第五十八回

第五十八回 杏子阴假凤泣虚凰 茜纱窗真情揆痴理

话说他三人因见探春等进来，忙将此话掩住不提。探春等问候过，大家说笑了一会方散。

谁知上回所表的那位老太妃已薨[3]，凡诰命等皆入朝随班按爵守制[4]。敕谕天下：凡有爵之家，一年内不得筵宴音乐，庶民皆三月〔一〕不得婚嫁。贾母、邢、王、尤、许婆媳祖孙等皆每日入朝随祭，至未正以后方回。在大内偏宫二十一日后，方请灵入先陵，地名曰孝慈县〔二〕。这陵离都来往得十来日之功，如今请灵至此，还要停放数日，方入地宫[7]，故得一月光景。宁府贾珍夫妻二人，也少不得是要去的。

两府无人，因此大家计议，家中无主〔三〕，便报了尤氏产育，将他腾挪出来，协理荣宁两处事体。因又托了薛姨妈在园内照管他姊妹丫鬟。薛姨妈只得也挪进园来。因宝钗处有湘云香菱；李纨处目今李婶母女虽去，然有时亦来住三五日不定，贾母又将宝琴送与他去照管；迎春处有岫烟；探春因家务冗杂，且不时有赵姨娘与贾环来嘈聒，甚不方便；惜春处房屋狭小；况贾母又千叮咛万嘱咐托他照管林黛玉，薛姨妈素习也最怜爱他的，今既巧遇这事，便挪至潇湘馆来和黛玉同房，一应药饵饮食十分经心。黛玉感戴不尽，以后便亦如宝钗之呼，连宝钗前亦直以姐姐呼之，宝琴前直以妹妹呼之，俨似同胞共出，较诸人更似亲切。

贾母见如此，也十分喜悦放心。薛姨妈只不过照管他姊妹，禁约得丫头辈，一应家中大小事务也不肯多口。尤氏虽天天过来，也不过应名点卯，亦不肯乱作威福，且他家内上下也只剩他一个料理，再者每日还要照管贾母王夫人的下处一应所需饮馔铺设之物，所以也甚操劳。

当下荣宁两处主人既如此不暇，并两处执事人等，或有人跟随入朝的，或有朝外照理下处事务的，又有先跴踏[9]下处的，也都各各忙乱。因此两处下人无了正经头绪，也都偷安，或乘隙结党，与权暂执事者窃弄威福。荣府只留得赖大并几个管事照管外务。这赖大手下常用几个人已去，虽另委人，都是些生的，只觉不顺手。且他们无知，或赚骗无节，或呈告无据，或举荐无因，种种不善，在在生事，也难备述。

又见各官宦家，凡养优伶男女者，一概蠲免遣发，尤氏等便议定，待王夫人回家回明，也欲遣发十二个女孩子，又说：“这些人原是买的，如今虽不学唱，尽可留着使唤，令其教习们自去也罢了。”王夫人因说：“这学戏的倒比不得使唤的，他们也是好人家的儿女，因无能卖了做这事，装丑弄鬼的几年。如今有这机会，不如给他们几两银子盘费，各自去罢。当日祖宗手里都是有这例的。咱们如今损阴坏德，而且还小器。如今虽有几个老的还在，那是他们各有原故，不肯回去的，所以才留下使唤，大了配了咱们家的小厮们了。”尤氏道：“如今我们也去问他十二个，有愿意回去的，就带了信儿，叫上父母来亲自来领回去，给他们几两银子盘缠方妥当。若不叫上他父母亲人来，只怕有混帐人顶名冒领出去又转卖了，岂不辜负了这恩典。若有不愿意回去的，就留下。”王夫人笑道：“这话妥当。”

尤氏等又遣人告诉了凤姐儿。一面说与总理房中，每教习给银八两，令其自便。凡梨香院一应物件，查清注册收明，派人上夜。将十二个女孩子叫来面问，倒有一多半不愿意回家的：也有说父母虽有，他只以卖我们为事，这一去还被他卖了；也有说父母已亡，或被叔伯兄弟所卖的；也有说无人可投的；也有说恋恩不舍的。所愿去者止四五人。王夫人听了，只得留下。将去者四五人皆令其干娘领回家去，单等他亲父母来领；将不愿去者分散在园中使唤。

贾母便留下文官自使，将正旦芳官指与宝玉，将小旦蕊官送了宝钗，将小生藕官指与了黛玉，将大花面葵官送了湘云，将小花面荳官送了宝琴，将老外艾官送了探春，尤氏便讨了老旦茄官去。当下各得其所，就如倦鸟出笼，每日园中游戏。众人皆知他们不能针黹，不惯使用，皆不大责备。其中或有一二个知事的，愁将来无应时之技，亦将本技丢开，便学起针黹纺绩女工诸务。

一日正是朝中大祭，贾母等五更便去了，先到下处用些点心小食，然后入朝。早祭〔四〕已毕，方退至下处，用过早饭，略歇片刻，复入朝待中晚二祭完毕，方出至下处歇息，用过晚饭方回家。可巧这下处乃是一个大官的家庙，乃比丘尼[11]焚修，房舍极多极净。东西二院，荣府便赁了东院，北静王府便赁了西院。太妃少妃每日宴息，见贾母等在东院，彼此同出同入，都有照应。外面细事不消细述。

且说大观园中因贾母王夫人天天不在家内，又送灵去一月方回，各丫鬟婆子皆有闲空，多在园中游玩。更又将梨香院内服侍的众婆子一概撤回，并散在园内听使，更觉园内人多了几十个。因文官等一干人或心性高傲，或倚势凌下，或拣衣挑食，或口角锋芒，大概不安分守理者多。因此众婆子无不含怨，只是口中不敢与他们分证。如今散了学，大家称了愿，也有丢开手的，也有心地狭窄犹怀旧怨的，因将众人皆分在各房名下，不敢来厮侵。

可巧这日乃是清明之日，贾琏已备下年例祭祀，带领贾环、贾琮、贾兰三人去往铁槛寺祭柩烧纸。宁府贾蓉也同族中几人各办祭祀前往。因宝玉未大愈，故不曾去得。饭后发倦，袭人因说：“天气甚好，你且出去逛逛，省得丢下粥碗就睡，存在心里。”宝玉听说，只得拄了一支杖，靸着鞋，步出院外。

因近日将园中分与众婆子料理，各司各业，皆在忙时，也有修竹的，也有树[12]的，也有栽花的，也有种豆的，池中又有驾娘们行着船夹泥[13]种藕。香菱、湘云、宝琴与丫鬟等都坐在山石上，瞧他们取乐。宝玉也慢慢行来。湘云见了他来，忙笑说：“快把这船打出去，他们是接林妹妹的。”众人都笑起来。宝玉红了脸，也笑道：“人家的病，谁是故意的，你也形容着取笑儿。”湘云笑道：“病也比人家另一样，原招笑儿，反说起人来。”说着，宝玉便也坐下，看着众人忙乱了一回。湘云因说：“这里有风，石头上又冷，坐坐去罢。”

