The Warning Voice (24 page)

Cardamome rose to her feet. Unable to counter with botanical arguments, she resorted to jeering instead.

‘And I suppose it's a “father and son” orchid if one flower's bigger than the other and an “enemies” orchid if they're growing back to back! It's because your own husband's been away so long: you can't even look at an orchid now without thinking of him. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, dragging him into it like this!'

Caltrop laughed, though her face had turned bright red.

‘You horrible little creature! What rubbish you talk!'

She had begun getting up, intending to give Cardamome's mouth a good pinch; but before she could do so, Cardamome had thrown herself upon her, forcing her backwards and pinning her to the ground, while at the same time she looked round and called to the other girls to help her.

‘Étamine! Nénuphar! Come and pinch her mouth for me!'

Caltrop struggled to get free and the two of them rolled over and over on the ground. The others laughed and clapped their hands.

‘Careful! Mind the puddle!' they shouted. ‘Mind she doesn't spoil her skirt!'

Cardamome looked round and saw that they had rolled towards a hollow in which rain-water had collected and that Caltrop's skirt was half in it. Feeling somewhat scared, she let go of Caltrop, jumped up, and ran away. The others thought Caltrop's plight a great joke, but fearing that, with Cardamome gone, she might vent her anger upon them, they ran off also, amidst peals of laughter.

Caltrop got up and inspected her skirt. It was completely soaked, and the foul, stagnant water was dripping off it in half-a-dozen places. She was still exclaiming bitterly over it when Bao-yu appeared. Observing that the girls were playing match-my-flower, he had gone off to collect some flowers himself and had now come back to join them. Surprised to find the other girls all gone and Caltrop standing on her own there contemplating her skirt, he asked her what had happened to the game.

‘I had a “husbands and wives” flower,' said Caltrop, ‘but the others had never heard of it and said I'd made it up; so there was a quarrel and they spoilt my nice new skirt.'

Bao-yu seemed pleased.

‘I can match your “husbands and wives”,' he said, taking a purple skullcap from his bunch. ‘Look, here's a” two heads are better than one”.' He picked up Caltrop's orchid and laid it beside the purple skullcap.

‘Bother your “two heads are better than one”!' said Caltrop, ‘and bother my “husbands and wives”! Look at my skirt!'

Bao-yu bent down and examined it.

‘Aiya! How did you manage to do that? It's grenadine, isn't it, that red material? They call it that because it's the red of pomegranate-flowers. I'm afraid it's a material that stains very badly. What a pity!'

‘It was material that Miss Bao-qin brought with her from Nanking,' said Caltrop. ‘Miss Bao-chai and I each made ourselves a skirt out of it. This is the first time I've put mine on.'

Bao-yu stamped and sighed sympathetically.

‘I'm sure the Xues could afford to spoil a hundred skirts like this one every day,' he said; ‘but that's not the point. In the first place, if this is material that Bao-qin gave you, it's going to look rather bad if your skirt's worn out before Bao-chai's has even been worn. And in the second place, Aunt Xue is a bit inclined to nag – I've often heard her complaining that you are extravagant and a bad manager and don't know how to look after things properly and so forth – and though this may not be your fault, I'm afraid if she gets to see it, you are going to have rather a lot of that sort of thing to listen to.'

What Bao-yu had just said so exactly accorded with what Caltrop herself had been thinking, that she began, in spite of everything, to feel almost pleased.

‘I know. If only I'd got another skirt like this one, I could change into it straight away and she wouldn't notice. But the trouble is, though I've got several new skirts, they all look quite different.'

‘Stop moving!' said Bao-yu. ‘If you don't keep still, you'll get the dirty water on your trousers and pantaloons and the tops of your shoes. I've got an idea. Last month Aroma made herself a skirt which is practically identical with this one, but she won't be able to wear it for a while yet because she's
still in mourning for her mother. Why don't we get her to send it over for you to change into?'

Caltrop smiled gratefully but shook her head.

‘No, I can't do that. I'm sure they wouldn't like it if they found out.'

