CHAPTER XXXIX.
The tongue of the village old dame finds as free vent as a river that has broken its banks. The affectionate cousin makes up his mind to sift to the very bottom the story told by old goody Liu.
Upon seeing, the story explains, P'ing Erh arrive, they unanimouslyinquired, "What is your mistress up to? How is it she hasn't come?"
"How ever could she spare the time to get as far as here?" P'ing Erhsmiled and replied. "But, she said, she hasn't anything good to eat, soshe bade me, as she couldn't possibly run over, come and find outwhether there be any more crabs or not; (if there be), she enjoined meto ask for a few to take to her to eat at home."
"There are plenty!" Hsiang-yuen rejoined; and directing, with alacrity, aservant to fetch a present box, she put in it ten of the largest crabs.
"I'll take a few more of the female ones," P'ing Erh remarked.
One and all then laid hands upon P'ing Erh and tried to drag her into aseat, but P'ing Erh would not accede to their importunities.
"I insist upon your sitting down," Li Wan laughingly exclaimed, and asshe kept pulling her about, and forcing her to sit next to her, shefilled a cup of wine and put it to her lips. P'ing Erh hastily swalloweda sip and endeavoured immediately to beat a retreat.
"I won't let you go," shouted Li Wan. "It's so evident that you're onlygot that woman Feng in your thoughts as you don't listen to any of mywords!"
Saying this, she went on to bid the nurses go ahead, and take the boxover. "Tell her," she added, "that I've kept P'ing Erh here."
A matron presently returned with a box. "Lady Secunda," she reported,"says that you, lady Chu, and our young mistresses must not make fun ofher for having asked for something to eat; and that in this box you'llfind cakes made of water-lily powder, and rolls prepared with chickenfat, which your maternal aunt, on the other side, just sent for yourladyship and for you, young ladies, to taste. That she bids you," (thematron) continued, turning towards P'ing Erh, "come over on duty, butyour mind is so set upon pleasure that you loiter behind and don't goback. She advises you, however, not to have too many cups of wine."
"Were I even to have too much," P'ing Erh smiled, "what could she do tome?"
Uttering these words, she went on with her drink; after which shepartook of some more crab.
"What a pity it is," interposed Li Wan, caressing her, "that a girl withsuch good looks as you should have so ordinary a fortune as to simplyfall into that room as a menial! But wouldn't any one, who is notacquainted with actual facts, take you for a lady and a mistress?"
While she went on eating and drinking with Pao-ch'ai, Hsiang-yuen and theother girls, P'ing Erh turned her head round. "Don't rub me like that!"she laughed, "It makes me feel quite ticklish."
"Ai-yo!" shouted Li Wan. "What's this hard thing?"
"It's a key," P'ing Erh answered.
"What fine things have you got that the fear lest people should take itaway, prompts you to carry this about you? I keep on, just for a laugh,telling people the whole day long that when the bonze T'ang was fetchingthe canons, a white horse came and carried him! That when Liu Chih-yueanwas attacking the empire, a melon-spirit appeared and brought him a coatof mail, and that in the same way, where our vixen Feng is, there youare to be found! You are your mistress' general key; and what do youwant this other key for?"
"You've primed yourself with wine, my lady," P'ing Erh smiled, "and hereyou once more chaff me and make a laughing-stock of me."
"This is really quite true," Pao-ch'ai laughed. "Whenever we've gotnothing to do, and we talk matters over, (we're quite unanimous) thatnot one in a hundred could be picked out to equal you girls in here. Thebeauty is that each one of you possesses her own good qualities!"
"In every thing, whether large or small, a heavenly principle rulesalike," Li Wan explained. "Were there, for instance, no Yuean Yang in ourvenerable senior's apartments, how would it ever do? Commencing withMadame Wang herself, who is it who could muster sufficient courage toexpostulate with the old lady? Yet she plainly has the pluck to put inher remonstrances with her; and, as it happens, our worthy ancestorlends a patient ear to only what she says and no one else. None of theothers can remember what our old senior has in the way of clothes andhead-ornaments, but she can remember everything; and, were she not thereto look after things, there is no knowing how many would not be swindledaway. That child besides is so straightforward at heart, that, despiteall this, she often puts in a good word for others, and doesn't relyupon her influence to look down disdainfully upon any one!"
