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      Two Years in the Forbidden City, by The Princess Der Ling
    </title>
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Project Gutenberg's Two Years in the Forbidden City, by The Princess Der Ling

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Title: Two Years in the Forbidden City

Author: The Princess Der Ling

Release Date: August 6, 2008 [EBook #889]
Last Updated: February 4, 2013

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY ***




Produced by Charles Keller for Sarah, and by David Widger





</pre>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <h1>
      TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY
    </h1>
    <p>
      <br />
    </p>
    <h2>
      By The Princess Der Ling
    </h2>
    <h4>
      First Lady In Waiting To The Empress Dowager
    </h4>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <h4>
      TO<br /> MY BELOVED FATHER<br /> LORD YU KENG
    </h4>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_FORE" id="link2H_FORE">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <h2>
      FOREWORD
    </h2>
    <p>
      THE author of the following narrative has peculiar qualifications for her
      task. She is a daughter of Lord Yu Keng, a member of the Manchu White
      Banner Corps, and one of the most advanced and progressive Chinese
      officials of his generation. Lord Yu Keng entered the army when very
      young, and served in the Taiping rebellion and the Formosan war with
      France, and as Vice Minister of War during the China-Japan war in 1895.
      Later he was Minister to Japan, which post he quitted in 1898 to become
      President of the Tsung-li-yamen (Chinese Foreign Office). In 1899 he was
      appointed Minister to France, where he remained four years. At a period
      when the Chinese Government was extremely conservative and reactionary,
      Lord Yu Keng labored indefatigably for reform. He was instrumental in
      reorganizing China's postal service on modern lines, but failed in efforts
      to revise the revenue system and modernize the army and navy, from being
      ahead of his times. He died in 1905. The progressive spirit of Lord Yu
      Keng was shown in the education of his children. When it became known that
      his daughters were receiving a foreign education&mdash;then an almost
      unheard&mdash;of proceeding among high Manchu officials-attempts were made
      to impeach him as pro-foreign and revolutionary, but he was not deterred.
      His children got their early education in missionary schools, and the
      daughters later attended a convent in France, where the author of this
      work finished her schooling and entered society. On returning to China,
      she became First Lady-in-Waiting to the Empress Dowager, and while serving
      at the Court in that capacity she received the impressions which provide
      the subject-matter of this book. Her opportunity to observe and estimate
      the characteristics of the remarkable woman who ruled China for so long
      was unique, and her narrative throws a new light on one of the most
      extraordinary personalities of modern times. While on leave from her
      duties to attend upon her father, who was fatally ill in Shanghai,
      Princess Der Ling took a step which terminated connexion with the Chinese
      Court. This was her engagement to Mr. Thaddeus C. White, an American, to
      whom she was married on May 21, 1907. Yielding to the urgent solicitation
      of friends, she consented to put some of her experiences into literary
      form, and the following chronicle, in which the most famous of Chinese
      women, the customs and atmosphere of her Court are portrayed by an
      intimate of the same race, is a result.
    </p>
    <p>
      THOMAS F. MILLARD.
    </p>
    <p>
      SHANGHAI, July 24, 1911.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <blockquote>
      <p class="toc">
        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
      </p>
      <p>
        <br />
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2H_FORE"> FOREWORD </a>
      </p>
      <p>
        <br />
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <big><b>TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY</b></big>
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#linkintro"> INTRODUCTORY </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER TWO&mdash;AT THE PALACE </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER THREE&mdash;A PLAY AT THE COURT </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER FOUR&mdash;A LUNCHEON WITH THE EMPRESS
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER FIVE&mdash;AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPRESS
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER SIX&mdash;IN ATTENDANCE ON HER MAJESTY
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER SEVEN&mdash;SOME INCIDENTS OF THE COURT
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER EIGHT&mdash;THE COURT LADIES </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER NINE&mdash;THE EMPEROR KWANG HSU </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER TEN&mdash;THE YOUNG EMPRESS </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER ELEVEN&mdash;OUR COSTUMES </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER TWELVE&mdash;THE EMPRESS AND MRS.
        CONGER </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER THIRTEEN&mdash;THE EMPRESS'S PORTRAIT
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER FOURTEEN&mdash;THE EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER FIFTEEN&mdash;THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER SIXTEEN&mdash;THE SUMMER PALACE </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER SEVENTEEN&mdash;THE AUDIENCE HALL </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER EIGHTEEN&mdash;THE NEW YEAR FESTIVALS
        </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER NINETEEN&mdash;THE SEA PALACE </a>
      </p>
      <p class="toc">
        <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER TWENTY&mdash;CONCLUSION </a>
      </p>
    </blockquote>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h1>
      TWO YEARS IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY
    </h1>
    <p>
      <a name="linkintro" id="linkintro"></a>
    </p>
    <h2>
      INTRODUCTORY
    </h2>
    <p>
      MY father and mother, Lord and Lady Yu Keng, and family, together with our
      suite consisting of the First Secretary, Second Secretary, Naval and
      Military Attaches, Chancellors, their families, servants, etc.,&mdash;altogether
      fifty-five people,&mdash;arrived in Shanghai on January 2, 1903, on the
      S.S. "Annam" from Paris, where for four years my father had been Chinese
      Minister. Our arrival was anything but pleasant, as the rain came down in
      torrents, and we had the greatest difficulty getting our numerous retinue
      landed and safely housed, not to mention the tons of baggage that had to
      be looked after. We had found from previous experience that none of our
      Legation people or servants could be depended upon to do anything when
      travelling, in consequence of which the entire charge devolved upon my
      mother, who was without doubt the genius of the party in arranging matters
      and straightening out difficulties.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the launch from the steamer arrived at the jetty off the French Bund,
      we were met by the Shanghai Taotai (the highest official in the city), the
      Shanghai Magistrate and numerous other officials, all dressed in their
      official robes. The Taotai told my father that he had prepared the Tien Ho
      Gung (Temple of the Queen of Heaven) for us to reside in during our stay
      in Shanghai, but my father refused the offer, saying that he had
      telegraphed from Hong Kong and made all arrangements to go to the Hotel
      des Colonies in the French Concession. We had had previous experience
      staying in this temple while on our way to Japan, where my father went as
      Minister in 1895, and did not care to try it a second time. The building
      is very old and very much out of repair. It was a beautiful place in its
      prime, but had been allowed to go to rack and ruin. The custom is that the
      magistrate has to find a place and supply the food, etc., for high
      officials when passing through, and it is not exactly the thing to refuse
      their kind offer, but my father was always very independent and politely
      declined all proffers of assistance.
    </p>
    <p>
      At last we did safely arrive in the Hotel des Colonies, where my father
      found awaiting him two telegrams from the Imperial Palace. These telegrams
      ordered my father to go to Peking at once, but, as the river to Tientsin
      was frozen, it was out of the question for us to go by that route, and as
      my father was very old and quite ill at that time, in fact constantly
      under the doctor's care, the only accessible way, via Chinwangtao, was
      equally out of the question, as it was a long and most tedious journey and
      quite beyond his strength. In view of all these difficulties, he
      telegraphed that, after the ice had broken up in the Peiho River, we would
      come by the first steamer leaving Shanghai for Tientsin.
    </p>
    <p>
      We left Shanghai on the 22d of February and arrived at Tientsin on the
      26th, and, as before, were met by the Customs Taotai of the port and
      numerous other officials (the same as when we arrived at Shanghai).
    </p>
    <p>
      There is a very curious custom of reverence, which must be performed by
      all high officials on their return from abroad. Immediately upon landing
      on the shores of China, arrangements are made with the nearest Viceroy or
      Governor to receive their obeisance to Ching Sheng An (to worship the
      Emperor of Peace), a Taotai being considered of too low a rank for such an
      honor. As soon as we arrived, Yuan Shih Kai, who was then Viceroy of
      Chihli Province at Tientsin, sent an official to my father to prepare the
      time and place for this function, which is an extremely pretty one. When
      arrangements had been made, both my father and Yuan Shih Kai dressed in
      their full ceremonial robes, which is the dragon long robe, with a reddish
      black three-quarter length coat over it, chao chu (amber beads), hat with
      peacock feather and red coral button, and repaired at once to the Wan Shou
      Kung (10,000 years palace), which is especially built for functions of
      this kind, where they were met by a large number of officials of the lower
      grades. At the back centre of this Temple, or Palace, stands a very long
      narrow table on which are placed the tablets of the Emperor and Empress
      Dowager, on which is written, "Wan sway, wan sway, wan wan sway" (10,000
      years times 10,000 years times 10,000 10,000 years). The Viceroy, or in
      this case Yuan Shih Kai, and the other officials arrived first. Yuan stood
      at the left side of this table and the others arranged themselves in two
      diminishing lines starting from the front corners of the table. Soon
      afterward my father came and knelt directly in front of the centre of the
      table and said, "Ah ha Ching Sheng An" (Your servant gives you greeting).
      After this ceremony was over my father immediately arose and inquired
      after Their Majesties' health, and Yuan replied that they were quite well.
      This closed the function.
    </p>
    <p>
      We stayed in Tientsin for three days, arriving in Peking on the
      twenty-ninth. My father's condition was much worse and he begged for four
      months' leave of absence, in which to recuperate, which was granted by Her
      Majesty, the Empress Dowager. As our beautiful mansion, which we had built
      and furnished just before leaving for Paris, was burned during the Boxer
      Rising of 1900, entailing a loss of over taels 100,000, we rented and
      moved into a Chinese house. Our old house was not entirely new. When we
      bought the place there was a very fine but old Chinese house, the palace
      of a Duke, standing on the ground, and by some clever re-arrangement and
      building on, it was transformed into a beautiful foreign style house with
      all the fine hardwood carving of the old house worked into it. By using
      the words "foreign style," it is meant that, in so far as the Chinese
      house could be made to look like a foreign house, without tearing it down
      entirely, it was changed, that is the doors and windows, passageways,
      furnishings, etc., were foreign, but the arrangement of the house itself
      and courtyard was Chinese. This, like all Chinese houses in Peking, was
      built in a very rambling fashion, and with the gardens, covered about ten
      acres of ground. We had just finished furnishing it and moved in only four
      days when we left for Paris; and it has always been a great sorrow to my
      family that we should lose this magnificent place, after having spent so
      much time and money in building and beautifying it. However, this is only
      one of the many trials that a high official in China is called upon to
      bear.
    </p>
    <p>
      The houses in Peking are built in a very rambling fashion, covering a
      large amount of ground, and our former house was no exception to the rule.
      It had sixteen small houses, one story high, containing about 175 rooms,
      arranged in quadrangles facing the courtyard, which went to make up the
      whole; and so placed, that without having to actually go out of doors, you
      could go from one to the other by verandas built along the front and
      enclosed in glass. My reader will wonder what possible use we could make
      of all of these rooms; but what with our large family, numerous
      secretaries, Chinese writers, messengers, servants, mafoos (coachmen), and
      chair coolies, it was not a difficult task to use them.
    </p>
    <p>
      The gardens surrounding the houses were arranged in the Chinese way, with
      small lakes, stocked with gold fish, and in which the beautiful lotus
      flower grew; crossed by bridges; large weeping willows along the banks;
      and many different varieties of flowers in prettily arranged flower beds,
      running along winding paths, which wound in and out between the lakes. At
      the time we left for Paris, in the month of June, 1899, the gardens were a
      solid mass of flowers and foliage, and much admired by all who saw them.
