第四十三回

第四十三回 闲取乐偶攒金庆寿 不了情暂撮土为香

话说王夫人因见贾母那日在大观园不过着了些风寒，不是什么大病，请医生吃了两剂药也就好了，便放了心，因〔一〕命凤姐来吩咐他预备给贾政带送东西。正商议着，只见贾母打发人来请，王夫人忙引着凤姐儿过来。王夫人又请问：“这会子可又觉大安些？”贾母道：“今日可大好了。方才你们送来野鸡崽子汤，我尝了一尝，倒有味儿，又吃了两块肉，心里很受用。”王夫人笑道：“这是凤丫头孝敬老太太的。算他的孝心虔，不枉了素日老太太疼他。”贾母点头笑道：“难为他想着。若是还有生的，再炸上两块，咸浸浸的，吃粥有味儿。那汤虽好，就只不对稀饭。”凤姐听了，连忙答应，命人去厨房传话。

这里贾母又向王夫人笑道：“我打发人请你来，不为别的。初二是凤丫头的生日，上两年我原早想替他做生日，偏到跟前有大事，就混过去了。今年人又齐全，料着又没事，咱们大家好生乐一日。”王夫人笑道：“我也想着呢。既是老太太高兴，何不就商议定了？”贾母笑道：“我想往年不拘谁作生日，都是各自送各自的礼，这个也俗了，也觉很生分似的〔二〕。今儿我出个新法子，又不生分，又可取乐。”王夫人忙道：“老太太怎么想着好，就是怎么样行。”贾母笑道：“我想着，咱们也学那小家子大家凑分子，多少尽着这钱去办，你道好顽不好顽？”王夫人笑道：“这个很好，但不知怎么凑法？”贾母听说，益发高兴起来，忙遣人去请薛姨妈邢夫人等，又叫请姑娘们并宝玉，那府里珍儿媳妇并赖大家的等有头脸[3]管事的媳妇也都叫了来。

众丫头婆子见贾母十分高兴也都高兴，忙忙的各自分头去请的请，传的传，没顿饭的工夫，老的，少的，上的，下的，乌压压挤了一屋子。只薛姨妈和贾母对坐，邢夫人王夫人只坐在房门前两张椅子上，宝钗姊妹等五六个人坐在炕上，宝玉坐在贾母怀前，地下满满的站了一地。贾母忙命拿几个小杌子来，给赖大母亲等几个高年有体面的妈妈坐了。贾府风俗，年高服侍过父母的家人，比年轻的主子还有体面，所以尤氏凤姐儿等只管地下站着，那赖大的母亲等三四个老妈妈告个罪，都坐在小杌子上了。

贾母笑着把方才一席话说与众人听了。众人谁不凑这趣儿？再，也有和凤姐儿好的，有情愿这样的；也有畏惧凤姐儿的，巴不得来奉承的：况且都是拿的出来的，所以一闻此言都欣然应诺。贾母先道：“我出二十两。”薛姨妈笑道：“我随着老太太，也是二十两了。”邢夫人王夫人道：“我们不敢和老太太并肩，自然矮一等，每人十六两罢了。”尤氏李纨也笑道：“我们自然又矮一等，每人十二两罢。”贾母忙和李纨道：“你寡妇失业的，那里还拉你出这个钱，我替你出了罢。”凤姐忙笑道：“老太太别高兴，且算一算帐再揽事。老太太身上已有两分呢，这会子又替大嫂子出十二两，说着高兴，一会子回想又心疼了。过后儿又说‘都是为凤丫头花了钱’，使个巧法子，哄着我拿出三四分子来暗里补上，我还做梦呢。”说的众人都笑了。贾母笑道：“依你怎么样呢？”凤姐笑道：“生日没到，我这会子已经折受[4]的不受用了。我一个钱饶不出，惊动这些人实在不安，不如大嫂子这一分我替他出了罢了。我到了那一日多吃些东西，就享了福了。”邢夫人等听了，都说“很是”。贾母方允了。

凤姐儿又笑道：“我还有一句话呢。我想老祖宗自己二十两，又有林妹妹宝兄弟的两分子。姨妈自己二十两，又有宝妹妹的一分子，这倒也公道。只是二位太太每位十六两，自己又少，又不替人出，这有些不公道。老祖宗吃了亏了！”贾母听了，忙笑道：“倒是我的凤姐儿向着我，这说的很是。要不是你，我叫他们又哄了去了。”凤姐笑道：“老祖宗只把他姐儿两个交给两位太太，一位占一个，派多派少，每位替出一分就是了。”贾母忙说：“这很公道，就是这样。”赖大的母亲忙站起来笑说道：“这可反了！我替二位太太生气。在那边是儿子媳妇，在这边是内侄女儿，倒不向着婆婆、姑娘，倒向着别人。这儿媳妇成了陌路人，内侄女儿竟成了个外侄女儿了。”说的贾母与众人都大笑起来了。

赖大之母因又说道：“少奶奶们十二两，我们自然也该矮一等了。”贾母听说，道：“这使不得。你们虽该矮一等，我知道你们这几个都是财主，果位[5]虽低，钱却比他们多。你们和他们一例才使得。”众妈妈听了，连忙答应。贾母又道：“姑娘们不过应个景儿，每人照一个月的月例就是了。”又回头叫鸳鸯来，“你们也凑几个人，商议凑了来。”鸳鸯答应着，去不多时带了平儿、袭人、彩霞等还有几个小丫鬟来，也有二两的，也有一两的。贾母因问平儿：“你难道不替你主子作生日，还入在这里头？”平儿笑道：“我那个私自另外有了，这是官中的，也该出一分。”贾母笑道：“这才是好孩子。”

凤姐又笑道：“上下都全了。还有二位姨奶奶，他出不出，也问一声儿。尽到他们是理，不然，他们只当小看了他们了。”贾母听了，忙说：“可是呢，怎么倒忘了他们！只怕他们不得闲儿，叫一个丫头问问去。”说着，早有丫头去了，半日回来说道：“每位也出二两。”贾母喜道：“拿笔砚来算明，共计多少。”尤氏因悄骂凤姐道：“我把你这没足厌的小蹄子！这么些婆婆婶子来凑银子给你过生日，你还不足，又拉上两个苦瓠子[6]作什么？”凤姐也悄笑道：“你少胡说，一会子离了这里，我才和你算帐。他们两个为什么苦呢？有了钱也是白填送别人，不如拘来咱们乐。”

说着，早已合算了，共凑了一百五十两有馀。贾母道：“一日戏酒用不了。”尤氏道：“既不请客，酒席又不多，两三日的用度都够了。头等，戏不用钱，省在这上头。”贾母道：“凤丫头说那一班好，就传那一班。”凤姐儿道：“咱们家的班子都听熟了，倒是花几个钱叫一班来听听罢。”贾母道：“这件事我交给珍哥媳妇了。越性叫凤丫头别操一点心，受用一日才算。”尤氏答应着。又说了一回话，都知贾母乏了，才渐渐的都散出来。