"It was only yesterday," Hsi Ch'un observed with a smile, "that our dearancestor said that she was ever so much better than the whole lot ofus!"
"She's certainly splendid!" P'ing Erh ventured. "How could we rise up toher standard?"
"Ts'ai Hsia," Pao-yue put in, "who is in mother's rooms, is a good sortof girl!"
"Of course she is!" T'an Ch'un assented. "But she's good enough as faras external appearances go, but inwardly she's a sly one! Madame Wang isjust like a joss; she does not give her mind to any sort of business;but this girl is up to everything; and it is she who in all manner ofthings reminds her mistress what there is to be done. She even knowseverything, whether large or small, connected with Mr. Chia Cheng'sstaying at home or going out of doors; and when at any time Madame Wangforgets, she, from behind the scenes, prompts her how to act."
"Well, never mind about her!" Li Wan suggested. "But were," she pursued,pointing at Pao-yue, "no Hsi Jen in this young gentleman's quarters, justyou imagine what a pitch things would reach! That vixen Feng may trulyresemble the prince Pa of the Ch'u kingdom; and she may have two armsstrong enough to raise a tripod weighing a thousand catties, but had shenot this maid (P'ing Erh), would she be able to accomplish everything sothoroughly?"
"In days gone by," P'ing Erh interposed, "four servant-girls came alongwith her, but what with those who've died and those who've gone, only Iremain like a solitary spirit."
"You're, after all, the fortunate one!" Li Wan retorted, "but our husseyFeng too is lucky in having you! Had I not also once, just remember, twogirls, when your senior master Chu was alive? Am I not, you've seen foryourselves, a person to bear with people? But in such a surly frame ofmind did I find them both day after day that, as soon as your seniormaster departed this life, I availed myself of their youth (to give themin marriage) and to pack both of them out of my place. But had either ofthem been good for anything and worthy to be kept, I would, in fact,have now had some one to give me a helping hand!"
As she spoke, the very balls of her eyes suddenly became quite red.
"Why need you again distress your mind?" they with one voice, exclaimed."Isn't it better that we should break up?"
While conversing, they rinsed their hands; and, when they had agreed togo in a company to dowager lady Chia's and Madame Wang's and inquireafter their health, the matrons and servant-maids swept the pavilion andcollected and washed the cups and saucers.
Hsi Jen proceeded on her way along with P'ing Erh. "Come into my room,"said Hsi Jen to P'ing Erh, "and sit down and have another cup of tea."
"I won't have any tea just now," P'ing Erh answered. "I'll come someother time."
So saying, she was about to go off when Hsi Jen called out to her andstopped her.
"This month's allowances," she asked, "haven't yet been issued, not evento our old mistress and Madame Wang; why is it?"
Upon catching this inquiry, P'ing Erh hastily retraced her steps anddrew near Hsi Jen. After looking about to see that no one was in theneighbourhood, she rejoined in a low tone of voice, "Drop thesequestions at once! They're sure, anyhow, to be issued in a couple ofdays."
"Why is it," smiled Hsi Jen, "that this gives you such a start?"
"This month's allowances," P'ing Erh explained to her in a whisper,"have long ago been obtained in advance by our mistress Secunda andgiven to people for their own purposes; and it's when the interest hasbeen brought from here and there that the various sums wil
l be lumpedtogether and payment be effected. I confide this to you, but, mind, youmustn't go and tell any other person about it."
"Is it likely that she hasn't yet enough money for her ownrequirements?" Hsi Jen smiled. "Or is it that she's still not satisfied?And what's the use of her still going on bothering herself in this way?"
"Isn't it so!" laughed P'ing Erh. "From just handling the funds for thisparticular item, she has, during these few years, so manipulated them asto turn up several hundreds of taels profit out of them. Nor does shespend that monthly allowance of hers for public expenses. But the momentshe accumulates anything like eight or ten taels odd, she gives them outtoo. Thus the interest on her own money alone comes up to nearly athousand taels a year."
"You and your mistress take our money," Hsi Jen observed laughingly,"and get interest on it; fooling us as if we were no better thanidiots."
