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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures, by Pu Songling
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures
+
+Author: Pu Songling
+
+Translator: George Soulié
+
+Release Date: October 16, 2011 [eBook #37766]
+[Most recently updated: February 22, 2021]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+Produced by: David Starner, Matthew Wheaton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE LODGE OF LEISURES ***
+
+
+
+
+    STRANGE STORIES
+    FROM THE
+    LODGE OF LEISURES
+
+    TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE BY
+    GEORGE SOULIÉ
+    OF THE FRENCH CONSULAR SERVICE IN CHINA
+
+
+    BOSTON AND NEW YORK
+    HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
+    1913
+
+    PRINTED BY
+    HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
+    LONDON AND AYLESBURY,
+    ENGLAND.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+The first European students who undertook to give the Western world an
+idea of Chinese literature were misled by the outward and profound
+respect affected by the Chinese towards their ancient classics. They
+have worked from generation to generation in order to translate more and
+more accurately the thirteen classics, Confucius, Mengtsz, and the
+others. They did not notice that, once out of school, the Chinese did
+not pay more attention to their classics than we do to ours: if you see
+a book in their hands, it will never be the "Great Study" or the
+"Analects," but much more likely a novel like the "History of the Three
+Kingdoms," or a selection of ghost-stories. These works that everybody,
+young or old, reads and reads again, have on the Chinese mind an
+influence much greater than the whole bulk of the classics.
+Notwithstanding their great importance for those who study Chinese
+thought, they have been completely left aside. In fact, the whole of
+real Chinese literature is still unknown to the Westerners.
+
+It is a pity that it should be so. The novels and stories throw an
+extraordinary light on Chinese everyday life that foreigners have been
+very seldom, and now will never be, able to witness, and they illustrate
+in a striking way the idea the Chinese have formed of the other world.
+One is able at last to understand what is the meaning of the _huen_ or
+superior soul, which leaves the body after death or during sleep, but
+keeps its outward appearance and ordinary clothes; the _p'aï_ or
+inferior soul which remains in the decaying body, and sometimes is
+strong enough to prevent it from decaying, and to give it all the
+appearances of life. The magicians of the Tao religion, or Taoist
+priests, play a great part in these stories, and the Buddhist ideas of
+metempsychosis give the opportunity of more complicated situations than
+we dream of.
+
+Among the most celebrated works, I have chosen the "Strange Stories from
+the Lodge of Leisures," _Leao chai Chi yi_. It was written in the second
+half of the eighteenth century by P'ou Song-lin (P'ou Lieou-hsien), of
+Tsy-cheou, in the Chantong province.
+
+The whole work is composed of more than three hundred stories. I have
+selected twenty-five among the most characteristic.
+
+This being a literary work, and having nothing scientific to boast of, I
+have tried to give my English readers the same literary impression that
+the Chinese has. _Tradutore traditore_, say the Italians; I hope I have
+not been too much of a traitor.
+
+A translation is always a most difficult work; if it is materially
+exact, word for word and sentence by sentence, the so-called scientific
+men are satisfied, but all the charm, beauty, and interest of the
+original are lost. Very often, too, such translation is obscure and
+unintelligible. Each nation has an heirloom of traditions, customs, or
+religion to which its literature constantly refers. If the reader is not
+acquainted with that literature, these references will convey no meaning
+to his mind, or they may even convey a false one. In Chinese, this
+difficulty is greater than in any other language; the Far Eastern
+civilisation has had a development of its own, and its legends and
+superstitions have nothing in common with the Western folklore. The
+Chinese mind is radically different from ours, and has grown, in every
+generation, more different by reason of a different training and a
+different ideal in life. The Chinese writing, moreover, has strengthened
+those differences; it represents the ideas themselves, instead of
+representing the words; each Chinese sign may be rightly translated by
+either of the three or more words by which our language analytically
+describes every aspect of one same idea. The sign which is read _Tao_,
+for instance, must be, according to the sentence, translated by any of
+the words: direction, rule, doctrine, religion, way, road, word, verb;
+all of them being the different forms of the same idea of direction,
+moral or physical.
+
+Some French sinologists, aware of this difficulty, now translate the
+texts literally, and try to explain the meaning by a number of notes,
+which sometimes leave only one or two lines of text in a page. This
+method seems at first more scientific; it explains everything in the
+most careful way, and is very useful for the translation of inscriptions
+or of certain obscure passages in historical books. But for real
+literature, it is the greatest possible error, leaving out, as it does,
+all the impression and illusion the author intended to convey. Besides,
+the necessity of going, at every word, down the page in order to find
+the meaning in a note, tires the reader and takes away all the pleasure
+he should derive from the book.
+
+One may even say that a materially exact translation is, in reality, a
+false one; the words we use in writing and speaking being mere technical
+signs by which we represent our ideas. For instance, the word
+"cathedral" will certainly not convey the same idea to two men, one of
+whom has only seen St. Paul's, and the other only Notre-Dame de Paris;
+for the first, cathedral means a dome; for the other it means two towers
+and a long ogival nave. Below the outward appearance of the words there
+lie so many different images that it is absolutely necessary to know the
+mentality of a nation in order to master its language. In fact, a true
+translation will be the one that, though sometimes materially inexact,
+will give the reader the same impression he would have if he were
+reading the original text.
+
+Since I first went to China, in 1901, I have had many opportunities of
+acquainting myself with all the superstitions of the lower classes, with
+all the splendid mental and intellectual training of the learned. My
+experience has helped me to perceive what was hidden beneath the words;
+and in my translation I have sometimes supplied what the author only
+thought necessary to imply. In many places the translation is literal;
+in other places it is literary, it being impossible for a Western writer
+to retain all the long and useless talking, all the repetitions that
+Chinese writing and Chinese taste are equally fond of.
+
+                                                      GEORGE SOULIÉ.
+
+
+
+
+    CONTENTS
+
+
+    THE GHOST IN LOVE
+    THE FRESCO
+    THE DWARF HUNTERS
+    THE CORPSE THE BLOOD DRINKER
+    LOVE REWARDED
+    THE WOMAN IN GREEN
+    THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+    DECEIVING SHADOWS
+    PEACEFUL-LIGHT
+    HONG THE CURRIER
+    AUTUMN-MOON
+    THE PRINCESS NELUMBO
+    THE TWO BROTHERS
+    THE MARBLE ARCH
+    THE DUTIFUL SON
+    THROUGH MANY LIVES
+    THE RIVER OF SORROWS
+    THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+    THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER
+    THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN
+    UNKNOWN DEVILS
+    CHILDLESS
+    THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN
+    LOVE'S-SLAVE
+    THE LAUGHING GHOST
+
+
+
+
+_Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures_
+
+
+
+
+_THE GHOST IN LOVE_
+
+
+On the 15th day of the First Moon, in the second year of the period of
+"Renewed Principles," the streets of the town of the Eastern Lake were
+thronged with people who were strolling about.
+
+At the setting of the sun every shop was brightly lit up; processions of
+people moved hither and thither; strings of boys were carrying lanterns
+of every form and colour; whole families passed, every member of whom,
+young or old, small or big, was holding at the end of a thin bamboo the
+lighted image of a bird, an animal, or a flower.
+
+Richer ones, several together, were carrying enormous dragons whose
+luminous wings waved at every motion and whose glaring eyes rolled from
+right to left. It was the Fête of the Lanterns.
+
+A young man, clothed in a long pale green dress, allowed himself to be
+pushed about by the crowd; the passers-by bowed to him:
+
+"How is my Lord Li The-peaceful?"
+
+"The humble student thanks you; and you, how are you?"
+
+"Very well, thanks to your happy influence."
+
+"Does the precious student soon pass his second literary examination?"
+
+"In two months; ignorant that I am. I am idling instead of working."
+
+The fête was drawing to a close when The-peaceful quitted the main
+street, and went towards the East Gate, where the house was to be found
+in which he lived alone.
+
+He went farther and farther: the moving lights were rarer; ere long he
+only saw before him the fire of a white lantern decorated with two red
+peonies. The paper globe was swinging to the steps of a tiny girl
+clothed in the blue linen that only slaves wore. The light, behind,
+showed the elegant silhouette of another woman, this one covered with a
+long jacket made in a rich pink silk edged with purple.
+
+As the student drew nearer, the belated walker turned round, showing an
+oval face and big long eyes, wherein shone a bright speck, cruel and
+mysterious.
+
+Li The-peaceful slackened his pace, following the two strangers, whose
+small feet glided silently on the shining flagstones of the street.
+
+He was asking himself how he could begin a conversation, when the
+mistress turned round again, softly smiled, and in a low, rich voice,
+said to him:
+
+"Is it not strange that in the advancing night we are following the same
+road?"
+
+"I owe it to the favour of Heaven," he at once replied; "for I am
+returning to the East Gate; otherwise I should never have dared to
+follow you."
+
+The conversation, once begun, continued as they walked side by side. The
+student learned that the pretty walker was called "Double-peony," that
+she was the daughter of Judge Siu, that she lived out of the city in a
+garden planted with big trees, on the road to the lake.
+
+On arriving at his house The-peaceful insisted that his new friend
+should enter and take a cup of tea. She hesitated; then the two young
+people pushed the door, crossed the small yard bordered right and left
+with walls covered with tiles, and disappeared in the house....
+
+The servant remained under the portal.
+
+Daylight was breaking when the young girl came out again, calling the
+servant, who was asleep. The next evening she came again, always
+accompanied by the slave bearing the white lantern with two red
+peonies. It was the same each day following.
+
+A neighbour who had watched these nocturnal visits was inquisitive
+enough to climb the wall which separated his yard from that of the
+lovers, and to wait, hidden in the shade of the house.
+
+At the accustomed hour the street-door, left ajar, opened to let in the
+visitors.
+
+Once in the courtyard, they were suddenly transformed, their eyes became
+flaming and red; their faces grew pale; their teeth seemed to lengthen;
+an icy mist escaped from their lips.
+
+The neighbour did not see any more: terrified, he let himself slide to
+the ground and ran to his inner room.
+
+The next morning he went to the student and told him what he had seen.
+The lover was paralysed with fear: in order to reassure himself he
+resolved to find out everything he could about his mistress.
+
+He at once went outside the ramparts, on the road to the lake, hoping
+to find the house of Judge Siu. But at the place he had been told of
+there was no habitation; on the left, a fallow plain, sown with tombs,
+went up to the hills; on the right, cultivated fields extended as far as
+the lake.
+
+However, a small temple was hidden there under big trees. The student
+had given up all hope; he entered, notwithstanding, into the sacred
+enclosure, knowing that travellers stayed there sometimes for several
+weeks.
+
+In the first yard a bonze was passing in his red dress and shaven head;
+he stopped him.
+
+"Do you know Judge Siu? He has a daughter----"
+
+"Judge Siu's daughter?" asked the priest, astonished. "Well--yes--but
+wait, I will show her to you."
+
+The-peaceful felt his heart overflowing with joy; his beloved one was
+living; he was going to see her by the light of day. He quickly
+followed his companion.
+
+Passing the first court, they crossed a threshold and found themselves
+in a yard planted with high pine-trees and bordered by a low pavilion.
+The bonze, passing in first, pushed a door, and, turning round, said:
+
+"Here is Judge Siu's daughter!"
+
+The other stopped, terrified; on a trestle a heavy black lacquered
+coffin bore this inscription in golden letters: "Coffin of Double-peony,
+Judge Siu's daughter."
+
+On the wall was an unfolded painting representing the little maid; a
+white lantern decorated with two red peonies was hung over it.
+
+"Yes, she has been there for the last two years; her parents, according
+to the rite, are waiting for a favourable day to bury her."
+
+The student silently turned on his heel and went back, not deigning to
+reply to the mocking bow of the priest.
+
+Evening arrived; he locked himself in, and, covering his head with his
+blankets, he waited; sleep came to him only at daybreak.
+
+But he could not cease to think of her whom he no longer saw; his heart
+beat as if to burst, when in the street he perceived the silhouette of a
+woman which reminded him of his friend.
+
+At last he was incapable of containing himself any longer; one evening
+he stationed himself behind the door. After a few minutes there was a
+knock; he opened the door; it was only the little maid:
+
+"My mistress is in tears; why do you never open the door? I come every
+evening. If you will follow me, perhaps she will forgive you."
+
+The-peaceful, blinded by love, started at once, walking by the light of
+the white lantern.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day the neighbours, seeing that the student's door was open,
+and that his house was empty, made a declaration to the governor of the
+town.
+
+The police made an inquest; they collected the evidence of several
+people who had been watching the nightly visitors the student had
+received. The bonze of the temple outside the city walls came to say
+what he knew. The chief of the police went to the road leading to the
+lake; he crossed the threshold of the little edifice, passed the first
+yard and at last opened the door of the pavilion.
+
+Everything was in order, but under the lid of the heavy coffin one could
+see the corner of the long green dress of the student.
+
+In order to do away with evil influences there was a solemn funeral.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Ever since this time, on light clear nights, the passers-by often meet
+the two lovers entwined together, slowly walking on the road which leads
+to the lake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FRESCO_
+
+
+In the Great Highway of Eternal Fixity, Mong Flowing-spring and his
+friend Choo Little-lotus were slowly walking, clothed in the long light
+green dress of the students.
+
+They had both just passed with success their third literary examination,
+and were enjoying the pleasures of the capital before returning to their
+distant province.
+
+As they were both of small means, they were looking now (and at the same
+time filling their eyes with the movement of the street) for a lodging
+less expensive than the inn where they had put up on arriving at Pekin.
+
+Leaving the Great Highway, they strolled far into a labyrinth of lanes
+more and more silent. They soon lost themselves. Undecided, they had
+stopped, when they spied out the red lacquered portal of a temple of the
+Mysterious-way.
+
+Pushing the heavy sides of the door, they entered; an old man with his
+hair tightly drawn together in a black cap, majestic in his grey dress,
+stood behind the door and appeared to be waiting for them.
+
+"Your coming lightens my humble dwelling," he said in bowing. "I beg you
+will enter."
+
+"I do not dare! I do not dare!" murmured the two students, bowing in
+their turn.
+
+They nevertheless entered, crossing the yard on which the portal opened,
+which was closed, at the end, by the little temple in open woodwork
+close under the mass of roofs of green tiles.
+
+They went up three steps, then, pushing a narrow and straight door, they
+entered. In the half-shadow they distinguished on the white altar a
+statue of Tche Kong The-Supreme-Lord, with a golden face and griffins'
+feet like the claws of an eagle.
+
+The walls on each side of the altar were painted in frescoes; on the
+wall on the right you saw goddesses in the midst of flowers. One of
+these young girls, with a low chignon, was gathering a peony and was
+slightly smiling. Her mouth, like a cherry, seemed as if it were really
+opening; one would have sworn that her eyelids fluttered.
+
+Mong Flowing-spring, his eyes fixed on the painting, remained a long
+time without moving, absorbed in his admiration of the work of art, and
+disturbed beyond expression by the beauty of the goddess with the low
+chignon.
+
+"Why is she not living?" said he. "I would willingly give my life for a
+moment of her love!"
+
+Suddenly he started; the young goddess raised herself upright, bursting
+with laughter, and got down from the wall. She crossed the door, went
+down the staircase, stepped over the yard and left the place.
+
+Flowing-spring followed her without reflecting. He saw her going away
+with a light step, and turn down the first lane; the young student ran
+behind her.
+
+As he turned the corner, he saw her stop at the entrance of a small
+house. She was gracefully waving her hand, and, with sly glances, made
+him signs to come.
+
+He hastened forward and entered in his turn. In the silent house there
+was nobody, no one but the goddess standing in her long mauve dress and
+nibbling the flower that she had picked and that she still held in her
+hand.
+
+"I bow down," said the student, who knelt to salute her.
+
+"Rise! you exceed the rites prescribed," she replied.
+
+"I bend my head, not being able to bear the splendour of your beauty."
+
+As she did not seem to be discontented he continued telling her his
+admiration and his desire. He approached, touched her hand; she started,
+but did not draw back. He then took her in his arms; she did not make
+much resistance.
+
+The moments passed rapidly. They spoke to each other in a low voice,
+when, suddenly in the street, a noise of heavy boots resounded; steps
+stopped before the door; the lock was shaken; oaths were heard.
+
+The young girl grew pale; she told Flowing-spring to hide himself under
+the bed. The student felt his heart become quite small; he crouched down
+in the shadow, not even being able to breathe. From the depth of his
+hiding-place, he saw an officer enter, his face in black lacquer,
+covered with a golden cuirass and surrounded by a troop of young girls
+in long dresses of bright colours.
+
+"I smell an odour of human flesh!" grumbled the officer, walking heavily
+and going round the room.
+
+"Hide yourself well!" the goddess murmured to her lover, raising herself
+from the bed and white with terror. "If you can escape from him, wait
+till we have left, and open the little door at the end of the garden;
+then run away quickly!"
+
+"There is a man here! I smell him! He must be delivered to me! If not,
+I shall punish the person who has hidden him."
+
+"We know nothing!" all the young women said together.
+
+"Very well! Let us go out."
+
+Then, following the gracious troop which the goddess had joined, he
+crossed the threshold.
+
+Flowing-spring, hidden under the bed, waited till the noise of the boots
+had gone away. Then he glided with caution from his refuge.
+
+Half bent, listening with anxiety in fear of being surprised, he flew
+from the room and crossed the garden.
+
+During this time Choo Little-lotus, having remained in the temple, had
+not remarked the departure of his friend. But, turning round and not any
+longer seeing him, he questioned the old magician.
+
+"Your friend is not far off," he replied.
+
+Then, showing him the wall, he said:
+
+"Look! here he is!"
+
+And, indeed, in the centre of the fresco, the image of Flowing-spring
+was painted; he was crouched in among the flowers, straining his ear.
+The image moved, and, suddenly, the student separated himself from the
+wall and advanced, looking sad and anxious.
+
+Choo Little-lotus, terrified, was looking at him. The other told him his
+adventure. As he spoke a terrible clap of thunder was heard. The two
+friends instinctively shut their eyes; when they opened them, their
+glance fell on the fresco: the goddesses had taken their places there
+again, in the midst of the flowers; but the young girl with the low
+chignon was no longer there.
+
+The magician smiled at Flowing-spring:
+
+"Love has touched her. She has become a woman and is waiting for you in
+your village."
+
+
+
+
+_THE DWARF HUNTERS_
+
+
+The heavy summer in the South is particularly hard to bear for those who
+are ill. The damp heat keeps them awake, and thousands of insects
+trouble their rest.
+
+Wang Little-third-one, stretched on his bed made of bamboo laths, where
+a low fever kept him, complained of it to all those who came to see him,
+especially to his friend the magician officiating priest of the little
+temple situated in the neighbouring crossway.
+
+The magician knew something of medicine; he prescribed a calming potion
+and retired.
+
+When Little-third-one had drunk the potion, his fever fell and he was
+able to enjoy a little sleep. He was awakened by a slight noise; night
+had come on; the room was lighted by the full moon, which threw a bright
+gleam by the open door.
+
+All the insects were moving and flying hither and thither; white ants
+who gnaw wood, bad-smelling bugs, enormous cockroaches, mosquitoes,
+innumerable and various flies.
+
+As Little-third-one was looking, his attention was drawn by a movement
+on the threshold: a small man, not bigger than a thumb, advanced with
+precautious steps; in his hand he held a bow; a sword was hanging at his
+side.
+
+Little-third-one, on looking closer, saw two dogs as big as
+shirt-buttons running before the man with the bow; they suddenly
+stopped: the archer approached, held out his weapon, and discharged the
+arrow. A cockroach who was crawling before the dogs made a bound, fell
+on its back, moved again, then remained motionless; the arrow had run
+through it.
+
+Behind the first huntsman others had come; some were on horseback, armed
+with swords; some on foot.
+
+From that time it was a pursuit without intermission; hundreds of
+insects were shot. At first the mosquitoes escaped; but as they cannot
+fly for long, every time that one remained still it was transpierced by
+the huntsmen.
+
+Soon nothing was left of all the insects who broke the silence with
+their buzzing, their gnashing of teeth, or their falling.
+
+A horseman then was seen galloping over the room, looking from right to
+left. He then gave the signal; all the huntsmen called their dogs, went
+towards the door, and disappeared.
+
+Little-third-one had not moved, in order not to disturb the hunt. At
+last he peacefully went to sleep, henceforth sure of not being awakened
+by a sting or a bite. He awoke late the next day almost cured.
+
+When his friend the magician came to see him, he told him his
+experience: the other smiled. Wang understood that the mysterious
+hunters came from the little temple.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CORPSE THE BLOOD-DRINKER_
+
+
+Night was slowly falling in the narrow valley. On the winding path cut
+in the side of the hill about twenty mules were following each other,
+bending under their heavy load; the muleteers, being tired, did not
+cease to hurry forward their animals, abusing them with coarse voices.
+
+Comfortably seated on mules with large pack-saddles, three men were
+going along at the same pace as the caravan of which they were the
+masters. Their thick dresses, their fur boots, and their red woollen
+hoods protected them from the cold wind of the mountain.
+
+In the darkness, rendered thicker by a slight fog, the lights of a
+village were shining, and soon the mules, hurrying all together,
+jostling their loads, crowded before the only inn of the place.
+
+The three travellers, happy to be able to rest, got down from their
+saddles when the innkeeper came out on the step of his door and excused
+himself, saying all his rooms were taken.
+
+"I have still, it is true, a large hall the other side of the street,
+but it is only a barn, badly shut. I will show it to you."
+
+The merchants, disappointed, consulted each other with a look; but it
+was too late to continue their way; they followed their landlord.
+
+The hall that was shown to them was big enough and closed at the end by
+a curtain. Their luggage was brought; the bed-clothes rolled on the
+pack-saddles were spread out, as usual, on planks and trestles.
+
+The meal was served in the general sitting-room, in the midst of noise,
+laughing, and movement--smoking rice, vegetables preserved in vinegar,
+and lukewarm wine served in small cups. Then every one went to bed; the
+lights were put out and profound silence prevailed in the sleeping
+village.
+
+However, towards the hour of the Rat, a sensation of cold and
+uneasiness awoke one of the three travellers named Wang Fou,
+Happiness-of-the-kings. He turned in his bed, but the snoring of his two
+companions annoyed him; he could not get to sleep. Again, seeing that
+his rest was finished, he got up, relit the lamp which was out, took a
+book from his baggage, and stretched himself out again. But if he could
+not sleep, it was just as impossible to read. In spite of himself, his
+eyes quitted the columns of letters laid out in lines and searched into
+the darkness that the feeble light did not contrive to break through.
+
+A growing terror froze him. He would have liked to awaken his
+companions, but the fear of being made fun of prevented him.
+
+By dint of looking, he at last saw a slight movement shake the big
+curtain which closed the room. There came from behind a crackling of
+wood being broken. Then a long, painful threatening silence began again.
+
+The merchant felt his flesh thrill; he was filled with horror, in spite
+of his efforts to be reasonable.
+
+He had put aside his book, and, the coverlet drawn up to his nose, he
+fixed his enlarged eyes on the shadowy corners at the end of the room.
+
+The side of the curtain was lifted; a pale hand held the folds. The
+stuff, thus raised, permitted a being to pass, whose form, hardly
+distinct, seemed penetrated by the shadow.
+
+Happiness-of-kings would have liked to scream; his contracted throat
+allowed no sound to escape. Motionless and speechless, he followed with
+his horrified look the slow movement of the apparition which
+approached.
+
+He, little by little, recognised the silhouette of a female, seen by her
+short quilted dress and her long narrow jacket. Behind the body he
+perceived the curtain again moving.
+
+The spectre, in the meantime bending over the bed of one of the sleeping
+travellers, appeared to give him a long kiss.
+
+Then it went towards the couch of the second merchant.
+Happiness-of-kings distinctly saw the pale figure, the eyes, from which
+a red flame was shining, and sharp teeth, half-exposed in a ferocious
+smile, which opened and shut by turns on the throat of the sleeper.
+
+A start disturbed the body under the cover, then all stopped: the
+spectre was drinking in long draughts.
+
+Happiness-of-kings, seeing that his turn was coming, had just strength
+enough to pull the coverlet over his head. He heard grumblings; a
+freezing breath penetrated through the wadded material.
+
+The paroxysm of terror gave the merchant full possession of his
+strength; with a convulsive movement he threw his coverlet on the
+apparition, jumped out of his bed, and, yelling like a wild beast, he
+ran as far as the door and flew away in the night.
+
+Still running, he felt the freezing breath in his back, he heard the
+furious growlings of the spectre.
+
+The prolonged howling of the unhappy man filled the narrow street and
+awoke all the sleepers in their beds, but none of them moved; they hid
+themselves farther and farther under their coverlets. These inhuman
+cries meant nothing good for those who should have been bold enough to
+go outside.
+
+The bewildered fugitive crossed the village, going faster and faster.
+Arriving at the last houses, he was only a few feet in advance and felt
+himself fainting.
+
+The road at the extremity of the village was bordered with narrow fields
+shaded with big trees. The instinct of a hunted animal drove on the
+distracted merchant; he made a brisk turn to the right, then to the
+left, and threw himself behind the knotted trunk of a huge
+chestnut-tree. The freezing hand already touched his shoulder; he fell
+senseless.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the morning, in broad daylight, two men who came to plough in this
+same field were surprised to perceive against the tree a white form,
+and, on the ground, a man stretched out. This fact coming after the
+howling in the night appeared strange to them; they turned back and went
+to find the Chief of the Elders. When they returned, the greater part of
+the inhabitants of the village followed them.
+
+They approached and found that the form against the tree was the corpse
+of a young woman, her nails buried in the bark; from her mouth a stream
+of blood had flowed and stained her white silk jacket. A shudder of
+horror shook the lookers-on: the Chief of the Elders recognised his
+daughter dead for the last six months whose coffin was placed in a barn,
+waiting for the burial, a favourable day to be fixed by the astrologers.
+
+The innkeeper recognised one of his guests in the man stretched on the
+ground, whom no care could revive.
+
+They returned in haste to find out in what condition the coffin was: the
+door of the barn was still open. They went in; a coverlet was thrown on
+the ground near the entrance; on two beds the great sun lit up the
+hollow and greenish aspect of the corpses whose blood had been emptied.
+
+Behind the drawn curtain the coffin was found open. The corpse of the
+young woman evidently had not lost its inferior soul, the vital breath.
+Like all beings deprived of conscience and reason, her ferocity was
+eager for blood.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE REWARDED_
+
+
+Lost in the heart of Peking, in one of the most peaceful neighbourhoods
+of the Yellow City, the street of Glowing-happiness was sleeping in the
+silence and in the light.
+
+On the right and left of the dusty road was some waste ground, where
+several red mangy, and surly dogs were sleeping. Five or six low houses,
+their white walls forming a line not well defined, whose low roofs were
+covered with grey tiles, bordered the road.
+
+In the first year of the Glorious-Strength, four hundred years ago, a
+young man with long hair tied together under the black gauze cap of the
+scholars, clothed in a pink dress with purple flowers, was walking in
+the setting sun, stepping cautiously in order not to cover with dust
+his shoes with thick felt soles.
+
+When the first stars began to shine in the darkening sky, he entered one
+of the houses. A wick in a saucer, soaking in oil, burning and smoking,
+vaguely lighted an open book on the table: one could only guess, in the
+shadow, the form of a chair, a bed in a corner, and a few inscriptions
+hanging on the whitewashed walls.
+
+The scholar seated himself before his table and resumed, as he did every
+evening, his reading of the Classics, of which he sought to penetrate
+the entire meaning. Late passers-by in this lonely thoroughfare still
+saw his lamp shining across the trellises of the windows far into the
+night.
+
+Golden-dragon lived alone. Now, on that evening an inexplicable languor
+made him dreamy; his eyes followed in vain the text; his rebellious
+thoughts were scattered.
+
+Impatiently at last he was just going to put out his lamp and go to
+bed, when he heard some one knocking at the door.
+
+"Come in!" he cried.
+
+The door grinding on its hinges, a young woman appeared clothed in a
+long gown of bright green silk, gracefully lifting her foot to cross the
+threshold, and bowing with her two hands united. Golden-dragon,
+hurriedly rising to reply, waved in his turn his fists joined together
+at the same height as his visage and said, according to the ritual: "Be
+kind enough to be seated! What is your noble name?" The visitor did not
+pronounce a word; her large black eyes, shadowed by long eyelashes, were
+fixed on the face of her host, while she tried to regain her panting
+breath.
+
+As she advanced, Golden-dragon felt a strange feeling of admiration and
+love.
+
+He did not think such a perfect beauty could exist. As he remained
+speechless, she smiled, and her smile had on him the effect of a strong
+drink on a hungry man; troubled and dazed, he lost the conscience of
+his personality and his acts.
+
+The next morning the sun was shining when he awoke, asking himself if he
+had not been dreaming. He thought all day long of his strange visitor,
+making thousands of suppositions.
+
+Evening coming on, she suddenly entered, and it was as it had been the
+night before.
+
+Two months passed; then the young girl's visits abruptly ceased. The
+night covered everything with its black veil, but nobody appeared at the
+door. Golden-dragon the first night, waited for her till the hour of the
+Rat; at last he went to his couch and fell asleep. Almost immediately he
+saw her carried away by two horny _yecha_; she was calling him:
+
+"My beloved, I am drawn away towards the inferior regions. I shall never
+be able to get away if prayers are not said for me. My body lies in the
+next house."
+
+He started out of sleep in the efforts he made to fly to her, and could
+not rest again in his impatience to assert what she had said.
+
+As soon as the sun was up, he ran towards the only house that was next
+to his. He knocked; no one replied. Pushing the door, he entered. The
+house seemed to be recently abandoned, the rooms were empty, but in a
+side hall a black lacquered coffin rested on trestles; on a table the
+"Book of Liberation" was open at the chapter of "The great recall."
+
+Golden-dragon doubted no longer; he sang in a high voice the entire
+chapter, shut the book, and returned home full of a strange
+peacefulness.
+
+Every evening from that time, at the hour when she had appeared to him,
+he lit a lantern, went to the house next door and read a chapter of the
+holy text.
+
+Years passed by; he got beyond his fiftieth year, grew bent, and walked
+with difficulty, but he never missed performing the duty he had imposed
+on himself for his unknown friend.
+
+The house where the coffin was placed had successively been let to
+several families; but he had arranged that the funereal room should
+never be touched. The lodgers bowed to the scholar when he came, and
+talked to him; the whole town was entertained with this touching example
+of such everlasting love.
+
+"So much constancy and such fidelity cannot remain without reward," they
+said.
+
+But time slipped by and nothing came to change the regular life of the
+old man.
+
+On his seventieth birthday, as he went to his neighbours, he remarked a
+violent excitement.
+
+"My wife has just had a child," said the chief of the family, going to
+meet him. "Come and wish her happiness; she does not cease to ask for
+you."
+
+"Is it a boy?"
+
+"No, unhappily, a girl, but such a pretty little thing."
+
+Followed by the happy father, the scholar with white hair penetrated
+into the room; the mother smiled, holding out the baby to him.
+Golden-dragon suddenly started; the child held out her arms to him and
+on her little lips, hardly formed, hovered the shadow of a disappeared
+smile, the smile of the unknown woman.
+
+And as he looked an extraordinary sensation troubled him; he felt he was
+growing younger, more vigorous. Soon, in the midst of the cries of
+admiration of the whole family, the bent old man grew straight again;
+his grey hair turned black, and the change continued; he became a young
+man, a boy, and soon a child.
+
+When the Bell of the great Tower struck the hour of the Rat, he was a
+fat pink baby playing and laughing with the little girl.
+
+The governor of the town, being informed, personally directed an
+inquiry. It was discovered that the coffin had disappeared at the same
+hour when the transformation had happened.
+
+The Emperor, on the report of the governor, ordered the two children to
+receive a handsome dowry.
+
+As to them, they grew up, loved each other, and lived happy and well as
+far as the limits of human longevity.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOMAN IN GREEN_
+
+
+At this time, in the Pavilion-of-the-guests, in the
+Monastery-of-the-healing-springs, the most celebrated of the Fo-kien
+province, lived a young scholar whose name was Little-cypress.
+
+As soon as the sun rose he was at his work, seated near the trellised
+window. When night fell, his lamp still lit the outline of the wooden
+trellis.
+
+One morning a shadow darkened his book; he raised his eyes: a young
+woman with a long green skirt, her face of matchless beauty, was
+standing outside the window and was looking at him.
+
+"You are then always working, Lord Little-cypress?" she said.
+
+She was so bewitching that he knew her immediately for a goddess; but
+all the same he asked her where she lived and what was her name.
+
+"Your lordship has looked on his humble wife; he has known her as a
+goddess. What is the use of so many questions?"
+
+Little-cypress, satisfied with this reply, invited her to enter the
+house. She came in; her waist was so small, one would almost have
+thought that her body was divided in two.
+
+He invited her to sit down; they talked and laughed together a long
+time.
+
+He asked her to sing, and, with a low voice, which filled her friend
+with rapture, she sang:
+
+    "On the trees the bird pursues his companion;
+    Oppressed slaves free themselves with love.
+    How has my Lord lived alone,
+    Without enjoying all the pleasures of married life?"
+
+The sound vibrated like a thread of silk; it penetrated the ear and
+troubled the heart. As she finished, she suddenly arose.
+
+"A man is standing near the window, he is listening to us ... he is
+going round ... he is trying to see."
+
+"Since when does a goddess fear a man?" replied Little-cypress,
+laughing.
+
+"I am troubled without knowing why; my heart beats. I wish to go."
+
+She went to open the door, but abruptly shut it.
+
+"I do not know why I am thus upset. Will you accompany me as far as the
+entrance gate?"
+
+Little-cypress held her up till they got to the gate; he had just left
+her and turned his head, when he heard her call for help in a voice full
+of anguish. He hurriedly turned round; no one was to be seen.
+
+As he was looking for her with stupefaction his eyes fell on a big
+cobweb, stretched in the corner of the wall. The ugly and gigantic
+insect held in its claws a dragon-fly who was struggling and dolefully
+crying. Affected by this sight, he hastened to deliver it.
+
+The pretty insect immediately flew in the direction of the
+Pavilion-of-the-guests. Little-cypress saw it go in at the window and
+alight on the stone for grinding the ink.
+
+Then it arose again and alighted on the paper which was placed on the
+table; there it oddly crawled, retracing its steps, returning,
+advancing, and stopping. After a moment it took its flight and
+disappeared in the sky.
+
+Little-cypress, much puzzled, approached and looked; on the paper was
+written in big strokes the word "Thanks."
+
+
+
+
+_THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES_
+
+
+When Dawning-colour was on the point of dying, he called his mother to
+him.
+
+"Mother," he said, "I am going to die. I do not wish White-orchid, my
+young wife, to feel herself bound to keep the widowhood. When her
+mourning will be finished, she will marry again: our son is only three
+years old; you will keep him with you."
+
+Now, the mourning was not yet finished and the coffin was still in the
+house waiting for a favourable day, when the young widow began to find
+the solitude weigh upon her.
+
+A rich sluggard of the village, named Adolescent, had several times sent
+proposals to her through a neighbour; she at last was unwise enough to
+agree to an interview with him. When evening came, Adolescent jumped
+over the neighbour's wall and went to her room.
+
+He had not been there half an hour when there arose a great noise in the
+hall where the coffin was; it seemed as if the cover was violently
+thrown to the ground. A little slave who was called afterwards as a
+witness told how she ran into the yard and saw her master's corpse
+brandishing a sword and jumping towards the room where the lovers were
+to be found.
+
+A few instants after, she saw the young widow come out screaming and run
+to the garden. Adolescent followed her, covered with blood; he crossed
+the threshold and disappeared in the night.
+
+Now, Adolescent, flying from danger, pushed the first door that he came
+across in the street; it was that of a young couple; the husband, named
+Wang, was absent and only expected to return the next day. The young
+wife, hearing a noise, thought it was her husband returning.
+
+"Is that you?" she asked, without quite waking up.
+
+Adolescent, who knew Madame Wang was pretty, answered "Yes" in a low
+voice, taking advantage of her error.
+
+A short time after, at Wang's turn to enter, he struck a light, saw a
+man in his room, and, furious, seized a pike. Adolescent tried to hide
+himself under the bed, but the husband transpierced him several times.
+He wished to kill his wife, but she so much begged him not to that he
+spared her.
+
+The cries and supplications which came from the room had, however, awoke
+the neighbours, who came in; they pulled Adolescent's body from under
+the bed; he died almost directly.
+
+There was a silence; the affair was serious. Then one of the assistants
+said:
+
+"The judges won't believe that you were in your right of outraged
+husband; you ought to have killed your wife also. As it is, you will be
+condemned."
+
+Thereupon, Wang killed the unhappy woman.
+
+During this time Dawning-colour's mother, having heard the screams of
+her daughter-in-law, thought there was a burglar in the house; she cried
+for help and tried to light a lamp, but she was trembling, and her
+curtains caught fire.
+
+Some neighbours arrived in haste; while a few of them extinguished the
+fire, the others, armed with crossbows, ran through the house and garden
+in search of the thief.
+
+At the bottom of the orchard they saw a white mass moving at the foot of
+the wall. Without waiting to ascertain what it was, they shot several
+arrows; everything was still. The archers approached and lit a torch;
+they saw the body of White-orchid transpierced in the head and chest.
+
+Horrified by what they had done, they informed the old woman, who said
+nothing.
+
+But this was not all. The elder brother of White-orchid, furious at the
+tragic death of his sister, had a lawsuit with the archers and the old
+woman.
+
+As usual, the judges ruined both parties; they condemned
+Dawning-colour's mother and the archers to receive five hundred bamboo
+strokes. The latter were not strong enough to bear this punishment, and
+died under the stick. And thus the affair ended.
+
+
+
+
+_DECEIVING SHADOWS_
+
+
+Night was falling when the horseshoes of the mules of my caravan
+resounded on the slippery flagstones of the village.
+
+Tired by a long day of walking, I directed my steps towards the large
+hall of the inn, with the intention of resting a moment while my repast
+was being prepared.
+
+In the darkened room the glimmer of a small opium-lamp lit up the pale
+and hollow face of an old man, occupied in holding over the flame a
+small ball of the black drug, which would soon be transformed into
+smoke, source of forgetfulness and dreams.
+
+The old man returned my greeting, and invited me to lie down on the
+couch opposite to him. He handed me a pipe already prepared and we
+began talking together. As ordered by the laws of politeness, I remarked
+to my neighbour that he seemed robust for his age.
+
+"My age? Do you, then, think I am so old?"
+
+"But, as you are so wise, you must have seen sixty harvests?"
+
+"Sixty! I am not yet thirty years old! But you must have come from a
+long way off, not to know who I am."
+
+And while rolling the balls with dexterity in the palm of his hand, and
+making them puff out to the heat of the lamp, he told me his story.
+
+His name was Liu Favour-of-heaven. Born and brought up in the capital,
+he had been promoted six years before to the post of sub-prefect in the
+town on which our refuge was dependent.
+
+When coming to take his post, he stopped at the inn, the same one where
+we were. The house was full; but he had remarked, on entering, a long
+pavilion which seemed uninhabited. The landlord, being asked, looked
+perplexed; he ended by saying that the pavilion had been shut for the
+last two years; all the travellers had complained of noises and strange
+visions; probably mischievous spirits lived there.
+
+Favour-of-heaven, having lived in the capital, but little believed in
+phantoms. He found the occasion excellent to establish his reputation in
+braving imaginary dangers.
+
+His wife and his children implored him in vain; he persisted in his
+intention of remaining the night alone in the haunted house.
+
+He had lights brought; installed himself in a big armchair, and placed
+across his knees a long and heavy sword.
+
+Hours passed by; the sonorous noise of the gong struck by the watchman
+announced successively the hours, first of the Pig, then of the Rat. He
+grew drowsy. Suddenly, he was awakened by the gnashing of teeth. All the
+lights were out; the darkness, however, was not deep enough to prevent
+his being able to distinguish everything confusedly. Anguish seized him;
+his heart beat with violence; his staring eyes were fixed on the door.
+
+By the half-opened door he perceived a round white mass, the deformed
+head of a monster, who, appearing little by little, stretched long hands
+with twisted fingers and claws.
+
+Favour-of-heaven mechanically raised his weapon; his blood frozen in his
+veins, he tried to strike the head, whose indistinct features were
+certainly dreadful. Without doubt the blow had struck, for a frightful
+cry was heard; all the demons of the inferior regions seemed let loose
+with this yell; calls were heard from all sides. The trellised frames of
+the windows were shaken with violence. The monster gained the door.
+Favour-of-heaven pursued him and threw him down.
+
+His terror was such that he felt he must strike and kill. Hardly had he
+finished than there entered, rolling from side to side, a little being,
+quite round, brandishing unknown weapons at the end of innumerable small
+hands. The prefect, with one blow, cut him in two like a watermelon.
+
+However, the windows were shaken with growing rage; unknown beings
+entered by the door without interruption; the prefect threw them down
+one after another: a black shadow first, then a head balancing itself at
+the end of a huge neck, then the jaw of a crocodile, then a big bird
+with the chest and feet of a donkey.
+
+Trembling all over, the man struck right and left, exhausted and
+panting; a cold perspiration overwhelmed him; he felt his strength
+gradually giving way, when the cock crowed at last the coming of the
+day.
+
+Little by little, grey dawn designed the trellis of the windows, then
+the sun suddenly appeared above the horizon and darted its rays across
+the rents in the paper.
+
+Favour-of-heaven felt his heart stand still; on the floor inundated with
+blood, the bodies lying there had human forms, forms that he knew: this
+one looked like his second wife, and this one, this little head that had
+rolled against the foot of the table, he would have sworn that it was
+his last son.
+
+With a mad cry he threw away his weapon and ran to open the door,
+through which the sun poured in.
+
+An armed crowd was moving in the yard.
+
+"My family! my family! where is my family?"
+
+"They are all with you in the pavilion!"
+
+But as they were speaking they saw with stupor the hair of the young man
+becoming white, and the wrinkles of age cover his face, while he
+remained motionless as well as insensible.
+
+They drew near; he rolled fainting on the ground. "And thus," ended the
+sub-prefect in the silence of the dark hall, where only the little light
+of the opium-lamp was shining, "I remained several days without
+knowledge of anything. When I came to myself, I had to bear the sorrow
+of having killed my whole family in these atrocious circumstances. I
+resigned my post: I had magnificent tombs built for all those who were
+killed this fatal night, and, since then, I smoke without ceasing the
+agreeable drug, in order to fly away from the remembrance, which will
+haunt me until my last day."
+
+
+
+
+_PEACEFUL-LIGHT_
+
+
+In the time when the Shining Dynasty had just conquered the throne, the
+eastern coasts of the Empire were ravaged by the rapid junks commanded
+by the cruel inhabitants of the Japanese islands, the irresistible _Wo
+tsz_.
+
+Now, it happened that the _Wo tsz_ Emperor lost his first wife; knowing
+the beauty of Chinese women, he charged one of his officers to bring
+back some of them.
+
+The officer, at the head of a numerous troop, landed not far from the
+town of The-Smoky-wall. No resistance was possible; the population was
+given the example of flight by the functionaries, at least it was thus
+said in the Annals of the prefecture.
+
+The country being far from the big centres, the women were not great
+coquettes; only one, named Peaceful-light, had always been careful,
+since childhood, not to allow her feet to become naturally large; they
+were constantly bound up, so much so that she could hardly walk.
+
+Her large soft eyes were shaded with heavy eyelashes; one of the
+literati of the place took delight in quoting the poets of antiquity on
+them:
+
+    Under the willow of her eyelashes
+    The tranquil river of her eyes shines forth.
+    I bend and see my image reflected in them.
+    Could she be deceitful like the deep water?
+
+When the pirates were coming, she begged her family to leave her, and to
+fly without the risk of being delayed by her.
+
+"It is the just punishment for my coquetry," she told them. "Fear
+nothing for me, however. I am going to take a strong dose of the paste
+extracted from the flowers of Nao-yang which makes one sleep. The
+pirates will think I am dead, and will leave me."
+
+The family allowed themselves to be persuaded, and departed. As to
+Peaceful-light, she was asleep almost directly after taking the drug,
+and she remained motionless on her bed.
+
+The pirates, entering everywhere, at last arrived in the house and
+remained struck with admiration by her beauty. The officer who was
+called, at first thought her dead and was much grieved, but, touching
+her hand and finding it warm and limp, he resolved to carry her away.
+
+When the ravishers were re-embarked, the strong sea-air and the motion
+of the boat revived the young girl; she awoke, and was horrified to find
+herself surrounded by strangers. The one who seemed the chief spoke to
+her in Chinese language in order to reassure her:
+
+"Fear nothing. No harm will come to you. On the contrary, the highest
+destiny awaits you; my Lord The Emperor designs you to the honour of
+his couch."
+
+Seeing that no one troubled her, Peaceful-light was reassured; she
+resolved to wait, confident in her destiny, and knowing that she had
+still, ready in her sleeve, in case of necessity, a narcotic dose strong
+enough to kill her.
+
+As soon as she landed, she was taken in great haste to the Palace. The
+Emperor, greatly satisfied with her beauty, conferred on her at once the
+rank of first favourite.
+
+But all the luxury and love which surrounded her could not make her
+forget her family and her country; she resolved to run away.
+
+In order to manage it, she complained to her master how sad it was for
+her never to be able to speak her own language with companions from her
+country. The Emperor, happy to be able to please her, gave orders to fit
+out a sea-junk, in order to go to the Chinese coast.
+
+The day when all was ready the young girl found means of pouring into
+her master's drink a dose of her narcotic. Then, when he was asleep, she
+took his private seal and, going out of the room, she called the
+intendant of the Palace and said to him:
+
+"The Emperor has ordered me to go to China to fetch a magician, a member
+of my family, who has great power on water and wind. Here is the seal,
+proof of my mission. The ship must be almost ready."
+
+The intendant knew that a junk had been specially prepared to go to
+China; he saw the seal; what suspicion could he have? He had a palanquin
+brought as quickly as possible; two hours after, the wood of the junk
+groaned under the blows of the unfurling waves.
+
+Arriving in sight of the coast, on the pretext of not frightening the
+population, the young girl begged the officer who accompanied her to
+send a messenger to the prefect of the town, bearing a letter that she
+had prepared. The officer, without distrust, sent one of his men.
+
+The letter of Peaceful-light showed a whole scheme to which the prefect
+could but give his consent. The messenger returned, bringing to the
+officer and to the men an invitation to take part in the feast that was
+being prepared for them, their intentions not being bad.
+
+Peaceful-light retired into her family, who welcomed her with a thousand
+demonstrations of joy.
+
+In the wine that was freely poured out for the strangers they had
+dissolved the flowers of Nao-yang. The effects were not long in being
+felt; a torpor that they attributed to the table excesses seized them
+one after another. They were soon all sleeping deeply. Men arrived with
+swords, glided near them, and, a signal being given, cut off their
+heads.
+
+While these events were passing in China, others still more serious were
+happening in Japan. Soon after the departure of Peaceful-light, the
+Emperor's brother penetrated into the room where the sovereign was left
+sleeping. This brother was ambitious; he profited by the occasion,
+killed the unhappy Mikado, took possession of the seals of the State,
+and, calling his partisans in haste, proclaimed himself Chief of the
+State. Only a part of the princes followed him; the others, filled with
+indignation by the crime that had been accomplished, united their troops
+to crush the usurper; civil war tore the whole of Japan to pieces.
+
+As to Peaceful-light, by order of the authorities she received public
+congratulations and gifts of land which allowed her to marry and be
+happy, as she merited.
+
+
+
+
+_HONG THE CURRIER_
+
+
+"In the time when the Justice of Heaven was actively employed with the
+affairs of the earth, one of my ancestors had an adventure to which we
+owe our present fortune, and of which few men of to-day have seen the
+equal."
+
+Thus began my friend Hong; reclining on the red cushions of the big
+couch, he fanned himself gracefully with an ivory fan painted all over.
+
+"Our family, as you know, originally came from the town of
+The-Black-chain in the province of The-Foaming-rivers. Our ancestor Hong
+The-just was a currier by trade; he cut and scraped the skins that were
+entrusted to him. His family was composed only of his wife, who helped
+him as well as she could.
+
+"Notwithstanding this persistent labour, they were very poor; no
+furniture ornamented the three rooms in the small house that they hired
+in the Street-of-the-golden-flowers.
+
+"When the last days of the twelfth moon in that year arrived, they found
+they were owing six strings of copper cash to ten different creditors.
+With all they possessed, there only remained 400 cash. What were they to
+do? They reflected for a long time. Hong The-just at last said to his
+wife:
+
+"'Take these 400 cash; you will be able to buy rice to live on. As to
+me, as I cannot pay my debts before the first day of the first moon, I
+am going to leave the town and hide myself in the mountain. My
+creditors, not seeing me, will believe you when you tell them that I
+have been to find money in the neighbouring town. Once the first day of
+the first moon passed, as law ordains to wait till the following term,
+I shall then come back, and we shall continue to live as well as we
+can.'
+
+"It was indeed the wisest thing to do. His wife made him a parcel of a
+blanket and a few dry biscuits. She wept at seeing him go away quite
+bent, walking with difficulty on the slippery flagstones of the street.
+
+"The snow was falling in thick flakes and already covered the grey tiled
+roofs, when Hong The-just left the city gate and directed his steps to a
+cave that he knew of in a lonely valley.
+
+"He arrived at last, and, throwing his heavy load on the ground, he
+glanced around him in order to choose the place where he would sleep.
+
+"An exclamation of stupor escaped from him when he saw, seated
+motionless on a stone, a man clothed in a long sable cloak, with a cap
+of the same fur, looking at him in a mournful, indifferent way.
+
+"'How strange!' at last said Hong, laughing. 'Dare I ask your noble
+name and the reason that brings you to this remote refuge? How is it
+that you are not with your friends, drinking hot wine and rejoicing in
+the midst of the luxuriance of the tables covered with various eatables
+and brilliant lights?'
+
+"'My name is Yang Glow-of-dawn. And you, what is your precious name?'
+replied mechanically the first occupant.
+
+"'I am called Hong The-just, and I am here to escape from my creditors.'
+
+"'You, also?' sneered Glow-of-dawn. 'The strokes of Fate do not vary
+much. As for me, I deal in European goods; my correspondents have not
+settled my accounts and I am in want of nearly a hundred thousand ounces
+of silver to close the year. None of my friends could advance me the
+sum, and here I am, obliged to fly away from my creditors.'
+
+"'A hundred thousand ounces!' cried The-just. 'With a sum like that I
+should pass the rest of my days in plenty. Anyhow, struck by the same
+misfortune, we are thus united; let us try to pass cheerfully the last
+day of the year, and attempt to imagine that these humble cakes are
+refined food.'
+
+"When they were eating their pastry and drinking water from the near
+torrent, Glow-of-dawn suddenly said:
+
+"'But you, how much do you owe? I have here a few ounces of silver;
+maybe you could balance your accounts with them.'
+
+"'My debts do not exceed six strings of copper cash. But how could I
+dare accept your offer?'
+
+"'Not at all! take these ten ounces; you will pay your debts and bring
+me here food and wine; that will help me to wait till the end of the
+festivals.'
+
+"The-just, reiterating his thanks, took the ingots that were offered him
+and went down as quickly as possible towards the town.
+
+"His wife, on seeing him and hearing his story, could not restrain her
+joy. She hurried to go and buy provisions of all kinds. Her husband
+tried to light the stove, but they had not lit a fire for a long time;
+he found the chimney filled with soot and dust.
+
+"Hong tried to sweep it with a big broom, but the masonry gave way,
+filling the room with the bricks and rubbish.
+
+"'How very annoying!' grumbled the currier. 'Now the stove is destroyed
+let us take away what remains, and we will make the fire beneath the
+opening in the roof!'
+
+"When his wife returned, he was still working. She put down her basket
+and helped to raise a huge stone that formed the bottom of the hearth.
+What was their astonishment in seeing a chest, half-broken, from which
+big ingots of gold were falling!
+
+"'What are we to do with this?' said his wife. 'If we sell this gold,
+everybody will think that we have stolen it, and we shall be put in
+prison.'
+
+"'We have only one thing to do,' replied Hong. 'Let us entrust our
+fortune to my companion in the cave; he is a good man. We shall save
+him, and he will make our money prosper; I will hurry and tell him.'
+
+"When Hong arrived, it was nearly nightfall; Yang was standing under
+flakes of snow at the entrance of the grotto; he received him with
+reproaches:
+
+"'You have come so late that my eyes are sore in looking out for you in
+vain!'
+
+"'Do not abuse me, Old Uncle; drink this wine and eat these cakes that
+are still warm, and I will tell you what delayed me.'
+
+"And while Glow-of-dawn ate and drank, the other told him of his
+adventure and of his intentions about the treasure.
+
+"Surprised and touched, the merchant did not know how to express his
+wonder and gratitude. They talked over the best way of proceeding to
+bring the gold and settle the business.
+
+"Then, by the glimmer of a bad lantern, they returned to the town and
+entered the merchant's house. There the currier washed himself, did his
+hair, and clothed himself in rich garments. A sedan-chair was waiting
+for him, followed by sturdy servants; he went away....
+
+"The next day Glow-of-dawn's creditors presented themselves at the house
+of their debtor. He was standing at the entrance, and bowed in wishing
+them a thousand times happiness. They entered; tea was brought in by
+busy servants. They at last discussed the settlement of their yearly
+accounts. The master of the house found out that he owed 180,000 ounces
+of silver.
+
+"'We have been informed that larger sums of silver are due to you, but
+you know the custom; you must settle everything to-day. In order to save
+you, we are content to make an estimate of your wealth, your goods and
+lands.'
+
+"'Do not give yourselves such a trouble,' replied the merchant, laughing
+and waving his hand. 'I thought you would be relentless, so I have been
+to speak to my elder brother, who has an immense fortune; he has put at
+my disposal several hundred thousand ounces. But here! I hear the cry of
+the bearers; it must be him with the chests of white metal.'
+
+"The major domo came hurrying in, carrying high in the air the huge red
+card with the names and surnames written in black.
+
+"'The venerable Old Great Uncle The-just has arrived!'
+
+"'Allow me?' said Yang, getting up, and going towards the door, of which
+both sides were open. Hong entered. They made each other a thousand
+affectionate greetings, as all brothers do who are animated with right
+feelings.
+
+"'Dear elder brother! here are the gentlemen who have come for the
+settlement of my accounts about which I spoke to you.'
+
+"'Gentlemen!' and the currier bowed, not without a certain grace that
+his new fortune had already given him. 'Well! how much is the total
+amount? I have brought you ten thousand ounces of gold, which is nearly
+350,000 ounces of silver. Will you have enough?'
+
+"While he was speaking, bearers were trooping in, and laid down on the
+ground heavy chests, the lids of which being raised, one could see the
+bars of precious metal.
+
+"The merchants, thunderstruck by all these riches and generosity,
+remained silent for a moment; then they bowed low and bade the currier
+sit in the place of honour.
+
+"Many delicate and exquisite dishes were brought in of which The-just
+did not even know the names; sweet wines were handed round in small
+transparent china cups.
+
+"At last the secretaries counted the ingots, and they all returned home
+paid. When every one had retired, Glow-of-dawn knelt before the currier
+and, striking the earth with his forehead, he said:
+
+"'Now you are my elder brother. You have rescued me, and I henceforth
+wish you to live here. My house, my properties, everything I possess
+belongs to you. Your wife is my sister-in-law.'
+
+"The currier hurried to raise him up and, much moved, said:
+
+"'I do not forget that it is you who saved me when you were still in
+misfortune. Your good genius has rewarded you. I am only the instrument
+of Fate.'"
+
+
+
+
+_AUTUMN-MOON_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou a young man lived called
+Lake-of-the-Immortals; he was wise and generous. His business consisted
+in going to fetch goods from neighbouring towns, which he afterwards
+brought back to his native city. He was thus obliged to be absent for
+lengthy periods, during which he left his house to the care of an elder
+brother, a celebrated scholar, who was married, and whom he tenderly
+loved.
+
+Once he had been by the Grand Canal as far as Chen-kiang; the goods he
+was going to take not being ready, he waited, and to while away the time
+he visited the Golden Island, whose temples with yellow-tiled roofs show
+in the verdure above the yellow water of the river, nearly opposite to
+the town; he passed the night there, as visitors did usually.
+
+When he had just fallen asleep, he saw in a dream a young girl, fourteen
+or fifteen years old, her visage regular and pure.
+
+On the second night he had the same dream. Surprised, he awoke; it was
+no dream; the young girl was there, near to him. At a glance he saw she
+was no human being; he hastened to get up and, saluting, to ask her the
+ordinary questions.
+
+"My name is Autumn-moon," she replied. "My father was a celebrated
+magician. When I died, he worked out my future destiny and wrote it down
+with powerful incantations; this charm has been put into my coffin, so
+that the inferior authorities should not make any mistake. It was
+written that, thirty years after my death, I should be called again to
+life and marry Lake-of-the-Immortals. There you are, and I have come to
+know my husband."
+
+As she said the last words she slowly vanished in the night. The next
+day, as the young man, disturbed and preoccupied by this strange
+adventure, was sitting in his room, thinking of her, she appeared
+suddenly before his eyes and said:
+
+"Come quickly! something important for you is going to happen at the
+prefect's palace. We have not a minute to lose."
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals questioned her, but she would not answer. Then
+they both crossed the river and walked as fast as they could up to the
+yamen.
+
+As they arrived at the gate, four soldiers, dragging a prisoner, were on
+the point of entering. Lake-of-the-Immortals recognised his elder
+brother in the person of the prisoner; he drew near, threw himself on
+his neck, and pressed him to his heart.
+
+"How is it that you are here? why this arrest? And you, soldiers, where
+do you take him?"
+
+"We have orders: what means this interference?" And they pushed the
+young man aside. Lake-of-the-Immortals was of a violent temper and had a
+strong affection for his brother; he could not let him go, and answered
+to the brutality of the soldiers by such a tempest of thumping and
+kicking that these honest but prudent soldiers asked no more and fled.
+
+"What have you done?" said Autumn-moon. "Hitting soldiers is serious; we
+must fly."
+
+And all three, running, arrived at the beach, jumped into a small boat,
+and rowed with all their strength.
+
+When day appeared, they were safely lodged in a small inn, several lis
+from Chen-kiang. Lake-of-the-Immortals, exhausted, went to sleep
+immediately. When he awoke, his two companions had disappeared. He asked
+the innkeeper; nobody had seen them go out.
+
+Distressed and sad, the young man did not dare to show himself outside.
+He remained solitary in his room. When twilight came, his door opened
+and a woman entered:
+
+"I bring you a message from Autumn-moon; she has been arrested. If you
+wish to see her, you must follow me; I will show you the way."
+
+"And my brother? do you know anything?"
+
+"Your brother is safe in Sou-tcheou now. But come and follow me."
+
+They started and soon arrived before a wall, which they got over by
+helping one another. Through a window giving on the yard they fell in,
+the lover perceived Autumn-moon on a bed. Two soldiers were trying to
+tease her, saying:
+
+"What is the use of resisting us, as you will be executed to-morrow
+morning?"
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals did not hear any more; he rushed into the room,
+threw himself on the soldiers, tore a sword from them, and laid them on
+the ground. Before the wretched men had time to make a gesture of
+defence, he carried away the girl and flew.
+
+At this moment he started violently, and found himself in his same room
+in the Golden Island. A servant entered, bringing the breakfast he had
+ordered when arriving for the first time, the night before, on the
+island.
+
+As he was asking himself the meaning of such a vivid dream, he heard a
+noise in the courtyard. Going out, he saw several men surrounding the
+body of a girl stretched before his door.
+
+"Where does she come from?" asked some one.
+
+"We have never seen her!" said another.
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals came nearer; it was the body, seemingly senseless,
+of Autumn-moon. He had her brought immediately into his room. A doctor
+who had been called declared she was still alive, but needed very
+careful nursing.
+
+When she awoke at last she smiled feebly to the young man.
+
+"No, it is no dream," she replied to his questions. "Your brother was
+called before the King of Hells; you saved him. You have saved me also
+from eternal disappearance, and I am called again to life; the
+prediction of my father was true."
+
+A fortnight later she was able to get up; they started together and
+arrived safely at Sou-tcheou. When they got to his brother's house, his
+sister-in-law told them there had been illness in the house; her husband
+had been in grave danger of death; he was quite well now.
+
+When they were all together, Lake-of-the-Immortals told what he had seen
+and done. They all listened to him in silence. The family henceforth
+lived united and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE PRINCESS NELUMBO_
+
+
+Gleam-of-day was sleeping; his round face and high forehead denoted the
+scholar's right intelligence.
+
+All of a sudden he saw a man standing before his bed who appeared to be
+waiting.
+
+"What is it?" inquired the sleeper, getting up.
+
+"The prince is asking for you."
+
+"Which prince?"
+
+"The prince of the neighbouring territory."
+
+Gleam-of-day, grumbling, got up, put on his court dress and followed his
+guide. Palanquins were waiting; they started rapidly, and their retinue
+was soon passing in the midst of innumerable pavilions and towers with
+pointed roofs.
+
+They at last stopped in the courtyard of the palace; young girls with
+bright clothing were seen, and looked inquiringly at the new-comer, who
+was announced with great pomp.
+
+At last Gleam-of-day reached the audience hall. The prince was seated on
+the throne; he descended the steps and welcomed his guest according to
+the rites.
+
+"You perfume this neighbourhood," he said. "Your reputation has come to
+me, and I wished to know you."
+
+The servants brought wine; they began to converse nobly and brilliantly.
+At last the prince asked:
+
+"Among the flowers, tell me which one you prefer."
+
+"The nelumbo," he replied, without hesitating.
+
+"The nelumbo? it is precisely my daughter's surname. What a curious
+coincidence! The princess must absolutely know you."
+
+And he made a sign to one of the attendants, who at once went out. A few
+minutes after, the princess appeared. She was between sixteen and
+seventeen years old. Nothing could equal her admirable beauty.
+
+Her father ordered her to bow to the scholar and said:
+
+"Here is my daughter Nelumbo."
+
+Gleam-of-day, looking at her, felt troubled to the depth of his soul.
+The prince spoke to him; he hardly heard, and replied awkwardly. When
+the princess had retired, the conversation languished; the prince at
+last rose and put an end to the interview.
+
+During all the way back the young man was ashamed at the same time with
+his emotion before the girl, as well as his rudeness towards the prince.
+He was so much troubled that he ordered his retinue to go back to the
+palace.
