The Tombs of the Manchus (Continued from page 17.)
The Enchanted Isle (Continued from page 21.) and the words still more which are chiselled into the central arch of the marble pailou which stands before the grave-mound, after the characters. inseribed by the Emperor's own hand and which mean: "If I contemplate this dwelling. with awe, yearnings that cannot be stilled seize me: where the mountains tower into the clouds, there is the place for which I long."
Even fittings of the interior of the large hall in the first outer court, which is like the outer in its external appearance, bear witness to the modesty of the Emperor, The roofs, the massive pillars, the walls are nowhere decorated with gay colours in the' style of a palace as is customary. In the colourless hall, rather more impressive on account of the lack of colour, behind a long altar stand four thrones covered with yellow silk cushions belonging to the Emperor and his three wives. Behind this hall one ascends a marble stair to the triple arched marble pailou mentioned above, beyond which is a marble altar of sacrifice showing quite a peculiarly artistic form. Up more marble steps and one which enormous circular "white tumulus, the masonry of which is not em-hellished by even the poorest decoration, and under the arch of which stand the coffins of the dead. There is no door into the interior, no sign of any entrance; and no earth covers, as is the case in the other tombs, the last resting-piece of this Emperor. But from all sides rise the mountains with their black sombre mantle of pines and from the midst of their dark circle alone and shut in from the world rises the gleaming marble tomb of Taokuang to the blue sky.
Round this, the most beautiful of all the tombs, lies the grave of the numberless wives and concubines of Tao Kuang who died after their lord. Simpler in style than that of the Emperor, it is in the main built chiefly after the pattern of the other Empresses' tombs. It con tains two larger circular graves which enclose the lawful wives of Tao Kuang, the mothers of Prince Kung and Prince Chun, and behind this arranged in a row one after the other, sixteen smaller grave-mounds with "memorial stones among which, as our old guide imparted to us with a laugh of inner comprehension, the mother of Prince'Tuan is to be found, Between the six graves described above lie a number of small graves of princesses which appear suddenly here and there with their green roofs between the dark and the spirit poured into a good-sized glass, which should be warmed by the hand before the brandy is drunk. The huge ballans which are used li staurant are generally cor experts to be an affectation with little to Tecommend them.
Wines have appropriated to themselves dishes with which they prefer to be drunk, and a rough outline of these preferences may not be unuseful. With the hors d'auvres, vermouth, or dry sherry; with oysters, Graves or Chablis; with the coup, sherry, marsala or Madeira; with the fish, Sauternes or Chablis; with the entrees, claret; with the the joint, fine claret or burgundy, with game, champagne; and at the end of the meal Madeira, port and brandy.
As for the purchase of wine, there is only one necessary piece of advice to all but students and experts—that is, to place the matter in the hands of some entirely 'Trustworthy' fine merchant; of whom, praise the Lord, there are many.
Vera turned her head.
"I don't know. What's matter, it's lovely here, enchanting.
"Enchanted, you mean," came the soft voice of Uncle Sunshine. "Enchanted, dear, so you are, but you must think of "Must I go?" she asked, scarcely realiing that there was any other place but the id, with its sunshine and fairies. it, I've hooked And gently but firmly the old man played the fish, bringing him nearer and nearer by inches, until with a flop, he landed him.
'A big fellow, "he cried, "must weigh "Edo." It was the bass who spoke, in a mu fly deep bass voice. "Take that horrid hook out, it cuts."
Gently Uncle Sunshine removed the hook. "Sorry, old fellow," he said, as the fish was free. "You want to go back to the sea?
"Yes, but I'll tell you something. I've been near the mainland, and there are people there anxious over the welfare of two children called Vera and Iris."
The children started, but Uncle Sunshine held up a warning han continued the bass, "I think going to be trouble, when they return, as it's already nearly their bed And back he went with a wiggle, as he slid from Uncle Sunshine's hand.
"we are alway late, and it will spoil all this," and she flung out her arms to embrace the island, sea and sky, "if they scold us."
Fairy Meadow Sweet," he tle fairly daintily poised ton "Go and put back all the mainland clocks; show the time to be—what time do you breakfast? he asked the children.
"Right-thirty," said Vera.
"Then show the time to be 8.15 a.m." he ordered and away flew the fairy.
