红楼梦Chapter6_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter6

She at once pressed old goody Liu and Pan Erh to take a seat on the stove-couch. Ping Erh and Chou Juis wife sat face to face， on the edges of the couch. The waiting-maids brought the tea. After they had partaken of it， old goody Liu could hear nothing but a lo tang， lo tang noise， resembling very much the sound of a bolting frame winnowing flour， and she could not resist looking now to the East， and now to the West. Suddenly in the GREat Hall， she espied， suspended on a pillar， a box at the bottom of which hung something like the weight of a balance， which incessantly wagged to and fro.

What can this thing be? communed goody Liu in her heart， What can be its use? While she was aghast， she unexpectedly heard a sound of tang like the sound of a golden bell or copper cymbal， which gave her quite a start. In a twinkle of the eyes followed eight or nine consecutive strokes; and she was bent upon inquiring what it was， when she caught sight of several waiting-maids enter in a confused crowd. Our lady has come down! they announced.

Ping Erh， together with Chou Juis wife， rose with all haste. Old goody Liu， they urged， do sit down and wait till its time， when well come and ask you in.

Saying this， they went out to meet lady Feng.

Old goody Liu， with suppressed voice and ear intent， waited in perfect silence. She heard at a distance the voices of some people laughing， whereupon about ten or twenty women， with rustling clothes and petticoats， made their entrance， one by one， into the hall， and thence into the room on the other quarter. She also detected two or three women， with red-lacquered boxes in their hands， come over on this part and remain in waiting.