One day a messenger from the west bore a letter to Fahhai, as he sat in the cloud room on Golden Island. It was sent by Buddha, and contained an order for the priest to proceed at once to Hangchow and capture the White Snake in his bowl. He was then to evtomb her under the Thunder Peak for twenty years. If in that time the god of Literature, who had become incarnate in the son born to her, should become Senior Wrangler of the Empire, his mother should be taken out and allowed to attain perfection. The order was imperative, as the child was a month old, and the White Snake had brought the punishment on herself by: breaking her word to the god of the North Star, when she first came to Hangchow. Such was the decree, and the priest lost no time in its execution. It was just a month since little Dream Dragon was born, and his parents had celebrated the occasion by inviting many friends to a feast® at the house. Everybody was joyful, and congratulations were showered upon the happy father, when Albia took her maid aside, and said: "Flora, I have a presentiment that something dreadful will happen to me to-day. Bring my darling baby into my room, and let me embrace him before the calamity comes." " Have you not been praying for forgiveness all these mouths?" asked Flora, Yes, Thave," replied Albia, "but I fear that T cannot escape my destiny, even if I have been praying. ' But, bring the dear baby in."
Tu the midst of the laughter and noise, while the guests were seated at the table, a priest appeared at the door, Hanwin looked up, and, behold! Fahhai stood before him. "Come in," he stammered; "you see we are having a feast. I have found out that I was not bewitched by a snake. See, we are celebrating our baby's thirty days."
"Ah, see," said Pabhai; "please give me a cup of tea. But Iam afraid you have no cups in this house clean enough for a Buddhist priest. Take mine and bring the tea."
Hanwin did as the priest bade him, and went back to the room where Albia was.
"What do you want, dear Hanwin said his wife.
"Some tea for a priest who has just come."
Albia looked up and, as she did so, the bowl, of its own accord, flew from the astonished husband's hand, and covered hard and fast the head of his wife!
Albia knelt on the floor and muttered a prayer, ber pearly tears falling thick and fast. Hanwin approached his wife, *Since the people of China were compelled to wear queues by the T'sings, the ceremony of a first shave occurs at this feast, when the month old boy is subjected to a capital (not tonsorial) artist.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.