It was the afternoon after the feast.
The Viceroy sipped his tea meditatively in his favorite court, and occasionally fanned himself in a mechanical way, but his thoughts were evidently elsewhere. The goldfinch above his head hopped about and chirped loudly to him, begging for some rice, but he heeded it not, and a little lizard crept across the walk, eyeing him furtively, and then scampered away among the grasses on the bank of the lake, but it need not have feared him to-day. Drip, drip, drip, fell the drops from the fountain in a minor monotone, and in the calm water of the lake the fish darted like flames of fire, and poppy petals dropped silently to the ground.Behind the Viceroy's chair a slave stood dozing.
"Tell my daughter to come here," his master said suddenly; and the slave eyed him stupidly for a moment, and then hastened off to do his bidding. But when Tuen came he did not speak for some time, and seemed casting about in his mind for the best way to begin. Then he cleared his throat importantly.
"I have something to say to you," he remarked, watching her closely from the corners of his eyes.
She waited but did not answer, and he went on:
"I have a new honor in store for you." Having delivered himself of this announcement he examined his long, pointed nails critically, and satisfied that they were scrupulous in appearance, he commenced to drum idly on the table. All this time Tuen was standing breathlessbefore him, fearing something, yet she knew not what.
"You see His Most Mighty and Gracious Majesty, the Ever Wise and Ever Perfect Son of Heaven has lately condescended to honor my unworthy self," he volunteered affably, and all the capitals were expressed in his voice as he spoke of his sovereign. "I have sought everywhere in the province for a gift to send in return that would be worthy of his acceptance, and last night I gave a feast that I might ask of others, perhaps wiser than I am. Then it was that the learned Wo Ting suggested that I should giveyouto him—an admirable idea, Tuen."
Poor Tuen had been listening in wondering horror, and she now gave a gasp, but he did not appear to notice this.
"You will get ready to go to Peking to be a handmaid to our mighty king." With wild cries Tuen knelt before the Viceroy, the tears streaming down herface. "Oh do not send me away," she pleaded. "I will be so good—I will work for you as a slave all my life—only let me stay here."
The Viceroy arched his brows.
"What a fuss to make about nothing!" he commented. "You ought to be proud to be sent. I fear after all you are more foolish than other women."
But Tuen did not care how silly he thought her, if she could only beg him out of this awful plan. Just when she was so happy must it all come to an end? Was she again to be sent forth, alone and friendless, among strangers? Oh, it was too horrible! And it seemed so useless! She was satisfied, why not let her stay where she was? Some of this she managed to tell the Viceroy between her sobs, but he listened impatiently.
"There is no cause for such sorrow, I tell you," he repeated. "Great is the Emperor, and his riches like theever-flowing waters. There is no end to them. His palace, I have heard, is of gold and gems; there is nothing like it in all the world."
But this picture brought no consolation to Tuen. She only moaned and cried and begged to stay where she was.
"Is it that you are angry with me?" she asked. "Do I no longer please you, that you want to get rid of me?"
"No, Tuen," he answered, "it is only that I do not know what else to send my Emperor, and I dare not risk his displeasure. But neither will he thank me to send him an unwilling girl, so dry your eyes."
"Then it would be a great favor to you if I went and looked happy?" she inquired in a curiously strained voice.
"So I have told you," he said wearily, for he detested scenes most cordially, and was anxious to bring this one to a close.
Then it was that the little slave girl showed the greatness of her nature, for she wiped away her tears and rose to her feet. Standing before him she said slowly:
"You have been very good to me. I have not forgotten that. If I can now do you a kindness, and thus repay you for all you have done for me—I will go, but I go with a heavy heart."
"Well, it is settled, and you have acted as a dutiful daughter should," he said, drawing a long breath of relief. "I will at once make ready for your departure."
"Must I go so soon?" she said pleadingly.
"At once," he answered decisively.
Again the tears welled up in the eyes of Tuen, and try as she would she could not keep them back:
"Oh, it is so hard to leave all my dear friends!" she moaned. "And Wang, who has been so good to me—" She could go no further.
"Wang can go with you," he said. "You must have servants, as befits your rank, for you are now the daughter of the Viceroy of Kiang-si."
"Oh, I am so glad I can have Wang!" she cried, and this was the only gleam of joy in the blackness of her despair.
Tuen went about as one in a dream after her interview with the Viceroy, but she uttered no complaint. She had decided to go willingly, even cheerfully, on account of the many favors she had received from her benefactor, since she knew that he wished her to go, and day by day she nerved herself to the ordeal. Knowing that she was helpless, she accepted her fate in silence, and gradually she became more resigned. Girls in China are not allowed to have a voice in such matters,—that she knew, and after all she had always been most fortunate. Then she had heard that the faithful Wang would accompany her, and that Ta-ta, whom she loved dearly, would goas her maid, and she was pleased with this arrangement. She had learned, too, that she was to go in great state. A barge was even now being fitted up for her convenience, and she would have not only Wang and Ta-ta, but other servants to wait upon her, and the blind old story-teller, Szu, would be sent along that he might beguile the weariness of the journey, which would last three months. The entire trip would be made by water, first through unimportant streams, then into the Yang-tse-kiang, and on through the Grand Canal.
