CHAPTER 96
Xifeng conceives an ingenious plan of deception
And Frowner is deranged by an inadvertent
disclosure
When he saw the scowl on Jia Lian’s face, the impostor’s heart sank. He rose nervously to greet him, but before he could say a word, Jia Lian gave a chilling laugh and silenced him with:
‘Impudent fool! I should like to wring your miserable little… Do you realize who you are dealing with? How dare you play such tricks on us?’
Turning, he called for his pages. The order was echoed outside like a clap of thunder, and several pages responded in unison and presented themselves.
‘Fetch a rope and bind this fellow!’ order Jia Lian. ‘When the Master returns, I shall report the matter and pack him off to the yamen.’
‘Ready, sir!’ cried the chorus of pages. But not one of them moved a muscle.
The impostor was at first immobilized with terror. But Jia Lian’s hectoring, and the prospect of being taken to court, finally stirred him to action. He fell on his knees and kotowed franticaily in Jia Lian’s direction, jabbering:
‘Your Honour! Spare me! It was poverty f9rced me to it! I know it was ashameful thing to do. I had to borrow money to have it made, but please keep it and give it to the young master of the house with my humble compli?ments, to play with!’
Repeated head-knocking followed. Jia Lian spat con?temptuously.
‘Idiot! We certainly don’t want any of your trash here!’
At this point, Lai Da came into the room.
‘Do not waste your anger on this creature, sir,’ he interceded, with a placatory smile. ‘Spare him this once, and throw him out.’
‘Why should I? The worm…’
While Jia Lian and Lai Da continued to haggle over the poor man’s fate, the servants standing in the doorway offered him their advice:
‘Come on, you great ninny! Kotow to Mr Lian and Mr Lai, and clear off! What are you waiting for? A kick in the stomach?’
The man was down in a flash, kotowed to Jia Lian and Lai Da, wrapped his hands round the back of his head and fled like a rat.
This episode became known in the locality as ‘the case of Master Jia Bao-yu and the Counterfeit (Jia) Precious Jade (Bao-yu).
*
When Jia Zheng returned home that same day from a visit, no one told him what had happened in his absence. They thought that with the Lantern Festival coming up, it would be a mistake to make him angry about something that was, after all, over and done with. What with Yuan?-chun’s death, and their concern at Bao-yu’s illness, the family was far too gloomy and preoccupied to celebrate New Year in anything but a perfunctory fashion, and it passed by without any event worthy of notice in this chronicle.
By the seventeenth of the first month, when Lady Wang was expecting her brother to arrive in the capital any day, she had an unannounced visit from Xi-feng:
‘Lian has just come home with a piece of bad news, Aunt. It is about Uncle Zi-teng. He was travelling post-haste on his way to the capital, and was only seventy miles from here, when he died. Had you heard?’
‘No!’ exclaimed Lady Wang, aghast. ‘Sir Zheng didn’t mention anything of the sort yesterday evening. Where did Lian hear this?’
‘At the home of Excellency Zhang from the Privy Council.’
Lady Wang stared in silence. Tears started from her eyes. Wiping them away, she finally said:
‘Go and tell Lian to get confirmation of the news, and to see me as soon as he has.’
Xi-feng departed as bidden. Left on her own, Lady Wang gave way to her tears. A brother and daughter dead, a son deranged – she could contain her burden of grief and anxiety no longer. She began to feel a pain in her chest. And here was Jia Lian to confirm the story:
‘Uncle was exhausted by the strain of the journey, and caught a chill. They were at Ten Mile Village when this happened. A doctor was called, but the only one available in such a remote spot turned out to be incompetent. He pre?scribed the wrong drugs, and the first dose proved fatal. Uncle’s own family have set out for the place already, but I do not know if they have arrived yet.’
These details touched Lady Wang to the quick, and the pain in her chest became so severe that she could no longer sit upright. She told Suncloud to help her onto the kang, and struggling to keep a grip on herself, told Jia Lian to report at once to Jia Zheng.
‘Pack your things as quickly as you can, and go straight there to join the family and help them with the funeral arrangements. Come back as soon as possible and let us know how things stand. I know Xi-feng will not set her mind at rest until you are back.’
