ang offered him three rubies, each as large as a
pigeon's egg, if he would go away and forget all about Yun-Ying, he
took them and went.

Perhaps he knew that Yun-Ying's mother would not have much more to say
to him, now that she had a chance of a son-in-law who scattered jewels
about the grass like pearl barley.

Or perhaps he really preferred the three great rubies to Yun-Ying.

At any rate, he went back to Chang-ngan, and Pei-Hang married Yun
Ying, and took her away to the city where his father and mother lived;
and they were as happy as two young people deserve to be when they
love each other dearly.

As for the pestle and mortar of jade, it stood under the peach tree;
and no one could lift it into the cottage, and no one could have
pounded magic drugs in it, if they could have got it inside.

Pei-Hang had one red seed left in his box, and he meant to have thrown
it into the mortar as soon as he had taken all the precious stones
out, and made it small again.

But while he was up in the peach tree the box flew open, and the seed
fell out, and was gobbled up by a turkey underneath.

The turkey, of course, changed into a bantam cock; but the pestle and
mortar had to remain the size it was.

And Yun-Ying's mother was very angry about it, although I do not think
she deserved anything else, after the unfair advantage she had tried
to take of her son-in-law.

_The Sea-Maiden_

There was once a poor old fisherman, and one year he was not getting
much fish. On a day of days, while he was fishing, there rose a
sea-maiden at the side of his boat, and she asked him, "Are you
getting much fish?" The old man answered and said, "Not I." "What
reward would you give me for sending plenty of fish to you?" "Ach!"
said the old man, "I have not much to spare." "Will you give me the
first son you have?" said she. "I would give ye that, were I to have a
son," said he. "Then go home, and remember me when your son is twenty
years of age, and you yourself will get plenty of fish after this."
Everything happened as the sea-maiden said, and he himself got plenty
of fish; but when the end of the twenty years was nearing, the old man
was growing more and more sorrowful and heavy-hearted, while he
counted each day as it came.

He had rest neither day nor night. The son asked his father one day,
"Is any one troubling you?" The old man said, "Someone is, but that's
nought to do with you nor anyone else." The lad said, "I _must