amongst the people of
the land near by. He too would have disappeared with the rest, had not
some supernatural power chained him to the spot where he stood.

Soon the noble figure of the Goddess of Mercy appeared, accompanied by
a splendid train of Fairies who hovered round her to do her bidding.
Her first act was to release Sam-Chung, who lay bound ready for his
death, which but for her interposition would have taken place within a
few hours. He and his two companions were entrusted to the care of a
chosen number of her followers, and conveyed with all speed across the
river.

The Goddess then gave a command to some who stood near her person, and
in a moment, as if by a flash of lightning, the cowering, terrified
Demon had vanished, carried away to be confined in one of the dungeons
where persistent haters of mankind are kept imprisoned, until their
hearts are changed by some noble sentiment of compassion and the
Goddess sees that they are once more fit for liberty.

And then the lights died out, and the sounds of fairy voices ceased.
The waters of the river, which had been under a divine spell, returned
to their course, and the Goddess with her magnificent train of
beneficent spirits departed to her kingdom in the far-off Western
Heaven.

XI

THE REWARD OF A BENEVOLENT LIFE

On the banks of a river flowing through the prefecture of Tingchow,
there stood a certain city of about ten thousand inhabitants. Among
this mass of people there was a very fair sprinkling of well-to-do men,
and perhaps half-a-dozen or so who might have been accounted really
wealthy.

Amongst these latter was one particular individual named Chung, who had
acquired the reputation of being exceedingly large-hearted and
benevolently inclined to all those in distress. Anyone who was in want
had but to appeal to Chung, and his immediate necessities would at once
be relieved without any tedious investigation into the merits of his
case. As may be inferred from this, Chung was an easy-going,
good-natured man, who was more inclined to look kindly upon his
fellow-men than to criticise them harshly for their follies or their
crimes. Such a man has always been popular in this land of China.

Now the whole soul of Chung was centred upon his only son Keng. At the
time when our story opens, this young fellow was growing up to manhood,
and had proved himself to be possessed of no mean ability, for on the
various occasions on which he had