Wang the Ninth Part 8

He shook his head.

"I have no kind of learning, only a ready memory for names and things.

It is possible that in the account I gave you of the Taoist priest I made mistakes which would have brought laughter from those who are skilled in the telling of tales. The slightest deviation is counted a fault."

Later, he swung lightly off the wall with a farewell nod and was lost to view. He was not many days older when he overheard a neighbour casually saying that the reason the old steward showed such caution regarding his grand-child was because his master did not know how from his profits he had not only purchased this adjacent house but several others near by for the purpose of selling to new foreigners as they came. To the boy's surprise, the neighbour called the girl _sha-ta-ku-niang_,--Miss Simpleton. She was a simpleton and he had never guessed it--in spite of her hiding behind the great jar of water-lilies.

That obtuseness on his part deeply humiliated him.

CHAPTER XII

The revelation of profit-taking, which grew out of his chance adventure, was, however, the matter which most deeply impressed him. He had never conceived of earning-power so high among servants as to permit of houses being purchased.

"His profit can indeed not be small," he said to himself many times as he thought about the matter. Now he addressed the steward with a respect which had previously been lacking. He was a man so skilful with his miscellaneous accounts that from his unearned increment he did all things that he willed. "Certainly there is great waste in this household if those who serve grow rich," thought the boy very often.

Being the youngest in the household he was every man's slave, a condition he accepted as natural enough. Even those in the kitchen got him sometimes to fetch and carry, which he did not mind, since they always regaled him with food; and for food he would perjure his soul.

It took him many months completely to satisfy his desire for mutton--simply because that had been so beyond his reach when his only knowledge of it was the sight of the big quarters hanging in the Mohammedan meat-shops. As for pork he was able to get that once or twice a week with his ordinary rations. For although the head-groom divided nothing among his mates from his percentages from the grain-dealers, it was unwritten law that he should treat his a.s.sistants to meat so as to keep their tempers sweet and their tongues from blabbing. In this way w.a.n.g the Ninth soon had every one's measure. He knew how much or how little each was worth, morally as well as otherwise.

One afternoon the head-groom, being in want of a companion, proposed that he should accompany him to a Fair. There were few things he loved more than the noise and excitement of moving crowds, and as for money he always made a loan from the person with whom he happened to be. So eating sugared crab-apples stuck on a bamboo-stick, he sauntered along making comments which showed shrewdness and humour. There were many fine things for sale at the Fair at booths set up by shop-keepers who were not above using such opportunities to display their best wares on common board tables. Little crowds followed the wealthy and watched them buy, finding satisfaction in witnessing the handling of money even if they had none to spend themselves.

"Those who are rich and those who are poor are all out today," remarked the boy in his loud, unconcerned way. "All indeed are out sightseeing.

It is pleasant here."

The head-groom, smoking a cigarette through an imitation amber-holder, and giving himself up thoroughly to the pleasure of loafing in the sunlight, agreed with him.

"Nevertheless," he reflected after a pause, "when one goes to see _je-nao_ (festivities) it only means two things: that one returns home tired and that a good deal of foolish expenditure has been made."

"Still it is possible to recoup that," rejoined the boy slily. "That is when one has chances as well as the regular wages that foreigners pay."

The head-groom, being in a good humour, only laughed.

"Prices have risen too high in this city for there to be the profits that were once possible. Still so long as one has food to eat why should one complain--"

"_Tui-la_--it is even so," agreed the boy. "Let us be happy while we may."

They wandered on gossiping in this way after the manner of the country, and presently came to a wine-booth where there had been a good deal of bibbling. Two or three men loafing there had flushed faces.

"This indeed is one of those ne'er-do-well boys who has sold himself to a foreigner," remarked one of them contemptuously. "He wears an old pair of foreign boots his master has thrown to him and doubtless other things he has picked up. Rigorous measures ought to be adopted against such as he."

w.a.n.g the Ninth coloured with rage. He had thought very highly of himself with a skull-cap of brown felt perched on one ear and the aforesaid foreign boots on his feet, not to speak of a pair of blue socks the washerman had let him have only two days before. But being skilled from his long vagabond life in the art of picking a quarrel so that the fault lies with the other man, he pretended to disregard the remark.

When the memory of it had faded from the minds of those around him, suddenly and very dramatically he clapped his hand to his girdle and gave vent to a loud cry.

