the wallet of kai lung-第40节

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beginning　'The　person　who　becomes　amused　at　matters　resulting　from



double…edged　knives　has　assuredly　never　felt　the　effect　of　a



well…directed　blow　himself'　was　taken　from　the　mouth　of　one　person　and



placed　in　that　of　one　of　his　remote　ancestors。　In　such　a　manner；



without　in　any　great　degree　altering　the　matter　of　Lo　Kuan's　works；



all　the　scenes　and　persons　introduced　were　transferred　to　much　earlier



dynasties　than　those　affected　by　the　incomparable　writer　himself；　the



final　effect　being　to　give　an　air　of　extreme　unoriginality　to　his



really　undoubtedly　genuine　conceptions。







〃Satisfied　with　his　accomplishment；　and　followed　by　a　hired　person　of



low　class　bearing　the　writings；　which；　by　nature　of　the　research



necessary　in　fixing　the　various　dates　and　places　so　that　even　the　wary



should　be　deceived；　had　occupied　the　greater　part　of　a　year；　this　now



fully　confident　story…tellerunmindful　of　the　well…tried　excellence



of　the　inspired　saying；　'Money　is　hundred…footed；　upon　perceiving　a



tael　lying　apparently　unobserved　upon　the　floor；　do　not　lose　the　time



necessary　in　stooping；　but　quickly　place　your　foot　upon　it；　for　one



fails　nothing　in　dignity　thereby；　but　should　it　be　a　gold　piece；



distrust　all　things；　and　valuing　dignity　but　as　an　empty　name；　cast



your　entire　body　upon　it'went　forth　to　complete　his　great　task　of



finally　erasing　from　the　mind　and　records　of　the　Empire　the　hitherto



venerated　name　of　Lo　Kuan　Chang。　Entering　the　place　of　commerce　of　the



one　who　seemed　the　most　favourable　for　the　purpose；　he　placed　the



facts　as　they　would　in　future　be　represented　before　him；　explained　the



undoubtedly　remunerative　fame　that　would　ensue　to　all　concerned　in　the



enterprise　of　sending　forth　the　printed　books　in　their　new　form；　and；



opening　at　a　venture　the　written　leaves　which　he　had　brought　with　him；



read　out　the　following　words　as　an　indication　of　the　similarity　of　the



entire　work：







　　　　〃'Whai…Keng：　Friends；　Chinamen；　labourers　who　are　engaged　in



　　　　agricultural　pursuits；　entrust　to　this　person　your　acute　and



　　　　well…educated　ears；







　　　　〃'He　has　merely　come　to　assist　in　depositing　the　body　of



　　　　Ko'ung　in　the　Family　Temple；　not　for　the　purpose　of　making



　　　　remarks　about　him　of　a　graceful　and　highly　complimentary



　　　　nature；







　　　　〃'The　unremunerative　actions　of　which　persons　may　have　been



　　　　guilty　possess　an　exceedingly　undesirable　amount　of　endurance；







　　　　〃'The　successful　and　well…considered　almost　invariably　are



　　　　involved　in　a　directly　contrary　course；







　　　　〃'This　person　desires　nothing　more　than　a　like　fate　to　await



　　　　Ko'ung。'







〃When　this　one　had　read　so　far；　he　paused　in　order　to　give　the　other



an　opportunity　if　breaking　in　and　offering　half　his　possessions　to　be



allowed　to　share　in　the　undertaking。　As　he　remained　unaccountably



silent；　however；　an　inelegant　pause　occurred　which　this　person　at



length　broke　by　desiring　an　expressed　opinion　on　the　matter。







〃'O　exceedingly　painstaking；　but　nevertheless　highly　inopportune　Kai



Lung；'　he　replied　at　length；　while　in　his　countenance　this　person　read



an　expression　of　no…encouragement　towards　his　venture；　'all　your



entrancing　efforts　do　undoubtedly　appear　to　attract　the　undesirable



attention　of　some　spiteful　and　tyrannical　demon。　This　closely…written



and　elaborately　devised　work　is　in　reality　not　worth　the　labour　of　a



single　stroke；　nor　is　there　in　all　Peking　a　sender　forth　of　printed



leaves　who　would　encourage　any　project　connected　with　its　issue。'







〃'But　the　importance　of　such　a　fact　as　that　which　would　clearly　show



the　hitherto　venerated　Lo　Kuan　Chang　to　be　a　person　who　passed　off　as



his　own　the　work　of　an　earlier　one！'　cried　this　person　in　despair；



well　knowing　that　the　deliberately　expressed　opinion　of　the　one　before



him　was　a　matter　that　would　rule　all　others。　'Consider　the　interest　of



the　discovery。'







