(The great event of the season! Chinese Mandarins crowning poor missionaries and rich merchants with great crowns! Buttons, decrees, tablets, all ushering forth from the Dragon Throne! Wonderful! Wonderful Great Chinese officials have considered fact that when they donate ten or a hundred taels to a foreign hospital or school or other Christian exploit, immediately the fact is published abroad for the grateful recognition Christendom, Hearing that foreigners have contributed some Tis, $00,000, and have distributed it all for the people of their own jurisdiction, they "have shaken, themselves multitudes of outside barbarians on the back, rom. China's ancient sleep, and have patted and hope to stick a button on the head of the benevolent].
The band had ceased Park, the musicians with their instruments Playing in, Victoria had defiled through the postern gate, and by twos and threes the white-robed figures who had been loitering among the shrubs, listening to the strains, and making furti invasions (in high heols) of the tennis court had slipped quietly away to their respective homes, leaving the airy acone a solitude. For L alone, thinking to steal yet one more peaceful hour from the balmy night, comed myself for reflection or for dreams, as chance might determine, on a bench within the dark shadow thrown by the crescent moon from the walls and turrets of the Town Hall, No wind stirred the smallest twig, and the gardens were bathed in soft delicious light, wooing to reverie. Scarcely was Iseated when a faint clanking sound told me that the gate was locked for the night, but overcome with the sweet odours and fascinated by a scene so suited for a midsummer night's dream, I yielded myself up with more than resignation to the silent influence of the hour. As when one's sonses slowly float away under a strong opiate Isaw the objects round me become hazy, then merge into each other, then change places, and move about as if to the scund of some slow music, to me inaudible. Gradually they assumed the form of animate objects, which seemed to whisper to each other in an earnest manner, and anon certain figures shaped themselves more distinctly out of the promiscuous assembly, until at length I could mark four forms of the human kind large and luminous, which, as they approached me nearer, were clearly recognisable as great personages in China. What me fast was that, notwithstanding the heat of the weather, these grand personages were clothed from head to foot in silks, satins, bonnets and boots, even the peacock' feothece not Woing. wasting. Otamrving them with rapt attention as they paced up and down the broad walk between the geraniums and the lilacs, I became greatly interested, when sounds reached me, faint, indeed, at first, but waxing more distinct as I listened, and I perceived that my mysterious visitants were engaged in serious conversation. To catch the words as they fell from the mouths of the great men seemed to me to be no easy matter, but when I perceived that it had reference to recent occurrences, and to the wellbeing of innumerable multitudes of the Chinese race, my powers of hearing seemed. to be preternaturally stimulated, so that not a tone or an aspirate was lost.
The first, and apparently the eldest of the four men was no other than the Viceroy of Nanking whom I had seen in 1884 when I accompanied General Mesny on a visit to H. E. to urge him to cover the land and fill the air with the Lartigue Railway. Tseng spuke to the following effect. He said that he had purposely come all the way to Tientsin to consult about the honours to be scattered abroad to the outlying foreigners. He said he felt himself largely responsible for all this famine boom, having made an appeal direct to the benevolent of Shanghai, and having thereby aroused the energics of a committee of worthy men. While he asked no honour for himself, he thought the officials who had honestly distributed the money of the foreigners should be honoured, in which sense he had already memo-realised the Throne. He rejoiced that no
and felt it no part of his duty to make ies had portieulary interfered, mention of the foreigners, save only General
Perhaps the General's rank, however, Moony and the contributors as o mass: satisfy him without further mention, seeing that he had granted him an interview at Nanking. As for the donors, he felt it a burden on his honour to tell'the Throne about them, and to let it be announced in the Peking Gazette.
So far the grave and reverend ruler of Kiangnan.
The next in order was a brisk and sprightly man, of middle age, with a bronzed face and his skirts tucked up as if he had been riding. I would not have recognised him but for his frank and open countenance, but though I had not seen him before there was no mistaking the Manchu Governor of Manchuria, who, as he spoke, smiled upon me. I seized his smile and grasped his words, He remarked on the good intentions of foreigners, and said the relief had been a blessing to since it enabled him to transport grain to Shantung and Chihli. He, too, had thought some reference should be made in public to the foreign guests, and so he had come to the Tientsin Park to consult with his dear friends and colleagues. As the Viceroy from Nanking was going to memorialise the Throne on foreign donors in a lump, he thought perhaps he had no further duty except to approve. ' Ah, no," the Viceroy struck in, "you don't get under my sunshine that way. You, too, must show how grateful you are." So the Governor felt the beat of his heart, and then stated his dilemma, He said that over there in the jurisdiction there were Catholic and also protestant distributors, he felt puzzled at the way to solve the riddle. lo guessed he would pick out the English Consul, the Catholic Bishop, and one renowned Protestant, and send their names to the Throne.
The third man was one who carried a great reputation on his shoulders, the good deal, though his active life lent a weight of which seemed to depress him a
ind of elasticity to his steps which distinguished him from his peers. This was the Governor of Shantung. He said his case was different from and harder than She otters and he must ponder. long. and deep. He and the missionaries didn't agree very well just now, and it happened that the only persons distributing relief were these same troublesome missionary unless he included the aid of the English Consul, who, by the way, was also backing up the inissonaries, "He acknowledged that most of the money had come to his province, and multitudes had been helped. OF course some recognition must come from him as well as the poor people, But here was the bother, all the distributors were missionaries, and a fearful batch of them, too. He guessed he would end the matter, and satisfy his conscience by lumping the distributors together as the Viceroy from Nanking lumped the contributors together, who fourth figure was tall and erect, solemn, resolute, and sad. No one could mistake him, since his likeness had adorned every pictorial newspaper in the world and had once on a time given the tone to anew brand of bottled beer. As the larger body attracts the lesser, so the three gravitate to the habitat of the fourth, who felt at home in the vicinity of Victoria Road, which was only a couple of miles from his Viceregal Palace. Needless to mention the name of His Excellency, who said he felt pleased to sve others following in his footsteps, and memorialising the Throne about foreigners. As for jon aries, he sympathised just now with his friend Chang Yao, and favoured only {a general mention of the missionaries, As tothe general idea of publicly recognising the foreign relief, he ud no doubt duty. Since no, money had yet come to jurisdiction, he would merely lend the port of his'name to the memorials of three friends. In addition he would ko special reference to the Queen of England and the Mansion House Fund. Surely this was fair to the foreign philunthrapists, and was in accordance with Western' notions, when receiving marked favours from others in times of distress. At this, the other three melodiously exclaimed, "Hao!
The moon had long sunk to rest in the bosom of the Western plain. The black shadow of the gorgeous pile had vanished, and instead, the front of the building re: flected from its grey bricks and red window frames the yellow light which began to peer from over the military school. "he Astor House cocks were crowing, the magpies were fitting and chattering; and behold, it was day! Then I perceived the reason why my nocturnal visitors wore the winter uniform, The truth is that the four po son ages were not there at all, only a spirit tual presentment of them, and spirits are not in the least incommoded by furs and silk and satin boots. The whole thing was, in short, a dream
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.