you false," some one again rejoined.

"I found it and brought it round," also reached her ear, "and you
naturally will recompense me; but won't you give anything to the person
who picked it up?"

"Don't talk nonsense," the other party added, "he belongs to a family of
gentlemen, and anything of ours he may pick up it's his bounden duty to
restore to us. What reward could you have me give him?"

"If you don't reward him," she heard some one continue, "what will I be
able to tell him? Besides, he enjoined me time after time that if there
was to be no recompense, I was not to give it to you."

A short pause ensued. "Never mind!" then came out again to her, "take
this thing of mine and present it to him and have done! But do you mean
to let the cat out of the bag with any one else? You should take some
oath."

"If I tell any one," she likewise overheard, "may an ulcer grow on my
mouth, and may I, in course of time, die an unnatural death!"

"Ai-ya!" was the reply she heard; "our minds are merely bent upon
talking, but some one might come and quietly listen from outside;
wouldn't it be as well to push all the venetians open. Any one seeing us
in here will then imagine that we are simply chatting about nonsense.
Besides, should they approach, we shall be able to observe them, and at
once stop our conversation!"

Pao-ch'ai listened to these words from outside, with a heart full of