宝玉便也正要去瞧林黛玉，便起身拄拐辞了他们，从沁芳桥一带堤上走来。只见柳垂金线，桃吐丹霞，山石之后，一株大杏树，花已全落，叶稠阴翠，上面已结了豆子大小的许多小杏。宝玉因想道：“能病了几天，竟把杏花辜负了！不觉已到‘绿叶成荫子满枝’[14]了！”因此仰望杏子不舍。又想起邢岫烟已择了夫婿一事，虽说是男女大事，不可不行，但未免又少了一个好女儿。不过两年，便也要“绿叶成荫子满枝”了。再过几日，这杏树子落枝空，再几年，岫烟未免乌发如银，红颜似槁了，因此不免伤心，只管对杏流泪叹息。

正悲叹时，忽有一个雀儿飞来，落于枝上乱啼。宝玉又发了呆性，心下想道：“这雀儿必定是杏花正开时他曾来过，今见无花空有子叶，故也乱啼。这声韵必是啼哭之声，可恨公冶长[15]不在眼前，不能问他。但不知明年再发时，这个雀儿可还记得飞到这里来与杏花一会了？”

正胡思间，忽见一股火光从山石那边发出，将雀儿惊飞。宝玉吃一大惊，又听那边有人喊道：“藕官，你要死，怎弄些纸钱进来烧？我回去回奶奶们去，仔细你的肉！”宝玉听了，益发疑惑起来，忙转过山石看时，只见藕官满面泪痕，蹲在那里，手里还拿着火，守着些纸钱灰作悲。宝玉忙问道：“你与谁烧纸钱？快不要在这里烧。你或是为父母兄弟，你告诉我姓名，外头去叫小厮们打了包袱写上名姓去烧[16]。”藕官见了宝玉，只不作一声。

宝玉数问不答，忽见一婆子恶狠狠走来拉藕官，口内说道：“我已经回了奶奶们了，奶奶气的了不得。”藕官听了，终是孩气，怕辱没了没脸，便不肯去。婆子道：“我说你们别太兴头过馀了，如今还比你们在外头随心乱闹呢。这是尺寸地方儿[17]。”指宝玉道：“连我们的爷还守规矩呢，你是什么阿物儿，跑来胡闹。怕也不中用，跟我快走罢！”

宝玉忙道：“他并没烧纸钱，原是林妹妹叫他来烧那烂字纸的。你没看真，反错告了他。”藕官正没了主意，见了宝玉，也正添了畏惧，忽听他反掩饰，心内转忧成喜，也便硬着口说道：“你很看真是纸钱了么？我烧的是林姑娘写坏了的字纸！”那婆子听如此，亦发狠起来，便弯腰向纸灰中拣那不曾化尽的遗纸，拣了两点在手内，说道：“你还嘴硬，有据有证在这里。我只和你厅上讲去！”说着，拉了袖子，就拽着要走。

宝玉忙把藕官拉住，用拄杖敲开那婆子的手，说道：“你只管拿了那个回去。实告诉你：我昨夜作了一个梦，梦见杏花神和我要一挂白纸钱，不可叫本房人烧，要一个生人替我烧了，我的病就好的快。所以我请了这白钱，巴巴儿的和林姑娘烦了他来，替我烧了祝赞。原不许一个人知道的，所以我今日才能起来，偏你看见了。我这会子又不好了，都是你冲了！你还要告他去。藕官，只管去，见了他们你就照依我这话说。等老太太回来，我就说他故意来冲神祇，保祐我早死。”

藕官听了，益发得了主意，反倒拉着婆子要走。那婆子听了这话，忙丢下纸钱，陪笑央告宝玉道：“我原不知道，二爷若回了老太太，我这老婆子岂不完了？我如今回奶奶们去，就说是爷祭神，我看错了。”宝玉道：“你也不许再回去了，我便不说。”婆子道：“我已经回了，叫我来带他，我怎好不回去的。也罢，就说我已经叫到了他，林姑娘叫了去了。”宝玉想一想，方点头应允。那婆子只得去了。

这里宝玉问他：“到底是为谁烧纸？我想来若是为父母兄弟，你们皆烦人外头烧过了，这里烧这几张，必有私自的情理。”藕官因方才护庇之情感激于衷，便知他是自己一流的人物，便含泪说道：“我这事，除了你屋里的芳官并宝姑娘的蕊官，并没第三个人知道。今日被你遇见，又有这段意思，少不得也告诉了你，只不许再对人言讲。”又哭道：“我也不便和你面说，你只回去背人悄问芳官就知道了。”说毕，扬常而去。

宝玉听了，心下纳闷，只得踱到潇湘馆，瞧黛玉益发瘦的可怜，问起来，比往日已算大愈了。黛玉见他也比先大瘦了，想起往日之事，不免流下泪来，些微谈了谈，便催宝玉去歇息调养。宝玉只得回来。因记挂着要问芳官那原委，偏有湘云香菱来了，正和袭人芳官说笑，不好叫他，恐人又盘诘，只得耐着。

一时芳官又跟了他干娘去洗头。他干娘偏又先叫了他亲女儿洗过了后，才叫芳官洗。芳官见了这般，便说他偏心，“把你女儿的剩水给我洗。我一个月的月钱都是你拿着，沾我的光不算，反倒给我剩东剩西的。”他干娘羞愧变成恼，便骂他：“不识抬举的东西！怪不得人人说戏子没一个好缠的。凭你甚么好人，入了这一行，都弄坏了。这一点子屄崽子，也挑幺挑六，咸嘴淡舌，咬群的骡子似的！”娘儿两个吵起来。

袭人忙打发人去说：“少乱嚷，瞅着老太太不在家，一个个连句安静话也不说了。”晴雯因说：“都是芳官不省事，不知狂的什么，也不过是会两出戏，倒像杀了贼王、擒了反叛来的。”袭人道：“一个巴掌拍不响，老的也太不公些，小的也太可恶些。”宝玉道：“怨不得芳官。自古说‘物不平则鸣’[18]。他少亲失眷的，在这里没人照看，赚了他的钱。又作践他，如何怪得。”因又向袭人道：“他一月多少钱？以后不如你收了过来照管他，岂不省事？”袭人道：“我要照看他那里不照看了，又要他那几个钱才照看他？没的讨人骂去了。”说着，便起身至那屋里取了一瓶花露油并些鸡卵、香皂、头绳之类，叫一个婆子来送给芳官去，叫他另要水自洗，不要吵闹了。

他干娘益发羞愧，便说芳官“没良心，花掰[19]我克扣你的钱。”便向他身上拍了几把，芳官便哭起来。宝玉便走出，袭人忙劝：“作什么？我去说他。”晴雯忙先过来，指他干娘说道：“你老人家太不省事。你不给他洗头的东西，我们饶给他东西，你不自臊，还有脸打他。他要还在学里学艺，你也敢打他不成！”那婆子便说：“一日叫娘，终身是母。他排场我，我就打得！”

