评论
打印
At the mention of her name， Pao-ch'ai laughingly waved her hand. "I know nothing about it，" she observed. "Nor have I heard anything about it， so don't tell your mother to ask me any questions."
"Really，" said Madame Wang smiling， "Pao-ch'ai is a good girl； she does not tell lies."
Pao-yue was standing in the centre of the room. Upon hearing these words， he turned round sharply and clapped his hands. "What I stated just now，" he explained， "was the truth； yet you maintain that it was all lies."
As he defended himself， he casually looked round， and caught sight of Lin Tai-yue at the back of Pao-ch'ai laughing with tight-set lips， and applying her fingers to her face to put him to shame.
But Lady Feng， who had been in the inner rooms overseeing the servants laying the table， came out at once， as soon as she overheard the conversation. "Brother Pao tells no lies，" she smilingly chimed in， "this is really a fact. Some time ago cousin Hsueeh P'an came over in person and asked me for pearls， and when I inquired of him what he wanted them for， he explained that they were intended to compound some medicine with； adding， in an aggrieved way， that it would have been better hadn't he taken it in hand for he never had any idea that it would involve such a lot of trouble！ When I questioned him what the medicine was， he returned for answer that it was a prescription of brother Pao's； and he mentioned ever so many inGREdients， which I don't even remember. 'Under other circumstances，' he went on to say， 'I would have purchased a few pearls， but what are absolutely wanted are such pearls as have been worn on the head； and that's why I come to ask you， cousin， for some. If， cousin， you've got no broken ornaments at hand， in the shape of flowers， why， those that you have on your head will do as well； and by and bye I'll choose a few good ones and give them to you， to wear.' I had no other course therefore than to snap a couple of twigs from some flowers I have， made of pearls， and to let him take them away. One also requires a piece of deep red gauze， three feet in length of the best quality； and the pearls must be triturated to powder in a mortar."
After each sentence expressed by lady Feng， Pao-yue muttered an invocation to Buddha. "the thing is as clear as sunlight now，" he remarked.
the moment lady Feng had done speaking， Pao-yue put in his word. "Mother，" he added， "you should know that this is a mere makeshift， for really， according to the letter of the prescription， these pearls and precious stones should， properly speaking， consist of such as had been obtained from， some old grave and been worn as head-ornaments by some wealthy and honourable person of bygone days. But how could one go now on this account and dig up graves， and open tombs！ Hence it is that such as are simply in use among living persons can equally well be substituted."
"O-mi-to-fu！" exclaimed Madame Wang， after listening to him throughout. "That will never do， and what an arduous job to uselessly saddle one's self with； for even though there be interred in some graves people， who've been dead for several hundreds of years， it wouldn't be a propitious thing were their corpses turned topsy-turvey now and the bones abstracted； just for the sake of preparing some medicine or other."
Pao-yue thereupon addressed himself to Tai-yue. "Have you heard what was said or not？" he asked. "And is there， pray， any likelihood that cousin Secunda would also follow in my lead and tell lies？"
While saying this， his eyes were， albeit his face was turned towards Lin Tai-yue， fixed upon Pao-ch'ai.
Lin Tai-yue pulled Madame Wang. "You just listen to him， aunt，" she observed. "All because cousin Pao-ch'ai would not accommodate him by lying， he appeals to me."
"Pao-yue has a GREat knack，" Madame Wang said， "of dealing contemptuously with you， his cousin."
"Mother，" Pao-yue smilingly protested， "you are not aware how the case stands. When cousin Pao-ch'ai lived at home， she knew nothing whatever about my elder cousin Hsueeh P'an's affairs， and how much less now that she has taken up her quarters inside the garden？ She， of course， knows less than ever about them！ Yet， cousin Lin just now stealthily treated my statements as lies， and put me to the blush."
these words were still on his lips， when they perceived a waiting-maid， from dowager lady Chia's apartments， come in quest of Pao-yue and Lin Tai-yue to go and have their meal. Lin Tai-yue， however， did not even call Pao-yue， but forthwith rising to her feet， she went along， dragging the waiting-maid by the hand.
