she jumped up with all despatch, and leaning on one of the family, she rushed on to the verandah to ascertain the state of things. At the sight of the still brilliant light, shed by the flames, on the south east part of the compound, old lady Chia was plunged in consternation, and invoking Buddha, she went on to shout to the servants to go and burn incense before the god of fire.
Madame Wang and the rest of the members of the household lost no time in crossing over in a body to see how she was getting on. 'The fire has been already extinguished,' they too assured her, 'please, dear ancestor, repair into your rooms!'
But it was only after old lady Chia had seen the light of the flames entirely subside that she at length led the whole company indoors. 'What was that girl up to, taking the firewood in that heavy fall of snow?' Pao-yue thereupon vehemently inquired of goody Liu. 'What, if she had got frostbitten and fallen ill?'
'It was the reference made recently to the firewood that was being abstracted,' his grandmother Chia said, 'that brought about this fire; and do you still go on asking more about it? Leave this story alone, and tell us something else!'
Hearing this reminder, Pao-yue felt constrained to drop the subject, much against his wishes, and old goody Liu forthwith thought of something else to tell them.
'In our village,' she resumed, 'and on the eastern side of our farmstead, there lives an old dame, whose age is this year, over ninety. She goes in daily for fasting, and worshipping Buddha. Who'd have thought it, she so moved the pity of the goddess of mercy that she gave her this message in a dream: 'It was at one time ordained that you should have no posterity, but as you have proved so devout, I have now memorialised the Pearly Emperor to grant you a grandson!' The fact is, this old dame had one son. This son had had too an only son; but he died after they had with great difficulty managed to rear him to the age of seventeen or eighteen. And what tears didn't they shed for him! But, in course of time, another son was actually born to him. He is this year just thirteen or fourteen, resembles a very ball of flower, (so plump is he), and is clever and sharp to an exceptional degree! So this is indeed a clear proof that those spirits and gods do exist!'
This long tirade proved to be in harmony with dowager lady Chia's and Madame Wang's secret convictions on the subject. Even Madame Wang therefore listened to every word with all profound attention. Pao-yue, however, was so pre-occupied with the story about the stolen firewood that he fell in a brown study and gave way to conjectures.
'Yesterday,' T'an Ch'un at this point remarked, 'We put cousin Shih to a lot of trouble and inconvenience, so, when we get back, we must consult about convening a meeting, and, while returning her entertainment, we can also invite our venerable ancestor to come and admire the chrysanthemums; what do you think of this?'
'Our worthy senior,' smiled Pao-yue, 'has intimated that she means to give a banquet to return cousin Shih's hospitality, and to ask us to do the honours. Let's wait therefore until we partake of grandmother's collation, before we issue our own invitations; there will be ample time then to do so.'
'The later it gets, the cooler the weather becomes,' T'an Ch'un observed, 'and our dear senior is not likely to enjoy herself.'
'Grandmother,' added Pao-yue, 'is also fond of rain and snow, so wouldn't it be as well to wait until the first fall, and then ask her to come and look at the snow. This will be better, won't it? And were we to recite our verses with snow about us, it will be ever so much more fun!'
'To hum verses in the snow,' Lin Tai-yue speedily demurred with a smile, 'won't, in my idea, be half as nice as building up a heap of firewood and then stealing it, with the flakes playing about us. This will be by far more enjoyable!'
This proposal made Pao-ch'ai and the others laugh. Pao-yue cast a glance at her but made no reply.
But, in a short time, the company broke up. Pao-yue eventually gave old goody Liu a tug on the sly and plied her with minute questions as to who the girl was. The old dame was placed under the necessity of fabricating something for his benefit. 'The truth is,' she said, 'that there stands on the north bank of the ditch in our village a small ancestral hall, in which offerings are made, but not to spirits or gods. There was in former days some official or other...'
'While speaking, she went on to try and recollect his name and surname.
'No matter about names or surnames!' Pao-yue expostulated. 'There's no need for you to recall them to memory! Just mention the facts; they'll be enough.'
'This official,' old goody Liu resumed, 'had no son. His offspring consisted of one young daughter, who went under the name of Jo Yue, (like Jade). She could read and write, and was doated upon by this official and his consort, just as if she were a precious jewel. But, unfortunately, when this young lady, Jo Yue, grew up to be seventeen, she contracted some disease and died.'
When these words fell on Pao-yue's ears, he stamped his foot and heaved a sigh. 'What happened after that?' he then asked.
Old goody Liu pursued her story.
'So incessantly,' she continued, 'did this official and his consort think of their child that they raised this ancestral hall, erected a clay image of their young daughter Jo Yue in it, and appointed some one to burn incense and trim the fires. But so many days and years have now elapsed that the people themselves are no more alive, the temple is in decay, and the image itself is become a spirit.'
'It hasn't become a spirit,' remonstrated Pao-yue with vehemence. 'Human beings of this kind may, the rule is, die, yet they are not dead.'
'O-mi-to-fu!' ejaculated old goody Liu; 'is it really so! Had you, sir, not enlightened us, we would have remained under the impression that she had become a spirit! But she repeatedly transforms herself into a human being, and there she roams about in every village, farmstead, inn and roadside. And the one I mentioned just now as having taken the firewood is that very girl! The villagers in our place are still consulting with the idea of breaking this clay image and razing the temple to the ground.'
'Be quick and dissuade them!' eagerly exclaimed Pao-yue. 'Were they to raze the temple to the ground, their crime won't be small.'
'It's lucky that you told me, Sir,' old goody Liu added. 'When I get back to-morrow, I'll make them relinquish the idea and finish!'
'Our venerable senior and my mother,' Pao-yue pursued, 'are both charitable persons. In fact, all the inmates of our family, whether old or young, do, in like manner, delight in good deeds, and take pleasure in distributing alms. Their greatest relish is to repair temples, and to put up images to the spirits; so to-morrow, I'll make a subscription and collect a few donations for you, and you can then act as incense-burner. When sufficient money has been raised, this fane can be repaired, and another clay image put up; and month by month I'll give you incense and fire money to enable you to burn joss-sticks; won't this be A good thing for you?'
'In that case,' old goody Liu rejoined, 'I shall, thanks to that young lady's good fortune, have also a few cash to spend.'
Pao-yue thereupon likewise wanted to know what the name of the place was, the name of the village, how far it was there and back, and whereabout the temple was situated.
Old goody Liu replied to his questions, by telling him every idle thought that came first to her lips. Pao-yue, however, credited the information she gave him and, on his return to his rooms, he exercised, the whole night, his mind with building castles in the air.
On the morrow, as soon as daylight dawned, he speedily stepped out of his room, and, handing Pei Ming several hundreds of cash, he bade him proceed first in the direction and to the place specified by old goody Liu, and clearly ascertain every detail, so as to enable him, on his return from his errand, to arrive at a suitable decision to carry out his purpose. After Pei Ming's departure, Pao-yue continued on pins on needles and on the tiptoe of expectation. Into such a pitch of excitement did he work himself, that he felt like an ant in a burning pan. With suppressed impatience, he waited and waited until sunset. At last then he perceived Pei Ming walk in, in high glee.
'Have you discovered the place?' hastily inquired Pao-yue.
'Master,' Pei Ming laughed, 'you didn't catch distinctly the directions given you, and you made me search in a nice way! The name of the place and the bearings can't be those you gave me, Sir; that is why I've had to hunt about the whole day long! I prosecuted my inquiries up to the very ditch on the north east side, before I eventually found a ruined temple.'
Upon hearing the result of his researches, Pao-yue was much gratified. His very eyebrows distended. His eyes
