abin and, seeing
the door open, cried out:

"The door is open! O thieves!"

Elegant at once covered her lover with the blanket, but one of the
slaves saw the invader's feet. Ho Chang and his wife snatched away the
blanket.

"How does this wretch dare to dishonor my family?" cried the Governor
in a rage. "Ah, throw him into the river!"

In spite of the prayers of the culprit and the girl two men seized the
former, dragged him away and threw him into the water. She followed
him in despair, crying:

"I have ruined him! I wish to follow!"

And she too threw herself into the water. She woke with a start. It
was only a dream.

Till morning she lay and thought, wondering if this dream were perhaps
an omen that her destiny ought not to be bound up with that of Ya-nei.

He also had complicated dreams that night. He rose in the morning and
opened the port-hole of his cabin. Ho Chang's ship was touching his
own, and the port-hole opposite to him was open. Elegant appeared
there, and their eyes met. Surprised, delighted and embarrassed, they
smiled, as if they had known each other for a long time. They would
gladly have spoken, but were afraid of being heard. Then she made a
small sign to him, retired quickly into her cabin, and rapidly wrote
some words on a piece of paper ornamented with sprays of rose peach.
She rolled it in a silk handkerchief and cleverly threw it to Ya-nei,
who caught it in both hands. They saluted each other, and reclosed
their port-holes.

He unfolded the handkerchief and smoothed out the crinkled leaf. It
bore this poem:

Brocade characters are on this paper of flowers,
And the bowels of my sorris in this embroidery,
I have dreamed of a prince
And, carried upon a cloud, I come to him.

But there was also a little word or two added:

"This evening your submissive mistress will await you near the lamp.
The noise of my scissors will be the signal for our happiness, and of
our meeting."

Beyond himself with joy, the lad hastened to take a leaf of golden
paper and wrote out a poem on it. Then he took off his embroidered
silken girdle, rolled it all together, and opened his port-hole.
Elegant had also opened hers; she received the small packet and at
once concealed it in her sleeve, for she heard the slaves approaching.
These were followed by her mother. At last the time came for her
father to cross to the other ship for the return feast given by Wu.

Full of cunning, the maiden took