"That worthy cousin of yours," Hsiang-lien rejoined, "is as bad as ever, and were I to stay any longer, trouble would inevitably arise. So it"s as well that I should clear out of his way."
Pao-yu communed with himself for a time. "In that case," he then observed, "it"s only right, that you should retire. But if you really be bent upon going on a distant tour, you must absolutely tell me something beforehand. Don"t, on any account, sneak away quietly!".
As he spoke, the tears trickled down his cheeks.
"I shall, of course, say good-bye to you," Liu Hsiang-lien rejoined.
"But you must not let any one know anything about it!"
While uttering these words, he stood up to get away. "Go in at once," he urged, "there"s no need to see me off!"
Saying this, he quitted the study. As soon as he reached the main entrance, he came across Hsueh P"an, bawling out boisterously, "Who let young Liu-erh go?"
The moment these shouts fell on Liu Hsiang-lien"s ear, his anger flared up as if it had been sparks spurting wildly about, and he only wished he could strike him dead with one blow. But on second consideration, he pondered that a fight after the present festive occasion would be an insult to Lai Shang-jung, and he perforce felt bound to stifle his indignation.
When Hsueh P"an suddenly espied him walking out, he looked as delighted as if he had come in for some precious gem. With staggering step he drew near him. Clutching him with one grip, "My dear brother," he smirked.
"where are you off to?"
"I"m going somewhere, but will be back soon," Hsiang-lien said by way of response.
"As soon as you left," Hsueh P"an smiled, "all the fun went. But pray sit a while! If you do so, it will be a proof of your regard for me!
Don"t flurry yourself. With such a senior brother as myself to stand by you, it will be as easy a job for you to become an official as to reap a fortune."
The sight of his repulsive manner filled the heart of Hsiang-lien with disgust and shame. But speedily devising a plan, he drew him to a secluded spot. "Is your friendship real," he smiled, "or is it only a sham?"
This question sent Hsueh P"an into such raptures that he found it difficult to check himself from gratifying his longings. But glancing at him with the corner of his eye, "My dear brother," he smiled, "what makes you ask me such a thing? If my friendship for you is a sham, may I die this moment, before your very eyes."
"Well, if that be so," Hsiang-lien proceeded, "it isn"t convenient in here, so sit down and wait a bit. I"ll go ahead, but come out of this yourself by and bye, and follow me to my place, where we can drink the whole night long. I"ve also got there two first-rate young fellows who never go out of doors. But don"t bring so much as a single follower with you, as you"ll find, when you get there, plenty of people ready at hand to wait on you."
So high did this a.s.signation raise Hsueh P"an"s spirits that he recovered, to a certain extent, from the effects of wine. "Is it really so?" he asked.
"How is it," Hsiang-lien laughed, "that when people treat you with a sincere heart, you don"t, after all, believe them?"
"I"m no fool," eagerly exclaimed Hsueh P"an, "and how could I not believe you? But since this be the case, how am I, who don"t even know the way, to find your whereabouts if you are to go ahead of me?"
"My place is outside the northern gate." Hsiang-lien explained. "But can you tear yourself away from your home to spend the night outside the city walls?"
"As long as you"re there," Hsueh P"an said, "what will I want my home for?"
"If that be so," Hsiang-lien resumed, "I"ll wait for you on the bridge outside the northern gate. But let us meanwhile rejoin the banquet and have some wine. Come along, after you"ve seen me go; they won"t notice us then."
"Yes!" shouted Hsueh P"an with alacrity as he acquiesced to the proposal.
The two young fellows thereupon returned to the feast, and drank for a time. Hsueh Pan, however, could with difficulty endure the suspense. He kept his gaze intent upon Hsiang-lien; and the more he pondered within himself upon what was coming, the more exuberance swelled in his heart.
Now he emptied one wine-kettle; now another; and, without waiting for any one to press him, he, of his own accord, gulped down one drink after another, with the result that he unconsciously made himself nearly quite tipsy. Hsiang-lien then got up and quitted the room, and perceiving every one off his guard, he egressed out of the main entrance. "Go home ahead," he directed his page Hsing Nu. "I"m going out of town, but I"ll be back at once."
