CHAPTER XXXIII.
A brother is prompted by ill-feeling to wag his tongue a bit. A depraved son receives heavy blows with a rattan cane.
Madame Wang, for we shall now continue our story, sent for ChinCh'uan-erh's mother. On her arrival, she gave her several hair-pins andrings, and then told her that she could invite several Buddhist priestsas well to read the prayers necessary to release the spirit frompurgatory. The mother prostrated herself and expressed her gratitude;after which, she took her leave.
Indeed, Pao-yue, on his return from entertaining Yue-ts'un, heard thetidings that Chin Ch'uan-erh had been instigated by a sense of shame totake her own life and he at once fell a prey to grief. So much so, that,when he came inside, and was again spoken to and admonished by MadameWang, he could not utter a single word in his justification. But as soonas he perceived Pao-ch'ai make her appearance in the room, he seized theopportunity to scamper out in precipitate haste. Whither he wastrudging, he himself had not the least idea. But throwing his handsbehind his back and drooping his head against his chest, he gave way tosighs, while with slow and listless step he turned towards the hall.Scarcely, however, had he rounded the screen-wall, which stood in frontof the door-way, when, by a strange coincidence, he ran straight intothe arms of some one, who was unawares approaching from the oppositedirection, and was just about to go towards the inner portion of thecompound.
"Hallo!" that person was heard to cry out, as he stood still.
Pao-yue sustained a dreadful start. Raising his face to see, hediscovered that it was no other than his father. At once, heunconsciously drew a long breath and adopted the only safe course ofdropping his arms against his body and standing on one side.
"Why are you," exclaimed Chia Cheng, "drooping your head in such amelancholy mood, and indulging in all these moans? When Yue-ts'un camejust now and he asked to see you, you only put in your appearance aftera long while. But though you did come, you were not in the leastdisposed to chat with anything like cheerfulness and animation; youbehaved, as you ever do, like a regular fool. I detected then in yourcountenance a certain expression of some hidden hankering and sadness;and now again here you are groaning and sighing! Does all you have notsuffice to please you? Are you still dissatisfied? You've no reason tobe like this, so why is it that you go on in this way?"
Pao-yue had ever, it is true, shown a glib tongue, but on the presentoccasion he was so deeply affected by Chin Ch'uan-erh's fate, and vexedat not being able to die that very instant and follow in her footstepsthat although he was now fully conscious that his father was speaking tohim he could not, in fact, lend him an ear, but simply stood in a timidand nervous mood. Chia Cheng noticed that he was in a state of tremblingand fear, not as ready with an answer as he usually was, and his sorryplight somewhat incensed him, much though he had not at first borne himany ill-feeling. But just as he was about to chide him, a messengerapproached and announced to him: "Some one has come from the mansion ofthe imperial Prince Chung Shun, and wishes to see you, Sir." At thisannouncement, surmises sprung up in Chia Cheng's mind. "Hitherto," hesecretly mused, "I've never had any dealings with the Chung Shunmansion, and why is it that some one is despatched here to-day?" As hegave way to these reflections. "Be quick," he shouted, "and ask him totake a seat in the pavilion," while he himself precipitately entered theinner room and changed his costume. When he came out to greet thevisitor, he discovered that it was the senior officer of the Chung Shunmansion. After the exchange of the salutations prescribed by the rites,they sat down and tea was presented. But before (Chia Cheng) had hadtime to start a topic of conversation, the senior officer anticipatedhim, and speedily observed: "Your humble servant does not pay this visitto-day to your worthy mansion on his own authority, but entirely incompliance with instructions received, as there is a favour that I haveto beg of you. I make bold to trouble you, esteemed Sir, on behalf ofhis highness, to take any steps you might deem suitable, and if you do,not only will his highness remember your kindness, but even I, yourhumble servant, and my colleagues will feel extremely grateful to you."
