红楼梦Chapter22_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter22

　　On this day， Pao-yue failed， at any early hour， to see anything of Lin Tai-yue， and coming at once to her rooms in search of her， he discovered her reclining on the stove-couch. Get up， Pao-yue pressed her with a smile， and come and have breakfast， for the plays will commence shortly; but whichever plays you would like to listen to， do tell me so that I may be able to choose them.

　　Tai-yue smiled sarcastically. In that case， she rejoined， you had better specially engage a troupe and select those I like sung for my benefit; for on this occasion you cant be so impertinent as to make use of their expense to ask me what I like!

　　Whats there impossible about this? Pao-yue answered smiling; well， to-morrow Ill readily do as you wish， and ask them too to make use of what is yours and mine.

　　As he passed this remark， he pulled her up， and taking her hand in his own， they walked out of the room and came and had breakfast. When the time arrived to make a selection of the plays， dowager lady Chia of her own motion first asked Pao-chai to mark off those she liked; and though for a time Pao-chai declined， yielding the choice to others， she had no alternative but to decide， fixing upon a play called， the Record of the Western Tour， a play of which the old lady was herself very fond. Next in order， she bade lady Feng choose， and lady Feng， had， after all， in spite of madame Wang ranking before her in precedence， to consider old lady Chias request， and not to presume to show obstinacy by any disobedience. But as she knew well enough that her ladyship had a penchant for what was exciting， and that she was still more partial to jests， jokes， epigrams， and buffoonery， she therefore hastened to precede (madame Wang) and to choose a play， which was in fact no other than Liu Erh pawns his clothes.