‘They won't mind,' said Bao-yu. ‘As soon as her mourning's over you can ask her what she'd like to have in return and I'm sure they'd be only too pleased to let you give it to her. Come now, it's not like you to be so coy! It's not as if you'll be doing anything deceitful. You can tell Bao-chai about it. All we shall be doing is making sure that my aunt doesn't get to hear of it, because we know it would only make her angry.'

Caltrop thought for a bit. What he said seemed reasonable. She smiled and nodded.

‘All right – since you are so kind. I'll wait for you here, then. Only please, I beg of you, ask her to bring it here herself.'

Bao-yu agreed, delighted that she had accepted, and hurried back to find Aroma, head low and eyes to the ground, thinking about Caltrop all the way.

‘What a pity – nice girl like that – hasn't any parents – doesn't even remember her own name – kidnapped when she was a child – and to be sold to a brute like Pan!'

But not all his thoughts about her were so melancholy.

‘What a delightful surprise, though, to be able to do this for her! – That time with Patience was a surprise, too. But this! – never, never would have expected it!'

Still engrossed in these thoughts, he regained his room. There, going up to Aroma, he took her impulsively by the hand and told her what he had come for.

Everyone loved Caltrop. There was something endearing about her that one could not help responding to. Aroma was no exception and was in any case somewhat given to acts of impulsive generosity. As soon as Bao-yu told her what had happened, she opened her clothes-chest, and getting the scarlet skirt out, folded it up carefully and hurried off after him to look for her.

They found her still standing patiently on the spot where Bao-yu had left her. Aroma pretended to scold.

‘You're too wild, Caltrop. It always ends in trouble.'

Caltrop coloured.

‘Oh, thank you, Aroma. It's those horrible little beasts I was playing with. I didn't realize they could be so nasty.'

She unfolded the skirt that Aroma had brought her. It was, as Bao-yu had said, exactly like the one she was wearing. She made him turn his back and look away while she crossed her arms and inserted her hands under her dress in order to undo the fastenings of the dirty skirt. Having carefully removed it, she wrapped herself in the clean one and did up the sides.

‘Let me take that dirty one,' said Aroma. ‘I'll send it back to you later when I've cleaned it up a bit. If they were to see you going back with it, they'd be sure to ask questions.'

‘Yes, you take it,' said Caltrop. ‘But my dear Aroma, I don't want it back if I've got this one of yours to wear. Give it to one of the younger maids. I don't mind which one: you can decide that for me.'

‘That's very generous of you,' said Aroma.

Caltrop bowed twice to her in formal expression of her thanks. Aroma then went off, carrying the dirty skirt.

Looking round for Bao-yu, Caltrop found him still with his back towards her, squatting down on the ground and just completing the burial of the ‘husband and wife' orchid and the purple skullcap. He had dug a little grave for them with a piece of stick, lined it with fallen petals, laid the two flowers on the petals, covered them with more petals, and was now smoothing earth over the top. Caltrop tugged at his arm, laughing.

‘What on earth do you think you're doing? I've heard people talking about the creepy sort of things you get up to, but I only now realize what they mean. Look at your hands! They're absolutely filthy. You'd better go and wash them straight away.'

Bao-yu got up and began to go. Caltrop started walking off, too, in the opposite direction. She had gone no more than a few steps, however, when she turned and called to him to stop. Bao-yu, supposing that she had something more to say to him, turned smilingly towards her, holding up his muddy hands.

‘What is it?'

But Caltrop merely stood there, smiling and saying nothing. Just then her little maid Advent came up to tell her that Bao-qin wanted to talk to her. After that, finally, she spoke.

‘You won't ever tell your Cousin Pan about this, will you?'

‘What, put my head inside the mouth of a tiger?' said Bao-yu, laughing. ‘You must think I'm crazy!'

He turned once more and went back to Green Delights.

What happened there will be related in the next chapter.

‘I want everyone to enjoy themselves,' he said. ‘I want you to let yourselves go for once. Let's decide now what we are going to eat, so that they have plenty of time to get it ready.'