Jia Lian could see that it would be inappropriate to raise any objections. He took his leave of Jia Zheng, and set out for Ten Mile Village.
Jia Zheng had learned the news of Wang Zi-teng’s death independently. Depressed already by the moronic decline into which his son had fallen since the loss of his jade, a condition no doctor seemed able to cure, he responded with extreme gloom to this latest blow and to Lady Wang’s attack following upon it. The time had come round for the triennial review of civil servants stationed in the capital. Jia Zheng’s Board gave him a high commenda?tion, and in the second month the Board of Civil Office presented him for an audience with the Emperor. His Majesty, in view of Jia Zheng’s record as a ‘diligent, fru?gal, conscientious and prudent servant of the Throne’, appointed him immediately to the post of Grain Intendant for the province of Kiangsi. The same day, Jia Zheng offered his humble acceptance and gratitude for the hon?our, and suggested a day for his departure. Friends and rel?atives were all eager to celebrate, but he was not in festive mood. He was loth to leave the capital at a time when things were so unsettled at home, although at the same time he knew that he could not delay his departure.
He was pondering this dilemma, when a message came to summon him to Grandmother Jia’s presence. He made his way promptly to her apartment, where he found Lady Wang also present, despite her illness. He paid his respects to Grandmother Jia, who told him to be seated and then began:
‘In a few days, you will be leaving us to take up your post. There is something I should like to discuss with you, if you are willing.’
The old lady’s eyes were wet with tears. Jia Zheng rose swiftly to his feet, and said:
‘Whatever you have to say, Mother, please speak: your word is my command.’
‘I shall be eighty-one this year;’ said Grandmother Jia, sobbing as she spoke. ‘You are going away to a post in the provinces, and with your elder brother still at home, you will not be able to apply for early retirement to come and look after me. When you are gone, of the ones closest to my heart I shall only have Bao-yu left to me. And he, poor darling, is in such a wretched state, I don’t know what we can do for him! The other day I sent out Lai Sheng’s wife to have the boy’s fortune told. The man’s reading was uncanny. What he said was: “This person must marry a lady with a destiny of gold, to help him and support him. He must be given a marriage as soon as possible to turn his luck. If not, he may not live.” Now I know you don’t believe in such things, which is why I sent for you, to talk it over with you. You and his mother must discuss it among yourselves. Are we to save him, or are we to do nothing and watch him fade away?’
Jia Zheng smiled anxiously.
‘Could I, who as a child received such tender love and care from you, Mother, not have fatherly feelings myself? It is just that I have been exasperated by his repeated fail?ure to make progress in his studies, and have perhaps been too ambitious for him. You are perfectly right in wanting to see him married. How could I possibly wish to oppose you? I am concerned for the boy, and his recent illness has caused me great anxiety. But as you have kept him from me, I have not ventured to say anything. I should like to see him now for myself, and form my own impression of his condition.’
Lady Wang saw that his eyes were moist, and knew that he was genuinely concerned. She told Aroma to fetch Bao-yu and help him into the room. He walked in, and when Aroma told him to pay his respects to his father, did exactly as she said. Jia Zheng saw how emaciated his face had grown, how lifeless his eyes were. His son was like some pathetic simpleton. He told them to take him back to his room.
‘I shall soon be sixty myself,’ he mused. ‘With this pro?vincial posting, it is difficult to tell how many years it will be before I return. If anything were to happen to Bao-yu, I should be left without an heir in my old age. I have a grandson, but that is not the same. And then Bao-yu is the old lady’s favourite. If anything untoward occurred, I should be still more deeply at fault.’
He glanced at Lady Wang. Her face was wet with tears. He thought of the sorrow it would cause her too, and stood up again to speak.
‘If, from your wealth of experience, you have thought of a way to help him, Mother, then how could I possibly raise any objection? We should do whatever you think is best. But has Mrs Xue been informed?’
‘My sister has already expressed her agreement,’ replied Lady Wang. ‘We have only been biding our time because Pan’s court-case has still not been settled.’
