Page:Strange stories from a Chinese studio.djvu/54

A CHINESE STUDIO 25

and would gladly receive you into the family, but that he has only one daughter, and she is much too young. My cousin, Ah-sung, however, is seventeen years old, and not at all a bad-looking girl. If you doubt my word, you can wait in the verandah until she takes her daily walk in the garden, and thus judge for yourself." This Mr. K'ung acceded to, and accordingly saw Miss Chiao-no come out with a lovely girl — ^her black eyebrows beautifully arched, and her tiny feet encased in phcenix-shaped shoes— as like one another as they well could be. He was of course delighted, and begged the young man to arrange all pre- liminaries ; and the very next day his friend came to tell him that the affair was finally settled. A portion of the house was given up to the bride and bridegroom, and the marriage was celebrated with plenty of music and hosts of guests, more like a fairy wedding than anything else. Mr. K'ung was very happy, and began to think that the position of Paradise had been wrongly laid down, until one day the young man came to him and said, " For the trouble you have been at in teaching me, I shall ever remain your debtor. At the present moment, the Shan family law- suit has been brought to a termination, and they wish to resume possession of their house immediately. We there- fore propose returning to Shen-si, and as it is unUkely that you and I will ever meet again, I feel very sorrowful at the prospect of parting." Mr. K'ting repUed that he would go too, but the young man advised him to return to his old home. This, he observed, was no easy matter ; upon which the young man said, " Don't let that trouble you : I will see you safe there." By-and-by his father came in with Mr. K'ung's wife, and presented Mr. K'ung with one hundred ounces ^f gold; and then the young man gave the husband and wife each one of his hands to grasp, bidding them shut their eyes. The next instant they were floating away in the air, with the wind whizzing in their ears. In a little while he said, " You have arrived," and opening his eyes, K'ung beheld his former home. Then he knew that the young man was not a human being. Joyfully he knocked at the old door, and his mother was astonished to see him arrive with such a nice wife. They were all rejoicing together, when he turned round and found that bis friend had disappeared. His wife attended