erefore he drove home, silently, his sharp, keen
knife, and stifled the mad bellow that was about to be let forth.
After which, he crept very cautiously to the balcony, and peered
anxiously up and down the dark alleyway beneath. He lowered himself
with infinite caution over the railing. He had become once more the
cringing Oriental.

HOMESICK

III

HOMESICK

A Chinese gentleman, with his arms tucked up inside the brocaded
sleeves of his satin coat, stood one day with one foot in China and
the other upon European soil. From time to time he bore with alternate
weight upon the right foot, on Chinese soil, and then upon the left
foot, upon European soil, and his mental attitude shifted from right
to left accordingly. The foot upon Chinese soil reflected upward to
his brain the restriction of Chinese laws, the breaking of which were
accompanied by heavy penalties. The foot upon European soil reassured
him as to his ability to indulge himself, with no penalties
whatsoever. Therefore, after balancing himself for a few moments first
upon this foot, then upon that, he gave way to his inclinations and
resolved to indulge them. In certain matters, Europeans were more
liberal than Chinese.

From this you will see that he had been standing with one foot in
China, where opium traffic was prohibited, where heavy fines were
attached to opium smoking and to opium buying, where heavy jail
sentences were imposed upon those who smoked or bought opium, while
the other foot, planted upon the ground of the Foreign Concession,
assured him of his absolute freedom to buy opium in any quantity he
chose, and to smoke himself to a standstill in an opium den licensed
under European auspices. In his saner moments, when not under the
influence of the drug, he resented the European occupation of certain
parts of Chinese territory, but when his craving for opium
occurred--which it did with great frequency--he was delighted to
realise that there were certain parts of China not under the authority
of the drastic laws of China, which laws prohibited with such drastic
and heavy penalties the indulgences he craved. Therefore he swayed
himself backwards and forwards for a space, first upon this foot, then
upon that, and finally withdrew both feet into the Foreign Concession,
and directed his steps to a shop where opium was sold under European
influence. The shop was capacious but dark. He stated his requirements
and they were measured ou