尤氏等送邢夫人王夫人二人散去，便往凤姐房里来商议怎么办生日的话。凤姐儿道：“你不用问我，你只看老太太的眼色行事就完了。”尤氏笑道：“你这阿物儿，也忒〔三〕行了大运了。我当有什么事叫我们去，原来单为这个。出了钱不算，还要我来操心，你怎么谢我？”凤姐笑道：“你别扯臊〔四〕[9]，我又没叫你来，谢你什么！你怕操心？你这会子就回老太太去，再派一个就是了。”尤氏笑道：“你瞧他兴的[10]这样儿！我劝你收着些儿好。太满了就泼出来了。”二人又说了一回方散。

次日将银子送到宁国府来，尤氏方才起来梳洗，因问是谁送过来的，丫鬟们回说：“是林大娘。”尤氏便命叫了他来。丫鬟走至下房，叫了林之孝家的〔五〕过来。尤氏命他脚踏上坐了，一面忙着梳洗，一面问他：“这一包银子共多少？”林之孝家的回说：“这是我们底下人的银子，凑了先送过来。老太太和太太们的还没有呢。”正说着，丫鬟们回说：“那府里太太和姨太太打发人送分子来了。”尤氏笑骂道：“小蹄子们，专会记得这些没要紧的话。昨儿不过老太太一时高兴，故意的要学那小家子凑分子，你们就记得，到了你们嘴里当正经的说。还不快接了进来好生待茶，再打发他们去。”丫鬟应着，忙接了进来，一共两封，连宝钗黛玉的都有了。尤氏问还少谁的，林之孝家的道：“还少老太太、太太、姑娘们的和底下姑娘们的。”尤氏道：“还有你们大奶奶的呢？”林之孝家的道：“奶奶过去，这银子都从二奶奶手里发，一共都有了。”

说着，尤氏已梳洗了，命人伺候车辆，一时来至荣府，先来见凤姐。只见凤姐已将银子封好，正要送去。尤氏问：“都齐了？”凤姐儿笑道：“都有了，快拿了去罢，丢了我不管。”尤氏笑道：“我有些信不及[12]，倒要当面点一点。”说着果然按数一点，只没有李纨的一分。尤氏笑道：“我说你肏鬼呢，怎么你大嫂子的没有？”凤姐儿笑道：“那么些还不够使？短一分儿也罢了，等不够了我再给你。”尤氏道：“昨儿你在人跟前作人，今儿又来和我赖，这个断不依你。我只和老太太要去。”凤姐儿笑道：“我看你利害。明儿有了事，我也丁是丁卯是卯的，你也别抱怨。”尤氏笑道：“你一般的也怕。不看你素日孝敬我，我才是不依你呢。”说着，把平儿的一分拿了出来，说道：“平儿，来！把你的收起去，等不够了，我替你添上。”平儿会意，因说道：“奶奶先使着，若剩下了再赏我一样。”尤氏笑道：“只许你那主子作弊，就不许我作情儿。”平儿只得收了。尤氏又道：“我看着你主子这么细致，弄这些钱那里使去！使不了，明儿带了棺材里使去。”

一面说着，一面又往贾母处来。先请了安，大概说了两句话，便走到鸳鸯房中和鸳鸯商议，只听鸳鸯的主意行事，何以讨贾母的喜欢。二人计议妥当。尤氏临走时，也把鸳鸯二两银子还他，说：“这还使不了呢。”说着，一径〔六〕出来，又至王夫人跟前说了一回话。因王夫人进了佛堂，把彩云一分也还了他。见凤姐不在跟前〔七〕，一时把周、赵二人的也还了。他两个还不敢收。尤氏道：“你们可怜见的，那里有这些闲钱？凤丫头便知道了，有我应着呢。”二人听说，千恩万谢的方收了。于是尤氏一径出来，坐车回家。不在话下〔八〕。

展眼已是九月初二日，园中人都打听得尤氏办得十分热闹，不但有戏，连耍百戏并说书的男女先儿[16]全有，都打点取乐顽耍。李纨又向众姊妹道：“今儿是正经社日，可别忘了。宝玉也不来，想必他只图热闹，把清雅就丢开了。”说着，便命丫鬟去瞧作什么，快请了来。丫鬟去了半日，回说：“花大姐姐说，今儿一早就出门去了。”众人听了，都诧异说：“再没有出门之理。这丫头糊涂，不知说话。”因又命翠墨〔九〕去。

一时翠墨回来说：“可不真出了门了。说有个朋友死了，出去探丧去了。”探春道：“断然没有的事。凭他什么，再没今日出门之理。你叫袭人来，我问他。”刚说着，只见袭人走来。李纨等都说道：“今儿凭他有什么事，也不该出门。头一件，你二奶奶的生日，老太太都这等高兴，两府上下众人来凑热闹，他倒走了；第二件，又是头一社的正日子，他也不告假，就私自去了！”袭人叹道：“昨儿晚上就说了，今儿一早起有要紧的事到北静王府里去，就赶回来的。劝他不要去，他必不依。今儿一早起来，又要素衣裳穿，想必是北静王府里的要紧姬妾没了，也未可知。”李纨等道：“若果如此，也该去走走，只是也该回来了。”说着，大家又商议：“咱们只管作诗〔一〇〕，等他回来罚他。”刚说着，只见贾母已打发人来请，便都往前头来了。袭人回明宝玉的事，贾母不乐，便命人去接。

原来宝玉心里有件私事，于头一日就吩咐茗烟：“明日一早要出门，备下两匹马在后门口等着，不要别一个跟着。说给李贵，我往北府里去了。倘或要有人找我，叫他拦住不用找，只说北府里留下了，横竖就来的。”茗烟也摸不着头脑，只得依言说了。今儿一早，果然备了两匹马在园后门等着。天亮了，只见宝玉遍体纯素，从角门出来，一语不发跨上马，一弯腰，顺着街就[19]下去了。茗烟也只得跨马加鞭赶上，在后面忙问：“往那里去？”宝玉道：“这条路是往那里去的？”茗烟道：“这是出北门的大道。出去了冷清清没有可顽的。”宝玉听说，点头道：“正要冷清清的地方好。”说着，越性加了鞭，那马早已转了两个弯子，出了城门。

茗烟越发不得主意，只得紧紧跟着。一气跑了七八里路出来，人烟渐渐稀少，宝玉方勒住马，回头问茗烟道：“这里可有卖香的？”茗烟道：“香倒有，不知是那一样？”宝玉想道：“别的香不好，须得檀、芸、降[20]三样。”茗烟笑道：“这三样可难得。”宝玉为难。茗烟见他为难，因问道：“要香作什么使？我见二爷时常小荷包有散香，何不找一找。”一句提醒了宝玉，便回手向衣襟上掏出一个荷包来，摸了一摸，竟有两星沉速〔一一〕[22]，心内欢喜：“只是不恭些。”再想自己亲身带的，倒比买的又好些。于是又问炉炭。茗烟道：“这可罢了。荒郊野外那里有？用这些何不早说，带了来岂不便宜。”宝玉道：“糊涂东西，若可带了来，又不这样没命的跑了。”

