o keep his bed. He thought he saw
Shih-niang standing in front of him all day and every day. It was not
long before he expiated his crime in death.

We must now tell how Liu, having left the capital to return to his own
village, also halted at Kua-chow. Leaning over the river to take up
some water in a bronze basin, he let the thing slip, and therefore
begged certain fishermen to drag their net for it.

When they drew up, there was a little box in the net. Liu opened
it, and it was full of pearls and precious stones. He rewarded the
fishermen generously, and placed the box near his pillow.

In the night he had a dream. A young woman rose from the troubled
waters of the river, and he recognized Shih-niang. She drew near,
wishing him ten thousand happinesses. Then she recounted the unworthy
ingratitude of Li, and said:

"Of your bounty you gave me a hundred and fifty ounces. I have
not forgotten your generosity, and I put this little box in the
fishermen's net as an offering of recognition."

He awoke and, having learned thus of Shih-niang's death, sighed for a
long time.

Later, those who told me this story declared that Sun, since he
thought he could acquire a beautiful woman for a thousand ounces,
was evidently not a respectable man. Li Chia, they said, had not
understood the sorrowful heart of Shih-niang, and was consequently
stupid, without refinement, and not worthy of mention. Shih-niang
alone was heroic. She was, in fact, unique since furtherest antiquity.
Why could she not meet some charming companion, some phoenix worthy
of her? Why did she make the mistake of loving Li Chia? An admirable
piece of jade was thrown to him who did not deserve it; so that love
turned to hate, and a thousand passionate impulses were drowned in the
deep water. Alas!

_Tu Shih-niang nu ch'en pai pao hsiang. (Tu Shih-niang,
being put to shame drowns herself with
her casket of a hundred treasures.)_
_Chin ku chi'i kuan (17th Century.)_

THE WEDDING OF YA-NEI

In the reign of the emperor Shen Tsung there lived an official named
Wu, who was at that time, Governor of Ch'ang-sha. His wife, Lin, had
given him a son named Ya-nei, or "In-the-Palace," who had that year
reached the age of sixteen. He was well endowed, although not without
tendency to wantonness; yet he had from childhood diligently studied
the classics and poetry. He had only one really extravagant failing;
to satisfy his appetite he needed more than three