ifferent that it
amused her a great deal. I had no idea how long we were playing this
game. We counted who came next, and that was one of my fairies, so Her
Majesty said to me: "I was sure you could not beat me, as no one could.
Seeing that yours are next to mine, I will give you the present just the
same." While she was saying this she told a servant girl to bring her
some embroidered handkerchiefs. This girl brought several colored ones
to her, and she asked me what color I preferred. She handed me a pink
one and a pale blue one, all embroidered with purple wisteria, and said:
"These two are the best, and I want you to take them." I was just going
to thank her by bowing to the ground, but I found that my legs could not
move. I tried hard and succeeded finally, with difficulty. Her Majesty
laughed very heartily at me and said: "You see you are not accustomed to
standing so long and you cannot bend your knees any more." Although my
legs were sore I thought I had better not show it, but smiled and told
her that it was nothing, only my legs were a little stiff, that was all.
She said: "You must go and sit on the veranda and rest a minute." I was
only too glad to sit down, so I went to the veranda and found the Young
Empress sitting there with several Court ladies. The Young Empress said:
"You must be tired standing so long. Come and sit near me." My legs were
very stiff and my back was tired. Of course Her Majesty did not know how
uncomfortable we were while she was sitting on her cozy throne. Foreign
attire is out of the question for the Imperial Palace of Peking. I had
hoped that Her Majesty would tell us to change into our Manchu gowns. I
noticed that she asked many questions every day about foreign costumes,
and she said: "The foreign costume is not any prettier than ours and
I should say they must be quite uncomfortable round one's waist. I
wouldn't be squeezed that way for anything." Although she was saying
such things she did not suggest that we should give them up, so we had
to wait patiently for her orders. The Young Empress took her watch out
of her pocket, and said to me: "This game has lasted just two hours." I
said to her that it seemed to me longer than that. While we were talking
I saw our own eunuchs bringing four round boxes, made of thin board,
carried at each end of bamboo poles. They put them down near where we
sat, and one of them brought me a cup of tea. When my mother and sister
came the same eunuch b