These words evoked laughter from every one in the room. Pao-ch'ai, however, was present at the time so Lin Tai-yue did not retort, but went and ensconced herself in a seat near her grandmother.
When Pao-yue noticed that no one had anything to say, he smilingly addressed himself to Pao-ch'ai. 'On cousin Hsueeh P'an's birth-day,' he remarked, 'I happened again to be unwell, so not only did I not send him any presents, but I failed to go and knock my head before him. Yet cousin knows nothing about my having been ill, and it will seem to him that I had no wish to go, and that I brought forward excuses so as to avoid paying him a visit. If to-morrow you find any leisure, cousin, do therefore explain matters for me to him.'
'This is too much punctiliousness!' smiled Pao-ch'ai. 'Even had you insisted upon going, we wouldn't have been so arrogant as to let you put yourself to the trouble, and how much less when you were not feeling well? You two are cousins and are always to be found together the whole day; if you encourage such ideas, some estrangement will, after all, arise between you.'
'Cousin,' continued Pao-yue smilingly, 'you know what to say; and so long as you're lenient with me all will be all right. But how is it,' he went on to ask, 'that you haven't gone over to see the theatricals?'
'I couldn't stand the heat' rejoined Pao-ch'ai. 'I looked on while two plays were being sung, but I found it so intensely hot, that I felt anxious to retire. But the visitors not having dispersed, I had to give as an excuse that I wasn't feeling up to the mark, and so came away at once.'
Pao-yue, at these words, could not but feel ill at ease. All he could do was to feign another smile. 'It's no wonder,' he observed, 'that they compare you, cousin, to Yang Kuei-fei; for she too was fat and afraid of hot weather.'
Hearing this, Pao-ch'ai involuntarily flew into a violent rage. Yet when about to call him to task, she found that it would not be nice for her to do so. After some reflection, the colour rushed to her cheeks. Smiling ironically twice, 'I may resemble,' she said, 'Yang Kuei-fei, but there's not one of you young men, whether senior or junior, good enough to play the part of Yang Kuo-chung.'
While they were bandying words, a servant-girl Ch'ing Erh, lost sight of her fan and laughingly remarked to Pao-ch'ai: 'It must be you, Miss Pao, who have put my fan away somewhere or other; dear mistress, do let me have it!'
'You'd better be mindful!' rejoined Pao-ch'ai, shaking her finger at her. 'With whom have I ever been up to jokes, that you come and suspect me? Have I hitherto laughed and smirked with you? There's that whole lot of girls, go and ask them about it!'
At this suggestion, Ch'ing Erh made her escape.
The consciousness then burst upon Pao-yue, that he had again been inconsiderate in his speech, in the presence of so many persons, and he was overcome by a greater sense of shame than when, a short while back, he had been speaking with Lin Tai-yue. Precipitately turning himself round, he went, therefore, and talked to the others as well.
The sight of Pao-yue poking fun at Pao-ch'ai gratified Tai-yue immensely. She was just about to put in her word and also seize the opportunity of chaffing her, but as Ch'ing Erh unawares asked for her fan and Pao-ch'ai added a few more remarks, she at once changed her purpose. 'Cousin Pao-ch'ai,' she inquired, 'what two plays did you hear?'
Pao-ch'ai caught the expression of gratification in Tai-yue's countenance, and concluded that she had for a certainty heard the raillery recently indulged in by Pao-yue and that it had fallen in with her own wishes; and hearing her also suddenly ask the question she did, she answered with a significant laugh: 'What I saw was: 'Li Kuei blows up Sung Chiang and subsequently again tenders his apologies'.'
Pao-yue smiled. 'How is it,' he said, 'that with such wide knowledge of things new as well as old; and such general information as you possess, you aren't even up to the name of a play, and that you've come out with such a whole string of words. Why, the real name of the play is: 'Carrying a birch and begging for punishment''.
'Is it truly called: 'Carrying a birch and begging for punishment''? Pao-ch'ai asked with laugh. 'But you people know all things new and old so are able to understand the import of 'carrying a birch and begging for punishment.' As for me I've no idea whatever what 'carrying a birch and begging for punishment' implies.'
One sentence was scarcely ended when Pao-yue and Tai-yue felt guilty in their consciences; and by the time they heard all she said, they were quite flushed from shame. Lady Feng did not, it is true, fathom the gist of what had been said, but at the sight of the expression betrayed on the faces of the three cousins, she readily got an inkling of it. 'On this broiling hot day,' she inquired laughing also; 'who still eats raw ginger?'
