Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/384

 372 CHINESE LITERATURE

better health ; and in the judgment of those with whom the decision rested, health carried the day. It was arranged that Pao-yii was to marry Pao-ch'ai.

This momentous arrangement was naturally made in secret. Various preliminaries would have to be gone through before a verbal promise could give place to formal betrothal. And it is a well-ascertained fact that secrets can only be kept by men, while this one was confided to at least a dozen women. Consequently, one night when Tai-yii was ill and alone in her room, yearning for the love that had already been contracted away to another, she heard two slave-girls outside whispering confidences, and fancied she caught Pao- yii's name. She listened again, and this time without doubt, for she heard them say that Pao-yii was engaged to marry a lady of good family and many accomplish- ments. Just then a parrot called out, " Here's your mistress : pour out the tea ! " which frightened the slave- girls horribly ; and they forthwith separated, one of them running inside to attend upon Tai-yii herself. She finds her young mistress in a very agitated state, but Tai-yii is always ailing now.

This time she was seriously ill. She ate nothing. She was racked by a dreadful cough. Even a Chinese doctor could now hardly fail to see that she was far advanced in a decline. But none knew that the sick- ness of her body had originated in sickness of the heart.

One night she grew rapidly worse and worse, and lay to all appearances dying. A slave-girl ran to summon her grandmother, while several others remained in the room talking about Pao-yii and his intended marriage. " It was all off," said one of them. " His grandmother would not agree to the young lady chosen by his father.

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