‘You don't have to worry about that,' said Aroma, smiling. ‘I've already made a collection for tonight and given the money to Mrs Liu: ten pennyweights of silver each from Skybright, Musk, Ripple and me – that's two taels – and six each from Parfumée, Emerald, Swallow and Number Four (I didn't collect anything from the ones who are taking the evening off) making three taels four pennyweights altogether. With that money she's going to do us forty little dishes of different things to eat. I've also had a word with Patience about the drink and she's had a two-gallon jar of Shaoxing wine carried over for us. It's hidden away over there, ready for the evening. The party will be our birthday present to you from the eight of us.'

‘How did the younger ones manage to give so much?' said Bao-yu, pleased but a little concerned. ‘I think it would have been better if you hadn't taken contributions from them.'

‘What about
us
then?' said Skybright.
‘We're
not exactly rich. This is something they wanted to do for you. I think you ought to accept it in the spirit in which it was offered and not bother too much about where the money came from. Suppose they stole it: what does that matter to you?'

‘You're right,' said Bao-yu, laughing.

‘If you were to go for one single day without feeling the rough side of her tongue,' said Aroma, ‘I think you would feel deprived!'

‘Aroma is getting quite expert in the art of stirring up trouble between other people,' said Skybright. ‘I wonder who she picked it up from.'

While the others were still laughing at these exchanges, Bao-yu gave orders for them to close the courtyard gate.

‘I don't wonder the young ladies call you “Busybody”,' said Aroma. ‘If we shut the gate now, we shall be simply inviting suspicion. Much better wait a bit.'

Bao-yu nodded.

‘I have to go outside now for a moment. Have some water ready when I get back, will you, Number Four? Swallow, you can come with me.'

When they were outside and he had first made sure that no one else was about, he asked Swallow what Cook Liu had said about Fivey.

‘Mrs Liu was very pleased when I told her,' said Swallow, ‘but she said that because of all the worry and the harsh treatment she suffered the other night Fivey has had a relapse; so it's out of the question for her to begin working with us now. She said it will just have to wait until she's better.'

Judging from the long sigh he gave when he heard this, Bao-yu appeared to be very much distressed.

‘Tell me,' he asked, ‘does Aroma know about this?'

‘I haven't told her myself,' said Swallow. ‘I suppose Parfumée might have done.'

‘Anyway,
I
haven't told her yet,' he said. ‘Hmn. Perhaps I'd better.'

Going back inside, he was careful to wash his hands to avert suspicion.

It was already lighting-up time. A party of women could be heard entering the courtyard gate. The inmates of Green Delights crowded to the windows to peep out. It was Lin Zhi-xiao's wife, accompanied by a number of the stewardesses. A woman holding a big lantern in her hand was leading the way.

‘They've come to inspect the watch,' said Skybright. ‘When they go out again we shall be able to shut the gate.'

Sure enough, the women on night-duty at Green Delights now trooped out into the courtyard to be inspected.

‘Now, no gambling and no drinking!' said Lin Zhi-xiao's wife, when she had ascertained that they were all there. ‘And no lying down and going to sleep until daylight, or I shall be after you!'

‘None of us is that stupid,' said the women, laughing. ‘We wouldn't dare.'

‘Is Master Bao in bed yet?' Lin Zhi-xiao's wife asked them.

The women said they didn't know. Aroma gave Bao-yu a prod and he shuffled to the doorway in his slippers and smiled amiably at the assembled matrons outside.

‘I haven't gone to bed yet. Come inside and sit down.' He turned to Aroma inside. ‘Aroma, some tea for Mrs Lin!'

Lin Zhi-xiao's wife required no pressing.

‘Not in bed yet?' she exclaimed, stepping nimbly into the room. ‘Now that the days are so long, you need to go to bed early so that you can get up early in the morning. If you get up late, people will laugh at you. “That's no way for an educated, well-brought-up young gentleman to behave,” they'll say. “More like an ignorant, uneducated coolie.”'

The comparison seemed to please her, for she laughed very complacently after making it. Bao-yu laughed too.

‘You're quite right, Mrs Lin. As a matter of fact, I do go to bed early most nights. Generally when you make your rounds I don't know you've been here because I'm already in bed when you come. The reason I've stayed up today is because I've had such a lot of noodles to eat. I was afraid that if I went to bed now I'd get indigestion.'

