{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_43627/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_43627","id":"gutenberg_43627","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43627","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","China -- Social life and customs -- Fiction","Short stories, Chinese -- Translations into English"],"text":"STRANGE STORIES\n\nFROM A\n\nCHINESE STUDIO.\n\n\n\n\n STRANGE STORIES\n FROM A\n CHINESE STUDIO.\n\n TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED\n BY\n HERBERT A. GILES,\n _Of H.M.\u2019s Consular Service_.\n\n IN TWO VOLUMES.\n\n VOL. I.\n\n LONDON:\n THOS. DE LA RUE & CO.\n 110, BUNHILL ROW.\n\n 1880.\n\n\n\n\n PRINTED BY\n THOMAS DE LA RUE AND CO., BUNHILL ROW,\n LONDON.\n\n\n\n\n TO MY WIFE AND OUR CHILDREN:\n\n _BERTRAM_,\n\n _LIONEL_,\n\n _VALENTINE_,\n\n _LANCELOT_.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n INTRODUCTION Vol. I., pp. xiii-xxxii.\n\n\n STORIES.\n\n VOL. I. VOL. II.\n\n PAGE PAGE\n\n Adulteration Punished -- 332\n\n Alchemist, The -- 313\n\n Boat-girl Bride, The -- 149\n\n Boatmen of Lao-lung, The -- 348\n\n Boon Companion, The 165 --\n\n Bribery and Corruption -- 170\n\n Buddhist Priest of Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing, The 22 --\n\n Buddhist Priests, Arrival of -- 231\n\n Butterfly\u2019s Revenge, The -- 289\n\n Carrying a Corpse -- 181\n\n Cattle Plague, The -- 253\n\n Censor in Purgatory, The -- 238\n\n Chang Pu-liang -- 177\n\n Chang\u2019s Transformation 237 --\n\n Chou K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang and his Ghost -- 106\n\n Clay Image, The -- 276\n\n Cloth Merchant, The -- 127\n\n Collecting Subscriptions -- 220\n\n Considerate Husband, The 158 --\n\n Country of the Cave Men, The 397 --\n\n Courage Tested -- 116\n\n Cruelty Avenged -- 267\n\n Dead Priest, The -- 247\n\n Death by Laughing 352 --\n\n Disembodied Friend, The -- 119\n\n Dishonesty Punished -- 279\n\n Doctor, The -- 290\n\n Donkey\u2019s Revenge, The -- 64\n\n Dr. Ts\u00eang\u2019s Dream 387 --\n\n Dreaming Honours -- 327\n\n Dutch Carpet, The -- 179\n\n Dwarf, A 224 --\n\n Earthquake, An -- 263\n\n Elephants and the Lion, The -- 343\n\n Engaged to a Nun 262 --\n\n Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel 1 --\n\n Faithful Dog, The -- 261\n\n Faithful Gander, The -- 342\n\n Faithless Widow, The -- 39\n\n Feasting the Ruler of Purgatory -- 284\n\n F\u00eang-shui -- 322\n\n Fight with the Foxes, The 251 --\n\n Fighting Cricket, The -- 17\n\n Fighting Quails, The 66 --\n\n Fisherman and his Friend, The -- 197\n\n Flood, A 350 --\n\n Flower-nymphs, The 285 --\n\n Flying Cow, The -- 249\n\n Foot-ball on the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake 408 --\n\n Foreign Priests 343 --\n\n Fortune-hunter Punished, The -- 272\n\n Forty Strings of Cash, The -- 211\n\n Friendship with Foxes -- 300\n\n Gambler\u2019s Talisman, The 419 --\n\n Grateful Dog, The -- 308\n\n Great Rat, The -- 303\n\n Great Test, The -- 310\n\n Hidden Treasure, The -- 345\n\n His Father\u2019s Ghost -- 142\n\n Hsiang-ju\u2019s Misfortunes 225 --\n\n Husband Punished, The 422 --\n\n Incorrupt Official, The -- 358\n\n Infernal Regions, In the -- 95\n\n Ingratitude Punished -- 138\n\n Injustice of Heaven, The -- 111\n\n Invisible Priest, The -- 235\n\n Jen Hsiu, The Gambler 196 --\n\n Joining the Immortals 53 --\n\n Jonah, A Chinese -- 176\n\n Judge Lu 92 --\n\n Justice for Rebels -- 184\n\n Killing a Serpent -- 190\n\n King, The 257 --\n\n Life Prolonged -- 273\n\n Lingering Death, The -- 325\n\n Little Chu 143 --\n\n Lo-ch\u2018a Country and the Sea Market, The -- 1\n\n Lost Brother, The 203 --\n\n Mad Priest, The -- 282\n\n Magic Mirror, The -- 114\n\n Magic Path, The -- 36\n\n Magic Sword, The 124 --\n\n Magical Arts 47 --\n\n Magnanimous Girl, The 160 --\n\n Making Animals -- 265\n\n Man who was changed into a Crow, The 278 --\n\n Man who was thrown down a Well, The 365 --\n\n Marriage Lottery, The 428 --\n\n Marriage of the Fox\u2019s Daughter, The 26 --\n\n Marriage of the Virgin Goddess, The -- 257\n\n Master-thief, The 347 --\n\n Metempsychosis -- 207\n\n \u201cMirror and Listen\u201d Trick, The -- 251\n\n Miss Chiao-no 33 --\n\n Miss Lien-hsiang, The Fox-girl 168 --\n\n Miss Quarta Hu 152 --\n\n Miss Ying-ning; or, the Laughing Girl 106 --\n\n Mr. Tung; or, Virtue Rewarded -- 244\n\n Mr. Willow and the Locusts -- 242\n\n Mysterious Head, The -- 135\n\n Painted Skin, The 76 --\n\n Painted Wall, The 9 --\n\n Performing Mice, The 218 --\n\n Perseverance Rewarded 186 --\n\n Picture Horse, The -- 286\n\n Pious Surgeon, The -- 351\n\n Planchette -- 295\n\n Planting a Pear-tree 14 --\n\n Playing at Hanging 354 --\n\n Priest\u2019s Warning, The -- 205\n\n Princess Lily, The -- 56\n\n Princess of the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake -- 43\n\n Quarrelsome Brothers, The 313 --\n\n Raising the Dead -- 318\n\n Rat Wife, The 355 --\n\n Resuscitated Corpse, The -- 193\n\n Rip van Winkle, A Chinese -- 85\n\n Roc, The -- 340\n\n Salt Smuggler, The -- 215\n\n Saving Life -- 213\n\n Sea-serpent, The -- 113\n\n Self-punished Murderer, The 345 --\n\n She-wolf and the Herd-boys, The -- 330\n\n Shui-mang Plant, The 136 --\n\n Singing Frogs, The 217 --\n\n Singular case of Ophthalmia -- 102\n\n Singular Verdict -- 307\n\n Sisters, The 336 --\n\n Smelling Essays -- 139\n\n Snow in Summer -- 294\n\n Solomon, A Chinese -- 335\n\n Solomon, Another -- 355\n\n Spirit of the Hills, The -- 137\n\n Spirits of the Po-yang Lake, The -- 109\n\n Spiritualistic S\u00e9ances -- 131\n\n Stolen Eyes, The -- 233\n\n Strange Companion, A -- 130\n\n Stream of Cash, The -- 110\n\n Supernatural Wife, A -- 166\n\n Taking Revenge -- 25\n\n Talking Pupils, The 5 --\n\n Ta-nan in Search of his Father 296 --\n\n Taoist Devotee, A -- 183\n\n Taoist Miracles -- 226\n\n Taoist Priest, A 246 --\n\n Taoist Priest of Lao-shan, The 17 --\n\n Theft of the Peach -- 186\n\n Three Genii, The 214 --\n\n Three States of Existence, The -- 90\n\n Thunder God, The 413 --\n\n Tiger Guest, The 330 --\n\n Tiger of Chao-ch\u2018\u00eang, The 219 --\n\n Tipsy Turtle, The -- 28\n\n Trader\u2019s Son, The 85 --\n\n Two Brides, The -- 158\n\n Unjust Sentence, The -- 80\n\n Virtuous Daughter-in-law, The 374 --\n\n Wei-ch\u2018i Devil, The -- 268\n\n Wine Insect, The -- 259\n\n Wolf Dream, The -- 73\n\n Wolves -- 305\n\n Wonderful Stone, The 306 --\n\n Young Gentleman who couldn\u2019t spell, The 326 --\n\n Young Lady of the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake, The 271 --\n\n\n APPENDIX A -- 361\n\n \u201e B -- 389\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nI.--PERSONAL.--The public has, perhaps, a right to be made acquainted\nwith the title under which I, an unknown writer, come forward as the\ntranslator of a difficult Chinese work. In the spring of 1867 I began\nthe study of Chinese at H.B.M.\u2019s Legation, Peking, under an implied\npromise, in a despatch from the then Secretary of State for Foreign\nAffairs, that successful efforts would be rewarded by proportionately\nrapid advancement in the service of which I was a member. Then\nfollowed a long novitiate of utterly uninteresting and, indeed, most\nrepellent labour,--inseparable, however, from the acquisition of this\nlanguage, which throughout its early stages demands more from sheer\nmemory than from the exercise of any other intellectual faculty. At\nlength, in the spring of 1877, while acting as Vice-Consul at Canton,\nI commenced the translation of the work here offered to the English\nreader. For such a task I had flattered myself into the belief that I\npossessed two of the requisite qualifications: an accurate knowledge\nof the grammatical structure of the language, and an extensive insight\ninto the manners, customs, superstitions, and general social life of\nthe Chinese. I had been variously stationed at Peking, Tientsin,\nTakow, and Taiwan Fu (in Formosa), Ningpo, Hankow, Swatow, and Canton,\nfrom the latter of which I was transferred--when my task was still\nonly half finished--to Amoy. I had travelled beyond the Great Wall\ninto Mongolia; and I had made the journey overland from Swatow to\nCanton, a distance of five hundred miles; besides which, in addition\nto my study of the language, my daily object in life had always been\nto familiarise myself as much as possible with Chinese sympathies and\nhabits of thought. With these advantages, and by the interesting\nnature of the subject-matter, I hoped to be able on the one hand to\narouse a somewhat deeper interest than is usually taken in the affairs\nof China; and, on the other, to correct at any rate some of the\nerroneous views, too frequently palmed off by inefficient and\ndisingenuous workers, and too readily accepted as fact. And I would\nhere draw attention to one most important point; namely, that although\na great number of books have been published about China and the\nChinese, there are extremely few in which the information is conveyed\nat first hand; in other words, in which the Chinese are allowed to\nspeak for themselves.[1] Hence, perhaps, it may be that in an\naccurately-compiled work such as Tylor\u2019s _Primitive Culture_,\nallusions to the religious rites and ceremonies of nearly one-third of\nthe human race are condensed within the limits of barely a dozen short\npassages. Hence, too, it undoubtedly is that many Chinese customs are\nridiculed and condemned by turns, simply because the medium through\nwhich they have been conveyed has produced a distorted image. Much of\nwhat the Chinese do actually believe and practise in their religious\nand social life will be found in this volume, in the _ipsissima verba_\nof a highly-educated scholar writing about his fellow-countrymen and\nhis native land; while for the notes with which I have essayed to make\nthe picture more suggestive and more acceptable to the European eye,\nI claim only so much authority as is due to the opinion of one\nqualified observer who can have no possible motive in deviating ever\nso slightly from what his own personal experience has taught him to\nregard as the truth.\n\n\nII.--BIOGRAPHICAL.--The barest skeleton of a biography is all that can\nbe formed from the very scanty materials which remain to mark the\ncareer of a writer whose work has been for the best part of two\ncenturies as familiar throughout the length and breadth of China as\nare the tales of the \u201cArabian Nights\u201d in all English-speaking\ncommunities. The author of \u201cStrange Stories\u201d was a native of Tzu-chou,\nin the province of Shan-tung. His family name was P\u2018u; his particular\nname was Sung-ling; and the designation or literary epithet by which,\nin accordance with Chinese usage, he was commonly known among his\nfriends, was Liu-hsien, or \u201cLast of the Immortals.\u201d A further fancy\nname, given to him probably by some enthusiastic admirer, was\nLiu-ch\u2018\u00fcan, or \u201cWillow Spring;\u201d but he is now familiarly spoken of\nsimply as P\u2018u Sung-ling. We are unacquainted with the years of his\nbirth or death; however, by the aid of a meagre entry in the _History\nof Tz\u00fc-chou_ it is possible to make a pretty good guess at the date\nof the former event. For we are there told that P\u2018u Sung-ling\nsuccessfully competed for the lowest or bachelor\u2019s degree before he\nhad reached the age of twenty; and that in 1651 he was in the position\nof a graduate of ten years\u2019 standing, having failed in the interim to\ntake the second, or master\u2019s, degree. To this failure, due, as we are\ninformed in the history above quoted, to his neglect of the beaten\ntrack of academic study, we owe the existence of his great work; not,\nindeed, his only production, though the one _par excellence_ by which,\nas Confucius said of his own \u201cSpring and Autumn,\u201d men will know him.\nAll else that we have on record of P\u2018u Sung-ling, besides the fact\nthat he lived in close companionship with several eminent scholars of\nthe day, is gathered from his own words, written when, in 1679, he\nlaid down his pen upon the completion of a task which was to raise him\nwithin a short period to a foremost rank in the Chinese world of\nletters. Of that record I here append a close translation, accompanied\nby such notes as are absolutely necessary to make it intelligible to\nnon-students of Chinese.\n\nAUTHOR\u2019S OWN RECORD.\n\n \u201c\u2018Clad in wistaria, girdled with ivy;\u2019[2] thus sang San-l\u00fc[3] in\n his _Dissipation of Grief_.[4] Of ox-headed devils and serpent\n Gods,[5] he of the long-nails[6] never wearied to tell. Each\n interprets in his own way the music of heaven;[7] and whether it\n be discord or not, depends upon antecedent causes.[8] As for me, I\n cannot, with my poor autumn fire-fly\u2019s light, match myself against\n the hobgoblins of the age.[9] I am but the dust in the sunbeam, a\n fit laughing-stock for devils.[10] For my talents are not those of\n Y\u00fc Pao,[11] elegant explorer of the records of the Gods; I am\n rather animated by the Spirit of Su Tung-p\u2018o,[12] who loved to\n hear men speak of the supernatural. I get people to commit what\n they tell me to writing, and subsequently I dress it up in the\n form of a story; and thus in the lapse of time my friends from all\n quarters have supplied me with quantities of material, which, from\n my habit of collecting, has grown into a vast pile.[13]\n\n \u201cHuman beings, I would point out, are not beyond the pale of fixed\n laws, and yet there are more remarkable phenomena in their midst\n than in the country of those who crop their hair;[14] antiquity is\n unrolled before us, and many tales are to be found therein\n stranger than that of the nation of Flying Heads.[15]\n \u2018Irrepressible bursts, and luxurious ease,\u2019[16]--such was always\n his enthusiastic strain. \u2018For ever indulging in liberal\n thought,\u2019[17]--thus he spoke openly without restraint. Were men\n like these to open my book, I should be a laughing-stock to them\n indeed. At the cross-roads[18] men will not listen to me, and yet\n I have some knowledge of the three states of existence[19] spoken\n of beneath the cliff;[20] neither should the words I utter be set\n aside because of him that utters them.[21] When the bow[22] was\n hung at my father\u2019s door, he dreamed that a sickly-looking\n Buddhist priest, but half-covered by his stole, entered the\n chamber. On one of his breasts was a round piece of plaster like\n a _cash_;[23] and my father, waking from sleep, found that I, just\n born, had a similar black patch on my body. As a child, I was thin\n and constantly ailing, and unable to hold my own in the battle of\n life. Our home was chill and desolate as a monastery; and working\n there for my livelihood with my pen,[24] I was as poor as a priest\n with his alms-bowl.[25] Often and often I put my hand to my\n head[26] and exclaimed, \u2018Surely he who sat with his face to the\n wall[27] was myself in a previous state of existence;\u2019 and thus I\n referred my non-success in this life to the influence of a destiny\n surviving from the last. I have been tossed hither and thither in\n the direction of the ruling wind, like a flower falling in filthy\n places; but the six paths[28] of transmigration are inscrutable\n indeed, and I have no right to complain. As it is, midnight finds\n me with an expiring lamp, while the wind whistles mournfully\n without; and over my cheerless table I piece together my\n tales,[29] vainly hoping to produce a sequel to the _Infernal\n Regions_.[30] With a bumper I stimulate my pen, yet I only succeed\n thereby in \u2018venting my excited feelings,\u2019[31] and as I thus commit\n my thoughts to writing, truly I am an object worthy of\n commiseration. Alas! I am but the bird that, dreading the winter\n frost, finds no shelter in the tree: the autumn insect that chirps\n to the moon, and hugs the door for warmth. For where are they who\n know me?[32] They are \u2018in the bosky grove, and at the frontier\n pass\u2019[33]--wrapped in an impenetrable gloom!\u201d\n\nFrom the above curious document the reader will gain some insight into\nthe abstruse, but at the same time marvellously beautiful, style of\nthis gifted writer. The whole essay--for such it is, and among the\nmost perfect of its kind--is intended chiefly as a satire upon the\nscholarship of the age; scholarship which had turned the author back\nto the disappointment of a private life, himself conscious all the\ntime of the inward fire that had been lent him by heaven. It is the\nkey-note to his own subsequent career, spent in the retirement of\nhome, in the society of books and friends; as also to the numerous\nuncomplimentary allusions which occur in all his stories relating to\nofficial life. Whether or not the world at large has been a gainer by\nthis instance of the fallibility of competitive examinations has been\nalready decided in the affirmative by the millions of P\u2018u Sung-ling\u2019s\nown countrymen, who for the past two hundred years have more than made\nup to him by a posthumous and enduring reverence for the loss of those\nearthly and ephemeral honours which he seems to have coveted so much.\n\n\nIII.--BIBLIOGRAPHICAL.--_Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio_, known\nto the Chinese as the _Liao-Chai-Chih-I_, or more familiarly, the\n_Liao-Chai_, has hardly been mentioned by a single foreigner without\nsome inaccuracy on the part of the writer concerned. For instance, the\nlate Mr. Mayers states in his _Chinese Reader\u2019s Manual_, p. 176, that\nthis work was composed \u201ccirca A.D. 1710,\u201d the fact being that the\ncollection was actually completed in 1679, as we know by the date\nattached to the \u201cAuthor\u2019s Own Record\u201d given above. It is consequently\ntwo centuries, almost to the day, since the first appearance of a book\ndestined to a popularity which the lapse of time seems wholly unable\nto diminish; and the present may fairly be considered a fitting epoch\nfor its first presentation to the English reader in an English dress.\nI should mention, however, that the _Liao-Chai_ was originally, and\nfor many years, circulated in manuscript only. P\u2018u Sung-ling, as we\nare told in a colophon by his grandson to the first edition, was too\npoor to meet the heavy expense of block-cutting; and it was not until\nas late as 1740, when the author must have been already for some time\na denizen of the dark land he so much loved to describe, that his\naforesaid grandson printed and published the collection now so\nuniversally famous. Since then many editions have been laid before the\nChinese public, the best of which is that by Tan Ming-lun, a Salt\nCommissioner, who flourished during the reign of Tao Kuang, and who in\n1842 produced, at his own expense, an excellent edition in sixteen\nsmall octavo volumes of about 160 pages each. And as various editions\nwill occasionally be found to contain various readings, I would here\nwarn students of Chinese who wish to compare my rendering with the\ntext, that it is from the edition of Tan Ming-lun, collated with that\nof Y\u00fc Chi, published in 1766, that this translation has been made.\nMany have been the commentaries and disquisitions upon the meaning of\nobscure passages and the general scope of this work; to say nothing of\nthe prefaces with which the several editions have been ushered into\nthe world. Of the latter, I have selected one specimen, from which the\nreader will be able to form a tolerably accurate opinion as to the\ntrue nature of these always singular and usually difficult\ncompositions. Here it is:--\n\nT\u2018ANG M\u00caNG LAI\u2019S PREFACE.\n\n \u201cThe common saying, \u2018He regards a camel as a horse with a swelled\n back,\u2019 trivial of itself, may be used in illustration of greater\n matters. Men are wont to attribute an existence only to such\n things as they daily see with their own eyes, and they marvel at\n whatsoever, appearing before them at one instant, vanishes at the\n next. And yet it is not at the sprouting and falling of foliage,\n or at the metamorphosis of insects that they marvel, but only at\n the manifestations of the supernatural world; though of a truth,\n the whistling of the wind and the movement of streams, with\n nothing to set the one in motion or give sound to the other, might\n well be ranked among extraordinary phenomena. We are accustomed to\n these, and therefore do not note them. We marvel at devils and\n foxes: we do not marvel at man. But who is it that causes a man to\n move and to speak?--to which question comes the ready answer of\n each individual so questioned, \u2018_I_ do.\u2019 This \u2018I do,\u2019 however, is\n merely a personal consciousness of the facts under discussion.\n For a man can see with his eyes, but he cannot see what it is that\n makes him see; he can hear with his ears, but he cannot hear what\n it is that makes him hear; how, then, is it possible for him to\n understand the rationale of things he can neither see nor hear.\n Whatever has come within the bounds of their own ocular or\n auricular experience men regard as proved to be actually existing;\n and only such things.[34] But this term \u2018experience\u2019 may be\n understood in various senses. For instance, people speak of\n something which has certain attributes as _form_, and of something\n else which has certain other attributes as _substance_; ignorant\n as they are that form and substance are to be found existing\n without those particular attributes. Things which are thus\n constituted are inappreciable, indeed, by our ears and eyes; but\n we cannot argue that therefore they do not exist. Some persons can\n see a mosquito\u2019s eye, while to others even a mountain is\n invisible; some can hear the sound of ants battling together,\n while others again fail to catch the roar of a thunder-peal.\n Powers of seeing and hearing vary; there should be no reckless\n imputations of blindness. According to the schoolmen, man at his\n death is dispersed like wind or fire, the origin and end of his\n vitality being alike unknown; and as those who have seen strange\n phenomena are few, the number of those who marvel at them is\n proportionately great, and the \u2018horse with a swelled back\u2019\n parallel is very widely applicable. And ever quoting the fact that\n Confucius would have nothing to say on these topics, these\n schoolmen half discredit such works as the _Ch\u2018i-chieh-chih-kuai_\n and the _Y\u00fc-ch\u2018u-chi-i_,[35] ignorant that the Sage\u2019s\n unwillingness to speak had reference only to persons of an\n inferior mental calibre; for his own _Spring and Autumn_ can\n hardly be said to be devoid of all allusions of the kind. Now P\u2018u\n Liu-hsien devoted himself in his youth to the marvellous, and as\n he grew older was specially remarkable for his comprehension\n thereof; and being moreover a most elegant writer, he occupied his\n leisure in recording whatever came to his knowledge of a\n particularly marvellous nature. A volume of these compositions of\n his formerly fell into my hands, and was constantly borrowed by\n friends; now, I have another volume, and of what I read only about\n three-tenths was known to me before. What there is, should be\n sufficient to open the eyes of those schoolmen, though I much fear\n it will be like talking of ice to a butterfly. Personally, I\n disbelieve in the irregularity of natural phenomena, and regard as\n evil spirits only those who injure their neighbours. For eclipses,\n falling stars, the flight of herons, the nest of a mina, talking\n stones, and the combats of dragons, can hardly be classed as\n irregular; while the phenomena of nature occurring out of season,\n wars, rebellions, and so forth, may certainly be relegated to the\n category of evil. In my opinion the morality of P\u2018u Liu-hsien\u2019s\n work is of a very high standard, its object being distinctly to\n glorify virtue and to censure vice, and as a book calculated to\n elevate mankind may be safely placed side by side with the\n philosophical treatises of Yang Hsiung which Huan Tan declared to\n be so worthy of a wide circulation.\u201d\n\nWith regard to the meaning of the Chinese words _Liao-Chai-Chih-I_,\nthis title has received indifferent treatment at the hands of\ndifferent writers. Dr. Williams chose to render it by \u201cPastimes of the\nStudy,\u201d and Mr. Mayers by \u201cThe Record of Marvels, or Tales of the\nGenii;\u201d neither of which is sufficiently near to be regarded in the\nlight of a translation. Taken literally and in order, these words\nstand for \u201cLiao--library--record--strange,\u201d \u201cLiao\u201d being simply a\nfanciful name given by our author to his private library or studio. An\napocryphal anecdote traces the origin of this selection to a remark\nonce made by himself with reference to his failure for the second\ndegree. \u201cAlas!\u201d he is reported to have said, \u201cI shall now have no\nresource (_Liao_) for my old age;\u201d and accordingly he so named his\nstudy, meaning that in his pen he would seek that resource which fate\nhad denied to him as an official. For this untranslatable \u201cLiao\u201d I\nhave ventured to substitute \u201cChinese,\u201d as indicating more clearly the\nnature of what is to follow. No such title as \u201cTales of the Genii\u201d\nfully expresses the scope of this work, which embraces alike weird\nstories of Taoist devilry and magic, marvellous accounts of impossible\ncountries beyond the sea, simple scenes of Chinese every-day life, and\nnotices of extraordinary natural phenomena. Indeed, the author once\nhad it in contemplation to publish only the more imaginative of the\ntales in the present collection under the title of \u201cDevil and Fox\nStories;\u201d but from this scheme he was ultimately dissuaded by his\nfriends, the result being the heterogeneous mass which is more aptly\ndescribed by the title I have given to this volume. In a similar\nmanner, I too had originally determined to publish a full and complete\ntranslation of the whole of these sixteen volumes; but on a closer\nacquaintance many of the stories turned out to be quite unsuitable for\nthe age in which we live, forcibly recalling the coarseness of our own\nwriters of fiction in the last century. Others again were utterly\npointless, or mere repetitions in a slightly altered form. Of the\nwhole, I therefore selected one hundred and sixty-four of the best and\nmost characteristic stories, of which eight had previously been\npublished by Mr. Allen in the _China Review_, one by Mr. Mayers in\n_Notes and Queries on China and Japan_, two by myself in the columns\nof the _Celestial Empire_, and four by Dr. Williams in a now forgotten\nhandbook of Chinese. The remaining one hundred and forty-nine have\nnever before, to my knowledge, been translated into English. To those,\nhowever, who can enjoy the _Liao-Chai_ in the original text, the\ndistinctions between the various stories of felicity in plot,\noriginality, and so on, are far less sharply defined, so impressed as\neach competent reader must be by the incomparable style in which even\nthe meanest is arrayed. For in this respect, as important now in\nChinese eyes as it was with ourselves in days not long gone by, the\nauthor of the _Liao-Chai_ and the rejected candidate succeeded in\nfounding a school of his own, in which he has since been followed by\nhosts of servile imitators with more or less success. Terseness is\npushed to its extreme limits; each particle that can be safely\ndispensed with is scrupulously eliminated; and every here and there\nsome new and original combination invests perhaps a single word with a\nforce it could never have possessed except under the hands of a\nperfect master of his art. Add to the above, copious allusions and\nadaptations from a course of reading which would seem to have been\nco-extensive with the whole range of Chinese literature, a wealth of\nmetaphor and an artistic use of figures generally to which only the\n_chef-d\u2019\u0153uvres_ of Carlyle form an adequate parallel; and the result\nis a work which for purity and beauty of style is now universally\naccepted in China as the best and most perfect model. Sometimes the\nstory runs along plainly and smoothly enough; but the next moment we\nmay be plunged into pages of abstruse text, the meaning of which is so\ninvolved in quotations from and allusions to the poetry or history of\nthe past three thousand years as to be recoverable only after diligent\nperusal of the commentary and much searching in other works of\nreference. In illustration of the popularity of this book, Mr. Mayers\nonce stated that \u201cthe porter at his gate, the boatman at his mid-day\nrest, the chair-coolie at his stand, no less than the man of letters\namong his books, may be seen poring with delight over the\nelegantly-narrated marvels of the _Liao-Chai_;\u201d but he would doubtless\nhave withdrawn this judgment in later years, with the work lying open\nbefore him. Ever since I have been in China, I have made a point of\nnever, when feasible, passing by a reading Chinaman without asking\npermission to glance at the volume in his hand; and at my various\nstations in China I have always kept up a borrowing acquaintance with\nthe libraries of my private or official servants; but I can safely\naffirm that I have not once detected the _Liao-Chai_ in the hands of\nan ill-educated man. Mr. Mayers made, perhaps, a happier hit when he\nobserved that \u201cfairy-tales told in the style of the _Anatomy of\nMelancholy_ would scarcely be a popular book in Great Britain;\u201d though\nexcept in some particular points of contact, the styles of these two\nwriters could scarcely claim even the most distant of relationships.\n\nSuch, then, is the setting of this collection of _Strange Stories from\na Chinese Studio_, many of which contain, in addition to the\nadvantages of style and plot, a very excellent moral. The intention of\nmost of them is, in the actual words of T\u2018ang M\u00eang-lai, \u201cto glorify\nvirtue and to censure vice,\u201d--always, it must be borne in mind,\naccording to the Chinese and not to a European interpretation of these\nterms. As an addition to our knowledge of the folk-lore of China, and\nas an _aper\u00e7u_ of the manners, customs, and social life of that vast\nEmpire, my translation of the _Liao-Chai_ may not be wholly devoid of\ninterest. The amusement and instruction I have myself derived from the\ntask thus voluntarily imposed has already more than repaid me for the\npains I have been at to put this work before the English public in a\npleasing and available form.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[1] \u201cHow can a statement as to customs, myths, beliefs, &c., of a\nsavage tribe, be treated as evidence, where it depends on the\ntestimony of some traveller or missionary, who may be a superficial\nobserver, more or less ignorant of the native language, a careless\nretailer of unsifted talk, a man prejudiced or even wilfully\ndeceitful?\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive Culture_, Vol. I., p. 9.\n\n[2] Said of the bogies of the hills, in allusion to their _clothes_.\nHere quoted with reference to the official classes, in ridicule of the\ntitle under which they hold posts which, from a literary point of\nview, they are totally unfit to occupy.\n\n[3] A celebrated statesman (B.C. 314) who, having lost his master\u2019s\nfavour by the intrigues of a rival, finally drowned himself in\ndespair. The Annual Dragon Festival is said by some to be a \u201csearch\u201d\nfor his body.\n\n[4] A poem addressed by San-l\u00fc to his Prince, after his disgrace. Its\nnon-success was the immediate cause of his death.\n\n[5] That is, of the supernatural generally.\n\n[6] A poet of the T\u2018ang Dynasty whose eyebrows met, whose nails were\nvery long, and who could write very fast.\n\n[7] \u201cYou know the music of earth,\u201d said the Taoist sage, Chuang-tz\u016d;\n\u201cbut you have not heard the music of heaven.\u201d\n\n[8] That is, to the operation of some influence surviving from a\nprevious existence.\n\n[9] This is another hit at the ruling classes. Chi K\u2018ang, a celebrated\nmusician and alchemist (A.D. 223-262), was sitting one night alone,\nplaying upon his lute, when suddenly a man with a tiny face walked in,\nand began to stare hard at him, the stranger\u2019s face enlarging all the\ntime. \u201cI\u2019m not going to match myself against a devil!\u201d cried the\nmusician, after a few moments, and instantly blew out the light.\n\n[10] When Liu Ch\u00fcan, Governor of Wu-ling, determined to relieve his\npoverty by trade, he saw a devil standing by his side, laughing and\nrubbing his hands for glee. \u201cPoverty and wealth are matters of\ndestiny,\u201d said Liu Ch\u00fcan; \u201cBut to be laughed at by a devil----,\u201d and\naccordingly he desisted from his intention.\n\n[11] A writer who flourished in the early part of the fourth century,\nand composed a work in thirty books entitled _Supernatural\nResearches_.\n\n[12] The famous poet, statesman, and essayist, who flourished A.D.\n1036-1101.\n\n[13] \u201cAnd his friends had the habit of jotting down for his unfailing\ndelight anything quaint or comic that they came across.\u201d--_The World_\non Charles Dickens: 24th July 1878.\n\n[14] It is related in the _Historical Record_ that when T\u2018ai Po and Y\u00fc\nChung visited the southern savages they saw men with tattooed bodies\nand short hair.\n\n[15] A fabulous community, placed by geographers to the west of the\nDragon city--wherever that may be. So called because the heads of the\nmen are in the habit of leaving their bodies, and flying down to\nmarshy places to feed on worms and crabs. A red ring is seen the night\nbefore the flight encircling the neck of the man whose head is about\nto fly. At daylight the head returns.\n\n[16] A quotation from the admired works of Wang Po, a brilliant\nscholar and poet, who was drowned at the early age of twenty-eight,\nA.D. 675.\n\n[17] I have hitherto failed in all attempts to identify this\nquotation.\n\n[18] The cross-road of the \u201cFive Fathers\u201d is here mentioned, which the\ncommentator tells us is merely the name of the place.\n\n[19] The past, present, and future life, of the Buddhist system of\nmetempsychosis.\n\n[20] A certain man, who was staying at a temple, dreamt that an old\npriest appeared to him beneath a jade-stone cliff, and, pointing to a\nstick of burning incense, said to him, \u201cThat incense represents a vow\nto be fulfilled; but I say unto you, that ere its smoke shall have\ncurled away, your three states of existence will have been already\naccomplished.\u201d The meaning is that time on earth is as nothing to the\nGods.\n\n[21] This remark occurs in the fifteenth of the Confucian Gospels,\nsection 22.\n\n[22] The birth of a boy was formerly signalled by hanging a bow at the\ndoor; that of a girl, by displaying a small towel--indicative of the\nparts that each would hereafter play in the drama of life.\n\n[23] See note 42 to No. II.\n\n[24] Literally, \u201cploughing with my pen.\u201d\n\n[25] The _patra_ or bowl, used by Buddhist mendicants, in imitation of\nthe celebrated alms-dish of Sh\u00e2kyamuni Buddha.\n\n[26] Literally, \u201cscratched my head,\u201d as is often done by the Chinese\nin perplexity or doubt.\n\n[27] Alluding to the priest Dharma-nandi, who came from India to\nChina, and tried to convert the Emperor Wu Ti of the Liang Dynasty;\nbut, failing in his attempt, he retired full of mortification to a\ntemple at Sung-shan, where he sat for nine years before a rock, until\nhis own image was imprinted thereon.\n\n[28] The six _g\u00e2ti_ or conditions of existence, namely: angels, men,\ndemons, hungry devils, brute beasts, and tortured sinners.\n\n[29] Literally, \u201cputting together the pieces under the forelegs (of\nfoxes) to make robes.\u201d This part of the fox-skin is the most valuable\nfor making fur clothes.\n\n[30] The work of a well-known writer, named Lin I-ch\u2018ing, who\nflourished during the Sung Dynasty.\n\n[31] Alluding to an essay by Han Fei, a philosopher of the third\ncentury B.C., in which he laments the iniquity of the age in general,\nand the corruption of officials in particular. He finally committed\nsuicide in prison, where he had been cast by the intrigues of a rival\nminister.\n\n[32] Confucius (_Gospel_ xiv., sec. 37) said, \u201cAlas! there is no one\nwho knows me (to be what I am).\u201d\n\n[33] The great poet Tu Fu (A.D. 712-770) dreamt that his greater\npredecessor, Li T\u2018ai-po (A.D. 699-762) appeared to him, \u201ccoming when\nthe maple-grove was in darkness, and returning while the frontier-pass\nwas still obscured;\u201d--that is, at night, when no one could see him;\nthe meaning being that he never came at all, and that those \u201cwho know\nme (P\u2018u Sung-ling)\u201d are equally non-existent.\n\n[34] \u201cThus, since countless things exist that the senses _can_ take\naccount of, it is evident that nothing exists that the senses can\n_not_ take account of.\u201d--The \u201cProfessor\u201d in W. H. Mallock\u2019s _New Paul\nand Virginia_.\n\nThis passage recalls another curious classification by the great\nChinese philosopher Han W\u00ean-kung. \u201cThere are some things which possess\nform but are devoid of sound, as for instance jade and stones; others\nhave sound but are without form, such as wind and thunder; others\nagain have both form and sound, such as men and animals; and lastly,\nthere is a class devoid of both, namely, _devils and spirits_.\u201d\n\n[35] I have never seen any of these works, but I believe they treat,\nas implied by their titles, chiefly of the supernatural world.\n\n\n\n\nSTRANGE STORIES\n\nFROM A\n\nCHINESE STUDIO.\n\n\n\n\nI.\n\nEXAMINATION FOR THE POST OF GUARDIAN ANGEL.[36]\n\n\nMy eldest sister\u2019s husband\u2019s grandfather, named Sung Tao, was a\ngraduate.[37] One day, while lying down from indisposition, an\nofficial messenger arrived, bringing the usual notification in his\nhand and leading a horse with a white forehead, to summon him to the\nexamination for his master\u2019s degree. Mr. Sung here remarked that the\nGrand Examiner had not yet come, and asked why there should be this\nhurry. The messenger did not reply to this, but pressed so earnestly\nthat at length Mr. Sung roused himself, and getting upon the horse\nrode with him. The way seemed strange, and by-and-by they reached a\ncity which resembled the capital of a prince. They then entered the\nPrefect\u2019s _yam\u00ean_,[38] the apartments of which were beautifully\ndecorated; and there they found some ten officials sitting at the\nupper end, all strangers to Mr. Sung, with the exception of one whom\nhe recognised to be the God of War.[39] In the verandah were two\ntables and two stools, and at the end of one of the former a candidate\nwas already seated, so Mr. Sung sat down alongside of him. On the\ntable were writing materials for each, and suddenly down flew a piece\nof paper with a theme on it, consisting of the following eight\nwords:--\u201cOne man, two men; by intention, without intention.\u201d When Mr.\nSung had finished his essay, he took it into the hall. It contained\nthe following passage: \u201cThose who are virtuous by intention, though\nvirtuous, shall not be rewarded. Those who are wicked without\nintention, though wicked, shall receive no punishment.\u201d The presiding\ndeities praised this sentiment very much, and calling Mr. Sung to come\nforward, said to him, \u201cA Guardian Angel is wanted in Honan. Go you and\ntake up the appointment.\u201d Mr. Sung no sooner heard this than he bowed\nhis head and wept, saying, \u201cUnworthy though I am of the honour you\nhave conferred upon me, I should not venture to decline it but that my\naged mother has reached her seventh decade, and there is no one now to\ntake care of her. I pray you let me wait until she has fulfilled her\ndestiny, when I will hold myself at your disposal.\u201d Thereupon one of\nthe deities, who seemed to be the chief, gave instructions to search\nout his mother\u2019s term of life, and a long-bearded attendant forthwith\nbrought in the Book of Fate. On turning it over, he declared that she\nstill had nine years to live; and then a consultation was held among\nthe deities, in the middle of which the God of War said, \u201cVery well.\nLet Mr. graduate Chang take the post, and be relieved in nine years\u2019\ntime.\u201d Then, turning to Mr. Sung, he continued, \u201cYou ought to proceed\nwithout delay to your post; but as a reward for your filial piety, you\nare granted a furlough of nine years. At the expiration of that time\nyou will receive another summons.\u201d He next addressed a few kind words\nto Mr. Chang; and the two candidates, having made their _kotow_, went\naway together. Grasping Mr. Sung\u2019s hand, his companion, who gave\n\u201cChang Ch\u2018i of Ch\u2018ang-shan\u201d as his name and address, accompanied him\nbeyond the city walls and gave him a stanza of poetry at parting. I\ncannot recollect it all, but in it occurred this couplet:--\n\n \u201cWith wine and flowers we chase the hours,\n In one eternal spring:\n No moon, no light, to cheer the night--\n Thyself that ray must bring.\u201d\n\nMr. Sung here left him and rode on, and before very long reached his\nown home; here he awaked as if from a dream, and found that he had\nbeen dead three days,[40] when his mother, hearing a groan in the\ncoffin, ran to it and helped him out. It was some time before he could\nspeak, and then he at once inquired about Ch\u2018ang-shan, where, as it\nturned out, a graduate named Chang had died that very day.\n\nNine years afterwards, Mr. Sung\u2019s mother, in accordance with fate,\npassed from this life; and when the funeral obsequies were over, her\nson, having first purified himself, entered into his chamber and died\nalso. Now his wife\u2019s family lived within the city, near the western\ngate; and all of a sudden they beheld Mr. Sung, accompanied by\nnumerous chariots and horses with carved trappings and red-tasselled\nbits, enter into the hall, make an obeisance, and depart. They were\nvery much disconcerted at this, not knowing that he had become a\nspirit, and rushed out into the village to make inquiries, when they\nheard he was already dead. Mr. Sung had an account of his adventure\nwritten by himself; but unfortunately after the insurrection it was\nnot to be found. This is only an outline of the story.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[36] The tutelar deity of every Chinese city.\n\n[37] That is, he had taken the first or bachelor\u2019s degree. I shall not\nhesitate to use strictly English equivalents for all kinds of Chinese\nterms. The three degrees are literally, (1) Cultivated Talent, (2)\nRaised Man, and (3) Promoted Scholar.\n\n[38] The official residence of a mandarin above a certain rank.\n\n[39] The Chinese Mars. A celebrated warrior, named Kuan Y\u00fc, who lived\nabout the beginning of the third century of our era. He was raised\nafter death to the rank of a God, and now plays a leading part in the\nChinese Pantheon.\n\n[40] Catalepsy, which is the explanation of many a story in this\ncollection, would appear to be of very common occurrence amongst the\nChinese. Such, however, is not the case; in which statement I am borne\nout by my friend, Dr. Manson, of Amoy, who, after many years\u2019 practice\namong the natives of that port, and also of Formosa, informs me that\nhe has never even heard of a single instance of this strange\ncomplaint.\n\n\n\n\nII.\n\nTHE TALKING PUPILS.\n\n\nAt Ch\u2018ang-ngan there lived a scholar, named Fang Tung, who though by\nno means destitute of ability was a very unprincipled rake, and in the\nhabit of following and speaking to any woman he might chance to meet.\nThe day before the spring festival of Clear Weather,[41] he was\nstrolling about outside the city when he saw a small carriage with red\ncurtains and an embroidered awning, followed by a crowd of\nwaiting-maids on horseback, one of whom was exceedingly pretty, and\nriding on a small palfrey. Going closer to get a better view, Mr. Fang\nnoticed that the carriage curtain was partly open, and inside he\nbeheld a beautifully dressed girl of about sixteen, lovely beyond\nanything he had ever seen. Dazzled by the sight, he could not take his\neyes off her; and, now before, now behind, he followed the carriage\nfor many a mile. By-and-by he heard the young lady call out to her\nmaid, and, when the latter came alongside, say to her, \u201cLet down the\nscreen for me. Who is this rude fellow that keeps on staring so?\u201d The\nmaid accordingly let down the screen, and looking angrily at Mr. Fang,\nsaid to him, \u201cThis is the bride of the Seventh Prince in the City of\nImmortals going home to see her parents, and no village girl that you\nshould stare at her thus.\u201d Then taking a handful of dust, she threw it\nat him and blinded him. He rubbed his eyes and looked round, but the\ncarriage and horses were gone. This frightened him, and he went off\nhome, feeling very uncomfortable about the eyes. He sent for a doctor\nto examine his eyes, and on the pupils was found a small film, which\nhad increased by next morning, the eyes watering incessantly all the\ntime. The film went on growing, and in a few days was as thick as a\ncash.[42] On the right pupil there came a kind of spiral, and as no\nmedicine was of any avail, the sufferer gave himself up to grief and\nwished for death. He then bethought himself of repenting of his\nmisdeeds, and hearing that the _Kuang-ming_ sutra could relieve\nmisery, he got a copy and hired a man to teach it to him. At first it\nwas very tedious work, but by degrees he became more composed, and\nspent every evening in a posture of devotion, telling his beads. At\nthe end of a year he had arrived at a state of perfect calm, when one\nday he heard a small voice, about as loud as a fly\u2019s, calling out from\nhis left eye:--\u201cIt\u2019s horridly dark in here.\u201d To this he heard a reply\nfrom the right eye, saying, \u201cLet us go out for a stroll, and cheer\nourselves up a bit.\u201d Then he felt a wriggling in his nose which made\nit itch, just as if something was going out of each of the nostrils;\nand after a while he felt it again as if going the other way.\nAfterwards he heard a voice from one eye say, \u201cI hadn\u2019t seen the\ngarden for a long time: the epidendrums are all withered and dead.\u201d\nNow Mr. Fang was very fond of these epidendrums, of which he had\nplanted a great number, and had been accustomed to water them himself;\nbut since the loss of his sight he had never even alluded to them.\nHearing, however, these words, he at once asked his wife why she had\nlet the epidendrums die. She inquired how he knew they were dead, and\nwhen he told her she went out to see, and found them actually withered\naway. They were both very much astonished at this, and his wife\nproceeded to conceal herself in the room. She then observed two tiny\npeople, no bigger than a bean, come down from her husband\u2019s nose and\nrun out of the door, where she lost sight of them. In a little while\nthey came back and flew up to his face, like bees or beetles seeking\ntheir nests. This went on for some days, until Mr. Fang heard from the\nleft eye, \u201cThis roundabout road is not at all convenient. It would be\nas well for us to make a door.\u201d To this the right eye answered, \u201cMy\nwall is too thick; it wouldn\u2019t be at all an easy job.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll try and\nopen mine,\u201d said the left eye, \u201cand then it will do for both of us.\u201d\nWhereupon Mr. Fang felt a pain in his left eye as if something was\nbeing split, and in a moment he found he could see the tables and\nchairs in the room. He was delighted at this and told his wife, who\nexamined his eye and discovered an opening in the film, through which\nshe could see the black pupil shining out beneath, the eyeball itself\nlooking like a cracked pepper-corn. By next morning the film had\ndisappeared, and when his eye was closely examined it was observed to\ncontain two pupils. The spiral on the right eye remained as before;\nand then they knew that the two pupils had taken up their abode in one\neye. Further, although Mr. Fang was still blind of one eye, the sight\nof the other was better than that of the two together. From this time\nhe was more careful of his behaviour, and acquired in his part of the\ncountry the reputation of a virtuous man.[43]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[41] One of the twenty-four solar terms. It falls on or about the 5th\nof April, and is the special time for worshipping at the family tombs.\n\n[42] The common European name for the only Chinese coin, about twenty\nof which go to a penny. Each has a square hole in the middle, for the\nconvenience of stringing them together; hence the expression \u201cstrings\nof cash.\u201d\n\n[43] The belief that the human eye contains a tiny being of the human\nshape is universal in China. It originated, of course, from the\nreflection of oneself that is seen on looking into the pupil of\nanybody\u2019s eye, or even, with the aid of a mirror, into one\u2019s own.\n\n\n\n\nIII.\n\nTHE PAINTED WALL.\n\n\nA Kiang-si gentleman, named M\u00eang Lung-t\u2018an, was lodging at the capital\nwith a Mr. Chu, M.A., when one day chance led them to a certain\nmonastery, within which they found no spacious halls or meditation\nchambers, but only an old priest in _deshabille_. On observing the\nvisitors, he arranged his dress and went forward to meet them, leading\nthem round and showing whatever there was to be seen. In the chapel\nthey saw an image of Chih Kung, and the walls on either side were\nbeautifully painted with life-like representations of men and things.\nOn the east side were pictured a number of fairies, among whom was a\nyoung girl whose maiden tresses were not yet confined by the matron\u2019s\nknot. She was picking flowers and gently smiling, while her cherry\nlips seemed about to move, and the moisture of her eyes to overflow.\nMr. Chu gazed at her for a long time without taking his eyes off,\nuntil at last he became unconscious of anything but the thoughts that\nwere engrossing him. Then, suddenly, he felt himself floating in the\nair, as if riding on a cloud, and found himself passing through the\nwall,[44] where halls and pavilions stretched away one after another,\nunlike the abodes of mortals. Here an old priest was preaching the Law\nof Buddha, surrounded by a large crowd of listeners. Mr. Chu mingled\nwith the throng, and after a few moments perceived a gentle tug at his\nsleeve. Turning round, he saw the young girl above-mentioned, who\nwalked laughing away. Mr. Chu at once followed her, and passing a\nwinding balustrade arrived at a small apartment beyond which he dared\nnot venture further. But the young lady, looking back, waved the\nflowers she had in her hand as though beckoning him to come on. He\naccordingly entered and found nobody else within. Then they fell on\ntheir knees and worshipped heaven and earth together,[45] and rose up\nas man and wife, after which the bride went away, bidding Mr. Chu keep\nquiet until she came back. This went on for a couple of days, when the\nyoung lady\u2019s companions began to smell a rat and discovered Mr. Chu\u2019s\nhiding-place. Thereupon they all laughed and said, \u201cMy dear, you are\nnow a married woman, and should leave off that maidenly _coiffure_.\u201d\nSo they gave her the proper hair-pins and head ornaments, and bade her\ngo bind her hair, at which she blushed very much but said nothing.\nThen one of them cried out, \u201cMy sisters, let us be off. Two\u2019s\ncompany, more\u2019s none.\u201d At this they all giggled again and went away.\n\nMr. Chu found his wife very much improved by the alteration in the\nstyle of her hair. The high top-knot and the coronet of pendants were\nvery becoming to her. But suddenly they heard a sound like the\ntramping of heavy-soled boots, accompanied by the clanking of chains\nand the noise of angry discussion. The bride jumped up in a fright,\nand she and Mr. Chu peeped out. They saw a man clad in golden armour,\nwith a face as black as jet, carrying in his hand chains and whips,\nand surrounded by all the girls. He asked, \u201cAre you all here?\u201d \u201cAll,\u201d\nthey replied. \u201cIf,\u201d said he, \u201cany mortal is here concealed amongst\nyou, denounce him at once, and lay not up sorrow for yourselves.\u201d Here\nthey all answered as before that there was no one. The man then made a\nmovement as if he would search the place, upon which the bride was\ndreadfully alarmed, and her face turned the colour of ashes. In her\nterror she said to Mr. Chu, \u201cHide yourself under the bed,\u201d and opening\na small lattice in the wall, disappeared herself. Mr. Chu in his\nconcealment hardly dared to draw his breath; and in a little while he\nheard the boots tramp into the room and out again, the sound of the\nvoices getting gradually fainter and fainter in the distance. This\nreassured him, but he still heard the voices of people going backwards\nand forwards outside; and having been a long time in a cramped\nposition, his ears began to sing as if there was a locust in them,\nand his eyes to burn like fire. It was almost unbearable; however, he\nremained quietly awaiting the return of the young lady without giving\na thought to the why and wherefore of his present position.\n\nMeanwhile, M\u00eang Lung-t\u2018an had noticed the sudden disappearance of his\nfriend, and thinking something was wrong, asked the priest where he\nwas. \u201cHe has gone to hear the preaching of the Law,\u201d replied the\npriest. \u201cWhere?\u201d said Mr. M\u00eang. \u201cOh, not very far,\u201d was the answer.\nThen with his finger the old priest tapped the wall and called out,\n\u201cFriend Chu! what makes you stay away so long?\u201d At this, the likeness\nof Mr. Chu was figured upon the wall, with his ear inclined in the\nattitude of one listening. The priest added, \u201cYour friend here has\nbeen waiting for you some time;\u201d and immediately Mr. Chu descended\nfrom the wall, standing transfixed like a block of wood, with starting\neyeballs and trembling legs. Mr. M\u00eang was much terrified, and asked\nhim quietly what was the matter. Now the matter was that while\nconcealed under the bed he had heard a noise resembling thunder and\nhad rushed out to see what it was.\n\nHere they all noticed that the young lady on the wall with the\nmaiden\u2019s tresses had changed the style of her _coiffure_ to that of a\nmarried woman. Mr. Chu was greatly astonished at this and asked the\nold priest the reason.\n\nHe replied, \u201cVisions have their origin in those who see them: what\nexplanation can I give?\u201d This answer was very unsatisfactory to Mr.\nChu; neither did his friend, who was rather frightened, know what to\nmake of it all; so they descended the temple steps and went away.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[44] Which will doubtless remind the reader of _Alice through the\nLooking-glass, and what she saw there_.\n\n[45] The all-important item of a Chinese marriage ceremony; amounting,\nin fact, to calling God to witness the contract.\n\n\n\n\nIV.\n\nPLANTING A PEAR-TREE.\n\n\nA countryman was one day selling his pears in the market. They were\nunusually sweet and fine flavoured, and the price he asked was high. A\nTaoist[46] priest in rags and tatters stopped at the barrow and\nbegged one of them. The countryman told him to go away, but as he did\nnot do so he began to curse and swear at him. The priest said, \u201cYou\nhave several hundred pears on your barrow; I ask for a single one, the\nloss of which, Sir, you would not feel. Why then get angry?\u201d The\nlookers-on told the countryman to give him an inferior one and let him\ngo, but this he obstinately refused to do. Thereupon the beadle of the\nplace, finding the commotion too great, purchased a pear and handed it\nto the priest. The latter received it with a bow and turning to the\ncrowd said, \u201cWe who have left our homes and given up all that is dear\nto us[47] are at a loss to understand selfish niggardly conduct in\nothers. Now I have some exquisite pears which I shall do myself the\nhonour to put before you.\u201d Here somebody asked, \u201cSince you have pears\nyourself, why don\u2019t you eat those?\u201d \u201cBecause,\u201d replied the priest, \u201cI\nwanted one of these pips to grow them from.\u201d So saying, he munched up\nthe pear; and when he had finished took a pip in his hand, unstrapped\na pick from his back, and proceeded to make a hole in the ground,\nseveral inches deep, wherein he deposited the pip, filling in the\nearth as before. He then asked the bystanders for a little hot water\nto water it with, and one among them who loved a joke fetched him some\nboiling water from a neighbouring shop. The priest poured this over\nthe place where he had made the hole, and every eye was fixed upon him\nwhen sprouts were seen shooting up, and gradually growing larger and\nlarger. By-and-by, there was a tree with branches sparsely covered\nwith leaves; then flowers, and last of all fine, large, sweet-smelling\npears hanging in great profusion. These the priest picked and handed\nround to the assembled crowd until all were gone, when he took his\npick and hacked away for a long time at the tree, finally cutting it\ndown. This he shouldered, leaves and all, and sauntered quietly away.\nNow, from the very beginning, our friend the countryman had been\namongst the crowd, straining his neck to see what was going on, and\nforgetting all about his business. At the departure of the priest he\nturned round and discovered that every one of his pears was gone. He\nthen knew that those the old fellow had been giving away so freely\nwere really his own pears. Looking more closely at the barrow he also\nfound that one of the handles was missing, evidently having been newly\ncut off. Boiling with rage, he set out in pursuit of the priest, and\njust as he turned the corner he saw the lost barrow-handle lying under\nthe wall, being in fact the very pear-tree that the priest had cut\ndown. But there were no traces of the priest--much to the amusement of\nthe crowd in the market-place.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[46] That is, of the religion of _Tao_, or, as it is sometimes called,\n_Rationalism_. It was founded some six centuries before the Christian\nera by a man named Lao-tz\u016d, \u201cOld boy,\u201d who was said to have been born\nwith white hair and a beard. Originally a pure system of metaphysics,\nit is now but a shadow of its former self, and is corrupted by the\ngrossest forms of superstition borrowed from Buddhism, which has in\nits turn adopted many of the forms and beliefs of Taoism, so that the\ntwo religions are hardly distinguishable one from the other.\n\n\u201cWhat seemed to me the most singular circumstance connected with the\nmatter, was the presence of half-a-dozen Taoist priests, who joined in\nall the ceremonies, doing everything that the Buddhist priests did,\nand presenting a very odd appearance, with their top-knots and cues,\namong their closely shaven Buddhist brethren. It seemed strange that\nthe worship of Sakyamuni by celibate Buddhist priests, with shaved\nheads, into which holes were duly burned at their initiation, should\nbe participated in by married Taoist priests, whose heads are not\nwholly shaven, and have never been burned.\u201d--_Initiation of Buddhist\nPriests at Kooshan_, by S. L. B.\n\nTaoist priests are credited with a knowledge of alchemy and the black\nart in general.\n\n[47] A celibate priesthood belongs properly to Buddhism, and is not a\ndoctrine of the Taoist church.\n\n\n\n\nV.\n\nTHE TAOIST PRIEST OF LAO-SHAN.\n\n\nThere lived in our village a Mr. Wang, the seventh son in an old\nfamily. This gentleman had a _penchant_ for the Taoist religion; and\nhearing that at Lao-shan there were plenty of Immortals,[48]\nshouldered his knapsack and went off for a tour thither. Ascending a\npeak of the mountain he reached a secluded monastery where he found a\npriest sitting on a rush mat, with long hair flowing over his neck,\nand a pleasant expression on his face. Making a low bow, Wang\naddressed him thus:--\u201cMysterious indeed is the doctrine: I pray you,\nSir, instruct me therein.\u201d \u201cDelicately-nurtured and wanting in energy\nas you are,\u201d replied the priest, \u201cI fear you could not support the\nfatigue.\u201d \u201cTry me,\u201d said Wang. So when the disciples, who were very\nmany in number, collected together at dusk, Wang joined them in making\nobeisance to the priest, and remained with them in the monastery. Very\nearly next morning the priest summoned Wang, and giving him a hatchet\nsent him out with the others to cut firewood. Wang respectfully\nobeyed, continuing to work for over a month until his hands and feet\nwere so swollen and blistered that he secretly meditated returning\nhome. One evening when he came back he found two strangers sitting\ndrinking with his master. It being already dark, and no lamp or\ncandles having been brought in, the old priest took some scissors and\ncut out a circular piece of paper like a mirror, which he proceeded to\nstick against the wall. Immediately it became a dazzling moon, by the\nlight of which you could have seen a hair or a beard of corn. The\ndisciples all came crowding round to wait upon them, but one of the\nstrangers said, \u201cOn a festive occasion like this we ought all to enjoy\nourselves together.\u201d Accordingly he took a kettle of wine from the\ntable and presented it to the disciples, bidding them drink each his\nfill; whereupon our friend Wang began to wonder how seven or eight of\nthem could all be served out of a single kettle. The disciples, too,\nrushed about in search of cups, each struggling to get the first drink\nfor fear the wine should be exhausted. Nevertheless, all the\ncandidates failed to empty the kettle, at which they were very much\nastonished, when suddenly one of the strangers said, \u201cYou have given\nus a fine bright moon; but it\u2019s dull work drinking by ourselves. Why\nnot call Ch\u2018ang-ngo[49] to join us?\u201d He then seized a chop-stick and\nthrew it into the moon, whereupon a lovely girl stepped forth from its\nbeams. At first she was only a foot high, but on reaching the ground\nlengthened to the ordinary size of women. She had a slender waist and\na beautiful neck, and went most gracefully through the Red Garment\nfigure.[50] When this was finished she sang the following words:--\n\n \u201cYe fairies! ye fairies! I\u2019m coming back soon,\n Too lonely and cold is my home in the moon.\u201d\n\nHer voice was clear and well sustained, ringing like the notes of a\nflageolet, and when she had concluded her song she pirouetted round\nand jumped up on the table, where, with every eye fixed in\nastonishment upon her, she once more became a chop-stick. The three\nfriends laughed loudly, and one of them said, \u201cWe are very jolly\nto-night, but I have hardly room for any more wine. Will you drink a\nparting glass with me in the palace of the moon?\u201d They then took up\nthe table and walked into the moon where they could be seen drinking\nso plainly, that their eyebrows and beards appeared like reflections\nin a looking-glass. By-and-by the moon became obscured; and when the\ndisciples brought a lighted candle they found the priest sitting in\nthe dark alone. The viands, however, were still upon the table and the\nmirror-like piece of paper on the wall. \u201cHave you all had enough to\ndrink?\u201d asked the priest; to which they answered that they had. \u201cIn\nthat case,\u201d said he, \u201cyou had better get to bed, so as not to be\nbehindhand with your wood-cutting in the morning.\u201d So they all went\noff, and among them Wang, who was delighted at what he had seen, and\nthought no more of returning home. But after a time he could not stand\nit any longer; and as the priest taught him no magical arts he\ndetermined not to wait, but went to him and said, \u201cSir, I travelled\nmany long miles for the benefit of your instruction. If you will not\nteach me the secret of Immortality, let me at any rate learn some\ntrifling trick, and thus soothe my cravings for a knowledge of your\nart. I have now been here two or three months, doing nothing but chop\nfirewood, out in the morning and back at night, work to which I was\nnever accustomed in my own home.\u201d \u201cDid I not tell you,\u201d replied the\npriest, \u201cthat you would never support the fatigue? To-morrow I will\nstart you on your way home.\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d said Wang, \u201cI have worked for you\na long time. Teach me some small art, that my coming here may not have\nbeen wholly in vain.\u201d \u201cWhat art?\u201d asked the priest. \u201cWell,\u201d answered\nWang, \u201cI have noticed that whenever you walk about anywhere, walls and\nso on are no obstacle to you. Teach me this, and I\u2019ll be satisfied.\u201d\nThe priest laughingly assented, and taught Wang a formula which he\nbade him recite. When he had done so he told him to walk through the\nwall; but Wang, seeing the wall in front of him, didn\u2019t like to walk\nat it. As, however, the priest bade him try, he walked quietly up to\nit and was there stopped. The priest here called out, \u201cDon\u2019t go so\nslowly. Put your head down and rush at it.\u201d So Wang stepped back a few\npaces and went at it full speed; and the wall yielding to him as he\npassed, in a moment he found himself outside. Delighted at this, he\nwent in to thank the priest, who told him to be careful in the use of\nhis power, or otherwise there would be no response, handing him at the\nsame time some money for his expenses on the way. When Wang got home,\nhe went about bragging of his Taoist friends and his contempt for\nwalls in general; but as his wife disbelieved his story, he set about\ngoing through the performance as before. Stepping back from the wall,\nhe rushed at it full speed with his head down; but coming in contact\nwith the hard bricks, finished up in a heap on the floor. His wife\npicked him up and found he had a bump on his forehead as big as a\nlarge egg, at which she roared with laughter; but Wang was overwhelmed\nwith rage and shame, and cursed the old priest for his base\ningratitude.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[48] The \u201cangels\u201d of Taoism--immortality in a happy land being the\nreward held out for a life on earth in accordance with the doctrines\nof Tao, for which, as Mr. Chalmers says, \u201cthree terms suggest\nthemselves--the Way, Reason, and the _Word_; but they are all liable\nto objection.\u201d\n\nTaoist priests are believed by some to possess an elixir of\nimmortality in the form of a precious liquor; others again hold that\nthe elixir consists solely in a virtuous conduct of life.\n\n[49] The beautiful wife of a legendary chieftain, named Hou I, who\nflourished about 2,500 B.C. She is said to have stolen from her\nhusband the elixir of immortality, and to have fled with it to the\nmoon.\n\n[50] The name of a celebrated _pas seul_ of antiquity.\n\n\n\n\nVI.\n\nTHE BUDDHIST PRIEST OF CH\u2018ANG-CH\u2018ING.\n\n\nAt Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing there lived a Buddhist priest of exceptional virtue\nand purity of conduct, who, though over eighty years of age, was still\nhale and hearty. One day he fell down and could not move; and when the\nother priests rushed to help him up, they found he was already gone.\nThe old priest was himself unconscious of death, and his soul flew\naway to the borders of the province of Honan. Now it chanced that the\nscion of an old family residing in Honan, had gone out that very day\nwith some ten or a dozen followers to hunt the hare with falcons;[51]\nbut his horse having run away with him he fell off and was killed.\nJust at that moment the soul of the priest came by and entered into\nthe body, which thereupon gradually recovered consciousness. The\nservants crowded round to ask him how he felt, when opening his eyes\nwide, he cried out, \u201cHow did I get here?\u201d They assisted him to rise,\nand led him into the house, where all his ladies came to see him and\ninquire how he did. In great amazement he said, \u201cI am a Buddhist\npriest. How came I hither?\u201d His servants thought he was wandering, and\ntried to recall him by pulling his ears. As for himself, he could make\nnothing of it, and closing his eyes refrained from saying anything\nfurther. For food, he would only eat rice, refusing all wine and meat;\nand avoided the society of his wives.[52] After some days he felt\ninclined for a stroll, at which all his family were delighted; but no\nsooner had he got outside and stopped for a little rest than he was\nbesieged by servants begging him to take their accounts as usual.\nHowever, he pleaded illness and want of strength, and no more was\nsaid. He then took occasion to ask if they knew the district of\nCh\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing, and on being answered in the affirmative expressed his\nintention of going thither for a trip, as he felt dull and had nothing\nparticular to do, bidding them at the same time look after his affairs\nat home. They tried to dissuade him from this on the ground of his\nhaving but recently risen from a sick bed; but he paid no heed to\ntheir remonstrances, and on the very next day set out. Arriving in the\nCh\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing district, he found everything unchanged; and without\nbeing put to the necessity of asking the road, made his way straight\nto the monastery. His former disciples received him with every token\nof respect as an honoured visitor; and in reply to his question as to\nwhere the old priest was, they informed him that their worthy teacher\nhad been dead for some time. On asking to be shewn his grave, they led\nhim to a spot where there was a solitary mound some three feet high,\nover which the grass was not yet green. Not one of them knew his\nmotives for visiting this place; and by-and-by he ordered his horse,\nsaying to the disciples, \u201cYour master was a virtuous priest. Carefully\npreserve whatever relics of him you may have, and keep them from\ninjury.\u201d They all promised to do this, and he then set off on his way\nhome. When he arrived there, he fell into a listless state and took\nno interest in his family affairs. So much so, that after a few\nmonths he ran away and went straight to his former home at the\nmonastery, telling the disciples that he was their old master. This\nthey refused to believe, and laughed among themselves at his\npretensions; but he told them the whole story, and recalled many\nincidents of his previous life among them, until at last they were\nconvinced. He then occupied his old bed and went through the same\ndaily routine as before, paying no attention to the repeated\nentreaties of his family, who came with carriages and horses to beg\nhim to return.\n\nAbout a year subsequently, his wife sent one of the servants with\nsplendid presents of gold and silk, all of which he refused with the\nexception of a single linen robe. And whenever any of his old friends\npassed this monastery, they always went to pay him their respects,\nfinding him quiet, dignified, and pure. He was then barely thirty,\nthough he had been a priest for more than eighty years.[53]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[51] This form of sport may still be seen in the north of China. A\nhare being started, two Chinese greyhounds (which are very slow) are\nslipped from their leash in pursuit. But, as the hare would easily run\nstraight away from them, a falcon is released almost simultaneously.\nThe latter soars to a considerable height, and then swoops down on the\nhare, striking it a violent blow with the \u201cpounce,\u201d or claw. This\npartially stuns the hare, and allows the dogs to regain lost ground,\nby which time the hare is ready once more, and off they go again. The\nchase is ended by the hare getting to earth in a fox\u2019s burrow, or\nbeing ultimately overtaken by the dogs. In the latter case the heart\nand liver are cut out on the spot, and given to the falcon; otherwise\nhe would hunt no more that day. Two falcons are often released, one\nshortly after the other. They wear hoods, which are removed at the\nmoment of flying, and are attached by a slip-string from one leg to\nthe falconer\u2019s wrist. During the night previous to a day\u2019s hunting,\nthey are not allowed to sleep. Each falconer lies down with one falcon\non his left wrist, and keeps up an incessant tapping with the other on\nthe bird\u2019s head. This is done to make them fierce. Should the quarry\nescape, a hare\u2019s skin is thrown down, by which means the falcons are\nsecured, and made ready for a further flight. Occasionally, but\nrarely, the falcon misses its blow at the hare, with the result of a\nbroken or injured \u201carm.\u201d\n\n[52] Abstinence from wine and meat, and celibacy, are among the most\nimportant dogmas of the Buddhist church, as specially applied to its\npriesthood. At the door of every Buddhist monastery may be seen a\nnotice that \u201cNo wine or meat may enter here!\u201d Even the laity are not\nsupposed to drink wine.\n\n[53] Having renewed his youth by assuming the body of the young man\ninto which his soul had entered.\n\n\n\n\nVII.\n\nTHE MARRIAGE OF THE FOX\u2019S DAUGHTER.\n\n\nA president of the Board of Civil Office,[54] named Yin, and a native\nof Li-ch\u2018\u00eang, when a young man, was very badly off, but was endowed\nwith considerable physical courage. Now in his part of the country\nthere was a large establishment, covering several acres, with an\nunbroken succession of pavilions and verandahs, and belonging to one\nof the old county families; but because ghosts and apparitions were\nfrequently seen there, the place had for a long time remained\nuntenanted, and was overgrown with grass and weeds, no one venturing\nto enter in even in broad daylight. One evening when Yin was carousing\nwith some fellow-students, one of them jokingly said, \u201cIf anybody will\npass a night in the haunted house, the rest of us will stand him a\ndinner.\u201d Mr. Yin jumped up at this, and cried out, \u201cWhat is there\ndifficult in that?\u201d So, taking with him a sleeping-mat, he proceeded\nthither, escorted by all his companions as far as the door, where\nthey laughed and said, \u201cWe will wait here a little while. In case you\nsee anything, shout out to us at once.\u201d \u201cIf there are any goblins or\nfoxes,\u201d replied Yin, \u201cI\u2019ll catch them for you.\u201d He then went in, and\nfound the paths obliterated by long grass, which had sprung up,\nmingled with weeds of various kinds. It was just the time of the new\nmoon, and by its feeble light he was able to make out the door of the\nhouse. Feeling his way, he walked on until he reached the back\npavilion, and then went up on to the Moon Terrace, which was such a\npleasant spot that he determined to stop there. Gazing westwards, he\nsat for a long time looking at the moon--a single thread of light\nembracing in its horns the peak of a hill--without hearing anything at\nall unusual; so, laughing to himself at the nonsense people talked, he\nspread his mat upon the floor, put a stone under his head for a\npillow, and lay down to sleep. He had watched the Cow-herd and the\nLady[55] until they were just disappearing, and was on the point of\ndropping off, when suddenly he heard footsteps down below coming up\nthe stairs. Pretending to be asleep, he saw a servant enter, carrying\nin his hand a lotus-shaped lantern,[56] who, on observing Mr. Yin,\nrushed back in a fright, and said to someone behind, \u201cThere is a\nstranger here!\u201d The person spoken to asked who it was, but the servant\ndid not know; and then up came an old gentleman, who, after examining\nMr. Yin closely, said, \u201cIt\u2019s the future President: he\u2019s as drunk as\ncan be. We needn\u2019t mind him; besides, he\u2019s a good fellow, and won\u2019t\ngive us any trouble.\u201d So they walked in and opened all the doors; and\nby-and-by there were a great many other people moving about, and\nquantities of lamps were lighted, till the place was as light as day.\nAbout this time Mr. Yin slightly changed his position, and sneezed;\nupon which the old man, perceiving that he was awake, came forward and\nfell down on his knees, saying, \u201cSir, I have a daughter who is to be\nmarried this very night. It was not anticipated that Your Honour would\nbe here. I pray, therefore, that we may be excused.\u201d Mr. Yin got up\nand raised the old man, regretting that, in his ignorance of the\nfestive occasion, he had brought with him no present.[57] \u201cAh, Sir,\u201d\nreplied the old man, \u201cyour very presence here will ward off all\nnoxious influences; and that is quite enough for us.\u201d He then begged\nMr. Yin to assist in doing the honours, and thus double the obligation\nalready conferred. Mr. Yin readily assented, and went inside to look\nat the gorgeous arrangements they had made. He was here met by a lady,\napparently about forty years of age, whom the old gentleman introduced\nas his wife; and he had hardly made his bow when he heard the sound of\nflageolets,[58] and someone came hurrying in, saying, \u201cHe has come!\u201d\nThe old gentleman flew out to meet this personage, and Mr. Yin also\nstood up, awaiting his arrival. In no long time, a bevy of people with\ngauze lanterns ushered in the bridegroom himself, who seemed to be\nabout seventeen or eighteen years old, and of a most refined and\nprepossessing appearance. The old gentleman bade him pay his respects\nfirst to their worthy guest; and upon his looking towards Mr. Yin,\nthat gentleman came forward to welcome him on behalf of the host. Then\nfollowed ceremonies between the old man and his son-in-law; and when\nthese were over, they all sat down to supper. Hosts of waiting-maids\nbrought in profuse quantities of wine and meats, with bowls and cups\nof jade or gold, till the table glittered again. And when the wine had\ngone round several times, the old gentleman told one of the maids to\nsummon the bride. This she did, but some time passed and no bride\ncame. So the old man rose and drew aside the curtain, pressing the\nyoung lady to come forth; whereupon a number of women escorted out the\nbride, whose ornaments went _tinkle tinkle_ as she walked along, sweet\nperfumes being all the time diffused around. Her father told her to\nmake the proper salutation, after which she went and sat by her\nmother. Mr. Yin took a glance at her, and saw that she wore on her\nhead beautiful ornaments made of kingfisher\u2019s feathers, her beauty\nquite surpassing anything he had ever seen. All this time they had\nbeen drinking their wine out of golden goblets big enough to hold\nseveral pints, when it flashed across him that one of these goblets\nwould be a capital thing to carry back to his companions in evidence\nof what he had seen. So he secreted it in his sleeve, and, pretending\nto be tipsy,[59] leaned forward with his head upon the table as if\ngoing off to sleep. \u201cThe gentleman is drunk,\u201d said the guests; and\nby-and-by Mr. Yin heard the bridegroom take his leave, and there was a\ngeneral trooping downstairs to the tune of a wedding march. When they\nwere all gone the old gentleman collected the goblets, one of which\nwas missing, though they hunted high and low to find it. Someone\nmentioned the sleeping guest; but the old gentleman stopped him at\nonce for fear Mr. Yin should hear, and before long silence reigned\nthroughout. Mr. Yin then arose. It was dark, and he had no light; but\nhe could detect the lingering smell of the food, and the place was\nfilled with the fumes of wine. Faint streaks of light now appearing in\nthe east, he began quietly to make a move, having first satisfied\nhimself that the goblet was still in his sleeve. Arriving at the door,\nhe found his friends already there; for they had been afraid he might\ncome out after they left, and go in again early in the morning. When\nhe produced the goblet they were all lost in astonishment; and on\nhearing his story, they were fain to believe it, well knowing that a\npoor student like Yin was not likely to have such a valuable piece of\nplate in his possession.\n\nLater on Mr. Yin took his doctor\u2019s degree, and was appointed\nmagistrate over the district of Fei-ch\u2018iu, where there was an\nold-established family of the name of Chu. The head of the family\nasked him to a banquet in honour of his arrival, and ordered the\nservants to bring in the large goblets. After some delay a slave-girl\ncame and whispered something to her master which seemed to make him\nvery angry. Then the goblets were brought in, and Mr. Yin was invited\nto drink. He now found that these goblets were of precisely the same\nshape and pattern as the one he had at home, and at once begged his\nhost to tell him where he had had these made. \u201cWell,\u201d said Mr. Chu,\n\u201cthere should be eight of them. An ancestor of mine had them made,\nwhen he was a minister at the capital, by an experienced artificer.\nThey have been handed down in our family from generation to\ngeneration, and have now been carefully laid by for some time; but I\nthought we would have them out to-day as a compliment to your Honour.\nHowever, there are only seven to be found. None of the servants can\nhave touched them, for the old seals of ten years ago are still upon\nthe box, unbroken. I don\u2019t know what to make of it.\u201d Mr. Yin laughed,\nand said, \u201cIt must have flown away! Still, it is a pity to lose an\nheir-loom of that kind; and as I have a very similar one at home, I\nshall take upon myself to send it to you.\u201d When the banquet was over,\nMr. Yin went home, and taking out his own goblet, sent it off to Mr.\nChu. The latter was somewhat surprised to find that it was identical\nwith his own, and hurried away to thank the magistrate for his gift,\nasking him at the same time how it had come into his possession. Mr.\nYin told him the whole story, which proves conclusively that although\na fox may obtain possession of a thing, even at a distance of many\nhundred miles, he will not venture to keep it altogether.[60]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[54] One of the \u201cSix Boards\u201d at the capital, equivalent to our own War\nOffice, Board of Works, etc.\n\n[55] The Chinese names for two stars: \u03b2\u03b3 Aquila and \u03b1 Lyra.\n\n[56] Lanterns very prettily made to resemble all kinds of flowers are\nto be seen at the Chinese New Year.\n\n[57] This is, as with us, obligatory on all friends invited to a\nmarriage.\n\n[58] The accompaniment of all weddings and funerals in China.\n\n[59] The soberest people in the world, amongst whom anything like\nsottishness is comparatively unknown, think it no disgrace, but rather\ncomplimentary, to get pleasantly tipsy on all festive occasions; and\npeople who are physically unable to do so, frequently go so far as to\nhire substitutes to drink for them. Mandarins especially suffer very\nmuch from the custom of being obliged to \u201ctake wine\u201d with a large\nnumber of guests. For further on this subject, see No. LIV., note 292.\n\n[60] The wedding-party was, of course, composed entirely of foxes;\nthis animal being believed by the Chinese to be capable of appearing\nat will under the human form, and of doing either good or evil to its\nfriends or foes. These facts will be prominently brought out in\nseveral of the stories to follow.\n\n\n\n\nVIII.\n\nMISS CHIAO-NO.\n\n\nK\u2018ung Hs\u00fceh-li was a descendant of Confucius.[61] He was a man of\nconsiderable ability, and an excellent poet.[62] A fellow-student, to\nwhom he was much attached, became magistrate at T\u2018ien-t\u2018ai, and sent\nfor K\u2018ung to join him. Unfortunately, just before K\u2018ung arrived his\nfriend died, and he found himself without the means of returning home;\nso he took up his abode in a Buddhist monastery, where he was employed\nin transcribing for the priests. Several hundred paces to the west of\nthis monastery there was a house belonging to a Mr. Shan, a gentleman\nwho had known better days, but who had spent all his money in a heavy\nlaw-suit; and then, as his family was a small one, had gone away to\nlive in the country and left his house vacant. One day there was a\nheavy fall of snow which kept visitors away from the monastery; and\nK\u2018ung, finding it dull, went out. As he was passing by the door of the\nhouse above-mentioned, a young man of very elegant appearance came\nforth, who, the moment he saw K\u2018ung, ran up to him, and with a bow,\nentered into conversation, asking him to be pleased to walk in. K\u2018ung\nwas much taken with the young man, and followed him inside. The rooms\nwere not particularly large, but adorned throughout with embroidered\ncurtains, and from the walls hung scrolls and drawings by celebrated\nmasters. On the table lay a book, the title of which was, \u201cJottings\nfrom Paradise;\u201d and turning over its leaves, K\u2018ung found therein many\nstrange things. He did not ask the young man his name, presuming that\nas he lived in the Shan family mansion, he was necessarily the owner\nof the place. The young man, however, inquired what he was doing in\nthat part of the country, and expressed great sympathy with his\nmisfortunes, recommending him to set about taking pupils. \u201cAlas!\u201d said\nK\u2018ung, \u201cwho will play the M\u00e6cenas to a distressed wayfarer like\nmyself?\u201d \u201cIf,\u201d replied the young man, \u201cyou would condescend so far, I\nfor my part would gladly seek instruction at your hands.\u201d K\u2018ung was\nmuch gratified at this, but said he dared not arrogate to himself the\nposition of teacher, and begged merely to be considered as the young\nman\u2019s friend. He then asked him why the house had been shut up for so\nlong; to which the young man replied, \u201cThis is the Shan family\nmansion. It has been closed all this time because of the owner\u2019s\nremoval into the country. My surname is Huang-fu, and my home is in\nShen-si; but as our house has been burnt down in a great fire, we have\nput up here for a while.\u201d Thus Mr. K\u2018ung found out that his name was\nnot Shan. That evening they spent in laughing and talking together,\nand K\u2018ung remained there for the night. In the morning a lad came in\nto light the fire; and the young man, rising first, went into the\nprivate part of the house. Mr. K\u2018ung was sitting up with the\nbed-clothes still huddled round him, when the lad looked in and said,\n\u201cMaster\u2019s coming!\u201d So he jumped up with a start, and in came an old\nman with a silvery beard, who began to thank him, saying, \u201cI am very\nmuch obliged to you for your condescension in becoming my son\u2019s tutor.\nAt present he writes a villainous hand; and I can only hope you will\nnot allow the ties of friendship to interfere with discipline.