"My one abiding principle has been to translate everything-even puns. For although this is ,in the sense I have already indicated, an 'unfinished' novel, it was written (and written) by a great artist with his very life blood. I have therefore assumed that whatever I find in it is there for a purpose and must be dealt with somehow or other, I cannot pretend always to have done so successfully, but if I can convey to the reader even a fraction of the pleasure this Chinese novel given me , I shall not have lived in vain."
"The more she read, the more she liked it, and before very long she had read several acts, She felt the power of the words and their lingering fragrance. Long after she had finished reading. When she had laid down the book and was sitting there rapt and silent, the lines continued to ring on in her head."
"Xi feng's eyes became moist and for a moment she was too overcome to speak. ' I know "the weather and human life are both unpredictable,"' she said at last,'but she's only a child still. If anything should happen to her as a result of this illness, I think all the fun would go out of life!'"
"The expression on her face as she uttered these words was angrier than he had ever seen her look before. “He laughed. "'Oh dear! Are you in a rage again?" "Aroma laughed mirthlessly. "'It's not for the likes of me to get into rages, But I wish that from now on you would stop coming into this room, After all, you have got people to wait on you elsewhere . You don't really need my services. I shall back to serving Her Old Ladyship, like I used before.'"