+
+When he entered the audience hall, he threw himself to the ground before
+the prince and begged to be excused for his rudeness.
+
+"You need not excuse yourself; the sentiment that I read in your eyes is
+powerful and the thought of it is not unpleasant to me."
+
+While Gleam-of-day, happy with this encouragement, was still excusing
+himself, twenty young girls came running:
+
+"A monster has entered the palace; it is a python ten thousand feet
+long. It has already devoured thirteen hundred persons; its head is like
+a mountain peak."
+
+Every one got up; the frightened guard and the courtiers ran hither and
+thither, looking where they could hide themselves. The princess and her
+maids-in-waiting were crying for help.
+
+Gleam-of-day at last said to the prince:
+
+"I have only three miserable rooms in a cottage, but you will be safe in
+them. Will you fly there with your daughter?"
+
+"Let us go as quickly as possible," replied the prince, seizing the
+princess by the wrist.
+
+They all three ran across the deserted streets. When they arrived,
+Nelumbo threw herself on the bed, without being able to stop weeping.
+
+Gleam-of-day was so moved that he suddenly awoke: everything was a
+dream.
+
+Just then he heard a scream in the next room, where his father slept;
+there was a struggle, blows, and at last a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+The door opened, and the old man was seen pushing an enormous serpent at
+the end of a stick. When Gleam-of-day turned back to his bed, he found
+it covered with bees; on the pillow the queen had alighted.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TWO BROTHERS_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou there lived two brothers. The elder, surnamed
+Merchant, was very rich; the younger, named Deceived-hope, very poor.
+They lived side by side, and their houses, the paternal inheritance,
+were only separated by a low wall. They were both married.
+
+This year, the harvest having been bad, Deceived-hope could not afford
+the necessary rice for his family to live upon. His wife said to him:
+
+"Let us send our son to your brother: he will be touched and will give
+us something, without any doubt."
+
+Deceived-hope hesitated, but at last decided to take this step which
+hurt his pride. When the child returned from his uncle's, his hands
+were empty. They questioned him:
+
+"I told my uncle that you were without rice; he hesitated and looked at
+my aunt. She then said to me: 'The two brothers live separately; their
+food also is separate.'"
+
+Deceived-hope and his wife did not say a word; they fetched the bale of
+rice that was still in their corn-loft and lived thus.
+
+Now, in the town, two or three vagabonds who knew the riches of Merchant
+broke open his door one night, and tied him up as well as his wife. As
+he would not show his treasure, they began burning his hands and feet.
+Merchant and his wife screamed for help. Deceived-hope heard them and
+got up in order to run to their house, but his wife held him back, and,
+approaching the wall which separated them, cried:
+
+"The two brothers live separately; their food also is separate."
+
+However, as their cries increased, Deceived-hope could not contain
+himself, and, seizing a weapon, leapt over the wall, fell on the
+thieves, and dispersed them. Then, when his brother and his
+sister-in-law were delivered and quieted, he returned home, saying to
+his wife:
+
+"They are certain to give us a present."
+
+But, the next day and the days following, they waited in vain!
+Deceived-hope could not resist the temptation to relate everything to
+his friends. The same thieves heard of it and, thinking that he would
+not interfere any more, broke open the door of Merchant the same evening
+and began again to torture him as well as his wife.
+
+Deceived-hope, indeed, did not wish to interfere. However, his heart and
+his liver were upset by the painful cries of his brother. He could not
+forbear running to his help.
+
+The brigands, disconcerted, flew again, but this time Merchant and his
+wife were severely burnt; they lost the use of their hands and feet.
+
+The next day Merchant said to his wife:
+
+"My brother has saved our lives; without him we should be ruined; I am
+going to give him a part of what we have."
+
+"Do nothing of the kind," replied his wife; "if he had come sooner, he
+would have saved our hands and feet; now, thanks to him, we are infirm."
+
+And they did nothing. Deceived-hope, however, wanting money, made an act
+of sale of his house and sent it to his brother, hoping that he would be
+touched by his misery and would send back the deed with a present.
+
+In fact Merchant was going to send him some silver ingots, but his wife
+stopped him:
+
+"Let us take his house; we shall be able to make ours bigger, and it
+will be much more convenient."
+
+Merchant hesitated a little, but he ended by accepting the act, and sent
+the price agreed on. Deceived-hope went and settled in another part of
+the town; with his small capital, he opened a vegetable-shop, which soon
+prospered.
+
+The brigands, having heard that Merchant was now living alone, broke
+open his door very quietly, tortured him, and then killed him, taking
+away all he had. In leaving the place, they cried all over the town:
+
+"Merchant's corn-loft is open! Let all the poor go and take the rice!"
+
+They thus went, one by one, silently, all the poor of the neighbourhood,
+taking away as much of the heaped-up rice as they could. Soon there was
+nothing left.
+
+Deceived-hope being informed, wished to revenge his brother; he pursued
+the brigands and killed two of them.
+
+From this time it was he who every day attended to the needs of his
+sister-in-law, now in misery. Some months afterwards, exhausted, she
+died.
+
+Deceived-hope came back and was soon settled in the patrimony that he
+had recovered. One night he was soundly sleeping, when he saw his
+brother.
+
+"You have saved us twice, and we have been ungrateful. I should not be
+dead if I had not acted badly with you. I wish to make amends. Under the
+stone of the hearth you will find five hundred ounces of gold that I had
+hidden, and of the existence of which my wife was ignorant."
+
+Deceived-hope started from his sleep; he told his dream to his wife. She
+at once got up, drew out the stone of the hearth, and found the mass of
+gold. Henceforth, happy and rich, they lived long and were charitable
+and friendly with every one.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MARBLE ARCH_
+
+
+When the troubles began to break out in Hankow, many families were
+alarmed. Those who were not ignorant of the powerful organisation of the
+revolutionists left the town as soon as possible, anticipating that it
+would soon be plundered and burnt.
+
+The retired prefect, Kiun, was amongst the first to embark in order to
+go down the river. His house was situated at several lis from the river,
+on the confines of the suburbs, outside the fortified enclosure. He had
+only been married a short time, and was living with his father and
+mother.
+
+When the baggage at last was ready, the bearers fixed it in the middle
+of their long bamboos and set off two by two, grumbling under the heavy
+load. The two old people followed; Kiun and his young wife, the charming
+Seaweed, helped them as well as they could.
+
+In order to avoid crossing the centre of the town, they followed the
+crenellated wall by an almost deserted road. A young man and woman alone
+were sauntering in the same direction, carrying parcels on their
+shoulders.
+
+"Where are you going to?" they asked, as it is the custom to do between
+travellers.
+
+"As far as the river," replied Kiun. "And you?"
+
+"We also," said the young man. "What is your precious name?"
+
+"My contemptible name is Kiun. But you, deign to inform me about your
+family?"
+
+"My name is Wang The-king. We are flying from the insurrection."
+
+They thus talked while walking in company.
+
+Seaweed took the advantage of a moment when the new-comers were a little
+in front to bend towards her husband.
+
+"Do not let us get in the same junk with these strangers. The man has
+looked at me several times in a rude way; his eyes are unsteady and
+fickle; I am afraid of him."
+
+Kiun made a sign of assent. But when they had arrived on the quay, Wang
+The-king gave himself so much trouble to find a junk and help to embark
+the luggage that the prefect, bound by the rites, could not avoid asking
+him to get on board the boat with him.
+
+They unmoored; Wang The-king established himself on the prow with his
+wife, near the mariners; he spoke a long time with them while they were
+passing the last houses of the large city.
+
+When night fell, they were in a part of the river where it got broader
+to such an extent that you could no longer distinguish the banks. The
+wind was blowing rather violently and the unfurling waves projected
+heavy showers on the mats which covered the quarter-deck.
+
+Kiun, uneasy, went to the prow of the boat in order to question the
+master. The bright moon was rising, lighting the dark line of the bank.
+They approached in order to throw the anchor.
+
+Wang The-king was on the narrow bridge; when Kiun came to his side, he
+coolly pushed the poor prefect overboard. Kiun's father was two paces
+behind; Wang ran to him and threw him also into the tumultuous waters of
+the rapid current. Kiun's mother, hearing a cry and a struggle, went to
+see what was happening, and she also was precipitated into the foaming
+river.
+
+Seaweed, from the cabin, had seen all; but she took good care not to go
+outside; she moaned:
+
+"Alas! my father-in-law and my mother-in-law are dead! My husband has
+been killed! I am going to die, too!"
+
+While she was crying, Wang The-king entered the cabin.
+
+"Fear nothing," said he; "forget those people who are no more and won't
+come back. I am going to take you home to the city of The-Golden-tombs.
+There I have fields and houses belonging to me; I will give them to
+you."
+
+The young woman kept back her sobs and said nothing; she thought it wise
+not to provoke the murderer.
+
+Wang The-king, very satisfied with his prospects, went back to the
+mariners, gave them the greater part of what his victims had brought in
+silver and luggage; then he quietly took his dinner and retired to his
+cabin with his wife. The woman had a strange look, but she did not say
+anything, and they went to sleep.
+
+Towards the hour of the Rat, the woman began to groan; then she started
+out of her sleep and cried to her husband:
+
+"Kill me, repudiate me! I can no longer stay with you! Thunder and
+lightning will strike you! I have dreamt it; I will no longer be the
+wife of a murderer and a thief!"
+
+Wang, furious, struck her. But as she continued, he took her in his arms
+and threw her into the river.
+
+On the second day the boat arrived at The-Golden-tombs. Wang took
+Seaweed to his family. When his old mother asked what he had done with
+his first wife, he replied:
+
+"She fell in the river, and I will marry this one."
+
+They were soon settled in the house. Wang wished to take liberties with
+Seaweed, who gently drove him back.
+
+"We must not neglect the rites. Do not let us forget to empty first the
+marriage cup."
+
+Wang joyously accepted; and soon, seated opposite each other, they began
+exchanging cups of wine in the ritual way.
+
+Seaweed, however, pretended to drink, and tried to make her lover tipsy;
+she contrived this little by little.
+
+Wang, rendered sleepy by the wine, undressed himself, got on the bed,
+and ordered the young woman to put out the lamps and come to him.
+
+She carefully blew the lamps and said:
+
+"I will come in a minute!"
+
+Then she quickly went to her luggage, took out a sword she had hidden
+there, and came back. Feeling with her hands in the darkness, she found
+the throat of the man and struck him as hard as she could: the man
+screamed and tried to get up; she struck again and again: there was a
+moaning, a gurgle, and then silence.
+
+However, Wang's mother, having heard some noise, came with a lantern.
+Seaweed killed her before the old woman could even say a word.
+
+Then the young woman, having avenged her family, tried to cut her own
+throat, in order to join her husband. The sword was blunt and she was
+only able to scratch herself. She then remembered that, outside the
+house, there was a fairly big pond; she ran out and threw herself into
+the water.
+
+Some neighbours saw her and ran to her help; other people came; lanterns
+were brought forth; the poor girl at last was taken out of the pond, and
+brought back to her house. But, when the new-comers entered the room,
+they saw the bodies and the blood.
+
+"Murder! Murder!" cried they.
+
+And they immediately sent a boy to call the police. The constables came
+and looked all over the room; they soon found in Seaweed's luggage a
+note prepared by the unfortunate woman and stating the truth about her
+family's death. The assistants were loud in their praise of her act:
+
+"She avenged her husband; she has been witty enough to beguile the
+murderer; and now she has killed herself! Such an act of courage and
+virtue has not been heard of for centuries. We must ask the authorities
+to build her a marble arch to commemorate her history, and be an example
+to future generations."
+
+While all this was going on, they tried to revive the woman; everything
+was done, but in vain. A coffin was then brought in, and the girl
+transferred to it, covered with her best garments and jewels. The lid
+was screwed on, and everybody left the house.
+
+We must now come back to the evening when Wang pushed into the water
+Seaweed's husband. Kiun was a strong man and a very good swimmer;
+surprised by this sudden attack, all he could do at first was to keep
+his head out of the tumultuous water. He then thought to go back to the
+boat, but, on the foaming expanse nothing was to be seen; the rapid
+current had driven him too far. At last the water brought him to a
+curving beach, where he was able to land.
+
+Walking disconsolately on the sand, he saw a human body rolled by the
+surge; he approached, and recognised his father; farther on he saw his
+mother; both he dragged out of the water. Most uneasy about his wife, he
+walked on the river's edge, straining his eyes; the moon was shining; he
+saw at last a human being holding a big piece of wood. He swam to her,
+pushed her to the beach, and took her he thought was his wife to the dry
+sand. He undid the upper garment in order to rub her members; when he
+saw she was not so cold, he wiped her hair out of her face. His stupor
+was immense in recognising Wang's wife.
+
+The sun rose at last and warmed them. The young woman sighed, opened
+her eyes, and, completely herself again, told Kiun what she had seen:
+
+"My husband is a murderer. In a dream I saw the King-of-Shadows himself
+sitting behind his tribunal and writing his name on the death-list.
+Besides, he is in love with your wife. If you wish it, we will go
+together straight to The Golden-tombs and do what we can to avenge
+ourselves."
+
+Kiun, seeing a man coming to work in a field not far from there, went to
+him and told him in a few words what had happened; the man led them to
+his landlord, a rich man, who gave them food and warm dresses, sent men
+to bring the drowned bodies to a side house and have them properly
+buried. Then he advanced a certain sum of money to Kiun, who agreed to
+send it back when he should get to a place where he could find a
+correspondent of his bankers.
+
+Then Kiun and his companion engaged a small boat and went down the
+river. When they got to The Golden-tombs, they questioned the people in
+the street about Wang. A month had elapsed since the events we have told
+of; the first man they questioned looked at them in wonder:
+
+"How is it you don't know what happened? Wang is dead; he has been
+killed by a virtuous woman whose family he had murdered and who killed
+herself afterwards. You have only to go on; in the first street to your
+right you will see a new marble arch which has just been erected to
+commemorate virtuous Seaweed's courageous death."
+
+Kiun thought his heart would burst; he dragged his companion to the
+marble arch and read the inscription. Then he bought a bundle of those
+imitations of gold and silver ingots made with paper which people burn
+on the tombs in order to send some money to the dead; he went to the
+tomb in the place indicated by the inscription.
+
+There he reverently knelt, and, after having knocked the ground with his
+forehead, he burnt the paper-ingots, rose, and went away with Wang's
+wife.
+
+When they were back in their boat, they discussed their plans and
+resolved to go down the river to Shanghai.
+
+They were leaving the harbour, when a small boat crossed their way; two
+women sat on the bench. One of them reminded Kiun strangely of his late
+wife. The woman had looked up at him and seemed surprised. The retired
+prefect, moved by a mysterious strength, pronounced aloud a sentence
+which used to make his wife laugh when they were together happy in
+Hankow:
+
+"I see wild geese flying high in the sky."
+
+Seaweed, when she was alive, used to answer by a phrase which had
+nothing to do with the first sentence, and had made them laugh very
+often by its stupidity. The woman in the boat said it too:
+
+"The dog wants the cat's biscuit; you quickly shut it in the house."
+
+Kiun, wondering whether it was Seaweed's ghost, asked the mariners to go
+alongside the other boat; he jumped in it; the woman threw her arms
+round his neck, and they wept together.
+
+"Are you alive? or is it only your ghost I hold in my arms?" asked he.
+
+"I am alive!"
+
+Then she told him her adventures; when she was put into the coffin, she
+had some jewels on. One of the assistants resolved to steal them; he
+waited till everybody was gone and the house empty; then he deliberately
+unscrewed the coffin's lid and rifled what he could. He was trying to
+take a ring off her hand, when the supposed corpse rose and screamed.
+
+The poor man thought his last hour had come and did not move. Seaweed,
+seeing her jewels in his hands, and seeing the coffin she was in,
+grasped the situation at a glance.
+
+"You want my jewels! Have them if you like; you saved my life, and
+without you I would have been stifled in this gruesome box."
+
+The man at first dared not accept; then he said:
+
+"In exchange for your kindness, I will tell you something. In the third
+house in the first street lives a rich widow; she is alone and would
+like to adopt a girl; go to her and tell her everything. She will be
+happy to give you a home."
+
+Then he helped her to get out of the coffin, screwed the lid again, and
+disappeared. Seaweed went straight to the house. The widow received her
+with the greatest kindness, and asked of her to let everybody believe
+she was dead; if not, there would have been a lawsuit.
+
+Both women, now united by the closest affection, had been out on the
+river for pleasure's sake when they saw Kiun's bark. The widow, when the
+explanations were finished, opened her arms to Kiun; she called him her
+son-in-law. Seaweed asked Wang's wife to be the second wife of her
+husband. And they all lived long and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DUTIFUL SON_
+
+
+At the foot of the Oriental-Perfume-Mountain, in one of the most
+beautiful places of this celebrated district, the passers-by could see a
+small lodge. Chou The-favourable lived there with his mother. He was
+still young, being only thirty years old, and earned his living in the
+way so highly praised by the ancient Classics; he cultivated a small
+field by his house, and every week went to the next market to exchange
+what he had for what he wanted.
+
+Both were very happy, when a calamity befell them; the old mother one
+morning felt a pain in her right leg. Two or three days afterwards she
+had there an ulcer that no remedies could cure; everything was tried and
+everything failed. Day and night she was moaning, turning over in her
+hard wooden bed.
+
+The-favourable forgot to drink and eat, in his anxiety to give his
+mother the medicines the doctor advised.
+
+Several months wore on; the ulcer did not heal. The despair of the son
+was greater every day; at last, overcome by his fatigue, he fell asleep
+and dreamt that he saw his father. The old man told him:
+
+"You have been a dutiful son. But I must tell you that your mother will
+not recover if you can't apply to her ulcer a piece of man's fat."
+
+Then everything was dissolved like a smoke in the wind.
+
+The-favourable awoke and, thinking over his dream, he found it very
+strange.
+
+"What can I do?" thought he. "Man's fat is not easily found in the
+market. My father would not have appeared to me if this extraordinary
+medicine was not really the only thing that will cure my mother. Well,
+I will take a piece of fat of my own body; I have nothing else to do."
+
+Then, rising from his bed, he took a sharp knife, and, pulling the skin
+of his side, he cut a large piece off. His pain was not so great as he
+had expected it to be, and, what seemed more extraordinary to him, no
+blood flowed from the wound.
+
+He could not see that, from the heaven above, a messenger had come on a
+cloud, was recording this noble feat on his life's register, and helped
+him by averting all ordinary sufferance.
+
+The-favourable hastened to put the piece of flesh on his mother's ulcer;
+the pain disappeared immediately, and a few days after the old woman
+could walk as she used to do; on her leg there remained only a red scar.
+
+When she asked what medicine had been employed, The-favourable eluded
+the answer. But somehow the truth was known in the neighbourhood; the
+prefect sent a report to the Throne and came himself with a decree of
+the Emperor, giving a title and an allowance to the dutiful son.
+
+
+
+
+_THROUGH MANY LIVES_
+
+
+Some people remember every incident of their former existences; it is a
+fact which many examples can prove. Other people do not forget what they
+learned before they died and were born again, but remember only
+confusedly what they were in a precedent life.
+
+Wang The-acceptable, of the Yellow-peach-blossom city, when people
+discussed such questions before him, used to narrate the experience he
+had had with his first son.
+
+The boy, at the time he spoke of, was three or four years old. He did
+not say many words, and some people thought he was dumb. One day,
+The-acceptable was writing a letter, when he was disturbed by a friend.
+He put his writing-brush down on the table and left the room. When he
+came back, his letter was finished, and written much more correctly than
+he would have believed himself able to do. Besides, he did not remember
+having finished it. The puzzle did not trouble him very much.
+
+Another day the same thing occurred; he left the room, leaving a letter
+unfinished on the table; when he came back, the letter was nearly ended.
+Nobody but the boy had been in the room. Troubled and suspicious, he
+rose and feigned to go away; but he came back immediately and
+noiselessly. From the door, he saw his boy kneeling on the stool and
+writing the letter.
+
+The little man suddenly saw his father and asked to be forgiven. The
+father of course laughed:
+
+"We all thought you were dumb; if you are such a learned man, the family
+happiness will be great! How could we punish you?"
+
+From that date he had good lessons given to the boy, who very early
+passed successfully his third degree examination and became one of the
+most celebrated "Entered among the learned" of his time.
+
+When his father asked him whether he remembered what he had been before
+being what he now was, the boy said that the first life he could
+remember was that of a young student; he lived in a monastery to save as
+much as he could of his income. When he died, the King-of-the-Darkness
+punished him for his stinginess and condemned him to become a donkey in
+the same monastery he had lived in.
+
+He wanted to die, but did not know what to do; the priests loved him and
+were very careful. One day he was on a mountain road and was tempted to
+throw himself downhill; but he had a man on his back and was afraid of
+the punishment the King-of-the-Darkness would inflict upon him if he
+killed that man. So he went on. Many years passed; he died at last, and
+was born again as a peasant. But, as he had forgotten nothing of his
+former lives, he was able to speak a few days after his birth. His
+father and mother judged the thing highly suspicious and killed him.
+
+After that, he was born in the family of Wang The-acceptable.
+Appreciating the surroundings, and bearing in mind that he had last been
+killed because he spoke too early, he was very careful this time not to
+utter a single word. But when he saw the paper and ink he could not
+resist his love of literature and finished the letter.
+
+
+
+
+_THE RIVER OF SORROWS_
+
+
+Along the path leading to the city of All-virtues, in the obscure night,
+a poor coolie, grumbling under a heavy load of salt, was trudging on as
+fast as he could.
+
+"I shall never get there before the hour of the Rat, and my wife will
+say again; 'Wang The-tenth has drunk too many cups of wine.' She does
+not know the weight of that stuff!"
+
+As he was thus thinking, two men suddenly jumped from either side of the
+road and held him by the arms.
+
+"What do you want?" cried the poor man. "I am only an unhappy carrier,
+and my load is only salt, very common salt."
+
+"We don't want your salt, and you had better throw it down. We are sent
+from the Regions below and we want you to come down with us."
+
+"Am I dead already?" asked The-tenth. "I did not know. I must tell my
+wife. Can't you come again to-morrow night?"
+
+"Impossible to wait. You must come immediately. But I don't think you
+are dead. It is only to work for a few days down below."
+
+"This is rather strange," replied The-tenth. "With all the people who
+have died since the world has been the world you still want living men?
+We don't go and ask you to do our work, do we?"
+
+While thus arguing, he felt himself suffocated by a heavy smell and lost
+consciousness.
+
+When he awoke, he was on the bank of a fairly large river. Hundreds of
+men were standing in the water; some of them carried baskets; others,
+with spades and different utensils, were dragging out what they could
+from the bottom. Soldiers with heavy sticks struck those who stopped
+even for a second.
+
+On the bank several men were standing, and a number of others came from
+time to time. A magistrate was sitting behind a big red table, turning
+over the pages of a book. At last, he called "Wang The-tenth."
+
+"Wang The-tenth!" repeated the soldiers. And they threw the poor man
+down in a kneeling position in front of the magistrate, who looked on
+the book and said:
+
+"You have been an undutiful son; do you remember the day when you told
+your father he was a fool?"
+
+Then speaking to the soldiers, he said:
+
+"To the river!"
+
+The guards pushed the man, gave him a basket, and ordered him to help in
+the cleaning of the river.
+
+The water was red and thick; its stench was abominable; the bodies of
+the workmen were all red, and The-tenth discovered it was blood. He
+looked at the first basket he took to the bank; it was only putrid flesh
+and broken bones.
+
+Thus he worked day by day without stopping. When he was not going fast
+enough, the guards struck him with their sticks, and their sticks were
+bones. In the deep places he had to put his head into the water and felt
+the filthy stuff fill his nostrils and mouth.
+
+Among the workers he recognised many people he used to know. A great
+number died and were carried away by the stream.
+
+At last two guards called his name, helped him to the bank, and suddenly
+he found himself again on the path leading to the city of All-virtues.
+
+Now, on the night when The-tenth was taken away, his wife waited for
+him. Troubled not to see him, she started as soon as the sun beamed, and
+looked for him on the road. She soon found his body lying unconscious.
+Trying in vain to revive him, she thought him dead, and wept bitterly.
+
+Not being strong enough to bring home his body, she came back to town in
+order to ask the help of her family. In the afternoon, clad in the white
+dress of mourning, and accompanied by her four brothers, she started
+again.
+
+What was her astonishment and fear when, approaching the place where she
+had found the body, she saw her husband walking towards her. He was all
+covered with blood, and the stench was so strong that everybody pinched
+his nose.
+
+When he had explained what had happened, they all returned to the
+village. The-tenth knelt reverently before his ancestors' tablet,
+offered butter and rice, and burnt incense.
+
+This very day he asked a Taoist priest what was the river he had worked
+in. The priest explained to him it was called the River-of-sorrows. It
+took its source in the outer world in every tear that was shed. The
+people that killed themselves out of despair were floated down its
+stream to the kingdom of shadows.
+
+Sometimes the sorrows on earth were so great that people killed
+themselves by thousands and did not shed any tears; the blood then was
+too thick to wash away the decayed remains, and the river-bed had to be
+cleaned lest it should overflow and drown the whole world. Living men
+alone were employed in this work, for only living men can cure living
+men's sorrows.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND_
+
+
+In the beautiful Chu-san archipelago there is a small island where the
+flowers never cease blooming, and where the trees grow thick and high.
+From the most remote antiquity nobody has been known to live in the
+shade of this virgin forest; the ferns, the creepers, are so entangled
+that it is impossible for a man to cross this wilderness without
+clearing his way with a hatchet.
+
+A young student named Chang, who lived in the City-over-the-sea, used to
+rest himself from his daily labour by going out to sea in a small junk
+he managed himself.
+
+Having heard of the mysterious island, he resolved to explore it,
+prepared wine and food, and sailed out on a beautiful summer's morning.
+
+Towards midday he neared the place where the island was supposed to be.
+Soon a delicious perfume of flowers was brought to him by the hot
+breeze. He saw the dark green of the trees over the light green of the
+sea, and, when still nearer, the yellow sand of the beach, where he
+resolved to disembark.
+
+The junk touched the shore; he tied it to a large fallen tree whose end
+dipped into the gentle waves, and proceeded at once to a hearty meal.
+
+While he was storing again in the boat what remained of his provisions,
+he was suddenly startled by a subdued laugh. Turning his head, he saw
+among the wild roses of the shore, a young girl covered with a long blue
+dress, who looked at him with dark eyes full of flame.
+
+"Your servant is most happy to see you here. I did not suppose I should
+ever have the pleasure of meeting you."
+
+"Who are you?" asked Chang, forgetting, in his astonishment, the proper
+forms of inquiry.
+
+"I am only a poor singer who has been brought here by
+The-Duke-of-the-sea."
+
+Chang, hearing these words, was afraid in his heart; The-Duke-of-the-sea
+was a renowned pirate who used to plunder every village of the coast,
+and was reputed to be cruel and vindictive. But the girl was so
+attractive that he soon forgot everything in the pleasure of her
+chatter.
+
+Seated at the foot of a big tree, they were laughing, when a noise came
+from the forest.
+
+"It is The-Duke-of-the-sea! It is The-Duke-of-the-sea!" murmured the
+girl. "I must be off at once."
+
+And she disappeared behind the foliage.
+
+While Chang was asking himself what he should do, he suddenly saw a huge
+snake coming straight to him. Its body was as thick as a cask, and so
+long that the end was still hidden in the forest, while the head was
+balancing over the frightened student.
+
+Chang could not say a word and dared not move: the snake entwined
+himself round a tree and round the man, holding fast its prisoner's
+arms. Then, lowering its head, it threw out its tongue, and, pricking
+the student's nose, began to suck the blood which came out and fell on
+the ground.
+
+Chang saw that, if he did not immediately free himself, he would
+certainly die. Feeling cautiously with his hand round his waist, he took
+from his purse a certain poisoned pill that he kept there and intended
+to try on wolves and foxes. With two fingers he took the pill and threw
+it into the red pool at his feet.
+
+The snake, of course, sucked it with the blood; it immediately stopped
+drinking, straightened its body, and rocked its head to and fro,
+knocking the tree-trunks and hissing desperately.
+
+Chang, feeble and hardly able to stand, dragged himself as fast as he
+could out of reach on to the beach and quickly untied his boat.
+Nevertheless, before going out to sea, he fetched a sword and went
+cautiously into the wood again. The snake did not move. Chang flourished
+his sword, and with a mighty stroke cut the head off and ran to his
+boat.
+
+He returned to the City-over-the-sea, went to bed and was ill for a
+month. When he spoke of his experience, he always said that, to his
+mind, it was the beautiful girl he had seen at first who had come again
+in the form of a snake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER_
+
+
+In a small village along the river Tsz lived a fisherman named Siu. He
+started every night with his nets, and took very great care not to
+forget to bring with him a small jar of spirits. Before throwing his
+cast-net, he drank a small cup of the fragrant liquor and poured some
+drops into the slow current, praying aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river, please accept these offerings and favour your
+humble servant. I am poor and I must take some of the fishes that live
+in your cold kingdom. Don't be angry against me and don't prevent the
+eels and trouts coming to me!"
+
+When every fisherman on the river brought back only one basket of
+fishes, he always proudly bore home a heavy charge of two or three
+baskets full to the brim.
+
+Once, on a rosy dawn of early spring, when the sun, still below the
+horizon, began to eat with its golden teeth the vanishing darkness, he
+said aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river! For many years, every night I have drunk with
+you a good number of wine-cups; but I never saw your face; won't you
+favour me with your presence? We could sit together, and the pleasure of
+drinking would be much greater."
+
+Hardly had he finished these words when, from the middle of the stream,
+emerged a beautiful young man clothed in pink, who slowly walked on the
+smooth surface of the limpid water, and sat on the boat's end, saying:
+
+"Here I am."
+
+The fisherman, being half-drunk, was not troubled in any way; he bowed
+to the young man, offered him, with his two hands, a cup of the strong
+wine, and said:
+
+"Well! I long wished to receive your instructions, and I am very glad to
+see you. You must be mighty tired of living in that water; the few drops
+of wine I pour every night are quite lost in such a quantity of
+tasteless liquid. You had better come up every night; we will drink
+together and enjoy each other's company."
+
+From this day, when darkness closed in, the Spirit waited for the
+fisherman and partook of his provisions. As soon as the sun rose above
+the horizon he suddenly disappeared. The fisherman did not find that
+very convenient; he asked his companion if he could not arrange to stay
+with him sometimes in the daytime.
+
+"Impossible; we can't do such a thing, we spirits and ghosts. We belong
+to the kingdom of shadows. When the shadows, fighting the daylight,
+bring with them the Night, we are free to go and wander about. But as
+soon as the herald of the morn, the cock, has proclaimed the daily
+victory of the sun, we are powerless and must disappear."
+
+On the same day the fisherman was sitting on the bank, smoking a pipe
+before going home with his baskets, when he saw a woman holding a child
+in her arms and hastening along the river towards a ford some hundred
+yards up stream. She was already in the water, when she missed her
+footing, fell into the river, and was rolled away by the stream. The
+child, by some happy chance, had fallen on the bank and lay there,
+crying.
+
+The fisherman could easily have gone in his boat and saved the woman,
+who was still struggling to regain the bank, but he was a prudent man:
+
+"This woman, whom I don't know, seems to be beautiful," thought he.
+"Maybe it is my friend The-Spirit-of-the-river who has arranged all
+this, and chosen the girl to be his wife. If I prevent her going down
+to his cold lodgings, he will be angry and ruin my fishing. All I could
+do is to adopt this boy until somebody comes and asks for him."
+
+And he did not move, until the poor woman had disappeared in the yellow
+stream; then he took the child. Once back in the village, he inquired
+about the mother; nobody could tell who she was. The days passed and
+nobody asked for the boy. This was strange enough, but, stranger still,
+from this day the fisherman never saw The-Spirit-of-the-river again. He
+offered him many cups of wine, and his fishing was as good as ever, but
+though he prayed heartily, his companion of so many nights did not
+appear any more.
+
+When the boy was three years old he insisted on accompanying his adopted
+father in his night fishing. Summer had come; the cold was no more to be
+feared. The man consented to take his adopted son with him; they
+started together in the twilight.
+
+As soon as the darkness closed, the boy's voice changed; his appearance
+was different.
+
+"What a silly man you are!" said he. "Don't you know me now? For more
+than two years I waited for an opportunity to tell you who I was. But
+you always went out at night and you never came back before the sun was
+high in the sky. You had never failed to present your offerings; so I
+could not resist your prayer when you asked me to stay with you in the
+daytime. Now, here I am, till your death; when the sun is up I shall
+only be your son, but when the night closes I shall be your companion,
+and we will enjoy together what longevity the Fate allows you."
+
+
+
+
+_THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN_
+
+
+In the twenty-second year of the period Eternal-happiness, the
+population of Chao-cheou's harbour, awaking on a bright summer's
+morning, were extremely surprised and frightened to see, swaying on the
+blue water of the bay, a strange and abnormally huge ship. The three
+high masts were heavily loaded with transversal pieces of wood, from
+some of which sails were still hanging; another mast projected
+horizontally from the prow, and three sails were tightened from this to
+the foremast.
+
+A small boat was lowered from the ship's side and rowed to the quay.
+Several hundreds of people were watching the proceedings, asking one
+another if it was a human invention or a ship coming from the depths of
+hell.
+
+The small boat stopped at a short distance from the bank; one could see
+that, beside the rowers, there were three men seated in the stern; their
+heads were covered with extraordinarily long and fluffy grey hair; they
+wore big hats with feathers of many colours. A Chinaman was in the boat
+and hailed the people:
+
+"Ha! Please tell the local authorities that high mandarins from the
+ocean want to speak to them. We are peaceful. But if you do any harm to
+our men or ships, our wrath will be such that we will destroy in one day
+the whole town and kill everybody within ten miles' distance."
+
+Three or four men belonging to the Yamen had heard these words; they ran
+to the prefect's palace and came back with an answer they delivered to
+the new-comers:
+
+"His Excellency the prefect consents to receive your visit. If you are
+peaceful, no harm will be done to you. But if you steal anything, or
+wound or kill anybody, the laws of our country will be enforced upon you
+without mercy."
+
+Then the boat slowly accosted the quay; two of the men with feathered
+hats disembarked with the Chinaman, while six of the rowers, leaving
+their oars in the boat, shouldered heavy muskets, and cleared the way,
+three walking in front of the feathered hats and three behind. The
+rowers wore small caps and had long blue trousers and very short blue
+coats.
+
+The prefect, in his embroidered dress, awaited them on the threshold of
+his reception-room. He bade the new-comers be seated and asked their
+names and their business; the Chinaman translated the questions and the
+answers.
+
+"We come from the other side of the earth."
+
+"Well," thought the prefect. "I was sure of it, the earth being square
+and flat, the other side of it is certainly hell. What am I to do?"
+
+"We only want to trade with your countrymen. We will sell you what goods
+we have brought; we will buy your country's productions, and if no harm
+is done we will sail away in a few days."
+
+"Our humble country is very poor," answered the prefect. "The people are
+not rich enough to buy any of the splendid goods you may have brought.
+Besides, this country's products are not worth your giving any money for
+them. If I can give you good advice, you had better sail away to-day and
+get to the first harbour of the northern province; there they are very
+rich."
+
+"We have just come from it; they told us the very reverse. Here,
+according to them, we should be able to find everything we want.
+Besides, our mind is settled; we will remain here long enough to buy
+what we want and to sell what we can. We are very peaceful people as
+long as one deals justly with us. But if you try to beguile us, we will
+employ all our strength in the defence of our rights. All we want is a
+place on shore where we can store and show our goods."
+
+"Well, well; I never intended to do anything of the sort," said the
+prefect. "But the Emperor is the only possessor of the soil. How could I
+give you a place even on the shore?"
+
+"We don't want very much, and the Emperor won't know anything. Give us
+only the surface of ground covered by a carpet, and we will be
+satisfied."
+
+Chinese carpets are not more than two or three feet broad and five or
+six feet wide. The prefect thought he could not be blamed to authorise
+the foreigners to settle on such a small piece of ground; on the other
+hand, if he refused, there would ensue trouble and he would certainly be
+cashiered.
+
+"It is only as a special arrangement and by greatly compromising with
+the law that I can give you this authorisation."
+
+And the prefect wrote a few words on one of his big red visiting-cards.
+The interpreter carefully perused the document. Then the foreigners went
+back to their ship. The same day a proclamation was issued and pasted on
+the walls of the public edifices, explaining to the people that
+The-Devils-of-the-ocean had been authorised to settle on a piece of
+ground not bigger than a carpet and that no harm should be done to them.
+
+In compliance with these orders, nobody dared oppose the foreigners when
+they began unrolling on the shore a carpet ten yards broad and thirty
+yards long. When the carpet was unrolled, The-Devils-of-the-ocean put
+themselves in ranks with muskets and swords on the carpet; nearly five
+hundred men stood there close to one another.
+
+The prefect, who had personally watched the proceeding, was so angry
+against the foreigners for their cunningness that he immediately ordered
+troops to drive them out into the water. But the foreigners had a
+devilish energy nobody could resist; they killed a great many of our
+people, burned the greater part of the city, and occupied for several
+years all the northern part of the bay, where they erected a sort of
+bazaar and a fortress, which still exist to this day.
+
+
+
+
+_UNKNOWN DEVILS_
+
+
+Suen Pure-whiteness was privileged with the possibility of seeing
+distinctly all the creatures of the other world, who, for the greater
+part of humanity, remain always mysterious and invisible.
+
+One night he slept in a mountain monastery; he had closed and barred the
+door; the full moon illuminated the window; everything was quiet. He had
+slept an hour, when he was awakened by the hissing of the wind; the gate
+of the monastery seemed to be thrown open; after a while the door of his
+room was shaken, the bar dropped down, and the heavy wood turned on its
+hinges.
+
+Pure-whiteness thought at first that it would be better to close his
+eyes and to wait; but his curiosity was aroused, he looked intently;
+after a few seconds he could see a big devil, so big that he was obliged
+to stoop in order not to break his head against the ceiling, and who was
+coming slowly towards the bed. His face had the colour and general
+appearance of an old melon. His eyes were full of lightning and his
+mouth was bigger than a tub. His teeth were at least three inches long
+and his tongue kept moving incessantly, while he uttered a sound like
+"Ha-la."
+
+Pure-whiteness was much afraid; but, seeing he had no way of escape, he
+took a short sword from under his pillow and, with all his might, thrust
+it into the devil's breast; it sounded as if he had struck a stone.
+
+The devil hissed in a fearful way; he extended his claws to catch the
+man. Pure-whiteness jumped on the right side; the devil could only catch
+his dress and started; the man hastened to unfasten his dress; he
+dropped and remained there on all fours, motionless and mute. When the
+devil's steps ceased to be heard he screamed for help; the priests came
+with lamps; everything was in order, but in the bed Pure-witeness was
+yelling as in a nightmare.
+
+On another day Pure-whiteness was in the country enjoying the pleasures
+of harvest. The golden rice was piled high and everybody was busy. Some
+armed men had been posted here and there, according to the custom;
+everybody knows that when the rice is ripened in a place, people of the
+neighbouring villages are always looking for an opportunity to make the
+harvest themselves or to take away what has been cut by the owners.
+
+Pure-whiteness, tired by the heat, laid down behind a rice-stack; after
+a while he heard stealthy steps; raising his head, he saw a big devil
+more than ten feet high, with hair and beard of a fierce reddish colour,
+who was approaching. Pure-whiteness yelled for help: men with spears
+came to the rescue. The devil bellowed like the thunder and flew away.
+Pure-whiteness told them what he had seen; nobody would believe him, but
+they nevertheless started in pursuit; people working in the fields all
+round had not seen anything, so everybody came back.
+
+The second day Pure-whiteness was among four or five men, when he saw
+the same devil.
+
+"He has come back!" cried he, flying away.
+
+The other people ran away too. When they came back, everything was
+quiet. But they always kept by their side some spears, bows and arrows,
+and swords.
+
+For two or three days, they had no trouble; the rice was being stored in
+the granaries, when Pure-whiteness, looking up, screamed:
+
+"The devil has come back!"
+
+Everybody ran to his arms. Pure-whiteness fell down; the devil picked
+him up, bit his head, threw him down, and went away.
+
+When the man came back, Pure-whiteness bore the marks of teeth on his
+head; he did not know anybody. Taken home and nursed, he remained
+unconscious for a few days and died.
+
+
+
+
+_CHILDLESS_
+
+
+In the city of The-Great-name lived a rich idler named Tuan
+Correct-happiness. He had then attained the age of forty and still he
+had no son. His wife, Peaceful-union, was extremely jealous, so that he
+dared not openly buy a concubine, as law authorised him, to continue his
+lineage.
+
+When he saw that, at forty, he had no son, he secretly bought a young
+girl, whom he carefully left outside his own house.
+
+A woman is not easily deceived--a jealous woman especially;
+Peaceful-union soon discovered the whole truth. She had the girl brought
+before her and took advantage of an impertinent answer to have her
+beaten a hundred blows; after that, she turned on her husband and drove
+him nearly mad with reproaches. What could the poor man do? He sold his
+concubine to a neighbouring family named Liu, and peace was restored in
+the house.
+
+The days and years passed on without any change in the situation; the
+nephews of Correct-happiness, seeing that he was old already and had no
+son, began to fawn upon him, each of them trying to be the one that
+would be elected as an adopted son to continue the family cult, as is
+the custom.
+
+Peaceful-union at last began to see her error and regretted bitterly
+what she had done.
+
+"You are only sixty years old," said she to her husband. "Is it too
+late? Let us buy two chosen girls who will be your second wives; maybe
+one of them will give you a son."
+
+The old man smiled sadly; he did not entertain any great hope;
+nevertheless, the concubines were bought. After a year, to the great
+surprise and joy of everybody, both gave birth--one to a girl, the other
+to a boy. But both children died a few months after.
+
+Correct-happiness, when winter set in, caught a cold and was soon in a
+desperate state of health. His nephews were always beside him; but,
+seeing he would adopt neither of them, they began looting the house;
+they found at last the treasure and took it away openly.
+
+The moribund was too ill even to know what they did. Peaceful-union
+tried in vain to stop them.
+
+"Will you leave me to die of hunger? I am the wife of your uncle. I am
+entitled to a part of his riches."
+
+But they would not hear her.
+
+"If you had borne a son to our uncle, or if he had adopted one of us, we
+would not have touched a single copper cash of his treasure; but,
+through your own fault, he has nobody to maintain his rights; we take
+what is our own."
+
+When the day ended, the widow found herself alone in the deserted and
+emptied house, crying over the body of her dead husband.
+
+Suddenly she heard steps outside the door; a young man appeared on the
+threshold, his eyes full of tears, covered with the white dress of
+mourning. He entered, kneeled beside the corpse, and, knocking the
+ground with his forehead, he began the ritual lamentations.
+
+Peaceful-union stopped crying and looked at him with astonishment; she
+did not know him.
+
+"May I ask your noble name? Who are you to cry over my husband's death?"
+
+"I am the deceased's only son."
+
+The widow started with surprise and a pang of her old jealousy; would
+her husband have had a son without her knowing it? But the next words
+of the young man explained everything.
+
+Twenty years ago, when she had beaten and sold away the first concubine
+of her husband, she did not know the girl bore already the fruit of this
+short union. Six months later she had a son, to whom she gave the name
+of Correct-sadness; but, bearing in mind the bad treatment she had
+received, she asked the Liu family to keep the child as one of their
+own. They consented and sent the boy to school with their children.
+
+When Correct-sadness was eighteen, the chief of the Liu family died; the
+family dispersed, and only a small legacy was left to the young man.
+Believing he was a member of the family, he could not understand what
+happened, and asked his mother; she told him the truth. Resenting the
+hard treatment inflicted on his mother, he awaited the death of his
+father to make his own identity known.
+
+Peaceful-union was very happy to hear this story.
+
+"I am no more without a son," said she. "All that my nephews have taken
+away, treasure and furniture, they must bring back again. If not, the
+magistrate will send them to die in jail."
+
+In fact, the nephews refused to give back anything. The widow began a
+lawsuit; everything at last was restored to the legal heir.
+
+Peaceful-union hastened to choose him a wife, and as soon as the
+matrimonial festivities were ended she told her daughter-in-law:
+
+"My dear child, if I were you, I would ask Correct-sadness to buy
+immediately one or two good concubines; if you have a son and they have
+also, so much the better, but you can't realise how difficult to bear it
+is to be childless."
+
+
+
+
+_THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN_
+
+
+In the twenty-fourth year K'ang-hsi lived in a remote district of the
+western provinces, a man who could remember his former lives. He was now
+a "tsin-shi," "entered-among-the-learned," renowned, and much considered
+by his friends.
+
+When speaking of the existences he had gone through, he used to say:
+
+"As far as I remember, I was first a soldier--it was in the last days of
+the Ming dynasty; my regiment was encamped at The-Divided-roads on the
+Ten-thousand-miles-great-wall. My remembrances are not very clear as to
+whom we fought with, but I remember the joy of striking the enemy, the
+hissing of the arrows, the yelling of the charging troops.
+
+"I was still young when I was killed. After death, of course I was
+called before the tribunal of The-King-of-shadows. Closing my eyes, I
+can still see the big caldrons full of boiling oil for the trying of
+criminals; the Judge in embroidered dress seated behind a red table; the
+satellites everywhere, ready to act on the first word,--in fact,
+everything exactly the same as in the worldly tribunals, excepting that,
+in the eastern part of the hall, there were huge wooden stands from
+which hung skins of every description--horse-skins, lambs' skins, dogs'
+skins, and human skins of every age and condition; skins of old men, of
+fat and important people, of lean and shrivelled men, of boys and girls.
+
+"The trial began; the souls, according to their deeds, were condemned to
+put on one of the skins and to come up again to the Lighted World in
+this new shape.
+
+"When my turn came I was sentenced to put a dog's skin on; and in this
+low shape I was thrown again in the stream of life. But as I had not
+forgotten my former condition, I was so ashamed, that the first day I
+came on earth I threw myself under the wheels of a heavy carriage and
+died.
+
+"The-King-of-shadows was extremely surprised to see me again so soon;
+the dogs, as a rule, having no conscience, he could not suppose I had
+killed myself, and did not hold me responsible for it.
+
+"This time, I was born again as a pig. Pigs are valuable, and there are
+always people to look after them; so I could not kill myself. I tried to
+starve myself to death, but hunger was the strongest, and I had to
+endure such a life. Happily, the butcher soon put a speedy end to it.
+
+"When my name was called to the tribunal of Darkness, the
+King-of-shadows looked over the pages of the Book and said:
+
+"'He must be a lamb now.'
+
+"The runners took a white lamb's skin, brought it, and began putting it
+over my body. While this was going on, the secretary, who was writing
+the sentence in the Book, started and said to the Judge:
+
+"'Your Honour, there is a mistake. Please Your Honour read over again;
+this soul has to be a man now.'
+
+"You know that, on the Big Book of Shadows, all our past deeds are
+recorded as well as our future destiny.
+
+"The Judge looked at it over again and said:
+
+"'True! Happily, you saw the mistake.'
+
+"Then, turning to the runners, he ordered them to take off the skin,
+which already covered more than half my body. They had to exert all
+their strength, and even so, they tore it off into pieces. It hurt me so
+much that I thought I could not stand it and I should die; but I was
+dead, and I could not die more than that.
+
+"At last they left me bleeding and panting, and I was born again in my
+present condition. But they had forgotten a piece of lamb's skin on my
+right shoulder, and I still have it now."
+
+And he uncovered his arm and shoulder to show a piece of white woollen
+hair on his right shoulder.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE'S-SLAVE_
+
+
+In the City-between-the-rivers lived a young student named Lan. He had
+just passed successfully his second literary examination, and, walking
+in the Street-of-the-precious-stones, asked himself what he would now do
+in life.
+
+While he was going, looking vacantly at the passers-by, he saw an old
+friend of his father, and hastened to join his closed fists and to
+salute him very low, as politeness orders.
+
+"My best congratulations!" answered the old man. "What are you doing in
+this busy street?"
+
+"Nothing at all; I was asking myself what profession I am now to
+pursue."
+
+"What profession? Which one would be more honourable than that of
+teacher? It is the only one an 'elevated man' _Kiu-jen_ of the second
+degree, can pursue. By the by, would you honour my house with your
+presence? My son is nearly eighteen. He is not half as learned as he
+should be, and, besides, he has a very bad temper. I feel very old; if I
+knew you would consent to give him the right direction and be a second
+father to him, I would not dread so much to die and leave him alone."
+
+Lan bowed and said:
+
+"I am much honoured by your proposition, and I accept it readily. I will
+go to-morrow to your palace."
+
+Two hours after, a messenger brought to the young man a packet
+containing one hundred ounces of silver, with a note stating that this
+comparatively great sum represented his first year's salary.
+
+In the evening he knocked at his pupil's door and was ushered into the
+sitting-room. The old man introduced him to the whole family: first his
+son, a lad with a decided look boding no good; then a young and
+beautiful girl of seventeen, his daughter, called Love's-slave. Lan was
+struck by the sweet and refined appearance of his pupil's sister.
+
+"The sight of her will greatly help me to stay here," thought he.
+
+The next morning, when his first lesson was ended, he strolled out into
+the garden, admiring here a flower and there an artificial little
+waterfall among diminutive mountain-rocks. Behind a bamboo-bush he
+suddenly saw Love's-slave and was discreetly turning back, when she
+stopped him by a few words of greeting.
+
+Every day they thus met in the solitude of the flowers and trees and
+grew to love each other. Lan's task with his pupil was greater and
+harder than he had supposed; but for Love's-slave's sake, he would never
+have remained in the house.
+
+After three months the old man fell ill; the doctors were unable to cure
+him; he died, and was buried in the family ground, behind the house.
+
+When Lan, after the funeral, told his pupil to resume his lessons, he
+met with such a reception that he went immediately to his room and
+packed his belongings. Love's-slave, hearing from a servant what had
+happened, went straight to her lover's room and tried to induce him to
+stay.
+
+"How can you ask that from me?" said he. "After such an insult, I would
+consider myself as the basest of men if I stayed. I have 'lost face'; I
+must go."
+
+The girl, seeing that nothing could prevail upon his resolution, went
+out of the room, but silently closed and locked the outer gate.
+
+Lan left on a table what remained of the silver given him by the old
+man, and wrote a note to inform his pupil of his departure.
+
+When he tried the gate and found it locked, he did not know at first
+what to do. Then he remembered a place where he could easily climb over
+the enclosure, went there, threw his luggage over the wall, and let
+himself out in this somewhat undignified way.
+
+Before going back to his house, he went round to the tomb of the old man
+and burnt some sticks of perfume. Kneeling down, he explained
+respectfully to the dead what had happened and excused himself for
+having left unfinished the task he had undertaken. Rising at last, he
+went away.
+
+The next morning Love's-slave, pleased with her little trick, came to
+the student's room and looked for him; he was nowhere to be found. She
+saw the silver on the table, and, reading the note he had left, she
+understood that he would never come back.
+
+Her grief stifled her; heavy tears at last began running down her rosy
+cheeks. She took the silver, went straight to her father's tomb,
+fastened the heavy metal to her feet, and unrolled a sash from her
+waist. Then, making a knot with the sash round her neck, she climbed up
+the lower branches of a big fir-tree, fastened the other end of the
+coloured silk as high as she could and threw herself down. A few minutes
+afterwards she was dead. She was discovered by a member of the family,
+and quietly buried in the same enclosure.
+
+Lan, who did not know anything, came back two or three days after to see
+her. The servants told him the truth. Silently and sullenly, he went to
+the tomb, and long remained absorbed in his thoughts; dusk was
+gathering; the first star shone in the sky. All of a sudden, hearing a
+sound as of somebody laughing, he turned round. Love's-slave was before
+his eyes.
+
+"I was waiting for you, my love," she said in a strange and muffled
+voice. "Why are you coming so late?"
+
+As he wanted to kiss her, she stopped him:
+
+"Oh dear! I am dead. But it is decreed that I will come again to life if
+a magician performs the ceremony prescribed in the
+Book-of-Transmutations."
+
+Immaterial like an evening fog, she disappeared in the growing darkness.
+
+Lan returned immediately to the town, and, entering the first Taoist
+temple he saw, he explained to the priest what he wanted.
+
+"If she has said it is decreed she should come back to life, we have
+only to go and open her tomb, while here my disciples will sing the
+proper chapters of the Book. Let us go now."
+
+Giving some directions to his companions, he took a spade and started
+with Lan. The moon was shining, so that without any lantern they were
+able to perform their gloomy task.
+
+Once the heavy lid of the coffin was unscrewed and taken off, the body
+of the young girl appeared as fresh as if she had been sleeping.
+
+When the cold night-air bathed her face, she raised her head, sneezed,
+and sat up; looking at Lan, she said in a low voice:
+
+"At last, you have come! I am recalled to life by your love. But now I
+am feeble; don't speak harshly to me; I could not bear it."
+
+Lan, kissing her lovingly, took her in his arms and brought her to his
+house. After some days she was able to walk and live like ordinary
+people do.
+
+They married and lived happily together for a year. Then, one day, Lan,
+having come back half-drunk from a friend's house, was rebuked by her,
+and, incensed, pushed her back. She did not say a word but, fainting,
+she fell down. Blood ran from her nostrils and mouth; nothing could
+recall her departing spirit.
+
+
+
+
+_THE LAUGHING GHOST_
+
+
+Siu Long-mountain was one of the most celebrated students of the
+district of Perfect-flowers. Having mastered the mysterious theories of
+the ancient Classics, he took a fancy in the researches of the Taoist
+magicians, whose temples may be found in the smallest villages of the
+Empire. He soon discovered that, for the greater number, they were
+impostors; and, being proud of his newly acquired science, he concluded
+that none of them possessed any occult power.
+
+When he came to this somewhat hasty conclusion, he was seated alone in
+his library; the night was already advancing; a small oil lamp hardly
+illuminated his books on the table he was sitting at.
+
+"Yes, there is no doubt; nothing exists outside the material
+appearances. There is nothing occult in the world, and nothing can come
+out of nothingness."
+
+As he was saying these words half aloud, he was startled by an unearthly
+laugh which seemed to come from behind his back. He turned quickly
+round; but nothing was to be seen.
+
+His heart beating, he was listening intently; the laugh came from
+another part of the room.
+
+Long-mountain was brave, but as people are brave who have only met the
+ordinary dangers of civilised life, such as barking dogs, insulting
+coolies, or angry dealers presenting a long-deferred bill. He tried in
+vain to believe it was only a joke imposed on him by some friend;
+nothing could prevail upon his growing terror.
+
+Straining his eyes, he looked at the part of the room the laugh seemed
+to come from. At first he could not see anything, but by degrees he
+perceived a black shadow moving in a corner, then a strange form with a
+horse's head and a man's body, all covered with long black hair; the
+teeth were big and sharp as so many mountain-peaks. The eyes of this
+dreadful creature began shining so much that the whole room was
+illuminated. Then it began moving towards the man.
+
+This was too much; the student screamed like a dying donkey, and,
+bursting the door open, he ran out into the courtyard.
+
+From an open door in the western pavilion a ray of light crossed the
+darkness; four or five men were playing cards, drinking, and swearing.
+Long-mountain ran into their room, and, panting, explained his vision.
+
+The men, being drunk, wanted to see the Thing; holding lanterns and
+lamps, they accompanied their visitor back to his studio. When they
+passed the doorway, Long-mountain screamed again; the Thing was still
+there. He would have run away had not the men, laughing and jesting,
+shown him what the Ghost in reality was--a long dress hung in a corner
+to a big hook, on which sat a black cat mewing desperately.
+
+When the men closed the door and left him alone, the student was deeply
+ashamed of his terror; shaken by his emotion, he went to bed and tried
+to sleep. Sleep would not come; his nervousness seemed to increase.
+Starting at the smallest noise, he remained a long time wide awake; then
+he lost consciousness.
+
+In the silence one only heard the cries of the night-birds and the
+buzzing of the autumn's insects; the lamp was out, but a brilliant moon
+began to pour its silver light through the window.
+
+The door suddenly creaked; Long-mountain awoke and sat up on his bed;
+the door slowly opened, and the same Thing he had seen and heard entered
+the room and advanced towards the bed, while the same unearthly laugh
+came from the long and unshapely head; the flaming eyes were fixed on
+the student.
+
+When the Thing was near the bed, Long-mountain fell heavily and did not
+move any more.
+
+The Ghost stopped, put his hand on the breast of the man, remained in
+that position a moment, then went quickly and silently out of the room.
+
+A man was standing outside.
+
+"What did he say?" asked he.
+
+"Be quiet!" said the Ghost, taking off his horse's head and discovering
+a man's very serious face. "The joke was good. But we have done it too
+well. I think he is dead of terror; we had better be as silent as a tomb
+about all this. The magistrate would never believe in a joke; we would
+be held responsible for this death and pay a heavy penalty."
+
+                                 THE END
+
+
+_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury,
+England._
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE LODGE OF LEISURES ***
+
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+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Strange Stories From The Lodge Of Leisures, by Pu Songling</title>
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+<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold;'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures, by Pu Songling</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
+are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
+country where you are located before using this eBook.
+</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Pu Songling</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: George Soulié</div>
+<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Release Date: October 16, 2011 [eBook #37766]<br />
+[Most recently updated: February 22, 2021]</div>
+<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div>
+<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: David Starner, Matthew Wheaton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team</div>
+<div style='margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE LODGE OF LEISURES ***</div>
+
+<h1 class="booktitle">STRANGE STORIES
+FROM THE
+LODGE OF LEISURES</h1>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="h3">TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE BY<br />
+GEORGE SOULIÉ<br />
+OF THE FRENCH CONSULAR SERVICE IN CHINA</p>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="h3">BOSTON AND NEW YORK<br />
+HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY<br />
+1913</p>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="h5">PRINTED BY<br />
+HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,<br />
+LONDON AND AYLESBURY,<br />
+ENGLAND.</p>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr class="chapter" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum">[v]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="PREFACE">PREFACE</h2>
+
+<p>The first European students who undertook
+to give the Western world an
+idea of Chinese literature were misled by
+the outward and profound respect affected
+by the Chinese towards their ancient
+classics. They have worked from generation
+to generation in order to translate
+more and more accurately the thirteen
+classics, Confucius, Mengtsz, and the others.
+They did not notice that, once out of
+school, the Chinese did not pay more attention
+to their classics than we do to ours: if
+you see a book in their hands, it will never
+be the "Great Study" or the "Analects,"
+but much more likely a novel like the
+"History of the Three Kingdoms," or a
+selection of ghost-stories. These works that<span class="pagenum">[vi]</span>
+everybody, young or old, reads and reads
+again, have on the Chinese mind an influence
+much greater than the whole bulk
+of the classics. Notwithstanding their great
+importance for those who study Chinese
+thought, they have been completely left
+aside. In fact, the whole of real Chinese
+literature is still unknown to the Westerners.</p>
+
+<p>It is a pity that it should be so. The
+novels and stories throw an extraordinary
+light on Chinese everyday life that foreigners
+have been very seldom, and now will
+never be, able to witness, and they illustrate
+in a striking way the idea the
+Chinese have formed of the other world.
+One is able at last to understand what is
+the meaning of the <i>huen</i> or superior soul,
+which leaves the body after death or during
+sleep, but keeps its outward appearance and
+ordinary clothes; the <i>p'aï</i> or inferior soul
+which remains in the decaying body, and
+sometimes is strong enough to prevent it
+from decaying, and to give it all the appearances<span class="pagenum">[vii]</span>
+of life. The magicians of the Tao
+religion, or Taoist priests, play a great
+part in these stories, and the Buddhist
+ideas of metempsychosis give the opportunity
+of more complicated situations than we
+dream of.</p>
+
+<p>Among the most celebrated works, I
+have chosen the "Strange Stories from
+the Lodge of Leisures," <i>Leao chai Chi yi</i>.
+It was written in the second half of the
+eighteenth century by P'ou Song-lin (P'ou
+Lieou-hsien), of Tsy-cheou, in the Chantong
+province.</p>
+
+<p>The whole work is composed of more
+than three hundred stories. I have selected
+twenty-five among the most characteristic.</p>
+
+<p>This being a literary work, and having
+nothing scientific to boast of, I have tried
+to give my English readers the same
+literary impression that the Chinese has.
+<i>Tradutore traditore</i>, say the Italians; I hope
+I have not been too much of a traitor.</p>
+
+<p>A translation is always a most difficult<span class="pagenum">[viii]</span>
+work; if it is materially exact, word for
+word and sentence by sentence, the so-called
+scientific men are satisfied, but all
+the charm, beauty, and interest of the
+original are lost. Very often, too, such
+translation is obscure and unintelligible.
+Each nation has an heirloom of traditions,
+customs, or religion to which its literature
+constantly refers. If the reader is
+not acquainted with that literature, these
+references will convey no meaning to his
+mind, or they may even convey a false one.
+In Chinese, this difficulty is greater than
+in any other language; the Far Eastern
+civilisation has had a development of its
+own, and its legends and superstitions have
+nothing in common with the Western folklore.
+The Chinese mind is radically different
+from ours, and has grown, in every generation,
+more different by reason of a different
+training and a different ideal in life. The
+Chinese writing, moreover, has strengthened
+those differences; it represents the ideas<span class="pagenum">[ix]</span>
+themselves, instead of representing the
+words; each Chinese sign may be rightly
+translated by either of the three or more
+words by which our language analytically
+describes every aspect of one same idea.
+The sign which is read <i>Tao</i>, for instance,
+must be, according to the sentence, translated
+by any of the words: direction, rule,
+doctrine, religion, way, road, word, verb;
+all of them being the different forms of the
+same idea of direction, moral or physical.</p>
+
+<p>Some French sinologists, aware of this
+difficulty, now translate the texts literally,
+and try to explain the meaning by a number
+of notes, which sometimes leave only
+one or two lines of text in a page. This
+method seems at first more scientific; it
+explains everything in the most careful way,
+and is very useful for the translation of
+inscriptions or of certain obscure passages
+in historical books. But for real literature,
+it is the greatest possible error, leaving
+out, as it does, all the impression and<span class="pagenum">[x]</span>
+illusion the author intended to convey.
