'Whether you mean to have anything to eat or not,' Hsi Jen advised, 'you should after all sit for a time with our old mistress and our lady, and have a romp with the young ladies; after which you can come back again; while I, by quietly keeping lying down, will also feel the better.'
When Pao-yue heard this suggestion, he had no help but to accede, and, after she had divested herself of her hair-pins and earrings, and he saw her lie down, he betook himself into the drawing-rooms, where he had his repast with old lady Chia. But the meal over, her ladyship felt still disposed to play at cards with the nurses, who had looked after the household for many years; and Pao-yue, bethinking himself of Hsi Jen, hastened to return to his apartments; where seeing that Hsi Jen was drowsily falling asleep, he himself would have wished to go to bed, but the hour was yet early. And as about this time Ch'ing Wen, I Hsia, Ch'in Wen, Pi Hen had all, in their desire of getting some excitement, started in search of Yuean Yang, Hu Po and their companions, to have a romp with them, and he espied She Yueeh alone in the outer room, having a game of dominoes by lamp-light, Pao-yue inquired full of smiles: 'How is it you don't go with them?'
'I've no money,' She Yueeh replied.
'Under the bed,' continued Pao-yue, 'is heaped up all that money, and isn't it enough yet for you to lose from?'
'Had we all gone to play,' She Yueeh added, 'to whom would the charge of this apartment have been handed over? That other one is sick again, and the whole room is above, one mass of lamps, and below, full of fire; and all those old matrons, ancient as the heavens, should, after all their exertions in waiting upon you from morning to night, be also allowed some rest; while the young servant girls, on the other hand, have likewise been on duty the whole day long, and shouldn't they even at this hour be left to go and have some distraction? and that's why I am in here on watch.'
When Pao-yue heard these words, which demonstrated distinctly that she was another Hsi Jen, he consequently put on a smile and remarked: 'I'll sit in here, so you had better set your mind at ease and go!'
'Since you remain in here, there's less need for me to go,' resumed She Yueeh, 'for we two can chat and play and laugh; and won't that be nice?'
'What can we two do? it will be awfully dull! but never mind,' Pao-yue rejoined; 'this morning you said that your head itched, and now that you have nothing to do, I may as well comb it for you.'
'Yes! do so!' readily assented She Yueeh, upon catching what he suggested; and while still speaking, she brought over the dressing-case containing a set of small drawers and looking-glass, and taking off her ornaments, she dishevelled her hair; whereupon Pao-yue picked up the fine comb and passed it repeatedly through her hair; but he had only combed it three or five times, when he perceived Ch'ing Wen hurriedly walk in to fetch some money. As soon as she caught sight of them both: 'You haven't as yet drunk from the marriage cup,' she said with a smile full of irony, 'and have you already put up your hair?'
'Now that you've come, let me also comb yours for you,' Pao-yue continued.
'I'm not blessed with such excessive good fortune!' Ch'ing Wen retorted, and as she uttered these words, she took the money, and forthwith dashing the portiere after her, she quitted the room.
Pao-yue stood at the back of She Yueeh, and She Yueeh sat opposite the glass, so that the two of them faced each other in it, and Pao-yue readily observed as he gazed in the glass, 'In the whole number of rooms she's the only one who has a glib tongue!'
She Yueeh at these words hastily waved her hand towards the inside of the glass, and Pao-yue understood the hint; and suddenly a sound of 'hu' was heard from the portiere, and Ch'ing Wen ran in once again.
'How have I got a glib tongue?' she inquired; 'it would be well for us to explain ourselves.'
'Go after your business, and have done,' She Yueeh interposed laughingly; 'what's the use of your coming and asking questions of people?'
'Will you also screen him?' Ch'ing Wen smiled significantly; 'I know all about your secret doings, but wait until I've got back my capital, and we'll then talk matters over!'
With this remark still on her lips, she straightway quitted the room, and during this while, Pao-yue having finished combing her hair, asked She Yueeh to quietly wait upon him, while he went to sleep, as he would not like to disturb Hsi Jen.
