THE MARRIAGE MAKER 141 



"It is the Register of Marriages," answered the old 

 man, "and I am its duly appointed custodian. I come from 

 the moon. You have heard that marriages are made in 

 the Moon, I suppose." 



"Yes," said Wei Ku, "but I always thought that was 

 a nursery tale, — a bit of moonshine, in short." 



"It is no nursery tale, I assure you! not only do I 

 register all marriages in my book, but it is my duty to pair 

 off every couple within the Four Seas and the Nine Con- 

 tinents. 1 No marriage can take place till I have first tied 

 together, with red silken cord, the feet of those who are 

 destined to b- come man imd wife; and when once they are 

 thus joined by me, no match can be broken except by death, 

 and then I alone sever the knot and release the one from 

 the other. It does not matter in the least what feuds may 

 exist between the families, nor what distance separates the 

 parties; most assuredly, and in spite of all obstacles, they 

 will meet at the appointed time to fulfil their destiny. No 

 living creature can escape its destiny," continued the old 

 man, "and my silken cords wind round and round the whole 

 world. To prevent confusion, however, for mankind is per- 

 verse and prone to subvert the plans of the Gods, I come 

 down when the moon is full, to dissolve entanglements not 

 ordained, and to verify the entries in my book, for I must 

 present accurate reports to the Jade Emperor, the Great 

 Ruler of the Universe." 2 



Mystified by these words, and feeling convinced that 

 the speaker was no ordinary being, Wei Ku, who- was 

 beginning to grow a trifle nervous, hesitated whether he 

 should hie from the spot, or wait for further information. 

 But he braced himself up and muttered meekly, "Excuse 

 me, Sir, for disturbing you and trespassing on your time; 

 but having learned so much, I feel reluctant to depart 

 without first craving a favour." 



"What favour would you ask?" enquired the old man. 



"I wonld ask whether you have as yet tied my ankles 

 to those of anyone or not; and if you have, who is the lady 

 I am fated to wed?" 



"I thought that was coming. You are most inquisitive/* 

 rejoined the old man. "As a rule, it is not given to mortals 

 to pry into the future, for they invariably attempt to evade 

 the decrees of Fate. But seeing that your demeanour is 

 humble, I will make an exception in your case and comply 

 with your request." 



1 E9 $fc A iW-A. poetical expression for "the whole world." 

 2 Yu Huang Ta Ti, the Taoist Supreme Being, sometimes wrongly 

 rendered in English as the "Pearly Emperor." 



