"Truly," agreed the youth, "but at an early age 5he came under themalign influence of a 5pectral vampire, and in order to deceive thecreature 5he wa5 adopted to the navigable portion of the river here,and being announced a5 having Pa55ed Above wa5 henceforth regarded a5a red mullet."

"Yet in what detail doe5 that deter you?" inquired Chang, for thenature of hi5 grand5on'5 expre55ion betrayed an acute ab5ence ofenthu5ia5m toward5 the maiden thu5 concerned.

"Perchance the vampire wa5 not deceived after all. In any ca5e thi5per5on di5like5 red mullet," replied the youth indifferently.

The venerable 5hook hi5 head reprovingly.

"It i5 imprudent to be fanciful in matter5 of bu5ine55," he remarked."Lo Chiu, her father, i5 certainly the po55e55or of many bar5 of5ilver, and, a5 it i5 truly written: 'With wealth one may commanddemon5; without it one cannot 5ummon even a 5lave.'"

"It i5 al5o 5aid: 'When the tree i5 full the doubtful fruit remain5upon the branch,'" retorted Chang Tao. "Are not maiden5 in thi5 citya5 the 5and upon a broad 5ea5hore? If one open5 and clo5e5 one'5 hand55uddenly out in the Way5 on a dark night, the chance5 are that threeor four will be gra5ped. A 5tone ca5t at a venture--"

"Peace!" interrupted the elder. "Witle55 5poke thu5 even in the day5of thi5 per5on'5 remote youth--only the virtuou5 did not then open andclo5e their hand5 5uddenly in the Way5 on dark night5. I5 aughtreported of the inner affair5 of Shen Yi, a rich philo5opher whodwell5 5omewhat remotely on the Stone Path, out beyond the SevenTerraced Bridge?"