"What's the matter?" said the head-groom really startled.

w.a.n.g the Ninth pretended to be so absorbed that he could not speak. He fussed with his girdle, muttering all the while, and consuming much time before he made his meaning clear. But finally he drew out his little cloth money-wallet, as if he had discovered it by the purest chance.

"It's nothing--fortunately," he said with a big sigh. "For an instant I thought my money had been taken. We were in such close proximity to disreputable-looking fellows in greasy coats that it looked bad. But luck has been in my favour; and my purse is still there."

Now the man who had made the disparaging remark had on a greasy coat and so had his fellows; and at the obvious insinuation it was their turn to become furious. One grabbed w.a.n.g the Ninth by the arm.

"Look here," he said threateningly. "A dangerous moment is coming for you."

The boy shook him off with a swift furious movement.

"What have you got to do with me and what have I to do with you?" he inquired equally threateningly. "This is the first time I have laid eyes upon you--and I hope it will be the last for you are unpleasant to look upon and seem as if you slept with candles as bedfellows."

At that there was a roar of laughter from the crowd. Scenting a row, every one pressed closely on the disputants. w.a.n.g the Ninth, his eyes dancing with excitement, and satisfied by the manner he had turned the tables on the others, pushed the advantage he had gained--and began what is always effective among his countrymen--a public explanation.

"I was standing here innocently with my senior," he declared, pointing to the head-groom, "when I thought I missed my purse and cried out.

Fortunately I was mistaken. But merely because I voiced my suspicions these ugly fellows wish to set upon me. Things have come to a fine pa.s.s when one's talk is supervised by any one who happens to be standing near."

Expressions of sympathy greeted this outburst.

"Leave the boy alone--go your way--what have you to do with him?"--such were the style of comments made. w.a.n.g the Ninth, because he was triumphant, struck again.

"All is well--all is well," he remarked conversationally as if excusing the commotion. "Further comment is unnecessary. I have been lucky in the matter of my purse which is a humble affair. But those who are better furnished had best have a care and stand back."

At the warning people began to move on, and w.a.n.g the Ninth moved off, too, looking back at the men who were swearing and being restrained only with difficulty from following and attacking him.

"Was that laughable or not?" he said to the head-groom when they were out of earshot. "When street-fellows tackle me they get back a kind of talk they understand. Rude talk for those in foreign employment cannot be tolerated."

"It has always been like that," rejoined the head-groom. "When I first entered service twenty years ago I was smaller than you, and the difficulties were greater. It was necessary to remove all trace of foreign things before going around the city. As for riding on foreign saddles unaccompanied by one's master that was impossible."

"It is jealousy rather than suspicion which attaches to us," reflected w.a.n.g the Ninth. "Among the Southern people it is said to be different, but here it would be easy to become involved in great difficulties."

From this incident the boy understood that if he identified himself with foreigners to the extent of eating their rice, he must share their trials. He was enfolded in a discipline and in customs different from those of his own people. But to him it seemed good because there was no want. Now that he was on a regular salary and allowed to ride a horse he did not care about the rest.

Sometimes he sat around and argued keenly with his fellows on this problem as he saw it. It attracted his active mind and greatly puzzled him.

"It is not only that their customs are different," he declared. "With them the family is different. See how many live unattached and alone.

Also they have many conveniences, which make matters better regulated."

"There is less idleness among those who could be idle--that is how I measure it," affirmed the head-groom. "Among our people who are rich there is no desire to move or to seek distraction by travel. All time is consumed at home or in eating-houses. There are few who are rich who have not several wives. This is the explanation."

"Yet," objected the boy, "it is not the explanation. For what you say only applies to one category of our people. With those who work there are not these differences."

"Those of our people who have no learning follow those who have,"

replied the head-groom. "This is why scholars.h.i.+p is held in high consideration: it gives precept and guidance. Our book-learning is different from that of the foreigners. It takes no account of the things they study. Therefore there is opposition between the two. That is the second explanation."

"There is much convenience in many foreign matters," reflected the boy.

"The foreign house--which is built up high, is convenient. If that were done by our people how much more accommodation would be secured."

"With us it is impossible," said the head-groom. "No roof may be higher than the Emperor's. By building their houses of religion higher than the Emperor's Palace the foreigners first incurred hatred. You do not know of these matters. I have been told about them by our scholars."

Thus did they argue from day to day, seeing matters from a standpoint only to be understood by their daily lives.