slaughter, had not his guest dragged him by main force back to his chair and dismissed Tan from the room.
It was a long time before Ts'èng could recover his composure. His nerves were completely unstrung, and he trembled like a leaf. His friend, who was a determined fatalist, used every argument at his command to soothe his remorse and regrets. He pointed out that Heaven having doomed the death of little Primrose, nothing could have prevented it; that even if the doctor had come, he could not have lengthened out her life one moment beyond the time allowed her by the Fates; and that, therefore, though Tan's conduct had been infamous, it had not in any way influenced the result. "I quite admit that the man deserves punishment for his disobedience, and I would suggest that you should now order him to be bambooed on the spot. It, will satisfy justice, and will, at the same time, be a relief to your feelings."
"It will certainly be a relief to me to see the fiendish brute suffer," said Ts'èng, "and it shall be done at once." So saying, he directed three of his servants to seize Tan and to flog him in the courtyard. The men, who were evidently not unused to the kind of business, dragged the offender in and stretched him face downwards on the stones of the yard. One then sat on his shoulders, another on his ankles, while a third, being provided with half a split bamboo, prepared to inflict chastisement. At a signal from Ts'èng the concave side of the bamboo descended on the back of the thighs of the culprit with tremendous force and effect. The wretched man's frame quivered throughout, and as blow after blow fell he uttered cries for mercy, and bitter groans which
would have appealed to the heart of any one whose feelings were not deadened by mental tortures. But Ts'èng, in his present unhinged frame of mind, had no mercy, and if a restraining hand had not been outstretched he would have allowed the wretched man to die under the lash. As it was, his friend interfered, and warned Ts'èng that the punishment was becoming excessive. To this remonstrance Ts'èng yielded, and the blows were stayed. But Tan, whose cries had gradually died away into silence, remained motionless, and unconscious of the mercy which had been extended to him. Seeing his condition, the servants carried him off to his bed, where, under the influence of restoratives, he was by degrees brought back to life. But it was many days before he was able to move; and even then his weakness was so great, and his nerves so shattered, that he had the air of a man recovering from a long illness. If, however, Ts'èng had hoped that the punishment would have produced penitence, he was much mistaken. At the best of times Tan's temper was not good. He was by nature morose and revengeful, and a certain want of courage in his composition disposed him towards deceit. With regaining strength he brooded more and more over the treatment he had received, and he vowed a fierce vow that for every blow that had been inflicted on him he would exact a tenfold vengeance.
Meanwhile the anxiety, grief, and excitement of the last few days had reduced Ts'èng to the verge of illness, and his general debility added a new cause of anxiety to poor Golden-lilies' already overburdened bosom. So serious was his condition, that she persuaded him to pay a visit to his brother at Soo-chow, for the
