评论
打印
"This spot，" observed Chia Cheng full of smiles， "is indeed pleasant！ and could one， on a moonlight night， sit under the window and study， one would not spend a whole lifetime in vain！"
As he said this， he quickly cast a glance at Pao-yue， and so terrified did Pao-yue feel that he hastily drooped his head. the whole company lost no time in choosing some irrelevant talk to turn the conversation， and two of the visitors prosecuted their remarks by adding that on the tablet， in this spot， four characters should be inscribed.
"Which four characters？" Chia Cheng inquired， laughingly.
"the bequeathed aspect of the river Ch'i！" suggested one of them.
"It's commonplace，" observed Chia Cheng.
Another person recommended "the remaining vestiges of the Chue Garden."
"This too is commonplace！" replied Chia Cheng.
"Let brother Pao-yue again propound one！" interposed Chia Chen， who stood by.
"Before he composes any himself，" Chia Cheng continued， "his wont is to first discuss the pros and cons of those of others； so it's evident that he's an impudent fellow！"
"He's most reasonable in his arguments，" all the visitors protested， "and why should he be called to task？"
"Don't humour him so much！" Chia Cheng expostulated. "I'll put up for to-day，" he however felt constrained to tell Pao-yue， "with your haughty manner， and your rubbishy speech， so that after you have， to begin with， given us your opinion， you may next compose a device. But tell me， are there any that will do among the mottoes suggested just now by all the gentlemen？"
"they all seem to me unsuitable！" Pao-yue did not hesitate to say by way of reply to this question.
Chia Cheng gave a sardonic smile. "How all unsuitable？" he exclaimed.
"This，" continued Pao-yue， "is the first spot which her highness will honour on her way， and there should be inscribed， so that it should be appropriate， something commending her sacred majesty. But if a tablet with four characters has to be used， there are likewise devices ready at hand， written by poets of old； and what need is there to compose any more？"
"Are forsooth the devices 'the river Ch'i and the Chu Garden' not those of old authors？" insinuated Chia Cheng.
"they are too stiff，" replied Pao-yue. "Would not the four characters： 'a phoenix comes with dignified air，' be better？"
With clamorous unanimity the whole party shouted： "Excellent：" and Chia Cheng nodding his head； "You beast， you beast！" he ejaculated， "it may well be said about you that you see through a thin tube and have no more judgment than an insect！ Compose another stanza，" he consequently bade him； and Pao-yue recited：
In the precious tripod kettle， tea is brewed， but GREen is still the smoke！ O'er is the game of chess by the still window， but the fingers are yet cold.
Chia Cheng shook his head. "Neither does this seem to me good！" he said； and having concluded this remark he was leading the company out， when just as he was about to proceed， he suddenly bethought himself of something.
"the several courts and buildings and the teapoys， sideboards， tables and chairs，" he added， "may be said to be provided for. But there are still all those curtains， screens and portieres， as well as the furniture， nicknacks and curios； and have they too all been matched to suit the requirements of each place？"
"Of the things that have to be placed about，" Chia Chen explained， a good number have， at an early period， been added， and of course when the time comes everything will be suitably arranged. As for the curtains， screens， and portieres， which have to be hung up， I heard yesterday brother Lien say that they are not as yet complete， that when the works were first taken in hand， the plan of each place was drawn， the measurements accurately calculated and some one despatched to attend to the things， and that he thought that yesterday half of them were bound to come in.
Chia Cheng， upon hearing this explanation， readily remembered that with all these concerns Chia Chen had nothing to do； so that he speedily sent some one to go and call Chia Lien.
Having arrived in a short while， "How many sorts of things are there in all？" Chia Cheng inquired of him. "Of these how many kinds have by this time been got ready？ and how many more are short？"
At this question， Chia Lien hastily produced， from the flaps of his boot， a paper pocket-book， containing a list， which he kept inside the tops of his boot. After perusing it and reperusing it， he made suitable reply. "Of the hundred and twenty curtains，" he proceeded， "of stiff spotted silks， embroidered with dragons in relief， and of the curtains large and small， of every kind of damask silk， eighty were got yesterday， so that there still remain forty of them to come. The two portieres were both received yesterday； and besides these， there are the two hundred red woollen portieres， two hundred portieres of Hsiang Fei bamboo； two hundred door-screens of rattan， with gold streaks， and of red lacquered bamboo； two hundred portieres of black lacquered rattan； two hundred door-screens of variegated thread-netting with clusters of flowers. Of each of these kinds， half have come in， but the whole lot of them will be complete no later than autumn. Antimacassars， table-cloths， flounces for the beds， and cushions for the stools， there are a thousand two hundred of each， but these likewise are ready and at hand."
As he spoke， they proceeded outwards， but suddenly they perceived a hill extending obliquely in such a way as to intercept the passage； and as they wound round the curve of the hill faintly came to view a line of yellow mud walls， the whole length of which was covered with paddy stalks for the sake of protection， and there were several hundreds of apricot trees in bloom， which presented the appearance of being fire， spurted from the mouth， or russet clouds， rising in the air. Inside this enclosure， stood several thatched cottages. Outside GREw， on the other hand， mulberry trees， elms， mallows， and silkworm oaks， whose tender shoots and new twigs， of every hue， were allowed to bend and to intertwine in such a way as to form two rows of green fence. Beyond this fence and below the white mound， was a well， by the side of which stood a well-sweep， windlass and such like articles； the ground further down being divided into parcels， and apportioned into fields， which， with the fine vegetables and cabbages in flower， presented， at the first glance， the aspect of being illimitable.
"This is，" Chia Cheng observed chuckling， "the place really imbued with a certain amount of the right principle； and laid out， though it has been by human labour， yet when it strikes my eye， it so moves my heart， that it cannot help arousing in me the wish to return to my native place and become a farmer. But let us enter and rest a while."
As he concluded these words， they were on the point of walking in， when they unexpectedly discerned a stone， outside the trellis gate， by the roadside， which had also been left as a place on which to inscribe a motto.
