough  treatment  and  the  cold  dous- 
ing, was  fully  occupied  in  dragging  himself  out  of  the  mud  and  slime, 

299 


and  only  answered  with  miserable  grunts  and  groans.  Liu  threw  the 
riding  whip  onto  the  bank  and  belabored  him  anew  with  a  few  heavy 
blows  of  his  fist. 

Hsueh  Pan  heaved  himself  up  onto  dry  ground  with  such  an  effort 
that  his  sinews  almost  snapped,  and  howled:  "I  admit  that  you  are 
a  respectable,  honest  fellow!  I  misjudged  you.  But  that  is  the  fault  of 
others,  who  led  me  astray  with  their  talk.  .  .  ." 

"Leave  the  others  alone!"  Liu  interrupted  him  angrily.  "Kindly  keep 
to  the  point  and  to  the  present  time!" 

"Well,  I  admit  my  error.  You  are  a  good,  respectable  man,  a  perfect 
man  of  honor." 

"That  does  not  yet  satisfy  me.  If  I  am  to  grant  you  mercy,  kindly  ex- 
press yourself  somewhat  more  courteously  and  humbly!" 

"Dear  younger  brother!"  panted  Hsueh  Pan.  He  got  no  further.  The 
other  had  once  more  dealt  him  a  blow  on  the  face. 

"Dear  elder  brother!   .  .  ."  Slap!  Two  blows  again  fell  on  his  face. 

"Good  old  master!"  whined  the  humbled  Hsueh  Pan.  "Graciously 
have  pity  on  me!  My  foolish  eyes  were  struck  with  blindness.  From 
now  on  I  shall  respect  and  honor  you." 

"Drink  two  mouthfuls  of  this  puddle  water!"  ordered  Liu,  to  fill  the 
measure  of  his  humiliation. 

Hsueh  Pan  put  on  a  grimace  of  disgust. 

"That  dirty  water?  But  no  one  could  drink  that!"  he  ventured  to 
reply,  and  again  Liu  dealt  him  another  blow  of  his  fist. 

"Very  well,  very  well,  I  shall  drink  it,"  Hsueh  Pan  hastened  to  say, 
in  order  to  ward  off  further  ill.  And  he  complied  with  the  order  by 
sticking  his  head  down  in  the  slimy  pool  and  filling  his  mouth  with  the 
revolting  fluid.  But  he  did  not  get  as  far  as  swallowing  it.  He  belched 
and  had  to  vomit  out  the  liquid  together  with  the  contents  of  his 
stomach. 

"You  are  lucky  that  the  air  here  does  not  suit  me  any  longer,"  de- 
clared Liu  brusquely,  and,  repelled  by  the  stench  of  the  place,  he 
turned  hurriedly  away,  loosened  his  horse,  and  trotted  off. 

The  sudden  disappearance  of  Hsueh  Pan  and  young  Liu  from  the 
table  had  not  passed  unnoticed.  When  they  did  not  return,  the  whole 
house  was  searched  for  them,  but  they  were  not  found.  At  last  the  news 
spread  about  that  they  had  been  seen  trotting  off  quickly  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  northern  city  gate.  Thereupon  Prince  Chen  sent  his  son 
Chia  Yung  with  several  servants  out  to  the  northern  gate  to  look  for 
them.  About  two  short  miles  beyond  the  bridge  by  the  gate,  near  a 
pond  surrounded  by  reeds,  the  searchers  found  Hsueh  Pan's  horse 
tied  to  a  tree.  The  rider  cannot  be  far  from  where  the  horse  is,  they 
thought  to  themselves.  And  right  enough,  they  now  heard  a  miserable 

300 


groaning  and  long-drawn-out  cries  for  help  coming  from  the  edge  of 
the  pond.  They  dismounted  and  hurried  to  the  spot  whence  the  calk 
came.  There  they  found  Hsueh  Pan  lying  among  the  reeds,  his  clothes 
wet  through  and  dirty,  his  face  disfigured,  bruised,  and  covered  with 
welts,  lying  like  a  water  hog  on  the  ground  among  the  reeds.  Chia 
Yung,  who  at  once  guessed  nine-tenths  of  the  truth,  had  his  helpless 
uncle,  who  was  groaning  with  pain,  assisted  to  his  feet  by  his  servants. 

"See  how  the  great  uncle  now  seeks  out  swampy  puddles  and  muddy 
pools  for  the  scenes  of  his  amorous  adventures,"  Chia  Yung  teased 
him.  "He  has  probably  bewitched  the  water-dragon  Prince  with  his 
charm?  Apparently  he  knocked  against  the  dragon's  horns  in  doing 
so." 

Hsueh  Pan  was  so  ashamed  that  he  would  have  liked  best  to  creep 
into  a  crack  in  the  ground.  In  his  present  bruised  condition  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  think  of  climbing  into  the  saddle.  There  was  noth- 
ing else  to  do  but  hire  a  sedan  chair  from  the  near-by  Temple  of  Kuan 
ti,  the  god  of  war,  and  take  Hsueh  Pan  back  to  town  in  it.  At  his  urgent 
entreaty  he  was  not  taken  back  to  the  banquet,  as  Chia  Yung  had 
maliciously  wanted,  but  was  carried  straight  home. 

So  Chia  Yung  returned  alone  to  the  banquet  table  in  Lai  Sheng's 
house,  and  his  report  of  his  adventures  made  Prince  Chen  smirk  and 
grin  knowingly. 

"Being  trapped  like  that  will  do  him  no  harm  at  all!"  said  the  Prince 
maliciously. 

When  he  went  to  visit  him  in  his  home  later  in  the  evening,  he  was 
informed  that  Hsueh  Pan  was  ill  and  could  not  see  anyone.  When  Aunt 
Hsueh  and  Precious  Clasp  arrived  home  somewhat  later,  Hsueh  Pan's 
secondary  wife  Lotus  met  them  with  tear-stained  eyes  and  pointed  to 
the  bedroom  where  they  found  Hsueh  Pan  lying  in  bed  with  bruised 
limbs  and  swollen  face,  doctoring  himself  as  best  he  could.  Luckily, 
he  had  come  out  of  the  scrap  without  any  severe  internal  injuries  or 
broken  bones. 

Aunt  Hsueh  was  beside  herself  and  abused  her  son  and  his  torturer 
in  turn.  Actually,  she  wanted  to  complain  to  Madame  Cheng  and  have 
young  Liu  arrested  immediately,  but  Precious  Clasp  was  able  to  dis-_ 
suade  her  from  this  and  pacify  her.  It  was  nothing  but  a  little  scuffle 
between  drunken  boon  companions,  she  said.  Such  things  occur  often 
and  one  need  not  make  much  fuss  about  them. 

"Besides,  everyone  knows  our  family  heir  as  one  who  defies  heaven 
and  has  contempt  for  the  law,"  she  continued.  "If  you  were  to  let  it 
come  to  a  lawsuit,  people  would  take  sides  against  you  and  him.  If 
you  insist  on  getting  satisfaction,  have  patience  for  a  few  days  until 
Hsueh  Pan  is  well  again.  Prince  Chen  will  certainly  show  his  gratitude 

301 


for  the  banquet  today  by  a  counter-invitation.  All  the  guests  of  today 
will  be  present,  and  also  brother  Hsueh  Pan  and  that  fellow  Liu.  Liu 
can  then  apologize  before  all  those  present.  That  is  much  better  than 
letting  it  come  to  a  public  scandal." 

"You  are  right,  my  child,"  agreed  Aunt  Hsueh.  "The  first  outburst 
of  anger  clouded  my  understanding." 

"In  reality  he  deserves  what  he  got,"  continued  Precious  Clasp, 
with  a  laugh.  "Up  to  now  he  has  had  no  respect  either  for  you  or  for 
other  people  and  has  been  behaving  very  badly  day  after  day.  He  will 
only  be  taught  wisdom  by  adversity.  Two  or  three  such  bitter  ex- 
periences and  he  will  be  cured!" 

That  night  Hsueh  Pan  could  not  sleep  a  wink.  He  raged  against  his 
enemy,  swore  vengeance,  and  next  day  sent  his  servants  with  orders  to 
tear  down  Liu's  house  and  flay  him  or,  better  still,  strike  him  dead  im- 
mediately. But  the  servants  returned  without  having  performed  their 
task.  Young  Liu  had  acted  in  drunkenness  yesterday.  On  becoming 
sober  he  had  regretted  his  action  and  had  fled  from  the  town  through 
fear  of  punishment,  so  his  neighbors  had  told  them.  Kow  Hsueh  Pan  re- 
ceived this  information  you  will  hear  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   29 

The  libertine,  shamed  and  disgraced,  seeks  distraction  in  a  business 
expedition.  A  superior  girl  practices  the  art  of  poetry,  studying  the  best 

riasters. 

1  HE   NEWS  OF  THE    FLIGHT   OF  HIS   OPPONENT   HAD   THE    EFFECT    OF 

making  Hsueh  Pan's  anger  abate  gradually.  His  physical  state,  too,  had 
.improved  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  but  shame  over  the  outrage 
he  had  suffered  continued  to  prevent  him  from  appearing  before  his 
relatives  and  friends. 

The  tenth  month  had  arrived.  This  is  the  time  when  travelling  traders 
complete  their  annual  accounts  and  set  out  for  home,  to  spend  the  New 
Year  Festival  with  their  families.  During  those  days  many  farewell  din- 
ners were  given  in  the  Yungkuo  and  Ningkuo  palaces  for  the  business 
managers  who  maintained  various  kinds  of  shops  in  the  town  on  behalf 
of  the  two  princely  houses,  and  who  were  now  departing  for  their 
homes.  Among  these  business  managers  was  one  Chang  Te  Hui,  who 
conducted  a  pawnbroker's  shop  for  Hsueh  Pan,  and  moreover  himself 
possessed  a  private  fortune  of  three  thousand  ounces  of  gold, 

"The  market  has  become  very  difficult  today  for  mourning  finery 
and  perfumed  fans,"  he  remarked  casually  at  the  farewell  dinner  which 

302 


Hsueh  Pan  gave  for  him.  "The  prices  of  these  articles  will  rise  appre- 
ciably next  year.  I  intend  to  put  in  good  supplies  in  time,  and  then,  in 
the  first  months  of  next  year,  to  sell  my  goods  at  a  profit  when  touring 
the  provinces.  Even  after  deducting  the  inland  customs  taxes,  I  shall 
probably  make  a  good  profit.  Therefore,  I  shall  stay  away  longer  than 
usual  this  time  and  shall  hardly  be  back  before  the  Dragon  Boat  Festi- 
val on  the  fifth  of  the  fifth  month.  Until  then  you  must  entrust  the  man- 
agement of  the  pawnshop  to  my  servants." 

When  Hsueh  Pan  heard  him  telling  this,  he  thought  to  himself: 
Wouldn't  it  be  wisest  to  join  with  him  and  invest  some  capital  in  his  un- 
dertaking? I  have  suffered  a  shameful  exposure  here  and  it  wpuid  do 
me  no  harm  to  disappear  from  the  place  for  six  months  or  a  year  and  so 
escape  unpleasant  gossip.  After  all,  I  cannot  very  well  go  on  indefinitely 
keeping  out  of  people's  way  on  the  plea  of  being  ill.  Besides,  this  would 
afford  me  a  good  opportunity  of  finding  a  useful  occupation.  I  am  cer- 
tainly old  enough  to  really  begin  to  do  something.  I  have  no  taste  for 
either  books  or  soldiering,  so  a  little  trading  should  suit  me  better.  To 
learn  to  use  scales  and  abacus,  and  to  get  to  know  the  country  and 
the  people,  and  new  districts  and  customs,  is  also  a  valuable  experi- 
ence. Even  if  this  journey  does  not  bring  me  financial  profit,  it  offers  the 
advantage  of  a  welcome  change  of  occupation  and  scene. 

Having  debated  with  himself  in  this  way,  he  calmly  informed  his 
business  friend  Chang  of  his  decision  after  they  had  stood  up  from 
table.  Would  Mr.  Chang  please  postpone  his  departure  for  two  days,  so 
that  he  could  join  him?  The  same  evening  he  put  the  matter  to  his 
mother.  Aunt  Hsueh  found  his  intention  praiseworthy  in  itself,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  she  feared  that  he  would  get  into  mischief  on  the  way, 
with  unpleasant  consequences  for  himself,  and  uselessly  squander  the 
capital  which  he  would  take  with  him.  So  she  did  not  wish  to  let  him  go. 
He  was  the  mainstay  of  her  old  age,  and  after  all  he  did  not  need  to 
make  money  by  such  small  trading  efforts,  she  objected.  But  Hsueh  Pan 
was  fully  determined  not  to  be  turned  aside  from  his  decision. 

"You  are  always  finding  fault  with  my  lack  of  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence," he  said.  "One  time  you  say  I  don't  know  this,  and  another  time 
that  I  don't  understand  that.  And  now,  when  I  want  to  break  with  my 
previous  aimless  life,  enter  a  useful  occupation,  and  become  a  compe- 
tent person,  you  are  against  that  too.  How,  then,  am  I  to  please  you? 
After  all,  I'm  not  a  girl  who  can  be  kept  shut  off  from  the  outside  world 
for  her  whole  life.  Besides,  this  Chang  is  a  seasoned,  experienced,  and 
worldly-wise  businessman  whose  company  and  conversation  cart  do  me 
nothing  but  good.  He  will  certainly  see  that  I  do  not  get  into  any  mis- 
chief, and  his  advice  will  be  most  helpful  to  me.  My  decision  stands 

303 


firm.  I  refuse  to  be  deterred.  Just  you  wait  and  see!  I  shall  come  back 
next  year  with  my  fortune  made.  You  don't  know  me  yet!" 

Aunt  Hsueh  discussed  the  question  with  her  daughter  Precious  Clasp. 
"Yes,  his  intentions  sound  quite  laudable.  If  only  he  does  not  fall  into 
his  bad  old  ways  again  while  he's  away!"  said  Precious  Clasp.  "But  you 
can't  very  well  keep  him  tied  to  your  apron  strings.  After  all,  he's  a 
grown  man,  so  why  should  he  stick  at  home?  Let  him  go  out  confi- 
dently and  see  a  bit  of  the  world.  If  he  wants  to  mend  his  ways  and  be- 
come a  useful  member  of  society,  do  at  least  let  him  have  a  try !  More- 
over, in  Mr.  Chang  he  has  a  reliable  adviser  by  his  side.  Besides,  it  can 
do  him  no  harm  to  have  to  stand  on  his  own  feet  for  a  change  and  do 
without  the  backing  of  his  family,  and  be  away  from  the  friends  who 
lead  him  astray.  He  will  have  to  keep  his  eyes  open  and  become  self- 
reliant.  Take  courage  and  let  him  have  the  eighteen  hundred  ounces  of 
silver  which  you  have  set  aside  for  him  in  any  case,  and  let  him  be  off!" 

"You  are  right.  Let  us  hope  he  will  take  up  a  useful  occupation!" 
agreed  Aunt  Hsueh,  after  lengthy  consideration. 

The  next  day  she  invited  the  business  manager  Chang  to  the  house 
and  had  a  meal  served  to  Hsueh  Pan  and  himself  alone  in  the  library. 
During  the  meal  she  herself,  speaking  through  an  outside  window,  in- 
formed the  guest  of  her  approval  of  the  journey,  adding  a  hundred 
practical  hints  and  a  thousand  salutary  warnings,  which  the  guest 
promised,  with  two  mouths  at  the  same  time,  to  take  to  heart.  Hsueh 
Pan  was  supremely  happy.  The  fourteenth  day  of  the  tenth  month  was 
picked  out  in  the  calendar  as  a  lucky  day  for  the  departure.  The  inter- 
vening two  days  were  filled  with  busy  preparations  for  the  journey, 
mother,  sister,  secondary  wife,  and  two  elderly  serving  women  all  help- 
ing zealously.  Three  big  carts  were  filled  with  the  luggage  alone.  As 
saddle  animals  Hsueh  Pan  was  given  a  big  mule,  ice-gray  in  color, 
.which  belonged  to  his  own  family  of  Hsueh,  and  also  a  strong  hack 
from  the  princely  stables.  For  staff  he  was  given  five  people,  three  ex- 
perienced older  servants  and"  two  young  fellows.  On  the  thirteenth 
there  was  a  great  leave-taking  of  the  relatives.  Then,  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourteenth,  he  set  out  on  his  journey.  Mother,  sister,  and  Lo- 
tus accompanied  him  as  far  as  the  inner  gateway,  and  remained  peep- 
ing out  after  the  departing  figure  for  a  while,  then  turned  back  with 
sighs,  half  saddened  and  half  relieved,  to  their  apartments. 

After  Hsueh  Pan  was  gone  Aunt  Hsueh  had  all  the  ornaments  and 
furnishings  taken  from  his  gentleman's  apartments  into  her  own  dwell- 
ing, and  locked  up  his  suite.  Moreover,  she  arranged  for  Lotus  to  come 
to  live  in  her  suite  and  sleep  with  her  at  night.  But  Precious  Clasp 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  have  Lotus  live  with  her  in  the  Park  of  De- 
lightful Vision.  There  was  plenty  of  room,  and  she  could  very  well  do 

304 


with  a  companion  and  partner  for  the  long  winter  evenings,  so  she  said. 
Aunt  Hsueh  consented,  and  so  Lotus  packed  her  blankets  and  cushions 
and  clothes  and  toilet  articles  and  moved  over  to  the  Jungle  Courtyard. 
Lotus  was  very  pleased  with  the  change;  indeed,  she  had  already  in- 
tended to  ask  Aunt  Hsueh's  permission  to  go  over  now  and  then  for  a 
day  to  keep  Precious  Clasp  company  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision; 
and  now  she  was  actually  to  be  allowed  to  live  there  permanently. 

"I  should  so  love  you  to  teach  me  the  art  of  poetry,  if  you  have  time 
and  inclination,"  she  said,  radiant  with  joy,  to  Precious  Clasp  the  very 
day  she  came  over  to  her. 

"My  word,  you  are  greedy!  You  are  like  the  old  Emperor  Kuang 
Wu-ti,  of  the  Han  dynasty,  who  had  hardly  conquered  the  land  of  Lung 
when  he  began  coveting  the  land  of  Chu  also.  Naturally,  I  shall  be  de- 
lighted to  teach  you  the  art  of  poetry,  but  not  straight  away  on  the  first 
day.  Today  you  must  first  of  all  pay  your  farewell  visits  to  the  old  Tai 
tai  and  to  the  other  ladies  over  there,  one  after  the  other,  and  then  pay 
your  first  visits  to  all  the  young  ladies  here.  If  people  ask  you  the  why 
and  wherefore  of  your  presence, here,  you  can  say  that  I  wanted  you  as 
companion." 

Lotus  was  just  about  to  set  out  on  her  round  of 'visiting  when  the 
waiting  maid  Little  Ping  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"Here's  my  new  companion  since  today,"  said  Precious  Clasp,  point- 
ing to  Lotus.  "I  was  just  on  the  point  of  duly  announcing  her  change 
over  here  to  your  mistress  Phoenix." 

"Why  the  formality?  I  have  nothing  against  it." 

"Oh,  yes,  but  we  must  have  order.  It's  on  account  of  the  gate  watch- 
men at  the  entrance  to'  the  park,  so  that  they  may  know  that  they  have 
to  let  one  more  person  in  before  they  close  the  gates  in  the  evening.  But 
now  you  yourself  can  notify  your  mistress,  and  I  shall  not  have  to  send 
over  specially." 

"Very  well,  I  shall  see  to  that.  Has  she  already  bidden  farewell  to  her 
old  neighbors  and  presented  herself  to  her  new  ones?" 

"She  is  just  going  to  do  so  now." 

"Tell  her  she'd  better  not  visit  us.  Mr.  Chia  Lien  is  lying  sick  at 
home." 

When  Lotus  had  gone  Little  Ping  took  Precious  Clasp  aside  and 
asked  her  in  a  whisper:  "Have  you  heard  about  our  latest  scandal  yet?" 

"No.  I  was  so  busy  in  the  last  few  days  helping  my  brother  to  get 
ready  for  his  journey  that  I  could  not  bother  about  anything  else.  I 
haven't  seen  my  cousins  in  the  last  few  days  either." 

"Then  you  have  not  heard  anything  much  about  the  severe  flogging 
which  Mr.  Chia  Lien  got  recently  from  his  father,  Prince  Shieh?" 

305 


"No,  I  only  heard  a  whisper  of  it,  and  that  is  one  reason  why  I  was 
going  to  visit  Phoenix.  What  was  the  reason  for  it?" 

"Naturally,  that  Mr.  Yu  Tsun  is  once  more  at  the  bottom  of  it — that 
dubious  'Gentleman  from  Nowhere,'  who  once  got  stuck  halfway  to  the 
capital,  half  dead  from  hunger,  and  unfortunately  did  not  pass  out.  In 
the  ten  years  that  he  has  been  coming  in  and  out  of  here,  he  has 
brought  nothing  but  misfortune  to  our  house.  Well,  I'll  tell  you  the 
story.  One  day  in  the  spring  Prince  Shieh  chanced  to  see  some  beautiful 
old  fans.  From  that  time  onwards  he  lost  all  liking  for  his  own  fans,  and 
sent  out  his  servants  to  find  him  old  fans  like  those  he  had  seen. 

"Well,  they  do  in  fact  hunt  up  a  wretched  old  eccentric  of  a  fan  col- 
lector who  has  in  his  possession  no  less  than  twenty  valuable  old  speci- 
mens. The  old  gentleman  in  question,  who  was  commonly  known  as  'the 
stony  eccentric,'  must  surely  have  had  a  quarrel  with  the  Prince  in  some 
former  existence.  Be  that  as  it  may,  though  he's  so  poor  that  he  has 
hardly  a  bite  to  eat,  he  will  not  part  with  his  fans  at  any  price.  The 
Prince  makes  every  conceivable  effort  to  get  at  least  a  sight  of  the 
things.  After  two  or  three  polite  requests  the  eccentric  at  last  expresses 
his  willingness  to  receive  the  Prince  and  show  him  his  treasures.  They 
were  all  rare,  unique  examples,  their  handles  and  ribs  made  of  marbled 
tear-bamboo  or  carved  from  coco-palm  wood,  elk's  horn,  and  similar 
rare  materials,  and  covered,  moreover,  with  paintings  and  inscriptions 
made  by  the  hands  of  historically  famous  persons. 

"The  Prince  was  firmly  resolved  to  buy  them,  but  when  he  asked  the 
price,  the  eccentric  owner  shook  his  head  and  declared  that  even  if  he 
were  offered  a  thousand  batzes  apiece,  he  would  not  give  them  up.  The 
Prince  went  away  foiled  in  his  purpose,  but  he  sent  his  son  there  every 
day  to  continue  negotiating.  He  increased  his  offer  gradually  to  five 
hundred  batzes,  but  still  the  eccentric  would  not  part  with  his  fans.  He 
would  rather  give  up  his  life,  he  declared.  The  Prince  was  furious  with 
his  son  and  abused  him  for  being  an  incompetent  ass  because  he  could 
not  carry  off  the  deal.  Now,  so  far  it  is  not  too  bad,  and  the  matter 
would  have  blown  over  if  that  wretched  Mr.  Yu  Tsun  had  not  quite 
unnecessarily  poked  his  nose  into  it.  He  suddenly  brings  a  false  charge 
against  the  queer  old  fellow,  alleging  that  he  has  defrauded  the  State  of 
this  and  that  amount  in  rates  and  taxes,  drags  him  to  his  yamen,  puts 
him  on  trial,  condemns  him,  and  confiscates  his  goods  and  chattels,  in- 
cluding the  beautiful  fans,  by  way  of  recovering  the  alleged  debt  due 
for  taxes.  Then  he  passes  the  fans  on  to  the  Prince  at  a  low  taxation 
value.  The  unfortunate  owner  died,  so  they  say,  of  agitation  and  grief. 

"The  Prince  then  said  contemptuously  to  his  son:  'You  have  been 
telling  me  all  along  that  this  deal  was  impossible.  How  is  it,  then,  that 
other  people  have  been  able  to  carry  it  through?'  Whereupon  Mr.  Chia 

306 


Lien  replied  scornfully:  'That's  a  fine  achievement  indeed — to  make  a 
good,  innocent  man  wretchedly  unhappy  for  the  paltry  matter  of  those 
fans!' 

"His  thoughtless1  remark  annoyed  the  Prince  extremely.  He  was  al- 
ready on  rather  bad  terms  with  his  son  on  various  grounds.  To  make  a 
long  story  short,  he  had  him  severely  flogged,  not  only  on  the  back  parts 
as  he  lay  down,  but  all  over  his  whole  body,  even  his  face,  while  he 
stood.  He  has  bleeding  wounds  in  two  places  from  it.  That  is  why  the 
Mistress  has  sent  me  over  here  now.  She  wants  some  of  that  good  oint- 
ment which  you  have." 

Precious  Clasp  got  the  waiting  maid  Oriole  to  fetch  the  desired  oint- 
ment; and  she  thought  it  better  not  to  visit  Phoenix  under  these  cir- 
cumstances. 

After  supper,  while  Precious  Clasp  went  to  the  Ancestress,  Lotus 
made  a  dash  over  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  to  greet  Black  Jade.  After 
a  few  preliminary  words  Lotus  expressed  her  ardent  desire  to  learn  to 
write  poetry,  and  she  earnestly  begged  Black  Jade  to  instruct  her. 

"I  am  not  very  accomplished  myself,  but  I  shall  be  able  to  teach  you 
something  at  least,"  agreed  Black  Jade,  in  smiling  acquiescence,  "but 
first  do  me  reverence  and  acknowledge  me  as  your  mistress!" 

Lotus  bowed  politely  before  her  and  promised  to  be  a  good  and 
docile  pupil.  Black  Jade  began  her  instruction  straight  away  with  a  lec- 
ture on  verse  measure  and  structure,  and  on  the  importance  of  seeing 
that  the  correct  words  stand  in  correct  sequence  and  relation  to  each 
other  in  the  different  lines  and  that  they  are  contrasted  in  sense  and 
sound;  that,  for  example,  an  abstract  word  should  be  set  against  a  con- 
crete word,  and  a  flat  tone  against  a  sharp  one.  Only  poets  who  were 
competent  to  make  a  quite  new,  original  poetic  form  were  free  of  these 
rules. 

"Is  originality  of  expression  the  thing  that  matters,  then?" 

"Not  so  much  of  expression  as  of  thought.  One's  thought  must  be 
genuine  and  original.  Form  and. expression  are  only  decorative  acces- 
sories, so  to  speak.  The  language  must  not  kill  the  spirit — that  is  the 
general  principle." 

"I  love  the  poems  of  Lu  Fang  Kung,"  said  Lotus  naively,  and  she 
quoted  two  lines  of  this  obscure  poet. 

"How  on  earth  can  anyone  read  and  esteem  such  insipid  stuff!"  said 
Black  Jade  disdainfully.  "But  of  course  you  have  no  judgment  as  yet; 
you  lack  the  necessary  book  learning.  If  you  really  wish  to  study  seri- 
ously, listen  to  my  advice:  Begin  with  Wang  Wei.1  I  have  got  his  'Col- 
lected Works'  here.  Pick  but  a  hundred  of  his  poems  in  the  five-word 

1  Wang  Wei,  699-759. 

307 


pattern  and  impress  them  word  for  word  on  your  memory.  Then  read  a 
hundred  and  twenty  of  the  seven-word  poems  of  old  Tu  Fu.2  Go  on  then 
and  read  thoroughly  two  hundred  seven-word  poems  of  the  great  Li  Tai 
Po.3  When  you  have  made  yourself  familiar  with  these  three  masters 
you  will  have  acquired  a  solid  foundation.  Then  you  may  go  on  later  to 
Tao  Chier*4  and  the  other  poets.  If  you  proceed  on  these  lines,  within  a 
year  you  will  be  able  to  take  part  yourself  in  poetry  writing  like  a  tried 
expert." 

She  got  the  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  to  fetch  the  volume  of  Wang  Wei 
for  the  poetic  aspirant. 

"Take  it  with  you  and  study  particularly  the  passages  which  I  have 
marked  in  red.  And  if  any  line  does  not  seem  quite  clear  to  you,  do  not 
hesitate  to  ask  me;  I  will  gladly  explain  it  to  you." 

Lotus  went  off  very  happy  to  the  Jungle  Courtyard  with  her  volume 
of  Wang  Wei.  All  that  evening  and  late  into  the  night  she  sat  under  the 
lamp  studying  it,  poem  by  poem,  verse  by  verse.  She  seemed  oblivious 
to  all  that  was  going  on  around  her.  Precious  Clasp  had  to  call  her 
again  and  again  before  she  went  to  bed  at  last.  And  she  continued  like 
that  day  after  day  with  tireless  zeal. 

One  morning,  as;  Black  Jade  was  at  her  toilet,  Lotus  came  again  to 
the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  the  volume  of  Wang  Wei  under  her  arm,  and, 
after  proudly  reciting  a  verse  from  it,  asked  if  she  might  have  a  volume 
of  Tu  Fu  next. 

"How  many  poems  do  you  know  by  heart  already?"  asked  Black 
Jade,  smiling. 

"All  the  poems  which  you  had  marked  in  red." 

"And  have  you  tried  writing  any  yourself  yet?" 

"A  little." 

"Let's  hear  it!" 

Thereupon  Lotus  treated  her  teacher  to  a  first  sample  of  what  she 
could  do,  and  then  entered  into  an  ardent  literary  discussion,  in  which 
Pao  Yu  and  Taste  of  Spring,  who  happened  to  come  in,  also  joined. 
Taste  of  Spring  at  once  declared  that  Lotus  must  become  a  member  of 
the  Begonia  Club. 

"Oh,  but  I  can  only  blunder  along  as  yet;  good  will  is  all  that  I 
have,"  protested  Lotus  modestly. 

"Don't  let  that  Worry  you!  All  of  us  can  only  stumble  along,"  said 
Black  Jade  and  Taste  of  Spring  simultaneously,  laughing.  "Who  says 
that  we  can  really  compose  poetry?  People  would  positively  laugh  their 

2  Tu  Fu,  712-770. 

3  Li  Tai  Po,  701-762. 

4  Tao  Chien,  365-427. 

308 


teeth  out  of  their  mouths  if  our  amateur  efforts  were  to  penetrate  be- 
yond the  precincts  of  the  park  and  become  public." 

"Oh,  don't  pretend  to  be  too  modest!"  protested  Pao  Yu.  "When  our 
club  came  under  discussion  at  a  party  recently,  some  of  my  friends 
asked  to  see  some  samples  of  our  art;  I  wrote  out.  a  selection  of  our 
poems  for  them  and  submitted  them  to  their  judgment.  They  were  re- 
ceived most  enthusiastically,  and  a  great  many  copies  have  been  made 
and  distributed." 

"Is  that  true?"  interjected  Black  Jade  and  Taste  of  Spring  simulta- 
neously. 

"Of  course  it  is.  I  don't  gabble  lies  like  your  parrot  there  on  the 
perch." 

"Well,  you  shouldn't  have  done  that!"  scolded  the  two  young  girls. 
"It  was  most  indiscreet  of  you.  Whether  the  images  painted  by  our  ink 
brushes  can  be  considered  real  poems  or  not,  they  were  definitely  not 
meant  for  publication." 

"What  harm  is  it,  anyway?  What  would  we  know  today  of  the  many 
beautiful  poems  written  by  young  girls  in  the  past,  if  they  had  not  been 
made  public  by  indiscretions?" 

The  discussion  was  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  Grief  of  Spring, 
who  wanted  Pao  Yu  to  give  his  verdict  on  the  big  painting  of  the  park 
on  which  she  had  been  working  for  many  weeks  past  at  the  order  of  the 
Ancestress.  Lotus  also  went  off  with  a  volume  of  Tu  Fu,  after  Black 
Jade  had  given  her,  at  her  request,  another  theme  to  work  on.  She  was 
to  compose  a  poem  consisting  of  eight  seven-word  lines  on  the  beautiful 
harvest  moon  of  last  night,  with  the  basic  rhyme  an  recurring  six  times. 

She  sat  up  far  into  the  night,  partly  over  her  Tu  Fu  and  partly  over 
her  own  composition,  and  so  engrossed  did  she  become  that  she  com- 
pletely forgot  to  eat,  drink,  or  sleep. 

"You  will  make  yourself  ill;  it  is  really  absurd  of  you,"  scolded 
Precious  Clasp.  "You  are  a  bit  weak  in  the  head  by  nature  already,  and 
now  you  will  go  quite  crazy!  But  it's  all  Black  Jade's  fault,  and  I'll  take 
her  to  task  for  it!" 

"I'll  come  right  away,  dear  young  lady;  but  please  don't  disturb  me 
now!"  replied  Lotus  absently;  and  she  went  on  writing  until  she  had 
finished  her  work.  The  following  day  she  showed  it  to  Black  Jade  for 
her  verdict. 

"The  thought  is  not  bad,  but  the  language  is  inadequate.  That  is  be- 
cause you  lack  education  and  are  not  well  read.  It  all  sounds  too  forced. 
But  do  not  be  discouraged.  Try  again!"  This  was  her  teacher's  verdict. 

Lotus  walked  thoughtfully  into  the  park.  She  did  not  trust  herself  to 
return  to  the  Jungle  Courtyard.  Precious  Clasp  would  be  sure  to  laugh 
at  her  over  her  bad  marks.  So  she  lingered  by  the  fishpond,  wandered 

309 


under  the  trees,  rested  on  blocks  of  rock,  staring  absently  into  space,  or, 
bending  low,  traced  ideographs  in  the  sand.  Her  peculiar  behavior  was 
soon  noised  abroad  among  the  other  inmates  of  the  park.  In  no  time 
the  Widow  Chu,  Precious  Clasp,  Taste  of  Spring,  and  Pao  Yu  hurried 
along  and,  hiding  behind  a  shelf  of  rock,  watched  her  every  movement 
with  anxious  attention,  as  she  knit  her  brows,  frowned  or  laughed  to 
herself.  It  all  seemed  very  strange  to  them! 

"She's  a  bit  crazy,"  whispered  Precious  Clasp  to. the  others.  "She  sat 
up  last  night  until  the  fifth  night  watch,  muttering  to  herself  and  writ- 
ing,, writing  and  muttering.  It  was  already  dawn  when  at  last  she  lay 
down  to  sleep.  As  soon  as  there  was  light  I  heard  her  moving  about 
again,  making  a  hurried  toilet  and  then  running  off  to  Black  Jade  with- 
out taking  any  breakfast.  And  now  there  she  is  at  it  again!  I  ask  you,  is 
that  normal?" 

"She  is  an  unusual  person  and  no  doubt  divinely  inspired,"  said  Pao 
Yu,  reverently.  "Up  till  now  we  have  laughed  at  her  and  considered  her 
commonplace.  Now  her  true  nature  is  breaking  out." 

"You  would  do  better  emulating  her  instead  of  merely  admiring  her; 
think  how  it  would  help  your  studies," ~iaid  Precious  Clasp  teasingly. 
He  bore  her  hint  in  silence.  At  this  moment  Lotus  threw  back  her  head 
with  a  jerk,  jumped  up,  and  ran  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage. 

"Come!  Let  us  run  after  her  and  see  what  she's  up  to  next!"  sug- 
gested Taste  of  Spring.  And  they  all  followed  her  to  the  Bamboo  Her- 
mitage. They  arrived  there  just  in  time  to  see  Black  Jade  looking 
through  the  new  version  of  the  poem  about  the  moon  and  criticizing  it. 
She  found  it  still  insufficiently  polished  and  demanded  a  third  version. 
Lotus  was  crushed.  She  had  imagined  that  this  time  she  had  really  got 
it  right.  The  others  encouraged  her,  and  so  she  set  to  work  for  the  third 
time,  seated  on  the  stone  terrace  in  front  of  the  bamboo  hedge,  her  eyes 
and  ears  closed  to  all  that  was  going  on  around  her. 

"Do  take  a  rest!"  Taste  of  Spring  called  out  to  her  from  the  window. 

"Rest  doesn't.fit  in  with  the  rhyme!"  replied  Lotus  absently. 

"She  is  really  possessed  by  the  demon  of  poetry;  Black  Jade  has  to 
answer  for  that!"  remarked  Precious  Clasp  amid  general  laughter. 

"Why  should  I  not  teach  her,  since  she  asked  me  to  do  so?"  asked 
Black  Jade  in  self-defense. 

"Let's  take  her  over  to  Grief  of  Spring  and  show  her  the  new  paint- 
ing; that  will  distract  her,"  suggested  the  practical  Widow  Chu.  They 
followed  her  advice,  took  Lotus,  and  laughingly  bore  her  off,  past  the 
Lotus-Root  Pavilion,  to  the  Little  Castle  of  Warm  Perfumes.  Grief  of 
Spring  was  just  resting  from  her  painting  and  had  dropped  off  to  sleep 
on  a  divan.  The  picture,  which  stood  on  an  easel,  was  covered  with  a 

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cloth.  They  awoke  the  sleeper,  drew  the  cloth  off  the  easel,  and  looked 
at  the  picture.  One-third  of  it  was  finished,  and  showed  only  three  of  the 
ten  pavilions  in  the  park.  The  girls  pointed  out  to  Lotus  the  various 
beautiful  young  girls  who  had  been  painted  into  the  landscape. 

"Every  girl  who  can  compose  poetry  is  put  into  the  picture,"  they 
explained  to  her  in  jest,  "hurry  up  and  study,  so  that  you  also  will  fig- 
ure in  it ! " 

The  slight  distraction  with  the  picture  did  not  divert  Lotus  for  long. 
She  spent  all  the  rest  of  the  day  and  almost  the  whole  night  at  her  com- 
position. Even  in  her  sleep  she  kept  on  searching  for  suitable  words  and 
rhymes.  Once  Precious  Clasp  heard  her  exclaim:  "Ah!  Now  I've  got  it! 
She  won't  be  able  to  find  any  fault  with  it  this  time!" 

She  will  never  learn  to  compose  poetry,  but  she  will  go  off  her  head 
trying  to  do  so,  thought  Precious  Clasp  to  herself,  with  a  sigh.  Curi- 
ously enough,  however,  the  right  formation  of  the  eight  lines,  which 
had  eluded  Lotus  in  her  waking  hours,  actually  came  to  her  in  her 
dreams.  When  she  took  over  the  fresh  copy  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage 
the  next  morning,  she  found  Pao  Yu  and  all  the  young  ladies  of  the 
park  already  gathered  there  expectantly,  for  Precious  Clasp  had  spread 
the  news  of  the  zealous  apprentice's  audible  dream  ravings. 

"Here!  Examine  it,  and  if  you  don't  find  it  good,  I'm  through  with 
poetry -writing  forever!"  Saying  this,  Lotus  walked  in  and  handed  Black 
Jade  her  manuscript.  They  all  bent  their  heads  inquisitively  over  the 
sheet  of  paper. 

"Not  only  faultless  but  new  and  original  in  form  and  content,"  was 
the  general  verdict,  and  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  accept  Lotus  as 
a  new  member  of  the  Begonia  Club  as  a  result  of  this  proof  of  her 
talent. 


CHAPTER   30 

A  quack  doctor  treats  Bright  Cloud  with  "tiger  and  wolf  medicines." 

Despite  being  ill,  Bright  Cloud  heroically  sacrifices  herself  for  Pao  Yu 

and  mends  his  peacock-plume  cloak. 

OOON  AFTER  LOTUS  HAD  BEEN  RECEIVED  INTO  IT,  THE  BEGONIA  CLUB 
acquired  a  big  influx  of  new  members.  One  fine  day  in  the  tenth 
month  a  whole  lot  of  new  relations  came  to  the  Yungkuo  palace — 
two  Misses  Li,  cousins  of  the  Widow  Chu,  together  with  their  mother; 
a  younger  cousin  of  Precious  Clasp  named  Precious  Harp,  together  with 
an  elder  brother,  and  finally  an  impoverished  sister-in-law  of  Princess 
Shieh  with  her  daughter  Wreath  of  Clouds — in  all,  seven  persons.  The 

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three  parties  had  met  by  chance  on  the  way  there  and,  having  ascer- 
tained their  mutual  relationships,  had  continued  the  journey  together. 
The  Ancestress,  who  could  never  have  enough  relatives  around  her, 
welcomed  the  new  arrivals  most  warmly  and  kept  the  whole  lot  of  them 
as  permanent  guests  of  the  house. 

She  was  particularly  enchanted  with  Precious  Harp,  who  if  possible 
even  surpassed  her  cousin  Precious  Clasp  in  charm.  She  got  Madame 
Cheng  to  adopt  her,  but  took  her  to  live  in  her  own  apartment.  While 
her  father  was  still  living  in  the  capital  the  young  girl  had  been  be- 
trothed to  a  young  man  named  Mei,  son  of  the  member  of  the  Han  Lin 
Academy,  and  now  had  come,  to  town  escorted  by  her  elder  brother  for 
the  celebration  of  the  marriage,  which  was  to  take  -place  soon.  Her 
brother  was  lodged  with  Aunt  Hsueh'  and  lived  in  the  rooms  formerly 
occupied  by  Hsueh  Pan.  The  other  three  young  girls  found  accommo- 
dation in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision — Wreath  of  Clouds  with  her 
cousin  Greeting  of  Spring,  the  daughter  of  Prince  Shieh,  and  the  two 
Li  girls  with  their  cousin  the  Widow  Chu  in  the  Rice  Farm. 

To  the  great  joy  of  the  Begonia  Club,  all  the  four  new  cousins  were 
well  versed  in  literature  and  poetry,  and  were  heartily  welcomed  as  new 
members  of  the  club.  The  membership  of  the  club  thus  rose  to  fourteen 
— the  Widow  Chu  as  chairman,  the  three  Spring  girls,  the  two  cousins 
Precious  Clasp  and  Precious  Harp,  and  the  two  sisters  Li  Wen  and  Li  Ki, 
Black  Jade  and  Pao  Yu,  Little  Cloud,  Lotus  and  Wreath  of  Clouds,  and 
Phoenix  as  honorary  chairman.  True,  the  latter  did  not  understand  the 
art  of  verse-making,  but  she  had  been  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the 
honorary  chairmanship  so  that  her  powerful  financial  help  might  make 
the  various  club  fixtures  possible.  In  this  she  had  come  up  to  expecta- 
tions, and  immediately  on  joining  the  club  she  had  replenished  its 
scanty  funds  with  a  handsome  subscription  of  fifty  taels. 

The  Widow  Chu  was  the  oldest  member  in  years;  after  her  came 
Phoenix.  The  age  of  the  other  members  ranged  from  fifteen  to  seven- 
teen. As  most  of  them  had  not  known  each  other  long  and  had  not  got 
the  dates  of  each  other's  birthdays  very  accurately  in  their  heads,  there 
was  much  amusing  confusion  over  forms  of  address,  and  it  often  hap- 
pened that  a  younger  member  addressed  an  elder  one  as  "younger 
sister,"  and  vice  versa.  And  so  in  these  winter  months,  the  Begonia 
Club  became  extremely  active,  and  literary  rivalry  reached  a  new  peak 
in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision. 

One  day  Pearl  had  asked  for  an  extended  leave  at  the  wish  of  her 
dying  mother,  who  wanted  to  have  her  near  her  in  her  last  hours.  Dur- 
ing her  absence  the  waiting  maids  Bright  Cloud  and  Musk  had  to  take 
her  place  in  personal  attendance  on  Pao  Yu.  "See  that  your  master 

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goes  to  bed  early  and  rises  early  and  does  not  get  into  any  mischief," 
Phoenix  had  impressed  upon  them. 

The  first  night  after  Pearl  had  left  Pao  Yu  called  her  name  twice  in 
his  dreams. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Musk,  yawning,  from  near  by. 

"I  want  tea." 

While  Bright  Cloud  remained  lazily  in  bed,  Musk  got  up  and  hurried 
into  the  kitchen.  As  she  had  only  got  on  a  red  quilted  petticoat,  he  made 
her  put  on  his  warm  sable  fur.  She  brought  him  a  bowl  of  tea  and 
poured  out  half  a  bowl  for  herself. 

"Bring  me  a  drop  too,"  begged  Bright  Cloud. 

"My  word,  you  put  on  as  much  airs  as  if  you  were  a  daughter  of  the 
house." 

"I  will  dance  attendance  on  you  tomorrow  in  return.  You  need  not 
stir  the  whole  day." 

Musk  did  as  she  asked  and  brought  her  a  bowl  of  tea.  "And  now  I 
want  to  slip  out  for  a  moment,"  she  said.  "Go  on  chatting.  I  will  be  back 
at  once." 

"Beware  of  the  ghosts  outside!"  Bright  Cloud  called  after  Musk. 

"There's  clear  moonlight;  you  need  not  be  afraid.  We'll  be  talking 
until  you  come  back,"  said  Pao  Yu.  A  significant  clearing  of  the  throat 
gave  Musk  to  understand  that  he  wished  to  be  left  alone  with  Bright 
Cloud.  Already  Mus.k  had  reached  the  back  door  and  slipped  out  under 
the  felt  curtain  into  the  moonlit  courtyard- 
Bright  Cloud  suddenly  felt  tempted  to  slip  out  after  her  and  give  her 
a  bit  of  a  fright.  As  she  was  strong  and  healthy  by  nature  she  did  not 
trouble  to  dress  first,  but  climbed  down  from  her  alcove  just  as  she  was, 
with  only  a  short  petticoat  on,  and  slipped  out  the  door. 

"Don't  catch  cold!"  cried  Pao  Yu  warningly  after  her,  but  she  was 
already  out  the  door.  She  was  hardly  outside,  however,  when  she  felt  a 
cold  wind  cutting  through  her  flesh  and  bones.  She  shivered,  but  re- 
mained outside  all  the  same.  She  was  just  about  to  creep  up  on  Musk 
from  the  back  and  frighten  her  by  calling  out  at  her,  when  she  herself 
was  startled  by  Pao  Yu's  voice,  calling  her  back  from  within.  She  hur- 
ried to  his  bedside. 

"You  frightened  me  to  death!"  she  said  to  him,  laughing. 

"I  did  not  want  to  frighten  you,  I  only  wanted  to  save  you  from 
catching  cold.  Besides,  if  you  go  fooling  about  outside  at  night  you 
may  disturb  other  people's  sleep  and  cause  gossip.  I  don't  want  it  to  be 
said  that  the  devil  broke  loose  here  as  soon  as  Pearl's  back  was  turned. 
Come  over  here  and  straighten  my  blanket!" 

Bright  Cloud  went  up  to  his  bed  to  straighten  his  blanket  and  in  do- 
ing so  let  her  hand  slip  a  little  under  it. 

314 


"Ugh!  How  cold  your  hand  is!"  he  cried  with  suppressed  laughter, 
and  rubbed  her  cold,  red  cheek. 

"Come  in  under  the  blankets  and  get  warm!"  he  whispered  to  her, 
but  unfortunately  at  that  moment  the  door  creaked  and  Musk  came 
back.  She  was  out  of  breath  and  reported  excitedly  that  she  had  just 
got  a  fright  outside.  She  thought  she  had  seen  someone  cowering  in  the 
dark  shadow  of  a  rock,  and  she  was  going  to  call  for  help,  but  it  was 
only  a  pheasant,  and  it  flew  away  at  her  approach. 

"Wasn't  it  lucky  that  I  did  not  scream?  That  would  have  caused  a 
nice  uproar  in  the  house.  Where  was  Bright  Cloud  hiding  herself?  I  was 
sure  she  would  slip  out  after  me." 

"I  scared  her  back;  otherwise  she  would  have  given  you  a  fine 
fright." 

"It  wasn't  even  necessary;  she  took  care  of  that  herself,"  remarked 
Bright  Cloud,  climbing  up  into  her  alcove  again. 

"Surely  you  did  not  go  out  like  that,  like  an  unsaddled  race  horse?" 
asked  Musk. 

"Of  course  she  went  out  like  that,"  said  Pao  Yu. 

"How  silly  of  her!  She  has  probably  caught  a  nice  cold!"  As  she 
said  this  a  double  sneeze  resounded  from  Bright  Cloud's  alcove. 

"Now  the  trouble  begins,"  sighed  Pao  Yu. 

"She  has  not  been  well  all  day;  and  she  had  no  appetite,  either,  but 
instead  of  minding  herself,  she  goes  playing  hide-and-seek  and  running 
about  ridiculously  undressed.  It  will  serve  her  quite  right  if  she  is  ill  in 
the  morning!"  scolded  Musk,  as  she  poked  the  stove,  shovelled  out  the 
hot  ashes,  and  put  on  two  logs  of  aromatic  Cambodian  wood.  After  she 
had  trimmed  the  wick  of  the  lamp  behind  the  dividing  screen,  she 
snuggled  down  once  more  on  her  couch  near  Pao  Yu's  canopied  bed. 
Close  by,  the  big  clock  struck  twice,  tang,  tang.  From  the  serving 
women's  room  came  a  strong  twice-repeated  sound  of  throat-clearing, 
and  a  voice  called  over  in  a  tone  of  annoyance: 

"Will  the  young  ladies  please  keep  quiet  and  go  to  sleep  at  last? 
There  will  be  time  for  chattering  again  tomorrow!" 

A  little  more  suppressed  giggling  and  whispering,  then  silence  re- 
turned at  last  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard. 

The  next  morning  Bright  Cloud  awoke  with  a  heavy  cold.  Her  nose 
was  obstructed,  her  voice  was  hoarse,  her  limbs  were  heavy  and  stiff. 
According  to  the  rules  of  the  household  every  illness,  however  trifling, 
had  to  be  reported  at  once  to  the  Tai  tai,  and  the  old  Tai  tai,  who  was 
very  apprehensive  about  infection,  was  in  the  habit  of  getting  sick  serv- 
ants out  of  the  palace  immediately  and  sending  them  back  to  their 
families.  Pao  Yu,  already  deprived  of  Pearl,  was  unwilling  to  have  the 
pretty  maid  Bright  Cloud  also  removed  from  his  vicinity.  He  therefore 

315 


decided  to  keep  her  at  home  and  to  get  a  doctor  for  her,  unknown  to  the 
Ancestress. 

"But  Madame  Phoenix  at  least  should  be  told.  Otherwise  she  may 
find  out  that  the  doctor  has  been  here,  and  take  it  amiss  that  she  has 
not  been  told  about  it,"  objected  Bright  Cloud. 

Pao  Yu  agreed,  and  sent  a  serving  woman  to  Phoenix.  Bright  Cloud . 
had  caught  a  slight  cold,  it  was  nothing  at  all  serious,  and  he  begged — 
so  the  message  ran — to  be  allowed  to  look  after  her  at  home  as  he  could 
not  well  do  without  her;  he  would  get  a  doctor  in  by  the  side  gateway, 
and  would  she,  Phoenix,  please  not  make  any  fuss  about  the  matter. 
Phoenix  sent  back  word  that  she  had  no  objection,  but  if  there  was  not 
an  immediate  improvement  the  patient  must  definitely  leave  the  house 
and  go  back  to  her  family,  for  the  danger  of  infection  was  particularly 
great  in  these  winter  days  and  the  health  of  the  young  ladies  was  very 
precious. 

"She  really  carries  on  as  if  I  had  the  plague!"  exclaimed  the  of- 
fended patient,  peevishly.  "Very  well,  then,  I'd  prefer  to  go  away  at 
once  in  order  to  save  the  grand  ladies  here  from  any  more  headaches." 

She  sat  up  and  was  about  to  start  packing  her  things,  but  Pao  Yu 
pressed  her  gently  back  on  her  bed. 

"Do  not  be  so  quick  to  take  offense!"  he  said  placatingly.  "Phoenix 
feels  responsible  to  the  old  Tai  tai,  and  wants  to.  feel  that  she  has  done 
her  duty  in  case  anything  should  happen,  but  she  did  not  mean  it  so 
strictly  as  all  that." 

At  that  moment  the  doctor  whom  he  had  sent  for  appeared  on  the 
scene,  escorted  by  three  elderly  attendants.  Pao  Yu  hid  hurriedly  be- 
hind a  bookcase.  The  serving  women  let  down  the  red  embroidered  cur- 
tain in  frorit  of  Bright  Cloud's  alcove,  then  the  patient  had  to  stretch  her 
hand  out  through  the  curtain.  The  doctor  looked  for  a  while  at  the 
hand  and  the  two  fingers,  the  nails  of  which  were  two  or  three  inches 
long  and  dyed  red  with  China  balsam.  Then  he  felt  the  pulse  after  a 
serving  woman  had  wrapped  a  clean  handkerchief  around  the  patient's 
wrist. 

"Internal  congestion,  external  irritation;  a  slight  cold  due  to  the  bad 
weather."  In  these  words  he  explained  his  diagnosis  to  the  serving 
women  when  they  got  outside  the  door.  "Fortunately,  the  young  lady 
is  observing  moderation  in  eating  and  drinking,  therefore  the  cold  has 
not  done  her  much  harm  apart  from  a  slight  deterioration  in  her  breath- 
ing and  in  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  A  little  dose  of  medicine,  and 
she  will  be  all  right  again." 

The  chamberwoman  escorted  him  out  of  the  park  again.  Widow  Chu 
had  taken  care  that  he  should  not  catch  sight  of  any  of  the  youthful  fe- 
male inmates  of  the  park  on  his  way  out.  Having  reached  the  park  gate, 

316 


he  stepped  aside  into  the  gatekeeper's  lodge  to  write  his  prescription. 
When  he  was  about  to  go,  a  serving  woman  asked  him  to  wait  a  mo- 
ment. The  young  master  wished  to  see  his  prescription  and  might  want 
to  speak  to  him. 

"Oh,  was  the  patient  a  young  gentleman?  The  apartment,  with  its 
lowered  bed  curtain,  gave  me  the  clear  impression  of  being  a  young 
girl's  room.  I  thought  I  had  the  honor  of  treating  a  young  lady  of  the 
house,"  remarked  the  doctor,  astonished. 

"This  is  your  first  time  here,  so  naturally  you  could  not  know  the 
constitution  of  the  household,"  a  serving  woman  explained  to  him,  with 
a  smile.  "You  have  just  been  in  the  residence  of  our  young  master,  and 
your  patient  was  not  a  young  lady,  a  daughter  of  the  house,  but  one  of 
the  young  gentleman's  waiting  maids.  You  would  hardly  have  received 
admission  so  easily  to  the  bedroom  of  a  young  lady."  And  she  took  the 
prescription  and  ran  off  with  it  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard,  to  show  it  to 
Pao  Yu.  Pao  Yu  read  it.  There  was  something  in  it  about  purple  thyme, 
ironwood,  sage,  and  lemon,  and  "broth  of  horse's  tail,"  and  the  like. 

"Damn  it  all!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  does  the  fellow  think  he's  do- 
ing? He  has  prescribed  stuff  here  which  might  be  all  right  for  one  of  us, 
but  not  for  a  frail  young  girl!  Send  him  about  his  business  at  once  and 
get  a  better  doctor ! " 

"We  shall  send  for  Doctor  Wang  at  once,"  promised  the  serving 
woman  who  had  been  responsible  for  the  first  doctor's  having  been 
called.  "Who  would  have  thought  that  that  one  would  be  such  a  quack? 
But  we  certainly  cannot  let  him  go  without  paying  him  something.  For 
it  was  we  who  sent  for  him,  and  not  the  majordomo." 

"How  much  do  you  think  we  should  give  him?"  asked  Pao  Yu. 

"A  tael  would  be  about  right." 

"And  how  much  does  the  other  one,  Doctor  Wang,  get?" 

"Doctor  Wang,  like  Doctor  Chang,  is  one  of  our  regular  house  doc- 
tors here.  He  need  not  get  a  special  fee  for  this  particular  visit.  He 
draws  his  regular  salary  at  the  four  annual  festivals." 

"Very  well,  go  and  take  the  quack  his  tael,"  Pao  Yu  ordered  Musk. 

"Yes,  I  would  if  I  knew  where  Pearl  has  put  our  housekeeping 
money,"  said  Musk. 

'*As  far  as  I  know,  she  keeps  it  in  her  little  cabinet  with  the  shell  and 
mother-of-pearl  incrustation.  Come,  let  us  look!" 

Together  they  went  into  Pearl's  room,  which  was  crammed  with  fur- 
niture and  belongings,  and  opened  the  cabinet  in  question.  They  found 
the  top  section  full  of  painted  fans,  purses,  bags,  perfumed  pomades, 
handkerchiefs,  and  similar  small  articles.  On  the  lower  shelf  lay  some 
thousand-piece  strings  of  money.  Besides  these  compartments  there  was 
a  drawer.  In  this  they  found  an  open  cashbox  made  of  plaited  bamboo 

317 


containing  several  pieces  of  broken  silver  and  a  small  money  weight. 
Musk  picked  out  one  piece  of  silver  at  random  and  put  it  on  the  scale. 

"Is  that  much  a  tael?"  she  asked  Pao  Yu  uncertainly. 

"You  ask  me  in  vain,"  said  Pao  Yu  with  an  embarrassed  smile,  for 
he  was  no  wiser  than  she  was  in  the  matter  of  weighing  money. 

"I  will  ask  the  others." 

"Whatever  for?  Just  take  that  piece.  If  it's  a  bit  more  or  less,  what 
does  that  matter?  We  are  not  peddlers  here." 

Musk  put  away  the  scales  and  weighed  the  piece  of  silver  thought- 
fully in  her  hand. 

"Well,  let's  only  hope  it's  not  less  than  a  tael,"  she  said  hesitantly, 
"else  that  poor  devil  of  a  quack  might  get  a  false  impression  of  us;  not 
that  we  do  not  know  how  to  weigh  the  stuff — that  would  hardly  occur 
to  him.  But  he  would  probably  think  that  -,ve  gave  him  so  little  delib- 
erately because  we  are  hard  up  and  have  to  count  our  pence." 

"That's  half  a  five-ounce  bar,"  put  in  a  serving  woman,  who  had  been 
listening,  from  the  door.  "The  piece  you're  holding  in  your  hand  weighs 
a  good  two  ounces.  You  may  pick  a  smaller  piece  with  an  easy  con- 
science." 

"Ah,  why  should  we  search  any  more?  Here,  keep  the  extra  bit  for 
yourself!"  said  Musk  bumptiously. 

"And  let  Ming  Yen  go  fetch  Doctor  Wang  at  once!"  added  Pao  Yu. 

After  a  little  time  Doctor  Wang  arrived  and  examined  the  patient 
anew.  His  diagnosis  was  not  much  different  from  that  of  his  colleague, 
but  his  prescriptions  were  considerably  different.  This  time  the  harsh 
purgatives  and  sudorifics  were  omitted,  and  in  their  place  there  was 
mention  of  archangel  root,  peony  root,  and  similar  mild  drugs.  More- 
over, the  dosage  of  the  individual  drugs  was  not  so  great  as  in  the  first 
prescription. 

"This  pleases  me  better;  it  looks  more  like  the  right  medicine  for 
young  girls,"  said  Pao  Yu  complacently  to  his  two  waiting  maids. 
"Those  purgatives  and  sudorifics  must  definitely  not  be  used  too  freely. 
When  I  was  a  child  and  used  to  get  head  colds  and  constipation,  the 
doctors  never  treated  me  with  'horsetail  broth'  and  chalk  and  lemon 
and  'tiger  and  wolf  medicines  of  that  kind.  What  was  too  rough  for  me 
is  definitely  not  the  right  thing  for  the  tender  constitution  of  young 
girls." 

An  old  serving  woman  brought  in  the  various  medicines.  Pao  Yu 
instructed  her  to  fetch  the  silver  vessel  in  which  medicines  were  usually 
prepared  and  to  concoct  the  brew  at  once  in  Bright  Cloud's  room  over 
the  charcoal  fire. 

"Do  please  have  them  prepared  on  the  proper  stove  in  the  kitchen, 

318 


otherwise  this  whole  room  will  stink  of  medicine  fumes,  and  that  would 
be  unbearable!"  protested  Bright  Cloud. 

"Oh,  but  medicine  fumes  are  much  more  precious  than  all  flower 
perfumes  put  together,"  Pao  Yu  remarked  persuasively.  "Could  there 
be  anything  better  or  more  noble  than  those  herbs  which  holy  hermits 
have  cultivated,  and  picked,  and  prepared  in  their  solitude?  Here, 
where  otherwise  everything  is  beautiful,  there  is  one  thing  which  I  have 
always  missed — the  fragrance  of  healing  herbs  and  wonder-working 
drugs.  Only  now  will  the  right  harmony  be  achieved,  and  my  content- 
ment be  complete." 

And  so  it  was  that,  when  he  returned  after  a  lengthy  visit  to  the  \io\v. 
of  the  Ancestress,  he  found  his  apartments  filled  with  the  penetrating 
odorous  fumes  which  poured  out  of  Bright  Cloud's  room.  Bright  Cloud 
bravely  swallowed  her  hot  broth  and  took  a  second  dose  of  it  in  the 
evening,  but  without  any  real  s'uccess.  True,  she  sweated  a  bit  in  the 
night,  but  the  next  morning  she  complained  as  before  of  headache  and 
fever,  obstructed  nose  and  coated  tongue.  Doctor  Wang  turned  up  to 
examine  her  for  a  second  time  and  changed  this  and  that  item  in  his 
prescription,  increasing  one  and  reducing  another.  When  the  revised 
prescription  also  failed  to  produce  results,  Pao  Yu  gave  the  peremptory 
order:  "Fetch  the  snuff !" 

Musk  sprang  to  her  feet  and  brought  him  a  little  gold-edged  crystal 
snuffbox  decorated  with  two  golden  stars.  Pao  Yu. raised  the  lid.  The 
inside  had  a  picture  of  a  naked  woman  with  golden  hair  and  wings  on 
her  shoulders,  painted  on  European  enamel.  The  box  contained  genuine 
European  snuff  of  the  very  best  quality.  Bright  Cloud  became  com- 
pletely engrossed  in  examining  the  picture. 

"Here!  Sniff  it!  It  must  not  remain  long  uncovered  or  else  the  aroma 
fades!"  Pao  Yu  urged  her. 

Bright  Cloud  quickly  lifted  out  a  pinch,  put  it  to  her  nose  and  sniffed, 
then  took  and  sniffed  several  more  pinches  in  the  same  way.  Suddenly 
she  perceived  a  sharp,  biting,  prickly  sensation  from  deep  within  her 
nostrils  right  up  to  her  temples,  and  immediately  had  to  sneeze  so 
forcibly  five  or  six  times  in  rapid  succession  that  her  eyes  and  nose 
were  flooded. 

"Ugh!  How  it  bites!  Quick!  Fetch  me  paper!"  she  cried  laughing.  A 
little  maid  jumped  up  and  brought  her  a  whole  bundle  of  fine  tissue 
paper.  Bright  Cloud  pulled  out  sheet  after  sheet  and  wiped  her  nose 
with  it. 

"Well,  how's  that?"  asked  Pao  Yu  anxiously. 

"Oh,  that  was  fine!"  she  cried,  delighted.  "I  really  feel  much  better 
already.  Only  my  temples  are  still  aching." 

Pao  Yu  was  quite  proud  of  the  rapid  success  of  his  own  medical 

319 


treatment.  He  did  still  more,  and  procured  for  the  patient  a  little  of  the 
European  ointment  which  Phoenix  was  always  in  the  habit  of  rubbing 
on  for  headaches.  Then  he  left  the  sickroom  and  strolled  out  into  the 
park  to  seek  some  relaxation  with  Grief  of  Spring,  who  was  sitting  be- 
fore her  easel,  painting. 

On  the  way  he  met  Snail,  Cousin  Precious  Harp's  little  chambermaid, 
who  was  on  her  way  to  Black  Jade's  home,  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  Her 
mistress  and  Precious  Clasp  were  there,  she  said.  Thereupon  he 
changed  his  mind  and  accompanied  Snail  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage. 

"Here's  another  visitor!  All  the  seats  are  already  engaged!"  This  was 
the  laughing  greeting  which  met  him  as  he  entered  Black  Jade's  bed- 
room. 

And  in  fact  he  found  no  less  than  four  cousins — Black  Jade,  Precious 
Clasp,  Precious  Harp,  and  Wreath  of  Clouds — gathered  round  the 
glowing  brazier.  Cuckoo,  the  waiting  maid,  was  sitting  not  far  from  the 
window  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  doing  some  needlework. 

"What  an  enchanting  picture!"  cried  Pao  Yu  admiringly.  "One 
could  call  it  'A  Gathering  of  Girls  in  Winter.'  And  how  cozy  and  warm 
you  are  in  here!" 

He  settled  down  comfortably  in  an  easy  chair  covered  with  squirrel 
fur  which  Black  Jade  was  in  the  habit  of  using.  His  glance  fell  on  a  jade 
vase  in  which  five  hyacinth  flowers  made  a  fine  show. 

"Where  did  those  magnificent  hyacinths  come  from?  They  were  not 
here  yesterday,  were  they?"  he  asked. 

"They  are  a  present  from  the  wife  of  your  majordomo,  Lai  Sheng," 
explained  Black  Jade.  "She  gave  Precious  Harp  two  vases  of  hyacinths 
like  that  one,  and  two  of  calycanthus.  Precious  Harp  has  handed  on  a 
vase  of  hyacinths  to  me  and  one  of  the  vases  of  winter  sweet  to  Little 
Cloud.  Do  you  like  the  hyacinths?  You  may  have  them." 

"No,  thank  you.  I  have  some  in  my  place,  but  they  are  not  as  beauti- 
ful as  yours.  Anyway,  you  cannot  well  give  yours  away!" 

"Why  not?  I  have  an  abundance  of  perfumes  here  already — medici- 
nal odors.  My  drug  vessel  never  leaves  the  Rre  the  whole  day.  It  would 
really  be  a  pity  if  the  beautiful  pure  perfume  of  the  flowers  should  be 
spoiled  by  these  medicine  fumes.  All  these  strong  perfumes  are  a  bit  too 
much  of  a  good  thing;  they  make  me  feel  quite  weak." 

The  drug  caldron  has  been  simmering  over  in  my  quarters  too 
since  yesterday,"  he  said,  laughing,  and  told  of  Bright  Cloud's  cold. 
"And  don't  you  think  that  hyacinths  and  calycanthus  would  be  most 
delightful  and  fitting  themes  for  our  next  club  session?"  he  added. 

At  this  the  conversation  turned  to  poetical  composition. 

"The  next  time  the  club  holds  its  session  in  my  place  you  will  all  get 
a  surprise,"  said  Precious  Clasp,  putting  on  a  stern  air.  "Each  member 

320 


will  have  to  produce  four  five-word  rhymed  octets,  and  four  verses  each 
of  twelve  lines  in  flowery  language  and  unrhymed  verse,  on  eight  dif- 
ferent themes.  The  first  theme  will  be:  'Tai  chi  tu — Thou  great  Des- 
tiny,' and  no  one  will  be  let  off!" 

"Don't  believe  her!  She's  only  joking!"  interjected  Cousin  Precious 
Harp,  smiling.  As  the  daughter  of  a  big  businessman  she  was  alr/^dy 
widely  travelled  despite  her  youth,  and  was  generally  admired  by  the 
cousins  for  her  knowledge  of  the  world  and  her  more  emancipated  views. 
"Why  should  we  bother  with  tedious  philosophical  themes  from  the 
/  Ching,  the  Book  of  Changes?  Besides,  we  would  not  p-oduce  anything 
very  brilliant  from  it;  at  the  best  it  would  be  stilted  and  artificial. 
Which  just  reminds  me  of  something.  When  I  was  eight  years  old  my 
father  took  me  along  on  a  journey  to  the  coastal  cities  of  the  Western 
Sea,  where  he  used  to  purchase  foreign  goods.  There  I  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  beautiful  fifteen-year-old  European  girl.  She  was  just 
like  those  beautiful  women  whom  one  often  sees  in  European  paintings. 
Golden  hair  fell  in  loose  locks  over  her  shoulders.  Her  jewelry  con- 
sisted of  corals,  brilliant  agates,  and  green  cat's-eyes.  She  wore  a  fine 
vest  of  gold  mesh.  In  the  belt  which  held  in  her  long-sleeved  dress  of 
Western  damask  she  wore  a  small  jewelled  dagger  in  a  golden  sheath. 
She  was  wonderfully  beautiful  to  look  at,  even  more  beautiful  than 
those  womeii  in  the  pictures.  It  was  said  that  she  knew  our  Chinese 
poetry  and  our  Six  Classical  Books,  and  that  she  even  understood  Chi- 
nese literature.  My  father  asked,  through  the  Consul,  to  see  some  ex- 
amples of  her  Chinese  poetry.  He  and  all  his  friends  found  them  aston- 
ishingly good." 

"Oh,  show  us  a  simple  of  them!"  begged  Pao  Yu  excitedly. 
"I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot.  I  have  put  the  poems  away  at  home,  in  the 
southern  capital." 

"What  a  pity!"  he  sighed,  disappointed.  "How  lucky  you  are  to  see 
something  of  the  world.  That  luck  will  never  be  mine." 

"Do  not  be  taken  in  by  her!"  cried  Black  Jade.  "She  has  brought  so 
much  luggage  here;  why  should  she  leave  just  those  poems  at  home?  I 
simply  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of  those  poems!" 

"That's  just  like  Black  Jade.  She  won't  be  taken  in!  But  this  time  she 
is  definitely  too  skeptical,"  remarked  Precious  Clasp. 

"Let  Precious  Harp  prove  her  assertion  by  visible  evidence:  until 
then  I  will  not  believe  her,"  insisted  Black  Jade. 

"Have  patience  for  a  few  days  until  she  has  unpacked  and  tidied  all 
her  things;  then  the  poems  will  come  to  light,"  retorted  Precious  Clasp. 
"Do  you  not  know  one  or  another  of  them  by  heart?  Do,  please,  recite 
one  of  them  to  us  as  best  you  can!"  she  said,  turning  to  her  cousin. 

321 


"Gladly.  I  can  remember  a  rhymed  five-word  octet.  Quite  an  achieve- 
ment for  a  European  girl,"  replied  Precious  Harp. 

"Come,  let  us  hear  it!  No!  Wait  until  I  call  Little  Cloud;  she  must 
hear  it  too,"  said  Precious  Clasp. 

"Run  over  to  the  Jungle  Courtyard  and  ask  the  young  lady  to  come 
over,"  she  bade  the  waiting  maid  Snail.  "Tell  her  that  there's  a  beauti- 
ful European  girl  who  can  compose  poetry  in  Chinese,  whom  we  are 
admiring  over  here.  And  tell  her  to  bring  back  the  other  poetry-mad 
girl  with  her." 

After  a  short  time  Snail  came  back  with  Little  Cloud  and  Lotus. 

"Where  is  the  European  beauty?"  cried  Little  Cloud  while  still  a  long 
way  off. 

"She  is  not  yet  here  bodily,  but  you  can  already  hear  her  speaking," 
came  the  laughing  answer. 

Precious  Harp  once  more  repeated  for  the  benefit  of  Little  Cloud  and 
Lotus  what  she  had  just  recounted  about  the  beautiful  girl  from  the 
distant  West.  Then  she  recited: 

"Last  night  I  dreamt  the  dream  of  the  red  chamber. 
Tonight  my  songs  rise  in  a  rain-drenched  land. 
Cloud  islands  gather  above  sea  foam, 
Mountain  mist  drifts  on  thickets  and  pine  trees. 

Under  the  eternal  moon  there  is  no  more  time, 
Only  the  ceaseless  rise  and  fall  of  changing  moods. 
Can  I  ever  forget  the  springtime  of  childhood 
South  of  the  bed  of  the  river  Han?" 

"Splendid!  She  can  compose  poetry  almost  better  than  we  Chinese!" 
was  the  general  verdict.  The  talk  went  on  a  little  longer;  then  the  sec- 
ondary wife  Chao  came  to  inquire  how  Black  Jade  was,  and  the  com- 
pany broke  up. 

Early  the  next  morning  Pao  Yu  set  out  under  a  gray,  overcast,  wintry 
sky  for  the  apartments  of  the  Ancestress  to  give  her  his  usual  morning 
greeting.  The  Ancestress  had  not  yet  got  up,  but  she  allowed  him  to 
come  into  her  bedroom.  Cousin  Precious  Harp,  whom  he  perceived 
lying  beside  the  Ancestress  with  her  face  to  the  wall,  was  still  fast 
asleep. 

"Is  it  snowing?"  asked  the  Ancestress  with  a  glance  at  Pao  Yu's 
rough  weather-cloak  of  reddish  brown  monkey-hair  felt. 

"Not  yet,  but  it  certainly  looks  as  if  it  will." 

"Bring  him  the  peacock-feather  cloak!"  the  Ancestress  ordered  her 
waiting  maid,  Mandarin  Duck.  The  maid  brought  in  a  magnificent 
cloak,  which  shimmered  gold,  blue,  and  green,  and  which  he  saw  now 
for  the  first  time.  It  was  even  more  beautiful  than  the  fur-trimmed  duck- 

322 


feather  coat  which  the  Ancestress  had  recently  given  to  her  new  favorite, 
Precious  Harp. 

"This  is  the  golden  bird-droppings  cloak,"  declared  the  Ancestress 
jokingly.  "Here,  I'm  making  you  a  present  of  it.  It  comes  from  Russia 
and  is  worked  in  peacocks'  feathers  and  silk  yarn.  Go  and  show  it  to 
your  mother!" 

Pao  Yu  performed  a  kowtow  of  thanks  and  went  off  proudly  with  the 
precious  garment.  Outside  he  passed  Mandarin  Duck.  She  looked  away 
deliberately.  Since  the  day  on  which  she  had  made  her  solemn  vow  of 
chastity  she  had  avoided  him  and  no  longer  spoke  to  him. 

"Have  a  look,  how  does  this  new  cloak  suit  me?"  he  asked  her,  smil- 
ing. She  only  waved  him  off  with  a  gesture  of  the  hand  and  disappeared 
immediately  into  the  Ancestress's  bedroom. 

After  his  mother  and  his  waiting  maids  had  duly  admired  him  he 
returned  to  the  Ancestress  and  dutifully  reported  to  her  that  his  mother 
had  warned  him  to  wear  the  new  garment  with  very  special  care  and  not 
let  it  get  damaged. 

"She  is  quite  right.  You  must  take  good  care  of  it.  It  is  the  only  one 
of  its  kind  that  I  have  got,  and  you  will  never  get  another.  Always  be 
quiet  and  reserved,  be  temperate  in  drinking,  and  come  home  nice  and 
early!" 

"Shih,  shih,"  he  promised  eagerly,  and  took  his  leave.  He  could 
hardly  wait  to  show  himself  in  his  magnificent  new  garment  to  his 
acquaintances  in  the  town,  who  had  invited  him  to  visit  them  that  day. 
When  he  came  home  in  the  evening  his  waiting  maids  were  startled  to 
hear  him  uttering  dejected  sighs  and  stamping  angrily  with  his  foot. 

"What's  wrong?"  asked  Musk. 

"The  new  cloak!  It  is  really  terrible!  The  old  Tai  tai  gave  it  to  me 
this  morning  in  a  fit  of  good  humor,  and  now  I  find  that  there  is  a  big 
burn  on  the  collar!"  he  lamented  disconsolately.  "A  good  thing  that  it 
is  so  late  in  the  evening;  so  I  shall  not  have  to  show  myself  over  there 
any  more  today." 

The  waiting  maid  Musk  inspected  the  damage,  and  she  did  in  fact 
find  a  singed  spot  about  the  length  of  a  finger. 

"Apparently  someone  came  too  close  with  a  hand-warmer,"  she  re- 
marked. "But  it  is  not  so  bad.  We'll  just  give  it  to  the  tailor  and  let  him 
repair  it." 

She  wrapped  up  the  cloak  and  handed  it  to  a  serving  woman. 

"Take  this  quickly  to  the  tailor,"  she  said,  "and  tell  him  he  must 
have  it  repaired  by  tomorrow  morning.  And  make  sure  that  the  old  Tai 
tai  and  the  Tai  tai  hear  nothing  about  it." 

After  a  little  while  the  serving  woman  came  back  with  the  cloak.  "I 

324 


tried  several  tailors  and  tailoresses,"  she  reported,  "but  no  one  knows 
this  kind  of  embroidery,  and  none  of  them  would  undertake  it." 

"Then  simply  do  not  wear  it  tomorrow,"  Musk  advised  him. 

"That  will  not  save  me,  for  both  Grandmother  and  Mother  expressly 
wished  me  to  wear  it  tomorrow,  on  Uncle  Wang's  birthday.  They  will 
be  frightfully  angry  when  they  hear  that  I  damaged  it  the  very  first 
day." 

"Let  me  see  it!"  cried  Bright  Cloud  from  her  alcove,  turning  round 
in  her  bed. 

Musk  handed  her  the  cloak  and  held  the  lamp  up  beside  her. 

"What  is  needed  is  peacock-gold  silk  thread.  The  difficult  part  is  the 
border.  It  needs  invisible  mending,"  declared  Bright  Cloud  after  a  thor- 
ough examination. 

"We  have  got  the  right  yarn  all  right,  but  who  is  there  in  the  house 
except  you  who  can  do  invisible  mending?"  remarked  Musk. 

"I  will  try  to  do  it!" 

"But  surely  you  are  not  going  to  risk  your  health,  now  that  you  are 
just  getting  well?"  protested  Pao  Yu. 

"Don't  bother.  That  is  my  own  business." 

She  sat  up  in  bed,  tidied  her  hair,  and  slipped  a  house  frock  over  her 
nightgown.  She  felt  giddy,  her  eyes  swam,  and  she  would  have  liked  to 
sink  back  on  her  pillows.  But  for  Pao  Yu's  sake  she  gritted  her  teeth, 
got  Musk  to  hand  her  needles,  scissors,  and  various  balls  of  embroidery 
yarn,  and  set  to  work  bravely. 

"This  thread  is  about  the  best,"  she  said  after  lengthy  searching  and 
comparing.  "True,  it  does  not  match  exactly,  but  the  difference  will  not 
be  noticeable." 

"I  think  so  too,"  agreed  Pao  Yu.  "It  would  be  hard  for  us  to  dig  up 
a  Russian  tailor  here." 

She  pushed  a  bamboo  darning  knob  the  size  of  a  teacup  under  the 
damaged  spot,  deftly  cut  away  the  singed  material  with  a  sharp  gold 
knife,  and  began  darning  diligently  to  and  fro,  stitch  by  stitch,  artis- 
tically reproducing  the  original  pattern.  After  she  had  used  three  or 
four  needlefuls  of  thread  she  sank  back  exhausted  on  her  pillows  and 
had  to  rest  for  a  while. 

"Would  you  like  a  little  hot  broth?"  asked  Pao  Yu  anxiously,  putting 
a  squirrel  fur  around  her  shoulders  and  pushing  another  pillow  behind 
her  back. 

"Spare  your  trouble,  little  ancestor!  Please  go  to  bed  instead,  or  you 
will  not  be  able  to  open  your  sleepy  eyes  in  the  morning.  For  it's  al- 
ready midnight  and  long  past  your  bedtime,"  she  rebuffed  him  im- 
patiently. 

He  did  as  she  bade  him  and  crept  under  his  bedclothes,  but  for  a 

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long  time  he  could  not  sleep.  The  clock  was  striking  four  in  the  morning 
before  the  valiant  Bright  Cloud  had  finished  her  task.  After  brushing 
away  a  few  stray  ends  of  thread  with  a  little  brush,  she  showed  her  work 
to  Musk. 

"This  is  splendid!"  cried  Musk.  "Unless  you  look  very  hard  you 
can't  discover  a  trace  of  the  mend." 

"It  is  really  quite  impossible  to  distinguish  from  the  original  pat- 
tern," Pao  Yu,  who  had  slipped  quickly  out  of  bed,  agreed  with  en- 
thusiasm. 

"Oh,  no,  it  hasn't  turned  out  to  be  as  beautiful  as  all  that,  but  I  can't 
do  another  stitch  however  hard  I  try,"  murmured  Bright  Cloud  weakly; 
and  with  this  she  fell  back  unconscious  on  her  pillows. 

Pao  Yu  and  Musk  between  them  brought  her  back  to  herself  by 
energetic  thumping  and  massaging,  and  neither  of  them  left  her  bedside 
until  the  next  morning  when  Doctor  Wang  came  and  felt  her  pulse  once 
more.  The  doctor  was  surprised  at  the  relapse  the  patient  had  suffered 
after  having  already  shown  a  marked  improvement;  he  thought  she 
must  Have  either  eaten  too  much  or  overtired  herself,  and  he  prescribed 
another  blood-  and  ne/ve-strengthening  medicine  consisting  of  china- 
root,  foxglove,  archangel  root,  and  similar  herbs.  Thanks  to  her  sound 
constitution  and  to  the  fact  that  she  had  always  been  moderate  in  eating 
and  drinking,  had  avoided  all  too  highly  spiced  foods,  and  had  dieted 
strictly,  particularly  during  her  illness,  as  prescribed  by  the  rules  of  the 
house,  Bright  Cloud  recovered  rapidly  and  was  well  again  in  another 
week. 


CHAPTER   31 

The  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  slyly  tests  Pao  Yu's  feelings  and  upsets  his 

mental  balance  by  hinting  at  a  parting.  A  kindly  aunt  pacifies  a  lovelorn 

maiden  with  gentle  words. 

V^NE  DAY  IN  THE  SPRING  PAO  Yu  WENT  OVER  TO  THE  BAMBOO  HERMIT- 

age  to  inquire  after  Black  Jade's  health,  but  Black  Jade  was  just  having 
her  midday  nap.  Loath  to  disturb  her,  he  went  out  instead  to  the  waiting 
maid  Cuckoo,  who  was  sitting  in  the  open  pleasure  veranda  in  front  of 
the  house  doin  5  some  needlework. 

"How  is  your  little  mistress?  Is  her  cough  better?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  thank  you,  it  is  a  bit  better." 

"A-mi-to-fo!  It's  a  relief  to  hear  that." 

"Since  when  do  you  invoke  Buddha?  That  is  something  new  to  me!" 

"Ah,  well,  in  distress  one  clings  to  the  doctor." 

326 


He  remarked  that  she  was  wearing  only  a  thin  black  silk  skirt  and  a 
dark  green  satin  vest  over  it. 

"Do  you  not  find  that  attire  too  light  for  this  between-seasons 
weather?"  he  asked,  stroking  her  with  his  hand.  "You  will  catch  cold 
sitting  here  exposed  to  a  draft." 

"Don't  do  that!"  she  said,  angrily  recoiling.  "Now,  understand  once 
for  all:  when  we  talk  together  there  must  be  no  more  of  this  fondling. 
You  are  not  a  little  boy  any  longer.  What  will  people  think  if  they  see 
you?  They  will  pass  remarks  about  your  behavior  behind  your  back 
and  lose  respect  for  you.  Our  young  lady  has  strictly  forbidden  us  to  go 
on  with  any  fondling.  Do  you  not  notice  how  reserved  she  is  with  you 
herself?" 

And  getting  up,  she  gathered  her  needlework  together  and  went  into 
the  house.  He  looked  after  her  as  utterly  dumfounded  as  if  a  pail  of  cold 
water  had  been  thrown  over  him.  Then  he  crept  off  and  sat  down  on  a 
piece  of  rock  on  the  way,  overwhelmed  by  a  thousand  sorrowful 
thoughts.  So  great  was  his  despondency  that  his  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
He  had  been  sitting  there  lost  in  thought  for  the  time  that  it  would  take 
to  eat  a  moderate  meal  when  the  waiting  maid  Snowgoose  came  by.  As 
she  saw  him  sitting  there  so  forlorn  on  the  rock  under  the  peach  tree, 
with  his  face  propped  on  his  hand,  staring  absently  into  space,  she  stood 
and  looked  at  him  and  said  with  a  smile: 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  all  alone  and  forlorn?  Is  it  not  too  cold 
for  you,  sitting  on  that  stone?" 

"What  is  it?  What  do  you  want  with  me?"  he  asked,  starting  up  in 
alarm.  "You're  a  girl  too,  aren't  you,  so  you  also  have  no  doubt  been 
forbidden  to  have  anything  to  do  with  me.  What  would  people  say  if 
they  saw  us  together?  Away  with  you  at  once!" 

Snowgoose  turned  away  perplexed  and  went  into  the  house.  The 
young  lady  must  have  been  reprimanding  him  again,  she  said  to  herself. 

"Here  is  the  ginseng  which  Madame  Cheng  sends  the  young  lady," 
she  said  to  Cuckoo.  "The  young  lady  is  still  asleep?  Who,  then,  has  just 
been  upsetting  the  little  master  so  much  that  he's  sitting  outside  there 
now,  crying  his  eyes  out?" 

"Where  is  he  sitting?" 

"On  a  stone  under  the  peach  tree  behind  the  honeysuckle  arbor." 

Cuckoo  promptly  laid  aside  her  needlework  and  hurried  out.  She 
could  scarcely  keep  from  laughing  out  loud  when  she  saw  the  poor  boy 
sitting  on  his  rock. 

"My  word,  you  have  chosen  a  nice  cool  spot  to  sit  down  and  rest  in ! 
Let  us  hope  you  don't  catch  cold  from  it!  How  on  earth  could  you  be  so 
touchy  over  the  two  well-meant  words  I  said  to  you  just  now?" 

"I  touchy?  I  am  nothing  of  the  kind!  You  were  quite  right.  But  I 

328 


was  only  saying  to  myself,  the  others  may  come  to  think  as  you  do,  until 
in  the  end  no  one  will  be  left  to  speak  to  me  any  more;  and  that  thought 
naturally  was  painful  to  me,"  he  replied  with  a  sorrowful  smile. 

She  sat  down  close  beside  him. 

"Why  do  you  come  up  so  near  me  since  you  bolted  off  just  now  when 
I  came  too  near  you?"  he  asked. 

"Ah,  do  drop  that  and  let  us  forget  it!  What  I  wanted  to  ask  you  was 
this:  Sometime  recently  you  began  talking  to  my  little  mistress  about 
swallows'  nests,  and  you  were  interrupted  just  as  you  had  begun  by  the 
secondary  wife  Chao's  coming  in.  I  would  very  much  like  to  know  what 
more  you  wanted  to  say  about  the  swallows'  nests." 

"Oh,  nothing  much.  I  had  told  my  grandmother  that  your  little  mis- 
tress required  some  swallows'  nests  every  day  as  medicine;  for  Precious 
Clasp  is  also  only  a  guest  here  and  cannot  keep  on  providing  her  with 
a  sufficient  amount.  As  far  as  I  know,  Grandmother  conveyed  my  wish 
to  Phoenix.  That  is  what  I  was  going  to  say  to  your  little  mistress  the 
other  day  when  I  was  interrupted." 

"So  she  owes  it  to  your  kind  intervention  that  she  now  receives  an 
ounce  of  swallows'  nests  every  day  from  the  kitchen?  She  could  not 
make  out.  why  the  old  Tai  tai  had  suddenly  become  so  attentive  to  her." 

"Well,  if  she's  good  and  eats  her  portion  every  day,  let  us  hope  that 
in  two  or  three  years  she  will  be  quite  healthy,"  said  Pao  Yu. 

"But  the  question  is:  Will  she  have  enough  money  to  continue  the 
cure  when  she  goes  home  next  year?"  remarked  Cuckoo. 

"Home?  Whom  are  you  talking  about?"  he  asked  in  alarm. 

"Miss  Black  Jade,  of  course;  for  she  is  going  back  to  h?r  own  town 
of  Suchow  next  year." 

"Oh,  come!  You  are  talking  nonsense.  Her  parents  are  both  dead  and 
that  is  just  why  we  have  taken  her  in  here.  What  would  she  do  in 
Suchow?" 

"Oh,  don't  imagine  that  there  are  no  other  distinguished  houses  be- 
sides your  Chia  clan!"  retorted  Cuckoo  cheekily.  "Certainly  the  old 
Tai  tai  did  take  in  the  orphan  at  the  time  in  order  to  give  her  a  substi- 
tute for  her  parental  home.  But  now  the  young  lady  is  grown  up  and 
marriageable.  Therefore  it  is  only  proper  that  she  should  go  back  to  her 
own  family.  Her  parents  are  dead,  but  she  has  got  other  relatives.  Even 
if  they  are  poor,  they  are  nevertheless  members  of  a  highly  respectable 
clan  in  which  the  fragrance  of  a  noble  culture  has  been  passed  down  for 
generations,  and  these  people  would  expose  themselves  to  mockery  and 
contempt  if  they  allowed  their  own  relative  to  continue  to  eat  at  a 
strange  table.  In  short,  next  spring  or  at  the  latest  next  autumn  Miss 
Black  Jade  will  leave  this  house.  And  if  they  do  not  send  her  away  from 
here  of  their  own  accord,  well,  then  the  Ling  family  will  come  and  take 

329 


her  away.  One  evening  recently  the  young  lady  gave  me  instructions  to 
ask  back  from  you  all  the  little  gifts  and  souvenirs  which  she  has  given 
to  you  in  the  course  of  the  years.  And  she  will  likewise  send  back  to 
you  one  of  these  days  all  the  gifts  and  souvenirs  which  she  has  received 
from  you." 

Pao  Yu  felt  as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  struck  him  right  on  the  top  of 
his  head.  He  was  unable  to  utter  a  word.  Cuckoo  was  just  about  to  con- 
tinue when  Brigh'L  C!oud  came  along.  She  was  looking  for  him. 

"I  had  a  message  to  give  him  from  my  young  lady.  He  does  not  seem 
to  have  quite  grasped  it  yet.  Take  him  away!"  declared  Cuckoo  curtly, 
and  left  the  two  alone. 

Bright  Cloud  perceived  with  amazement  the  distraught,  absent- 
minded  expression  of  Pao  Yu's  face,  the  flush  on  his  cheeks,  the  drops 
of  sweat  on  his  forehead.  She  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  back 
to  the  Begonia  Courtyard. 

"What  has  happened?"  asked  Pearl,  horrified. 

"He's  got  a  feverish  cold.  Apparently  he  was  hot  and  got  into  a  cold 
draft,"  said  Bright  Cloud  with  a  shrug. 

If  only  it  were  merely  that!  But  the  pupils  of  his  eyes  were  so 
strangely  fixed,  saliva  dropped  from  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  he 
seemed  completely  in  a  daze,  and  allowed  everything  to  be  done  to 
him — let  himself  be  put  to  bed,  then  propped  up  with  pillows  and  given 
tea,  all  without  showing  any  movement  of  his  own  will.  His  waiting 
maids  were  utterly  dumfounded  by  the  alteration  in  his  whole  being, 
and  in  their  perplexity  they  called  Mother  Li,  his  old  nurse,  to  his  bed- 
side. 

'Mother  Li  observed  him  attentively,  addressed  various  questions  to 
him  without  receiving  any  answer,  felt  his  pulse,  and  dug  her  sharp 
fingernails  deeply  into  his  lips  and  other  parts  of  his  body.  But  though 
she  pressed  so  hard  that  the  marks  of  her  nails  were  deeply  impr  nted 
on  his  skin,  he  seemed  to  feel  nothing  and  remained  absolutely  listless. 
Then  she  raised  a  loud  lament,  rocked  her  head  to  and  fro  like  one 
possessed,  beat  wildly  with  her  fists  on  the  bed  and  the  pillows,  and 
cursed  herself  for  having  nursed  him  in  vain  in  his  infancy  and  de- 
voted her  life  to  him  to  no  purpose.  Pearl,  who  thought  the  world  of 
old  Li  and  her  opinions,  became  infected  by  her  outbreak  of  despair 
and  joined  in  her  lament.  At  this  point  Bright  Cloud  at  last  spoke  up 
and  confessed  that  Pao  Yu's  condition  had  nothing  to  do  with  catch- 
ing cold,  but  that  he  must  have  been  driven  distracted  by  something 
which  Cuckoo  had  done  to  him  just  now  in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage. 

On  hearing  this,  Pearl  dashed  off  at  once  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage 
to  take  Cuckoo  to  task.  She  found  her  giving  Black  Jade  some  medicine. 
Without  salutation  or  ceremony  she  flew  at  Cuckoo,  crying:  "What 

330 


have  you  just  been  saying  to  our  little  master?  Go  over  and  look  at  him 
and  see  for  yourself  what  you  have  done !  See  how  you  can  answer  for 
yourself  to  the  old  Tai  tai!" 

With  these  words  she  threw  herself  into  the  nearest  armchair.  Black 
Jade  was  taken  aback  by  her  unmannerly,  excited  behavior,  in  such 
strong  contrast  to  her  normally  precise  and  polite  ways. 

"What  has  happened?"  she  asked,  full  of  misgiving. 

"Ask  that  of  your  Cuckoo!"  replied  Pearl,  weeping.  "I  don't  know 
what  she  has  been  saying  to  our  poor  little  master.  At  any  rate  he's  com- 
pletely distracted.  He  can  neither  speak  nor  see,  and  his  whole  body 
feels  cold.  Mother  Li  has  just  been  prodding  him  in  vain  with  her 
fingernails,  but  he  felt  nothing;  his  body  seems  to  have  gone  dead. 
Mother  Li  has  given  him  up  already;  she's  sitting  over  there  lamenting 
his  end." 

When  Black  Jade  heard  this,  her  agitation  was  such  that  she  vomited 
the  medicine  she  had  just  taken  and  shook  so  badly  with  coughing  that 
it  seemed  as  if  her  lungs  would  burst  and  her  entrails  come  apart.  Her 
face  became  a  deep  crimson,  her  eyes,  suddenly  bloodshot,  protruded 
from  their  sockets,  she  sat  there  bent  over,  and  her  breathing  wus  so 
weak  thai  she  could  not  even  raise  her  head.  With  horror  Cuckoo  per- 
ieived  the  consequences  of  her  thoughtless  behavior. 

"What  did  I  say,  anyway?"  she  whimpered.  "I  only  said  a  few  words 
to  him  in  joke,  and  he  took  them  seriously." 

She  tried  to  attend  to  her  mistress  and  began  to  clap  her  back,  but 
Black  Jade  pushed  her  away  angrily. 

"Stop  thumping  me!  Instead,  get  me  a  rope  with  which  to  hang 
myself!"  she  gasped  laboriously. 

"Surely  you  should  know  him  by  now,  and  understand  that  in  his 
simplicity  he  takes  everything  said  in  joke  for  the  truth!"  said  Pearl 
reproachfully. 

"If  your  words  were  not  meant  seriously,  go  and  clear  up  the  mis- 
understanding; perhaps  that  will  bring  him  back  to  his  senses,"  Black 
Jade  ordered  her  maid. 

Cuckoo  set  out  obediently  for  the  Begonia  Courtyard  together  with 
Pearl.  Pao  Yu's  mother  a:  d  grandmother  had  meantime  arrived  there. 

"What  did  you  say  to  him,  you  wretched  bitch?"  the  Ancestress 
burst  out  angrily  as  Cuckoo  appeared. 

Cuckoo  was  just  about  to  stammer  some  words  of  self-defense  when 
Pao  Yu  perceived  her  and  instantly  awoke  from  his  state  of  trance.  A 
deep  sigh  and  a  mournful  "Ah!"  burst  from  his  lips.  Then  he  broke 
into  sobs.  Everyone  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"Beg  his  pardon!"  urged  the  Ancestress.  She  thought  that  Cuckoo 

331 


had  offended  Pao  Yu  in  some  way,  but  to  everyone's  surprise  Pao  Yu 
took  Cuckoo  affectionately  by  the  hand  and  drew  her  closer  to  him. 

"Do  not  say  any  more  about  going  away,"  he  whispered,  "but  if 
it  must  be,  let  me  go  with  you!" 

His  words  were  incomprehensible  to  the  others.  They  pressed  Cuckoo 
to  speak  up,  and  then  they  learned  at  last  how  Cuckoo  had  put  Pao  Yu 
to  the  test  for  fun  and  driven  him  completely  demented  by  her  talk  of 
bidding  farewell  and  returning  to  Suchow,  which  of  course  she  did  not 
mean  seriously  at  all. 

"So  that  is  all  it  was?  I  was  wondering  what  on  earth  could  have 
happened,"  said  the  Ancestress,  melting  into  tears  of  relief.  "You  are 
such  a  clever,  sensible  girl  normally,  and  you  must  know  that  he  is  a 
simpleton!  How  on  earth  could  you  make  game  of  him  so  irresponsi- 
bly?" she  said  reproachfully  to  Cuckoo. 

At  this  moment  a  servant  announced:  "Mrs.  Ling  Chih  Hsiao  is 
outside  and  would  like  to  know  how  the  little  brother  is." 

The  mention  of  the  name  caused  a  violent  change  in  Pao  Yu. 

"How  frightful!"  he  cried.  "There,  her  relatives  have  come  already 
to  take  her  away!  But  you  must  not  let  them!  Away  with  them!  Away 
\vith  them!"  he  cried  in  a  frenzy  of  excitement. 

Pretending  to  comply  with  his  wish,  the  Ancestress  gave  orders  that 
the  wife  of  the  majordomo  Ling  should  be  sent  away  again. 

"Do  not  be  uneasy!  The  Lings  whom  you  mean  are  all  dead.  Your 
cousin  has  not  got  any  relatives  left  who  could  take,  her  away,"  she  said 
in  an  effort  to  pacify  him. 

,"Yes,  but  who  then  are  these  other  Lings?  I  do  not  want  anyone  of 
the  name  of  Ling  to  come  near  me  except  my  cousin!"  he  cried,  still 
trembling  with  fear. 

"You  shall  have  your  way.  No  other  Lings  will  come  near  you!"  said 
the  Ancestress,  and  she  gave  instructions  that  the  family  of  the  major- 
domo  Ling  were  not  to  enter  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  in  future  and 
were  never  to  be  mentioned  in  Pao  Yu's  presence.  No  one  dared  to 
laugh  at  this  strange  instruction. 

Pao  Yu's  glance  chanced  to  fall  on  the  European  mechanical  ship 
of  gilded  tin  which  was  hanging  on  the  wall. 

"Look,  there's  her  ship!  It's  coming  to  fetch  her!"  he  shouted  in  a 
new  access  of  feverish  hallucination,  pointing  with  his  finger  at  the  ship 
on  the  wall. 

At  a  sign  from  the  nurse  Pearl  hurriedly  removed  the  toy  from  the 
wall  in  order  to  withdraw  it  from  his  sight,  but  he  stretched  out  his 
hand,  made  Pearl  give  it  to  him,  and  hid  it  under  the  bedclothes. 

"Now  she  can't  sail  away!"  he  said  contentedly,  at  the  same  time 

332 


holding  Cuckoo  convulsively  fast  as  if  he  would  never  allow  her  to 
leave  his  side  again.  At  this  point  Doctor  Wang  was  announced. 

Doctor  Wang  felt  Pao  Yu's  pulse,  and  then,  while  Cuckoo  listened 
conscience-striken,  with  bent  head,  treated  the  company  to  a  long  and 
learned  professional  diagnosis  concerning  furring  of  the  tongue,  and 
constipation,  and  deficiency  of  the  flow  of  blood  to  the  brain  owing  to 
mental  excitement,  with  their  accumulated  result  of  mental  derange- 
ment. 

"Enough  of  that  learned  stuff!"  interrupted  the  Ancestress  impa- 
tiently. "We  others  are  lay  folk  and  cannot  follow  your  theories.  What 
we  want  to  know  above  all  is  this:  Is  his  condition  serious?" 

The  doctor  reassured  her  and  with  a  courteous  smile  promised  speedy 
recovery. 

"Good !  Then  go  and  write  your  prescription  in  the  next  apartment. 
If  it  is  successful  you  may  be  assured  of  an  extra  fee,  and  I  shall  see 
that  my  grandson  presents  it  to  you  personally  with  a  kowtow  of  thanks. 
But  if  it  is  unsuccessful,  woe  betide  you!  I  will  send  out  my  people  to 
pull  down  the  whole  school  of  medicine  where  you  studied!"  threatened 
the  Ancestress  laughing. 

At  the  mention  of  an  extra  fee  the  doctor  was  overjoyed,  and  made 
many  deep  and  ceremonious  bows  and  murmurs  of  pu  chan,  "too  great 
an  honor,"  even  continuing  his  pu  charts  long  after  the  Ancestress  had 
come  out  with  her  frightful  threat — a  circumstance  which  naturally 
evoked  hearty  laughter  among  all  present. 

The  medicine  prescribed  by  Doctor  Wang  effected  a  real  improve- 
ment, and  the  Ancestress,  reassured  to  some  degree,  was  able  to  leave 
the  sickroom  with  her  ladies.  As  Pao  Yu  did  not  permit  the  waiting 
maid  Cuckoo  to  leave  his  side,  Amber  was  allotted  to  Black  Jade  in  her 
stead  for  the  time  being. 

And  so  it  happened  that  that  night  the  three  waiting  maids,  Pearl, 
Bright  Cloud,  and  Cuckoo,  watched  by  Pao  Yu's  bedside  as  well  as  the 
nurse  Li  and  several  elderly  serving  women.  He  slept,  but  at  times  raved 
wildly  in  his  dreams  and  cries  such  as  "Has  she  gone  already?"  or 
"There  are  her  people  coming  to  fetch  her  away!"  betrayed  the  fact 
that  even  in  his  sleep  he  was  still  with  Black  Jade.  Several  times  during 
the  night  the  Ancestress  asked  for  reports  from  the  sickroom,  and  when 
she  heard  of  his  delirious  dreams,  she  ordered  that  the  patient  should 
be  given  the  best  cinnamon  pills  and  wonder-working  powders  in  the 
domestic  medicine  closet — efficacious  remedies  which  had  power  to 
drive  away  evil  spirits  and  purify  the  choked-up  doors  of  the  body  and 
make  them  free  so  that  good  spirits  could  find  entry. 

The  next  day  Pao  Yu  felt  distinctly  better  and  was  back  in  his  right 
senses  once  more,  but  because  of  his  fear  that  Cuckoo  might  leave  him, 

333 


it  pleased  him  to  go  on  playing  the  invalid  a  while  longer.  Of  course  he 
could  not  continue  indefinitely  deceiving  those  around  him  by  these  art- 
ful pretenses,  and  when  Little  Cloud  came  to  visit  him  one  day  and  in 
her  merry  way  mimicked  his  condition  during  those  critical  days  by 
means  of  all  sorts  of  grimaces  and  tomfoolery,  he  forgot  his  pretense  of 
suffering  so  far  as  to  sit  up  in  bed  and  laugh  heartily.  He  had  not 
thought  that  his  recent  condition  had  been  so  funny,  he  said.  That  made 
the  household  feel  fully  assured  that  he  must  really  be  well  again. 

"Why  did  you  put  me  into  such  a  state  of  fright  recently?"  he  asked 
.Cuckoo  one  day  when  they  were  alone. 

"Why,  I  only  did  it  for  fun.  How  on  earth  could  you  have  taken  it 
seriously?" 

"All  the  same,  what  you  said  did  not  sound  so  very  unlikely." 

"You  can  be  easy  in  your  mind.  Not  one  of  Miss  Ling's  closer  rela- 
tives is  still  alive,  and  all  the  distant  relatives  live  far  away  from 
Suchow,  scattered  through  the  various  provinces.  And  even  if  someone 
should  turn  up  one  day  to  fetch  away  my  little  mistress,  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  the  old  Tai  tai  would  not  let  her  go !" 

"And  even  if  the  old  Tai  tai  should  be  willing  to  let  her  go,  I  would 
definitely  not  allow  it!"  he  added  passionately. 

"Come  now!  Who  knows  if  you  will  still  think  the  same  way  in  two 
or  three  years?  For  you  are  now  grown  up,  and  already  engaged." 

"Engaged?  I  didn't  know  that!" 

"Oh,  it's  said  that  the  old  Ancestress  intends  Miss  Precious  Harp  for 
you.  For  what  other  reason  would  she  make  such  a  favorite  of  the  young 
lady?" 

"Ha!  Ha!  So  I  am  still  taken  for  a  fool?  Yet  it  seems  to  me  that  I 
am  not  quite  such  a  fool  as  you  are.  I  happen  to  know  that  Cousin 
Precious  Harp  has  already  been  engaged  for  a  long  while  past  to  young 
Mei,  son  of  Mei,  the  member  of  the  Han  Lin  Academy.  So  you  can't 
fool  me  this  time !  Do  you  not  know  of  the  solemn  vow  that  I  have  made 
to  your  little  mistress?  No!  No!  I  am  lucky  enough  to  have  just  re- 
covered from  my  last  fright,  and  already  you  want  to  start  trying  to 
hoax  me  again?  I  only  wish  that  I  could  tear  the  heart  out  of  my  breast 
here  and  now  and  show  it  to  you  and  to  your  mistress  in  order  to  con- 
vince you  both  how  sincerely  I  mean  it.  Then  I  would  die  happy.  And 
when  I  am  dead  may  I  be  burned  to  ashes  and  go  up  in  smoke,  and  may 
the  wind  carry  me  in  all  directions.  That  is  what  I  would  wish!"  He  had 
said  all  this  with  rising  excitement;  he  was  gnashing  his  teeth;  his  eyes 
were  full  of  tears. 

"Don't  get  so  excited!  I  only  wanted  to  put  you  to  the  test  a  bit,  I  was 
worried  about  my  little  mistress.  True,  I  have  not  always  belonged  to 
her  since  I  left  home,  but  she  has  always  been  so  good  to  me.  That  is 

334 


why  I  am  so  very  fond  of  her,  and  I  dread  the  thought  of  being  parted 
from  her,"  said  Cuckoo,  holding  his  mouth  shut  with  one  hand  and  wip- 
ing the  tears  from  her  eyes  with  the  other. 

"You  silly  little  thing!  You're  grieving  without  reason,"  he  said,  now 
in  his  turn  laughing,  trying  to  calm  her.  "Let  me  confide  one  thing  to 
you:  in  life  and  in  death,  we  three  shall  stay  together!" 

Cuckoo  remained  thoughtfully  silent.  A  serving  woman  appeared  to 
announce  that  Chia  Huan  and  nephew  Chia  Lan  were  outside  and  would 
like  to  inquire  about  the  health  of  the  little  master. 

"Oh,  let  them  not  trouble  about  me;  I  want  to  go  to  sleep  now.  Send 
them  away  again!"  muttered  Pao  Yu. 

"You  would  do  better  to  send  me  away.  It  is  time  I  was  looking  after 
my  little  mistress^again,"  interjected  Cuckoo. 

"You  are  right,  i  was  thinking  of  that  myself  last  evening,  for  I  am 
now  quite  well.  Go  then!" 

Cuckoo  immediately  set  about  packing  her  bedclothes  and  other 
things. 

"Yo^  have  got  three  hand  mirrors,"  he  remarked.  "Would  you  leave 
me  that  one  there  as  a  souvenir?  I  will  always  place  it  beside  my  pillow 
when  I  go  to  bed  and  take  it  with  me  when  I  go  out." 

Cuckoo  did  as  h^  wished;  then  she  took  leave  of  him  and  of  all  the 
other  inmates  of  the  Begonia  Courtyard,  and  returned  to  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage. 

All  the  time  that  she  knew  Pao  Yu  to  be  ill  in  bed,  Black  Jade  had 
suffered  with  him,  and  during  Cuckoo's  absence  she  had  shed  many  a 
secret  tear.  Now,  when  she  saw  Cuckoo  coming  back  to  her  and  heard 
her  report  of  Pao  Yu's  recovery,  she  herself  suddenly  felt  a  great  deal 
better  and  more  cheerful. 

"He  means  it  really  seriously,"  said  Cuckoo  with  a  smile  to  her  mis- 
tress as  they  went  to  bed  that  night.  "That  sudden  bad  turn  he  took 
was  solely  due  to  my  having  let  drop  a  few  words  about  our  going  away 
and  bidding  farewell." 

Black  Jade  pretended  not  to  have  heard  her  remark.  After  a  fairly 
lengthy  pause  Cuckoo  continued,  as  if  talking  to  herself:  "Why  get  rest- 
less and  want  to  change  when  one  is  so  safe  and  well  looked  after  here? 
The  chief  thing  is  that  you  two  have  known  and  understood  each  other 
from  childhood.  Everything  else  will  come  right  in  time." 

"Will  you  not  go  to  sleep  at  last?  Are  you  so  little  tired  from  the  last 
few  days  that  you  must  go  nibbling  idly  at  ants'  eggs?"  asked  Black 
Jade,  interrupting  her  soliloquy:  But  Cuckoo  refused  to  be  rebuffed  and 
continued:  "Oh,  it's  not  just  idle  chatter;  what  I  want  to  say  to  you 
comes  straight  from  my  heart.  Believe  me,  I  have  felt  for  you  all  these 
years,  in  your  loneliness  and  desolation.  How  I  wish  that  the  main 

335 


affair  of  your  life  would  happen  very  soon,  while  the  old  Tai  tai  is  still 
alive!  As  long  as  the  old  Tai  tai  is  in  command  you  have  nothing  to 
fear,  but  once  she  is  dead,  who  knows?  These  aristocratic  young  people 
simply  are  as  they  are:  today  they  look  to  the  east,  tomorrow  to  the 
west;  they  like  best  to  do  with  not  less  than  'three  chief  rooms  and  five 
side-chambers.'  Today  they  bring  home  a  wife  beautiful  as  a  heavenly 
fairy;  after  three  or  five  nights  they  are  tired  of  her,  and  begin  looking 
out  for  another,  and  then  they  either  hate  the  first  wife  or  else  banish 
the  thought  of  her  into  the  farthest  corner  of  their  minds.  When  this 
happens  it  is  a  good  thing  for  a  young  wife  to  have  the  backing  of  an 
influential  crowd  of  relations.  Therefore  I  think  that  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  for  you  if  your  main  affair  was  settled  while  the  old  Tai  tai  is  still 
in  authority  here.  You  are  clever,  you  will  understand  what  I  mean 
when  I  advise  you  to  make  up  your  mind  now  and  keep  to  your  deci- 
sion, bearing  in  mind  the  proverb: 

Ten  thousand  gold  batzes 
Are  more  easily  won 
Than  a  single  heart." 

"You  seem  to  have  gone  out  of  your  mind,"  said  Black  Jade,  cutting 
short  her  flow  of  talk.  "How  on  earth  can  a  person  change  so  suddenly, 
all  in  a  few  days?  You  have  become  quite  intolerable.  But  just  you 
wait!  I  will  ask  the  old  Tai  tai  tomorrow  to  take  you  away  from  here." 

"Why?  I  only  meant  well  by  you.  I  merely  want  you  to  look  out  for 
yourself  while  there  is  yet  time.  Surely  there's  no  harm  in  that?"  said 
Cuckoo,  in  laughing  self-defense,  and  soon  after  fell  asleep. 

But  Black  Jade  remained  awake  for  a  long  time.  In  her  heart  she  felt 
quite  differently  from  what  the  brusque  tone  she  had  just  put  on  would 
lead  one  to  believe.  She  was  profoundly  moved  by  the  sensible  words  of 
her  good  waiting  maid  and  she  had  to  agree  with  her  in  her  heart.  She 
lay  awake  the  whole  night,  tossing  and  turning  fretfully  and  weeping 
silently  into  the  pillow;  only  as  dawn  was  breaking  did  she  get  a  little 
sleep. 

She  got  up  next  morning  so  exhausted  and  underslept  that  she  found 
it  an  effort  to  wash  herself,  and  rinse  out  her  mouth,  and  eat  her  swal- 
lows' nest  cream.  That  day  Aunt  Hsueh  was  celebrating  her  birthday. 
Black  Jade  went  over  to  offer  her  congratulations  and  at  the  same  time 
took  her  a  piece  of  her  own  needlework;  then  she  came  straight  back  to 
her  Bamboo  Hermitage.  She  was  quite  unable  to  attend  the  usual  ban- 
quet and  theatrical  performance.  Pao  Yu  was  also  absent  from  among 
the  birthday  guests.  At  the  festive  banquet  for  the  male  guests,  whicli 
lasted  more  than  three  or  four  days,  nephew  Hsueh  Kuo  did  the  honors 
in  place  of  the  absent  Hsueh  Pan. 

336 


For  a  long  time  past  Aunt  Hsueh  had  had  an  eye  on  Wreath  of 
Clouds,  Princess  Shieh's  poor  niece.  True,  the  young  girl  was  penniless, 
one  of  those  who  "have  only  a  thorn  for  a  hair-clasp,"  as  the  saying 
goes.  On  the  other  hand,  she  was  graceful  of  form,  and  quiet  and  pleas- 
ing in  her  ways,  in  fact,  she  had  the  making  of  an  ideal  wife.  Actually, 
Aunt  Hsueh  had  been  thinking  of  her  for  her  son  Hsueh  Pan,  but  then 
she  said  to  herself  that  the  young  girl  was  really  too  good  for  that  scoun- 
drel and  wastrel  and  would  only  suffer  misery  if  married  to  him;  so  she 
changed  her  plans  and  decided  to  win  Wreath  of  Clouds  for  her  nice 
young  nephew  Hsueh  Kuo  instead. 

She  first  informed  Phoenix  of  her  plan,  and  Phoenix  in  her  turn  con- 
fided the  matter  to  the  Ancestress.  The  Ancestress  gave  her  willing  con- 
sent and  evinced  eagerness  herself  to  play  the  part  of  the  sponsor  and 
go-between  who  brings  the  mountains  togethf"-.  She  sent  forthwith  ;or 
Princess  Shieh  and  asked  her  consent  to  the  project.  The  Princess  said 
to  herself  that  a  union  of  her  poor  niece  with  the  rich  family  of  Hsueh 
Kuo  could  not  be  other  than  advantageous,  and  as  the  suitor,  moreover, 
was  a  good-looking,  well-behaved  young  man,  she  consented  without 
any  lengthy  deliberation.  The  Ancestress  now  sent  for  Aunt  Hsueh  to 
be  the  third  party  at  the  marriage  conference.  For  the  sake  of  good 
form,  quite  a  lengthy  discussion  of  pros  and  cons  now  developed  be- 
tween Princess  Shieh  and  Aunt  Hsueh,  with  apparent  resistance  and 
rejection,  and  raising  of  this  doubt  and  that  objection  until,  thanks  to 
the  energetic  persuasion  of  the  Ancestress,  agreement  was  eventually 
reached.  The  parents  of  the  bride  were  now  informed  and  called  upon 
to  appear.  Sometime  previously  they  had  taken  refuge  in  the  Yungkuo 
palace,  owing  to  their  poverty.  Could  they  have  wished  for  anything 
better  than  this  advantageous  union  with  the  well-to-do  family  of 
Hsueh?  They  were  only  too  willing  to  give  their  consent. 

The  Ancestress  was  very  pleased  with  her  achievement. 