茗烟想了半日，笑道：“我得了个主意，不知二爷心下如何？我想二爷不止用这个呢，只怕还要用别的。这也不是事。如今我们往前再走二里地，就是水仙庵了。”宝玉听了忙问：“水仙庵就在这里？更好了，我们就去。”说着，就加鞭前行，一面回头向茗烟道：“这水仙庵的姑子长往咱们家去，咱们这一去到那里，和他借香炉使使，他自然是肯的。”茗烟道：“别说他是咱们家的香火，就是平白不认识的庙里，和他借，他也不敢驳回。只是一件，我常见二爷最厌这水仙庵的，如何今儿又这样喜欢了？”宝玉道：“我素日因恨俗人不知原故，混供神混盖庙，这都是当日有钱的老公们和那些有钱的愚妇们听见有个神，就盖起庙来供着，也不知那神是何人，因听些野史小说，便信真了。比如这水仙庵里面因供的是洛神[23]，故名水仙庵，殊不知古来并没有个洛神，那原是曹子建的谎话，谁知这起愚人就塑了像供着。今儿却合我的心事，故借他一用。”

说着早已来至门前。那老姑子见宝玉来了，事出意外，竟像天上掉下个活龙来的一般，忙上来问好，命老道来接马。宝玉进去，也不拜洛神之像，却只管赏鉴。虽是泥塑的，却真有“翩若惊鸿，婉若游龙”之态，“荷出绿波，日映朝霞”之姿。宝玉不觉滴下泪来。老姑子献了茶。宝玉因和他借香炉。那姑子去了半日，连香供纸马都预备了来。宝玉道：“一概不用。”说着〔一二〕，便命茗烟〔一三〕捧着炉出至后院中，拣一块干净地方儿，竟拣不出。茗烟道：“那井台儿上如何？”宝玉点头，一齐来至井台上，将炉放下。

茗烟站过一旁。宝玉掏出香来焚上，含泪施了半礼，回身命收了去。茗烟答应，且不收，忙爬下磕了几个头，口内祝道：“我茗烟跟二爷这几年，二爷的心事，我没有不知道的，只有今儿这一祭祀没有告诉我，我也不敢问。只是这受祭的阴魂虽不知名姓，想来自然是那人间有一，天上无双，极聪明极俊雅的一位姐姐妹妹了。二爷心事不能出口，让我代祝〔一四〕：若芳魂有感，香魄多情，虽然阴阳间隔，既是知己之间，时常来望候二爷，未尝不可。你在阴间保佑二爷来生也变个女孩儿，和你们一处相伴，再不可又托生这须眉浊物了。”说毕，又磕几个头，才爬起来。

宝玉听他没说完，便撑不住笑了，因踢他道：“休胡说，看人听见笑话。”茗烟起来收过香炉，和宝玉走着，因道：“我已经和姑子说了，二爷还没用饭，叫他随便收拾了些东西，二爷勉强吃些。我知道今儿咱们里头大排筵宴，热闹非常，二爷为此才躲了出来的。横竖在这里清净一天，也就尽到礼了。若不吃东西，断使不得。”宝玉道：“戏酒既不吃，这随便素的吃些何妨。”茗烟道：“这便才是。还有一说，咱们来了，还有人不放心。若没有人不放心，便晚了进城何妨？若有人不放心，二爷须得进城回家去才是。第一老太太、太太也放了心，第二礼也尽了，不过如此。就是家去了看戏吃酒，也并不是二爷有意，原不过陪着父母尽孝道。二爷若单为了这个不顾老太太、太太悬心，就是方才那受祭的阴魂也不安生。二爷想我这话如何？”宝玉笑道：“你的意思我猜着了，你想着只你一个跟了我出来，回来你怕担不是，所以拿这大题目来劝我。我才来了，不过为尽个礼，再去吃酒看戏，并没说一日不进城。这已完了心愿，赶着进城，大家放心，岂不两尽其道。”茗烟道：“这更好了。”说着二人来至禅堂，果然那姑子收拾了一桌素菜，宝玉胡乱吃了些，茗烟也吃了。

二人便上马仍回旧路。茗烟在后面只嘱咐：“二爷好生骑着，这马总没大骑的，手里提紧着。”一面说着，早已进了城，仍从后门进去，忙忙来至怡红院中。袭人等都不在房里，只有几个老婆子看屋子，见他来了，都喜的眉开眼笑，说：“阿弥陀佛，可来了！把花姑娘急疯了！上头正坐席呢，二爷快去罢。”宝玉听说忙将素服脱了，自去寻了华服换上，问在什么地方坐席，老婆子回说在新盖的大花厅上。

宝玉听说，一径往花厅[27]来，耳内早已隐隐闻得歌管之声。刚至穿堂那边，只见玉钏儿独坐在廊檐下垂泪，一见他来，便收泪说道：“凤凰来了，快进去罢。再一会子不来，都反了。”宝玉陪笑道：“你猜我往那里去了？”玉钏儿不答，只管擦泪。宝玉忙进厅里，见了贾母王夫人等，众人真如得了凤凰一般。

宝玉忙赶着与凤姐儿行礼。贾母王夫人都说他不知道好歹，“怎么也不说声就私自跑了，这还了得！明儿再这样，等老爷回家来，必告诉他打你。”说着又骂跟的小厮们都偏听他的话，说那里去就去，也不回一声儿。一面又问他到底那去了，可吃了什么，可唬着了。宝玉只回说：“北静王的一个爱妾昨日没了，给他道恼[28]去。他哭的那样，不好撇下就回来，所以多等了一会子。”贾母道：“以后再私自出门，不先告诉我们，一定叫你老子打你。”宝玉答应着。因又要打跟的小子们，众人又忙说情，又劝道：“老太太也不必过虑了，他已经回来，大家该放心乐一回了。”贾母先不放心，自然发狠，如今见他来了，喜且有馀，那里还恨，也就不提了；还怕他不受用，或者别处没吃饱，路上着了惊怕，反百般的哄他。袭人早过来服侍。大家仍旧看戏。当日演的是《荆钗记》[29]。贾母薛姨妈等都看的心酸落泪，也有叹的，也有骂的。要知端的，下回分解。

〔一〕 “便放了心，因”，原无，从蒙府、戚序本补。

〔二〕 “很生分似的”，原作“生狠的似的”（“的”字点去），甲辰、程甲本作“太生分似的”，俄藏本作“生狠似的”。此从蒙府、戚序本校改。

[3] 有头脸——即“有头有脸”，此指有一定身分和体面的人。

[4] 折受——旧谓享受非分而折福叫“折受”。这里用作谦词，是无福承受、于心不安的意思。

[5] 果位——佛教词语，对于因位而云，佛果之位也。果位又称果地、果极。小乘声闻乘中有四果之别（依次为预流果、一来果、不还果、阿罗汉果）。贾母说“果位”，意在避免直接点出主仆之分。

