issued directions to the servants to rub and wash Pao-yue clean. At
another, she heaped abuse upon Chia Huan.

Lady Feng jumped on to the stone-couch by leaps and bounds. But while
intent upon removing the stuff from Pao-yue's face, she simultaneously
ejaculated: "Master Tertius, are you still such a trickster! I'll tell
you what, you'll never turn to any good account! Yet dame Chao should
ever correct and admonish him."

This single remark suggested the idea to Madame Wang, and she lost no
time in sending for Mrs. Chao to come round.

"You bring up," she berated her, "such a black-hearted offspring like
this, and don't you, after all, advise and reprove him? Time and again I
paid no notice whatever to what happened, and you and he have become
more audacious, and have gone from worse to worse!"

Mrs. Chao had no alternative but to suppress every sense of injury,
silence all grumblings, and go herself and lend a hand to the others in
tidying Pao-yue. She then perceived that a whole row of blisters had
risen on the left side of Pao-yue's face, but that fortunately no injury
had been done to his eyes.

When Madame Wang's attention was drawn to them she felt her heart sore.
It fell a prey to fears also lest when dowager lady Chia made any
inquiries about them she should find it difficult to give her any
satisfactory reply. And so distressed did she get that she gave Mrs.
Chao another scolding. But while she tried to comfort Pao-yue, she, at
the same time, fetched some powder for counteracting the effects of the
virus, and applied it on his face.