袭人唤麝月道：“我不会和人拌嘴，晴雯性太急，你快过去震吓他两句。”麝月听了，忙过来说道：“你且别嚷。我且问你，别说我们这一处，你看满园子里，谁在主子屋里教导过女儿的？便是你的亲女儿，既分了房，有了主子，自有主子打得骂得，再者大些的姑娘姐姐们打得骂得，谁许老子娘又半中间管闲事了？都这样管，又要叫他们跟着我们学什么？越老越没了规矩！你见前儿坠儿的娘〔五〕来吵，你也来跟他学？你们放心，因连日这个病那个病，老太太又不得闲心，所以我没回。等两日消闲了〔六〕，咱们痛快回一回，大家把威风煞一煞儿才好。宝玉才好了些，连我们也不敢大声说话，你反打的人狼号鬼叫的。上头能出了几日门，你们就无法无天的，眼睛里没了我们，再两天你们就该打我们了。他不要你这干娘，怕粪草埋了他不成？”宝玉恨的用拄杖敲着门槛子说道：“这些老婆子都是些铁心石头肠子，也是件大奇的事。不能照看，反倒折挫，天长地久，如何是好！”晴雯道：“什么‘如何是好’，都撵了出去，不要这些中看不中吃的！”那婆子羞愧难当，一言不发。

那芳官只穿着海棠红的小棉袄，底下丝绸撒花袷裤，敞着裤腿，一头乌油似的头发披在脑后，哭的泪人一般。麝月笑道：“把一个莺莺小姐，反弄成拷打红娘了！这会子又不妆扮了，还是这么松怠怠的。”宝玉道：“他这本来面目极好，倒别弄紧衬了。”晴雯过去拉了他，替他洗净了发，用手巾拧干，松松的挽了一个慵妆髻[22]，命他穿了衣服过这边来了。

接着司内厨的婆子来问：“晚饭有了，可送不送？”小丫头听了，进来问袭人。袭人笑道：“方才胡吵了一阵，也没留心听钟几下了。”晴雯道：“那劳什子又不知怎么了，又得去收拾。”说着，便拿过表来瞧了一瞧说：“略等半钟茶的工夫就是了。”小丫头去了。麝月笑道：“提起淘气，芳官也该打几下。昨儿是他摆弄了那坠子，半日就坏了。”说话之间，便将食具打点现成。

一时小丫头子捧了盒子进来站住。晴雯麝月揭开看时，还是只四样小菜。晴雯笑道：“已经好了，还不给两样清淡菜吃。这稀饭咸菜闹到多早晚？”一面摆好，一面又看那盒中，却有一碗火腿鲜笋汤，忙端了放在宝玉跟前。宝玉便就桌上喝了一口，说：“好烫！”袭人笑道：“菩萨，能几日不见荤，馋的这样起来。”一面说，一面忙端起轻轻用口吹。因见芳官在侧，便递与芳官，笑道：“你也学着些服侍，别一味呆憨呆睡。口劲轻着，别吹上唾沫星儿。”芳官依言果吹了几口，甚妥。

他干娘也忙端饭在门外伺候。向日芳官等一到时原从外边认的，就同往梨香院去了。这干婆子原系荣府三等人物，不过令其与他们浆洗，皆不曾入内答应，故此不知内帏规矩。今亦托赖他们方入园中，随女归房。这婆子先领过麝月的排场，方知了一二分，生恐不令芳官认他做干娘，便有许多失利之处，故心中只要买转他们。今见芳官吹汤，便忙跑进来笑道：“他不老成，仔细打了碗，让我吹罢。”一面说，一面就接。

晴雯忙喊：“出去！你让他砸了碗，也轮不到你吹。你什么空儿跑到这里槅子来了？还不出去。”一面又骂小丫头们：“瞎了心的，他不知道，你们也不说给他！”小丫头们都说：“我们撵他，他不出去；说他，他又不信。如今带累我们受气，你可信了？我们到的地方儿，有你到的一半，还有你一半到不去的呢。何况又跑到〔七〕我们到不去的地方还不算，又去伸手动嘴的了。”一面说，一面推他出去。阶下几个等空盒家伙的婆子见他出来，都笑道：“嫂子也没用镜子照一照，就进去了。”羞的那婆子又恨又气，只得忍耐下去。

芳官吹了几口，宝玉笑道：“好了，仔细伤了气。你尝一口，可好了？”芳官只当是顽话，只是笑看着袭人等。袭人道：“你就尝一口何妨。”晴雯笑道：“你瞧我尝。”说着就喝了一口。芳官见如此，自己也便尝了一口〔八〕，说：“好了。”递与宝玉。宝玉喝了半碗，吃了几片笋，又吃了半碗〔九〕粥就罢了。

众人拣收出去了。小丫头捧了沐盆，盥漱已毕，袭人等出去吃饭。宝玉使个眼色与芳官，芳官本自伶俐，又学几年戏，何事不知？便装说头疼不吃饭了。袭人道：“既不吃饭，你就在屋里作伴儿，把这粥给你留着，一时饿了再吃。”说着，都去了。

这里宝玉和他只二人，宝玉便将方才从火光发起，如何见了藕官，又如何谎言护庇，又如何藕官叫我问你，从头至尾，细细的告诉他一遍，又问他祭的果系何人。芳官听了，满面含笑，又叹一口气，说道：“这事说来可笑又可叹。”宝玉听了，忙问如何。芳官笑道：“你说他祭的是谁？祭的是死了的菂官。”宝玉道：“这是友谊，也应当的。”

芳官笑道：“那里是友谊？他竟是疯傻的想头，说他自己是小生，菂官是小旦，常做夫妻，虽说是假的，每日那些曲文排场，皆是真正温存体贴之事，故此二人就疯了，虽不做戏，寻常饮食起坐，两个人竟是你恩我爱。菂官一死，他哭的死去活来，至今不忘，所以每节烧纸。后来补了蕊官，我们见他一般的温柔体贴，也曾问他得新弃旧的。他说：‘这又有个大道理。比如男子丧了妻，或有必当续弦者，也必要续弦为是。便只是不把死的丢过不提，便是情深意重了。若一味因死的不续，孤守一世，妨了大节，也不是理，死者反不安了。’你说可是又疯又呆？说来可是可笑？”

宝玉听说了这篇呆话，独合了他的呆性，不觉又是欢喜，又是悲叹，又称奇道绝，说：“天既生这样人，又何用我这须眉浊物玷辱世界。”因又忙拉芳官嘱道：“既如此说，我也有一句话嘱咐他，我若亲对面与他讲未免不便，须得你告诉他。”芳官问何事。宝玉道：“以后断不可烧纸钱。这纸钱原是后人异端，不是孔子的遗训。以后逢时按节，只备一个炉，到日随便焚香，一心诚虔，就可感格[26]了。愚人原不知，无论神佛死人，必要分出等例，各式各例的。殊不知只一‘诚心’二字为主。即值仓皇流离之日，虽连香亦无，随便有土有草，只以洁净，便可为祭，不独死者享祭，便是神鬼也来享的。你瞧瞧我那案上，只设一炉，不论日期，时常焚香。他们皆不知原故，我心里却各有所因。随便有清茶便供一钟茶，有新水就供一盏水，或有鲜花，或有鲜果，甚至荤羹腥菜，只要心诚意洁，便是佛也都可来享，所以说，只在敬不在虚名。以后快命他不可再烧纸。”芳官听了，便答应着。一时吃过饭，便有人回：“老太太、太太回来了。”——

