"Who cares about her!" Pao-yue rejoined, "she'll get all right again
after a time."

Shortly, they finished their repast. But Pao-yue apprehended, in the
first place, that his grandmother Chia, would be solicitous on his
account, and longed, in the second, to be with Lin Tai-yue, so he
hurriedly asked for some tea to rinse his mouth with.

"Cousin Secundus," T'an Ch'un and Hsi Ch'un interposed with an ironic
laugh, "what's the use of the hurry-scurry you're in the whole day long!
Even when you're having your meals, or your tea, you're in this sort of
fussy helter-skelter!"

"Make him hurry up and have his tea," Pao-ch'ai chimed in smiling, "so
that he may go and look up his cousin Lin. He'll be up to all kinds of
mischief if you keep him here!"

Pao-yue drank his tea. Then hastily leaving the apartment, he proceeded
straightway towards the eastern court. As luck would have it, the moment
he got near lady Feng's court, he descried lady Feng standing at the
gateway. While standing on the step, and picking her teeth with an
ear-cleaner, she superintended about ten young servant-boys removing the
flower-pots from place to place. As soon as she caught sight of Pao-yue
approaching, she put on a smiling face. "You come quite opportunely,"
she said; "walk in, walk in, and write a few characters for me."

Pao-yue had no option but to follow her in. When they reached the
interior of her rooms, lady Feng gave orders to a servant to fetch a
pen, inkslab and paper.