〃'The　interest　would　not　demand　more　than　a　few　lines　in　the　ordinary



printed　leaves；'　replied　the　other　calmly。　'Indeed；　in　a　manner　of



speaking；　it　is　entirely　a　detail　of　no　consequence　whether　or　not　the



sublime　Lo　Kuan　ever　existed。　In　reality　his　very　commonplace　name　may



have　been　simply　Lung；　his　inspired　work　may　have　been　written　a　score



of　dynasties　before　him　by　some　other　person；　or　they　may　have　been



composed　by　the　enlightened　Emperor　of　the　period；　who　desired　to



conceal　the　fact；　yet　these　matters　would　not　for　a　moment　engage　the



interest　of　any　ordinary　passer…by。　Lo　Kuan　Chang　is　not　a　person　in



the　ordinary　expression；　he　is　an　embodiment　of　a　distinguished　and



utterly　unassailable　national　institution。　The　Heaven…sent　works　with



which　he　is；　by　general　consent；　connected　form　the　necessary



unchangeable　standard　of　literary　excellence；　and　remain　for　ever



above　rivalry　and　above　mistrust。　For　this　reason　the　matter　is



plainly　one　which　does　not　interest　this　person。'







〃In　the　course　of　a　not　uneventful　existence　this　self…deprecatory



person　has　suffered　many　reverses　and　disappointments。　During　his



youth　the　high…minded　Empress　on　one　occasion　stopped　and　openly



complimented　him　on　the　dignified　outline　presented　by　his　body　in



profile；　and　when　he　was　relying　upon　this　incident　to　secure　him　a



very　remunerative　public　office；　a　jealous　and　powerful　Mandarin



substituted　a　somewhat　similar；　though　really　very　much　inferior；



person　for　him　at　the　interview　which　the　Empress　had　commanded。



Frequently　in　matters　of　commerce　which　have　appeared　to　promise　very



satisfactorily　at　the　beginning　this　person　has　been　induced　to



entrust　sums　of　money　to　others；　when　he　had　hoped　from　the



indications　and　the　manner　of　speaking　that　the　exact　contrary　would



be　the　case；　and　in　one　instance　he　was　released　at　a　vast　price　from



the　torture　dungeon　in　Cantonwhere　he　had　been　thrown　by　the　subtle



and　unconscientious　plots　of　one　who　could　not　relate　stories　in　so



accurate　and　unvarying　a　manner　as　himselfon　the　day　before　that　on



which　all　persons　were　freely　set　at　liberty　on　account　of　exceptional



public　rejoicing。　Yet　in　spite　of　these　and　many　other　very



unendurable　incidents；　this　impetuous　and　ill…starred　being　never　felt



so　great　a　desire　to　retire　to　a　solitary　place　and　there　disfigure



himself　permanently　as　a　mark　of　his　unfeigned　internal　displeasure；



as　on　the　occasion　when　he　endured　extreme　poverty　and　great　personal



inconvenience　for　an　entire　year　in　order　that　he　might　take　away　face



from　the　memory　of　a　person　who　was　so　placed　that　no　one　expressed



any　interest　in　the　matter。







〃Since　then　this　very　ill…clad　and　really　necessitous　person　has



devoted　himself　to　the　honourable　but　exceedingly　arduous　and　in



general　unremunerative　occupation　of　story…telling。　To　this　he　would



add　nothing　save　that　not　infrequently　a　nobly…born　and



highly…cultured　audience　is　so　entranced　with　his　commonplace　efforts



to　hold　the　attention；　especially　when　a　story　not　hitherto　known　has



been　related；　that　in　order　to　afford　it　an　opportunity　of　expressing



its　gratification；　he　has　been　requested　to　allow　another　offering　to



be　made　by　all　persons　present　at　the　conclusion　of　the



entertainment。〃















CHAPTER　VI







THE　VENGEANCE　OF　TUNG　FEL







For　a　period　not　to　be　measured　by　days　or　weeks　the　air　of　Ching…fow



had　been　as　unrestful　as　that　of　the　locust　plains　beyond　the　Great



Wall；　for　every　speech　which　passed　bore　two　faces；　one　fair　to　hear；



as　a　greeting；　but　the　other　insidiously　speaking　behind　a　screen；　of



rebellion；　violence；　and　the　hope　of　overturning　the　fixed　order　of



events。　With　those　whom　they　did　not　mistrust　of　treachery　persons



spoke　in　low　voices　of　definite　plans；　while　at　all　times　there　might



appear　in　prominent　places　of　the　city　skilfully　composed　notices



setting　forth　great　wrongs　and　injustices　towards　which　resignation



and　a　lowly　bearing　were　outwardly　counselled；　yet　with　the　same　words



cunningly　inflaming　the　minds；　even　of　the　patient；　as　no　pouring　out



of　passionate　thoughts　and　undignified　threatenings　could　have　done。



Among　the　people；　unknown；　unseen；　and　unsuspected；　except　to　the



proved　ones　to　whom　they　desired　to　reveal　themselves；　moved　the



agents　of　the　Three　Societies。　While　to　the　many　of　Ching…fow　nothing



was　desired　or　even　thought　of　behind　the　downfall　of　their　own



officials；　and；　chief　of　all；　the　execution　of　the　evil…minded　and



deprave