'I won't be up to any such tomfoolery!' She Yueeh demurred. 'She hasn't snapped her hands, so bid her go herself and fetch them!'
'I'm feeling tired,' interposed Ch'ing Wen, as she laughingly leant on the bed. 'I'll therefore tear some more to-morrow again.'
'An old writer says,' added Pao-yue with a smile, ''that a thousand ounces of gold cannot purchase a single laugh'! What can a few fans cost?'
After moralising, he went on to call Hsi Jen. Hsi Jen had just finished the necessary change in her dress so she stepped in; and a young servant-girl, Chiao Hui, crossed over and picked up the broken fans. Then they all sat and enjoyed the cool breeze. But we can well dispense with launching into any minute details.
On the morrow, noon found Madame Wang, Hsueeh Pao-ch'ai, Lin Tai-yue, and the rest of the young ladies congregated in dowager lady Chia's suite of rooms. Some one then brought the news that: 'Miss Shih had arrived.' In a little time they perceived Shih Hsiang-yun make her appearance in the court, at the head of a bevy of waiting- maids and married women. Pao-ch'ai, Tai-yu and her other cousins, quickly ran down the steps to meet her and exchange greetings. But with what fervour girls of tender years re-unite some day after a separation of months need not, of course, be explained. Presently, she entered the apartments, paid her respects and inquired how they all were. But after this conventional interchange of salutations, old lady Chia pressed her to take off her outer garments as the weather was so close. Shih Hsiang-yuen lost no time in rising to her feet and loosening her clothes. 'I don't see why,' Madame Wang thereupon smiled, 'you wear all these things!'
'It's entirely at aunt Secunda's bidding,' retorted Shih Hsiang-yuen, 'that I put them on. Why, would any one of her own accord wear so many things!'
'Aunt,' interposed Pao-ch'ai, who stood by, with a smile, 'you're not aware that what most delights her in the matter of dress is to don other people's clothes! Yes, I remember how, during her stay here in the third and fourth moons of last year, she used to wear cousin Pao's pelisses. She even put on his shoes, and attached his frontlets as well round her head. At a casual glance, she looked the very image of cousin Pao; what was superfluous was that pair of earrings of hers. As she stood at the back of that chair she so thoroughly took in our venerable ancestor that she kept on shouting: 'Pao-yue, come over! Mind the tassels suspended on that lamp; for if you shake the dust off, it may get into your eyes!' But all she did was to laugh; she did not budge; and it was only after every one found it hard to keep their countenance that our worthy senior also started laughing. 'You do look well in male habiliments!' she said to her.'
'What about that!' cried Lin Tai-yue, 'why, she had scarcely been here with us a couple of days in the first moon of last year, when we sent and fetched her, that we had a fall of snow. You, venerable senior, and her maternal aunt had on that day, I remember so well, just returned from worshipping the images of our ancestors, and a brand-new deep red felt wrapper of yours, dear grandmother, had been lying over there, when suddenly it disappeared. But, lo, she it was who had put it on! Being, however, too large and too long for her, she took a couple of handkerchiefs, and fastened them round her waist. She was then trudging into the back court with the servant- girls to make snow men when she tripped and fell flat in front of the drain, and got covered all over with mud.'
As she narrated this incident, every one recalled the circumstances to mind, and had a good laugh.
'Dame Chou,' Pao-ch'ai smilingly inquired of nurse Chou, 'is your young lady always as fond of pranks as ever or not?'
Nurse Chou then also gave a laugh.
'Pranks are nothing,' Ying Ch'un smiled. 'What I do detest is her fondness for tittle-tattle! I've never seen any one who, even when asleep, goes on chatter-chatter; now laughing, and now talking, as she does. Nor can I make out where she gets all those idle yarns of hers.'
'I think she's better of late,' interposed Madame Wang. 'The other day some party or other came and they met; so she's to have a mother-in-law very soon; and can she still be comporting herself like that!'
'Are you going to stay to-day,' dowager lady Chia then asked, 'or going back home?'
Nurse Chou smiled. 'Your venerable ladyship has not seen what an amount of clothes we've brought,' she replied. 'We mean, of course, to stay a couple of days.'