Chia Cheng listened to him, but he could not nevertheless get a clue ofwhat he was driving at. Promptly returning his smile, he rose to hisfeet. "You come, Sir," he inquired, "at the instance of his royalhighness, but what, I wonder, are the commands you have to give me? Ihope you will explain them to your humble servant, worthy Sir, in orderto enable him to carry them out effectively."
The senior officer gave a sardonic smile.
"There's nothing to carry out," he said. "All you, venerable Sir, haveto do is to utter one single word and the whole thing will be effected.There is in our mansion a certain Ch'i Kuan, who plays the part of youngladies. He hitherto stayed quietly in the mansion; but for the lastthree or five days or so no one has seen him return home. Search hasbeen instituted in every locality, yet his whereabouts cannot bediscovered. But throughout these various inquiries, eight out of the tentenths of the inhabitants of the city have, with one consent, assertedthat he has of late been on very friendly terms with that honourable sonof yours, who was born with the jade in his mouth. This report was toldyour servant and his colleagues, but as your worthy mansion is unlikesuch residences as we can take upon ourselves to enter and search withimpunity, we felt under the necessity of laying the matter before ourimperial master. 'Had it been any of the other actors,' his highnessalso says, 'I wouldn't have minded if even one hundred of them haddisappeared; but this Ch'i Kuan has always been so ready with patrepartee, so respectful and trustworthy that he has thoroughly won myaged heart, and I could never do without him.' He entreats you,therefore, worthy Sir, to, in your turn, plead with your illustriousscion, and request him to let Ch'i Kuan go back, in order that thefeelings, which prompt the Prince to make such earnest supplications,may, in the first place, be satisfied: and that, in the next, your meanservant and his associates may be spared the fatigue of toiling andsearching."
At the conclusion of this appeal, he promptly made a low bow. As soon asChia Cheng found out the object of his errand, he felt both astonishmentand displeasure. With all promptitude, he issued directions that Pao-yueshould be told to come out of the garden. Pao-yue had no notion whateverwhy he was wanted. So speedily he hurried to appear before his father.
"What a regular scoundrel you are!" Chia Cheng exclaimed. "It is enoughthat you won't read your books at home; but will you also go in for allthese lawless and wrongful acts? That Ch'i Kuan is a person whosepresent honourable duties are to act as an attendant on his highness thePrince of Chung Shun, and how extremely heedless of propriety must yoube to have enticed him, without good cause, to come away, and thus havenow brought calamity upon me?"
These reproaches plunged Pao-yue in a dreadful state of consternation.With alacrity he said by way of reply: "I really don't know anythingabout the matter! To what do, after all, the two words Ch'i Kuan refer,I wonder! Still less, besides, am I aware what entice can imply!"
As he spoke, he started crying.
But before Chia Cheng could open his month to pass any further remarks,"Young gentleman," he heard the senior officer interpose with a sardonicsmile: "you shouldn't conceal anything! if he be either hidden in yourhome, or if you know his whereabouts, divulge the truth at once; so thatless trouble should fall to our lot than otherwise would. And will wenot then bear in mind your virtue, worthy scion!"
"I positively don't know." Pao-yue time after time maintained. "Theremust, I fear, be some false rumour abroad; for I haven't so much as seenanything of him."
The senior officer gave two loud smiles, full of derision. "There'sevidence at hand," he rejoined, "so if you compel me to speak out beforeyour venerable father, won't you, young man, have to suffer theconsequences? But as you assert that you don't know who this person is,how is it that that red sash has come to be attached to your waist?"
When Pao-yue caught this allusion, he suddenly felt quite out of hissenses. He stared and gaped; while within himself, he argued: "How hashe come to hear anything about t
his! But since he knows all these secretparticulars, I cannot, I expect, put him off in other points; sowouldn't it be better for me to pack him off, in order to obviate hisblubbering anything more?" "Sir," he consequently remarked aloud, "howis it that despite your acquaintance with all these minute details, youhave no inkling of his having purchased a house? Are you ignorant of anessential point like this? I've heard people say that he's, at present,staying in the eastern suburbs at a distance of twenty li from the citywalls; at some place or other called Tzu T'an Pao, and that he hasbought there several acres of land and a few houses. So I presume he'sto be found in that locality; but of course there's no saying."