    </p>
    <p>
      As we now had no place of our own in Peking we did not know where to go,
      so, while we were at Tientsin, my father telegraphed to one of his friends
      to find him a house. After some little trouble one was secured, and it
      turned out to be a very famous place indeed. It was the house where Li
      Hung Chang signed the treaties with the Foreign Powers after the Boxer
      Rising and also where he died. We were the first people to live there
      since the death of Li Hung Chang, as the Chinese people were very
      superstitious and were afraid that, if they went there to live, something
      dreadful would happen to them. We soon made ourselves very comfortable,
      and while we lived there, none of the dreadful things happened to us that
      all of our good friends told us would be visited upon us if we dared to
      take this place. However, in view of our having lost our place by fire, I
      am inclined to think that their fears were well founded.
    </p>
    <p>
      The loss sustained by having this house burned we never recovered, as my
      father, being an official of the Government, it would have been very bad
      form to have tried to recover this money, besides a possible loss of
      standing, as Government officials are supposed never to consider
      themselves or families in the service of their country, and any private
      losses in the service must be borne without complaint.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the first of March, 1903, Prince Ching and his son, Prince Tsai Chen,
      came to see us and told us that Her Majesty wished to see my mother, my
      sister, and myself at once; that we should be at the Summer Palace (Wan
      Shou Shan) at six o'clock the following morning. My mother told Prince
      Ching that we had been wearing foreign clothes all these years, while
      abroad, and had no suitable Manchu clothes to wear. He replied that he had
      told Her Majesty all about us and also mentioned that he had seen us in
      European attire and she had said that it would not be necessary for us to
      wear Manchu costume to go to the Palace, that she would be glad to have us
      wear foreign clothes, as it would give her an opportunity to study the
      foreign way of dressing. Both my sister and myself had a very difficult
      time deciding what we should wear for this occasion; she wished to wear
      her pale blue velvet gown, as she thought that color suited her the best.
      My mother had always made us dress exactly alike, ever since we were
      little girls. I said that I preferred to wear my red velvet gown, as I had
      the idea it might please Her Majesty. After a long discussion I had my
      way. We had lovely red hats trimmed with plumes and the same color shoes,
      and stockings to match. My mother wore a lovely gown of sea green chiffon
      cloth embroidered with pale mauve iris and trimmed with mauve velvet; she
      wore her large black velvet hat with long white plumes.
    </p>
    <p>
      As we lived in the central part of the city and the only means of travel
      was by sedan chair and the distance from our house to the Palace was about
      thirty-six Chinese li (a three-hour ride), we had to start at three
      o'clock in the morning, in order to be there at six. As this was our first
      visit to the Palace, Prince Ching's message threw us into a great state of
      excitement, and we were naturally anxious to look our best and to be there
      on time. It had been the dream of my life to go to the Palace and see what
      it was like, and up to this time I had never had an opportunity, as most
      of my life had been spent out of Peking,&mdash;in fact, out of China.
      Another reason why this chance had never come before was, that my father
      had never registered our names (my sister and myself) in the Government
      book for the registration of births of Manchu children, in consequence of
      which the Empress Dowager did not know until we came back from Paris that
      Lord Yu Keng had any daughters. My father told me the reason why he did
      not put our names in this book was, that he wished to give us the best
      education obtainable, and the only way he could do it was not to let the
      Empress Dowager know. Besides this, according to the Manchu custom, the
      daughters of all Manchu officials of the second rank and above, after
      reaching the age of fourteen years, should go to the Palace, in order that
      the Emperor may select them for secondary wives if he so desires, and my
      father had other plans and ambitions for us. It was in this way that the
      late Empress Dowager was selected by the Emperor Hsien Feng.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     (comment: li is 1/3 mile or 1/2 km)
</pre>
    <p>
      We started at three o'clock that morning in total darkness riding in four
      coolie sedan chairs, one on each side of the chair. In going such a long
      distance it was necessary to have two relays of chair coolies. This meant
      twenty-four coolies for the three chairs, not counting an extra coolie for
      each chair who acted as a sort of head chair bearer. Besides this there
      were three military officers on horses, one for each chair and two
      servants riding at the back of each chair. In addition there were three
      big Chinese carts following behind for the chair coolies to ride in and
      rest. This made a cavalcade consisting of forty-five men, nine horses and
      three carts.
    </p>
    <p>
      I had a rather nervous feeling riding along in the chair surrounded by
      inky blackness, with nothing to relieve the stillness of the night but the
      rough voices of the chair bearers calling back and forth to each other to
      be careful of stones and holes in the road, which was very uneven, and the
      clump, clump of the horses. To my readers who have never had the
      experience of riding a long distance in a sedan chair I would say that it
      is a most uncomfortable conveyance, as you have to sit perfectly still and
      absolutely straight, otherwise the chair is liable to upset. This ride was
      a very long one and I felt quite stiff and tired by the time I reached the
      Palace gates.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER TWO&mdash;AT THE PALACE
    </h2>
    <p>
      WHEN we reached the City gates, which were about half way between our
      house and the Summer Palace, they were wide open for us to pass. This
      quite surprised us, as all gates are closed at seven o'clock in the
      evening and are not opened except on special occasions until daylight. We
      inquired of the guard why this was, and were told that orders had been
      given for the gates to be opened for us to pass. The officials who had
      charge were standing in a double line dressed in full official dress and
      saluted us as we passed.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was still quite dark when we had passed through the gate and I thought
      of the many experiences of my short life; but this was by far the
      strangest of them all. I wondered what Her Majesty would be like and
      whether she would like me or not. We were told that probably we would be
      asked to stay at the Court, and I thought that if that came to pass, I
      would possibly be able to influence Her Majesty in favor of reform and so
      be of valuable assistance to China. These thoughts made me feel happy and
      I made up my mind then and there that I would do all I could and use any
      influence I might have in the future towards the advancement of China and
      for her welfare. While I was still dreaming of these pleasant prospects, a
      faint red line appeared on the horizon heralding the coming of a most
      perfect day, and so it proved. As the light grew brighter and I could
      distinguish objects, a very pretty view gradually opened to me, and as we
      came nearer to the Palace I could see a high red wall which zigzagged from
      hill to hill and enclosed the Palace grounds. The tops of the wall and
      buildings were covered with yellow and green tiles and made a most
      dazzling picture in the bright sunlight. Pagodas of different sizes and
      styles were passed, and when we arrived at the village of Hai Tien, about
      four li from the Palace gates, we were told by the officers we only had a
      short distance further to go. This was good news, as I began to think we
      would never get there. This village was quite a pretty country place of
      one-story houses built of brick, which were very neat and clean as are
      most of the houses in the northern part of China. The children trouped out
      to see the procession pass, and I heard one remark to another: "Those
      ladies are going to the Palace to become Empresses," which amused me very
      much.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon after leaving Hai Tien we came to a pai lou (archway), a very
      beautiful piece of old Chinese architecture and carved work, and from here
      got our first view of the Palace gates, which were about 100 yards ahead.
      These gates are cut into the solid wall surrounding the Palace and consist
      of one very large gate in the center and two smaller ones on each side.
      The center gate is only opened when their Majesties pass in and out of the
      Palace. Our chairs were set down in front of the left gate, which was
      open. Outside of these gates, at a distance of about 500 yards, were two
      buildings where the guard stayed at night.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just as we arrived I saw a number of officials talking excitedly, and some
      of them went into the gate shouting "Li la, doula" (have come, have
      arrived). When we got out of our chairs, we were met by two eunuchs of the
      fourth rank (chrystal button and feather). This feather which is worn by
      eunuchs of the fourth rank, comes from a bird called the magh (horse-fowl)
      which is found in Szechuen Province. They are grey and are dyed black, and
      are much wider than the peacock feather. These two eunuchs were
      accompanied by ten small eunuchs carrying yellow silk screens, which they
      placed around our chairs when we alighted. It appeared that Her Majesty
      had given orders that these screens (huang wai mor) should be brought to
      us. This is considered a great honor. They were ten feet long and twenty
      feet high and were held by two eunuchs.
    </p>
    <p>
      These two eunuchs of high rank were extremely polite and stood at each
      side of the gate and invited us to enter. Passing through this gate we
      came into a very large paved courtyard about three hundred feet square, in
      which there were a great many small flower beds and old pine trees from
      which hung all kinds of birds in cages. On the side opposite to the gates
      we had entered was a red brick wall with three gates exactly like the
      others; on the right and left side were long rows of low buildings each
      containing twelve rooms, used as waiting rooms. The courtyard was full of
      people dressed in official robes of the different ranks, and, after the
      Chinese fashion, all seemed to be very busy doing nothing. When they saw
      us they stood still and stared. The two eunuchs who were showing us the
      way conducted us to one of these rooms. This room was about twenty feet
      square, just ordinarily furnished in black wood furniture with red cloth
      cushions and silk curtains hanging from the three windows. We were not in
      this room more than five minutes when a gorgeously dressed eunuch came and
      said: "Imperial Edict says to invite Yu tai tai (Lady Yu) and young ladies
      to wait in the East side Palace." On his saying this, the two eunuchs who
      were with us knelt down and replied "Jur" (Yes). Whenever Her Majesty
      gives an order it is considered an Imperial Edict or command and all
      servants are required to kneel when any command is transmitted to them the
      same as they would if in Her Majesty's presence, Then they told us to
      follow them and we went through another left gate to another courtyard
      laid out exactly the same as the former, except that the Ren Shou Dien
      (audience hall) is situated on the north side and the other buildings were
      a little larger. The eunuchs showed us into the east side building, which
      was beautifully furnished with reddish blackwood exquisitely carved, the
      chairs and tables covered with blue satin and the walls hung with the same
      material. In different parts of the room were fourteen clocks of all sizes
      and shapes. I know this, for I counted them.
    </p>
    <p>
      In a little while two servant girls came and waited on us and told us that
      Her Majesty was dressing and that we were to wait a little time. This
      little time proved to be a matter of more than two hours and a half, but
      as this is considered nothing in China, we did not get impatient. From
      time to time eunuchs came and brought milk to drink and about twenty or
      more dishes of various kinds of food which Her Majesty sent. She also sent
      us each a gold ring with a large pearl in the center. Later the chief
      eunuch, Li Lien Ying, came dressed in his official clothes. He was of the
      second rank and wore a red button and peacock feather and was the only
      eunuch that was ever allowed to wear the peacock feather. He was a very
      ugly man, very old and his face was full of wrinkles; but he had beautiful
      manners and said that Her Majesty would receive us in a little while, and
      brought us each a jade ring which she had sent us. We were very much
      surprised that she should give us such beautiful presents before she had
      even seen us, and felt most kindly disposed toward her for her generosity.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon after Li Lien Ying had gone, two court ladies, daughters of Prince
      Ching, came in and asked the eunuchs who were attending us if we could
      speak Chinese, which we thought a great joke. I was the first one to
      speak, and told them of course we could speak our own language, although
      we knew several others. They were very much surprised and said: "Oh! how
      funny, they can talk the language as well as we do." We in turn were very
      much surprised to find such ignorant people in the Imperial Palace and
      concluded that their opportunities for acquiring knowledge were very
      limited. Then they told us Her Majesty was waiting to receive us, and we
      went immediately.
