"All right," replied madame w.a.n.g; "we should all have been fain to have paid her a visit, did we not fear lest she should look upon our disturbing her with displeasure, but just tell her that we would like to know how she is getting on!"
"My dear sister," remarked Mrs. Yu, "as our son"s wife has a ready ear for all you say, do go and cheer her up, (and if you do so,) it will besides set my own mind at ease; but be quick and come as soon as you can into the garden."
Pao-yu being likewise desirous to go along with lady Feng to see lady Ch"in, madame w.a.n.g remarked, "Go and see her just for a while, and then come over at once into the garden; (for remember) she is your nephew"s wife, (and you couldn"t sit in there long)."
Mrs. Yu forthwith invited mesdames w.a.n.g and Hsing, as well as her own mother, to adjourn to the other side, and they all in a body walked into the garden of Concentrated Fragrance; while lady Feng and Pao-yu betook themselves, in company with Chia Jung, over to this side.
Having entered the door, they with quiet step walked as far as the entrance of the inner chamber. Mrs. Ch"in, upon catching sight of them, was bent upon getting up; but "Be quick," remonstrated lady Feng, "and give up all idea of standing up; for take care your head will feel dizzy."
Lady Feng hastened to make a few hurried steps forward and to grasp Mrs.
Ch"in"s hand in hers. "My dear girl!" she exclaimed; "How is it that during the few days I"ve not seen you, you have grown so thin?"
Readily she then took a seat on the rug, on which Mrs. Ch"in was seated, while Pao-yu, after inquiring too about her health, sat in the chair on the opposite side.
"Bring the tea in at once," called out Chia Jung, "for aunt and uncle Secundus have not had any tea in the drawing room."
Mrs. Ch"in took lady Feng"s hand in her own and forced a smile. "This is all due to my lack of good fortune; for in such a family as this, my father and mother-in-law treat me just as if I were a daughter of their own flesh and blood! Besides, your nephew, (my husband,) may, it is true, my dear aunt, be young in years, but he is full of regard for me, as I have regard for him, and we have had so far no misunderstanding between us! In fact, among the senior generation, as well as that of the same age as myself, in the whole clan, putting you aside, aunt, about whom no mention need be made, there is not one who has not ever had anything but love for me, and not one who has not ever shown me anything but kindness! But since I"ve fallen ill with this complaint, all my energy has even every bit of it been taken out of me, so that I"ve been unable to show to my father and mother-in-law any mark of filial attention, yea so much as for one single day and to you, my dear aunt, with all this affection of yours for me, I have every wish to be dutiful to the utmost degree, but, in my present state, I"m really not equal to it; my own idea is, that it isn"t likely that I shall last through this year."
Pao-yu kept, while (she spoke,) his eyes fixed intently upon a picture on the opposite side, representing some begonias drooping in the spring time, and upon a pair of scrolls, with this inscription written by Ch"in Tai-hsu:
A gentle chill doth circ.u.mscribe the dreaming man because the spring is cold!
The fragrant whiff which wafts itself into man"s nose, is the perfume of wine!
And he could not help recalling to mind his experiences at the time when he had fallen asleep in this apartment, and had, in his dream, visited the confines of the Great Void. He was just plunged in a state of abstraction, when he heard Mrs. Ch"in give utterance to these sentiments, which pierced his heart as if they were ten thousand arrows, (with the result that) tears unwittingly trickled from his eyes.
Lady Feng perceiving him in tears felt it extremely painful within herself to bear the sight; but she was on pins and needles lest the patient should detect their frame of mind, and feel, instead (of benefit), still more sore at heart, which would not, after all, be quite the purpose of her visit; which was to afford her distraction and consolation. "Pao-yu," she therefore exclaimed, "you are like an old woman! Ill, as she is, simply makes her speak in this wise, and how ever could things come to such a pa.s.s! Besides, she is young in years, so that after a short indisposition, her illness will get all right!"
"Don"t," she said as she turned towards Mrs. Ch"in, "give way to silly thoughts and idle ideas! for by so doing won"t you yourself be aggravating your ailment?"
"All that her sickness in fact needs," observed Chia Jung, "is, that she should be able to take something to eat, and then there will be nothing to fear."
