"Any one who says one word more," Yüan Yang exclaimed, "will be fined a whole decanter full."
Old goody Liu then at length observed silence.
"I'll now give out the set of dominoes." Yüan Yang proceeded. "I'll begin from our venerable mistress and follow down in proper order until I come to old goody Liu, when I shall stop. So as to illustrate what I meant just now by giving out a set, I'll take these three dominoes and place them apart; you have to begin by saying something on the first, next, to allude to the second, and, after finishing with all three, to take the name of the whole set and match it with a line, no matter whether it be from some stanza or roundelay, song or idyl, set phrases or proverbs. But they must rhyme. And any one making a mistake will be mulcted in one cup."
"This rule is splendid; begin at once!" they all exclaimed.
"I've got a set," Yüan Yang pursued; "on the left, is the piece 'heaven,' (twelve dots)."
"Above head stretches the blue heaven,"
dowager lady Chia said.
"Good!" shouted every one.
"In the centre is a five and six," Yüan Yang resumed.
The fragrance of the plum blossom pierces the bones on the bridge
"Six,"