    </p>
    <p>
      After walking through three courtyards very similar to those we had
      previously passed through, we came to a magnificent building just one mass
      of exquisite carving. Large lanterns made of buffalo horns hung all over
      the veranda covered with red silk from which red silk tassels were hanging
      and from each of these tassels was suspended a beautiful piece of jade.
      There were two smaller buildings flanking this large one, also one mass of
      carvings and hung with lanterns.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the door of the large building we met a lady, dressed the same as
      Prince Ching's daughters, with the exception that she had a phoenix in the
      center of her headdress which distinguished her from the others. This lady
      came out to meet us, smiling, and shook hands with us in the most approved
      foreign fashion. We were told later that this was the Young Empress, wife
      of the Emperor Kwang Hsu. She said: "Her Majesty has sent me to meet you,"
      and was very sweet and polite, and had beautiful manners; but was not very
      pretty. Then we heard a loud voice from the hall saying, "Tell them to
      come in at once." We went into this hall immediately and saw an old lady
      dressed in a beautiful yellow satin gown embroidered all over with pink
      peonies, and wearing the same kind of headdress with flowers on each side
      made of pearls and jade, a pearl tassel on the left side and a beautiful
      phoenix in the center made of purest jade. Over her gown she wore a cape,
      the most magnificent and costly thing I ever saw. This cape was made of
      about three thousand five hundred pearls the size of a canary bird's egg,
      all exactly alike in color and perfectly round. It was made on the fish
      net pattern and had a fringe of jade pendants and was joined with two pure
      jade clasps. In addition to this Her Majesty wore two pairs of pearl
      bracelets, one pair of jade bracelets, several jade rings and on her third
      and little fingers of her right hand she wore gold finger nail protectors
      about three inches long and on the left hand two finger nail protectors
      made of jade and about the same length. Her shoes were trimmed with small
      tassels made of pearls and embroidered with tiny pieces of different
      colored jade.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty stood up when she saw us and shook hands with us. She had a
      most fascinating smile and was very much surprised that we knew the Court
      etiquette so well. After she had greeted us, she said to my mother: "Yu
      tai tai (Lady Yu), you are a wonder the way you have brought your
      daughters up. They speak Chinese just as well as I do, although I know
      they have been abroad for so many years, and how is it that they have such
      beautiful manners?" "Their father was always very strict with them," my
      mother replied; "he made them study their own language first and they had
      to study very hard." "I am pleased to hear their father has been so
      careful with them," Her Majesty said, "and given them such a fine
      education." She took my hands and looked into my face and smiled and
      kissed me on both cheeks and said to my mother: "I wish to have your
      daughters and hope they will stay with me." We were very much pleased at
      this and thanked her for her kindness. Her Majesty asked all sorts of
      questions about our Paris gowns and said we must wear them all the time,
      as she had very little chance to see them at the Court. She was
      particularly in love with our Louis XV high heel shoes. While we were
      talking to her we saw a gentleman standing at a little distance and after
      a while she said, "Let me introduce you to the Emperor Kwang Hsu, but you
      must call him Wan Sway Yeh (Master of 10,000 years) and call me Lao Tsu
      Tsung (the Great Ancestor)." His Majesty shyly shook hands with us. He was
      a man about five feet, seven inches in height, very thin, but with very
      strong features; high nose and forehead, large, brilliant black eyes,
      strong mouth, very white, even teeth; altogether good looking. I noticed
      he had a very sad look, although he was smiling all the time we were
      there. At this juncture the head eunuch came, knelt down on the marble
      floor and announced that Her Majesty's chair was ready and she asked us to
      go with her to the Audience Hall, distant about two minutes' walk, where
      she was going to receive the heads of the different Boards. It was a
      beautiful day and her open chair was waiting. This chair is carried by
      eight eunuchs all dressed in official robes, a most unusual sight. The
      head eunuch walked on her left side and the second eunuch on her right
      side, each with a steadying hand on the chair pole. Four eunuchs of the
      fifth rank in front and twelve eunuchs of the sixth rank walked behind.
      Each eunuch carried something in his hand, such as Her Majesty's clothes,
      shoes, handkerchiefs, combs, brushes, powder boxes, looking glasses of
      different sizes, perfumes, pins, black and red ink, yellow paper,
      cigarettes, water pipes, and the last one carried her yellow satin-covered
      stool. Besides this there were two amahs (old women servants) and four
      servant girls all carrying something. This procession was most interesting
      to see and made one think it a lady's dressing room on legs. The Emperor
      walked on Her Majesty's right and the Young Empress on the left, as did
      also the Court ladies.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Audience Hall was about two hundred feet long by about one hundred and
      fifty feet wide, and at the left side was a long table covered with yellow
      satin. When Her Majesty came down from the chair she went into the Hall
      and mounted her throne just behind this table, and His Majesty mounted a
      smaller one at her left side, the Ministers all kneeling on the floor in
      front of her and on the opposite side of the table.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the back of the Hall was a large dais about twenty feet long by about
      eighteen feet wide, enclosed by a magnificently carved railing about two
      feet high running all the way round, open only in the front in two places
      just large enough for a person to pass through. These two openings were
      reached by a flight of six steps. At the back of this dais was a small
      screen and immediately in front of this, in the center, was Her Majesty's
      throne. Immediately behind was an immense carved wood screen, the most
      beautiful thing I ever saw, twenty feet long by ten feet high. In front of
      Her Majesty's throne was a long narrow table. At the left side was a
      smaller throne for the Emperor.
    </p>
    <p>
      The theme of the carving and furnishings of this dais was the phoenix and
      peony most exquisitely carved in ebony wood, in fact the theme of the
      entire room was the same. On each side of Her Majesty's throne were two
      upright ebony poles on the top of which were peacock feathers made into
      the shape of a fan The upholstery was entirely of yellow Chinese velvet.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just before Her Majesty took her seat on her throne she ordered us to go
      behind this screen with the Young Empress and the Court ladies. This we
      did, and could hear the conversation between Her Majesty and the Ministers
      very plainly, and as my readers will see later, I made good use of this.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER THREE&mdash;A PLAY AT THE COURT
    </h2>
    <p>
      THIS day to me was a medley of brilliant impressions. I was a great
      novelty among these exclusive Court ladies, brought up rigidly apart from
      foreign life and customs, and I was subjected to a rapid fire of
      questions. I soon found that these women were the same as others the world
      over in point of curiosity and love of gossip. The fourth daughter of
      Prince Ching (Sze Gurgur), a young widow and a strikingly handsome woman,
      spoke to me. "Were you brought up in Europe and educated?" she asked. "I
      am told that when people go to that country and drink the water there,
      they quickly forget their own country. Did you really study to acquire all
      those languages or was it drinking the water that gave them to you?" I
      mentioned that I met her brother, Prince Tsai Chen, in Paris on his way to
      London for the coronation of King Edward, and that we should have liked to
      have gone also, as my father had a special invitation, but were prevented
      from doing so by his urgent duties in Paris in settling the Yunnan
      question, to which the Princess replied: "Is there a king in England? I
      had thought that our Empress Dowager was Queen of the world." Her sister,
      wife of the brother of the Young Empress, a most intelligent, quiet and
      dignified lady, stood by smiling and listening to the eager questions.
      After numerous questions had been asked the Young Empress finally said:
      "How ignorant you are. I know that each country has its ruler and that
      some countries are republics. The United States is a republic and very
      friendly toward us, but I am sorry that such a common class of people go
      there, as they will think we are all the same. What I should like to see
      is some of our good Manchu people go, as then they would see what we
      really are." She afterwards told me she had been reading a history of the
      different countries, which had been translated into Chinese, and she
      seemed to be very well informed.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the Audience was over, Her Majesty called us out from behind the
      screen and told us to go with her to see the theatre. She said, as it was
      such a beautiful day, she preferred to walk, so we started, walking a
      little behind her, as is the custom. Along the way she pointed out from
      time to time different places and things that were her particular
      favorites, and as she had to keep turning around all the time, she finally
      told us to come and walk alongside of her. This, as I afterwards found
      out, was a great condescension on her part and a thing that she very
      seldom ever did. She, like everybody else, had her pets and hobbies, such
      as flowers, trees, plants, dogs, horses, etc., and there was one dog in
      particular that was her favorite pet. This dog was with Her Majesty always
      and followed her wherever she went, and a more homely dog I never saw. It
      had absolutely nothing to recommend it in any way. Her Majesty thought it
      beautiful, and called it Shui Ta (Sea Otter).
    </p>
    <p>
      A short distance from the Audience Hall we came to a large courtyard. On
      each side of this courtyard were two immense baskets fifteen feet in
      height, built of natural logs and literally covered with purple wisteria.
      They were simply gorgeous and great favorites of Her Majesty. She was
      always very proud of them when in bloom and took great delight in showing
      them to the people.
    </p>
    <p>
      From this courtyard we entered a sort of passageway which ran along the
      sides of a big hill and led directly to the theatre, where we soon
      arrived. This theatre is quite unlike anything that you can imagine. It is
      built around the four sides of an open courtyard, each side being separate
      and distinct. The building has five stories. It is entirely open on the
      front and has two stages, one above the other. The three top stories are
      used for holding the drops and for store rooms. The stage on the first
      floor is of the ordinary kind; but that on the second floor is built to
      represent a temple and used when playing religious plays, of which Her
      Majesty was very fond.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the two sides were long, low buildings with large verandas running
      their entire length, where the Princes and Ministers sat when invited by
      Her Majesty to witness the play. Directly opposite this stage was a
      spacious building, containing three large rooms, which was used
      exclusively by Her Majesty. The floor was raised about ten feet above the
      ground, which brought it on a level with the stage. Large glass windows
      ran along in front, so made that they could be removed in the summer and
      replaced with pale blue gauze screens. Two of these rooms were used as
      sitting rooms and the third, the one on the right, she used as a bedroom,
      and it had a long couch running across the front, on which she used to sit
      or lie according to her mood. This day she invited us to go to this room
      with her. Later I was told that she would very often come to this room,
      look at the play for a while and then take her siesta. She could certainly
      sleep soundly, for the din and noise did not disturb her in the least. If
      any of my readers have ever been to a Chinese theatre, they can well
      imagine how difficult it would be to woo the God of Sleep in such a
      pandemonium.
    </p>
    <p>
      As soon as we were in this bedroom the play commenced. It was a religious
      play called "The Empress of Heaven's Party or Feast to all the Buddhist
      Priests to eat her famous peaches and drink her best wine." This party or
      feast is given on the third day of the third moon of each year.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first act opens with a Buddhist Priest, dressed in a yellow coat robe
      with a red scarf draped over his left shoulder, descending in a cloud from
      Heaven to invite all the priests to this party. I was very much surprised
      to see this actor apparently suspended in the air and actually floating on
      this cloud, which was made of cotton. The clever way in which they moved
      the scenery, etc., was most interesting, and before the play was finished
      I concluded that any theatre manager could well take lessons from these
      people; and it was all done without the slightest bit of machinery.