"There's  another  business  happily  concluded!  All  my  life  I  have  en- 
joyed carrying  through  negotiations  of  this  kind,  and  now  what  about 
my  marriage  broker's  commission?"  she  said  jokingly  to  Aunt  Hsueh. 

"Naturally,  the  commission  has  been  well  earned.  I  trust  that  ten 
thousand  silver  pieces  will  suffice,"  said  Aunt  Hsueh,  taking  up  the  jest. 
"But  how  would  it  be  if  the  old  Tai  tai,  having  negotiated  the  marriage, 
would  also  do  us  the  honor  of  giving  the  wedding  feast?" 

"No,  thank  you;  I  should  prefer  not  to,"  replied  the  Ancestress, 
laughing.  "Let  other  hands  and  feet  than  mine  stir  themselves  this 
time!"  Thereupon  she  sent  for  Princess  Chen  and  instructed  her  to 
make  all  the  necessary  preparations  for  a  worthy  wedding  feast,  neither 
too  economical  nor  too  luxurious,  and  to  render  her  a  conscientious  and 
detailed  account  of  all  the  outlay. 

337 


During  her  sojourn  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  Wreath  of  Clouds  had 
attached  herself  most  of  all  to  Precious  Clasp  and  had  found  in  her  a 
friend  as  sympathetic  as  a  sister.  True,  she  lived  with  her  cousin  Greet- 
ing of  Spring,  but  the  latter  bothered  just  as  little  about  her  poor  rela- 
tion as  did  her  stepmother,  Princess  Shieh.  She  was  made  to  feel  quite 
clearly  that  she  was  poor  and  did  not  belong  to  the  respected  mandarin 
class  as  the  other  young  girls  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  did,  and 
she  was  poorly  equipped  and  often  was  without  even  the  most  necessary 
things.  She  lacked  the  courage  to  beg  from  her  cousin  or  from  her 
proud  aunt,  Princess  Shieh,  and  at  such  times  of  need  it  was  always 
Precious  Clasp  to  whom  she  turned  in  her  embarrassment  and  who 
helped  her  out  secretly  with  this  or  that. 

^  One  day  Precious  Clasp  met  Wreath  of  Clouds  by  chance  in  the  park. 
They  were  both  going  in  the  same  direction — to  visit  Black  Jade.  Com- 
ing to  a  narrow  pathway,  Precious  Clasp  lei  the  other  step  in  front,  and 
so  she  noticed  what  very  thin  clothing  she  wore. 

"Why  do  you  not  dress  more  warmly  ;.n  this  cold  early  spring 
weather?"  she  asked  her. 

Wreath  of  Clouds  bent  her  head,  embarrassed,  and  did  not  answer. 

"Your  pocket  money  has  run  short  again,  I  suppose?"  she  asked, 
smiling.  "Yes,  I  know,  Cousin  Phoenix  has  taken  to  pinching  and 
reckoning  of  late." 

Wreath  of  Clouds  nodded  eager  agreement. 

"I  have  to  give  half  of  my  meager  two  taels  a  month  to  my  parents  at 
Aunt  Shieh's  wish.  Then  there  are  the  little  gifts  which  I  have  to  give,  to 
serving  women  and  waiting  maids  to  induce  them  to  condescend  to 
serve  me  at  all  and  not  overlook  me  completely.  So  what  is  .there  left 
with  which  to  buy  things?"  she  complained.  "Of  course  my  pocket 
money  always  runs  out  right  at  the  beginning  of  the  month.  And  the 
fact  is  that  I  have  taken  all  my  warm  lined  clothing  secretly  to  a  pawn- 
shop and  pawned  it." 

"So  I  thought.  Well,  I  shall  have  a  talk  with  Mother.  And  meantime, 
will  you  turn  back  and  send  me  your  pawn  ticket  as  quickly  as  possible, 
and  I  will  have  it  redeemed  secretly,  and  you  will  have  your  warm 
things  back  by  this  evening.  You  could  easily  catch  a  bad  cold  by  run- 
ning about  so  lightly  dressed.  Where  is  your  pawnshop,  by  the  way?" 

"It  is  on  the  main  road  west  of  the  Drum  Tower,  and  is  called  the 
Hall  of  Enduring  Weil-Being,  or  something  of  the  kind." 

"Oh,  indeed?  Then  the  money  will  at  least  remain,  in  the  family.  The 
employees  in  the  pawnshop  will  think  that  if  their  employers  do  not 
come  to  them  in  person,  at  least  they  honor  them  with  their  clothes." 

Wreath  of  Clouds  flushed,  with  embarrassment.  So  she  had  gone  to  a 
pawnshop  which  was  run  by  the  Hsueh  family,  of  all  people ! 

338 


When  Precious  Clasp  reached  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  she  found  her 
mother  Aunt  Hsueh  together  with  Black  Jade. 

"How  marvellous  are  the  ways  of  destiny!  Aunt  Hsueh  has  just  told 
me  of  the  engagement  of  her  nephew  to  Wreath  of  Clouds.  Who  would 
have  thought  it  would  all  happen  so  quickly?"  said  Black  Jade  to 
Precious  Clasp. 

"Yes,  my  child,  if  the  old  man  in  the  moon  wills  it,  two  people  find 
each  other  even  if  they  are  a  thousand  miles  apart,"  remarked  Aunt 
Hsueh  with  a  smile.  "The  old  man  in  the  moon  secretly  seeks  out  his 
young  people  and  binds  them  together  with  the  magic  red  cord  which 
he  winds  around  their  feet.  When  that  happens,  countries  and  seas  and 
years  may  lie  between  them,  but  his  chosen  young  people  must  become 
man  and  wife  in  the  end.  None  of  it  happens  by  human  will.  And  on  the 
other  hand,  two  human  beings  may  live  ever  so  close  together,  and  they 
may  be  solemnly  destined  for  each  other  by  parents  and  relatives,  but  if 
the  old  man  in  the  moon  does  not  knot  his  red  cord,  then,  in  spite  of 
everything,  they  do  not  get  each  other.  Who  knows  how  quickly  it  may 
one  day  happen  to  you  two  girls,  even  if  your  future  husbands  are  in 
the  Southern  Mountains  or  by  the  Northern  Sea?" 

"All  the  same,  a  little  motherly  help  could  not  harm  us,  perhaps," 
said  Precious  Clasp,  with  a  laugh,  nestling  against  her  mother's  breast. 

"Imagine -a  big  girl  like  her  being  petted  like  that!  How  lucky  she 
is!"  sighed  Black  Jade,  smiling  sadly.  How  happy  she  would  be  if  she 
could  nestle  on  a  motherly  breast,  she  thought.  And  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears. 

"Don't  weep,  dear  child!"  said  Aunt  Hsueh,  moved  with  pity,  flick- 
ing her  face  with  a  feather  duster.  "I  can  quite  understand  how  sad  it 
makes  you  to  have  to  look  on  at  the  caresses  between  a  mother  and 
daughter.  But  believe  me,  I  feel  for  you  no  whit  less  than  I  do  for  my 
own  daughter,  but  I  dare  not  show  my  feelings  openly,  there  are  so 
many  malicious  tongues  in  the  house.  No  one  would  understand  that 
one  could  adopt  a  defenseless  orphan  out  of  pure  human  sympathy — 
no,  it  would  oe  interpreted  as  currying  favor  with  the  old  Tai  tai;  for 
the  old  Tai  tai  also  has  a  special  preference  for  you." 

"Oh,  if  that  is  the  way  it  is  with  you,  Aunt,  may  I  not  look  upon  you 
as  a  mother?"  asked  Black  Jade. 

"Why  not?  If  you  do  not  scorn  me,  I  will  willingly  adopt  you,"  re- 
plied Aunt  Hsueh  affectionately. 

"No,  that  would  not  do,"  interjected  Precious  Clasp,  smiling  slyly. 

"Why  would  it  not  do?"  asked  Black  Jade,  surprised. 

"Well,  naturally,  because  of  my  brother  Hsueh  Pan.  For  after  all,  he 
is  not  yet  married.  Why  do  you  think  it  was  that  Cousin  Wreath  of 
Clouds  has  been  betrothed  to  Cousin  Hsueh  Kuo  and  not  to  him?" 

339 


"Why?  Presumably  because  he  is  away  or  because  his  horoscope 
does  not  agree  with  Wreath  of  Clouds',"  replied  Black  Jade  guilelessly. 

"No,  no,  that's  not  the  reason.  Hsueh  Pan's  bride  has  already  been 
chosen,  and  as  soon  as  he  comes  back  from  his  travels  her  name  will  be 
made  known.  Now  can  you  guess  why  Mother  cannot  very  well  adopt 
you  as  a  daughter?  Just  think  hard!" 

Precious  Clasp  winked  gleefully  at  her  mother  as  she  said  this,  but 
Black  Jade,  who  now  understood,  took  her.  jest  seriously.  Horrified,  she 
hid  her  face  on  Aunt  Hsueh's  breast,  murmuring  distractedly:  "I  won't! 
I  won't!" 

"Don't  let  her  frighten  you!  She  is  only  hoaxing  you!"  Aunt  Hsueh 
reassured  her,  embracing  her  tenderly. 

"Really,  you  may  believe  it!  Mama  is  going  to  speak  to  the  old  Tai 
tai  tomorrow  and  ask  for  your  hand.  Why  should  she  waste  time  look- 
ing elsewhere  when  the  right  bride  is  here?"  continued  Precious  Clasp, 
persisting  with  her  jesting. 

"Oh,  you're  crazy!"  exclaimed  Black  Jade,  laughing  and  going  for 
Precious  Clasp  with  outspread  fingers  as  if  about  to  claw  her.  Aunt 
Hsueh  parted  the  two  young  girls,  saying  to  her  daughter  as  she  did  so: 
"Enough  of  this  nonsense!  Since  I  think  even  Wreath  of  Clouds  too 
good  for  y6ur  scamp  of  a  brother,  how  would  I  ever  dream  of  deliver- 
ing this  delicate  and  sensitive  child  iiito  his  claws?  No !  The  old  Tai  tai 
said  only  recently  that  she  intends  her  grandson  Pao  Yu  for  your  cousin 
Black  Jade.  And  it  is  best  so,  too;  for  Pao  Yu  is  so  full  of  peculiarities 
that  he  must  have  a  wife  who  knows  and  understands  him  thoroughly, 
and  surely  only  Cousin  Black  Jade  can  do  that.  The  old  Tai  tai  will  on 
no  account  give  him  a  strange  girl  as  wife." 

Black  Jade  had  listened  with  growing  tension,  making  faces  at  her 
cousin  the  while.  Now  she  flushed  up  to  the  roots  of  her  hair. 

"Phew!  You  deserve  a  good  spanking  for  enticing  your  mother  to 
talk  about  things  which  should  not  be  mentioned!"  she  said  to  Precious 
Clasp  in  jest,  pretending  indignation. 

"Oh,  if  that  is  Madame's  opinion,  would  she  not  go  one  step  further 
and  herself  put  in  a  word  for  my  little  mistress  with  the  old  Tai  tai?" 
interjected  Cuckoo  eagerly,  turning  to  Aunt  Hsueh. 

"Listen  to  the  girl.  She  can  hardly  wait  to  see  her  young  lady  leave 
her  maiden's  quarters!  Probably  she  wants  to  marry  herself,  eh?"  re- 
marked Aunt  Hsueh.  Cuckoo  turned  away  blushing. 

"Kindly  do  not  meddle  in  matters  which  do  not  concern  you,  you 
cheeky  little  creature!"  Black  Jade  called  after  her,  with  a  voice  of 
pretended  sternness.  But  immediately  she  herself  had  to  burst  out 
laughing. 

"A-mi-to-fo,  holy  Buddha,  what  a  cussed  creature,  chai  tzu  .  .  ." 

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she  was  in  the  act  of  continuing.  But  she  did  nol  get  beyond  the  chai; 
the  tzu  turned  into  a  hefty  sneeze,  to  the  amusement  of  all  present.  She 
was  about  to  finish  the  sentence  she  had  begun  wnen  Little  Cloud  burst 
in,  waving  a  piece  of  paper  in  her  hand. 

"Can  you  tell  me  what  this  funny  document  meaps?"  she  asked.  "It 
looks  like  a  bill." 

Black  Jade  was  the  first  to  look  at  the  paper.  She  could  not  make  it 
out  either,  and  then  Precious  Clasp  glanced  at  it.  To  her  horror  she 
recognized  Wreath  of  Clouds'  pawn  ticket,  of  which  she  knew  already. 
She  hurriedly  snatched  it  from  Little  Cloud  and  tried  to  hide  it.  Aunt 
Hsueh  too  had  already  stolen  a  glimpse  at  it. 

"It's  a  pawn  ticket,"  she  explained  to  Little  Cloud.  "It  must  belong 
to  some  serving  woman.  Where  did  you  find  it?  The  owner  will  miss  it." 

"A  pawn  ticket?  What  may  that  be?"  asked  Little  Cloud  naively. 

"What  a  little  noodle!  She  doesn't  yet  know  what  a  pawn  ticket  is!" 
the  women  and  waiting  maids  who  were  standing  about  exclaimed, 
giggling. 

"What  is  there  so  funny  about  that?"  said  Aunt  Hsueh  reprovingly. 
"This  ignorance  is  only  to  her  credit.  It  shows  that  she  is  a  real  Miss 
'Thousand-Gold-Piece,'  a  genuinely  innocent  young  girl  who  knows 
nothing  as  yet  of  this  wicked  world.  I  trust  that  the  other  young  ladies 
here  are  all  just  the  same  kind  of  little  noodles." 

"Of  course,  of  course,"  replied  the  serving  women  fervently,  as  if 
with  one  voice.  "After  all,  Miss  Black  Jade  didn't  know  either,  so  the 
other  young  ladies  surely  cannot  know.  Indeed,  we  feel  sure  that  even 
our  little  master,  although  he  has  been  outside  the  house  so  often  al- 
ready, has  never  seen  a  pawn  ticket  either." 

Aunt  Hsueh  then  explained  briefly  to  the  three  young  girls  the  nature 
and  meaning  of  a  pawn  ticket. 

"Oh,  goodness,  what  funny  ideas  people  come  on  in  order  to  obtain 
money!"  cried  Black  Jade  and  Little  Cloud,  astonished,  and  their  re- 
mark induced  a  further  outbreak  of  giggles  and  exclamations  of  "little 
noodles"  among  the  serving  women  and  waiting  maids. 

"Where,  actually,  did  you  pick  up  the  ticket?"  Aunt  Hsueh  wanted 
to  know.  Little  Cloud  was  just  opening  her  mouth  to  answer  when 
Precious  Clasp  forestalled  her:  "Anyhow,  the  ticket  is  expired  and  in- 
valid long  ago.  Lotus  just  kept  it  for  fun."  Of  course  her  aim  was  to 
prevent  the  truth  from  coming  out  and  to  save  Cousin  Wreath  of  Clouds 
embarrassment.  Aunt  Hsueh  was  satisfied  and  desisted  from  further 
questions;  but  later,  when  they  were  by  themselves,  Precious  Clasp  be- 
gan questioning  Little  Cloud  once  more.  Little  Cloud  then  confessed 
that  she  had  just  noticed  Wreath  of  Clouds'  maid  surreptitiously  slip- 
ping the  ticket  across  to  Precious  Clasp's  maid  Oriole,  and  had  seen 

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Oriole  putting  it  into  a  book.  Being  curious  by  nature,  she  had  taken 
out  the  ticket  unobserved  and,  as  she  did  not  understand  what  it  meant, 
had  brought  it  in  to  have  its  purpose  explained. 

"So  Wreath  of  Clouds  has  pawned  things?  But  why  did  she  have  her 
ticke,J  sent  over  to  your  maid?"  asked  Little  Cloud.  Realizing  that  she 
could  no  longer  hide  the  true  facts  of  the  case,  Precious  Clasp  confided 
the  story  to  the  two  cousins.  They  were  both  sorry  for  Wreath  of  Clouds 
and  indignant  that  she  was  treated  so  shabbily  by  her  rich  aunt  the 
Princess  and  her  cousin  Greeting  of  Spring. 

"See  if  I  do  not  give  Cousin  Greeting  of  Spring  and  her  ill-behaved 
staff  a  good  piece  of  myjnind,"  declared  Little  Cloud  angrily. 

She  would  have  liked  to  carry  out  her  intention  straight  away,  but 
the  others  succeeded  in  dissuading  her  from  such  hasty  action,  which 
would  only  have  brought  unpleasantness  to  herself.  They  all  agreed  to 
avoid  useless  lecturing  and  instead  to  be  nicer  to  Wreath  of  Clouds 
themselves  and  to  find  a  pretext  for  getting  her  away  from  the  unpleas- 
ant company  of  her  cousin  Greeting  of  Spring  by  taking  her  to  live  with 
Precious  Clasp,  Little  Cloud,  and  Lotus  in  the  Jungle  Courtyard. 


CHAPTER    32 

Chia  Lien  secretly  takes  the  second  Miss  Yu  to  wife.  The  third  Miss  Yu 
aspires  to  the  hand  of  the  Cold  Knight. 

CIHIA  CHING,  THE  PRINCE  HERMIT,.  WAS  DEAD.  THE  NEWS  OF  HIS 
decease  reached  the  Yungkuo  and  the  Ningkuo  palaces  exactly  on  Pao 
Yu's  birthday,  as  it  happened.  It  also  chanced  that  just  at  that  time  the 
Princess  Ancestress  and  the  older  ladies  and  all  the  male  seniors  of  both 
palaces,  among  them  Prince  Chen  and  his  son  Chia  Yung,  were  away 
taking  part  in  the  funeral  procession  to  the  Imperial  burial  grounds  of  a 
recently  deceased  Imperial  wife.  Princess  Chen  had  to  leave  the  birth- 
day banquet  forthwith,  remove  her  jewelry  and  her  festive  attire,  put 
on  a  simple  white  mourning  robe,  and  hasten  out  into  the  mountains  in 
front  of  the  city,  to  the  hermitage  of  her  dead  father-in-law,  in  order  to 
comply  with  the  initial  formalities  such  as  viewing  the  corpse,  having  it 
prepared  for  the  bier,  and  so  on.  For  she  was  the  only  representative  of 
the  family  at  home.  True,  she  sent  express  messengers  to  her  absent 
husband,  but  it  would  be  several  weeks  in  any  case  before  Prince  Chen 
could  be  back  from  the  Imperial  burial  place  to  help  her.  Therefore,  she 
had  to  resign  herself  to  taking  up  her  quarters  for  a  time  in  the  near-by 
Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings,  where  the  family  vaults  of  the  Chia  clan 
were  situated  and  where  she  had  the  corpse  laid  temporarily  on  a  bier; 

342 


and  she  had  to  carry  through  the  prescribed  funeral  rites  alone  there, 
until  her  husband  could  come  and  relieve  her  and  make  the  final  ar- 
rangements for  the  obsequies.  She  had  taken  the  majordomo  Lai  Sheng 
and  his  wife  with  her  to  help  her.  In  order  not  to  leave  the  Ningkuo 
palace  entirely  without  the  supervision  of  a  respected  older  person,  she 
had  induced  her  stepmother  to  come  and  take  over  the  management  of 
the  household  during  her  absence. 

Her  stepmother,  the  Lady  Yu,  had  brought  with  her  two  unmarried 
daughters.  They  were  both  equal  in  beauty  but  far  from  alike  in  char- 
acter, as  will  be  noticed  later.  When  the  older  ladies  and  the  male  sen- 
ior members  of  the  Chia  clan  came  home  subsequently,  having  been 
graciously  excused  by  the  Emperor  from  further  attendance  at  the  Im- 
perial burial  place,  and  the  various  services  took  place  before  the  bier 
of  the  Prince  Hermit  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Ningkuo  palace,  the  sight 
of  the  two  beautiful  Yu  girls  inevitably  awoke  in  Chia  Lien's  breast  such 
burning  desire  that  his  mouth  literally  watered.  For  a  long  time  past  he 
had  been  tiring  of  his  first  wife,,  the  more  so  since  Phoenix  had  been 
ailing  frequently  of  late  and  was  often  confined  to  her  sickbed.  Chia 
Lien  found  both  the  Yu  girls  equally  desirable,  but  since  the  younger 
one  had  given  him  unmistakably  to  understand  that  she  did  not  care  for 
him,  he  confined  his  attentions  to  the  elder  one,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  that  his  feelings  were  reciprocated.  To  be  sure,  their  relations 
at  the  beginning  were  confined  to  hurried  meetings  and  surreptitious 
exchanges  of  glances  and  words.  For  there  were  always  too  many  ob- 
servant pairs  of  eyes  in  the  neighborhood,  which  effectively  prevented 
him  from  attaining  the  goal  of  his  desires. 

So  he  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  when  at  last  the  obsequies  in  the 
house  came  to  an  end  and  the  coffin  of  the  Prince  Hermit  was  takenjto 
the  family  burial  place  at  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings.  While  the 
other  relatives  might  return  to  the  town  the  same  day,  the  funeral  rites 
required  that  the  closer  relatives  of  the  deceased,  namely,  Prince  and 
Princess  Chen,  their  son  Chia  Yung,  and  their  daughter-in-law,  had  to 
remain  a  full  hundred  days  longer  in  the  family  temple,  to  carry  out  the 
further  obsequies.  A  large  proportion  of  the  palace  staffs  likewise  re- 
mained out  there  with  them,  while  at  home  in  the  Ningkuo  palace  the 
Lady  Yu,  with  her  two  daughters,  took  over  the  running  of  the  house- 
hold once  more. 

It  is  now  or  never,  said  Chia  Lien  to  himself,  and  he  resolved  to 
achieve  his  goal  during  these  hundred  days.  Naturally,  he  required  a 
suitable  pretext  for  approaching  his  beloved,  whom  he  knew  to  be  less 
watched  and  observed  than  usual  in  the  semideserted  Ningkuo  palace. 
For  this  reason  he  rode  out  quite  often  to  the  family  temple  to  keep 
Prince  Chen  and  his  family  company  for  one  or  two  days,  and  nearly 

343 


always  there  was  some  order  of  the  Prince,  or  this  or  that  domestic  re- 
quest on  the  part  of  the  Princess,  which  offered  him  the  desired  excuse 
of  entering  the  eastern  palace  on  his  return  and  seeing  and  speaking  to 
the  beloved. 

One  day,  when  he  was  once  more  out  at  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Rail- 
ings, the  Prince's  deputy  majordomo,  Yu  Lu,  called  to  discuss  some 
business  with  his  master.  A  balance  of  six  hundred  ounces  of  silver  was 
still  owing  for  the  white  funeral  cloth  and  the  green  smocks  for  the 
coffin  bearers,  and  the  two  cloth  merchants  had  called  yesterday  to  com- 
plain and  demand  payment,  he  reported. 

"Well,  just  get  the  money  from  the  household  cash.  Why  bother  me 
about  it  and  make  this  unnecessary  journey  here?"  said  the  Prince. 

"The  bursar  could  not  pay  me  the  sum.  The  cash  has  been  exhausted, 
owing  to  the  many  heavy  expenses  of  the  recent  weeks  of  mourning. 
The  ready  money  available  is  earmarked  for  covering  the  expenses  of 
the  last  hundred  days  of  mourning  here  in  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Rail- 
ings. That  is  why  I  have  come  for  your  instructions." 

"Well,  just  see  where  else  you  can  get  the  money  from;  you  are  old 
and  wise  enough  to  do  that,"  said  the  Prince. 

"Hm,  if  it  were  only  a  matter  of  one  or  two  hundred  ounces,  I  would 
know  how  to  get  over  the  difficulty,  but  six  hundred  straight  away 
.  .  .!"YuLu  answered  hesitantly,  much  embarrassed. 

The  Prince  considered  the  matter  for  a  while,  then  he  turned  to  his 
son,  Chia  Yung,  and  said:  "Go  to  your  mother  and  ask  her  what  became 
of  the  five  hundred  ounces  which  came  in  recently  as  a  funeral  gift  from 
the  Chen  family  of  Kiang  nan.  As  far  as  I  know,  the  money  has  not 
gone  into  the  household  cash." 

Chia  Yung  went  to  the  Princess  and  came  back  after  a  while  with 
the  message  that  two  of  the  five  hundred  ounces  were  already  spent,  and 
the  remaining  three  hundred  were  in  the  safekeeping  of  Mother  Yu. 

"Very  well.  Then  you  must  go  to  your  grandmother,  ask  her  to  give 
you  the  three  hundred,  and  hand  them  to  Yu  Lu  to  pay  his  cloth  mer- 
chants' bill.  He  will  rake  up  the  balance  himself.  At  the  same  time  have 
a  look  around  and  see  how  things  are  going  at  home,  whether  there  is 
anything  that  calls  for  discussion;  and  see  also  how  your  two  aunts  are, 
and  give  them  our  greetings." 

Chia  Yung  and  Yu  Lu  were  just  about  to  take  leave  when  Chia  Lien 
appeared. 

"Well,  what's  the  important  discussion?"  he  asked,  and  when  the 
Prince  informed  him,  he  thought  to  himself,  this  is  just  my  chance;  I 
must  seize  it. 

"Why  should  you  go  borrowing  from  outsiders,  dear  Cousin,  when  it 
is  a  matter  of  such  a  trifle?"  he  continued  aloud.  "I  happen  to  have 

344 


quite  a  large  sum  lying  at  home.  I  place  it  at  your  disposal  with 
pleasure." 

"That  is  splendid!  Would  you  be  so  good,  then,  as  to  give  my  son  a 
written  order,  so  that  the  money  can  be  handed  over  to  h'*m." 

"Hm,  I  should  prefer  to  do  that  myself.  Besides,  I  have  been  long 
enough  away  from  home  and  must  think  about  returning  in  any  case.  I 
should  like  to  see  how  Grandmother,  and  Mother,  and  my  aunts  are, 
and  to  make  sure  that  everything  is  in  order  at  home." 

And  so  it  came  about  that  Uncle  Lien  and  Nephew  Yung  set  out  to- 
gether, accompanied  by  a  few  servants,  to  ride  back  to  the  capital.  On 
the  way  the  uncle  contrived,  as  if  by  chance,  to  lead  the  conversation  on 
to  the  subject  of  Cousin  Yu  Number  Two.  He  could  not  find  nearly 
enough  words  with  which  to  praise  her  good  qualities  and  her  virtues, 
her  beauty,  her  good  character,  and  her  blameless  behavior,  and  so  ex- 
travagant were  his  eulogies  that  the  nephew  very  soon  realized  what  he 
was  driving  at. 

"My  uncle  seems  to  be  very  much  taken  with  her,"  remarked  Chia 
Yung  with  a  smile.  "How  would  it  be  if  he  were  to  make  her  his  'lady  of 
the  side-chamber'  and  if  I  were  to  act  as  go-between?" 

"Do  you  mean  that  seriously,  or  are  you  joking?"  asked  Chia  Lien, 
pretending  surprise. 

"1  am  serious,  of  course." 

"That's  very  friendly  of  you.  But  there  are  various  difficulties.  What 
would  my  wife  say  to  it?  And  would  your  grandmother  approve?  More- 
over, I  heard  that  your  second  aunt  is  already  engaged." 

"That  is  true.  But  since  the  father  of  her  betrothed,  a  tenant  farmer 
on  the  estate  named  Chang,  lost  his  fortune  ten  years  ago  in  a  lawsuit, 
the  two  families  have  broken  off  relations.  For  a  long  time  past  Grand- 
mother and  Father  have  planned  to  have  this  engagement  cancelled  by 
the  payment  of  a  small  indemnity  in  cash,  and  to  seek  another  suitable 
husband  for  my  aunt.  The  Chang  family  are  poor;  they  will  be  very 
glad  to  renounce  the  betrothal  for  a  few  ounces  of  silver.  And  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  but  that  Grandmother  and  Father  will  joyfully  give  their 
approval  to  such  a  distinguished  suitor  as  you.  The  only  doubtful  point 
is  the  question  of  what  Phoenix  would  say  to  it." 

This  Chia  Lien  did  not  kn  >w  either,  and  his  only  answer  was  a  forced 
smile. 

"Wait!  I've  got  an  idea!"  exclaimed  the  nephew,  after  thinking  for  a 
while.  "We  shall  certainly  require  some  courage,  and  you  must  not 
shrink  from  spending  a  bit  of  money  too,  if  the  matter  is  to  succeed." 

"Out  with  it!" 

"My  plan  is  simply  to  hoodwink  Phoenix.  She  must  not  hear  any- 
thing of  your  intention.  I  will  carry  through  the  whole  business  with  the 

345 


utmost  discretion  with  my  father  and  my  grandmother.  As  soon  as  they 
have  consented,  I  shall  buy  a  little  house  for  you  close  behind  our  pal- 
ace. I  shall  furnish  it  nicely  and  cozily  as  a  love  nest  for  you,  and  hire 
two  or  three  discreet  and  reticent  serving  women.  Then  one  happy  day 
I  will  conduct  my  aunt  there  secretly  and  unseen  by  either  spirit  or 
mortal,  and  install  her  in  your  love  nest  as  your  secondary  wife.  You 
will  then  live  alternately  with  Phoenix  and  with  your  new  wife  for  the 
future.  If  Phoenix  gets  to  know  of  it  in  the  course  of  time  and  makes  a 
row,  why,  you  need  only  say  that  you  were  moved  to  act  as  you  had 
done  by  the  very  understandable  wish  to  beget  the  son  and  heir  that 
your  principal  wife  had  failed  to  give  you.  Faced  with  the  accomplished 
fact,  with  the  rice  in  the  pot  already  cooked,  Phoenix  will  no  doubt  put 
up  with  it.  And  then,  in  the  end,  you  will  ask  the  blessing  of  the  old 
Tai  tai." 

In  his  infatuated  state  Chia  Lien  found  the  plan  splendid.  It  did  not 
even  occur  to  him  that  according  to  traditional  observance  it  was  im- 
proper for  him  to  think  of  marriage  in  this  mourning  period.  Still  less 
did  he  reckon  with  the  sternness  of  his  father,  Prince  Shieh,  and  the 
jealousy  of  his  wife,  Phoenix.  Nor  did  he  guess,  moreover,  that  his  cun- 
r'iag  nephew  had  his  own  advantage  in  mind  in  making  this  suggestion. 
For  the  nephew  too  was  madly  enamored  of  his  beautiful  aunt,  but 
within  the  parental  home  he  could  not  well  make  overtures  to  her.  In 
the  solitary  love  nest  behind  the  palace,  however,  he  would  have  a  splen- 
did occasion  to  do  so.  He  would  only  have  to  watch  his  chance  when 
Uncle  Lien  was  not  there,  and  this  opportunity  would  offer  itself  often 
enough.  But  none  of  these  things  crossed  the  mind  of  the  infatuated 
urtcle. 

"You  are  really  a  bright  boy,  dear  nephew ! "  said  the  latter,  beaming 
with  joy.  "By  way  of  thanks  I  shall  give  you  a  present  of  two  pretty 
waiting  maids." 

Meanwhile  they  had  reached  the  main  gateway  of  the  Ningkuo  pal- 
ace, and  here  they  parted  with  mutual  promises  of  the  strictest  secrecy. 
The  nephew  was  considerate  enough  to  allow  the  uncle  to  go  alone  to 
Grandmother  Yu  in  order  that  Chia  Lien  would  have  the  field  to  himself 
later  when  he  would  meet  Aunt  Number  Two.  Meantime  he  himself 
turned  in  to  the  western  palace  to  greet  the  old  Ancestress. 

In  front  of  the  great  hall  Chia  Lien  dismissed  his  retinue  of  servants, 
dismounted  from  his  horse,  and  went  alone  and  unannounced  to  the 
ladies'  quarters.  As  a  near  relative  who  was  on  close  terms  of  friend- 
ship with  Prince  Chen,  the  master  of  the  house,  he  could  take  this  lib- 
erty without  causing  unpleasant  surprise  among  the  staff.  On  walking 
unannounced  into  the  living  room  of  the  ladies  Yu,  he  had  the  good 
luck  to  find  Miss  Yu  Number  Two  alone.  She  was  reclining  on  the 

346 


couch  busy  with  her  needlework,  in  the  company  of  two  waiting  maids. 

Chia  Lien  walked  up  to  her  eagerly  and  saluted  her  politely.  Miss  Yu, 
suppressing  a  smile,  rose  to  return  his  greeting,  and  invited  him  to  sit 
down  by  her  side.  Chia  Lien  gave  her  to  understand  at  once  how  happy 
he  considered  himself  to  see  her  again. 

"But  where  are  your  mother  and  sister?"  he  inquired. 

"They  are  in  the  back,  in  the  storerooms,"  she  replied. 

Meanwhile  the  two  maids  had  disappeared  to  get  tea.  Chia  Lien 
availed  of  this  opportunity  to  gaze  deeply  into  the  eyes  of  the  beautiful 
cousin,  whereupon  she  bent  her  head  a  little,  but  continued  to  smile 
ingenuously.  He  did  not  wish  to  push  his  advances  too  directly  and 
crudely.  His  glance  fell  on  her  hand,  which  was  toying  with  the  orna- 
mental silken  ribbon  of  a  handbag  of  lotus-leaf  shape. 

"Oh,  I  have  left  my  betel-nut  bag  out  at  the  temple,"  he  said,  feeling 
around  his  belt.  "Perhaps  my  good  cousin  would  give  me  a  few  nuts  out 
of  her  bag?" 

"I  happen  to  have  betel  nuts  in  my  bag,  but  it  is  my  custom  to  eat 
them  myself  and  not  to  share  them  with  other  people,"  she  replied. 

He  sidled  closer  up  to  her  and  reached  for  her  bag,  to  help  himself  to 
some.  Fearing  the  maids  might  surprise  her  in  this  equivocal  situation, 
she  hurriedly  flung  him  the  bag.  He  caught  it  deftly,  took  out  a  nut, 
and  put  it  in  his  mouth.  Then  he  tried  to  push  the  bag  back  onto  her 
lap.  Just  at  that  moment  the  two  waiting  maids  came  in  with  the  tea 
things,  so  he  hid  it  for  the  time  being  in  his  sleeve  pocket.  While  he 
was  drinking  his  tea  he  managed  quietly  to  unfasten  a  dragon-shaped 
clasp  of  jade  from  his  belt  and  to  knot  the  ribbon  of  her  bag  around 
it.  Then,  when  the  maids  were  not  looking,  he  threw  the  bag  over  to  her 
unobserved.  She  pretended  not  to  notice. 

After  a  while  the  jingling  of  the  bead  curtains  was  heard  and  in  came 
Mother  Yu  with  daughter  Number  Three  and  two  little  waiting  maids. 
Chia  Lien  hurriedly  gave  his  fair  neighbor  to  understand  by  his  glances 
that  she  was  to  hide  her  bag,  but  she  took  no  notice  of  him.  It  was  now 
high  time  for  him  to  stand  up  and  salute  Aunt  Yu  and  Cousin  Three. 
Then,  when  they  were  all  seated  again,  and  he  could  steal  a  glance  at 
Cousin  Two,  he  noticed  that  her  bag  was  still  there,  but  its  silken  ribbon 
had  disappeared  together  with  his  dragon  clasp.  She  herself  looked  as 
gay  and  unconcerned  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  So  now  he  was  reas- 
sured. 

They  talked  about  all  sorts  of  things,  then  he  brought  forward  the 
business  reason  of  his  visit,  and  had  the  three  hundred  ounces  of  silver 
handed  to  him.  At  this  point  Nephew  Chia  Yung  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"The  old  Governor  would  like  to  speak  to  you,"  he  said,  winking 
gleefully  at  his  uncle.  Chia  Lien  was  about  to  take  leave  in  haste  when 

347 


he  heard  his  cheeky  nephew  turning  to  the  Lady  Yu  and  saying:  "Now, 
what  do  you  think,  Grandmother?  Wouldn't  this  uncle  here  be  just  the 
right  man  for  Aunt  Two?  Hasn't  he  got  all  the  qualities — height,  figure, 
good  appearance,  and  so  on — which  Father  said  recently  he  would  re- 
quire of  her  future  husband?" 

Saying  this,  he  pointed  his  finger  quite  unconcernedly  at  his  Uncle 
Chia  Lien  and  made  cheeky  faces  at  his  Aunt  Two.  Taking  the  part  of 
her  sister,  who  was  visibly  embarrassed,  Aunt  Three  opened  her  mouth 
and  began  scolding,  half  in  joke  and  half  in  earnest:  "What  an  imperti- 
nent little  monkey!  If  Mother  had  not  happened  to  speak  of  this  herself 
already,  I  would  give  him  a  good  hiding!" 

But  the  little  monkey  had  already  slipped  giggling  out  the  door.  Im- 
mediately afterwards  his  uncle  too  took  his  leave,  all  smiles. 

That  same  day  Chia  Yung  returned  to  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Rail- 
ings and,  after  having  made  his  business  report  to  his  father,  presented 
Uncle  Chia  Lien's  marriage  proposal  and  strongly  advocated  the  sug- 
gested union  between  his  uncle  and  his  aunt.  Prince  Chen  considered 
the  matter,  then  he  said  with  a  smile:  "It  seems  all  right  to  me.  But  is 
the  girl  herself  willing?  Go  back  to  the  city  tomorrow  and  make  sure  on 
this  point!" 

He  then  visited  his  wife  and  asked  her  opinion. 

At  first  Princess  Chen  was  decidedly  against  the  plan,  which  seemed 
to  her  a  rather  dubious  one.  That  this  marriage  should  take  place  dur- 
ing the  mourning  period,  that  a  secondary  wife  should  be  taken  without 
the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  principal  wife — these  circumstances 
constituted  breaches  of  the  Rites,  and  were  contrary  to  all  conceptions 
of  correctness  and  good  form.  But  as  she  was  used  to  assent  to  every- 
thing which  the  Prince  had  once  taken  into  his  head,  she  gave  way  in 
the  end.  Moreover,  this  Miss  Yu  was  not  her  blood  sister  but  only  a 
stepsister;  she  therefore  did  not  have  to  be  too  scrupulous  about  taking 
responsibility  for  the  possible  unpleasant  consequences  of  this  incor- 
rectly effected  union. 

Accordingly,  early  next  morning  Chia  Yung  hastened  back  to  the 
Ningkuo  palace  at  his  father's  request  to  obtain  the  consent  of  the  ladies 
Yu.  He  had  himself  announced  to  Grandmother  Yu  and,  when  admitted 
to  her  presence,  informed  her  of  the  Prince's  wish,  and  with  much  em- 
phasis and  many  flowery  phrases,  put  forward  all  possible  points  in 
favor  of  the  match — what  a  fine  life  Aunt  Two  would  have  with  Chia 
Lien,  who  would  make  her  his  principal  wife  as  a  matter  of  course  when 
Phoenix  would  die — an  event  which  was  to  be  expected  sooner  or  later; 
and  that  the  Prince  would  defray  all  the  costs  of  the  wedding  and  pro- 
vide a  handsome  home  and  fine  furniture,  and  would  also  see  that  she, 
Grandmother,  had  a  carefree  old  age;  and  he  would  help,  moreover,  to 

348 


obtain  a  good  match  for  Aunt  Three.  He  held  forth  on  all  these  things 
and  with  such  eloquence  that  Mother  Yu  was  completely  won  over.  The 
business  was  to  cost  nothing,  and  besides,  Chia  Lien  was  a  fine-looking, 
fashionable  young  man.  It  would  be  madness  to  refuse  such  an  advan- 
tageous offer.  Grandmother  Yu  consulted  for  a  short  time  with  her 
daughter,  and  that  same  day  Chia  Yung  was  able  to  bring  his  father  the 
desired  word  of  consent. 

Chia  Lien  was  now  summoned  to  the  family  temple,  and  informed  of 
the  approval  of  the  other  side.  He  was  overjoyed,  and  his  gratitude 
towards  his  friendly  helpers,  Prince  Chen  and  his  son,  knew  no  bounds. 
Wedding  garments  and  lingerie  were  bought  in  haste  and  all  the  other 
wedding  preparations  were  made.  Two  li  from  the  back  walls  of  the 
princely  abode,  in  the  quiet  little  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch,  a  suit- 
able "love  nest"  was  acquired.  It  was  a  small  country  villa  of  twenty 
rooms.  Little  Pao,  who,  after  his  wife  had  killed  herself,  had  married 
the  merry  widow  of  that  crazy  fellow  the  cook  To  who  had  died  of  drink, 
was  engaged  as  a  servant.  He  had  left  the  palace  service  some  time  pre- 
viously. Chia  Lien  could  not  have  hit  upon  a  better  choice,  for  Little 
Pao  had  received  a  hundred  taels  in  hush  money  from  him  some  time 
previously,  as  well  as  the  pretty  Widow  To,  in  compensation  for  the 
loss  of  his  wife,  and  he  was  therefore  deeply  indebted  to  him.  Moreover, 
his  wife's  former  tender  relations  with  Chia  Lien  were  likewise  a  bond 
between  herself  and  their  new  master.  Therefore,  Chia  Lien  would  be 
able  to  rely  upon  his  servants  for  true  devotion  and  reticence.  And  old 
Chang,  the  impoverished  father  of  the  original  fiance  of  Miss  Yu  Num- 
ber Two,  was  compensated  with  a  sum  of  twenty  taels,  for  which  he 
signed  the  required  deed  of  relinquishment. 

The  third  day  of  the  new  month  was  picked  out  in  the  calendar  as  a 
suitable  day  for  the  wedding.  Mother  Yu  and  Daughter  Three  had  in- 
spected the  new  home  the  previous  day  and  found  it  in  the  best  possible 
order.  And  now  the  bride  was  fetched  in  an  ordinary  litter,  unseen  by 
either  spirit  or  mortal,  in  the  fifth  hour  of  the  morning  of  the  third,  and 
taken  to  the  love  nest  in  the  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch.  A  little  time 
later  Chia  Lien  arrived,  equally  unobtrusively,  seated  in  a  small  sedan 
chair  and  dressed  in  his  everyday  attire,  paid  his  respects  to  heaven  and 
earth  and  to  his  Aunt  Yu,  who  was  present,  burned  incense  and  little 
paper  horses,  and  drank  with  his  new  bride  from  the  same  wedding 
beaker  in  a  festively  illuminated  bridal  chamber,  then  later  revelled 
with  her  in  that  unrestrained  manner  of  phoenix  couples  which  is  all 
too  well  known. 

The  news  of  this  secret  marriage  did  not  penetrate  beyond  the  circle 
of  the  few  initiated  persons.  From  now  onwards  Chia  Lien  covered  his 
fairly  frequent  absences  with  the  pretext  to  Phoenix  that  his  presence 

349 


was  required  in  the  Ningkuo  palace,. and  in  view  of  his  close  friendship 
with  Prince  Chen  the  unsuspecting  Phoenix  believed  him.  Everything 
went  as  he  had  desired.  Chia  Lien  allowed  his  new  wife  fifteen  taels  per 
month  and,  when  he  himself  could  not  be  with  her,  permitted  her  to 
take  her  meals  with  her  mother  and  sister  so  that  she  would  not  feel  too 
Ibnely.  His  intimacy  with  the  new  wife  was  so  great  that  he  gradually 
took  away  secretly  from  his  home  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  all  the  objects 
of  value  which  he  had  collected  for  himself  in  the  course  of  the  years, 
and  gave  them  into  her  keeping.  Moreover,  he  was  so  rash  as  to  tell  her, 
during  the  hours  they  lay  together,  every  conceivable  intimate  detail 
about  the  character  and  person  of  his  principal  wife.  The  second  Yu 
was  naturally  extremely  gratified,  and  in  her  dreams  already  saw  herself 
as  the  successor  of  Phoenix  and  the  future  mistress  of  the  western 
palace. 

Two  months  of  secret  and  undisturbed  happiness  had  passed  in  this 
way  when  Prince  Chen  returned  home  one  evening  to  the  eastern  palace 
from  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings,  the  hundred  days  of  mourning 
service  there  having  come  to  an  end.  After  his  long  absence  he  had  a 
wish  to  see  his  two  beautiful  sisters-in-law  that  same  evening.  Having 
made  sure  that  Cousin  Chia  Lien  was  not  there,  he  set  out  for  the  Lane 
of  the  Flowering  Branch  accompanied  only  by  two  trusted  farmhands. 

While  he  was  chatting  and  drinking  punch  with  Mother  Yu  and 
Sister-in-law  Three  in  the  lamp-lit  living  room  of  the  west  wing,  Sister- 
in-law  Two  having  withdrawn  immediately  after  greeting  him,  Chia 
Lien  arrived.  When  he  heard  that  his  princely  cousin  was  there,  he 
thought  his  own  thoughts,  and  quietly  went  straight  to  his  Nai  nai,  for 
he  wished  to  leave  his  cousin  undisturbed.  Besides,  he  felt  tired  and 
planned  to  go  to  bed  early.  He  -ettled  down  comfortably,  ate  his  eve- 
ning meal,  and  drank  to  the  point  of  exhilaration.  The  Nai  nai  drank 
.sturdily  with  him,  and  when  he  saw  her  sitting  in  front  of  him  in  her 
red  undergarment  with  her  hair  loosened  and  a  springlike  flush  on  her 
cheeks,  she  seemed  to  him  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and  he  embraced 
her  and  said  to  her  flatteringly:  "People  will  keep  on  talking  in  the 
highest  terms  of  my  principal  wife,  but  when  I  compare  you  with  that 
wicked  witch,  it  seems  to  me  that  she  is  not  even  worthy  to  untie  your 
shoes." 

"Ah,  of  what  use  is  one's  little  bit  of  beauty,  when  all  is  said  and 
done!"  she  replied  with  a  sigh. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?  I  do  not  understand  you,"  he  said. 

"Oh,  I  was  thinking  of  my  sister,"  she  replied,  suddenly  bursting 
into  tears.  "We  two  have  now  been  living  as  man  and  wife  for  the  past 
two  months.  You  know  how  devoted  I  am  to  you,  and  I  know  what  you 
are  to  me.  But  what  is  to  become  of  my  sister?  What  is  she  to  do  here 

350 


with  us?  That  troubles  me.  We  should  put  our  minds  to  securing  her 
future  too." 

"I  understand  perfectly  well.  I  myself  have  already  been  thinking 
about  that,  so  please  do  not  worry!"  he  said  with  a  reassuring  smile. 
"You  shall  see  that  I  am  not  a  jealous,  selfish  man.  Now,  how  would 
it  be  if  your  sister  were  to  take  Cousin  Chen?  Come,  let  us  go  straight 
over  and  discuss  it  with  him  quite  openly.  Luckily,  they  are  all  there 
together." 

So  they  went  over  to  the  living  room  in  the  west  wing.  Their  unex- 
pected appearance  embarrassed  the  belated  visitor  and  Mother  Yu 
very  considerably,  but  Chia  Lien  was  able  tactfully  to  restore  a  relaxed 
atmosphere  by  a  few  friendly  words. 

"After  all,  we  are  good  friends  and  cousins  and  we  do  not  nc^d  to 
stand  on  ceremony  with  each  other,"  he  said  blithely  to  Cousin  Chen. 
"Heaven  knows  how  much  you  have  exerted  yourself  on  my  behalf,  and 
I  owe  you  an  endless  debt  of  gratitude.  Under  the  circumstances  it 
would  be  strange  indeed  if  we  were  to  be  embarrassed  before  each  other. 
You  are  always  welcome  here." 

And  there  and  then,  to  show  his  devoted  gratitude,  he  went  on  his 
knees  and  was  about  to  kowtow,  but  Cousin  Chen  raised  him  to  his 
feet  at  once. 

"I  am  most  willingly  at  your  service,  dear  Cousin.  Please  tell  me 
what  I  can  do  for  you!"  he  said. 

"Oh,  I  would  only  like  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine  with  you,"  replied 
Chia  Lien.  He  motioned  to  Little  Pao's  wife  to  pour  out  the  wine,  then, 
turning  to  the  third  Yu,  he  continued  with  a  smirk:  "Well,  how  would 
you  like  to  drink  a  goblet  together  with  Cousin  Chen?  I  on  my  part 
will  raise  my  glass  and  drink  to  your  mutual  happiness!" 

At  these  words  the  third  Yu  became  beside  herself  with  rage,  and 
with  one  leap  sprang  up  on  the  d:'van. 

"Spare  me  your  flowery  rigmaroles!  I  know  what  all  of  you  are  like 
in  this  noble  house!"  she  shouted  at  him  with  the  utmost  scorn,  from 
her  perch.  "We  are  at  your  disposal  as  whores,  nothing  else !  First  you 
get  hold  of  my  sister  with  your  stinking  money,  and  now  it  is  to  be 
my  turn!  But  that's  where  you're  wrong!  .  .  .  Very  well,  then,  I  am 
willing,  and  as  long  as  we  are  treated  decently,  we  shall  keep  quiet.  But 
look  out  if  you  give  us  the  slightest  cause  for  complaint!  I'll  run  to  your 
first  wife  and  make  a  row.  Then  we  shall  see  if  she  really  has  all  the 
brains  and  ability  she  is  credited  with!  And  now  let's  be  merry  and 
drink  to  our  hearts'  content!" 

She  poured  out  a  full  glass  for  herself,  drank  it  half  empty,  then 
poured  the  other  half  down  Chia  Lien's  throat.  The  two  cousins  were 
speechless  at  her  behavior.  They  were  quite  well  accustomed,  to  be  sure, 

351 


to  the  loose  tone  of  low  haunts,  but  to  hear  such  unrestrained  language 
from  a  maidenly  mouth — that  was  something  quite  new  to  them.  The 
third  Yu  did  not  let  their  eVnbarrassment  deter  her,  however,  and  con- 
tinued brazenly  with  her  loose  talk  and  her  strumpet's  airs. 

"Come!  Don't  be  timid!  Help  me  to  amuse  the  gentlemen!"  she 
pressed  her  sister,  who  had  remained  shyly  in  the  background.  "After 
all,  we  are  all  one  family  here  together,  and  it's  so  nice  being  all  to  our- 
selves. Why  shouldn't  we  have  a  jolly  time?  Hoop-la!  Let's  be  merry!" 

Prince  Chen  cursed  his  thoughtlessness  in  starting  it  all.  This  wild 
girl  was  positively  frightening.  He  tried  to  reach  the  door,  but  the  third 
Yu  would  not  let  him  escape.  In  order  to  show  that  she  meant  the  word 
"merry"  seriously,  she  took  off  her  jewelry,  loosened  her  hair,  and 
without  the  least  embarrassment  stripped  off  her  upper  clothing.  Then 
she  sat  down  dressed  only  in  her  red  undergarment.  Even  that  she  had 
half  opened,  so  that  only  a  thin  pale  green  chemise  covering  the  snow- 
white  twin  waves  of  her  breast,  green  knickers,  and  red  slippers  were 
visible.  No,  she  was  certainly  not  stingy  with  her  fresh  charms — charms 
which  could  not  fail  to  bewilder  and  infatuate  any  man's  heart. 

And  she  went  even  farther  in  the  exhibition  of  her  unrestrained 
temper,  keeping  the  senses  of  her  two  male  companions  in  a  whirl.  She 
was  all  movement;  she  did  not  remain  seated  long  enough  to  complete 
one  sentence,  but  kept  jumping  up,  and  sitting  down,  and  changing  her 
place  continually,  so  much  so  that  her  earrings  never  stopped  swaying 
like  swings.  Between  times  she  poured  herself  out  one  glass  of  drink 
after  another,  while  her  eyes  gleamed  more  and  more  seductively  in  the 
lamplight,  like  the  humid  glistening  of  autumn  dew;  the  flush  on  her 
cheeks  mounted  up  to  her  temples  like  red  waves;  the  blue-black 
streaks  of  her  tapered  eyebrows,  which  were  shaped  and  outlined  like 
narrow  willow  leaves,  played  in  a  language  more  eloquent  than  words; 
.the  fragrance  which  streamed  from  her  vermilion  lips  was  like  the 
perfume  of  sandalwood.  Her  well-calculated  game  bewitched  both  her 
brother-in-law"  and  her  cousin  To  an  equal  degree,  repelling  and  attract- 
ing them  at  the  same  time.  Silent  and  fascinated,  they  sat,  and  stared, 
and  listened,  transfixed  with  horror,  to  the  ceaseless  flow  of  audacious 
jests,  and  boisterous  banter,  and  ironically  malicious  taunts,  uttered  at 
times  in  the  coarsest  jargon  of  the  streets,  which  leaped  from  those 
beautiful,  delicate,  maidenly  lips.  At  last  the  third  Yu  had  had  her  full 
fling.  She  jumped  up,  pushed  the  visitors  out  the  door,  bolted  it  behind 
them,  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 

From  that  time  on  Prince  Chen  never  again  ventured  unasked  into 
the  proximity  of  that  difficult  sister-in-law.  But  it  was  all  the  oftener  that 
she  summoned,  now  himself,  now  his  son,  and  again  Chia  Lien  to  her 
presence,  though  only,  to  be  sure,  when  she  felt  she  had  a  cause  for 

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complaint,  or  wished  to  ask  for  something.  If  she  had  been  most  ex- 
acting already  and  eager  for  the  latest  fashions  in  clothing  and  personal 
adornment,  her  demands  now  knew  no  bounds.  If  she  was  given  silver 
jewelry,  she  demanded  gold;  if  they  loaded  her  with  pearls,  she  de- 
manded diamonds.  If  a  frock  did  not  please  her  she  took  a  pair  of 
scissors  and  slit  it  open  and  chopped  it  into  bits,  regardless  of  whether 
it  was  old  or  new,  cheap  cotton  or  costly  satin.  If  a  dish  placed  before 
her  at  a  meal  did  not  please  her,  she  just  tipped  the  whole  table  over 
and  let  all  the  plates  and  dishes  of  food  roll  over  the  floor.  When  this 
happened,  brother-in-law,  cousin,  or  nephew  had  to  ta'  e  turns  in  com- 
ing to  the  rescue,  and  procuring  immediate  help  at  her  imperious 
orders.  But  above  all  they  had  to  pay,  and  pay  again.  And  if  they 
showed  unwillingness  to  serve  her  she  made  the  most  violent  scenes, 
heaped  abuse  upon  them,  and  threatened  to  betray  and  expose  them  to 
the  redoubtable  Phoenix.  In  short,  she  knew  how  to  exploit  the  situa- 
tion to  the  fullest  advantage,  and  to  make  life  as  difficult  as  possible  for 
those  three  male  relatives  of  hers  who  had  entangled  themselves  in  a 
painful  family  secret. 

The  second  Yu  felt,  even  more  than  the  others,  that  this  situation 
was  untenable,  and  she  pressed  her  clandestine  husband  to  try  to  ar- 
range for  an  early  marriage,  which  would  at  last  rid  the  house  of  the 
tormentor  and  restore  peace  to  the  love  nest  in  the  Lane  of  the  Flower- 
ing Branch. 

"I  have  already  discussed  the  matter  with  Cousin  Chen,"  replied 
Chia  Lien,  "but  he  finds  it  too  difficult  to  part  with  your  sister.  I  have 
put  it  to  him  that  she  is  a  succulent  but  indigestible  piece  of  wild  mut- 
ton for  him;  a  beautiful  but  at  the  same  time  thorny  rose,  and  that  it  is 
best  he  should  give  her  up;  but  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  do  that. 
So  what's  to  be  done?" 

"We  will  speak  seriously  to  her  tomorrow,"  suggested  the  second  Yu. 
"Just  you  leave  it  to  me!  Even  if  she  rants  and  rages,  I  will  make  her 
see  reason  in  the  end." 

The  next  day  they  gave  the  third  Yu  and  her  mother  a  formal  in- 
vitation to  midday  dinner. 

"I  can  very  well  guess  why  you  have  invited  me,"  said  the  shrewish 
younger  sister — today  by  chance  in  a  softer  mood — to  the  elder,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  thereby  forestalling  her.  "I  expect  you  will  want  to 
reason  with  me  again,  but  you  need  not  beat  about  the  bush;  I'm  not  a 
thickhead.  I  can  see  through  you  and  I  know  what  you  are  aiming  at. 
You  and  Mother  are  comfortably  settled  here  and  well  looked  after,  and 
now  you  want  to  have  your  peace  and  to  pack  me  off  somewhere  else. 
From  your  point  of  view  that  is  certainly  right  and  reasonable,  but  for 
me  marriage  is  a  solemn  decision.  I  cannot  bind  myself  for  life  to  the 

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first  man  who  turns  up.  Very  well,  find  me  the  right  man  whom  I  can 
love,  and  I  will  follow  him  as  my  husband.  But  spare  me  proposals  such 
as  Cousin  Chen's.  Whatever  his  money  and  position,  I  do  not  love  him 
and  I  will  not  have  him." 

"Who,  then,  is  the  right  man  for  you?  Speak  up  and  teH  us!"  urged 
Chia  Lien.  "Then  you  may  leave  all  the  rest  to  us.  Neither  you  nor  your 
mother  will  have  any  expense  or  trouble!" 

"Ask  my  sister.  She  knows  exactly  whom  I  mean,"  declared  the  third 
Yu  briefly  and  resolutely. 

"Oh,  I  can  already  guess  who  it  is,  and  I  must  admit  that  you  have 
good  taste,"  cried  Chia  Lien,  laughing  outright. 

"Who  is  it?  Who  is  it?"  asked  the  second  Yu,  eagerly. 

"Why,  who  else  can  have  got  within  range  of  her  eyes  except  Cousin 
Pao  Yu?" 

The  third  Yu  smiled  contemptuously. 

"Pah!  As  if  you  few  cousins  were  the  only  men  available  for  us  sis- 
ters, even  if  there  were  a  dozen  of  us!  How  absurd!  Fortunately,  there's 
more  choice  than  that  in  the  world  for  us." 

"Well,  whom  else  would  you  consider?"  she  was  asked  eagerly  from 
three  sides  at  once. 

"Let  my  sister  think  hard  and  throw  her  mind  back  five  years!"  re- 
torted the  third  Yu. 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  Chia  Lien's 
trusted  servant,  Little  Hsing,  who  had  come  to  call  him  to  his  father, 
Prince  Shieh,  on  an  urgent  matter.  So  Chia  Lien  had  to  break  off  the 
important  consultation  for  the  time  being  and  set  out  on  horseback.  He 
took  as  escort  his  servant  Little  Lung,  and  left  Little  Hsing  at  the  dis- 
posal of  his  second  wife  until  his  return. 

The  second  Yu  availed  herself  of  the  opportunity  to  question  Little 
Hsing  about  life  in  the  western  palace.  How  old  Madame  Phoenix 
was;  whether  she  was  really  as  bad  as  she  was  made  out  to  be;  the  age 
and  character  of  the  Ancestress  and  the  various  young  girls  in  the  Park 
of  Delightful  Vision;  these  and  many  other  things  she  wanted  to  know 
exactly.  Grinning  obsequiously  as  he  sat  eating,  and  drinking  tea,  Little 
Hsing  gave  her  the  information  she  desired.  The  staff  had  more  respect 
for  Phoenix  than  for  Chia  Lien;  all  feared  her  sharp  tongue  and  the 
poison  of  her  crooked  designs;  her  husband,  on  the  contrary,  was  a 
good-natured  fellow;  and  as  for  Little  Ping,  Phoenix's  personal  maid, 
she  never  dared  to  oppose  her  stern  mistress  openly,  but  behind  her 
back  she  put  right  many  wrongs  and  was  generally  beloved  by  the 
whole  staff  as  a  kindhearted  protectress.  He  told,  moreover,  how  Phoe- 
nix contrived  to  hoodwink  the  old  Tai  tai  continually  and  keep  her  in 
good  humor  by  always  ascribing  everything  favorable  to  herself  and 

354 


blaming  everything  unfavorable  on  others;  denying  her  own  mistakes 
and  harrying  others  for  theirs^  and  fanning  the  flames  against  them; 
and  how  greedy  she  was  for  money,  which  she  would  like  to  heap  up 
mountains  high  if  she  could,  and  that  apart  from  the  old  Tai  tai  there 
was  no  one  in  the  whole  house  now  who  could  stand  her.  With  sly  calcu- 
lation Little  Hsing  came  out  with  these  and  similar  things,  which  he 
know  would  sound  sweet  in  the  ears  of  the  future  mistress. 

"My  word,  that's  a  nice  way  to  let  your  tongue  run  about  your  mis- 
tress behind  her  back!  What  will  you  not  say  about  me  one  day,  for  I 
am  quite  a  lot  worse  than  she  is?"  said  the  second  Yu,  laughing. 

Little  Hsing  promptly  fell  on  his  knees  before  her. 

"May  I  be  struck  by  lightning  if  I  ever  carry  on  against  you!"  he 
protested.  "With  you,  Nai  nai,  it  is  quite  different,  of  course.  We  serv- 
ants would  have  counted  ourselves  lucky  if  our  :  naster  had  made  a  lady 
like  you  his  first  lady  from  the  very  beginning.  We  would  not  have  had 
to  put  up  with  so  many  blows  and  scoldings  the  whole  time,  and  to  live 
in  fear  and  trembling  as  we  do.  Whether  we  talk  openly  or  behind  your 
back,  we  cannot  praise  and  bless  your  gentleness  and  kindness  of  heart 
highly  enough.  We  compete  eagerly  for  the  honor  of  being  brought  out 
here  with  our  master,  for  then  we  have  the  opportunity  of  waiting  upon 
you ! "  he  flattered  her. 

"Oh,  you  crafty  knave!  That's  enough  now,  stand  up!  You  need  not 
be  afraid.  I  was  only  joking  just  now.  I  am  not  so  bad  at  all.  But  tell 
me,  how  do  you  think  it  would  be  if  I  simply  went  over  one  day  and 
made  the  acquaintance  of  your  severe  mistress?" 

Little  Hsing  held  up  his  hands  in  horror. 

"I  warn  you  a  thousand,  ten  thousand  times!  Do  not  do  that!  Take 
my  advice,  Nai  nai,  and  beware  of  allowing  her  to  set  eyes  on  you!  I 
warn  you,  she's  a  two-faced  woman.  She  bewitches  you  with  smiles  and 
sweet  words,  and  at  the  same  time  she's  planning  vile  things  and  throw- 
ing her  snares  around  your  feet  to  trip  you  up.  She  carries  sharp  dag- 
gers and  knives  around  with  her  in  secret.  Not  even  your  sister,  for  all 
her  able  tongue,  would  be  a  match  for  her,  let  alone  such  a  noble,  fine, 
gentle-natured  lady  as  you!  No,  she  is  no  company  for  you!" 

"I  did  not  have  any  intimate  acquaintance  in  mind;  I  meant  merely 
a  formal  courtesy  visit." 

"Whether  formal  or  friendly,  I  warn  you,  Nai  nai!  Do  not  think  that 
I've  been  drinking  and  don't  know  what  I'm  saying!  But  believe  me, 
she  has  only  to  see  you,  with  your  charms,  which  are  greater  than  hers, 
and  your  friendly  ways,  which  are  more  winning  than  hers,  and  she 
will  see  you  as  her  deadly  enemy.  If  other  people  have  just  an  ordinary 
jugful  of  the  vinegar  of  jealousy  in  them,  she  has  a  whole  barrelful.  My 
master  has  only  to  look  once  too  often  at  one  of  her  waiting  maids,  and 

355 


that  is  enough  excuse  for  her  to  berate  and  punish  the  poor  creature 
most  cruelly  in  his  presence." 

"My  word,  she  seems  to  be  a  real  devil.  Now  tell  me  something  about 
the  Widow  Chu  and  the  young  girls  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision." 

"Well,  here  goes!  The  Widow  Chu  is  a  nice,  good  soul,  who  concerns 
herself  with  nothing  else  but  superintending  the  young  ladies'  studies 
and  teaching  them  needlework.  As  for  our  four  young  daughters  of 
the  family,  the  eldest,  Beginning  of  Spring,  the  Imperial  wife,  is  good- 
ness and  virtue  itself.  The  second  one,  Miss  Greeting  of  Spring,  is  a 
bit  stupid  and  for  this  reason  goes  by  the  nickname  of  'Blockhead.'" 
The  third,  Miss  Taste  of  Spring,  has  the  nickname  'Rose'  on  account  of 
her  rosy  cheeks  and  also  because,  though  she's  very  charming,  she  can 
also  be  terribly  prickly.  It's  a  pity  that  she  is  not  the  child  of  the  good 
Tai  tai  Cheng  but  of  the  wicked  secondary  wife  Chou.  That's  a  real 
case  of  a  phoenix  chick  being  laid  by  mistake  in  a  raven's  nest.  The 
fourth  of  the  girls,  Miss  Grief  of  Spring,  a  younger  blood  sister  of 
Prince  Chen,  is  a  very  well-behaved,  good  child.  Besides  these,  we  have 
two  foster  daughters  in  the  house,  two  very  unusual  young  girls.  The 
one,  Miss  Black  Jade,  is  the  child  of  the  late  Aunt  Ling,  the  other,  Miss 
Precious  Clasp,  is  the  child  of  our  Aunt  Hsueh.  They  are  both  equally 
beautiful  and  highly  educated.  When  we  servants  catch  sight  of  one 
of  them  in  the  distance,  we  hold  our  breath." 

"Oh,  indeed?  And  why  is  that?" 

"For  fear  that  the  one,  the  delicate  Miss  Black  Jade,  might  be  blown 
over  if  we  breathed  too  hard,  and  that  the  other,  the  delicious  Miss 
Precious  Clasp,  might  melt  away  if  we  breathed  too  hotly." 

Everyone  in  the  room  had  to  burst  out  laughing  at  this  droll  explana- 
tion. 

But  our  esteemed  readers  will  want  to  know  at  last  whom  the  third 
Yu  really  did  want  for  a  husband.  Just  be  patient.  You  will  learn  this 
in  the  next  chapter. 

CHAPTER   33 

A  fiery  maiden,  ashamed  of  her  unrequited  passion,  takes  her  life. 
The  Cold  Knight  strides  with  a  cold  heart  through  the  Gateway  of  the 

Great  Void. 

.LITTLE  PAO'S  WIFE  GAVE  THE  WITTY  LITTLE  HSING  A  SLAP  AND  SAID 
to  him,  laughing:  "From  the  way  you  let  all  that,  truth  and  invention, 
run  off  your  loose  tongue,  anyone  would  think  you  had  picked  it  up 
from  young  Master  Pao  Yu  instead  of  from  your  master,  Mr.  Chia 
Lien." 

356 


"What  does  that  young  boy  Pao  Yu  do  with  himself  generally?" 
asked  the  third  Yu. 

"Oh,  it  would  be  better  to  ask,  what  does  he  not  do!  Certainly 
nothing  very  brilliant,"  replied  Little  Hsing  with  a  meaningful  grin. 
"He  is  utterly  degenerate  and  has  no  interest  either  in  books  or  in 
arms.  In  the  beginning  his  father,  Mr.  Cheng,  used  to  take  some  trouble 
with  his  upbringing,  but  he  has  given  that  up  long  since.  So  the  boy  is 
left  completely  to  his  own  devices.  Outwardly  he  is  a  very  nice-looking, 
bright  lad,  and  does  not  look  at  all  as  if  he  is  wanting  in  the  top  story, 
but  when  you  have  a  good  look  at  him  you  can  see  that  he's  a  weak- 
witted  fool.  He  seems  so  timid  before  strangers  that  he  can  hardly  get 
out  a  sentence.  He's  a  real  little  sissy  of  a  mother's  darling  and  never 
feels  at  ease  unless  he  has  a  crowd  of  girls  around  him  to  fool  about 
with  and  to  pet  and  cuddle.  The  poor  soppy  fellow  lacks  all  seriousness 
and  firmness  of  character.  With  us  servants,  for  instance,  he's  different 
every  time,  according  to  his  mood.  If  he's  in  a  good  humor  he  jokes 
with  us  as  if  we  were  his  equals  and  there  was  no  such  thing  as  differ- 
ence of  class.  If  he's  in  a  bad  humor  he  retires  into  his  shell  and  other 
human  beings  simply  do  not  exist  for  him  any  more.  At  such  times  he 
doesn't  even  reprimand  us  if  we  behave  improperly.  Naturally,  in  these 
circumstances  it's  impossible  to  have  any  respect  for  him." 

"You  servants  are  certainly  a  difficult  lot  to  handle,"  said  the  third 
Yu,  smiling.  "When  you  finally  have  a  really  goodhearted  and  conscien- 
tious master  or  mistress  you  grumble  and  are  discontented  with  them." 

"It's  a  pity  about  him,  for  he's  a  nice  boy  otherwise,"  sighed  the 
second  Yu,  compassionately. 

"Oh,  don't  listen  to  all  this  servants'  gossip!"  continued  the  third 
Yu.  "Why,  we  have  met  him  once  or  twice  ourselves,  and  have  been 
able  to  form  our  own  judgment  of  him.  There  is  certainly  something 
effeminate  in  his  nature  and  behavior,  but  that  is  not  surprising  when 
a  boy  grows  up  only  among  women  and  girls.  But  to  call  him  weak- 
minded  and  a  fool — no,  that  is  quite  ridiculous  and  unjust!  Don't  you 
remember  when  we  met  him  just  recently  at  the  funeral  services  at  the 
bier  of  the  Prince  Hermit?  We  girls  were  all  standing  together  in  a 
group.  Then  when  the  monks  filed  in  and  took  up  their  position  all 
round  the  coffin,  Pao  Yu  came  in  and  stood  right  in  front  of  our  group. 
That  was  remarked  upon  unfavorably  by  everyone.  Had  he  no  eyes 
in  his  head,  and  was  it  not  most  inconsiderate  to  stand  so  awkwardly 
right  in  our  way,  blocking  the  view  from  us,  people  said.  But  afterwards 
he  told  us  the  reason  for  his  strange  behavior.  He  knew  perfectly  well 
what  was  correct,  and  he  had  very  good  eyes  in  his  head,  so  he  said, 
but  he  had  deliberately  pushed  himself  in  between  us  and  the  monks  so 
that  we  should  not  be  treated  too  directly  to  their  unsavory  odor.  And 

357 


later,  when  you  asked  for  a  drink  of  tea  and  the  serving  woman  began 
to  fill  up  the  bowl  for  you  which  he  had  just  drunk  out  of,  he  stopped 
her  and  ordered  her  to  rinse  the  bowl  with  water  first.  From  these  two 
little  incidents,  which  I  observed  dispassionately,  I  could  see  that  he  is, 
in  fact,  a  person  of  very  fine  feelings,  and  that  in  the  presence  of  young 
girls  he  has  only  eyes  and  thoughts  for  us  and  forgets  everything  else 
on  our  account.  Naturally,  outsiders  who  do  not  know  his  nature  can- 
not understand  his  behavior." 

"Hearing  you  talk  that  way,  it  seems  to  me  that  you  and  he  are  al- 
ready of  one  mind,"  said  the  elder  Yu  gaily.  "How  would  it  be  if  you 
and  he  were  to  become  betrothed?" 

Because  of  the  presence  of  the  servant  Little  Hsing,  the  third  Yu 
chose  to  remain  silent,  and  sat  with  bent  head,  nibbling  melon  seeds. 
"Yes,  he  would  suit  the  young  lady  quite  well,"  interposed  the  pre- 
sumptuous Little  Hsing,  "but  unfortunately  he  is  already  disposed  of. 
It's  an  open  secret,  after  all,  that  Miss  Ling  is  his  intended.  Of  course 
they're  both  very  young  yet,  and  besides,  Miss  Ling  has  been  very 
sickly  of  late.  But  in  two  or  three  years  the  old  Tai  tai  will  no  doubt 
open  her  mouth  and  settle  the  matter." 

While  he  was  saying  this  the  servant  Little  Lung  came  back  from 
the  Yungkuo  palace.  "Prince  Shieh  is  sending  his  son  Chia  Lien  on  an 
important  mission  to  Ping  an  Chow,"  he  reported.  "He  will  set  out  in 
three  or  four  days  and  will  be  away  for  ,about"two  weeks.  He  therefore 
asks  to  be  excused  for  today,  as  he  is  occupied  with  urgent  preparations 
for  the  journey,  and  he  asks  the  Nai  nai  please  to  go  ahead  alone  with 
the  matter  she  knows  of.  As  soon  as  he  comes  back  he  will  take  it  up 
again."  The  two  servants,  Little  Lung  and  Little  Hsing,  now  withdrew. 
The  second  Yu  bolted  the  hall  door  behind  them  and  she,  her  mother, 
and  her  sister  went  early  to  bed,  but  before  going  to  sleep  she  ques- 
tioned the  younger  sister  persistently  until  she  found  out  from  her  the 
name  of  the  man  whom  she  wanted  for  her  bridegroom. 

When  Chia  Lien  made  a  brief  dash  over  early  the  next  day  and 
wanted  to  know  the  name  of  the  third  Yu's  chosen  man  as  quickly  as 
possible,  the  second  Yu  replied  with  a  laugh:  "There's  no  hurry;  the 
man  in  question  is  far  away  now,  heaven  knows  where  and  for  how 
long.  My  sister  declares  that  even  if  he  stays  away  a  year,  she  will  wait 
for  him  a  year;  if  it  is  ten  years  until  he  returns,  she  will  wait  patiently 
the  ten  years,  but  that  if  he  dies  in  the  meantime  she  will  have  her  hair 
cut  off  and  go  into  a  convent;  but  she  will  never  marry  any  other  man, 
whatever  happens." 

"Who,  then,  is  this  fellow  who  has  taken  her  heart  so  completely?" 
asked  Chia  Lien,  impatiently. 

"Oh,  that  is  a  long  story,  but  I  will  make  it  as  short  as  I  can.  It  be- 

358 


gan  five  years  ago  in  Grandmother's  house  on  her  birthday.  There  was 
a  theatrical  performance  in  celebration  of  the  day.  The  performers  were 
not  professional  actors,  but  all  sons  of  good  families.  Among  them  was 
one  who  played  the  part  of  the  youthful  heroine.  He  is  said  to  have  fled 
from  the  town  a  long  while  ago  on  account  of  some  trouble  or  other, 
and  to  be  travelling  in  distant  parts.  His  name  is  Liu  Hsiang  Lien." 

"Oh,  so  that's  the  man!  A  fine,  handsome  fellow.  Your  sister  has 
good  taste  and  g'ood  eyes;  one  must  say  that  for  her.  But  he's  of  a  cold, 
proud  nature.  He  has  no  time  for  ordinary  people,  but  he  gets  on 
splendidly  with  Pao  Yu.  Last  year  he  had  a  fight  with  our  wild  cousin 
Hsueh  Pan,  and  to  save  our  family  from  further  awkward  incidents  he 
simply  disappeared  from  the  town  immediately  afterwards  without  leav- 
ing a  trace.  Perhaps  one  could  find  out  something  about  his  where- 
abouts through  Pao  Yu's  servant,  but  he  is  certainly  a  drifting  water 
plant.  It  may  well  be  years  before  it  occurs  to  him  to  show  his  face  here 
again,  and  your  sister  may  perhaps  wait  in  vain.  She  would  do  much 
better  to  put  him  right  out  of  her  mind." 

"You  seem  not  to  know  me  yet,  brother-in-law,"  interrupted  the  third 
Yu,  suddenly  coming  in  from  an  adjoining  room.  "I'm  in  the  habit  of 
saying  what  I  mean.  It  is  either  Mr.  Liu  or  no  one,  and  that's  that! 
From  today  on  I  will  devote  myself  to  prayer  and  fasting  and  looking 
after  my  mother,  while  I  wait  for  him,  even  if  I  have  to  wait  a  hundred 
years.  And  if  I  do  not  mean  this  sincerely,  may  my  fate  be  the  fate  of 
this  clasp!"  she  continued  solemnly.  Drawing  a  jade  clasp  from  her 
hair,  she  broke  it  in  two,  then  disappeared  into  the  adjacent  room 
again. 

Chia  Lien  had  to  resign  himself  to  her  decision.  He  tried  to  find  out 
something  about  the  whereabouts  of  the  Cold  Knight  through  Pao 
Yu's  personal  servant,  Ming  Yen,  but  Ming  Yen  knew  nothing;  and  his 
inquiries  in  the  young  man's  former  locality  were  equally  fruitless. 

Shortly  afterwards  Chia  Lien  set  out  on  his  journey  to  the  prefecture 
of  Ping  an  Chow,  after  having  spent  two  more  nights  secretly  in  the 
Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch. 

He  had  been  three  days  on  the  way  when  a  trading  caravan  came 
towards  him.  As  the  two  parties  drew  close  he  perceived  to  his  aston- 
ishment that  his  cousin  Hsueh  Pan  was  one  of  the  dozen  men  on  horse- 
back escorting  the  caravan.  And  what  astonished  him  still  more  \\as  to 
see,  riding  peacefully  by  his  side,  his  former  enemy,  the  Cold  Knight. 
After  mutual  greetings,  both  parties  turned  in  to  rest  in  a  near-by  inm 

"How  comes  it  that  I  see  you  two  former  tilters  and  adversaries  so 
peacefully  united  now?"  asked  Chia  Lien. 

"My  caravan  was  attacked  and  looted  by  a  band  of  robbers  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Ping  an  Chow.  Then  just  by  chance  and  in  the  nick 

359 


of  time  along  came  Brother  Liu  to  our  rescue  with  his  party.  He  put 
the  robbers  to  flight,  recovered  the  booty  from  them  by  force  of  arms, 
and  saved  the  lives  of  myself  and  my  people.  As  he  scorned  my  thanks, 
I  offered  him  blood  brotherhood.  And  so  we  have  become  true  con- 
federates and  blood  brothers  forever  and  have  been  travelling  part  of 
the  way  together.  But  our  ways  must  soon  part  again.  I  am  going  back 
to  the  capital,  and  he  is  going  two  hundred  li  farther  south  to  visit  an 
aunt  of  his.  As  soon  as  I  have  finished  my  business  at  home  I  intend  to 
obtain  a  bride  and  a  house  for  him  and  to  persuade  him  to  settle  down 
permanently  in  the  capital." 

"A  bride?  Oh,  that  is  splendid!  I  can  suggest  a  suitable  party 
straight  away,"  interposed  Chia  Lien  eagerly.  And  he  told  of  his  secret 
marriage  to  the  second  Yu  sister  and  of  the  younger  sister  who  was  still 
unwed.  He  refrained,  however,  from  saying  that  the  third  Yu  sister  had 
herself  chosen  the  Cold  Knight  as  her  husband,  and  he  also  prevailed 
upon  his  cousin  not  to  breathe  a  word  of  the  whole  story  when  he  got 
home. 

"You  should  have  hit  upon  that  sly  plan  of  yours  long  ago !  It  serves 
my  strait-laced  cousin  Phoenix  quite  right!"  said  Hsueh  Pan  mali- 
ciously; and  gave  his  ready  approval  to  the  new  marriage  plan  too.  But 
the  Cold  Knight  declared:  "That  is  all  very  well,  but  I  have  firmly  re- 
solved to  marry  only  a  really  outstanding  beauty.  I  set  less  value  upon 
money  and  lineage  than  upon  this.  I  shall  have  to  make  sure  on  this 
point  before  I  can  agree  to  your  suggestion." 

"Oh,  you  can  be  quite  easy  on  that  score,"  Chia  Lien  assured  him 
zealously.  "But  what  are  words?  You  must  see  her  for  yourself,  and 
then  you  will  be  convinced!  It  would  be  hard  to  find  another  girl  who 
could  compare  with  her  for  beauty." 

"Very  well,  I  agree;  and  I  shall  be  in  the  capital  in  about  two  months' 
time,  but  I  want  to  visit  my  aunt  first,"  declared  the  Cold  Knight. 

"I  accept  your  word,  but  you  are  a  restless  fellow,  a  drifting  water 
plant.  Would  you  not  prefer  to  back  up  your  word  in  a  visible  way  with 
some  kind  of  betrothal  gift?"  suggested  Chia  Lien  with  a  smile. 

"Do  not  worry,  brother-in-law;  you  may  rely  upon  my  word.  I  am 
not  in  funds  just  now,  and  besides  I  am  travelling.  Where  would  I  get 
a  suitable  gift  right  away?"  replied  the  Cold  Knight. 

"Let  me  procure  the  gift!"  suggested  Hsueh  Pan. 

"It  need  not  be  expensive  gold  and  silver  and  jewelry  straight  away. 
Any  little  trifle  which  you  are  wearing  will  do  just  as  well.  Only  it  is 
best  that  it  should  be  a  personal  souvenir  of  yourself,  for  otherwise  she 
may  possibly  not  believe  me,"  insisted  Chia  Lien. 

"Very  well,  then.  She  shall  have  my  twin-blade  sword.  It  is  an  old 

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heirloom  of  my  family  which  I  have  always  treasured  faithfully,"  said 
the  Cold  Knight. 

They  drank  a  few  more  glasses  together,  then  broke  up  and  went 
their  opposite  ways.  Chia  Lien  carried  out  his  mission  to  the  Prefect  of 
Ping  an  Chow  and  was  back  again  in  the  capital  after  two  weeks. 

His  first  visit  was  to  the  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch.  Apart  from 
two  surreptitious  and  completely  fruitless  visits  from  the  princely 
brother-in-law,  nothing  of  any  consequence  had  happened  during  his 
absence.  The  three  ladies  Yu  had  remained  quietly  at  home  behind 
closed  doors  and  passed  the  time  busy  with  their  needles.  Chia  Lien 
proudly  reported  his  successful  meeting  with  ttie  Cold  Knight  and 
handed  over  to  the  third  Yu  her  betrothal  gift,  the  ''duck  couple"  sword 
with  the  twin  blades. 

She  examined  her  strange  betrothal  gift  more  closely.  One  single 
sheath  studded  with  pearls  and  jewels  concealed  two  completely  identi- 
cal, coldly  glistening,  sharp-edged  blades.  The  symbol  yuan,  signifying 
"little  drake,"  was  engraved  on  the  one,  and  the  symbol  yang,  signify- 
ing "little  duck,"  on  the  other. 

The  third  Yu  was  overjoyed.  She  took  the  twin  sword  and  carried  it 
into  her  maiden  chamber,  where  she  hung  it  on  the  wall  over  her  bed, 
for  she  wished  to  have  it  continually  before  her  eyes  so  that  the  sight 
of  it  might  strengthen  and  support  her  until  the  day  when  the  beloved 
himself  would  cpme  to  lead  her  to  his  home. 

Chia  Lien  remained  for  two  days  with  his  Nai  nai  in  the  Lane  of  the 
Flowering  Branch;  only  then  did  he  go  to  the  western  palace  to  present 
his  report  to  his  father  and  to  greet  Phoenix.  She  had  recovered  mean- 
time from  her  long  illness  and  was  able  to  go  out  again,  and  to  resume 
her  accustomed  activities  in  the  household.  Finally  he  visited  Prince 
Chen  and  informed  him  of  the  successfully  concluded  betrothal  of  the 
third  Yu.  The  Prince  listened  to  him  rather  indifferently  and  unsym- 
pathetically.  He  was  out  of  humor  because  of  the  failure  of  his  own  ef- 
forts to  win  the  favor  of  his  beautiful  sister-in-law.  So  he  confined  him- 
self to  putting  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  taking  out  a  few  dozen  taels 
as  his  subscription  towards  the  young  lady's  dowry,  leaving  all  the  rest 
of  the  arrangements  to  his  cousin  Chia  Lien. 

In  the  eighth  month  the  Cold  Knight  did  in  fact  turn  up  once  more 
in  the  capital.  On  his  first  day  there  he  visited  Aunt  Hsueh  and  his  new 
friend  Hsueh  Pan,  who  was  in  bed  with  a  severe  cold  in  the  head.  Aunt 
Hsueh  no  longer  bore  him  any  grudge  for  his  past  quarrel  with  her 
son,  and  now  regarded  him  only  as  his  friend  and  rescuer  and  loaded 
him  with  thanks  and  attentions.  In  order  to  pay  off  some  part  of  their 
debt  of  gratitude,  mother  and  son  had  undertaken  to  meet  all  the  ex- 

361 


penses  of  the  coming  marriage  out  of  their  own  pockets,  an  arrange- 
ment in  which  the  Cold  Knight  gladly  acquiesced. 

The  next  day  he  paid  a  visit  of  friendship  to  Pao  Yu  and  wanted  to 
hear  more  details  about  Chia  Lien's  secret  marriage  to  the  second  Yu, 
but  Pao  Yu  too  knew  only  a  little  about  it.  from  hearsay  through  Ming 
Yen. 

"And  in  any  case  I  should  prefer  to  keep  as  clear  of  the  delicate  mat- 
ter as  possible,"  said  Pao  Yu,  parrying  his  questions.  "But  tell  me 
about  yourself.  I  hear  that  you  met  Cousin  Chia  Lien  on  the  way  to 
Ping  an  Chow  and  had  an  important  conversation  with  him.  What  was 
it  about,  by  the  way?" 

The  Cold  Knight  told  of  his  betrothal  to  the  third  Yu,  which  had  been 
agreed  upon  on  the  journey.  "Oh,  you  are  to  be  congratulated!"  Pao 
Yu  assured  him  fervently.  "She  is  really  a  ravishing  beauty — a  worthy 
partner  for  you." 

"Oh,  indeed?  If  she  is  as  beautiful  as  all  that  I  cannot  understand 
why  a  poor  fellow  like  me  should  fall  to  her  lot.  Besides,  I  am  by  no 
means  on  intimate  terms  with  her  brother-in-law,"  said  the  Cold  Knight 
thoughtfully.  The  suspicion  that  a  former  light-of-love  of  Prince  Chen's 
was  being  foisted  upon  him  suddenly  crept  into  his  mind.  "It  really 
puzzles  me  that  I  was  pressed  into  this  engagement  in  the  course  of 
our  brief  chance  meeting  on  the  road.  I  cannot  imagine  a  girl  like  that 
running  after  a  man.  I  cannot  help  feeling  suspicious  about  the  whole 
thing,  and  now  I  am  almost  sorry  that  I  handed  over  my  sword  as  a 
pledge.  I  should  have  preferred  to  make  some  inquiries  myself  first." 

"Your  doubts  are  certainly  quite  unfounded.  First  you  insist  upon 
getting  an  outstanding  beauty,  and  now  when  you  have  got  her  you  be- 
gin to  falter.  Take  her,  and  do  not  hesitate  any  longer ! " 

"Are  you  so  sure,  then,  that  she  is  beautiful?  For  it  seems  to  me  that 
you  do  not  appear  to  know  much  more  than  I  do  about  her  person  and 
her  family." 

"She  is  a  stepsister  of  Princess  Chen,  whose  maiden  name  was  Yu. 
During  the  recent  funeral  solemnities  in  the  eastern  palace  I  met  her 
and  her  mother  and  sister  I  do  not  know  how  many  times,  so  I  surely 
must  know." 

The  Cold  Knight  stamped  his  foot  angrily. 

"Do  not  talk  to  me  about  your  eastern  palace!"  he  cried.  "The  only 
creatures  there  that  are  not  disreputable  are  the  two  marble  lions  in 
front  of  the  main  gateway.  No!  The  whole  business  seems  most  shady 
to  me.  I  will  not  go  through  with  it!" 

But  he  immediately  repented  of  his  offensive  outburst  when  he 
noticed  the  embarrassed  flush  on  his  friend's  cheeks. 

Bowing  ceremoniously  before  him,  he  hastened  to  apologize.  "I  have 

362 


let  my  tongue  run  away  with  me,  and  I  deserve  death  for  my  bad  man- 
ners," he  said.  "But  tell  me  at  least  something  about  her  character." 

"Oh,  please,  why  do  you  keep  on  asking  me?  Apparently  you  are  bet- 
ter informed  than  I  am.  Besides,  I  myself  may  perhaps  be  disreputable 
and  untrustworthy?" 

"Please  do  not  be  resentful.  I  forgot  myself." 

"Very  well.  We  shall  say  no  more  about  it!" 

The  Cold  Knight  perceived  that  he  would  get  nothing  more  out  of  his 
offended  friend,  so  he  bowed  once  more  briefly  and  formally  and  took 
his  leave.  He  was  determined  to  cancel  the  overhasty  betrothal,  which 
seemed  to  him  more  and  more  questionable. 

He  set  out  straight  away  to  report  his  decision  to  Chia  Lien,  who  at 
this  hour  was  with  the  second  Yu  in  the  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch. 
The  unsuspecting  Chia  Lien  received  him  in  the  most  friendly  and  fa- 
miliar manner,  and  led  him  straight  into  the  drawing  room  of  the  ladies 
of  the  house,  where 'he  introduced  him  to  his  future  mother-in-law.  He 
was  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  stiff  and  formal  manner  in  which  'his 
presumptive  brother-in-law  bowed  to  Mother  Yu,  and  still  more  sur- 
prised when  he  heard  him  addressing  her  not  as  "mother-in-law"  but  as 
"old  aunt,"  and  referring  to  himself  not  as  "son-in-law"  but  simply  as 
"the  later  born  one."  But  he  was  dumfounded  when  during  tea  the 
Cold  Knight  suddenly  said  without  any  warning:  "Our  recent  agree- 
ment was  an  overhasty,  chance  arrangement.  My  aunt,  whom  I  visited 
shortly  afterwards,  had  already  chosen  my  future  bride  and  she  wishes 
me  to  marry  her  in  the  fourth  month.  Respect  for  my  aunt  demands  that 
I  should  fall  in  with  her  wishes.  In,  these  circumstances  I  must  re- 
luctantly renounce  our  agreement  and  request  the  return  of  my  pledge. 
If  it  had  been  any  kind  of  ordinary  ornament,  I  would  not  insist  upon 
its  return;  but  that  sword  is  precious  and  sacred  to  me  as  a  heritage 
handed  down  by  my  fathers  and  ancestors.  I  must  therefore  reluctantly 
ask  for  its  return." 

Chia  Lien  could  hardly  believe  his  ears  when  he  heard  him  speaking 
in  this  way. 

"My  brother  is  mistaken:  an  agreement  is  an  agreement,!'  he  cried, 
aghast.  "That  is  just  why  I  insisted  upon  a  betrothal  gift — so  that  there 
would  be  a  visible  pledge  if  you  should  regret  your  word.  How  would 
it  be  if  every  betrothed  man  could  back  out  of  his  betrothal  whenever 
he  liked?  No!  What  you  ask  is  impossible!" 

"I  am  ready  to  make  any  satisfaction  that  my  brother  may  stipulate, 
but  I  must  have  my  sword  back,"  insisted  the  Cold  Knight  with  a  smile. 

Chia  Lien  was  about  to  make  some  reply,  but  the  Cold  Knight  stood 
up  and  asked  him  to  step  outside  in  order  to  avoid  continuing  the  dis- 
pute in  the  presence  of  Mother  Yu.  The  two  were  just  about  to  leave 

363 


the  room  when  the  door  leading  to  the  adjacent  room  suddenly  opened 
and  the  third  Yu  walked  in.  She  had  been  listening  to  the  whole  argu- 
ment from  the  next  apartment.  So  she  had  been  waiting  and  waiting 
for  the  beloved,  only  to  hear  now  that  he  wished  to  have  nothing  to  do 
with  her!  Perhaps  he  had  heard  an  unfavorable  report  of  her  in  the 
Yungkuo  palace?  Perhaps  she  had  been  described  to  him  as  a  shame-- 
less hussy,  unworthy  to  become  his  lawful  wife?  If  she  let  him  go  now 
without  further  ado,  there  would  probably  be  a  fierce  quarrel  outside 
on  her  account  between  himself  and  Chia  Lien.  She  did  not  want  that. 
Suddenly  resolved,  she  tore  the  double  sword  down  from  the  wall, 
drew  out  the  "female"  blade,  and,  hiding  it  under  her  right  arm,  walked 
into  the  room,  carrying  the  "male"  blade  in  the  sheath. 

"Your  quarrel  is  unnecessary;  I  return  my  betrothal  gift  volun- 
tarily," she  said  in  a  voice  choked  with  tears,  handing  the  Cold  Knight 
the  sheath  with  the  male  blade.  At  the  same  time  she  drew  out  the  hid- 
den female  blade  and,  with  a  powerful  thrust,  pressed  it  into  her  deli- 
cate throat.  The  others  sprang  forward  aghast  and  tried  to  stop  her,  but 
it  was  already  too  late.  The  petals  of  the  broken  peach  blossom  were 
already  falling  in  red  splashes  over  the  ground;  the  crumbling  nephrite 
h1*  a  would  never  rise  again ! 

After  the  first  shock  the  mother  of  the  dead  girl  raised  a  loud  lamen- 
tation and  broke  out  in  bitter  curses  and  revilements  of  the  Cold 
Knight.  At  the  same  time  Chia  Lien  took  hold  of  him  and  ordered  his 
servants  to  bind  him  with  ropes  and  drag  him  before  the  Court,  but  the 
second  Yu  dried  her  tears  in  haste  and  made  him  desist  from  his  inten- 
tion. 

'"My  sister  did  what  she  did  of  her  own  free  will;  the  gentleman  has 
exercised  neither  pressure  nor  force  upon  her,"  she  said.  "To  bring  the 
matter  before  the  Court  would  not  undo  what  is  done,  and  would  only 
bring  discredit  on  our  house.  Let  the  gentleman  go  his  way!" 

Chia  Lien  had  to  admit  that  she  was  right,  and  he  let  the  Cold  Knight 
go.  But  the  latter  remained  standing  where  he  was,  as  if  stunned,  wiping 
away  the  tears  which  ran  slowly  down  his  cheeks. 

"What  a  magnificent,  heroic  girl!  Who  would  have  thought  such  a 
thing  could  happen?  I  curse  myself,  bringer  of  woe!"  he  murmured  to 
himself,  lost  in  thought.  And  he  remained  there  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot 
until  a  coffin  was  brought  and  the  hapless  girl  was  laid  in  it.  Then,  with 
his  hand  on  the  coffin,  he  broke  into  loud  lamentations,  which  con- 
tinued for  some  time.  Having  thus  paid  the  dead  girl  her  due  tribute  of 
reverence,  he  took  his  leave  and  walked  slowly  away.  Sunk  in  thought 
and  tortured  with  self-reproach,  he  walked  on  and  on,  heedless  of  either 
road  or  goal. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  gentle  sound  like  the  rustling  of  silken  garments 

364 


and  the  tinkling  of  golden  bracelets  and  jade  belt  ornaments,  and  lo 
and  behold,  there  stood  the  third  Yu  before  him.  In  one  hand  she  held 
his  double  sword,  in  the  other  a  parchment  scroll,  and  she  said  to  him 
in  a  tone  of  lamentation:  "In  the  vain  folly  of  my  love  I  waited  for  you 
for  five  years.  Fool  that  I  was,  I  did  not  know  that  your  heart  was  as 
cold  as  your  glance.  I  have  had  to  pay  for  my  foolish  passion  with  my 
life.  I  am  now  in  the  service  of  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening,  who 
reigns  in  the  Realm  of  the  Great  Void.  It  is  my  task  to  register,  with  my 
comments,  in  the  archives  of  unpaid  love-debts,  notable  cases  of  un- 
happy love.  I  have  come  to  bid  you  a  last  farewell,  for  to  see  each  other 
again  is  denied  us." 

With  tears  in  her  eyes,  she  bowed  to  him  in  salutation.  He  threw  him- 
self upon  her  and  tried  to  embrace  her  and  hold  her  fast,  but  she  pushed 
his  hands  gently  away  from  her  and  eluded  him.  Thereupon  he  began 
to  sob  loudly,  and  the  sound  awoke  him, -for  he  had  only  been  dream- 
ing. When  he  raised  his  eyes  he  saw  around  him  the  ancient,  crum- 
bling walls  of  a  ruined  temple.  By  his  side  sat  a  man  attired  in  the  dirty 
robe  of  a  Taoist  priest.  He  was  lame  in  one  foot,  and  was  busily  en- 
gaged catching  fleas. 

"Who  are  you,  Master,  and  where  are  we?"  he  asked  the  peculiar- 
looking  stranger. 

"I  do  not  know  that  myself,  and  in  any  case  it  does  not  matter;  I 
only  know  that  we  have  just  been  having  a  brief  rest,"  came  the  strange 
reply.  Suddenly  illuminated  with  inward  light,  the  Cold  Knight  shud- 
dered with  icy  horror,  and,  drawing  his  sword,  he  raised  it  to  his  head 
and  cut  off  his  hair.  Then  he  followed  the  uncanny  stranger,  he  knew 
not  whither. 


CHAPTER   34 

Phoenix  cross-examines  the  servant  and  so  finds  out  the  master's  de- 
ceits. The  unhappy  Yu  girl  allows  herself  to  be  hired  into  a  trap. 

1  HE  THIRD  Yu  WAS  COFFINED  ON  THE  VERY  DAY  OF  HER  DEATH  AND 
was  buried  very  quietly  outside  the  city  walls.  The  news  of  her  sudden 
death  was  brought  to  Aunt  Hsueh's  ears  by  a  waiting  maid.  Aunt  Hsueh 
was  profoundly  grieved  and  dismayed.  She  had  been  delighted  to  help 
arrange  the  wedding  with  the  third  Yu  out  of  gratitude  to  the  Cold 
Knight  for  having  saved  Hsueh  Pan's  life  on  the  highroad.  She  had  in- 
tended, moreover,  to  give  him  a  complete  house  with  furniture  as  a 
wedding  present. 

"What  do  you  think  of  this  sad,  puzzling  occurrence?"  she  asked  her 

366 


daughter  Precious  Clasp  with  a  sigh.  "The  poor  thing  was  engaged  to 
the  Cold  Knight,  your  brother's  sworn  friend.  And  now,  shortly  before 
the  marriage,  she  has  taken  her  life!  And  her  fiance  has  since  disap- 
peared without  leaving  a  trace!" 

"That  confirms  once  more  the  truth  of  the  old  saying  that  human  fate 
is  as  incalculable  as  the  course  of  the  wind  and  the  form  of  the  clouds. 
Between  evening  and  morning  our  fate  can  suddenly  change  for  good  or 
for  ill.  It  was  her  predetermined  destiny,"  concluded  Precious  Clasp 
philosophically.  "But  what  is  the  use  of  brooding  and  complaining?  She 
is  dead  and  it  cannot  be  helped,  and  we  cannot  bring  her  back  again. 
Get  over  it  and  turn  your  attention  to  our  own  lives  and  our  own  affairs ! 
Brother  Hsueh  Pan  has  already  been  back  from  the  South  some  weeks 
and  meantime  has  probably  sold  the  goods  he  brought  back.  It  is  high 
time  for  him  to  give  a  feast  for  his  associates,  who  spent  months  travel- 
ling with  him,  and  shared  his  hardships  and  dangers,  to  celebrate  the 
happy  return  home.  You  should  speak  to  brother  Hsueh  Pan  and  urge 
him  to  comply  at  last  with  this  duty,  proper  to  his  position." 

Mother  Hsueh  was  about  to  reply  when  the  subject  of  discussion  him- 
self appeared.  He  looked  quite  distraught  and  cried  excitedly  to  the 
two  women:  "Have  you  heard  the  sad  news  yet?  Cousin  Yu  dead! 
Brother  Liu  disappeared!" 

"We  have  just  been  speaking  about  it.  What  a  sad  case!"  sighed 
Aunt  Hsueh. 

"They  say  he  has  gone  off  with  a  strange  Taoist  monk." 

"That  makes  the  story  all  the  more  weird.  How  on  earth  could  such  a 
sensible  young  man  as  that  Liu  get  such  a  crazy  idea?  As  he  is  your 
friend  and  is  all  alone  in  the  world,  you  must  exert  yourself  for  him  and 
have  him  searched  for.  He  will  scarcely  go  far  with  that  wretched  beg- 
ging monk.  Presumably  he  is  hiding  in  some  temple  in  the  neighbor- 
hood." 

"My  men  and  I  have  already  searched  for  him  everywhere  inside  and 
outside  the  town;  but  there  was  no  trace  of  him  anywhere." 

"Good,  then  you  have  already  satisfied  your  obligations  as  a  friend. 
But  do  not  neglect  your  own  affairs  because  of  all  this.  You  are  bound 
in  gratitude  to  prepare  a  worthy  feast  for  your  men,  who  travelled 
three  thousand  li  and  shared  all  troubles  and  dangers  faithfully  with 
you  for  four  or  five  months.  They  well  deserve  it." 

Hsueh  Pan  agreed  with  her,  and  that  same  day  he  sent  out  invitations 
to  a  number  of  his  business  managers  and  travelling  companions  sum- 
moning them  to  a  banquet.  When  the  guests  were  assembled  round  the 
table,  one  of  them  called  out  during  the  banquet:  "Two  of  our  good 
companions  are  still  missing  from  the  table." 

"Who,  then?"  they  were  asked. 

367 


"Mr.  Chia  Lien  and  our  host's  sworn  friend,  the  Cold  Knight.  Why 
have  they  not  been  invited?" 

Hsueh  Pan's  face  darkened  and  he  sighed  deeply. 

"My  cousin  set  out  for  Ping  an  Chow  again  a  short  time  ago,"  he 
said,  "and  as  for  my  friend  Liu,  the  mere  mention  of  his  name  gives 
me  pain.  It  is  a  very  strange  story.  He  suddenly  renounced  the  world 
and  disappeared  in  the  company  of  a  stranger,  a  Taoist  priest."  And  he 
related  all  he  knew  of  the  tragic  outcome  of  the  engagement  of  his 
friend,  and  of  his  sudden  disappearance. 

"How  strange!"  they  all  said,  and  one  of  the  business  managers  went 
on  to  tell:  "A  similar  case  was  spoken  of  recently  by  the  customers  in 
the  shop.  The  story  was  of  a  monk  who  with  three  or  four  sentences 
bewitched  somebody  and  made  him  invisible.  I  do  not  know  any  more 
details;  we  were  busy  serving  and  had  no  time  to  pay  attention  to  the 
idle  gossip  of  customers." 

"Oh,  what  nonsense!  This  is  sure  to  be  quite  a  different  kind  of 
case,"  said  another,  skeptically.  "A  courageous,  sensible,  strong  fellow, 
used  to  arms  like  Mr.  Liu,  would  certainly  never  allow  himself  to  be 
bewitched  by  a  wandering  monk.  Presumably  he  only  pretended  to 
join  him  in  order  to  get  behind  his  magic  tricks  and  hocus-pocus.  He 
will  undoubtedly  get  the  upper  hand  of  the  swindler  in  the  end." 

"That  is  probably  what  has  happened!"  agreed  Hsueh  Pan  warmly. 
"Really,  these  mountebanks  who  bluff  and  dupe  people  with  their  tricks 
should  be  put  down  with  an  iron  hand." 

"Have  you  not  had  a  search  made  for  your  lost  friend?"  they  asked 
him. 

"Yes,  of  course,  I  have  had  him  searched  for  everywhere,  both  in- 
side and  outside  the  city  walls;  but — and  you  may  laugh  at  this — he 
cannot  be  traced  anywhere,"  declared  Hsueh  Pan,  becoming  despond- 
.ent  once  more.  The  company  around  the  table  fell  into  an  embarrassed 
silence;  nothing  could  be  heard  but  long  and  short  sighs,  no  one  could 
be  merry  any  more,  and  after  just  a  few  more  glasses  of  wine  the  party 
broke  up  in  depressed  mood. 

A  few  days  afterwards  Pearl  went  to  visit  Phoenix  in  a  free  hour  to 
inquire  after  her  health,  but  she  did  not  stay  long.  She  thought  she  per- 
ceived a  certain  uneasiness  in  the  air,  she  noticed  excited,  whispering 
waiting  maids  and  caught  something  about  cross-examinations  to  which 
these  porters  or  those  servants  had  been  subjected  by  Phoenix.  There- 
fore she  did  not  want  to  be  in  the  way.  She  had  hardly  gone  when 
Phoenix  sent  for  Little  Wang,  the  gatekeeper  of  the  second  gate. 

"Well,  how  was  it?  What  have  you  heard?"  she  asked  the  waiting 
maid  Little  Ping  before  Little  Wang  arrived. 

368 


"The  maid  who  secretly  informed  me  has  been  eavesdropping  yi&* 
now  at  the  second  gate  on  a  conversation  between  Little  Wang  and  twc 
of  the  master's  servants.  It  was  about  a  second  Nai  nai,  who  was  much 
more  beautiful  and  much  kinder  and  more  friendly  than  the  old  Nai 
nai,  by  which  they  meant  you.  .  .  ." 

Little  Wang  was  announced.  Phoenix  asked1  Little  Ping  to  be  silent 
and  ordered  that  Little  Wang  should  come  in.  He  remained  standing 
timidly  on  the  threshold  of  the  antechamber  in  a  respectful  attitude,  his 
hands  hanging  down  by  his  sides. 

"Come  nearer!  I  wish  to  question  you,"  ordered  Phoenix,  whereupon 
he  advanced  to  the  threshold  of  the  inner  chamber. 

"What  do  you  know  about  the  person  with  whom  my  husband  associ- 
ates outside?" 

Little  Wang  bent  one  knee. 

"The  slave  performs  his  service  at  the  second  gateway  day  after  day. 
How  can  he  know  what  the  master  does  outside?" 

"Naturally,  you  know  about  nothing!" 

Little  Wang  went  down  on  both  knees. 

"Very  well,  then,  I  was  present  by  chance  just  now  when  Little 
Hsing  and  Little  Hsi  were  gossiping  at  the  second  gate.  I  only  told 
them  to  be  quiet;  I  understood  nothing  of  what  they  were  talking  about. 
You  should  question  Little  Hsing.  He  always  accompanies  the  master 
when  he  goe's  out." 

"Ah,  you  are  just  as  good  for  nothing  as  the  other  pack!"  cried 
Phoenix  angrily.  >'Ydu  are  all  tangled  and  matted  together  like  creep- 
ers. But  do  not  imagine  that  you  can,  deceive  me !  Run  and  bring  Little 
Hsing  here!  I  shall  cross-examine  him  first,  then  you  shall  have  another 
turn!" 

"Shih,  shift!"  stuttered  Little  Wang;  and,  having  made  a  kowtow,  he 
picked  himself  up  quickly  and  ran  out,  returning  very  soon  with  Little 
Hsing.  Little  Hsing  stood  timidly  hesitant  on  the  outer  threshold. 

"Come  in!"  Phoenix  ordered  him.  "That's  nice  business  you  have 
been  up  to  with  your  master!  Now,  out  with  the  story!" 

The  severity  of  her  face  and  voice  shattered  the  air  of  confidence 
which  he  had  put  on  up  to  now.  In  his  confusion  he  could  think  of 
nothing  better  to  do  than  to  fall  upon  his  knees  and  press  his  forehead 
to  the  ground. 

"You  are  not  implicated  in  the  case  yourself,"  continued  Phoenix  in 
a  milder  tone;  "but  why  did  you  not  notify  me  at  once?  I  cannot  help 
reproaching  you.  Now,  please,  out  with  the  whole  truth.  Then  I  will 
spare  you.  But  woe  betide  you  if  you  only  come  out  with  empty  eva- 
sions! Better  make  sure  first  that  your  brain-box  is  well  screwed  on!" 

369 


Shaking  with  fear,  Little  Hsing  slid  a  little  nearer,  and  made  another 
kowtow. 

"The  slave  is  not  at  all  aware  of  what  harm  he  is  supposed  to  have 
done  with  the  master,"  he  said  now,  as  calmly  and  boldly  as  possible. 

"Give  him  a  couple  of  blows!"  ordered  Phoenix,  blazing  up  in  anger. 
Little  Wang  rushed  up  and  was  just  about  to  carry  out  her  order  when 
she  stopped  him. 

"No,  let  him  box  his  own  ears!  There  will  be  time  enough  later  on  for 
other  hands  to  belabor  this  tortoise." 

Little  Hsing  bent  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  dealing'  himself,  with  a 
swift  sweeping  movement,  a  good  dozen  heavy  clouts  on  the  ears,  until 
his  mistress  called  "Stop!" 

"Well,  what  do  you  know  about  this  new  Nai  nai,  whom  your 
master  is  said  to  have  picked  up  in  the  city?" 

Little  Hsing  pulled  off  his  cap  and  beat  his  bare  forehead  a  couple 
of  times  on  the  earthenware  tiles  of  the  floor  so  forcibly  that  the  thuds 
resounded  dully  like  mountain  echoes. 

"I  beg  for  mercy  and  I  will  certainly  not  lie  again!"  he  declared. 

"Stand  up  and  speak!" 

Little  Hsing  picked  himself  up  and  told  what  he  knew — how  one  day 
the  house  steward  Yu  Lu  went  out  to  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings 
to  Prince  Chen  for  money;  how  Mr.  Chia  Lien  had  accompanied  him 
back  to  the  eastern  palace,  and  how  he  and  Mr.  Chia  Yung  had  dis- 
cussed the  two  sisters-in-law  of  Prince  Chen  on  the  way  and  how  Mr. 
Chia  Lien  had  indulged  in  admiring  praise  of  their  superior  qualities 
and  virtues;  how  Mr.  Chia  Yung  had  offered  his  services  to  procure  the 
second  Yu  girl  as  a  secondary  wife  for  him.  He  had  got  thus  far  with 
his  confession  when  Phoenix,  almost  choking  with  rage,  burst  out:  "So 
it's  that  one!  And  a  relative  into  the  bargain!  Such  miserable,  faceless, 
tortoise  behavior!"  Little  Hsing,  alarmed,  paused  in  his  report,  made 
a  hasty  kowtow,  and  then  stared  resignedly  in  front  of  him. 

"Get  on!  Why  do  you  not  talk?"  Phoenix  urged  him. 

"But  will  the  MM  nai  not  hurt  the  slave  if  he  speaks  on?"  asked 
Little  Hsing,  wanting  to  be  sure  first. 

"Nonsense!  Go  on!" 

And  Little  Hsing  continued  to  relate  how  his  master  had  entered  joy- 
fully into  his  nephew's  plan-. 

"How  the  plan  was  subsequently  carried  out  is  not  known  to  me." 

"Of  course,  a  servant  cannot  know  everything  that  the  master  does 
or  does  not  do.  Go  on!" 

"Then,  later  on  Mr.  Chia  Yung  procured  and  furnished  a  house  for 
Mr.  Chia  Lien.  .  .  ." 

"A  house?  Where,  then?"  he  was  again  interrupted. 

370 


"Behind  the  eastern  palace." 

"Aha!  And  we  noticed  nothing  of  all  this!  We  must  have  been  simply 
dead!"  said  Phoenix,  turning  a  reproachful  glance  on  the  waiting  maid 
Little  Ping. 

"Then  Prince  Chen  paid  an  indemnity  to  the  family  Chang;  I  do  not 
know  the  exact  amount,"  continued  Little  Hsing. 

"The  family  Chang?  What,  then,  has  that  family  got  to  do  with  the 
matter?" 

"You  must  know  that  the  second  MM  nai  .  .  ." 

He  stopped  short  and  gave  himself  a  resounding  box  on  the  ear.  How 
could  he  so  forget  himself  as  to  mention  a  second  Nai  nai  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Nai  nai?  This  comical  act  of  voluntary  self-chastisement 
made  Phoenix  smile  in  spite  of  the  seriousness  of  the  situation,  and 
the  waiting  maids  and  serving  women  to  the  right  and  to  the  left 
quickly  put  their  hands  over  their  mouths  and  had  to  laugh  too. 

"The  younger  sister  of  Princess  Chen,"  he  corrected  himself,  "was 
originally  betrothed  to  a  certain  Chang  Hua  of  the  family  of  Chang. 
The  family  has  recently  been  in  very  poor  circumstances  and  was  there- 
fore willing  to  renounce  the  engagement  on  payment  of  an  indemnity.1" 

"Did  you  hear  that?  See  what  revelations  are  coming  to  light!"  ex- 
claimed Phoenix,  shaking  her  head  and  turning  to  her  attendants.  "And 
yet  this  impudent  fellow  asserted  in  the  beginning  that  he  knew  noth- 
ing!" 

"Mr.  Chia  Lien  had  the  house  newly  painted  and  beautifully  papered 
and  furnished,  and  then  he  brought  home  the  second  Yu." 

"Who  escorted  her?" 

"Only  Mr.  Chia  Yung  and  a  few  waiting  maids  and  serving  women." 

"Not  Princess  Chen?" 

"No,  she  only  paid  her  a  visit  two  days  later  and  brought  several 
presents  with  her." 

"So  this  is  the  alleged  business  which  kept  him  for  days  on  end  in 
the  eastern  palace!"  hissed  Phoenix.  "Is  anyone  else  living  with  that 
person?" 

"Her  mother  and  also,  until  a  short  time  ago,  the  younger  sister  who 
cut  her  throat." 

"Why,  actually,  did  she  do  that?" 

Little  Hsing  told  of  her  unhappy  love  and  her  betrothal  to  the  Cold 
Knight,  which  had  been  broken  off. 

"He  did  well  to  free  himself  in  time  from  that  disreputable  crowd!" 
said  Phoenix  derisively.  "Anything  else?" 

"I  know  nothing  more;  and  every  word  I  have  reported  is  certainly 
true.  The  Nai  nai  can  make  inquiries,  and  if  she  can  convict  me  of  a  lie, 
she  may  have  me  beaten  to  death  if  she  likes!" 

371 


"I  would  have  reason  enough  for  that,  you  ape.  Stand  up!" 

Little  Hsing  kowtowed  once  more,  stood  up,  and  slunk  out.  He  was 
already  on  the  outer  threshold  when  Phoenix  called  him  back. 

"You  seem  in  a  mighty  hurry  to  be  off  to  your  new  Nai  nai.  You 
would  like  to  divulge  everything  to  her  and  earn  a  reward,  wouldn't 
you?  But  you  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort!  From  today  on  you  will  not 
stir  a  step  to  go  to  that  house  but  will  remain  permanently  at  my  dis- 
posal. Is  that  understood?" 

"Shih"  promised  Little  Hsing  and  withdrew  again,  to  be  called  back 
once  more. 

"Now,  you  are  going  to  run  off  and  repeat  everything  to  your  master, 
are  you  not?" 

"Your  servant  will  not  dare." 

"I  would  not  advise  you  to,  if  you  value  your  skin.  Off  with  you! 
Clear  out!" 

Now  Little  Wang  was  called  in.  Phoenix  looked  at  him  sharply  for 
a  moment,  and  then  she  said:  "You  are  a  good  fellow,  Little  Wang.  I 
am  pleased  with  you.  And  in  future  always  be  sure  to  tell  me  when  you 
Lear  something  outside!  Can  I  rely  on  you?  Very  well,  you  may  go." 

"Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that?  A  nice  story,  is  it  not?"  she  said, 
turning  to  Little  Ping.  Little  Ping  only  smiled.  Phoenix  threw  herself 
on  the  divan,  took  a  sip  of  tea,  and  settled  down  to  think.  Suddenly  she 
raised  her  brows.  She  had  thought  of  a  plan;  she  beckoned  Little  Ping. 

