The Warning Voice (58 page)

Dai-yu and Xiang-yun were full of admiration.

‘Strange that we should be always looking round for poetic talent,' they said, ‘and all the time we have had a poet like you on our very doorstep! These verses of yours make anything we have ever done look very amateurish.'

‘I must have another look at them tomorrow and touch them up a bit,' said Adamantina smiling. ‘It's already dawn. We really must go to bed.'

Dai-yu and Xiang-yun got up and took their leave. Their maids left with them. Adamantina saw them outside the gate and stood a long while watching them go. They had already covered a good part of the way back when she at last went in again and closed the gate after her.

Kingfisher wanted Xiang-yun to go to Li Wan's place to sleep.

‘The people at Mrs Zhu's are expecting you, miss. You ought to go there.'

‘Drop in there on the way and tell them not to wait up for me any longer,' said Xiang-yun. ‘Mrs Zhu is still ill. If I went back there to sleep now, I'm afraid I might disturb her. If I'm going to disturb anyone, let it be Miss Lin.'

When they reached the Naiad's House, they found half the servants there asleep. The girls took off their ornaments and outer clothes, washed, and got into bed. Nightingale let down the bed-curtains, and having set the lamp down within easy reach of the bed, went out and closed the door.

But neither of the girls could sleep, Xiang-yun because she always had difficulty in getting to sleep in a strange bed, and Dai-yu because her anaemic condition always made sleeping difficult for her, and because on this occasion she had long since passed beyond tiredness, so that for her sleep was in any case out of the question. For a long time the two of them lay tossing and turning on the bed.

‘Can't you get to sleep?' Dai-yu asked Xiang-yun eventually.

‘I can never get to sleep in a strange bed,' said Xiang-yun with a rueful laugh. ‘Anyway, I'm too tired to get to sleep. I'll just have to lie and rest. Can't you get to sleep either?'

Dai-yu sighed.

‘This is no novelty for me,' she said. ‘I don't suppose I get more than ten really good nights' sleep in a year.'

‘No wonder you're always ill,' said Xiang-yun.

Our story continues in the following chapter.

‘When one doesn't need this stuff, there is always plenty of it,' said Lady Wang testily. ‘It is only when
we
want some that you can't find any. I am always telling you: you must keep a proper check on things and you must keep them together, but you won't do as I say: you
will
leave things lying around all over the place, and then afterwards you never know where to look for them.'

‘I think this
is
all the ginseng we've got,' said Suncloud. ‘That time Lady Xing came for some, I think she must have taken it all.'

‘Nonsense!' said Lady Wang. ‘Go and look again. And look properly this time!'

Suncloud had to go off and search some more. She came back bearing several packets of herbs.

‘I don't know what is in these, Your Ladyship. If there isn't any ginseng in any of these, then we really haven't got any.'

Lady Wang opened the packets. She had no recollection of what they contained and could not identify the contents, but she could tell at a glance that none of them contained any ginseng. She sent someone to Xi-feng's room to ask if Xi-feng had got any herself. Xi-feng came over to reply.

‘I've only got extract of ginseng,' she said. ‘Actually I have got a few dried leaves and whiskers, but they are not of good quality and I use them every day in my infusions.'

Lady Wang was obliged to ask Lady Xing; but she, too, was unable to oblige.

Lady Wang was now reduced to going round in person to Grandmother Jia and begging some from her. Grandmother Jia at once asked Faithful to get out whatever remained of her own supply. Fortunately there was still a large packetful. The roots were of various sizes, but mostly about the thickness of a finger. Faithful weighed out two ounces and gave them to Lady Wang, who carried them back to her own apartment and there handed them over to Zhou Rui's wife, together with the packets of unidentified herbs, instructing her to get one of the pages to carry them to the doctor. While he was about it, she said, he could determine what the herbs were and write their names on the packets.

When Zhou Rui's wife reappeared some time later, she was carrying not only the packets of herbs but also the ginseng.

‘He's written the names on the packets,' she said. ‘But this ginseng – he says it's very high quality ginseng, but it's too old. He says ginseng isn't like other medicines: no matter how good it is, after a hundred years or so it turns into dust. This ginseng here hasn't turned into dust yet, but he says it's already dried-up, like rotten wood. It's got no goodness in it. He told me to bring it back. He said tell Her Ladyship to try and get hold of some a bit fresher than this. It doesn't matter about the roots being a bit on the thin side as long as it's fresh.'

Lady Wang bowed her head and thought for some moments in silence.