Lin Zhi-xiao's wife transferred her smiling attention to Aroma.

‘You want to give him some good, strong Pu-er tea to drink.'

Aroma and Skybright answered her together.

‘We made him a big pot of herbal tea –
wutong
-tips. He's already had two cupfuls of it. It's still quite fresh. Would you like to try some?'

Lin Zhi-xiao's wife rose to receive the cup that Skybright poured for her.

‘I hear that Master Bao has taken to calling you senior girls by your names,' she said. ‘Now that's not very respectful. Though you work here, you are still Their Ladyships' girls, don't forget. I don't say but what he mightn't sometimes, just once in a while, let one of your names drop out by accident, and no harm done. But if he makes a habit of it, the other young gentlemen will soon be copying him, and we shall get ourselves laughed at as a family in which the young folk have no respect for their elders.'

‘You are quite right,' said Bao-yu. ‘But in fact it
is
only once in a while and quite unintentionally.'

Aroma and Skybright hastened to corroborate this.

‘Oh yes, Mrs Lin. It would be quite unfair to say that he makes a habit of it. Normally he is most respectful. It's only once or twice in this apartment when we've been joking together and never in front of other people.'

Lin Zhi-xiao's wife was all smiles.

‘Well, that's all right then. Respectable is what an educated young gentleman ought to be. The more you respect others, I say, the more others will respect you. And I don't only mean older people who have served three or four generations of the family, I mean anyone who comes to you from Their. Ladyships. Even Their Ladyships' cat and Their Ladyships' dog is to be respected, if you want people to think of you as an educated, well-brought-up young gentleman.'

She finished her tea.

‘Well, good night young master, I must be going.'

‘Won't you stay a little longer?' said Bao-yu.

But Lin Zhi-xiao's wife was already on her way and leading her troops off to inspect another apartment. Skybright barred the gate after her as soon as she was gone. She was laughing as she came in afterwards.

‘I think the old girl's had a bit too much to drink. That's why we were treated to the lecture.'

‘She means well,' said Musk. ‘We need someone to remind us once in a while, just to keep us on the straight and narrow.'

She began laying the table while she said this; but Aroma stopped her.

‘Let's not sit up at the big table. We can put the round pearwood table on the kang. It will be much more relaxed and comfortable on the kang.'

While other maids lifted the pear-wood table onto the kang, Musk and Number Four went off to collect the dishes that Cook Liu had been preparing for them. Though each carried the largest tea-tray she could find, it took four or five trips to carry them all over. Meanwhile two old nannies squatted on the verandah outside, tending the stove on which the wine was heating.

‘It's so hot,' Bao-yu said to the maids. ‘Let's take our outer clothes off.'

‘You can take yours off if you like,' said the girls, ‘but
we
want to drink a health with you before we start, so we shall have to stay respectable a bit longer.'

‘If you're going to begin that sort of nonsense, we shan't get started until morning!' said Bao-yu. ‘You know how I hate that kind of thing. It's bad enough at parties outside when I
have
to do it; but to make me do it here in my own room – it's as though you were deliberately trying to annoy me.'

‘All right, all right!' they said. ‘Anything you say!'

And so, before taking their places on the kang, they went off to remove their hair-ornaments and make themselves more comfortable. They returned wearing only tunics and trousers, with their unadorned hair loosely knotted or coiled. Bao-yu himself was wearing a dark-red cotton tunic tied at the waist with a sash, and trousers in a black-and-green-patterned lined silk gauze, unconfined at the ankles. The girls found him already ensconced on the kang. He was leaning back, one elbow resting on a newly-made turquoise-coloured pouffe stuffed with rose and peony petals, playing guess-fingers with Parfumée. Parfumée was shouting excitedly as she played. She was wearing a very short, close-fitting tunic with a harlequin pattern of turquoise, deep purple and reddish-brown lozenges, a willow-green sash, and flower-sprigged pale red trousers, which, like Bao-yu's, were unconfined at the ankles. Her hair was done up in a number of little plaits which had been drawn back to join one great plait, as thick as a goose's egg at the nape of her neck. She had a tiny jade stud no bigger than a grain of rice in her right ear; from her left ear hung a pendant
made of ruby-glass and gold, the size of a ginkgo-fruit. Never had the moonlike pallor of her face, the limpid brightness of her eyes shown to greater advantage.