[1] 假凤虚凰——凤凰，传说中象征祥瑞的神鸟，雄的叫凤，雌的叫凰，常用来比喻夫妻。因藕官和菂官在戏中扮演夫妻，在生活中也俨若夫妻，但她们都是女孩子，故称“假凤虚凰”。

[2] 揆（kuí葵）——推测、揣度。

[3] 薨（hōn轰）——《礼记·曲礼下》：“天子死曰崩，诸侯曰薨。”皇妃之死也叫薨。

[4] 守制——按照封建居丧制度守丧，参见第二回注。封建时代皇帝后妃之丧，臣民都要守制。守制期间，对官员以至民间的宴乐嫁娶都有种种限制，下文的“凡养优伶男女者一概蠲免遣发”就是其中的一项。

〔一〕 “三月”，原作“三日”，“日”旁又添一“月”字。梦稿、戚序、甲辰、俄藏本均作“三月”，从改。

〔二〕 “孝慈县”，底本此后尚有“随事命名”四字，己卯本同。此当是评语，从梦稿、戚序、戚宁、甲辰、俄藏本删。

[7] 地宫——皇帝陵寝中的地下宫殿。

〔三〕 “家中无主”原无“中”字，己卯本同。底本又旁添为“家内无主”。今从己卯本之外各本增改。又此句下，原有“少不得又大家计议”一句，己卯、梦稿、戚序本均同。从甲辰、程甲本删。

[9] 跴（cǎi彩）踏——这里是实地察看的意思。跴：同“踩”。

〔四〕 “早祭”，各本均作“早膳”，疑为“早祭”之误。

[11] 比丘尼——梵语，指已经出家受大戒的女子，俗称“尼姑”。

[12] （wū乌）树——一种园林工艺，将树木的旧枝大部芟砍使其另发新枝。：除田草的刀，在这里作动词用。

[13] 夹泥——同罱（lǎn览）泥，即捞取河底的烂泥作肥料。

[14] “绿叶成荫子满枝”——喻少女已嫁并生儿育女。据《唐诗纪事》卷五十六载，杜牧游湖州时遇一美丽少女，十四年后，杜牧到湖州作官，再访其人，已出嫁生子，乃怅然为诗曰：“自是寻春去较迟，不须惆怅怨芳时。狂风落尽深红色，绿叶成荫子满枝。”

[15] 公冶长——春秋时鲁国人（一说齐人），孔子弟子，传说能通鸟语。

[16] 烧包袱——焚化用锡箔折叠的元宝、锞子、纸钱等。包袱，打点死人用的纸袋。

[17] 尺寸地方儿——讲分寸规矩的地方。这里指贵族府第的内宅。

[18] 物不平则鸣——语出唐代韩愈《送孟东野序》，其首句为“大凡物不得其平则鸣”。喻人遇到不公平的境遇就要发泄申诉。

[19] 花掰（bāi）——胡编瞎说的意思。

〔五〕 “坠儿的娘”，原“娘”为旁添。己卯本同原文。梦稿、戚序本作“坠儿妈”。此从底本旁添文字。

〔六〕 “两日消闲了”，原作“两日间”，旁添为“两日消间了”。己卯本同底本原文。梦稿、戚序、戚宁、甲辰本均作“两日”。按底本旁添是，正文“间”字是“闲（）”字之误。从底本旁添文字，并改“间”为“闲”。

[22] 慵妆髻——一种蓬松而偏垂一边的发髻。

〔七〕 “我们……又跑到”二十七字，原无，各本均存，文字略异，此从己卯、梦稿本补。

〔八〕 “何妨……一口”三十字，原无，从各本补。

〔九〕 “半碗”，原作“几碗”，点改为“几匙”。从各本改。

[26] 感格——感动、感应的意思。格：感通。《书·说命》：“格于皇天。”意即虔诚能感通上天。

CHAPTER 58. In which the cock-bird who mourns his mate is found to be a hen And a true heart is able to sympathize with a strange kind of love

Our last chapter concluded with Tan-chun’s and Xi-chun’s arrival at the Naiad’s House, which put a sudden stop to the discussion of Xiu-yan’s affairs by the other three. Conversation was renewed after the new arrivals had inquired about Dai-yu’s health, but of a general, unserious nature, and shortly afterwards all four visitors took their leave and went their separate ways.

The Dowager Consort of the late Emperor whose illness we referred to in an earlier chapter had now passed away and all noblewomen and wives of officials resident in the capital had to put on the mourning appropriate to their rank and present themselves at the Palace. A Special Edict was published prohibiting the holding of musical or dramatic entertainments by persons of rank for a period of one year and banning the celebration of marriages between commoners for a period of three months. Every day Grandmother Jia together with Lady Xing, Lady Wang, You-shi and Jia Rong’s wife Hu-shi had to go to the Palace to take part in the ceremonies of mourning, seldom returning until well after two o’clock in the afternoon.

These ceremonies, which took place in one of the side halls of the Palace, were due to last for twenty-one days, at the end of which time the body of the Consort was to be conveyed to the late Emperor’s mausoleum in Goodson prefecture, a distance of some ten days’ journey from the capital. On reaching there, the coffin was to lie in state for several more days while further ceremonies were performed preliminary to its final interment in the mausoleum. The whole expedition, from start to finish, would take about a month. Cousin Zhen and You-shi were both supposed to take part in it, which would mean that throughout that period both the Ning-guo and Rong-guo mansions would be left masterless. A family council was held and it was decided, in order that one person at least should be left in charge of the two mansions, to petition for You-shi’s exemption on the grounds that she was enceinte.

At the same time Aunt Xue’s help was enlisted to keep an eye on the young people. For this purpose it was essential that she should move into the Garden; but it was something of a problem to know in which of its buildings she should stay. Bao-chai already had Xiang-yun and Caltrop living with her; Li Wan was having to accommodate Bao-qin, whom Grandmother Jia had placed temporarily in her care, and though Mrs Li and her girls were still at their uncle’s place in the city, they too were constantly dropping in on her and staying for three or four nights; Ying-chun was sharing with Xiu-yan; Tan-chun was fully occupied with household business, and in any case the noisy bickering of Aunt Zhao and Jia Huan, who were constantly coming round to pester her, would have made her apartment a highly unsuitable place for Aunt Xue to live in; and Xi-chun’s place was too small. That left only the Naiad’s House for her to move into.

Aunt Xue did so the more readily because, in discussing these arrangements with her, Grandmother Jia had impressed upon her that Dai-yu was the young person most particularly in need of her care. And besides, Aunt Xue had always had a very great affection for Dai-yu. Now that they shared the same apartment she was able to give her undivided attention to Dai-yu’s welfare – to seeing that she had good food and enough of it, and that she took her medicines at the proper times. Never before had Dai-yu been so well looked after. She responded with a gratitude deeper than words, though it was by words that it was most often expressed: Aunt Xue was now her kind ‘Mamma’, and when Bao-chai and Bao-qin were present, she addressed them and referred to them exactly as if they were her elder and younger sisters. Grandmother Jia, who had been worried at the prospect of being separated, even for a month, from her orphaned granddaughter, was both relieved and happy to observe this new development.

