No sooner had he left than the nurse started her persecution again and, at her suggestion, the young, girl' was summoned by the old Indy and ordered to prepare opium for her, Since she was not experienced in such things she spoilt the opium and for this she was beaten by tha Taotaitai, who had been told by the nurse that she had burnt it deliberately. She was then sent back to her room and lived in seclusion for some days, 5
At the ftth moon festival a number of guests were expected and the old lady brought out four ounces of opium for their entertainment and at the suggestion of Chang Taomatzu it was sent to the young concubine to prepare. In spite of every care, she burnt it and in her despair she swallowed sum cient of it, as she thought, to cause her death.
In the morning however she wi not dead, and when the old nurse came to'fetch the opium she was still able to talk to her and conceal the fact that she had swallowed olson, The old woman at once saw. that the opium had been spoilt and took her before the laotaital who roundly upbraided her and had her beaten again, The girl turned around on the nurse and shouted "Why do you always tell lies about me. 7 bear the family name and you not" She then struck her. This outburst however proved fatal, for the opium she had swallowed took effect, presence, and she fell down dead in thelt
'The old lady was greatly alarmed in her death and roundly accused the nurse of being the cause of' through her false accusations.
The girl's family slatted a laws suit which created considerable stir in the neighbourhood. Han Chih-fang, and his two sons returned home as soon as possible and began to pre-are for the defence.
The Court's Decision Louis Philippe endeavoured to have the best of both worlds. He persuaded the unfortunate Queen. to accept the hand of Francisco "Assisi, her cousin; and as it was generally known that no children. could possibly result from the union, he felt himself free, in spite of Lord Palmerston's stipulation, to marry the younger sister to the Duke of Montpensier the.very same day. ° Needless to say, Isabella' marriage was not successful.
At the preliminary trial the old nurse was brought before the court and as it was evident that she was not telling the truth, she was ordered to be given 200 blows on the cheek. Under this torture she confessed everything, even to the complicity of her brother in the theft of the Bold Incense burner. 'The two of them were sentenced to. imprisonment for life, and the Han family was ordered to hand over half' of its property to the parents of the dead girl. In addition the judge, (Continued on page 37.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.