"We  must  act,  and  at  once,  before  my  husband  is  back  from  his 
travels,"  she  said,  and  began  to  explain  her  plan  to  the  waiting  maid. 

During  the  next  few  days  the  residence  of  the  absent  Chia  Lien  be- 
came a  hive  of  activity.  A  crowd  of  builders,  carpenters,  painters,  join- 
ers, and  other  artisans  arrived,  and  on  the  instructions  of  Phoenix  they 
put  in  order  the  empty  eastern  wing,  consisting  of  three  rooms.  The 
rooms  were  fitted  with  the  same  kind  of  wallpaper,  carpets,  furniture, 
covers,  curtains,  and  other  equipment  as  the  rooms  which  Phoenix  her- 
self occupied.  On  the  day  that  the  work  was  completed  and  the  work- 
ers left  the  house — it  was  the  fourteenth  of  the  ninth  month — Phoenix 
sent  a  message  to  the  Ancestress  that  she  intended  to  visit  this  and  that 
temple  to  burn  incense  and  pray  on  the  following  day. 

The  next  day  she  got  into  her  carriage  and,  accompanied  by  the 
waiting  maids  Little  Ping  and  Little  Lung,  as  well  as  the  wife  of  the 
porter  Little  Wang  and  the  wife  of  the  steward  Chou  Jui,  went  off,  not 
to  the  temples  named,  but  to  the  house  of  the  second  Yu  in  the  Lane 
of  the  Flowering  Branch.  Little  Hsing  was  taken  along  and  had  to  show 
the  way  and  announce  the  visitor.  The  second  Yu  was  more  than  a 
little  surprised  when  quite  suddenly  the  wife  of  Little  Pao  came  run- 

372 


ning  in,  terribly  excited  and  trembling  all  over,  and  announced:  "The 
great  Nai  nai  is  coming  to  visit!" 

She  pulled  herself  together  at  once,  however,  ran  to  the  door  and 
accompanied  her  visitor  courteously  into  the  reception  room,  politely 
laid  cushions  for  her  in  the  place  of  honor,  and  had  tea  served  to  her. 
She  excused  herself  on  the  plea  of  her  youthfulness  for  all  that  had  hap- 
pened. Everything,  she  said,  had  been  dpne  over  her  head  and  through 
her  mother  and  Princess  Chen,  and  she  assured  Madame  Phoenix  of 
how  honored  and  happy  she  was  at  the  visit,  and  how  eager  to  hear  the 
instructions  of  the  "elder  sister"  and  to  serve  her  with  dutiful  respect. 

Phoenix  was  dressed  completely  in  white  and  silver  gray,  to  give  the 
impression  that  she  was  mourning  for  the  deceased  third  Yu,  for  whom 
she  in  fact  cared  less  than  nothing.  To  the  kowtow  of  submission  which 
the  other  performed  before  her  she  replied  with  a  slight  bow,  and  said: 

"Purely  out  of  understandable  tenderness  and  care  for  his  health, 
and  also  to  spare  his  parents  annoyance  and  trouble,  I  always  warned 
my  husband  against  spending  the  night  away  from  home  'between 
flowers  and  beneath  willow  trees.'  Unfortunately,  he  has  completely 
misunderstood  my  well-intended  advice.  Now,  if  it  were  a  question  of 
some  dubious  person,  he  would  perhaps  be  right  in  concealing  an  at- 
tachment from  me.  But  the  fact  that  he  has  chosen  a  highly  respectable 
woman  such  as  you,  dear  sister,  for  his  'side-chamber'  makes  it  a  dif- 
ferent matter  and  quite  in  order.  No  one  in  his  senses  could  blame  him 
for  it.  Such  things  are,  after  all,  customary  in  other  families.  I  myself 
have  always  actually  advised  him  to  such  a  step;  I  have  even  offered 
him  Little  Ping.  It  is  indeed  my  own  wish  that  he  should  have  a  little 
boy  and  legitimate  heir,  who  would  one  day  be  a  support  and  comfort 
to  myself  in  my  old  age.  It  was  quite  wrong  of  him  to  keep  this  matter 
secret  from  me  through  quite  unfounded  fear  of  my  jealousy.  I  am 
neither  narrow-minded  nor  jealous,  and  call  heaven  and  earth  to  wit- 
ness that.  I  only  heard  of  the  matter  just  by  chance  a  few  days  ago.  My 
husband  is  away  travelling  at  present,  so  I  cannot  speak  to  him  myself. 
In  order  to  show  you  meantime,  dear  sister,  how  greatly  my  husband 
has  misjudged  me,  I  have  come  to  you  today  to  invite  you,  earnestly 
and  lovingly,  to  give  up  your  isolation  and  come  ov?r  to  me.  Let  us  live 
together  in  future  and  unite  in  a  sisterly  way  in  caring  for  our  hus- 
band's health  and  well-being;  we  owe  this  to  the  strict  requirements  of 
good  form  and  propriety.  This  living  separately  is  profitable  neither 
to  your  reputation  nor  to  mine,  nor  to  that  of  our  husband.  How  do  I 
stand  in  the  eyes  of  the  servants  who  as  it  is  detest  me  because  I  keep 
a  somewhat  strict  eye  on  them?  No,  the  present  situation  is  untenable. 
So  do  me  the  favor,  dear  sister,  of  moving  over  to  my  place!  As  re- 
gards accommodation,  and  food,  and  clothing,  and  service,  you  will 

373 


have  exactly  the  same  as  I  have.  You  are  such  a  sensible  woman,  you 
will  be  a  valuable  and  inestimable  support  to  me,  and  there  will  be  an 
end  once  and  for  all  to  the  servants'  gossip.  When  our  husband  comes 
home  and  sees  us  peacefully  united  he  will  feel  penitent  and  will  realize 
that  he  has  shamefully  misjudged  me.  But  if  you  do  not  wish  to  move 
over  to  me,  then  I  am  determined  to  move  over  to  you,  dear  sister.  And 
in  this  event  I  hope  you  will  put  in  a  good  word  for  me  with  our  hus- 
band, so  that  he  will  not  tear  us. apart  again.  I  shall  be  most  glad  to  do 
everything  for  you,  to  do  your  hair  and  prepare  your  foot  bath,  and 
perform  every  service  which  you  may  ask,  if  only  I  can  be  with  you." 

She  had  spoken  with  growing  emotion,  which  was  meant  to  simulate 
sincere  feeling,  and  she  now  began  actually  to  sob  and  weep.  Her  emo- 
tion seemed  so  genuine  that  the  second  Yu  was  quite  touched  and  her 
eyes  too  filled  with  tears.  At  a  sign  from  her  mistress  the  wife  of  the 
steward  Chou  Jui  now  had  to  take  out  of  her  cotton  bag  four  pieces  of 
beautiful  silk  cloth  and  a  pair  of  gold  bangles  and  of  earrings  set  with 
pearls,  and  pass  them  to  the  second  Yu  as  a  token  of  friendship.  The 
second  Yu  was  now  fully  convinced  that  Phoenix  must  be  a  most  kind- 
hearted  woman  and  that  everything  which  Little  Hsing  had  recently 
told  about  her  wicked  character  must  be  slander  and  servants'  gossip. 
She  gave  up  her  previous  reserve,  became  talkative,  opened  her  heart 
wide,  laid  bare  her  thoughts,  and  trustfully  accepted  the  invitation  to 
move  over  to  the  western  palace  that  very  day. 

"But  what  will  become  of  my  household  here?"  she  asked. 

"That  is  very  simple.  Your  new  dwelling  is  ready  and  furnished,  so 
we  only  need  to  take  over  your  clothing  and  linen  and  other  personal 
belongings.  All  the  furniture  can  be  left  here." 

The  second  Yu  indicated  the  few  trunks  and  objects  which  repre- 
sented her  personal  belongings,  dressed  herself  ready  to  depart,  and 
allowed  Phoenix  to  take  her  by  the  hand  and  lead  her  to  the  carriage. 
On  the  journey  in  the  carriage  Phoenix  said  to  her  confidentially:  "Over 
here  our  household  rules  are  rather  strict.  So  far  the  old  Tai  tai  knows 
nothing  of  this  story.  If  she  now  learns  that  01  r  husband  has  married 
secretly  in  the  middle  of  the  mourning  period,  she  will  be  very  angry 
and  probably  have  him  nearly  beaten  to  death  in  punishment.  There- 
fore, it  is  better  for  me  not  to  present  you  to  the  old  Tai  tai  straight 
away  and  not  to  take  you  into  my  own  home  yet,  but  to  put  you  up  in 
the  park  for  the  time  being.  You  will  be  well  looked  after  there  and 
quite  safe  from  prying  eyes.  In  the  meantime  I  will  take  further  meas- 
ures and  carefully  prepare  the  old  Tai  tai" 

"Do  exactly  as  you  think  best!"  replied  the  second  Yu  submissively. 
As  prearranged,  the  carriage  entered  the  precincts  of  the  western  palace, 
not  through  the  main  entrance  but  unobtrusively  through  a  back  gate. 

374 


Soon  after  passing  in  Phoenix  dismissed  her  attendants  and  smuggled 
the  second  Yu  through  yet  another  side  gate  into  the  Park  of  Delight- 
ful Vision  and  took  her  thence,  unobserved,  to  Widow  Chu's  in  the 
Rice  Farm.  She  told  the  widow  about  the  matter  and  asked  her  to  keep 
the  second  Yu  with  her  for  a  few  days.  At  the  same  time  she  ordered 
the  servants  in  the  park,  under  the  threat  of  severe  punishment,  to  keep 
strict  sil^ice  and  to  watch  the  newcomer's  every  step,  and  under  no  cir- 
cumstances to  allow  her  to  leave  the  park.  Furthermore,  she  deprived 
the  second  Yu  of  her  former  servants  and  gave  her  instead  one  of  her 
own  maids  named  Shan,  to  whom  she  gave  her  own  special  instructions. 

Three  days  later  the  second  Yu  wanted  to  send  the  waiting  maid 
Shan  to  Phoenix  to  get  some  new  hair  oil.  She  met  with  unexpected 
resistance. 

"Indeed,  you  have  strange  ideas!"  said  the  maid  very  cheekily. 
"Madame  Phoenix  has  more  important  things  in  her  head  and  cannot 
trouble  about  such  trifles.  She  is  on  the  go  the  whole  day  taking  orders 
from  the  old  Tai  tai  or  Princess  Shieh  or  the  Tai  tai  Cheng;  then  she 
has  to  look  after  all  the  young  ladies  in  the  park,  and  the  many  guests 
and  visitors,  and  finally,  she  is  responsible  for  all  the  several  hundred 
servants.  Everyone  turns  to  her;  she  is  besieged  on  every  side  with 
questions  and  requests.  At  a  moderate  estimate  she  has  tc  settle  every 
day  one  to  two  dozen  big  matters  and  thirty  to  forty  smaller  ones. 
Thousands  go  through  her  hands  every  day.  How,  then,  can  I  trouble 
her  with  such  trifles?  You  must  get  accustomed  to  having  patience. 
Just  remember  that  you  did  not  marry  into  our  house  in  an  open,  cor- 
rect manner;  all  the  more  reason,  then,  to  be  unobtrusive  and  quiet!  Be 
thankful  that  she  has  treated  you  in  such  a  friendly  way  up  to  the 
present,  and  do  not  lose  her  favor  by  your  folly.  Otherwise  it  may  go 
badly  with  you!" 

There  was  nothing  for  the  second  Yu  to  do  but  to  put  up  with  the 
reprimand  and  be  silent.  Gradually  the  maid  Shan  began  to  show  all 
kinds  of  negligence  in  her  service — she  served  the  meals  unpunctually, 
and  what  she  did  put  on  the  table  either  at  midday  or  in  the  evening 
usually  consisted  only  of  stale  leavings.  Two  or  three  times  the  second 
Yu  ventured  a  remark,  but  each  time  she  was  so  intimidated  by  offended 
looks  and  indignant  demeanor  that  she  did  not  venture  another  word 
of  complaint  and  put  up  with  everything. 

Phoenix  herself  came  over  once  a  week.  On  these  visits  she  was  out- 
wardly all  friendliness  and  kindness,  and  loving  expressions  such  as 
"dear  sister"  and  "good  sister"  simply  flowed  from  her  lips. 

"If  you  have  any  complaint  to  make  about  the  service,  let  me  know 
at  once!"  she  said.  And  she  put  on  an  act  of  lecturing  the  staff  of  the 
Rice  Farm,  saying  that  she  would  see  through  it  and  take  ruthless 

375 


measures  if  they  failed  in  their  duty  and  were  negligent  in  their  service 
behind  her  back.  The  kindhearted  Yu  was  sorry  for  the  servants  who 
were  thus  rebuked,  and  whenever  she  thoughtlessly  opened  her  mouth 
to  complain  about  this  or  that,  she  shut  it  quickly  again,  wishing  to 
spare  her  servants  and  not  to  make  herself  unpopular.  And  so  every- 
thing remained  just  as  it  was  after  these  visits  of  inspection. \ 

Meanwhile  Phoenix  was  making  secret  inquiries  about  the  past  life 
of  the  second  Yu  through  her  confidant,  the  porter  Little  Wang,  and  so 
she  learned  of  the  latter's  first  engagement  to  young  Chang  Hua,  who 
was  now  nineteen  years  of  age  and  an  utter  wastrel  and  loafer.  His 
parents  had  cast  him  off  long  ago  on  account  of  his  dissolute  way  of 
life;  consequently  he  himself  knew  nothing  as  yet  about  the  cancellation 
of  his  engagement  and  the  indemnity  of  twenty  taels  which  Prince  Chen 
had  paid  to  his  parents. 

Now  Phoenix  sent  Little  Wang  secretly  to  Chang  Hua  and  won  him 
for  her  little  game  by  a  payment  of  twenty  taels.  He  was  to  serve  a  writ 
accusing  Chia  Lien  of  having  enticed  away  his  betrothed  and  married 
her  in  the  middle  of  a  period  of  public  and  family  mourning  without 
the  knowledge  of  his  legal  wife  and  of  the  family  elder,  after  having 
obliged  her  by  coercion  and  money  to  cancel  her  previous  engagement 
to  him,  the  plaintiff.  Chang  Hua  had  hesitated  to  make  a  direct  accusa- 
tion against  a  member  of  the  powerful  Chia  clan,  whom  he  did  not  wish 
to  quarrel  with.  It  was  therefore  agreed  that  Little  Wang  should  take 
the  accusation  upon  himself  as  the  alleged  go-between  and  instigator. 
Fhoenix  was  less  interested  in  actually  carrying  through  the  lawsuit 
than  in  exposing  the  "gang,"  namely,  the  chief,  culprits  of  the  story — 
her  cousin  Prince  Chen,  his  wife,  and  their  son  Chia  Yung — and 
frightening  them  by  the  imminent  prospect  of  a  public  scandal.  More- 
over, she  intended  to  step  in  just  at  the  right  moment  if  the  action 
should  take  an  unfavorable  turn. 

Chang  Hua  accordingly  appeared  one  day  before  the  public  session 
of  the  Court,  called  attention  to  himself  by  the  customary  cry  of  "In- 
justice," and  handed  in  his  writ.  In  response  to  the  writ  the  magistrate 
sent  his  greencoats  next  day  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  to  arrest  the  ac- 
cused porter  Little  Wang  and  hail  him  before  the  Court.  Through  re- 
spect, the  greencoats  did  not  enter  the  lordly  mansion  themselves,  and 
were  about  to  send  a  servant  to  the  custodian  of  the  inner  gate  politely 
requesting  him  to  come  out.  But  that  was  not  at  all  necessary.  Little 
Wang  had  reckoned  on  their  coming  and  was  already  waiting  cheerfully 
for  them  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  gate. 

"No  doubt,  honored  brothers,  you  have  come  for  me.  Very  well, 
seize  me  and  hold  me  fast!"  he  invited  the  greencoats  peaceably  and 

376 


good-humoredly,  for  he  knew  in  advance  that  no  harm  would  come  to 
him. 

"But,  good  elder  brother,  how  can  we  do  it!  We  only  want  you  to 
come  with  us  without  any  fuss,"  they  invited  him  just  as  politely,  and 
escorted  him  to  the  Court.  The  magistrate  showed  him  the  indictment 
handed  in  yesterday.  Little  Wang  read  it,  kowtowed,  and  declared: 
"That  is  quite  correct.  But  I  myself  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Chang 
Hua  has  merely  drawn  me  into  it,  because  we  have  been  on  unfriendly 
terms  for  a  long  time  past.  You  will  have  to  arrest  other  people." 

The  plaintiff  Chang  Hua  likewise  kowtowed  and  explained:  "That  is 
also  correct;  but  I  did  not  dare  to  take  action  against  the  employers, 
therefore,  I  named  the  servant." 

"Stupid  fellow!  We  are  standing  here  in  an  Imperial  Court,  before 
which  we  are  all  equal,  whether  master  or  servant;  so  now  cite  the 
names!"  replied  Little  Wang.  Chang  Hua  now  named  Chia  Yung,  the 
son  of  Prince  Chen,  as  being  really  the  guilty  person.  The  magistrate 
therefore  could  not  do  otherwise  than  issue  a  summons  against  Chia 
Yung. 

The  same  evening  Phoenix  secretly  sent  the  magistrate  three  hundred 
taels  to  his  house  with  a  message  requesting  him  for  this  and  that 
reason  to  proceed  without  consideration  against  her  accused  clan  and 
to  take  a  really  high  hand  with  them.  She  was  very  anxious — so  the 
message  ran — to  give  her  people  a  proper  scare.  And  the  magistrate,  as 
a  good  friend  of  her  uncle,  Marshal  Wang  Tzu  Teng,  felt  obliged  to 
comply  with  the  request  which  she  had  backed  with  such  a  considerable 
gift. 

Prince  Chen  and  his  son  were  terribly  shocked  when  news  came  that 
this  obscure  individual,  Chang  Hua,  had  dragged  their  honorable  name 
bef6re  the  magistrate's  Court.  Prince  Chen  foamed  at  the  mouth  over 
the  colossal  impudence  of  the  fellow.  He  had  vainly  believed  that  he 
had  silenced  the  family  Chang  once  for  all  with  the  indemnity  of 
twenty  taels.  Now  he  would  have  to  dig  deep  into  his  pockets  again  and 
quickly  produce  two  hundred  nice  shining  silver  pieces  to  buy  the 
magistrate's  favor.  Just  as  hf  and  his  son  were  discussing  the  annoying 
affair  and  the  counter-measures  to  be  taken,  who  should  appear  quite 
unexpectedly  but  Cousin  Phoenix. 

The  father  and  son  would,  have  given  anything  to  escape  this  meet- 
ing, but  it  was  too  late. 

"That's  a  pretty  business  you  two  have  been  up  to  with  my  husband!" 
she  said,  bursting  in  on  them. 

While  she  caught  Chia  Yung,  by  the  hand,  as  he  murmured  an  em- 
barrassed temg  an,  the  Prince  succeeded  an  squeezing  past  her  and 
gaining  the  exit. 

377 


"An  urgent  business  engagement!"  he  excused  himself  with  a  glib 
smile.  "But  my  son  will  keep  you  company  for  the  present  and  see  that 
you  get  the  best  things  from  the  kitchen." 

In  a  trice  he  was  out  the  door  and  had  mounted  his  horse  and  gone 
off.  In  the  meantime  Mother  Yu  had  appeared  from  the  next  room. 
Seeing  the  visitor's  angry  face,  she  guessed  there  was  trouble  brewing. 

"You  seem  to  be  out  of  humor.  May  one  ask  .  .  .?"  she  began.  In 
reply,  Phoenix  spat  right  into  her  face.  .  ^ 

"You  are  welcome  to  ask!"  she  hissed.  "Am  I  to  accept  it  quietly 
when  you  smuggle  in  your  jilted  daughter  and  secretly  pawn  her  off  on 
my  husband?  If  you  had  just  done  it  openly  and  honestly,  and  in  the 
proper  manner  with  three  negotiators  and  six  witnesses.  But  no,  you 
did  it  on  the  sly,  and,  what  is  doubly  incorrect,  in  a  time  of  public  and 
family  mourning!  And  now  we  shall  have  the  devil  to  pay!  A  man  has 
appeared  and  has  brought  the  matter  publicly  before  the  Court,  just 
so  that  everyone  will  hear  what  an  abominable,  narrow-minded,  jealous 
woman  I  am!  People  will  point  their  finger  at  me  and  persuade  my  hus- 
band to  divorce  me!  What  have  I  done  to  you  that  you  treat  me  so 
meanly?  Is  the  old  Tai  tai  perchance  behind  it  all?  Did  she  inspire  the 
whole  base  plan,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  me  in  this  way?  Well,  it  will  all 
come  to  light  in  time.  First  you  will  come  to  the  Court  with  me,  and  let 
each  of  us  render  an  account  to  the  judge,  so  that  the  truth  may  tri- 
umph. And  then  let  us  appear  before  the  assembled  clan  at  home  and 
let  us  each  justify  herself.  If  the  clan  finds  me  guilty,  very  well  then, 
they  may  write  the  letter  of  divorce  for  me  and  I  will  leave  the  house 
voluntarily." 

'She  began  to  weep  loudly,  and  to  drag  Mother  Yu  by  the  hand  to  the 
door  as  if  she  wanted  to  set  out  for  the  Court  with  her  straight  away. 
Utterly  dismayed,  Chia  Yung  got  in  front  of  her,  threw  himself  at  her 
feet,  performed  a  kowtow,  and  begged  for  mercy. 

"May  lightning  strike  you  and  split  you  in  i?ve,  you  crazy  creature," 
she  roared  at  him.  "Shame  on  you,  you  good-for-nothing,  shameless 
intriguer  and  disturber  of  family  peace,  scorner  of  laws  and  rights  and 
.of  all  order  of  heaven  and  of  earth!  The  spirits  of  all  your  ancestors  and 
the  shades  of  your  late  wife  will  turn  away  from  you  in  abhorrence 
and  disgust.  And  a  creature  like  you  has  the  impudence  to  want  to 
harangue  me!" 

She  raised  her  hand  and  dealt  him  blows  right  and  left.  Chia  Yung 
bent  down  again  quickly  to  make  another  kowtow.  "Do  not  excite  your- 
self, Aunt!"  he  begged.  "For  the  sake  of  the  one  day  in  a  thousand  that 
I  am  good,  please  relent!  Spare  your  nerves  and  your  gentle  hand!  If 
I  deserve  blows  on  the  ear,  I  can  deal  them  myself." 

And  he  gave  himself  a  few  powerful  slaps.  Then  he  started  to  upbraid 

378 


himself:  "May  such  a  thing  never  happen  to  me  again!  To  count  up  to 
four  and  skip  the  three!  To  follow  the  uncle  and  to  overlook  the 
esteemed  aunt,  that  indeed  is  no  manners!  What,  then,  has  the 
esteemed  aunt  done  to  you,  that  you  should  join  with  others  in  being 
so  abominable  and  irresponsible  towards  her?"  . 

The  bystanders  had  difficulty  in  keeping  from  laughing  aloud  when 
they  heard  him  abusing  himself  in  this  way.  But  Phoenix  threw  herself 
on  Mother  Yu's  breast  with  a  pathetic  outcry,  calling  upon  heaven  and 
earth. 

"Come!  Come  with  me  to  the  Court!  Otherwise  the  constable  may 
come  and  fetch  us  by  force!"  she  sobbed.  "And  afterwards  let  us  go 
together  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and  have  the  clan  judge  us.  I  shall  bow  to 
their  judgment  and  leave  the  house  at  once  if  the  verdict  is  against  me. 
I  have  already  fetched  your  daughter  away  and  lodged  her  in  the  park 
for  the  time  being.  I  have,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  furnished  -a  permanent 
home  for  her  in  my  own  house,  where  she  will  want  for  nothing  and 
fare  exactly  as  I  do  as  regards  clothing,  food,  and  service.  But  up  till 
now  I  have  not  dared  to  let  her  be  seen  by  the  old  Tai  tai,  as  I  wished 
to  spare  the  old  lady  annoyance  and  excitement.  But  the  matter  cannot 
be  hushed  up  any  longer.  Now  that  it  has  become  a  public  scandal  the 
old  Tai  tai  will  have  to  hear  the  truth.  It  is  terrible  that  she  has  to  ex- 
perience such  a  disgrace  in  her  old  age!  What  has  happened  to  the 
good  name  of  our  family?  It  is  gone!  And  besides,  there  is  all  this  un- 
necessary expense!  I  have  secretly  taken  five  hundred  ounces  from  the 
funds  and  passed  them  to  the  magistrate  in  the  hope  that  he  will  dismiss 
the  case.  It's  a  pity  to  lose  that  good  money!  And  I  do  not  even  know 
yet  if  what  I  did  is  of  any  avail.  The  magistrate  seems  to  have  taken  my 
gift  badly,  for  he  has  held  my  messenger  and  put  him  in  chains.  Oh! 
Oh!  What  will  the  illustrious  ancestors  of  our  house  in  their  Realm  of 
Shades  think  of  us  .  .  .?" 

She  again  wept  aloud  and  even  hit  her  head  against  the  wall  as  if 
she  wanted  to  take  her  life. 

Mother  Yu  felt  crushed  and  kneaded  to  noodle  dough  by  .this  out- 
break of  despair.  Her  dress  was  wet  with  her  tears.  Now  she  in  her  turn 
stormed  against  Chia  Yung.  "Ill-behaved  creature!"  she  cried.  "You 
have  made  a  fine  mess  of  things,  you  and  your  father!  And  I  had 
warned  you  beforehand  .  .  .!" 

"Well,  if  you  were  against  it,  why  did  you  not  open  your  mouth  and 
say  a  word  to  me?"  interjected  Phoenix.  "Your  mouth  is  not  stopped 
with  eggplant  apples  or  constrained  by  a  bit  and  curb.  I  certainly  would 
not  have  let  it  come  to  this  public  lawsuit  and  scandal  if  I  had  been 
informed  in  good  time.  You  could  well  refrain  from  reproaching  others, 

379 


and  reproach  yourself  instead,  for  your  stupidity  and  your  culpable 
silence!" 

Oh,  how  cleverly  she  knew  how  to  twist  things  round,  after  having 
herself  goaded  Chang  Hua  into  bringing  an  action!  The  various  sec- 
ondary wives  and  serving  women  and  waiting  maids  who  were  stand- 
ing about  felt  so  full  of  pity  for  Mother  Yu,  seeing  her  so  cruelly  driven- 
into  a  corner,  that  all  together  they  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  angry  Phoenix, 
appealing  to  her  great  wisdom  and  understanding,  and  implored  in 
chorus  for  peace  and  mercy,  for  she  had  now  trampled  on  the  poor  old 
lady  long  enough.  True,  their  entreaties  had  the  effect  of  making  Phoe- 
nix stop  shouting  and  she  put  her  tousled  coiffure  in  order  again;  but 
she  was  very  far  from  being  pacified.  She  disdained  the  tea  which  was 
offered  to  her  and  threw  it  straight  away  on  the  floor.  She  was  itching 
to  call  Prince  Chen  to  account  next. 

"Fetch  your  father  here!  I  want  to  ask  him  a  few  questions  person- 
ally," she  ordered  Chia  Yung  peremptorily.  "I  demand  an  explanation 
from  him  as  to  whether  he  considers  it  to  be  consistent  with  the  Li — the 
requirements  of  propriety  and  good  custom — for  a  nephew  of  the  de- 
ceased to  go  off  gaily  and  marry  in  the  middle  of  the  period  of  mourn- 
ing for  the  family  elder.  A  little  instruction  can  do  him  no  harm  and 
may  deter  him  from  giving  bad  example  to  you  young  people  in  the 
future." 

Chia  Yung  quickly  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  hit  his  forehead  on 
the  ground,  and  protested:  "My  parents  have  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  whole  business.  I  alone  am  guilty.  I  was  the  sole  instigator.  The 
esteemed  aunt  may  chastise  the  unworthy  nephew  as  much  as  she 
wishes  and  he  will  bear  it  in  silence!  But  let  her  please  spare  his  par- 
ents! He  could  not  survive  it  if  she  does  not!  He  also  trusts  and  im- 
plores that  the  honored  aunt  may  manage  to  stop  the  action.  The  stupid 
unworthy  nephew  does  not  feel  that  he  is  equal  to  such  a  task  and  de- 
pends entirely  on  the  wisdom  of  the  honored  aunt."  He  accompanied 
his  humble  speech  with  repeated  kowtows.  Phoenix  was  pacified  to 
some  extent.  She  raised  him  up,  and  then,  sighing  and  wiping  away  her 
\ears,  she  turned  to  Mother  Yu:  "Qp  not  be  angry  with  me!  In  my 
youth  and  inexperience  I  have  let  myself  go  somewhat,  and  offended 
you  greatly,  but  the  painful  news  had  so  surprised  and  dumfounded 
me!  Forgive  me!  And  now  we  .must  act  wisely  and  reasonably.  First  of 
all,  this  unpleasant  action  must  be  settled.  You  must  have  a  word  with 
Cousin  Chen  about  it  without  fail." 

"Do  not  worry!  The  matter  will  be  arranged  by  us  to  your  satisfac- 
tion," said  Mother  Yu  and  Chia  Yung  as  if  with  one  voice.  "The  five 
hundred  ounces  which  you  have  already  spent  will,  naturally,  be  made 
good  to  you.  On  no  account  must  you  suffer  any  further  monetary  loss 

380 


in  this  matter.  It  would  indeed  be  irresponsible  for  us  to  allow  such  a 
thing.  But  we  have  yet  another  request  to  make  of  you.  May  we  count 
upon  you  to  set  the  matter  right  as  far  as  possible  with  the  old  Tai  tai 
and  not  to  put  us  in  too  unkindly  a  light  with  her?" 

"Ha,  you  are  asking  a  bit  too  much  of  me!"  replied  Phoenix  coolly. 
"First  you  do  me  a  grievous  wrong,  and  then  you  ask  me  to  come  for- 
ward and  plead  for  you.  Surely,  rather  a  lot  to  ask!  Now,  I  am  of  a  very 
kindhearted  nature,  and,  moreover,  I  am  sincerely  happy  to  have  a  sis- 
ter and  companion  coming  to  my  house;  I  have  not  been  able  to  sleep 
for  many  nights,  so  great  has  been  my  joyful  anticipation.  If  only  this 
obscure  fellow,  this  confounded  Chang  Hua,  had  not  come  between  us 
with  his  lawsuit!  How  stupid  of  Cousin  Chen  to  run  away  like  that!  I 
wanted  to  discuss  with  him  some  means  of  getting  rid  of  this  mischie- 
vous litigant!" 

"Do  not  worry,  we  shall  be  able  to  cope  with  the  fellow  all  right," 
Chia  Yung  assured  her  zealously.  "That  poor  devil  of  a  starving  wretch 
will  be  glad  to  withdraw  his  accusation  for  a  small  indemnity.  We  will 
see  to  that.  He  will  give  us  no  more  bother  in  the  future,  we  can  assure 
you ! " 

"That's  all  right,  if  only  it  works!  As  long  as  the  money  lasts  he  may 
perhaps  keep  his  mouth  shut,  but  as  soon  as  he  is  without  a  penny 
again,  he  will  res.  TIC  the  quarrel.  In  the  long  run  it  is  useless  to  waste 
money  on  him;  we  shall  have  no  peace  from  him  whatever  we  do,"  said 
Phoenix  skeptically. 

"Well,  one  could  give  him  the  choice  of  either  the  money  or  the 
woman,"  said  Chia  Yung,  with  a  smile.  "If  he  positively  insists  on  his 
claim  and  demands  the  woman,  we  shall  just  oblige  him  and  hand  over 
my  second  aunt.  I  would  undertake  to  persuade  my  aunt  to  comply." 

"Under  no  circumstances!"  interrupted  Phoenix  quickly,  for  she 
saw  that  her  further  plans  were  being  jeopardized.  "I  do  not  wish  under 
any  circumstances  to  be  separated  from  your  aunt,  my  dear  new  sister. 
Would  I  not  lose  face  if  I  were  to  deliver  her  up  again  after  having 
once  accepted  her?  No,  no,  she  shall  remain!  And  you  may  go  on  con- 
fidently trying  to  stop  Chang  Hua's  mouth  with  money!" 

To  her  secret  satisfaction  Chia  Yung  agreed  to  this. 

"Very  well,  the  most  important  thing  is  to  get  rid  of  this  Chang  Hua. 
And  now  let  us  go  together  and  inform  the  old  Tai  tai!"  she  decided. 

"But  what  am  I  to  tell  her?"  asked  Mother  Yu,  quite  alarmed. 

"Oh,  if  one  is  so  helpless  as  that,  one  should  not  risk  such  daring 
undertakings,"  remarked  Phoenix  mockingly.  "But  since  I  am  such  a 
good-natured  and  sympathetic  soul,  I  shall  speak  for  you.  Do  not  show 
yourself  over  there  for  the  present!  I  shall  present  your  daughter  to  the 
old  Tai  tai  alone  first.  I  shall  tell  her  more  or  less  that  I  intended  in 

381 


any  case  to  buy  my  husband  two  secondary  wives,  as  I  could  scarcely 
count  on  having  any  male  descendant  or  on  living  much  longer  myself, 
and  that  recently  I  had  become  convinced  of  the  sterling  qualities  of 
your  second  daughter  and  had  given  her  the  preference  as  a  relation. 
In  consideration  of  her  rather  straitened  circumstances  and  to  free  her 
from  anxiety  about  her  livelihood,  I  had  decided  to  depart  a  little  from 
strict  custom  and  take  her  into  my  house  even  before  the  end  of  the 
hundred  days'  mourning;  and  that  as  soon  as  the  mourning  period  is 
over  the  official  wedding  ceremony  will  take  place.  There  now,  that  is 
what  I  shall  say!  I  shall  thus  take  any  eventual  blame  on  myself.  Are 
you  satisfied?" 

Mother  Yu  and  Nephew  Chia  Yung  enthusiastically  praised  her  gen- 
erosity and  wisdom  and  gave  her  to  understand  that  the  Princess  would 
pay  her  a  special  visit  of  thanks. 

"That  is  all  right;  I  do  not  want  any  thanks,"  said  Phoenix  coolly. 

"I  shall  certainly  know  for  the  future  what  to  think  of  you,  young 
man,"  she  said  sharply,  pointing  her  finger  at  Chia  Yung. 

"But,  Aunt,  this  one  little  time  you  will  surely  forgive  the  wicked 
nephew!"  begged  Chia  Yung,  promptly  falling  on  his  knees  again. 

She  threw  back  her  head  as  if  she  wanted  to  overlook  him,  and 
turned  towards  the  door. 


CHAPTER   35 

Phoenix,  with  cunning  and  malice,  plays  the  young  rival  off  against  the 
older  one.  Driven  to  desperation,  the  second  Yu  kills  herself  by  swallow- 
ing gold. 

IMMEDIATELY  AFTER  HER  TALK  WITH  MOTHER  Yu,  PHOENIX  VISITED 
.the  daughter  Yu.  First  she  frightened  her  with  news  of  the  sudden  re- 
appearance of  her  former  betrothed,  Chang  Hua,  and  then  calmed  her 
by  telling  of  the  counter-measures  which  were  being  taken,  not  failing 
to  extol  her  own  services,  and  to  spin  a  long  yarn  about  how  unselfishly 
she  had  sacrificed  and  harried  herself  and  with  what  discretion  she  had 
arranged  this  and  that,  and  how  she  had  done  everything  to  protect 
the  two  families  from  disgrace  and  blame.  The  second  Yu  was  profuse 
with  her  expressions  of  gratitude  and  trustfully  let  herself  be  taken  over 
•  to  the  old  Tai  tai.  Mother  Yu,  who  had  not  expected  to  be  permitted  to 
come,  joyfully  joined  the  two  others.  But  she  had  had  to  promise  to 
keep  modestly  in  the  background  and  leave  the  talking  to  Phoenix. 

The  old  Tai  tai  was  engaged  in  lively  conversation  with  the  young 
ladies  from  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  when  the  three  visitors  ap- 
peared with  their  attendants. 

382 


"Whose  child  is  this?"  asked  the  Ancestress,  pointing  to  the  second 
Yu.  "She  seems  to  be  a  really  pretty  and  pleasing  person." 

"Does  she  please  you?  Do  look  at  her  closely!"  replied  Phoenix, 
smiling;  and  taking  the  other  by  the  hand,  she  drew  her  forward. 

"This  lady  is  our  great  Ancestress,"  she  said,  introducing  her. 
"Quick,  make  a  kowtow!" 

The  second  Yu  threw  herself  on  the  ground  and  duly  performed  the 
great  ceremonial  kowtow  of  salutation.  Then  followed  the  introduction 
of  the  young  ladies  present.  In  the  meantime  the  Ancestress  had  leisure 
to  inspect  the  newcomer  from  head  to  foot. 

"What  is  your  name  and  how  old  are  you?"  she  asked  the  secon  '.  Yu, 
who  had  stepped  aside  a  little  and  shyly  bowed  her  head. 

"We  have  not  got  as  far  as  that  yet.  You  must  first  give  your  verdict. 
Is  she  prettier  than  I  am?"  interjected  Phoenix,  laughing. 

The  Ancestress  put  on  her  spectacles  and  ordered  Mandarin  Duck 
and  Amber  to  lead  the  stranger  nearer,  so  that  she  might  inspect  her 
more  thoroughly.  Amidst  the  suppressed  giggles  of  the  others,  the  wait- 
ing maid  Amber  had  to  take  the  stranger's  hands  and  hold  them  close 
under  the  eyes  of  the  Ancestress.  After  a  thorough  inspection  she  took 
off  her  glasses  again  and  declared  with  a  roguish  smile  to  Phoenix: 
"Hm.  She  is  a  fine,  well-formed  child.  She  almost  seems  to  me  prettier 
than  you." 

Phoenix  curtsied  with  a  smile  and  delivered  the  long,  carefully  pre- 
pared speech  the  main  points  of  which  she  had  already  told  Mother  Yu. 
The  Ancestress  was  deeply  touched  by  her  noble-mindedness  and  will- 
ingly consented  to  the  newcomer's  taking  up  residence  in  the  palace 
even  before  the  expiration  of  the  hundred  days'  mourning  period.  The 
official  wedding  ceremony  would  take  place  after  the  period  of  a  year 
required  by  good  form. 

Phoenix  thanked  her,  striking  her  forehead  on  the  ground,  then 
stood  up  and  asked  for  two  serving  women  to  escort  the  newcomer  to 
Princess  Shieh  and  the  Tai  tai  Cheng  and  introduce  her  to  them  on  be- 
half of  the  Ancestress.  The  Ancestress  gave  her  permission  and  so  the 
second  Yu  was  installed,  in  accordance  "with  all  the  rules  of  good  form, 
as  an  inmate  of  the  western  palace.  And  now  she  was  allowed  to  move 
over  from  the  park  to  Phoenix's  residence  and  occupy  the  suite  specially 
furnished  for  her  in  the  west  wing.  It  must  be  mentioned,  moreover, 
that  the  good  Lady  Cheng  welcomed  and  approved  this  change  whole- 
heartedly; for  now  the  position  .was  clarified  and  the  good  name  of  the 
beautiful  but  poor  girl,  so  long  left  unmarried,  would  no  longer  be  in 
danger. 

While  Phoenix  thus  contrived  to  give  the  outward  appearance  of  be- 
ing selfless  and  noble-minded,  she  secretly  continued  coolly  and  tena- 

383 


ciously  her  game  of  intrigue  against  her  absent  husband  and  his  new 
wife.  She  again  sent  to  Chang  Hua  and  stimulated  him  by  substantial 
gifts  of  money  to  continue  the  legal  proceedings  and  insist  upon  getting 
back  his  bride. 

At  the  outset  Chang  Hua  had  only  taken  this  action  under  pressure. 
Chia  Yung,  who  had  a  meeting  with  him  later  on  in  the  course  of  the 
negotiations,  maintained  that  he  had  previously  withdrawn  from  the 
engagement;  besides,  the  second  Yu  was  a  near  relation  of  the  Chia 
family,  and  there  was  surely  nothing  against  her  finding  a  home  and 
board  with  her  own  relatives.  There  was  no  question,  he  alleged,  of  her 
marrying  into  the  clan.  Chang  Hua  had  been  in  debt  to  Prince  Chen 
for  a  long  time  past  and  had  only  taken  this  action  in  order  to  force 
remission  of  his  debt.  The  magistrate  who  had  to  judge  the  case  was 
entangled  and  involved  in  friendly  associations  both  with  the  Chias 
and  with  the  Wangs,  the  relatives  of  Phoenix.  He  had  received  con- 
siderable gifts  of  money  from  both  sides.,  from  Prince  Chen  as  well  as 
from  Phoenix.  He  therefore  found  himself  in  some  embarrassment  as 
to  how  he  could  act.  Finally  he  gave  his  verdict  against  Chang  Hua, 
reprimanded  him  as  a  slanderer  and  a  quarreller,  ordered  that  he 
should  be  given  a  few  strokes,  and  drove  him  out  of  the  Court.  Now, 
just  as  he  was  leaving  the  Court  a  messenger  from  Phoenix  came  up  to 
him,  handed  him  a  few  silver  pieces,  and  whispered  to  him  that  he 
must  stand  firm  and  fight  on  unflinchingly  for  his  just  cause;  Phoenix 
would  pay  his  debts  and  continue  to  stand  by  him.  At  the  same  time 
Phoenix  sent  word  once  more  to  the  magistrate  giving  him  this  and 
that  new  instruction. 

The  result  was  a  second  action  and  new  proceedings.  This  time  the 
magistrate  sentenced  the  plaintiff  on  the  one  part'to^ay  back  the  old 
debt  to  Prince  Chen,  and  on  the  other  part  he  awarded  him  his  legal 
bride  and  gave  old  Chang  authority  to  fetch  his  daughter-in-law  from 
the  house  of  Chia  and  take  her  into  his  own  home.  Highly  gratified  with 
the  double  triumph  of  having  "found  in  Phoenix  someone  to  pay  his 
debts  and  at  the  same  time  being  allowed  to  take  possession  of  his 
daughter-in-law,  old  Chang  set  out  for  the  western  palace  with  the 
magisterial  mandate  in  his  pocket. 

Phoenix,  hiding  her  satisfaction  and  feigning  pained  surprise,  hur- 
ried to  the  Ancestress  and  reported  the  new  turn  of  events. 

"Sister-in-law  Chen  is  to  blame  for  everything,"  she  said,  concluding 
her  report.  "In  this  matter  she  acted  with  an  utter  lack  of  discretion. 
She  should  have  secured  a  valid  document  of  relinquishment.  How  was 
I  to  guess  that  this  Yu  was  already  engaged  to  someone  else?  Naturally, 
the  first  bridegroom  was  justified  in  making  a  claim.  Now  we  shall  have 
the  devil  to  pay!" 

384 


The  Ancestress  had  Princess  Chen  brought  before  her  and  rebuked 
her  angrily  for  her  lack  of  wisdom  and  discretion. 

"But  the  people  did  have  an  indemnity  from  us  in  return  for  which 
they  made  out  a  written  document  of  relinquishment!"  insisted  the 
Princess,  much  astonished. 

"Unfortunately,  there  is  no  mention  of  an  indemnity  and  a  deed  of 
relinquishment  in  the  legal  protocol,"  interjected  Phoenix  quickly. 
"Moreover,  old  Chang  declared  in  a  legal  statement  that  it  had  once 
been  mentioned,  without  prejudice,  that  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  her 
betrothed,  the  second  Yu  would  marry  into  our  family  as  a  secondary 
wife.  So  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  about  that.  It  is  just  lucky  that  my 
husband  is  away  at  present  and  that  the  marriage  with  Yu  has  not  yet 
been  formally  celebrated.  But  the  question  is,  how  are  we  to  get  rid  of 
old  Chang?  He  is  here.  We  cannot  simply  send  the  girl  Yu  away  again 
just  after  we  have  accepted  her  ceremonially  into  the  family.  We  would 
definitely  lose  face  if  we  did  that." 

"But  neither  would  we  wish  to  violate  the  properly  acquired  legal 
rights  of  other  people;  that  would  not  be  becoming  of  us  either.  It  is 
best,  after  all,  for  us  to  give  her  up,"  said  the  Ancestress. 

"But  my  mother  did  pay  old  Chang  an  indemnity  of  twenty  taels,  in 
such  a  year,  in  such  a  month,  and  on  such  a  day,  and  in  return  old 
Chang  confirmed  his  relinquishment  in  writing,"  protested  the  second 
Yu.  "My  sister  Chen  is  quite  right.  There  is  no  question  of  a  mistake. 
Old  Chang  has  told  lies  to  the  Court  and  is  only  taking  legal  action  in 
order  to  extort  money !" 

"A  disgraceful,  troublesome  lot!"  said  the  Ancestress  indignantly. 
"Phoenix,  go  and  get 'the  matter  put  right  somehow!" 

Phoenix  obeyed  and  first  of  all  summoned  Chia  Yung  for  a  confi- 
dential talk.  Chia  Yung  then  consulted  with  his  father,  Prince  Chen. 
Prince  Chen  in  his  turn  once  more  sent  a  secret  message  to  Chang  Hua, 
warning  him  not  to  go  too  far  and  challenge  the  princely  anger.  Other- 
wise he  might  one  day  die  a  miserable  death  and  be  left  unburied.  Let 
him  be  thankful  for  the  money,  and  stop  demanding  the  woman  as  well. 
Now  was  the  time  to  vanish  as  quickly  as  possible;  the  Prince  would 
give  him  money  to  get  away. 

Chang  Hua  considered  the  matter  this  way  and  that,  and  discussed  it 
with  his  parents.  The  Prince's  offer  did  not  seem  bad  at  all,  and  cash 
was  not  to  be  despised.  They  agreed  among  them  to  demand  a  further 
indemnity  of  a  hundred  ounces,  and  early  the  next  morning  the  parents 
Chang  and  their  son  disappeared  from  the  capital  and  returned  to  their 
native  village. 

Secretly  full  of  malicious  joy,  Chia  Yung  told  the  Ancestress  and 
Phoenix  the  news  of  their  disappearance.  The  magistrate  had  recog- 

385 


nized  that  the  allegations  brought  forward  by  Chang  Hua  had  been 
entirely  without  foundation.  Fearing  punishment,  the  whole  rascally 
gang  had  disappeared.  The  magistrate  had  stopped  the  proceedings, 
and  so  the  affair  was  at  an  end. 

Phoenix  received  the  news  with  very  mixed  feelings.  On  the  one 
hand,  she  could  not  shut  her  eyes  to  the  fact  that  if  Chang  Hua  had 
taken  Yu  away  with  him,  Chia  Lien  upon  his  return  would  probably  do 
his  best  to  get  her  back  from  him  again,  and  she  did  not  doubt  but 
that  Chang  Hua  would  willingly  deliver  her  up  once  more.  Thus  far, 
Chang  Hua's  disappearance  did  not  change  matters  very  much,  and 
moreover  it  spared  expenses.  On  the  other  hand,  she  had  to  fear  that 
Chang  Hua,  being  no  longer  within  range  of  her  influence,  might  gos- 
sip and  expose  her  as  the  instigator  of  the  whole  intrigue.  That  would 
turn  out  unpleasantly  for  her  and  possibly  even  draw  her  into  a  law- 
suit. She  now  had  to  protect  herself  against  such  an  eventuality. 

Having  thought  the  matter  over,  she  sent  her  confidant,  the  porter 
Little  Wang,  after  the  fugitives.  His  task  was  to  render  the  troublesome 
Chang  Hua  harmless  by  hook  or  by  crook.  She  left  him  free  to  do  this 
either  by  means  of  legal  accusation  on  account  of  alleged  theft  or  some 
such  offense  committed  on  the  road,  or  better  still,  to  have  him  killed 
right  away  by  hired  assassins.  Little  Wang's  conscience  would  not  per- 
mit him  to  carry  out  such  a  dubious  order;  at  the  same  time,  however, 
he  did  not  like  to  rebel  openly  against  his  mistress  and  put  his  position 
in  jeopardy.  He  therefore  pretended  to  obey  her  order,  kept  out  of 
sight  for  some  days,  and  upon  his  return  dished  up  a  fairy  tale  for 
Madame  Phoenix.  Chang  Hua,  on  his  journey  home,  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  higKwaymen  by  thoughtlessly  boasting  of  all  the  cash  in  his 
possession;  on  the  third  day  of  his  flight  he  had  been  robbed  and  mur- 
dered and  his  father  had  died  of  a  heart  attack  brought  on  by  shock,  in 
the  next  inn  at  which  they  stopped.  Their  bodies  had  been  duly  ex- 
amined by  a  coroner,  and  they  had  been  buried  immediately,  right  on 
the  spot.  Phoenix  received  the  news  with  some  suspicion  and  threatened 
Little  Wang  that  she  would  have  his  teeth  knocked  in  if  it  should  tran- 
spire afterwards  that  he  had  lied.  But  she  left  it  at  that;  for  she  had  no 
proof  to  the  contrary,  and  no  other  confidant  than  Little  Wang  at  her 
disposal.  From  now  on  her  whole  energy  was  directed,  under  the  mask 
of  friendliness,  to  making  the  life  of  the  hated  rival  in  the  house  as  dif- 
ficult as  possible. 

On  his  return  from  Ping  an  Chow,  Chia  Lien  was  greatly  taken  aback 
to  find  his  house  in  the  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch,  which  he  visited 
immediately,  shut  up  and  empty.  Only  an  old  doorkeeper,  who  had  re- 
mained as  caretaker,  was  there.  When  he  heard  from  the  mouth  of  the 

386 


doorkeeper  how  and  why  the  place  was  deserted,  he  got  such  a  shock 
that  his  foot  slipped  from  the  stirrup. 

Then  he  went  straight  to  his  father,  Prince  Shieh,  and  gave  him  a 
report  of  his  mission.  Prince  Shieh  expressed  his  satisfaction  and  gave 
him  as  reward  a  hundred  ounces  of  silver  and  a  seventeen-year-old 
chambermaid  named  Chiu  Tung.  Chia  Lien  thanked  him  joyfully,  strik- 
ing his  forehead  on  the  ground,  and  went  on  to  pay  his  respects  to  the 
old  Tai  tai  and  the  other  relatives. 

Feeling  somewhat  guilty  and  embarrassed,  he  went  to  confront  his 
wife  Phoenix,  but,  contrary  to  expectation,  Phoenix  did  not  show  the 
slightest  trace  of  ill-humor.  Smiling  gaily,  she  came  to  meet  him  hand 
in  hand  with  the  second  Yu  and  asked  him  casually  about  the  journey, 
and  the  weather  he  had  encountered,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  be- 
tween them.  Chia  Lien  could  not  suppress  a  certain  joyful  satisfaction 
when  he  mentioned  that  his  father  had  just  given  him  a  present  of  a 
seventeen-year-old  concubine.  This  was  really  a  new  stab  in  Phoenix's 
heart  before  the  first  wound  was  quite  healed,  but  she  controlled  her- 
self as  best  she  could,  maintained  a  friendly  appearance,  and  sent  two 
serving  women  straight  over  to  Prince  Shieh's  residence  to  bring  back 
the  new  member  of  the  household  and  introduce  her  properly  to  the 
assembled  ladies.  Chia  Lien  could  not  get  over  his  astonishment  at  the 
unexpected  .amiability  of  his  normally  so  jealous  principal  wife.  How 
could  he  know  that  she  was  merely  acting  a  part,  hiding  quite  different 
thoughts. 

At  the  next  opportunity,  when  she  was  alone  with  the  second  Yu, 
she  said  to  her,  with  ostensible  concern:  "Unfortunately,  Sister,  your 
reputation  is  not  of  the  best.  People  are  whispering  about  your  doubt- 
ful past;  you  are  said  to  have  had  an  affair  with  your  brother-in-law 
Chen,  and  that  your  former  fiance  scorned  and  jilted  you  on  that  ac- 
count— even  the  old  Tai  tai  and  the  other  ladies  repeat  such  things.  I 
am  deeply  sorry  for  you.  I  have  been  trying  to  find  out  who  started  all 
this  talk,  but  up  to  the  present  without  success.  I  have  wanted  to  speak 
to  you  about  it  for  quite  some  time,  but  as  I  did  not  wish  to  do  so  be- 
fore the  staff,  I  had  to  keep  mute  as  a  maggot.  But  the  whole  thing  has 
so  upset  me  that  I  have  been  quite  ill  and  have  not  been  able  to  enjoy 
a  bite  for  days." 

These  and  similar  rumors  she  had  sneeringly  spread  herself,  and 
soon  there  was  a  general  whispering  throughout  the  whole  house.  There 
was  not  one  among  the  female  staff,  with  the  sole  exception  of  good 
Little  Ping,  who  did  not  whisper  and  murmur  within  earshot  of  poor 
Yu,  and  who  had  not  taken  part  in  the  game  of  spiteful  remarks  and 
hidden  allusions  and  innuendoes  by  which  one  names  the  lime  tree  and 
really  means  the  acacia. 

387 


The  seventeen-year-old  concubine,  Chiu  Tung,  had  a  much  better 
time.  No  one  dared  to  censure  or  criticize  her,  for  she  had  not  come  in 
by  a  back  door  but  as  an  open  gift  from  the  family  Senior,  Prince 
Shieh.  Accordingly,  she  considered  herself  to  be  far  above  the  second 
Yu.  Not  even  Phoenix  or  Little  Ping  impressed  her  greatly,  much  less 
that  doubtful  person  who  had  been  jilted  and  had  wormed  herself  into 
her  present  position  by  way  of  a  dubious  and  clandestine  former  asso- 
ciation. Those  were  her  actual  words,  and  Phoenix  heard  them  with 
satisfaction.  She  had  found  in  her  a  suitable  tool  with  which  to  work 
against  the  detested  Yu. 

Phoenix  avoided  Yu  as  much  as  she  could.  She  constantly  feigned 
illness  and  had  Yu's  meals  served  to  her  separately,  and  the  food  she 
had  set  before  her  was  stale,  unappetizing  stuff.  Good  Little  Ping  was 
the  only  one  to  feel  for  the  girl  who  was  being  so  badly  treated,  and 
now  and  then  she  got  better  food  for  her  out  of  her  own  pocket  money. 
Through  respect  for  Little  Ping,  no  one  in  the  house  dared  to  object  to 
this  or  to  tell  Phoenix.  Only  Chiu  Tung  was  inconsiderate  enough  to 
backbite  Little  Ping. 

"Your  authority  will  go  completely,  Nai  nai,  if  you  continue  to  let 
your  waiting  maid  do  as  she  pleases,"  she  said  to  Phoenix.  "That  ex- 
acting person,  that  Yu  woman,  leaves  your  good  food  untouched  and 
secretly  gets  food  from  Little  Ping  in  the  park!  What  do  you  say  to 
that?" 

Thereupon  Phoenix  rebuked  her  maid  soundly.  "In  other  places  the 
cats  get  mice  to  eat,  as  is  proper.  But  you  actually  feed  my  cat  with 
chicken!"  she  scolded.  Little  Ping  did  not  dare  to  reply,  but  to  live  in 
such  a  heartless  world  revolted  her;  she  wished  she  were  elsewhere,  and 
began  to  hate  Chiu  Tung. 

Poor  Yu  also  was  greatly  pitied  by  the  young  girls  in  the  Park  of 
Delightful  Vision;  but  Phoenix  was  so  feared  and  knew  so  well  how 
to  dissemble,  that  no  one  dared  to  speak.  Only  among  themselves  and 
secretly  did  they  venture  to  bemoan  and  bewail  the  fate  of  the  second 
Yu.  And  Chia  Lien  on  his  part  also  allowed  himself  to  be  deceived  by 
the  play-acting  talent  of  his  chief  wife.  When  he  was  at  home  everything 
seemed  smooth  and  in  the  best  of  order.  Moreover,  his  interest  in  the 
second  \  u  had  greatly  abated  since  he  had  got  the  seventeen-year-old 
as  a  present.  She  was  to  him  what  dry  wood  is  to  a  burning  flame.  Like 
glue  and  lacquer  they  clung  together,  and  he  did  not  stir  from  her  side 
for  whole  days  and  nights  together.  Phoenix,  of  course,  hated  Chiu 
Tung  no  less  than  she  hated  the  second  Yu,  but  for  the  present  the 
younger  favorite  was  a  valuable  confederate  and  a  weapon  against  the 
elder  one.  She  wanted  to  sit  up  on  a  mountain  height  and  look  on  as 
the  two  beasts  tore  one  another  to  pieces  below.  Once  the  first  one  was 

388 


finished,  she  intended  to  rush  in  herself  upon  the  survivor  for  the  kill. 

"You  are  young  and  inexperienced  and  you  do  not  know  the  danger 
you  are  in,"  she  whispered  to  Chiu  Tung.  "She  possesses  his  whole 
heart.  Even  I  have  to  give  way  before  her  and  submit  to  her.  You  will 
destroy  yourself  if  you  run  into  her  so  wildly." 

In  this  way  she  incited  and  goaded  her,  and  roused  the  fiery  little 
one  to  defiance  and  rebellion. 

"I  would  never  dream  of  giving  way  before  such  a  person!"  re- 
torted Chiu  Tung  indignantly.  "One  can  see  by  your  dwindling  au- 
thority, Nai  nai,  what  your  weak-kneed  tolerance  leads  to.  Leave  it  to 
me!  I  will  deal  with  this  hussy.  She  shall  get  to  know  me!" 

She  had  deliberately  said  this  so  loudly  that  the  second  Yu,  who  was 
in  the  next  room,  had  to  hear  it.  She  was  in  despair  at  seeing  herself 
surrounded  by  so  much  malice,  wept  tfie  whole  day  long,  and  could  not 
touch  a  bite  of  food,  but  the  next  day,  when  the  Ancestress  remarked 
her  red  and  swollen  eyelids  and  asked  the  reason,  she  was  too  timid  to 
open  her  mouth.  Instead,  the  cheeky  Chiu  Tung  whispered  to  the  An- 
cestress and  the  elder  ladies  that  Yu  only  wanted  to  impress  Chia  Lien 
by  her  everlasting  moaning  and  groaning  and  put  him  out  of  humor 
with  his  two  other  wives,  whom  she  secretly  wished  dead. 

The  Ancestress,  too,  was  completely  taken  in  and  said  disap- 
provingly :  "There,  one  sees  again  what  baseness  can  be  hidden  beneath 
a  beautiful  exterior!  Phoenix  means  so  well  by  her,  and  now  she  shows 
her  gratitude  by  intriguing  against  her  benefactress!  What  a  low 
creature!" 

From  that  hour  on,  the  favor  which  the  second  Yu  had  enjoyed  up 
to  now  with  the  Ancestress  dwindled  away.  And  when  the  others  saw 
that  the  Ancestress  withdrew  her  affection,  they  gave  up  all  considera- 
tion and  trampled  on  the  poor  thing  in  such  a  way  that  all  her  desire 
to  live  vanished.  Only  good  Little  Ping  remained  true  to  her  and 
secretly  comforted  her  as  often  as  she  could. 

For  some  time  past  the  second  Yu  had  been  pregnant.  It  was  in- 
evitable that  the  ill-treatment  which  she  had  to  put  up  with  should  have 
a  harmful  effect  on  her  tender,  lilylike  body,  which  was  so  .much  in  need 
of  care.  She  began  to  ail  and  grow  thin  and  lose  her  appetite.  By  day 
she  felt  tired  and  worn  out,  by  night  disturbing  dreams  robbed  her  of 
sleep. 

Once  her  dead  sister,  the  third  Yu,  appeared  to  her  in  her  dreams. 
She  held  in  her  hand  the  bejewelled  sword,  engraved  with  the  pair  of 
ducks,  and  said  to  her:  "Dear  sister,  all  your  life  you  have  heen  Jtoo 
weak  and  good-natured.  Now  you  are  paying  for  it.  Do  not  let  >ourself 
be  deceived  and  fooled  any  longer  by  that  false,  jealous  woman!  Out- 
wardly she  feigns  kindness  and  nobility  of  mind,  but  within  she  is  full 

389 


of  malice  and  baseness,  and  she  will  not  rest  until  she  has  harried  you 
to  death.  If  I  were  still  alive  I  would  not  have  let  it  come  to  this  or  per- 
mitted you  to  go  and  live  with  her.  But,  unfortunately,  it  is  your  un- 
happy destiny  to  have  to  suffer  so  much  now.  In  your  previous  ex- 
istence you  indulged  in  sensual  pleasures  and  destroyed  other  people's 
marriages.  Now  you  have  to  do  penance  for  it.  Listen  to  my  advice  and 
take  this  sword  and  kill  your  enemy,  that  I  may  bring  her  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening!  Otherwise  you  will 
suffer  death  yourself  in  vain  and  not  a  living  being  will  regret  you." 

"Dear  sister,  my  life  is  already  ruined  beyond  all  remedy;  but  as  I 
have  to  do  penance  for  former  sins,  I  will  submit  to  my  fate  and  not 
add  to  my  guilt,"  replied  the  second  Yu,  sorrowfully. 

The  third  "Yu  sighed  and  disappeared.  On  the  following  day,  when 
the  second  Yu  was  alone  with  Chia  Lien  she  confided  to  him  that  she 
was  pregnant,  but  that  she  felt  ill  and  anxious  about  her  own  life  and 
that  of  her'child.  Chia  Lien  sent  for  the  doctor  at  once.  He  really  wanted 
Doctor  Wang,  who  was  known  to  be  good,  but  the  latter  was  ill  and 
could  not  come.  In  his  stead,  on  the  instructions  of  Phoenix,  the  servant 
fetched  along  the  quack  doctor,  Hu,  the  one  who  had  previously  pre- 
scribed that  "wolf  and  tiger  cure"  for  Bright  Cloud.  The  remedy  which 
the  quack  doctor  prescribed  for  poor  Yu  had  the  immediate  effect  of 
causing  an  abortion  instead  of  curing  her,  and  the  stillborn  child  which 
she  brought  forth  with  great  pain  and  loss  of  blood  was  a  boy. 

Chia  Lien  was  beside  himself.  He  sent  for  another  doctor,  and 
ordered  his  servants  to  seize  the  quack  doctor  Hu,  and  he  wanted  to 
take  legal  action  against  him.  But  Doctor  Hu  had  got  word  in  time  and 
had  already  fled  from  the  city.  Chia  Lien  raged,  and  threatened  to  have 
the  servant  who  had  fetched  the  quack  beaten  to  death.  Phoenix,  while 
secretly  rejoicing,  assumed  the  appearance  of  being  if  possible  even 
more  upset  and  indignant  than  her  husband. 

"Oh,  what  a  misfortune!"  she  lamented.  "Now,  when  we  were  so 
near  to  seeing  our  hopes  of  a  legitimate  heir  fulfilled,  this  bungler  of 
a  doctor  must  come  along  and  destroy  our  hopes!  It  seems  to  be  our 
fate  to  remain  without  a  son." 

For  the  sake  of  effect  she  burnt  incense  and  performed  solemn  prayers, 
imploring  heaven  and  earth  to  strike  her  with  illness,  but  to  make 
the  second  Yu  well  again  and  to  bless  her  body  with  new  offspring. 
She  vowed  that  until  then  she  would  fast  and  say  daily  prayers  to 
Buddha.  Of  course  everyone  in.  the  house  was  touched  and  ceaselessly 
praised  her  noble-mindedness  and  unselfishness.  Phoenix  went  still 
further.  With  her  own  hands  she  made  invalid  soup  for  her  rival  and 
had  a  fortuneteller  brought  at  her  own  expense  to  foretell  the  patient's 
fate.  The  fortuneteller,  who  had  been  appropriately  worked  upon  be- 
33Q 


forehand  by  Phoenix,  wanted  to  know  if  there  was  a  woman  born  under 
the  sign  of  the  cock  who  might  be  bringing  misfortune  on  the  patient. 
Now,  in  the  whole  house  there  was  only  one  person  who  was  born 
under  the  sign  of  the  cock,  and  that  was  the  seventeen-year-old  con- 
cubine, Chiu  Tung. 

Chiu  Tung  foamed  at  the  mouth  when  Phoenix  informed  her  of  the 
soothsayer's  verdict,  at  the  same  time  advising  her,  in  a  friendly  way, 
that  if  she  valued  her  life  and  the  peace  of  the  house  she  should  disap- 
pear for  some  time. 

"Ah,  what  do  I  care  about  the  foolish  talk  of  a  half-starved  buffoon 
like  that  soothsayer!"  she  cried,  indignantly.  "I  am  just  as  much  of  a 
human  being  as  Yu  is.  She  was  in  contact  with  all  kinds  of  people 
formerly;  therefore,  why  should  it  be  just  I  who  should  be  said  to  bring 
her  ill  luck?  And  anyhow,  why  is  there  so  much  fuss  about* her  child? 
Who  knows  where  this  everybody's  darling  got  her  bastard  from?  She 
may  spin  a  yarn  to  our  simple  master,  but  she  cannot  hoodwink  us!  To 
have  a  child!  What  is  wonderful  about  that,  anyway?  You  wait  just  a 
bare  year,  and  it  comes  of  itself.  Any  woman  can  do  that!" 

Just  as  she  was  raging  away  like  this,  Princess  Shieh  happened  to 
arrive  to  visit. 

"I  am  to  be  scared  away  because  a  soothsayer  asserts  that  1  stand  in 
the  other  one's  way,"  she  complained  to  her.  "But  I  do  not  know  where 
to  go.  Be  so  good  as  to  stand  by  me,  Tai  tai!" 

Princess  Shieh  then  took  her  under  her  protection  and  reprimanded 
Chia  Lien  in  her  presence.  How  could  he  dare  to  cast  aside,  for  the 
sake  of  a  mere  adventuress,  the  girl  whom  his  own  father  had  given 
him?  To  do  so  amounted  to  an  affront  to  his  father.  And  she  angrily 
turned  her  back  on  him. 

Chiu  Tung  now  felt  more  on  top  than  ever.  Scarcely  had  the  Princess 
left  when  she  went  out  under  the  window  of  the  neighboring  pavilion 
and  broke  into  loud  abuse  and  execration  of  the  second  Yu,  who  was 
inside.  The  unhappy  girl  was  completely  crushed.  That  same  night, 
while  Chia  Lien  was  enjoying  himself  with  Chiu  Tung,  and  Phoenix 
was  asleep,  she  came  to  a  sad  decision  after  long  brooding.  Why  should 
she  continue  this  wretched,  wrecked  existence?  She  felt  that  she  would 
never  again  be  well  and  happy  and  that  the  beloved  one  was  lost  to 
her  beyond  recall.  With  the  hope  of  a  child  shattered  by  the  miscarriage, 
she  had  nothing  more  in  the  world  to  look  forward  to.  Why,  then, 
should  she  just  drag  on  without  a  purpose?  Death  seemed  to  her  to  be 
the  only  decent  way  out  of  her  misery.  Merely  to  choose  the  kind  of 
death  was  the  one  problem  left.  A  violent  kind  of  death  such  as  hanging 
herself,  or  stabbing  herself  with  a  dagger,  was  repugnant  to  her.  Then 
she  remembered  having  often  heard  that  one  could  kill  oneself  in  a 

391 


quick,  painless  way  by  swallowing  crude  gold;  and  her  decision  was 
made. 

She  rose  with  difficulty  from  her  bed,  opened  her  treasure  trunk, 
and  rummaged  in  it  for  a  piece  of  loose  gold  suitable  for  her  purpose. 
Just  as  the  drum  beat  the  fifth  night  watch  outside,  she  gave  herself  a 
jerk  and  carried  out  her  purpose.  At  first  the  deadly  morsel  would  not 
go  down  her  throat,  but  finally  she  swallowed  it  with  a  brave  effort.  Then 
she  quickly  put  on  a  festive  robe  and  her  best  jewelry,  scrambled  back 
onto  her  bed,  and  resignedly  awaited  her  death. 

It  was  already  late  in  the  morning,  and  only  after  being  reprimanded 
by  good  Little  Ping,  that  the  lazy  waiting  maids  felt  obliged  to  look  in 
at  the  sick  mistress  in  the  eastern  wing,  from  whom  not  a  call  nor  an 
order  had  come  the  whole  morning.  When  they  opened  the  door  of  the 
bedroom  they  found  a  dead  woman  before  them.  They  ran  out  again 
terrified  and  shouted  at  Little  Ping  to  come.  Little  Ping  felt  her  heart 
torn  with  pity  at  the  sight  of  the  jewel-bedecked  corpse,  and  paid  re- 
spect to  it  with  a  loud  lamentation.  And  the  waiting  maids  and  serving 
maids,  who  through  fear  of  Phoenix  had  helped  so  zealously  by  their 
rudeness  and  disobedience  to  make  poor  Yu  disgusted  with  life,  now 
suddenly  remembered  that  the  deceased  had  always  been  a  goodhearted, 
kind  mistress  who  gave  no  one  cause  to  complain,  and  overcome  with 
remorse  and  pity  they  joined  in  Little  Ping's  lamentation,  as  long  as 
Phoenix  was  not  present. 

Chia  Lien  was  inconsolable,  but  Phoenix  tried  to  outdo  his  grief, 
which  was  genuine,  by  her  own  hypocritical  mourning.  "Dear  sister, 
why  have  you  left  me?  Is  that  your  gratitude  for  my  love?"  she 
lamented  pathetically. 

In  accordance  with  Chia  Lien's  wish,  the  body  remained  laid  out  on 
a  bier  for  a  whole  week  in  the  Pear  Garden,  where  he  faithfully  kept 
the  death  watch  over  it  and  had  the  customary  funeral  rites  celebrated 
for  the  soul  of  the  departed.  But  at  the  instigation  of  Phoenix,  burial  in 
the  family  temple,  which  he  had  desired,  was  refused  him  by  the  An- 
cestress. After  a  simple  funeral,  at  which  only  the  nearest  relatives 
participated  and  from  which  Phoenix  absented  herself  on  the  plea  of 
not  being  well,  the  second  Yu  was  laid  to  rest  in  a  modest  little  grave 
outside  the  city  walls,  beside  that  of  her  sister. 


392 


CHAPTER   36 

The  bag  with  the  springlike  embroidery  becomes  a  traitor  in  the  hands 
of  a  simple  girl.  The  girls  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  fall  into  dis- 
credit and  have  to  suffer  the  torture  of  a  house  search. 

r  OR  MONTHS  PAST  PHOENIX  HAD  BEEN  SUFFERING  FROM  AN  OBSTINATE 

female  ailment  which  frequently  confined  her  to  her  room  and  her  sick- 
bed. Without  her  constant  supervision,  discipline  in  the  western  palace 
had  gradually  become  lax,  and  even  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision 
irregularities  had  crept  in,  which  were  little  in  keeping  with  the  strict 
order  which  should  rule  in  this  carefully  sheltered  domain  of  virtuous 
young  ladies  of  the  house.  Recently  Mandarin  Duck,  taking  an  evening 
walk  through  the  park,  had  caught  Greeting  of  Spring's  chess  maid  on 
a  secret  rendezvous  in  the  bushes  with  a  young  manservant,  who  had 
climbed  in  over  the  wall.  It  was  an  unheard-of  happening,  which  would 
have  meant  a  terrible  flogging  for  both  parties  if  it  had  become  known. 
True,  Mandarin  Duck  had  very  considerately  kept  silent  about  it,  and  of 
course  the  fellow  had  made  off  at  once.  Nevertheless,  the  culprit  was  to 
be  detected  later. 

Late  oHe  evening,  just  as  Pao  Yu  had  gone  to  bed,  the  waiting  maid 
Magpie,  from  the  apartments  of  Aunt  Chao,  the  secondary  wife  of  Mr. 
Cheng,  appeared  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  and,  despite  the  late  hour, 
asked  to  speak  to  Pao  Yu.  Her  mistress  had  just  been  discussing  some- 
thing in  a  whisper  with  his  father,  and  she  had  caught  Pao  Yu's  name, 
so  she  wanted  to  give  him  advance  warning  for  a  talk  with  his  father 
tomorrow.  That  was  the  only  important  thing  she  had  to  say.  It  was 
very  little,  to  be  sure,  but  it  was  enough  to  frighten  Pao  Yu  very  con- 
siderably. 

He  said  to  himself  that  it  did  not  bode  any  good  when  the  secondary 
wife,  who  was  so  ill-disposed  towards  him,  made  him  the  subject  of  a 
secret  conversation  with  his  father.  Chia  Cheng  had  recently  returned 
from  the  provinces  and  at  the  time  was  enjoying  a  holiday  which  the 
Imperial  government  had  granted  him.  Up  to  the  present  he  had  been 
spending  this  welcome  leisure  peacefully  and  meditatively  at  home, 
resting  from  the  fatigue--  of  service.  Contrary  to  his  usual  habit,  he  had 
left  Pao  Yu  alone  this  tine  and  spared  him  the  usual  severe  cross-ex- 
amination about  his  studies  and  progress.  Now  Pao  Yu  was  afraid  that 
the  secondary  wife  Chao  might  have  suggested  that  a  new  examination 
of  his  offspring's  work  was  overdue.  Perhaps  the  dreaded  examination 
might  take  place  the  very  next  day.  And  he  felt  completely  unprepared ! 
With  one  jump  he  leaped  out  of  bed.  dressed  himself  quickly,  and  took 
up  the  long-neglected  classics.  He  was  going  to  spend  the  whole  night 

393 


quickly  preparing  himself,  in  so  far  as  he  could,  and  brushing  up  his 
incomplete  knowledge. 

Of  course  the  night's  rest  was  also  at  an  end  for  the  waiting  maids, 
who  watched  him  poring  over  his  books  by  the  light  of  a  candle  and 
heard  him  groaning  and  moaning  as  he  strenuously  racked  his  brains. 

"Such  a  beast !  To  surprise  us  in  the  middle  of  the  night  with  her  false 
alarms!  A  few  good  pricks  of  a  needle  would  be  the  right  thing  for 
herself  and  her  old  mistress!"  grumbled  Bright  Cloud  angrily.  Mean- 
time the  waiting  maid  Musk  had  poured  out  fresh  tea  and  put  a  bowl 
of  it  in  front  of  her  worried  master  to  refresh  him.  She  was  only  lightly 
clothed  in  a  short,  thin  petticoat. 

"Will  you  not  put  on  something  warmer?  The  night  is  cool  and  you 
will  catch  cold,"  he  said  anxiously,  looking  up  from  his  books. 

"Oh,  do  not  let  us  distract  you  from  your  work!  You  should  only 
think  of  those  now!"  she  warned  him,  smilingly  pointing  to  his  books. 

At  that  moment  two  younger  maids  ran  in  frightened  and  shrieking. 
A  man  had  got  into  the  park  over  the  wall,  they  reported  breathlessly. 

"It's  terrible!  Where  has  he  run  to?  The  park  must  be  searched  with 
lanterns  for  him!"  they  all  said,  chattering  together  excitedly.  But  the 
clever  and  compassionate  Bright  Cloud  saw  at  once  that  here  was  a 
chance  for  her  poor  little  master  to  escape  the  morning  examination. 

"This  hard  night  work  will  not  really  help  you  very  much,"  she 
whispered  to  Pao  Yu.  "Pretend  you  have  become  ill  through  fright, 
and  just  stay  in  bed  in  the  morning!  Then  you  will  get  over  the 
trouble." 

Pao  Yu  joyfully  snatched  at  the  suggestion,  shut  the  detested  books, 
arid  lay  down  quietly  to  sleep.  But  first  of  all  he  gave  instructions  for 
all  the  women  and  the  male  porters  of  the  gate  watch  to  search  every 
corner  of  the  park  with  lanterns  for  the  intruder.  The  search  was  with- 
out result.  Presumably  the  young  girls  had  imagined  things  in  their 
sleep  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  frightened  by  the  wind  rustling  in 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  the  searchers  said. 

"Nonsense!  The  girls'  report  is  probably  quite  correct;  you  have  not 
searched  well,"  Bright  Cloud  declared  firmly  to  the  servants  of  the 
gate  watch.  "The  little  master  and  we  others  have  also  heard  the  sus- 
picious noise.  Surely  we  cannot  all  have  been  deceived.  The  little  mas- 
ter is  ill  from  excitement;  he  has  a  fever  and  is  sweating  all  over  his 
body.  I'm  going  to  his  mother  to  fetch  pills  to  get  down  the  fever. 
Would  it  be  necessary  for  me  to  do  that  if  the  story  was  as  harmless  as 
you  allege?" 

Whereupon  the  gate  watchers,  mystified,  renewed  their  search.  Mean- 
time Bright  Cloud  hurried  over  to  the  Tai  tai  Cheng  and  saw  to  it  that 
the  news  of  the  nocturnal  incident  and  of  Pao  Yu's  illness  was  spread 

394 


everywhere  throughout  the  palace.  The  frightened  Madame  Cheng 
brought  the  matter  before  the  old  Tai  tai  the  next  morning.  The  old 
Tai  tai  was  beside  herself  and  strongly  criticized  the  carelessness  of 
the  staff  in  the  park.  "The  worst  of  it  is  that  our  own  people  cannot  be 
trusted.  Perhaps  they  are  hushing  up  the  matter  because  the  criminal 
is  to  be  found  in  their  own  midst,"  she  said. 

While  the  older  ladies  present,  Princess  Shieh  and  Princess  Chen, 
Madame  Cheng,  Phoenix,  and  the  Widow  Chu,  maintained  an  embar- 
rassed silence,  Taste  of  Spring  came  forward  and  declared:  "Since 
Cousin  Phoenix  has  been  ill  and  unable  to  attend  to  the  park  so  much, 
the  discipline  among  the  servants  has  become  more  and  more  lax. 
Formerly  the  servants  used  to  sneak  away  from  their  duties  only  for 
an  occasional  hour,  for  a  little  game  of  cards  in  private,  three  or  four 
of  them  together.  Recently  the  gambling  has  been  going  on  quite  openly 
and  on  a  large  scale,  with  a  club  committee  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  and 
stakes  of  thirty  to  fifty  thousand-piece  strings  of  money.  A  short  time 
ago  there  was  actually  a  great  fight." 

"But  that  is  an  outrageous  state  of  affairs!  Why  have  you  not  re- 
ported it  before?"  asked  the  Ancestress  indignantly. 

"Mother  always  had  so  many  other  things  to  think  about,  and  re- 
cently her  health  has  been  failing.  I  wanted  to  spare  her  annoyance; 
that  is  why  I  kept  silent,"  said  Taste  of  Spring. 

"You  take  the  matter  far  too  lightly,"  said  the  Ancestress  reproach- 
fully. "If  it  stopped  at  a  little  game  or  a  harmless  dispute!  But  this 
gambling  for  money  night  after  night  leads  in  its  turn  to  drinking  and 
intemperance;  wine  and  food  are  smuggled  in  by  crooked  means;  then 
doors  and  gates  are  opened  secretly;  and  the  open  doors  and  gates  en- 
tice in  thieves  and  vagabonds;  and  it  goes  on.  You  must  bear  in  mind 
that  among  such  a  numerous  staff  there  are  bound  to  be  many  bad  ele- 
ments, and  these,  when  encouraged  by  opportunity,  give  free  scope  to 
their  wicked  instincts  and  infect  the  others.  And  to  think  that  such 
things  are  going  on  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  you  virtuous, 
well-protected  young  girls !  The  harm  which  you  yourselves  could  come 
to  in  such  corrupt  surroundings  is  inconceivable!" 

Tn-4e  of  Spring  returned  silently  to  her  place.  But  the  energetic 
Phoenix  forthwith  summoned  the  four  wives  of  the  stewards  who  were 
directly  responsible  to  her  for  the  temale  staff,  and  reprimanded  them 
severely  in  the  presence  of  the  Ancestress.  The  Ancestress  then  sent 
them  into  the  park  to  find  out  the  culprits  who  had  been  participating 
in  the  secret  gambling  and  to  bring  them  before  her;  and  she  offered 
a  cash  reward  for  each  person  informed  upon  and  threatened  punish- 
ment by  flogging  for  any  attempt  at  concealment. 

The  result  of  the  investigation  was  that  three  chief  gambling  man- 

395 


ageresses,  eight  gambling  submanageresses,  and  fwenty  other  partici- 
pants were  indicted  and  brought  before  the  Ancestress.  The  Ancestress 
made  them  kneel  down  in  the  courtyard  and  subjected  them  to  a  thor- 
ough cross-examination.  Dice,  counters,  and  other  gambling  equip- 
ment were  collected,  stacked  up  in  heaps,  and  burned.  The  gambling 
funds  were  confiscated  and  divided  among  the  other  servants.  The  three- 
principal  culprits  received  forty  strokes  twice  over  and  were  dismissed 
from  service.  They  were  never  to  be  allowed  to  enter  the  palace  again. 
The  other  persons  implicated  received  twenty  stripes  and  were  pun- 
ished besides  by  deduction  of  three  months'  wages,  and  reduced  to  the 
lowest  grade  of  service,  that  of  lavatory  attendants.  Among  the  three 
chief  culprits  was  Greeting  of  Spring's  nurse.  Precious  Clasp  and  Black 
Ja'de  and  the  other  young  girls  appealed  in  vain  for  a  pardon  for  the 
nurse,  to  save  their  cousin's  face;  but  the^  Ancestress  remained  unre- 
lenting and,  despite  their  intercession,  chased  her  granddaughter's 
nurse  out  of  the  house. 

While  the  Ancestress,  exhausted  from  the  recent  excitements,  was 
taking  her  midday  rest,  Princess  Shieh  set  out  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
of  the  park.  She  was  just  about  to  enter  the  park  gate  when  the  maid 
Numskull,  chuckling  gleefully  to  herself  and  swinging  a  green  and  red 
embroidered  bag  in  her  hand,  ran  into  her  path. 

The  little  fifteen-year-old  had  been  in  the  household  only  a  short  time 
and  served  the  Ancestress  doing  rough  work  and  running  errands.  The 
Ancestress  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the  hefty,  uncouth  creature,  with  the 
broad  face  and  the  big  strong  feet,  whose  simplicity  was  a  source  of 
constant  amusement;  it  was  she  who  had  given  her  the  name  of  Num- 
skull. She  treated  the  young  girl  with  special  indulgence,  and  even  al- 
lowed hef  to  play  in  the  park  now  and  then  in  her  spare  time.  It  was 
on  one  of  these  frolics  that  she  had  just  now  picked  up  a  brightly  em- 
broidered perfume  bag,  among  some  isolated  rocks,  off  the  roadway. 
The  embroidery  was  not  of  the  usual  patterns  taken  from  the  world  of 
flowers  and  birds,  but  showed  on  the  front  a  couple  in  close  embrace 
and  on  the  back  a  series  of  written  characters.  Our  Numskull  had  no 
inkling  of  the  vernal  significance  of  the  picture.  She  innocently  thought 
that  the  two  naked  figures  were  either  two  demons  fighting  or  a  mar- 
ried couple  brawling.  Beaming  with  joy,  she  was  about  to  take  her  find 
to  the  Ancestress  when  she  ran  into  Princess  Shieh  on  the  way. 

"Oh,  what  beautiful  thing  has  our  Numskull  picked  up,  that  she's  so 
pleased  about?  Let  me  have  a  look,"  asked  the  Princess. 

"Yes,  it's  somethinj  wonderfully  beautiful!  Here,  look  at  it  yourself, 
Tai  tai!"  replied  Numskull,  as  she  held  up  the  bag  to  the  Princess.  A 
hurried  glance  sufficed  to  make  the  Princess  recoil  in  horror. 

"Where  did  you  pick  it  up?"  she  inquired  excitedly. 

396 


"I  found  it  between  the  rocks  when  I  was  catching  grasshoppers." 

"It  is  something  very  wicked.  You  really  deserve  a  sound  thrashing 
for  having  touched  it;  but  because  you  are  our  Numskull  and  don't 
know  what  it  is  all  about,  you  shall  be  forgiven  this  time.  In  any  case, 
keep  your  mouth  shut  and  do  not  speak  to  anyone  about  what  you  have 
found.  Do  you  understand?" 

Numskull  turned  pale  with  fright,  quickly  made  a  kowtow  of  apology, 
and  slipped  away  feeling  thoroughly  perplexed.  The  Princess  hid  the 
bag  in  the  pocket  of  her  sleeve  and,  shaking  her  head,  set  off  for  the 
pavilion  of  her  stepdaughter,  Greeting  of  Spring. 

"That  is  a  nice  turn  your  nurse  has  played  you !  And  to  think  that  a 
big  sensible  girl  like  you  could  allow  such  a  thing  to  happen  and  not 
open  her  mouth!"  she  said  reproachfully  to  Greeting  of  Spring.  "And 
that  such  a  thing  should  happen  to  my  daughter,  of  all  people!" 

Greeting  of  Spring  sulkily  bent  her  head  for  a  moment  and  started 
lacing  up  her  belt. 

"I  took  her  to  task  twice,  but  it  was  no  use.  What  more  could  I  do? 
After  all,  she  as  my  nurse  has  more  right  to  give  me  a  talking  to  than 
I  have  t?  give  her  one,"  replied  Greeting  of  Spring,  ill-humoredly.  She 
could  not  get  over  the  hard  sentence  which  her  nurse  had  received. 

"Nonsense!  You  are  her  mistress,  and  it  was  not  only  your  right  but 
also  your  duty  to  keep  an  eye  on  her,  if  she  was  not  behaving  properly. 
And  if  she  did  not  obey  you,  you  should  have  informed  me.  And  what 
do  these  goings-on  lead  to?  This  person  has  probably  been  hiring  out 
your  jewelry  and  clothing  to  pay  her  gambling  debts.  But  mind  you: 
If  you  have  been  silly  enough  to  grant  her  favors  of  this  kind,  you  can- 
not count  on  any  more  pocket  money  from  me.  So,  just  look  out  where 
you  are  to  get  money  from  for  the  coming  Mid-Autumn  Festival!" 

When  Greeting  of  Spring  remained  defiantly  silent,  the  Princess  con- 
tinued, appealing  to  her  sense  of  honor:  "Your  own  mother,  the  concu- 
bine Chou,  is  such  a  splendid  woman !  She  is  ten  times  better  than  the 
mother  of  your  cousin  Taste  of  Spring,  the  concubine  Chao.  You  should 
make  an  effort  to  emulate  your  mother  and  also  to  be  superior  to  your 
cousin.  Unfortunately,  you  are  not  yet  half  as  good  as  she  is.  Well,  it 
is  all  the  same  to  me.  I  have  neither  sons  nor  daughters  of  my  own,  and 
therefore  I  am  fortunately  not  in  danger  of  being  shamed  by  my  chil- 
dren. But  .  .  ." 

She  was  interrupted  in  her  talk  by  a  waiting  maid  who  announced 
that  the  old  Tai  tai  had  finished  her  midday  rest,  whereupon  the  Prin- 
cess hurriedly  cut  short  her  visit  and  took  her  leave  in  order  to  go  back 
and  keep  the  Ancestress  company  again. 

"What  about  that  jewelry  of  yours  which  was  lost — the  gold-braided 
phoenix  clasp  with  the  pearl  insets?"  asked  the  waiting  maid  Orange 

397 


as  soon  as  the  Princess  had  left.  "When  I  discovered  the  loss  I  at  once 
suspected  that  your  nurse  might  have  taken  the  precious  article  and 
pawned  it  to  pay  her  gambling  debts.  You  thought  at  the  time  that  the 
chess  maid  had  put  it  away,  but  when  I  asked  her  she  said  she  had  last 
put  it  in  the  jewel  case  on  the  bookshelf,  to  have  it  ready  for  you  for 
the  fifteenth  of  the  eighth  month,  the  day  of  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival. 
But  it  has  disappeared  from  the  case.  You  ought  to  send  for  your  nurse 
and  ask  her  about  it." 

"Ah,  what  for!"  replied  Greeting  of  Spring  indifferently.  "Of  course 
she  has  taken  it.  I  myself  gave  her  permission  because  she  was  in  some 
difficulty  at  the  time.  I  made  her  promise  that  she  would  return  it  soon 
and  put  it  back  in  the  box,  but  evidently  she  forgot  all  about  it.  Now 
that  she  has  so  many  other  troubles,  I  don't  want  to  worry  her  with  this 
matter." 

"She  remembers  it  well  enough;  she's  just  counting  on  your  good 
nature  and  on  your  forgetfulness.  Should  we  not  inform  Madame  Phoe- 
nix and  demand  back  your  property  through  her?  Or,  if  you  do  not 
want  to  make  a  fuss  about  it,  perhaps  we  could  induce  your  nurse  to 
give  it  back  for  a  few  strings  of  money.  What  do  you  think?" 

"Let  it  be!  Why  all  this  fuss?  I  do  not  miss  the  piece  at  all." 

"How  can  one  go  to  such  lengths  of  good  nature?  You  simply  invite 
people  to  cheat  you  when  you  behave  like  that!"  said  Orange;  and  she 
thought,  as  she  shook  her  head,  that  her  mistress  well  deserved  the 
nickname  of  "Blockhead"  which  she  bore.  The  best  thing  is  for  me  to 
try  to  get  justice  for  her,  she  thought  to  herself,  turning  to  go  out  the 
door. 

Meantime  a  daughter-in-law  of  the  dismissed  nurse  had  arrived  out- 
side. She  was  the  wife  of  the  servant  Yu  Kwei,  and  had  come  to  put  in 
a  good  word  with  Greeting  of  Spring  for  her  mother-in-law.  While  she 
was  outside  she  had  happened  to  hear  the  discussion  between  Greeting 
of  Spring  and  Orange  regarding  the  lost  piece  of  jewelry.  When  she 
heard  Orange's  decision  to  go  to  Madame  Phoenix  and  report  the  mat- 
ter, she  felt  impelled  to  intervene,  and  she  walked  in  with  a  smile.  First 
of  all  she  turned  to  Orange  and  asked  her  to  refrain  from  going  to 
Madame  Phoenix,  and  thus  avoid  a  new  scandal.  Naturally,  it  was  a 
matter  of  honor  for  her  family  to  redeem  and  return  promptly  the 
young  lady's  jewelry  which  her  mother-in-law  had  borrowed  and 
pawned  on  account  of  a  temporary  monetary  embarrassment.  Then  she 
presented  her  further  petition  to  Greeting  of  Spring,  asking  her  to  take 
up  the  cause  of  her  old  nurse  and  intercede  for  her  with  the  Ancestress. 

"It's  completely  useless!  My  cousins  and  I  have  already  begged  in 
vain  for  mercy  for  her,"  Greeting  of  Spring  informed  her  curtly. 

"Surely,  Sister-in-law,  you  are  not  making  the  return  of  the  jewelry 

398 


dependent  upon  my  young  lady's  interceding  for  your  mother-in-law? 
One  matter  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  other,"  said  Orange  sharply. 
"Kindly  bring  back  the  jewelry  first,  and  then  we  will  discuss  matters 
further!" 

"None  of  your  impudence,  Miss!"  replied  the  other,  annoyed  at  the 
double  rebuff:  "In  other  places  people  still  have  compassion  for  their 
old  nurses.  But  here  they  are  stingy,  and  if  the  account  does  not  tally 
to  the  dot  there  is  a  hue  and  cry,  and  tales  are  told.  Not  even  your  own 
relative,  Miss  Wreath  of  Clouds,  fared  any  better.  All  the  time  the  poor 
young  lady  lived  here  she  had  to  scrape  a  tael  every  month  from  her 
miserable  bit  of  pocket  money  and  hand  it  out  to  her  mother.  Was  that 
noble  or  generous?  No  wonder  that  the  poor  young  lady  was  always 
short  of  everything.  And  who  was  it  who  always  helped  her  out?  My 
mother-in-law.  Up  to  thirty  taels  at  the  very  least  she  paid  out  of  her 
own  pocket  in  this  way  up  to  today.  And  who  repays  her  the  loss,  eh?" 

Orange  was  going  to  reply  angrily,  but  Greeting  of  Spring,  touched 
to  the  quick  by  the  all-too-well-merited  reproach,  stopped  her  from 
speaking. 

"Enough  of  this  quarrelling!  I  relinquish  the  jewelry,"  she  decided. 
"If  my  mother  asks  about  it,  I  will  just  say  that  I  have  lost  it.  And  that 
settles  the  matter.  And  now  go  away!  But  you  bring  me  tea!"  she  said, 
turning  to  Orange.  Muttering  and  sulking,  Orange  went  off  to  the 
kitchen,  but  Greeting  of  Spring  lay  down  full  length  and  casually  took 
up  a  book. 

It  was  a  day  full  of  exasperation  for  the  worried  Madame  Phoenix. 
In  the  morning  there  was  the  bother  about  the  happenings  in  the  park, 
of  which  of  course  she  had  to  bear  the  brunt.  In  the  afternoon  there 
was  still  another  worry.  The  approaching  Mid-Autumn  Festival  would 
have  to  be  financed,  but  the  funds  were  exhausted  and  the  new  rents 
had  not  yet  come  in.  She  had  to  send  Mandarin  Duck  to  a  lumber-room 
in  the  dwelling  of  the  Ancestress  to  get  an  ancient,  dusty  trunk  full  of 
old  jewelry,  and  to  pawn  the  contents,  which  brought  in  a  thousand 
taels.  And  she  heard  from  Chia  Lien  that  the  matter  had  got  to  the  ears 
of  her  aunt  through  Numskull.  How  exasperating!  So  the  Ancestress 
would  also  hear  about  it,  and  that  would  mean  a  reprimand. 

While  she  was  still  discussing  this  latest  mishap  with  Little  Ping,  her 
aunt,  Madame  Cheng,  was  suddenly  announced.  Without  uttering  a 
word,  and  showing  every  sign  of  the  greatest  agitation  on  her  face,  the 
Tai  tai  rushed  into  the  room  and  sank  down  groaning  on  the  divan.  At 
a  sign  Little  Ping  and  the  other  waiting  maids  had  to  leave  the  room. 
The  Tai  tai  now  pulled  out  of  her  sleeve  pocket  a  brightly  embroidered 
perfume  bag,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes  silently  held  it  up  to  Phoenix. 

400 


"Where  on  earth  did  you  get  such  a  thing?"  asked  Phoenix  after  she 
had  noted  with  horror  the  indecent  picture  on  the  bag. 

"Where  did  I  get  it?"  replied  the  Tai  tai  in  a  tone  of  suppressed  ex- 
citement. "It  was  lying  about  in  broad  daylight  between  the  rocks  in 
the  park.  Numskull  found  it  and  was  already  on  her  way  to  show  it  to 
the  Ancestress.  Luckily,  Sister-in-law  Shieh  took  it  from  her  on  the  way; 
otherwise  the  Ancestress  would  have  seen  it,  and  then —  Oh,  I  don't 
dare  think  of  it!  I  am  beside  myself.  I  thought  I  could  rely  on  you,  and 
now  you  do  this  to  me!  How  on  earth  could  you  be  so  thoughtless  as  to 
leave  the  thing  lying  about  in  the  park?" 

"But  why  do  you  assume  that  the  thing  belongs  to  me?"  asked  Phoe- 
nix, turning  pale. 

"Who  else  could  it  be  but  you?  We  others  are  middle-aged  women, 
and  long  past  such  frivolities.  Or  could  it  possibly  be  one  of  the  young 
girls  in  the  park?  No!  There  can  be  no  question  of  that!  No!  It  must 
have  come  originally  from  your  husband.  How  like  that  incorrigibly 
frivolous  fellow!  You  two  are  still  young  people,  after  all,  and  young 
people  do  find  pleasure  in  silly  trifles  of  the  kind.  Everyone  knows  that. 
You  need  not  deny  it.  It  is  only  lucky  that  it  was  not  found  by  any  of 
the  park  staff.  That  would  have  caused  talk!  Your  cousins  would  have 
fallen  into  disrepute.  And  what  if  the  innocent  creatures  themselves  had 
caught  sight,of  it?  Oh,  I  dare  not  even  think  of  that!" 

Flushing  and  turning  pale  alternately,  Phoenix  had  listened  to  the 
Tai  tai.  Now  she  threw  herself  at  her  feet. 

"You  are  quite  right,  Aunt,  but  I  assure  you  that  I  have  never  pos- 
sessed such  a  bag,  and  I  have  no  idea  how  it  got  into  the  park,"  she 
protested  with  tears.. "Just  look  closely  at  this  thing  with  its  tassels.  It 
is  a  cheap  street-market  article,  a  bad  imitation  of  a  palace  pattern.  I 
have  never  liked  such  tawdry  stuff.  But  if  I  possessed  anything  of  that 
kind  I  would  have  hidden  it  carefully  and  not  have  carried  it  around 
with  me  openly,  or  taken  it  into  the  park,  where  my  cousins  might  pos- 
sibly see  it.  How  could  you  think  me  capable  of  such  thoughtlessness? 
After  all,  I  am  not  the  only  youngish  woman  in  the  palace.  Over  in  the 
eastern  palace  there  is  Sister-in-law  Chen,  whom  one  can  hardly  regard 
yet  as  belonging  to  the  older  set,  and  there  is  her  daughter-in-law  Yung 
and  her  people,  and  there  are  various  young  women  servants,  and  the 
park  is  just  as  open  to  all  of  them  as  it  is  to  me.  Or  perhaps  the  owner 
is  even  one  of  the  park  staff  herself.  Among  so  many  people  it  is  im- 
possible to  keep  a  watch  on  the  behavior  of  each  individual.  How  can 
one  know  if  this  or  that  woman  may  be  carrying  on  some  secret  love 
intrigue  with  some  friend  among  the  male  staff?  Why  is  it  just  I  who 
am  suspected?" 

The  Tai  tai  could  not  close  her  ears  to  the  logic  of  Phoenix's  words. 

401 


"Do  get  up!"  she  said,  placated.  "I  know  well  that  you  are  the  best  of 
all  the  young  women  of  the  family,  and  the  one  least  capable  of  any 
impropriety.  I  have  done  you  an  injustice.  But  what  shall  we  do  now? 
I  was  almost  frightened  to  death  when  your  mother-in-law  sent  me  this 
disgusting  object  just  now." 

"Do  not  worry.  I  know  what  to  do.  Above  all,  we  must  avoid  any 
fuss,  in  order  to  spare  the  old  Tai  tai  any  new  excitements.  As  it  is, 
the  dismissals  of  today  have  left  some  gaps  among  the  older  supervisory 
staff  over  there.  Let  us,  for  the  time  being,  send  some  women  super- 
visors over  from  this  side — women  whom  we  know  thoroughly  well  and 
can  rely  upon,  such  as  the  wives  of  the  stewards  Chou  Jui  and  Lai 
Wang,  and  have  investigations  made  quietly,  ostensibly  in  connection 
with  the  forbidden  gambling.  In  this  way,  this  and  that  offense  will 
come  to  Kght  and  offer  us  an  opportunity  to  weed  out  and  dismiss  any 
undesirable  maids  from  among  the  older  staff.  We  have  far  too  many 
marriageable  young  women  over  there!  Very  well!  Let  them  marry! 
A  reduction  in  the  staff  is  also  very  desirable  for  reasons  of  economy. 
What  do  you  think?" 

"You  are  quite  right;  I  am  in  full  agreement,"  replied  the  Tai  tai 
with  a  sigh.  "On  the  other  hand,  I  would  not  like  to  be  unfair  to  our 
young  girls.  After  all,  each  of  them  has  only  got  three  useful  waiting 
maids  at  her  disposal.  The  remaining  little  devils  hardly  count,  on  the 
whole,  though  one  would  not  like  to  deprive  the  girls  of  their  service 
and  their  company  completely.  That  would  be  neither  in  accordance 
with  my  ideas  nor  those  of  the  old  Tai  tai.  The  best  thing  is  for  me  to 
look  into  the  matter  myself  as  soon  as  I  have  time.  Meanwhile  the 
women  supervisors  whom  you  suggest  can  take  up  their  posts  over  there 
and  quietly  make  investigations." 

Phoenix  had  the  five  reliable  elderly  ladies  whom  she  had  in  mind 
brought  in,  and  gave  them  the  necessary  instructions.  The  Tai  tai 
Cheng  added  to  these  five  the  wife  of  the  steward  Wang  Shan  Pao,  who 
had  come  in  by  chance  to  eavesdrop.  She  was  one  of  Princess  Shieh's 
serving  women  and  enjoyed  her  special  confidence,  and  it  was  she  who 
had  brought  over  the  aforementioned  perfume  bag. 

"Ask  your  mistress  if  she  would  send  you  for  a  time  to  the  park  as 
supervisor,  as  a  special  favor  for  me,"  Madame  Cheng  said  to  her.  She 
was  anxious  to  forestall  any  possible  later  reproaches  regarding  par- 
tiality. This  sixth  woman  received  the  order  with  secret  satisfaction. 
Here  was  a  welcome  opportunity  to  get  her  own  back  at  last  on  the 
waiting  maids  in  the  park.  She  had  never  had  a  good  word  for  that 
high-spirited,  conceited  lot,  who  showed  her  scant  respect  whenever 
she  went  into  the  park. 

"There  is  no  need  to  waste  words  on  the  subject;  a  strict  investiga- 

402 


tion  over  in  the  park  is  long  overdue,"  she  growled.  "You  do  not  really 
go  into  the  park  much,  Tai  tai,  so  you  could  not  know  what  goes  on 
there.  Those  young  things,  the  waiting  maids,  are  as  arrogant  as  if  they 
themselves  were  real  highborn  'Miss  Thousand-Gold-Pieces'  with  Im- 
perial titles  of  honor.  The  like  of  us  dare  not  open  our  mouths  or  they 
at  once  put  on  airs  of  being  offended  and  accuse  us  of  persecuting 
them  and  intriguing  against  them.  It's  a  nice  state  of  affairs,  indeed ! " 

"Well,  they  are  no  doubt  our  elite.  No  wonder  that  they  think  some- 
thing of  themselves,"  said  Madame  Cheng  with  a  smile. 

"That  may  be  true  of  the  others,  but  one  of  them,  the  maid  Bright 
Cloud  who  serves  our  young  master  Pao  Yu,  is  a  really  bad  lot,"  con- 
tinued the  sixth  vehemently.  "She  is  certainly  pretty,  but  does  the  con- 
ceited thing  have  to  deck  herself  out  on  that  account  day  after  day,  as 
if  she  was  a  Hsi  Shih?  And  how  brazenly  and  pertly  she  answers  us 
back  and  rebels  if  one  of  us  dares  to  make  the  slightest  remark;  you 
wouldn't  believe  it!" 

Madame  Cheng  was  astonished. 

"Perhaps  that  is  the  one  who  struck  me  so  unpleasantly  by  the  loud, 
quarrelsome  way  she  rebuked  a  maid  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  the  last 
time  we  went  for  a  walk  in  the  park  with  the  old  Tai  tai?"  she  said, 
turning  to  Phoenix.  "I  mean  the  one  with  the  eel-like  figure,  and  the 
narrow,  sloping  shoulders,  and  the  undivided  Hsi  Shih  eyebrows,  which 
remind  me  of  Black  Jade's  brows.  I  intended  to  rebuke  her  for  her  un- 
seemly behavior,  but  I  couldn't  because  I  was  tied  to  the  old  Tai  tai, 
and  later  it  slipped  my  mind." 

"By  your  description  it  may  have  been  she;  but  I  cannot  remember 
exactly,"  said  Phoenix.  "This  Bright  Cloud  is  no  doubt  pretty,  but  she 
is  also  an  impudent,  frivolous  person." 

"Just  send  for  her,  Tai  tai!  Then  it  can  be  seen  if  your  surmise  is 
correct,"  suggested  the  sixth.  Madame  Cheng  followed  her  advice  and 
ordered  Bright  Cloud  to  be  sent  for.  Bright  Cloud  was  not  feeling  well 
that  day  and  had  got  up  reluctantly  from  her  bed  when  she  was  called. 
Now  she  appeared  half  dressed,  flushed  from  sleep,  and  with  di- 
shevelled hair  before  the  Tai  tai.  With  a  hasty  glance  of  displeasure  the 
Tai  tai  recognized  her  as  the  one  she  had  recently  encountered. 

"So  this  is  our  lovely  sick  Hsi  Shih,"  she  remarked  mockingly.  "For 
whom  do  you  put  on  all  that  vanity?  You  think,  I  suppose,  that  I  do  not 
see  through  you?  Just  wait,  very  soon  I  will  have  you  skinned  alive! 
How  is  my  son  Pao  Yu?"  she  continued  in  an  unfriendly  tone. 

Being  quick-witted,  Bright  Cloud  rapidly  recovered  from  her  first 
surprise  and  grasped  the  danger  of  her  position,  which  demanded  the 
utmost  tact  in  her  answers.-  She  quickly  fell  on  her  knees. 

"I  really  would  not  know,  I  so  seldom  come  into  the  young  gentle- 

403 


man's  vicinity,"  she  lied.  "The  Tai  tai  should  inquire  of  his  personal 
waiting  maids,  Pearl  and  Musk." 

"You  deserve  a  slap  on  your  mouth !  Simply  pretending  not  to  know 
anything!  What  are  your  duties?"  asked  the  Tai  tai  sternly. 

"I  used  to  serve  the  old  Tai  tai,  but  because  Master  Pao  Yu  some- 
times felt  nervous  and  lonely  in  the  big  park  I  was  later  assigned  to  the 
Begonia  Courtyard  and  I  do  night  watch  there  in  the  outer  chambers. 
Really  I  did  not  want  to  go,  and  I  asked  the  old  Tai  tai  to  keep  me  with 
her,  as  I  thought  I  was  too  unskillful  to  serve  the  young  gentleman.  But 
the  old  Tai  tai  scolded  me  and  said  that  my  work  over  there  would  not 
call  for  any  special  intelligence,  and  that  I  would  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  personal  affairs  of  the  young  gentleman.  And  so  I  gave  in.  I 
hardly  ever  meet  the  young  gentleman,  no  more  than  once  in  a  fort- 
night, when  he  calls  me,  and  then  I  exchange  a  few  words  with  him. 
His  serving  women  and  the  waiting  maids  Pearl,  Musk,  and  Autumn 
Wave  do  all  the  personal  attendance.  Besides,  I  frequently  spend  my 
hours  of  leisure  with  the  old  Tai  tai  doing  needlework.  So  I  scarcely 
ever  have  to  look  after  the  young  gentleman.  But  if  you  wish,  I  can  do 
so  from  now  on." 

"By  Buddha,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  so  little  to  do  in  his 
vicinity!"  cried  Madame  Cheng,  who  took  what  the  girl  had  said  to  be 
perfectly  true.  "I  certainly  don't  intend  to  ask  you  to  spend  more  time 
with  your  master  in  future.  On  the  contrary,  I  shall  ask  the  old  Tai 
tai  to  take  you  away  again.  Until  then,  keep  an  eye  on  her!  Do  not  al- 
low her  to  be  near  him  at  night!"  she  said,  turning  to  the  six  super- 
visors. And  then  to  Bright  Cloud:  "Get  out!  What  are  you  lingering 
here  for?  The  sight  of  you  gets  on  my  nerves!"  Bright  Cloud  slipped 
out  quickly.  The  Tai  tai  angrily  muttered  something  which  sounded 
like  "Witch"  and  "Seducer"  as  she  went  out,  and  ordered  that  a  strict 
house-to-house  search  should  take  place  in  the  park  that  same  evening. 
Early  at  night,  after  the  Ancestress  had  retired,  Phoenix  set  out  on 
her  tour  of 'inspection  with  the  overseers.  All  the  park  gates  had  to  be 
locked  after  them  when  they  had  entered.  The  search  started  in  the 
apartments  of  the  night  watch  staff.  There  a  slight  excess  over  the  pre- 
scribed stocks  of  lamps,  candles,  and  oil  was  discovered. 

"That  counts  as  stolen  property.  It  is  not  to  be  touched  until  I  inform 
the  Tai  tai  in  the  morning!"  the  wife  of  the  steward  Wang  Shan  Pao  de- 
clared severely.  Then  they  went  on  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard. 

"We  are  looking  for  a  valuable  object  which  has  been  lost.  One  of 
the  waiting  maids  is  suspected  of  being  the  thief,"  Phoenix  explained 
to  the  astonished  Pao  Yu,  as  a  reason  for  the  late  visit.  While  she  sat 
down  and  took  tea  the  supervisors  proceeded  with  the  search.  All  the 
staff,  one  after  the  other,  had  to  open  their  boxes  and  trunks  and  turn 

404 


out  the  contents.  It  came  to  a  heated  exchange  of  words  between  Wang 
and  the  indignant  Bright  Cloud,  in  which  the  former  entrenched  her- 
self behind  the  order  of  her  Tai  tai  and  the  latter  used  as  her  trump 
card  her  position  of  confidence  with  the  old  Tai  tai.  However,  the 
search  did  not  bring  to  light  any  forbidden,  telltale  things  of  mas- 
culine origin. 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  the  Jungle  Courtyard 
having  been  passed  over  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  its  mistress  did 
not  belong  to  the  inner  circle  of  the  family  but  only  lived  there  as  a 
guest.  Black  Jade  had  already  gone  to  bed  when  the  search  commission 
arrived.  She  was  about  to  dress  hurriedly  but  Phoenix  considerately 
stopped  her,  made  her  lie  down  again,  and  sat  and  chatted  pleasantly 
with  her  while  the  delegation  was  at  work.  Here  also  the  search  was 
without  result.  There  were  only  a  few  suspicious  articles  found  among 
the  maid  Cuckoo's  things,  such  as  fans  with  writing  on  them,  little  bags, 
and  belt  buckles,  but  Phoenix  at  once  confirmed  these  as  being  harm- 
less birthday  gifts  from  Pao  Yu. 

They  went  on  to  the  pavilion  of  Taste  of  Spring,  Pao  Yu's  half  sis- 
ter. She  had  already  been  informed  of  their  coming  and  was  awaiting 
the  delegation  in  front  of  the  door  at  the  head  of  her  waiting  maids,  a 
candle  in  her  hand.  She  seemed  really  annoyed  about  the  matter. 

"If  my  waiting  maids  steal,  then  of  course  I  am  the  head  of  the  rob- 
ber band.  Will  you  not  begin  your  search  with  me?  My  boxes  and 
trunks  are  there  open  for  you,  you  will  certainly  find  the  stolen  articles 
in  them,"  she  replied  irritably  to  the  flowery  apologies  to  which  Phoe- 
nix treated  her  before  beginning.  She  ordered  the  maids  to  spread  out 
all  her  stock  of  clothing  and  linen  and  jewelry  before  the  eyes  of  the 
high  commission.  Phoenix  ordered  the  maids  to  clear  them  away  again 
without  looking  at  them. 

"I  am  acting  on  higher  authority;  therefore  you  need  not  be  angry 
with  me,"  she  said  with  an  embarrassed  smile,  trying  to  pacify  the 
angry  girl. 

"Oh,  please,  do  not  be  deterred!"  replied  Taste  of  Spring,  irritably. 
"What  is  fair  to  my  maids  is  fair  to  me.  Besides,  I  know  up  to  the  last 
needle  what  they  have,  and  they  certainly  have  nothing  which  is 
stolen,  you  may  be  sure  of  that!  You  would  be  more  likely  to  find  stolen 
goods  with  me.  .  .  ." 

She  talked  on  in  this  way  in  the  greatest  agitation,  even  coming  to 
tears.  Phoenix,  who  knew  Taste  of  Spring  to  be  a  difficult  character, 
wanted  to  end  the  scene  quickly  and  rose  to  go. 

"Oh,  do  please  search  thoroughly!  There  may  not  be  another  oppor- 
tunity immediately,  and  in  any  case  I  will  not  be  here  for  it  a  second 
time,"  urged  Taste  of  Spring. 

405 


"Oh,  it's  all  right,  I  take  your  word  that  your  waiting  maids  are  not 
thieves,"  protested  Phoenix  with  a  smile. 

"Have  you  searched  thoroughly?"  asked  Taste  of  Spring,  turning  to 
the  other  members  of  the  commission. 

"Yes,  thoroughly,"  replied  the  supervisors,  smiling,  as  they  followed 
Phoenix  to  the  door.  But  one  of  them,  namely,  the  wife  of  Wang  Shan 
Pao,  was  not  so  easily  satisfied.  As  confidential  serving  woman  of  Prin- 
cess Shieh,  and  special  delegate  of  the  Tai  tai  Cheng,  she  felt  conscious 
of  her  authority.  Her  pride  would  not  allow  her  to  be  intimidated  by  this 
young  girl,  for  whom  in  any  case  she  had  little  respect.  She  went  up  to 
Taste  of  Spring,  daringly  seized  the  lapel  of  her  gown,  lifted  it  up,  and 
inquisitively  poked  into  every  fold. 

"Only  a  little  personal  search,"  she  remarked,  grinning  maliciously. 

"Come  along,  old  woman!  Stop  this  foolery!"  Phoenix  warned  her 
angrily,  arid  at  the  same  moment  she  heard  Taste  of  Spring  give  the 
old  woman  a  resounding  box  on  the  ears. 

"How  dare  you  touch  me!"  cried  Taste  of  Spring,  enraged.  "If  the 
Tai  tai  wishes  my  person  to  be  searched,  very  well,  I  will  submit  to  it. 
But  I  will  on  no  account  permit  myself  to  be  touched  by  the  like  of  you. 
You  think,  because  you  are  old  and  have  my  aunt  behind  you,  that 
you  can  bark  at  us  and  take  all  kinds  of  liberties.  But  this  time  your 
impudence  has  gone  too  far!" 

While  she  fastened  up  the  buttons  of  her  gown  with  her  left  hand, 
she  drew  Phoenix  back  with  her  right. 

"Will  you  search  me,  please?  I  have  no  objection,  but  spare  me  the 
ignominy  of  being  searched  by  a  slave!"  she  cried  angrily. 

Phoenix  and  Pearl  together  put  her  clothing  right  again. 

"The  old  woman  has  drunk  two  mouthfuls  too  much  wine;  that  ex- 
plains her  recklessness.  She  has  just  been  with  the  Tai  tai.  Do  not  be 
angry  with  her!"  said  Phoenix,  trying  to  pacify  the  excited  girl.  "And 
you  get  out  of  here!"  she  cried  to  old  Wang. 

"I  will  complain  to  the  old  Tai  tai  tomorrow,"  declared  Taste  of 
Spring,  angrily. 

"And  I  will  complain  to  my  mistress  and  to  your  mother,"  the  scold- 
ing voice  of  the  old  woman,  who  had  fled,  called  up  from  under  the 
window.  "Such  a  thing  has  never  happened  to  me  before  in  my  life!  To 
have  my  ears  boxed  in  my  old  age!  1  demand  satisfaction!" 

"Do  you  hear  her  bawling?  Apparently  she  has  not  yet  had  enough," 
said  Taste  of  Spring  scornfully,  turning  to  her  waiting  maids.  One  of 
the  waiting  maids  ran  out  in  front  of  the  window. 

