the drunken Chin Kang, I'll wager that I compel that man's family to disperse, and his home to break up!'
'Old Ni, don't lose your temper,' Chia Yuen protested, 'but listen and let me tell you what happened!' After which, he went on to tell Ni Erh the whole affair with Pu Shih-jen. As soon as Ni Erh heard him, he got into a frightful rage; 'Were he not,' he shouted, a 'relative of yours, master Secundus, I would readily give him a bit of my mind! Really resentment will stifle my breath! but never mind! you needn't however distress yourself. I've got here a few taels ready at hand, which, if you require, don't scruple to take; and from such good neighbours as you are, I won't ask any interest upon this money.'
With this remark still on his lips, he produced from his pouch a bundle of silver.
'Ni Erh has, it is true, ever been a rogue,' Chia Yuen reflected in his own mind, 'but as he is regulated in his dealings by a due regard to persons, he enjoys, to a great degree, the reputation of generosity; and were I to-day not to accept this favour of his, he'll, I fear, be put to shame; and it won't contrariwise be nice on my part! and isn't it better that I should make use of his money, and by and by I can repay him double, and things will be all right!'
'Old Erh,' he therefore observed aloud with a smile, 'you're really a fine fellow, and as you've shown me such eminent consideration, how can I presume not to accept your offer! On my return home, I'll write the customary I.O.U., and send it to you, and all will be in order.'
Ni Erh gave a broad grin. 'It's only fifteen taels and three mace,' he answered, 'and if you insist upon writing an I.O.U., I won't then lend it to you!'
Chia Yuen at these words, took over the money, smiling the while. 'I'll readily,' he retorted, 'comply with your wishes and have done; for what's the use of exasperating you!'
'Well then that will be all right!' Ni Erh laughed; 'but the day is getting dark; and I shan't ask you to have a cup of tea or stand you a drink, for I've some small things more to settle. As for me, I'm going over there, but you, after all, should please wend your way homewards; and I shall also request you to take a message for me to my people. Tell them to close the doors and turn in, as I'm not returning home; and that in the event of anything occurring, to bid our daughter come over to-morrow, as soon as it is daylight, to short-legged Wang's house, the horse-dealer's, in search of me!' And as he uttered this remark he walked away, stumbling and hobbling along. But we will leave him without further notice and allude to Chia Yuen.
He had, at quite an unexpected juncture, met this piece of luck, so that his heart was, of course, delighted to the utmost degree. 'This Ni Erh,' he mused, 'is really a good enough sort of fellow, but what I dread is that he may have been open-handed in his fit of drunkenness, and that he mayn't, by and by, ask for his money to be paid twice over; and what will I do then? Never mind,' he suddenly went on to ponder, 'when that job has become an accomplished fact, I shall even have the means to pay him back double the original amount.'
Prompted by this resolution, he came over to a money-shop, and when he had the silver weighed, and no discrepancy was discovered in the weight, he was still more elated at heart; and on his way back, he first and foremost delivered Ni Erh's message to his wife, and then returned to his own home, where he found his mother seated all alone on a stove-couch spinning thread. As soon as she saw him enter, she inquired where he had been the whole day long, in reply to which Chia Yuen, fearing lest his parent should be angry, forthwith made no allusion to what transpired with Pu Shih-jen, but simply explained that he had been in the western mansion, waiting for his uncle Secundus, Lien. This over, he asked his mother whether she had had her meal or not, and his parent said by way of reply: 'I've had it, but I've kept something for you in there,' and calling to the servant-maid, she bade her bring it round, and set it before him to eat. But as it was already dark, when the lamps had to be lit, Chia Yuen, after partaking of his meal, got ready and turned in.
Nothing of any notice transpired the whole night; but the next day, as soon it was dawn, he got up, washed his face, and came to the main street, outside the south gate, and purchasing some musk from a perfumery shop, he, with rapid stride, entered the Jung Kuo mansion; and having, as a result of his inquiries, found out that Chia Lien had gone out of doors, Chia Yuen readily betook himself to the back, in front of the door of Chia Lien's court, where he saw several servant-lads, with immense brooms in their hands, engaged in that place in sweeping the court. But as he suddenly caught sight of Chou Jui's wife appear outside the door, and call out to the young boys; 'Don't sweep now, our lady is coming out,' Chia Yuen eagerly walked up to her and inquired, with a face beaming with smiles: 'Where's aunt Secunda going to?'
