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THE CHINA REVIEW.
member Ya-nei is to-day about twenty-nine Ya-nei said, "Last year your years old." son already told his father (adopted) he was twenty-eight." Chien said, "Ya-nei is older than his elder sister by ten years then." Ya-nei said, "Then my elder sister is about nineteen." Ch'ea said, "Though Ya-nel is older by ten years, yet be is not far off ray daughter; he is about thirty and being of a rich family has been well nurtured. Kao Ya-nei, where has a sou so good a sister as this one is?" San and Li- Hsuch said, "Yes, nearly the saune."
ching gracefully rose up and said to her father, "Your child has no business, can't she go in " Bsi-chon said, "There is no harm in your retiring; salute the gentle- men." Li-ch'ing said to all, "Much hap- piness," and gracefully retired behind the screen, the nurse attending her. Kao Ya-nei accompanied her with all his eyes. Wine etc. were soon brought, the servant arranged things and Ya-nei and his followers also as- sisted in ordering the table and lights, glasses and chopsticks. Ch'en earnestly exhorted Ya-nei to sit in the seat of honour, San-kao in the second place and Hsueh-pao in the third; the wine was eirculated for three rounds, Hsi-chen only sipping a little; there was too some vegetable food. Ya-nei said, "Papa, have you no meats?" Hsi-chen said, "I told you yesterday I must wait till the end of the month." The two square caps then took their leave saying "We must absolutely go to our relations on matters of congratula- tion, and we cannot further keep yon com- pany, but there will be no harm in Ya-nei indulging in a few more caps." Hsi-cben understood their weaning well enough, but pretended to detain them and then accom- panied them to the door. On returning he found Ya-nei had left the table and was waiting. Hsi-chen clasped Ya-nel's hand in his and putting the other hand on his shoulder said, "My son, how could I have ever thought of so much happiness; we now are of oue family, why should you not come inside ?" He then ordered the table to be
moved inside and told the nurse to ask the young lady to come out to see her brother. Ya-nei on hearing this was like a drunk man who has dug up some concealed treasure and could say nothing for joy; he only saw the nurse leading in Li-ching, and made another deep obeisance; Li-ch'ing said, 'much happiness,' Hsi-chen laughed and said, "Let there not be too much form or ceremony now, only be reserved for a short time." He then went and sat in the middle himself and ordered his daughter and Ya-nei to sit op- posite each other. The nurse brought and poured out some wine. Kao Ya-nei did not dare to look up openly, but made fleeting peeps now with one eye now with the other, whilst he was in great danger of bis soul floating away from his body altogether. Li-ch'ing meanwhile flashed her eyes upon him.
Ya-nei asked, "Outside the West gate the Stork Hill is very pretty; would my worthy elder sister like to go there ?" Li- ching said, "No," Ya-nei said, "There, there is the temple of the heavenly lady, the peach blossoms now are all out; why, father, should we not go there and amuse onzselves ?" Hsi-chen said, "I have no one at home, nor do I let her go out as she likes." Ya-nei said, "What harm could there be in a little fun?" He could think of nothing more to say to get Li-ching to open her mouth. Li- ching only answered, but otherwise was silent. Ch'on chatted with him for a bit, and thou Ya-nel seeing it was past noon was obliged to be moving; he therefore took two cups of tea; his followers sat and drank out- side and then got the horse ready. Hsi accompanied Ya-nei out, and the followers thanked Hsi for their refreshments. Hsi- chen told the servant to change the candle- sticks, and gave the original ones to the follow- ers to take back. Hsi-chen said "Another day I will come and thank the Minister; to-day is the first and I cannot detain you, but another time you must remain and sleep here." Ya-nei said, "Papa, don't trouble yourself; I will soon return," and he mounted and went off. The neighbours and friends
THE TANG HOU CET.
about all remarked on the unaccountable stupidity of the old man Ch'en, to behave like this with such a flower for a daughter; she will inevitably be seduced away.
Cb'en came in again and taking the two candles put them behind and blew them out. Then looking at his daughter he sighed and said, "My influence is not sufficient to resist his, so to-day my resolution has faltered and I am disgraced; in seeking for a road to escape I have injured you; many days of insult must be suffered, but when I have completed my religious ceremonies, your re- putation shall be all to me." Li-ch'ing said, "Don't talk like this, Papa; your child last night agreed to everything, as I then told you-only don't worry yourself, please. The faults of that brute I must endure." Hsi-chen much pleased said, "My dear dutiful filial child, my plan shall be com- pleted, only now we have only one horse at home, and at time of starting we shall find ourselves short of riding materials. I have already carefully brought in our usual bag- gage animal, it is not that I disregard not having money but we absolutely have no good one." Li-ching said, "We will discuss this afterwards." As to Kao Ya-nei, much Huttered he returned to his house, where San and Hsueh awaited him, with uplifterl bands; they said, "Ya-nei we congratulate you." Ya-nei burst out laughing, and went inside with them to the library, where they all sat down. San said, "Ya-nei, what about my stratagem. This woman. I now fear will not become Ya-nei's." Kao said, "The plan is intelligent enough, only I fear when proposal for marriage is made he will decline, and will not this he heaping mis- fortune on misfortune?" San and such said, "This old fellow is not at all like that old professor of arms; did you not notice his words come forward to meet me? I see he was willing enough, only he did not like to open his mouth himself. If I go home and talk it over undoubtedly it will be completed, but you must not allude to it at once. Ya- nei must be warmly intimate with him and
not leave him in the cold, but an early oppor tunity should be token to inform H. E. your father, for it is to be feared that old fellow will sooner or later come to give thanks, and then in arranging the affair there may be contradictors." Ya-nei said, "You say rightly," and so on that very evening he went to see his father and told him the whole affair from beginning to end. Kao Chin then said, "You fellow you, you are acting with-- out thought. Ch'en, although at the begin- ning of his career he was my acquaintance, yet he now is only a retired Lieutenant; if you go and salute him as your father and require his daughter, he is then sure to re- quire that she be a regular wife, and without any reason to bother me to be his daughter's Father-in-law, the head of his family. Be sides you have already entrapped first one girl and then another, and I fear you will never be satisfied, and I counsel you to restrain your desires somewhat, so think over and decide." Kao Ya-nei kotowing and do- ing obeisanee replied, "My father, as to deciding I have already come to a decision, but that person is indeed enough to cut into a man's heart; Papa, if you will accomplish this matter this once for me I will never, be the person ever so fue, ever dare to trouble you again." The Minister said, "It is not that I am idle do you remember in that year about the wife of Lin-chung, how much blood was not expended on it? It is only to take so much trouble for nothing, as I have now to support the fami- lies of Ln-chien and Fu-an." Ya-nei said, "No, no; Ch'en is not at all the same as Lan Chung, he is willing enough, only he wants you to say it may be accomplished; can you not say so " Kao said, "When I see him I shall only thank him for supporting you, but as for that marriage business you must your- self raention it, and if it cannot be accomplish- ed you must not drag me into it." Ya-nei said, "It must be as my father says," and nothing more was said that night. On the next day Ch'en changed his clothes at home and rode his daughter's Szechnen horse, call-
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