dear girl!' he said; 'do also heed me a little;' and as he gave utterance to this appeal, he kept her hand clasped in his.
Ts'ai Hsia, however, drew her hand away and would not let him hold it. 'If you go on in this way,' she vehemently exclaimed, 'I'll shout out at once.'
These two were in the act of wrangling, when verily Chia Huan overheard what was going on. He had, in fact, all along hated Pao-yue; so when on this occasion, he espied him up to his larks with Ts'ai Hsia, he could much less than ever stifle feelings of resentment in his heart. After some reflection, therefore, an idea suggested itself to his mind, and pretending that it was by a slip of the hand, he shoved the candle, overflowing with tallow, into Pao-yue's face.
'Ai ya!' Pao-yue was heard to exclaim. Every one in the whole room was plunged in consternation. With precipitate haste, the lanterns, standing on the floor, were moved over; and, with the first ray of light, they discovered that Pao-yue's face was one mass of tallow.
Madame Wang gave way to anger as well as anxiety. At one time, she issued directions to the servants to rub and wash Pao-yue clean. At another, she heaped abuse upon Chia Huan.
Lady Feng jumped on to the stone-couch by leaps and bounds. But while intent upon removing the stuff from Pao-yue's face, she simultaneously ejaculated: 'Master Tertius, are you still such a trickster! I'll tell you what, you'll never turn to any good account! Yet dame Chao should ever correct and admonish him.'
This single remark suggested the idea to Madame Wang, and she lost no time in sending for Mrs. Chao to come round.
'You bring up,' she berated her, 'such a black-hearted offspring like this, and don't you, after all, advise and reprove him? Time and again I paid no notice whatever to what happened, and you and he have become more audacious, and have gone from worse to worse!'
Mrs. Chao had no alternative but to suppress every sense of injury, silence all grumblings, and go herself and lend a hand to the others in tidying Pao-yue. She then perceived that a whole row of blisters had risen on the left side of Pao-yue's face, but that fortunately no injury had been done to his eyes.
When Madame Wang's attention was drawn to them she felt her heart sore. It fell a prey to fears also lest when dowager lady Chia made any inquiries about them she should find it difficult to give her any satisfactory reply. And so distressed did she get that she gave Mrs. Chao another scolding. But while she tried to comfort Pao-yue, she, at the same time, fetched some powder for counteracting the effects of the virus, and applied it on his face.
'It's rather sore,' said Pao-yue, 'but it's nothing to speak of. Tomorrow when my old grandmother asks about it, I can simply explain that I scalded it myself; that will be quite enough to tell her.'
'If you say that you scalded it yourself,' lady Feng observed, 'why, she'll also call people to task for not looking out; and a fit of rage will, beyond doubt, be the outcome of it all.'
Madame Wang then ordered the servants to take care and escort Pao-yue back to his room. On their arrival, Hsi Jen and his other attendants saw him, and they were all in a great state of flurry.
As for Lin Tai-yue, when she found that Pao-yue had gone out of doors, she continued the whole day a prey to ennui. In the evening, she deputed messengers two and three times to go and inquire about him. But when she came to know that he had been scalded, she hurried in person to come and see him. She then discovered Pao-yue all alone, holding a glass and scanning his features in it; while the left side of his face was plastered all over with some medicine.
Lin Tai-yue imagined that the burn was of an extremely serious nature, and she hastened to approach him with a view to examine it. Pao-yue, however, screened his face, and, waving his hand, bade her leave the room; for knowing her usual knack for tidiness he did not feel inclined to let her get a glimpse of his face. Tai-yue then gave up the attempt, and confined herself to asking him: 'whether it was very painful?'
'It isn't very sore,' replied Pao-yue, 'if I look after it for a day or two, it will get all right.'
But after another short stay, Lin Tai-yue repaired back to her quarters.
The next day Pao-yue saw dowager lady Chia. But in spite of his confession that he himself was responsible for the scalding of his face, his grandmother could not refrain from reading another lecture to the servants who had been in attendance.