[6] 苦瓠（hù户）子——喻“苦命人”。瓠：葫芦的一种。

〔三〕 “忒”，原作“特”，从戚序、甲辰本改。

〔四〕 “扯臊”，原作“拉臊”，从甲辰本改。

[9] 扯臊——不害羞。

[10] 兴的——喜欢得、高兴得。

〔五〕 “林之孝家的”，原作“林之孝的”，从各本补。下文“林之孝家的”同。

[12] 信不及——意谓不敢相信、信不过，犹疑难定。

〔六〕 “一径”，原作“一经”，从蒙府、戚序本改。

〔七〕 “说了一回话。因王夫人进了佛堂，把彩云一分也还了他。见凤姐不在跟前”二十九字，原无，从蒙府、戚序本补。

〔八〕 “于是尤氏一径出来，坐车回家，不在话下”十六字，原无，从蒙府、戚序本补。

[16] 男女先儿——男女说书唱曲的艺人。“先儿”即“先生”称呼的音变，旧时习惯称算命和说书唱曲的盲艺人为“先儿”。

〔九〕 “翠墨”，原作“翠云”，从各本改。

〔一〇〕 “作诗”，蒙府、戚序本同。原作“作待”，“待”字属下读，后点去。

[19] （diān颠）——本意为“走顿”（《说文》），亦借作“颠”。此处指奔跑。

[20] 檀、芸、降——三种较为名贵的香。檀：檀香，以檀香木制成。芸：芸香，以芸香草制成。降：降香，以降香木制成。

〔一一〕 “两星沉速”，原作“两星沉素”，“星”点改为“块”。甲辰本作“两点沉速”。其馀各本均作“两星”，今从底本原文并据甲辰本改“素”为“速”。

[22] 两星沉速——星：量词，小颗、小块。沉速：沉香和速香。这里是指两小块以沉香和速香合成的香料。

[23] 洛神——三国魏曹植（字子建）曾作《洛神赋》，叙述他和想象中的洛水女神相会之事。下文“翩若惊鸿”等都是《洛神赋》的句子。

〔一二〕 “说着”，原作“说道”，甲辰本同蒙府、戚序本。

〔一三〕 “便命茗烟”，原无“便”字，从蒙府、戚序本作“单用个香炉，便”。此从俄藏本改。

〔一四〕 “代祝”，原作“待祝”，从戚序、甲辰本改。

[27] 花厅——我国古建筑中供饮宴、观剧、会客等用的内厅，因其有别于正厅，大多建于园中，或另辟跨院建造，四周湖石点缀，种植花木，富有园林气息，俗统称为花厅。

[28] 道恼——也作“道烦恼”，向遭丧遇祸的人家慰问。

[29] 《荆钗记》——南戏剧本，元代柯丹丘作，描写王十朋和钱玉莲悲欢离合的故事。

CHAPTER 43. An old woman’s whim is the occasion of a birthday collection And a young man’s remorse finds solace in a simple ceremony

Our story recommences in Lady Wang’s apartment next day. On the previous evening’s visit she had found Grandmother Jia almost completely recovered after only two doses of the medicine prescribed for her that same morning by the doctor. Satisfied that it was only a mild chill, contracted during her day in Prospect Garden, and not anything more serious that the old lady had been suffering from, and deeming it unnecessary to make an early call again this morning, Lady Wang summoned Wang Xi-feng to her own apartment to discuss the getting together of some things to send to her husband, Jia Zheng. A summons from Grandmother Jia arrived nevertheless, and Lady Wang hurried over, taking Xi-feng with her, to see what was the matter.

‘Are you still feeling better today, Mother?’ she asked her when they arrived.

‘I’m quite recovered now, thank you,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘I’ve had a sip or two of the pheasant stew you sent me. It was very tasty. I ate some of the meat in it and enjoyed it very much.’

‘You have Feng to thank for that,’ said Lady Wang with a smile. ‘See how dutiful she is to you! It shows that your kindness is not wasted on her.’

Grandmother Jia returned the smile and nodded affably.

‘It was good of her to think of me. If there’s any of the meatstill left, I’d rather like a few pieces of it fried. It has a pleasant, salty tang that goes well with the rice-gruel I am taking. The stew is very nice, but stew and gruel don’t go very well together.’

Xi-feng at once sent orders to the main kitchen to have the pheasant-meat prepared.

‘Well, it wasn’t really my diet that I wanted to talk about,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘The reason I’ve sent for you is because the second of the ninth month is Feng’s birthday. In previous years, though I’ve always meant to do something about it, something or other has always cropped up which has prevented me from celebrating it properly. As we’re all of us here together this year and it doesn’t look as if there are likely to be any distractions, I propose that we should get together and make a day of it.’

‘I was thinking just the same thing,’ said Lady Wang. ‘Since you feel in such good spirits, Mother, why not settle now what we should do?’

‘Well now, this is what I have been thinking,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘In other years, no matter whose birthday it’s been, we’ve each of us given our individual presents. Now that’s so dull – and what’s more, I think it’s a rather unsociable way of celebrating a birthday. I’ve thought of a new way which will be much more sociable and also lots of fun.’

‘Whatever it is, I’m sure that’s what we ought to do,’ said Lady Wang.

‘I think we ought to imitate what they do in poorer families,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Everyone subscribes something towards a common pool, then, when it’s all been collected, you spend it all on some treat or other, depending on how much you have. What do you think of the idea?’

‘It sounds a very good one,’ said Lady Wang. ‘But how do we go about collecting the subscriptions?’

At this Grandmother Jia became still more animated. Let Aunt Xue and Lady Xing be invited without delay, she told them. Let Bao-yu and the girls be sent for. And You-shi from the other mansion. And why not Lai Da’s wife and some of the more respected older members of the female staff? Infected by her enthusiasm, the maids and older women-servants went scurrying off in all directions to summon or invite.

In less time than it would take to eat a meal, all those invited, young and old, mistress and servant, had been assembled, and the room was packed. Aunt Xue and Grandmother Jia sat on their own facing the multitude, Lady Xing and Lady Wang on chairs at the opposite side of the room beside the door. Bao-chai, Dai-yu, Xiang-yun and the Three Springs sat in a row at the back of the kang behind Grandmother Jia and Aunt Xue. Bao-yu half reclined in his grandmother’s lap. All the rest stood, shoulder to shoulder, on the floor below.

As soon as she saw that they were all assembled, Grandmother Jia gave orders for stools to be brought so that Lai Da’s mother and various other of the more aged and respected servants present might sit down. It was customary in the Jia household to treat the older generation of servants – those who had served the parents of the present masters – with even greater respect than the younger generation of masters, so that in this instance it was not thought at all surprising that You-shi, Xi-feng and Li Wan should remain standing while old Mrs Lai and three or four other old nannies (though not without first apologizing for the liberty) seated themselves on the stools.

Grandmother Jia now smilingly announced the proposal that she had already outlined to Lady Wang. All present, it need hardly be said, were willing to fall in with it – some because they were on good terms with Xi-feng and were genuinely happy to give her pleasure, some because they were afraid of her and welcomed this as an opportunity of getting themselves into her good books, and all because in any case they could afford to do so. Accordingly, as soon as Grandmother Jia had finished speaking, they all enthusiastically and with one voice agreed.

Grandmother Jia opened the list with her own subscription:

‘I’l1 give twenty taels.’