'Is cousin Pao-yue not at home?' inquired Hsiang-yuen.'
'There she's again! She doesn't think of others,' remarked Pao-ch'ai smiling significantly. 'She only thinks of her cousin Pao-yue. They're both so fond of larks! This proves that she hasn't yet got rid of that spirit of mischief.'
'You're all now grown up,' observed old lady Chia; 'and you shouldn't allude to infant names.'
But while she was chiding them, they noticed Pao-yue arrive.
'Cousin Yuen, have you come?' he smiled. 'How is it that you wouldn't come the other day when some one was despatched to fetch you?'
'It's only a few minutes,' Madame Wang said, 'since our venerable senior called that one to task, and now here he comes and refers to names and surnames!'
'Your cousin Pao,' ventured Lin Tai-yue, 'has something good, which he has been waiting to give you.'
'What good thing is it?' asked Hsiang-yuen.
'Do you believe what she says?' observed Pao-yue laughingly. 'But how many days is it that I have not seen you, and you've grown so much taller!'
'Is cousin Hsi Jen all right?' inquired Hsiang-yuen.
'She's all right,' answered Pao-yue. 'Many thanks for your kind thought of her.'
'I've brought something nice for her,' resumed Hsiang-yuen.
Saying this, she produced her handkerchief, tied into a knot.
'What's this something nice?' asked Pao-yue. 'Wouldn't it have been better if you'd brought her a couple of those rings with streaked stones of the kind you sent the other day?'
'Why, what's this?' exclaimed Hsiang-yuen laughing, opening, as she spoke, the handkerchief.
On close scrutiny, they actually found four streaked rings, similar to those she had previously sent, tied up in the same packet.
'Look here!' Lin Tai-yue smiled, 'what a girl she is! Had you, when sending that fellow the other day to bring ours, given him these also to bring along with him, wouldn't it have saved trouble? Instead of that, here you fussily bring them yourself to-day! I presumed that it was something out of the way again; but is it really only these things? In very truth, you're a mere dunce!'
'It's you who behave like a dunce now!' Shih Hsiang-yuen smiled.
'I'll speak out here and let every one judge for themselves who is the dunce. The servant, deputed to bring the things to you, had no need to open his mouth and say anything; for, as soon as they were brought in, it was of course evident, at a glance, that they were to be presented to you young ladies. But had he been the bearer of these things for them, I would have been under the necessity of explaining to him which was intended for this servant-girl, and which for that. Had the messenger had his wits about him, well and good; but had he been at all stupid he wouldn't have been able to remember so much as the names of the girls! He would have made an awful mess of it, and talked a lot of nonsense. So instead of being of any use he would have even muddled, hickledy- pickledy, your things. Had a female servant been despatched, it would have been all right. But as it happened, a servant-boy was again sent the other day, so how could he have mentioned the names of the waiting-girls? And by my bringing them in person to give them to them, doesn't it make things clearer?'
As she said this, she put down the four rings. 'One is for sister Hsi Jen,' she continued, 'one is for sister Yuean Yang. One for sister Chin Ch'uan-erh, and one for sister P'ing Erh. They are only for these four girls; but would the servant-boys too forsooth have remembered them so clearly!'
At these words, the whole company smiled. 'How really clear!' they cried.
'This is what it is to be able to speak!' Pao-yue put in. 'She doesn't spare any one!'
Hearing this, Lin Tai-yue gave a sardonic smile. 'If she didn't know how to use her tongue,' she observed, 'would she deserve to wear that unicorn of gold!'
While speaking, she rose and walked off.
Luckily, every one did not hear what she said. Only Hsueeh Pao-ch'ai pursed up her lips and laughed. Pao-yue, however, had overheard her remark, and he blamed himself for having once more talked in a heedless manner. Unawares his eye espied Pao-ch'ai much amused, and he too could not suppress a smile. But at the sight of Pao- yue in laughter, Pao-ch'ai hastily rose to her feet and withdrew. She went in search of Tai-yue, to have a chat and laugh with her.