Feng Tzu-ying and the rest meanwhile exclaimed with one voice: "Quite
right! quite right!"

Pao-yue then lifted a large cup and drained it with one draught. "We will
now," he proposed, "dilate on the four characters, 'sad, wounded, glad
and joyful.' But while discoursing about young ladies, we'll have to
illustrate the four states as well. At the end of this recitation, we'll
have to drink the 'door cup' over the wine, to sing an original and
seasonable ballad, while over the heel taps, to make allusion to some
object on the table, and devise something with some old poetical lines
or ancient scrolls, from the Four Books or the Five Classics, or with
some set phrases."

Hsueeh P'an gave him no time to finish. He was the first to stand up and
prevent him from proceeding. "I won't join you, so don't count me; this
is, in fact, done in order to play tricks upon me."

Yuen Erh, however, also rose to her feet and shoved him down into his
seat.

"What are you in such a funk for?" she laughed. "You're fortunate enough
to be able to drink wine daily, and can't you, forsooth, even come up to
me? Yet I mean to recite, by and bye, my own share. If you say what's
right, well and good; if you don't, you will simply have to swallow
several cups of wine as a forfeit, and is it likely you'll die from
drunkenness? Are you, pray, going now to disregard this rule and to
drink, instead, ten large cups; besides going down to pour the wine?"

One and all clapped in applause. "Well said!" they shouted.