‘I suppose there's nothing else for it. We shall just have to
buy
two ounces. – Take this stuff away!' she said, feeling no inclination to examine the packets. One of the maids removed them while she continued with her instructions to Zhou Rui's wife. ‘Tell our buyer to pick out ginseng of the very best quality. He is to get it as cheaply as he can, of course, but it
must
be high quality ginseng. Oh, and if Lady Jia should ask any of you about this, tell her that we used the ginseng she gave us. Don't go prattling to her about what the doctor said.'

Zhou Rui's wife was about to go off on her errand when Bao-chai, who happened to be sitting in the room, smilingly intervened.

‘Just a minute, Aunt. There is really no good ginseng to be had in the shops nowadays. If the dealers ever get hold of a whole root, they cut it into two or three sections which they carve into shape and graft crowns and rootlets onto so that they can make more money by passing off each section as a whole root. Our firm has quite a lot to do with the ginseng suppliers. If I had a word with Mamma about this, I am sure Pan could arrange for one of our people to get two ounces of whole, uncut root from the suppliers. It might cost rather a lot, but at least you could be sure that you were getting ginseng of the very highest quality.'

‘You are so knowledgeable!' said Lady Wang gratefully. ‘Would you do that then? I am sure it would be better for the request to come from you.'

Bao-chai left immediately and was gone for a long time.

‘He's sent someone to see about it,' she said when she got back. ‘We shall have a reply by this evening. That means that we ought to be able to get the stuff first thing tomorrow. That isn't too long to wait, is it?'

Lady Wang was delighted, though her comment was a somewhat rueful one.

‘We have always kept a supply of ginseng in the past, and we have given I don't know how much away to other people; but now that we want some ourselves, we have to run around looking for it elsewhere.'

She sighed.

‘Although ginseng is so costly, it is only a medicine,' said Bao-chai consolingly. ‘As such it
ought
to be given away to others, so that its benefit may be spread as widely as possible. People in our position cannot behave like ill-bred parvenus who hoard their ginseng like an heirloom and can only under the most exceptional circumstances be induced to part with any.'

Lady Wang nodded.

‘Yes, I suppose you are right.'

A little later, after Bao-chai had gone and there was no one else with her in the room, Lady Wang called Zhou Rui's wife over to ask about another matter.

‘When you made that search in the Garden the other day, did you find what you were looking for?'

Zhou Rui's wife had already consulted Xi-feng about what Lady Wang should be told and Xi-feng had insisted that there should be no concealment; she therefore told her everything. Lady Wang was deeply shocked. When she had somewhat recovered from her surprise and begun thinking what to do, it occurred to her that, as Chess was Ying-chun's maid and therefore really a member of Lady Xing's establishment, it would first be necessary to acquaint Lady Xing with the facts before proceeding any further. Zhou Rui's wife had her own ideas on the subject.

‘Lady Xing was so angry with Wang Shan-bao's wife for meddling that she boxed her ears and Wang Shan-bao's wife has kept at home ever since, pretending to be ill.
She
certainly won't have spoken to Lady Xing about this matter because Chess is her own daughter's child and it would be like slapping her own face if she did so. I expect she's pretending to have forgotten all about it and is just waiting for the whole affair to blow over. If
I
report it, Lady Xing will like as not take umbrage and say that
I
am interfering. It would be best simply to take Chess and the things we found along to her and let her work it all out for herself. Probably she'll give Chess a beating and have her married to one of the boys and pick another maid for Miss Ying and that will be the end of the matter. But if I just go along and tell her, without taking Chess
or the things, she'll probably think up some excuse for doing nothing. “If your mistress has found this out,” she'll say, “why doesn't she deal with it herself? Why do you come here asking
me
about it?” That way it will get put off. Then suppose when no one is looking the girl finds some means of doing away with herself? We shall have a fine to-do on our hands! She's already been under guard now for two or three days. If we don't do something about her soon, we shall be simply asking for trouble.'

Lady Wang reflected for some moments.

‘Yes, you are right,' she said at last. ‘Do as you have suggested straight away then, and after that we will deal with our own young harpies.'

Now that she had her commission, Zhou Rui's wife got together several of the other women and took them with her to Ying-chun's apartment. Ying-chun listened with tears in her eyes while Zhou Rui's wife explained what she had come about, and it was evident that the idea of parting with Chess distressed her; on the other hand, as she had now heard something about the raid from the other maids and knew that this matter was connected in some way with morality, she felt that however painful the parting might be, there was probably nothing she could do to prevent it. Chess was unaware of this. She had pleaded with Ying-chun the morning after the discovery and was convinced that Ying-chun could save her if she had a mind to. It could only be her habitual reluctance to speak out, her usual weak irresolution, that now kept her silent. When it became clear that her mistress was determined to say nothing and that there was to be no escape for her, Chess fell down on her knees and reproached her tearfully.

