than a repast of many-coursed
richness elsewhere."

In this well-sustained and painless manner Fa Fai and Wei Chang
continued to express themselves agreeably to each other, until the
lengthening gong-strokes warned the former person that her absence
might inconvenience Wong Ts'in's sense of tranquillity on his return,
nor did Wei Chang contest the desirability of a great space
intervening between them should the merchant chance to pass that way.
In the meanwhile Chang had explained many of the inner details of his
craft so that Fa Fai should the better understand the requirements of
her new art.

"Yet where is the Willow plate itself?" said the maiden, as she began
to arrange her mind towards departure. "As the colours were still in a
receptive state this person placed it safely aside for the time. It
was somewhat near the spot where you--"

During the amiable exchange of shafts of polished conversation Wei
Chang had followed Fa Fai's indication and had seated himself upon a
low bench without any very definite perception of his movements. He
now arose with the unstudied haste of one who has inconvenienced a
scorpion.

"Alas!" he exclaimed, in a tone of the acutest mental distress; "can
it be possible that this utterly profane outcast has so desecrated--"

"Certainly comment of an admittedly crushing nature has been imposed
on this one's well-meant handiwork," said Fa Fai. With these
lightly-barbed words, which were plainly devised to restore the other
person's face towards himself, the magnanimous maiden examined the
plate which Wei Chang's uprising had revealed.

"Not only has the embellishment suffered no real detriment," she
continued, after an adequate glance, "but there has been imparted to
the higher lights--doubtless owing to the nature of the fabric in
which your lower half is encased--a certain nebulous quality that adds
greatly to the successful effect of the various tones."

At the first perception of the indignity to which he had subjected the
entrancing Fa Fai's work, and the swift feeling that much more than
the coloured adornment of a plate would thereby be destroyed, all
power of retention had forsaken Wei Chang's incapable knees and he
sank down heavily upon another bench. From this dejection the maiden's
well-chosen encouragement recalled him to a position of ordinary
uprightness.

"A tombstone is lifted from this person's mind by your
gracefully-placed words," he declared, and he was conti