the wallet of kai lung-第58节

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two　immaculate　characters　figuring　as　the　personages　of　the　narrative



are　exact　copies　of　this　dishonoured　person　himself　and　of　the　willowy



Tien；　daughter　of　the　vastly　rich　Pe…li…Chen；　whom　he　was　hopeful　of



marrying。〃







Selecting　one　of　the　least　offensive　of　the　passages　in　the　work；　this



unhappy　person　read　the　following　immature　and　inelegant　words：







〃This　well…satisfied　writer　of　printed　leaves　had　a



highly…distinguished　time　last　night。　After　Chow　had　departed　to　see



about　food；　and　the　junk　had　been　fastened　up　at　the　lock　of　Kilung；



on　the　Yang…tse…Kiang；　he　and　the　round…bodied　Shang　were　journeying



along　the　narrow　path　by　the　river…side　when　the　right　leg　of　the



graceful　and　popular　person　who　is　narrating　these　events　disappeared



into　the　river。　Suffering　no　apprehension　in　the　dark；　but　that　the



vanishing　limb　was　the　left　leg　of　Shang；　this　intelligent　writer



allowed　his　impassiveness　to　melt　away　to　an　exaggerated　degree；　but



at　that　moment　the　circumstance　became　plain　to　the　round…bodied



Shang；　who　was　in　consequence　very　grossly　amused　at　the　mishap　and



misapprehension　of　your　good　lord；　the　writer；　at　the　same　time



pointing　out　the　matter　as　it　really　was。　Then　it　chanced　that　there



came　by　one　of　the　maidens　who　carry　tea　and　jest　for　small　sums　of



money　to　the　sitters　at　the　little　tables　with　round　white　tops；　at



which　this　remarkable　person；　the　confidant　of　many　mandarins；　ever



desirous　of　displaying　his　priceless　power　of　removing　gravity；　said



to　her：







〃'How　much　of　gladness；　Ning…Ning？　By　the　Sacred　Serpent　this　is



plainly　your　night　out。'







〃Perceiving　the　true　facts　of　the　predicament　of　this　commendable



writer；　she　replied：







〃'Suffer　not　your　illustrious　pigtail　to　be　removed；　venerable　Wang；



for　in　this　maiden's　estimation　it　is　indeed　your　night　in。'