The time that intervened before her departure was filled with bustle and confusion, and she hardly had a moment to think about the future, even if she had wanted to. There were many things to be arranged when one went on such a long trip, and Tuen must also be provided with handsome costumes, suitable to be worn at court. She could notrepress exclamations of delight when she saw all the beautiful things that were designed for her, and she commenced to feel that she had not been very badly treated by the gods.
The morning appointed for her to set out dawned fair and pleasant, but all night she had lain awake and thought about her journey, for she had been too excited to sleep. When she was ready to leave and there was no excuse for longer delaying, all the servants of the yâmen pressed around her to say goodbye, and the Viceroy and his wife looked very sad, for in their way they were quite fond of their pretty adopted daughter. Tuen was as one stunned by a sudden blow. She neither wept nor said a word, but when the last adieus were over and she was safely ensconced in her little apartment on the barge, she covered her head with the silken cover of her couch and wailed aloud. But one cannot cryalways, and after the first paroxysm of grief had passed she wiped her eyes, that were now red and swollen, and looked curiously about her. There was nothing interesting in the narrow room, with its cot and bamboo pillow,—the only other furniture a low stool and many cushions,—but from without came noises of every description, forming an indescribable din. Rising from the floor where she had thrown herself, she pressed her face against the tiny window of painted gauze, and gazed with eager interest at the scene on the busy water. What a great, hurrying world it was! And how full of struggling, shouting people! She even experienced a thrill of enjoyment of her novel surroundings. Barges, junks, pleasure-boats, passage-boats, floating homes, freight-boats, sculls and river crafts of every description passed each other in an endless procession. Women in flowing blue robes, their hair adorned with flowersand glittering pins, rowed many of the heavy boats, their armlets and anklets clinking musically with every motion. Now a tankia glided by, with only a bamboo canopy as protection from rain and sun and cold, the mother at the helm, while around her clustered happy children who had never known any other home than this little "egg house." For so great is the population of China that many families live in boats upon the rivers, and have but little knowledge of mother earth, as they but seldom feel the ground beneath their feet. Tuen looked with delight at the many phases of life that surged around her as unceasingly as the ripples of the water, and then passed away. Now she shuddered as a clumsy lighter, used for loading and unloading coal, bore down upon her on its way to the distant ocean, and again she laughed to see the dainty flower-boat with its intricate wood-carving, bright lanterns,flags and strips of gay-colored paper floating from the side, dart past her. When Wang entered she turned to her with her eyes shining with excitement.
"Did you ever dream there were so many boats and so many people in the world, Wang?" she cried.
Wang smiled and shook her head.
"You had better come outside with me, where you can see it all," she said, and to this Tuen gladly assented.
When on deck, protected from the glare of the sun by the bamboo covering, she clapped her hands ecstatically, and ran about the boat, peering out first on one side and then on the other. From the room within, it had all worn a misty look, as if it were some panorama passing before her, but now the full reality and intensity of it burst upon her, and she straightway forgot that she was Tuen, forgot the little details, the hopes, fears, sorrows, and memories that werepart of her own existence alone, and only felt that she was one of this vast multitude, and her identity seemed to merge into and be lost in the mass of humanity that surrounded her. And once having done this, she forgot to grieve.
Some children in a tankia close to her smiled at her gravely, while the father hung paper prayers upon the prow, and the mother, with strong, even strokes, guided the boat toward the shallows. The clamor of shrill voices, so intermingled that hardly a word was distinguishable, formed a not unpleasing medley of sounds, and it rang into Tuen's ears until she was fairly deafened.
"Is there no danger that where there are so many crafts some may be run into and sunk?" she finally asked, as the boats thickened and there seemed not an inch of water left.
"The rowers are skilful. I have heard that accidents do not often happen,"Wang said, but scarce had she finished speaking, when a war-junk that was coming in an opposite direction, bore down upon them. Threatening cannons peered from the port-holes, and on its gaudy red and yellow sides were shields upon which were painted fierce tigers, more terrible to look at than any god to whom she had ever prayed. She caught her breath quickly, and clung to Wang.
"We shall be killed!" she cried, and Wang was so terror-stricken that she could not answer. The sailors on Tuen's boat uttered loud, warning shouts, and pulled away lustily, and the men on the war-junk, seeing that the barge was directly in their path, rowed valiantly. But the water was so crowded that there was very little room to turn, and for an instant, there seemed no chance of escape. Just when destruction appeared certain, and Wang covered her face to shut out the awful sight, the cumbrous vesselveered to one side, and they were left unharmed.
"It was a narrow escape," the man at the helm of Tuen's boat said, nodding toward the junk that now lay on their left. "I thought we should all be killed," and the rowers hurled loud imprecations at the junk, and Ta-ta shook her fist at them, and while engaged in this, also thanked the gods for her safety.
"It is time for rice," Wang said, after they had watched the junk well on its way. "Let us go in now."
