74 STRANGE STORIES FROM
however, that the grave had disappeared, and he was no longer able to determine its position. Not knowing what to make of it all, he returned home, and then Mrs. Wang, who thought the girl must be a disembodied spirit, went in and told her what Wu had said. Ying-ning showed no signs of alarm at this remark ; neither did she cry at all when Mrs. Wang began to condole with her on no longer having a home. She only laughed in her usual silly way, and fairly puzzled them all. . Sharing Miss Wang's room, she now began to take her part in the duties of a daughter of the family ; and as for needlework, they had rarely seen anything like hers for fineness. But she could not get over that trick of laughing, which, by the way, never interfered with her good looks, and consequently rather amused people than otherwise, amongst others a young married lady who Hved next door. Wang's mother fixed an auspicious day for the wedding, but still feehng suspicious about Ying-ning, was always secretly watching her. Finding, however, that she had a proper shadow," she had her dressed up when the day came, in all the finery of a bride ; and would have made her perform the usual ceremonies, only Ying-ning laughed so much she was unable to kneel down." They were accordingly obUged to excuse her, but Wang began to fear that such a fooUsh girl would never be able to keep the family counsel. Luckily, she was very reticent and did not indulge in gossip ; and more- over, when Mrs. Wang was in trouble or out of temper, Ying-ning could always bring her round with a laugh. The maid-servants, too, if they expected a whipping for anything, would always ask her to be present when they appeared before their mistress, and thus they often escaped punishment. Ying-ning had a perfect passion for flowers. She got all she could out of her relations, and even secretly pawned her jewels to buy rare specimens ; and by the end of a few months the whole place was one mass of flowers. Behind the house there was one especial tree^* which
1® Disembodied spirits are supposed to have no shadow, and but very little appetite. There are also certain occasions on which they cannot stand the smell of sulphur. Fiske, in his Myths and Myth-makers (page 230), says, " Almost universally, ghosts, how- ever impervious to thrust of sword or shot of pistol, can eat and drink like Squire VS^estems." ^^ See No. III., note 2.
1* The Muh-siang or Rosa BanksicB, R. Br,
