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Old goody Liu was already by this time prostrated on the ground， and after making several obeisances， "How are you， my lady？" she inquired.
"Dear Mrs. Chou，" lady Feng immediately observed， "do pull her up， and don't let her prostrate herself！ I'm yet young in years and don't know her much； what's more， I've no idea what's the deGREe of the relationship between us， and I daren't speak directly to her."
"This is the old lady about whom I spoke a short while back，" speedily explained Mrs. Chou.
Lady Feng nodded her head assentingly.
By this time old goody Liu had taken a seat on the edge of the stove-couch. As for Pan Erh， he had gone further， and taken refuge behind her back； and though she tried， by every means， to coax him to come forward and make a bow， he would not， for the life of him， consent.
"Relatives though we be，" remarked lady Feng， as she smiled， "we haven't seen much of each other， so that our relations have been quite distant. But those who know how matters stand will assert that you all despise us， and won't often come to look us up； while those mean people， who don't know the truth， will imagine that we have no eyes to look at any one."
Old goody Liu promptly invoked Buddha. "We are at home in GREat straits，" she pleaded， "and that's why it wasn't easy for us to manage to get away and come！ Even supposing we had come as far as this， had we not given your ladyship a slap on the mouth， those gentlemen would also， in point of fact， have looked down upon us as a mean lot."
"Why， language such as this，" exclaimed lady Feng smilingly， "cannot help making one's heart full of displeasure！ We simply rely upon the reputation of our grandfather to maintain the status of a penniless official； that's all！ Why， in whose household is there anything substantial？ we are merely the denuded skeleton of what we were in days of old， and no more！ As the proverb has it： The Emperor himself has three families of poverty-stricken relatives； and how much more such as you and I？"
Having passed these remarks， she inquired of Mrs. Chou， "Have you let madame know， yes or no？"
"We are now waiting，" replied Mrs. Chou， "for my lady's orders."
"Go and have a look，" said lady Feng； "but， should there be any one there， or should she be busy， then don't make any mention； but wait until she's free， when you can tell her about it and see what she says."
Chou Jui's wife， having expressed her compliance， went off on this errand. During her absence， lady Feng gave orders to some servants to take a few fruits and hand them to Pan Erh to eat； and she was inquiring about one thing and another， when there came a large number of married women， who had the direction of affairs in the household， to make their several reports.
P'ing Erh announced their arrival to lady Feng， who said： "I'm now engaged in entertaining some guests， so let them come back again in the evening； but should there be anything pressing then bring it in and I'll settle it at once."
P'ing Erh left the room， but she returned in a short while. "I've asked them，" she observed， "but as there's nothing of any urgency， I told them to disperse." Lady Feng nodded her head in token of approval， when she perceived Chou Jui's wife come back. "Our lady，" she reported， as she addressed lady Feng， "says that she has no leisure to-day， that if you， lady Secunda， will entertain them， it will come to the same thing； that she's much obliged for their kind attention in going to the trouble of coming； that if they have come simply on a stroll， then well and good， but that if they have aught to say， they should tell you， lady Secunda， which will be tantamount to their telling her."
"I've nothing to say，" interposed old goody Liu. "I simply come to see our elder and our younger lady， which is a duty on my part， a relative as I am."
"Well， if there's nothing particular that you've got to say， all right，" Mrs. Chou forthwith added， "but if you do have anything， don't hesitate telling lady Secunda， and it will be just as if you had told our lady."
As she uttered these words， she winked at goody Liu. Goody Liu understood what she meant， but before she could give vent to a word， her face got scarlet， and though she would have liked not to make any mention of the object of her visit， she felt constrained to suppress her shame and to speak out.
"Properly speaking，" she observed， "this being the first time I see you， my lady， I shouldn't mention what I've to say， but as I come here from far off to seek your assistance， my old friend， I have no help but to mention it."
She had barely spoken as much as this， when she heard the youths at the inner-door cry out： "The young gentleman from the Eastern Mansion has come."
Lady Feng promptly interrupted her. "Old goody Liu，" she remarked， "you needn't add anything more." She， at the same time， inquired， "Where's your master， Mr. Jung？" when became audible the sound of footsteps along the way， and in walked a young man of seventeen or eighteen. His appearance was handsome， his person slender and graceful. He had on light furs， a girdle of value， costly clothes and a beautiful cap.
At this stage， goody Liu did not know whether it was best to sit down or to stand up， neither could she find anywhere to hide herself.
"Pray sit down，" urged lady Feng， with a laugh； "this is my nephew！' Old goody Liu then wriggled herself， now one way， and then another， on to the edge of the couch， where she took a seat.
"My father，" Chia Jung smilingly ventured， "has sent me to ask a favour of you， aunt. On some previous occasion， our grand aunt gave you， dear aunt， a stove-couch glass screen， and as to-morrow father has invited some guests of high standing， he wishes to borrow it to lay it out for a little show； after which he purposes sending it back again."
"You're late by a day，" replied lady Feng. "It was only yesterday that I gave it to some one."
Chia Jung， upon hearing this， forthwith， with giggles and smiles， made， near the edge of the couch， a sort of genuflexion. "Aunt，" he went on， "if you don't lend it， father will again say that I don't know how to speak， and I shall get another sound thrashing. You must have pity upon your nephew， aunt."
"I've never seen anything like this，" observed lady Feng sneeringly； "the things belonging to the Wang family are all good， but where have you put all those things of yours？ the only good way is that you shouldn't see anything of ours， for as soon as you catch sight of anything， you at once entertain a wish to carry it off."
"Pray， aunt，" entreated Chia Jung with a smile， "do show me some compassion."
"Mind your skin！" lady Feng warned him， "if you do chip or spoil it in the least."