None of the party could make out the import of her insinuation. 'There's no one eating raw ginger,' they said.
Lady Feng intentionally then brought her hands to her cheeks, and rubbing them, she remarked with an air of utter astonishment, 'Since there's no one eating raw ginger, how is it that you are all so fiery in the face?'
Hearing this, Pao-yue and Tai-yue waxed more uncomfortable than ever. So much so, that Pao-ch'ai, who meant to continue the conversation, did not think it nice to say anything more when she saw how utterly abashed Pao-yue was and how changed his manner. Her only course was therefore to smile and hold her peace. And as the rest of the inmates had not the faintest notion of the drift of the remarks exchanged between the four of them, they consequently followed her lead and put on a smile.
In a short while, however, Pao-ch'ai and lady Feng took their leave.
'You've also tried your strength with them,' Tai-yue said to Pao-yue laughingly. 'But they're far worse than I. Is every one as simple in mind and dull of tongue as I am as to allow people to say whatever they like.'
Pao-yue was inwardly giving way to that unhappiness, which had been occasioned by Pao-ch'ai's touchiness, so when he also saw Tai-yue approach him and taunt him, displeasure keener than ever was aroused in him. A desire then asserted itself to speak out his mind to her, but dreading lest Tai-yue should he in one of her sensitive moods, he, needless to say, stifled his anger and straightway left the apartment in a state of mental depression.
It happened to be the season of the greatest heat. Breakfast time too was already past, and masters as well as servants were, for the most part, under the influence of the lassitude felt on lengthy days. As Pao-yue therefore strolled, from place to place, his hands behind his back he heard not so much as the caw of a crow. Issuing out of his grandmother's compound on the near side, he wended his steps westwards, and crossed the passage, on which lady Feng's quarters gave. As soon as he reached the entrance of her court, he perceived the door ajar. But aware of lady Feng's habit of taking, during the hot weather, a couple of hours' siesta at noon, he did not feel it a convenient moment to intrude. Walking accordingly through the corner door, he stepped into Madame Wang's apartment. Here he discovered several waiting-maids, dosing with their needlework clasped in their hands. Madame Wang was asleep on the cool couch in the inner rooms. Chin Ch'uan-erh was sitting next to her massaging her legs. But she too was quite drowsy, and her eyes wore all awry. Pao-yue drew up to her with gentle tread. The moment, however, that he unfastened the pendants from the earrings she wore, Chin Ch'uan opened her eyes, and realised that it was no one than Pao-yue.
'Are you feeling so worn out!' he smilingly remarked in a low tone of voice.
Chin Ch'uan pursed up her lips and gave him a smile. Then waving her hand so as to bid him quit the room, she again closed her eyes.
Pao-yue, at the sight of her, felt considerable affection for her and unable to tear himself away, so quietly stretching his head forward, and noticing that Madame Wang's eyes were shut, he extracted from a purse, suspended about his person, one of the 'scented-snow-for-moistening-mouth pills,' with which it was full, and placed it on Chin Ch'uan-erh's lips. Chin Ch'uan-erh, however, did not open her eyes, but simply held (the pill) in her mouth. Pao-yue then approached her and took her hand in his. 'I'll ask you of your mistress,' he gently observed smiling, 'and you and I will live together.'
To this Chin Ch'uan-erh said not a word.
'If that won't do,' Pao-yue continued, 'I'll wait for your mistress to wake and appeal to her at once.'
Chin Ch'uan-erh distended her eyes wide, and pushed Pao-yue off. 'What's the hurry?' she laughed. ''A gold hair-pin may fall into the well; but if it's yours it will remain yours only.' Is it possible that you don't even see the spirit of this proverb? But I'll tell you a smart thing. Just you go into the small court, on the east side, and you'll find for yourself what Mr. Chia Huau and Ts'ai Yun are up to!'
'Let them be up to whatever they like,' smiled Pao-yue, 'I shall simply stick to your side!'
But he then saw Madame Wang twist herself round, get up, and give a slap to Chin Ch'uan-erh on her mouth. 'You mean wench!' she exclaimed, abusing her, while she pointed her finger at her, 'it's you, and the like of you,