To this inquiry, Chou Jui's wife explained: 'Our old lady has sent for her, and I expect, it must be for her to cut some piece of cloth or other.' But while she yet spoke, they perceived a whole bevy of people, pressing round lady Feng, as she egressed from the apartment.
Chia Yuen was perfectly aware that lady Feng took pleasure in flattery, and delighted in display, so that hastily dropping his arms, he with all reverence, thrust himself forward and paid his respects to her. But lady Feng did not even so much as turn to look at him with straight eyes; but continued, as hitherto, her way onwards, simply confining herself to ascertaining whether his mother was all right, and adding: 'How is it that she doesn't come to our house for a stroll?'
'The thing is,' Chia Yuen replied, 'that she's not well: she, however, often thinks fondly of you, aunt, and longs to see you; but as for coming round, she's quite unable to do so.'
'You have, indeed, the knack of telling lies!' lady Feng laughed with irony; 'for hadn't I alluded to her, she would never have thought of me!'
'Isn't your nephew afraid,' Chia Yuen protested smilingly, 'of being blasted by lightning to have the audacity of telling lies in the presence of an elder! Even so late as yesterday evening, she alluded to you, aunt! 'Though naturally,' she said, 'of a weak constitution, you had, however, plenty to attend to! that it's thanks to your supremely eminent energies, aunt, that you're, after all, able to manage everything in such a perfect manner; and that had you ever made the slightest slip, there would have long ago crept up, goodness knows, what troubles!''
As soon as lady Feng heard these words, her whole face beamed with smiles, and she unconsciously halted her steps, while she proceeded to ask: 'How is it that, both your mother and yourself, tattle about me behind my back, without rhyme or reason?'
'There's a reason for it,' Chia Yuen observed, 'which is simply this. I've an excellent friend with considerable money of his own at home, who recently kept a perfumery shop; but as he obtained, by purchase, the rank of deputy sub-prefect, he was, the other day, selected for a post in Yunnan, in some prefecture or other unknown to me; whither he has gone together with his family. He even closed this shop of his, and forthwith collecting all his wares, he gave away, what he could give away, and what he had to sell at a discount, was sold at a loss; while such valuable articles, as these, were all presented to relatives or friends; and that's why it is that I came in for some baroos camphor and musk. But I at the time, deliberated with my mother that to sell them below their price would be a pity, and that if we wished to give them as a present to any one, there was no one good enough to use such perfumes. But remembering how you, aunt, had all along in years gone by, even to this day, to spend large bundles of silver, in purchasing such articles, and how, not to speak of this year with an imperial consort in the Palace, what's even required for this dragon boat festival, will also necessitate the addition of hundred times as much as the quantity of previous years, I therefore present them to you, aunt, as a token of my esteem!'
With these words still on his lips, he simultaneously produced an ornamented box, which he handed over to her. And as lady Feng was, at this time, making preparations for presents for the occasion of the dragon boat festival, for which perfumes were obligatory, she, with all promptitude, directed Feng Erh: 'Receive Mr. Yuen's present and take it home and hand it over to P'ing Erh. To one,' she consequently added, 'who seems to me so full of discrimination, it isn't a wonder that your uncle is repeatedly alluding, and that he speaks highly of you; how that you talk with all intelligence and that you have experience stored up in your mind.'
Chia Yuen upon hearing this propitious language, hastily drew near one step, and designedly asked: 'Does really uncle often refer to me?'
The moment lady Feng caught this question, she was at once inclined to tell him all about the charge to be entrusted to him, but on second thought, she again felt apprehensive lest she should be looked lightly upon by him, by simply insinuating that she had promptly and needlessly promised him something to do, so soon as she got a little scented ware; and this consideration urged her to once more restrain her tongue, so that she never made the slightest reference even to so much as one word about his having been chosen to look after the works of planting the flowers and trees. And after confining herself to making the first few irrelevant remarks which came to her lips, she hastily betook herself into dowager lady Chia's apartments.
Chia Yuen himself did not feel as if he could very well advert to the subject, with the result that he had no