‘I’ll follow Lady Jia,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘Twenty taels.’

Lady Xing and Lady Wang called next:

‘We obviously can’t put ourselves on a level with Lady Jia. Sixteen taels.’

You-shi and Li Wan, decreasing their call by a like amount, came next:

‘Twelve taels.’

‘We can’t have you paying out that sort of money,’ Grandmother Jia said to Li Wan, ‘– a young widow with no means of her own. I’ll pay yours for you.’

‘Now don’t get carried away, Grandma!’ said Xi-feng. ‘You ought to do your sums first before you start interfering. Don’t forget you’ve already got two of the young folk, Bao-yu and Cousin Lin, to pay for besides your own contribution. It’s all very well promising to pay these additional twelve taels for Li Wan in the heat of the moment, but later on you’ll be wishing you hadn’t. You’ll probably end up by saying that it was all because of that wretched Feng that you had to pay out so much money and think of some trick for getting it back from me three or four times over. I know. Don’t tell me I’m imagining this.’

This made everyone laugh.

‘All right,’ said Grandmother Jia, laughing herself. ‘Then what do you propose?’

‘Well now, it isn’t even my birthday yet, but already I’m feeling uncomfortable because so much is being done for me,’ said Xi-feng. ‘It seems unlucky – so many people being put to so much expense on my account while I don’t pay a penny myself. I’d feel a lot easier if you’d let me pay this contribution for Li Wan; then, when the day comes, I shall be able to eat and drink as much as I lke without any fear of spoiling my luck.’

Grandmother Jia hesitated, but consented when Lady Xing and Lady Wang both insisted that this was the best solution.

‘I’ve got another suggestion to make,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Your own contribution is twenty taels, Grandma, and on top of that you’re going to be paying contributions for Bao-chai and Cousin Lin. It’s true that Aunt Xue will be paying Cousin Chai’s contribution on top of her twenty taels, but that doesn’t seem quite so unfair. What does seem unfair to me is that Mother and Aunt Wang should be paying only sixteen taels each for themselves, yet paying no extras at all for any of the young people. I think you’re getting the worst of this arrangement, Grannie.’

‘See what a good girl my Feng is to me!’ said Grandmother Jia delightedly. ‘You’re quite right, my dear. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I should have let them get away with it – as usual!’

‘All you need do, Grannie, is to make the two young people their responsibility. Let each pay for one of them.’

‘That’s fair,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Yes, that’s what I’ll do.’

Lai Da’s old mother rose up from her stool in mock indignation.

‘But this is rank mutiny! It makes me feel really angry on Their Ladyships’ behalf. What, side with Her Old Ladyship against your husband’s mother and your own father’s sister? That’s a arrant breach of the laws o’ consanguinity!’

This sally was greeted with a burst of laughter from Grandmother Jia and all the others present. Old Mrs Lai remained standing until it had subsided and then made her own offer.

‘If Mrs Zhu and Mrs Lian are each contributing twelve taels, I suppose we’d better go a step lower?’

‘Oh no, that won’t do at all!’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘You may be a step below them in rank, but you’re all wealthy women. I know you’ve got lots more money than they have. You can’t give more, of course, but at least you should give as much.’

The old women, led by Mrs Lai, willingly agreed.

‘The girls’ contribution will be only for form’s sake, any-way,’ said Grandmother Jia in reference to the row of figures sitting silently behind her on the kang. ‘I should think about the equivalent of a month’s allowance would be the right amount.’

She turned to Faithful.

‘Come on, now! We’re not leaving you out! Go and get some of the other girls together and decide how much you are going to give.’

Faithful slipped out and presently returned with Patience, Aroma, Suncloud and one or two other of the senior maids. Some said they would give one tael, others two. Grandmother Jia noticed that Patience was one of them.

‘Surely you’ll be doing something for your mistress at home?’ she said. ‘You don’t need to contribute to this fund as well.’

‘Yes, ma’am, I shall be doing something at home,’ said Patience, ‘but that’s private. This is a public thing, so I shall contribute to this along with the rest.’

Gradmother Jia smiled at her graciously and commended her public spirit.

‘Well,’ said Xi-feng genially, ‘now just about everyone seems to have been roped in except Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhao. Wouldn’t it be a politeness to ask them if they would like to contribute as well? They might take it as a slight if we left them out.’

‘Of course,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Whatever made me forget about them? They probably won’t be free to come over, though. One of the maids had better go and ask them.’

One of the maids had gone off on this mission almost before she had finished speaking. She returned, after a long interval, to say that the concubines would contribute two taels each.

‘Good!’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Now take a brush and ink, someone, and calculate how much we shall have altogether.’

In the interval thus created, You-shi addressed Xi-feng in a scornful whisper.

‘What a mean, grasping young woman you are! Your aunt and your mother-in-law and all these other people forking out for your birthday, yet you still have to go squeezing more out of two poor, dried-up old gourds like Zhou and Zhao!’

Xi-feng laughed silently.

‘Don’t talk nonsense!’ she whispered back. ‘I’ll settle accounts with you presently, when we get out of here. Anyway, what do you mean, “poor”? Whenever they’ve got any money they only pass it straight on to other people. We might just as well intercept it before it gets into the hands of their creditors and get a bit of pleasure out of it!’

By the time this whispered exchange was over, the calculations had been completed and it was announced that the amounts promised totalled a round sum of one hundred and fifty taels with a few taels left over.

‘That’s more than we could possibly spend on plays and wine in one day,’ said Grandmother Jia.

‘As we’re not inviting anyone from outside,’ said You-shi, ‘it won’t be a very big party, either. There should be enough for two or three days. The big saving, of course, is that now you’ve got your own troupe of players, you can have first-class entertainment for nothing.’

‘Feng shall have whatever troupe she prefers,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘That’s for her to decide.’

‘We’ve heard our own troupe so often,’ said Xi-feng. ‘I think we should spend a bit of money and get in a troupe from outside.’

‘Well, I propose to leave all the arrangements for this in the hands of Cousin Zhen’s wife,’ said Grandmother Jia, ‘then Feng will have nothing at all to worry about – except how to get the greatest possible enjoyment out of her birthday!’

You-shi agreed to be organizer, after which she and the others stayed chatting for a few minutes with Grandmother Jia. Then, realizing that the old lady’s stock of energy was exhausted, they gradually dispersed.

After the three younger women had seen Lady Xing and Lady Wang a part of their way home, You-shi accompanied Xi-feng to the latter’s apartment to discuss with her what arrangements she should make for the party.

‘Don’t ask me,’ said Xi-feng when You-shi questioned her. ‘You want to study Grandmother and just do whatever seems to please her.’

‘You really are the limit, you know,’ said You-shi. ‘Fortune’s darling! I thought just now that I was being called over about something serious, but it turned out to be just for this! And then, if you please, quite apart from being asked to pay out money, I am to have all the worry of arranging everything for you as well. What are you going to do in return for all this, to show me your gratitude?’

‘What am I going to do in return?’ said Xi-feng. ‘You must be joking. I didn’t call you over. If you’re afraid of the trouble, you’d better go back to Grandmother and tell her to give the job to somebody else.’