\u201d\nThereupon, he presented Mr. K\u2018ung with an embroidered suit of clothes,\na sable hat, and a set of shoes and stockings; and when the latter had\nwashed and dressed himself he called for wine and food. K\u2018ung could\nnot make out what the valances of the chairs and tables were made of:\nthey were so very bright-coloured and dazzling. By-and-by, when the\nwine had circulated several times, the old gentleman picked up his\nwalking-stick and took his leave. After breakfast, the young man\nhanded in his theme, which turned out to be written in an archaic\nstyle, and not at all after the modern fashion of essay-writing. K\u2018ung\nasked him why he had done this, to which the young man replied that he\ndid not contemplate competing at the public examinations. In the\nevening they had another drinking-bout, but it was agreed that there\nshould be no more of it after that night. The young man then called\nthe boy and told him to see if his father was asleep or not; adding,\nthat if he was, he might quietly summon Miss Perfume. The boy went\noff, first taking a guitar out of a very pretty case; and in a few\nminutes in came a very nice-looking young girl. The young man bade\nher play the _Death of Shun_;[63] and seizing an ivory plectrum she\nswept the chords, pouring forth a vocal melody of exquisite sweetness\nand pathos. He then gave her a goblet of wine to drink, and it was\nmidnight before they parted. Next morning they got up early and\nsettled down to work. The young man proved an apt scholar; he could\nremember what he had once read, and at the end of two or three months\nhad made astonishing progress. Then they agreed that every five days\nthey would indulge in a symposium, and that Miss Perfume should always\nbe of the party. One night when the wine had gone into K\u2018ung\u2019s head,\nhe seemed to be lost in a reverie; whereupon his young friend, who\nknew what was the matter with him, said, \u201cThis girl was brought up by\nmy father. I know you find it lonely, and I have long been looking out\nfor a nice wife for you.\u201d \u201cLet her only resemble Miss Perfume,\u201d said\nK\u2018ung, \u201cand she will do.\u201d \u201cYour experience,\u201d said the young man,\nlaughing, \u201cis but limited, and, consequently, anything is a surprise\nto you. If Miss Perfume is your _beau ideal_, why it will not be\ndifficult to satisfy you.\u201d\n\nSome six months had passed away, when one day Mr. K\u2018ung took it into\nhis head that he would like to go out for a stroll in the country. The\nentrance, however, was carefully closed; and on asking the reason, the\nyoung man told him that his father wished to receive no guests for\nfear of causing interruption to his studies. So K\u2018ung thought no more\nabout it; and by-and-by, when the heat of summer came on, they moved\ntheir study to a pavilion in the garden. At this time Mr. K\u2018ung had a\nswelling on the chest about as big as a peach, which, in a single\nnight, increased to the size of a bowl. There he lay groaning with the\npain, while his pupil waited upon him day and night. He slept badly\nand took hardly any food; and in a few days the place got so much\nworse that he could neither eat nor drink. The old gentleman also came\nin, and he and his son lamented over him together. Then the young man\nsaid, \u201cI was thinking last night that my sister, Chiao-no, would be\nable to cure Mr. K\u2018ung, and accordingly I sent over to my\ngrandmother\u2019s asking her to come. She ought to be here by now.\u201d At\nthat moment a servant entered and announced Miss Chiao-no, who had\ncome with her cousin, having been at her aunt\u2019s house. Her father and\nbrother ran out to meet her, and then brought her in to see Mr. K\u2018ung.\nShe was between thirteen and fourteen years old, and had beautiful\neyes with a very intelligent expression in them, and a most graceful\nfigure besides. No sooner had Mr. K\u2018ung beheld this lovely creature\nthan he quite forgot to groan, and began to brighten up. Meanwhile the\nyoung man was saying, \u201cThis respected friend of mine is the same to\nme as a brother. Try, sister, to cure him.\u201d Miss Chiao-no immediately\ndismissed her blushes, and rolling up her long sleeves approached the\nbed to feel his pulse.[64] As she was grasping his wrist, K\u2018ung became\nconscious of a perfume more delicate than that of the epidendrum; and\nthen she laughed, saying, \u201cThis illness was to be expected; for the\nheart is touched. Though it is severe, a cure can be effected; but, as\nthere is already a swelling, not without using the knife.\u201d Then she\ndrew from her arm a gold bracelet which she pressed down upon the\nsuffering spot, until by degrees the swelling rose within the bracelet\nand overtopped it by an inch and more, the outlying parts that were\ninflamed also passing under, and thus very considerably reducing the\nextent of the tumour. With one hand she opened her robe and took out a\nknife with an edge as keen as paper, and pressing the bracelet down\nall the time with the other, proceeded to cut lightly round near the\nroot of the swelling. The dark blood gushed forth, and stained the bed\nand the mat; but Mr. K\u2018ung was delighted to be near such a\nbeauty,--not only felt no pain, but would willingly have continued the\noperation that she might sit by him a little longer. In a few moments\nthe whole thing was removed, and the place looked like the knot on a\ntree where a branch has been cut away. Here Miss Chiao-no called for\nwater to wash the wound, and from between her lips she took a red pill\nas big as a bullet, which she laid upon the flesh, and, after drawing\nthe skin together, passed round and round the place. The first turn\nfelt like the searing of a hot iron; the second like a gentle itching;\nand at the third he experienced a sensation of lightness and coolness\nwhich penetrated into his very bones and marrow. The young lady then\nreturned the pill to her mouth, and said, \u201cHe is cured,\u201d hurrying away\nas fast as she could. Mr. K\u2018ung jumped up to thank her, and found that\nhis complaint had quite disappeared. Her beauty, however, had made\nsuch an impression on him that his troubles were hardly at an end.\nFrom this moment he gave up his books, and took no interest in\nanything. This state of things was soon noticed by the young man, who\nsaid to him, \u201cMy brother, I have found a fine match for you.\u201d \u201cWho is\nit to be?\u201d asked K\u2018ung. \u201cOh, one of the family,\u201d replied his friend.\nThereupon Mr. K\u2018ung remained some time lost in thought, and at length\nsaid, \u201cPlease don\u2019t!\u201d Then turning his face to the wall, he repeated\nthese lines:--\n\n \u201cSpeak not of lakes and streams to him who once has seen the sea;\n The clouds that circle Wu\u2019s peak are the only clouds for me.\u201d\n\nThe young man guessed to whom he was alluding, and replied, \u201cMy father\nhas a very high opinion of your talents, and would gladly receive you\ninto the family, but that he has only one daughter, and she is much\ntoo young. My cousin, Ah-sung, however, is seventeen years old, and\nnot at all a bad-looking girl. If you doubt my word, you can wait in\nthe verandah until she takes her daily walk in the garden, and thus\njudge for yourself.\u201d This Mr. K\u2018ung acceded to, and accordingly saw\nMiss Chiao-no come out with a lovely girl--her black eyebrows\nbeautifully arched, and her tiny feet encased in ph\u0153nix-shaped\nshoes--as like one another as they well could be. He was of course\ndelighted, and begged the young man to arrange all preliminaries; and\nthe very next day his friend came to tell him that the affair was\nfinally settled. A portion of the house was given up to the bride and\nbridegroom, and the marriage was celebrated with plenty of music and\nhosts of guests, more like a fairy wedding than anything else. Mr.\nK\u2018ung was very happy, and began to think that the position of Paradise\nhad been wrongly laid down, until one day the young man came to him\nand said, \u201cFor the trouble you have been at in teaching me, I shall\never remain your debtor. At the present moment, the Shan family\nlaw-suit has been brought to a termination, and they wish to resume\npossession of their house immediately. We therefore propose returning\nto Shen-si, and as it is unlikely that you and I will ever meet again,\nI feel very sorrowful at the prospect of parting.\u201d Mr. K\u2018ung replied\nthat he would go too, but the young man advised him to return to his\nold home. This, he observed, was no easy matter; upon which the young\nman said, \u201cDon\u2019t let that trouble you: I will see you safe there.\u201d\nBy-and-by his father came in with Mr. K\u2018ung\u2019s wife, and presented Mr.\nK\u2018ung with one hundred ounces of gold; and then the young man gave the\nhusband and wife each one of his hands to grasp, bidding them shut\ntheir eyes. The next instant they were floating away in the air, with\nthe wind whizzing in their ears. In a little while he said, \u201cYou have\narrived,\u201d and opening his eyes, K\u2018ung beheld his former home. Then he\nknew that the young man was not a human being. Joyfully he knocked at\nthe old door, and his mother was astonished to see him arrive with\nsuch a nice wife. They were all rejoicing together, when he turned\nround and found that his friend had disappeared. His wife attended on\nher mother-in-law with great devotion, and acquired a reputation both\nfor virtue and beauty, which was spread round far and near. Some time\npassed away, and then Mr. K\u2018ung took his doctor\u2019s degree, and was\nappointed Governor of the Gaol in Yen-ngan. He proceeded to his post\nwith his wife only, the journey being too long for his mother, and\nby-and-by a son was born. Then he got into trouble by being too honest\nan official, and threw up his appointment; but had not the wherewithal\nto get home again. One day when out hunting he met a handsome young\nman riding on a nice horse, and seeing that he was staring very hard\nlooked closely at him. It was young Huang-fu. So they drew bridle, and\nfell to laughing and crying by turns,--the young man then inviting\nK\u2018ung to go along with him. They rode on together until they had\nreached a village thickly shaded with trees, so that the sun and sky\nwere invisible overhead, and entered into a most elaborately-decorated\nmansion, such as might belong to an old-established family. K\u2018ung\nasked after Miss Chiao-no, and heard that she was married; also that\nhis own mother-in-law was dead, at which tidings he was greatly moved.\nNext day he went back and returned again with his wife. Chiao-no also\njoined them, and taking up K\u2018ung\u2019s child played with it, saying, \u201cYour\nmother played us truant.\u201d Mr. K\u2018ung did not forget to thank her for\nher former kindness to him, to which she replied, \u201cYou\u2019re a great man\nnow. Though the wound has healed, haven\u2019t you forgotten the pain yet?\u201d\nHer husband, too, came to pay his respects, returning with her on the\nfollowing morning. One day the young Huang-fu seemed troubled in\nspirit, and said to Mr. K\u2018ung, \u201cA great calamity is impending. Can you\nhelp us?\u201d Mr. K\u2018ung did not know what he was alluding to, but readily\npromised his assistance. The young man then ran out and summoned the\nwhole family to worship in the ancestral hall, at which Mr. K\u2018ung was\nalarmed, and asked what it all meant. \u201cYou know,\u201d answered the young\nman, \u201cI am not a man but a fox. To-day we shall be attacked by\nthunder;[65] and if only you will aid us in our trouble, we may still\nhope to escape. If you are unwilling, take your child and go, that you\nmay not be involved with us.\u201d Mr. K\u2018ung protested he would live or die\nwith them, and so the young man placed him with a sword at the door,\nbidding him remain quiet there in spite of all the thunder. He did as\nhe was told, and soon saw black clouds obscuring the light until it\nwas all as dark as pitch. Looking round, he could see that the house\nhad disappeared, and that its place was occupied by a huge mound and a\nbottomless pit. In the midst of his terror, a fearful peal was heard\nwhich shook the very hills, accompanied by a violent wind and driving\nrain. Old trees were torn up, and Mr. K\u2018ung became both dazed and\ndeaf. Yet he stood firm until he saw in a dense black column of smoke\na horrid thing with a sharp beak and long claws, with which it\nsnatched some one from the hole, and was disappearing up with the\nsmoke. In an instant K\u2018ung knew by her clothes and shoes that the\nvictim was no other than Chiao-no, and instantly jumping up he struck\nthe devil violently with his sword, and cut it down. Immediately the\nmountains were riven, and a sharp peal of thunder laid K\u2018ung dead upon\nthe ground. Then the clouds cleared away, and Chiao-no gradually came\nround, to find K\u2018ung dead at her feet. She burst out crying at the\nsight, and declared that she would not live since K\u2018ung had died for\nher. K\u2018ung\u2019s wife also came out, and they bore the body inside.\nChiao-no then made Ah-sung hold her husband\u2019s head, while her brother\nprised open his teeth with a hair-pin, and she herself arranged his\njaw. She next put a red pill into his mouth, and bending down breathed\ninto him. The pill went along with the current of air, and presently\nthere was a gurgle in his throat, and he came round. Seeing all the\nfamily about him, he was disturbed as if waking from a dream. However\nthey were all united together, and fear gave place to joy; but Mr.\nK\u2018ung objected to live in that out-of-the-way place, and proposed that\nthey should return with him to his native village. To this they were\nonly too pleased to assent--all except Chiao-no; and when Mr. K\u2018ung\ninvited her husband, Mr. Wu, as well, she said she feared her father\nand mother-in-law would not like to lose the children. They had tried\nall day to persuade her, but without success, when suddenly in rushed\none of the Wu family\u2019s servants, dripping with perspiration and quite\nout of breath. They asked what was the matter, and the servant replied\nthat the Wu family had been visited by a calamity on the very same\nday, and had every one perished. Chiao-no cried very bitterly at this,\nand could not be comforted; but now there was nothing to prevent them\nfrom all returning together. Mr. K\u2018ung went into the city for a few\ndays on business, and then they set to work packing-up night and day.\nOn arriving at their destination, separate apartments were allotted to\nyoung Mr. Huang-fu, and these he kept carefully shut up, only opening\nthe door to Mr. K\u2018ung and his wife.\n\nMr. K\u2018ung amused himself with the young man and his sister Chiao-no,\nfilling up the time with chess,[66] wine, conversation, and good\ncheer, as if they had been one family. His little boy, Huan, grew up\nto be a handsome young man, with a fox-like _penchant_ for roaming\nabout; and it was generally known that he was actually the son of a\nfox.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[61] Lineal descendants of Confucius are to be found at this day near\ntheir founder\u2019s mausoleum in Shantung. The head of the family is a\nhereditary _kung_ or \u201cduke,\u201d and each member enjoys a share of the\nrevenues with which the family has been endowed, in well-merited\nrecognition of the undying influence of China\u2019s greatest sage.\n\n[62] More or less proficiency in the art of poetry is an absolutely\nessential qualification for all who present themselves at the great\ncompetitive tests by which successful candidates are admitted to\nChinese official life. [See _Appendix_ A.] The following anecdote is\ngiven by the London correspondent of the _Leeds Mercury_:--\n\n\u201cThe new Chinese ambassador in this country is a man of considerable\nliterary ability, and perhaps one of the few diplomatists since the\ndays of Matthew Prior (Lord Lytton alone excepted) who has achieved\ndistinction as a poet. Shortly after his arrival in this country, he\nexpressed a wish to become acquainted with the principal English\npoets, and as Mr. Browning is more accessible and more a man of the\nworld than the Poet Laureate, an arrangement was made the other day by\nwhich the two should be brought in contact with one another. After the\nmutual courtesies, Mr. Browning having learnt that His Excellency was\nalso a poet, expressed a desire to know how much he had published.\n\u201cOnly three or four volumes,\u201d was the reply, through the interpreter.\n\u201cThen,\u201d said Mr. Browning, \u201cI am a greater offender than His\nExcellency, and unequal to him in self-restraint. What kind of poetry\ndoes His Excellency write: pastoral, humorous, epic or what?\u201d There\nwas a pause for a short time. At length the interpreter said that His\nExcellency thought his poetry would be better described as the\n\u201cenigmatic.\u201d \u201cSurely,\u201d replied Mr. Browning, \u201cthere ought then to be\nthe deepest sympathy between us, for that is just the criticism which\nis brought against my own works; and I believe it to be a just one.\u201d\u201d\n\n[63] One of the two celebrated but legendary rulers of China in the\ngolden ages of antiquity. Yao--who died B.C. 2258--nominated as his\nsuccessor a young and virtuous husbandman named Shun, giving him both\nhis daughters in marriage. At the death of Shun, these ladies are said\nto have wept so much that their tears literally drenched the bamboos\nwhich grew beside their husband\u2019s grave; and the speckled bamboo is\nnow commonly known as the bamboo of Shun\u2019s wives.\n\n[64] Volumes have been written by Chinese doctors on the subject of\nthe pulse. They profess to distinguish as many as twenty-four\ndifferent kinds, among which is one well known to our own\npractitioners--namely, the \u201cthready\u201d pulse; they, moreover, make a\npoint of feeling the pulses of _both_ wrists.\n\n[65] The Chinese believe that wicked people are struck by the God of\nThunder, and killed in punishment for some hidden crime. They regard\nlightning merely as an arrangement by which the God is enabled to see\nhis victim.\n\n[66] Chinese \u201cchess\u201d is similar to, but not identical with, our game.\nThe board is divided by a river, and the king is confined to a small\nsquare of moves on his own territory. The game _par excellence_ in\nChina is _wei-ch\u2018i_, an account of which I contributed to the _Temple\nBar_ Magazine for January, 1877.\n\n\n\n\nIX.\n\nMAGICAL ARTS.\n\n\nA certain Mr. Y\u00fc was a spirited young fellow, fond of boxing and\ntrials of strength. He was able to take two kettles and swing them\nround about with the speed of the wind. Now, during the reign of\nCh\u2018ung Ch\u00eang,[67] when up for the final examination at the capital,\nhis servant became seriously ill. Much troubled at this, he applied to\na necromancer in the market-place[68] who was skilful at determining\nthe various leases of life allotted to men. Before he had uttered a\nword, the necromancer asked him, saying, \u201cIs it not about your\nservant, Sir, that you would consult me?\u201d Mr. Y\u00fc was startled at this,\nand replied that it was. \u201cThe sick man,\u201d continued the necromancer,\n\u201cwill come to no harm; you, Sir, are the one in danger.\u201d Mr. Y\u00fc then\nbegged him to cast his nativity, which he proceeded to do, finally\nsaying to Mr. Y\u00fc, \u201cYou have but three days to live!\u201d Dreadfully\nfrightened, he remained some time in a state of stupefaction, when the\nnecromancer quietly observed that he possessed the power of averting\nthis calamity by magic, and would exert it for the sum of ten ounces\nof silver. But Mr. Y\u00fc reflected that Life and Death are already\nfixed,[69] and he didn\u2019t see how magic could save him. So he refused,\nand was just going away, whereupon the necromancer said, \u201cYou grudge\nthis trifling outlay. I hope you will not repent it.\u201d Mr. Y\u00fc\u2019s friends\nalso urged him to pay the money, advising him rather to empty his\npurse than not secure the necromancer\u2019s compassion. Mr. Y\u00fc, however,\nwould not hear of it and the three days slipped quickly away. Then he\nsat down calmly in his inn to see what was going to happen. Nothing\ndid happen all day, and at night he shut his door and trimmed the\nlamp; then, with a sword at his side, he awaited the approach of\ndeath.\n\nBy-and-by, the clepsydra[70] shewed that two hours had already gone\nwithout bringing him any nearer to dissolution; and he was thinking\nabout lying down, when he heard a scratching at the window, and then\nsaw a tiny little man creep through, carrying a spear on his shoulder,\nwho, on reaching the ground, shot up to the ordinary height. Mr. Y\u00fc\nseized his sword and at once struck at it; but only succeeded in\ncutting the air. His visitor instantly shrunk down small again, and\nmade an attempt to escape through the crevice of the window; but Y\u00fc\nredoubled his blows and at last brought him to the ground. Lighting\nthe lamp, he found only a paper man,[71] cut right through the middle.\nThis made him afraid to sleep, and he sat up watching, until in a\nlittle time he saw a horrid hobgoblin creep through the same place. No\nsooner did it touch the ground than he assailed it lustily with his\nsword, at length cutting it in half. Seeing, however, that both halves\nkept on wriggling about, and fearing that it might get up again, he\nwent on hacking at it. Every blow told, giving forth a hard sound, and\nwhen he came to examine his work, he found a clay image all knocked to\npieces. Upon this he moved his seat near to the window, and kept his\neye fixed upon the crack. After some time, he heard a noise like a\nbull bellowing outside the window, and something pushed against the\nwindow-frame with such force as to make the whole house tremble and\nseem about to fall. Mr. Y\u00fc, fearing he should be buried under the\nruins, thought he could not do better than fight outside; so he\naccordingly burst open the door with a crash and rushed out. There he\nfound a huge devil, as tall as the house, and he saw by the dim light\nof the moon that its face was as black as coal. Its eyes shot forth\nyellow fire: it had nothing either upon its shoulders or feet; but\nheld a bow in its hand and had some arrows at its waist. Mr. Y\u00fc was\nterrified; and the devil discharged an arrow at him which he struck to\nthe ground with his sword. On Mr. Y\u00fc preparing to strike, the devil\nlet off another arrow which the former avoided by jumping aside, the\narrow quivering in the wall beyond with a smart crack. The devil here\ngot very angry, and drawing his sword flourished it like a whirlwind,\naiming a tremendous blow at Mr. Y\u00fc. Mr. Y\u00fc ducked, and the whole force\nof the blow fell upon the stone wall of the house, cutting it right in\ntwo. Mr. Y\u00fc then ran out from between the devil\u2019s legs, and began\nhacking at its back--whack!--whack! The devil now became furious, and\nroared like thunder, turning round to get another blow at his\nassailant. But Mr. Y\u00fc again ran between his legs, the devil\u2019s sword\nmerely cutting off a piece of his coat. Once more he hacked\naway--whack!--whack!--and at length the devil came tumbling down flat.\nMr. Y\u00fc cut at him right and left, each blow resounding like the\nwatchman\u2019s wooden gong;[72] and then, bringing a light, he found it\nwas a wooden image about as tall as a man. The bow and arrows were\nstill there, the latter attached to its waist. Its carved and painted\nfeatures were most hideous to behold; and wherever Mr. Y\u00fc had struck\nit with his sword, there was blood. Mr. Y\u00fc sat with the light in his\nhand till morning, when he awaked to the fact that all these devils\nhad been sent by the necromancer in order to kill him, and so evidence\nhis own magical power. The next day, after having told the story far\nand wide, he went with some others to the place where the necromancer\nhad his stall; but the latter, seeing them coming, vanished in the\ntwinkling of an eye. Some one observed that the blood of a dog would\nreveal a person who had made himself invisible, and Mr. Y\u00fc immediately\nprocured some and went back with it. The necromancer disappeared as\nbefore, but on the spot where he had been standing they quickly threw\ndown the dog\u2019s blood. Thereupon they saw his head and face all smeared\nover with the blood, his eyes glaring like a devil\u2019s; and at once\nseizing him, they handed him over to the authorities, by whom he was\nput to death.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[67] The last emperor of the Ming dynasty. Began to reign A.D. 1628.\n\n[68] The trade of fortune-teller is one of the most flourishing in\nChina. A large majority of the candidates who are unsuccessful at the\npublic examinations devote their energies in this direction; and in\nevery Chinese city there are regular establishments whither the\nsuperstitious people repair to consult the oracle on every imaginable\nsubject; not to mention hosts of itinerant soothsayers, both in town\nand country, whose stock-in-trade consists of a trestle-table, pen,\nink, and paper, and a few other mysterious implements of their art.\nThe nature of the response, favourable or otherwise, is determined by\nan inspection of the year, month, day and hour at which the applicant\nwas born, taken in combination with other particulars referring to the\nquestion at issue.\n\n[69] A firm belief in predestination is an important characteristic of\nthe Chinese mind. \u201cAll is destiny\u201d is a phrase daily in the mouth of\nevery man, woman, and child, in the empire. Confucius himself, we are\ntold, objected to discourse to his disciples upon this topic; but it\nis evident from many passages in the _Lun Y\u00fc_, or _Confucian Gospels_,\n[Book VI. ch. 8., Book XIV. ch. 38, &c.] that he believed in a certain\npre-arrangement of human affairs, against which all efforts would be\nunavailing.\n\n[70] An appliance of very ancient date in China, now superseded by\ncheap clocks and watches. A large clepsydra, consisting of four copper\njars standing on steps one above the other, is still, however, to be\nseen in the city of Canton, and is in excellent working order, the\nnight-watches being determined by reference to its indicator in the\nlower jar. By its aid, coils of \u201cjoss-stick,\u201d or pastille, are\nregulated to burn so many hours, and are sold to the poor, who use\nthem both for the purpose of guiding their extremely vague notions of\ntime, and for the oft-recurring tobacco-pipe.\n\n[71] \u201cPaper men\u201d are a source of great dread to the people at large.\nDuring the year 1876 whole provinces were convulsed by the belief that\nsome such superstitious agency was at work to deprive innocent persons\nof their tails; and the so-called \u201cPope\u201d of the Taoist religion even\nwent so far as to publish a charm against the machinations of the\nunseen. It ran as follows:--\u201cYe who urge filthy devils to spy out the\npeople!--the Master\u2019s spirits are at hand and will soon discover you.\nWith this charm anyone may travel by sunlight, moonlight, or starlight\nall over the earth.\u201d At one time popular excitement ran so high that\nserious consequences were anticipated; and the mandarins in the\naffected districts found it quite as much as they could do to prevent\nlynch-law being carried out on harmless strangers who were unlucky\nenough to give rise to the slightest suspicion.\n\nTaoist priests are generally credited with the power of cutting out\nhuman, animal, or other figures, of infusing vitality into them on the\nspot, and of employing them for purposes of good or evil.\n\n[72] Watchmen in China, when on their nightly rounds, keep up an\nincessant beating on what, for want of a better term, we have called a\nwooden gong. The object is to let thieves know they are awake and on\nthe look-out.\n\n\n\n\nX.\n\nJOINING THE IMMORTALS.\n\n\nA Mr. Chou, of W\u00ean-t\u00eang, had in his youth been fellow-student with a\nMr. Ch\u2018\u00eang, and a firm friendship was the result. The latter was poor,\nand depended very much upon Chou, who was the elder of the two. He\ncalled Chou\u2019s wife his \u201csister,\u201d and had the run of the house just as\nif he was one of the family. Now this wife happening to die in\nchild-bed, Chou married another named Wang; but as she was quite a\nyoung girl, Ch\u2018\u00eang did not seek to be introduced.[73] One day her\nyounger brother came to visit her, and was being entertained in the\n\u201cinner\u201d apartments[74] when Ch\u2018\u00eang chanced to call. The servant\nannounced his arrival, and Chou bade him ask Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang in. But Ch\u2018\u00eang\nwould not enter, and took his leave. Thereupon Chou caused the\nentertainment to be moved into the public part of the house, and,\nsending after Ch\u2018\u00eang, succeeded in bringing him back. They had hardly\nsat down before some one came in to say that a former servant of the\nestablishment had been severely beaten at the magistrate\u2019s yam\u00ean; the\nfacts of the case being that a cow-boy of the Huang family connected\nwith the Board of Rites had driven his cattle across the Chou family\u2019s\nland, and that words had arisen between the two servants in\nconsequence; upon which the Huang family\u2019s servant had complained to\nhis master, who had seized the other and had sent him in to the\nmagistrate\u2019s, where he had been bambooed. When Mr. Chou found out what\nthe matter was, he was exceedingly angry, and said, \u201cHow dares this\npig-boy fellow behave thus? Why, only a generation ago his master was\nmy father\u2019s servant! He emerges a little from his obscurity, and\nimmediately thinks himself I don\u2019t know what!\u201d Swelling with rage, he\nrose to go in quest of Huang, but Ch\u2018\u00eang held him back, saying, \u201cThe\nage is corrupt: there is no distinction between right and wrong.\nBesides, the officials of the day are half of them thieves, and you\nwill only get yourself into hot water.\u201d Chou, however, would not\nlisten to him; and it was only when tears were added to remonstrances\nthat he consented to let the matter drop. But his anger did not cease,\nand he lay tossing and turning all night. In the morning he said to\nhis family, \u201cI can stand the insults of Mr. Huang; but the magistrate\nis an officer of the Government, and not the servant of influential\npeople. If there is a case of any kind, he should hear both plaintiff\nand defendant, and not act like a dog, biting anybody he is set upon.\nI will bring an action against the cow-boy, and see what the\nmagistrate will do to him.\u201d As his family rather egged him on, he\naccordingly proceeded to the magistrate\u2019s and entered a formal plaint;\nbut that functionary tore up his petition, and would have nothing to\ndo with it. This roused Chou\u2019s anger, and he told the magistrate\nplainly what he thought of him, in return for which contempt of court\nhe was at once seized and bound. During the forenoon Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang called\nat his house, where he learnt that Chou had gone into the city to\nprosecute the cow-boy, and immediately hurried after him with a view\nto stop proceedings. But his friend was already in the gaol, and all\nhe could do was to stamp his foot in anger. Now it happened that three\npirates had just been caught; and the magistrate and Huang, putting\ntheir heads together, bribed these fellows to say that Chou was one of\ntheir gang, whereupon the higher authorities were petitioned to\ndeprive him of his status as a graduate,[75] and the magistrate then\nhad him most unmercifully bambooed.[76] Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang gained admittance\nto the gaol, and, after a painful interview, proposed that a petition\nshould be presented direct to the Throne. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried Chou, \u201chere\nam I bound and guarded, like a bird in a cage. I have indeed a young\nbrother, but it is as much as he can do to provide me with food.\u201d Then\nCh\u2018\u00eang stepped forward, saying, \u201cI will perform this service. Of what\nuse are friends who will not assist in the hour of trouble?\u201d So away\nhe went, and Chou\u2019s son provided him with money to defray his\nexpenses. After a long journey he arrived at the capital, where he\nfound himself quite at a loss as to how he should get the petition\npresented. However, hearing that the Emperor was about to set out on a\nhunting tour, he concealed himself in the market-place, and when His\nMajesty passed by, prostrated himself on the ground with loud cries\nand gesticulations. The Emperor received his petition, and sent it to\nthe Board of Punishments,[77] desiring to be furnished with a report\non the case. It was then more than ten months since the beginning of\nthe affair, and Chou, who had been made to confess[78] to this false\ncharge, was already under sentence of death; so that the officers of\nthe Board were very much alarmed when they received the Imperial\ninstructions, and set to work to re-hear the case in person. Huang was\nalso much alarmed, and devised a plan for killing Mr. Chou by bribing\nthe gaolers to stop his food and drink; so that when his brother\nbrought provisions he was rudely thrust back and prevented from\ntaking them in. Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang complained of this to the Viceroy of the\nprovince, who investigated the matter himself, and found that Chou was\nin the last stage of starvation, for which the gaolers were bambooed\nto death. Terrified out of his wits, Huang, by dint of bribing\nheavily, succeeded in absconding and escaping a just punishment for\nhis crimes. The magistrate, however, was banished for perversion of\nthe law, and Chou was permitted to return home, his affection for\nCh\u2018\u00eang being now very much increased. But ever after the prosecution\nand his friend\u2019s captivity, Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang took a dismal view of human\naffairs, and one day invited Chou to retire with him from the world.\nThe latter, who was deeply attached to his young wife, threw cold\nwater on the proposition, and Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang pursued the subject no\nfarther, though his own mind was fully made up. Not seeing him for\nsome days afterwards, Mr. Chou sent to inquire about him at his house;\nbut there they all thought he was at Chou\u2019s, neither family, in fact,\nhaving seen anything of him. This looked suspicious, and Chou, aware\nof his peculiarity, sent off people to look for him, bidding them\nsearch all the temples and monasteries in the neighbourhood. He also\nfrom time to time supplied Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s son with money and other\nnecessaries.\n\nEight or nine years had passed away when suddenly Ch\u2018\u00eang re-appeared,\nclad in a yellow cap and stole, and wearing the expression of a Taoist\npriest. Chou was delighted, and seized his arm, saying, \u201cWhere have\nyou been?--letting me search for you all over the place.\u201d \u201cThe\nsolitary cloud and the wild crane,\u201d replied Ch\u2018\u00eang, laughing, \u201chave no\nfixed place of abode. Since we last met my equanimity has happily been\nrestored.\u201d Chou then ordered wine, and they chatted together on what\nhad taken place in the interval. He also tried to persuade Ch\u2018\u00eang to\ndetach himself from the Taoist persuasion, but the latter only smiled\nand answered nothing. \u201cIt is absurd!\u201d argued Chou. \u201cWhy cast aside\nyour wife and child as you would an old pair of shoes?\u201d \u201cNot so,\u201d\nanswered Ch\u2018\u00eang; \u201ca man may wish to cast aside his son, but how can he\ndo so?\u201d Chou asked where he lived, to which he replied, \u201cIn the Great\nPure Mansion on Mount Lao.\u201d They then retired to sleep on the same\nbed; and by-and-by Chou dreamt that Ch\u2018\u00eang was lying on his chest so\nthat he could not breathe. In a fright he asked him what he was doing,\nbut got no answer; and then he waked up with a start. Calling to\nCh\u2018\u00eang and receiving no reply, he sat up and stretched out his hand to\ntouch him. The latter, however, had vanished, he knew not whither.\nWhen he got calm, he found he was lying at Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s end of the bed,\nwhich rather startled him. \u201cI was not tipsy last night,\u201d reflected he;\n\u201chow could I have got over here?\u201d He next called his servants, and\nwhen they came and struck a light, lo! he was Ch\u2018\u00eang. Now Chou had had\na beard, so he put up his hand to feel for it, but found only a few\nstraggling hairs. He then seized a mirror to look at himself, and\ncried out in alarm: \u201cIf this is Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang, where on earth am I?\u201d By\nthis time he was wide awake, and knew that Ch\u2018\u00eang had employed magic\nto induce him to retire from the world. He was on the point of\nentering the ladies\u2019 apartments; but his brother, not recognising who\nhe was, stopped him, and would not let him go in; and as he himself\nwas unable to prove his own identity, he ordered his horse that he\nmight go in search of Ch\u2018\u00eang. After some days\u2019 journey he arrived at\nMount Lao; and, as his horse went along at a good rate, the servant\ncould not keep up with him. By-and-by he rested awhile under a tree,\nand saw a great number of Taoist priests going backwards and forwards,\nand among them was one who stared fixedly at him. So he inquired of\nhim where he should find Ch\u2018\u00eang; whereat the priest laughed and said,\n\u201cI know the name. He is probably in the Great Pure Mansion.\u201d When he\nhad given this answer he went on his way, Chou following him with his\neyes about a stone\u2019s throw, until he saw him speak with some one else,\nand, after saying a few words, proceed onwards as before. The person\nwhom he had spoken with came on to where Chou was, and turned out to\nbe a fellow-townsman of his. He was much surprised at meeting Chou,\nand said, \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you for some years. They told me you had\ngone to Mount Lao to be a Taoist priest. How is it you are still\namusing yourself among mortals?\u201d Chou told him who he really was; upon\nwhich the other replied, \u201cWhy, I thought the gentleman I just met was\nyou! He has only just left me, and can\u2019t have got very far.\u201d \u201cIs it\npossible,\u201d cried Chou, \u201cthat I didn\u2019t know my own face?\u201d Just then\nthe servant came up, and away they went full speed, but could not\ndiscover the object of their search. All around them was a vast\ndesert, and they were at a loss whether to go on or to return. But\nChou reflected that he had no longer any home to receive him, and\ndetermined to carry out his design to the bitter end; but as the road\nwas dangerous for riding, he gave his horse to the servant, and bade\nhim go back. On he went cautiously by himself, until he spied a boy\nsitting by the wayside alone. He hurried up to him and asked the boy\nto direct him where he could find Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang. \u201cI am one of his\ndisciples,\u201d replied the lad; and, shouldering Chou\u2019s bundle, started\noff to shew the way. They journeyed on together, taking their food by\nthe light of the stars, and sleeping in the open air, until, after\nmany miles of road, they arrived in three days at their destination.\nBut this Great Pure locality was not like that generally spoken of in\nthe world. Though as late as the middle of the tenth moon, there was a\ngreat profusion of flowers along the road, quite unlike the beginning\nof winter. The lad went in and announced the arrival of a stranger,\nwhereupon Mr. Ch\u2018\u00eang came out, and Chou recognised his own features.\nCh\u2018\u00eang grasped his hand and led him inside, where he prepared wine and\nfood, and they began to converse together. Chou noticed many birds of\nstrange plumage, so tame that they were not afraid of him; and these\nfrom time to time would alight on the table and sing with voices like\nPan-pipes. He was very much astonished at all this, but a love of\nmundane pleasures had eaten into his soul, and he had no intention of\nstopping. On the ground were two rush-mats, upon which Ch\u2018\u00eang invited\nhis friend to sit down with him. Then about midnight a serene calm\nstole over him; and while he was dozing off for a moment, he seemed to\nchange places with Ch\u2018\u00eang. Suspecting what had happened, he put his\nhand up to his chin, and found it covered with a beard as before. At\ndawn he was anxious to return home, but Ch\u2018\u00eang pressed him to stay;\nand when three days had gone by Ch\u2018\u00eang said to him, \u201cI pray you take a\nlittle rest now: to-morrow I will set you on your way.\u201d Chou had\nbarely closed his eyelids before he heard Ch\u2018\u00eang call out, \u201cEverything\nis ready for starting!\u201d So he got up and followed him along a road\nother than that by which he had come, and in a very short time he saw\nhis home in the distance. In spite of Chou\u2019s entreaties, Ch\u2018\u00eang would\nnot accompany him so far, but made Chou go, waiting himself by the\nroadside. So the latter went alone, and when he reached his house,\nknocked at the door. Receiving no answer, he determined to get over\nthe wall, when he found that his body was as light as a leaf, and with\none spring he was over. In the same manner he passed several inner\nwalls, until he reached the ladies\u2019 apartments, where he saw by the\nstill burning lamp that the inmates had not yet retired for the night.\nHearing people talking within, he licked a hole in the paper\nwindow[79] and peeped through, and saw his wife sitting drinking with\na most disreputable-looking fellow. Bursting with rage, his first\nimpulse was to surprise them in the act; but seeing there were two\nagainst one, he stole away and let himself out by the entrance-gate,\nhurrying off to Ch\u2018\u00eang, to whom he related what he had seen, and\nfinally begged his assistance. Ch\u2018\u00eang willingly went along with him;\nand when they reached the room, Chou seized a big stone and hammered\nloudly at the door. All was then confusion inside, so Chou hammered\nagain, upon which the door was barricaded more strongly than before.\nHere Ch\u2018\u00eang came forward with his sword,[80] and burst the door open\nwith a crash. Chou rushed in, and the man inside rushed out; but\nCh\u2018\u00eang was there, and with his sword cut his arm right off. Chou\nrudely seized his wife, and asked what it all meant; to which she\nreplied that the man was a friend who sometimes came to take a cup of\nwine with them. Thereupon Chou borrowed Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s sword and cut off her\nhead,[81] hanging up the trunk on a tree in the court-yard. He then\nwent back with Ch\u2018\u00eang. By-and-by he awaked and found himself on the\nbed, at which he was somewhat disturbed, and said, \u201cI have had a\nstrangely-confused dream, which has given me a fright.\u201d \u201cMy brother,\u201d\nreplied Ch\u2018\u00eang, smiling, \u201cyou look upon dreams as realities: you\nmistake realities for dreams.\u201d Chou asked what he meant by these\nwords; and then Ch\u2018\u00eang shewed him his sword besmeared with blood. Chou\nwas terrified, and sought to destroy himself; but all at once it\noccurred to him that Ch\u2018\u00eang might be deceiving him again. Ch\u2018\u00eang\ndivined his suspicions, and made haste at once to see him home. In a\nlittle while they arrived at the village-gate, and then Ch\u2018\u00eang said,\n\u201cWas it not here that, sword in hand, I awaited you that night? I\ncannot look upon the unclean spot. I pray you go on, and let me stay\nhere. If you do not return by the afternoon, I will depart alone.\u201d\nChou then approached his house, which he found all shut up as if no\none was living there; so he went into his brother\u2019s.\n\nThe latter, when he beheld Chou, began to weep bitterly, saying,\n\u201cAfter your departure, thieves broke into the house and killed my\nsister-in-law, hanging her body upon a tree. Alas! alas! The murderers\nhave not yet been caught.\u201d Chou then told him the whole story of his\ndream, and begged him to stop further proceedings; at all of which his\nbrother was perfectly lost in astonishment. Chou then asked after his\nson, and his brother told the nurse to bring him in; whereupon the\nformer said, \u201cUpon this infant are centered the hopes of our\nrace.[82] Tend him well; for I am going to bid adieu to the world.\u201d He\nthen took his leave, his brother following him all the time with tears\nin his eyes to induce him to remain. But he heeded him not; and when\nthey reached the village-gate his brother saw him go away with Ch\u2018\u00eang.\nFrom afar he looked back and said, \u201cForbear, and be happy!\u201d His\nbrother would have replied; but here Ch\u2018\u00eang whisked his sleeve, and\nthey disappeared. The brother remained there for some time, and then\nwent back overwhelmed with grief. He was an unpractical man, and\nbefore many years were over all the property was gone and the family\nreduced to poverty. Chou\u2019s son, who was growing up, was thus unable to\nsecure the services of a tutor, and had no one but his uncle to teach\nhim. One morning, on going into the school-room, the uncle found a\nletter lying on his desk addressed to himself in his brother\u2019s\nhandwriting. There was, however, nothing in it but a finger-nail about\nfour inches in length. Surprised at this, he laid the nail down on the\nink-slab while he went out to ask whence the letter had come. This no\none knew; but when he went back he found that the ink-stone had been\nchanged into a piece of shining yellow gold. More than ever\nastonished, he tried the nail on copper and iron things, all of which\nwere likewise turned to gold. He thus became very rich, sharing his\nwealth with Chou\u2019s son; and it was bruited about that the two families\npossessed the secret of transmutation.[83]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[73] This is a characteristic touch. Only the most intimate of friends\never see each other\u2019s wives.\n\n[74] Where the women of the family live, and into which no stranger\never penetrates. Among other names by which a Chinese husband speaks\nof his wife, a very common one is \u201cthe inner [wo]man.\u201d\n\n[75] Until which he would be safe, by virtue of his degree, from the\ndegrading penalty of the bamboo.\n\n[76] This is the instrument commonly used for flogging criminals in\nChina, and consists of a strip of split bamboo planed down smooth.\nStrictly speaking there are two kinds, the _heavy_ and the _light_;\nthe former is now hardly if ever used. Until the reign of K\u2018ang Hsi\nall strokes were given across the back; but that humane Emperor\nremoved the _locus operandi_ lower down, \u201cfor fear of injuring the\nliver or the lungs.\u201d\n\n[77] See No. VII., note 54.\n\n[78] It is a principle of Chinese jurisprudence that no sentence can\nbe passed until the prisoner has confessed his guilt--a principle,\nhowever, not unfrequently set aside in practice.\n\n[79] Wooden frames covered with a semi-transparent paper are used all\nover the northern provinces of China; in the south, oyster-shells, cut\nsquare and planed down thin, are inserted tile-fashion in the long\nnarrow spaces of a wooden frame made to receive them, and used for the\nsame purpose. But glass is gradually finding its way into the houses\nof the well-to-do, large quantities being made at Canton and exported\nto various parts of the empire.\n\n[80] Every Taoist priest has a magic sword, corresponding to our\n\u201cmagician\u2019s wand.\u201d\n\n[81] In China, a man has the right to slay his adulterous wife, but he\nmust slay her paramour also; both or neither. Otherwise, he lays\nhimself open to a prosecution for murder. The act completed, he is\nfurther bound to proceed at once to the magistrate of the district and\nreport what he has done.\n\n[82] The importance of male offspring in Chinese social life is hardly\nto be expressed in words. To the son is confided the task of\nworshipping at the ancestral tombs, the care of the ancestral tablets,\nand the due performance of all rites and ceremonies connected with the\ndeparted dead. No Chinaman will die, if he can help it, without\nleaving a son behind him. If his wife is childless he will buy a\nconcubine; and we are told on page 41, vol. xiii., of the _Liao Chai_,\nthat a good wife, \u201cwho at thirty years of age has not borne a child\nshould forthwith pawn her jewellery and purchase a concubine for her\nhusband; for to be without a son is hard indeed!\u201d Another and a common\nresource is to adopt a nephew; and sometimes a boy is bought from\nstarving parents, or from a professional kidnapper. Should a little\nboy die, no matter how young, his parents do not permit even him to be\nwithout the good offices of a son. They adopt some other child on his\nbehalf; and when the latter grows up it becomes his duty to perform\nthe proper ceremonies at his baby father\u2019s tomb. Girls do not enjoy\nthe luxury of this sham posterity. They are quietly buried in a hole\nnear the family vault, and their disembodied spirits are left to\nwander about in the realms below uncared for and unappeased. Every\nmother, however, shares in the ancestral worship, and her name is\nrecorded on the tombstone, side by side with that of her husband.\nHence it is that Chinese tombstones are always to the memory either of\na father or of a mother, or of both, with occasionally the addition of\nthe grandfather and grandmother, and sometimes even that of the\ngeneration preceding.\n\n[83] The belief that a knowledge of alchemy is obtainable by leading\nthe life of a pure and perfect Taoist, is one of the numerous\nadditions in later ages to this ancient form of religion. See No. IV.,\nnote 46.\n\n\n\n\nXI.\n\nTHE FIGHTING QUAILS.\n\n\nWang Ch\u2018\u00eang belonged to an old family in P\u2018ing-y\u00fcan, but was such an\nidle fellow that his property gradually disappeared, until at length\nall he had left was an old tumble-down house. His wife and he slept\nunder a coarse hempen coverlet, and the former was far from sparing of\nher reproaches. At the time of which we are speaking the weather was\nunbearably hot; and Wang went to pass the night with many other of his\nfellow-villagers in a pavilion which stood among some dilapidated\nbuildings belonging to a family named Chou. With the first streaks of\ndawn his comrades departed; but Wang slept well on till about nine\no\u2019clock, when he got up and proceeded leisurely home. All at once he\nsaw in the grass a gold hair-pin; and taking it up to look at it,\nfound engraved thereon in small characters--\u201cThe property of the\nImperial family.\u201d Now Wang\u2019s own grandfather had married into the\nImperial family,[84] and consequently he had formerly possessed many\nsimilar articles; but while he was thinking it over up came an old\nwoman in search of the hair-pin, which Wang, who though poor was\nhonest, at once produced and handed to her. The old woman was\ndelighted, and thanked Wang very much for his goodness, observing that\nthe pin was not worth much in itself, but was a relic of her departed\nhusband. Wang asked what her husband had been; to which she replied,\n\u201cHis name was Wang Chien-chih, and he was connected by marriage with\nthe Imperial family.\u201d \u201cMy own grandfather!\u201d cried Wang, in great\nsurprise; \u201chow could you have known him?\u201d \u201cYou, then,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201care his grandson. I am a fox, and many years ago I was married\nto your grandfather; but when he died I retired from the world.\nPassing by here I lost my hair-pin, which destiny conveyed into your\nhands.\u201d Wang had heard of his grandfather\u2019s fox-wife, and believing\ntherefore the old woman\u2019s story, invited her to return with him, which\nshe did. Wang called his wife out to receive her; but when she came in\nrags and tatters, with unkempt hair and dirty face, the old woman\nsighed, and said, \u201cAlas! Alas! has Wang Chien-chih\u2019s grandson come to\nthis?\u201d Then looking at the broken, smokeless stove, she added, \u201cHow,\nunder these circumstances, have you managed even to support life?\u201d\nHere Wang\u2019s wife told the tale of their poverty, with much sobbing and\ntears; whereupon the old woman gave her the hair-pin, bidding her go\npawn it, and with the proceeds buy some food, saying that in three\ndays she would visit them again. Wang pressed her to stay, but she\nsaid, \u201cYou can\u2019t even keep your wife alive; what would it benefit you\nto have me also dependent on you?\u201d So she went away, and then Wang\ntold his wife who she was, at which his wife felt very much alarmed;\nbut Wang was so loud in her praises, that finally his wife consented\nto treat her with all proper respect. In three days she returned as\nagreed, and, producing some money, sent out for a hundred-weight of\nrice and a hundred-weight of corn. She passed the night with them,\nsleeping with Mrs. Wang, who was at first rather frightened, but who\nsoon laid aside her suspicions when she found that the old lady meant\nso well towards them. Next day, the latter addressed Wang, saying, \u201cMy\ngrandson, you must not be so lazy. You should try to make a little\nmoney in some way or other.\u201d Wang replied that he had no capital; upon\nwhich the old lady said, \u201cWhen your grandfather was alive, he allowed\nme to take what money I liked; but not being a mortal, I had no use\nfor it, and consequently did not draw largely upon him. I have,\nhowever, saved from my pin-money the sum of forty ounces of silver,\nwhich has long been lying idle for want of an investment. Take it, and\nbuy summer cloth, which you may carry to the capital and re-sell at a\nprofit.\u201d So Wang bought some fifty pieces of summer cloth; and the old\nlady made him get ready, calculating that in six or seven days he\nwould reach the capital. She also warned him, saying,\n\n \u201cBe neither lazy nor slow--\n For if a day too long you wait,\n Repentance comes a day too late.\u201d\n\nWang promised all obedience, and packed up his goods and went off. On\nthe road he was overtaken by a rain-storm which soaked him through to\nthe skin; and as he was not accustomed to be out in bad weather, it\nwas altogether too much for him. He accordingly sought shelter in an\ninn, but the rain went on steadily till night, running over the eaves\nof the house like so many ropes. Next morning the roads were in a\nhorrible state; and Wang, watching the passers-by slipping about in\nthe slush, unable to see any path, dared not face it all, and remained\nuntil noon, when it began to dry up a little. Just then, however, the\nclouds closed over again, and down came the rain in torrents, causing\nhim to stay another night before he could go on. When he was nearing\nthe capital, he heard to his great joy that summer cloth was at a\npremium; and on arrival proceeded at once to take up his quarters at\nan inn. There the landlord said it was a pity he had come so late, as\ncommunications with the south having been only recently opened, the\nsupply of summer cloth had been small; and there being a great demand\nfor it among the wealthy families of the metropolis, its price had\ngone up to three times the usual figure. \u201cBut,\u201d he added, \u201ctwo days\nago several large consignments arrived, and the price went down again,\nso that the late comers have lost their market.\u201d Poor Wang was thus\nleft in the lurch, and as every day more summer cloth came in, the\nvalue of it fell in a corresponding ratio. Wang would not part with\nhis at a loss, and held on for some ten days, when his expenses for\nboard and lodging were added to his present distress. The landlord\nurged him to sell even at a loss, and turn his attention to something\nelse, which he ultimately did, losing over ten ounces of silver on his\nventure. Next day he rose in the morning to depart, but on looking in\nhis purse found all his money gone. He rushed away to tell the\nlandlord, who, however, could do nothing for him. Some one then\nadvised him to take out a summons and make the landlord reimburse him;\nbut he only sighed, and said, \u201cIt is my destiny, and no fault of the\nlandlord\u2019s.\u201d Thereupon the landlord was very grateful to him, and gave\nhim five ounces of silver to enable him to go home. He did not care,\nhowever, to face his grandmother empty-handed, and remained in a very\nundecided state, until suddenly he saw a quail-catcher winning heaps\nof money by fighting his birds, and selling them at over 100 _cash_\na-piece. He then determined to lay out his five ounces of silver in\nquails, and pay back the landlord out of the profits. The latter\napproved very highly of this plan, and not only agreed to lend him a\nroom but also to charge him little or nothing for his board. So Wang\nwent off rejoicing, and bought two large baskets of quails, with which\nhe returned to the city, to the great satisfaction of the landlord\nwho advised him to lose no time in disposing of them. All that night\nit poured in torrents, and the next morning the streets were like\nrivers, the rain still continuing to fall. Wang waited for it to clear\nup, but several days passed and still there were no signs of fine\nweather. He then went to look at his quails, some of which he found\ndead and others dying. He was much alarmed at this, but was quite at a\nloss what to do; and by the next day a lot more had died, so that only\na few were left, which he fed all together in one basket. The day\nafter this he went again to look at them, and lo! there remained but a\nsingle quail. With tears in his eyes he told the landlord what had\nhappened, and he, too, was much affected. Wang then reflected that he\nhad no money left to carry him home, and that he could not do better\nthan cease to live. But the landlord spoke to him and soothed him, and\nthey went together to look at the quail. \u201cThis is a fine bird,\u201d said\nthe landlord, \u201cand it strikes me that it has simply killed the others.\nNow, as you have got nothing to do, just set to work and train it; and\nif it is good for anything, why you\u2019ll be able to make a living out of\nit.\u201d Wang did as he was told; and when the bird was trained, the\nlandlord bade him take it into the street and gamble for something to\neat. This, too, he did, and his quail won every main; whereupon the\nlandlord gave him some money to bet with the young fellows of the\nneighbourhood. Everything turned out favourably, and by the end of six\nmonths he had saved twenty ounces of silver, so that he became quite\neasy in his mind and looked upon the quail as a dispensation of his\ndestiny.\n\nNow one of the princes was passionately fond of quail-fighting, and\nalways at the Feast of Lanterns anybody who owned quails might go and\nfight them in the palace against the prince\u2019s birds. The landlord\ntherefore said to Wang, \u201cHere is a chance of enriching yourself by a\nsingle stroke; only I can\u2019t say what your luck will do for you.\u201d He\nthen explained to him what it was, and away they went together, the\nlandlord saying, \u201cIf you lose, burst out into lamentations; but if you\nare lucky enough to win, and the prince wishes, as he will, to buy\nyour bird, don\u2019t consent. If he presses you very much watch for a nod\nfrom me before you agree.\u201d This settled, they proceeded to the palace\nwhere they found crowds of quail-fighters already on the ground; and\nthen the prince came forth, heralds proclaiming to the multitude that\nany who wished to fight their birds might come up. Some man at once\nstepped forward, and the prince gave orders for the quails to be\nreleased; but at the first strike the stranger\u2019s quail was knocked out\nof time. The prince smiled, and by-and-by won several more mains,\nuntil at last the landlord said, \u201cNow\u2019s our time,\u201d and went up\ntogether with Wang. The Prince looked at their bird and said, \u201cIt has\na fierce-looking eye and strong feathers. We must be careful what we\nare doing.\u201d So he commanded his servants to bring out Iron Beak to\noppose Wang\u2019s bird; but, after a couple of strikes, the prince\u2019s quail\nwas signally defeated. He sent for a better bird, but that shared the\nsame fate; and then he cried out, \u201cBring the Jade Bird from the\npalace!\u201d In a little time it arrived, with pure white feathers like an\negret, and an unusually martial appearance. Wang was much alarmed, and\nfalling on his knees prayed to be excused this main, saying, \u201cYour\nhighness\u2019s bird is too good. I fear lest mine should be wounded, and\nmy livelihood be taken from me.\u201d But the Prince laughed and said, \u201cGo\non. If your quail is killed I will make it up to you handsomely.\u201d Wang\nthen released his bird and the prince\u2019s quail rushed at it at once;\nbut when the Jade bird was close by, Wang\u2019s quail awaited its coming\nhead down and full of rage. The former made a violent peck at its\nadversary, and then sprung up to swoop down on it. Thus they went on\nup and down, backwards and forwards, until at length they got hold of\neach other, and the prince\u2019s bird was beginning to show signs of\nexhaustion. This enraged it all the more, and it fought more violently\nthan ever; but soon a perfect snowstorm of feathers began to fall,\nand, with drooping wings, the Jade bird made its escape. The\nspectators were much moved by the result; and the prince himself,\ntaking up Wang\u2019s bird, examined it closely from beak to claws, finally\nasking if it was for sale. \u201cMy sole dependence,\u201d replied Wang, \u201cis\nupon this bird. I would rather not part with it.\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d said the\nprince, \u201cif I give you as much as the capital, say of an ordinary\ntradesman, will not that tempt you?\u201d Wang thought some time, and then\nanswered, \u201cI would rather not sell my bird; but as your highness has\ntaken a fancy to it I will only ask enough to find me in food and\nclothes.\u201d \u201cHow much do you want?\u201d inquired the prince; to which Wang\nreplied that he would take a thousand ounces of silver. \u201cYou fool!\u201d\ncried the Prince; \u201cdo you think your bird is such a jewel as all\nthat?\u201d \u201cIf your highness,\u201d said Wang, \u201cdoes not think the bird a\njewel, I value it more than that stone which was priced at fifteen\ncities.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d asked the prince. \u201cWhy,\u201d said Wang, \u201cI take my bird\nevery day into the market-place. It there wins for me several ounces\nof silver, which I exchange for rice; and my family, over ten in\nnumber, has nothing to fear from either cold or hunger. What jewel\ncould do that?\u201d \u201cYou shall not lose anything,\u201d replied the prince; \u201cI\nwill give you two hundred ounces.\u201d But Wang would not consent, and\nthen the prince added another hundred; whereupon Wang looked at the\nlandlord, who, however, made no sign. Wang then offered to take nine\nhundred; but the prince ridiculed the idea of paying such a price for\na quail, and Wang was preparing to take his leave with the bird, when\nthe prince called him back, saying, \u201cHere! here! I will give you six\nhundred. Take it or leave it as you please.\u201d Wang here looked at the\nlandlord, and the landlord remained motionless as before. However,\nWang was satisfied himself with this offer, and being afraid of\nmissing his chance, said to his friend, \u201cIf I get this price for it I\nshall be quite content. If we go on haggling and finally come to no\nterms, that will be a very poor end to it all.\u201d So he took the\nprince\u2019s offer, and the latter, overjoyed, caused the money to be\nhanded to him. Wang then returned with his earnings; but the landlord\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat did I say to you? You were in too much of a hurry\nto sell. Another minute, and you would have got eight hundred.\u201d When\nWang got back he threw the money on the table and told the landlord to\ntake what he liked; but the latter would not, and it was only after\nsome pressing that he would accept payment for Wang\u2019s board. Wang then\npacked up and went home, where he told his story and produced his\nsilver to the great delight of all of them. The old lady counselled\nthe purchase of a quantity of land, the building of a house, and the\npurchase of implements; and in a very short time they became a wealthy\nfamily. The old lady always got up early in the morning and made Wang\nattend to the farm, his wife to her spinning; and rated them soundly\nat any signs of laziness. The husband and wife henceforth lived in\npeace, and no longer abused each other, until at the expiration of\nthree years the old lady declared her intention of bidding them adieu.\nThey both tried to stop her, and with the aid of tears succeeded in\npersuading her; but the next day she had disappeared.[85]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[84] The direct issue of the Emperors of the present dynasty and their\ndescendants in the male line for ever are entitled to wear a yellow\ngirdle in token of their relationship to the Imperial family, each\ngeneration becoming a degree lower in rank, but always retaining this\ndistinctive badge. Members of the collateral branches wear a red\ngirdle, and are commonly known as _gioros_. With the lapse of two\nhundred and fifty years, the wearers of these badges have become\nnumerous, and in many cases disreputable; and they are now to be found\neven among the lowest dregs of Chinese social life.\n\n[85] Quail fighting is not so common now in China as it appears to\nhave been formerly. Cricket-fighting is, however, a very favourite\nform of gambling, large quantities of these insects being caught every\nyear for this purpose, and considerable sums frequently staked on the\nresult of a contest between two champions.\n\n\n\n\nXII.\n\nTHE PAINTED SKIN.\n\n\nAt T\u2018ai-y\u00fcan there lived a man named Wang. One morning he was out\nwalking when he met a young lady carrying a bundle and hurrying along\nby herself. As she moved along with some difficulty,[86] Wang\nquickened his pace and caught her up, and found she was a pretty girl\nof about sixteen. Much smitten he inquired whither she was going so\nearly, and no one with her. \u201cA traveller like you,\u201d replied the girl,\n\u201ccannot alleviate my distress; why trouble yourself to ask?\u201d \u201cWhat\ndistress is it?\u201d said Wang; \u201cI\u2019m sure I\u2019ll do anything I can for you.\u201d\n\u201cMy parents,\u201d answered she, \u201cloved money, and they sold me as\nconcubine into a rich family, where the wife was very jealous, and\nbeat and abused me morning and night. It was more than I could stand,\nso I have run away.\u201d Wang asked her where she was going; to which she\nreplied that a runaway had no fixed place of abode. \u201cMy house,\u201d said\nWang, \u201cis at no great distance; what do you say to coming there?\u201d She\njoyfully acquiesced; and Wang, taking up her bundle, led the way to\nhis house. Finding no one there, she asked Wang where his family were;\nto which he replied that that was only the library. \u201cAnd a very nice\nplace, too,\u201d said she; \u201cbut if you are kind enough to wish to save my\nlife, you mustn\u2019t let it be known that I am here.\u201d Wang promised he\nwould not divulge her secret, and so she remained there for some days\nwithout anyone knowing anything about it. He then told his wife, and\nshe, fearing the girl might belong to some influential family, advised\nhim to send her away. This, however, he would not consent to do; when\none day, going into the town, he met a Taoist priest, who looked at\nhim in astonishment, and asked him what he had met. \u201cI have met\nnothing,\u201d replied Wang. \u201cWhy,\u201d said the priest, \u201cyou are bewitched;\nwhat do you mean by not having met anything?\u201d But Wang insisted that\nit was so, and the priest walked away, saying, \u201cThe fool! Some people\ndon\u2019t seem to know when death is at hand.\u201d This startled Wang, who at\nfirst thought of the girl; but then he reflected that a pretty young\nthing as she was couldn\u2019t well be a witch, and began to suspect that\nthe priest merely wanted to do a stroke of business. When he returned,\nthe library door was shut, and he couldn\u2019t get in, which made him\nsuspect that something was wrong; and so he climbed over the wall,\nwhere he found the door of the inner room shut too. Softly creeping\nup, he looked through the window and saw a hideous devil, with a green\nface and jagged teeth like a saw, spreading a human skin upon the bed\nand painting it with a paint-brush. The devil then threw aside the\nbrush, and giving the skin a shake out, just as you would a coat,\nthrew it over its shoulders, when, lo! it was the girl. Terrified at\nthis, Wang hurried away with his head down in search of the priest who\nhad gone he knew not whither; subsequently finding him in the fields,\nwhere he threw himself on his knees and begged the priest to save him.\n\u201cAs to driving her away,\u201d said the priest, \u201cthe creature must be in\ngreat distress to be seeking a substitute for herself;[87] besides, I\ncould hardly endure to injure a living thing.\u201d[88] However, he gave\nWang a fly-brush, and bade him hang it at the door of the bedroom,\nagreeing to meet again at the Ch\u2018ing-ti temple. Wang went home, but\ndid not dare enter the library; so he hung up the brush at the bedroom\ndoor, and before long heard a sound of footsteps outside. Not daring\nto move, he made his wife peep out; and she saw the girl standing\nlooking at the brush, afraid to pass it. She then ground her teeth and\nwent away; but in a little while came back, and began cursing, saying,\n\u201cYou priest, you won\u2019t frighten me. Do you think I am going to give up\nwhat is already in my grasp?\u201d Thereupon, she tore the brush to pieces,\nand bursting open the door, walked straight up to the bed, where she\nripped open Wang and tore out his heart, with which she went away.\nWang\u2019s wife screamed out, and the servant came in with a light; but\nWang was already dead and presented a most miserable spectacle. His\nwife, who was in an agony of fright, hardly dared cry for fear of\nmaking a noise; and next day she sent Wang\u2019s brother to see the\npriest. The latter got into a great rage, and cried out, \u201cWas it for\nthis that I had compassion on you, devil that you are?\u201d proceeding at\nonce with Wang\u2019s brother to the house, from which the girl had\ndisappeared without anyone knowing whither she had gone. But the\npriest, raising his head, looked all round, and said, \u201cLuckily she\u2019s\nnot far off.\u201d He then asked who lived in the apartments on the south\nside, to which Wang\u2019s brother replied that he did; whereupon the\npriest declared that there she would be found. Wang\u2019s brother was\nhorribly frightened and said he did not think so; and then the priest\nasked him if any stranger had been to the house. To this he answered\nthat he had been out to the Ch\u2018ing-ti temple and couldn\u2019t possibly\nsay; but he went off to inquire, and in a little while came back and\nreported that an old woman had sought service with them as a\nmaid-of-all-work, and had been engaged by his wife. \u201cThat is she,\u201d\nsaid the priest, as Wang\u2019s brother added she was still there; and they\nall set out to go to the house together. Then the priest took his\nwooden sword, and standing in the middle of the court-yard, shouted\nout, \u201cBase-born fiend, give me back my fly-brush!\u201d Meanwhile the new\nmaid-of-all-work was in a great state of alarm, and tried to get away\nby the door; but the priest struck her and down she fell flat, the\nhuman skin dropped off, and she became a hideous devil. There she lay\ngrunting like a pig, until the priest grasped his wooden sword and\nstruck off her head. She then became a dense column of smoke curling\nup from the ground, when the priest took an uncorked gourd and threw\nit right into the midst of the smoke. A sucking noise was heard, and\nthe whole column was drawn into the gourd; after which the priest\ncorked it up closely and put it in his pouch.[89] The skin, too, which\nwas complete even to the eyebrows, eyes, hands, and feet, he also\nrolled up as if it had been a scroll, and was on the point of leaving\nwith it, when Wang\u2019s wife stopped him, and with tears entreated him to\nbring her husband to life. The priest said he was unable to do that;\nbut Wang\u2019s wife flung herself at his feet, and with loud lamentations\nimplored his assistance. For some time he remained immersed in\nthought, and then replied, \u201cMy power is not equal to what you ask. I\nmyself cannot raise the dead; but I will direct you to some one who\ncan, and if you apply to him properly you will succeed.\u201d Wang\u2019s wife\nasked the priest who it was; to which he replied, \u201cThere is a maniac\nin the town who passes his time grovelling in the dirt. Go, prostrate\nyourself before him, and beg him to help you. If he insults you, shew\nno sign of anger.\u201d Wang\u2019s brother knew the man to whom he alluded, and\naccordingly bade the priest adieu, and proceeded thither with his\nsister-in-law.\n\nThey found the destitute creature raving away by the road side, so\nfilthy that it was all they could do to go near him. Wang\u2019s wife\napproached him on her knees; at which the maniac leered at her, and\ncried out, \u201cDo you love me, my beauty?\u201d Wang\u2019s wife told him what she\nhad come for, but he only laughed and said, \u201cYou can get plenty of\nother husbands. Why raise the dead one to life?\u201d But Wang\u2019s wife\nentreated him to help her; whereupon he observed, \u201cIt\u2019s very strange:\npeople apply to me to raise their dead as if I was king of the\ninfernal regions.\u201d He then gave Wang\u2019s wife a thrashing with his\nstaff, which she bore without a murmur, and before a gradually\nincreasing crowd of spectators. After this he produced a loathsome\npill which he told her she must swallow, but here she broke down and\nwas quite unable to do so. However, she did manage it at last, and\nthen the maniac crying out, \u201cHow you do love me!\u201d got up and went away\nwithout taking any more notice of her. They followed him into a temple\nwith loud supplications, but he had disappeared, and every effort to\nfind him was unsuccessful. Overcome with rage and shame, Wang\u2019s wife\nwent home, where she mourned bitterly over her dead husband,\ngrievously repenting the steps she had taken, and wishing only to die.\nShe then bethought herself of preparing the corpse, near which none of\nthe servants would venture; and set to work to close up the frightful\nwound of which he died.\n\nWhile thus employed, interrupted from time to time by her sobs, she\nfelt a rising lump in her throat, which by-and-by came out with a pop\nand fell straight into the dead man\u2019s wound. Looking closely at it,\nshe saw it was a human heart; and then it began as it were to throb,\nemitting a warm vapour like smoke. Much excited, she at once closed\nthe flesh over it, and held the sides of the wound together with all\nher might. Very soon, however, she got tired, and finding the vapour\nescaping from the crevices, she tore up a piece of silk and bound it\nround, at the same time bringing back circulation by rubbing the body\nand covering it up with clothes. In the night, she removed the\ncoverings, and found that breath was coming from the nose; and by\nnext morning her husband was alive again, though disturbed in mind as\nif awaking from a dream and feeling a pain in his heart. Where he had\nbeen wounded, there was a cicatrix about as big as a cash, which soon\nafter disappeared.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[86] Impeded, of course, by her small feet. This practice is said to\nhave originated about A.D. 970, with Yao Niang, the concubine of the\npretender Li Y\u00fc, who wished to make her feet like the \u201cnew moon.\u201d The\nManchu or Tartar ladies have not adopted this custom, and therefore\nthe empresses of modern times have feet of the natural size; neither\nis it in force among the Hakkas or hill-tribes of China and Formosa.\nThe practice was forbidden in 1664 by the Manchu Emperor, K\u2018ang Hsi;\nbut popular feeling was so strong on the subject that four years\nafterwards the prohibition was withdrawn. Protestant missionaries are\nnow making a dead set at this shameful custom, but so far with very\nindifferent success; as parents who do not cramp the feet of their\ndaughters would experience no small difficulty in finding husbands for\nthem when they grow up. Besides, the gait of a young lady hobbling\nalong, as we should say, seems to be much admired by the other sex.\nThe following seven reasons why this custom still keeps its hold upon\nthe Chinese mind emanate from a native convert:--\n\n\u201c1st.--If a girl\u2019s feet are not bound, people say she is not like a\nwoman but like a man; they laugh at her, calling her names, and her\nparents are ashamed of her.\n\n\u201c2nd.--Girls are like flowers, like the willow. It is very important\nthat their feet should be bound short so that they can walk\nbeautifully, with mincing steps, swaying gracefully, thus showing they\nare persons of respectability. People praise them. If not bound short,\nthey say the mother has not trained her daughter carefully. She goes\nfrom house to house with noisy steps, and is called names. Therefore\ncareful persons bind short.\n\n\u201c3rd.--One of a good family does not wish to marry a woman with long\nfeet. She is commiserated because her feet are not perfect. If\nbetrothed, and the size of her feet is not discovered till after\nmarriage, her husband and mother-in-law are displeased, her\nsisters-in-law laugh at her, and she herself is sad.\n\n\u201c4th.--The large footed has to do rough work, does not sit in a sedan\nwhen she goes out, walks in the streets barefooted, has no red\nclothes, does not eat the best food. She is wetted by the rain, tanned\nby the sun, blown upon by the wind. If unwilling to do all the rough\nwork of the house she is called \u2018gormandizing and lazy.\u2019 Perhaps she\ndecides to go out as a servant. She has no fame and honour. To escape\nall this her parents bind her feet.\n\n\u201c5th.--There _are_ those with unbound feet who do no heavy work, wear\ngay clothing, ride in a sedan, call others to wait upon them. Although\nso fine they are low and mean. If a girl\u2019s feet are unbound, she\ncannot be distinguished from one of these.\n\n\u201c6th.--Girls are like gold, like gems. They ought to stay in their own\nhouse. If their feet are not bound they go here and go there with\nunfitting associates; they have no good name. They are like defective\ngems that are rejected.\n\n\u201c7th.--Parents are covetous. They think small feet are pleasing and\nwill command a high price for a bride.\u201d--_On Foot-Binding_, by Miss S.\nWoolston.\n\n[87] The disembodied spirits of the Chinese _Inferno_ are permitted,\nunder certain conditions of time and good conduct, to appropriate to\nthemselves the vitality of some human being, who, as it were,\nexchanges places with the so-called \u201cdevil.\u201d The devil does not,\nhowever, reappear as the mortal whose life it has become possessed of,\nbut is merely born again into the world; the idea being that the\namount of life on earth is a constant quantity, and cannot be\nincreased or diminished, reminding one in a way of the great modern\ndoctrine of the conservation of energy. This curious belief has an\nimportant bearing that will be brought out in a subsequent story.\n\n[88] Here again is a Taoist priest quoting the Buddhist commandment,\n\u201cThou shalt not take life.\u201d The Buddhist laity in China, who do not\nhesitate to take life for the purposes of food, salve their\nconsciences from time to time by buying birds, fishes, &c., and\nletting them go, in the hope that such acts will be set down on the\ncredit side of their record of good and evil.\n\n[89] This recalls the celebrated story of the fisherman in the\n_Arabian Nights_.\n\n\n\n\nXIII.\n\nTHE TRADER\u2019S SON.\n\n\nIn the province of Hunan there dwelt a man who was engaged in trading\nabroad; and his wife, who lived alone, dreamt one night that some one\nwas in her room. Waking up, she looked about, and discovered a small\ncreature which on examination she knew to be a fox; but in a moment\nthe thing had disappeared, although the door had not been opened. The\nnext evening she asked the cook-maid to come and keep her company; as\nalso her own son, a boy of ten, who was accustomed to sleep elsewhere.\nTowards the middle of the night, when the cook and the boy were fast\nasleep, back came the fox; and the cook was waked up by hearing her\nmistress muttering something as if she had nightmare. The former then\ncalled out, and the fox ran away; but from that moment the trader\u2019s\nwife was not quite herself. When night came she dared not blow out the\ncandle, and bade her son be sure and not sleep too soundly. Later on,\nher son and the old woman having taken a nap as they leant against the\nwall, suddenly waked up and found her gone. They waited some time, but\nshe did not return, and the cook was too frightened to go and look\nafter her; so her son took a light, and at length found her fast\nasleep in another room. She didn\u2019t seem aware that anything particular\nhad happened, but she became queerer and queerer every day, and\nwouldn\u2019t have either her son or the cook to keep her company any more.\nHer son, however, made a point of running at once into his mother\u2019s\nroom if he heard any unusual sounds; and though his mother always\nabused him for his pains, he paid no attention to what she said. At\nthe same time, the more people urged him on to keep a sharp look-out,\nthe more eccentric were his mother\u2019s ways. One day she played at being\na mason, and piled up stones upon the window-sill, in spite of all\nthat was said to her; and if anyone took away a stone, she threw\nherself on the ground, and cried like a child, so that nobody dared go\nnear her. In a few days she had got both windows blocked up and the\nlight excluded; and then she set to filling up the chinks with mud.\nShe worked hard all day without minding the trouble, and when it was\nfinished she smoothed it off with the kitchen chopper. Everyone who\nsaw her was disgusted with such antics, and would take no notice of\nher. At night her son darkened his lamp, and, with a knife concealed\non his person, sat waiting for his mother to mutter. As soon as she\nbegan he uncovered his light, and, blocking up the doorway, shouted\nout at the top of his voice. Nothing, however, happened, and he moved\nfrom the door a little way, when suddenly out rushed something like a\nfox, which was disappearing through the door, when he made a quick\nmovement and cut off about two inches of its tail, from which the warm\nblood was still dripping as he brought the light to bear upon it. His\nmother hereupon cursed and reviled him, but he pretended not to hear\nher, regretting only as he went to bed that he hadn\u2019t hit the brute\nfair. But he consoled himself by thinking that although he hadn\u2019t\nkilled it outright, he had done enough to prevent it coming again. On\nthe morrow he followed the tracks of blood over the wall and into the\ngarden of a family named Ho; and that night, to his great joy, the fox\ndid not reappear. His mother was meanwhile prostrate, with hardly any\nlife in her, and in the midst of it all his father came home. The boy\ntold him what had happened, at which he was much alarmed, and sent for\na doctor to attend his wife; but she only threw the medicine away, and\ncursed and swore horribly. So they secretly mixed the medicine with\nher tea and soup, and in a few days she began to get better, to the\ninexpressible delight of both her husband and son. One night, however,\nher husband woke up and found her gone; and after searching for her\nwith the aid of his son, they discovered her sleeping in another room.\nFrom that time she became more eccentric than ever, and was always\nbeing found in strange places, cursing those who tried to remove her.\nHer husband was at his wits\u2019 end. It was no use keeping the door\nlocked, for it opened of itself at her approach; and he had called in\nany number of magicians to exorcise the fox, but without obtaining the\nslightest result. One evening her son concealed himself in the Ho\nfamily garden, and lay down in the long grass with a view to detecting\nthe fox\u2019s retreat. As the moon rose he heard the sound of voices, and,\npushing aside the grass, saw two people drinking, with a long-bearded\nservant pouring out their wine, dressed in an old dark-brown coat.\nThey were whispering together, and he could not make out what they\nsaid; but by-and-by he heard one of them remark, \u201cGet some white wine\nfor to-morrow,\u201d and then they went away, leaving the long-bearded\nservant alone. The latter then threw off his coat, and lay down to\nsleep on the stones; whereupon the trader\u2019s son eyed him carefully,\nand saw that he was like a man in every respect except that he had a\ntail. The boy would then have gone home; but he was afraid the fox\nmight hear him, and accordingly remained where he was till near dawn,\nwhen he saw the other two come back, one at a time, and then they all\ndisappeared among the bushes. On reaching home his father asked him\nwhere he had been, and he replied that he had stopped the night with\nthe Ho family. He then accompanied his father to the town, where he\nsaw hanging up at a hat-shop a fox\u2019s tail, and finally, after much\ncoaxing, succeeded in making his father buy it for him. While the\nlatter was engaged in a shop, his son, who was playing about beside\nhim, availed himself of a moment when his father was not looking and\nstole some money from him, and went off and bought a quantity of white\nwine, which he left in charge of the wine-merchant. Now an uncle of\nhis, who was a sportsman by trade, lived in the city, and thither he\nnext betook himself. His uncle was out, but his aunt was there, and\ninquired after the health of his mother. \u201cShe has been better the last\nfew days,\u201d replied he; \u201cbut she is now very much upset by a rat having\ngnawed a dress of hers, and has sent me to ask for some poison.\u201d His\naunt opened the cupboard and gave him about the tenth of an ounce in a\npiece of paper, which he thought was very little; so, when his aunt\nhad gone to get him something to eat, he took the opportunity of being\nalone, opened the packet, and abstracted a large handful. Hiding this\nin his coat, he ran to tell his aunt that she needn\u2019t prepare anything\nfor him, as his father was waiting in the market, and he couldn\u2019t stop\nto eat it. He then went off; and having quietly dropped the poison\ninto the wine he had bought, went sauntering about the town. At\nnightfall he returned home, and told his father that he had been at\nhis uncle\u2019s. This he continued to do for some time, until one day he\nsaw amongst the crowd his long-bearded friend. Marking him closely, he\nfollowed him, and at length entered into conversation, asking him\nwhere he lived. \u201cI live at Pei-ts\u2018un,\u201d said he; \u201cwhere do you live?