A day after, Ma, a Taoist matron, whose name was recorded as Pao-yue's godmother, came on a visit to the mansion. Upon perceiving Pao-yue, she was very much taken aback, and asked all about the circumstances of the accident. When he explained that he had been scalded, she forthwith shook her head and heaved a sigh; then while making with her fingers a few passes over Pao-yue's face, she went on to mutter incantations for several minutes. 'I can guarantee that he'll get all right,' she added, 'for this is simply a sadden and fleeting accident!'
Turning towards dowager lady Chia: 'Venerable ancestor,' she observed, 'Venerable Buddha! how could you ever be aware of the existence of the portentous passage in that Buddhistic classic, 'to the effect that a son of every person, who holds the dignity of prince, duke or high functionary, has no sooner come into the world and reached a certain age than numerous evil spirits at once secretly haunt him, and pinch him, when they find an opportunity; or dig their nails into him; or knock his bowl of rice down, during, meal-time; or give him a shove and send him over, while he is quietly seated.' So this is the reason why the majority of the sons and grandsons of those distinguished families do not grow up to attain manhood.'
Dowager lady Chia, upon hearing her speak in this wise, eagerly asked: 'Is there any Buddhistic spell, by means of which to check their influence or not?'
'This is an easy job!' rejoined the Taoist matron Ma, 'all one need do is to perform several meritorious deeds on his account so as to counteract the consequences of retribution and everything will then be put right. That canon further explains: 'that in the western part of the world there is a mighty Buddha, whose glory illumines all things, and whose special charge is to cast his lustre on the evil spirits in dark places; that if any benevolent man or virtuous woman offers him oblations with sincerity of heart, he is able to so successfully perpetuate the peace and quiet of their sons and grandsons that these will no more meet with any calamities arising from being possessed by malevolent demons.''
'But what, I wonder,' inquired dowager lady Chia, 'could be offered to this god?'
'Nothing of any great value,' answered the Taoist matron, Ma. 'Exclusive of offerings of scented candles, several catties of scented oil can be added, each day, to keep the lantern of the Great Sea alight. This 'Great Sea' lantern is the visible embodiment and Buddhistic representation of this divinity, so day and night we don't venture to let it go out!'
'For a whole day and a whole night,' asked dowager lady Chia, 'how much oil is needed, so that I too should accomplish a good action?'
'There is really no limit as to quantity. It rests upon the goodwill of the donor,' Ma, the Taoist matron, put in by way of reply. 'In my quarters, for instance, I have several lanterns, the gifts of the consorts of princes and the spouses of high officials living in various localities. The consort of the mansion of the Prince of Nan Au has been prompted in her beneficence by a liberal spirit; she allows each day forty-eight catties of oil, and a catty of wick; so that her 'Great Sea' lamp is only a trifle smaller than a water-jar. The spouse of the marquis of Chin Hsiang comes next, with no more than twenty catties a day. Besides these, there are several other families; some giving ten catties; some eight catties; some three; some five; subject to no fixed rule; and of course I feel bound to keep the lanterns alight on their behalf.'
Dowager lady Chia nodded her head and gave way to reflection.
'There's still another thing,' continued the Taoist matron, Ma. 'If it be on account of father or mother or seniors, any excessive donation would not matter. But were you, venerable ancestor, to bestow too much in your offering for Pao-yue, our young master won't, I fear, be equal to the gift; and instead of being benefited, his happiness will be snapped. If you therefore want to make a liberal gift seven catties will do; if a small one, then five catties will even be sufficient.'
'Well, in that case,' responded dowager lady Chia, 'let us fix upon five catties a day, and every month come and receive payment of the whole lump sum!'
'O-mi-to-fu!' exclaimed Ma, the Taoist matron, 'Oh merciful, and mighty P'u Sa!'
Dowager lady Chia then called the servants and impressed on their minds that whenever Pao-yue went out of doors in the future, they should give several strings of cash to the pages to bestow on charity among the bonzes and Taoist priests, and the poor and needy they might meet on the way.
These directions concluded, the Taoist matron trudged into the various quarters, and paid her respects, and
