the wallet of kai lung-第36节

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to　make　a　pretence　of　concealing　a　matter　which　has　been　already　in



part　revealed；　the　Mandarin　Chan　Hung　had　by　this　time　determined　to



act　in　the　manner　which　Ming…hi　had　suggested；　so　that　on　a　certain



morning　Lee　Sing　was　visited　by　two　persons；　bearing　between　them　a



very　weighty　sack　of　taels；　who　also　conveyed　to　him　the　fact　that　a



like　amount　would　be　deposited　within　his　door　at　the　end　of　each



succeeding　seven　days。　Although　Lee's　occupation　had　in　the　past　been



very　meagrely　rewarded；　either　by　taels　of　by　honour；　the　circumstance



which　resulted　in　his　now　receiving　so　excessively　large　a　sum　is　not



made　clear　until　the　detail　of　Ming…hi's　scheme　is　closely　examined。



The　matter　then　becomes　plain；　for　it　had　been　suggested　by　that



person　that　the　most　proficient　in　any　occupation　should　be　rewarded



to　a　certain　extent；　and　the　least　proficient　to　another　stated



extent；　the　original　amounts　being　reversed。　When　those　engaged　by



Chang　Hung　to　draw　up　the　various　rates　came　to　the　profession　of



ensnaring　winged　insects；　however；　they　discovered　that　Lee　Sing　was



the　only　one　of　that　description　in　Fow　Hou；　so　that　it　became



necessary　in　consequence　to　allot　him　a　double　portion；　one　amount　as



the　most　proficient；　and　a　much　larger　amount　as　the　least　proficient。







〃It　is　unnecessary　now　to　follow　the　not　altogether　satisfactory



condition　of　affairs　which　began　to　exist　in　Fow　Hou　as　soon　as　the



scheme　was　put　into　operation。　The　full　written　papers　dealing　with



the　matter　are　in　the　Hall　of　Public　Reference　at　Peking；　and　can　be



seen　by　any　person　on　the　payment　of　a　few　taels　to　everyone　connected



with　the　establishment。　Those　who　found　their　possessions　reduced



thereby　completely　overlooked　the　obvious　justice　of　the　arrangement；



and　immediately　began　to　take　most　severe　measures　to　have　the　order



put　aside；　while　those　who　suddenly　and　unexpectedly　found　themselves



raised　to　positions　of　affluence　tended　to　the　same　end　by　conducting



themselves　in　a　most　incapable　and　undiscriminating　manner。　And　during



the　entire　period　that　this　state　of　things　existed　in　Fow　Hou　the



really　contemptible　Ming…hi　continually　followed　Chan　Hung　about　from



place　to　place；　spreading　out　his　feet　towards　him；　and　allowing



himself　to　become　openly　amused　to　a　most　unseemly　extent。







〃Chief　among　those　who　sought　to　have　the　original　manner　of　rewarding



persons　again　established　was　the　picture…maker；　Pe…tsing；　who　now



found　himself　in　a　condition　of　most　abject　poverty；　so　unbearable；



indeed；　that　he　frequently　went　by　night；　carrying　a　lantern；　in　the



hope　that　he　might　discover　some　of　the　small　pieces　of　money　which　he



had　been　accustomed　to　throw　into　the　air　on　meeting　Lee　Sing。　To　his



pangs　of　hunger　was　added　the　fear　that　he　would　certainly　lose　Lila；



so　that　from　day　to　day　he　redoubled　his　efforts；　and　in　the　end；　by



using　false　statements　and　other　artifices　of　a　questionable　nature；



the　party　which　he　led　was　successful　in　obtaining　the　degradation　of



Chan　Hung　and　his　dismissal　from　office；　together　with　an　entire



reversal　of　all　his　plans　and　enactments。







〃On　the　last　day　of　the　year　which　Chan　Hung　had　appointed　as　the



period　of　test　for　his　daughter's　suitors；　the　person　in　question　was



seated　in　a　chamber　of　his　new　abodea　residence　of　unassuming



appearance　but　undoubted　comfortsurrounded　by　Lila　and　Lee；　when　the



hanging　curtains　were　suddenly　flung　aside；　and　Pe…tsing；　followed　by



two　persons　of　low　rank　bearing　sacks　of　money；　appeared　among　them。







〃'Chan　Hung；'　he　said　at　length；　'in　the　past　events　arose　which



compelled　this　person　to　place　himself　against　you　in　your　official



position。　Nevertheless；　he　has　always　maintained　towards　you



personally　an　unchanging　affection；　and　understanding　full　well　that



you　are　one　of　those　who　maintain　their　spoken　word　in　spite　of　all



happenings；　he　has　now　come　to　exhibit　the　taels　which　he　has



collected　together；　and　to　claim　the　fulfilment　of　your　deliberate



promise。'







