long before the sun was up tuen and her mother were huddled together, talking in low tones about the wealth niu would receive from the viceroy, and tuen ever found herself planning what they would do when they went back to their native town, and then she would suddenly remember that she would not be with them, and a great lump would come up into her throat and choke her. and it was small wonder that she felt she would gladly starve with them rather than pay such a terrible price for bread.
all the morning they squatted forlornly before the temple, hungry and desolate and sorrowful, and when at last niu tsang arose, and tuen knew that the awful [pg 32]moment when she must leave them forever had come, she felt as if she should surely die. her mother caressed her, crying in a hopeless, patient way, but she managed to whisper encouragingly:
"after all, you will be better off," and tuen answered bravely: "all of us will, i hope, be better off, mother. at least we shall not die of hunger."
"no, and nothing could be worse than that," her mother said with a shudder, for she was even now weak and well-nigh exhausted.
"you will never again want for food, mother," tuen repeated, finding her only consolation in this knowledge. "never again be hungry, and after a while my brother will grow up and marry a wife to wait on you. but mother, mother, i will not be there, never, never, never," and tuen rocked herself to and fro and moaned.
"it is true," her mother answered, "but[pg 33] to live in the house of a viceroy is not an unpleasant prospect, for it must be very splendid there." thus did these two poor ones try to comfort each other.
"i will try to make the best of it, and maybe the gods will have pity on me," tuen finally said, and with a last embrace of her mother, a last, long look at her baby brother, she followed her father, and she held her head very high, and did not dare to look back at them, lest her courage fail her.
niu tsang was also grief-stricken and spoke but little as they made their way through the narrow, crowded streets, where the throng ever pressed and jostled in good-natured confusion. at last they stopped in front of a high wall, more pretentious than any they had yet seen. upon the lintels of the door, which was cut in the centre of the wall, were imposing boards with curious red letters upon them announcing the literary rank of the[pg 34] owner, while from the eaves hung lanterns inscribed with his name and rank.
"it is the viceroy's yamen," her father said briefly. "let us enter."
the gate-keeper, nodding contemptuously to them as he noticed the poverty of their appearance, allowed them to pass when niu stated that he had an appointment with the viceroy, and as this outer door, upon which was carved the protecting gods, closed behind them, tuen felt that she had in truth passed the gates of doom. nevertheless as they entered the small space within the doorway, guarded on each side by great stone lions, she forced back the tears that almost blinded her, and looked curiously at this ogre palace that was henceforth to be her home. to the left was the shrine of the gods of the threshold, where a bowl of ashes showed that incense sticks had lately burned, and on the right, behind bright red boards ornamented with gilt lettering,[pg 35] were several sedan chairs. as they went behind the screen that separated this entranceway from the inner buildings they found themselves in a paved court where flowers bloomed in fancy jars, and rows of ornamental shrubbery outlined the walk. here they were met by a porter, more supercilious in manner than the gate-keeper, and it was only after a prolonged argument, for he liked not to admit such unprepossessing individuals, that he finally conducted them to the main hall, where the viceroy received his guests and transacted all business. at one end of this apartment was an altar dedicated to the household spirits, and upon it were incense vases and tall candlesticks of wrought brass in which red wax candles were burning, while on the wall hung gay banners and scrolls of white satin, inscribed with the maxims of confucius. small tables were arranged around the room, with two chairs at each one, where tea and tobacco[pg 36] were served to callers, and at the end of the hall near the altar was a square couch filled with silken pillows, and upon this the magistrate half reclined, book in hand. he was clad in a flowing blue tunic, over which were scattered crimson flowers, and upon the breast was embroidered a great golden lily, its centre a lustrous pearl. his loose pantaloons were met below the knees by stockings of white silk, and his thick-soled shoes were made of yellow silk. upon his head was a red satin cap, adorned at the top with a crimson button, an insignia of his high rank, while from the silken girdle around his waist hung his tobacco pouch, pipe case, bag for flint and steel, and two purses of loosely braided tinsel cord, in which huge gold watches were plainly visible. his wide sleeves were much longer than his arms, and shaped like a horseshoe at the hand, and his girdle was fastened with a clasp of highly polished jade. before him was a low stand of[pg 37] ebony, upon which were writing materials, consisting of a pencil made of soft, fine hair, delicately pointed at the end, a bit of india ink, and a small stone where it could be rubbed smooth.
tuen had a confused idea of these surroundings, although her eyes seemed fixed upon the tiled floor, and her heart was beating so loudly that she could but wonder if the viceroy heard it.
"ah, you have come," he said, hardly looking up from the book he was reading, and taking no notice of niu tsang's polite greetings. "'tis to be hoped the girl will prove not a mere idle consumer of rice, for i have paid a good price for her."
"not so much as she is worth," her father replied quickly. "she is wonderfully smart, considering that she had the misfortune to be born a female."
"girls are always useless," the viceroy answered, pursing up his lips knowingly[pg 38] "and the gods in punishment send us many."
