lliant speaker as myself would have kept me still."

Theo chuckled.

"What is the subject of the lecture you are to give this evening?" he
inquired with mock seriousness.

"Wasn't it printed on your ticket?"

"No, sir."

"No?" exclaimed Mr. Croyden in surprise. "A great oversight! The man
who printed these tickets is a stupid fellow. I believe I shall have
to discharge him and try somebody else. The subject of this evening's
lecture is, of course, _Porcelain_."

"Porcelain! Have we really come to porcelain at last!" cried Theo,
much delighted.

"Yes, we have now finished with the potteries and earthenwares--at
least for the present, and we shall begin on porcelain, the great
art-work of the Chinese."

Mr. Croyden stopped to cram tobacco into his pipe.

"Already I have told you that the Chinese made beautiful porcelains
from kaolin and petuntse, two clays which produced a hard,
semi-transparent china," he began. "And I have also told you how for a
long time they were the only nation to have a knowledge of the
necessary ingredients for such a ware. I only wish I had here at this
moment some specimens of the exquisite porcelains they have made that
you might see them and get some idea of their richness and beauty. It
is difficult to describe them in words."

"Maybe when we go home Father will take me to the Metropolitan Museum
to see some Chinese porcelains," suggested Theo.

"I am sure he will," Mr. Croyden said. "And if he is too busy to do
it, I will take you myself. Maybe some day we could go china-hunting
together."

"That would be corking!"

"I'd enjoy it as much as you," affirmed Mr. Croyden. "We would prowl
around among the different collections and look for the celebrated
Nankin blue which, although not strictly speaking a porcelain,
would give you a glimpse of some of the finest work ever done in a
blue and white ware. Of the very early Chinese porcelains we should,
alas, find no specimens, because most of these were destroyed during
the wars that raged against the various ancient dynasties; but we
should see some examples of what is called the Chrysanthemo-Paeonienne
period."

"Jove, what a name!"

"Not such a terrible one when you think about it," returned
Mr. Croyden. "Get to work with your brain and you can soon tell me
what it means."

"Chrysanthe----" ruminated Theo, thinking aloud. "Has it anything to
do with chrysanthemum?"

"It surely has. Go on," urged the elder man encouragingl