d had no further doubt of what had happened. And inwardly she cried:
"Woe! Woe!"

In the morning, after Prudence had returned to her parents' house to
perform her toilet, the woman came in to wait upon Yu-lang, and said
to him in a low voice:

"O practitioner! You have done a fine thing! What will happen if
people come to know of it?"

"I did not search her out. Her mother led her to my bed. How could I
have avoided this?"

"You ought to have resisted with all your might."

"With such an adorably beautiful girl? Even a man of iron and stone
could not have resisted. Also, if you say nothing, who will know of
it?"

When the process of disguise was again completed, he went to salute
the wife of Liu. Then all the women of the house and the cousins came
to see him. Finally Prudence came in, and they two laughed together.
For that day, as was the custom, Liu and his wife had invited their
relations and friends, and there was a great feast, with music and
a dinner lasting until the evening. Then, when the house was quiet
again, the girl went, as on the previous night, to keep young
Yu-lang company. That night, even more so than the preceding one,
the butterflies beat their wings, and the passionate phoenixes were
convulsed.

In the morning, they kept together. Therefore the scandalized nurse
ran out and told everything to Sun said his wife, and they reeled with
surprise and emotion.

"Alas, misfortune will certainly come of it! We must bring him back as
soon as possible."

They summoned the go-between and told her that, according to custom,
on the third day after the marriage they wished to see their daughter
at their house. She therefore went to the home of Liu, and the two
lovers trembled when they heard of this request. But the wife of Liu
had not forgotten the difficulties which Sun had made with regard to
the marriage; and she was afraid of not seeing her daughter-in-law
again. So she said:

"But my son is still suffering, and the marriage has not been
altogether accomplished. We will speak of this again at some later
time."

This answer had to be sufficient. The nurse was in terror, and watched
the approaches of the room all night for fear lest anybody should hear
the rapturous exclamation of the lovers.

The days passed, and Virgin Diamond gradually grew better. Since he
admired the beauty of his young wife, his desire to know her hastened
his recovery, and the time came when he was able to get up. Sti