"Let's wait for master Secundus， Mr. Pao， to go along with us，" demurred the girl.
"He doesn't want anything to eat，" Lin Tai-yue replied； "he won't come with us， so I'll go ahead." So saying she promptly left the room.
"I'll have my repast with my mother to-day，" Pao-yue said.
"Not at all，" Madame Wang remarked， "not at all. I'm going to fast to-day， so it's only right and proper that you should go and have your own."
"I'll also fast with you then，" Pao-yue retorted.
As he spoke， he called out to the servant to go back， and rushing up to the table， he took a seat.
Madame Wang faced Pao-ch'ai and her companions. "You， girls，" she observed， "had better have your meal， and let him have his own way！"
"It's only right that you should go，" Pao-ch'ai smiled. "Whether you have anything to eat or not， you should go over for a while to keep company to cousin Lin， as she will be quite distressed and out of spirits."
"Who cares about her！" Pao-yue rejoined， "she'll get all right again after a time."
Shortly， they finished their repast. But Pao-yue apprehended， in the first place， that his grandmother Chia， would be solicitous on his account， and longed， in the second， to be with Lin Tai-yue， so he hurriedly asked for some tea to rinse his mouth with.
"Cousin Secundus，" T'an Ch'un and Hsi Ch'un interposed with an ironic laugh， "what's the use of the hurry-scurry you're in the whole day long！ Even when you're having your meals， or your tea， you're in this sort of fussy helter-skelter！"
"Make him hurry up and have his tea，" Pao-ch'ai chimed in smiling， "so that he may go and look up his cousin Lin. He'll be up to all kinds of mischief if you keep him here！"
Pao-yue drank his tea. then hastily leaving the apartment， he proceeded straightway towards the eastern court. As luck would have it， the moment he got near lady Feng's court， he descried lady Feng standing at the gateway. While standing on the step， and picking her teeth with an ear-cleaner， she superintended about ten young servant-boys removing the flower-pots from place to place. As soon as she caught sight of Pao-yue approaching， she put on a smiling face. "You come quite opportunely，" she said； "walk in， walk in， and write a few characters for me."
Pao-yue had no option but to follow her in. When they reached the interior of her rooms， lady Feng gave orders to a servant to fetch a pen， inkslab and paper.
"Forty rolls of deep red ornamented satin，" she began， addressing herself to Pao-yue， "forty rolls of satin with dragons； a hundred rolls of gauzes of every colour， of the finest quality； four gold necklaces……"
"What's this？" Pao-yue shouted， "it is neither a bill； nor is it a list of presents， and in what style shall I write it？"
Lady Feng remonstrated with him. "Just you go on writing，" she said， "for， in fact， as long as I can make out what it means， it's all that is needed."
Pao-yue at this response felt constrained to proceed with the writing.
This over lady Feng put the paper by. As she did so， "I've still something more to tell you，" she smilingly pursued， "but I wonder whether you will accede to it or not. There is in your rooms a servant-maid， Hsiao Hung by name， whom I would like to bring over into my service， and I'll select several girls to-morrow to wait on you； will this do？"
"the servants in my quarters，" answered Pao-yue， "muster a large crowd， so that， cousin， you are at perfect liberty to send for any one of them， who might take your fancy； what's the need therefore of asking me about it？"
"If that be so，" continued lady Feng laughingly， "I'll tell some one at once to go and bring her over."
"Yes， she can go and fetch her，" acquiesced Pao-yue.
While replying， he made an attempt to take his leave. "Come back，" shouted lady Feng， "I've got something more to tell you."
"Our venerable senior has sent for me，" Pao-yue rejoined； "if you have anything to tell me you must wait till my return."
After this explanation， he there and then came over to his grandmother Chia's on this side， where he found that they had already got through their meal.
"Have you had anything nice to eat with your mother？" old lady Chia asked.
"there was really nothing nice，" Pao-yue smiled. "Yet I managed to have a bowl of rice more than usual."
"Where's cousin Lin？" he then inquired.
"She's in the inner rooms，" answered his grandmother.
