refore, as I say, we didn't stay long
at the fair,--just long enough for me to buy a pair of little, ancient,
dilapidated stone lions, which the man assured me were of the Ming
dynasty. My first venture into Ming. They looked it, anyway, when I
bought them. I laid them at my feet in a newspaper, and--I suppose the
jolting of the rickshaw did it--when we reached the hotel, the Ming had
all rubbed off. They were stone lions of the purest plaster.

We found a note from the minister asking us in for tea, so we brushed
ourselves hastily and went over to the legation to find a large crowd
of dusty people assembled, in the beautiful, spacious drawing-rooms.
Every one was talking politics, discussing the situation fore and aft,
and, as usual, arriving nowhere. At the end of an hour there was a stir
caused by the arrival of C----, one of the young, important Members of
Parliament. He stood surrounded by an enquiring group, hands hidden up
the capacious sleeves of his crackling brocade coat, while he sucked in
his breath with hissing noises, in deference to the honorable company.
"Good news!" he exclaimed, "good news! Or so I think you'll find it! We
have just decided to break with Germany!"

There wasn't what you'd call rejoicing; instead, his rather hilarious
announcement was greeted with a sort of constrained silence. It's such a
tremendous thing for any country to declare war, and for a country in
China's position it is such a blind leap into the abyss. However, the
matter is not yet quite decided: the first vote is taken, but the final
has yet to be cast. Parliament has been sitting all day. This, of
course, merely means the severance of diplomatic relations, but the
next step must follow as the night the day.

I must tell you of an incident that occurred the other day, when we were
at tiffin at the home of some English acquaintances. But first I must
tell you about the pailows, and before that again, I must tell you of
the French ships that carry troops. I don't know where to begin, for you
must hear everything if you are to see the point.

I'll start with the pailows, those big, red lacquer memorial arches that
span the streets all over the place--arch, by the way, being a figure of
speech, since actually these arches are square, and consist of two
upright posts with a third laid horizontally across them. They are
emblazoned all over with gilded characters and sprawling dragons, and
honor some great Chinese,--erected to