cents. Then there was the mother of Chao Pai-yen — some one said it was Chao Szu-ch'ên's mother, but this is subject to further investigation — purchased a child's suit of red foreign cloth, seven-tenths new, for the small sum of three hundred coppers and ninety-two cash."
They would therefore peer about for Ah Q with longing eyes. Those who needed silk skirts, wished to ask him to sell them silk skirts; those who wanted garments of foreign cloth, wished to ask him to sell them garments of foreign cloth. Not only did they no longer evade him, but there were times when he had already passed by that they would run calling after him as they asked: "Ah Q, have you still some silk skirts or not? We need garments; have you any?"
It afterwards came about that this bit of news seeped from the poor households to the wealthy ones, because, in her happy satisfaction, Tsou Ch'i-sao had taken her silk skirt to Mrs. Chao's for inspection. Mrs. Chao spoke of the matter to her husband, the Venerable Mr. Chao, and put in a word of praise. Furthermore, at the dinner table, the Venerable Mr. Chao held a discussion with his eldest son, the Hsiu-t'sai, in which he intimated that there was something mysterious about Ah Q and added that they should be careful to keep their doors and windows locked. Yet, with all that, they wondered whether he still had any
