598 CHINESE FOLKLORE AND SOME WESTERN ANALOGIES. 



in leaving her fiither'.s house met A-Pao lier-self and asked her pri- 

 vately if for her part she would consent to this union. 



"If he will cut off his sixth tinj,rer," said A-Pao, laujjfhinjr, 'TH 

 marry him." 



This reply was l)r()u«iht l>aek to Senji', who. takint^- things seriously, 

 as usual, seized a knife and rid himself by a sinolo blow of the finj>-er 

 which he believed to be the sole obstacle that lav l)etween him and a 

 t)rilliant marriaye. The pain was intense and the loss of blood so great 

 that for several days he lay between life and death. When he recov- 

 ered, he hastened to show his hand to the go-between and beg her to 

 obtain for him that of A-Pao. 



But the young girl, getting more and more exacting, now insisted 

 that Sr»ng should rid iiiniself of the mania of taking even the lightest 

 things so seriously. The artless fellow understood at length that they 

 had been anmsing themselves at his expense, and, having no means of 

 himself demanding an explanation from the young girl, he soon felt 

 his first enthusiasm tor her cooling. He consoled hiniscdf by declaring 

 that A-Pao could not possibly be a serious person, and that he ought 

 not to regret not having married her. 



I'pon the Fete of the l)(>ad his fri(MKls proposed to him a stroll to the 

 cemetery, hoping to meet someone who would suit his fancy. Per- 

 chance their good luck might ])ring them across A-Pao. And in fact 

 they did see the l)eauty seated und<'r a ti'ee, surrounded by a crowfl of 

 youths who formed a wall of admirers round about her. Indeed, her 

 ))eauty was une(|ualed and worthy of all this homage. AVhile the 

 others praised the young girl's l)eautiful face in speeches of labored 

 eloquence Seng remained silent. When the people had gone awa}^ and 

 even the girl had left hov seat, he remain(Hl alone, motioidess, not 

 answering a word to the appeals of his friends. riiey slai)ped him on 

 the shoulder, saying: "Has your >oul gone oH" with A-Pao?" 



It was no use. He hadn't even sense enough left to understand 

 what was said to him. So they took him home. He kept his bed as 

 though he were drunk. From time to time he would reply to those 

 about him a single phrase — that he was with A-P-ao. 



After that meeting it seemed to him that he had gone before the 

 loved one, accompanying her to her home, and that since then he had 

 not left her side. On her part the young girl saw every night in her 

 dreams a young man who called liimself Seng. Shame alone kept her 

 from telling her parents of these secret visions. 



Meanwhile, the body of Seng remained to all appearances entirely 

 without animation as though fluttering on the edge of eternity. At 

 length permission was asked of the father of A-Pao to send priests to 

 his house to call ))ack the soul that kept his daughter's company. "We 

 have nothing to do with one another," said he, wondering; "how can 

 his soul be detained here ? " 