‘Yes, that is certainly the first obstacle,’ commented Jia Zheng. ‘How can a girl be given in marriage while her elder brother is in jail? And besides there is Her Grace’s death. Although that does not strictly entail any such pro?hibition, Bao-yu should at least abide by the set term of mourning for a deceased elder sister, which would mean a period 6f nine months during which marriage would be highly irregular. And then, my own date of departure has already been reported to the throne, and I cannot post?pone it now. That only leaves us a few days. There is not enough time.’
Grandmother Jia pondered her son’s words. ‘What he says is true,’ she thought to herself. ‘If we wait for all of these conditions to be fulfilled, his father will have left, and who knows to what state the boy’s health may de?teriorate. And then it may be too late. We shall have to put aside the rules for once. There is no other way.’
Having reached this conclusion in her own mind, she spoke to Jia Zheng again.
‘If you will agree to this for him, I shall take care of any problems that may arise. There is nothing that cannot be ironed out, of that I am confident. His mother and I shall go over and put the matter personally to Mrs Xue. As for Pan, I shall ask young Ke to go to him and explain that we are doing this to save Bao-yu’s life. When he knows the reason, I am sure he will agree. As for marrying dur?ing a period of mourning, strictly speaking one shouldn’t, I know. And besides, it is not right for him to marry while lie is so ill. But it’s a question of turning his luck. Both families are willing, and as the children have the bond of gold and jade to justify their union, we can dis?pense with the usual reading of horoscopes. We just need to choose an auspicious day to exchange presents in pro?per style, and then set a date for the wedding itself, possible afterwards. No music during the wedding itself, but otherwise we can follow court practice: twelve pairs of long-handled lanterns and an eight-man palanquin for the bride. We shall have the ceremony in our southern form, and keep our old customs of throwing dried fruit onto the bridal bed and so forth. That will be enough to make it quite a proper wedding. Bao-chai is a sensible girl. We need not worry on her account. And Aroma is a very reli?able person. We can count on her to have a calming influ?ence on Bao-yu. She gets on well with Bao-chai too.
‘One other thing:. Mrs Xue once told us that a monk said Bao-chai should only marry someone with a jade to match her golden locket. Perhaps when she comes to live as Bao-yu’s wife, her locket will draw the jade back. Once they are married, things will look up and the whole family will benefit. So, we must prepare a courtyard and decorate it nicely – I should like you to choose it. We shan’t be in?viting any friends or relations to the wedding, and we can have the party later, when Bao-yu is better and the mourning period is over. This way, everything will be done in time, and you will be able to see the young people married and set off with an easy mind.’
Jia Zheng had grave doubts about the proposal. But as it was Grandmother Jia’s, he knew he could not go against it. He smiled dutifully, and hastened to reply:
‘You have thought it all out very well, Mother, and have taken everything into account. We must tell the ser?vants not to go talking about this to everyone they meet. It would hardly redound to our credit if people knew. And personally I doubt if Mrs Xue will agree to the idea. But if she does, then I suppose we should do as you suggest.’
‘You need not worry about Mrs Xue,’ said the old lady. ‘I can explain things to her. Off you go then.’
Jia Zheng took his leave. He felt extremely uneasy about the whole idea. Official business soon engulfed him, however – acceptance of his new papers of appointment.. recommendations of staff from friends and relatives, an endless round of social gatherings of one sort or another — and he delegated all responsibility for the marriage plans to Grandmother J ia, who in turn left the arrangements to Lady Wang and Xi-feng. Jia Zheng’s only contributioh was to designate a twenty-frame building in a courtyard behind the Hall of Exalted Felicity, to ‘he side of Lady Wang’s private apartment, as Bao-yu’s new home. Grand?mother Jia’s mind was now quite made up, and when she sent someone to communicate this to Jia Zheng he just re?plied: ‘Very well.’ But of this, more later.
*
Bao-yu, after his brief interview with his father, was escorted back by Aroma to his kang in the inner room. In?timidated by the Master’s presence in the next room, none of the maids dared speak to him and he soon fell into a deep sleep. As a consequence he did not hear a word of the conversation between his father and Grandmother J ia. Aroma and the others did, however, and stood in com?plete silence taking it all in. Aroma had heard rumours of this marriage-plan, rumours whose. likelihood, it is true, had been strengthened by Bao-chai’s repeated absence from family gatherings. Now that she knew it for a fact, all became crystal clear. She was glad.
