Years--of mingled pleasure and pain, as most human years are--have
passed.
The Gaylors jog on. Gaylor still chafes for a son--and knows that
his wife will not again accept motherhood. But, understanding her
scruple but little, not sympathizing with it at all, he cleaves to her
loyally--keeping the vows he gave her in marriage.
And he has his dogs and guns, his horses, a host of friends, a young
cousin whose name also is Tom Gaylor, an upstanding public school boy
whom he likes very much, and he has his cabbages and his tenants.
There are many unhappier women in London society than Ivy Gaylor, and
not a few who are less envied. But her heart is buried deep in a tiny
grave in Dorset. As long as she lives she will grieve and long for her
little lost baby--grieve and will not be comforted.
Through obedience, renunciation and service Ruben Sên has won through
to happiness.
He obeyed his father, renounced his young and bounding love, and all
his life is a service of love to his mother. He has made her happiness;
he has paid Sên King-lo’s debt. And he knows that in the gods’ good
time he will go again to China--to live there among his own people,
serving them, living for them, when his mother, gone on-High to Sên
King-lo, no longer has earthly need of his services or his love.
He is content to wait.
Mrs. Sên and Ruben her son live more and more at Ashacres, the bond
between them closer, sweeter, firmer, as the slow moons come and go
over Sên King-lo’s grave in the churchyard of the old squat-towered
Church of Brent-on-Wold.
Sên Ruben has set his soul against regret and sorrow, and regret and
sorrow have left him.
He does not forget--he is not of that caliber--but he remembers in
calmness, as he remembers in tenderness that still is quick, C’hi
Yamei, in robes of lemon and blue and jade, yellow roses in her hands,
her little Chinese dogs frisking about her as she walks, facing the
sunrise among the bamboos and wild white roses of Shan-si.
He has chosen his life. He knows his future as the man whose character
is strong and fine always may, because it builds that future, since
always character is destiny.
While Sên Ruby lives he will be with her at Ashacres. When her
spirit has gone to his father’s he will make his last long earthly
journey--across the Atlantic, across the Pacific, homing back to Ho-nan
to live for Ho-nan, to live for the Sêns. Some boy of his clan shall be
his by adoption, that Sên King-lo’s grave and Sên Ruby’s never shall
lack descendants to worship at them.
For he will not go back to Ho-nan alone.
He has promised Sên Ruby--she demanded the promise--that her coffin and
Sên King-lo’s shall rest in one grave in the old Sên burial garden,
beside the grave of Sên Ya Tin, with the temple and _pai-fang_ the old
Queen-one of Sênland builded to Sên King-lo, sending their jeweled
shafts of love and understanding over the yellow roses, through the
quivering bamboos, to lie on their graves.
GLOSSARY
“BABIES”--peasants, servants.
CASH--a small coin.
CH’IH--a roofless paved courtyard. At great functions it is roofed and
floored.
CHOP--official stamp of a merchant or man of high position. It binds
every important Chinese contract and edict.
DRAGON THRONE--the throne of China.
GIRDLE-WEARERS--aristocrats.
GRASS-CHARACTERS--a fine and difficult form of Chinese writing.
HANLIN--a graduate of the Hanlin “college.” One who has passed the
highest Peking examinations.
HSIEN-JEN--wiseman, soothsayer, wizard who lives in a hill or mountain.
HSI HUA T’ING--a hall between gardens and walls where ceremonial meals
are served.
I-PANG-LO--a musical instrument.
K’ANG--stove.
KIN--a musical instrument.
K’O-TANG--guest-hall. (In a modest establishment it is the one room of
importance, and is put to many social and family uses.)
KO’TOW--prostration of great respect--to kneel and touch the ground
with the forehead. (Also written KOT’OW, KOTOW, etc.)
KUEI--the women’s apartments. In good establishments it is a building
of many rooms and verandas surrounding a courtyard.
KWAN or KWAN YIN-KO--the goddess of mercy. (There are varied
spellings.)
LAMPS-OF-MERCY--fire-flies.
LANG--roofed passage.
LI--a Chinese measurement of distance, about one-third of a mile.
MEI-JÊN--match-maker, go-between, marriage broker.
PAI-FANG--a memorial arch of great honor, usually in commemoration of
some act of great sacrifice.
PAN-KOU--a musical instrument.
RUYIE--an emblem of good luck, often made of jade. It never is large,
but usually beautiful, and may be very valuable.
SACRED PRISONER--the Emperor of China.
SHU-CHIA--“Reverence books”--library, reading-room.
“SILKS”--paintings. The greatest Chinese artists have painted on silk.
SON OF HAN--a Chinese. They hold it their proudest title, except the
Cantonese who do not so style themselves.
SON OF HEAVEN--the Emperor.
SPIRIT WALL--a devil screen placed outside an entrance to prevent evil
spirits from entering.
TA JEN--a great man--a man of importance.
T’IEN CHING--“Heaven’s Well”--the ladies’ courtyard in the center of
the KUEI.
TING--courtyard.
TINGCHAI--yamen runner--messenger.
TING TZŬ LANG--the passage that leads from the Great Gate to the
Reception Hall.
TSA HSING--village of mixed families. (The inhabitants of the majority
of small Chinese country villages usually are of only one family
or clan.)
TUCHUN--war lord--military governor.
VERMILION PALACE--the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City--Peking.
YAMEN--official residence, usually a mandarin’s--a government office.
YANG-LAO-TI--nourish-old-age-land.
“YELLOW-ROBES”--priests--monks.
YUAN--the Chinese dollar (fifty cents). Often, but incorrectly, termed
YEN. The YEN is a Japanese coin and strictly speaking there is no
Chinese YEN, but “chopped YEN” are used in some parts of China.
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes
• Italics represented by surrounding _underscores_.
• Small caps converted to ALL CAPS.
• Obvious typographic errors silently corrected.
• Variations in hyphenation and spelling kept as in the original.