    </p>
    <p>
      As this Buddhist Priest was descending, a large pagoda began to slowly
      rise from the center of the stage in which was a buddha singing and
      holding an incense burner in front of him. Then four other smaller pagodas
      slowly rose from the four corners of the stage, each containing a buddha
      the same as the first. When the first Buddhist Priest had descended, the
      five buddhas came out of the pagodas, which immediately disappeared, and
      walked about the stage, still singing. Gradually from the wing came
      numbers of buddhas singing until the stage was full, and they all formed
      into a ring. Then I saw a large lotus flower, made of pink silk, and two
      large green leaves appearing from the bottom of the stage, and as it rose
      the petals and leaves gradually opened and I saw a beautiful lady buddha
      (Goddess of Mercy) dressed all in white silk, with a white hood on her
      head, standing in the center of this flower. As the leaves opened I saw a
      girl and a boy in the center of them. When the petals of the lotus flower
      were wide open this lady buddha began to gradually ascend herself, and as
      she ascended, the petals closed until she seemed to be standing on a lotus
      bud. The girl standing in the leaf on the Goddess' right side held a
      bottle made of jade and a willow branch. The legend of this is that if the
      Goddess dips the willow branch into the jade bottle and spreads it over a
      dead person it will bring the person to life. The boy and the girl are the
      two attendants of the buddha.
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally the three came down from the flower and leaves and joined the rest
      of the buddhas. Then the Empress of Heaven came, a good old lady with
      snow-white hair, dressed from head to foot in Imperial yellow, followed by
      many attendants, and ascended the throne, which was in the center of the
      stage, and said: "We will go to the banquet hall." This ended the first
      scene.
    </p>
    <p>
      The second scene opened with tables set for the feast to be given by the
      Empress of Heaven. These tables were loaded down with peaches and wine and
      four attendants guarding them. Suddenly a bee came buzzing near and
      scattered a powder under the nostrils of the attendants, which made them
      sleepy. When they had fallen asleep, this bee transformed itself into a
      big monkey and this monkey ate all the peaches and drank all the wine. As
      soon as he had finished he disappeared.
    </p>
    <p>
      A blast of trumpets announced the coming of the Empress of Heaven and she
      soon arrived accompanied by all the Buddhist Priests and their attendants.
      When the Empress of Heaven saw all the peaches and wine had disappeared,
      she woke the attendants and asked them why they were asleep and where the
      peaches and wine had gone. They said that they did not know, that they
      were waiting for her to come and fell asleep. Then one of the guests
      suggested that she should find out what had become of the feast, and
      attendants were sent out to the guard to find out from the soldiers if
      anyone had gone out of the gate recently. Before the messenger had time to
      return, the Guard of Heaven came and informed the Empress that a big
      monkey, who was very drunk and carrying a big stick, had just gone out of
      the gate. When she was told this, she ordered the soldiers of heaven and
      several buddhas to go and find him at his place. It seems that this monkey
      had originally been made from a piece of stone and lived in a large hole
      in a mountain on the earth. He was endowed with supernatural powers and
      could walk on the clouds. He was allowed to come to heaven and the Empress
      of Heaven gave him a position looking after the Imperial orchards.
    </p>
    <p>
      When they got to his place on the earth, they found that he had taken some
      of the peaches with him and he, with other monkeys, was having a feast.
      The soldiers challenged him to come out and fight. He immediately accepted
      this challenge, but the soldiers could do nothing with him. He pulled the
      hair out of his coat and transformed each hair into a little monkey and
      each monkey had an iron rod in its hand. He himself had a special iron
      rod, which had been given to him by the King of Sea Dragons. This rod he
      could make any size he wanted from a needle to a crowbar.
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the buddhas who had gone with the soldiers was one named Erh Lang
      Yeh, who was the most powerful of them all and had three eyes. This buddha
      had a dog which was very powerful and he told the dog to bite this monkey,
      which he did, and the monkey fell down and they caught him and brought him
      up to heaven. When they got there the Empress of Heaven ordered that he
      should be handed to Lao Chun, an old taoist god, and that he should burn
      him in his incense burner. The incense burner was very large, and when
      they took the monkey to him he placed him inside this burner and watched
      him very carefully to see that he did not get out. After he had watched
      for a long time he thought the monkey must be dead and went out for a few
      minutes. The monkey, however, was not dead and as soon as Lao Chun went
      out, he escaped and stole some golden pills which Lao Chun kept in a gourd
      and went back to his hole in the mountains. These pills were very powerful
      and if one of them were eaten it would give eternal life, and the monkey
      knew this. The monkey ate one and it tasted good and he gave the little
      monkeys some. When Lao Chun came back and found both the monkey and the
      pills gone he went and informed the Empress of Heaven. This ended the
      second scene.
    </p>
    <p>
      The third scene opened with the buddhas and soldiers at the monkey's place
      in the mountains and they again asked him to come out and fight. The
      monkey said: "What! Coming again?" and laughed at them. They started to
      fight again, but he was so strong they could not get the best of him. Even
      the dog who had bit him before was powerless this time, and they finally
      gave it up and returned to heaven and told the Empress of Heaven that they
      could not capture him the second time, as he was too strong. Then the
      Empress of Heaven called a little god about fifteen years old by the name
      of Neur Cha, who had supernatural powers, and told him to go down to earth
      to the monkey's place and see if he could finish him. This god was made of
      lotus flowers and leaves, that is, his bones were made of flowers and his
      flesh made of leaves and he could transform himself into anything that he
      wished. When Neur Cha got to the monkey's place and the monkey saw him, he
      said: "What! A little boy like you come to fight me? Well, if you think
      you can beat me, come on," and the boy transformed himself into an immense
      man with three heads and six arms. When the monkey saw this, he
      transformed himself also into the same thing. When the little god saw that
      this would not do, he transformed himself into a very big man and started
      to take the monkey, but the monkey transformed himself into a very large
      sword and cut this man into two pieces. The little god again transformed
      himself into fire to burn the monkey, but the monkey transformed himself
      into water and put the fire out. Again the little god transformed himself,
      this time into a very fierce lion, but the monkey transformed himself into
      a big net to catch the lion. So this little god, seeing that he could not
      get the best of the monkey, gave it up and went back to heaven, and told
      the Empress of Heaven that the monkey was too strong for him. The Empress
      of Heaven was in despair, so she sent for Ju Li, an old ancestor of the
      buddhas, who was the all-powerful one of them all; and Kuan Yin, Goddess
      of Mercy, and sent them down to the monkey's place to see if they could
      capture him. When they arrived at the hole in the mountain the monkey came
      out and looked at Ju Li, but did not say a word, as he knew who this god
      was. This god pointed a finger at him and he knelt down and submitted. Ju
      Li said: "Come with me," and took the monkey and put him under another
      mountain and told him he would have to stay there until he promised he
      would be good. Ju Li said: "You stay here until one day I lift this
      mountain up for you to come out to go with a Buddhist Priest to the West
      side of heaven and demand the prayer books that are kept there. You will
      have to suffer a great deal on the way and face many dangers, but if you
      come back with this Buddhist Priest and the prayer books, by that time
      your savage temper will be gone and you will be put in a nice place in
      heaven and enjoy life forever afterwards."
    </p>
    <p>
      This finished the play, which was very interesting, and I enjoyed it from
      beginning to end. It was acted very cleverly and quite realistic, and I
      was very much surprised to know that the eunuchs could act so well. Her
      Majesty told us that the scenery was all painted by the eunuchs and that
      she had taught them about all they knew. Unlike most theatres in China, it
      had a curtain which was closed between the acts, also wing slides and drop
      scenes. Her Majesty had never seen a foreign theatre and I could not
      understand where she got all her ideas from. She was very fond of reading
      religious books and fairy tales, and wrote them into plays and staged them
      herself, and was extremely proud of her achievement.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty sat talking, we standing, for some little time and she asked
      me if I understood the play, and I told her that I did and she seemed
      quite pleased. Then she said in such a charming way: "Oh! I am so
      interested in talking with you that I have forgotten to order my lunch.
      Are you hungry? Could you get Chinese food when you were abroad, and were
      you homesick? I know I would be if I left my own country for so long a
      time; but the reason why you were abroad so long was not your fault. It
      was my order that sent Yu Keng to Paris and I am not a bit sorry, for you
      see how much you can help me now, and I am proud of you and will show you
      to the foreigners that they may see our Manchu ladies can speak other
      languages than their own." While she was talking I noticed that the
      eunuchs were laying three large tables with nice white table cloths, and I
      could see a number of other eunuchs standing in the courtyard with boxes
      of food. These boxes or trays are made of wood painted yellow and are
      large enough to hold four small and two large bowls of food. After the
      tables were laid ready, the eunuchs outside formed themselves into a
      double line from the courtyard to a little gate running into another
      courtyard and passed these trays from one to the other up to the entrance
      of the room, where they were taken by four nicely dressed eunuchs and
      placed on the tables.
    </p>
    <p>
      It seems that it was a habit of Her Majesty to take her meals wherever she
      happened to be, so that there was no particular place that she used as a
      dining room. I should also mention that these bowls were of Imperial
      yellow with silver covers. Some were ornamented with green dragons and
      some with the Chinese character Shou (Long Life).
    </p>
    <p>
      There were about one hundred and fifty different kinds of food, for I
      counted them. They were placed in long rows, one row of large bowls and
      one row of small plates, and then another row of small bowls, and so on.
      As the setting of the tables was going on, two Court ladies came into the
      bedroom, each carrying a large yellow box. I was very much surprised to
      see Court ladies doing this kind of work and I said to myself, if I come
      here will I have to do this sort of thing? Although these boxes appeared
      to be quite heavy, they brought them in very gracefully. Two small tables
      were placed in front of Her Majesty, then they opened the boxes and placed
      a number of very cute plates containing all sorts of sweets, lotus flower
      seeds, dried and cooked with sugar, watermelon seeds, walnuts cooked in
      different ways, and fruits of the season cut and sliced. As these plates
      were being placed on the tables Her Majesty said that she liked these
      dainties better than meat and gave us some and told us to make ourselves
      at home. We thanked her for her kindness and enjoyed them very much. I
      noticed that she ate quite a quantity from the different plates and
      wondered how she would be able to eat her lunch. When she had finished,
      two of the Court ladies came and took the plates away and Her Majesty told
      us that she always gave what was left to the Court ladies after she had
      finished eating.
    </p>
    <p>
      After this a eunuch came in carrying a cup of tea. This tea cup was made
      of pure white jade and the saucer and cover was of solid gold. Then
      another eunuch came in carrying a silver tray on which were two jade cups
      similar to the others, one containing honeysuckle flowers and the other
      rose petals. He also brought a pair of gold chopsticks. They both knelt on
      the floor in front of Her Majesty and held the trays up so that she could
      reach them. She took the golden cover off of the cup containing tea and
      took some of the honeysuckle flowers and placed them in the tea. While she
      was doing this and sipping the tea, she was telling how fond she was of
      flowers and what a delicate flavor they gave to the tea. Then she said: "I
      will let you taste some of my tea and see if you like it," and ordered one
      of the eunuchs to bring us some tea, the same as she was drinking. When it
      came, she put some of the honeysuckle flowers in the cup for us and
      watched us drink it. It was the most delicious tea I had ever tasted and
      the putting of flowers in it gave it an extremely delicate flavour.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER FOUR&mdash;A LUNCHEON WITH THE EMPRESS
    </h2>
    <p>
      WHEN we had finished drinking tea, she told us to go with her into the
      next room, where the tables had been prepared for lunch, and I wondered if
      she had any room for lunch, after all that she had just eaten, but I soon
      found out. As soon as she was inside the room, 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.