Tuen was very glad to follow her, for her heart was still beating quickly, and her cheeks were pale. The danger through which they had passed had, for a time at least, robbed river-life of its fascination for her.
That night she dreamed of boats, boats, boats, as she heard the innumerable stream of them go gliding by, and the great, round eyes on the prows of allseemed to be watching her angrily through the darkness. She drew a long sigh of relief when she awoke and found that they had at last stopped, and as she listened, afraid to go to sleep again, the incessant noise gradually hushed, and all became as still as in the yâmen of the Viceroy.
The barge that bore Tuen to Peking proceeded slowly on its way, for why should one economize time or labor in a country where there are more hands than work for them to do? The novelty of the trip kept her well amused, and she cared not how long they drifted idly on, for the present was very satisfactory to her. After they had passed through the beautiful Lake Poyana, sleeping like an inland sea cradled by the encircling mountains, they entered the vast Yang-tse-kiang, that ever ebbed and flowed in calm strength, as it swept on to where it was lost in the vaster waters of the ocean. No wonder Tuen was enchanted with the sights that greeted her. Around her wasever the same endless throng, in its struggle for existence, and if she tired of this epitome of human life, she had but to raise her eyes to the hills beyond, dotted with the innumerable graves of the dead, to see the end of it all, though, as she was not a philosopher, she doubtless did not think about it in this way. Graceful pagodas, with bells and glittering ornaments swinging from the corners of the curving, many-storied roofs, stood out here and there like solitary beacons, although they lit no way. Along the river banks were fertile plains, converted into regularly laid out fields and gardens, that for thousands of years had yielded a full harvest from their inexhaustible richness, and numerous cottages, some with tiled roofs shining in the sunlight, others with only a covering of straw, diversified the landscape. Sometimes they threaded their way among barren islands that rose like mammoths of the deep, and again passed walled citieswhere the river lapped hungrily against its boundaries, or they loitered beside little white towns embowered in green. Oft-times Szu whiled away the hours by telling her the glorious history of this, her native land, for he loved to dilate on the importance of the Flowery Kingdom. In fact he believed it to be the garden spot of the world, and as he had never been anywhere else, we must pardon his vanity. "We are the greatest and wisest nation in the world," he would tell Tuen pompously. "We are the most learned and prosperous of all people, and we have the oldest and the highest civilization. We have borrowed no foreign inventions or arts, we have not asked them to frame the laws to govern us nor to solve our difficulties. All we have ever asked of any of them is—let us alone. We are not like the barbarians—always quarrelling and fighting, and running about the earth. History tells that we have always been acivilized, peaceful race. Our language is our own, our literature has not sought for themes or inspiration in other climes, our institutions are the outcome of our own wisdom, and our land provides everything that is necessary for her children. We are the one independent nation. Confucius, the wisest of all men, left us our code of morals, and the Son of Heaven rules over us. Our kingdom contains one third of the population of the whole earth, and nearly every one of the inventions that these barbarians think they discovered they find have been in use by us long before they were a nation. Who was it that discovered the compass? We did. Who first made porcelain? We did. Who made paper first? We did. These barbarians who sail up to our ports, with great guns on their vessels, would never have had any gun-powder for their guns if it had not been for us. Of course since you have been learning to read you havefound out that we it was who invented printing, and made it possible for every one to have books. Nowhere can be found so many and such great cities as we have, and not only the land but the waters are covered with our towns. I wish we could shut ourselves off, as once we were, and never see another barbarian. But alas, we cannot, for they cannot get along without us."
Thus Szu, puffed up with pride, instructed Tuen in the facts of Chinese history, and she drank in every word he said eagerly. Truly it was wonderful! And as he perceived her intense interest, Szu talked more and more of these things, though he omitted to tell her that his nation was the most egotistical one in all the world, but perhaps he did not know this. Again he would tell of the ancient kings, and of the great Kublai Khan, who reigned in the Golden Age of China.
"Those were happy times," he wouldsay with a sigh. "We will never see the like again. When the New Year came then all his subjects gave him rich presents, not only of gold and silver and precious stones and fine cloths, but also five thousand camels, one hundred thousand white horses, and five thousand elephants, covered with cloths of silk and gold, and each beast had on its back a box filled with vessels of gold and silver. When they passed before the most holy Emperor, they formed the most brilliant spectacle ever seen by the eyes of man."
Tuen gasped as she tried to picture in her imagination this most gorgeous sight, and looking at Szu with eyes filled with amazement, she asked, timidly:
"Is that all indeed the very truth?"
"The truth?" he cried, indignantly. "Do you dare to question the accounts of our great historians—you, a foolish girl? It has all come down to us just as I have related it to you, and no one, not eventhe barbarians, have doubted it. If you think Szu but a romancer, he will remain silent."
"Oh, no, no," she entreated, "indeed I did not mean that! It was so marvellous that I would like to hear more about this same great one."
