Ch'un's servant-girls Ju Hua and Ts'ai P'ing; and Mrs. Hsueeh's
waiting-maids T'ung Hsi, and T'ung Kuei. Besides these, were joined to
their retinue: Hsiang Ling and Hsiang Ling's servant-girl Ch'in Erh;
Mrs. Li's waiting-maids Su Yuen and Pi Yueeh; lady Feng's servant-girls
P'ing Erh, Feng Erh and Hsiao Hung, as well as Madame Wang's two
waiting-maids Chin Ch'uan and Ts'ai Yuen. Along with lady Feng, came a
nurse carrying Ta Chieh Erh. She drove in a separate carriage, together
with a couple of servant-girls. Added also to the number of the suite
were matrons and nurses, attached to the various establishments, and the
wives of the servants of the household, who were in attendance out of
doors. Their carriages, forming one black solid mass, therefore, crammed
the whole extent of the street.

Dowager lady Chia and other members of the party had already proceeded a
considerable distance in their chairs, and yet the inmates at the gate
had not finished mounting their vehicles. This one shouted: "I won't sit
with you." That one cried: "You've crushed our mistress' bundle." In the
carriages yonder, one screamed: "You've pulled my flowers off." Another
one nearer exclaimed: "You've broken my fan." And they chatted and
chatted, and talked and laughed with such incessant volubility, that
Chou Jui's wife had to go backward and forward calling them to task.
"Girls," she said, "this is the street. The on-lookers will laugh at
you!" But it was only after she had expostulated with them several times
that any sign of improvement became at last visible.

The van of the procession had long ago reached the entrance of the
Ch'ing Hsue Temple. Pao-yue rode on horseback. He preceded the chair
occupied by his grandmother Chia. The throngs that filled the streets
ranged themselves on either side.