"Here you are again with your uncharitable words!" P'ing Erhremonstrated. "Can it be that you haven't yet enough to meet your ownexpenses with?"
"I am, it's true, not short of money," Hsi Jen replied, "as I havenowhere to go and spend it; but the thing is that I'm making provisionfor that fellow of ours, (Pao-yue)."
"If you ever find yourself in any great straits and need money," P'ingErh resumed, "you're at liberty to take first those few taels I've gotover there to suit your own convenience with, and by and bye I canreduce them from what is due to you and we'll be square."
"I'm not in need of any just now," retorted Hsi Jen. "But should I nothave enough, when I want some, I'll send some one to fetch them, andfinish."
P'ing Erh promised that she would let her have the money at any time shesent for it, and, and taking the shortest cut, she issued out of thegarden gate. Here she encountered a servant despatched from the otherside by lady Feng. She came in search of P'ing Erh. "Our lady," shesaid, "has something for you to do, and is waiting for you."
"What's up that it's so pressing?" P'ing Erh inquired. "Our seniormistress detained me by force to have a chat, so I couldn't manage toget away. But here she time after time sends people after me in thismanner!"
"Whether you go or not is your own look out," the maid replied. "Itisn't worth your while getting angry with me! If you dare, go and tellthese things to our mistress!"
P'ing Erh spat at her contemptuously, and rushed back in anxious haste.She discovered, however, that lady Feng was not at home. Butunexpectedly she perceived that the old goody Liu, who had paid them avisit on a previous occasion for the purpose of obtaining pecuniaryassistance, had come again with Pan Erh, and was seated in the oppositeroom, along with Chang Ts'ai's wife and Chou Jui's wife, who kept hercompany. But two or three servant-maids were inside as well emptying onthe floor bags containing dates, squash and various wild greens.
As soon as they saw her appear in the room, they promptly stood up in abody. Old goody Liu had, on her last visit, learnt what P'ing Erh'sstatus in the establishment was, so vehemently jumping down, sheenquired, "Miss, how do you do? All at home," she pursued, "send youtheir compliments. I meant to have come earlier and paid my respects tomy lady and to look you up, miss; but we've been very busy on the farm.We managed this year to reap, after great labour, a few more piculs ofgrain than usual. But melons, fruits and vegetables have also beenplentiful. These things, you see here, are what we picked during thefirst crop; and as we didn't presume to sell them, we kept the best topresent to our lady and the young ladies to taste. The young ladiesmust, of course, be surfeited with all the delicacies and fine thingsthey daily get, but by having some of our wild greens to eat, they willshow some regard for our poor attention."
"Many thanks for all the trouble you have taken!" Ping Erh eagerlyrejoined. Then pressing her to resume her place, she sat down herself;and, urging Mrs. Chang and Mrs. Chou to take their seats, she bade ayoung waiting-maid go and serve the tea.
"There's a joyous air about your face to-day, Miss, and your eye-ballsare all red," the wife of Chou Jui and the wife of Chang Ts'ai thereuponsmilingly ventured.
"Naturally!" P'ing Erh laughed. "I generally don't take any wine, butour senior mistress, and our young ladies caught hold of me and insistedupon pouring it down my throat. I had no alternative therefore but toswallow two cups full; so my face at once flushed crimson."
"I have a longing for wine," Chang Ts'ai's wife smiled; "but there's noone to offer me any. But when any one by and by invites you, Miss, dotake me along with you!"
At these words, one and all burst out laughing.
"Early this morning," Chou Jui's wife interposed, "I caught a glimpse ofthose crabs. Only two or three of them would weigh a catty; so in thosetwo or three huge hampers, there must have been, I presume, seventy toeighty catties!"
"If some were intended for those above as well as for those below;" ChouJui's wife added, "they couldn't, nevertheless, I fear, have beenenough."
"How could every one have had any?" P'ing Erh observed. "Those simplywith any name may have tasted a couple of them; but, as for the rest,some may have touched them with the tips of their hands, but many mayeven not have done as much."
"Crabs of this kind!" put in old goody Liu, "cost this year fivecandareens a catty; ten catties for five mace; five times five make twotaels five, and three times five make fifteen; and adding what waswanted for wines and eatables, the total must have come to somethingover twenty taels. O-mi-to-fu! why, this heap of money is ample for uscountry-people to live on through a whole year!"