+Besides, the necessity of going, at every
+word, down the page in order to find the
+meaning in a note, tires the reader and
+takes away all the pleasure he should derive
+from the book.</p>
+
+<p>One may even say that a materially
+exact translation is, in reality, a false one;
+the words we use in writing and speaking
+being mere technical signs by which we
+represent our ideas. For instance, the word
+"cathedral" will certainly not convey the
+same idea to two men, one of whom has
+only seen St. Paul's, and the other only
+Notre-Dame de Paris; for the first, cathedral
+means a dome; for the other it means
+two towers and a long ogival nave. Below
+the outward appearance of the words
+there lie so many different images that it
+is absolutely necessary to know the mentality
+of a nation in order to master its
+language. In fact, a true translation will
+be the one that, though sometimes materially<span class="pagenum">[xi]</span>
+inexact, will give the reader the same
+impression he would have if he were reading
+the original text.</p>
+
+<p>Since I first went to China, in 1901, I have
+had many opportunities of acquainting myself
+with all the superstitions of the lower
+classes, with all the splendid mental and
+intellectual training of the learned. My
+experience has helped me to perceive what
+was hidden beneath the words; and in my
+translation I have sometimes supplied what
+the author only thought necessary to imply.
+In many places the translation is literal;
+in other places it is literary, it being impossible
+for a Western writer to retain all
+the long and useless talking, all the repetitions
+that Chinese writing and Chinese
+taste are equally fond of.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span class="smcap">George Souli&eacute;.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum">[xiii]</span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<div class="center">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+  <tr>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdrfirst">Page</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_GHOST_IN_LOVE"><i>THE GHOST IN LOVE</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">1</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_FRESCO"><i>THE FRESCO</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">10</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_DWARF_HUNTERS"><i>THE DWARF HUNTERS</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">18</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_CORPSE_THE_BLOOD-DRINKER"><i>THE CORPSE THE BLOOD-DRINKER</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">22</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#LOVE_REWARDED"><i>LOVE REWARDED</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">30</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_WOMAN_IN_GREEN"><i>THE WOMAN IN GREEN</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">38</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_FAULT_AND_ITS_CONSEQUENCES"><i>THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">42</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#DECEIVING_SHADOWS"><i>DECEIVING SHADOWS</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">47</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#PEACEFUL-LIGHT"><i>PEACEFUL-LIGHT</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">54</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#HONG_THE_CURRIER"><i>HONG THE CURRIER</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">61</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#AUTUMN-MOON"><i>AUTUMN-MOON</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">72</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_PRINCESS_NELUMBO"><i>THE PRINCESS NELUMBO</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">79</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_TWO_BROTHERS"><i>THE TWO BROTHERS</i></a>
+      <span class="pagenum">[xiv]</span></td>
+    <td class="tdr">84</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_MARBLE_ARCH"><i>THE MARBLE ARCH</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">90</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_DUTIFUL_SON"><i>THE DUTIFUL SON</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">106</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THROUGH_MANY_LIVES"><i>THROUGH MANY LIVES</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">110</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_RIVER_OF_SORROWS"><i>THE RIVER OF SORROWS</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">114</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_MYSTERIOUS_ISLAND"><i>THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">120</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_SPIRIT_OF_THE_RIVER"><i>THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">125</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN"><i>THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">131</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#UNKNOWN_DEVILS"><i>UNKNOWN DEVILS</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">138</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#CHILDLESS"><i>CHILDLESS</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">143</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_PATCH_OF_LAMBS_SKIN"><i>THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">149</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#LOVES-SLAVE"><i>LOVE'S-SLAVE</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">154</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><a href="#THE_LAUGHING_GHOST"><i>THE LAUGHING GHOST</i></a></td>
+    <td class="tdr">162</td>
+  </tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<hr class="chapter" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum">[1]</span></p>
+
+<h2><i>Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures</i></h2>
+
+<hr class="chapter" />
+
+<h2 id="THE_GHOST_IN_LOVE"><i>THE GHOST IN LOVE</i></h2>
+
+<p>On the 15th day of the First Moon, in the
+second year of the period of "Renewed
+Principles," the streets of the town
+of the Eastern Lake were thronged with
+people who were strolling about.</p>
+
+<p>At the setting of the sun every shop was
+brightly lit up; processions of people moved
+hither and thither; strings of boys were
+carrying lanterns of every form and colour;
+whole families passed, every member of
+whom, young or old, small or big, was
+holding at the end of a thin bamboo the
+lighted image of a bird, an animal, or a
+flower.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[2]</span></p>
+
+<p>Richer ones, several together, were carrying
+enormous dragons whose luminous wings
+waved at every motion and whose glaring
+eyes rolled from right to left. It was the
+Fête of the Lanterns.</p>
+
+<p>A young man, clothed in a long pale green
+dress, allowed himself to be pushed about by
+the crowd; the passers-by bowed to him:</p>
+
+<p>"How is my Lord Li The-peaceful?"</p>
+
+<p>"The humble student thanks you; and
+you, how are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, thanks to your happy influence."</p>
+
+<p>"Does the precious student soon pass his
+second literary examination?"</p>
+
+<p>"In two months; ignorant that I am.
+I am idling instead of working."</p>
+
+<p>The fête was drawing to a close when The-peaceful
+quitted the main street, and went
+towards the East Gate, where the house was
+to be found in which he lived alone.</p>
+
+<p>He went farther and farther: the moving
+lights were rarer; ere long he only saw before<span class="pagenum">[3]</span>
+him the fire of a white lantern decorated
+with two red peonies. The paper globe
+was swinging to the steps of a tiny girl
+clothed in the blue linen that only slaves
+wore. The light, behind, showed the elegant
+silhouette of another woman, this one
+covered with a long jacket made in a rich pink
+silk edged with purple.</p>
+
+<p>As the student drew nearer, the belated
+walker turned round, showing an oval
+face and big long eyes, wherein shone a
+bright speck, cruel and mysterious.</p>
+
+<p>Li The-peaceful slackened his pace,
+following the two strangers, whose small
+feet glided silently on the shining flagstones
+of the street.</p>
+
+<p>He was asking himself how he could
+begin a conversation, when the mistress
+turned round again, softly smiled, and in a
+low, rich voice, said to him:</p>
+
+<p>"Is it not strange that in the advancing
+night we are following the same road?"</p>
+
+<p>"I owe it to the favour of Heaven," he<span class="pagenum">[4]</span>
+at once replied; "for I am returning to
+the East Gate; otherwise I should never
+have dared to follow you."</p>
+
+<p>The conversation, once begun, continued
+as they walked side by side. The student
+learned that the pretty walker was called
+"Double-peony," that she was the daughter
+of Judge Siu, that she lived out of the city
+in a garden planted with big trees, on the
+road to the lake.</p>
+
+<p>On arriving at his house The-peaceful
+insisted that his new friend should enter
+and take a cup of tea. She hesitated; then
+the two young people pushed the door,
+crossed the small yard bordered right and
+left with walls covered with tiles, and disappeared
+in the house....</p>
+
+<p>The servant remained under the portal.</p>
+
+<p>Daylight was breaking when the young
+girl came out again, calling the servant,
+who was asleep. The next evening she
+came again, always accompanied by the
+slave bearing the white lantern with two<span class="pagenum">[5]</span>
+red peonies. It was the same each day
+following.</p>
+
+<p>A neighbour who had watched these
+nocturnal visits was inquisitive enough to
+climb the wall which separated his yard
+from that of the lovers, and to wait,
+hidden in the shade of the house.</p>
+
+<p>At the accustomed hour the street-door,
+left ajar, opened to let in the visitors.</p>
+
+<p>Once in the courtyard, they were suddenly
+transformed, their eyes became flaming
+and red; their faces grew pale; their
+teeth seemed to lengthen; an icy mist
+escaped from their lips.</p>
+
+<p>The neighbour did not see any more:
+terrified, he let himself slide to the ground
+and ran to his inner room.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning he went to the student
+and told him what he had seen. The lover
+was paralysed with fear: in order to reassure
+himself he resolved to find out everything
+he could about his mistress.</p>
+
+<p>He at once went outside the ramparts,<span class="pagenum">[6]</span>
+on the road to the lake, hoping to find the
+house of Judge Siu. But at the place
+he had been told of there was no habitation;
+on the left, a fallow plain, sown
+with tombs, went up to the hills; on the
+right, cultivated fields extended as far as
+the lake.</p>
+
+<p>However, a small temple was hidden
+there under big trees. The student had
+given up all hope; he entered, notwithstanding,
+into the sacred enclosure, knowing
+that travellers stayed there sometimes
+for several weeks.</p>
+
+<p>In the first yard a bonze was passing
+in his red dress and shaven head; he stopped
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know Judge Siu? He has a
+daughter&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Judge Siu's daughter?" asked the
+priest, astonished. "Well&mdash;yes&mdash;but wait,
+I will show her to you."</p>
+
+<p>The-peaceful felt his heart overflowing
+with joy; his beloved one was living; he<span class="pagenum">[7]</span>
+was going to see her by the light of day.
+He quickly followed his companion.</p>
+
+<p>Passing the first court, they crossed a
+threshold and found themselves in a yard
+planted with high pine-trees and bordered by
+a low pavilion. The bonze, passing in first,
+pushed a door, and, turning round, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Here is Judge Siu's daughter!"</p>
+
+<p>The other stopped, terrified; on a trestle
+a heavy black lacquered coffin bore this
+inscription in golden letters: "Coffin of
+Double-peony, Judge Siu's daughter."</p>
+
+<p>On the wall was an unfolded painting
+representing the little maid; a white
+lantern decorated with two red peonies was
+hung over it.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, she has been there for the last
+two years; her parents, according to the
+rite, are waiting for a favourable day to
+bury her."</p>
+
+<p>The student silently turned on his heel
+and went back, not deigning to reply to
+the mocking bow of the priest.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[8]</span></p>
+
+<p>Evening arrived; he locked himself in,
+and, covering his head with his blankets, he
+waited; sleep came to him only at daybreak.</p>
+
+<p>But he could not cease to think of her
+whom he no longer saw; his heart beat as
+if to burst, when in the street he perceived
+the silhouette of a woman which reminded
+him of his friend.</p>
+
+<p>At last he was incapable of containing
+himself any longer; one evening he stationed
+himself behind the door. After a
+few minutes there was a knock; he opened
+the door; it was only the little maid:</p>
+
+<p>"My mistress is in tears; why do you
+never open the door? I come every evening.
+If you will follow me, perhaps she
+will forgive you."</p>
+
+<p>The-peaceful, blinded by love, started at
+once, walking by the light of the white
+lantern.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>The next day the neighbours, seeing<span class="pagenum">[9]</span>
+that the student's door was open, and
+that his house was empty, made a declaration
+to the governor of the town.</p>
+
+<p>The police made an inquest; they collected
+the evidence of several people who
+had been watching the nightly visitors
+the student had received. The bonze of
+the temple outside the city walls came to
+say what he knew. The chief of the police
+went to the road leading to the lake; he
+crossed the threshold of the little edifice,
+passed the first yard and at last opened the
+door of the pavilion.</p>
+
+<p>Everything was in order, but under the
+lid of the heavy coffin one could see the
+corner of the long green dress of the student.</p>
+
+<p>In order to do away with evil influences
+there was a solemn funeral.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>Ever since this time, on light clear nights,
+the passers-by often meet the two lovers
+entwined together, slowly walking on the
+road which leads to the lake.</p>
+<hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[10]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_FRESCO"><i>THE FRESCO</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the Great Highway of Eternal
+Fixity, Mong Flowing-spring and his
+friend Choo Little-lotus were slowly walking,
+clothed in the long light green dress of
+the students.</p>
+
+<p>They had both just passed with success
+their third literary examination, and were
+enjoying the pleasures of the capital before
+returning to their distant province.</p>
+
+<p>As they were both of small means, they
+were looking now (and at the same time
+filling their eyes with the movement of the
+street) for a lodging less expensive than the
+inn where they had put up on arriving at
+Pekin.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the Great Highway, they strolled
+far into a labyrinth of lanes more and
+more silent. They soon lost themselves.<span class="pagenum">[11]</span>
+Undecided, they had stopped, when they
+spied out the red lacquered portal of a
+temple of the Mysterious-way.</p>
+
+<p>Pushing the heavy sides of the door,
+they entered; an old man with his hair
+tightly drawn together in a black cap,
+majestic in his grey dress, stood behind the
+door and appeared to be waiting for them.</p>
+
+<p>"Your coming lightens my humble dwelling,"
+he said in bowing. "I beg you will
+enter."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not dare! I do not dare!" murmured
+the two students, bowing in their
+turn.</p>
+
+<p>They nevertheless entered, crossing the
+yard on which the portal opened, which
+was closed, at the end, by the little
+temple in open woodwork close under the
+mass of roofs of green tiles.</p>
+
+<p>They went up three steps, then, pushing
+a narrow and straight door, they entered.
+In the half-shadow they distinguished on
+the white altar a statue of Tche Kong The-Supreme-Lord,<span class="pagenum">[12]</span>
+with a golden face and
+griffins' feet like the claws of an eagle.</p>
+
+<p>The walls on each side of the altar were
+painted in frescoes; on the wall on the
+right you saw goddesses in the midst of
+flowers. One of these young girls, with a
+low chignon, was gathering a peony and
+was slightly smiling. Her mouth, like a
+cherry, seemed as if it were really opening;
+one would have sworn that her eyelids
+fluttered.</p>
+
+<p>Mong Flowing-spring, his eyes fixed on
+the painting, remained a long time without
+moving, absorbed in his admiration of the
+work of art, and disturbed beyond expression
+by the beauty of the goddess with
+the low chignon.</p>
+
+<p>"Why is she not living?" said he. "I
+would willingly give my life for a moment
+of her love!"</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly he started; the young goddess
+raised herself upright, bursting with laughter,
+and got down from the wall. She crossed the<span class="pagenum">[13]</span>
+door, went down the staircase, stepped over
+the yard and left the place.</p>
+
+<p>Flowing-spring followed her without reflecting.
+He saw her going away with a
+light step, and turn down the first lane;
+the young student ran behind her.</p>
+
+<p>As he turned the corner, he saw her
+stop at the entrance of a small house.
+She was gracefully waving her hand, and,
+with sly glances, made him signs to come.</p>
+
+<p>He hastened forward and entered in his
+turn. In the silent house there was nobody,
+no one but the goddess standing in
+her long mauve dress and nibbling the
+flower that she had picked and that she
+still held in her hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I bow down," said the student, who
+knelt to salute her.</p>
+
+<p>"Rise! you exceed the rites prescribed,"
+she replied.</p>
+
+<p>"I bend my head, not being able to bear
+the splendour of your beauty."</p>
+
+<p>As she did not seem to be discontented<span class="pagenum">[14]</span>
+he continued telling her his admiration
+and his desire. He approached, touched
+her hand; she started, but did not draw
+back. He then took her in his arms; she
+did not make much resistance.</p>
+
+<p>The moments passed rapidly. They spoke
+to each other in a low voice, when, suddenly
+in the street, a noise of heavy boots resounded;
+steps stopped before the door;
+the lock was shaken; oaths were heard.</p>
+
+<p>The young girl grew pale; she told
+Flowing-spring to hide himself under the
+bed. The student felt his heart become
+quite small; he crouched down in the
+shadow, not even being able to breathe.
+From the depth of his hiding-place, he
+saw an officer enter, his face in black lacquer,
+covered with a golden cuirass and surrounded
+by a troop of young girls in long dresses of
+bright colours.</p>
+
+<p>"I smell an odour of human flesh!"
+grumbled the officer, walking heavily and
+going round the room.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[15]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Hide yourself well!" the goddess
+murmured to her lover, raising herself
+from the bed and white with terror. "If
+you can escape from him, wait till we have
+left, and open the little door at the end of
+the garden; then run away quickly!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum">[16]</span></p><p>"There is a man here! I smell him!
+He must be delivered to me! If not, I
+shall punish the person who has hidden
+him."</p>
+
+<p>"We know nothing!" all the young
+women said together.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well! Let us go out."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum">[17]</span></p><p>Then, following the gracious troop which
+the goddess had joined, he crossed the
+threshold.</p>
+
+<p>Flowing-spring, hidden under the bed,
+waited till the noise of the boots had gone
+away. Then he glided with caution from
+his refuge.</p>
+
+<p>Half bent, listening with anxiety in fear
+of being surprised, he flew from the room
+and crossed the garden.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[18]</span></p>
+
+<p>During this time Choo Little-lotus,
+having remained in the temple, had not
+remarked the departure of his friend.
+But, turning round and not any longer
+seeing him, he questioned the old magician.</p>
+
+<p>"Your friend is not far off," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>Then, showing him the wall, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Look! here he is!"</p>
+
+<p>And, indeed, in the centre of the fresco,
+the image of Flowing-spring was painted;
+he was crouched in among the flowers,
+straining his ear. The image moved, and,
+suddenly, the student separated himself
+from the wall and advanced, looking sad
+and anxious.</p>
+
+<p>Choo Little-lotus, terrified, was looking
+at him. The other told him his adventure.
+As he spoke a terrible clap of thunder was
+heard. The two friends instinctively shut
+their eyes; when they opened them, their
+glance fell on the fresco: the goddesses
+had taken their places there again, in
+the midst of the flowers; but the young<span class="pagenum">[19]</span>
+girl with the low chignon was no longer
+there.</p>
+
+<p>The magician smiled at Flowing-spring:</p>
+
+<p>"Love has touched her. She has become
+a woman and is waiting for you in your
+village."</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[20]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_DWARF_HUNTERS"><i>THE DWARF HUNTERS</i></h2>
+
+<p>The heavy summer in the South is
+particularly hard to bear for those
+who are ill. The damp heat keeps them
+awake, and thousands of insects trouble
+their rest.</p>
+
+<p>Wang Little-third-one, stretched on his
+bed made of bamboo laths, where a low
+fever kept him, complained of it to all
+those who came to see him, especially to his
+friend the magician officiating priest of the
+little temple situated in the neighbouring
+crossway.</p>
+
+<p>The magician knew something of medicine;
+he prescribed a calming potion and
+retired.</p>
+
+<p>When Little-third-one had drunk the
+potion, his fever fell and he was able to
+enjoy a little sleep. He was awakened by<span class="pagenum">[21]</span>
+a slight noise; night had come on; the
+room was lighted by the full moon, which
+threw a bright gleam by the open door.</p>
+
+<p>All the insects were moving and flying
+hither and thither; white ants who gnaw
+wood, bad-smelling bugs, enormous cockroaches,
+mosquitoes, innumerable and various
+flies.</p>
+
+<p>As Little-third-one was looking, his attention
+was drawn by a movement on the
+threshold: a small man, not bigger than
+a thumb, advanced with precautious steps;
+in his hand he held a bow; a sword was
+hanging at his side.</p>
+
+<p>Little-third-one, on looking closer, saw
+two dogs as big as shirt-buttons running
+before the man with the bow; they suddenly
+stopped: the archer approached,
+held out his weapon, and discharged the
+arrow. A cockroach who was crawling
+before the dogs made a bound, fell on its
+back, moved again, then remained motionless;
+the arrow had run through it.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[22]</span></p>
+
+<p>Behind the first huntsman others had
+come; some were on horseback, armed
+with swords; some on foot.</p>
+
+<p>From that time it was a pursuit without
+intermission; hundreds of insects were
+shot. At first the mosquitoes escaped;
+but as they cannot fly for long, every time
+that one remained still it was transpierced
+by the huntsmen.</p>
+
+<p>Soon nothing was left of all the insects
+who broke the silence with their buzzing,
+their gnashing of teeth, or their falling.</p>
+
+<p>A horseman then was seen galloping over
+the room, looking from right to left. He
+then gave the signal; all the huntsmen
+called their dogs, went towards the door,
+and disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>Little-third-one had not moved, in order
+not to disturb the hunt. At last he
+peacefully went to sleep, henceforth sure
+of not being awakened by a sting or a
+bite. He awoke late the next day almost
+cured.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[23]</span></p>
+
+<p>When his friend the magician came to
+see him, he told him his experience: the
+other smiled. Wang understood that the
+mysterious hunters came from the little
+temple.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[24]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_CORPSE_THE_BLOOD-DRINKER"><i>THE CORPSE THE BLOOD-DRINKER</i></h2>
+
+<p>Night was slowly falling in the narrow
+valley. On the winding path cut
+in the side of the hill about twenty mules
+were following each other, bending under
+their heavy load; the muleteers, being
+tired, did not cease to hurry forward their
+animals, abusing them with coarse voices.</p>
+
+<p>Comfortably seated on mules with large
+pack-saddles, three men were going along
+at the same pace as the caravan of which
+they were the masters. Their thick dresses,
+their fur boots, and their red woollen hoods
+protected them from the cold wind of the
+mountain.</p>
+
+<p>In the darkness, rendered thicker by a
+slight fog, the lights of a village were shining,
+and soon the mules, hurrying all together,<span class="pagenum">[25]</span>
+jostling their loads, crowded before the
+only inn of the place.</p>
+
+<p>The three travellers, happy to be able
+to rest, got down from their saddles when
+the innkeeper came out on the step of
+his door and excused himself, saying all his
+rooms were taken.</p>
+
+<p>"I have still, it is true, a large hall the
+other side of the street, but it is only a
+barn, badly shut. I will show it to you."</p>
+
+<p>The merchants, disappointed, consulted
+each other with a look; but it was too
+late to continue their way; they followed
+their landlord.</p>
+
+<p>The hall that was shown to them was big
+enough and closed at the end by a curtain.
+Their luggage was brought; the bed-clothes
+rolled on the pack-saddles were spread out,
+as usual, on planks and trestles.</p>
+
+<p>The meal was served in the general
+sitting-room, in the midst of noise, laughing,
+and movement&mdash;smoking rice, vegetables
+preserved in vinegar, and lukewarm wine<span class="pagenum">[26]</span>
+served in small cups. Then every one went
+to bed; the lights were put out and profound
+silence prevailed in the sleeping village.</p>
+
+<p>However, towards the hour of the Rat,
+a sensation of cold and uneasiness awoke
+one of the three travellers named Wang
+Fou, Happiness-of-the-kings. He turned
+in his bed, but the snoring of his two companions
+annoyed him; he could not get
+to sleep. Again, seeing that his rest was
+finished, he got up, relit the lamp which
+was out, took a book from his baggage, and
+stretched himself out again. But if he
+could not sleep, it was just as impossible
+to read. In spite of himself, his eyes
+quitted the columns of letters laid out in
+lines and searched into the darkness that
+the feeble light did not contrive to break
+through.</p>
+
+<p>A growing terror froze him. He would
+have liked to awaken his companions, but
+the fear of being made fun of prevented
+him.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[27]</span></p>
+
+<p>By dint of looking, he at last saw a slight
+movement shake the big curtain which
+closed the room. There came from behind
+a crackling of wood being broken. Then a
+long, painful threatening silence began again.</p>
+
+<p>The merchant felt his flesh thrill; he
+was filled with horror, in spite of his efforts
+to be reasonable.</p>
+
+<p>He had put aside his book, and, the coverlet
+drawn up to his nose, he fixed his enlarged
+eyes on the shadowy corners at the end
+of the room.</p>
+
+<p>The side of the curtain was lifted; a
+pale hand held the folds. The stuff, thus
+raised, permitted a being to pass, whose
+form, hardly distinct, seemed penetrated
+by the shadow.</p>
+
+<p>Happiness-of-kings would have liked to
+scream; his contracted throat allowed no
+sound to escape. Motionless and speechless,
+he followed with his horrified look the
+slow movement of the apparition which
+approached.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[28]</span></p>
+
+<p>He, little by little, recognised the silhouette
+of a female, seen by her short
+quilted dress and her long narrow jacket.
+Behind the body he perceived the curtain
+again moving.</p>
+
+<p>The spectre, in the meantime bending
+over the bed of one of the sleeping travellers,
+appeared to give him a long kiss.</p>
+
+<p>Then it went towards the couch of the
+second merchant. Happiness-of-kings distinctly
+saw the pale figure, the eyes, from
+which a red flame was shining, and sharp
+teeth, half-exposed in a ferocious smile,
+which opened and shut by turns on the
+throat of the sleeper.</p>
+
+<p>A start disturbed the body under the
+cover, then all stopped: the spectre was
+drinking in long draughts.</p>
+
+<p>Happiness-of-kings, seeing that his turn
+was coming, had just strength enough to
+pull the coverlet over his head. He heard
+grumblings; a freezing breath penetrated
+through the wadded material.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[29]</span></p>
+
+<p>The paroxysm of terror gave the merchant
+full possession of his strength; with a
+convulsive movement he threw his coverlet
+on the apparition, jumped out of his bed,
+and, yelling like a wild beast, he ran as
+far as the door and flew away in the night.</p>
+
+<p>Still running, he felt the freezing breath
+in his back, he heard the furious growlings
+of the spectre.</p>
+
+<p>The prolonged howling of the unhappy
+man filled the narrow street and awoke
+all the sleepers in their beds, but none of
+them moved; they hid themselves farther
+and farther under their coverlets. These
+inhuman cries meant nothing good for
+those who should have been bold enough
+to go outside.</p>
+
+<p>The bewildered fugitive crossed the village,
+going faster and faster. Arriving at
+the last houses, he was only a few feet in
+advance and felt himself fainting.</p>
+
+<p>The road at the extremity of the village
+was bordered with narrow fields shaded with<span class="pagenum">[30]</span>
+big trees. The instinct of a hunted animal
+drove on the distracted merchant; he
+made a brisk turn to the right, then to the
+left, and threw himself behind the knotted
+trunk of a huge chestnut-tree. The freezing
+hand already touched his shoulder; he
+fell senseless.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>In the morning, in broad daylight, two
+men who came to plough in this same field
+were surprised to perceive against the
+tree a white form, and, on the ground, a
+man stretched out. This fact coming after
+the howling in the night appeared strange
+to them; they turned back and went to
+find the Chief of the Elders. When they
+returned, the greater part of the inhabitants
+of the village followed them.</p>
+
+<p>They approached and found that the
+form against the tree was the corpse of a
+young woman, her nails buried in the
+bark; from her mouth a stream of blood
+had flowed and stained her white silk<span class="pagenum">[31]</span>
+jacket. A shudder of horror shook the
+lookers-on: the Chief of the Elders recognised
+his daughter dead for the last six
+months whose coffin was placed in a barn,
+waiting for the burial, a favourable day
+to be fixed by the astrologers.</p>
+
+<p>The innkeeper recognised one of his
+guests in the man stretched on the ground,
+whom no care could revive.</p>
+
+<p>They returned in haste to find out in
+what condition the coffin was: the door
+of the barn was still open. They went
+in; a coverlet was thrown on the ground
+near the entrance; on two beds the great
+sun lit up the hollow and greenish aspect
+of the corpses whose blood had been emptied.</p>
+
+<p>Behind the drawn curtain the coffin
+was found open. The corpse of the young
+woman evidently had not lost its inferior
+soul, the vital breath. Like all beings
+deprived of conscience and reason, her
+ferocity was eager for blood.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[32]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="LOVE_REWARDED"><i>LOVE REWARDED</i></h2>
+
+<p>Lost in the heart of Peking, in one
+of the most peaceful neighbourhoods
+of the Yellow City, the street of Glowing-happiness
+was sleeping in the silence and
+in the light.</p>
+
+<p>On the right and left of the dusty road
+was some waste ground, where several red
+mangy, and surly dogs were sleeping. Five
+or six low houses, their white walls forming
+a line not well defined, whose low roofs
+were covered with grey tiles, bordered the
+road.</p>
+
+<p>In the first year of the Glorious-Strength,
+four hundred years ago, a young man with
+long hair tied together under the black
+gauze cap of the scholars, clothed in a pink
+dress with purple flowers, was walking in
+the setting sun, stepping cautiously in<span class="pagenum">[33]</span>
+order not to cover with dust his shoes with
+thick felt soles.</p>
+
+<p>When the first stars began to shine in
+the darkening sky, he entered one of the
+houses. A wick in a saucer, soaking in
+oil, burning and smoking, vaguely lighted
+an open book on the table: one could
+only guess, in the shadow, the form of a
+chair, a bed in a corner, and a few
+inscriptions hanging on the whitewashed
+walls.</p>
+
+<p>The scholar seated himself before his
+table and resumed, as he did every evening,
+his reading of the Classics, of which
+he sought to penetrate the entire meaning.
+Late passers-by in this lonely thoroughfare
+still saw his lamp shining across the trellises
+of the windows far into the night.</p>
+
+<p>Golden-dragon lived alone. Now, on that
+evening an inexplicable languor made him
+dreamy; his eyes followed in vain the text;
+his rebellious thoughts were scattered.</p>
+
+<p>Impatiently at last he was just going<span class="pagenum">[34]</span>
+to put out his lamp and go to bed, when he
+heard some one knocking at the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in!" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>The door grinding on its hinges, a young
+woman appeared clothed in a long gown
+of bright green silk, gracefully lifting her
+foot to cross the threshold, and bowing with
+her two hands united. Golden-dragon, hurriedly
+rising to reply, waved in his turn his
+fists joined together at the same height
+as his visage and said, according to the
+ritual: "Be kind enough to be seated!
+What is your noble name?" The visitor
+did not pronounce a word; her large black
+eyes, shadowed by long eyelashes, were
+fixed on the face of her host, while she
+tried to regain her panting breath.</p>
+
+<p>As she advanced, Golden-dragon felt a
+strange feeling of admiration and love.</p>
+
+<p>He did not think such a perfect beauty
+could exist. As he remained speechless,
+she smiled, and her smile had on him the
+effect of a strong drink on a hungry man;<span class="pagenum">[35]</span>
+troubled and dazed, he lost the conscience
+of his personality and his acts.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning the sun was shining
+when he awoke, asking himself if he had
+not been dreaming. He thought all day
+long of his strange visitor, making thousands
+of suppositions.</p>
+
+<p>Evening coming on, she suddenly entered,
+and it was as it had been the night before.</p>
+
+<p>Two months passed; then the young
+girl's visits abruptly ceased. The night
+covered everything with its black veil, but
+nobody appeared at the door. Golden-dragon
+the first night, waited for her till
+the hour of the Rat; at last he went to his
+couch and fell asleep. Almost immediately
+he saw her carried away by two horny <i>yecha</i>;
+she was calling him:</p>
+
+<p>"My beloved, I am drawn away towards
+the inferior regions. I shall never be able
+to get away if prayers are not said for
+me. My body lies in the next house."</p>
+
+<p>He started out of sleep in the efforts he<span class="pagenum">[36]</span>
+made to fly to her, and could not rest
+again in his impatience to assert what she
+had said.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the sun was up, he ran towards
+the only house that was next to his. He
+knocked; no one replied. Pushing the
+door, he entered. The house seemed to be
+recently abandoned, the rooms were empty,
+but in a side hall a black lacquered coffin
+rested on trestles; on a table the "Book
+of Liberation" was open at the chapter
+of "The great recall."</p>
+
+<p>Golden-dragon doubted no longer; he
+sang in a high voice the entire chapter, shut
+the book, and returned home full of a strange
+peacefulness.</p>
+
+<p>Every evening from that time, at the
+hour when she had appeared to him, he
+lit a lantern, went to the house next door
+and read a chapter of the holy text.</p>
+
+<p>Years passed by; he got beyond his
+fiftieth year, grew bent, and walked with
+difficulty, but he never missed performing<span class="pagenum">[37]</span>
+the duty he had imposed on himself for
+his unknown friend.</p>
+
+<p>The house where the coffin was placed
+had successively been let to several families;
+but he had arranged that the funereal room
+should never be touched. The lodgers
+bowed to the scholar when he came, and
+talked to him; the whole town was entertained
+with this touching example of such
+everlasting love.</p>
+
+<p>"So much constancy and such fidelity
+cannot remain without reward," they
+said.</p>
+
+<p>But time slipped by and nothing came
+to change the regular life of the old man.</p>
+
+<p>On his seventieth birthday, as he went
+to his neighbours, he remarked a violent
+excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"My wife has just had a child," said the
+chief of the family, going to meet him.
+"Come and wish her happiness; she does
+not cease to ask for you."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it a boy?"</p><p><span class="pagenum">[38]</span></p>
+
+<p>"No, unhappily, a girl, but such a pretty
+little thing."</p>
+
+<p>Followed by the happy father, the scholar
+with white hair penetrated into the room;
+the mother smiled, holding out the baby
+to him. Golden-dragon suddenly started;
+the child held out her arms to him and on
+her little lips, hardly formed, hovered the
+shadow of a disappeared smile, the smile
+of the unknown woman.</p>
+
+<p>And as he looked an extraordinary
+sensation troubled him; he felt he was
+growing younger, more vigorous. Soon,
+in the midst of the cries of admiration of
+the whole family, the bent old man grew
+straight again; his grey hair turned
+black, and the change continued; he became
+a young man, a boy, and soon a child.</p>
+
+<p>When the Bell of the great Tower struck
+the hour of the Rat, he was a fat pink baby
+playing and laughing with the little girl.</p>
+
+<p>The governor of the town, being informed,
+personally directed an inquiry. It was<span class="pagenum">[39]</span>
+discovered that the coffin had disappeared
+at the same hour when the transformation
+had happened.</p>
+
+<p>The Emperor, on the report of the governor,
+ordered the two children to receive
+a handsome dowry.</p>
+
+<p>As to them, they grew up, loved each
+other, and lived happy and well as far as
+the limits of human longevity.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[40]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_WOMAN_IN_GREEN"><i>THE WOMAN IN GREEN</i></h2>
+
+<p>At this time, in the Pavilion-of-the-guests,
+in the Monastery-of-the-healing-springs,
+the most celebrated of the
+Fo-kien province, lived a young scholar
+whose name was Little-cypress.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the sun rose he was at his
+work, seated near the trellised window.
+When night fell, his lamp still lit the outline
+of the wooden trellis.</p>
+
+<p>One morning a shadow darkened his
+book; he raised his eyes: a young woman
+with a long green skirt, her face of matchless
+beauty, was standing outside the window
+and was looking at him.</p>
+
+<p>"You are then always working, Lord
+Little-cypress?" she said.</p>
+
+<p>She was so bewitching that he knew her<span class="pagenum">[41]</span>
+immediately for a goddess; but all the
+same he asked her where she lived and
+what was her name.</p>
+
+<p>"Your lordship has looked on his humble
+wife; he has known her as a goddess.
+What is the use of so many questions?"</p>
+
+<p>Little-cypress, satisfied with this reply,
+invited her to enter the house. She came
+in; her waist was so small, one would almost
+have thought that her body was divided
+in two.</p>
+
+<p>He invited her to sit down; they talked
+and laughed together a long time.</p>
+
+<p>He asked her to sing, and, with a low
+voice, which filled her friend with rapture,
+she sang:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>"On the trees the bird pursues his companion;
+Oppressed slaves free themselves with love.
+How has my Lord lived alone,
+Without enjoying all the pleasures of married life?"</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>The sound vibrated like a thread of silk;
+it penetrated the ear and troubled the
+heart. As she finished, she suddenly arose.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[42]</span></p>
+
+<p>"A man is standing near the window,
+he is listening to us ... he is going round
+... he is trying to see."</p>
+
+<p>"Since when does a goddess fear a
+man?" replied Little-cypress, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"I am troubled without knowing why;
+my heart beats. I wish to go."</p>
+
+<p>She went to open the door, but abruptly
+shut it.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know why I am thus upset.
+Will you accompany me as far as the
+entrance gate?"</p>
+
+<p>Little-cypress held her up till they got
+to the gate; he had just left her and
+turned his head, when he heard her call
+for help in a voice full of anguish. He
+hurriedly turned round; no one was to
+be seen.</p>
+
+<p>As he was looking for her with stupefaction
+his eyes fell on a big cobweb,
+stretched in the corner of the wall. The
+ugly and gigantic insect held in its claws a
+dragon-fly who was struggling and dolefully<span class="pagenum">[43]</span>
+crying. Affected by this sight, he
+hastened to deliver it.</p>
+
+<p>The pretty insect immediately flew in
+the direction of the Pavilion-of-the-guests.
+Little-cypress saw it go in at the window
+and alight on the stone for grinding the ink.</p>
+
+<p>Then it arose again and alighted on the
+paper which was placed on the table;
+there it oddly crawled, retracing its steps,
+returning, advancing, and stopping. After
+a moment it took its flight and disappeared
+in the sky.</p>
+
+<p>Little-cypress, much puzzled, approached
+and looked; on the paper was written in
+big strokes the word "Thanks."</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[44]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_FAULT_AND_ITS_CONSEQUENCES"><i>THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES</i></h2>
+
+<p>When Dawning-colour was on the
+point of dying, he called his mother
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Mother," he said, "I am going to die.
+I do not wish White-orchid, my young
+wife, to feel herself bound to keep the
+widowhood. When her mourning will be
+finished, she will marry again: our son is
+only three years old; you will keep him
+with you."</p>
+
+<p>Now, the mourning was not yet finished
+and the coffin was still in the house waiting
+for a favourable day, when the young widow
+began to find the solitude weigh upon her.</p>
+
+<p>A rich sluggard of the village, named
+Adolescent, had several times sent proposals<span class="pagenum">[45]</span>
+to her through a neighbour; she at last
+was unwise enough to agree to an interview
+with him. When evening came,
+Adolescent jumped over the neighbour's
+wall and went to her room.</p>
+
+<p>He had not been there half an hour
+when there arose a great noise in the hall
+where the coffin was; it seemed as if the
+cover was violently thrown to the ground.
+A little slave who was called afterwards as
+a witness told how she ran into the yard
+and saw her master's corpse brandishing
+a sword and jumping towards the room
+where the lovers were to be found.</p>
+
+<p>A few instants after, she saw the young
+widow come out screaming and run to the
+garden. Adolescent followed her, covered
+with blood; he crossed the threshold and
+disappeared in the night.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Adolescent, flying from danger,
+pushed the first door that he came across
+in the street; it was that of a young couple;
+the husband, named Wang, was absent<span class="pagenum">[46]</span>
+and only expected to return the next day.
+The young wife, hearing a noise, thought
+it was her husband returning.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that you?" she asked, without
+quite waking up.</p>
+
+<p>Adolescent, who knew Madame Wang
+was pretty, answered "Yes" in a low
+voice, taking advantage of her error.</p>
+
+<p>A short time after, at Wang's turn to
+enter, he struck a light, saw a man in
+his room, and, furious, seized a pike.
+Adolescent tried to hide himself under the
+bed, but the husband transpierced him
+several times. He wished to kill his wife,
+but she so much begged him not to that he
+spared her.</p>
+
+<p>The cries and supplications which came
+from the room had, however, awoke the
+neighbours, who came in; they pulled
+Adolescent's body from under the bed; he
+died almost directly.</p>
+
+<p>There was a silence; the affair was
+serious. Then one of the assistants said:</p><p><span class="pagenum">[47]</span></p>
+
+<p>"The judges won't believe that you
+were in your right of outraged husband;
+you ought to have killed your wife also.
+As it is, you will be condemned."</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon, Wang killed the unhappy
+woman.</p>
+
+<p>During this time Dawning-colour's
+mother, having heard the screams of her
+daughter-in-law, thought there was a burglar
+in the house; she cried for help and
+tried to light a lamp, but she was trembling,
+and her curtains caught fire.</p>
+
+<p>Some neighbours arrived in haste; while
+a few of them extinguished the fire, the
+others, armed with crossbows, ran through
+the house and garden in search of the
+thief.</p>
+
+<p>At the bottom of the orchard they saw
+a white mass moving at the foot of the
+wall. Without waiting to ascertain what
+it was, they shot several arrows; everything
+was still. The archers approached
+and lit a torch; they saw the body of<span class="pagenum">[48]</span>
+White-orchid transpierced in the head
+and chest.</p>
+
+<p>Horrified by what they had done, they
+informed the old woman, who said nothing.</p>
+
+<p>But this was not all. The elder brother
+of White-orchid, furious at the tragic
+death of his sister, had a lawsuit with the
+archers and the old woman.</p>
+
+<p>As usual, the judges ruined both parties;
+they condemned Dawning-colour's mother
+and the archers to receive five hundred
+bamboo strokes. The latter were not strong
+enough to bear this punishment, and died
+under the stick. And thus the affair
+ended.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[49]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="DECEIVING_SHADOWS"><i>DECEIVING SHADOWS</i></h2>
+
+<p>Night was falling when the horseshoes
+of the mules of my caravan
+resounded on the slippery flagstones of the
+village.</p>
+
+<p>Tired by a long day of walking, I directed
+my steps towards the large hall of the
+inn, with the intention of resting a moment
+while my repast was being prepared.</p>
+
+<p>In the darkened room the glimmer of a
+small opium-lamp lit up the pale and
+hollow face of an old man, occupied in
+holding over the flame a small ball of the
+black drug, which would soon be transformed
+into smoke, source of forgetfulness and
+dreams.</p>
+
+<p>The old man returned my greeting, and
+invited me to lie down on the couch opposite<span class="pagenum">[50]</span>
+to him. He handed me a pipe already
+prepared and we began talking together.
+As ordered by the laws of politeness, I
+remarked to my neighbour that he seemed
+robust for his age.</p>
+
+<p>"My age? Do you, then, think I am so
+old?"</p>
+
+<p>"But, as you are so wise, you must have
+seen sixty harvests?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sixty! I am not yet thirty years
+old! But you must have come from a
+long way off, not to know who I am."</p>
+
+<p>And while rolling the balls with dexterity
+in the palm of his hand, and making them
+puff out to the heat of the lamp, he told
+me his story.</p>
+
+<p>His name was Liu Favour-of-heaven.
+Born and brought up in the capital, he had
+been promoted six years before to the
+post of sub-prefect in the town on which
+our refuge was dependent.</p>
+
+<p>When coming to take his post, he stopped
+at the inn, the same one where we were.<span class="pagenum">[51]</span>
+The house was full; but he had remarked,
+on entering, a long pavilion which seemed
+uninhabited. The landlord, being asked,
+looked perplexed; he ended by saying
+that the pavilion had been shut for the last
+two years; all the travellers had complained
+of noises and strange visions;
+probably mischievous spirits lived there.</p>
+
+<p>Favour-of-heaven, having lived in the
+capital, but little believed in phantoms.
+He found the occasion excellent to establish
+his reputation in braving imaginary
+dangers.</p>
+
+<p>His wife and his children implored him
+in vain; he persisted in his intention of
+remaining the night alone in the haunted
+house.</p>
+
+<p>He had lights brought; installed himself
+in a big armchair, and placed across his
+knees a long and heavy sword.</p>
+
+<p>Hours passed by; the sonorous noise
+of the gong struck by the watchman announced
+successively the hours, first of the<span class="pagenum">[52]</span>
+Pig, then of the Rat. He grew drowsy.
+Suddenly, he was awakened by the gnashing
+of teeth. All the lights were out; the
+darkness, however, was not deep enough
+to prevent his being able to distinguish
+everything confusedly. Anguish seized him;
+his heart beat with violence; his staring
+eyes were fixed on the door.</p>
+
+<p>By the half-opened door he perceived
+a round white mass, the deformed head of
+a monster, who, appearing little by little,
+stretched long hands with twisted fingers
+and claws.</p>
+
+<p>Favour-of-heaven mechanically raised his
+weapon; his blood frozen in his veins, he
+tried to strike the head, whose indistinct
+features were certainly dreadful. Without
+doubt the blow had struck, for a frightful cry
+was heard; all the demons of the inferior
+regions seemed let loose with this yell; calls
+were heard from all sides. The trellised
+frames of the windows were shaken with
+violence. The monster gained the door.<span class="pagenum">[53]</span>
+Favour-of-heaven pursued him and threw
+him down.</p>
+
+<p>His terror was such that he felt he must
+strike and kill. Hardly had he finished
+than there entered, rolling from side to
+side, a little being, quite round, brandishing
+unknown weapons at the end of innumerable
+small hands. The prefect, with
+one blow, cut him in two like a watermelon.</p>
+
+<p>However, the windows were shaken with
+growing rage; unknown beings entered
+by the door without interruption; the
+prefect threw them down one after another:
+a black shadow first, then a head balancing
+itself at the end of a huge neck, then the
+jaw of a crocodile, then a big bird with
+the chest and feet of a donkey.</p>
+
+<p>Trembling all over, the man struck right
+and left, exhausted and panting; a cold
+perspiration overwhelmed him; he felt his
+strength gradually giving way, when the
+cock crowed at last the coming of the day.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[54]</span></p>
+
+<p>Little by little, grey dawn designed the
+trellis of the windows, then the sun suddenly
+appeared above the horizon and
+darted its rays across the rents in the
+paper.</p>
+
+<p>Favour-of-heaven felt his heart stand
+still; on the floor inundated with blood,
+the bodies lying there had human forms,
+forms that he knew: this one looked like
+his second wife, and this one, this little
+head that had rolled against the foot of
+the table, he would have sworn that it was
+his last son.</p>
+
+<p>With a mad cry he threw away his
+weapon and ran to open the door, through
+which the sun poured in.</p>
+
+<p>An armed crowd was moving in the yard.</p>
+
+<p>"My family! my family! where is my
+family?"</p>
+
+<p>"They are all with you in the pavilion!"</p>
+
+<p>But as they were speaking they saw
+with stupor the hair of the young man
+becoming white, and the wrinkles of age<span class="pagenum">[55]</span>
+cover his face, while he remained motionless
+as well as insensible.</p>
+
+<p>They drew near; he rolled fainting on
+the ground. "And thus," ended the sub-prefect
+in the silence of the dark hall,
+where only the little light of the opium-lamp
+was shining, "I remained several days
+without knowledge of anything. When I
+came to myself, I had to bear the sorrow
+of having killed my whole family in these
+atrocious circumstances. I resigned my
+post: I had magnificent tombs built for
+all those who were killed this fatal night,
+and, since then, I smoke without ceasing the
+agreeable drug, in order to fly away from
+the remembrance, which will haunt me until
+my last day."</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[56]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="PEACEFUL-LIGHT"><i>PEACEFUL-LIGHT</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the time when the Shining Dynasty
+had just conquered the throne, the
+eastern coasts of the Empire were ravaged
+by the rapid junks commanded by the
+cruel inhabitants of the Japanese islands,
+the irresistible <i>Wo tsz</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Now, it happened that the <i>Wo tsz</i> Emperor
+lost his first wife; knowing the beauty of
+Chinese women, he charged one of his
+officers to bring back some of them.</p>
+
+<p>The officer, at the head of a numerous
+troop, landed not far from the town of
+The-Smoky-wall. No resistance was possible;
+the population was given the example
+of flight by the functionaries, at least it
+was thus said in the Annals of the prefecture.</p>
+
+<p>The country being far from the big centres,<span class="pagenum">[57]</span>
+the women were not great coquettes; only
+one, named Peaceful-light, had always
+been careful, since childhood, not to allow
+her feet to become naturally large; they
+were constantly bound up, so much so that
+she could hardly walk.</p>
+
+<p>Her large soft eyes were shaded with
+heavy eyelashes; one of the literati of
+the place took delight in quoting the poets
+of antiquity on them:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>Under the willow of her eyelashes
+The tranquil river of her eyes shines forth.
+I bend and see my image reflected in them.
+Could she be deceitful like the deep water?</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>When the pirates were coming, she
+begged her family to leave her, and to fly
+without the risk of being delayed by
+her.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the just punishment for my coquetry,"
+she told them. "Fear nothing for
+me, however. I am going to take a strong
+dose of the paste extracted from the flowers
+of Nao-yang which makes one sleep. The<span class="pagenum">[58]</span>
+pirates will think I am dead, and will leave
+me."</p>
+
+<p>The family allowed themselves to be
+persuaded, and departed. As to Peaceful-light,
+she was asleep almost directly after
+taking the drug, and she remained motionless
+on her bed.</p>
+
+<p>The pirates, entering everywhere, at
+last arrived in the house and remained
+struck with admiration by her beauty. The
+officer who was called, at first thought
+her dead and was much grieved, but,
+touching her hand and finding it warm
+and limp, he resolved to carry her away.</p>
+
+<p>When the ravishers were re-embarked,
+the strong sea-air and the motion of the
+boat revived the young girl; she awoke, and
+was horrified to find herself surrounded
+by strangers. The one who seemed the
+chief spoke to her in Chinese language
+in order to reassure her:</p>
+
+<p>"Fear nothing. No harm will come to
+you. On the contrary, the highest destiny<span class="pagenum">[59]</span>
+awaits you; my Lord The Emperor designs
+you to the honour of his couch."</p>
+
+<p>Seeing that no one troubled her, Peaceful-light
+was reassured; she resolved to wait,
+confident in her destiny, and knowing that
+she had still, ready in her sleeve, in case
+of necessity, a narcotic dose strong enough
+to kill her.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as she landed, she was taken in
+great haste to the Palace. The Emperor,
+greatly satisfied with her beauty, conferred
+on her at once the rank of first favourite.</p>
+
+<p>But all the luxury and love which surrounded
+her could not make her forget
+her family and her country; she resolved
+to run away.</p>
+
+<p>In order to manage it, she complained
+to her master how sad it was for her never
+to be able to speak her own language with
+companions from her country. The Emperor,
+happy to be able to please her, gave
+orders to fit out a sea-junk, in order to go
+to the Chinese coast.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[60]</span></p>
+
+<p>The day when all was ready the young
+girl found means of pouring into her master's
+drink a dose of her narcotic. Then, when
+he was asleep, she took his private seal and,
+going out of the room, she called the intendant
+of the Palace and said to him:</p>
+
+<p>"The Emperor has ordered me to go to
+China to fetch a magician, a member of
+my family, who has great power on water
+and wind. Here is the seal, proof of my
+mission. The ship must be almost ready."</p>
+
+<p>The intendant knew that a junk had
+been specially prepared to go to China; he
+saw the seal; what suspicion could he
+have? He had a palanquin brought as
+quickly as possible; two hours after, the
+wood of the junk groaned under the blows
+of the unfurling waves.</p>
+
+<p>Arriving in sight of the coast, on the
+pretext of not frightening the population,
+the young girl begged the officer who accompanied
+her to send a messenger to the
+prefect of the town, bearing a letter that<span class="pagenum">[61]</span>
+she had prepared. The officer, without
+distrust, sent one of his men.</p>
+
+<p>The letter of Peaceful-light showed a
+whole scheme to which the prefect could
+but give his consent. The messenger returned,
+bringing to the officer and to the
+men an invitation to take part in the
+feast that was being prepared for them,
+their intentions not being bad.</p>
+
+<p>Peaceful-light retired into her family,
+who welcomed her with a thousand demonstrations
+of joy.</p>
+
+<p>In the wine that was freely poured out
+for the strangers they had dissolved the
+flowers of Nao-yang. The effects were not
+long in being felt; a torpor that they
+attributed to the table excesses seized
+them one after another. They were soon
+all sleeping deeply. Men arrived with
+swords, glided near them, and, a signal
+being given, cut off their heads.</p>
+
+<p>While these events were passing in China,
+others still more serious were happening<span class="pagenum">[62]</span>
+in Japan. Soon after the departure of
+Peaceful-light, the Emperor's brother penetrated
+into the room where the sovereign
+was left sleeping. This brother was ambitious;
+he profited by the occasion,
+killed the unhappy Mikado, took possession
+of the seals of the State, and, calling
+his partisans in haste, proclaimed himself
+Chief of the State. Only a part of the
+princes followed him; the others, filled with
+indignation by the crime that had been
+accomplished, united their troops to crush
+the usurper; civil war tore the whole of
+Japan to pieces.</p>
+
+<p>As to Peaceful-light, by order of the
+authorities she received public congratulations
+and gifts of land which allowed her
+to marry and be happy, as she merited.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[63]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="HONG_THE_CURRIER"><i>HONG THE CURRIER</i></h2>
+
+<p>"In the time when the Justice of
+Heaven was actively employed with
+the affairs of the earth, one of my ancestors
+had an adventure to which we owe our
+present fortune, and of which few men of
+to-day have seen the equal."</p>
+
+<p>Thus began my friend Hong; reclining
+on the red cushions of the big couch, he
+fanned himself gracefully with an ivory
+fan painted all over.</p>
+
+<p>"Our family, as you know, originally
+came from the town of The-Black-chain in
+the province of The-Foaming-rivers. Our
+ancestor Hong The-just was a currier by
+trade; he cut and scraped the skins that
+were entrusted to him. His family was
+composed only of his wife, who helped him
+as well as she could.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[64]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Notwithstanding this persistent labour,
+they were very poor; no furniture ornamented
+the three rooms in the small
+house that they hired in the Street-of-the-golden-flowers.</p>
+
+<p>"When the last days of the twelfth moon
+in that year arrived, they found they were
+owing six strings of copper cash to ten
+different creditors. With all they possessed,
+there only remained 400 cash. What were
+they to do? They reflected for a long
+time. Hong The-just at last said to his
+wife:</p>
+
+<p>"'Take these 400 cash; you will be able
+to buy rice to live on. As to me, as I
+cannot pay my debts before the first day of
+the first moon, I am going to leave the
+town and hide myself in the mountain.
+My creditors, not seeing me, will believe
+you when you tell them that I have been
+to find money in the neighbouring town.
+Once the first day of the first moon passed,
+as law ordains to wait till the following term,<span class="pagenum">[65]</span>
+I shall then come back, and we shall continue
+to live as well as we can.'</p>
+
+<p>"It was indeed the wisest thing to do. His
+wife made him a parcel of a blanket and a
+few dry biscuits. She wept at seeing him
+go away quite bent, walking with difficulty
+on the slippery flagstones of the street.</p>
+
+<p>"The snow was falling in thick flakes and
+already covered the grey tiled roofs, when
+Hong The-just left the city gate and directed
+his steps to a cave that he knew of in a lonely
+valley.</p>
+
+<p>"He arrived at last, and, throwing his
+heavy load on the ground, he glanced around
+him in order to choose the place where he
+would sleep.</p>
+
+<p>"An exclamation of stupor escaped from
+him when he saw, seated motionless on a
+stone, a man clothed in a long sable cloak,
+with a cap of the same fur, looking at him
+in a mournful, indifferent way.</p>
+
+<p>"'How strange!' at last said Hong,
+laughing. 'Dare I ask your noble name<span class="pagenum">[66]</span>
+and the reason that brings you to this
+remote refuge? How is it that you are
+not with your friends, drinking hot wine
+and rejoicing in the midst of the luxuriance
+of the tables covered with various eatables
+and brilliant lights?'</p>
+
+<p>"'My name is Yang Glow-of-dawn. And
+you, what is your precious name?' replied
+mechanically the first occupant.</p>
+
+<p>"'I am called Hong The-just, and I am
+here to escape from my creditors.'</p>
+
+<p>"'You, also?' sneered Glow-of-dawn.
+'The strokes of Fate do not vary much.
+As for me, I deal in European goods; my
+correspondents have not settled my accounts
+and I am in want of nearly a hundred
+thousand ounces of silver to close the year.
+None of my friends could advance me the
+sum, and here I am, obliged to fly away from
+my creditors.'</p>
+
+<p>"'A hundred thousand ounces!' cried
+The-just. 'With a sum like that I should
+pass the rest of my days in plenty. Anyhow,<span class="pagenum">[67]</span>
+struck by the same misfortune, we
+are thus united; let us try to pass cheerfully
+the last day of the year, and attempt
+to imagine that these humble cakes are
+refined food.'</p>
+
+<p>"When they were eating their pastry
+and drinking water from the near torrent,
+Glow-of-dawn suddenly said:</p>
+
+<p>"'But you, how much do you owe? I
+have here a few ounces of silver; maybe you
+could balance your accounts with them.'</p>
+
+<p>"'My debts do not exceed six strings of
+copper cash. But how could I dare accept
+your offer?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Not at all! take these ten ounces;
+you will pay your debts and bring me here
+food and wine; that will help me to wait
+till the end of the festivals.'</p>
+
+<p>"The-just, reiterating his thanks, took the
+ingots that were offered him and went
+down as quickly as possible towards the
+town.</p>
+
+<p>"His wife, on seeing him and hearing<span class="pagenum">[68]</span>
+his story, could not restrain her joy. She
+hurried to go and buy provisions of all
+kinds. Her husband tried to light the
+stove, but they had not lit a fire for a
+long time; he found the chimney filled with
+soot and dust.</p>
+
+<p>"Hong tried to sweep it with a big broom,
+but the masonry gave way, filling the room
+with the bricks and rubbish.</p>
+
+<p>"'How very annoying!' grumbled the
+currier. 'Now the stove is destroyed let us
+take away what remains, and we will make
+the fire beneath the opening in the roof!'</p>
+
+<p>"When his wife returned, he was still
+working. She put down her basket and
+helped to raise a huge stone that formed
+the bottom of the hearth. What was their
+astonishment in seeing a chest, half-broken,
+from which big ingots of gold were falling!</p>
+
+<p>"'What are we to do with this?' said
+his wife. 'If we sell this gold, everybody
+will think that we have stolen it, and we
+shall be put in prison.'</p><p><span class="pagenum">[69]</span></p>
+
+<p>"'We have only one thing to do,' replied
+Hong. 'Let us entrust our fortune to my
+companion in the cave; he is a good man.
+We shall save him, and he will make our
+money prosper; I will hurry and tell him.'</p>
+
+<p>"When Hong arrived, it was nearly nightfall;
+Yang was standing under flakes of
+snow at the entrance of the grotto; he
+received him with reproaches:</p>
+
+<p>"'You have come so late that my eyes
+are sore in looking out for you in vain!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Do not abuse me, Old Uncle; drink
+this wine and eat these cakes that are still
+warm, and I will tell you what delayed me.'</p>
+
+<p>"And while Glow-of-dawn ate and drank,
+the other told him of his adventure and of
+his intentions about the treasure.</p>
+
+<p>"Surprised and touched, the merchant did
+not know how to express his wonder and
+gratitude. They talked over the best way
+of proceeding to bring the gold and settle
+the business.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, by the glimmer of a bad lantern,<span class="pagenum">[70]</span>
+they returned to the town and entered the
+merchant's house. There the currier washed
+himself, did his hair, and clothed himself
+in rich garments. A sedan-chair was
+waiting for him, followed by sturdy servants;
+he went away....</p>
+
+<p>"The next day Glow-of-dawn's creditors
+presented themselves at the house of their
+debtor. He was standing at the entrance,
+and bowed in wishing them a thousand
+times happiness. They entered; tea was
+brought in by busy servants. They at last
+discussed the settlement of their yearly
+accounts. The master of the house found
+out that he owed 180,000 ounces of silver.</p>
+
+<p>"'We have been informed that larger
+sums of silver are due to you, but you know
+the custom; you must settle everything
+to-day. In order to save you, we are
+content to make an estimate of your wealth,
+your goods and lands.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Do not give yourselves such a trouble,'
+replied the merchant, laughing and waving<span class="pagenum">[71]</span>
+his hand. 'I thought you would be relentless,
+so I have been to speak to my elder
+brother, who has an immense fortune; he
+has put at my disposal several hundred
+thousand ounces. But here! I hear the
+cry of the bearers; it must be him with
+the chests of white metal.'</p>
+
+<p>"The major domo came hurrying in, carrying
+high in the air the huge red card with
+the names and surnames written in black.</p>
+
+<p>"'The venerable Old Great Uncle The-just
+has arrived!'</p>
+
+<p>"'Allow me?' said Yang, getting up,
+and going towards the door, of which both
+sides were open. Hong entered. They
+made each other a thousand affectionate
+greetings, as all brothers do who are animated
+with right feelings.</p>
+
+<p>"'Dear elder brother! here are the gentlemen
+who have come for the settlement of
+my accounts about which I spoke to you.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Gentlemen!' and the currier bowed,
+not without a certain grace that his new<span class="pagenum">[72]</span>
+fortune had already given him. 'Well!
+how much is the total amount? I have
+brought you ten thousand ounces of gold,
+which is nearly 350,000 ounces of silver.
+Will you have enough?'</p>
+
+<p>"While he was speaking, bearers were
+trooping in, and laid down on the ground
+heavy chests, the lids of which being raised,
+one could see the bars of precious metal.</p>
+
+<p>"The merchants, thunderstruck by all
+these riches and generosity, remained silent
+for a moment; then they bowed low and
+bade the currier sit in the place of honour.</p>
+
+<p>"Many delicate and exquisite dishes were
+brought in of which The-just did not even
+know the names; sweet wines were handed
+round in small transparent china cups.</p>
+
+<p>"At last the secretaries counted the ingots,
+and they all returned home paid. When
+every one had retired, Glow-of-dawn knelt
+before the currier and, striking the earth
+with his forehead, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"'Now you are my elder brother. You<span class="pagenum">[73]</span>
+have rescued me, and I henceforth wish you
+to live here. My house, my properties,
+everything I possess belongs to you. Your
+wife is my sister-in-law.'</p>
+
+<p>"The currier hurried to raise him up and,
+much moved, said:</p>
+
+<p>"'I do not forget that it is you who saved
+me when you were still in misfortune.
+Your good genius has rewarded you. I am
+only the instrument of Fate.'"</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[74]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="AUTUMN-MOON"><i>AUTUMN-MOON</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the town of Sou-tcheou a young
+man lived called Lake-of-the-Immortals;
+he was wise and generous. His
+business consisted in going to fetch goods
+from neighbouring towns, which he afterwards
+brought back to his native city. He
+was thus obliged to be absent for lengthy
+periods, during which he left his house to
+the care of an elder brother, a celebrated
+scholar, who was married, and whom he
+tenderly loved.</p>
+
+<p>Once he had been by the Grand Canal
+as far as Chen-kiang; the goods he was
+going to take not being ready, he waited,
+and to while away the time he visited the
+Golden Island, whose temples with yellow-tiled
+roofs show in the verdure above the<span class="pagenum">[75]</span>
+yellow water of the river, nearly opposite
+to the town; he passed the night there, as
+visitors did usually.</p>
+
+<p>When he had just fallen asleep, he saw in
+a dream a young girl, fourteen or fifteen
+years old, her visage regular and pure.</p>
+
+<p>On the second night he had the same
+dream. Surprised, he awoke; it was no
+dream; the young girl was there, near to
+him. At a glance he saw she was no human
+being; he hastened to get up and, saluting,
+to ask her the ordinary questions.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Autumn-moon," she replied.
+"My father was a celebrated magician.
+When I died, he worked out my
+future destiny and wrote it down with
+powerful incantations; this charm has been
+put into my coffin, so that the inferior
+authorities should not make any mistake.