"According to your version," smiled the senior officer, as soon as heheard his explanation, "he must for a certainty be there. I shalltherefore go and look for him. If he's there, well and good; but if not,I shall come again and request you to give me further directions."
These words were still on his lips, when he took his leave and walkedoff with hurried step.
Chia Cheng was by this time stirred up to such a pitch of indignationthat his eyes stared aghast, and his mouth opened in bewilderment; andas he escorted the officer out, he turned his head and bade Pao-yue notbudge. "I have," (he said), "to ask you something on my return."Straightway he then went to see the officer off. But just as he wasturning back, he casually came across Chia Huan and several servant-boysrunning wildly about in a body. "Quick, bring him here to me!" shoutedChia Cheng to the young boys. "I want to beat him."
Chia Huan, at the sight of his father, was so terrified that his bonesmollified and his tendons grew weak, and, promptly lowering his head, hestood still."
"What are you running about for?" Chia Cheng asked. "These menials ofyours do not mind you, but go who knows where, and let you roam aboutlike a wild horse! Where are the attendants who wait on you at school?"he cried.
When Chia Huan saw his father in such a dreadful rage, he availedhimself of the first opportunity to try and clear himself. "I wasn'trunning about just now" he said. "But as I was passing by the side ofthat well, I caught sight, for in that well a servant-girl was drowned,of a human head that large, a body that swollen, floating about inreally a frightful way and I therefore hastily rushed past."
Chia Cheng was thunderstruck by this disclosure. "There's been nothingup, so who has gone and jumped into the well?" he inquired. "Never hasthere been anything of the kind in my house before! Ever since the timeof our ancestors, servants have invariably been treated with clemencyand consideration. But I expect that I must of late have become remissin my domestic affairs, and that the managers must have arrogated tothemselves the right of domineering and so been the cause of bringingabout such calamities as violent deaths and disregard of life. Werethese things to reach the ears of people outside, what will become ofthe reputation of our seniors? Call Chia Lien and Lai Ta here!" heshouted.
The servant-lads signified their obedience, with one voice. They wereabout to go and summon them, when Chia Huan hastened to press forward.Grasping the lapel of Chia Cheng's coat, and clinging to his knees, heknelt down. "Father, why need you be angry?" he said. "Excluding thepeople in Madame Wang's rooms, this occurrence is entirely unknown toany of the rest; and I have heard my mother mention...." At this point,he turned his head, and cast a glance in all four quarters.
Chia Cheng guessed his meaning, and made a sign with his eyes. The youngboys grasped his purpose and drew far back on either side.
Chia Huan resumed his confidences in a low tone of voice. "My mother,"he resumed, "told me that when brother Pao-yue was, the other day, inMadame Wang's apartments, he seized her servant-maid Chin Ch'uan-erhwith the intent of dishonouring her. That as he failed to carry out hisdesign, he gave her a thrashing, which so exasperated Chin Ch'uan-erhthat she threw herself into the well and committed suicide...."
Before however he could conclude his account, Chia Cheng had beenincensed to such a degree that his face assumed the colour of silverpaper. "Bring Pao-yue here," he cried. While uttering these orders, hewalked into the study. "If any one does again to-day come to dissuademe," he vociferated, "I shall take this official hat, and sash, my homeand private property and surrender everything at once to him to go andbestow them upon Pao-yue; for if I cannot escape blame (with a son likethe one I have), I mean to shave this scanty trouble-laden hair about mytemples and go in search of some unsullied place where I can spend therest of my days alone! I shall thus also avoid the crime of heaping,above, insult upon my predecessors, and, below, of having given birth tosuch a rebellious son."
