om, she ordered the
covers to be removed and they were all taken off at one time. Then she
took her seat at the head of the table and told us to stand at the foot.
She then said: "generally the Emperor takes lunch with me when we have
the theatre, but he is shy to-day, as you are all new to him. I hope he
will get over it and not be so bashful. You three had better eat with me
to-day." Of course, we knew that this was an especial favor, and thanked
her by kowtowing before we commenced to eat. This kowtowing, or bowing
our heads to the ground, was very tiring at first and made us dizzy,
until we got used to it.

When we commenced to eat, Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to place
plates for us and give us silver chopsticks, spoons, etc., and said:

"I am sorry you have to eat standing, but I cannot break the law of our
great ancestors. Even the Young Empress cannot sit in my presence. I
am sure the foreigners must think we are barbarians to treat our Court
ladies in this way and I don't wish them to know anything about our
customs. You will see how differently I act in their presence, so that
they cannot see my true self."

I was watching her while she was talking to my mother and marvelled
to see how she could eat, after having eaten such a quantity of candy,
walnuts, etc., while in her bedroom.

Beef was a thing that was tabooed within the precincts of the Palace, as
it was considered a great sin to kill and eat animals that were used as
beasts of burden. The food consisted mostly of pork, mutton and game,
fowls and vegetables. This day we had pork cooked in ten different ways,
such as meat balls, sliced cold in two different ways, red and white,
the red being cooked with a special kind of sauce made of beans which
gives it the red color and has a delicious taste. Chopped pork with
chopped bamboo shoots, pork cut in cubes and cooked with cherries
and pork cooked with onions and sliced thin. This last dish was Her
Majesty's favorite and I must say it was good. Then there was a sort of
pancake made of eggs, pork and mushrooms chopped fine and fried, also
pork cooked with cabbage and another dish cooked with turnips. The fowl
and mutton was cooked in several different ways. In the center of the
table was a very large bowl about two feet in diameter of the same
yellow porcelain, in which there was a chicken, a duck and some shark
fins in a clear soup. Shark fins are considered a great delicacy in
China. Besides this ther