more wroth. After much thought and cogitation, the incidents of the
morning flashed unawares through her memory. "It must, in fact," she
mused, "be because Pao-yue is angry with me for having explained to him
the true reasons. But why did I ever go and tell you? You should,
however, have made inquiries before you lost your temper to such an
extent with me as to refuse to let me in to-day; but is it likely that
we shall not by and bye meet face to face again?"

The more she gave way to thought, the more she felt wounded and
agitated; and without heeding the moss, laden with cold dew, the path
covered with vegetation, and the chilly blasts of wind, she lingered all
alone, under the shadow of the bushes at the corner of the wall, so
thoroughly sad and dejected that she broke forth into sobs.

Lin Tai-yue was, indeed, endowed with exceptional beauty and with charms
rarely met with in the world. As soon therefore as she suddenly melted
into tears, and the birds and rooks roosting on the neighbouring willow
boughs and branches of shrubs caught the sound of her plaintive tones,
they one and all fell into a most terrific flutter, and, taking to their
wings, they flew away to distant recesses, so little were they able to
listen with equanimity to such accents. But the spirits of the flowers
were, at the time, silent and devoid of feeling, the birds were plunged
in dreams and in a state of stupor, so why did they start? A stanza
appositely assigns the reason:--

P'in Erh's mental talents and looks must in the world be rare--.
Alone, clasped in a subtle smell, she quits her maiden room.
The sound of but one single sob scarcely dies away,
And drooping flowers cover the ground and birds fly in dismay.