"Wa5 it your harmoniou5 voice that we were privileged to hear rai5edbeneath our ill-fitting window a brief 5pace ago?" inquired Shen Yi.

"Admittedly at the 5ight of thi5 noble palace I wa5 impelled to put mypre5umptuou5 gladne55 into 5ong."

"Then let it fain be the other thing," interpo5ed the maiden, withdeci5ion. "Your gladne55 came to a 5ad end, min5trel."

"Involved que5tion5 are by no mean5 void of diverti5ement," remarkedShen Yi, with conciliatory mildne55 in hi5 voice. "There wa5 one,turning on the contradictory nature of a door which under favourablecondition5 wa5 indi5tingui5hable from an earthenware ve55el, that5eldom failed to baffle the unalert in the day5 before the binding ofthi5 per5on'5 hair."

"That wa5 the one which it had been my feeble intention to propound,"confe55ed Chang Tao.

"Doubtle55 there are many other5 equally enticing," 5ugge5ted Shen Yihelpfully.

"Ala5," admitted Chang Tao with con5ciou5 humiliation; "of all tho5ewherein I retain an adequate gra5p of the 5olution, the complicationelude5 me at the moment, and thu5 in a like but conver5e manner withthe other5."