    </p>
    <p>
      When we commenced to eat, Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to place plates
      for us and give us silver chopsticks, spoons, etc., and said:
    </p>
    <p>
      "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."
    </p>
    <p>
      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.
    </p>
    <p>
      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 there was roast
      chicken, boneless chicken and roast duck. Ducks and chickens are stuffed
      with little pine needles to give them a fine flavor and roasted in open
      air ovens.
    </p>
    <p>
      There was another dish that Her Majesty was very fond of and that was the
      skin of roast pork cut into very small slices and fried until it curls up
      like a rasher of bacon.
    </p>
    <p>
      As a rule the Manchu people seldom eat rice, but are very fond of bread
      and this day we had bread, made in a number of different ways, such as
      baked, steamed, fried, some with sugar and some with salt and pepper, cut
      in fancy shapes or made in fancy moulds such as dragons, butterflies,
      flowers, etc., and one kind was made with mincemeat inside. Then we had a
      number of different kinds of pickles, of which Her Majesty was very fond.
      Then there was beans and green peas, and peanuts made into cakes and
      served with sugarcane syrup.
    </p>
    <p>
      I did not eat very much, as I was too busy watching Her Majesty and
      listening to what she said, although she told us to eat all we could. In
      addition to all I have mentioned, we had many different kinds of porridge,
      some made of sweet corn and some with tiny yellow rice (like bird seed),
      and Her Majesty said that we must all eat porridge after our meat.
    </p>
    <p>
      After we had finally finished eating, Her Majesty rose from the table and
      said: "Come into my bedroom and you will see the Young Empress and the
      Court ladies eat; they always eat after I am finished." We went with her
      and I stood near the door between the two rooms and saw the Young Empress
      and Court ladies come in and stand around the table eating very quietly.
      They were never allowed to sit down and eat their food.
    </p>
    <p>
      All this time the theatre had been going on playing some fairy tales, but
      they were not near as interesting as the first play that we had seen. Her
      Majesty sat on her long couch in the bedroom and the eunuch brought her
      some tea and she ordered some brought for us. My reader can imagine how
      delighted I was to be treated in this way. In China the people think their
      sovereign is the supreme being and that her word is law. One must never
      raise their eyes when talking to her. This is a sign of great respect. I
      thought these extreme favors must be most unusual. I had been told that
      Her Majesty had a very fierce temper, but seeing her so kind and gracious
      to us and talking to us in such a motherly way, I thought my informant
      must be wrong and that she was the sweetest woman in the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty had rested a while, she told us that it was time we were
      returning to the city, as it was getting late. She gave us eight big
      yellow boxes of fruit and cakes to take home with us. She said to my
      mother: "Tell Yu Keng (my father) to get better soon and tell him to take
      the medicine I am sending by you and to rest well. Also give him these
      eight boxes of fruit and cakes." I thought my father, who had been quite
      ill since we returned from Paris, would not be much benefited if he ate
      all those cakes. However, I knew he would appreciate her kind
      thoughtfulness even if it were detrimental to his health.
    </p>
    <p>
      As perhaps most of my readers know, it is the custom to kowtow when Her
      Majesty gives presents and we kowtowed to her when she gave us the fruit
      and cakes and thanked her for her kindness.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just as we were leaving, Her Majesty said to my mother that she liked us
      very much and wanted us to come and be her Court ladies and stay at the
      Palace. We thought this was another great favor and again thanked her, and
      she asked us when we could come and told us to bring our clothes and
      things only, as she would fix everything for us and showed us the house we
      would live in when we came and told us to come back inside of two days.
      This house contained three very large rooms and was situated on the right
      side of her own or private Palace. This Palace Ler Shou Tong (Ever Happy
      Palace) is situated on the shores of the lake and was Her Majesty's
      favorite place and where she spent most of her time, reading and resting
      and when the spirit moved her she would go for a sail on the lake. In this
      Palace she had quite a number of bedrooms and made use of them all.
    </p>
    <p>
      When she had finished showing us this house we took leave of Her Majesty,
      the Young Empress and the Court ladies, and after a long and tiresome
      ride, reached home exhausted but happy, after the most eventful day of our
      lives. When we got into the house, we were surprised to find several
      eunuchs waiting our return. They had brought us each four rolls of
      Imperial brocade from Her Majesty. Once more we had to bend to custom in
      thanking her for these gifts. This time, the gift having been sent to the
      house, we placed the silk on a table in the center of the room and
      kowtowed to thank Her Majesty and told the eunuchs to tell Her Majesty how
      grateful we were to her for all her kindness and for the beautiful gifts.
    </p>
    <p>
      There is another thing that had to be done according to the custom, and
      that was to give the eunuchs a present or tip, and we had to give each of
      the eunuchs ten taels for their trouble. We afterwards found out that when
      eunuchs went anywhere to take presents for Her Majesty, they were required
      to report to her when they returned how the recipient had thanked her and
      what had been given them, which she allowed them to keep. She also asked
      them numerous questions about our house, whether we were pleased with her,
      etc. These people are extremely fond of talking and after we had returned
      to the Palace again, they told us what Her Majesty had said about us the
      first day we were there.
    </p>
    <p>
      My mother felt very much worried to go to the Palace and leave my father
      all alone owing to his being in poor health, but we could not disobey Her
      Majesty's order, so we returned to the Palace three days later.
    </p>
    <p>
      Our first day there was a busy one for us. When we first arrived we went
      and thanked Her Majesty for the present that she had sent us. She told us
      that she was very busy to-day, as she was going to receive a Russian lady,
      Madame Plancon, wife of the Russian Minister to China, who was bringing a
      miniature portrait of the Czar and Czarina and family as a present from
      the Czar to her, the Empress Dowager. She asked me if I could speak
      Russian. I told her that I could not, but that most Russians spoke French,
      which seemed to satisfy her. She, however, said: "Why don't you tell me
      you speak Russian, I won't know or be able to find out," and at the same
      time was looking at one of the Court ladies. I concluded that someone must
      be fooling her, for she seemed to appreciate the fact that I had told her
      the truth. This afterwards proved to be true and one of the Court ladies
      was dismissed for pretending she could talk foreign languages when she
      could not speak a word.
    </p>
    <p>
      Besides this audience there was the theatre and the engagement ceremony of
      Her Majesty's nephew, Ter Ju. The engagement ceremony, according to the
      Manchu custom, is performed by two of the Princesses of the Royal family
      going to the house of the prospective bride, who sits on her bed
      cross-legged, her eyes closed and awaits their coming. When they arrive at
      the house, they go to her bedroom and place a symbol called Ru Yee, made
      of pure jade about one and a half feet long, in her lap and suspend two
      small bags made of silk and beautifully embroidered, each containing a
      gold coin, from the buttons of her gown, and place two gold rings on her
      fingers, on which is carved the characters Ta Hsi (Great Happiness). The
      meaning of the symbol or sceptre Ru Yee is "May all joy be yours."
    </p>
    <p>
      During this entire ceremony absolute silence is maintained and immediately
      they have finished, they return to the Palace and inform Her Majesty that
      the ceremony has been completed.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER FIVE&mdash;AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPRESS
    </h2>
    <p>
      No one informed us the day before that there was to be an audience to
      receive the Russian Minister's wife on that very day. We told Her Majesty
      that we must go and change our clothes in order to receive this lady. The
      dresses we wore that day were very simply made and short. The reason we
      wore this kind of costume was that there was no carpet and the bare brick
      floor had ruined our beautiful red velvet gowns, also the clumsy eunuchs
      had kept stepping on our trains all the time. We had made up our minds
      that short dresses for general wear every day would be more practical. Her
      Majesty said: "Why must you change your clothes? I see you look much
      better without that tail dragging behind you on the floor. I laughed at
      the idea of having a tail on one's dresses. I noticed that the first day
      when you came to the Court." Before we had time to explain to her, she
      said: "I see, dresses with tails behind must be more dignified than short
      ones, am I right?" We told her it was so. Then she said: "Go and put on
      your most beautiful gowns at once." We immediately went and changed. My
      sister and myself wore our pink crepe de chine gowns, trimmed with
      Brussels lace and transparent yokes of the same color chiffon. My mother
      wore her gray crepe de chine embroidered with black roses and a little
      touch of pale blue satin on her collar and belt. We dressed in a great
      hurry, as Her Majesty had sent eunuchs to see if we were ready. When she
      saw us she exclaimed: "Here are three fairies with long tails." Then she
      asked us: "Is it very tiring to hold half of your dress in your hand when
      you are walking? The costume is pretty, but I do dislike the tail, there
      is no sense having a thing like that. I wonder what these foreigners will
      think of me having you dressed in their costume. I am sure they won't like
      the idea. My reason is this: I want them to see you in foreign clothes in
      order to let them understand I know something about the way they dress. I
      must say that no foreign ladies have yet been presented to me dressed in
      such lovely gowns as you three have. I don't believe foreigners are as
      wealthy as the Chinese. I also notice they wear very little jewelry. I was
      told that I have more jewelry than any sovereign in the world and yet I am
      getting more all the time."
    </p>
    <p>
      We were very busy getting ready to receive Mdme. Plancon, who arrived
      about eleven o'clock and was received in the waiting room of the first
      courtyard by my sister and from there conducted to the audience hall, Ren
      Shou Dien, where she was received by Her Majesty, who was sitting on her
      big throne on the raised dais. The Emperor was present, sitting on Her
      Majesty's left hand and I stood on her right to interpret for her. Her
      Majesty was dressed in a yellow transparent satin brocade gown,
      embroidered with hollyhocks and the Chinese character "Shou" (Long Life)
      and trimmed with gold braid. She wore her big pearl, which is about the
      size and shape of an egg, suspended from the button of her dress, also
      numerous bracelets and rings and gold finger nail protectors. Her hair was
      dressed in the same style as usual.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Mdme. Plancon entered the hall, my sister brought her to the steps of
      the dais and she courtesied to Her Majesty. I then went forward and
      brought her up onto the dais and Her Majesty shook hands with her and she
      presented the photograph which she had brought to Her Majesty. Her Majesty
      made a very pretty speech of acceptance, expressing her appreciation of
      the gift of their Majesties, the Czar and Czarina. I interpreted this
      speech in French to Mdme. Plancon, as she could not speak English. After
      this, Her Majesty told me to take Mdme. Plancon to the Emperor, which I
      did. He stood up when she came near and shook hands with her and asked
      after their Majesties' health. This over, Her Majesty stepped down from
      her throne and took Mdme. Plancon to her own Palace, the one with so many
      bedrooms, and when they arrived, Her Majesty asked her to sit down, and
      they talked together for about ten minutes, I interpreting for them, after
      which I took her to see the Young Empress.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Manchu law is very strict as regards the mother-in-law and the
      daughter-in-law, and the Young Empress had been sitting behind the screen
      at the back of the throne during the audience, and it was there that I
      found her. From there we went to the banquet hall, where luncheon was
      served in Manchu style.
