Beyond himself with joy, the lad hastened to take a leaf of golden paper and wrote out a poem on it.  Then he took off his embroidered silken girdle, rolled it all together, and opened his port-hole.  Elegant had also opened hers; she received the small packet and at once concealed it in her sleeve, for she heard the slaves approaching.  These were followed by her mother.  At last the time came for her father to cross to the other ship for the return feast given by Wu.

Full of cunning, the maiden took a vessel brimming with liquor and gave it to her slaves, who eyed the gift as a thirsty dragon looks upon water.  They were half-drunk when Ho Chang came back from the feast, and Elegant told them to go to bed, and that she would do some needle-work.  As their faces were red, their ears burning and their legs unsteady, they were only too glad to retire; and soon their snores were heard over the ship.  Little by little all other sounds died away in both the junks.  Then she gently knocked on her port-hole with her scissors.

Naturally Ya-nei was waiting for the signal; as soon as he heard it, his body was as if it had been shaken to pieces.  However, he softly opened his shutter, stepped from one ship to the other, and glided into the cabin where the maiden awaited him.  She gave him formal greeting, which he returned; but they looked at each other under the lamp, and their passion already raged like fire.  They could hardly exchange a word, and Ya-nei’s trembling hands were undoing.  She offered but very feeble resistance.  He ardently embraced her, and with his arms joined himself to the fresh breast that lighted him.

At last they were able to speak.  She told him of her dream, and of her astonishment on recognizing, in his poem, the verses which she had heard him sing in dream.  He turned pale and sat down: 

“My dream was exactly yours.  Before these omens are fulfilled, I shall speak to my father to arrange our marriage.”

But, even as they talked, they silently fell asleep arm in arm.

Now about the middle of the night, the wind fell and the river became calmer.  At the fifth watch the sailors untied their moorings and began to haul their anchors, singing at their work.  The noise awakened the lovers, who heard the men say: 

“The ship catches the wind rarely.  We shall not be long in getting to Ch’i-Chow.”

They looked at each other in dismay: 

“What are we going to do now?”

“Hush!” said she.  You must remain hidden for the moment.  We will at last find a plan.”

“It is our dream come true.”

Remembering that the slaves had seen her lover’s feet in her dream, Elegant leaned forward and covered them carefully with an ample blanket.  At last she said: 

“I have a plan.  During the day you must hide under the couch, and I shall pretend to be ill, and keep in bed, or in the cabin.  When we reach Ch’i-Chow, I will give you a little money, and you must escape in the confusion of the disembarkation.  You shall rejoin your parents, and we will arrange for our marriage.  If, by any chance, my parents were to refuse, we should tell the truth.  My family has always loved me excessively; they will certainly accede.”