‘They’ve shown some sense at last!’ she thought to her?self, ‘Those two will make by far the better match. And I shall be better off too. With Miss Chai here I’ll be able to unload a lot of my responsibilities. The only trouble is, Master Bao still thinks of no one but Miss Li…. It’s a good thing he didn’t hear just now. If he knew what they are planning, I dread to think what trouble we’d have.’
This cast a shadow over her previous optimism. ‘What’s to be done?’ she continued to brood to herself. ‘Her Old Ladyship and Her Ladyship obviously don’t know about the secret feelings Master Bao and Miss Lin have for each other, and in their enthusiasm they could tell him their plan, to try and cure him. But if he still feels as he did -when he first saw Miss Lin, for instance, and hurled his jade to the ground and wanted to smash it to pieces; or last summer in the Garden, when he mistook me for her and poured his heart out to me; or when Nightingale teased him by saying that Miss Lin was going away, and had him in such floods of tears – and if they go and tell him now that he’s betrothed to Miss Chai and will have to give Miss Lin up for ever, so far from turning his luck they’ll probably kill him! (Unless of course he’s going through one of his deaf-and-dumb spells, in which case he probably won’t even nonce.) I’d better tell them what I know, or three people may suffer!’
Aroma’s mind was made up. As soon as Jia Zheng had taken his leave of the ladies, she left Ripple to look after Bao-yu, and went into the outer room. She walked over to Lady Wang and whispered that she would like a word with her privately in the room to the rear of Grandmother J ia’s apartment. Grandmother Jia imagined it to be some message from Bao-yu and did not pay much attention, but continued to engross herself in the wedding arrangements. Lady Wang rose to leave, and Aroma followed her into the rear chamber, where she at once fell on her knees and began crying. Lady Wang had no idea what it was all about, and taking her by the hand, said:
‘Come now! What is all this? Has someone done you wrong? If so, stand up, and tell me.’
‘It is something I shouldn’t really say, but in the cir?cumstances I feel I must.’
‘Well, tell me then. And take your time.’
‘You and Her Old Ladyship have made an excellent de?cision, in choosing Miss Bao-chai as Bao-yu’s future bride …’ began Aroma. ‘But, I wonder, ma’am, if you have noticed which of the two young ladies Bao-yu is more closely attached to, Miss Chai, or Miss Lin?’
‘As they have lived together since they were children,’ replied Lady Wang, ‘I suppose he would be a little closer to Miss Lin.’
‘More than a little!’ protested Aroma, and went on to give Lady Wang a detailed history of how things had always stood between Bao-yu and Dai-yu, and of the various incidents that had occurred between them.
‘These are all things that you would have seen for your?self, ma’am,’ she added, ‘with the exception of his out?burst during the summer, which I have not mentioned to a soul until now.’
Lady Wang drew Aroma towards her.
‘Yes, most of what you have told me I have been able to deduce for myself. What you have said simply bears out my own observations. But you must all have heard the Master’s words. Tell me, how did Bao-yu react?’
‘As things are at present, ma’am, Bao-yu smiles if some?one talks to him, but otherwise he just sleeps. He heard nothing.’
‘In that case, what are we to do?’
‘It is not my place to say,’ replied Aroma. ‘Your Ladyship should inform Her Old Ladyship of what I have said, and think of a suitable way of solving the problem.’
‘Then you had better go,’ said Lady Wang, ‘and leave it to me. Now would not be a good moment to bring it up; there are too many people in the room. I shall wait for an opportunity to tell Her Old Ladyship, and we will dis?cuss what to do.’
Lady Wang returned to Grandmother Jia’s apartment. The old lady was talking to Xi-feng, and when she saw Lady Wang come in, asked:
‘What did Aroma want? What was all that mysterious whispering about?’