‘Just look at her!’ said You-shi. ‘Really full of yourself today, aren’t you? I should hold it in a bit, if I were you, my dear, or it might start running over!’

The two of them conversed for some minutes longer before finally separating.

When the first contributions arrived at Ning-guo House next morning, You-shi had only just got up and was about to begin her toilet. She asked who had brought the money, and on being informed that it was Lin Zhi-xiao’s wife, sent the maid back to fetch her in from the servants’ quarters, where she was waiting. When she arrived, You-shi asked for a stool to be brought so that the old woman could sit and talk to her while she continued with her toilet.

‘How many of the contributions have you got in this packet?’ You-shi asked her.

‘These are the ones from us servants,’ said Lin Zhi-xiao’s wife. ‘As they were all ready, I thought I might as well bring them over straight away. The contributions from Her Old Ladyship and the other ladies are still to come.’

Just then one of the maids came in to announce another arrival:

‘The subscriptions from Mrs Xue and Lady Xing have arrived, ma’am.’

‘Subscriptions!’ said You-shi scornfully. ‘How eagerly you fasten on the ridiculous word! It was only a passing fancy of Her Old Ladyship’s yesterday that we should imitate what they do in poorer households. She used the word then as a joke; but now, I suppose, we shall have every witless maid solemnly talking about “subscriptions” all the time! – Well, go and get the money and bring it in then. And see that whoever it is has some tea before they go.’

The girl went out and returned with the two packets of money that the messenger had brought, one from Aunt Xue, including a contribution for Bao-chai, and one, including Dai-yu’s contribution, from Lady Xing.

‘Who does that leave now?’ said You-shi.

‘That leaves Her Old Ladyship, Her Ladyship, the young ladies and the maids,’ said Lin Zhi-xiao’s wife.

‘What about Mrs Zhu’s?’ said You-shi.

‘Mrs Lian will be paying out the money for all the others,’ said Lin Zhi-xiao’s wife, ‘so you’ll be able to get Mrs Zhu’s from her too when you see her about the rest.’

You-shi, having completed her toilet, now called for her carriage. As soon as it was ready, she drove round to the Rong-guo mansion and went straight in to see Xi-feng. She found her with the money already packeted and on the point of bringing it round to her.

‘Is it all here?’ You-shi asked her.

‘All there,’ said Xi-feng gaily. ‘Hurry up and take it away. I don’t want to be responsible for it if it gets lost.’

‘I don’t think I altogether trust you,’ said You-shi, returning her smile. ‘I think I’d like to check it first in your presence.’

She opened up the packet and counted the money contained in it. The contribution for Li Wan appeared to be missing.

‘I thought you were up to something,’ she said. ‘Why isn’t the money for Wan here?’

Xi-feng smiled disarmingly.

‘Isn’t what you’ve already got there enough? Surely her little bit isn’t going to make all that much difference? Why not wait and see what you need? If you find you haven’t got enough, I’ll give the money for Wan to you later.’

‘I’m not letting you get away with this,’ said You-shi, ‘– playing the Lady Bountiful yesterday in front of all those others and then going back on it now, when the two of us are alone together. I shall have to go and ask Lady Jia for the money.’

‘You’re a hard woman!’ said Xi-feng. ‘One of these days when I have you at a disadvantage, you mustn’t complain if you find me just as much of a stickler.’

‘Threats?’ said You-shi. ‘I think you are the one who should feel afraid. Do you think if it weren’t for the things you have done for me in the past I would let you off now? Here, Patience!’ – She took Patience’s contribution from the pile and held it out to her – ‘Take this back. If later on I find that I need it, I’ll make it good with my own money.’

Patience immediately understood what she was getting at and answered in the same vein.

‘No, Mrs Zhen, you keep it. If you find you have any left over, you can give it back to me afterwards.’

‘Take it,’ said You-shi. ‘Is your mistress the only one who’s allowed to break the rules? Mayn’t I do favours too, if I want to?’

Patience was obliged to take the money from her.

‘Seeing your mistress so tight-fisted,’ said You-shi, ‘I often wonder what she’s going to do with all this money she saves. Take it with her in her coffin?’

With that parting shot she went off to see Grandmother Jia. After greeting the old lady and exchanging a few generalities, she went into Faithful’s room for a more serious discussion of arrangements for the birthday party. The ‘discussion’ consisted quite simply in finding out what would give Grandmother Jia most pleasure and deciding that that was what they should do. When all had been settled between them and You-shi was rising to go, she took out the two taels that Faithful had contributed and handed them back to her.

‘Here you are. We shan’t be needing this.’

From Grandmother Jia’s apartment she went over to have a few words with Lady Wang. When Lady Wang presently left her to go into her Buddhist chapel, You-shi took advantage of her absence to return Suncloud’s contribution; then, since Xi-feng was safely out of the way, she offered Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhao their contributions as well. But the concubines were too scared to take them.

‘Go on!’ said You-shi encouragingly. ‘I know how hard-up you are. You can’t afford to give away money like this. If Feng finds out, I shall take full responsibility myself.’

They took the money then, voluble in their gratitude.

In a twinkling the second of the ninth was upon them. The denizens of the Garden had been informed that You-shi was planning an impressive variety of entertainment: not only the customary plays, but also juggling, acrobatics, story-telling by blind ballad-singers – in short, everything one could possibly think of that might contribute to the success of the occasion and the pleasure of the participants.

Li Wan reminded the cousins that the second of the month was also one of the regular meeting-days of the poetry club. Xi-chun was, of course, excused.

‘But why hasn’t Bao-yu turned up?’ she asked. ‘I suppose he’s so intent on enjoying the fun that he has forgotten his former enthusiasm for these more civilized amusements! – Go and see what he’s doing,’ she said to one of the maids, ‘and tell him to come here immediately.’

The maid was a long time gone.

‘Miss Aroma says he went out first thing this morning,’ she reported when she eventually returned.

The others were incredulous.

‘That’s ridiculous. How could he possibly have gone out? The girl must have got the message wrong.’

They sent Ebony over to ask again; but Ebony only confirmed what the first maid had said.

‘Yes, he really has gone out. It seems that one of his friends has died and he’s had to go out to condole.’

‘That’s absolutely absurd,’ said Tan-chun. ‘Whatever the reason, he can’t possibly have gone out today. Fetch Aroma here and I’ll speak to her myself.’

As if anticipating a summons, Aroma herself walked in while she was saying this. Li Wan tackled her at once.

‘There’s absolutely no justification for his going out today, whatever the reason,’ she said. ‘In the first place it’s Mrs Lian’s birthday and Her Old Ladyship was particularly anxious that we should all join in celebrating it this year: it’s monstrous that he should go off on his own like this when everyone else from both houses is here for the celebration. And in the second place this is the first regular meeting of our poetry club and he hasn’t even asked leave to stay away.’

Aroma sighed miserably.

‘Last night he told me that he had some important business to attend to first thing this morning. He said he had to go to the Prince of Bei-jing’s palace, but that he would be back again as soon as possible. I told him not to go, but he insisted. When he got up first thing this morning, he asked for a suit of mourning to wear. It looks as if some important person in the Prince of Bei-jing’s household must have died.’

