The Boxed-up Governor

A certain literary official was at one time Governor of the city of

Kyong-ju. Whenever he visited the Mayor of the place, it was his

custom, on seeing dancing-girls, to tap them on the head with his

pipe, and say, "These girls are devils, ogres, goblins. How can you

tolerate them in your presence?"

Naturally, those who heard this disliked him, and the Mayor himself

detested his behaviour and manners. He sent a secret message to

the dancing-girls, saying, "If any of you, by any means whatever,

can deceive this governor, and put him to shame, I'll reward you

richly." Among them there was one girl, a mere child, who said

she could.

The Governor resided in the quarter of the city where the Confucian

Temple was, and he had but one servant with him, a young lad. The

dancing-girl who had decided to ensnare him, in the dress of a common

woman of the town, used frequently to go by the main gateway of the

Temple, and in going would call the Governor's boy to her. Sometimes

she showed her profile and sometimes she showed her whole form, as she

stood in the gateway. The boy would go out to her and she would speak

to him for a moment or two and then go. She came sometimes once a day,

sometimes twice, and this she kept up for a long time. The Governor

at last inquired of the boy as to who this woman was that came so

frequently to call him.

"She is my sister," said the boy. "Her husband went away on a peddling

round a year or so ago, and has not yet returned; consequently she has

no one else to help her, so she frequently calls and confers with me."

One evening, when the boy had gone to eat his meal and the Governor

was alone, the woman came to the main gateway, and called for the boy.

His Excellency answered for him, and invited her in. When she came,

she blushed, and appeared very diffident, standing modestly aside.

The Governor said, "My boy is absent just now, but I want a smoke;

go and get a light for my pipe, will you, please."

She brought the light, and then he said, "Sit down too, and smoke a

little, won't you?"

She replied, "How could I dare do such a thing?"

He said, "There is no one else here now; never mind."

There being no help for it, she did as he bade her, and smoked a

little. He felt his heart suddenly inclined in her favour, and he said,

"I have seen many beautiful women, but I surely think that you are

the prettiest of them all. Once seeing you, I have quite forgotten

how to eat or sleep. Could you not come to me to live here? I am

quite alone and no one will know it."

She pretended to be greatly scandalized. "Your Excellency is a noble,

and I am a low-class woman; how can you think of such a thing? Do

you mean it as a joke?"

He replied, "I mean it truly, no joke at all." He swore an oath,

saying, "Really I mean it, every word."

She then said, "Since you speak so, I am really very grateful, and

shall come."

Said he, "Meeting you thus is wonderful indeed."

She went on to say, "There is another matter, however, that I wish

to call to your attention. I understand that where your Excellency

is now staying is a very sacred place, and that according to ancient

law men were forbidden to have women here. Is that true?"

The Governor clapped her shoulder, and said, "Well, really now, how

is it that you know of this? You are right. What shall we do about it?"

She made answer, "If you'll depend on me, I'll arrange a plan. My home

is near by, and I am also alone, so if you come quietly at night to me,

we can meet and no one will know. I shall send a felt hat by the boy,

and you can wear that for disguise. With this commoner's felt hat on

no one will know you."

The Governor was greatly delighted, and said, "How is it that you

can plan so wonderfully? I shall do as you suggest. Now you be sure

to be on hand." He repeated this two or three times.

The woman went and entered the house indicated. When evening came

she sent the hat by the boy. The Governor arrived as agreed, and

she received him, lit the lamp, and brought him refreshments and

drink. They talked and drank together, and he called her to come to

him. The woman hesitated for a moment, when suddenly there was a call

heard from the outside, and a great disturbance took place. She bent

her head to listen and then gave a cry of alarm, saying, "That's the

voice of my husband, who has come. I was unfortunate, and so had this

miserable wretch apportioned to my lot. He is the most despicable

among mortals. For murder and arson he has no equal. Three years ago

he left me and I took another husband, and we've had nothing to do

with each other since. I can't imagine why he should come now. He is

evidently very drunk, too, from the sound of his voice. Your Excellency

has really fallen into a terrible plight. What shall I do?"

The woman went out then and answered, saying, "Who comes thus at

midnight to make such a disturbance?"

The voice replied, "Don't you know my voice? Why don't you open

the door?"

She answered, "Are you not Chol-lo (Brass Tiger), and have we not

separated for good, years ago? Why have you come?"

The voice from without answered back, "Your leaving me and taking

another man has always been a matter of deepest resentment on my part;

I have something special to say to you," and he pounded the door open

and came thundering in.

The woman rushed back into the room, saying, "Your Excellency must

escape in some way or other."

In such a little thatched hut there was no place possible for

concealment but an empty rice-box only. "Please get into this,"

said she, and she lifted the lid and hurried him in. The Governor,

in his haste and déshabille, was bundled into the box. He then heard,

from within, this fellow come into the room and quarrel with his

wife. She said, "We have been separated three years already; what

reason have you to come now and make such a disturbance?"

Said he, "You cast me off and took another man, therefore I have come

for the clothes that I left, and the other things that belong to me."

Then she threw out his belongings to him, but he said, pointing to

the box, "That's mine."

She replied, "That's not yours; I bought that myself with two rolls

of silk goods."

"But," said he, "one of those rolls I gave you, and I'm not going to

let you have it."

"Even though you did give it, do you mean to say that for one roll

of silk you will carry away this box? I'll not consent to it." Thus

they quarrelled, and contradicted each other.

"If you don't give me the box," said he, "I'll enter a suit against

you at the Mayor's."

A little later the day dawned, and so he had the box carried off to

the Mayor's office to have the case decided by law, while the woman

followed. When they entered the court, already the Mayor was seated

in the judgment-place, and here they presented their case concerning

the box.

The Mayor, after hearing, decided thus: "Since you each have a

half-share in its purchase, there is nothing for me to do but to

divide it between you. Bring a saw," said he.

The servants brought the saw and began on the box, when suddenly from

the inner regions came forth a cry, "Save me; oh, save me!"

The Mayor, in pretended astonishment, said, "Why, there's a man's

voice from the inside," and ordered that it should be opened. The

servants managed to find the key, and at last the lid came back,

and from the inner quarters there came forth a half-dressed man.

On seeing him the whole place was put into convulsions of laughter,

for it was none other than the Governor.

"How is it that your Excellency finds yourself in this box in this

unaccountable way?" asked the Mayor. "Please come out."

The Governor, huddling himself together as well as he could, climbed on

to the open verandah. He held his head down and nearly died for shame.

The Mayor, splitting his sides with laughter, ordered clothes

to be brought, and the first thing that came was a woman's green

dress-coat. The Governor hastily turned it inside out, slipped it on,

and made a dash for his quarters in the Confucian Temple. That day

he left the place never to return, and even to the present time in

Kyong-ju they laugh and tell the story of the Boxed-up Governor.

Im Bang.