at his condemnation was a
foregone conclusion. All these groups were scattered by the yells of our
outrider and the cracks of our carter's whip, and the sellers of cooked
food gathered their piles of little bowls and swiftly set them out of
harm's way, for the habits of _Yamen_ retainers are well known to the
populace, and there is little satisfaction to be had when complaints are
presented and compensation for destroyed goods is claimed. With
ever-increasing speed and corresponding agony, we were driven up the
steep ascent which leads to the outer courtyard, where after a
preliminary bump down two steps we found ourselves on comparatively
smooth ground, and rolled along a broad, high, paved path leading to the
second great archway where our conveyance came to a standstill, and we
waited whilst our cards were taken and presented to the ladies we had
come to see. Many soldiers were standing about, and various instruments
used in the punishment of prisoners were fastened to the walls as
warning to all who passed that way. A very few minutes and we were
invited to leave our cart and follow the man appointed to conduct us to
the innermost court where the _Tai-tais_[9] lived; slaves attended us on
either side, whilst the retainer went ahead carrying our scarlet cards
breast high before him.

A vista of courtyards opened one from another, and we saw a number of
little ladies in charming, brilliant, butterfly-like garments coming to
meet us with odd, graceful, stilted movements. Everything must from this
point be done according to the strictest etiquette, so the _Tai-tai_ of
least rank came first to meet us, and led us back to where stood the
head wife, in whose presence we respectfully removed our eyeglasses and
made a bow.

There were a large number of women about, for this Mandarin had two
wives besides several daughters-in-law. We were invited to a
reception-room where carpets, felts, tables, and chairs were all scarlet
in colour, and here were served with delicious fragrant tea and small
cakes, in which were mixed rose leaves, nuts, and sugar. All the
preliminary questions required by good manners were first asked--our
respective "venerable ages" and details of our various near
relatives--but soon curiosity overflowed into many inquiries concerning
our "honourable country," and we were helped to more tea and cakes, and
begged to make ourselves at home. We, on our part, led the conversation
back to matters concerned with