+It was written that, thirty years after my
+death, I should be called again to life and
+marry Lake-of-the-Immortals. There you
+are, and I have come to know my husband."</p><p><span class="pagenum">[76]</span></p>
+
+<p>As she said the last words she slowly
+vanished in the night. The next day, as
+the young man, disturbed and preoccupied
+by this strange adventure, was sitting in
+his room, thinking of her, she appeared
+suddenly before his eyes and said:</p>
+
+<p>"Come quickly! something important
+for you is going to happen at the prefect's
+palace. We have not a minute to lose."</p>
+
+<p>Lake-of-the-Immortals questioned her,
+but she would not answer. Then they both
+crossed the river and walked as fast as they
+could up to the yamen.</p>
+
+<p>As they arrived at the gate, four soldiers,
+dragging a prisoner, were on the point of
+entering. Lake-of-the-Immortals recognised
+his elder brother in the person of the prisoner;
+he drew near, threw himself on his neck, and
+pressed him to his heart.</p>
+
+<p>"How is it that you are here? why this
+arrest? And you, soldiers, where do you
+take him?"</p>
+
+<p>"We have orders: what means this interference?"<span class="pagenum">[77]</span>
+And they pushed the young
+man aside. Lake-of-the-Immortals was of a
+violent temper and had a strong affection for
+his brother; he could not let him go, and
+answered to the brutality of the soldiers by
+such a tempest of thumping and kicking
+that these honest but prudent soldiers asked
+no more and fled.</p>
+
+<p>"What have you done?" said Autumn-moon.
+"Hitting soldiers is serious; we
+must fly."</p>
+
+<p>And all three, running, arrived at the
+beach, jumped into a small boat, and rowed
+with all their strength.</p>
+
+<p>When day appeared, they were safely
+lodged in a small inn, several lis from Chen-kiang.
+Lake-of-the-Immortals, exhausted,
+went to sleep immediately. When he awoke,
+his two companions had disappeared. He
+asked the innkeeper; nobody had seen them
+go out.</p>
+
+<p>Distressed and sad, the young man did
+not dare to show himself outside. He<span class="pagenum">[78]</span>
+remained solitary in his room. When twilight
+came, his door opened and a woman
+entered:</p>
+
+<p>"I bring you a message from Autumn-moon;
+she has been arrested. If you wish
+to see her, you must follow me; I will
+show you the way."</p>
+
+<p>"And my brother? do you know anything?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your brother is safe in Sou-tcheou now.
+But come and follow me."</p>
+
+<p>They started and soon arrived before a
+wall, which they got over by helping one
+another. Through a window giving on the
+yard they fell in, the lover perceived
+Autumn-moon on a bed. Two soldiers
+were trying to tease her, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"What is the use of resisting us, as you
+will be executed to-morrow morning?"</p>
+
+<p>Lake-of-the-Immortals did not hear any
+more; he rushed into the room, threw
+himself on the soldiers, tore a sword from
+them, and laid them on the ground. Before<span class="pagenum">[79]</span>
+the wretched men had time to make a
+gesture of defence, he carried away the girl
+and flew.</p>
+
+<p>At this moment he started violently, and
+found himself in his same room in the
+Golden Island. A servant entered, bringing
+the breakfast he had ordered when arriving
+for the first time, the night before, on the
+island.</p>
+
+<p>As he was asking himself the meaning of
+such a vivid dream, he heard a noise in
+the courtyard. Going out, he saw several
+men surrounding the body of a girl stretched
+before his door.</p>
+
+<p>"Where does she come from?" asked
+some one.</p>
+
+<p>"We have never seen her!" said another.</p>
+
+<p>Lake-of-the-Immortals came nearer; it was
+the body, seemingly senseless, of Autumn-moon.
+He had her brought immediately
+into his room. A doctor who had been
+called declared she was still alive, but
+needed very careful nursing.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[80]</span></p>
+
+<p>When she awoke at last she smiled feebly
+to the young man.</p>
+
+<p>"No, it is no dream," she replied to his
+questions. "Your brother was called before
+the King of Hells; you saved him. You
+have saved me also from eternal disappearance,
+and I am called again to life; the
+prediction of my father was true."</p>
+
+<p>A fortnight later she was able to get up;
+they started together and arrived safely
+at Sou-tcheou. When they got to his
+brother's house, his sister-in-law told them
+there had been illness in the house; her
+husband had been in grave danger of
+death; he was quite well now.</p>
+
+<p>When they were all together, Lake-of-the-Immortals
+told what he had seen and done.
+They all listened to him in silence. The
+family henceforth lived united and happy.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[81]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_PRINCESS_NELUMBO"><i>THE PRINCESS NELUMBO</i></h2>
+
+<p>Gleam-of-day was sleeping; his
+round face and high forehead denoted
+the scholar's right intelligence.</p>
+
+<p>All of a sudden he saw a man standing
+before his bed who appeared to be
+waiting.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" inquired the sleeper,
+getting up.</p>
+
+<p>"The prince is asking for you."</p>
+
+<p>"Which prince?"</p>
+
+<p>"The prince of the neighbouring territory."</p>
+
+<p>Gleam-of-day, grumbling, got up, put on
+his court dress and followed his guide.
+Palanquins were waiting; they started
+rapidly, and their retinue was soon passing
+in the midst of innumerable pavilions and
+towers with pointed roofs.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[82]</span></p>
+
+<p>They at last stopped in the courtyard
+of the palace; young girls with bright
+clothing were seen, and looked inquiringly
+at the new-comer, who was announced with
+great pomp.</p>
+
+<p>At last Gleam-of-day reached the audience
+hall. The prince was seated on the throne;
+he descended the steps and welcomed his
+guest according to the rites.</p>
+
+<p>"You perfume this neighbourhood," he
+said. "Your reputation has come to me,
+and I wished to know you."</p>
+
+<p>The servants brought wine; they began
+to converse nobly and brilliantly. At last
+the prince asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Among the flowers, tell me which one
+you prefer."</p>
+
+<p>"The nelumbo," he replied, without
+hesitating.</p>
+
+<p>"The nelumbo? it is precisely my
+daughter's surname. What a curious coincidence!
+The princess must absolutely
+know you."</p><p><span class="pagenum">[83]</span></p>
+
+<p>And he made a sign to one of the attendants,
+who at once went out. A few minutes
+after, the princess appeared. She was between
+sixteen and seventeen years old.
+Nothing could equal her admirable beauty.</p>
+
+<p>Her father ordered her to bow to the
+scholar and said:</p>
+
+<p>"Here is my daughter Nelumbo."</p>
+
+<p>Gleam-of-day, looking at her, felt troubled
+to the depth of his soul. The prince spoke
+to him; he hardly heard, and replied awkwardly.
+When the princess had retired,
+the conversation languished; the prince at
+last rose and put an end to the interview.</p>
+
+<p>During all the way back the young man
+was ashamed at the same time with his
+emotion before the girl, as well as his
+rudeness towards the prince. He was so
+much troubled that he ordered his
+retinue to go back to the palace.</p>
+
+<p>When he entered the audience hall, he
+threw himself to the ground before the prince
+and begged to be excused for his rudeness.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[84]</span></p>
+
+<p>"You need not excuse yourself; the
+sentiment that I read in your eyes is powerful
+and the thought of it is not unpleasant
+to me."</p>
+
+<p>While Gleam-of-day, happy with this
+encouragement, was still excusing himself,
+twenty young girls came running:</p>
+
+<p>"A monster has entered the palace; it is
+a python ten thousand feet long. It has
+already devoured thirteen hundred persons;
+its head is like a mountain peak."</p>
+
+<p>Every one got up; the frightened guard
+and the courtiers ran hither and thither,
+looking where they could hide themselves.
+The princess and her maids-in-waiting were
+crying for help.</p>
+
+<p>Gleam-of-day at last said to the prince:</p>
+
+<p>"I have only three miserable rooms in
+a cottage, but you will be safe in them.
+Will you fly there with your daughter?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go as quickly as possible,"
+replied the prince, seizing the princess by
+the wrist.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[85]</span></p>
+
+<p>They all three ran across the deserted
+streets. When they arrived, Nelumbo threw
+herself on the bed, without being able to
+stop weeping.</p>
+
+<p>Gleam-of-day was so moved that he
+suddenly awoke: everything was a dream.</p>
+
+<p>Just then he heard a scream in the next
+room, where his father slept; there was a
+struggle, blows, and at last a sigh of satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>The door opened, and the old man was
+seen pushing an enormous serpent at the
+end of a stick. When Gleam-of-day turned
+back to his bed, he found it covered with
+bees; on the pillow the queen had alighted.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[86]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_TWO_BROTHERS"><i>THE TWO BROTHERS</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the town of Sou-tcheou there lived
+two brothers. The elder, surnamed
+Merchant, was very rich; the younger,
+named Deceived-hope, very poor. They
+lived side by side, and their houses, the
+paternal inheritance, were only separated
+by a low wall. They were both married.</p>
+
+<p>This year, the harvest having been bad,
+Deceived-hope could not afford the necessary
+rice for his family to live upon. His
+wife said to him:</p>
+
+<p>"Let us send our son to your brother:
+he will be touched and will give us something,
+without any doubt."</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope hesitated, but at last
+decided to take this step which hurt his
+pride. When the child returned from his<span class="pagenum">[87]</span>
+uncle's, his hands were empty. They questioned
+him:</p>
+
+<p>"I told my uncle that you were without
+rice; he hesitated and looked at my aunt.
+She then said to me: 'The two brothers live
+separately; their food also is separate.'"</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope and his wife did not say
+a word; they fetched the bale of rice that
+was still in their corn-loft and lived thus.</p>
+
+<p>Now, in the town, two or three vagabonds
+who knew the riches of Merchant
+broke open his door one night, and tied
+him up as well as his wife. As he would
+not show his treasure, they began burning
+his hands and feet. Merchant and his
+wife screamed for help. Deceived-hope
+heard them and got up in order to run to
+their house, but his wife held him back,
+and, approaching the wall which separated
+them, cried:</p>
+
+<p>"The two brothers live separately; their
+food also is separate."</p>
+
+<p>However, as their cries increased, Deceived-hope<span class="pagenum">[88]</span>
+could not contain himself, and,
+seizing a weapon, leapt over the wall, fell
+on the thieves, and dispersed them. Then,
+when his brother and his sister-in-law were
+delivered and quieted, he returned home,
+saying to his wife:</p>
+
+<p>"They are certain to give us a present."</p>
+
+<p>But, the next day and the days following,
+they waited in vain! Deceived-hope could
+not resist the temptation to relate everything
+to his friends. The same thieves heard
+of it and, thinking that he would not interfere
+any more, broke open the door of Merchant
+the same evening and began again to
+torture him as well as his wife.</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope, indeed, did not wish to
+interfere. However, his heart and his liver
+were upset by the painful cries of his brother.
+He could not forbear running to his help.</p>
+
+<p>The brigands, disconcerted, flew again,
+but this time Merchant and his wife were
+severely burnt; they lost the use of their
+hands and feet.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[89]</span></p>
+
+<p>The next day Merchant said to his wife:</p>
+
+<p>"My brother has saved our lives; without
+him we should be ruined; I am going
+to give him a part of what we have."</p>
+
+<p>"Do nothing of the kind," replied his
+wife; "if he had come sooner, he would have
+saved our hands and feet; now, thanks to
+him, we are infirm."</p>
+
+<p>And they did nothing. Deceived-hope,
+however, wanting money, made an act of
+sale of his house and sent it to his brother,
+hoping that he would be touched by his
+misery and would send back the deed with
+a present.</p>
+
+<p>In fact Merchant was going to send him
+some silver ingots, but his wife stopped
+him:</p>
+
+<p>"Let us take his house; we shall be
+able to make ours bigger, and it will be
+much more convenient."</p>
+
+<p>Merchant hesitated a little, but he ended
+by accepting the act, and sent the price
+agreed on. Deceived-hope went and settled<span class="pagenum">[90]</span>
+in another part of the town; with his
+small capital, he opened a vegetable-shop,
+which soon prospered.</p>
+
+<p>The brigands, having heard that Merchant
+was now living alone, broke open his door
+very quietly, tortured him, and then killed
+him, taking away all he had. In leaving the
+place, they cried all over the town:</p>
+
+<p>"Merchant's corn-loft is open! Let all
+the poor go and take the rice!"</p>
+
+<p>They thus went, one by one, silently,
+all the poor of the neighbourhood, taking
+away as much of the heaped-up rice as
+they could. Soon there was nothing left.</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope being informed, wished
+to revenge his brother; he pursued the
+brigands and killed two of them.</p>
+
+<p>From this time it was he who every day
+attended to the needs of his sister-in-law,
+now in misery. Some months afterwards,
+exhausted, she died.</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope came back and was soon
+settled in the patrimony that he had recovered.<span class="pagenum">[91]</span>
+One night he was soundly sleeping,
+when he saw his brother.</p>
+
+<p>"You have saved us twice, and we have
+been ungrateful. I should not be dead if
+I had not acted badly with you. I wish to
+make amends. Under the stone of the
+hearth you will find five hundred ounces of
+gold that I had hidden, and of the existence
+of which my wife was ignorant."</p>
+
+<p>Deceived-hope started from his sleep; he
+told his dream to his wife. She at once
+got up, drew out the stone of the hearth,
+and found the mass of gold. Henceforth,
+happy and rich, they lived long and were
+charitable and friendly with every one.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[92]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_MARBLE_ARCH"><i>THE MARBLE ARCH</i></h2>
+
+<p>When the troubles began to break out
+in Hankow, many families were
+alarmed. Those who were not ignorant of
+the powerful organisation of the revolutionists
+left the town as soon as possible,
+anticipating that it would soon be plundered
+and burnt.</p>
+
+<p>The retired prefect, Kiun, was amongst
+the first to embark in order to go down
+the river. His house was situated at
+several lis from the river, on the confines
+of the suburbs, outside the fortified
+enclosure. He had only been married a
+short time, and was living with his father
+and mother.</p>
+
+<p>When the baggage at last was ready,
+the bearers fixed it in the middle of<span class="pagenum">[93]</span>
+their long bamboos and set off two by
+two, grumbling under the heavy load.
+The two old people followed; Kiun and
+his young wife, the charming Seaweed,
+helped them as well as they could.</p>
+
+<p>In order to avoid crossing the centre of
+the town, they followed the crenellated wall
+by an almost deserted road. A young
+man and woman alone were sauntering in
+the same direction, carrying parcels on their
+shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going to?" they asked,
+as it is the custom to do between travellers.</p>
+
+<p>"As far as the river," replied Kiun.
+"And you?"</p>
+
+<p>"We also," said the young man. "What
+is your precious name?"</p>
+
+<p>"My contemptible name is Kiun. But
+you, deign to inform me about your
+family?"</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Wang The-king. We are
+flying from the insurrection."</p><p><span class="pagenum">[94]</span></p>
+
+<p>They thus talked while walking in company.</p>
+
+<p>Seaweed took the advantage of a moment
+when the new-comers were a little in front
+to bend towards her husband.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not let us get in the same junk
+with these strangers. The man has looked
+at me several times in a rude way; his eyes
+are unsteady and fickle; I am afraid of
+him."</p>
+
+<p>Kiun made a sign of assent. But when
+they had arrived on the quay, Wang The-king
+gave himself so much trouble to find
+a junk and help to embark the luggage
+that the prefect, bound by the rites, could
+not avoid asking him to get on board the
+boat with him.</p>
+
+<p>They unmoored; Wang The-king established
+himself on the prow with his wife,
+near the mariners; he spoke a long time
+with them while they were passing the last
+houses of the large city.</p>
+
+<p>When night fell, they were in a part of<span class="pagenum">[95]</span>
+the river where it got broader to such an
+extent that you could no longer distinguish
+the banks. The wind was blowing rather
+violently and the unfurling waves projected
+heavy showers on the mats which covered
+the quarter-deck.</p>
+
+<p>Kiun, uneasy, went to the prow of the
+boat in order to question the master. The
+bright moon was rising, lighting the dark
+line of the bank. They approached in
+order to throw the anchor.</p>
+
+<p>Wang The-king was on the narrow bridge;
+when Kiun came to his side, he coolly
+pushed the poor prefect overboard. Kiun's
+father was two paces behind; Wang ran to
+him and threw him also into the tumultuous
+waters of the rapid current. Kiun's mother,
+hearing a cry and a struggle, went to see
+what was happening, and she also was
+precipitated into the foaming river.</p>
+
+<p>Seaweed, from the cabin, had seen all;
+but she took good care not to go outside;
+she moaned:</p><p><span class="pagenum">[96]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Alas! my father-in-law and my mother-in-law
+are dead! My husband has been
+killed! I am going to die, too!"</p>
+
+<p>While she was crying, Wang The-king
+entered the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>"Fear nothing," said he; "forget those
+people who are no more and won't come
+back. I am going to take you home to
+the city of The-Golden-tombs. There I
+have fields and houses belonging to me; I
+will give them to you."</p>
+
+<p>The young woman kept back her sobs
+and said nothing; she thought it wise
+not to provoke the murderer.</p>
+
+<p>Wang The-king, very satisfied with his
+prospects, went back to the mariners, gave
+them the greater part of what his victims
+had brought in silver and luggage; then he
+quietly took his dinner and retired to his
+cabin with his wife. The woman had a
+strange look, but she did not say anything,
+and they went to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the hour of the Rat, the woman<span class="pagenum">[97]</span>
+began to groan; then she started out of her
+sleep and cried to her husband:</p>
+
+<p>"Kill me, repudiate me! I can no
+longer stay with you! Thunder and lightning
+will strike you! I have dreamt it;
+I will no longer be the wife of a murderer
+and a thief!"</p>
+
+<p>Wang, furious, struck her. But as she
+continued, he took her in his arms and
+threw her into the river.</p>
+
+<p>On the second day the boat arrived at
+The-Golden-tombs. Wang took Seaweed
+to his family. When his old mother asked
+what he had done with his first wife, he
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"She fell in the river, and I will marry
+this one."</p>
+
+<p>They were soon settled in the house.
+Wang wished to take liberties with Seaweed,
+who gently drove him back.</p>
+
+<p>"We must not neglect the rites. Do not
+let us forget to empty first the marriage
+cup."</p><p><span class="pagenum">[98]</span></p>
+
+<p>Wang joyously accepted; and soon,
+seated opposite each other, they began
+exchanging cups of wine in the ritual
+way.</p>
+
+<p>Seaweed, however, pretended to drink,
+and tried to make her lover tipsy; she
+contrived this little by little.</p>
+
+<p>Wang, rendered sleepy by the wine, undressed
+himself, got on the bed, and ordered
+the young woman to put out the lamps and
+come to him.</p>
+
+<p>She carefully blew the lamps and said:</p>
+
+<p>"I will come in a minute!"</p>
+
+<p>Then she quickly went to her luggage,
+took out a sword she had hidden there, and
+came back. Feeling with her hands in the
+darkness, she found the throat of the man
+and struck him as hard as she could: the
+man screamed and tried to get up; she
+struck again and again: there was a
+moaning, a gurgle, and then silence.</p>
+
+<p>However, Wang's mother, having heard
+some noise, came with a lantern. Seaweed<span class="pagenum">[99]</span>
+killed her before the old woman could
+even say a word.</p>
+
+<p>Then the young woman, having avenged
+her family, tried to cut her own throat, in
+order to join her husband. The sword was
+blunt and she was only able to scratch
+herself. She then remembered that, outside
+the house, there was a fairly big
+pond; she ran out and threw herself into the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>Some neighbours saw her and ran to her
+help; other people came; lanterns were
+brought forth; the poor girl at last was
+taken out of the pond, and brought back
+to her house. But, when the new-comers
+entered the room, they saw the bodies and
+the blood.</p>
+
+<p>"Murder! Murder!" cried they.</p>
+
+<p>And they immediately sent a boy to call
+the police. The constables came and looked
+all over the room; they soon found in Seaweed's
+luggage a note prepared by the
+unfortunate woman and stating the truth<span class="pagenum">[100]</span>
+about her family's death. The assistants
+were loud in their praise of her act:</p>
+
+<p>"She avenged her husband; she has
+been witty enough to beguile the murderer;
+and now she has killed herself! Such an act
+of courage and virtue has not been heard
+of for centuries. We must ask the authorities
+to build her a marble arch to
+commemorate her history, and be an
+example to future generations."</p>
+
+<p>While all this was going on, they tried
+to revive the woman; everything was done,
+but in vain. A coffin was then brought in,
+and the girl transferred to it, covered with
+her best garments and jewels. The lid
+was screwed on, and everybody left the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>We must now come back to the evening
+when Wang pushed into the water Seaweed's
+husband. Kiun was a strong man and a
+very good swimmer; surprised by this
+sudden attack, all he could do at first was
+to keep his head out of the tumultuous<span class="pagenum">[101]</span>
+water. He then thought to go back to the
+boat, but, on the foaming expanse nothing
+was to be seen; the rapid current had
+driven him too far. At last the water
+brought him to a curving beach, where he
+was able to land.</p>
+
+<p>Walking disconsolately on the sand, he
+saw a human body rolled by the surge;
+he approached, and recognised his father;
+farther on he saw his mother; both he
+dragged out of the water. Most uneasy
+about his wife, he walked on the river's
+edge, straining his eyes; the moon was
+shining; he saw at last a human being
+holding a big piece of wood. He swam to
+her, pushed her to the beach, and took her
+he thought was his wife to the dry sand.
+He undid the upper garment in order to
+rub her members; when he saw she was
+not so cold, he wiped her hair out of her
+face. His stupor was immense in recognising
+Wang's wife.</p>
+
+<p>The sun rose at last and warmed them.<span class="pagenum">[102]</span>
+The young woman sighed, opened her eyes,
+and, completely herself again, told Kiun
+what she had seen:</p>
+
+<p>"My husband is a murderer. In a
+dream I saw the King-of-Shadows himself
+sitting behind his tribunal and writing his
+name on the death-list. Besides, he is
+in love with your wife. If you wish it, we
+will go together straight to The Golden-tombs
+and do what we can to avenge
+ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>Kiun, seeing a man coming to work in a
+field not far from there, went to him and
+told him in a few words what had happened;
+the man led them to his landlord, a rich
+man, who gave them food and warm dresses,
+sent men to bring the drowned bodies to a
+side house and have them properly buried.
+Then he advanced a certain sum of money
+to Kiun, who agreed to send it back when he
+should get to a place where he could find
+a correspondent of his bankers.</p>
+
+<p>Then Kiun and his companion engaged a<span class="pagenum">[103]</span>
+small boat and went down the river. When
+they got to The Golden-tombs, they questioned
+the people in the street about Wang.
+A month had elapsed since the events we
+have told of; the first man they questioned
+looked at them in wonder:</p>
+
+<p>"How is it you don't know what
+happened? Wang is dead; he has been
+killed by a virtuous woman whose family
+he had murdered and who killed herself
+afterwards. You have only to go on; in
+the first street to your right you will see a
+new marble arch which has just been erected
+to commemorate virtuous Seaweed's courageous
+death."</p>
+
+<p>Kiun thought his heart would burst; he
+dragged his companion to the marble arch
+and read the inscription. Then he bought
+a bundle of those imitations of gold and
+silver ingots made with paper which people
+burn on the tombs in order to send some
+money to the dead; he went to the tomb
+in the place indicated by the inscription.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[104]</span></p>
+
+<p>There he reverently knelt, and, after
+having knocked the ground with his forehead,
+he burnt the paper-ingots, rose, and
+went away with Wang's wife.</p>
+
+<p>When they were back in their boat, they
+discussed their plans and resolved to go
+down the river to Shanghai.</p>
+
+<p>They were leaving the harbour, when a
+small boat crossed their way; two women
+sat on the bench. One of them reminded
+Kiun strangely of his late wife. The woman
+had looked up at him and seemed surprised.
+The retired prefect, moved by a mysterious
+strength, pronounced aloud a sentence which
+used to make his wife laugh when they
+were together happy in Hankow:</p>
+
+<p>"I see wild geese flying high in the
+sky."</p>
+
+<p>Seaweed, when she was alive, used to
+answer by a phrase which had nothing to do
+with the first sentence, and had made them
+laugh very often by its stupidity. The
+woman in the boat said it too:</p><p><span class="pagenum">[105]</span></p>
+
+<p>"The dog wants the cat's biscuit; you
+quickly shut it in the house."</p>
+
+<p>Kiun, wondering whether it was Seaweed's
+ghost, asked the mariners to go
+alongside the other boat; he jumped in it;
+the woman threw her arms round his neck,
+and they wept together.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you alive? or is it only your ghost
+I hold in my arms?" asked he.</p>
+
+<p>"I am alive!"</p>
+
+<p>Then she told him her adventures; when
+she was put into the coffin, she had some
+jewels on. One of the assistants resolved
+to steal them; he waited till everybody
+was gone and the house empty; then he
+deliberately unscrewed the coffin's lid and
+rifled what he could. He was trying to
+take a ring off her hand, when the supposed
+corpse rose and screamed.</p>
+
+<p>The poor man thought his last hour had
+come and did not move. Seaweed, seeing
+her jewels in his hands, and seeing the coffin
+she was in, grasped the situation at a glance.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[106]</span></p>
+
+<p>"You want my jewels! Have them if
+you like; you saved my life, and without
+you I would have been stifled in this gruesome
+box."</p>
+
+<p>The man at first dared not accept; then
+he said:</p>
+
+<p>"In exchange for your kindness, I will
+tell you something. In the third house in
+the first street lives a rich widow; she is
+alone and would like to adopt a girl; go
+to her and tell her everything. She will be
+happy to give you a home."</p>
+
+<p>Then he helped her to get out of the coffin,
+screwed the lid again, and disappeared.
+Seaweed went straight to the house. The
+widow received her with the greatest kindness,
+and asked of her to let everybody
+believe she was dead; if not, there would
+have been a lawsuit.</p>
+
+<p>Both women, now united by the closest
+affection, had been out on the river for
+pleasure's sake when they saw Kiun's
+bark. The widow, when the explanations<span class="pagenum">[107]</span>
+were finished, opened her arms to Kiun;
+she called him her son-in-law. Seaweed
+asked Wang's wife to be the second wife
+of her husband. And they all lived long
+and happy.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[108]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_DUTIFUL_SON"><i>THE DUTIFUL SON</i></h2>
+
+<p>At the foot of the Oriental-Perfume-Mountain,
+in one of the most beautiful
+places of this celebrated district, the
+passers-by could see a small lodge. Chou
+The-favourable lived there with his mother.
+He was still young, being only thirty years
+old, and earned his living in the way so
+highly praised by the ancient Classics; he
+cultivated a small field by his house, and
+every week went to the next market to
+exchange what he had for what he wanted.</p>
+
+<p>Both were very happy, when a calamity
+befell them; the old mother one morning
+felt a pain in her right leg. Two or three
+days afterwards she had there an ulcer that
+no remedies could cure; everything was
+tried and everything failed. Day and<span class="pagenum">[109]</span>
+night she was moaning, turning over in her
+hard wooden bed.</p>
+
+<p>The-favourable forgot to drink and eat,
+in his anxiety to give his mother the
+medicines the doctor advised.</p>
+
+<p>Several months wore on; the ulcer did
+not heal. The despair of the son was
+greater every day; at last, overcome by
+his fatigue, he fell asleep and dreamt that
+he saw his father. The old man told
+him:</p>
+
+<p>"You have been a dutiful son. But I
+must tell you that your mother will not
+recover if you can't apply to her ulcer a
+piece of man's fat."</p>
+
+<p>Then everything was dissolved like a
+smoke in the wind.</p>
+
+<p>The-favourable awoke and, thinking over
+his dream, he found it very strange.</p>
+
+<p>"What can I do?" thought he. "Man's
+fat is not easily found in the market. My
+father would not have appeared to me if
+this extraordinary medicine was not really<span class="pagenum">[110]</span>
+the only thing that will cure my mother.
+Well, I will take a piece of fat of my own
+body; I have nothing else to do."</p>
+
+<p>Then, rising from his bed, he took a
+sharp knife, and, pulling the skin of his side,
+he cut a large piece off. His pain was not
+so great as he had expected it to be, and,
+what seemed more extraordinary to him,
+no blood flowed from the wound.</p>
+
+<p>He could not see that, from the heaven
+above, a messenger had come on a cloud,
+was recording this noble feat on his life's
+register, and helped him by averting all
+ordinary sufferance.</p>
+
+<p>The-favourable hastened to put the piece
+of flesh on his mother's ulcer; the pain
+disappeared immediately, and a few days
+after the old woman could walk as she
+used to do; on her leg there remained only
+a red scar.</p>
+
+<p>When she asked what medicine had been
+employed, The-favourable eluded the
+answer. But somehow the truth was known<span class="pagenum">[111]</span>
+in the neighbourhood; the prefect sent a
+report to the Throne and came himself
+with a decree of the Emperor, giving a title
+and an allowance to the dutiful son.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[112]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THROUGH_MANY_LIVES"><i>THROUGH MANY LIVES</i></h2>
+
+<p>Some people remember every incident
+of their former existences; it is a
+fact which many examples can prove.
+Other people do not forget what they
+learned before they died and were born
+again, but remember only confusedly what
+they were in a precedent life.</p>
+
+<p>Wang The-acceptable, of the Yellow-peach-blossom
+city, when people discussed
+such questions before him, used to narrate
+the experience he had had with his first son.</p>
+
+<p>The boy, at the time he spoke of, was
+three or four years old. He did not say
+many words, and some people thought he
+was dumb. One day, The-acceptable was
+writing a letter, when he was disturbed by a
+friend. He put his writing-brush down on<span class="pagenum">[113]</span>
+the table and left the room. When he
+came back, his letter was finished, and
+written much more correctly than he
+would have believed himself able to do.
+Besides, he did not remember having
+finished it. The puzzle did not trouble him
+very much.</p>
+
+<p>Another day the same thing occurred;
+he left the room, leaving a letter unfinished
+on the table; when he came back, the
+letter was nearly ended. Nobody but the
+boy had been in the room. Troubled and
+suspicious, he rose and feigned to go away;
+but he came back immediately and noiselessly.
+From the door, he saw his boy
+kneeling on the stool and writing the letter.</p>
+
+<p>The little man suddenly saw his father
+and asked to be forgiven. The father of
+course laughed:</p>
+
+<p>"We all thought you were dumb; if
+you are such a learned man, the family
+happiness will be great! How could we
+punish you?"</p><p><span class="pagenum">[114]</span></p>
+
+<p>From that date he had good lessons
+given to the boy, who very early passed
+successfully his third degree examination
+and became one of the most celebrated
+"Entered among the learned" of his time.</p>
+
+<p>When his father asked him whether he
+remembered what he had been before being
+what he now was, the boy said that the
+first life he could remember was that of
+a young student; he lived in a monastery
+to save as much as he could of his income.
+When he died, the King-of-the-Darkness
+punished him for his stinginess and condemned
+him to become a donkey in the
+same monastery he had lived in.</p>
+
+<p>He wanted to die, but did not know
+what to do; the priests loved him and
+were very careful. One day he was on a
+mountain road and was tempted to throw
+himself downhill; but he had a man on his
+back and was afraid of the punishment
+the King-of-the-Darkness would inflict upon
+him if he killed that man. So he went on.<span class="pagenum">[115]</span>
+Many years passed; he died at last, and
+was born again as a peasant. But, as he
+had forgotten nothing of his former lives,
+he was able to speak a few days after his
+birth. His father and mother judged the
+thing highly suspicious and killed him.</p>
+
+<p>After that, he was born in the family of
+Wang The-acceptable. Appreciating the
+surroundings, and bearing in mind that he
+had last been killed because he spoke too
+early, he was very careful this time not
+to utter a single word. But when he saw
+the paper and ink he could not resist his
+love of literature and finished the letter.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[116]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_RIVER_OF_SORROWS"><i>THE RIVER OF SORROWS</i></h2>
+
+<p>Along the path leading to the city
+of All-virtues, in the obscure night,
+a poor coolie, grumbling under a heavy
+load of salt, was trudging on as fast as he
+could.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never get there before the hour
+of the Rat, and my wife will say again;
+'Wang The-tenth has drunk too many cups
+of wine.' She does not know the weight
+of that stuff!"</p>
+
+<p>As he was thus thinking, two men suddenly
+jumped from either side of the road
+and held him by the arms.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" cried the poor
+man. "I am only an unhappy carrier,
+and my load is only salt, very common
+salt."</p><p><span class="pagenum">[117]</span></p>
+
+<p>"We don't want your salt, and you had
+better throw it down. We are sent from
+the Regions below and we want you to
+come down with us."</p>
+
+<p>"Am I dead already?" asked The-tenth.
+"I did not know. I must tell my
+wife. Can't you come again to-morrow
+night?"</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible to wait. You must come
+immediately. But I don't think you are
+dead. It is only to work for a few days
+down below."</p>
+
+<p>"This is rather strange," replied The-tenth.
+"With all the people who have died
+since the world has been the world you still
+want living men? We don't go and ask
+you to do our work, do we?"</p>
+
+<p>While thus arguing, he felt himself suffocated
+by a heavy smell and lost consciousness.</p>
+
+<p>When he awoke, he was on the bank of a
+fairly large river. Hundreds of men were
+standing in the water; some of them<span class="pagenum">[118]</span>
+carried baskets; others, with spades and
+different utensils, were dragging out what
+they could from the bottom. Soldiers with
+heavy sticks struck those who stopped
+even for a second.</p>
+
+<p>On the bank several men were standing,
+and a number of others came from time to
+time. A magistrate was sitting behind a
+big red table, turning over the pages of a
+book. At last, he called "Wang The-tenth."</p>
+
+<p>"Wang The-tenth!" repeated the soldiers.
+And they threw the poor man down
+in a kneeling position in front of the magistrate,
+who looked on the book and said:</p>
+
+<p>"You have been an undutiful son; do
+you remember the day when you told your
+father he was a fool?"</p>
+
+<p>Then speaking to the soldiers, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"To the river!"</p>
+
+<p>The guards pushed the man, gave him a
+basket, and ordered him to help in the cleaning
+of the river.</p>
+
+<p>The water was red and thick; its stench<span class="pagenum">[119]</span>
+was abominable; the bodies of the workmen
+were all red, and The-tenth discovered it
+was blood. He looked at the first basket
+he took to the bank; it was only putrid
+flesh and broken bones.</p>
+
+<p>Thus he worked day by day without
+stopping. When he was not going fast
+enough, the guards struck him with their
+sticks, and their sticks were bones. In
+the deep places he had to put his head into
+the water and felt the filthy stuff fill his
+nostrils and mouth.</p>
+
+<p>Among the workers he recognised many
+people he used to know. A great number
+died and were carried away by the stream.</p>
+
+<p>At last two guards called his name, helped
+him to the bank, and suddenly he found
+himself again on the path leading to the
+city of All-virtues.</p>
+
+<p>Now, on the night when The-tenth was
+taken away, his wife waited for him.
+Troubled not to see him, she started as
+soon as the sun beamed, and looked for<span class="pagenum">[120]</span>
+him on the road. She soon found his body
+lying unconscious. Trying in vain to revive
+him, she thought him dead, and wept
+bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>Not being strong enough to bring home
+his body, she came back to town in order
+to ask the help of her family. In the afternoon,
+clad in the white dress of mourning,
+and accompanied by her four brothers, she
+started again.</p>
+
+<p>What was her astonishment and fear
+when, approaching the place where she
+had found the body, she saw her husband
+walking towards her. He was all covered
+with blood, and the stench was so strong
+that everybody pinched his nose.</p>
+
+<p>When he had explained what had happened,
+they all returned to the village.
+The-tenth knelt reverently before his ancestors'
+tablet, offered butter and rice, and
+burnt incense.</p>
+
+<p>This very day he asked a Taoist priest
+what was the river he had worked in.<span class="pagenum">[121]</span>
+The priest explained to him it was called
+the River-of-sorrows. It took its source
+in the outer world in every tear that was
+shed. The people that killed themselves
+out of despair were floated down its stream
+to the kingdom of shadows.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes the sorrows on earth were so
+great that people killed themselves by
+thousands and did not shed any tears; the
+blood then was too thick to wash away the
+decayed remains, and the river-bed had to
+be cleaned lest it should overflow and drown
+the whole world. Living men alone were
+employed in this work, for only living men
+can cure living men's sorrows.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[122]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_MYSTERIOUS_ISLAND"><i>THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the beautiful Chu-san archipelago
+there is a small island where the
+flowers never cease blooming, and where
+the trees grow thick and high. From the
+most remote antiquity nobody has been
+known to live in the shade of this virgin
+forest; the ferns, the creepers, are so entangled
+that it is impossible for a man to
+cross this wilderness without clearing his
+way with a hatchet.</p>
+
+<p>A young student named Chang, who
+lived in the City-over-the-sea, used to rest
+himself from his daily labour by going out
+to sea in a small junk he managed himself.</p>
+
+<p>Having heard of the mysterious island, he
+resolved to explore it, prepared wine and
+food, and sailed out on a beautiful summer's
+morning.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[123]</span></p>
+
+<p>Towards midday he neared the place
+where the island was supposed to be.
+Soon a delicious perfume of flowers was
+brought to him by the hot breeze. He
+saw the dark green of the trees over the
+light green of the sea, and, when still nearer,
+the yellow sand of the beach, where he
+resolved to disembark.</p>
+
+<p>The junk touched the shore; he tied it
+to a large fallen tree whose end dipped into
+the gentle waves, and proceeded at once to
+a hearty meal.</p>
+
+<p>While he was storing again in the boat
+what remained of his provisions, he was
+suddenly startled by a subdued laugh.
+Turning his head, he saw among the wild
+roses of the shore, a young girl covered with
+a long blue dress, who looked at him with
+dark eyes full of flame.</p>
+
+<p>"Your servant is most happy to see you
+here. I did not suppose I should ever have
+the pleasure of meeting you."</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you?" asked Chang, forgetting,<span class="pagenum">[124]</span>
+in his astonishment, the proper forms of
+inquiry.</p>
+
+<p>"I am only a poor singer who has been
+brought here by The-Duke-of-the-sea."</p>
+
+<p>Chang, hearing these words, was afraid
+in his heart; The-Duke-of-the-sea was a
+renowned pirate who used to plunder every
+village of the coast, and was reputed to be
+cruel and vindictive. But the girl was so
+attractive that he soon forgot everything
+in the pleasure of her chatter.</p>
+
+<p>Seated at the foot of a big tree, they were
+laughing, when a noise came from the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"It is The-Duke-of-the-sea! It is The-Duke-of-the-sea!"
+murmured the girl. "I
+must be off at once."</p>
+
+<p>And she disappeared behind the foliage.</p>
+
+<p>While Chang was asking himself what he
+should do, he suddenly saw a huge snake
+coming straight to him. Its body was as
+thick as a cask, and so long that the end
+was still hidden in the forest, while the head
+was balancing over the frightened student.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[125]</span></p>
+
+<p>Chang could not say a word and dared
+not move: the snake entwined himself
+round a tree and round the man, holding
+fast its prisoner's arms. Then, lowering
+its head, it threw out its tongue, and,
+pricking the student's nose, began to suck
+the blood which came out and fell on the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>Chang saw that, if he did not immediately
+free himself, he would certainly die. Feeling
+cautiously with his hand round his waist, he
+took from his purse a certain poisoned pill
+that he kept there and intended to try on
+wolves and foxes. With two fingers he
+took the pill and threw it into the red pool
+at his feet.</p>
+
+<p>The snake, of course, sucked it with the
+blood; it immediately stopped drinking,
+straightened its body, and rocked its head
+to and fro, knocking the tree-trunks and
+hissing desperately.</p>
+
+<p>Chang, feeble and hardly able to stand,
+dragged himself as fast as he could out of<span class="pagenum">[126]</span>
+reach on to the beach and quickly untied
+his boat. Nevertheless, before going out
+to sea, he fetched a sword and went cautiously
+into the wood again. The snake
+did not move. Chang flourished his sword,
+and with a mighty stroke cut the head off
+and ran to his boat.</p>
+
+<p>He returned to the City-over-the-sea,
+went to bed and was ill for a month.
+When he spoke of his experience, he always
+said that, to his mind, it was the beautiful
+girl he had seen at first who had come
+again in the form of a snake.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[127]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_SPIRIT_OF_THE_RIVER"><i>THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER</i></h2>
+
+<p>In a small village along the river Tsz
+lived a fisherman named Siu. He
+started every night with his nets, and took
+very great care not to forget to bring with
+him a small jar of spirits. Before throwing
+his cast-net, he drank a small cup of the
+fragrant liquor and poured some drops into
+the slow current, praying aloud:</p>
+
+<p>"O Spirit-of-the-river, please accept these
+offerings and favour your humble servant.
+I am poor and I must take some of the
+fishes that live in your cold kingdom.
+Don't be angry against me and don't
+prevent the eels and trouts coming to
+me!"</p>
+
+<p>When every fisherman on the river
+brought back only one basket of fishes, he<span class="pagenum">[128]</span>
+always proudly bore home a heavy charge
+of two or three baskets full to the
+brim.</p>
+
+<p>Once, on a rosy dawn of early spring,
+when the sun, still below the horizon, began
+to eat with its golden teeth the vanishing
+darkness, he said aloud:</p>
+
+<p>"O Spirit-of-the-river! For many years,
+every night I have drunk with you
+a good number of wine-cups; but I never
+saw your face; won't you favour me with
+your presence? We could sit together, and
+the pleasure of drinking would be much
+greater."</p>
+
+<p>Hardly had he finished these words when,
+from the middle of the stream, emerged a
+beautiful young man clothed in pink, who
+slowly walked on the smooth surface of
+the limpid water, and sat on the boat's end,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Here I am."</p>
+
+<p>The fisherman, being half-drunk, was
+not troubled in any way; he bowed to the<span class="pagenum">[129]</span>
+young man, offered him, with his two hands,
+a cup of the strong wine, and said:</p>
+
+<p>"Well! I long wished to receive your
+instructions, and I am very glad to see
+you. You must be mighty tired of living
+in that water; the few drops of wine I
+pour every night are quite lost in such a
+quantity of tasteless liquid. You had better
+come up every night; we will drink together
+and enjoy each other's company."</p>
+
+<p>From this day, when darkness closed in,
+the Spirit waited for the fisherman and
+partook of his provisions. As soon as the
+sun rose above the horizon he suddenly
+disappeared. The fisherman did not find
+that very convenient; he asked his companion
+if he could not arrange to stay with
+him sometimes in the daytime.</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible; we can't do such a thing,
+we spirits and ghosts. We belong to the
+kingdom of shadows. When the shadows,
+fighting the daylight, bring with them the
+Night, we are free to go and wander about.<span class="pagenum">[130]</span>
+But as soon as the herald of the morn,
+the cock, has proclaimed the daily victory
+of the sun, we are powerless and must
+disappear."</p>
+
+<p>On the same day the fisherman was sitting
+on the bank, smoking a pipe before going
+home with his baskets, when he saw a
+woman holding a child in her arms and
+hastening along the river towards a ford
+some hundred yards up stream. She was
+already in the water, when she missed her
+footing, fell into the river, and was rolled
+away by the stream. The child, by some
+happy chance, had fallen on the bank and
+lay there, crying.</p>
+
+<p>The fisherman could easily have gone in
+his boat and saved the woman, who was
+still struggling to regain the bank, but he
+was a prudent man:</p>
+
+<p>"This woman, whom I don't know, seems
+to be beautiful," thought he. "Maybe it
+is my friend The-Spirit-of-the-river who
+has arranged all this, and chosen the girl<span class="pagenum">[131]</span>
+to be his wife. If I prevent her going down
+to his cold lodgings, he will be angry and
+ruin my fishing. All I could do is to adopt
+this boy until somebody comes and asks
+for him."</p>
+
+<p>And he did not move, until the poor
+woman had disappeared in the yellow
+stream; then he took the child. Once
+back in the village, he inquired about the
+mother; nobody could tell who she was.
+The days passed and nobody asked for
+the boy. This was strange enough, but,
+stranger still, from this day the fisherman
+never saw The-Spirit-of-the-river again.
+He offered him many cups of wine, and his
+fishing was as good as ever, but though he
+prayed heartily, his companion of so many
+nights did not appear any more.</p>
+
+<p>When the boy was three years old he
+insisted on accompanying his adopted father
+in his night fishing. Summer had come;
+the cold was no more to be feared.
+The man consented to take his adopted son<span class="pagenum">[132]</span>
+with him; they started together in the
+twilight.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the darkness closed, the boy's
+voice changed; his appearance was different.</p>
+
+<p>"What a silly man you are!" said he.
+"Don't you know me now? For more
+than two years I waited for an opportunity
+to tell you who I was. But you always
+went out at night and you never came back
+before the sun was high in the sky. You
+had never failed to present your offerings;
+so I could not resist your prayer when you
+asked me to stay with you in the daytime.
+Now, here I am, till your death; when
+the sun is up I shall only be your son,
+but when the night closes I shall be your
+companion, and we will enjoy together what
+longevity the Fate allows you."</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[133]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN"><i>THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the twenty-second year of the period
+Eternal-happiness, the population of
+Chao-cheou's harbour, awaking on a bright
+summer's morning, were extremely surprised
+and frightened to see, swaying on the blue
+water of the bay, a strange and abnormally
+huge ship. The three high masts were
+heavily loaded with transversal pieces of
+wood, from some of which sails were still
+hanging; another mast projected horizontally
+from the prow, and three sails
+were tightened from this to the foremast.</p>
+
+<p>A small boat was lowered from the ship's
+side and rowed to the quay. Several hundreds
+of people were watching the proceedings,
+asking one another if it was a<span class="pagenum">[134]</span>
+human invention or a ship coming from the
+depths of hell.</p>
+
+<p>The small boat stopped at a short distance
+from the bank; one could see that, beside
+the rowers, there were three men seated in
+the stern; their heads were covered with
+extraordinarily long and fluffy grey hair;
+they wore big hats with feathers of many
+colours. A Chinaman was in the boat and
+hailed the people:</p>
+
+<p>"Ha! Please tell the local authorities
+that high mandarins from the ocean want
+to speak to them. We are peaceful. But
+if you do any harm to our men or ships,
+our wrath will be such that we will destroy
+in one day the whole town and kill everybody
+within ten miles' distance."</p>
+
+<p>Three or four men belonging to the Yamen
+had heard these words; they ran to the
+prefect's palace and came back with an
+answer they delivered to the new-comers:</p>
+
+<p>"His Excellency the prefect consents to
+receive your visit. If you are peaceful,<span class="pagenum">[135]</span>
+no harm will be done to you. But if you
+steal anything, or wound or kill anybody,
+the laws of our country will be enforced
+upon you without mercy."</p>
+
+<p>Then the boat slowly accosted the quay;
+two of the men with feathered hats disembarked
+with the Chinaman, while six of the
+rowers, leaving their oars in the boat,
+shouldered heavy muskets, and cleared the
+way, three walking in front of the feathered
+hats and three behind. The rowers wore
+small caps and had long blue trousers and
+very short blue coats.</p>
+
+<p>The prefect, in his embroidered dress,
+awaited them on the threshold of his
+reception-room. He bade the new-comers
+be seated and asked their names and their
+business; the Chinaman translated the questions
+and the answers.</p>
+
+<p>"We come from the other side of the
+earth."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," thought the prefect. "I was
+sure of it, the earth being square and flat,<span class="pagenum">[136]</span>
+the other side of it is certainly hell. What
+am I to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"We only want to trade with your
+countrymen. We will sell you what goods
+we have brought; we will buy your country's
+productions, and if no harm is done we will
+sail away in a few days."</p>
+
+<p>"Our humble country is very poor,"
+answered the prefect. "The people are not
+rich enough to buy any of the splendid goods
+you may have brought. Besides, this country's
+products are not worth your giving
+any money for them. If I can give you
+good advice, you had better sail away to-day
+and get to the first harbour of the
+northern province; there they are very
+rich."</p>
+
+<p>"We have just come from it; they told
+us the very reverse. Here, according to
+them, we should be able to find everything
+we want. Besides, our mind is settled;
+we will remain here long enough to buy
+what we want and to sell what we can. We<span class="pagenum">[137]</span>
+are very peaceful people as long as one
+deals justly with us. But if you try to
+beguile us, we will employ all our strength
+in the defence of our rights. All we want
+is a place on shore where we can store and
+show our goods."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well; I never intended to do anything
+of the sort," said the prefect. "But
+the Emperor is the only possessor of the soil.
+How could I give you a place even on the
+shore?"</p>
+
+<p>"We don't want very much, and the
+Emperor won't know anything. Give us
+only the surface of ground covered by a
+carpet, and we will be satisfied."</p>
+
+<p>Chinese carpets are not more than two
+or three feet broad and five or six feet wide.
+The prefect thought he could not be blamed
+to authorise the foreigners to settle on
+such a small piece of ground; on the other
+hand, if he refused, there would ensue
+trouble and he would certainly be cashiered.</p>
+
+<p>"It is only as a special arrangement<span class="pagenum">[138]</span>
+and by greatly compromising with the law
+that I can give you this authorisation."</p>
+
+<p>And the prefect wrote a few words on
+one of his big red visiting-cards. The
+interpreter carefully perused the document.
+Then the foreigners went back to their
+ship. The same day a proclamation was
+issued and pasted on the walls of the public
+edifices, explaining to the people that The-Devils-of-the-ocean
+had been authorised
+to settle on a piece of ground not bigger
+than a carpet and that no harm should be
+done to them.</p>
+
+<p>In compliance with these orders, nobody
+dared oppose the foreigners when they
+began unrolling on the shore a carpet
+ten yards broad and thirty yards long.
+When the carpet was unrolled, The-Devils-of-the-ocean
+put themselves in ranks with
+muskets and swords on the carpet; nearly
+five hundred men stood there close to one
+another.</p>
+
+<p>The prefect, who had personally watched<span class="pagenum">[139]</span>
+the proceeding, was so angry against the
+foreigners for their cunningness that he
+immediately ordered troops to drive them
+out into the water. But the foreigners had a
+devilish energy nobody could resist; they
+killed a great many of our people, burned
+the greater part of the city, and occupied
+for several years all the northern part of
+the bay, where they erected a sort of bazaar
+and a fortress, which still exist to this
+day.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[140]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="UNKNOWN_DEVILS"><i>UNKNOWN DEVILS</i></h2>
+
+<p>Suen Pure-whiteness was privileged
+with the possibility of seeing distinctly
+all the creatures of the other world,
+who, for the greater part of humanity,
+remain always mysterious and invisible.</p>
+
+<p>One night he slept in a mountain monastery;
+he had closed and barred the door;
+the full moon illuminated the window;
+everything was quiet. He had slept an
+hour, when he was awakened by the hissing
+of the wind; the gate of the monastery
+seemed to be thrown open; after a while
+the door of his room was shaken, the bar
+dropped down, and the heavy wood turned
+on its hinges.</p>
+
+<p>Pure-whiteness thought at first that it
+would be better to close his eyes and to<span class="pagenum">[141]</span>
+wait; but his curiosity was aroused, he
+looked intently; after a few seconds he
+could see a big devil, so big that he was
+obliged to stoop in order not to break his head
+against the ceiling, and who was coming
+slowly towards the bed. His face had the
+colour and general appearance of an old
+melon. His eyes were full of lightning
+and his mouth was bigger than a tub. His
+teeth were at least three inches long and
+his tongue kept moving incessantly, while
+he uttered a sound like "Ha-la."</p>
+
+<p>Pure-whiteness was much afraid; but,
+seeing he had no way of escape, he took a
+short sword from under his pillow and, with
+all his might, thrust it into the devil's breast;
+it sounded as if he had struck a stone.</p>
+
+<p>The devil hissed in a fearful way; he
+extended his claws to catch the man.
+Pure-whiteness jumped on the right side;
+the devil could only catch his dress and
+started; the man hastened to unfasten his
+dress; he dropped and remained there on<span class="pagenum">[142]</span>
+all fours, motionless and mute. When the
+devil's steps ceased to be heard he screamed
+for help; the priests came with lamps;
+everything was in order, but in the bed
+Pure-witeness was yelling as in a
+nightmare.</p>
+
+<p>On another day Pure-whiteness was in
+the country enjoying the pleasures of
+harvest. The golden rice was piled high
+and everybody was busy. Some armed men
+had been posted here and there, according
+to the custom; everybody knows that
+when the rice is ripened in a place, people
+of the neighbouring villages are always
+looking for an opportunity to make the
+harvest themselves or to take away what
+has been cut by the owners.</p>
+
+<p>Pure-whiteness, tired by the heat, laid
+down behind a rice-stack; after a while
+he heard stealthy steps; raising his head, he
+saw a big devil more than ten feet high,
+with hair and beard of a fierce reddish
+colour, who was approaching. Pure-whiteness<span class="pagenum">[143]</span>
+yelled for help: men with spears
+came to the rescue. The devil bellowed like
+the thunder and flew away. Pure-whiteness
+told them what he had seen; nobody would
+believe him, but they nevertheless started
+in pursuit; people working in the fields
+all round had not seen anything, so everybody
+came back.</p>
+
+<p>The second day Pure-whiteness was
+among four or five men, when he saw the
+same devil.</p>
+
+<p>"He has come back!" cried he, flying
+away.</p>
+
+<p>The other people ran away too. When
+they came back, everything was quiet. But
+they always kept by their side some spears,
+bows and arrows, and swords.</p>
+
+<p>For two or three days, they had no
+trouble; the rice was being stored in the
+granaries, when Pure-whiteness, looking up,
+screamed:</p>
+
+<p>"The devil has come back!"</p>
+
+<p>Everybody ran to his arms. Pure-whiteness<span class="pagenum">[144]</span>
+fell down; the devil picked him up,
+bit his head, threw him down, and went
+away.</p>
+
+<p>When the man came back, Pure-whiteness
+bore the marks of teeth on his head;
+he did not know anybody. Taken home
+and nursed, he remained unconscious for a
+few days and died.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[145]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHILDLESS"><i>CHILDLESS</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the city of The-Great-name lived
+a rich idler named Tuan Correct-happiness.
+He had then attained the age
+of forty and still he had no son. His wife,
+Peaceful-union, was extremely jealous, so
+that he dared not openly buy a concubine,
+as law authorised him, to continue his
+lineage.</p>
+
+<p>When he saw that, at forty, he had no
+son, he secretly bought a young girl, whom
+he carefully left outside his own house.</p>
+
+<p>A woman is not easily deceived&mdash;a
+jealous woman especially; Peaceful-union
+soon discovered the whole truth. She had
+the girl brought before her and took advantage
+of an impertinent answer to have her
+beaten a hundred blows; after that, she<span class="pagenum">[146]</span>
+turned on her husband and drove him nearly
+mad with reproaches. What could the
+poor man do? He sold his concubine to
+a neighbouring family named Liu, and peace
+was restored in the house.</p>
+
+<p>The days and years passed on without
+any change in the situation; the nephews
+of Correct-happiness, seeing that he was
+old already and had no son, began to fawn
+upon him, each of them trying to be the
+one that would be elected as an adopted
+son to continue the family cult, as is the
+custom.</p>
+
+<p>Peaceful-union at last began to see her
+error and regretted bitterly what she had
+done.</p>
+
+<p>"You are only sixty years old," said
+she to her husband. "Is it too late? Let
+us buy two chosen girls who will be your
+second wives; maybe one of them will
+give you a son."</p>
+
+<p>The old man smiled sadly; he did not
+entertain any great hope; nevertheless,<span class="pagenum">[147]</span>
+the concubines were bought. After a year,
+to the great surprise and joy of everybody,
+both gave birth&mdash;one to a girl, the other
+to a boy. But both children died a few
+months after.</p>
+
+<p>Correct-happiness, when winter set in,
+caught a cold and was soon in a desperate
+state of health. His nephews were always
+beside him; but, seeing he would adopt
+neither of them, they began looting the
+house; they found at last the treasure and
+took it away openly.</p>
+
+<p>The moribund was too ill even to know
+what they did. Peaceful-union tried in
+vain to stop them.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you leave me to die of hunger?
+I am the wife of your uncle. I am entitled
+to a part of his riches."</p>
+
+<p>But they would not hear her.</p>
+
+<p>"If you had borne a son to our uncle,
+or if he had adopted one of us, we would
+not have touched a single copper cash of
+his treasure; but, through your own fault,<span class="pagenum">[148]</span>
+he has nobody to maintain his rights; we
+take what is our own."</p>
+
+<p>When the day ended, the widow found
+herself alone in the deserted and emptied
+house, crying over the body of her dead
+husband.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly she heard steps outside the
+door; a young man appeared on the
+threshold, his eyes full of tears, covered
+with the white dress of mourning. He
+entered, kneeled beside the corpse, and,
+knocking the ground with his forehead, he
+began the ritual lamentations.</p>
+
+<p>Peaceful-union stopped crying and looked
+at him with astonishment; she did not
+know him.</p>
+
+<p>"May I ask your noble name? Who
+are you to cry over my husband's
+death?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am the deceased's only son."</p>
+
+<p>The widow started with surprise and a
+pang of her old jealousy; would her husband
+have had a son without her knowing it?<span class="pagenum">[149]</span>
+But the next words of the young man
+explained everything.</p>
+
+<p>Twenty years ago, when she had beaten
+and sold away the first concubine of her
+husband, she did not know the girl bore
+already the fruit of this short union. Six
+months later she had a son, to whom she
+gave the name of Correct-sadness; but,
+bearing in mind the bad treatment she had
+received, she asked the Liu family to keep
+the child as one of their own. They consented
+and sent the boy to school with their
+children.</p>
+
+<p>When Correct-sadness was eighteen, the
+chief of the Liu family died; the family
+dispersed, and only a small legacy was left
+to the young man. Believing he was a
+member of the family, he could not understand
+what happened, and asked his mother;
+she told him the truth. Resenting the
+hard treatment inflicted on his mother, he
+awaited the death of his father to make
+his own identity known.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[150]</span></p>
+
+<p>Peaceful-union was very happy to hear
+this story.</p>
+
+<p>"I am no more without a son," said she.
+"All that my nephews have taken away,
+treasure and furniture, they must bring
+back again. If not, the magistrate will
+send them to die in jail."</p>
+
+<p>In fact, the nephews refused to give back
+anything. The widow began a lawsuit;
+everything at last was restored to the
+legal heir.</p>
+
+<p>Peaceful-union hastened to choose him
+a wife, and as soon as the matrimonial
+festivities were ended she told her daughter-in-law:</p>
+
+<p>"My dear child, if I were you, I would
+ask Correct-sadness to buy immediately one
+or two good concubines; if you have a son
+and they have also, so much the better, but
+you can't realise how difficult to bear it
+is to be childless."</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[151]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_PATCH_OF_LAMBS_SKIN"><i>THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the twenty-fourth year K'ang-hsi
+lived in a remote district of the
+western provinces, a man who could remember
+his former lives. He was now a "tsin-shi,"
+"entered-among-the-learned," renowned,
+and much considered by his
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>When speaking of the existences he had
+gone through, he used to say:</p>
+
+<p>"As far as I remember, I was first a
+soldier&mdash;it was in the last days of the Ming
+dynasty; my regiment was encamped at
+The-Divided-roads on the Ten-thousand-miles-great-wall.
+My remembrances are not
+very clear as to whom we fought with,
+but I remember the joy of striking the<span class="pagenum">[152]</span>
+enemy, the hissing of the arrows, the yelling
+of the charging troops.</p>
+
+<p>"I was still young when I was killed.
+After death, of course I was called before
+the tribunal of The-King-of-shadows. Closing
+my eyes, I can still see the big caldrons
+full of boiling oil for the trying of criminals;
+the Judge in embroidered dress seated
+behind a red table; the satellites everywhere,
+ready to act on the first word,&mdash;in
+fact, everything exactly the same as in the
+worldly tribunals, excepting that, in the
+eastern part of the hall, there were huge
+wooden stands from which hung skins of
+every description&mdash;horse-skins, lambs' skins,
+dogs' skins, and human skins of every age
+and condition; skins of old men, of fat and
+important people, of lean and shrivelled
+men, of boys and girls.</p>
+
+<p>"The trial began; the souls, according
+to their deeds, were condemned to put on
+one of the skins and to come up again to
+the Lighted World in this new shape.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[153]</span></p>
+
+<p>"When my turn came I was sentenced
+to put a dog's skin on; and in this low
+shape I was thrown again in the stream
+of life. But as I had not forgotten my
+former condition, I was so ashamed, that the
+first day I came on earth I threw myself
+under the wheels of a heavy carriage and
+died.</p>
+
+<p>"The-King-of-shadows was extremely
+surprised to see me again so soon; the dogs,
+as a rule, having no conscience, he could
+not suppose I had killed myself, and did
+not hold me responsible for it.</p>
+
+<p>"This time, I was born again as a pig.
+Pigs are valuable, and there are always
+people to look after them; so I could not
+kill myself. I tried to starve myself to
+death, but hunger was the strongest, and
+I had to endure such a life. Happily, the
+butcher soon put a speedy end to it.</p>
+
+<p>"When my name was called to the
+tribunal of Darkness, the King-of-shadows
+looked over the pages of the Book and said:</p><p><span class="pagenum">[154]</span></p>
+
+<p>"'He must be a lamb now.'</p>
+
+<p>"The runners took a white lamb's skin,
+brought it, and began putting it over my
+body. While this was going on, the secretary,
+who was writing the sentence in the
+Book, started and said to the Judge:</p>
+
+<p>"'Your Honour, there is a mistake.
+Please Your Honour read over again; this
+soul has to be a man now.'</p>
+
+<p>"You know that, on the Big Book of
+Shadows, all our past deeds are recorded as
+well as our future destiny.</p>
+
+<p>"The Judge looked at it over again and
+said:</p>
+
+<p>"'True! Happily, you saw the mistake.'</p>
+
+<p>"Then, turning to the runners, he ordered
+them to take off the skin, which already
+covered more than half my body. They
+had to exert all their strength, and even
+so, they tore it off into pieces. It hurt me
+so much that I thought I could not stand
+it and I should die; but I was dead, and
+I could not die more than that.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[155]</span></p>
+
+<p>"At last they left me bleeding and
+panting, and I was born again in my present
+condition. But they had forgotten a piece
+of lamb's skin on my right shoulder, and
+I still have it now."</p>
+
+<p>And he uncovered his arm and shoulder
+to show a piece of white woollen hair on
+his right shoulder.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[156]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="LOVES-SLAVE"><i>LOVE'S-SLAVE</i></h2>
+
+<p>In the City-between-the-rivers lived a
+young student named Lan. He had
+just passed successfully his second literary
+examination, and, walking in the Street-of-the-precious-stones,
+asked himself what
+he would now do in life.</p>
+
+<p>While he was going, looking vacantly
+at the passers-by, he saw an old friend of
+his father, and hastened to join his closed
+fists and to salute him very low, as politeness
+orders.</p>
+
+<p>"My best congratulations!" answered
+the old man. "What are you doing in this
+busy street?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing at all; I was asking myself
+what profession I am now to pursue."</p>
+
+<p>"What profession? Which one would<span class="pagenum">[157]</span>
+be more honourable than that of teacher?
