"I do not allow any spying upon my private affairs."

The neighbors retired in discomfort, and the mother threw herself upon
her daughter's body, whose ends were already cold. She sobbed:

"You would not have died if I had come to you. O murderer, you have
let her die of set purpose. You did not want to give her the four or
five thousand ounces which her grandfather left her."

He went out, panting like a boar with anger. The mother did not cease
to lament her loss: her daughter had been so gentle and so clever. At
length the time came to shut down the coffin, and Chou angrily said to
his wife:

"You pretend that I let her die so as not to lose four thousand
ounces? I order you to put all her jewels in the tomb with her. That
is more than five thousand ounces, one would think."

They brought in the wu-tso, the Inspector of Corpses, and also his
assistant, to verify the death and to help in hearsing her. The keeper
of the family graveyard and his brother, the two Chang, were also
there to assist in the mournful work.

The time came for the funeral, and the procession went forth from the
town. The coffin was placed in a brick tomb, and the first shovels of
earth were thrown upon it. Then all returned home. Three feet of cold
insensitive earth covered the body of this young beauty, and it had
been full of love.

Now the Inspector of Corpses had a worthless fellow named Feng for his