"Brother Pao," urged lady Feng, "your mother told you to go over, as soon as you could, so that don"t stay here, and go on in the way you"re doing, for you after all incite this lady also to feel uneasy at heart.
Besides, your mother over there is solicitous on your account." "You had better go ahead with your uncle Pao," she consequently continued, addressing herself to Chia Jung, "while I sit here a little longer."
When Chia Jung heard this remark, he promptly crossed over with Pao-yu into the garden of Concentrated Fragrance, while lady Feng went on both to cheer her up for a time, and to impart to her, in an undertone, a good deal of confidential advice.
Mrs. Yu had despatched servants, on two or three occasions, to hurry lady Feng, before she said to Mrs. Ch"in: "Do all you can to take good care of yourself, and I"ll come and see you again. You"re bound to get over this illness; and now, in fact, that you"ve come across that renowned doctor, you have really nothing more to fear."
"He might," observed Mrs. Ch"in as she smiled, "even be a supernatural being and succeed in healing my disease, but he won"t be able to remedy my destiny; for, my dear aunt, I feel sure that with this complaint of mine, I can do no more than drag on from day to day."
"If you encourage such ideas," remonstrated lady Feng, "how can this illness ever get all right? What you absolutely need is to cast away all these notions, and then you"ll improve. I hear moreover that the doctor a.s.serts that if no cure be effected, the fear is of a change for the worse in spring, and not till then. Did you and I moreover belong to a family that hadn"t the means to afford any ginseng, it would be difficult to say how we could manage to get it; but were your father and mother-in-law to hear that it"s good for your recovery, why not to speak of two mace of ginseng a day, but even two catties will be also within their means! So mind you do take every care of your health! I"m now off on my way into the garden."
"Excuse me, my dear aunt," added Mrs. Ch"in, "that I can"t go with you; but when you have nothing to do, I entreat you do come over and see me!
and you and I can sit and have a long chat."
After lady Feng had heard these words, her eyes unwillingly got quite red again. "When I"m at leisure I shall, of course," she rejoined, "come often to see you;" and forthwith leading off the matrons and married women, who had come over with her, as well as the women and matrons of the Ning mansion, she pa.s.sed through the inner part of the house, and entered, by a circuitous way, the side gate of the park, when she perceived: yellow flowers covering the ground; white willows flanking the slopes; diminutive bridges spanning streams, resembling the Jo Yeh; zigzag pathways (looking as if) they led to the steps of Heaven; limpid springs dripping from among the rocks; flowers hanging from hedges emitting their fragrance, as they were flapped by the winds; red leaves on the tree tops swaying to and fro; groves picture-like, half stripped of foliage; the western breeze coming with sudden gusts, and the wail of the oriole still audible; the warm sun shining with genial rays, and the cicada also adding its chirp: structures, visible to the gaze at a distance in the South-east, soaring high on various sites and resting against the hills; three halls, visible near by on the North-west, stretching in one connected line, on the bank of the stream; strains of music filling the pavilion, imbued with an unwonted subtle charm; and maidens in fine attire penetrating the groves, lending an additional spell to the scene.
Lady Feng, while engaged in contemplating the beauties of the spot, advanced onwards step by step. She was plunged in a state of ecstasy, when suddenly, from the rear of the artificial rockery, egressed a person, who approached her and facing her said, "My respects to you, sister-in-law."
Lady Feng was so startled by this unexpected appearance that she drew back. "Isn"t this Mr. Jui?" she ventured.
"What! sister-in-law," exclaimed Chia Jui, "don"t you recognise even me?"
"It isn"t that I didn"t recognise you," explained lady Feng, "but at the sudden sight of you, I couldn"t conceive that it would possibly be you, sir, in this place!"
"This was in fact bound to be," replied Chia Jui; "for there"s some subtle sympathy between me and you, sister-in-law. Here I just stealthily leave the entertainment, in order to revel for a while in this solitary place when, against every expectation, I come across you, sister-in-law; and isn"t this a subtle sympathy?"