+It is the only one an 'elevated man'
+<i>Kiu-jen</i> of the second degree, can pursue.
+By the by, would you honour my house
+with your presence? My son is nearly
+eighteen. He is not half as learned as he
+should be, and, besides, he has a very bad
+temper. I feel very old; if I knew you
+would consent to give him the right direction
+and be a second father to him, I would
+not dread so much to die and leave him
+alone."</p>
+
+<p>Lan bowed and said:</p>
+
+<p>"I am much honoured by your proposition,
+and I accept it readily. I will go to-morrow
+to your palace."</p>
+
+<p>Two hours after, a messenger brought
+to the young man a packet containing one
+hundred ounces of silver, with a note stating
+that this comparatively great sum represented
+his first year's salary.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening he knocked at his pupil's
+door and was ushered into the sitting-room.<span class="pagenum">[158]</span>
+The old man introduced him to the whole
+family: first his son, a lad with a decided
+look boding no good; then a young and
+beautiful girl of seventeen, his daughter,
+called Love's-slave. Lan was struck by
+the sweet and refined appearance of his
+pupil's sister.</p>
+
+<p>"The sight of her will greatly help me to
+stay here," thought he.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning, when his first lesson
+was ended, he strolled out into the garden,
+admiring here a flower and there an artificial
+little waterfall among diminutive
+mountain-rocks. Behind a bamboo-bush
+he suddenly saw Love's-slave and was discreetly
+turning back, when she stopped him
+by a few words of greeting.</p>
+
+<p>Every day they thus met in the solitude
+of the flowers and trees and grew to love
+each other. Lan's task with his pupil
+was greater and harder than he had supposed;
+but for Love's-slave's sake, he
+would never have remained in the house.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[159]</span></p>
+
+<p>After three months the old man fell
+ill; the doctors were unable to cure him;
+he died, and was buried in the family ground,
+behind the house.</p>
+
+<p>When Lan, after the funeral, told his
+pupil to resume his lessons, he met with such
+a reception that he went immediately to his
+room and packed his belongings. Love's-slave,
+hearing from a servant what had
+happened, went straight to her lover's
+room and tried to induce him to stay.</p>
+
+<p>"How can you ask that from me?"
+said he. "After such an insult, I would
+consider myself as the basest of men if I
+stayed. I have 'lost face'; I must go."</p>
+
+<p>The girl, seeing that nothing could prevail
+upon his resolution, went out of the
+room, but silently closed and locked the
+outer gate.</p>
+
+<p>Lan left on a table what remained of the
+silver given him by the old man, and wrote
+a note to inform his pupil of his departure.</p>
+
+<p>When he tried the gate and found it<span class="pagenum">[160]</span>
+locked, he did not know at first what to
+do. Then he remembered a place where he
+could easily climb over the enclosure,
+went there, threw his luggage over the wall,
+and let himself out in this somewhat undignified
+way.</p>
+
+<p>Before going back to his house, he went
+round to the tomb of the old man and
+burnt some sticks of perfume. Kneeling
+down, he explained respectfully to the dead
+what had happened and excused himself for
+having left unfinished the task he had undertaken.
+Rising at last, he went away.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Love's-slave, pleased
+with her little trick, came to the student's
+room and looked for him; he was nowhere
+to be found. She saw the silver on the
+table, and, reading the note he had left, she
+understood that he would never come back.</p>
+
+<p>Her grief stifled her; heavy tears at
+last began running down her rosy cheeks.
+She took the silver, went straight to her
+father's tomb, fastened the heavy metal to<span class="pagenum">[161]</span>
+her feet, and unrolled a sash from her
+waist. Then, making a knot with the sash
+round her neck, she climbed up the lower
+branches of a big fir-tree, fastened the other
+end of the coloured silk as high as she
+could and threw herself down. A few
+minutes afterwards she was dead. She
+was discovered by a member of the family,
+and quietly buried in the same enclosure.</p>
+
+<p>Lan, who did not know anything, came
+back two or three days after to see her.
+The servants told him the truth. Silently
+and sullenly, he went to the tomb, and long
+remained absorbed in his thoughts; dusk
+was gathering; the first star shone in the
+sky. All of a sudden, hearing a sound as
+of somebody laughing, he turned round.
+Love's-slave was before his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"I was waiting for you, my love," she
+said in a strange and muffled voice. "Why
+are you coming so late?"</p>
+
+<p>As he wanted to kiss her, she stopped
+him:</p><p><span class="pagenum">[162]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh dear! I am dead. But it is decreed
+that I will come again to life if a magician
+performs the ceremony prescribed in the
+Book-of-Transmutations."</p>
+
+<p>Immaterial like an evening fog, she
+disappeared in the growing darkness.</p>
+
+<p>Lan returned immediately to the town,
+and, entering the first Taoist temple he saw,
+he explained to the priest what he wanted.</p>
+
+<p>"If she has said it is decreed she should
+come back to life, we have only to go and
+open her tomb, while here my disciples
+will sing the proper chapters of the Book.
+Let us go now."</p>
+
+<p>Giving some directions to his companions,
+he took a spade and started with
+Lan. The moon was shining, so that
+without any lantern they were able to perform
+their gloomy task.</p>
+
+<p>Once the heavy lid of the coffin was unscrewed
+and taken off, the body of the
+young girl appeared as fresh as if she had
+been sleeping.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[163]</span></p>
+
+<p>When the cold night-air bathed her face,
+she raised her head, sneezed, and sat up;
+looking at Lan, she said in a low voice:</p>
+
+<p>"At last, you have come! I am recalled
+to life by your love. But now I
+am feeble; don't speak harshly to me; I
+could not bear it."</p>
+
+<p>Lan, kissing her lovingly, took her in
+his arms and brought her to his house.
+After some days she was able to walk and
+live like ordinary people do.</p>
+
+<p>They married and lived happily together
+for a year. Then, one day, Lan, having
+come back half-drunk from a friend's
+house, was rebuked by her, and, incensed,
+pushed her back. She did not say a word
+but, fainting, she fell down. Blood ran
+from her nostrils and mouth; nothing could
+recall her departing spirit.</p><hr class="chapter" /><p><span class="pagenum">[164]</span></p>
+
+<h2 id="THE_LAUGHING_GHOST"><i>THE LAUGHING GHOST</i></h2>
+
+<p>Siu Long-mountain was one of the
+most celebrated students of the district
+of Perfect-flowers. Having mastered
+the mysterious theories of the ancient
+Classics, he took a fancy in the researches
+of the Taoist magicians, whose temples
+may be found in the smallest villages of
+the Empire. He soon discovered that, for
+the greater number, they were impostors;
+and, being proud of his newly acquired
+science, he concluded that none of them
+possessed any occult power.</p>
+
+<p>When he came to this somewhat hasty
+conclusion, he was seated alone in his
+library; the night was already advancing;
+a small oil lamp hardly illuminated his
+books on the table he was sitting at.</p><p><span class="pagenum">[165]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, there is no doubt; nothing exists
+outside the material appearances. There
+is nothing occult in the world, and nothing
+can come out of nothingness."</p>
+
+<p>As he was saying these words half aloud,
+he was startled by an unearthly laugh which
+seemed to come from behind his back. He
+turned quickly round; but nothing was to
+be seen.</p>
+
+<p>His heart beating, he was listening intently;
+the laugh came from another
+part of the room.</p>
+
+<p>Long-mountain was brave, but as people
+are brave who have only met the ordinary
+dangers of civilised life, such as barking
+dogs, insulting coolies, or angry dealers
+presenting a long-deferred bill. He tried
+in vain to believe it was only a joke imposed
+on him by some friend; nothing could
+prevail upon his growing terror.</p>
+
+<p>Straining his eyes, he looked at the part
+of the room the laugh seemed to come
+from. At first he could not see anything,<span class="pagenum">[166]</span>
+but by degrees he perceived a black shadow
+moving in a corner, then a strange form
+with a horse's head and a man's body, all
+covered with long black hair; the teeth
+were big and sharp as so many mountain-peaks.
+The eyes of this dreadful creature
+began shining so much that the whole room
+was illuminated. Then it began moving
+towards the man.</p>
+
+<p>This was too much; the student screamed
+like a dying donkey, and, bursting the door
+open, he ran out into the courtyard.</p>
+
+<p>From an open door in the western pavilion
+a ray of light crossed the darkness; four
+or five men were playing cards, drinking,
+and swearing. Long-mountain ran into
+their room, and, panting, explained his
+vision.</p>
+
+<p>The men, being drunk, wanted to see the
+Thing; holding lanterns and lamps, they
+accompanied their visitor back to his
+studio. When they passed the doorway,
+Long-mountain screamed again; the Thing
+was still there. He would have run away
+had not the men, laughing and jesting,
+shown him what the Ghost in reality was&mdash;a
+long dress hung in a corner to a big hook,
+on which sat a black cat mewing desperately.</p>
+
+<p>When the men closed the door and left
+him alone, the student was deeply ashamed
+of his terror; shaken by his emotion, he
+went to bed and tried to sleep. Sleep would
+not come; his nervousness seemed to increase.
+Starting at the smallest noise, he
+remained a long time wide awake; then he
+lost consciousness.</p>
+
+<p>In the silence one only heard the cries
+of the night-birds and the buzzing of the
+autumn's insects; the lamp was out, but
+a brilliant moon began to pour its silver
+light through the window.</p>
+
+<p>The door suddenly creaked; Long-mountain
+awoke and sat up on his bed; the door
+slowly opened, and the same Thing he had
+seen and heard entered the room and advanced
+towards the bed, while the same
+unearthly laugh came from the long and
+unshapely head; the flaming eyes were
+fixed on the student.</p>
+
+<p>When the Thing was near the bed, Long-mountain
+fell heavily and did not move
+any more.</p>
+
+<p>The Ghost stopped, put his hand on the
+breast of the man, remained in that position
+a moment, then went quickly and silently
+out of the room.</p>
+
+<p>A man was standing outside.</p>
+
+<p>"What did he say?" asked he.</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet!" said the Ghost, taking off
+his horse's head and discovering a man's very
+serious face. "The joke was good. But we
+have done it too well. I think he is dead of
+terror; we had better be as silent as a
+tomb about all this. The magistrate would
+never believe in a joke; we would be held
+responsible for this death and pay a heavy
+penalty."</p>
+
+<p class="h3">THE END</p>
+
+<p class="spacer">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="h5"><i>Printed by Hazell, Watson, &amp; Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury, England.</i></p>
+
+<div style='display:block;margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE LODGE OF LEISURES ***</div>
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #37766 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37766)
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+Project Gutenberg's Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures, by Unknown
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures
+
+Author: Unknown
+
+Translator: George Soulié
+
+Release Date: October 16, 2011 [EBook #37766]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Starner, Matthew Wheaton and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+book was produced from scanned images of public domain
+material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+    STRANGE STORIES
+    FROM THE
+    LODGE OF LEISURES
+
+    TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE BY
+    GEORGE SOULIÉ
+    OF THE FRENCH CONSULAR SERVICE IN CHINA
+
+
+    BOSTON AND NEW YORK
+    HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
+    1913
+
+    PRINTED BY
+    HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
+    LONDON AND AYLESBURY,
+    ENGLAND.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+The first European students who undertook to give the Western world an
+idea of Chinese literature were misled by the outward and profound
+respect affected by the Chinese towards their ancient classics. They
+have worked from generation to generation in order to translate more and
+more accurately the thirteen classics, Confucius, Mengtsz, and the
+others. They did not notice that, once out of school, the Chinese did
+not pay more attention to their classics than we do to ours: if you see
+a book in their hands, it will never be the "Great Study" or the
+"Analects," but much more likely a novel like the "History of the Three
+Kingdoms," or a selection of ghost-stories. These works that everybody,
+young or old, reads and reads again, have on the Chinese mind an
+influence much greater than the whole bulk of the classics.
+Notwithstanding their great importance for those who study Chinese
+thought, they have been completely left aside. In fact, the whole of
+real Chinese literature is still unknown to the Westerners.
+
+It is a pity that it should be so. The novels and stories throw an
+extraordinary light on Chinese everyday life that foreigners have been
+very seldom, and now will never be, able to witness, and they illustrate
+in a striking way the idea the Chinese have formed of the other world.
+One is able at last to understand what is the meaning of the _huen_ or
+superior soul, which leaves the body after death or during sleep, but
+keeps its outward appearance and ordinary clothes; the _p'aï_ or
+inferior soul which remains in the decaying body, and sometimes is
+strong enough to prevent it from decaying, and to give it all the
+appearances of life. The magicians of the Tao religion, or Taoist
+priests, play a great part in these stories, and the Buddhist ideas of
+metempsychosis give the opportunity of more complicated situations than
+we dream of.
+
+Among the most celebrated works, I have chosen the "Strange Stories from
+the Lodge of Leisures," _Leao chai Chi yi_. It was written in the second
+half of the eighteenth century by P'ou Song-lin (P'ou Lieou-hsien), of
+Tsy-cheou, in the Chantong province.
+
+The whole work is composed of more than three hundred stories. I have
+selected twenty-five among the most characteristic.
+
+This being a literary work, and having nothing scientific to boast of, I
+have tried to give my English readers the same literary impression that
+the Chinese has. _Tradutore traditore_, say the Italians; I hope I have
+not been too much of a traitor.
+
+A translation is always a most difficult work; if it is materially
+exact, word for word and sentence by sentence, the so-called scientific
+men are satisfied, but all the charm, beauty, and interest of the
+original are lost. Very often, too, such translation is obscure and
+unintelligible. Each nation has an heirloom of traditions, customs, or
+religion to which its literature constantly refers. If the reader is not
+acquainted with that literature, these references will convey no meaning
+to his mind, or they may even convey a false one. In Chinese, this
+difficulty is greater than in any other language; the Far Eastern
+civilisation has had a development of its own, and its legends and
+superstitions have nothing in common with the Western folklore. The
+Chinese mind is radically different from ours, and has grown, in every
+generation, more different by reason of a different training and a
+different ideal in life. The Chinese writing, moreover, has strengthened
+those differences; it represents the ideas themselves, instead of
+representing the words; each Chinese sign may be rightly translated by
+either of the three or more words by which our language analytically
+describes every aspect of one same idea. The sign which is read _Tao_,
+for instance, must be, according to the sentence, translated by any of
+the words: direction, rule, doctrine, religion, way, road, word, verb;
+all of them being the different forms of the same idea of direction,
+moral or physical.
+
+Some French sinologists, aware of this difficulty, now translate the
+texts literally, and try to explain the meaning by a number of notes,
+which sometimes leave only one or two lines of text in a page. This
+method seems at first more scientific; it explains everything in the
+most careful way, and is very useful for the translation of inscriptions
+or of certain obscure passages in historical books. But for real
+literature, it is the greatest possible error, leaving out, as it does,
+all the impression and illusion the author intended to convey. Besides,
+the necessity of going, at every word, down the page in order to find
+the meaning in a note, tires the reader and takes away all the pleasure
+he should derive from the book.
+
+One may even say that a materially exact translation is, in reality, a
+false one; the words we use in writing and speaking being mere technical
+signs by which we represent our ideas. For instance, the word
+"cathedral" will certainly not convey the same idea to two men, one of
+whom has only seen St. Paul's, and the other only Notre-Dame de Paris;
+for the first, cathedral means a dome; for the other it means two towers
+and a long ogival nave. Below the outward appearance of the words there
+lie so many different images that it is absolutely necessary to know the
+mentality of a nation in order to master its language. In fact, a true
+translation will be the one that, though sometimes materially inexact,
+will give the reader the same impression he would have if he were
+reading the original text.
+
+Since I first went to China, in 1901, I have had many opportunities of
+acquainting myself with all the superstitions of the lower classes, with
+all the splendid mental and intellectual training of the learned. My
+experience has helped me to perceive what was hidden beneath the words;
+and in my translation I have sometimes supplied what the author only
+thought necessary to imply. In many places the translation is literal;
+in other places it is literary, it being impossible for a Western writer
+to retain all the long and useless talking, all the repetitions that
+Chinese writing and Chinese taste are equally fond of.
+
+                                                      GEORGE SOULIÉ.
+
+
+
+
+    CONTENTS
+
+
+    THE GHOST IN LOVE
+    THE FRESCO
+    THE DWARF HUNTERS
+    THE CORPSE THE BLOOD DRINKER
+    LOVE REWARDED
+    THE WOMAN IN GREEN
+    THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+    DECEIVING SHADOWS
+    PEACEFUL-LIGHT
+    HONG THE CURRIER
+    AUTUMN-MOON
+    THE PRINCESS NELUMBO
+    THE TWO BROTHERS
+    THE MARBLE ARCH
+    THE DUTIFUL SON
+    THROUGH MANY LIVES
+    THE RIVER OF SORROWS
+    THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+    THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER
+    THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN
+    UNKNOWN DEVILS
+    CHILDLESS
+    THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN
+    LOVE'S-SLAVE
+    THE LAUGHING GHOST
+
+
+
+
+_Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures_
+
+
+
+
+_THE GHOST IN LOVE_
+
+
+On the 15th day of the First Moon, in the second year of the period of
+"Renewed Principles," the streets of the town of the Eastern Lake were
+thronged with people who were strolling about.
+
+At the setting of the sun every shop was brightly lit up; processions of
+people moved hither and thither; strings of boys were carrying lanterns
+of every form and colour; whole families passed, every member of whom,
+young or old, small or big, was holding at the end of a thin bamboo the
+lighted image of a bird, an animal, or a flower.
+
+Richer ones, several together, were carrying enormous dragons whose
+luminous wings waved at every motion and whose glaring eyes rolled from
+right to left. It was the Fête of the Lanterns.
+
+A young man, clothed in a long pale green dress, allowed himself to be
+pushed about by the crowd; the passers-by bowed to him:
+
+"How is my Lord Li The-peaceful?"
+
+"The humble student thanks you; and you, how are you?"
+
+"Very well, thanks to your happy influence."
+
+"Does the precious student soon pass his second literary examination?"
+
+"In two months; ignorant that I am. I am idling instead of working."
+
+The fête was drawing to a close when The-peaceful quitted the main
+street, and went towards the East Gate, where the house was to be found
+in which he lived alone.
+
+He went farther and farther: the moving lights were rarer; ere long he
+only saw before him the fire of a white lantern decorated with two red
+peonies. The paper globe was swinging to the steps of a tiny girl
+clothed in the blue linen that only slaves wore. The light, behind,
+showed the elegant silhouette of another woman, this one covered with a
+long jacket made in a rich pink silk edged with purple.
+
+As the student drew nearer, the belated walker turned round, showing an
+oval face and big long eyes, wherein shone a bright speck, cruel and
+mysterious.
+
+Li The-peaceful slackened his pace, following the two strangers, whose
+small feet glided silently on the shining flagstones of the street.
+
+He was asking himself how he could begin a conversation, when the
+mistress turned round again, softly smiled, and in a low, rich voice,
+said to him:
+
+"Is it not strange that in the advancing night we are following the same
+road?"
+
+"I owe it to the favour of Heaven," he at once replied; "for I am
+returning to the East Gate; otherwise I should never have dared to
+follow you."
+
+The conversation, once begun, continued as they walked side by side. The
+student learned that the pretty walker was called "Double-peony," that
+she was the daughter of Judge Siu, that she lived out of the city in a
+garden planted with big trees, on the road to the lake.
+
+On arriving at his house The-peaceful insisted that his new friend
+should enter and take a cup of tea. She hesitated; then the two young
+people pushed the door, crossed the small yard bordered right and left
+with walls covered with tiles, and disappeared in the house....
+
+The servant remained under the portal.
+
+Daylight was breaking when the young girl came out again, calling the
+servant, who was asleep. The next evening she came again, always
+accompanied by the slave bearing the white lantern with two red
+peonies. It was the same each day following.
+
+A neighbour who had watched these nocturnal visits was inquisitive
+enough to climb the wall which separated his yard from that of the
+lovers, and to wait, hidden in the shade of the house.
+
+At the accustomed hour the street-door, left ajar, opened to let in the
+visitors.
+
+Once in the courtyard, they were suddenly transformed, their eyes became
+flaming and red; their faces grew pale; their teeth seemed to lengthen;
+an icy mist escaped from their lips.
+
+The neighbour did not see any more: terrified, he let himself slide to
+the ground and ran to his inner room.
+
+The next morning he went to the student and told him what he had seen.
+The lover was paralysed with fear: in order to reassure himself he
+resolved to find out everything he could about his mistress.
+
+He at once went outside the ramparts, on the road to the lake, hoping
+to find the house of Judge Siu. But at the place he had been told of
+there was no habitation; on the left, a fallow plain, sown with tombs,
+went up to the hills; on the right, cultivated fields extended as far as
+the lake.
+
+However, a small temple was hidden there under big trees. The student
+had given up all hope; he entered, notwithstanding, into the sacred
+enclosure, knowing that travellers stayed there sometimes for several
+weeks.
+
+In the first yard a bonze was passing in his red dress and shaven head;
+he stopped him.
+
+"Do you know Judge Siu? He has a daughter----"
+
+"Judge Siu's daughter?" asked the priest, astonished. "Well--yes--but
+wait, I will show her to you."
+
+The-peaceful felt his heart overflowing with joy; his beloved one was
+living; he was going to see her by the light of day. He quickly
+followed his companion.
+
+Passing the first court, they crossed a threshold and found themselves
+in a yard planted with high pine-trees and bordered by a low pavilion.
+The bonze, passing in first, pushed a door, and, turning round, said:
+
+"Here is Judge Siu's daughter!"
+
+The other stopped, terrified; on a trestle a heavy black lacquered
+coffin bore this inscription in golden letters: "Coffin of Double-peony,
+Judge Siu's daughter."
+
+On the wall was an unfolded painting representing the little maid; a
+white lantern decorated with two red peonies was hung over it.
+
+"Yes, she has been there for the last two years; her parents, according
+to the rite, are waiting for a favourable day to bury her."
+
+The student silently turned on his heel and went back, not deigning to
+reply to the mocking bow of the priest.
+
+Evening arrived; he locked himself in, and, covering his head with his
+blankets, he waited; sleep came to him only at daybreak.
+
+But he could not cease to think of her whom he no longer saw; his heart
+beat as if to burst, when in the street he perceived the silhouette of a
+woman which reminded him of his friend.
+
+At last he was incapable of containing himself any longer; one evening
+he stationed himself behind the door. After a few minutes there was a
+knock; he opened the door; it was only the little maid:
+
+"My mistress is in tears; why do you never open the door? I come every
+evening. If you will follow me, perhaps she will forgive you."
+
+The-peaceful, blinded by love, started at once, walking by the light of
+the white lantern.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day the neighbours, seeing that the student's door was open,
+and that his house was empty, made a declaration to the governor of the
+town.
+
+The police made an inquest; they collected the evidence of several
+people who had been watching the nightly visitors the student had
+received. The bonze of the temple outside the city walls came to say
+what he knew. The chief of the police went to the road leading to the
+lake; he crossed the threshold of the little edifice, passed the first
+yard and at last opened the door of the pavilion.
+
+Everything was in order, but under the lid of the heavy coffin one could
+see the corner of the long green dress of the student.
+
+In order to do away with evil influences there was a solemn funeral.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Ever since this time, on light clear nights, the passers-by often meet
+the two lovers entwined together, slowly walking on the road which leads
+to the lake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FRESCO_
+
+
+In the Great Highway of Eternal Fixity, Mong Flowing-spring and his
+friend Choo Little-lotus were slowly walking, clothed in the long light
+green dress of the students.
+
+They had both just passed with success their third literary examination,
+and were enjoying the pleasures of the capital before returning to their
+distant province.
+
+As they were both of small means, they were looking now (and at the same
+time filling their eyes with the movement of the street) for a lodging
+less expensive than the inn where they had put up on arriving at Pekin.
+
+Leaving the Great Highway, they strolled far into a labyrinth of lanes
+more and more silent. They soon lost themselves. Undecided, they had
+stopped, when they spied out the red lacquered portal of a temple of the
+Mysterious-way.
+
+Pushing the heavy sides of the door, they entered; an old man with his
+hair tightly drawn together in a black cap, majestic in his grey dress,
+stood behind the door and appeared to be waiting for them.
+
+"Your coming lightens my humble dwelling," he said in bowing. "I beg you
+will enter."
+
+"I do not dare! I do not dare!" murmured the two students, bowing in
+their turn.
+
+They nevertheless entered, crossing the yard on which the portal opened,
+which was closed, at the end, by the little temple in open woodwork
+close under the mass of roofs of green tiles.
+
+They went up three steps, then, pushing a narrow and straight door, they
+entered. In the half-shadow they distinguished on the white altar a
+statue of Tche Kong The-Supreme-Lord, with a golden face and griffins'
+feet like the claws of an eagle.
+
+The walls on each side of the altar were painted in frescoes; on the
+wall on the right you saw goddesses in the midst of flowers. One of
+these young girls, with a low chignon, was gathering a peony and was
+slightly smiling. Her mouth, like a cherry, seemed as if it were really
+opening; one would have sworn that her eyelids fluttered.
+
+Mong Flowing-spring, his eyes fixed on the painting, remained a long
+time without moving, absorbed in his admiration of the work of art, and
+disturbed beyond expression by the beauty of the goddess with the low
+chignon.
+
+"Why is she not living?" said he. "I would willingly give my life for a
+moment of her love!"
+
+Suddenly he started; the young goddess raised herself upright, bursting
+with laughter, and got down from the wall. She crossed the door, went
+down the staircase, stepped over the yard and left the place.
+
+Flowing-spring followed her without reflecting. He saw her going away
+with a light step, and turn down the first lane; the young student ran
+behind her.
+
+As he turned the corner, he saw her stop at the entrance of a small
+house. She was gracefully waving her hand, and, with sly glances, made
+him signs to come.
+
+He hastened forward and entered in his turn. In the silent house there
+was nobody, no one but the goddess standing in her long mauve dress and
+nibbling the flower that she had picked and that she still held in her
+hand.
+
+"I bow down," said the student, who knelt to salute her.
+
+"Rise! you exceed the rites prescribed," she replied.
+
+"I bend my head, not being able to bear the splendour of your beauty."
+
+As she did not seem to be discontented he continued telling her his
+admiration and his desire. He approached, touched her hand; she started,
+but did not draw back. He then took her in his arms; she did not make
+much resistance.
+
+The moments passed rapidly. They spoke to each other in a low voice,
+when, suddenly in the street, a noise of heavy boots resounded; steps
+stopped before the door; the lock was shaken; oaths were heard.
+
+The young girl grew pale; she told Flowing-spring to hide himself under
+the bed. The student felt his heart become quite small; he crouched down
+in the shadow, not even being able to breathe. From the depth of his
+hiding-place, he saw an officer enter, his face in black lacquer,
+covered with a golden cuirass and surrounded by a troop of young girls
+in long dresses of bright colours.
+
+"I smell an odour of human flesh!" grumbled the officer, walking heavily
+and going round the room.
+
+"Hide yourself well!" the goddess murmured to her lover, raising herself
+from the bed and white with terror. "If you can escape from him, wait
+till we have left, and open the little door at the end of the garden;
+then run away quickly!"
+
+"There is a man here! I smell him! He must be delivered to me! If not,
+I shall punish the person who has hidden him."
+
+"We know nothing!" all the young women said together.
+
+"Very well! Let us go out."
+
+Then, following the gracious troop which the goddess had joined, he
+crossed the threshold.
+
+Flowing-spring, hidden under the bed, waited till the noise of the boots
+had gone away. Then he glided with caution from his refuge.
+
+Half bent, listening with anxiety in fear of being surprised, he flew
+from the room and crossed the garden.
+
+During this time Choo Little-lotus, having remained in the temple, had
+not remarked the departure of his friend. But, turning round and not any
+longer seeing him, he questioned the old magician.
+
+"Your friend is not far off," he replied.
+
+Then, showing him the wall, he said:
+
+"Look! here he is!"
+
+And, indeed, in the centre of the fresco, the image of Flowing-spring
+was painted; he was crouched in among the flowers, straining his ear.
+The image moved, and, suddenly, the student separated himself from the
+wall and advanced, looking sad and anxious.
+
+Choo Little-lotus, terrified, was looking at him. The other told him his
+adventure. As he spoke a terrible clap of thunder was heard. The two
+friends instinctively shut their eyes; when they opened them, their
+glance fell on the fresco: the goddesses had taken their places there
+again, in the midst of the flowers; but the young girl with the low
+chignon was no longer there.
+
+The magician smiled at Flowing-spring:
+
+"Love has touched her. She has become a woman and is waiting for you in
+your village."
+
+
+
+
+_THE DWARF HUNTERS_
+
+
+The heavy summer in the South is particularly hard to bear for those who
+are ill. The damp heat keeps them awake, and thousands of insects
+trouble their rest.
+
+Wang Little-third-one, stretched on his bed made of bamboo laths, where
+a low fever kept him, complained of it to all those who came to see him,
+especially to his friend the magician officiating priest of the little
+temple situated in the neighbouring crossway.
+
+The magician knew something of medicine; he prescribed a calming potion
+and retired.
+
+When Little-third-one had drunk the potion, his fever fell and he was
+able to enjoy a little sleep. He was awakened by a slight noise; night
+had come on; the room was lighted by the full moon, which threw a bright
+gleam by the open door.
+
+All the insects were moving and flying hither and thither; white ants
+who gnaw wood, bad-smelling bugs, enormous cockroaches, mosquitoes,
+innumerable and various flies.
+
+As Little-third-one was looking, his attention was drawn by a movement
+on the threshold: a small man, not bigger than a thumb, advanced with
+precautious steps; in his hand he held a bow; a sword was hanging at his
+side.
+
+Little-third-one, on looking closer, saw two dogs as big as
+shirt-buttons running before the man with the bow; they suddenly
+stopped: the archer approached, held out his weapon, and discharged the
+arrow. A cockroach who was crawling before the dogs made a bound, fell
+on its back, moved again, then remained motionless; the arrow had run
+through it.
+
+Behind the first huntsman others had come; some were on horseback, armed
+with swords; some on foot.
+
+From that time it was a pursuit without intermission; hundreds of
+insects were shot. At first the mosquitoes escaped; but as they cannot
+fly for long, every time that one remained still it was transpierced by
+the huntsmen.
+
+Soon nothing was left of all the insects who broke the silence with
+their buzzing, their gnashing of teeth, or their falling.
+
+A horseman then was seen galloping over the room, looking from right to
+left. He then gave the signal; all the huntsmen called their dogs, went
+towards the door, and disappeared.
+
+Little-third-one had not moved, in order not to disturb the hunt. At
+last he peacefully went to sleep, henceforth sure of not being awakened
+by a sting or a bite. He awoke late the next day almost cured.
+
+When his friend the magician came to see him, he told him his
+experience: the other smiled. Wang understood that the mysterious
+hunters came from the little temple.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CORPSE THE BLOOD-DRINKER_
+
+
+Night was slowly falling in the narrow valley. On the winding path cut
+in the side of the hill about twenty mules were following each other,
+bending under their heavy load; the muleteers, being tired, did not
+cease to hurry forward their animals, abusing them with coarse voices.
+
+Comfortably seated on mules with large pack-saddles, three men were
+going along at the same pace as the caravan of which they were the
+masters. Their thick dresses, their fur boots, and their red woollen
+hoods protected them from the cold wind of the mountain.
+
+In the darkness, rendered thicker by a slight fog, the lights of a
+village were shining, and soon the mules, hurrying all together,
+jostling their loads, crowded before the only inn of the place.
+
+The three travellers, happy to be able to rest, got down from their
+saddles when the innkeeper came out on the step of his door and excused
+himself, saying all his rooms were taken.
+
+"I have still, it is true, a large hall the other side of the street,
+but it is only a barn, badly shut. I will show it to you."
+
+The merchants, disappointed, consulted each other with a look; but it
+was too late to continue their way; they followed their landlord.
+
+The hall that was shown to them was big enough and closed at the end by
+a curtain. Their luggage was brought; the bed-clothes rolled on the
+pack-saddles were spread out, as usual, on planks and trestles.
+
+The meal was served in the general sitting-room, in the midst of noise,
+laughing, and movement--smoking rice, vegetables preserved in vinegar,
+and lukewarm wine served in small cups. Then every one went to bed; the
+lights were put out and profound silence prevailed in the sleeping
+village.
+
+However, towards the hour of the Rat, a sensation of cold and
+uneasiness awoke one of the three travellers named Wang Fou,
+Happiness-of-the-kings. He turned in his bed, but the snoring of his two
+companions annoyed him; he could not get to sleep. Again, seeing that
+his rest was finished, he got up, relit the lamp which was out, took a
+book from his baggage, and stretched himself out again. But if he could
+not sleep, it was just as impossible to read. In spite of himself, his
+eyes quitted the columns of letters laid out in lines and searched into
+the darkness that the feeble light did not contrive to break through.
+
+A growing terror froze him. He would have liked to awaken his
+companions, but the fear of being made fun of prevented him.
+
+By dint of looking, he at last saw a slight movement shake the big
+curtain which closed the room. There came from behind a crackling of
+wood being broken. Then a long, painful threatening silence began again.
+
+The merchant felt his flesh thrill; he was filled with horror, in spite
+of his efforts to be reasonable.
+
+He had put aside his book, and, the coverlet drawn up to his nose, he
+fixed his enlarged eyes on the shadowy corners at the end of the room.
+
+The side of the curtain was lifted; a pale hand held the folds. The
+stuff, thus raised, permitted a being to pass, whose form, hardly
+distinct, seemed penetrated by the shadow.
+
+Happiness-of-kings would have liked to scream; his contracted throat
+allowed no sound to escape. Motionless and speechless, he followed with
+his horrified look the slow movement of the apparition which
+approached.
+
+He, little by little, recognised the silhouette of a female, seen by her
+short quilted dress and her long narrow jacket. Behind the body he
+perceived the curtain again moving.
+
+The spectre, in the meantime bending over the bed of one of the sleeping
+travellers, appeared to give him a long kiss.
+
+Then it went towards the couch of the second merchant.
+Happiness-of-kings distinctly saw the pale figure, the eyes, from which
+a red flame was shining, and sharp teeth, half-exposed in a ferocious
+smile, which opened and shut by turns on the throat of the sleeper.
+
+A start disturbed the body under the cover, then all stopped: the
+spectre was drinking in long draughts.
+
+Happiness-of-kings, seeing that his turn was coming, had just strength
+enough to pull the coverlet over his head. He heard grumblings; a
+freezing breath penetrated through the wadded material.
+
+The paroxysm of terror gave the merchant full possession of his
+strength; with a convulsive movement he threw his coverlet on the
+apparition, jumped out of his bed, and, yelling like a wild beast, he
+ran as far as the door and flew away in the night.
+
+Still running, he felt the freezing breath in his back, he heard the
+furious growlings of the spectre.
+
+The prolonged howling of the unhappy man filled the narrow street and
+awoke all the sleepers in their beds, but none of them moved; they hid
+themselves farther and farther under their coverlets. These inhuman
+cries meant nothing good for those who should have been bold enough to
+go outside.
+
+The bewildered fugitive crossed the village, going faster and faster.
+Arriving at the last houses, he was only a few feet in advance and felt
+himself fainting.
+
+The road at the extremity of the village was bordered with narrow fields
+shaded with big trees. The instinct of a hunted animal drove on the
+distracted merchant; he made a brisk turn to the right, then to the
+left, and threw himself behind the knotted trunk of a huge
+chestnut-tree. The freezing hand already touched his shoulder; he fell
+senseless.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the morning, in broad daylight, two men who came to plough in this
+same field were surprised to perceive against the tree a white form,
+and, on the ground, a man stretched out. This fact coming after the
+howling in the night appeared strange to them; they turned back and went
+to find the Chief of the Elders. When they returned, the greater part of
+the inhabitants of the village followed them.
+
+They approached and found that the form against the tree was the corpse
+of a young woman, her nails buried in the bark; from her mouth a stream
+of blood had flowed and stained her white silk jacket. A shudder of
+horror shook the lookers-on: the Chief of the Elders recognised his
+daughter dead for the last six months whose coffin was placed in a barn,
+waiting for the burial, a favourable day to be fixed by the astrologers.
+
+The innkeeper recognised one of his guests in the man stretched on the
+ground, whom no care could revive.
+
+They returned in haste to find out in what condition the coffin was: the
+door of the barn was still open. They went in; a coverlet was thrown on
+the ground near the entrance; on two beds the great sun lit up the
+hollow and greenish aspect of the corpses whose blood had been emptied.
+
+Behind the drawn curtain the coffin was found open. The corpse of the
+young woman evidently had not lost its inferior soul, the vital breath.
+Like all beings deprived of conscience and reason, her ferocity was
+eager for blood.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE REWARDED_
+
+
+Lost in the heart of Peking, in one of the most peaceful neighbourhoods
+of the Yellow City, the street of Glowing-happiness was sleeping in the
+silence and in the light.
+
+On the right and left of the dusty road was some waste ground, where
+several red mangy, and surly dogs were sleeping. Five or six low houses,
+their white walls forming a line not well defined, whose low roofs were
+covered with grey tiles, bordered the road.
+
+In the first year of the Glorious-Strength, four hundred years ago, a
+young man with long hair tied together under the black gauze cap of the
+scholars, clothed in a pink dress with purple flowers, was walking in
+the setting sun, stepping cautiously in order not to cover with dust
+his shoes with thick felt soles.
+
+When the first stars began to shine in the darkening sky, he entered one
+of the houses. A wick in a saucer, soaking in oil, burning and smoking,
+vaguely lighted an open book on the table: one could only guess, in the
+shadow, the form of a chair, a bed in a corner, and a few inscriptions
+hanging on the whitewashed walls.
+
+The scholar seated himself before his table and resumed, as he did every
+evening, his reading of the Classics, of which he sought to penetrate
+the entire meaning. Late passers-by in this lonely thoroughfare still
+saw his lamp shining across the trellises of the windows far into the
+night.
+
+Golden-dragon lived alone. Now, on that evening an inexplicable languor
+made him dreamy; his eyes followed in vain the text; his rebellious
+thoughts were scattered.
+
+Impatiently at last he was just going to put out his lamp and go to
+bed, when he heard some one knocking at the door.
+
+"Come in!" he cried.
+
+The door grinding on its hinges, a young woman appeared clothed in a
+long gown of bright green silk, gracefully lifting her foot to cross the
+threshold, and bowing with her two hands united. Golden-dragon,
+hurriedly rising to reply, waved in his turn his fists joined together
+at the same height as his visage and said, according to the ritual: "Be
+kind enough to be seated! What is your noble name?" The visitor did not
+pronounce a word; her large black eyes, shadowed by long eyelashes, were
+fixed on the face of her host, while she tried to regain her panting
+breath.
+
+As she advanced, Golden-dragon felt a strange feeling of admiration and
+love.
+
+He did not think such a perfect beauty could exist. As he remained
+speechless, she smiled, and her smile had on him the effect of a strong
+drink on a hungry man; troubled and dazed, he lost the conscience of
+his personality and his acts.
+
+The next morning the sun was shining when he awoke, asking himself if he
+had not been dreaming. He thought all day long of his strange visitor,
+making thousands of suppositions.
+
+Evening coming on, she suddenly entered, and it was as it had been the
+night before.
+
+Two months passed; then the young girl's visits abruptly ceased. The
+night covered everything with its black veil, but nobody appeared at the
+door. Golden-dragon the first night, waited for her till the hour of the
+Rat; at last he went to his couch and fell asleep. Almost immediately he
+saw her carried away by two horny _yecha_; she was calling him:
+
+"My beloved, I am drawn away towards the inferior regions. I shall never
+be able to get away if prayers are not said for me. My body lies in the
+next house."
+
+He started out of sleep in the efforts he made to fly to her, and could
+not rest again in his impatience to assert what she had said.
+
+As soon as the sun was up, he ran towards the only house that was next
+to his. He knocked; no one replied. Pushing the door, he entered. The
+house seemed to be recently abandoned, the rooms were empty, but in a
+side hall a black lacquered coffin rested on trestles; on a table the
+"Book of Liberation" was open at the chapter of "The great recall."
+
+Golden-dragon doubted no longer; he sang in a high voice the entire
+chapter, shut the book, and returned home full of a strange
+peacefulness.
+
+Every evening from that time, at the hour when she had appeared to him,
+he lit a lantern, went to the house next door and read a chapter of the
+holy text.
+
+Years passed by; he got beyond his fiftieth year, grew bent, and walked
+with difficulty, but he never missed performing the duty he had imposed
+on himself for his unknown friend.
+
+The house where the coffin was placed had successively been let to
+several families; but he had arranged that the funereal room should
+never be touched. The lodgers bowed to the scholar when he came, and
+talked to him; the whole town was entertained with this touching example
+of such everlasting love.
+
+"So much constancy and such fidelity cannot remain without reward," they
+said.
+
+But time slipped by and nothing came to change the regular life of the
+old man.
+
+On his seventieth birthday, as he went to his neighbours, he remarked a
+violent excitement.
+
+"My wife has just had a child," said the chief of the family, going to
+meet him. "Come and wish her happiness; she does not cease to ask for
+you."
+
+"Is it a boy?"
+
+"No, unhappily, a girl, but such a pretty little thing."
+
+Followed by the happy father, the scholar with white hair penetrated
+into the room; the mother smiled, holding out the baby to him.
+Golden-dragon suddenly started; the child held out her arms to him and
+on her little lips, hardly formed, hovered the shadow of a disappeared
+smile, the smile of the unknown woman.
+
+And as he looked an extraordinary sensation troubled him; he felt he was
+growing younger, more vigorous. Soon, in the midst of the cries of
+admiration of the whole family, the bent old man grew straight again;
+his grey hair turned black, and the change continued; he became a young
+man, a boy, and soon a child.
+
+When the Bell of the great Tower struck the hour of the Rat, he was a
+fat pink baby playing and laughing with the little girl.
+
+The governor of the town, being informed, personally directed an
+inquiry. It was discovered that the coffin had disappeared at the same
+hour when the transformation had happened.
+
+The Emperor, on the report of the governor, ordered the two children to
+receive a handsome dowry.
+
+As to them, they grew up, loved each other, and lived happy and well as
+far as the limits of human longevity.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOMAN IN GREEN_
+
+
+At this time, in the Pavilion-of-the-guests, in the
+Monastery-of-the-healing-springs, the most celebrated of the Fo-kien
+province, lived a young scholar whose name was Little-cypress.
+
+As soon as the sun rose he was at his work, seated near the trellised
+window. When night fell, his lamp still lit the outline of the wooden
+trellis.
+
+One morning a shadow darkened his book; he raised his eyes: a young
+woman with a long green skirt, her face of matchless beauty, was
+standing outside the window and was looking at him.
+
+"You are then always working, Lord Little-cypress?" she said.
+
+She was so bewitching that he knew her immediately for a goddess; but
+all the same he asked her where she lived and what was her name.
+
+"Your lordship has looked on his humble wife; he has known her as a
+goddess. What is the use of so many questions?"
+
+Little-cypress, satisfied with this reply, invited her to enter the
+house. She came in; her waist was so small, one would almost have
+thought that her body was divided in two.
+
+He invited her to sit down; they talked and laughed together a long
+time.
+
+He asked her to sing, and, with a low voice, which filled her friend
+with rapture, she sang:
+
+    "On the trees the bird pursues his companion;
+    Oppressed slaves free themselves with love.
+    How has my Lord lived alone,
+    Without enjoying all the pleasures of married life?"
+
+The sound vibrated like a thread of silk; it penetrated the ear and
+troubled the heart. As she finished, she suddenly arose.
+
+"A man is standing near the window, he is listening to us ... he is
+going round ... he is trying to see."
+
+"Since when does a goddess fear a man?" replied Little-cypress,
+laughing.
+
+"I am troubled without knowing why; my heart beats. I wish to go."
+
+She went to open the door, but abruptly shut it.
+
+"I do not know why I am thus upset. Will you accompany me as far as the
+entrance gate?"
+
+Little-cypress held her up till they got to the gate; he had just left
+her and turned his head, when he heard her call for help in a voice full
+of anguish. He hurriedly turned round; no one was to be seen.
+
+As he was looking for her with stupefaction his eyes fell on a big
+cobweb, stretched in the corner of the wall. The ugly and gigantic
+insect held in its claws a dragon-fly who was struggling and dolefully
+crying. Affected by this sight, he hastened to deliver it.
+
+The pretty insect immediately flew in the direction of the
+Pavilion-of-the-guests. Little-cypress saw it go in at the window and
+alight on the stone for grinding the ink.
+
+Then it arose again and alighted on the paper which was placed on the
+table; there it oddly crawled, retracing its steps, returning,
+advancing, and stopping. After a moment it took its flight and
+disappeared in the sky.
+
+Little-cypress, much puzzled, approached and looked; on the paper was
+written in big strokes the word "Thanks."
+
+
+
+
+_THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES_
+
+
+When Dawning-colour was on the point of dying, he called his mother to
+him.
+
+"Mother," he said, "I am going to die. I do not wish White-orchid, my
+young wife, to feel herself bound to keep the widowhood. When her
+mourning will be finished, she will marry again: our son is only three
+years old; you will keep him with you."
+
+Now, the mourning was not yet finished and the coffin was still in the
+house waiting for a favourable day, when the young widow began to find
+the solitude weigh upon her.
+
+A rich sluggard of the village, named Adolescent, had several times sent
+proposals to her through a neighbour; she at last was unwise enough to
+agree to an interview with him. When evening came, Adolescent jumped
+over the neighbour's wall and went to her room.
+
+He had not been there half an hour when there arose a great noise in the
+hall where the coffin was; it seemed as if the cover was violently
+thrown to the ground. A little slave who was called afterwards as a
+witness told how she ran into the yard and saw her master's corpse
+brandishing a sword and jumping towards the room where the lovers were
+to be found.
+
+A few instants after, she saw the young widow come out screaming and run
+to the garden. Adolescent followed her, covered with blood; he crossed
+the threshold and disappeared in the night.
+
+Now, Adolescent, flying from danger, pushed the first door that he came
+across in the street; it was that of a young couple; the husband, named
+Wang, was absent and only expected to return the next day. The young
+wife, hearing a noise, thought it was her husband returning.
+
+"Is that you?" she asked, without quite waking up.
+
+Adolescent, who knew Madame Wang was pretty, answered "Yes" in a low
+voice, taking advantage of her error.
+
+A short time after, at Wang's turn to enter, he struck a light, saw a
+man in his room, and, furious, seized a pike. Adolescent tried to hide
+himself under the bed, but the husband transpierced him several times.
+He wished to kill his wife, but she so much begged him not to that he
+spared her.
+
+The cries and supplications which came from the room had, however, awoke
+the neighbours, who came in; they pulled Adolescent's body from under
+the bed; he died almost directly.
+
+There was a silence; the affair was serious. Then one of the assistants
+said:
+
+"The judges won't believe that you were in your right of outraged
+husband; you ought to have killed your wife also. As it is, you will be
+condemned."
+
+Thereupon, Wang killed the unhappy woman.
+
+During this time Dawning-colour's mother, having heard the screams of
+her daughter-in-law, thought there was a burglar in the house; she cried
+for help and tried to light a lamp, but she was trembling, and her
+curtains caught fire.
+
+Some neighbours arrived in haste; while a few of them extinguished the
+fire, the others, armed with crossbows, ran through the house and garden
+in search of the thief.
+
+At the bottom of the orchard they saw a white mass moving at the foot of
+the wall. Without waiting to ascertain what it was, they shot several
+arrows; everything was still. The archers approached and lit a torch;
+they saw the body of White-orchid transpierced in the head and chest.
+
+Horrified by what they had done, they informed the old woman, who said
+nothing.
+
+But this was not all. The elder brother of White-orchid, furious at the
+tragic death of his sister, had a lawsuit with the archers and the old
+woman.
+
+As usual, the judges ruined both parties; they condemned
+Dawning-colour's mother and the archers to receive five hundred bamboo
+strokes. The latter were not strong enough to bear this punishment, and
+died under the stick. And thus the affair ended.
+
+
+
+
+_DECEIVING SHADOWS_
+
+
+Night was falling when the horseshoes of the mules of my caravan
+resounded on the slippery flagstones of the village.
+
+Tired by a long day of walking, I directed my steps towards the large
+hall of the inn, with the intention of resting a moment while my repast
+was being prepared.
+
+In the darkened room the glimmer of a small opium-lamp lit up the pale
+and hollow face of an old man, occupied in holding over the flame a
+small ball of the black drug, which would soon be transformed into
+smoke, source of forgetfulness and dreams.
+
+The old man returned my greeting, and invited me to lie down on the
+couch opposite to him. He handed me a pipe already prepared and we
+began talking together. As ordered by the laws of politeness, I remarked
+to my neighbour that he seemed robust for his age.
+
+"My age? Do you, then, think I am so old?"
+
+"But, as you are so wise, you must have seen sixty harvests?"
+
+"Sixty! I am not yet thirty years old! But you must have come from a
+long way off, not to know who I am."
+
+And while rolling the balls with dexterity in the palm of his hand, and
+making them puff out to the heat of the lamp, he told me his story.
+
+His name was Liu Favour-of-heaven. Born and brought up in the capital,
+he had been promoted six years before to the post of sub-prefect in the
+town on which our refuge was dependent.
+
+When coming to take his post, he stopped at the inn, the same one where
+we were. The house was full; but he had remarked, on entering, a long
+pavilion which seemed uninhabited. The landlord, being asked, looked
+perplexed; he ended by saying that the pavilion had been shut for the
+last two years; all the travellers had complained of noises and strange
+visions; probably mischievous spirits lived there.
+
+Favour-of-heaven, having lived in the capital, but little believed in
+phantoms. He found the occasion excellent to establish his reputation in
+braving imaginary dangers.
+
+His wife and his children implored him in vain; he persisted in his
+intention of remaining the night alone in the haunted house.
+
+He had lights brought; installed himself in a big armchair, and placed
+across his knees a long and heavy sword.
+
+Hours passed by; the sonorous noise of the gong struck by the watchman
+announced successively the hours, first of the Pig, then of the Rat. He
+grew drowsy. Suddenly, he was awakened by the gnashing of teeth. All the
+lights were out; the darkness, however, was not deep enough to prevent
+his being able to distinguish everything confusedly. Anguish seized him;
+his heart beat with violence; his staring eyes were fixed on the door.
+
+By the half-opened door he perceived a round white mass, the deformed
+head of a monster, who, appearing little by little, stretched long hands
+with twisted fingers and claws.
+
+Favour-of-heaven mechanically raised his weapon; his blood frozen in his
+veins, he tried to strike the head, whose indistinct features were
+certainly dreadful. Without doubt the blow had struck, for a frightful
+cry was heard; all the demons of the inferior regions seemed let loose
+with this yell; calls were heard from all sides. The trellised frames of
+the windows were shaken with violence. The monster gained the door.
+Favour-of-heaven pursued him and threw him down.
+
+His terror was such that he felt he must strike and kill. Hardly had he
+finished than there entered, rolling from side to side, a little being,
+quite round, brandishing unknown weapons at the end of innumerable small
+hands. The prefect, with one blow, cut him in two like a watermelon.
+
+However, the windows were shaken with growing rage; unknown beings
+entered by the door without interruption; the prefect threw them down
+one after another: a black shadow first, then a head balancing itself at
+the end of a huge neck, then the jaw of a crocodile, then a big bird
+with the chest and feet of a donkey.
+
+Trembling all over, the man struck right and left, exhausted and
+panting; a cold perspiration overwhelmed him; he felt his strength
+gradually giving way, when the cock crowed at last the coming of the
+day.
+
+Little by little, grey dawn designed the trellis of the windows, then
+the sun suddenly appeared above the horizon and darted its rays across
+the rents in the paper.
+
+Favour-of-heaven felt his heart stand still; on the floor inundated with
+blood, the bodies lying there had human forms, forms that he knew: this
+one looked like his second wife, and this one, this little head that had
+rolled against the foot of the table, he would have sworn that it was
+his last son.
+
+With a mad cry he threw away his weapon and ran to open the door,
+through which the sun poured in.
+
+An armed crowd was moving in the yard.
+
+"My family! my family! where is my family?"
+
+"They are all with you in the pavilion!"
+
+But as they were speaking they saw with stupor the hair of the young man
+becoming white, and the wrinkles of age cover his face, while he
+remained motionless as well as insensible.
+
+They drew near; he rolled fainting on the ground. "And thus," ended the
+sub-prefect in the silence of the dark hall, where only the little light
+of the opium-lamp was shining, "I remained several days without
+knowledge of anything. When I came to myself, I had to bear the sorrow
+of having killed my whole family in these atrocious circumstances. I
+resigned my post: I had magnificent tombs built for all those who were
+killed this fatal night, and, since then, I smoke without ceasing the
+agreeable drug, in order to fly away from the remembrance, which will
+haunt me until my last day."
+
+
+
+
+_PEACEFUL-LIGHT_
+
+
+In the time when the Shining Dynasty had just conquered the throne, the
+eastern coasts of the Empire were ravaged by the rapid junks commanded
+by the cruel inhabitants of the Japanese islands, the irresistible _Wo
+tsz_.
+
+Now, it happened that the _Wo tsz_ Emperor lost his first wife; knowing
+the beauty of Chinese women, he charged one of his officers to bring
+back some of them.
+
+The officer, at the head of a numerous troop, landed not far from the
+town of The-Smoky-wall. No resistance was possible; the population was
+given the example of flight by the functionaries, at least it was thus
+said in the Annals of the prefecture.
+
+The country being far from the big centres, the women were not great
+coquettes; only one, named Peaceful-light, had always been careful,
+since childhood, not to allow her feet to become naturally large; they
+were constantly bound up, so much so that she could hardly walk.
+
+Her large soft eyes were shaded with heavy eyelashes; one of the
+literati of the place took delight in quoting the poets of antiquity on
+them:
+
+    Under the willow of her eyelashes
+    The tranquil river of her eyes shines forth.
+    I bend and see my image reflected in them.
+    Could she be deceitful like the deep water?
+
+When the pirates were coming, she begged her family to leave her, and to
+fly without the risk of being delayed by her.
+
+"It is the just punishment for my coquetry," she told them. "Fear
+nothing for me, however. I am going to take a strong dose of the paste
+extracted from the flowers of Nao-yang which makes one sleep. The
+pirates will think I am dead, and will leave me."
+
+The family allowed themselves to be persuaded, and departed. As to
+Peaceful-light, she was asleep almost directly after taking the drug,
+and she remained motionless on her bed.
+
+The pirates, entering everywhere, at last arrived in the house and
+remained struck with admiration by her beauty. The officer who was
+called, at first thought her dead and was much grieved, but, touching
+her hand and finding it warm and limp, he resolved to carry her away.
+
+When the ravishers were re-embarked, the strong sea-air and the motion
+of the boat revived the young girl; she awoke, and was horrified to find
+herself surrounded by strangers. The one who seemed the chief spoke to
+her in Chinese language in order to reassure her:
+
+"Fear nothing. No harm will come to you. On the contrary, the highest
+destiny awaits you; my Lord The Emperor designs you to the honour of
+his couch."
+
+Seeing that no one troubled her, Peaceful-light was reassured; she
+resolved to wait, confident in her destiny, and knowing that she had
+still, ready in her sleeve, in case of necessity, a narcotic dose strong
+enough to kill her.
+
+As soon as she landed, she was taken in great haste to the Palace. The
+Emperor, greatly satisfied with her beauty, conferred on her at once the
+rank of first favourite.
+
+But all the luxury and love which surrounded her could not make her
+forget her family and her country; she resolved to run away.
+
+In order to manage it, she complained to her master how sad it was for
+her never to be able to speak her own language with companions from her
+country. The Emperor, happy to be able to please her, gave orders to fit
+out a sea-junk, in order to go to the Chinese coast.
+
+The day when all was ready the young girl found means of pouring into
+her master's drink a dose of her narcotic. Then, when he was asleep, she
+took his private seal and, going out of the room, she called the
+intendant of the Palace and said to him:
+
+"The Emperor has ordered me to go to China to fetch a magician, a member
+of my family, who has great power on water and wind. Here is the seal,
+proof of my mission. The ship must be almost ready."
+
+The intendant knew that a junk had been specially prepared to go to
+China; he saw the seal; what suspicion could he have? He had a palanquin
+brought as quickly as possible; two hours after, the wood of the junk
+groaned under the blows of the unfurling waves.
+
+Arriving in sight of the coast, on the pretext of not frightening the
+population, the young girl begged the officer who accompanied her to
+send a messenger to the prefect of the town, bearing a letter that she
+had prepared. The officer, without distrust, sent one of his men.
+
+The letter of Peaceful-light showed a whole scheme to which the prefect
+could but give his consent. The messenger returned, bringing to the
+officer and to the men an invitation to take part in the feast that was
+being prepared for them, their intentions not being bad.
+
+Peaceful-light retired into her family, who welcomed her with a thousand
+demonstrations of joy.
+
+In the wine that was freely poured out for the strangers they had
+dissolved the flowers of Nao-yang. The effects were not long in being
+felt; a torpor that they attributed to the table excesses seized them
+one after another. They were soon all sleeping deeply. Men arrived with
+swords, glided near them, and, a signal being given, cut off their
+heads.
+
+While these events were passing in China, others still more serious were
+happening in Japan. Soon after the departure of Peaceful-light, the
+Emperor's brother penetrated into the room where the sovereign was left
+sleeping. This brother was ambitious; he profited by the occasion,
+killed the unhappy Mikado, took possession of the seals of the State,
+and, calling his partisans in haste, proclaimed himself Chief of the
+State. Only a part of the princes followed him; the others, filled with
+indignation by the crime that had been accomplished, united their troops
+to crush the usurper; civil war tore the whole of Japan to pieces.
+
+As to Peaceful-light, by order of the authorities she received public
+congratulations and gifts of land which allowed her to marry and be
+happy, as she merited.
+
+
+
+
+_HONG THE CURRIER_
+
+
+"In the time when the Justice of Heaven was actively employed with the
+affairs of the earth, one of my ancestors had an adventure to which we
+owe our present fortune, and of which few men of to-day have seen the
+equal."
+
+Thus began my friend Hong; reclining on the red cushions of the big
+couch, he fanned himself gracefully with an ivory fan painted all over.
+
+"Our family, as you know, originally came from the town of
+The-Black-chain in the province of The-Foaming-rivers. Our ancestor Hong
+The-just was a currier by trade; he cut and scraped the skins that were
+entrusted to him. His family was composed only of his wife, who helped
+him as well as she could.
+
+"Notwithstanding this persistent labour, they were very poor; no
+furniture ornamented the three rooms in the small house that they hired
+in the Street-of-the-golden-flowers.
+
+"When the last days of the twelfth moon in that year arrived, they found
+they were owing six strings of copper cash to ten different creditors.
+With all they possessed, there only remained 400 cash. What were they to
+do? They reflected for a long time. Hong The-just at last said to his
+wife:
+
+"'Take these 400 cash; you will be able to buy rice to live on. As to
+me, as I cannot pay my debts before the first day of the first moon, I
+am going to leave the town and hide myself in the mountain. My
+creditors, not seeing me, will believe you when you tell them that I
+have been to find money in the neighbouring town. Once the first day of
+the first moon passed, as law ordains to wait till the following term,
+I shall then come back, and we shall continue to live as well as we
+can.'
+
+"It was indeed the wisest thing to do. His wife made him a parcel of a
+blanket and a few dry biscuits. She wept at seeing him go away quite
+bent, walking with difficulty on the slippery flagstones of the street.
+
+"The snow was falling in thick flakes and already covered the grey tiled
+roofs, when Hong The-just left the city gate and directed his steps to a
+cave that he knew of in a lonely valley.
+
+"He arrived at last, and, throwing his heavy load on the ground, he
+glanced around him in order to choose the place where he would sleep.
+
+"An exclamation of stupor escaped from him when he saw, seated
+motionless on a stone, a man clothed in a long sable cloak, with a cap
+of the same fur, looking at him in a mournful, indifferent way.
+
+"'How strange!' at last said Hong, laughing. 'Dare I ask your noble
+name and the reason that brings you to this remote refuge? How is it
+that you are not with your friends, drinking hot wine and rejoicing in
+the midst of the luxuriance of the tables covered with various eatables
+and brilliant lights?'
+
+"'My name is Yang Glow-of-dawn. And you, what is your precious name?'
+replied mechanically the first occupant.
+
+"'I am called Hong The-just, and I am here to escape from my creditors.'
+
+"'You, also?' sneered Glow-of-dawn. 'The strokes of Fate do not vary
+much. As for me, I deal in European goods; my correspondents have not
+settled my accounts and I am in want of nearly a hundred thousand ounces
+of silver to close the year. None of my friends could advance me the
+sum, and here I am, obliged to fly away from my creditors.'
+
+"'A hundred thousand ounces!' cried The-just. 'With a sum like that I
+should pass the rest of my days in plenty. Anyhow, struck by the same
+misfortune, we are thus united; let us try to pass cheerfully the last
+day of the year, and attempt to imagine that these humble cakes are
+refined food.'
+
+"When they were eating their pastry and drinking water from the near
+torrent, Glow-of-dawn suddenly said:
+
+"'But you, how much do you owe? I have here a few ounces of silver;
+maybe you could balance your accounts with them.'
+
+"'My debts do not exceed six strings of copper cash. But how could I
+dare accept your offer?'
+
+"'Not at all! take these ten ounces; you will pay your debts and bring
+me here food and wine; that will help me to wait till the end of the
+festivals.'
+
+"The-just, reiterating his thanks, took the ingots that were offered him
+and went down as quickly as possible towards the town.
+
+"His wife, on seeing him and hearing his story, could not restrain her
+joy. She hurried to go and buy provisions of all kinds. Her husband
+tried to light the stove, but they had not lit a fire for a long time;
+he found the chimney filled with soot and dust.
+
+"Hong tried to sweep it with a big broom, but the masonry gave way,
+filling the room with the bricks and rubbish.
+
+"'How very annoying!' grumbled the currier. 'Now the stove is destroyed
+let us take away what remains, and we will make the fire beneath the
+opening in the roof!'
