Page:Frank Owen - The Scarlett Hill, 1941.djvu/215

RV 210 (LI PO)

When Wang Wei reached home his mother was barely conscious, but she roused as he approached. Her old withered face lit up, and though she could not speak, he read the gratitude in her eyes. Now she could die in peace. Both of her sons were with her.

Meanwhile the caravan pushed steadily onward. When they passed towns and villages the inhabitants gathered to watch in reverence the procession of their beloved Emperor.

Now and then, Li Po caught a glimpse of a wine flag before a tavern. He longed to stop for a moment, but he had the grace not to voice his cravings. After all there was good wine in abundance whenever they paused for meals, far better wine than that served at wayside taverns. Nevertheless some slight feeling of nostalgia persisted.

The roads were good, the air was cool, the sky was clear. No vestige of storm threatened. Even so, Ming Huang was impatient. He would have turned back had it not been beneath his dignity. If Yang Kuei-fei should learn the magnitude of the power she held over him, there would be no managing her. RV 210 (210)