Lady Wang answered her directly, and told the whole story of Bao-yu’s love for Dai-yu, as Aroma had told it her. When she had finished, Grandmother Jia was silent for a long while. Neither Lady Wang nor Xi-feng dared say a word. At last, Grandmother Jia sighed and said:
‘Everything else seemed somehow soluble. It does not matter so much about Dai-yu. But if Bao-yu really feels this way about her, it seems we have run into an insoluble problem.’
Xi-feng looked very thoughtful for a minute, then said:
‘Not insoluble. I think I can see a solution. But I am not sure if you would agree to it or not, Aunt.’
‘Whatever your idea is,’ said Lady Wang, ‘speak up and let Mother know. Then we can all discuss it together.’
‘There is only one solution that I can think of,’ said Xi?feng. ‘It involves two things: a white lie, and a piece of discreet substitution.’
‘Substitution? What do you mean?’ asked Grandmother Jia.
‘First of all,’ replied Xi-feng, ‘whether Bao-yu knows anything yet or not, we let it be known that Sir Zheng proposes to betroth him to Miss Lin. We must watch for his reaction. If he is quite unaffected, then there is no need to bother with my plan. But if he does seem at all pleased at the news, it will make things rather more com?plicated.’
‘Supposing he is pleased?’ asked Lady Wang. ‘What then?’
Xi-feng went over and whispered at some length in Lady Wang’s ear. Lady Wang nodded, smiled and said:
‘Well, well… An ingenious idea, I must say!’
‘Come on, you two!’ exclaimed Grandmother Jia. ‘Let me in on the secret: what are you whispering about?’
Xi-feng was afraid that Grandmother J ia might not grasp her idea at once, and might inadvertently give the game away. She leant across and whispered in the old lady’s ear. Grandmother Jia did seem rather puzzled at
first. Xi-feng smiled, and added a few more words of explanation. Grandmother Jia finally said with a smile:
‘Why not? But isn’t it rather hard on Bao-chai? And what about Miss Lin? What if she gets to hear of it?’
‘We shall only tell Bao-yu’ replied Xi-feng. ‘No one else will be allowed to mention it. That way no one need know.’
A maid came in and informed them that Mr Lian had returned. Lady Wang was worried that Grandmother Jia might inquire into the distressing news that had occa?sioned his journey, and cast a meaningful glance in Xi?feng’s direction. Xi-feng went out to intercept him, and signalled to him with her lips to accompany her to Lady Wang’s apartment and wait there. It was not long before Lady Wang came in, to find Xi-feng red-eyed from weep?ing. Jia Lian paid his respects to Lady Wang, and gave her an account of the funeral arrangements for Wang Zi-teng at Ten Mile Village.
‘He has been posthumously awarded the rank of Grand Secretary, by Imperial Decree,’ Jia Lian went on, ‘and the title Lord Wen-qin. The Court has given instructions for the family to accompany the coffin en cortege to Nanking, and all local mandarins have been instructed to look after them en route. The whole family left yesterday for the South. Uncle’s widow asked me to convey her respects. She said that there was so much she wanted to talk to you about, but that she would not be able to come to the capital at present. My brother-in-law Wang Ren is coming here, so I heard, and if they meet him on the way, they will tell him to come and give us the latest news.’
Lady Wang responded to all of this with a grief that the reader can surely imagine.
‘Why don’t you lie down for a while, Aunt?’ said Xi-?feng. ‘In the evening, we can talk further about Bao-yu’s affairs.’
Having uttered these comforting words, Xi-feng re?turned with Jia Lian to her own apartment, where she informed him of all that had been decided and told him to give instructions for the cleaning and refurbishing of the courtyard that was to be the couple’s new home. But of this no more for the present.
*
A day or two after these events, Dai-yu, having eaten her breakfast, decided to take Nightingale with her to visit Grandmother Jia. She wanted to pay her respects, and also thought the visit might provide some sort of distrac?tion for herself. She had hardly left the Naiad’s House, when she remembered that she had left her handkerchief at home, and sent Nightingale back to fetch it, saying that she would walk ahead slowly and wait for her to catch up. She had just reached the corner behind the rockery at Drenched Blossoms Bridge – the very spot where she had once buried the flowers with Bao-yu – when all of a sud?den she heard the sound of sobbing. She stopped at once and listened. She could not tell whose voice it was, nor could she distinguish what it was that the voice was com?plaining of, so tearfully and at such length. It really was most puzzling. She moved forward again cautiously and as she turned the corner, saw before her the source of the sobbing, a maid with large eyes and thick-set eyebrows.