\u201d\n\u201cI,\u201d replied the trader\u2019s son, falsely, \u201clive in a hole on the\nhill-side.\u201d The long-bearded man was considerably startled at his\nanswer, but much more so when he added, \u201cWe\u2019ve lived there for\ngenerations: haven\u2019t _you_?\u201d The other then asked his name, to which\nthe boy replied, \u201cMy name is Hu.[90] I saw you with two gentlemen in\nthe Ho family garden, and haven\u2019t forgotten you.\u201d Questioning him more\nfully, the long-bearded man was still in a half-and-half state of\nbelief and doubt, when the trader\u2019s son opened his coat a little bit,\nand showed him the end of the tail he had bought, saying, \u201cThe like\nof us can mix with ordinary people, but unfortunately we can never get\nrid of this.\u201d The long-bearded man then asked him what he was doing\nthere, to which he answered that his father had sent him to buy wine;\nwhereupon the former remarked that that was exactly what he had come\nfor, and the boy then inquired if he had bought it yet or not. \u201cWe are\npoor,\u201d replied the stranger, \u201cand as a rule I prefer to steal it.\u201d \u201cA\ndifficult and dangerous job,\u201d observed the boy. \u201cI have my master\u2019s\ninstructions to get some,\u201d said the other, \u201cand what am I to do?\u201d The\nboy then asked him who his masters were, to which he replied that they\nwere the two brothers the boy had seen that night. \u201cOne of them has\nbewitched a lady named Wang; and the other, the wife of a trader who\nlives near. The son of the last-mentioned lady is a violent fellow,\nand cut off my master\u2019s tail, so that he was laid up for ten days. But\nhe is putting her under spells again now.\u201d He was then going away,\nsaying he should never get his wine; but the boy said to him, \u201cIt\u2019s\nmuch easier to buy than steal. I have some at the wine-shop there\nwhich I will give to you. My purse isn\u2019t empty, and I can buy some\nmore.\u201d The long-bearded man hardly knew how to thank him; but the boy\nsaid, \u201cWe\u2019re all one family. Don\u2019t mention such a trifle. When I have\ntime I\u2019ll come and take a drink with you.\u201d So they went off together\nto the wine-shop, where the boy gave him the wine and they then\nseparated. That night his mother slept quietly and had no fits, and\nthe boy knew that something must have happened. He then told his\nfather, and they went to see if there were any results; when lo! they\nfound both foxes stretched out dead in the arbour. One of the foxes\nwas lying on the grass, and out of its mouth blood was still\ntrickling. The wine-bottle was there; and on shaking it they heard\nthat some was left. Then his father asked him why he had kept it all\nso secret; to which the boy replied that foxes were very sagacious,\nand would have been sure to scent the plot. Thereupon his father was\nmightily pleased, and said he was a perfect Ulysses[91] for cunning.\nThey then carried the foxes home, and saw on the tail of one of them\nthe scar of a knife-wound. From that time they were left in peace; but\nthe trader\u2019s wife became very thin, and though her reason returned,\nshe shortly afterwards died of consumption. The other lady, Mrs. Wang,\nbegan to get better as soon as the foxes had been killed; and as to\nthe boy, he was taught riding and archery[92] by his proud parent, and\nsubsequently rose to high rank in the army.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[90] _Hu_ is the sound of the character for \u201cfox;\u201d it is also the\nsound of quite a different character, which is used as a surname.\n\n[91] The name of the Chinese type was Ch\u2018\u00ean P\u2018ing. See Mayer\u2019s\n_Reader\u2019s Manual_, No. 102.\n\n[92] At the date at which we are writing skill in archery is still _de\nrigueur_ for all Manchus, and for those who would rise in the Chinese\narmy. Only the other day the progressive Governor-General of the Two\nKiang, Sh\u00ean Pao-ch\u00ean, memorialised the Throne with a view to the\nabandonment of this effete and useless form of military drill, and\nreceived a direct snub for his pains. Two hundred odd years ago, when\nthe Manchus were establishing their power, the dexterity of their\nbowmen doubtless stood them in good stead; though if we are to judge\nof their skill then by the ordinary practice of to-day, as seen on any\nChinese parade-ground, they could never have been more than very\nthird-rate archers after all.\n\n\n\n\nXIV.\n\nJUDGE LU.\n\n\nAt Ling-yang there lived a man named Chu Erh-tan, whose literary\ndesignation[93] was Hsiao-ming. He was a fine manly fellow, but an\negregious dunce, though he tried hard to learn. One day he was taking\nwine with a number of fellow-students, when one of them said to him,\nby way of a joke, \u201cPeople credit you with plenty of pluck. Now, if you\nwill go in the middle of the night to the Chamber of Horrors,[94] and\nbring back the Infernal Judge from the left-hand porch, we\u2019ll all\nstand you a dinner.\u201d For at Ling-yang there was a representation of\nthe Ten Courts of Purgatory, with the Gods and devils carved in wood,\nand almost life-like in appearance; and in the eastern vestibule there\nwas a full-length image of the Judge with a green face, and a red\nbeard, and a hideous expression in his features. Sometimes sounds of\nexamination under the whip were heard to issue during the night from\nboth porches, and persons who went in found their hair standing on end\nfrom fear; so the other young men thought it would be a capital test\nfor Mr. Chu. Thereupon Chu smiled, and rising from his seat went\nstraight off to the temple; and before many minutes had elapsed they\nheard him shouting outside, \u201cHis Excellency has arrived!\u201d At this they\nall got up, and in came Chu with the image on his back, which he\nproceeded to deposit on the table, and then poured out a triple\nlibation in its honour. His comrades who were watching what he did,\nfelt ill at ease, and did not like to resume their seats; so they\nbegged him to carry the Judge back again. But he first poured some\nwine upon the ground, invoking the image as follows:--\u201cI am only a\nfool-hardy, illiterate fellow: I pray Your Excellency excuse me. My\nhouse is close by, and whenever Your Excellency feels so disposed I\nshall be glad to take a cup of wine with you in a friendly way.\u201d He\nthen carried the Judge back, and the next day his friends gave him the\npromised dinner, from which he went home half-tipsy in the evening.\nBut not feeling that he had had enough, he brightened up his lamp, and\nhelped himself to another cup of wine, when suddenly the bamboo\ncurtain was drawn aside, and in walked the Judge. Mr. Chu got up and\nsaid, \u201cOh, dear! Your Excellency has come to cut off my head for my\nrudeness the other night.\u201d The Judge parted his thick beard, and\nsmiling, replied, \u201cNothing of the kind. You kindly invited me last\nnight to visit you; and as I have leisure this evening, here I am.\u201d\nChu was delighted at this, and made his guest sit down, while he\nhimself wiped the cups and lighted a fire.[95] \u201cIt\u2019s warm weather,\u201d\nsaid the Judge; \u201clet\u2019s drink the wine cold.\u201d Chu obeyed, and putting\nthe bottle on the table, went out to tell his servants to get some\nsupper. His wife was much alarmed when she heard who was there, and\nbegged him not to go back; but he only waited until the things were\nready, and then returned with them. They drank out of each other\u2019s\ncups,[96] and by-and-by Chu asked the name of his guest. \u201cMy name is\nLu,\u201d replied the Judge; \u201cI have no other names.\u201d They then conversed\non literary subjects, one capping the other\u2019s quotation as echo\nresponds to sound. The Judge then asked Chu if he understood\ncomposition; to which he answered that he could just tell good from\nbad; whereupon the former repeated a little infernal poetry which was\nnot very different from that of mortals. He was a deep drinker, and\ntook off ten goblets at a draught; but Chu who had been at it all day,\nsoon got dead drunk and fell fast asleep with his head on the table.\nWhen he waked up the candle had burnt out and day was beginning to\nbreak, his guest having already departed; and from this time the Judge\nwas in the habit of dropping in pretty often, until a close friendship\nsprang up between them. Sometimes the latter would pass the night at\nthe house, and Chu would show him his essays, all of which the Judge\nscored and underlined as being good for nothing. One night Chu got\ntipsy and went to bed first, leaving the Judge drinking by himself. In\nhis drunken sleep he seemed to feel a pain in his stomach, and waking\nup he saw that the Judge, who was standing by the side of the bed, had\nopened him, and was carefully arranging his inside. \u201cWhat harm have I\ndone you?\u201d cried Chu, \u201cthat you should thus seek to destroy me?\u201d\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid,\u201d replied the Judge, laughing, \u201cI am only providing\nyou with a more intelligent heart.\u201d[97] He then quietly put back Chu\u2019s\nviscera, and closed up the opening, securing it with a bandage tied\ntightly round his waist. There was no blood on the bed, and all Chu\nfelt was a slight numbness in his inside. Here he observed the Judge\nplace a piece of flesh upon the table, and asked him what it was.\n\u201cYour heart,\u201d said the latter, \u201cwhich wasn\u2019t at all good at\ncomposition, the proper orifice being stuffed up.[98] I have now\nprovided you with a better one, which I procured from Hades, and I am\nkeeping yours to put in its place.\u201d[99] He then opened the door and\ntook his leave. In the morning Chu undid the bandage, and looked at\nhis waist, the wound on which had quite healed up, leaving only a red\nseam. From that moment he became an apt scholar, and found his memory\nmuch improved; so much so, that a few days afterwards he showed an\nessay to the Judge for which he was very much commended. \u201cHowever,\u201d\nsaid the latter, \u201cyour success will be limited to the master\u2019s degree.\nYou won\u2019t get beyond that.\u201d \u201cWhen shall I take it?\u201d asked Chu. \u201cThis\nyear,\u201d replied the Judge. And so it turned out. Chu passed first on\nthe list for the bachelor\u2019s degree, and then among the first five for\nthe master\u2019s degree. His old comrades, who had been accustomed to make\na laughing-stock of him, were now astonished to find him a full blown\nM.A., and when they learned how it had come about, they begged Chu to\nspeak to the Judge on their behalf. The Judge promised to assist them,\nand they made all ready to receive him; but when in the evening he did\ncome, they were so frightened at his red beard and flashing eyes that\ntheir teeth chattered in their heads, and one by one they stole away.\nChu then took the Judge home with him to have a cup together, and when\nthe wine had mounted well into his head, he said, \u201cI am deeply\ngrateful to Your Excellency\u2019s former kindness in arranging my inside;\nbut there is still another favour I venture to ask which possibly may\nbe granted.\u201d The Judge asked him what it was; and Chu replied, \u201cIf you\ncan change a person\u2019s inside, you surely could also change his face.\nNow my wife is not at all a bad figure, but she is very ugly. I pray\nYour Excellency try the knife upon her.\u201d The Judge laughed, and said\nhe would do so, only it would be necessary to give him a little time.\nSome days subsequently, the Judge knocked at Chu\u2019s door towards the\nmiddle of the night; whereupon the latter jumped up and invited him\nin. Lighting a candle, it was evident that the Judge had something\nunder his coat, and in answer to Chu\u2019s inquiries, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s what\nyou asked me for. I have had great trouble in procuring it.\u201d He then\nproduced the head of a nice-looking young girl, and presented it to\nChu, who found the blood on the neck was still warm. \u201cWe must make\nhaste,\u201d said the Judge, \u201cand take care not to wake the fowls or\ndogs.\u201d[100] Chu was afraid his wife\u2019s door might be bolted; but the\nJudge laid his hand on it and it opened at once. Chu then led him to\nthe bed where his wife was lying asleep on her side; and the Judge,\ngiving Chu the head to hold, drew from his boot a steel blade shaped\nlike the handle of a spoon. He laid this across the lady\u2019s neck, which\nhe cut through as if it had been a melon, and the head fell over the\nback of the pillow. Seizing the head he had brought with him, he now\nfitted it on carefully and accurately, and pressing it down to make it\nstick, bolstered the lady up with pillows placed on either side. When\nall was finished, he bade Chu put his wife\u2019s old head away, and then\ntook his leave. Soon after Mrs. Chu waked up, and perceived a curious\nsensation about her neck, and a scaly feeling about the jaws. Putting\nher hand to her face, she found flakes of dry blood; and much\nfrightened called a maid-servant to bring water to wash it off. The\nmaid-servant was also greatly alarmed at the appearance of her face,\nand proceeded to wash off the blood, which coloured a whole basin of\nwater; but when she saw her mistress\u2019s new face she was almost\nfrightened to death. Mrs. Chu took a mirror to look at herself, and\nwas staring at herself in utter astonishment, when her husband came in\nand explained what had taken place. On examining her more closely, Chu\nsaw that she had a well-featured pleasant face, of a medium order of\nbeauty; and when he came to look at her neck, he found a red seam all\nround, with the parts above and below of a different coloured flesh.\nNow the daughter of an official named Wu was a very nice-looking girl\nwho, though nineteen years of age, had not yet been married, two\ngentlemen who were engaged to her having died before the day.[101] At\nthe Feast of Lanterns,[102] this young lady happened to visit the\nChamber of Horrors, whence she was followed home by a burglar, who\nthat night broke into the house and killed her. Hearing a noise, her\nmother told the servant to go and see what was the matter; and the\nmurder being thus discovered, every member of the family got up. They\nplaced the body in the hall, with the head alongside, and gave\nthemselves up to weeping and wailing the livelong night. Next morning,\nwhen they removed the coverings, the corpse was there but the head had\ndisappeared. The waiting-maids were accordingly flogged for neglect of\nduty, and consequent loss of the head, and Mr. Wu brought the matter\nto the notice of the Prefect. This officer took very energetic\nmeasures, but for three days no clue could be obtained; and then the\nstory of the changed head in the Chu family gradually reached Mr. Wu\u2019s\nears. Suspecting something, he sent an old woman to make inquiries;\nand she at once recognised her late young mistress\u2019s features, and\nwent back and reported to her master. Thereupon Mr. Wu, unable to make\nout why the body should have been left, imagined that Chu had slain\nhis daughter by magical arts, and at once proceeded to the house to\nfind out the truth of the matter; but Chu told him that his wife\u2019s\nhead had been changed in her sleep, and that he knew nothing about it,\nadding that it was unjust to accuse him of the murder. Mr. Wu refused\nto believe this, and took proceedings against him; but as all the\nservants told the same story, the Prefect was unable to convict him.\nChu returned home and took counsel with the Judge, who told him there\nwould be no difficulty, it being merely necessary to make the murdered\ngirl herself speak. That night Mr. Wu dreamt that his daughter came\nand said to him, \u201cI was killed by Yang Ta-nien, of Su-ch\u2018i. Mr. Chu\nhad nothing to do with it; but desiring a better-looking face for his\nwife, Judge Lu gave him mine, and thus my body is dead while my head\nstill lives. Bear Chu no malice.\u201d When he awaked, he told his wife,\nwho had dreamt the same dream; and thereupon he communicated these\nfacts to the officials. Subsequently, a man of that name was captured,\nwho confessed under the bamboo that he had committed the crime; so Mr.\nWu went off to Chu\u2019s house, and asked to be allowed to see his wife,\nregarding Chu from that time as his son-in-law. Mrs. Chu\u2019s old head\nwas fitted on to the young lady\u2019s body, and the two parts were buried\ntogether.\n\nSubsequent to these events Mr. Chu tried three times for his doctor\u2019s\ndegree, but each time without success, and at last he gave up the idea\nof entering into official life. Then when thirty years had passed\naway, Judge Lu appeared to him one night, and said, \u201cMy friend, you\ncannot live for ever. Your hour will come in five days\u2019 time.\u201d Chu\nasked the Judge if he could not save him; to which he replied, \u201cThe\ndecrees of Heaven cannot be altered to suit the purposes of mortals.\nBesides, to an intelligent man life and death are much the same.[103]\nWhy necessarily regard life as a boon and death as a misfortune?\u201d Chu\ncould make no reply to this, and forthwith proceeded to order his\ncoffin and shroud;[104] and then, dressing himself in his\ngrave-clothes, yielded up the ghost. Next day, as his wife was weeping\nover his bier, in he walked at the front door, to her very great\nalarm. \u201cI am now a disembodied spirit,\u201d said Chu to her, \u201cthough not\ndifferent from what I was in life; and I have been thinking much of\nthe widow and orphan I left behind.\u201d His wife, hearing this, wept till\nthe tears ran down her face, Chu all the time doing his best to\ncomfort her. \u201cI have heard tell,\u201d said she, \u201cof dead bodies returning\nto life; and since your vital spark is not extinct, why does it not\nresume the flesh?\u201d \u201cThe ordinances of Heaven,\u201d replied her husband,\n\u201cmay not be disobeyed.\u201d His wife here asked him what he was doing in\nthe infernal regions; and he said that Judge Lu had got him an\nappointment as Registrar, with a certain rank attached, and that he\nwas not at all uncomfortable. Mrs. Chu was proceeding to inquire\nfurther, when he interrupted her, saying, \u201cThe Judge has come with me;\nget some wine ready and something to eat.\u201d He then hurried out, and\nhis wife did as he had told her, hearing them laughing and drinking in\nthe guest chamber just like old times come back again. About midnight\nshe peeped in, and found that they had both disappeared; but they came\nback once in every two or three days, often spending the night, and\nmanaging the family affairs as usual. Chu\u2019s son was named Wei, and was\nabout five years old; and whenever his father came he would take the\nlittle boy upon his knee. When he was about eight years of age, Chu\nbegan to teach him to read; and the boy was so clever that by the time\nhe was nine he could actually compose. At fifteen he took his\nbachelor\u2019s degree, without knowing all this time that he had no\nfather. From that date Chu\u2019s visits became less frequent, occurring\nnot more than once or so in a month; until one night he told his wife\nthat they were never to meet again. In reply to her inquiry as to\nwhither he was going, he said he had been appointed to a far-off post,\nwhere press of business and distance would combine to prevent him from\nvisiting them any more. The mother and son clung to him, sobbing\nbitterly; but he said, \u201cDo not act thus. The boy is now a man, and can\nlook after your affairs. The dearest friends must part some day.\u201d\nThen, turning to his son, he added, \u201cBe an honourable man, and take\ncare of the property. Ten years hence we shall meet again.\u201d With this\nhe bade them farewell, and went away.\n\nLater on, when Wei was twenty-two years of age, he took his doctor\u2019s\ndegree, and was appointed to conduct the sacrifices at the Imperial\ntombs. On his way thither he fell in with a retinue of an official,\nproceeding along with all the proper insignia,[105] and, looking\ncarefully at the individual sitting in the carriage, he was astonished\nto find that it was his own father. Alighting from his horse, he\nprostrated himself with tears at the side of the road; whereupon his\nfather stopped and said, \u201cYou are well spoken of. I now take leave of\nthis world.\u201d Wei remained on the ground, not daring to rise; and his\nfather, urging on his carriage, hurried away without saying any more.\nBut when he had gone a short distance, he looked back, and unloosing a\nsword from his waist, sent it as a present to his son, shouting out to\nhim, \u201cWear this and you will succeed.\u201d Wei tried to follow him; but,\nin an instant, carriage, retinue, and horses, had vanished with the\nspeed of wind. For a long time his son gave himself up to grief, and\nthen seizing the sword began to examine it closely. It was of\nexquisite workmanship, and on the blade was engraved this\nlegend:--\u201c_Be bold, but cautious; round in disposition, square in\naction._\u201d[106] Wei subsequently rose to high honours, and had five\nsons named Ch\u2018\u00ean, Ch\u2018ien, Wu, Hun, and Sh\u00ean. One night he dreamt that\nhis father told him to give the sword to Hun, which he accordingly\ndid; and Hun rose to be a Viceroy of great administrative ability.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[93] Every Chinese man and woman inherits a family name or surname. A\nwoman takes her husband\u2019s surname, followed in official documents by\nher maiden name. Children usually have a pet name given to them soon\nafter birth, which is dropped after a few years. Then there is the\n_ming_ or name, which once given is unchangeable, and by which the\nvarious members of a family are distinguished. But only the father and\nmother and certain other relatives are allowed to use this. Friends\ncall each other by their literary designations or \u201cbook-names,\u201d which\nare given generally by the teacher to whom the boy\u2019s education is\nfirst entrusted. Brothers and sisters and others have all kinds of\nnick-names as with us. Dogs and cats are called by such names as\n\u201cBlackey,\u201d \u201cWhitey,\u201d \u201cYellowy,\u201d \u201cJewel,\u201d \u201cPearly,\u201d &c., &c. Junks are\nchristened \u201cLarge Profits,\u201d \u201cAbounding Wealth,\u201d \u201cFavourite of\nFortune,\u201d &c., &c. Places are often named after some striking\ngeographical feature; _e.g._, _Hankow_--\u201cmouth of the Han river,\u201d\n_i.e._, its point of junction with the Yang-tsze; or they have fancy\nnames, such as _Fuhkien_--\u201chappily established;\u201d _Tientsin_--\u201cHeaven\u2019s\nford;\u201d or names implying a special distinction, such as\n_Nanking_--\u201csouthern capital;\u201d _Shan-tung_--\u201ceast of the mountains,\u201d\n&c.\n\n[94] The name given by foreigners in China to the imitation of the ten\ntorture-chambers of purgatory, as seen in every _Ch\u2018\u00eang-huang_ or\nmunicipal temple. The various figures of the devil-lictors and the\ntortured sinners are made either of clay or wood, and painted in very\nbright colours; and in each chamber is depicted some specimen of the\nhorrible tortures that wicked people will undergo in the world to\ncome. I have given in the _Appendix_ a translation of the\n\u201c_Y\u00fc-li-ch\u2018ao_,\u201d a celebrated Taoist work on this subject, which\nshould at any rate be glanced at by persons who would understand the\ndrift of some of these stories.\n\n[95] To heat the wine, which is almost invariably taken hot.\n\n[96] In token of their mutual good feeling.\n\n[97] The Chinese as a nation believe to this day that the heart is the\nseat of the intellect and the emotions.\n\n[98] The heart itself is supposed to be pierced by a number of \u201ceyes,\u201d\nwhich pass right through; and in physical and mental health these\npassages are believed to be clear.\n\n[99] See No. XII., note 87.\n\n[100] The _Hsi-y\u00fcan-lu_, a well-known work on Chinese medical\njurisprudence, and an _officially-authorised book_, while giving an\nabsurd antidote against a poison that never existed [see my _Chinese\nSketches_, p. 190], gravely insists that it is to be prepared at\ncertain dates only, \u201cin some place quite away from women, fowls, and\ndogs.\u201d\n\n[101] It was almost a wonder that she got a second _fianc\u00e9_, few\npeople caring to affiance their sons in a family where such a\ncatastrophe has once occurred. The death of an engaged girl is a\nmatter of much less importance, but is productive of a very curious\nceremony. Her betrothed goes to the house where she is lying dead and\nsteps over the coffin containing her body, returning home with a pair\nof the girl\u2019s shoes. He thus severs all connection with her, and her\nspirit cannot haunt him as it otherwise most certainly would.\n\n[102] Held annually on the 15th of the first Chinese month--_i.e._, at\nthe first full moon of the year, when coloured lanterns are hung at\nevery door. It was originally a ceremonial worship in the temple of\nthe First Cause, and dates from about the time of the Han dynasty, or\nnearly two thousand years ago.\n\n[103] It was John Stuart Mill who pointed out that the fear of death\nis due to \u201cthe illusion of imagination, which makes one conceive\noneself as if one were alive and feeling oneself dead\u201d (_The Utility\nof Religion_).\n\n[104] \u201cBoards of old age\u201d and \u201cClothes of old age sold here\u201d are\ncommon shop-signs in every Chinese city; death and burial being\nalways, if possible, spoken of euphemistically in some such terms as\nthese. A dutiful son provides, when he can afford it, decent coffins\nfor his father and mother. They are generally stored in the house,\nsometimes in a neighbouring temple; and the old people take pleasure\nin seeing that their funeral obsequies are properly provided for,\nthough the subject is never raised in conversation. Chinese coffins\nare beautifully made; and when the body has been in for a day or two,\na candle is closely applied to the seams all round to make sure it is\nair-tight,--any crack, however fine, being easily detected by the\nflickering of the flame in the escaping gas. Thus bodies may be kept\nunburied for a long time, until the geomancer has selected an\nauspicious site for the grave.\n\n[105] Gongs, red umbrellas, men carrying boards on which the officer\u2019s\ntitles are inscribed in large characters, a huge wooden fan, &c., &c.\n\n[106] \u201cBe like a cash\u201d [see No. II., note 42] is a not uncommon saying\namong the Chinese, the explanation of which rests upon the fact that a\ncash is \u201cround in shape and convenient for use,\u201d which words are\npronounced identically with a corresponding number of words meaning\n\u201cround in disposition, square in action.\u201d It is, in fact, a play on\nwords.\n\n\n\n\nXV.\n\nMISS YING-NING; OR, THE LAUGHING GIRL.\n\n\nAt Lo-tien, in the province of Shantung, there lived a youth named\nWang Tz\u016d-fu, who had been left an orphan when quite young. He was a\nclever boy, and took his bachelor\u2019s degree at the age of fourteen,\nbeing quite his mother\u2019s pet, and not allowed by her to stray far away\nfrom home. One young lady to whom he had been betrothed having\nunhappily died, he was still in search of a wife when, on the occasion\nof the Feast of Lanterns, his cousin Wu asked him to come along for a\nstroll. But they had hardly got beyond the village before one of his\nuncle\u2019s servants caught them up and told Wu he was wanted. The latter\naccordingly went back; but Wang, seeing plenty of nice girls about and\nbeing in high spirits himself, proceeded on alone. Amongst others, he\nnoticed a young lady with her maid. She had just picked a sprig of\nplum-blossom, and was the prettiest girl he had ever heard of--a\nperfect bunch of smiles. He stared and stared at her quite regardless\nof appearances; and when she had passed by, she said to her maid,\n\u201cThat young fellow has a wicked look in his eyes.\u201d As she was walking\naway, laughing and talking, the flower dropped out of her hand; and\nWang, picking it up, stood there disconsolate as if he had lost his\nwits. He then went home in a very melancholy mood; and, putting the\nflower under his pillow, lay down to sleep. He would neither talk nor\neat; and his mother became very anxious about him, and called in the\naid of the priests.[107] By degrees, he fell off in flesh and got very\nthin; and the doctor felt his pulse and gave him medicines to bring\nout the disease. Occasionally, he seemed bewildered in his mind, but\nin spite of all his mother\u2019s inquiries would give no clue as to the\ncause of his malady. One day when his cousin Wu came to the house,\nWang\u2019s mother told him to try and find out what was the matter; and\nthe former, approaching the bed, gradually and quietly led up to the\npoint in question. Wang, who had wept bitterly at the sight of his\ncousin, now repeated to him the whole story, begging him to lend some\nassistance in the matter. \u201cHow foolish you are, cousin,\u201d cried Wu;\n\u201cthere will be no difficulty at all, I\u2019ll make inquiries for you. The\ngirl herself can\u2019t belong to a very aristocratic family to be walking\nalone in the country. If she\u2019s not already engaged, I have no doubt we\ncan arrange the affair; and even if she is unwilling, an extra outlay\nwill easily bring her round.[108] You make haste and get well: I\u2019ll\nsee to it all.\u201d Wang\u2019s features relaxed when he heard these words; and\nWu left him to tell his mother how the case stood, immediately setting\non foot inquiries as to the whereabouts of the girl. All his efforts,\nhowever, proved fruitless, to the great disappointment of Wang\u2019s\nmother; for since his cousin\u2019s visit Wang\u2019s colour and appetite had\nreturned. In a few days Wu called again, and in answer to Wang\u2019s\nquestions falsely told him that the affair was settled. \u201cWho do you\nthink the young lady is?\u201d said he. \u201cWhy, a cousin of ours, who is only\nwaiting to be betrothed; and though you two are a little near,[109] I\ndaresay the circumstances of the case will be allowed to overrule this\nobjection.\u201d Wang was overjoyed, and asked where she lived; so Wu had\nto tell another lie, and say, \u201cOn the south-west hills, about ten\nmiles from here.\u201d Wang begged him again and again to do his best for\nhim, and Wu undertook to get the betrothal satisfactorily arranged. He\nthen took leave of his cousin, who from this moment was rapidly\nrestored to health. Wang drew the flower from underneath his pillow,\nand found that, though dried up, the leaves had not fallen away. He\noften sat playing with this flower and thinking of the young lady; but\nby-and-by, as Wu did not reappear, he wrote a letter and asked him to\ncome. Wu pleaded other engagements, being unwilling to go; at which\nWang got in a rage and quite lost his good spirits; so that his\nmother, fearing a relapse, proposed to him a speedy betrothal in\nanother quarter. Wang shook his head at this, and sat day after day\nwaiting for Wu, until his patience was thoroughly exhausted. He then\nreflected that ten miles was no great distance, and that there was no\nparticular reason for asking anybody\u2019s aid; so, concealing the flower\nin his sleeve, he went off in a huff by himself without letting it be\nknown. Having no opportunity of asking the way, he made straight for\nthe hills; and after about ten miles walking found himself right in\nthe midst of them, enjoying their exquisite verdure, but meeting no\none, and with nothing better than mountain paths to guide him. Away\ndown in the valley below, almost buried under a densely luxuriant\ngrowth of trees and flowers, he espied a small hamlet, and began to\ndescend the hill and make his way thither. He found very few houses,\nand all built of rushes, but otherwise pleasant enough to look at.\nBefore the door of one, which stood at the northern end of the\nvillage, were a number of graceful willow trees, and inside the wall\nplenty of peach and apricot trees, with tufts of bamboo between them,\nand birds chirping on the branches. As it was a private house he did\nnot venture to go in, but sat down to rest himself on a huge smooth\nstone opposite the front door. By-and-by he heard a girl\u2019s voice from\nwithin calling out Hsiao-jung; and, noticing that it was a sweet-toned\nvoice, set himself to listen, when a young lady passed with a bunch of\napricot-flowers in her hand, and occupied in putting hair-pins into\nher downcast head. As soon as she raised her face she saw Wang, and\nstopped putting in hair-pins; then, smothering a laugh, picked a few\nflowers and ran in. Wang perceived to his intense delight that she was\nnone other than his heroine of the Feast of Lanterns; but recollecting\nthat he had no right to follow her in, was on the point of calling\nafter her as his cousin. There was no one, however, in the street, and\nhe was afraid lest he might have made a mistake; neither was there\nanybody at the door of whom he could make inquiries. So he remained\nthere in a very restless state till the sun was well down in the west,\nand his hopes were almost at an end, forgetting all about food and\ndrink. He then saw the young lady peep through the door, apparently\nvery much astonished to find him still there; and in a few minutes out\ncame an old woman leaning on a stick, who said to him, \u201cWhence do you\ncome, Sir? I hear you have been here ever since morning. What is it\nyou want? Aren\u2019t you hungry?\u201d Wang got up, and making a bow, replied\nthat he was in search of some relatives of his; but the old woman was\ndeaf and didn\u2019t catch what he said, so he had to shout it out again at\nthe top of his voice. She asked him what their names were, but he was\nunable to tell her; at which she laughed and said, \u201cIt is a funny\nthing to look for people when you don\u2019t know their names. I am afraid\nyou are an unpractical gentleman. You had better come in and have\nsomething to eat; we\u2019ll give you a bed and you can go back to-morrow\nand find out the names of the people you are in quest of.\u201d Now Wang\nwas just beginning to get hungry, and, besides, this would bring him\nnearer to the young lady; so he readily accepted and followed the old\nwoman in. They walked along a paved path banked on both sides with\nhibiscus, the leaves of which were scattered about on the ground; and\npassing through another door, entered a court-yard full of trained\ncreepers and other flowers. The old woman showed Wang into a small\nroom with beautifully white walls and a branch of a crab-apple tree\ncoming through the window, the furniture being also nice and clean.\nThey had hardly sat down when it was clear that some one was taking a\npeep through the window; whereupon the old woman cried out,\n\u201cHsiao-jung! make haste and get dinner,\u201d and a maid from outside\nimmediately answered \u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d Meanwhile, Wang had been explaining\nwho he was; and then the old lady said, \u201cWas your maternal grandfather\nnamed Wu?\u201d \u201cHe was,\u201d replied Wang. \u201cWell, I never!\u201d cried the old\nwoman, \u201che was my uncle, and your mother and I are cousins. But in\nconsequence of our poverty, and having no sons, we have kept quite to\nourselves, and you have grown to be a man without my knowing you.\u201d \u201cI\ncame here,\u201d said Wang, \u201cabout my cousin, but in the hurry I forgot\nyour name.\u201d \u201cMy name is Ch\u2018in,\u201d replied the old lady; \u201cI have no son:\nonly a girl, the child of a concubine, who, after my husband\u2019s death,\nmarried again[110] and left her daughter with me. She\u2019s a clever girl,\nbut has had very little education; full of fun and ignorant of the\nsorrows of life. I\u2019ll send for her by-and-by to make your\nacquaintance.\u201d The maid then brought in the dinner--a large dish full\nof choice morsels of fowl--and the old woman pressed him to eat. When\nthey had finished, and the things were taken away, the old woman said,\n\u201cCall Miss Ning,\u201d and the maid went off to do so. After some time\nthere was a giggling at the door, and the old woman cried out,\n\u201cYing-ning! your cousin is here.\u201d There was then a great tittering as\nthe maid pushed her in, stopping her mouth all the time to try and\nkeep from laughing. \u201cDon\u2019t you know better than to behave like that?\u201d\nasked the old woman, \u201cand before a stranger, too.\u201d So Ying-ning\ncontrolled her feelings, and Wang made her a bow, the old woman\nsaying, \u201cMr. Wang is your cousin: you have never seen him before.\nIsn\u2019t that funny?\u201d Wang asked how old his cousin was, but the old\nwoman didn\u2019t hear him, and he had to say it again, which sent\nYing-ning off into another fit of laughter. \u201cI told you,\u201d observed the\nold woman, \u201cshe hadn\u2019t much education; now you see it. She is sixteen\nyears old, and as foolish as a baby.\u201d \u201cOne year younger than I am,\u201d\nremarked Wang. \u201cOh, you\u2019re seventeen are you? Then you were born in\nthe year ----, under the sign of the horse.\u201d[111] Wang nodded assent,\nand then the old woman asked who his wife was, to which Wang replied\nthat he had none. \u201cWhat! a clever, handsome young fellow of seventeen\nnot yet engaged?[112] Ying-ning is not engaged either: you two would\nmake a nice pair if it wasn\u2019t for the relationship.\u201d Wang said\nnothing, but looked hard at his cousin; and just then the maid\nwhispered to her, \u201cIt is the fellow with the wicked eyes! He\u2019s at his\nold game.\u201d Ying-ning laughed, and proposed to the maid that they should\ngo and see if the peaches were in blossom or not; and off they went\ntogether, the former with her sleeve stuffed into her mouth until she\ngot outside, where she burst into a hearty fit of laughing. The old\nwoman gave orders for a bed to be got ready for Wang, saying to him,\n\u201cIt\u2019s not often we meet: you must spend a few days with us now you are\nhere, and then we\u2019ll send you home. If you are at all dull, there\u2019s a\ngarden behind where you can amuse yourself, and books for you to\nread.\u201d So next day Wang strolled into the garden, which was of\nmoderate size, with a well-kept lawn and plenty of trees and flowers.\nThere was also an arbour consisting of three posts with a thatched\nroof, quite shut in on all sides by the luxurious vegetation. Pushing\nhis way among the flowers, Wang heard a noise from one of the trees,\nand looking up saw Ying-ning, who at once burst out laughing and\nnearly fell down. \u201cDon\u2019t! don\u2019t!\u201d cried Wang, \u201cyou\u2019ll fall!\u201d Then\nYing-ning came down, giggling all the time, until, when she was near\nthe ground, she missed her hold, and tumbled down with a run. This\nstopped her merriment, and Wang picked her up, gently squeezing her\nhand as he did so. Ying-ning began laughing again, and was obliged to\nlean against a tree for support, it being some time before she was\nable to stop. Wang waited till she had finished, and then drew the\nflower out of his sleeve and handed it to her. \u201cIt\u2019s dead,\u201d said she;\n\u201cwhy do you keep it?\u201d \u201cYou dropped it, cousin, at the Feast of\nLanterns,\u201d replied Wang, \u201cand so I kept it.\u201d She then asked him what\nwas his object in keeping it, to which he answered, \u201cTo show my love,\nand that I have not forgotten you. Since that day when we met, I have\nbeen very ill from thinking so much of you, and am quite changed from\nwhat I was. But now that it is my unexpected good fortune to meet you,\nI pray you have pity on me.\u201d \u201cYou needn\u2019t make such a fuss about a\ntrifle,\u201d replied she, \u201cand with your own relatives, too. I\u2019ll give\norders to supply you with a whole basketful of flowers when you go\naway.\u201d Wang told her she did not understand, and when she asked what\nit was she didn\u2019t understand, he said, \u201cI didn\u2019t care for the flower\nitself; it was the person who picked the flower.\u201d \u201cOf course,\u201d\nanswered she, \u201ceverybody cares for their relations; you needn\u2019t have\ntold me that.\u201d \u201cI wasn\u2019t talking about ordinary relations,\u201d said Wang,\n\u201cbut about husbands and wives.\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference?\u201d asked\nYing-ning. \u201cWhy,\u201d replied Wang, \u201chusband and wife are always\ntogether.\u201d \u201cJust what I shouldn\u2019t like,\u201d cried she, \u201cto be always with\nanybody.\u201d[113] At this juncture up came the maid, and Wang slipped\nquietly away. By-and-by they all met again in the house, and the old\nwoman asked Ying-ning where they had been; whereupon she said they had\nbeen talking in the garden. \u201cDinner has been ready a long time. I\ncan\u2019t think what you have had to say all this while,\u201d grumbled the old\nwoman. \u201cMy cousin,\u201d answered Ying-ning, \u201chas been talking to me about\nhusbands and wives.\u201d Wang was much disconcerted, and made a sign to\nher to be quiet, so she smiled and said no more; and the old woman\nluckily did not catch her words, and asked her to repeat them. Wang\nimmediately put her off with something else, and whispered to\nYing-ning that she had done very wrong. The latter did not see that;\nand when Wang told her that what he had said was private, answered him\nthat she had no secrets from her old mother. \u201cBesides,\u201d added she,\n\u201cwhat harm can there be in talking on such a common topic as husbands\nand wives?\u201d Wang was angry with her for being so dull, but there was\nno help for it; and by the time dinner was over he found some of his\nmother\u2019s servants had come in search of him, bringing a couple of\ndonkeys with them. It appeared that his mother, alarmed at his\nnon-appearance, had made strict search for him in the village; and\nwhen unable to discover any traces of him, had gone off to the Wu\nfamily to consult. There her nephew, who recollected what he had\npreviously said to young Wang, advised that a search should be\ninstituted in the direction of the hills; and accordingly the servants\nhad been to all the villages on the way until they had at length\nrecognised him as he was coming out of the door. Wang went in and told\nthe old woman, begging that he might be allowed to take Ying-ning with\nhim. \u201cI have had the idea in my head for several days,\u201d replied the\nold woman, overjoyed; \u201cbut I am a feeble old thing myself, and\ncouldn\u2019t travel so far. If, however, you will take charge of my girl\nand introduce her to her aunt, I shall be very pleased.\u201d So she called\nYing-ning, who came up laughing as usual; whereupon the old woman\nrebuked her, saying, \u201cWhat makes you always laugh so? You would be a\nvery good girl but for that silly habit. Now, here\u2019s your cousin, who\nwants to take you away with him. Make haste and pack up.\u201d The servants\nwho had come for Wang were then provided with refreshment, and the old\nwoman bade them both farewell, telling Ying-ning that her aunt was\nquite well enough off to maintain her, and that she had better not\ncome back. She also advised her not to neglect her studies, and to be\nvery attentive to her elders, adding that she might ask her aunt to\nprovide her with a good husband. Wang and Ying-ning then took their\nleave; and when they reached the brow of the hill, they looked back\nand could just discern the old woman leaning against the door and\ngazing towards the north. On arriving at Wang\u2019s home, his mother,\nseeing a nice-looking young girl with him, asked in astonishment who\nshe might be; and Wang at once told her the whole story. \u201cBut that was\nall an invention of your cousin Wu\u2019s,\u201d cried his mother; \u201cI haven\u2019t\ngot a sister, and consequently I can\u2019t have such a niece.\u201d Ying-ning\nhere observed, \u201cI am not the daughter of the old woman; my father was\nnamed Ch\u2018in and died when I was a little baby, so that I can\u2019t\nremember anything.\u201d \u201cI _had_ a sister,\u201d said Wang\u2019s mother, \u201cwho\nactually did marry a Mr. Ch\u2018in, but she died many years ago, and can\u2019t\nbe still living, of course.\u201d However, on inquiring as to facial\nappearance and characteristic marks, Wang\u2019s mother was obliged to\nacknowledge the identity, wondering at the same time how her sister\ncould be alive when she had died many years before. Just then in came\nWu, and Ying-ning retired within; and when he heard the story,\nremained some time lost in astonishment, and then said, \u201cIs this young\nlady\u2019s name Ying-ning?\u201d Wang replied that it was, and asked Wu how he\ncame to know it. \u201cMr. Ch\u2018in,\u201d answered he, \u201cafter his wife\u2019s death was\nbewitched by a fox, and subsequently died. The fox had a daughter\nnamed Ying-ning, as was well known to all the family; and when Mr.\nCh\u2018in died, as the fox still frequented the place, the Taoist\nPope[114] was called in to exorcise it. The fox then went away, taking\nYing-ning with it, and now here she is.\u201d While they were thus\ndiscussing, peals of laughter were heard coming from within, and Mrs.\nWang took occasion to remark what a foolish girl she was. Wu begged to\nbe introduced, and Mrs. Wang went in to fetch her, finding her in an\nuncontrollable fit of laughter, which she subdued only with great\ndifficulty, and by turning her face to the wall. By-and-by she went\nout; but, after making a bow, ran back and burst out laughing again to\nthe great discomfiture of all the ladies. Wang then said he would go\nand find out for them all about Ying-ning and her queer story, so as\nto be able to arrange the marriage; but when he reached the spot\nindicated, village and houses had all vanished, and nothing was to be\nseen except hill-flowers scattered about here and there. Wu\nrecollected that Mrs. Ch\u2018in had been buried at no great distance from\nthat spot; he found, however, that the grave had disappeared, and he\nwas no longer able to determine its position. Not knowing what to make\nof it all, he returned home, and then Mrs. Wang told him she thought\nthe girl must be a disembodied spirit. Ying-ning shewed no signs of\nalarm at this remark; neither did she cry at all when Mrs. Wang began\nto condole with her on no longer having a home. She only laughed in\nher usual silly way, and fairly puzzled them all. Sharing Miss Wang\u2019s\nroom, she now began to take her part in the duties of a daughter of\nthe family; and as for needlework, they had rarely seen anything like\nhers for fineness. But she could not get over that trick of laughing,\nwhich, by the way, never interfered with her good looks, and\nconsequently rather amused people than otherwise, amongst others a\nyoung married lady who lived next door. Wang\u2019s mother fixed an\nauspicious day for the wedding, but still feeling suspicious about\nYing-ning, was always secretly watching her. Finding, however, that\nshe had a proper shadow,[115] and that there was nothing\nextraordinary in her behaviour, she had her dressed up when the day\ncame, in all the finery of a bride; and would have made her perform\nthe usual ceremonies, only Ying-ning laughed so much she was unable to\nkneel down.[116] They were accordingly obliged to excuse her, but Wang\nbegan to fear that such a foolish girl would never be able to keep the\nfamily counsel. Luckily, she was very reticent and did not indulge in\ngossip; and moreover, when Mrs. Wang was in trouble or out of temper,\nYing-ning could always bring her round with a laugh. The\nmaid-servants, too, if they expected a whipping for anything, would\nalways ask her to be present when they appeared before their mistress,\nand thus they often escaped punishment. Ying-ning had a perfect\npassion for flowers. She got all she could out of her relations, and\neven secretly pawned her jewels to buy rare specimens; and by the end\nof a few months the whole place was one mass of flowers. Behind the\nhouse there was one especial tree[117] which belonged to the\nneighbours on that side; but Ying-ning was always climbing up and\npicking the flowers, for which Mrs. Wang rebuked her severely, though\nwithout any result. One day the owner saw her, and gazed at her some\ntime in rapt astonishment; however, she didn\u2019t move, deigning only to\nlaugh. The gentleman was much smitten with her; and when she smilingly\ndescended the wall on her own side, pointing all the time with her\nfinger to a spot hard by, he thought she was making an assignation. So\nhe presented himself at nightfall at the same place, and sure enough\nYing-ning was there. Seizing her hand, to tell his passion, he found\nthat he was grasping only a log of wood which stood against the wall;\nand the next thing he knew was that a scorpion had stung him violently\non the finger. There was an end of his romance, except that he died of\nthe wound during the night, and his family at once commenced an action\nagainst Wang for having a witch-wife. The magistrate happened to be a\ngreat admirer of Wang\u2019s talent, and knew him to be an accomplished\nscholar; he therefore refused to grant the summons, and ordered the\nprosecutor to be bambooed for false accusation.[118] Wang interposed\nand got him off this punishment, and returned home himself. His mother\nthen scolded Ying-ning well, saying, \u201cI knew your too playful\ndisposition would some day bring sorrow upon you. But for our\nintelligent magistrate we should have been in a nice mess. Any\nordinary hawk-like official would have had you publicly interrogated\nin court; and then how could your husband ever have held up his head\nagain?\u201d Ying-ning looked grave and did not laugh this time; and Mrs.\nWang continued, \u201cThere\u2019s no harm in laughing as long as it is\nseasonable laughter;\u201d but from that moment Ying-ning laughed no more,\nno matter what people did to make her, though at the same time her\nexpression was by no means gloomy. One evening she went in tears to\nher husband, who wanted to know what was the matter. \u201cI couldn\u2019t tell\nyou before,\u201d said she, sobbing; \u201cwe had known each other such a short\ntime. But now that you and your mother have been so kind to me, I will\nkeep nothing from you, but tell you all. I am the daughter of a fox.\nWhen my mother went away she put me in the charge of the disembodied\nspirit of an old woman, with whom I remained for a period of over ten\nyears. I have no brothers: only you to whom I can look. And now my\nfoster-mother is lying on the hill-side with no one to bury her and\nappease her discontented shade. If not too much, I would ask you to do\nthis, that her spirit may be at rest, and know that it was not\nneglected by her whom she brought up.\u201d Wang consented, but said he\nfeared they would not be able to find her grave; on which Ying-ning\nsaid there was no danger of that, and accordingly they set forth\ntogether. When they arrived, Ying-ning pointed out the tomb in a\nlonely spot amidst a thicket of brambles, and there they found the old\nwoman\u2019s bones. Ying-ning wept bitterly, and then they proceeded to\ncarry her remains home with them, subsequently interring them in the\nCh\u2018in family vault. That night Wang dreamt that the old woman came to\nthank him, and when he waked he told Ying-ning, who said that she had\nseen her also, and had been warned by her not to frighten Mr. Wang.\nHer husband asked why she had not detained the old lady; but Ying-ning\nreplied, \u201cShe is a disembodied spirit, and would be ill at ease for\nany time surrounded by so much life.\u201d[119] Wang then enquired after\nHsiao-jung, and his wife said, \u201cShe was a fox too, and a very clever\none. My foster-mother kept her to wait on me, and she was always\ngetting fruit and cakes for me, so that I have a friendship for her\nand shall never forget her. My foster-mother told me yesterday she was\nmarried.\u201d\n\nAfter this, whenever the great fast-day[120] came round, husband and\nwife went off without fail to worship at the Ch\u2018in family tomb; and by\nthe time a year had passed she gave birth to a son, who wasn\u2019t a bit\nafraid of strangers, but laughed at everybody, and in fact took very\nmuch after his mother.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[107] Sickness being supposed to result from evil influences,\nwitchcraft, &c., just as often as from more natural causes.\n\n[108] The rule which guides betrothals in China is that \u201cthe doors\nshould be opposite\u201d--_i.e._, that the families of the bride and\nbridegroom should be of equal position in the social scale. Any\nunpleasantness about the value of the marriage presents, and so on, is\nthereby avoided.\n\n[109] Marriage between persons of the same surname is forbidden by\nlaw, for such are held to be blood relations, descended lineally from\nthe original couple of that name. Inasmuch, however, as the line of\ndescent is traced through the male branches only, a man may marry his\ncousins on the maternal side without let or hindrance except that of\nsentiment, which is sufficiently strong to keep these alliances down\nto a minimum.\n\n[110] A very unjustifiable proceeding in Chinese eyes, unless driven\nto it by actual poverty.\n\n[111] The Chinese years are distinguished by the names of twelve\nanimals--namely, rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep,\nmonkey, cock, dog, and boar. To the common question, \u201cWhat is your\nhonourable age?\u201d the reply is frequently, \u201cI was born under the ----;\u201d\nand the hearer by a short mental calculation can tell at once how old\nthe speaker is, granting, of course, the impossibility of making an\nerror of so much as twelve years.\n\n[112] Parents in China like to get their sons married as early as\npossible, in the hope of seeing themselves surrounded by grandsons,\nand the family name in no danger of extinction. Girls are generally\nmarried at from fifteen to seventeen.\n\n[113] This scene should for ever disabuse people of the notion that\nthere is no such thing as \u201cmaking love\u201d among the Chinese. That the\npassion is just as much a disease in China as it is with us will be\nabundantly evident from several subsequent stories; though by those\nwho have lived and mixed with the Chinese people, no such confirmation\nwill be needed. I have even heard it gravely asserted by an educated\nnative that not a few of his countrymen had \u201cdied for love\u201d of the\nbeautiful Miss Lin, the charming but fictitious heroine of _The Dream\nof the Red Chamber_.\n\nPlay-goers can here hardly fail to notice a very striking similarity\nto the close of the first act of Mr. W. S. Gilbert\u2019s \u201cSweethearts.\u201d\n\n[114] The semi-divine head of the Taoist religion, sometimes called\nthe Master of Heaven. In his body is supposed to reside the soul of a\ncelebrated Taoist, an ancestor of his, who actually discovered the\nelixir of life and became an immortal some eighteen hundred years ago.\nAt death, the precious soul above-mentioned will take up its abode in\nthe body of some youthful member of the family to be hereinafter\nrevealed. Meanwhile, the present Pope makes a very respectable income\nfrom the sale of charms, by working miracles, and so forth; and only\nabout two years ago he visited Shanghai, where he was interviewed by\nseveral foreigners.\n\n[115] Disembodied spirits are supposed to have no shadow, and but very\nlittle appetite. There are also certain occasions on which they cannot\nstand the smell of sulphur. Fiske, in his _Myths and Myth-makers_\n(page 230) says, \u201cAlmost universally, ghosts, however impervious to\nthrust of sword or shot of pistol, can eat and drink like Squire\nWesterns.\u201d\n\n[116] See No. III., note 45.\n\n[117] The _Mu-hsiang_ or _Costus amarus_.\n\n[118] Strictly in accordance with Chinese criminal law.\n\n[119] These disembodied spirits are unable to stand for any length of\ntime the light and life of this upper world, darkness and death being\nas it were necessary to their existence and comfort.\n\n[120] The day before the annual spring festival.\n\n\n\n\nXVI.\n\nTHE MAGIC SWORD.\n\n\nNing Lai-ch\u2018\u00ean was a Chekiang man, and a good-natured, honourable\nfellow, fond of telling people that he had only loved once. Happening\nto go to Chinhua, he took shelter in a temple to the north of the\ncity; very nice as far as ornamentation went, but overgrown with grass\ntaller than a man\u2019s head, and evidently not much frequented. On either\nside were the priest\u2019s apartments, the doors of which were ajar, with\nthe exception of a small room on the south side, where the lock had a\nnew appearance. In the east corner he espied a group of bamboos,\ngrowing over a large pool of water-lilies in flower; and, being much\npleased with the quiet of the place, determined to remain; more\nespecially as, the Grand Examiner being in the town, all lodgings had\ngone up in price. So he roamed about waiting till the priests should\nreturn; and in the evening, a gentleman came and opened the door on\nthe south side. Ning quickly made up to him, and with a bow informed\nhim of his design. \u201cThere is no one here whose permission you need\nask,\u201d replied the stranger; \u201cI am only lodging here, and if you don\u2019t\nobject to the loneliness, I shall be very pleased to have the benefit\nof your society.\u201d Ning was delighted, and made himself a straw bed,\nand put up a board for a table, as if he intended to remain some time;\nand that night, by the beams of the clear bright moon, they sat\ntogether in the verandah and talked. The stranger\u2019s name was Yen\nCh\u2018ih-hsia, and Ning thought he was a student up for the provincial\nexamination, only his dialect was not that of a Chekiang man. On being\nasked, he said he came from Shensi; and there was an air of\nstraightforwardness about all his remarks. By-and-by, when their\nconversation was exhausted, they bade each other good night and went\nto bed; but Ning, being in a strange place, was quite unable to sleep;\nand soon he heard sounds of voices from the room on the north side.\nGetting up, he peeped through a window, and saw, in a small court-yard\nthe other side of a low wall, a woman of about forty with an old\nmaid-servant in a long faded gown, humped-backed and feeble-looking.\nThey were chatting by the light of the moon; and the mistress said,\n\u201cWhy doesn\u2019t Hsiao-ch\u2018ien come?\u201d \u201cShe ought to be here by now,\u201d\nreplied the other. \u201cShe isn\u2019t offended with you; is she?\u201d asked the\nlady. \u201cNot that I know of,\u201d answered the old servant; \u201cbut she seems\nto want to give trouble.\u201d \u201cSuch people don\u2019t deserve to be treated\nwell,\u201d said the other; and she had hardly uttered these words when up\ncame a young girl of seventeen or eighteen, and very nice looking. The\nold servant laughed, and said, \u201cDon\u2019t talk of people behind their\nbacks. We were just mentioning you as you came without our hearing\nyou; but fortunately we were saying nothing bad about you. And, as far\nas that goes,\u201d added she, \u201cif I were a young fellow why I should\ncertainly fall in love with you.\u201d \u201cIf _you_ don\u2019t praise me,\u201d replied\nthe girl, \u201cI\u2019m sure I don\u2019t know who will;\u201d and then the lady and the\ngirl said something together, and Mr. Ning, thinking they were the\nfamily next door, turned round to sleep without paying further\nattention to them. In a little while no sound was to be heard; but, as\nhe was dropping off to sleep, he perceived that somebody was in the\nroom. Jumping up in great haste, he found it was the young lady he had\njust seen; and detecting at once that she was going to attempt to\nbewitch him, sternly bade her begone. She then produced a lump of gold\nwhich he threw away, and told her to go after it or he would call his\nfriend. So she had no alternative but to go, muttering something about\nhis heart being like iron or stone. Next day, a young candidate for\nthe examination came and lodged in the east room with his servant. He,\nhowever, was killed that very night, and his servant the night after;\nthe corpses of both shewing a small hole in the sole of the foot as if\nbored by an awl, and from which a little blood came. No one knew who\nhad committed these murders, and when Mr. Yen came home, Ning asked\nhim what he thought about it. Yen replied that it was the work of\ndevils, but Ning was a brave fellow, and that didn\u2019t frighten him\nmuch. In the middle of the night Hsiao-ch\u2018ien appeared to him again,\nand said, \u201cI have seen many men, but none with a steel cold heart like\nyours. You are an upright man, and I will not attempt to deceive you.\nI, Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, whose family name is Nieh, died when only eighteen,\nand was buried alongside of this temple. A devil then took possession\nof me, and employed me to bewitch people by my beauty, contrary to my\ninclination. There is now nothing left in this temple to slay, and I\nfear that imps will be employed to kill you.\u201d Ning was very frightened\nat this, and asked her what he should do. \u201cSleep in the same room with\nMr. Yen,\u201d replied she. \u201cWhat!\u201d asked he, \u201ccannot the spirits trouble\nYen?\u201d \u201cHe is a strange man,\u201d she answered, \u201cand they don\u2019t like going\nnear him.\u201d Ning then inquired how the spirits worked. \u201cI bewitch\npeople,\u201d said Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, \u201cand then they bore a hole in the foot\nwhich renders the victim senseless, and proceed to draw off the blood,\nwhich the devils drink. Another method is to tempt people by false\ngold, the bones of some horrid demon; and if they receive it, their\nhearts and livers will be torn out. Either method is used according to\ncircumstances.\u201d Ning thanked her, and asked when he ought to be\nprepared; to which she replied, \u201cTo-morrow night.\u201d At parting she\nwept, and said, \u201cI am about to sink into the great sea, with no\nfriendly shore at hand. But your sense of duty is boundless, and you\ncan save me. If you will collect my bones and bury them in some quiet\nspot, I shall not again be subject to these misfortunes.\u201d Ning said he\nwould do so, and asked where she lay buried. \u201cAt the foot of the\naspen-tree on which there is a bird\u2019s nest,\u201d replied she; and passing\nout of the door, disappeared. The next day Ning was afraid that Yen\nmight be going away somewhere, and went over early to invite him\nacross. Wine and food were produced towards noon; and Ning, who took\ncare not to lose sight of Yen, then asked him to remain there for the\nnight. Yen declined, on the ground that he liked being by himself; but\nNing wouldn\u2019t hear any excuses, and carried all Yen\u2019s things to his\nown room, so that he had no alternative but to consent. However, he\nwarned Ning, saying, \u201cI know you are a gentleman and a man of honour.\nIf you see anything you don\u2019t quite understand, I pray you not to be\ntoo inquisitive; don\u2019t pry into my boxes, or it may be the worse for\nboth of us.\u201d Ning promised to attend to what he said, and by-and-by\nthey both lay down to sleep; and Yen, having placed his boxes on the\nwindow-sill, was soon snoring loudly. Ning himself could not sleep;\nand after some time he saw a figure moving stealthily outside, at\nlength approaching the window to peep through. It\u2019s eyes flashed like\nlightning, and Ning in a terrible fright was just upon the point of\ncalling Yen, when something flew out of one of the boxes like a strip\nof white silk, and dashing against the window-sill returned at once to\nthe box, disappearing very much like lightning. Yen heard the noise\nand got up, Ning all the time pretending to be asleep in order to\nwatch what happened. The former then opened the box, and took out\nsomething which he smelt and examined by the light of the moon. It\nwas dazzlingly white like crystal, and about two inches in length by\nthe width of an onion leaf in breadth. He then wrapped it up carefully\nand put it back in the broken box, saying, \u201cA bold-faced devil that,\nto come so near my box;\u201d upon which he went back to bed; but Ning, who\nwas lost in astonishment, arose and asked him what it all meant,\ntelling at the same time what he himself had seen. \u201cAs you and I are\ngood friends,\u201d replied Yen, \u201cI won\u2019t make any secret of it. The fact\nis I am a Taoist priest. But for the window-sill the devil would have\nbeen killed; as it is, he is badly wounded.\u201d Ning asked him what it\nwas he had there wrapped up, and he told him it was his sword,[121] on\nwhich he had smelt the presence of the devil. At Ning\u2019s request he\nproduced the weapon, a bright little miniature of a sword; and from\nthat time Ning held his friend in higher esteem than ever.\n\nNext day he found traces of blood outside the window which led round\nto the north of the temple; and there among a number of graves he\ndiscovered the aspen-tree with the bird\u2019s nest at its summit. He then\nfulfilled his promise and prepared to go home, Yen giving him a\nfarewell banquet, and presenting him with an old leather case which he\nsaid contained a sword, and would keep at a distance from him all\ndevils and bogies. Ning then wished to learn a little of Yen\u2019s art;\nbut the latter replied that although he might accomplish this easily\nenough, being as he was an upright man, yet he was well off in life,\nand not in a condition where it would be of any advantage to him. Ning\nthen pretending he had to go and bury his sister, collected\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien\u2019s bones, and, having wrapped them up in grave-clothes,\nhired a boat, and set off on his way home. On his arrival, as his\nlibrary looked towards the open country, he made a grave hard by and\nburied the bones there, sacrificing, and invoking Hsiao-ch\u2018ien as\nfollows:--\u201cIn pity for your lonely ghost, I have placed your remains\nnear my humble cottage, where we shall be near each other, and no\ndevil will dare annoy you. I pray you reject not my sacrifice, poor\nthough it be.\u201d After this, he was proceeding home when he suddenly\nheard himself addressed from behind, the voice asking him not to\nhurry; and turning round he beheld Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, who thanked him,\nsaying, \u201cWere I to die ten times for you I could not discharge my\ndebt. Let me go home with you and wait upon your father and mother;\nyou will not repent it.\u201d Looking closely at her, he observed that she\nhad a beautiful complexion, and feet as small as bamboo shoots,[122]\nbeing altogether much prettier now that he came to see her by\ndaylight. So they went together to his home, and bidding her wait\nawhile, Ning ran in to tell his mother, to the very great surprise of\nthe old lady. Now Ning\u2019s wife had been ill for a long time, and his\nmother advised him not to say a word about it to her for fear of\nfrightening her; in the middle of which in rushed Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, and\nthrew herself on the ground before them. \u201cThis is the young lady,\u201d\nsaid Ning; whereupon his mother in some alarm turned her attention to\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien, who cried out, \u201cA lonely orphan, without brother or\nsister, the object of your son\u2019s kindness and compassion, begs to be\nallowed to give her poor services as some return for favours shewn.\u201d\nNing\u2019s mother, seeing that she was a nice pleasant-looking girl, began\nto lose fear of her, and replied, \u201cMadam, the preference you shew for\nmy son is highly pleasing to an old body like myself; but this is the\nonly hope of our family, and I hardly dare agree to his taking a\ndevil-wife.\u201d \u201cI have but one motive in what I ask,\u201d answered\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien, \u201cand if you have no faith in disembodied people, then\nlet me regard him as my brother, and live under your protection,\nserving you like a daughter.\u201d Ning\u2019s mother could not resist her\nstraightforward manner, and Hsiao-ch\u2018ien asked to be allowed to see\nNing\u2019s wife, but this was denied on the plea that the lady was ill.\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien then went into the kitchen and got ready the dinner,\nrunning about the place as if she had lived there all her life. Ning\u2019s\nmother was, however, much afraid of her, and would not let her sleep\nin the house; so Hsiao-ch\u2018ien went to the library, and was just\nentering when suddenly she fell back a few steps, and began walking\nhurriedly backwards and forwards in front of the door. Ning seeing\nthis, called out and asked her what it meant; to which she replied,\n\u201cThe presence of that sword frightens me, and that is why I could not\naccompany you on your way home.\u201d Ning at once understood her, and hung\nup the sword-case in another place; whereupon she entered, lighted a\ncandle, and sat down. For some time she did not speak: at length\nasking Ning if he studied at night or not--\u201cFor,\u201d said she, \u201cwhen I\nwas little I used to repeat the L\u00eang-yen _sutra_; but now I have\nforgotten more than half, and, therefore, I should like to borrow a\ncopy, and when you are at leisure in the evening you might hear me.\u201d\nNing said he would, and they sat silently there for some time, after\nwhich Hsiao-ch\u2018ien went away and took up her quarters elsewhere.\nMorning and night she waited on Ning\u2019s mother, bringing water for her\nto wash in, occupying herself with household matters, and endeavouring\nto please her in every way. In the evening before she went to bed, she\nwould always go in and repeat a little of the _sutra_, and leave as\nsoon as she thought Ning was getting sleepy. Now the illness of Ning\u2019s\nwife had given his mother a great deal of extra trouble--more, in\nfact, than she was equal to; but ever since Hsiao-ch\u2018ien\u2019s arrival all\nthis was changed, and Ning\u2019s mother felt kindly disposed to the girl\nin consequence, gradually growing to regard her almost as her own\nchild, and forgetting quite that she was a spirit. Accordingly, she\ndidn\u2019t make her leave the house at night; and Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, who being\na devil had not tasted meat or drink since her arrival,[123] now\nbegan at the end of six months to take a little thin gruel. Mother and\nson alike became very fond of her, and henceforth never mentioned what\nshe really was; neither were strangers able to detect the fact.\nBy-and-by, Ning\u2019s wife died, and his mother secretly wished him to\nespouse Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, though she rather dreaded any unfortunate\nconsequences that might arise. This Hsiao-ch\u2018ien perceived, and\nseizing an opportunity said to Ning\u2019s mother, \u201cI have been with you\nnow more than a year, and you ought to know something of my\ndisposition. Because I was unwilling to injure travellers I followed\nyour son hither. There was no other motive; and, as your son has shewn\nhimself one of the best of men, I would now remain with him for three\nyears in order that he may obtain for me some mark of Imperial\napprobation[124] which will do me honour in the realms below.\u201d Ning\u2019s\nmother knew that she meant no evil, but hesitated to put the family\nhopes of a posterity into jeopardy. Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, however, reassured\nher by saying that Ning would have three sons, and that the line would\nnot be interrupted by his marrying her. On the strength of this the\nmarriage was arranged to the great joy of Ning, a feast prepared, and\nfriends and relatives invited; and when in response to a call the\nbride herself came forth in her gay wedding-dress, the beholders took\nher rather for a fairy than for a devil. After this, numbers of\ncongratulatory presents were given by the various female members of\nthe family, who vied with one another in making her acquaintance; and\nthese Hsiao-ch\u2018ien returned by gifts of paintings of flowers, done by\nherself, in which she was very skilful, the receivers being extremely\nproud of such marks of her friendship. One day she was leaning at the\nwindow in a despondent mood, when suddenly she asked where the\nsword-case was. \u201cOh,\u201d replied Ning, \u201cas you seemed afraid of it, I\nmoved it elsewhere.\u201d \u201cI have now been so long under the influence of\nsurrounding life,\u201d[125] said Hsiao-ch\u2018ien, \u201cthat I shan\u2019t be afraid of\nit any more. Let us hang it on the bed.\u201d \u201cWhy so?\u201d asked Ning. \u201cFor the\nlast three days,\u201d explained she, \u201cI have been much agitated in mind;\nand I fear that the devil at the temple, angry at my escape, may come\nsuddenly and carry me off.\u201d So Ning brought the sword-case, and\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien, after examining it closely, remarked, \u201cThis is where the\nmagician puts people. I wonder how many were slain before it got old\nand worn out as it is now. Even now when I look at it my flesh\ncreeps.\u201d The case was then hung up, and next day removed to over the\ndoor. At night they sat up and watched, Hsiao-ch\u2018ien warning Ning not\nto go to sleep; and suddenly something fell down flop like a bird.\nHsiao-ch\u2018ien in a fright got behind the curtain; but Ning looked at\nthe thing, and found it was an imp of darkness, with glaring eyes and\na bloody mouth, coming straight to the door. Stealthily creeping up it\nmade a grab at the sword-case, and seemed about to tear it in pieces,\nwhen bang!--the sword-case became as big as a wardrobe, and from it a\ndevil protruded part of his body and dragged the imp in. Nothing more\nwas heard, and the sword-case resumed its original size. Ning was\ngreatly alarmed, but Hsiao-ch\u2018ien came out rejoicing, and said,\n\u201cThere\u2019s an end of my troubles.\u201d In the sword-case they found only a\nfew quarts of clear water; nothing else.\n\nAfter these events Ning took his doctor\u2019s degree and Hsiao-ch\u2018ien bore\nhim a son. He then took a concubine, and had one more son by each, all\nof whom became in time distinguished men.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[121] See No. X., note 80.\n\n[122] Which, well cooked, are a very good substitute for asparagus.\n\n[123] See note 115 to the last story.\n\n[124] Such as are from time to time bestowed upon virtuous widows and\nwives, filial sons and daughters, and others. These consist of some\nlaudatory scroll or tablet, and are much prized by the family of the\nrecipient.\n\n[125] See note 119 to last story.\n\n\n\n\nXVII.\n\nTHE _SHUI-MANG_ PLANT.\n\n\nThe _shui-mang_[126] is a poisonous herb. It is a creeper, like the\nbean, and has a similar red flower. Those who eat of it die, and\nbecome _shui-mang_ devils, tradition asserting that such devils are\nunable to be born again unless they can find some one else who has\nalso eaten of this poison to take their place.[127] These _shui-mang_\ndevils abound in the province of Hunan, where, by the way, the phrase\n\u201csame-year man\u201d is applied to those born in the same year, who\nexchange visits and call each other brother, their children addressing\nthe father\u2019s \u201cbrother\u201d as uncle. This has now become a regular custom\nthere.[128]\n\nA young man named Chu was on his way to visit a same-year friend of\nhis, when he was overtaken by a violent thirst. Suddenly he came upon\nan old woman sitting by the roadside under a shed and distributing\ntea gratis,[129] and immediately walked up to her to get a drink. She\ninvited him into the shed, and presented him with a bowl of tea in a\nvery cordial spirit; but the smell of it did not seem like the smell\nof ordinary tea, and he would not drink it, rising up to go away. The\nold woman stopped him, and called out, \u201cSan-niang! bring some good\ntea.\u201d Immediately a young girl came from behind the shed, carrying in\nher hands a pot of tea. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old,\nand of very fascinating appearance, with glittering rings and\nbracelets on her fingers and arms. As Chu received the cup from her\nhis reason fled; and drinking down the tea she gave him, the flavour\nof which was unlike any other kind, he proceeded to ask for more.\nThen, watching for a moment when the old woman\u2019s back was turned, he\nseized her wrist and drew a ring from her finger. The girl blushed and\nsmiled; and Chu, more and more inflamed, asked her where she lived.\n\u201cCome again this evening,\u201d replied she, \u201cand you\u2019ll find me here.\u201d Chu\nbegged for a handful of her tea, which he stowed away with the ring,\nand took his leave. Arriving at his destination, he felt a pain in his\nheart, which he at once attributed to the tea, telling his friend\nwhat had occurred. \u201cAlas! you are undone,\u201d cried the other; \u201cthey were\n_shui-mang_ devils. My father died in the same way, and we were unable\nto save him. There is no help for you.\u201d Chu was terribly frightened,\nand produced the handful of tea, which his friend at once pronounced\nto be leaves of the _shui-mang_ plant. He then shewed him the ring,\nand told him what the girl had said; whereupon his friend, after some\nreflection, said, \u201cShe must be San-niang, of the K\u2018ou family.\u201d \u201cHow\ncould you know her name?\u201d asked Chu, hearing his friend use the same\nwords as the old woman. \u201cOh,\u201d replied he, \u201cthere was a nice-looking\ngirl of that name who died some years ago from eating of the same\nherb. She is doubtless the girl you saw.\u201d Here some one observed that\nif the person so entrapped by a devil only knew its name, and could\nprocure an old pair of its shoes, he might save himself by boiling\nthem in water and drinking the liquor as medicine. Chu\u2019s friend\nthereupon rushed off at once to the K\u2018ou family, and implored them to\ngive him an old pair of their daughter\u2019s shoes; but they, not wishing\nto prevent their daughter from finding a substitute in Chu, flatly\nrefused his request. So he went back in anger and told Chu, who ground\nhis teeth with rage, saying, \u201cIf I die, she shall not obtain her\ntransmigration thereby.\u201d His friend then sent him home; and just as he\nreached the door he fell down dead. Chu\u2019s mother wept bitterly over\nhis corpse, which was in due course interred; and he left behind one\nlittle boy barely a year old. His wife did not remain a widow, but in\nsix months married again and went away, putting Chu\u2019s son under the\ncare of his grandmother, who was quite unequal to any toil, and did\nnothing but weep morning and night. One day she was carrying her\ngrandson about in her arms, crying bitterly all the time, when\nsuddenly in walked Chu. His mother, much alarmed, brushed away her\ntears, and asked him what it meant. \u201cMother,\u201d replied he, \u201cdown in the\nrealms below I heard you weeping. I am therefore come to tend you.\nAlthough a departed spirit, I have a wife, who has likewise come to\nshare your toil. Therefore do not grieve.\u201d His mother inquired who his\nwife was, to which he replied, \u201cWhen the K\u2018ou family sat still and\nleft me to my fate I was greatly incensed against them; and after\ndeath I sought for San-niang, not knowing where she was. I have\nrecently seen my old same-year friend, and he told me where she was.\nShe had come to life again in the person of the baby-daughter of a\nhigh official named Jen; but I went thither and dragged her spirit\nback. She is now my wife, and we get on extremely well together.\u201d A\nvery pretty and well-dressed young lady here entered, and made\nobeisance to Chu\u2019s mother, Chu saying, \u201cThis is San-niang, of the K\u2018ou\nfamily;\u201d and although not a living being, Mrs. Chu at once took a\ngreat fancy to her. Chu sent her off to help in the work of the house,\nand, in spite of not being accustomed to this sort of thing, she was\nso obedient to her mother-in-law as to excite the compassion of all.\nThe two then took up their quarters in Chu\u2019s old apartments, and there\nthey continued to remain.\n\nMeanwhile San-niang asked Chu\u2019s mother to let the K\u2018ou family know;\nand this she did, notwithstanding some objections raised by her son.\nMr. and Mrs. K\u2018ou were much astonished at the news, and, ordering\ntheir carriage, proceeded at once to Chu\u2019s house. There they found\ntheir daughter, and parents and child fell into each other\u2019s arms.\nSan-niang entreated them to dry their tears; but her mother, noticing\nthe poverty of Chu\u2019s household, was unable to restrain her feelings.\n\u201cWe are already spirits,\u201d cried San-niang; \u201cwhat matters poverty to\nus? Besides, I am very well treated here, and am altogether as happy\nas I can be.\u201d They then asked her who the old woman was; to which she\nreplied, \u201cHer name was Ni. She was mortified at being too ugly to\nentrap people herself, and got me to assist her. She has now been born\nagain at a soy-shop in the city.\u201d Then, looking at her husband, she\nadded, \u201cCome, since you are the son-in-law, pay the proper respect to\nmy father and mother, or what shall I think of you?\u201d Chu made his\nobeisance, and San-niang went into the kitchen to get food ready for\nthem, at which her mother became very melancholy, and went away home,\nwhence she sent a couple of maid-servants, a hundred ounces of silver,\nand rolls of cloth and silk, besides making occasional presents of\nfood and wine, so that Chu\u2019s mother lived in comparative comfort.\nSan-niang also went from time to time to see her parents, but would\nnever stay very long, pleading that she was wanted at home, and such\nexcuses; and if the old people attempted to keep her, she simply went\noff by herself. Her father built a nice house for Chu with all kinds\nof luxuries in it; but Chu never once entered his father-in-law\u2019s\ndoor.\n\nSubsequently a man of the village who had eaten _shui-mang_, and had\ndied in consequence, came back to life, to the great astonishment of\neverybody. However, Chu explained it, saying, \u201cI brought him back to\nlife. He was the victim of a man named Li Chiu; but I drove off Li\u2019s\nspirit when it came to make the other take his place.\u201d Chu\u2019s mother\nthen asked her son why he did not get a substitute for himself; to\nwhich he replied, \u201cI do not like to do this. I am anxious to put an\nend to, rather than take advantage of, such a system. Besides, I am\nvery happy waiting on you, and have no wish to be born again.\u201d From\nthat time all persons who had poisoned themselves with _shui-mang_\nwere in the habit of feasting Chu and obtaining his assistance in\ntheir trouble. But in ten years\u2019 time his mother died, and he and his\nwife gave themselves up to sorrow, and would see no one, bidding their\nlittle boy put on mourning, beat his breast, and perform the proper\nceremonies. Two years after Chu had buried his mother, his son married\nthe granddaughter of a high official named Jen. This gentleman had had\na daughter by a concubine, who had died when only a few months old;\nand now, hearing the strange story of Chu\u2019s wife, came to call on her\nand arrange the marriage. He then gave his granddaughter to Chu\u2019s son,\nand a free intercourse was maintained between the two families.\nHowever, one day Chu said to his son, \u201cBecause I have been of service\nto my generation, God has appointed me Keeper of the Dragons; and I\nam now about to proceed to my post.\u201d Thereupon four horses appeared in\nthe court-yard, drawing a carriage with yellow hangings, the flanks of\nthe horses being covered with scale-like trappings. Husband and wife\ncame forth in full dress, and took their seats, and, while son and\ndaughter-in-law were weeping their adieus, disappeared from view. That\nvery day the K\u2018ou family saw their daughter arrive, and, bidding them\nfarewell, she told them the same story. The old people would have kept\nher, but she said, \u201cMy husband is already on his way,\u201d and, leaving\nthe house, parted from them for ever. Chu\u2019s son was named Ngo, and his\nliterary name was Li-ch\u2018\u00ean. He begged San-niang\u2019s bones from the K\u2018ou\nfamily, and buried them by the side of his father\u2019s.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[126] Probably the _Illicium religiosum_ is meant.\n\n[127] See No. XII., note 87.\n\n[128] The common application of the term \u201csame-year-men,\u201d is to\npersons who have graduated at the same time.\n\n[129] This is by no means an uncommon form of charity. During the\ntemporary distress at Canton, in the summer of 1877, large tubs of\ngruel were to be seen standing at convenient points, ready for any\npoor person who might wish to stay his hunger. It is thus, and by\nsimilar acts of benevolence, such as building bridges, repairing\nroads, etc., etc., that the wealthy Chinaman strives to maintain an\nadvantageous balance in his record of good and evil.\n\n\n\n\nXVIII.\n\nLITTLE CHU.\n\n\nA man named Li Hua dwelt at Ch\u2018ang-chou. He was very well off, and\nabout fifty years of age, but he had no sons; only one daughter, named\nHsiao-hui, a pretty child on whom her parents doted. When she was\nfourteen she had a severe illness and died, leaving their home\ndesolate and depriving them of their chief pleasure in life. Mr. Li\nthen bought a concubine, and she by-and-by bore him a son, who was\nperfectly idolised, and called Chu, or the Pearl. This boy grew up to\nbe a fine manly fellow, though so extremely stupid that when five or\nsix years old he didn\u2019t know pulse from corn, and could hardly talk\nplainly. His father, however, loved him dearly, and did not observe\nhis faults.\n\nNow it chanced that a one-eyed priest came to collect alms in the\ntown, and he seemed to know so much about everybody\u2019s private affairs\nthat the people all looked upon him as superhuman. He himself declared\nhe had control over life, death, happiness, and misfortune; and\nconsequently no one dared refuse him whatever sum he chose to ask of\nthem. From Li he demanded one hundred ounces of silver, but was\noffered only ten, which he refused to receive. This sum was increased\nto thirty ounces, whereupon the priest looked sternly at Li and said,\n\u201cI must have one hundred; not a fraction less.\u201d Li now got angry, and\nwent away without giving him any, the priest, too, rising up in a rage\nand shouting after him, \u201cI hope you won\u2019t repent.\u201d Shortly after these\nevents little Chu fell sick, and crawled about the bed scratching the\nmat, his face being of an ashen paleness. This frightened his father,\nwho hurried off with eighty ounces of silver, and begged the priest to\naccept them. \u201cA large sum like this is no trifling matter to earn,\u201d\nsaid the priest, smiling; \u201cbut what can a poor recluse like myself do\nfor you?