regular fasting," she said, "we simply have come for a little change;
and we should not have put any one to any inconvenience!" Although
therefore she was to have remained present all day at the theatrical
performance, she promptly returned home soon after noon, and the next
day she felt very loth to go out of doors again.

"By striking the wall, we've also stirred up dust," lady Feng argued.
"Why we've already put those people to the trouble so we should only be
too glad to-day to have another outing."

But as when dowager lady Chia interviewed the Taoist Chang, the previous
day, he made allusion to Pao-yue and canvassed his engagement, Pao-yue
experienced, little as one would have thought it, much secret
displeasure during the whole of that day, and on his return home he flew
into a rage and abused Chang, the rationalistic priest, for harbouring
designs to try and settle a match for him. At every breath and at every
word he resolved that henceforward he would not set eyes again upon the
Taoist Chang. But no one but himself had any idea of the reason that
actuated him to absent himself. In the next place, Lin Tai-yue began
also, on her return the day before, to ail from a touch of the sun, so
their grandmother was induced by these two considerations to remain firm
in her decision not to go. When lady Feng, however, found that she would
not join them, she herself took charge of the family party and set out
on the excursion.

But without descending to particulars, let us advert to Pao-yue. Seeing
that Lin Tai-yue had fallen ill, he was so full of solicitude on her
account that he even had little thought for any of his meals, and not
long elapsed before he came to inquire how she was.