'The clothes I gave you the other day, when I asked you to have a bath, were my own,' Yuean Yang resumed, 'and if you don't think them too mean, I've got a few more, which I would also like to let you have.'
Goody Liu thanked her with vehemence, so Yuean Yang, in point of fact, produced several more articles of clothing, and these she packed up for her. Goody Liu thereupon expressed a desire to also go into the garden and take leave of Pao-yue and the young ladies, Madame Wang and the other inmates and to thank them for all they did for her, but Yuean Yang raised objections. 'You can dispense with going!' she remarked. 'They don't see any one just now! But I'll deliver the message for you by and bye! When you've got any leisure, do come again. Go to the second gate,' she went on to direct an old matron, 'and call two servant-lads to come here, and help this old dame to take her things away!'
After the matron had signified her obedience, Yuean Yang returned with goody Liu to lady Feng's quarters, on the off part of the mansion, and, taking the presents as far as the side gate, she bade the servant-lads carry them out. She herself then saw goody Liu into her curricle and start on her journey homewards.
But without commenting further on this topic, let us revert to Pao-ch'ai and the other girls. After breakfast, they recrossed into their grandmother's rooms and made inquiries about her health. On their way back to the garden, they reached a point where they had to take different roads. Pao-ch'ai then called out to Tai-yue. 'P'in Erh!' she observed, 'come with me; I've got a question to ask you.'
Tai-yue wended her steps therefore with Pao-ch'ai into the Heng Wu court. As soon as they entered the house, Pao-ch'ai threw herself into a seat. 'Kneel down!' she smiled. 'I want to examine you about something!'
Tai-yue could not fathom her object, and consequently laughed. 'Look here.' she cried, 'this chit Pao has gone clean off her senses! What do you want to examine me about?'
Pao-ch'ai gave a sardonic smile. 'My dear, precious girl, my dear maiden,' she exclaimed, 'what utter trash fills your mouth! Just speak the honest and candid truth, and finish!'
Tai-yue could so little guess her meaning that her sole resource was to smile. Inwardly, however, she could not help beginning to experience certain misgivings. 'What did I say?' she remarked. 'You're bent upon picking out my faults! Speak out and let me hear what it's all about!'
'Do you still pretend to be a fool?' Pao-ch'ai laughed. 'When we played yesterday that game of wine-forfeits, what did you say? I really couldn't make out any head or tail.'
Tai-yue, after a moment's reflection, remembered eventually that she had the previous day been guilty of a slip of the tongue and come out with a couple of passages from the 'Peony Pavilion,' and the 'Record of the West Side-house,' and, of a sudden, her face got scarlet with blushes. Drawing near Pao-ch'ai she threw her arms round her. 'My dear cousin!' she smiled, 'I really wasn't conscious of what I was saying! It just blurted out of my mouth! But now that you've called me to task, I won't say such things again.'
'I've no idea of what you were driving at,' Pao-ch'ai laughingly rejoined. 'What I heard you recite sounds so thoroughly unfamiliar to me, that I beg you to enlighten me!'
'Dear cousin,' pleaded Tai-yue, 'don't tell anyone else! I won't, in the future, breathe such things again.'