"That gives you fifteen minutes to change in, and I suppose you don't breakfast in your bathing suits," he laughed.
"Not quite," said Iris, "but I'd like to."
"But," said the practical Vera, "we can't paddle back to the mainland and dress in fifteen minutes."
"You can in my boat," said Uncle Sunshine.
"Where is your boat? We never saw another boat when we explored," she said.
"There isn't one," he replied.
"Then how do you come here, you don't live here do you? There is no house, no shop, nothing but the ruin," she was puzzled "No nothing, unless you are a fairy. But then I am not, not quite. I may be some day, but you,—you must both go home."
"Shall we see you again?" both children came up to him and took his hands. "Because we love you."
Gently he stooped and kissed them in turn, and with a smile in his eyes, he vanished.
"Where has ho gone?" the children Who gone?" It was their father's voice, and he was helping them out of a gaily painted punt, as she grated on the sands of the mainland.
"Uncle Sunshine," said Vera.
"Ah, the sun is Uncle to us all, he gives us health and strength," said their father.
"And cake and fairies and wonderful unearthly kindness," said Iris, and the children Tvoked at each' other in secret understanding. 7 nae The Land Agent (Continued from Page 5).
"I am staying at Mr. Yu's house," he ans swered.
After a pause, old Father Tseng broke the tension with the usual, "It's a nice day "Yes, quite nice," was all that he could get from the pawn shop proprietor.
"Do you meet the Magistrate Wang quite often?"
"Yes, I saw him a day before yesterday," Mr. Fang replied.
faving exhausted all subjects for conversation, they set silently sipping tea.
Old Father Tseng was growing rather nervous. He ended the silence by asking, "And does the Prefect never come to this, istrict any more? If he comes to this district, surely the first ones he will visit will be your family, The friendship between the Prefect and your family is quite different from other relationships. To tell the honest truth, the Prefect and rates respect only you. No one the gentry can equal you.
"When the new procurator assumes office, the Prefect may come to this place," Mr, Fang suggested.
"Quite right." And again they were silent, for there was nothing more to say. They sipped some more tea, Old Father Tseng saw that no guests were coming and that no table had been laid for a dinner party. He was growing a little suspicious and very hungry. He thought that perhaps if he rose to go, the host might say something about the tiffin. He therefore got up and said, "I must leave you now.
Mr. Fang also arose but only said, tay a little longer."
"Tean stay no longer," Old Father Tseng replied rather testily. Then he left the place, Wher he had reached the door, he stood for a moment in amazement, wondering what had happened. At first he thought that he must have come too early. Then it occurred to him that he might have done something offensive. Then it struck him that he might have read the invitation card incorrectly. Suddenly, it came to him that there was a fine party at Mr, Yu's house. "I must hurry and have my tiffin there.
When Old Father Tseng returned to the Vu house, he found Vu Hua Mr. Tong, Mr. Yao and two other friends, gathered about a table, enjoying the delights of the five or six hot dishes which were before them, When they saw the old man approaching, they arose. Mr, Vu greeted him cheerfull "Old Father Tseng," he said, "ran away from us and had a wonderful tiffin at the Fang house. How happy he must be!"
He then told his servant to place a chair for the old man at the other end of the room and there to serve him old, thick tea, which is an excellent aid for the digestion. Another table was accordingly placed at the far end of the room and there the old man.was able to sip the rich, thick old tea by himself, He was most attentively served on either side with tea cups and the thick tea. And the more he drank of the tea, which aided the digestion, the hungrier he became. He became so sad watching the others eat, that he could hardly express himself. One had a big. chunk of meat; another duck, A third was tasting a lucians bit of terrapin, All of them were putting the delicious, shot: meats into their mouths, but Old Father Tseng could only sit and sip the digestion aiding tea. They ate and ate until dark and the old man had to sit there until dark too, bitter with hunger, morose at the trick fate had played him. After the guests had left, he returned to his own room where he got a bowl of fried rice which he mixed with some hot water. This he quickly finished. Then he went to bed to spend an angry and miserable night.
The next morning he arose to bid his host farewell.
"When are you returning?" asked Mr.
"If the land deal goes through all right, I shall return soon. Otherwise, I shall wait until the day when the paut is to be erected in honour of my virtuous aunt."
He then left the place.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.