+
+"When his wife returned, he was still working. She put down her basket
+and helped to raise a huge stone that formed the bottom of the hearth.
+What was their astonishment in seeing a chest, half-broken, from which
+big ingots of gold were falling!
+
+"'What are we to do with this?' said his wife. 'If we sell this gold,
+everybody will think that we have stolen it, and we shall be put in
+prison.'
+
+"'We have only one thing to do,' replied Hong. 'Let us entrust our
+fortune to my companion in the cave; he is a good man. We shall save
+him, and he will make our money prosper; I will hurry and tell him.'
+
+"When Hong arrived, it was nearly nightfall; Yang was standing under
+flakes of snow at the entrance of the grotto; he received him with
+reproaches:
+
+"'You have come so late that my eyes are sore in looking out for you in
+vain!'
+
+"'Do not abuse me, Old Uncle; drink this wine and eat these cakes that
+are still warm, and I will tell you what delayed me.'
+
+"And while Glow-of-dawn ate and drank, the other told him of his
+adventure and of his intentions about the treasure.
+
+"Surprised and touched, the merchant did not know how to express his
+wonder and gratitude. They talked over the best way of proceeding to
+bring the gold and settle the business.
+
+"Then, by the glimmer of a bad lantern, they returned to the town and
+entered the merchant's house. There the currier washed himself, did his
+hair, and clothed himself in rich garments. A sedan-chair was waiting
+for him, followed by sturdy servants; he went away....
+
+"The next day Glow-of-dawn's creditors presented themselves at the house
+of their debtor. He was standing at the entrance, and bowed in wishing
+them a thousand times happiness. They entered; tea was brought in by
+busy servants. They at last discussed the settlement of their yearly
+accounts. The master of the house found out that he owed 180,000 ounces
+of silver.
+
+"'We have been informed that larger sums of silver are due to you, but
+you know the custom; you must settle everything to-day. In order to save
+you, we are content to make an estimate of your wealth, your goods and
+lands.'
+
+"'Do not give yourselves such a trouble,' replied the merchant, laughing
+and waving his hand. 'I thought you would be relentless, so I have been
+to speak to my elder brother, who has an immense fortune; he has put at
+my disposal several hundred thousand ounces. But here! I hear the cry of
+the bearers; it must be him with the chests of white metal.'
+
+"The major domo came hurrying in, carrying high in the air the huge red
+card with the names and surnames written in black.
+
+"'The venerable Old Great Uncle The-just has arrived!'
+
+"'Allow me?' said Yang, getting up, and going towards the door, of which
+both sides were open. Hong entered. They made each other a thousand
+affectionate greetings, as all brothers do who are animated with right
+feelings.
+
+"'Dear elder brother! here are the gentlemen who have come for the
+settlement of my accounts about which I spoke to you.'
+
+"'Gentlemen!' and the currier bowed, not without a certain grace that
+his new fortune had already given him. 'Well! how much is the total
+amount? I have brought you ten thousand ounces of gold, which is nearly
+350,000 ounces of silver. Will you have enough?'
+
+"While he was speaking, bearers were trooping in, and laid down on the
+ground heavy chests, the lids of which being raised, one could see the
+bars of precious metal.
+
+"The merchants, thunderstruck by all these riches and generosity,
+remained silent for a moment; then they bowed low and bade the currier
+sit in the place of honour.
+
+"Many delicate and exquisite dishes were brought in of which The-just
+did not even know the names; sweet wines were handed round in small
+transparent china cups.
+
+"At last the secretaries counted the ingots, and they all returned home
+paid. When every one had retired, Glow-of-dawn knelt before the currier
+and, striking the earth with his forehead, he said:
+
+"'Now you are my elder brother. You have rescued me, and I henceforth
+wish you to live here. My house, my properties, everything I possess
+belongs to you. Your wife is my sister-in-law.'
+
+"The currier hurried to raise him up and, much moved, said:
+
+"'I do not forget that it is you who saved me when you were still in
+misfortune. Your good genius has rewarded you. I am only the instrument
+of Fate.'"
+
+
+
+
+_AUTUMN-MOON_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou a young man lived called
+Lake-of-the-Immortals; he was wise and generous. His business consisted
+in going to fetch goods from neighbouring towns, which he afterwards
+brought back to his native city. He was thus obliged to be absent for
+lengthy periods, during which he left his house to the care of an elder
+brother, a celebrated scholar, who was married, and whom he tenderly
+loved.
+
+Once he had been by the Grand Canal as far as Chen-kiang; the goods he
+was going to take not being ready, he waited, and to while away the time
+he visited the Golden Island, whose temples with yellow-tiled roofs show
+in the verdure above the yellow water of the river, nearly opposite to
+the town; he passed the night there, as visitors did usually.
+
+When he had just fallen asleep, he saw in a dream a young girl, fourteen
+or fifteen years old, her visage regular and pure.
+
+On the second night he had the same dream. Surprised, he awoke; it was
+no dream; the young girl was there, near to him. At a glance he saw she
+was no human being; he hastened to get up and, saluting, to ask her the
+ordinary questions.
+
+"My name is Autumn-moon," she replied. "My father was a celebrated
+magician. When I died, he worked out my future destiny and wrote it down
+with powerful incantations; this charm has been put into my coffin, so
+that the inferior authorities should not make any mistake. It was
+written that, thirty years after my death, I should be called again to
+life and marry Lake-of-the-Immortals. There you are, and I have come to
+know my husband."
+
+As she said the last words she slowly vanished in the night. The next
+day, as the young man, disturbed and preoccupied by this strange
+adventure, was sitting in his room, thinking of her, she appeared
+suddenly before his eyes and said:
+
+"Come quickly! something important for you is going to happen at the
+prefect's palace. We have not a minute to lose."
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals questioned her, but she would not answer. Then
+they both crossed the river and walked as fast as they could up to the
+yamen.
+
+As they arrived at the gate, four soldiers, dragging a prisoner, were on
+the point of entering. Lake-of-the-Immortals recognised his elder
+brother in the person of the prisoner; he drew near, threw himself on
+his neck, and pressed him to his heart.
+
+"How is it that you are here? why this arrest? And you, soldiers, where
+do you take him?"
+
+"We have orders: what means this interference?" And they pushed the
+young man aside. Lake-of-the-Immortals was of a violent temper and had a
+strong affection for his brother; he could not let him go, and answered
+to the brutality of the soldiers by such a tempest of thumping and
+kicking that these honest but prudent soldiers asked no more and fled.
+
+"What have you done?" said Autumn-moon. "Hitting soldiers is serious; we
+must fly."
+
+And all three, running, arrived at the beach, jumped into a small boat,
+and rowed with all their strength.
+
+When day appeared, they were safely lodged in a small inn, several lis
+from Chen-kiang. Lake-of-the-Immortals, exhausted, went to sleep
+immediately. When he awoke, his two companions had disappeared. He asked
+the innkeeper; nobody had seen them go out.
+
+Distressed and sad, the young man did not dare to show himself outside.
+He remained solitary in his room. When twilight came, his door opened
+and a woman entered:
+
+"I bring you a message from Autumn-moon; she has been arrested. If you
+wish to see her, you must follow me; I will show you the way."
+
+"And my brother? do you know anything?"
+
+"Your brother is safe in Sou-tcheou now. But come and follow me."
+
+They started and soon arrived before a wall, which they got over by
+helping one another. Through a window giving on the yard they fell in,
+the lover perceived Autumn-moon on a bed. Two soldiers were trying to
+tease her, saying:
+
+"What is the use of resisting us, as you will be executed to-morrow
+morning?"
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals did not hear any more; he rushed into the room,
+threw himself on the soldiers, tore a sword from them, and laid them on
+the ground. Before the wretched men had time to make a gesture of
+defence, he carried away the girl and flew.
+
+At this moment he started violently, and found himself in his same room
+in the Golden Island. A servant entered, bringing the breakfast he had
+ordered when arriving for the first time, the night before, on the
+island.
+
+As he was asking himself the meaning of such a vivid dream, he heard a
+noise in the courtyard. Going out, he saw several men surrounding the
+body of a girl stretched before his door.
+
+"Where does she come from?" asked some one.
+
+"We have never seen her!" said another.
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals came nearer; it was the body, seemingly senseless,
+of Autumn-moon. He had her brought immediately into his room. A doctor
+who had been called declared she was still alive, but needed very
+careful nursing.
+
+When she awoke at last she smiled feebly to the young man.
+
+"No, it is no dream," she replied to his questions. "Your brother was
+called before the King of Hells; you saved him. You have saved me also
+from eternal disappearance, and I am called again to life; the
+prediction of my father was true."
+
+A fortnight later she was able to get up; they started together and
+arrived safely at Sou-tcheou. When they got to his brother's house, his
+sister-in-law told them there had been illness in the house; her husband
+had been in grave danger of death; he was quite well now.
+
+When they were all together, Lake-of-the-Immortals told what he had seen
+and done. They all listened to him in silence. The family henceforth
+lived united and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE PRINCESS NELUMBO_
+
+
+Gleam-of-day was sleeping; his round face and high forehead denoted the
+scholar's right intelligence.
+
+All of a sudden he saw a man standing before his bed who appeared to be
+waiting.
+
+"What is it?" inquired the sleeper, getting up.
+
+"The prince is asking for you."
+
+"Which prince?"
+
+"The prince of the neighbouring territory."
+
+Gleam-of-day, grumbling, got up, put on his court dress and followed his
+guide. Palanquins were waiting; they started rapidly, and their retinue
+was soon passing in the midst of innumerable pavilions and towers with
+pointed roofs.
+
+They at last stopped in the courtyard of the palace; young girls with
+bright clothing were seen, and looked inquiringly at the new-comer, who
+was announced with great pomp.
+
+At last Gleam-of-day reached the audience hall. The prince was seated on
+the throne; he descended the steps and welcomed his guest according to
+the rites.
+
+"You perfume this neighbourhood," he said. "Your reputation has come to
+me, and I wished to know you."
+
+The servants brought wine; they began to converse nobly and brilliantly.
+At last the prince asked:
+
+"Among the flowers, tell me which one you prefer."
+
+"The nelumbo," he replied, without hesitating.
+
+"The nelumbo? it is precisely my daughter's surname. What a curious
+coincidence! The princess must absolutely know you."
+
+And he made a sign to one of the attendants, who at once went out. A few
+minutes after, the princess appeared. She was between sixteen and
+seventeen years old. Nothing could equal her admirable beauty.
+
+Her father ordered her to bow to the scholar and said:
+
+"Here is my daughter Nelumbo."
+
+Gleam-of-day, looking at her, felt troubled to the depth of his soul.
+The prince spoke to him; he hardly heard, and replied awkwardly. When
+the princess had retired, the conversation languished; the prince at
+last rose and put an end to the interview.
+
+During all the way back the young man was ashamed at the same time with
+his emotion before the girl, as well as his rudeness towards the prince.
+He was so much troubled that he ordered his retinue to go back to the
+palace.
+
+When he entered the audience hall, he threw himself to the ground before
+the prince and begged to be excused for his rudeness.
+
+"You need not excuse yourself; the sentiment that I read in your eyes is
+powerful and the thought of it is not unpleasant to me."
+
+While Gleam-of-day, happy with this encouragement, was still excusing
+himself, twenty young girls came running:
+
+"A monster has entered the palace; it is a python ten thousand feet
+long. It has already devoured thirteen hundred persons; its head is like
+a mountain peak."
+
+Every one got up; the frightened guard and the courtiers ran hither and
+thither, looking where they could hide themselves. The princess and her
+maids-in-waiting were crying for help.
+
+Gleam-of-day at last said to the prince:
+
+"I have only three miserable rooms in a cottage, but you will be safe in
+them. Will you fly there with your daughter?"
+
+"Let us go as quickly as possible," replied the prince, seizing the
+princess by the wrist.
+
+They all three ran across the deserted streets. When they arrived,
+Nelumbo threw herself on the bed, without being able to stop weeping.
+
+Gleam-of-day was so moved that he suddenly awoke: everything was a
+dream.
+
+Just then he heard a scream in the next room, where his father slept;
+there was a struggle, blows, and at last a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+The door opened, and the old man was seen pushing an enormous serpent at
+the end of a stick. When Gleam-of-day turned back to his bed, he found
+it covered with bees; on the pillow the queen had alighted.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TWO BROTHERS_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou there lived two brothers. The elder, surnamed
+Merchant, was very rich; the younger, named Deceived-hope, very poor.
+They lived side by side, and their houses, the paternal inheritance,
+were only separated by a low wall. They were both married.
+
+This year, the harvest having been bad, Deceived-hope could not afford
+the necessary rice for his family to live upon. His wife said to him:
+
+"Let us send our son to your brother: he will be touched and will give
+us something, without any doubt."
+
+Deceived-hope hesitated, but at last decided to take this step which
+hurt his pride. When the child returned from his uncle's, his hands
+were empty. They questioned him:
+
+"I told my uncle that you were without rice; he hesitated and looked at
+my aunt. She then said to me: 'The two brothers live separately; their
+food also is separate.'"
+
+Deceived-hope and his wife did not say a word; they fetched the bale of
+rice that was still in their corn-loft and lived thus.
+
+Now, in the town, two or three vagabonds who knew the riches of Merchant
+broke open his door one night, and tied him up as well as his wife. As
+he would not show his treasure, they began burning his hands and feet.
+Merchant and his wife screamed for help. Deceived-hope heard them and
+got up in order to run to their house, but his wife held him back, and,
+approaching the wall which separated them, cried:
+
+"The two brothers live separately; their food also is separate."
+
+However, as their cries increased, Deceived-hope could not contain
+himself, and, seizing a weapon, leapt over the wall, fell on the
+thieves, and dispersed them. Then, when his brother and his
+sister-in-law were delivered and quieted, he returned home, saying to
+his wife:
+
+"They are certain to give us a present."
+
+But, the next day and the days following, they waited in vain!
+Deceived-hope could not resist the temptation to relate everything to
+his friends. The same thieves heard of it and, thinking that he would
+not interfere any more, broke open the door of Merchant the same evening
+and began again to torture him as well as his wife.
+
+Deceived-hope, indeed, did not wish to interfere. However, his heart and
+his liver were upset by the painful cries of his brother. He could not
+forbear running to his help.
+
+The brigands, disconcerted, flew again, but this time Merchant and his
+wife were severely burnt; they lost the use of their hands and feet.
+
+The next day Merchant said to his wife:
+
+"My brother has saved our lives; without him we should be ruined; I am
+going to give him a part of what we have."
+
+"Do nothing of the kind," replied his wife; "if he had come sooner, he
+would have saved our hands and feet; now, thanks to him, we are infirm."
+
+And they did nothing. Deceived-hope, however, wanting money, made an act
+of sale of his house and sent it to his brother, hoping that he would be
+touched by his misery and would send back the deed with a present.
+
+In fact Merchant was going to send him some silver ingots, but his wife
+stopped him:
+
+"Let us take his house; we shall be able to make ours bigger, and it
+will be much more convenient."
+
+Merchant hesitated a little, but he ended by accepting the act, and sent
+the price agreed on. Deceived-hope went and settled in another part of
+the town; with his small capital, he opened a vegetable-shop, which soon
+prospered.
+
+The brigands, having heard that Merchant was now living alone, broke
+open his door very quietly, tortured him, and then killed him, taking
+away all he had. In leaving the place, they cried all over the town:
+
+"Merchant's corn-loft is open! Let all the poor go and take the rice!"
+
+They thus went, one by one, silently, all the poor of the neighbourhood,
+taking away as much of the heaped-up rice as they could. Soon there was
+nothing left.
+
+Deceived-hope being informed, wished to revenge his brother; he pursued
+the brigands and killed two of them.
+
+From this time it was he who every day attended to the needs of his
+sister-in-law, now in misery. Some months afterwards, exhausted, she
+died.
+
+Deceived-hope came back and was soon settled in the patrimony that he
+had recovered. One night he was soundly sleeping, when he saw his
+brother.
+
+"You have saved us twice, and we have been ungrateful. I should not be
+dead if I had not acted badly with you. I wish to make amends. Under the
+stone of the hearth you will find five hundred ounces of gold that I had
+hidden, and of the existence of which my wife was ignorant."
+
+Deceived-hope started from his sleep; he told his dream to his wife. She
+at once got up, drew out the stone of the hearth, and found the mass of
+gold. Henceforth, happy and rich, they lived long and were charitable
+and friendly with every one.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MARBLE ARCH_
+
+
+When the troubles began to break out in Hankow, many families were
+alarmed. Those who were not ignorant of the powerful organisation of the
+revolutionists left the town as soon as possible, anticipating that it
+would soon be plundered and burnt.
+
+The retired prefect, Kiun, was amongst the first to embark in order to
+go down the river. His house was situated at several lis from the river,
+on the confines of the suburbs, outside the fortified enclosure. He had
+only been married a short time, and was living with his father and
+mother.
+
+When the baggage at last was ready, the bearers fixed it in the middle
+of their long bamboos and set off two by two, grumbling under the heavy
+load. The two old people followed; Kiun and his young wife, the charming
+Seaweed, helped them as well as they could.
+
+In order to avoid crossing the centre of the town, they followed the
+crenellated wall by an almost deserted road. A young man and woman alone
+were sauntering in the same direction, carrying parcels on their
+shoulders.
+
+"Where are you going to?" they asked, as it is the custom to do between
+travellers.
+
+"As far as the river," replied Kiun. "And you?"
+
+"We also," said the young man. "What is your precious name?"
+
+"My contemptible name is Kiun. But you, deign to inform me about your
+family?"
+
+"My name is Wang The-king. We are flying from the insurrection."
+
+They thus talked while walking in company.
+
+Seaweed took the advantage of a moment when the new-comers were a little
+in front to bend towards her husband.
+
+"Do not let us get in the same junk with these strangers. The man has
+looked at me several times in a rude way; his eyes are unsteady and
+fickle; I am afraid of him."
+
+Kiun made a sign of assent. But when they had arrived on the quay, Wang
+The-king gave himself so much trouble to find a junk and help to embark
+the luggage that the prefect, bound by the rites, could not avoid asking
+him to get on board the boat with him.
+
+They unmoored; Wang The-king established himself on the prow with his
+wife, near the mariners; he spoke a long time with them while they were
+passing the last houses of the large city.
+
+When night fell, they were in a part of the river where it got broader
+to such an extent that you could no longer distinguish the banks. The
+wind was blowing rather violently and the unfurling waves projected
+heavy showers on the mats which covered the quarter-deck.
+
+Kiun, uneasy, went to the prow of the boat in order to question the
+master. The bright moon was rising, lighting the dark line of the bank.
+They approached in order to throw the anchor.
+
+Wang The-king was on the narrow bridge; when Kiun came to his side, he
+coolly pushed the poor prefect overboard. Kiun's father was two paces
+behind; Wang ran to him and threw him also into the tumultuous waters of
+the rapid current. Kiun's mother, hearing a cry and a struggle, went to
+see what was happening, and she also was precipitated into the foaming
+river.
+
+Seaweed, from the cabin, had seen all; but she took good care not to go
+outside; she moaned:
+
+"Alas! my father-in-law and my mother-in-law are dead! My husband has
+been killed! I am going to die, too!"
+
+While she was crying, Wang The-king entered the cabin.
+
+"Fear nothing," said he; "forget those people who are no more and won't
+come back. I am going to take you home to the city of The-Golden-tombs.
+There I have fields and houses belonging to me; I will give them to
+you."
+
+The young woman kept back her sobs and said nothing; she thought it wise
+not to provoke the murderer.
+
+Wang The-king, very satisfied with his prospects, went back to the
+mariners, gave them the greater part of what his victims had brought in
+silver and luggage; then he quietly took his dinner and retired to his
+cabin with his wife. The woman had a strange look, but she did not say
+anything, and they went to sleep.
+
+Towards the hour of the Rat, the woman began to groan; then she started
+out of her sleep and cried to her husband:
+
+"Kill me, repudiate me! I can no longer stay with you! Thunder and
+lightning will strike you! I have dreamt it; I will no longer be the
+wife of a murderer and a thief!"
+
+Wang, furious, struck her. But as she continued, he took her in his arms
+and threw her into the river.
+
+On the second day the boat arrived at The-Golden-tombs. Wang took
+Seaweed to his family. When his old mother asked what he had done with
+his first wife, he replied:
+
+"She fell in the river, and I will marry this one."
+
+They were soon settled in the house. Wang wished to take liberties with
+Seaweed, who gently drove him back.
+
+"We must not neglect the rites. Do not let us forget to empty first the
+marriage cup."
+
+Wang joyously accepted; and soon, seated opposite each other, they began
+exchanging cups of wine in the ritual way.
+
+Seaweed, however, pretended to drink, and tried to make her lover tipsy;
+she contrived this little by little.
+
+Wang, rendered sleepy by the wine, undressed himself, got on the bed,
+and ordered the young woman to put out the lamps and come to him.
+
+She carefully blew the lamps and said:
+
+"I will come in a minute!"
+
+Then she quickly went to her luggage, took out a sword she had hidden
+there, and came back. Feeling with her hands in the darkness, she found
+the throat of the man and struck him as hard as she could: the man
+screamed and tried to get up; she struck again and again: there was a
+moaning, a gurgle, and then silence.
+
+However, Wang's mother, having heard some noise, came with a lantern.
+Seaweed killed her before the old woman could even say a word.
+
+Then the young woman, having avenged her family, tried to cut her own
+throat, in order to join her husband. The sword was blunt and she was
+only able to scratch herself. She then remembered that, outside the
+house, there was a fairly big pond; she ran out and threw herself into
+the water.
+
+Some neighbours saw her and ran to her help; other people came; lanterns
+were brought forth; the poor girl at last was taken out of the pond, and
+brought back to her house. But, when the new-comers entered the room,
+they saw the bodies and the blood.
+
+"Murder! Murder!" cried they.
+
+And they immediately sent a boy to call the police. The constables came
+and looked all over the room; they soon found in Seaweed's luggage a
+note prepared by the unfortunate woman and stating the truth about her
+family's death. The assistants were loud in their praise of her act:
+
+"She avenged her husband; she has been witty enough to beguile the
+murderer; and now she has killed herself! Such an act of courage and
+virtue has not been heard of for centuries. We must ask the authorities
+to build her a marble arch to commemorate her history, and be an example
+to future generations."
+
+While all this was going on, they tried to revive the woman; everything
+was done, but in vain. A coffin was then brought in, and the girl
+transferred to it, covered with her best garments and jewels. The lid
+was screwed on, and everybody left the house.
+
+We must now come back to the evening when Wang pushed into the water
+Seaweed's husband. Kiun was a strong man and a very good swimmer;
+surprised by this sudden attack, all he could do at first was to keep
+his head out of the tumultuous water. He then thought to go back to the
+boat, but, on the foaming expanse nothing was to be seen; the rapid
+current had driven him too far. At last the water brought him to a
+curving beach, where he was able to land.
+
+Walking disconsolately on the sand, he saw a human body rolled by the
+surge; he approached, and recognised his father; farther on he saw his
+mother; both he dragged out of the water. Most uneasy about his wife, he
+walked on the river's edge, straining his eyes; the moon was shining; he
+saw at last a human being holding a big piece of wood. He swam to her,
+pushed her to the beach, and took her he thought was his wife to the dry
+sand. He undid the upper garment in order to rub her members; when he
+saw she was not so cold, he wiped her hair out of her face. His stupor
+was immense in recognising Wang's wife.
+
+The sun rose at last and warmed them. The young woman sighed, opened
+her eyes, and, completely herself again, told Kiun what she had seen:
+
+"My husband is a murderer. In a dream I saw the King-of-Shadows himself
+sitting behind his tribunal and writing his name on the death-list.
+Besides, he is in love with your wife. If you wish it, we will go
+together straight to The Golden-tombs and do what we can to avenge
+ourselves."
+
+Kiun, seeing a man coming to work in a field not far from there, went to
+him and told him in a few words what had happened; the man led them to
+his landlord, a rich man, who gave them food and warm dresses, sent men
+to bring the drowned bodies to a side house and have them properly
+buried. Then he advanced a certain sum of money to Kiun, who agreed to
+send it back when he should get to a place where he could find a
+correspondent of his bankers.
+
+Then Kiun and his companion engaged a small boat and went down the
+river. When they got to The Golden-tombs, they questioned the people in
+the street about Wang. A month had elapsed since the events we have told
+of; the first man they questioned looked at them in wonder:
+
+"How is it you don't know what happened? Wang is dead; he has been
+killed by a virtuous woman whose family he had murdered and who killed
+herself afterwards. You have only to go on; in the first street to your
+right you will see a new marble arch which has just been erected to
+commemorate virtuous Seaweed's courageous death."
+
+Kiun thought his heart would burst; he dragged his companion to the
+marble arch and read the inscription. Then he bought a bundle of those
+imitations of gold and silver ingots made with paper which people burn
+on the tombs in order to send some money to the dead; he went to the
+tomb in the place indicated by the inscription.
+
+There he reverently knelt, and, after having knocked the ground with his
+forehead, he burnt the paper-ingots, rose, and went away with Wang's
+wife.
+
+When they were back in their boat, they discussed their plans and
+resolved to go down the river to Shanghai.
+
+They were leaving the harbour, when a small boat crossed their way; two
+women sat on the bench. One of them reminded Kiun strangely of his late
+wife. The woman had looked up at him and seemed surprised. The retired
+prefect, moved by a mysterious strength, pronounced aloud a sentence
+which used to make his wife laugh when they were together happy in
+Hankow:
+
+"I see wild geese flying high in the sky."
+
+Seaweed, when she was alive, used to answer by a phrase which had
+nothing to do with the first sentence, and had made them laugh very
+often by its stupidity. The woman in the boat said it too:
+
+"The dog wants the cat's biscuit; you quickly shut it in the house."
+
+Kiun, wondering whether it was Seaweed's ghost, asked the mariners to go
+alongside the other boat; he jumped in it; the woman threw her arms
+round his neck, and they wept together.
+
+"Are you alive? or is it only your ghost I hold in my arms?" asked he.
+
+"I am alive!"
+
+Then she told him her adventures; when she was put into the coffin, she
+had some jewels on. One of the assistants resolved to steal them; he
+waited till everybody was gone and the house empty; then he deliberately
+unscrewed the coffin's lid and rifled what he could. He was trying to
+take a ring off her hand, when the supposed corpse rose and screamed.
+
+The poor man thought his last hour had come and did not move. Seaweed,
+seeing her jewels in his hands, and seeing the coffin she was in,
+grasped the situation at a glance.
+
+"You want my jewels! Have them if you like; you saved my life, and
+without you I would have been stifled in this gruesome box."
+
+The man at first dared not accept; then he said:
+
+"In exchange for your kindness, I will tell you something. In the third
+house in the first street lives a rich widow; she is alone and would
+like to adopt a girl; go to her and tell her everything. She will be
+happy to give you a home."
+
+Then he helped her to get out of the coffin, screwed the lid again, and
+disappeared. Seaweed went straight to the house. The widow received her
+with the greatest kindness, and asked of her to let everybody believe
+she was dead; if not, there would have been a lawsuit.
+
+Both women, now united by the closest affection, had been out on the
+river for pleasure's sake when they saw Kiun's bark. The widow, when the
+explanations were finished, opened her arms to Kiun; she called him her
+son-in-law. Seaweed asked Wang's wife to be the second wife of her
+husband. And they all lived long and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DUTIFUL SON_
+
+
+At the foot of the Oriental-Perfume-Mountain, in one of the most
+beautiful places of this celebrated district, the passers-by could see a
+small lodge. Chou The-favourable lived there with his mother. He was
+still young, being only thirty years old, and earned his living in the
+way so highly praised by the ancient Classics; he cultivated a small
+field by his house, and every week went to the next market to exchange
+what he had for what he wanted.
+
+Both were very happy, when a calamity befell them; the old mother one
+morning felt a pain in her right leg. Two or three days afterwards she
+had there an ulcer that no remedies could cure; everything was tried and
+everything failed. Day and night she was moaning, turning over in her
+hard wooden bed.
+
+The-favourable forgot to drink and eat, in his anxiety to give his
+mother the medicines the doctor advised.
+
+Several months wore on; the ulcer did not heal. The despair of the son
+was greater every day; at last, overcome by his fatigue, he fell asleep
+and dreamt that he saw his father. The old man told him:
+
+"You have been a dutiful son. But I must tell you that your mother will
+not recover if you can't apply to her ulcer a piece of man's fat."
+
+Then everything was dissolved like a smoke in the wind.
+
+The-favourable awoke and, thinking over his dream, he found it very
+strange.
+
+"What can I do?" thought he. "Man's fat is not easily found in the
+market. My father would not have appeared to me if this extraordinary
+medicine was not really the only thing that will cure my mother. Well,
+I will take a piece of fat of my own body; I have nothing else to do."
+
+Then, rising from his bed, he took a sharp knife, and, pulling the skin
+of his side, he cut a large piece off. His pain was not so great as he
+had expected it to be, and, what seemed more extraordinary to him, no
+blood flowed from the wound.
+
+He could not see that, from the heaven above, a messenger had come on a
+cloud, was recording this noble feat on his life's register, and helped
+him by averting all ordinary sufferance.
+
+The-favourable hastened to put the piece of flesh on his mother's ulcer;
+the pain disappeared immediately, and a few days after the old woman
+could walk as she used to do; on her leg there remained only a red scar.
+
+When she asked what medicine had been employed, The-favourable eluded
+the answer. But somehow the truth was known in the neighbourhood; the
+prefect sent a report to the Throne and came himself with a decree of
+the Emperor, giving a title and an allowance to the dutiful son.
+
+
+
+
+_THROUGH MANY LIVES_
+
+
+Some people remember every incident of their former existences; it is a
+fact which many examples can prove. Other people do not forget what they
+learned before they died and were born again, but remember only
+confusedly what they were in a precedent life.
+
+Wang The-acceptable, of the Yellow-peach-blossom city, when people
+discussed such questions before him, used to narrate the experience he
+had had with his first son.
+
+The boy, at the time he spoke of, was three or four years old. He did
+not say many words, and some people thought he was dumb. One day,
+The-acceptable was writing a letter, when he was disturbed by a friend.
+He put his writing-brush down on the table and left the room. When he
+came back, his letter was finished, and written much more correctly than
+he would have believed himself able to do. Besides, he did not remember
+having finished it. The puzzle did not trouble him very much.
+
+Another day the same thing occurred; he left the room, leaving a letter
+unfinished on the table; when he came back, the letter was nearly ended.
+Nobody but the boy had been in the room. Troubled and suspicious, he
+rose and feigned to go away; but he came back immediately and
+noiselessly. From the door, he saw his boy kneeling on the stool and
+writing the letter.
+
+The little man suddenly saw his father and asked to be forgiven. The
+father of course laughed:
+
+"We all thought you were dumb; if you are such a learned man, the family
+happiness will be great! How could we punish you?"
+
+From that date he had good lessons given to the boy, who very early
+passed successfully his third degree examination and became one of the
+most celebrated "Entered among the learned" of his time.
+
+When his father asked him whether he remembered what he had been before
+being what he now was, the boy said that the first life he could
+remember was that of a young student; he lived in a monastery to save as
+much as he could of his income. When he died, the King-of-the-Darkness
+punished him for his stinginess and condemned him to become a donkey in
+the same monastery he had lived in.
+
+He wanted to die, but did not know what to do; the priests loved him and
+were very careful. One day he was on a mountain road and was tempted to
+throw himself downhill; but he had a man on his back and was afraid of
+the punishment the King-of-the-Darkness would inflict upon him if he
+killed that man. So he went on. Many years passed; he died at last, and
+was born again as a peasant. But, as he had forgotten nothing of his
+former lives, he was able to speak a few days after his birth. His
+father and mother judged the thing highly suspicious and killed him.
+
+After that, he was born in the family of Wang The-acceptable.
+Appreciating the surroundings, and bearing in mind that he had last been
+killed because he spoke too early, he was very careful this time not to
+utter a single word. But when he saw the paper and ink he could not
+resist his love of literature and finished the letter.
+
+
+
+
+_THE RIVER OF SORROWS_
+
+
+Along the path leading to the city of All-virtues, in the obscure night,
+a poor coolie, grumbling under a heavy load of salt, was trudging on as
+fast as he could.
+
+"I shall never get there before the hour of the Rat, and my wife will
+say again; 'Wang The-tenth has drunk too many cups of wine.' She does
+not know the weight of that stuff!"
+
+As he was thus thinking, two men suddenly jumped from either side of the
+road and held him by the arms.
+
+"What do you want?" cried the poor man. "I am only an unhappy carrier,
+and my load is only salt, very common salt."
+
+"We don't want your salt, and you had better throw it down. We are sent
+from the Regions below and we want you to come down with us."
+
+"Am I dead already?" asked The-tenth. "I did not know. I must tell my
+wife. Can't you come again to-morrow night?"
+
+"Impossible to wait. You must come immediately. But I don't think you
+are dead. It is only to work for a few days down below."
+
+"This is rather strange," replied The-tenth. "With all the people who
+have died since the world has been the world you still want living men?
+We don't go and ask you to do our work, do we?"
+
+While thus arguing, he felt himself suffocated by a heavy smell and lost
+consciousness.
+
+When he awoke, he was on the bank of a fairly large river. Hundreds of
+men were standing in the water; some of them carried baskets; others,
+with spades and different utensils, were dragging out what they could
+from the bottom. Soldiers with heavy sticks struck those who stopped
+even for a second.
+
+On the bank several men were standing, and a number of others came from
+time to time. A magistrate was sitting behind a big red table, turning
+over the pages of a book. At last, he called "Wang The-tenth."
+
+"Wang The-tenth!" repeated the soldiers. And they threw the poor man
+down in a kneeling position in front of the magistrate, who looked on
+the book and said:
+
+"You have been an undutiful son; do you remember the day when you told
+your father he was a fool?"
+
+Then speaking to the soldiers, he said:
+
+"To the river!"
+
+The guards pushed the man, gave him a basket, and ordered him to help in
+the cleaning of the river.
+
+The water was red and thick; its stench was abominable; the bodies of
+the workmen were all red, and The-tenth discovered it was blood. He
+looked at the first basket he took to the bank; it was only putrid flesh
+and broken bones.
+
+Thus he worked day by day without stopping. When he was not going fast
+enough, the guards struck him with their sticks, and their sticks were
+bones. In the deep places he had to put his head into the water and felt
+the filthy stuff fill his nostrils and mouth.
+
+Among the workers he recognised many people he used to know. A great
+number died and were carried away by the stream.
+
+At last two guards called his name, helped him to the bank, and suddenly
+he found himself again on the path leading to the city of All-virtues.
+
+Now, on the night when The-tenth was taken away, his wife waited for
+him. Troubled not to see him, she started as soon as the sun beamed, and
+looked for him on the road. She soon found his body lying unconscious.
+Trying in vain to revive him, she thought him dead, and wept bitterly.
+
+Not being strong enough to bring home his body, she came back to town in
+order to ask the help of her family. In the afternoon, clad in the white
+dress of mourning, and accompanied by her four brothers, she started
+again.
+
+What was her astonishment and fear when, approaching the place where she
+had found the body, she saw her husband walking towards her. He was all
+covered with blood, and the stench was so strong that everybody pinched
+his nose.
+
+When he had explained what had happened, they all returned to the
+village. The-tenth knelt reverently before his ancestors' tablet,
+offered butter and rice, and burnt incense.
+
+This very day he asked a Taoist priest what was the river he had worked
+in. The priest explained to him it was called the River-of-sorrows. It
+took its source in the outer world in every tear that was shed. The
+people that killed themselves out of despair were floated down its
+stream to the kingdom of shadows.
+
+Sometimes the sorrows on earth were so great that people killed
+themselves by thousands and did not shed any tears; the blood then was
+too thick to wash away the decayed remains, and the river-bed had to be
+cleaned lest it should overflow and drown the whole world. Living men
+alone were employed in this work, for only living men can cure living
+men's sorrows.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND_
+
+
+In the beautiful Chu-san archipelago there is a small island where the
+flowers never cease blooming, and where the trees grow thick and high.
+From the most remote antiquity nobody has been known to live in the
+shade of this virgin forest; the ferns, the creepers, are so entangled
+that it is impossible for a man to cross this wilderness without
+clearing his way with a hatchet.
+
+A young student named Chang, who lived in the City-over-the-sea, used to
+rest himself from his daily labour by going out to sea in a small junk
+he managed himself.
+
+Having heard of the mysterious island, he resolved to explore it,
+prepared wine and food, and sailed out on a beautiful summer's morning.
+
+Towards midday he neared the place where the island was supposed to be.
+Soon a delicious perfume of flowers was brought to him by the hot
+breeze. He saw the dark green of the trees over the light green of the
+sea, and, when still nearer, the yellow sand of the beach, where he
+resolved to disembark.
+
+The junk touched the shore; he tied it to a large fallen tree whose end
+dipped into the gentle waves, and proceeded at once to a hearty meal.
+
+While he was storing again in the boat what remained of his provisions,
+he was suddenly startled by a subdued laugh. Turning his head, he saw
+among the wild roses of the shore, a young girl covered with a long blue
+dress, who looked at him with dark eyes full of flame.
+
+"Your servant is most happy to see you here. I did not suppose I should
+ever have the pleasure of meeting you."
+
+"Who are you?" asked Chang, forgetting, in his astonishment, the proper
+forms of inquiry.
+
+"I am only a poor singer who has been brought here by
+The-Duke-of-the-sea."
+
+Chang, hearing these words, was afraid in his heart; The-Duke-of-the-sea
+was a renowned pirate who used to plunder every village of the coast,
+and was reputed to be cruel and vindictive. But the girl was so
+attractive that he soon forgot everything in the pleasure of her
+chatter.
+
+Seated at the foot of a big tree, they were laughing, when a noise came
+from the forest.
+
+"It is The-Duke-of-the-sea! It is The-Duke-of-the-sea!" murmured the
+girl. "I must be off at once."
+
+And she disappeared behind the foliage.
+
+While Chang was asking himself what he should do, he suddenly saw a huge
+snake coming straight to him. Its body was as thick as a cask, and so
+long that the end was still hidden in the forest, while the head was
+balancing over the frightened student.
+
+Chang could not say a word and dared not move: the snake entwined
+himself round a tree and round the man, holding fast its prisoner's
+arms. Then, lowering its head, it threw out its tongue, and, pricking
+the student's nose, began to suck the blood which came out and fell on
+the ground.
+
+Chang saw that, if he did not immediately free himself, he would
+certainly die. Feeling cautiously with his hand round his waist, he took
+from his purse a certain poisoned pill that he kept there and intended
+to try on wolves and foxes. With two fingers he took the pill and threw
+it into the red pool at his feet.
+
+The snake, of course, sucked it with the blood; it immediately stopped
+drinking, straightened its body, and rocked its head to and fro,
+knocking the tree-trunks and hissing desperately.
+
+Chang, feeble and hardly able to stand, dragged himself as fast as he
+could out of reach on to the beach and quickly untied his boat.
+Nevertheless, before going out to sea, he fetched a sword and went
+cautiously into the wood again. The snake did not move. Chang flourished
+his sword, and with a mighty stroke cut the head off and ran to his
+boat.
+
+He returned to the City-over-the-sea, went to bed and was ill for a
+month. When he spoke of his experience, he always said that, to his
+mind, it was the beautiful girl he had seen at first who had come again
+in the form of a snake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER_
+
+
+In a small village along the river Tsz lived a fisherman named Siu. He
+started every night with his nets, and took very great care not to
+forget to bring with him a small jar of spirits. Before throwing his
+cast-net, he drank a small cup of the fragrant liquor and poured some
+drops into the slow current, praying aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river, please accept these offerings and favour your
+humble servant. I am poor and I must take some of the fishes that live
+in your cold kingdom. Don't be angry against me and don't prevent the
+eels and trouts coming to me!"
+
+When every fisherman on the river brought back only one basket of
+fishes, he always proudly bore home a heavy charge of two or three
+baskets full to the brim.
+
+Once, on a rosy dawn of early spring, when the sun, still below the
+horizon, began to eat with its golden teeth the vanishing darkness, he
+said aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river! For many years, every night I have drunk with
+you a good number of wine-cups; but I never saw your face; won't you
+favour me with your presence? We could sit together, and the pleasure of
+drinking would be much greater."
+
+Hardly had he finished these words when, from the middle of the stream,
+emerged a beautiful young man clothed in pink, who slowly walked on the
+smooth surface of the limpid water, and sat on the boat's end, saying:
+
+"Here I am."
+
+The fisherman, being half-drunk, was not troubled in any way; he bowed
+to the young man, offered him, with his two hands, a cup of the strong
+wine, and said:
+
+"Well! I long wished to receive your instructions, and I am very glad to
+see you. You must be mighty tired of living in that water; the few drops
+of wine I pour every night are quite lost in such a quantity of
+tasteless liquid. You had better come up every night; we will drink
+together and enjoy each other's company."
+
+From this day, when darkness closed in, the Spirit waited for the
+fisherman and partook of his provisions. As soon as the sun rose above
+the horizon he suddenly disappeared. The fisherman did not find that
+very convenient; he asked his companion if he could not arrange to stay
+with him sometimes in the daytime.
+
+"Impossible; we can't do such a thing, we spirits and ghosts. We belong
+to the kingdom of shadows. When the shadows, fighting the daylight,
+bring with them the Night, we are free to go and wander about. But as
+soon as the herald of the morn, the cock, has proclaimed the daily
+victory of the sun, we are powerless and must disappear."
+
+On the same day the fisherman was sitting on the bank, smoking a pipe
+before going home with his baskets, when he saw a woman holding a child
+in her arms and hastening along the river towards a ford some hundred
+yards up stream. She was already in the water, when she missed her
+footing, fell into the river, and was rolled away by the stream. The
+child, by some happy chance, had fallen on the bank and lay there,
+crying.
+
+The fisherman could easily have gone in his boat and saved the woman,
+who was still struggling to regain the bank, but he was a prudent man:
+
+"This woman, whom I don't know, seems to be beautiful," thought he.
+"Maybe it is my friend The-Spirit-of-the-river who has arranged all
+this, and chosen the girl to be his wife. If I prevent her going down
+to his cold lodgings, he will be angry and ruin my fishing. All I could
+do is to adopt this boy until somebody comes and asks for him."
+
+And he did not move, until the poor woman had disappeared in the yellow
+stream; then he took the child. Once back in the village, he inquired
+about the mother; nobody could tell who she was. The days passed and
+nobody asked for the boy. This was strange enough, but, stranger still,
+from this day the fisherman never saw The-Spirit-of-the-river again. He
+offered him many cups of wine, and his fishing was as good as ever, but
+though he prayed heartily, his companion of so many nights did not
+appear any more.
+
+When the boy was three years old he insisted on accompanying his adopted
+father in his night fishing. Summer had come; the cold was no more to be
+feared. The man consented to take his adopted son with him; they
+started together in the twilight.
+
+As soon as the darkness closed, the boy's voice changed; his appearance
+was different.
+
+"What a silly man you are!" said he. "Don't you know me now? For more
+than two years I waited for an opportunity to tell you who I was. But
+you always went out at night and you never came back before the sun was
+high in the sky. You had never failed to present your offerings; so I
+could not resist your prayer when you asked me to stay with you in the
+daytime. Now, here I am, till your death; when the sun is up I shall
+only be your son, but when the night closes I shall be your companion,
+and we will enjoy together what longevity the Fate allows you."
+
+
+
+
+_THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN_
+
+
+In the twenty-second year of the period Eternal-happiness, the
+population of Chao-cheou's harbour, awaking on a bright summer's
+morning, were extremely surprised and frightened to see, swaying on the
+blue water of the bay, a strange and abnormally huge ship. The three
+high masts were heavily loaded with transversal pieces of wood, from
+some of which sails were still hanging; another mast projected
+horizontally from the prow, and three sails were tightened from this to
+the foremast.
+
+A small boat was lowered from the ship's side and rowed to the quay.
+Several hundreds of people were watching the proceedings, asking one
+another if it was a human invention or a ship coming from the depths of
+hell.
+
+The small boat stopped at a short distance from the bank; one could see
+that, beside the rowers, there were three men seated in the stern; their
+heads were covered with extraordinarily long and fluffy grey hair; they
+wore big hats with feathers of many colours. A Chinaman was in the boat
+and hailed the people:
+
+"Ha! Please tell the local authorities that high mandarins from the
+ocean want to speak to them. We are peaceful. But if you do any harm to
+our men or ships, our wrath will be such that we will destroy in one day
+the whole town and kill everybody within ten miles' distance."
+
+Three or four men belonging to the Yamen had heard these words; they ran
+to the prefect's palace and came back with an answer they delivered to
+the new-comers:
+
+"His Excellency the prefect consents to receive your visit. If you are
+peaceful, no harm will be done to you. But if you steal anything, or
+wound or kill anybody, the laws of our country will be enforced upon you
+without mercy."
+
+Then the boat slowly accosted the quay; two of the men with feathered
+hats disembarked with the Chinaman, while six of the rowers, leaving
+their oars in the boat, shouldered heavy muskets, and cleared the way,
+three walking in front of the feathered hats and three behind. The
+rowers wore small caps and had long blue trousers and very short blue
+coats.
+
+The prefect, in his embroidered dress, awaited them on the threshold of
+his reception-room. He bade the new-comers be seated and asked their
+names and their business; the Chinaman translated the questions and the
+answers.
+
+"We come from the other side of the earth."
+
+"Well," thought the prefect. "I was sure of it, the earth being square
+and flat, the other side of it is certainly hell. What am I to do?"
+
+"We only want to trade with your countrymen. We will sell you what goods
+we have brought; we will buy your country's productions, and if no harm
+is done we will sail away in a few days."
+
+"Our humble country is very poor," answered the prefect. "The people are
+not rich enough to buy any of the splendid goods you may have brought.
+Besides, this country's products are not worth your giving any money for
+them. If I can give you good advice, you had better sail away to-day and
+get to the first harbour of the northern province; there they are very
+rich."
+
+"We have just come from it; they told us the very reverse. Here,
+according to them, we should be able to find everything we want.
+Besides, our mind is settled; we will remain here long enough to buy
+what we want and to sell what we can. We are very peaceful people as
+long as one deals justly with us. But if you try to beguile us, we will
+employ all our strength in the defence of our rights. All we want is a
+place on shore where we can store and show our goods."
+
+"Well, well; I never intended to do anything of the sort," said the
+prefect. "But the Emperor is the only possessor of the soil. How could I
+give you a place even on the shore?"
+
+"We don't want very much, and the Emperor won't know anything. Give us
+only the surface of ground covered by a carpet, and we will be
+satisfied."
+
+Chinese carpets are not more than two or three feet broad and five or
+six feet wide. The prefect thought he could not be blamed to authorise
+the foreigners to settle on such a small piece of ground; on the other
+hand, if he refused, there would ensue trouble and he would certainly be
+cashiered.
+
+"It is only as a special arrangement and by greatly compromising with
+the law that I can give you this authorisation."
+
+And the prefect wrote a few words on one of his big red visiting-cards.
+The interpreter carefully perused the document. Then the foreigners went
+back to their ship. The same day a proclamation was issued and pasted on
+the walls of the public edifices, explaining to the people that
+The-Devils-of-the-ocean had been authorised to settle on a piece of
+ground not bigger than a carpet and that no harm should be done to them.
+
+In compliance with these orders, nobody dared oppose the foreigners when
+they began unrolling on the shore a carpet ten yards broad and thirty
+yards long. When the carpet was unrolled, The-Devils-of-the-ocean put
+themselves in ranks with muskets and swords on the carpet; nearly five
+hundred men stood there close to one another.
+
+The prefect, who had personally watched the proceeding, was so angry
+against the foreigners for their cunningness that he immediately ordered
+troops to drive them out into the water. But the foreigners had a
+devilish energy nobody could resist; they killed a great many of our
+people, burned the greater part of the city, and occupied for several
+years all the northern part of the bay, where they erected a sort of
+bazaar and a fortress, which still exist to this day.
+
+
+
+
+_UNKNOWN DEVILS_
+
+
+Suen Pure-whiteness was privileged with the possibility of seeing
+distinctly all the creatures of the other world, who, for the greater
+part of humanity, remain always mysterious and invisible.
+
+One night he slept in a mountain monastery; he had closed and barred the
+door; the full moon illuminated the window; everything was quiet. He had
+slept an hour, when he was awakened by the hissing of the wind; the gate
+of the monastery seemed to be thrown open; after a while the door of his
+room was shaken, the bar dropped down, and the heavy wood turned on its
+hinges.
+
+Pure-whiteness thought at first that it would be better to close his
+eyes and to wait; but his curiosity was aroused, he looked intently;
+after a few seconds he could see a big devil, so big that he was obliged
+to stoop in order not to break his head against the ceiling, and who was
+coming slowly towards the bed. His face had the colour and general
+appearance of an old melon. His eyes were full of lightning and his
+mouth was bigger than a tub. His teeth were at least three inches long
+and his tongue kept moving incessantly, while he uttered a sound like
+"Ha-la."
+
+Pure-whiteness was much afraid; but, seeing he had no way of escape, he
+took a short sword from under his pillow and, with all his might, thrust
+it into the devil's breast; it sounded as if he had struck a stone.
+
+The devil hissed in a fearful way; he extended his claws to catch the
+man. Pure-whiteness jumped on the right side; the devil could only catch
+his dress and started; the man hastened to unfasten his dress; he
+dropped and remained there on all fours, motionless and mute. When the
+devil's steps ceased to be heard he screamed for help; the priests came
+with lamps; everything was in order, but in the bed Pure-witeness was
+yelling as in a nightmare.
+
+On another day Pure-whiteness was in the country enjoying the pleasures
+of harvest. The golden rice was piled high and everybody was busy. Some
+armed men had been posted here and there, according to the custom;
+everybody knows that when the rice is ripened in a place, people of the
+neighbouring villages are always looking for an opportunity to make the
+harvest themselves or to take away what has been cut by the owners.
+
+Pure-whiteness, tired by the heat, laid down behind a rice-stack; after
+a while he heard stealthy steps; raising his head, he saw a big devil
+more than ten feet high, with hair and beard of a fierce reddish colour,
+who was approaching. Pure-whiteness yelled for help: men with spears
+came to the rescue. The devil bellowed like the thunder and flew away.
+Pure-whiteness told them what he had seen; nobody would believe him, but
+they nevertheless started in pursuit; people working in the fields all
+round had not seen anything, so everybody came back.
+
+The second day Pure-whiteness was among four or five men, when he saw
+the same devil.
+
+"He has come back!" cried he, flying away.
+
+The other people ran away too. When they came back, everything was
+quiet. But they always kept by their side some spears, bows and arrows,
+and swords.
+
+For two or three days, they had no trouble; the rice was being stored in
+the granaries, when Pure-whiteness, looking up, screamed:
+
+"The devil has come back!"
+
+Everybody ran to his arms. Pure-whiteness fell down; the devil picked
+him up, bit his head, threw him down, and went away.
+
+When the man came back, Pure-whiteness bore the marks of teeth on his
+head; he did not know anybody. Taken home and nursed, he remained
+unconscious for a few days and died.
+
+
+
+
+_CHILDLESS_
+
+
+In the city of The-Great-name lived a rich idler named Tuan
+Correct-happiness. He had then attained the age of forty and still he
+had no son. His wife, Peaceful-union, was extremely jealous, so that he
+dared not openly buy a concubine, as law authorised him, to continue his
+lineage.
+
+When he saw that, at forty, he had no son, he secretly bought a young
+girl, whom he carefully left outside his own house.
+
+A woman is not easily deceived--a jealous woman especially;
+Peaceful-union soon discovered the whole truth. She had the girl brought
+before her and took advantage of an impertinent answer to have her
+beaten a hundred blows; after that, she turned on her husband and drove
+him nearly mad with reproaches. What could the poor man do? He sold his
+concubine to a neighbouring family named Liu, and peace was restored in
+the house.
+
+The days and years passed on without any change in the situation; the
+nephews of Correct-happiness, seeing that he was old already and had no
+son, began to fawn upon him, each of them trying to be the one that
+would be elected as an adopted son to continue the family cult, as is
+the custom.
+
+Peaceful-union at last began to see her error and regretted bitterly
+what she had done.
+
+"You are only sixty years old," said she to her husband. "Is it too
+late? Let us buy two chosen girls who will be your second wives; maybe
+one of them will give you a son."
+
+The old man smiled sadly; he did not entertain any great hope;
+nevertheless, the concubines were bought. After a year, to the great
+surprise and joy of everybody, both gave birth--one to a girl, the other
+to a boy. But both children died a few months after.
+
+Correct-happiness, when winter set in, caught a cold and was soon in a
+desperate state of health. His nephews were always beside him; but,
+seeing he would adopt neither of them, they began looting the house;
+they found at last the treasure and took it away openly.
+
+The moribund was too ill even to know what they did. Peaceful-union
+tried in vain to stop them.
+
+"Will you leave me to die of hunger? I am the wife of your uncle. I am
+entitled to a part of his riches."
+
+But they would not hear her.
+
+"If you had borne a son to our uncle, or if he had adopted one of us, we
+would not have touched a single copper cash of his treasure; but,
+through your own fault, he has nobody to maintain his rights; we take
+what is our own."
+
+When the day ended, the widow found herself alone in the deserted and
+emptied house, crying over the body of her dead husband.
+
+Suddenly she heard steps outside the door; a young man appeared on the
+threshold, his eyes full of tears, covered with the white dress of
+mourning. He entered, kneeled beside the corpse, and, knocking the
+ground with his forehead, he began the ritual lamentations.
+
+Peaceful-union stopped crying and looked at him with astonishment; she
+did not know him.
+
+"May I ask your noble name? Who are you to cry over my husband's death?"
+
+"I am the deceased's only son."
+
+The widow started with surprise and a pang of her old jealousy; would
+her husband have had a son without her knowing it? But the next words
+of the young man explained everything.
+
+Twenty years ago, when she had beaten and sold away the first concubine
+of her husband, she did not know the girl bore already the fruit of this
+short union. Six months later she had a son, to whom she gave the name
+of Correct-sadness; but, bearing in mind the bad treatment she had
+received, she asked the Liu family to keep the child as one of their
+own. They consented and sent the boy to school with their children.
+
+When Correct-sadness was eighteen, the chief of the Liu family died; the
+family dispersed, and only a small legacy was left to the young man.
+Believing he was a member of the family, he could not understand what
+happened, and asked his mother; she told him the truth. Resenting the
+hard treatment inflicted on his mother, he awaited the death of his
+father to make his own identity known.
+
+Peaceful-union was very happy to hear this story.
+
+"I am no more without a son," said she. "All that my nephews have taken
+away, treasure and furniture, they must bring back again. If not, the
+magistrate will send them to die in jail."
+
+In fact, the nephews refused to give back anything. The widow began a
+lawsuit; everything at last was restored to the legal heir.
+
+Peaceful-union hastened to choose him a wife, and as soon as the
+matrimonial festivities were ended she told her daughter-in-law:
+
+"My dear child, if I were you, I would ask Correct-sadness to buy
+immediately one or two good concubines; if you have a son and they have
+also, so much the better, but you can't realise how difficult to bear it
+is to be childless."
+
+
+
+
+_THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN_
+
+
+In the twenty-fourth year K'ang-hsi lived in a remote district of the
+western provinces, a man who could remember his former lives. He was now
+a "tsin-shi," "entered-among-the-learned," renowned, and much considered
+by his friends.
+
+When speaking of the existences he had gone through, he used to say:
+
+"As far as I remember, I was first a soldier--it was in the last days of
+the Ming dynasty; my regiment was encamped at The-Divided-roads on the
+Ten-thousand-miles-great-wall. My remembrances are not very clear as to
+whom we fought with, but I remember the joy of striking the enemy, the
+hissing of the arrows, the yelling of the charging troops.
+
+"I was still young when I was killed. After death, of course I was
+called before the tribunal of The-King-of-shadows. Closing my eyes, I
+can still see the big caldrons full of boiling oil for the trying of
+criminals; the Judge in embroidered dress seated behind a red table; the
+satellites everywhere, ready to act on the first word,--in fact,
+everything exactly the same as in the worldly tribunals, excepting that,
+in the eastern part of the hall, there were huge wooden stands from
+which hung skins of every description--horse-skins, lambs' skins, dogs'
+skins, and human skins of every age and condition; skins of old men, of
+fat and important people, of lean and shrivelled men, of boys and girls.
+
+"The trial began; the souls, according to their deeds, were condemned to
+put on one of the skins and to come up again to the Lighted World in
+this new shape.
+
+"When my turn came I was sentenced to put a dog's skin on; and in this
+low shape I was thrown again in the stream of life. But as I had not
+forgotten my former condition, I was so ashamed, that the first day I
+came on earth I threw myself under the wheels of a heavy carriage and
+died.
+
+"The-King-of-shadows was extremely surprised to see me again so soon;
+the dogs, as a rule, having no conscience, he could not suppose I had
+killed myself, and did not hold me responsible for it.
+
+"This time, I was born again as a pig. Pigs are valuable, and there are
+always people to look after them; so I could not kill myself. I tried to
+starve myself to death, but hunger was the strongest, and I had to
+endure such a life. Happily, the butcher soon put a speedy end to it.
+
+"When my name was called to the tribunal of Darkness, the
+King-of-shadows looked over the pages of the Book and said:
+
+"'He must be a lamb now.'
+
+"The runners took a white lamb's skin, brought it, and began putting it
+over my body. While this was going on, the secretary, who was writing
+the sentence in the Book, started and said to the Judge:
+
+"'Your Honour, there is a mistake. Please Your Honour read over again;
+this soul has to be a man now.'
+
+"You know that, on the Big Book of Shadows, all our past deeds are
+recorded as well as our future destiny.
+
+"The Judge looked at it over again and said:
+
+"'True! Happily, you saw the mistake.'
+
+"Then, turning to the runners, he ordered them to take off the skin,
+which already covered more than half my body. They had to exert all
+their strength, and even so, they tore it off into pieces. It hurt me so
+much that I thought I could not stand it and I should die; but I was
+dead, and I could not die more than that.
+
+"At last they left me bleeding and panting, and I was born again in my
+present condition. But they had forgotten a piece of lamb's skin on my
+right shoulder, and I still have it now."
+
+And he uncovered his arm and shoulder to show a piece of white woollen
+hair on his right shoulder.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE'S-SLAVE_
+
+
+In the City-between-the-rivers lived a young student named Lan. He had
+just passed successfully his second literary examination, and, walking
+in the Street-of-the-precious-stones, asked himself what he would now do
+in life.
+
+While he was going, looking vacantly at the passers-by, he saw an old
+friend of his father, and hastened to join his closed fists and to
+salute him very low, as politeness orders.
+
+"My best congratulations!" answered the old man. "What are you doing in
+this busy street?"
+
+"Nothing at all; I was asking myself what profession I am now to
+pursue."
+
+"What profession? Which one would be more honourable than that of
+teacher? It is the only one an 'elevated man' _Kiu-jen_ of the second
+degree, can pursue. By the by, would you honour my house with your
+presence? My son is nearly eighteen. He is not half as learned as he
+should be, and, besides, he has a very bad temper. I feel very old; if I
+knew you would consent to give him the right direction and be a second
+father to him, I would not dread so much to die and leave him alone."
+
+Lan bowed and said:
+
+"I am much honoured by your proposition, and I accept it readily. I will
+go to-morrow to your palace."
+
+Two hours after, a messenger brought to the young man a packet
+containing one hundred ounces of silver, with a note stating that this
+comparatively great sum represented his first year's salary.
+
+In the evening he knocked at his pupil's door and was ushered into the
+sitting-room. The old man introduced him to the whole family: first his
+son, a lad with a decided look boding no good; then a young and
+beautiful girl of seventeen, his daughter, called Love's-slave. Lan was
+struck by the sweet and refined appearance of his pupil's sister.
+
+"The sight of her will greatly help me to stay here," thought he.
+
+The next morning, when his first lesson was ended, he strolled out into
+the garden, admiring here a flower and there an artificial little
+waterfall among diminutive mountain-rocks. Behind a bamboo-bush he
+suddenly saw Love's-slave and was discreetly turning back, when she
+stopped him by a few words of greeting.
+
+Every day they thus met in the solitude of the flowers and trees and
+grew to love each other. Lan's task with his pupil was greater and
+harder than he had supposed; but for Love's-slave's sake, he would never
+have remained in the house.
+
+After three months the old man fell ill; the doctors were unable to cure
+him; he died, and was buried in the family ground, behind the house.
+
+When Lan, after the funeral, told his pupil to resume his lessons, he
+met with such a reception that he went immediately to his room and
+packed his belongings. Love's-slave, hearing from a servant what had
+happened, went straight to her lover's room and tried to induce him to
+stay.
+
+"How can you ask that from me?" said he. "After such an insult, I would
+consider myself as the basest of men if I stayed. I have 'lost face'; I
+must go."
+
+The girl, seeing that nothing could prevail upon his resolution, went
+out of the room, but silently closed and locked the outer gate.
+
+Lan left on a table what remained of the silver given him by the old
+man, and wrote a note to inform his pupil of his departure.
+
+When he tried the gate and found it locked, he did not know at first
+what to do. Then he remembered a place where he could easily climb over
+the enclosure, went there, threw his luggage over the wall, and let
+himself out in this somewhat undignified way.
+
+Before going back to his house, he went round to the tomb of the old man
+and burnt some sticks of perfume. Kneeling down, he explained
+respectfully to the dead what had happened and excused himself for
+having left unfinished the task he had undertaken. Rising at last, he
+went away.
+
+The next morning Love's-slave, pleased with her little trick, came to
+the student's room and looked for him; he was nowhere to be found. She
+saw the silver on the table, and, reading the note he had left, she
+understood that he would never come back.
+
+Her grief stifled her; heavy tears at last began running down her rosy
+cheeks. She took the silver, went straight to her father's tomb,
+fastened the heavy metal to her feet, and unrolled a sash from her
+waist. Then, making a knot with the sash round her neck, she climbed up
+the lower branches of a big fir-tree, fastened the other end of the
+coloured silk as high as she could and threw herself down. A few minutes
+afterwards she was dead. She was discovered by a member of the family,
+and quietly buried in the same enclosure.
+
+Lan, who did not know anything, came back two or three days after to see
+her. The servants told him the truth. Silently and sullenly, he went to
+the tomb, and long remained absorbed in his thoughts; dusk was
+gathering; the first star shone in the sky. All of a sudden, hearing a
+sound as of somebody laughing, he turned round. Love's-slave was before
+his eyes.