〃There　are　times　when　this　valued　person　wonders　whether　his　method　of



removing　gravity　be　in　reality　very　antique　or　quite　new。　On　such



occasions　the　world；　with　all　its　schools；　and　those　who　interfere　in



the　concerns　of　others；　continues　to　revolve　around　him。　The　wondrous



sky…lanterns　come　out　silently　two　by　two　like　to　the　crystallized



music　of　stringed　woods。　Then；　in　the　mystery　of　no…noise；　his　head



becomes　greatly　enlarged　with　celestial　and　highly…profound　thoughts；



his　groping　hand　seems　to　touch　matter　which　may　be　written　out　in　his



impressive　style　and　sold　to　those　who　print　leaves；　and　he　goes　home



to　write　out　such。〃







When　this　person　looked　up　after　reading；　with　tears　of　shame　in　his



eyes；　he　perceived　that　the　lesser　one　had　cautiously　disappeared。



Therefore；　being　unable　to　gain　admittance　to　the　inner　office；　he



returned　to　his　home。







Here　the　remark　of　the　omniscient　Tai　Loo　again　fixes　itself　upon　the



attention。　No　sooner　had　this　incapable　person　reached　his　house　than



he　became　aware　that　a　parcel　had　arrived　for　him　from　the　still



adorable　Tien。　Retiring　to　a　distance　from　it；　he　opened　the



accompanying　letter　and　read：







〃When　a　virtuous　maiden　has　been　made　the　victim　of　a　heartless　jest



or　a　piece　of　coarse　stupidity　at　a　person's　hands；　it　is　no　uncommon



thing　for　him　to　be　struck　blind　on　meeting　her　father。　Therefore；　if



the　degraded　and　evil…minded　Kin　Yen　values　his　eyes；　ears；　nose；



pigtail；　even　his　dishonourable　breath；　let　him　hide　himself　behind　a



fortified　wall　at　Pe…li…Chen's　approach。







〃With　this　Tien　returns　everything　she　has　ever　accepted　from　Kin　Yen。



She　even　includes　the　brace　of　puppies　which　she　received　anonymously



about　a　month　ago；　and　which　she　did　not　eat；　but　kept　for　reasons　of



her　ownreasons　entirely　unconnected　with　the　vapid　and　exceedingly



conceited　Kin　Yen。〃







As　though　this　letter；　and　the　puppies　of　which　this　person　now　heard



for　the　first　time；　making　him　aware　of　the　existence　of　a　rival



lover；　were　not　enough；　there　almost　immediately　arrived　a　letter　from



Tien's　father：







〃This　person　has　taken　the　advice　of　those　skilled　in　extorting　money



by　means　of　law　forms；　and　he　finds　that　Kin　Yen　has　been　guilty　of　a



grave　and　highly　expensive　act。　This　is　increased　by　the　fact　that



Tien　had　conveyed　his　seemingly　distinguished　intentions　to　all　her



friends；　before　whom　she　now　stands　in　an　exceedingly　ungraceful



attitude。　The　machinery　for　depriving　Kin　Yen　of　all　the　necessaries



of　existence　shall　be　put　into　operation　at　once。〃







At　this　point；　the　person　who　is　now　concluding　his　obscure　and



commonplace　history；　having　spent　his　last　piece　of　money　on



joss…sticks　and　incense…paper；　and　being　convinced　of　the　presence　of



the　spirits　of　his　ancestors；　is　inspired　to　make　the　following



prophecies：　That　Tieng　Lin；　who　imposed　upon　him　in　the　matter　of



picture…making；　shall　come　to　a　sudden　end；　accompanied　by　great



internal　pains；　after　suffering　extreme　poverty；　that　the　one　who　sits



in　an　easy…chair；　together　with　his　lesser　one　and　all　who　make



stories　for　them；　shall；　while　sailing　to　a　rice　feast　during　the



Festival　of　Flowers；　be　precipitated　into　the　water　and　slowly



devoured　by　sea　monsters；　Klan…hi　in　particular　being　tortured　in　the



process；　that　Pel…li…Chen；　the　father　of　Tien；　shall　be　seized　with



the　dancing　sickness　when　in　the　presence　of　the　august　Emperor；　and



being　in　consequence　suspected　of　treachery；　shall；　to　prove　the　truth



of　his　denials；　be　submitted　to　the　tests　of　boiling　tar；　red…hot



swords；　and　of　being　dropped　from　a　great　height　on　to　the　Sacred



Stone　of　Goodness　and　Badness；　in　each　of　which　he　shall　fail　to



convince　his　judges　or　to　establish　his　innocence；　to　the　amusement　of



all　beholders。







These　are　the　true　words　of　Kin　Yen；　the　picture…maker；　who；　having



unweighed　his　mind　and　exposed　the　avaricious　villainy　of　certain



persons；　is　now　retiring　by　night　to　a　very　select　and　hidden　spot　in



the　Khingan　Mountains。























Ernest　Bramah；　of　whom　in　his　lifetime　Who's



Who　had　so　little　to　say；　was　born　in



Manchester。　At　seventeen　he　chose　farming　as　a



profession；　but　after　three　years　of　losing



money　gave　it　up　to　go　into　journalism。　　He



started　as　correspondent　on　a　typical



provincial　paper；　then　went　to　London　as



secretary　to　Jerome　K。　Jerome；　and　worked



himself　　into　the　editorial　side　of　Jerome's



magazine；　To…day；　where　he　got　the　opportunity



of　meeting　the　most　important　literary　figures



of　the　day。　　But　he　soon　left　To…day　to　join　a



new　publishing　firm；　as　editor　of　a



publication　called　The　Minister；　finally；



after　two　years　of　this；　he　turned　to　writing



as　his　full…time　occupation。　　He　was　intensely



interested　in　coins　and　published　a　book　on



the　English　regal　copper　coinage。　　He　is；



however；　best　known　as　the　creator　of　the



charming　character　Kai　Lung　who　appears　in　Kai



Lung　Unrolls　His　Mat；　Kai　Lung's　Golden　Hours；



The　Wallet　of　Kai　Lung；　Kai　Lung　Beneath　the



Mulberry　Tree；　The　Mirror　of　Kong　Ho；　and　The



Moon　of　Much　Gladness；　　he　also　wrote　two　one…



act　plays　　which　are　often　performed　at　London



variety　theatres；　and　many　stories　and　articles



in　leading　periodicals。　　He　died　in　1942。



















End