to say for herself, Pao-yue smilingly remarked: 'What human being is there that can escape death? But the main thing is to come to a proper end! All that those abject male creatures excel in is, the civil officers, to sacrifice their lives by remonstrating with the Emperor; and, the military, to leave their bones on the battlefield. Both these deaths do confer, after life is extinct, the fame of great men upon them; but isn't it, in fact, better for them not to die? For as it is absolutely necessary that there should be a disorderly Emperor before they can afford any admonition, to what future fate do they thus expose their sovereign, if they rashly throw away their lives, with the sole aim of reaping a fair name for themselves? War too must supervene before they can fight; but if they go and recklessly lay down their lives, with the exclusive idea of gaining the reputation of intrepid warriors, to what destiny will they abandon their country by and bye? Hence it is that neither of these deaths can be looked upon as a legitimate death.'
'Loyal ministers,' Hsi Jen argued, 'and excellent generals simply die because it isn't in their power to do otherwise.'
'Military officers,' Pao-yue explained, 'place such entire reliance upon brute force that they become lax in their stratagems and faulty in their plans. It's because they don't possess any inherent abilities that they lose their lives. Could one therefore, pray, say that they had no other alternative? Civil officials, on the other hand, can still less compare with military officers. They read a few passages from books, and commit them to memory; and, on the slightest mistake made by the Emperor, they're at once rash enough to remonstrate with him, prompted by the sole idea of attaining the fame of loyalty and devotion. But, as soon as their stupid notions have bubbled over, they forfeit their lives, and is it likely that it doesn't lie within their power to do otherwise? Why, they should also bear in mind that the Emperor receives his decrees from Heaven; and, that were he not a perfect man, Heaven itself would, on no account whatever, confer upon him a charge so extremely onerous. This makes it evident therefore that the whole pack and parcel of those officers, who are dead and gone, have invariably fallen victims to their endeavours to attain a high reputation, and that they had no knowledge whatever of the import of the great principle of right! Take me as an instance now. Were really mine the good fortune of departing life at a fit time, I'd avail myself of the present when all you girls are alive, to pass away. And could I get you to shed such profuse tears for me as to swell out into a stream large enough to raise my corpse and carry it to some secluded place, whither no bird even has ever wended its flight, and could I become invisible like the wind, and nevermore from this time, come into existence as a human being, I shall then have died at a proper season.'
Hsi Jen suddenly awoke to the fact that he was beginning to give vent to a lot of twaddle, and speedily, pleading fatigue, she paid no further notice to him. This compelled Pao-yue to at last be quiet and go to sleep. By the morrow, all recollection of the discussion had vanished from his mind.
One day, Pao-yue was feeling weary at heart, after strolling all over the place, when remembering the song of the 'Peony Pavilion,' he read it over twice to himself; but still his spirits continued anything but joyous. Having heard, however, that among the twelve girls in the Pear Fragrance Court there was one called Ling Kuan, who excelled in singing, he purposely issued forth by a side gate and came in search of her. But the moment he got there, he discovered Pao Kuan, and Yue Kuan in the court. As soon as they caught sight of Pao-yue, they, with one consent, smiled and urged him to take a seat. Pao-yue then inquired where Ling Kuan was. Both girls explained that she was in her room, so Pao-yue hastened in. Here he found Ling Kuan alone, reclining against a pillow. Though perfectly conscious of his arrival, she did not move a muscle. Pao-yue ensconced himself next to her. He had always been in the habit of playing with the rest of the girls, so thinking that Ling Kuan was like the others, he felt impelled to draw near her and to entreat her, with a forced smile, to get up and sing part of the 'Niao Ch'ing Ssu.' But his hopes were baffled; for as soon as Ling Kuan perceived him sit down, she impetuously raised herself and withdrew from his side. 'I'm hoarse,' she rejoined with a stern expression on her face. 'The Empress the other day called us into the palace; but I couldn't sing even then.'
Seeing her sit bolt upright, Pao-yue went on to pass her under a minute survey. He discovered that it was the girl, whom he had, some time ago beheld under the cinnamon roses, drawing the character 'Ch'iang.' But seeing the reception she accorded him, who had never so far known what it was to be treated contemptuously by any one, he blushed crimson, while muttering some abuse to himself, and felt constrained to quit the room.