Somewhat pacified, and anxious to talk on such an interesting subject, Szu said:
"Perhaps you would not believe it, either, were I to recount how, then, no one in all the land was hungry, and yet it is a fact, for the Kublai Khan gave of his great wealth to his people. Whenever the crops were injured, he demanded no taxes, and when rice was scarce, he sold it for one fourth the regular price out of his own storehouse. And if any families had no food to eat, he caused provision to be given them, and rice was not refused at court throughout the whole year to any that came to beg for it. Think of no one ever starving to death then! Itwas the strangest thing that ever men heard of. Not only did the Kublai Khan feed his subjects, but he had countless public looms that were running all the time, where garments were woven and given to the poor, so that none could say that they were hungry or cold."
"I would have liked to be alive then," Tuen said, wistfully, and in this they all agreed with her.
"There has never been such another ruler in any land," Szu told her. "The whole world has heard of him, and marvelled at his greatness and his goodness."
At this, Tuen sighed, for she had just been wishing that the august one to whom she went had been rich and kind like the Khan. But she did not think much about him, for no one could tell her anything, and so she could only wait.
One day when the sun was hot and she was tired, Tuen said to Szu impatiently:
"Don't you know anything except about the old kings and their wars?"
Now Szu, although he was old and blind and feeble, was well endowed with tact and quickness, and after revolving the question in his mind, he answered graciously:
"There are two stories that I have not yet told you, and they might be of interest to you, since they are of women, and of women, too, who dwelt within the Forbidden City."
"Let me hear them," Tuen saidlistlessly. "I did not know there were any stories about women. I thought they were all about men."
"There have been females—though their number is few—whose names the bards have perpetuated," the old man replied.
"You may commence," Tuen interrupted, her curiosity aroused.
Seating himself on the deck of the boat, and folding his hands, his head thrown back and his sightless eyes seeming to gaze before him, Szu began in a monotonous, sing-song voice, that yet was clear and soft:
"It happened many years, aye, many centuries, ago—this strange event that I tell to you now as but a passing tale. And yet the fame of this woman will endure forever, though all things else belonging to that far-away time have perished. At this remote period of which I speak Kaou-tsung, the second Emperor of theTang dynasty, was seated upon the throne. Great was the prosperity of the Empire, and rumors of its glories and of its wonders spread to the outer regions, and ambassadors came from Nepaul, Persia, and even from a far-away dominion called Rome, to pay tribute to the Son of Heaven. He had magnificent palaces and stately temples, and he numbered his warriors by thousands. Then, as it has ever been, for we are the one nation favored by the gods, we were civilized and wise, and all other people came to learn of us, even as it is to this very day. Kaou-tsung built canals and cities, following the example of his illustrious father, and bestowed peace and plenty on all his subjects, but still he was not content. He had women from the various provinces to while away his tedious hours, but they were all alike stupid and silly, and he found no pleasure with them.
"'Surely in my kingdom there lives onefemale who combines both wisdom and beauty,' he exclaimed one day, and after due deliberation he sent forth his minister to seek for a woman who was both wise and pretty. When he heard of the mission entrusted to him the minister sighed and shook his head.
"'Your quest is vain,' he told his sovereign. 'There lives not such a being. All women are but foolish creatures, and those endowed with beauty are the most foolish of all. They wear their gifts upon the outside, and within them there is naught.'
"'Presume not to argue with me,' Kaou-tsung cried angrily, 'but go and do as I have commanded.'
"Now, this minister was most skilful with the pencil, and the Emperor instructed him to traverse the length and breadth of his vast possessions, letting it be known everywhere that he sought the fairest and the wisest in the land to be thebride of the king, and whenever he found one who appeared to possess these necessary qualifications, he was to make a picture of her. When his quest was ended, he was to return to the court, bringing with him these likenesses of the fair maidens of the land, and the Emperor would select the one that pleased him best. But when the minister was gone he saw in this a chance to enrich himself, and as all women were desirous of being the chosen one he drew not any who did not give him costly offerings. The Emperor, waiting in his palace, knew not of this, and was most impatient for his return. In the meantime, some one brought news to the court of the surpassing loveliness of a girl named Woo How, who was a daughter of a cultivator of the soil. When he heard the reports of the wonderful beauty of this maiden the Emperor sent a courier in great haste after his minister, bearing the message:
"'Return not without the likeness of Woo How.'
"The minister forthwith went in search of this beauteous one, and when he found her she was fairer than any woman he had ever seen, and conducted herself in a modest way, yielding ready answers to all his questions. But alas, the father was very poor, and could not pay the price demanded by the mercenary minister, therefore this unworthy servant of a generous king drew a picture of exceeding ugliness, and under it he wrote the name of Woo How, for he was determined that no one should be Empress who did not first buy his favor. At last this scheming official—Maou-yen-show by name—came back to court, bringing with him a collection of pictures of the so-called beauties of the land, who had paid him well to be their ambassador. The Emperor examined them critically.
"'This one pleases me not. Her noseis too long,' he said, casting aside the first one.
"'And this one is ugly enough to scare the dragon away,' he exclaimed when he saw the second.
"'This one's mouth is all askew,' was his comment on the third, and so he ran through the whole list, finding none that pleased him.