〃With　these　words　the　commonplace　picture…maker　poured　forth　the



contents　of　the　sacks；　and　stood　looking　at　Lila　in　a　most　confident



and　unprepossessing　manner。







〃'Pe…tsing；'　replied　Chan　Hung；　rising　from　his　couch　and　speaking　in



so　severe　and　impressive　a　voice　that　the　two　servants　of　Pe…tsing　at



once　fled　in　great　apprehension；　'this　person　has　also　found　it



necessary；　in　his　official　position；　to　oppose　you；　but　here　the



similarity　ends；　for；　on　his　part；　he　has　never　felt　towards　you　the



remotest　degree　of　affection。　Nevertheless；　he　is　always　desirous；　as



you　say；　that　persons　should　regard　their　spoken　word；　and　as　you　seem



to　hold　a　promise　from　the　Chief　Mandarin　of　Fow　Hou　regarding



marriage…gifts　towards　his　daughter；　he　would　advise　you　to　go　at　once



to　that　person。　A　misunderstanding　has　evidently　arisen；　for　the　one



whom　you　are　addressing　is　merely　Chan　Hung；　and　the　words　spoken　by



the　Mandarin　have　no　sort　of　interest　for　himindeed；　he　understands



that　all　that　person's　acts　have　been　reversed；　so　that　he　fails　to



see　how　anyone　at　all　can　regard　you　and　your　claim　in　other　than　a



gravity…removing　light。　Furthermore；　the　maiden　in　question　is　now



definitely　and　irretrievably　pledged　to　this　faithful　and　successful



one　by　my　side；　who；　as　you　will　doubtless　be　gracefully　overjoyed　to



learn；　has　recently　disposed　of　a　most　ingenious　and　diverting



contrivance　for　an　enormous　number　of　taels；　so　many；　indeed；　that



both　the　immediate　and　the　far…distant　future　of　all　the　persons　who



are　here　before　you　are　now　in　no　sort　of　doubt　whatever。'







〃At　these　words　the　three　persons　whom　he　had　interrupted　again　turned



their　attention　to　the　matter　before　them；　but　as　Pe…tsing　walked



away；　he　observed；　though　he　failed　to　understand　the　meaning；　that



they　all　raised　certain　objects　to　their　eyes；　and　at　once　became



amused　to　a　most　striking　and　uncontrollable　degree。〃















CHAPTER　V







THE　CONFESSION　OF　KAI　LUNG







Related　by　himself　at　Wu…whei　when　other　matter　failed　him。







As　Kai　Lung；　the　story…teller；　unrolled　his　mat　and　selected；　with



grave　deliberation；　the　spot　under　the　mulberry…tree　which　would　the



longest　remain　sheltered　from　the　sun's　rays；　his　impassive　eye



wandered　round　the　thin　circle　of　listeners　who　had　been　drawn



together　by　his　uplifted　voice；　with　a　glance　which；　had　it　expressed



his　actual　thoughts；　would　have　betrayed　a　keen　desire　that　the



assembly　should　be　composed　of　strangers　rather　than　of　his　most



consistent　patrons；　to　whom　his　stock　of　tales　was　indeed　becoming



embarrassingly　familiar。　Nevertheless；　when　he　began　there　was　nothing



in　his　voice　but　a　trace　of　insufficiently　restrained　triumph；　such　as



might　be　fitly　assumed　by　one　who　has　discovered　and　makes　known　for



the　first　time　a　story　by　the　renowned　historian　Lo　Cha。







〃The　adventures　of　the　enlightened　and　nobly…born　Yuin…Pel〃







〃Have　already　thrice　been　narrated　within　Wu…whei　by　the　versatile　but



exceedingly　uninventive　Kai　Lung；〃　remarked　Wang　Yu　placidly。　〃Indeed；



has　there　not　come　to　be　a　saying　by　which　an　exceptionally　frugal



host's　rice；　having　undoubtedly　seen　the　inside　of　the　pot　many　times；



is　now　known　in　this　town　as　Kai…Pel？〃







〃Alas！〃　exclaimed　Kai　Lung；　〃well　was　this　person　warned　of　Wu…whei　in



the　previous　village；　as　a　place　of　desolation　and　excessively　bad



taste；　whose　inhabitants；　led　by　an　evil…minded　maker　of　very



commonplace　pipes；　named　Wang　Yu；　are　unable　to　discriminate　in　all



matters　not　connected　with　the　cooking　of　food　and　the　evasion　of　just



debts。　They　at　Shan　Tzu　hung　on　to　my　cloak　as　I　strove　to　leave　them；



praying　that　I　would　again　entrance　their　ears　with　what　they　termed



the　melodious　word…music　of　this　person's　inimitable　version　of　the



inspired　story　of　Yuin…Pel。〃







〃Truly　the　story　of　Yuin…Pel　is　in　itself　excellent；〃　interposed　the



conciliatory　Hi　Seng；　〃and　Kai　Lung's　accomplishment　of　having　three



times　repeated　it　here　without　deviating　in　the　particular　of　a　single



word　from　the　first　recital　stamps　him　as　a　story…teller　of　no



ordinary　degree。　Yet　the　saying　'Although　it　is　desirable　to　lose



persistently　when　playing　at　squares　and　circles　with　the　broad…minded



and　sagacious　Emperor；　it　is　none　the　less　a　fact　that　the　observance



of　this　etiquette　deprives　the　intellectual　diversion　of　much　of　its