\u201d So Li went home, to find that little Chu was already dead;\nand this worked him into such a state that he immediately laid a\ncomplaint before the magistrate. The priest was accordingly summoned\nand interrogated; but the magistrate wouldn\u2019t accept his defence, and\nordered him to be bambooed. The blows sounded as if falling on\nleather, upon which the magistrate commanded his lictors to search\nhim; and from about his person they drew forth two wooden men, a small\ncoffin, and five small flags. The magistrate here flew into a passion,\nand made certain mystic signs with his fingers, which when the priest\nsaw he was frightened, and began to excuse himself; but the magistrate\nwould not listen to him, and had him bambooed to death. Li thanked him\nfor his kindness, and, taking his leave, proceeded home. In the\nevening, after dusk, he was sitting alone with his wife, when suddenly\nin popped a little boy, who said, \u201cPa! why did you hurry on so fast?\nI couldn\u2019t catch you up.\u201d Looking at him more closely, they saw that\nhe was about seven or eight years old, and Mr. Li, in some alarm, was\non the point of questioning him, when he disappeared, re-appearing\nagain like smoke, and, curling round and round, got upon the bed. Li\npushed him off, and he fell down without making any sound, crying out,\n\u201cPa! why do you do this?\u201d and in a moment he was on the bed again. Li\nwas frightened, and ran away with his wife, the boy calling after\nthem, \u201cPa! Ma! boo-oo-oo.\u201d They went into the next room, bolting the\ndoor after them; but there was the little boy at their heels again. Li\nasked him what he wanted, to which he replied, \u201cI belong to Su-chou;\nmy name is Chan; at six years of age I was left an orphan; my brother\nand his wife couldn\u2019t bear me, so they sent me to live at my maternal\ngrandfather\u2019s. One day, when playing outside, a wicked priest killed\nme by his black art underneath a mulberry-tree, and made of me an evil\nspirit, dooming me to everlasting devildom without hope of\ntransmigration. Happily you exposed him; and I would now remain with\nyou as your son.\u201d \u201cThe paths of men and devils,\u201d replied Li, \u201clie in\ndifferent directions. How can we remain together?\u201d \u201cGive me only a\ntiny room,\u201d cried the boy, \u201ca bed, a mattress, and a cup of cold gruel\nevery day. I ask for nothing more.\u201d So Li agreed, to the great delight\nof the boy, who slept by himself in another part of the house, coming\nin the morning and walking in and out like any ordinary person.\nHearing Li\u2019s concubine crying bitterly, he asked how long little Chu\nhad been dead, and she told him seven days. \u201cIt\u2019s cold weather now,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cand the body can\u2019t have decomposed. Have the grave opened,\nand let me see it; if not too far gone, I can bring him to life\nagain.\u201d Li was only too pleased, and went off with the boy; and when\nthey opened the grave they found the body in perfect preservation; but\nwhile Li was controlling his emotions, lo! the boy had vanished from\nhis sight. Wondering very much at this, he took little Chu\u2019s body\nhome, and had hardly laid it on the bed when he noticed the eyes move.\nLittle Chu then called for some broth, which put him into a\nperspiration, and then he got up. They were all overjoyed to see him\ncome to life again; and, what is more, he was much brighter and\ncleverer than before. At night, however, he lay perfectly stiff and\nrigid, without shewing any signs of life; and, as he didn\u2019t move when\nthey turned him over and over, they were much frightened, and thought\nhe had died again. But towards daybreak he awaked as if from a dream,\nand in reply to their questions said that when he was with the wicked\npriest there was another boy named Ko-tz\u016d;[130] and that the day\nbefore, when he had been unable to catch up his father, it was because\nhe had stayed behind to bid adieu to Ko-tz\u016d; that Ko-tz\u016d was now the\nson of an official in Purgatory named Chiang, and very comfortably\nsettled; and that he had invited him (Chan) to go and play with him\nthat evening, and had sent him back on a white-nosed horse. His mother\nthen asked him if he had seen little Chu in Purgatory; to which he\nreplied, \u201cLittle Chu has already been born again. He and our father\nhere had not really the destiny of father and son. Little Chu was\nmerely a man named Yen Tz\u016d-fang, from Chin-ling, who had come to\nreclaim an old debt.\u201d[131] Now Mr. Li had formerly traded to\nChin-ling, and actually owed money for goods to a Mr. Yen; but he had\ndied, and no one else knew anything about it, so that he was now\ngreatly alarmed when he heard this story. His mother next asked (the\nquasi) little Chu if he had seen his sister, Hsiao-hui; and he said he\nhad not, promising to go again and inquire about her. A few days\nafterwards he told his mother that Hsiao-hui was very happy in\nPurgatory, being married to a son of one of the Judges; and that she\nhad any quantity of jewels,[132] and crowds of attendants when she\nwent abroad. \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t she come home to see her parents?\u201d asked his\nmother. \u201cWell,\u201d replied the boy, \u201cdead people, you know, haven\u2019t got\nany flesh or bones; however, if you can only remind them of something\nthat happened in their past lives, their feelings are at once touched.\nSo yesterday I managed, through Mr. Chiang, to get an interview with\nHsiao-hui; and we sat together on a coral couch, and I spoke to her\nof her father and mother at home, all of which she listened to as if\nshe was asleep. I then remarked, \u2018Sister, when you were alive you were\nvery fond of embroidering double-stemmed flowers; and once you cut\nyour finger with the scissors, and the blood ran over the silk, but\nyou brought it into the picture as a crimson cloud. Your mother has\nthat picture still, hanging at the head of her bed, a perpetual\nsouvenir of you. Sister, have you forgotten this?\u2019 Then she burst into\ntears, and promised to ask her husband to let her come and visit you.\u201d\nHis mother asked when she would arrive; but he said he could not tell.\nHowever, one day he ran in and cried out, \u201cMother, Hsiao-hui has come,\nwith a splendid equipage and a train of servants; we had better get\nplenty of wine ready.\u201d In a few moments he came in again, saying,\n\u201cHere is my sister,\u201d at the same time asking her to take a seat and\nrest. He then wept; but none of those present saw anything at all.\nBy-and-by he went out and burnt a quantity of paper money[133] and\nmade offerings of wine outside the door, returning shortly and saying\nhe had sent away her attendants for a while. Hsiao-hui then asked if\nthe green coverlet, a small portion of which had been burnt by a\ncandle, was still in existence. \u201cIt is,\u201d replied her mother, and,\ngoing to a box, she at once produced the coverlet. \u201cHsiao-hui would\nlike a bed made up for her in her old room,\u201d said her (quasi) brother;\n\u201cshe wants to rest awhile, and will talk with you again in the\nmorning.\u201d\n\nNow their next-door neighbour, named Chao, had a daughter who was\nformerly a great friend of Hsiao-hui\u2019s, and that night she dreamt that\nHsiao-hui appeared with a turban on her head and a red mantle over her\nshoulders, and that they talked and laughed together precisely as in\ndays gone by. \u201cI am now a spirit,\u201d said Hsiao-hui, \u201cand my father and\nmother can no more see me than if I was far separated from them. Dear\nsister, I would borrow your body, from which to speak to them. You\nneed fear nothing.\u201d On the morrow when Miss Chao met her mother, she\nfell on the ground before her and remained some time in a state of\nunconsciousness, at length saying, \u201cMadam, it is many years since we\nmet; your hair has become very white.\u201d \u201cThe girl\u2019s mad,\u201d said her\nmother, in alarm; and, thinking something had gone wrong, proceeded to\nfollow her out of the door. Miss Chao went straight to Li\u2019s house, and\nthere with tears embraced Mrs. Li, who did not know what to make of it\nall. \u201cYesterday,\u201d said Miss Chao, \u201cwhen I came back, I was unhappily\nunable to speak with you. Unfilial wretch that I was, to die before\nyou, and leave you to mourn my loss. How can I redeem such behaviour?\u201d\nHer mother thereupon began to understand the scene, and, weeping,\nsaid to her, \u201cI have heard that you hold an honourable position, and\nthis is a great comfort to me; but, living as you do in the palace of\na Judge, how is it you are able to get away?\u201d \u201cMy husband,\u201d replied\nshe, \u201cis very kind; and his parents treat me with all possible\nconsideration. I experience no harsh treatment at their hands.\u201d Here\nMiss Chao rested her cheek upon her hand, exactly as Hsiao-hui had\nbeen wont to do when she was alive; and at that moment in came her\nbrother to say that her attendants were ready to return. \u201cI must go,\u201d\nsaid she, rising up and weeping bitterly all the time; after which she\nfell down, and remained some time unconscious as before.\n\nShortly after these events Mr. Li became dangerously ill, and no\nmedicines were of any avail, so that his son feared they would not be\nable to save his life. Two devils sat at the head of his bed, one\nholding an iron staff, the other a nettle-hemp rope four or five feet\nin length. Day and night his son implored them to go, but they would\nnot move; and Mrs. Li in sorrow began to prepare the funeral\nclothes.[134] Towards evening her son entered and cried out,\n\u201cStrangers and women, leave the room! My sister\u2019s husband is coming to\nsee his father-in-law.\u201d He then clapped his hands, and burst out\nlaughing. \u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d asked his mother. \u201cI am laughing,\u201d\nanswered he, \u201cbecause when the two devils heard my sister\u2019s husband\nwas coming, they both ran under the bed, like terrapins, drawing in\ntheir heads.\u201d By-and-by, looking at nothing, he began to talk about the\nweather, and ask his sister\u2019s husband how he did, and then he clapped\nhis hands, and said, \u201cI begged the two devils to go, but they would\nnot; it\u2019s all right now.\u201d After this he went out to the door and\nreturned, saying, \u201cMy sister\u2019s husband has gone. He took away the two\ndevils tied to his horse. My father ought to get better now. Besides,\nHsiao-hui\u2019s husband said he would speak to the Judge, and obtain a\nhundred years\u2019 lease of life both for you and my father.\u201d The whole\nfamily rejoiced exceedingly at this, and, when night came, Mr. Li was\nbetter, and in a few days quite well again. A tutor was engaged for\n(the quasi) little Chu, who shewed himself an apt pupil, and at\neighteen years of age took his bachelor\u2019s degree. He could also see\nthings of the other world; and when anyone in the village was ill, he\npointed out where the devils were, and burnt them out with fire, so\nthat everybody got well. However, before long he himself became very\nill, and his flesh turned green and purple; whereupon he said, \u201cThe\ndevils afflict me thus because I let out their secrets. Henceforth I\nshall never divulge them again.\u201d\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[130] It may be necessary here to remind the reader that Chan\u2019s spirit\nis speaking from Chu\u2019s body.\n\n[131] We shall come by and by to a story illustrative of this\nextraordinary belief.\n\n[132] The _summum bonum_ of many a Chinese woman.\n\n[133] Chinese silver, called sycee (from the Cantonese _sai see_ \u201cfine\nsilk;\u201d because, if pure, it may be drawn out under the application of\nheat into fine silk threads), is cast in the form of \u201cshoes,\u201d weighing\nfrom one to one hundred ounces. Paper imitations of these are burnt\nfor the use of the spirits in the world below. The sharp edges of a\n\u201cshoe\u201d of sycee are caused by the mould containing the molten silver\nbeing gently shaken until the metal has set, with a view to secure\nuniform fineness throughout the lump.\n\n[134] Death is regarded as a summons from the authorities of\nPurgatory; lictors are sent to arrest the doomed man, armed with a\nwritten warrant similar to those issued on earth from a magistrate\u2019s\nyam\u00ean.\n\n\n\n\nXIX.\n\nMISS QUARTA HU.\n\n\nMr. Shang was a native of T\u2018ai-shan, and lived quietly with his books\nalone. One autumn night when the Silver River[135] was unusually\ndistinct and the moon shining brightly in the sky, he was walking up\nand down under the shade, with his thoughts wandering somewhat at\nrandom, when lo! a young girl leaped over the wall, and, smiling,\nasked him, \u201cWhat are you thinking about, Sir, all so deeply?\u201d Shang\nlooked at her, and seeing that she had a pretty face, asked her to\nwalk in. She then told him her name was Hu,[136] and that she was\ncalled Tertia; but when he wanted to know where she lived, she laughed\nand would not say. So he did not inquire any further; and by degrees\nthey struck up a friendship, and Miss Tertia used to come and chat\nwith him every evening. He was so smitten that he could hardly take\nhis eyes off her, and at last she said to him, \u201cWhat _are_ you\nlooking at?\u201d \u201cAt you,\u201d cried he, \u201cmy lovely rose, my beautiful peach.\nI could gaze at you all night long.\u201d \u201cIf you think so much of poor\nme,\u201d answered she, \u201cI don\u2019t know where your wits would be if you saw\nmy sister Quarta.\u201d Mr. Shang said he was sorry he didn\u2019t know her, and\nbegged that he might be introduced; so next night Miss Tertia brought\nher sister, who turned out to be a young damsel of about fifteen, with\na face delicately powdered and resembling the lily, or like an\napricot-flower seen through mist; and altogether as pretty a girl as\nhe had ever seen. Mr. Shang was charmed with her, and inviting them\nin, began to laugh and talk with the elder, while Miss Quarta sat\nplaying with her girdle, and keeping her eyes on the ground. By-and-by\nMiss Tertia got up and said she was going, whereupon her sister rose\nto take leave also; but Mr. Shang asked her not to be in a hurry, and\nrequested the elder to assist in persuading her. \u201cYou needn\u2019t hurry,\u201d\nsaid she to Miss Quarta; and accordingly the latter remained chatting\nwith Mr. Shang without reserve, and finally told him she was a fox.\nHowever, Mr. Shang was so occupied with her beauty, that he didn\u2019t pay\nany heed to that; but she added, \u201cAnd my sister is very dangerous; she\nhas already killed three people. Any one bewitched by her has no\nchance of escape. Happily, you have bestowed your affections on me,\nand I shall not allow you to be destroyed. You must break off your\nacquaintance with her at once.\u201d Mr. Shang was very frightened, and\nimplored her to help him; to which she replied, \u201cAlthough a fox, I am\nskilled in the arts of the Immortals;[137] I will write out a charm\nfor you which you must paste on the door, and thus you will keep her\naway.\u201d So she wrote down the charm, and in the morning when her sister\ncame and saw it, she fell back, crying out, \u201cUngrateful minx! you\u2019ve\nthrown me up for him, have you? You two being destined for each other,\nwhat have I done that you should treat me thus?\u201d She then went away;\nand a few days afterwards Miss Quarta said she too would have to be\nabsent for a day, so Shang went out for a walk by himself, and\nsuddenly beheld a very nice-looking young lady emerge from the shade\nof an old oak that was growing on the hill-side. \u201cWhy so dreadfully\npensive?\u201d said she to him; \u201cthose Hu girls can never bring you a\nsingle cent.\u201d She then presented Shang with some money, and bade him\ngo on ahead and buy some good wine, adding, \u201cI\u2019ll bring something to\neat with me, and we\u2019ll have a jolly time of it.\u201d Shang took the money\nand went home, doing as the young lady had told him; and by-and-by in\nshe herself came, and threw on the table a roast chicken and a\nshoulder of salt pork, which she at once proceeded to cut up. They now\nset to work to enjoy themselves, and had hardly finished when they\nheard some one coming in, and the next minute in walked Miss Tertia\nand her sister. The strange young lady didn\u2019t know where to hide, and\nmanaged to lose her shoes; but the other two began to revile her,\nsaying, \u201cOut upon you, base fox; what are you doing here?\u201d They then\nchased her away after some trouble, and Shang began to excuse himself\nto them, until at last they all became friends again as before.\n\nOne day, however, a Shensi man arrived, riding on a donkey, and coming\nto the door said, \u201cI have long been in search of these evil spirits:\nnow I have got them.\u201d Shang\u2019s father thought the man\u2019s remark rather\nstrange, and asked him whence he had come. \u201cAcross much land and sea,\u201d\nreplied he; \u201cfor eight or nine months out of every year I am absent\nfrom my native place. These devils killed my brother with their\npoison, alas! alas! and I have sworn to exterminate them; but I have\ntravelled many miles without being able to find them. They are now in\nyour house, and if you do not cut them off, you will die even as my\nbrother.\u201d Now Shang and the young ladies had kept their\nacquaintanceship very dark; but his father and mother had guessed that\nsomething was up, and, much alarmed, bade the Shensi man walk in and\nperform his exorcisms. The latter then produced two bottles which he\nplaced upon the ground, and proceeded to mutter a number of charms and\ncabalistic formul\u00e6; whereupon four wreaths of smoke passed two by two\ninto each bottle. \u201cI have the whole family,\u201d cried he, in an ecstasy\nof delight; as he proceeded to tie down the mouths of the bottles with\npig\u2019s bladder, sealing them with the utmost care. Shang\u2019s father was\nlikewise very pleased, and kept his guest to dinner; but the young man\nhimself was sadly dejected, and approaching the bottles unperceived,\nbent his ear to listen. \u201cUngrateful man,\u201d said Miss Quarta from\nwithin, \u201cto sit there and make no effort to save me.\u201d This was more\nthan Shang could stand, and he immediately broke the seal, but found\nthat he couldn\u2019t untie the knot. \u201cNot so,\u201d cried Miss Quarta; \u201cmerely\nlay down the flag that now stands on the altar, and with a pin prick\nthe bladder, and I can get out.\u201d Shang did as she bade him, and in a\nmoment a thin streak of white smoke issued forth from the hole and\ndisappeared in the clouds. When the Shensi man came out, and saw the\nflag lying on the ground, he started violently, and cried out,\n\u201cEscaped! This must be your doing, young Sir.\u201d He then shook the\nbottle and listened, finally exclaiming, \u201cLuckily only one has got\naway. She was fated not to die, and may therefore be pardoned.\u201d[138]\nThereupon he took the bottles and went his way.\n\nSome years afterwards Shang was one day superintending his reapers\ncutting the corn, when he descried Miss Quarta at a distance, sitting\nunder a tree. He approached, and she took his hand, saying, \u201cTen years\nhave rolled away since last we met. Since then I have gained the\nprize of immortality;[139] but I thought that perhaps you had not\nquite forgotten me, and so I came to see you once more.\u201d Shang wished\nher to return home with him; to which she replied, \u201cI am no longer\nwhat I was that I should mingle in the affairs of mortals. We shall\nmeet again.\u201d And as she said this, she disappeared; but twenty years\nlater, when Shang was one day alone, Miss Quarta walked in. Shang was\noverjoyed, and began to address her; but she answered him, saying, \u201cMy\nname is already enrolled in the Register of the Immortals, and I have\nno right to return to earth. However, out of gratitude to you I\ndetermined to announce to you the date of your dissolution that you\nmight put your affairs in order. Fear nothing; I will see you safely\nthrough to the happy land.\u201d She then departed, and on the day named\nShang actually died. A relative of a friend of mine, Mr. Li W\u00ean-y\u00fc,\nfrequently met the above-mentioned Mr. Shang.[140]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[135] The Milky Way is known to the Chinese under this\nname--unquestionably a more poetical one than our own.\n\n[136] See No. XIII., note 90.\n\n[137] That is, of the Taoists. See No. IV., note 46.\n\n[138] Predestination _after the event_ is, luckily for China, the form\nof this superstition which really appeals to her all-practical\nchildren. Not a larger percentage than with ourselves allow belief in\nan irremediable destiny to divert their efforts one moment from the\nobject in view; though thousands upon thousands are ready enough to\nacknowledge the \u201cwill of heaven\u201d in any national or individual\ncalamities that may befall. See No. IX., note 69.\n\n[139] Any disembodied spirit whose conduct for a certain term of years\nis quite satisfactory is competent to obtain this reward. Thus,\ninstead of being born again on earth, perhaps as an animal, they\nbecome angels or good spirits, and live for ever in heaven in a state\nof supreme beatitude.\n\n[140] Our author occasionally ends up with a remark of this kind; and\nthese have undoubtedly had their weight with his too credulous\ncountrymen.\n\n\n\n\nXX.\n\nMR. CHU, THE CONSIDERATE HUSBAND.\n\n\nAt the village of Chu in Chi-yang, there was a man named Chu, who died\nat the age of fifty and odd years. His family at once proceeded to put\non their mourning robes, when suddenly they heard the dead man cry\nout. Rushing up to the coffin, they found that he had come to life\nagain; and began, full of joy, to ask him all about it. But the old\ngentleman replied only to his wife, saying, \u201cWhen I died I did not\nexpect to come back. However, by the time I had got a few miles on my\nway, I thought of the poor old body I was leaving behind me, dependent\nfor everything on others, and with no more enjoyment of life. So I\nmade up my mind to return, and take you away with me.\u201d The bystanders\nthought this was only the disconnected talk of a man who had just\nregained consciousness, and attached no importance to it; but the old\nman repeated it, and then his wife said, \u201cIt\u2019s all very well, but you\nhave only just come to life; how can you go and die again directly?\u201d\n\u201cIt is extremely simple,\u201d replied her husband; \u201cyou go and pack up\neverything ready.\u201d The old lady laughed and did nothing; upon which\nMr. Chu urged her again to prepare, and then left the house. In a\nshort time he returned, and his wife pretended that she had done what\nhe wanted. \u201cThen you had better dress,\u201d said he; but Mrs. Chu did not\nmove until he pressed her again and again, after which she did not\nlike to cross him, and by-and-by came out all fully equipped. The\nother ladies of the family were laughing on the sly, when Mr. Chu laid\nhis head upon the pillow, and told his wife to do likewise. \u201cIt\u2019s too\nridiculous,\u201d she was beginning to say, when Mr. Chu banged the bed\nwith his hand, and cried out, \u201cWhat is there to laugh at in dying?\u201d\nupon which the various members of the family, seeing the old gentleman\nwas in a rage, begged her to gratify his whim. Mrs. Chu then lay down\nalongside of her husband, to the infinite amusement of the spectators;\nbut it was soon noticed that the old lady had ceased to smile, and\nby-and-by her two eyes closed. For a long time not a sound was heard,\nas if she was fast asleep; and when some of those present approached\nto touch her, they found she was as cold as ice, and no longer\nbreathing; then, turning to her husband, they perceived that he also\nhad passed away.\n\nThis story was fully related by a younger sister-in-law of Mr. Chu\u2019s,\nwho, in the twenty-first year of the reign K\u2018ang Hsi,[141] was\nemployed in the house of a high official named Pi.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[141] A.D. 1682.\n\n\n\n\nXXI.\n\nTHE MAGNANIMOUS GIRL.\n\n\nAt Chin-ling there lived a young man named Ku, who had considerable\nability but was very poor; and having an old mother, he was very loth\nto leave home. So he employed himself in writing or painting[142] for\npeople, and gave his mother the proceeds, going on thus till he was\ntwenty-five years of age without taking a wife. Opposite to their\nhouse was another building, which had long been untenanted; and one\nday an old woman and a young girl came to occupy it, but there being\nno gentleman with them young Ku did not make any inquiries as to who\nthey were or whence they hailed. Shortly afterwards it chanced that\njust as Ku was entering the house he observed a young lady come out of\nhis mother\u2019s door. She was about eighteen or nineteen, very clever\nand refined looking, and altogether such a girl as one rarely sets\neyes on; and when she noticed Mr. Ku, she did not run away, but seemed\nquite self-possessed. \u201cIt was the young lady over the way; she came to\nborrow my scissors and measure,\u201d said his mother, \u201cand she told me\nthat there was only her mother and herself. They don\u2019t seem to belong\nto the lower classes. I asked her why she didn\u2019t get married, to which\nshe replied that her mother was old. I must go and call on her\nto-morrow, and find out how the land lies. If she doesn\u2019t expect too\nmuch, you could take care of her mother for her.\u201d So next day Ku\u2019s\nmother went, and found that the girl\u2019s mother was deaf, and that they\nwere evidently poor, apparently not having a day\u2019s food in the house.\nKu\u2019s mother asked what their employment was, and the old lady said\nthey trusted for food to her daughter\u2019s ten fingers. She then threw\nout some hints about uniting the two families, to which the old lady\nseemed to agree; but, on consultation with her daughter, the latter\nwould not consent. Mrs. Ku returned home and told her son, saying,\n\u201cPerhaps she thinks we are too poor. She doesn\u2019t speak or laugh, is\nvery nice-looking, and as pure as snow; truly no ordinary girl.\u201d There\nended that; until one day, as Ku was sitting in his study, up came a\nvery agreeable young fellow, who said he was from a neighbouring\nvillage, and engaged Ku to draw a picture for him. The two youths soon\nstruck up a firm friendship and met constantly, when it happened that\nthe stranger chanced to see the young lady of over the way. \u201cWho is\nthat?\u201d said he, following her with his eyes. Ku told him, and then he\nsaid, \u201cShe is certainly pretty, but rather stern in her appearance.\u201d\nBy-and-by Ku went in, and his mother told him the girl had come to beg\na little rice, as they had had nothing to eat all day. \u201cShe\u2019s a good\ndaughter,\u201d said his mother, \u201cand I\u2019m very sorry for her. We must try\nand help them a little.\u201d Ku thereupon shouldered a peck of rice, and,\nknocking at their door, presented it with his mother\u2019s compliments.\nThe young lady received the rice but said nothing; and then she got\ninto the habit of coming over and helping Ku\u2019s mother with her work\nand household affairs, almost as if she had been her daughter-in-law,\nfor which Ku was very grateful to her, and whenever he had anything\nnice he always sent some of it in to her mother, though the young lady\nherself never once took the trouble to thank him. So things went on\nuntil Ku\u2019s mother got an abscess on her leg, and lay writhing in agony\nday and night. Then the young lady devoted herself to the invalid,\nwaiting on her and giving her medicine with such care and attention\nthat at last the sick woman cried out, \u201cOh, that I could secure such a\ndaughter-in-law as you, to see this old body into its grave!\u201d The\nyoung lady soothed her, and replied, \u201cYour son is a hundred times more\nfilial than I, a poor widow\u2019s only daughter.\u201d \u201cBut even a filial son\nmakes a bad nurse,\u201d answered the patient; \u201cbesides, I am now drawing\ntowards the evening of my life, when my body will be exposed to the\nmists and the dews, and I am vexed in spirit about our ancestral\nworship and the continuance of our line.\u201d As she was speaking Ku\nwalked in; and his mother, weeping, said, \u201cI am deeply indebted to\nthis young lady; do not forget to repay her goodness.\u201d Ku made a low\nbow, but the young lady said, \u201cSir, when you were kind to my mother, I\ndid not thank you; why, then, thank me?\u201d Ku thereupon became more than\never attached to her; but could never get her to depart in the\nslightest degree from her cold demeanour towards himself. One day,\nhowever, he managed to squeeze her hand, upon which she told him never\nto do so again; and then for some time he neither saw nor heard\nanything of her. She had conceived a violent dislike to the young\nstranger above-mentioned; and one evening when he was sitting talking\nwith Ku, the young lady reappeared. After a while she got angry at\nsomething he said, and drew from her robe a glittering knife about a\nfoot long. The young man, seeing her do this, ran out in a fright and\nshe after him, only to find that he had vanished. She then threw her\ndagger up into the air, and whish! a streak of light like a rainbow,\nand something came tumbling down with a flop. Ku got a light, and ran\nto see what it was; and lo! there lay a white fox, head in one place\nand body in another. \u201cThere is your _friend_,\u201d cried the girl; \u201cI knew\nhe would cause me to destroy him sooner or later.\u201d Ku dragged it into\nthe house, and said, \u201cLet us wait till to-morrow to talk it over; we\nshall then be more calm.\u201d Next day the young lady arrived, and Ku\ninquired about her knowledge of the black art; but she told Ku not to\ntrouble himself about such affairs, and to keep it secret or it might\nbe prejudicial to his happiness. Ku then entreated her to consent to\ntheir union, to which she replied that she had already been as it were\na daughter-in-law to his mother, and there was no need to push the\nthing further. \u201cIs it because I am poor?\u201d asked Ku. \u201cWell, I am not\nrich,\u201d answered she, \u201cbut the fact is I had rather not.\u201d She then took\nher leave, and the next evening when Ku went across to their house to\ntry once more to persuade her, the young lady had disappeared, and was\nnever seen again.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[142] The usual occupation of poor scholars who are ashamed to go into\ntrade, and who have not enterprise enough to start as doctors or\nfortune-tellers. Besides painting pictures and fans, and illustrating\nbooks, these men write fancy scrolls in the various ornamental styles\nso much prized by the Chinese; they keep accounts for people, and\nwrite or read business and private letters for the illiterate masses.\n\n\n\n\nXXII.\n\nTHE BOON-COMPANION.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a young man named Ch\u2018\u00ea, who was not\nparticularly well off, but at the same time very fond of his wine; so\nmuch so, that without his three stoups of liquor every night, he was\nquite unable to sleep, and bottles were seldom absent from the head of\nhis bed. One night he had waked up and was turning over and over, when\nhe fancied some one was in the bed with him; but then, thinking it was\nonly the clothes which had slipped off, he put out his hand to feel,\nand, lo! he touched something silky like a cat, only larger. Striking\na light, he found it was a fox, lying in a drunken sleep like a dog;\nand then looking at his wine bottle he saw that it had been emptied.\n\u201cA boon-companion,\u201d said he, laughing, as he avoided startling the\nanimal, and covering it up, lay down to sleep with his arm across it,\nand the candle alight so as to see what transformation it might\nundergo. About midnight, the fox stretched itself, and Ch\u2018\u00ea cried,\n\u201cWell, to be sure, you\u2019ve had a nice sleep!\u201d He then drew off the\nclothes, and beheld an elegant young man in a scholar\u2019s dress; but the\nyoung man jumped up, and making a low obeisance, returned his host\nmany thanks for not cutting off his head. \u201cOh,\u201d replied Ch\u2018\u00ea, \u201cI am\nnot averse to liquor myself; in fact they say I\u2019m too much given to\nit. You shall play Pythias to my Damon;[143] and if you have no\nobjection, we\u2019ll be a pair of bottle-and-glass chums.\u201d So they lay\ndown and went to sleep again, Ch\u2018\u00ea urging the young man to visit him\noften, and saying that they must have faith in each other. The fox\nagreed to this, but when Ch\u2018\u00ea awoke in the morning his bedfellow had\nalready disappeared. So he prepared a goblet of first-rate wine in\nexpectation of his friend\u2019s arrival, and at nightfall sure enough he\ncame. They then sat together drinking, and the fox cracked so many\njokes that Ch\u2018\u00ea said he regretted he had not known him before. \u201cAnd\ntruly I don\u2019t know how to repay your kindness,\u201d replied the former,\n\u201cin preparing all this nice wine for me.\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said Ch\u2018\u00ea, \u201cwhat\u2019s a\npint or so of wine?--nothing worth speaking of.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d rejoined the\nfox, \u201cyou are only a poor scholar, and money isn\u2019t so easily to be\ngot. I must try if I can\u2019t secure a little wine capital for you.\u201d Next\nevening when he arrived, he said to Ch\u2018\u00ea, \u201cTwo miles down towards the\nsouth-east you will find some silver lying by the wayside. Go early in\nthe morning and get it.\u201d So on the morrow Ch\u2018\u00ea set off and actually\nobtained two lumps of silver with which he bought some choice morsels\nto help them out with their wine that evening. The fox now told him\nthat there was a vault in his back-yard which he ought to open; and\nwhen he did so, he found therein more than a hundred strings of\ncash.[144] \u201cNow then,\u201d cried Ch\u2018\u00ea, delighted, \u201cI shall have no more\nanxiety about funds for buying wine with all this in my purse.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d\nreplied the fox, \u201cthe water in a puddle is not inexhaustible. I must\ndo something further for you.\u201d Some days afterwards the fox said to\nCh\u2018\u00ea, \u201cBuckwheat is very cheap in the market just now. Something is to\nbe done in this line.\u201d Accordingly, Ch\u2018\u00ea bought over forty tons, and\nthereby incurred general ridicule; but by-and-by there was a bad\ndrought and all kinds of grain and beans were spoilt. Only buckwheat\nwould grow, and Ch\u2018\u00ea sold off his stock at a profit of one thousand\nper cent. His wealth thus began to increase; he bought two hundred\nacres of rich land, and always planted his crops, corn, millet, or\nwhat not, upon the advice of the fox secretly given him beforehand.\nThe fox looked on Ch\u2018\u00ea\u2019s wife as a sister, and on Ch\u2018\u00ea\u2019s children as\nhis own; but when, subsequently, Ch\u2018\u00ea died, it never came to the house\nagain.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[143] Kuan Chung and Pao Shu are the Chinese types of friendship. They\nwere two statesmen of considerable ability, who flourished in the\nseventh century B.C.\n\n[144] Say about \u00a310. See No. II., note 42.\n\n\n\n\nXXIII.\n\nMISS LIEN-HSIANG.\n\n\nThere was a young man named Sang Tz\u016d-ming, a native of I-chou, who had\nbeen left an orphan when quite young. He lived near the Saffron\nmarket, and kept himself very much to himself, only going out twice a\nday for his meals to a neighbour\u2019s close by, and sitting quietly at\nhome all the rest of his time. One day the said neighbour called, and\nasked him in joke if he wasn\u2019t afraid of devil-foxes, so much alone as\nhe was. \u201cOh,\u201d replied Sang, laughing, \u201cwhat has the superior man[145]\nto fear from devil-foxes. If they come as men, I have here a sharp\nsword for them; and if as women, why, I shall open the door and ask\nthem to walk in.\u201d The neighbour went away, and having arranged with a\nfriend of his, they got a young lady of their acquaintance to climb\nover Sang\u2019s wall with the help of a ladder, and knock at the door.\nSang peeped through, and called out, \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d to which the girl\nanswered, \u201cA devil!\u201d and frightened Sang so dreadfully that his teeth\nchattered in his head. The girl then ran away, and next morning when\nhis neighbour came to see him, Sang told him what had happened, and\nsaid he meant to go back to his native place. The neighbour then\nclapped his hands, and said to Sang, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you ask her in?\u201d\nWhereupon Sang perceived that he had been tricked, and went on quietly\nagain as before.\n\nSome six months afterwards, a young lady knocked at his door; and\nSang, thinking his friends were at their old tricks, opened it at\nonce, and asked her to walk in. She did so; and he beheld to his\nastonishment a perfect Helen for beauty.[146] Asking her whence she\ncame, she replied that her name was Lien-hsiang, and that she lived\nnot very far off, adding that she had long been anxious to make his\nacquaintance. After that she used to drop in every now and again for a\nchat; but one evening when Sang was sitting alone expecting her,\nanother young lady suddenly walked in. Thinking it was Lien-hsiang,\nSang got up to meet her, but found that the new-comer was somebody\nelse. She was about fifteen or sixteen years of age, wore very full\nsleeves, and dressed her hair after the fashion of unmarried girls,\nbeing otherwise very stylish-looking and refined, and apparently\nhesitating whether to go on or go back. Sang, in a great state of\nalarm, took her for a fox; but the young lady said, \u201cMy name is Li,\nand I am of a respectable family. Hearing of your virtue and talent, I\nhope to be accorded the honour of your acquaintance.\u201d Sang laughed,\nand took her by the hand, which he found was as cold as ice; and when\nhe asked the reason, she told him that she had always been delicate,\nand that it was very chilly outside. She then remarked that she\nintended to visit him pretty frequently, and hoped it would not\ninconvenience him; so he explained that no one came to see him except\nanother young lady, and that not very often. \u201cWhen she comes, I\u2019ll\ngo,\u201d replied the young lady, \u201cand only drop in when she\u2019s not here.\u201d\nShe then gave him an embroidered slipper, saying that she had worn it,\nand that whenever he shook it she would know that he wanted to see\nher, cautioning him at the same time never to shake it before\nstrangers. Taking it in his hand he beheld a very tiny little shoe\nalmost as fine pointed as an awl, with which he was much pleased; and\nnext evening, when nobody was present, he produced the shoe and shook\nit, whereupon the young lady immediately walked in. Henceforth,\nwhenever he brought it out, the young lady responded to his wishes and\nappeared before him. This seemed so strange that at last he asked her\nto give him some explanation; but she only laughed, and said it was\nmere coincidence. One evening after this Lien-hsiang came, and said in\nalarm to Sang, \u201cWhatever has made you look so melancholy?\u201d Sang\nreplied that he did not know, and by-and-by she took her leave,\nsaying, they would not meet again for some ten days. During this\nperiod Miss Li visited Sang every day, and on one occasion asked him\nwhere his other friend was. Sang told her; and then she laughed and\nsaid, \u201cWhat is your opinion of me as compared with Lien-hsiang?\u201d \u201cYou\nare both of you perfection,\u201d replied he, \u201cbut you are a little\n_colder_ of the two.\u201d Miss Li didn\u2019t much like this, and cried out,\n\u201c_Both of us perfection_ is what you say to _me_. Then she must be a\ndownright Cynthia,[147] and I am no match for her.\u201d Somewhat out of\ntemper, she reckoned that Lien-hsiang\u2019s ten days had expired, and said\nshe would have a peep at her, making Sang promise to keep it all\nsecret. The next evening Lien-hsiang came, and while they were talking\nshe suddenly exclaimed, \u201cOh, dear! how much worse you seem to have\nbecome in the last ten days. You must have encountered something bad.\u201d\nSang asked her why so; to which she answered, \u201cFirst of all your\nappearance; and then your pulse is very thready.[148] You\u2019ve got the\ndevil-disease.\u201d\n\nThe following evening when Miss Li came, Sang asked her what she\nthought of Lien-hsiang. \u201cOh,\u201d said she, \u201cthere\u2019s no question about her\nbeauty; but she\u2019s a fox. When she went away I followed her to her hole\non the hill side.\u201d Sang, however, attributed this remark to jealousy,\nand took no notice of it; but the next evening when Lien-hsiang came,\nhe observed, \u201cI don\u2019t believe it myself, but some one has told me you\nare a fox.\u201d Lien-hsiang asked who had said so, to which Sang replied\nthat he was only joking; and then she begged him to explain what\ndifference there was between a fox and an ordinary person. \u201cWell,\u201d\nanswered Sang, \u201cfoxes frighten people to death, and, therefore, they\nare very much dreaded.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t you believe that!\u201d cried Lien-hsiang;\n\u201cand now tell me who has been saying this of me.\u201d Sang declared at\nfirst that it was only a joke of his, but by-and-by yielded to her\ninstances, and let out the whole story. \u201cOf course I saw how changed\nyou were,\u201d said Lien-hsiang; \u201cshe is surely not a human being to be\nable to cause such a rapid alteration in you. Say nothing, to-morrow\nI\u2019ll watch her as she watched me.\u201d The following evening Miss Li came\nin; and they had hardly interchanged half-a-dozen sentences when a\ncough was heard outside the window, and Miss Li ran away. Lien-hsiang\nthen entered and said to Sang, \u201cYou are lost! She is a devil, and if\nyou do not at once forbid her coming here, you will soon be on the\nroad to the other world.\u201d \u201cAll jealousy,\u201d thought Sang, saying\nnothing, as Lien-hsiang continued, \u201cI know that you don\u2019t like to be\nrude to her; but I, for my part, cannot see you sacrificed, and\nto-morrow I will bring you some medicine to expel the poison from your\nsystem. Happily, the disease has not yet taken firm hold of you, and\nin ten days you will be well again.\u201d The next evening she produced a\nknife and chopped up some medicine for Sang, which made him feel much\nbetter; but, although he was very grateful to her, he still persisted\nin disbelieving that he had the devil-disease. After some days he\nrecovered and Lien-hsiang left him, warning him to have no more to do\nwith Miss Li. Sang pretended that he would follow her advice, and\nclosed the door and trimmed his lamp. He then took out the slipper,\nand on shaking it Miss Li appeared, somewhat cross at having been kept\naway for several days. \u201cShe merely attended on me these few nights\nwhile I was ill,\u201d said Sang; \u201cdon\u2019t be angry.\u201d At this Miss Li\nbrightened up a little; but by-and-by Sang told her that people said\nshe was a devil. \u201cIt\u2019s that nasty fox,\u201d cried Miss Li, after a pause,\n\u201cputting these things into your head. If you don\u2019t break with her, I\nwon\u2019t come here again.\u201d She then began to sob and cry, and Sang had\nsome trouble in pacifying her. Next evening Lien-hsiang came and found\nout that Miss Li had been there again; whereupon she was very angry\nwith Sang, and told him he would certainly die. \u201cWhy need you be so\njealous?\u201d said Sang, laughing; at which she only got more enraged, and\nreplied, \u201cWhen you were nearly dying the other day and I saved you, if\nI had not been jealous, where would you have been now?\u201d Sang pretended\nhe was only joking, and said that Miss Li had told him his recent\nillness was entirely owing to the machinations of a fox; to which she\nreplied, \u201cIt\u2019s true enough what you say, only you don\u2019t see _whose_\nmachinations. However, if any thing happens to you, I should never\nclear myself even had I a hundred mouths; we will, therefore, part. A\nhundred days hence I shall see you on your bed.\u201d Sang could not\npersuade her to stay, and away she went; and from that time Miss Li\nbecame a regular visitor.\n\nTwo months passed away, and Sang began to experience a feeling of\ngreat lassitude, which he tried at first to shake off, but by-and-by\nhe became very thin, and could only take thick gruel. He then thought\nabout going back to his native place; however, he could not bear to\nleave Miss Li, and in a few more days he was so weak that he was\nunable to get up. His friend next door, seeing how ill he was, daily\nsent in his boy with food and drink; and now Sang began for the first\ntime to suspect Miss Li. So he said to her, \u201cI am sorry I didn\u2019t\nlisten to Lien-hsiang before I got as bad as this.\u201d He then closed his\neyes and kept them shut for some time; and when he opened them again\nMiss Li had disappeared. Their acquaintanceship was thus at an end,\nand Sang lay all emaciated as he was upon his bed in his solitary room\nlonging for the return of Lien-hsiang. One day, while he was still\nthinking about her, some one drew aside the screen and walked in. It\nwas Lien-hsiang; and approaching the bed she said with a smile, \u201cWas I\nthen talking such nonsense?\u201d Sang struggled a long time to speak; and,\nat length, confessing he had been wrong, implored her to save him.\n\u201cWhen the disease has reached such a pitch as this,\u201d replied\nLien-hsiang, \u201cthere is very little to be done. I merely came to bid\nyou farewell, and to clear up your doubts about my jealousy.\u201d In great\ntribulation, Sang asked her to take something she would find under\nhis pillow and destroy it; and she accordingly drew forth the slipper,\nwhich she proceeded to examine by the light of the lamp, turning it\nover and over. All at once Miss Li walked in, but when she saw\nLien-hsiang she turned back as though she would run away, which\nLien-hsiang instantly prevented by placing herself in the doorway.\nSang then began to reproach her, and Miss Li could make no reply;\nwhereupon Lien-hsiang said, \u201cAt last we meet. Formerly you attributed\nthis gentleman\u2019s illness to me; what have you to say now?\u201d Miss Li\nbent her head in acknowledgment of her guilt, and Lien-hsiang\ncontinued, \u201cHow is it that a nice girl like you can thus turn love\ninto hate?\u201d Here Miss Li threw herself on the ground in a flood of\ntears and begged for mercy; and Lien-hsiang, raising her up, inquired\nof her as to her past life. \u201cI am a daughter of a petty official named\nLi, and I died young, leaving the web of my destiny incomplete, like\nthe silkworm that perishes in the spring. To be the partner of this\ngentleman was my ardent wish; but I had never any intention of causing\nhis death.\u201d \u201cI have heard,\u201d remarked Lien-hsiang, \u201cthat the advantage\ndevils obtain by killing people is that their victims are ever with\nthem after death. Is this so?\u201d \u201cIt is not,\u201d replied Miss Li; \u201cthe\ncompanionship of two devils gives no pleasure to either. Were it\notherwise, I should not have wanted for friends in the realms below.\nBut tell me, how do foxes manage not to kill people?\u201d \u201cYou allude to\nsuch foxes as suck the breath out of people?\u201d replied Lien-hsiang; \u201cI\nam not of that class. Some foxes are harmless; no devils are,[149]\nbecause of the dominance of the _yin_[150] in their compositions.\u201d\nSang now knew that these two girls were really a fox and a devil;\nhowever, from being long accustomed to their society, he was not in\nthe least alarmed. His breathing had dwindled to a mere thread, and at\nlength he uttered a cry of pain. Lien-hsiang looked round and said,\n\u201cHow shall we cure him?\u201d upon which Miss Li blushed deeply and drew\nback; and then Lien-hsiang added, \u201cIf he does get well, I\u2019m afraid you\nwill be dreadfully jealous.\u201d Miss Li drew herself up, and replied,\n\u201cCould a physician be found to wipe away the wrong I have done to this\ngentleman, I would bury my head in the ground. How should I look the\nworld in the face?\u201d Lien-hsiang here opened a bag and drew forth some\ndrugs, saying, \u201cI have been looking forward to this day. When I left\nthis gentleman I proceeded to gather my simples, as it would take\nthree months for the medicine to be got ready; but then, should the\npoison have brought anyone even to death\u2019s door, this medicine is able\nto call him back. The only condition is that it be administered by the\nvery hand which wrought the ill.\u201d Miss Li did as she was told and put\nthe pills Lien-hsiang gave her one after another into Sang\u2019s mouth.\nThey burnt his inside like fire; but soon vitality began to return,\nand Lien-hsiang cried out, \u201cHe is cured!\u201d Just at this moment Miss Li\nheard the cock crow and vanished,[151] Lien-hsiang remaining behind in\nattendance on the invalid, who was unable to feed himself. She bolted\nthe outside door and pretended that Sang had returned to his native\nplace, so as to prevent visitors from calling. Day and night she took\ncare of him, and every evening Miss Li came in to render assistance,\nregarding Lien-hsiang as an elder sister, and being treated by her\nwith great consideration and kindness. Three months afterwards Sang\nwas as strong and well as ever he had been, and then for several\nevenings Miss Li ceased to visit them, only staying a few moments when\nshe did come, and seeming very uneasy in her mind. One evening Sang\nran after her and carried her back in his arms, finding her no heavier\nthan so much straw; and then, being obliged to stay, she curled\nherself up and lay down, to all appearance in a state of\nunconsciousness, and by-and-by she was gone. For many days they heard\nnothing of her, and Sang was so anxious that she should come back that\nhe often took out her slipper and shook it. \u201cI don\u2019t wonder at your\nmissing her,\u201d said Lien-hsiang, \u201cI do myself very much indeed.\u201d\n\u201cFormerly,\u201d observed Sang, \u201cwhen I shook the slipper she invariably\ncame. I thought it very strange, but I never suspected her of being a\ndevil. And now, alas! all I can do is to sit and think about her with\nthis slipper in my hand.\u201d He then burst into a flood of tears.\n\nNow a young lady named Yen-\u00earh, belonging to the wealthy Chang family,\nand about fifteen years of age, had died suddenly, without any\napparent cause, and had come to life again in the night, when she got\nup and wished to go out. They barred the door and would not hear of\nher doing so; upon which she said, \u201cI am the spirit daughter of a\npetty magistrate. A Mr. Sang has been very kind to me, and I have left\nmy slipper at his house. I am really a spirit; what is the use of\nkeeping me in?\u201d There being some reason for what she said, they asked\nher why she had come there; but she only looked up and down without\nbeing able to give any explanation. Some one here observed, that Mr.\nSang had already gone home, but the young lady utterly refused to\nbelieve them. The family was much disturbed at all this; and when\nSang\u2019s neighbour heard the story, he jumped over the wall, and peeping\nthrough beheld Sang sitting there chatting with a pretty-looking girl.\nAs he went in, there was some commotion, during which Sang\u2019s visitor\nhad disappeared, and when his neighbour asked the meaning of it all,\nSang replied, laughing, \u201cWhy, I told you if any ladies came I should\nask them in.\u201d His friend then repeated what Miss Yen-\u00earh had said; and\nSang, unbolting his door, was about to go and have a peep at her, but\nunfortunately had no means of so doing. Meanwhile Mrs. Chang, hearing\nthat he had not gone away, was more lost in astonishment than ever,\nand sent an old woman-servant to get back the slipper. Sang\nimmediately gave it to her, and Miss Yen-\u00earh was delighted to recover\nit, though when she came to try it on it was too small for her by a\ngood inch. In considerable alarm, she seized a mirror to look at\nherself; and suddenly became aware that she had come to life again in\nsome one else\u2019s body. She therefore told all to her mother, and\nfinally succeeded in convincing her, crying all the time because she\nwas so changed for the worse as regarded personal appearance from what\nshe had been before. And whenever she happened to see Lien-hsiang, she\nwas very much disconcerted, declaring that she had been much better\noff as a devil than now as a human being. She would sit and weep over\nthe slipper, no one being able to comfort her; and finally, covering\nherself up with bed-clothes, she lay all stark and stiff, positively\nrefusing to take any nourishment. Her body swelled up, and for seven\ndays she refused all food, but did not die; and then the swelling\nbegan to subside, and an intense hunger to come upon her which made\nher once more think about eating. Then she was troubled with a severe\nirritation, and her skin peeled entirely away; and when she got up in\nthe morning, she found that the shoes had fallen off. On trying to put\nthem on again, she discovered that they did not fit her any longer;\nand then she went back to her former pair which were now exactly of\nthe right size and shape. In an ecstasy of joy, she grasped her\nmirror, and saw that her features had also changed back to what they\nhad formerly been; so she washed and dressed herself and went in to\nvisit her mother. Every one who met her was much astonished; and when\nLien-hsiang heard the strange story, she tried to persuade Mr. Sang to\nmake her an offer of marriage. But the young lady was rich and Sang\nwas poor, and he did not see his way clearly. However, on Mrs. Chang\u2019s\nbirthday, when she completed her cycle of sixty-one years,[152] Sang\nwent along with the others to wish her many happy returns of the day;\nand when the old lady knew who was coming, she bade Yen-\u00earh take a\npeep at him from behind the curtain. Sang arrived last of all; and\nimmediately out rushed Miss Yen-\u00earh and seized his sleeve, and said\nshe would go back with him. Her mother scolded her well for this, and\nshe ran in abashed; but Sang, who had looked at her closely, began to\nweep, and threw himself at the feet of Mrs. Chang who raised him up\nwithout saying anything unkind. Sang then took his leave, and got his\nuncle to act as medium between them; the result being that an\nauspicious day was fixed upon for the wedding. At the appointed time\nSang proceeded to the house to fetch her; and when he returned he\nfound that, instead of his former poor-looking furniture, beautiful\ncarpets were laid down from the very door, and thousands of coloured\nlanterns were hung about in elegant designs. Lien-hsiang assisted the\nbride to enter, and took off her veil, finding her the same bright\ngirl as ever. She also joined them while drinking the wedding\ncup,[153] and inquired of her friend as to her recent transmigration;\nand Yen-\u00earh related as follows:--\u201cOverwhelmed with grief, I began to\nshrink from myself as some unclean thing; and, after separating from\nyou that day, I would not return any more to my grave. So I wandered\nabout at random, and whenever I saw a living being, I envied its happy\nstate. By day I remained among trees and shrubs, but at night I used\nto roam about anywhere. And once I came to the house of the Chang\nfamily, where, seeing a young girl lying upon the bed, I took\npossession of her mortal coil, unknowing that she would be restored to\nlife again.\u201d When Lien-hsiang heard this she was for some time lost in\nthought; and a month or two afterwards became very ill. She refused\nall medical aid and gradually got worse and worse, to the great grief\nof Mr. Sang and his wife, who stood weeping at her bedside. Suddenly\nshe opened her eyes, and said, \u201cYou wish to live; I am willing to die.\nIf fate so ordains it, we shall meet again ten years hence.\u201d As she\nuttered these words, her spirit passed away, and all that remained was\nthe dead body of a fox. Sang, however, insisted on burying it with all\nthe proper ceremonies.\n\nNow his wife had no children; but one day a servant came in and said,\n\u201cThere is an old woman outside who has got a little girl for sale.\u201d\nSang\u2019s wife gave orders that she should be shown in; and no sooner had\nshe set eyes on the girl than she cried out, \u201cWhy, she\u2019s the image of\nLien-hsiang!\u201d Sang then looked at her, and found to his astonishment\nthat she was really very like his old friend. The old woman said she\nwas fourteen years old; and when asked what her price was, declared\nthat her only wish was to get the girl comfortably settled, and\nenough to keep herself alive, and ensure not being thrown out into the\nkennel at death. So Sang gave a good price for her;[154] and his wife,\ntaking the girl\u2019s hand, led her into a room by themselves. Then,\nchucking her under the chin, she asked her, smiling, \u201cDo you know me?\u201d\nThe girl said she did not; after which she told Mrs. Sang that her\nname was Wei, and that her father, who had been a pickle-merchant at\nHs\u00fc-ch\u2018\u00eang, had died three years before. Mrs. Sang then calculated\nthat Lien-hsiang had been dead just ten years; and, looking at the\ngirl, who resembled her so exactly in every trait, at length patted\nher on the head, saying, \u201cAh, my sister, you promised to visit us\nagain in ten years, and you have not played us false.\u201d The girl here\nseemed to wake up as if from a dream, and, uttering an exclamation of\nsurprise, fixed a steady gaze upon Sang\u2019s wife. Sang himself laughed,\nand said, \u201cJust like the return of an old familiar swallow.\u201d \u201cNow I\nunderstand,\u201d cried the girl, in tears; \u201cI recollect my mother saying\nthat when I was born I was able to speak; and that, thinking it an\ninauspicious manifestation, they gave me dog\u2019s blood to drink, so that\nI should forget all about my previous state of existence.[155] Is it\nall a dream, or are you not the Miss Li who was so ashamed of being a\ndevil?\u201d Thus they chatted of their existence in a former life, with\nalternate tears and smiles; but when it came to the day for\nworshipping at the tombs, Yen-\u00earh explained that she and her husband\nwere in the habit of annually visiting and mourning over her grave.\nThe girl replied that she would accompany them; and when they got\nthere they found the whole place in disorder, and the coffin wood all\nwarped. \u201cLien-hsiang and I,\u201d said Yen-\u00earh to her husband, \u201chave been\nattached to each other in two states of existence. Let us not be\nseparated, but bury my bones here with hers.\u201d Sang consented, and\nopening Miss Li\u2019s tomb, took out the bones and buried them with those\nof Lien-hsiang, while friends and relatives, who had heard the strange\nstory, gathered round the grave in gala dress to the number of many\nhundreds.\n\nI learnt the above when travelling through I-chou, where I was\ndetained at an inn by rain, and read a biography of Mr. Sang written\nby a comrade of his named Wang Tz\u016d-chang. It was lent me by a Mr. Liu\nTz\u016d-ching, a relative of Sang\u2019s, and was quite a long account. This is\nmerely an outline of it.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[145] The term constantly employed by Confucius to denote the man of\nperfect probity, learning, and refinement. The nearest, if not an\nexact, translation would be \u201cgentleman.\u201d\n\n[146] Literally, \u201ca young lady whose beauty would overthrow a\nkingdom,\u201d in allusion to an old story which it is not necessary to\nreproduce here.\n\n[147] The Lady of the Moon. See No. V., note 49.\n\n[148] See No. VIII., note 64.\n\n[149] Miss Lien-hsiang was here speaking without book, as will be seen\nin a story later on.\n\n[150] The female principle. In a properly-constituted human being the\nmale and female principles are harmoniously combined. Nothing short of\na small volume would place this subject, the basis of Chinese\nmetaphysics, in a clear light before the uninitiated reader. Broadly\nspeaking, the _yin_ and the _yang_ are the two primeval forces from\nthe interaction of which all things have been evolved.\n\n[151]\n\n \u201c_Ber._--It was about to speak, when the cock crew.\n\n _Hor._--And then it started like a guilty thing\n Upon a fearful summons. I have heard,\n The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,\n Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat\n Awake the God of Day; and, at his warning,\n Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,\n The extravagant and erring spirit hies\n To his confine.\u201d\n\n _Hamlet._\n\n[152] \u201cFrom time immemorial, the Chinese have employed a combination\nof two sets of characters, numbering ten and twelve respectively, to\nform a cycle of sixty terms for the purpose of chronological notation.\nThe period at which this cycle was invented is a subject upon which\ncomplete uncertainty prevails, but there is little doubt that it first\ncame into use as a method of reckoning years after the reform of the\ncalendar in B.C. 104.\u201d--Mayers\u2019 _Reader\u2019s Manual_.\n\nThe birthday on which any person completes his cycle is considered a\nvery auspicious occasion. The second emperor of the present dynasty,\nK\u2018ang Hsi, completed a cycle in his _reign_, with one year to spare;\nand his grandson, Ch\u2018ien Lung (or Kien Lung) fell short of this only\nby a single year, dying in the same cyclical period as that in which\nhe had ascended the throne.\n\n[153] Bride and bridegroom drink wine together out of two cups joined\nby a red string, typical of that imaginary bond which is believed to\nunite the destinies of husband and wife long before they have set eyes\non each other. Popular tradition assigns to an old man who lives in\nthe moon the arrangement of all matches among mortals; hence the\ncommon Chinese expression, \u201cMarriages are made in the moon.\u201d\n\n[154] The bill of sale always handed to the purchaser of a child in\nChina, as a proof that the child is his _bon\u00e2 fide_ property and has\nnot been kidnapped, is by a pleasant fiction called a \u201cdeed of gift,\u201d\nthe amount paid over to the seller being therein denominated \u201cginger\nand vinegar money,\u201d or compensation for the expense of rearing and\neducating up to the date of sale. This phrase originates from the fact\nthat a dose of ginger and vinegar is administered to every Chinese\nwoman immediately after the delivery of her child.\n\nWe may here add that the value of male children to those who have no\nheirs, and of female children to those who want servants, has fostered\na regular kidnapping trade, which is carried on with great activity in\nsome parts of China, albeit the penalty on discovery is instant\ndecapitation. Some years ago I was present in the streets of Tientsin\nwhen a kidnapper was seized by the infuriated mob, and within two\nhours I heard that the man had been summarily executed.\n\n[155] The power of recalling events which have occurred in a previous\nlife will be enlarged upon in several stories to come.\n\n\n\n\nXXIV.\n\nMISS A-PAO; OR, PERSEVERANCE REWARDED.\n\n\nIn the province of Kuang-si there lived a scholar of some reputation,\nnamed Sun Tz\u016d-ch\u2018u. He was born with six fingers, and such a simple\nfellow was he that he readily believed any nonsense he was told. Very\nshy with the fair sex, the sight of a woman was enough to send him\nflying in the opposite direction; and once when he was inveigled into\na room where there were some young ladies, he blushed down to his neck\nand the perspiration dripped off him like falling pearls. His\ncompanions laughed heartily at his discomfiture, and told fine stories\nof what a noodle he looked, so that he got the nickname of Silly Sun.\n\nIn the town where our hero resided, there was a rich trader whose\nwealth equalled that of any prince or nobleman, and whose connections\nwere all highly aristocratic.[156] He had a daughter, A-pao, of great\nbeauty, for whom he was seeking a husband; and the young men of\nposition in the neighbourhood were vying with each other to obtain her\nhand, but none of them met with the father\u2019s approval. Now Silly Sun\nhad recently lost his wife; and some one in joke persuaded him to try\nhis luck and send in an application. Sun, who had no idea of his own\nshortcomings, proceeded at once to follow this advice; but the father,\nthough he knew him to be an accomplished scholar, rejected his suit on\nthe ground of poverty. As the go-between[157] was leaving the house,\nshe chanced to meet A-pao, and related to her the object of her visit.\n\u201cTell him,\u201d cried A-pao, laughing, \u201cthat if he\u2019ll cut off his extra\nfinger, I\u2019ll marry him.\u201d The old woman reported this to Sun, who\nreplied, \u201cThat is not very difficult;\u201d and, seizing a chopper, cut the\nfinger clean off. The wound was extremely painful and he lost so much\nblood that he nearly died, it being many days before he was about\nagain. He then sought out the go-between, and bade her inform Miss\nA-pao, which she did; and A-pao was taken rather aback, but she told\nthe old woman to go once more and bid him cut off the \u201csilly\u201d from\nhis reputation. Sun got much excited when he heard this, and denied\nthat he was silly; however, as he was unable to prove it to the young\nlady herself, he began to think that probably her beauty was\nover-stated, and that she was giving herself great airs. So he ceased\nto trouble himself about her until the following spring festival,[158]\nwhen it was customary for both men and women to be seen abroad, and\nthe young rips of the place would stroll about in groups and pass\ntheir remarks on all and sundry. Sun\u2019s friends urged him to join them\nin their expedition, and one of them asked him with a smile if he did\nnot wish to look out for a suitable mate. Sun knew they were chaffing\nhim, but he thought he should like to see the girl that had made such\na fool of him, and was only too pleased to accompany them. They soon\nperceived a young lady resting herself under a tree, with a throng of\nyoung fellows crowding round her, and they immediately determined that\nshe must be A-pao, as in fact they found she was. Possessed of\npeerless beauty, the ring of her admirers gradually increased, till at\nlast she rose up to go. The excitement among the young men was\nintense; they criticised her face and discussed her feet,[159] Sun\nonly remaining silent; and when they had passed on to something else,\nthere they saw Sun rooted like an imbecile to the same spot. As he\nmade no answer when spoken to, they dragged him along with them,\nsaying, \u201cHas your spirit run away after A-pao?\u201d He made no reply to\nthis either; but they thought nothing of that, knowing his usual\nstrangeness of manner, so by dint of pushing and pulling they managed\nto get him home. There he threw himself on the bed and did not get up\nagain for the rest of the day, lying in a state of unconsciousness\njust as if he were drunk. He did not wake when called; and his people,\nthinking that his spirit had fled, went about in the fields calling\nout to it to return.[160] However, he shewed no signs of improvement;\nand when they shook him, and asked him what was the matter, he only\nanswered in a sleepy kind of voice, \u201cI am at A-pao\u2019s house;\u201d but to\nfurther questions he would not make any reply, and left his family in\na state of keen suspense.\n\nNow when Silly Sun had seen the young lady get up to go, he could not\nbear to part with her, and found himself first following and then\nwalking along by her side without anyone saying anything to him. Thus\nhe went back with her to her home, and there he remained for three\ndays, longing to run home and get something to eat, but unfortunately\nnot knowing the way. By that time Sun had hardly a breath left in\nhim; and his friends, fearing that he was going to die, sent to beg of\nthe rich trader that he would allow a search to be made for Sun\u2019s\nspirit in his house. The trader laughed and said, \u201cHe wasn\u2019t in the\nhabit of coming here, so he could hardly have left his spirit behind\nhim;\u201d but he yielded to the entreaties of Sun\u2019s family, and permitted\nthe search to be made. Thereupon a magician proceeded to the house,\ntaking with him an old suit of Sun\u2019s clothes and some grass matting;\nand when Miss A-pao heard the reason for which he had come, she\nsimplified matters very much by leading the magician straight to her\nown room. The magician summoned the spirit in due form, and went back\ntowards Sun\u2019s house. By the time he had reached the door, Sun groaned\nand recovered consciousness; and he was then able to describe all the\narticles of toilette and furniture in A-pao\u2019s room without making a\nsingle mistake. A-pao was amazed when the story was repeated to her,\nand could not help feeling kindly towards him on account of the depth\nof his passion. Sun himself, when he got well enough to leave his bed,\nwould often sit in a state of abstraction as if he had lost his wits;\nand he was for ever scheming to try and have another glimpse at A-pao.\n\nOne day he heard that she intended to worship at the Shui-y\u00fceh temple\non the 8th of the fourth moon, that day being the Wash-Buddha\nfestival; and he set off early in the morning to wait for her at the\nroadside. He was nearly blind with straining his eyes, and the sun was\nalready past noontide before the young lady arrived; but when she saw\nfrom her carriage a gentleman standing there, she drew aside the\nscreen and had a good stare at him. Sun followed her in a great state\nof excitement, upon which she bade one of her maids to go and ask his\nname. Sun told her who he was, his perturbation all the time\nincreasing; and when the carriage drove on he returned home. Again he\nbecame very ill, and lay on his bed unconscious, without taking any\nfood, occasionally calling on A-pao by name, at the same time abusing\nhis spirit for not having been able to follow her as before. Just at\nthis juncture a parrot that had been long with the family died; and a\nchild, playing with the body, laid it upon the bed. Sun then reflected\nthat if he was only a parrot one flap of his wings would bring him\ninto the presence of A-pao; and while occupied with these thoughts,\nlo! the dead body moved and the parrot flew away. It flew straight to\nA-pao\u2019s room, at which she was delighted; and catching it, tied a\nstring to its leg, and fed it upon hemp-seed. \u201cDear sister,\u201d cried the\nbird, \u201cdo not tie me by the leg: I am Sun Tz\u016d-ch\u2018u.\u201d In great alarm\nA-pao untied the string, but the parrot did not fly away. \u201cAlas!\u201d said\nshe, \u201cyour love has engraved itself upon my heart; but now you are no\nlonger a man, how shall we ever be united together?\u201d \u201cTo be near your\ndear self,\u201d replied the parrot, \u201cis all I care about.\u201d The parrot then\nrefused to take food from anyone else, and kept close to Miss A-pao\nwherever she went, day and night alike. At the expiration of three\ndays, A-pao, who had grown very fond of her parrot, secretly sent some\none to ask how Mr. Sun was; but he had already been dead three days,\nthough the part over his heart had not grown cold. \u201cOh! come to life\nagain as a man,\u201d cried the young lady, \u201cand I swear to be yours for\never.\u201d \u201cYou are surely not in earnest,\u201d said the parrot, \u201care you?\u201d\nMiss A-pao declared she was, and the parrot, cocking its head aside,\nremained some time as if absorbed in thought. By-and-by A-pao took off\nher shoes to bind her feet a little tighter;[161] and the parrot,\nmaking a rapid grab at one, flew off with it in its beak. She called\nloudly after it to come back, but in a moment it was out of sight; so\nshe next sent a servant to inquire if there was any news of Mr. Sun,\nand then learnt that he had come round again, the parrot having flown\nin with an embroidered shoe and dropped down dead on the ground. Also,\nthat directly he regained consciousness he asked for the shoe, of\nwhich his people knew nothing; at which moment her servant had\narrived, and demanded to know from him where it was. \u201cIt was given to\nme by Miss A-pao as a pledge of faith,\u201d replied Sun; \u201cI beg you will\ntell her I have not forgotten her promise.\u201d A-pao was greatly\nastonished at this, and instructed her maid to divulge the whole\naffair to her mother, who, when she had made some inquiries, observed\nthat Sun was well known as a clever fellow, but was desperately poor,\nand \u201cto get such a son-in-law after all our trouble would give our\naristocratic friends the laugh against us.\u201d[162] However, A-pao\npleaded that with the shoe there as a proof against her, she would not\nmarry anybody else; and, ultimately, her father and mother gave their\nconsent. This was immediately announced to Mr. Sun, whose illness\nrapidly disappeared in consequence. A-pao\u2019s father would have had Sun\ncome and live with them;[163] but the young lady objected, on the\nscore that a son-in-law should not remain long at a time with the\nfamily of his wife,[164] and that as he was poor he would lower\nhimself still more by doing so. \u201cI have accepted him,\u201d added she, \u201cand\nI shall gladly reside in his humble cottage, and share his poor fare\nwithout complaint.\u201d The marriage was then celebrated, and bride and\nbridegroom met as if for the first time in their lives.[165] The dowry\nA-pao brought with her somewhat raised their pecuniary position, and\ngave them a certain amount of comfort; but Sun himself stuck only to\nhis books, and knew nothing about managing affairs in general. Luckily\nhis wife was clever in that respect, and did not bother him with such\nthings; so much so that by the end of three years they were\ncomparatively well off, when Sun suddenly fell ill and died. Mrs. Sun\nwas inconsolable, and refused either to sleep or take nourishment,\nbeing deaf to all entreaties on the subject; and before long, taking\nadvantage of the night, she hanged herself.[166] Her maid, hearing a\nnoise, ran in and cut her down just in time: but she still steadily\nrefused all food. Three days passed away, and the friends and\nrelatives of Sun came to attend his funeral, when suddenly they heard\na sigh proceeding forth from the coffin. The coffin was then opened\nand they found that Sun had come to life again. He told them that he\nhad been before the Great Judge, who, as a reward for his upright and\nhonourable life, had conferred upon him an official appointment. \u201cAt\nthis moment,\u201d said Sun, \u201cit was reported that my wife was close at\nhand,[167] but the Judge, referring to the register, observed that her\ntime had not yet come. They told him she had taken no food for three\ndays; and then the Judge, looking at me, said that as a recompense for\nher wifely virtues she should be permitted to return to life.\nThereupon he gave orders to his attendants to put to the horses and\nsee us safely back.\u201d From that hour Sun gradually improved, and the\nnext year went up for his master\u2019s degree. All his old companions\nchaffed him exceedingly before the examination, and gave him seven\nthemes on out-of-the-way subjects, telling him privately that they had\nbeen surreptitiously obtained from the examiners. Sun believed them as\nusual, and worked at them day and night until he was perfect, his\ncomrades all the time enjoying a good laugh against him. However, when\nthe day came it was found that the examiners, fearing lest the themes\nthey had chosen in an ordinary way should have been dishonestly made\npublic,[168] took a set of fresh ones quite out of the common run--in\nfact, on the very subjects Sun\u2019s companions had given to him.\nConsequently, he came out at the head of the list; and the next year,\nafter taking his doctor\u2019s degree, he was entered among the Han-lin\nAcademicians.[169] The Emperor, too, happening to hear of his curious\nadventures, sent for him and made him repeat his story; subsequently,\nsummoning A-pao and making her some very costly presents.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[156] There is nothing in China like an aristocracy of birth. Any man\nmay raise himself from the lowest level to the highest; and as long as\nhe and his family keep themselves there, they may be considered\naristocratic. Wealth has nothing to do with the question; official\nrank and literary tastes, separate or combined, these constitute a\nman\u2019s title to the esteem of his fellows. Trade is looked upon as\nignoble and debasing; and friendly intercourse between merchants and\nofficials, the two great social divisions, is so rare as to be almost\nunknown.\n\n[157] The medium, without whose good offices no marriage can be\narranged. Generally, but not always, a woman.\n\nThis system of go-betweens is not confined to matrimonial engagements.\nNo servant ever offers himself for a place; he invariably employs some\none to introduce him. So also in mercantile transactions the broker\nalmost invariably appears upon the scene.\n\n[158] See No. II., note 41.\n\n[159] The so-called \u201cgolden lilies\u201d always come in for a large share\nof criticism. See No. XII., note 86. This term originated with an\nemperor who reigned in the fifth century, when, in ecstasies at the\ngraceful dancing of a concubine upon a stage ornamented with lilies,\nhe cried out, \u201cEvery footstep makes a lily grow.\u201d\n\n[160] A common custom; _e.g._ in the case of a little child lying\ndangerously ill, its mother will go outside the door into the garden\nor field, and call out its name several times, in the hope of bringing\nback the wandering spirit.\n\n[161] This process must be regularly gone through night and morning,\notherwise the bandages become loose, and the gait of the walker\nunsteady.\n\n[162] I have explained before that any great disparity of means is\nconsidered an obstacle to a matrimonial alliance between two families.\n\n[163] This is a not unusual arrangement in cases where there are other\nsons in the bridegroom\u2019s family, but none in that of the bride\u2019s,\nespecially if the advantage of wealth is on the side of the latter.\n\n[164] Such is the Chinese rule, adopted simply with a view to the\npreservation of harmony.\n\n[165] They are supposed never to see each other before the\nwedding-day; but, after careful investigation of the subject, I have\ncome to the conclusion that certainly in seven cases out of ten, the\nintended bridegroom secretly procures a sight of his future wife. I am\nnow speaking of the higher classes; among the poor, both sexes mix\nalmost as freely as with us.\n\n[166] This would still be considered a creditable act on the part of a\nChinese widow. It is, however, of exceedingly rare occurrence.\n\n[167] Being nearly dead from hanging.\n\n[168] This is occasionally done, great influence or a heavy bribe\nbeing brought to bear upon the Examiners, of whom there are only\ntwo for the Master\u2019s degree, and the second of these, or\nAssistant-Examiner, holds but a subordinate position. See _Appendix_\nA, and No. LXXV., note 71.\n\n[169] Admission to the Han-lin, or Chinese National Academy, is the\nhighest honour obtainable by a scholar. Its members are employed in\ndrawing up Government documents, histories, etc.\n\n\n\n\nXXV.\n\nJEN HSIU.\n\n\nJen Chien-chih was a native of Y\u00fc-t\u2018ai, and a dealer in rugs and furs.\nOne day he set off for Shensi, taking with him every penny he could\nscrape together; and on the road he met a man who told him that his\nname was Sh\u00ean Chu-t\u2018ing, and his native place Su-ch\u2018ien. These two\nsoon became firm friends, and entered into a masonic bond[170] with\neach other, journeying on together by the same stages until they\nreached their destination. By-and-by Mr. Jen fell sick, and his\ncompanion had to nurse him, which he did with the utmost attention,\nbut for ten days he gradually got worse and worse, and at length said\nto Sh\u00ean, \u201cMy family is very poor. Eight mouths depend upon my\nexertions for food; and now, alas! I am about to die, far from my own\nhome. You and I are brothers. At this distance there is no one else to\nwhom I can look. Now in my purse you will find two hundred ounces of\nsilver. Take half, and when you have defrayed my funeral expenses, use\nthe balance for your return journey; and give the other half to my\nfamily, that they may be able to send for my coffin.[171] If, however,\nyou will take my mortal remains with you home to my native place,\nthese expenses need not be incurred.\u201d He then, with the aid of a\npillow, wrote a letter, which he handed to Sh\u00ean, and that evening he\ndied. Thereupon Sh\u00ean purchased a cheap coffin[172] for some five or\nsix ounces of silver; and, as the landlord kept urging him to take\naway the body, he said he would go out and seek for a temple where it\nmight be temporarily deposited. But he ran away and never went back\nto the inn; and it was more than a year before Jen\u2019s family knew what\nhad taken place. His son was just about seventeen years of age, and\nhad recently been reading with a tutor; but now his books were laid\naside, and he proposed to go in search of his father\u2019s body. His\nmother said he was too young; and it was only when he declared he\nwould rather not live than stay at home, that with the aid of the\npawn-shop[173] enough money was raised to start him on his way. An old\nservant accompanied him, and it was six months before they returned\nand performed the last ceremonies over Jen\u2019s remains. The family was\nthus reduced to absolute destitution; but happily young Hsiu was a\nclever fellow, and when the days of mourning[174] were over, took his\nbachelor\u2019s degree. On the other hand, he was somewhat wild and very\nfond of gambling; and although his mother strictly prohibited such\ndiversions, all her prohibitions were in vain. By-and-by the Grand\nExaminer arrived, and Hsiu came out in the fourth class. His mother\nwas extremely angry, and refused to take food, which brought young\nHsiu to his senses, and he promised her faithfully he would never\ngamble again. From that day he shut himself up, and the following year\ntook a first class degree, coming out among the \u201csenior\u201d\ngraduates.[175] His mother now advised him to take pupils, but his\nreputation as a disorderly fellow stuck to him, and no one would\nentrust their sons to his care.\n\nJust then an uncle of his, named Chang, was about to start with\nmerchandise for the capital, and recommended that Hsiu should go along\nwith him, promising himself to pay all expenses, an offer which Hsiu\nwas only too pleased to accept. When they reached Lin-ch\u2018ing, they\nanchored outside the Custom House, where they found a great number of\nsalt-junks, in fact a perfect forest of masts; and what with the noise\nof the water and the people it was quite impossible to sleep.\nBesides, as the row was beginning to subside, the clear rattle of dice\nfrom a neighbouring boat fell upon Hsiu\u2019s ear, and before long he was\nitching to be back again at his old games. Listening to hear if all\naround him were sound asleep, he drew forth a string of cash that he\nhad brought with him, and thought he would just go across and try his\nluck. So he got up quietly with his money, and was on the point of\ngoing, when he suddenly recollected his mother\u2019s injunctions, and at\nonce tying his purse-strings laid himself down to sleep. He was far\ntoo excited, however, to close his eyes; and after a while got up\nagain and re-opened his purse. This he did three times, until at last\nit was too much for him, and off he went with his money. Crossing over\ninto the boat whence the sounds proceeded, he beheld two persons\nengaged in gambling for high stakes; so throwing his money on the\ntable, he begged to be allowed to join. The others readily consented,\nand they began to play, Hsiu winning so rapidly that soon one of the\nstrangers had no money left, and was obliged to get the proprietor of\nthe boat to change a large piece of silver for him, proceeding to lay\ndown as much as several ounces of silver for a single stake.\n\nAs the play was in full swing another man walked in, who after\nwatching for some time at length got the proprietor to change another\nlump of silver for him of one hundred ounces in weight, and also asked\nto be allowed to join. Now Hsiu\u2019s uncle, waking up in the middle of\nthe night, and finding his nephew gone, and hearing the sound of\ndice-throwing hard by, knew at once where he was, and immediately\nfollowed him to the boat with a view of bringing him back. Finding,\nhowever, that Hsiu was a heavy winner, he said nothing to him, only\ncarrying off a portion of his winnings to their own boat and making\nthe others of his party get up and help him to fetch the rest, even\nthen leaving behind a large sum for Hsiu to go on with. By-and-by the\nthree strangers had lost all their ready money, and there wasn\u2019t a\nfarthing left in the boat: upon which one of them proposed to play for\nlumps of silver, but Hsiu said he never went so high as that. This\nmade them a little quarrelsome, Hsiu\u2019s uncle all the time trying to\nget him away; and the proprietor of the boat, who had only his own\ncommission in view, managed to borrow some hundred strings of cash\nfrom another boat, and started them all again. Hsiu soon took this out\nof them; and, as day was beginning to dawn and the Custom House was\nabout to open, he went off with his winnings back to his own boat.\n\nThe proprietor of the gambling-boat now found that the lumps of silver\nwhich he had changed for his customers were nothing more than so much\ntinsel, and rushing off in a great state of alarm to Hsiu\u2019s boat, told\nhim what had happened and asked him to make it good; but when he\ndiscovered he was speaking to the son of his former travelling\ncompanion, Jen Chien-chih, he hung his head and slunk away covered\nwith shame. For the proprietor of that boat was no other than Sh\u00ean\nChu-t\u2018ing, of whom Hsiu had heard when he was in Shensi; now,\nhowever, that with supernatural aid[176] the wrongs of his father had\nbeen avenged, he determined to pursue the man no further. So going\ninto partnership with his uncle, they proceeded north together; and by\nthe end of the year their capital had increased five-fold. Hsiu then\npurchased the status of _chien-sh\u00eang_,[177] and by further careful\ninvestment of his money ultimately became the richest man in that part\nof the country.