"By Heaven unrestrained, without constraint from Earth,
No joys lived in thy heart, but sorrows none as well;
Yet when perception, through refinement, thou did'st reach,
Thou went'st among mankind to trouble to give rise.
How sad the lot which thou of late hast had to hear!
Powder prints and rouge stains thy precious lustre dim.
House bars both day and night encage thee like a duck.
Deep wilt thou sleep, but from thy dream at length thou'lt wake,
Thy debt of vengeance, once discharged, thou wilt depart."

At the conclusion of this recital, he again rubbed the stone for a
while, and gave vent to some nonsensical utterances, after which he
surrendered it to Chia Cheng. "This object," he said, "has already
resumed its efficacy; but you shouldn't do anything to desecrate it.
Hang it on the post of the door in his bed-room, and with the exception
of his own relatives, you must not let any outside female pollute it.
After the expiry of thirty-three days, he will, I can guarantee, be all
right."

Chia Cheng then gave orders to present tea; but the two priests had
already walked away. He had, however, no alternative but to comply with
their injunctions, and lady Feng and Pao-yue, in point of fact, got
better from day to day. Little by little they returned to their senses
and experienced hunger. Dowager lady Chia and Madame Wang, at length,
felt composed in their minds. All the cousins heard the news outside.
Tai-yue, previous to anything else, muttered a prayer to Buddha; while
Pao-ch'ai laughed and said not a word.

"Sister Pao," inquired Hsi Ch'un, "what are you laughing for?"