"I expect you have seen our lady?" P'ing Erh then asked.
"Yes, I have seen her," assented old goody Liu. "She bade us wait." Asshe spoke, she again looked out of the window to see what the time ofthe day could be. "It's getting quite late," she afterwards proceeded."We must be going, or else we mayn't be in time to get out of the citygates; and then we'll be in a nice fix."
"Quite right," Chou Jui's wife observed. "I'll go and see what she's upto for you."
With these words, she straightway left the room. After a long absence,she returned. "Good fortune has, indeed, descended upon you, old dame!"she smiled. "Why, you've won the consideration of those two ladies!"
"What about it?" laughingly inquired P'ing Erh and the others.
"Lady Secunda," Chou Jui's wife explained with a smile, "was with ourvenerable lady, so I gently whispered to her: 'old goody Liu wishes togo home; it's getting late and she fears she mightn't be in time to goout of the gates!' 'It's such a long way off!' Our lady Secundarejoined, 'and she had all the trouble and fatigue of carrying that loadof things; so if it's too late, why, let her spend the night here andstart on the morrow!' Now isn't this having enlisted our mistress'sympathies? But not to speak of this! Our old lady also happened tooverhear what we said, and she inquired: 'who is old goody Liu?' Ourlady Secunda forthwith told her all. 'I was just longing,' her venerableladyship pursued, 'for some one well up in years to have a chat with;ask her in, and let me see her!' So isn't this coming in forconsideration, when least unexpected?"
So speaking, she went on to urge old goody Liu to get down and betakeherself to the front.
"With a figure like this of mine," old goody Liu demurred, "how could Ivery well appear before her? My dear sister-in-law, do tell her thatI've gone!"
"Get on! Be quick!" P'ing Erh speedily cried. "What does it matter? Ourold lady has the highest regard for old people and the greatest pity forthe needy! She's not one you could compare with those haughty andoverbearing people! But I fancy you're a little too timid, so I'llaccompany you as far as there, along with Mrs. Chou."
While tendering her services, she and Chou Jui's wife led off old goodyLiu and crossed over to dowager lady Chia's apartments on this side ofthe mansion. The boy-servants on duty at the second gate stood up whenthey saw P'ing Erh approach. But two of them also ran up to her, and,keeping close to her heels: "Miss!" they shouted out. "Miss!"
"What have you again got to say?" P'ing Erh asked.
"It's pretty late just now," one of the boys smilingly remarked; "andmother is ill and
wants me to go and call the doctor, so I would, dearMiss, like to have half a day's leave; may I?"
"Your doings are really fine!" P'ing Erh exclaimed. "You've agreed amongyourselves that each day one of you should apply for furlough; butinstead of speaking to your lady, you come and bother me! The other daythat Chu Erh went, Mr. Secundus happened not to want him, so I assented,though I also added that I was doing it as a favour; but here you toocome to-day!"
"It's quite true that his mother is sick," Chou Jui's wife interceded;"so, Miss, do say yes to him also, and let him go!"
"Be back as soon as it dawns to-morrow!" P'ing Erh enjoined. "Wait, I'vegot something for you to do, for you'll again sleep away, and only turnup after the sun has blazed away on your buttocks. As you go now, give amessage to Wang Erh! Tell him that our lady bade you warn him that if hedoes not hand over the balance of the interest due by to-morrow, shewon't have anything to do with him. So he'd better let her have it tomeet her requirements and finish."
The servant-lad felt in high glee and exuberant spirits. Expressing hisobedience, he walked off.
P'ing Erh and her companions repaired then to old lady Chia'sapartments. Here the various young ladies from the Garden of Broad Vistawere at the time assembled paying their respects to their grandmother.As soon as old goody Liu put her foot inside, she saw the room throngedwith girls (as seductive) as twigs of flowers waving to and fro, and sorichly dressed, as to look enveloped in pearls, and encircled withking-fisher ornaments. But she could not make out who they all were. Hergaze was, however, attracted by an old dame, reclining alone on a divan.Behind her sat a girl, a regular beauty, clothed in gauze, engaged inpatting her legs. Lady Feng was on her feet in the act of cracking somejoke.
