８.童年的发现

Lesson Eight

Pleasure in Spring

1. As she was speaking something crashed against the bamboo outside—it sounded as of a window had fallen out. They all jumped with fright and maids ran out to investigate.

2. One of the girls outside called, “A big butterfly kite’s got entangled in the bamboo.”

3. “What a fine kite,” remarked the other maids. “Whose can it be? Its string has snapped. Let’s get it down.”

4. Hearing this Baoyu and the others went out to look. “I know this kite,” said Baoyu. “It belongs to Yanhong in the other house.

5. Fetch it down and send it back to her.”

6. “Is there only one kite like this in the world?” objected Zijuan.

7. “How can you be sure it’s hers?

8. I don’t care if it is, I’m going to keep it.”

9. “Don’t be so greedy, Zijuan,” scolded Tanchun.

10. “You’ve kites of your own, so why filch somebody else’s? That may bring you bad luck.”

11. “Quite right,” agreed Daiyu. “Someone may have set it adrift to float away evil influences. Get rid of it, quick. And let’s loose ours too to send away our bad luck.”

12. When the younger maids heard they were going to fly kites, they hurried off eagerly to fetch a kite in the form of a beautiful girl,

13. as well as high stools, cords and reels, and a pole with a stick tied to its top for launching the kite.

14. Baochai and the others standing by the gate, ordered the maids to fly this on the open ground outside.

15. Baoqin remarked, “This of yours isn’t as handsome as Cousin Tanchun’s big phoenix with flapping wings.”

16. Baochai agreed and turned to tell Cuimo to fetch it, where upon she went off cheerfully on this errand.

17. Bayou, in high spirits, sent a young maid home with the instructions, “Fetch that big kite Mrs. Lai broungt us yesterday.”

18. After a long interval the maid came back empty-handed. “Qingwen flew it yesterday and lost it,” she announced.

19. “And I hadn’t flown it even once!” exclaimed Baoyu.

20. “Never mind,” said Tanchun. “She sent off your bad luck for you.”

21. “In that case bring the big crab kite,” ordered Baoyu.

22. The maid came back presently with a few others carrying a beauty kite and reel. “Miss Xiren says yesterday she gave the crab kite to Master Huan,” she told him.

23. “Here’s one just brought by Mrs. Lin. She suggests you fly this instead.”

24. Baoyu examined the kite and was pleased to find it exquisitely made. He told them to fly it.

25. By now Tanchun’s kite had come too, and Cuimo and some other maids were already flying it above a nearby slope.

26. Baoqin told her maids to fly a big red bat kite.

27. Baochai, infected by the general enthusiasm, had sent up a lite in the shape of a formation of seven wild swans. Now all these kites were airborne except Baoyu’s beauty,

28. making him so frantic that sweat poured down his face.

29. When the others laughed at him,

30. he angrily threw the kite to the ground and pointing at it swore: “If you weren’t a beauty, I’d trample you to bits!”

31. “It’s the fault of the bridle,” said Daiyu soothingly. “If you adjust it, it’ll be all right.”

32. Baoyu ordered this to be done and at the same time sent for another kite. They were all looking up and watching the kites sail through the air

33. when the maids brought many others of different kinds and played with them for a while.

34. Sure enough, the wind was blowing hard. Daiyu took the reel and paid out the cord. As the kite soared off, the reel whirred and all of a sudden the whole cord had run out.

35. Then she urged the rest to let their kites drift away.

36. “We’re all ready,” they said. “You start first.”

37. The maids take a pair of scissors, and clipped the cord tied to the reel.

38. The kites drifted away until soon it seemed no bigger than an egg, then it dwindled to a speck like a black star and the next minute vanished from sight.

39. Watching with screwed-up eyes they cried, “What fun!”

40. As speaking, there are maids to invite dinner, so they dispersed.