Before setting eyes on this girl, Dai-yu had guessed that one of the many maids in the Jia household must have had an unhappy. love-affair, and had come here to cry her heart out in secret. But now she laughed at the very idea. ‘How could such an ungainly creature as this know the meaning of love?’ she thought to herself. ‘This must be one of the odd-job girls, who has probably been scolded by one of the senior maids.’ She looked more closely, but still could not place the girl. Seeing Dai-yu, the maid ceased her weeping, wiped her cheeks, and rose to her feet.
‘Come now, what are you so upset about?’ inquired Dai-yu.
‘Oh Miss Lin!’ replied the maid, amid fresh tears. ‘Tell me if you think it fair. They were talking about it, and how was I to know better? Just because I say one thing wrong, is that a reason for sister to start hitting me?’
Dai-yu did not know what she was talking about. She smiled, and asked again:
‘Who is your sister?’
‘Pearl,’ answered the maid.
From this, Dai-yu concluded that she must work in Grandmother Jia’s apartment.
‘And what is your name?’
‘Simple.’
Dai-yu laughed. Then:
‘Why did she hit you? What did you say that was so wrong?’
‘That’s what I’d like to know! It was only to do with Master Bao marrying Miss Chai!’
The words struck Dai-yu’s ears like a clap of thunder. Her heart started thumping fiercely. She tried to calm her?self for a moment, and told the maid to come with her. The maid followed her to the secluded corner of the gar?den, where the Flower Burial Mound was situated. Here Dai-yu asked her:
‘Why should she hit you for mentioning Master Bao’s marriage to Miss Chai?’
‘Her Old Ladyship, Her Ladyship and Mrs Lian,’ re?plied Simple, ‘have decided that as the Master is leaving soon, they are going to arrange with Mrs Xue to marry Master Bao and Miss Chai as uickly as possible. They want the wedding to turn his luck, and then…’
Her voice tailed off. She stared at Dai-yu, laughed and continued:
‘Then, as soon as those two are married, they are going to find a husband for you, Miss Lin.’
Dai-yu was speechless with horror. The maid went on regardless:
‘But how was I to know that they’d decided to keep it quiet, for fear of embarrassing Miss Chai? All I did was say to Aroma, that serves in Master Bao’s room: “Won’t it be a fine to-do here soon, when Miss Chai comes over, or Mrs Bao… what will we have to call her?” That’s all I said. What was there in that to hurt sister Pearl? Can you see, Miss Lin? She came across and hit me straight in the face and said I was talking rubbish and disobeying orders, and would be dismissed from service! How was I to know their Ladyships didn’t want us to mention it? Nobody told me, and she just hit me!’
She started sobbing again. Dai-yu’s heart felt as though oil, soy-sauce, sugar and vinegar had all been poured into it at once. She could not tell which flavour predominated, the sweet, the sour, the bitter or the salty. After a few moments’ silence, she said in a trembling voice:
‘Don’t talk such rubbish. Any more of that, and you’ll be beaten again. Off you go!’
She herself turned back in the direction of the Naiad’s House. Her body felt as though it weighed a hundred tons, her feet were as wobbly as if she were walking on cotton-floss. She could only manage one step at a time. After an age, she still had not reached the bank by Drench?ed Blossoms Bridge. She was going so slowly, with her feet about to collapse beneath her, and in her giddiness and confusion had wandered off course and increased the distance by about a hundred yards. She reached Drenched Blossoms Bridge only to start drifting back again along the bank in the direction she had just come from, quite unaware of what she was doing.
Nightingale had by now returned with the handker?chief, but could not find Dai-yu anywhere. She finally saw her, pale as snow, tottering along, her eyes staring straight in front of her, meandering in circles. Nightingale also caught sight of a maid disappearing in the distance beyond Dai-yu, but could not make out who it was. She was most bewildered, and quickened her step.
‘Why are you turning back again, Miss?’ she asked soft?ly. ‘Where are you heading for?’
