XIV
"My beloved lord!" said Mian sadly, on a morning after many days hadpassed since the return of Ling, "have you not every possession forwhich the heart of a wise person searches? Yet the dark mark is scarcelyever absent from your symmetrical brow. If she who stands before you,and is henceforth an integral part of your organization, has failed youin any particular, no matter how unimportant, explain the matter to her,and the amendment will be a speedy and a joyful task."
It was indeed true that Ling's mind was troubled, but the fault did notlie with Mian, as the person in question was fully aware, for beforeher eyes as before those of Ling the unevadable compact which had beenentered into with Chang-ch'un was ever present, insidiously plantingbitterness within even the most select and accomplished delights. Norwith increasing time did the obstinate and intrusive person Wang becomemore dignified in his behaviour; on the contrary, he freely made use ofhis position to indulge in every variety of abandonment, and almost eachday he prevented, by reason of his knowledge of the things to be doneand not to be done, some refined and permissible entertainmentupon which Ling and Mian had determined. Ling had despatched manycommunications upon this subject to Chang-ch'un, praying also thatsome expert way out of the annoyance of the lesser and more unimportantthings not to be done should be arrived at, but the time when he mightreasonably expect an answer to these written papers had not yet arrived.
It was about this period that intelligence was brought to Ling from thevillages on the road to Peking, how Li Keen, having secretly ascertainedthat his Yamen was standing and his goods uninjured, had determinedto return, and was indeed at that hour within a hundred li of Si-chow.Furthermore, he had repeatedly been understood to pronounce clearlythat he considered Ling to be the head and beginning of all hisinconveniences, and to declare that the first act of justice whichhe should accomplish on his return would be to submit the person inquestion to the most unbearable tortures, and then cause him to lose hishead publicly as an outrager of the settled state of things and anenemy of those who loved tranquillity. Not doubting that Li Keen wouldendeavour to gain an advantage by treachery if the chance presenteditself, Ling determined to go forth to meet him, and without delaysettle the entire disturbance in one well-chosen and fatally-destructiveencounter. To this end, rather than disturb the placid mind of Mian,to whom the thought of the engagement would be weighted with manydisquieting fears, he gave out that he was going upon an expeditionto surprise and capture certain fish of a very delicate flavour, andattended by only two persons, he set forth in the early part of the day.
Some hours later, owing to an ill-considered remark on the part of thedeaf attendant, to whom the matter had been explained in an imperfectlight, Mian became possessed of the true facts of the case, andimmediately all the pleasure of existence went from her. She despairedof ever again beholding Ling in an ordinary state, and mournfullyreproached herself for the bitter words which had risen to her lips whenthe circumstance of his condition and the arrangement with Chang-ch'unfirst became known to her. After spending an interval in a polishedlament at the manner in which things were inevitably tending, thethought occurred to Mian whether by any means in her power she couldinfluence the course and settled method of affairs. In this situationthe memory of the person Wang, and the fact that on several occasions hehad made himself objectionable when Ling had proposed to place himselfin such a position that he incurred some very remote chance of deathby drowning or by fire, recurred to her. Subduing the natural andpure-minded repulsion which she invariably experienced at the merethought of so debased an individual, she sought for him, and discoveringhim in the act of constructing cardboard figures of men and animals,which it was his custom to dispose skilfully in little-frequented pathsfor the purpose of enjoying the sudden terror of those who passed by,she quickly put the matter before him, urging him, by some means, toprevent the encounter, which must assuredly cost the life of the onewhom he had so often previously obstructed from incurring the slightestrisk.
"By no means," exclaimed Wang, when he at length understood the fullmeaning of the project; "it would be a most unpresentable action forthis commonplace person to interfere in so honourable an undertaking.Had the priceless body of the intrepid Ling been in any danger ofdisappearing, as, for example, by drowning or being consumed in fire,the nature of the circumstance would have been different. As thematter exists, however, there is every appearance that the far-seeingChang-ch'un will soon reap the deserved reward of his somewhatspeculative enterprise, and to that end this person will immediatelyprocure a wooden barrier and the services of four robust carriers, andproceed to the scene of the conflict."