    </p>
    <p>
      Here I must explain the difference between the Chinese way of eating and
      the Manchu. The Chinese place the bowls of food, one at a time, in the
      center of the table and everyone eats out of these bowls, sticking their
      chopsticks in and helping themselves to what they want. The Manchus eat
      quite differently and are served with individual bowls and dishes, the
      same as in any other country. Her Majesty was very proud of this and said
      that it saved time, not to mention being cleaner. The food in the Palace
      was always very good and clean, especially when we had foreign guests, and
      of course we had a variety of dishes for such occasions, such as
      sharkfins, birds' nest pudding, not to mention a great quantity of other
      things.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty had given me the order that morning to have the tables nicely
      decorated and they did look very nice when we sat down. Besides the usual
      tableware, we had gold dragon menu holders, little peach-shaped silver
      saucers filled with almonds and dried watermelon seeds, and knives and
      forks in addition to chopsticks.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty and the Emperor never ate with guests, so Mdme. Plancon was
      entertained by the Imperial Princess and the Court ladies. When luncheon
      was half over a eunuch came and told me that Her Majesty wanted to see me
      at once. The thought flashed through my head that something had gone
      wrong, or that some of the eunuchs had been making false reports, a bad
      habit of the Court; and I was much surprised to find her all smiles. She
      told me what a nice, polite lady Mdme. Plancon was, that she had seen many
      ladies who had come to the Court, but none with manners like this one,
      that she was sorry to say that some of the ladies who came did not behave
      very well. She said: "They seem to think we are only Chinese and do not
      know anything, and look down upon us. I notice these things very quickly
      and am surprised to see people who claim to be well educated and civilized
      acting the way they do. I think we whom they call barbarians are much more
      civilized and have better manners." She was always very polite to the
      foreign ladies, no matter how badly they behaved, but after they had gone,
      she would tell us who was nice and who was not. After she had finished
      saying this, she gave me a beautiful piece of green jade to give to Madame
      Plancon. When I gave it to her, she said she wished to thank Her Majesty,
      and I took her to the Palace again.
    </p>
    <p>
      When we had finished luncheon, she told me how pleased she was with her
      reception and the kindness that Her Majesty had shown her, and took her
      departure, we accompanying her to the courtyard of the Audience Hall,
      where her chair was waiting.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty had made a rule or custom that after all guests had departed,
      we must go to her and report everything. I suppose she was like all women,
      a bit of a gossip as well as the rest; it appeared so at any rate. She
      wanted to know what Mdme. Plancon said, whether she liked the jade and
      whether she enjoyed her luncheon, etc.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was very well pleased that I had interpreted so well for her
      and said: "I have never had anyone to interpret for me this way before.
      Although I don't understand the language, I can see that you speak it
      fluently. How did you learn? I will never let you go away from me any
      more. Sometimes the foreign ladies bring their own interpreters, but I
      can't understand their Chinese and have to guess at what they are saying,
      especially some of the missionaries Mrs. Conger brings with her. I am very
      happy to have you and want you to stay with me as long as I live and I
      will arrange a marriage for you, but won't tell you just now."
    </p>
    <p>
      I felt very happy at what Her Majesty had said and thought I had made my
      debut under very favorable auspices, and was very glad that Her Majesty
      liked me; but this marriage question worried me, for nothing was farther
      from my mind than this. I afterwards told my mother about it and she told
      me not to worry, as I could always refuse when the time came.
    </p>
    <p>
      When we had told Her Majesty all that Mdme. Plancon had said, she told us
      we could go to our rooms, that as we had risen early that morning and had
      worked very hard, we must be tired and needed rest, that she would not
      need us any more that day. We courtesied to her according to the custom
      when saying good night, and retired.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER SIX&mdash;IN ATTENDANCE ON HER MAJESTY
    </h2>
    <p>
      THE building where we had our rooms, as I have said before, contained four
      large rooms and a hall, and we three, my mother, sister and myself, each
      took a room and gave the fourth to our maids. Her Majesty had ordered a
      eunuch to accompany us and this eunuch told us that Her Majesty had
      ordered four young eunuchs to attend on us and that if they did not
      behave, we should tell him. He also said his name was Li, but as there
      were so many by this name, including the head eunuch, it was very hard to
      tell them apart.
    </p>
    <p>
      When we arrived, which took some time, he pointed to a building on our
      right and said that it was Her Majesty's own Palace and the one which we
      had just left. I could not understand why it had taken us so long to come,
      when the Palace was so near, and asked him about it. He told us that our
      little buildings were at the left side of the Emperor's Palace and that
      Her Majesty had had the entrance leading from our place to her Palace
      closed up for certain reasons which he would not tell, but said: "You see
      this place ought to face East instead of towards the lake." The view on
      the lake was beautiful and I told him I liked it much better the way it
      was. He smiled and said: "You will have to learn a lot before you find out
      this wicked place." I was surprised at what the eunuch said, but did not
      like to ask him any questions. He also told us that the Emperor's Palace
      was just behind our place and was a large building similar to Her
      Majesty's Palace. We looked and could see the trees of his courtyard above
      the roof. Then he pointed to another building behind the Emperor's, which
      was larger but lower than the Emperor's Palace, and also had a large
      courtyard, and said it was the Young Empress's Palace. It had two
      buildings flanking it on each side and the eunuch told us that the one on
      the left was the Secondary Wife's bedroom. That there had been an entrance
      between the two Palaces, but that Lao Fo Yeh (The great old Buddha), as
      the eunuchs called Her Majesty, had blocked it up so that the Emperor and
      Empress could not communicate with each other, except through Her
      Majesty's own Palace. I suppose this was the way she kept watch over them
      and knew at all times what they were doing. This was all news to me and I
      did not know what to think of it. I was afraid that this eunuch Li would
      tell me more of these curious things, so I told him I was tired and would
      go to my room and rest, and he went away.
    </p>
    <p>
      When I finally got inside my room and had a chance to look around, I saw
      that it was very prettily furnished with ebonywood furniture, which was
      covered with red satin cushions and the windows were hung with red silk
      curtains. All the bedrooms were just alike. The kong (bed) was made of
      brick covered with the same kind of wood and ran along the wall under the
      front window. It had high teaster posts with slats running across on which
      red curtains were hung. These kongs are very curiously built. They are
      made of brick and have a hole in the front center in which fire is placed
      to heat the brick in winter time. During the day a sort of table is placed
      on top of the kong and removed again at night.
    </p>
    <p>
      Shortly after we had gone to our rooms, some eunuchs came and brought our
      dinner, which they placed on a table in the center of the hall. They told
      us the food had been sent by Her Majesty and that she had ordered them to
      tell us to make ourselves comfortable. We were so tired that we could not
      eat very much and were about to retire for the night when this eunuch Li
      came again and told us that we must be up at five o'clock, not later, so I
      told my eunuch to knock on my window at five. Immediately after this we
      went to bed, but did not sleep immediately, as we wanted to talk over the
      events of the day, which had been many and strange. After we did finally
      get to bed, it seemed as if we had just fallen asleep when I heard someone
      knocking on my window. I woke up with a start and asked what the matter
      was and a eunuch told me it was five o'clock and time to get up.
    </p>
    <p>
      I immediately got up and opened my window and looked out. The day was just
      dawning and the sky was a beautiful deep red which was reflected in the
      lake, which was perfectly calm. The scenery was lovely and in the distance
      I could see Her Majesty's peony mountain, which was literally covered with
      these beautiful flowers. I dressed at once and went to Her Majesty's
      Palace and there met the Young Empress sitting on the veranda. I
      courtesied to her as a good morning salute. The Emperor's Secondary wife
      was there also, but we had been ordered not to courtesy to her, as she was
      considered not to have any standing there. There was also a number of
      young Court ladies, many of whom I had never seen before. The Young
      Empress introduced me to them, saying that they were also Court ladies.
      They were daughters of high Manchu officials and some were very pretty and
      bright. The Young Empress told me that these ten (there were just ten
      there) were never allowed to go near Her Majesty, as they were just
      learning the court etiquette. They were all dressed very nicely in pretty
      Manchu gowns, the same design as that worn by the Young Empress.
    </p>
    <p>
      After I had been introduced to these young ladies and talked with them a
      while, I went inside with the Young Empress and there met Sze Gurgur,
      fourth daughter of Prince Ching and a young widow twenty-four years of
      age, Yuen Da Nai Nai, widow of Her Majesty's nephew. Both were busy
      getting things ready for Her Majesty. The Young Empress told us that we
      must go at once to Her Majesty's bedroom and assist Her Majesty to dress,
      so we went at once and courtesied to her and said: "Lao Tsu Tsung Chi
      Hsiang" (old ancestor, all joy be with you). Her Majesty was still in bed
      and smiled to us and asked us if we had slept well. We told her the rooms
      were very comfortable, etc. I thought to myself, we had slept very well
      for the little time we had, but I had not had half enough. The day before
      had been very hard for us and we were quite unused to it and it had made
      us very lame and sore running around so much.
    </p>
    <p>
      She asked us if we had had any breakfast and we told her not yet. She
      scolded Li for not having given the order for our breakfast to be brought
      to our rooms and said: "You must not feel like strangers, order anything
      you may want." Then she arose and started to dress. She put on her white
      silk socks first, having slept in her pantaloons as is the custom, and
      tied them at the ankle with pretty ribbon. I must tell you here that
      although she always slept in her clothes, she changed them for clean ones
      every day. Then she put on a pale pink shirt of soft material and over
      that a short silk gown, that was embroidered with bamboo leaves, as she
      always wore low heeled shoes in the morning and consequently could not
      wear her long gowns. After she had dressed she walked over to a window in
      front of which were two long tables covered with toilet articles of every
      kind and description.
    </p>
    <p>
      As she was washing her face and dressing her hair, she said to my mother
      that she could not bear to have the servant girls, eunuchs, or old women,
      touch her bed, that they were dirty, so the Court ladies must make it.
      When she said this she turned to my sister and myself, we were standing a
      little to one side, and said: "You two must not think for a moment that
      the Court ladies do servant's work, but you know I am an old woman and
      could easily be your grandmother and it will do you no harm to work a
      little for me. When it comes your turn, you can superintend the others and
      don't have to do the work with your own hands." Then Her Majesty said to
      me: "Der Ling you are a great help to me in every way and I make you my
      first lady-in-waiting. You must not work too much for you will have to
      make all the arrangements for the audiences for foreigners and you will
      have to interpret for me. I also want you to look after my jewels and
      don't want you to do rough work at all. Roon Ling (my sister) can choose
      what she likes to do. I have two more besides you, Sze Gurgur and Yuen Da
      Nai Nai, making four altogether and you must all work together. It is not
      necessary to be too polite to them and if they are not nice to you, you
      let me know." Although I was very happy at receiving this appointment, I
      knew that according to custom I must refuse it, so I thanked Her Majesty
      very kindly for the honor she had given me and said that I did not know
      enough to hold such an important position and would prefer to be just an
      ordinary Court lady, and that I would learn as quickly as possible to be
      useful to her. She hardly let me finish what I was saying, when she
      laughed and said: "Stop! don't say anything like that; you are too modest,
      which shows you are very clever and not a bit conceited. I am surprised to
      see what a perfect little Manchu lady you are, knowing even such small
      etiquette as this, although you have spent many years outside of China."
