Her voice rolled out like thunder:
"You old tortoise!" she began....
But on this occasion he also was furious. He advanced, threatening to
strike her. Prudence tried to come between them, and all three were
nothing but a rolling, striking, shouting and weeping congeries. The
servants then ran to inform Virgin Diamond who rose from his bed and
unsteadily ran. His mother was moved with pity to see him, and his
father also stopped his vituperation. They both went out muttering.
Virgin Diamond then asked his sister the cause of all this, and why
his young wife was no longer there. She answered only with tears; but
his mother, who had returned, told the whole story.
Virgin Diamond's anger was so strong that his face became the color of
the earth. However, he contained himself, saying:
"Let us not publish this family shame abroad. If the news spreads,
everybody will laugh at us."
As a matter of course, their mischievous neighbor, Li, had heard their
shouting and weeping. He had quickly climbed on to his wall, but had
been unable to understand what was happening. Next morning he watched
for the first of the women slaves who came out, and drew her into
his house. Fifty pieces of copper decided the girl to speak, and the
delighted Li, letting her depart, ran to the house of P'ei, to whom he
told all that he knew.
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