She is in prison and he threatens to do worse. She has written to call me and I must go. I hoped to be able to render you faithful service, but, with my dear mother a captive, I should be useless. Therefore I must leave you and hope in the future to meet you again.”

Yüan-tê broke into loud moans when he heard that his adviser was to leave.

"The bond between mother and son is divine," said he, "and I do not need to be reminded where your duty lies. When you have seen your venerable mother perhaps I may have again the happiness of receiving your instruction."

Having said farewell, Hsü Shu prepared to leave at once. However, at Yüan-tê's wish he consented to stay over the night. Then Sun Ch'ien said privately to his master, "Hsü Shu is indeed a genius, but he has been here long enough to know all our secrets. If you let him go over to Ts'ao, he will be in his confidence and that will be to our detriment. You ought to keep him at all costs and not let him go. When Ts'ao sees he does not come he will put the mother to death, and that will make Hsü Shu the more zealous in your service, for he will burn to avenge his mother's death."

"I cannot do that. It would be very cruel and vile to procure the death of his mother that I might retain the son's services. If I kept him it would lead to a rupture of the parental lien, and that would be a sin I would rather die than commit."

Both were grieved and sighed. Yüan-tê asked the parting guest to a banquet, but he declined saying, "With my mother a prisoner I can swallow nothing, nay, though it were brewed from gold or distilled from jewels."

"Alas! your departure is as if I lost both my hands," said Yuan-tê. "Even the liver of a dragon or the marrow of a phoenix would be bitter in my mouth."

They looked into each other's eyes and wept. They sat silent till dawn. When all was ready for the journey the two rode out of the city side by side. At Long Pavilion they dismounted to drink the stirrup cup. Yüan-tê lifted the goblet and said, "It is my mean fortune that separates me from you, but I hope that you may serve well your new lord and become famous."

Hsü Shu wept as he replied, "I am but a poor ignorant person whom you have kindly employed. Unhappily I have to break our intercourse in the middle, but my venerable mother is the real cause. Though Ts'ao Ts'ao use all manner of means to coerce me, yet will I never plan for him."

"After you are gone I shall only bury myself in the hills and hide in the forests," said Yuan-tê.

Tan Fu said, "I had in my heart for you the position of leader of the chieftains, but my plans have been altogether upset by my mother. I have been of no advantage to you nor

should I do any good by remaining. But you ought to seek some man of lofty wisdom to help you in your great emprise. It is unseemly to be downcast."

"I shall find none to help better than you, my master." "How can I permit such extravagant praise?" said Tan Fu. "I am only a useless blockhead."

As he moved off he said to the followers, "Officers, I hope you will render the Princely One good service, whereby to write his name large in the country's annals and cause his fame to glow in the pages of history. Do not be like me, a man who has left his work half done."

They were all deeply affected. Yüan-tê could not bring himself to part from his friend. He escorted him a little further, and yet a little further, till Shu said, "I will not trouble you, O Princely One, to come further. Let us say our farewell here."

Yuan-tê dismounted, took Hsü Shu by the hands and said, "Alas! we part. Each goes his way and who knows if we shall meet again?"

His tears fell like rain and Shu wept also. But the last goodbyes were said and when the traveller had gone Yüan-tê stood gazing after the little party and watched it slowly disappear. At the last glimpse he broke into lamentation. "He is gone! What shall I do?"

One of the trees shut out the travellers from his sight and he testily pointed at it, saying, "Would that I could cut down every tree in the countryside!"

"Why?" said his men.

"Because they hinder my sight of Hsü Yüan-chih."

Suddenly they saw Hsü Shu galloping back.

Said Yuan-tê, "He is returning; can it be that he is going to stay?"

So he hastened forward to meet him and when they got near enough he cried, "This return is surely for no slight reason."

Checking his horse, Hsü Shu said, "In the turmoil of my feelings I forgot to say one word. There is a man of wonderful skill living about twenty li from the city of Hsiangyang, why not seek him?"

"Can I trouble you to ask him to visit me?"

"He will not condescend to visit you; you must go to him. But if he consent you will be as fortunate as the Chous when they got the aid of Lü Wang, or Han when Chang Liang came to help."

"How does the unknown compare with yourself?"

"With me? Compared with him I am as a worn-out carthorse to a kilin, an old crow to a phoenix. This man is of the same kidney as Kuan Chung and Yo I but, in my opinion, he is far their superior. He has the talent to measure the

heavens and mete the earth; he is a man who overshadows every other in the world."

"I would know his name."

