"What do you mean?" said Le, in slightly modified tones. "Would you have me let the villain go unpunished?" "By no means," pleaded the valet; "his god is his wealth. Tear a portion of that god from him, and in so doing you will inflict a punishment on him to which the loss of life will be as nothing." "There is something in what you say," said Le, in still milder accents. "But I have no taste for such bargainings. Let him send me an offer which I can accept within a quarter of an hour, or he dies." In less than the required time, Pan sent his outraged guest a packet containing ten thousand taels of silver (£3,000), which sum Le's valet afterwards assured Pan he had had much difficulty in inducing his master to accept in condonation of the wrong done to him through the flagrant breach of etiquette of which Pan had been guilty. Accept it he did, however, and in less than an hour the indignant alchemist had shaken the dust of Pan's dwelling from his feet, taking with him his wife, Pan's packet of silver, and, presumably, the mother-metal, for no trace of it was ever afterwards found. Scarcely, however, had he left the town when the magistrate called on Pan to inquire into the whereabouts of his departed guest, who was much "wanted" for a series of alchemistic frauds, "to the success of which," added the magistrate, "he has, I understand, been largely indebted to his extremely beautiful and fascinating wife, and a very astute valet." 344 A CHINESE BALLAD. TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL. A MAID was sitting in her boudoir snug, On coloured shoes embroidering blossoms bright, Passing that way. [She calls to him.] The master stopped, right glad to hear her call, "Come here!" 66 Advance, most learned man," she gently said, "And deign to converse with this lonely maid, O honoured sir." Handing the sage a wooden bench she said, You here will rest awhile, so let me hope, 'Twas in the fourth month that I first saw light; Then high up there [pointing to the skies] The pretty hare1 was gambolling in the moon, In that same month, the thirteenth day thereof, To me, the humble maid you see, gave birth I ask not riches, at such paltry stuff Nor for high honours do I greatly care, The master took his pen and quickly wrote And having reckoned, said in voice sedate, The hapless maiden, when she listening heard Grew angry, and with countenance irate, Said, “You know nothing of the books of Fate, O honoured sir! 1 The hare is the sign of the fourth month, and is popularly believed to derive its origin from the vital essence of the moon, in which luminary a sublimated figure of the animal is visible to the Chinese fancy. Across the street there lives a lady fair, Born King by name; Her father's third child she, and strange to say, Her birth with mine is both to month and day The very same. Yet she when fifteen years of age embraced And the next year to this most welcome joy O honoured sir. Then take these copper cash and go thy way, And never darken more my humble gate. 347 THE LOVE-SICK MAIDEN. A CHINESE POEM. WITH ITHIN a silken curtained bed there lay While lying thus her neighbour Mrs Wang 66 Tell me what ails you, dear," she kindly said. "My mind's diseased," the maiden soft replied: "I cannot sleep, I loathe the sight of food, And I'm so weary.' Then she turned and sighed. "Shall I a doctor call to see you, dear?" |