Lin Tai-yue gave a sardonic smile. "As far as other matters are
concerned," she insinuated, "her observation isn't worth speaking of;
where she's extra-observant is in articles people may wear about their
persons."

Pao-chai, upon catching this sneering remark, at once turned her head
round, and pretended she had not heard. But as soon as Pao-yue learnt
that Shih Hsiang-yuen possessed a similar trinket, he speedily picked up
the unicorn, and hid it in his breast, indulging, at the same time, in
further reflection. Yet, fearing lest people might have noticed that he
kept back that particular thing the moment he discovered that Shih
Hsiang-yuen had one identical with it, he fixed his eyes intently upon
all around while clutching it. He found however that not one of them was
paying any heed to his movements except Lin Tai-yue, who, while gazing at
him was, nodding her head, as if with the idea of expressing her
admiration. Pao-yue, therefore, at once felt inwardly ill at ease, and
pulling out his hand, he observed, addressing himself to Tai-yue with an
assumed smile, "This is really a fine thing to play with; I'll keep it
for you, and when we get back home, I'll pass a ribbon through it for
you to wear." "I don't care about it," said Lin Tai-yue, giving her head
a sudden twist.

"Well," continued Pao-yue laughingly, "if you don't like it, I can't do
otherwise than keep it myself."

Saying this, he once again thrust it away. But just as he was about to
open his lips to make some other observation, he saw Mrs. Yu, the spouse
of Chia Chen, arrive along with the second wife recently married by Chia
Jung, that is, his mother and her daughter-in-law, to pay their
obeisance to dowager lady Chia.