attiring himself in the garments of his new degree, in preparation for
his visit. He was in the act of tying his sash and appending it to
his purse and trinkets, when Jasmine burst into the young men's study,
looking deadly pale and bearing traces of acute mental distress on her
usually bright and joyous countenance.

"What is the matter?" cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was
shown by Jasmine. "Tell me what has happened."

"Oh, my father, my poor father!" sobbed Jasmine.

"What is the matter with your father? He is not dead, is he?" cried the
young men in one breath.

"No, it is not so bad as that," said Jasmine, "but a great and bitter
misfortune has come upon us. As you know, some time ago my father had
a quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of
spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this
morning to prison."

The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely
unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears
and rocked herself to and fro in her grief. Tu and Wei, on their knees
before her, tried to pour in words of consolation. With a lack of reason
which might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that her
father was innocent before they knew the nature of the charges against
him, and they pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night until
they had rescued him from his difficulty. When, under the influence of
their genuine sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, Tu begged her
to tell him of what her father was accused.

"The villain," said Jasmine, through her tears, "has dared to say
that my father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes
for recommending men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers'
ration-money, and has been in league with highwaymen."

"Is it possible?" said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long
catalogue of crimes. "I should not have believed that any one could have
ventured to have charged your honoured father with such things, least of
all the intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching palm. But
I tell you what we can do at once. Wei and I, being M.A.'s, have a right
to call on the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to us to exercise
our new privilege for the first time in your service. We will urge him
to inquire into the matter, and I cannot doubt that he will at once
quash the proceedings."

Unhappily, Tu's hopes were not realised. T