‘Look at that now!' said the maids admiringly. ‘Wouldn't you take the two of them for a pair of twins?'

‘Wait a bit,' said Aroma, who had begun pouring wine. ‘You can play that later. Even though you won't let us drink healths with you, at least do us the honour of drinking from our hands.'

She held her wine-cup to his lips and he took a sip from it. After that each of the seven others came up to him in turn, holding their full cups out to him, and he took a sip from each one. This little ceremony over, they proceeded to arrange themselves round the table. As there was insufficient room for Swallow and Number Four on the side nearest the edge of the kang, they brought a couple of felt-covered porcelain ‘tabouret' stools up and sat at it on the floor below. The forty dishes, all of white Ding-ware and each no larger than a tea-saucer, contained every conceivable kind of sweet, savoury, fresh, dried, pickled, salted, smoked, baked, fried or sautéed delicacy designed to assist the absorption of rice-wine by the human frame.

‘Let's play a drinking game,' said Bao-yu.

‘Yes, but let it be a nice, quiet game this time,' said Aroma. ‘We don't want too much shouting, or people will hear us. Something not too learned, though. Don't forget that some of us here can't read or write.'

‘Get out the dice and let's play Fours then,' said Musk.

‘No, that's a boring game,' said Bao-yu. ‘Let's play Choosing the Flower.'

‘Oh yes, do let's!' said Skybright. ‘I've been wanting to play that for ages.'

‘It's a good game,' said Aroma, ‘but you really need more people playing it to make it interesting.'

‘If you ask me, I think we should slip over and ask Miss Bao and Miss Yun and Miss Lin to come and join us,' said Swallow. ‘There'd be no harm in their staying here till about ten o'clock, surely?'

‘But think of all the opening and closing of gates,' said
Aroma. ‘And suppose you ran into the watch and they started asking –'

‘It'll be all right,' said Bao-yu. ‘Ask Miss Tan too; she's fond of drinking. And if she's one of the party, they won't be able to say anything even if they do find out. And what about Miss Qin?'

‘No, not Miss Qin,' said the girls. ‘She's staying in Mrs Zhu's room. Routing her out from there would be simply asking for trouble.'

‘It'll be all right,' said Bao-yu, ‘you see. Just ask her.'

Swallow and Number Four needed no second bidding. Choosing a few of the junior maids to go with them, they ordered the old women to open the gate for them and set off, one in the direction of Dai-yu's place and one in the direction of Bao-chai's.

The senior maids, Aroma, Musk and Skybright, doubted whether, particularly in the case of Dai-yu and Bao-chai, such insubstantial deputies would be successful and decided that they had better go themselves and add their own weight to the invitation. Ordering a couple of the older women with lanterns to accompany them, they went off in the wake of the other two to see what they could achieve.

It Was as they had suspected. Bao-chai ‘thought it was rather late'; Dai-yu ‘didn't feel quite up to it'. It was only when Aroma and Skybright had appealed to them by pointing out that the maids were the hosts and would very much appreciate the honour that they changed their minds and finally consented to come.

Swallow and Number Four had had no such difficulty with Tan-chun. She had seemed delighted by the invitation, even suggesting that they should invite Li Wan as well – since it would be embarrassing if she were not invited and were to find out about the party afterwards – and sending her own maid Ebony to help Swallow persuade Li Wan that she and Bao-qin should come.

One by one the new guests started to arrive. Caltrop came, too, in addition to the ones already mentioned. Refusing to take ‘no' for an answer, Aroma had taken her firmly by the hand and dragged her off forcibly from All-spice Court. To
accommodate the greater numbers, Aroma and the other girls put another table alongside the one already on the kang and a row of chairs facing them on the floor below. Bao-yu and the other guests arranged themselves on the kang, while the seven maids and Parfumée, as hosts, sat on the row of chairs below, within reach of one or other of the tables.