Old goody Liu readily concluded that it must be dowager lady Chia, sopromptly pressing forward, she put on a forced smile and made severalcurtseys. "My obeisance to you, star of longevity!" she said.
Old lady Chia hastened, on her part, to bow and to inquire after herhealth. Then she asked Chou Jui's wife to bring a chair over for her totake a seat. But Pan Erh was still so very shy that he did not know howto make his obeisance.
"Venerable relative," dowager lady Chia asked, "how old are you thisyear?"
Old goody Liu immediately rose to her feet. "I'm seventy-five thisyear," she rejoined.
"So old and yet so hardy!" Old lady Chia remarked, addressing herself tothe party. "Why she's older than myself by several years! When I reachthat age, I wonder whether I shall be able to move!"
"We people have," old goody Liu smilingly resumed, "to put up, from themoment we come into the world, with ever so many hardships; while yourvenerable ladyship enjoys, from your birth, every kind of blessing! Werewe also like this, there'd be no one to carry on that farming work."
"Are your eyes and teeth still good?" Dowager lady Chia went on toinquire.
"They're both still all right," old goody Liu replied. "The left molars,however, have got rather shaky this year."
"As for me, I'm quite an old fossil," dowager lady Chia observed. "I'mno good whatever. My eyesight is dim; my ears are deaf, my memory isgone. I can't even recollect any of you, old family connections. Whentherefore any of our relations come on a visit, I don't see them forfear lest I should be ridiculed. All I can manage to eat are a fewmouthfuls of anything tender enough for my teeth; and I can just dose abit or, when I feel in low spirits, I distract myself a little withthese grandsons and grand-daughters of mine; that's all I'm good for."
"This is indeed your venerable ladyship's good fortune!" old goody Liusmiled. "We couldn't enjoy anything of the kind, much though we may longfor it."
"What good fortune!" dowager lady Chia exclaimed. "I'm a useless oldthing, no more."
This remark made every one explode into laughter.
Dowager lady Chia also laughed. "I heard our lady Feng say a littlewhile back," she added, "that you had brought a lot of squash andvegetables, and I told her to put them by at once. I had just beencraving to have newly-grown melons and vegetables; but those one buysoutside are not as luscious as those produced in your farms."
"This is the rustic notion," old goody Liu laughed, "to entirely subsiston fresh things! Yet, we long to have fish and meat for our fare, but wecan't afford it."
"I've found a relative in you to-day," dowager lady Chia said, "so youshouldn't go empty-handed! If you don't despise this place as too mean,do stay a day or two before you start! We've also got a garden here; andthis garden produces fruits too; you can taste some of them to-morrowand take a few along with you home, in order to make it look like avisit to relatives."
When lady Feng saw how delighted old lady Chia was with the prospects ofthe old dame's stay, she too lost no time in doing all she could toinduce her to remain. "Our place here," she urged, "isn't, it's true, asspacious as your threshing-floor; but as we've got two vacant rooms,you'd better put up in them for a couple of days, and choose some ofyour village news and old stories and recount them to our worthysenior."
"Now you, vixen Feng," smiled dowager lady Chia, "don't raise a laugh ather expense! She's only a country woman; and will an old dame like herstand any chaff from you?"
While remonstrating with her, she bade a servant go, before attending toanything else, and pluck a few fruits. These she handed to Pan Erh toeat. But Pan Erh did not venture to touch them, conscious as he was ofthe presence of such a number of bystanders. So old lady Chia gaveorders that a few cash should be given him, and then directed the pagesto take him outside to play.
After sipping a cup of tea, old goody Liu began to relate, for thebenefit of dowager lady Chia, a few of the occurrences she had seen orheard of in the country. These had the effect of putting old lady Chiain a more exuberant frame of mind. But in the midst of her narration, aservant, at lady Feng's instance, asked goody Liu to go and have herevening meal. Dowager lady Chia then picked out, as well, several kindsof eatables from her own repast, and charged some one to take them togoody Liu to feast on.