"'I might as well send a blind man to pick out a beautiful female as this stolid Maou-yen-show,' he cried angrily, when he had finished. 'Truly he knows not the difference between a woman and a demon.'
"But the minister bowing obsequiously insisted that these were indeed the most beautiful in the land.
"'Then I want none of them,' his sovereign replied, 'for an uglier lot I never beheld.'
"After this Kaou-tsung made no further attempt to find himself a fitting bride, butwas immersed in the affairs of state. One day, however, as he rode forth, surrounded by his troops, to take his annual hunt, he saw beside the road a young girl of such wondrous loveliness that he could not take his eyes from her face.
"'Bring her to me,' he ordered his attendants, as she, not knowing that it was the Emperor and his suite, but thinking that it was only some great mandarin, would have passed on.
"When the soldiers approached her, saying at the same time, 'The Emperor who waits yonder has sent for you,' she was greatly terrified. Her face turned very white, and her knees trembled so that she could hardly stand, for she knew not what was about to befall her.
"When she had prostrated herself before Kaou-tsung he ordered all his attendants to withdraw to a little distance and there remain until he summoned them, for he wished to speak, unheard by others, tothis fair maiden. When they were alone he said kindly:
"'Rise, most beautiful one, for I desire to look at you.'
"Blushing at his words, she raised her face but remained upon her knees.
"'Verily the sun seemed hid when I saw not your eyes,' Kaou-tsung continued, for he was much impressed with her beauty.
"Seeing that she did not speak, but only blushed the more, he asked:
"'What is your name?'
"'Woo How,' she murmured, all abashed.
"'What!' cried the astonished Emperor; 'not Woo How, the daughter of one Tai-ting?'
"'The very same,' she answered, not knowing why he was amazed.
"'But the picture Maou-yen-show brought to me?' he questioned, in great perplexity.
"'Ah, I had not the treasures to givehim and he would not make it,' she answered sadly.
"At this a light suddenly broke upon Kaou-tsung, and he saw the perfidy of the minister he had trusted.
"'Rise, most beautiful one in all the land,' he cried to her, 'for you shall be the bride of the Emperor. At last have I found the creature I sought.' Thus in spite of treachery did the gods bring it to pass that Woo How became the Empress, for what Tên Wang decrees must be, no matter how we strive against it."
"That was indeed a charming story," Tuen cried enthusiastically, as the old man paused. "It is the nicest one I ever heard."
"It is not yet finished," Szu said quickly. "It were but a broken thread if I left it there."
"Oh, tell it all to me," she cried eagerly. "I would never tire of listening about her."
Szu nodded his head complacently and cleared his throat. Then he went on:
"The happy Kaou-tsung forgot about the hunt, and returned at once to his imperial palace, carrying Woo How with him. It was so ordained that Maou-yen-show was not of the party that attended the Emperor that day, and knew nothing of his meeting with Woo How. Immediately upon his arrival at court Kaou-tsung gave the following order:
"'Keeper of the Yellow Gate, bring us that picture that we may view it.'
"Looking from it to the charming original before him he exclaimed feelingly:
"'Ah, how he has dimmed the purity of the gem, bright as the waves in autumn!'
"Then turning to the attendant he said:
"'Transmit our pleasure to the officer of the guard to behead Maou-yen-show and report to us his execution.'"
"The rascal, it was just what he deserved," Wang cried hotly, and Tuen, her eyes shining like stars, said softly:
"It seems almost too wonderful to be true."
"Stranger things happen than have ever been told," Szu replied. "The affairs of life are past finding out, and who Tên Wang leads must follow, whether he will or not."
"This Woo How was very lucky," Tuen murmured. "She must have been loved by the gods."
"Ah, I have not yet done speaking of her," Szu answered. "Much yet remains."
"How can there be anything to tell after she was married?" Tuen inquired incredulously.
"There comes the amazing part," Szu acknowledged. "It happened just as the Emperor had wished, that his bride proved as wise as she was beautiful, and soon she was not only beloved, but feared by every one. In court circles you will find out for yourself that an ounce of fear is worth a pound of love. When the lovely Woo How discovered this truth she became a power in the land—but not until then. As she grew older her beauty decreased, it is true, but her power increased, and on the death of the Emperor it was this same Woo How who set aside his lawful successor and became the Empress and sole ruler of this great country."
"It is but a play you are repeating to me," Tuen cried scornfully. "It was not and could not be."
"Youth does not know all things," theold story-teller answered in an offended tone. "A few gems of thought, a few pearls of knowledge are reserved for age. That is its compensation. I have repeated to you the true account of Woo How. That she lived and reigned and died Confucius has told, therefore I would believe it though the daughters of a thousand Viceroys should dispute it."
"Then I was mistaken about it being only a tale if you learned it from the Sacred Books, Szu," Tuen answered. "But since I know that, I like it all the better. Now let us hear what else befell this most fortunate one."
"Perhaps it would not interest you," he said somewhat sullenly. "Sufficient be it that being of a strong mind she had long controlled her husband, and even before his death she it was who in truth ruled the land. When she had seated herself upon the throne she was so well versed in the affairs of state that shegoverned with much discretion and ability."