At the sight of Chia Cheng in this exasperation, the family companionsand attendants speedily realised that Pao-yue must once more be the causeof it, and the whole posse hastened to withdraw from the study, bitingtheir fingers and putting their tongues out.
Chia Cheng panted with excitement. He stretched his chest out and satbolt upright on a chair. His whole face was covered with the traces oftears. "Bring Pao-yue! Bring Pao-yue!" he shouted consecutively. "Fetch abig stick; bring a rope and tie him up; close all the doors! If any onedoes communicate anything about it in the inner rooms, why, I'llimmediately beat him to death."
The servant-boys felt compelled to express their obedience with oneconsent, and some of them came to look after Pao-yue.
As for Pao-yue, when he heard Chia Cheng enjoin him not to move, heforthwith became aware that the chances of an unpropitious issueoutnumbered those of a propitious one, but how could he have had anyidea that Chia Huan as well had put in his word? There he still stood inthe pavilion, revolving in his mind how he could get some one to speedinside and deliver a message for him. But, as it happened, not a soulappeared. He was quite at a loss to know where even Pei Ming could be.His longing was at its height, when he perceived an old nurse come onthe scene. The sight of her exulted Pao-yue, just as much as if he hadobtained pearls or gems; and hurriedly approaching her, he dragged herand forced her to halt. "Go in," he urged, "at once and tell them thatmy father wishes to beat me to death. Be quick, be quick, for it'surgent, there's no time to be lost."
But, first and foremost, Pao-yue's excitement was so intense that hespoke with indistinctness. In the second place, the old nurse was, asluck would have it, dull of hearing, so that she did not catch the driftof what he said, and she misconstrued the two words: "it's urgent," forthe two representing jumped into the well. Readily smiling therefore:"If she wants to jump into the well, let her do so," she said. "What'sthere to make you fear, Master Secundus?"
"Go out," pursued Pao-yue, in despair, on discovering that she was deaf,"and tell my page to come."
"What's there left unsettled?" rejoined the old nurse. "Everything hasbeen finished long ago! A tip has also been given them; so how is itthings are not settled?"
Pao-yue fidgetted with his hands and feet. He was just at his wits' ends,when he espied Chia Cheng's servant-boys come up and press him to goout.
As soon as Chia Cheng caught sight of him, his eyes got quite red.Without even allowing himself any time to question him about his gaddingabout with actors, and the presents he gave them on the sly, during hisabsence from home; or about his playing the truant from school andlewdly importuning his mother's maid, during his stay at home, he simplyshouted: "Gag his mouth and positively beat him till he dies!"
The servant-boys did not have the boldness to disobey him. They wereunder the necessity of seizing Pao-yue, of stretching him on a bench, andof taking a heavy rattan and giving him about ten blows.
Pao-yue knew well enough that he could not plead for mercy, and all hecould do was to whimper and cry.
Chia Cheng however found fault with the light blows they administered tohim. With one kick he shoved the castigator aside, and snatching therattan into his own hands, he spitefully let (Pao-yue) have ten blows andmore.
Pao-yue had not, from his very birth, experienced such anguish. From theoutset, he found the pain unbearable; yet he could shout and weep asboisterously as ever he pleased; but so weak subsequently did hisbreath, li
ttle by little, become, so hoarse his voice, and so choked histhroat that he could not bring out any sound.
The family companions noticed that he was beaten in a way that mightlead to an unpropitious end, and they drew near with all despatch andmade earnest entreaties and exhortations. But would Chia Cheng listen tothem?
"You people," he answered, "had better ask him whether the tricks he hasbeen up to deserve to be overlooked or not! It's you who have all alongso thoroughly spoilt him as to make him reach this degree of depravity!And do you yet come to advise me to spare him? When by and bye you'veincited him to commit parricide or regicide, you will at length, then,give up trying to dissuade me, eh?"
This language jarred on the ears of the whole party; and knowing onlytoo well that he was in an exasperated mood, they fussed aboutendeavouring to find some one to go in and convey the news.
