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Without waiting for all the dishes to be served, he
took off, causing the others to laugh even harderAs
he stood up and turned around, he saw the waiter, Ah
Lix, standing behind him and giv ing him an
understanding wink
Miss Pao stayed in bed for a day or two; then she
finally got upShe still toyed with Fang but not as
freely as beforePerhaps because they would be
reaching Hong Kong in a few days, she had to cleanse
her mind and body in preparation for meeting her
fiance
Three or four students and the Suns were going to
disembark at Colon to take the Canton-Hankow train
With departure imminent they gam bled away for all
they were worth, only lamenting that lights were not
per mitted in the dining room after midnightOn the
afternoon before arrival in Hong Kong, they exchanged
home addresses and made repeated promises to see one
another again, as if the shipboard friendship was
never to be forgotten
Fang was about to go on deck to look for Miss Pao when
Ah Lix fur tively called himEver since the day he
had given Ah Lix the three hundred francs, he felt
uneasy whenever he saw Ah LixHardening his
expression, he asked Ah Lix what the matter wasAh
Lix said that among the cabins he took care of there
was one vacant; he asked Fang if Fang wanted it for
the eve ning, saying he would only ask six hundred
francs for itWith a wave of the hand, Fang said,
"What would I want with that?" and bounded up the
steps two at a time, with Ah Lix laughing scornfully
behind himHe suddenly realized what Ah Lix had had
in mind and his face burned with shameHe went up to
sputter out the incident to Miss Pao, cursing that
scoundrel Ah LixShe gave a snort, but as others were
coming up, there was no chance to say anymoreSun said, "Today, to mark our
parting, we should
live it up and gamble through the whole nightAh Lix
has an empty cabin
which I've reserved for two hundred francs
Miss Pao threw Fang a contemptuous glance, then
immediately stared at
her plate and ate her soupSun, feeding her child with a spoon, asked
meekly, "We'll be going
ashore tomorrowAren't you afraid of getting tired?"
MrSun said, "Tomorrow I'll find a hotel and sleep
for days and nights
on endThe engines on the ship are so noisy, I've nor
been sleeping well
Meanwhile, Fang's self-esteem had deflated like a
rubber tire under Miss
Pao's glanceAfter dinner Miss Pao and Miss Six were
unusually intimate,
going about arm in arm and never leaving each other's
company for an in stantHe followed them lamely onto
the deckAs he watched them talk and laugh without
letting him squeeze a word in edgewise, he felt silly
and humil iated; he was like a beggar who, after
running after a rickshaw for some dis tance without
getting a cent, finally has to stop but is reluctant
to give upLooking at her watch, Miss Pao said, "I'm
going down to sleepThe ship will dock before dawn
tomorrow so we won't be able to sleep well in the morn
ingIf I don't go to bed early, I'll be all tired out
and will look a wreck when I go ashore tomorrow
Miss Six said, "You're so concerned about your looks
Li won't love you? If you look a little weary, it'll
make him dote on you so
much more!"
Miss Pao said, "Is that the voice of experience? Just
thinkTomorrow
I'll be homeI'm so excited I am afraid I won't be
able to fall asleepMiss Six,
let's go on downWe can lie down in the cabin and
talk more comfortably
With a nod to Fang they went downHe burned with such
rage inside that it seemed enough to set the end of
his cigarette aglowHe could not understand why Miss
Pao had suddenly changed her attitudeSo was their
relationship to end just like that? When he was at the
University of Ber lin, he had heard the lecture on
Eros by Ed Spranger, a professor xvell known in Japan,
and so he understood that love and sexual desire are
twins which go together but are shop different
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