‘If that’s really so,’ said Li Wan, ‘then he ought to have gone. But then, on the other hand, he ought to have got back by now.’

After a brief discussion the cousins decided to proceed without him and to punish him in some way when he returned. Before they could begin, however, a summons arrived from Grandmother Jia to join her in the mansion. As soon as they had done so, Aroma reported Bao-yu’s absence. The old lady was displeased and sent someone to fetch him back.

Bao-yu, evidently with some secret business on his mind, had spoken the day before to Tealeaf about this excursion.

‘I have to go out first thing tomorrow,’ he told him. ‘I want you to be waiting for me outside the back gate with two horses ready saddled. No one else is to accompany me but you. Tell Li Gui that I am going to the Prince of Bei-jing’s, and that he must stop anyone going out to look for me. He can tell them that the Prince is detaining me and that I shall come back as soon as I can get away.’

Though somewhat mystified by these orders, Tealeaf felt he had no choice but to follow them out, and before dawn next morning was waiting with two horses ready saddled outside the rear gate of the Garden. As soon as it was light, Bao-yu, dressed in heavy mourning, emerged from the postern, leaped onto one of the waiting horses, and crouching down over the reins, set off at a brisk trot down the street – all without uttering a single word.

Tealeaf leaped onto the second horse, gave it the whip, and did his best to catch up with Bao-yu, at the same time shouting after him to inquire where they were going.

‘Where does this road lead to?’ Bao-yu asked him.

‘This is the main road to the North Gate,’ said Tealeaf. ‘Outside the city it’s pretty deserted in that direction. You won’t find much to amuse you there.’

‘Good,’ said Bao-yu. ‘The more deserted the better.’

And by applying the whip he made his horse shoot on ahead, and presently, after a couple of turns, had left the city gate behind him.

Tealeaf, more mystified than ever, followed him as closely as he could. When they had galloped without stopping for two or three miles, in the course of which the signs of human habitation had gradually grown more and more sparse, Bao-yu finally reined to a halt and turned back to ask Tealeaf if there was anywhere where they could purchase some incense.

‘I dare say we could find somewhere,’ said Tealeaf without much conviction. ‘It depends what kind of incense you want.’

Bao-yu reflected for some moments.

‘Honeybush, sandal and lakawood,’ he said. ‘It has to be those three.’

‘I doubt if you’ll be able to get them,’ said Tealeaf, smiling at the naïveté of one who could expect to make such purchases in such a place. But when he saw that Bao-yu was genuinely distressed, he added: ‘What’s it for? I’ve noticed that you often carry powdered incense in that sachet you wear. Why not see if you’ve got any in that?’

Bao-yu, glad to be reminded, extracted the silk purse that he wore suspended from his neck underneath the front fold of his gown, felt inside it with his fingers, and was delighted to find that there was still a pinch or two of powdered agalloch in the bottom.

‘Seems a bit lacking in respect to use this though,’ he thought.

‘Still, it’s more respectful to use something I’ve carried all the way here myself than it would be to use something I’d just bought in a shop.’

Having decided that the powdered incense would do, he asked Tealeaf where he could get hold of an incense-burner and some fire.

‘Now those we can’t get,’ said Tealeaf. ‘Where could we, out here in the middle of the wilds? If you knew you were going to need them, why didn’t you tell me beforehand, and we could have brought them with us?’

‘Stupid idiot!’ said Bao-yu. ‘Do you honestly think we could have ridden out at this break-neck pace if we’d been carrying an incense-burner full of hot coals with us?’

Tealeaf, after some moments of reflection, smiled uncertainly:

‘I know what we could do, Master, though I don’t know what you’ll think of the idea. There’s little enough hope of our getting the things you’ve just asked for round here, and the chances are that even if we could, you’d only start thinking of something else you needed that was even harder to get. Now if we were to go on for about another two thirds of a mile in this direction, we should come to the Temple of the Water Spirit — ’

Bao-yu pricked up his ears.

‘The Temple of the Water Spirit? Is that near here? Good. That will do even better. Let’s go there then.’

With a touch of the whip he was away once more, still talking to Tealeaf over his shoulder as he rode ahead.

‘The nun at the Water Spirit is one of our regular callers. If I see her when we get there and tell her we want to use one of her burners, she’s sure to let us.’

‘Even if this wasn’t one of the temples we subscribe to,’ said Tealeaf, ‘I’m sure they wouldn’t dare refuse if you asked them. But why is it that today you are so willing to go to the Temple of the Water Spirit when normally you can scarcely abide to hear it mentioned?’

‘The reason I normally feel that way about it,’ said Bao-yu, ‘is because I hate the silly, senseless way in which vulgar people offer worship and build temples to gods they know nothing about. Ignorant old men and women with too much money to spend hear the name of some god or other – they’ve no idea who it is, but the mere fact that they’ve heard it from the lips of some ballad-singer or story-teller seems to them incontrovertible proof of the god’s existence – and go founding temples in which these fictitious deities can be worshipped.

‘Take this Temple of the Water Spirit. The reason it’s called that is because the divinity worshipped in it is supposed to be the goddess of the river Luo. Now in point of fact no Goddess of the Luo ever existed. She was an invention of the poet Cao Zhi. But that didn’t stop a lot of people making an image of her and worshipping it.

‘The only reason I feel differently about this temple today is because the idea of a water-goddess just happens to fit in with the thing that is at the moment uppermost in my mind; so I’m glad to make use of it for my own purpose.’

By this time they had reached the gate of the temple. The old nun who kept it, hardly less surprised to hear of Bao-yu’s arrival than she would have been if she had been told that a dragon had just fallen, alive and kicking, out of the sky, hurried out to greet him, and ordered the old temple-servant who did duty as a porter to take care of the horses.

Bao-yu went on inside. Instead of bowing down before the image, however, he stood and contemplated it appraisingly. Though the goddess was only a thing of wood and plaster and paint, the sculptor who made her had succeeded in capturing some of the spirit of Cao Zhi’s famous description. To Bao-yu’s gazing eyes she did indeed appear as the poet portrayed her:

Fluttering like the wing-beats of a startled swan, Swaying with the lissome curves of a water-dragon …

Cao Zhi’s beautiful images came crowding into his mind:

Like a lotus flower emerging from the green water, Like the morning sun rising above the mist-bank …

And as he gazed and remembered, the tears coursed down his cheeks.

The old nun now appeared with some tea. While he sipped it, Bao-yu took the opportunity of asking her if he might borrow an incense-burner. At this she disappeared once more, to reappear, after considerable delay, carrying not only a burner but also a whole portion of incense and a set of garishly-printed ‘picture-offerings’. Refusing all but the burner, Bao-yu made Tealeaf carry it outside into the rear courtyard of the temple, where he set about choosing a suitably clean spot on which to make his offering. Nowhere would do, however, until Tealeaf suggested placing the burner on the stone platform of the well. To this suggestion Bao-yu assented with a nod, and when Tealeaf had set down the burner and retired to a respectful distance, he took out his pinch of agalloch and dropped it on the burning charcoal; then, with tears in his eyes, he knelt down and made, not a kotow, but the sort of half-obeisance one makes to the spirit of a junior or a servant.

