stors, and this is
impossible. What shall we do?"

"It cannot be helped," answered the mother. "So much the worse! Our
daughter must make it known that she will take her brother's place.
She shall recite the poem of the threshold in his name, and the rites
will be thus observed."

And Prudence, in her graceful girl's garments, did in fact receive
the false Pearl as she got out of the palankeen, pronounced the sacred
formulas, and led the new bride before the tablets. The two seeming
sisters-in-law knelt down, and several of the bystanders laughed
inwardly to see two women perform the marriage ceremony, and then
kneel for the purpose of the grand prostration.

The wife of Liu led Yu-lang to the invalid's bed; but he had been
excited and troubled by the music and noise, and had fainted. They
had hastily to revive him by pouring some spoonfuls of hot soup in his
mouth.

At length the false bride was led to the prepared pavilion, and her
great veil was taken off. Then her fresh beauty shone forth, and
everybody uttered exclamations of joy: the wife of Liu was alone in
feeling a certain compassion, for she thought of all that the new
bride would have to lose, and deplored her son's misfortune in falling
ill at the moment of tasting so great happiness.

As for Yu-lang, the tedium of beholding the hideousness of all the
guests was curiously diminished by the pleasure of seeing Prudence's
delectable face. He thought:

"What a misfortune that I am already betrothed! Here is she whom Fate
should have given me."

Prudence, on her part, felt herself drawn towards him in an
irresistible manner, and said to her mother and the go-between:

"Alas! surely my brother has no luck, and my sister-in-law will be
very unhappy alone tonight! Is she not charming? If my future husband
were like her, my life would be free from all regret."

Meanwhile, the marriage feast came to an end, a present was sent to
the musicians, and the guests withdrew. The disguised boy, after being
conducted to his pavilion, had his nurse's assistance in unmaking
the complicated structure of his nuptial adornment. At last he found
himself alone, but with no wish for sleep. Now Liu and his wife said
to each other:

"It seems hard to leave the newly-wed bride alone for her first night
under our roof. Would it not be better to tell Prudence to go and keep
her company?"

As always, the father made certain objections which were not listened
to. Prudence ins