‘You have a cruel heart, miss! All through these last few days you have allowed me to go on hoping, but now, when the time comes, you won't say a single word to help me!'

‘You surely don't expect Miss Ying to
keep
you?' said Zhou Rui's wife indignantly. ‘Even if she did, what would all the other people in the Garden say? And how would you be able to look them in the face after what you have done? Take my advice: the best thing you can do is to pack your things up and get out of here as quickly as possible, before anyone
else has had a chance of finding out what you have been up to.'

‘I know that you have done something serious,' said Ying-chun tearfully. ‘If I speak up for you or try to keep you, it will be all up with me too. Apart from that, look how quickly they got rid of Picture, in spite of all the years she had served Miss Xi: just “Out!” and out she went. I don't think it will stop at you and Picture. I think they must be planning to get rid of all the older girls in the Garden. We are all going to be separated sooner or later. If you ask me, I think you and I might just as well part now as any other time.'

‘There, you see?' said Zhou Rui's wife. ‘Miss Ying understands. There'll be plenty of others dismissed after you have gone, don't you worry!'

Since there was to be no respite, Chess, struggling to hold back her tears, made a last kotow to her mistress and said good-bye to the other maids. As she was leaving, she leaned forwards and whispered in Ying-chun's ear:

‘Try and find out what's happening to me, miss. Put in a good word for me if you hear I'm suffering.'

‘Of course I will,' said Ying-chun. There were tears in her own eyes as she said it.

Those were the last words spoken before Zhou Rui's wife and the other women took Chess away. Two old women accompanied them carrying her things. They had gone no more than a few steps out of the courtyard gate when little Tangerine came running after them and handed Chess a silk purse, while with the other hand she wiped her streaming eyes.

‘This is from the mistress. She says it's hard to lose you after all the years you and she have been together and she wants you to have this to remember her by.'

As she received the purse, Chess was unable to restrain a further outburst of tears, and for some moments she and Tangerine clung together weeping, until Zhou Rui's wife, growing impatient, began hustling Chess on her way, forcing the two girls apart.

Chess spoke to the women imploringly:

‘For charity's sake, couldn't you turn a blind eye just for a
few minutes while I say good-bye to the maids in the other apartments? Some of the older ones I have known so long, they have become almost like sisters to me.'

Zhou Rui's wife and the other women all had work of their own to do which they had left unwillingly and were anxious to get back to; moreover all of them deeply resented the overbearing manner which Chess and the other senior maids had adopted towards them in the past; there was therefore little chance of their being moved by her plea.

‘If I were you I should stop all this shilly-shallying and be' on your way,' said Zhou Rui's wife coldly. ‘We've got more important things to do than sit around waiting while you say your good-byes. In any case, they're not your real sisters, so what's the point of seeing them? It's only playing for time. You've got to leave in the end, however long you delay. You might just as well get it over with now, as quickly as possible.'

She hurried on towards the rear corner gate of the Garden. The hapless Chess, not daring to say another word, had to follow her out of it.

By coincidence, just as they were coming out of the Garden, they ran into Bao-yu who was returning to it from outside. Seeing Chess in the company of this grim escort and with the two older women behind her carrying a lot of things, he realized that she must be leaving the Garden for good. He had heard something now about the raid and had noticed that Skybright's sickness had grown more serious since her interview with his mother (though he could not induce her to say why). The realization that he was witnessing Chess's dismissal came as all the greater shock in the light of these other happenings. He stepped forwards impetuously and barred their way.

‘Where are you going?'

Zhou Rui's wife knew Bao-yu from of old and greatly feared that they were now to be held up indefinitely with a lot of pointless chatter.

‘It's nothing to do with you,' she said, smiling grimly. ‘You get back to your books!'

‘Just stop a moment, there's a good woman,' said Bao-yu appealingly, ‘just long enough to hear what I've got to say.'

‘Her Ladyship told us we were under no circumstances to delay,' said Zhou Rui's wife. ‘There's nothing to be said. We've got our orders from Her Ladyship, that's all
We're
concerned about.'

Chess clung to Bao-yu and wept.

‘There's nothing
they
can do. If you want to save me, you'll have to speak to Her Ladyship.'

Bao-yu was deeply upset. His eyes filled with tears.

‘I don't know what terrible thing you are supposed to have done,' he said, ‘but I know that something has upset Skybright and made her ill, and now
you
are going. What on earth is happening?'