红楼梦Chapter19_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter19

Hua Tzu-fang， upon hearing that there was good reason in what he said， promptly clasped Pao-yue out of the chair and put him on the horse， whereupon after Pao-yue smilingly remarked： Excuse me for the trouble Ive surely put you to， they forthwith entered again by the back gate; but putting aside all details， we will now confine ourselves to Pao-yue.

After he had walked out of the door， the several waiting-maids in his apartments played and laughed with GREater zest and with less restraint. Some there were who played at chess， others who threw the dice or had a game of cards; and they covered the whole floor with the shells of melon-seeds they were cracking， when dame Li， his nurse， happened to come in， propping herself on a staff， to pay her respects and to see Pao-yue， and perceiving that Pao-yue was not at home and that the servant-girls were only bent upon romping， she felt intensely disgusted. Since Ive left this place， she therefore exclaimed with a sigh， and dont often come here， youve become more and more unmannerly; while the other nurse does still less than ever venture to expostulate with you; Pao-yue is like a candlestick eighty feet high， shedding light on others， and throwing none upon himself! All he knows is to look down upon people as being filthy; and yet this is his room and he allows you to put it topsy-turvey， and to become more and more unmindful of decorum!

these servant-girls were well aware that Pao-yue was not particular in these respects， and that in the next place nurse Li， having pleaded old age， resigned her place and gone home， had nowadays no control over them， so that they simply gave their minds to romping and joking， and paid no heed whatever to her. Nurse Li however still kept on asking about Pao-yue， How much rice he now ate at one meal? and at what time he went to sleep? to which questions， the servant-girls replied quite at random; some there being too who observed： What a dreadful despicable old thing she is!