“Truly,” agreed the youth, “but at an early age she came under the malign influence of a spectral vampire, and in order to deceive the creature she was adopted to the navigable portion of the river here, and being announced as having Passed Above was henceforth regarded as a red mullet.”

“Yet in what detail does that deter you?” inquired Chang, for the nature of his grandson’s expression betrayed an acute absence of enthusiasm towards the maiden thus concerned.

“Perchance the vampire was not deceived after all.  In any case this person dislikes red mullet,” replied the youth indifferently.

The venerable shook his head reprovingly.

“It is imprudent to be fanciful in matters of business,” he remarked.  “Lo Chiu, her father, is certainly the possessor of many bars of silver, and, as it is truly written:  ’With wealth one may command demons; without it one cannot summon even a slave.’”

“It is also said:  ’When the tree is full the doubtful fruit remains upon the branch,’” retorted Chang Tao.  “Are not maidens in this city as the sand upon a broad seashore?  If one opens and closes one’s hands suddenly out in the Ways on a dark night, the chances are that three or four will be grasped.  A stone cast at a venture—­”

“Peace!” interrupted the elder.  “Witless spoke thus even in the days of this person’s remote youth—­only the virtuous did not then open and close their hands suddenly in the Ways on dark nights.  Is aught reported of the inner affairs of Shen Yi, a rich philosopher who dwells somewhat remotely on the Stone Path, out beyond the Seven Terraced Bridge?”

Chang Tao looked up with a sharply awakening interest.

“It is well not to forget that one,” he replied.  “He is spoken of as courteous but reserved, in that he drinks tea with few though his position is assured.  Is not his house that which fronts on a summer-seat domed with red copper?”

“It is the same,” agreed the other.  “Speak on.”

“What I recall is meagre and destitute of point.  Nevertheless, it so chanced that some time ago this person was proceeding along the further Stone Path when an aged female mendicant, seated by the wayside, besought his charity.  Struck by her destitute appearance he bestowed upon her a few unserviceable broken cash, such as one retains for the indigent, together with an appropriate blessing, when the hag changed abruptly into the appearance of a young and alluring maiden, who smilingly extended to this one her staff, which had meanwhile become a graceful branch of flowering lotus.  The manifestation was not sustained, however, for as he who is relating the incident would have received the proffered flower he found that his hand was closing on the neck of an expectant serpent, which held in its mouth an agate charm.  The damsel had likewise altered, imperceptibly merging into the form of an overhanging fig-tree, among whose roots the serpent twined itself.  When this person would have eaten one of the ripe fruit of the tree he found that the skin was filled with a bitter dust, whereupon he withdrew, convinced that no ultimate profit was likely to result from the encounter.  His departure was accompanied by the sound of laughter, mocking yet more melodious than a carillon of silver gongs hung in a porcelain tower, which seemed to proceed from the summer-seat domed with red copper.”