But Madame Wang did not presume to be the first to inform dowager ladyChia about it. Seeing no other course open to her, she hastily dressedherself and issued out of the garden. Without so much as worrying hermind as to whether there were any male inmates about or not, shestraightway leant on a waiting-maid and hurriedly betook herself intothe library, to the intense consternation of the companions, pages andall the men present, who could not manage to clear out of the way intime.
Chia Cheng was on the point of further belabouring his son, when at thesight of Madame Wang walking in, his temper flared up with suchincreased violence, just as fire on which oil is poured, that the rodfell with greater spite and celerity. The two servant-boys, who heldPao-yue down, precipitately loosened their grip and beat a retreat.Pao-yue had long ago lost all power of movement. Chia Cheng, however, wasagain preparing to assail him, when the rattan was immediately lockedtightly by Madame Wang, in both her arms.
"Of course, of course," Chia Cheng exclaimed, "what you want to doto-day is to make me succumb to anger!"
"Pao-yue does, I admit, merit to be beaten," sobbed Madame Wang; "but youshould also, my lord, take good care of yourself! The weather, besides,is extremely hot, and our old lady is not feeling quite up to the mark.Were you to knock Pao-yue about and kill him, it would not matter much;but were perchance our venerable senior to suddenly fall ill, wouldn'tit be a grave thing?"
"Better not talk about such things!" observed Chia Cheng with a listlesssmile. "By my bringing up such a degenerate child of retribution I havemyself become unfilial! Whenever I've had to call him to account, therehas always been a whole crowd of you to screen him; so isn't it as wellfor me to avail myself of to-day to put an end to his cur-like existenceand thus prevent future misfortune?"
As he spoke, he asked for a rope to strangle him; but Madame Wang lostno time in clasping him in her embrace, and reasoning with him as shewept. "My lord and master," she said, "it is your duty, of course, tokeep your son in proper order, but you should also regard therelationship of husband and wife. I'm already a woman of fifty and I'veonly got this scapegrace. Was there any need for you to give him such abitter lesson? I wouldn't presume to use any strong dissuasion; buthaving, on this occasion, gone so far as to harbour the design ofkilling him, isn't this a fixed purpose on your part to cut short my ownexistence? But as you are bent upon strangling him, be quick and firststrangle me before you strangle him! It will be as well that we, motherand son, should die together, so that if even we go to hell, we may beable to rely upon each other!"
At the conclusion of these words, she enfolded Pao-yue in her embrace andraised her voice in loud sobs.
After listening to her appeal, Chia Cheng could not restrain a deepsigh; and taking a seat on one of the chairs, the tears ran down hischeeks like drops of rain.
But while Madame Wang held Pao-yue in her arms, she noticed that his facewas sallow and his breath faint, and that his green gauze nethergarments were all speckled with stains of blood, so she could not checkher fingers from unloosening his girdle. And realising that from thethighs to the buttocks, his person was here green, there purple, herewhole, there broken, and that there was, in fact, not the least bit,which had not sustained some injury, she of a sudden burst out in bitterlamentations for her offspring's wretched lot in life. But whilebemoaning her unfortunate son, she again recalled to mind the memory ofChia Chu, and vehemently calling out "Chia Chu," she sobbed: "if but youwere alive, I would not care if even one hundred died!"
But by this time, the inmates of the inner rooms discovered that MadameWang had gone out, and Li Kung-ts'ai, Wang Hsi-feng and Ting Ch'un andher sisters promptly rushed out of the garden and came to join her.
While Madame Wang mentioned, with eyes bathed in tears, the name of ChiaChu, every one listened with composure, with the exception of LiKung-ts'ai, who unable to curb her feelings also raised her voice insobs. As soon as Chia Cheng heard her plaints, his tears trickled downwith greater profusion, like pearls scattered about. But just as thereseemed no prospect of their being consoled, a servant-girl was unawaresheard to announce: "Our dowager lady has come!" Before this announcementwas ended, her tremulous accents reached their ears from outside thewindow. "If you were to beat me to death and then despatch him," shecried, "won't you be clear of us!"