Here the garrulity of the old man gained the mastery over his anger, and he went on in his usual rapid, animated way:
"Great was Woo How of the dynasty of Tang. She sent her powerful armies out to battle, and the enemies fled before them like the birds before the storm. The proud Thibetans ran like the deer, leaving behind the unnumbered dead. Thick fell the arrows around them! Loud sounded the gongs of the hosts! Shrill was the battle-cry and loud the shouts of victory!
"And none could stand before the warriors of Woo How. Their journey was marked by the flames of burning towns, captives followed behind them, their groanings shaking the earth, when back to the court came the army of Woo How. Then she marshalled them again, andsent them forth against the rebellious Khitans, and again did they return with conquering footsteps, bringing vast treasures and slaves, that reached on, on, like the waves of the ocean. Peace reigned after this, and prosperity walked abroad, and after twenty-two glorious years Woo How drove the fairy chariot and went the long journey."
When he finished speaking, Wang was loud in her praises of the pleasing narrative, but Tuen locked her hands around her knees and sat silent, looking out over the throng of boats around her. Szu waited expectantly for some remarks and some questions from her, but when she did not speak, he lit his pipe and smoked away vigorously.
The afternoon was now drawing to a close. A blue haze crept over the distant landscape and smoothed out all ugliness, and made the scene soft and pleasing, and even the incessant cries of the boatmensounded less shrill. Tuen got up and walked about on the cramped deck, for she was weary with long sitting, but she was blind and deaf to all that went on. Wang was trying to engage Szu in conversation, but he only pulled his bamboo cap farther over his staring eyes, and did not answer, and finally, she gave up in despair and went within. After a while, Tuen came back and, squatting down on a silken cushion beside Szu, said:
"Could a woman have done what that Woo How did?"
He removed the pipe from his mouth, and turned his face toward her.
"The sages have told you so," he replied, shortly.
"I know that," she said, impatiently, "but what I mean is, could it ever happen again?"
He screwed up his mouth, and repressed a smile.
"As long as women are born it couldhappen, I suppose, and there is as yet no dearth of females."
"You are laughing at me!" she cried, flushing angrily. "I asked you a civil question. Why should you make sport of me?"
Now he smiled, openly, at her evident vexation, but he said, gravely:
"If you are born great, you will be great, no matter if you be man or woman, no matter when you live or where, but the great ones of earth are few and far between. Some who were not born great, have, by hard work and much patience, attained to it. But a woman is usually a stupid thing, and her head is much too light for climbing."
"If she were very wise, could she have power, even in the Forbidden City?" Tuen persisted.
He nodded.
"If she were very wise, she would have power, it makes no difference where shelived. Even on a desert island she would have power over the wild beasts, for knowledge is power the world over. It is because females do not possess it that they are weak and of little repute. When they become wise they will rule the earth, for a man is but clay in the hands of a skilful woman. She pats him into whatever shape she wants him."
"I would like to be wise and great," Tuen said, with a sigh.
For several days after she had listened to the story of Woo How, Tuen maintained an unwonted gravity, and was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she paid but little attention to anything around her. "The poor child is homesick," Wang muttered, as she watched her, but the girl gave no indication of the cause of her new mood. Perhaps she could not if she had tried. Their progress along the Yang-tse-Kiang was slow, and she had much time for meditation. There was a certain sameness about the scenery, a monotony about the river-life, and she could almost fancy that it was the same people, passing and repassing every day. Sometimes she would hear aboatman singing some familiar air that would carry her back all the many long miles that separated her from that other life, that other Tuen, who was now almost a stranger to her, and she would unconsciously sigh, but she wept no more. The mystic future, heretofore a blank, seemed now full of untold possibilities, and her active mind drew many alluring pictures of what it might be. Unknown to herself, she was merging from a dreaming girl to a clear-headed, determined woman, a woman of a strong personality, whose influence would be felt in the world. After all, it is some mere chance that holds a mirror before us and shows us what we are and what we might be, and to Tuen this vision had come before it was too late. From this time she would press forward with that unfailing courage and persistence whose reward is success. The most diverting sight to her was the fisherman with his cormorants,and these she never tired of watching. With many a hoarse squawk, the well-trained birds would dive for their prey, while their masters shouted cheeringly at them, and happy the bird that came up with a fish in his mouth. He was pulled into the boat, the iron ring that had prevented him from feasting upon his prey was removed from his neck, and a generous handful of bean-curd rewarded his industry. It was amusing to Tuen to see the excited interest these black-winged birds betrayed in their own performance, and with what alacrity they went about their task.
THE SAIL UP THE RIVER
"See, Wang, even a bird can do something!" she cried, one day, as they passed a flock of these unique fishermen.
