Lady Feng with hurried steps advanced to the centre of the room. "If we are to play at forfeits," she smilingly proposed, "we'd better invite sister Yuan Yang to come and join us."

The whole company was perfectly aware that if dowager lady Chia had to give out the rule of forfeits, Yuan Yang would necessarily have to suggest it, so the moment they heard the proposal they, with common consent, approved it as excellent. Lady Feng therefore there and then dragged Yuan Yang over.

"As you're to take a part in the game of forfeits," Madame w.a.n.g smilingly observed, "there's no reason why you should stand up." And turning her head round, "Bring over," she bade a young waiting-maid, "a chair and place it at your Mistress Secunda's table."

Yuan Yang, half refusing and half a.s.senting, expressed her thanks, and took the seat. After partaking also of a cup of wine, "Drinking rules,"

she smiled, "resemble very much martial law; so irrespective of high or low, I alone will preside. Any one therefore who disobeys my words will have to suffer a penalty."

"Of course, it should be so!" Madame w.a.n.g and the others laughed, "so be quick and give out the rule!"

But before Yuan Yang had as yet opened her lips to speak, old goody Liu left the table, and waving her hand: "Don't," she said, "make fun of people in this way, for I'll go home."

"This will never do!" One and all smilingly protested.

Yuan Yang shouted to the young waiting-maids to drag her back to her table; and the maids, while also indulging in laughter, actually pulled her and compelled her to rejoin the banquet.

"Spare me!" old goody Liu kept on crying, "spare me!"

"Any one who says one word more," Yuan Yang exclaimed, "will be fined a whole decanter full."

Old goody Liu then at length observed silence.

"I'll now give out the set of dominoes." Yuan Yang proceeded. "I'll begin from our venerable mistress and follow down in proper order until I come to old goody Liu, when I shall stop. So as to ill.u.s.trate what I meant just now by giving out a set, I'll take these three dominoes and place them apart; you have to begin by saying something on the first, next, to allude to the second, and, after finishing with all three, to take the name of the whole set and match it with a line, no matter whether it be from some stanza or roundelay, song or idyl, set phrases or proverbs. But they must rhyme. And any one making a mistake will be mulcted in one cup."

"This rule is splendid; begin at once!" they all exclaimed.

"I've got a set," Yuan Yang pursued; "on the left, is the piece 'heaven,' (twelve dots)."

"Above head stretches the blue heaven,"

dowager lady Chia said.

"Good!" shouted every one.

"In the centre is a five and six," Yuan Yang resumed.

The fragrance of the plum blossom pierces the bones on the bridge "Six,"

old lady Chia added.

"There now remains," Yuan Yang explained, "one piece, the six and one."

"From among the fleecy clouds issues the wheel-like russet sun."

dowager lady Chia continued.

"The whole combined," Yuan Yang observed "forms 'the devil with dishevelled hair.'"

"This devil clasps the leg of the 'Chung Pa' devil,"

old lady Chia observed.

At the conclusion of her recitation, they all burst out laughing.

"Capital!" they shouted. Old lady Chia drained a cup. Yuan Yang then went on to remark, "I've got another set; the one on the left is a double five."

"Bud after bud of the plum bloom dances in the wind,"

Mrs. Hsueh replied.

"The one on the right is a ten spot," Yuan Yang pursued.

"In the tenth moon the plum bloom on the hills emits its fragrant smell,"

Mrs. Hsueh added.

"The middle piece is the two and five, making the 'unlike seven;'" Yuan Yang observed.

"The 'spinning damsel' star meets the 'cow-herd' on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh moon,"

Miss Hsueh said.

"Together they form: 'Erh Lang strolls on the five mounds;'" Yuan Yang continued.

"Mortals cannot be happy as immortals,"

Mrs. Hsueh rejoined.

Her answers over, the whole company extolled them and had a drink. "I've got another set!" Yuan Yang once more exclaimed. "On the left, are distinctly the distant dots of the double ace."

"Both sun and moon are so suspended as to shine on heaven and earth,"

Hsiang-yun ventured.

"On the right, are a couple of spots, far apart, which clearly form a one and one." Yuan Yang pursued.

"What time a lonesome flower falls to the ground, no sound is audible,"

Hsiang-yun rejoined.

"In the middle, there is the one and four," Yuan Yang added.

"The red apricot tree is planted by the sun, and leans against the clouds;"

Hsiang-yun answered.

"Together they form the 'cherry fruit ripens for the ninth time,'" Yuan Yang said.

"In the imperial garden it is pecked by birds."