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But to resume our story. When Shih Hsiang-yuen ran out of the room, she was all in a flutter lest Lin Tai-yue should catch her up; but Pao-yue, who came after her, readily shouted out, "You'll trip and fall. How ever could she come up to you?"
But Hsiang-yuen was likewise laid up in the Heng Wu Yuean, as she too was affected by the weather, and day after day she saw numberless doctors and took endless medicines. T'an Ch'un and Li Wan lived apart, but as they had of late assumed joint management of affairs, it was, unlike former years, extremely inconvenient even for the servants to go backwards and forwards to make their reports.
So producing also the verses, composed the previous day, they submitted them to her for criticism. In the evening, Hsiang-yuen came at the invitation of Pao-ch'ai, to the Heng Wu Yuean to put up with her for the night.
"This is getting stranger and stranger!" said Shih Hsiang-yuen. "It wasn't worth the while for Miss Lin to lose her temper about it. But as she plies the scissors so admirably, why, you might as well tell her to finish the shoes for you." "She couldn't," replied Hsi Jen, "for besides other things our venerable lady is still in fear and trembling lest she should tire herself in any way.
Her bearing resembled that of a crane, her figure that of a mantis. "Her weak point," they laughed unanimously, "is to get herself up to look like a young masher. But she does, there's no denying, cut a much handsomer figure like this, than when she's dressed up like a girl!" "Lose no time," Hsiang-yuen smiled, "in deliberating about writing verses, for I'd like to hear who is to stand treat."
When he had done, he perceived that Hsiang-yuen had already finished combing her hair, and speedily coming up to her, he put on a smile, and said: "My dear cousin, comb my hair for me!" "This can't be done!" Hsiang-yuen objected. "My dear cousin," Pao-yue continued smirkingly, "how is it that you combed it for me in former times?" "I've forgotten now how to comb it!" Hsiang-yuen replied.
While he was hesitating whether to do so or not, Hsiang-yuen, from behind, stretched forth her arm and gave him a smack, which sent the cosmetic flying from his hand, as she cried out: "You good-for-nothing! when will you mend those weaknesses of yours!"
They had by this time assigned quarters to all the new comers, when, who would have thought it, Shih Ting, Marquis of Chung Ching, was once again appointed to a high office in another province, and he had shortly to take his family and proceed to his post. But so little could old lady Chia brook the separation from Hsiang-yuen that she kept her behind and received her in her own home.
"The rhymes haven't, I admit, been exhausted, but any outside words you might introduce, will, if used in a forced sense, be worth nothing at all." While continuing their arguments, the various inmates drew near and kept up a searching criticism for a time. Hsiang-yuen was found to be the one among them, who had devised the largest number of lines.
"How is it," Hsiang-yuen inquired, "that when the K'uang people saw Confucius, they fancied it was Yang Huo?" "Confucius and Yang Huo," Pao-yue smilingly argued, "may have been alike in looks, but they hadn't the same names. Lin and Ssu were again, notwithstanding their identical names, nothing like each other in appearances.
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