be gentle, for 'Gentleness brings wealth.' That is something you'll never get by law. According to law, you'll have to go when your parents-in-law say 'Go!' Not only does this hold at the prefect's yamen, it is exactly the same in Shanghai, in Peking. It is the same even in foreign lands, as that young gentleman there who has just returned from a foreign school in Peking will tell you. If you don't believe it you can ask him yourself." Thereupon he turned to a young master with a pointed chin and said, "Am I not right?"
"It is exactly so," answered the young master with the pointed chin, drawing himself up reverently.
Ai-ku felt entirely alone. Her father would not say a word, her brothers had not even dared to come, His Honor Wei had always sided with them, the honorable Seven seemed doubtful, and the young master with the pointed chin did nothing but echo back what was expected of him. But in spite of her confusion and helplessness, she made a final effort. "How is it that even Your Honor . . . ," Her eyes were full of fear and despair as she went on. "Yes, I know that we are only simple people, we know nothing. I can only blame my father for his ignorance of the ways of the world. I'll let the old beast and the little beast do what they like with me; they know the ways of the world, they know how to crawl through dog holes and how to fawn upon people . . . "
"Please note, Your Honor," the "little beast" who had been standing in silence behind her, suddenly broke in, "please note that even before Your Honor she behaves like this. When she was at our house, truly she would not even let the six domestic beasts in peace. As Your Honor notices, she calls my father 'old beast' and me 'little beast,' or 'bastard' for variation."