"Be  reasonable  and  keep  quiet  at  last!"  she  said  to  the  old  woman. 
"We  won't  mind  if  you  go  away,  then  we  shall  at  last  be  rid  of  you,  you 
old  intriguer.  But  make  haste!  You  are  staying  here  too  long  for  us!" 

406 


By  their  united  efforts  Phoenix  and  Pearl  at  last  succeeded  in  calm- 
ing the  ruffled  tempers  on  both  sides,  and  the  commission  continued  on 
its  way.  The  next  objective  was  the  Rice  Farm.  In  consideration  of  the 
fact  that  the  Widow  Chu  was  not  well,  they  refrained  from  alarming  her 
by  waking  her  up,  and  confined  themselves  to  a  brief  search  of  her 
servants'  belongings,  which  yielded  no  result. 

Then  they  went  on  to  the  near-by  Little  Castle  of  Warm  Perfumes, 
the  residence  of  Grief  of  Spring.  Grief  of  Spring,  the  youngest  of  the 
cousins  and  still  little  more  than  a  child,  was  naturally  considerably 
frightened  by  the  nocturnal  search,  which  was  quite  incomprehensible 
to  her,  and  Phoenix  had  all  she  could  do  to  calm  her.  Who  would  have 
dreamed  that  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble  would  be  found  in  the  house 
of  this  innocent,  youngest  girl,  still  half  a  child?  Hidden  in  the  painting 
maid's  trunk  they  discovered  a  heavy  parcel  of  thirty  or  forty  silver 
bars,  each  weighing  ten  ounces.  That  was  indeed  a  surprising  discovery 
— that  instead  of  the  scandalous  things  they  were  looking  for,  stolen 
goods  should  be  brought  to  light!  But  they  did  not  have  to  wait  long 
for  the  scandalous  objects,  too,  for  they  rummaged  out  a  jade  belt 
tablet,  and  a  whole  pile  of  men's  stockings  and  slippers.  "Where  did 
you  get  all  this  from?"  Phoenix,  her  face  quite  yellow  with  shock, 
asked  the  painting  maid. 

"They  are  presents  from  Prince  Chen  to  my  brother,"  confessed  the 
painting  maid,  falling  on  her  knees  in  tears.  "My  brother  gave  me  the 
things  to  keep  for  him,  for  my  parents  are  on  a  journey  to  the  southern 
provinces  and  my  brother  is  living  with  Aunt  and  Uncle  at  present. 
And  as  Aunt  and  Uncle  play  cards  and  drink,  my  brother  was  afraid 
that  they  would  take  away  his  things  and  gamble  them  away  or  sell 
them  for  drink." 

"That  is  outrageous!  And  I  did  not  have  the  slightest  suspicion  of  it! 
You  must  certainly  punish  her  and  take  her  away  from  here,  Sister-in- 
law  Phoenix.  I  do  not  like  such  a  person  to  be  near  me,"  said  Grief  of 
Spring,  indignantly. 

"Did  your  brother  bring  the  things  here  himself?"  asked  Phoenix 
severely. 

"No,  a  serving  woman  brought  them.  I  do  not  know  her  name." 

"Well,  that  is  a  good  thing,"  said  Phoenix,  relieved.  "Now  we  must 
find  out  whether  your  information  is  correct.  If  you  have  told  the  truth 
then  you  may  be  forgiven.  After  all,  it  is  not  wrong  of  you  to  take  care 
of  other  people's  things.  It  is  the  woman  who  smuggled  in  the  articles 
who  deserves  to  be  reprimanded.  Certainly,  if  your  brother  had  brought 
them  here  or  if  they  were  stolen  goods,  then  it  would  go  badly  with 
you." 

"Inquire  of  the  serving  woman  and  of  Prince  Chen!  I  have  definitely 

407 


told  the  truth,"  whimpered  the  painting  maid.  "Have  me  and  my 
brother  beaten  to  death  if  I  have  lied!" 

"Now,  calm  yourself.  Nothing  will  happen  to  you  if  the  Prince  con- 
firms your  information.  But  in  future  you  must  not  take  other  people's 
belongings  into  your  charge." 

"Why  are  you  so  lenient,  Sister-in-law  Phoenix?  I  do  not  like  her 
any  more.  At  best  she  will  corrupt  the  others,"  declared  Grief  of  Spring. 

"Let  it  be!  After  all,  she  is  otherwise  capable  and  useful.  Everyone 
makes  a  little  mistake  sometime,"  said  Phoenix  with  a  placating  smile. 
"If  I  only  knew  who  it  was  who  smuggled  in  the  things." 

"Probably  old  Chang  at  the  back  gate,"  said  Grief  of  Spring.  "She 
is  always  very  friendly  with  our  waiting  maids,  and  the  maids  think  an 
extraordinary  lot  of  her." 

"Take  a  note  of  her  name!  I  shall  question  her  later,"  said  Phoenix, 
turning  to  her  attendants  and  making  ready  to  depart.  The  wife  of  the 
steward  Chou  Jui  had  to  pack  up  the  articles  which  had  been  found  and 
take  them  with  her. 

It  happened  that  the  aforementioned  Chang  was  a  relative  of  old 
Wang  but  they  had  been  on  bad  terms  for  some  time  past.  Since  old 
Wang  had  become  the  special  confidante  of  Princess  Shieh  she  had  no 
time  for  her  relatives,  and  when  Chang  reproached  her  with  this  one 
day  they  quarrelled  fiercely  and  had  not  spoken  to  one  another  since. 
Now,  hearing  her  enemy's  name  mentioned,  it  seemed  to  old  Wang  just 
the  right  moment  to  give  full  vent  to  the  grudge  she  had  been  piling  up 
since  the  abuse  she  had  been  given  shortly  before  by  Taste  of  Spring. 

"Probably  it  was  old  Chang  who  smuggled  the  indecent  perfume  bag 
into  the  park,"  she  whispered  to  Phoenix  on  the  way.  "You  must  cer- 
tainly question  her." 

"No  need  for  you  to  tell  me  that;  I  know  it  myself,"  replied  Phoenix 
brusquely. 

They  had  now  arrived  at  Greeting  of  Spring's  dwelling.  Greeting  of 
Spring  was  already  asleep,  her  maids  were  going  to  bed,  and  it  was 
quite  a  long  while  before  the  belated  visitors'  knocking  was  heard  and 
they  were  admitted. 

"The  young  lady  need  not  be  disturbed;  let  her  sleep  on,"  said  Phoe- 
nix, and  went  straight  ^into  the  waiting  maids'  room.  When  they  had 
finished  turning  out  and  searching  the  belongings  of  all  the  other  maids, 
they  came  at  last  to  the  chess  maid's  things. 

Old  Wang,  elsewhere  so  thorough  in  her  searching,  was  strikingly  in- 
dulgent and  superficial  this  time;  for  the  chess  maid  was  her  own  grand- 
daughter. After  she  had  looked  hurriedly  through  her  granddaughter's 
open  trunk,  she  murmured  "Nothing  to  be  found"  and  was  about  to 
close  the  cover,  when  the  steward's  wife,  Mrs.  Chou  Jui,  stopped  her. 

408 


"Now,  now!  I  don't  call  that  a  thorough  search!  One  must  be  just!" 
she  said  and  began  to  root  in  the  trunk  herself.  And  lo  and  behold,  she 
pulled  out  a  pair  of  men's  padded  socks  and  of  men's  satin  slippers. 
And  that  was  not  all.  A  Jui  mascot  dagger  such  as  lovers  present  to  each 
other  was  found,  wrapped  in  a  blue  shawl;  and  a  red  greeting  card,  with 
writing  on  it.  Chou  handed  the  articles  to  Phoenix.  Now,  as  manageress- 
of  the  Yungkuo  palace  household,  Phoenix  came  in  touch  every  day 
with  all  sorts  of  accounts  and  written  documents  and  so,  in  the  course 
of  time,  she  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  written  language.  She 
was  therefore  able  to  decipher  the  writing  on  the  card,  and  to  her  sur- 
prise she  read  the  following:  "...  now  our  parents  also  know  how  we 
stand  with  each  other,  since  your  visit  of  last  month,  and  they  approve. 
Of  course,  as  long  as  your  young  lady  is  still  unmarried,  we  cannot 
think  of  getting  married.  If  a  meeting  in  the  park  is  possible  give  me 
word  again  through  Mother  Chang.  It  is  much  easier  to  talk  undis- 
turbed in  the  park  than  at  home.  Today  I  duly  received  the  prayer 
beads  made  of  fragrantly  perfumed  wood  which  you  sent  me.  I  send 
you  herewith  a  perfume  bag,  the  decoration  on  which  indicates  my  feel- 
ings for  you.  But  put  it  away  carefully !  I  wish  you  peace  and  bow  my 
head.  "Your  cousin  Fan." 

Phoenix  was  delighted  with  her  discovery.  Here  in  her  hand  she  had 
the  conclusive  evidence  which  would  clear  and  exonerate  her  com- 
pletely in  her  aunt's  eyes.  She  could  not  repress  a  self-satisfied  smile. 

"There  must  be  blunders  in  the  account  to  make  the  Nai  nai  laugh?" 
asked  the  illiterate  old  Wang,  doubtfully  and  hesitantly. 

"Oh,  no,  the  'account'  is  correct,  only  I  had  not  added  it  up.  But  why 
does  your  granddaughter's  cousin  bear  the  name  of  Fan  and  not  your 
family  name  of  Wang?"  asked  Phoenix  mischievously. 

"You  probably  mean  Fan  Yo  An,  who  ran  away  recently?  Certainly 
he  is  my  granddaughter's  cousin;  his  mother  is  a  Fan  by  marriage." 

When  she  heard  the  contents  of  the  supposed  "account,"  which  in 
reality  was  a  love  letter  addressed  to  her  granddaughter,  and  noticed 
the  head-shaking  around  her,  old  Wang  was  so  confounded  and 
ashamed  that  she  wished  the  ground  could  have  swallowed  her.  She  had 
been  out  to  catch  others  sinning,  and  now  she  and  her  family  were 
themselves  exposed  and  disgraced. 

"Now,  what  do  you  say  to  this  piece  of  evidence,  Mother  Wang?  It 
can't  be  quibbled  or  explained  away,"  remarked  her  colleague  Chou 
Jui,  maliciously. 

"They  meant  it  well  and  wanted  to  spare  their  grandmother  the 
trouble  of  negotiating.  At  night,  when  all  the  birds  were  silent,  they 
met  together,"  added  Phoenix,  derisively  turning  to  Chou.  She  could 

410 


not  delight  enough  in  old  Wang's  embarrassment.  But  the  old  woman 
who  had  been  thus  disgraced  boxed  her  own  ears  and  cried  out  in  self- 
abasement  that  she  must  certainly  have  been  an  old  whore  in  a  previous 
existence,  since  she  had  to  do  such  penance  now.  Meantime  the  guilty 
and  convicted  chess  maid  sat  there  silently  with  bowed  head.  Phoenix 
was  disagreeably  surprised  to  observe  that  her  attitude  betrayed  neither 
fear  nor  shame.  She  looked  on  indifferently,  sunk  in  her  own  thoughts, 
as  if  she  had  already  finished  with  life  and  would  like  to  kill  herself. 
Phoenix  therefore  instructed  two  serving  women  to  take  charge  of  her 
and  not  let  her  out  of  their  sight.  And  then,  on  account  of  the  lateness  of 
the  hour,  further  searches  were  postponed. 


CHAPTER   37 

A  sinister  occurrence  at  the  nocturnal  banquet  awakens  dark  forebod- 
ings. At  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival  a  new  stanza  awakens  happy  promises 

for  the  future. 

1  HE  PURGE  OF  THE  PARK  STAFF  WAS  INTERRUPTED  FOR  SEVERAL  DAYS 

because  Phoenix  was  ill  again,  and  also  because  of  the  Mid-Autumn 
Festival.  As  the  period  of  mourning  for  the  deceased  Prince  Hermit 
was  not  yet  over,  the  festivities  were  on  a  smaller  scale  than  usual  this 
time.  Prince  Chen  had  never  taken  the  mourning  of  his  late  father  very 
seriously.  As  the  Rites  forbade  him  diversions  outside  the  house  dur- 
ing the  months  of  mourning,  he  compensated  himself  by  gathering 
round  him  every  evening,  under  the  pretext  of  practicing  archery,  a 
crowd  of  aristocratic  young  rakes  with  whom  he  indulged  in  disgusting 
orgies  of  eating  and  drinking;  and  the  nights  passed  in  dicing  and  card 
playing  and  other  frivolous  pastimes  instead  of  in  the  practice  of  the 
noble  art  of  archery. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  the  eighth  month,  the  eve  of  the  Mid-Autumn 
Festival,  Prince  Chen  presided  over  a  family  banquet  with  all  the  wives 
and  concubines  in  the  Hall  of  the  Green  Thicket,  which  was  situated  in 
the  Garden  of  Assembled  Perfumes.  To  celebrate  the  day  a  boar  and  a 
ram  had  been  roasted  whole.  After  the. meal  the  company  turned  to 
merry  drinking  and  dice  playing,  at  intervals  sauntering  out  to  enjoy 
the  sight  of  the  beautiful,  clear,  full  moon.  Then  the  concubine  Wen 
Hua,  who  had  a  fine  voice,  treated  the  guests  to  a  song,  and  the  concu- 
bine Peh  Fong  accompanied  her  on  a  purple  bamboo  flute.  The  mid- 
night hour,  the  third  beat  of  the  drum,  had  arrived.  Everyone  was  in 
boisterous  mood  and  the  Prince  was  eight-tenths  drunk,  when  suddenly 
a  weird,  long-drawn-out  groaning  was  heard,  from  the  direction  of  the 

411 


garden  wall.  Conversation  ceased  instantly.  Everyone  listened  with  hair 
standing  on  end  to  the  sounds  from  outside. 

"Who  is  there?"  the  Prince  called  out  in  a  sharp  voice.  There  was  no 
answer. 

"The  sound  must  have  come  from  behind  the  wall.  Evidently  one  of 
the  servants  is  loafing  about  there,"  whispered  the  Princess. 

"Nonsense!  The  servants'  quarters  are  much  too  far  away.  Who 
would  have  any  business  at  that  lonely  place  near  the  Hall  of  Glorifica- 
tion at  such  an  hour?"  said  the  Prince.  He  had  not  finished  speaking 
when  a  short,  howling  gust  of  wind  swept  acjoss  from  over  the  top  of 
the  wall.  At  the  same  time  the  side  doors  of  the  spirit  porch  in  front  of 
the  Temple  of  Ancestors  were  distinctly  heard  to  open  and  shut  again 
with  a  bang.  To  the  listening  company  this  seemed  more  uncanny  still. 
Moreover,  the  moon  appeared  to  have  become  overcast  and  to  shine  less 
brightly  than  before.  Everyone  sat  there  for  quite  a  while,  paralyzed 
with  fear,  unable  to  stir.  The  Prince  was  the  first  to  recover  himself. 
Half  his  drunkenness  and  his  desire  to  keep  on  drinking  had  disap- 
peared. In  silence  he  rose  from  the  table  and  ended  the  party. 

The  following  day,  during  the  usual  Mid-Moon  ceremony  in  the  Hall 
of  Glorification  he  looked  around  carefully  for  any  traces  of  the  mys- 
terious occurrences  of  the  previous  night.  But  he  could  not  perceive  the 
slightest  change.  On  leaving  the  Hall  of  Glorification  he  personally 
made  sure  that  the  entrance  was  securely  locked  and  bolted  after  him, 
but  ordered  his  servants  to  keep  the  matter  absolutely  quiet. 

In  the  evening  he  went  with  his  wife  to  the  home  of  the  Ancestress  to 
take  part  in  a  general  family  banquet.  The  seniors,  Prince  Shieh  and 
Chia  Cheng,  had  already  arrived  and  were  endeavoring  to  keep  the 
Ancestress  in  a  good  humor  with  jokes.  Beneath  the  platform  of  honor, 
at  a  respectful  distance,  the  male  juniors — Chia  Lien,  Pao  Yu,  Chia 
Huan,  and  Chia  Lan — stood  about,  and  were  allowed  to  listen  to  the 
conversation  of  the  elders. 

"How  has  Pao  Yu  been  progressing  recently  in  archery?"  the  Ances- 
tress asked  Prince  Chen,  who  had  modestly  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  a 
seat  near  the  door. 

"Splendidly,"  replied  Prince  Chen,  politely  jumping  up.  "He  has  not 
only  improved  his  aim  but  is  also  becoming  used  to  weapons  of  heavier 
caliber." 

"That  is  good.  But  he  should  not  overdo  it  and  exert  himself  too 
much.  And  by  the  way,  the  moon  cakes  which  you  sent  me  taste  won- 
derful; but  the  melons  look  better  than  they  taste." 

"The  moon  cakes  were  made  by  an  expert  confectioner  whom  I  got 
recently  for  my  kitchen.  I,  too,  find  that  the  melons  do  not  taste  so  good 
this  season  as  in  past  years;  I  do  not  know  what  is  the  reason." 

412 


"Probably  it  is  because  the  summer  was  too  wet,"  said  Chia  Cheng. 

"Come,  now!  Let  us  go  into  the  park!  The  beautiful,  bright  full  moon 
is  up  long  since,"  said  the  Ancestress;  and  leaning  on  Pao  Yu's  shoul- 
der, she  led  the  company  to  the  park  gate,  hung  all  over  with  rams'-horn 
lanterns.  On  the  moon  terrace  in  front  of  the  Hall  of  All  Good  Spirits  a 
table  had  been  set  for  an  open-air  banquet.  The  place  was  festively 
lighted  up  with  candelabra,  the  air  was  scented  with  the  fumes  of  in- 
cense, the  ground  was  covered  with  carpets  and  cushions.  First  of  all 
the  whole  company,  led  by  the  Ancestress,  knelt  down  on  the  prayer 
carpet,  washed  their  hands,  bowed  to  the  household  deities,  and  burned 
incense  sticks  before  their  images.  This  done,  the  banquet  could  begin. 

But  the  Ancestress  thought  it  would  be  nicer  to  enjoy  the  view  of  the 
full  moon  from  a  more  airy  height,  and  she  chose  as  a  suitable  place  the 
Hall  of  Blossoms,  which  was  the  lookout  pavilion  situated  on  top  of  the 
near-by  Emerald  Cone.  The  pavilion  was  made  ready  in  a  great  hurry. 
After  resting  for  a  short  time,  the  Ancestress  stood  up  to  lead  the  as- 
cent. Madame  Cheng  and  the  other  ladies,  afraid  that  she  might  miss 
her  footing  on  the  steep,  stony,  moss-covered  pathway,  appealed  to  her 
to  allow  herself  to  be  carried  up  on  a  sedan  chair;  but  the  vigorous  old 
lady,  who  had  celebrated  her  eightieth  birthday  only  a  short  time  be- 
fore, insisted  on  walking  up.  The  pathways  were  well  tended  and  in 
good  order,  and  a  little  exercise  and  loosening  up  of  her  old  bones  and 
sinews  could  not  harm  her,  she  declared,  laughing. 

Led  by  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia  Cheng,  the  company  moved  off.  Two 
serving  women  with  rams'-horn  lanterns  lighted  the  way  in  front  of  the 
Ancestress,  who  walked  along  supported  by  Princess  Chen  and  the 
waiting  maids  Mandarin  Duck  and  Amber.  At  last  they  reached  the 
summit  without  mishap,  by  a  path  of  many  -windings. 

There  they  sat  down  on  round  upholstered  seats,  which  encircled  two 
large  round  tables  separated  by  a  folding  screen,  which  stood  on  the 
open  terrace  in  front  of  the  Hall  of  Blossoms.  The  round  form  had  been 
chosen  in  honor  of  the  round  full  moon.  The  Ancestress  took  her  seat 
at  one  table  with  the  male  members  of  the  family,  while  the  ladies  oc- 
cupied the  other  table  completely. 

It  worried  the  Ancestress  to  see  a  large  vacant  space  at  the  lower  part 
of  the  table.  She  therefore  had  the  three  Spring  girls  fetched  from  the 
ladies'  table  behind  the  folding  screen,  so  that  the  space  would  be  filled 
and  the  guests  would  form  a  complete  round. 

To  raise  the  spirits  of  the  company  the  Ancestress  ordered  a  merry 
game  with  drinks  as  forfeits.  A  branch  of  cinnamon  flowers  was  passed 
round  the  table  from  hand  to  hand,  while  a  waiting  maid  beat  a  drum 
behind  the  folding  screen.  Once  the  drum  stopped,  the  branch  was  to 
go  no  further,  and  whoever  held  it  in  his  hand  at  that  moment  was  sen- 

413 


tenced  to  drink  a  goblet  of  wine  and  treat  the  company  to  an  anecdote. 

It  happened  that  the  first  person  in  whose  hand  the  branch  remained 
was  the  stern  Chia  Cheng.  A  surreptitious  ripple  of  giggles,  accom- 
panied by  much  secret  tugging  of  sleeves  and  nudging  of  sides,  ran 
around  the  table.  What  humor  could.be  expected  from  this  solemn-faced 
person?  But  today,  for  the  sake  of  the  Ancestress,  Chia  Cheng  had  no 
wish  to  be  a  spoilsport,  and  he  declared  himself  ready  to  treat  the  com- 
pany to  the  only  anecdote  he  had  in  stock. 

"But  if  it  does  not  make  us  laugh  there  will  be  an  additional  fine," 
said  the  Ancestress. 

"Agreed." 

And  Chia  Cheng  began:  "There  once  lived  a  man  who  had  a  most 
terrible  respect  for  his  wife.  .  .  ." 

He  had  only  got  as  far  as  this  when  the  whole  company  burst  out  in 
loud  laughter,  forcing  him  to  a  brief  rhetorical  pause. 

"Well?"  he  said,  turning  triumphantly  to  the  Ancestress. 

"I  admit  that  the  story  must  be  splendid  since  everyone  laughs  in  ad- 
vance," said  the  Ancestress,  herself  shaking  with  laughter. 

"Then  it  should  be  your  own  turn  next  to  drink  a  glass  by  way  of 
forfeit,"  joked  Chia  Cheng. 

"Agreed." 

And  she  tossed  off  the  drink  forfeit  which  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia 
Cheng,  ceremoniously  standing  side  by  side,  presented  to  her  after  tast- 
ing it  themselves.  As  soon  as  she  had  drunk  it  and  the  two  seniors  had 
resumed  their  seats,  Mr.  Cheng  continued:  "Moreover,  the  said  man 
never  dared  to  stay  away  from  home  for  long,  but  once,  on  the  day  of 
the  Mid-Autumn  Festival,  as  he  was  shopping  in  the  town,  he  chanced 
to  meet  a  few  old  friends  who  induced  him  to  join  them  in  a  merry 
carousal  in  the  house  of  a  mutual  friend.  In  the  end  he  became  so  tipsy 
•that  he  quite  forgot  about  going  home,  and  spent  the  night  with  his 
friend.  The  next  day,  when  he  was  sober  again,  he  appeared  before  his 
wife  repentant  and  conscience-stricken.  His  wife  was  just  washing  her 
feet.  Having  listened  to  his  confession,  she  said:  'Just  this  once  I  will 
let  you  off  the  thrashing  you  deserve,  but  you  are  to  lick  my  feet  as  a 
punishment!'  This  he  did  but  immediately  started  to  vomit.  Now  she 
became  really  angry  and  was  about  to  thrash  him.  So  he  knelt  down 
beside  her  and  cried:  'Do  not' be  angry  with  me,  wife.  It  really  was  not 
your  dirty  feet  but  my  sour  stomach  that  made  me  vomit!'  " 

His  story  was  greeted  with  general  laughter,  and  the  Ancestress  con- 
sented to  take  another  voluntary  forfeit  drink. 

"Take  this  as  a  warning,  you  married  men,  and  drink  only  warmed 
wine!  It  is  more  beneficial  than  cold  wine,"  she  said,  amidst  a  renewed 

414 


outburst  of  laughter.  And  she  ordered  punch  to  be  served  instead  of  the 
cold  wine. 

On  its  next  round  the  wandering  branch  of  cinnamon  flowers  re- 
mained in  Pao  Yu!s  hand.  Because  of  his  father's  presence  Pao  Yu  be- 
came terribly  embarrassed.  He  knew  plenty  of  jokes  and  anecdotes,  but 
what  would  his  father  say?  A  bad  joke  would  make  his  father  mock 
him,  but  a  good  joke  would  make  him  angry  and  evoke  the  reproach 
that  he  had  ability  for  jokes  and  mischief,  but  none  for  anything  seri- 
ous. It  would  therefore  be  better  not  to  tell  any  funny  story  at  all.  So  he 
stood  up  and  declared:  "I  do  not  know  any  jokes  or  anecdotes.  I  there- 
fore beg  you  to  give  me  another  task." 

"Very  well,  then,  compose  a  poem  on  the  subject  of  autumn!"  or- 
dered Mr.  Cheng.  "If  the  poem  is  good  you  will  get  a  reward.  If  it  is 
bad,  woe  betide  you!  In  that  case  you  will  have  an  examination  to- 
morrow." 

"But  we  only  want  to  pass  the  time  amusing  ourselves.  Do  not  tor- 
ment him  with  such  difficult  tasks!"  protested  the  Ancestress. 

"Let  it  be !  He  will  do  it  all  right,"  replied  Chia  Cheng  with  a  smile. 
So  the  Ancestress  ordered  paper,  brush,  and  ink  to  be  brought. 

"And  do  not  make  use  of  threadbare  phrases  such  as  'liquid  crystal' 
and  'frozen  jasper'  and  'silver  splendor,'  and  suchlike!"  said  Mr.  Cheng 
severely  and  emphatically.  "I  beg  you  to  be  original!  I  wish  to  test  your 
own  ability." 

Now,  Pao  Yu  did  not  need  to  ponder  long  before  he  had  composed 
his  quatrain  and  put  it  on  paper.  Mr.  Cheng  read  it  and  merely  nodded 
in  silence,  which  was  interpreted  by  the  Ancestress  as  a  good  sign.  She 
eagerly  asked  his  opinion. 

"He  has  made  an  effort.  But  if  only  he  would  study  history  more  dili- 
gently !  Poetry  writing  alone  does  not  get  one  anywhere,"  was  the  pater- 
nal verdict. 

"Then  it  is  all  right!"  cried  the  Ancestress,  relieved.  "But  now  you 
must  give  him  a  present  to  reward  and  encourage  him!" 

"Yes,  I  will  do  so." 

Mr.  Cheng  turned  round  and  ordered  a  serving  woman  to  run  and 
get  his  servants  to  give  her  two  of  the  fans  which  he  had  brought  back 
with  him  from  his  official  tour  in  Hainan.  Before  the  assembled  family 
he  presented  them  to  his  son  as  a  mark  of  approval  of  his  achievement. 
Pao  Yu  thanked  him,  striking  his  forehead  on  the  ground,  and  returned 
to  his  place  in  better  spirits. 

A  stanza  improvised  by  Chia  Lan,  the  offspring  of  Mr.  Cheng's  first- 
born son  Chu,  who  had  died  young,  evoked  even  greater  applause.  The 
Ancestress  and  Mr.  Cheng  observed  with  satisfaction  that  the  ancient 

415 


inherited  fragrance  of  traditional  culture,  inherent  in  the  house  of  Chia, 
was  living  on  most  auspiciously  in  the  younger  generation. 

Prince  Shieh,  in  whose  hand  the  branch  of  cinnamon  flowers  now 
remained,  contributed  the  following  anecdote:  "There  once  was  a  man 
who  had  a  very  good  son.  One  day  the  mother  fell  ill.  As  no  doctor 
could  be  found,  an  old  woman  quack  healer  was  fetched.  The  old 
woman  only  knew  how  to  give  treatment  with  the  puncturing  needle, 
and  she  also  knew  a  little  about  cauterization,  but  she  had  no  idea  of 
the  higher  arts  of  medicine.  She  diagnosed  the  illness  as  'fire  in  the 
heart'  and  suggested  treatment  with  the  puncturing  needle.  'But  then, 
my  mother  will  have  to  die  all  the  same  if  her  heart  is  pricked  with  a 
sharp  needle,'  the  son  objected  in  alarm.  'Do  not  worry,  it  will  only  be 
a  matter  of  a  little  prick  between  the  ribs,'  the  old  woman  assured  him. 
'Yes,  but  then  the  heart  will  not  benefit  from  it.  Heaven  knows  how  far 
away  from  the  ribs  the  heart  is  situated,'  the  son  objected  once  more. 
'That  is  all  right.  A  true  mother's  heart  is  so  big  that  it  reaches  right 
down  to  the  ribs,'  the  quack  doctor  said,  finally  reassuring  him." 

Once  more  there  was  merry  laughter.  After  the  bastard  Chia  Huan 
had  given  a  test  of  his  ability,  which  in  Mr.  Clieng's  opinion  was  a  fail- 
ure, the  Ancestress  ordered  that  the  game  should  stop.  The  gentlemen 
might  now  take  their  leave  and  enjoy  themselves  with  their  personal 
friends  at  the  other  side.  It  was  already  the  hour  of  the  second  night 
watch,  and  she  wished  to  be  alone  with  the  young  girls  for  a  while,  she 
said. 

As  soon  as  the  gentlemen  had  gone  the  Ancestress  had  the  folding 
screen  removed  and  the  two  tables  pushed  together.  The  ladies  then 
"changed  their  dresses,"  washed  their  hands,  rinsed  out  their  mouths 
with  tea,  and  continued  the  feast  by  themselves.  The  Ancestress  cast 
her  eyes  about  her  and  remarked  sadly  that  this  year  there  were  many 
gaps  in  the  circle  around  the  table.  Phoenix  and  the  Widow  Chu  were 
absent,  owing  to  illness;  Precious  Clasp  and  Precious  Harp  had  had  to 
stay  with  Aunt  Hsueh,  who  was  also  ill.  She  missed  particularly  the 
gaiety  which  Phoenix  always  contributed  to  these  family  gatherings. 

"Last  year  it  was  more  cheerful;  true,  the  men  were  absent,  but  we 
women  were  all  here  and  Phoenix  provided  enough  entertainment  for 
ten.  This  time  the  men  were  here,  but  we  women  are  not  in  full  number. 
It  just  shows  how  difficult  it  is  to  have  everything  one  wants  at  the  same 
time  in  this  world,"  she  sighed. 

In  order  to  raise  the  spirits  of  the  company  she  had  the  little  wine 
glasses  replaced  by  big  goblets,  with  the  result  that  in  a  short  time  all 
present  became  drowsy  from  wine,  with  the  exception  of  the  Ancestress. 
For  none  of  the  ladies  present  could  hold  her  own  with  the  Ancestress  in 
the  matter  of  drink.  Then  she  had  carpets  laid  on  the  terrace  steps  in 

416 


front  of  the  Hall  of  Blossoms  and  ordered  the  serving  women  and  maid- 
servants to  sit  comfortably  on  the  steps  and  have  a  good  time  and  enjoy 
the  fruits  and  dainties  which  had  been  distributed  to  them,  for  the  staff 
were  also  to  have  some  part  in  the  banquet.  The  moon  was  now  fully 
risen  and  was  shining  if  possible  more  magnificently  than  before. 

"Flute  music  is  just  what  we  want  in  this  glorious  moonlight,"  pro- 
posed the  Ancestress.  The  others  wanted  to  send  for  a  company  of 
young  girls  with  all  the  instruments  necessary  to  make  up  a  complete 
band. 

"That  would  be  too  much  of  a  good  thing,"  objected  the  Ancestress. 
"Too  much  noise  distracts  the  mind.  I  should  like  to  hear  only  one 
single,  simple  flute  playing  very  gently  in  the  distance." 

While  the  company  was  waiting  for  the  flute-player  whom  they  were 
expecting,  one  of  Princess  Shieh's  serving"  women  came  and  whispered 
something  in  her  mistress's  ear.  The  Prince  had  stumbled  on  a  stone 
just  now  and  sprained  his  foot,  the  Ancestress  was  told  in  reply  to  I  er 
inquiry.  Thereupon  the  Ancestress  gave  the  Princess  permission  to 
leave  the  company. 

"Niece  Chen  may  go  with  you  at  the  same  time;  it  is  time  for  her  to 
go  home,"  the  Ancestress  added. 

"Oh,  no,  I  should  like  to  keep  our  old  Ancestress  company  all  night," 
said  Princess  Chen. 

"You  are  a  nice  wife  indeed !  Young  married  people  should  be  in  bed 
on  this  night!  Do  not  neglect  your  wifely  duty!"  said  the  Ancestress 
with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  do  not  flatter  me!  I  am  already  in  the  forties  and  have  been 
married  to  my  husband  for  over  twenty  years,"  said  the  Princess,  blush- 
ing coyly.  "Besides,  we  are  still  in  the  mourning  period." 

"You  are  quite  right.  I  did  not  think  of  that.  Yes,  of  cours^it  is  only 
two  y.ars  since  your  father-in-law  died.  How  can  one  be  ^^forgetful! 
That  will  cost  me  a  good,  big  forfeit  drink!  But  do  stay  and  keep  me 
company!  Grandniece  Yung  may  accompany  my  daughter-in-law." 

Princess  Shieh  and  young  Mistress  Chia  Yung  thereupon  took  their 
leave.  The  ladies  who  remained  went  on  drinking  and  chatting,  and  at 
intervals  strolled  about  a  little  in  the  moonlight  and  sniffed  the  flower- 
ing branches  of  the  little  cinnamon  trees  which  had  been  planted 
around  the  Hall  of  the  Blossoms,  at  the  same  time  listening  to  the  clear, 
gentle  tones  of  a  single  flute  which  drifted  through  the  quiet  night  from 
the  other  side  of  the  cinnamon  hedge.  There  was  something  so  gentle, 
so  liberating,  and  so  refreshing  about  the  music  that  they  all  fell  into 
silent  rapture  and  listened  spellbound. 

"Now,  was  it  not  beautiful?"  asked  the  Ancestress,  beaming  with 
pleasure,  when  the  flute-playing  ceased. 

417 


"Really,  it  was  much  more  beautiful  than  we  could  have  imagined," 
they  all  replied  with  enthusiasm. 

"The  old  Ancestress  has  certainly  shown  us  how  to  enjoy  art  prop- 
erly." 

"Oh,  that  was  nothing  very  special.  Our  songbooks  have  many  more 
beautiful  airs.  Above  all,  the  notes  should  come  over  more  gentle  and 
more  sustained." 

The  Ancestress  had  a  full  goblet  of  wine  taken  over  to  the  flute- 
player,  together  with  some  requests  regarding  the  program.  Mandarin 
Duck  appeared  with  a  warm  hood  and  a  waterproof  cloak,  which  she 
carefully  wrapped  around  the  Ancestress. 

"It  is  late  night.  Soon  the  dew  will  be  falling  and  the  air  will  be  get- 
ting cooler.  The  old  Tai  tai  should  go  to  bed  in  good  time,"  the  waiting 
maid  warned  her. 

"Do  not  nag  me!"  growled  the  old  lady.  "I  am  in  such  good  form 
today !  You  do  not  think,  do  you.  that  I  can  be  bowled  over  by  a  little 
carousal  at  night?  I  will  last  out  until  morning." 

She  had  her  glass  filled  again  and  the  feast  continued.  Now  the  single, 
thin  strains  ot  gentle  flute  music  again  penetrated  through  the  darkness 
of  the  cinnamon  hedge.  This  time  the  melody  was  so  plaintive  and  so 
full  of  feeling  that  it  touched  the  heart  of  the  Ancestress  and  made  her 
quite  emotional. 

"Now  I  should  like  to  tell  you  an  amusing  story,"  suggested  Princess 
Chen,  to  cheer  her  up,  as  soon  as  the  flute-playing  ceased. 

"So  much  the  better.  Go  right  ahead!"  urged  the  Ancestress,  putting 
on  a  more  cheerful  face. 

"Then  once  was  a  man  who  had  four  sons,"  began  the  Princess. 
"The tirst  liad  only  one  eye,  the  second  only  one  ear,  the  third  only  one 
nostril  ^ke  fourth  had  all  these  parts  complete,  but  he  was  dumb.  .  .  .'' 

She  stepped  because  she  noticed  that  the  Ancestress  had  apparently 
dozed  off. 

"We  should  take  her  to  bed,"  she  whispered  to  Madame  Cheng. 

"No,  no,  go  on  with  the  story!"  said  the  Ancestress  brightly,  opening 
her  eyes.  "I  only  shut  my  eyes  in  order  the  better  to  concentrate  on  the 
story." 

"Tomorrow  is  another  day,  and  the  moon  will  be  shining  again  then; 
it  is  time  to  go  to  bed,"  they  advised  her  gently. 

"How  late  is  it,  then?" 

"We  are  in  the  fourth  night  watch.  It  is  already  morning.  The  young 
girls  were  so  tired  they  could  not  last  it  out,  and  have  slipped  off." 

The  Ancestress  looked  around  the  table.  The  young  girls'  places  were 
indeed  empty.  Only  Taste  of  Spring  was  still  present. 

"A  flabby  lot,  they  cannot  stand  anything!"  she  murmured.  "Our 

418 


WJm^mz 


Taste  of  Spring  deserves  praise;  she  is  a  brave  girl!  But  you  are  quite 
right;  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed." 

She  took  another  drink  of  clear  tea,  and  then  she  got  into  a  sedan 
chair  made  of  bamboo  basketwork,  borne  by  two  strong  maids. 

But  not  all  the  young  girls  were  by  any  means  so  soft  as  the  Ances- 
tress had  believed  them  to  be.  Instead  of  remaining  to  enjoy  the  moon- 
lit scene  from  the  hilltop,  Black  Jade  and  Little  Cloud  had  gone  down 
below  and  were  enjoying  it  by  the  Crystal  .Crevice — the  belvedere  built 
into  the  rocky  wall  at  the  foot  of  the  Emerald  Cone,  by  the  brink  of  the 
fishpond.  For  here  they  had  the  additional  delight  of  watching  the  sil- 
very reflection  of  the  moon  playing  on  the  rippling  waters.  On  the  way 
down  the  hill  they  had  had  a  lively  literary  argument  as  to  whether  the 
two  ideographs  which  had  been  applied  by  the  experts  to  the  hill  and 
the  lake  belvedere  when  the  park  had  been  created-^namely,  the  two 
characters  tu,  signifying  "cone,"  and  wa,  signifying  "crevice" — were 
admissible  from  the  literary  point  of  view  or  whether  they  were  inap- 
propriate and  should  be  rejected. 

Then  they  had  sat  down  on  two  plaited  bamboo  stools  on  the  open 
belvedere  terrace,  and,  inspired  by  the  sight  of  the  two  moons — the  one 
in  the  sky  and  the  other  on  the  water — they  had  composed  between 
them  a  long  and  wonderfully  beautiful  five-word  stanza  on  the  theme  of 
this  moonlit  night.  They  intended  next  day  to  surprise  and  put  to 
shame  the  other  members  of  the  Begonia  Club  with  this  nocturnal  opus 
and  so  to  spur  the  club  on  to  renewed  efforts,  for  unfortunately  it  had 
been  very  inactive  for  a  long  time  now. 

The  two  were  joined  later  by  the  beautiful  anchoress  Miao  Yu,  who, 
like  the  rest,  was  unable  to  sleep  that  beautiful  night  of  full  moon,  and 
had  gone  for  a  stroll  through  the  park.  She  had  helped  the  girls  with 
their  poetical  composition  and  then  tak^n  them  to  her  Kingfisher's  Cage 
hermitage  and  regaled  them  with  a  bowl  of  her  famous  wonder  tea.  The 
first  crows  of  the  cock  were  already  resounding  from  the  Rice  Farm 
when  the  two  night  revellers  at  last  lay  down  to  sleep  on  the  same  bed 
in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage. 

When  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival  was  over  and  Phoenix  had  more  or 
less  recovered,  thanks  to  the  lavish  use  of  the  best  ginseng  root,  the  in- 
terrupted purge  in  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  was  resumed  once 
more. 

Madame  Cheng,  having  received  a  report  on  the  recent  house-to- 
house  search,  took  immediate  action.  Grief  of  Spring's  painting  maid 
was  taken  away  from  the  park  and  transferred  to  the  eastern  palace  at 
her  mistress's  request,  and  now  Greeting  of  Spring's  chess  maid  was 
chased  out  of  the  house.  She  was  forbidden  to  take  leave  of  her  col- 

420 


leagues  and  the  other  inmates  of  the  park  with  whom  she  had  passed 
many  happy  years.  When  Pao  Yu,  whom  she  had  met  by  chance  as  she 
was  being  chased  away,  and  whom  she  had  implored  with  tears  to  inter- 
cede for  her,  tried  to  get  a  reprieve,  he  was  given  a  nasty  reception  from 
the  grim  supervisors  of  order.  "Off  to  your  books !  This  is  none  of  your 
business!"  they  rebuked  him,  and  ruthlessly  pushed  him  aside.  He 
could  not  refrain  from  shouting  a  few  biting  words  after  the  troop  of 
departing  matrons.  "It  is  a  strange  thing,"  he  cried,  "that  as  soon  as 
you  women  marry  you  lose  all  your  womanliness  and  adopt  the  bad 
ways  of 'men.  Indeed,  you  are  even  worse  than  men!" 

"It  seems  that  young  girls  are  higher  beings  in  your  opinion  and  that 
men  are  a  bad  lot?"  they  scoffed  back  at  him. 

"Of  course,"  said  Pao  Yu,  nodding  eagerly. 

"Ha-ha!  Better  be  off  and  prepare  for  a  visit  from  your  mother,  for 
your  Bright  Cloud's  turn  is  coming  right  away!  Today  at  last  we  are 
making  a  clean  sweep,  and  these  witches  will  be  chased  away!  Thanks 
be  to  Buddha!  Ha-ha!" 

Immediately  after  this  Madame  Cheng  herself  arrived  at  the  Begonia 
Courtyard  and  turned  Bright  Cloud,  whom  she  detested,  out  of  the 
house.  Though  ill,  Bright  Cloud  had  to  pack  up  a  few  belongings  and 
leave  the  place  with  her  relatives,  who  had  been  sent  for  to  take  her 
away.  Pretty  Little  Fourth  suffered  the  same  fate  for  having  been  so 
imprudent  as  to  boast  that  her  birthday  fell  on  the  same  day  as  that  of 
her  young  master.  Three  members  of  the  troupe  of  dancing  girls  from 
Suchow,  who  had  stayed  on  in  the  park  at  their  request  when  the  troupe 
was  dispersed  last  year,  also  met  the  same  fate.  The  Tai  tai  would  on  no 
account  allow  such  dangerous  "vixens"  and  "professional  seductresses" 
to  remain  any  longer  in  the  proximity  of  her  son.  The  great  purge  termi- 
nated with  a  strict  search  of  Pao  Yu's  own  boxes  and  trunk-,  in  the 
course  of  which  every  object  which  was  considered  in  any  way  alluring 
or  offensive,  and  all  souvenirs  coming  from  any  suspicious  source.  \\t K 
ruthlessly  confiscated. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  chief  supervisor  of  order,  old  Vf  an<_r. 
who  was  the  grandmother  of  the  dismissed  chess  maid,  had  herself  to 
put  up  with  a  few  boxes  on  the  ear  from  her  mistress,  Princess  Shieh, 
and  had  remained  invisible  afterwards  for  many  days  on  the  plea  of 
being  ill. 


421 


CHAPTER   38 

The  charming  maid  cannot  get  over  the  wrong  done  her,  and  dies  in  the 

flower  of  her  youth.  The  unhappy  scion  of  princes  dedicates  a  funeral 

hymn  to  the  dead  maid. 

LAO  YU  HAD  BEEN  PREPARED  FOR  THE  ORDEAL  OF  A  HOUSE  SEARCH,  BUT 

that  Bright  Cloud,  the  dearest  and  most  lovable  of  his  waiting  maids, 
should  be  taken  from  him — this  had  hit  him  like  a  thunderbolt.  After 
his  mother  had  gone  away  in  bad  humor,  he  threw  himself  on  his  bed 
and  gave  himself  up  to  his  bewildered  grief. 

"Just  be  patient  for  a  few  days  until  the'Tci  tai's  anger  has  cooled 
down,  then  go  to  the^old  Tai  tai  and  beg  her  to  take  Bright  Cloud  back 
into  the  house,  and  then  everything  will  be  all  right  again,"  said  Pearl, 
trying  to  comfort  him. 

"If  I  only  knew  what  her  great  crime  was,"  cried  Pao  Yu,  passion- 
ately. 

"She's  too  pretty;  that's  her  only  crime,"  replied  Pearl,  shrugging 
her  shoulders.  "The  Tai  tai  considers  so  much  charm  a  danger  to  the 
peace  of  the  house.  Only  ugly,  stupid  creatures  like  me  are  pleasing  in 
her  eyes." 

"That  is  quite  ridiculous.  There  are  lots  of  examples  to  the  contrary 
in  history.  But  there's  something  else  bothering  me.  How  did  my 
mother  know  word  for  word  certain  intimate  little  things  and  jesting 
words  that  I  had  exchanged  with  Bright  Cloud?  Do  you  think  there  has 
been  some  spying  going  on  here?" 

"No  need  for  that,  since  you  yourself  are  usually  heedless  in  what 
you  say  when  you  are  among  people  and  get  warmed  up.  I  haye  warned 
you  again  and  again  with  words  and  looks;  but  it's  no  use." 

"After  all,  I  have  often  exchanged  familiarities  with  you,  and  Musk, 
and  Autumn  Wave  too;  why  was  it  Bright  Cloud  who  was  pounced 
upon?" 

Pearl  made  no  reply. 

"I'm  so  terribly  sorry  for  her!"  continued  Pao  Yu,  sobbing.  "She  has 
been  used  to  such  tender  treatment  here — and  now  this  graceful,  deli- 
cate orchid,  barely  opened  into  bloom,  is  roughly  thrown  into  the  hogs' 
furnace.  And  to  make  matters  worse,  she  is  sick  and  an  orphan.  The 
only  relative  she  has  to  fall  back  upon  is  an  elderly  married  cousin,  an 
evil  drunken  creature.  She  won't  survive  a  month  in  the  house  of  that 
greasy  reptile.  I  thought  to  myself  that  it  was  an  evil  omen  when  I  saw 
this  spring  how  the  blooms  of  our  golden  begonia  had  suddenly  died  in 
some  quite  inexplicable  way  all  over  one  half  of  the  tree.  Now  it  is  clear 
to  me  that  this  bad  omen  referred  to  our  poor  Bright  Cloud." 

Pearl  clapped  her  hands  together  in  astonishment. 

422 


"How  on  earth  can  an  enlightened,  educated  person  like  you  pay 
heed  to  such  old  wives'  superstitions  as  that?"  she  cried,  much  amused. 

"People  like  you  certainly  cannot  understand  it,"  he  said  reprov- 
ingly. "It  is  not  only  mankind  that  has  a  soul;  all  nature  is  animate  too, 
and  at  times  nature  proclaims  her  unity  with  man  by  strange  and  won- 
drous manifestations.  To  name  a  few  examples,  there  is  the  juniper  tree 
in  front  of  the  Temple  of  Confucius  in  Ku  fu;  there  are  the  cypresses  in 
front  of  the  tomb  of  Chu  Ko  Liang,  the  wise  counsellor  of  the  time  of 
the  Three  Kingdoms;  the  pines  by  the  grave  of  Yo  Fei,  the  great  Mar- 
shal of  the  Sung  dynasty.  These  age-old,  indestructible,  sacred  trees 
have  died  down  temporarily  again  and  again  in  the  course  of  the  cen- 
turies in  times  of  political  corruption,  only  to  burst  forth  in  fresh  ver- 
dure in  times  of  prosperity  and  order.  And  it  is  probably  exactly  the 
same  with  our  begonia." 

Half  unbelieving,  half  afraid,  Pearl  replied:  "Those  were  great  men, 
great  figures  in  history,  and  your  theory  may  very  well  apply  to  them. 
But  what  is  Bright  Cloud?  A  little,  unimportant  creature.  The  omen 
which  you  believe  our  golden  begonia  has  shown  might  just  as  well,  in 
fact  with  greater  right,  apply  to  me.  Perhaps  it  really  points  to  my  early 
death?" 

Horrified,  Pao  Yu  put  his  hand  over  her  mouth. 

"Oh,  be  quiet.  Don't  mention  a  thing  like  that  to  me  now!  Let's 
drop  the  subject.  There  is  something  else  that  I  want  to  talk  to  you 
about.  I  am  very  anxious  to  send  our  poor  Bright  Cloud  secretly  the 
things  she  had  to  leave  behind  here.  I  also  want  to  send  her  some  of  the 
money  we  have  put  aside,  so  that  she  will  be  able  to  pay  for  a  doctor 
and  for  some  care.  Will  you  undertake  the  sisterly  service  of  love?" 

"You  must  have  a  very  poor  opinion  of  me  if  you  think  that  I  had  to 
be  asked  by  you  to  do  that.  I  had  already  thought  of  it  myself  and  have 
put  all  her  things  away  ready  in  a  safe  place.  But  I  wanted  to  wait  until 
evening.  Now  in  the  daytime  there  are  too  many  prying  eyes  in  the  way. 
I  will  send  old  Sung;  and  she  shall  also  take  with  her  the  thousand- 
piece  rope  of  money  that  I  have  saved.  For  me,  a  little  sacrifice  like 
that  is  a  matter  of  course,  for  I  have  always  been  a  kind,  unselfish  soul, 
or  haven't  I?"  remarked  Pearl  a  trifle  bitterly. 

"Of  course  you  are  a  kind  soul,"  said  Pao  Yu,  smiling,  and  gently 
stroking  her  cheeks.  And  he  tried  to  drive  the  coldness  from  her  heart 
with  a  few  warm  words. 

So  in  the  evening  the  serving  woman  Sung  was  sent  off  with  the 
belongings  and  the  money. 

Before  that  Pao  Yu  himself  set  out  to  pay  Bright  Cloud  a  secret  visit. 
None  of  his  servants  was  allowed  to  accompany  him,  and  no  one  was 
permitted  to  leave  the  Begonia  Courtyard  that  evening.  Having  reached 

42? 


the  back  gate  of  the  park,  he  prevailed  upon  the  portress  on  guard 
there  to  show  him  the  way  to  Bright  Cloud's  home,  after  much  ado.  The 
portress,  who  was  afraid  of  losing  her  job  and  at  first  did  not  want  to 
help  him,  gave  in  in  the  end  when  he  promised  her  money. 

When  her  parents  had  died  Bright  Cloud  had  been  bought  as  a  small 
child  by  the  house  steward,  Lai  Ta.  Lai  Ta's  wife  had  later  given  her  as 
a  present  to  the  Princess  Ancestress,  who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the 
pretty  little  ten-year-old.  Her  cousin,  Little  Kwei,  had  been  married  off 
by  Lai  Ta  to  a  sly  little  coquette,  who  deceived  her  blockhead  husband 
in  every  conceivable  way.  The  servants  of  her  master  Lai  Ta  were  al- 
ways after  her  like  flies  after  a  stink.  From  the  time  Bright  Cloud  had 
been  serving  Pao  Yu  this  girl  had  been  always  pestering  her  to  put  in  a 
word  for  her  with  Phoenix;  she  wanted  a  post  as  serving  woman  in  the 
Yungkuo  palace.  At  last  she  and  her  husband  were  allowed  to  live  near 
the  back  gate  of  the  park  and  were  employed  by  Phoenix  personally  for 
all  sorts  of  profitable  errands  and  orders.  They  did  not  make  much  of  a 
fuss  over  poor  sick  Bright  Cloud.  She  was  put  out  of  the  way  in  a  back 
room  and  left  to  herself  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 

Having  reached  his  destination,  Pao  Yu  left  the  old  woman  at  the 
house  door  to  watch  out,  and  went  alone  into  Bright  Cloud's  room.  He 
found  her  lying,  half  asleep  on  a  wretched  bed  of  rush  matting.  Luckily, 
she  had  at  least  got  a  few  cushions  and  a  blanket  from  her  former  posses- 
sions to  cover  her.  Pao  Yu  plucked  her  sleeve  and  called  her  softly  by 
name.  Half  frightened,  half  pleased,  she  blinked  at  him  with  eyes  that 
had  grown  dull. 

"Oh,  it's  you!  I  thought  I  would  never  see  you  again,"  she  gasped, 
convulsively  drawing  his  hand  up  to  her.  When  she  had  got  over  a  fit 
of  coughing,  she  continued:  "By  Buddha!  You  have  come  just  at  the 
right  time.  For  hours  I  have  been  gasping  for  a  drink  of  tea,  but  there 
was  no  one  near.  Do  please  pour  me  out  half  a  bowl!" 

"Where's  the  teakettle?"  he  asked,  wiping  his  eyes. 

"It's  there  on  the  edge  of  the  stove." 

Pao  Yu  looked  around.  So  this  filthy,  rusty  pot  with  the  coal-black 
spout  was  the  teapot?  He  picked  up  a  dirty  bowl,  the  only  one  he  could 
find  on  the  table.  It  had  a  nasty  smell  of  rancid  mutton  fat.  Shaking  his 
head  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  washed  it  and  then  dried  it  with  one 
of  his  silk  handkerchiefs.  Then  he  filled  it  half  full  from  the  black  iron 
pot.  So  this  cloudy,  dark  red  brew  was  supposed  to  be  tea?  He  tasted 
the  bitter  muck,  and  was  overcome  with  nausea.  It  cut  him  to  the  heart 
to  see  how  the  sick  girl  greedily  gulped  down  the  contents  of  the  bowl  in 
one  swallow,  as  if  it  were  the  sweetest  dew  from  heaven. 

"Have  you  anything  else  to  say  to  me?"  he  urged.  "If  you  have, 
make  the  best  of  this  moment  that  we're  alone." 

424 


"What  else  would  I  have  to  say  to  you?"  she  sighed.  "I'm  just  drag- 
ging myself  on  from  day  to  day.  As  things  are  going  with  me,  I  shall 
be  over  it  all  in  three  to  five  days.  The  only  thing  that  is  weighing  on 
me  is  the  thought  that  I  am  dying  under  a  shadow.  I  may  indeed  have 
been  prettier  than  the  others,  but  to  say  that  I  was  a  seductress,  a  dan- 
gerous vixen — no,  I  didn't  deserve  that.  I  will  not  quarrel  with  the  past, 
but  perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  if  I  had  never  .  .  ." 

Her  breath  failed  her  and  she  could  speak  no  longer.  Pao  Yu  per- 
ceived with  a  shock  how  cold  her  hands  were.  He  felt  as  if  his  heart  had 
been  pierced  with  a  thousand  arrows.  He  anxiously  rubbed  her  hands 
and  patted  her  body  lightly.  How  emaciated  she  had  grown!  It  shook 
him  to  see  how  four  silver  bracelets  rattled  loosely  around  her  skinny 
wrists. 

"Take  them  off  and  wear  them  again  when  you're  well  once  more  and 
have  filled  out  a  bit!"  he  begged  her  in  an  agitated  voice. 

Bright  Cloud  suddenly  raised  her  clenched  left  hand  to  her  lips  and 
with  a  great  effort  bit  off  two  of  her  fingernails.  She  laid  them  in  Pao 
Yu's  hand.  He  hid  them  in  his  belt  pocket.  Now  she  slid  her  right  hand 
under  the  blanket,  drew  off  the  short  reel  silk  petticoat  which  she  still 
wore  from  better  days,  and  handed  it  to  Pao  Yu  as  a  further  souvenir. 
Then,  exhausted  by  the  twofold  exertion,  she  sank  back,  groaning. 
Guessing  her  thoughts,  Pao  Yu  hurriedly  removed  his  own  shirt,  spread 
it  over  her  naked  body,  and  put  her  garment  on  himself  instead  of  it.  In 
great  haste,  and  without  waiting  to  do  up  all  the  buttons,  he  dressed 
himself  again. 

"Lift  me  up  so  that  I  can  sit!"  she  asked  him  in  a  dull  voice,  while 
he  was  still  dressing. 

Alas,  Pao  Yu  had  little  trouble  in  lifting  up  her  light,  emaciated 
body.  Now,  sitting  up,  she  pulled  his  shirt  from  under  the  bedclothes 
and  put  it  on  with  great  difficulty,  with  Pao  Yu's  assistance.  Then  he 
let  her  sink  back  gently  OP  her  pillows  again. 

"Now  go!"  she  said.  "It  ie  horrible  for  you  here  in  this  filthy  room.  I 
am  glad  that  you  have  come  once  more.  Now  I  shall  die  happy." 

She  was  about  to  say  something  more  when  the  cloth  curtain  of  the 
door  Was  pushed  aside,  and  Little  Kwei's  wife  walked  in  with  a 
lewd  smile  on  her  face. 

"Ha-ha!  This  is  a  nice  conversation  you've  been  carrying  on  here! 
I've  seen  and  heard  everything!"  she  said.  "Now,  what  brings  the  high- 
born young  gentleman  into  my  humble  dwelling?  No  doubt  he  wants  to 
have  a  look  at  me  and  to  try  out  his  arts  on  my  youthful  charms,  eh?" 

"Hush!  Not  so  loud,  good  elder  sister!"  he  pleaded,  much  embar- 
rassed. "No  one  must  know  that  I'm  here.  I  just  wanted  to  see  Bright 
Cloud.  She  served  me  faithfully  for  a  long  time." 

425 


Smiling,  she  took  him  by  the  hand  and  drew  him  with  her  into  her  bed- 
room. 

"You  are  surely  a  lady's  man,  all  the  world  knows  that!  Very  well, 
then,  if  you  want  me  to  keep  my  mouth  shut  you  must  show  me  a  little 
favor." 

And  with  this  she  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  and  drew  him 
close  against  her,  crushing  him  between  her  thighs.  Nothing  like  this 
had  ever  happened  to  him  before.  He  flushed  a  hot  crimson. 

"Don't  do  that!"  he  gasped  in  confusion. 

"Pah!  Don't  pretend!"  she  said,  with  an  ugly  look.  "You're  crazy  for 
women  and  girls,  aren't  you?  So  why  so  shy  now?" 

"Leave  me  alone!  What  if  the  old  woman  who  brought  me  over  here 
should  see  me?  We  can't  do  it  now.  We'll  arrange  for  some  other  time." 

"Oh,  there's  no  fear  we'll  be  seen.  I  have  sent  the  old  woman  away 
already.  She's  waiting  for  you  in  front  of  the  park  gate.  Now  let  me  re- 
peat: Either  you  do  what  I  want  or  I'll  raise  a  row  and  betray  you,  and 
then  your  Tai  tai  will  hear  what  a  crazy  fellow  you  are.  I  was  listening 
just  now  under  the  window  of  the  room  and  I  saw  the  familiar  and  inti- 
mate goings-on  you  had  with  Bright  Cloud.  I'm  no  fool!" 

She  began  to  open  the  waistband  of  his  trousers  and  to  lift  up  her 
own  dress.  Pao  Yu  resisted  with  all  his  strength  and  struggled  to  free 
hi~aself  from  her  embrace.  In  the  middle  of  the  fierce  struggle,  a  voice 
was  heard  outside  saying:  "Does  Sister  Bright  Cloud  live  here?" 

Little  Kwei's  wife  started  up  in  alarm  and  let  her  prisoner  free. 

"She's  here!"  she  cried,  running  up  to  the  window.  Out  in  the  yard 
stood  the  servant  Liu  with  her  little  daughter.  She  had  been  sent  by 
the  serving  woman  Sung  to  bring  Bright  Cloud  the  belongings  she  had 
left  behind  and  Pearl's  rope  of  a  thousand  coins.  While  she  was  stating 
her  errand  and  being  shown  into  Bright  Cloud's  room  by  the  woman, 
through  the  window  of  the  next  room  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  male  form. 
As  she  was  well  aware  of  the  character  of  Kwei's  wife,  she  assumed 
she  had  one  of  her  lovers  in  there,  and  thought  no  more  of  the  matter. 
But  her  keen-eyed  little  girl  had  already  recognized  the  shadowy  form 
as  Pao  Yu. 

"Wasn't  Miss  Pearl  looking  for  the  little  master  just  now?  He's  in 
there,"  she  whispered  to  her  mother,  as  they  went  away.  The  woman 
Liu  stopped  and  looked  inquiringly  at  the  wife  of  Little  Kwei. 

"Of  course  he's  not.  What  would  the  little  master  want  with  me?"  she 
lied.  She  was  burning  to  resume  and  carry  to  victory  the  interrupted 
contest  with  Pao  Yu,  but  Pao  Yu  frustrated  her  intention.  Two  things 
drove  him  out  of  his  hiding  place:  the  fear,  on  the  one  hand,  that  he 
would  get  back  late  and  find  the  park  gates  closed,  and,  on  the  other, 
the  dread  of  a  renewed  attack  by  the  lusting  woman. 

426 


"Hi,  Godmother  Liu,  wait  a  minute  and  I  will  be  with  you!"  he  cried, 
suddenly  emerging  from  under  the  door  curtain,  after  Liu  had  already 
turned  to  go. 

"Oh.  so  there's  our  little  master!  What  brings  you  here?"  asked  the 
Liu  woman,  utterly  astonished. 

Pao  Yu  wasted  no  time  in  long  explanations,  but  slipped  past  her  out 
the  door.  Mother  Liu  and  her  daughter  raced  along  after  him,  while 
Little  Kwei's  wife  was  left  standing  at  the  door  with  a  long  face,  be- 
wailing her  beautiful,  vanished  dream. 

Out  of  breath  and  with  fast-beating  heart,  Pao  Yu  arrived  back  at  the 
park  in  the  nick  of  time  before  the  gates  were  shut  and  reached  the 
Begonia  Courtyard  without  being  seen  by  the  evening  patrols  of  park 
watchwomen.  He  had  come  from  Aunt  Hsueh,  he  told  Pearl,  and  went 
straight  to  bed. 

"Are  you  going  to  bed  so  early?"  asked  Pearl. 

"That's  my  own  business,"  he  retorted  brusquely. 

Mindful  of  her  dignity  and  of  her  responsibility  to  the  Ancestress  and 
to  Madame  Cherg,  Pearl  had  become  somewhat  more  reserved  in  her 
demeanor  towards  Pao  Yu  for  the  past  few  years,  and  she  had  also  be- 
come somewhat  estranged  from  him.  The  place  in  his  heart  which 
she  had  occupied  previously  she  had  lost  in  the  course  of  time  to  her 
junior,  Bright  Cloud.  Bright  Cloud  it  was,  too,  who  had  the  privilege  of 
sleeping  in  his  bedroom,  for  Pao  Yu  was  afraid  of  being  alone  at  night 
and  had  to  have  someone  near  him  with  whom  he  could  exchange  a  few 
words  now  and  then  when  he  could  not  sleep.  Since  Bright  Cloud  had 
gone  Pearl  had  resumed  this  nocturnal  position  of  trust  once  more. 

That  night  she  heard  him  tossing  about  restlessly  in  his  bed  for  a 
long  time,  and  heaving  sighs,  short  and  long,  before  he  fell  asleep.  Then, 
towards  midnight,  when  she  herself  was  just  nodding  off,  she  heard 
him  calling  loudly  for  Bright  Cloud. 

"What's  wrong?"  she  asked. 

He  asked  for  tea. 

"Ah.  it's  you,  Pearl,"  he  said,  embarrassed,  with  an  apologetic  smile, 
when  she  brought  him  the  tea.  "I  called  for  the  other  girl  through 
absent-mindedness  and  habit." 

"When  she  was  new  here  you  used  to-  go  on  calling  for  me  in  your 
sleep;  that's  how  times  change,"  remarked  Pearl  with  an  air  of 
resignation. 

He  went  to  sleep  again  only  after  two  hours  of  tossing  and  turning. 
It  was  getting  towards  five  in  the  morning  when  Bright  Cloud  appeared 
to  him  in  a  dream. 

"I've  come  to  bid  you  good-by,"  she  said.  "Farewell!"  and  disap- 
peared once  more.  He  leaped  out  of  bed  terrified  and  woke  Pearl. 

427 


"Bright  Cloud  has  just  died,"  he  told  her  dully.  Pearl  did  not  believe 
him  and  tried  to  talk  him  out  of  his  "hallucination,"  but  he  held  firmly 
to  his  belief  and  could  hardly  wait  for  the  morning  to  send  for  news  of 
Bright  Cloud.  And  he  had  to  hold  his  soul  in  patience  until  the  after- 
noon before  he  got  definite  news.  For  he,  his  half-brother  Chia  Huan, 
and  his  nephew  Chi  a  Lan  had  to  spend  the  whole  day  in  the  company  of 
the  stern  father  and  various  worthy  seniors.  There  was  an  inspection  of 
chrysanthemums,  and  on  this  occasion  the  juniors  were  required  once 
more  to  show  their  literary  ability.  The  test  passed  off  to  the  satisfaction 
of  Mr.  Cheng,  and  after  it  Pao  Yu  was  able  to  display  proudly  to  his 
grandmother  and  mother  the  trophies  with  which  the  various  worthy 
seniors  had  honored  him — three  fans,  three  prayer  chaplets  with  sandal- 
wood  beads,  three  jade  rings,  and  a  little  carved  sandalwood  Buddha 
as  an  amulqt  to  wear  on  the  breast.  On  his  way  back  to  the  Begonia 
Courtyard  he  was  accompanied  by  his  two  waiting  maids  Musk  and 
Autumn  Wave  as  well  as  two  younger  assistant  waiting  maids.  On  the 
pretext  of  making  them  go  on  ahead  with  his  writing  equipment,  and 
his  cap  and  festive  outer  garments  which  he  had  taken  off  on  account  of 
the  heat,  he  had  got  rid  of  the  two  elder  girls  because  he  did  not  want 
to  make  them  jealous  by  inquiring  about  Bright  Cloud.  He  pretended 
he  wanted  to  stroll  for  a  while  in  the  park,  then,  finding  a  somewhat 
secluded  little  place  among  the  rocks,  he  took  the  two  younger  girls 
aside  to  cross-examine  them. 

"Did  Pearl  send  over  this  morning  to  Bright  Cloud?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  she  sent  old  Sung  over,"  replied  one  of  the  girls. 

"What  news  did  she  bring  back?" 

'"Bright  Cloud  kept  crying  out  the  whole  night,  then  towards  morning 
she  shut  her  eyes  and  lost  consciousness." 

"Whom  was  she  calling  for?" 

"For  her  mother." 

"For  anyone  else?" 

"I  don't  know." 

"Ah,  you  silly  thing.  I  suppose  you  didn't  listen  attentively." 

"That's  right.  She  only  half  listened,"  the  other  chimed  in  eagerly. 
She  was  rather  more  intelligent  than  the  other  and  guessed  the  reason 
for  his  urgent  questioning.  "I  know  a  lot  more,  and  I  know  it  first- 
hand too." 

"How  is  that?" 

"I  went  over  to  her  secretly  at  noon  today.  She  was  always  so  good 
to  us  younger  ones,  and  I  was  sorry  that  she  was  treated  so  unjustly. 
I  wanted  to  see  her  once  more,  for  friendship's  sake.  I  would  have 
willingly  taken  the  beating  I'd  have  got  if  I'd  been  discovered.  When 
I  went  in  she  opened  her  eyes  and  caught  hold  of  my  hand,  and  asked 

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at  once  for  you,  young  master.  Where  were  you,  was  her  first  question. 
I  said  you  had  gone  with  your  father  to  the  display  of  chrysanthemums. 
At  this  she  sighed  and  said:  That's  a  pity;  then  I  shall  never  see  him 
again.'  I  said  to  her  she  should  be  patient  for  a  bit,  as  you'd  surely 
come  to  see  her  again.  She  shook  her  head  and  smiled  and  replied 
that  today  at  exactly  two  quarters  after  the  first  half  of  the  double 
hour  of  the  sheep  she  would  have  to  take  up  the  vacant  position  of  a 
flower  spirit  at  the  command  of  the  Nephrite  Emperor,  but  that  you 
would  come  home  a  bit  later  than  that,  and  therefore  she  could  not  see 
you  again.  She  said  she  was  not  to  be  one  of  the  damned  whose  souls 
the  Prince  of  Hell,  Wen  Wang,  sends  his  little  devils  to  fetch,  and  who 
try  to  buy  an  hour's  reprieve  of  their  wretched  existence  by  bribing 
the  mercenary  messengers  of  hell  with  sacrifices  of  food  and  paper 
money.  No,  she  would  be  solemnly  carried  before  the  throne  of  the 
Emperor  of  Heaven  by  good  spirits,  and  she  did  not  wish  to  be  late  on 
any  account  in  getting  there.  I  did  not  believe  her,  but  when  she  drew 
her  last  breath  a  little  while  afterwards  I  found  her  words  confirmed 
by  the  clock  in  the  next  room.  The  hand  pointed  exactly  to  two  quarters 
after  the  first  half  of  the  double  hour  of  the  sheep — just  the  time  that 
she  had  foretold." 

Pao  Yu  nodded  earnest  assent. 

"If  you  were  acquainted  with  our  literature,  you  would  knowtthat 
there  really  is  such  a  thing.  Every  single  flower  has  its  spirit,  and  over 
the  spirits  of  each  kind  of  flower  there  is  set,  again,  a  higher  spirit.  Only 
I  would  very  much  like  to  know  to  which  species  of  flowers  she  is  at- 
tached, and  whether  as  an  ordinary  spirit  or  as  a  higher  spirit." 

The  girl  to  whom  his  question  was  addressed  was  not  long  at  a  loss 
for  an  answer.  It  occurred  to  her  that  now,  in  the  eighth  month,  the 
water  lilies  were  just  in  bloom. 

"I  asked  her  about  that  too,"  she  fibbed  boldly  and  bravely.  "I  told 
her  that  we  would  like  to  know,  so  that  we  could  give  our  special 
loving  care  to  her  species  of  flowers  in  future.  Then  she  told  me  that 
she  had  been  appointed  upper  guardian  spirit  of  our  water  lilies  in  the 
park.  But  I  would  not  like  to  betray  that  to  anyone  but  you,  young 
master." 

Pao  Yu  let  his  gaze  wander  across  to  the  water  lilies  in  the  near-by 
pond,  and  his  sorrowful  face  brightened. 

"She  has  been  given  a  worthy  and  a  beautiful  office.  To  live  on  in 
that  way,  after  having  passed  safely  through  the  Sea  of  Bitterness,  is 
indeed  a  happy  fate,"  he  murmured,  comforted. 

Feeling  the  urge  to  pay  the  dead  girl  the  honor  due  to  her,  on  her 
bier,  he  set  out,  unaccompanied,  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  by  the 

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usual  secret  way  through  the  back  gate  of  the  park.  He  found  the  house 
empty  and  locked. 

Little  Kwei's  wife,  hoping  for  a  small  subscription  towards  the 
burial,  had  gone  off  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  immediately  after  Bright 
Cloud's  death,  and  brought  word  of  it  to  Madame  Cheng.  Madame 
Cheng  had  given  her  ten  ounces  of  silver,  but  with  the  condition  that, 
instead  of  keeping  the  dead  girl  for  the  usual  period  laid  out  on  a  bier 
in  the  house  of  mourning,  they  should  take  her  outside  the  city  walls 
and  cremate  her  forthwith.  For  Bright  Cloud  had  died  of  consumption 
of  the  lungs  and  Madame  Cheng  was  afraid  that  some  harmful  in- 
fluence might  spread  to  the  Yungkuo  palace  if  the  corpse  were  in  its 
vicinity  for  a  long  time.  So  it  happened  that  Little  Kwei  and  his  wife 
were  already  on  their  way  to  the  city  walls  with  the  coffin  when  Pao 
Yu  arrived;  he  had,  therefore,  to  go  home  again  without  achieving  his 
object. 

He  was  deeply  depressed  and  felt  an  urge  to  seek  distraction  in 
Black  Jade's  company,  but  when  he  arrived  at  the  Bamboo  Hermitage 
he  was  told  that  Black  Jade  had  gone  to  Precious  Clasp.  He  now  set 
out  for  the  Jungle  Courtyard.  He  found  it  lonely  and  abandoned  and 
Precious  Clasp's  rooms  empty  and  dismantled.  He  then  remembered 
having  heard  that  Precious  Clasp  wished  to  leave  the  park  and  retur  i 
to  her  mother.  Recent  events  in  the  park  had  made  an  unpleasant  im- 
pression on  her  and,  moreover,  she  did  not  wish  to  expose  herself  to 
the  painful  possibility  of  another  house  search.  Phoenix  and  Madame 
Cheng  had  both  tried  in  vain  to  persuade  her  to  stay,  but  she  had  re- 
mained firm  and,  on  the  excuse  of  being  indispensable  to  her  mother, 
who  was  in  poor  health,  she  had  meantime  carried  out  her  intention. 

A  sorrowful  feeling  of  utter  desolation  crept  over  Pao  Yu.  He  saw 
the  number  of  his  intimate  companions  dwindling  little  by  little.  How 
would  it  be  if  Pearl  or  Black  Jade  were  to  die  next?  With  a  heavy  heart 
he  wandered  back  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  but  still  Black  Jade  was 
not  there.  So  desolate  did  he  'feel  that  he  was  almost  glad  now  to  be 
called  away  again  to  his  father  and  the  seniors.  The  session  of  poetic 
composition  occasioned  by  the  chrysanthemum  show,  which  had  been 
interrupted  by  the  luncheon  interval,  was  to  be  resumed  now. 

When  he  returned  to  the  park  in  the  hour  of  yellowish  twilight  and 
passed  by  the  pond  with  its  water  lilies  in  bloom,  his  thoughts  turned 
once  more  to  the  dead  girl,  Bright  Cloud.  He  stopped  at  the  edge  of  the 
pond,  looking  out  at  the  water  lilies  and  sighing.  It  had  been  denied 
him  to  offer  sacrifice  and  intone  a  dirge  at  her  bier,  as  would  have 
been  proper.  Should  he  not  make  good  his  omission  here,  in  the  sight 
of  the  water  lilies?  This  idea  passed  through  his  mind. 

And  as  his  muse  had  already  been  stirred  by  the  literary  activity  of 

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the  day,  he  asked  the  little  maid  who  was  carrying  behind  him  "the 
four  precious  articles  of  the  writing  table"  to  hand  him  his  writing  brush 
and  ink-stone.  And  there  and  then  he  composed  a  long  hymn,  which 
he  named  "Funeral  Hymn  to  the  Water-Lily  Maiden,"  and  wrote  it 
down  on  a  piece  of  that  fine,  wavy,  ribbed  silk  which  Bright  Cloud 
had  so  loved.  Meantime  the  little  maid  had  to  fetch  eating  bowls  con- 
taining four  of  Bright  Cloud's  favorite  dishes,  and  stand  them  one  on 
top  of  the  other  by  the  edge  of  the  pond,  as  an  offering  to  the  dead. 
Pao  Yu,  weeping,  read  his  hymn  aloud,  then  burned  incense,  and 
placed  the  sheet  of  silk  with  the  hymn  among  the  leaves  of  <he  nearest 
water  lily  within  reach.  Darkness  was  already  falling  when  at  last,  ~t  the 
entreaties  of  the  little  maid,  he  tore  himself  away  from  the  scene  of 
this  strange  act  of  homage  to  the  departed. 


CHAPTER   39 

The  Plaster  Priest  makes  game  of  Pao  Yu  and  invents  a  remedy  for 
jealousy.  Four  beauties  question  fate  with  the  fishing  rod. 

lAO  YU'S  TEARS  FOR  BRIGHT  CLOUD  WERE  NOT  YET  DRIED  WHEN  HE 
met  with  another  and  yet  more  painful  loss.  Cousin  Greeting  of  Spring 
had  to  leave  the  park  and  go  to  live  with  her  stepmother,  Princess  Shieh. 
She  was  betrothed  to  a  rich  young  man  named  Sun.  The  wedding  was 
to  take  place  very  soon — indeed,  in  this  same  year.  Until  then  the  bride 
must  live  in  strict  seclusion,  under  protection  of  her  mother,  as  the 
rules  of  etiquette  required. 

The  ancient  military  family  of  Sun  cajne  from  Ta  tung  fu,  in  the 
provinces,  and  since  the  grandfather's  time  had  had  friendly  connec- 
tions with  the  house  of  Chia.  But  the  chief  reason  why  Prince  Shieh 
had  sought  young  Sun,  who  lived  in  the  capital  and  was  a  candidate 
for  a  small  public  appointment  in  the  Ministry  of  War,  as  husband  of 
Greeting  of  Spring,  was  that  he  had  money.  Chia  Cheng  had  been 
against  the  match.  For  the  great  hulking  thirty-year-old  fellow,  though 
certainly  proficient  in  archery,  and  riding,  and  drinking,  had  not  a 
trace  of  literary  education  or  refinement,  and  did  not  seem  to  him  a 
suitable  partner  for  a  daughter  of  the  cultured  Chia  clan.  But  young 
Sun  was  able  to  pay  a  great  deal  of  money  for  the  match,  and  that  was 
the  determining  factor  for  Prince  Shieh,  who  was  so  greedy  for  money. 
The  five  thousand  ounces  of  silver  which  he  pocketed  for  Greeting  of 
Spring  were  not  to  be  despised. 

Pao  Yu  found  it  hard  to  get  over  the  loss  of  four  playmates — Precious 
Clasp,  Greeting  of  Spring,  Bright  Cloud,  and  the  chess  maid — which 

431 


followed  in  such  rapid  succession.  And  to  crown  it  all  he  heard  that 
Grief  of  Spring  would  be  taken  away  next,  also  to  be  married.  Quite 
distraught,  he  wandered  through  the  park,  a  prey  to  melancholy 
thoughts.  Again  and  again  he  found  himself  drawn  to  the  abandoned 
Jungle  Courtyard  and  the  desolate  Damask  Kiosk,  where  formerly  the 
happy  sound  of  girls'  voices  echoed,  and  now  only  dreary  silence 
reigned.  The  falling  autumn  foliage  harmonized  well  with  his  gloomy 
mood  and  made  him  think  of  the  transient  nature  of  earthly  joys.  His 
mental  depression  was  intensified  by  the  physical  suffering  of  a  cold. 
He  fell  ill  and  on  doctor's  orders  had  to  keep  to  his  room  for  a  hundred 
days.  The  medical  instructions  were  in  fact  based  mainly  on  educational 
grounds.  For  once  he  was  to  spend  the  three  winter  months  up  to  the 
New  Year  quietly  at  home.  But  now  as  in  the  past  Pao  Yu  avoided  his 
books  and  preferred  to  pass  the  time,  in  so  far  as  he  could,  chatting 
and  playfully  trifling  with  his  waiting  maids.  At  the  end  of  fifty  days 
he  was  again  bubbling  over  with  the  joy  of  life,  and  with  every  fiber  of 
his  being  he  craved  to  go  out;  but  to  his  sorrow  his  mother  and  grand- 
mother remained  firm;  he  was  not  even  allowed  to  attend  the  merry 
wedding  feast  of  his  cousin  Hsueh  Pan.  For  the  Mad  Robber  Count, 
after  much  searching  and  choosing,  had  at  last  decided  to  marry.  He 
believed  he  had  found  just  the  right  bride  in  a  former  playmate.  She 
was  a  proud,  spoiled  beauty  whom  he  had  met  again  during  his  recent 
business  tour,  the  only  daughter  and -heiress  of  one  Hsia  of  Chang, 
a  cinnamon  planter  and  contractor  to  the  Imperial  Palace. 

After  his  hundred  days'  confinement,  Pao  Yu  had  first  of  all,  at  his 
grandmother's  wish,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Temple  of  Heavenly  Harmony 
outside  the  western  city  gate,  to  offer  due  thanks  to  the  Nephrite  Em- 
peror for  his  recovery.  What  could  he  have  desired  more,  after  his 
long  confinement,  than  this  excursion  into  the  open  country?  He  could 
hardly  close  an  eye  the  night  before,  so  great  was  his  joyful  anticipa- 
tion. Very  early  in  the  morning  he  drove  out  of  the  town  in  a  carriage, 
accompanied  by  his  two  personal  servants,  Ming  Yen  and  Li  Kwei,  as 
well  as  three  serving  women. 

Pao  Yu  executed  the  ceremonial  part  of  his  visit  to  the  temple  as 
quickly  as  possible  with  the  performance  of  a  few  kowtows  and  some 
kind  of  a  burnt  offering.  He  always  felt  somewhat  timid  and  uncom- 
fortable in  the  proximity  of  this  idol,  which  wore  such  a  majestic  and 
severe  expression. 

Happy  at  escaping  again  from  the  oppressive  semidarkness  of  the 
Hall  of  the  Gods  into  the  bright  daylight,  he  set  out  with  his  suite  on  a 
tour  of  the  extensive  temple  grounds,  took  breakfast,  and  then,  tired 
after  the  early  start  and  the  long  journey,  lay  down  to  rest  in  the  guest 
cell.  Lest  he  should  nod  off  to  sleep  and  miss  the  time  for  the  return 

432 


journey,  his  servants  asked  the  High  Priest  to  keep  him  awake  by  chat- 
ting with  him  a  little. 

High  Priest  Wang  pursued  the  calling  of  miracle  doctor  as  a  side 
line,  and  carried  on  a  lively  trade  throughout  the  whole  neighborhood 
with  his  celebrated  plasters  and  ointments  and  formulas  of  prayer  for 
effecting  cures,  which  had  earned  him  the  nickname  of  "the  Quick 
Plaster  Priest."  He  was  well  known,  besides,  as  a  joker  and  wit,  and  his 
merry  jests  were  soon  successful  in  dispelling  his  guest's  midday  tired- 
ness. 

"I  have  always  heard  so  much  praise  of  your  famous  ointments  and 
medicines,"  remarked  Pao  Yu  in  the  course  of  conversat.  n.  "For  what 
ailments,  then,  are  your  prescriptions  efficacious?" 

"Oh,  one  cannot  explain  all  that  in  just  a  few  words.  I  have  over  a 
hundred  prescriptions,  for  high  and  low,  old  and  young,  against  physi- 
cal and  spiritual,  external  and  internal  infirmities;  against  pain  in  the 
chest,  and  stomach  complaints,  and  indigestion,  as  well  as  against 
fevers  and  colds  and  blood  poisoning  and  colic  and  everything  you 
could  think  of.  My  remedies  banish  death  and  rejuvenate  the  aged,  and 
simply  work  wonders." 

"Now,  now,  you  are  surely  exaggerating!  I  know,  for  instance,  one 
ailment  against  which  your  skill  would  scarcely  have  any  success\" 

"You  may  box  my  ears,  pull  my  beard,  and  tear  down  my  temple,  if 
my  remedies  fail  in  one  single  case.  Tell  me  what  the  ailment  is!" 

Pao  Yu  signed  to  the  Plaster  Priest  to  come  nearer. 

"Make  one  guess!"  he  whispered  in  his  ear. 

"Oh,  I  understand,"  said  the  priest,  smiling  slyly.  "The  little  master 
no  doubt  wants  a  philter  for  use  in  the  inner  chambers,  eh?" 

"Do  you  want  a  few  blows  in  the  face?"  asked  Ming  Yen,  putting  his 
hand  over  old  Wang's  mouth. 

"What  does  he  mean?"  asked  Pao  Yu,  naively. 

"Ah,  don't  take  his  drivel  seriously!" 

"Do  you  know  of  anything  which  will  cure  young  girls  of  jealousy?" 
asked  Pao  Yu,  again  turning  to  the  priest. 

The  priest-doctor  clapped  his  hands  in  astonishment. 

"What  ideas  people  take  into  their  heads!  This  is  the  first  case  of  the 
kind  that  I  have  come  across  in  my  practice.  Nevertheless.  I  do  know  a 
remedy,  though  it  doesn't  work  very  quickly.  You  must  have  a  little 
patience." 

"Out  with  it!  Speak!  What  is  the  remedy?"  asked  Pao  Yu  eagerly. 

The  priest-doctor  put  on  a  solemnly  professional  air. 

"You  dissolve  one  ounce  of  sugar  candy  in  a  cup  of  water,  mix  in 
half  an  ounce  of  dried  orange  peel,  add  a  nice  ripe,  peeled  pear,  and  let 

433 


the  sugary  syrup  soak  into  it.  Every  morning  this  preparation  should  be 
taken  for  breakfast,  until  the  ailment  in  question  has  disappeared." 

"Is  that  all?  I  do  not  think  it  very  promising,"  objected  Pao  Yu,  dis- 
appointed. 

"Oh,  but  one  has  to  persevere  with  the  cure,  even  if  it  takes  years!  It 
will  certainly  have  an  effect  in  the  end,  if  it  is  only  on  the  death  of  the 
patient.  But  apart  from  all  that,  it's  a  tasty,  wholesome  food,  good  for 
the  lungs  and  extraordinarily  beneficial  for.the  digestion." 

Pao  Yu  had  to  laugh  aloud.  Only  now  did  he  realize  that  the  old 
rascal  was  having  his  bit  of  fun  and  wanted  to  make  him  understand 
that  no  sugar  cure  in  the  world  could  have  any  effect  on  the  bile  of  a 
jealous  woman. 

Upon  his  return  Pao  Yu  found  his  recently  married  cousin,  Greeting 
of  Spring,  visiting  his  mother.  She  complained  that  her  marriage  was 
unhappy  and  she  did  not  want  to  leave  when  evening  came  and  she  was 
to  be  taken  back  to  her  husband's  home.  She  implored  Aunt  Cheng  with 
tears  to  keep  her  a  few  days  as  a  guest,  for  her  husband  was  an  intoler- 
able libertine,  a  drunkard  and  rowdy,  she  said. 

"I  must  have  been  soaked  in  vinegar,  he  shouted  at  me  when  I  ven- 
tured to  take  him  to  task  for  his  unfaithful  and  inconsiderate  behavior," 
she  complained.  "I  have  been  legally  sold  to  him  for  an  honest  five 
thousand  ounces,  and  therefore  I  must  submit  and  not  say  a  word  even 
if  he  beats  me  and  locks  me  up  in  a  servant's  room.  Oh,  he's  a  beast!" 

Moved  with  pity,  all  the  cousins  present  and  Madame  Cheng  broke 
into  a  chorus  of  sobbing  and  vied  with  one  another  in  their  efforts  to 
comfort  the  unfortunate  girl. 

"Your  Uncle  Cheng  was  against  this  unhappy  union  from  the  begin- 
ning," lamented  Madame  Cheng,  "but  unfortunately  your  father  was 
deaf  to  his  well-meant  objections.  But  what  can  be  done  now?  You  can 
only  submit  to  your  fate,  my  poof  child." 

"I  cannot  yet  understand  why  I  had  to  leave  you  all  so  suddenly  and 
be  torn  from  the  dear  places  where  I  had  spent  such  gay  and  happy 
years.  Since  then  I  have  felt  dazed  and  dreamy,  as  if  I  had  been  hit  on 
the  head.  Ah,  if  only  I  could  spend  three  days  in  my  dear  old  home  in 
the  park  just  once  more,  I  would  gladly  die,"  wailed  Greeting  of  Spring. 

"How  can  you  talk  of  dying?  Little  misunderstandings  between 
newly  married  couples  are,  after  all,  quite  common.  Very  well,  you  shall 
have  your  way  and  stay  with  us  for  three  days  and  live  in  your  beloved 
park  again,"  said  the  compassionate  Aunt  Cheng. 

And  she  gave  instructions  for  the  Damask  Kiosk,  the  former  home  of 
Greeting  of  Spring,  to  be  comfortably  fixed  up  at  once. 

"But  take  care  not  to  blab  and  talk  about  it  before  the  old  Tai  tai! 

434 


She  must  not  know  anything  about  it!"  she  earnestly  enjoined  Pao  Yu. 

And  so  Greeting  of  Spring  returned  that  evening  to  the  old  familiar 
home  in  the  park,  and  Pao  Yu  and  her  other  cousins  and  the  waiting 
maids  faithfully  kept  her  company  for  three  whole  days  and  vied  with 
each  other  in  enabling  her  to  relive  the  good  old  days  of  the  past.  But 
the  three  days  passed  only  too  quickly,  and  then  Greeting  of  Spring  had 
to  take  her  leave  with  a  heavy  heart  and  return  to  her  unloved  husband. 

The  tearful  leave-taking  touched  the  tenderhearted  Pao  Yu  even 
more  than  it  did  Madame  Cheng. 

"I  couldn't  sleep  the  whole  night  thinking  of  her,"  he  said  to  his 
mother  the  following  morning.  "I  pity  her,  she  is  so  kindhearted  and 
pleasant.  Why  should  it  befall  her  to  get  such  a  bad,  rough  man  for  a 
husband?" 

"It's  her  misfortune!  What  can  any  of  us  do  about  it?"  said  Madame 
Cheng.  "Once  a  daughter  marries  outside  the  house  she  is  lost  to  her 
relatives,  and  gone — thrown  out  like  a  pail  of  water,  and  that's  all  there 
is  to  it." 

"Should  we  not  try  to  talk  the  old  Tai  tai  into  taking  Greeting  of 
Spring  home  forever?  She  could  stay  in  the  Damask  Kiosk  and  live 
happily  in  our  company  as  before.  And  we  wouldn't  give  her  up  even  if 
that  horrid  fellow  Sun  sent  for  her  a  hundred  time 

"In  your _, simplicity  you're  just  talking  nonsense,"  said  Madame 
Cheng,  putting  him  off,  half  amused  and  half  annoyed.  "Grown-up 
daughters  have  to  marry  and  leave  the  home;  that  is,  after  all,  their 
destiny.  How  they  get  on  with  their  husbands — that  is  always  a  matter 
of  fate;  once  they  are  married,  the  family  can  do  nothing  about  it. 
They  cannot  all  strike  such  good  luck  as  your  elder  sister,  Beginning  of 
Spring;  one  gets  a  cock  of  a  fellow,  the  other  a  dog.  They  have  to  resign 
themselves  to  their  fate  and  make  the  best  of  it.  As  the  years  go  by  they 
become  used  to  each  other,  the  conflicting  characters  and  temperaments 
come  to  terms,  and  once  a  child  is  born,  everything  is  all  right  in  the 
end.  So  give  up  your  silly  idea,  and  do  not  dare  to  let  out  even  half  a 
word  about  the  matter  to  the  old  Tai  tai!" 

Utterly  perplexed,  Pao  Yu  wandered  back  to  the  park.  He  called  on 
Black  Jade,  who  was  just  then  at  her  morning  toilet,  and  told  her  of  his 
sorrow. 

"Death  would  be  the  best  thing  for  me,  and  the  sooner  the  better.  I've 
lost  all  joy  in  life,"  he  said  gloomily. 

"Your  mind  seems  to  be  confused !"  she  said,  frightened. 

"Indeed  it  is  not;  I  feel  quite  normal.  But  does  it  not  pain  you  too  to 
think  of  poor  Greeting  of  Spring's  sad  fate?  What  lovely,  happy  times 
those  were  when  we  founded  our  Begonia  Club !  How  merry  and  cheer- 
ful and  lighthearted  we  were  when  we  held  our  meetings  and  feasts,  and 

435 


poetry  competitions!  That  is  all  over  now,  everything  is  breaking  up. 
Precious  Clasp  is  gone,  Lotus  is  not  allowed  to  co'me  here  any  more, 
Greeting  of  Spring  has  been  torn  from  us  by  her  marriage.Why  must 
unfortunate  girls  be  handed  over  to  any  kind  of  strange  man  as  soon  as 
they  are  grown  up,  and  exchange  the  happy  freedom  of  their  youth  for 
the  sad  slavery  of  marriage?  I  simply  cannot  understand  that.  I  wanted 
to  ask  the  Ancestress  to  have  Greeting  of  Spring  brought  back  and  to 
let  her  live  here  with  us  again,  but  my  mother  talked  me  out  of  the  idea. 
She  said  I  would  be  crazy  if  I  did  such  a  thing.  I  cannot  get  used  to 
having  everything  here  become  so  different  now  from  what  it  used  to 
be.  What  will  it  be  like  in  a  few  yeajs  more?" 

While  he  was  speaking  Black  Jade  had  bowed  her  head  lower  and 
lower.  A  sigh  was  her  only  reply  to  him.  Now  she  slipped  down  on  the 
edge  of  the  bed  and  silently  buried  her  face  in  the  pillows.  Her  sym- 
pathetic soul  had  been  completely  infected  by  his  dejection.  A  little 
while  later,  when  the  maid  Cuckoo  came  in  with  tea,  she  sat  up  and  her 
eyelids  were  red  with  tears.  While  Pao  Yu  was  trying  to  calm  her  and 
to  persuade  her  that  what  he  had  just  said  was  exaggerated,  Pearl  ap- 
peared to  call  him  to  the  Ancestress. 

Deeply  dejected  and  sunk  in  melancholy  thoughts,  Pao  Yu  took  a 
solitary  stroll  through  the  park  that  afternoon.  Again  he  felt  impelled 
towards  the  forsaken  Jungle  Courtyard  and  the  Damask  Kiosk.  After  he 
had  gazed  for  a  while  at  the  closed-up  windows  and  the  lifeless  gateways, 
he  continued  his  way  towards  the  Lotus-Root  Kiosk  by  the  edge  of  the 
lake.  From  a  distance  he  perceived  the  heads  of  four  young  girls  show- 
ing over  the  parapet  by  the  lake.  The  girls  were  gazing  intently  over  the 
surface  of  the  water.  He  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  surprise  the  four,  so 
he  slipped  quietly  up  behind  them,  under  cover  of  the  rocks. 

"Do  you  think  he  will  come  along?"  he  heard  one  of  them  saying. 

"Hush !  There,  he's  gone  away  under  there !  I  thought  at  once  that  he 
didn't  want  to  come  to  you,"  he  heard  another  say;  it  seemed  to  be  the 
voice  of  Taste  of  Spring. 

"Be  quiet!  He's  coming  along  again,"  cried  the  third. 

"There  he  is  now!"  the  fourth,  Cousin  Wreath  of  Clouds,  cried  joy- 
fully. 

Pao  Yu  could  not  refrain  from  taking  up  a  stone  and  throwing  it  into 
the  water  not  far  from  the  four  girls. 

"Who  vt&s  that?  Such  impudence!  Fie,  how  rude  to  frighten  us  like 
that!"  they  prattled  excitedly  all  together.  Pao  Yu  jumped  out  laughing 
from  behind  his  rock  and  joined  the  group  of  girls.  They  were  Taste  of 
Spring,  Wreath  of  Clouds,  and  the  two  cousins  of.  Widow  Chu. 

436 


"Look  at  that!  Enjoying  yourselves  here  and  leaving  me  out  of  it!" 
he  cried. 

"I  thought  at  once  it  was  you,  you  rogue!  You  have  meanly  fright- 
ened away  our  beautiful  fish.  It's  a  pity,  he  was  just  going  to  bite,"  said 
Taste  of  Spring,  pouting. 

"Of  course  I  had  to  punish  you!  Why  did  you  not  invite  me,  when 
you  were  amusing  yourselves  here?"  retorted  Pao  Yu  laughing.  "And 
now  let  us  five  continue  fishing,  and  combine  with  our  fishing  a  game  of 
questioning  fate!"  he  suggested.  "Whoever  catches  a  fish  will  have 
some  luck  in  this  same  year.  Whoever  gets  no  bite  will  have  some  un- 
pleasant experience.  And  now  to  work!  Let  Taste  of  Spring  begin!" 

"Agreed.  But  heaven  help  you  if  you  frighten  away  my  fish  again! 
That  would  ruin  the  game." 

Taste  of  Spring  was  the  first  to  dip  her  fishing  line  into  the  water,  and 
in  scarcely  the  time  that  it  takes  to  say  ten  sentences  a  big  goldfish  had 
bitten,  and  was  pulling  the  floater  of  the  line  under  the  water. 

With  a  skillful  swing  she  brought  her  struggling  prisoner  up  on  dry 
ground  and  got  the  waiting  maid  to  drop  it  into  the  china  pail  of  fresh 
water  which  was  standing  ready.  The  three  other  girls  also  succeeded  in 
making  a  catch.  Pao  Yu's  turn  came  last. 

"I  shall  do  as  old  Chiang  Tzu  Ya  did,"  he  said  importantly.  And  he 
stepped  over  the  stone  balustrade  and  crouched  down  right  at  the 
water's  edge.  Legend  relates  that  old  Chiang,  the  celebrated  wise  coun- 
sellor of  the  Emperor  Wen  Wang  of  the  Chou  dynasty,  was  able  to  sub- 
due even  animals  and  spirits,  and  that  the  fishes  came  swarming  for- 
ward of  their  own  accord  when  he  made  a  dart  at  them  with  a  simple 
iron  pole.  Now,  Pao  Yu  had  very  much  overestimated  his  superhuman 
abilities.  His  shadow  frightened  the  fishes  away,  none  of  them  wanted 
to  bite,  and  once  when  a  rising  bubble  betrayed  the  proximity  of  a  fish 
he  swung  his  fishing  rod  towards  the  spot  so  hurriedly  that  the  fish 
made  off  as  quickly  as  possible. 

"Dear  fish,  hurry  up!  I  do  not  like  waiting  long.  Come,  come  and 
make  me  happy!"  he  begged  with  such  cdmic  impatience  that  the  four 
girls  had  to  burst  out  laughing.  At  last  something  pulled  at  the  hook.  In 
his  joyful  exuberance  Pao  Yu  swung  the  fishing  rod  around  so  hurriedly 
and  awkwardly  that  the  top  became  wedged  firmly  against  a  rock  and 
the  rod  broke  in  the  middle,  and  the  upper  half  with  the  line  and  hook 
fell  into  the  water  and  drifted  away.  There  was  a  great  burst  of  scoffing 
laughter  from  the  onlookers. 

"Did  anyone  ever  see  such  awkwardness!"  Taste  of  Spring  burst  out. 
She  was  going  to  say  more  when  the  vailing  maid  Musk  came  running 
along  to  call  Pao  Yu  to  the  Ancestress.  She  had  just  had  her  midday 
sleep  and  wanted  to  question  him  about  some  very  import  ipt  matter, 

437 


and  she  had  also  sent  for  Phoenix,  reported  Musk.  She  did  not  know 
any  more  details.  Pao  Yu  got  a  great  fright. 

"Perhaps  they  want  to  take  away  another  waiting  maid  on  account 
of  alleged  danger  of  infection?"  he  let  slip.  But  he  was  immediately 
reassured  when  he  saw  the  Ancestress  peacefully  playing  dominoes  with 
his  mother. 

"Some  years  ago  you  had  an  attack  of  diabolical  possession,  from 
which  you  were  eventually  cured  by  those  two  strange  fellows,  the 
mangy-headed  bonze  and  the  lame  Taoist  priest.  Do  you  still  remember 
your  condition  at  that  time?"  asked  the  Ancestress. 

Pao  Yu  thought  for  a  while. 

"It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  had  suddenly  got  a  heavy  blow  with  a  stick 
on  the  back  of  the  head.  The  pain  was  so  great  that  everything  went 
black  as  lacquer  before  my  eyes.  Then  I  thought  I  saw  devils  with  hide- 
ous blue-black  faces,  showing  their  teeth,  all  over  the  room.  They  were 
waving  knives  and  sticks,  and  they  kicked  me  with  their  feet  so  that  I 
fell  out  of  bed.  I  felt  as  if  my  brain  was  pressed  into  an  iron  band.  After- 
wards I  did  not  feel  any  more  pain.  As  regards  the  moment  of  my  re- 
covery, I  remember  that  a  golden  gleam  of  light  suddenly  appeared  in 
my  room,  and  the  black  devils  dispersed  in  fright  before  its  dazzling 
brilliance.  From  that  moment  on  I  felt  well  again,  and  clear  in  my 
mind." 

"Exactly  the  same  characteristics  as  in  the  case  we  have  just  been 
speaking  of,"  said  the  Ancestress,  turning  to  Madame  Cheng.  Meantime 
Phoenix  had  come  in. 

"The  old  Ancestress  has  sent  for  me.  What  is  it  that  she  wants  to 
know?"  she  asked. 

"Do  you  remember  your  condition  a  few  years  ago  when  you  sud- 
denly had  an  attack  of  possession?"  asked  the  Ancestress  once  more. 

"Not  exactly.  But  I  can  more  or  less  remember  that  I  lost  control  of 
myself.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  were  being  pulled  about  and  seized  by 
devils.  I  felt  an  urge  to  take  hold  of  the  first  murderous  weapon  I  could 
lay  hands  on  and  to  kill  the  first  living  creature  that  came  near  me.  In 
spite  of  the  exhaustion  which  then  overcame  me  I  had  to  keep  rushing 
on,  flourishing  the  weapon  in  my  hand." 

"And  how  was  it  when  you  were  cured'later?" 

"I  thought  I  heard  a  voice  in  the  air.  But  what  it  said  I  no  longer 
remember." 

"Your  statement  coincides  with  that  of  Pao  Yu  and  confirms  the  ob- 
servations made  in  the  recent  case,"  remarked  the  Ancestress.  "There  is 
no  doubt  about  it — that  accursed  beast,  old  Ma,  bewitched  you  and  Pao 
Yu  that  time.  And  we  were  so  simple  as  to  choose  that  witch  to  be  Pao 
Yu's  godmother  and  adopted  mother!  Without  the  aid  of  the  two 

438 


strange  monks  you  two  would  have  been  lost.  And  we  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  thank  your  rescuers!" 

"What  makes  you  go  back  to  that  old  story  just  now?"  Phoenix 
wanted  to  know. 

"Your  aunt  can  tell  you  that.  I  am  too  lazy  to  do  so." 

"As  my  husband  has  just  now  informed  us,  old  Ma  has  recently  been 
arrested  on  a  charge  of  witchcraft  and  been  shut  up  in  prison.  She  is  a 
very  dangerous  witch  and  is  awaiting  execution,"  reported  Madame 
Cheng.  "A  few  days  ago  her  criminal  activities  were  brought  to  light 
just  by  chance.  A  householder  named  Fan  wanted  to  sell  his  house  to  a 
pawnbroker  who  lived  opposite  him.  The  latter  had  already  offered 
him  twice  the  value  of  the  property,  but  he  kept  demanding  more  and 
more.  Thereupon,  the  pawnbroker  gave  up  the  negotiations.  Enraged  at 
the  deal's  falling  through,  Fan  hired  old  Ma  to  hunt  down  his  opponent. 
Old  Ma  could  do  this  without  attracting  particular  attention,  for  she 
was  frequently  in  and  out  of  the  women's  quarters  of  the  pawnbroker's 
house  and  was  already  well  known  there.  She  now  applied  her  magic 
there  and  cast  an  evil  spell  on  the  pawnbroker's  wives,  causing  them  to 
become  possessed.  Then  she  came  along  again  and  offered  her  services 
to  cure  the  possessed  women.  With  the  aid  of  incantations  and  of  burn- 
ing magic  paper  tinsel,  she  actually  did  drive  out  the  evil  spirits  from 
the  invalids.  For  these  services  she  demanded  a  fee  of  some  ten  ounces. 
But  old  Buddha,  who  sees  everything,  exposed  her  evil  doings  this  time. 

"In  her  hurry  to  get  away  she  once  left  her  handbag  behind.  When 
examined,  it  was  found  to  contain  all  kinds  of  paper  figures  of  human 
forms  and  four  very  strong-smelling  pills.  This  aroused  suspicion,  and 
when  the  old  woman  came  back  for  her  bag  they  took  hold  of  her  and 
searched  her.  Hidden  under  her  clothing  they  found  a  box  containing 
two  carved  ivory  figures  of  naked  demons,  a  male  and  a  female,  and 
seven  vermilion  embroidery  needles.  Thereupon  the  old  woman  was 
dragged  off  to  the  police.  At  the  cross-examination  it  came  out  that  she 
was  mixed  up  in  a  great  many  secret  love  affairs  of  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  rich  and  respectable  citizens,  and  had  been  making  a 
thumping  good  profit  out  of  her  private  knowledge. 

"A  search  of  her  house  brought  to  light  a  lot  of  figures  of  devils 
made  of  clay  and  earthenware  and  some  boxes  of  magic  powders  for 
the  possessed.  Behind  her  bed,  moreover,  in  a  hidden  closet,  an  oil 
lamp  burning  with  seven  little  flames  was  found.  Under  the  lamp  was  a 
pile  of  puppets  in  human  form.  Some  had  iron  bands  around  their 
heads,  others  had  nails  stuck  in  their  breasts,  and  there  were  some, 
again,  with  iron  chains  around  their  necks.  A  number  of  cardboard 
figures  of  men  and  women  was  found  in  a  cupboard,  together  with 
bundles  of  accounts  giving  exact  information  as  to  the  people  for  whom 

439 


the  old  woman  had  worked  her  magic  and  the  fees  she  had  charged 
them.  There  were  alsp  found  quantities  of  vouchers  for  oil  used  and 
incense  burned  on  behalf  of  other  people." 

"Now  I  understand,"  cried  Phoenix,  astonished.  "I  got  suspicious  at 
once  shortly  after  my  recovery,  when  I  saw  the  old  woman  frequently 
visiting  the  secondary  wife  Chao's  apartments.  I  was  told  that  the  witch 
was  trying  to  collect  a  debt  from  Chao.  On  one  such  occasion  when  she 
ran  into  me,  her  face  showed  visible  embarrassment  and  she  rolled  the 
pupils  of  her  eyes  about  timidly  and  restlessly  like  a  startled  clucking( 
hen.  Of  course,  with  the  position  I  hold  in  the  house,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  I  should  incur  hate  and  ill  will.  But  what  crime  has  the  innocent 
Pao  Yu  committed  that  the  poison  hand  of  this  treacherous  plot  should 
clutch  at  him?" 

"Who  knows?  Perhaps  Chio  bears  a  grudge  against  Pao  Yu  because 
I  prefer  him  to  her  offspring,  Huan,"  said  the  Ancestress. 

"That  is  just  it!  The  plot  no  doubt  originated  with  Chao,"  inter- 
rupted Pao  Yu's  mother  eagerly.  "But  how  can  she  be  convicted?  The 
only  possible  witness  for  the  prosecution,  old  Ma,  is  already  condemned 
and  may  have  already  been  executed.  With  this  witness  gone,  Chao  will 
simply  deny  everything.  The  reputation  of  our  house  would  suffer  if  we 
let  it  come  to  a  public  scandal  without  having  sufficient  proof.  The  best 
thing  is  for  us  to  observe  Chao  for  the  present  and  wait  until  she  betrays 
herself." 

"That  is  exactly  my  opinion,"  agreed  the  Ancestress.  "We  cannot 
proceed  without  proof.  On  no  account  must  we  open  our  mouths  too 
soon !  Let  us  leave  the  rest  to  our  all-seeing  Buddha !  And  so  we  will  not 
do  anything  about  the  matter  for  the  present ! " 

With  this  the  consultation  ended,  and  they  went  on  to  discuss  cater- 
ing and  other  everyday  matters.  Pao  Yu's  mother  was  called  to  Mr. 
Cheng,  who  wished  to  discuss  some  important  matters  with  her.  The 
result  of  this  parental  discussion  was  the  decision  that  Pao  Yu  was  to 
attend  the  family  school  once  more  after  an  interruption  of  several 
years.  True,  Master  Tai  Ju  was  only  moderately  learnsd,  but  he  knew 
how  to  wield  authority,  and  a  little  discipline  could  not  harm  Pao  Yu, 
who  was  spoiled  by  having  had  too  much  freedom,  said  Mr.  Cheng. 

The  following  morning  he  himself  took  Pao  Yu  to  the  school,  and 
earnestly  requested  old  Tai  Ju  to  form  his  son  into  a  decent  fellow,  fit 
to  face  the  world.  There  must  be  an  end  now  to  ihe  playful  dallying  with 
verse  and  rhyme-making;  from  now  on  it  must  be  a  matter  of  learning 
history  above  all,  and  mastering  the  sound  art  of  prose  composition.  As 
can  well  be  imagined,  Pao  Yu  was  little  pleased  with  the  parental  deci- 
sion. The  misfortune  prophesied  for  him  by  the  fishing  rod  had  arrived 
sooner  than  expected. 

440 


CHAPTER  40 

An  evil  dream  frightens  an  unhappy  lovesick  maiden  in  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage.  Beginning  of  Spring  is  visited  by  her  relatives  on  her  sick- 
bed in  the  Imperial  Palace. 

IN  THE  BEGONIA  COURTYARD,  ONCE  so  NOISY  AND  HAPPY,  A  SOLEMN 
silence  reigned.  Pao  Yu  was  spending  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  the 
family  school,  and  when  he  was  at  home,  the  homework  which  School- 
master Tai  Ju  thoughtfully  gave  him  made  it,  alas,  impossible  for  him 
to  romp  about  and  waste  his  time  with  waiting  maids  and  maidservants. 
"Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise"  was  the  watchword  now.  Moreover, 
Madame  Cheng  had  given  his  waiting  maids  to  understand  that  if  they 
dared  to  distract  Pao  Yu  from  his  studies  they  would  fare  as  Bright 
Cloud  had  done.  So,,  whether  they  liked  it  or  not,  they  had  to  take  to 
their  needlework  in. real  earnest  now. 

One  day  Pearl  was  crocheting  her  new  betel-nut  bag  and  letting  her 
thoughts  wander  in  the  meanwhile.  What  would  become  of  her  later? 
No  doubt  Pao  Yu  would  take  her  for  his  "side-chamber"  when  he  mar- 
ried, and  of  course  he  would  treat  her  well,  but  how  would  she  get  on 
with  his  **first"?  Would  she  have  the  same  tragic  fate  as  the  second  Yu, 
who  had  been  tortured  to  death  by  her  rival,  Phoenix?  Or  would  she 
fare  like  poor  Lotus,  who  had  been  frightened  away  from  the  common 
home  by  Hsueh  Pan's  domineering  and  quarrelsome  wife  shortly  after 
he  had  married,  and  was  now  a  servant  of  Precious  Clasp?  If  she  could 
only  find  out  who  was  to  be  Pao  Yu's  future  wife!  According  to  every- 
thing she  had  heard,  Black  Jade  had  the  best  chance.  She  decided  to 
take  a  walk  over  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  and  to  sound  out  the  feel- 
ings of  her  future  mistress  a  little. 

Black  Jade  laid  her  book  aside,  amiably  invited  her  guest  to  sit  down, 
and  got  the  waiting  maid  Cuckoo  to  serve  her  with  tea.  After  a  few 
polite  nothings,  Pearl  began  with  a  smile,  turning  to  Cuckoo:  "I  hear 
from  Autumn  Wave  that  you've  been  saying  recently  how  terribly  our 
life  in  the  park  has  been  changed?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  it's  become  terribly  dull — unbearably  dull.  That's  what 
I  said,"  admitted  Cuckoo  fervently.  "Pao  Yu  at  school,  Precious  Clasp 
gone  away,  Greeting  of  Spring  gone  away,  and  Lotus  not  allowed  to 
come  over  here  any  more.  Isn't  that  so?" 

"Indeed  it  is.  And  speaking  of  Lotus,  the  poor  girl  seems  to  have 
had  very  tough  luck  with  her  'First';  that  woman  is  even  more  ruthless 
and  difficult  to  get  on  with  than  a  certain  other  one.  .  .  ." 

Pearl  stopped  and  significantly  lifted  two  fingers,  by  which  she 
meant  Phoenix.  She  did  not  dare  to  mention  the  name.  It  struck  Black 

441 


Jade  that  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  heard  Pearl,  who  ordinarily  was 
most  discreet,  speaking  unfavorably  of  someone  absent.  But  she  had  to 
admit  that  she  was  right. 

"Incidents  of  that  kind  are  inevitable  in  a  big  household  where  there 
are  several  wives;  there  will  no  doubt  always  be  rivalry  between  the 
east  wind  and  the  west  wind,"  she  remarked  philosophically;  and  she 
thought  to  herself  of  her  own  rivalry  with  Precious  Clasp.  As  if  sum- 
moned by  telepathy,  a  serving  woman  sent  by  Precious  Clasp  appeared 
at  this  moment  with  a  dish  of  litchi  plums  preserved  in  honey,  for  Black 
Jade.  The  old  woman  stared  fixedly  at  Black  Jade  for  a  moment,  then 
with  a  grin  she  remarked  point-blank  to  Pearl:  "I  don't  wonder  now 
that  our  Tai  tai  Hsueh  always  says  that  your  young  lady  is  just  the  right 
bride  for  young  Pao  Yu.  She  is  indeed  a  real  angel." 

This  familiar  and  downright  assertion  naturally  embarrassed  Pearl 
and  still  more  Black  Jade.  Pearl  tried  hard  to  put  her  off  the  subject  and 
pressed  her  to  take  a  cup  of  tea,  but  the  old  woman  seemed  to  feel  ill  at 
ease.  With  a  show  of  being  busy  and  important  she  took  her  leave  im- 
mediately. She  had  no  time,  she  said,  they  all  Had  their  hands  full  over 
there  getting  ready  for  the  wedding  of  Miss  Precious  Harp. 

"Give  Miss  Precious  Clasp  my  greetings  and  thanks,"  Black  Jade 
told  her  as  she  went  off,  and  she  could  hear  the  old  woman  muttering  to 
herself  something  which  sounded  like:  "Those  are  nice  manners  in- 
deed! No  man  except  Pao  Yu  could  put  up  with  that  one!"  But  she 
pretended  that  she  had  not  heard  her. 

"Did  anyone  ever  hear  such  impudent  babbling!  One  hardly  knows 
whether  to  be  angry  with  her  or  to  laugh  at  her,"  Pearl  blurted  out 
when  the  old  woman  was  gone;  and  she  too  went  off  after  a  short  time. 
The  chance  information  which  the  garrulous  old  woman  had  betrayed 
was  all  she  wanted  to  hear  and  made  it  unnecessary  for  her  to  remain 
longer  with  Black  Jade. 

But  the  old  woman's  words  went  on  revolving  in  Black  Jade's  mind 
and  released  an  endless  stream  of  dreamy  thoughts,  as  if  from  an  inex- 
haustible spool.  Was  her  marriage  to  Pao  Yu  really  a  settled  affair? 
True,  she  felt  she  could  be  sure  of  him  and  his  feelings;  but  his  mother 
and  his  grandmother  would  also  have  a  say  in  the  matter.  Why  had  her 
parents  not  betrothed  her  while  they  were  still  alive?  If  they  had  done 
so,  she  would  be  relieved  of  all  this  torturing  uncertainty.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  her  parents  had  already  chosen  for  her,  would  the  person  of 
their  choice  be  as  desirable  and  as  compatible  with  her  as  Pao  Yu  defi- 
nitely was?  Exhausted  by  all  this  brooding  and  conjecturing,  she  lay 
down  on  her  bed,  still  dressed,  as  darkness  fell. 