Dai-yu only heard the blurred outline of this question. She replied:
‘I want to ask Bao-yu something.’
Nightingale could not fathom what was going on, and could only try to guide her on her way to Grandmother Jia’s apartment. When they came to the entrance, Dai-yu seemed to feel clearer in mind. She turned, saw Nighting?ale supporting her, stopped for a moment, and asked:
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I went to fetch your handkerchief,’ replied Nightingale, smiling anxiously. ‘I saw you over by the bridge and hurried across. I asked you where you were going, but you took no notice.’
‘Oh!’ said Dai-yu with a smile. ‘I thought you had come to see Bao-yu. What else did we come here for?’
Nightingale could see that her mind was utterly con?fused. She guessed that it was something that the maid had said in the garden, and only nodded with a faint smile in reply to Dai-yu’s question. But to herself she was trying to imagine what sort of an encounter this was going to be, between the young master who had already lost his wits, and her young mistress who was now herself a little touched. Despite her apprehensions, she dared not pre?vent the meeting, and helped Dai-yu into the room. The funny thing was that Dai-yu now seemed to have recov?ered her strength. She did not wait for Nightingale but raised the portiere herself, and walked into the room. It was very quiet inside. Grandmother Jia had retired for her afternoon nap. Some of the maids had sneaked off to play, some were having forty winks themselves and others had gone to wait on Grandmother Jia in her bedroom. It was Aroma who came out to see who was there, when she heard the swish of the portiere. Seeing that it was Dai-yu, she greeted her politely:
‘Please come in and sit down, Miss.’
‘Is Master Bao at home?’ asked Dai-yu with a smile.
Aroma did not know that anything was amiss, and was about to answer, when she saw Nightingale make an ur?gent movement with her lip from behind Dai-yu’s back, pointing to her mistress and making a warning gesture with her hand. Aroma had no idea what she meant and dared not ask. Undeterred, Dai-yu walked on into Bao?yu’s room. He was sitting up in bed, and when she came in made no move to get up or welcome her, but remained where he was, staring at her and giving a series of silly laughs. Dai-yu sat down uninvited, and she too began to smile and stare back at Bao-yu. There were no greetings exchanged, no courtesies, in fact no words of any kind. They just sat there staring into each other’s faces and smil?ing like a pair of half-wits. Aroma stood watching, com?pletely at a loss.
Suddenly Dai-yu said:
‘Bao-yu, why are you sick?’
Bao-yu laughed.
‘I’m sick because of Miss Lin.’
Aroma and Nightingale grew pale with fright. They tried to change the subject, but their efforts only met with silence and more senseless smiles. By now it was clear to Aroma that Dai-yu’s mind was as disturbed as Bao-?yu’s.
‘Miss Lin has only just recovered from her illness,’ she whispered to Nightingale. ‘I’ll ask Ripple to help you take her back. She should go home and lie down.’ Turning to Ripple, she said: ‘Go with Nightingale and accompany Miss Lin home. And no stupid chattering on the way, mind.’
Ripple smiled, and without a word came over to help Nightingale. The two of them began to help Dai-yu to her feet. Dai-yu stood up at once, unassisted, still staring fixedly at Bao-yu, smiling and nodding her head.
‘Come on, Miss!’ urged Nightingale. ‘It’s time to go home and rest.’
‘Of course!’ exclaimed Dai-yu. ‘It’s time!’
She turned to go. Still smiling and refusing any assis?tance. from the maids, she strode out at twice her normal speed. Ripple and Nightingale hurried after her. On leav?ing Grandmother Jia’s apartment, Dai-yu kept on walk?ing, in quite the wrong direction. Nightingale hurried up to her and took her by the hand.
‘This is the way, Miss.’
Still smiling, Dai-yu allowed herself to be led, and fol?lowed Nightingale towards the Naiad’s House. When they were nearly there, Nightingale exclaimed:
‘Lord Buddha be praised! Home at last!’
She had no sooner uttered these words when she saw Dai-yu stumble forwards onto the ground, and give a loud cry. A stream of blood came gushing from her mouth.
To learn if she survived this crisis, please read the next chapter.
