"Have I got all that leisure," retorted nurse Li, "to trudge along with him? I'll simply tell him to come; and later on I can despatch a young servant-girl or some old woman to bring him in, and have done."

Saying this, she continued her way, leaning on her staff.

After listening to her rejoinder, Hsiao Hung stood still; and plunging in abstraction, she did not go and fetch the pencil. But presently, she caught sight of a servant-girl running that way. Espying Hsiao Hung lingering in that spot, "Sister Hung," she cried, "what are you doing in here?"

Hsiao Hung raised her head, and recognised a young waiting-maid called Chui Erh. "Where are you off too?" Hsiao Hung asked.

"I've been told to bring in master Secundus, Mr. Yun," Chui Erh replied.

After which answer, she there and then departed with all speed.

Hsiao Hung reached, meanwhile, the Feng Yao bridge. As soon as she approached the gateway, she perceived Chui Erh coming along with Chia Yun from the opposite direction. While advancing Chia Yun ogled Hsiao Hung; and Hsiao Hung too, though pretending to be addressing herself to Chui Erh, cast a glance at Chia Yun; and their four eyes, as luck would have it, met. Hsiao Hung involuntarily blushed all over; and turning herself round, she walked off towards the Heng Wu court. But we will leave her there without further remarks.

During this time, Chia Yun followed Chui Erh, by a circuitous way, into the I Hung court. Chui Erh entered first and made the necessary announcement. Then subsequently she ushered in Chia Yun. When Chia Yun scrutinised the surroundings, he perceived, here and there in the court, several blocks of rockery, among which were planted banana-trees. On the opposite side were two storks preening their feathers under the fir trees. Under the covered pa.s.sage were suspended, in a row, cages of every description, containing all sorts of fairylike, rare birds. In the upper part were five diminutive anterooms, uniformly carved with, unique designs; and above the framework of the door was hung a tablet with the inscription in four huge characters--"I Hung K'uai Lu, the happy red and joyful green."

"I thought it strange," Chia Yun argued mentally, "that it should be called the I Hung court; but are these, in fact, the four characters inscribed on the tablet!"

But while he was communing within himself, he heard some one laugh and then exclaim from the inner side of the gauze window: "Come in at once!

How is it that I've forgotten you these two or three months?"

As soon as Chia Yun recognised Pao-yu's voice, he entered the room with hurried step. On raising his head, his eye was attracted by the brilliant splendour emitted by gold and jade and by the dazzling l.u.s.tre of the elegant arrangements. He failed, however, to detect where Pao-yu was ensconced. The moment he turned his head round, he espied, on the left side, a large cheval-gla.s.s; behind which appeared to view, standing side by side, two servant-girls of fifteen or sixteen years of age.

"Master Secundus," they ventured, "please take a seat in the inner room."

Chia Yun could not even muster courage to look at them straight in the face; but promptly a.s.senting, he walked into a green gauze mosquito-house, where he saw a small lacquered bed, hung with curtains of a deep red colour, with cl.u.s.ters of flowers embroidered in gold.

Pao-yu, wearing a house-dress and slipshod shoes, was reclining on the bed, a book in hand. The moment he perceived Chia Yun walk in, he discarded his book, and forthwith smiled and raised himself up. Chia Yun hurriedly pressed forward and paid his salutation. Pao-yu then offered him a seat; but he simply chose a chair in the lower part of the apartment.

"Ever since the moon in which I came across you," Pao-yu observed smilingly, "and told you to come into the library, I've had, who would have thought it, endless things to continuously attend to, so that I forgot all about you."

"It's I, indeed, who lacked good fortune!" rejoined Chia Yun, with a laugh; "particularly so, as it again happened that you, uncle, fell ill.

But are you quite right once more?"

"All right!" answered Pao-yu. "I heard that you've been put to much trouble and inconvenience on a good number of days!"

"Had I even had any trouble to bear," added Chia Yun, "it would have been my duty to bear it. But your complete recovery, uncle, is really a blessing to our whole family."