+
+"I was waiting for you, my love," she said in a strange and muffled
+voice. "Why are you coming so late?"
+
+As he wanted to kiss her, she stopped him:
+
+"Oh dear! I am dead. But it is decreed that I will come again to life if
+a magician performs the ceremony prescribed in the
+Book-of-Transmutations."
+
+Immaterial like an evening fog, she disappeared in the growing darkness.
+
+Lan returned immediately to the town, and, entering the first Taoist
+temple he saw, he explained to the priest what he wanted.
+
+"If she has said it is decreed she should come back to life, we have
+only to go and open her tomb, while here my disciples will sing the
+proper chapters of the Book. Let us go now."
+
+Giving some directions to his companions, he took a spade and started
+with Lan. The moon was shining, so that without any lantern they were
+able to perform their gloomy task.
+
+Once the heavy lid of the coffin was unscrewed and taken off, the body
+of the young girl appeared as fresh as if she had been sleeping.
+
+When the cold night-air bathed her face, she raised her head, sneezed,
+and sat up; looking at Lan, she said in a low voice:
+
+"At last, you have come! I am recalled to life by your love. But now I
+am feeble; don't speak harshly to me; I could not bear it."
+
+Lan, kissing her lovingly, took her in his arms and brought her to his
+house. After some days she was able to walk and live like ordinary
+people do.
+
+They married and lived happily together for a year. Then, one day, Lan,
+having come back half-drunk from a friend's house, was rebuked by her,
+and, incensed, pushed her back. She did not say a word but, fainting,
+she fell down. Blood ran from her nostrils and mouth; nothing could
+recall her departing spirit.
+
+
+
+
+_THE LAUGHING GHOST_
+
+
+Siu Long-mountain was one of the most celebrated students of the
+district of Perfect-flowers. Having mastered the mysterious theories of
+the ancient Classics, he took a fancy in the researches of the Taoist
+magicians, whose temples may be found in the smallest villages of the
+Empire. He soon discovered that, for the greater number, they were
+impostors; and, being proud of his newly acquired science, he concluded
+that none of them possessed any occult power.
+
+When he came to this somewhat hasty conclusion, he was seated alone in
+his library; the night was already advancing; a small oil lamp hardly
+illuminated his books on the table he was sitting at.
+
+"Yes, there is no doubt; nothing exists outside the material
+appearances. There is nothing occult in the world, and nothing can come
+out of nothingness."
+
+As he was saying these words half aloud, he was startled by an unearthly
+laugh which seemed to come from behind his back. He turned quickly
+round; but nothing was to be seen.
+
+His heart beating, he was listening intently; the laugh came from
+another part of the room.
+
+Long-mountain was brave, but as people are brave who have only met the
+ordinary dangers of civilised life, such as barking dogs, insulting
+coolies, or angry dealers presenting a long-deferred bill. He tried in
+vain to believe it was only a joke imposed on him by some friend;
+nothing could prevail upon his growing terror.
+
+Straining his eyes, he looked at the part of the room the laugh seemed
+to come from. At first he could not see anything, but by degrees he
+perceived a black shadow moving in a corner, then a strange form with a
+horse's head and a man's body, all covered with long black hair; the
+teeth were big and sharp as so many mountain-peaks. The eyes of this
+dreadful creature began shining so much that the whole room was
+illuminated. Then it began moving towards the man.
+
+This was too much; the student screamed like a dying donkey, and,
+bursting the door open, he ran out into the courtyard.
+
+From an open door in the western pavilion a ray of light crossed the
+darkness; four or five men were playing cards, drinking, and swearing.
+Long-mountain ran into their room, and, panting, explained his vision.
+
+The men, being drunk, wanted to see the Thing; holding lanterns and
+lamps, they accompanied their visitor back to his studio. When they
+passed the doorway, Long-mountain screamed again; the Thing was still
+there. He would have run away had not the men, laughing and jesting,
+shown him what the Ghost in reality was--a long dress hung in a corner
+to a big hook, on which sat a black cat mewing desperately.
+
+When the men closed the door and left him alone, the student was deeply
+ashamed of his terror; shaken by his emotion, he went to bed and tried
+to sleep. Sleep would not come; his nervousness seemed to increase.
+Starting at the smallest noise, he remained a long time wide awake; then
+he lost consciousness.
+
+In the silence one only heard the cries of the night-birds and the
+buzzing of the autumn's insects; the lamp was out, but a brilliant moon
+began to pour its silver light through the window.
+
+The door suddenly creaked; Long-mountain awoke and sat up on his bed;
+the door slowly opened, and the same Thing he had seen and heard entered
+the room and advanced towards the bed, while the same unearthly laugh
+came from the long and unshapely head; the flaming eyes were fixed on
+the student.
+
+When the Thing was near the bed, Long-mountain fell heavily and did not
+move any more.
+
+The Ghost stopped, put his hand on the breast of the man, remained in
+that position a moment, then went quickly and silently out of the room.
+
+A man was standing outside.
+
+"What did he say?" asked he.
+
+"Be quiet!" said the Ghost, taking off his horse's head and discovering
+a man's very serious face. "The joke was good. But we have done it too
+well. I think he is dead of terror; we had better be as silent as a tomb
+about all this. The magistrate would never believe in a joke; we would
+be held responsible for this death and pay a heavy penalty."
+
+                                 THE END
+
+
+_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury,
+England._
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Strange Stories from the Lodge of
+Leisures, by Unknown
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+Project Gutenberg's Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures, by Unknown
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures
+
+Author: Unknown
+
+Translator: George Soulie
+
+Release Date: October 16, 2011 [EBook #37766]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Starner, Matthew Wheaton and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+book was produced from scanned images of public domain
+material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+    STRANGE STORIES
+    FROM THE
+    LODGE OF LEISURES
+
+    TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE BY
+    GEORGE SOULIE
+    OF THE FRENCH CONSULAR SERVICE IN CHINA
+
+
+    BOSTON AND NEW YORK
+    HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
+    1913
+
+    PRINTED BY
+    HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
+    LONDON AND AYLESBURY,
+    ENGLAND.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+The first European students who undertook to give the Western world an
+idea of Chinese literature were misled by the outward and profound
+respect affected by the Chinese towards their ancient classics. They
+have worked from generation to generation in order to translate more and
+more accurately the thirteen classics, Confucius, Mengtsz, and the
+others. They did not notice that, once out of school, the Chinese did
+not pay more attention to their classics than we do to ours: if you see
+a book in their hands, it will never be the "Great Study" or the
+"Analects," but much more likely a novel like the "History of the Three
+Kingdoms," or a selection of ghost-stories. These works that everybody,
+young or old, reads and reads again, have on the Chinese mind an
+influence much greater than the whole bulk of the classics.
+Notwithstanding their great importance for those who study Chinese
+thought, they have been completely left aside. In fact, the whole of
+real Chinese literature is still unknown to the Westerners.
+
+It is a pity that it should be so. The novels and stories throw an
+extraordinary light on Chinese everyday life that foreigners have been
+very seldom, and now will never be, able to witness, and they illustrate
+in a striking way the idea the Chinese have formed of the other world.
+One is able at last to understand what is the meaning of the _huen_ or
+superior soul, which leaves the body after death or during sleep, but
+keeps its outward appearance and ordinary clothes; the _p'ai_ or
+inferior soul which remains in the decaying body, and sometimes is
+strong enough to prevent it from decaying, and to give it all the
+appearances of life. The magicians of the Tao religion, or Taoist
+priests, play a great part in these stories, and the Buddhist ideas of
+metempsychosis give the opportunity of more complicated situations than
+we dream of.
+
+Among the most celebrated works, I have chosen the "Strange Stories from
+the Lodge of Leisures," _Leao chai Chi yi_. It was written in the second
+half of the eighteenth century by P'ou Song-lin (P'ou Lieou-hsien), of
+Tsy-cheou, in the Chantong province.
+
+The whole work is composed of more than three hundred stories. I have
+selected twenty-five among the most characteristic.
+
+This being a literary work, and having nothing scientific to boast of, I
+have tried to give my English readers the same literary impression that
+the Chinese has. _Tradutore traditore_, say the Italians; I hope I have
+not been too much of a traitor.
+
+A translation is always a most difficult work; if it is materially
+exact, word for word and sentence by sentence, the so-called scientific
+men are satisfied, but all the charm, beauty, and interest of the
+original are lost. Very often, too, such translation is obscure and
+unintelligible. Each nation has an heirloom of traditions, customs, or
+religion to which its literature constantly refers. If the reader is not
+acquainted with that literature, these references will convey no meaning
+to his mind, or they may even convey a false one. In Chinese, this
+difficulty is greater than in any other language; the Far Eastern
+civilisation has had a development of its own, and its legends and
+superstitions have nothing in common with the Western folklore. The
+Chinese mind is radically different from ours, and has grown, in every
+generation, more different by reason of a different training and a
+different ideal in life. The Chinese writing, moreover, has strengthened
+those differences; it represents the ideas themselves, instead of
+representing the words; each Chinese sign may be rightly translated by
+either of the three or more words by which our language analytically
+describes every aspect of one same idea. The sign which is read _Tao_,
+for instance, must be, according to the sentence, translated by any of
+the words: direction, rule, doctrine, religion, way, road, word, verb;
+all of them being the different forms of the same idea of direction,
+moral or physical.
+
+Some French sinologists, aware of this difficulty, now translate the
+texts literally, and try to explain the meaning by a number of notes,
+which sometimes leave only one or two lines of text in a page. This
+method seems at first more scientific; it explains everything in the
+most careful way, and is very useful for the translation of inscriptions
+or of certain obscure passages in historical books. But for real
+literature, it is the greatest possible error, leaving out, as it does,
+all the impression and illusion the author intended to convey. Besides,
+the necessity of going, at every word, down the page in order to find
+the meaning in a note, tires the reader and takes away all the pleasure
+he should derive from the book.
+
+One may even say that a materially exact translation is, in reality, a
+false one; the words we use in writing and speaking being mere technical
+signs by which we represent our ideas. For instance, the word
+"cathedral" will certainly not convey the same idea to two men, one of
+whom has only seen St. Paul's, and the other only Notre-Dame de Paris;
+for the first, cathedral means a dome; for the other it means two towers
+and a long ogival nave. Below the outward appearance of the words there
+lie so many different images that it is absolutely necessary to know the
+mentality of a nation in order to master its language. In fact, a true
+translation will be the one that, though sometimes materially inexact,
+will give the reader the same impression he would have if he were
+reading the original text.
+
+Since I first went to China, in 1901, I have had many opportunities of
+acquainting myself with all the superstitions of the lower classes, with
+all the splendid mental and intellectual training of the learned. My
+experience has helped me to perceive what was hidden beneath the words;
+and in my translation I have sometimes supplied what the author only
+thought necessary to imply. In many places the translation is literal;
+in other places it is literary, it being impossible for a Western writer
+to retain all the long and useless talking, all the repetitions that
+Chinese writing and Chinese taste are equally fond of.
+
+                                                      GEORGE SOULIE.
+
+
+
+
+    CONTENTS
+
+
+    THE GHOST IN LOVE
+    THE FRESCO
+    THE DWARF HUNTERS
+    THE CORPSE THE BLOOD DRINKER
+    LOVE REWARDED
+    THE WOMAN IN GREEN
+    THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+    DECEIVING SHADOWS
+    PEACEFUL-LIGHT
+    HONG THE CURRIER
+    AUTUMN-MOON
+    THE PRINCESS NELUMBO
+    THE TWO BROTHERS
+    THE MARBLE ARCH
+    THE DUTIFUL SON
+    THROUGH MANY LIVES
+    THE RIVER OF SORROWS
+    THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+    THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER
+    THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN
+    UNKNOWN DEVILS
+    CHILDLESS
+    THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN
+    LOVE'S-SLAVE
+    THE LAUGHING GHOST
+
+
+
+
+_Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures_
+
+
+
+
+_THE GHOST IN LOVE_
+
+
+On the 15th day of the First Moon, in the second year of the period of
+"Renewed Principles," the streets of the town of the Eastern Lake were
+thronged with people who were strolling about.
+
+At the setting of the sun every shop was brightly lit up; processions of
+people moved hither and thither; strings of boys were carrying lanterns
+of every form and colour; whole families passed, every member of whom,
+young or old, small or big, was holding at the end of a thin bamboo the
+lighted image of a bird, an animal, or a flower.
+
+Richer ones, several together, were carrying enormous dragons whose
+luminous wings waved at every motion and whose glaring eyes rolled from
+right to left. It was the Fete of the Lanterns.
+
+A young man, clothed in a long pale green dress, allowed himself to be
+pushed about by the crowd; the passers-by bowed to him:
+
+"How is my Lord Li The-peaceful?"
+
+"The humble student thanks you; and you, how are you?"
+
+"Very well, thanks to your happy influence."
+
+"Does the precious student soon pass his second literary examination?"
+
+"In two months; ignorant that I am. I am idling instead of working."
+
+The fete was drawing to a close when The-peaceful quitted the main
+street, and went towards the East Gate, where the house was to be found
+in which he lived alone.
+
+He went farther and farther: the moving lights were rarer; ere long he
+only saw before him the fire of a white lantern decorated with two red
+peonies. The paper globe was swinging to the steps of a tiny girl
+clothed in the blue linen that only slaves wore. The light, behind,
+showed the elegant silhouette of another woman, this one covered with a
+long jacket made in a rich pink silk edged with purple.
+
+As the student drew nearer, the belated walker turned round, showing an
+oval face and big long eyes, wherein shone a bright speck, cruel and
+mysterious.
+
+Li The-peaceful slackened his pace, following the two strangers, whose
+small feet glided silently on the shining flagstones of the street.
+
+He was asking himself how he could begin a conversation, when the
+mistress turned round again, softly smiled, and in a low, rich voice,
+said to him:
+
+"Is it not strange that in the advancing night we are following the same
+road?"
+
+"I owe it to the favour of Heaven," he at once replied; "for I am
+returning to the East Gate; otherwise I should never have dared to
+follow you."
+
+The conversation, once begun, continued as they walked side by side. The
+student learned that the pretty walker was called "Double-peony," that
+she was the daughter of Judge Siu, that she lived out of the city in a
+garden planted with big trees, on the road to the lake.
+
+On arriving at his house The-peaceful insisted that his new friend
+should enter and take a cup of tea. She hesitated; then the two young
+people pushed the door, crossed the small yard bordered right and left
+with walls covered with tiles, and disappeared in the house....
+
+The servant remained under the portal.
+
+Daylight was breaking when the young girl came out again, calling the
+servant, who was asleep. The next evening she came again, always
+accompanied by the slave bearing the white lantern with two red
+peonies. It was the same each day following.
+
+A neighbour who had watched these nocturnal visits was inquisitive
+enough to climb the wall which separated his yard from that of the
+lovers, and to wait, hidden in the shade of the house.
+
+At the accustomed hour the street-door, left ajar, opened to let in the
+visitors.
+
+Once in the courtyard, they were suddenly transformed, their eyes became
+flaming and red; their faces grew pale; their teeth seemed to lengthen;
+an icy mist escaped from their lips.
+
+The neighbour did not see any more: terrified, he let himself slide to
+the ground and ran to his inner room.
+
+The next morning he went to the student and told him what he had seen.
+The lover was paralysed with fear: in order to reassure himself he
+resolved to find out everything he could about his mistress.
+
+He at once went outside the ramparts, on the road to the lake, hoping
+to find the house of Judge Siu. But at the place he had been told of
+there was no habitation; on the left, a fallow plain, sown with tombs,
+went up to the hills; on the right, cultivated fields extended as far as
+the lake.
+
+However, a small temple was hidden there under big trees. The student
+had given up all hope; he entered, notwithstanding, into the sacred
+enclosure, knowing that travellers stayed there sometimes for several
+weeks.
+
+In the first yard a bonze was passing in his red dress and shaven head;
+he stopped him.
+
+"Do you know Judge Siu? He has a daughter----"
+
+"Judge Siu's daughter?" asked the priest, astonished. "Well--yes--but
+wait, I will show her to you."
+
+The-peaceful felt his heart overflowing with joy; his beloved one was
+living; he was going to see her by the light of day. He quickly
+followed his companion.
+
+Passing the first court, they crossed a threshold and found themselves
+in a yard planted with high pine-trees and bordered by a low pavilion.
+The bonze, passing in first, pushed a door, and, turning round, said:
+
+"Here is Judge Siu's daughter!"
+
+The other stopped, terrified; on a trestle a heavy black lacquered
+coffin bore this inscription in golden letters: "Coffin of Double-peony,
+Judge Siu's daughter."
+
+On the wall was an unfolded painting representing the little maid; a
+white lantern decorated with two red peonies was hung over it.
+
+"Yes, she has been there for the last two years; her parents, according
+to the rite, are waiting for a favourable day to bury her."
+
+The student silently turned on his heel and went back, not deigning to
+reply to the mocking bow of the priest.
+
+Evening arrived; he locked himself in, and, covering his head with his
+blankets, he waited; sleep came to him only at daybreak.
+
+But he could not cease to think of her whom he no longer saw; his heart
+beat as if to burst, when in the street he perceived the silhouette of a
+woman which reminded him of his friend.
+
+At last he was incapable of containing himself any longer; one evening
+he stationed himself behind the door. After a few minutes there was a
+knock; he opened the door; it was only the little maid:
+
+"My mistress is in tears; why do you never open the door? I come every
+evening. If you will follow me, perhaps she will forgive you."
+
+The-peaceful, blinded by love, started at once, walking by the light of
+the white lantern.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day the neighbours, seeing that the student's door was open,
+and that his house was empty, made a declaration to the governor of the
+town.
+
+The police made an inquest; they collected the evidence of several
+people who had been watching the nightly visitors the student had
+received. The bonze of the temple outside the city walls came to say
+what he knew. The chief of the police went to the road leading to the
+lake; he crossed the threshold of the little edifice, passed the first
+yard and at last opened the door of the pavilion.
+
+Everything was in order, but under the lid of the heavy coffin one could
+see the corner of the long green dress of the student.
+
+In order to do away with evil influences there was a solemn funeral.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Ever since this time, on light clear nights, the passers-by often meet
+the two lovers entwined together, slowly walking on the road which leads
+to the lake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FRESCO_
+
+
+In the Great Highway of Eternal Fixity, Mong Flowing-spring and his
+friend Choo Little-lotus were slowly walking, clothed in the long light
+green dress of the students.
+
+They had both just passed with success their third literary examination,
+and were enjoying the pleasures of the capital before returning to their
+distant province.
+
+As they were both of small means, they were looking now (and at the same
+time filling their eyes with the movement of the street) for a lodging
+less expensive than the inn where they had put up on arriving at Pekin.
+
+Leaving the Great Highway, they strolled far into a labyrinth of lanes
+more and more silent. They soon lost themselves. Undecided, they had
+stopped, when they spied out the red lacquered portal of a temple of the
+Mysterious-way.
+
+Pushing the heavy sides of the door, they entered; an old man with his
+hair tightly drawn together in a black cap, majestic in his grey dress,
+stood behind the door and appeared to be waiting for them.
+
+"Your coming lightens my humble dwelling," he said in bowing. "I beg you
+will enter."
+
+"I do not dare! I do not dare!" murmured the two students, bowing in
+their turn.
+
+They nevertheless entered, crossing the yard on which the portal opened,
+which was closed, at the end, by the little temple in open woodwork
+close under the mass of roofs of green tiles.
+
+They went up three steps, then, pushing a narrow and straight door, they
+entered. In the half-shadow they distinguished on the white altar a
+statue of Tche Kong The-Supreme-Lord, with a golden face and griffins'
+feet like the claws of an eagle.
+
+The walls on each side of the altar were painted in frescoes; on the
+wall on the right you saw goddesses in the midst of flowers. One of
+these young girls, with a low chignon, was gathering a peony and was
+slightly smiling. Her mouth, like a cherry, seemed as if it were really
+opening; one would have sworn that her eyelids fluttered.
+
+Mong Flowing-spring, his eyes fixed on the painting, remained a long
+time without moving, absorbed in his admiration of the work of art, and
+disturbed beyond expression by the beauty of the goddess with the low
+chignon.
+
+"Why is she not living?" said he. "I would willingly give my life for a
+moment of her love!"
+
+Suddenly he started; the young goddess raised herself upright, bursting
+with laughter, and got down from the wall. She crossed the door, went
+down the staircase, stepped over the yard and left the place.
+
+Flowing-spring followed her without reflecting. He saw her going away
+with a light step, and turn down the first lane; the young student ran
+behind her.
+
+As he turned the corner, he saw her stop at the entrance of a small
+house. She was gracefully waving her hand, and, with sly glances, made
+him signs to come.
+
+He hastened forward and entered in his turn. In the silent house there
+was nobody, no one but the goddess standing in her long mauve dress and
+nibbling the flower that she had picked and that she still held in her
+hand.
+
+"I bow down," said the student, who knelt to salute her.
+
+"Rise! you exceed the rites prescribed," she replied.
+
+"I bend my head, not being able to bear the splendour of your beauty."
+
+As she did not seem to be discontented he continued telling her his
+admiration and his desire. He approached, touched her hand; she started,
+but did not draw back. He then took her in his arms; she did not make
+much resistance.
+
+The moments passed rapidly. They spoke to each other in a low voice,
+when, suddenly in the street, a noise of heavy boots resounded; steps
+stopped before the door; the lock was shaken; oaths were heard.
+
+The young girl grew pale; she told Flowing-spring to hide himself under
+the bed. The student felt his heart become quite small; he crouched down
+in the shadow, not even being able to breathe. From the depth of his
+hiding-place, he saw an officer enter, his face in black lacquer,
+covered with a golden cuirass and surrounded by a troop of young girls
+in long dresses of bright colours.
+
+"I smell an odour of human flesh!" grumbled the officer, walking heavily
+and going round the room.
+
+"Hide yourself well!" the goddess murmured to her lover, raising herself
+from the bed and white with terror. "If you can escape from him, wait
+till we have left, and open the little door at the end of the garden;
+then run away quickly!"
+
+"There is a man here! I smell him! He must be delivered to me! If not,
+I shall punish the person who has hidden him."
+
+"We know nothing!" all the young women said together.
+
+"Very well! Let us go out."
+
+Then, following the gracious troop which the goddess had joined, he
+crossed the threshold.
+
+Flowing-spring, hidden under the bed, waited till the noise of the boots
+had gone away. Then he glided with caution from his refuge.
+
+Half bent, listening with anxiety in fear of being surprised, he flew
+from the room and crossed the garden.
+
+During this time Choo Little-lotus, having remained in the temple, had
+not remarked the departure of his friend. But, turning round and not any
+longer seeing him, he questioned the old magician.
+
+"Your friend is not far off," he replied.
+
+Then, showing him the wall, he said:
+
+"Look! here he is!"
+
+And, indeed, in the centre of the fresco, the image of Flowing-spring
+was painted; he was crouched in among the flowers, straining his ear.
+The image moved, and, suddenly, the student separated himself from the
+wall and advanced, looking sad and anxious.
+
+Choo Little-lotus, terrified, was looking at him. The other told him his
+adventure. As he spoke a terrible clap of thunder was heard. The two
+friends instinctively shut their eyes; when they opened them, their
+glance fell on the fresco: the goddesses had taken their places there
+again, in the midst of the flowers; but the young girl with the low
+chignon was no longer there.
+
+The magician smiled at Flowing-spring:
+
+"Love has touched her. She has become a woman and is waiting for you in
+your village."
+
+
+
+
+_THE DWARF HUNTERS_
+
+
+The heavy summer in the South is particularly hard to bear for those who
+are ill. The damp heat keeps them awake, and thousands of insects
+trouble their rest.
+
+Wang Little-third-one, stretched on his bed made of bamboo laths, where
+a low fever kept him, complained of it to all those who came to see him,
+especially to his friend the magician officiating priest of the little
+temple situated in the neighbouring crossway.
+
+The magician knew something of medicine; he prescribed a calming potion
+and retired.
+
+When Little-third-one had drunk the potion, his fever fell and he was
+able to enjoy a little sleep. He was awakened by a slight noise; night
+had come on; the room was lighted by the full moon, which threw a bright
+gleam by the open door.
+
+All the insects were moving and flying hither and thither; white ants
+who gnaw wood, bad-smelling bugs, enormous cockroaches, mosquitoes,
+innumerable and various flies.
+
+As Little-third-one was looking, his attention was drawn by a movement
+on the threshold: a small man, not bigger than a thumb, advanced with
+precautious steps; in his hand he held a bow; a sword was hanging at his
+side.
+
+Little-third-one, on looking closer, saw two dogs as big as
+shirt-buttons running before the man with the bow; they suddenly
+stopped: the archer approached, held out his weapon, and discharged the
+arrow. A cockroach who was crawling before the dogs made a bound, fell
+on its back, moved again, then remained motionless; the arrow had run
+through it.
+
+Behind the first huntsman others had come; some were on horseback, armed
+with swords; some on foot.
+
+From that time it was a pursuit without intermission; hundreds of
+insects were shot. At first the mosquitoes escaped; but as they cannot
+fly for long, every time that one remained still it was transpierced by
+the huntsmen.
+
+Soon nothing was left of all the insects who broke the silence with
+their buzzing, their gnashing of teeth, or their falling.
+
+A horseman then was seen galloping over the room, looking from right to
+left. He then gave the signal; all the huntsmen called their dogs, went
+towards the door, and disappeared.
+
+Little-third-one had not moved, in order not to disturb the hunt. At
+last he peacefully went to sleep, henceforth sure of not being awakened
+by a sting or a bite. He awoke late the next day almost cured.
+
+When his friend the magician came to see him, he told him his
+experience: the other smiled. Wang understood that the mysterious
+hunters came from the little temple.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CORPSE THE BLOOD-DRINKER_
+
+
+Night was slowly falling in the narrow valley. On the winding path cut
+in the side of the hill about twenty mules were following each other,
+bending under their heavy load; the muleteers, being tired, did not
+cease to hurry forward their animals, abusing them with coarse voices.
+
+Comfortably seated on mules with large pack-saddles, three men were
+going along at the same pace as the caravan of which they were the
+masters. Their thick dresses, their fur boots, and their red woollen
+hoods protected them from the cold wind of the mountain.
+
+In the darkness, rendered thicker by a slight fog, the lights of a
+village were shining, and soon the mules, hurrying all together,
+jostling their loads, crowded before the only inn of the place.
+
+The three travellers, happy to be able to rest, got down from their
+saddles when the innkeeper came out on the step of his door and excused
+himself, saying all his rooms were taken.
+
+"I have still, it is true, a large hall the other side of the street,
+but it is only a barn, badly shut. I will show it to you."
+
+The merchants, disappointed, consulted each other with a look; but it
+was too late to continue their way; they followed their landlord.
+
+The hall that was shown to them was big enough and closed at the end by
+a curtain. Their luggage was brought; the bed-clothes rolled on the
+pack-saddles were spread out, as usual, on planks and trestles.
+
+The meal was served in the general sitting-room, in the midst of noise,
+laughing, and movement--smoking rice, vegetables preserved in vinegar,
+and lukewarm wine served in small cups. Then every one went to bed; the
+lights were put out and profound silence prevailed in the sleeping
+village.
+
+However, towards the hour of the Rat, a sensation of cold and
+uneasiness awoke one of the three travellers named Wang Fou,
+Happiness-of-the-kings. He turned in his bed, but the snoring of his two
+companions annoyed him; he could not get to sleep. Again, seeing that
+his rest was finished, he got up, relit the lamp which was out, took a
+book from his baggage, and stretched himself out again. But if he could
+not sleep, it was just as impossible to read. In spite of himself, his
+eyes quitted the columns of letters laid out in lines and searched into
+the darkness that the feeble light did not contrive to break through.
+
+A growing terror froze him. He would have liked to awaken his
+companions, but the fear of being made fun of prevented him.
+
+By dint of looking, he at last saw a slight movement shake the big
+curtain which closed the room. There came from behind a crackling of
+wood being broken. Then a long, painful threatening silence began again.
+
+The merchant felt his flesh thrill; he was filled with horror, in spite
+of his efforts to be reasonable.
+
+He had put aside his book, and, the coverlet drawn up to his nose, he
+fixed his enlarged eyes on the shadowy corners at the end of the room.
+
+The side of the curtain was lifted; a pale hand held the folds. The
+stuff, thus raised, permitted a being to pass, whose form, hardly
+distinct, seemed penetrated by the shadow.
+
+Happiness-of-kings would have liked to scream; his contracted throat
+allowed no sound to escape. Motionless and speechless, he followed with
+his horrified look the slow movement of the apparition which
+approached.
+
+He, little by little, recognised the silhouette of a female, seen by her
+short quilted dress and her long narrow jacket. Behind the body he
+perceived the curtain again moving.
+
+The spectre, in the meantime bending over the bed of one of the sleeping
+travellers, appeared to give him a long kiss.
+
+Then it went towards the couch of the second merchant.
+Happiness-of-kings distinctly saw the pale figure, the eyes, from which
+a red flame was shining, and sharp teeth, half-exposed in a ferocious
+smile, which opened and shut by turns on the throat of the sleeper.
+
+A start disturbed the body under the cover, then all stopped: the
+spectre was drinking in long draughts.
+
+Happiness-of-kings, seeing that his turn was coming, had just strength
+enough to pull the coverlet over his head. He heard grumblings; a
+freezing breath penetrated through the wadded material.
+
+The paroxysm of terror gave the merchant full possession of his
+strength; with a convulsive movement he threw his coverlet on the
+apparition, jumped out of his bed, and, yelling like a wild beast, he
+ran as far as the door and flew away in the night.
+
+Still running, he felt the freezing breath in his back, he heard the
+furious growlings of the spectre.
+
+The prolonged howling of the unhappy man filled the narrow street and
+awoke all the sleepers in their beds, but none of them moved; they hid
+themselves farther and farther under their coverlets. These inhuman
+cries meant nothing good for those who should have been bold enough to
+go outside.
+
+The bewildered fugitive crossed the village, going faster and faster.
+Arriving at the last houses, he was only a few feet in advance and felt
+himself fainting.
+
+The road at the extremity of the village was bordered with narrow fields
+shaded with big trees. The instinct of a hunted animal drove on the
+distracted merchant; he made a brisk turn to the right, then to the
+left, and threw himself behind the knotted trunk of a huge
+chestnut-tree. The freezing hand already touched his shoulder; he fell
+senseless.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the morning, in broad daylight, two men who came to plough in this
+same field were surprised to perceive against the tree a white form,
+and, on the ground, a man stretched out. This fact coming after the
+howling in the night appeared strange to them; they turned back and went
+to find the Chief of the Elders. When they returned, the greater part of
+the inhabitants of the village followed them.
+
+They approached and found that the form against the tree was the corpse
+of a young woman, her nails buried in the bark; from her mouth a stream
+of blood had flowed and stained her white silk jacket. A shudder of
+horror shook the lookers-on: the Chief of the Elders recognised his
+daughter dead for the last six months whose coffin was placed in a barn,
+waiting for the burial, a favourable day to be fixed by the astrologers.
+
+The innkeeper recognised one of his guests in the man stretched on the
+ground, whom no care could revive.
+
+They returned in haste to find out in what condition the coffin was: the
+door of the barn was still open. They went in; a coverlet was thrown on
+the ground near the entrance; on two beds the great sun lit up the
+hollow and greenish aspect of the corpses whose blood had been emptied.
+
+Behind the drawn curtain the coffin was found open. The corpse of the
+young woman evidently had not lost its inferior soul, the vital breath.
+Like all beings deprived of conscience and reason, her ferocity was
+eager for blood.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE REWARDED_
+
+
+Lost in the heart of Peking, in one of the most peaceful neighbourhoods
+of the Yellow City, the street of Glowing-happiness was sleeping in the
+silence and in the light.
+
+On the right and left of the dusty road was some waste ground, where
+several red mangy, and surly dogs were sleeping. Five or six low houses,
+their white walls forming a line not well defined, whose low roofs were
+covered with grey tiles, bordered the road.
+
+In the first year of the Glorious-Strength, four hundred years ago, a
+young man with long hair tied together under the black gauze cap of the
+scholars, clothed in a pink dress with purple flowers, was walking in
+the setting sun, stepping cautiously in order not to cover with dust
+his shoes with thick felt soles.
+
+When the first stars began to shine in the darkening sky, he entered one
+of the houses. A wick in a saucer, soaking in oil, burning and smoking,
+vaguely lighted an open book on the table: one could only guess, in the
+shadow, the form of a chair, a bed in a corner, and a few inscriptions
+hanging on the whitewashed walls.
+
+The scholar seated himself before his table and resumed, as he did every
+evening, his reading of the Classics, of which he sought to penetrate
+the entire meaning. Late passers-by in this lonely thoroughfare still
+saw his lamp shining across the trellises of the windows far into the
+night.
+
+Golden-dragon lived alone. Now, on that evening an inexplicable languor
+made him dreamy; his eyes followed in vain the text; his rebellious
+thoughts were scattered.
+
+Impatiently at last he was just going to put out his lamp and go to
+bed, when he heard some one knocking at the door.
+
+"Come in!" he cried.
+
+The door grinding on its hinges, a young woman appeared clothed in a
+long gown of bright green silk, gracefully lifting her foot to cross the
+threshold, and bowing with her two hands united. Golden-dragon,
+hurriedly rising to reply, waved in his turn his fists joined together
+at the same height as his visage and said, according to the ritual: "Be
+kind enough to be seated! What is your noble name?" The visitor did not
+pronounce a word; her large black eyes, shadowed by long eyelashes, were
+fixed on the face of her host, while she tried to regain her panting
+breath.
+
+As she advanced, Golden-dragon felt a strange feeling of admiration and
+love.
+
+He did not think such a perfect beauty could exist. As he remained
+speechless, she smiled, and her smile had on him the effect of a strong
+drink on a hungry man; troubled and dazed, he lost the conscience of
+his personality and his acts.
+
+The next morning the sun was shining when he awoke, asking himself if he
+had not been dreaming. He thought all day long of his strange visitor,
+making thousands of suppositions.
+
+Evening coming on, she suddenly entered, and it was as it had been the
+night before.
+
+Two months passed; then the young girl's visits abruptly ceased. The
+night covered everything with its black veil, but nobody appeared at the
+door. Golden-dragon the first night, waited for her till the hour of the
+Rat; at last he went to his couch and fell asleep. Almost immediately he
+saw her carried away by two horny _yecha_; she was calling him:
+
+"My beloved, I am drawn away towards the inferior regions. I shall never
+be able to get away if prayers are not said for me. My body lies in the
+next house."
+
+He started out of sleep in the efforts he made to fly to her, and could
+not rest again in his impatience to assert what she had said.
+
+As soon as the sun was up, he ran towards the only house that was next
+to his. He knocked; no one replied. Pushing the door, he entered. The
+house seemed to be recently abandoned, the rooms were empty, but in a
+side hall a black lacquered coffin rested on trestles; on a table the
+"Book of Liberation" was open at the chapter of "The great recall."
+
+Golden-dragon doubted no longer; he sang in a high voice the entire
+chapter, shut the book, and returned home full of a strange
+peacefulness.
+
+Every evening from that time, at the hour when she had appeared to him,
+he lit a lantern, went to the house next door and read a chapter of the
+holy text.
+
+Years passed by; he got beyond his fiftieth year, grew bent, and walked
+with difficulty, but he never missed performing the duty he had imposed
+on himself for his unknown friend.
+
+The house where the coffin was placed had successively been let to
+several families; but he had arranged that the funereal room should
+never be touched. The lodgers bowed to the scholar when he came, and
+talked to him; the whole town was entertained with this touching example
+of such everlasting love.
+
+"So much constancy and such fidelity cannot remain without reward," they
+said.
+
+But time slipped by and nothing came to change the regular life of the
+old man.
+
+On his seventieth birthday, as he went to his neighbours, he remarked a
+violent excitement.
+
+"My wife has just had a child," said the chief of the family, going to
+meet him. "Come and wish her happiness; she does not cease to ask for
+you."
+
+"Is it a boy?"
+
+"No, unhappily, a girl, but such a pretty little thing."
+
+Followed by the happy father, the scholar with white hair penetrated
+into the room; the mother smiled, holding out the baby to him.
+Golden-dragon suddenly started; the child held out her arms to him and
+on her little lips, hardly formed, hovered the shadow of a disappeared
+smile, the smile of the unknown woman.
+
+And as he looked an extraordinary sensation troubled him; he felt he was
+growing younger, more vigorous. Soon, in the midst of the cries of
+admiration of the whole family, the bent old man grew straight again;
+his grey hair turned black, and the change continued; he became a young
+man, a boy, and soon a child.
+
+When the Bell of the great Tower struck the hour of the Rat, he was a
+fat pink baby playing and laughing with the little girl.
+
+The governor of the town, being informed, personally directed an
+inquiry. It was discovered that the coffin had disappeared at the same
+hour when the transformation had happened.
+
+The Emperor, on the report of the governor, ordered the two children to
+receive a handsome dowry.
+
+As to them, they grew up, loved each other, and lived happy and well as
+far as the limits of human longevity.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOMAN IN GREEN_
+
+
+At this time, in the Pavilion-of-the-guests, in the
+Monastery-of-the-healing-springs, the most celebrated of the Fo-kien
+province, lived a young scholar whose name was Little-cypress.
+
+As soon as the sun rose he was at his work, seated near the trellised
+window. When night fell, his lamp still lit the outline of the wooden
+trellis.
+
+One morning a shadow darkened his book; he raised his eyes: a young
+woman with a long green skirt, her face of matchless beauty, was
+standing outside the window and was looking at him.
+
+"You are then always working, Lord Little-cypress?" she said.
+
+She was so bewitching that he knew her immediately for a goddess; but
+all the same he asked her where she lived and what was her name.
+
+"Your lordship has looked on his humble wife; he has known her as a
+goddess. What is the use of so many questions?"
+
+Little-cypress, satisfied with this reply, invited her to enter the
+house. She came in; her waist was so small, one would almost have
+thought that her body was divided in two.
+
+He invited her to sit down; they talked and laughed together a long
+time.
+
+He asked her to sing, and, with a low voice, which filled her friend
+with rapture, she sang:
+
+    "On the trees the bird pursues his companion;
+    Oppressed slaves free themselves with love.
+    How has my Lord lived alone,
+    Without enjoying all the pleasures of married life?"
+
+The sound vibrated like a thread of silk; it penetrated the ear and
+troubled the heart. As she finished, she suddenly arose.
+
+"A man is standing near the window, he is listening to us ... he is
+going round ... he is trying to see."
+
+"Since when does a goddess fear a man?" replied Little-cypress,
+laughing.
+
+"I am troubled without knowing why; my heart beats. I wish to go."
+
+She went to open the door, but abruptly shut it.
+
+"I do not know why I am thus upset. Will you accompany me as far as the
+entrance gate?"
+
+Little-cypress held her up till they got to the gate; he had just left
+her and turned his head, when he heard her call for help in a voice full
+of anguish. He hurriedly turned round; no one was to be seen.
+
+As he was looking for her with stupefaction his eyes fell on a big
+cobweb, stretched in the corner of the wall. The ugly and gigantic
+insect held in its claws a dragon-fly who was struggling and dolefully
+crying. Affected by this sight, he hastened to deliver it.
+
+The pretty insect immediately flew in the direction of the
+Pavilion-of-the-guests. Little-cypress saw it go in at the window and
+alight on the stone for grinding the ink.
+
+Then it arose again and alighted on the paper which was placed on the
+table; there it oddly crawled, retracing its steps, returning,
+advancing, and stopping. After a moment it took its flight and
+disappeared in the sky.
+
+Little-cypress, much puzzled, approached and looked; on the paper was
+written in big strokes the word "Thanks."
+
+
+
+
+_THE FAULT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES_
+
+
+When Dawning-colour was on the point of dying, he called his mother to
+him.
+
+"Mother," he said, "I am going to die. I do not wish White-orchid, my
+young wife, to feel herself bound to keep the widowhood. When her
+mourning will be finished, she will marry again: our son is only three
+years old; you will keep him with you."
+
+Now, the mourning was not yet finished and the coffin was still in the
+house waiting for a favourable day, when the young widow began to find
+the solitude weigh upon her.
+
+A rich sluggard of the village, named Adolescent, had several times sent
+proposals to her through a neighbour; she at last was unwise enough to
+agree to an interview with him. When evening came, Adolescent jumped
+over the neighbour's wall and went to her room.
+
+He had not been there half an hour when there arose a great noise in the
+hall where the coffin was; it seemed as if the cover was violently
+thrown to the ground. A little slave who was called afterwards as a
+witness told how she ran into the yard and saw her master's corpse
+brandishing a sword and jumping towards the room where the lovers were
+to be found.
+
+A few instants after, she saw the young widow come out screaming and run
+to the garden. Adolescent followed her, covered with blood; he crossed
+the threshold and disappeared in the night.
+
+Now, Adolescent, flying from danger, pushed the first door that he came
+across in the street; it was that of a young couple; the husband, named
+Wang, was absent and only expected to return the next day. The young
+wife, hearing a noise, thought it was her husband returning.
+
+"Is that you?" she asked, without quite waking up.
+
+Adolescent, who knew Madame Wang was pretty, answered "Yes" in a low
+voice, taking advantage of her error.
+
+A short time after, at Wang's turn to enter, he struck a light, saw a
+man in his room, and, furious, seized a pike. Adolescent tried to hide
+himself under the bed, but the husband transpierced him several times.
+He wished to kill his wife, but she so much begged him not to that he
+spared her.
+
+The cries and supplications which came from the room had, however, awoke
+the neighbours, who came in; they pulled Adolescent's body from under
+the bed; he died almost directly.
+
+There was a silence; the affair was serious. Then one of the assistants
+said:
+
+"The judges won't believe that you were in your right of outraged
+husband; you ought to have killed your wife also. As it is, you will be
+condemned."
+
+Thereupon, Wang killed the unhappy woman.
+
+During this time Dawning-colour's mother, having heard the screams of
+her daughter-in-law, thought there was a burglar in the house; she cried
+for help and tried to light a lamp, but she was trembling, and her
+curtains caught fire.
+
+Some neighbours arrived in haste; while a few of them extinguished the
+fire, the others, armed with crossbows, ran through the house and garden
+in search of the thief.
+
+At the bottom of the orchard they saw a white mass moving at the foot of
+the wall. Without waiting to ascertain what it was, they shot several
+arrows; everything was still. The archers approached and lit a torch;
+they saw the body of White-orchid transpierced in the head and chest.
+
+Horrified by what they had done, they informed the old woman, who said
+nothing.
+
+But this was not all. The elder brother of White-orchid, furious at the
+tragic death of his sister, had a lawsuit with the archers and the old
+woman.
+
+As usual, the judges ruined both parties; they condemned
+Dawning-colour's mother and the archers to receive five hundred bamboo
+strokes. The latter were not strong enough to bear this punishment, and
+died under the stick. And thus the affair ended.
+
+
+
+
+_DECEIVING SHADOWS_
+
+
+Night was falling when the horseshoes of the mules of my caravan
+resounded on the slippery flagstones of the village.
+
+Tired by a long day of walking, I directed my steps towards the large
+hall of the inn, with the intention of resting a moment while my repast
+was being prepared.
+
+In the darkened room the glimmer of a small opium-lamp lit up the pale
+and hollow face of an old man, occupied in holding over the flame a
+small ball of the black drug, which would soon be transformed into
+smoke, source of forgetfulness and dreams.
+
+The old man returned my greeting, and invited me to lie down on the
+couch opposite to him. He handed me a pipe already prepared and we
+began talking together. As ordered by the laws of politeness, I remarked
+to my neighbour that he seemed robust for his age.
+
+"My age? Do you, then, think I am so old?"
+
+"But, as you are so wise, you must have seen sixty harvests?"
+
+"Sixty! I am not yet thirty years old! But you must have come from a
+long way off, not to know who I am."
+
+And while rolling the balls with dexterity in the palm of his hand, and
+making them puff out to the heat of the lamp, he told me his story.
+
+His name was Liu Favour-of-heaven. Born and brought up in the capital,
+he had been promoted six years before to the post of sub-prefect in the
+town on which our refuge was dependent.
+
+When coming to take his post, he stopped at the inn, the same one where
+we were. The house was full; but he had remarked, on entering, a long
+pavilion which seemed uninhabited. The landlord, being asked, looked
+perplexed; he ended by saying that the pavilion had been shut for the
+last two years; all the travellers had complained of noises and strange
+visions; probably mischievous spirits lived there.
+
+Favour-of-heaven, having lived in the capital, but little believed in
+phantoms. He found the occasion excellent to establish his reputation in
+braving imaginary dangers.
+
+His wife and his children implored him in vain; he persisted in his
+intention of remaining the night alone in the haunted house.
+
+He had lights brought; installed himself in a big armchair, and placed
+across his knees a long and heavy sword.
+
+Hours passed by; the sonorous noise of the gong struck by the watchman
+announced successively the hours, first of the Pig, then of the Rat. He
+grew drowsy. Suddenly, he was awakened by the gnashing of teeth. All the
+lights were out; the darkness, however, was not deep enough to prevent
+his being able to distinguish everything confusedly. Anguish seized him;
+his heart beat with violence; his staring eyes were fixed on the door.
+
+By the half-opened door he perceived a round white mass, the deformed
+head of a monster, who, appearing little by little, stretched long hands
+with twisted fingers and claws.
+
+Favour-of-heaven mechanically raised his weapon; his blood frozen in his
+veins, he tried to strike the head, whose indistinct features were
+certainly dreadful. Without doubt the blow had struck, for a frightful
+cry was heard; all the demons of the inferior regions seemed let loose
+with this yell; calls were heard from all sides. The trellised frames of
+the windows were shaken with violence. The monster gained the door.
+Favour-of-heaven pursued him and threw him down.
+
+His terror was such that he felt he must strike and kill. Hardly had he
+finished than there entered, rolling from side to side, a little being,
+quite round, brandishing unknown weapons at the end of innumerable small
+hands. The prefect, with one blow, cut him in two like a watermelon.
+
+However, the windows were shaken with growing rage; unknown beings
+entered by the door without interruption; the prefect threw them down
+one after another: a black shadow first, then a head balancing itself at
+the end of a huge neck, then the jaw of a crocodile, then a big bird
+with the chest and feet of a donkey.
+
+Trembling all over, the man struck right and left, exhausted and
+panting; a cold perspiration overwhelmed him; he felt his strength
+gradually giving way, when the cock crowed at last the coming of the
+day.
+
+Little by little, grey dawn designed the trellis of the windows, then
+the sun suddenly appeared above the horizon and darted its rays across
+the rents in the paper.
+
+Favour-of-heaven felt his heart stand still; on the floor inundated with
+blood, the bodies lying there had human forms, forms that he knew: this
+one looked like his second wife, and this one, this little head that had
+rolled against the foot of the table, he would have sworn that it was
+his last son.
+
+With a mad cry he threw away his weapon and ran to open the door,
+through which the sun poured in.
+
+An armed crowd was moving in the yard.
+
+"My family! my family! where is my family?"
+
+"They are all with you in the pavilion!"
+
+But as they were speaking they saw with stupor the hair of the young man
+becoming white, and the wrinkles of age cover his face, while he
+remained motionless as well as insensible.
+
+They drew near; he rolled fainting on the ground. "And thus," ended the
+sub-prefect in the silence of the dark hall, where only the little light
+of the opium-lamp was shining, "I remained several days without
+knowledge of anything. When I came to myself, I had to bear the sorrow
+of having killed my whole family in these atrocious circumstances. I
+resigned my post: I had magnificent tombs built for all those who were
+killed this fatal night, and, since then, I smoke without ceasing the
+agreeable drug, in order to fly away from the remembrance, which will
+haunt me until my last day."
+
+
+
+
+_PEACEFUL-LIGHT_
+
+
+In the time when the Shining Dynasty had just conquered the throne, the
+eastern coasts of the Empire were ravaged by the rapid junks commanded
+by the cruel inhabitants of the Japanese islands, the irresistible _Wo
+tsz_.
+
+Now, it happened that the _Wo tsz_ Emperor lost his first wife; knowing
+the beauty of Chinese women, he charged one of his officers to bring
+back some of them.
+
+The officer, at the head of a numerous troop, landed not far from the
+town of The-Smoky-wall. No resistance was possible; the population was
+given the example of flight by the functionaries, at least it was thus
+said in the Annals of the prefecture.
+
+The country being far from the big centres, the women were not great
+coquettes; only one, named Peaceful-light, had always been careful,
+since childhood, not to allow her feet to become naturally large; they
+were constantly bound up, so much so that she could hardly walk.
+
+Her large soft eyes were shaded with heavy eyelashes; one of the
+literati of the place took delight in quoting the poets of antiquity on
+them:
+
+    Under the willow of her eyelashes
+    The tranquil river of her eyes shines forth.
+    I bend and see my image reflected in them.
+    Could she be deceitful like the deep water?
+
+When the pirates were coming, she begged her family to leave her, and to
+fly without the risk of being delayed by her.
+
+"It is the just punishment for my coquetry," she told them. "Fear
+nothing for me, however. I am going to take a strong dose of the paste
+extracted from the flowers of Nao-yang which makes one sleep. The
+pirates will think I am dead, and will leave me."
+
+The family allowed themselves to be persuaded, and departed. As to
+Peaceful-light, she was asleep almost directly after taking the drug,
+and she remained motionless on her bed.
+
+The pirates, entering everywhere, at last arrived in the house and
+remained struck with admiration by her beauty. The officer who was
+called, at first thought her dead and was much grieved, but, touching
+her hand and finding it warm and limp, he resolved to carry her away.
+
+When the ravishers were re-embarked, the strong sea-air and the motion
+of the boat revived the young girl; she awoke, and was horrified to find
+herself surrounded by strangers. The one who seemed the chief spoke to
+her in Chinese language in order to reassure her:
+
+"Fear nothing. No harm will come to you. On the contrary, the highest
+destiny awaits you; my Lord The Emperor designs you to the honour of
+his couch."
+
+Seeing that no one troubled her, Peaceful-light was reassured; she
+resolved to wait, confident in her destiny, and knowing that she had
+still, ready in her sleeve, in case of necessity, a narcotic dose strong
+enough to kill her.
+
+As soon as she landed, she was taken in great haste to the Palace. The
+Emperor, greatly satisfied with her beauty, conferred on her at once the
+rank of first favourite.
+
+But all the luxury and love which surrounded her could not make her
+forget her family and her country; she resolved to run away.
+
+In order to manage it, she complained to her master how sad it was for
+her never to be able to speak her own language with companions from her
+country. The Emperor, happy to be able to please her, gave orders to fit
+out a sea-junk, in order to go to the Chinese coast.
+
+The day when all was ready the young girl found means of pouring into
+her master's drink a dose of her narcotic. Then, when he was asleep, she
+took his private seal and, going out of the room, she called the
+intendant of the Palace and said to him:
+
+"The Emperor has ordered me to go to China to fetch a magician, a member
+of my family, who has great power on water and wind. Here is the seal,
+proof of my mission. The ship must be almost ready."
+
+The intendant knew that a junk had been specially prepared to go to
+China; he saw the seal; what suspicion could he have? He had a palanquin
+brought as quickly as possible; two hours after, the wood of the junk
+groaned under the blows of the unfurling waves.
+
+Arriving in sight of the coast, on the pretext of not frightening the
+population, the young girl begged the officer who accompanied her to
+send a messenger to the prefect of the town, bearing a letter that she
+had prepared. The officer, without distrust, sent one of his men.
+
+The letter of Peaceful-light showed a whole scheme to which the prefect
+could but give his consent. The messenger returned, bringing to the
+officer and to the men an invitation to take part in the feast that was
+being prepared for them, their intentions not being bad.
+
+Peaceful-light retired into her family, who welcomed her with a thousand
+demonstrations of joy.
+
+In the wine that was freely poured out for the strangers they had
+dissolved the flowers of Nao-yang. The effects were not long in being
+felt; a torpor that they attributed to the table excesses seized them
+one after another. They were soon all sleeping deeply. Men arrived with
+swords, glided near them, and, a signal being given, cut off their
+heads.
+
+While these events were passing in China, others still more serious were
+happening in Japan. Soon after the departure of Peaceful-light, the
+Emperor's brother penetrated into the room where the sovereign was left
+sleeping. This brother was ambitious; he profited by the occasion,
+killed the unhappy Mikado, took possession of the seals of the State,
+and, calling his partisans in haste, proclaimed himself Chief of the
+State. Only a part of the princes followed him; the others, filled with
+indignation by the crime that had been accomplished, united their troops
+to crush the usurper; civil war tore the whole of Japan to pieces.
+
+As to Peaceful-light, by order of the authorities she received public
+congratulations and gifts of land which allowed her to marry and be
+happy, as she merited.
+
+
+
+
+_HONG THE CURRIER_
+
+
+"In the time when the Justice of Heaven was actively employed with the
+affairs of the earth, one of my ancestors had an adventure to which we
+owe our present fortune, and of which few men of to-day have seen the
+equal."
+
+Thus began my friend Hong; reclining on the red cushions of the big
+couch, he fanned himself gracefully with an ivory fan painted all over.
+
+"Our family, as you know, originally came from the town of
+The-Black-chain in the province of The-Foaming-rivers. Our ancestor Hong
+The-just was a currier by trade; he cut and scraped the skins that were
+entrusted to him. His family was composed only of his wife, who helped
+him as well as she could.
+
+"Notwithstanding this persistent labour, they were very poor; no
+furniture ornamented the three rooms in the small house that they hired
+in the Street-of-the-golden-flowers.
+
+"When the last days of the twelfth moon in that year arrived, they found
+they were owing six strings of copper cash to ten different creditors.
+With all they possessed, there only remained 400 cash. What were they to
+do? They reflected for a long time. Hong The-just at last said to his
+wife:
+
+"'Take these 400 cash; you will be able to buy rice to live on. As to
+me, as I cannot pay my debts before the first day of the first moon, I
+am going to leave the town and hide myself in the mountain. My
+creditors, not seeing me, will believe you when you tell them that I
+have been to find money in the neighbouring town. Once the first day of
+the first moon passed, as law ordains to wait till the following term,
+I shall then come back, and we shall continue to live as well as we
+can.'
+
+"It was indeed the wisest thing to do. His wife made him a parcel of a
+blanket and a few dry biscuits. She wept at seeing him go away quite
+bent, walking with difficulty on the slippery flagstones of the street.
+
+"The snow was falling in thick flakes and already covered the grey tiled
+roofs, when Hong The-just left the city gate and directed his steps to a
+cave that he knew of in a lonely valley.
+
+"He arrived at last, and, throwing his heavy load on the ground, he
+glanced around him in order to choose the place where he would sleep.
+
+"An exclamation of stupor escaped from him when he saw, seated
+motionless on a stone, a man clothed in a long sable cloak, with a cap
+of the same fur, looking at him in a mournful, indifferent way.
+
+"'How strange!' at last said Hong, laughing. 'Dare I ask your noble
+name and the reason that brings you to this remote refuge? How is it
+that you are not with your friends, drinking hot wine and rejoicing in
+the midst of the luxuriance of the tables covered with various eatables
+and brilliant lights?'
+
+"'My name is Yang Glow-of-dawn. And you, what is your precious name?'
+replied mechanically the first occupant.
+
+"'I am called Hong The-just, and I am here to escape from my creditors.'
+
+"'You, also?' sneered Glow-of-dawn. 'The strokes of Fate do not vary
+much. As for me, I deal in European goods; my correspondents have not
+settled my accounts and I am in want of nearly a hundred thousand ounces
+of silver to close the year. None of my friends could advance me the
+sum, and here I am, obliged to fly away from my creditors.'
+
+"'A hundred thousand ounces!' cried The-just. 'With a sum like that I
+should pass the rest of my days in plenty. Anyhow, struck by the same
+misfortune, we are thus united; let us try to pass cheerfully the last
+day of the year, and attempt to imagine that these humble cakes are
+refined food.'
+
+"When they were eating their pastry and drinking water from the near
+torrent, Glow-of-dawn suddenly said:
+
+"'But you, how much do you owe? I have here a few ounces of silver;
+maybe you could balance your accounts with them.'
+
+"'My debts do not exceed six strings of copper cash. But how could I
+dare accept your offer?'
+
+"'Not at all! take these ten ounces; you will pay your debts and bring
+me here food and wine; that will help me to wait till the end of the
+festivals.'
+
+"The-just, reiterating his thanks, took the ingots that were offered him
+and went down as quickly as possible towards the town.
+
+"His wife, on seeing him and hearing his story, could not restrain her
+joy. She hurried to go and buy provisions of all kinds. Her husband
+tried to light the stove, but they had not lit a fire for a long time;
+he found the chimney filled with soot and dust.
+
+"Hong tried to sweep it with a big broom, but the masonry gave way,
+filling the room with the bricks and rubbish.
+
+"'How very annoying!' grumbled the currier. 'Now the stove is destroyed
+let us take away what remains, and we will make the fire beneath the
+opening in the roof!'
+
+"When his wife returned, he was still working. She put down her basket
+and helped to raise a huge stone that formed the bottom of the hearth.
+What was their astonishment in seeing a chest, half-broken, from which
+big ingots of gold were falling!
+
+"'What are we to do with this?' said his wife. 'If we sell this gold,
+everybody will think that we have stolen it, and we shall be put in
+prison.'
+
+"'We have only one thing to do,' replied Hong. 'Let us entrust our
+fortune to my companion in the cave; he is a good man. We shall save
+him, and he will make our money prosper; I will hurry and tell him.'
+
+"When Hong arrived, it was nearly nightfall; Yang was standing under
+flakes of snow at the entrance of the grotto; he received him with
+reproaches:
+
+"'You have come so late that my eyes are sore in looking out for you in
+vain!'
+
+"'Do not abuse me, Old Uncle; drink this wine and eat these cakes that
+are still warm, and I will tell you what delayed me.'
+
+"And while Glow-of-dawn ate and drank, the other told him of his
+adventure and of his intentions about the treasure.
+
+"Surprised and touched, the merchant did not know how to express his
+wonder and gratitude. They talked over the best way of proceeding to
+bring the gold and settle the business.
+
+"Then, by the glimmer of a bad lantern, they returned to the town and
+entered the merchant's house. There the currier washed himself, did his
+hair, and clothed himself in rich garments. A sedan-chair was waiting
+for him, followed by sturdy servants; he went away....
+
+"The next day Glow-of-dawn's creditors presented themselves at the house
+of their debtor. He was standing at the entrance, and bowed in wishing
+them a thousand times happiness. They entered; tea was brought in by
+busy servants. They at last discussed the settlement of their yearly
+accounts. The master of the house found out that he owed 180,000 ounces
+of silver.
+
+"'We have been informed that larger sums of silver are due to you, but
+you know the custom; you must settle everything to-day. In order to save
+you, we are content to make an estimate of your wealth, your goods and
+lands.'
+
+"'Do not give yourselves such a trouble,' replied the merchant, laughing
+and waving his hand. 'I thought you would be relentless, so I have been
+to speak to my elder brother, who has an immense fortune; he has put at
+my disposal several hundred thousand ounces. But here! I hear the cry of
+the bearers; it must be him with the chests of white metal.'
+
+"The major domo came hurrying in, carrying high in the air the huge red
+card with the names and surnames written in black.
+
+"'The venerable Old Great Uncle The-just has arrived!'
+
+"'Allow me?' said Yang, getting up, and going towards the door, of which
+both sides were open. Hong entered. They made each other a thousand
+affectionate greetings, as all brothers do who are animated with right
+feelings.
+
+"'Dear elder brother! here are the gentlemen who have come for the
+settlement of my accounts about which I spoke to you.'
+
+"'Gentlemen!' and the currier bowed, not without a certain grace that
+his new fortune had already given him. 'Well! how much is the total
+amount? I have brought you ten thousand ounces of gold, which is nearly
+350,000 ounces of silver. Will you have enough?'
+
+"While he was speaking, bearers were trooping in, and laid down on the
+ground heavy chests, the lids of which being raised, one could see the
+bars of precious metal.
+
+"The merchants, thunderstruck by all these riches and generosity,
+remained silent for a moment; then they bowed low and bade the currier
+sit in the place of honour.
+
+"Many delicate and exquisite dishes were brought in of which The-just
+did not even know the names; sweet wines were handed round in small
+transparent china cups.
+
+"At last the secretaries counted the ingots, and they all returned home
+paid. When every one had retired, Glow-of-dawn knelt before the currier
+and, striking the earth with his forehead, he said:
+
+"'Now you are my elder brother. You have rescued me, and I henceforth
+wish you to live here. My house, my properties, everything I possess
+belongs to you. Your wife is my sister-in-law.'
+
+"The currier hurried to raise him up and, much moved, said:
+
+"'I do not forget that it is you who saved me when you were still in
+misfortune. Your good genius has rewarded you. I am only the instrument
+of Fate.'"
+
+
+
+
+_AUTUMN-MOON_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou a young man lived called
+Lake-of-the-Immortals; he was wise and generous. His business consisted
+in going to fetch goods from neighbouring towns, which he afterwards
+brought back to his native city. He was thus obliged to be absent for
+lengthy periods, during which he left his house to the care of an elder
+brother, a celebrated scholar, who was married, and whom he tenderly
+loved.
+
+Once he had been by the Grand Canal as far as Chen-kiang; the goods he
+was going to take not being ready, he waited, and to while away the time
+he visited the Golden Island, whose temples with yellow-tiled roofs show
+in the verdure above the yellow water of the river, nearly opposite to
+the town; he passed the night there, as visitors did usually.
+
+When he had just fallen asleep, he saw in a dream a young girl, fourteen
+or fifteen years old, her visage regular and pure.
+
+On the second night he had the same dream. Surprised, he awoke; it was
+no dream; the young girl was there, near to him. At a glance he saw she
+was no human being; he hastened to get up and, saluting, to ask her the
+ordinary questions.
+
+"My name is Autumn-moon," she replied. "My father was a celebrated
+magician. When I died, he worked out my future destiny and wrote it down
+with powerful incantations; this charm has been put into my coffin, so
+that the inferior authorities should not make any mistake. It was
+written that, thirty years after my death, I should be called again to
+life and marry Lake-of-the-Immortals. There you are, and I have come to
+know my husband."
+
+As she said the last words she slowly vanished in the night. The next
+day, as the young man, disturbed and preoccupied by this strange
+adventure, was sitting in his room, thinking of her, she appeared
+suddenly before his eyes and said:
+
+"Come quickly! something important for you is going to happen at the
+prefect's palace. We have not a minute to lose."
