se of attracting the maiden's
favourable attention. After an absence of many days, spent in this
graceful and complimentary manner, Liao returned suddenly to the house
of his father, and, prostrating his body before him, made a specific
request for his assistance.

"'As regards Ts'ain and myself,' he continued, 'all things are arranged,
and but for the unfortunate coincidence of this person's poverty and
of her father's cupidity, the details of the wedding ceremony would
undoubtedly now be in a very advanced condition. Upon these entrancing
and well-discussed plans, however, the shadow of the grasping and
commonplace Ah-Ping has fallen like the inopportune opium-pipe from the
mouth of a person examining substances of an explosive nature; for the
one referred to demands a large and utterly unobtainable amount of taels
before he will suffer his greatly-sought-after daughter to accept the
gifts of irretrievable intention.'

"'Grievous indeed is your plight,' replied Quen, when he thus understood
the manner of obstacle which impeded his son's hopes; 'for in the nature
of taels the most diverse men are to be measured through the same mesh.
As the proverb says, "'All money is evil,' exclaimed the philosopher
with extreme weariness, as he gathered up the gold pieces in exchange,
but presently discovering that one among them was such indeed has he had
described, he rushed forth without tarrying to take up a street garment;
and with an entire absence of dignity traversed all the ways of the city
in the hope of finding the one who had defrauded him." Well does this
person know the mercenary Ah-Ping, and the unyielding nature of his
closed hand; for often, but always fruitlessly, he has entered his
presence on affairs connected with the erecting of certain temples.
Nevertheless, the matter is one which does not admit of any incapable
faltering, to which end this one will seek out the obdurate Ah-Ping
without delay, and endeavour to entrap him by some means in the course
of argument.'

"From the time of his earliest youth Ah-Ping had unceasingly devoted
himself to the object of getting together an overwhelming number of
taels, using for this purpose various means which, without being really
degrading or contrary to the written law, were not such as might have
been cheerfully engaged in by a person of high-minded honourableness. In
consequence of this, as he grew more feeble in body, and more venerable
in appearance, he began to