      She was very fond of making fun and liked very much to tease, and said
      that I could try and if she saw that I could not do the work, she would
      scold me and put someone else in my place. After all this that she had
      said, I accepted the appointment and went over to her bed to see how it
      was made, and I found that it was very easy work to do. As this would be
      one of my duties, I watched while the bed was being fixed. First of all,
      after Her Majesty had risen, the bedclothes were taken out into the
      courtyard by the eunuchs and aired, then the bed, which was made of
      beautifully carved wood, was brushed off with a sort of whiskbroom, and a
      piece of felt placed over it. Then three thick mattresses made of yellow
      brocade were placed over the felt. After this came the sheets made of
      different colored soft silk, and over the whole thing was placed a
      covering of plain yellow satin embroidered with gold dragons and blue
      clouds. She had a great many pillows, all beautifully embroidered, which
      were placed on the bed during the daytime; but had a particular one
      stuffed with tea leaves on which she slept. It is said that stuffing the
      pillow on which you sleep with tea leaves is good for the eyes. In
      addition to all these, she had another very curiously shaped pillow about
      twelve inches long in the middle of which was a hole about three inches
      square. It was stuffed with dried flowers, and the idea of the hole was
      that when she laid on it she could place her ear in this hole and in this
      way hear any and every sound. I suppose in that way no one could come on
      her unawares.
    </p>
    <p>
      Besides this last yellow embroidered cover, there were six covers of
      different colors, pale mauve, blue, pink, green and violet, and were
      placed one on top of the other. Over the top of the bed was a frame of
      wood handsomely carved and from this frame white crepe curtains,
      beautifully embroidered, hung, and numerous little gauze silk bags filled
      with scent were suspended from the carved work of the frame. The odor from
      these bags was very strong and made one feel sick until they became used
      to it. Her Majesty was also very fond of musk and used it on all
      occasions.
    </p>
    <p>
      It took us about fifteen minutes to make the bed, and when I had finished,
      I turned around and saw that Her Majesty was dressing her hair. I stood
      beside her Majesty while the eunuch was dressing it and saw that as old as
      she was, she still had beautiful long hair which was as soft as velvet and
      raven black. She parted it in the center and brought it low at the back of
      her ears, and the back braid was brushed up on the top of her head and
      made it into a tight knot. When she had finished doing this, she was ready
      to have the Gu'un Dzan (Manchu headdress) placed on and pinned through the
      knot with two large pins. Her Majesty always dressed her hair first and
      then washed her face. She was as fussy and particular as a young girl and
      would give it to the eunuch if he did not get it just to suit her. She had
      dozens of bottles of all kinds of perfume, also perfumed soap. When she
      had finished washing her face, she dried it on a soft towel and sprayed it
      with a kind of glycerine made of honey and flower petals. After that she
      put some kind of strong scented pink powder on her face.
    </p>
    <p>
      When she had completed her toilet, she turned to me and said: "It must
      seem to you quite funny to see an old lady like me taking so much care and
      pains in dressing and fixing up. Well! I like to dress myself up and to
      see others dress nicely. It always gives me pleasure to see pretty girls
      dressed nicely; it makes you want to be young again yourself." I told her
      that she looked quite young and was still beautiful, and that although we
      were young we would never dare compare ourselves with her. This pleased
      her very much, as she was very fond of compliments, and I took great pains
      that morning to study her and to find out what she liked and what she
      didn't.
    </p>
    <p>
      After this Her Majesty took me into another room and showed me where her
      jewels were kept. This room was covered with shelves on three sides of the
      room from top to bottom, on which were placed piles of ebony boxes all
      containing jewels. Small yellow strips were pasted on some of the boxes on
      which was written the contents. Her Majesty pointed to a row of boxes on
      the right side of the room and said: "Here is where I keep my favorite
      everyday jewels, and some day you must go over them and see that they are
      all there. The rest are all jewels which I wear on special occasions.
      There are about three thousand boxes in this room and I have a lot more
      locked up in my safety room, which I will show you when I am not busy."
      Then she said: "I am sorry you cannot read and write Chinese, otherwise I
      would give you a list of these things and you could keep a check on them."
      I was very much surprised at this and wondered who had told her I
      couldn't. I was anxious to know, but did not dare to ask her, so I told
      her that although I was not a scholar, I had studied Chinese for some time
      and could read and write a little, that if she would give me a list I
      would try and read it. She said: "That is funny, someone told me the first
      day you were here, I forget now who it was, that you could not read or
      write your own language at all." While she was saying this, she was
      looking all around the room and I was sure she knew who it was that had
      told her, but she would not tell me. Then she said: "When we have time
      this afternoon, I will go over this list with you. Bring me those five
      boxes on the first row of shelves." I brought the boxes to her room and
      placed them on the table. She opened the first one and it contained a most
      beautiful peony made of coral and jade and each petal trembled like a real
      flower. This flower was made by stringing the petals which were made of
      coral on very fine brass wire, also the leaves which were made of pure
      jade. She took this flower and placed it on the right side of her
      headdress. Then she opened another box and took from it a magnificent jade
      butterfly made in the same way. This was an invention of her own and it
      was done by carving the coral and jade into petals and leaves and boring
      holes in the lower ends through which brass wire was run. The other two
      boxes contained bracelets and rings of different patterns. There was a
      pair of gold bracelets set with pearls, another pair set with jade, with a
      piece of jade hanging from the end of a small gold chain, etc. The last
      two contained chains of pearls, the like of which I never saw before, and
      I fell in love with them at once. Her Majesty took one which was made into
      a plum blossom string by winding a circle of five pearls around a larger
      one, then one single pearl, then another circle of five pearls around a
      large one, and so on, making quite a long chain, which she suspended from
      one of the buttons of her gown.
    </p>
    <p>
      At this juncture one of the Court ladies came in carrying several gowns
      for Her Majesty to select from. She looked at them and said that none of
      them suited her, to take them back and bring more. I had a look at them
      and thought they were perfectly lovely, such pretty colors and so
      beautifully embroidered. In a short while the same Court lady came back
      carrying more, and from these Her Majesty selected a sea-green one
      embroidered all over with white storks. She put this gown on and looked at
      herself in the mirror for a while, then took off her jade butterfly. She
      said: "You see I am very particular about little details. The jade
      butterfly is too green and it kills my gown. Put it back in the box and
      bring me a pearl stork in No. 35 box." I went back to the jewel room and
      fortunately found No. 35 box and brought it to her. She opened the box and
      took from it a stork made entirely of pearls set in silver, the bird's
      bill being made of coral. The pearls making the body of the bird were so
      cleverly set that the silver could not be seen at all unless one looked at
      it very closely. It was a most magnificent piece of workmanship and the
      pearls were of perfect color and shape. Her Majesty took it and placed it
      in her hair and did look very graceful and pretty. Then she picked out a
      mauve-colored short jacket, also embroidered with storks, which she put on
      over her gown. Her handkerchief and shoes were also embroidered with
      storks and when she was entirely dressed she looked like the stork lady.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just as she had finished dressing, the Emperor Kwang Hsu came into the
      bedroom dressed in his official clothes. These clothes were exactly like
      other official clothes, except that he had no button on his hat and did
      not wear the peacock feather. He knelt down before Her Majesty and said:
      "Chin Baba, Chi Hsiang" (dear father, all joy be with you). It may seem
      curious that the Emperor and all of us should call Her Majesty father, and
      the reason why this was done was because Her Majesty always wanted to be a
      man and compelled everyone to address her as if she were actually one.
      This was only one of her many peculiarities.
    </p>
    <p>
      I did not know whether to courtesy to the Emperor or not, not having
      received any orders as to what I should do. However, I thought it better
      to be too polite than not enough, so I waited until either he or Her
      Majesty went out of the room, as we were not allowed to salute or courtesy
      to anyone in her presence. In a little while the Emperor went out and I
      followed him out into the hall and just as I was in the act of courtesying
      Her Majesty came out. She looked at me in a very peculiar way, as if she
      did not approve of what I had done, but said nothing. I felt very
      uncomfortable and made up my mind that being too polite did not always pay
      after all.
    </p>
    <p>
      I then returned to the room again and saw a small eunuch placing several
      yellow boxes on a table at the left side of the room. Her Majesty seated
      herself in a large chair, which was called her little throne, and this
      eunuch opened the boxes, took a yellow envelope from each box and handed
      them to Her Majesty. She opened these envelopes with an ivory paper knife
      and read their contents. They were memorials from the heads of the
      different Boards, or from the Viceroys of the different Provinces. The
      Emperor had come back and was standing at the side of this table and after
      she had finished reading, she handed them over to him. While all this was
      being done I stood at the back of her chair. I watched the Emperor as the
      different papers were handed to him and noticed that it did not take him
      very long to finish reading their contents. After he was finished reading
      the papers, they were placed back in the boxes. During all this time
      absolute silence was maintained. Just as they had finished the head eunuch
      came in, knelt down and announced that Her Majesty's chair was ready. She
      immediately got up and went out of the house, we following her, and I took
      her arm while she was descending the steps to go to her chair. When she
      had entered the chair to go to the Audience Hall, the Emperor and Young
      Empress and we all followed in our usual places, the eunuchs, amahs and
      servant girls carrying all the things exactly the same as was done the
      first day I came to the Palace. When we arrived at the Audience Hall, we
      took our places behind the big screen and the audience commenced. I was
      very curious to find out just how the audiences were conducted and wanted
      to listen to what was going on, but the Court ladies would not leave me
      alone. However, when they were all talking together with my sister, I
      stole away into a corner where I could sit and rest and listen to the
      conversation between the different Ministers and Her Majesty. Trust a
      woman for being inquisitive.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first part of the audience I could not hear very well, as so many
      people were whispering and talking at the same time, but by peeping
      through the carved-work of the screen, I could see a General talking to
      Her Majesty. I also saw the members of the Grand Council come in headed by
      Prince Ching, who was the Councillor-in-Chief. After the General had
      finished, Her Majesty talked with Prince Ching about the appointment of
      some minor officials, a list of whose names had been handed to her. She
      looked over this list and spoke about several of the people, but Prince
      Ching suggested some others, saying: "Although these people whose names
      have been submitted to Your Majesty should receive appointments, those
      that I have suggested are better fitted for the positions." Her Majesty
      said: "All right, I leave it all to you." Then I heard Her Majesty say to
      the Emperor, "Is that correct?" and he replied, "Yes." This finished the
      Audience for the morning and the Ministers and Grand Councillors took
      their leave. We came out from behind the screen to Her Majesty and she
      said that she wanted to go for a walk to get some fresh air. The servant
      girls brought her a mirror, placed it on a table, and Her Majesty took off
      her heavy headdress, leaving the simple knot on the top of her head, which
      was quite becoming. She wanted to change some of the flower jewels and I
      opened a box which one of the eunuchs had brought and took out some very
      dainty flowers made of pearls. I handed her one which she placed at the
      side of this knot, then she selected a jade dragonfly which she placed on
      the other side. She said these small flowers were favorites of hers and
      she liked to wear them when she took off her heavy headdress. I was
      watching her very closely and wondered what I was going to do with the
      flowers she had taken off. I had not brought the boxes to put them in, as
      I did not know she was going to change again after the audience, and felt
      a little nervous as to what was the right thing to do, or as to what she
      would say. However, I saw a eunuch come in carrying these boxes and felt
      much relieved. I quickly placed the things in the boxes where they
      belonged.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
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    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER SEVEN&mdash;SOME INCIDENTS OF THE COURT
    </h2>
    <p>
      MY first day with Her Majesty was very trying as I did not know just what
      she wanted or how she wanted things done, and no one seemed willing to
      tell me; but by watching very closely I was soon able to grasp the
      situation. After I had finished putting the things in the boxes I did not
      know whether to take them back to the jewel room or not, or whether to
      wait until Her Majesty ordered me, and again I was in a quandary. I saw
      she was talking to my mother, so I waited a little time and finally made
      up my mind I would risk it and take them back, which I did. As I was
      returning I met Her Majesty in the big courtyard. She had just changed her
      gown again and looked much shorter as she had also changed her shoes for
      ones with lower heels. This gown was made of heavy sky-blue crepe with no
      embroidery at all, just trimmed with pale pink ribbons, and she looked
      very nice in it. When Her Majesty saw me, she asked me: "Where have you
      been?" I told her that I had just been putting her jewels away. Then she
      said: "Has anyone told you to put them away as soon as I am finished with
      them? I forgot to tell you this morning, although I had meant to." I said
      that no one had told me anything, that I was afraid to have the eunuchs
      taking such valuable things here and there, that I was sure that she did
      not want to use them any more, so I thought it would be safer to put them
      away in the jewel room again. Her Majesty looked at me and said: "I can
      see that these girls don't tell you anything and I am very glad to see
      that you have done just the right thing. That is why I thought someone
      must have told you what to do. Anything you want to know you can ask me,
      but don't talk to these mean people here." I could see from this that
      there must be some jealousy among them and decided that I was well able to
      find my own way, as I knew Her Majesty liked me and would help me out.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty walked along a little way, then laughed and said to me: "Don't
      I look more comfortable now? I am going for a long walk and take lunch on
      the top of the hill. There is a nice place up there and I am sure you will
      like it. Come, let us go."