Pao Kuan and her companion could not fathom why he was so red and inquired of him the reason. Pao-yue told them. 'Wait a while,' Pao Kuan said, 'until Mr. Ch'iang Secundus comes; and when he asks her to sing, she is bound to sing.'
Pao-yue at these words felt very sad within himself. 'Where's brother Ch'iang gone to?' he asked.
'He's just gone out,' Pao Kuan answered. 'Of course, Ling Kuan must have wanted something or other, and he's gone to devise ways and means to bring it to her.'
Pao-yue thought this remark very extraordinary. But after standing about for a while, he actually saw Chia Ch'iang arrive from outside, carrying a cage, with a tiny stage inserted at the top, and a bird as well; and wend his steps, in a gleeful mood, towards the interior to join Ling Kuan. The moment, however, he noticed Pao-yue, he felt under the necessity of halting.
'What kind of bird is that?' Pao-yue asked. 'Can it hold a flag in its beak, or do any tricks?'
'It's the 'jade-crested and gold-headed bird,'' smiled Chia Ch'iang.
'How much did you give for it?' Pao-yue continued.
'A tael and eight mace,' replied Chia Ch'iang.
But while replying to his inquiries, he motioned to Pao-yue to take a seat, and then went himself into Ling Kuan's apartment.
Pao-yue had, by this time, lost every wish of hearing a song. His sole desire was to find what relations existed between his cousin and Ling Kuan, when he perceived Chia Ch'iang walk in and laughingly say to her, 'Come and see this thing.'
'What's it?' Ling Kuan asked, rising.
'I've bought a bird for you to amuse yourself with,' Chia Ch'iang added, 'so that you mayn't daily feel dull and have nothing to distract yourself with. But I'll first play with it and let you see.'
With this prelude, he took a few seeds and began to coax the bird, until it, in point of fact, performed various tricks, on the stage, clasping in its beak a mask and a flag.
All the girls shouted out: 'How nice;' with the sole exception of Ling Kuan, who gave a couple of apathetic smirks, and went in a huff to lie down. Again Chia Ch'iang, however, kept on forcing smiles, and inquiring of her whether she liked it or not.
'Isn't it enough,' Ling Kuan observed, 'that your family entraps a fine lot of human beings like us and coops us up in this hole to study this stuff and nonsense, but do you also now go and get a bird, which likewise is, as it happens, up to this sort of thing? You distinctly fetch it to make fun of us, and mimick us, and do you still ask me whether I like it or not?'
Hearing this reproach, Chia Ch'iang of a sudden sprang to his feet with alacrity and vehemently endeavoured by vowing and swearing to establish his innocence. 'How ever could I have been such a fool to-day,' he proceeded, 'as to go and throw away a tael or two to purchase this bird? I really did it in the hope that it would afford you amusement. I never for a moment entertained such thoughts as those you credit me with. But never mind; I'll let it go, and save you all this misery!'
So saying, he verily gave the bird its liberty; and, with one blow, he smashed the cage to atoms.
'This bird,' still argued Ling Kuan, 'differs, it's true, from a human being; but it too has a mother and father in its nest, and could you have had the heart to bring it here to perform these silly pranks? In coughing to-day, I expectorated two mouthfuls of blood, and Madame Wang sent some one here to find you so as to tell you to ask the doctor round to minutely diagnose my complaint, and have you instead brought this to mock me with? But it so happens that I, who have not a soul to look after me, or to care for me, also have the fate to fall ill!'
Chia Ch'iang listened to her. 'Yesterday evening,' he eagerly explained, 'I asked the doctor about it. He said that it was nothing at all, that you should take a few doses of medicine, and that he would be coming again in a day or two to see how you were getting on. But who'd have thought it, you have again to-day expectorated blood. I'll go at once and invite him to come round.'
Speaking the while, he was about to go immediately when Ling Kuan cried out and stopped him. 'Do you go off in a tantrum in this hot broiling sun?' she said. 'You may ask him to come, but I won't see him.'
When he heard her resolution, Chia Ch'iang had perforce to stand still.
Pao-yue, perceiving what transpired between them, fell unwittingly in a dull reverie. He then at length got an insight into the deep import of the tracing of the character 'Ch'iang.' But unable to bear the ordeal any longer, he
