haired and blind, and they sat under the eaves of a cloth shop begging for alms. People all say that she was a filial maid, the old woman being her grandmother. Whenever she got anything she gave it to her grandmother and willingly went hungry herself. But did anyone give anything to such a filial maid?" he asked with his eyes turned on her as if testing her.
She did not answer but kept her eyes on him as if waiting, in turn, for him to explain what happened.
"Heng, none," he answered the question himself finally. "I watched them for a long time and in all that time only one person gave her a small copper, while the rest looked on them as objects for their amusement. Moreover, a ruffian went so far as to say to his companion thus: 'Ah-fa, do not overlook this piece of goods just because it happens to be dirty. All you have to do is to buy two cakes of soap and k-chee, k-chee, give her a thorough scrubbing and she will be as nice a piece of goods as you'll ever find.' Now just consider what sort of world this has become!"
"Heng," she said looking down at her work and then asked casually after a long while, "Did you give her anything?"
"I? No. I couldn't very well give her just a copper or two. She was no ordinary beggar. At least . . . "
But she got up slowly without waiting for him to finish his sentence and went to the kitchen. Dusk was falling thick and it was supper time.
Ssu-ming also got up and went out into the yard. It was lighter outside than in the room. Hsueh-cheng was practicing pa-kua-ch'iian at a corner near the wall in accordance with the admonition that he should utilize the space where day and night met for this particular purpose since there was not light enough to read but enough to exercise by. Ssu-ming