"He belongs to Yangtu of Langya; and his name, a double name, is Chuko Liang. His minor name is K'ung-ming. He is of good family. His father was an official but died young and the young fellow went with his uncle to Chingchou, the Prefect of which was an old friend of his uncle's, and he became settled there. Then his uncle died and he, with a younger brother, Chün, were farmers. They used to amuse themselves with the composition of songs in the 'Old Father Liang' style.

"On their land was a ridge of hills called the Sleeping Dragon and the elder of the two took it as a name and called himself Master Sleeping Dragon.' This is your man; he is a veritable genius. You ought really to visit him and if he will help you, you need feel no more anxiety about peace in the Empire."

"Water-mirror' spoke that time of two men, Fu-lung and Feng-ch'u, and said if only one of them could be got to help me all would be well. Surely he, whom you speak of, is one of them."

"Feng-ch'u, or 'Phoenix Fledging,' is 'P'ang T'ung': and Fu-lung, or Hidden Dragon,' is Chuko K'ung-ming.""

Yuan-tê jumped with delight, "Now at last I know who the mysterious ones are. How I wish they were here! But for you I should have still been like a blind man," said he.

Some one has celebrated in verse this interview where Hsü Shu from horseback recommended K'ung-ming:

Yüan-tê heard that his able friend

Must leave him, with saddened heart,

For each to the other had grown very dear,
Both wept when it came to part.

But the parting guest then mentioned a name
That echoed both loud and deep,

Like a thunder clap in a spring-time sky,
And there wakened a dragon from sleep.

Thus was the famous K'ung-ming recommended to the lord he was to serve, and Hsü Shu rode away.

Now Yüan-tê understood the speech of the hermit Ssuma Hui, and he woke as one from a drunken sleep. At the head of his officers, he retook the road to the city and having prepared rich gifts set out, with his brothers, for Nanyang.

Under the influence of his emotions at parting Hsü Shu had mentioned the name and betrayed the retreat of his friend. Now he thought of the possibility that K'ung-ming would be unwilling to play the part of helper in Yüan-te's scheme, so he determined to go to visit him. He therefore took his way to Reposing Dragon Ridge and dismounted at

the cottage. Asked why he had come, he replied, "I wished to serve Liu Pei of Hsiangchou but my mother has been imprisoned by Ts'ao Ts'ao, and has sent to call me. Therefore I have had to leave him. At the moment of parting I commended you to him. You may expect him speedily and I hope, Sir, you will not refuse your aid but will consent to use your great talents to help him."

K'ung-ming showed annoyance and said, "And so you have made me the victim of your sacrifice."

So saying he shook out his sleeves and left the room. The guest shamefacedly retired, mounted his horse and hastened on his way to the capital to see his mother.

To help the lord he loved right well,

He summoned the aid of another,

When he took the distant homeward way,

At the call of a loving mother.

What was the sequel will appear in the following chapters.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

ANOTHER SCHOLAR INTRODUCED:

THE THREE VISITS TO THE RECLUSE.

As has been said Hsü Shu hastened to the capital. When

Ts'ao Ts'ao knew he had arrived he sent two of his confidants to receive him and so he was led first to the minister's palace. "Why did such an illustrious scholar as you bow the knee to Liu Pei?" said Ts'ao.

"I am young and I fled to avoid the results of certain escapades. I spent some time as a wanderer and so came to Hsinyeh where I became good friends with him. But my mother is here and when I thought of all her affection I could no longer remain absent."

"Now you will be able to take care of your mother at all times. And I may have the privilege of receiving your instruction."

"Hsü Shu then took his leave and hastened to his mother's dwelling. Weeping with emotion he made his obeisance to her at the door of her room.

But she was greatly surprised to see him and said, "What have you come here for?"

"I was at Hsinyeh, in the service of Liu of Yuchou when I received your letter. I came immediately."

His mother suddenly grew very angry. Striking the table she cried, "You shameful and degenerate son! For years you have been a vagabond in spite of all my teaching. You are a student and know the books. You must then know that loyalty and filial piety are often opposed. Did you not recognise in Ts'ao a traitor, a man who flouts his king and insults the mighty ones? Did you not see that Liu Pei was virtuous and upright as all the world knows? Moreover, he is of the House of Han and when you were with him you were serving a fitting master. Now on the strength of a scrap of forged writing, with no attempt at any enquiry, you have left the light and plunged into darkness and earned a disgraceful reputation. Truly you are stupid! How can I bear to look upon you? You have besmirched the fair fame of your forefathers and are of no use in the world."

The son remained bowed to the earth, not daring to lift his eyes while his mother delivered this vilifying tirade. As she said the last word she rose suddenly and left the room. Soon