Of the whole night there is nothing to record. But the next day, when he got up at early dawn, Hsi Jen had already perspired, during the night, so that she felt considerably lighter and better; but limiting her diet to a little rice soup, she remained quiet and nursed herself, and Pao-yue was so relieved in mind that he came, after his meal, over on this side to his aunt Hsueeh's on a saunter. The season was the course of the first moon, and the school was shut up for the new year holidays; while in the inner chambers the girls had put by their needlework, and were all having a time of leisure, and hence it was that when Chia Huan too came over in search of distraction, he discovered Pao-ch'ai, Hsiang Ling, Ying Erh, the three of them, in the act of recreating themselves by playing at chess. Chia Huan, at the sight of them, also wished to join in their games; and Pao-ch'ai, who had always looked upon him with, in fact, the same eye as she did Pao-yue, and with no different sentiment of any kind, pressed him to come up, upon hearing that he was on this occasion desirous to play; and, when he had seated himself together with them, they began to gamble, staking each time a pile of ten cash. The first time, he was the winner, and he felt supremely elated at heart, but as it happened that he subsequently lost in several consecutive games he soon became a prey to considerable distress. But in due course came the game in which it was his turn to cast the dice, and, if in throwing, he got seven spots, he stood to win, but he was likewise bound to be a winner were he to turn up six; and when Ying Erh had turned up three spots and lost, he consequently took up the dice, and dashing them with spite, one of them settled at five; and, as the other reeled wildly about, Ying Erh clapped her hands, and kept on shouting, 'one spot;' while Chia Huan at once gazed with fixed eye and cried at random: 'It's six, it's seven, it's eight!' But the dice, as it happened, turned up at one spot, and Chia Huan was so exasperated that putting out his hand, he speedily made a snatch at the dice, and eventually was about to lay hold of the money, arguing that it was six spot. But Ying Erh expostulated, 'It was distinctly an ace,' she said. And as Pao-ch'ai noticed how distressed Chia Huan was, she forthwith cast a glance at Ying Erh and observed: 'The older you get, the less manners you have! Is it likely that gentlemen will cheat you? and don't you yet put down the money?'
Ying Erh felt her whole heart much aggrieved, but as she heard Pao-ch'ai make these remarks, she did not presume to utter a sound, and as she was under the necessity of laying down the cash, she muttered to herself: 'This one calls himself a gentleman, and yet cheats us of these few cash, for which I myself even have no eye! The other day when I played with Mr. Pao-yue, he lost ever so many, and yet he did not distress himself! and what remained of the cash were besides snatched away by a few servant-girls, but all he did was to smile, that's all!'
Pao-ch'ai did not allow her time to complete what she had to say, but there and then called her to account and made her desist; whereupon Chia Huan exclaimed: 'How can I compare with Pao-yue; you all fear him, and keep on good terms with him, while you all look down upon me for not being the child of my lady.' And as he uttered these words, he at once gave way to tears.
'My dear cousin,' Pao-ch'ai hastened to advise him, 'leave off at once language of this kind, for people will laugh at you;' and then went on to scold Ying Erh, when Pao-yue just happened to come in. Perceiving him in this plight, 'What is the matter?' he asked; but Chia Huan had not the courage to say anything.
Pao-ch'ai was well aware of the custom, which prevailed in their family, that younger brothers lived in respect of the elder brothers, but she was not however cognisant of the fact that Pao-yue would not that any one should entertain any fear of him. His idea being that elder as well as younger brothers had, all alike, father and mother to admonish them, and that there was no need for any of that officiousness, which, instead of doing good gave, on the contrary, rise to estrangement. 'Besides,' (he reasoned,) 'I'm the offspring of the primary wife, while he's the son of the secondary wife, and, if by treating him as leniently as I have done, there are still those to talk about me, behind my back, how could I exercise any control over him?' But besides these, there were other still more foolish notions, which he fostered in his mind; but what foolish notions they were can you, reader, guess? As a result of his growing up, from his early youth, among a crowd of girls, of whom, in the way of sister, there was Yuean Ch'un, of cousins, from his paternal uncle's side, there were Ying Ch'un, and Hsi Ch'un, and of relatives also there were Shih Hsiang-yuen, Lin Tai-yue, Hsueeh Pao-ch'ai and the rest, he, in due course, resolved in his mind that the divine and unsullied virtue of Heaven and earth was only implanted in womankind, and that men were no more than feculent dregs and foul dirt. And for this reason it was that men were without discrimination, considered by him as so many filthy objects, which might or might not exist; while the relationships of father, paternal uncles, and brothers, he did not however presume to disregard, as these were among the injunctions bequeathed by the holy man, and he felt