Having concluded his little ceremony, Bao-yu got up and ordered Tealeaf to take the burner back into the temple. But Tealeaf, though saying that he would, did nothing of the kind. Instead he threw himself on his knees, kotowed several times, and began praying aloud in the direction of the well:

‘O spirit, in all the years I have served Master Bao this is the first time he has ever kept anything from me. But though I don’t know who you are, O spirit, and don’t like to ask, one thing I do know, and that is that you are sure to be some wondrously beautiful, clever, refined young female. And since Master Bao isn’t able to tell you out loud what he wants of you, I, Tealeaf, am praying to you on his behalf.

‘I beseech you, if you still have feelings as you used to when you were on earth, watch over my master from time to time, O spirit. I know you belong to a different world now, but being as it’s for a special friend of yours that I’m asking this, please do it if you can, spirit, for old time’s sake.

‘And please use what influence you can to see that Master Bao is reborn in his next life as a girl, so that he can spend all his time with you; and don’t let him be reborn as one of those horrible Whiskered Males he is always on about.’

At this point he knocked his head several more times on the ground. Bao-yu, who had been listening, could no longer hold back his laughter. Observing that Tealeaf had raised himself once more on all fours and appeared to be about to go on, he kicked him and told him to get up.

‘Stop this nonsense! If anyone hears you, I shall become a laughing-stock.’

Tealeaf scrambled to his feet, picked up the burner and followed Bao-yu inside.

‘I’ve already spoken to the nun about getting you some food,’ he told Bao-yu as they were going in together. ‘I told her you hadn’t eaten yet. You ought to get something inside you. I realize that you came out here because there’s a big party and lots of racket at home today and you wanted some-where peaceful where you could do this. But I think just staying out here in the quiet all day is showing all the respect you need to this person you’ve just made the offering to. You don’t need to fast all day as well. That’s out of the question.’

‘That seems reasonable,’ said Bao-yu. ‘As I’m missing the party all the time that I’m here, I am in a way abstaining already; so I suppose there can be no harm in my taking a bit of vegetarian stuff.’

‘I’m glad to hear you say so,’ said Tealeaf. ‘Of course, there is another way of looking at it. Your going off like this is sure to cause others at home to worry. Now if no one at home was likely to worry, there’d be no harm in our not going back until evening. But since they are going to worry, I really think you ought to be getting back soon. For one thing it will set Their Ladyships’ minds at rest, and for another, it will, in the long run, be more respectful to this person you’ve just made the offering to. Because if you go home, even if you drink and watch plays, it won’t be because you want to, but out of duty to Their Ladyships. Whereas if you stay out here thinking only about the spirit and not caring how worried you make Their Ladyships, you’ll in fact be making the spirit herself uneasy to think of all the anxiety that’s being caused on her behalf. Think it over, Master Bao, and see if you don’t agree with me.’

‘I can see what’s on your mind without much difficulty,’ said Bao-yu, laughing. ‘You’re afraid that as you are the only one who came out here with me, you will bear all the blame for this outing when we get back. That’s the real reason why I’m being treated to all this high-minded advice, isn’t it? Well, don’t worry! It was all along my intention to go back to the party when I had made the offering. I never said anything about staying out here all day. I’ve discharged my vow. If I hurry home now so that the others aren’t too worried, it seems to me that my obligations to the dead and the living will both be met.’

Tealeaf expressed his relief. Still talking, they made their way to the old nun’s parlour, or ‘hall of meditation’, where they found she had set out a very presentable (though, of course, vegetarian) repast for them. After briefly sampling it, the two of them mounted and set off again along the road by which they had come – Bao-yu at such a pace that Tealeaf was obliged to call out after him to slacken it.

‘Go easy on that horse, Master Bao! He hasn’t been ridden very much; you need to keep a pretty tight rein on him.’

Soon they had entered the city gate, and not long afterwards might have been seen slipping into the back gate of the Garden. Bao-yu hurried straight to Green Delights, which he found deserted except for a few old nannies left behind as caretakers.

‘Holy name!’ they said, their old faces lighting up with pleasure when they saw who it was. ‘You’ve come at last! You’ve had Miss Aroma nigh out of her mind with worry. They’re sitting at table in the front now, Master. Better hurry up and join them.’

Bao-yu quickly took off his mourning clothes and went off to look for something more colourful to change into.

‘Where is the party?’ he asked the old women as soon as he had dressed.

‘In the new reception room.’

He hurried, by the shortest route, towards the faint sounds of fluting and singing that could soon be heard coming from the so-called ‘new’ reception hall that the old women had referred to. As he approached the gallery through which he must pass to reach it, he came upon Silver, sitting under the eaves of the covered way and crying. She left off hurriedly when she saw him coming.

‘Here comes the phoenix at last!’ she said sarcastically. ‘Hurry up and go inside. If you stay away much longer, there’ll be a riot!’

Bao-yu smiled at her sympathetically.

‘Guess where I’ve been.’

She ignored his question and turned away from him to wipe her eyes. He hurried on, dejected because of his inability to comfort her. When he entered the hall where the others were assembled and went up to greet his grandmother and his mother, it really was as if a phoenix had appeared. Hurriedly he made his birthday kotow to Xi-feng.

‘What do you mean by going off on your own like that?’ Grandmother Jia grumbled. ‘I never heard of such a thing. If this happens again, I shall tell your father when he comes back and get him to give you another beating.’

Bao-yu’s pages came in next for her censure.

‘Why do they listen to him – rushing off like that whenever he tells them to? They should tell us first. Where have you been, anyway?’ she asked him. ‘Have you had anything to eat? Has anything happened to give you a fright?’

‘The Prince of Bei-jing’s favourite concubine died yesterday,’ said Bao-yu. ‘I went to condole with him. He was in such a state when I got there that I didn’t like to leave immediately. That’s why I’ve been so long.’

‘If you sneak out again without first telling us,’ said Grandmother Jia, ‘I really shall tell your Pa to beat you.’

Though Bao-yu promised to obey, she still wanted to have his pages whipped; but the others all begged for a reprieve: ‘Don’t take it to heart, Grandmother! He’s already said he won’t do it again. And anyway, he’s back now, so we can forget our worries and concentrate on enjoying ourselves.’

Grandmother Jia had in fact been extremely worried and her anxiety had made her vengeful. Now that Bao-yu was back and she was no longer worried, her vengeful feelings evaporated and the subject of beatings was quickly dropped. Her concern now was lest Bao-yu should have been unduly distressed by his visit, or have failed to eat enough while he was away, or have been involved in some accident on the way there or back. While she continued to fuss over him, Aroma took her place at his side to wait upon him, and the rest of the company resumed the play-watching which his arrival had interrupted.

The play being performed on this occasion was The Wooden Hairpin. Grandmother Jia and the other ladies found it greatly affecting, shedding copious tears in the course of it and sighing or cursing in the appropriate places.

The events that ensued will be told in the following chapter.