allow him to stay in this room for fear the virus of the disease should pass on to him; so now if they see us bundled up together in one place, they're bound to kick up another row.'
'That's my idea too,' Ch'ing Wen replied.
The two girls were then about to call him, when Pao-yue woke up of his own accord, and speedily leaping out of bed, he threw his clothes over him.
She Yueeh first called a young maid into the room and put things shipshape before she told Ch'in Wen and the other servant-girls to enter; and along with them, she remained in waiting upon Pao-yue while he combed his hair, and washed his face and hands. This part of his toilet over, She Yueeh remarked: 'It's cloudy again, so I suppose it's going to snow. You'd better therefore wear a woollen overcoat!'
Pao-yue nodded his head approvingly; and set to work at once to effect the necessary change in his costume. A young waiting-maid then presented him a covered bowl, in a small tea tray, containing a decoction made of Fu- kien lotus and red dates. After Pao-yue had had a couple of mouthfuls, She Yueeh also brought him a small plateful of brown ginger, prepared according to some prescription. Pao-yue put a piece into his mouth, and, impressing some advice on Ch'ing 'Wen, he crossed over to dowager lady Chia's suite of rooms.
His grandmother had not yet got out of bed. But she was well aware that Pao-yue was going out of doors so having the entrance leading into her bedroom opened she asked Pao-yue to walk in. Pao-yue espied behind the old lady, Pao-ch'in lying with her face turned towards the inside, and not awake yet from her sleep.
Dowager lady Chia observed that Pao-yue was clad in a deep-red felt fringed overcoat, with woollen lichee- coloured archery-sleeves and with an edging of dark green glossy satin, embroidered with gold rings. 'What!' old lady Chia inquired, 'is it snowing?'
'The weather is dull,' Pao-yue replied, 'but it isn't snowing yet.'
Dowager lady Chia thereupon sent for Yuean Yang and told her to fetch the peacock down pelisse, finished the day before, and give it to him. Yuean Yang signified her obedience and went off, and actually returned with what was wanted.
When Pao-yue came to survey it, he found that the green and golden hues glistened with bright lustre, that the jadelike variegated colours on it shone with splendour, and that it bore no resemblance to the duck-down coat, which Pao-ch'in had been wearing.
'This,' he heard his grandmother smilingly remark, 'is called 'bird gold'. This is woven of the down of peacocks, caught in Russia, twisted into thread. The other day, I presented that one with the wild duck down to your young female cousin, so I now give you this one.'
Pao-yue prostrated himself before her, after which he threw the coat over his shoulders.
'Go and let your mother see it before you start,' his grandmother laughingly added.
Pao-yue assented, and quitted her apartments, when he caught sight of Yuean Yang standing below rubbing her eyes. Ever since the day on which Yuean Yang had sworn to have done with the match, she had not exchanged a single word with Pao-yue. Pao-yue was therefore day and night a prey to dejection. So when he now observed her shirk his presence again, Pao-yue at once advanced up to her, and, putting on a smile, 'My dear girl,' he said, 'do look at the coat I've got on. Is it nice or not?'
Yuean Yang shoved his hand away, and promptly walked into dowager lady Chia's quarters.
Pao-yue was thus compelled to repair to Madame Wang's room, and let her see his coat. Retracing afterwards his footsteps into the garden, he let Ch'ing Wen and She Yueeh also have a look at it, and then came and told his grandmother that he had attended to her wishes.
'My mother,' he added, 'has seen what I've got on. But all she said was: 'what a pity!' and then she went on to enjoin me to be 'careful with it and not to spoil it.''
'There only remains this single one,' old lady Chia observed, 'so if you spoil it you can't have another. Even did I want to have one made for you like it now, it would be out of the question.'
At the close of these words, she went on to advise him. 'Don't,' she said, 'have too much wine and come back early.' Pao-yue acquiesced by uttering several yes's.