But the consciousness that the old dame had taken her senior's fancyinduced lady Feng to send her back again as soon as she had taken somerefreshments. On her arrival, Yuean Yang hastily deputed a matron to takegoody Liu to have a bath. She herself then went and selected two piecesof ordinary clothes, and these she entrusted to a servant to hand to theold dame to change. Goody Liu had hitherto not set eyes upon any suchgrand things, so with eagerness she effected the necessary alterationsin her costume. This over, she made her appearance outside, and, sittingin front of the divan occupied by dowager lady Chia, she went on tonarrate as many stories as she could recall to mind. Pao-yue and hiscousins too were, at the time, assembled in the room, and as they hadnever before heard anything the like of what she said, they, of course,thought her tales more full of zest than those related by itinerantblind story-tellers.
Old goody Liu was, albeit a rustic person, gifted by nature with a gooddeal of discrimination. She was besides advanced in years; and had gonethrough many experiences in her lifetime, so when she, in the firstplace, saw how extremely delighted old lady Chia was with her, and, inthe second, how eager the whole crowd of young lads and lasses were tolisten to what fell from her mouth, she even invented, when she foundher own stock exhausted, a good many yarns to recount to them.
"What with all the sowing we have to do in our fields and the vegetableswe have to plant," she consequently proceeded, "have we ever in ourvillage any leisure to sit with lazy hands from year to year and day today; no matter whether it's spring, summer, autumn or winter, whether itblows or whether it rains? Yea, day after day all that we can do is toturn the bare road into a kind of pavilion to rest and cool ourselveson! But what strange things don't we see! Last winter, for instance,snow fell for several consecutive days, and it piled up on the groundthree or four feet deep. One day, I got up early, but I hadn't as yetgone out of the door of our house when I heard outside the noise offirewood (being moved). I fancied that some one must have come to stealit, so I crept up to a hole in the wi
ndow; but, lo, I discovered that itwas no one from our own village."
"It must have been," interposed dowager lady Chia, "some wayfarers, whobeing smitten with the cold, took some of the firewood, they saw readyat hand, to go and make a fire and warm themselves with! That's highlyprobable!"
"It was no wayfarers at all," old goody Liu retorted smiling, "andthat's what makes the story so strange. Who do you think it was,venerable star of longevity? It was really a most handsome girl ofseventeen or eighteen, whose hair was combed as smooth as if oil hadbeen poured over it. She was dressed in a deep red jacket, a white silkpetticoat...."
When she reached this part of her narrative, suddenly became audible thevoices of people bawling outside. "It's nothing much," they shouted,"don't frighten our old mistress!" Dowager lady Chia and the otherinmates caught, however, their cries and hurriedly inquired what hadhappened. A servant-maid explained in reply that a fire had broken outin the stables in the southern court, but that there was no danger, asthe flames had been suppressed.
Their old grandmother was a person with very little nerve. The moment,therefore, the report fell on her car, she jumped up with all despatch,and leaning on one of the family, she rushed on to the verandah toascertain the state of things. At the sight of the still brilliantlight, shed by the flames, on the south east part of the compound, oldlady Chia was plunged in consternation, and invoking Buddha, she went onto shout to the servants to go and burn incense before the god of fire.
Madame Wang and the rest of the members of the household lost no time incrossing over in a body to see how she was getting on. "The fire hasbeen already extinguished," they too assured her, "please, dearancestor, repair into your rooms!"
But it was only after old lady Chia had seen the light of the flamesentirely subside that she at length led the whole company indoors. "Whatwas that girl up to, taking the firewood in that heavy fall of snow?"Pao-yue thereupon vehemently inquired of goody Liu. "What, if she had gotfrostbitten and fallen ill?"
"It was the reference made recently to the firewood that was beingabstracted," his grandmother Chia said, "that brought about this fire;and do you still go on asking more about it? Leave this story alone, andtell us something else!"
Hearing this reminder, Pao-yue felt constrained to drop the subject, muchagainst his wishes, and old goody Liu forthwith thought of somethingelse to tell them.