As  she  lay  there  half  asleep,  it  suddenly  seemed  to  her  that  little 
Snowgoose  was  standing  before  her  and  telling  her  that  Mr.  Yu  Tsun 

442 


was  outside  and  wished  to  speak  to  her.  She  sent  him  word  that  she 
thanked  him  for  his  visit,  but  excused  herself  on  the  plea  of  not  being 
well.  For  although  he  had  been  her  tutor,  it  would  nevertheless  be  un- 
seemly for  a  young  girl  like  her  to  receive  the  visit  of  a  gentleman,  as 
she  gave  Snowgoose  to  understand. 

"I  believe  he  only  came  to  congratulate  you,"  replied  Snowgoose,. 
"and  various  other  people  have  come  to  visit  you  too." 

And  immediately  in  came  Phoenix  and  Princess  Shieh  and  Madame 
Cheng  and  Precious  Clasp,  all  smiling,  to  her  room. 

"We  come  in  the  first  place  to  congratulate  you  and  in  the  second 
place  to  escort  you  away,"  they  said. 

"What  does  that  mean?  I  do  not  understand  you,"  she  replied,  per- 
plexed. 

"Do  not  pretend  to  be  so  dull-witted!  Surely  you  must  know!"  said 
Phoenix.  "Don't  you  know  that  your  father  has  been  promoted  Corn 
Treasurer  of  the  Province  of  Hu  Pei,  and  has  contracted  a  most  happy 
second  marriage?  He  does  not  wish  to  leave  you  here  any  longer  in  your 
isolation,  so  he  has  appointed  Mr.  Yu  Tsun  as  negotiator  to  arrange 
your  betrothal  to  a  nephew  of  your  stepmother.  You  are  to  go  home  now 
and  get  married.  Chia  Lien  has  been  appointed  your  escort  and  pro- 
tector." 

While  Phoenix  was  speaking  Black  Jade  felt  a  cold  sweat  breaking 
out  all  over  her  body. 

"That  is  all  nonsense!  It's  a  bad  joke  thought  up  by  Phoenix,"  she 
cried  excitedly,  whereupon  Princess  Shieh  threw  the  others  a  significant 
look  and  said:  "She  doesn't  believe  us.  Come!  Let  us  go  away!" 

"Black  Jade  was  about  to  beg  them,  with  tears,  to  remain,  but  the  four 
visitors  walked  silently  and  stiffly  to  the  door,  with  a  cold  smile  on  their 
faces.  Black  Jade  was  left  alone,  a  prey  to  her  grief.  Then  all  of  a  sud- 
den she  seemed  to  be  standing  opposite  the  Princess  Ancestress.  She 
knelt  dow^n  before  her,  clasped  her  around  the  thighs,  and  implored  her 
with  tears  not  to  send  her  away,  as  it  would  be  her  death.  Her  step- 
mother was  a  stranger  to  her;  she  wanted  only  to  remain  with  the  old 
Tai  tai.  But  the  Ancestress  looked  at  her  coldly  and  replied  that  this 
matter  did  not  concern  her. 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  Black  Jade,  astounded. 

"After  all,  it  is  also  very  nice  to  get  married.  You  will  have  lots  of 
wonderful  dresses  and  loads  of  jewelry,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  don't  care  in  the  least  about  all  those  things.  I  only  want  to  stay 
here.  Help  me,  old  Tai  tai!  Don't  let  me  leave  you!"  implored  Black 
Jade. 

"Stupid  child!  You  cannot  remain  here  all  your  life.  A  time  comes 
when  young  girls  have  to  leave  home  and  marry!" 

444 


"No,  no;  I  would  rather  go  on  living  here,  even  as  a  servant,  as  the 
lowest  maidservant,  and  earn  my  own  bread!  Have  pity  on  me,  for  the 
sake  of  my  mother,  your  own  daughter;  have  pity  on  me,  old  Tai  tai, 
and  do  not  turn  me  out!"  cried  Black  Jade  passionately. 

But  the  Ancestress  remained  pitiless. 

"Take  her  out!"  she  ordered  her  waiting  maid,  Mandarin  Duck, 
brusquely.  "I  am  tired  and  weary  of  her!" 

In  desperation  she  rushed  out.  Had  all  the  love  shown  her  up  to  this 
by  grandmother,  aunts,  and  cousins  been  only  wretched  hypocrisy?  She 
felt  that  the  world  was  too  much  for  her,  and  thought  of  suicide.  Then 
Pao  Yu  came  into  her  mind.  Perhaps  she  would  find  help  from  him? 
And  then  she  found  herself  opposite  him. 

"I  congratulate  you  on  your  great  good  fortune,  Mei  mei!"  he  said 
quite  cheerfully. 

Enraged  at  hearing  such  a  thing  and  in  such  a  tone  from  his  lips,  she 
forgot  all  her  accustomed  timidity  and  reserve,  drew  him  close  up  to 
her,  and  said  to  him  furiously:  "Now  you  are  betraying  yourself,  dear- 
est! Do  you  call  that  love  and  fidelity?" 

"What  are  you  saying  about  love  and  fidelity?  You  have  got  another, 
haven't  you?  Our  ways  have  parted,"  he  replied  calmly. 

"No,  it  is  not  decided  yet  whom  I  shall  follow.  It  lies  with  you !  I  am 
waiting  for  your  word!"  she  burst  out  vehemently. 

"And  I  have  been  waiting  the  whole  time  for  your  word.  Originally 
we  two  wished  to  belong  to  each  other,  didn't  we?  So  if  you  wish,  stay." 

His  words  changed  her  sorrow  into  joy. 

"In  life  and  in  death  I  am  yours!"  she  said  solemnly.  "But  you — you 
must  declare  yourself  once  more:  Shall  I  go  or  shall  I  remain?" 

"Remain!"  he  cried,  equally  solemnly.  "But  if  you  doubt  that  this  is 
my  sincere  will,  just  look  at  my  heart!" 

With  these  words  he  took  a  sharp  dagger  and  drove  it  right  into  his 
breast.  Horrified  at  the  sight  of  the  crimson  stream  which  gushed  out, 
she  pressed  her  hand  over  the  open  wound  and  cried  plaintively:  "Why 
did  you  do  that?  Kill  me  first!" 

"Don't  be  afraid!"  said  Pao  Yu,  quite  calmly.  "I  only  want  to  take 
out  my  heart  and  show  it  to  you." 

And  he  stuck  his  hand  into  the  gaping  wound  and  fumbled  about  in 
it  as  if  looking  for  something.  Suddenly  he  cried  out  in  dismay:  "Oh, 
woe!  I  have  lost  my  heart!  Now  I  must  die!" 

He  turned  up  his  eyes  and  slumped  to  the  ground  with  a  heavy  thud. 
At  this  Black  Jade  uttered  a  stifled  cry  of  agony.  Suddenly  she  recog- 
nized the  voice  of  her  maid  Cuckoo.  "Miss!  Miss!"  cried  the  maid. 
"What  kind  of  horrible  nightmare  are  you  having?  Wake  up!  Undress 
and  go  to  bed  properly!"  She  realized  then  that  she  had  been  deluded 

445 


by  a  dream.  Her  throat  was  still  as  if  tied  up,  her  heart  was  bounding 
wildly,  her  undergarment  and  her  pillow  were  drenched  with  cold 
sweat.  Limp  and  exhausted,  she  allowed  Cuckoo  to  undress  her  and  put 
her  to  bed  properly. 

But  the  whole  night  through  she  could  not  sleep.  She  tossed  restlessly 
from  side  to  side  and  listened  full  of  fear  to  the  noises  of  the  night 
which  reached  her  ear  from  outside.  At  one  moment  she  would  hear  the 
babbling  of  the  near-by  brook,  then  it  was  the  plaintive  moaning  of  the 
wind,  or  the  monotonous  dripping  of  the  autumn  rain,  or,  again,  some 
confused  human  sound  from  somewhere  in  the  distance. 

She  listened  with  something  like  envy  to  the  regular  snoring  tones  of 
sound  sleep  which  came  over  from  Cuckoo's  bed  near  by.  Tired  of  lying 
down,  she  hurriedly  assumed  a  sitting  position,  until  the  icy  draft, 
which  she  felt  cutting  through  the  slits  in  the  window  parchment, 
obliged  her  to  lie  down  again  and  wrap  herself  like  a  mummy  in  the 
protecting  blankets.  When  at  last  she  fell  into  an  uneasy  half  sleep  the 
many-voiced  twitter  of  birds  was  already  audible  from  the  bamboo 
plantation  in  the  front  garden,  and  the  pale  light  of  dawn  was  creeping 
in  the  window. 

Suddenly  she  was  shaken  by  a  severe  fit  of  coughing,  and  this  awoke 
Cuckoo,  who  rushed  to  her  bedside. 

"Awake  so  early?"  she  asked,  looking  with  anxiety  at  the  fatigued, 
suffering  face  of  her  mistress. 

"I  couldn't  sleep.  Please  take  out  the  spitting  bowl  and  fetch  me  a 
clean  one." 

Cuckoo  put  a  clean  bowl  by  her  bed  and  took  the  other  one  out  to  the 
courtyard.  As  she  was  emptying  it  she  noticed  many  spots  of  blood 
mingled  with  the  sputum. 

"Oh,  how  terrible!"  she  gasped  involuntarily.  Black  Jade  heard  her 
.exclamation  distinctly  from  inside-. 

"What  frightened  you  just  now?"  she  asked  the  maid  afterwards. 

"Oh,  it  was"  really  nothing.  The  bowl  nearly  slipped  out  of  my  hand," 
lied  Cuckoo,  but  her  looks,  her  hesitant  tone,  and  her  tear-stained  eyes 
betrayed  her.  Black  Jade  had  in  fact  perceived  the  sweetish  taste  of 
blood  in  her  mouth  when  she  was  coughing  shortly  before.  She  had  long 
since  ceased  to  deceive  herself  regarding  her  condition. 

"I  know  well  that  my  spittle  has  frightened  you,"  she  said  calmly. 

"You  should  take  more  cafe  of  your  health  and  confide  in  the  old 
Tai  tai  and  the  other  ladies.  They  all  really  do  mean  so  well  by  you, 
dear  young  lady!"  Cuckoo  admonished  her  tenderly. 

But  her  reference  to  the  ladies  recalled  to  Black  Jewel's  mind  her 
terrible  dream  of  the  night  before,  which  belied  the  words  of  the  waiting 
maid.  She  felt  a  stab  through  her  stomach,  her  eyesight  grew  suddenly 

446 


dim,  she  became  dizzy  and  had  to  bend  over  the  bowl  which  Cuckoo 
held  up  to  her  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  While  Snowgoose  clapped  her 
back  she  looked  into  the  bowl.  Yes  indeed,  there  was  a  thin  coil  of 
purplish  red  bloody  mucus.  She  sank  back  unconscious  on  her  pillows. 

Cuckoo  sent  Snowgoose  out  to  fetch  someone  from  the  family  to 
help.  After  a  short  while  Snowgoose  came  back  with  the  cousins  Taste 
of  Spring,  Grief  of  Spring,  and  Little  Cloud.  The  three  had  just  been 
together  at  Grief  of  Spring's  pavilion  inspecting  her  great  painting  of 
the  park  and  had  been  about  to  send  for  Black  Jade  to  come  and  join 
them.  Black  Jade  was  not  pleased  at  all  to  see  them.  Still  under  the  in- 
fluence of  her  dreadful  dream,  and  anyway  suspicious  by  nature,  she 
said  to  herself  that,  if  she  could  not  trust  the  Ancestress,  still  less  could 
she  rely  upon  her  cousins. 

She  invited  the  three  rather  frostily  to  sit  down,  but  conversation 
was  exceedingly  labored.  In  consideration  of  her  wretched  state  the 
visitors,  on  their  part,  did  not  wish  to  remain  long,  and  they  soon  rose 
to  leave.  They  were  just  going  away  when  a  loud,  screeching  woman's 
voice  was  heard  outside,  crying:  "What  do  you  think  you're  doing 
here,  you  brazen  hussy!  You  have  no  business  here  in  the  park!  Get  out 
at  once!" 

As  was  soon  to  be  seen,  the  outcry  came  from  an  old  garden  woman 
and  was  addressed  to  her  granddaughter,  a  dirty,  wild  little  tomboy 
who,  urged  by  curiosity,  had  sneaked  into  the  forbidden  park  behind 
her  back  as  she  came  in.  But  alas,  Black  Jade,  in  her  morbidly  excited 
condition,  took  the  outcry  to  refer  to  herself  and  interpreted  it  as  a 
confirmation  of  her  evil  dream. 

"Do  you  hear  her?  I  am  not  to  be  allowed  to  remain  here  any  longer! 
And  I  have  to  be  told  that  by  an  old  maidservant!"  she  cried  in  a  shrill 
voice  to  her  astounded  cousins,  pointing  towards  the  window  'with  a 
trembling  hand.  They  reassured  her  as  best  they  could,  and  then  with- 
drew, shaking  their  heads.  "She's  delirious,"  they  said  to  each  other. 
Of  course  they  knew  nothing  about  her  dream. 

Soon  afterwards  Pearl  appeared.  She  had  been  sent  by  Pao  Yu,  who 
was  consumed  with  anxiety,  and  before  she  went  up  to  the  sickbed  she 
got  a  detailed  report  from  Cuckoo  outside  the  door. 

"We  had  a  bit  of  excitement  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  last  night 
too,"  her  colleague  whispered  to  her.  "About  midnight  Pao  Yu  sud- 
denly jumped  up  with  a  stifled  cry  and  began  raving  something  about  a 
dagger  which  he  had  stuck  in  his  breast.  He  didn't  get  to  sleep  again 
until  nearly  morning,  and  he  has  had  to  stay  home  from  school  today." 

Black  Jade  got  a  new  fit  of  coughing,  and  this  made  an  end  to  their 
whispered  conversation  and  obliged  Cuckoo  to  hurry  back  to  her  mis- 
tress's bedside. 

447 


"To  whom  have  you  been  talking  just  now?"  Black  Jade  wanted  to 
know. 

"To  Pearl." 

"Tell  her  to  come  in!" 

Pearl  had  to  sit  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 

"Who  did  you  say  just  now  had  a  bad  dream  last  night?" 

"Pao  Yu.  It  was  a  bit  of  a  nightmare,  no  doubt." 

"Do  you  know  \qiiat  he  said  in  his  dream?" 

"No,"  lied  Pearl. 

She's  keeping  it  from  me  to  spare  my  feelings,  thought  Black  Jade  to 
herself.  She  had  heard  quite  well  the  whispered  words  about  the  dagger 
stuck  in  the  breast.  How  strangely  Pao  Yu's  dream  corresponded  with 
her  own ! 

While  two  patients,  the  one  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  and  the  other 
in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  were  still  being  treated  in  accordance  with 
the  prescriptions  of  the  family  doctor,  Wang,  whom  the  old  Tai  tai  had 
sent  for,  news  came  of  the  illness  of  the  Imperial  wife,  Beginning  of 
Spring. 

One  day  two  chief  eunuchs  arrived  at  the  Yungkuo  palace  and  de- 
livered an  Imperial  order  to  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia  Cheng.  The  Niang 
niang,  the  high  lady,  had  been  suffering  some  disquiet  for  a  short  time 
past.  Four  ladies  of  her  family  would  -be  permitted  to  enter  the  inner 
precincts  of  the  Imperial  Palace  and  visit  the  great  Jady.  Each  lady 
would  be  permitted  to  take  one  female  servant  to  accompany  her.  Male 
relatives  might  join  the  party,  but  would  only  be  permitted  access  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Inner  Palace;  there  they  would  have  to  send  in  their 
visiting  cards,  offer  their  salutations,  and  await  news.  The  next  day  had 
been  fixed  for  the  visit,  and  the  period  of  time  allowed,  moreover,  was 
between  the  double  hour  of  the  dragon  and  that  of  the  cock,  namely 
between  eight  in  the  morning  and  six  in  the  evening. 

Standing  respectfully,  the  two  seniors  of  the  Chia  clan  had  listened  to 
the  Imperial  message.  They  served  the  chief  eunuchs  a  bowl  of  tea  and 
accompanied  them  personally  to  the  doors  of  their  sedan  chairs  in  front 
of  the  inner  gateway.  A  family  council  followed.  The  Ancestress  de- 
cided that  for  the  four  female  relatives  permitted  to  visit,  there  could 
only  be  a  question  of  herself,  Princess  Shieh,  Madame  Cheng,  and 
Phoenix;  while  it  was  agreed  that  Prince  Shieh  and  Chia  Cheng  should 
represent  the  male  relatives. 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning,  at  the  hour  of  the  dragon,  four  ladies' 
sedan  chairs  covered  with  green  damask,  and  ten  carriages,  set  out  from 
the  Yungkuo  palace  for  the  Forbidden  City.  The  personal  servants  Li 
Kwei  and  Ming  Yen  rode  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  and  a  numer- 

448 


ous  retinue  of  servants  brought  up  the  rear.  All  had  to  dismount  at  the 
western  gateway  of  the  Inner  Palace.  Young  eunuchs  conducted  the 
ladies  to  the  residence  of  Beginning  of  Spring.  The  gentlemen  had  to 
wait  in  front  of  the  gateway  with  the  servants. 

Two  ladies-in-waiting  instructed  the  ladies  that  they  were  only  per- 
mitted to  wish  the  patient  a  good  recovery  and  were  forbidden  any  dis- 
cussion of  the  illness  itself.  Beginning  of  Spring,  lying  in  a  magnificent 
bed,  welcomed  her  visitors,  received  their  tsing  an,  and  graciously  in- 
vited them  to  be  seated. 

"How  is  your  health?"  she  asked  the  Ancestress. 

"Thanks  to  the  overwhelming  graciousness  of  the  Niang  niang,  I  am 
still  fairly  sound,"  replied  the  Ancestress,  standing  and  trembling  with 
awe  in  all  her  members  in  the  manner  prescribed  by  Court  etiquette. 
After  a  few  more  friendly  questions  to  the  three  other  ladies,  each  of 
whom  replied  standing,  Beginning  of  Spring  glanced  down  the  list  of 
names  of  the  male  and  other  relatives,  which  a  lady-in-waiting  laid  be- 
fore her  on  behalf  of  the  two  family  seniors  who  were  waiting  outside. 
As  she  did  so  she  was  overcome  with  emotion  and  another  lady-in-wait- 
ing had  to  wipe  her  tearful  eyes. 

"How  fortunate  ordinary  mortals  are  compared  with  us,"  sighed  Be- 
ginning of  Spring.  "They  can  cherish  their  family  associations  to  their 
hearts'  content,  and  see  each  other  as  often  as  they  wish. 

"And  how  is  Pao  Yu?"  she  continued. 

"At  the  earnest  wish  of  his  father  he  has  been  devoting  himself  seri- 
ously to  his  studies  of  late,  and  has  already  made  excellent  progress," 
declared  the  Ancestress. 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that." 

Beginning  of  Spring  signed  to  her  attendants  to  conduct  the  guests  to 
the  table  which  was  laid  for  them  in  another  pavilion.  After  the  meal 
they  talked  a  little  longer  with  the  illustrious  lady,  and  then  took  their 
leave.  After  a  few  days  the  reassuring  news  reached  the  western  palace 
that  the  Imperial  wife  was  quite  well  again.  At  the  same  time  eunuchs 
brought  rich  gifts  on  her  behalf  for  every  single  one  of  her  relatives. 

"She  is  still  deeply  devoted  to  Pao  Yu,"  remarked  the  Ancestress  to 
Chia  Cheng  during  the  distribution  of  the  gifts.  "She  inquired  particu- 
larly graciously  for  him  the  other  day." 

"He  does  not  deserve  that  in  the  least,  the  ungrateful,  lazy  rascal," 
interjected  Mr.  Cheng. 

"On  the  contrary,  I  praised  him  to  the  skies  for  his  recent  progress." 

"Come!  Come!  He  does  not  quite  deserve  that  yet." 

"Indeed?  I  thought  he  did.  He's  been  going  to  school  long  enough 
anu  you  have  been  calling  him  up  for  interviews  often  enough.  Surely 
some  wisdom  must  stick  in  his  mind  at  last!" 

449 


"Naturally.  The  old  Tai  tai  is  right  again  there." 

"And  by  the  way,  while  we  are  talking  about  Pao  Yu,  I  just  remem- 
ber something  I  have  been  wishing  to  discuss  with  you  for  a  long  time 
past.  He  is  almost  grown  up  already,  and  would  it  not  be  well  to  look 
out  for  a  suitable  wife  for  him  in  time?  That  is  a  matter  which  will 
affect  his  whole  life.  In  my  opinion  we  should  not^  ask  whether  the  girl 
in  question  is  rich  or  poor,  of  our  own  clan  or  of  another,  but  only  set 
store  on  a  good  character  and  a  pleasing  exterior." 

"You  are  quite  right.  Only  I  would  add  as  a  counter-stipulation  that 
he  himself  should  have  something  to  offer  in  the  way  of  character  and 
achievement.  I  would  not  wish  that  he  should  prove  a  weed  which  would 
spoil  the  noble  plant  from  some  other  family." 

His  objection  annoyed  the  Ancestress  somewhat. 

"It  may  be  that  I  have  spoiled  him  from  childhood  and  hindered  the 
development  of  his  character.  Nevertheless,  he  is  a  good,  well-behaved 
boy.  I  cannot  imagine  him  ill-treating  his  young  wife.  At  any  rate,  he  is 
a  much  better  fellow  than  your  other  scion,  Chia  Huan." 

"The  old  Tai  tai  has  a  great  knowledge  of  human  nature;  no  doubt 
she  is  able  to  judge  correctly,  and  Pao  Yu  must  certainly  be  congratu- 
lated on  the  fact  that  she  has  such  a  good  opinion  of  him,"  admitted 
Mr.  Cheng.  "Only  I  am  anxious  to  see  him  develop  at  last  into  a  ma- 
ture, balanced  character.  That  is  what  is  on  my  mind." 

"But  after  all,  he  is  hardly  more  than  a  child.  He  has  no  experience 
of  life  or  years  of  public  office  behind  him,  as  people  like  you  have. 
Therefore  one  must  not  expect  too  much  of  him,"  growled  the  Ances- 
tress, and  turning  to  Princess  Shieh  and  Madame  Cheng,  she  continued 
in  a  lighter  tone:  "This  fellow  was  a  very  much  more  odd  and  eccentric 
boy  than  Pao  Yu  in  his  youth.  It  was  only  when  he  got  married  that  he 
became  somewhat  more  sensible." 

"Splendid !  Our  old  Tai  tai  always  knows  how  to  have  the  last  laugh 
on  her  side,"  cried  the  two  ladies,  laughing  heartily. 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  maid  coming  to  announce 
that  supper  was  ready,  and  the  company  went  to  table  in  the  best  of  hu- 
mor. This  was  the  first  time  that  Pao  Yu's  marriage  had  been  seriously 
discussed  in  family  council. 

That  same  evening  Chia  Cheng  called  Pao  Yu  up  for  an  interview. 
He  made  him  produce  the  three  essays  which  he  had  presented  during 
the  two  months'  term  to  Master  Tai  Ju,  and  discussed  them  thoroughly 
with  him,  altering  this  and  improving  that,  and  finally  sent  him  off,  not 
ungraciously,  to  the  Ancestress. 

Pao  Yu  found  Aunt  Hsueh  there;  she  had  come  to  unburden  her- 
self on  the  subject  of  her  ill-behaved  daughter-in-law  who  had  made  a 
violent  scene  with  herself  and  Precious  Clasp  only  that  very  day.  She 

450 


met  with  general  sympathy,  and  Precious  Clasp's  gentle,  wise  character 
was  much  praised:  how  different  she  was  from  the  insufferable  Hsia; 
she  would  undoubtedly  rejoice  the  heart  of  any  mother-in-law. 

Pao  Yu,  who  had  no  liking  for  family  discussions,  had  already  been 
watching  for  his  chance  to  steal  away  on  the  first  excuse,  but  the  men- 
tion of  Precious  Clasp's  name  held  him  back. 

"Yes,  she  may  indeed  be  quite  a  good,  capable  girl,"  sighed  Aunt 
Hsueh,  "but  what  good  is  that  to  me?  After  all,  she  is  only  a  girl,  and 
my  son  is  all  the  more  worry  to  me  for  that  reason.  I  live  in  constant 
fear  that  he  will  get  into  some  serious  trouble  again  will,  his  constant 
carousing  outside  the  home." 

Pao  Yu  felt  obliged  to  put  in  a  good  word  for  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan  and 
to  assure  the  ladies  that  the  company  he  kept  consisted  entirely  of  abso- 
lutely unimpeachable,  honorable  big  businessmen.  Then,  disappointed 
at  the  uninteresting  turn  which  the  conversation  had  taken,  he  left  the 
company  and  went  back  to  his  books. 

Meantime  Chia  Cheng  had  gone  into  the  guest  hall  and  revealed  to 
the  friends  and  colleagues  assembled  there  that,  having  just  put  his  son, 
Pao  Yu,  through  his  paces,  he  now  considered  him  worthy  to  take  a 
wife.  With  this  intimation  he  gave  the  company  to  understand  that  he 
would  have  his  ear  open  for  suitable  proposals. 

Thereupon  one  of  the  guests  proposed  the  only  child  of  the  rich 
former  Taotai  Chang  of  Nanchow,  and  offered  his  services  as  intermedi- 
ary. The  family  in  question  was  related,  moreover,  to  Princess  Shieh. 
Chia  Cheng,  who  did  not  know  the  Changs  personally,  decided  to  con- 
sult his  wife  first  before  instructing  the  would-be  middleman  to  pro- 
ceed. 

The  next  morning,  when  breakfasting  with  the  Ancestress,  Madame 
Cheng  spoke  of  the  latest  marriage  project.  When  Princess  Shieh  men- 
tioned that,  to  her  knowledge,  old  Chang  was  a  selfish,  miserly  person 
who  would  not  let  his  only  child  out  of  his  house  under  any  circum- 
stances or  risk  exposing  her  to  the  rod  of  some  mother-in-law,- but 
would  wish  his  son-in-law  to  marry  into  his  own  house,  the  Ancestress 
declared  at  once  that  the  proposal  was  out  of  the  question,  as  she  would 
not  dream  of  letting  Pao  Yu  leave  the  house. 

"But  why  go  hunting  round  among  strangers?"  remarked  Phoenix, 
smiling.  "After  all,  a  kindly  Providence  has  arranged  things  wonder- 
fully conveniently  for  us." 

"How  is  that?"  asked  the  Ancestress. 

"Has  the  old  Tai  tai  forgotten  the  corresponding  inscriptions  on  the 
stone  amulet  and  the  golden  amulet?  Nephrite  and  gold.  Pao  Yu  and 
Pao  Chai — Precious  Stone  and  Precious  Clasp — belong  together  by  the 
will  of  Providence." 

451 


"Why,  of  course!  My  eyes  have  certainly  grown  dull  with  age!"  ex- 
claimed the  Ancestress,  nodding  agreement.  Princess  Shieh-and  Mad- 
ame Cheng  eagerly  nodded  agreement  too.  And  from  that  hour  it  was 
a  settled  matter,  within  the  inner  council  of  the  ladies  of  the  Yungkuo 
palace,  that  Pao  Yu  and  Precious  Clasp  should  become  man  and  wife. 

CHAPTER    41 

The  beautiful  saint  is  caught  up  in  the  fire  of  sin  as  she  sit.         her 

prayer  cushion,  and  is  carried  away  into  ecstasy  by  demoniacal  forces. 

Black  Jade  is  frightened  by  the  shadow  of  the  snake  in  the  beaker,  end 

rejects  all  nourishment  with  sublime  resolution. 


.1 


UST  AS  THE  LADIES  OF  THE  YUNGKUO  PALACE  WERE  ENGAGED  IN  EAGER 

discussion  of  the  latest  marriage  plan,  Pao  Yu  appeared  on  the  scene. 
He  came  from  the  palace  of  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness,  who 
was  celebrating  his  birthday  today.  The  three  seniors,  Prince  Shieh,  Mr. 
Cheng,  and  Prince  Chen,  and  the  two  juniors,  Chia  Lien  and  Pao  Yu, 
had  together  conveyed  their  congratulations  to  him.  The  Prince  had 
conversed  almost  exclusively  with  Pao  Yu,  had  informed  him  before 
anyone  else  of  the  coming  promotion  of  his  father  to  the  office  of  State 
Councillor  in  the  Ministry  of  Works,  and  graciously  honored  him  on 
parting  with  the  gift  of  a  beautiful  jewel.  Full  of  pride,  Pao  Yu  showed 
the  Prince's  gift  to  the  Ancestress  and  the  other  ladies.  The  Ancestress 
decided  that  it  would  be  wise  to  put  the  precious  souvenir  away  in  the 
treasure  chamber  lest  it  should  be  lost. 

"And  are  you  wearing  your  own  stone  as  you  should  be?  Do  keep  it 
safe!  "she  said. 

Pao  Yu  pulled  out  from  under  his  tunic  the  stone  which  hung  on  its 
five-colored  cord. 

"Yes,  I  do  mind  it  well,  for  it's  no  ordinary  stone,"  he  assured  her. 
"And  by  the  way,  that  reminds  me  of  something  very  strange.  One 
night  recently,  when  I  was  going  to  sleep  and  had  hung  it  on  the  bed- 
curtain  near  my  pillow,  it  suddenly  shone  so  brightly  that  a  whole  patch 
of  the  curtain  behind  it  glowed  red." 

"Don't  talk  nonsense!  It  must  have  been  the  reflection  from  the 
lamp  or  from  the  fire  in  the  brazier;  for  the  curtain  is  of  red  material, 
of  course." 

"No,  the  brazier  had  already  burned  out  and  the  lamp  was  quenched. 
It  was  as  dark  as  lacquer  in  the  room." 

The  ladies  looked  at  each  other  with  significant  smiles. 

"The  phenomenon  doubtless  points  to  a  happy  event  soon  to  come," 
interjected  Phoenix. 

452 


"I  don't  know  what  it  would  be,"  he  said  guilelessly. 

"And  you  do  not  need  to  know,  either!  Now,  don't  stay  talking 
twaddle  any  longer.  You  have  been  out  the  whole  day.  Go  back  to  the 
park  and  rest  now!"  said  the  Ancestress,  putting  a  stop  to  further  con- 
versation. 

"Have  any  of  you  informed  Aunt  Hsueh  of  our  plan  meantime?"  she 
asked,  when  her  grandson  had  gone  out. 

"Yes,  I  have,"  replied  Madame  Cheng.  "She  is  ten-tenths  in  agree- 
ment, but  she  would  like  to  discuss  the  matter  with  her  son  Hsueh  Pan 
before  giving  her  final  consent.  So  we  must  wait  until  Hsueh  Pan  is 
back  from  his  business  journey." 

"Good.  Then  we  will  keep  the  matter  between  ourselves,"  decided  the 
Ancestress. 

Meanwhile,  over  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard,  Pao  Yu  was  telling  his 
Pearl  about  the  conversation  he  had  just  taken  part  in  and  asking  her 
how  she  would  interpret  Phoenix's  mysterious  pronouncement.  Pearl 
pretended  that  she  also  could  not  make  head  or  tail  of  it. 

"Was  Miss  Black  Jade  over  there?"  she  wanted  to  know. 

"No.  You  know  that  she's  been  ill  for  days,  and  isn't  going  out  yet." 

They  were  distracted  from  the  matter  by  a  little  quarrel  between 
Musk  and  Autumn  Wave.  But  Pearl  had  in  fact  put  two  and  two  to- 
gether. She  was  firmly  convinced  that  Pao  Yu's  marriage  was  the  com- 
ing event  hinted  at,  which  it  was  intended  to  keep  secret  from  him  for 
the  present.  The  fact  that  Black  Jade  had  been  absent  strengthened 
her  firm  conviction  that  she^was  the  chosen  bride. 

Two  events,  one  of  them  happy,  the  other  unhappy,  pushed  the  mar- 
riage question  into  the  background  for  a  time.  The  appointment  of  Chia 
Cheng  as  State  Councillor  in  the  Ministry  of  Works  brought  swarms  of 
guests  to  the  house,  to  offer  their  congratulations,  and  for  days  on  end 
there  was  the  usual  bustle  of  festivities.  The  festive  mood  was  forthwith 
damped  by  an  unfortunate  affair  of  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan.  The  terrible  dis- 
grace which  his  mother  had  long  been  dreading  in  secret  had  come  to 
pass  at  last.  In  order  to  get  some  respite  from  his  quarrelsome  wife, 
nee  Hsia,  Hsueh  Pan  had  set  out  on  another  business  tour  of  the  South. 
At  an  inn  on  the  way  in  a  sudden  fit  of  rage  he  had  thrown  a  wine 
goblet  at  a  waiter  who,  he  considered,  had  not  treated  him  with  ade- 
quate respect.  The  goblet  had  hit  the  poor  devil  so  hard  on  the  back  of 
his  head  that  he  had  died  of  his  injuries.  Hsueh  Pan  had  been  sent  to 
prison  and  charged  with  murder.  And  now  there  was  an  excited  running 
hither  and  thither  between  the  capital  and  the  provincial  town  in  which 
Hsueh  Pan  was  imprisoned.  His  cousin  Hsueh  Kuo  was  sent  off  post- 
haste to  his  aid.  Messengers  came  and  went;  Aunt  Hsueh  had  to  dip 

•*53 


into  her  pocket  and  produce  thousands  of  taels  for  bribing  purposes, 
and  Uncle  Cheng  had  to  throw  into  the  scale  all  the  weight  of  his  posi- 
tion and  influence  in  an  effort  to  get  the  unlucky  nephew  out  of  his  pain- 
ful dilemma.  Naturally,  such  a  happy  event  as  a  wedding  could  not  be 
thought  of  while  such  urgent  matters  as  these  remained  unresolved. 

One  day  when  he  was  free  from  school  Pao  Yu  set  out  on  a  stroll 
through  the  park  after  the  midday  meal.  His  first  impulse  was  to  turn 
towards  the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  but  as  Black  Jade  was  just  having  her 
midday  nap,  he  did  not  want  to  disturb  her,  and  decided  to  visit  Grief 
of  Spring  instead.  He  found  her  dwelling  place,  the  Little  Castle  of 
Warm  Perfumes,  sunk  in  deepest  silence.  There  was  not  a  sound  to  be 
heard,  nor  even  the  shadow  of  a  human  being  to  be  seen.  She's  prob- 
ably asleep,  he  said  to  himself,  and  had  already  turned  to  go  on  when  a 
soft  clapping  sound  from  within  made  him  halt  his  footsteps  once  more. 
He  listened.  Again  came  the  soft  clapping  sound,  and  then  a  voice:  "It's 
your  turn.  Why  don't  you  move  a  piece?" 

That  sounds  like  chess,  conjectured  Pao  Yu.  If  only  he  knew  with 
whom  Grief  of  Spring  was  playing.  The  voice  that  he  had  just  heard 
sounded  strange  to  him.  Now  he  identified  the  voice  of  Grief  of  Spring, 
and  disconnected  words  such  as:  "Come  on!  Move  for  move!  First 
you,  then  me.  Quietly!  Quietly!  We're  getting  on!"  Then  after  a  while, 
another  voice,  groaning:  "I'm  just  finished!" 

And  then  again,  Grief  of  Spring,  hoarse  and  dejected:  "I'm  not  yet! 
Go  on!  Now,  now  there's  the  revolt  from  within!  I  give  up!" 

Seized  with  breathless  curiosity,  Pao  Yu  slipped  cautiously  under  the 
curtain  and  peered  into  the  room.  Thereupon,  to  his  astonishment,  he 
recognized  Grief  of  Spring's  chess  partner.  She  was  the  young  saint  of 
the  Kingfisher's  Cage,  the  beautiful  anchoress,  Miao  Yu.  The  two  were 
still  so  engrossed  and  absorbed  in  their  game  that  they  did  not  notice 
him  coming  up  behind  them. 

I'd  call  that  a  strange  game  of  sleight  of  hand  that's  being  played 
here!  thought  the  eavesdropper,  amused,  remaining  motionless  where 
he  was,  to  continue  listening. 

"Surely  your  unicorn  has  had  enough?"  he  heard  Miao  Yu  whisper- 
ing with  bent  head  to  Grief  of  Spring. 

"Indeed  he  hasn't.  If  you  cannot  make  a  move,  I  can!"  said  Grief  of 
Spring,  eagerly. 

"Pssh!  It's  just  a  matter  of  trying!"  said  Miao  Yu,  smiling;  and  con- 
tinuing the  game,  she  succeeded,  in  a  few  clever  moves,  in  checkmating 
and  eliminating  Grief  of  Spring's  unicorn,  which  was  the  vanguard  of 
her  field  of  play. 

454 


"That  is  what  is  called  the  'Chess  Game  of  Pulling  Off  Boots,  "  she 
declared,  smiling. 

Now  the  eavesdropper  could  keep  quiet  no  longer. 

"That  was  certainly  an  exciting  fight  for  the,  unicorn!"  he  suddenly 
blurted  out,  laughing  loudly.  The  two  players  jumped  to  their  feet,  very 
much  startled. 

"What  on  earth  do  you  mean?  To  force  your  way  in  without  a  word 
and  simply  take  us  by  surprise!  Have  you  been  here  long?"  asked 
Grief  of  Spring,  half  angrily  and  half  nervously. 

"Oh,  no!  I've  only  just  come  in.  And  you,  reverend  sister,  you  do  not 
leave  your  holy  cloister  very  willingly.  What,  then,  leads  you  into  our 
impious,  worldly  regions  today?"  he  asked,  bowing  with  an  ironical 
smile  to  the  beautiful  anchoress. 

Miao  Yu  blushed,  and  silently  bent  her  head  still  lower  over  the 
chessboard.  She  had  cast  only  a  hurried  glance  at  him. 

"It's  your  turn.  Won't  you  make  a  move?"  she  said  to  Grief  of 
Spring  as  casually  as  possible;  stood  up,  smoothed  her  crushed  gown, 
and  sat  down  again.  Then,  turning  to  Pao  Yu:  "Where  have  you  come 
from?"  she  asked. 

The  one  hurried  glance  which  she  threw  him  so  confused  him  that  he, 
in  his  turn,  flushed  up  and  failed  to  hear  her  embarrassed  question.  He 
felt  caught  and  at  the  same  time  encouraged  by  this  one  glance. 

"Come,  speak  up!  Surely  the  question  is  not  so  difficult  to  answer 
that  it  should  make  you  blush?"  said  Grief  of  Spring. 

"It's  time  for  me  to  go.  I  have  already  stayed  too  long,"  said  Miao 
Yu,  anticipating  him;  she  rose  and  turned  towards  the  door. 

"I  only  hope  I  shall  not  lose  my  way,  I'm  so  unfamiliar  with  this 
labyrinth  of  winding  paths,"  she  remarked  with  a  smile  as  she  reached 
the  door,  glancing  aside  at  Pao  Yu.  He  read  a  silent  invitation  in  her 
glance. 

"I  will  guide  you,"  he  offered  promptly. 

"Oh,  how  very  kind  of  you.  Then  please  walk  ahead!" 

And  the  beautiful  and  saintly  lady  gladly  allowed  the  scion  of  princes, 
the  child  from  the  world  of  red  dust,  to  guide  her  back  to  her  hermit- 
age by  winding  paths. 

That  night  she  had  to  go  through  a  bitter  fight  with  the  demons  of 
temptation.  After  she  had  taken  her  frugal  evening  meal,  burned  in- 
cense, prayed  through  her  daily  Sutra  breviary,  and  had  sat  down  with 
her  legs  tucked  crosswise  under  her  on  her  round  prayer  cushion,  she 
sought  in  vain,  for  several  hours  of  strenuous  meditation,  to  banish  all 
frivolous,  worldly  thoughts  and  to  achieve  the  prescribed  inner  peace 
pleasing  to  God.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  the  noise  of  a  tile  falling 
from  the  roof  caused  her  to  start  up  from  her  prayer  cushion  and  hurry 

453 


out  to  the  veranda.  How  mild  the  night  was!  How  beautifully  the  moon 
shone !  Like  a  little  waterfall,  its  beams  rippled  through  a  thin  layer  of 
cloud  which  stretched  before  it.  The  racket  which  had  just  startled  her 
had  come  from  a  pair  of  cats  which  were  frisking  about  on  the  roof, 
alternately  caterwauling  amorous  airs  to  each  other.  How  she  envied 
the  little  creatures !  How  forsaken  and  lonely  she  felt !  Again  and  again 
the  honeyed  words  which  Pao  Yu,  the  child  of  the  red  dust,  had  lav- 
ished on  her  today,  came  into  her  mind.  For  a  long  while  she  stood 
leaning  on  the  parapet,  gazing  dreamily  into  the  moonlit  night,  before 
she  .turned  back  with  a  sigh  to  her  cushion  of  meditation.  All  her  peace 
of  mind  was  at  an  end.  In  the  latter  half  of  the  night  her  spirit  broke 
loose  from  its  holy  bonds  and  swept  her  into  forbidden  regions  of 
worldly  actions.  The  demons  of  temptation  entered  into  her  body  and 
dangled  fleshly  visions  before  her.  At  first  these  took  the  form  of  high- 
born and  high-spirited  youths  who  wooed  her  and  whom  she  proudly 
scorned;  female  marriage  brokers  scrambled  for  possession  of  her  and 
tried  to  drag  her  into  a  bridal  litter;  and  finally  she  saw  herself  as  the 
booty  of  robbers,  who  dragged  her  away  and  were  about  to  violate  her. 
Bathed  in  sweat,  foaming  at  the  mouth,  with  outspread  hands  and 
staring  eyes,  she  awoke  from  her  ecstasy.  For  days  she  lay  in  a  semi- 
conscious state  until,  by  dint  of  swallowing  quantities  of  medicines 
which  the  doctor  prescribed  "for  the  cooling  of  the  fire  in  the  blood," 
she  finally  recovered. 

For  a  long  while  her  illness  was  the  subject  of  conversation  among 
the  young  bloods  of  the  town,  who  declared  with  many  a  significant 
sigh  that  a  beautiful  young  girl  like  her  was  born  for  marriage  and  not 
for  self-chastisement  and  renunciation  of  the  world.  Who  knows  into 
what  unholy  hands  the  beautiful  saint  might  one  day  fall! 

She  has  not  yet  been  able  to  free  herself  completely  from  the  red  dust 
of  this  world,  thought  Grief  of  Spring  to  herself  when  she  heard  of  the 
collapse  of  her  chess  companion.  What  a  pity  that  it  is  not  my  good 
fortune  to  dedicate  my  life  to  the  service  of  Buddha,  as  she  has  done, 
and  to  live  together  with  her.  I  would  chase  away  the  demons  of  tempta- 
tion with  the  power  of  my  prayer  if  they  ever  again  should  take  it  into 
their  heads  to  torture  and  plague  her." 

And  once  more  she  became  zealously  immersed  in  the  study  of  her 
"Manual  of  the  Art  of  Chess  Playing,"  in  order  to  be  well  prepared  for 
the  next  game  with  her  beloved  playmate. 

His  studies  arid  his  attendance  at  school  had  occupied  Pao  Yu  so 
intensively  recently  that  his  visits  to  Black  Jade  had  become  gradually 
less  and  less  frequent.  Moreover,  Black  Jade  found  him  altered  in  his 
nature  too,  for  he  had  become  very  grave,  reserved,  and  silent  with  her 

456 


of  late.  She  thought  sorrowfully  of  the  old  days,  the  first  happy  years 
of  their  life  together.  The  things  that  were  a  flimsy  pretext  for  blame  in 
those  days,  a  harmless  source  of  annoyance  and  tiffs — his  boyish  ve- 
hemence, his  exuberant,  thoughtless  chatter — these  were  just  the  things 
that  she  missed  most  in  him  now.  When  her  maid  Cuckoo  had  laid  out 
her  warm  winter  clothing  for  her  a  little  time  ago,  and  she  had  found 
packed  away  among  them  in  a  little  bundle  three  souvenirs  of  those 
days — the  unfinished  perfume  bag,  the  tassel  from  his  amulet  which  she 
had  once  defiantly  cut  with  scissors,  and  the  two  handkerchiefs  which 
had  come  from  him  and  which  she  had  covered  with  verses,  the  blotted 
writing  of  which  still  bore  traces  of  the  tears  she  had  shed  then — she 
was  overcome  with  intense  emotion.  For  a  long  time  she  could  not  tear 
her  eyes  away  from  those  dear  memories,  and  new  tears  were  added  to 
the  traces  of  the  old  ones.  The  somber  atmosphere  of  melancholy  which 
the  park  breathed  in  those  gray  days  of  falling  autumn  leaves  matched 
her  own  somber  mood  exactly.  The  one  thing  which  upheld  her  was  the 
belief  which  she,  like  her  maids,  still  firmly  held:  that  she  was  Pao  Yu's 
destined  bride. 

One  day,  after  one  of  the  usual  brief  and  conventional  visits  of  the 
beloved,  she  had  lain  down  on  her  bed  and  sent  the  maid  Cuckoo  away, 
so  that  she  might  be  alone  with  her  thoughts.  When  Cuckoo  went  into 
the  maids'  room  she  found  little  Snowgoose  there,  looking  obviously 
upset,  hunched  up  on  a  chair,  brooding  by  herself. 

"Is  there  something  worrying  you?"  she  asked.  The  little  one  nodded 
sadly  and,  putting  her  finger  significantly  to  her  lips,  drew  the  elder 
girl  out  of  the  door  with  her  on  to  the  terrace  facing  the  front  garden. 

"I've  sad  news.  Pao  Yu  is  betrothed  to  someone  else!"  she  whis- 
pered. 

"Oh,  but  that  can't  be  true!"  cried  Cuckoo,  horrified. 

"Hush!  Don't  talk  so  loud!  It  is  true!  Everyone  except  ourselves 
knew  it  long  ago." 

"How  did  you  find  out?" 

Snowgoose  drew  Cuckoo  two  steps  farther  away,  for  coughing  and  a 
creaking  of  the  bed  had  become  audible  inside.  With  her  head  turned 
back  she  listened  intently  until  all  was  quiet  again  in  Black  Jade's  room. 
Then  she  continued  in  a  lower  voice:  "I  heard  it  yesterday  in  the  Her- 
mitage of  Clear  Autumn  Weather.  Miss  Taste  of  Spring  was  not  there. 
We  maids  were  talking  together  about  the  latest  news  of  the  house,  and 
the  conversation  turned  on  Pao  Yu.  He  was  so  immature  and  childish 
and  full  of  naughtiness,  not  a  bit  a  gentleman  yet,  the  writing  maid  re- 
marked quite  casually;  it  was  unbelievable  that  he  was  already  engaged 
and  would  marry  soon.  When  I  asked,  very  much  astonished,  to  whom 
he  was  betrothed,  I  was  told  to  the  only  daughter  of  a  certain  rich  retired 

457 


prefect  named  Chang,  a  distant  relative  of  Princess  Shieh.  Because  of 
the  relationship,  so  it  was  said,  there  was  no  need  for  lengthy  negotia- 
tions. Mr.  Cheng  had  accepted  straight  away  the  proposal  which  was 
made  by  the  go-between,  a  young  colleague  in  the  Ministry,  named 
Wang.  In  short,  the  engagement  was  an  accomplished  fact.  Of  course,  I 
was  simply  knocked  over  by  this  news.  Our  poor  little  mistress!" 

"But  why  were  we  told  nothing?"  asked  Cuckoo  after  a  pause. 

"At  the  express  wish  of  the  old  Tai  tai  the  engagement  was  to  be 
kept  secret  for  the  time  being  for  the  sake  of  Pao  Yu.  She's  afraid  that 
if  he  hears  of  it  too  soon  he'll  get  out  of  hand  and  become  quite  hope- 
less at  his  studies.  And  the  writing  maid  told  the  secret  to  me  under  the 
seal  of  silence. -Our  young  lady  must  not  get  to  know  anything  about  it 
on  any  account!" 

A  screeching  voice  behind  their  backs: 

"Go  to  the  young  lady! 
Take  her  a  cup  of  tea!" 

caused  the  two  waiting  maids  to  wheel  around  in  alarm,  but  it  was  only 
the  parrot,  saying  the  little  piece  he  had  learned.  They  gave  the  gaily 
colored  disturber  a  few  words  of  scolding,  then  darted  back  to  their 
mistress. 

"Where  were  you  two  hiding?  One  can  call  and  call,  and  no  one 
comes,"  said  Black  Jade  in  a  weak  voice;  then  she  asked  listlessly  for  a 
few  things,  and  immediately  dismissed  the  maids  again.  When  Cuckoo 
brought  her  food  in  the  evening  she  found  her  mistress  lying  apatheti- 
cally on  her  bed,  almost  uncovered.  She  carefully  drew  the  disarranged 
bedclothes  up  over  her  and  crept  softly  out,  as  she  did  not  seem  to  be 
wanted.  When  she  came  back  later  to  clear  away  the  dishes,  she  found 
the  food  untouched.  The  bedclothes  were  again  pushed  down  to  the 
foot  of  the  bed  as  if  it  were  hot  summer  and  not  cool  autumn.  Once 
more  Cuckoo  drew  up  the  bedclothes,  let  down  the  curtains,  and  carried 
out  the  untouched  meal. 

"Do  you  think  she  could  have  heard  us?  Such  an  extraordinary 
change  has  come  over  her!"  she  remarked  anxiously  to  Snowgoose 
when  she  got  outside. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Black  Jade  had  understood  only  about  seven-  to 
eight-tenths  of  the  whispered  conversation  out  on  the  terrace  steps,  but 
what  she  had  heard  had  broken  over  her  head  like  a  tidal  wave  of 
despair.  How  uncannily  her  terrible  dream  was  being  fulfilled.  Life 
seemed  to  be  without  a  purpose  henceforth.  Was  she  to  look  on  and 
see  her  beloved  bringing  home  another  bride?  The  thought  was  in- 
tolerable to  her.  She  resolved  to  quench  the  flame  of  her  own  life  slowly 
and  deliberately,,  -instead.  She  would  not  touch  another  bite  of  food  or 

458 


take  any  more  medicine,  and  in  this  way  would  artificially  undermine 
her  already  frail  health,  so  as  to  bring  about  an  early  end.  A  great  and 
joyful  sense  of  peace  pervaded  her.  Was  it  not  a  beautiful  and  worthy 
task  gradually  to  free  oneself  from  the  red  dust  of  worldly  strivings, 
and  to  float  upwards,  as  it  were,  into  the  spiritual  region  of  great  il- 
lumination and  negation?  She  carried  out  her  grim  resolution  with 
such  determination  that  by  the  end  of  two  weeks  she  no  longer  had 
the  physical  strength  to  eat  as  much  as  a  single  grain  of  rice,  even  if 
she  had  had  the  will  to  do  so.  No  one  in  the  house  except  her  two  maids 
guessed  the  reason  of  her  fading,  and  for  fear  of  being  blamed  by  the 
Ancestress  the  maids  did  not  dare  to  open  their  mouths.  And  now 
matters  had  gone  so  far  that  Black  Jade's  life  seemed  on  the  point  of 
coining  to  an'  end. 

"I  must  run  over  and  tell  the  ladies  that  our  little  mistress  is  near 
her  end;  sit  by  her  while  I  am  away!"  said  Cuckoo  to  Snowgoose,  and 
left  her  alone  with  the  sick  girl.  In  her  childish  ignorance  of  nature 
the  little  maid  thought  that  her  mistress  must  be  already  dead,  so  still 
and  motionless  was  she.  While  she  was  watching  alone  by  her,  in  fear 
and  trembling,  the  writing  maid  from  the  Hermitage  of  Clear  Autumn 
Weather  appeared  outside.  She  had  been  sent  by  Taste  of  Spring  to  ask 
how  Black  Jade  was.  Snowgoose  was  immensely  relieved  to  have  com- 
pany at  last,  and  she  took  the  visitor  into  the  sickroom. 

"Where's  Cuckoo?"  asked  the  writing  maid. 

Snowgoose  pointed  to  Black  Jade. 

"She  has  just  run  over  to  tell  them  that  our  little  mistress  is  dying." 

Believing  that  there  was  no  need  to  restrain  her  tongue  since  her 
mistress  was  after  all  no  longer  conscious,  she  continued:  "Was  what 
you  told  me  some  time  ago  really  true  about  the  news  of  the  betrothal 
of  Pao  Yu  to  the  daughter  of  one  Prefect  Chang?" 

"Of  course  it  was  true.  I  had  it  from  the  maid  Siao  Hung,  and  she 
had  heard  of  it  from  her  mistress,  Madame  Phoenix,  but  there's  been  a 
change  since.  When  Miss  Taste  of  Spring  sent  me  over  to  Madame 
Phoenix  the  next  day  to  find  out  more  about  it,  Madame  Phoenix  told 
me  that  the  old  Tai  tai  had  not  approved  this  betrothal,  and  had  said 
that  it  was  the  rash  plan  of  a  young  ministerial  colleague  and  guest 
of  our  Mr.  Cheng.  The  gentleman  had  put  forward  his  proposal  to 
curry  favor  with  Mr.  Cheng  and  secure  future  advantages  from  him  in 
his  career.  When  examined  more  closely,  the  plan  proved  to  be  quite 
unfeasible.  The  Ancestress  declared  that  she  already  had  another  bride 
in  mind  for  Pao  Yu,  one  who  lived  with  us  in  the  park.  Moreover,  she 
declared  that  she  wished  him  to  marry  within  the  clan." 

This  was  certainly  an  undreamed-of  revelation  to  Snowgoose. 

"What?  Then  my  poor  little  mistress  has  thrown  away  her  life  for 

460 


no  reason  at  all,  and  it  is  all  my  fault!"  she  cried,  astonished  and  dis- 
mayed. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"When  I  was  telling  Cuckoo  the  news  of  the  alleged  engagement  to 
the  daughter  of  Prefect  Chang,  she  overheard  us,  and  she  took  it  so 
terribly  to  heart  that  it  has  finished  her." 

"Do  be  careful!  Do  be  quiet!  She  might  hear  us!" 

"Oh,  it's  not  necessary,  alas,  to  be  careful  any  more.  She  lost  con- 
sciousness long  ago.  In  another  few  hours  .  .  ." 

A  faint  "hem"  from  Black  Jade  caused  Snowgoose  suddenly  to 
stop  talking.  Cuckoo,  who  had  just  come  back,  rushed  in  and  bent  over 
the  patient. 

"Water!"  came  the  voice,  faint  as  a  breath  yet  audible,  from  the 
mouth  of  the  girl  they  had  thought  was  all  but  dead.  Snowgoose  dashed 
into  the  kitchen  and  brought  back  half  a  bowl  of  boiled  water.  By  a 
scarcely  perceptible  movement  of  her  head  the  patient  indicated  that 
she  wished  to  sit  up.  Cuckoo  pushed  one  hand  gently  under  her  neck 
and  raised  her  head  while  with  the  other  hand  she  lifted  the  bowl  of 
water  carefully  to  her  lips.  With  breathless  expectation  the  three  maids 
followed  every  movement.  And  in  fact  the  bloodless  lips  did  draw  in 
the  vivifying  liquid.  Once,  twice,  thrice,  she  swallowed,  then  shook  her 
head.  Cuckoo  set  down  the  bowl.  Taking  a  deep  breath,  Black  Jade 
let  her  head  fall  back  on  the  pillows.  Then,  after  quite  a  long  while, 
she  opened  her  eyes. 

"Wasn't  Taste  of  Spring's  writing  maid  here  just  now?  I  thought  I 
heard  her  voice,"  she  said,  faintly. 

"Yes,  here  I  am!"  replied  the  writing  maid,  coming  up  close  to  her. 

"Greet  your  young  lady  from  me!"  the  words  came  faintly  but  dis- 
tinctly after  another  pause.  The  writing  maid  nodded  and  quietly  with- 
drew. She  was  hardly  out  the  door  when  a  swarm  of  ladies  of  the  Yung- 
kuo  palace — the  Ancestress,  Madame  Cheng,  Widow  Chu,  and  Phoenix 
with  their  attendants — came  in  breathless  with  excitement  and  haste. 
After  Cuckoo's  alarming  report  they  had  come  expecting  to  find  a  dead 
girl  before  them,  and  were  not  a  little  surprised  now  to  find  a  patient 
who,  though  physically  weak,  was  nevertheless  already  well  on  the  way 
to  recovery,  to  judge  by  the  bright  expression  of  her  face.  Quite  dum- 
founded,  Phoenix  took  Cuckoo  aside:  "What  were  you  telling  us  just 
now,  and  why  did  you  frighten  us  unnecessarily?  Why,  she's  not  so  bad 
at  all!" 

"I  cannot  understand  it!  She  was  really  very  bad  a  little  while  ago, 
and  now  this  sudden  improvement  .  .  ."  stammered  Cuckoo,  em- 
barrassed. 

"Come  now!  Do  not  scold  her  for  being  too  careful!  Better  a  visit 

461 


for  nothing  than  to  arrive  too  late,"  said  the  Ancestress,  turning  with 
a  smile  to  Phoenix.  And  fully  reassured,  she  withdrew  with  her  retinue. 

Shortly  before,  when  the  writing  maid  had  come  in,  Black  Jade  was 
in  fact  lying  seemingly  lifeless  physically,  but  she  still  had  sufficiently 
clear  consciousness  left  to  be  able  to  catch  the  main  gist  of  the  maids' 
loud  conversation.  The  joyful  news  that  the  first  marriage  plan  had 
been  given  up  meantime  and  that  according  to  the  will  of  the  An- 
cestress a  girl  of  the  clan,  who  lived  in  the  park — who  could  surely 
be  only  herself — was  the  bride  destined  for  Pao  Yu,  had  acted  on  her 
condition  like  a  magic  drug.  New  joy  in  living  instantly  flooded  her 
body.  Her  austere  resolve  to  enter  as  a  spirit  into  the  great  void  was 
forgotten.  Her  life  was  worth  living  once  more,  and  she  wanted  to  live. 

Black  Jade  recovered  quickly.  Her  two  maids  breathed  sighs  of  re- 
lief and  recited  many  fervent  prayers  of  thanksgiving  to  Buddha.  They 
recalled  the  similar  instance  when  Cuckoo  had  let  drop  a  hint  about 
Black  Jade's  return  to  her  native  place  and  Pao  Yu  had  immediately 
become  mortally  ill,  and  they  concluded  from  this  that  the  two  must 
definitely  be  destined  by  Providence  for  each  other.  Snowgoose  felt 
relieved  of  a  heavy  weight  on  her  conscience  and  swore  she  would  never 
blab  again,  even  if  she  were  to  see  with  her  own  eyes  Pao  Yu  leading 
home  another  bride.  The  truth  about  Black  Jade's  sudden  illness  and 
sudden  recovery  naturally  could  not  remain  hidden  indefinitely,  and  it 
went  from  mouth  to  mouth  and  was  gossiped  about  thoroughly  among 
the  servants.  And  so  it  finally  reached  the  ears  of  Phoenix  and  the  other 
ladies  of  the  Yungkuo  palace.  As  it  was,  they  had  already  silently  put 
two  and  two  together,  and  now  saw  their  assumptions  verified. 

"As  long  as  the  two  were  children  I  let  them  live  and  play  freely  to- 
gether," said  the  Ancestress,  "but  now  that  they  are  grown  up,  it  seems 
to  me  more  wise  and  proper  to  separate  them.  What  do  you  think?" 
.she  asked  the  other  ladies. 

"Of  course  Pao  Yu  is  still  only  a  very  silly  boy,  but  Black  Jade  is 
already  a  mature,  fully  developed  young  lady,"  remarked  Madame 
Cheng  after  an  embarrassed  pause.  "It  might  be  wrongly  interpreted  if 
they  were  to  be  suddenly  separated  now.  It  would  be  better  if  we  made 
them  man  and  wife  without  delay." 

The  Ancestress  knit  her  brows. 

"Black  Jade  may  have  her  good  points,  but  she  also  has  her  peculiari- 
ties and  whims.  Besides,  her  health  is  very  poor.  I  am  afraid  that  she 
will  not  live  long.  I  do  not  want  her  as  wife  for  Pao  Yu;  Precious  Clasp 
is  the  right  girl  for  him,"  she  decided. 

That  was  exactly  what  Madame  Cheng  wanted,  but  because  Precious 
Clasp  was  more  closely  related  to  her  than  Black  Jade  was,  she  had 
refrained  out  of  discretion  from  saying  so  at  first. 

462 


"The  old  Tai  tai  is  perfectly  right,"  she  now  agreed  fervently.  "But 
let  us  also  plan  for  Black  Jade's  future  at  the  same  time.  A  big  girl  like 
her  certainly  needs  an  object  for  her  affections.  If  she  is  really  fond  of 
Pao  Yu  it  will  come  hard  on  her  to  see  another  girl  getting  him." 

"Pao  Yu  is  nearer  to  us  than  Black  Jade;  besides,  she  is  younger 
than  he  is.  Therefore,  we  must  first  settle  Pao  Yu;  that  is  the  right  order 
in  which  to  proceed,  not  the  other  way.  But  we  will  keep  his  betrothal 
secret  from  Black  Jade,  so  as  not  to  hurt  her,"  declared  the  Ancestress. 

"Did  you  hear  that?"  said  Phoenix  emphatically,  turning  to  'the 
serving  women  and  waiting  maids.  "Not  a  word  about  Pao  Yu's  be- 
trothal! Anyone  who  chatters  will  have  to  look  out  for  her  skin !" 

If  the  ladies  had  had  their  way,  the  marriage  decided  upon  would 
have  been  an  accomplished  fact  without  further  delay,  now  that  Aunt 
Hsueh  too  had  given  her  consent  in  principle.  But  Mr.  Cheng  consid- 
ered that  as  long  as  the  wretched  business  of  the  nephew  Hsueh  Pan, 
who  was  still  in  prison,  remained  hanging  over  the  family,  the  festive 
spirit  fitting  a  wedding  would  be  wanting.  Besides,  the  New  Year 
Festival,  with  all  its  bustle,  was  close  at  hand.  It  was  therefore  decided, 
at  his  suggestion,  to  postpone  the  customary  exchange  of  betrothal  gifts 
until  after  the  New  Year  Festival,  and  to  celebrate  the  wedding  itself 
in  the  early  spring,  after  the  birthday  of  the  Ancestress. 

All  this  was  decided  behind  Pao  Yu's  back,  while  at  the  same  time 
Black  Jade,  victim  of  a  beautiful  delusion,  was  setting  her  feet  once 
more  in  the  red  dust  of  earthly  desires. 


CHAPTER    42 

The  Ancestress  puts  a  reverse  interpretation  upon  the  evil  omen  of  the 

begonia  blossoming  in  winter  and  tries  to  drown  anxious  doubts  in  the 

joyous  tumult  of  a  banquet.  Pao  Yu  loses  the  spirit  stone  and  forfeits 

his  reason  as  a  consequence. 

I  AO  YU  LIVED  ON  UNAWARE,  AS  BEFORE,  OF  WHAT  HAD  BEEN  DECIDED 

behind  his  back.  To  be  sure,  it  seemed  peculiar  to  him  that  he  had  not 
seen  his  cousin  Precious  Clasp  for  such  a  long  time,  and  that  she  no 
longer  appeared  at  any  of  the  family  gatherings.  But  when  he  asked 
her  mother,  Aunt  Hsueh,  why  that  was,  he  always  received  such  plau- 
sible and  specious  answers,  as  reasons  for  her  absence — such  as  that 
she  was  not  very  well  or  was  kept  away  by  domestic  duties — that  his 
anxiety  was  immediately  dissipated. 

The  same  ignorance  pervaded  the  Bamboo  Hermitage,  and  under  its 
protective  veil  Black  Jade  improved  perceptibly  from  day  to  day.  Once 

463 


this  veil  was  very  near  to  being  cruelly  torn  down.  One  morning  in  the 
eleventh  month  Cuckoo  had  visited  Mandarin  Duck,  and  had  to  hear 
from  her,  at  great  length,  how  the  Ancestress  had  been  overwhelmed  of 
late  by  female  marriage-brokers  who  tried  to  persuade  her  now  to  this 
and  now  to  that  splendid  match  for  Pao  Yu,  and  how  heartily  sick  and 
tired  the  Ancestress  was  of  these  futile  importunings.  Cuckoo  was  natu- 
rally very  eager  to  know  why  the  Ancestress  so  resolutely  turned  down 
all  these  tempting  proposals.  Mandarin  Duck  was  in  the  very  act  of 
opening  her  mouth  to  come  out  with  the  truth  when  she  was  called  away 
to  the  Ancestress,  who  had  just  waked  up.  No  wiser  than  before,  but 
filled  with  secret  misgivings,  Cuckoo  had  returned  to  the  Bamboo  Her- 
mitage. Black  Jade  was  still  in  bed,  and  was  busily  engaged  in  putting 
literary  manuscripts  in  order. 

"Well,  where  have  you  been?"  she  asked  Cuckoo. 

"I  was  visiting  another  maid." 

"I  bet  it  was  Pearl,"  cried  Black  Jade  merrily. 

"I  don't  know  what  I'd  want  to  be  visiting  her  for." 

Black  Jade,  whose  thoughts  were  centered  only  in  Pao  Yu  and  the 
Begonia  Courtyard,  was  immediately  peeved.  She  had  been  hoping  for 
a  message  from  the  beloved  one. 

"It's  really  all  the  same  to  me  whom  you  visit;  bring  me  my  break- 
fast!" she  snapped.  She  was  just  drinking  her  first  bowl  of  tea  when  she 
heard  an  excited  buzz  of  voices  coming  over  from  the  park  path,  not 
far  from  the  front  garden.  Several  garden  women  were  standing  there, 
chattering  eagerly  together,  instead  of  sweeping  the  paths.  Black  Jade 
sent  out  to  ask  what  the  important  cause  of  discussion  was. 

"A  miracle  of  nature  has  happened  in  the  park,"  they  said.  "The 
withered  side  of  the  golden  begonia  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  has  sud- 
denly come  into  bud  in  the  middle  of  the  winter,  and  today  it  has 
broken  into  flower.  Our  little  master  spoke  of  it  yesterday,  when  he 
noticed  that  it  had  buds  in  several  places,  but  no  one  took  him  seriously. 
Today  the  buds  have  opened  and  everyone  is  rushing  to  the  Begonia 
Courtyard  to  view  the  miracle.  The  Ancestress  is  expected  to-  arrive 
with  her  ladies  at  any  moment.  We  have  been  sent  by  Madame  Phoenix 
to  sweep  the  park  paths  clear  of  fallen  leaves  and  branches  before  her." 

"Oh,  I  must  go  there  too  and  be  ready  to  receive  the  old  Tai  tai," 
cried  Black  Jade;  and  she  jumped  quickly  out  of  bed  and  slipped  on 
her  clothes.  She  had  barely  time  to  glance  at  the  mirror  and  tidy  her 
hair  before  Snowgoose  announced  that  the  old  Tai  tai  had  arrived,  and 
that  she,  Black  Jade,  was  expected  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard.  Accom- 
panied by  Cuckoo,  she  set  out  and  saluted  the  Ancestress  and  her  com- 
pany— Princess  Shieh  and  Madame  Cheng,  and  Widow  Chu,  and  the 
cousins  Taste  of  Spring,  Grief  of  Spring,  and  Wreath  of  Clouds.  Phoe- 

464 


nix  was  absent,  owing  to  indisposition.  They  all  stood  chatting  merrily 
around  the  Ancestress,  who  had  sat  down  on  Pao  Yu's  favorite  bench  in 
front  of  the  golden  begonia,  and  were  gazing  with  astonishment  at  the 
strange  phenomenon  of  nature  and  indulging  in  a  host  of  excited  com- 
ments and  varying  interpretations. 

"The  normal  time  for  the  begonia  to  bloom  is  certainly  the  third 
month,"  said  the  Ancestress.  "To  be  sure,  we  are  now  well  into  the 
eleventh  month,  but  the  weather  is  so  exceptionally  mild  that  it  might 
be  the  tenth  or  the  third  month.  I  find  nothing  disturbingly  strange 
about  this  late  blooming." 

"The  old  Tai  tai  has  more  experience  and  judgment  than  the  rest  of 
us,  and  doubtless  sees  the  matter  in  the  right  light.  The  phenomenon  is 
certainly  not  an  evil  omen,"  agreed  Madame  Cheng  fervently. 

"But  the  part  which  is  now  in  bloom  has  been  withered  for  the  past 
year.  Why  does  it  come  into  bloom  now,  at  such  an  unusual  time?  This 
must  certainly  have  some  meaning!"  objected  Princess  Shieh. 

"It  surely  has  a  meaning,  and  a  favorable  one.  In  my  simple  view 
this  blossoming  points  to  a  joyful  event  soon  to  happen  in  Pao  Yu's 
life,"  said  the  Widow  Chu,  laughing. 

Every  freak  of  nature  is  of  evil  omen.  This  untimely  blossoming  is 
contrary  to  nature  and  certainly  forebodes  evil,  thought  Taste  of  Spring 
to  herself.  But  she  did  not  dare  to  express  her  opinion  lest  she  should 
annoy  the  Ancestress. 

Black  Jade,  on  the  other  hand,  eagerly  and  joyfully  accepted  the 
Widow  Chu's  assertion  about  the  approaching  happy  event,  and  related 
it  as  a  matter  of  course  to  her  own  wedding  with  Pao  Yu. 

"Trees  and  shrubs,  are  creatures  with  souls,  and  there  are  many  ex- 
amples to  prove  that  they  react  in  sympathy  with  the  weal  or  woe  of  the 
human  beings  who  live  beside  them,"  she  declared.  "It  would  seem  that 
by  this  blossoming  the  begonia  is  showing  its  joy  at  the  fact  that  Cousin 
Pao  Yu  has  been  studying  so  well  of  late  and  is  pleasing  his  father  so 
much." 

Her  interpretation  met  with  the  lively  approval  of  the  Ancestress. 
Meanwhile  the  seniors,  Prince  Shieh  and  Mr.  Cheng,  had  arrived  to- 
gether with  the  juniors,  Chia  Huan  and  Chia  Lan,  to  view  the  phenome- 
non of  nature. 

"The  thing  bodes  no  good.  The  tree  of  ill  omen  should  be  simply  cut 
down,"  demanded  the  superstitious  Prince  Shieh. 

"Why  cut  it  down?  For  those  who  do  not  fear  ghosts,  no  ghosts  ex- 
ist," said  the  calm  and  rational  Confucian,  Mr.  Cheng. 

"Who  is  muttering  about  evil  omens  and  ghosts?  We  are  not  going  to 
let  any  kill-joys  depress  our  spirits!  Any  misfortune  that  may  befall  I 
take  upon  myself  alone!"  snapped  the  Ancestress. 

465 


The  two  seniors  bore  their  mother's  rebuke  in  meek  silence  and  dis- 
appeared immediately  on  some  excuse.  But  the  optimistic  Ancestress 
sent  a  message  to  the  kitchen,  having  decided  to  celebrate  what  she 
pleased  to  consider  the  joyful  event  of  the  miraculous  winter  blossom- 
ing by  having  a  large  and  merry  banquet  with  the  rest  of  the  clan.  At 
the  desire  of  the  Ancestress  the  three  juniors,  Pao  Yu,  Chia  Huan,  and 
Chia  Lan,  had  to  help  to  enhance  the  enjoyment  of  the  feast  by  compos- 
ing and  reciting  poetical  quatrains  in  honor  of  the  blossoming  begonia. 

"We  have  to  thank  you  for  all  this  jollity,"  said  the  Widow  Chu  jest- 
ingly to  Taste  of  Spring. 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"Well,  it  was  you,  after  all,  who  founded  our  Begonia  Club  long  ago. 
And  now  the  begonia  itself  is  making  its  presence  felt;  perhaps  it  wants 
to  become  an  honorary  member  of  our  club." 

While  everyone  was  still  laughing  at  her  jest  and  trying  to  keep  the 
Ancestress  in  good  humor,  Pao  Yu  was  secretly  torn  by  two  conflicting 
emotions.  On  the  one  hand,  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  dead  girl, 
Bright  Cloud,  and  regretting  that  she  could  not  blossom  into  new  life 
again  like  the  half  of  the  begonia  tree  which  had  died  away.  This 
thought  made  him  sorrowful.  On  the  other  hand,  he  recalled  that  he  had 
heard  shortly  before  that  Phoenix  intended  soon  to  let  him  have  a 
pretty  little  new  maid  in  place  of  Bright  Cloud.  Possibly  the  sudden 
blossoming  of  the  begonia  pointed  to  this  pleasant  change,  and  this 
thought  cheered  him  up  again.  A  little  while  later  the  maid  Little  Ping 
arrived  and  handed  to  Pearl  on  behalf  of  her  mistress  Madame  Phoe- 
nix, who  excused  herself  on  the  plea  of  not  being  well,  two  strips  of 
satin  of  the  lucky  color  red,  which  Pao  Yu  was  to  spread  over  the  blos- 
soms, ostensibly  as  ornamentation  but  at  the  same  time  as  a  protection 
against  the  night  frosts,  as  she  explained  to  the  company. 

"My  goodness!  Phoenix  thinks  of  everything!  Such  consideration 
for  others  in  spite  of  all  her  illness!"  said  the  Ancestress  appreciatively. 

But  when  the  company  had  gone  Little  Pirig  took  her  colleague  Pearl 
aside  and  said  to  her,  looking  very  solemn:  "My  mistress  puts  a  bad 
interpretation  on  this  phenomenon  of  nature.  She  wants  Pao  Yu  to  cut 
the  red  satin  into  strips  and  hang  the  little  strips  over  the  ill-omened 
blossoms  so  that  the  lucky  red  may  counteract  their  unlucky  influence." 

Pearl  followed  her  advice,  but  apparently  the  counter-magic  was  not 
strong  enough,  as  was  to  be  seen  at  once. 

Pao  Yu  had  changed  his  clothes  for  the  visit  of  the  Ancestress,  and 
put  on  a  festive  garment.  Because  the  visit  came  as  such  a  surprise,  he 
had  to  change  very  hurriedly.  In  short,  in  his  haste,  he  had  quite  for- 
gotten to  put  on  again  the  necklet  with  the  spirit  stone,  which  he  had 

466 


taken  off.  Now,  when  he  was  changing  again  after  the  visitors  had  gone, 
Pearl  suddenly  missed  the  amulet  from  his  neck. 

"Where's  the  stone?"  she  asked,  alarmed. 

"The  stone?  You're  right.  I  believe  that  in  my  hurry  I  left  it  on  the 
little  divan  table  a  while  ago." 

Pearl  dashed  out  to  the  divan  table,  but  there  was  no  stone  there.  She 
looked  under  the  covers  and  cushions,  rummaged  through  boxes  and 
drawers,  ransacked  every  corner  of  the  room,  but  she  found  not  a  trace 
of  the  stone.  Pearl  began  to  perspire  with  excitement. 

"Don't  worry.  It  will  turn  up  all  right!"  he  assured  her.  "Some  one 
of  the  servants  will  surely  have  found  it." 

But  the  servants  were  questioned  in  vain.  None  of  them  knew  any- 
thing about  the  whereabouts  of  the  stone. 

"There  were  so  many  people  in  the  house  just  now.  Perhaps  one  of 
your  cousins  took  it  for  fun,  to  play  a  trick  on  you.  It  would  be  a  Lad 
joke,  but  you  must  take  it  in  good  part  all  the  same.  Even  if  you  have  to 
beg  her  for  its  return  on  your  knees,  even  if  you  have  to  pay  a  forfeit  or 
a  reward  to  get  it  back,  the  main  thing  is  to  get  it  back,  for  it  is  a  part 
of  yourself,  your  very  life,"  said  Pearl,  trembling. 

So  Musk  and  Autumn  Wave  were  sent  off  to  the  neighboring  pa- 
vilions in  the  park,  but  they  soon  came  back  empty-handed.  A  general 
state  of  perplexity  and  confusion  reigned  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard; 
the  inmates  looked  at  each  other  with  bleak,  listless  faces,  like  wooden 
statues  or  plaster  idols.  Pao  Yu's  cousins  came  in  one  after  another.  At 
the  suggestion  of  Taste  of  Spring  the  park  gates  were  locked  and  re- 
liable serving  women  and  trusted  waiting  maids  were  sent  out  to  con- 
duct house-to-house  searches  throughout  the  park.  At  the  same  time  a 
big  reward  was  offered  for  finding  the  stone.  But  although  all  the  build- 
ings, oven  the  most  secluded  nooks,  were  thoroughly  searched,  the  stone 
remained  lost. 

Widow  Chu  suggested  that  a  search  of  the  persons  of  all  the  female 
park  personnel  should  be  carried  out.  The  young  ladies  should  search 
their  personal  maids,  and  the  personal  maids  should  search  all  the  other 
personnel.  This  measure,  which  entailed  complete  undressing  and  strip- 
ping in  the  presence  of  others,  was  not,  to  be  sure,  quite  in  accordance 
with  the  strict  rules  of  decency,  but  in  view  of  the  importance  of  the 
missing  object  it  was  deemed  unavoidable,  and  the  usuai  considera- 
tions were  set  aside.  The  proposal  was  approved  by  all  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Taste  of  Spring,  who  withheld  her  consent.  And  so  a  great  hub- 
bub of  undressing  and  washing  and  cleaning  arose  immediately. 

But  this  procedure  of  stripping  naked  had  hardly  started  when  it  was 
stopped  again  at  the  instance  of  Taste  of  Spring.  Taste  of  Spring  had 
still  got  the  painful  memory  of  the  house  search  and  the  search  of  her 

467 


person  which  she  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  Wang,  the  wife  of  the 
majordomo,  and  she  scolded  the  Widow  Chu  for  adopting  the  methods 
of  that  repellent  woman. 

"This  bodily  inspection  is  quite  superfluous,"  she  continued.  "Who 
would  be  so  simple  as  to  keep  stolen  property  for  a  long  time  on  her 
person  and  so  betray  herself?  Moreover,  I  doubt  very  much  whether 
the  stone  has  been  stolen  for  the  sake  of  gain.  After  all,  it  is  only  of 
sentimental  value  to  our  family,  and  has  no  market  value  for  strangers. 
What  would  anyone  pay  fqr  it?  I  believe  that  someone  who  wanted  to 
play  a  nasty  trick  on  Pao  Yu  has  taken  the  stone." 

Her  view  met  with  general  agreement,  and  suspicion  was  immedi- 
ately centered  on  Chia  Huan,  whose  hatred  of  his  more  favored  half 
brother  was  known  to  all.  Chia  Huan  had,  of  course,  been  present  ear- 
lier at  the  viewing  of  the  begonia  flowers.  The  maid  Little  Ping  was 
accordingly  sent  to  fetch  the  bastard  under  some  innocent  pretext.  He 
was  invited  to  a  cup  of  tea  and  left  alone  for  a  while  first  with  Little 
Ping,  who  had  been  assigned  the  task  of  coaxing  an  admission  out  of 
him. 

"Have  you  seen  Pao  Yu's  stone,  by  any  chance?  It  has  been  missing 
since  this  morning,"  she  said  in  the  course  of  conversation. 

Despite  her  smiling  face,  the  boy  felt  the  pointed  allusion  to  himself. 
He  got  red  and  stared  at  her,  full  of  hatred. 

"What  have  I  got  to  do  with  other  people's  lost  belongings?  So  it 
seems  I'm  suspected  as  the  thief,  eh?"  he  muttered  angrily. 

"No  offense  meant.  We  merely  thought  that  you  might  have  wanted 
to  play  a  little  joke;  that's  why  I  asked,"  said  Little  Ping,  intimidated. 

"Please  ask  him  yourself!  When  there  are  gifts  to  be  distributed  I  am 
not  present,  but  when  something  is  missing,  people  come  running  to  me 
and  suddenly  remember  me,"  growled  Chia  Huan,  and  went  off  in  a 
huff.  And  no  one  tried  to  hold  him  back.  Pao  Yu  was  heartily  glad  to  be 
rid  of  the  repellent  fellow.  . 

"You  shouldn't  have  brought  him  over  here,"  he  said.  "Now  he'll 
probably  kick  up  a  row  over  there,  and  everyone  will  get  to  know  of 
what  has  happened.  The  stone  is  not  so  important  to  me  as  all  that!  Let 
it  remain  lost  and  gone  for  all  I  care !  To  look  for  it  any  more  would  be 
a  waste  of  time.  We  might  as  well  try  to  find  a  needle  in  a  bundle  of 
straw." 

"You  take  the  loss  too  lightly,  little  ancestor!"  wailed  Pearl.  "The 
old  Tai  tai  will  be  beside  herself  when  the  story  gets  to  her  ears,  and 
we  maids  will  be  beaten  till  our  bones  are  broken.  It  would  be  better  to 
tell  her  the  truth  quite  openly  at  once." 

"Nonsense!  Tell  her  that  I  smashed  the  stone  in  pieces!" 

468 


'That's  impossible.  She  will  ask  how  and  why,. and  will  punish  us  for 
it.  And  if  she  asks  to  see  the  pieces,  what  then?" 

"Very  well.  Then  it's  better  to  say  that  I  lost  the  stone  when  I  went 
into  the  town  recently." 

"But  you  have  been  neither  to  school  nor  in  the  town  for  the  last  two 
days." 

"No,  but  I  was  at  a  theatrical  performance  in  the  palace  of  the  Prince 
of  the  Southern  Peace  the  day  before  yesterday.  I  could  have  lost  it  on 
that  occasion." 

"That  won't  do  either,"  objected  Taste  of  Spring.  "Grandmother  will 
ask  why  you  did  not  announce  the  loss  to  her  at  once,  two  days  ago." 

While  they  were  discussing  the  matter  this  way  and  that,  and  trying 
to  think  up  a  white  lie,  the  excited  voice  of  the  secondary  wife  Chao, 
the  mother  of  Chia  Huan,  was  heard  in  the  distance.  "What  does  this 
mean?  Accusing  my  son  of  theft  behind  my  back!  How  can  my  son 
help  it  if  other  people  are  careless  with  their  belongings  and  lose  them? 
I  won't  stand  for  this  underhand  treatment.  Here,  I'm  bringing  you  the 
thief,  and  now  cross-examine  him  openly  before  my  eyes,  and  if  he  is 
really  guilty  you  may  cut  his  throat  for  all  I  care,  or  do  what  you  like 
with  him!" 

And  pushing  the  howling  and  bucking  boy  in  front  of  her,  she  en- 
tered the  Begonia  Courtyard  panting  and  out  of  breath.  While  Widow 
Chu  was  trying  to  calm  her,  who  should  be  announced — to  make  mat- 
ters worse — but  Pao  Yu's  mother!  Pearl  was  so  frightened  that  she 
would  have  liked  the  ground  to  swallow  her.  Madame  Cheng's  arrival 
had  at  least  the  good  effect  of  instantly  silencing  the  screeching  of  the 
secondary  wife  Chao  and  her  son. 

The  consternation  on  the  faces  of  those  present  proved  to  Madame 
Cheng  that  there  must  be  some  truth  in  the  rumor  that  had  reached  her 
ears. 

"Has  the  stone  really  been  lost?"  she  asked.  No  one  had  the  courage 
to  answer.  Pearl  felt  so  guilty  that  she  was  about  to  throw  herself  at  her 
feet  and  confess  what  had  happened,  but  Madame  Cheng  ordered  her  to 
set  out  on  the  search  forthwith  instead  of  wasting  time  with  useless  ex- 
planations. 

"Pearl  could  not  help  it,"  said  Pao  Yu,  gallantly  taking  the  part  of 
his  maid.  "I  lost  the  stone  the  day  before  yesterday  on  my  way  back 
from  the  Palace  of  the  Prince  of  the  Southern  Peace." 

"Why,  then,  did  you  not  have  it  searched  for  earlier?  Moreover,  it 
was  Pearl's  duty  to  inform  me  at  once.  She  has  the  task  of  helping  you 
to  dress  and  undress.  She  must  surely  have  noticed  the  loss  of  the  stone 
the  day  before  yesterday,"  replied  Madame  Cheng,  sternly  and  dis- 
trustfully. The  secondary  wife  Chao  now  chimed  in  shrilly:  "That  is 

469 


even  better !  He  lost  it  on  the  road,  and  he  falsely  accuses  my  innocent 
son  .  .  ." 

"Please  refrain  from  those  irrelevant  interruptions,  which  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  matter!"  said  Madame  Cheng,  harshly  cutting  her 
short.  At  this  Widow  Chu  and  Taste  of  Spring  blurted  out  the  truth 
with  one  voice.  Madame  Cheng  was  utterly  dumfounded.  There  was  no 
use  thinking  of  hushing  it  up.  She  would  have  to  shoulder  the  painful 
task  of  taking  the  Ancestress  the  news  of  the  misfortune.  As  she  was  ris- 
ing to  leave,  Phoenix  too  came  in. 

"Have  you  heard  it  yet?"  asked  Madame  Cheng,  turning  to  her  niece 
with  a  groan.  "Pao  Yu's  stone  is  lost  and  can't  be  found  anywhere.  It's 
terrible.  You  must  do  something  about  it!  The  stone  will  have  to  be 
found!  Pao  Yu's  life  depends  on  it!" 

Phoenix  replied:  "It  will  be  difficult  to  find  the  guilty  person  if  the 
stone  has  been  stolen.  Our  servants  are  too  numerous;  we  can  at  most 
know  their  faces,  but  h'ow  can  one  see  into  the  heart  of  each  one?  In 
my  opinion  we  must  above  all  avoid  allowing  any  fuss  or  excitement 
about  it  to  be  known  outside.  Otherwise  the  guilty  person  will  be  fore- 
warned, and  as  he  has  to  expect  death  without  burial  if  convicted,  he 
will  be  doubly  cautious.  No,  let  us  instead  represent  the  matter  as  being 
of  no  importance,  and  spread  the  rumor  that  Pao  Yu  never  thought  any- 
thing of  the  stone  and. threw  it  away  deliberately,  as  he  was  tired  of  it. 
Among  ourselves,  we  must  agree  and  make  the  servants  also  under- 
stand that,  in  order  to  avoid  unnecessary  disturbance,  neither  the  old 
Tai  tai  nor  Pao  Yu's  father  is  to  hear  anything  of  the  loss.  Of  course  we 
shall  continue  to  search  for  the  stone,  but  unobtrusively  and  secretly, 
and  try  to  coax  it  out  of  its  hiding  place  by  cunning.  What  does  the  Tai 
tai  say  to  this  suggestion?" 

"That  is  all  very  well,  but  how  shall  I  hide  the  loss  from  my  hus- 
band?" asked  Madame  Cheng,  after  a  moment's  reflection.  She  had 
Chia  Huan  brought  before  her. 

"You  have  just  been  making  a  row  because  you  were  questioned  ten- 
tatively about  the  loss  of  Pao  Yu's  stone,"  she  said  to  him  harshly.  "Do 
not  take  it  into  your  head  to  make  any  fuss  again,  and  thereby  endanger 
the  inquiries  which  are  being  made.  If  you  do,  woe  betide  you!  Do  you 
understand?" 

Mother  and  son  promised  to  hold  their  tongues,  and  withdrew,  dis- 
concerted. Madame  Cheng  then  called  the  most  important  waiting 
maids  and  serving  women,  and  said  to  them:  "The  stone  cannot  have 
flown  away.  It  must  be  somewhere  in  the  house.  So  search  for  it,  but  in 
doing  so  avoid  all  gossip  and  excitement.  I  give  you  three  days.  I  can- 
not conceal  the  loss  from  my  husband  longer  than  that.  If  the  stone  is 
not  found  within  three  days,  it  will  be  a  serious  matter  for  you  all!" 

470 


After  she  and  Phoenix  had  gone,  there  were  further  earnest  discus- 
sions in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  as  to  what  measures  were  to  be  adopted. 
The  wife  of  the  majordomo  Ling  was  called  to  the  council  and  initiated 
into  the  matter.  It  was  arranged  with  her  that  none  of  the  servants 
should  be  allowed  out  of  the  park  for  three  days.  If  the  reason  for  this 
measure  was  asked,  only  a  vague  answer  should  be  given  about  an  ob- 
ject which  had  been  lost  and  must  be  found,  but  on  no  account  should 
it  be  divulged  that  the  object  was  Pao  Yu's  stone. 

The  wife  of  the  majordomo  Ling  mentioned  in  this  connection  that 
her  husband  had  recently  recovered  a  lost  article  with  the  help  of  a 
street  soothsayer  named  Liu,  who  bore  the  nickname  of  "Iron-Jaw." 
Pearl  besought  the  Ling  woman  to  send  her  husband  at  once  te  find  the 
man  and  question  him  about  Pao  Yu's  stone.  The  woman  went  straight 
off  to  her  husband.  When  she  had  gone  Wreath  of  Clouds  said:  "Why 
need  we  send  out  for  some  wandering  soothsayer?  Surely,  we  have  all 
that  here  much  nearer,  and  much  better  too;  for  as  far  as  I  know,  our 
saint  in  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  also  understands  the  art  of  soothsaying." 

This  was  something  new  to  the  others,  and  at  the  urgent  entreaty  of 
Pao  Yu's  maids,  Wreath  of  Clouds  went  off  to  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  to 
visit  the  anchoress  Miao  Yu.  After  a  while  the  woman  Ling  came  back 
and  reported  that  her  husband  had  already  questioned  the  soothsayer 
Liu.  Iron-Jaw  had  predicted  favorably,  the  stone  would  quite  definitely 
be  found  again.  At  present  it  was  in  a  certain  pawnshop.  Her  message 
gave  general  satisfaction  and  relief.  Now  it  would  surely  not  te  hard  to 
get  hold  of  the  stone.  It  would  only  be  necessary  to  search  in  all  the 
pawnshops  of  the  town  one  after  another.  And  once  the  stone  had  been 
located  the  name  of  the  thief  could  be  found  out  with  the  aid  of  the  shop 
account  books.  The  woman  Ling  had  to  set  out  once  more,  this  time  to 
inform  Madame  Cheng  and  Phoenix  of  the  latest  development.  Mean- 
time everyone  waited  eagerly  for  the  answer  which  Wreath  of  Clouds 
would  bring  back  from  the  Kingfisher's  Cage. 

The  beautiful  anchoress  refused  at  first  when  Wreath  of  Clouds  laid 
her  request  before  her.  Her  intercourse  with  the  young  ladies  was  of  a 
purely  spiritual,  selfless  nature  and  did  not  serve  any  utilitarian,  prosaic 
ends,  she  said;  and  besides,  she  was  not  yet  deeply  versed  in  the  art  of 
soothsaying.  Only  when  Wreath  of  Clouds  had  represented  to  her  in 
truly  moving  words  and  with  many  humble  bows  that  Pao  Yu's  life  was 
at  stake  did  she  allow  herself  to  be  persuaded.  "I  have  not  renounced 
the  world  to  be  bothered  again  and  again  with  worldly  matters,"  she 
sighed,  "but  that  has  been  the  case  ever  since  I  came  to  live  among  you. 
If  I  do  what  you  ask  of  me  now,  no  doubt  others  will  come  in  the  future 
and  disturb  me  in  my  holy  peace." 

On  her  house  altar,  before  the  statue  of  Buddha,  she  laid  a  flat  sooth- 

471 


sayer's  dish  covered  with  a  layer  of  sand,  set  some  incense  alight,  and 
wrote  down  a  formula  of  incantation.  After  she  and  Wreath  of  Clouds 
had  performed  a  kowtow  before  the  image  of  Buddha  and  recited  the 
magic  formula  aloud  as  the  incense  burned,  the  two  together,  with 
blindfolded  eyes,  took  hold  of  the  magic  stylus  and  allowed  it  to  trace 
its  magic  writing  on  the  layer  of  sand  in  the  dish.  And  the  stylus  wrote: 

"Whence  came  I, 
Whither  go  I, 

No  sign  betrays. 
Under  a  green  crag, 
Near  an  old  pine  tree — 
Those  are  my  ways! 

"You  would  seek  me? 
You'd  come  to  me? 

Not  so,  not  so ! 
Tall  hills  divide  us — 
Loud  laughter  only 

Will  greet  you.  Go!" 

That  certainly  sounded  very  mysterious.  Neither  Wreath  of  Clouds 
nor  Miao  Yu  was  able  to  interpret  the  verses.  But  there  were  such  clever 
people  among  the  inmates  of  the  park,  they  would  surely  be  able  to 
make  it  out,  said  the  anchoress  ironically,  and  sent  her  visitor  away. 

'"Well,  what  news?"  Wreath  of  Clouds  was  received  with  cries  of 
tense  expectation  when  she  came  back  to  the  Begonia  Courtyard.  She 
silently  showed  them  a  copy  of  the  magic  rhyme.  They  all  craned  their 
necks  over  the  bit  of  paper  and  tried  to  interpret  the  verse,  but  in  vain. 
Where  were  they  to  find  the  old  pine  tree  by  the  green  rock?  Was  this 
to  be  understood  literally,  or  was  it  only  an  ambiguous  paraphrase  of 
the  magic  language?  Pearl  took  it  literally  and  began  searching  fever- 
ishly all  about  the  park  wherever  there  were  rocks  and  pine  trees,  natu- 
rally without  success. 

All  this  time  Pao  Yu  had  sat  there  extraordinarily  listless  and  appar- 
ently absent-minded  and  let  the  others  do  the  talking.  He  did  not  even 
ask  Pearl  about  the  result  of  her  searching  when  she  came  back  hot  and 
exhausted.  At  a  late  hour — it  was  already  nearly  midnight — they  broke 
off  the  long  council  and  went  to  bed. 

As  they  parted,  in  depressed  spirits,  there  was  one  among  them  who 
could  conceal  only  with  difficulty  her  secret  pleasure  at  the  loss  of  the 
stone,  and  that  was  Black  Jade.  Now  there  would  be  an  end  at  last  to 
the  talk  of  the  union  between  nephrite  and  gold  desired  by  fate,  which 
had  been  occasioned  by  the  corresponding  inscriptions  on  Pao  Yu's 
stone  and  Precious  Clasp's  golden  amulet,  and  which  to  her  annoyance 
had  been  interpreted  as  referring  to  the  future  marriage  of  the  two. 

472 


That  obscure  monk  from  whom  Precious  Clasp  had  received  her  magic 
rhyme  long  ago  had  been  proved  a  liar  and  no  longer  stood  between 
Black  Jade  and  her  desires.  She  now  saw  the  way  free  for  her  own  union 
with  Pao  Yu.  This  comforting  thought  caused  her  to  forget  her  past 
trials  and  all  her  present  tiredness,  and  when  she  returned  at  a  late 
hour  to  her  Bamboo  Hermitage  she  actually  still  felt  in  a  mood  for 
reading. 

This  time  it  was  not  anxiety  but  joyful  excitement  which  kept  her 
awake  until  dawn. 

The  energetic  inquiries  which  Madame  Cheng  and  Phoenix  had  car- 
ried out  from  the  next  morning  onwards,  both  in  the  pawnshops  of  the 
town  and  among  the  servants,  were  without  success.  The  stone  did  not 
turn  up.  The  three  days'  limit  was  long  past,  but  Madame  Cheng  still 
did  not  dare  to  tell  her  husband  or  the  Ancestress  and  preferred  to  keep 
the  matter  dark  for  a  while  longer. 

It  was  regarded  almost  as  a  piece  of  good  luck  that  in  those  very  days 
the  Ancestress  and  Mr.  Cheng  were  distracted  by  an  outside  event  and 
thereby  hin'dered  from  paying  the  usual  attention  to  Pao  Yu.  Beginning 
of  Spring,  the  Imperial  wife,  had  suddenly  fallen  ill  with  pneumonia 
and  had  died  on  the  eighteenth  of  the  twelfth  month,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. The  Court  mourning  ceremonial  now  occupied  the  senior  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  the  Yungkuo  palace  for  many  weeks,  and  Pao  Yu, 
who  moreover  had  been  excused  from  school  on  account  of  his  bereave- 
ment, was  left  almost  entirely  to  his  own  devices.  One  might  have  ex- 
pected, perhaps,  that  he  would  have  used  his  freedom  to  play  and  fool 
about  to  his  heart's  content  with  his  cousins  and  the  maids  in  the  park 
in  his  usual  way.  But  since  he  had  lost  the  stone,  the  most  extraordinary 
change  had  come  over  him.  He  was  sunk  in  dull  apathy  and  listlessness 
which  increased  from  day  to  day  and  gradually  degenerated  into  actual 
imbecility.  He  acted,  spoke,  ate,  and  drank  only  when  told  to  do  so. 
When  he  was  not  told  explicitly  what  to  do,  he  simply  did  nothing,  and 
did  not  stir  from  the  spot.  He  could  be  moved  only  by  definite  orders  to 
pay  even  his  accustomed  duty  visits  to  his  mother  and  his  grandmother. 

Pearl,  who  felt  responsible  alike  for  his  person  and  for  the  loss  of  the 
stone,  was  practically  in  despair.  In  her  perplexity  she  turned  repeat- 
edly to  Black  Jade  through  Cuckoo,  and  tried  to  move  her  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  Begonia  Courtyard,  for  she  felt  confident  that  her  presence  would 
have  a  revitalizing  effect  upon  Pao  Yu's  mind.  But  Black  Jade  privately 
regarded  herself  as  Pao  Yu's  bride  and  considered  that  it  would  be 
unseemly  to  go  to  visit  the  betrothed.  She  would  have  received  him  in 
her  own  dwelling  if  he  had  come  to  her,  but  he  was  unable  to  rouse  him- 
self to  this  effort. 

Precious  Clasp  was  in  exactly  the  same  position.  She  had  been  in- 

474 


formed  by  her  mother  meanwhile  of  her  secret  betrothal,  and  since  then 
would  trust  herself  less  than  ever  in  Pao  Yu's  vicinity;  she  did  not  even 
venture  to  speak  his  name  any  more,  for  this  was  the  correct  demeanor 
of  a  virtuous  bride.  Even  Taste  of  Spring  no  longer  put  in  an  appear- 
ance; the  Begonia  Courtyard  had  become  a  sinister  place,  to  her  mind. 
Her  secret  suspicion  that  the  winter  blossoming  of  the  begonia  was  an 
evil  omen  had  indeed  been  doubly  confirmed  by  the  loss  of  the  stone 
and  the  death  of  Beginning  of  Spring,  which  had  followed  immediately 
afterwards.  And  so  it  became  more  and  more  lonely  around  Pao  Yu  and 
Pearl  became  more  desperately  uneasy  every  day. 

One  day,  after  the  mourning  solemnities  for  the  late  Beginning  of 
Spring  had  come  to  an  end,  the"  Ancestress  remembered  the  long-neg- 
lected grandson  and  set  out  to  visit  the  Begonia  Courtyard  together  with 
his  mother.  She  was  amazed  to  perceive  the  change  which  had  taken 
place  in  Pao  Yu.  She  had  imagined  to  find  him  physically  sick.  But 
now,  when  she  heard  him  stammering  his  tsing  an  with  effort  and  diffi- 
culty at  Pearl's  prompting,  and  saw  his  expressionless  eyes  and  his 
stupid  grimaces  at  all  her  questions,  she  realized  to  her  horror  that  it 
was  his  mind  that  was  affected. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?  This  is  a  totally  different  kind  of  ill- 
ness from  what  I  have  been  led  to  expect,"  she  said,  turning  sternly  to 
his  mother.  Madame  Cheng  realized  that  the  tactic  of  concealment  prac- 
ticed up  to  now  would  no  longer  serve,  and  that  she  would  have  to  con- 
fess the  truth.  She  told  the  Ancestress  in  a  low  voice  how  Pao  Yu  had 
recently  lost  his  stone  on  the  way  back  from  a  theatrical  performance 
at  the  palace  of  the  Prince  of  the  Southern  Peace — for  this  was  what  he 
had  told  her  at  the  time — and  how  he  had  become  manifestly  feeble- 
minded since,  and  how  they  had  searched  the  park  and  the  pawnshops 
of  the  town  in  vain  for  the  stone. 

The  Ancestress  started  up,  utterly  dismayed.  "But  this  is  terrible!" 
she  cried.  "The  stone  is  an  essential  part  of  his  person,  his  living  self. 
No  wonder  that  he  has  los*  his  reason  since  the  stone  has  been  gone! 
But  how  on  earth  could  that  happen?  You  are  responsible  for  it.  His 
father  will  be  beside  himself  when  he  hears  it.  We  must  send  word  to 
him  at  once  and  ask  him  to  come  over  here." 

Pearl  and  the  other  maids  had  fallen  to  their  knees,  terrified.  Ma- 
dame Cheng  hung  her  head  guiltily. 

"Please  do  not' do  that!"  she  begged.  "My  husband  will  get  excited 
and  vent  his  anger  on  the  poor,  sick  boy.  It  will  make  matters  worse  in- 
stead of  better." 

"Do  not  be  uneasy.  If  that  happens,  I  am  still  here,"  insisted  the 
Ancestress;  and  she  sent  Musk  to  fetch  Mr.  Cheng.  But  Musk  came 
back  without  Mr.  Cheng.  He  had  gone  out  to  pay  a  visit,  she  reported. 

475 


"Very  well,  we  will  do  without  him,"  decided  the  Ancestress.  "For 
the  time  being  I  will  leave  the  question  of  blame  aside.  Chia  Lien  shall 
forthwith  write  a  notice  announcing  the  loss  of  the  stone.  Whoever 
brings  back  the  stone  shall  receive  a  reward  of  ten  thousand  ounces. 
Whoever  gives  the  first  reliable  information  regarding  the  whereabouts 
of  the  stone  shall  receive  half  that  sum.  Several  copies  of  the  notice 
shall  be  hung  out  in  the  streets  through  which  Pao  Yu  passed  recently 
on  his  way  home  from  the  Prince's  palace.  There  is  no  other  way  of 
dealing  with  the  matter.  If  I  were  to  wait  for  you  and  your  people  I 
might  wait  a  long  time  before  the  stone  would  turn  up." 

In  the  same  hour  Chia  Lien  had  to  write  the  notice  and  have  it  pub- 
licly displayed  in  the  streets  of  the  town.  Furthermore,  the  Ancestress 
took  her  sick  grandson  out  of  the  park  and  brought  him  to  live  in  her 
quarters  over  in  the  western  palace.  With  him  she  took  two  of  his  staff, 
Pearl  and  Autumn  Wave. 

"That  winter  blossoming  of  the  begonia  plant  now  seems  to  me  to 
have  been  rather  sinister,"  she  said  to  Madame  Cheng  by  way  of  ex- 
planation. "There  would  have  been  nothing  to  be  uneasy  about  as  long 
as  the  stone  was  there,  but  now  Pao  Yu  will  be  defenseless  and  at  the 
rcercy  of  any  evil  spirits  which  may  be  about.  I  do  not  want  this;  that  is 
why  I  have  brought  him  over  here  with  me." 

"Oh,  he  will  surely  be  safe  from  all  harm  in  the  auspicious  presence 
of  the  old  Tai  tai,"  said  Madame  Cheng  ingratiatingly. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'auspicious  presence'?  The  main  thing  is  that 
order  and  cleanliness  reign  in  my  home,  and  I  shall  make  him  read 
sutras  diligently;  that  will  restore  the  balance  of  his  mind.  Go  and  ask 
him  whether  he  is  pleased  with  the  change." 

But  Pao  Yu's  sole  reply  to  his  mother's  question  was  a  silly  grin. 
Pearl  had  to  repeat  the  question  for  him  before  he  got  out  a  halting  hao, 
"good."  Madame  Cheng  was  moved  to  tears  at  this  and  came  back  to 
the  Ancestress  in  such  an  agitated  state  that  the  old  lady  dismissed  her 
at  once. 

"I  do  not  need  your  help  any  more  here,"  she  said.  "I  shall  be  able 
to  manage  Pao  Yu  quite  well  alone.  Mandarin  Duck  will  prepare  a  soul- 
strengthening  cordial  for  him,  but  you  must  conscientiously  tell  your 
husband  the  truth  when  he  comes  home  this  evening.  He  need  not  come 
to  visit  me  today,  however,  as  I  do  not  wish  to  have  any  discussions  be- 
fore I  go  to  bed." 

When  Chia  Cheng  was  returning  home  that  evening  he  came  upon  a 
crowd  wjhich  had  gathered  around  a  poster  displayed  at  a  street  cross- 
ing, and  as  the  traffic  was  blocked  his  carriage  had  to  stop  for  a  time  so 
that  he  was  able  to  hear  snatches  of  talk  from  the  surrounding  crowd, 
such  as  "A  fellow  could  be  a  rich  man  in  a  twinkling  that  way!"  and 

476 


"Just  look  at  that  poster!  It's  there  in  black  and  white!  Some  son  of 
the  house  in  the  Yungkuo  palace  has  lost  some  kind  of  stone.  The  exact 
description  of  the  stone  is  given  on  the  poster,  and  underneath  the  re- 
ward: Ten  thousand  ounces  for  the  finder;  five  thousand  for  the  first 
person  who  reports  the  whereabouts  of  the  stone." 

Mr.  Cheng  felt  he  could  not  believe  his  ears,  and  he  urged  his  coach- 
man to  drive  faster.  He  could  not  bring  himself  to  wait  to  get  confirma- 
tion inside,  so  on  entering  the  gateway  he  straight  away  asked  the 
porter  what  the  story  was.  The  porter  confirmed  that  at  midday  today, 
at  the  order  of  Mr.  Chia  Lien,  posters  had  been  put  up  in  the  streets. 
That  was  all  he  knew.  Mr.  Cheng  muttered  something  about  the  "child 
of  misfortune"  and  "curse  of  the  family"  and  dashed  off  to  his  wife, 
from  whom  he  learned  the  rest.  He  disapproved  of  the  public  announce- 
ment of  the  ridiculously  high  reward,  yet  out  of  consideration  for  the 
old  Tai  tai  he  did  not  dare  to  offer  any  outspoken  opposition  but  con- 
fined himself  to  raging  alone  with  his  wife.  Furthermore,  behind  the 
back  of  the  Ancestress  he  ordered  his  servants  to  have  the  notices  taken 
down  at  once.  It  was  repugnant  to  him  to  have  his  name  bandied  about 
in  public  in  this  way  and  to  see  the  private  events  in  his  house  made 
the  talk  of  the  town. 

When  his  servants  went  out  to  carry  out  his  orders,  it  transpired  that 
several  of  the  posters  had  already  been  torn  down  by  some  unauthorized 
hand.  Several  days  had  passed  when  a  stranger  of  humble  class  ap- 
peared at  the  main  gateway  of  the  Yungkuo  palace  and  asserted  that  he 
had  brought  back  the  lost  stone. 

"Hand  it  over!"  cried  the  gatekeeper  brusquely  but  at  the  same  time 
joyfully. 

The  stranger  smilingly  produced  a  roll  of  paper  from  under  his  coat. 

"Quietly  now!  Do  you  recognize  this  poster?  It  was  put  up  by  your 
bosses.  And  it's  written  here  in  black  and  white:  Ten  thousand  ounces 
for  the  finder!  Now  look  at  me.  I  come  in  here  to  you  a  poor  devil, 
right  enough,  but  I'll  come  out  a  rich  man  straight  away.  So  you'd  bet- 
ter show  me  more  respect,  if  you  please." 

"But  you  might  at  least  let  us  see  it,  then  we  will  go  in  and  give  your 
message  and  announce  you,"  said  the  doorkeepers,  already  perceptibly 
more  polite. 

After  some  resistance  the  stranger  produced  a  precious  stone  and 
held  it  before  their  eyes  on  the  palm  of  his  hand. 

"Well,  isn't  that  the  right  one?"  he  asked  with  an  air  of  assurance. 
The  doorkeepers  looked  at  the  stone  for  a  few  moments;  then  they 
rushed  into  the  palace  to  announce  the  stranger  in  the  inner  rooms.  Al- 
though, being  engaged  outside,  they  had  only  a  vague  idea  of  Pao  Yu's 
stone,  they  did  not  doubt  that  they  had  just  seen  the  real  one. 

477 


"But  is  it  the  real  one?"  asked  Chia  Lien,  who  was  deputizing  for  the 
two  absent  seniors. 

"We  have  convinced  ourselves  of  it  with  our  own  eyes!"  the  door- 
keepers assured  him  eagerly.  "But  the  man  will  only  give  up  the  stone 
when  he  gets  the  reward  into  his  hand." 

Chia  Lien  hurried  off  at  once  with  the  joyful  news  to  Madame  Cheng, 
and  she  in  turn  informed  the  Ancestress.  The  news  put  the  whole  house 
in  a  joyful  uproar.  Pearl  clapped  her  hands  with  joy  and  sent  up 
a  fervent  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  Buddha.  The  Ancestress  had  the 
stranger  brought  into  the  library  as  an  honored  guest,  and  the  promised 
sum  laid  ready  there.  But  she  insisted  that  before'  paying  it  out  she 
must  have  the  stone  to  examine  quietly  herself,  and  she  succeeded  in 
having  her  way. 

The  ladies  who  were  assembled  with  the  Ancestress  watched  and 
waited  with  feverish  impatience  for  the  mdment  when  they  would  see 
the  stone.  At  last  Chia  Lien  appeared  with  a  little  packet  of  red  cloth 
in  his  hand.  Before  he  had  time  to  open  it,  Phoenix  had  snatched  it 
and  laid  it  unopened  in  the  hand  of  the  Ancestress. 

"She  must  always  get  ahead  of  me!  Not  the  smallest  tribute  will  she 
allow  rne  to  lay  personally  at  the  feet  of  the  old  Tai  tai!"  said  Chia 
Lien  in  jest. 

The  Ancestress  made  Mandarin  Duck  put  her  glasses  on  her  nose, 
then  she  slowly  opened  up  the  red  wrapping,  rubbed  and  felt  the  glitter- 
ing thing  in  the  middle  of  the  cloth,  and  eyed  it  attentively  from  every 
angle.  In  size  and  shape  it  was  absolutely  identical  with  Pao  Yu's  spirit 
stone,  nor  was  the  well-known  inscription  on  the  front  and  back  lack- 
ing. Yet  it  seemed  to  the  Ancestress  that  the  tone  was  somewhat  darker 
and  the  sparkle  somewhat  more  subdued  than  she  remembered  from 
before.  Undecided,  she  invited  Madame  Cheng  to  examine  it.  Madame 
Cheng  was  also  unable  to  give  a  definite  verdict  and  asked  Phoenix  what 
she  thought. 

"The  similarity  is  deceptive,  but  there  is  a  perceptible  difference  in 
the  brilliance  and  the  color,"  said  Phoenix.  "The  best  thing  is  to  let 
Pao  Yu  himself  examine  the  stone." 

The  Ancestress  agreed  and  entrusted  the  stone  to  her  to  show  to  Pao 
Yu.  Pao  Yu  happened  to  be  half  asleep  when  Phoenix  came  in  to  him 
with  Pearl  and  Madame  Cheng. 

"Your  stone  is  found!"  said  Phoenix,  pressing  the  stone  into  his 
hand.  Without  even  troubling  to  glance  at  it,  Pao  Yu  listlessly  let  it 
fall  to  the  ground. 

"Leave  me  alone!  You're  only  making  fun  of  me!"  he  jabbered. 
Phoenix  bent  down  and  picked  up  the  stone. 

478 


"Do  at  least  look  at  it  and  say  whether  it  is  your  stone!"  she  urged. 
But  Pao  Yu's  only  answer  was  an  imbecile  bleat. 

"The  stone  has  not  got  the  slightest  effect, on  his  mental  condition," 
said  Madame  Cheng.  "That  proves  that  it  is  not  the  real  one.  It  is  ob- 
viously a  clever  counterfeit  which  has  been  made  from  the  description 
on  the  poster." 

The  others  had  to  agree  that  she  was  right,  and  the  general  rejoicing 
gave  place  to  indignation  and  disappointment. 

"The  impudent  faker  must  be  well  punished!  It  is  outrageous  to 
carry  on  such  hocus-pocus  against  strangers!"  raged  Chia  Lien. 

"Here!  Give  him  back  his  stone  and  send  him  about  his  business!" 
ordered  the  Ancestress.  "Apparently  it's  some  poor  devil  who  was 
tempted  by  the  high  reward.  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun. 
Well,  this  time  he's  tried  it  on  the  wrong  people  and  spent  his  money 
and  trouble  for  nothing.  And  for  that  reason  let  us  not  be  too  hard  on 
him;  if  we  are,  we  shall  frighten  away  the  real  honest  finder.  Give  him 
a  few  silver  pieces  and  let  him  off!" 

Chia  Lien  rushed  off  angrily  with  the  stone  to  the  library,  where  the 
stranger  was  sitting  calmly  waiting  for  his  hoped-for  windfall.  Chia 
Lien  had  him  bound  with  ropes  by  the  servants  and  would  have  liked 
to  give  him  a  good  flogging,  but  out  of  consideration  for  the  wishes  of 
the  Ancestress  he  had  to  control  himself.  So  he  confined  himself  to 
frightening  the  man  with  angry  words  and  threats  of  legal  action,  and 
in  this  way  induced  him  to  confess.  The  assumption  of  the  Ancestress 
proved  correct.  With  the  help  of  borrowed  money  he  had  got  the  stone 
made  in  accordance  with  the  picture  and  description  on  the  poster,  in 
order  to  earn  the  wonderful  reward  and  to  rise  above  poverty  at  last — 
so  the  poor  rogue  admitted,  with  many  kowtows  of  apology.  And  not 
with  head  held  high  as  a  rich  man,  as  he  had  boasted  shortly  before 
to  the  gatekeepers,  but  timidly  and  in  pathetic  hurry,  like  a  fugitive  rat, 
he  passed  out  the  gates  of  the  Yungkuo  palace,  just  as  poor  as  he  had 
come  in. 

But  the  story  of  Pao  Yu's  false  stone  went  the  round  of  the  streets 
and  squares,  and  provided  a  topic  for  amused  gossip  and  laughter  for  a 
long  time. 


479 


CHAPTER   43 

Black  Jade  consigns,  her  poetical  works  to  the  flames  and  finally  re- 
nounces her  unhappy  love.  Precious  Clasp  crosses  the  threshold  of  her 
maidenly  bower  for  the  last  time,  and  goes  through  the  great  ceremony 

of  her  life. 