An old nurse then followed him out into the pavilion. Here they discovered six attendants, (that is), Pao-yue's milk-brother Li Kuei, and Wang Ho-jung, Chang Jo-chin, Chao I-hua, Ch'ien Ch'i, and Chou Jui, as well as four young servant-lads: Pei Ming, Pan Ho, Chu Shao and Sao Hung; some carrying bundles of clothes on their backs, some holding cushions in their hands, others leading a white horse with engraved saddle and variegated bridles. They had already been waiting for a good long while. The old nurse went on to issue some directions, and the six servants, hastily expressing their obedience by numerous yes's, quickly caught hold of the saddle and weighed the stirrup down while Pao-yue mounted leisurely. Li Kuei and Wang Ho-jung then led the horse by the bit. Two of them, Ch'ien Ch'i and Chou Jui, walked ahead and showed the way. Chang Jo-chin and Chao I-hua followed Pao-yue closely on each side.
'Brother Chou and brother Ch'ien,' Pao-yue smiled, from his seat on his horse, 'let's go by this side-gate. It will save my having again to dismount, when we reach the entrance to my father's study.'
'Mr. Chia Cheng is not in his study,' Chou Jui laughed, with a curtsey. 'It has been daily under lock and key, so there will be no need for you, master, to get down from your horse.'
'Though it be locked up,' Pao-yue smiled, 'I shall have to dismount all the same.'
'You're quite right in what you say, master;' both Ch'ien Ch'i and Li Kuei chimed in laughingly; 'but pretend you're lazy and don't get down. In the event of our coming across Mr. Lai Ta and our number two Mr. Lin, they're sure, rather awkward though it be for them to say anything to their master, to tender you one or two words of advice, but throw the whole of the blame upon us. You can also tell them that we had not explained to you what was the right thing to do.'
Chou Jui and Ch'ien Ch'i accordingly wended their steps straight for the side-gate. But while they were keeping up some sort of conversation, they came face to face with Lai Ta on his way in.
Pao-yue speedily pulled in his horse, with the idea of dismounting. But Lai Ta hastened to draw near and to clasp his leg. Pao-yue stood up on his stirrup, and, putting on a smile, he took his hand in his, and made several remarks to him.
In quick succession, he also perceived a young servant-lad make his appearance inside leading the way for twenty or thirty servants, laden with brooms and dust-baskets. The moment they espied Pao-yue, they, one and all, stood along the wall, and dropped their arms against their sides, with the exception of the head lad, who bending one knee, said: 'My obeisance to you, sir.'
Pao-yue could not recall to mind his name or surname, but forcing a faint smile, he nodded his head to and fro. It was only when the horse had well gone past, that the lad eventually led the bevy of servants off, and that they went after their business.
Presently, they egressed from the side-gate. Outside, stood the servant-lads of the six domestics, Li Kuei and his companions, as well as several grooms, who had, from an early hour, got ready about ten horses and been standing, on special duty, waiting for their arrival. As soon as they reached the further end of the side-gate, Li Kuei and each of the other attendants mounted their horses, and pressed ahead to lead the way. Like a streak of smoke, they got out of sight, without any occurrence worth noticing.
Ch'ing Wen, meanwhile, continued to take her medicines. But still she experienced no relief in her ailment. Such was the state of exasperation into which she worked herself that she abused the doctor right and left. 'All he's good for,' she cried, 'is to squeeze people's money. But he doesn't know how to prescribe a single dose of efficacious medicine for his patients.'
'You have far too impatient a disposition!' She Yueeh said, as she advised her, with a smile. ''A disease,' the proverb has it, 'comes like a crumbling mountain, and goes like silk that is reeled.' Besides, they're not the divine pills of 'Lao Chuen'. How ever could there be such efficacious medicines? The only thing for you to do is to quietly look after yourself for several days, and you're sure to get all right. But the more you work yourself into such a frenzy, the worse you get!'
Ch'ing Weng went on to heap abuse on the head of the young-maids. 'Where have they gone? Have they bored into the sand?' she ejaculated. 'They see well enough that I'm ill, so they make bold and runaway. But by and bye when I recover, I shall take one by one of you and flay your skin off for you.'
Ting Erh, a young maid, was struck with dismay, and ran up to her with hasty step. 'Miss,' she inquired, 'what's up with you?'
'Is it likely that the rest are all dead and gone, and that there only remains but you?' Ch'ing Wen exclaimed.