Pao-ch'ai noticed how from shame the blood rushed to her face, and how vehement she was in her entreaties, and she felt both to press her with questions; so pulling her into a seat to make her have a cup of tea, she said to her in a gentle tone, 'Whom do you take me for? I too am wayward; from my youth up, yea ever since I was seven or eight, I've been enough trouble to people! Our family was also what one would term literary. My grandfather's extreme delight was to be ever with a book in his hand. At one time, we numbered many members, and sisters and brothers all lived together; but we had a distaste for wholesome books. Among my brothers, some were partial to verses; others had a weakness for blank poetical compositions; and there were none of such works as the 'Western side-House,' and 'the Guitar,' even up to the hundred and one books of the 'Yuean' authors, which they hadn't managed to get. These books they stealthily read behind our backs; but we, on our part, devoured them, on the sly, without their knowing it. Subsequently, our father came to get wind of it; and some of us he beat, while others he scolded; burning some of the books, and throwing away others. It is therefore as well that we girls shouldn't know anything of letters. Men, who study books and don't understand the right principle, can't, moreover, reach the standard of those, who don't go in for books; so how much more such as ourselves? Even versifying, writing and the like pursuits aren't in the line of such as you and me. Indeed, neither are they within the portion of men. Men, who go in for study and fathom the right principles, should cooperate in the government of the empire, and should rule the nation; this would be a nobler purpose; but one doesn't now-a-days hear of the very existence of such persons! Hence, the study of books makes them worse than they ever were before. But it isn't the books that ruin them; the misfortune is that they make improper use of books! That is why study doesn't come up to ploughing and sowing and trading; as these pursuits exercise no serious pernicious influences. As far, however, as you and I go, we should devote our minds simply to matters connected with needlework and spinning; for we will then be fulfilling our legitimate duties. Yet, it so happens that we too know a few characters. But, as we can read, it behoves us to choose no other than wholesome works; for these will do us no harm! What are most to be shirked are those low books, as, when once they pervert the disposition, there remains no remedy whatever!'
While she indulged in this long rigmarole, Tai-yue lowered her head and sipped her tea. And though she secretly shared the same views on the subject, all the answer she gave her in assent was limited to one single word 'yes.' But at an unexpected moment, Su Yuen appeared in the room. 'Our lady Lien,' she said, 'requests the presence of both of you, young ladies, to consult with you in an important matter. Miss Secunda, Miss Tertia, Miss Quarta, Miss Shih and Mr. Pao, our master Secundus, are there waiting for you.'
'What's up again?' Pao-ch'ai inquired.
'You and I will know what it is when we get there,' Tai-yue explained.
So saying, she came, with Pao-ch'ai, into the Tao Hsiang village. Here they, in fact, discovered every one assembled. As soon as Li Wan caught sight of the two cousins, she smiled. 'The society has barely been started,' she observed, 'and here's one who wants to give us the slip; that girl Quarta wishes to apply for a whole year's leave.'
'It's that single remark of our worthy senior's yesterday that is at the bottom of it!' Tai-yue laughed. 'For by bidding her execute some painting or other of the garden, she has put her in such high feather that she applies for leave!'
'Don't be so hard upon our dear ancestor!' Pao-Ch'ai rejoined, a smile playing on her lips. 'It's entirely due to that allusion of grandmother Liu's.'
Tai-yue speedily took up the thread of the conversation. 'Quite so!' she smiled. 'It's all through that remark of hers! But of what branch of the family is she a grandmother? We should merely address her as the 'female locust;' that's all.'
As she spoke, one and all were highly amused.
'When any mortal language finds its way into that girl Feng's mouth,' Pao-ch'ai laughed, 'she knows how to turn it to the best account! What a fortunate thing it is that that vixen Feng has no idea of letters and can't boast of much culture! Her
After lending an ear to her arguments, they all laughed. 'Those explanations of yours,' they cried, 'show well enough that you are not below those two!'
'Pray, let's consult as to how many days' leave to grant her!' Li Wan proposed. 'I gave her a month, but she thinks it too little. What do you say about it?'
'Properly speaking,' Tai-yue put in, 'one year isn't much! The laying out of this garden occupied a whole year; and to paint a picture of it now will certainly need two years' time. She'll have to rub the ink, to moisten the pencils, to stretch the paper, to mix the pigments, and to....'
When she had reached this point, even Tai-yue could not restrain herself from laughing. 'If she goes on so leisurely to work,' she exclaimed, 'won't she require two years' time?'
Those, who caught this insinuation, clapped their hands and indulged in incessant merriment.
'Her innuendoes are full of zest!' Pao-ch'ai ventured laughingly. 'But what takes the cake is that last remark