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[170] Besides the numerous secret societies so much dreaded by the\nGovernment, membership of which is punishable by death, very intimate\nfriends are in the habit of adopting each other as sworn brothers,\nbound to stand by one another in cases of danger and difficulty, to\nthe last drop of blood. The bond is cemented by an oath, accompanied\nby such ceremonies as fancy may at the moment dictate. The most\ncurious of all, however, are the so-called \u201cGolden Orchid\u201d societies,\nthe members of which are young girls, who have sworn never to enter\ninto the matrimonial state. To such an extent have these sisterhoods\nspread in the Kuang-tung Province, that the authorities have been\ncompelled to prohibit them under severe penalties.\n\n[171] A Chinaman loves to be buried alongside of his ancestors, and\npoor families are often put to great straits to pay this last tribute\nof respect and affection to the deceased. At all large cities are to\nbe found temporary burial grounds, where the bodies of strangers are\ndeposited until their relatives can come to carry them away. Large\nfreights of dead bodies are annually brought back to China from\nCalifornia, Queensland, and other parts to which the Chinese are in\nthe habit of emigrating, to the great profit of the steamer-companies\nconcerned. Coffins are also used as a means of smuggling, respect for\nthe dead being so great that they are only opened under the very\nstrongest suspicion.\n\n[172] See No. XIV., note 104. The price of an elaborate Chinese coffin\ngoes as high as \u00a3100 or \u00a3150.\n\n[173] The never-failing resource of an impecunious Chinaman who has\nany property whatever bearing an exchange value. The pawn-shop proper\nis a licensed institution, where three per cent. _per month_ is\ncharged on all loans, all pledges being redeemable within sixteen\nmonths. It is generally a very high brick structure, towering far\nabove the surrounding houses, with the deposits neatly packed up in\npaper and arranged on the shelves of a huge wooden skeleton-like\nframe, that completely fills the interior of the building, on the top\nof which are ranged buckets of water in case of fire, and a quantity\nof huge stones to throw down on any thieves who may be daring enough\nto attempt to scale the wall. [In Peking, houses are not allowed to be\nbuilt above a certain height, as during the long summer months ladies\nare in the habit of sitting to spin or sew in their courtyards, very\nlightly clad.] Pawning goods in China is not held to be so disgraceful\nas with us; in fact, most people, at the beginning of the hot weather,\npawn their furs and winter clothes, these being so much more carefully\nlooked after there than they might be at home.\n\n[174] Nominally of three years\u2019--really of twenty-eight\nmonths\u2019--duration.\n\n[175] These are entitled to receive from Government a small allowance\nof rice, besides being permitted to exercise certain petty functions,\nfor which a certain charge is authorized. See _Appendix_ A.\n\n[176] One of the strangers was the disembodied spirit of Hsiu\u2019s\nfather, helping his son to take vengeance on the wicked Sh\u00ean.\n\n[177] An intermediate step between the first and second degrees, to\nwhich certain privileges are attached.\n\n\n\n\nXXVI.\n\nTHE LOST BROTHER.\n\n\nIn Honan there lived a man named Chang, who originally belonged to\nShantung. His wife had been seized and carried off by the soldiery\nduring the period when Ching Nan\u2019s troops were overrunning the latter\nprovince;[178] and as he was frequently in Honan on business, he\nfinally settled there and married a Honan wife, by whom he had a son\nnamed Na. By-and-by this wife died, and he took another, who bore him\na son named Ch\u2018\u00eang. The last-mentioned lady was from the Niu family,\nand a very malicious woman. So jealous was she of Na, that she treated\nhim like a slave or a beast of the field, giving him only the coarsest\nfood, and making him cut a large bundle of wood every day, in default\nof which she would beat and abuse him in a most shameful manner. On\nthe other hand she secretly reserved all the tit-bits for Ch\u2018\u00eang, and\nalso sent him to school. As Ch\u2018\u00eang grew up, and began to understand\nthe meaning of filial piety and fraternal love,[179] he could not bear\nto see this treatment of his elder brother, and spoke privately to\nhis mother about it; but she would pay no heed to what he said.\n\nOne day, when Na was on the hills performing his task, a violent storm\ncame on, and he took shelter under a cliff. However, by the time it\nwas over the sun had set, and he began to feel very hungry. So,\nshouldering his bundle, he wended his way home, where his step-mother,\ndispleased with the small quantity of wood he had brought, refused to\ngive him anything to eat. Quite overcome with hunger, Na went in and\nlay down; and when Ch\u2018\u00eang came back from school, and saw the state he\nwas in, he asked him if he was ill. Na replied that he was only\nhungry, and then told his brother the whole story; whereupon Ch\u2018\u00eang\ncoloured up and went away, returning shortly with some cakes, which he\noffered to Na. \u201cWhere did you get them?\u201d asked the latter. \u201cOh,\u201d\nreplied Ch\u2018\u00eang, \u201cI stole some flour and got a neighbour\u2019s wife to make\nthem for me. Eat away, and don\u2019t talk.\u201d Na ate them up; but begged his\nbrother not to do this again, as he might get himself into trouble. \u201cI\nshan\u2019t die,\u201d added he, \u201cif I only get one meal a-day.\u201d \u201cYou are not\nstrong,\u201d rejoined Ch\u2018\u00eang, \u201cand shouldn\u2019t cut so much wood as you do.\u201d\n\nNext day, after breakfast, Ch\u2018\u00eang slipped away to the hills, and\narrived at the place where Na was occupied with his usual task, to the\ngreat astonishment of the latter, who inquired what he was going to\ndo. \u201cTo help you cut wood,\u201d replied Ch\u2018\u00eang. \u201cAnd who sent you?\u201d asked\nhis brother. \u201cNo one,\u201d said he; \u201cI came of my own accord.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d cried\nNa, \u201cyou can\u2019t do this work; and even if you can you must not. Run\nalong home again.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00eang, however, remained, aiding his brother with\nhis hands and feet alone, but declaring that on the morrow he would\nbring an axe. Na tried to stop him, and found that he had already hurt\nhis finger and worn his shoes into holes; so he began to cry, and\nsaid, \u201cIf you don\u2019t go home directly, I\u2019ll kill myself with my axe.\u201d\nCh\u2018\u00eang then went away, his brother seeing him half-way home, and going\nback to finish his work by himself. He also called in the evening at\nCh\u2018\u00eang\u2019s school, and told the master his brother was a delicate boy,\nand should not be allowed to go on the hills, where, he said, there\nwere fierce tigers and wolves. The master replied that he didn\u2019t know\nwhere Ch\u2018\u00eang had been all the morning, but that he had caned him for\nplaying truant. Na further pointed out to Ch\u2018\u00eang that by not doing as\nhe had told him, he had let himself in for a beating. Ch\u2018\u00eang laughed,\nand said he hadn\u2019t been beaten; and the very next day off he went\nagain, and this time with a hatchet. \u201cI told you not to come,\u201d cried\nNa, much alarmed; \u201cwhy have you done so?\u201d Ch\u2018\u00eang made no reply, but\nset to work chopping wood with such energy that the perspiration\npoured down his face; and when he had cut about a bundle he went away\nwithout saying a word. The master caned him again, and then Ch\u2018\u00eang\ntold him how the matter stood, at which the former became full of\nadmiration for his pupil\u2019s kind behaviour, and no longer prevented him\nfrom going. His brother, however, frequently urged him not to come,\nthough without the slightest success; and one day, when they went with\na number of others to cut wood, a tiger rushed down from the hills\nupon them. The wood-cutters hid themselves, in the greatest\nconsternation; and the tiger, seizing Ch\u2018\u00eang, ran off with him in his\nmouth. Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s weight caused the tiger to move slowly; and Na,\nrushing after them, hacked away at the tiger\u2019s flanks with his axe.\nThe pain only made the tiger hurry off, and in a few minutes they were\nout of sight. Overwhelmed with grief, Na went back to his comrades,\nwho tried to soothe him; but he said, \u201cMy brother was no ordinary\nbrother, and, besides, he died for me; why, then, should I live?\u201d\nHere, seizing his hatchet, he made a great chop at his own neck, upon\nwhich his companions prevented him from doing himself any more\nmischief. The wound, however, was over an inch deep, and blood was\nflowing so copiously that Na became faint, and seemed at the point of\ndeath. They then tore up their clothes, and, after having bandaged his\nneck, proceeded to carry him home. His step-mother cried bitterly, and\ncursed him, saying, \u201cYou have killed my son, and now you go and cut\nyour neck in this make-believe kind of way.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be angry, mother,\u201d\nreplied Na; \u201cI will not live now that my brother is dead.\u201d He then\nthrew himself on the bed; but the pain of his wound was so great he\ncould not sleep, and day and night he sat leaning against the wall in\ntears. His father, fearing that he too would die, went every now and\nthen and gave him a little nourishment; but his wife cursed him so for\ndoing it, that at length Na refused all food, and in three days he\ndied.\n\nNow in the village where these events took place there was a magician\nwho was employed in certain devil-work among mortals,[180] and Na\u2019s\nghost, happening to fall in with him, related the story of its\nprevious sorrows, winding up by asking where his brother\u2019s ghost was.\nThe magician said he didn\u2019t know, but turned round with Na and shewed\nhim the way to a city where they saw an official servant coming out of\nthe city gates. The magician stopped him, and inquired if he could\ntell them anything about Ch\u2018\u00eang; whereupon the man drew out a list\nfrom a pouch at his side, and, after carefully examining it, replied\nthat among the male and female criminals within there was no one of\nthe name of Chang.[181] The magician here suggested that the name\nmight be on another list; but the man replied that he was in charge of\nthat road, and surely ought to know. Na, however, was not satisfied,\nand persuaded the magician to enter the city, where they met many new\nand old devils walking about, among whom were some Na had formerly\nknown in life. So he asked them if they could direct him to his\nbrother but none of them knew where he was; and suddenly there was a\ngreat commotion, the devils on all sides crying out, \u201cP\u2018u-sa[182] has\ncome!\u201d Then, looking up, Na beheld a most beautiful man descending\nfrom above, encircled by rays of glory, which shot forth above and\nbelow, lighting up all around him. \u201cYou are in luck\u2019s way, Sir,\u201d said\nthe magician to Na; \u201conly once in many thousand years does P\u2018u-sa\ndescend into hell and banish all suffering. He has come to-day.\u201d He\nthen made Na kneel, and all the devils began with clasped hands to\nsing songs of praise to P\u2018u-sa for his compassion in releasing them\nfrom their misery, shaking the very earth with the sound. P\u2018u-sa\nhimself, seizing a willow-branch, sprinkled them all with holy water;\nand when this was done the clouds and glory melted away, and he\nvanished from their sight. Na, who had felt the holy water fall upon\nhis neck, now became conscious that the axe-wound was no longer\npainful; and the magician then proceeded to lead him back, not\nquitting him until within sight of the village gate. In fact, Na had\nbeen in a trance for two days, and when he recovered he told them all\nthat he had seen, asserting positively that Ch\u2018\u00eang was not dead. His\nmother, however, looked upon the story as a make-up, and never ceased\nreviling him; and, as he had no means of proving his innocence, and\nhis neck was now quite healed, he got up from the bed and said to his\nfather, \u201cI am going away to seek for my brother throughout the\nuniverse; if I do not find him, never expect to see me again, but I\npray you regard me as dead.\u201d His father drew him aside and wept\nbitterly. However, he would not interfere with his son\u2019s design, and\nNa accordingly set off. Whenever he came to a large town or populous\nplace he used to ask for news of Ch\u2018\u00eang; and by-and-by, when his money\nwas all spent, he begged his way on foot. A year had passed away\nbefore he reached Nanking, and his clothes were all in tatters as\nragged as a quail\u2019s tail,[183] when suddenly he met some ten or a\ndozen horsemen, and drew away to the roadside. Among them was a\ngentleman of about forty, who appeared to be a mandarin, with numerous\nlusty attendants and fiery steeds accompanying him before and behind.\nOne young man on a small palfrey, whom Na took to be the mandarin\u2019s\nson, and at whom, of course, he did not venture to stare, eyed him\nclosely for some time, and at length stopped his steed, and, jumping\noff, cried out, \u201cAre you not my brother?\u201d Na then raised his head, and\nfound that Ch\u2018\u00eang stood before him. Grasping each other\u2019s hands, the\nbrothers burst into tears, and at length Ch\u2018\u00eang said, \u201cMy brother, how\nis it you have strayed so far as this?\u201d Na told him the\ncircumstances, at which he was much affected; and Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s companions,\njumping off their horses to see what was the matter, went off and\ninformed the mandarin. The latter ordered one of them to give up his\nhorse to Na, and thus they rode together back to the mandarin\u2019s house.\nCh\u2018\u00eang then told his brother how the tiger had carried him away, and\nhow he had been thrown down in the road, where he had passed a whole\nnight; also how the mandarin, Mr. Chang,[184] on his return from the\ncapital, had seen him there, and, observing that he was no\ncommon-looking youth, had set to work and brought him round again.\nAlso how he had said to Mr. Chang that his home was a great way off,\nand how Mr. Chang had taken him to his own home, and finally cured him\nof his wounds; when, having no son of his own, he had adopted him. And\nnow, happening to be out with his father, he had caught sight of his\nbrother. As he was speaking Mr. Chang walked in, and Na thanked him\nvery heartily for all his kindness; Ch\u2018\u00eang, meanwhile, going into the\ninner apartments to get some clothes for his brother. Wine and food\nwas placed on the table; and while they were chatting together the\nmandarin asked Na about the number of their family in Honan. \u201cThere is\nonly my father,\u201d replied Na, \u201cand he is a Shantung man who came to\nlive in Honan.\u201d \u201cWhy, I am a Shantung man too,\u201d rejoined Mr. Chang;\n\u201cwhat is the name of your father\u2019s native place?\u201d \u201cI have heard that\nit was in the Tung-ch\u2018ang district,\u201d replied Na. \u201cThen we are from the\nsame place,\u201d cried the mandarin. \u201cWhy did your father go away to\nHonan?\u201d \u201cHis first wife,\u201d said Na, \u201cwas carried off by soldiers, and\nmy father lost everything he possessed; so, being in the habit of\ntrading to Honan, he determined to settle down there for good.\u201d The\nmandarin then asked what his father\u2019s other name was, and when he\nheard, he sat some time staring at Na, and at length hurried away\nwithin. In a few moments out came an old lady, and when they had all\nbowed to her, she asked Na if he was Chang Ping-chih\u2019s grandson. On\nhis replying in the affirmative, the old lady wept, and, turning to\nMr. Chang, said, \u201cThese two are your younger brothers.\u201d And then she\nexplained to Na and Ch\u2018\u00eang as follows:--\u201cThree years after my marriage\nwith your father, I was carried off to the north and made a\nslave[185] in a mandarin\u2019s family. Six months afterwards your elder\nbrother here was born, and in another six months the mandarin died.\nYour elder brother being his heir, he received this appointment, which\nhe is now resigning. I have often thought of my native place, and have\nnot unfrequently sent people to inquire about my husband, giving them\nthe full particulars as to name and clan; but I could never hear\nanything of him. How should I know that he had gone to Honan?\u201d Then,\naddressing Mr. Chang, she continued, \u201cThat was rather a mistake of\nyours, adopting your own brother.\u201d \u201cHe never told me anything about\nShantung,\u201d replied Mr. Chang; \u201cI suppose he was too young to remember\nthe story; and I only looked at the difference between our ages.\u201d For\nhe, the elder of the brothers, was forty-one; Ch\u2018\u00eang, the younger,\nbeing only sixteen; and Na, twenty years of age. Mr. Chang was very\nglad to get two young brothers; and when he heard the tale of their\nseparation, proposed that they should all go back to their father.\nMrs. Chang was afraid her husband would not care to receive her back\nagain; but her eldest son said, \u201cWe will cast our lot together; all or\nnone. How can there be a country where fathers are not valued?\u201d They\nthen sold their house and packed up, and were soon on the way to\nHonan. When they arrived, Ch\u2018\u00eang went in first to tell his father,\nwhose third wife had died since Na left, and who now was a desolate\nold widower, left alone with only his own shadow. He was overjoyed to\nsee Ch\u2018\u00eang again, and, looking fondly at his son, burst into a flood\nof tears. Ch\u2018\u00eang told him his mother and brothers were outside, and\nthe old man was then perfectly transfixed with astonishment, unable\neither to laugh or to cry. Mr. Chang next appeared, followed by his\nmother; and the two old people wept in each other\u2019s arms, the late\nsolitary widower hardly knowing what to make of the crowd of men and\nwomen-servants that suddenly filled his house. Here Ch\u2018\u00eang, not seeing\nhis own mother, asked where she was; and when he heard she was dead,\nhe fainted away, and did not come round for a good half-hour. Mr.\nChang found the money for building a fine house, and engaged a tutor\nfor his two brothers. Horses pranced in the stables, and servants\nchattered in the hall--it was quite a large establishment.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[178] A.D. 1400\n\n[179] The first of the sixteen maxims which form the so-called Sacred\nEdict, embodies these two all-important family ties. The doctrine of\nprimogeniture is carried so far in China as to put every younger\nbrother in a subordinate position to every elder brother. All\nproperty, however, of whatever kind, is equally divided among the\nsons. [The Sacred Edict was delivered by the great Emperor K\u2018ang Hsi,\nand should be publicly read and explained in every city of the Empire\non the first and fifteenth of each month.]\n\n[180] Ordinary devils being unable to stand for any length of time the\nlight and life of the upper world, the souls of certain persons are\noften temporarily employed in this work by the authorities of\nPurgatory, their bodies remaining meanwhile in a trance or cataleptic\nfit.\n\n[181] Their family name.\n\n[182] The Chinese corrupted form of Bodhisatva. Now widely employed to\ndesignate any deity of any kind.\n\n[183] The usual similitude for a Chinese tatterdemalion.\n\n[184] The surnames Chang, Wang, and Li, correspond in China to our\nBrown, Jones, and Robinson.\n\n[185] Slavery, under a modified form, exists in China at the present\nday. All parents, having absolute power over their children, are at\nliberty to sell them as servants or slaves to their wealthier\nneighbours. This is not an infrequent occurrence in times of distress,\nthe children even going so far as to voluntarily sell themselves, and\nexposing themselves in some public thoroughfare, with a notice affixed\nto a kind of arrow on their backs, stating that they are for sale, and\nthe amount required from the purchaser. This I have seen with my own\neyes. The chief source, however, from which the supply of slaves is\nkept up is kidnapping. [See No. XXIII., note 154.] As to the condition\nof the slaves themselves, it is by no means an unhappy one. Their\nmaster has nominally the power of life and death over them, but no\nChinaman would ever dream of availing himself of this dangerous\nprerogative. They are generally well fed, and fairly well clothed,\nbeing rarely beaten, for fear they should run away, and either be lost\naltogether or entail much expense to secure their capture. The girls\ndo not have their feet compressed; hence they are infinitely more\nuseful than small-footed women; and, on reaching a marriageable age,\ntheir masters are bound to provide them with husbands. They live on\nterms of easy familiarity with the whole household; and, ignorant of\nthe meaning and value of liberty, seem quite contented with a lot\nwhich places them beyond the reach of hunger and cold. Slaves take the\nsurnames of their masters, and the children of slaves are likewise\nslaves. Manumission is not uncommon; and Chinese history furnishes\nmore than one example of a quondam slave attaining to the highest\noffices of State.\n\n\n\n\nXXVII.\n\nTHE THREE GENII.\n\n\nThere was a certain scholar who, passing through Su-ch\u2018ien on his way\nto Nanking, where he was going to try for his master\u2019s degree,\nhappened to fall in with three other gentlemen, all graduates like\nhimself, and was so charmed with their unusual refinement that he\npurchased a quantity of wine, and begged them to join him in drinking\nit. While thus pleasantly employed, his three friends told him their\nnames. One was Chieh Ch\u2018in-h\u00eang; the second, Ch\u2018ang F\u00eang-lin; and the\nother, Ma Hsi-ch\u2018ih. They drank away and enjoyed themselves very much,\nuntil evening had crept upon them unperceived, when Chieh said, \u201cHere\nwe, who ought to have been playing the host, have been feasting at a\nstranger\u2019s expense. This is not right. But, come, my house is close\nby; I will provide you with a bed.\u201d Ch\u2018ang and Ma got up, and, taking\nour hero by the arm, bade his servant come along with them. When they\nreached a hill to the north of the village, there before them was a\nhouse and grounds, with a stream of clear water in front of the door,\nall the apartments within being beautifully clean and nice. Chieh then\ngave orders to light the lamps and see after his visitor\u2019s servant;\nwhereupon Ma observed, \u201cOf old it was customary to set intellectual\nrefreshments before one\u2019s friends; let us not miss the opportunity of\nthis lovely evening, but decide on four themes, one for each of us;\nand then, when we have finished our essays, we can set to work on the\nwine.\u201d[186] To this the others readily agreed; and each wrote down a\ntheme and threw it on the table. These were next divided amongst them\nas they sat, and before the second watch[187] was over the essays were\nall completed and handed round for general inspection; and our scholar\nwas so struck with the elegance and vigour of those by his three\nfriends, that he ran off a copy of them and put it in his pocket. The\nhost then produced some excellent wine, which was drunk by them in\nsuch bumpers that soon they were all tolerably tipsy. The other two\nnow took their leave; but Chieh led the scholar into another room,\nwhere, so overcome was he with wine, that he went to bed in his boots\nand clothes.\n\nThe sun was high in the heavens when our hero awaked, and, looking\nround, he saw no house or grounds, only a dell on the hill-side, in\nwhich he and his servant had been sleeping. In great alarm he called\nout to the servant, who also got up, and then they found a hole with a\nrill of water trickling down before it. Much astonished at all this,\nhe felt in his pocket, and there, sure enough, was the paper on which\nhe had copied the three essays of his friends. On descending the hill\nand making inquiries, he found that he had been to the Grotto of the\nThree Genii--namely, Crab, Snake, and Frog, three very wonderful\nbeings, who often came out for a stroll, and were occasionally visible\nto mortal eyes. Subsequently, when our hero entered the examination\nhall, lo! the three themes set were those of the Three Genii, and he\ncame out at the top of the list.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[186] No Chinese wine-party is complete without more or less amusement\nof a literary character. Capping verses, composing impromptu odes on\npersons or places, giving historical and mythological allusions, are\namong the ordinary diversions of this kind.\n\n[187] The Chinese night lasts from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and is divided\ninto five watches of two hours each, which are subdivided into five\n\u201cbeats\u201d of the watchman\u2019s wooden tom-tom.\n\n\n\n\nXXVIII.\n\nTHE SINGING FROGS.\n\n\nWang Tz\u016d-sun told me that when he was at the capital he saw a man in\nthe street who gave the following performance:--He had a wooden box,\ndivided by partitions into twelve holes, in each of which was a frog;\nand whenever he tapped any one of these frogs on the head with a tiny\nwand, the frog so touched would immediately begin to sing. Some one\ngave him a piece of silver, and then he tapped the frogs all round,\njust as if he was striking a gong; whereupon they all sang together,\nwith their _Do_, _R\u00e9_, _Mi_, _Fa_, in perfect time and harmony.\n\n\n\n\nXXIX.\n\nTHE PERFORMING MICE.\n\n\nMr. Wang also told me that there was a man at Ch\u2018ang-an who made his\nliving by exhibiting performing mice. He had a pouch on his back in\nwhich he kept some ten of these little animals; and whenever he got\namong a number of people he would fix a little frame on his back,\nexactly resembling a stage. Then beating a drum he would sing some old\ntheatrical melody, at the first sounds of which the mice would issue\nforth from the pouch, and then, with masks on their faces, and arrayed\nin various costumes, they would climb up his back on to the stage,\nwhere standing on their hind-legs they would go through a performance\nportraying the various emotions of joy and anger, exactly like human\nactors of either sex.[188]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[188] The _r\u00f4les_ of women are always played in China by men, dressed\nup so perfectly, small feet and all, as to be quite undistinguishable\nfrom real women.\n\n\n\n\nXXX.\n\nTHE TIGER OF CHAO-CH\u2018\u00caNG.\n\n\nAt Chao-ch\u2018\u00eang there lived an old woman more than seventy years of\nage, who had an only son. One day he went up to the hills and was\neaten by a tiger, at which his mother was so overwhelmed with grief\nthat she hardly wished to live. With tears and lamentations she ran\nand told her story to the magistrate of the place, who laughed and\nasked her how she thought the law could be brought to bear on a tiger.\nBut the old woman would not be comforted, and at length the magistrate\nlost his temper and bade her begone. Of this, however, she took no\nnotice; and then the magistrate, in compassion for her great age and\nunwilling to resort to extremities, promised her that he would have\nthe tiger arrested. Even then she would not go until the warrant had\nbeen actually issued; so the magistrate, at a loss what to do, asked\nhis attendants which of them would undertake the job.[189] Upon this\none of them, Li N\u00eang, who happened to be gloriously drunk, stepped\nforward and said that he would; whereupon the warrant was immediately\nissued and the old woman went away. When our friend, Li N\u00eang, got\nsober, he was sorry for what he had done; but reflecting that the\nwhole thing was a mere trick of his master\u2019s to get rid of the old\nwoman\u2019s importunities, did not trouble himself much about it, handing\nin the warrant as if the arrest had been made. \u201cNot so,\u201d cried the\nmagistrate, \u201cyou said you could do this, and now I shall not let you\noff.\u201d Li N\u00eang was at his wits\u2019 end, and begged that he might be\nallowed to impress the hunters of the district.[190] This was\nconceded; so collecting together these men, he proceeded to spend day\nand night among the hills in the hope of catching a tiger, and thus\nmaking a show of having fulfilled his duty.\n\nA month passed away, during which he received several hundred blows\nwith the bamboo,[191] and at length, in despair, he betook himself to\nthe Ch\u2018\u00eang-huang temple in the eastern suburb, where, falling on his\nknees, he prayed and wept by turns. By-and-by a tiger walked in, and\nLi N\u00eang, in a great fright, thought he was going to be eaten alive.\nBut the tiger took no notice of anything, remaining seated in the\ndoorway. Li N\u00eang then addressed the animal as follows:--\u201cO tiger, if\nthou didst slay that old woman\u2019s son, suffer me to bind thee with this\ncord;\u201d and, drawing a rope from his pocket, threw it over the animal\u2019s\nneck. The tiger drooped its ears, and allowing itself to be bound,\nfollowed Li N\u00eang to the magistrate\u2019s office. The latter then asked it,\nsaying, \u201cDid you eat the old woman\u2019s son?\u201d to which the tiger replied\nby nodding its head; whereupon the magistrate rejoined, \u201cThat\nmurderers should suffer death has ever been the law.[192] Besides,\nthis old woman had but one son, and by killing him you took from her\nthe sole support of her declining years. But if now you will be as a\nson to her, your crime shall be pardoned.\u201d The tiger again nodded\nassent, and accordingly the magistrate gave orders that he should be\nreleased, at which the old woman was highly incensed, thinking that\nthe tiger ought to have paid with its life for the destruction of her\nson.\n\nNext morning, however, when she opened the door of her cottage, there\nlay a dead deer before it; and the old woman, by selling the flesh and\nskin, was able to purchase food. From that day this became a common\nevent, and sometimes the tiger would even bring her money and\nvaluables, so that she became quite rich, and was much better cared\nfor than she had been even by her own son. Consequently, she became\nvery well-disposed to the tiger, which often came and slept in the\nverandah, remaining for a whole day at a time, and giving no cause of\nfear either to man or beast. In a few years the old woman died, upon\nwhich the tiger walked in and roared its lamentations in the hall.\nHowever, with all the money she had saved, she was able to have a\nsplendid funeral; and while her relatives were standing round the\ngrave, out rushed a tiger, and sent them all running away in fear. But\nthe tiger merely went up to the mound, and, after roaring like a\nthunder-peal, disappeared again. Then the people of that place built a\nshrine in honour of the Faithful Tiger, and it remains there to this\nday.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[189] All underlings (and we might add overlings) in China being\nunpaid, it behoves them to make what they can out of the opportunities\nafforded. In most _yam\u00eans_, the various warrants and such documents\nare distributed to the runners in turn, who squeeze the victims thus\nhanded over to them. For a small bribe they will go back and report\n\u201cnot at home;\u201d for a larger one \u201chas absconded,\u201d and so on.\n\nGatekeepers charge a fee on every petition that passes through their\nhands; gaolers, for a consideration and with proper security, allow\ntheir prisoners to be at large until wanted; clerks take bribes to use\ntheir influence, honestly or dishonestly, with the magistrate who is\nto try the case; and all the servants share equally in the gratuities\ngiven by anyone to whom their master may send presents. The amount,\nwhatever it may be, is enclosed in a red envelope and addressed to the\nsender of the present, with the words \u201cInstead of tea,\u201d in large\ncharacters; the meaning being that the refreshments which should have\nbeen set before the servants who brought the gifts have been commuted\nby a money payment. This money is put into a general fund and equally\ndivided at stated periods.\n\nAll Government officers holding a post, from the highest to the\nlowest, are entitled to a nominal, and what would be a quite\ninadequate, salary; but no one ever sees this. It is customary to\nrefuse acceptance of it on some such grounds as want of merit, and\nrefund it to the Imperial Treasury.\n\n[190] Anybody is liable to be \u201cimpressed\u201d at any moment for the\nservice of the Government. Boat owners, sedan-chair and coolie\nproprietors, especially dread the frequent and heavy calls that are\nmade upon them for assistance, the remuneration they receive being in\nall cases insufficient to defray mere working expenses. But inasmuch\nas Chinese officials may not seize any men, or boats, or carts,\nholding passes to show that they are in the employ of a foreign\nmerchant, a lively trade in such documents has sprung up in certain\nparts of China between the dishonest of the native and foreign\ncommercial circles.\n\n[191] Constables, detectives, and others, are liable to be bambooed at\nintervals, generally of three or five days, until the mission on which\nthey are engaged has been successfully accomplished. In cases of theft\nand non-restoration of the stolen property within a given time, the\ndetectives or constables employed may be required to make it good.\n\n[192] Extended by the Chinese to certain cases of simple man\nslaughter.\n\n\n\n\nXXXI.\n\nA DWARF.\n\n\nIn the reign of K\u2018ang Hsi, there was a magician who carried about with\nhim a wooden box, in which he had a dwarf not much more than a foot in\nheight. When people gave him money he would open the box and bid the\nlittle creature come out. The dwarf would then sing a song and go in\nagain. Arriving one day at Yeh, the magistrate there seized the box,\nand taking it into his yam\u00ean asked the dwarf whence he came. At first\nhe dared not reply, but on being pressed told the magistrate\neverything. He said he belonged to a respectable family, and that once\nwhen returning home from school he was stupified by the magician, who\ngave him some drug which made his limbs shrink, and then took him\nabout to exhibit to people. The magistrate was very angry and had the\nmagician beheaded, himself taking charge of the dwarf. He was\nsubsequently very anxious to get him cured, but unable to obtain the\nproper prescription.[193]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[193] The Cantonese believe the following to be the usual\nprocess:--\u201cYoung children are bought or stolen at a tender age and\nplaced in a _ch\u2018ing_, or vase with a narrow neck, and having in this\ncase a moveable bottom. In this receptacle the unfortunate little\nwretches are kept for years in a sitting posture, their heads outside,\nbeing all the while carefully tended and fed.... When the child has\nreached the age of twenty or over, he or she is taken away to some\ndistant place and \u2018discovered\u2019 in the woods as a wild man or\nwoman.\u201d--_China Mail_, 15th May, 1878.\n\n\n\n\nXXXII.\n\nHSIANG-JU\u2019S MISFORTUNES.\n\n\nAt Kuang-p\u2018ing there lived an old man named F\u00eang, who had an only son\ncalled Hsiang-ju. Both of them were graduates; and the father was very\nparticular and strict, though the family had long been poor. Mrs. F\u00eang\nand Hsiang-ju\u2019s wife had died one shortly after the other, so that the\nfather and son were obliged to do their household work for themselves.\n\nOne night Hsiang-ju was sitting out in the moonlight, when suddenly a\nyoung lady from next door got on the wall to have a look at him. He\nsaw she was very pretty, and as he approached her she began to laugh.\nHe then beckoned to her with his hand; but she did not move either to\ncome or to go away. At length, however, she accepted the invitation,\nand descended the ladder that he had placed for her. In reply to\nHsiang-ju\u2019s inquiries, the young lady said her name was Hung-y\u00fc, and\nthat she lived next door; so Hsiang-ju, who was much taken with her\nbeauty, begged her to come over frequently and have a chat. To this\nshe readily assented, and continued to do so for several months, until\none evening old Mr. F\u00eang, hearing sounds of talking and laughing in\nhis son\u2019s room, got up and looked in. Seeing Miss Hung-y\u00fc, he was\nexceedingly angry, and called his son out, saying, \u201cYou\ngood-for-nothing fellow! poor as we are, why aren\u2019t you at your books,\ninstead of wasting your time like this? A pretty thing for the\nneighbours to hear of!--and even if they don\u2019t hear of it, somebody\nelse will, and shorten your life accordingly.\u201d[194] Hsiang-ju fell on\nhis knees, and with tears implored forgiveness; whereupon his father\nturned to the young lady, and said, \u201cA girl who behaves like this\ndisgraces others as well as herself; and if people find this out, we\nshan\u2019t be the only ones to suffer.\u201d The old man then went back to bed\nin a rage, and Miss Hung-y\u00fc, weeping bitterly, said to Hsiang-ju,\n\u201cYour father\u2019s reproaches have overwhelmed me with shame. Our\nfriendship is now at an end.\u201d \u201cI could say nothing,\u201d replied he, \u201cas\nlong as my father was here; but if you have any consideration for me,\nI pray you think nothing of his remarks.\u201d Miss Hung-y\u00fc protested,\nhowever, that they could meet no more, and then Hsiang-ju also burst\ninto tears. \u201cDo not weep,\u201d cried she, \u201cour friendship was an\nimpossible one, and time must sooner or later have put an end to these\nvisits. Meanwhile, I hear there is a very good match to be made in the\nneighbourhood.\u201d Hsiang-ju replied that he was poor; but Miss Hung-y\u00fc\ntold him to meet her again the following evening, when she would\nendeavour to do something for him. At the appointed time she arrived,\nand, producing forty ounces of silver, presented them to Hsiang-ju;\ntelling him that at a village some distance off there was a Miss Wei,\neighteen years of age, who was not yet married because of the\nexorbitant demands of her parents, but that a little extra outlay\nwould secure for him the young lady\u2019s hand. Miss Hung-y\u00fc then bade him\nfarewell, and Hsiang-ju went off to inform his father, expressing a\ndesire to go and make inquiries, but saying nothing about the forty\nounces. His father, thinking that they were not sufficiently well off,\nurged him not to go; however, by dint of argument, he finally\npersuaded the old man that, at any rate, there was no harm in trying.\nSo he borrowed horses and attendants, and set off to the house of Mr.\nWei, who was a man of considerable property; and when he got there he\nasked Mr. Wei to come outside and accord him a few minutes\u2019\nconversation. Now the latter knew that Hsiang-ju belonged to a very\ngood family; and when he saw all the retinue that Hsiang-ju had\nbrought with him, he inwardly consented to the match, though he was\nafraid that perhaps his would-be son-in-law might not be as liberal as\nhe would like. Hsiang-ju soon perceived what Mr. Wei\u2019s feelings were,\nand emptied his purse on the table, at which Mr. Wei was delighted,\nand begged a neighbour to allow the marriage contract to be drawn up\nin his house.[195] Hsiang-ju then went in to pay his respects to Mrs.\nWei, whom he found in a small, miserable room, with Miss Wei hiding\nbehind her. Still he was pleased to see that, in spite of her homely\ntoilette, the young lady herself was very nice-looking; and, while he\nwas being entertained in the neighbour\u2019s house, the old lady said, \u201cIt\nwill not be necessary for you, Sir, to come and fetch our daughter. As\nsoon as we have made up a small trousseau for her, we will send her\nalong to you.\u201d[196] Hsiang-ju then agreed with them upon a day for the\nwedding, and went home and informed his father, pretending that the\nWei family only asked for respectability, and did not care about\nmoney. His father was overjoyed to hear this; and when the day came,\nthe young lady herself arrived. She proved to be a thrifty housekeeper\nand an obedient wife, so that she and her husband got along capitally\ntogether. In two years she had a son, who was called Fu-\u00earh. And once,\non the occasion of the great spring festival, she was on her way to\nthe family tombs, with her boy in her arms, when she chanced to meet a\nman named Sung, who was one of the gentry of the neighbourhood. This\nMr. Sung had been a Censor,[197] but had purchased his retirement, and\nwas now leading a private life, characterised by many overbearing and\nviolent acts. He was returning from his visit to the graves of his\nancestors when he saw Hsiang-ju\u2019s wife, and, attracted by her beauty,\nfound out who she was; and imagining that, as her husband was a poor\nscholar, he might easily be induced for a consideration to part with\nthe lady, sent one of his servants to find out how the land lay. When\nHsiang-ju heard what was wanted, he was very angry; but, reflecting on\nthe power of his adversary, controlled his passion, and passed the\nthing off with a laugh. His father, however, to whom he repeated what\nhad occurred, got into a violent rage, and, rushing out, flung his\narms about, and called Mr. Sung every name he could lay his tongue to.\nMr. Sung\u2019s emissary slunk off and went home; and then a number of men\nwere sent by the enraged Sung, and these burst into the house and gave\nold F\u00eang and his son a most tremendous beating. In the middle of the\nhubbub Hsiang-ju\u2019s wife ran in, and, throwing her child down on the\nbed, tore her hair and shrieked for help. Sung\u2019s attendants\nimmediately surrounded her and carried her off, while there lay her\nhusband and his father, wounded on the ground and the baby squalling\non the bed. The neighbours, pitying their wretched condition, helped\nthem up on to the couches, and by the next day Hsiang-ju could walk\nwith a stick; however, his father\u2019s anger was not to be appeased, and,\nafter spitting a quantity of blood, he died. Hsiang-ju wept bitterly\nat this, and, taking his child in his arms, used every means to bring\nthe offenders to justice, but without the slightest success. He then\nheard that his wife had put an end to her own existence, and with this\nhis cup of misery was full. Unable to get his wrongs redressed, he\noften meditated assassinating Sung in the open street,[198] but was\ndeterred from attempting this by the number of his retainers and the\nfear of leaving his son with no one to protect him. Day and night he\nmourned over his lot, and his eyelids were never closed in sleep, when\nsuddenly in walked a personage of striking appearance to condole with\nhim on his losses. The stranger\u2019s face was covered with a huge curly\nbeard; and Hsiang-ju, not knowing who he was, begged him to take a\nseat, and was about to ask whence he came, when all at once he began,\n\u201cSir! have you forgotten your father\u2019s death, your wife\u2019s disgrace?\u201d\nThereupon Hsiang-ju, suspecting him to be a spy from the Sung family,\nmade some evasive reply, which so irritated the stranger that he\nroared out, \u201cI thought you were a man; but now I know that you are a\nworthless, contemptible wretch.\u201d Hsiang-ju fell on his knees and\nimplored the stranger to forgive him, saying, \u201cI was afraid it was a\ntrick of Sung\u2019s: I will speak frankly to you. For days I have lain, as\nit were, upon thorns, my mouth filled with gall, restrained only by\npity for this little one and fear of breaking our ancestral line.\nGenerous friend, will you take care of my child if I fall?\u201d \u201cThat,\u201d\nreplied the stranger, \u201cis the business of women; I cannot undertake\nit. But what you wish others to do for you, do yourself; and that\nwhich you would do yourself, I will do for you.\u201d When Hsiang-ju heard\nthese words he knocked his head upon the ground; but the stranger took\nno more notice of him, and walked out. Following him to the door,\nHsiang-ju asked his name, to which he replied, \u201cIf I cannot help you I\nshall not wish to have your reproaches; if I do help you, I shall not\nwish to have your gratitude.\u201d The stranger then disappeared, and\nHsiang-ju, having a presentiment that some misfortune was about to\nhappen, fled away with his child.\n\nWhen night came, and the members of the Sung family were wrapped in\nsleep, some one found his way into their house and slew the ex-Censor\nand his two sons, besides a maid-servant and one of the ladies.\nInformation was at once given to the authorities; and as the Sung\nfamily had no doubt that the murderer was Hsiang-ju, the magistrate,\nwho was greatly alarmed,[199] sent out lictors to arrest him.\nHsiang-ju, however, was nowhere to be found, a fact which tended to\nconfirm the suspicions of the Sung family; and they, too, despatched a\nnumber of servants to aid the mandarin in effecting his capture.\nTowards evening the lictors and others reached a hill, and, hearing a\nchild cry, made for the sound, and thus secured the object of their\nsearch, whom they bound and led away. As the child went on crying\nlouder than ever, they took it from him and threw it down by the\nwayside, thereby nearly causing Hsiang-ju to die of grief and rage. On\nbeing brought before the magistrate he was asked why he had killed\nthese people; to which he replied that he was falsely accused, \u201cFor,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cthey died in the night, whereas I had gone away in the\ndaytime. Besides,\u201d added he, \u201chow, with a crying baby in my arms,\ncould I scale walls and kill people?\u201d \u201cIf you didn\u2019t kill people,\u201d\ncried the magistrate, \u201cwhy did you run away?\u201d Hsiang had no answer to\nmake to this, and he was accordingly ordered to prison; whereupon he\nwept and said, \u201cI can die without regret; but what has my child done\nthat he, too, should be punished?\u201d \u201cYou,\u201d replied the magistrate,\n\u201chave slain the children of others; how can you complain if your child\nmeets the same fate?\u201d Hsiang-ju was then stripped of his degree[200]\nand subjected to all kinds of indignities, but they were unable to\nwring a confession from his lips;[201] and that very night, as the\nmagistrate lay down, he heard a sharp noise of something striking the\nbed, and, jumping up in a fright, found, by the light of a candle, a\nsmall, keen blade sticking in the wood at the head of his couch so\ntightly that it could not be drawn out. Terribly alarmed at this, the\nmagistrate walked round the room with a spear over his shoulder, but\nwithout finding anything; and then, reflecting that nothing more was\nto be feared from Sung, who was dead, as well as his two sons, he\nlaid Hsiang-ju\u2019s case before the higher authorities, and obtained for\nhim an acquittal. Hsiang-ju was released and went home. His cupboard,\nhowever, was empty, and there was nothing except his own shadow within\nthe four walls of his house. Happily, his neighbours took pity on him\nand supplied him with food; and whenever he thought upon the vengeance\nthat had been wreaked, his countenance assumed an expression of joy;\nbut as often as his misfortunes and the extinction of his family came\ninto his mind, his tears would begin to flow. And when he remembered\nthe poverty of his life and the end of his ancestral line, he would\nseek out some solitary spot, and there burst into an ungovernable fit\nof grief. Thus things went on for about six months, when the search\nafter the murderer began to be relaxed; and then Hsiang-ju petitioned\nfor the recovery of his wife\u2019s bones, which he took home with him and\nburied. His sorrows made him wish to die, and he lay tossing about on\nthe bed without any object in life, when suddenly he heard somebody\nknock at the door. Keeping quiet to listen, he distinguished the sound\nof a voice outside talking with a child; and, getting up to look, he\nperceived a young lady, who said to him, \u201cYour great wrongs are all\nredressed, and now, luckily, you have nothing to ail you.\u201d The voice\nseemed familiar to him, but he could not at the moment recall where he\nhad heard it; so he lighted a candle, and Miss Hung-y\u00fc stood before\nhim. She was leading a small, happy-looking child by the hand; and\nafter she and Hsiang-ju had expressed their mutual satisfaction at\nmeeting once more, Miss Hung-y\u00fc pushed the boy forward, saying, \u201cHave\nyou forgotten your father?\u201d The boy clung to her dress, and looked\nshyly at Hsiang-ju, who, on examining him closely, found that he was\nFu-\u00earh. \u201cWhere did he come from?\u201d asked his father, in astonishment,\nnot unmingled with tears. \u201cI will tell you all,\u201d replied Miss Hung-y\u00fc.\n\u201cI was only deceiving you when I said I belonged to a neighbouring\nfamily. I am really a fox, and, happening to go out one evening, I\nheard a child crying in a ditch. I took him home and brought him up;\nand, now that your troubles are over, I return him to you, that father\nand son may be together.\u201d Hsiang-ju wiped away his tears and thanked\nher heartily; but Fu-\u00earh kept close to Miss Hung-y\u00fc, whom he had come\nto regard as a mother, and did not seem to recognise his father again.\nBefore day-break Miss Hung-y\u00fc said she must go away; but Hsiang-ju\nfell upon his knees and entreated her to stop, until at last she said\nshe was only joking, adding that, in a new establishment like theirs,\nit would be a case of early to rise and late to bed. She then set to\nwork cutting fuel and sweeping it up, toiling hard as if she had been\na man, which made Hsiang-ju regret that he was too poor to have all\nthis done for her. However, she bade him mind his books, and not\ntrouble himself about the state of their affairs, as they were not\nlikely to die of hunger. She also produced some money, and bought\nimplements for spinning, besides renting a few acres of land and\nhiring labourers to till them. Day by day she would shoulder her hoe\nand work in the fields, or employ herself in mending the roof, so\nthat her fame as a good wife spread abroad, and the neighbours were\nmore than ever pleased to help them. In half-a-year\u2019s time their home\nwas like that of a well-to-do family, with plenty of servants about;\nbut one day Hsiang-ju said to Miss Hung-y\u00fc, \u201cWith all that you have\naccomplished on my behalf, there is still one thing left undone.\u201d On\nher asking him what it was, he continued: \u201cThe examination for\nmaster\u2019s degree is at hand, and I have not yet recovered the\nbachelor\u2019s degree of which I was stripped.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied she, \u201csome\ntime back I had your name replaced upon the list; had I waited for you\nto tell me, it would have been too late.\u201d Hsiang-ju marvelled very\nmuch at this, and accordingly took his master\u2019s degree. He was then\nthirty-six years of age, the master of broad lands and fine houses;\nand Miss Hung-y\u00fc, who looked delicate enough to be blown away by the\nwind, and yet worked harder than an ordinary labourer\u2019s wife, keeping\nher hands smooth and nice in spite of winter weather, gave herself out\nto be thirty-eight, though no one took her to be much more than\ntwenty.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[194] Meaning that it would become known to the Arbiter of life and\ndeath in the world below, who would punish him by shortening his\nappointed term of years. See _The Wei-ch\u2018i Devil_, No. CXXXI.\n\n[195] One important preliminary consists in the exchange of the four\npairs of characters which denote the year, month, day, and hour of the\nbirths of the contracting parties. It remains for a geomancer to\ndetermine whether these are in harmony or not; and a very simple\nexpedient for backing out of a proposed alliance is to bribe him to\ndeclare that the nativities of the young couple could not be happily\nbrought together.\n\n[196] The bridegroom invariably fetches the bride from her father\u2019s\nhouse, conveying her to his home in a handsomely-gilt red sedan-chair,\nclosed in on all sides, and accompanied by a band of music.\n\n[197] The Censorate is a body of fifty-six officials, whose duty it is\nto bring matters to the notice of the Emperor which might otherwise\nhave escaped attention; to take exception to any acts, including those\nof His Majesty himself, calculated to interfere with the welfare of\nthe people; and to impeach, as occasion may require, the high\nprovincial authorities, whose position, but for this wholesome check,\nwould be almost unassailable. Censors are popularly termed the \u201cears\nand eyes\u201d of the monarch.\n\n[198] In the _Book of Rites_ (I. Pt. i. v. 10), which dates, in its\npresent form, only from the first century B.C., occurs this passage,\n\u201cWith the slayer of his father, a man may not live under the same\nheaven;\u201d and in the _Family Sayings_ (Bk. X. _ab init._), a work which\nprofesses, though on quite insufficient authority, to record a number\nof the conversations and apophthegms of Confucius not given in the\n_Lun-y\u00fc_, or Confucian Gospels, we find the following course laid down\nfor a man whose father has been murdered:--\u201cHe must sleep upon a grass\nmat, with his shield for his pillow; he must decline to take office;\nhe must not live under the same heaven (with the murderer). When he\nmeets him in the court or in the market-place, he must not return for\na weapon, but engage him there and then;\u201d being always careful, as the\ncommentator observes, to carry a weapon about with him. Sir John Davis\nand Dr. Legge agree in stigmatizing this as \u201cone of the objectionable\nprinciples of Confucius.\u201d It must, however, be admitted that (1) a\npatched-up work which appeared as we have it now from two to three\ncenturies after Confucius\u2019s death, and (2) a confessedly apocryphal\nwork such as the _Family Sayings_, are hardly sufficient grounds for\naffixing to the fair fame of China\u2019s great Sage the positive\ninculcation of a dangerous principle of blood-vengeance like that I\nhave just quoted.\n\n[199] The Chinese theory being that every official is responsible for\nthe peace and well-being of the district committed to his charge, and\neven liable to punishment for occurrences over which he could not\npossibly have had any control.\n\n[200] See No. X., note 75.\n\n[201] See No. X., note 78.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIII.\n\nCHANG\u2019S TRANSFORMATION.\n\n\nChang Y\u00fc-tan, of Chao-yuan, was a wild fellow, who pursued his studies\nat the Hsiao temple. Now it chanced that the magistrate of the\ndistrict, Mr. Ts\u00eang of San-han, had a daughter who was very fond of\nhunting, and that one day young Chang met her in the fields, and was\nmuch struck with her great beauty. She was dressed in an embroidered\nsable jacket, and rode about on a small palfrey, for all the world\nlike a girl in a picture. Chang went home with the young lady still in\nhis thoughts, his heart being deeply touched; but he soon after heard,\nto his infinite sorrow and dismay, that Miss Ts\u00eang had died suddenly.\nTheir own home being at a distance,[202] her father deposited the\ncoffin in a temple;[203] the very temple, in fact, where her lover was\nresiding. Accordingly Chang paid to her remains the same respect he\nwould have offered to a god; he burnt incense every morning, and\npoured out libations at every meal, always accompanied by the\nfollowing invocation:--\u201cI had hardly seen you when your spirit became\never present to me in my dreams. But you passed suddenly away; and\nnow, near as we are together, we are as far apart as if separated by\nhills and rivers. Alas! alas! In life you were under the control of\nyour parents; now, however, there is nothing to restrain you, and with\nyour supernatural power, I should be hearing the rustle of your robe\nas you approach to ease the sorrow of my heart.\u201d Day and night he\nprayed thus, and when some six months had passed away, and he was one\nnight trimming his lamp to read, he raised his head and saw a young\nlady standing, all smiles, before him. Rising up, he inquired who she\nwas; to which his visitor replied, \u201cGrateful to you for your love of\nme, I was unable to resist the temptation of coming to thank you\nmyself.\u201d Chang then offered her a seat, and they sat together chatting\nfor some time. From this date the young lady used to come in every\nevening, and on one occasion said to Chang, \u201cI was formerly very fond\nof riding and archery, shooting the musk and slaying the deer; it is a\ngreat sorrow to me to be deprived of these pleasures by death. If you\nhave any friendly feelings towards me, I pray you recite for me the\nDiamond _sutra_[204] five thousand and forty-eight times, and I will\nnever forget your kindness.\u201d Chang did as he was asked, getting up\nevery night and telling his beads before the coffin, until the\noccasion of a certain festival, when he wished to go home to his\nparents, and take the young lady with him. Miss Ts\u00eang said she was\nafraid her feet were too tender to walk far; but Chang offered to\ncarry her, to which she laughingly assented. It was just like carrying\na child, she was so light;[205] and by degrees Chang got so accustomed\nto taking her about with him, that when he went up for his examination\nshe went in too.[206] The only thing was she could not travel except\nat night. Later on, Chang would have gone up for his master\u2019s degree,\nbut the young lady told him it was of no use to try, for it was not\ndestined that he should pass; and accordingly he desisted from his\nintention. Four or five years afterwards, Miss Ts\u00eang\u2019s father resigned\nhis appointment, and so poor was he that he could not afford to pay\nfor the removal of his daughter\u2019s coffin, but wanted to bury it\neconomically where it was. Unfortunately, he had no ground of his own,\nand then Chang came forward and said that a friend of his had a piece\nof waste land near the temple, and that he might bury it there. Mr.\nTs\u00eang was very glad to accept, and Chang kindly assisted him with the\nfuneral,--for what reason the former was quite unable to guess. One\nnight after this, as Miss Ts\u00eang was sitting by Chang\u2019s side, her\nfather having already returned home, she burst into a flood of tears,\nand said, \u201cFor five years we have been good friends; we must now part.\nI can never repay your goodness to me.\u201d Chang was alarmed, and asked\nher what she meant; to which she replied, \u201cYour sympathy has told for\nme in the realms below. The sum of my _sutras_ is complete, and to-day\nI am to be born again in the family of a high official, Mr. Lu, of\nHo-pei. If you do not forget the present time, meet me there in\nfifteen years from now, on the 16th of the 8th moon.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d cried\nChang, \u201cI am already over thirty, and in fifteen years more I shall be\ndrawing near the wood.[207] What good will our meeting do?\u201d \u201cI can be\nyour servant,\u201d replied Miss Ts\u00eang, \u201cand so make some return to you.\nBut come, escort me a few miles on my way; the road is beset with\nbrambles, and I shall have some trouble with my dress.\u201d So Chang\ncarried her as before, until they reached a high road, where they\nfound a number of carriages and horses, the latter with one or two\nriders on the backs of each, and three or four, or even more persons,\nin every carriage. But there was one richly-decorated carriage, with\nembroidered curtains and red awnings, in which sat only one old woman,\nwho, when she saw Miss Ts\u00eang, called out, \u201cAh, there you are.\u201d \u201cHere I\nam,\u201d replied Miss Ts\u00eang; and then she turned to Chang and said, \u201cWe\nmust part here; do not forget what I told you.\u201d Chang promised he\nwould remember; and then the old woman helped her up into the\ncarriage, round went the wheels, off went the attendants, and they\nwere gone. Sorrowfully Chang wended his way home, and there wrote upon\nthe wall the date mentioned by Miss Ts\u00eang; after which, bethinking\nhimself of the efficacy of prayer, he took to reciting _sutras_ more\nenergetically than ever. By-and-by he dreamed that an angel appeared\nto him, and said, \u201cThe bent of your mind is excellent indeed, but you\nmust visit the Southern Sea.\u201d[208] Asking how far off the Southern Sea\nwas, the angel informed him it was close by; and then waking up, and\nunderstanding what was required of him, he fixed his sole thoughts on\nBuddha, and lived a purer life than before. In three years\u2019 time his\ntwo sons, Ming and Ch\u00eang, came out very high on the list at the\nexamination for the second degree, in spite of which worldly successes\nChang continued to lead his usual holy life. Then one night he dreamed\nthat another angel led him among beautiful halls and palaces, where he\nsaw a personage sitting down who resembled Buddha himself. This\npersonage said to him, \u201cMy son, your virtue is a matter of great joy;\nunhappily your term of life is short, and I have, therefore, made an\nappeal to God[209] on your behalf.\u201d Chang prostrated himself, and\nknocked his head upon the ground; upon which he was commanded to rise,\nand was served with tea, fragrant as the epidendrum. A boy was next\ninstructed to take him to bathe in a pool, the water of which was so\nexquisitely clear that he could count the fishes swimming about\ntherein. He found it warm as he walked in, and scented like the leaves\nof the lotus-flower; and gradually the water got deeper and deeper,\nuntil he went down altogether and passed through with his head under\nwater. He then waked up in a fright; but from this moment he became\nmore robust and his sight improved. As he stroked his beard the white\nhairs all came out, and by-and-by the black ones too; the wrinkles on\nhis face were smoothed away, and in a few months he had the beardless\nface of a boy of fifteen or sixteen. He also grew very fond of playing\nabout like other boys, and would sometimes tumble head over heels, and\nbe picked up by his sons. Soon afterwards his wife died of old age,\nand his sons begged him to marry again into some good family; but he\nsaid he should be obliged to go to Ho-pei first; and then, calculating\nhis dates, found that the appointed time had arrived. So he ordered\nhis horses and servants, and set off for Ho-pei, where he discovered\nthat there actually was a high official named Lu. Now Mr. Lu had a\ndaughter, who when born was able to talk,[210] and became very clever\nand beautiful as she grew up. She was the idol of her parents, and had\nbeen asked in marriage by many suitors, but would not accept any of\nthem; and when her father and mother inquired her motives for refusal,\nshe told them the story of her engagement in her former life. \u201cSilly\nchild,\u201d said they, reckoning up the time, and laughing at her; \u201cthat\nMr. Chang would now be about fifty years of age, a changed and feeble\nold man. Even if he is still alive, his hair will be white and his\nteeth gone.\u201d But their daughter would not listen to them; and, finding\nher so obstinate in her determination, they instructed the doorkeeper\nto admit no strangers until the appointed time should have passed,\nthat thus her expectations might be brought to naught. Before long,\nChang arrived, but the doorkeeper would not let him in, and he went\nback to his inn in great distress, not knowing what to do. He then\ntook to walking about the fields, and secretly making inquiries\nconcerning the family. Meanwhile Miss Ts\u00eang thought that he had broken\nhis engagement, and refused all food, giving herself up to tears\nalone. Her mother argued that he was probably dead, or in any case\nthat the breach of engagement was no fault of her daughter\u2019s; to none\nof which, however, would Miss Ts\u00eang listen, lying where she was the\nlivelong day. Mr. Lu now became anxious about her, and determined to\nsee what manner of man this Chang might be; so, on the plea of taking\na walk, he went out to meet him in the fields, and to his astonishment\nfound quite a young man. They sat down together on some leaves, and\nafter chatting awhile Mr. Lu was so charmed with his young friend\u2019s\nbearing that he invited him to his house. No sooner had they arrived,\nthan Mr. Lu begged Chang to excuse him a moment, and ran in first to\ntell his daughter, who exerted herself to get up and take a peep at\nthe stranger. Finding, however, that he was not the Chang she had\nformerly known, she burst into tears and crept back to bed, upbraiding\nher parents for trying to deceive her thus. Her father declared he was\nno other than Chang, but his daughter replied only with tears; and\nthen he went back very much upset to his guest, whom he treated with\ngreat want of courtesy. Chang asked him if he was not the Mr. Lu, of\nsuch and such a position, to which he replied in a vacant kind of way\nthat he was, looking the other way all the time and paying no\nattention to Chang. The latter did not approve of this behaviour, and\naccordingly took his leave; and in a few days Miss Ts\u00eang had cried\nherself to death. Chang then dreamed that she appeared to him, and\nsaid, \u201cWas it you after all that I saw? You were so changed in age and\nappearance that when I looked upon your face I did not know you. I\nhave already died from grief; but if you make haste to the little\nstreet shrine and summon my spirit back, I may still recover. Be not\nlate!\u201d Chang then waked, and immediately made inquiries at Mr. Lu\u2019s\nhouse, when he found that the young lady had been dead two days.\nTelling her father his dream, they went forth to summon the spirit\nback; and on opening the shroud, and throwing themselves with\nlamentations over the corpse, a noise was heard in the young lady\u2019s\nthroat, and her cherry lips parted. They moved her on to a bed, and\nsoon she began to moan, to the great joy of Mr. Lu, who took Chang out\nof the room and, over a bumper of wine, asked some questions about his\nfamily. He was glad to find that Chang was a suitable match for his\ndaughter, and an auspicious day was fixed for the wedding. In a\nfortnight the event came off, the bride being escorted to Chang\u2019s\nhouse by her father, who remained with them six months before going\nhome again. They were a youthful pair, and people who didn\u2019t know the\nstory mistook Chang\u2019s son and daughter-in-law for his father and\nmother. A year later Mr. Lu died; and his son, a mere child, having\nbeen badly wounded by some scoundrels, and the family property being\nalmost gone, Chang made him come and live with them, and be one of\ntheir own family.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[202] No man being allowed to hold office within a radius of 500 _li_,\nor nearly 200 miles, from his native place.\n\n[203] This is a very common custom all over China.\n\n[204] Of all the Buddhist _sutras_, this is perhaps the favourite with\nthe Chinese.\n\n[205] Contrary to the German notion that the spirit of the dead\nmother, coming back at night to suckle the child she has left behind,\nmakes an impress on the bed alongside the baby.\n\n[206] Being, of course, invisible to all except himself.\n\n[207] A very ancient expression, signifying \u201cthe grave,\u201d the word\n\u201cwood\u201d being used by synecdoche for \u201ccoffin.\u201d\n\n[208] The supposed residence of Kuan-yin, the Chinese Goddess of\nMercy, she who \u201chears prayers\u201d and is the giver of children.\n\n[209] The great Supreme Ruler, who is supposed to have absolute sway\nover the various other deities of the Chinese Pantheon.\n\n[210] Generally spoken of as an inauspicious phenomenon.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIV.\n\nA TAOIST PRIEST.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a Mr. Han, who belonged to a wealthy\nfamily, and was fond of entertaining people. A man named Hs\u00fc, of the\nsame town, frequently joined him over the bottle; and on one occasion\nwhen they were together a Taoist priest came to the door with his\nalms-bowl[211] in his hand. The servants threw him some money and\nfood, but the priest would not accept them, neither would he go away;\nand at length they would take no more notice of him. Mr. Han heard the\nnoise of the priest knocking his bowl[212] going on for a long time,\nand asked his servants what was the matter; and they had hardly told\nhim when the priest himself walked in. Mr. Han begged him to be\nseated; whereupon the priest bowed to both gentlemen and took his\nseat. On making the usual inquiries, they found that he lived at an\nold tumble-down temple to the east of the town, and Mr. Han expressed\nregret at not having heard sooner of his arrival, so that he might\nhave shown him the proper hospitality of a resident. The priest said\nthat he had only recently arrived, and had no friends in the place;\nbut hearing that Mr. Han was a jovial fellow, he had been very anxious\nto take a glass with him. Mr. Han then ordered wine, and the priest\nsoon distinguished himself as a hard drinker; Mr. Hs\u00fc treating him all\nthe time with a certain amount of disrespect in consequence of his\nshabby appearance, while Mr. Han made allowances for him as being a\ntraveller. When he had drunk over twenty large cups of wine, the\npriest took his leave, returning subsequently whenever any\njollification was going on, no matter whether it was eating or\ndrinking. Even Han began now to tire a little of him; and on one\noccasion Hs\u00fc said to him in raillery, \u201cGood priest, you seem to like\nbeing a guest; why don\u2019t you play the host sometimes for a change?\u201d\n\u201cAh,\u201d replied the priest, \u201cI am much the same as yourself--a mouth\ncarried between a couple of shoulders.\u201d[213] This put Hs\u00fc to shame,\nand he had no answer to make; so the priest continued, \u201cBut although\nthat is so, I have been revolving the question with myself for some\ntime, and when we do meet I shall do my best to repay your kindness\nwith a cup of my own poor wine.\u201d When they had finished drinking, the\npriest said he hoped he should have the pleasure of their company the\nfollowing day at noon; and at the appointed time the two friends went\ntogether, not expecting, however, to find anything ready for them. But\nthe priest was waiting for them in the street; and passing through a\nhandsome court-yard, they beheld long suites of elegant apartments\nstretching away before them. In great astonishment, they remarked to\nthe priest that they had not visited this temple for some time, and\nasked when it had been thus repaired; to which he replied that the\nwork had been only lately completed. They then went inside, and there\nwas a magnificently-decorated apartment, such as would not be found\neven in the houses of the wealthy. This made them begin to feel more\nrespect for their host; and no sooner had they sat down than wine and\nfood were served by a number of boys, all about sixteen years of age,\nand dressed in embroidered coats, with red shoes. The wine and the\neatables were delicious, and very nicely served; and when the dinner\nwas taken away, a course of rare fruits was put on the table, the\nnames of all of which it would be impossible to mention. They were\narranged in dishes of crystal and jade, the brilliancy of which\nlighted up the surrounding furniture; and the goblets in which the\nwine was poured were of glass,[214] and more than a foot in\ncircumference. The priest here cried out, \u201cCall the Shih sisters,\u201d\nwhereupon one of the boys went out, and in a few moments two elegant\nyoung ladies walked in. The first was tall and slim like a willow\nwand; the other was short and very young, both being exceedingly\npretty girls. Being told to sing while the company were drinking, the\nyounger beat time and sang a song, while the elder accompanied her on\nthe flageolet. They acquitted themselves admirably; and, when the song\nwas over, the priest holding his goblet bottom upwards in the air,\nchallenged his guests to follow his example, bidding his servants pour\nout more wine all round. He then turned to the girls, and remarked\nthat they had not danced for a long time, asking if they were still\nable to do so; upon which a carpet was spread by one of the boys, and\nthe two young ladies proceeded to dance, their long robes waving about\nand perfuming the air around. The dance concluded, they leant against\na painted screen, while the two guests gradually became more and more\nconfused, and were at last irrecoverably drunk. The priest took no\nnotice of them; but when he had finished drinking, he got up and said,\n\u201cPray, go on with your wine; I am going to rest awhile, and will\nreturn by-and-by.\u201d He then went away, and lay down on a splendid couch\nat the other end of the room; at which Hs\u00fc was very angry, and shouted\nout, \u201cPriest, you are a rude fellow,\u201d at the same time making towards\nhim with a view of rousing him up. The priest then ran out, and Han\nand Hs\u00fc lay down to sleep, one at each end of the room, on\nelaborately-carved couches covered with beautiful mattresses. When\nthey woke up, they found themselves lying in the road, Mr. Hs\u00fc with\nhis head in a dirty drain. Hard by were a couple of rush huts; but\neverything else was gone.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[211] This is the Buddhist _patra_, which modern writers have come to\nregard as an instrumental part of the Taoist religion. See No. IV.,\nnote 46.\n\n[212] To call attention to his presence. Beggars in China accomplish\ntheir purpose more effectually by beating a gong in the shop where\nthey ask for alms so loudly as to prevent the shopkeeper from hearing\nhis customers speak; or they vary the performance by swinging about\nsome dead animal tied to the end of a stick. Mendicity not being\nprohibited in China, there results a system of black mail payable by\nevery householder to a beggars\u2019 guild, and this frees them from the\nvisits of the beggars of their own particular district; many, however,\ndo not subscribe, but take their chance in the struggle as to who will\ntire out the other first, the shopkeeper, who has all to lose, being\ncareful to stop short of anything like manual violence, which would\nforthwith bring down upon him the myrmidons of the law, and subject\nhim to innumerable \u201csqueezes.\u201d\n\n[213] _Sc._ a \u201csponge.\u201d\n\n[214] Said to have been introduced into China from the west by a\neunuch named San-pao during the Ming dynasty.\n\n\n\n\nXXXV.\n\nTHE FIGHT WITH THE FOXES.\n\n\nIn the province of Chih-li, there was a wealthy family in want of a\ntutor. One day a graduate presented himself at the door, and was asked\nby the master of the house to walk in; and he conversed so pleasantly\nthat in a short time it was clear to both sides that they were\nmutually pleased with each other. The tutor said his name was Hu; and\nwhen the usual present had been made to him, he was forthwith provided\nwith apartments, and entered very energetically upon his duties,\nproving himself a scholar of no mean order. He was, however, very fond\nof roaming, and generally came back in the middle of the night, not\ntroubling himself to knock if the door was locked but suddenly\nappearing on the inside. It was therefore suspected that he was a fox,\nthough as his intentions seemed to be harmless, he was treated\nextremely well, and not with any want of courtesy as if he had been\nsomething uncanny. By-and-by he discovered that his master had a\ndaughter,[215] and being desirous of securing the match was always\ndropping hints to that effect, which his master, on the other hand,\ninvariably pretended not to understand. One day he went off for a\nholiday, and on the next day a stranger called; who, tying a black\nmule at the door, accepted the invitation of the master to take a seat\nwithin. He was about fifty years of age, very neat and clean in his\ndress, and gentlemanly in his manners. When they were seated, the\nstranger began by saying that he was come with proposals of marriage\non behalf of Mr. Hu; to which his host, after some consideration,\nreplied that he and Mr. Hu got along excellently well as friends, and\nthere was no object in bringing about a closer connection. \u201cBesides,\u201d\nadded he, \u201cmy daughter is already betrothed, and I beg you, therefore,\nto ask Mr. Hu to excuse me.\u201d The stranger said he was quite sure the\nyoung lady was not engaged, and inquired what might be the objection\nto the match: but it was all of no avail, until at length he remarked,\n\u201cMr. Hu is of a good family; I see no reason why you should have such\nan aversion to him.\u201d \u201cWell, then,\u201d replied the other, \u201cI will tell you\nwhat it is. We don\u2019t like his _species_.\u201d The stranger here got very\nangry, and his host also lost his temper, so that they came to high\nwords, and were already on the way to blows, when the latter bade his\nservants give the stranger a beating and turn him out. The stranger\nthen retired, leaving his mule behind him; and when they drew near to\nlook at it they found a huge creature with black hair, drooping ears,\nand a long tail. They tried to lead it away, but it would not move;\nand on giving it a shove with the hand from behind, it toppled over\nand was discovered to be only of straw. In consequence of the angry\nwords that had been said, the master of the house felt sure that there\nwould be an attempt at revenge, and accordingly made all preparations;\nand sure enough the next day a whole host of fox-soldiers arrived,\nsome on horseback, some on foot, some with spears, and others with\ncross-bows, men and horses trampling along with an indescribable din.\nThe family were afraid to leave the house, and the foxes shouted out\nto set the place on fire, at which the inmates were dreadfully\nalarmed; but just then one of the bravest of them rushed forth with a\nnumber of the servants to engage the foxes. Stones and arrows flew\nabout in all directions, and many on both sides were wounded; at\nlength, however, the foxes drew off leaving their swords on the field.\nThese glittered like frost or snow, but when picked up turned out to\nbe only millet-stalks. \u201cIs this all their cunning?\u201d cried their\nadversary, laughing, at the same time making still more careful\npreparations in case the foxes should come again. Next day they were\ndeliberating together, when suddenly a giant descended upon them from\nthe sky. He was over ten feet in height by several feet in breadth,\nand brandished a sword as broad as half a door; but they attacked him\nso vigorously with arrows and stones that he was soon stretched dead\nupon the ground, when they saw that he was made of grass. Our friends\nnow began to make light of their fox-foes, and as they saw nothing\nmore of them for three days their precautions were somewhat relaxed.\nThe foxes, however, soon reappeared, armed with bows and arrows, and\nsucceeded in shooting the master of the house in the back,\ndisappearing when he summoned his servants and proceeded to attack\nthem. Then, drawing the arrow from his back, he found it was a long\nthorn; and thus the foxes went on for a month or so, coming and going,\nand making it necessary to take precautions, though not really\ninflicting any serious injury. This annoyed the master of the family\nvery much, until one day Mr. Hu[216] himself appeared with a troop of\nsoldiers at his back, and he immediately went out to meet him. Mr. Hu\nwithdrew among his men, but the master called to him to come forth,\nand then asked him what he had done that soldiers should be thus\nbrought against his family. The foxes were now on the point of\ndischarging their arrows; Mr. Hu, however, stopped them; whereupon he\nand his old master shook hands, and the latter invited him to walk\ninto his old room. Wine being served, his host observed, \u201cYou, Mr. Hu,\nare a man of intelligence, and I trust you will make allowances for\nme. Friends as we were, I should naturally have been glad to form a\nconnection with you; your carriages, however, horses, houses, etc.,\nare not those of ordinary mortals; and even had my daughter consented,\nyou must know the thing would have been impossible, she being still a\ngreat deal too young.\u201d Mr. Hu was somewhat disconcerted at this, but\nhis host continued, \u201cIt\u2019s of no consequence; we can still be friends\nas before, and if you do not despise us earthly creatures, there is my\nson whom you have taught; he is fifteen years old, and I should be\nproud to see him connected with you if such an arrangement should be\nfeasible.\u201d Mr. Hu was delighted, and said, \u201cI have a daughter one year\nyounger than your son; she is neither ugly nor stupid. How would she\ndo?\u201d His host got up and made a low bow, which Mr. Hu forthwith\nreturned, and they then became the best of friends, forgetting all\nabout the former unpleasantness. Wine was given to Mr. Hu\u2019s\nattendants, and every one was made happy. The host now inquired where\nMr. Hu lived, that the ceremony of pouring out a libation to the\ngeese[217] might be performed; but Mr. Hu said this would not be\nnecessary, and remained drinking till night, when he went away again.\nFrom this time there was no more trouble; and a year passed without\nany news of Mr. Hu, so that it seemed as if he wished to get out of\nhis bargain. The family, however, went on waiting, and in six months\nmore Mr. Hu reappeared, when, after a few general remarks, he declared\nthat his daughter was ready, and requested that an auspicious day\nmight be fixed for her to come to her husband\u2019s home. This being\narranged, the young lady arrived with a retinue of sedan-chairs, and\nhorses, and a beautiful trousseau that nearly filled a room.[218] She\nwas unusually respectful to her father and mother in-law, and the\nformer was much pleased with the match. Her father and a younger\nbrother of his had escorted her to the house, and conversing away in a\nmost refined style they sat drinking till daybreak before they went\naway. The bride herself had the gift of foreknowing whether the\nharvest would be good or bad, and her advice was always taken in such\nmatters. Mr. Hu and his brother, and also their mother, often came to\nvisit her in her new home, and were then very frequently seen by\npeople.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[215] The women\u2019s apartments being quite separate from the rest of a\nChinese house, male visitors consequently know nothing about their\ninhabitants.\n\n[216] See No. XIII., note 90.\n\n[217] A very ancient custom in China, originating in a belief that\nthese birds never mate a second time. The libation is made on the\noccasion of the bridegroom fetching his bride from her father\u2019s house.\n\n[218] A Chinese trousseau, in addition to clothes and jewels, consists\nof tables and chairs, and all kinds of house furniture and ornaments.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVI.\n\nTHE KING.\n\n\nA certain Governor of Hu-nan despatched a magistrate to the capital in\ncharge of treasure to the amount of six hundred thousand ounces of\nsilver. On the road the magistrate encountered a violent storm of\nrain, which so delayed him that night came on before he was able to\nreach the next station. He therefore took refuge in an old temple;\nbut, when morning came, he was horrified to find that the treasure had\ndisappeared. Unable to fix the guilt on any one, he returned forthwith\nto the Governor and told him the whole story. The latter, however,\nrefused to believe what the magistrate said, and would have had him\nseverely punished, but that each and all of his attendants stoutly\ncorroborated his statements; and accordingly he bade him return and\nendeavour to find the missing silver. When the magistrate got back to\nthe temple, he met an extraordinary-looking blind man, who informed\nhim that he could read people\u2019s thoughts, and further went on to say\nthat the magistrate had come there on a matter of money. The latter\nreplied that it was so, and recounted the misfortune that had\novertaken him; whereupon the blind man called for sedan-chairs, and\ntold the magistrate to follow and see for himself, which he\naccordingly did, accompanied by all his retinue. If the blind man said\neast, they went east; or if north, north; journeying along for five\ndays until far among the hills, where they beheld a large city with a\ngreat number of inhabitants. They entered the gates and proceeded on\nfor a short distance, when suddenly the blind man cried, \u201cStop!\u201d and,\nalighting from his chair, pointed to a lofty door facing the west, at\nwhich he told the magistrate to knock and make what inquiries were\nnecessary. He then bowed and took his leave, and the magistrate obeyed\nhis instructions, whereupon a man came out in reply to his summons. He\nwas dressed in the fashion of the Han dynasty,[219] and did not say\nwhat his name was; but as soon as the magistrate informed him\nwherefore he had come, he replied that if the latter would wait a few\ndays he himself would assist him in the matter. The man then conducted\nthe magistrate within, and giving him a room to himself, provided him\nregularly with food and drink. One day he chanced to stroll away to\nthe back of the building, and there found a beautiful garden with\ndense avenues of pine-trees and smooth lawns of fine grass. After\nwandering about for some time among the arbours and ornamental\nbuildings, the magistrate came to a lofty kiosque, and mounted the\nsteps, when he saw hanging on the wall before him a number of human\nskins, each with its eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and heart.[220]\nHorrified at this, he beat a hasty retreat to his quarters, convinced\nthat he was about to leave his own skin in this out-of-the-way place,\nand giving himself up for lost. He reflected, however, that he should\nprobably gain nothing by trying to escape, and made up his mind to\nwait; and on the following day the same man came to fetch him, saying\nhe could now have an audience. The magistrate replied that he was\nready; and his conductor then mounted a fiery steed, leaving the other\nto follow on foot. By-and-by they reached a door like that leading\ninto a Viceroy\u2019s _yam\u00ean_, where stood on either side crowds of\nofficial servants, preserving the utmost silence and decorum. The man\nhere dismounted and led the magistrate inside; and after passing\nthrough another door they came into the presence of a king, who wore a\ncap decorated with pearls, and an embroidered sash, and sat facing the\nsouth. The magistrate rushed forward and prostrated himself on the\nground; upon which the king asked him if he was the Hu-nan official\nwho had been charged with the conveyance of treasure. On his answering\nin the affirmative, the king said, \u201cThe money is all here; it\u2019s a mere\ntrifle, but I have no objection to receive it as a present from the\nGovernor.