As he spoke, he discerned a couple of servant-maids come to help him to a cup of tea. But while conversing with Pao-yu, Chia Yun was intent upon scrutinising the girl with slim figure, and oval face, and clad in a silvery-red jacket, a blue satin waistcoat and a white silk petticoat with narrow pleats.

At the time of Pao-yu's illness, Chia Yun had spent a couple of days in the inner apartments, so that he remembered half of the inmates of note, and the moment he set eyes upon this servant-girl he knew that it was Hsi Jen; and that she was in Pao-yu's rooms on a different standing to the rest. Now therefore that she brought the tea in herself and that Pao-yu was, besides, sitting by, he rose to his feet with alacrity and put on a smile. "Sister," he said, "how is it that you are pouring tea for me? I came here to pay uncle a visit; what's more I'm no stranger, so let me pour it with my own hands!"

"Just you sit down and finish!" Pao-yu interposed; "will you also behave in this fashion with servant-girls?"

"In spite of what you say;" remarked Chia Yun smiling, "they are young ladies attached to your rooms, uncle, and how could I presume to be disorderly in my conduct?"

So saying, he took a seat and drank his tea. Pao-yu then talked to him about trivial and irrelevant matters; and afterwards went on to tell him in whose household the actresses were best, and whose gardens were pretty. He further mentioned to him in whose quarters the servant-girls were handsome, whose banquets were sumptuous, as well as in whose home were to be found strange things, and what family possessed remarkable objects. Chia Yun was constrained to humour him in his conversation; but after a chat, which lasted for some time, he noticed that Pao-yu was somewhat listless, and he promptly stood up and took his leave. And Pao-yu too did not use much pressure to detain him. "To-morrow, if you have nothing to do, do come over!" he merely observed; after which, he again bade the young waiting-maid, Chui Erh, see him out.

Having left the I Hung court, Chia Yun cast a glance all round; and, realising that there was no one about, he slackened his pace at once, and while proceeding leisurely, he conversed, in a friendly way, with Chui Erh on one thing and another. First and foremost he inquired of her what was her age; and her name. "Of what standing are your father and mother?" he said, "How many years have you been in uncle Pao's apartments? How much money do you get a month? In all how many girls are there in uncle Pao's rooms?"

As Chui Erh heard the questions set to her, she readily made suitable reply to each.

"The one, who was a while back talking to you," continued Chia Yun, "is called Hsiao Hung, isn't she?"

"Yes, her name is Hsiao Hung!" replied Chui Erh smiling; "but why do you ask about her?"

"She inquired of you just now about some handkerchief or other,"

answered Chia Yun; "well, I've picked one up."

Chui Erh greeted this response with a smile. "Many are the times," she said; "that she has asked me whether I had seen her handkerchief; but have I got all that leisure to worry my mind about such things? She spoke to me about it again to-day; and she suggested that I should find it for her, and that she would also recompense me. This she told me when we were just now at the entrance of the Heng Wu court, and you too, Mr.

Secundus, overheard her, so that I'm not lying. But, dear Mr. Secundus, since you've picked it up, give it to me. Do! And I'll see what she will give me as a reward."

The truth is that Chia Yun had, the previous moon when he had come into the garden to attend to the planting of trees, picked up a handkerchief, which he conjectured must have been dropped by some inmate of those grounds; but as he was not aware whose it was, he did not consequently presume to act with indiscretion. But on this occasion, he overheard Hsiao Hung make inquiries of Chui Erh on the subject; and concluding that it must belong to her, he felt immeasurably delighted. Seeing, besides, how importunate Chui Erh was, he at once devised a plan within himself, and vehemently producing from his sleeve a handkerchief of his own, he observed, as he turned towards Chui Erh with a smile: "As for giving it to you, I'll do so; but in the event of your obtaining any present from her, you mustn't impose upon me."

Chui Erh a.s.sented to his proposal most profusely; and, taking the handkerchief, she saw Chia Yun out and then came back in search of Hsiao Hung. But we will leave her there for the present.