Aunt Xue, now that she was in the Garden, concerned herself only with the welfare of the cousins and disciplining of their maids; in other domestic matters, however important, she was unwilling to intervene. You-shi, too, although she visited the Rong-guo mansion daily, did little more than hear the roll-call and was most unwilling to exercise any real authority. As the only responsible person left in it she already had her hands full with the affairs of the other mansion and was kept extremely busy seeing that the temporary lodgings near the Palace which Grandmother Jia and the other ladies retired to in between ceremonies were kept regularly supplied with food and bedding and so forth.

While the senior members of the Ning-guo and Rong-guo mansions were so busy, the stewards and stewardesses of the two mansions were no less occupied, some of them in accompanying their mistresses each day to and from the Palace, some in attending to the provisioning and maintenance of the temporary lodgings, and some as an advanced party who staffed the lodgings in readiness for their mistresses’ arrival.

Lacking the discipline normally imposed by these officers, the domestics of both mansions who remained behind grew slovenly in their duties or took advantage of the exceptional circumstances to ally themselves with those placed temporarily in charge as a means of scoring off fellow-servants. Of the male staff at Rong-guo House only Lai Da and one or two others remained. Nearly all Lai Da’s most trusted lieutenants had gone. Owing to their inexperience he was finding the replacements he had made extremely unserviceable – and so stupid: their peculations were so transparently gross, their reports so patently unreliable, their recommendations so obviously biased; he would have had difficulty in enumerating all the defects he found in them or the troubles they caused him.

At this time all the great families which kept troupes of actors or actresses in their households were beginning to disband them. Hearing this, You-shi, after discussing the matter with other members of the family, approached Lady Wang with the suggestion that their own troupe of actresses should be disbanded. The method by which she proposed to do this was economical.

‘We have, of course, bought these girls,’ she said. ‘Although they can’t keep up their music, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t use them as maids. It’s only really the instructors that we need to get rid of.’

‘No,’ said Lady Wang firmly. ‘We cannot treat them like servants. These are daughters of free men, sold into their profession because their parents could not afford to keep them. They have given us a year or two of good entertainment. Now that this opportunity of releasing them has arisen, we ought to give them each a few taels and let them go. That was certainly what our ancestors would have done; and I do not believe that we have become quite so degenerate or so ungenerous that we cannot, in this matter at least, follow the ancestors’ example. It’s true that we have a few members of an earlier troupe still living with us; but there was a special reason for their staying. They didn’t want to go, so we gave them employment and found husbands among the staff for them when they were old enough to marry.’

‘Very well, we shall ask them,’ said You-shi. ‘If they want to go, we can send for their parents to come and fetch them and give the money to their parents. That will be safest. Otherwise we shall have all sorts of dubious characters turning up here to collect them and selling them when they get them outside, and our kindness in freeing them will be wasted. Of course, any of them who don’t want to go can stay with us.’

Lady Wang agreed and You-shi sent someone to Xi-feng to explain what had been decided. She also instructed the clerks in the counting-house to pay eight taels to each of the instructors and tell them that they were free to go where they liked. The costumes, theatrical properties and other movables in Pear Tree Court were carefully checked against the inventories and stored away and a caretaker was put in charge of the buildings.

As for the little actresses, on interviewing them individually, You-shi found that hardly any of them wanted to go. Some said that their parents were alive but did not care for them and would only sell them again if they went back to them; others that they had no parents and had been sold by uncles or brothers; others that they had no relations at all that they could go to; others that they had become attached to the Jia family and did not want to leave. In the end all but three of them elected to stay. After what she had said, Lady Wang could scarcely refuse to have them.

The three who were leaving were taken away by their foster-mothers to stay with them for the time being until their real parents could come to fetch them. Those who had chosen to stay were assigned to different apartments – mostly in the Garden – as servants, Élégante, the leader of the troupe, was reserved for Grandmother Jia; the ‘leading lady’, Parfumée, went to Bao-yu; Étamine, the soubrette, to Bao-chai; the ‘principal boy’, Nénuphar, to Dai-yu; Althée, the leading ‘painted face’, to Xiang-yun; Cardamome, the second ‘painted face’, to Bao-qin; Artémisie, who specialized in old men’s parts, to Tan-chun; and You-shi asked if she might keep Aubergine, who specialized in old women’s parts, for herself.

The little actresses, though nominally in service, did nothing all day but wander about happily in the Garden, like uncaged birds rejoicing in their new freedom. Nobody made much effort to discourage them, as it was understood that they were wholly unaccustomed to waiting on other people and were none of them able to sew. It is true that one or two of them had the good sense to see that the future would be bleak for them without a craft, now that their theatrical training had been discontinued, and who applied themselves to learning domestic skills like sewing and spinning; but they were the exception.

An important day in the obsequies of the late Consort arrived when it was necessary for Grandmother Jia and the other ladies to start out for their temporary lodgings near the Palace at four o’clock in the morning. After recruiting themselves there with a small collation, they proceeded to the Palace to attend the ghostly breakfast of the Deceased. When that was over, they went back to their lodgings and had lunch. Then, after a brief rest, they returned to the Palace and remained there for both the None and Vesper offerings. Then back to their lodgings again for dinner before finally returning home.

The temporary lodgings were in the family temple of a high official in which perpetual devotions were maintained by a sisterhood of Buddhist nuns. The nuns occupied the two courtyards to east and west of the shrine-hall, but there were a great many spare rooms in these courtyards, all of them kept scrupulously clean by the nuns. The Rong-guo ladies had rented the rooms in the east courtyard and the Prince of Bei-jing’s ladies those in the west one. As they had to leave for the Palace and return from it at the same times, the two lots of ladies had plenty of opportunities of meeting each other, and many courtesies were exchanged between them. But it is not with these outside matters that we are concerned.

Back, then, to the Garden. With Grandmother Jia and Lady Jia away for so much of the day and the prospect of their being away altogether during the month it would take them to travel to and from the mausoleum, there were a great many maids and womenservants with nothing much to do but wander about in it enjoying themselves. Their numbers were augmented by the women from Pear Tree Court, who were now attached to different apartments in the Garden. Suddenly there seemed to be dozens more people about in it than there ever had been before.

The girl-actresses were arrogant little creatures, imperious and tyrannical towards the servants, demanding and fastidious about their food and clothing, sharp and disputatious with their tongues – in a word, thoroughly difficult characters to deal with. The Pear Tree Court women all hated them, but had not hitherto dared to quarrel with them openly. To these women the closing of the drama school was a great relief. Some of them, in their gladness to be free of it, were willing to let bygones be bygones. Others, less magnanimous, still nursed their rancour but, the diaspora having separated them from their former charges, dared not carry warfare against them into another’s territory.