1VOUND  ABOUT  THE  NEW  YEAR  TWO  OUTSIDE  EVENTS,  ONE  HAPPY  AND 

the  other  sad,  once  more  disturbed  the  accustomed  equilibrium  of  life 
in  the  Yungkuo  palace.  Chia  Cheng  was  received  in  gracious  audience 
by  the  Son  of  Heaven  and  appointed  Corn  Treasurer  of  the  rich  prov- 
ince of  Chiang  hsi  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  in 
recognition  of  his  incorrupt  and  disinterested  official  record.  While  the 
congratulatory  banquets  and  the  preparations  for  his  journey  were  in 
full  swing  the  sad  news  arrived  that  the  Imperial  Marshal,  Wang  Tzu 
Teng,  Madame  Cheng's  brother,  had  fallen  ill  on  his  journey  from  the 
provinces  to  the  capital,  and  had  died  on  the  way  home  owing  to  lack 
of  proper  medical  attention.  Thus  joy  and  sorrow  were  mingled  in 
equal  parts. 

One  day  after  his  audience  of  thanks  and  farewell,  Mr.  Cheng  was 
summoned  to  the  Ancestress.  She  desired,  she  said,  to  settle  an  im- 
portant matter  with  him  before  his  departure. 

"I  am  now  an  old  woman  of  eighty-one  years,"  she  began.  "You 
are  about  to  leave  us  to  take  up  your  new  post  in  the  provinces;  your 
brother-in-law  Wang  Tzu  Teng  is  dead,  alas,  so  the  only  supporter  and 
adviser  who  will  be  left  to  me  now  is  your  unpractical  brother  Shieh. 
The  problem  nearest  my  heart  at  present  is  the  welfare  and  future  of 
my  grandson  Pao  Yu.  His  condiuon  causes  me  grave  anxiety,  and  for 
this  reason"  I  have  sent  the  wife  of  our  majordomo  Lai  Sheng  into  the 
town  to  have  his  horoscope  cast  by  a  renowned  soothsayer.  The  sooth- 
sayer considers  that  only  an  exciting  event  of  a  joyful  nature,  such  as 
a  marriage,  can  cure  Pao  Yu-  and  that  otherwise  we  have  to  fear  the 
worst  for  him.  He  declared,  moreover,  that  the  element  gold  is  of  de- 
cisive importance  for  his  happiness,  thereby  confirming  that  Precious 
Clasp  is  destined  for  him  by  Providence.  I  know  that  you  do  not  think 
much  of  soothsaying  of  this  kind;  therefore  I  have  sent  for  you  and 
also  for  your  wife,  so  that  we  may  discuss  the  matter  together  and 
come  to  a  decision.  Shall  we  'act,  or  shall  we  just  sit  back  and  let  things 
take  their  course?  That  is  the  question." 

"The  old  Tai  tai  has  always  had  a  motherly  care  for  the  welfare  of 
her  son,  therefore  it  is  obviously  the  duty  of  the  son  to  show  himself 
worthy  of  her  example  by  his  paternal  care  for  the  well-being  of  his  own 
child,"  replied  Mr.  Cheng.  "If  I  have  often  been  angry  with  Pao  Yu,  it 

480 


was  not  through  lack  of  fatherly  affection,  but  solely  because  it  grieves 
me  to  see  him  making  so  little  progress,  and  to  observe  that  the  iron  is 
not  turning  into  steel.  I  also  am  troubled  about  his  condition;  I  al-o 
would  like  to  see  him  happy,  and  I  have  nothing  against  a  marriage  if 
it  makes  him  happy  and  healthy.  But  I  should  only  like  first  to  assure 
myself  with  my  own  eyes  what  his  present  condition  is,  provided  the 
old  Tai  tai  approves.  I  promise  her  that  I  will  refrain  from  any  ex- 
pression of  displeasure  in  his  presence." 

From  the  tone  of  his  voice  and  the  redness  of  his  eyelids  Madame 
Cheng  could  see  that  he  meant  this  sincerely.  At  a  sign  from  her,  Pearl 
disappeared,  only  to  reappear  immediately  with  Pao  Yu.  Pearl  led  him 
up  to  his  father  as  if  he  were  a  child,  and  whispered  something  in  his 
ear,  whereupon  he  obediently  said  his  tsing  an.  With  horror  Chia 
Cheng  perceived  his  wasted  appearance  and  the  lackluster  of  his 
eyes.  After  he  had  observed  him  for  a  few  moments  in  silence  he  signed 
to  Pearl  to  lead  him  away.  He  was  moved  to  the  depths  of  his  being 
by  the  pitiable  sight  of  his  son,  and  his  wife  was  no  less  so,  as  the  ^Iniv- 
of  tears  in  her  eyes  betrayed.  He  stood  up  and  turning  to  the  An- 
cestress said:  "To  judge  by  appearances,  the  old  Tai  tai  is  right.  We 
must  definitely  act,  but  there  is  one  point  still  in  doubt:  Has  Aunt 
Hsueh  actually  given  her  consent?" 

"She  approves,  but  she  would  not  care  to  announce  her  formal  con- 
sent until  the  charge  against  her  son  Hsueh  Pan  is  settled,"  replied  his 
wife. 

"Hm,  as  long  as  Hsueh  Pan  is  in  prison  his  sister  cannot  very  well 
gaily  celebrate  her  wedding.  That  would  be  tactless.  And  there  is  an- 
other doubtful  point  .too.  Pao  Yu  on  his  part  is  still  restricted  by  the 
mourning  for  his  sister,  Beginning  of  Spring.  He  would  naturally  like 
to  let  the  prescribed  mourning  period  of  nine  months  elapse  before 
thinking  of  marriage.  Reverence  for  the  dead  demands  this.  And  thfre 
is  yet  a  third  matter  for  doubt.  I  have  to  take  up  my  new  appointment 
shortly.  I  must  not  render  myself  guilty  of  neglect  of  duty  because  of  a 
domestic  matter.  Even  if  the  two  other  obstacles  did  not  exist 
could  we  prepare  a  wedding  in  the  few  days  at  our  disposal?" 

"Your  doubts  are  fully  justified;  but,  alas,  Pao  Yu's  condition  does 
not  allow  of  any  postponement,"  replied  the  Ancestress.  "I  know,  how- 
ever, what  we  can  do.  Leave  the  question  of  Aunt  Hsueh's  consent  to 
me.  I  will  go  to  her  together  with  your  wife  and  put  the  matter  before 
her.  She  must  send  Hsueh  Kuo  once  more  to  Hsueh  Pan's  prison  and 
bring  back  the  brother's  consent.  When  he  hears  that  Pao  Yu's  life 
depends  upon  it,  Hsueh  Pan  will  surely  agree,  and  then  Aunt  Hsueh  too 
will  no  longer  withhold  her  official  consent. 

"As  regards  the  second  point  in  question,  we  must  for  once  bow  to 

481 


necessity  and  set  aside  the  normal  rules  of  etiquette.  We  will  celebrate 
the  wedding  extremely  simply  and  quietly.  A  bridal  litter  carried  by 
eight  men,  with  twelve  ^airs  of  lantern  bearers  following,  should  be 
sufficient.  All  noisy  pomp  such  as  festive  music  and  a  wedding  banquet 
will  be  eliminated.  We  can  make  up  for  this  later  after  the  nine  months' 
mourning  is  over.  We  shall  confine  ourselves  to  selecting  an  auspicious 
date  for  the  quiet  taking  home  of  the  bride;  she  shall  make  her  kowtows 
to  us  and  to  the  ancestors;  we  will  set  her  on  the  bridal  bed  and  open 
the  bed-curtain  for  her;  this  much  ceremony  will  be  sufficient.  Precious 
Clasp  is  a  sensible  girl  and  will  not  take  it  amiss  if  we  cut  the  proceed- 
ings short.  Further,  she  will  find  in  Pearl  a  pleasant  and  reliable  adviser 
and  support.  All  that  remains,  then,  to  be  settled  is  the  preparation  of  a 
suitable  home  for  the  young  couple.  That  is  your  task,  and  I  am  sure 
that  it  will  not  offer  any  further  difficulties.  This  disposes  of  the  third 
point  in  question.  And  you  will  embark  upon  your  journey  twice  as 
tranquil  and  contented  if  you  have  put  this  domestic  matter  in  order 
first  and  seen  the  two  happily  united." 

All  the  same,  Chia  Cheng  was  not  completely  convinced,  but  out  of 
deference  to  the  Ancestress  he  expressed  no  opposition. 

"The  Tai  tai's  suggestion  is  splendid,"  he  said  with  a  somewhat 
forced  smile.  "I  agree  to  it,  but  we  must  impose  the  strictest  silence  on 
the  staff,  if  we  are  to  escape  unnecessary  censure  and  gossip.  We  shall 
avoid  this  only  if  the  wedding  is  celebrated  absolutely  quietly." 

"Good.  Then  I  do  not  wish  to  detain  you  any  longer,"  said  the  An- 
cestress; and  much  relieved,  she  dismissed  him. 

Mr.  Cheng  chose  an  imposing,  self-contained  suite  of  twenty  rooms, 
situated  near  his  wife's  suite,  for  the  future  home  of  the  young  couple. 
The  furnishing  of  the  rooms  and  all  the  other  preparations  for  the 
wedding  he  left  to  the  ladies. 

Although  Pao  Yu's  rooms  in  the  residence  of  the  Ancestress  immedi- 
ately adjoined  the  room  in  which  the  decisive  family  council  took  place, 
owing  to  his  state  of  apathy  not  one  word  of  the  loudly  conducted  dis- 
cussion had  penetrated  his  consciousness;  but  Pearl  had  listened  to  it 
all  the  more  attentively.  Her  own  name  had  struck  her  ear;  the  An- 
cestress had  mentioned  her  with  approval  and  called  her  the  reliable 
support  of  Pao  Yu's  future  wife.  This  made  her  secretly  rejoice;  for  she 
saw  her  future  assured  and  her  path  in  life  as  smooth  and  as  straight  in 
its  course  as  the  waters  of  the  Imperial  Canal.  It  would  be  easy  to  get 
on  with  a  mistress  as  reasonable  as  Precious  Clasp,  who  would  take 
off  her  shoulders  at  least  half  the  burden  of  responsibility  for  Pao  Yu. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  thought  of  poor  Black  Jade  saddened  her  pro- 
foundly. Fortunately,  she  knew  nothing  of  all  this  as  yet;  but  how 
would  it  be  when  she  would  awake  from  her  cruel  illusion?  When  that 

482 


happened  one  would  have  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst.  And  would  Pao 
Yu  be  willing  to  give  her  up?  The  two  had  mutually  vowed  that  they 
would  love  each  other  unto  death.  She  recalled  that  summer  day  when, 
completely  carried  away  by  the  intoxication  of  his  feelings,  he  had  acci- 
dentally addressed  to  the  ears  of  her,  Pearl,  the  confession  of  love  which 
was  meant  for  Black  Jade.  She  thought  of  how  he  had  almost  died  of 
grief  when  Cuckoo,  by  way  of  testing  his  feelings,  had  hinted  at  an 
alleged  future  parting  threatening  him  and  Black  Jade. 

Should  he  learn  now  that  he  was  to  marry  Precious  Clasp  and  sacri- 
fice Black  Jade,  catastrophe  would  be  inevitable  if  he  had  even  one 
spark  of  clear  consciousness  left.  Was  it  not  her  duty  to  prevent  this 
catastrophe?  Could  she  reconcile  it  with  her  conscience  to  remain 
silent,  and  so  allow  three  people  to  be  made  unhappy? 

Her  mind  was  soon  made  up.  Leaving  Pao  Yu  in  the  care  of  the  maid 
Autumn  Wave,  she  entered  the  adjoining  room  where  the  ladies  were 
still  assembled.  Bending  down  to  Madame  Cheng's  ear,  she  asked  her 
to  come  out  as  she  wished  to  speak  to  her.  Madame  Cheng  rose,  and 
together  they  sought  out  a  quiet,  secluded  room  some  distance  away. 
The  Ancestress  took  no  particular  notice  of  their  departure;  she  thought 
that  Pao  Yu  probably  wished  to  speak  to  his  mother,  and  she  went  on 
discussing  this  and  that  detail  of  the  wedding  ceremonial  eagerly  with 
Phoenix. 

When  Pearl  found  herself  alone  with  Madame  Cheng,  she  threw  her- 
self on  her  knees  before  her,  sobbing.  Madame  Cheng  raised  her  to  her 
feet. 

"Has  someone  done  you  a  wrong?  Please  tell  me  everything,"  she 
said  kindly. 

"It's  not  about  myself  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  you,  and  actually,  it's 
none  of  my  business,  but  I  can't  help  saying  it,"  began  Pearl.  "The  old 
Tai  tai  has  chosen  Miss  Precious  Clasp  as  bride  for  Pao  Yu.  The  choice 
is  of  course  splendid,  but  does  the  old  Tai  tai  not  really  think  that  his 
heart  is  closer  to  Miss  Black  Jade  than  to  Miss  Precious  Clasp?" 

"That  may  be  so.  Black  Jade  also  was  his  companion  and  playmate 
from  childhood." 

"Not  only  his  companion,"  said  Pearl.  And  in  moving  words  she  de- 
scribed the  deep  and  intimate  relationship  which  had  developed  be- 
tween the  two  in  the  course  of  the  years.  And  she  mentioned  too — a 
thing  which  she  had  never  mentioned  before  to  anyone — the  open 
declaration  of  love  which,  overcome  by  his  feelings,  Pao  Yu  had  ad- 
dressed in  error  to  her  instead  of  to  Black  Jade  that  summer  evening. 
Then  she  recalled  how  later  one  little  hint  from  Cuckoo  of  an  alleged 
future  parting  had  instantly  made  him  mortally  ill. 

Madame  Cheng  pressed  Pearl's  hand  with  emotion. 

483 


"What  you  tell  me  only  confirms  my  own  private  conjecture,"  she 
assured  her.  "How,  then,  has  he  taken  his  father's  decision?  For  he 
must  have  been  listening  to  our  conversation  just  now." 

"I  do  not  think  it  is  likely.  In  his  present  numbed  and  listless  state  he 
is  not  aware  of  everything  that  goes  on  around  him." 

"Well,  what  should  we  do  now?" 

"You  cannot  do  otherwise  than  put  the  matter  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and 
think  up  some  clever  way  of  preventing  disaster." 

"Very  well.  I  will  speak  to  the  old  Tai  tai,"  decided  Madame  Cheng; 
and  she  went  back  to  the  others. 

"What  has  Pearl  been  whispering  to  you  so  mysteriously  just  now?" 
the  Ancestress  asked  her  when  she  came  in.  Madame  Cheng  told  her 
everything  which  she  had  just  heard  from  Pearl.  When  she  had  finished 
the  three  ladies  remained  thoughtfully  silent  for  quite  a  long  while.  At 
last  the  Ancestress  sighed  and  said:  "There  is  really  no  need  to  bother 
about  the  girl;  but  if  the  boy  has  also  set  his  heart  upon  the  girl,  the 
situation  is  certainly  difficult." 

"I  have  a  plan,"  exclaimed  Phoenix. 

"And  what  might  it  be?" 

"We  shall  have  to  carry  through  a  little  deception." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"At  first  we  must  pretend  to  Pao  Yu  that  Black  Jade  is  finally  des- 
tined for  him,  and  wait  to  see  how  he  takes  the  news.  If  it  leaves  him 
indifferent,  no  deception  will  be  necessary.  If  he  shows  joy,  then  we 
simply  must  use  deception." 

"Arid  how  do  you  think  to  carry  it  through?"  Madame  Cheng  wanted 
to  know.  Phoenix  bent  down  and  whispered  something  in  her  ear,  to 
which  Madame  Cheng  nodded  eager  agreement. 

"Let  me  into  your  secret  too!"  said  the  Ancestress  eagerly.  Phoenix 
unfolded  her  plan  to  her,  but  because  of  the  presence  of  the  servants 
she  whispered  once  more.  This  time  she  had  to  explain  her  plan  in  more 
detail,  for  the  Ancestress  did  not  understand  at  once,  but  finally  a  smile 
of  enlightenment  and  secret  satisfaction  spread  over  her  face. 

"Splendid!"  she  exclaimed.  "But  certainly  somewhat  bitter  for  Pre- 
cious Clasp.  And  what  about  Black  Jade?" 

"We  will  leave  her  out  of  the  game  completely.  The  whole  comedy 
will  be  enacted  only  before  Pao  Yu,  and  besides  it  will  remain  strictly 
between  ourselves." 

One  day  Black  Jade  set  out  after  breakfast  to  say  good  morning  to 
the  Ancestress.  On  the  way  she  found  that  she  had  forgotten  her  hand- 
kerchief, and  sent  her  companion,  Cuckoo,  back  to  fetch  it.  Meantime 
she  continued  her  way  alone  at  a  leisurely  pace.  As  she  sauntered  along, 
and  was  getting  near  that  little  nook  hidden  behind  rocks  where  she 

484 


used  once  to  bury  withered  blossoms  with  Pao  Yu,  a  pitiable  whimper- 
ing sound  reached  her  ear  from  the  bushes  by  the  wayside.  She  went 
towards  the  place  from  which  the  voice  sounded,  and  soon  came  upon  a 
crude  and  ungainly-looking  young  girl  with  big  eyes  overshadowed  by 
heavy  eyebrows,  who  was  sitting  on  a  moss-grown,  rock,  weeping  bit- 
terly, all  alone.  Back  Jade  guessed  that  the  strange  young  creature  must 
be  a  maid  employed  for  rough  work  somewhere  in  the  palace,  and  she 
asked  herself  with  amused  surprise  how  such  a  rough,  uncouth  crea- 
ture as  this  could  feel  anything  so  deeply  that  she  must  come  here  to 
weep  in  this  heart-rending  fashion.  The  strange  girl  had  suddenly 
stopped  crying  and  stood  up  politely  at  Black  Jade's  approach,  and  was 
now  busily  drying  her  eyes. 

"Come,  what  has-  someone  done  to  hurt  you  so?"  asked  Black  Jade 
kindly. 

"Judge  for  yourself,  Miss!  Was  it  fair  to  beat  me  because  I  disobeyed 
an  order  to  keep  things  dark  which  I  knew  nothing  about,  and  because 
I  said  a  word  too  much?" 

"Who  are  you,  and  what  order  to  keep  silent  are  you  talking  about?" 

"I'm  Numskull  and  I'm  the  old  Tai  tai's  kitchen  maid.  The  ban  on 
talking,  which  I  didn't  know  of,  was  about  the  marriage  of  Master  Pao 
Yu  and  Miss  Precious  Clasp." 

Black  Jade  felt  as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  beside  her.  The  ground 
seemed  to  quake  under  her  feet,  and  it  was  quite  a  while  before  she 
could  pull  herself  together. 

"Follow  me!"  she  gasped,  and  walked  on  in  front  of  Numskull  to 
the  little,  quiet  nook  where  the  flower  grave  was.  Here  they  would  be 
quite  undisturbed  and  safe  from  eavesdroppers. 

"So  Master  Pao  Yu  is  to  marry  Miss  Precious  Clasp?  And  why  did 
they  beat  you?" 

"Mr.  Cheng  is  to  go  off  in  a  few  days  to  his  new  position  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Chiang  hsi.  Before  he  goes  Master  Pao  Yu  and  Miss  Precious 
Clasp  are  to  be  married  in  a  great  hurry.  That  is  why  there  was  a  big 
long  conference  recently  between  Madame  Cheng,  the  old  Tai  tai,  and 
Madame  Phoenix.  They  were  saying  that  Master  Pao  Yu  needs  a  strong 
sensation  of  a  happy  kind  or  something  like  that,  and  that  the  consent 
of  Miss  Precious  Clasp's  mother  must  be  got  as  quickly  as  possible. 
After  that  .  .  ." 

Here  Numskull  stopped  short  and  stared  grinning  at  Black  Jade. 
Then,  though  Black  Jade  was  hardly  listening,  she  continued:  "Later, 
when  the  two  have  become  man  and  wife,  a  man  is  to  be  found  for  you 
too,  Miss.  But  for  this  and  that  reason  none  of  all  this  was  to  be  talked 
about  out  loud.  I  knew  nothing  about  that  order.  And  when  I  said  to 
Pearl  just  now,  never  thinking,  that  I  was  longing  for  the  wedding  and 

485 


that  there'd  be  great  goings-on  in  the  house,  my  big  sister,  who  also 
works  for  the  old  Tai  tai,  came  up  and  boxed  my  ears.  I  had  disobeyed 
the  order  of  the  old  Tai  tai  and  I'd  be  chased  from  the  house  in  pun- 
ishment, she  said.  But  what  do  you  think,  Miss?  Did  I  deserve  to  be 
treated  like  that,  when  I  knew  nothing  about  that  order  not  to 
talk?" 

"That's  what  conies  of  your  silly  chattering.  And  now  go!"  mur- 
mured Black  Jade  in  a  distracted,  absent-minded  manner,  and  slowly 
turned  away.  She  felt  horribly  sick.  Her  stomach  heaved  and  hurt  as  if 
it  were  full  of  one  solid  mass  of  some  indigestible,  burning  mixture  of 
vinegai7and  oil,  and  pepper,  and  salt,  and  sugar. 

Lost  irrhex  thoughts,  she  moved  painfully  step  by  step,  and  at  each 
step  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  her  legs  were  made  of  cotton-wool  instead  of 
bones  and  sinews  and  had  to  bear  a  load  of  a  hundredweight,  so  limply 
and  flabbily  did  they  do  their  work.  Without  goal  or  direction  she 
dragged  herself  along,  turning  aimlessly  and  senselessly,  now  this  way, 
now  that,  and  so  moving  in  a  circle,  with  the  result  that  she  found  her- 
self back  again 'and  again  in  the  vicinity  of  the  footbridge  near  the 
blossom  grave.  At  last  she  stumbled  into  the  maid  Cuckoo,  who  had 
been  searching  for  her  in  vain  for  a  long  time,  to  bring  her  the  forgotten 
handkerchief.  With  horror  Cuckoo  observed  the  faltering  gait  of  her 
mistress,  the  fixed  expression  of  her  eyes,  the  deadly  pallor  of  her  face. 
In  the  distance  she  saw  the  retreating  figure  of  a  maid,  disappearing  be- 
hind a  bend  of  the  path. 

"Where  are  you  going?  This  is  the  way  we  get  back  to  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage,"  she  said  tactfully,  turning  to  her  distraught  mistress. 

"I  want  to  go  to  fao  Yu  to  ask  him  a  question,"  said  Black  Jade  as 
if  in  a  trance.  Though  she  d;  i  not  quite  understand  her  answer,  Cuckoo 
took  her  gently  by  the  arm  and  led  her  out  of  the  park  to  the  residence 
of  the  Ancestress.  At  the  entrance  to  the  rooms  of  the  Ancestress  Black 
Jade  slackened  her  pace.  She  seemed  only  now  to  become  conscious  of 
the  presence  of  Cuckoo. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  she  asked  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 

"Don't  you  remember,  I  was  to  come  after  you  with  your  handker- 
chief, and  I  have  accompanied  you  over  here  from  the  footbridge. 

"Ah,  yes.  Then  you  also  want  to  see  Pao  Yu?" 

Cuckoo  nodded  very  slightly.  It  was  clear  to  her  that  her  mistress 
must  be  in  a  state  of  temporary  mental  derangement,  and  she  guessed 
that  her  condition  somehow  had  something  to  do  with  her  encounter 
with  the  maid  whom  she  had  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  disappearing 
around  a  bend  of  the  path.  There  may  be  a  nice  spot  of  trouble  now 
when  these  two  poor  irresponsible  creatures,  one  of  them  mad  and  the 

486 


other  imbecile,  meet  and  talk  together,  she  thought  to  herself,  full  of 
uneasiness.  Nevertheless  she  did  not  dare  to  hold  her  mistress  back. 

Black  Jade  seemed  suddenly  to  overcome  her  former  weakness  in  the 
most  extraordinary  way.  She  no  longer  needed  the  supporting  arm  of 
the  maid,  but  strode  along  with  a  firm  and  assured  gait  right  up  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Ancestress's  rooms,  and  pushed  the  door-curtain  aside 
with  her  own  hands.  Inside,  the  deepest  silence  reigned.  The  Ancestress 
was  just  having  her  midday  nap.  Nearly  all  her  maids  had  retired  too, 
some  to  have  a  little  nap  to  themselves,  others  to  play  a  game  of  domi- 
noes. Startled  by  the  tinkling  of  the  bead  curtain,  Pearl,  who  was  near 
the  door,  stuck  out  her  head. 

"Is  Pao  Yu  at  home?"  asked  Black  Jade,  apparently  quite  sanely, 
and  without  waiting  for  an  answer  she  walked  across  to  the  adjoining 
room,  while  Cuckoo  tried  behind  her  back  by  looks  and  signs  to  make 
the  unsuspecting  Pearl  understand  that  the  visitor  was  in  an  irrespon- 
sible mood.  Pao  Yu,  who  was  squatting  on  the  divan,  dull  and  listless, 
did  not  stir  from  the  spot  when  Black  Jade  entered,  and  did  not  greet 
her,  but  just  sat  grinning  vacantly  to  himself.  Black  Jade  sat  down  in  an 
armchair  not  far  from  him.  He  turned  his  head  towards  her  and  for  a 
long  while  the  two  sat  staring  at  each  other,  smiling  inanely. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Black  Jade  at  last. 

"I  want  Black  Jade,"  came  the  answer. 

Another  long  pause  followed,  during  which  the  two  continued  to  stare 
at  each  other.  It  now  became  clear  to  Pearl  that  the  visitor  was  no  less 
mentally  deranged  than  Pao  Yu  himself.  She  could  not  bear  any  longer 
to  watch  this  weird  conversation  between  the  imbecile  boy  and  the 
crazy  girl  and  signed  to  Cuckoo  and  Autumn  Wave  to  take  Black  Jade 
away.  The  two  took  hold  of  her,  one  at  each  side,  and  gently  raised  her 
to  her  feet.  Black  Jade  allowed  them  to  do  so,  but  then  stood  for  a  while 
staring  fixedly  back  at  Pao  Yu,  smiling  and  nodding. 

"It's  time  to  go  back,  Miss,"  Cuckoo  insisted  gently. 

"You  are  right;  it's  time  for  me  to  go  back,"  repeated  Black  Jade 
mechanically,  and  smilingly  turned  to  go.  As  soon  as  they  were  outside 
she  disengaged  herself  from  her  two  companions  who  had  been  support- 
ing her,  and  ran  so  quickly  into  the  park  and  across  to  the  Bamboo" 
Hermitage  that  Cuckoo  and  Autumn  Wave  were  hardly  able  to  keep 
pace  with  her. 

"Amida  Buddha!  We're  safe  home  at  last!"  cried  Cuckoo,  with  re- 
lief, just  as  they  reached  the  gate  of  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  At  the 
same  moment  she  saw  Black  Jade  stagger  forward,  and  a  stream  of 
blood  pour  from  her  mouth.  The  two  maids  were  just  able  to  catch  hold 
of  her  in  time  to  prevent  her  from  falling.  They  gently  carried  her,  half 
unconscious,  into  the  room  and  laid  her  on  her  bed.  Snowgoose  relieved 

487 


Autumn  Wave,  who  had  to  go  back,  and  she  and  Cuckoo  sat  watching 
by  the  bedside,  weeping. 

"Why  are  you  crying?"  asked  Black  Jade  quite  calmly,  when  she 
opened  her  eyes  after  a  while. 

"You  have  just  had  a  little  attack  of  faintness  on  the  way  back  here, 
and  it  made  us  a  bit  uneasy." 

"Oh,  I'm  not  in  such  a  hurry  to  die  as  all  that,"  replied  Black  Jade, 
cheerfully. 

After  the  hemorrhage  she  felt  freed  from  the  inner  pressure  of  sud- 
den excitement  which  had  clouded  her  mind,  and  was  now  quite  clear  in 
her  head. 

On  the  other  hand,  she  had  only  a  vague  memory  of  what  had  hap- 
pened between  her  meeting  with  Numskull  and  the  hemorrhage. 

With  calm  resignation  she  went  over  in  her  mind  once  more  the 
frightful  fact  which  the  maid  in  her  simplicity  had  divulged  to  her. 
Now  that  the  beautiful  illusion  had  been  shattered,  nothing  remained 
for  her  but  to  die  quickly.  That  was  clear  to  her.  Cuckoo  and  Snow- 
goose  were  actually  thinking  of  running  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and  reporting 
what  had  happened,  but  then  they  gave  up  the  idea  again,  because  they 
did  not  wish  to  be  reproached  for  giving  false  alarms,  as  had  happened 
once  before.  Meantime,  however,  the  matter  had  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  old  Tai  tai  through  Autumn  Wave,  whose  agitated  manner  had 
attracted  attention  when  she  got  back.  The  Ancestress  thereupon  hur- 
riedly summoned  Madame  Cheng  and  Phoenix  to  a  discussion,  for  they 
all  guessed  that  Black  Jade  had  somehow  or  other  learned  about  the 
decisions  reached  at  the  family  council. 

"I  should  like  to  know  who  has  been  tittle-tattling.  I  emphatically  or- 
dered the  strictest  secrecy.  Naturally,  this  makes  it  more  difficult  for  us 
to  carry  through  our  plan,"  said  Phoenix  crossly. 

"We  can  discuss  that  later,  but  first  let  us  see  how  Black  Jade  is," 
suggested  the  Ancestress,  and  the  three  of  them  set  out  for  the  Bamboo 
Hermitage.  They  found  Black  Jade  in  bed,  and  her  deathly  pallor  horri- 
fied them.  There  seemed  to  be  not  another  drop  of  blood  left  in  her 
cheeks,  and  her  breathing  was  very  weak.  Before  she  could  utter  a  word 
she  had  to  get'over  a  bad  fit  of  coughing,  and  her  sputum,  which  she 
spat  into  a  bowl  held  by  Snowgoose,  was  profusely  mingled  with  blood. 

"The  old  Tai  tai  lavishes  her  kindness  in  vain  on  me,"  she  said  at 
last,  in  faltering  gasps.  The  Ancestress  was  deeply  moved.  "Do  not  be 
uneasy,  dear  child!  If  you  just  take  good  care  of  yourself  all  will  be 
well  again,"  she  said  consolingly.  Then  the  doctor  came,  and  the  ladies 
had  to  cut  short  their  visit. 

"I  certainly  would  not  wish  her  ill,  but  I  greatly  fear  she  will  never 
get  up  again,"  said  the  Ancestress  to  Phoenix  as  they  went  away.  "You 

488 


must  make  all  the  necessary  preparations  in  good  time,  in  case  anything 
should  happen  to  her." 

Then  she  questioned  Cuckoo  in  an  effort  to  find  out  who  had  chat- 
tered to  Black  Jade,  but  Cuckoo  could  not  give  her  any  information. 

"It  is  true  that  they  grew  up  together  as  children,  and  so  have  be- 
come fond  of  each  other,"  she  continued  rather  dejectedly,  turning  to 
her  ladies,  "but  now  they  are  grown  up  and  sensible  enough  to  realize 
that  this  kind  of  intercourse  must  have  its  limits.  It  is  necessary  to  de- 
mand that  a  young  girl  should  be  particularly  reserved.  If  Black  Jade 
has  been  imagining  something  which  she  had  no  right  to  imagine,  then 
she  has  shown  herself  unworthy  of  all  my  love  and  kindness.  I  have 
never  before  spared  money  where  her  health  was  concerned,  but  if  her 
condition  is  due  to  such  unseemly  thoughts,  I  have  no  desire  to  go  to 
any  great  expense  for  her." 

"The  old  Tai  tai  should  not  worry  herself  too  much  about  the  girl !  At 
the  moment  Pao  Yu's  welfare  is  of  more  importance,"  whispered  Phoe- 
nix. "Above  all,  we  need  Aunt  Hsueh's  final  consent  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  old  Tai  tai  should  summon  her  for  a  consultation  this  evening.  We 
can  talk  things  over  more  peacefully  here  than  over  there,  with  Pre- 
cious CIa§p  about." 

Her  suggestion  was  acted  upon  and  Aunt  Hsueh  was  summoned  to  a 
family  council  that  evening.  Before  it  took  place  Phoenix  visited  the 
sick  Pao  Yu.  She  wished  to  put  him  to  the  test. 

"Congratulations,  Cousin  Pao  Yu!"  she  greeted  him  gaily.  "The 
lucky  day  for  your  marriage  has  been  fixed.  Well,  are  you  glad?"  Pao 
Yu  stared  at  her  and  nodded  silently. 

"Black  Jade  will  be  your  wife.  Are  you  glad?" 

Now  Pao  Yu  beamed  all  over  his  face. 

"But  first  you  must  get  quite  well  and  sensible.  As  long  as  you  behave 
foolishly,  there  will  be  no  marriage,  your  father  says,"  continued  Phoe- 
nix. She  was  still  not  quite  clear  about  his  mental  state. 

Suddenly  Pao  Yu  assumed  a  completely  serious,  sensible  expression. 
"I  am  not  foolish  at  all.  It  is  all  of  you  who  are  foolish!"  he  said.  Then 
he  stood  up  and  went  towards  the  door. 

"I  want  to  go  to  Black  Jade  and  reassure  her,"  were  his  words.  Phoe- 
nix jumped  up  and  pulled  him  back. 

"Black  Jade  has  already  been  informed.  As  a  virtuous  bride  she  can- 
not, of  course,  receive  you." 

"Shall  I  at  least  see  her  later,  at  the  wedding?" 

"Naturally.  But  only  if  you  are  perfectly  sensible." 

"I  have  given  her  my  heart.  Only  she  can  put  it  back  in  my  breast," 
he  declared  solemnly. 

That  again  sounded  very  odd.  Phoenix,  who  had  just  been  thinking 

489 


that  he  was  already  cured,  felt  dubious  once  more.  She  visited  the 
Ancestress  and  informed  her  of  her  observations  and  her  doubts.  The 
Ancestress  did  not  know  whether  she  should  be  happy  or  saddened  by 
her  report;  but  being  in  the  habit  of  always  looking  on  the  bright  side 
of  things,  she  decided  that  there  was  no  reason  to  be  too  worried  about 
him  for  the  time  being,  and  with  Pearl  he  was  in  the  best  of  hands. 

And  so,  that  evening,  the  great  consultation  with  Aunt  Hsueh  took 
place.  She  could  not  shut  her  eyes  to  the  soundness  of  the  reasons\ 
brought  forward,  and  accordingly  gave  her  consent  to  the  hasty  and/ 
abbreviated  procedure.  It  was  decided  that  Phoenix  and  her  husband 
Chia  Lien  should  act  the  part  of  go-between  and  that  Hsueh  Kuo^hould 
be  sent  posthaste  to  Cousin  Hsueh  Pan,  who  was  still  in  prison,  to  ob- 
tain his  consent  as  male  head  of  the  family.  After  everything  had  been 
discussed  backwards  and  forwards  to  the  accompaniment  of  numerous 
bowls  of  tea,  the  consultation  ended  late  that  night  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all  parties. 

Four  days  later  Hsueh  Kuo  came  back  from  Hsueh  Pan's  prison 
bringing  the  latter's  consent.  Moreover,  he  was  able  to  announce  that 
Hsueh  Pan  would  soon  be  freed.  The  charge  of  murder  had  been 
dropped,  the  judge  had  approved  a  verdict  of  accidental  manslaughter, 
and  pronounced  a  judgment  which  involved  only  payment  of  a  fine. 
Aunt  Hsueh  was  greatly  relieved.  Now  the  marriage  could  be  celebrated 
with  a  good  conscience. 

The  execution  of  the  prescribed  formalities  was  put  in  hand  at  once. 
Hsueh  Kuo  had  to  design  a  beautiful  gilded  card  with  the  four  cyclical 
double  signs  of  the  year,  the  month,  the  day,  and  the  hour  of  Precious 
Clasp's  birth,  and  hand  it  over  ceremonially  to  Chia  Lien.  Chia  Lien,  on 
his  part,  presented  the  eight-sign  card  of  Pao  Yu.  The  betrothal  gifts 
for  Precious  Clasp  followed  two  days  later.  Before  they  were  sent  the 
Ancestress  held  a  great  review  of  them  together  with  her  ladies.  Pao  Yu 
was  also  brought  to  this  review.  Under  the  delusion  that  the  presents 
were  for  Black  Jade,  he  remarked  thoughtfully:  "Why  all  this  fuss  and 
bother?  First  the  things  are  brought  into  the  park  at  great  trouble,  then 
they  are  taken  out  of  the  park  again  and  brought  back  here.  Surely  this 
dragging  to  and  fro  twice  over  is  quite  unnecessary." 

Everyone  laughed  and  exchanged  significant  glances. 

"That  does  not  sound  imbecile  by  any  means — on  the  contrary,  it's 
devilishly  clever,"  remarked  the  Ancestress  contentedly  to  Pao  Yu's 
mother.  And  then  she  proceeded  to  count  and  examine  the  gifts  one  by 
one,  from  a  list.  This  was  no  small  task,  for  the  list  contained  no  less 
than  eighty  items  of  jewelry  made  of  gold  and  pearls — necklaces,  hair 
ornaments,  bracelets,  and  rings;  some  forty  articles  for  the  toilet;  one 

490 


hundred  and  twenty  bales  of  silk  materials,  both  fine  and  coarse,  as  well 
as  one  hundred  and  twenty  ready-made  garments  for  all  four  seasons. 
The  money  which  was  economized  by  the  omission  of  the  usual  wedding 
feasts  was  sent  in  cash  together  with  the  gifts. 

Under  the  supervision  of  Chia  Lien  and  two  majordomos,  the  long 
column  of  bearers  carrying  the  bridal  gifts  set  out  for  Aunt  Hsueh's 
residence  in  the  eastern  palace.  In  order  to  avoid  arousing  attention  the 
procession  was  not  allowed  to  pass  through  the  main  gateway,  but  had 
to  go  through  the  park  instead,  and  out  through  a  back  gate.  Moreover, 
Phoenix  had  given  instructions  that  when  passing  through  the  park 
they  were  to  make  as  big  a  detour  as  possible  to  avoid  going  near  the 
Bamboo  Hermitage;  and  none  of  the  park  servants  was  to  breathe  a 
word  about  it  in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  And  thus  the  delivery  of  the 
bridal  gifts  was  effected  so  quietly  that  the  outside  world  noticed  noth- 
ing and  Black  Jade  and  her  maids  heard  not  a  word  about  it. 

During  the  last  few  days  Black  Jade  had  been  sinking  steadily.  She 
had  finished  with  life  and  was  facing  her  last  hour  with  calm  resigna- 
tion. In  vain  her  maids  tried  to  raise  her  spirits  and  persuade  her  that 
her  grief  was  unfounded;  had  she  not  seen  with  her  own  eyes  how 
mentally  sick  Pao  Yu  was,  and  that  a  marriage  for  him  in  that  condi- 
tion would  be  utterly  out  of  the  question?  But  all  their  well-meant  ef- 
forts only  evoked  a  wan,  ethereal  smile. 

In  her  anxiety  Cuckoo  ran  at  least  three  or  four  times  a  day  to  the 
residence  of  the  Ancestress  and  reported  the  disquieting  state  of  things, 
but  Mandarin  Duck,  who  no  doubt  had  noticed  that  Black  Jade  had  lost 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Ancestress  of  late,  suppressed  the  messages  more 
often  than  not.  And  even  when  something  did  trickle  through  to  the 
ears  of  the  Ancestress,  she  did  not  take  much  notice,  for  recently  her 
head  had  been  full  of  other  things.  Her  whole  attention  was  now  occu- 
pied with  the  young  couple  and  their  approaching  marriage.  She  had 
the  doctor  sent  for,  but  that  was  all  the  trouble  she  took  for  Black  Jade. 
The  many  visits  which  Black  Jade  used  to  receive  when  ill  in  the  past, 
from  cousins  and  aunts,  waiting  maids  and  serving  women,  had  also 
ceased  completely.  Not  a  soul  bothered  about  her  any  more.  It  had  be- 
come very  quiet  and  lonely  in  the  Bamboo  Hermitage.  Black  Jade  said 
to  herself  that  it  was  now  time  for  her  to  take  her  leave. 

"You  have  always  understood  me  best  of  anyone,  Cuckoo,"  she  said 
one  day  to  her  first  waiting  maid,  when  they  were  alone  together. 
"Through  all  these  years  you  have  been  more  to  me  than  a  mere  servant 
— you  have  been  a  real  sister." 

Her  breath  failed  her,  and  she  had  to  pause,  while  Cuckoo  broke  into 
sobs. 

4O1 

493 


"Sister  Cuckoo,  do  be  so  kind  as  to  raise  me  in  a  sitting  position;  I 
can  speak  better  then,"  she  continued,  with  a  groan.  With  the  help  of 
Snowgoose,  Cuckoo  tenderly  raised  the  sick  girl  in  her  bed  and  care- 
fully propped  her  up  behind  and  at  both  sides  with  pillows,  so  that  she 
could  lean  back  comfortably. 

"Bring  me  my  copybook  of  poems,"  said  Black  Jade,  turning  to 
Snowgoose.  Snowgoose  jumped  up  and  brought  her  what  she  de- 
manded. Black  Jade  nodded  and  indicated  with  her  eyes  a  chest  by  the 
wall  but  was  unable  to  make  her  further  wish  understood,  as  a  fit  of 
coughing  stifled  her  voice.  The  maids  tried  to  help  her,  one  giving  her 
a  drink  of  water,  the  other  wiping  her  mouth  with  a  handkerchief.  Black 
Jade  took  hold  of  the  handkerchief  and  with  it  pointed  once  more  in 
the  direction  of  the  chest. 

"The  one  with  the  writing  .  .  ."  she  gasped  with  difficulty. 

Now  at  last  the  maids  guessed  her  thoughts.  Apparently  she  wanted 
the  two  little  white  silk  handkerchiefs,  stained  with  ink  and  tears,  which 
she  had  kept  in  the  chest  as  souvenirs  of  Pao  Yu.  Snowgoose  opened 
the  chest  and  took  out  the  two  handkerchiefs.  Black  Jade  nodded  and 
had  them  dropped  into  her  hands. 

"Don't  bother  yourself  reading  that  now,  dear  young  lady!  Wait 
until  you're  well  again!"  pleaded  Cuckoo  gently.  But  Black  Jade,  with- 
out casting  a  single  glance  at  the  tear-blotted  writing,  was  only  occupied 
in  convulsive  efforts  to  tear  the  handkerchiefs  to  pieces.  She  was  too 
weak  to  do  so,  however;  her  trembling  hands  refused  to  serve  her. 
Cuckoo  guessed  that  frustrated  love  moved  her  to  this  act. 

"It's  not  worth  the  trouble,"  she  remarked  soothingly.  Black  Jade 
nddded  and  pushed  the  two  little  handkerchiefs  up  her  sleeve. 

"Light  the  lamp!"  she  ordered  now,  and  while  Snowgoose  was  light- 
ing the  lamp  she  continued,  after  a  pause  for  breath:  "Make  a  fire  in 
the  brazier!" 

Cuckoo  thought  that  she  was  cold  and- wanted  to  warm  herself  at  the 
brazier. 

"It  will  be  better  if  you  lie  down,  Miss;  I'll  put  another  blanket  over 
you.  The  fumes  of  the  fire  might  do  you  harm,"  she  said.  But  Black 
Jade  shook  her  head  petulantly.  So  Snowgoose  obeyed  her;  she  went 
into  the  kitchen  and  shovelled  glowing  charcoal  into  the  bronze  brazier, 
then  set  it  down  on  its  pedestal  a  little  way  from  the  bed. 

Black  Jade  indicated  by  a  movement  of  her  head  that  she  wanted  it 
closer  to  the  bed,  so  Snowgoose  moved  it  right  up  to  the  bed,  then  ran 
out  to  fetch  the  tablelike  brazier  pedestal  specially  meant  for  bedside 
use.  Hardly  had  she  turned  her  back  when  Black  Jade  pulled  the  two 
written-on  silk  handkerchiefs  out  of  her  sleeve.  Bending  down  to  the 
brazier,  she  gazed  into  the  red  glow  for  a  few  moments  lost  in  thought, 


then  let  the  handkerchiefs  flutter  down  on  the  fire.  In  a  trice  the  light 
stuff  was  burned  to  ashes.  Cuckoo  could  not  prevent  it,  as  she  was  sup- 
porting her  mistress  and  did  not  have  a  hand  free. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Miss?"  she  cried  in  alarm.  Black  Jade  did  not 
heed  her,  grabbed  the  copybook  containing  her  poems,  looked  into  it 
dreamily,  then  let  it  slip  out  of  her  hands  onto  the  coverlet  again. 
Cuckoo,  fearing  she  would  consign  it  to  the  flames  too,  pushed  her 
shoulder  against  Black  Jade's  back,  and  was  about  to  make  a  grab  for 
the  copybook  with  her  freed  hand,  when  Black  Jade  with  a  sudden 
movement  forestalled  her  and  dropped  the  copybook  onto  the  fire.  Just 
at  that  moment  Snowgoose  returned  with  the  wooden  bedside  pedestal. 
When  she  saw  the  copybook  already  catching  fire  in  the  brazier,  she 
hurriedly  set  down  her  load  and,  heedless  of  the  flames,  pulled  the 
burning  book  out  of  the  fire,  threw  it  on  the  floor,  and  trampled  it 
with  her  feet  until  the  flames  were  out.  But,  alas,  only  a  sorry,  charred 
remnant  of  Black  Jade's  poetic  compositions  had  survived.  Black  Jade 
now  closed  her  eyes  contentedly,  and  sank  back  exhausted  on  her 
pillows. 

The  next  morning  when  she  awoke  she  seemed  to  feel  somewhat  bet- 
ter, but  immediately  after  breakfast  alarming  attacks  of  coughing  and 
shortness  of  breath  began  again.  Cuckoo,  fearing  the  worst,  left  her  in 
charge  of  Snowgoose,  and  dashed  off  to  the  Ancestress.  She  found  the 
place  extraordinarily  quiet  and  empty.  Neither  the  Ancestress  nor  her 
attendants  were  there;  only  three  serving  women  and  a  few  kitchen 
maids  were  left  behind  in  the  deserted  rooms.  When  she  asked  where 
the  Ancestress  was  she  got  only  vague,  evasive  answers.  There  was  no 
trace  of  Pao  Yu,  Pearl,  or  Autumn  Wave  either. 

Cuckoo  thought  she  could  guess  up  to  eight-  or  nine-tenths  what  it  all 
meant  and,  overcome  with  bitter  feelings,  slipped  out  again'.  She 'meant 
to  visit  Pao  Yu  and  in  her  distraught  state  went  to  the  Begonia  Court- 
yard by  mistake.  She  found  the  front  door  ajar  and  the  rooms  inside 
likewise  desolate  and  deserted.  Suddenly  it  occurred  to  her  that  Pao 
Yu  had  not  been  living  in  the  Begonia  Courtyard  for  quite  a  long  while 
past,  and  certainly  would  not  return  there  with  his  young  wife,  since 
the  place  was  exposed  to  the  evil  influences  of  the  abnormally  blooming 
begonia,  but  would  go  to  live  in  a  new  home  somewhere  else.  If  she 
only  knew  where!  As  she  walked  irresolutely  up  and  down  in  front  of  the 
entrance,  she  saw  a  maid  who  belonged  to  the  household  of  the  Ances- 
tress rushing  along  in  a  great  hurry.  She  stopped  her  and  asked  her 
where  the  new  home  of  the  young  couple  was  going  to  be. 

"I  really  shouldn't  tell  you,"  said  the  maid,  lowering  her  voice,  "but 
if  you  promise  you  won't  tell  Snowgoose  .  .  ." 

"Of  course  I  won't." 

493 


"Well,  the  new  home  which  the  old  master  has  assigned  to  the  young 
couple  is  situated  beside  Madame  Cheng's  suite  behind  the  Hall  of 
Fame  and  Benediction,  and  they  will  be  entering  into  occupation  today. 
For  the  wedding  is  taking  place  this  evening." 

Saying  this,  she  dashed  off.  Cuckoo  stood  for  a  while,  overcome  by 
her  painful  thoughts.  Poor  forsaken  Black  Jade,  lying  wrestling  with 
death  on  her  bed  of  suffering,  and  Pao  Yu  gaily  celebrating  his  wed- 
ding behind  her  back!  Was  it  not  enough  to  draw  tears  from  a  stone? 
How  would  he  face  her  tomorrow  when  she  went  to  take  him  the  news 
of  Black  Jade's  passing?  Was  he  not  a  detestable  creature?  Dejected  and 
infuriated,  gnashing  her  teeth  and  with  angry  tears  in  her  eyes,  she 
returned  to  the  Bamboo  Hermitage. 

At  the  entrance  she  saw  two  young  maids  hanging  about,  craning 
their  necks  watching  for  her.  Their  worried,  frightened  faces  boded  no 
good.  With  a  gesture  of  her  hand  she  signed  to  them  to  be  quiet  as  she 
flew  past  them.  Inside,  she  found  Black  Jade  lying  in  a  fever,  with  burn- 
ing red  cheeks,  and  in  her  perplexity  she  sent  for  old  Wang,  Black 
Jade's  nurse.  But  instead  of  advising  her  what  to  do,  the  old  woman 
exhausted  herself  in  useless  lamentations.  Suddenly  she  thought  of 
Widow  Chu.  She  was  experienced  and  prudent,  and  would  be  a  real 
help  to  her.  Her  assumption  that  she  would  absent  herself  from  the  wed- 
ding ceremony  because  of  her  widowhood  proved  to  be  correct,  and 
she  came  over  immediately,  eager  to  help,  accompanied  by  two  waiting 
maids.  Cuckoo  received  her  at  the  door  and,  weeping  and  sobbing, 
escorted  her  in.  Unable  to  speak  a  word,  she  just  pointed  silently  to 
Black  Jade's  bed.  The  sight  made  words  superfluous.  Widow  Chu  was 
deeply  moved.  She  called  Black  Jade  softly  by  name.  To  be  sure,  Black 
Jade  opened  her  eyelids  a  little  bit  and  her  expression  too  betrayed 
understanding,  but  her  bloodless  lips  remained  silent.  Her  breathing 
was  very  weak. 

Widow  Chu  turned  to  speak  to  Cuckoo,  but  Cuckoo  had  disappeared. 
Snowgoose  pointed  to  the  next  room.  There  she  found  Cuckoo  lying  on 
a  divan,  sobbing  loudly.  The  colored  silk  cushion  under  her  head  had  a 
wet  spot  the  size  of  a  plate. 

"You  silly  creature!  This  is  no  time  for  crying!"  exclaimed  Widow 
Chu,  shaking  her.  "Quick!  Get  your  mistress's  shroud  ready!  Is  the 
poor  girl  to  set  out  naked  on  the  great  journey?" 

But  Cuckoo  sobbed  more  violently  than  ever  and  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  get  up.  Widow  Chu,  too,  was  infected  with  her  tearfulness. 

"Come  on,  my  good  girl!  Get  to  work!  Pull  yourself  together!  You 
make  me  as  distracted  as  yourself  with  your  howling!"  she  continued, 
wiping  her  tears  and  slapping  the  other  on  the  shoulder. 

Hurried  footsteps  were  heard  outside,  and  immediately  afterwards 

494 


the  waiting  maid  Little  Ping  came  rushing  in.  Taken  aback,  she  stopped 
on  the  threshold. 

"What  do  you  want?  Why  are  you  not  over  with  the  others?"  asked 
the  Widow  Chu. 

"My  mistress  Phoenix  sent  me  over  to  see  how  Miss  Black  Jade  was 
doing,  but  as  you  are  here  my  mistress  need  not  worry  any  more.  I 
would  like  just  to  have  a  look  at  her." 

As  she  disappeared  into  the  death  chamber,  the  wife  of  the  major- 
domo  Ling  Chih  Hsiao  appeared. 

"You  have  come  just  at  the  right  time.  You  must  go  to  your  husband 
at  once  and  tell  him  to  send  over  the  young  lady's  coffin  as  quickly  as 
possible,"  said  the  Widow  Chu.  The  majordomo's  wife  nodded,  but 
made  no  move  to  go. 

"What  are  you  standing  there  for?  Is  there  something  else?"  con- 
tinued Widow  Chu  impatiently. 

"The  old  Tai  tai  and  Madame  Phoenix  have  just  had  a  consultation. 
I'm  to  fetch  Cuckoo.  She's  wanted  urgently  over  there." 

Before  Widow  Chu  had  time  to  answer,  Cuckoo  stood  up  and  inter- 
posed angrily:  "Please  go  away!  Let  them  kindly  wait  until  my  young 
lady  is  dead!  Then  I  will  go  over  of  my  own  accord.'' 

She  checked  herself,  suddenly  realizing  that  such  bad-tempered 
speech  might  perhaps  be  taken  amiss.  Then,  in  a  more  restrained  tone 
she  went  on:  "Besides,  I  might  take  some  harmful  influences  over 
there,  if  I  am  called  straight  from  a  deathbed!" 

"Leave  her  alone !  She  is  obviously  destined  by  heaven  to  be  the  in- 
separable companion  of  her  mistress.  Won't  Snowgoose  do  instead  of 
her?  For  though  she  has  belonged  to  Black  Jade  from  childhood  and 
came  with  her  from  her  southern  home,  she  is  much  less  devoted  to  her 
than  the  other,"  said  Widow  Chu,  coming  tactfully  to  the  rescue.  The 
majordomo's  wife,  who  was  just  about  to  attack  Cuckoo  angrily,  was 
placated  to  some  extent. 

"Very  well.  I  will  regard  what  Miss  Cuckoo  has  said  as  unsaid.  But 
what  shall  I  say  to  the  old  Tai  tai  and  Madame  Phoenix?" 

"Yes,  do  take  Snowgoose  over!  It  will  be  all  the  same  whichever 
you  take!"  interjected  Little  Ping,  who  had  just  come  out  of  the  death 
chamber,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"But  will  she  be  suitable  for  the  same  purpose?"  asked  the  Widow 
Chu  dubiously.  Little  Ping  whispered  something  in  her  ear.  Widow 
Chu  nodded,  satisfied. 

"Very  well,  then.  Snowgoose  may  go!"  she  decided. 

"Yes,  if  you  take  the  responsibility,"  declared  the  majordomo's  wife. 

"Very  well,  if  you're  afraid  to;  but  you  are  surely  old  enough  to  bear 
some  responsibility  yourself,"  said  the  Widow  Chu  derisively. 

495 


"It  is  not  that  I'm  afraid,  but  I  want  to  act  correctly  and  not  be  re- 
sponsible for  botching  the  plan  which  has  been  decided  upon  in  higher 
places  and  which  I  myself  do  not  know  exactly,"  said  the  majordomo's 
wife  in  embarrassed  self-defense.  Snowgoose  offered  no  objection,  and 
at  Little  Ping's  instructions  quickly  put  on  her  best  clothes  and  followed 
Little  Ping  to  the  new  home  of  the  young  couple,  where  the  wedding 
party  was  assembled.  She  had  no  inkling  of  what  she  was  needed  for,  or 
why  she  had  had  to  put  on  her  best  clothes.  Old  Ling  was  ordered 
meantime  to  inform  her  husband  that  Black  Jade's  death  was  to  be  ex- 
pected at  any  moment  and  that  he  should  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments without  delay. 

From  the  moment  that  he  had  heard  from  the  lips  of  Phoenix  the  joy- 
ful news  that  he  was  to  marry  Black  Jade,  Pao  Yu  had  revived  visibly. 
True,  he  had  not  yet  recovered  his  mental  powers  sufficiently  to  be  able 
to  see  through  the  deceit  which  was  being  practiced  on  him,  but  in  the 
last  few  days  he  had  been  transformed  physically  and  mentally,  so  to 
speak,  and  so  great  was  his  joyful  impatience  that  he  could  hardly  wait 
to  see  the  beloved  again  as  bride.  He  was  now  sitting,  dressed  in  his 
wedding  finery,  in  the  midst  of  the  assembled  ladies  of  both  palaces, 
feverishly  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Black  Jade. 

"Why  is  she  not  coming?  After  all,  the  way  from  the  Bamboo  Her- 
mitage to  here  is  not  so  far,"  he  asked,  turning  anxiously  to  Pearl. 

"Be  patient!  She  will  arrive  punctually  at  the  lucky  hour  which  has 
been  fixed,"  said  Pearl,  trying  to  calm  him.  Then  he  heard  Phoenix  say- 
ing to  his  mother:  "Even  if  noisy  wedding  music  with  beating  of  drums 
must  be  dispensed  with  in  view  of  the  Court  mourning,  a  wedding  quite 
without  music  seems  to  the  old  Tai  tai  to  be  really  too  dull  and  color- 
less. Therefore,  at  her  wish  I  have  ordered  our  troupe  of  house  musi- 
•cians  to  play  a  little  accompaniment  of  flute  music  at  the  arrival  of  the 
bride  and  during  the  ceremony." 

The  lucky  hour  which  had  been  sought  out  in  the  calendar  had  come 
at  last,  and,  preceded  by  twelve  pairs  of  palace  lantern  bearers,  the  gay 
red  bridal  litter  arrived. 

The  troupe  of  girl  musicians,  who  had  taken  up  their  position  in 
front  of  the  Hall  of  Fame  and  Benediction,  began  playing  a  gentle 
melody  on  their  flutes.  Now  the  procession  halted  and  the  litter  was  set 
down.  The  master  of  ceremonies  came  up  to  the  door  and  invited  the 
"New  Lady"  to  dismount.  With  strained  attention  Pao  Yu  watched 
from  his  hidden  vantage  point  inside  as  the  heavily  veiled  "New  Lady" 
allowed  herself  to  be  helped  out  of  the  litter  and,  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
a  red-robed  "Maid  of  Joy,"  slowly  mounted  the  steps  leading  up  to  the 

496 


hall.  And  who  do  you  think,  esteemed  reader,  that  red-robed  "Maid  of 
Joy"  was?  No  other  than  Snowgoose! 

Why  is  Snowgoose  and  not  Cuckoo  escorting  her?  thought  Pao  Yu 
to  himself,  surprised.  Why  yes,  of  course,  she  brought  Snowgoose  with 
her  years  ago  from  her  southern  homeland,  so  Snowgoose  is  nearer  to 
her  than  Cuckoo,  who  only  began  her  service  with  her  here,  he  con- 
cluded after  further  reflection,  and  was  reassured  once  more. 

Inside  the  hall  the  bride  now  performed,  one  after  another,  on  the 
instructions  of  the  master  of  ceremonies,  the  prescribed  kowtows  be- 
fore heaven  and  earth,  before  the  Ancestress,  and  before  the  father-in- 
law  and  mother-in-law.  Then  she  was  led  into  the  bridal  chamber,  where 
the  ceremonies  of  "climbing  onto  the  bed"  and  "raising  the  bed-cur- 
tain" were  performed  in  accordance  with  old  Chin  ling1  custom. 

In  fact  Chia  Cheng  had  not  given  any  credence  to  the  verdict  of  the 
soothsayer  that  Pao  Yu  required  some  strong  impression  of  a  joyful 
nature  for  his  cure.  Only  respect  for  the  Ancestress  had  restrained  him 
from  expressing  his  doubts  aloud.  His  satisfaction  was  all  the  greater 
now  when  he  perceived  that  Pao  Yu  had  become  a  perfectly  reasonable 
being  once  more  under  the  influence  of  this  wedding. 

The  new  bride  had  taken  her  place  in  the  prescribed  manner  on  the 
edge  of  the  bed.  Now  the  time  had  come  for  the  ceremony  of  the  lifting 
of  the  veil,  which,  according  to  correct  form,  was  to  be  carried  out  by 
the  bridegroom.  This  was  the  great  moment  to  which  the  Ancestress  and 
her  ladies  were  looking  forward  with  tense  expectation  and  secret 
trembling.  Pao  Yu  walked  up  to  the  new  bride,  but  a  chance  access  of 
foolish  shyness  at  first  paralyzed  his  hand  and  caused  him  to  put  his 
mouth  in  motion  instead.  "Are  you  quite  well  again,  now,  Mei  mei?  It's 
so  long  since  I've  seen  you!  But  why  do  you  keep  going  about  with  that 
silly  thing  on  your  head?" 

He  was  about  to  make  a  grab  at  the  veil,  and  the  movement  of  his 
hand  was  already  causing  the  Ancestress  to  perspire  with  fear  from 
every  pore.  But  then  he  let  his  hand  drop  again  irresolutely,  for  it  sud- 
denly passed  through  his  mind  tliat  Black  Jade  was  easily  offended  and 
did  not  like  any  hasty  action.  He  must  be  very  careful  in  his  behavior 
with  her.  So  he  paused  quite  a  while  before  at  last  taking  hold  of  the 
veil  and  drawing  it  gently  off  the  head  of  the  "New  One."  Snowgoose 
took  the  veil  from  him  and  carried  it  out,  but  the  vacancy  caused  by 
her  disappearance  was  immediately  filled  by  Precious  Clasp's  waiting 
maid  Oriole. 

Pao  Yu  blinked  hard.  Was  not  that  Precious  Clasp  who  was  sitting 

1  The  scene  of  the  story  }s  usually  described  merely  as  "the  capital"  but 
sometimes  as  Chin  ling  or  Golden  Tombs,  a  name  believed  to  be  derived  from 
the  Tombs  of  the  Emperors  in  the  vicinity  of  Peking. — Translators'  A'oie. 

497 


before  him  on  the  edge  of  the  bed?  He  shone  the  lamp  on  her  face;  he 
rubbed  his  eyes.  There  was  no  doubt  about  it;  it  was  she.  And  there  was 
her  maid  Oriole  suddenly  standing  by  her  side.  Where,  then,  was  Snow- 
goose  gone  to?  Pao  Yu  did  not  know  whether  he  was  awake  or  asleep. 
Listlessly  and  without  will,  he  let  them  take  the  lamp  out  of  his  hand 
and  press  him  down  onto  a  chair.  And  he  just  sat  there,  unable  to  get 
out  sven  half  a  word. 

The  Ancestress  became  desperately  uneasy.  She  feared  that  he  would 
relapse  into  his  former  condition.  While  Phoenix  and  Princess  Chen 
brought  Precious  Clasp  into  the  next  room,  she  herself  took  charge  of 
Pao  Yu,  led  him  personally  to  the  bed,  and  told  him  to  sit  down  com- 
fortably on  it. 

"Where  am  I?  But  it's  all  only  a  dream,  isn't  it?"  he  said,  turning  to 
Pearl,  after  thinking  for  a  long  time. 

"It's  not  a  bit  of  a  dream!  It's  absolute  reality!  Today  is  the  happy 
day  of  your  wedding!  How  can  you  talk  about  dreaming?  Please  don't 
let  the  old  master  hear  you;  he's  in  the  next  room!"  replied  Pearl. 

Pao  Yu  looked  into  the  next  room.  He  saw  Precious  Clasp  sitting 
there. 

"Who  is  that  beautiful  girl  there?"  he  whispered  to  Pearl,  pointing 
with  his  finger. 

"Your  new  bride,  of  course!"  replied  Pearl,  restraining  herself  with 
difficulty;  and  all  those  present  turned  their  heads  away  to  hide  their 
laughter. 

"And  who  is  my  new  bride?"  asked  Pao  Yu,  continuing  his  questions 
undeterred. 

"Miss  Precious  Clasp." 

"And  what  about  Black  Jade?" 

"The  old  master  has  given  you  Precious  Clasp  for  a  wife.  Why  do 
you  keep  on  speaking  Black  Jade's  name?"  said  Pearl  impatiently. 

"But  she  was  here  just  now!  I  saw  her  Snowgoose  with  my  own  eyes. 
It  seems  to  me  that  you  have  all  joined  in  a  plot  against  me  and  are 
making  game  of  me." 

Phoenix  came  up  to  him  and  exhorted  him  gently:  "Do  have  con- 
sideration for  Precious  Clasp!  She  is  sitting  there  listening  to  every- 
thing you  are  saying.  You  must  not  offend  her  or  the  old  Tai  tai  will  be 
angry  with  you." 

But  her  warning  had  no"  effect.  He  lost  the  last  remnant  of  his  self- 
control. 

"I  want  to  go  to  Black  Jade!"  he  shouted,  suddenly  becoming  vio- 
lent. The  ladies  pressed  anxiously  around  him  and  tried  in  vain  to  calm 
him,  while  Precious  Clasp  sat  in  the  next  room,  looking  on  and  listen- 
ing, deeply  pained,  to  the  whole  scene.  It  is  certainly  a  relapse  into  his 

498 


former  condition,  she  said  to  herself,  and  continued  in  her  attitude  of 
bridal  reserve.  At  last,  with  the  help  of  lavish  clouds  of  narcotic  incense, 
they  succeeded  in  causing  him  to  fall  asleep  and  in  this  way  reduced 
him  to  silence.  Sometime  later  Precious  Clasp,  apathetically  obedient, 
allowed  herself  to  be  led  away  by  Phoenix,  not  to  the  bridal  bed,  but  to 
a  partitioned-off  sleeping  place,  where  she  was  put  to  bed  fully  dressed. 
The  ladies  now  retired,  relieved,  to  their  places  in  the  adjoining  room. 
There  all  of  them,  with  the  exception  of  the  Ancestress,  had  to  sit  up, 
remaining  awake,  until  the  next  morning,  as  custom  prescribed. 

It  happened  that  the  next  day  was  the  lucky  day  which  had  been 
picked  out  in  the  calendar  for  Chia  Cheng  to  set  out  on  his  journey  to 
the  South.  Mr.  Cheng  had  no  knowledge  of  what  had  happened  in  the 
bridal  chamber  the  evening  before.  He  was  under  the  delusion  that 
everything  was  as  it  should  be,  and  he  was  consequently  in  excellent 
spirits.  Actually,  the  ladies  were  deliberately  keeping  him  in  ignorance, 
for  they  did  not  wish  to  depress  his  spirits  before  the  journey.  At  the 
great  farewell  the  Ancestress  was  able  to  arrange  matters  in  such  a  way 
that  he  only  saw  his  son  face  to  face  during  the  few  brief  moments  re- 
quired for  receiving  his  farewell  kowtow. 

"Strictly  speaking,  he  should  go  with  you  the  prescribed  ten  miles  of 
the  parting  escort,"  she  said,  "but  he  has  only  partially  recovered  his 
health.  He  was  so  exhausted  by  the  excitements  and  exertions  of  yester- 
day that  we  could  not  even  allow  him  to  sleep  in  the  bridal  bed  with  his 
bride  last  night.  I  consider  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  expose  him  to 
great  physical  exertion  again  today  in  his  poor  health.  But  if  you  insist, 
of  course,  I  shall  have  him  got  ready  for  the  journey  at  once.  Yet  per- 
haps you  will  be  satisfied  if  he  comes  to  you  for  a  few  moments  and 
performs  his  farewell  kowtow  once  more?" 

"I  set  no  store  on  his  parting  escort,"  replied  Chia  Cheng.  "The  prin- 
cipal thing  is  that  he  should  devote  himself  zealously  to  his  studies  from 
now  on.  That  is  much  more  important  to  me  than  the  fulfillment  of  an 
empty  formality." 

The  Ancestress,  well  satisfied,  beckoned  to  Mandarin  Duck,  and 
whispered  an  order  to  her.  Mandarin  Duck  ran  off,  and  after  a  little 
time  Pao  Yu  appeared,  escorted  by  Pearl.  His  father  addressed  a  few 
words  of  exhortation  to  him.  Pao  Yu  replied  with  an  obedient  Shift,  per- 
formed his  farewell  kowtow,  and  was  dismissed.  Finally,  Chia  Cheng 
once  more  enjoined  his  wife  very  earnestly  to  watch  sharply  over  Pao 
Yu  and  to  see  that  he  was  well  prepared,  and  sat  for  next  year's  State 
examination.  Then  Precious  Clasp  also  appeared  and  dutifully  accom- 
panied Chia  Cheng  as  far  as  the  steps  leading  to  the  main  hall.  The 
rules  of  etiquette  required  no  more  than  this  of  a  newly  married  daugh- 

499 


ter-in-law  who  was  a  member  of  the  household.  The  other  female  mem- 
bers of  the  family  went  a  bit  farther  with  him — up  to  the  second  gate- 
way. But  the  male  relatives  who  were  Chia  Cheng's  juniors,  having 
drunk  a  parting  goblet  with  him,  gave  him  the  prescribed  farewell 
escort  as  far  as  the  first  ten-mile  resting  station. 


CHAPTER   44 

The  plant  Purple  Pearl  returns  to  the  Sphere  of  Banished  Suffering. 
The  spirit  stone  drenches  with  tears  the  place  of  dear  memories. 

-TROM  THE  HOUR  WHEN   PAO  Yu   HAD  BIDDEN  HIS  FATHER  FAREWELL 

and  gone  back  to  his  room,  he  had  sunk  more  and  more  into  the  former 
state  of  apathetic  semiconsciousness  out  of  which  the  delusive  thought 
of  a  union  with  Black  Jade  had  drawn  him  for  a  short  time.  Once  more 
he  was  treated  by  the  doctors  with  every  possible  medicine,  but  without 
success.  Veil  upon  veil  wound  itself  round  his  spirit  and  darkened  his 
mind;  his  body  refused  nourishment  and  failed  in  its  functions  more 
and  more.  More  dreaming  than  waking,  he  just  dragged  on  from  day  to 
day. 

The  ninth  day  since  the  wedding  night  had  now  come — the  day  upon 
which  custom  requires  that  the  son-in-law  should  pay  his  parents-in- 
law  a  visit.  Could  one  permit  Pao  Yu  to  be  seen  by  Aunt  Hsueh  in  this 
condition?  On  the  other  hand,  would  not  Aunt  Hsueh  be  offended  if  he 
omitted  this  visit?  These  questions  were  hotly  argued  by  the  ladies  of 
the  western  palace. 

"True,  his  mind  is  somewhat  unhinged,  but  physically  he  would  cer- 
tainly be  able  to  make  a  short  visit.  I  should  like  to  keep  to  the  correct 
formality  and  not  cause  Aunt  Hsueh  to  feel  offended,"  said  the  Ances- 
tress. Her  view  met  with  general  agreement,  and  so  Pao  Yu  was  sent 
through  the  park  in  a  sedan  chair  accompanied  by  Pearl,  to  visit  Aunt 
Hsueh. 

Aunt  Hsueh  had  not  been  prepared  to  see  her  son-in-law  in  such  a 
wretched  plight  and  reproached  herself  bitterly  for  having  given  her 
consent  to  this  overhasty  marriage.  At  her  instance,  every  known  doctor 
was  called  once  more,  but  to  no  purpose,  until  at  last  an  obscure 
healer,  who  lived  in  the  ruins  of  an  old  temple  outside  the  town,  came 
along  and  was  the  first  to  perceive  that  the  origin  of  the  boy's  illness 
was  not  of  a  physical  but  of  a  spiritual  nature.  And  actually  the  medi- 
cine prescribed  by  him  proved  successful  after  only  a  few  hours.  Pao 
Yu  began  to  awaken  from  the  apathy  in  which  he  had  been  sunk  for 
many  days,  and  suddenly  asked  for  food  and  drink.  This  happened  at 

500 


the  hour  of  the  second  night  watch.  Despite  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  the 
Ancestress  sent  Aunt  Hsueh  word  to  come  as  quickly  as  possible,  so 
that  she  also  might  witness  the  gratifying  change  and  look  on  with  the 
other  ladies  while  the  patient  partook  of  a  hearty  meal. 

When  the  ladies  had  gone  and  Pao  Yu  was  once  more  alone  with 
Pearl,  he  took  her  by  the  hand  and,  as  if  awakening  from  a  dream, 
asked  her  about  the  recent  sequence  of  events. 

"How  is  it  that  Precious  Clasp  is  here?  I  distinctly  remember  being 
told  that  I  was  to  marry  Black  Jade.  How  on  earth  can  Precious  Clasp 
have  forced  herself  forward  in  her  place?  I  should  not  care  to  ask 
Precious  Clasp  myself  lest  I  should  offend  her,  but  I  must  find  out  the 
truth.  How  terrible  it  must  be  for  poor  Black  Jade!  She  will  certainly 
fret  herself  to  death  over  it." 

Pearl  did  not  dare  to  tell  him  the  whole  truth,  and  merely  stated 
briefly  that  Black  Jade  was  very  ill. 

"Then  I  must  go  at  once  to  see  her,"  he  declared  passionately,  and 
tried  there  and  then  to  get  up  from  his  bed,  but,  alas,  he  was  unable  to 
do  so.  After  so  many  days  without  nourishment  of  any  kind,  his  body 
was  so  weak  that  it  failed  him  utterly.  Only  now  did  he  become  really 
aware  of  his  wretched  state. 

"Very  well!  Then  I  shall  at  least  die  with  her!"  he  cried  in  his  grief. 
"That  is  the  only  wish  I  still  have  left,  and  you  rrrast  do  me  the  kindness 
of  asking  my  grandmother  to  let  me  be  carried  over  to  Etack  Jade  im- 
mediately. Separated  from  her,  I  have  no  wish  either  to  live  or  to  die.  A 
simple,  bare  room  is  enough  for  us  both,  if  we  can  only  be  together.  If 
it  is  granted  us  to  remain  alive,  very  well,  then  I  will  gladly  be  nursed 
back  to  health  side  by  side  with  her.  If  fate  ordains  otherwise,  I  will  at 
least  die  together  with  her  and  be  laid  on  my  bier  side  by  side  with  her. 
For  the  sake  of  our  long  years  of  friendship,  I  entreat  you  to  heed  my 
request!" 

While  Pearl  strove  in  vain  to  overcome  the  emotion  which  choked 
her  voice,  Precious  Clasp  suddenly  walked  into  the  room  with  the  maid 
Oriole.  She  had  been  listening  to  Pao  Yu's  words  from  the  next  room. 

"Enough  of  this  futile  and  morbid  prating!"  she  said  to  him  calmly 
and  firmly.  "The  old  Tai  tai  has  just  Become  somewhat  reassured  about 
you,  and  now  you  want  to  cause  her  more  agitation.  Do  have  a  little 
consideration  for  her  years!  Has  she  not  been  touchingly  devoted  to 
you  all  your  life?  Do  you  feel  no  gratitude  for  that?  Show  her  that  you 
are  not  only  the  descendant  of-  your  illustrious  ancestors,  but  also  a 
good  fellow  yourself!  Then  she  will  be  happy  and  will  see  that  she  has 
not  squandered  her  love  in  Vain  on  you.  And  think  of  your  mother,  too, 
who  has  sacrificed  her  heart's  blood  for  you.  Do  you  want  to  do  her 
the  wrong  of  cravenly  throwing  away  the  life  that  you  owe  to  her,  be- 

501 


fore  it  is  half  through?  Follow  my  example!  Surely  I  would  have  more 
reason  than  any  of  yoirto  quarrel  with  my  fate,  yet  I  do  not  despair.  So 
pull  yourself  together  and  do -not  quarrel  with  the  higher  decrees  of 
heaven,  which  demand  that  you  live!  Have  patience,  and  in  four  or 
five^days  your  mind  will  be  freed  from  the  black  demons  of  confusion 
and  will  have  re«o#ered  its  former  clarity  and  harmony." 

The  only  response  which  her  sensible  words  evoked  in  him  was  a 
silly,  inane,  uncomprehending  grin. 

"For  heaven  knows  how  long  past  we  two  have  had  nothing  more  to 
say  to  each  other.  What  is  it  that  suddenly  gives  you  the  right  to  preach 
to  me?"  he  remarked  at  last.  At  this  she  lost  patience. 

"Very  well,  then!  You  shall  hear  the  whole  truth!  Days  ago,  while 
your  mind  was  enveloped  in  darkness,  your  Black  Jade  died!" 

With  a  shriek,  Pao  Yu  leaped  up  in  his  bed. 

"Is  that  true?" 

"Of  course  it  is  true!  How  would  I  dream  of  brazenly  saying  that 
someone  was  dead  if  it  were  not  true?  It  was  solely  to  spare  your  feel- 
ings that  your  mother  and  grandmother  kept  the  truth  from  you  until 
now." 

Utterly  broken,  Pao  Yu  sank  back  on  his  pillows.  It  became  black  as 
lacquer  before  his  eyes,  and  his  spirit  became  lost  in  the  semidarkness 
of  a  distant  dreamland.  Someone  crossed  his  path. 

"Where  ajn  I?"  he  asked  the  Someone. 

"On  the  road  to  the  Springs  of  the  Realm  of  Shades.  But  your  destiny 
is  not  yet  fulfilled.  What  are  you  looking  for  here?"  replied  the  Some- 
one. 

"I  am  looking  for  a  person  who  is  dear  to  me,  and  who  died  a  short 
time  ago.  I  have  lost  my  way  on  the  road." 

"Who  is  that  person?" 

"She  is  a  girl  named  Black  Jade  of  the  family  of  Ling,  from  the  town 
of  Ku  su." 

The  Someone  uttered  a  dry  laugh. 

"Oh,  that  girl?  She  is  a  special  case.  In  life  she  was  different  from 
other  people;  in  death  she  is  different  from  other  spirits.  You  would  be 
looking  a  long  time  for  her!  To  find  even  ordinary  spirits  is  hard 
enough,  let  alone  a  spirit  such  as  Black  Jade.  So  turn  back  at  once,  and 
be  off!" 

Pao  Yu  remained  standing  there  irresolutely. 

"Where  is  she?"  he  asked  again. 

"She  has  returned  to  the  Phantom  Realm  of  the  Great  Void.  It  will 
be  granted  you  to  see  her  again,  but  only  after  your  time  has  been  ful- 
filled. If,  however,  you  incur  the  guilt  of  departing  from  life  before  your 
time  and  of  your  own  free  will  in  order  to  seek  her,  the  Judge  of  the 

502 


Realm  of  Shades  will  punish  you  by  preventing  you  from  ever  meeting 
her,  and  you  will  make  atonement  for  your  crime  with  untold  suffering 
in  the  dungeons  of  the  underworld." 

Saying  this,  the  mysterious  Someone  took  a  stone  out  of  his  sleeve 
and  aimed  it  at  Pao  Yu's  heart;  then  he  disappeared.  Pao  Yu  dis- 
tinctly felt  a  hard  blow  in  the  region  of  the  heart.  Terrified,  he  turned  to 
go,  when  suddenly  he  heard  his  name  called.  He  could  distinguish 
several  women's  voices.  He  started  up  and  then  he  recognized  his  grand- 
mother, and  his  mother,  and  Precious  Clasp,  and  Pearl,  who  were  all 
crowded  around  his  bed,  weeping.  A  red  glow  of  lamplight  fell  on  him 
from  the  table;  the  silvery  disk  of  the  moon,  peering  from  behind 
bushes,  could  be  seen  through  the  window.  There  was  no  doubt  about 
it:  this  was  the  familiar  world  of  reality.  He  had  only  been  dreaming. 
He  breathed  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  and  sank  back  on  his  pillows. 

His  whole  body  was  covered  with  cold  sweat,  but  the  strange  thing 
was  that  he  felt  completely  reposed  and  clear  in  his  head.  He  had  re- 
covered his  reason.  What  doctors  and  medicines  had  been  unable  to  do, 
Precious  Clasp  had  achieved  by  her  ruthless  frankness.  The  sudden 
violent  emotion  which  her  announcement  caused  had  jolted  his  de- 
ranged mind  back  into  its  proper  track.  Pearl,  who  had  fully  intended 
to  reprove  Precious  Clasp  afterwards  for  her  ruthless  candor,  took  good 
care  not  to  say  a  word  in  view  of  this  astounding  success,  for  his  physi- 
cal condition  also  now  improved  rapidly.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days, 
to  everyone's  joy,  he  was  completely  restored  to  health. 

In  a  quiet  hour  Pearl  had  to  describe  to  him  once  more  the  exact  se- 
quence of  events  at  the  wedding,,  and  explain  to  him  why  Precious 
Clasp  had  been  chosen  for  him  rather  than  Black  Jade,  why  Black 
Jade's  waiting  maid  Snowgoose  had  been  substituted  for  Precious 
Clasp's  maid  as  bridesmaid,  and  why  he  had  been  kept  in  the  dark 
until  right  up  to  the  ceremony  of  the  lifting  of  the  veil.  Now  he  had  to 
recognize  the  good  and  just  motives  for  the  deceit  which  had  been  prac- 
ticed on  him.  And  even  though  the  thought  of  Black  Jade  still  evoked 
sorrowful  tears  from  him,  nevertheless  he  realized  that  the  old  prophecy 
of  the  union  of  gold  and  nephrite  willed  by  Providence  had  proved  true. 
He  was  resigned  to  his  fate  and,  under  the  influence  of  his  recent 
dream,  banished  the  last  remnant  of  the  thought  of  death  into  the  far- 
thest corner  of  his  mind. 

Precious  Clasp  was  able  to  win  his  confidence  more  and  more  by  her 
mild  and  gentle  ways,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the  affection  which 
he  had  previously  had  for  Black  Jade  became  gradually  and  imper- 
ceptibly transferred  to  Precious  Clasp.  But  we  shall  return  to  this  later. 

As  already  reported,  the  day  that  Pao  Yu  celebrated  his  wedding, 

503 


Black  Jade's  life  was  hanging  by  a  thread.  On  the  evening  of  that  day 
she  seemed  to  revive  again  for  a  short  time.  Soon  after  Snowgoose  had 
been  called  for,  she  half  opened  her  eyes  and  asked  for  water  in  a  weak 
voice.  Cuckoo  actually  succeeded  in  giving  her  three  little  spoonfuls  of 
a  sweet  cold  fruit  preparation.  The  last  reflection  of  the  setting  sun, 
thought  Widow  Chu  to  herself,  and  she  dashed  off  to  see  her  own  house- 
hold in  the  Rice  Farm.  She  estimated  that  Black  Jade  would  live  about 
half  a  day  longer. 

Shortly  after  she  had  gone  Black  Jade  opened  her  eyes  again, 
clutched  Cuckoo's  right  hand,  and,  mustering  the  last  remnants  of  her 
strength,  uttered  a  few  words  of  farewell. 

"I'm  no  good  for  life,"  she  gasped.  "Thank  you  for  your  faithful 
service.  I  had  hoped  that  we  would  be  together  for  a  long  time  more.  I 
did  not  think  .  .  ." 

Exhausted,  she  stopped  and  closed  her  eyes,  but  did  not  relax  the 
grip  of  her  hand.  Nor  did  Cuckoo  venture  to  free  it,  but  waited  on  in 
silence  for  anything  more  she  might  have  to  say. 

"I'm  a  stranger  here,  Sister,"  gasped  Black  Jade  after  a  long  pause. 
"Do  me  the  kindness  of  seeing  that  they  bury  my  body,  my  chaste  body, 
in  the  earth  of  my  southern  homeland.  .  .  ." 

Again  she  had  to  pause  and  close  her  eyes.  Cuckoo  felt  her  hand  be- 
ing grasped  more  and  more  tightly  and  convulsively.  With  an  anxious 
heart  she  listened  to  the  irregular  breathing.  The  dying  girl  seemed  to 
be  exhaling  more  than  inhaling  breath.  In  her  uneasiness  Cuckoo  sent 
word  for  Widow  Chu  to  come  back  at  once.  Shortly  before  she  returned 
Taste  of  Spring  came  in.  Weeping  silently,  she  bent  over  the  dying  girl 
and  bade  her  farewell  with  a  last  pressure  of  the  hand.  Black  Jade's 
hand  already  felt  ice-cold. 

The  three  of  them  were  just  beginning  to  rub  Black  Jade  with  damp 
towels,  when  she  suddenly  cried  out:  "Pao  Yu!  Pao  Yu!  How  .  .  ." 

Those  were  her  last  words.  Her  limbs  became  covered  with  cold 
sweat,  and  then  grew  rigid.  She  died  in  the  very  same  hour  in  which 
Pao  Yu  and  Precious  Clasp  were  completing  the  ceremony  of  their 
wedding. 

In  the  midst  of  the  dirges  of  the  women  delicate  and  exquisite  music 
suddenly  sounded  from  somewhere  in  the  far  distance.  Everyone  fell 
silent  and  listened.  It  could  not  be  the  wedding  rnusic  in  the  western 
palace — the  distance  between  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  and  the  home  of 
the  young  couple  was  too  great  for  that.  Taste  of  Spring  and  Widow 
Chu  ran  into  the  park,  to  hear  more  distinctly,  but  there  was  no  longer 
any  music  to  be  heard — nothing  but  the  gentle  rustling  of  the  bamboo 
branches,  which,  swaying  in  the  night  wind,  cast  fleeting  shadows  along 
the  moonlit  garden  wall.  It  all  seemed  so  uncanny  to  the  two  that  they 

504 


turned  away  from  the  place  of  death  and  fled  on  winged  feet  back  to 
their  respective  dwellings. 

The  following  morning,  after  all  the  commotion  of  Mr.  Cheng's  de- 
parture had  died  down,  the  ladies  of  the  western  palace  were  informed 
of  Black  Jade's  death. 

"I  have  her  death  on  my  conscience!"  wailed  the  Ancestress  in  be- 
lated  self-accusation.  "But  it  was  her  own  fault,  too.  She  was  a  far  too 
peculiar,  difficult  creature." 

"The  old  Tai  tai  has  no  grounds  for  self-reproach.  She  was  unspar- 
ing of  her  love  and  kindness.  It  was  the  will  of  the  higher  powers  that 
Black  Jade  should  die  young,"  said  Madame  Cheng,  comfortingly. 
"But  we  will  do  still  more  for  "her;  we  will  pay  her  the  tribute  of  a 
really  beautiful  and  worthy  funeral." 

It  was  decided  to  keep  the  sad  news  from  Pao  Yu  until  his  condition 
had  improved.  The  Ancestress  visited  Precious  Clasp  personally  and 
told  her  of  what  had  happened. 

"She  died  of  a  broken  heart,  and  that  is  the  explanation  of  Pao  Yu's 
condition  too.  I  know  you  lived  long  enough  in  the  park  to  understand 
what  I  mean.  So  not  a  word  to  Pao  Yu!"  said  the  Ancestress  emphati- 
cally. 

Yet  Precious  Clasp,  normally  so  docile,  went  her  own  way  this  time. 
If  his  malady  is  of  a  mental  nature,  then  it  can  only  be  healed  through 
the  mind,  she  said  to  herself,  and  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  Ances- 
tress she  decided  to  tell  him  the  exact  truth  at  the  first  good  oppor- 
tunity. How  her  success  proved  her  right  has  already  been  told;  and  her 
disobedience  was  duly  praised  and  admired  later  as  a  particularly  in- 
telligent action. 

When  Pao  Yu  had  recovered  to  some  extent  he  was  permitted  to  visit 
the  Bamboo  Hermitage  accompanied  by  his  mother,  and  grandmother, 
and  Phoenix,  and  to  give  free  rein  to  his  grief  in  a  loud  dirge  beside 
the  coffin  of  his  beloved.  After  he  had  wept  his  fill  he  took  Cuckoo  aside 
and  made  her  tell  him  the  entire  story  of  the  death  of  her  mistress. 
Cuckoo  had  actually  taken  a  deep  dislike  to  him,  and  only  the  proximity 
of  the  ladies  had  prevented  her  from  giving  him  a  good  piece  of  her 
mind  for  what  she  believed  to  be  his  breach  of  faith  and  plighted  troth. 
But  now,  when  she  witnessed  his  sincere  grief  and  deep  feeling,  she  felt 
somewhat  reconciled  to  him  again,  and  she  faithfully  reported  to  him  in 
the  fullest  detail  how  Black  Jade  had  met  her  end;  how,  almost  at 
death's  door,  she  had  consigned  to  the  flames  all  the  written  testimony 
of  her  feelings — the  two  ink-  and  tear-stained  silk  handkerchiefs  and 
the  copybook  of  her  poems — and  what  her  last  words  had  been. 

Again  Pao  Yu  broke  into  violent  lamentations,  and  continued  until 

505 


his  hoarse  throat  could  not  utter  another  sound  and  his  eyes  could  not 
shed  another  tear.  Then  he  allowed  Phoenix  to  take 'him  by  the  hand 
and  draw  him  reluctantly  away  from  the  place  of  dear  memories. 

The  important  final  act  necessary  to  make  a  perfect  circle  of  the  series 
of  separate,  solemn  acts  was  still  lacking  to  the  wedding  ceremonial, 
namely,  the  entering  of  the  nuptial  bed.  One  day  the  Ancestress  asked 
Aunt  Hsueh  to  come  over  again  for  a  family  council,  and  said  to  her: 
"We  have  now  come  to  the  point  when  we  need  no  longer  worry  about 
Pao  Yu's  health.  A  hundred  days  have  passed  since  the  beginning  of  his 
critical  illness;  now  he  is  well  and  his  old  self  again.  The  Court  mourn- 
ing for  Beginning  of  Spring  is  also  at  an  end  now.  Therefore  it  seems  to 
me  that  it  is  time  to  make  good  the  injustice  which  Precious  Clasp  has 
been  suffering,  and  at  long  last  to  perform  the  ceremony  which  alone 
can  make  the  bridal  chamber  really  'round,'  a  true  nuptial  chamber.  I 
should  like  to  give  you  the  precedence  in  choosing  a  suitable  lucky 
day." 

"Oh,  there  can  be  no  question  at  all  of  injustice,"  protested  Aunt 
Hsueh  meekly.  "My  daughter  may  be  a  bit  slow  and  clumsy  physically, 
nevertheless  she  possesses  sufficient  intelligence  to  realize  that  we 
simply  could  not  have  acted  otherwise.  Naturally,  it  would  do  much  to 
reassure  us  all  if  the  young  people  found  an  opportunity  of  realizing 
their  desire  for  harmonious  consummation,  not  only  spiritually  but  also 
otherwise.  But  the  honor  of  fixing  a  suitable  lucky  day  for  this  should 
not  be  mine  but  the  old  Tai  tai's.  Besides,  she  will  no  doubt  wish  the 
event  to  be  celebrated  only  in  the  very  simplest  way,  within  the  inner 
circle  of  the  family." 

"Quite  the  contrary!"  protested  the  Ancestress  energetically.  "In  the 
first  place,  for  the  children  it  is  a  question  of  the  most  important  event 
of  their  lives.  And  secondly,  we  have  gone  through  so  much  worry  and 
excitement  recently  that  it  is  time  we  were  merry  again  at  long  last, 
and  could  celebrate  to  our  hearts'  content.  The  whole  clan  shall  be 
present  at  the  festivities,  and  the  banquet  will  be  a  really  magnificent 
and  lavish  affair.  My  harassed  old  heart  is  craving  to  see  some  jollity 
again  at  long  last." 

Aunt  Hsueh  was  very  much  pleased  to  hear  this,  and  so,  a  hundred 
days  after  the  formal  wedding,  there  was  a  magnificent  after-celebration 
in  the  form  of  a  great  family -banquet,  and  the  bridal  chamber  was  at 
last  made  "round,"  as  Pao  Yu  and  Precious  Clasp  became  in  truth 
husband  and  wife. 


506 


CHAPTER   45 

Taste  of  Spring  marries  far  from  home,  and  Poo  Yu  weeps  bitter  tears 
after  her.  Ghosts  disport  themselves  at  night  in  the  deserted  park. 

1AO   YU    HAD   RECOVERED,   TO   BE   SURE,   BUT.  MENTALLY   HE   WAS    NO 

longer  his  old  self.  This  became  plain  when  Precious  Clasp  took  it 
into  her  head  to  read  old  books  and  discuss  literary  matters  with  him. 
She  found  on  these  occasions  that  he  was  inclined  to  adhere  too  literally 
to  the  actual  words  which  he  had  before  his  eyes.  She  missed  the  vital 
spark,  the  sprightliness  of  mind,  the  soaring  flights  of  thought,  which 
were  formerly  his.  He  himself  was  quite  unable  to  explain  the  change, 
but  she  said  that  doubtless  he  had  lately  expended  somewhat  too  much 
"penetrating  spiritual  power."  The  alteration  in  him  did  not  escape 
Pearl  either. 

"He  has  lost  his  former  wit  but  kept  his  former  humors  and  trouble- 
some ways;  it  would  have  been  bettor  the  other  way  round,"  said  Pearl, 
shaking  her  head.  Otherwise  she  was  contented  with  her  lot^and  very 
glad  that  the  prudent  Precious  Clasp  now  relieved  her  of  the  difficult 
task  of  superintending  him  and  bringing  him  to  reason  now  and  then. 
The  new  mistress  was  well  liked  by  the  rest  of  the  servants  too  for  her 
peaceful,  gentle,  steady  character.  For  Pao  Yu's  taste,  however,  ..she 
was  a  bit  too  calm  and  steady,  for  he  hated  monotony  and  loved 
change,  and  he  often  fled  from  her  competent  presence  to  go  strolling 
about  the  park  in  the  old  way,  looking  for  adventures.  But  the  An- 
cestress did  not  like  these  outings  in  the  park  one  bit;  she  feared  that 
he  might  become  beset  with  memories  in  his  old  haunts  and  fall  into 
his  melancholy  condition  again.  True,  the  coffin  containing  Black 
Jade's  body  had  already  been  taken  away  and  brought  to  the  family 
temple  outside  the  town,  but  the  Bamboo  Hermitage  was  still  there. 

Apart  from  this,  it  had  become  terribly  silent  and  empty  in  the 
park.  Precious  Harp  had  gone  to  live  with  Aunt  Hsueh  in  the  eastern 
palace,  to  fill  the  place  of  Precious  Clasp.  Little  Cloud  had  gone  back 
to  the  parental  home  once  more,  for  her  father  had  returned  to  the 
capital.  She  also  was  soon  to  be  married,  and  therefore  she  came  very 
seldom  to  visit,  and  when  she  did  so  she  stayed  with  the  Ancestress 
and  barely  had  a  word  for  Pao  Yu.  Since  he  had  married  and  she  her- 
self was  betrothed,  her  attitude  towards  him  had  altered  completely. 
Her  exuberant  gaiety,  her  high-spirited  banter,  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 
Wreath  of  Clouds,  Princess  Shieh's  niece,  had  gone  to  live  with  her 
aunt,  to  take  the  place  of,  Greeting  of  Spring.  Widow  Chu's  two  cousins 
no  longer  lived  in  the  Rice  Farm  either,  and  only  turned  up  for  a 
hurried  visit  now  and  then.  Of  all  the  inmates  of  the  park,  once  such  a 

507 


gay  company,  only  three  now  remained  there — Widow  Chu,  Grief  of 
Spring,  and  Taste  of  Spring. 

And  now  Pao  Yu  was  to  lose  his  half  sister,  Taste  of  Spring,  too. 
Mr.  Cheng  had  written  a  letter  to  the  family  from  his  official  residence 
in  the  province  of  Chiang  hsi  saying  that  a  former  fellow  student  of 
his  named  Chou  Chiung,  now  High  Commissioner  of  the  coastal  dis- 
tricts, had  just  asked  for  the  hand  of  Taste  of  Spring  for  his  son.  The 
match  had  been  arranged  privately  between  the  fathers  long  since,  and 
as  it  was  perfectly  suitable,  the  Ancestress  could  not  refuse  the  desired 
consent,  though  she  was  sorry  to  have  to  let  this  granddaughter  go  so 
far  away  from  her,  since  she  was  unlikely  ever  to  see  her  again.  The 
oije  comforting  circumstance  was  that  the  official  residences  of  the 
two  fathers-in-law  were  not  too  far  apart,  and  so  Taste  of  Spring 
would  at  least  have  her  father  near  her.  Thus  the  calendar  was  once 
more  consulted  to  find  a  lucky  day  on  which  Taste  of  Spring  should  set 
out  on  her  bridal  journey  to  the  South. 

Taste  of  Spring  herself  did  not  know  whether  to  laugh  or  to  cry.  She 
felt  the  need  of  a  heart  to  heart  talk  with  Pao  Yu,  the  intimate  comrade 
of  her  beautiful  childhood  days,  now  gone.  But  Pao  Yu,  who  knew 
nothing  as  yet  about  her  betrothal,  did  not  give  her  a  chance  to  say  a 
word,  but  talked  the  whole  time  only  of  Black  Jade. 

"You  were  present,  I  know,  when  Black  Jade  died.  Did  you  also  hear 
sounds  of  mysterious,  distant  music?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  it  could  be  heard  distinctly  through  the  stillness  of  the  night. 
It  sounded  very  strange,  quite  different  from  ordinary,  earthly  music." 

Pao  Yu  thought  of  the  dream  in  which  that  unknown  Someone  said 
to  him  that  Black  Jade  was  a  special  case,  in  life  different  from  other 
people,  in  death  different  from  other  spirits.  Perhaps  those  sounds  came 
from  the  blessed  spirits  who  had  come  down  to  the  profane  world  to 
meet  Black  Jade's  soul  and  escort  it  to  their  kingdom.  He  was  so  lost 
in  thought  that  Taste  of  Spring  left  again  without  having  mentioned  her 
own  affairs. 

Only  after  Taste  of  Spring  had  gone  did  he  catch  by  chance  some 
fragments  of  a  conversation  between  Precious  Clasp  and  Pearl  and 
learn  in  this  way  of  the  betrothal  and  impending  departure  of  his  half 
sister.  With  a  loud  cry  he  threw  himself  on  his  bed.  Precious  Clasp  and 
Pearl  rushed  up  to  him  greatly  alarmed  and  asked  him  what  was  the 
matter. 

"One  after  the  other  they  go  and  leave  me!"  he  lamented.  "First  Be- 
ginning of  Spring  died;  that  was  not  so  terrible,  since  she  was  not  with 
me  constantly  like  the  others.  But  Black  Jade!  She  has  joined  the 
blessed.  Then  Greeting  of  Spring.  She  was  given  to  an  intolerable  fellow 
and  is  pining  away  in  the  fetters  of  a  hateful  marriage.  Little  Cloud  and 

508 


Precious  Harp  are  gone,  and  will  be  married  very  soon  too.  And  now 
Taste  of  Spring!  Everybody  is  leaving!  What  shall  I  do  alone  here?" 

PeJarl  wanted  to  calm  him,  but  Precious  Clasp  signed  to  her  to  go 
away. 

"Let  me  deal  with  him!"  she  said,  and  then,  turning  to  Pao  Yu,  went 
on:  "So  if  you  had  your  way,  all  your  sisters  and  cousins  should  remain 
here  and  be  around  you  to  the  end  of  your  life?  In  your  opinion,  it 
seems,  they  are  there  only  for  you  and  for  no  one  else?  To  be  logical,  I 
should  not  have  been  allowed  to  marry  either.  To  think  that  a  person  of 
your  education  should  have  such  senseless  thoughts!  Very  well,  if  your 
cousins  are  so  indispensable  to  you  as  that,  Pearl  and  I  will  go  and 
make  way  for  them!" 

"No!  No!  Not  yet!  Wait  at  least  until  I  have  turned  to  ashes!"  he 
cried  passionately,  grasping  them  with  both  hands  as  if  he  did  not  want 
to  let  them  go.  Pearl  put  her  hand  over  his  mouth. 

"Be  quiet!  One  does  not  say  things  like  that!  Control  yourself  some- 
what, or  else  you  will  lose  us  too!" 

"I  understand,  and  I  will  control  myself,  Lut  I  cannot  yet  accept  that 
Taste  of  Spring  is  going  away." 

Precious  Clasp  took  no  more  notice  of  his  talk  but  proceeded  calmly 
to  prepare  a  heart-strengthening  potion,  and  after  he  had  drunk  it  he 
calmed  down  gradually.  Pearl  suggested  that  they  should  arrange  with 
Taste  of  Spring  that  she  would  not  come  to  say  good-by  to  Pao  Yu  be- 
fore leaving,  lest  the  wound  should  be  torn  open  afresh. 

"Ah,  why  not?  By  then  he  will  surely  have  become  reasonable 
again,"  objected  Precious  Clasp.  "They  are  welcome  to  talk  to  each 
other  to  their  hearts'  content.  Taste  of  Spring  is  a  sensible  girl,  not  like 
a  certain  other  person,  with  her  tragic  pose." 

Late  that  evening  Phoenix  set  out  to  walk  across  the  park  to  the 
Hermitage  of  Clear  Autumn  Weather  in  order  to  discuss  with  Taste  of 
Spring  some  matters  concerning  her  trousseau.  As  it  was  already 
getting  dark,  she  had  taken  a  maid  to  walk  in  front  of  her  with  a  lantern 
on  a  post,  as  well  as  the  two  waiting  maids  who  accompanied  her.  But 
when  she  stepped  out  into  the  open,  the  harvest  moon  was  rising  so 
clear  that  the  lantern  seemed  to  be  an  unnecessary  nuisance  and  she 
sent  the  maid  back. 

As  she  was  passing  by  the  teahouse  she  heard  a  lively  conversation 
in  women's  voices  going  on  inside.  It  sounded  at  one  moment  like 
quarrelling  and  weeping  and  the  next  like  merry  chatter  and  laughter. 
Her  suspicions  were  awakened  at  once.  She  scented  new  irregularities 
among  the  personnel  and  sent  the  waiting  maid  Siao  Hung  in  to  do  a 
little  spying  on  some  harmless  pretext.  Thus  she  had  only  the  waiting 

509 


maid  Little  Fong  still  with  her  as  she  passed  through  the  park  gate, 
which  was  standing  ajar. 

Inside  the  park  the  moon  was  shining  more  clearly  and  magnificently, 
if  possible,  than  outside.  The  shadows  of  the  trees  were  sharply  silhou- 
etted on  the  ground.  Unlike  former  days,  when  the  park  was  still  in- 
habited, a  depressing  silence  now  reigned.  Not  a  human  sound  was  to 
be  heard.  Only  now  and  again  a  brief  gust  of  wind  blew  through  the 
summits  of  the  trees,  and  then  the  soft  rustle  of  falling  autumn  leaves, 
the  creaking  and  cracking  of  swaying  branches,  and  the  flapping  of 
birds  startled  from  sleep  became  audible  from  every  direction,  like  an 
echo.  When  she  set  out  Phoenix  had  been  somewhat  heated  by  the  wine 
which  she  had  drunk  at  supper,  and  she  had  not  put  on  a  warm  outer 
garment.  Now  in  the  park  she  felt  the  cool  night  air  perceptibly,  and 
she  shivered  slightly. 

"Run  back  quickly  and  bring  me  my  ermine  cape!"  she  ordered 
Little  Fong.  "Meantime,  I  shall  be  going  on  to  the  Hermitage  of  Clear 
Autumn  Weather.  Call  for  me  there!" 

Little  Fong  disappeared,  and  Phoenix  continued  on  her  way  alone. 
She  had  not  gone  far  when  suddenly  she  heard  close  behind  her  a 
sound  of  heavy  breathing  and  snuffling.  She  was  so  terrified  that  her 
hair  stood  up  on  end.  Involuntarily  she  looked  back  and  she  saw  a 
black,  shaggy  beast  trotting  along  behind  her  with  its  muzzle  to  the 
ground.  Its  two  eyes  glowed  like  lamps  in  the  darkness.  Phoenix  uttered 
a  hoarse  cry  of  terror,  whereupon  the  animal,  which  seemed  to  be  a  big 
dog,  dropped  back  and,  with  its  tail  between  its  legs,  sprang  up  on  a 
sloping  hillside  by  the  pathway,  only  to  turn  back  again  immediately 
and  once  more  approach  her  threateningly. 

Goaded  by  fear,  Phoenix  ran  as  quickly  as  her  legs  would  carry  her 
on  and  on  in  the  direction  of  the  Hermitage  of  Clear  Autumn  Weather. 
She  was  already  near  her  goal  and  just  about  to  skirt  a  projecting  rock, 
when  her  feet  suddenly  failed  her.  From  behind  the  rock  the  shadow  of 
a  human  form  was  distinctly  silhouetted  across  the  path.  She  did  not 
dare  t  ^o  on,  and  called  out  twice,  terrified:  "Who  is  there?" 

But  no  one  appeared,  and  the  shadow  continued  to  bar  her  way. 
Almost  fainting  with  paralyzing  fear,  she  had  to  lean  against  the  wall 
of  rock  to  prevent  herself  from  sinking  to  the  ground.  Suddenly  she 
seemed  to  hear  someone  calling  to  her  from  behind:  "Do  you  not  know 
me  any  longer,  Aunt?" 

She  turned  her  head,  and  saw  a  graceful  female  figure  before  her. 
The  charming  features  seemed  familiar  to  her,  but  she  could  not  recol- 
lect who  it  was. 

"Why  do  you  only  think  of  the  pleasures  of  the  hour,  Aunt?  Why  did 
you  disregard  my  well-meant  advice,  which  took  the  future  into  ac- 

510 


count,  and  throw  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  Eastern  Sea?"  continued  the 
spectei . 

Phoenix  bent  her  head  and  tried  hard  to  remember.  Still  she  could 
not  recall  who  it  was. 

"Ah,  yes!  You  were  most  wonderfully  loving  and  sweet  to  me  then, 
but  today  the  memory  of  me  seems  to  have  flown  away  into  the  ninth 
sphere  of  the  heavens,"  continued  the  stranger,  with  a  derisive  laugh. 
Now  at  last  it  dawned  on  Phoenix  who  she  was.  Before  her  stood  Ko 
Ching,  Chia  Yung's  first  wife,  who  had  died  young. 

"Oh,  are  you  the  ghost  of  Ko  Ching?  How  is  it  that  you  are  here?" 
she  cried  in  horror,  and  started  running  again,  her  one  thought  being  to 
get  away  from  the  haunted  spot.  But  just  where  the  shadow  barred  her 
path,  she  tripped  and  fell.  Covered  with  perspiration,  she  awoke  from 
her  terrifying  dream.  She  found  herself  lying  on  the  ground,  and  saw 
her  maids  Little  Fong  and  Siao  Hung  rushing  up  to  her.  Not  wishing 
her  menials  to  see  her  humiliating  plight,  she  picked  herself  up  quickly. 

"Why  have  you  been  so  long?"  she  asked  with  affected  casualness. 
"Quick,  put  my  fur  cape  around  my  shoulders.  And  now,  we  can  go 
back  at  once;  they  are  all  asleep  already  in  the  Hermitage  of  Clear 
Autumn  Weather,"  she  lied.  And  she  strode  along  as  quickly  as  she 
could  towards  the  park  exit,  accompanied  by  the  two  waiting  maids. 
The  girls  thought  they  noticed  a  strange,  haunted  expression  on  her 
face  which  they  had  never  seen  on  it  before^  but  respect  forbade  them 
to  ask  any  questions. 

After  Taste  of  Spring  had  set  out  on  her  bridal  journey  to  the  south- 
ern seacoast,  the  last  remaining  inhabitants,  Grief  of  Spring  and  Widow 
Chu,  could  no  longer  bear  to  go  on  living  in  the  desolate,  autumnal 
park.  Now  all  the  pavilions,  formerly  echoing  with  merry  girlish 
laughter,  stood  silent  and  forsaken.  Only  a  few  park  guardians,  elderly 
women  and  younger  ones,  had  remained  behind.  The  day  after  her 
nocturnal  visit  to  the  park  Phoenix  had  fallen  ill  and,  contrary  to  her 
normal  habits,  had  the  oracle  consulted  in  a  temple  outside  the  town. 
Her  experience  of  that  night  had  profoundly  shaken  the  self-assurance 
of  her  practical  nature,  which  had  hitherto  made  her  ignore  the  super- 
natural completely.  Even  though  she  had  kept  her  experience  of  that 
night  to  herself,  enough  had  trickled  out  to  give  rise  to  the  belief  that 
the  park  was  haunted.  There  were  rumors  of  an  uncanny  black  animal 
with  a  gleaming,  shaggy  coat  and  glowing  eyes  as  big  as  lamps,  which 
was  said  to  roam  at  night  among  the  hills  in  the  park.  The  monster  was 
said,  moreover,  to  have  a  human  voice.  It  had  followed  Phoenix  that 
evening  and  frightened  her  so  much  that  she  got  ill. 

And  now,  some  days  later,  Princess  Chen  had  suddenly  fallen  ill;  it 

511 


was,  moreover,  immediately  after  an  evening  walk  through  the  park. 
She  had  raved  in  delirium  about  a  "woman  in  red"  and  a  "woman  in 
green"  who  had  followed  her,  and  she  said  that  she  simply  had  to  go 
into  the  park.  The  woman  in  green  and  the  woman  in  red  could  only 
mean  her  two  unfortunate  sisters,  the  late  Yu  Number  Two  and  Yu 
Number  Three,  who  used  to  dress  in  green  and  red  respectively.  Prince 
Chen  and  his  son  Chia  Yung  both  agreed  that  the  park  must  be  haunted. 

"I  know  from  Pao  Yu's  servant,  Ming  Yen,  that  Bright  Cloud's  ghost 
also  haunts  the  park,  and  moreover,  around  the  pond  where  the  water 
lilies  are,"  said  Chia  Yung.  "And  then  there  was  that  strange  music 
when  Black  Jade  lay  dying.  There  is  no  doubt  about  it.  The  park  is 
haunted." 

And  so  it  went  from  mouth  to  mouth:  the  park  is  haunted!  The  park 
guardians  and  garden  women  who  had  remained  behind  were  likewise 
seized  with  the  general  panic,  and  as  soon  as  the  yellow  twilight  began 
to  fall  they  took  to  throwing  aside  their  brooms  and  rakes  and  watering 
cans  and  hedge  clippers,  and  fleeing  from  the  park  in  a  body,  only  to 
venture  in  again  in  broad  daylight,  all  together,  and  well  armed. 

When,  to  crown  it  all,  Prince  Chen  and  his  son  and  daughter-in-law 
became  slightly  ill  too,  and  Bright  Cloud's  cousin-in-law,  the  wife  of  Wu 
Kwei,  who,  as  already  mentioned,  lived  with  her  husband  in  a  cottage 
just  outside  the  back  gate  of  the  park,  died  suddenly  one  evening  after 
taking  a  wrong  dose  of  medicine,  everyone  took  it  as  certain  that  the 
spook-ridden  park  exhaled  a  fatal  influence  which  was  to  blame  for  all 
these  misfortunes. 

As  the  woman  Wu  Kwei  was  notorious  for  her  marital  infidelities,  it 
was  said  that  she  had  had  secret  intercourse  with  the  park  ghosts,  and 
that  this  led  to  her  destruction.  In  cases  of  illness  Prince  Chen  no  longer 
called  doctors;  instead,  he  had  incense  and  gold  leaf  burned  in  the  park, 
or  called  down  the  protection  of  benignly  disposed  celestial  bodies,  so 
convinced  was  he  that  the  only  way  to  avert  evil  was  to  placate  the 
angry  spirits  which  frequented  the  park. 

Things  went  so  far  that  the  mere  rustling  of  the  night  wind  in  the 
treetops  or  the  distant  cry  of  the  cranes  which  frequented  the  park 
sufficed  to  make  the  inmates  of  both  palaces  tremble  and  imagine  they 
heard  the  voices  of  ghosts  in  the  air.  In  the  end  the  members  of  the  park 
staff  no  longer  ventured  in  there  even  in  the  daytime  and  one  after 
another  left  their  uncomfortable  jobs  on  one  excuse  or  another.  Finally, 
the  park  gates  were  bolted  fast  and  barricaded  and  no  longer  opened 
at  all.  All  the  beautiful  kiosks  and  graceful  pavilions  were  now  allowed 
to  fall  into  ruin  and  desolation,  and  to  become  the  dwelling  places  of 
rats  and  bats  and  other  creatures  which  shun  the  daylight. 

The  Ancestress  was  concerned  above  all  else  with  protecting  her  be- 

512 


loved  Pao  Yu  from  possible  nocturnal  attacks  by  the  park  spirits,  and 
to  this  end  she  had  his  dwelling  surrounded  at  night  by  a  big  staff  of 
watchmen.  And  morning  after  morning  the  watchmen,  anxious  to  make 
their  jobs  seem  important,  told  blood-curdling  stories  of  ghosts — one 
time  they  were  awful  monsters  with  red,  grimacing  faces,  another  time 
beautiful  girls  full  of  seductive  charm — whom  they  had  seen  in  the 
night.  Thus  they  contributed  considerably  to  the  growth  of  the  general 
panic. 

Only  one  person  remained  untouched  by  all  this,  and  could  not  be 
aroused  from  his  peaceful  ways,  and  that  was  the  phle0  natic  Prince 
Shieh.  He  simply  refused  to  believe  that  ghosts  could  have  made  such 
a  beautiful  place  as  the  park  their  playground.  In  order  to  prove  how 
unafraid  he  was  he  decided  to  take  a  walk  through  the  park  with  a  few 
other  people  one  fine  clear  day.  In  order  to  be  prepared  for  any  eventu- 
ality he  provided  himself  and  his  reluctant  companions  with  weapons. 

There  was  no  denying  that  a  certain  sinister  and  oppressive  atim- 
phere,  which  even  Prince  Shieh  could  not  ignore,  pervaded  the  forsaken 
and  neglected  park.  But  he  did  not  wish  to  show  any  weakness  and 
strode  bravely  ahead,  while  his  companions,  timidly  peering  this  way 
and  that,  followed  him  at  some  distance.  Little  Kuan,  the  youngest  of 
the  party,  was  the  most  frightened  of  them  all.  Now,  hearing  a  suspi- 
cious rustling,  and  immediately  afterwards  seeing  a  brilliant  opalescent 
something  flashing  through  the  bushes,  he  lost  his  last  shred  of  courage 
and  plopped  to  the  ground  uttering  a  loud  cry  of  terror. 

"What's  wrong?"  asked  the  Prince,  stopping. 

"A  ghost!"  gasped  the  terrified  boy,  picking  himself  up  with  diffi- 
culty. "I  saw  it  with  my  own  eyes.  It  had  a  frightful  yellow  face,  a  red 
beard,  and  a  bluish  green  coat.  It  crept  into  that  hole  in  the  rock  over 
there,  behind  the  trunks  of  the  trees!" 

Now  even  Prince  Shieh  became  a  bit  nervous.  "Did  you  see  it  too?" 
he  asked,  turning  to  the  rest  of  his  train  of  followers.  Among  these  men 
there  were  some  who  deemed  it  wise  to  exploit  the  favorable  trend  of 
events  in  order  to  get  out  of  the  ill-omened  place  as  quickly  a>  possible. 

"Of  course  we  saw  it!"  they  replied  readily.  "The  old  master  was  too 
far  ahead;  otherwise  he  too  would  have  seen  it.  We  did  not  want  to 
worry  him;  that  is  why  we  did  not  say  anything;  but  our  knees  are  still 
quaking  with  fright." 

In  these  circumstances  Prince  Shieh  decided  to  turn  back  as  quickly 
as  possible,  but  he  instructed  his  people  not  to  mention  one  word  about 
the  occurrence,  but  on  the  contrary  to  assert  that  the  park  had  been 
thoroughly  examined  and  that  nothing  of  a  suspicious  nature  had  been 
observed.  He  did  not  realize  that  his  people,  encouraged  h\  liU  own 
weakening,  would  chatter  more  than  ever  now.  And  they  did  it  so  thor- 

513 


oughly,  and  exaggerated  so  excessively,  that  they  made  their  listeners' 
flesh  creep  and  their  tongues  hang  out  with  terror. 

