but, was bounded by a wall; turning to the right by a walk by the side
of the house, I passed by a door--probably the one I had seen at the end
of the passage--and arrived at another window similar to that through
which I had come, and which also stood open; I was about to pass by it,
when I heard the voice of my entertainer exclaiming, "Is that you? pray
come in."

I entered the room, which seemed to be a counterpart of the one which I
had just left. It was of the same size, had the same kind of furniture,
and appeared to be equally well stocked with china; one prominent article
it possessed, however, which the other room did not exhibit--namely, a
clock, which, with its pendulum moving tick-a-tick, hung against the wall
opposite to the door, the sight of which made me conclude that the sound
which methought I had heard in the stillness of the night was not an
imaginary one. There it hung on the wall, with its pendulum moving tick-
a-tick. The old gentleman was seated in an easy-chair a little way into
the room, having the glass-door on his right hand. On a table before him
lay a large open volume, in which I observed Roman letters as well as
characters. A few inches beyond the book on the table, covered all over
with hieroglyphics, stood a china vase. The eyes of the old man were
fixed upon it.

"Sit down," said he, motioning me with his hand to a stool close by, but
without taking his eyes from the vase.

"I can't make it out," said he, at last, removing his eyes from the vase,
and leaning back on the chair; "I can't make it out."

"I wish I could assist you," said I.

"Assist me," said the old man, looking at me, with a half smile.

"Yes," said I, "but I don't understand Chinese."

"I suppose not," said the old man, with another slight smile; "but--but
. . ."

"Pray proceed," said I.

"I wished to ask you," said the old man, "how you knew that the
characters on yon piece of crockery were Chinese; or, indeed, that there
was such a language?"

"I knew the crockery was china," said I, "and naturally enough supposed
what was written upon it to be Chinese; as for there being such a
language--the English have a language, the French have a language, and
why not the Chinese?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"As many as you like."

"Do you know any language besides English?"

"Yes," said I, "I know a little of two or three."

"May I ask their names?"

"Why not?" said I. "I know a little French."