Before Wang had time to answer, there was a splashing sound near by, and to her horror, Tuen saw the head of a man appear above the water and then disappear. Although many had witnessed the accident, and it was now evident that the mancould not swim, no one betrayed any excitement, or made any move toward his rescue. Such is the apathy manifested by these strange people toward the suffering of others—greatly the result of the peculiar laws of the country—that they simply watched, with idle curiosity, for his reappearance, with no thought of offering succor. Tuen was always quick to act, and in this emergency her wits did not desert her. Calling aloud to the sailors: "Cash—many strings of cash—to the one that rescues him," she ran to the side of the vessel.
Seeing that no one moved she cried, angrily:
"What, is the reward not great enough? See this ring," holding up a shining circlet set with an exquisite stone; "this will I give to the one who will save him."
At her words, a lad who had been listening to her with a wondering expression, as if suddenly dazed, sprang quicklyoverboard and dived for the drowning man. It was so long before he came to the surface that Tuen, to whom every second seemed an hour, began to fear that she had been the cause of a double tragedy, and almost repented of her hasty act. She gave a gasp of relief when he reappeared, holding fast a struggling body, and when they had both been pulled into her boat, she sank down, trembling violently. It turned out that neither was the worse for his plunge beneath the muddy water, and a sun-bath would soon remove all trace of the accident.
When the rescuer stood before her, Tuen said, reprovingly:
"You have done well, but why must you be bought before you would help the drowning man?"
"It is not well to be mixed up in such a case," was his answer. "It might have been said that it was I who killed him, and we who are wise and desire to livelong in the land keep our hands off our neighbors."
She uttered an impatient exclamation.
"I do not understand your reasoning."
"Neither do the mandarins," he assured her, "when we are hauled up before them. For that reason they chop off our heads, as that is the easiest way of settling the difficulty. If he had been drowned, there would have been a report that I had been the cause of it, and as he could not have thanked me for my officiousness, and as I could not have proved that he drowned by himself, since I went to help him——" he shrugged his shoulders expressively.
Tuen knit her brows in a puzzled frown, for she knew nothing about the law, but she said, indifferently:
"Well, it does not matter, since the man is still alive. Here is the ring I promised you, and the cash shall be counted out at once. Wang, go with him."
But the boy stood staring at her, as if loath to leave, and such unusual lack of appreciation of cash struck Tuen as marvellous. What a strange creature he was not to be in a hurry for his money! She looked at him attentively, and she saw that he was short and very slender, with a bright, intelligent face, but his water-soaked garments were of the coarse blue cloth worn by the lower class, and his occupation was evidently that of a common sailor. Still looking at him, she said, slowly:
"Take the ring, and perhaps sometime it will serve you well, for none can tell what may be."
The boy bowed gravely, still apparently fascinated by her youth and beauty. Perhaps it was the admiration she read in his face, perhaps but an impulse that caused Tuen to ask abruptly:
"What is your name?"
"Chang-li," he answered, with anotherbow, for he had evidently become impressed with the superiority of this young girl.
"You may go," she said, with sudden dignity, waving her hand in dismissal. "I will remember it."
The boy turned reluctantly away, and as he did so, he did not place the ring upon his finger, but hid it in his bosom. And when he heard that this lovely creature was the daughter of a Viceroy who went as a present to the Emperor, he wondered at her graciousness, and carefully treasured the ring, although he was offered much money for it, and he was very poor.
And one day, many years after, when a proclamation was issued, commanding one Chang-li, who had been given a ring as a reward for rescuing a drowning man from the river, to come to court and present this ring, he had cause to be glad that he had treasured it.
The calm monotony of Tuen's life continued uninterrupted after the episode with the sailor. She would talk with Wang for hours, of the kind friends she had left in the Viceroy's yâmen, and again of that secluded court to which she went, concerning which many marvellous stories were told throughout the land; and at other times she would sit spellbound for half a day, listening to the long-spun-out stories of blind Szu. They were now in the Imperial Canal, that stupendous monument of man's ingenuity, for on account of the work and the time required to complete them, it and the Great Wall stand unrivalled by any effort of man in any other part of theworld. The waters of the canal were clearer than those of the great river they had left, but there was the same press of boats, their number greatly augmented by the many grain-junks that bear the tribute of rice to Peking. It was also a thrilling experience to Tuen to see the boats pass the sluices, where the waters raged as if waiting for something to suck down into their turbulent depths. The small boats darted through the openings without hindrance, but the larger ones must get through by a tedious and somewhat dangerous process, and often it would make Tuen shudder to watch them. The cumbrous barges would first be dragged forward slowly, by means of ropes attached to large windlasses and worked from the bank, while against the sides of the pier were arranged cushions of rope to lighten any shock received. Thus were the boats carefully let over, so that they could proceed on their way. When theyreached the temple of the Dragon King, who is the special ruler of the waters, the loud firing of crackers came from all the boats, while libations were poured out, and many strings of gilt paper burned in honor of this terrible god of the waters. Tuen, who was by nature most devout, and stood in wholesome fear of the gods, took great pleasure in these ceremonies, and lit incense sticks until the huge porcelain bowl she had selected for this purpose was filled with ashes. Satisfied with her devotions, she made herself comfortable on many cushions and sent for Szu to attend her at once. When he had seated himself, and she waited for him to begin, he pursed up his mouth reflectively, and then smiled. Perhaps because still somewhat offended by her doubts of the truthfulness of the narrative of Woo How, or perchance because he wished her to know that few women had been both wise and good, he said in a half-scornful way:
"There is another female whose name is written in history. Would you like to hear of her?"