Prince  Shieh  could  see  no  other  way  out  now  than  to  send  for  a  well- 
known  master  of  magic,  who  would  drive  the  haunting  ghosts  out  of  the 
park  by  his  magic  spells.  A  suitable  day  was  looked  up  in  the  calendar, 
on  which  the  great  act  of  exorcism  was  to  take  place.  An  altar  was 
erected  on  the  entrance  terrace  before  the  great  hall,  which  had  previ- 
ously served  as  the  reception  place  for  the  Imperial  spouse.  Above  it,  on 
a  terrace,  stood  the  images  of  the  three  greatest  Taoist  saints,  the 
divine  Nephrite  Emperor,  the  first  man  Pan  Ku,  and  the  wise  Lao  Tzu, 
and  on  both  sides  there  were  pictures  of  the  twenty-eight  most  im- 
portant heavenly  constellations.  Statues  of  the  four  heavenly  field 
marshals,  Ma,  Chao,  Wen,  and  Chou,  stood  at  either  side  of  the  terrace 
steps.  Below  the  terrace,  ranged  in  rows,  stood  the  images  of  the  thirty- 
six  heavenly  generals. 

Amid  rolling  clouds  of  incense,  in  a  glow  of  flaming  torches  and 
burning  candles,  to  the  roll  of  drums  and  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  great 
act  of  magic  began.  The  grand  master  wizard  and  his  forty-nine  as- 
sistant wizards  came  up  and  grouped  themselves  around  five  banners, 
representing  the  five  directions  of  the  heavens,  which  were  planted  in 
front  of  the  altar.  The  magicians  wore  high  seven-starred  tiaras  and 
long  magicians'  mantles,  embroidered  with  eight  diagrams  and  with 
portrayals  of  the  nine  heavenly  spheres.  Their  feet  were  encased  in  high 
"cloud"  cothurni,  and  they  held  in  their  hands  ivory  writing  tablets. 
After  three  master  magicians  had  walked  around  the  altar  with  burning 
incense  sticks  and  sprinkled  it  with  holy  water,  the  grand  master  wizard 
stepped  forward  as  the  drums  of  exorcism  rolled,  bowed  before  the 
three  saints,  and  recited  a  prayer  invoking  their  assistance  against  the 
evil  spirits  of  the  park.  An  inscribed  tablet  had  been  set  up  on  the 
altar,  solemnly  inviting  all  the  good  spirits  of  the  neighborhood  to 
hasten  along  and  take  part  in  the  meritorious  work  of  driving  away  the 
devils. 

The  male  members  of  the  Chia  clan,  all  of  whom,  both  young  and  old, 
had  come  as  spectators,  followed  the  sequence  of  events  with  devout 
expectation. 

"If  so  many  mighty  spirits  join  in  the  good  work,  these  wretched 
spooks  will  have  to  clear  out  pretty  quickly,"  people  said  cheerfully. 

Meanwhile  three  magicians  had  detached  themselves  from  the  circle 
of  their  forty-nine  colleagues  and  taken  up  their  position  apart,  in  front 
of  the  altar.  One  of  them  held  in  his  right  hand  a  jewel-studded  magic 
sword,  in  his  left  a  jug  of  holy  water;  the  second  carried  a  black,  seven- 
starred  magic  banner;  the  third  held  gripped  in  his  hand  the  carved 
peachwood  handle  of  a  magic  whip.  Suddenly  the  music  ceased.  From 

514 


his  dais  on  the  terrace  the  grand  master  wizard  ordered  three  bows  to 
the  "Three  Spirits  of  Holy  Clarity"  and  addressed  another  formula  of 
exorcism  to  the  air.  Then  he  stepped  down  from  the  terrace  and  took 
his  place  at  the  head  of  his  corps  of  magicians,  who  were  lined  up  in 
processional  order. 

With  the  members  of  the  Chia  clan  leading,  the  procession  now 
wound  its  way  in  turn  to  each  one  of  the  buildings  and  dwellings, 
pavilions  and  kiosks,  hills  and  gorges,  fishponds  and  streams  of  the 
park.  Every  single  place  was  sprinkled  with  holy  water  and  freed  from 
the  ban  of  enchantment  by  application  of  the  great  exorcism.  The  magic 
sword  drew  its  magical  circles  in  the  air,  the  banners  were  waved  in 
conformity  with  the  rules  of  the  art,  the  magic  whip  swished  thrice 
through  the  air,  to  chase  away  the  invisible  haunting  demons;  the 
drums  rolled  and  the  lips  of  the  magicians  spoke  magic  incantations. 

Despite  all  the  outward  pomp  and  the  beati.ig  of  the  tom-toms,  some 
juniors  of  the  Chia  clan  could  not  suppress  a  certain  feeling  of  disap- 
pointment. They  had  come  in  the  pleasantly  creepy  expectation  of  see- 
ing one  or  other  of  the  spooks  caught  and  actually  wriggling  in  the 
claws  of  its  pursuers.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  had  happened.  There  were 
no  exciting  apparitions  to  be  seen,  no  suspicious  noises  to  be  heard. 
The  mysterious  manipulation  of  empty  bottles  and  earthenware  pitch- 
ers, in  which*  the  grand  master  magician  was  alleged  to  have  imprisoned 
the  captured  demons,  seemed  to  them  a  very  poor  substitute  for  the 
sensational  things  which  did  not  happen.  The  chief  magician  had  the 
bottles  and  pitchers  carefully  stoppered  and  sealed,  and  with  his  own 
hand  he  wrote  with  red  ink  on  the  closures  decrees  forbidding  anyone 
to  open  them.  Then  the  sealed  bottles  and  pitchers  were  immured  for 
perpetual  imprisonment  at  his  direction  in  the  cellar  under  the  Look- 
Out  Pagoda. 

The  great  act  of  exorcism  concluded  with  a  solemn  prayer  of  thanks- 
giving which  the  grand  master,  standing  before  the  altar,  addressed  to 
the  heavenly  armies  which  had  given  their  powerful  assistance  at  the 
hunting  down  and  extirpation  of.  the  evil  park  demons.  Then  the  altar, 
with  all  its  trappings,  was  dismantled.  While  Prince  Shieh  was  thanking 
the  grand  magician  on  his  knees  for  the  service  which  he  had  rendered, 
the  juniors  could  not  resist  from  airing  their  disappointment  behind  his 
back  by  contemptuous  witticisms  and  mockery. 

"Why  all  this  hocus-pocus?"  they  whispered.  "After  hoping  to  have 
a  sight  of  some  real  live  spooks,  we  see  nothing  but  empty  bottles  and 
jugs.  That  is  all  the  success  there  is  to  show  for  all  the  expense.  What 
proof  have  we  got  that  the  spooks  have  really  been  done  away  with9" 
Prince  Chen  felt  that  it  was  due  to  his  position  as  senior  of  second 
rank  to  reprimand  the  frivolous  juniors. 

51S 


"Don't  talk  nonsense,  you  silly  boys!"  he  cried.  "Ghosts  can  make 
themselves  visible  or  invisible  at  will.  In  the  presence  of  so  many  power- 
ful spirits,  they  naturally  take  care  not  to  show  themselves  visibly. 
Nevertheless,  the  magician,  with  the  help  of  his  magic,  has  captured 
them  in  their  invisible  form  and  shut  them  up  in  the  bottles  and  pitch- 
ers. Now  they  are  caught  and  they  cannot  haunt  the  place  any  more." 

The  juniors  held  their  peace  but  decided  to  wait  and  see  whether  the 
park  would  be  haunted  in  future  by  spooks  and  queer  noises.  If  it  was, 
they  were  determined  to  make  themselves  heard.  But  the  servants  be- 
lieved in  the  great  act  of  exorcism,  and  the  thought  that  the  whole 
spookish  company  was  now  safely  locked  up  in  bottles  and  pitchers 
made  them  feel  very  much  reassured  and  calmed.  And  their  faith  was 
strengthened  still  more  by  the  fact  that  the  various  illnesses  in  the  two 
princely  families  disappeared  remarkably  quickly  very  soon  afterwards, 
which  of  course  could  only  be  ascribed  to  the  mighty  spells  of  the 
magicians. 

But  among  the  servants  there  was  one  man  who  did  not  share  the 
general  faith.  He  had  been  present  at  Prince  Shieh's  unlucky  recon- 
noitering  expedition  into  the  park. 

"I  also  saw  the  suspicious  apparition  which  terrified  our  little  Kuan 
so  much  that  time,"  he  laughingly  declared  in  the  servants'  hall. 
"What  was  it?  Just  a  harmless  golden  pheasant!  We  simply  fooled  the 
old  master  when  he  asked  us  whether  we  had  seen  the  ghost.  And  he 
has  got  up  this  whole  rumpus  of  magicians  and  their  spells  all  on  ac- 
count of  an  innocent  pheasant!  Isn't  it  ridiculous?" 

But  his  sober  and  realistic  statement  of  the  situation  found  no  sym- 
pathetic echo  from  the  others.  Surely  it  was  much  nicer  to  think  of  the 
imprisoned  spooks  as  being  securely  bottled  up  and  immured  in  their 
prison  under  the  Look-Out  Pagoda,,  and  they  were  certainly  not  going 
to  let  themselves  be  done  out  of  their  pleasant  fantasy  by  anyone. 


CHAPTER   46 

Yu  Tsun  recognizes  in  the  mysterious  hermit  his  old  friend  and  bene- 
factor. The  moneylender  Ni,  known  as  the  Drunken  Diamond,  becomes 
the  pike  in  the  carp  pond. 

roUR  SINISTER  WARNING  SIGNS,  FOLLOWING  IN  QUICK  SUCCESSION,  HAD 

alarmed  the  inmates  of  the  eastern  and  western  palaces — the  nocturnal 
groans  in  the  Hall  of  Ancestors  on  the  eve  of  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival, 
Prince  Shieh's  stumble  on  the  day  of  the  Mid-Autumn  Festival,  the 
sudden  glowing  of  Pao  Yu's  stone,  and  the  winter  blossoming  of  the 

516 


begonia.  From  that  time  the  blows  of  fate  which  rained  down  on  the 
Chia  clan  increased  to  an  alarming  degree.  First  there  was  the  loss  of 
Pao  Yu's  stone  followed  by  Pao  Yu's  serious  illness;  then  the  death  of 
Beginning  of  Spring;  then  the  death  of  Black  Jade;  then  lightning 
struck  Aunt  Hsueh's  home.  The  Minister  of  Justice  had  revoked  the 
mild  sentence  passed  upon  Hsueh  Pan  and  referred  the  charge  of  man- 
slaughter to  a  higher  court  for  a  second  hearing  and  verdict.  This  meant 
renewed  anxiety  and  more  enormous  sacrifices  of  money  for  Aunt 
Hsueh.  Furthermore,  Hsueh  Pan's  name  was  struck  off  the  list  of  official 
Imperial  buyers  upon  his  arrest,  and  with  this  his  income  from  the  State 
ceased.  In  addition,  his  license  to  operate  his  three  pawnshops  in  the 
capital  was  withdrawn  and  the  current  cash  of  two  of  them  was  con- 
fiscated. The  manager  of  the  third  pawnshop  had  absconded  sometime 
previously  with  several  thousand  taels,  and  this  involved  Hsueh  Pan  in 
new  trouble  with  the  Treasury.  In  order  to  compensate  itself  the  Treas- 
ury withdrew  the  license  of  a  fourth  pawnshop  which  Hsueh  Pan  carried 
on  in  Ying  tien  fu,  and  confiscated  the  cash  balance  as  well  as  a  piece 
of  land  which  belonged  to  the  Hsueh  family  in  Ying  tien  fu.  All  at  once 
the  Hsueh  family  was  reduced  to  poverty.  Aunt  Hsueh  was  in  bleak 
despair.  She  did  not  know  which  way  to  turn. 

Chia  Cheng  was  no  less  perturbed  when  one  day,  sitting  in  his  office 
in  the  provinces,  he  looked  through  the  newspaper  from  the  capital  and 
saw  a  detailed  account  of  the  bad  turn  which  the  legal  proceedings 
against  his  nephew  Hsueh  Pan  had  taken.  For  the  sake  of  Aunt  Hsueh 
he  had  bribed  the  judge  of  the  first  court,  the  district  mandarin  of  Tai 
ping  hsien,  where  Hsueh  Pan  was  imprisoned.  Now  he  feared  that  his 
maneuver  would  be  discovered  and  brought  to  light  by  the  higher  court. 
Since  then  he  had  not  had  an  hour's  peace  of  mind  and  was  in  fear  and 
trembling  lest  he  should  lose  his  position  and  rank.  And  sure  enough, 
the  thunderbolt  was  to  come  down  on  his  own  head  soon  afterwards, 
though  in  fact  it  came  from  another  direction  than  the  one  from  which 
he  had  expected  it. 

In  his  earlier  official  service  Mr.  Cheng  had  had  very  little  contact 
with  everyday  practical  life.  His  position  at  the  Ministry  of  Public 
Works  had  entailed  only  office  work;  his  activity  as  Imperial  Examiner 
had  brought  him  into  contact  only  with  the  higher  levels  of  noble- 
minded  intellectuals.  As  Corn  Treasurer  of  the  province  of  Chiang  hsi 
he  found  himself  faced  for  the  first  time  with  practical  administrative 
work.  He  had  to  supervise  the  many  public  granaries  in  the  prefecture 
and  in  the  chief  towns  of  his  province;  to  examine  the  corn  as  it  came 
in  and  went  out:  and  to  superintend  the  dispatch  of  the  tribute  corn 
destined  for  the  palace  and  the  capital.  What  did  he  know  of  the  sharp 
practices  which  were  applied  in  collecting  the  public  corn  deliveries; 

517 


of  the  percentages  and  commissions  which  the  individual  courts  were 
accusiomed  to  levying,  and  which  the  higher  courts  passed  on  to  the 
lower  courts,  and  the  lower  courts  in  their  turn  passed  on  to  the  poor 
stupid  peasants? 

He  had  heard  of  all  this,  to  be  sure,  and  it  had  been  explained  to  him 
in  theory  by  friends  and  colleagues.  And  as  he  took  his  duties  seriously 
and  wished  to  prove  himself  in  every  respect  a  strict  and  honorable 
official  worthy  of  his  illustrious  ancestors,  immediately  on  taking  up 
his  appointment  he  issued  explicit  instructions  to  the  prefects  and 
district  mandarins  and  corn  bailiffs  that  the  dubious  practices  hitherto 
customary  were  to  cease  at  once  and  that  he  would  not  tolerate  any  ir- 
regularities or  levying  of  percentages  or  commissions.  And  in  order 
to  prove  how  seriously  he  meant  what  he  said,  he  sent  out  assessors  and 
overseers  all  over  his  administrative  district  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  the 
officials  and  bailiffs  and  underbailiffs  through  whose  hands  the  de- 
liveries of  corn  passed.  Such  procedure  was  quite  new  and  unheard  of 
and  caused  consternation  on  all  sides.  Further,  he  put  a  stop  to  the 
practice  of  gifts  of  money  among  the  civil  servants  themselves.  On  tak- 
ing up  office  he  had  contemptuously  rejected  the  gifts  offered  him  on 
all  sides  by  subordinates  eager  to  win  his  favor;  he  likewise  scorned 
to  offer  the  customary  monetary  tribute  to  his  own  superior  officer,  the 
Governor  of  the  province,  on  the  latter's  birthday. 

His  own  office  and  domestic  staff  were  affected  particularly  painfully 
by  the  rigorously  correct  and  austere  regime  of  the  new  Corn  Treasurer. 
The  staffs  banded  together,  went  to  him  boldly  in  a  body,  and,  hoping 
lo  make  an  impression  upon  him  by  this  step,  demanded  general  leave 
of  absence;  but  Mr.  Cheng  refused  to  be  intimidated  and  put  it  to  them 
quite  coolly  that  anyone  who  was  dissatisfied  was  at  liberty  to  leave  the 
service.  His  attitude  caused  a  split  in  the  ranks.  The  local  people,  whom 
Mr.  Cheng  had  taken  over  from  his  predecessor,  left  the  service  mur- 
muring and  sulking.  They  had  been  accustomed  to  better  times,  and 
as  they  had  their  family  homes,  they  were  able  to  afford  to  take  holi- 
days for  a  time  and  quietly  look  around  for  new  positions. 

Bu1  his  own  servants,  whom  Mr.  Cheng  had  taken  with  him  from  the 
capital,  were  in  a  very  different  position.  If  they  went  off  defiantly  they 
would  find  themselves  on  the  street,  as  they  were  strangers  in  the  place. 
Besides,  they  were  up  to  their  necks  in  debt.  In  the  expectation  that 
they  would  quickly  enrich  themselves  in  their  fat  provincial  positions, 
they  had  plunged  into  all  kinds  of  expenses  before  their  departure,  and 
borrowed  money  to  fit  themselves  out.  After  all,  they  were  city  men, 
from  the  capital,  and  they  wished  to  live  up  to  their  position  in  the 
provinces.  Moreover,  they  had  promised  money  and  jewelry  to  the 
wives  and  relatives  whom  they  had  left  behind.  They  would  certainly 


lose  face  if  they  were  to  return  home  suddenly  in  poverty.  So  they 
remained. 

They  held  out  for  a  while  by  pawning  one  article  after  another  of 
the  outfits  they  had  bought  dearly  in  the  capital.  When  nothing  was  left 
to  pawn  they  tried  new  tactics  with  the  old  Governor.  They  simply 
absented  themselves  from  duty  on  the  occasion  of  official  gatherings, 
festivities,  excursions,  and  receptions,  where  the  utmost  splendor  was 
called  for.  On  being  taken  to  task  for  this  by  Mr.  Cheng,  they  excused 
themselves  on  the  plea  that  they  had  nothing  to  wear — everything  was 
pawned.  The  head  chef  sent  up  bad  food  on  the  excuse  that  the  house- 
keeping money  allowed  him  was  inadequate.  In  short,  they  carried  on  a 
campaign  of  passive  resistance. 

It  was  suggested  to  Mr.  Cheng  that  he  should  consider  the  lot  of 
his  acquaintances;  those  mandarins  whom  he  had  always  praised  for 
being  just  and  strictly  correct  had  not  made  progress  in  their  careers; 
those  whom  he  had  reprimanded  had  quickly  been  promoted  to  higher 
positions.  Without  presents  and  bribes  there  was  no  getting  on — that 
was  all  there  was  to  it.  He  must  not  antagonize  his  colleagues  by  im- 
posing an  overstrict  standard  of  honor;  that  might  injure  his  career,  it 
was  hinted.  Mr.  Cheng  realized  that  something  must  be  done,  but  he 
still  obstinately  refused  to  choose  the  usual  easy  way  of  gaining  riches 
through  his  office;  rather  than  this,  he  compromised  by  agreeing  to  pay 
certain  supplementary  allowances  out  of  his  own  pocket.  For  tliis  pur- 
pose he  was  about  to  send  to  the  capital  to  have  some  cash  made  avail- 
able; but  that  was  too  slow  for  his  subordinates'  liking,  and  he-ide-.. 
some  of  his  people  knew  better  than  he  did  that  the  finance*,  of  the 
western  palace  had  been  in  a  bad  state  for  a  long  time,  an:!  they 
doubted  whether  sufficient  money  could  be  obtained  from  this  source. 

And  so  for  good  or  ill  Mr.  Cheng  reluctantly  consented  to  allow  hi- 
subordinates  a  free  hand,  but  he,  personally,  intended  to  keep  clear  of 
it  all  and  to  continue  to  keep  face  outwardly  as  a  completely  !>l.:n 
incorruptible  official.  The  personnel  of  the  official  residence  now  joii>«-d 
forces  with  the  office  staffs;  documents  and  signatures  were  forged, 
and  each  man  tried  as  hard  as  he  could,  behind  the  old  master"-  hack, 
to  make  up  for  lost  time.  The  success  of  these  efforts  appeared  \r-r\ 
soon  in  the  beautiful  new  jewelry  shown  off  by  the  wives  who  ha-i  Ix-'-n 
left  behind  in  the  western  palace. 

A  few  days  after  the  singular  ceremony  of  exorcism  had  taken  pl.u-r 
in  the  park.  Prince  Shieh  was  busy  in  his  library  making  out  a  li-t  of 
the  people  who  were  to  resume  guard  duty  in  the  park,  now  purged  .Mid 
cleansed  of  evil.  He  was  troubled  lest  the  many  dwelling*,  -hould  ulti- 
mately become  the  hiding  places  of  vagabonds  and  criminals  if  per- 

519 


manently  left  unguarded.  While  he  was  absorbed  in  his  list,  his  son 
Chia  Lien  came  rushing  in. 

"I've  just  heard  the  most  astonishing  news  over  at  Cousin  Chen's," 
he  reported  excitedly.  "Uncle  Cheng  is  said  to  have  been  denounced  to 
the  Throne  by  his  provincial  Governor.  He  is  alleged  to  have  been 
guilty  of  carelessness  in  supervising  his  subordinates,  who  are  said  to 
have  extorted  exorbitant  deliveries  of  corn  from  the  population  behind 
his  back.  The  Governor  has  proposed  his  dismissal  from  office,  they 
say." 

"That  must  certainly  be  only  an  unfounded  rumor,"  said  the  Prince, 
astounded.  "I  cannot  think  at  all  why  the  Governor  should  suddenly 
show  a  hostile  attitude  towards  him.  In  his  last  letter,  telling  us  of 
Taste  of  Spring's  safe  arrival,  he  explicitly  mentioned  that  a  relation- 
ship had  been  found  to  exist  between  Taste  of  Spring's  father-in-law 
and  the  Governor,  and  that  the  Governor  had  congratulated  him  most 
heartily  on  the  connection  and  had  given  a  great  banquet  in  his  honor, 
and  had  shown  other  signs  of  friendliness  towards  him  too.  Surely  the 
Governor  will  not  denounce  his  own  cousin-in-law!  You  must  go  im- 
mediately to  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  and  make  inquiries." 

Chia  Lien  hurried  off  and  learned  at  the  Ministry  that  a  petition  had 
in  fact  been  laid  before  the  Imperial  Court  in  which  the  Governor  of 
Chiang  hsi  proposed  that  Chia  Cheng  should  be  relieved  of  office.  But 
the  Son  of  Heaven  had  shown  mercy  and,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Chia 
Cheng  was  inexperienced  in  provincial  administration  and  had  been  a 
victim  of  the  machinations  of  his  subordinates  owing  to  his  lack  of 
practical  experience,  he  had  merely  reduced  his  rank  by  three  degrees 
and  had  been  gracious  enough  to  reinstate  him  in  his  old  position  in 
the  Ministry  of  Works. 

"At  the  Ministry  I  chanced  to  meet  a  prefect  from  Chiang  hsi  who 
is  here  on  official  business,"  Chia  Lien  reported  to  Prince  Shieh  on  his 
return.  "He  assured  me  that  all  his  colleagues  and  also  the  Governor 
himself  were  full  of  praise  of  Uncle  Cheng.  Not  the  slightest  reproach 
can  be  attached  to  him  personally.  His  only  fault  is  his  failure  to  super- 
vise his  subordinates  sufficiently.  The  Governor  was  in  fact  well- 
intentioned  when  he  proposed  that  he  should  be  recalled.  He  wanted  to 
forestall  more  serious  developments." 

That  sounded  somewhat  reassuring,  and  the  step  the  Governor  had 
taken  was  actually  welcomed  and  approved  by  the  ladies  of  the  Yung- 
kuo  palace,  as  the  Chia  clan,  which  felt  the  lack  of  its  natural  leader, 
would  get  him  back  again. 

"The  goings-on  of  his  subordinates  might  actually  cost  him  his  head 
if  he  were  to  remain  longer  in  the  province,"  said  Madame  Cheng  to 

520 


her  nephew  Chia  Lien,  when  he  brought  her,  in  confidence,  the  news 
of  the  change  of  office. 

"How  does  it  come  that  the  Tai  tai  knows  about  the  goings-on?" 
asked  Chia  Lien. 

"After  all,  I  have  got  eyes  in  my  head.  The  servants  left  here  loaded 
with  debts,  and  they  had  hardly  arrived  at  their  posts  in  the  province 
when  they  were  able  to  heap  on  their  wives  here  quantities  of  gold  and 
silver  jewelry;  and  soon  the  women  were  going  about  wearing  the 
newest  and  most  beautiful  clothes.  Where  did  the  wealth  come  from  all 
at  once?  If  that  had  continued,  not  only  would  my  husband  have  lost 
office  and  position,  but  our  illustrious  ancestors  would  probably  have 
been  deprived  posthumously  of  all  their  titles  and  honors.  One  dare  not 
even  think  of  such  a  disgrace." 

"That  is  quite  true.  We  may  actually  regard  it  as  a  lucky  thing  that 
the  Governor  interfered  in  good  time." 

Hardly  had  the  excitement  over  Mr.  Cheng's  recall  from  office  died 
down  when  a  new  piece  of  horrifying  news  arrived.  Golden  Cinnamon, 
Hsueh  Pan's  young  wife,  died  suddenly  of  arsenic  poisoning.  There 
was  a  stormy  domestic  scene  at  Aunt  Hsueh's.  The  mother  of  the 
deceased,  who  had  quickly  arrived  at  news  of  her  death,  alternately  ac- 
cused Aunt  Hsueh,  Precious  Clasp,  and  Lotus  of  poisoning  her  daugh- 
ter, and  -wanted  to  strangle  them.  Her  boor  of  an  adopted  son,  who  ac- 
companied her,  forced  his  way  into  the  women's  apartments  of  the 
house,  smashed  a  chair,  and  was  about  to  wreck  everything,  big  and 
small,  but  Chia  Lien  came  to  the  rescue  just  in  time  and  got  his  servants 
to  overpower  the  raging  fellow.  Precious  Clasp,  in  her  prudent,  tactful 
way,  succeeded  in  restoring  order  out  of  chaos,  and  by  clever  question- 
ing drove  Toad,  the  deceased  woman's  waiting  maid,  into  a  corner,  so 
that  she  eventually  made  a  full  confession. 

It  transpired  that  Golden  Cinnamon,  disappointed  in  her  marriage 
and  thirsting  for  love,  was  secretly  infatuated  with  Hsueh  Pan's  cousin, 
Hsueh  Kuo.  Hsueh  Kuo,  who  was  a  gentle  young  fellow,  did  not  wish 
to  break  faith  with  his  betrothed,  Wreath  of  Clouds;  with  great  diffi- 
culty he  had  tried  to  evade  the  pursuit  of  the  lustful  fellow  inmate  of 
the  house.  Nevertheless,  Golden  Cinnamon  had  once  been  very  near 
attaining  her  aim.  She  had  caught  Hsueh.  Kuo  in  front  of  her  door  and 
was  just  drawing  the  hesitant  young  man  into  her  bedroom  when  Lotus 
had  come  between  them  and  thwarted  her  intentions.  From  that  time 
on  she  had  conceived  a  deadly  hatred  of  Lotus  and  had  sworn  venge- 
ance on  her. 

Under  a  hypocritical  pretense  of  friendship  she  had  asked  Lotus,  who 
had  been  living  with  Precious  Clasp  since  her  rejection  by  Hsueh  Pan, 
to  come  and  live  in  the  house  again  as  her  companion.  Through 

521 


friendly  treatment  she  had  made  Lotus  unsuspecting.  Then  there  had 
been  talk  of  a  troublesome  plague  of  rats  in  the  kitchen  and  larder,  and 
it  was  said  that  in  order  to  exterminate  them  arsenic  must  be  brought 
into  the  house.  She  had  procured  the  arsenic  through  her  boor  of  a 
foster  brother,  whom  she  had  recently  taken  as  a  lover  in  place  of  the 
inaccessible  Hsueh  Kuo.  He  had  been  the  attraction  behind  the  re- 
markably frequent  visits  which  she  had  been  paying  recently  to  her 
mother,  who  had  come  to  live  in  the  capital  a  short  time  before.  During 
these  meetings  it  was  planned  that  Golden  Cinnamon  should  flee  from 
her  mother-in-law's  house,  where  she  had  only  experienced  grief  and 
disappointment.  But  before  doing  this  she  wanted  to  get  the  hated 
Lotus  out  of  the  way  by  poisoning  her  with  arsenic. 

Twice  she  had  tried  to  poison  her,  but  each  time  Providence  had 
preserved  Lotus  from  the  fate  prepared  for  her.  The  first  time  Lotus 
had  tipped  over,  by  an  awkward  movement  of  the  hand,  the  glass  of 
poisoned  medicine  which  Golden  Cinnamon  had  prepared  with  her  own 
hand  and  brought  to  her  sickbed.  At  the  time  it  had  struck  Lotus  as 
strange  that  the  proud,  spoiled  Golden  Cinnamon  should  have  deigned 
to  gather  up  the  fragments  and  the  traces  of  liquid  from  the  broken 
medicine  glass  with  her  own  hand  instead  of  ordering  a  maid  to  do  this 
inferior  work. 

Having  failed  this  first  time,  Golden  Cinnamon  now  decided  to 
carry  through  her  purpose  by  means  of  poisoned  soup.  She  had  ordered 
the  waiting  maid  Toad  to  prepare  a  good  soup  for  herself  and  Lotus. 
It  annoyed  Toad  that  Lotus,  whom  she  disliked,  should  share  with  her 
mistress  the  benefit  of  her  culinary  art.  She  decided  that  she  would  at 
least  thoroughly  oversalt  her  soup.  Therefore  she  put  a  handful  more 
Sak  than  necessary  in  the  soup  bowl  meant  for  Lotus,  and  in  order  not 
to  mix  up  the  two  bowls  when  serving,  she  had  made  a  slight  scratch 
on  the  bowl  intended  for  Lotus,  to  serve  her  as  a  secret  identification 
mark.  Just  as  she  had  placed  the  two  bowls  on  the  tray  Golden  Cinna- 
mon came  into  the  kitchen,  and  sent  her  out  for  a  hired  carriage,  as 
she  wanted  to  visit  her  mother. 

\\  hen  Toad  came  back  Golden  Cinnamon  had  already  taken  the  two 
bowls  into  the  bedroom,  where  Lotus  lay  ill.  Toad  noticed  to  her  horror 
that  her  mistress.  T.\ho  of  course  knew  nothing  about  the  oversalting 
trick,  had  actually  got  the  marked  bowl  with  the  oversalted  soup  in 
•front  of  her.  Fearing  a  scolding  for  oversalting  the  soup.  Toad,  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  poisoning  plan,  took  advantage  of  a  brief  absence 
of  her  mistress  from  the  room  and  quickly  exchanged  the  two  bowls. 
Lotiio.  being  sick  and  exhau.-ted,  had  not  yet  touched  the  first  bowl 
xvhich  Golden  Cin  mmon  had  set  before  her.  and  was  lying  with  her 
eyes  shut,  and  so  di  \  not  notice  the  changing  of  the  bowls. 

522 


When  Golden  Cinnamon  came  in  again  she  sat  down  by  the  edge  of 
the  bed  with  the  bowl  which  Toad  had  secretly  exchanged,  and  she 
and  Lotus  ate  their  soup  together.  Shortly  afterwards  Golden  Cinnamon 
diqd  of  agonizing  stomach  pains.  By  a  remarkable  chain  of  circum- 
stances she  had  fallen  a  victim  to  her  own  poisoning  hand. 

Precious  Clasp  brought  all  these  details  to  light  through  her  clever 
cross-examination,  and  Lotus,  who  had  already  been  bound  with  ropes 
as  a  suspected  murderess,  was  now  cleared  of  all  suspicion  and  re- 
gained  her  freedom.  The  mother  of  the  dead  girl,  who  before  had  been 
raging,  and  threatening  Aunt  Hsueh,  Precious  Clasp,  and  Lotus  with 
a  charge  of  murder,  now  became  quite  subdued  and  suddenly  lost  in- 
terest in  a  legal  prosecution.  It  was  mutually  agreed  to  hush  up  the 
occurrence  and  inform  the  authorities  that  it  was  a  case  of  suicide,  and 
so,  through  Precious  Clasp's  prudence,  it  was  found  possible  to  prevent 
a  family  scandal  from  becoming  a  public  scandal. 

Chia  Yu  Tsun,  the  poor  starving  scholar  of  former  days,  in  the 
course  of  his  brilliant  career  had  become,  thanks  to  ability  and  pa- 
tronage, a  prefect  in  the  capital.  One  day  he  went  on  an  official  round 
outside  the  city  gates  to  inspect  certain  new  rural  settlements  within  his 
jurisdiction.  On  the  way  through  the  district  of  Chi  ki  hsien  he  had 
to  cross  a  rushing  river.  As  he  had  a  large  retinue  with  him,  there  was 
a  rather  long  delay  at  the  ford.  Yu  Tsun  availed  of  this  delay  to  go  for 
a  little  walk  and  look  around  the  neighborhood.  Not  far  from  the 
nearest  village  he  discovered  an  old  forsaken  temple,  the  red-washed 
walls  of  which  made  a  picturesque  sight  among  a  group  of  old  pine 
trees.  Yu  Tsun  dismounted  from  his  sedan  chair  and  directed  his  steps 
towards  the  temple  gate. 

Inside  he  found  dilapidated  halls  with  cracked  pillars,  crooked  walls 
and  ramshackle  roofs,  faded  idols  from  which  the  golden  paint  had 
peeled  off  almost  completely.  The  stump  of  a  broken  memorial  pillar 
with  a  half-obliterated  inscription  stood  out  amidst  the  ruins.  In  the 
grounds  behind  the  tempie  Yu  Tsun  came  upon  a  hut  made  of  reeds 
and  bulrushes,  which  nestled  against  the  trunk  of  a  blue-green  cypress 
tree.  In  the  open  hut  he  sav  an  old  hermit  sitting  on  the  prayer-mat, 
his  legs  crossed  under  him.  nis  eyes  shut,  in  a  state  of  holy  contempla- 
tion. It  seemed  to  Yu  Tsun  that  I"  had  seen  the  face  of  the  old  man 
somewhere  and  sometime  before. 

"Hi,  holy  old  man !"  he  cried,  going  up  to  him. 

"What  is  it,  Your  Grace?"  asked  the  oiJ  man  in  reply,  opening  his 
eyes  a  little  and  modifying  his  fixed  expression  with  a  faint  smile. 

"I  am  engaged  on  an  official  tour,  and  have  just  come  this  way  by 
chance.  I  perceive  that  you  have  penetrated  very  deeply  into  the  secrets 

523 


of  the  higher  life,  and  I  should  like  to  profit  a  little  by  your  wise 
instruction." 

"Our  coming  and  our  going — each  has  its  time  and  its  place,"  was 
the  mysterious  answer  of  the  hermit. 

Yu  Tsun  bowed  politely  and  continued  his  questions:  How  was  it 
that  he  had  come  to  set  up  his  hut  in  this  abandoned  place,  of  which, 
one  did  not  even  know  the  name;  why  had  he  not  chosen  in  preference 
some  renowned  mountain  temple  in  which  to  practice  holiness,  and  so 
on. 

"One  can  also  live  in  a  simple  hut  made  of  gourd  stalks.  Why  should 
one  need  a  famous  mountain?  Why  the  foolish  striving  to  rise  higher? 
I  am  not  one  of  those  who  cannot  wait  for  'the  excellence  of  the  pre- 
cious stone  to  enchant  the  world'  and  'the  clasp  to  take  wings  to  fly  to 
the  bride.'  " 

Yu  Tsun  became  suddenly  enlightened.  Who  but  Shih  Ying  could 
quote  the  very  words  which  he  had  once  put  into  verse  when  he  was 
a  poor  student  in  his  lonely  cell  in  the  Temple  of  the  Gourd?  There 
was  no  doubt  about  it,  the  man  before  him  was  Shih  Ying,  the  bene- 
factor of  his  youth.  He  looked  at  him  attentively  once  more.  It  was 
strange  how  little  his  features  had  changed  since  those  days. 

"Are  you  not  Master  Shih  Ying?"  he  asked,  after  he  had  discreetly 
signed  to  his  servants  to  withdraw,  for  he  did  not  wish  them  to  learn 
of  his  obscure  past. 

"To  seem  is  to  be  and  to  be  is  to  seem,"  was  the  smiling  reply  of 
the  old  man. 

Yu  Tsun  bowed  still  more  deeply.  The  word  chia,  "seem,"  sounded 
exactly  like  his  family  name,  Chia.  Obviously  the  old  man  wished  to 
give  him  to  understand  that  he  had  also  recognized  him.  Now  at  last 
had  come  the  chance  to  pay  his  benefactor  a  long-standing  debt! 

"Your  kindness  long  ago  made  it  possible  for  me  to  continue  on  my 
journey  to  the  capital.  Through  your  help  I  got  a  seat  in  the  coach  of 
State,  and  I  was  able  to  attain  to  office  and  dignity.  Only  later  did  I 
hear  of  your  awakening.  I  learned  that  you  had  soared  up  from  the 
dusty  lowliness  of  daily  life  to  the  lofty  regions  of  the  spirit.  After 
having  long  sought  for  you  in  vain  I  count  myself  fortunate  to  have  at 
last  met  you  again  today.  May  the  simple  scholar  hope  that  the  worthy 
holy  man  will  grant  him  the  favor  of  his  esteemed  company?  I  live  in 
the  capital  not  far  from  here  and  would  deem  myself  fortunate  if  I 
might  have  you  as  my  honored  guest  for  the  rest  of  my  life,  and  be 
permitted  to  listen  to  your  exalted  instructions  by  day  and  by  night." 

The  hermit  had  risen,  and  now  thanked  him  with  a  polite  bow. 

"My  desire  does  not  extend  beyond  the  circumference  of  this  simple 
round  prayer-mat,"  he  said.  "Beyond  it  I  know  of  nothing  else  between 

524 


heaven  and  earth.  Therefore  the  meaning  of  your  words  remains  closed 
to  me." 

He  sat  down  to  immerse  himself  once  more  in  holy  contemplation. 

Yu  Tsun  was  undecided.  Was  it  really  Shih  Ying  or  was  it  not?  To 
judge  from  his  face  and  from  the  words  he  had  quoted,  it  was  he.  Be- 
tween that  time  and  today  there  lay  nineteen  long  years.  How  wonder- 
fully unchanged  his  features  had  remained!  This  was  no  doubt  due  to 
the  life-lengthening  power  of  his  holy  exercises.  But  how  detached  from 
the  world  he  was!  The  prospect  of  a  good,  carefree  life  seemed  not  to 
make  the  slightest  impression  on  him.  Was  there  any  use,  then,  in 
speaking  to  him  about  personal,  family  affairs,  or  telling  him  what  had 
become  of  his  wife  and  his  daughter  Lotus?  At  any  rate,  he  \\..uld 
make  another  effort. 

"The  holy  master  would  like  to  let  the  past  rest,  but  the  lowly  scholar 
has  still  so  many  things  on  his  mind  which  he  would  like  to  dis- 
cuss .  .  ." 

He  was  about  to  continue  when  the  members  of  his  retinue  ap- 
proached and  warned  him  that  it  was  time  to  cross  the  ford,  as  other- 
wise night  would  overtake  them  before  they  could  reach  their  intended 
rest  station. 

"Your  Grace  should  not  delay!"  the  hermit  also  warned  the  hesitant 
Yu  Tsun.  "It  is  certain  that  we  shall  meet  again.  I  shall  wait  for  you 
one  day  by  the  ford." 

When  he  had  finished  speaking  he  shut  his  eyes  to  continue  his 
mystic  contemplation.  Yu  Tsun  bade  him  farewell  and  returned  to  his 
retinue  by  the  river-bank. 

He  was  just  about  to  cross  over  when  one  of  his  retinue,  who  had  been 
with  him  in  the  temple  and  had  stayed  behind  on  account  of  stomach 
pains,  came  running  along  and  told  him  that  the  old  temple  which  he 
had  just  inspected  was  in  flames.  Yu  Tsun  looked  behind  him  and,  true 
enough,  saw  in  the  direction  of  the  temple  a  red  glow -of  fire  and  a 
mighty  cloud  of  smoke  which  darkened  the  setting  sun.  He  was  sur- 
prised that  the  fire  could  have  arisen  so  suddenly  in  the  short  time 
since  he  had  left  the  temple,  and  he  wondered  anxiously  whether  his 
old  friend  Shih  Ying  had  perished  in  the  fire  or  was  still  alive.  He  was 
about  to  turn  back  to  search  for  him  himself.  But  if  he  did  so,  he  would 
not  be  able  to  cross  the  river  today  and  reach  the  town  before  nightfall. 

"Did  you  see  an  old  hermit  coming  out  of  the  temple?"  he  asked  the 
messenger.  The  man  said  he  had  not. 

"Then  stay  behind,  and  when  the  fire  is  burned  out  search  in  the 
ruins  for  any  trace  of  him!  You  can  spend  the  night  in  the  nearest 
village  inn  and  follow  on  tomorrow!" 

The  following  morning  when  Yu  Tsun  was  going  through  the  city 

52f 


gate  in  his  sedan  chair  he  heard  a  sound  of  loud  quarrelling  coming 
from  the  head  of  the  procession.  The  heralds  had  come  into  collision 
with  somebody  on  the  way.  Upon  inquiry  he  was  told  that  a  quarrel- 
some drunkard  had  run  into  the  procession  and  would  not  get  out  of 
the  way,  but  instead  had  lain  down  in  the  middle  of  the  street  in  order 
to  give  trouble.  The  disrespectful  culprit  was  immediately  dragged  to 
the  door  of  the  sedan  chair. 

"Do  you  not  know  that  you  are  obliged  to  make  way  for  the  prefect 
of  your  town  when  he  passes  by?  How  dare  you  bar  the  road  to  him?" 
Yu  Tsun  asked  the  man,  haughtily. 

"Come,  now!  Am  I  not  to  be  allowed  to  get  drunk  with  my  own  good 
money,  and  when  I'm  drunk,  to  lie  down  for  a  bit  in  the  street?  Be- 
sides, the  street  does  not  belong  to  you,  but  to  the  Emperor;  so  the 
great  gentleman  had  nothing  at  all  to  complain  about,"  came  the  im- 
pudent answer. 

"What  an  insolent  boor!  Ask  him  his  name!"  said  Yu  Tsun,  en- 
raged. 

"My  name  is  Ni,  otherwise  known  as  'the  Drunken  Diamond,'  be- 
cause I  like  a  good  drink  and  can  be  hard  as  a  diamond  when  there 
are  debts  to  be  recovered,"  babbled  the  drunkard. 

"Indeed?  Well,  we  shall  see  straight  away  whether  he's  as  hard  as 
a  diamond!  Beat  him!"  ordered  the  enraged  Yu  Tsun.  Thereupon  the 
servants  threw  the  drunken  man  to  the  ground  and  gave  him  a  few 
heavy  blows  with  a  whip.  Thanks  to  this  painful  cure,  he  very  quickly 
became  sober  again  and  humbly  begged  for  mercy. 

"A  fellow  like  that  calls  himself  a  diamond,  and  he  gives  way  after 
only  a  few  gentle  blows!"  scoffed  Yu  Tsun  from  his  sedan  chair.  "That 
was  no  real  beating  at  all.  He  will  get  a  proper  flogging  after  the  hear- 
ing at  the  yamen.  Bind  him  and  take  him  away!"  he  ordered  his 
servants.  And  so,  despite  his  struggling  and  shouting  the  well-known 
moneylender  was  seized  and  fettered  and  dragged  off  with  the  proces- 
sion to  the  house  of  the  Prefect  amidst  the  malicious  glances  and  com- 
ments of  the  crowd. 

The  rumor  of  his  arrest  spread  from  the  street  to  his  home  and  to  the 
ears  of  his  wife  and  daughter.  When  he  did  not  come  home  that  eve- 
ning his  wife  sent  her  daughter  out  to  look  for  him  in  all  the  well- 
known  gambling  inns  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  frequenting.  But  the 
daughter  looked  for  him  in  vain,  and  the  rumor  of  his  arrest  was  con- 
firmed to  her  wherever  she  went.  When  at  last,  in  her  perplexity,  she 
began  to  weep,  people  comforted  her,  saying: 

"You  need  not  despair.  After  all,  the  Prefect  belongs  to  the  Chia 
clan,  and  there  is  a  young  Chia  who  is  a  neighbor  and  good  friend  of 
your  father.  You  and  your  mother  must  visit  him  as  quickly  as  possible 

526 


and  ask  him  to  put  in  a  good  word  for  your  father  with  his  relatives, 
and  procure  his  release." 

The  daughter  Ni  then  remembered  that  a  young  man  named  Chia 
Yun,  who  was  on  friendly  terms  with  her  father,  lived  right  beside 
them.  She  hurried  home  and  that  same  evening  mother  and  daughter 
together  visited  their  neighbor.  They  found  him  at  home.  Chia  Yun 
politely  invited  them  to  be  seated,  got  his  mother  to  give  them  tea,  and 
listened  to  their  story.  When  they  had  finished  he  said,  with  a  boastful 
and  important  air,  that  he  was  quite  willing  to  help  them.  He  only 
needed  to  say  the  word  in  the  western  palace  and  the  arrested  man 
would  be  released;  for  Mr.  Cheng,  the  senior  of  the  western  palace,  had 
served  the  Prefect  well  in  days  gone  by. 

Highly  delighted,  mother  and  daughter  wen  to  the  prefecture  next 
day  and  secretly  informed  the  imprisoned  head  of  the  family  that  he 
need  not  worry,  for  his  friend  and  neighbor,  young  Mr.  Chia  Yun,  had 
promised  to  see  about  his  release.  The  moneylender  Ni  was  delighted 
with  the  news  and  looked  forward  with  confidence  to  being  soon  re- 
leased. 

It  must  be  remarked  here  that  since  the  time  that  Chia  Yun  had  tried 
to  buy  the  favor  of  the  influential  Madame  Phoenix  by  gifts,  he  had 
only  seldom  and  unwillingly  ventured  to  go  near  the  Yungkuo  palace. 
He  had  the  uncomfortable  feeling  that,  as  a  poor  begging  cousin,  he 
did  not  count  for  much  with  the  rich  clan,  and  was  barely  tolerated  by 
them.  The  porters  at  the  Yungkuo  palace  were  in  the  habit  of  treating 
callers  exactly  in  accordance  with  how  they  stood  in  the  eyes  of  their 
masters.  When  it  was  a  matter  of  respected  visitors,  who  were  gladly 
received,  they  were  very  quick  in  admitting  and  announcing  them.  But 
when  it  was  a  question  of  less  important  people,  they  were  extraordi- 
narily slow  to  do  anything,  whether  the  visitors  belonged  to  the  clan  or 
not. 

So  it  happened  that  when  Chia  Yun  called  that  day  at  the  main  gate 
of  the  Yungkuo  palace  on  behalf  of  his  protege,  and  asked  admission 
on  the  pretext  that  he  wished  to  say  good  day  to  his  uncle,  Chia  Lien, 
he  was  informed  gruffly  that  young  Mr.  Chia  Lien  was  not  at  home,  but 
that  if  he  wished  to  do  so  and  had  time,  he  could  wait  until  he  re- 
turned. Chia  Yun  knew  what  this  evasive  answer  meant.  He  might  have 
to  wait  a  very  long  time  indeed. 

It  seemed  to  him  utterly  useless  to  ask  for  Phoenix  or  Pao  Yu,  who 
were  less  kindly  disposed  to  him  than  Chia  Lien  was,  so  he  returned 
home  with  his  task  unfulfilled,  but  the  mother  and  daughter  importuned 
him  so  continuously  that  he  decided  to  try  a  second  time.  This  time  lie 
intended  to  use  the  back  entrance,  going  through  the  park,  but  to  his 
surprise  he  found  the  back  gateway  locked  and  barred. 

527 


With  bowed  head,  utterly  discouraged,  he  set  out  for  home.  He  re- 
membered how  nobly  neighbor  Ni  had  helped  him  out  that  time  with 
money  for  the  spices  by  means  of  which  he  had  luckily  wangled  that 
gardening  job  from  Phoenix.  How  he  would  love  to  do  him  a  service 
in  return  now!  How  would  he  face  the  mother  and  daughter  Ni,  who 
had  been  counting  on  him?  Could  he  tell  them  the  truth?  Dare  he  let 
them  know  that  the  hardhearted  Madame  Phoenix  avoided  him  as  a 
poor  nephew  and  shut  the  doors  of  the  western  palace  against  him? 
That  she  preferred  to  lend  out  the  family  fortune,  inherited  from  their 
common  ancestors,  to  complete  strangers  at  exorbitant  interest  rates 
rather  than  use  it  to  help  poor  members  of  the  clan?  He  dare  not  speak 
about  these  things,  or  he  would  not  only  damage  his  own  name  and 
credit  in  the  neighborhood,  but  also  endanger  the  reputation  of  the 
Chia  clan. 

"My  efforts  have  been  in  vain.  True,  at  my  pressing  request  the 
western  palace  people  did  take  steps  with  the  Prefect,  but  alas,  the 
Prefect  is  relentless,"  he  said  on  his  return.  "But  perhaps  you  might 
try  your  luck  with  the  curio  dealer,  Long  Tzu  Hsing.  He  is  related  to 
the  majordomo  Chou  Jui  of  the  western  palace,  and  has  known  the 
Prefect  for  a  long  time." 

"If  the  masters  can  do  nothing  for  us,  the  servants  will  not  fare  bet- 
ter," replied  mother  and  daughter,  disappointed. 

"You  are  mistaken  there.  Nowadays  the  servants  sometimes  have 
more  influence  than  the  masters,"  remarked  Chia  Yun,  as  he  turned 
away,  annoyed.  So  the  two  women  had  to  wait  several  days  more  before 
they  got  back  their  breadwinner.  He  had  got  oft  with  nothing  more  than 
a  light  flogging.  On  his  return  his  disgruntled  wife  and  daughter  told 
him  about  Chia  Yun's  futile  visits  to  the  Yungkuo  palace,  and  twisted 
the  matter  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  the  impression  that,  for  lack  of 
good  will,  Chia  Yun  had  not  exerted  himself  sufficiently  on  his  behalf. 

"What?  Just  wait!  I'll  give  the  ungrateful  scoundrel  a  good  piece 
of  my  mind!"  roared  the  usurer  Ni,  who  had  immediately  got  drunk 
again  to  celebrate  his  release.  "That  time  when  he  was  starving,  did  I 
not  help  him,  with  my  money,  to  get  a  fat  job  in  the  western  palace? 
And  now,  when  I  was  in  a  fix  myself,  he  left  me  in  the  lurch!  Just  wait! 
If  Ni,  the  Drunken  Diamond,  once  opens  his  mouth  and  raises  a  rum- 
pus, the  grand  people  in  the  eastern  and  western  palaces  will  have  rea- 
son to  rue  it!" 

"Be  quiet!  Was  the  last  flogging  not  enough  for  you?  Do  you  want 
to  get  into  trouble  again  with  your  drunken  chattering?"  said  hie  vife, 
trying  to  quiet  him. 

"Pah!  I'm  not  afraid!  While  I  was  sitting  in  the  cooler  I  palled  up 
with  a  few  decent  fellow  sufferers,  and  lots  of  things  came  to  my  ears 

528 


about  the  fine  Chia  clan:  what  extortioners  they  are,  how  they  fleece 
the  poor  peasants  in  the  provinces,  how  they  cheat  their  fellow  beings 
of  their  property  and  their  women,  and  harry  them  to  death!  Several 
of  their  scoundrelly  people  have  already  been  laid  by  the  heels  and  will 
be  brought  to  trial  very  soon  here  in  the  capital  for  their  infamous 
deeds.  But  the  fine  lords  themselves  should  be  brought  before  the 
judgment  seat.  Just  you  wait!  They  shall  get  to  know  me,  Ni,  the 
Drunken  Diamond,  in  time!" 

"Ah,  shut  up  and  come  to  bed!"  his  wife  interrupted.  "You're  so 
drunk  that  you  don't  know  what  you're  saying.  Cheating  other  people 
of  their  women?  That  is  surely  only  silly  gossip!" 

"You  women  do  not  leave  your  own  four  walls.  What  do  you  know  of 
what  goes  on  outside?  Two  years  ago  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
young  man  named  Chang  at  a  gaming  table.  He  told  me  everything,  and 
it  is  he  whom  the  noble  gentlemen  in  the  eastern  and  western  palaces 
cheated  of  his  betrothed,  one  Yu  girl.  If  I  only  knew  where  young 
Chang  is  now!  I'll  explain  to  him  how  he  must  take  action  against  the 
noble  clan.  The  gang  will  have  to  go  down  on  their  knees  to  me  yet! 
But  you  women  need  not  trouble  about  it.  Leave  it  to  me!" 

He  lay  down  in  bed,  muttered  for  a  while  to  himself,  then  dozed  off. 


CHAPTER    47 

The  unhappy  lover,  Pao  Yu,  stirs  up  past  feelings.  The  bailiffs  of  the 
Minister  of  Finance  take  possession  of  the  western  palace. 

.DIRECTLY  AFTER  HIS  RETURN  FROM  THE  PROVINCES  CHIA  CHENG  HAD 
been  summoned,  straight  from  his  travel  litter,  to  an  Imperial  audience 
to  receive  the  reprimand  of  the  Most  High  and  perform  his  kowtow  of 
repentance.  He  emerged  covered  with  perspiration,  ana  with  his  tongue 
hanging  out  with  shock  and  dismay. 

"Confound  it  all!  Confound  it!"  he  gasped,  as  he  came  out,  to  the 
crowd  of  friendly  dignitaries  and  colleagues  who  had  surged  around 
him  expectantly  in  the  vestibule  and  besieged  him  with  questions  as  to 
how  the  audience  had  passed  off.  Now,  as  far  as  his  own  person  was 
concerned,  the  much-dreaded  audience  of  reconciliation  had  fortu- 
nately passed  off  fairly  well.  But  the  Most  High  had  asked  the  most 
extraordinary  questions  concerning  his  relationship  to  certain  other 
bearers  of  the  name  of  Chia,  who  held  various  offices  in  distant  prov- 
inces and  had  recently  been  feathering  their  own  nests  very  assidu- 
ously. Mr.  Cheng  got  the  uncomfortable  feeling  that  a  thunderstorm 
was  brewing  and  threatening  to  break  over  the  entire  Chia  clan. 

529 


His  friends  and  colleagues  tried  to  dissipate  his  fears,  and  con- 
gratulated him  on  still  having  his  quiet,  pleasant  position  in  the  Min- 
istry of  Works,  in  which  he  would  not  be  exposed  to  vexations  such  as 
he  had  had  to  contend  with  in  his  former  post  of  Corn  Treasurer  in  the 
provinces.  His  elder  brother  Prince  Shieh  was  also,  they  admitted,  a 
man  of  honor  and  above  all  reproach.  But  at  the  same  time  they  dis- 
creetly gave  him  to  understand  that  perhaps  it  would  be  advisable  for 
him  to  keep  an  eye  on  his  various  nephews,  especially  the  nephew  in 
the  eastern  palace,  Prince  Chen.  All  kinds  of  unfavorable  things  were 
being  whispered  about  this  nephew,  and  it  appeared  that  he  was  re- 
garded with  some  displeasure  in  certain  high  ministerial  and  eunuch 
circles.  So  it  was  that  Chia  Cheng's  feelings  wei;e  not  entirely  happy 
when  he  entered  the  western  palace  after  the  audience  and  was  sol- 
emnly received  by  the  clan. 

For  all  that,  the  joy  of  seeing  his  family  again,  and  especially  the 
outward  w'ell-being  of  his  son  Pao  Yu,  the  flourishing  appearance  of 
the  latter's  young  wife  Precious  Clasp,  whom  he  found  more  plump 
and  resplendent  than  ever,  and  the  favorable  development  of  his  grand- 
son Chia  Lan,  enabled  him  to  forget  his  secret  anxieties  for  a  few  hours. 

"But  there  is  one  person  still  missing!"  he  suddenly  exclaimed  when 
he  had  finished  greeting  all  the  female  relatives.  His  wife  understood 
that  he  meant  Black  Jade;  no  one  had  yet  told  him  by  letter  of  her  sad 
end. 

"Cousin  Ling  is  ill,"  lied  Madame  Cheng,  not  wishing  to  damp  the 
joys  of  reunion  with  mournful  news.  Pao  Yu,  who  was  present,  felt  as 
if  his  heart  had  been  pierced  with  a  dagger,  but  filial  respect  bade  him 
hide  his  pain.  Only  later,  after  the  communal  feast  of  welcome,  when 
husband  and  wife  were  alone  together  and  were  discussing  the  various 
events  which  had  taken  place  in  the  family  in  the  interval,  did  Madame 
Cheng  venture  to  mention  Black  Jade's  death.  Chia  Cheng  was  ex- 
tremely shocked,  and  fell  into  a  deep,  mournful  meditation.  Madame 
Cheng  too  became  quite  emotional,  and  a  waiting  maid  had  to  pluck  at 
her  skirt  to  remind  her  to  pull  herself  together  and  change  the  con- 
versation to  a  subject  more  calculated  to  cheer  her  husband  up  again. 

The  following  morning,  in  accordance  with  custom,  Mr.  Cheng 
visited  the  Temple  of  the  Ancestors  together  with  the  male  members  of 
the  family,  to  announce  his  safe  return  home  to  the  spirits  of  the  an- 
cestors and  to  thank  them  by  a  ceremonial  offering  for  the  protection 
accorded  him.  After  the  ceremony  he  took  his  two  nephews,  Prince 
Chen  and  Chia  Lien,  aside  and  appealed  to  their  consciences  in  earnest 
and  impressive  words.  Unfavorable  things  were  being  said  about  them 
in  the  town,  he  told  them;  they  were  no  longer  children,  and  were 
kindly  to  keep  a  better  watch  on  themselves  in  the  future.  From  their 

530 


embarrassed  air,  and  the  dejected  shih  with  which  they  promised  to 
mend  their  ways,  it  was  obvious  that  their  consciences  were  not  quite 
clear.  The  reunion  celebrations  closed  with  a  grand  procession  of  all 
the  male  and  female  servants  of  the  western  palace,  who  performed 
their  kowtow  of  welcome. 

Pao  Yu  was  deeply  shocked  when  he  heard  his  mother  say  that  Black 
Jade  was  ill,  rather  than  admitting  her  death.  Painful  memories  had 
reawakened  in  him  and  left  him  no  peace  the  whole  day.  He  felt  an 
urgent  desire  to  have  a  quiet  talk  with  Cuckoo,  Black  Jade's  trusted 
companion.  True,  Cuckoo  had  meantime  been  taken  into  the  service 
of  Precious  Clasp,  who  greatly  esteemed  her,  but  he  seldom  saw  her 
and  she  seemed  to  shun  him  deliberately.  When  he  returned  home  that 
evening  he  did  not  visit  Precious  Clasp,  ac  was  his  custom,  but  re- 
mained in  his  study,  alone  and  depressed.  Precious  Clasp  sent  Pearl 
over  to  him  with  tea,  and  herself  came  to  cheer  him  up.  She  thought  he 
was  depiessed  by  the  prospect  of  being  examined  by  his  father  soon, 
and  besides,  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed,  she  told  him.  He  pretended  to 
agree  with  her  assumption. 

"Yes,  you're  right,  but  will  you  please  go  to  bed?  I  should  like  to 
stay  up  alone  for  a  while  and  collect  my  thoughts,"  he  said  to  her.  "My 
memory  is  npt  what  it  used  to  be;  I  do  not  want  to  disgrace  myself 
before  my  father.  Pearl  will  keep  me  company  for  a  while.  You  others 
can  go  to  bed  now!" 

Precious  Clasp  did  as  he  asked  her  and  went  to  her  bedroom  alone. 

"Send  Cuckoo  over  to  me!"  he  asked  Pearl  in  a  low  voice.  "I  very 
much  want  to  speak  to-her." 

"Gh,  we  thought  you  wanted  to  collect  your  thoughts  for  the  forth- 
coming examination.  So  you  only  want  to  chat!  Could  you  not  do  that 
in  the  daytime?" 

"Who  knows  when  I  shall  get  a  chance  to  do  so,  now  that  my  father 
is  back?  This  evening  is  just  the  right  time  for  it.  Please  do  me  the 
kindness  and  bring  her  along  quickly!" 

"She  only  obeys  your  wife." 

"I  cannot  possibly  have  her  called  by  Precious  Clasp." 

"Why  not?" 

"Precious  Clasp  would  ask  the  reason,  and  it  is  just  about  the  other, 
Black  Jade,  that  I  want  to  talk  to  Cuckoo.  I  know  that  Cuckoo  wrongl) 
thinks  that  I  am  faithless,  and  turns  away  from  me  on  that  account.  1 
must  at  last  convince  her  of  my  true  sentiments." 

He  pointed  towards  Precious  Clasp's  bedroom. 

"Cuckoo  must  at  last  learn  that  I  did  not  want  to  marry  that  girl  in 
there  at  all.  She  has  become  my  wife  through  subterfuge.  It  is  not  my 

531 


fault,  it  is  the  fault  of  the  old  Tai  tai  and  the  others  that  Black  Jade  had 
to  die  of  grief.  I  want  to  explain  all  this  to  Cuckoo  so  that  she  may  not 
also,  like  Black  Jade,  pass  to  the  next  life  with  an  unjustified  grudge 
against  me.  For  I  know  from  Taste  of  Spring  that  that  is  what  happened 
with  Black  Jade.  Do  you  also  consider  me  unloving  and  faithless?  You 
may  not  know  it,  but  I  am  telling  you  today:  When  Bright  Cloud  died  I 
ceremonially  made  an  offering  to  her  at  the  water  lily  pond  and  dedi- 
cated a  dirge  to  her.  And  Bright  Cloud  was  only  a  servant !  Is  not  Black 
Jade  more  deserving  of  a  worthy  funeral  offering?" 

"That  is  your  affair.  What  have  we  others  to  do  with  it?"  replied 
Pearl  coolly. 

"I  have  intended  for  a  long  time  past  to  compose  a  dirge  for  her, 
but  since  I  recovered  from  my  last  illness  my  mind  has  been  so  ex- 
traordinarily dull.  I  might  have  been  able  to  write  something  straight 
away  for  any  other  person.  But  to  write  a  hymn  in  honor  of  Black  Jade 
I  would  need  to  consider  every  word  carefully.  I  wanted  to  ask  Cuckoo 
to  help  me  with  it.  Her  memory  of  the  last  incidents  and  the  last  phase 
of  Black  Jade's  life  is  more  complete  than  mine.  Why  did  she  die  so 
suddenly  after  she  had  been  so  well  and  cheerful  all  the  time  before? 
Why  Were  we  not  allowed  to  see  each  other  during  those  days?  Why  did 
she  burn  the  copies  of  her  poems  shortly  before  her  death,  and  leave 
me  no  keepsake,  although  she  thought  of  me  up  to  the  last?  Those  are 
puzzles  which  I  cannot  solve.  And  why  did  Precious  Clasp  Tfcke  away 
from  me  the  souvenirs  which  I  managed  to  get  from  Black  Jade  through 
tricks  in  past  years?" 

"She  did  not  wish  the  sight  of  them  to  open  up  old  wounds  in  you. 
Do  you  want  to  know  anything  else?" 

"What  did  the  mysterious  music  at  her  death  mean?  Perhaps  she  did 
not  die  as  a  human  being  at  all,  but  soared  up  to  heaven  as  a  spirit?  I 
did  see  her  coffin,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  closed.  Perhaps  it  was  empty?" 

"What  crazy  ideas  you  have!  Do  you  really  believe  that  an  empty 
coffin  was  set  up  and  that  it  was  given  out  that  someone  died,  who  did 
not  die?  That  is  just  nonsense!" 

"I  do  not  know  why  it  should  be  nonsense.  A  spirit  can  make  itself 
invisible.  Be  good  enough  to  bring  Cuckoo  along  to  me!" 

"It's  too  late  tonight.  I  must  first  prepare  her  for  it.  Who  knows 
whether  she  will  be.  ready  to  render  you  an  account  straight  away?  The 
best  thing  is  for  us  to  choose  a  time  when  your  wife  is  with  the  old  Tai 
tai,  perhaps  tomorrow  or  the  day  after." 

"Very  well,  but  do  not  forget  about  it.  You  have  no  idea  how  much 
I  want  to  talk  to  Cuckoo." 

The  waiting  maid  Musk  appeared,  sent  by  Precious  Clasp,  and  re- 

532 


minded  Pao  Yu  that  it  was  already  long  past  midnight.  He  should  come 
to  bed  at  last,  she  said. 

"The  conversation  must  have  been  wonderfully  exciting  to  make  one 
forget  the  time  completely,"  she  remarked  sarcastically  to  Pearl. 

"Yes,  indeed  it  was,  but  tomorrow  is  another  day,"  replied  Pearl 
coolly. 

"Very  well,  and  do  not  forget  tomorrow!"  Pao  Yu  again  whispered 
in  her  ear. 

"Why!  What  important  secrets  have  you  got  between  you?  Should  I 
not  suggest  to  the  Nai  nai  that  she  had  better  let  you  sleep  with  Pearl? 
Then  you  could  talk  to  each  other  to  your  hearts'  content." 

"Stop  your  chatter!"  said  Pearl  to  Musk,  then,  turning  to  Pao  Yu: 
"See  how  you  cause  us  to  be  gossiped  about,"  she  said  reproachfully, 
pushing  him  before  her  into  Precious  Clasp's  bedroom. 

Though  in  no  mood  for  festivities  himself,  Chia  Cheng  gave  way  to 
the  importunings  of  his  friends  and  acquaintances  and  held  a  great 
banquet  two  days  after  his  return  home.  But  he  declined  with  thanks 
the  festival  music  and  theatrical  performances  with  which  they  wished 
to  honor  him. 

In  the  midst  of  the  merry  feasting  the  Yungkuo  palace  suddenly  re- 
ceived a  strange,  uninvited  visitor.  "Mr.  Chao,  the  Minister  of  Finance, 
is  outside  with  a  number  of  his  officials,  and  wishes  to  pay  his  respects," 
the  majordomo  Lai  Wang  announced  excitedly.  "He  came  straight  in 
the  gate  without  ceremony  and  without  having  first  presented  his  visit- 
ing card,  and  he  is  already  on  the  way  to  the  banqueting  hall." 

While  Mr.  Cheng,  utterly  dumfounded,  was  wondering  what  on  earth 
could  have  moved  the  Minister  of  Finance,  whom  he  knew  only  slightly, 
to  pay  this  sudden  visit,  and  whether  he  would  be  obliged  to  invite  him 
to  the  banquet,  a  second  report  was  brought  to  him  to  the  effect  that 
the  Minister  had  already  passed  through  the  second  gateway  and  would 
arrive  in  the  hall  immediately. 

Mr.  Cheng  dutifully  hurried  to  welcome  him.  He  saw  him  already, 
accompanied  by  six  attendants,  walking  straight  up  to  the  main  hall 
without  ceremony  or  greeting,  with  an  ironical  smile  on  his  lips.  That 
certainly  did  not  look  like  a  private  visit,  but  rather,  an  official  one.  As 
he  appeared  a  sudden  hush  fell  on  the  merry  banqueting  table.  Every- 
one rose  and  bowed  stiffly  and  respectfully,  and  then  half  the  people 
slipped  away,  one  after  another,  out  of  the  hall.  Mr.  Cheng  pressed 
Mr.  Chao,  who  still  remained  silent,  smiling  disdainfully,  to  take  a  seat, 
and  was  just  beginning  a  conventional  conversation  about,  the  weather 
when  another  surprising  announcement  was  heard:  "The  Prince  of 
the  Eastern  Covenant  is  entering!" 

m 


Mr.  Cheng  hurried  out  of  the  hall  to  meet  the  second  illustrious 
visitor,  and  respectfully  greeted  him,  falling  on  his  knees.  The  Prince 
helped  him  to  his  feet  in  a  friendly  manner. 

"Naturally,  I  would  not  have  intruded  here  in  this  unceremonious 
fashion  without  special  reason,"  he  said  seriously  but  courteously.  "It 
is  my  duty  to  announce  an  Imperial  decree  to  Prince  Shieh.  Will  the 
honored  friends  and  guests  please  withdraw  first?  The  decree  is  only 
meant  for  the  people  of  the  western  palace." 

"Your  Highness  no  doubt  means  well,  but  in  order  not  to  render 
more  difficult  the  task  of  the  Prince  who  is  officiating  in  the  western 
palace  as  executor  of  the  Imperial  wishes,  I  have  already  had  all  the 
exits  closed  by  my  officers,"  objected  Mr.  Chao. 

"Very  well.  Send  some  of  your  men  with  the  gentlemen  so  that  they 
can  get  out  without  difficulty,"  said  the  Prince  with  a  smile. 

The  frightened  friends  and  guests  dispersed  like  smoke.  Only  Prince 
Shieh,  Chia  Cheng,  and  a  few  male  relatives  remained  in  the  hall, 
trembling  and  livid.  Meantime  uniformed  men  suddenly  swarmed  all 
over  the  palace.  All  the  buildings  were  occupied;  all  the  gates  were 
locked.  No  one  was  allowed  to  move  from  where  he  was.  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Chao  announced  that,  the  task  of  locking  up  and  occupying  the 
palace  premises  had  been  completed,  the  Prince  of  the  Eastern  Cove- 
nant stepped  forward  to  make  his  ceremonial  proclamation  of  the  Im- 
perial decree.  Lying  submissively  on  their  stomachs  in  the  courtyard, 
at  the  foot  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  hall,  Prince  Shieh  and  the 
members  of  his  clan  listened  while  the  Prince,  standing  on  a  dais  above, 
read  the  decree  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High  One.  Prince  Shieh  had 
been  carrying  on  unlawful  intrigues  with  officials  in  the  provinces,  and 
had  misused  the  power  of  the  State  to  oppress  the  weak.  He  had  thereby 
forfeited  the  Imperial  favor  which  had  been  lavished  upon  him  for  the 
sake  of  his  illustrious  ancestors,  and  as  punishment  he  would  lose  the 
princely  title  and  the  privileges  which  went  with  it.  The  Prince  had 
been  instructed,  with  agreement  of  the  Minister  of  Finance,  to  take  him 
into  custody  and  to  confiscate  his  property.  So  the  decree  ran. 

"Arrest  Chia  Shieh!"  thundered  the  Minister  of  Finance  to  his  of- 
ficers, when  the  Prince  had  finished  reading  the  decree. 

The  search  of  the  premises  and  the  confiscation  of  property  could 
now  start  in  real  earnest.  Divided  into  groups,  the  constables  and 
sheriff's  officers,  who  were  burning  with  eagerness  for  the  hunt  and 
rubbing  their  hands  with  joy  in  anticipation  of  the  rich  booty,  were  let 
loose  on  the  individual  dwellings.  There  was  a  slight  difference  of 
opinion  between  the  Prince,  who  was  trying  to  mitigate  the  measures 
to  be  taken  and  chose  to  interpret  them  as  referring  only  to  the  dwelling 
of  Prince  Shieh,  and  the  Minister,  who  insisted  that  they  should  extend 

534 


to  the  whole  palace  without  discrimination.  He  had  special  designs  on 
the  residence  of  Madame  Phoenix,  for  he  knew  that  most  of  all  would 
be  found  there. 

"But  do  not  let  your  men  act  too  violently  and  roughly,  and  at  least 
give  the  ladies  time  to  withdraw!"  the  Prince  warned  him.  After  a  little 
time  it  was  announced  to  him  that  a  number  of  dresses  and  objects  had 
been  found  which  had  come  from  the  Imperial  Palace  and  which,  as 
such,  ordinary  mortals  were  forbidden  to  use.  And  then,  again,  he  was 
informed  that  in  the  home  of  Madame  Phoenix  two  chests  had  been 
confiscated  which  were  found  to  be  full  of  promissory  notes  and  mort- 
gage documents,  from  which  it  transpired  that  Madame  Phoenix  had 
been  lending  out  money  at  illegally  exorbitant  rates  of  interest. 

"So  they  have  been  carrying  on  usury  too!  The  gang  deserve  no 
mercy!  Go  on  boldly  confiscating  everything!"  urged  the  Minister  of 
Finance.  And  he  asked  the  Prince  for  authority  to  use  still  stronger 
and  more  ruthless  measures.  He  was  jubilant  when  his  secret  opponent 
was  just  then  called  outside  to  receive  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quiet- 
ness, who  had  come  over  from  the  eastern  palace  with  a  new  Imperial 
decree  in  his  pocket.  Now  that  he  was  rid  of  the  troublesome  princely 
watcher,  he  would  at  last  be  able  to  do  as  he  liked  and  show  his  full 
power,  thought  the  overofficious  Minister  Chao.  But  his  triumph  was 
short-lived.  The  new  decree,  which  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quiet- 
ness proclaimed  immediately  afterwards  in  the  reception  hall,  stated 
emphatically  that  the  authority  of  the  Minister  of  Finance  was  to  be 
limited  solely  to  procedure  against  Prince  Shieh,  while  only  the  Prince 
of  the  Eastern  Covenant  was  authorized  to  determine  the  measures  to 
be  taken  against  the  other  householders  of  the  western  palace.  The 
Prince,  who  had  secretly  procured  the  issue  of  this  decree  in  great 
haste,  listened  to  it  with  satisfaction,  and  was  very  happy  to  be  in  a 
position  to  stop  the  raging  Mr.  Chao  from  further  activity.  He  made  it 
clear  to  him  that  his  task  was  now  completed,  and  sent  him  off  with 
instructions  to  hand  Prince  Shieh  over  to  the  Prefect  of  Police. 

The  two  Princes  kept  back  only  a  dozen  elderly,  steady  sergeants 
from  the  police  force;  the  remaining  men  had  to  clear  off  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

"You  have  arrived  just  in  time,"  the  Prince  of  the  Eastern  Covenant 
said  with  a  smile  to  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness.  "Who  knows 
what  mischief  the  energetic  Minister  of  Finance  would  have  done 
here  if  the  new  decree  had  not  fortunately  rendered  him  harmless." 

The  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  was  concerned  above  all  for 
Mr.  Cheng  and  Pao  Yu.  At  his  request  Mr.  Cheng  was  brought  to  him 
from  the  servants'  hall,  into  which  the  overzealous  Mr.  Chao  had  had 
him  locked.  Mr.  Cheng  threw  himself  on  his  knees  before  the  Prince 

535 


and  with  tears  implored  mercy.  The  Prince  kindly  raised  him  to  his 
feet  and  informed  him  of  the  comforting  terms  of  the  new  decree, 
whereupon  Mr.  Cheng,  greatly  relieved,  turned  towards  the  north  and 
performed  a  kowtow  of  thanksgiving. 

"The  matter  of  the  forbidden  articles  from  the  Imperial  Palace  and 
the  usurious  money  business  is,  of  course,  a  delicate  one,"  the  Prince 
hinted  to  him.  "It  can  be  maintained,  however,  that  the  former  ob- 
jects were  presents  from  your  eldest  daughter,  the  late  Imperial  wife, 
Beginning  of  Spring,  and  this  would  excuse  their  presence  here.  On 
the  other  hand,  how  can  this  money  business  be  excused?  That  will  be 
more  difficult.  As  regards  the  confiscations,  I  have  to  request  you  to 
compile  a  complete  and  truthful  list  of  the  movable  goods  belonging 
to  your  brother  Shieh." 

While  the  male  members  of  the  clan  had  been  banqueting  with  their 
friends  and  acquaintances  in  the  great  hall  on  that  unfortunate  after- 
noon, the  female  members  of  the  family  had  assembled  in  the  home  of 
the  Ancestors,  likewise  to  celebrate  Chia  Cheng's  return  with  a  feast. 
In  the  midst  of  the  merry  banquet  one  of  Princess  Shieh's  serving 
women  came  running  in  crying  excitedly:  "Woe!  Woe!  Thieves  and 
robbers  are  breaking  up  the  cupboards  and  boxes,  and  turning  every- 
thing upside  down,  and  dragging  our  things  away!" 

The  ladies  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  first  shock  when  the 
waiting  maid  Little  Ping  came  rushing  in,  uttering  shrill  cries  of  dis- 
tress, with  her  hair  hanging  loose,  dragging  the  little  daughter  of 
Phoenix  after  her. 

"I  was  just  taking  a  meal  with  the  little  girl,"  she  reported  breath- 
lessly, "when  suddenly  our  Lai  Wang  was  brought  in  laden  with  chains 
by  a  troop  of  men  in  uniform.  'I  want  to  inform  the  ladies  that  they 
should  withdraw  at  once,'  was  all  that  he  said,  for  a  squad  of  police  was 
on  his  heels  to  make  a  search  and  to  seize  things.  I  wanted  to  gather  up 
a  few  valuable  things  quickly,  but  the  strange  men  pushed  me  out  the 
door.  The  ladies  must  take  the  most  necessary  things  with  them  quickly 
and  hide  themselves!" 

The  utmost  confusion  .ensued.  All  the  ladies  jumped  up  from  their 
seats  and  hurriedly  grabbed  at  this  and  that.  Everyone  shouted  at  lh£ 
same  time,  and  not  a  sensible  word  could  be  heard.  Phoenix,  normally 
so  efficient  in  dealing  with  difficult  circumstances,  had  not  moved  a 
limb  and  listened  with  strangely  terrified,  wide-open  eyes  to  the  maid's 
report;  now  she  suddenly  fell  down  in  a  faint.  In  the  general  confasicm, 
while  some  were  attending  to  the  fainting  woman  and  others  were 
grabbing  hold  of  useless  articles  without  knowing  where  to  take  them, 
Chia  Lien  came  rushing  in,  panting. 

536 


"Good  news!"  he  cried  to  the  frightened  women.  "Thanks  to  the  in- 
tervention of  the  Princes,  the  worst  danger  has  been  averted!" 

He  was  stormed  with  questions  from  all  sides.  He  waited  until  some 
kind  of  order  had  been  restored  and  until  the  maid  Little  Ping  had 
helped  the  distraught  Phoenix  to  her  feet  and  Mandarin  Duck  had  put 
the  Ancestress,  who  was  gasping  for  breath,  down  on  a  couch.  Then 
he  related  in  the  fullest  detail  how  the  two  Princes  had  kindly  inter- 
vened and  fortunately  put  a  stop  just  in  time  to  the  havoc  which  was 
being  wrought  by  the  ruthless  Minister  of  Finance.  But  in  order  not  to 
cause  the  ladies  renewed  consternation  he  did  not  mention  for  the 
present  the  fact  that  Prince  Shieh  had  been  arrested.  As  soon  as  he  hac! 
fulfilled  his  mission  of  calming -the  ladies  he  left  them  and  hurried  off 
to  his  own  dwelling  to  see  what  was  going  on  there. 

He  found  his  home  in  a  state  of  wild  disorder.  Cupboards  and  boxes 
and  chests  had  been  broken  open  and  half  the  contents  plundereo. 
While  he  was  observing  the  damage,  petrified  with  shock  and  rage,  he 
heard  a  murmur  of  voices  which  came  from  a  group  of  men  outside  in 
the  forecourt.  He  went  out  and  found  Chia  Cheng,  in  the  presence  of 
the  two  Princes  and  several  officers  of  the  Minister  of  Finance,  making 
out  a  list  of  Prince  Shieh's  possessions,  which  were  being  confiscated. 
Prince  Shieh's  majordomo  was  assisting  him.  Finally  the  list  was  com- 
pleted and  read  aloud,  and  Chia  Lien  heard: 

Gold  head  ornaments,  one  hundred  and  twenty  pieces;  twelve  pearl 
necklaces;  two  flat  gold  dishes;  four  gold  cups;  forty  gold  spoons; 
eighty  silver  eating  bowls;  twenty  silver  plates;  three  sets  of  gilded 
ivory  chopsticks;  four  gilded  pitchers;  six  gilded  goblets;  seventy 
silver  plates;  thirty-six  silver  wine  tankards;  fifty  ounces  of  gold 
ingots;  five  thousand  two  hundred  ounces  of  silver  ingots;  seven 
thousand  thousand-piece  strings  of  copper  money;  thirty-six  sable 
skins;  so  and  so  many  skins  of  all  kinds  of  animals;  hundreds  of  furs 
and  state  robes,  hundreds  of  bales  of  all  kinds  of  material,  hundreds 
of  bronze  and  jade  ornaments  .  .  .  and  so  it  went  on  and  on  in  a 
seemingly  endless  list.  The  promissory  notes  of  Phoenix's  money 
transactions  were  also  mentioned. 

"Who  has  actually  been  carrying  on  this  usurious  business?"  Chia 
Lien  heard  the  two  Princes  asking  severely.  Mr.  Cheng  threw  himself 
on  the  ground,  made  a  kowtow,  and  replied:  "T,  the  laggard  official, 
have  not  concerned  m>self  about  the  business  of  the  household.  I  know 
nothing  about  it.  But  perhaps  my  nephew  Chia  Lien  can  give  you  some 
information." 

When  Chia  Lien  heard  his  name  he  promptly  came  forward,  threw 
himself  at  the  feet  of  the  Princes,  and  admitted:  'Since  the  confiscated 
mortgage  deeds  and  promissory  notes  were  found  in  my  home.  I  nat- 

537 


urally  take  the  blame  for  them.  I  beg  of  you  graciously  to  free  my 
uncle  of  any  responsibility  in  the  matter.  He  knew  nothing  about  it." 

"Very  well.  Your  admission  does  you  credit.  Since  your  father  has 
been  found  guilty  in  any  case,  we  shall  let  him  atone  for  this  offense 
also.  You  yourself  must  remain  for  the  present  under  police  super- 
vision. The  other  members  of  the  family  are  free  and  may  return  to. 
their  respective  dwellings,"  the  Princes  decided. 

"But  you  ought  to  supervise  your  family  more  closely  in  the  future, 
old  Cheng!  And  now  may  it  please  you  to  await  further  instructions. 
We  must  return  to  the  Imperial  Palace  at  once  and  place  our  report 
before  the  Throne." 

And  so  Chia  Lien,  acting  on  a  noble  impulse,  saved  Madame 
Phoenix  from  disgrace  and  in  doing  so  made  amends  for  much  of  the 
injustice  which  he  had  done  her  in  the  past. 

The  Princes  got  into  their  sedan  chairs  and  were  borne  away.  Mr. 
Cheng,  at  the  head  of  those  male  members  of  the  clan  who  were  still 
free,  escorted  them  to  the  gates.  At  the  inner  gate-  the  Prince  of  the 
Northern  Quietness  had  his  sedan  chair  stopped  once  more.  Mr.  Cheng 
and  his  companions  immediately  genuflected  at  the  door.  The  Prince 
stretched  out  his  hand  to  Mr.  Cheng. 

"Do  not  worry!  Everything  will  be  all  right,"  he  said  kindly. 
Friendly  sympathy  was  distinctly  written  on  his  face.  Mr.  Cheng  turned 
back  greatly  reassured,  and  directed  his  steps  towards  the  inner  cham- 
bers. Passing  through  groups  of  excited  serving  women  and  maids, 
who  were  all  chattering  at  the  same  time,  he  arrived  at  the  home  of 
the  Ancestress.  He  found  her  lying  on  a  couch,  weeping  quietly,  sur- 
rdunded  by  her  ladies,  and  also  Mandarin  Duck,  and  Pao  Yu,  and 
Precious  Clasp.  Princess  Shieh  sat  a  little  apart,  crying  loudly.  She 
was  the  only  one  who  had  not  yet  pulled  herself  together.  His  arrival  in- 
spired the  ladies  with  new  courage. 

"I  did  not  think  that  I  would  see  you  again,"  said  the  Ancestress, 
opening  her  eyes  and  breaking  into  loud  sobbing,  in  which  the  rest  of 
the  company  immediately  joined.  His  reassuring  account  of  the  Princes' 
protection,  which  had  averted  the  worst  and  which  could  be  counted 
upon  for  the  future,  caused  the  chorus  of  sobbing  to  ease  off,  only  to 
rise  again  at  the  news  of  the  arrest  of  Prince  Shieh.  Princess  Shieh  felt 
oppressed  by  the  company  of  the  others,  and  slipped  away  to  weep 
alone  in  her  own  home.  But  she  found  the  gates  locked  against  her  and 
none  of  her  staff  was  to  be  seen;  they  were  all  shut  up  behind  bolted 
doors. 

Crying  loudly,  she  ran  to  the  home  of  Phoenix  to  find  comfort  with 
her.  She  found  the  entrance  to  a  side  building,  in  which  Phoenix  kept 
her  account  books  and  treasure  chests,  locked  and  sealed  up  with  red 

538 


official  tape.  As  she  entered  the  living  room  the  sound  of  subdued  weep- 
ing  met  her  ears.  It  came  from  the  waiting  maid  Little  Ping,  who  was 
busily  and  anxiously  tending  her  mistress.  Phoenix  was  lying  as  if  dead 
on  a  divan,  her  face  pale  as  ashes  and  her  eyes  closed.  Princess  Shieh 
thought  she  was  already  dead,  and  was  about  to  raise  a  loud  dirge,  but 
Little  Ping  warned  her  to  keep  still  and  not  to  disturb  her  poor  mistress, 
who  had  only  just  awakened  from  a  fainting  fit  and  urgently  needed 
quiet.  The  same  misery  everywhere,  thought  Princess  Shieh  to  herself, 
and  returned  sadly  to  the  Ancestress.  On  the  way  she  began  to  realize 
the  utter  wretchedness  of  her  own  state — the  sudden  fall  from  a  bril- 
liant, high  position,  her  husband  arrested,  her  son  under  police  sur- 
veillance, her  daughter  unhappily  married,  she  herself  locked  out  of 
her  own  house,  without  a  roof,  without  servants,  and  without  means,  the 
former  Princess  become  a  beggar!  She  was  full  of  self-pity. 

Fortunately,  however,  her  lot  was  not  quite  so  unhappy  as  she,  the 
pampered  lady  of  fashion,  imagined  it  to  be.  The  relatives  befriended 
her  kindly.  Widow  Chu  willingly  made  room  for  her  in  her  own  home, 
and  Madame  Cheng  placed  a  waiting  maid  and  a  serving  woman  from 
her  own  staff  at  her  disposal,  and  so  she  was  safe  and  well  cared  for. 

Meantime  Chia  Cheng  was  walking  up  and  down  in  a  state  of  acute 
agitation  and  palpitation,  nervously  rubbing  his  hands,  awaiting  the 
new  decree,  which  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  had  promised 
as  consolation.  While  he  was  impatiently  pacing  up  and  down  his 
study,  he  heard  the  guards  who  were  keeping  watch  outside  the  door 
sharply  challenging  somebody.  "Hi,  there!"  they  cried.  "Where  have 
you  come  from?  What  are  you  loafing  around  here?" 

Mr.  Cheng  stepped  outside  the  door,  and  there  he  saw,  standing  in 
the  courtyard,  the  bad-tempered  old  grumbler,  Chiao  Ta,  the  oldest 
inmate  of  the  eastern  palace  and  former  companion-in-arms  of  the 
Ancestor  Prince  of  the  Ningkuo  line. 

"What  brings  you  over  here?"  he  asked  him. 

"Have  I  not  admonished  and  warned  my  dissolute  and  incorrigible 
masters  day  after  day?"  stormed  the  old  man.  "They  took  my  well- 
meant  advice  ill,  they  looked  upon  me  not  as  a  good  friend  but  as  an 
enemy,  and  they  quite  forgot  vhat  I  had  gone  through  and  suffered  for 
our  old  Ancestor!  And  now  there's  the  devil  to  pay!  Prince  Chen  and 
his  son  Cliia  Yung  arrested  and  dragged  away  on  the  order  of  a  Prince 
So-and-So!  The  Princess  and  her  women  shut  up  in  empty  rooms  by 
police  officers!  Ha!  Ha!  The  whole  fine  company  locked  up  like  dogs 
and  pigs!  The  furniture  and  fittings  looted  or  smashed!  Ha!  Ha!  they 
wanted  to  get  hold  of  old  Chiao  Ta  too,  but  they  came  to  the  wrong 
man!  Old  Chiao  Ta  did  not  fight  side  by  side  with  our  Ancestor 
Prince,  and  battle  his  way  through  a  hundred  dangers,  to  let  himself 

539 


be  locked  up  in  his  old  age!  I  belonged  to  the  western  palace,  I  told 
them,  and  made  off.  They  stopped  me  on  the  way-  and  brought  me 
here.  And  who  would  have  thought  I'd  find  things  just  as  bad  here  as 
over  in  the  eastern  palace?  But  to  be  locked  up?  No!  I'd  rather  die  a 
free  man!" 

And  lunging  forward  defiantly  as  in  his  fighting  days  of  long  ago,  the 
old  champion  made  to  attack  his  guards.  But  out  of  respect  for  his  gray 
hairs,  and  remembering  the  Prince's  instructions  to  treat  the  servants 
with  the  greatest  consideration,  the  guards  avoided  an  actual  fight  and 
talked  persuasively  and  appeasingly  to  the  old  hothead.  They  were 
here  on  higher  orders  and  were  only  doing  their  duty,  they  told  him. 
Since  he  was  here  now  they  had  no  objection  to  his  staying  here 
quietly.  He  should  just  make  himself  comfortable  and  wait  patiently 
until  new  instructions  arrived.  At  this  the  old  man  calmed  down. 

And  so  Chia  Cheng  learned  by  chance  from  the  mouth  of  the  faithful 
but  tough  old  man  of  the  ruin  which  had  befallen  the  eastern  palace. 
And  he  had  to  admit  with  shame  that  the  scorned  and  resented  old 
admonisher  and  grumbler  had  been  right  in  his  well-intentioned  warn- 
ings all  those  years. 

"This  is  the  end!  We're  finished!  Who  would  have  thought  that  our 
proud  race  should  one  day  sink  in  mud  and  filth  like  this?"  muttered 
Mr.  Cheng  as  he  turned  back  to  his  study,  deeply  jejected.  He  had 
been  pacing  up  and  down  for  some  time,  sunk  in  thought,  and  tense 
with  expectation,  when  Hsueh  Kuo  came  rushing  in,  panting  and 
gasping. 

"It's  good  that  you  have  come."  said  Mr.  Cheng  to  the  welcome  mes- 
senger from  the  outside  world.  "But  how  did  you  get  them  to  let  you 
in?" 

"With  money  and  friendly  words." 

"Well  done!  I  shall  need  you  as  a  messenger.  One  may  have  a  host 
of  good  friends  and  acquaintances,  but  when  there  is  a  fire,  they  all 
leave  one  in  the  lurch,"  muttered  Chia  Cheng.  "What,  actually,  is  the 
charge  against  our  people  over  in  the  eastern  palace?" 

"I  was  at  the  Ministry  of  Justice  this  morning  inquiring  about  Hsueh 
Pan,"  reported  Hsueh  Kuo.  "There  I  found  out  some  details  regarding 
the  reason  for  the  proceedings  against  Cousin  Chen.  The  action  had  its 
origin  in  two  bills  of  indictment  lodged  by  two  public  Censors.  He  is 
accused  of  holding  gambling -orgies  in  his  palace  and  sedu-ing  and 
leading  astray  'young  sons  of  noble  families.  But  that  is  the  lesser 
charge.  The  other  accusation  is  more  serious,  and  it  is  that  he  forced 
young  girls  of  good  family  into  concubinage  and  then  harried  them  to 
death  by  bad  treatment.  By  this  they  mean  our  cousins,  the  second  Yu 
and  the  third  Yu,  The  Censors  Lase  their  accusation  on  the  evidence  of 

540 


the  gambler  and  waster,  Chang  Hua,  who  was  formerly  betrothed  to 
the  second  Yu,  and  of  your  former  servant,  Little  Pao,  who  later,  with 
his  wife,  kept  house  for  the  second  Yu  when  she  lived  behind  the 
palace  in  the  Lane  of  the  Flowering  Branch.  Further  .  .  ." 

Chia  Cheng  did  not  let  him  finish  speaking.  "Terrible!  Terrible! 
This  is  the  end!"  he  raged,  angrily  stamping  his  foot. 

"Moreover,  the  Censor  Li  has  handed  in  a  bill  of  indictment  against 
the  Prefect  of  Ping  an  Chow,"  continued  Hsueh  Kuo.  "He  is  charged 
with  having  accepted  bribes  and  defeated  the  ends  of  justice  in  collu- 
sion with  a  corrupt  clique  of  influential  people  in  the  capital,  and 
caused  innocent  citizens  .  .  ." 

"Stop!"  interrupted  Chia  Cheng  impatiently.  "We  have  enough 
troubles  of  our  own.  Why  should  other  people's  affairs  concern  us?" 

"Why  shouldn't  they,  indeed?  The  person  who  bribed  the  Prefect  is 
your  own  elder  brother,  Prince  Shieh,  and  the  clique  are  your  good 
friends  and  acquaintances!  That  is  just  why  they  are  remaining  in- 
visible, and  even  today  they  did  not  dare  to  appear  at  the  morning  audi- 
ence at  the  Court.  They  have  fled  from  the  capital  and  will  stay  at  a 
safe  distance  until  the  storm  has  blown  over.  The  matter  is  the  talk 
of  the  town,  of  course,  and  people  are  wondering  to  whom  the  princely 
titles,  honorably  acquired  by  the  Ancestors  of  the  Chia  family,  will 
pass  when  the  present  holders,  Cousin  Chen  and  Uncle  Shieh,  have 
been  deprived  of  them." 

Mr.  Cheng  would  not  listen  to  Hsueh  Kuo  any  longer. 

"They  have  both  acted  most  irresponsibly,"  he  said  angrily,  "but 
this  is  no  time  for  lengthy  recrimination.  I  must  go  to  the  old  Tai  tai 
at  once  and  see  if  she  is  still  alive.  You  keep  your  ears  open  and  try 
to  find  out  what  is  going  on,  and  if  there  is  anything  new  to  report,  do 
not  fail  to  come  over  at  once." 


CHAPTER   48 

The  Princess  Ancestress,  prostrate  before  heaven,  nobly  takes  upon  her 

own  head  the  guilt  of  the  whole  clan,  and  generously  distributes  her 

treasures.  The  Imperial  grace  is  showered  upon  Chia  Cheng,  and  the 

princely  title,  restored  once  more,  is  passed  on  to  him. 

CHIA  CHENG  FOUND  THE  ANCESTRESS  IN  A  SERIOUS  CONDITION.  SHE 
had  just  had  a  severe  attack  of  asthma,  and  was  still  struggling  labori- 
ously for  breath.  He  implored  her  not  to  excite  herself  too  much  and 
to  take  care  of  her  precious  life,  so  that  her  undutiful  sons  would  not 
have  even  more  cause  for  self-reproach. 

541 


"What  is  there  left  for  me  to  live  for?"  she  gasped.  "I  am  over 
eighty  years  of  age.  Thanks  to  the  blessings  which  have  come  from 
our  ancestors  I  was  able  to  enjoy  a  happy  youth  and  married  life.  And 
now  to  come  to  such  disgrace  in  my  old  age !  It  would  have  been  better 
had  I  closed  my  eyes  long  ago!" 

While  Mr.  Cheng  was  still  anxiously  trying  to  cheer  her  with  kind 
words,  the  longed-for  news  came  at  last  that  a  messenger  had  arrived 
from  the  Imperial  Palace.  With  a  palpitating  heart  Mr.  Cheng  rushed 
off  to  the  front  reception  hall.  There  the  palace  superintendent  of  the 
Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness  was  awaiting  him.  His  expression 
promised  good  news. 

"Good  tidings!"  he  began  with  a  smile.  "My  master  the  Prince  has 
represented  your  case  very  earnestly  before  the  Throne,  and  he  and 
the  Prince  of  the  Eastern  Covenant  have  succeeded  between  them  in 
touching  the  heart  of  the  Son  of  Heaven.  Moreover,  the  memory  of 
his  virtuous  wife,  your  eldest  daughter,  only  recently  deceased,  has  in- 
clined the  Imperial  Lord  to  clemency  and  moved  him  to  permit  you 
to  retain  your  position  at  the  Ministry  of  Works.  The  confiscation  of 
property  is  to  be  confined  solely  to  the  personal  property  of  your 
brother  Shieh.  Whatever  else  has  been  confiscated  from  the  western 
palace  will  be  restored.  Of  course,  the  loan  documents  taken  from  your 
nephew  Chia  Lien  will  be  examined  again  by  my  princely  master.  If 
it  is  proved  that  usurious  business  of  an  illegal  nature  has  been  car- 
ried on,  the  documents  must  remain  under  confiscation.  Your  nephew 
Lien  will  lose  his  official  rank,  but  otherwise  he  will  be  free  and  he  need 
not  expect  any  further  punishment." 

Mr.  Cheng  joyfully  performed  two  kowtows  of  thanks,  one  for  the 
Son  of  Heaven  and  one  for  the  Prince.  He  would  appear  at  the  early 
morning  audience  tomorrow  without  fail,  to  pay  his  respects  to  the 
Prince,  he  said.  Shortly  after  the  superintendent  had  gone  the  promised 
Imperial  decree  arrived  and  was  put  into  force  immediately.  Unfor- 
tunately, Chia  Lien's  pleasure  "at  being  let  off  so  easily  was  clouded  by 
the  fact  that  the  treasure  chests  belonging  to  himself  and  his  wife  had 
already  been  plundered  by  the  constables  and  bailiffs  of  the  Minister 
of  Finance  before  the  Prince  had  intervened,  and  the  goods  could  not 
be  reclaimed  for  want  of  an  inventory  and  receipts.  A  hoard  amount- 
ing to  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  ounces  of  gold,  which  Phoenix  had 
busily  accumulated  throughout  the  years,  was  thus  irretrievably  lost. 
From  one  day  to  the  next  Phoenix  saw  herself  cheated  of  the  fruits  of 
her  longstanding,  efficiently  operated  private  business;  she  was  never 
to  recover  from  the  blow. 

Of  course,  within  the  family  circle  there  was  no  lack  of  mutual  re- 
proach and  bad-tempered  recrimination.  Mr.  Cheng,  who  had  never 

542 


concerned  himself  previously  with  the  accounts  and  the  practical  man- 
agement of  the  great  household,  was  now  horrified  to  discover  that  for 
many  years  past  they  had  been  living  above  their  means  in  the  western 
palace;  that  the  treasure  chamber  was  empty;  that  the  farm  rents  from 
the  property  in  Manchuria  were  always  already  spent  a  year  in  ad- 
vance. He  reproached  himself  for  his  foolishness  and  incompetence  in 
allowing  this  irresponsible  management  to  go  on  for  so  long,  and 
bitterly  deplored  the  fact  that  there  was  not  a  single  one  among  his 
sons  and  nephews  upon  whom  he  could  rely,  as  he  could  have  done  on 
his  first-born  son,  Chia  Chu,  who,  alas,  had  died  all  too  soon. 

Meantime,  on  hearing  of  the  recent  favorable  turn  of  events,  the 
good  friends  and  colleagues  rallied  around  Mr.  Cheng  to  congratulate 
him  and  seek  his  favor  once  more.  There  was  a  great  spate  of  con- 
jecturing and  belated  wise  talk. 

"For  a  long  time  past  we  had  our  doubts  about  your  somewhat 
negligent  elder  brother  Shieh  and  your  frivolous  nephew  Chen,"  it 
was  now  said. 

"Other  families  have  their  scandals  without  a  Censor's  coming  and 
denouncing  them  at  once  to  the  Imperial  Court.  The  worthy  gentlemen 
appear  not  to  have  been  sufficiently  astute  in  the  matter  of  cultivating 
profitable  connections,"  others  said. 

"The  Censors  are  said  to  have  taken  this  step  on  the  information 
of  aggrieved  servants  who  had  been  dismissed  and  humble  citizens 
who  had  been  offended.  A  drunken  moneylender  named  Ni,  well  known 
in  the  town,  has  been  mentioned  in  particular,"  said  others.  "Perhaps 
it  would  be  wise  to  treat  such  subordinates  and  small  people  less 
roughly,  and  not  to  annoy  them  unnecessarily." 

"On  the  contrary,  you  would  be  wise  to  supervise  your  servants 
more  rigorously  and  to  punish  them  more  severely  than  hitherto  when 
they  are  at  fault.  When  you  were  Corn  Treasurer  you  learned  what  too 
good-natured  and  easy  treatment  leads  to.  On  no  account  should  you 
allow  your  good  name  to  be  brought  into  discredit  again  through  your 
subordinates.  You  could  scarcely  count  on  receiving  mercy  from  the 
Imperial  Court  a  second  time,"  was  the  view  of  a  fourth  group. 

While  these  different  opinions,  alternated  with  good  advice,  were 
being  aired,  a  messenger  arrived  from  young  Hsia,  the  tyrannical  hus- 
band of  poor  Greeting  of  Spring.  His  master,  he  said,  was  unable  to 
come  himself  owing  to  another  engagement.  He  was  still  willing  to 
divorce  his  wife,  Greeting  of  Spring,  but  must  first  insist  on  being  re- 
turned the  five  thousand  ounces  which  he  had  given  for  her.  Since  his 
father-in-law,  Prince  Shieh,  had  been  arrested  and  dispossessed,  he 
now  claimed  this  sum  from  Mr.  Cheng. 

543 


"This  is  the  last  straw!"  groaned  Mr.  Cheng.  Under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances where  could  he  find  five  thousand  ounces  immediately? 

"Such  a  scoundrel  of  a  son-in-law!  Instead  of  assisting  his  father-in- 
law  in  his  need,  or  at  least  showing  him  sympathy,  he  comes  along 
with  such  unfilial  and  unreasonable  demands!"  said  Mr.  Cheng's 
friends  indignantly. 

"I  warned  against  this  match  from  the  beginning,  but  no  one  would 
listen  to  me.  My  poor,  unfortunate  niece,"  sighed  Mr.  Cheng.  Sorry 
as  he  was,  he  had  to  let  the  messenger  depart  shrugging  his  shoulders 
and  with  empty  hands,  and  Greeting  of  Spring  had  to  continue  lan- 
guishing in  the  power  of  an  unworthy  husband. 

The  next  day,  at  the  early  audience,  Mr.  Cheng  performed  his  kow- 
tow of  thanks,  and  then  he  paid  his  respects  to  the  Princes  of  the 
Eastern  Covenant  and  of  the  Northern  Quietness  and  also  to  the  Chan- 
cellor, and  begged  their  kindly  intercession  for  Brother  Shieh  and 
Cousin  Chen. 

Phoenix  was  completely  broken  by  all  that  had  happened,  and 
tortured  by  frightful  qualms  of  conscience.  Now  she  bitterly  regretted 
that  she  had  not  taken  the  late  Ko  Ching's  advice  and  invested  the 
surplus  money  in  a  family  trust  property  which  would  be  safe  from 
confiscation  by  the  State.  Instead  of  that,  she  had  been  foolish  enough 
to  pile  up  bars  of  gold  and  silver  and  to  fill  treasure  trunks,  which 
could  be  plundered  at  any  time.  How  cruelly  the  wise  prediction  which 
her  niece  Ko  Ching  had  made  years  ago  on  her  deathbed  had  come 
true! 

In  addition,  she  felt  painfully  aware  that  the  charge  which  the 
Censors  had  hurled  at  Cousin  Chc-n — that  daughters  of  good  families 
had  been  forced  to  be  concubines  and  then  harried  to  death  by  ill- 
treatment — actually  applied  to  her.  The  unhappy  second  Yu,  whose 
death  was  on  her  conscience,  rose  before  her  eyes  like  a  ghostly  pres- 
ence. In  the  Censors'  bill  of  indictment  the  name  of  young  Chang,  her 
secret  tool  and  the  second  Yu's  former  betrothed,  was  explicitly  named. 
If  the  Court  went  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  her  own  guilt  would  have 
to  come  to  light.  She  did  not  dare  consider  the  consequences.  A  quick 
death  was  the  only  thing  she  desired.  She,  who  up  to  now  had  been 
one  of  the  most  valued  and  respected  persons  in  the  Yungkuo  palace, 
had  lost  face  forever.  She  realized  this  from  the  gruff  answer  with 
which  her  husband  Chia  Lien  had  brushed  off  Little  Ping  when  she  had 
urged  him  to  send  for  a  doctor  for  her.  He  had  no  money  to  spare  for 
that  now,  he  had  to  think  of  himself,  he  had  rebuffed  her,  brusquely. 

"How  can  you  even  think  of  getting  a  doctor?"  she  said  reproach- 
fully to  Little  Ping  afterwards.  "What  does  my  wrecked  life  matter  to 

544 


me  now?  I  can  hardly  wait  for  the  end,  and  I  am  only  hesitating  be- 
cause I  can't  decide  whether  to  swallow  gold  or  take  poison." 

From  that  time  on  the  faithful,  anxious  Little  Ping  did  not  move 
from  her  side. 

The  Ancestress  had  recovered  with  surprising  rapidity,  thanks  to 
the  comforting  knowledge  that  at  least  her  second  son  Cheng  still  en- 
joyed the  Imperial  favor  and  that  she  had  her  two  favorite  grandchil- 
dren, Pao  Yu  and  Precious  Clasp,  always  with  her;  in  the  midst  of  the 
general  confusion  she  was  all  activity  and  motherly  care.  She  opened 
her  strongboxes  and  her  cupboards'  and  provided  the  impoverished 
ladies,  Phoenix  and  Princess  Shieh  and  Princess  Chen,  with  money 
and  clothing.  She  sent  a  carriage  to  the  eastern  palace  and  had  Princess 
Chen  and  her  daughter-in-law  and  two  of  the  secondary  wives  who 
had  stayed  on  brought  over  to  the  western  palace.  The  other  secondary 
wives  had  fled.  None  of  the  numerous  staff  was  there  any  longer.  Like 
Prince  Shieh's  servants,  they  had  come  under  the  official  confiscation 
and  had  been  dragged  away  by  the  bailiffs  to  be  publicly  auctioned. 
The  Ancestress  allowed  the  ladies  from  the  eastern  palace  to  occupy 
several  rooms  in  her  residence,  placed  two  waiting  maids  and  four 
serving  women  at  their  disposal,  had  thein  provided  with  food  from  the 
great  kitchen,  and  allotted  them  a  fixed  monthly  sum  as  pocket  money, 
on  the  same  h'nes  as  that  normally  allowed  the  members  of  the  Yungkuo 
clan. 

Cash  had  also  to  be  made  available  for  the  imprisoned  members  of 
the  clan — Prince  Shieh,  Prince  Chen,  and  Chia  Yung — to  ease  their 
captivity.  Faced  with  an  embarrassing  lack  of  funds,  Chia  Lien  knew 
no  way  out  except  to  sell  secretly  part  of  the  family  property  in  the 
country.  True,  he  did  procure  a  few  thousand  ounces  in  this  way  and 
had  ready  cash  for  the  moment,  but  the  doubtful  wisdom  of  this  meas- 
ure, which  again  was  contrary  to  the  wise  advice  of  the  deceased  Ko 
Ching,  will  be  seen  later  on.  The  farm  stewards,  who  saw  their  mas- 
ters' splendor  disappearing  and  were  anxious  about  their  own  future, 
sought  to  save  what  could  be  saved  before  the  gates  were  closed  and, 
in  secret  agreement  with  the  tenants,  stuffed  as  much  as  they  could  of 
the  profits  of  the  Manchurian  property  into  their  own  pockets. 

The  Ancestress  was  depressed  by  Phoenix's  perpetually  downcast 
face  and  the  ceaseless  laments  of  the  Ladies  Shieh  and  Chen.  As  head 
of  the  Chia  clan,  she  felt  herself  to  be  primarily  responsible  for  the 
suffering  which  had  come  over  the  clan.  One  evening  Mandarin  Duck 
and  Amber  had  to  build  an  incense  altar  out  in  the  open  courtyard  and 
spread  a  red  prayer-carpet  in  front  of  it.  Then  the  Ancestress  hobbled 
out  on  her  stick,  supported  by  her  waiting  maids,  went  down  on  her 
old  knees  on  the  carpet,  set  alight  the  sticks  of  incense,  touched  the 

545 


ground  with  her  forehead  several  times,  and,  weeping,  sent  up  a  solemn, 
fervent  prayer  to  heaven: 

"0  Mighty  Heaven  up  above  us!  I,  of  the  family  of  Shih,  the  un- 
worthy head  of  the  Chia  clan,  humbly  lay  myself  at  Thy  feet  and  im- 
plore mercy  of  Thy  divine  majesty.  Throughout  many  generations  my 
race  has  striven  to  keep  to  the  path  of  virtue  and  not  to  turn  to  the 
ways  of  evil.  As  far  as  lay  in  my  power  I  have  endeavored  to  be  a  de- 
voted wife,  mother,  and  grandmother  to.  my  husband,  children,  and 
grandchildren  respectively.  Even  if  I  cannot  claim  to  have  done  any 
outstandingly  meritorious  work,  neither  can  I  accuse  myself  of  any  out- 
standingly wicked  deeds.  In  consequence  of  the  arrogant,  dissolute,  and 
sinful  mode  of  life  of  some  of  the  younger  descendants  of  our  illus- 
trious ancestors,  the  race  of  Chia  has  fallen  into  disgrace  and  ruin.  A 
son,  a  grandson,  and  a  great-grandson  have  to  expiate  their  crimes  in 
prison.  I  take  the  blame  for  all  the  evil,  because  I  failed  to  give  them 
the  proper  training.  Now,  0  Mighty  Heaven,  I  implore  Thy  gracious 
protection  and  support.  Have  pity  on  my  children  and  grandchildren! 
Let  me  atone  for  them  by  a  speedy  death!  Punish  me  and  spare  them! 
Turn  their  sorrow  into  happiness,  their  mourning  into  joy!  .  .  ." 

Her  prayer  ended  in  violent  sobbing.  Mandarin  Duck  and  Amber 
raised  her  to  her  feet  and,  speaking  comforting  words  to  her,  escorted 
her  in  again. 

A  few  days  later  Chia  Cheng  was  ordered  by  an  express  messenger  to 
go  to  the  Imperial  Secretariat.  At  last  the  new  Imperial  decree  had  been 
issued  which  was  to  free  him  of  uncertainty  regarding  the  ultimate  fate 
of  the  imprisoned  members  of  the  clan.  Thanks  to  the  benevolent  repre- 
sentations put  forward  by  the  Imperial  Secretariat  to  the  Imperial 
Court  through  the  mouth  of  the  Prince  of  the  Northern  Quietness,  the 
new  decree  viewed  the  offenses  of  the  princely  prisoners  much  more 
indulgently  than  hitherto,  excused  as  legitimate  family  relations  the 
connivance  between  Prince  Shieh  and  the  Prefect  of  Ping  an  Chou, 
acknowledged  that  the  eccentric  fan-collector  had  met  his  death  through 
his  own  foolishness  and  not  as  a  consequence  of  improper  pressure  on 
the  part  of  Prince  Shieh,  and  allowed,  moreover,  that  Prince  Chen  had 
only  meant  well  when  he  preferred  to  see  his  sister-in-law,  the  second 
Yu,  lawfully  provided  for  as  secondary  wife  to  his  cousin  Lien,  in 
view  of  the  complete  poverty  of  her  betrothed,  Chang  Hua,  especially 
since  her  mother  too  had  agreed  to  this.  In  the  case  of  the  third  Yu, 
also,  who  had  committed  suicide  in  consequence  of  a  tragic  error,  there 
could  be  no  question  of  compulsion.  To  be  sure,  the  accused  had  been 
guilty  of  numerous  offenses  against  the  law,  among  them  the  suppres- 
sion of  a  legal  action,  the  arrangement  of  a  marriage  during  the  period 
of  Court  mourning,  and  the  secret  burial  of  a  member  of  the  family. 

546 


However,  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  they  were  descendants  of 
two  men  who  had  rendered  great  service  to  the  Throne,  they  would 
be  given  a  mild  punishment:  they  would  forfeit  their  princely  titles  and 
would  be  banished  to  the  frontiers  of  the  Empire,  there  to  atone  for 
their  guilt  by  devoted  service  to  the  State — Prince  Shieh  in  one  of  the 
lonely  stations  of  the  Great  Wall  in  the  Far  West,  Prince  Chen  in  a 
remote  coast-guard  station  on  the  eastern  seaboard.  In  view  of  his 
youth,  Chia  Yung  was  absolved  from  all  punishment. 

Chia  Cheng  shed  tears  of  joy  and  thanked  the  Prince  of  the  Northern 
Quietness,  who  had  iriformed  him  of  the  contents  of  the  decree,  by  fall- 
ing at  his  feet  and  touching  his  forehead  to  the  ground. 

He  obtained  permission  for  his  brother  Shieh  and  his  nephew  Chen 
to  return  home  for  one  day  to  take  leave  of  their  families  before  going 
into  banishment. 

The  message  which  Chia  Cheng  brought  home  from  the  Imperial 
Secretariat  aroused  mixed  feelings,  partly  joyful  and  partly  sad,  among 
the  clan.  Princess  Shieh  and  Princess  Chen  were  inconsolable  at  losing 
their  husbands  and  wept  at  the  thought  of  their  own  uncertain  future. 
The  Ancestress  was  not  particularly  touched  by  the  fate  of  her  elder  SOD 
and  her  grandnephew,  who  were  not  very  near  to  her  heart,  but  she  had 
sufficient  sympathy  to  wish  to  relieve  the  lot  of  the  two  exiles  with 
monetary  help. 

"We  should  give  them  a  couple  of  thousand  ounces  from  our  treas- 
ury to  take  with  them,"  she  remarked  lightly  to  Chia  Cheng. 

She  was  utterly  dumfounded  when  he  informed  her  that  the  treasury 
was  now  empty,  that  the  clan  had  been  living  beyond  its  means  for 
years  past,  and  that  the  farm  rents  from  the  Manchurian  landed  prop- 
erty had  already  been  spent  a  year  in  advance.  Probably  the  only  thing 
they  could  do  would  be  to  sell  the  family  jewels,  he  thought. 

"So  this  is  what  we  have  come  to!  Then,  it  seems,  we  have  been  put- 
ting en  false  splendor  for  years  and  years  past.  I  thought  we  had  been 
laying  by  wonderful  reserves!"  exclaimed  the  Ancestress,  bursting  into 
tears. 

"We  have  considerable  sums  of  money  invested  in  distant  parts  of 
the  country,  but  on  account  of  the  confiscation  we  cannot  draw  upon 
that  money  now.  Yes,  we  are  indeed  impoverished  and  we  will  have  to 
reduce  our  expenditures  drastically  in  future,  and  also  reduce  our 
staff.  Nephew  Chia  Lien  has  been  managing  badly,"  explained  Chia 
Cheng  gloomily.  He  considerately  kept  silent  that  Phoenix,  the  favorite 
of  the  Ancestress,  had  in  such  large  measure  contributed  to  the  down- 
fall of  the  family,  owing  to  her  secret  moneylending. 

