Speaking the while, she actually walked out of the room, and laying hold of her, she brought her through the Lotus Fragrance arbour to the bank of Warm Fragrance. Hsi Ch'un was tired and languid, and was lying on the window, having a midday siesta. The painting was resting against the partition-wall, and was screened with a gauze cover. With one voice, they roused Hsi Ch'un, and raising the gauze cover to contemplate her work, they saw that three tenths of it had already been accomplished. But their attention was attracted by the representation of several beautiful girls, inserted in the picture, so pointing at Hsiang Ling: 'Every one who can write verses is to be put here,' they said, 'so be quick and learn.'
But while conversing, they played and laughed for a time, after which, each went her own way.
Hsiang Ling was meanwhile preoccupied about her verses, so, when evening came, she sat facing the lamp absorbed in thought. And the third watch struck before she got to bed. But her eyes were so wide awake, that it was only after the fifth watch had come and gone, that she, at length, felt drowsy and fell fast asleep.
Presently, the day dawned, and Pao-ch'ai woke up; but, when she lent an ear, she discovered (Hsiang Ling) in a sound sleep. 'She has racked her brains the whole night long,' she pondered. 'I wonder, however, whether she has succeeded in finishing her task. She must be tired now, so I won't disturb her.'
But in the midst of her cogitations, she heard Hsiang Ling laugh and exclaim in her sleep: 'I've got it. It cannot be that this stanza too won't be worth anything.'
'How sad and ridiculous!' Pao-ch'ai soliloquised with a smile. And, calling her by name, she woke her up. 'What have you got?' she asked. 'With that firmness of purpose of yours, you could even become a spirit! But before you can learn how to write poetry, you'll be getting some illness.'
Chiding her the while, she combed her hair and washed; and, this done, she repaired, along with her cousins, into dowager lady Chia's quarters.
Hsiang Ling made, in fact, such desperate efforts to learn all about poetry that her system got quite out of order. But although she did not in the course of the day hit upon anything, she quite casually succeeded in her dreams in devising eight lines; so concluding her toilette and her ablutions, she hastily jotted them down, and betook herself into the Hsin Fang pavilion. Here she saw Li Wan and the whole bevy of young ladies, returning from Madame Wang's suite of apartments.
Pao-ch'ai was in the act of telling them of the verses composed by Hsiang Ling, while asleep, and of the nonsense she had been talking, and every one of them was convulsed with laughter. But upon raising their heads, and perceiving that she was approaching, they vied with each other in pressing her to let them see her composition.
But, reader, do you wish to know any further particulars? If you do; read those given in the next chapter.
CHAPTER XLIX.
White snow and red plum blossom in the crystal world.
The pretty girl, fragrant with powder, cuts some meat and eats it.
Hsiang Ling, we will now proceed, perceived the young ladies engaged in chatting and laughing, and went up to them with a smiling countenance. 'Just you look at this stanza!' she said. 'If it's all right, then I'll continue my studies; but if it isn't worth any thing, I'll banish at once from my mind all idea of going in for versification.'
With these words, she handed the verses to Tai-yue and her companions. When they came to look at them, they found this to be their burden:
If thou would'st screen Selene's beauteous sheen, thou'lt find it
hard.
Her shadows are by nature full of grace, frigid her form.
A row of clothes-stones batter, while she lights a thousand li.
When her disc's half, and the cock crows at the fifth watch, 'tis
cold.
Wrapped in my green cloak in autumn, I hear flutes on the stream.
While in the tower the red-sleeved maid leans on the rails at night.
She feels also constrained to ask of the goddess Ch'ang O:
'Why it is that she does not let the moon e'er remain round?'
'This stanza is not only good,' they with one voice exclaimed, after perusing it, 'but it's original, it's charming. It bears out the proverb: 'In the world, there's nothing difficult; the only thing hard to get at is a human being with a will.' We'll certainly ask you to join our club.'
Hsiang Ling caught this remark; but so little did she credit it that fancying that they were making fun of her, she still went on to press Tai-yue, Pao-ch'ai and the other girls to give her their opinions. But while engaged in speaking, she spied a number of young waiting-maids, and old matrons come with hurried step. 'Several young ladies and ladies have come,' they announced smilingly, 'but we don't know any of them. So your ladyship and you, young ladies, had better come at once and see what relatives they are.'
'What are you driving at?' Li Wan laughed. 'You might, after all, state distinctly whose relatives they are.'
'Your ladyship's two young sisters have come,' the matrons and maids rejoined smiling. 'There's also another young lady, who says she's miss Hsueeh's cousin, and a gentleman who pretends to be Mr. Hsueeh P'an's junior cousin. We are now off to ask Mrs. Hsueeh to meet them. But your ladyship and the young ladies might go in advance and greet them.' As they spoke, they straightway took their leave.
'Has our Hsueeh K'o come along with his sisters?' Pao-ch'ai inquired, with a smile.
'My aunt has probably also come to the capital,' Li Wan laughed. 'How is it they've all arrived together? This is indeed a strange thing!' Then adjourning in a body into Madame Wang's drawing rooms, they saw the floor covered with a black mass of people.
Madame Hsing's sister-in-law was there as well. She had entered the capital with her daughter, Chou Yen, to look up madame Hsing. But lady Feng's brother, Wang Jen, had, as luck would have it, just been preparing to start for the capital, so the two family connexions set out in company for their common destination. After accomplishing half their journey, they encountered, while their boats were lying at anchor, Li Wan's widowed sister-in-law, who also was on her way to the metropolis, with her two girls, the elder of whom was Li Wen and the younger Li Ch'i. They all them talked matters over, and, induced by the ties of relationship, the three families prosecuted their voyage together. But subsequently, Hsueeh P'an's cousin Hsueeh K'o,-whose father had, when on a visit years ago to the capital, engaged his uterine sister to the son of the Han-lin Mei, whose residence was in the metropolis,- came while planning to go and consummate the marriage, to learn of Wang Jen's departure, so taking his sister with him, he kept in his track till he managed to catch him up. Hence it happened that they all now arrived in a body to look up their respective relatives. In due course, they exchanged the conventional salutations; and these over, they had a chat.
Dowager lady Chia and madame Wang were both filled with ineffable delight.
'Little wonder is it,' smiled old lady Chia, 'if the snuff of the lamp crackled time and again; and if it formed and reformed into a head! It was, indeed, sure to come to this to-day!'
While she conversed on every-day topics, the presents had to be put away; and, as she, at the same time, expressed a wish to keep the new arrivals to partake of some wine and eatables, lady Feng had, needless to say, much extra work added to her ordinary duties.
Li Wan and Pao-ch'ai descanted, of course, with their aunts and cousins on the events that had transpired since their separation. But Tai-yue, though when they first met, continued in cheerful spirits, could not again, when the recollection afterwards flashed through her mind that one and all had their relatives, and that she alone had not a soul to rely upon, avoid withdrawing out of the way, and giving vent to tears.
Pao-yue, however, read her feelings, and he had to do all that lay in his power to exhort her and to console her for a time before she cheered up. Pao-yue then hurried into the I Hung court. Going up to Hsi Jen, She Yueeh and Chi'ng Wen: 'Don't you yet hasten to go and see them?' he smiled. 'Who'd ever have fancied that cousin Pao- ch'ai's own cousin would be what he is? That cousin of hers is so unique in appearance and in deportment. He looks as if he were cousin Pao-ch'ai's uterine younger brother. But what's still more odd is, that you should have kept on
