Page:Frank Owen - The Scarlett Hill, 1941.djvu/52

 of Lady Ts'ao. But then they were written seven hundred years ago."

"Have women changed in seven hundred years?" "Not in structure, perhaps," observed Yuhan, "but they are more awake. Modem women do not wear veils. They are educated. They read the words of the Sages. Their brothers find it an effort to keep up with them. We are fortunate to have the privilege of living in these enlightened days. A few months ago my father took me to a field to watch a man attempting to fly. He had great wings upon his shoulders. When the wind was strong he rose into the air. But he fell to earth when the wind died down. He was bruised but unhurt. However, he achieved much. Some day men may learn to jump over mountains."

Prince Shou walked in the garden beside Frozen Pearl Lake, contemplating the rapture that was to come. He had known so many women he had lost count, but not one of them had been comparable to Yuhan. Yet he was unable to tell exactly what it was that affected him so strangely. What charm did she possess that made her so desirable? He had heard that she was educated in all the arts. That was good. It had also been reported to him that she laughed too much, she danced too much. That was bad. Such pastimes for women were merely idle joys. Yet at the same time he heard these accounts with keen relish. Even in his