"In our village," she resumed, "and on the eastern side of ourfarmstead, there lives an old dame, whose age is this year, over ninety.She goes in daily for fasting, and worshipping Buddha. Who'd havethought it, she so moved the pity of the goddess of mercy that she gaveher this message in a dream: 'It was at one time ordained that youshould have no posterity, but as you have proved so devout, I have nowmemorialised the Pearly Emperor to grant you a grandson!' The fact is,this old dame had one son. This son had had too an only son; but he diedafter they had with great difficulty managed to rear him to the age ofseventeen or eighteen. And what tears didn't they shed for him! But, incourse of time, another son was actually born to him. He is this yearjust thirteen or fourteen, resembles a very ball of flower, (so plump ishe), and is clever and sharp to an exceptional degree! So this is indeeda clear proof that those spirits and gods do exist!"
This long tirade proved to be in harmony with dowager lady Chia's andMadame Wang's secret convictions on the subject. Even Madame Wangtherefore listened to every word with all profound attention. Pao-yue,however, was so pre-occupied with the story about the stolen firewoodthat he fell in a brown study and gave way to conjectures.
"Yesterday," T'an Ch'un at this point remarked, "We put cousin Shih to alot of trouble and inconvenience, so, when we get back, we must consultabout convening a meeting, and, while returning her entertainment, wecan also invite our venerable ancestor to come and admire thechrysanthemums; what do you think of this?"
"Our worthy senior," smiled Pao-yue, "has intimated that she means togive a banquet to return cousin Shih's hospitality, and to ask us to dothe honours. Let's wait therefore until we partake of grandmother'scollation, before we issue our own invitations; there will be ample timethen to do so."
"The later it gets, the cooler the weather becomes," T'an Ch'unobserved, "and our dear senior is not likely to enjoy herself."
"Grandmother," added Pao-yue, "is also fond of rain and snow, so wouldn'tit be as well to wait until the first fall, and then ask her to come andlook at the snow. This will be better, won't it? And were we to reciteour verses with snow about us, it will be ever so much more fun!"
"To hum verses in the snow," Lin Tai-yue speedily demurred with a smile,"won't, in my idea, be half as nice as building up a heap of firewoodand then stealing it, with the flakes playing about us. This will be byfar more enjoyable!"
This proposal made Pao-ch'ai and the others laugh. Pao-yue cast a glanceat her but made no reply.
But, in a short time, the company broke up. Pao-yue eventually gave oldgoody Liu a tug on the sly and plied her with minute questions as to whothe girl was. The old dame was placed under the necessity of fabricatingsomething for his benefit. "The truth is," she said, "that there standson the north bank of the ditch in our village a small ancestral hall, inwhich offerings are made, but not to spirits or gods. There was informer days some official or other..."
"While speaking, she went on to try and recollect his name and surname.
"No matter about names or surnames!" Pao-yue expostulated. "There's noneed for you to recall them to memory! Just mention the facts; they'llbe enough."
"This official," old goody Liu resumed, "had no son. His offspringconsisted of one young daughter, who went under the name of Jo Yue, (likeJade). She could read and write, and was doated upon by this officialand his consort, just as if she were a precious jewel. But,unfortunately, when this young lady, Jo Yue, grew up to be seventeen, shecontracted some disease and died."
When these words fell on Pao-yue's ears, he stamped his foot and heaved asigh. "What happened after that?" he then asked.
Old goody Liu pursued her story.
"So incessantly," she continued, "did this official and his consortthink of their child that they raised this ancestral hall, erected aclay image of their young daughter Jo Yue in it, and appointed some oneto burn incense and trim the fires. But so many days and years have nowelapsed that the people themselves are no more alive, the temple is indecay, and the image itself is become a spirit."
"It hasn't become a spirit," remonstrated Pao-yue with vehemence. "Humanbeings of this kind may, the rule is, die, yet they are not dead."
"O-mi-to-fu!" ejaculated old goody Liu; "is it really so! Had you, sir,not enlightened us, we would have remained under the impression that shehad become a spirit! But she repeatedly transforms herself into a humanbeing, and there she roams about in every village, farmstead, inn androadside. And the one I mentioned just now as having taken the firewoodis that very girl! The villagers in our place are still consulting withthe idea of breaking this clay image and razing the temple to theground."
"Be quick and dissuade them!" eagerly exclaimed Pao-yue. "Were they toraze the temple to the ground, their crime won't be small."
