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"Hitherto，" remonstrated Tai-ju， "when about to go out of doors， you never ventured to go， on your own hook， without first telling me about it， and how is it that yesterday you surreptitiously left the house？ for this offence alone you deserve a beating， and how much more for the lie imposed upon me."
Into such a violent fit of anger did he consequently fly that laying hands on him， he pulled him over and administered to him thirty or forty blows with a cane. Nor would he allow him to have anything to eat， but bade him remain on his knees in the court conning essays； impressing on his mind that he would not let him off， before he had made up for the last ten days' lessons.
Chia Jui had in the first instance， frozen the whole night， and， in the next place， came in for a flogging. With a stomach， besides， gnawed by the pangs of hunger， he had to kneel in a place exposed to drafts reading the while literary compositions， so that the hardships he had to endure were of manifold kinds.
Chia Jui's infamous intentions had at this junction undergone no change； but far from his thoughts being even then any idea that lady Feng was humbugging him， he seized， after the lapse of a couple of days， the first leisure moments to come again in search of that lady.
Lady Feng pretended to bear him a grudge for his breach of faith， and Chia Jui was so distressed that he tried by vows and oaths （to establish his innocence.） Lady Feng perceiving that he had， of his own accord， fallen into the meshes of the net laid for him， could not but devise another plot to give him a lesson and make him know what was right and mend his ways.
With this purpose， she gave him another assignation. "Don't go over there，" she said， "to-night， but wait for me in the empty rooms giving on to a small passage at the back of these apartments of mine. But whatever you do， mind don't be reckless."
"Are you in real earnest？" Chia Jui inquired.
"Why， who wants to play with you？" replied lady Feng； "if you don't believe what I say， well then don't come！"
"I'll come， I'll come， yea I'll come， were I even to die！" protested Chia Jui.
"You should first at this very moment get away！" lady Feng having suggested， Chia Jui， who felt sanguine that when evening came， success would for a certainty crown his visit， took at once his departure in anticipation （of his pleasure.）
During this interval lady Feng hastily set to work to dispose of her resources， and to add to her stratagems， and she laid a trap for her victim； while Chia Jui， on the other hand， was until the shades of darkness fell， a prey to incessant expectation.
As luck would have it a relative of his happened to likewise come on that very night to their house and to only leave after he had dinner with them， and at an hour of the day when the lamps had already been lit； but he had still to wait until his grandfather had retired to rest before he could， at length with precipitate step， betake himself into the Jung mansion.
Straightway he came into the rooms in the narrow passage， and waited with as much trepidation as if he had been an ant in a hot pan. He however waited and waited， but he saw no one arrive； he listened but not even the sound of a voice reached his ear. His heart was full of intense fear， and he could not restrain giving way to surmises and suspicion. "May it not be，" he thought， "that she is not coming again； and that I may have once more to freeze for another whole night？"