It was the day of the Spring Cleaning festival and Jia Lian, having prepared the usual offerings, had gone with Jia Huan, Jia Cong and Jia Lan to the Temple of the Iron Threshold outside the city to clean the family graves. Jia Rong, accompanied by a party of clansmen from the Ning-guo side of the family, had set out separately for the same destination. Of the young male members of the family only Bao-yu, having not yet wholly recovered from his illness, was unable to go. After lunch Aroma noticed that he was showing a disposition to sleep.

‘It’s such a fine day,’ she said, ‘why don’t you take a stroll in the Garden? If you lie down as soon as you’ve eaten, you won’t digest your food.’

Bao-yu stepped somewhat reluctantly into a pair of slippers and, supporting himself with a walking-stick, shuffled off through the courtyard and out into the Garden.

Care of the Garden and its produce had lately been put into the hands of female experts and, this being the busy time of year for gardeners, they were to be observed on every hand, trimming the bamboos, pruning trees and bushes, bedding plants out, planting bulbs and sowing seeds. Other women were moving over the surface of the lake in punts, dredging up mud from the bottom and planting lotus-roots. On a miniature mountain of rock overlooking the lake an appreciative audience consisting of Xiang-yun, Caltrop, Bao-qin and some of the maids sat watching them. As Bao-yu slowly made his way up to them, Xiang-yun cried out in mock alarm:

‘Quick, send the boats away! They’ve come to take Cousin Lin!’

Bao-yu blushed and laughed sheepishly.

‘People can’t help what they do when they’re ill. You shouldn’t make fun.’

‘It’s your fault for being so comical,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘Why do you always have to be so different? Even your illnesses are different from everyone else’s.’

Bao-yu sat down with them for a while and watched the women working.

‘It’s a bit windy here,’ said Xiang-yun presently, ‘and the rock is rather cold to sit on. Don’t you think you ought to go indoors?’

Bao-yu had already decided that he would like to go and see Dai-yu, so, hauling himself up with his walking-stick, he took his leave of the girls and walked off, over Drenched Blossoms Bridge and along the embankment on the other side.

New growth hung from the weeping willows in strings of gold and the blossom-buds of the peach-trees had burst into a vermilion haze; but the big apricot-tree behind the rockery, its flowering past, was already in full leaf and covered with tiny apricots, each no bigger than a pea.

‘What a shame!’ he thought. ‘Just those few days in bed and I missed the apricot blossom.

And in among the green leaves now The young fruit hangs from every bough.’

He stood and gazed at the tree. They were Du Mu’s lines, written on his last visit to Hu-zhou, when he met the beautiful young dancer of a dozen years before and found that she was now a married woman with a brood of children. How did it go?

The spring-time blossoms, white and red, Before the thieving wind have fled; And in among the green leaves now The young fruit hangs from every bough.

He thought of Xing Xiu-yan’s betrothal. It would only be a year or two now before she married, and soon she too, like the girl that Du Mu wrote about, would be a mother with a brood of young children about her. People had to marry, of course: they had to reproduce their kind. But what a way for a lovely young girl to end!

The spring-time blossoms, white and red…

Not so many years from now her jet-black tresses would turn to silver and her rosy cheeks become wrinkled and colourless. The thought of it made him feel sad and an involuntary sigh escaped from him. Then, as he continued to gaze at the tree, a little bird flew up, and perching on one of its branches, began to sing away for all it was worth. Bao-yu’s day-dreaming took another turn.

‘That bird must have come here when the tree was in blossom,’ he told himself. ‘What he’s singing is a lament at finding the blossoms gone. You can tell it’s a lament by the sound. Pity Gong-ye Chang, who understood the language of birds, isn’t around! I could have asked him what it was saying. I wonder if it will remember to come here next year when the apricot-tree is in flower again?’

His reverie was interrupted by a sudden burst of flame beyond the rockery which caused the bird to fly off in alarm. Bao-yu was almost as startled as the bird. The brief crackle of flames was followed by an outburst of angry shouting.

‘Nénuphar, you little wretch, how dare you burn paper offerings here in the Garden! I’m going straight off to report you. You’re in for a whipping, my girl.’

Wondering what on earth could be happening, Bao-yu hurried round to the other side of the rockery to investigate. A tear-stained Nénuphar crouched on the ground, holding the chafing-dish with which the recent blaze had been kindled, and gazing with a sorrowful expression at the charred, still smouldering remains of a pile of gold paper ‘spirit money’.

‘Who’s it for?’ he asked her. ‘You really shouldn’t burn it here, you know. I suppose it must be for one of your parents – or is it for a brother, perhaps? Tell me the person’s name and I’ll get my boys to go out and buy a proper baofu for you and write the name on it.’

When she saw that it was Bao-yu, Nénuphar closed her lips tightly and no amount of questioning would elicit an answer from her. Just then the woman he had heard shouting came hurrying back, an evil expression of triumph on her face, and seized hold of the girl.

‘Well, I’ve reported you to the young mistresses,’ she said, ‘and they’re very, very angry.’

Nénuphar was still only a child. Terrified of the humiliation that awaited her, she now made a childish attempt to resist going.

‘I said all along you were getting above yourselves,’ said the woman. ‘You can’t do as you please in here like you could outside. It’s different here. We like to have a bit of law and order.’ She pointed to Bao-yu. ‘Even Master Bao has to abide by the rules. I don’t know what sort of a young madam you think you are to come along here and start breaking them. Come on! It’s too late to start being afraid now. You’ll have to come along and see them.’

‘That’s not spirit money,’ said Bao-yu hurriedly. ‘It’s waste paper she’s been burning for Miss Lin. You should have looked more carefully before you reported her.’

To Nénuphar in her desperation Bao-yu’s appearance on the scene had been an added terror. She could hardly believe her ears when she heard him covering up for her. Her fear gave way to a surprised delight and she plucked up courage to defend herself.

‘Yes, what makes you so sure it was spirit money? That was used writing-paper of Miss Lin’s.’

But the woman was unimpressed. Stooping down, she picked out one or two of the unconsumed fragments from the ashes.

‘Don’t argue with me! Here’s evidence! You’ll have to come with me to the jobs room and explain yourself to them there.’

She took hold of Nénuphar by the sleeve and began dragging her off; but Bao-yu held her by the other sleeve and struck at the woman’s hand with his walking-stick until she let go.

‘Take those bits of paper to them if you must,’ he said. ‘I suppose I shall have to tell you. Last night I dreamed that the Spirit of the Apricot-tree came to me and said that if I wanted to get better quickly, I must have an offering of spirit money made to her. She said it had to be made by a stranger, not by anyone from my own room, and no one else must know about it. And now, after I’ve been to the trouble of getting the stuff and finding this girl to make the offering for me, it’s all wasted, because you saw her doing it. This is the first day I’ve been up since my illness. If I get ill again now, it will be your fault. Do you still want to take her? Nénuphar, go with her and see them. Tell them exactly what I have just said. And when my grandmother gets back I shall tell her what happened. I shall tell her that this woman interrupted you deliberately.’