\u201d The magistrate here burst into tears, and declared that\nhis term of grace had already expired: that he would be punished if he\nwent back thus, especially as he would have no evidence to adduce in\nsubstantiation of his story. \u201cThat is easy enough,\u201d replied the king,\nand put into his hands a thick letter, which he bade him give to the\nGovernor, assuring him that this would prevent him from getting into\nany trouble. He also provided him with an escort; and the magistrate,\nwho dared not argue the point further, sorrowfully accepted the letter\nand took his departure. The road he travelled along was not that by\nwhich he had come; and when the hills ended, his escort left him and\nwent back. In a few days more he reached Ch\u2018ang-sha, and respectfully\ninformed the Governor of what had taken place; but the Governor\nthought he was telling more lies, and in a great rage bade the\nattendants bind him hand and foot. The magistrate then drew the letter\nforth from his coat; and when the Governor broke the seal and saw its\ncontents, his face turned deadly pale. He gave orders for the\nmagistrate to be unbound, remarking that the loss of the treasure was\nof no importance, and that the magistrate was free to go. Instructions\nwere next issued that the amount was to be made up in some way or\nother and forwarded to the capital; and meanwhile the Governor fell\nsick and died.\n\nNow this Governor had had a wife of whom he was dotingly fond; and one\nmorning when they waked up, lo! all her hair was gone. The whole\nestablishment was in dismay, no one knowing what to make of such an\noccurrence. But the letter above-mentioned contained that hair,\naccompanied by the following words:--\u201cEver since you first entered\ninto public life your career has been one of peculation and avarice.\nThe six hundred thousand ounces of silver are safely stored in my\ntreasury. Make good this sum from your own accumulated extortions. The\nofficer you charged with the treasure is innocent; he must not be\nwrongly punished. On a former occasion I took your wife\u2019s hair as a\ngentle warning. If now you disobey my injunctions, it will not be long\nbefore I have your head. Herewith I return the hair as an evidence of\nwhat I say.\u201d When the Governor was dead, his family divulged the\ncontents of the letter; and some of his subordinates sent men to\nsearch for the city, but they only found range upon range of\ninaccessible mountains, with nothing like a road or path.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[219] Which ended some sixteen hundred years ago.\n\n[220] Corresponding with our five \u201csenses,\u201d the heart taking the place\nof the brain, and being regarded by Chinese doctors as the seat not\nonly of intelligence and the passions, but also of all sensation.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVII.\n\nENGAGED TO A NUN.\n\n\nAt I-ling, in Hupei, there lived a young man named Ch\u00ean Y\u00fc, the son of\na graduate. He was a good scholar and a handsome fellow, and had made\na reputation for himself even before he arrived at manhood. When quite\na boy, a physiognomist had predicted that he would marry a Taoist nun;\nbut his parents regarded it only as a joke, and made several attempts\nto get him a different kind of wife. Their efforts, however, had not\nhitherto proved successful, the difficulty being to find a suitable\nmatch.\n\nNow his maternal grandmother lived at Huang-kang; and on one occasion,\nwhen young Ch\u00ean was paying her a visit, he heard some one say that of\nthe four Y\u00fcns at Huang-chou the youngest had no peer. This remark\nreferred to some very nice-looking nuns who lived in a temple[221] a\nfew miles from his grandmother\u2019s house; and accordingly Ch\u00ean secretly\nset off to see them, and, knocking at the door, was very cordially\nreceived by the four ladies, who were persons of considerable\nrefinement. The youngest was a girl of incomparable beauty, and Ch\u00ean\ncould not keep his eyes off her, until at last she put her hand up to\nher face and looked the other way. Her companions now going out of the\nroom to get tea for their visitor, Ch\u00ean availed himself of the\nopportunity to ask the young lady\u2019s name; to which she replied that\nshe was called Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i, and that her surname was Ch\u2018\u00ean. \u201cHow\nextraordinary!\u201d cried Ch\u00ean; \u201cand mine is P\u2018an.\u201d[222] This made her\nblush very much, and she bent her head down and made no answer;\nby-and-by rising up and going away. The tea then came in, accompanied\nby some nice fruit, and the nuns began telling him their names. One\nwas Pai Y\u00fcn-sh\u00ean, and thirty odd years of age; another was Sh\u00eang\nY\u00fcn-mien, just twenty; and the third was Liang Y\u00fcn-tung, twenty-four\nor five years old, but the junior in point of religious standing.[223]\nY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i did not re-appear, and at length Ch\u00ean grew anxious to see her\nagain, and asked where she was. Miss Pai told him her sister was\nafraid of strangers, and Ch\u00ean then got up and took his leave in spite\nof their efforts to detain him. \u201cIf you want to see Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i you had\nbetter come again to-morrow,\u201d said Miss Pai; and Ch\u00ean, who went home\nthinking of nothing but Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i, did return to the temple on the\nfollowing day. All the nuns were there except Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i, but he hardly\nliked to begin by inquiring after her; and then they pressed him to\nstay and take dinner with them, accepting no excuses, Miss Pai herself\nsetting food and chop-sticks before him, and urging him to eat. When\nhe asked where Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i was, they said she would come directly; but\nevening gradually drew on and Ch\u00ean rose to go home. Thereupon they all\nentreated him to stay, promising that if he did so they would make\nY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i come in. Ch\u00ean then agreed to remain; the lamps were lighted,\nand wine was freely served round, until at last he said he was so\ntipsy he couldn\u2019t take any more. \u201cThree bumpers more,\u201d cried Miss Pai,\n\u201cand then we will send for Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i.\u201d So Ch\u00ean drank off his three\ncups, whereupon Miss Liang said he must also drink three with her,\nwhich he did, turning his wine-cup down on the table[224] and\ndeclaring that he would have no more. \u201cThe gentleman won\u2019t condescend\nto drink with us,\u201d said Miss Pai to Miss Liang, \u201cso you had better\ncall in Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i, and tell the fair Elo\u00efsa that her Abelard is\nawaiting her.\u201d In a few moments Miss Liang came back and told Ch\u00ean\nthat Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i would not appear; upon which he went off in a huff,\nwithout saying a word to either of them, and for several days did not\ngo near the place again. He could not, however, forget Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i, and\nwas always hanging about on the watch, until one afternoon he observed\nMiss Pai go out, at which he was delighted, for he wasn\u2019t much afraid\nof Miss Liang, and at once ran up to the temple and knocked at the\ndoor. Y\u00fcn-mien answered his knock, and from her he discovered that\nMiss Liang had also gone out on business. He then asked for Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i,\nand Y\u00fcn-mien led him into another court-yard, where she called out,\n\u201cY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i! here\u2019s a visitor.\u201d At this the door of the room was\nimmediately slammed, and Y\u00fcn-mien laughed and told Ch\u00ean she had locked\nherself in. Ch\u00ean was on the point of saying something, when Y\u00fcn-mien\nmoved away, and a voice was heard from the other side of the window,\n\u201cThey all declare I\u2019m setting my cap at you, Sir; and if you come here\nagain, I cannot answer for my safety. I do not wish to remain a nun,\nand if I could only meet with a gentleman like you, Mr. P\u2018an, I would\nbe a handmaid to him all the days of my life.\u201d Ch\u00ean offered his hand\nand heart to the young lady on the spot; but she reminded him that her\neducation for the priesthood had not been accomplished without\nexpense, \u201cand if you truly love me,\u201d added she, \u201cbring twenty ounces\nof silver wherewith to purchase my freedom. I will wait for you three\nyears with the utmost fidelity.\u201d Ch\u00ean assented to this, and was about\nto tell her who he really was, when Y\u00fcn-mien returned and they all\nwent out together, Ch\u00ean now bidding them farewell and going back to\nhis grandmother\u2019s. After this he always had Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i in his thoughts,\nand wanted very much to get another interview with her and be near\nher once again, but at this juncture he heard that his father was\ndangerously ill, and promptly set off on his way home, travelling day\nand night. His father died, and his mother who then ruled the\nhousehold was such a severe person that he dared not tell her what was\nnearest to his heart. Meanwhile he scraped together all the money he\ncould; and refused all proposals of marriage on the score of being in\nmourning for his father.[225] His mother, however, insisted on his\ntaking a wife; and he then told her that when he was with his\ngrandmother at Huang-kang, an arrangement had been made that he was to\nmarry a Miss Ch\u2018\u00ean, to which he himself was quite ready to accede; and\nthat now, although his father\u2019s death had stopped all communications\non the subject, he could hardly do better than pay a visit to his\ngrandmother and see how matters stood, promising that if the affair\nwas not actually settled he would obey his mother\u2019s commands. His\nmother consented to this, and off he started with the money he had\nsaved; but when he reached Huang-kang and went off to the temple, he\nfound the place desolate and no longer what it had been. Entering in,\nhe saw only one old priestess employed in cooking her food; and on\nmaking inquiries of her, she told him that the Abbess had died in the\nprevious year, and that the four nuns had gone away in different\ndirections. According to her, Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i was living in the northern\nquarter of the city, and thither he proceeded forthwith; but after\nasking for her at all the temples in the neighbourhood, he could get\nno news of her, and returned sorrowfully home, pretending to his\nmother that his uncle had said Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean had gone away, and that as\nsoon as he came back they would send a servant to let him know.\n\nSome months after these events, Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother went on a visit to her\nown home, and mentioned this story in conversation with her old\nmother, who, to her astonishment, knew nothing at all about it, but\nsuggested that Ch\u00ean and his uncle must have concocted the thing\ntogether. Luckily, however, for Ch\u00ean his uncle was away at that time,\nand they had no means of getting at the real truth. Meanwhile, Ch\u00ean\u2019s\nmother went away to the Lily Hill to fulfil a vow she had made, and\nremained all night at an inn at the foot of the hill. That evening the\nlandlord knocked at her door and ushered in a young priestess to share\nthe room. The girl said her name was Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i; and when she heard that\nCh\u00ean\u2019s mother lived at I-ling, she went and sat by her side, and\npoured out to her a long tale of tribulation, finishing up by saying\nthat she had a cousin named P\u2018an, at I-ling, and begging Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother\nto send some one to tell him where she would be found. \u201cEvery day I\nsuffer,\u201d added she, \u201cand each day seems like a year. Tell him to come\nquickly, or I may be gone.\u201d Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother inquired what his other name\nmight be, but she said she did not know; to which the old lady replied\nthat it was of no consequence, as, being a graduate, it would be easy\nto find him out. Early in the morning Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother bade the girl\nfarewell, the latter again begging her not to forget; and when she\nreached home she told Ch\u00ean what had occurred. Ch\u00ean threw himself on\nhis knees, and told his mother that he was the P\u2018an to whom the young\nlady alluded; and after hearing how the engagement had come about, his\nmother was exceedingly angry, and said, \u201cUndutiful boy! how will you\nface your relations with a nun for a wife?\u201d Ch\u00ean hung his head and\nmade no reply; but shortly afterwards when he went up for his\nexamination, he presented himself at the address given by\nY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i--only, however, to find that the young lady had gone away a\nfortnight before. He then returned home and fell into a bad state of\nhealth, when his grandmother died and his mother set off to assist at\nher funeral. On her way back she missed the right road and reached the\nhouse of some people named Ching, who turned out to be cousins of\nhers. They invited her in, and there she saw a young girl of about\neighteen sitting in the parlour, and as great a beauty as she had ever\nset eyes on. Now, as she was always thinking of making a good match\nfor her son, and curing him of his settled melancholy, she asked who\nthe young lady might be; and they told her that her name was\nWang,--that she was a connection of their own, and that her father and\nmother being dead, she was staying temporarily with them. Ch\u00ean\u2019s\nmother inquired the name of Miss Wang\u2019s betrothed, but they said she\nwas not engaged; and then taking her hand, she entered into\nconversation, and was very much charmed with her. Passing the night\nthere, Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother took her cousin into her confidence, and the\nlatter agreed that it would be a capital match; \u201cbut,\u201d added she,\n\u201cthis young lady is somewhat ambitious, or she would hardly have\nremained single so long. We must think about it.\u201d Meanwhile, Ch\u00ean\u2019s\nmother and Miss Wang got on so extremely well together that they were\nalready on the terms of mother and daughter; and Miss Wang was invited\nto accompany her home. This invitation she readily accepted, and next\nday they went back; Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother, who wished to see her son free from\nhis present trouble, bidding one of the servants tell him that she had\nbrought home a nice wife for him; Ch\u00ean did not believe this; but on\npeeping through the window beheld a young lady much prettier even than\nY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i herself. He now began to reflect that the three years agreed\nupon had already expired; that Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i had gone no one knew whither,\nand had probably by this time found another husband; so he had no\ndifficulty in entertaining the thought of marrying this young lady,\nand soon regained his health. His mother then caused the young people\nto meet, and be introduced to one another; saying to Miss Wang, when\nher son had left the room, \u201cDid you guess why I invited you to come\nhome with me?\u201d \u201cI did,\u201d replied the young lady, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think you\nguessed what was _my_ object in coming. Some years ago I was betrothed\nto a Mr. P\u2018an, of I-ling. I have heard nothing of him for a long time.\nIf he has found another wife I will be your daughter-in-law; if not, I\nwill ever regard you as my own mother, and endeavour to repay you for\nyour kindness to me.\u201d \u201cAs there is an actual engagement,\u201d replied\nCh\u00ean\u2019s mother, \u201cI will say no more; but when I was at the Lily Hill\nthere was a Taoist nun inquiring after this Mr. P\u2018an, and now you\nagain, though, as a matter of fact, there is no Mr. P\u2018an in I-ling at\nall.\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d cried Miss Wang, \u201care you that lady I met? I am the\nperson who inquired for Mr. P\u2018an.\u201d \u201cIf that is so,\u201d replied Ch\u00ean\u2019s\nmother with a smile, \u201cthen your Mr. P\u2018an is not far off.\u201d \u201cWhere is\nhe?\u201d said she; and then Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother bade a maid-servant lead her out\nto her son and ask him. \u201cIs your name Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i?\u201d said Ch\u00ean, in great\nastonishment; and when the young lady asked him how he knew it, he\ntold her the whole story of his pretending to be a Mr. P\u2018an. But when\nY\u00fcn-ch\u2018i found out to whom she was talking, she was abashed, and went\nback and told his mother, who inquired how she came to have two names.\n\u201cMy real name is Wang,\u201d replied the young lady; \u201cbut the old Abbess,\nbeing very fond of me, made me take her own name.\u201d Ch\u00ean\u2019s mother was\noverjoyed at all this, and an auspicious day was immediately fixed for\nthe celebration of their marriage.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[221] These nunneries, of which there are plenty in China, are well\nworth visiting, and may be freely entered by both sexes. Sometimes\nthere are as many as a hundred nuns living together in one temple, and\nto all appearances devoting their lives to religious exercises;\nreport, however, tells many tales of broken vows, and makes sad havoc\ngenerally with the reputation of these fair vestals.\n\n[222] In corresponding English, this would be:--The young lady said\nher name was Elo\u00efsa. \u201cHow funny!\u201d cried Ch\u00ean, \u201cand mine is Abelard.\u201d\n\n[223] That is, she was the last to take the vows.\n\n[224] The usual signal that a person does not wish to take any more\nwine.\n\n[225] This would carry him well on into the third of the years during\nwhich Y\u00fcn-ch\u2018i had promised to wait for him.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVIII.\n\nTHE YOUNG LADY OF THE TUNG-T\u2018ING LAKE.\n\n\nThe spirits of the Tung-t\u2018ing lake[226] are very much in the habit of\nborrowing boats. Sometimes the cable of an empty junk will cast itself\noff, and away goes the vessel over the waves to the sound of music in\nthe air above. The boatmen crouch down in one corner and hide their\nfaces, not daring to look up until the trip is over and they are once\nmore at their old anchorage.\n\nNow a certain Mr. Lin, returning home after having failed at the\nexamination for Master\u2019s degree, was lying down very tipsy on the deck\nof his boat, when suddenly strains of music and singing began to be\nheard. The boatmen shook Mr. Lin, but failing to rouse him, ran down\nand hid themselves in the hold below. Then some one came and lifted\nhim up, letting him drop again on to the deck, where he was allowed to\nremain in the same drunken sleep as before. By-and-by the noise of\nthe various instruments became almost deafening, and Lin, partially\nwaking up, smelt a delicious odour of perfumes filling the air around\nhim. Opening his eyes, he saw that the boat was crowded with a number\nof beautiful girls; and knowing that something strange was going on,\nhe pretended to be fast asleep. There was then a call for Chih-ch\u2018eng,\nupon which a young waiting-maid came forward and stood quite close to\nMr. Lin\u2019s head. Her stockings were the colour of the kingfisher\u2019s\nwing, and her feet encased in tiny purple shoes, no bigger than one\u2019s\nfinger. Much smitten with this young lady, he took hold of her\nstocking with his teeth, causing her, the next time she moved, to fall\nforward flat on her face. Some one, evidently in authority, asked what\nwas the matter; and when he heard the explanation, was very angry, and\ngave orders to take off Mr. Lin\u2019s head. Soldiers now came and bound\nLin, and on getting up he beheld a man sitting with his face to the\nsouth, and dressed in the garments of a king. \u201cSire,\u201d cried Lin, as he\nwas being led away, \u201cthe king of the Tung-t\u2018ing lake was a mortal\nnamed Lin; your servant\u2019s name is Lin also. His Majesty was a\ndisappointed candidate; your servant is one too. His Majesty met the\nDragon Lady, and was made immortal; your servant has played a trick\nupon this girl, and he is to die. Why this inequality of fortunes?\u201d\nWhen the king heard this, he bade them bring him back, and asked him,\nsaying, \u201cAre you, then, a disappointed candidate?\u201d Lin said he was;\nwhereupon the king handed him writing materials, and ordered him to\ncompose an ode upon a lady\u2019s head-dress. Some time passed before Lin,\nwho was a scholar of some repute in his own neighbourhood, had done\nmore than sit thinking about what he should write; and at length the\nking upbraided him, saying, \u201cCome, come, a man of your reputation\nshould not take so long.\u201d \u201cSire,\u201d replied Lin, laying down his pen,\n\u201cit took ten years to complete the Songs of the Three Kingdoms;\nwhereby it may be known that the value of compositions depends more\nupon the labour given to them than the speed with which they are\nwritten.\u201d The king laughed and waited patiently from early morning\ntill noon, when a copy of the verses was put into his hand, with which\nhe declared himself very pleased. He now commanded that Lin should be\nserved with wine; and shortly after there followed a collation of all\nkinds of curious dishes, in the middle of which an officer came in and\nreported that the register of people to be drowned had been made up.\n\u201cHow many in all?\u201d asked the king. \u201cTwo hundred and twenty-eight,\u201d was\nthe reply; and then the king inquired who had been deputed to carry it\nout; whereupon he was informed that the generals Mao and Nan had been\nappointed to do the work. Lin here rose to take leave, and the king\npresented him with ten ounces of pure gold and a crystal square,[227]\ntelling him that it would preserve him from any danger he might\nencounter on the lake. At this moment the king\u2019s retinue and horses\nranged themselves in proper order upon the surface of the lake; and\nHis Majesty, stepping from the boat into his sedan-chair, disappeared\nfrom view.\n\nWhen everything had been quiet for a long time, the boatmen emerged\nfrom the hold, and proceeded to shape their course northwards. The\nwind, however, was against them, and they were unable to make any\nheadway; when all of a sudden an iron cat appeared floating on the top\nof the water. \u201cGeneral Mao has come,\u201d cried the boatmen, in great\nalarm; and they and all the passengers on board fell down on their\nfaces. Immediately afterwards a great wooden beam stood up from the\nlake, nodding itself backwards and forwards, which the boatmen, more\nfrightened than ever, said was General Nan. Before long a tremendous\nsea was raging, the sun was darkened in the heavens, and every vessel\nin sight was capsized. But Mr. Lin sat in the middle of the boat, with\nthe crystal square in his hand, and the mighty waves broke around\nwithout doing them any harm. Thus were they saved, and Lin returned\nhome; and whenever he told his wonderful story he would assert that,\nalthough unable to speak positively as to the facial beauty of the\nyoung lady he had seen, he dared say that she had the most exquisite\npair of feet in the world.\n\nSubsequently, having occasion to visit the city of Wu-ch\u2018ang, he heard\nof an old woman who wished to sell her daughter, but was unwilling to\naccept money, giving out that any one who had the fellow of a certain\ncrystal square in her possession should be at liberty to take the\ngirl. Lin thought this very strange; and taking his square with him\nsought out the old woman, who was delighted to see him, and told her\ndaughter to come in. The young lady was about fifteen years of age,\nand possessed of surpassing beauty; and after saying a few words of\ngreeting, she turned round and went within again. Lin\u2019s reason had\nalmost fled at the sight of this peerless girl, and he straightway\ninformed the old woman that he had such an article as she required,\nbut could not say whether it would match hers or not. So they compared\ntheir squares together, and there was not a fraction of difference\nbetween them, either in length or breadth. The old woman was\noverjoyed, and inquiring where Lin lived, bade him go home and get a\nbridal chair, leaving his square behind him as a pledge of his good\nfaith. This he refused to do; but the old woman laughed, and said,\n\u201cYou are too cautious, Sir; do you think I should run away for a\nsquare?\u201d Lin was thus constrained to leave it behind him, and hurrying\naway for a chair, made the best of his way back. When, however, he got\nthere, the old woman was gone. In great alarm he inquired of the\npeople who lived near as to her whereabouts; no one, however, knew;\nand it being already late he returned disconsolately to his boat. On\nthe way, he met a chair coming towards him, and immediately the screen\nwas drawn aside, and a voice cried out, \u201cMr. Lin! why so late?\u201d\nLooking closely, he saw that it was the old woman, who, after asking\nhim if he hadn\u2019t suspected her of playing him false, told him that\njust after he left she had had the offer of a chair; and knowing that\nhe, being only a stranger in the place, would have some trouble in\nobtaining one, she had sent her daughter on to his boat. Lin then\nbegged she would return with him, to which she would not consent; and\naccordingly, not fully trusting what she said, he hurried on himself\nas fast as he could, and, jumping into the boat, found the young lady\nalready there. She rose to meet him with a smile, and then he was\nastonished to see that her stockings were the colour of a kingfisher\u2019s\nwing, her shoes purple, and her appearance generally like that of the\ngirl he had met on the Tung-t\u2018ing lake. While he was still confused,\nthe young lady remarked, \u201cYou stare, Sir, as if you had never seen me\nbefore!\u201d but just then Lin noticed the tear in her stocking made by\nhis own teeth, and cried out in amazement, \u201cWhat! are you\nChih-ch\u2018eng?\u201d The young lady laughed at this; whereupon Lin rose, and,\nmaking her a profound bow, said, \u201cIf you are that divine creature, I\npray you tell me at once, and set my anxiety at rest.\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d replied\nshe, \u201cI will tell you all. That personage you met on the boat was\nactually the king of the Tung-t\u2018ing lake. He was so pleased with your\ntalent that he wished to bestow me upon you; but, because I was a\ngreat favourite with Her Majesty the Queen, he went back to consult\nwith her. I have now come at the Queen\u2019s own command.\u201d Lin was highly\npleased; and washing his hands, burnt incense, with his face towards\nthe lake, as if it were the Imperial Court, and then they went home\ntogether.\n\nSubsequently, when Lin had occasion to go to Wu-ch\u2018ang, his wife asked\nto be allowed to avail herself of the opportunity to visit her\nparents; and when they reached the lake, she drew a hair-pin from her\nhair, and threw it into the water. Immediately a boat rose from the\nlake, and Lin\u2019s wife, stepping into it, vanished from sight like a\nbird on the wing. Lin remained waiting for her on the prow of his\nvessel, at the spot where she had disappeared; and by-and-by, he\nbeheld a house-boat approach, from the window of which there flew a\nbeautiful bird which was no other than Chih-ch\u2018eng. Then some one\nhanded out from the same window gold and silk, and precious things in\ngreat abundance, all presents to them from the Queen. After this,\nChih-ch\u2018eng went home regularly twice every year, and Lin soon became\na very rich man, the things he had being such as no one had ever\nbefore seen or heard of.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[226] The celebrated lake in Hu-nan, round which has gathered so much\nof the folk-lore of China.\n\n[227] The instrument used by masons is here meant.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIX.\n\nTHE MAN WHO WAS CHANGED INTO A CROW.\n\n\nMr. Y\u00fc Jung was a Hu-nan man. The person who told me his story did not\nrecollect from what department or district he came. His family was\nvery poor; and once, when returning home after failure at the\nexamination, he ran quite out of funds. Being ashamed to beg, and\nfeeling uncomfortably hungry, he turned to rest awhile in the Wu\nWang[228] temple, where he poured out all his sorrows at the feet of\nthe God. His prayers over, he was about to lie down in the outer\nporch, when suddenly a man took him and led him into the presence of\nWu Wang; and then, falling on his knees, said, \u201cYour Majesty, there is\na vacancy among the black-robes; the appointment might be bestowed on\nthis man.\u201d The King assented, and Y\u00fc received a suit of black clothes;\nand when he had put these on he was changed into a crow, and flew\naway. Outside he saw a number of fellow-crows collected together, and\nimmediately joined them, settling with them on the masts of the boats,\nand imitating them in catching and eating the meat or cakes which the\npassengers and boatmen on board threw up to them in the air.[229] In a\nlittle while he was no longer hungry, and, soaring aloft, alighted on\nthe top of a tree quite satisfied with his change of condition. Two or\nthree days passed, and the King, now pitying his solitary state,\nprovided him with a very elegant mate, whose name was Chu-ch\u2018ing, and\nwho took every opportunity of warning him when he exposed himself too\nmuch in search of food. However, he did not pay much attention to\nthis, and one day a soldier shot him in the breast with a cross-bow;\nbut luckily Chu-ch\u2018ing got away with him in her beak, and he was not\ncaptured. This enraged the other crows very much, and with their wings\nthey flapped the water into such big waves that all the boats were\nupset. Chu-ch\u2018ing now procured food and fed her husband; but his wound\nwas a severe one, and by the end of the day he was dead--at which\nmoment he waked, as it were, from a dream, and found himself lying in\nthe temple.\n\nThe people of the place had found Mr. Y\u00fc to all appearance dead; and\nnot knowing how he had come by his death, and finding that his body\nwas not quite cold, had set some one to watch him. They now learnt\nwhat had happened to him, and making up a purse between them, sent him\naway home. Three years afterwards he was passing by the same spot,\nand went in to worship at the temple; also preparing a quantity of\nfood, and inviting the crows to come down and eat it. He then prayed,\nsaying, \u201cIf Chu-ch\u2018ing is among you, let her remain.\u201d When the crows\nhad eaten the food they all flew away; and by-and-by Y\u00fc returned,\nhaving succeeded in obtaining his master\u2019s degree. Again he visited Wu\nWang\u2019s temple, and sacrificed a calf as a feast for the crows; and\nagain he prayed as on the previous occasion. That night he slept on\nthe lake, and, just as the candles were lighted and he had sat down,\nsuddenly there was a noise as of birds settling, and lo! some twenty\nbeautiful young ladies stood before him. \u201cHave you been quite well\nsince we parted?\u201d asked one of them; to which Y\u00fc replied that he\nshould like to know whom he had the honour of addressing. \u201cDon\u2019t you\nremember Chu-ch\u2018ing?\u201d said the young lady; and then Y\u00fc was overjoyed,\nand inquired how she had come. \u201cI am now,\u201d replied Chu-ch\u2018ing, \u201ca\nspirit of the Han river, and seldom go back to my old home; but in\nconsequence of what you did on two occasions, I have come to see you\nonce more.\u201d They then sat talking together like husband and wife\nreunited after long absence, and Y\u00fc proposed that she should return\nwith him on his way south. Chu-ch\u2018ing, however, said she must go west\nagain, and upon this point they could not come to any agreement. Next\nmorning, when Y\u00fc waked up, he found himself in a lofty room with two\nlarge candles burning brightly, and no longer in his own boat. In\nutter amazement he arose and asked where he was. \u201cAt Han-yang,\u201d\nreplied Chu-ch\u2018ing; \u201cmy home is your home; why need you go south?\u201d\nBy-and-by, when it got lighter, in came a number of serving-women with\nwine, which they placed on a low table on the top of a broad couch;\nand then husband and wife sat down to drink together. \u201cWhere are all\nmy servants?\u201d asked Y\u00fc; and when he heard they were still on the boat,\nhe said he was afraid the boat people would not be able to wait.\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d replied Chu-ch\u2018ing; \u201cI have plenty of money, and I\u2019ll\nhelp you to make it up to them.\u201d Y\u00fc therefore remained with her,\nfeasting and enjoying himself, and forgetting all about going home. As\nfor the boatmen, when they waked up and found themselves at Han-yang,\nthey were greatly astonished; and, seeing that the servants could find\nno trace of their missing master, they wished to go about their own\nbusiness. They were unable, however, to undo the cable, and so they\nall remained there together for more than a couple of months, by the\nend of which time Mr. Y\u00fc became anxious to return home, and said to\nChu-ch\u2018ing, \u201cIf I stay here, my family connections will be completely\nsevered. Besides, as we are husband and wife, it is only right that\nyou should pay a visit to my home.\u201d \u201cThat,\u201d replied Chu-ch\u2018ing, \u201cI\ncannot do; and even were I able to go, you have a wife there already,\nand where would you put me? It is better for me to stop where I am,\nand thus you will have a second family.\u201d Y\u00fc said she would be so far\noff that he could not always be dropping in; whereupon Chu-ch\u2018ing\nproduced a black suit, and replied, \u201cHere are your old clothes.\nWhenever you want to see me, put these on and come, and on your\narrival I will take them off for you.\u201d She then prepared a parting\nfeast for her husband, at which he got very tipsy; and when he waked\nup he was on board his boat again, and at his old anchorage on the\nlake. The boatmen and his servants were all there, and they looked at\none another in mutual amazement; and when they asked Y\u00fc where he had\nbeen, he hardly knew what to say. By the side of his pillow he\ndiscovered a bundle in which were some new clothes Chu-ch\u2018ing had\ngiven him, shoes, stockings, &c.; and folded up with them was the suit\nof black. In addition to these he found an embroidered belt for tying\nround the waist, which was stuffed full of gold. He now started on his\nway south, and, when he reached the end of his journey, dismissed the\nboatmen with a handsome present.\n\nAfter being at home for some months, his thoughts reverted to\nHan-yang; and, taking out the black clothes, he put them on, when\nwings immediately grew from his ribs, and with a flap he was gone. In\nabout four hours he arrived at Han-yang, and, wheeling round and round\nin the air, espied below him a solitary islet, on which stood a house,\nand there he proceeded to alight. A maid-servant had already seen him\ncoming, and cried out, \u201cHere\u2019s master!\u201d and in a few moments out came\nChu-ch\u2018ing, and bade the attendants take off Mr. Y\u00fc\u2019s feathers. They\nwere not long in setting him free, and then, hand in hand, he and\nChu-ch\u2018ing went into the house together. \u201cYou have come at a happy\nmoment,\u201d said his wife, as they sat down to tell each other all the\nnews; and in three days\u2019 time she gave birth to a boy, whom they\ncalled Han-ch\u2018an, which means \u201cborn on the Han river.\u201d Three days\nafter the event all the river-nymphs came to congratulate them, and\nbrought many handsome presents. They were a charming band, not one\nbeing over thirty years of age; and, going into the bedroom and\napproaching the bed, each one pressed her thumb on the baby\u2019s nose,\nsaying, \u201cLong life to thee, little one!\u201d Y\u00fc asked who they all were,\nand Chu-ch\u2018ing told him they belonged to the same family of spirits as\nherself; \u201cAnd the two last of all,\u201d said she, \u201cdressed in white like\nthe lily, are the nymphs who gave away their girdles at Hankow.\u201d[230]\n\nA few months passed away, and then Chu-ch\u2018ing sent her husband back in\na boat to his old home. No sails or oars were used, but the boat sped\nalong of itself; and at the end of the river journey there were men\nwaiting with horses to convey him to his own door. After this he went\nbackwards and forwards very frequently; and in time Han-ch\u2018an grew up\nto be a fine boy, the apple of his father\u2019s eye. Unhappily his first\nwife had no children, and she was extremely anxious to see Han-ch\u2018an;\nso Y\u00fc communicated this to Chu-ch\u2018ing, who at once packed up a box and\nsent him back with his father, on the understanding that he was to\nreturn in three months. However, the other wife became quite as fond\nof him as if he had been her own child, and ten months passed without\nher being able to bear the thought of parting with him. But one day\nHan-ch\u2018an was taken violently ill, and died; upon which Y\u00fc\u2019s wife was\noverwhelmed with grief, and wished to die too. Y\u00fc then set off for\nHan-yang, to carry the tidings to Chu-ch\u2018ing; and when he arrived, lo!\nthere was Han-ch\u2018an, with his shoes and socks off, lying on the bed.\nHe was greatly rejoiced at this, and asked Chu-ch\u2018ing what it all\nmeant. \u201cWhy,\u201d replied she, \u201cthe term agreed upon by us had long\nexpired, and, as I wanted my boy, I sent for him.\u201d Y\u00fc then told her\nhow much his other wife loved Han-ch\u2018an, but Chu-ch\u2018ing said she must\nwait until there was another child, and then she should have him.\nLater on Chu-ch\u2018ing had twins, a boy and a girl, the former named\nHan-sh\u00eang and the latter Y\u00fc-p\u2018ei; whereupon Han-ch\u2018an went back again\nwith his father, who, finding it inconvenient to be travelling\nbackwards and forwards three or four times in a year, removed with his\nfamily to the city of Han-yang. At twelve years of age Han-ch\u2018an took\nhis bachelor\u2019s degree; and his mother, thinking there was no girl\namong mortals good enough for her son, sent for him to come home, that\nshe herself might find a wife for him, which she did in the person of\na Miss Chih-niang, who was the daughter of a spirit like herself. Y\u00fc\u2019s\nfirst wife then died, and the three children all went to mourn her\nloss, Han-ch\u2018an remaining in Hu-nan after the funeral, but the other\ntwo returning with their father, and not leaving their mother again.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[228] The guardian angel of crows.\n\n[229] In order to secure a favourable passage. The custom here\nmentioned was actually practised at more than one temple on the river\nYang-tsze, and allusions to it will be found in more than one serious\nwork.\n\n[230] Alluding to a legend of a young man meeting two young ladies at\nHankow, each of whom wore a girdle adorned with a pearl as big as a\nhen\u2019s egg. The young man begged them to give him these girdles, and\nthey did so; but the next moment they had vanished, and the girdles\ntoo.\n\n\n\n\nXL.\n\nTHE FLOWER NYMPHS.\n\n\nAt the lower temple on Mount Lao the camellias[231] are twenty feet in\nheight, and many spans in circumference. The peonies are more than ten\nfeet high; and when the flowers are in bloom the effect is that of\ngorgeous tapestry.\n\nThere was a Mr. Huang, of Chiao-chow, who built himself a house at\nthat spot, for the purposes of study; and one day he saw from his\nwindow a young lady dressed in white wandering about amongst the\nflowers. Reflecting that she could not possibly belong to the\nmonastery,[232] he went out to meet her, but she had already\ndisappeared. After this he frequently observed her, and once hid\nhimself in a thick-foliaged bush, waiting for her to come. By-and-by\nshe appeared, bringing with her another young lady dressed in red,\nwho, as he noticed from his distant point of observation, was an\nexceedingly good-looking girl. When they approached nearer, the young\nlady in the red dress ran back, saying, \u201cThere is a man here!\u201d\nwhereupon Mr. Huang jumped out upon them, and away they went in a\nscare, with their skirts and long sleeves fluttering in the breeze,\nand perfuming the air around. Huang pursued them as far as a low wall,\nwhere they suddenly vanished from his gaze. In great distress at thus\nlosing the fair creatures, he took a pencil and wrote upon a tree the\nfollowing lines:--\n\n \u201cThe pangs of love my heart enthrall\n As I stand opposite this wall.\n I dread some hateful tyrant\u2019s power,\n With none to save you in that hour.\u201d\n\nReturning home he was absorbed in his own thoughts, when all at once\nthe young lady walked in, and he rose up joyfully to meet her. \u201cI\nthought you were a brigand,\u201d said his visitor, smiling; \u201cyou nearly\nfrightened me to death. I did not know you were a great scholar whose\nacquaintance I now hope to have the honour of making.\u201d Mr. Huang asked\nthe young lady her name, &c., to which she replied, \u201cMy name is\nHsiang-y\u00fc, and I belong to P\u2018ing-k\u2018ang-hsiang; but a magician has\ncondemned me to remain on this hill much against my own inclination.\u201d\n\u201cTell me his name,\u201d cried Huang, \u201cand I\u2019ll soon set you free.\u201d \u201cThere\nis no need for that,\u201d answered the young lady; \u201cI suffer no injury\nfrom him, and the place is not an inconvenient one for making the\nacquaintance of such worthy gentlemen as yourself.\u201d Huang then\ninquired who was the young lady in red, and she told him that her name\nwas Chiang-hs\u00fceh, and that they were half-sisters; \u201cand now,\u201d added\nshe, \u201cI will sing you a song; but please don\u2019t laugh at me.\u201d She then\nbegan as follows:--\n\n \u201cIn pleasant company the hours fly fast,\n And through the window daybreak peeps at last.\n Ah, would that, like the swallow and his mate,\n To live together were our happy fate.\u201d\n\nHuang here grasped her hand[233] and said, \u201cBeauty without and\nintellect within--enough to make a man love you and forget all about\ndeath, regarding one day\u2019s absence like the separation of a thousand\nyears. I pray you come again whenever an opportunity may present\nitself.\u201d From this time the young lady would frequently walk in to\nhave a chat, but would never bring her sister with her in spite of all\nMr. Huang\u2019s entreaties. Huang thought they weren\u2019t friends, but Hsiang\nsaid her sister did not care for society in the same way that she\nherself did, promising at the same time to try and persuade her to\ncome at some future day. One evening Hsiang-y\u00fc arrived in a melancholy\nframe of mind, and told Huang that he was wanting more when he\ncouldn\u2019t even keep what he had got; \u201cfor to-morrow,\u201d said she, \u201cwe\npart.\u201d Huang asked what she meant; and then wiping away her tears with\nher sleeve, Hsiang-y\u00fc declared it was destiny, and that she couldn\u2019t\nwell tell him. \u201cYour former prophecy,\u201d continued she, \u201chas come too\ntrue; and now it may well be said of me--\n\n \u2018Fallen into the tyrant\u2019s power,\n With none to save me in that hour.\u2019\u201d\n\nHuang again tried to question her, but she would tell him nothing; and\nby-and-by she rose and took her leave. This seemed very strange;\nhowever, next day a visitor came, who, after wandering round the\ngarden, was much taken with a white peony,[234] which he dug up and\ncarried away with him. Huang now awaked to the fact that Hsiang-y\u00fc was\na flower nymph, and became very disconsolate in consequence of what\nhad happened; but when he subsequently heard that the peony only\nlived a few days after being taken away, he wept bitterly, and\ncomposed an elegy in fifty stanzas, besides going daily to the hole\nfrom which it had been taken, and watering the ground with his tears.\nOne day, as he was returning thence, he espied the young lady of the\nred clothes also wiping away her tears alongside the hole, and\nimmediately walked back gently towards her. She did not run away, and\nHuang, grasping her sleeve, joined with her in her lamentations. When\nthese were concluded he invited her to his house, and then she burst\nout with a sigh, saying, \u201cAlas! that the sister of my early years\nshould be thus suddenly taken from me. Hearing you, Sir, mourn as you\ndid, I have also been moved to tears. Those you shed have sunk down\ndeep to the realms below, and may perhaps succeed in restoring her to\nus; but the sympathies of the dead are destroyed for ever, and how\nthen can she laugh and talk with us again?\u201d \u201cMy luck is bad,\u201d said\nHuang, \u201cthat I should injure those I love, neither can I have the good\nfortune to draw towards me another such a beauty. But tell me, when I\noften sent messages by Hsiang-y\u00fc to you, why did you not come?\u201d \u201cI\nknew,\u201d replied she, \u201cwhat nine young fellows out of ten are; but I did\nnot know what you were.\u201d She then took leave, Huang telling her how\ndull he felt without Hsiang-y\u00fc, and begging her to come again. For\nsome days she did not appear; and Huang remained in a state of great\nmelancholy, tossing and turning on his bed and wetting the pillow with\nhis tears, until one night he got up, put on his clothes, and trimmed\nthe lamp; and having called for pen and ink, he composed the\nfollowing lines:--\n\n \u201cOn my cottage roof the evening raindrops beat;\n I draw the blind and near the window take my seat.\n To my longing gaze no loved one appears;\n Drip, drip, drip, drip: fast flow my tears.\u201d\n\nThis he read aloud; and when he had finished, a voice outside said,\n\u201cYou want some one to cap your verses there!\u201d Listening attentively,\nhe knew it was Chiang-hs\u00fceh; and opening the door he let her in. She\nlooked at his stanza, and added impromptu--\n\n \u201cShe is no longer in the room;\n A single lamp relieves the gloom;\n One solitary man is there;\n He and his shadow make a pair.\u201d\n\nAs Huang read these words his tears fell fast; and then, turning to\nChiang-hs\u00fceh, he upbraided her for not having been to see him. \u201cI\ncan\u2019t come so often as Hsiang-y\u00fc did,\u201d replied she, \u201cbut only now and\nthen when you are very dull.\u201d After this she used to drop in\noccasionally, and Huang said Hsiang-y\u00fc was his beloved wife, and she\nhis dear friend, always trying to find out every time she came which\nflower in the garden she was, that he might bring her home with him,\nand save her from the fate of Hsiang-y\u00fc. \u201cThe old earth should not be\ndisturbed,\u201d said she, \u201cand it would not do any good to tell you. If\nyou couldn\u2019t keep your wife always with you, how will you be sure of\nkeeping a friend?\u201d Huang, however, paid no heed to this, and seizing\nher arm, led her out into the garden, where he stopped at every peony\nand asked if this was the one; to which Chiang-hs\u00fceh made no reply,\nbut only put her hand to her mouth and laughed.\n\nAt New Year\u2019s time Huang went home, and a couple of months afterwards\nhe dreamt that Chiang-hs\u00fceh came to tell him she was in great trouble,\nbegging him to hurry off as soon as possible to her rescue. When he\nwoke up, he thought his dream a very strange one; and ordering his\nservant and horses to be ready, started at once for the hills. There\nhe found that the priests were about to build a new room; and finding\na camellia in the way, the contractor had given orders that it should\nbe cut down. Huang now understood his dream, and immediately took\nsteps to prevent the destruction of the flower. That night\nChiang-hs\u00fceh came to thank him, and Huang laughed and said, \u201cIt serves\nyou right for not telling me which you were. Now I know you, and if\nyou don\u2019t come and see me, I\u2019ll get a firebrand and make it hot for\nyou.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s just why I didn\u2019t tell you before,\u201d replied she. \u201cThe\npresence of my dear friend,\u201d said Huang, after a pause, \u201cmakes me\nthink more of my lost wife. It is long since I have mourned for her.\nShall we go and bemoan her loss together?\u201d So they went off and shed\nmany a tear on the spot where formerly Hsiang-y\u00fc had stood, until at\nlast Chiang-hs\u00fceh wiped her eyes and said it was time to go. A few\nevenings later Huang was sitting alone when suddenly Chiang-hs\u00fceh\nentered, her face radiant with smiles. \u201cGood news!\u201d cried she, \u201cthe\nFlower-God,[235] moved by your tears, has granted Hsiang-y\u00fc a return\nto life.\u201d Huang was overjoyed, and asked when she would come; to which\nChiang-hs\u00fceh replied, that she could not say for certain, but that it\nwould not be long. \u201cI came here on your account,\u201d said Huang; \u201cdon\u2019t\nlet me be duller than you can help.\u201d \u201cAll right,\u201d answered she, and\nthen went away, not returning for the next two evenings. Huang then\nwent into the garden and threw his arms around her plant, entreating\nher to come and see him, though without eliciting any response. He\naccordingly went back, and began twisting up a torch, when all at once\nin she came, and snatching the torch out of his hand, threw it away,\nsaying, \u201cYou\u2019re a bad fellow, and I don\u2019t like you, and I shan\u2019t have\nany more to do with you.\u201d However, Huang soon succeeded in pacifying\nher, and by-and-by in walked Hsiang-y\u00fc herself. Huang now wept tears\nof joy as he seized her hand, and drawing Chiang-hs\u00fceh towards them,\nthe three friends mingled their tears together. They then sat down and\ntalked over the miseries of separation, Huang meanwhile noticing that\nHsiang-y\u00fc seemed to be unsubstantial, and that when he grasped her\nhand his fingers seemed to close only on themselves, and not as in\nthe days gone by. This Hsiang-y\u00fc explained, saying, \u201cWhen I was a\nflower-nymph I had a body; but now I am only the disembodied spirit of\nthat flower. Do not regard me as a reality, but rather as an\napparition seen in a dream.\u201d \u201cYou have come at the nick of time,\u201d\ncried Chiang-hs\u00fceh; \u201cyour husband there was just getting troublesome.\u201d\nHsiang-y\u00fc now instructed Huang to take a little powdered white-berry,\nand mixing it with some sulphur, to pour out a libation to her,\nadding, \u201cThis day next year I will return your kindness.\u201d The young\nladies then went away, and next day Huang observed the shoots of a\nyoung peony growing up where Hsiang-y\u00fc had once stood. So he made the\nlibation as she had told him, and had the plant very carefully tended,\neven building a fence all round to protect it. Hsiang-y\u00fc came to thank\nhim for this, and he proposed that the plant should be removed to his\nown home; but to this she would not agree, \u201cfor,\u201d said she, \u201cI am not\nvery strong, and could not stand being transplanted. Besides, all\nthings have their appointed place; and as I was not originally\nintended for your home, it might shorten my life to be sent there. We\ncan love each other very well here.\u201d Huang then asked why Chiang-hs\u00fceh\ndid not come; to which Hsiang-y\u00fc replied that they must make her, and\nproceeded with him into the garden, where, after picking a blade of\ngrass, she measured upwards from the roots of Chiang-hs\u00fceh\u2019s plant to\na distance of four feet six inches, at which point she stopped, and\nHuang began to scratch a mark on the place with his nails. At that\nmoment Chiang-hs\u00fceh came from behind the plant, and in mock anger\ncried out, \u201cYou hussy you! what do you aid that wretch for?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be\nangry, my dear,\u201d said Hsiang-y\u00fc; \u201chelp me to amuse him for a year\nonly, and then you shan\u2019t be bothered any more.\u201d So they went on,\nHuang watching the plant thrive, until by the spring it was over two\nfeet in height. He then went home, giving the priests a handsome\npresent, and bidding them take great care of it. Next year, in the\nfourth moon, he returned and found upon the plant a bud just ready to\nbreak; and as he was walking round, the stem shook violently as if it\nwould snap, and suddenly the bud opened into a flower as large as a\nplate, disclosing a beautiful maiden within, sitting upon one of the\npistils, and only a few inches in height. In the twinkling of an eye\nshe had jumped out, and lo! it was Hsiang-y\u00fc. \u201cThrough the wind and\nthe rain I have waited for you,\u201d cried she; \u201cwhy have you come so\nlate?\u201d They then went into the house, where they found Chiang-hs\u00fceh\nalready arrived, and sat down to enjoy themselves as they had done in\nformer times. Shortly afterwards Huang\u2019s wife died, and he took up his\nabode at Mount Lao for good and all. The peonies were at that time as\nlarge round as one\u2019s arm; and whenever Huang went to look at them, he\nalways said, \u201cSome day my spirit will be there by your side;\u201d to which\nthe two girls used to reply with a laugh, and say, \u201cMind you don\u2019t\nforget.\u201d Ten years after these events, Huang became dangerously ill,\nand his son, who had come to see him, was very much distressed about\nhim. \u201cI am about to be born,\u201d cried his father; \u201cI am not going to\ndie. Why do you weep?\u201d He also told the priests that if later on they\nshould see a red shoot, with five leaves, thrusting itself forth\nalongside of the peony, that would be himself. This was all he said,\nand his son proceeded to convey him home, where he died immediately on\narrival. Next year a shoot did come up exactly as he had mentioned;\nand the priests, struck by the coincidence, watered it and supplied it\nwith earth. In three years it was a tall plant, and a good span in\ncircumference, but without flowers. When the old priest died, the\nothers took no care of it; and as it did not flower they cut it down.\nThe white peony then faded and died; and before long the camellia was\ndead too.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[231] The text has _nai-tung_ (\u201cendure the winter\u201d), for the\nidentification of which I am indebted to Mr. L. C. Hopkins, of H.M.\u2019s\nConsular service.\n\n[232] Women, of course, being excluded.\n\n[233] Although the Chinese do not \u201cshake hands\u201d in our sense of the\nterm, it is a sign of affection to seize the hand of a parting or\nreturning friend. \u201cThe Book of Rites,\u201d however, lays down the rule\nthat persons of opposite sexes should not, in passing things from one\nto the other, _let their hands touch_; and the question was gravely\nput to Mencius (Book IV.) as to whether a man might even pull his\ndrowning sister-in-law out of the water. Mencius replied that it was\nindeed a general principle that a man should avoid touching a woman\u2019s\nhand, but that he who could not make an exception in such a case would\nbe no better than a wolf. Neither, according to the Chinese rule,\nshould men and women hang their clothes on the same rack, which\nreminds one of the French prude who would not allow male and female\nauthors to be ranged upon the same bookshelf.\n\n[234] The _P\u00e6onia albiflora_.\n\n[235] The various subdivisions of the animal and vegetable kingdoms\nare each believed by the Chinese to be under the sway of a ruler\nholding his commission from and responsible to the one Supreme Power\nor God, fully in accordance with the general scheme of supernatural\nGovernment accepted in other and less civilized communities.\n\n\n\n\nXLI.\n\nTA-NAN IN SEARCH OF HIS FATHER.\n\n\nHsi Ch\u2018\u00eang-lieh was a Ch\u2018\u00eang-tu man. He had a wife and a concubine,\nthe latter named Ho Chao-jung. His wife dying, he took a second by\nname Sh\u00ean, who bullied the concubine dreadfully, and by her constant\nwrangling made his life perfectly unbearable, so that one day in a fit\nof anger he ran away and left them. Shortly afterwards Ho gave birth\nto a son, and called him Ta-nan; but as Hsi did not return, the wife\nSh\u00ean turned them out of the house, making them a daily allowance of\nfood. By degrees Ta-nan became a big boy; and his mother, not daring\nto ask for an increase of victuals, was obliged to earn a little money\nby spinning. Meanwhile, Ta-nan, seeing all his companions go to school\nand learn to read, told his mother he should like to go too; and\naccordingly, as he was still very young, she sent him for a few days\u2019\nprobation. He turned out to be so clever that he soon beat the other\nboys; at which the master of the school was much pleased, and offered\nto teach him for nothing.[236] His mother, therefore, sent him\nregularly, making what trifling presents she could to the master; and\nby the end of two or three years he had a first-rate knowledge of the\nSacred Books.[237] One day he came home and asked his mother, saying,\n\u201cAll the fellows at our school get money from their fathers to buy\ncakes. Why don\u2019t I?\u201d \u201cWait till you are grown up,\u201d replied his\nmother, \u201cand I will explain it to you.\u201d \u201cWhy, mother,\u201d cried he, \u201cI\u2019m\nonly seven or eight years old. What a time it will be before I\u2019m grown\nup.\u201d \u201cWhenever you pass the temple of the God of War on your way to\nschool,\u201d said his mother, \u201cyou should go in and pray awhile; that\nwould make you grow faster.\u201d Ta-nan believed she was serious; and\nevery day, going and coming, he went in and worshipped at that temple.\nWhen his mother found this out, she asked him how soon he was praying\nto be grown up; to which he replied that he only prayed that by the\nfollowing year he might be as big as if he were fifteen or sixteen\nyears old. His mother laughed; but Ta-nan went on, increasing in\nwisdom and stature alike, until by the time he was ten, he looked\nquite thirteen or fourteen, and his master was no longer able to\ncorrect his essays. Then he said to his mother, \u201cYou promised me that\nwhen I grew up you would tell me where my father is. Tell me now.\u201d\n\u201cBy-and-by, by-and-by,\u201d replied his mother; so he waited another year,\nand then pressed her so eagerly to tell him that she could no longer\nrefuse, and related to him the whole story. He heard her recital with\ntears and lamentations, and expressed a wish to go in search of his\nfather; but his mother objected that he was too young, and also that\nno one knew where his father was. Ta-nan said nothing; however, in the\nmiddle of the day he did not come home as usual, and his mother at\nonce sent off to the school, where she found he had not shewn himself\nsince breakfast. In great alarm, and thinking that he had been playing\ntruant, she paid some people to go and hunt for him everywhere, but\nwas unable to obtain the slightest clue to his whereabouts. As to\nTa-nan himself, when he left the house he followed the road without\nknowing whither he was going, until at length he met a man who was on\nhis way to K\u2018uei-chou, and said his name was Ch\u2018ien. Ta-nan begged of\nhim something to eat, and went along with him; Mr. Ch\u2018ien even\nprocuring an animal for him to ride because he walked too slowly. The\nexpenses of the journey were all defrayed by Ch\u2018ien; and when they\narrived at K\u2018uei-chou they dined together, Ch\u2018ien secretly putting\nsome drug in Ta-nan\u2019s food which soon reduced him to a state of\nunconsciousness. Ch\u2018ien then carried him off to a temple, and,\npretending that Ta-nan was his son, offered him to the priests[238] on\nthe plea that he had no money to continue his journey. The priests,\nseeing what a nice-looking boy he was, were only too ready to buy him;\nand when Ch\u2018ien had got his money he went away. They then gave Ta-nan\na draught which brought him round; but as soon as the abbot heard of\nthe affair and saw Ta-nan himself, he would not allow them to keep\nhim, sending him away with a purse of money in his pocket. Ta-nan next\nmet a gentleman named Chiang, from Lu-chou, who was returning home\nafter having failed at the examination; and this Mr. Chiang was so\npleased with the story of his filial piety that he took him to his own\nhome at Lu-chou. There he remained for a month and more, asking\neverybody he saw for news of his father, until one day he was told\nthat there was a man named Hsi among the Fokien traders. So he bade\ngood-by to Mr. Chiang, and set off for Fokien, his patron providing\nhim with clothes and shoes, and the people of the place making up a\nsubscription for him. On the road he met two traders in cotton cloth\nwho were going to Fu-ch\u2018ing, and he joined their party; but they had\nnot travelled many stages before these men found out that he had\nmoney, and taking him to a lonely spot, bound him hand and foot and\nmade off with all he had. Before long a Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean, of Yung-fu,\nhappened to pass by, and at once unbound him, and giving him a seat in\none of his own vehicles, carried him off home. This Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean was a\nwealthy man, and in his house Ta-nan had opportunities of meeting with\ntraders from all quarters. He therefore begged them to aid him by\nmaking inquiries about his father, himself remaining as a fellow\nstudent with Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s sons, and roaming the country no more,\nneither hearing any news of his former and now distant home.\n\nMeanwhile, his mother, Ho, had lived alone for three or four years,\nuntil the wife, Sh\u00ean, wishing to reduce the expenses, tried to\npersuade her to find another husband. As Ho was now supporting\nherself, she steadfastly refused to do this; and then Sh\u00ean sold her to\na Chung-ch\u2018ing trader, who took her away with him. However, she so\nfrightened this man by hacking herself about with a knife, that when\nthe wounds were healed he was only too happy to get rid of her to a\ntrader from Yen-t\u2018ing, who in his turn, after Ho had nearly\ndisembowelled herself, readily listened to her repeated cries that\nshe wished to become a nun. However, he persuaded her to hire herself\nout as housekeeper to a friend of his, as a means of reimbursing\nhimself for his outlay in purchasing her; but no sooner had she set\neyes on the gentleman in question than she found it was her own\nhusband. For Hsi had given up the career of a scholar, and gone into\nbusiness; and as he had no wife, he was consequently in want of a\nhousekeeper. They were very glad to see each other again; and on\nrelating their several adventures, Hsi knew for the first time that he\nhad a son who had gone forth in search of his father. Hsi then asked\nall the traders and commercial travellers to keep a look out for\nTa-nan, at the same time raising Ho from the status of concubine to\nthat of wife. In consequence, however, of the many hardships Ho had\ngone through, her health was anything but good, and she was unable to\ndo the work of the house; so she advised her husband to buy a\nconcubine. This he was most unwilling to do, remembering too well the\nformer squabbling he had to endure; but ultimately he yielded, asked a\nfriend to buy for him an oldish woman--at any rate more than thirty\nyears of age. A few months afterwards his friend arrived, bringing\nwith him a person of about that age; and on looking closely at her,\nHsi saw that she was no other than his own wife Sh\u00ean!\n\nNow this lady had lived by herself for a year and more when her\nbrother Pao advised her to marry again, which she accordingly agreed\nto do. She was prevented, however, by the younger branches of the\nfamily from selling the landed property; but she disposed of\neverything else, and the proceeds passed into her brother\u2019s hands.\nAbout that time a Pao-ning trader, hearing that she had plenty of\nmoney, bribed her brother to marry her to himself; and afterwards,\nfinding that she was a disagreeable woman, took possession of\neverything she had, and advertised her for sale. No one caring to buy\na woman of her age, and her master being on the eve of starting for\nK\u2018uei-chou, took her with him, finally getting rid of her to Hsi, who\nwas in the same line of business as himself. When she stood before her\nformer husband, she was overwhelmed with shame and fear, and had not a\nword to say; but Hsi gathered an outline of what had happened from the\ntrader, and then said to her, \u201cYour second marriage with this Pao-ning\ngentleman was doubtless contracted after you had given up all hope of\nseeing me again. It doesn\u2019t matter in the least, as now I am not in\nsearch of a wife but only of a concubine. So you had better begin by\npaying your respects to your mistress here, my wife Ho Chao-jung.\u201d\nSh\u00ean was ashamed to do this: but Hsi reminded her of the time when she\nhad been in the wife\u2019s place, and in spite of all Ho\u2019s intercession\ninsisted that she should do so, stimulating her to obedience by the\nsmart application of a stick. Sh\u00ean was therefore compelled to yield,\nbut at the same time she never tried to gain Ho\u2019s favour, and kept\naway from her as much as possible. Ho, on the other hand, treated her\nwith great consideration, and never took her to task on the\nperformance of her duties; whilst Hsi himself, whenever he had a\ndinner-party, made her wait at table, though Ho often entreated him\nto hire a maid.\n\nNow the magistrate at Yen-t\u2018ing was named Ch\u2018\u00ean Tsung-ss\u016d, and once\nwhen Hsi had some trifling difficulty with one of the neighbours he\nwas further accused to this official of having forced his wife to\nassume the position of concubine. The magistrate, however, refused to\ntake up the case, to the great satisfaction of Hsi and his wife, who\nlauded him to the skies as a virtuous mandarin. A few nights after, at\nrather a late hour, the servant knocked at the door, and called out,\n\u201cThe magistrate has come!\u201d Hsi jumped up in a hurry, and began looking\nfor his clothes and shoes; but the magistrate was already in the\nbedroom without either of them understanding what it all meant: when\nsuddenly Ho, examining him closely, cried out, \u201cIt is my son!\u201d She\nthen burst into tears, and the magistrate, throwing himself on the\nground, wept with his mother. It seemed he had taken the name of the\ngentleman with whom he had lived, and had since entered upon an\nofficial career. That on his way to the capital[239] he had made a\n_d\u00e9tour_ and visited his old home, where he heard to his infinite\nsorrow that both his mothers had married again; and that his\nrelatives, finding him already a man of position, had restored to him\nthe family property, of which he had left some one in charge in the\nhope that his father might return. That then he had been appointed to\nYen-t\u2018ing, but had wished to throw up the post and travel in search\nof his father, from which design he had been dissuaded by Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean.\nAlso that he had met a fortune-teller from whom he had obtained the\nfollowing response to his inquiries:--\u201cThe lesser is the greater; the\nyounger is the elder. Seeking the cock, you find the hen; seeking one,\nyou get two. Your official life will be successful.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean then took\nup his appointment, but not finding his father he confined himself\nentirely to a vegetable diet, and gave up the use of wine.[240] The\nabove-mentioned case had subsequently come under his notice, and\nseeing the name Hsi, he quietly sent his private servant to find out,\nand thus discovered that this Hsi was his father. At night-fall he set\noff himself, and when he saw his mother he knew that the\nfortune-teller had told him true. Bidding them all say nothing to\nanybody about what had occurred, he provided money for the journey,\nand sent them back home. On arriving there, they found the place newly\npainted, and with their increased retinue of servants and horses, they\nwere quite a wealthy family. As to Sh\u00ean when she found what a great\nman Ta-nan had become, she put still more restraint upon herself; but\nher brother Pao brought an action for the purpose of reinstating her\nas wife. The presiding official happened to be a man of probity, and\ndelivered the following judgment:--\u201cGreedy of gain you urged your\nsister to re-marry. After she had driven Hsi away, she took two fresh\nhusbands. How have you the face to talk about reinstating her as\nwife?\u201d He thereupon ordered Pao to be severely bambooed, and from this\ntime there was no longer any doubt about Sh\u00ean\u2019s _status_. She was the\nlesser and Ho the greater; and yet in the matter of clothes and food\nHo shewed herself by no means grasping. Sh\u00ean was at first afraid that\nHo would pay her out, and was consequently more than ever repentant;\nand Hsi himself, letting by-gones be by-gones, gave orders that Sh\u00ean\nshould be called _madam_ by all alike, though of course she was\nexcluded from any titles that might be gained for them by Ta-nan.[241]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[236] This is by no means uncommon. The debt of gratitude between\npupil and teacher is second only to that existing between child and\nparent; and a successful student soon has it in his power to more than\nrepay any such act of kindness as that here mentioned.\n\n[237] Which form the unvarying curriculum of a Chinese education.\nThese are (1) the _Four Books_, consisting of the teachings of\nConfucius and Mencius; and (2) the _Five Canons_ (in the\necclesiastical sense of the word) or the Canons of Changes, History,\nPoetry, the Record of Rites, and Spring and Autumn. The _Four Books_\nconsist of:--\n\n(1) The Book of Wisdom, attributed by Chu Hi to Confucius. It is a\ndisquisition upon virtue and the moral elevation of the people.\n\n(2) The _Chung Yung_, or Gospel of Tz\u016d Ss\u016d (the grandson of Confucius)\nwherein the ruling motives of human conduct are traced from their\npsychological source.\n\n(3) The Confucian Gospels, being discourses of the Sage with his\ndisciples on miscellaneous topics.\n\n(4) The Gospels of Mencius.\n\n_The Canon of Changes_ contains a fanciful system of philosophy based\nupon the combinations of eight diagrams said to have been copied from\nthe lines on the back of a tortoise. Ascribed to B.C. 1150.\n\n_The Canon of History_ embraces a period extending from the middle of\nthe 24th century B.C. to B.C. 721. Was edited by Confucius from then\nexisting documents.\n\n_The Canon of Poetry_ is a collection of irregular lyrics in vogue\namong the people many centuries before the Christian era. Collected\nand arranged by Confucius.\n\n_The Record of Rites_ contains a number of rules for the performance\nof ceremonies and guidance of individual conduct.\n\n_Spring and Autumn_ consists of the annals of the petty kingdom of Lu\nfrom 722 to 484 B.C. Is the work of Confucius himself.\n\n[238] See No. XXIII., note 154.\n\n[239] To be presented to the Emperor before taking up his post.\n\n[240] Hoping thus to interest Buddha in his behalf.\n\n[241] In accordance with Chinese usage, by which titles of nobility\nare often conferred upon the _dead_ parents of a distinguished son.\n\n\n\n\nXLII.\n\nTHE WONDERFUL STONE.\n\n\nIn the prefecture of Shun-t\u2018ien[242] there lived a man named Hsing\nY\u00fcn-fei, who was an amateur mineralogist and would pay any price for a\ngood specimen. One day as he was fishing in the river, something\ncaught his net, and diving down he brought up a stone about a foot in\ndiameter, beautifully carved on all sides to resemble clustering hills\nand peaks. He was quite as pleased with this as if he had found some\nprecious stone; and having had an elegant sandal-wood stand made for\nit, he set his prize upon the table. Whenever it was about to rain,\nclouds, which from a distance looked like new cotton wool, would come\nforth from each of the holes or grottoes on the stone, and appear to\nclose them up. By-and-by an influential personage called at the house\nand begged to see the stone, immediately seizing it and handing it\nover to a lusty servant, at the same time whipping his horse and\nriding away. Hsing was in despair; but all he could do was to mourn\nthe loss of his stone, and indulge his anger against the thief.\nMeanwhile, the servant, who had carried off the stone on his back,\nstopped to rest at a bridge; when all of a sudden his hand slipped and\nthe stone fell into the water. His master was extremely put out at\nthis, and gave him a sound beating; subsequently hiring several\ndivers, who tried every means in their power to recover the stone, but\nwere quite unable to find it. He then went away, having first\npublished a notice of reward, and by these means many were tempted to\nseek for the stone. Soon after, Hsing himself came to the spot, and as\nhe mournfully approached the bank, lo! the water became clear, and he\ncould see the stone lying at the bottom. Taking off his clothes he\nquickly jumped in and brought it out, together with the sandal-wood\nstand which was still with it. He carried it off home, but being no\nlonger desirous of shewing it to people, he had an inner room cleaned\nand put it in there. Some time afterwards an old man knocked at the\ndoor and asked to be allowed to see the stone; whereupon Hsing replied\nthat he had lost it a long time ago. \u201cIsn\u2019t that it in the inner\nroom?\u201d said the old man, smiling. \u201cOh, walk in and see for yourself if\nyou don\u2019t believe me,\u201d answered Hsing; and the old man did walk in,\nand there was the stone on the table. This took Hsing very much aback;\nand the old man then laid his hand upon the stone and said, \u201cThis is\nan old family relic of mine: I lost it many months since. How does it\ncome to be here? I pray you now restore it to me.\u201d Hsing didn\u2019t know\nwhat to say, but declared he was the owner of the stone; upon which\nthe old man remarked, \u201cIf it is really yours, what evidence can you\nbring to prove it?\u201d Hsing made no reply; and the old man continued,\n\u201cTo show you that I know this stone, I may mention that it has\naltogether ninety-two grottoes, and that in the largest of these are\nfive words:--\n\n \u2018A stone from Heaven above.\u2019\u201d\n\nHsing looked and found that there were actually some small characters,\nno larger than grains of rice, which by straining his eyes a little he\nmanaged to read; also, that the number of grottoes was as the old man\nhad said. However, he would not give him the stone; and the old man\nlaughed, and asked, \u201cPray, what right have you to keep other people\u2019s\nthings?\u201d He then bowed and went away, Hsing escorting him as far as\nthe door; but when he returned to the room, the stone had disappeared.\nIn a great fright, he ran after the old man, who had walked slowly and\nwas not far off, and seizing his sleeve entreated him to give back the\nstone. \u201cDo you think,\u201d said the latter, \u201cthat I could conceal a stone\na foot in diameter in my sleeve?\u201d But Hsing knew that he must be\nsuperhuman, and led him back to the house, where he threw himself on\nhis knees and begged that he might have the stone. \u201cIs it yours or\nmine?\u201d asked the old man. \u201cOf course it is yours,\u201d replied Hsing,\n\u201cthough I hope you will consent to deny yourself the pleasure of\nkeeping it.\u201d \u201cIn that case,\u201d said the old man, \u201cit is back again;\u201d and\ngoing into the inner room, they found the stone in its old place.\n\u201cThe jewels of this world,\u201d observed Hsing\u2019s visitor, \u201cshould be given\nto those who know how to take care of them. This stone can choose its\nown master, and I am very pleased that it should remain with you; at\nthe same time I must inform you that it was in too great a hurry to\ncome into the world of mortals, and has not yet been freed from all\ncontingent calamities. I had better take it away with me, and three\nyears hence you shall have it again. If, however, you insist on\nkeeping it, then your span of life will be shortened by three years,\nthat your terms of existence may harmonize together. Are you willing?\u201d\nHsing said he was; whereupon the old man with his fingers closed up\nthree of the stone\u2019s grottoes, which yielded to his touch like mud.\nWhen this was done, he turned to Hsing and told him that the grottoes\non that stone represented the years of his life; and then he took his\nleave, firmly refusing to remain any longer, and not disclosing his\nname.\n\nMore than a year after this, Hsing had occasion to go away on\nbusiness, and in the night a thief broke in and carried off the stone,\ntaking nothing else at all. When Hsing came home, he was dreadfully\ngrieved, as if his whole object in life was gone; and made all\npossible inquiries and efforts to get it back, but without the\nslightest result. Some time passed away, when one day going into a\ntemple Hsing noticed a man selling stones, and amongst the rest he saw\nhis old friend. Of course he immediately wanted to regain possession\nof it; but as the stone-seller would not consent, he shouldered the\nstone and went off to the nearest mandarin. The stone-seller was then\nasked what proof he could give that the stone was his; and he replied\nthat the number of grottoes was eighty-nine. Hsing inquired if that\nwas all he had to say, and when the other acknowledged that it was, he\nhimself told the magistrate what were the characters inscribed within,\nalso calling attention to the finger marks at the closed-up grottoes.\nHe therefore gained his case, and the mandarin would have bambooed the\nstone-seller, had he not declared that he bought it in the market for\ntwenty ounces of silver,--whereupon he was dismissed.\n\nA high official next offered Hsing one hundred ounces of silver for\nit; but he refused to sell it even for ten thousand, which so enraged\nthe would-be purchaser that he worked up a case against Hsing,[243]\nand got him put in prison. Hsing was thereby compelled to pawn a great\ndeal of his property; and then the official sent some one to try if\nthe affair could not be managed through his son, to which Hsing, on\nhearing of the attempt, steadily refused to consent, saying that he\nand the stone could not be parted even in death. His wife, however,\nand his son, laid their heads together, and sent the stone to the high\nofficial, and Hsing only heard of it when he arrived home from the\nprison. He cursed his wife and beat his son, and frequently tried to\nmake away with himself, though luckily his servants always managed to\nprevent him from succeeding.[244] At night he dreamt that a\nnoble-looking personage appeared to him, and said, \u201cMy name is Shih\nCh\u2018ing-hs\u00fc--(Stone from Heaven). Do not grieve. I purposely quitted\nyou for a year and more; but next year on the 20th of the eighth moon,\nat dawn, come to the Hai-tai Gate and buy me back for two strings of\ncash.\u201d Hsing was overjoyed at this dream, and carefully took down the\nday mentioned. Meanwhile the stone was at the official\u2019s private\nhouse; but as the cloud manifestations ceased, the stone was less and\nless prized; and the following year when the official was disgraced\nfor maladministration and subsequently died, Hsing met some of his\nservants at the Hai-tai Gate going off to sell the stone, and\npurchased it back from them for two strings of cash.\n\nHsing lived till he was eighty-nine; and then having prepared the\nnecessaries for his interment, bade his son bury the stone with\nhim,[245] which was accordingly done. Six months later robbers broke\ninto the vault[246] and made off with the stone, and his son tried in\nvain to secure their capture; however, a few days afterwards, he was\ntravelling with his servants, when suddenly two men rushed forth\ndripping with perspiration, and looking up into the air, acknowledged\ntheir crime, saying, \u201cMr. Hsing, please don\u2019t torment us thus! We took\nthe stone, and sold it for only four ounces of silver.\u201d Hsing\u2019s son\nand his servants then seized these men, and took them before the\nmagistrate, where they at once acknowledged their guilt. Asking what\nhad become of the stone, they said they had sold it to a member of the\nmagistrate\u2019s family; and when it was produced, that official took such\na fancy to it that he gave it to one of his servants and bade him\nplace it in the treasury. Thereupon the stone slipped out of the\nservant\u2019s hand and broke into a hundred pieces, to the great\nastonishment of all present. The magistrate now had the thieves\nbambooed and sent them away; but Hsing\u2019s son picked up the broken\npieces of the stone, and buried them in his father\u2019s grave.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[242] In which Peking is situated.\n\n[243] A common form of revenge in China, and one which is easily\ncarried through when the prosecutor is a man of wealth and influence.\n\n[244] Another favourite method of revenging oneself upon an enemy, who\nis in many cases held responsible for the death thus occasioned. Mr.\nAlabaster told me an amusing story of a Chinese woman who deliberately\nwalked into a pond until the water reached her knees, and remained\nthere alternately putting her lips below the surface and threatening\nin a loud voice to drown herself on the spot, as life had been made\nunbearable by the presence of foreign barbarians. This was during the\nTaiping rebellion.\n\n[245] Valuables of some kind or other are often placed in the coffins\nof wealthy Chinese; and women are almost always provided with a\ncertain quantity of jewels with which to adorn themselves in the\nrealms below.\n\n[246] One of the most heinous offences in the Chinese Penal Code.\n\n\n\n\nXLIII.\n\nTHE QUARRELSOME BROTHERS.\n\n\nAt K\u2018un-yang there lived a wealthy man named Ts\u00eang. When he died, and\nbefore he was put in the coffin, tears were seen to gush forth from\nboth eyes of the corpse, to the infinite amazement of his six sons.\nHis second son, T\u2018i, otherwise called Yu-y\u00fc, who had gained for\nhimself the reputation of being a scholar, said it was a bad omen, and\nwarned his brothers to be careful and not give cause for sorrow to the\ndead,--at which the others only laughed at him as an idiot.\n\nTs\u00eang\u2019s first wife and eldest son having been carried off by the\nrebels when the latter was only seven or eight years old, he married a\nsecond wife, by whom he had three sons, Hsiao, Chung, and Hsin;\nbesides three other sons by a concubine--namely, the above-mentioned\nT\u2018i, or Yu-y\u00fc, Jen, and Yi. Now the three by the second wife banded\nthemselves together against the three by the concubine, saying that\nthe latter were a base-born lot; and whenever a guest was present and\neither of them happened to be in the room, Hsiao and his two brothers\nwould not take the slightest notice of them. This enraged Jen and Yi\nvery much, and they went to consult with Yu-y\u00fc as to how they should\navenge themselves for such slights. Yu-y\u00fc, however, tried every means\nin his power to pacify them, and would not take part in any plot; and,\nas they were much younger than he, they took his advice,[247] and did\nnothing.\n\nHsiao had a daughter, who died shortly after her marriage to a Mr.\nChou; and her father begged Yu-y\u00fc and his other brothers to go with\nhim and give his late daughter\u2019s mother-in-law a sound beating.[248]\nYu-y\u00fc would not hear of it for a moment; so Hsiao in a rage got his\nbrothers Chung and Hsin, with a lot of rowdies from the neighbourhood,\nand went off and did it themselves, scattering the goods and chattels\nof the family about, and smashing everything they could lay their\nhands on. An action was immediately brought by the Chou family, and\nHsiao and his two brothers were thrown into prison by the angry\nmandarin, who purposed sending the case before a higher tribunal.\nYu-y\u00fc, however, whose high character was well known to that official,\ninterceded for them, and himself went to the Chou family and tendered\nthe most humble apologies for what had occurred. The Chou family, out\nof respect for Yu-y\u00fc, suffered the case to drop, and Hsiao regained\nhis liberty, though he did not evince the slightest gratitude for his\nbrother\u2019s exertions. Shortly after, Yu-y\u00fc\u2019s mother died; but Hsiao and\nthe other two refused to put on mourning for her, going on with their\nusual feasting and drinking as if nothing had happened. Jen and Yi\nwere furious at this; but Yu-y\u00fc only observed, \u201cWhat they do is their\nown indecorous behaviour; it does not injure us.\u201d Then, again, when\nthe funeral was about to take place, Hsiao, Chung, and Hsin stood\nbefore the door of the vault, and would not allow the others to bury\ntheir mother there. So Yu-y\u00fc buried her alongside the principal grave.\nBefore long Hsiao\u2019s wife died, and Yu-y\u00fc told Jen and Yi to accompany\nhim to the house and condole with the widower; to which they both\nobjected, saying, \u201cHe would not wear mourning for our mother; shall we\ndo so for his wife?\u201d[249] Ultimately Yu-y\u00fc had to go alone; and while\nhe was pouring forth his lamentations beside the bier, he heard Jen\nand Yi playing drums and trumpets outside the door. Hsiao flew into a\ntremendous passion, and went after them with his own two brothers to\ngive them a good thrashing. Yu-y\u00fc, too, seized a big stick and\naccompanied them to the house where Jen and Yi were; whereupon Jen\nmade his escape; but as Yi was clambering over the wall, Yu-y\u00fc hit him\nfrom behind and knocked him down. Hsiao and the others then set upon\nhim with their fists and sticks, and would never have stopped but that\nYu-y\u00fc interposed his body between them and made them desist. Hsiao was\nvery angry at this, and began to abuse Yu-y\u00fc, who said, \u201cThe\npunishment was for want of decorum, for which death would be too\nsevere. I can neither connive at their bad behaviour, nor at your\ncruelty. If your anger is not appeased, strike me.