"it is indeed so," niu readily agreed. "they are a crop that never fails. the land teems with them, and there seems no prospect of decrease."
"and yet i have burdened myself with another," the viceroy said regretfully.
"if your illustrious highness," niu commenced, when the viceroy interrupted him.
"the trade is made," he said shortly. "it only remains for the coin to be counted."
then he signed for a servant to approach.
"take the girl to wang," he commanded.
tuen uttered a little gasp but did not move, and her father, seeing her agitation, said tenderly:
"go, my daughter, and may all the gods protect you."
[pg 39]
tuen followed the attendant, her form shaking with suppressed sobs, and he led the way from the main hall into a second court, larger and more beautiful than the first. a gnarled and twisted evergreen, simulating a canopy, stood in the centre of this court, and underneath its thick branches was a little pool, encircled by moss-covered rocks, and filled with brilliant gold-fish. the walk was formed of many-colored pebbles, laid in unique designs, but tuen did not have time to decipher them for she was hurried on into a luxurious apartment, where bright-colored lanterns of horn and oiled silk, decorated with long red tassels, hung from the joists, and on the walls were pen-and-ink sketches of landscapes, and paper panels bearing the ornamental autographs of friends—for with the chinese, fine writing is a great accomplishment. the bedstead was of ebony, carved in fruits and flowers, and from the tester hung draperies of[pg 40] flowered silk. beside it was a massive chair of the same costly wood, the arms ending in dragon's claws; and rich porcelain vases, taller than tuen, stood upon the floor, while in one corner was a handsome pearl-inlaid bookcase. tuen had now dried her eyes and was looking in wondering amazement at this fairy-land she had entered, and as they went out through the leaf-shaped door, hung with silken curtains, and through a narrow corridor lighted by means of a window made of small panes of oyster-shell, she uttered an exclamation of delight at the beautiful scene before her. they were now in a spacious court, where lilies, peonies, geraniums, and many flowers she had never seen before bloomed in odd-shaped jardinières. in the centre was a miniature lake where the rich green leaves of the lotus lay upon the still water, and here and there a pink bud peeped out from its cool hiding-place. shrubs cut in the shape[pg 41] of inviting benches or cosy chairs invited the weary to rest, while the light fell dimly through a roof of oyster-shells upon this lovely spot. a polished stone table stood on the bank of the lake, with chairs around it—for here the viceroy often came to drink his tea—and hanging from the branches of trees were cages of chirping goldfinch. tuen could but wish she might stay here a little while, but her guide was anxious to be rid of her and went quickly on. they now entered another bedroom, not less magnificent than the one she had lately seen, where the air was heavy with the perfume of incense that burned in a copper tripod, and passing out at a door, this time shaped like an urn, she was led through many other corridors and apartments, until at last they came to the last court of all, where, surrounded by earthen tubs and buckets, two women were washing clothes, chattering constantly the while. a little apart from them stood an elderly woman[pg 42] with a shrewd, pleasant face, who seemed to be overlooking the others.
"the viceroy sent her to you," the servant who was with tuen said to the older woman, pointing with one finger to the shrinking girl behind him.
at his words the women looked up from their work with evident curiosity, for there was but little break in the monotony of their lives, and this newcomer was therefore interesting. the one to whom he spoke came forward that she might better examine her charge.
"where did he get her?" she inquired, regarding tuen with something like disfavor in her keen eyes.
"bought her," was the man's laconic answer. "from the ragman it appears," he also volunteered; and then with a shrug of his shoulders he went away.
"he was cheated if he paid much. don't you say so, wang?" one of the women said with a laugh that was not unkind.
[pg 43]
a feeling of such utter, overpowering loneliness swept over tuen as she stood undergoing their scrutiny that all at once she slipped down on the muddy ground and fell to weeping violently.
tuen and wang
"a cry-baby," one of them muttered contemptuously, returning to her work.
"poor child," the one called wang murmured, perhaps remembering the day when she had been bought by the viceroy; and she went over to the prostrate figure.
"o come, there's nothing to cry about," she said pleasantly. "you are in great good-fortune to have such an illustrious and wealthy gentleman as the viceroy to buy you. it's not every girl has such a master."
"no indeed," replied the younger of the other two women. "why he never beats us at all."
encouraged by these cheerful remarks tuen's sobs grew less, and she [pg 44]surreptitiously dried her eyes on the skirt of her jacket.
"you look like a lazy thing," the woman who had called her a cry-baby, said spitefully. "get up from there and draw me a bucket of water."
"you must not scold the child, zau," wang interposed. "she is only a bit homesick, now."
zau muttered something to herself as tuen took the bucket and went over to the middle of the court, where a stone with a small hole in the top covered the well.
while she was at her task the women whispered among themselves and nodded toward her, but when she returned wang only said:
"come with me and i will get you some better clothes. then i will take you to see the wife of the viceroy."
