covered a solitary Chinaman whom I had overlooked, sitting
in a rigid attitude on a bench with his back to the window. He caught my
eye and smiled sadly, but without moving.

"What are you doing here?" I asked sternly.

"Me washee shilts; me talkee 'buttons.'"

"Oh! you're See Yup, are you?"

"Allee same, John."

"Well, come here."

I continued my work, but he did not move.

"Come here, hang it! Don't you understand?"

"Me shabbee, 'comme yea.' But me no shabbee Mellican boy, who catchee
me, allee same. YOU 'comme yea'--YOU shabbee?"

Indignant, but believing that the unfortunate man was still in fear
of persecution from the mischievous urchins whom I had evidently just
interrupted, I put down my pen and went over to him. Here I discovered,
to my surprise and mortification, that his long pigtail was held hard
and fast by the closed window behind him which the young rascals had
shut down upon it, after having first noiselessly fished it outside with
a hook and line. I apologized, opened the window, and released him. He
did not complain, although he must have been fixed in that uncomfortable
position for some minutes, but plunged at once into the business that
brought him there.

"But WHY didn't you come to my lodgings?" I asked.

He smiled sadly but intelligently.

"Mishtel Bally [Mr. Barry, my landlord] he owce me five dollee fo
washee, washee. He no payee me. He say he knock hellee outee me allee
time I come for payee. So me no come HOUSEE, me come SCHOOLEE, Shabbee?
Mellican boy no good, but not so big as Mellican man. No can hurtee
Chinaman so much. Shabbee?"

Alas! I knew that this was mainly true. Mr. James Barry was an Irishman,
whose finer religious feelings revolted against paying money to a
heathen. I could not find it in my heart to say anything to See Yup
about the buttons; indeed, I spoke in complimentary terms about the
gloss of my shirts, and I think I meekly begged him to come again for my
washing. When I went home I expostulated with Mr. Barry, but succeeded
only in extracting from him the conviction that I was one of "thim black
Republican fellys that worshiped naygurs." I had simply made an enemy of
him. But I did not know that, at the same time, I had made a friend of
See Yup!

I became aware of this a few days later, by the appearance on my desk of
a small pot containing a specimen of camellia japonica in flower. I knew
the school-children were in the habit of making presents to me