We will now return to Pao-yu. After dismissing Chia Yun, he lay in such complete listlessness on the bed that he betrayed every sign of being half asleep. Hsi Jen walked up to him, and seated herself on the edge of the bed, and pushing him, "What are you about to go to sleep again," she said. "Would it not do your languid spirits good if you went out for a bit of a stroll?"

Upon hearing her voice, Pao-yu grasped her hand in his. "I would like to go out," he smiled, "but I can't reconcile myself to the separation from you!"

"Get up at once!" laughed Hsi Jen. And as she uttered these words, she pulled Pao-yu up.

"Where can I go?" exclaimed Pao-yu. "I'm quite surfeited with everything."

"Once out you'll be all right," Hsi Jen answered, "but if you simply give way to this languor, you'll be more than ever sick of everything at heart."

Pao-yu could not do otherwise, dull and out of sorts though he was, than accede to her importunities. Strolling leisurely out of the door of the room, he amused himself a little with the birds suspended under the verandah; then he wended his steps outside the court, and followed the course of the Hsin Fang stream; but after admiring the golden fish for a time, he espied, on the opposite hillock, two young deer come rushing down as swift as an arrow. What they were up to Pao-yu could not discern; but while abandoning himself to melancholy, he caught sight of Chia Lan, following behind, with a small bow in his hand, and hurrying down hill in pursuit of them.

As soon as he realised that Pao-yu stood ahead of him, he speedily halted. "Uncle Secundus," he smiled, "are you at home? I imagined you had gone out of doors!"

"You are up to mischief again, eh?" Pao-yu rejoined. "They've done nothing to you, and why shoot at them with your arrows?"

"I had no studies to attend to just now, so, being free with nothing to do," Chia Lan replied laughingly, "I was practising riding and archery."

"Shut up!" exclaimed Pao-yu. "When are you not engaged in practising?"

Saying this, he continued his way and straightway reached the entrance of a court. Here the bamboo foliage was thick, and the breeze sighed gently. This was the Hsiao Hsiang lodge. Pao-yu listlessly rambled in.

He saw a bamboo portiere hanging down to the ground. Stillness prevailed. Not a human voice fell on the ear. He advanced as far as the window. Noticing that a whiff of subtle scent stole softly through the green gauze cas.e.m.e.nt, Pao-yu applied his face closely against the frame to peep in, but suddenly he caught the faint sound of a deep sigh and the words: "Day after day my feelings slumber drowsily!" Upon overhearing this exclamation, Pao-yu unconsciously began to feel a prey to inward longings; but casting a second glance, he saw Tai-yu stretching herself on the bed.

"Why is it," smiled Pao-yu, from outside the window, "that your feelings day after day slumber drowsily?" So saying, he raised the portiere and stepped in.

The consciousness that she had not been reticent about her feelings made Tai-yu unwittingly flush scarlet. Taking hold of her sleeve, she screened her face; and, turning her body round towards the inside, she pretended to be fast asleep. Pao-yu drew near her. He was about to pull her round when he saw Tai-yu's nurse enter the apartment, followed by two matrons.

"Is Miss asleep?" they said. "If so, we'll ask her over, when she wakes up."

As these words were being spoken, Tai-yu eagerly twisted herself round and sat up. "Who's asleep?" she laughed.

"We thought you were fast asleep, Miss," smiled the two or three matrons as soon as they perceived Tai-yu get up. This greeting over, they called Tzu Chuan. "Your young mistress," they said, "has awoke; come in and wait on her!"

While calling her, they quitted the room in a body. Tai-yu remained seated on the bed. Raising her arms, she adjusted her hair, and smilingly she observed to Pao-yu, "When people are asleep, what do you walk in for?"

At the sight of her half-closed starlike eyes and of her fragrant cheeks, suffused with a crimson blush, Pao-yu's feelings were of a sudden awakened; so, bending his body, he took a seat on a chair, and asked with a smile: "What were you saying a short while back?"