"What do you want them for again？" lady Feng asked. "I am here to wait on you！"
Still speaking， she pulled her along on their way， with Pao-yue following in their footsteps. Then making their exit out of the garden gate， they entered dowager lady Chia's suite of rooms. "I said that it was superfluous for any one to trouble，" lady Feng smiled， "as they were sure of themselves to become reconciled； but you， dear ancestor， so little believed it that you insisted upon my going to act the part of mediator. Yet when I got there， with the intention of inducing them to make it up， I found them， though one did not expect it， in each other's company， confessing their faults， and laughing and chatting. Just like a yellow eagle clutching the feet of a kite were those two hanging on to each other. So where was the necessity for any one to go？"
these words evoked laughter from every one in the room. Pao-ch'ai， however， was present at the time so Lin Tai-yue did not retort， but went and ensconced herself in a seat near her grandmother.
When Pao-yue noticed that no one had anything to say， he smilingly addressed himself to Pao-ch'ai. "On cousin Hsueeh P'an's birth-day，" he remarked， "I happened again to be unwell， so not only did I not send him any presents， but I failed to go and knock my head before him. Yet cousin knows nothing about my having been ill， and it will seem to him that I had no wish to go， and that I brought forward excuses so as to avoid paying him a visit. If to-morrow you find any leisure， cousin， do therefore explain matters for me to him."
"This is too much punctiliousness！" smiled Pao-ch'ai. "Even had you insisted upon going， we wouldn't have been so arrogant as to let you put yourself to the trouble， and how much less when you were not feeling well？ You two are cousins and are always to be found together the whole day； if you encourage such ideas， some estrangement will， after all， arise between you."
"Cousin，" continued Pao-yue smilingly， "you know what to say； and so long as you're lenient with me all will be all right. But how is it，" he went on to ask， "that you haven't gone over to see the theatricals？"
"I couldn't stand the heat" rejoined Pao-ch'ai. "I looked on while two plays were being sung， but I found it so intensely hot， that I felt anxious to retire. But the visitors not having dispersed， I had to give as an excuse that I wasn't feeling up to the mark， and so came away at once."
Pao-yue， at these words， could not but feel ill at ease. All he could do was to feign another smile. "It's no wonder，" he observed， "that they compare you， cousin， to Yang Kuei-fei； for she too was fat and afraid of hot weather."
