By this time, Pao-ch'ai had been called away by a servant, despatched by Hsueeh P'an. But while Pao-yue was watching the net that was being made he caught sight, at a moment least expected, of two servant-girls, who came from the part of Madame Hsing of the other mansion, to bring him a few kinds of fruits, and to inquire whether he was able to walk. 'If you can go about,' they told him, '(our mistress) desires you, Mr. Pao-yue, to cross over to-morrow and have a little distraction. Her ladyship really longs to see you.'
'Were I able to walk,' Pao-yue answered with alacrity, 'I would feel it my duty to go and pay my respects to your mistress! Anyhow, the pain is better than before, so request your lady to allay her solicitude.'
As he bade them both sit down, he, at the same time, called Ch'iu Wen. 'Take,' he said to her, 'half of the fruits, just received, to Miss Lin as a present.'
Ch'iu Wen signified her obedience, and was about to start on her errand, when she heard Tai-yue talking in the court, and Pao-yue eagerly shout out: 'Request her to walk in at once!'
But should there be any further particulars, which you, reader, might feel disposed to know, peruse the details given in the following chapter.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
While Hsi Jen is busy embroidering mandarin ducks, Pao-yue receives, in
the Chiang Yuen Pavilion, an omen from a dream.
Pao-yue apprehends that there is a destiny in affections, when his
feelings are aroused to a sense of the situation in the Pear
Fragrance court.
Ever since dowager lady Chia's return from Madame Wang's quarters, for we will now take up the string of our narrative, she naturally felt happier in her mind as she saw that Pao-yue improved from day to day; but nervous lest Chia Cheng should again in the future send for him, she lost no time in bidding a servant summon a head-page, a constant attendant upon Chia Cheng, to come to her, and in impressing upon him various orders. 'Should,' she enjoined him, 'anything turn up henceforward connected with meeting guests, entertaining visitors and other such matters, and your master mean to send for Pao-yue, you can dispense with going to deliver the message. Just you tell him that I say that after the severe thrashing he has had, great care must be first taken of him during several months before he can be allowed to walk; and that, secondly, his constellation is unpropitious and that he could not see any outsider, while sacrifices are being offered to the stars; that I won't have him therefore put his foot beyond the second gate before the expiry of the eighth moon.'
The head-page listened patiently to her instructions, and, assenting to all she had to say, he took his leave.
Old lady Chia thereupon also sent for nurse Li, Hsi Jen and the other waiting-maids and recommended them to tell Pao-yue about her injunctions so that he might be able to quiet his mind.
Pao-yue had always had a repugnance for entertaining high officials and men in general, and the greatest horror of going in official hat and ceremonial dress, to offer congratulations, or express condolences, to pay calls, return visits, or perform other similar conventionalities, but upon receipt on the present occasion of this message, he became so much the more confirmed in his dislikes that not only did he suspend all intercourse with every single relative and friend, but even went so far as to study more than he had ever done before, his own caprices in the fulfilment of those morning and evening salutations due to the senior members of his family. Day after day he spent in the garden, doing nothing else than loafing about, sitting down here, or reclining there. Of a morning, he would, as soon as it was day, stroll as far as the quarters of dowager lady Chia and Madame Wang, to repair back, however, in no time. Yet ever ready was he every day that went by to perform menial services for any of the waiting-maids. He, in fact, wasted away in the most complete
Seeing therefore what an insane mania possessed him, not one of his cousins came forward to tender him one proper word of counsel. Lin Tai-yue was the only one of them, who, from his very infancy, had never once admonished him to strive and make a position and attain fame, so thus it was that he entertained for Tai-yue profound consideration. But enough of minor details.
We will now turn our attention to lady Feng. Soon after the news of Chin Ch'uan-erh's death reached her, she saw that domestics from various branches of the family paid her frequent visits at most unexpected hours, and presented her a lot of things, and that they courted her presence at most unseasonable moments, to pay their compliments and adulate her, and she begun to harbour suspicions, in her own mind, as she little knew what their object could possibly be. On this date, she again noticed that some of them had brought their gifts, so, when evening arrived, and no one was present, she felt compelled to inquire jocosely of P'ing Erh what their aim could be.
'Can't your ladyship fathom even this?' P'ing Erh answered with a sardonic smile. 'Why, their daughters must, I fancy, be servant-girls in Madame Wang's apartments! For her ladyship's rooms four elderly girls are at present allotted with a monthly allowance of one tael; the rest simply receiving several hundreds of cash each month; so now that Chin Ch'uan-erh is dead and gone, these people must, of course, be anxious to try their tricks and get this one-tael job!'
Hearing this, lady Feng smiled a significant smile. 'That's it. Yes, that's it!' she exclaimed. 'You've really suggested the idea to my mind! From all appearances, these people are a most insatiable lot; for they make quite enough in the way of money! And as for any business that requires a little exertion, why they are never ready to bear a share of it! They make use of their girls as so many tools to shove their own duties upon. Yet one overlooks that. But must they too have designs upon this job? Never mind! These people cannot easily afford to spend upon me the money they do. But they bring this upon their own selves, so I'll keep every bit of thing they send. I've, after all, resolved how to act in the matter!'
Having arrived at this decision, lady Feng purely and simply protracted the delay until all the women had sent her enough to satisfy her, when she at last suited her own convenience and spoke to Madame Wang (on the subject of the vacant post).
Mrs. Hsueeh and her daughter were sitting one day, at noon, in Madame Wang's quarters, together with Lin Tai-yue and the other girls, when lady Feng found an opportunity and broached the topic with Madame Wang. 'Ever since,' she said, 'sister Chin Ch'uan-erh's death, there has been one servant less in your ladyship's service. But you may possibly have set your choice upon some girl; if so, do let me know who it is, so that I may be able to pay her her monthly wages.'
This reminder made Madame Wang commune with her own self. 'I fancy,' she remarked; 'that the custom is that there should be four or five of them; but as long as there are enough to wait upon me, I don't mind, so we can really dispense with another.'
'What you say is, properly speaking, perfectly correct,' smiled lady Feng; 'but it's an old established custom. There are still a couple to be found in other people's rooms and won't you, Madame, conform with the rule? Besides, the saving of a tael is a small matter.'
After this argument, Madame Wang indulged in further thought. 'Never mind,' she then observed, 'just you bring over this allowance and pay it to me. And there will be no need to supply another girl. I'll hand over this tael to her younger sister, Yue Ch'uan-erh, and finish with it. Her elder sister came to an unpleasant end, after a long term of service with me; so if the younger sister, she leaves behind in my employ, receives a double share, it won't be any too excessive.'
