Page:Frank Owen - The Scarlett Hill, 1941.djvu/41

 almond trees were blooming, the plum blossoms had departed, all the flowers in the garden were conscious of the warm, life-giving caress of the sun, and in the heart of Yuhan it was spring.

As the retinue passed through the red gates of the Imperial grounds, the ancient gatekeeper struck three times on a mighty bronze gong. Was it a symbol? Did it mean that beyond the red gates she would find the Scarlet Hill of Immortality?

Through winding paths the procession moved in order to confuse evil spirits who are only able to travel in a straight line.

The mind of Yuhan was a chaos of confused wonder. She was so happy that her heart hurt, and she put her hands to her breast to ease its excited fluttering. At last she was in the confines of the Imperial Palace, the possession of a young Prince. Perhaps she would be a treasured possession. Combined with her joy was a feeling of fear. She hoped he would be gentle with her, for she knew so little about men. How to charm them, yes. That she had mastered. But she had never shared her couch with a man. The prospect was faintly alarming. At the same time she was anxious for the first ordeal to be over. She was curious to know what his attitude might be afterward. With an effort she pushed away thoughts that were unseemly, but she could not entirely banish her curiosity.