Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/375

 another cousin to Pao-yii, but about a year older than he was ; and besides receiving a warm welcome, the two were invited to settle themselves comfortably down in the capacious family mansion of their relatives. Thus it was that destiny brought Pao-yii and his two cousins together under the same roof.

The three soon became fast friends. Pao-ch'ai had been carefully educated by her father, and was able to hold her own even against the accomplished Tai-yii. Pao-yii loved the society of either or both. He was always happy so long as he had a pretty girl by his side, and was, moreover, fascinated by the wit of these two young ladies in particular.

He had, however, occasional fits of moody depression, varied by discontent with his superfluous worldly sur- roundings. " In what am I better," he would say, " than a wallowing hog ? Why was I born and bred amid this splendid magnificence of wealth, instead of in some coldly furnished household where I could have enjoyed the pure communion of friends ? These silks and satins, these rich meats and choice wines, of what avail are they to this perishable body of mine ? O wealth ! O power ! I curse you both, ye cankerworms of my earthly career."

All these morbid thoughts, however, were speedily dispelled by the presence of his fair cousins, with whom, in fact, Pao-yii spent most of the time he ought to have devoted to his books. He was always running across to see either one or other of these young ladies, or meeting both of them in general assembly at his grandmother's. It was at a tete-a-tete with Pao-ch'ai that she made him show her his marvellous piece of jade, with the inscription, which she read as follows :

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