Deprived of even this hope of preventing the encounter, Mian betookherself in extreme dejection to the secret room of the magician, whichhad been unopened since the day when the two attendants had searched forsubstances to apply to their master, and there she diligently examinedevery object in the remote chance of discovering something which mightprove of value in averting the matter in question.
Not anticipating that the true reason of his journey would become knownto Mian, Ling continued on his way without haste, and passing throughSi-chow before the sun had risen, entered upon the great road to Peking.At a convenient distance from the town he came to a favourable piece ofground where he decided to await the arrival of Li Keen, spending thetime profitably in polishing his already brilliant sword, and makingobservations upon the nature of the spot and the condition of thesurrounding omens, on which the success of his expedition would largelydepend.
As the sun reached the highest point in the open sky the sound of anapproaching company could be plainly heard; but at the moment when thechair of the Mandarin appeared within the sight of those who waited, thegreat luminary, upon which all portents depend directly or indirectly,changed to the colour of new-drawn blood and began to sink towardsthe earth. Without any misgivings, therefore, Ling disposed his twoattendants in the wood, with instructions to step forth and aid him ifhe should be attacked by overwhelming numbers, while he himself remainedin the way. As the chair approached, the Mandarin observed a personstanding alone, and thinking that it was one who, hearing of his return,had come out of the town to honour him, he commanded the bearers topause. Thereupon, stepping up to the opening, Ling struck the deceptiveand incapable Li Keen on the cheek, at the same time crying in a fullvoice, "Come forth, O traitorous and two-stomached Mandarin! for thisperson is very desirous of assisting you in the fulfilment of yourboastful words. Here is a most irreproachable sword which will serveexcellently to cut off this person's undignified head; here is awaistcord which can be tightened around his breast, thereby producingexcruciating pains over the entire body."
At the knowledge of who the one before him was, and when he heard thewords which unhesitatingly announced Ling's fixed purpose, Li Keen firsturged the carriers to fall upon Ling and slay him, and then, perceivingthat such a course was exceedingly distasteful to their naturaltendencies, to take up the chair and save him by flight. But Ling inthe meantime engaged their attention, and fully explained to them thetreacherous and unworthy conduct of Li Keen, showing them how his deathwould be a just retribution for his ill-spent life, and promising themeach a considerable reward in addition to their arranged payment whenthe matter in question had been accomplished. Becoming convinced of thejustice of Ling's cause, they turned upon Li Keen, insisting that heshould at once attempt to carry out the ill-judged threats against Ling,of which they were consistent witnesses, and announcing that, if hefailed to do so, they would certainly bear him themselves to a not fardistant well of stagnant water, and there gain the approbation of thegood spirits by freeing the land of so unnatural a monster.
Seeing only a dishonourable death on either side, Li Keen drew hissword, and made use of every artifice of which he had knowledge inorder to disarm Ling or to take him at a disadvantage. In this he wasunsuccessful, for Ling, who was by nature a very expert sword-user,struck him repeatedly, until he at length fell in an expiring condition,rema
rking with his last words that he had indeed been a narrow-mindedand extortionate person during his life, and that his death was anenlightened act of celestial accuracy.
Directing Wang and his four hired persons, who had in the meantimearrived, to give the body of the Mandarin an honourable burial in thedeep of the wood, Ling rewarded and dismissed the chairbearers, andwithout delay proceeded to Si-chow, where he charitably distributed thegoods and possessions of Li Keen among the poor of the town. Havingin this able and conscientious manner completely proved the misleadingnature of the disgraceful statements which the Mandarin had spreadabroad concerning him, Ling turned his footsteps towards Mian, whoseentrancing joy at his safe return was judged by both persons to be asufficient reward for the mental distress with which their separationhad been accompanied.