"Your venerable ladyship，" resumed Chang， the Taoist， "isn't aware that though I be， to look at， a man of eighty， I， after all， continue， thanks to your protection， my dowager lady， quite hale and strong. In the second place， there are crowds of people in the outer rooms； and the smells are not aGREeable. Besides it's a very hot day and Mr. Pao couldn't stand the heat as he is not accustomed to it. So were he to catch any disease from the filthy odours， it would be a grave thing！"

After these forebodings old lady Chia accordingly desired Pao-yue to unclasp the jade of Spiritual Perception， and to deposit it in the tray. The Taoist， Chang， carefully ensconced it in the folds of the wrapper， embroidered with dragons， and left the room， supporting the tray with both his hands.

During this while， dowager lady Chia and the other inmates devoted more of their time in visiting the various places. But just as they were on the point of going up the two-storied building， they heard Chia Chen shout： "Grandfather Chang has brought back the jade."

As he spoke， the Taoist Chang was seen advancing up to them， the tray in hand. "The whole company，" he smiled， "were much obliged to me. They think Mr. Pao's jade really lovely！ None of them have， however， any suitable gifts to bestow. These are religious articles， used by each of them in propagating the doctrines of Reason， but they're all only too ready to give them as congratulatory presents. If， Mr. Pao， you don't fancy them for anything else， just keep them to play with or to give away to others."

Dowager lady Chia， at these words， looked into the tray. She discovered that its contents consisted of gold signets， and jade rings， or sceptres， implying： "may you have your wishes accomplished in everything，" or "may you enjoy peace and health from year to year；" that the various articles were strung with pearls or inlaid with precious stones， worked in jade or mounted in gold； and that they were in all from thirty to fifty.

"What nonsense you're talking！" she then exclaimed. "Those people are all divines， and where could they have rummaged up these things？ But what need is there for any such presents？ He may， on no account， accept them."

"these are intended as a small token of their esteem，" responded Chang， the Taoist， smiling， "your servant cannot therefore venture to interfere with them. If your venerable ladyship will not keep them， won't you make it patent to them that I'm treated contemptuously， and unlike what one should be， who has joined the order through your household？"

Only when old lady Chia heard these arguments did she direct a servant to receive the presents.

"Venerable senior，" Pao-yue smilingly chimed in. "After the reasons advanced by grandfather Chang， we cannot possibly refuse them. But albeit I feel disposed to keep these things， they are of no avail to me； so would it not be well were a servant told to carry the tray and to follow me out of doors， that I may distribute them to the poor？

"You are perfectly right in what you say！" smiled dowager lady Chia.

the Taoist Chang， however， went on speedily to use various arguments to dissuade him. "Mr. Pao，" he observed， "your intention is， it is true， to perform charitable acts； but though you may aver that these things are of little value， you'll nevertheless find among them several articles you might turn to some account. Were you to let the beggars have them， why they will， first of all， be none the better for them； and， next， it will contrariwise be tantamount to throwing them away！ If you want to distribute anything among the poor， why don't you dole out cash to them？"

"Put them by！" promptly shouted Pao-yue， after this rejoinder， "and when evening comes， take a few cash and distribute them."

these directions given， Chang， the Taoist， retired out of the place.

Dowager lady Chia and her companions thereupon walked upstairs and sat in the main part of the building. Lady Feng and her friends adjourned into the eastern part， while the waiting-maids and servants remained in the western portion， and took their turns in waiting on their mistresses.

Before long， Chia Chen came back. "the plays，" he announced， "have been chosen by means of slips picked out before the god. The first one on the list is the 'Record of the White Snake.'"

"Of what kind of old story does 'the record of the white snake，' treat？" old lady Chia inquired.

"the story about Han Kao-tsu，" replied Chia Chen， "killing a snake and then ascending the throne. The second play is， 'the Bed covered with ivory tablets.'"

"Has this been assigned the second place？" asked dowager lady Chia. "Yet never mind； for as the gods will it thus， there is no help than not to demur. But what about the third play？" she went on to inquire.

"the Nan Ko dream is the third，" Chia Chen answered.

This response elicited no comment from dowager lady Chia. Chia Chen therefore withdrew downstairs， and betook himself outside to make arrangements for the offerings to the gods， for the paper money and eatables that had to be burnt， and for the theatricals about to begin. So we will leave him without any further allusion， and take up our narrative with Pao-yue.

Seating himself upstairs next to old lady Chia， he called to a servant-girl to fetch the tray of presents given to him a short while back， and putting on his own trinket of jade， he fumbled about with the things for a bit， and picking up one by one， he handed them to his grandmother to admire. But old lady Chia espied among them a unicorn， made of purplish gold， with kingfisher feathers inserted， and eagerly extending her arm， she took it up. "This object，" she smiled， "seems to me to resemble very much one I've seen worn also by the young lady of some household or other of ours."

"Senior cousin， Shih Hsiang-yuen，" chimed in Pao-ch'ai， a smile playing on her lips， "has one， but it's a trifle smaller than this."

"Is it indeed Yuen-erh who has it？" exclaimed old lady Chia.

"Now that she lives in our house，" remarked Pao-yue， "how is it that even I haven't seen anything of it？"

"Cousin Pao-ch'ai，" rejoined T'an Ch'un laughingly， "has the power of observation； no matter what she sees， she remembers."

Lin Tai-yue gave a sardonic smile. "As far as other matters are concerned，" she insinuated， "her observation isn't worth speaking of； where she's extra-observant is in articles people may wear about their persons."