So saying, she hastened to tell Ts'ai Yuen to fetch the bottles of
scented water, which she had received as a present a few days before.

"Let her only bring a couple of them, they'll be enough!" Hsi Jen chimed
in. "If you give us more, it will be a useless waste! If it isn't
enough, I can come and fetch a fresh supply. It will come to the same
thing!"

Having listened to all they had to say, Ts'ai Yuen left the room. After
some considerable time, she, in point of fact, returned with only a
couple of bottles, which she delivered to Hsi Jen.

On examination, Hsi Jen saw two small glass bottles, no more than three
inches in size, with screwing silver stoppers at the top. On the
gosling-yellow labels was written, on one: "Pure extract of _olea
fragrans_," on the other, "Pure extract of roses."

"What fine things these are!" Hsi Jen smiled. "How many small bottles
the like of this can there be?"

"They are of the kind sent to the palace," rejoined Madame Wang. "Didn't
you notice that gosling-yellow slip? But mind, take good care of them
for him; don't fritter them away!"

Hsi Jen assented. She was about to depart when Madame Wang called her
back. "I've thought of something," she said, "that I want to ask you."

Hsi Jen hastily came back.

Madame Wang made sure that there was no one in the room. "I've heard a