son at all. Yet she could
not rid herself of the fear that, since Aduan was a departed spirit,
heaven might refuse to send him a child.

In spite of her fear, however, she was able to hold a grandson in her
arms in course of time. When she looked at him, he was no different
from other children, and then her cup of joy was filled to
overflowing.

Rose of Evening gradually became aware of the fact that Aduan was not
really a human being. "Why did you not tell me at once?" said she.
"Departed spirits who wear the garments of the dragon castle, surround
themselves with a soul-casing so heavy in texture that they can no
longer be distinguished from the living. And if one can obtain the
lime made of dragon-horn which is in the castle, then the bones may be
glued together in such wise that flesh and blood will grow over them
again. What a pity that we could not obtain the lime while we were
there!"

Aduan sold his pearl, for which a merchant from foreign parts gave him
an enormous sum. Thus his family grew very wealthy. Once, on his
mother's birthday, he danced with his wife and sang, in order to
please her. The news reached the castle of the Dragon Prince and he
thought to carry off Rose of Evening by force. But Aduan, alarmed,
went to the Prince, and declared that both he and his wife were
departed spirits. They examined him and since he cast no shadow, his
word was taken, and he was not robbed of Rose of Evening.

Note: "Rose of Evening" is one of the most idyllic of
Chinese art fairy-tales. The idea that the departed
spirit throws no shadow has analogies in Norse and other
European fairy-tales.

LXXIV

THE APE SUN WU KUNG

Far, far away to the East, in the midst of the Great Sea there is an
island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. And on this mountain
there is a high rock. Now this rock, from the very beginning of the
world, had absorbed all the hidden seed power of heaven and earth and
sun and moon, which endowed it with supernatural creative gifts. One
day the rock burst, and out came an egg of stone. And out of this
stone egg a stone ape was hatched by magic power. When he broke the
shell he bowed to all sides. Then he gradually learned to walk and to
leap, and two streams of golden radiance broke from his eyes which
shot up to the highest of the castles of heaven, so that the Lord of
the Heavens was frightened. So he sent out the two gods,
Thousandmile-Eye and Fine-Ear, to fi