"It's lucky that you told me, Sir," old goody Liu added. "When I getback to-morrow, I'll make them relinquish the idea and finish!"
"Our venerable senior and my mother," Pao-yue pursued, "are bothcharitable persons. In fact, all the inmates of our family, whether oldor young, do, in like manner, delight in good deeds, and take pleasurein distributing alms. Their greatest relish is to repair temples, and toput up images to the spirits; so to-morrow, I'll make a subscription andcollect a few donations for you, and you can then act as incense-burner.When sufficient money has been raised, this fane can be repaired, andanother clay image put up; and month by month I'll give you incense andfire money to enable you to burn joss-sticks; won't this be A good thingfor you?"
"In that case," old goody Liu rejoined, "I shall, thanks to that younglady's good fortune, have also a few cash to spend."
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p; Pao-yue thereupon likewise wanted to know what the name of the place was,the name of the village, how far it was there and back, and whereaboutthe temple was situated.
Old goody Liu replied to his questions, by telling him every idlethought that came first to her lips. Pao-yue, however, credited theinformation she gave him and, on his return to his rooms, he exercised,the whole night, his mind with building castles in the air.
On the morrow, as soon as daylight dawned, he speedily stepped out ofhis room, and, handing Pei Ming several hundreds of cash, he bade himproceed first in the direction and to the place specified by old goodyLiu, and clearly ascertain every detail, so as to enable him, on hisreturn from his errand, to arrive at a suitable decision to carry outhis purpose. After Pei Ming's departure, Pao-yue continued on pins onneedles and on the tiptoe of expectation. Into such a pitch ofexcitement did he work himself, that he felt like an ant in a burningpan. With suppressed impatience, he waited and waited until sunset. Atlast then he perceived Pei Ming walk in, in high glee.
"Have you discovered the place?" hastily inquired Pao-yue.
"Master," Pei Ming laughed, "you didn't catch distinctly the directionsgiven you, and you made me search in a nice way! The name of the placeand the bearings can't be those you gave me, Sir; that is why I've hadto hunt about the whole day long! I prosecuted my inquiries up to thevery ditch on the north east side, before I eventually found a ruinedtemple."
Upon hearing the result of his researches, Pao-yue was much gratified.His very eyebrows distended. His eyes laughed. "Old goody Liu," he saidwith eagerness, "is a person well up in years, and she may at the momenthave remembered wrong; it's very likely she did. But recount to me whatyou saw."
"The door of that temple," Pei Ming explained, "really faces south, andis all in a tumble-down condition. I searched and searched till I wasdriven to utter despair. As soon, however, as I caught sight of it,'that's right,' I shouted, and promptly walked in. But I at oncediscovered a clay figure, which gave me such a fearful start, that Iscampered out again; for it looked as much alive as if it were a realliving being."
Pao-yue smiled full of joy. "It can metamorphose itself into a humanbeing," he observed, "so, of course, it has more or less a life-likeappearance."
"Was it ever a girl?" Pei Ming rejoined clapping his hands. "Why it was,in fact, no more than a green-faced and red-haired god of plagues."
Pao-yue, at this answer, spat at him contemptuously. "You are, in verytruth, a useless fool!" he cried. "Haven't you even enough gumption forsuch a trifling job as this?"
"What book, I wonder, have you again been reading, master?" Pei Mingcontinued. "Or you may, perhaps, have heard some one prattle a lot oftrash and believed it as true! You send me on this sort of wild goosechase and make me go and knock my head about, and how can you ever saythat I'm good for nothing?"
Pao-yue did not fail to notice that he was in a state of exasperation sohe lost no time in trying to calm him. "Don't be impatient!" he urged."You can go again some other day, when you've got nothing to attend to,and institute further inquiries! If it turns out that she hashood-winked us, why, there will, naturally, be no such thing. But if,verily, there is, won't you also lay up for yourself a store of gooddeeds? I shall feel it my duty to reward you in a most handsome manner."
As he spoke, he espied a servant-lad, on service at the second gate,approach and report to him: "The young ladies in our venerableladyship's apartments are standing at the threshold of the second gateand looking out for you, Mr. Secundus."
But as, reader, you are not aware what they were on the look-out to tellhim, the subsequent chapter will explain it for you.