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals questioned her, but she would not answer. Then
+they both crossed the river and walked as fast as they could up to the
+yamen.
+
+As they arrived at the gate, four soldiers, dragging a prisoner, were on
+the point of entering. Lake-of-the-Immortals recognised his elder
+brother in the person of the prisoner; he drew near, threw himself on
+his neck, and pressed him to his heart.
+
+"How is it that you are here? why this arrest? And you, soldiers, where
+do you take him?"
+
+"We have orders: what means this interference?" And they pushed the
+young man aside. Lake-of-the-Immortals was of a violent temper and had a
+strong affection for his brother; he could not let him go, and answered
+to the brutality of the soldiers by such a tempest of thumping and
+kicking that these honest but prudent soldiers asked no more and fled.
+
+"What have you done?" said Autumn-moon. "Hitting soldiers is serious; we
+must fly."
+
+And all three, running, arrived at the beach, jumped into a small boat,
+and rowed with all their strength.
+
+When day appeared, they were safely lodged in a small inn, several lis
+from Chen-kiang. Lake-of-the-Immortals, exhausted, went to sleep
+immediately. When he awoke, his two companions had disappeared. He asked
+the innkeeper; nobody had seen them go out.
+
+Distressed and sad, the young man did not dare to show himself outside.
+He remained solitary in his room. When twilight came, his door opened
+and a woman entered:
+
+"I bring you a message from Autumn-moon; she has been arrested. If you
+wish to see her, you must follow me; I will show you the way."
+
+"And my brother? do you know anything?"
+
+"Your brother is safe in Sou-tcheou now. But come and follow me."
+
+They started and soon arrived before a wall, which they got over by
+helping one another. Through a window giving on the yard they fell in,
+the lover perceived Autumn-moon on a bed. Two soldiers were trying to
+tease her, saying:
+
+"What is the use of resisting us, as you will be executed to-morrow
+morning?"
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals did not hear any more; he rushed into the room,
+threw himself on the soldiers, tore a sword from them, and laid them on
+the ground. Before the wretched men had time to make a gesture of
+defence, he carried away the girl and flew.
+
+At this moment he started violently, and found himself in his same room
+in the Golden Island. A servant entered, bringing the breakfast he had
+ordered when arriving for the first time, the night before, on the
+island.
+
+As he was asking himself the meaning of such a vivid dream, he heard a
+noise in the courtyard. Going out, he saw several men surrounding the
+body of a girl stretched before his door.
+
+"Where does she come from?" asked some one.
+
+"We have never seen her!" said another.
+
+Lake-of-the-Immortals came nearer; it was the body, seemingly senseless,
+of Autumn-moon. He had her brought immediately into his room. A doctor
+who had been called declared she was still alive, but needed very
+careful nursing.
+
+When she awoke at last she smiled feebly to the young man.
+
+"No, it is no dream," she replied to his questions. "Your brother was
+called before the King of Hells; you saved him. You have saved me also
+from eternal disappearance, and I am called again to life; the
+prediction of my father was true."
+
+A fortnight later she was able to get up; they started together and
+arrived safely at Sou-tcheou. When they got to his brother's house, his
+sister-in-law told them there had been illness in the house; her husband
+had been in grave danger of death; he was quite well now.
+
+When they were all together, Lake-of-the-Immortals told what he had seen
+and done. They all listened to him in silence. The family henceforth
+lived united and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE PRINCESS NELUMBO_
+
+
+Gleam-of-day was sleeping; his round face and high forehead denoted the
+scholar's right intelligence.
+
+All of a sudden he saw a man standing before his bed who appeared to be
+waiting.
+
+"What is it?" inquired the sleeper, getting up.
+
+"The prince is asking for you."
+
+"Which prince?"
+
+"The prince of the neighbouring territory."
+
+Gleam-of-day, grumbling, got up, put on his court dress and followed his
+guide. Palanquins were waiting; they started rapidly, and their retinue
+was soon passing in the midst of innumerable pavilions and towers with
+pointed roofs.
+
+They at last stopped in the courtyard of the palace; young girls with
+bright clothing were seen, and looked inquiringly at the new-comer, who
+was announced with great pomp.
+
+At last Gleam-of-day reached the audience hall. The prince was seated on
+the throne; he descended the steps and welcomed his guest according to
+the rites.
+
+"You perfume this neighbourhood," he said. "Your reputation has come to
+me, and I wished to know you."
+
+The servants brought wine; they began to converse nobly and brilliantly.
+At last the prince asked:
+
+"Among the flowers, tell me which one you prefer."
+
+"The nelumbo," he replied, without hesitating.
+
+"The nelumbo? it is precisely my daughter's surname. What a curious
+coincidence! The princess must absolutely know you."
+
+And he made a sign to one of the attendants, who at once went out. A few
+minutes after, the princess appeared. She was between sixteen and
+seventeen years old. Nothing could equal her admirable beauty.
+
+Her father ordered her to bow to the scholar and said:
+
+"Here is my daughter Nelumbo."
+
+Gleam-of-day, looking at her, felt troubled to the depth of his soul.
+The prince spoke to him; he hardly heard, and replied awkwardly. When
+the princess had retired, the conversation languished; the prince at
+last rose and put an end to the interview.
+
+During all the way back the young man was ashamed at the same time with
+his emotion before the girl, as well as his rudeness towards the prince.
+He was so much troubled that he ordered his retinue to go back to the
+palace.
+
+When he entered the audience hall, he threw himself to the ground before
+the prince and begged to be excused for his rudeness.
+
+"You need not excuse yourself; the sentiment that I read in your eyes is
+powerful and the thought of it is not unpleasant to me."
+
+While Gleam-of-day, happy with this encouragement, was still excusing
+himself, twenty young girls came running:
+
+"A monster has entered the palace; it is a python ten thousand feet
+long. It has already devoured thirteen hundred persons; its head is like
+a mountain peak."
+
+Every one got up; the frightened guard and the courtiers ran hither and
+thither, looking where they could hide themselves. The princess and her
+maids-in-waiting were crying for help.
+
+Gleam-of-day at last said to the prince:
+
+"I have only three miserable rooms in a cottage, but you will be safe in
+them. Will you fly there with your daughter?"
+
+"Let us go as quickly as possible," replied the prince, seizing the
+princess by the wrist.
+
+They all three ran across the deserted streets. When they arrived,
+Nelumbo threw herself on the bed, without being able to stop weeping.
+
+Gleam-of-day was so moved that he suddenly awoke: everything was a
+dream.
+
+Just then he heard a scream in the next room, where his father slept;
+there was a struggle, blows, and at last a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+The door opened, and the old man was seen pushing an enormous serpent at
+the end of a stick. When Gleam-of-day turned back to his bed, he found
+it covered with bees; on the pillow the queen had alighted.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TWO BROTHERS_
+
+
+In the town of Sou-tcheou there lived two brothers. The elder, surnamed
+Merchant, was very rich; the younger, named Deceived-hope, very poor.
+They lived side by side, and their houses, the paternal inheritance,
+were only separated by a low wall. They were both married.
+
+This year, the harvest having been bad, Deceived-hope could not afford
+the necessary rice for his family to live upon. His wife said to him:
+
+"Let us send our son to your brother: he will be touched and will give
+us something, without any doubt."
+
+Deceived-hope hesitated, but at last decided to take this step which
+hurt his pride. When the child returned from his uncle's, his hands
+were empty. They questioned him:
+
+"I told my uncle that you were without rice; he hesitated and looked at
+my aunt. She then said to me: 'The two brothers live separately; their
+food also is separate.'"
+
+Deceived-hope and his wife did not say a word; they fetched the bale of
+rice that was still in their corn-loft and lived thus.
+
+Now, in the town, two or three vagabonds who knew the riches of Merchant
+broke open his door one night, and tied him up as well as his wife. As
+he would not show his treasure, they began burning his hands and feet.
+Merchant and his wife screamed for help. Deceived-hope heard them and
+got up in order to run to their house, but his wife held him back, and,
+approaching the wall which separated them, cried:
+
+"The two brothers live separately; their food also is separate."
+
+However, as their cries increased, Deceived-hope could not contain
+himself, and, seizing a weapon, leapt over the wall, fell on the
+thieves, and dispersed them. Then, when his brother and his
+sister-in-law were delivered and quieted, he returned home, saying to
+his wife:
+
+"They are certain to give us a present."
+
+But, the next day and the days following, they waited in vain!
+Deceived-hope could not resist the temptation to relate everything to
+his friends. The same thieves heard of it and, thinking that he would
+not interfere any more, broke open the door of Merchant the same evening
+and began again to torture him as well as his wife.
+
+Deceived-hope, indeed, did not wish to interfere. However, his heart and
+his liver were upset by the painful cries of his brother. He could not
+forbear running to his help.
+
+The brigands, disconcerted, flew again, but this time Merchant and his
+wife were severely burnt; they lost the use of their hands and feet.
+
+The next day Merchant said to his wife:
+
+"My brother has saved our lives; without him we should be ruined; I am
+going to give him a part of what we have."
+
+"Do nothing of the kind," replied his wife; "if he had come sooner, he
+would have saved our hands and feet; now, thanks to him, we are infirm."
+
+And they did nothing. Deceived-hope, however, wanting money, made an act
+of sale of his house and sent it to his brother, hoping that he would be
+touched by his misery and would send back the deed with a present.
+
+In fact Merchant was going to send him some silver ingots, but his wife
+stopped him:
+
+"Let us take his house; we shall be able to make ours bigger, and it
+will be much more convenient."
+
+Merchant hesitated a little, but he ended by accepting the act, and sent
+the price agreed on. Deceived-hope went and settled in another part of
+the town; with his small capital, he opened a vegetable-shop, which soon
+prospered.
+
+The brigands, having heard that Merchant was now living alone, broke
+open his door very quietly, tortured him, and then killed him, taking
+away all he had. In leaving the place, they cried all over the town:
+
+"Merchant's corn-loft is open! Let all the poor go and take the rice!"
+
+They thus went, one by one, silently, all the poor of the neighbourhood,
+taking away as much of the heaped-up rice as they could. Soon there was
+nothing left.
+
+Deceived-hope being informed, wished to revenge his brother; he pursued
+the brigands and killed two of them.
+
+From this time it was he who every day attended to the needs of his
+sister-in-law, now in misery. Some months afterwards, exhausted, she
+died.
+
+Deceived-hope came back and was soon settled in the patrimony that he
+had recovered. One night he was soundly sleeping, when he saw his
+brother.
+
+"You have saved us twice, and we have been ungrateful. I should not be
+dead if I had not acted badly with you. I wish to make amends. Under the
+stone of the hearth you will find five hundred ounces of gold that I had
+hidden, and of the existence of which my wife was ignorant."
+
+Deceived-hope started from his sleep; he told his dream to his wife. She
+at once got up, drew out the stone of the hearth, and found the mass of
+gold. Henceforth, happy and rich, they lived long and were charitable
+and friendly with every one.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MARBLE ARCH_
+
+
+When the troubles began to break out in Hankow, many families were
+alarmed. Those who were not ignorant of the powerful organisation of the
+revolutionists left the town as soon as possible, anticipating that it
+would soon be plundered and burnt.
+
+The retired prefect, Kiun, was amongst the first to embark in order to
+go down the river. His house was situated at several lis from the river,
+on the confines of the suburbs, outside the fortified enclosure. He had
+only been married a short time, and was living with his father and
+mother.
+
+When the baggage at last was ready, the bearers fixed it in the middle
+of their long bamboos and set off two by two, grumbling under the heavy
+load. The two old people followed; Kiun and his young wife, the charming
+Seaweed, helped them as well as they could.
+
+In order to avoid crossing the centre of the town, they followed the
+crenellated wall by an almost deserted road. A young man and woman alone
+were sauntering in the same direction, carrying parcels on their
+shoulders.
+
+"Where are you going to?" they asked, as it is the custom to do between
+travellers.
+
+"As far as the river," replied Kiun. "And you?"
+
+"We also," said the young man. "What is your precious name?"
+
+"My contemptible name is Kiun. But you, deign to inform me about your
+family?"
+
+"My name is Wang The-king. We are flying from the insurrection."
+
+They thus talked while walking in company.
+
+Seaweed took the advantage of a moment when the new-comers were a little
+in front to bend towards her husband.
+
+"Do not let us get in the same junk with these strangers. The man has
+looked at me several times in a rude way; his eyes are unsteady and
+fickle; I am afraid of him."
+
+Kiun made a sign of assent. But when they had arrived on the quay, Wang
+The-king gave himself so much trouble to find a junk and help to embark
+the luggage that the prefect, bound by the rites, could not avoid asking
+him to get on board the boat with him.
+
+They unmoored; Wang The-king established himself on the prow with his
+wife, near the mariners; he spoke a long time with them while they were
+passing the last houses of the large city.
+
+When night fell, they were in a part of the river where it got broader
+to such an extent that you could no longer distinguish the banks. The
+wind was blowing rather violently and the unfurling waves projected
+heavy showers on the mats which covered the quarter-deck.
+
+Kiun, uneasy, went to the prow of the boat in order to question the
+master. The bright moon was rising, lighting the dark line of the bank.
+They approached in order to throw the anchor.
+
+Wang The-king was on the narrow bridge; when Kiun came to his side, he
+coolly pushed the poor prefect overboard. Kiun's father was two paces
+behind; Wang ran to him and threw him also into the tumultuous waters of
+the rapid current. Kiun's mother, hearing a cry and a struggle, went to
+see what was happening, and she also was precipitated into the foaming
+river.
+
+Seaweed, from the cabin, had seen all; but she took good care not to go
+outside; she moaned:
+
+"Alas! my father-in-law and my mother-in-law are dead! My husband has
+been killed! I am going to die, too!"
+
+While she was crying, Wang The-king entered the cabin.
+
+"Fear nothing," said he; "forget those people who are no more and won't
+come back. I am going to take you home to the city of The-Golden-tombs.
+There I have fields and houses belonging to me; I will give them to
+you."
+
+The young woman kept back her sobs and said nothing; she thought it wise
+not to provoke the murderer.
+
+Wang The-king, very satisfied with his prospects, went back to the
+mariners, gave them the greater part of what his victims had brought in
+silver and luggage; then he quietly took his dinner and retired to his
+cabin with his wife. The woman had a strange look, but she did not say
+anything, and they went to sleep.
+
+Towards the hour of the Rat, the woman began to groan; then she started
+out of her sleep and cried to her husband:
+
+"Kill me, repudiate me! I can no longer stay with you! Thunder and
+lightning will strike you! I have dreamt it; I will no longer be the
+wife of a murderer and a thief!"
+
+Wang, furious, struck her. But as she continued, he took her in his arms
+and threw her into the river.
+
+On the second day the boat arrived at The-Golden-tombs. Wang took
+Seaweed to his family. When his old mother asked what he had done with
+his first wife, he replied:
+
+"She fell in the river, and I will marry this one."
+
+They were soon settled in the house. Wang wished to take liberties with
+Seaweed, who gently drove him back.
+
+"We must not neglect the rites. Do not let us forget to empty first the
+marriage cup."
+
+Wang joyously accepted; and soon, seated opposite each other, they began
+exchanging cups of wine in the ritual way.
+
+Seaweed, however, pretended to drink, and tried to make her lover tipsy;
+she contrived this little by little.
+
+Wang, rendered sleepy by the wine, undressed himself, got on the bed,
+and ordered the young woman to put out the lamps and come to him.
+
+She carefully blew the lamps and said:
+
+"I will come in a minute!"
+
+Then she quickly went to her luggage, took out a sword she had hidden
+there, and came back. Feeling with her hands in the darkness, she found
+the throat of the man and struck him as hard as she could: the man
+screamed and tried to get up; she struck again and again: there was a
+moaning, a gurgle, and then silence.
+
+However, Wang's mother, having heard some noise, came with a lantern.
+Seaweed killed her before the old woman could even say a word.
+
+Then the young woman, having avenged her family, tried to cut her own
+throat, in order to join her husband. The sword was blunt and she was
+only able to scratch herself. She then remembered that, outside the
+house, there was a fairly big pond; she ran out and threw herself into
+the water.
+
+Some neighbours saw her and ran to her help; other people came; lanterns
+were brought forth; the poor girl at last was taken out of the pond, and
+brought back to her house. But, when the new-comers entered the room,
+they saw the bodies and the blood.
+
+"Murder! Murder!" cried they.
+
+And they immediately sent a boy to call the police. The constables came
+and looked all over the room; they soon found in Seaweed's luggage a
+note prepared by the unfortunate woman and stating the truth about her
+family's death. The assistants were loud in their praise of her act:
+
+"She avenged her husband; she has been witty enough to beguile the
+murderer; and now she has killed herself! Such an act of courage and
+virtue has not been heard of for centuries. We must ask the authorities
+to build her a marble arch to commemorate her history, and be an example
+to future generations."
+
+While all this was going on, they tried to revive the woman; everything
+was done, but in vain. A coffin was then brought in, and the girl
+transferred to it, covered with her best garments and jewels. The lid
+was screwed on, and everybody left the house.
+
+We must now come back to the evening when Wang pushed into the water
+Seaweed's husband. Kiun was a strong man and a very good swimmer;
+surprised by this sudden attack, all he could do at first was to keep
+his head out of the tumultuous water. He then thought to go back to the
+boat, but, on the foaming expanse nothing was to be seen; the rapid
+current had driven him too far. At last the water brought him to a
+curving beach, where he was able to land.
+
+Walking disconsolately on the sand, he saw a human body rolled by the
+surge; he approached, and recognised his father; farther on he saw his
+mother; both he dragged out of the water. Most uneasy about his wife, he
+walked on the river's edge, straining his eyes; the moon was shining; he
+saw at last a human being holding a big piece of wood. He swam to her,
+pushed her to the beach, and took her he thought was his wife to the dry
+sand. He undid the upper garment in order to rub her members; when he
+saw she was not so cold, he wiped her hair out of her face. His stupor
+was immense in recognising Wang's wife.
+
+The sun rose at last and warmed them. The young woman sighed, opened
+her eyes, and, completely herself again, told Kiun what she had seen:
+
+"My husband is a murderer. In a dream I saw the King-of-Shadows himself
+sitting behind his tribunal and writing his name on the death-list.
+Besides, he is in love with your wife. If you wish it, we will go
+together straight to The Golden-tombs and do what we can to avenge
+ourselves."
+
+Kiun, seeing a man coming to work in a field not far from there, went to
+him and told him in a few words what had happened; the man led them to
+his landlord, a rich man, who gave them food and warm dresses, sent men
+to bring the drowned bodies to a side house and have them properly
+buried. Then he advanced a certain sum of money to Kiun, who agreed to
+send it back when he should get to a place where he could find a
+correspondent of his bankers.
+
+Then Kiun and his companion engaged a small boat and went down the
+river. When they got to The Golden-tombs, they questioned the people in
+the street about Wang. A month had elapsed since the events we have told
+of; the first man they questioned looked at them in wonder:
+
+"How is it you don't know what happened? Wang is dead; he has been
+killed by a virtuous woman whose family he had murdered and who killed
+herself afterwards. You have only to go on; in the first street to your
+right you will see a new marble arch which has just been erected to
+commemorate virtuous Seaweed's courageous death."
+
+Kiun thought his heart would burst; he dragged his companion to the
+marble arch and read the inscription. Then he bought a bundle of those
+imitations of gold and silver ingots made with paper which people burn
+on the tombs in order to send some money to the dead; he went to the
+tomb in the place indicated by the inscription.
+
+There he reverently knelt, and, after having knocked the ground with his
+forehead, he burnt the paper-ingots, rose, and went away with Wang's
+wife.
+
+When they were back in their boat, they discussed their plans and
+resolved to go down the river to Shanghai.
+
+They were leaving the harbour, when a small boat crossed their way; two
+women sat on the bench. One of them reminded Kiun strangely of his late
+wife. The woman had looked up at him and seemed surprised. The retired
+prefect, moved by a mysterious strength, pronounced aloud a sentence
+which used to make his wife laugh when they were together happy in
+Hankow:
+
+"I see wild geese flying high in the sky."
+
+Seaweed, when she was alive, used to answer by a phrase which had
+nothing to do with the first sentence, and had made them laugh very
+often by its stupidity. The woman in the boat said it too:
+
+"The dog wants the cat's biscuit; you quickly shut it in the house."
+
+Kiun, wondering whether it was Seaweed's ghost, asked the mariners to go
+alongside the other boat; he jumped in it; the woman threw her arms
+round his neck, and they wept together.
+
+"Are you alive? or is it only your ghost I hold in my arms?" asked he.
+
+"I am alive!"
+
+Then she told him her adventures; when she was put into the coffin, she
+had some jewels on. One of the assistants resolved to steal them; he
+waited till everybody was gone and the house empty; then he deliberately
+unscrewed the coffin's lid and rifled what he could. He was trying to
+take a ring off her hand, when the supposed corpse rose and screamed.
+
+The poor man thought his last hour had come and did not move. Seaweed,
+seeing her jewels in his hands, and seeing the coffin she was in,
+grasped the situation at a glance.
+
+"You want my jewels! Have them if you like; you saved my life, and
+without you I would have been stifled in this gruesome box."
+
+The man at first dared not accept; then he said:
+
+"In exchange for your kindness, I will tell you something. In the third
+house in the first street lives a rich widow; she is alone and would
+like to adopt a girl; go to her and tell her everything. She will be
+happy to give you a home."
+
+Then he helped her to get out of the coffin, screwed the lid again, and
+disappeared. Seaweed went straight to the house. The widow received her
+with the greatest kindness, and asked of her to let everybody believe
+she was dead; if not, there would have been a lawsuit.
+
+Both women, now united by the closest affection, had been out on the
+river for pleasure's sake when they saw Kiun's bark. The widow, when the
+explanations were finished, opened her arms to Kiun; she called him her
+son-in-law. Seaweed asked Wang's wife to be the second wife of her
+husband. And they all lived long and happy.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DUTIFUL SON_
+
+
+At the foot of the Oriental-Perfume-Mountain, in one of the most
+beautiful places of this celebrated district, the passers-by could see a
+small lodge. Chou The-favourable lived there with his mother. He was
+still young, being only thirty years old, and earned his living in the
+way so highly praised by the ancient Classics; he cultivated a small
+field by his house, and every week went to the next market to exchange
+what he had for what he wanted.
+
+Both were very happy, when a calamity befell them; the old mother one
+morning felt a pain in her right leg. Two or three days afterwards she
+had there an ulcer that no remedies could cure; everything was tried and
+everything failed. Day and night she was moaning, turning over in her
+hard wooden bed.
+
+The-favourable forgot to drink and eat, in his anxiety to give his
+mother the medicines the doctor advised.
+
+Several months wore on; the ulcer did not heal. The despair of the son
+was greater every day; at last, overcome by his fatigue, he fell asleep
+and dreamt that he saw his father. The old man told him:
+
+"You have been a dutiful son. But I must tell you that your mother will
+not recover if you can't apply to her ulcer a piece of man's fat."
+
+Then everything was dissolved like a smoke in the wind.
+
+The-favourable awoke and, thinking over his dream, he found it very
+strange.
+
+"What can I do?" thought he. "Man's fat is not easily found in the
+market. My father would not have appeared to me if this extraordinary
+medicine was not really the only thing that will cure my mother. Well,
+I will take a piece of fat of my own body; I have nothing else to do."
+
+Then, rising from his bed, he took a sharp knife, and, pulling the skin
+of his side, he cut a large piece off. His pain was not so great as he
+had expected it to be, and, what seemed more extraordinary to him, no
+blood flowed from the wound.
+
+He could not see that, from the heaven above, a messenger had come on a
+cloud, was recording this noble feat on his life's register, and helped
+him by averting all ordinary sufferance.
+
+The-favourable hastened to put the piece of flesh on his mother's ulcer;
+the pain disappeared immediately, and a few days after the old woman
+could walk as she used to do; on her leg there remained only a red scar.
+
+When she asked what medicine had been employed, The-favourable eluded
+the answer. But somehow the truth was known in the neighbourhood; the
+prefect sent a report to the Throne and came himself with a decree of
+the Emperor, giving a title and an allowance to the dutiful son.
+
+
+
+
+_THROUGH MANY LIVES_
+
+
+Some people remember every incident of their former existences; it is a
+fact which many examples can prove. Other people do not forget what they
+learned before they died and were born again, but remember only
+confusedly what they were in a precedent life.
+
+Wang The-acceptable, of the Yellow-peach-blossom city, when people
+discussed such questions before him, used to narrate the experience he
+had had with his first son.
+
+The boy, at the time he spoke of, was three or four years old. He did
+not say many words, and some people thought he was dumb. One day,
+The-acceptable was writing a letter, when he was disturbed by a friend.
+He put his writing-brush down on the table and left the room. When he
+came back, his letter was finished, and written much more correctly than
+he would have believed himself able to do. Besides, he did not remember
+having finished it. The puzzle did not trouble him very much.
+
+Another day the same thing occurred; he left the room, leaving a letter
+unfinished on the table; when he came back, the letter was nearly ended.
+Nobody but the boy had been in the room. Troubled and suspicious, he
+rose and feigned to go away; but he came back immediately and
+noiselessly. From the door, he saw his boy kneeling on the stool and
+writing the letter.
+
+The little man suddenly saw his father and asked to be forgiven. The
+father of course laughed:
+
+"We all thought you were dumb; if you are such a learned man, the family
+happiness will be great! How could we punish you?"
+
+From that date he had good lessons given to the boy, who very early
+passed successfully his third degree examination and became one of the
+most celebrated "Entered among the learned" of his time.
+
+When his father asked him whether he remembered what he had been before
+being what he now was, the boy said that the first life he could
+remember was that of a young student; he lived in a monastery to save as
+much as he could of his income. When he died, the King-of-the-Darkness
+punished him for his stinginess and condemned him to become a donkey in
+the same monastery he had lived in.
+
+He wanted to die, but did not know what to do; the priests loved him and
+were very careful. One day he was on a mountain road and was tempted to
+throw himself downhill; but he had a man on his back and was afraid of
+the punishment the King-of-the-Darkness would inflict upon him if he
+killed that man. So he went on. Many years passed; he died at last, and
+was born again as a peasant. But, as he had forgotten nothing of his
+former lives, he was able to speak a few days after his birth. His
+father and mother judged the thing highly suspicious and killed him.
+
+After that, he was born in the family of Wang The-acceptable.
+Appreciating the surroundings, and bearing in mind that he had last been
+killed because he spoke too early, he was very careful this time not to
+utter a single word. But when he saw the paper and ink he could not
+resist his love of literature and finished the letter.
+
+
+
+
+_THE RIVER OF SORROWS_
+
+
+Along the path leading to the city of All-virtues, in the obscure night,
+a poor coolie, grumbling under a heavy load of salt, was trudging on as
+fast as he could.
+
+"I shall never get there before the hour of the Rat, and my wife will
+say again; 'Wang The-tenth has drunk too many cups of wine.' She does
+not know the weight of that stuff!"
+
+As he was thus thinking, two men suddenly jumped from either side of the
+road and held him by the arms.
+
+"What do you want?" cried the poor man. "I am only an unhappy carrier,
+and my load is only salt, very common salt."
+
+"We don't want your salt, and you had better throw it down. We are sent
+from the Regions below and we want you to come down with us."
+
+"Am I dead already?" asked The-tenth. "I did not know. I must tell my
+wife. Can't you come again to-morrow night?"
+
+"Impossible to wait. You must come immediately. But I don't think you
+are dead. It is only to work for a few days down below."
+
+"This is rather strange," replied The-tenth. "With all the people who
+have died since the world has been the world you still want living men?
+We don't go and ask you to do our work, do we?"
+
+While thus arguing, he felt himself suffocated by a heavy smell and lost
+consciousness.
+
+When he awoke, he was on the bank of a fairly large river. Hundreds of
+men were standing in the water; some of them carried baskets; others,
+with spades and different utensils, were dragging out what they could
+from the bottom. Soldiers with heavy sticks struck those who stopped
+even for a second.
+
+On the bank several men were standing, and a number of others came from
+time to time. A magistrate was sitting behind a big red table, turning
+over the pages of a book. At last, he called "Wang The-tenth."
+
+"Wang The-tenth!" repeated the soldiers. And they threw the poor man
+down in a kneeling position in front of the magistrate, who looked on
+the book and said:
+
+"You have been an undutiful son; do you remember the day when you told
+your father he was a fool?"
+
+Then speaking to the soldiers, he said:
+
+"To the river!"
+
+The guards pushed the man, gave him a basket, and ordered him to help in
+the cleaning of the river.
+
+The water was red and thick; its stench was abominable; the bodies of
+the workmen were all red, and The-tenth discovered it was blood. He
+looked at the first basket he took to the bank; it was only putrid flesh
+and broken bones.
+
+Thus he worked day by day without stopping. When he was not going fast
+enough, the guards struck him with their sticks, and their sticks were
+bones. In the deep places he had to put his head into the water and felt
+the filthy stuff fill his nostrils and mouth.
+
+Among the workers he recognised many people he used to know. A great
+number died and were carried away by the stream.
+
+At last two guards called his name, helped him to the bank, and suddenly
+he found himself again on the path leading to the city of All-virtues.
+
+Now, on the night when The-tenth was taken away, his wife waited for
+him. Troubled not to see him, she started as soon as the sun beamed, and
+looked for him on the road. She soon found his body lying unconscious.
+Trying in vain to revive him, she thought him dead, and wept bitterly.
+
+Not being strong enough to bring home his body, she came back to town in
+order to ask the help of her family. In the afternoon, clad in the white
+dress of mourning, and accompanied by her four brothers, she started
+again.
+
+What was her astonishment and fear when, approaching the place where she
+had found the body, she saw her husband walking towards her. He was all
+covered with blood, and the stench was so strong that everybody pinched
+his nose.
+
+When he had explained what had happened, they all returned to the
+village. The-tenth knelt reverently before his ancestors' tablet,
+offered butter and rice, and burnt incense.
+
+This very day he asked a Taoist priest what was the river he had worked
+in. The priest explained to him it was called the River-of-sorrows. It
+took its source in the outer world in every tear that was shed. The
+people that killed themselves out of despair were floated down its
+stream to the kingdom of shadows.
+
+Sometimes the sorrows on earth were so great that people killed
+themselves by thousands and did not shed any tears; the blood then was
+too thick to wash away the decayed remains, and the river-bed had to be
+cleaned lest it should overflow and drown the whole world. Living men
+alone were employed in this work, for only living men can cure living
+men's sorrows.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND_
+
+
+In the beautiful Chu-san archipelago there is a small island where the
+flowers never cease blooming, and where the trees grow thick and high.
+From the most remote antiquity nobody has been known to live in the
+shade of this virgin forest; the ferns, the creepers, are so entangled
+that it is impossible for a man to cross this wilderness without
+clearing his way with a hatchet.
+
+A young student named Chang, who lived in the City-over-the-sea, used to
+rest himself from his daily labour by going out to sea in a small junk
+he managed himself.
+
+Having heard of the mysterious island, he resolved to explore it,
+prepared wine and food, and sailed out on a beautiful summer's morning.
+
+Towards midday he neared the place where the island was supposed to be.
+Soon a delicious perfume of flowers was brought to him by the hot
+breeze. He saw the dark green of the trees over the light green of the
+sea, and, when still nearer, the yellow sand of the beach, where he
+resolved to disembark.
+
+The junk touched the shore; he tied it to a large fallen tree whose end
+dipped into the gentle waves, and proceeded at once to a hearty meal.
+
+While he was storing again in the boat what remained of his provisions,
+he was suddenly startled by a subdued laugh. Turning his head, he saw
+among the wild roses of the shore, a young girl covered with a long blue
+dress, who looked at him with dark eyes full of flame.
+
+"Your servant is most happy to see you here. I did not suppose I should
+ever have the pleasure of meeting you."
+
+"Who are you?" asked Chang, forgetting, in his astonishment, the proper
+forms of inquiry.
+
+"I am only a poor singer who has been brought here by
+The-Duke-of-the-sea."
+
+Chang, hearing these words, was afraid in his heart; The-Duke-of-the-sea
+was a renowned pirate who used to plunder every village of the coast,
+and was reputed to be cruel and vindictive. But the girl was so
+attractive that he soon forgot everything in the pleasure of her
+chatter.
+
+Seated at the foot of a big tree, they were laughing, when a noise came
+from the forest.
+
+"It is The-Duke-of-the-sea! It is The-Duke-of-the-sea!" murmured the
+girl. "I must be off at once."
+
+And she disappeared behind the foliage.
+
+While Chang was asking himself what he should do, he suddenly saw a huge
+snake coming straight to him. Its body was as thick as a cask, and so
+long that the end was still hidden in the forest, while the head was
+balancing over the frightened student.
+
+Chang could not say a word and dared not move: the snake entwined
+himself round a tree and round the man, holding fast its prisoner's
+arms. Then, lowering its head, it threw out its tongue, and, pricking
+the student's nose, began to suck the blood which came out and fell on
+the ground.
+
+Chang saw that, if he did not immediately free himself, he would
+certainly die. Feeling cautiously with his hand round his waist, he took
+from his purse a certain poisoned pill that he kept there and intended
+to try on wolves and foxes. With two fingers he took the pill and threw
+it into the red pool at his feet.
+
+The snake, of course, sucked it with the blood; it immediately stopped
+drinking, straightened its body, and rocked its head to and fro,
+knocking the tree-trunks and hissing desperately.
+
+Chang, feeble and hardly able to stand, dragged himself as fast as he
+could out of reach on to the beach and quickly untied his boat.
+Nevertheless, before going out to sea, he fetched a sword and went
+cautiously into the wood again. The snake did not move. Chang flourished
+his sword, and with a mighty stroke cut the head off and ran to his
+boat.
+
+He returned to the City-over-the-sea, went to bed and was ill for a
+month. When he spoke of his experience, he always said that, to his
+mind, it was the beautiful girl he had seen at first who had come again
+in the form of a snake.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER_
+
+
+In a small village along the river Tsz lived a fisherman named Siu. He
+started every night with his nets, and took very great care not to
+forget to bring with him a small jar of spirits. Before throwing his
+cast-net, he drank a small cup of the fragrant liquor and poured some
+drops into the slow current, praying aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river, please accept these offerings and favour your
+humble servant. I am poor and I must take some of the fishes that live
+in your cold kingdom. Don't be angry against me and don't prevent the
+eels and trouts coming to me!"
+
+When every fisherman on the river brought back only one basket of
+fishes, he always proudly bore home a heavy charge of two or three
+baskets full to the brim.
+
+Once, on a rosy dawn of early spring, when the sun, still below the
+horizon, began to eat with its golden teeth the vanishing darkness, he
+said aloud:
+
+"O Spirit-of-the-river! For many years, every night I have drunk with
+you a good number of wine-cups; but I never saw your face; won't you
+favour me with your presence? We could sit together, and the pleasure of
+drinking would be much greater."
+
+Hardly had he finished these words when, from the middle of the stream,
+emerged a beautiful young man clothed in pink, who slowly walked on the
+smooth surface of the limpid water, and sat on the boat's end, saying:
+
+"Here I am."
+
+The fisherman, being half-drunk, was not troubled in any way; he bowed
+to the young man, offered him, with his two hands, a cup of the strong
+wine, and said:
+
+"Well! I long wished to receive your instructions, and I am very glad to
+see you. You must be mighty tired of living in that water; the few drops
+of wine I pour every night are quite lost in such a quantity of
+tasteless liquid. You had better come up every night; we will drink
+together and enjoy each other's company."
+
+From this day, when darkness closed in, the Spirit waited for the
+fisherman and partook of his provisions. As soon as the sun rose above
+the horizon he suddenly disappeared. The fisherman did not find that
+very convenient; he asked his companion if he could not arrange to stay
+with him sometimes in the daytime.
+
+"Impossible; we can't do such a thing, we spirits and ghosts. We belong
+to the kingdom of shadows. When the shadows, fighting the daylight,
+bring with them the Night, we are free to go and wander about. But as
+soon as the herald of the morn, the cock, has proclaimed the daily
+victory of the sun, we are powerless and must disappear."
+
+On the same day the fisherman was sitting on the bank, smoking a pipe
+before going home with his baskets, when he saw a woman holding a child
+in her arms and hastening along the river towards a ford some hundred
+yards up stream. She was already in the water, when she missed her
+footing, fell into the river, and was rolled away by the stream. The
+child, by some happy chance, had fallen on the bank and lay there,
+crying.
+
+The fisherman could easily have gone in his boat and saved the woman,
+who was still struggling to regain the bank, but he was a prudent man:
+
+"This woman, whom I don't know, seems to be beautiful," thought he.
+"Maybe it is my friend The-Spirit-of-the-river who has arranged all
+this, and chosen the girl to be his wife. If I prevent her going down
+to his cold lodgings, he will be angry and ruin my fishing. All I could
+do is to adopt this boy until somebody comes and asks for him."
+
+And he did not move, until the poor woman had disappeared in the yellow
+stream; then he took the child. Once back in the village, he inquired
+about the mother; nobody could tell who she was. The days passed and
+nobody asked for the boy. This was strange enough, but, stranger still,
+from this day the fisherman never saw The-Spirit-of-the-river again. He
+offered him many cups of wine, and his fishing was as good as ever, but
+though he prayed heartily, his companion of so many nights did not
+appear any more.
+
+When the boy was three years old he insisted on accompanying his adopted
+father in his night fishing. Summer had come; the cold was no more to be
+feared. The man consented to take his adopted son with him; they
+started together in the twilight.
+
+As soon as the darkness closed, the boy's voice changed; his appearance
+was different.
+
+"What a silly man you are!" said he. "Don't you know me now? For more
+than two years I waited for an opportunity to tell you who I was. But
+you always went out at night and you never came back before the sun was
+high in the sky. You had never failed to present your offerings; so I
+could not resist your prayer when you asked me to stay with you in the
+daytime. Now, here I am, till your death; when the sun is up I shall
+only be your son, but when the night closes I shall be your companion,
+and we will enjoy together what longevity the Fate allows you."
+
+
+
+
+_THE-DEVILS-OF-THE-OCEAN_
+
+
+In the twenty-second year of the period Eternal-happiness, the
+population of Chao-cheou's harbour, awaking on a bright summer's
+morning, were extremely surprised and frightened to see, swaying on the
+blue water of the bay, a strange and abnormally huge ship. The three
+high masts were heavily loaded with transversal pieces of wood, from
+some of which sails were still hanging; another mast projected
+horizontally from the prow, and three sails were tightened from this to
+the foremast.
+
+A small boat was lowered from the ship's side and rowed to the quay.
+Several hundreds of people were watching the proceedings, asking one
+another if it was a human invention or a ship coming from the depths of
+hell.
+
+The small boat stopped at a short distance from the bank; one could see
+that, beside the rowers, there were three men seated in the stern; their
+heads were covered with extraordinarily long and fluffy grey hair; they
+wore big hats with feathers of many colours. A Chinaman was in the boat
+and hailed the people:
+
+"Ha! Please tell the local authorities that high mandarins from the
+ocean want to speak to them. We are peaceful. But if you do any harm to
+our men or ships, our wrath will be such that we will destroy in one day
+the whole town and kill everybody within ten miles' distance."
+
+Three or four men belonging to the Yamen had heard these words; they ran
+to the prefect's palace and came back with an answer they delivered to
+the new-comers:
+
+"His Excellency the prefect consents to receive your visit. If you are
+peaceful, no harm will be done to you. But if you steal anything, or
+wound or kill anybody, the laws of our country will be enforced upon you
+without mercy."
+
+Then the boat slowly accosted the quay; two of the men with feathered
+hats disembarked with the Chinaman, while six of the rowers, leaving
+their oars in the boat, shouldered heavy muskets, and cleared the way,
+three walking in front of the feathered hats and three behind. The
+rowers wore small caps and had long blue trousers and very short blue
+coats.
+
+The prefect, in his embroidered dress, awaited them on the threshold of
+his reception-room. He bade the new-comers be seated and asked their
+names and their business; the Chinaman translated the questions and the
+answers.
+
+"We come from the other side of the earth."
+
+"Well," thought the prefect. "I was sure of it, the earth being square
+and flat, the other side of it is certainly hell. What am I to do?"
+
+"We only want to trade with your countrymen. We will sell you what goods
+we have brought; we will buy your country's productions, and if no harm
+is done we will sail away in a few days."
+
+"Our humble country is very poor," answered the prefect. "The people are
+not rich enough to buy any of the splendid goods you may have brought.
+Besides, this country's products are not worth your giving any money for
+them. If I can give you good advice, you had better sail away to-day and
+get to the first harbour of the northern province; there they are very
+rich."
+
+"We have just come from it; they told us the very reverse. Here,
+according to them, we should be able to find everything we want.
+Besides, our mind is settled; we will remain here long enough to buy
+what we want and to sell what we can. We are very peaceful people as
+long as one deals justly with us. But if you try to beguile us, we will
+employ all our strength in the defence of our rights. All we want is a
+place on shore where we can store and show our goods."
+
+"Well, well; I never intended to do anything of the sort," said the
+prefect. "But the Emperor is the only possessor of the soil. How could I
+give you a place even on the shore?"
+
+"We don't want very much, and the Emperor won't know anything. Give us
+only the surface of ground covered by a carpet, and we will be
+satisfied."
+
+Chinese carpets are not more than two or three feet broad and five or
+six feet wide. The prefect thought he could not be blamed to authorise
+the foreigners to settle on such a small piece of ground; on the other
+hand, if he refused, there would ensue trouble and he would certainly be
+cashiered.
+
+"It is only as a special arrangement and by greatly compromising with
+the law that I can give you this authorisation."
+
+And the prefect wrote a few words on one of his big red visiting-cards.
+The interpreter carefully perused the document. Then the foreigners went
+back to their ship. The same day a proclamation was issued and pasted on
+the walls of the public edifices, explaining to the people that
+The-Devils-of-the-ocean had been authorised to settle on a piece of
+ground not bigger than a carpet and that no harm should be done to them.
+
+In compliance with these orders, nobody dared oppose the foreigners when
+they began unrolling on the shore a carpet ten yards broad and thirty
+yards long. When the carpet was unrolled, The-Devils-of-the-ocean put
+themselves in ranks with muskets and swords on the carpet; nearly five
+hundred men stood there close to one another.
+
+The prefect, who had personally watched the proceeding, was so angry
+against the foreigners for their cunningness that he immediately ordered
+troops to drive them out into the water. But the foreigners had a
+devilish energy nobody could resist; they killed a great many of our
+people, burned the greater part of the city, and occupied for several
+years all the northern part of the bay, where they erected a sort of
+bazaar and a fortress, which still exist to this day.
+
+
+
+
+_UNKNOWN DEVILS_
+
+
+Suen Pure-whiteness was privileged with the possibility of seeing
+distinctly all the creatures of the other world, who, for the greater
+part of humanity, remain always mysterious and invisible.
+
+One night he slept in a mountain monastery; he had closed and barred the
+door; the full moon illuminated the window; everything was quiet. He had
+slept an hour, when he was awakened by the hissing of the wind; the gate
+of the monastery seemed to be thrown open; after a while the door of his
+room was shaken, the bar dropped down, and the heavy wood turned on its
+hinges.
+
+Pure-whiteness thought at first that it would be better to close his
+eyes and to wait; but his curiosity was aroused, he looked intently;
+after a few seconds he could see a big devil, so big that he was obliged
+to stoop in order not to break his head against the ceiling, and who was
+coming slowly towards the bed. His face had the colour and general
+appearance of an old melon. His eyes were full of lightning and his
+mouth was bigger than a tub. His teeth were at least three inches long
+and his tongue kept moving incessantly, while he uttered a sound like
+"Ha-la."
+
+Pure-whiteness was much afraid; but, seeing he had no way of escape, he
+took a short sword from under his pillow and, with all his might, thrust
+it into the devil's breast; it sounded as if he had struck a stone.
+
+The devil hissed in a fearful way; he extended his claws to catch the
+man. Pure-whiteness jumped on the right side; the devil could only catch
+his dress and started; the man hastened to unfasten his dress; he
+dropped and remained there on all fours, motionless and mute. When the
+devil's steps ceased to be heard he screamed for help; the priests came
+with lamps; everything was in order, but in the bed Pure-witeness was
+yelling as in a nightmare.
+
+On another day Pure-whiteness was in the country enjoying the pleasures
+of harvest. The golden rice was piled high and everybody was busy. Some
+armed men had been posted here and there, according to the custom;
+everybody knows that when the rice is ripened in a place, people of the
+neighbouring villages are always looking for an opportunity to make the
+harvest themselves or to take away what has been cut by the owners.
+
+Pure-whiteness, tired by the heat, laid down behind a rice-stack; after
+a while he heard stealthy steps; raising his head, he saw a big devil
+more than ten feet high, with hair and beard of a fierce reddish colour,
+who was approaching. Pure-whiteness yelled for help: men with spears
+came to the rescue. The devil bellowed like the thunder and flew away.
+Pure-whiteness told them what he had seen; nobody would believe him, but
+they nevertheless started in pursuit; people working in the fields all
+round had not seen anything, so everybody came back.
+
+The second day Pure-whiteness was among four or five men, when he saw
+the same devil.
+
+"He has come back!" cried he, flying away.
+
+The other people ran away too. When they came back, everything was
+quiet. But they always kept by their side some spears, bows and arrows,
+and swords.
+
+For two or three days, they had no trouble; the rice was being stored in
+the granaries, when Pure-whiteness, looking up, screamed:
+
+"The devil has come back!"
+
+Everybody ran to his arms. Pure-whiteness fell down; the devil picked
+him up, bit his head, threw him down, and went away.
+
+When the man came back, Pure-whiteness bore the marks of teeth on his
+head; he did not know anybody. Taken home and nursed, he remained
+unconscious for a few days and died.
+
+
+
+
+_CHILDLESS_
+
+
+In the city of The-Great-name lived a rich idler named Tuan
+Correct-happiness. He had then attained the age of forty and still he
+had no son. His wife, Peaceful-union, was extremely jealous, so that he
+dared not openly buy a concubine, as law authorised him, to continue his
+lineage.
+
+When he saw that, at forty, he had no son, he secretly bought a young
+girl, whom he carefully left outside his own house.
+
+A woman is not easily deceived--a jealous woman especially;
+Peaceful-union soon discovered the whole truth. She had the girl brought
+before her and took advantage of an impertinent answer to have her
+beaten a hundred blows; after that, she turned on her husband and drove
+him nearly mad with reproaches. What could the poor man do? He sold his
+concubine to a neighbouring family named Liu, and peace was restored in
+the house.
+
+The days and years passed on without any change in the situation; the
+nephews of Correct-happiness, seeing that he was old already and had no
+son, began to fawn upon him, each of them trying to be the one that
+would be elected as an adopted son to continue the family cult, as is
+the custom.
+
+Peaceful-union at last began to see her error and regretted bitterly
+what she had done.
+
+"You are only sixty years old," said she to her husband. "Is it too
+late? Let us buy two chosen girls who will be your second wives; maybe
+one of them will give you a son."
+
+The old man smiled sadly; he did not entertain any great hope;
+nevertheless, the concubines were bought. After a year, to the great
+surprise and joy of everybody, both gave birth--one to a girl, the other
+to a boy. But both children died a few months after.
+
+Correct-happiness, when winter set in, caught a cold and was soon in a
+desperate state of health. His nephews were always beside him; but,
+seeing he would adopt neither of them, they began looting the house;
+they found at last the treasure and took it away openly.
+
+The moribund was too ill even to know what they did. Peaceful-union
+tried in vain to stop them.
+
+"Will you leave me to die of hunger? I am the wife of your uncle. I am
+entitled to a part of his riches."
+
+But they would not hear her.
+
+"If you had borne a son to our uncle, or if he had adopted one of us, we
+would not have touched a single copper cash of his treasure; but,
+through your own fault, he has nobody to maintain his rights; we take
+what is our own."
+
+When the day ended, the widow found herself alone in the deserted and
+emptied house, crying over the body of her dead husband.
+
+Suddenly she heard steps outside the door; a young man appeared on the
+threshold, his eyes full of tears, covered with the white dress of
+mourning. He entered, kneeled beside the corpse, and, knocking the
+ground with his forehead, he began the ritual lamentations.
+
+Peaceful-union stopped crying and looked at him with astonishment; she
+did not know him.
+
+"May I ask your noble name? Who are you to cry over my husband's death?"
+
+"I am the deceased's only son."
+
+The widow started with surprise and a pang of her old jealousy; would
+her husband have had a son without her knowing it? But the next words
+of the young man explained everything.
+
+Twenty years ago, when she had beaten and sold away the first concubine
+of her husband, she did not know the girl bore already the fruit of this
+short union. Six months later she had a son, to whom she gave the name
+of Correct-sadness; but, bearing in mind the bad treatment she had
+received, she asked the Liu family to keep the child as one of their
+own. They consented and sent the boy to school with their children.
+
+When Correct-sadness was eighteen, the chief of the Liu family died; the
+family dispersed, and only a small legacy was left to the young man.
+Believing he was a member of the family, he could not understand what
+happened, and asked his mother; she told him the truth. Resenting the
+hard treatment inflicted on his mother, he awaited the death of his
+father to make his own identity known.
+
+Peaceful-union was very happy to hear this story.
+
+"I am no more without a son," said she. "All that my nephews have taken
+away, treasure and furniture, they must bring back again. If not, the
+magistrate will send them to die in jail."
+
+In fact, the nephews refused to give back anything. The widow began a
+lawsuit; everything at last was restored to the legal heir.
+
+Peaceful-union hastened to choose him a wife, and as soon as the
+matrimonial festivities were ended she told her daughter-in-law:
+
+"My dear child, if I were you, I would ask Correct-sadness to buy
+immediately one or two good concubines; if you have a son and they have
+also, so much the better, but you can't realise how difficult to bear it
+is to be childless."
+
+
+
+
+_THE PATCH OF LAMB'S SKIN_
+
+
+In the twenty-fourth year K'ang-hsi lived in a remote district of the
+western provinces, a man who could remember his former lives. He was now
+a "tsin-shi," "entered-among-the-learned," renowned, and much considered
+by his friends.
+
+When speaking of the existences he had gone through, he used to say:
+
+"As far as I remember, I was first a soldier--it was in the last days of
+the Ming dynasty; my regiment was encamped at The-Divided-roads on the
+Ten-thousand-miles-great-wall. My remembrances are not very clear as to
+whom we fought with, but I remember the joy of striking the enemy, the
+hissing of the arrows, the yelling of the charging troops.
+
+"I was still young when I was killed. After death, of course I was
+called before the tribunal of The-King-of-shadows. Closing my eyes, I
+can still see the big caldrons full of boiling oil for the trying of
+criminals; the Judge in embroidered dress seated behind a red table; the
+satellites everywhere, ready to act on the first word,--in fact,
+everything exactly the same as in the worldly tribunals, excepting that,
+in the eastern part of the hall, there were huge wooden stands from
+which hung skins of every description--horse-skins, lambs' skins, dogs'
+skins, and human skins of every age and condition; skins of old men, of
+fat and important people, of lean and shrivelled men, of boys and girls.
+
+"The trial began; the souls, according to their deeds, were condemned to
+put on one of the skins and to come up again to the Lighted World in
+this new shape.
+
+"When my turn came I was sentenced to put a dog's skin on; and in this
+low shape I was thrown again in the stream of life. But as I had not
+forgotten my former condition, I was so ashamed, that the first day I
+came on earth I threw myself under the wheels of a heavy carriage and
+died.
+
+"The-King-of-shadows was extremely surprised to see me again so soon;
+the dogs, as a rule, having no conscience, he could not suppose I had
+killed myself, and did not hold me responsible for it.
+
+"This time, I was born again as a pig. Pigs are valuable, and there are
+always people to look after them; so I could not kill myself. I tried to
+starve myself to death, but hunger was the strongest, and I had to
+endure such a life. Happily, the butcher soon put a speedy end to it.
+
+"When my name was called to the tribunal of Darkness, the
+King-of-shadows looked over the pages of the Book and said:
+
+"'He must be a lamb now.'
+
+"The runners took a white lamb's skin, brought it, and began putting it
+over my body. While this was going on, the secretary, who was writing
+the sentence in the Book, started and said to the Judge:
+
+"'Your Honour, there is a mistake. Please Your Honour read over again;
+this soul has to be a man now.'
+
+"You know that, on the Big Book of Shadows, all our past deeds are
+recorded as well as our future destiny.
+
+"The Judge looked at it over again and said:
+
+"'True! Happily, you saw the mistake.'
+
+"Then, turning to the runners, he ordered them to take off the skin,
+which already covered more than half my body. They had to exert all
+their strength, and even so, they tore it off into pieces. It hurt me so
+much that I thought I could not stand it and I should die; but I was
+dead, and I could not die more than that.
+
+"At last they left me bleeding and panting, and I was born again in my
+present condition. But they had forgotten a piece of lamb's skin on my
+right shoulder, and I still have it now."
+
+And he uncovered his arm and shoulder to show a piece of white woollen
+hair on his right shoulder.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE'S-SLAVE_
+
+
+In the City-between-the-rivers lived a young student named Lan. He had
+just passed successfully his second literary examination, and, walking
+in the Street-of-the-precious-stones, asked himself what he would now do
+in life.
+
+While he was going, looking vacantly at the passers-by, he saw an old
+friend of his father, and hastened to join his closed fists and to
+salute him very low, as politeness orders.
+
+"My best congratulations!" answered the old man. "What are you doing in
+this busy street?"
+
+"Nothing at all; I was asking myself what profession I am now to
+pursue."
+
+"What profession? Which one would be more honourable than that of
+teacher? It is the only one an 'elevated man' _Kiu-jen_ of the second
+degree, can pursue. By the by, would you honour my house with your
+presence? My son is nearly eighteen. He is not half as learned as he
+should be, and, besides, he has a very bad temper. I feel very old; if I
+knew you would consent to give him the right direction and be a second
+father to him, I would not dread so much to die and leave him alone."
+
+Lan bowed and said:
+
+"I am much honoured by your proposition, and I accept it readily. I will
+go to-morrow to your palace."
+
+Two hours after, a messenger brought to the young man a packet
+containing one hundred ounces of silver, with a note stating that this
+comparatively great sum represented his first year's salary.
+
+In the evening he knocked at his pupil's door and was ushered into the
+sitting-room. The old man introduced him to the whole family: first his
+son, a lad with a decided look boding no good; then a young and
+beautiful girl of seventeen, his daughter, called Love's-slave. Lan was
+struck by the sweet and refined appearance of his pupil's sister.
+
+"The sight of her will greatly help me to stay here," thought he.
+
+The next morning, when his first lesson was ended, he strolled out into
+the garden, admiring here a flower and there an artificial little
+waterfall among diminutive mountain-rocks. Behind a bamboo-bush he
+suddenly saw Love's-slave and was discreetly turning back, when she
+stopped him by a few words of greeting.
+
+Every day they thus met in the solitude of the flowers and trees and
+grew to love each other. Lan's task with his pupil was greater and
+harder than he had supposed; but for Love's-slave's sake, he would never
+have remained in the house.
+
+After three months the old man fell ill; the doctors were unable to cure
+him; he died, and was buried in the family ground, behind the house.
+
+When Lan, after the funeral, told his pupil to resume his lessons, he
+met with such a reception that he went immediately to his room and
+packed his belongings. Love's-slave, hearing from a servant what had
+happened, went straight to her lover's room and tried to induce him to
+stay.
+
+"How can you ask that from me?" said he. "After such an insult, I would
+consider myself as the basest of men if I stayed. I have 'lost face'; I
+must go."
+
+The girl, seeing that nothing could prevail upon his resolution, went
+out of the room, but silently closed and locked the outer gate.
+
+Lan left on a table what remained of the silver given him by the old
+man, and wrote a note to inform his pupil of his departure.
+
+When he tried the gate and found it locked, he did not know at first
+what to do. Then he remembered a place where he could easily climb over
+the enclosure, went there, threw his luggage over the wall, and let
+himself out in this somewhat undignified way.
+
+Before going back to his house, he went round to the tomb of the old man
+and burnt some sticks of perfume. Kneeling down, he explained
+respectfully to the dead what had happened and excused himself for
+having left unfinished the task he had undertaken. Rising at last, he
+went away.
+
+The next morning Love's-slave, pleased with her little trick, came to
+the student's room and looked for him; he was nowhere to be found. She
+saw the silver on the table, and, reading the note he had left, she
+understood that he would never come back.
+
+Her grief stifled her; heavy tears at last began running down her rosy
+cheeks. She took the silver, went straight to her father's tomb,
+fastened the heavy metal to her feet, and unrolled a sash from her
+waist. Then, making a knot with the sash round her neck, she climbed up
+the lower branches of a big fir-tree, fastened the other end of the
+coloured silk as high as she could and threw herself down. A few minutes
+afterwards she was dead. She was discovered by a member of the family,
+and quietly buried in the same enclosure.
+
+Lan, who did not know anything, came back two or three days after to see
+her. The servants told him the truth. Silently and sullenly, he went to
+the tomb, and long remained absorbed in his thoughts; dusk was
+gathering; the first star shone in the sky. All of a sudden, hearing a
+sound as of somebody laughing, he turned round. Love's-slave was before
+his eyes.
+
+"I was waiting for you, my love," she said in a strange and muffled
+voice. "Why are you coming so late?"
+
+As he wanted to kiss her, she stopped him:
+
+"Oh dear! I am dead. But it is decreed that I will come again to life if
+a magician performs the ceremony prescribed in the
+Book-of-Transmutations."
+
+Immaterial like an evening fog, she disappeared in the growing darkness.
+
+Lan returned immediately to the town, and, entering the first Taoist
+temple he saw, he explained to the priest what he wanted.
+
+"If she has said it is decreed she should come back to life, we have
+only to go and open her tomb, while here my disciples will sing the
+proper chapters of the Book. Let us go now."
+
+Giving some directions to his companions, he took a spade and started
+with Lan. The moon was shining, so that without any lantern they were
+able to perform their gloomy task.
+
+Once the heavy lid of the coffin was unscrewed and taken off, the body
+of the young girl appeared as fresh as if she had been sleeping.
+
+When the cold night-air bathed her face, she raised her head, sneezed,
+and sat up; looking at Lan, she said in a low voice:
+
+"At last, you have come! I am recalled to life by your love. But now I
+am feeble; don't speak harshly to me; I could not bear it."
+
+Lan, kissing her lovingly, took her in his arms and brought her to his
+house. After some days she was able to walk and live like ordinary
+people do.
+
+They married and lived happily together for a year. Then, one day, Lan,
+having come back half-drunk from a friend's house, was rebuked by her,
+and, incensed, pushed her back. She did not say a word but, fainting,
+she fell down. Blood ran from her nostrils and mouth; nothing could
+recall her departing spirit.
+
+
+
+
+_THE LAUGHING GHOST_
+
+
+Siu Long-mountain was one of the most celebrated students of the
+district of Perfect-flowers. Having mastered the mysterious theories of
+the ancient Classics, he took a fancy in the researches of the Taoist
+magicians, whose temples may be found in the smallest villages of the
+Empire. He soon discovered that, for the greater number, they were
+impostors; and, being proud of his newly acquired science, he concluded
+that none of them possessed any occult power.
+
+When he came to this somewhat hasty conclusion, he was seated alone in
+his library; the night was already advancing; a small oil lamp hardly
+illuminated his books on the table he was sitting at.
+
+"Yes, there is no doubt; nothing exists outside the material
+appearances. There is nothing occult in the world, and nothing can come
+out of nothingness."
+
+As he was saying these words half aloud, he was startled by an unearthly
+laugh which seemed to come from behind his back. He turned quickly
+round; but nothing was to be seen.
+
+His heart beating, he was listening intently; the laugh came from
+another part of the room.
+
+Long-mountain was brave, but as people are brave who have only met the
+ordinary dangers of civilised life, such as barking dogs, insulting
+coolies, or angry dealers presenting a long-deferred bill. He tried in
+vain to believe it was only a joke imposed on him by some friend;
+nothing could prevail upon his growing terror.
+
+Straining his eyes, he looked at the part of the room the laugh seemed
+to come from. At first he could not see anything, but by degrees he
+perceived a black shadow moving in a corner, then a strange form with a
+horse's head and a man's body, all covered with long black hair; the
+teeth were big and sharp as so many mountain-peaks. The eyes of this
+dreadful creature began shining so much that the whole room was
+illuminated. Then it began moving towards the man.
+
+This was too much; the student screamed like a dying donkey, and,
+bursting the door open, he ran out into the courtyard.
+
+From an open door in the western pavilion a ray of light crossed the
+darkness; four or five men were playing cards, drinking, and swearing.
+Long-mountain ran into their room, and, panting, explained his vision.
+
+The men, being drunk, wanted to see the Thing; holding lanterns and
+lamps, they accompanied their visitor back to his studio. When they
+passed the doorway, Long-mountain screamed again; the Thing was still
+there. He would have run away had not the men, laughing and jesting,
+shown him what the Ghost in reality was--a long dress hung in a corner
+to a big hook, on which sat a black cat mewing desperately.
+
+When the men closed the door and left him alone, the student was deeply
+ashamed of his terror; shaken by his emotion, he went to bed and tried
+to sleep. Sleep would not come; his nervousness seemed to increase.
+Starting at the smallest noise, he remained a long time wide awake; then
+he lost consciousness.
+
+In the silence one only heard the cries of the night-birds and the
+buzzing of the autumn's insects; the lamp was out, but a brilliant moon
+began to pour its silver light through the window.
+
+The door suddenly creaked; Long-mountain awoke and sat up on his bed;
+the door slowly opened, and the same Thing he had seen and heard entered
+the room and advanced towards the bed, while the same unearthly laugh
+came from the long and unshapely head; the flaming eyes were fixed on
+the student.
+
+When the Thing was near the bed, Long-mountain fell heavily and did not
+move any more.
+
+The Ghost stopped, put his hand on the breast of the man, remained in
+that position a moment, then went quickly and silently out of the room.
+
+A man was standing outside.
+
+"What did he say?" asked he.
+
+"Be quiet!" said the Ghost, taking off his horse's head and discovering
+a man's very serious face. "The joke was good. But we have done it too
+well. I think he is dead of terror; we had better be as silent as a tomb
+about all this. The magistrate would never believe in a joke; we would
+be held responsible for this death and pay a heavy penalty."
+
+                                 THE END
+
+
+_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury,
+England._
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Strange Stories from the Lodge of
+Leisures, by Unknown
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+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRANGE STORIES FROM THE ***
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