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"It isn't right，" Lin Tai-yue rejoined， "to throw them into the water. The water， which you see， is clean enough here， but as soon as it finds its way out， where are situated other people's grounds， what isn't there in it？ so that you would be misusing these flowers just as much as if you left them here！ But in that corner， I have dug a hole for flowers， and I'll now sweep these and put them into this gauze-bag and bury them in there； and， in course of many days， they will also become converted into earth， and won't this be a clean way （of disposing of them）？"
Pao-yue， after listening to these words， felt inexpressibly delighted. "Wait！" he smiled， "until I put down my book， and I'll help you to clear them up！"
"What's the book？" Tai-yue inquired.
Pao-yue at this question was so taken aback that he had no time to conceal it. "It's，" he replied hastily， "the Chung Yung and the Ta Hsueeh！"
"Are you going again to play the fool with me？ Be quick and give it to me to see； and this will be ever so much better a way！"
"Cousin，" Pao-yue replied， "as far as you yourself are concerned I don't mind you， but after you've seen it， please don't tell any one else. It's really written in beautiful style； and were you to once begin reading it， why even for your very rice you wouldn't have a thought？"
As he spoke， he handed it to her； and Tai-yue deposited all the flowers on the ground， took over the book， and read it from the very first page； and the more she perused it， she got so much the more fascinated by it， that in no time she had finished reading sixteen whole chapters. But aroused as she was to a state of rapture by the diction， what remained even of the fascination was enough to overpower her senses； and though she had finished reading， she nevertheless continued in a state of abstraction， and still kept on gently recalling the text to mind， and humming it to herself.
"Cousin， tell me is it nice or not？" Pao-yue grinned.
"It is indeed full of zest！" Lin Tai-yue replied exultingly.
"I'm that very sad and very sickly person，" Pao-yue explained laughing， "while you are that beauty who could subvert the empire and overthrow the city."
Lin Tai-yue became， at these words， unconsciously crimson all over her cheeks， even up to her very ears； and raising， at the same moment， her two eyebrows， which seemed to knit and yet not to knit， and opening wide those eyes， which seemed to stare and yet not to stare， while her peach-like cheeks bore an angry look and on her thin-skinned face lurked displeasure， she pointed at Pao-yue and exclaimed： "You do deserve death， for the rubbish you talk！ without any provocation you bring up these licentious expressions and wanton ballads to give vent to all this insolent rot， in order to insult me； but I'll go and tell uncle and aunt."
As soon as she pronounced the two words "insult me，" her eyeballs at once were suffused with purple， and turning herself round she there and then walked away； which filled Pao-yue with so much distress that he jumped forward to impede her proGREss， as he pleaded： "My dear cousin， I earnestly entreat you to spare me this time！ I've indeed said what I shouldn't； but if I had any intention to insult you， I'll throw myself to-morrow into the pond， and let the scabby-headed turtle eat me up， so that I become transformed into a large tortoise. And when you shall have by and by become the consort of an officer of the first degree， and you shall have fallen ill from old age and returned to the west， I'll come to your tomb and bear your stone tablet for ever on my back！"
As he uttered these words， Lin Tai-yue burst out laughing with a sound of "pu ch'ih，" and rubbing her eyes， she sneeringly remarked： "I too can come out with this same tune； but will you now still go on talking nonsense？ Pshaw！ you're， in very truth， like a spear-head， （which looks） like silver， （but is really soft as） wax！"
"Go on， go on！" Pao-yue smiled after this remark； "and what you've said， I too will go and tell！"
"You maintain，" Lin Tai-yue rejoined sarcastically， "that after glancing at anything you're able to recite it； and do you mean to say that I can't even do so much as take in ten lines with one gaze？"
Pao-yue smiled and put his book away， urging： "Let's do what's right and proper， and at once take the flowers and bury them； and don't let us allude to these things！"
Forthwith the two of them gathered the fallen blossoms； but no sooner had they interred them properly than they espied Hsi Jen coming， who went on to observe： "Where haven't I looked for you？ What！ have you found your way as far as this！ But our senior master， Mr. Chia She， over there isn't well； and the young ladies have all gone over to pay their respects， and our old lady has asked that you should be sent over； so go back at once and change your clothes！"