By the time he had finished giving him these directions, he had already mounted his horse, and straightway he proceeded to the bridge beyond the northern gate, and waited for Hsueh P"an. A long while elapsed, however, before he espied Hsueh P"an in the distance, hurrying along astride of a high steed, with gaping mouth, staring eyes, and his head, banging from side to side like a pedlar"s drum. Without intermission, he glanced confusedly about, sometimes to the left, and sometimes to the right; but, as soon as he got where he had to pa.s.s in front of Hsiang-lien"s horse, he kept his gaze fixed far away, and never troubled his mind with the immediate vicinity.
Hsiang-lien felt amused and angry with him, but forthwith giving his horse also the rein, he followed in his track, while Hsueh P"an continued to stare ahead.
Little by little the habitations got scantier and scantier, so pulling his horse round, (Hsueh P"an) retraced his steps. The moment he turned back, he unawares caught sight of Hsiang-lien, and his spirits rose within him, as if he had got hold of some precious thing of an extraordinary value. "I knew well enough," he eagerly smiled, "that you weren"t one to break faith."
"Quick, let"s go ahead!" Hsiang-lien smilingly urged. "Mind people might notice us and follow us. It won"t then be nice!"
While instigating him, he took the lead, and letting his horse have the rein, he wended his way onwards, followed closely by Hsueh P"an. But when Hsiang-lien perceived that the country ahead of them was already thinly settled and saw besides a stretch of water covered with a growth of weeds, he speedily dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree. Turning then round; "Get down!" he said, laughingly, to Hsueh P"an. "You must first take an oath, so that in the event of your changing your mind in the future, and telling anything to anyone, the oath might be accomplished."
"You"re quite right!" Hsueh P"an smiled; and jumping down with all despatch, he too made his horse fast to a tree, and then crouched on his knees.
"If I ever in days to come," he exclaimed, "know any change in my feelings and breathe a word to any living soul, may heaven blast me and earth annihilate me!"
Scarcely had he ended this oath, when a crash fell on his ear, and lo, he felt as if an iron hammer had been brought down to bear upon him from behind. A black mist shrouded his eyes, golden stars flew wildly about before his gaze; and losing all control over himself, he sprawled on the ground.
Hsiang-lien approached and had a look at him; and, knowing how little he was accustomed to thrashings, he only exerted but little of his strength, and struck him a few blows on the face. But about this time a fruit shop happened to open, and Hsueh P"an strained at first every nerve to rise to his feet, when another slight kick from Hsiang-lien tumbled him over again.
"Both parties should really be agreeable," he shouted. "But if you were not disposed to accept my advances, you should have simply told me in a proper way. And why did you beguile me here to give me a beating?"
So speaking, he went on boisterously to heap invective upon his head.
"I"ll take you, you blind fellow, and show you who Mr. Liu is,"
Hsiang-lien cried. "You don"t appeal to me with solicitous entreaties, but go on abusing me! To kill you would be of no use, so I"ll merely give you a good lesson!"
With these words, he fetched his whip, and administered him, thirty or forty blows from his back down to his shins.
Hsueh P"an had sobered down considerably from the effects of wine, and found the stings of pain so intolerable, that little able to restrain himself, he gave way to groans.
"Do you go on in this way?" Hsiang-lien said, with an ironical smile.
"Why, I thought you were not afraid of beatings."
While uttering this taunt, he seized Hsueh P"an by the left leg, and dragging him several steps into a miry spot among the reeds, he rolled him about till he was covered with one ma.s.s of mud. "Do you now know what stuff I"m made of?" he proceeded to ask.
Hsueh P"an made no reply. But simply lay prostrate, and moaned. Then throwing away his whip Hsiang-lien gave him with his fist several thumps all over the body.
Hsueh P"an began to wriggle violently and vociferate wildly. "Oh, my ribs are broken!" he shouted. "I know you"re a proper sort of person!
It"s all because I made the mistake of listening to other people"s gossip!"
"There"s no need for you to drag in other people!" Hsiang-lien went on.
"Just confine yourself to those present!"
"There"s nothing up at present!" Hsueh P"an cried. "From what you say, you"re a person full of propriety. So it"s I who am at fault."
"You"ll have to speak a little milder," Hsiang-lien added, "before I let you off."
"My dear younger brother," Hsueh P"an pleaded, with a groan.
Hsiang-lien at this struck him another blow with his fist.
"Ai!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Hsueh P"an. "My dear senior brother!" he exclaimed.
Hsiang-lien then gave him two more whacks, one after the other.