\u201d Hsiao now turned\nhis fury against Yu-y\u00fc, and being well seconded by his two brothers,\nthey beat Yu-y\u00fc until the neighbours separated them and put an end to\nthe row. Yu-y\u00fc at once proceeded to Hsiao\u2019s house to apologize for\nwhat had occurred; but Hsiao drove him away, and would not let him\ntake part in the funeral ceremonies. Meanwhile, as Yi\u2019s wounds were\nvery severe, and he could neither eat nor drink, his brother Jen went\non his behalf to the magistrate, stating in the petition that the\naccused had not worn mourning for their father\u2019s concubine. The\nmagistrate issued a warrant; and, besides causing the arrest of Hsiao,\nChung, and Hsin, he ordered Yu-y\u00fc to prosecute them as well. Yu-y\u00fc,\nhowever, was so much cut about the head and face that he could not\nappear in court, but he wrote out a petition, in which he begged that\nthe case might be quashed; and this the magistrate consented to do. Yi\nsoon got better, the feeling of hatred and resentment increasing in\nthe family day by day; while Jen and Yi, who were younger than the\nothers, complained to Yu-y\u00fc of their recent punishment, saying, \u201cThe\nrelationship of elder and younger brothers exists for others, why not\nfor us?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied Yu-y\u00fc, \u201cthat is what I might well say; not\nyou.\u201d Yu-y\u00fc then tried to persuade them to forget the past; but, not\nsucceeding in his attempt, he shut up his house, and went off with his\nwife to live somewhere else, about twenty miles away. Now, although\nwhen Yu-y\u00fc was among them he did not help the two younger ones, yet\nhis presence acted as some restraint upon Hsiao and the other two; but\nnow that he was gone their conduct was beyond all bounds. They sought\nout Jen and Yi in their own houses, and not only reviled them, but\nabused the memory of their dead mother, against which Jen and Yi could\nonly retaliate by keeping the door shut against them. However, they\ndetermined to do them some injury, and carried knives about with them\nwherever they went for that purpose.\n\nOne day the eldest brother, Ch\u2018\u00eang, who had been carried off by the\nrebels, returned with his wife; and, after three days\u2019 deliberation,\nHsiao and the other two determined that, as he had been so long\nseparated from the family, he had no further claims upon them for\nhouse-room, &c. Jen and Yi were secretly delighted at this result, and\nat once inviting Ch\u2018\u00eang to stay with them, sent news of his arrival to\nYu-y\u00fc, who came back directly, and agreed with the others to hand over\na share of the property to their elder brother. Hsiao and his clique\nwere much enraged at this purchase of Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s good will, and,\nhurrying to their brothers\u2019 houses, assailed them with every possible\nkind of abuse. Ch\u2018\u00eang, who had long been accustomed to scenes of\nviolence among the rebels, now got into a great passion, and cried\nout, \u201cWhen I came home none of you would give me a place to live in.\nOnly these younger ones recognised the ties of blood,[250] and you\nwould punish them for so doing. Do you think to drive me away?\u201d\nThereupon he threw a stone at Hsiao and knocked him down; and Jen and\nYi rushed out with clubs and gave the three of them a severe\nthrashing. Ch\u2018\u00eang did not wait for them to lay a plaint, but set off\nto the magistrate on the spot, and preferred a charge against his\nthree brothers. The magistrate, as before, sent for Yu-y\u00fc to ask his\nopinion, and Yu-y\u00fc had no alternative but to go, entering the yam\u00ean\nwith downcast head, his tears flowing in silence all the while. The\nmagistrate inquired of him how the matter stood; to which he replied\nonly by begging His Honour to hear the case; which the magistrate\naccordingly did, deciding that the whole of the property was to be\ndivided equally among the seven brothers. Thenceforth Jen and Yi\nbecame more and more attached to Ch\u2018\u00eang; and one day, in conversation,\nthey happened to tell him the story of their mother\u2019s funeral. Ch\u2018\u00eang\nwas exceedingly angry, and declared that such behaviour was that of\nbrute beasts, proposing at the same time that the vault should be\nopened and that she should be re-buried in the proper place. Jen and\nYi went off and told this to Yu-y\u00fc, who immediately came and begged\nCh\u2018\u00eang to desist from his scheme; to which, however, he paid no\nattention, and fixed a day for her interment in the family vault. He\nthen built a hut near by, and, with a knife lopping the branches off\nthe trees, informed the brothers that any of them who did not appear\nat the funeral in the usual mourning would be treated by him in a\nmanner similar to the trees. So they were all obliged to go, and the\nobsequies were conducted in a fitting manner. The brothers were now at\npeace together, Ch\u2018\u00eang keeping them in first-rate order, and always\ntreating Hsiao, Chung, and Hsin with much more severity than the\nothers. To Yu-y\u00fc he shewed a marked deference, and, whenever he was in\na rage, would always be appeased by a word from him. Hsiao, too, was\nalways going to Yu-y\u00fc to complain of the treatment he received at\nCh\u2018\u00eang\u2019s hands when he did anything that Ch\u2018\u00eang disapproved of; and\nthen, if Yu-y\u00fc quietly reproved him, he would be dissatisfied, so that\nat last Yu-y\u00fc could stand it no longer, and again went away and took a\nhouse at a considerable distance, where he remained almost entirely\ncut off from the others. By the time two years had passed away Ch\u2018\u00eang\nhad completely succeeded in establishing harmony amongst them, and\nquarrels were of rare occurrence. Hsiao was then forty-six years old,\nand had five sons; Chi-yeh and Chi-t\u00ea, the first and third, by his\nwife; Chi-kung and Chi-chi, the second and fourth, by a concubine;\nand Chi-tsu, by a slave. They were all grown up, and exactly imitated\ntheir father\u2019s former behaviour, banding themselves together one\nagainst the other, and so on, without their father being able to make\nthem behave better. Chi-tsu had no brothers of his own, and, being the\nyoungest, the others bullied him dreadfully; until at length, being on\na visit to his wife\u2019s family, who lived not far from Yu-y\u00fc\u2019s house, he\nwent slightly out of his way to call and see his uncle. There he found\nhis three cousins living peaceably together and pursuing their\nstudies, and was so pleased that he remained with them some time, and\nsaid not a word as to returning home. His uncle urged him to go back,\nbut he entreated to be allowed to stay; and then his uncle told him it\nwas not that he grudged his daily food: it was because his father and\nmother did not know where he was. Chi-tsu accordingly went home, and a\nfew months afterwards, when he and his wife were on the point of\nstarting to congratulate his wife\u2019s mother on the anniversary of her\nbirthday, he explained to his father that he should not come home\nagain. When his father asked him why not, he partly divulged his\nreasons for going; whereupon his father said he was afraid his uncle\nwould bear malice for what happened in the past, and that he would not\nbe able to remain there long. \u201cFather,\u201d replied Chi-tsu, \u201cuncle Yu-y\u00fc\nis a good and virtuous man.\u201d He set out with his wife, and when they\narrived Yu-y\u00fc gave them separate quarters, and made Chi-tsu rank as\none of his own sons, making him join the eldest, Chi-san, in his\nstudies. Chi-tsu was a clever fellow, and now enrolled himself as a\nresident of the place where his uncle lived.[251]\n\nMeanwhile, his brothers went on quarrelling among themselves as usual;\nand one day Chi-kung, enraged at an insult offered to his mother,\nkilled Chi-yeh. He was immediately thrown into prison, where he was\nseverely bambooed, and in a few days he died. Chi-yeh\u2019s wife, whose\nmaiden name was F\u00eang, now spent the days of mourning in cursing her\nhusband\u2019s murderer; and when Chi-kung\u2019s wife heard this, she flew into\na towering passion, and said to her, \u201cIf your husband is dead, mine\nisn\u2019t alive.\u201d She then drew a knife and killed her, completing the\ntragedy by herself committing suicide in a well.\n\nMr. F\u00eang, the father of the murdered woman, was very much distressed\nat his daughter\u2019s untimely end; and, taking with him several members\nof the family with arms concealed under their clothes, they proceeded\nto Hsiao\u2019s house, and there gave his wife a most terrific beating. It\nwas now Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s turn to be angry. \u201cThe members of my family are dying\nlike sheep,\u201d cried he; \u201cwhat do you mean by this, Mr. F\u00eang?\u201d He then\nrushed out upon them with a roar, accompanied by all his own brothers\nand their sons; and the F\u00eang family was utterly routed. Seizing old\nF\u00eang himself, Ch\u2018\u00eang cut off both his ears; and when his son tried to\nrescue him, Chi-chi ran up and broke both his legs with an iron\ncrowbar. Every one of the F\u00eang family was badly wounded, and thus\ndispersed, leaving old F\u00eang\u2019s son lying in the middle of the road. The\nothers not knowing what to do with him, Ch\u2018\u00eang took him under his arm,\nand, having thrown him down in the F\u00eang village, returned home, giving\norders to Chi-chi to go immediately to the authorities and enter their\nplaint the first.[252]\n\nThe F\u00eang family had, however, anticipated them, and all the Ts\u00eangs\nwere accordingly thrown into prison, except Chung, who managed to\nescape. He ran away to the place where Yu-y\u00fc lived, and was pacing\nbackwards and forwards before the door, afraid lest his brother should\nnot have forgiven past offences, when suddenly Yu-y\u00fc, with his son and\nnephew, arrived, on their return from the examination. \u201cWhat do you\nwant, my brother?\u201d asked Yu-y\u00fc; whereupon Chung prostrated himself at\nthe roadside, and then Yu-y\u00fc, seizing his hand, led him within to make\nfurther inquiries. \u201cAlas! alas!\u201d cried Yu-y\u00fc, when he had heard the\nstory, \u201cI knew that some dreadful calamity would be the result of all\nthis wicked behaviour. But why have you come hither? I have been\nabsent so long that I am no more acquainted with the local\nauthorities; and if I now went to ask a favour of them, I should\nprobably only be insulted for my pains. However, if none of the F\u00eang\nfamily die of their wounds, and if we three may chance to be\nsuccessful in our examination, something may perhaps be done to\nmitigate this calamity.\u201d[253] Yu-y\u00fc then kept Chung to dinner, and at\nnight he shared their room, which kind treatment made him at once\ngrateful and repentant. By the end of ten days he was so struck with\nthe behaviour of the father, sons, uncle, nephew, and cousins, one\ntoward the other, that he burst into tears, and said, \u201cNow I know how\nbadly I behaved in days gone by.\u201d His uncle was overjoyed at his\nrepentance, and sympathised with his feelings, when suddenly it was\nannounced that Yu-y\u00fc and his son had both passed the examination for\nmaster\u2019s degree, and that Chi-tsu was _proxim\u00e9 accessit_. This\ndelighted them all very much. They did not, however, attend the\nFu-t\u2018ai\u2019s congratulatory feast,[254] but went off first to worship at\nthe tombs of their ancestors.\n\nNow, at the time of the Ming dynasty a man who had taken his master\u2019s\ndegree was a very considerable personage,[255] and the F\u00eangs\naccordingly began to draw in their horns. Yu-y\u00fc, too, met them\nhalf-way. He got a friend to convey to them presents of food and money\nto help them in recovering from their injuries, and thus the\nprosecution was withdrawn. Then all his brothers implored him with\ntears in their eyes to return home, and, after burning incense with\nthem,[256] and making them enter into a bond with him that by-gones\nshould be by-gones, he acceded to their request. Chi-tsu, however,\nwould not leave his uncle; and Hsiao himself said to Yu-y\u00fc, \u201cI don\u2019t\ndeserve such a son as that. Keep him, and teach him as you have done\nhitherto, and let him be as one of your own children; but if at some\nfuture time he succeeds in his examination, then I will beg you to\nreturn him to me.\u201d Yu-y\u00fc consented to this; and three years afterwards\nChi-tsu did take his master\u2019s degree, upon which he sent him back to\nhis own family.\n\nBoth husband and wife were very loth to leave their uncle\u2019s house, and\nthey had hardly been at home three days before one of their children,\nonly three years old, ran away and went back, returning to his\ngreat-uncle\u2019s as often as he was recaptured. This induced Hsiao to\nremove to the next house to Yu-y\u00fc\u2019s, and, by opening a door between\nthe two, they made one establishment of the whole. Ch\u2018\u00eang was now\ngetting old, and the family affairs devolved entirely upon Yu-y\u00fc, who\nmanaged things so well that their reputation for filial piety and\nfraternal love was soon spread far and wide.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[247] Deference to elder brothers is held by the Chinese to be second\nonly in importance to filial piety.\n\n[248] In a volume of _Chinese Sketches_, published by me in 1876,\noccur (p. 129) the following words:--\u201cOccasionally a young wife is\ndriven to commit suicide by the harshness of her mother-in-law, but\nthis is of rare occurrence, as the consequences are terrible to the\nfamily of the guilty woman. The blood-relatives of the deceased repair\nto the chamber of death, and in the injured victim\u2019s hand they place a\nbroom. They then support the corpse round the room, making its dead\narm move the broom from side to side, and thus sweep away wealth,\nhappiness, and longevity, from the accursed place for ever.\u201d\n\n[249] A wife being an infinitely less important personage than a\nmother in the Chinese social scale.\n\n[250] Literally, of hand and foot, to the mutual dependence of which\nthat of brothers is frequently likened by the Chinese.\n\n[251] Any permanent change of residence must be notified to the\nDistrict Magistrate, who keeps a running census of all persons within\nhis jurisdiction.\n\n[252] To be thus beforehand with one\u2019s adversary is regarded as _prim\u00e2\nfacie_ evidence of being in the right.\n\n[253] By means of the _status_ which a graduate of the second degree\nwould necessarily have.\n\n[254] A sham entertainment given by the Fu-t\u2018ai, or governor, to all\nthe successful candidates. I say _sham_, because the whole thing is\nmerely nominal; a certain amount of food is contracted for, but there\nis never anything fit to eat, most of the money being embezzled by the\nunderlings to whose management the banquet is entrusted.\n\n[255] Much more so than at present.\n\n[256] Thereby invoking the Gods as witnesses. A common method of\nmaking up a quarrel in China is to send the aggrieved party an olive\nand a piece of red paper in token that peace is restored. Why the\n_olive_ should be specially employed I have in vain tried to\nascertain.\n\n\n\n\nXLIV.\n\nTHE YOUNG GENTLEMAN WHO COULDN\u2019T SPELL.[257]\n\n\nAt Chia-p\u2018ing there lived a certain young gentleman of considerable\ntalent and very prepossessing appearance. When seventeen years of age\nhe went up for his bachelor\u2019s degree; and as he was passing the door\nof a house, he saw within a pretty-looking girl, who not only riveted\nhis gaze, but also smiled and nodded her head at him. Quite pleased at\nthis, he approached the young lady and began to talk, she, meanwhile,\ninquiring of him where he lived, and if alone or otherwise. He assured\nher he was quite by himself; and then she said, \u201cWell, I will come and\nsee you, but you mustn\u2019t let any one know.\u201d The young gentleman\nagreed, and when he got home he sent all the servants to another part\nof the house, and by-and-by the young lady arrived. She said her name\nwas W\u00ean-chi, and that her admiration for her host\u2019s noble bearing had\nmade her visit him, unknown to her mistress. \u201cAnd gladly,\u201d added she,\n\u201cwould I be your handmaid for life.\u201d Our hero was delighted, and\nproposed to purchase her from the mistress she mentioned; and from\nthis time she was in the habit of coming in every other day or so. On\none occasion it was raining hard, and, after hanging up her wet cloak\nupon a peg, she took off her shoes, and bade the young gentleman clean\nthem for her. He noticed that they were newly embroidered with all the\ncolours of the rainbow, but utterly spoilt by the soaking rain; and\nwas just saying what a pity it was, when the young lady cried out, \u201cI\nshould never have asked you to do such menial work except to show my\nlove for you.\u201d All this time the rain was falling fast outside, and\nW\u00ean-chi now repeated the following line:--\n\n \u201cA nipping wind and chilly rain fill the river and the city.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere,\u201d said she, \u201ccap that.\u201d The young gentleman replied that he\ncould not, as he did not even understand what it meant. \u201cOh, really,\u201d\nretorted the young lady, \u201cif you\u2019re not more of a scholar than that, I\nshall begin to think very little of you.\u201d She then told him he had\nbetter practice making verses, and he promised he would do so.\n\nBy degrees Miss W\u00ean-chi\u2019s frequent visits attracted the notice of the\nservants, as also of a brother-in-law named Sung, who was likewise a\ngentleman of position; and the latter begged our hero to be allowed\nto have a peep at her. He was told in reply that the young lady had\nstrictly forbidden that any one should see her; however, he concealed\nhimself in the servants\u2019 quarters, and when she arrived he looked at\nher through the window. Almost beside himself, he now opened the door;\nwhereupon W\u00ean-chi jumping up, vaulted over the wall and disappeared.\nSung was really smitten with her, and went off to her mistress to try\nand arrange for her purchase; but when he mentioned W\u00ean-chi\u2019s name, he\nwas informed that they had once had such a girl, who had died several\nyears previously. In great amazement Sung went back and told his\nbrother-in-law, and he now knew that his beloved W\u00ean-chi was a\ndisembodied spirit. So when she came again he asked her if it was so;\nto which she replied, \u201cIt is; but as you wanted a nice wife and I a\nhandsome husband, I thought we should be a suitable pair. What matters\nit that one is a mortal and the other a spirit?\u201d The young gentleman\nthoroughly coincided in her view of the case; and when his examination\nwas over, and he was homeward bound, W\u00ean-chi accompanied him,\ninvisible to others and visible to him alone. Arriving at his parents\u2019\nhouse, he installed her in the library; and the day she went to pay\nthe customary bride\u2019s visit to her father and mother,[258] he told his\nown mother the whole story. She and his father were greatly alarmed,\nand ordered him to have no more to do with her; but he would not\nlisten to this, and then his parents tried by all kinds of devices to\nget rid of the girl, none of which met with any success.\n\nOne day our hero had left upon the table some written instructions for\none of the servants, wherein he had made a number of mistakes in\nspelling, such as _paper_ for _pepper_, _jinjer_ for _ginger_, and so\non; and when W\u00ean-chi saw this, she wrote at the foot:--\n\n \u201cPaper for pepper do I see?\n Jinjer for ginger can it be?\n Of such a husband I\u2019m afraid;\n I\u2019d rather be a servant-maid.\u201d\n\nShe then said to the young gentleman, \u201cImagining you to be a man of\nculture, I hid my blushes and sought you out the first.[259] Alas,\nyour qualifications are on the outside; should I not thus be a\nlaughing-stock to all?\u201d She then disappeared, at which the young\ngentleman was much hurt; but not knowing to what she alluded, he gave\nthe instructions to his servant, and so made himself the butt of all\nwho heard the story.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[257] Of course there is no such thing as spelling, in our sense of\nthe term, in Chinese. But characters are frequently written with too\nmany or too few strokes, and may thus be said to be incorrectly spelt.\n\n[258] A ceremonial visit made on the third day after marriage.\n\n[259] Contrary to all Chinese notions of modesty and etiquette.\n\n\n\n\nXLV.\n\nTHE TIGER GUEST.\n\n\nA young man named Kung, a native of Min-chou, on his way to the\nexamination at Hsi-ngan, rested awhile in an inn, and ordered some\nwine to drink. Just then a very tall and noble-looking stranger walked\nin, and, seating himself by the side of Kung, entered into\nconversation with him. Kung offered him a cup of wine, which the\nstranger did not refuse; saying, at the same time, that his name was\nMiao. But he was a rough, coarse fellow; and Kung, therefore, when the\nwine was finished, did not call for any more. Miao then rose, and\nobserving that Kung did not appreciate a man of his capacity, went out\ninto the market to buy some, returning shortly with a huge bowl full.\nKung declined the proffered wine; but Miao, seizing his arm to\npersuade him, gripped it so painfully that Kung was forced to drink a\nfew more cups, Miao himself swilling away as hard as he could go out\nof a soup-plate. \u201cI am not good at entertaining people,\u201d cried Miao,\nat length; \u201cpray go on or stop just as you please.\u201d Kung accordingly\nput together his things and went off; but he had not gone more than a\nfew miles when his horse was taken ill, and lay down in the road.\nWhile he was waiting there with all his heavy baggage, revolving in\nhis mind what he should do, up came Mr. Miao; who, when he heard what\nwas the matter, took off his coat and handed it to the servant, and\nlifting up the horse, carried it off on his back to the nearest inn,\nwhich was about six or seven miles distant. Arriving there he put the\nanimal in the stable, and before long Kung and his servants arrived\ntoo. Kung was much astonished at Mr. Miao\u2019s feat; and, believing him\nto be superhuman, began to treat him with the utmost deference,\nordering both wine and food to be procured for their refreshment. \u201cMy\nappetite,\u201d remarked Miao, \u201cis one that you could not easily satisfy.\nLet us stick to wine.\u201d So they finished another stoup together, and\nthen Miao got up and took his leave, saying, \u201cIt will be some time\nbefore your horse is well; I cannot wait for you.\u201d He then went away.\n\nAfter the examination several friends of Kung\u2019s invited him to join\nthem in a picnic to the Flowery Hill; and just as they were all\nfeasting and laughing together, lo! Mr. Miao walked up. In one hand he\nheld a large flagon, and in the other a ham, both of which he laid\ndown on the ground before them. \u201cHearing,\u201d said he, \u201cthat you\ngentlemen were coming here, I have tacked myself on to you, like a fly\nto a horse\u2019s tail.\u201d[260] Kung and his friends then rose and received\nhim with the usual ceremonies, after which they all sat down\npromiscuously.[261] By-and-by, when the wine had gone round pretty\nfreely, some one proposed capping verses; whereupon Miao cried out,\n\u201cOh, we\u2019re very jolly drinking like this; what\u2019s the use of making\noneself uncomfortable?\u201d The others, however, would not listen to him,\nand agreed that as a forfeit a huge goblet of wine should be drunk by\nany defaulter. \u201cLet us rather make death the penalty,\u201d said Miao; to\nwhich they replied, laughing, that such a punishment was a trifle too\nsevere; and then Miao retorted that if it was not to be death, even a\nrough fellow like himself might be able to join. A Mr. Chin, who was\nsitting at the top of the line, then began:--\n\n \u201cFrom the hill-top high, wide extends the gaze--\u201d\n\nupon which Miao immediately carried on with\n\n \u201cRedly gleams the sword o\u2019er the shattered vase.\u201d[262]\n\nThe next gentleman thought for a long time, during which Miao was\nhelping himself to wine; and by-and-by they had all capped the verse,\nbut so wretchedly that Miao called out, \u201cOh, come! if we aren\u2019t to be\nfined for these,[263] we had better abstain from making any more.\u201d As\nnone of them would agree to this, Miao could stand it no longer, and\nroared like a dragon till the hills and valleys echoed again. He then\nwent down on his hands and knees, and jumped about like a lion, which\nutterly confused the poets, and put an end to their lucubrations. The\nwine had now been round a good many times, and being half tipsy each\nbegan to repeat to the other the verses he had handed in at the recent\nexamination,[264] all at the same time indulging in any amount of\nmutual flattery. This so disgusted Miao that he drew Kung aside to\nhave a game at \u201cguess-fingers;\u201d[265] but as they went on droning away\nall the same, he at length cried out, \u201cDo stop your rubbish, fit only\nfor your own wives,[266] and not for general company.\u201d The others were\nmuch abashed at this, and so angry were they at Miao\u2019s rudeness that\nthey went on repeating all the louder. Miao then threw himself on the\nground in a passion, and with a roar changed into a tiger, immediately\nspringing upon the company, and killing them all except Kung and Mr.\nChin. He then ran off roaring loudly. Now this Mr. Chin succeeded in\ntaking his master\u2019s degree; and three years afterwards, happening to\nrevisit the Flowery Hill, he beheld a Mr. Chi, one of those very\ngentlemen who had previously been killed by the tiger. In great alarm\nhe was making off, when Chi seized his bridle and would not let him\nproceed. So he got down from his horse, and inquired what was the\nmatter; to which Chi replied, \u201cI am now the slave of Miao, and have to\nendure bitter toil for him. He must kill some one else before I can be\nset free.[267] Three days hence a man, arrayed in the robes and cap\nof a scholar, should be eaten by the tiger at the foot of the\nTs\u2018ang-lung Hill. Do you on that day take some gentleman thither, and\nthus help your old friend.\u201d Chin was too frightened to say much, but\npromising that he would do so, rode away home. He then began to\nconsider the matter over with himself, and, regarding it as a plot, he\ndetermined to break his engagement, and let his friend remain the\ntiger\u2019s devil. He chanced, however, to repeat the story to a Mr.\nChiang who was a relative of his, and one of the local scholars; and\nas this gentleman had a grudge against another scholar, named Yu, who\nhad come out equal with him at the examination, he made up his mind to\ndestroy him. So he invited Yu to accompany him on that day to the\nplace in question, mentioning that he himself should appear in undress\nonly. Yu could not make out the reason for this; but when he reached\nthe spot there he found all kinds of wine and food ready for his\nentertainment. Now that very day the Prefect had come to the hill; and\nbeing a friend of the Chiang family, and hearing that Chiang was\nbelow, sent for him to come up. Chiang did not dare to appear before\nhim in undress, and borrowed Yu\u2019s clothes and hat; but he had no\nsooner got them on than out rushed the tiger and carried him away in\nits mouth.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[260] Alluding to a well-known expression which occurs in the\n_Historical Record_, and is often used in the sense of deriving\nadvantage from connection with some influential person.\n\n[261] Without any regard to precedence, which plays quite as important\na part at a Chinese as at a western dinner-party. In China, however,\nthe most honoured guest sits at (what may be called) the head of the\ntable, the host at the foot. I say \u201cwhat may be called,\u201d as Chinese\ndining-tables are almost invariably square, and position alone\ndetermines which is the head and which the foot. They are usually made\nto accommodate eight persons; hence the fancy name \u201ceight-angel\ntable,\u201d in allusion to the eight famous angels, or Immortals, of the\nTaoist religion. (See No. V., note 48.) Occasionally, round tables are\nused; especially in cases where the party consists of some such number\nas ten.\n\n[262] It is almost impossible to give in translation the true spirit\nof a Chinese antithetical couplet. There are so many points to be\nbrought out, each word of the second line being in opposition both in\ntone and sense to a corresponding word in the first, that anything\nbeyond a rough rendering of the idea conveyed would be superfluous in\na work like this. Suffice it to say that Miao has here successfully\ncapped the verse given; and the more so because he has introduced,\nthrough the medium of \u201csword\u201d and \u201cshattered vase,\u201d an allusion to a\nclassical story in which a certain Wang Tun, when drunk with wine,\nbeat time on a vase with his sword, and smashed the lip.\n\n[263] This is the _vel ego vel Cluvienus_ style of satire, his own\nverse having been particularly good.\n\n[264] Many candidates, successful or otherwise, have their verses and\nessays printed, and circulate them among an admiring circle of\nfriends.\n\n[265] Accurately described in Tylor\u2019s _Primitive Culture_, Vol. I., p.\n75:--\u201cEach player throws out a hand, and the sum of all the fingers\nshown has to be called, the successful caller scoring a point;\npractically each calls the total before he sees his adversary\u2019s hand.\u201d\nThe insertion of the word \u201csimultaneously\u201d after \u201ccalled\u201d would\nimprove this description. This game is so noisy that the Hong-kong\nauthorities have forbidden it, except within certain authorised\nlimits, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.--Ordinance No. 2 of\n1872.\n\n[266] This delicate stroke is of itself sufficient to prove the truth\nof the oft-quoted Chinese saying, that all between the Four Seas are\nbrothers.\n\n[267] The \u201csubstitution\u201d theory by which disembodied spirits are\nenabled to find their way back to the world of mortals. A very\ninteresting and important example of this belief occurs in a later\nstory (No. CVII.), for which place I reserve further comments.\n\n\n\n\nXLVI.\n\nTHE SISTERS.\n\n\nHis Excellency the Grand Secretary Mao came from an obscure family in\nthe district of Yeh, his father being only a poor cow-herd. At the\nsame place there resided a wealthy gentleman, named Chang, who owned a\nburial-ground in the neighbourhood; and some one informed him that\nwhile passing by he had heard sounds of wrangling from within the\ngrave, and voices saying, \u201cMake haste and go away; do not disturb His\nExcellency\u2019s home.\u201d Chang did not much believe this; but subsequently\nhe had several dreams in which he was told that the burial-ground in\nquestion really belonged to the Mao family, and that he had no right\nwhatever to it. From this moment the affairs of his house began to go\nwrong;[268] and at length he listened to the remonstrances of friends\nand removed his dead elsewhere.\n\nOne day Mao\u2019s father, the cow-herd, was out near this burial-ground,\nwhen, a storm of rain coming on, he took refuge in the now empty\ngrave, while the rain came down harder than ever, and by-and-by\nflooded the whole place and drowned the old man. The Grand Secretary\nwas then a mere boy, and his mother went off to Chang to beg a piece\nof ground wherein to bury her dead husband. When Chang heard her name\nhe was greatly astonished; and on going to look at the spot where the\nold man was drowned, found that it was exactly at the proper place for\nthe coffin. More than ever amazed, he gave orders that the body should\nbe buried there in the old grave, and also bade Mao\u2019s mother bring her\nson to see him. When the funeral was over, she went with Mao to Mr.\nChang\u2019s house, to thank him for his kindness; and so pleased was he\nwith the boy that he kept him to be educated, ranking him as one of\nhis own sons. He also said he would give him his eldest daughter as a\nwife, an offer which Mao\u2019s mother hardly dared accept; but Mrs. Chang\nsaid that the thing was settled and couldn\u2019t be altered, so then she\nwas obliged to consent. The young lady, however, had a great contempt\nfor Mao, and made no effort to disguise her feelings; and if any one\nspoke to her of him, she would put her fingers in her ears, declaring\nshe would die sooner than marry the cow-boy. On the day appointed for\nthe wedding, the bridegroom arrived, and was feasted within, while\noutside the door a handsome chair was in waiting to convey away the\nbride, who all this time was standing crying in a corner, wiping her\neyes with her sleeve, and absolutely refusing to dress. Just then the\nbridegroom sent in to say he was going,[269] and the drums and\ntrumpets struck up the wedding march, at which the bride\u2019s tears only\nfell the faster as her hair hung dishevelled down her back. Her father\nmanaged to detain Mao awhile, and went in to urge his daughter to make\nhaste, she weeping bitterly as if she did not hear what he was saying.\nHe now got into a rage, which only made her cry the louder; and in the\nmiddle of it all a servant came to say the bridegroom wished to take\nhis leave. The father ran out and said his daughter wasn\u2019t quite\nready, begging Mao to wait a little longer; and then hurried back\nagain to the bride. Thus they went on for some time, backwards and\nforwards, until at last things began to look serious, for the young\nlady obstinately refused to yield; and Mr. Chang was ready to commit\nsuicide for want of anything better. Just then his second daughter was\nstanding by upbraiding her elder sister for her disobedience, when\nsuddenly the latter turned round in a rage, and cried out, \u201cSo you are\nimitating the rest of them, you little minx; why don\u2019t you go and\nmarry him yourself?\u201d \u201cMy father did not betroth me to Mr. Mao,\u201d\nanswered she, \u201cbut if he had I should not require you to persuade me\nto accept him.\u201d Her father was delighted with this reply, and at once\nwent off and consulted with his wife as to whether they could venture\nto substitute the second for the elder; and then her mother came and\nsaid to her, \u201cThat bad girl there won\u2019t obey her parent\u2019s commands; we\nwish, therefore, to put you in her place: will you consent to this\narrangement?\u201d The younger sister readily agreed, saying that had they\ntold her to marry a beggar she would not have dared to refuse, and\nthat she had not such a low opinion of Mr. Mao as all that. Her father\nand mother rejoiced exceedingly at receiving this reply; and dressing\nher up in her sister\u2019s clothes, put her in the bridal chair and sent\nher off. She proved an excellent wife, and lived in harmony with her\nhusband; but she was troubled with a disease of the hair, which caused\nMr. Mao some annoyance. Later on, she told him how she had changed\nplaces with her sister, and this made him think more highly of her\nthan before. Soon after Mao took his bachelor\u2019s degree, and then set\noff to present himself as a candidate for the master\u2019s degree. On the\nway he passed by an inn, the landlord of which had dreamt the night\nbefore that a spirit appeared to him and said, \u201cTo-morrow Mr. Mao,\nfirst on the list, will come. Some day he will extricate you from a\ndifficulty.\u201d Accordingly the landlord got up early, and took especial\nnote of all guests who came from the eastward, until at last Mao\nhimself arrived. The landlord was very glad to see him, and provided\nhim with the best of everything, refusing to take any payment for it\nall, but telling what he had dreamt the night before. Mao now began to\ngive himself airs; and, reflecting that his wife\u2019s want of hair would\nmake him look ridiculous, he determined that as soon as he attained to\nrank and power he would find another spouse. But alas! when the\nsuccessful list of candidates was published, Mao\u2019s name was not among\nthem; and he retraced his steps with a heavy heart, and by another\nroad, so as to avoid meeting the innkeeper. Three years afterwards he\nwent up again, and the landlord received him with precisely the same\nattentions as on the previous occasion; upon which Mao said to him,\n\u201cYour former words did not come true; I am now ashamed to put you to\nso much trouble.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied the landlord, \u201cyou meant to get rid of\nyour wife, and the Ruler of the world below struck out your name.[270]\nMy dream couldn\u2019t have been false.\u201d In great astonishment, Mao asked\nwhat he meant by these words; and then he learnt that after his\ndeparture the landlord had had a second dream informing him of the\nabove facts. Mao was much alarmed at what he heard, and remained as\nmotionless as a wooden image, until the landlord said to him, \u201cYou,\nSir, as a scholar, should have more self-respect, and you will\ncertainly take the highest place.\u201d By-and-by when the list came out,\nMao was the first of all; and almost simultaneously his wife\u2019s hair\nbegan to grow quite thick, making her much better-looking than she had\nhitherto been.\n\nNow her elder sister had married a rich young fellow of good family,\nwho lived in the neighbourhood, which made the young lady more\ncontemptuous than ever; but he was so extravagant and so idle that\ntheir property was soon gone, and they were positively in want of\nfood. Hearing, too, of Mr. Mao\u2019s success at the examination, she was\noverwhelmed with shame and vexation, and avoided even meeting her\nsister in the street. Just then her husband died and left her\ndestitute; and about the same time Mao took his doctor\u2019s degree, which\nso aggravated her feelings that, in a passion, she became a nun.\nSubsequently, when Mao rose to be a high officer of state, she sent a\nnovice to his yam\u00ean to try and get a subscription out of him for the\ntemple; and Mao\u2019s wife, who gave several pieces of silk and other\nthings, secretly inserted a sum of money among them. The novice, not\nknowing this, reported what she had received to the elder sister, who\ncried out in a passion, \u201cI wanted money to buy food with; of what use\nare these things to me?\u201d So she bade the novice take them back; and\nwhen Mao and his wife saw her return, they suspected what had\nhappened, and opening the parcel found the money still there. They now\nunderstood why the presents had been refused; and taking the money,\nMao said to the novice, \u201cIf one hundred ounces of silver is too much\nluck for your mistress to secure, of course she could never have\nsecured a high official, such as I am now, for her husband.\u201d He then\ntook fifty ounces, and giving them to the novice, sent her away,\nadding, \u201cHand this to your mistress, I\u2019m afraid more would be too much\nfor her.\u201d[271] The novice returned and repeated all that had been\nsaid; and then the elder sister sighed to think what a failure her\nlife had been, and how she had rejected the worthy to accept the\nworthless. After this, the innkeeper got into trouble about a case of\nmurder, and was imprisoned; but Mao exerted his influence, and\nobtained the man\u2019s pardon.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[268] Such is the dominant belief regarding the due selection of an\nauspicious site, whether for a house or grave; and with this\nsuperstition deeply ingrained in the minds of the people, it is easy\nto understand the hold on the public mind possessed by the\npseudo-scientific professors of F\u00eang-Shui, or the geomantic art.\n\n[269] The bridegroom leads off the procession, and the bride follows\nshortly afterwards in an elaborately-gilt sedan-chair, closed in on\nall sides so that the occupant cannot be seen.\n\n[270] Here again we have the common Chinese belief that fate is fate\nonly within certain limits, and is always liable to be altered at the\nwill of heaven.\n\n[271] This is another curious phase of Chinese superstition, namely,\nthat each individual is so constituted by nature as to be able to\nabsorb only a given quantity of good fortune and no more, any\nsuperfluity of luck doing actual harm to the person on whom it falls.\n\n\n\n\nXLVII.\n\nFOREIGN[272] PRIESTS.\n\n\nThe Buddhist priest, T\u2018i-k\u2018ung, relates that when he was at\nCh\u2018ing-chou he saw two foreign priests of very extraordinary\nappearance. They wore rings in their ears, were dressed in yellow\ncloth, and had curly hair and beards. They said they had come from the\ncountries of the west; and hearing that the Governor of the district\nwas a devoted follower of Buddha, they went to visit him. The Governor\nsent a couple of servants to escort them to the monastery of the\nplace, where the abbot, Ling-p\u2018ei, did not receive them very\ncordially; but the secular manager, seeing that they were not ordinary\nindividuals, entertained them and kept them there for the night. Some\none asked if there were many strange men in the west, and what magical\narts were practised by the Lohans;[273] whereupon one of them laughed,\nand putting forth his hand from his sleeve, showed a small pagoda,\nfully a foot in height, and beautifully carved, standing upon the\npalm. Now very high up in the wall there was a niche; and the priest\nthrew the pagoda up to it, when lo! it stood there firm and straight.\nAfter a few moments the pagoda began to incline to one side, and a\nglory, as from a relic of some saint, was diffused throughout the\nroom. The other priest then bared his arms, and stretched out his left\nuntil it was five or six feet in length, at the same time shortening\nhis right arm until it dwindled to nothing. He then stretched out the\nlatter until it was as long as his left arm.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[272] The word here used is _fan_, generally translated \u201cbarbarian.\u201d\n\n[273] The disciples of Sh\u00e2kyamuni Buddha. Same as _Arhans_.\n\n\n\n\nXLVIII.\n\nTHE SELF-PUNISHED MURDERER.\n\n\nMr. Li took his doctor\u2019s degree late in life.[274] On the 28th of the\n9th moon of the 4th year of K\u2018ang Hsi,[275] he killed his wife. The\nneighbours reported the murder to the officials, and the high\nauthorities instructed the district magistrate to investigate the\ncase. At this juncture Mr. Li was standing at the door of his\nresidence; and snatching a butcher\u2019s knife from a stall hard by, he\nrushed into the Ch\u2018\u00eang-huang[276] temple, where, mounting the\ntheatrical stage,[277] he threw himself on his knees, and spoke as\nfollows:--\u201cThe spirit here will punish me. I am not to be prosecuted\nby evil men who, from party motives, confuse right and wrong. The\nspirit moves me to cut off an ear.\u201d Thereupon he cut off his left ear\nand threw it down from the stage. He then said the spirit was going to\nfine him a hand for cheating people out of their money; and he\nforthwith chopped off his left hand. Lastly, he cried out that he was\nto be punished severely for all his many crimes; and immediately cut\nhis own throat. The Viceroy subsequently received the Imperial\npermission to deprive him of his rank[278] and bring him to trial; but\nhe was then being punished by a higher power in the realms of darkness\nbelow. See the _Peking Gazette_.[279]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[274] There is no limit as to age in the competitive examinations of\nChina. The _San-tz\u016d-Ching_ records the case of a man who graduated at\nthe mature age of eighty-two.\n\n[275] In 1665, that is between fourteen and fifteen years previous to\nthe completion of the _Liao Chai_.\n\n[276] See No. I., note 36.\n\n[277] Religion and the drama work hand in hand in China.\n\n[278] Always the first step in the prosecution of a graduate. In this\ncase, the accused was also an official.\n\n[279] Of what date, our author does not say, or it would be curious to\ntry and hunt up the official record of this case as it appeared in the\ngovernment organ of the day. The unfortunate man was in all\nprobability insane.\n\n\n\n\nXLIX.\n\nTHE MASTER THIEF.\n\n\nBefore his rebellion,[280] Prince Wu frequently told his soldiers that\nif any one of them could catch a tiger unaided he would give him a\nhandsome pension and the title of the Tiger Daunter. In his camp there\nwas a man named Pao-chu, as strong and agile as a monkey; and once\nwhen a new tower was being built, the wooden framework having only\njust been set up, Pao-chu walked along the eaves, and finally got up\non to the very tip-top beam, where he ran backwards and forwards\nseveral times. He then jumped down, alighting safely on his feet.\n\nNow Prince Wu had a favourite concubine, who was a skilful player on\nthe guitar; and the nuts of the instrument she used were of warm\njade,[281] so that when played upon there was a general feeling of\nwarmth throughout the room. The young lady was extremely careful of\nthis treasure, and never produced it for any one to see unless on\nreceipt of the Prince\u2019s written order. One night, in the middle of a\nbanquet, a guest begged to be allowed to see this wonderful guitar;\nbut the Prince, being in a lazy mood, said it should be exhibited to\nhim on the following day. Pao-chu, who was standing by, then observed\nthat he could get it without troubling the Prince to write an order.\nSome one was therefore sent off beforehand to instruct all the\nofficials to be on the watch, and then the Prince told Pao-chu he\nmight go; and after scaling numerous walls the latter found himself\nnear the lady\u2019s room. Lamps were burning brightly within; the doors\nwere bolted and barred, and it was impossible to effect an entrance.\nUnder the verandah, however, was a cockatoo fast asleep on its perch;\nand Pao-chu first mewing several times like a cat, followed it up by\nimitating the voice of the bird, and cried out as though in distress,\n\u201cThe cat! the cat!\u201d He then heard the concubine call to one of the\nslave girls, and bid her go rescue the cockatoo which was being\nkilled; and, hiding himself in a dark corner, he saw a girl come forth\nwith a light in her hand. She had barely got outside the door when he\nrushed in, and there he saw the lady sitting with the guitar on a\ntable before her. Seizing the instrument he turned and fled; upon\nwhich the concubine shrieked out, \u201cThieves! thieves!\u201d And the guard,\nseeing a man making off with the guitar, at once started in pursuit.\nArrows fell round Pao-chu like drops of rain, but he climbed up one of\na number of huge ash trees growing there, and from its top leaped on\nto the top of the next, and so on, until he had reached the\nfurthermost tree, when he jumped on to the roof of a house, and from\nthat to another, more as if he were flying than anything else. In a\nfew minutes he had disappeared, and before long presented himself\nsuddenly at the banquet-table with the guitar in his hand, the\nentrance-gate having been securely barred all the time, and not a dog\nor a cock aroused.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[280] A.D. 1675. His full name was Wu San-kuei.\n\n[281] Such is the literal translation of a term which I presume to be\nthe name of some particular kind of jade, which is ordinarily\ndistinguished from the imitation article by its comparative\n_coldness_.\n\n\n\n\nL.\n\nA FLOOD.\n\n\nIn the twenty-first year of K\u2018ang Hsi[282] there was a severe drought,\nnot a green blade appearing in the parched ground all through the\nspring and well into the summer. On the 13th of the 6th moon a little\nrain fell, and people began to plant their rice. On the 18th there was\na heavy fall, and beans were sown.\n\nNow at a certain village there was an old man, who, noticing two\nbullocks fighting on the hills, told the villagers that a great flood\nwas at hand, and forthwith removed with his family to another part of\nthe country. The villagers all laughed at him; but before very long\nrain began to fall in torrents, lasting all through the night, until\nthe water was several feet deep, and carrying away the houses. Among\nthe others was a man who, neglecting to save his two children, with\nhis wife assisted his aged mother to reach a place of safety, from\nwhich they looked down at their old home, now only an expanse of\nwater, without hope of ever seeing the children again. When the flood\nhad subsided, they went back, to find the whole place a complete ruin;\nbut in their own house they discovered the two boys playing and\nlaughing on the bed as if nothing had happened. Some one remarked that\nthis was a reward for the filial piety of the parents. It happened on\nthe 20th of the 6th moon.[283]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[282] A.D. 1682; that is, three years after the date of our author\u2019s\npreface. See _Introduction_.\n\n[283] A curious note here follows in the original, not however from\nthe pen of the great commentator, I Shih-shih:--\u201cIn 1696 a severe\nearthquake occurred at P\u2018ing-yang, and out of seventeen or eighteen\ncities destroyed, only one room remained uninjured--a room inhabited\nby a certain filial son. And thus, when in the crash of a collapsing\nuniverse, filial piety is specially marked out for protection, who\nshall say that God Almighty does not know black from white?\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLI.\n\nDEATH BY LAUGHING.\n\n\nA Mr. Sun Ching-hsia, a marshal of undergraduates,[284] told me that\nin his village there was a certain man who had been killed by the\nrebels when they passed through the place. The man\u2019s head was left\nhanging down on his chest; and as soon as the rebels had gone, his\nservants secured the body and were about to bury it. Hearing, however,\na sound of breathing, they looked more closely, and found that the\nwindpipe was not wholly severed; and, setting his head in its proper\nplace, they carried him back home. In twenty-four hours he began to\nmoan; and by dint of carefully feeding him with a spoon, within six\nmonths he had quite recovered.\n\nSome ten years afterwards he was chatting with a few friends, when one\nof them made a joke which called forth loud applause from the others.\nOur hero, too, clapped his hands; but, as he was bending backwards and\nforwards with laughter, the seam on his neck split open, and down fell\nhis head with a gush of blood. His friends now found that he was\nquite dead, and his father immediately commenced an action against the\njoker;[285] but a sum of money was subscribed by those present and\ngiven to the father, who buried his son and stopped further\nproceedings.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[284] Or \u201cDirector of Studies.\u201d\n\n[285] The Chinese distinguish five degrees of homicide, of which\naccidental homicide is one (see _Penal Code_, Book VI.) Thus, if a gun\ngoes off of itself in a man\u2019s hand and kills a bystander, the holder\nof the gun is guilty of homicide; but were the same gun lying on a\ntable, it would be regarded as the will of Heaven. Similarly, a man is\nheld responsible for any death caused by an animal belonging to him;\nthough in such cases the affair can usually be hushed up by a money\npayment, no notice being taken of crimes in general unless at the\ninstigation of a prosecutor, at whose will the case may be\nsubsequently withdrawn. Where the circumstances are purely accidental,\nthe law admits of a money compensation.\n\n\n\n\nLII.\n\nPLAYING AT HANGING.\n\n\nA number of wild young fellows were one day out walking when they saw\na young lady approach, riding on a pony.[286] One of them said to the\nothers, \u201cI\u2019ll back myself to make that girl laugh,\u201d and a supper was\nat once staked by both sides on the result. Our hero then ran out in\nfront of the pony, and kept on shouting \u201cI\u2019m going to die! I\u2019m going\nto die!\u201d at the same time pulling out from over the top of a wall a\nstalk of millet, to which he attached his own waistband, and tying the\nlatter round his neck, made a pretence of hanging himself. The young\nlady did laugh as she passed by, to the great amusement of the\nassembled company; but as when she was already some distance off their\nfriend did not move, the others laughed louder than ever. However, on\ngoing up to him they saw that his tongue protruded, and that his eyes\nwere glazed; he was, in fact, quite dead. Was it not strange that a\nman should be able to hang himself on a millet stalk?[287] It is a\ngood warning against practical joking.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[286] Women in China ride _\u00e0 califourchon_.\n\n[287] Which, although tolerably stout and strong, is hardly capable of\nsustaining a man\u2019s weight.\n\n\n\n\nLIII.\n\nTHE RAT WIFE.\n\n\nHsi Shan was a native of Kao-mi, and a trader by occupation. He\nfrequently slept at a place called M\u00eang-i. One day he was delayed on\nthe road by rain, and when he arrived at his usual quarters it was\nalready late in the night. He knocked at all the doors, but no one\nanswered; and he was walking backwards and forwards in the piazza when\nsuddenly a door flew open and an old man came out. He invited the\ntraveller to enter, an invitation to which Hsi Shan gladly responded;\nand, tying up his mule, he went in. The place was totally unfurnished;\nand the old man began by saying that it was only out of compassion\nthat he had asked him in, as his house was not an inn. \u201cThere are only\nthree or four of us,\u201d added he; \u201cand my wife and daughter are fast\nasleep. We have some of yesterday\u2019s food, which I will get ready for\nyou; you must not object to its being cold.\u201d He then went within, and\nshortly afterwards returned with a low couch, which he placed on the\nground, begging his guest to be seated, at the same time hurrying back\nfor a low table, and soon for a number of other things, until at last\nHsi Shan was quite uncomfortable, and entreated his host to rest\nhimself awhile. By-and-by a young lady came out, bringing some wine;\nupon which the old man said, \u201cOh, our A-ch\u2018ien has got up.\u201d She was\nabout sixteen or seventeen, a slender and pretty-looking girl; and as\nHsi Shan had an unmarried brother, he began to think directly that she\nwould do for him. So he inquired of the old man his name and address,\nto which the latter replied that his name was Ku, and that his\nchildren had all died save this one daughter. \u201cI didn\u2019t like to wake\nher just now, but I suppose my wife told her to get up.\u201d Hsi Shan then\nasked the name of his son-in-law, and was informed that the young lady\nwas not yet engaged,--at which he was secretly very much pleased. A\ntray of food was now brought in, evidently the remains from the day\nbefore; and when he had finished eating, Hsi Shan began respectfully\nto address the old man as follows:--\u201cI am only a poor wayfarer, but I\nshall never forget the kindness with which you have treated me. Let me\npresume upon it, and submit to your consideration a plan I have in my\nhead. My younger brother, San-lang, is seventeen years old. He is a\nstudent, and by no means unsteady or dull. May I hope that you will\nunite our families together, and not think it presumption on my part?\u201d\n\u201cI, too, am but a temporary sojourner,\u201d replied the old man,\nrejoicing; \u201cand if you will only let me have a part of your house, I\nshall be very glad to come and live with you.\u201d Hsi Shan consented to\nthis, and got up and thanked him for the promise of his daughter; upon\nwhich the old man set to work to make him comfortable for the night,\nand then went away. At cock-crow he was outside, calling his guest to\ncome and have a wash; and when Hsi Shan had packed up ready to go, he\noffered to pay for his night\u2019s entertainment. This, however, the old\nman refused, saying, \u201cI could hardly charge a stranger anything for a\nsingle meal; how much less could I take money from my intended\nson-in-law?\u201d They then separated, and in about a month Hsi Shan\nreturned; but when he was a short distance from the village he met an\nold woman with a young lady, both dressed in deep mourning. As they\napproached he began to suspect it was A-ch\u2018ien; and the young lady,\nafter turning round to look at him, pulled the old woman\u2019s sleeve, and\nwhispered something in her ear, which Hsi Shan himself did not hear.\nThe old woman stopped immediately, and asked if she was addressing Mr.\nHsi; and when informed that she was, she said mournfully, \u201cAlas! my\nhusband has been killed by the falling of a wall. We are going to bury\nhim to-day. There is no one at home; but please wait here, and we will\nbe back by-and-by.\u201d They then disappeared among the trees; and,\nreturning after a short absence, they walked along together in the\ndusk of the evening. The old woman complained bitterly of their lonely\nand helpless state, and Hsi Shan himself was moved to compassion by\nthe sight of her tears. She told him that the people of the\nneighbourhood were a bad lot, and that if he thought of marrying the\npoor widow\u2019s daughter, he had better lose no time in doing so. Hsi\nShan said he was willing; and when they reached the house the old\nwoman, after lighting the lamp and setting food before him, proceeded\nto speak as follows:--\u201cKnowing, Sir, that you would shortly arrive, we\nsold all our grain except about twenty piculs. We cannot take this\nwith us so far; but a mile or so to the north of the village, at the\nfirst house you come to, there lives a man named T\u2018an Erh-ch\u2018\u00fcan, who\noften buys grain from me. Don\u2019t think it too much trouble to oblige me\nby taking a sack with you on your mule and proceeding thither at once.\nTell Mr. T\u2018an that the old lady of the southern village has several\npiculs of grain which she wishes to sell in order to get money for a\njourney, and beg him to send some animals to carry it.\u201d The old woman\nthen gave him a sack of grain; and Hsi Shan, whipping up his mule, was\nsoon at the place; and, knocking at the door, a great fat fellow came\nout, to whom he told his errand. Emptying the sack he had brought, he\nwent back himself first; and before long a couple of men arrived\nleading five mules. The old woman took them into the granary, which\nwas a cellar below ground, and Hsi Shan, going down himself, handed up\nthe bags to the mother and daughter, who passed them on from one to\nthe other. In a little while the men had got a load, with which they\nwent off, returning altogether four times before all the grain was\nexhausted. They then paid the old woman, who kept one man and two\nmules, and, packing up her things, set off towards the east. After\ntravelling some seven miles day began to break; and by-and-by they\nreached a market town, where the old woman hired animals and sent back\nT\u2018an\u2019s servant. When they arrived at Hsi Shan\u2019s home he related the\nwhole story to his parents, who were very pleased at what had\nhappened, and provided separate apartments for the old lady, at the\nsame time engaging a fortune-teller to fix on a lucky day for\nA-ch\u2018ien\u2019s marriage with their son San-lang. The old woman prepared a\nhandsome trousseau; and as for A-ch\u2018ien herself, she spoke but little,\nseldom losing her temper, and if any one addressed her she would only\nreply with a smile. She employed all her time in spinning, and thus\nbecame a general favourite with all alike. \u201cTell your brother,\u201d said\nshe to San-lang, \u201cthat when he happens to pass our old residence he\nwill do well not to make any mention of my mother and myself.\u201d\n\nIn three or four years\u2019 time the Hsi family had made plenty of money,\nand San-lang had taken his bachelor\u2019s degree, when one day Hsi Shan\nhappened to pass a night with the people who lived next door to the\nhouse where he had met A-ch\u2018ien. After telling them the story of his\nhaving had nowhere to sleep, and taking refuge with the old man and\nwoman, his host said to him, \u201cYou must make a mistake, Sir; the house\nyou allude to belongs to my uncle, but was abandoned three years ago\nin consequence of its being haunted. It has now been uninhabited for a\nlong time. What old man and woman can have entertained you there?\u201d Hsi\nShan was very much astonished at this, but did not put much faith in\nwhat he heard; meanwhile his host continued, \u201cFor ten years no one\ndared enter the house; however, one day the back wall fell down, and\nmy uncle, going to look at it, found, half-buried underneath the\nruins, a large rat, almost as big as a cat. It was still moving, and\nmy uncle went off to call for assistance, but when he got back the rat\nhad disappeared. Everyone suspected some supernatural agency to be at\nwork, though on returning to the spot ten days afterwards nothing was\nto be either heard or seen; and about a year subsequently the place\nwas inhabited once more.\u201d Hsi Shan was more than ever amazed at what\nhe now heard, and on reaching home told the family what had occurred;\nfor he feared that his brother\u2019s wife was not a human being, and\nbecame rather anxious about him. San-lang himself continued to be much\nattached to A-ch\u2018ien; but by-and-by the other members of the family\nlet A-ch\u2018ien perceive that they had suspicions about her. So one night\nshe complained to San-lang, saying, \u201cI have been a good wife to you\nfor some years: now I have become an object of contempt. I pray you\ngive me my divorce,[288] and seek for yourself some worthier mate.\u201d\nShe then burst into a flood of tears; whereupon San-lang said, \u201cYou\nshould know my feelings by this time. Ever since you entered the\nhouse the family has prospered; and that prosperity is entirely due to\nyou. Who can say it is not so?\u201d \u201cI know full well,\u201d replied A-ch\u2018ien,\n\u201cwhat you feel; still there are the others, and I do not wish to share\nthe fate of an autumn fan.\u201d[289] At length San-lang succeeded in\npacifying her; but Hsi Shan could not dismiss the subject from his\nthoughts, and gave out that he was going to get a first-rate mouser,\nwith a view to testing A-ch\u2018ien. She did not seem very frightened at\nthis, though evidently ill at ease; and one night she told San-lang\nthat her mother was not very well, and that he needn\u2019t come to bid her\ngood night as usual. In the morning mother and daughter had\ndisappeared; at which San-lang was greatly alarmed, and sent out to\nlook for them in every direction. No traces of the fugitives could be\ndiscovered, and San-lang was overwhelmed with grief, unable either to\neat or to sleep. His father and brother thought it was a lucky thing\nfor him, and advised him to console himself with another wife. This,\nhowever, he refused to do; until, about a year afterwards, nothing\nmore having been heard of A-ch\u2018ien, he could not resist their\nimportunities any longer, and bought himself a concubine. But he never\nceased to think of A-ch\u2018ien; and some years later, when the prosperity\nof the family was on the wane, they all began to regret her loss.\n\nNow San-lang had a step-brother, named Lan, who, when travelling to\nChiao-chou on business, passed a night at the house of a relative\nnamed Lu. He noticed that during the night sounds of weeping and\nlamentation proceeded from their next-door neighbours, but he did not\ninquire the reason of it; however, on his way back he heard the same\nsounds, and then asked what was the cause of such demonstrations. Mr.\nLu told him that a few years ago an old widow and her daughter had\ncome there to live, and that the mother had died about a month\npreviously, leaving her child quite alone in the world. Lan inquired\nwhat her name was, and Mr. Lu said it was Ku; \u201cBut,\u201d added he, \u201cthe\ndoor is closely barred, and as they never had any communication with\nthe village, I know nothing of their antecedents.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s my\nsister-in-law,\u201d cried Lan, in amazement, and at once proceeded to\nknock at the door of the house. Some one came to the front door, and\nsaid, in a voice that betokened recent weeping, \u201cWho\u2019s there? There\nare no men in this house.\u201d[290] Lan looked through a crack, and saw\nthat the young lady really was his sister-in-law; so he called out,\n\u201cSister, open the door. I am your step-brother A-sui.\u201d A-ch\u2018ien\nimmediately opened the door and asked him in, and recounted to him the\nwhole story of her troubles. \u201cYour husband,\u201d said Lan, \u201cis always\nthinking of you. For a trifling difference you need hardly have run\naway so far from him.\u201d He then proposed to hire a vehicle and take her\nhome; but A-ch\u2018ien replied, \u201cI came hither with my mother to hide\nbecause I was held in contempt, and should make myself ridiculous by\nnow returning thus. If I am to go back, my elder brother Hsi Shan must\nno longer live with us; otherwise, I will assuredly poison myself.\u201d\nLan then went home and told San-lang, who set off and travelled all\nnight until he reached the place where A-ch\u2018ien was. Husband and wife\nwere overjoyed to meet again, and the following day San-lang notified\nthe landlord of the house where A-ch\u2018ien had been living. Now this\nlandlord had long desired to secure A-ch\u2018ien as a concubine for\nhimself; and, after making no claim for rent for several years, he\nbegan to hint as much to her mother. The old lady, however, refused\nflatly; but shortly afterwards she died, and then the landlord thought\nthat he might be able to succeed. At this juncture San-lang arrived,\nand the landlord sought to hamper him by putting in his claim for\nrent; and, as San-lang was anything but well off at the moment, it\nreally did annoy him very much. A-ch\u2018ien here came to the rescue,\nshowing San-lang a large quantity of grain she had in the house, and\nbidding him use it to settle accounts with the landlord. The latter\ndeclared he could not accept grain, but must be paid in silver;\nwhereupon A-ch\u2018ien sighed and said it was all her unfortunate self\nthat had brought this upon them, at the same time telling San-lang of\nthe landlord\u2019s former proposition. San-lang was very angry, and was\nabout to take out a summons against him, when Mr. Lu interposed, and,\nby selling the grain in the neighbourhood, managed to collect\nsufficient money to pay off the rent. San-lang and his wife then\nreturned home; and the former, having explained the circumstances to\nhis parents, separated his household from that of his brother.\nA-ch\u2018ien now proceeded to build, with her own money, a granary, which\nwas a matter of some astonishment to the family, there not being a\nhundredweight of grain in the place. But in about a year the granary\nwas full,[291] and before very long San-lang was a rich man, Hsi Shan\nremaining as poor as before. Accordingly, A-ch\u2018ien persuaded her\nhusband\u2019s parents to come and live with them, and made frequent\npresents of money to the elder brother; so that her husband said,\n\u201cWell, at any rate, you bear no malice.\u201d \u201cYour brother\u2019s behaviour,\u201d\nreplied she, \u201cwas from his regard for you. Had it not been for him,\nyou and I would never have met.\u201d After this there were no more\nsupernatural manifestations.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[288] The Chinese acknowledge seven just causes for putting away a\nwife. (1) Bad behaviour towards the husband\u2019s father and mother. (2)\nAdultery. (3) Jealousy. (4) Garrulity. (5) Theft. (6) Disease. (7)\nBarrenness. The right of divorce may not, however, be enforced if the\nhusband\u2019s father and mother have died since the marriage, as thus it\nwould be inferred that the wife had served them well up to the time of\ntheir death; or if the husband has recently risen to wealth and power\n(hence the saying, \u201cThe wife of my poverty shall not go down from my\nhall\u201d); or thirdly, if the wife\u2019s parents and brothers are dead, and\nshe has no home in which she can seek shelter.\n\n[289] This elegant simile is taken from a song ascribed to Pan\nChieh-y\u00fc, a favourite of the Emperor Ch\u2018\u00eang Ti of the Han dynasty,\nwritten when her influence with the Son of Heaven began to wane. I\nventure to reproduce it here.\n\n \u201cO fair white silk, fresh from the weaver\u2019s loom;\n Clear as the frost, bright as the winter\u2019s snow!\n See! friendship fashions out of thee a fan,\n Round as the round moon shines in heaven above.\n At home, abroad, a close companion thou,\n Stirring at every move the grateful gale.\n And yet I fear, ah, me! that autumn chills,\n Cooling the dying summer\u2019s torrid rage,\n Will see thee laid neglected on the shelf,\n All thought of by-gone days, like them, by-gone.\u201d\n\n[290] Signifying that it would be impossible for him to enter.\n\n[291] The result of A-ch\u2018ien\u2019s depredations as a rat.\n\n\n\n\nLIV.\n\nTHE MAN WHO WAS THROWN DOWN A WELL.\n\n\nMr. Tai, of An-ch\u2018ing, was a wild fellow when young. One day as he was\nreturning home tipsy,[292] he met by the way a dead cousin of his\nnamed Chi; and having, in his drunken state, quite forgotten that his\ncousin was dead, he asked him where he was going. \u201cI am already a\ndisembodied spirit,\u201d replied Chi; \u201cdon\u2019t you remember?\u201d Tai was a\nlittle disturbed at this; but, being under the influence of liquor,\nhe was not frightened, and inquired of his cousin what he was doing in\nthe realms below. \u201cI am employed as scribe,\u201d said Chi, \u201cin the court\nof the Great King.\u201d \u201cThen you must know all about our happiness and\nmisfortunes to come,\u201d cried Tai. \u201cIt is my business,\u201d answered his\ncousin, \u201cso of course I know. But I see such an enormous mass that,\nunless of special reference to myself or family, I take no notice of\nany of it. Three days ago, by the way, I saw your name in the\nregister.\u201d Tai immediately asked what there was about himself, and his\ncousin replied, \u201cI will not deceive you; your name was put down for a\ndark and dismal hell.\u201d Tai was dreadfully alarmed, and at the same\ntime sobered, and entreated his cousin to assist him in some way. \u201cYou\nmay try,\u201d said Chi, \u201cwhat merit will do for you as a means of\nmitigating your punishment; but the register of your sins is as thick\nas my finger, and nothing short of the most deserving acts will be of\nany avail. What can a poor fellow like myself do for you? Were you to\nperform one good act every day, you would not complete the necessary\ntotal under a year and more, and it is now too late for that. But\nhenceforth amend your ways, and there may still be a chance of escape\nfor you.\u201d When Tai heard these words he prostrated himself on the\nground, imploring his cousin to help him; but, on raising his head,\nChi had disappeared; he therefore returned sorrowfully home, and set\nto work to cleanse his heart and order his behaviour.\n\nNow Tai\u2019s next door neighbour had long suspected him of paying too\nmuch attention to his wife; and one day meeting Tai in the fields\nshortly after the events narrated above, he inveigled him into\ninspecting a dry well, and then pushed him down. The well was many\nfeet deep, and the man felt certain that Tai was killed; however, in\nthe middle of the night he came round, and sitting up at the bottom,\nhe began to shout for assistance, but could not make any one hear him.\nOn the following day, the neighbour, fearing that Tai might possibly\nhave recovered consciousness, went to listen at the mouth of the well;\nand hearing him cry out for help, began to throw down a quantity of\nstones. Tai took refuge in a cave at the side, and did not dare utter\nanother sound; but his enemy knew he was not dead, and forthwith\nfilled the well almost up to the top with earth. In the cave it was as\ndark as pitch, exactly like the Infernal Regions; and not being able\nto get anything to eat or drink, Tai gave up all hopes of life. He\ncrawled on his hands and knees further into the cave, but was\nprevented by water from going further than a few paces, and returned\nto take up his position at the old spot. At first he felt hungry;\nby-and-by, however, this sensation passed away; and then reflecting\nthat there, at the bottom of a well, he could hardly perform any good\naction, he passed his time in calling loudly on the name of\nBuddha.[293] Before long he saw a number of Will-o\u2019-the-Wisps\nflitting over the water and illuminating the gloom of the cave; and\nimmediately prayed to them, saying, \u201cO Will-o\u2019-the-Wisps, I have heard\nthat ye are the shades of wronged and injured people. I have not long\nto live, and am without hope of escape; still I would gladly relieve\nthe monotony of my situation by exchanging a few words with you.\u201d\nThereupon, all the Wills came flitting across the water to him; and\namong them was a man of about half the ordinary size. Tai asked him\nwhence he came; to which he replied, \u201cThis is an old coal-mine. The\nproprietor, in working the coal, disturbed the position of some\ngraves;[294] and Mr. Lung-fei flooded the mine and drowned forty-three\nworkmen. We are the shades of those men.\u201d He further said he did not\nknow who Mr. Lung-fei was, except that he was secretary to the City\nGod, and that in compassion for the misfortunes of the innocent\nworkmen, he was in the habit of sending them a quantity of gruel every\nthree or four days. \u201cBut the cold water,\u201d added he, \u201csoaks into our\nbones, and there is but small chance of ever getting them removed. If,\nSir, you some day return to the world above, I pray you fish up our\ndecaying bones and bury them in some public burying-ground. You will\nthus earn for yourself boundless gratitude in the realms below.\u201d Tai\npromised that if he had the luck to escape he would do as they wished;\n\u201cbut how,\u201d cried he, \u201csituated as I am, can I ever hope to look again\nupon the light of day?\u201d He then began to teach the Wills to say their\nprayers, making for them beads[295] out of bits of mud, and repeating\nto them the liturgies of Buddha. He could not tell night from morning;\nhe slept when he felt tired, and when he waked he sat up. Suddenly, he\nperceived in the distance the light of lamps, at which the shades all\nrejoiced, and said, \u201cIt is Mr. Lung-fei with our food.\u201d They then\ninvited Tai to go with them; and when he said he couldn\u2019t because of\nthe water, they bore him along over it so that he hardly seemed to\nwalk. After twisting and turning about for nearly a quarter of a mile,\nhe reached a place at which the Wills bade him walk by himself; and\nthen he appeared to mount a flight of steps, at the top of which he\nfound himself in an apartment lighted by a candle as thick round as\none\u2019s arm. Not having seen the light of fire for some time, he was\noverjoyed and walked in; but observing an old man in a scholar\u2019s dress\nand cap seated in the post of honour, he stopped, not liking to\nadvance further. But the old man had already caught sight of him, and\nasked him how he, a living man, had come there. Tai threw himself on\nthe ground at his feet, and told him all; whereupon the old man cried\nout, \u201cMy great-grandson!\u201d He then bade him get up; and offering him a\nseat, explained that his own name was Tai Ch\u2018ien, and that he was\notherwise known as Lung-fei. He said, moreover, that in days gone by a\nworthless grandson of his named T\u2018ang, had associated himself with a\nlot of scoundrels and sunk a well near his grave, disturbing the peace\nof his everlasting night; and that therefore he had flooded the place\nwith salt water and drowned them. He then inquired as to the general\ncondition of the family at that time.\n\nNow Tai was a descendant of one of five brothers, from the eldest of\nwhom T\u2018ang himself was also descended; and an influential man of the\nplace had bribed T\u2018ang to open a mine[296] alongside the family grave.\nHis brothers were afraid to interfere; and by-and-by the water rose\nand drowned all the workmen; whereupon actions for damages were\ncommenced by the relatives of the deceased,[297] and T\u2018ang and his\nfriend were reduced to poverty, and T\u2018ang\u2019s descendants to absolute\ndestitution. Tai was a son of one of T\u2018ang\u2019s brothers, and having\nheard this story from his seniors, now repeated it to the old man.\n\u201cHow could they be otherwise than unfortunate,\u201d cried the latter,\n\u201cwith such an unfilial progenitor? But since you have come hither, you\nmust on no account neglect your studies.\u201d The old man then provided\nhim with food and wine, and spreading a volume of essays according to\nthe old style before him, bade him study it most carefully. He also\ngave him themes for composition, and corrected his essays as if he had\nbeen his tutor. The candle remained always burning in the room, never\nneeding to be snuffed and never decreasing. When he was tired he went\nto sleep, but he never knew day from night. The old man occasionally\nwent out, leaving a boy to attend to his great-grandson\u2019s wants. It\nseemed that several years passed away thus, but Tai had no troubles of\nany kind to annoy him. He had no other book except the volume of\nessays, one hundred in all, which he read through more than four\nthousand times. One day the old man said to him, \u201cYour term of\nexpiation is nearly completed, and you will be able to return to the\nworld above. My grave is near the coal-mine, and the grosser breeze\nplays upon my bones. Remember to remove them to Tung-y\u00fcan.\u201d Tai\npromised he would see to this; and then the old man summoned all the\nshades together and instructed them to escort Tai back to the place\nwhere they had found him. The shades now bowed one after the other,\nand begged Tai to think of them as well, while Tai himself was quite\nat a loss to guess how he was going to get out.\n\nMeanwhile, Tai\u2019s family had searched for him everywhere, and his\nmother had brought his case to the notice of the officials, thereby\nimplicating a large number of persons, but without getting any trace\nof the missing man. Three or four years passed away and there was a\nchange of magistrate; in consequence of which the search was relaxed,\nand Tai\u2019s wife, not being happy where she was, married another\nhusband. Just then an inhabitant of the place set about repairing the\nold well and found Tai\u2019s body in the cave at the bottom. Touching it,\nhe found it was not dead, and at once gave information to the family.\nTai was promptly conveyed home, and within a day he could tell his own\nstory.\n\nSince he had been down the well, the neighbour who pushed him in had\nbeaten his own wife to death; and his father-in-law having brought an\naction against him, he had been in confinement for more than a year\nwhile the case was being investigated.[298] When released he was a\nmere bag of bones;[299] and then hearing that Tai had come back to\nlife, he was terribly alarmed and fled away. The family tried to\npersuade Tai to take proceedings against him, but this he would not\ndo, alleging that what had befallen him was a proper punishment for\nhis own bad behaviour, and had nothing to do with the neighbour. Upon\nthis, the said neighbour ventured to return; and when the water in the\nwell had dried up, Tai hired men to go down and collect the bones,\nwhich he put in coffins and buried all together in one place. He next\nhunted up Mr. Lung-fei\u2019s name in the family tables of genealogy, and\nproceeded to sacrifice all kinds of nice things at his tomb. By-and-by\nthe Literary Chancellor[300] heard this strange story, and was also\nvery pleased with Tai\u2019s compositions; accordingly, Tai passed\nsuccessfully through his examinations, and, having taken his master\u2019s\ndegree, returned home and reburied Mr. Lung-fei at Tung-y\u00fcan,\nrepairing thither regularly every spring without fail.[301]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[292] I have already discussed the subject of drunkenness in China\n(_Chinese Sketches_, pp. 113, 114), and shall not return to it here,\nfurther than to quote a single sentence, to which I adhere as firmly\nnow as when the book in question was published:--\u201cWho ever sees in\nChina a tipsy man reeling about a crowded thoroughfare, or lying with\nhis head in a ditch by the side of some country road?\u201d\n\nIt is not, however, generally known that the Chinese, with their usual\nquaintness, distinguish between five kinds of drunkenness, different\npeople being differently affected, according to the physical\nconstitution of each. Wine may fly (1) to the heart, and produce\nmaudlin emotions; or (2) to the liver, and incite to pugnacity; or (3)\nto the stomach, and cause drowsiness, accompanied by a flushing of the\nface; or (4) to the lungs, and induce hilarity; or (5) to the kidneys,\nand excite desire.\n\n[293] \u201cThe very name of Buddha, if pronounced with a devout heart\n1,000 or 5,000 times, will effectually dispel all harassing thoughts,\nall fightings within and fears without.\u201d--_Eitel._\n\n[294] A religious and social offence of the deepest dye, sure to\nentail punishment in the world to come, even if the perpetrator\nescapes detection in this life.\n\n[295] The Buddhist rosary consists of 108 beads, which number is the\nsame as that of the compartments in the _Phrabat_ or sacred footprint\nof Buddha.\n\n[296] It here occurred to me that the word hitherto translated \u201cwell\u201d\nshould have been \u201cshaft;\u201d but the commentator refers expressly to the\n_Tso Chuan_, where the phrase for \u201ca dry well,\u201d as first used, is so\nexplained. We must accordingly fall back on the supposition that our\nauthor has committed a trifling slip.\n\n[297] See No. LI., note 285.\n\n[298] That is, as to whether or not there were extenuating\ncircumstances, in which case no punishment would be inflicted.\n\n[299] Such is the invariable result of confinement in a Chinese\nprison, unless the prisoner has the wherewithal to purchase food.\n\n[300] The provincial examiner for the degree of bachelor.\n\n[301] To worship at his tomb.\n\n\n\n\nLV.\n\nTHE VIRTUOUS DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.\n\n\nAn Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang was a Chung-ch\u2018ing man. His father, who had gained the\nmaster\u2019s degree, died early; and his brother Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang was a mere\nboy. He himself had married a wife from the Ch\u2018\u00ean family, whose name\nwas Shan-hu; and this young lady had much to put up with from the\nviolent and malicious disposition of her husband\u2019s mother.[302]\nHowever, she never complained; and every morning dressed herself up\nsmart, and went in to pay her respects to the old lady. Once when\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang was ill, his mother abused Shan-hu for dressing so nicely;\nwhereupon Shan-hu went back and changed her clothes; but even then\nMrs. An was not satisfied, and began to tear her own hair with rage.\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang, who was a very filial son, at once gave his wife a beating,\nand this put an end to the scene. From that moment his mother hated\nher more than ever, and although she was everything that a\ndaughter-in-law could be, would never exchange a word with her.\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang then treated her in much the same way, that his mother might\nsee he would have nothing to do with her; still the old lady wasn\u2019t\npleased, and was always blaming Shan-hu for every trifle that\noccurred. \u201cA wife,\u201d cried Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang \u201cis taken to wait upon her\nmother-in-law. This state of things hardly looks like the wife doing\nher duty.\u201d So he bade Shan-hu begone,[303] and sent an old\nmaid-servant to see her home: but when Shan-hu got outside the\nvillage-gate, she burst into tears, and said, \u201cHow can a girl who has\nfailed in her duties as a wife ever dare to look her parents in the\nface? I had better die.\u201d Thereupon she drew a pair of scissors and\nstabbed herself in the throat, covering herself immediately with\nblood. The servant prevented any further mischief, and supported her\nto the house of her husband\u2019s aunt, who was a widow living by herself,\nand who made Shan-hu stay with her. The servant went back and told\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang, and he bade her say nothing to any one, for fear his mother\nshould hear of it. In a few days Shan-hu\u2019s wound was healed, and\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang went off to ask his aunt to send her away. His aunt invited\nhim in, but he declined, demanding loudly that Shan-hu should be\nturned out; and in a few moments Shan-hu herself came forth, and\ninquired what she had done. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang said she had failed in her duty\ntowards his mother; whereupon Shan-hu hung her head and made no\nanswer, while tears of blood[304] trickled from her eyes and stained\nher dress all over. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang was much touched by this spectacle, and\nwent away without saying any more; but before long his mother heard\nall about it, and, hurrying off to the aunt\u2019s, began abusing her\nroundly. This the aunt would not stand, and said it was all the fault\nof her own bad temper, adding, \u201cThe girl has already left you, and has\nnothing more to do with the family. Miss Ch\u2018\u00ean is staying with me, not\nyour daughter-in-law; so you had better mind your own business.\u201d This\nmade Mrs. An furious; but she was at a loss for an answer, and, seeing\nthat the aunt was firm, she went off home abashed and in tears.\n\nShan-hu herself was very much upset, and determined to seek shelter\nelsewhere, finally taking up her abode with Mrs. An\u2019s elder sister, a\nlady of sixty odd years of age, whose son had died, leaving his wife\nand child to his mother\u2019s care. This Mrs. Y\u00fc was extremely fond of\nShan-hu; and when she heard the facts of the case, said it was all her\nsister\u2019s horrid disposition, and proposed to send Shan-hu back. The\nlatter, however, would not hear of this, and they continued to live\ntogether like mother and daughter; neither would Shan-hu accept the\ninvitation of her two brothers to return home and marry some one else,\nbut remained there with Mrs. Y\u00fc, earning enough to live upon by\nspinning and such work.\n\nEver since Shan-hu had been sent away, Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s mother had been\nendeavouring to get him another wife; but the fame of her temper had\nspread far and wide, and no one would entertain her proposals. In\nthree or four years Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang had grown up, and he was married first\nto a young lady named Tsang-ku, whose temper turned out to be\nsomething fearful, and far more ungovernable even than her\nmother-in-law\u2019s. When the latter only looked angry, Tsang-ku was\nalready at the shrieking stage; and Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang, being of a very meek\ndisposition, dared not side with either. Thus it came about that Mrs.