Chia Cheng, upon seeing that his mother was coming, felt distressed andpained. With all promptitude, he went out to meet her. He perceived hisold parent, toddling along, leaning on the arm of a servant-girl,wagging her head and gasping for breath.
Chia Cheng drew forward and made a curtsey. "On a hot broiling day likethis," he ventured, forcing a smile, "what made you, mother, get soangry as to rush over in person? Had you anything to enjoin me, youcould have sent for me, your son, and given me your orders."
Old lady Chia, at these words, halted and panted. "Are you reallychiding me?" she at the same time said in a stern tone. "It's I whoshould call you to task! But as the son, I've brought up, isn't worth astraw, to whom can I go and address a word?"
When Chia Cheng heard language so unlike that generally used by her, heimmediately fell on his knees. While doing all in his power to containhis tears: "The reason why," he explained, "your son corrects hisoffspring is a desire to reflect lustre on his ancestors and splendouron his seniors; so how can I, your son, deserve the rebuke with whichyou greet me, mother?"
At this reply, old lady Chia spurted contemptuously. "I made just oneremark," she added, "and you couldn't stand it, and can Pao-yue likelyput up with that death-working cane? You say that your object incorrecting your son is to reflect lustre on your ancestors and splendouron your seniors, but in what manner did your father correct you in daysgone by?"
Saying this, tears suddenly rolled down from her eyes also.
Chia Cheng forced another smile. "Mother;" he proceeded, "you shouldn'tdistress yourself! Your son did it in a sudden fit of rage, but fromthis time forth I won't touch him again."
Dowager lady Chia smiled several loud sneering smiles. "But youshouldn't get into a huff with me!" she urged. "He's your son, so if youchoose to flog him, you can naturally do so, but I cannot help thinkingthat you're sick and tired of me, your mother, of your wife and of yourson, so wouldn't it be as well that we should get out of your way, thesooner the better, as we shall then be able to enjoy peace and quiet?"
So speaking, "Go and look after the chairs." she speedily cried to aservant. "I and your lady as well as Pao-yue will, without delay, returnto Nanking."
The servant had no help but to assent.
Old lady Chia thereupon called Madame Wang over to her. "You needn'tindulge in sorrow!" she exhorted her. "Pao-yue is now young, and youcherish him fondly; but does it follow that when in years to come hebecomes an official, he'll remember that you are his mother? You mustn'ttherefore at present lavish too much of your affection upon him, so thatyou may by and bye, spare yourself, at least, some displeasure."
When these exhortations fell on Chia Cheng's ear, he instantlyprostrated himself before her. "Your remarks mother," he observed, "cutthe ground under your son's very feet."
"You distinctly act in a way," cynica
lly smiled old lady Chia,"sufficient to deprive me of any ground to stand upon, and then you, onthe contrary, go and speak about yourself! But when we shall have goneback, your mind will be free of all trouble. We'll see then who'llinterfere and dissuade you from beating people!"
After this reply, she went on to give orders to directly get ready thebaggage, carriages, chairs and horses necessary for their return.
Chia Cheng stiffly and rigidly fell on his knees, and knocked his headbefore her, and pleaded guilty. Dowager lady Chia then addressed himsome words, and as she did so, she came to have a look at Pao-yue. Uponperceiving that the thrashing he had got this time was unlike those ofpast occasions, she experienced both pain and resentment. So claspinghim in her arms, she wept and wept incessantly. It was only after MadameWang, lady Feng and the other ladies had reasoned with her for a timethat they at length gradually succeeded in consoling her.
But waiting-maids, married women, and other attendants soon came tosupport Pao-yue and take him away. Lady Feng however at once expostulatedwith them. "You stupid things," she exclaimed, won't you open your eyesand see! How ever could he be raised and made to walk in the state he'sin! Don't you yet instantly run inside and fetch some rattan slings anda bench to carry him out of this on?
