Hauwin slowly returned home, lost in meditation. By the time he reached Leigh's his mind was made up. He resolved to become a priest and retire from the world, for, although he was a young man, yet he had seen enough of its disappointments to become dissatisfied with life. Still, when he thought of his and Albia's little baby, he recoiled from the thought, though he knew that Grace would nourish the little fellow and see that his education was not neglected.
The matter was broached on his return, and as Hanwin seemed determined to follow this course, Leigh and Grace made no objection. Both promised to use every endeavor to train Dream Dragon in the right way. In a few days Hanwin departed for Golden Island to put himself under the tuition of Fahhai. Here we will leave him.
Time passed by very quickly, and the child, who took the name of his guardians, grew up well formed, intelligent and active. He loved his books and lost no time in idle play, so that when he was about' ten years old he had outstripped all other boys in the school. This excited their envy and strange things began to be heard about Dream Dragon, to all of which he paid no attention, until one day, when the preceptor was out, some of the ruder scholars began to tease him about his mother.
"You are not named Leigh really, yon know," sneered they, "but something else. Your mother was a snake." The little fellow looked up quickly. "What's that you say?" he said, "Ha! Ha!" laughed the unfeeling boys; "your real mother is under Tiunder Peak Tower, and your father is a Buddhist Priest.' A boy ten years old and not know where his parents are What a go!"
Dream Dragon was cut to the quick. He said nothing, but gathering up his books left the schoolroom. Soon after, Grace saw him coming home, his face hot and flushed, and the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Why, what is the matter, child?" asked the sympathetic woman, that you retarn home before school is out, and in such a plight "The boys said you are not my mother," cried he, indignantly, and that my real mother is under the Tower."
"Come into the house, poor boy," said Grace, wiping his eyes, and leading him into her room. "I must tell you all about yourself, for the time, I think, has come. Those boys were very rude and unmannerly, and had no business to speak so to you. But," she continued, kissing him, " much as I love yon, Tam not your mother; I am your father's sister. Your dear mother is waiting under the Tower until you grow up to bring her out, and you must be very diligent at your books, for unless, dear boy, you study hard, your mother must lie under the ower for ever."
With that she looked into the eyes of the boy, There was a strange light there, "My poor mother, my poor mother," he cried, in anguish,' "Hush, dear," said Grace, soothingly.
But Dream Dragon could say nothing but, "My poor mother my poor mother," and when Leigh came home that night he was lying on the bed, clasping his hands to. his head, calling for Albia, while " high fever was burning in his veins, and his mind was wandering off to his mother, who, ten years before, had been entombed beneath the Tower of Thunder. Peak. Leigh was in despair, "Woman are always telling things they ought not to. Grace ought not to have told him about his mother yet," thought be.
Physicians were called, but the boy was in a delirium, and nothing could be done to restore his reason. The devoted guardians did not leave his bedside by night or day, but, as the physicians had given up the ease, they determined to stay by him till he died. And they waited for the end.
The merciful Buddha, in the recesses of the Purple Bamboo Grove, looked down on the pitiful scene, and saw the devotion of the pair. He heard the moans of the pvor boy, calling for his mother. Quickly disguising himself as a priest, he appeared at the door of Leigh's house, beating his wooden fish drum. Grace went to the door and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.