As he spoke, he kept his gaze fixed on lady Feng, who being an intelligent person, could not but arrive, at the sight of his manner, at the whole truth in her surmises. "It isn"t to be wondered at," she consequently observed, as she smiled hypocritically, "that your eldest brother should make frequent allusion to your qualities! for after seeing you on this occasion, and hearing you utter these few remarks, I have readily discovered what an intelligent and genial person you are! I am just now on my way to join the ladies on the other side, and have no leisure to converse with you; but wait until I"ve nothing to attend to, when we can meet again."
"I meant to have gone over to your place and paid my respects to you, sister-in-law," pleaded Chia Jui, "but I was afraid lest a person of tender years like yourself mightn"t lightly receive any visitors!"
Lady Feng gave another sardonic smile. "Relatives," she continued, "of one family, as we are, what need is there to say anything of tender years?"
After Chia Jui had heard these words, he felt his heart swell within him with such secret joy that he was urged to reflect: "I have at length to-day, when least I expected it, obtained this remarkable encounter with her!"
But as the display of his pa.s.sion became still more repulsive, lady Feng urged him to go. "Be off at once," she remarked, "and join the entertainment; for mind, if they find you out, they will mulct you in so many gla.s.ses of wine!"
By the time this suggestion had reached Chia Jui"s ears, half of his body had become stiff like a log of wood; and as he betook himself away, with lothful step, he turned his head round to cast glances at her. Lady Feng purposely slackened her pace; and when she perceived that he had gone a certain distance, she gave way to reflection. "This is indeed,"
she thought, "knowing a person, as far as face goes, and not as heart!
Can there be another such a beast as he! If he really continues to behave in this manner, I shall soon enough compa.s.s his death, with my own hands, and he"ll then know what stuff I"m made of."
Lady Feng, at this juncture moved onward, and after turning round a chain of hillocks, she caught sight of two or three matrons coming along with all speed. As soon as they espied lady Feng they put on a smile.
"Our mistress," they said, "perceiving that your ladyship was not forthcoming, has been in a great state of anxiety, and bade your servants come again to request you to come over.
"Is your mistress," observed lady Feng, "so like a quick-footed demon?"
While lady Feng advanced leisurely, she inquired, "How many plays have been recited?" to which question one of the matrons replied, "They have gone through eight or nine." But while engaged in conversation, they had already reached the back door of the Tower of Celestial Fragrance, where she caught sight of Pao-yu playing with a company of waiting-maids and pages. "Brother Pao," lady Feng exclaimed, "don"t be up to too much mischief!" "The ladies are all sitting upstairs," interposed one of the maids. "Please, my lady, this is the way up."
At these words lady Feng slackened her pace, raised her dress, and walked up the stairs, where Mrs. Yu was already at the top of the landing waiting for her.
"You two," remarked Mrs. Yu, smiling, "are so friendly, that having met you couldn"t possibly tear yourself away to come. You had better to-morrow move over there and take up your quarters with her and have done; but sit down and let me, first of all, present you a gla.s.s of wine."
Lady Feng speedily drew near mesdames Hsing and w.a.n.g, and begged permission to take a seat; while Mrs. Yu brought the programme, and pressed lady Feng to mark some plays.
"The senior ladies occupy the seats of honour," remonstrated lady Feng, "and how can I presume to choose?"
"We, and our relative by marriage, have selected several plays,"
explained mesdames Hsing and w.a.n.g, "and it"s for you now to choose some good ones for us to listen to."
Standing up, lady Feng signified her obedience; and taking over the programme, and perusing it from top to bottom, she marked off one ent.i.tled, the "Return of the Spirit," and another called "Thrumming and Singing;" after which she handed back the programme, observing, "When they have done with the "Enn.o.blement of two Officers," which they are singing just at present, it will be time enough to sing these two."
"Of course it will," retorted madame w.a.n.g, "but they should get it over as soon as they can, so as to allow your elder Brother and your Sister-in-law to have rest; besides, their hearts are not at ease."
"You senior ladies don"t come often," expostulated Mrs. Yu, "and you and I will derive more enjoyment were we to stay a little longer; it"s as yet early in the day!"
Lady Feng stood up and looked downstairs. "Where have all the gentlemen gone to?" she inquired.
"The gentlemen have just gone over to the Pavilion of Plenteous Effulgence," replied a matron, who stood by; "they have taken along with them ten musicians and gone in there to drink their wine."