At this suggestion, the servants rushed hurry-scurry inside and actuallybrought a bench; and, lifting Pao-yue, they placed him on it. Thenfollowing dowager lady Chia, Madame Wang and the other inmates into theinner part of the building, they carried him into his grandmother'sapartments. But Chia Cheng did not fail to notice that his old mother'spassion had not by this time yet abated, so without presuming to consulthis own convenience, he too came inside after them. Here he discoveredhow heavily he had in reality castigated Pao-yue. Upon perceiving MadameWang also crying, with one breath, "My flesh;" and, with another, sayingwith tears: "My son, if you had died sooner, instead of Chu Erh, andleft Chu Erh behind you, you would have saved your father these fits ofanger, and even I would not have had to fruitlessly worry and fret forhalf of my existence! Were anything to happen now to make you forsakeme, upon whom will you have me depend?" And then after heapingreproaches upon herself for a time, break out afresh in lamentations forher, unavailing offspring, Chia Cheng was much cut up and felt consciousthat he should not with his own hand have struck his son so ruthlesslyas to bring him to this state, and he first and foremost directed hisattention to consoling dowager lady Chia.
"If your son isn't good," rejoined the old lady, repressing her tears,"it is naturally for you to exercise control over him. But you shouldn'tbeat him to such a pitch! Don't you yet bundle yourself away? What areyou dallying in here for? Is it likely, pray, that your heart is not yetsatisfied, and that you wish to feast your eyes by seeing him die beforeyou go?"
These taunts induced Chia Cheng to eventually withdraw out of the room.By this time, Mrs. Hsueeh together with Pao-ch'ai, Hsiang Ling, Hsi Jen,Shih Hsiang-yuen and his other cousins had also congregated in theapartments. Hsi Jen's heart was overflowing with grief; but she couldnot very well give expression to it. When she saw that a whole companyof people shut him in, some pouring water over him, others fanning him;and that she herself could not lend a hand in any way, she availedherself of a favourable moment to make her exit. Proceeding then as faras the second gate, she bade the servant-boys go and fetch Pei-Ming. Onhis arrival, she submitted him to a searching inquiry. "Why is it," sheasked, "that he was beaten just now without the least provocation; andthat you didn't run over soon to tell me a word about it?"
"It happened," answered Pei Ming in great perplexity, "that I wasn'tpresent. It was only after he had given him half the flogging that Iheard what was going on, and lost no time in ascertaining what it wasall about. It's on account of those affairs connected with Ch'i Kuan andthat girl Chin Ch'uan."
"How did these things come to master's knowledge?" inquired Hsi Jen.
"As for that affair with Ch'i Kuan," continued Pei Ming, "it is verylikely Mr. Hsueeh P'an who has let it out; for as he has ever beenjealous, he may, in the absence of any other way of quenching hisresentment, have instigated some one or other outside, who knows, tocome and see master and add fuel to his anger. As for Chin Ch'uan-erh'saffair it has presumably been told him by Master Tertius. This I heardfrom the lips of some person, who was in attendance upon master."
Hsi Jen saw how much his two versions tallied with the truecircumstances, so she readily credited the greater portion of what wastold her. Subsequently, she returned inside. Here she found a wholecrowd of people trying to do the best to benefit Pao-yue. But after theyhad completed every arrangement, dowager lady Chia impressed on theirminds that it would be better were they to carefully move him into hisown quarters. With one voice they all signified their approval, and witha good deal of bustling and fussing, they speedily transferred Pao-yueinto the I Hung court, where they stretched him out comfortably on hisown bed. Then after some further excitement, the members of the familybegan gradually to disperse. Hsi Jen at last entered his room, andwaited upon him with singleness of heart.
But, reader, if you feel any curiosity to hear what follows, listen towhat you will find divulged in the next chapter.