Nénuphar was by now thoroughly cock-a-hoop. Now it was she who was tugging at the woman. The woman threw the bits of paper to the ground and addressed herself beseechingly to Bao-yu, a sickly smile on her face:

‘I didn’t know, really I didn’t. If you tell Her Old Ladyship that, it will be all up with me.’

‘Don’t report back then, and I won’t tell her.’

‘But when I reported just now, they said I was to bring her,’ said the woman. ‘I’d better tell them she’s been called away by Miss Lin.’

Bao-yu thought for a bit and then nodded. The woman went off to do as she had said. When she had gone, Bao-yu resumed his questioning.

‘Who was it for then? I’m sure it wasn’t for anyone in your family. Is it a secret?’

Nénuphar was grateful to Bao-yu for having protected her. Knowing now that he was a kindred spirit and to be trusted, she could hardly refuse him any longer. There were tears in her eyes when she answered:

‘Besides myself there are only two other people in the world who know about this: Parfumée in your room and Éitamine in Miss Bao’s. After what happened today, I think I shall have to let you be a third; but you must promise never to speak about it to anyone else.’

She began to cry.

‘It’s no good,’ she said. ‘I can’t say it to your face. After you’ve got back, when there’s no one else around, you can get Parfumée to tell you.’

She slipped away then, leaving him full of curiosity.

Continuing his walk to the Naiad’s House, he found Dai-yu looking thinner than ever but feeling, she assured him, very much better than she had been a few days earlier. She noticed how much thinner he had become, and the recollection of what had caused them both to look so haggard provoked the shedding of a few tears. They had not been speaking for more than a few minutes when, mindful that he was still convalescent, she urged him to go back and rest and he felt obliged to obey her.

When he got back, he was anxious to ask Parfumée about Nénuphar’s secret, but Xiang-yun and Caltrop had just arrived and were engaged in lively conversation with her and Aroma in the adjoining room. Fearing that if he called her to him the others might ask questions, he resolved to be patient.

After a while Parfumée went off with her foster-mother to have her hair washed. Her foster-mother had already let her own daughter wash her hair in the water. When Parfumée noticed this, she was loud in protest.

‘What, give me the water your daughter’s washed in? Considering you take the whole of my monthly allowance, I think I deserve better than left-overs!’

Angry – the more so because she was in the wrong – the woman shouted back at her.

‘Ungrateful little wretch! I’m not surprised they say players are hard folk to handle. However good a person may be to start with, once they get into that profession, they’re ruined. You’d never think a scrubby little creature like this could have so many airs and graces. Nothing but the best for young madam! Sixes or aces, nothing else! And such a spiteful, sharp little tongue if she doesn’t get what she wants! Worse than a biting mule!’

The two of them began to go at it then, hammer and tongs. Aroma sent someone outside to quieten them:

‘A little less shouting, you two! Just because Her Old Ladyship isn’t here, nobody seems able to say anything without hollering at the tops of their voices!’

‘It’s that Parfumée making trouble,’ said Skybright. ‘I don’t know what makes her think she’s so wonderful. Just because she knows a few plays, you’d think she’d won the war or something!’

‘It takes two to make an argument,’ said Aroma. ‘The older one shouldn’t be so unjust and the younger one shouldn’t be so unpleasant.’

‘You can’t blame Parfumée,’ said Bao-yu. ‘“Any departure from the straight or even causes things to give voice.” A famous philosopher wrote that. She’s here without parents or anyone to look after her. This woman takes her money and then doesn’t treat her properly. If that’s not a departure from the straight and even, I don’t know what is. You can hardly blame her for giving voice about it! How much does she get a month, anyway?’ he asked Aroma. ‘Wouldn’t it save a lot of trouble if you took the money and looked after her yourself?’

‘I don’t mind looking after her,’ said Aroma, ‘but if I do, it certainly won’t be for the money. It wouldn’t be worth making enemies over.’

She got up as she said this and, going into the other room, took a little bottle of Oil of Flowers, some hen’s eggs, some soap and a hair-string and told one of the old women to convey them to Parfumée outside.

‘Tell her to stop quarrelling. Tell her she can get some more water and wash her own hair with these.’

Unfortunately the foster-mother chose to regard this as a public humiliation for her and grew even angrier.

‘You wicked child,’ she said to Parfumée, ‘pretending that I keep back your money!’

She dealt her a couple of slaps, whereupon Parfumée burst out crying. Bao-yu was about to rush outside, but Aroma restrained him.

‘What are you doing? I’ll speak to her.’

But Skybright had already darted outside and was pointing at the woman angrily:

‘You ought to know better, at your age! If we give her the things to wash her hair with that you wouldn’t give her yourself, you ought to feel ashamed. I don’t know how you can have the face to hit her. You wouldn’t have dared hit her if she’d been in the school still, carrying on with her training.’

‘I hit her for trying to show me up in public,’ said the woman. ‘I’m her foster-mother. I’ve a right to.’

‘Musk,’ said Aroma, ‘I’m no good at arguing with people and Skybright is too excitable. You’ll have to go and deal with her.’

Musk hurried over.

‘All right, all right. There’s no need to shout. Let me just ask you this one question. When have you ever seen anyone punishing their daughter in the master’s or mistress’s presence – I don’t just mean here, I mean anywhere in the whole Garden? Even in the case of a real daughter, not just a foster-daughter, once she’s left home and gone into service it’s for her master or mistress to punish her or the senior maids. We can’t have parents chipping in all the time – otherwise how should we ever manage to train a girl? I don’t know! You people, the older you get, the worse you seem to behave! It’s not so long ago that we had Trinket’s mother in here making a scene. I suppose she must be your model. But don’t worry. During these last few days what with this one ill and that one ill and Her Old Ladyship busy all the time with other matters we haven’t had a chance to report anything. But give us a few more days. We shall find an opportunity. We’ll tell her everything. Then perhaps we shall see some of you highhanded people taken down a peg. And another thing. There’s Bao-yu in there only just beginning to get better – even we daren’t raise our voices above a whisper – yet here are you hitting a girl outside his room and making her cry like a howling wolf or a banshee. The top people only have to be away from the house for a day or two and already you are behaving as if you were above the law. No one is safe from you. A few more days and you’ll be hitting us, I shouldn’t wonder! If you ask me, you’re the sort of foster-mother the girl could do without. If you think the plant will only flourish with your tender care, you’re very much mistaken!’

Bao-yu was so angry that he banged on the threshold with his stick.

‘These old women have hearts of stone. It’s bad enough that they can’t look after the girls, but to go maltreating them as well…!

Almighty earth and heaven, what’s to do?’

‘What’s to do?’ said Skybright. ‘Send the lot of them packing, useless baggages!’

The woman, shamed into silence by Musk’s tirade, made no reply.

Musk looked at Parfumée, in her crabflower-red padded tunic and patterned green silk trousers unbound at the ankles, her glossy black hair hanging down her back, crying as if her heart would break. It was a spectacle so different from her more familiar stage appearances that Musk could not help laughing at its incongruousness:

‘I must say, you don’t look much like Cui Ying-ying at the moment. Reddie after her beating, though: now that’s a part you could play without having to make up for it!’