While  the  Ancestress  was  still  debating  with  her  second  son  this  and 
that  plan  for  scraping  up  money  in  great  haste,  the  three  delinquents, 

547 


Shieh,  Chen,  and  Chia  Yung,  appeared.  They  fell  penitently  at  the  feet 
of  the  Ancestress  and,  covered  with  shame,  begged  for  forgiveness. 
There  was  a  touching  family. scene;  the  Ancestress  was  moved  to  tears, 
and  soon  had  forgotten  all  her  anger. 

"Now  go  to  your  wives  and  make  the  best  of  the  few  short  hours  you 
have  together!"  With  these  words  she  dismissed  her  elder  son  and  her 
grandnephew.  Then,  following  the  impulse  of  her  generous  heart,  she 
beckoned  to  her  side  the  Ladies  Shieh  and  Cheng  and  the  waiting  maid 
Mandarin  Duck,  and  bade  them  open  her  treasure  chests  and  take  out 
all  the  treasure  which  she  had  saved  and  accumulated  in  her  married 
years.  Magnanimously,  she  made  a  just  distribution  of  her  belongings. 

Her  elder  son,  Chia  Shieh,  received  three  thousand  ounces  of  silver. 
He  was  to  give  one  thousand  to  his  wife  and  take  the  other  two  with 
him  into  banishment.  Grandnephew  Chen  likewise  received  three 
thousand  ounces,  but  he  was  allowed  to  keep  only  one  thousand  for  his 
own  use;  the  other  two  thousand  he  had  to  leave  with  his  wife.  She  sent 
another  three  thousand  ounces  to  Phoenix  on  her  sickbed,  but  in  her 
guileless  ignorance  of  the  facts  she  added  a  message  that  Phoenix  was 
to  manage  the  money  herself  and  not  allow  her  frivolous  husband  to 
spend  it  foolishly.  Chia  Lien  received  five  hundred  ounces  with  the 
condition  that  he  should  himself  take  Black  Jade's  coffin  to  her  native 
town  of  Yangchow  the  following  year  and  provide  for  a  worthy  burial 
there.  Furthermore  she  set  apart  a  certain  sum  for  Grief  of  Spring,  to 
provide  the  trousseau  for  her  future  wedding.  A  number  of  articles  of 
jewelry  and  ceremonial  attire  were  divided  among  the  various  male 
and  female  members  of  the  family.  Chia  Cheng  received  a  large  sum 
of  money  in  gold  ingots,  with  which  to  bridge  the  existing  shortage  of 
cash  and  defray  the  household  expenses  for  the  immediate  future.  Pao 
Yu  was  given  gold  and  silver  jewelry  to  the  Tralue  of  several  thousand 
ounces.  Madame  Cheng,  Widow  Chu,  and  her  son  Chia  Lan,  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  Ancestress,  were  also  given  proportionate  shares  of 
the  treasure. 

Finally,  the  Ancestress  gave  Chia  Cheng  additional  instructions  re- 
garding reduction  of  staff  and  disposal  of  all  unnecessary  landed  prop- 
erty. The  Park  of  Delightful  Vision  was  also  a  superfluous  luxury  in 
the  present  circumstances,  she  said.  An  end  must  be  made,  once  and 
for  all,  to  the  former  easygoing  ways — to  this  life  of  pretense  and  false 
splendor.  She  had  given  away  everything  now,  and  they  could  not  count 
upon  her  for  any  more  help.  Whatever  residue  she  would  leave  at  her 
death  was  to  go  to  her  maids  and  maids-in-waiting.  So  the  family  had 
better  repent  and' mend  their  ways. 

They  all  knelt  down,  contrite  and  deeply  moved,  promised  reform, 
and  devoutly  wished  that  the  Ancestress  would  live  to  be  a  hundred. 

548 


But  the  Ancestress  declared  that  she  would  be  glad  to  be  united  soon*51- 
with  the  departed  souls  of  her  illustrious  ancestor?.  A  visit  of  consola- 
tion to  Phoenix  on  her  sickbed  formed  the  last  gentle  rumble  of  the 
storm,  now  finally  abated,  which  had  swept  over  the  family.  Phoenix 
held  her  breath  in  terror  and,  covered  with  shame,  hid  her  head  under 
the  bedclothes  when  she  saw  the  Ancestress  entering  her  room,  accom- 
panied by  Aunt  Cheng,  Pao  Yu,  and  Precious  Clasp.  Conscious  that 
she  was  the  chief  cause  of  the  financial  ruin  of  the  family,  she  had  been 
prepared  for  a  merciless  storm  of  abuse.  She  believed  the  favor  of  the 
Ancestress  forfeited  forever,  and  was  wishing  for  nothing  but  a  speedy 
death.  Instead  of  the  reproaches  which  she  expected,  however,  she  not 
only  received  comforting  words  but  was  loaded  with  all  kinds  of  useful 
presents  as  well  as  three  thousand  ounces  of  money;  all  this  thanks  to 
the  fact  that  her  secret  money  manipulations  had  been  so  considerately 
kept  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Ancestress.  As  her  mind  was  set  only 
on  worldly  possessions  and  prosperity,  the  improvement  in  her  position 
immediately  renewed  her  spirits.  She  performed  her  kowtow  of  thanks 
with  astounding  cheerfulness  and  agility  in  her  bed  and  promised  that 
in  future  she  would  work  and  strive  for  the  Ancestress  and  the  family 
with  all  the  industry  of  a  kitchen  maid. 

The  next  day  Chia  Shieh  and  Chia  Chen  had  to  take  their  leave  and 
set  out  on  their  journey  into  banishment.  Several  of  Mr.  Cheng's  own 
servants  were  obliged,  very  much  against  their  will,  to  accompany  them. 
There  was  the  usual  farewell  drink  and  the  prescribed  escort  of  honor 
to  the  ten-mile  halting  place  outside  the  city  walls.  Finally,  Mr.  Cheng 
spoke  a  few  more  words  of  admonition  to  the  departing  members  of 
the  clan,  exhorting  them  to  expiation  and  atonement  for  their  wrong- 
doing by  zealous  service  to  their  country.  Then  he  turned  back  and 
rode  home  with  Pao  Yu  and  the  other  juniors. 

On  his  return  he  found  the  gateway  to  the  western  palace  besieged 
by  a  crowd  of  reporters  and  news  hunters,  who  were  violently  re- 
monstrating with  the  gatekeepers  and  noisily  demanding  their  "good 
news  bounty."  They  had  arrived  in  haste  in  order  to  be  first  to  bring 
news  of  a  further  Imperial  decree  whereby  the  princely  title  of  the 
Yungkuo  line,  which  had  been  forfeited  by  Prince  Shieh,  was  restored 
and  conferred  on  Chia  Cheng.  The  gatekeepers  had  refused  to  pay 
the  "good  news  bounty,"  saying  that  the  news  was  no  surprise,  and  had 
been  expected  as  a  matter  of  course. 

"Not  in  the  least,"  the  reporters  had  protested.  "A  princely  title  is 
in  itself  an  exceedingly  rare  gift.  But  to  have  it  given  to  your  old 
master,  despite  the  recent  scandal,  is  a  piece  of  good  fortune  such  as 
does  not  occur  once  in  a  thousand  years.  Most  certainly  we  deserve  our 
'good  news  bounty' !' 

549 


Chia  Cheng  smilingly  gave  orders  for  their  hungry  mouths  to  be 
stopped;  then  he  visited  the  Ancestress  and  told  her  the  latest  happy 
news.  His  joy  and  pride  were  somewhat  damped  by  the  thought  that 
his  good  fortune  was  the  consequence  of  his  elder  brother's  disgrace. 
The  news  of  the  latest  favorable  turn  of  events  had  quickly  spread  in 
the  town  and  in  a  trice  all  the  good  friends  and  acquaintances,  the  flat- 
terers and  spongers,  so  conspicuously  absent  during  the  time  of  urgent 
need,  now  turned  up  in  force. 

After  he  had  rendered  thanks  at  the  Imperial  audience  the  next  day, 
Chia  Cheng's  strict  sense,  of  duty  moved  him  to  propose  to  the  Emperor 
that  as  he  did  not  deem  himself  worthy  to  remain  any  longer  in  enjoy- 
ment of  the  western  palace  and  the  Park  of  Delightful  Vision,  he  placed 
both  at  the  disposal  of  the  State.  But  on  the  recommendation  of  the 
Grand  Secretariat,  the  Son  of  Heaven  graciously  refused  to  accept  his 
act  of  renunciation— 


CHAPTER   49 

Robbers  loot  the  property  left  by  the  Ancestress  and  abduct  the  beauti- 
ful anchoress.  Pao  Yu  gets  back  his  stone  and  is  awakened. 

1  HE  EXCITEMENTS  OF  THESE  DAYS  HAD  GIVEN  A  SHOCK  TO  THE  OLD 

heart  of  the  Ancestress  from  which  it  was  destined  not  to  recover.  Once 
more  she  tried  to  animate  and  lighten  the  dreary  everyday  life  and  to 
bring  back  the  gaiety  of  happy  days  now  past  by  a  family  feast.  The 
newly  married  granddaughter  Little  Cloud  had  just  by  chance  arrived 
shortly  before  Precious  Clasp's  birthday.  At  her  suggestion,  the  An- 
cestress secretly  invited  all  the  female  relatives  within  reach,  and  gave 
them  a  sumptuous  banquet  in  honor  of  Precious  Clasp's  birthday,  as  a 
surprise  for  the  latter.  To  all  outward  appearances  everything  was  as 
of  old,  but  the  lightheartedness  which  used  to  animate  such  family 
gatherings  was  missing.  Phoenix's  pleasantries  sounded  forced  and 
awoke  no  echo.  The  dismal  faces  of  the  impoverished  Ladies  Shieh, 
Chen,  and  Hsueh,  the  absent-mindedness  of  Pao  Yu,  who  was  thinking 
sorrowfully  of  Black  Jade,  the  look  of  suffering  on  the  face  of  Greeting 
of  Spring,  who  was  tearfully  telling  of  the  miseries  of  her  married  life 
— all  these  things  effectively  prevented  a  festive  mood. 

"It  will  probably  be  the  last  time  I  shall  see  you,"  said  Greeting  of 
Spring,  full  of  sorrowful  forebodings,  as  she  was  fetched  away  on  the 
order  of  her  tyrannical  husband  in  the  midst  of  the  birthday  celebra- 
tions. A  few  days  later  the  Ancestress  fell  ill  and  died.  The  news  that 
poor  Greeting  of  Spring,  like  a  crushed  flower,  had  died  of  a  broken 

550 


heart  shortly  after  returning  home  from  the  birthday  party  had  been 
considerately  kept  from  her. 

The  Ancestress  had  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty -two  years  and 
died  a  beautiful,  gentle  death  surrounded  by  her  children  and  grand- 
children. She  still  had  a  kind  word  for  each  one  in  her  last  hour.  A 
peaceful  smile  illumined  her  features  as  she  closed  her  eyes.  Her  pass- 
ing was  mourned  far  and  wide.  As  she  had  been  the  grandmother  of  an 
Imperial  wife,  the  Most  High  contributed  the  sum  of  a  thousand  ounces 
towards  the  expenses  of  her  burial  and  by  special  decree  ordered  the 
Minister  of  Public  Worship  to  have  a  solemn  State  sacrifice  offered  in 
her  honor. 

The  role  of  organizer  and  hostess  during  the  arduous  weeks  of 
mourning  until  the  funeral  was  once  more  laid  upon  Phoenix.  With  a 
heavy  heart  she  undertook  the  onerous  task.  She  could  not  hide  from 
herself  the  contrast  with  that  other  occasion  when,  on  the  death  of  her 
niece  Ko  Clung,  she  had  superintended  the  mourning  pomp  in  the 
eastern  palace  as  deputy  of  Princess  Chen.  At  that  time  she  had  been 
at  the  height  of  her  power,  had  more  than  a  hundred  servants  under 
her,  and  could  draw  on  lavish  funds.  Today  she  was  a  sick  woman,  she 
had  only  twenty-one  male  and  nineteen  female  servants,  and  very 
limited  means  at  her  disposal.  That  meant  economizing,  and  pinching, 
and  saving  on  all  sides.  Besides,  she  had  lost  face  and  had  never  re- 
gained her  former  standing.  Her  measures  of  economy,  dictated  by 
sheer  necessity,  were  interpreted  by  the  clan  and  the  other  mourners  as 
lack  of  filial  devotion  to  the  Ancestress,  who  certainly  deserved  more 
splendor  and  pomp,  while  the  servants  abused  her  as  a  miserly  slave- 
driver. 

On  the  eve  of  the  funeral  procession  to  the  family  temple,  when  the 
house  was  filled  with  guests  and  Phoenix  was  wanted  everywhere  at  the 
same  time,  she  was  pained  to  hear  from  a  waiting  maid  that  her  mother- 
in-law  Shieh  had  run  her  down  in  front  of  the  guests,  alleging  that  she 
was  shirking  her  duties.  Mental  excitement  over  this,  coupled  with 
physical  exhaustion,  brought  on  a  collapse.  She  had  a  violent  hemor- 
rhage and  had  to  be  put  to  bed  in  a  fainting  condition.  She  was  unable 
to  take  part  in  the  chief  ceremonies  the  next  day  when  the  coffin  was 
taken  to  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings.  The  ladies  of  the  eastern 
palace  drove  in  hired  carriages  in  the  funeral  procession.  How  the 
proud  Princess  Chen  used  to  smile  compassionately  in  the  past  when 
this  or  that  poor  relation  had  come  to  visit  in  a  hired  carriage!  Times 
had  changed  indeed! 

The  night  before  the  funeral  procession  the  good  Mandarin  Duck 
gave  magnificent  proof  of  her  fidelity  and  devotion  by  strangling  her- 
self and  thus  voluntarily  remaining  in  attendance  on  her  mistress  of  so 

SSI 


many  years  in  her  journey  to  the  Yellow  Springs.  Her  action  was 
praised  by  all.  Mr.  Cheng  made  her  family  a  gift  of  a  hundred  ounces 
of  silver  and  gave  orders  that  the  excellent  girl  was  to  be  buried  with 
the  honors  due  to  an  actual  granddaughter  of  the  Ancestress.  Her  coffin 
was  to  be  carried  in  procession  the  next  day  behind  the  coffin  of  the 
Ancestress  and  placed  beside  it  in  the  family  temple. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  the  long  funeral  procession  of  more 
than  a  hundred  carriages  and  sedan  chairs  set  out  for  the  Temple  of 
the  Iron  Railings.  Mr.  Cheng  had  entrusted  the  care  of  the  western 
palace,  which  was  almost  denuded  of  servants,  to  Grief  of  Spring  and 
Chia  Yun,  Grief  of  Spring  being  responsible  for  the  women's  apart- 
ments in  the  place  of  Phoenix,  who  was  ill,  and  Chia  Yun  taking  re- 
sponsibility for  the  rest  of  the  palace  together  with  the  steward  Ling. 
That  afternoon  Grief  of  Spring  received  a  visit  from  her  beloved 
chess  companion,  the  beautiful  anchoress,  Miao  Yu,  who  still  lived  in 
her  Kingfisher's  Cage  in  the  farthest  corner  of  the  park.  In  her  loneli- 
ness she  kept  the  welcome  comforter  for  the  night  and  passed  the  time 
eagerly  playing  chess  with  her  until  dawn.  In  the  fourth  morning  hour 
the  beautiful  anchoress  was  about  to  withdraw  for  her  holy  "session 
of  contemplation,"  which  it  was  her  custom  to  make  at  this  hour,  when 
suddenly  there  were  loud  cries  outside  of  "Help!  Thieves!  Robbers!" 
The  cries,  which  first  came  from  the  female  members  of  the  night 
watch  who  were  patrolling  the  women's  quarters,  were  immediately 
taken  up  and  passed  on  by  the  male  watchers  who  were  at  the  other 
side  of  the  locked  inner  gate. 

The  timid  Grief  of  Spring  was  so  frightened  that  she  could  hardly 
breathe,  but  her  brave  companion  extinguished  the  lamp  and,  leaning 
over  the  window  sill,  peered  into  the  courtyard,  but  immediately  drew 
back  and  locked  the  window  again  as.  quickly  as  she  could. 

"There  are  strange  men  in  the  courtyard,"  she  whispered  to  Grief  of 
Spring.  Now  the  uproar  outside  increased,  the  inner  gate  creaked,  and 
the  sound  of  numerous  voices  and  cries  came  nearer.  The  booming 
voice  of  one  man  rose  above  the  tumult  crying:  "Where  are  the  fellows 
hiding?  Hold  them!  Fight  them!"  At  the  head  of  a  few  brave  watch- 
men, armed  with  a  strong  cudgel,  the  sturdy  Pao  Yung  came  rushing 
along.  He  was  the  new  park  watchman,  only  recently  taken  into  service, 
a  fearless  and  sturdy  fellow,  who  up  till  now  had  been  somewhat  dis- 
liked because  of  his  rough  manner,  but  who  was  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  proving  his  worth  now.  The  strange  intruders  fled  onto  the  roofs  at 
the  approach  of  his  squad,  and  tried  to  ward  off  their  pursuers  from 
above  with  a  shower  of  wooden  roof  tiles.  But  the  brave  Pao  Yung 
pursued  them  up  onto  the  roofs  and  dealt  such  ferocious  blows  with  his 

552 


cudgel  that  they  took  to  their  heels  and  quickly  disappeared  over  the 
wall  again. 

When  the  servants  inspected  the  field  of  battle  by  torch  and  lantern 
light  they  discovered  doors  and  cupboards  forced  open  and  chests 
looted  in  the  deserted  residence  of  the  Ancestress;  in  the  courtyard 
they  found  the  body  of  a  man  who  had  been  killed  by  Pao  Yung's 
cudgel.  They  recognized  him  as  a  former  servant  named  Hou  San,  an 
adopted  son  of  the  majordomo  Chou  Jui,  of  the  eastern  palace. 

This  Hou  San  had  been  flogged  and  driven  from  the  house  in  the 
previous  year  by  his  master,  Prince  Chen,  on  account  of  a  trifling  of- 
fense. Since  then  he  had  taken  to  gambling  and  fallen  into  doubtful 
company.  At  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  Ancestress  he  had  hung 
around  for  days  on  end  at  the  gate  of  the  western  palace,  in  the  hope 
of  being  taken  into  service  as  an  extra  help  during  the  mourning 
period,  but  he  had  been  overlooked.  He  had  returned  to  his  habitual 
gambling  den  and  m  the  midst  of  his  friends  had  given  free  expression 
to  his  anger  against  his  former  masters.  He  had  casually  remarked  that 
.he  had  heard  from  his  foster  mother  that  the  Ancestress  was  not  by  any 
means  without  property  when  she  died;  that  when  she  had  generously 
distributed  her  treasures,  this  had  by  no  means  been  everything;  in 
reality  she  had  left  behind  her  whole  chests  and  boxes  full  of  gold  and 
silver.  Thereupon  Hou  San's  companions  urged  and  persuaded  him  not 
to  be  a  fool  but  grasp  his  chance.  Since  he  had  been  prevented  from 
sharing  the  crumbs  from  the  masters'  table  in  a  decent,  honorable 
manner,  he  should  take  his  share  himself.  His  friends  introduced  Hou 
San  to  some  daring  fellows,  members  of  a  powerful  band  of  pirates 
who  were  at  present  in  the  capital.  Hou  San  was  to  give  them  the  bene- 
fit of  his  knowledge  of  the  place  and  lead  them  over  the  walls  and  roofs 
to  the  home  of  the  Ancestress.  The  day  of  the  funeral  was  chosen  as 
most  suitable  for  the  robbery.  The  western  palace  would  be  almost 
completely  deserted  of  male  inmates.  They  would  have  an  easy  job 
with  the  few  women.  When  the  work  was  done  they  would  leave  the 
capital  and  seek  safety  in  the  hidden  haunts  of  the  pirate  band  on  the 
shores  of  the  Eastern  Sea. 

The  attack  was  made  under  cover  of  night.  The  plundered  gold  and 
silver  treasures  of  the  Ancestress  had  already  been  taken  over  the  wall 
and  piled  onto  the  carts  kept  in  waiting,  when  some  of  the  bandits 
noticed  light  in  a  room  of  the  near-by  west  wing.  There  Grief  of  Spring 
was  at  her  chess  game  with  her  companion.  The  sight  of  the  two  girls, 
especially  of  the  one  who,  though  she  wore  a  nun's  habit,  still  displayed 
the  full  glory  of  her  head  of  hair,  inflamed  the  lustful  desires  of  the 
robbers.  They  crept  along  towards  the  lamplit  room  thinking  to  drag 
off  the  two  young  girls  as  unforeseen  booty,  but  the  sturdy  Pao  Yung 

553 


foiled  their  intentions  in  good  time  and  frightened  them  off  ov;r  the 
roofs. 

But  the  robbers'  desires  were  now  thoroughly  roused;  the  leader  of 
the  band  in  particular  could  not  get  the  alluring  picture  of  the  beauti- 
ful girl  in  the  nun's  habit  out  of  his  mind. 

"If  I  only  knew  which  convent  she  belongs  to!"  he  said  to  his  com- 
panions the  following  day  when  they  were  dividing  the  booty  and  dis- 
cussing their  further  plans  for  flight. 

"She  is  probably  the  nun  from  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  at  the  bottom 
of  the  park,"  one  of  the  band  was  able  to  inform  him.  "There  was  a  lot 
of  talk  about  her  two  years  ago  when  she  suddenly  became  possessed 
by  demons  while  sitting  on  her  pillow  of  contemplation.  A  chance  meet- 
ing with  some  youth  from  the  palace — Pao  Yu  or  something  like  that  was 
the  name  of  the  boy — was  said  to  have  caused  the  devil  of  temptation 
to  take  possession  of  her  virgin  body  in  the  night." 

"Aha,  so  that's  the  one!"  said  the  ringleader,  smacking  his  lips  in 
anticipation  of  the  tasty  fruit.  "I  will  carry  her  off  tonight!  I  will  need 
a  coach  and  two  men.  You  others  go  on  in  advance!  We  will  meet  to- 
morrow morning  on  the  Twenty-Mile  Hill  outside  the  city  walls." 

It  was  about  the  hour  of  the  fourth  night  watch.  The  park  lay  in 
complete  darkness.  From  only  one  window  of  the  Kingfisher's  Cage 
shone  the  dull  reddish  glow  of  a  single  altar  lamp.  The  beautiful  Miao 
Yu  was  sitting  on  her  round  prayer-pillow,  her  legs  crossed  under  her, 
endeavoring  to  compose  her  mind,  which  was  still  distracted  by  yester- 
day's events,  and  to  dispose  her  .soul  to  holy  contemplation.  Tonight, 
as  always,  she  did  not  allow  any  of  her  servants  to  be  near  her  during 
het  prayer  session.  Her  three  maids  had  gone  to  bed  long  ago.  She 
had  already  been  about  three  hours  persevering  in  her  holy  meditation 
when  she  perceived  a  slight  chill  from  the  coolness  of  the  early  morn- 
ing. She  was  just  about  to  call  out  for  a  bowl  of  hot  tea  when  she  heard 
a  suspicious  sound  of  footsteps  outside  the  window. 

Terrified,  she  called  her  maids,  but  no  answer  came  from  the  next 
room.  Suddenly  she  perceived  a  strong,  stupefying  smell.  She  was 
overcome  by  a  strange  heavy  numbness  which  made  her  feel  rigid 
and  stiff,  as  if  she  were  a  jointed  doll  made  of  wood  and  hemp.  She 
was  unable  to  move,  no  sound  would  come  from  her  lips;  a  veil,  as  it 
were,  floated  before  her  eyes.  But  even  through  the  veil  she  could  see 
a  man  entering  through  the  window.  In  the  reflection  from  the  altar  lamp 
she  saw  the  dagger  shining  in  his  right  hand.  Now  he  pushed  the  blade 
into  his  belt,  then  came  up  and  stretched  his  hands  out  towards  her. 
In  her  semiconscious  state,  incapable  of  defending  herself,  she  had  to 
let  him  have  his  way.  Now  she  felt  herself  being  lifted  through  the 
window  and  carried  through  the  courtyard  to  the  wall  of  the  park.  They 

554 


got  her  over  the  wall  by  a  rope  ladder.  Then  she  was  pushed  into  a 
carriage. 

The  carriage  was  driven  to  the  eastern  gate  of  the  city  at  a  head- 
long speed.  It  was  the  hour  of  the  morning  drum  roll,  and  the  city 
gates  had  only  just  been  opened.  The  gatekeepers  were  surprised  at 
first  to  see  the  carriage  with  curtained  windows  flying  along  in  such 
haste  at  this  early  hour.  But  when  they  saw  the  words  "Open  the  gates! 
Open  the  stables!"  written  in  large  letters  on  the  two  yamen  lanterns 
set  up  beside  the  driver's  seat,  they  were  reassured.  An  express  courier, 
they  thought,  and  let  the  vehicle  pass  through  without  question. 

The  three  maids  in  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  awoke  later  than  usual 
that  morning.  They  felt  a  strange  numbness  in  their  heads,  and  there 
was  a  strong  smell  of  coal  gas  in  their  room.  The  youngest  of  them, 
who  was  sleeping  beside  her  mistress's  oratory,  distinctly  remembered 
hearing  her  mistress  call  about  the  fifth  hour  of  the  morning,  and  later 
the  sound  of  a  mail's  voice.  She  w£s  about  to  get  up  and  go  over  but 
her  limbs  refused  to  move  and  she  dozed  off  again  immediately.  Filled 
with  anxious  forebodings,  they  went  into  the  oratory.  It  was  empty. 
The  window  stood  wide  open.  There  was  no  trace  of  the  beautiful  Miao 
Yu  to  be  found  in  the  other  rooms  either.  In  a  corner  of  the  courtyard 
by  the  wall  of  the  park  they  found  a  rope  ladder,  and  below,  not  far 
from  the  ladder,  a  dagger  sheath  and  a  burned-out  brazier.  They  still 
cherished  a  faint  hope  of  finding  the  missing  girl  with  her  friend,  Grief 
of  Spring.  But  in  the  western  palace  they  knew  nothing  of  her  where- 
abouts either.  Now  there  was  no  further  doubt  about  it:  robbers  had 
come  at  dawn,  rendered  the  inmates  of  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  insensible 
with  noxious  fumes,  and  abducted  the  beautiful  saint ! 

Poor  Miao  Yu !  She  had  dedicated  herself  to  a  life  of  chastity  and 
purity  and  now  had  to  suffer  this  iniquity.  And  still  worse,  the  foul 
slander  that  she  had  connived  with  the  robbers  and,  urged  by  fleshly 
desires,  willingly  allowed  them  to  abduct  her  was  noised  abroad.  What 
happened  to  her  later — whether  she  became  reconciled  to  her  fate  or 
preferred  a  voluntary  death  to  shame — remained  unrevealed. 

Pao  Yu  and  Grief  of  Spring  wept  bitter  tears  for  their  lost  friend. 
How  they  had  admired  and  even  envied  Miao  Yu,  who  was  able  to  live 
her  own  independent  life  beyond  the  tedious  limitations  and  conven- 
tions of  society!  Grief  of  Spring  was  inconsolable  at  the  loss  of  the 
only  human  being  who  was  near  to  her  heart.  She  had  always  looked  up 
to  her  as  a  leader  and  a  model,  and  had  long  ago  made  up  her  mind 
to  do  as  she  had  done  and  renounce  the  world.  She  considered  the 
circle  of  her  relatives.  Was  there  one  among  them  who  had  been  happy 
in  love  and  marriage?  Phoenix,  the  Yu  sisters,  Black  Jade,  Greeting 

555 


of  Spring — they  had  all  been  sacrificed  to  convention,  to  the  obligations 
of  society.  Little  Cloud  had  got  a  kindhearted  husband,  it  was  true, 
but  he  was  a  consumptive,  doomed  to  early  death.  Taste  of  Spring,  too, 
seemed  to  have  been  fortunate,  but  she  had  had  to  go  far  away. from 
her  family,  to  distant  parts,  and  was  consumed  with  homesickness. 
Wherever  Grief  of  Spring  looked,  she  saw  only  instances  which  dis- 
couraged and  frightened  her.  She  dreaded  being  the  unhappy  victim 
of  a  conventional  marriage.  No,  she  wanted  to  remain  free  like  her 
friend  Miao  Yu,  who  was  her  own  mistress  and  could  rise  at  will  above 
the  clouds  like  the  wild  geese. 

Now  it  was  the  day  before  yesterday,  the  day  of  the  funeral,  that  this 
disaster  had  befallen  the  house.  The  very  first  time  that  she  had  been 
6hlrusted  with  a  responsible  task  this  deplorable  misfortune  had  to  be- 
fall her!  She  had  lost  face;  she  had  shown  herself  incapable  of  carry- 
ing out  household  duties.  This  sad  experience  strengthened  her  in  her 
idea  of  forsaking  the  world.  Suddenly  resolved,  she  seized  a  pair  of 
scissors  while  nobody  was  with  her,  and  had  already  cut  off  half  of 
her  hair  when  her  waiting  maid  came  in  and  forcibly  stopped  her.  The 
maid  was  accompanied  by  a  maid  from  the  Kingfisher's  Cage,  who 
brought  news  of  the  disappearance  of  the  beautiful  anchoress.  In  her 
consternation,  Grief  of  Spring  submitted  to  having  the  scissors  wrested 
from  her  and  allowing  the  remaining  half  of  her  hair  to  be  dressed  up 
as  well  as  could  be  managed  in  the  normal  worldly  fashion.  But  even 
the  sad  fate  of  the  friend  whom  she  admired  did  not  induce  her  to 
falter  in  her  resolution.  She  was  resolved  to  cut  off  the  remainder  of 
her  hair  at  the  next  opportunity  and  enter  a  convent.  But  at  the  per- 
suasion of  her  maid  she  agreed  to  wait  a  while  before  carrying  out  her 
decision,  until  some  degree  of  calm  had  returned  to  the  house  after 
the  recent  excitements. 

But  the  Ancestress  and  Mandarin  Duck  had  only  just  been  taken 
to  the  family  temple,  and  the  excitement  over  the  night  burglary  and 
the  abduction  of  Miao  Yu  had  hardly  died  down,  when  the  house  was 
again  thrown  into  a  tumult  by  yet  another  death.  Phoenix,  who  for  a 
long  time  past  had  been  physically  sick  and  mentally  worn  out  by  pangs 
of  conscience  and  the  depressing  feeling  of  having  irretrievably  lost 
face  and  forfeited  her  former  position,  died  a  few  days  after  the  funeral 
procession  of  the  Ancestress.  She  died  embittered  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty  years.  She,  who  had  formerly  been  the  heart  and  soul  of  the 
house,  the  powerful  mistress  of  the  household,  had  felt  more  and  more 
isolated  and  shunned  since  the  collapse  for  which  she  had  been  to 
blame.  Only  good  Little  Ping  remained  true  to  her  to  the  end.  When 
the  relatives  came  home  after  their  three  days  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Iron  Railings,  they  did  not  even  deem  it  necessary  to  pay  a  personal 

556 


visit  to  her  sickbed,  but  confined  themselves  merely  to  inquiring  for 
her  health  through  their  maids.  This  heartlessness  was  the  final  blow 
which  had  killed  her.' 

In  her  last  hours  she  was  tortured  by  terrible  dreams.  One  time  it 
was  the  second  Yu  who  frightened  her;  another  time  the  shades  of 
Chin  Yo  and  her  betrothed  emerged  reproachfully  and  warningly  out 
of  the  past — those  two  young  people  whom  she  had  defrauded  of  their 
life's  happiness  through  avarice  and  driven  to  suicide  at  the  instigation 
of  the  Abbess  of  the  Temple  of  the  Watery  Moon.  She  breathed  her  last 
in  a  state  of  confused  raving.  On  account  of  the  precarious  financial 
situation,  Chia  Lien  was  only  able  to  give  her  a  lamentably  wretched 
funeral,  and  if  the  faithful  Little  Ping  had  not  helpfully  intervened  and 
placed  her  personal  savings  at  his  disposal  it  would  have  been  even 
more  wretched. 

Grief  of  Spring  confided  in  Pao  Yu  and  found  in  him  a  kindred  soul. 
She  did  not  feel  that  she  was  made  to  be  a  housewife,  and  he  did  not 
feel  that  he  was  made  to  be  an  official;  they  both  felt  unfit  for  a  practi- 
cal life.  Two  nuns  from  the  Convent  of  Earthly  Seclusion,  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  mourning  services  for  the  Ancestress,  and  in  their  tour 
of  the  women's  apartments  of  the  western  palace  had  also  visited  Grief 
of  Spring,  helped  to  confirm  her  in  her  holy  decision.  The  pious  soul- 
catchers  had  an  easy  task  with  the  fourth  young  lady  of  the  house  and 
did  not  need  to  waste  many  words.  Grief  of  Spring  loosened  her  coif- 
fure and  smilingly  showed  them  the  shorn  half  of  her  head  as  a  visible 
proof  of  her  decision.  From  now  on  she  started  to  fast  and  chastise  her- 
self secretly. 

When  she  was  told  a  few  days  later  that  she  was  intended  to  be 
given  in  marriage  to  the  son  of  the  family  of  Chen  from  Kiang  nan, 
who  had  long  been  friends  of  the  Chia  family  and  had  recently  moved 
to  the  capital,  she  declared  forthrightly  that  she  did  not  wish  to  marry. 
She  dreaded  sharing  the  fate  of  Greeting  of  Spring,  she  said,  and  was 
firmly  resolved  to  remain  single  and  dedicate  her  life  to  holiness.  There 
was  a  violent  family  discussion.  Mr.  Cheng  stamped  his  feet  in  rage 
and  said  that  this  was  the  last  straw.  The  clan  was  burdened  enough  in 
having  a  degenerate  son,  and  did  not  need  to  have  a  degenerate  daugh- 
ter also.  And  if  Grief  of  Spring  persisted  in  her  defiance,  he  could  no 
longer  regard  her  as  belonging  .to  the  family.  They  importuned  her 
from  all  sides  and  tried  to  talk  her  out  of  her  strange  ideas.  But  Grief 
of  Spring  stood  her  ground  and  threatened  suicide  if  they  did  not  let 
her  have  her  way.  Besides,  she  did  not  request  to  enter  a  convent  right 
away,  she  said;  all  she  wanted  was  to  live  peacefully  in  the  King- 
fisher's Cage  and  emulate  her  model,  Miao  Yu.  Then  she  would  not  be 

558 


completely  out  of  the  world,  and  they  could  see  each  other  from  time 
to  time  and  she  could  keep  in  touch  with  the  family.  At  least  they 
should  allow  her  to  live  in  the  Kingfisher's  Cage  for  the  present  and 
leave  the  ultimate  decision  to  her  brother  Chen  when  he  returned  from 
his  banishment.  Otherwise,  they  might  offend  the  head  of  her  family 
and  lay  themselves  open  to  the  accusation  of  having  driven  her  to 
suicide — an  argument  that  did  not  sound  so  very  unreasonable. 

Grief  of  Spring's  problem  had  not  yet  been  solved  when  the  atten- 
tion of  all  was  directed  to  another  domestic  crisis.  Pao  Yu  suffered  a 
recurrence  of  his  old  trouble.  The  thought  of  Black  Jade  was  still 
gnawing  at  him,  and  the  accumulated  blows  of  fate  which  had  befallen 
the  family  had  made  him  more  and  more  conscious  of  the  futility  and 
vanity  of  this  transitory  life.  His  supply  of  tears  was  exhausted;  he  was 
tired;  his  heart  longed  for  rest,  for  liberation  from  the  torture  of  these 
hundred  conflicting  human  feelings.  If  only  he  did  not  have  to  feel!  He 
wished  he  were  made  of  wood  or  stone.  He  buried  himself  more  and 
more  in  the  negative,  ascetic  world  of  ideas  of  a  Chuang  Tzu. 

To  crown  it  all,  his  father  had  recently  announced  that  he  would  soon 
again  give  him  an  opportunity  of  showing  the  progress  he  had  made 
in  the  art  of  prose  composition.  If  his  attainment  should  prove  inferior 
to  that  of  his  half  brother  Chia  Huan  or  of  his  nephew  Chia  Lan,  a 
sound  punishment  was  threatened.  Let  him  study  and  prepare  diligently 
meantime !  Mr.  Cheng  had  obtained  a  long  leave  of  absence  on  account 
of  the  mourning  for  the  Ancestress,  and  during  his  leisure  at  home  he 
was  seriously  concerning  himself  once  more,  after  a  very  long  time, 
with  the  education  of  the  three  juniors. 

With  horror,  Pao  Yu  saw  the  approaching  examination  by  his  father 
like  a  specter  before  him,  and  in  the  further  distance  the  still  more 
frightening  bogey  of  the  approaching  State  examination.  So  his. youth- 
ful dream  would  soon  be  at  an  end!  Was  this  detested  male  world  of 
harsh  clashes  of  opinion,  tedious  place-hunting  contemptible  office- 
seeking — this  utterly  loathsome  world  of  humdrum  commonsense  and 
conventional  morality — really  to  become  his  world?  His  whole  nature 
recoiled  from  it.  Still  exhausted  by  the  mental  shocks  of  recent  weeks, 
he  was  unable  to  pick  up  enough  strength  this  time  to  comply  with  his 
father's  order.  His  will  failed  him,  he  broke  down  and  fell  into  a 
state  of  complete  lethargy.  And  soon  the  alarming  news  ran  from 
room  to  room  throughout  the  western  palace:  Pao  Yu  has  got  his  old 
bad  turn  again !  After  he  had  eaten  nothing  for  several  days  the  family 
doctor  was  called.  The  doctor  shook  his  head  doubtfully.  Medicine 
would  do  him  no  good  this  time,  he  said;  he  was  obviously  approaching 
his  end,  and  they  should  prepare  in  time  for  his  last  hour. 

With  a  sigh  of  resignation  and  perhaps  also  of  relief,  Mr.  Cheng 

559 


ordered  his  nephew  Chia  Lien  to  get  the  coffin  delivered  for  his  ill- 
fated  son.  Chia  Lien  was  just  about  to  go  in  search  of  the  servants  who 
were  to  fetch  the  coffin-maker  when  one  of  the  gatekeepers  came  rush- 
ing in  gasping. 

"That  old  starveling  and  vagabond  is  outside  again,  wanting  to  sell 
a  jewel  for  good  money!"  he  reported  breathlessly. 

"What  does  the  fellow  want?"  asked  Chia  Lien  rudely. 

"He  wants  to  sell  a  precious  stone,"  repeated  the  gatekeeper.  "He 
looks  like  a  wandering  monk.  He  has  a  precious  stone  in  his  hand  and 
asserts  that  it  is  young  Master  Pao  Yu's  lost  stone.  He  wants  ten 
thousand  silver  batzes  for  it." 

"Don't  bother  me  with  this  nonsense!"  snorted  Chia  Lien  at  the  gate- 
keeper. "Once  before  we  were  taken  in  by  a  swindler  like  that,  who 
wanted  to  talk  us  into  buying  a  false  stone.  In  any  case,  it's  already 
too  late.  .Cousin  Pao  Yu  is  at  his  last  gasp." 

"I  told  him  that  too.  But  the  fellow  won't  take  no  for  an  answer.  We 
have  only  to  pay  the  money  and  our  young  master  would  recover 
immediately,  he  asserts." 

While  they  were  speaking  a  tumult  of  voices  and  calls  was  heard 
in  the  distance,  drawing  quickly  nearer.  Chia  Lien  heard  words  like 
"Impudent  bonze!,"  "Intruder!,"  and  "Stop  the  fellow!"  He  was  about 
to  give  an  angry  order  to  chase  the  stranger  away  when  he  heard  him 
in  close  proximity  shouting  through  the  window  of  the  study  in  which 
Mr.  Cheng  was  sitting: 

"Come,  pay  up!  Pay  up!  Ten  thousand  batzes  for  a  human  life!" 
Mr.  Cheng  too  had  become  aware  of  the  noise  and  the  shouting  of  the 
strange  monk.  He  remembered  that  once,  years  ago,  when  Pao  Yu  was 
very  ill,  two  strange  mendicant  monks  like  that  one  had  appeared  and 
cured  him.  Was  it  possible  that  the  stranger  was  really  bringing  him 
back  the  genuine  stone?  If  he  only  knew  where  he  could  at  once  ob- 
tain the  large  sum  of  money  which  the  monk  was  demanding!  He 
thought  he  would  like  to  chance  it.  In  case  of  success  ways  and  means 
would  have  to  be  found. 

Mr.  Cheng  had  the  stranger  politely  invited  to  come  to  his  study.  But 
without  taking  any  notice  of  the  invitation,  the  odd  fellow  ran  straight 
to  the  inner  chambers,  to  the  room  in  which  Pao  Yu  was  lying  ill.  Chia 
Lien  and  the  servants  tried  in  vain  to  bar  his  way. 

"Say,  where  are  you  going,  you  wild  creature?  That  is  the  way  to  the 
women's  apartments!"  Chia  Lien  called  after  him. 

"Do  not  stop  me!  If  you  do,  my  help  will  be  too  late.!"  replied  the 
stranger,  and  as  if  by  magic  he  dispersed  the  throng  of  people  who  were 
resisting  him.  The  crowd  ran  after  him  shouting;  but  now  the  stranger 
reached  the  sickroom.  The  women  who  were  gathered  around  Pao  Yu's 

560 


bed  weeping— Madame  Cheng,  Precious  Clasp,  Pearl,  and  the  others 
— did  not  even  have  time  to  hide  themselves,  so  suddenly  did  the  un- 
announced visitor  enter.  Startled,  they  only  moved  aside  a  step  and 
stared  as  if  bewitched  at  the  strange  apparition  of  the  big  bald-headed 
fellow  in  the  dirty  monk's  hood. 

Without  any  formality  or  greeting  he  walked  up  to  Pao  Yu's  bed. 

"Esteemed  patrons  and  believers  in  Buddha,  I  bring  you  back  the 
lost  stone!" 

With  these  words  he  produced  a  glistening  jade  stone.  He  held  it  up 
in  the  air  for  all  eyes  to  see,  and  continued:  "And  now,  quick!  Out  with 
the  money,  so  that  the  work  of  saving  his  life  may  be  consummated!" 

"First  let  us  see  him  saved,  and  then  the  money  will  be  found,"  they 
shouted  back  at  him. 

"No,  the  money  first!"  he  insisted. 

Did  he  wish  to  put  their  faith  and  self-sacrifice  to  the  test? 

"Do  not  worry !  Whatever  happens,  you  will  get  your  money  even  if 
we  have  to  sell  or  pawn  all  our  possessions!"  said  Madame  Cheng, 
thereby  showing  her  true  mother's  heart. 

The  monk  laughed  aloud  and  bent  down  close  to  the  ear  of  the  sick 
boy:  "Pao  Yu!  Pao  Yu!  Your  stone  is  back  again!"  he  whispered  to 
him.  In  tense  expectation  the  bystanders  watched  for  his  words  to  take 
effect;  and  in  fact  Pao  Yu  slowly  opened  his  eyes. 

"He's  cured!"  gasped  Pearl,  joyfully. 

"Where  is  the  stone?"  they  heard  Pao  Yu  asking.  The  monk  pushed 
the  stone  into  his  hand.  Pao  Yu  held  it  tight  for  a  while,  as  if  he  were 
afraid  it  would  escape  from  him  again.  Carefully  and  gradually  he  then 
loosened  his  grip,  and  held  the  stone  up  in  the  air  before  his  eyes  in 
order  to  look  at  it  attentively. 

"Ah,  how  long  we  have  been  separated!"  he  sighed.  "Thanks  be  to 
Buddha!"  All  of  them,  even  Precious  Clasp,  forgot  the  proximity  of 
the  stranger  and  pressed  close  around  Pao  Yu's  bed.  There  was  no 
doubt  about  it;  he  was  cured.  Chia  Lien  ran  to  take  the  good  news  to 
Mr.  Cheng.  The  monk  went  with  him.  Mr.  Cheng  thanked  him  on  his 
knees,  politely  pressed  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  asked  him  various  formal 
questions — in  what  place  tl;«  master  had  set  up  his  precious  prayer-mat, 
what  his  worthy  name  was,  and  so  on.  He  also  wanted  to  know  where 
he  had  found  the  precious  stone,  and  how  it  had  happened  that  his 
loathsome  little  cur  of  a  son  had  get  well  almost  as  soon  as  he  had 
caught  sight  of  the  stone. 

"That  I  do  not  know  either,"  the  strange  gue^t  answered  with  a 
smile.  "I  should  like  to  have  my  ten  thousand  batzes,  and  that  is  all!" 

What  rude,  low  behavior!  thought  Mr.  Cheng  to  himself,  but  he  did 
not  want  to  offend  the  unknown  benefactor  by  an  ungracious  reply. 

56) 


"The  money  will  be  produced,"  was  all  he  said  in  reply. 

"Then  out  with  it  quickly!  I  must  be  on  my  way  at  once!"  urged  the 
man.  Mr.  Cheng  requested  him  to  stay  a  while.  He  would  go  and  see 
about  collecting  the  money. 

"Hurry  up  and  do  not  forget  to  come  back!"  the  stranger  called 
derisively  after  him.  Mr.  Cheng  hastened  off  to  the  inner  chambers 
where  the  women  were  still  gathered  around  Pao  Yu.  With  the  words 
"Here  it  is!"  Pao  Yu,  beaming,  handed  him  the  ston.e.  Mr.  Cheng  did 
not  give  himself  time  to  look  at  it  for  long. 

"The  boy  does  seem  to  be  cured.  But  how  can  we  collect  the  money?" 
he  said,  turning  to  his  wife,  embarrassed. 

"I  will  give  all  my  possessions.  The  proceeds  will  cover  the  amount," 
declared  Pao  Yu's  mother  generously  once  more. 

"I  do  not  think  he  wants  any  money,"  said  Pao  Yu. 

"But  he  demanded  it  loudly,  again  and  again.  Strange,  very  strange 
indeed!"  s"aid  Mr.  Cheng,  shaking  his  head.  And  he  returned  to  the 
front  part  of  the  palace  to  discuss  the  money  question  openly  with  the 
stranger. 

Meantime  Pao  Yu  had  asked  for  food  and  drink.  His  appetite  was 
so  good  that  his  mother  had  to  order  him  to  stop,  as  she  feared  that  he 
might  eat  too  much. 

"No  fear!  I  am  quite  well  again!"  he  said  joyfully,  and  reached  out 
for  another  helping.  After  the  meal  he  felt  strong  enough  to  get  up. 
While  the  waiting  maid  Musk  was  helping  him  to  get  up,  in  her  joy  at 
his  recovery  she  let  fall  the  remark:  "Now  at  last  you  believe  in  the 
miraculous  power  of  your  stone.  What  a  good  thing  it  was  that  you  did 
not  succeed  in  breaking  and  destroying  it!" 

She  had  uttered  the  remark  rather  thoughtlessly.  Her  words  had  an 
unexpected  effect.  He  suddenly  changed  color,  let  the  stone  fall,  and 
sank  back  as  if  lifeless.  There  was  great  consternation.  Musk  re- 
proached herself  bitterly  and  silently  vowed  to  follow  Mandarin  Duck's 
example  and  commit  suicide  if  he  did  not  recover  consciousness  this 
time.  When  calling  and  shaking  him  proved  useless  Madame  Cheng  in 
her  despair  sent  for  the  monk,  who,  she  supposed,  was  still  with  her 
husband.  But  Mr.  Cheng  came  without  him.  When  he  had  returned  to 
the  reception  hall  just  now,  the  strange  fellow  had  already  disappeared. 

Mr.  Cheng  found  his  son  lying  there  as  if  dead.  His  eyes  and  mouth 
were  firmly  closed,  his  breathing  and  his  pulse  had  stopped,  but  his 
body  was  still  warm.  They  sent  for  the  doctor  in  a  great  hurry. 

Pao  Yu  was  not  dead.  His  spirit  had  only  temporarily  freed  itself 
from  his  body  and  departed  on  a  long  journey.  First  he  returned  to  the 
guest  hall.  There  the  strange  monk  was  awaiting  him.  He  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  silently  led  him  away.  Pao  Yu  felt  that  all  the  weight  of 

562 


his  body  had  left  him;  he  seemed  to  float  and  soar  through  the  air  light 
as  a  leaf.  Some  way  or  other,  but  certainly  not  by  the  usual  route 
through  the  gateway,  he  went  out  of  the  palace  into  the  outside  world. 
A  wild,  desert  country  loomed  up.  In  the  distance  a  vaulted  stone  arch 
stood  out.  It  seemed  to  Pao  Yu  that  he  had  passed  through  a  similar 
archway  once  before.  He  was  just  about  to  question  his  companion 
about  it  when  his  attention  was  caught  by  the  beautiful  form  of  a 
woman  which  suddenly  rose  before  him  not  far  from  the  gateway.  The 
beautiful  one  exchanged  a  greeting  with  his  companion,  and  then  dis- 
appeared again.  Pao  Yu  thought  he  recognized  her  as  the  third  Yu. 
Was  that  beautiful,  heroic  maiden  assigned  to  them  as  euide?  While 
Pao  Yu  was  pondering  this  they  arrived  at  the  stone  archway.  Above  it, 
written  in  four  characters,  was  the  inscription:  "Blessed  Realm  of 
Purified  Semblance"  and  on  the  pillars  to  right  and  left,  the  lines: 

"Being  in  place  of  Seeming  is  more  than  Seeming. 
Something  in  place  of  nothing  is  no  longer  nothing." 

A  little  way  behind  the  stone  arch  a  palace  gate  opened  before  them. 
Inside  he  saw  once  more  a  woman  beckoning  to  him  from  a  distance. 
He  thought  he  recognized  her  as  Mandarin  Duck.  We  have  already  been 
a  long  time  on  our  journey — who  knows  how  long — and  have  we  still 
not  come  out  of  our  park?  But  how  strangely  altered  it  is,  thought  Pao 
Yu  to  himself,  perplexed.  He  was  about  to  hurry  up  to  Mandarin  Duck 
and  speak  to  her,  but  she  had  suddenly  vanished.  When  he  came  to 
ihe  spot  where  she  had  just  been  standing,  he  saw  opposite  him  a  stately 
building  with  a  forecourt.  The  entrance  door  stood  half  open.  Pao  Yu 
turned  inquiringly  towards  his  companion,  but  he  also  had  disappeared 
in  the  meantime.  He  raised  his  eyes  and  read  on  the  facade  of  the  build- 
ing, written  in  slanting  writing,  the  words:  ''For  Awakening  from  the 
Folly  of  Love."  To  the  right  and  left  he  read  the  inscriptions: 

Joy,  grief,  gladness,  pain — 
All  is  illusion.  Why  the  care? 
Longing,  striving,  desire,  yearning — 
All  is  vanity.  Why- the  effort? 

Pao  Yu  heaved  a  sigh  and  thoughtfully  nodded  agreement.  Where  on 
earth  had  Mandarin  Duck  gone  to?  Perhaps  she  was  inside.  He  picked 
up  courage  and  pushed  in  the  half-open  door.  Inside  pitch  darkness 
surrounded  him.  He  felt  frightened  and  very  nearly  fled  again,  but 
curiosity  held  him  back.  In  the  meantime  his  eyes  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  darkness  and  he  could  distinguish  a  suite  of  rooms  with 
half-open  latticed  doors.  He  suddenly  remembered  his  dream  of 
ago  in  the  bedroom  of  his  niece  Ko  Ching.  At  that  time  he  had  come 
in  his  dream  to  a  similar  place,  but  the  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening 

563 


had  not  allowed  him  to  remain  long  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rooms.  Happy 
at  being  alone  and  undisturbed  this  time,  he  forgot  that  he  wanted  to 
look  for  Mandarin  Duck  and,  urged  by  curiosity,  forced  his  way  into 
the  first  room. 

The  room  contained  a  bookshelf  which  was  filled  with  volumes  of 
files.  He  picked  out  a  volume  at  random.  On  the  cover  of  the  volume 
he  saw  the  inscription  "History  of  the  Twelve  Beauties  of  Chin  ling" 
and  next  to  it  several  blurred  pictures.  He  did  not  spend  much  time  on 
the  pictures  but  began  to  turn  over  the  pages  and  plunge  into  the  con- 
tents. That  must  have  been  the  story  of  Beginning  of  Spring,  he  said 
to  himself  after  he  had  read  the  first  chapter  from  beginning  to  end. 
And  he  eagerly  set  about  the  second  chapter  and  did  not  stop  until  he 
had  read  through  all  the  twelve  chapters,  which  were  written  in  a 
highly  elaborate  literary  style.  Much  of  what  he  read  was  not  clear  to 
him,  but  much  of  it  impressed  itself  on  his  mind  so  easily  that  he  knew 
it  by  heart  afterwards.  What  a  precious  discovery !  He  actually  had  be- 
fore him  the  life  stories  of  all  his  sisters  and  cousins,  though  they  were 
not  identified  by  their  ordinary  names,  but  by  secret,  symbolic  titles, 
each  of  which,  however,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  attributing  to  the 
right  individual.  How  exciting  to  learn  in  this  way  the  different  girls' 
secrets,  the  knowledge  of  which  I  had  been  endeavoring  to  obtain  for 
so  long  in  vain !  If  only  I  had  ink  and  brush  and  paper  at  hand  to  write 
down  everything  and  take  it  home  with  me!  Of  course  I  would  not  be 
indiscreet,  but  it  would  be  fun  to  play  the  prophet  and  fortune  teller  a 
bit  in  the  family.  Such  were  the  ideas  which  ran  through  his  mind.  It 
was  a  pity  that  no  writing  materials  were  to  be  found  in  the  room. 

He  had  just  opened  a  supplementary  volume  to  the  "History  of  the 
Twelve  Beauties  of  Chin  ling,"  and  had  been  moved  to  tears  at  a 
specially  touching  passage,  when  he  heard  a  voice  behind  him  saying: 
"Have  you  got  your  foolish  impulses  again?  Miss  Ling  is  asking  for 
you!" 

It  sounded  like  Mandarin  Duck's  voice.  And  really,  when  he  turned 
round  he  saw  Mandarin  Duck  outside  the  open  door,  beckoning  him. 
Happy  to  see  her  near  again,  he  hurried  up  to  her,  but  she  slipped  away 
from  him  back  through  the  dark  passage  and  out  into  the  open,  farther 
and  farther  away,  like  a  light  shadow  which  cannot  be  caught.  In  vain 
he  called  to  her  to  stop;  she  floated  away  farther  and  farther,  and  he 
could  not  catch  up  with  her. 

All  at  once  he  was  standing  in  front  of  the  towering  hall  of  a  palace, 
with  high  curved  pinnacles  of  richly  carved  woodwork.  Urged  by  the 
desire  to  observe  the  beauty  of  the  construction  more  closely,  he 
calmly  walked  through  the  outer  porch  into  the  inner  precincts.  He  had 
forgotten  all  about  Mandarin  Duck.  He  found  himself  in  a  front  gar- 

564 


den.  In  the  midst  of  the  flower  beds  of  exotic,  strangely  scented  flowers 
he  noticed  a  single  green  foliage  plant.  It  was  fenced  around  with  a 
decorative  curb  of  white  marble.  He  noticed  that  the  leaves  had  red 
tips.  The  leaves  were  moving  to  and  fro  and  rustling  in  a  gentle  breeze. 
They  seemed  to  be  nodding  and  bowing  in  greeting. 

Though  only  a  simple  plant,  and  without  blossoms,  it  had  a  rare  and 
noble  gracefulness  which  could  not  fail  to  delight  and  charm  the  eye 
and  the  heart  of  the  beholder.  And  so  Pao  Yu  too  became  wrapt  in  de- 
vout contemplation.  A  scolding  voice  suddenly  tore  him  from  his 
meditation:  "How  dare  you  sniff  around  our  spirit  plant,  impertinent 
trespasser!"  Frightened,  he  turned  his  head.  An  elf  was  standing  be- 
side him. 

"I  strayed  in  here  looking  for  Sister  Mandarin  Duck,"  he  stammered 
in  confusion.  "Forgive  me  my  criminal  curiosity !  But  may  I  ask,  where 
am  I?  And  how  does  Sister  Mandarin  Duck  happen  to  be  here?  She 
appeared  to  me  just  now  and  told  me  that  little  Sister  Ling  wanted  me." 

"Your  sister  and  your  little  sister  are  all  one  to  me!"  came  the  un- 
friendly reply.  "I  am  the  appointed  guardian  of  our  spirit  plant  here 
and  it  is  my  duty  to  keep  at  a  distance  profane  creatures  such  as  you." 

"It  must  be  a  rare  and  exquisite  plant,  since  you  are  appointed  to 
protect  it?"  he  asked,  tearing  himself  away  reluctantly  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  spirit  plant. 

"Certainly;  for  it  is  the  plant  Purple  Pearl.  Its  place  was  once  on  the 
banks  of  the  River  of  the  Spirits.  At  that  time  the  Guardian  of  the 
Radiance  of  the  Stone  of  the  Gods,  who  served  in  the  Palace  of  the 
Red  Clouds,  often  visited  it  and  secretly  sprinkled  it  with  sweet  dew, 
thus  preserving  its  tender  body  from  withering  too  soon.  Later  it  was 
allowed  to  come  down  to  the  profane  world  and  thank  with  tears  the 
Guardian  of  the  Radiance  of  the  Stone  of  the  Gods  for  the  loving  serv- 
ice which  he  had  rendered.  Now  it  has  returned  to  the  Realm  of  the 
Blessed.  The  Fairy  of  Fearful  Awakening  has  appointed  me  its  guard- 
ian. I  dare  not  allow  even  bees  or  butterflies  to  go  near  it,  let  alone 
your  kind." 

"Then  there  is,  no  doubt,  a  guardian  elf  of  the  water  lily  here  als 
he  asked,  thinking  of  Bright  Cloud. 

"My  mistress  can  best  give  you  information  about  that." 

"Who  is  your  mistress,  Sister  Elf?" 

"The  Princess  of  the  Weeping  Bamboo  Hermitage!' 

"Oh,  that  is  surely  my  cousin  Black  Jade!" 

"Nonsense!   Between  the  Realm  of  the  Blessed  and  your  profane 
world  there  is  no  kinship.  And  if  you  continue  to  make  yours* 
nuisance  with  foolish  chatter,  I  shall  have  you  thrown  out  by  t 
guards." 

565 


Abashed,  Pao  Yu  turned  to  go.  Suddenly  a  second  elf  came  running 
up. 

"Where  on  earth  is  the  Guardian  of  the  Radiance  of  the  Stone  of 
the  Gods?  He  is  being  asked  for  inside,"  she  said  to  the  first  elf. 

"I  have  been  looking  for  him  in  vain  all  over  the  world,"  replied 
the  first. 

"But  there  he  is  running  away,"  said  the  second,  laughing,  and  hur- 
ried after  Pao  Yu. 

"Come  back,  Guardian  of  the  Radiance  of  the  Stone  of  the  Gods!" 
she  called  after  him.  But  Pao  Yu,  still  under  the  impression  of  the  rude 
reception  which  had  been  given  him,  did  not  venture  to  connect  this 
summons  with  himself  and,  thinking  that  he  was  being  pursued,  ran 
more  and  more  quickly  towards  the  exit  from  the  palace.  Suddenly 
somebody  stepped  into  his  path.  It  was  a  beautiful  young  girl  with  a 
stern  face.  In  her  right  hand  she  held  a  precious  sword. 

"Stop!  Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked  him  severely. 

He  looked  up  at  her  timidly.  It  was  the  third  Yu.  Now  he  picked  up 
courage  again. 

"Why  have  I  been  treated  so  rudely,  Cousin?  Won't  you  at  least  be 
a  little  kind  to  me?"  he  said  reproachfully. 

"On  account  of  your  infamous  cousins  I  cannot,"  came  the  blunt 
reply.  "They  wantonly  destroyed  the  honor  and  happiness  of  myself 
and  my  sister.  Now  you  have  to  atone  with  them!" 

Pao  Yu,  much  embarrassed,  was  about  to  protest  his  innocence 
when  he  heard  the  elf  who  was  pursuing  him  call  out  to  the  third  Yu: 
"Stop  him!  Do  not  let  him  get  away!" 

"Do  not  worry !  I  know  our  Princess's  instructions.  I  have  been  wait- 
ing for  him  a  long  time.  Today  the  hour  has  come  to  cut  with  this 
sword  his  connection  with  the  red  dust  of  the  world." 

Pao  Yu  turned  from  the  grim  maiden  with  the  sword  dumfounded, 
trying  to  escape  in  the  other  direction.  Now  he  saw  the  elf  who  had  run 
after  him.  It  was  Bright  Cloud. 

"It  is  you,  Bright  Cloud!  How  good  that  you  are  here!"  he  cried, 
joyfully  surprised.  "I  have  lost  my  way  and  have  run  up  into  this 
wicked  enemy.  You  must  help  me  and  take  me  home  quickly!" 

"Do  not  call  me  Bright  Cloud!  I  have  got  instructions  to  take  you 
to  the  Princess!  Now  do  not  hesitate,  but  follow  me!"  replied  the  elf. 

"Who,  then,  is  your  Princess?" 

"You  will  see  that  for  yourself,  when  you  meet  her.  Come  along!" 

She  walked  on  in  front  and  he  followed  behind.  There  was  no  doubt 
about  it:  to  judge  by  her  walk  and  her  deportment,  her  face  and  her 
voice,  she  was  Bright  Cloud.  But  why  did  she  deny  who  she  was?  Soon, 
after  the  visit  to  the  Princess,  he  would  challenge  her  again.  If  she  bore 

566 


him  a  grudge  on  account  of  any  wrong,  and  therefore  treated  him  like 
a  stranger,  he  would  beg  her  pardon  very  politely.  Girls'  hearts  were 
soft  and  easily  touched,  as  he  well  knew. 

They  had  arrived  at  the  glittering  hall  of  a  palace.  It  was  set  in  the 
midst  of  a  splendid  bright  green  bamboo  grove.  Before  the  entrance 
the  somber  dark  green  of  some  cypress  trees  met  his  gaze.  Several 
maids,  all  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  palace  waiting  maids,  received  the 
stranger. 

"So  this  is  the  Guardian  of  the  Radiance  of  the  Stone  of  the  Gods?" 
they  asked  Pao  Yu's  guide  in  a  whisper.  The  elf  nodded  in  the  affirma- 
tive. Smilingly,  they  beckoned  him  in.  They  went  through  various 
vestibules  before  they  arrived  at  the  principal  chamber.  They  stopped 
in  silence  in  front  of  a  high,  glistening  bead  curtain.  A  waiting  maid 
disappeared  through  the  curtain.  After  a  while  she  returned. 

"The  Princess  asks  the  Guardian  of  the  Radiance  of  the  Stone  of 
the  Gods  please  to  come  in." 

At  the  same  moment  the  curtain  was  raised.  Pao  Yu  took  a  step 
nearer.  He  saw  opposite  him  a  regal-looking  woman  sitting  on  a  throne. 
She  wore  a  crown  of  fresh  flowers  on  her  head.  Her  face  had  the  un- 
mistakable features  of  Black  Jade. 

"So  I  have  found  you  here  again,  Mei  mei!  How  I  have  longed  for 
you!"  he  could  not  keep  from  crying  out. 

"What  ill-bred  behavior!  Quick!  Take  him  away  again!"  the  waiting 
maids  whispered  outside.  And  then  the  curtain  dropped  again  right  in 
front  of  his  nose.  He  stared  stupefied,  undecided  as  to  whether  he 
should  stay  or  go.  He  turned  around  to  look  for  help;  he  wanted  to  ask 
Bright  Cloud's  advice,  but  he  could  not  find  her  again.  The  other  wait- 
ing maids  wer$  strangers  to  him;  he  did  not  venture  to  ask  them  ques- 
tions. They  showed  him  out  sullenly,  and  he  slipped  off  in  dejection. 

This  time  no  one  accompanied  him.  He  searched  for  the  road  by 
which  he  had  come,  but  he  could  not  find  it  again.  Suddenly  he  saw 
Cousin  Phoenix  standing  under  the  projecting  eaves  of  a  house  and 
beckoning  to  him.  Oh,  then  I  am  at  home  again!  How  could  I  have  lost 
my  way  so!  he  thought  to  himself  and  in  delight  he  hurried  up  to  the 
cousin  who  was  beckoning  him. 

"It's  good  that  I  have  found  you!"  he  called  to  her  from  a  distance. 
"The  others  drove  me  away.  Even  Black  Jade  would  not  receive  me,  I 
really  do  not  know  why." 

He  had  got  nearer  to  the  spot  where  the  beckoning  cousin  was  stand- 
ing. Suddenly  she  was  no  longer  Phoenix  but  her  friend,  his  beautiful 
niece,  Ko  Ching.  He  stood  there  dumfounded. 

"Where  is  Phoenix  gone  to?"  he  asked  the  other  one.  But  Ko  Ching 
kept  silent  and  disappeared  inside. 

567 


"What  crime  have  I  committed  that  everyone  avoids  me  today?"  he 
sighed,  perplexed,  and  burst  into  tears.  He  did  not  dare  to  follow  Ko 
Ching,  so  he  wandered  sadly  off.  Suddenly  a  group  of  watchmen  ap- 
peared dressed  in  yellow  smocks  and  holding  long  whips  in  their  hands. 

"Hi,  fellow!  Who  are  you  that  you  dare  to  trespass  so  boldly  into 
these  blessed  places?  Off  with  you,  quickly!"  they  shouted  at  him, 
roughly.  Frightened,  he  started  to  walk  more  quickly.  If  he  could  only 
find  the  exit!  As  he  gazed  around  him  he  saw  in  the  distance  a  group 
of  women  coming  towards  him,  chatting  merrily.  He  thought  he  rec- 
ognized Greeting  of  Spring,  and  Gold  Ring,  and  the  second  Yu  among 
them.  "I  have  lost  my  way,  come  and  help  me!"  he  cried  out  to  them 
and  ran  as  fast  as  he  could,  for  the  watchmen  were  close  at  his  heels. 
He  thought  he  was  already  safe  with  the  women,  but  alas,  they  suddenly 
turned  into  ugly  devils  with  horrible  red  faces  and  white  hair,  and 
they  made  straight  for  him.  In  his  danger  he  suddenly  became  aware  of 
the  presence  of  the  monk,  who  had  accompanied  him  there.  He  held  a 
glistening  mirror  in  his  hand. 

"My  divine  mistress,  the  former  Imperial  wife,  has  sent  me  to  save 
you." 

While  he  was  saying  this  he  turned  the  glittering  face  of  the  mirror 
towards  the  crowd  of  Pao  Yu's  pursuers,  and  in  a  trice  all  the  ghostly 
devils  had  disappeared.  The  magnificent  dwellings  and  palaces  had  also 
vanished.  Pao  Yu  found  himself  again  in  a  wild  and  deserted  wilder- 
ness. He  pressed  his  rescuer's  hand  with  gratitude  and  confidence  and 
said  to  him:  "Master,  you  accompanied  me  here,  as  I  well  remember. 
Why  did  you  disappear  all  of  a  sudden?  I  met  various  women  and  girls 
of  our  clan,  but  each  and  all  of  them  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  me. 
Some  of  them  turned  into  ugly  devils  and  threatened  me.  What  does 
that  mean?  Was  all  that  a  dream  or  was  it  reality?" 

The  monk  looked  at  him  searchingly. 

"Did  you  look  at  anything  secretly?" 

Pao  Yu  said  to  himself  that  anyone  who  was  able  to  lead  him  into 
this  spirit  region  must  certainly  be  a  spirit  himself,  and  that  he  could 
not  well  deceive  a  spirit.  And  so  he  admitted  frankly:  "I  was  in  a  room 
and  I  secretly  rummaged  through  files." 

"Indeed,  and  then  you  ask  that  question?  You  are  not  yet  free  from 
worldly  desires.  On  that  account  the  blessed  spirits  do  not  want  you, 
and  on  that  account  those  devils  frightened  you.  The  devils  are  nothing 
but  the  worldly  desires  which  exclude  the  profane  creatures  from  ad- 
mittance to  the  Realm  of  the  Blessed.  And  now  go!  But  take  good  note 
of  what  you  have  seen  and  experienced !  I  shall  come  to  you  later  and 
explain  everything  to  you.  Go!" 

He  gave  Pao  Yu  such  a  hefty  push  that  he  tumbled  over  and  fell 

568 


down.  A  suppressed  cry  escaped  his  lips.  After  its  long  wandering  his 
spirit  had  returned  to  his  body. 

"He  has  come  to  himself  again!"  he  heard  his  mother's  voice  say- 
ing.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  saw  his  mother,  his  wife,  and  the  waiting 
maids  standing  around  his  bed,-  their  eyes  red  from  weeping,  a  half- 
anxious,  half-joyful  expression  on  their  faces.  He  quickly  recapitulated 
his  dream  in  his  mind.  Luckily,  most  of  it  was  firmly  fixed  in  his 
memory. 

"Yes,  that  is  it!"  he  said  laughing,  with  an  air  of  happy  relief. 

The  bystanders  looked  at  one  another  surprised,  not  knowing  how 
to  interpret  his  exclamation. 


CHAPTER    50 

Pao  Yu  passes  the  examination  with  honors  and  renounces  the  red  dust 

of  the  world.  Shih  Ying  and  Yu  Tsun  meet  once  more  and  conclude 

the  story  of  the  stone. 

I  AO  YU  HAD  RECOVERED  RAPIDLY  AFTER  HIS  LONG  SPELL  OF  UNCON- 

sciousness  and  to  everyone's  joy  was  fully  restored  to  health.  The  coffin- 
maker  did  not  need  to  exert  himself  now,  and  Musk  was  able  for  the 
time  being  to  give  up  with  an  easy  mind  her  sublime  resolve  to  follow 
Mandarin  Duck's  example.  Happily,  in  view  of  the  favorable  turn  of 
events,  nobody  thought  of  reproaching  her  afterwards. 

As  Mr.  Cheng  was  now  relieved  of  worry  about  Pao  Yu  and  saw 
peace  and  order  gradually  restored  to  the  house,  he  resolved  to  avail 
himself  of  the  remainder  of  his  mourning  leave  to  take  the  coffin  of 
the  Ancestress  from  the  Temple  of  the  Iron  Railings  at  long  last,  and  to 
lay  it  to  rest,  as  was  proper,  in  the  ancestral  vault  of  the  Shih  family 
in  her  southern  homeland.  After  having  arranged  various  domestic 
matters  with  Chia  Lien,  and  once  more  seriously  appealed  to  Pao  Yu's 
conscience  regarding  the  approaching  State  examination,  he  took  leave 
of  the  family  and  the  ancestors,  and  set  out  to  journey  south  on  board 
ship  with  some  of  the  servants  and  the  coffins  of  the  Ancestress  and 
her  faithful  Mandarin  Duck.  The  coffin  of  Ko  Ching,  Chia  Yung's  first 
wife,  who  had  died  young,  «nd  that  of  Black  Jade  were  also  taken  at 
the  same  time,  to  be  likewise  laid  in  their  native  southern  earth.  Cuckoo 
was  given  the  honor  of  escorting  her  dead  mistress,  Black  Jade,  back 
to  her  native  town  of  Yangchow,  while  Chia  Yung  had  charge  of  the 
coffin  of  his  first  wife. 

After  his  recovery  Pao  Yu  showed  himself  extraordinarily  changed 

569 


in  character  as  compared  with  his  former  self.  He  was  silent  and  wrapt 
in  meditation;  he  buried  himself  in  his  books,  mostly  of  Taoist  litera- 
ture, avoided  conversation  and  company,  and — a  fact  which  was  par- 
ticularly remarked  with  much  shaking  of  heads — paid  no  more  at- 
tention to  his  feminine  environment.  Cuckoo  simply  could  not  get  over 
the  cool  and  indifferent  reception  he  gave  her  when  she  came  back  from . 
Yangchow,  where  she  had  laid  Black  Jade's  remains  in  their  last  rest- 
ing place.  There  she  was,  sitting  lonely  and  forsaken  in  her  room, 
mourning  her  dead  mistress,  and  he  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  pay 
her  a  visit,  to  speak  a  word  of  comfort  to  her,  and  shed  a  tear  together 
in  silent  memory  of  her  who  had  once  been  his  beloved. 

"One  can  see  now  how  foolish  we  girls  were  to  have  taken  his  flow- 
ery talk  so  seriously  and  to  have  lavished  our  affections  on  him.  That's 
how  he  thanks  us,  the  heartless  fellow!"  she  complained  to  Musk.  And 
Musk  and  Pearl  and  the  others  confirmed  her  verdict.  What  did  they 
know  of  the  change  which  had  taken  place  within  him  in  the  interval? 
He  was  waiting  and  preparing  himself  for  the  promised  visit  of  his 
mysterious  friend  from  the  other  world. 

And  one  day  he  came. 

"That  crazy  fellow  who  brought  the  stone  is  back  again !  He  is  ask- 
ing for  his  ten  thousand  batzes!"  So  the  message  ran,  and  it  set  the 
whole  house  in  an  uproar.  Pao  Yu  rushed  to  the  gate  in  joyful  haste. 

"Where  is  my  dear  master?"  he  was  heard  calling  out  as  he  went  to 
meet  him,  to  everyone's  surprise.  Yes  indeed,  there  the  fellow  was 
standing  in  the  gateway,  and  Pao  Yu  recognized  him  as  his  recent 
travelling  companion.  The  .servant  Li  Kwei  was  barring  the  monk's 
way.  At  a  sign  from  Pao  Yu  he  had  to  let  him  go.  Pao  Yu  conducted 
him  into  the  reception  hall  as  an  honored  guest. 

"Please  make,  no  fuss  about  me.  I  have  only  come  to  fetch  my 
money!"  declared  the  visitor,  brusquely.  Pao  Yu  thought  that  this  was 
not  the  language  of  holy  instruction  which  he  had  expected.  But  when 
he  saw  him,  with  his  scabious  bald  head,  in  his  dirty,  torn  monk's 
habit,  outwardly  a  picture  of  the  utmost  neglect,  hie  remembered  the 
old  saying  that  the  wise  man  does  not  care  for  outward  display,  and 
that  those  who  do  care  for  it  are  usually  not  wise  men.  He  was  there- 
fore at  pains  not  to  think  the  less  of  his  visitor  because  of  his  appear- 
ance. 

"Do  not  worry  about  the  money,  Master!  My  mother  is  collecting  it 
right  now.  But  please  take  a  seat  meantime.  The  unworthy  disciple  has 
a  few  questions  that  preoccupy  him.  Do  you  not  come  from  the  Phan- 
tom Realm  of  the  Great  Void?"  he  asked  politely. 

"What  do  I  know  of  Phantom  Realm  and  Great  Void?  I  come  from 
somewhere  and  I  am  going  somewhere;  that  is  all,"  was  the  cryptic 

570 


answer.  "By  the  way,  do  you  know  the  origin  of  the  stone  that  I 
brought  back  to  you?" 

Pao  Yu  was  unable  to  reply  straight  away. 

"Then  you  do  not  know  your  own  origin,  yet  you  ask  me  about 
mine?"  continued  the  bonze,  laughing. 

True,  Pao  Yu  had  been  already  awakened  by  his  recent  dream  vision, 
but  not  yet  completely.  Now,  so  sudden  was  his  awakening  that  the 
bonze's  last  remark  felt  like  the  blow  of  a  cudgel  on  his  head. 

"I  understand.  It  is  not  the  money  but  the  stone  which  the  master 
demands.  I  will  go  and  fetch  it." 

"Yes,  you  must  do  so,"  nodded  the  bonze,  smiling. 
Pao  Yu  hurried  into  his  bedroom  and  fetched  the  stone  out  of  its 
hiding  place  in  the  treasure  chest  near  the  bed,  where  the  careful 
Precious  Clasp  had  recently  been  keeping  it.  She  and  the  maids  hap- 
pened not  to  be  present,  so  he  could  do  this  unhindered.  He  was  hurry- 
ing back  with  the  Stone  in  his  hand,  and  in  his  haste  heeded  so  little 
where  he  was  going,  that  he  unexpectedly  bumped  into  Pearl  turning 
a  corner.  She  shrank  back,  startled. 

"So  you're  here?"  she  asked,  astonished.  "Your  mother  imagines 
that  you're  in  the  front  reception  hall  with  the  stranger.  At  the  moment 
she  is  conferring  with  your  wife  as  to  how  the  large  sum  of  money 
which  he  is  demanding  for  the  stone  can  be  got  together  straight  away." 
"Run  and  tell  her  that  she  need  not  worry  about  the  money.  I'm 
giving  him  back  the  stone  itself,  instead,"  he  told  her,  and  began  to 
move  on. 

"That's  impossible!"  cried  Pearl,  horrified,  and  tried  to  stop  him. 
"The  stone  is  your  life!  Without  it  you're  lost!" 

"Don't  you  worry!  I  have  my  soul  back,  so  I  do  not  need  the  stone 
any  more." 

After  a  short  struggle  he  shook  her  off  and  ran  away.  She  ran  after 
him  shouting,  and  overtook  him  again.  She  clung  to  his  belt  desperately 
and  allowed  herself  to  slip  to  the  ground  so  that  he  could  not  stir  from 
the  spot. 

Her  frantic  cries  of  "Help!  He  wants  to  give  up  his  stone!"  attracted 
other  waiting  maids  and  maids,  and  later  his  mother  and  Precious 
Clasp,  to  the  spot.  Cuckoo  helped  Pearl,  and  by  exerting  their  united 
strength  they  held  him  fast. 

"Don't  make  such  a  fuss  about  a  stone!  Would  it  grieve  you  as  much 
as  that  if  I  had  to  go  away  myself  next?"  he  asked,  laughing  between 
gasps.  A  cry  of  horror  from  the  two  was  the  answer.  Meantime  Madame 
Cheng  and  Precious  Clasp  had  joined  the  others. 

"Are  you  up  to  mischief  again?"  asked  his  mother  sternly.  He  saw 
that  he  had  no  chance  of  escaping  now,  so  he  gave  up  the  struggle. 

571 


"It's  of  no  importance,"  he  said  reassuringly  to  his  mother;  then, 
pointing  with  a  smile  at  Pearl  and  Cuckoo,  he  said:  "They  are  too 
easily  scared.  The  stiff-necked  monk  would  not  hear  of  any  bargaining. 
He  would  not  reduce  his  demand  by  even  a  copper  piece.  That  annoyed 
me,  and  I  just  left  him  standing  there.  I  will  offer  to  return  the  stone 
to  him,  and  tell  him  that  it's  not  the  real  one  after  all  and  that  we  do  not 
set  any  great  store  by  it.  Then  he  will  surely  modify  his  ridiculous  de- 
mand and  be  glad  to  get  whatever  we  give  him.  That's  all." 

His  cleverly  calculated  words  sounded  very  reasonable  to  a  thrifty 
housewife,  and  in  fact  Madame  Cheng  was  instantly  reassured. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right!"  she  said.  "I  thought  that  you  wanted  actually 
to  hand  him  over  the  stone.  Why  didn't  you  tell  that  to  the  two  girls  at 
once,  and  spare  them  this  altercation?" 

But  Precious  Clasp,  full  of  anxious  forebodings,  was  of  another 
opinion. 

"That  sinister  monk  fellow  is  not  to  be  trusted!  Who  knows?  If  he 
is  allowed  to  have  the  stone  even  for  a  moment,  he  may  suddenly  disap- 
pear with  it.  Better  safe  than  sorry!  I  would  prefer  to  sacrifice  my 
jewelry." 

And  before  Pao  Yu  could  stop  her,  she  had  wrested  the  stone  from 
his  hand  in  a  trice. 

"So  that  is  settled,"  she  continued.  "Now  you  need  not  go  back  to 
him  at  all.  Your  mother  and  I  will  raise  the  money  between  us." 

"Very  well.  But  I  want  at  least  to  say  good-by  to  him  properly,  for 
decency's  sake,"  he  remarked  with  affected  indifference.  That  also 
sounded  reasonable.  Pearl  let  go  of  him  at  last. 

""It  seems  to  me  that  you  women  set  more  store  on  the  stone  itself 
than  on  my  own  person.  What  if  I  ran  off  with  the  monk  now?  What 
good  would  the  stone  be  to  you  then?"  he  jested.  He  wished  to  prepare 
them  with  such  jokes  for  things  to  come.  Pearl's  suspicions  were  im- 
mediately reawakened.  She  caught  hold  of  him  again,  then,  remember- 
ing that  two  ladies  of  the  house  were  present,  withdrew  her  hand 
quickly  and  forced  herself  to  a  more  restrained  demeanor.  And  now 
the  way  was  free  for  Pao  Yu. 

But  Pearl  was  so  frightened  that  she  sent  word  to  his  personal 
servant,  Ming  Yen,  behind  his  back,  urgently  asking  him  and  his  sub- 
ordinates at  the  third  gateway  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  the  little  master, 
lest  he  might  possibly  be  enticed  away  without  ado  by  the  strange 
monk. 

Madame  Cheng  and  Precious  Clasp  had  retired  to  their  rooms  again, 
and  there  in  privacy  they  got  Pearl  to  tell  them  the  whole  story  of  the 
noisy  incident  which  had  just  taken  place.  When  Pearl  repeated  word 
for  word  the  mysterious  utterances  which  Pao  Yu  had  let  drop  during 

572 


the  struggle,  the  two  ladies  became  extremely  perturbed  again,  and  gave 
orders  that  the  front  hall,  where  Pao  Yu  was  with  his  guest,  should  be 
surrounded  by  watchers,  who  were  also  to  watch  unobtrusively  through 
the  window  what  was  going  on  inside.  Waiting  maids  were  sent  to  run 
back  and  forth  and  report  what  the  watchers  were  able  to  catch  of  the 
conversation  which  was  taking  place. 

"The  little  master  does  not  seem  to  be  quite  right  in  the  head,"  one 
messenger  reported  mysteriously.  "The  people  listening  under  the 
window  heard  him  saying  to  the  strange  monk  that  he  could  not  deliver 
him  the  stone — his  inner  self  prevented  him  from  doing  so — but  that  he 
offered  him  his  person  instead.  He  was  ready  to  go  away  with  him." 

"Why,  that's  quite  mad!"  exclaimed  the  horrified  Tai  tai.  "And 
what  did  the  monk  say  to  that?" 

"He  said  he  demanded  the  stone  and  not  the  person." 

"The  one  is  the  same  as  the  other,"  interjected  Precious  Clasp  ex- 
citedly. "The  stone  and  Pao  Yu  are  one!  The  fellow  is  just  being 
funny!  Did  he  say  nothing  about  money,  then?" 

"I  don't  know.  After  that  the  conversation  became  very  lively,  in  fact 
merry,  but  the  men  under  the  window  were  not  able  to  understand 
much  of  it." 

"What  nonsense!  They  don't  have  to  be  so  very  learned  to  be  able 
to  understand  a  simple  conversation.  That's  the  last  straw!"  cried 
Madame  Cheng,  flying  into  a  passion.  And  she  sent  for  one  of  the 
listeners.  Naturally,  he  could  not  show  himself  before  the  ladies  but  had 
to  give  his  report  through  the  window  from  the  veranda. 

"We  were  unable  to  follow  the  conversation  completely,"  he  said, 
"as  it  was  above  our  heads.  We  could  only  catch  something  about 
'mountain  wilderness'  and  'green  crags'  and  'Realm  of  the  Great  Void' 
and  'red  dust'  and  'severing  from  earthly  destiny,'  and  the  like." 

Madame  Cheng  did  not  know,  either,  what  these  expressions  meant, 
but  Precious  Clasp  did  understand,  and  became  extremely  perturbed. 
She  was  so  frightened  that  she  was  just  giving  orders  for  Pao  Yu  to  be 
fetched  back  at  once  when  he  arrived  himself.  He  seemed  to  be  in  very 
high  spirits. 

"Everything  went  off  splendidly!"  he  announced  gaily. 

"Drop  the  foolery  and  pull  yourself  together!"  said  his  mother 
sternly. 

"Foolery?  Oh,  I  feel  perfectly  clearheaded.  The  monk  is  a  good  old 
friend  of  mine.  He  only  came  to  say  hello  to  me.  What  he  said  about 
the  money  he  didn't  mean  seriously.  All  he  asked  in  return  for  his 
services  was  that  I  should  change  my  ways  and  remember  my  original 
higher  destiny.  He  made  that  quite  clear  to  me.  Then  he  suddenly 

573 


floated  away.  So  we  still  have  the  stone,  and  we  did  not  have  to  pay 
the  money.  Isn't  that  splendid?" 

The  others  exchanged  incredulous  glances.  Madame  Cheng  gave 
orders  through  the  window  to  the  listener  who  was  still  waiting  outside 
to  run  to  the  front  of  the  palace  and  find  out  if  this  was  true.  After  a 
while  the  man  came  back  and  reported:  "Yes,  that  is  true.  The  gate 
watchmen  saw  the  strange  monk  going  away.  He  said  to  tell  the  Tai  tai 
that  she  need  not  worry;  he  asked  no  money  as  recompense;  he  only 
wished  that  the  little  master  should  visit  him  now  and  then.  And  he  said, 
moreover,  that  whatever  happens  is  predestined  by  the  higher  powers." 

Madame  Cheng  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief.  She  was  now  freed  from  a 
great  financial  worry. 

"He  seems  to  be  quite  a  nice,  reasonable  fellow  after  all,"  she  said 
contentedly.  "But  where  is  my  son  to  visit  him?  Did  the  gate  watchmen 
ask  that?" 

"He  lives  far  away  and  near,  according  to  how  you  look  at  it,"  inter- 
posed Pao  Yu  with  a  smile.  How  puzzling  this  remark  sounded,  too ! 

"Come  back  to  your  senses  at  last  and  take  your  head  out  of  the 
clouds!"  said  Precious  Clasp  impatiently.  "Have  you  no  feeling  for 
your  parents,  who  are  suffering  so  much  on  your  account?  Pull  your- 
self together  and  reward  their  love  by  achieving  something  noble." 

"Oh,,  is  what  I  intimated  not  a  noble  achievement?  Do  you  not  know 
the  saying: 

"A  son  who  to  the  Buddha  vows  his  life 
Opens  heaven's  gate  to  seven  ancestors." 

Madame  Cheng  felt  her  heart  torn  when  she  heard  him. 

"How  frightful!  What  curse  has  come  over  our  house?"  she  cried, 
beside  herself.  "These  perverse  notions  of  fleeing  the  world!  First 
Grief  of  Spring,  and  now  Pao  Yu  .  .  .  I'll  never  survive  it !" 

And  she  broke  into  violent  sobbing. 

"I  was  only  joking,"  said  Pao  Yu,  smilingly  trying  to  reassure  her. 

But  he  was  not  joking.  It  was  observed  that  he  shut  himself  off  more 
and  more  from  his  friends  and  the  people  of  the  house  and  withdrew 
to  the  silence  of  his  study,  ostensibly  to  prepare  for  the  approaching 
State  examination  but  in  reality  to  bury  himself  more  and  more  in  his 
beloved  philosophy.  The  only  person  in  the  house  with  whom  he  still 
indulged  in  an  exchange  of  thoughts  now  and  again  was  his  cousin  and 
kindred  spirit,  Grief  of  Spring.  A  mysterious  utterance  which  he  made 
on  the  occasion  of  Grief  of  Spring's  removal  to  the  Kingfisher's  Cage 
aroused  a  great  deal  of  comment. 

After  a  quarrel  with  her  sister-in-law  Chen,  for  whom  she  had  little 
love,  Grief  of  Spring  had  suddenly  decided  to  cut  off  the  remaining 

574 


half  of  her  hair,  and  once  more  she  gave  her  relatives  the  choice:  either 
the  Kingfisher's  Cage  or  voluntary  death.  There  was  an  agitated  family 
council  which  lasted  far  into  the  night.  Finally  Grief  of  Spring  had  got 
her  way.  She  was  allowed  to  withdraw  to  the  Kingfisher's  Cage.  The 
waiting  maid  Cuckoo  willingly  offered  to  follow  her  there.  She  was  wont 
to  reproach  herself  in  secret  for  not  having  followed  her  mistress  Black 
Jade  to  the  grave  after  their  long  years  together.  And  now  she  thought 
she  would  atone  for  this  wrong  done  to  Black  Jade  by  leading  a  life 
of  penance  and  chastity  in  the  self-chosen  solitude  of  the  Kingfisher's 
Cave. 

When  Grief  of  Spring  bade  farewell  to  the  family  everyone  expected 
that  Pao  Yu  would  get  another  of  his  bad  turns  and  raise  a  passionate 
lament  over  the  new  loss  of  a  little  sister,  but  to  everyone's  surprise  he 
remained  quite  calm  this  time. 

"A-mi-to-fo!  You  have  done  it!  What  a  pity  that  I  am  not  ready 
yet!"  These  were  all  the  words  of  farewell  that  he  said. 

Now  he  was  completely  alone,  with  no  one  to  turn  to,  only  the  intel- 
lectual intercourse  with  his  philosophers.  Precious  Clasp  noted  with 
growing  uneasiness  how  he  was  shutting  himself  up  and  neglecting  her 
and  his  family.  At  last  she  could  no  longer  look  on  in  silence.  So  one 
day  she  gave  him  a  good  lecture,  urgently  entreating  him  to  finish  at 
last  with  his  useless  philosophizing  and  turn  instead  to  the  practical 
philosophy  of  a  Confucius  and  of  the  old  idealistic  rulers  such  as  Yao, 
Shun,  Yu,  and  Cheng  Tang;  and  to  remember  the  highest  command- 
ment of  human  morals,  namely,  filial  duty  and  childlike  reverence,  and 
fulfill  the  just  expectations  of  his  father  by  doing  well  at  the  coming 
State  examination.  And  she  kept  at  him  until  finally  he  took  her  words 
to  heart  and  did  as  she  wished. 

He  had  all  the  works  of  his  favorite  philosophers — Lao  Tzu,  Chuang 
Tzu,  and  other  apostles  of  the  Tao — simply  packed  into  an  empty 
lumber-room,  and  from  that  time  on  zealously  dedicated  himself  solely 
to  the  study  of  the  Six  Classical  Books  and  similar  writings,  Confucian 
in  spirit,  the  knowledge  of  which  would  stand  him  in  good  stead  at 
the  State  examination. 

With  a  sigh  of  relief  Precious  Clasp  noted  the  change  in  him,  but 
then  she  became  tortured  once  more  with  fresh  doubts.  "His  encounter 
with  the  crazy  monk  had  one  good  result — since  then  he  has  given  up 
his  everlasting  fooling  and  flirting  with  the  girls.  Who  knows  whether 
this  latest  change  may  not  cause  him  to  fall  back  into  his  old  bad  ways 
again?"  she  confided  to  Pearl. 

And  at  Pearl's  suggestion  she  took  the  precaution  of  arranging  that 
the  innocuous  Oriole,  whom  he  did  not  like  particularly  and  who,  be- 
sides, was  her  own  confidential  maid,  should  take  over  the  duty  of 

575 


bringing  him  his  tea  and  similar  services  of  a  personal  nature,  instead 
of  pretty  little  Wu,  the  youngest  of  the  waiting  maids,  who  had  been 
given  to  him  in  replacement  of  the  late  Bright  Cloud.  So  now  he  would 
probably  not  get  silly  ideas  and  be  distracted  from  his  books. 

Her  apprehension  was  unfounded,  however.  He  had  resolved  of  him- 
self not  to  look  at  any  girl  again,  and  up  to  the  day  of  the  examination 
be  subjected  himself  to  a  life  of  strict  voluntary  seclusion.  During  those 
days  of  preparation  he  did  not  even  pay  the  accustomed  morning  and 
evening  duty  visit  to  his  mother,  but  got  waiting  maids  to  convey  to 
her  his  daily  tsing  an. 

The  time  for  the  great  examination,  which  was  awaited  with  tremu- 
lous anxiety  by  the  ladies  of  the  western  palace,  had  come  at  last.  On 
the  morning  of  the  opening  day  Pao  Yu,  accompanied  by  his  nephew 
Chia  Lan,  came  to  take  leave  of  his  mother.  It  was  the  first  time  that 
Madame  Cheng  had  had  to  allow  her  son  to  pass  the  night  away  from 
home.  For  during  the  three  days  of  the  examination  the  candidates  were 
kept  in  strict  confinement,  and  were  not  permitted  to  leave  their  bare 
examination  cells  even  at  night.  And  so,  though  Pao  Yu,  at  nineteen, 
was  pretty  well  grown  up  by  now,  his  mother  gave  him  plenty  of  prac- 
tical, maternal  advice,  and  also  wept  some  motherly  tears  of  farewell. 
Pao  Yu  himself  took  the  parting  very  solemnly  too.  He  knelt  down  be- 
fore his  mother  and  saluted  her  with  a  ceremonial  kowtow,  touching 
his  forehead  to  the  ground  three  times. 

"Up  till  now  I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  repaying  my  mother  for 
all  the  love  that  she  has  shown  me  since  I  came  into  the  world,"  he  said 
earnestly.  "I  will  exert  myself  to  pass  the  examination  as  well  as  I  can 
and  thereby  make  good  my  former  negligence.  If  it  is  granted  me  to 
give  my  parents  joy  by  a  notable  success,  I  shall  regard  my  filial  duty 
as  fulfilled  and  the  injustice  which  I  have  been  doing  my  parents  all  my 
life  as  atoned  for." 

How  solemn  that  sounded!  Like  a  parting  for  ever! 

"My  good,  good  boy!  If  only  your  old  grandmother  had  lived  to  see 
this  hour!"  sobbed  the  Tai  tai,  deeply  moved,  as  she  raised  him  to  his 
feet. 

"Even  though  she  is  no  longer  bodily  among  us,  her  spirit  will  be  our 
witness  and  will  rejoice  with  us,"  he  declared  simply. 

"Do  not  weep,  Tai  tai"  the  others  said  comfortingly  to  Madame 
Cheng.  "You  have  every  reason  to  be  joyful,  seeing  that  he  has  ma- 
tured at  last  into  a  sensible  and  conscientious  son  and  adult." 

And  with  many  fond  wishes  the  two  youths,  the  future  hope  of  the 
whole  clan,  were  seen  off  on  their  way  to  the  arena. 

When  the  three  days  of  the  examination  were  over,  Chia  Lan  came 
back — without  Pao  Yu.  It  was  already  late  in  the  evening. 

576 


"But  where  is  your  Uncle  Pao  Yu?"  asked  the  ladies,  dismayed. 

"I  have  lost  him,"  replied  Chia  Lan  unhappily. 

"What  nonsense!  How  can  a  grown-up  man,  with  whom  you  have 
been  together  the  whole  time,  simply  get  lost?"  said  his  mother,  Widow 
Chu,  sharply. 

"I  shared  the  same  cell  with  him  and  ate  at  the  same  table,  and  in  the 
examination  hall,  too,  he  was  always  within  my  sight.  This  morning  we 
handed  in  our  examination  papers  together,  and  then  left  the  examina- 
tion hall  together.  On  our  way  home — it  was  at  the  Dragon  Gate — I 
suddenly  lost  sight  of  him  in  the  crowd.  Li  Kwei,  who  had  come  to  meet 
us  at  the  Dragon  Gate  withf  his  people,  had  seen  him  a  moment  before, 
walking  a  few  steps  behind  me.  Then  lie  had  suddenly  disappeared.  I 
have  been  searching  and  inquiring  for  him  with  Li  Kwei  and  the  other 
servants  all  day,  but  he  could  not  be  found." 

This  news  put  the  whole  house  into  a  turmoil  of  excitement  and  grief. 
The  male  servants,  who  were  already  looking  forward  to  the  customary 
feast,  instead  of  sitting  down  to  a  banquet  had  to  go  out,  despite  the 
lateness  of  the  hour,  to  search  the  city  once  more  for  the  lost  youth.  The 
only  person  in  the  palace  who  did  not  seem  particularly  touched  by  Pao 
Yu's  disappearance  was  Grief  of  Spring.' 

"Did  he  have  his  stone  with  him  when  he  went  away?"  she  asked 
Precious  Clasp,  a^d  this  was  her  only  inquiry.  Precious  Clasp  nodded, 
whereupon  she  made  no  further  remark.  But  Pearl  remembered  the 
oath  which  Pao  You  had  sworn  years  before  to  Black  Jade,  and  Pre- 
cious Clasp  also  put  two  and  two  together,  with  a  sigh. 

It  was  already  long  past  midnight  when  the  searchers  who  had  been 
sent  out  returned.  They  had  no  result  to  report.  All  the  inquiries  made 
in  the  days  that  followed  likewise  proved  In  vain.  And  then,  early  one 
morning,  while  the  ladies  were  still  asleep,  the  great  and  joyful  news 
arrived  that  the  results  of  the  State  examination  had  just  been  made 
known  at  the  early  morning  audience.  Pao  Yu  had  won  seventh  place 
on  the  list  of  successful  candidates.  His  nephew  Chia  Lan  had  also 
passed.  His  name  was  the  hundred-and-thirtieth  on  the  list.  Both  had 
thereby  won  the  second  doctor's  degree,  and  henceforth  might  proudly 
count  themselves  one  of  the  elect  company  of  ku  yen,  or  "Exalted 
Ones."  jubilation  filled  the  halls  of  the  western  palace,  but  Pao  Yu  still 
remained  missing.  Yet  there  was  some  little  comfort  in  the  thought  that 
a  new  ku  yen,  whose  name  would  be  carried  on  the  wings  of  fame 
throughout  all  the  provinces  of  the  Empire,  could  hardly  remain  unde- 
tected for  long. 

Chia  Cheng  had  laid  the  body  of  the  Ancestress  to  rest  in  her  south- 
ern homeland,  and  was  on  his  way  back.  One  day  he  received  a  letter 

577 


from  the  family  telling  him  of  the  latest  important  events  at  home.  The 
news  that  .his  ill-fated  child,  Pao  Yu,  had  passed'  the  examination  so 
brilliantly  filled  his  parental  heart  with  proud  joy,  which  was  dimmed, 
alas,  by  his  anxiety  over  the  boy's  sudden  mysterious  disappearance. 
He  learned,  further,  that  the  Imperial  master  had  particularly  men- 
tioned the  magnificent  achievement  of  the  seventh  candidate  on  the  list, 
and  had  asked  the  examination  commission  to  furnish  him  with  a  de- 
tailed report  regarding  the  personal  circumstances  of  the  highly  promis- 
ing and  talented  young  man.  When  he  learned  from  the  report  of  the 
Chairman  of  the  examination  commission,  the  Prince  of  the  Northern 
Quietness,  that  the  seventh  on  the  list  was  a  full  brother  of  the  former 
Imperial  wife,  Beginning  of  Spring,  and  that  the  Chia  family  had  pro- 
duced two  ku  yen  on  this  occasion,  he  felt  moved  to  pour  out  his  Im- 
perial favor  over  the  Chia  clan  once  more.  Being  gratified,  moreover, 
by  .the  success  of  the  recent  offensive  against  the  pirate  pest,  and  the 
generally  contented  and  peaceable  state  to  which  the  realm  of  the  ten 
thousand  families  had  now  been  happily  restored,  he  graciously  ordered 
a  great  general  amnesty  throughout  the  Empire.  Thanks  to  this  am- 
nesty, the  two  exiled  members  of  the  clan,  Shieh  and  Chen,  were  to  be 
permitted  to  return  from  banishment;  their  confiscated  property  would 
be  restored  to  them.  Chia  Chen,  as  Lord  of  the- eastern  palace,  was, 
moreover,  raised  again  to  the  nobility,,  though 'to  be  sure  only  to  the 
third  rank,  namely,  that  of  a  count.  Chia  Cheng  remained  the  only  pos- 
sessor'of  the  title  of  prince,  and,  furthermore, 'was  restored  to  his  office 
of  State  Councillor  in  the  Ministry  of  Works.  In  addition,  the  Imperial 
Lord  gave  orders  that  an 'official  search  was  to  be  made  for  the  seventh 
successful  candidate  on  the  list. 

Ghia  Cheng  heard  all  this  cheerful  news  with  tears  of  mingled  joy 
and  shame.  How  unjust  he  had  been  in  the  past  to  his  despised,  de- 
generate spn.  The1  Chia  clan  had  now  to  thank  this  despised  and  de- 
generate son  for  the  fact'that  the  roof  of  the  Hall  of  Ancestors  was  being 
adorned  with  new  luster! 

Torn  by  a  multitude  of  conflicting  emotions,  Chia  Cheng  urged  the 
crew  of.  his  ship  to  greater  speed.'  for  .he  himself  was  unable  to  rest 
either  day  or  night, "He  -was  burning  with '"'longing  to  see  his  family 
again,  and  also  to  throw  himself  upon  his  knees  before  the -steps  of  the 
Throne,  there  to  render  heartfelt  thanks. 

He  arrived  one  day  at  the  post  station  Kun  ling.  Here  he  made  a'brief 
halt  in  order  hurriedly  to  complete  a  letter  in  reply  to  the  one?frdm:his 
wife.  A  sudden'spell  of  cold  had  brought  a  light  fall  of  snow  that  day 
which  enveloped  the  landscape  in  a  mantle  of  white..  Chia  Cheng  had 
sent,  all  his  staff,  onto  land  with  the  exception  of  one  young  fellow.  They 
had  to  present  his.,visiting  card  to  the  various  people  of  distinction  and 

578 


rank  and  acquaintances  in  the  neighborhood,  explaining  that  unfor- 
tunately their  master  did  not  have  time  to  interrupt  his  journey  long 
enough  to  visit  them  personally. 

He  himself  was  sitting  all  alone  in  the  ship's  cabin,  writing  to  his 
family.  He  was  just  about  to  speak  of  Pao  Yu;  he  laid  down  his  writing 
brush  and  looked  up  to  reflect  for  a  moment.  In  that  same  moment  he 
seemed  to  see  a  figure  emerging  from  the  midst  of  the  falling  snow  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  opposite  the  bow  of  the  ship.  Suddenly  there 
stood  someone,  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  dressed  in  a  long  monk's 
habit  made  of  coarse  reddish  brown  monkey-hair  wool.  Now  he  went  to 
his  knees  to  Chia  Cheng  in  a  solemn  kowtow,  striking  his  forehead  on 
the  ground.  Four  times  he  pressed  his  forehead  deep  into  the  -now.  Mr. 
Cheng  jumped  up  and  hurried  over  the  gangway  onto  the  bank.  He 
stepped  up  to  the  peculiar  stranger,  who  was  still  standing  there,  and 
was  about  to  ask  him  who  he  was  and  whence  he  came.  He  had  ju-t 
raised  his  crossed  hands  to  his  breast  to  return  the  salutation  when, 
looking  more  closely,  he  recognized  the  stranger.  It  was  Pao  Yu. 

"It's  you,  Pao  Yu!"  he  cried,  astounded. 

The  other  remained  silent.  His  face  expressed  joy  and  sorrow  at  the 
same  time. 

"If  you  are  Pao  Yu,  how  is  it  that  you  are  here,  in  that  attire?"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Cheng. 

The  other  seemed  to  want  to  reply,  but  did  not  get  around  to  it.  Sud- 
denly two  other  monkish  figures  came  and  stood  beside  him,  one  to  the 
right  and  the  other  to  the  left.  The  one  was  a  servant  of  Buddha,  the 
other  a»disciple  of  the  Tao. 

"Your  earthly  destiny  is  fulfilled!  Do  not  delay  now,  but  follow  us!" 
Mr.  Cheng  heard  them  say  to  Pao  Yu,  then  he  saw  the  three  of  them 
floating  lightly  upwards  together  over  the  sloping  river-bank.  Heedless 
of  the  slippery  ground,  Mr.  Cheng  rushed  after  them,  but  he  was  un- 
able to  catch  up  with  them.  Ever  more  quickly  they  sped  away  from 
him,  and  their  outlines  became  more  and  more  indistinct.  He  could  still 
hear,  out  of  the  distance,  the  sound  of  singing,  and  could  just  catch 
some  disjointed  words  about  "green  crag"  and  "great  void"  and  "wan- 
dering into  the  far  unknown";  then  they  disappeared  behind  a  hill. 

Mr.  Cheng  had  run  until  he  was  completely  breathless.  He  could  not 
take  another  step,  and  had  to  stop  to  recover  his  breath.  When  he  turned 
round  he  saw  his  servant  tramping  towards  him  through  the  snow. 

"Did  you  just  see  the  three  fellows  in  monks'  habits?"  he  called  out 
to  him. 

"Yes,  I  saw  them,"  replied  the  boy,  "and  I  ran  after  you,  and  then 
all  of  a  sudden  I  could  see  only  you." 

Mr.  Cheng  ran  on  a  bit  farther  with  the  boy,  but  it  was  no  use.  Far 

579 


and  wide  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  the  white,  snowy,  empty 
landscape.  Shaking  his  head,  he  turned  back.  Meantime  his  other  serv- 
ants had  returned  to  the  ship.  Mr.  Cheng  told  them  of  his  strange  en- 
counter. They  said  he  should  interrupt  the  journey  and  have  the  whole 
district  searched  thoroughly  for  his  son  Pao  Yu. 

Mr.  Cheng  shook  his  head  and  sighed.  He  was  lost  in  thought. 

"It  is  strange,  very  strange!"  he  murmured  to  himself.  "I  saw  him 
and  his  companions  with  my  own  eyes.  I  also  distinctly  heard  their 
singing.  It  was  definitely  not  imagination,  or  some  empty  phantom  vi- 
sion. Many  things  are  now  becoming  clear  to  me.  He  came  into  the 
world  with  a  precious  stone  in  his  mouth.  That  was  uncanny  enough;  I 
always  felt  uneasy  about  it  from  the  very  beginning.  But  .  .  .  well,  for 
the  sake  of  his  grandmother  we  reared  and  fostered  the  spirit  child. 
Then  these  two  peculiar  fellows  appeared  on  the  scene.  Three  times 
they  have  ^intervened  in  his  life.  Once,  when  the  boy  lay  ill,  they  re- 
stored the  power  of  the  stone  with  their  incantations  and  made  him  well 
again.  Then  one  of  the  fellows,  the  one  in  the  bonze's  cowl,  brought 
back  the  lost  stone  and  saved  the  boy  from  death  for  the  second  time. 
That  time  I  saw  him  with  my  own  eyes  sitting  in  the  reception  hall,  then 
all  of  a  sudden  he  disappeared.  And  now  today  they  have  spirited  away 
the  boy  himself.  In  the  past  I  was  filled  with  wonder  over  the  fortunate 
fellow  who  had  exalted  spirits  from  the  other  world  for  his  friends  and 
helpers.  But  who  would  have  thought  that  one  day  he  himself  would 
join  the  world  of  spirits?  For  nineteen  long  years,  clothed  in  the  form 
of  a  human  being,  he  fooled  his  grandmother.  Now  he  has  become  once 
more  what  he  was  before — a  spirit.  No !  It  is  quite  useless  to  go  search- 
ing for  spirits!" 

And  with  a  sigh  Chia  Cheng  picked  up  his  writing  brush  to  finish  the 
letter  home  which  he  had  begun.  He  reported  his  amazing  encounter 
with  Pao  Yu,  and  added  the  remark  that  they  should  not  mourn  the 
lost  son  any  more.  In  any  case  he  had  no  aptitude  whatever  for  the 
career  of  an  official.  Who  knows  what  mischief  he  would  have  got  into 
in  an  official  position,  and  what  disaster  he  might  have  brought  on  the 
clan?  To  have  produced  a  bodhisattva  was  quite  an  honor  for  the 
family,  and  certainly  no  disgrace. 

The  various  members  of  the  clan  who  had  been  away  arrived  home 
in  rapid  succession — Chia  Cheng  from  his  journey  to  the  South;  Chia 
Shieh  and  Chia  Chen  from  their  exile;  Hsueh  Pan,  pardoned  and  ran- 
somed from  his  imprisonment.  The  latter  was  completely  repentant,  and 
on  returning  home  swore  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would  take  his  life  if  he 
ever  again  fell  back  into  his  old  vices.  At  his  mother's  wish,  he  raised 
his  concubine  Lotus  to  the  position  of  principal  wife  in  place  of  Hsia, 
who  had  met  her  end  by  poisoning.  And  so  the  former  slave  girl  even- 

580 


tuaDy  reached  the  position  in  society  ^O^tivas  proper  to  her  birth  and 
education. 

On  the  very  next  day  after  his  return  home  Chia  Cheng  called  at  the 
Grand  Secretariat  and,  through  the  good  offices  of  the  Grand  Secre- 
taries, who  were  kindly  disposed  towards  him,  obtained  an  audience  of 
thanks  with  the  Lord  of  the  Thousand  Years.  The  Emperor  inquired 
sympathetically  for  the  lost  son,  Pao  Yu,  and  was  deeply  moved  when 
he  heard  of  Mr.  Cheng's  strange  encounter  in  the  snow.  Once  more  he 
recalled  appreciatively  the  magnificent'  achievement  of  the  seventh 
candidate  on  the  examination  list.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  call  the 
young  man  up  for  service  in  the  Imperial  Palace  near  his  own  person. 
By  his  Imperial  grace  he  awarded  him  by  decree  the  exalted  title  of 
'The  Immortal  of  Marvellous  Literary  Achievement."  The  conferring 
of  this  honor  consoled  the  clan  to  some  extent  for  the  physical  loss  of 
the  son  of  the  family.  Another  consolation  was  the  fact  that  Precious 
Clasp  was  expecting  a  child.  Thus  Pao  Yu  would  still,  after  all,  live  on 
physically  too,  in  a  certain  sense,  in  the  clan. 

Yu  T«  in  was  also  among  those  affected  by  the  great jimnesty.  In  one 
day  he  had  slipped  from  a  great  height,  being  dragged  straight  from 
his  prefect's  seat  to  prison,  in  chains.  Corruptibility,  self-enrichment 
through  office,  and  defeating  the  ends  of  the  law  were  the  abuses  of 
office  laid  to  his  charge  by  the  Qensors  before  the  Imperial  Throne. 
These  offenses  were  enough  to  call  for  a  severe  punishment,  for  the  rul- 
ing Son  of  Heaven  was  an  enlightened  ruler  with  a  keen  social  con- 
science, ready  to  fly  into  a  rage  at  the  mere  words  "self-enrichment 
through  office,"  "oppression  of  the  people,"  and  "exploitation."  Thanks 
to  the  great  amnesty,  however,  Yu  Tsun  got  off  quite  lightly.  He  merely 
lost  office  and  rank,  was  reduced  once  more  to  the  status  of  a  com- 
moner, and  had  to  return  to  his  native  town  of  Suchow  as  an  ordinary 
subject.  And  so  the  proud  career  of  the  ambitious  place-hunter  ended 
just  where  it  had  begun  in  a  small  and  humble  way  many  years  ago. 

Yu  Tsun  had  sent  his  family  on  ahead  and  was  following  with  his 
baggage-cart  and  one  servant,  and  so  he  had  lots  of  time  on  the  way  to 
meditate  on  the  futility  of  earthly  ambition  and  the  transitory  nature  of 
fame  and  splendor. 

His  way  chanced  to  lead  him  over  the  ford  in  the  vicinity  of  which 
he  had  had  that  remarkable  encounter  in  a  temple  a  year  before.  This 
time  he  noticed  not  far  from  the  ford  a  hut  made  of  reeds  and  bul- 
rushes. At  his  arrival  a  hermit  came  out  of  the  hut  and  raised  his  hands 
in  greeting  to  him.  It  was  Shih  Ying.  He  bowed  quickly,  returning  the 
greeting. 

581 


"Greetings,  worthy  Mr.  Chia!  How  have  you  been  since  .  .  .?"  be- 
gan the  old  hermit. 

"Are  you  not  Master  Shih  Ying?"  asked  Yu  Tsun.  "Why  did  you 
hide  your  identity  at  our  last  meeting?  I  was  greatly  troubled  about  you 
after  your  temple  was  burned  down  and  count  myself  lucky  to  see  you 
again  today.  Only  now  do  I  realize  how  well  you  have  done  for  yourself, 
thanks  to  your  exalted  and  wise  insight.  I,  wretche.l  fool,  on  the  con- 
trary, was  obdurate  and  deluded.  Now  I  have  received  the  deserved  re- 
ward of  my  folly." 

"The  last  time,  you  were  resplendent  in  office  and  dignities.  How 
could  the  miserable-looking  hermit  take  the  liberty  of  knowing  you?" 
replied  Shih  Ying  with  the  shadow  of  a  smile.  "It  was  only  because  of 
our  old  relations  that  I  ventured  to  open  my  mouth  at  all.  I  feel  deeply 
honored  by  your  loyalty.  Good  fortune  and  misfortune,  wealth  and  pov- 
erty, are  predestined  things.  Our  meeting  today  is  no  mere  chance 
either." 

"How  did  the  master  come  to  free  himself  from  the  red  dust  of  the 
world  that  time  long  ago?"  Yu  Tsun  wanted  to  know. 

"Quite  unexpectedly,  with  the  speed  of  thought,"  replied  the  old 
man,  smiling  evasively,  and  countering  the  question  with  another:  "In 
the  great  world,  in  the  circles  of  soft,  luxurious  living,  riches,  and  dis- 
tinction, did  you  not  meet  a  certain  Pao  Yu?" 

"Indeed  I  do  know  him.  I  have  been  in  and  out  of  his  home  fre- 
quently. It  is  rumored  that  he  also  has  passed  through  the  gateway  of 
the  Great  Void  recently.  I  would  never  have  imagined  that  worldly, 
effeminate  fellow  taking  such  a  resolution." 

"But  I  would  have.  I  knew  his  whole  story  long  in  advance.  Do  you 
remember  that  summer  evening  many  years  ago,  when  you  saw  me 
standing  in  front  of  the  door  of  my  old  home  near  the  Temple  of  the 
Gourd?  Shortly  before  that  I  had  met  him." 

"Impossible!  Your  Suchow  is  many  miles  distant  from  the  capital." 

"In  the  intercourse  between  spirits  there  are  no  boundaries  of  space 
and  time." 

"Then  you  know,  no  doubt,  where  he  is  now?" 

"His  place  is  now  again,  as  it  was  before,  in  the  Blessed  Realm  of 
Purified  Semblance,  under  the  green  crag,  by  the  old  pine  tree.  For  Pao 
Yu  is  a  precious  stone.  What?  You  do  not  understand  me?  Come  with 
me  into  my  hermitage,  which  is  near  by.  There.  I  will  explain  to  you  the 
Story  of  the  Stone." 


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04/07/06 
03:53  pm 


SIGMXJND  SAMUEL  LIBRARY