"Very much," Tuen answered, quickly. "Wang, put him in that shady corner, where the sun will not touch him, and Ta-ta, if you can remain quiet, you too may stay and listen."
"No one else has any chance to talk when Szu is around," Ta-ta grumbled.
The old story-teller turned his face toward her, and asked, scornfully:
"Who would listen to the babble of a woman? None but a fool, if there were others talking."
"I am waiting on you," Tuen interposed, knowing by experience that when Szu and Ta-ta commenced an interchange of courtesies, the tongues of both were loosed in a startling manner.
Szu cleared his throat impressively, and began his narrative by saying:
"There are no stories worth thetelling save those found in the books of the sages, for it is only the ancients who possessed all goodness and learning. Therefore when we of this later day wish to know anything we must turn to them. They have left us all that is necessary for us to know, and their maxims are the perfect rule of life."
Having delivered himself of this preamble, he continued:
"To-day will I tell you the story of Ta-ke the wife of Chow, in proof that one woman can ruin a nation. It is said that she was beautiful, and certain it is that the Emperor loved her well, but it is, alas! true that her heart was base. He built for her a palace, more beautiful than any ever seen before. It was all of gold and silver and ivory, and the roof was bright as the sun. He placed within it rich carvings, and porcelains of queerest shapes, and the most wonderful flowers in all the earth. And those whomade the works of art to adorn her palace were killed, that the secret might die with them. And women worked from moon to moon, embroidering the hangings for this stately home erected to please the fancy of Ta-ke, and the looms throughout the Empire were busy weaving rich stuffs for her apparel. The choice fruits of the land were brought to tempt her palate, the daintiest dishes served on golden platters were put before her, and the sound of music was never hushed in the palace. With all these things to give her happiness, this, the most favored of females, was not satisfied, and her cruel nature would not be lulled to sleep. She loved to see the torture applied to those who had done no crime, and she laughed and turned away from the prayers that were addressed to her by the poor and the oppressed of the kingdom. And Chow, because he listened to her, was likewise cruel and vile.What can the people hope when they have such rulers? They could only endure and wait. At last the venerable uncle of this misguided Emperor spoke boldly to him of his evil ways, that he, being warned, might not continue in his baseness, and he told him how the subjects cried out in their just anger against him. Very wroth was Chow with his aged relative, and, going to Ta-ke, he repeated to her the words of reproof to which he had been forced to listen. When he had finished she only laughed in a mocking way.
"'True he is wondrous wise,' she cried. 'His heart must be made in a different pattern from that of his countrymen, to hold so much knowledge. Methinks I should like to have it cut from his body that I might gaze upon it and see wherein the heart of a sage differs from that of other men.'
"'And you shall see it before the sunsets,' the besotted sovereign cried, and turning to an attendant he gave orders that at once the heart of this good man should be brought to Ta-ke. These and many other wicked things she did, until the people scarce could breathe, so full were they of hate of her. Then a deliverer was found, and the brave Woo Wang came to save the country. With the noise of drum, and amid the swift-falling arrows that carried death where'er they fell, he marched on the resplendent capital of Chow, and the down-trodden people ran forward to welcome him and gladly followed him, until his hosts were far-extending as the clouds. When Chow heard this he went out to marshal his armies that he might repulse these valiant men, but not one was found to wield the bow and arrow in behalf of his Emperor, for all were making ready to greet the good Woo Wang. Already he heard the tramp of the oncomingthrong and the victorious shouting of the warriors, and knew his doom had come, for none would strike a blow to save this tyrant. Quickly he went to the inner room of his palace, arrayed himself in his most magnificent apparel, and donned his tunic of golden brocade, as if to give audience to some mighty prince, and making himself a throne of his most costly possessions he mounted it, and with his own hand touched it with a torch. So perished Chow, and thus was destroyed that most magnificent palace, the wonder of the land. Ta-ke watched him calmly as he made these final preparations, and she shed no tears, for her heart was busy forming a plan where by she might save herself from the wrath of Woo Wang. When she saw the flames burst forth, she ran with all the haste that terror lends away from the fatal spot, and even as she ran she met the great Woo Wang coming with hissoldiers to take possession of the palace, and she cast herself at his feet.
"'It is the hated Empress,' the people cried angrily, groaning as they spoke, and when he heard this Woo Wang waited not, but with his own hand severed the head of the base Ta-ke from her body, that she might not longer live to curse the land; and all the multitude raised a loud shout of joy."
"That's a very ugly tale," Ta-ta exclaimed, stifling a yawn as she spoke. "It was nothing but kill—kill—kill."
"You gave us the best first," Wang said, as she rose to go, but Tuen made no comment of any kind. Side by side she stored these two stories in her mind, and never did she forget them.