Skybright led Parfumée away and washed her hair for her. When she had towelled it dry, she did it up for her in a ‘lazy knot’ and told her to go back to Bao-yu’s room when she had finished dressing.

Shortly after, a woman arrived from the kitchen to say that the food was ready, should they send it over yet? One of the junior maids went inside to ask Aroma.

‘What does the clock say?’ Aroma asked. ‘With all that rumpus going on outside, I didn’t hear it strike.’

‘It didn’t,’ said Skybright. ‘The wretched thing needs repairing again, I don’t know why.’

She fetched a watch from somewhere and inspected it.

‘It’s about half a cup of tea off dinner-time,’ she said. ‘Tell them we’ll be ready directly.’

The girl went off to relay this message.

‘Come to think of it,’ said Musk, smiling, ‘that Parfumée deserved a slap or two for being so mischievous. She was the one who made the clock stop by playing about with the pendulum yesterday.’

She began getting things out and laying them in readiness for the meal. Presently junior maids carrying food-boxes came into the room and stood there while Skybright and Musk removed the covers and inspected the contents: a bowl of soup and the now familiar rice-gruel flanked by four different kinds of pickle.

‘But he’s better now,’ said Skybright. ‘How much longer has he got to go on eating gruel and vegetables in brine? Why can’t they send him some proper food for a change?’

Musk had finished laying now. Taking the large bowl of soup (ham and bamboo-shoots) from the food-box, she put it on the table for Bao-yu to try. He bent down over the bowl and slurped up a mouthful.

‘Ow, hot!’

Aroma laughed.

‘Holy Buddha! You’re not all that starved for meat, surely? I’m not surprised you burn yourself if you go at it so greedily.’

She picked-up the bowl and gently blew on it, then, as Parfumée happened to be standing by, she handed it to her:

‘Here, you can do it. You may as well make yourself useful, instead of mooning around all day doing nothing. But blow on it gently: we don’t want you spitting in it.’

Parfumée began blowing as instructed. She seemed to be managing very nicely, but the foster-mother, who was standing outside the partition doorway whither she had insisted on coming ‘to help’ and who, in her ignorance of the Garden’s étiquette, saw this as an opportunity of making up to the maids, came hurrying officiously into the room and tried to take the bowl from her.

‘She’s too inexperienced. She might drop it. Let me blow.’

Skybright shouted at her angrily:

‘Get out of here at once! Whether she breaks the bowl or not is our affair: we don’t need you blowing on it, at all events. Who said you could come inside the partition, anyway?’

Her anger transferred itself to the junior maids:

‘Young idiots! She probably doesn’t know about these things. You ought to have told her.’

‘We tried to keep her out,’ the maids protested. ‘We tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t believe us. – Now do you believe us?’ they asked the woman. ‘Even the places we’re allowed into you’re only allowed into about half of, but you seemed to think you could go bursting in even where we aren’t allowed to go – and you were shouting and waving your hands at us when we tried to stop you.’

They hustled her from the outer room, into which she had retreated, onto the verandah outside. The old women waiting in the courtyard below to take back the food-boxes and empty bowls laughed at her when she emerged.

‘You should ‘a taken a look at yourself in the mirror before you went inside, missus!’

The woman, angry and ashamed, had to bear their taunts in silence.

Parfumée was still blowing away at the soup. Bao-yu smiled at her:

‘Don’t destroy your lungs with all that blowing! Why don’t you try it now, to see if it’s all right?’

Parfumée thought he must be joking and smiled, timidly at Aroma and the rest.

‘Go ahead, taste it!’ said Aroma. ‘Why not?’

‘Watch me taste it,’ said Skybright, and took a sip from the bowl.

Encouraged by her example, Parfumée took a sip too.

‘It’s all right,’ she said, and handed Bao-yu the bowl.

Bao-yu drank about half the soup, ate a few pieces of bamboo-shoot, consumed half a bowlful of the gruel, and declared himself satisfied. The servants cleared away. A little maid came in with a wash-bowl. After he had washed his hands and rinsed his mouth out, it was Aroma’s and the other senior maids’ turn to have their dinner.

Bao-yu signalled to Parfumée with his eyes. A sharp-witted child – one, moreover, who had spent several years of her young life in a school of drama – Parfumée responded like an old trouper. She had a stomach-ache, she told them. She didn’t feel like any dinner.

‘Oh well, if you’re not eating,’ said Aroma, ‘you may as well stay and keep him company. We’ll leave the gruel here. If you get hungry, you can eat some of that.’

She and the other maids then left.

Bao-yu was now able to tell Parfumée about his encounter with Nénuphar – how he had lied to protect her and how, feeling unable to answer his question herself, she had referred him to Parfumée for an explanation.

‘So who was she making the offering for?’

Parfumée’s eyes reddened slightly and she sighed.

‘Oh, Nénuphar is crazy.’

‘Why?’ said Bao-yu. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It was for Pivoine,’ said Parfumée, ‘the girl in our troupe who died.’

‘There’s nothing crazy about that,’ said Bao-yu, ‘if they were friends.’

‘Friends!’ said Parfumée. “They were more than that. It was Nénuphar’s soppy ideas that started it all. You see, Nénuphar is our Principal Boy and Pivoine always played opposite her as Principal Girl. They became so accustomed to acting the part of lovers on the stage, that gradually it came to seem real to them and Nénuphar began carrying on as if they were really lovers. When Pivoine died, Nénuphar cried herself into fits, and even now she still thinks about her. That’s why she makes offerings to her on feast-days. When Étamine took over the roles that Pivoine used to play, Nénuphar became just the same towards her. We even teased her about it: “Have you forgotten your old love then, now that you’ve got yourself a new one?” But she said, “No, I haven’t forgotten. It’s like when a man loses his wife and remarries. He can still be faithful to the first wife, as long as he keeps her memory green.” Did you ever hear anything so soppy in your life?’

‘Soppy’ or whatever it was, there was a strain in Bao-yu’s own nature which responded to it with a powerful mixture of emotions: pleasure, sorrow, and an unbounded admiration for the little actress. He took Parfumée’s hands in his own and told her with great earnestness what she must say to Nénuphar.

‘Tell her never, never to use that paper stuff again. “Spirit money” is a superstitious invention of modern times: you’ll find nothing about it in the teachings of Confucius. All she needs to do when feast-days come round is to light a little incense in a burner. Provided that it’s done with reverence, that’s all that’s needed for conveying one’s feelings to the dead. It’s the sincerity with which we make the offering, not the offering itself that counts. You see that burner on the table over there? Whenever I want to remember someone dear to me – it doesn’t necessarily have to be on a feast-day or any particular day, by the way – I light some incense in it and put out a cup of fresh tea or water, or sometimes some flowers or fruit if I have any. You can even use “unclean foods” – as long as they’re devoutly offered: that’s the important thing. Tell her not to go burning that paper stuff any more.’

Parfumée promised. After that she finished off the gruel. Then someone came in to say that Grandmother Jia had got back.

Of that you shall hear more in the next chapter.