\nAn began to be in mortal fear of Tsang-ku; and whenever her\ndaughter-in-law was in a rage she would try and turn off her anger\nwith a smile. She seemed never to be able to please Tsang-ku, who in\nher turn worked her mother-in-law like a slave, Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang himself not\nventuring to interfere, but only assisting his mother in washing the\ndishes and sweeping the floor. Mother and son would often go to some\nsecluded spot, and there in secret tell their griefs to one another;\nbut before long Mrs. An was stretched upon a sick bed with nobody to\nattend to her except Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang. He watched her day and night without\nsleeping, until both eyes were red and inflamed; and then when he went\nto summon the younger son to take his place, Tsang-ku told him to\nleave the house. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang now went off to inform Mrs. Y\u00fc, hoping that\nshe would come and assist; and he had hardly finished his tale of woe\nbefore Shan-hu walked in. In great confusion at seeing her, he would\nhave left immediately had not Shan-hu held out her arms across the door;\nwhereupon he bolted underneath them and escaped. He did not dare tell\nhis mother, and shortly afterwards Mrs. Y\u00fc arrived, to the great joy\nof Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s mother, who made her stay in the house. Every day\nsomething nice was sent for Mrs. Y\u00fc, and even when she told the\nservants that there was no occasion for it, she having all she wanted\nat her sister\u2019s, the things still came as usual. However, she kept\nnone of them for herself, but gave what came to the invalid, who\ngradually began to improve. Mrs. Y\u00fc\u2019s grandson also used to come by\nhis mother\u2019s orders, and inquire after the sick lady\u2019s health, besides\nbringing a packet of cakes and so on for her. \u201cAh, me!\u201d cried Mrs. An,\n\u201cwhat a good daughter-in-law you have got, to be sure. What have you\ndone to her?\u201d \u201cWhat sort of a person was the one you sent away?\u201d asked\nher sister in reply. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t as bad as some one I know of,\u201d said\nMrs. An, \u201cthough not so good as yours.\u201d \u201cWhen she was here you had but\nlittle to do,\u201d replied Mrs. Y\u00fc; \u201cand when you were angry she took no\nnotice of it. How was she not as good?\u201d Mrs. An then burst into tears,\nand saying how sorry she was, asked if Shan-hu had married again; to\nwhich Mrs. Y\u00fc replied that she did not know, but would make inquiries.\nIn a few more days the patient was quite well, and Mrs. Y\u00fc proposed to\nreturn; her sister, however, begged her to stay, and declared she\nshould die if she didn\u2019t. Mrs. Y\u00fc then advised that Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang and his\nwife should live in a separate house, and Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang spoke about it\nto his wife; but she would not agree, and abused both Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang and\nhis mother alike. It ended by Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang giving up a large share of the\nproperty, and ultimately Tsang-ku consented, and a deed of separation\nwas drawn up. Mrs. Y\u00fc then went away, returning next day with a\nsedan-chair to carry her sister back; and no sooner had the latter put\nher foot inside Mrs. Y\u00fc\u2019s door, than she asked to see the\ndaughter-in-law, whom she immediately began to praise very highly.\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Mrs. Y\u00fc, \u201cshe\u2019s a good girl, with her little faults like\nthe rest of us; but your daughter-in-law is just as good, though you\nare not aware of it.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d replied her sister, \u201cI must have been as\nsenseless as a statue not to have seen what she was.\u201d \u201cI wonder what\nShan-hu, whom you turned out of doors, says of you,\u201d rejoined Mrs. Y\u00fc.\n\u201cWhy, swears at me, of course,\u201d answered Mrs. An. \u201cIf you examine\nyourself honestly and find nothing which should make people swear at\nyou, is it at all likely you would be sworn at?\u201d asked Mrs. Y\u00fc. \u201cWell,\nall people are fallible,\u201d replied the other, \u201cand as I know she is not\nperfect, I conclude she would naturally swear at me.\u201d \u201cIf a person has\njust cause for resentment, and yet does not indulge that resentment,\nsuch behaviour should meet with a grateful acknowledgment; or if any\none has just cause for leaving another and yet does not do so, such\nbehaviour should entitle them to kind treatment. Now, all the things\nthat were sent when you were ill, and all the various little\nattentions, did not come from my daughter-in-law but from yours.\u201d\nMrs. An was amazed at hearing this, and asked for some explanation;\nwhereupon Mrs. Y\u00fc continued, \u201cShan-hu has been living here for a long\ntime. Everything she sent to you was bought with money earned by her\nspinning, and that, too, continued late into the night.\u201d Mrs. An here\nburst into tears, and begged to be allowed to see Shan-hu, who came in\nat Mrs. Y\u00fc\u2019s summons, and threw herself on the ground at her\nmother-in-law\u2019s feet. Mrs. An was much abashed, and beat her head with\nshame; but Mrs. Y\u00fc made it all up between them, and they became mother\nand daughter as at first. In about ten days they went home, and, as\ntheir property was not enough to support them, Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang had to work\nwith his pen while his wife did the same with her needle. Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang\nwas quite well off, but his brother would not apply to him, neither\ndid he himself offer to help them. Tsang-ku, too, would have nothing\nto do with her sister-in-law, because she had been divorced; and\nShan-hu in her turn, knowing what Tsang-ku\u2019s temper was, made no great\nefforts to be friendly. So the two brothers lived apart;[305] and when\nTsang-ku was in one of her outrageous moods, all the others would stop\ntheir ears, till at length there was only her husband and the servants\nupon whom to vent her spleen. One day a maid-servant of hers\ncommitted suicide, and the father of the girl brought an action\nagainst Tsang-ku for having caused her death. Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang went off to\nthe mandarin\u2019s to take her place as defendant, but only got a good\nbeating for his pains, as the magistrate insisted that Tsang-ku\nherself should appear, and answer to the charge, in spite of all her\nfriends could do. The consequence was she had her fingers\nsqueezed[306] until the flesh was entirely taken off; and the\nmagistrate, being a grasping man, a very severe fine was inflicted as\nwell. Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang had now to mortgage his property before he could\nraise enough money to get Tsang-ku released; but before long the\nmortgagee threatened to foreclose, and he was obliged to enter into\nnegotiations for the sale of it to an old gentleman of the village\nnamed Jen. Now Mr. Jen, knowing that half the property had belonged to\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang, said the deed of sale must be signed by the elder brother\nas well; however, when Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang reached his house, the old man cried\nout, \u201cI am Mr. An, M.A., who is this Jen that he should buy my\nproperty?\u201d Then, looking at Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang, he added, \u201cThe filial piety of\nyou and your wife has obtained for me in the realms below this\ninterview;\u201d upon which Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang said, \u201cO father, since you have this\npower, help my younger brother.\u201d \u201cThe unfilial son and the vixenish\ndaughter-in-law,\u201d said the old man, \u201cdeserve no pity. Go home and\nquickly buy back our ancestral property.\u201d \u201cWe have barely enough to\nlive upon,\u201d replied Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang; \u201cwhere, then, shall we find the\nnecessary money?\u201d \u201cBeneath the crape myrtle-tree,\u201d[307] answered his\nfather, \u201cyou will find a store of silver, which you may take and use\nfor this purpose.\u201d Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang would have questioned him further, but\nthe old gentleman said no more, recovering consciousness shortly\nafterwards[308] without knowing a word of what had happened. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang\nwent back and told his brother, who did not altogether believe the\nstory; Tsang-ku, however, hurried off with a number of men, and had\nsoon dug a hole four or five feet deep, at the bottom of which they\nfound a quantity of bricks and stones, but no gold. She then gave up\nthe idea and returned home, Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang having meanwhile warned his\nmother and wife not to go near the place while she was digging. When\nTsang-ku left, Mrs. An went herself to have a look, and seeing only\nbricks and earth mingled together, she, too, retraced her steps.\nShan-hu was the next to go, and she found the hole full of silver\nbullion; and then Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang repaired to the spot and saw that there\nwas no mistake about it. Not thinking it right to apply this heir-loom\nto his own private use, he now summoned Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang to share it; and\nhaving obtained twice as much as was necessary to redeem the estate,\nthe brothers returned to their homes. Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang and Tsang-ku opened\ntheir half together, when lo! the bag was full of tiles and rubbish.\nThey at once suspected Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang of deceiving them, and Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang ran\noff to see how things were going at his brother\u2019s. He arrived just as\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang was spreading the silver on the table, and with his mother\nand wife rejoicing over their acquisition; and when he had told them\nwhat had occurred, Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang expressed much sympathy for him, and at\nonce presented him with his own half of the treasure. Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang was\ndelighted, and paid off the mortgage on the land, feeling very\ngrateful to his brother for such kindness. Tsang-ku, however, declared\nit was a proof that Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang had been cheating him; \u201cfor how,\notherwise,\u201d argued she, \u201ccan you understand a man sharing anything\nwith another, and then resigning his own half?\u201d\n\nErh-ch\u2018\u00eang himself did not know what to think of it; but next day the\nmortgagee sent to say that the money paid in was all imitation silver,\nand that he was about to lay the case before the authorities. Husband\nand wife were greatly alarmed at this, and Tsang-ku exclaimed, \u201cWell,\nI never thought your brother was as bad as this. He\u2019s simply trying to\ntake your life.\u201d Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang himself was in a terrible fright, and\nhurried off to the mortgagee to entreat for mercy; but as the latter\nwas extremely angry and would hear of no compromise, Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang was\nobliged to make over the property to him to dispose of himself. The\nmoney was then returned, and when he got home he found that two lumps\nhad been cut through, shewing merely an outside layer of silver, about\nas thick as an onion-leaf, covering nothing but copper within.\nTsang-ku and Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang then agreed to keep the broken pieces\nthemselves, but send the rest back to Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang, with a message,\nsaying that they were deeply indebted to him for all his kindness, and\nthat they had ventured to retain two of the lumps of silver out of\ncompliment to the giver; also that Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang might consider himself\nthe owner of the mortgaged land, which he could redeem or not as he\npleased. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang, who did not perceive the intention in all this,\nrefused to accept the land; however, Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang entreated him to do\nso, and at last he consented. When he came to weigh the money, he\nfound it was five ounces short, and therefore bade Shan-hu pawn\nsomething from her jewel-box to make up the amount, with which he\nproceeded to pay off the mortgage. The mortgagee, suspecting it was\nthe same money that had been offered him by Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang, cut the pieces\nin halves, and saw that it was all silver of the purest quality.\nAccordingly he accepted it in liquidation of his claim, and handed the\nmortgage back to Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang. Meanwhile, Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang had been expecting\nsome catastrophe; but when he found that the mortgaged land had been\nredeemed, he did not know what to make of it. Tsang-ku thought that at\nthe time of the digging Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang had concealed the genuine silver,\nand immediately rushed off to his house, and began to revile them all\nround. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang now understood why they had sent him back the money;\nand Shan-hu laughed and said, \u201cThe property is safe; why, then, this\nanger?\u201d Thereupon she made Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang hand over the deeds to Tsang-ku.\n\nOne night after this Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s father appeared to him in a dream,\nand reproached him, saying, \u201cUnfilial son, unfraternal brother, your\nhour is at hand. Wherefore usurp rights that do not belong to you?\u201d In\nthe morning Erh-ch\u2018\u00eang told Tsang-ku of his dream, and proposed to\nreturn the property to his brother; but she only laughed at him for a\nfool. Just then the eldest of his two sons, a boy of seven, died of\nsmall-pox, and this frightened Tsang-ku so that she agreed to restore\nthe deeds. Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang would not accept them; and now the second child,\na boy of three, died also; whereupon Tsang-ku seized the deeds, and\nthrew them into her brother-in-law\u2019s house. Spring was over, but the\nland was in a terribly neglected state; so Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang set to work and\nput it in order again. From this moment Tsang-ku was a changed woman\ntowards her mother- and sister-in-law; and when, six months later,\nMrs. An died, she was so grieved that she refused to take any\nnourishment. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried she, \u201cthat my mother-in-law has died thus\nearly, and prevented me from waiting upon her. Heaven will not allow\nme to retrieve my past errors.\u201d Tsang-ku had thirteen children,[309]\nbut as none of them lived, they were obliged to adopt one of\nTa-ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s,[310] who, with his wife, lived to a good old age, and had\nthree sons, two of whom took their doctor\u2019s degree. People said this\nwas a reward for filial piety and brotherly love.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[302] See No. XLIII., note 248.\n\n[303] See No. LIII., note 288.\n\n[304] Such is the Chinese idiom for what we should call \u201cbitter\u201d\ntears. This phrase is constantly employed in the notices of the death\nof a parent sent round to friends and relatives.\n\n[305] A disgraceful state of things, in the eyes of the Chinese. See\nthe paraphrase of the _Sacred Edict_, Maxim 1.\n\n[306] An illegal form of punishment, under the present dynasty, which\nauthorizes only _bambooing_ of two kinds, each of five degrees of\nseverity; _banishment_, of three degrees of duration; _transportation_\nfor life, of three degrees of distance; and _death_, of two kinds,\nnamely, by strangulation and decapitation. That torture is\noccasionally resorted to by the officers of the Chinese Empire is an\nindisputable fact; that it is commonly employed by the whole body of\nmandarins could only be averred by those who have not had the\nopportunities or the desire to discover the actual truth.\n\n[307] _Lagerstr\u0153mia indica._\n\n[308] That is, old Mr. Jen\u2019s body had been possessed by the\ndisembodied spirit of Ta-ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s father.\n\n[309] Five is considered a large number for an ordinary Chinese woman.\n\n[310] In order to leave some one behind to look after their graves and\nperform the duties of ancestral worship. No one can well refuse to\ngive a son to be adopted by a childless brother.\n\n\n\n\nLVI.\n\nDR. TS\u00caNG\u2019S DREAM.\n\n\nThere was a Fohkien gentleman named Ts\u00eang, who had just taken his\ndoctor\u2019s degree. One day he was out walking with several other\nrecently-elected doctors, when they heard that at a temple hard by\nthere lived an astrologer, and accordingly the party proceeded thither\nto get their fortunes told. They went in and sat down, and the\nastrologer made some very complimentary remarks to Ts\u00eang, at which he\nfanned himself and smiled, saying, \u201cHave I any chance of ever wearing\nthe dragon robes and the jade girdle?\u201d[311] The astrologer[312]\nimmediately put on a serious face, and replied that he would be a\nSecretary of State during twenty years of national tranquillity.\nThereupon Ts\u00eang was much pleased, and began to give himself greater\nairs than ever. A slight rain coming on, they sought shelter in the\npriest\u2019s quarters, where they found an old bonze, with sunken eyes and\na big nose, sitting upon a mat. He took no notice of the strangers,\nwho, after having bowed to him, stretched themselves upon the couches\nto chat, not forgetting to congratulate Ts\u00eang upon the destiny which\nhad been foretold him. Ts\u00eang, too, seemed to think the thing was a\nmatter of certainty, and mentioned the names of several friends he\nintended to advance, amongst others the old family butler. Roars of\nlaughter greeted this announcement, mingled with the patter-patter of\nthe increasing rain outside. Ts\u00eang then curled himself up for a nap,\nwhen suddenly in walked two officials bearing a commission under the\nGreat Seal appointing Ts\u00eang to the Grand Secretariat. As soon as Ts\u00eang\nunderstood their errand, he rushed off at once to pay his respects to\nthe Emperor, who graciously detained him some time in conversation,\nand then issued instructions that the promotion and dismissal of all\nofficers below the third grade[313] should be vested in Ts\u00eang alone.\nHe was next presented with the dragon robes, the jade girdle, and a\nhorse from the imperial stables, after which he performed the\n_ko-t\u2018ow_[314] before His Majesty and took his leave. He then went\nhome, but it was no longer the old home of his youth. Painted beams,\ncarved pillars, and a general profusion of luxury and elegance, made\nhim wonder where on earth he was; until, nervously stroking his\nbeard, he ventured to call out in a low tone. Immediately the\nresponses of numberless attendants echoed through the place like\nthunder. Presents of costly food were sent to him by all the grandees,\nand his gate was absolutely blocked up by the crowds of retainers who\nwere constantly coming and going. When Privy Councillors came to\nsee him, he would rush out in haste to receive them; when\nUnder-Secretaries of State visited him, he made them a polite bow; but\nto all below these he would hardly vouchsafe a word. The Governor of\nShansi sent him twelve singing-girls, two of whom, Ni-ni and Fairy, he\nmade his favourites. All day long he had nothing to do but find\namusement as best he could, until he bethought himself that formerly a\nman named Wang had often assisted him with money. Thereupon he\nmemorialized the Throne and obtained official employment for him. Then\nhe recollected that there was another man to whom he owed a\nlong-standing grudge. He at once caused this man, who was in the\nGovernment service, to be impeached and stripped of his rank and\ndignities. Thus he squared accounts with both. One day when out in his\nchair a drunken man bumped against one of his tablet-bearers.[315]\nTs\u00eang had him seized and sent in to the mayor\u2019s yam\u00ean, where he died\nunder the bamboo. Owners of land adjoining his would make him a\npresent of the richest portions, fearing the consequences if they did\nnot do so; and thus he became very wealthy, almost on a par with the\nState itself. By-and-by, Ni-ni and Fairy died, and Ts\u00eang was\noverwhelmed with grief. Suddenly he remembered that in former years he\nhad seen a beautiful girl whom he wished to purchase as a concubine,\nbut want of money had then prevented him from carrying out his\nintention. Now there was no longer that difficulty; and accordingly he\nsent off two trusty servants to get the girl by force. In a short time\nshe arrived, when he found that she had grown more beautiful than\never; and so his cup of happiness was full. But years rolled on, and\ngradually his fellow-officials became estranged, Ts\u00eang taking no\nnotice of their behaviour, until at last one of them impeached him to\nthe Throne in a long and bitter memorial. Happily, however, the\nEmperor still regarded him with favour, and for some time kept the\nmemorial by him unanswered. Then followed a joint memorial from the\nwhole of the Privy Council, including those who had once thronged his\ndoors, and had falsely called him their dear father. The Imperial\nrescript to this document was \u201cBanishment to Yunnan,\u201d[316] his son,\nwho was Governor of P\u2018ing-yang, being also implicated in his guilt.\nWhen Ts\u00eang heard the news, he was overcome with fear; but an armed\nguard was already at his gate, and the lictors were forcing their way\ninto his innermost apartments. They tore off his robe and official\nhat, and bound him and his wife with cords. Then they collected\ntogether in the hall his gold, his silver, and bank-notes,[317] to the\nvalue of many hundred thousands of taels. His pearls, and jade, and\nprecious stones filled many bushel baskets. His curtains, and screens,\nand beds, and other articles of furniture were brought out by\nthousands; while the swaddling-clothes of his infant boy and the shoes\nof his little girl were lying littered about the steps. It was a sad\nsight for Ts\u00eang; but a worse blow was that of his concubine carried\noff almost lifeless before his eyes, himself not daring to utter a\nword. Then all the apartments, store-rooms, and treasuries were sealed\nup; and, with a volley of curses, the soldiers bade Ts\u00eang begone, and\nproceeded to leave the place, dragging Ts\u00eang with them. The husband\nand wife prayed that they might be allowed some old cart, but this\nfavour was denied them. After about ten _li_, Ts\u00eang\u2019s wife could\nbarely walk, her feet being swollen and sore. Ts\u00eang helped her along\nas best he could, but another ten _li_ reduced him to a state of\nabject fatigue. By-and-by they saw before them a great mountain, the\nsummit of which was lost in the clouds; and, fearing they should be\nmade to ascend it, Ts\u00eang and his wife stood still and began to weep.\nThe lictors, however, clamoured round them, and would permit of no\nrest. The sun was rapidly sinking, and there was no place at hand\nwhere they could obtain shelter for the night. So they continued on\ntheir weary way until about half-way up the hill, when his wife\u2019s\nstrength was quite exhausted, and she sat down by the roadside. Ts\u00eang,\ntoo, halted to rest in spite of the soldiers and their abuse; but they\nhad hardly stopped a moment before down came a band of robbers upon\nthem, each with a sharp knife in his hand. The soldiers immediately\ntook to their heels, and Ts\u00eang fell on his knees before the robbers,\nsaying, \u201cI am a poor criminal going into banishment, and have nothing\nto give you. I pray you spare my life.\u201d But the robbers sternly\nreplied, \u201cWe are all the victims of your crimes, and now we want your\nwicked head.\u201d Then Ts\u00eang began to revile them, saying, \u201cDogs! though I\nam under sentence of banishment, I am still an officer of the State.\u201d\nBut the robbers cursed him again, flourishing a sword over his neck,\nand the next thing he heard was the noise of his own head as it fell\nwith a thud to the ground. At the same instant two devils stepped\nforward and seized him each by one hand, compelling him to go with\nthem. After a little while they arrived at a great city where there\nwas a hideously ugly king sitting upon a throne judging between good\nand evil. Ts\u00eang crawled before him on his hands and knees to receive\nsentence, and the king, after turning over a few pages of his\nregister, thundered out, \u201cThe punishment of a traitor who has brought\nmisfortune on his country: the cauldron of boiling oil!\u201d To this ten\nthousand devils responded with a cry like a clap of thunder, and one\nhuge monster led Ts\u00eang down alongside the cauldron, which was seven\nfeet in height, and surrounded on all sides by blazing fuel, so that\nit was of a glowing red heat. Ts\u00eang shrieked for mercy, but it was all\nup with him, for the devil seized him by the hair and the small of his\nback and pitched him headlong in. Down he fell with a splash, and rose\nand sank with the bubbling of the oil, which ate through his flesh\ninto his very vitals. He longed to die, but death would not come to\nhim. After about half-an-hour\u2019s boiling, a devil took him out on a\npitchfork and threw him down before the Infernal King, who again\nconsulted his note-book, and said, \u201cYou relied on your position to\ntreat others with contumely and injustice, for which you must suffer\non the Sword-Hill.\u201d Again he was led away by devils to a large hill\nthickly studded with sharp swords, their points upwards like the\nshoots of bamboo, with here and there the remains of many miserable\nwretches who had suffered before him. Ts\u00eang again cried for mercy and\ncrouched upon the ground; but a devil bored into him with a poisoned\nawl until he screamed with pain. He was then seized and flung up high\ninto the air, falling down right on the sword points, to his most\nfrightful agony. This was repeated several times until he was almost\nhacked to pieces. He was then brought once more before the king, who\nasked what was the amount of his peculations while on earth.\nImmediately an accountant came forward with an abacus, and said that\nthe whole sum was 3,210,000 taels, whereupon the king replied, \u201cLet\nhim drink that amount.\u201d Forthwith the devils piled up a great heap of\ngold and silver, and, when they had melted it in a huge crucible,\nbegan pouring it into Ts\u00eang\u2019s mouth. The pain was excruciating as the\nmolten metal ran down his throat into his vitals; but since in life he\nhad never been able to get enough of the dross, it was determined he\nshould feel no lack of it then. He was half-a-day drinking it, and\nthen the king ordered him away to be born again as a woman[318] in\nKan-chou. A few steps brought them to a huge frame, where on an iron\naxle revolved a mighty wheel many hundred _yojanas_[319] in\ncircumference, and shining with a brilliant light. The devils flogged\nTs\u00eang on to the wheel, and he shut his eyes as he stepped up. Then\nwhiz--and away he went, feet foremost, round with the wheel, until he\nfelt himself tumble off and a cold thrill ran through him, when he\nopened his eyes and found he was changed into a girl. He saw his\nfather and mother in rags and tatters, and in one corner a beggar\u2019s\nbowl and a staff,[320] and understood the calamity that had befallen\nhim. Day after day he begged about the streets, and his inside rumbled\nfor want of food; he had no clothes to his back. At fourteen years of\nage he was sold to a gentleman as concubine; and then, though food and\nclothes were not wanting, he had to put up with the scoldings and\nfloggings of the wife, who one day burnt him with a hot iron.[321]\nLuckily the gentleman took a fancy to him and treated him well, which\nkindness Ts\u00eang repaid by an irreproachable fidelity. It happened,\nhowever, that on one occasion when they were chatting together,\nburglars broke into the house and killed the gentleman, Ts\u00eang having\nescaped by hiding himself under the bed. Thereupon he was immediately\ncharged by the wife with murder, and on being taken before the\nauthorities was sentenced to die the \u201clingering death.\u201d[322] This\nsentence was at once carried out with tortures more horrible than any\nin all the Courts of Purgatory, in the middle of which Ts\u00eang heard one\nof his companions call out, \u201cHullo, there! you\u2019ve got the nightmare.\u201d\nTs\u00eang got up and rubbed his eyes, and his friends said, \u201cIt\u2019s quite\nlate in the day, and we\u2019re all very hungry.\u201d But the old priest\nsmiled, and asked him if the prophecy as to his future rank was true\nor not. Ts\u00eang bowed and begged him to explain; whereupon the old\npriest said, \u201cFor those who cultivate virtue, a lily will grow up even\nin the fiery pit.\u201d[323] Ts\u00eang had gone thither full of pride and\nvainglory; he went home an altered man. From that day he thought no\nmore of becoming a Secretary of State, but retired into the hills, and\nI know not what became of him after that.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[311] That is, of rising to the highest offices of State.\n\n[312] The Chinese term used throughout is \u201cstar-man.\u201d\n\n[313] Chinese official life is divided into nine grades.\n\n[314] Prostrating himself three times, and knocking his head on the\nground thrice at each prostration.\n\n[315] The _retinue_ of a high mandarin is composed as follows:--First,\ngong-bearers, then bannermen, tablet-bearers (on which tablets are\ninscribed the titles of the official), a large red umbrella, mounted\nattendants, a box containing a change of clothes, bearers of regalia,\na second gong, a small umbrella or sunshade, a large wooden fan,\nexecutioners, lictors from hell, who wear tall hats; a mace (called a\n\u201cgolden melon\u201d), bamboos for \u201cbambooing,\u201d incense-bearers, more\nattendants, and now the great man himself, followed by a body-guard of\nsoldiers and a few personal attendants, amounting in all to nearly one\nhundred persons, many of whom are mere street-rowdies or beggars,\nhired at a trifling outlay when required to join what might otherwise\nbe an imposing procession. The scanty _retinues_ of foreign officials\nin China still continue to excite the scorn of the populace, who love\nto compare the rag-tag and bob-tail magnificence of their own\nfunctionaries with the modest show even of H.B.M.\u2019s Minister at\nPeking.\n\n[316] A land journey of about three months, ending in a region which\nthe Chinese have always regarded as semi-barbarous.\n\n[317] This use of paper money in China is said to date from A.D. 1236;\nthat is, during the reign of the Mongol Emperor, Ogdai Khan.\n\n[318] This contingency is much dreaded by the Chinese.\n\n[319] A _yojana_ has been variously estimated at from five to nine\nEnglish miles.\n\n[320] The _patra_ and _khakkharam_ of the _bikshu_ or Buddhist\nmendicant.\n\n[321] It is not considered quite correct to take a concubine unless\nthe wife is childless, in which case it is held that the proposition\nto do so, and thus secure the much-desired posterity, should emanate\nfrom the wife herself. On page 41 of Vol. XIII., of this author, we\nread, \u201cand if at thirty years of age you have no children, then sell\nyour hair-pins and other ornaments, and buy a concubine for your\nhusband. For the childless state is a hard one to bear;\u201d or, as Victor\nHugo puts it in his _L\u00e9gende des Si\u00e8cles_, there is nothing so sad as\n\u201cla maison sans enfants.\u201d\n\n[322] This is the celebrated form of death, reserved for parricide and\nsimilar awful crimes, about which so much has been written. Strictly\nspeaking, the malefactor should be literally chopped to pieces in\norder to prolong his agonies; but the sentence is now rarely, if ever,\ncarried out in its extreme sense. A few gashes are made upon the\nwretched victim\u2019s body, and he is soon put out of his misery by\ndecapitation. As a matter of fact, this death is not enumerated among\nthe _Five Punishments_ authorized by the Penal Code of the present\ndynasty. See No. LV., note 306.\n\n[323] Alluding to a well-known Buddhist miracle in which a _bikshu_\nwas to be thrown into a cauldron of boiling water in a fiery pit, when\nsuddenly a lotus-flower came forth, the fire was extinguished, and the\nwater became cold.\n\n\n\n\nLVII.\n\nTHE COUNTRY OF THE CANNIBALS.[324]\n\n\nAt Chiao-chou[325] there lived a man named Hs\u00fc, who gained his living\nby trading across the sea. On one occasion he was carried far out of\nhis course by a violent tempest, and reached a country of high hills\nand dense jungle,[326] where, after making fast his boat and taking\nprovisions with him, he landed, hoping to meet with some of the\ninhabitants. He then saw that the rocks were covered with large holes,\nlike the cells of bees; and, hearing the sound of voices from within,\nhe stopped in front of one of them and peeped in. To his infinite\nhorror he beheld two hideous beings, with thick rows of horrid fangs,\nand eyes that glared like lamps, engaged in tearing to pieces and\ndevouring some raw deer\u2019s flesh; and, turning round, he would have\nfled instantly from the spot, had not the cave-men already espied\nhim; and, leaving their food, they seized him and dragged him in.\nThereupon ensued a chattering between them, resembling the noise of\nbirds or beasts,[327] and they proceeded to pull off Hs\u00fc\u2019s clothes as\nif about to eat him; but Hs\u00fc, who was frightened almost to death,\noffered them the food he had in his wallet, which they ate up with\ngreat relish, and looked inside for more. Hs\u00fc waved his hand to shew\nit was all finished, and then they angrily seized him again; at which\nhe cried out, \u201cI have a saucepan in my boat, and can cook you some.\u201d\nThe cave-men did not understand what he said; but, by dint of\ngesticulating freely, they at length seemed to have an idea of what he\nmeant; and, having taken him down to the shore to fetch the saucepan,\nthey returned with him to the cave, where he lighted a fire and cooked\nthe remainder of the deer, with the flavour of which they appeared to\nbe mightily pleased. At night they rolled a big stone to the mouth of\nthe cave,[328] fearing lest he should try to escape; and Hs\u00fc himself\nlay down at a distance from them in doubt as to whether his life would\nbe spared. At daybreak the cave-men went out, leaving the entrance\nblocked, and by-and-by came back with a deer, which they gave to Hs\u00fc\nto cook. Hs\u00fc flayed the carcase, and from a remote corner of the cave\ntook some water and prepared a large quantity, which was no sooner\nready than several other cave-men arrived to join in the feast. When\nthey had finished all there was, they made signs that Hs\u00fc\u2019s saucepan\nwas too small; and three or four days afterwards they brought him a\nlarge one of the same shape as those in common use amongst men,\nsubsequently furnishing him with constant supplies of wolf and\ndeer,[329] of which they always invited him to partake. By degrees\nthey began to treat him kindly, and not to shut him up when they went\nout; and Hs\u00fc, too, gradually learnt to understand, and even to speak,\na little of their language, which pleased them so much that they\nfinally gave him a cave-woman for his wife. Hs\u00fc was horribly afraid of\nher; but, as she treated him with great consideration, always\nreserving tit-bits of food for him, they lived very happily together.\nOne day all the cave-people got up early in the morning, and, having\nadorned themselves with strings of fine pearls, they went forth as if\nto meet some honoured guest, giving orders to Hs\u00fc to cook an extra\nquantity of meat that day. \u201cIt is the birthday of our King,\u201d said\nHs\u00fc\u2019s wife to him; and then, running out, she informed the other\ncave-people that her husband had no pearls. So each gave five from\nhis own string, and Hs\u00fc\u2019s wife added ten to these, making in all\nfifty, which she threaded on a hempen fibre and hung around his neck,\neach pearl being worth over an hundred ounces of silver. Then they\nwent away, and as soon as Hs\u00fc had finished his cooking, his wife\nappeared and invited him to come and receive the King. So off they\nwent to a huge cavern, covering about a mow[330] of ground, in which\nwas a huge stone, smoothed away at the top like a table, with stone\nseats at the four sides. At the upper end was a dais, over which was\nspread a leopard\u2019s skin, the other seats having only deer-skins; and\nwithin the cavern some twenty or thirty cave-men ranged themselves on\nthe seats. After a short interval a great wind began to stir up the\ndust, and they all rushed out to a creature very much resembling\nthemselves, which hurried into the cave, and, squatting down\ncross-legged, cocked its head and looked about like a cormorant. The\nother cave-men then filed in and took up their positions right and\nleft of the dais, where they stood gazing up at the King with their\narms folded before them in the form of a cross. The King counted them\none by one, and asked if they were all present; and when they replied\nin the affirmative, he looked at Hs\u00fc and inquired who he was.\nThereupon Hs\u00fc\u2019s wife stepped forward and said he was her husband, and\nthe others all loudly extolled his skill in cookery, two of them\nrunning out and bringing back some cooked meat, which they set before\nthe King. His Majesty swallowed it by handfuls, and found it so nice\nthat he gave orders to be supplied regularly; and then, turning to\nHs\u00fc, he asked him why his string of beads[331] was so short. \u201cHe has\nbut recently arrived among us,\u201d replied the cave-men, \u201cand hasn\u2019t got\na complete set;\u201d upon which the King drew ten pearls from the string\nround his own neck and bestowed them upon Hs\u00fc. Each was as big as the\ntop of one\u2019s finger, and as round as a bullet; and Hs\u00fc\u2019s wife threaded\nthem for him and hung them round his neck. Hs\u00fc himself crossed his\narms and thanked the King in the language of the country, after which\nHis Majesty went off in a gust of wind as rapidly as a bird can fly,\nand the cave-men sat down and finished what was left of the banquet.\nFour years afterwards Hs\u00fc\u2019s wife gave birth to a triplet of two boys\nand one girl, all of whom were ordinary human beings, and not at all\nlike the mother; at which the other cave-people were delighted, and\nwould often play with them and caress them.[332] Three years passed\naway, and the children could walk about, after which their father\ntaught them to speak his own tongue; and in their early babblings\ntheir human origin was manifested. The boys, as mere children, could\nclimb about on the mountains as easily as though walking upon a level\nroad; and between them and their father there grew up a mutual feeling\nof attachment. One day the mother had gone out with the girl and one\nof the boys, and was absent for a long time. A strong north wind was\nblowing, and Hs\u00fc, filled with thoughts of his old home, led his other\nson down with him to the beach, where lay the boat in which he had\nformerly reached this country. He then proposed to the boy that they\nshould go away together; and, having explained to him that they could\nnot inform his mother, father and son stepped on board, and, after a\nvoyage of only twenty-four hours, arrived safely at Chiao-chou. On\nreaching home Hs\u00fc found that his wife had married again; so he sold\ntwo of his pearls for an enormous sum of money,[333] and set up a\nsplendid establishment. His son was called Piao, and at fourteen or\nfifteen years of age the boy could lift a weight of three thousand\ncatties[334] (4,000 lbs.). He was extremely fond of athletics of all\nkinds, and thus attracted the notice of the Commander-in-Chief, who\ngave him a commission as sub-lieutenant. Just at that time there\nhappened to be some trouble on the frontier, and young Piao, having\ncovered himself with glory, was made a colonel at the age of eighteen.\n\nAbout that time another merchant was driven by stress of weather to\nthe country of the cave-men, and had hardly stepped ashore before he\nobserved a young man whom he knew at once to be of Chinese origin. The\nyoung man asked him whence he came, and finally took him into a cave\nhid away in a dark valley and concealed by the dense jungle. There he\nbade him remain, and in a little while he returned with some deer\u2019s\nflesh, which he gave the merchant to eat, saying at the same time that\nhis own father was a Chiao-chou man. The merchant now knew that the\nyoung man was Hs\u00fc\u2019s son, he himself being acquainted with Hs\u00fc as a\ntrader in the same line of business. \u201cWhy, he\u2019s an old friend of\nmine,\u201d cried the latter; \u201chis other son is now a colonel.\u201d The young\nman did not know what was meant by a _colonel_, so the merchant told\nhim it was the title of a Chinese mandarin. \u201cAnd what is a\n_mandarin_?\u201d asked the youth. \u201cA mandarin,\u201d replied the merchant, \u201cis\none who goes out with a chair and horses; who at home sits upon a dais\nin the hall; whose summons is answered by a hundred voices; who is\nlooked at only with sidelong eyes, and in whose presence all people\nstand aslant;--this is to be a mandarin.\u201d The young man was deeply\ntouched at this recital, and at length the merchant said to him,\n\u201cSince your honoured father is at Chiao-chou, why do you remain here?\u201d\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cI have often indulged the same feeling;\nbut my mother is not a Chinese woman, and, apart from the difference\nof her language and appearance, I fear that if the other cave-people\nfound it out they would do us some mischief.\u201d He then took his leave,\nbeing in rather a disturbed state of mind, and bade the merchant wait\nuntil the wind should prove favourable,[335] when he promised to come\nand see him off, and charge him with a letter to his father and\nbrother. Six months the merchant remained in that cave, occasionally\ntaking a peep at the cave-people passing backwards and forwards, but\nnot daring to leave his retreat. As soon as the monsoon set in the\nyoung man arrived and urged him to hurry away, begging him, also, not\nto forget the letter to his father. So the merchant sailed away and\nsoon reached Chiao-chou, where he visited the colonel and told him the\nwhole story. Piao was much affected, and wished to go in search of\nthose members of the family; but his father feared the dangers he\nwould encounter, and advised him not to think of such a thing.\nHowever, Piao was not to be deterred; and having imparted his scheme\nto the commander-in-chief, he took with him two soldiers and set off.\nAdverse winds prevailed at that time, and they beat about for half a\nmoon, until they were out of sight of all land, could not see a foot\nbefore them, and had completely lost their reckoning. Just then a\nmighty sea arose and capsized their boat, tossing Piao into the\nwater, where he floated about for some time at the will of the waves,\nuntil suddenly somebody dragged him out and carried him into a house.\nThen he saw that his rescuer was to all appearances a cave-man, and\naccordingly he addressed him in the cave-people\u2019s language, and told\nhim whither he himself was bound. \u201cIt is my native place,\u201d replied the\ncave-man, in astonishment; \u201cbut you will excuse my saying that you are\nnow 8,000 _li_ out of your course. This is the way to the country of\nthe Poisonous Dragons, and not your route at all.\u201d He then went off to\nfind a boat for Piao, and, himself swimming in the water behind,\npushed it along like an arrow from a bow, so quickly that by the next\nday they had traversed the whole distance. On the shore Piao observed\na young man walking up and down and evidently watching him; and,\nknowing that no human beings dwelt there, he guessed at once that he\nwas his brother. Approaching more closely, he saw that he was right;\nand, seizing the young man\u2019s hand, he asked after his mother and\nsister. On hearing that they were well, he would have gone directly to\nsee them; but the younger one begged him not to do so, and ran away\nhimself to fetch them. Meanwhile, Piao turned to thank the cave-man\nwho had brought him there, but he, too, had disappeared. In a few\nminutes his mother and sister arrived, and, on seeing Piao, they could\nnot restrain their tears. Piao then laid his scheme before them, and\nwhen they said they feared people would ill-treat them, he replied,\n\u201cIn China I hold a high position, and people will not dare to shew\nyou disrespect.\u201d Thus they determined to go. The wind, however, was\nagainst them, and mother and son were at a loss what to do, when\nsuddenly the sail bellied out towards the south, and a rustling sound\nwas heard. \u201cHeaven helps us, my mother!\u201d cried Piao, full of joy; and,\nhurrying on board at once, in three days they had reached their\ndestination. As they landed the people fled right and left in fear,\nPiao having divided his own clothes amongst the party; and when they\narrived at the house, and his mother saw Hs\u00fc, she began to rate him\nsoundly for running away without her. Hs\u00fc hastened to acknowledge his\nerror, and then all the family and servants were introduced to her,\neach one being in mortal dread of such a singular personage. Piao now\nbade his mother learn to talk Chinese, and gave her any quantity of\nfine clothes and rich meats, to the infinite delight of the old lady.\nShe and her daughter both dressed in man\u2019s clothes, and by the end of\na few months were able to understand what was said to them. The\nbrother, named Pao [Leopard], and the sister, Yeh [Night], were both\nclever enough, and immensely strong into the bargain. Piao was ashamed\nthat Pao could not read, and set to work to teach him; and the\nyoungster was so quick that he learnt the sacred books[336] and\nhistories by merely reading them once over. However, he would not\nenter upon a literary career, loving better to draw a strong bow or\nride a spirited horse, and finally taking the highest military\ndegree. He married the daughter of a post-captain; but his sister had\nsome trouble in getting a husband, because of her being the child of a\ncave-woman. At length a serjeant, named Y\u00fcan, who was under her\nbrother\u2019s command, was forced to take her as his wife. She could draw\na hundred-catty bow, and shoot birds at a hundred paces without ever\nmissing. Whenever Y\u00fcan went to battle she went with him; and his\nsubsequent rise to high rank was chiefly due to her. At thirty-four\nyears of age Pao got a command; and in his great battles his mother,\nclad in armour and grasping a spear, would fight by his side, to the\nterror of all their adversaries; and when he himself received the\ndignity of an hereditary title, he memorialized the Throne to grant\nhis mother the title of \u201clady.\u201d\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[324] The Chinese term--here translated \u201cCannibals\u201d--is a meaningless\nimitation by two Chinese characters of the Sanscrit _yakcha_, or\ncertain demons who feed upon human flesh.\n\n[325] Hu\u00e9, the capital of Cochin-China.\n\n[326] The island of Hainan, inhabited as it was in earlier times by a\nrace of savages, is the most likely source of the following marvellous\nadventures.\n\n[327] To which sounds the languages of the west have been more than\nonce likened by the Chinese. It is only fair, however, to the lettered\nclasses to state that they have a similar contempt for their own local\ndialects; regarding _Mandarin_ as the only form of speech worthy to be\nemployed by men.\n\n[328] The occasional analogies to the story of the Cyclops must be\nevident to all readers.\n\n[329] The animal here mentioned is the plain brown deer, or _Rusa\nSwinhoii_, of Formosa, in which island I should prefer to believe, but\nfor the great distance from Hu\u00e9, that the scenes here narrated took\nplace.\n\n[330] About one sixth of an acre. On old title-deeds of landed\nproperty in China may still be seen measurements calculated according\nto the amount of grain that could be sown thereon.\n\n[331] The king here uses the words \u201cku-t\u2018u-tz\u016d,\u201d which are probably\nintended by the author to be an imitation of a term in the savage\ntongue.\n\n[332] Fondness for children is specially a trait of Chinese character;\nand a single baby would do far more to ensure the safety of a foreign\ntraveller in China than all the usual paraphernalia of pocket-pistols\nand revolvers.\n\n[333] Literally, \u201ca million of taels,\u201d the word used being the\nBuddhist term _chao_.\n\n[334] Here again we have 100 _ch\u00fcn_, one _ch\u00fcn_ being equal to about\n40 _lbs._ Chinese weights, measures, distances, numbers, &c., are\noften very loosely employed; and it is probable that not more than 100\n_catties_, say 133 _lbs._, is here meant.\n\n[335] That is, until the change of the monsoon from S.W. to N.E.\n\n[336] See No. XLI., note 237.\n\n\n\n\nLVIII.\n\nFOOT-BALL ON THE TUNG-T\u2018ING LAKE.\n\n\nWang Shih-hsiu was a native of Lu-chou, and such a lusty fellow that\nhe could pick up a stone mortar.[337] Father and son were both good\nfoot-ball players; but when the former was about forty years of age he\nwas drowned while crossing the Money Pool.[338] Some eight or nine\nyears later our hero happened to be on his way to Hunan; and anchoring\nin the Tung-t\u2018ing lake, watched the moon rising in the east and\nilluminating the water into a bright sheet of light. While he was thus\nengaged, lo! from out of the lake emerged five men, bringing with them\na large mat which they spread on the surface of the water so as to\ncover about six yards square. Wine and food were then arranged upon\nit, and Wang heard the sound of the dishes knocking together, but it\nwas a dull, soft sound, not at all like that of ordinary crockery.\nThree of the men sat down on the mat and the other two waited upon\nthem. One of the former was dressed in yellow, the other two in white,\nand each wore a black turban. Their demeanour as they sat there side\nby side was grave and dignified; in appearance they resembled three of\nthe ancients, but by the fitful beams of the moon Wang was unable to\nsee very clearly what they were like. The attendants wore black serge\ndresses, and one of them seemed to be a boy, while the other was many\nyears older. Wang now heard the man in the yellow dress say, \u201cThis is\ntruly a fine moonlight night for a drinking-bout;\u201d to which one of his\ncompanions replied, \u201cIt quite reminds me of the night when Prince\nKuang-li feasted at Pear-blossom Island.\u201d[339] The three then pledged\neach other in bumping goblets, talking all the time in such a low tone\nthat Wang could not hear what they were saying. The boatmen kept\nthemselves concealed, crouching down at the bottom of the boat; but\nWang looked hard at the attendants, the elder of whom bore a striking\nresemblance to his father, though he spoke in quite a different tone\nof voice. When it was drawing towards midnight, one of them proposed a\ngame at ball; and in a moment the boy disappeared in the water, to\nreturn immediately with a huge ball--quite an armful in\nfact--apparently full of quicksilver, and lustrous within and without.\nAll now rose up, and the man in the yellow dress bade the old\nattendant join them in the game. The ball was kicked up some ten or\nfifteen feet in the air, and was quite dazzling in its brilliancy; but\nonce, when it had gone up with a whish-h-h-h, it fell at some distance\noff, right in the very middle of Wang\u2019s boat. The occasion was\nirresistible, and Wang, exerting all his strength, kicked the ball\nwith all his might. It seemed unusually light and soft to the touch,\nand his foot broke right through. Away went the ball to a good height,\npouring forth a stream of light like a rainbow from the hole Wang had\nmade, and making as it fell a curve like that of a comet rushing\nacross the sky. Down it glided into the water, where it fizzed a\nmoment and then went out. \u201cHo, there!\u201d cried out the players in anger,\n\u201cwhat living creature is that who dares thus to interrupt our sport?\u201d\n\u201cWell kicked--indeed!\u201d said the old man, \u201cthat\u2019s a favourite drop-kick\nof my own.\u201d At this, one of the two in white clothes began to abuse\nhim saying, \u201cWhat! you old baggage, when we are all so annoyed in this\nmanner, are you to come forward and make a joke of it? Go at once with\nthe boy and bring back to us this practical joker, or your own back\nwill have a taste of the stick.\u201d Wang was of course unable to flee;\nhowever, he was not a bit afraid, and grasping a sword stood there in\nthe middle of the boat. In a moment, the old man and boy arrived, also\narmed, and then Wang knew that the former was really his father, and\ncalled out to him at once, \u201cFather, I am your son.\u201d The old man was\ngreatly alarmed, but father and son forgot their troubles in the joy\nof meeting once again. Meanwhile, the boy went back, and Wang\u2019s\nfather bade him hide, or they would all be lost. The words were hardly\nout of his mouth when the three men jumped on board the boat. Their\nfaces were black as pitch, their eyes as big as pomegranates, and they\nat once proceeded to seize the old man. Wang struggled hard with them,\nand managing to get the boat free from her moorings, he seized his\nsword and cut off one of his adversaries\u2019 arms. The arm dropped down\nand the man in the yellow dress ran away; whereupon one of those in\nwhite rushed at Wang who immediately cut off his head, and he fell\ninto the water with a splash, at which the third disappeared. Wang and\nhis father were now anxious to get away, when suddenly a great mouth\narose from the lake, as big and as deep as a well, and against which\nthey could hear the noise of the water when it struck. This mouth blew\nforth a violent gust of wind, and in a moment the waves were mountains\nhigh and all the boats on the lake were tossing about. The boatmen\nwere terrified, but Wang seized one of two huge stones there were on\nboard for use as anchors,[340] about 130 lbs. in weight, and threw it\ninto the water, which immediately began to subside; and then he threw\nin the other one, upon which the wind dropped, and the lake became\ncalm again. Wang thought his father was a disembodied spirit, but the\nold man said, \u201cI never died. There were nineteen of us drowned in the\nriver, all of whom were eaten by the fish-goblins except myself: I was\nsaved because I could play foot-ball. Those you saw got into trouble\nwith the Dragon King, and were sent here. They were all marine\ncreatures, and the ball they were playing with was a fish-bladder.\u201d\nFather and son were overjoyed at meeting again, and at once proceeded\non their way. In the morning they found in the boat a huge fin--the\narm that Wang had cut off the night before.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[337] Used for pounding rice.\n\n[338] A fancy name for the Tung-t\u2018ing lake. See No. XXXVIII., note\n226.\n\n[339] The commentator declares himself unable to trace this allusion.\n\n[340] These are bound in between several sharp-pointed stakes and\nserve their purpose very well in the inland waters of China.\n\n\n\n\nLIX.\n\nTHE THUNDER GOD.\n\n\nL\u00ea Y\u00fcn-hao and Hsia P\u2018ing-tz\u016d lived as boys in the same village, and\nwhen they grew up read with the same tutor, becoming the firmest of\nfriends. Hsia was a clever fellow, and had acquired some reputation\neven at the early age of ten. L\u00ea was not a bit envious, but rather\nlooked up to him, and Hsia in return helped his friend very much with\nhis studies, so that he, too, made considerable progress. This\nincreased Hsia\u2019s fame, though try as he would he could never succeed\nat the public examinations, and by-and-by he sickened and died. His\nfamily was so poor they could not find money for his burial, whereupon\nL\u00ea came forward and paid all expenses, besides taking care of his\nwidow and children.\n\nEvery peck or bushel he would share with them, the widow trusting\nentirely to his support; and thus he acquired a good name in the\nvillage, though not being a rich man himself he soon ran through all\nhis own property. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, \u201cwhere talents like Hsia\u2019s failed,\ncan I expect to succeed? Wealth and rank are matters of destiny, and\nmy present career will only end by my dying like a dog in a ditch. I\nmust try something else.\u201d So he gave up book-learning and went into\ntrade, and in six months he had a trifle of money in hand.\n\nOne day when he was resting at an inn in Nanking, he saw a great big\nfellow walk in and seat himself at no great distance in a very\nmelancholy mood. L\u00ea asked him if he was hungry, and on receiving no\nanswer, pushed some food over towards him. The stranger immediately\nset to feeding himself by handfuls, and in no time the whole had\ndisappeared. L\u00ea ordered another supply, but that was quickly disposed\nof in like manner; and then he told the landlord to bring a shoulder\nof pork and a quantity of boiled dumplings. Thus, after eating enough\nfor half a dozen, his appetite was appeased and he turned to thank his\nbenefactor, saying, \u201cFor three years I haven\u2019t had such a meal.\u201d \u201cAnd\nwhy should a fine fellow like you be in such a state of destitution?\u201d\ninquired L\u00ea; to which the other only replied, \u201cThe judgments of heaven\nmay not be discussed.\u201d Being asked where he lived, the stranger\nreplied, \u201cOn land I have no home, on the water no boat; at dawn in the\nvillage, at night in the city.\u201d L\u00ea then prepared to depart; but his\nfriend would not leave him, declaring that he was in imminent danger,\nand that he could not forget the late kindness L\u00ea had shewn him. So\nthey went along together, and on the way L\u00ea invited the other to eat\nwith him; but this he refused, saying that he only took food\noccasionally. L\u00ea marvelled more than ever at this; and next day when\nthey were on the river a great storm arose and capsized all their\nboats, L\u00ea himself being thrown into the water with the others.\nSuddenly the gale abated and the stranger bore L\u00ea on his back to\nanother boat, plunging at once into the water and bringing back the\nlost vessel, upon which he placed L\u00ea and bade him remain quietly\nthere. He then returned once more, this time carrying in his arms a\npart of the cargo, which he replaced in the vessel, and so he went on\nuntil it was all restored. L\u00ea thanked him, saying, \u201cIt was enough to\nsave my life; but you have added to this the restoration of my goods.\u201d\nNothing, in fact, had been lost, and now L\u00ea began to regard the\nstranger as something more than human. The latter here wished to take\nhis leave, but L\u00ea pressed him so much to stay that at last he\nconsented to remain. Then L\u00ea remarked that after all he had lost a\ngold pin, and immediately the stranger plunged into the water again,\nrising at length to the surface with the missing article in his mouth,\nand presenting it to L\u00ea with the remark that he was delighted to be\nable to fulfil his commands. The people on the river were all much\nastonished at what they saw; meanwhile L\u00ea went home with his friend,\nand there they lived together, the big man only eating once in ten or\ntwelve days, but then displaying an enormous appetite. One day he\nspoke of going away, to which L\u00ea would by no means consent; and as it\nwas just then about to rain and thunder, he asked him to tell him what\nthe clouds were like, and what thunder was, also how he could get up\nto the sky and have a look, so as to set his mind at rest on the\nsubject. \u201cWould you like to have a ramble among the clouds?\u201d asked\nthe stranger, as L\u00ea was lying down to take a nap; on awaking from\nwhich he felt himself spinning along through the air, and not at all\nas if he was lying on a bed. Opening his eyes he saw he was among the\nclouds, and around him was a fleecy atmosphere. Jumping up in great\nalarm, he felt giddy as if he had been at sea, and underneath his feet\nhe found a soft, yielding substance, unlike the earth. Above him were\nthe stars, and this made him think he was dreaming; but looking up he\nsaw that they were set in the sky like seeds in the cup of a lily,\nvarying from the size of the biggest bowl to that of a small basin. On\nraising his hand he discovered that the large stars were all tightly\nfixed; but he managed to pick a small one, which he concealed in his\nsleeve; and then, parting the clouds beneath him, he looked through\nand saw the sea glittering like silver below. Large cities appeared no\nbigger than beans--just at this moment, however, he bethought himself\nthat if his foot were to slip, what a tremendous fall he would have.\nHe now beheld two dragons writhing their way along, and drawing a cart\nwith a huge vat in it, each movement of their tails sounding like the\ncrack of a bullock-driver\u2019s whip. The vat was full of water, and\nnumbers of men were employed in ladling it out and sprinkling it on\nthe clouds. These men were astonished at seeing L\u00ea; however, a big\nfellow among them called out, \u201cAll right, he\u2019s my friend,\u201d and then\nthey gave him a ladle to help them throw the water out. Now it\nhappened to be a very dry season, and when L\u00ea got hold of the ladle he\ntook good care to throw the water so that it should all fall on and\naround his own home. The stranger then told him that he was the God of\nThunder,[341] and that he had just returned from a three years\u2019\npunishment inflicted on him in consequence of some neglect of his in\nthe matter of rain. He added that they must now part; and taking the\nlong rope which had been used as reins for the cart, bade L\u00ea grip it\ntightly, that he might be let down to earth. L\u00ea was afraid of this,\nbut on being told there was no danger he did so, and in a moment\nwhish-h-h-h-h--away he went and found himself safe and sound on _terra\nfirma_. He discovered that he had descended outside his native\nvillage, and then the rope was drawn up into the clouds and he saw it\nno more. The drought had been excessive; for three or four miles round\nvery little rain had fallen, though in L\u00ea\u2019s own village the\nwater-courses were all full. On reaching home he took the star out of\nhis sleeve, and put it on the table. It was dull-looking like an\nordinary stone; but at night it became very brilliant and lighted up\nthe whole house. This made him value it highly, and he stored it\ncarefully away, bringing it out only when he had guests, to light them\nat their wine. It was always thus dazzlingly bright, until one evening\nwhen his wife was sitting with him doing her hair, the star began to\ndiminish in brilliancy, and to flit about like a fire-fly. Mrs. L\u00ea sat\ngaping with astonishment, when all of a sudden it flitted into her\nmouth and ran down her throat. She tried to cough it up but couldn\u2019t,\nto the very great amazement of her husband. That night L\u00ea dreamt that\nhis old friend Hsia appeared before him and said, \u201cI am the Shao-wei\nstar. Your friendship is still cherished by me, and now you have\nbrought me back from the sky. Truly our destinies are knitted\ntogether, and I will repay your kindness by becoming your son.\u201d Now L\u00ea\nwas thirty years of age but without sons; however, after this dream\nhis wife bore him a male child, and they called his name Star. He was\nextraordinarily clever, and at sixteen years of age took his master\u2019s\ndegree.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[341] This deity is believed to be constantly on the look-out for\nwicked people, aided by the Goddess of Lightning, who flashes a mirror\non to whomsoever the God wishes to strike. \u201c_The thief eats\nthunderbolts_,\u201d means that he will bring down vengeance from Heaven on\nhimself. Tylor\u2019s _Primitive Culture_, Vol. I., p. 88.\n\n\n\n\nLX.\n\nTHE GAMBLER\u2019S TALISMAN.\n\n\nA Taoist priest, called Han, lived at the T\u2018ien-ch\u2018i temple, in our\ndistrict city. His knowledge of the black art was very extensive, and\nthe neighbours all regarded him as an Immortal.[342] My late father\nwas on intimate terms with him, and whenever he went into the city\ninvariably paid him a visit. One day, on such an occasion, he was\nproceeding thither in company with my late uncle, when suddenly they\nmet Han on the road. Handing them the key of the door, he begged them\nto go on and wait awhile for him, promising to be there shortly\nhimself. Following out these instructions they repaired to the temple,\nbut on unlocking the door there was Han sitting inside--a feat which\nhe subsequently performed several times.\n\nNow a relative of mine, who was terribly given to gambling, also knew\nthis priest, having been introduced to him by my father. And once this\nrelative, meeting with a Buddhist priest from the T\u2018ien-fo temple,\naddicted like himself to the vice of gambling, played with him until\nhe had lost everything, even going so far as to pledge the whole of\nhis property, which he lost in a single night. Happening to call in\nupon Han as he was going back, the latter noticed his exceedingly\ndejected appearance, and the rambling answers he gave, and asked him\nwhat was the matter. On hearing the story of his losses, Han only\nlaughed, and said, \u201cThat\u2019s what always overtakes the gambler, sooner\nor later; if, however, you will break yourself of the habit, I will\nget your money back for you.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d cried the other, \u201cif you will only\ndo that, you may break my head with a pestle when you catch me\ngambling again.\u201d So Han gave him a talismanic formula, written out on\na piece of paper, to put in his girdle, bidding him only win back what\nhe had lost, and not attempt to get a fraction more. He also handed\nhim 1000 _cash_, on condition that this sum should be repaid from his\nwinnings, and off went my relative delighted. The Buddhist, however,\nturned up his nose at the smallness of his means, and said it wasn\u2019t\nworth his while to stake so little; but at last he was persuaded into\nhaving one throw for the whole lot. They then began, the priest\nleading off with a fair throw, to which his opponent replied by a\nbetter; whereupon the priest doubled his stake, and my relative won\nagain, going on and on until the latter\u2019s good luck had brought him\nback all that he had previously lost. He thought, however, that he\ncouldn\u2019t do better than just win a few more strings of cash, and\naccordingly went on; but gradually his luck turned, and on looking\ninto his girdle he found that the talisman was gone. In a great fright\nhe jumped up, and went off with his winnings to the temple, where he\nreckoned up that after deducting Han\u2019s loan, and adding what he had\nlost towards the end, he had exactly the amount originally his. With\nshame in his face he turned to thank Han, mentioning at the same time\nthe loss of the talisman; at which Han only laughed, and said, \u201cThat\nhas got back before you. I told you not to be over-greedy, and as you\ndidn\u2019t heed me, I took the talisman away.\u201d[343]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[342] See No. V., note 48.\n\n[343] Gambling is the great Chinese vice, far exceeding in its ill\neffects all that opium has ever done to demoralize the country. Public\ngaming-houses are strictly forbidden by law, but their existence is\nwinked at by a too venal executive. _Fantan_ is the favourite game. It\nconsists in staking on the remainder of an unknown number of cash,\nafter the heap has been divided by four, namely whether it will be\nthree, two, one, or nothing; with other variations of a more\ncomplicated nature.\n\n\n\n\nLXI.\n\nTHE HUSBAND PUNISHED.\n\n\nChing Hsing, of W\u00ean-t\u00eang, was a young fellow of some literary\nreputation, who lived next door to a Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean, their studios being\nseparated only by a low wall. One evening Ch\u2018\u00ean was crossing a piece\nof waste ground when he heard a young girl crying among some\npine-trees hard by. He approached, and saw a girdle hanging from one\nof the branches, as if its owner was just on the point of hanging\nherself. Ch\u2018\u00ean asked her what was the matter, and then she brushed\naway her tears, and said, \u201cMy mother has gone away and left me in\ncharge of my brother-in-law; but he\u2019s a scamp, and won\u2019t continue to\ntake care of me; and now there is nothing left for me but to die.\u201d\nHereupon the girl began crying again, and Ch\u2018\u00ean untied the girdle and\nbade her go and find herself a husband; to which she said there was\nvery little chance of that; and then Ch\u2018\u00ean offered to take her to his\nown home--an offer which she very gladly accepted. Soon after they\narrived, his neighbour Ching thought he heard a noise, and jumped over\nthe wall to have a peep, when lo and behold! at the door of Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s\nhouse stood this young lady, who immediately ran away into the garden\non seeing Ching. The two young men pursued her, but without success,\nand were obliged to return each to his own room, Ching being greatly\nastonished to find the same girl now standing at his door. On\naddressing the young lady, she told him that his neighbour\u2019s destiny\nwas too poor a one for her,[344] and that she came from Shantung, and\nthat her name was Ch\u2018i A-hsia. She finally agreed to take up her\nresidence with Ching; but after a few days, finding that a great\nnumber of his friends were constantly calling, she declared it was too\nnoisy a place for her, and that she would only visit him in the\nevening. This she continued to do for a few days, telling him in reply\nto his inquiries that her home was not very far off. One evening,\nhowever, she remarked that their present _liaison_ was not very\ncreditable to either; that her father was a mandarin on the western\nfrontier, and that she was about to set out with her mother to join\nhim; begging him meanwhile to make a formal request for the\ncelebration of their nuptials, in order to prevent them from being\nthus separated. She further said that they started in ten days or so,\nand then Ching began to reflect that if he married her she would have\nto take her place in the family, and that would make his first wife\njealous; so he determined to get rid of the latter, and when she came\nin he began to abuse her right and left. His wife bore it as long as\nshe could, but at length cried out it were better she should die; upon\nwhich Ching advised her not to bring trouble on them all like that,\nbut to go back to her own home. He then drove her away, his wife\nasking all the time what she had done to be sent away like this after\nten years of blameless life with him.[345] Ching, however, paid no\nheed to her entreaties, and when he had got rid of her he set to work\nat once to get the house whitewashed and made generally clean, himself\nbeing on the tip-toe of expectation for the arrival of Miss A-hsia.\nBut he waited and waited, and no A-hsia came; she seemed gone like a\nstone dropped into the sea. Meanwhile emissaries came from his late\nwife\u2019s family begging him to take her back; and when he flatly\nrefused, she married a gentleman of position named Hsia, whose\nproperty adjoined Ching\u2019s, and who had long been at feud with him in\nconsequence, as is usual in such cases. This made Ching furious, but\nhe still hoped that A-hsia would come, and tried to console himself in\nthis way. Yet more than a year passed away and still no signs of her,\nuntil one day, at the festival of the Sea Spirits, he saw among the\ncrowds of girls passing in and out one who very much resembled A-hsia.\nChing moved towards her, following her as she threaded her way through\nthe crowd as far as the temple gate, where he lost sight of her\naltogether, to his great mortification and regret. Another six months\npassed away, when one day he met a young lady dressed in red,\naccompanied by an old man-servant, and riding on a black mule. It was\nA-hsia. So he asked the old man the name of his young mistress, and\nlearnt from him that she was the second wife of a gentleman named\nCh\u00eang, having been married to him about a fortnight previously. Ching\nnow thought she could not be A-hsia, but just then the young lady,\nhearing them talking, turned her head, and Ching saw that he was\nright. And now, finding that she had actually married another man, he\nwas overwhelmed with rage, and cried out in a loud voice, \u201cA-hsia!\nA-hsia! why did you break faith?\u201d The servant here objected to his\nmistress being thus addressed by a stranger, and was squaring up to\nChing, when A-hsia bade him desist; and, raising her veil, replied,\n\u201cAnd you, faithless one, how do you dare meet my gaze?\u201d \u201cYou are the\nfaithless one,\u201d said Ching, \u201cnot I.\u201d \u201cTo be faithless to your wife is\nworse than being faithless to me,\u201d rejoined A-hsia; \u201cif you behaved\nlike that to her, how should I have been treated at your hands?\nBecause of the fair fame of your ancestors, and the honours gained by\nthem, I was willing to ally myself with you; but now that you have\ndiscarded your wife, your thread of official advancement has been cut\nshort in the realms below, and Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean is to take the place that\nshould have been yours at the head of the examination list. As for\nmyself, I am now part of the Ch\u00eang family; think no more of me.\u201d Ching\nhung his head and could make no reply; and A-hsia whipped up her mule\nand disappeared from his sight, leaving him to return home\ndisconsolate. At the forthcoming examination, everything turned out as\nshe had predicted; Mr. Ch\u2018\u00ean was at the top of the list, and he\nhimself was thrown out. It was clear that his luck was gone. At forty\nhe had no wife, and was so poor that he was glad to pick up a meal\nwhere he could. One day he called on Mr. Ch\u00eang, who treated him well\nand kept him there for the night; and while there Ch\u00eang\u2019s second wife\nsaw him, and asked her husband if his guest\u2019s name wasn\u2019t Ching. \u201cIt\nis,\u201d said he, \u201chow could you guess that?\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d replied she, \u201cbefore\nI married you, I took refuge in his house, and he was then very kind\nto me. Although he has now sunk low, yet his ancestors\u2019 influence on\nthe family fortunes is not yet exhausted;[346] besides he is an old\nacquaintance of yours, and you should try and do something for him.\u201d\nCh\u00eang consented, and having first given him a new suit of clothes,\nkept him in the house several days. At night a slave-girl came to him\nwith twenty ounces of silver for him, and Mrs. Ch\u00eang, who was outside\nthe window, said, \u201cThis is a trifling return for your past kindness to\nme. Go and get yourself a good wife. The family luck is not yet\nexhausted, but will descend to your sons and grandchildren. Do not\nbehave like this again, and so shorten your term of life.\u201d Ching\nthanked her and went home, using ten ounces of silver to procure a\nconcubine from a neighbouring family, who was very ugly and\nill-tempered. However, she bore him a son, and he by-and-by graduated\nas doctor. Mr. Ch\u00eang became Vice-President of the Board of Civil\nOffice,[347] and at his death A-hsia attended the funeral; but when\nthey opened her chair on its return home, she was gone, and then\npeople knew for the first time that she was not mortal flesh and\nblood. Alas! for the perversity of mankind, rejecting the old and\ncraving for the new?[348] And then when they come back to the familiar\nnest, the birds have all flown. Thus does heaven punish such people.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[344] See No. XLVI., note 271.\n\n[345] See No. LIII., note 288.\n\n[346] The virtuous conduct of any individual will result not only in\nhappiness and prosperity to himself, but a certain quantity of these\nwill descend to his posterity, unless, as in the present case, there\nis one among them whose personal wickedness neutralizes any benefits\nthat would otherwise accrue therefrom. Here we have an instance where\nthe crimes of a descendant still left a balance of good fortune\nsurviving from the accumulated virtue of generations.\n\n[347] One of the six departments of State administration.\n\n[348] This seems a curious charge to bring against a people who for a\nstolid and bigoted conservatism have rarely, if ever, been equalled.\nMencius, however, uttered one golden sentence which might be brought\nto bear upon the occasionally foolish opposition of the Chinese to\nmeasures of proved advantage to the commonwealth. \u201cLive,\u201d said the\nSage, \u201cin harmony with the age in which you are born.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLXII.\n\nTHE MARRIAGE LOTTERY.\n\n\nA certain labourer\u2019s son, named Ma T\u2018ien-jung, lost his wife when he\nwas only about twenty years of age, and was too poor to take another.\nOne day when out hoeing in the fields, he beheld a nice-looking young\nlady leave the path and come tripping across the furrows towards him.\nHer face was well painted,[349] and she had altogether such a refined\nlook that Ma concluded she must have lost her way, and began to make\nsome playful remarks in consequence. \u201cYou go along home,\u201d cried the\nyoung lady, \u201cand I\u2019ll be with you by-and-by.\u201d Ma doubted this rather\nextraordinary promise, but she vowed and declared she would not break\nher word; and then Ma went off, telling her that his front door faced\nthe north, etc., etc. In the evening the young lady arrived, and then\nMa saw that her hands and face were covered with fine hair, which made\nhim suspect at once she was a fox. She did not deny the accusation;\nand accordingly Ma said to her, \u201cIf you really are one of those\nwonderful creatures you will be able to get me anything I want; and I\nshould be much obliged if you would begin by giving me some money to\nrelieve my poverty.\u201d The young lady said she would; and next evening\nwhen she came again, Ma asked her where the money was. \u201cDear me!\u201d\nreplied she, \u201cI quite forgot it.\u201d When she was going away, Ma reminded\nher of what he wanted, but on the following evening she made precisely\nthe same excuse, promising to bring it another day. A few nights\nafterwards Ma asked her once more for the money, and then she drew\nfrom her sleeve two pieces of silver, each weighing about five or six\nounces. They were both of fine quality, with turned-up edges,[350] and\nMa was very pleased and stored them away in a cupboard. Some months\nafter this, he happened to require some money for use, and took out\nthese pieces; but the person to whom he showed them said they were\nonly pewter, and easily bit off a portion of one of them with his\nteeth. Ma was much alarmed, and put the pieces away directly; taking\nthe opportunity when evening came of abusing the young lady roundly.\n\u201cIt\u2019s all your bad luck,\u201d retorted she; \u201creal gold would be too much\nfor your inferior destiny.\u201d[351] There was an end of that; but Ma went\non to say, \u201cI always heard that fox-girls were of surpassing beauty;\nhow is it you are not?\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d replied the young lady, \u201cwe always adapt\nourselves to our company. Now you haven\u2019t the luck of an ounce of\nsilver to call your own; and what would you do, for instance, with a\nbeautiful princess?[352] My beauty may not be good enough for the\naristocracy; but among your big-footed, burden-carrying rustics,[353]\nwhy it may safely be called \u2018surpassing.\u2019\u201d\n\nA few months passed away, and then one day the young lady came and\ngave Ma three ounces of silver, saying, \u201cYou have often asked me for\nmoney, but in consequence of your weak luck I have always refrained\nfrom giving you any. Now, however, your marriage is at hand, and I\nhere give you the cost of a wife, which you may also regard as a\nparting gift from me.\u201d Ma replied that he wasn\u2019t engaged, to which the\nyoung lady answered that in a few days a go-between would visit him to\narrange the affair. \u201cAnd what will she be like?\u201d asked Ma. \u201cWhy, as\nyour aspirations are for \u2018surpassing\u2019 beauty,\u201d replied the young lady,\n\u201cof course she will be possessed of surpassing beauty.\u201d \u201cI hardly\nexpect that,\u201d said Ma; \u201cat any rate three ounces of silver will not be\nenough to get a wife.\u201d \u201cMarriages,\u201d explained the young lady, \u201care\nmade in the moon;[354] mortals have nothing to do with them.\u201d \u201cAnd why\nmust you be going away like this?\u201d inquired Ma. \u201cBecause,\u201d answered\nshe, \u201cwe go on shilly-shallying from day to day, and month to month,\nand nothing ever comes of it. I had better get you another wife and\nhave done with you.\u201d Then when morning came, she departed, giving Ma a\npinch of yellow powder, saying, \u201cIn case you are ill after we are\nseparated, this will cure you.\u201d Next day, sure enough, a go-between\ndid come, and Ma at once asked what the proposed bride was like; to\nwhich the former replied that she was very passable-looking. Four or\nfive ounces of silver was fixed as the marriage present, Ma making no\ndifficulty on that score, but declaring he must have a peep at the\nyoung lady.[355] The go-between said she was a respectable girl, and\nwould never allow herself to be seen; however it was arranged that\nthey should go to the house together, and await a good opportunity. So\noff they went, Ma remaining outside while the go-between went in,\nreturning in a little while to tell him it was all right. \u201cA relative\nof mine lives in the same court, and just now I saw the young lady\nsitting in the hall. We have only got to pretend we are going to see\nmy relative, and you will be able to get a glimpse of her.\u201d Ma\nconsented, and they accordingly passed through the hall, where he saw\nthe young lady sitting down with her head bent forward while some one\nwas scratching her back. She seemed to be all that the go-between had\nsaid; but when they came to discuss the money, it appeared the young\nlady only wanted one or two ounces of silver, just to buy herself a\nfew clothes, etc., at which Ma was delighted, and gave the go-between\na present for her trouble, which just finished up the three ounces his\nfox-friend had provided. An auspicious day was chosen, and the young\nlady came over to his house; when lo! she was hump-backed and\npigeon-breasted, with a short neck like a tortoise, and boat-shaped\nfeet, full ten inches long. The meaning of his fox-friend\u2019s remarks\nthen flashed upon him.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[349] Only slave-girls and women of the poorer classes, and old women,\nomit this very important part of a Chinese lady\u2019s toilet.\n\n[350] Alluding probably to the shape of the \u201cshoe\u201d or ingot of silver.\n\n[351] See No. XLVI., note 271.\n\n[352] Literally, \u201cOne who would make wild geese alight and fish dive\ndown for shame;\u201d or, as the next line from the same poem has it, \u201ca\nbeauty which would obscure the moon and put flowers to the blush.\u201d\n\n[353] Slave-girls do not have their feet compressed.\n\n[354] Wherein resides an old gentleman who ties together with a red\ncord the feet of those destined to become man and wife. From this bond\nthere is no escape, no matter what distance may separate the affianced\npair. The first go-between, Ku Ts\u2018\u00ea, was originally seen, on ice,\narranging matches with some one below:--\n\n \u201cMarriage is not a trifling thing--\n The Book and the Vermilion String!\n On ice by moonlight may be seen\n The wedded couples\u2019 go-between.\u201d\n\n --_A Thousand Character Essay for Girls._\n\nHence the common phrase \u201cto do the ice (business),\u201d _i.e._, to arrange\na marriage.\n\n[355] This proceeding is highly improper, but is winked at in a large\nmajority of Chinese betrothals.\n\n\nEND OF VOL. I.\n\n\nTHOS. DE LA RUE AND CO., PRINTERS, BUNHILL ROW, LONDON.\n\n * * * * *\n\nTRANSCRIBER'S NOTE\n\nThis book was published in two volumes, of which this is the first.\nThe second volume was released as Project Gutenberg ebook #xxxxx,\navailable at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/xxxxx. Referenced\ncontent not present in this electronic text can be found in Volume II.\n\nItalic text is denoted by _underscores_.\n\nObvious typographical errors repaired. Punctuation, spelling,\nhyphenation, use of accented characters and stylistic presentation\nstandardized when a predominant preference was found in this book.\nCapitalization and hyphenation of Chinese personal names has been\nstandardized. Otherwise left as printed.\n\nFootnote numbers were re-indexed in this electronic text, internal\nreferences renumbered correspondingly.\n\nFootnote 46, \u2018old\u2019 changed to \u2018odd\u2019 (presenting a very odd\nappearance).\n\nFootnote 109, \u2018Marriages\u2019 changed to \u2018Marriage\u2019 (Marriage between persons\nof the same surname is forbidden).\n\nFootnote 267, \u2018CVI\u2019 changed to \u2018CVII.\u2019 (later story (No. CVII.),).\n\nPage 36, \u2018villanous\u2019 changed to \u2018villainous\u2019 (he writes a villainous\nhand).\n\nPage 86, \u2018dare\u2019 changed to \u2018dared\u2019 (nobody dared go near her).\n\nPage 306, \u2018grottos\u2019 changed to \u2018grottoes\u2019 (from each of the holes or\ngrottoes on the stone).\n\nPage 378, \u2018Shan\u2019 changed to \u2018Shan-hu\u2019 (Shan-hu held out her arms).\n\nPage 408, \u2018watching\u2019 changed to \u2018watched\u2019 (watched the moon rising in\nthe east).\n\nPage 411, \u2018bid\u2019 changed to \u2018bade\u2019 (Wang\u2019s father bade him hide).","title":"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Vol. 1 (of 2)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":120176}