placed before the child all kinds of things, without number, for him to
grasp from. Contrary to every expectation, he scorned every other
object, and, stretching forth his hand, he simply took hold of rouge,
powder and a few hair-pins, with which he began to play. Mr. Cheng
experienced at once displeasure, as he maintained that this youth would,
by and bye, grow up into a sybarite, devoted to wine and women, and for
this reason it is, that he soon began to feel not much attachment for
him. But his grandmother is the one who, in spite of everything, prizes
him like the breath of her own life. The very mention of what happened
is even strange! He is now grown up to be seven or eight years old, and,
although exceptionally wilful, in intelligence and precocity, however,
not one in a hundred could come up to him! And as for the utterances of
this child, they are no less remarkable. The bones and flesh of woman,
he argues, are made of water, while those of man of mud. 'Women to my
eyes are pure and pleasing,' he says, 'while at the sight of man, I
readily feel how corrupt, foul and repelling they are!' Now tell me, are
not these words ridiculous? There can be no doubt whatever that he will
by and bye turn out to be a licentious roue."

Yue-ts'un, whose countenance suddenly assumed a stern air, promptly
interrupted the conversation. "It doesn't quite follow," he suggested.
"You people don't, I regret to say, understand the destiny of this
child. The fact is that even the old Hanlin scholar Mr. Cheng was
erroneously looked upon as a loose rake and dissolute debauchee! But
unless a person, through much study of books and knowledge of letters,
so increases (in lore) as to attain the talent of discerning the nature
of things, and the vigour of mind to fathom the Taoist reason as well as
to comprehend the first principle, he is not in a position to form any
judgment."