    </p>
    <p>
      The Emperor had gone back to his own Palace, and the head eunuch had also
      disappeared. As we were walking along, Her Majesty was talking and smiling
      as if she had never a care or trouble in the world, or any important
      questions of state to settle. I thought from what I had seen so far that
      she had a very sweet disposition. She looked back and said: "Just see how
      many people are following us." I turned and saw the same crowd that had
      accompanied Her Majesty earlier in the day to the Audience Hall.
    </p>
    <p>
      After passing out of the large courtyard on the West side, we came to a
      large, long veranda running in a zig-zag fashion along the front of the
      lake, and it was so long that I could not see the end of it. It was very
      prettily made of solid carved work from one end to the other. Electric
      lights were hanging from the ceiling at intervals, and when they were
      lighted at night, made a beautiful sight.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was a very fast walker and we had to step lively to keep up
      with her. The eunuchs and the servant girls walked on the right side and
      only one of the eunuchs was allowed to walk behind us, and he was the one
      who carried Her Majesty's yellow satin stool, which, like her dog, went
      everywhere she did. This stool she used to rest on when taking a walk. We
      walked for quite a long while and I began to feel tired, but Her Majesty,
      as old as she was, was still walking very fast and did not appear to be
      the least bit tired. She asked me if I liked the Palace and whether I
      would be satisfied to live with her, etc. I told her that it was a great
      pleasure for me to serve her, that it had been my dream for years, and now
      that my dream had come true, I could not help but be satisfied.
    </p>
    <p>
      We finally arrived at the place where the marble boat was kept, and I was
      about finished. I never saw such vitality in an old woman in my life as
      Her Majesty had, and it was no wonder that she had ruled this vast Empire
      of China so successfully for so many years.
    </p>
    <p>
      This boat was magnificent, being one mass of carved work, but the inside
      was all spoiled. Her Majesty showed us all over the boat, and whilst we
      were looking at the ruin, she said: "Look at those colored glasses in the
      windows and these beautiful paintings. They were all spoiled by the
      foreign troops in 1900. I don't intend to have it repaired as I don't want
      to forget the lesson I have learned and this is a good reminder." After we
      had been standing there a few minutes, a eunuch who had been carrying the
      famous satin stool, came forward, and Her Majesty sat down to rest. While
      we were talking I noticed two large and very fancy-looking boats
      approaching us, with several smaller ones coming along behind. As they
      came nearer I saw that they were also very beautifully made, and looked
      like floating pagodas of beautifully carved natural wood. The windows of
      the pagodas were hung with red gauze curtains and all was trimmed with
      silk. Her Majesty said: "There are the boats. We must go over to the west
      side of the lake and have luncheon." Her Majesty got up and walked to the
      edge of the lake, two eunuchs supporting her, one at each side. She
      stepped into the boat and we all followed her example. The inside of the
      boat was very nicely furnished with carved ebony furniture with blue satin
      cushions, one with many pots of flowers on both sides of the window. There
      were two more cabins behind this sitting room. Her Majesty told me to go
      in to see those two rooms. One little room was a dressing room full of
      toilet articles. The other one had two couches and several small chairs
      for Her Majesty to rest whenever she felt tired. Her Majesty sat on her
      throne and ordered us to sit on the floor. The eunuchs brought in red
      satin cushions for us to sit upon. To sit on the floor is all right for
      Chinese clothes, but of course it was out of the question with Paris
      gowns, and I felt very uncomfortable, but did not like to say so. I wanted
      to change into Manchu clothes, for I knew they were comfortable and easy
      to work in, but having received no order from Her Majesty, I did not dare
      to suggest it. Her Majesty noticed how very uncomfortable we looked
      sitting on the floor. She said: "You can stand up if you want to and just
      watch those boats following us." I put my head out of the window and
      noticed the Young Empress and several other Court ladies were in the other
      boat. They waved to me, and I waved back. Her Majesty laughed and said to
      me: "I give you this apple to throw to them." While saying this she took
      one from the big plates that stood upon the center table. I tried very
      hard, but the apple did not reach the other boat, but went to the bottom
      of the lake. Her Majesty laughed and told me to try again, but I failed.
      Finally, she took one and threw it herself. It went straight to the other
      boat and hit one of the ladies' head. We all laughed quite heartily. Then
      I began to enjoy myself. There were several open boats full of eunuchs,
      and another one of servant girls, amahs and the rest with Her Majesty's
      luncheon. The lake was beautiful and looked so green in the sun. I told
      Her Majesty that this color reminded me of the sea. She said: "You have
      travelled so much, and yet you have not had enough, but are still thinking
      of the sea. You must not go abroad any more, but stay with me. I want you
      to enjoy this sailing on this lake instead of the rough sea." I promised
      her that I would be only too happy to stay with her. I must say the truth,
      I did enjoy the lovely scenery, the beautiful weather, superb sunshine,
      with Her Majesty so kind to me and talking to me in such a motherly way
      made me love her more and more every minute I was there. I was so
      extremely happy there that even Paris pleasures had gone out of my memory
      entirely.
    </p>
    <p>
      At last we arrived at another part of the lake. This was more of a stream,
      very narrow, just wide enough for one boat to pass. On both sides of the
      bank were planted drooping willow trees that reminded me of the Chinese
      Fairy tales I have read. This time I saw the servant girls, amahs, and
      also eunuchs carrying boxes, walking on both sides of the shore. Only two
      boats were going then, the Young Empress' and ours. Her Majesty said: "We
      will arrive at the bottom of the hill in a few minutes." When we came near
      the shore I saw her yellow chair and several red chairs waiting. We landed
      and walked to the chairs. I watched Her Majesty get into hers and noticed
      this was not the same chair she used this morning. This little one was, of
      course, of yellow, with yellow poles, and two eunuchs carried it, with
      yellow rope across their shoulders, and four eunuchs supported the poles,
      one on each corner of the chair. They were just going to raise her chair
      up when she said: "Yu tai tai (Lady Yu) I give you and your daughters
      special favor and give you a red chair with red cord that I have given to
      only a few people." The Young Empress looked at us, which I understood at
      once was meant for us to kowtow to her, which we did, and waited until the
      Empress got into hers. Then we went to search for ours. To my surprise our
      own eunuchs were standing waiting beside our chairs. On the poles I
      noticed that my name was written and I asked our eunuch the reason. He
      said that Her Majesty gave the order the night before. It was a lovely
      ride going to the top of the hill. I saw Her Majesty's chair in front, and
      the Young Empress'. They looked to me quite dangerous in ascending that
      way, and the men at the back of the chair had to raise the poles above
      their heads so as to make the chair the same level in ascending. I was
      quite nervous and was very much afraid that they might fall off and injure
      me. Our eunuchs were walking beside our chairs. I said to one of them that
      I was afraid the chair bearers might slip. He told me to look back of my
      chair, which I did, and to my surprise they had the poles raised up also
      above their heads, and I did not feel it at all. He told me that these
      chair bearers practice for such purposes and that there was no danger at
      all. It made my heart stop beating looking back and seeing the other Court
      ladies in their chairs way below mine, the eunuchs and servant girls
      walking, for fear I might fall off at any time. At last we arrived at the
      top of the hill. We helped Her Majesty to alight and followed her into the
      most lovely building I ever saw, the best one in the Summer Palace to my
      idea (name of this pavilion, Ching Fo Ker). This Palace had only two
      rooms, with windows on every side. One could see everywhere. Her Majesty
      used one large one to take her luncheon in and the other as a toilet room.
      I noticed that wherever we went we found Her Majesty's toilet room. Her
      Majesty took us around the compound and showed us the lovely flowers
      planted everywhere. One of the young eunuchs told me that Her Majesty's
      dainties were ready. That was my first day of real work. I went out and
      found two large yellow boxes of different kinds of candies and fruits, as
      I have before mentioned. I carried two plates at a time, and finished in
      nine times, placing them on a square table near her. She was talking to my
      mother then about flowers. I noticed that although she was talking, she
      was watching me at the same time. I placed the plates upon the table very
      carefully, and already having noticed the day before what were her
      favorite dishes, and placed these near her. She smiled at me and said:
      "You have done it very nicely. And how do you know that these are my
      favorites and have placed them near me? Who told you?" I replied that no
      one had told me anything and that I had noticed the day before what Lao
      Tsu Tsung liked (according to the Manchu custom one must address a
      superior or one's parents in the third person). Her Majesty said: "I can
      see you use your heart in everything (in China people say heart instead of
      head) and are not like the crowd I have here; they haven't the brains of a
      bird." She was soon busy eating, and gave me some candies, and told me to
      eat right there in her presence. Of course I never forgot to thank her,
      for I thought I had rather thank her too much than too little. She told
      me: "Whenever I give you small things you need not kowtow. Just say:
      'Hsieh Lao Tsu Tsung Shang' (Thank the old ancestor), that is enough."
      After a little while she finished eating, and told me to take the dishes
      away. She said: "To-day is your day, so these things are yours. Take them
      out and sit down on the veranda and enjoy yourself. You see I could not
      eat all. There are lots of things left. If you like you can tell your own
      eunuch to send them to your room." I placed the little dishes back in the
      boxes and took them to the veranda. There I placed them upon the table and
      told the Young Empress to eat some. I did not know whether it was right to
      offer them to her or not and thought I could not do her any harm, even if
      I tried. She said all right, that she would eat some. I took a piece of
      candy and had just put it into my mouth when I heard Her Majesty calling
      my name. I hurried in and found her sitting at her table ready to take her
      lunch. She said: "What else did Mdme. Plancon say yesterday? Was she
      really pleased? Do you think they, the foreigners, really like me? I don't
      think so; on the contrary I know they haven't forgotten the Boxer Rising
      in Kwang Hsu's 26th year. I don't mind owning up that I like our old ways
      the best, and I don't see any reason why we should adopt the foreign
      style. Did any of the foreign ladies ever tell you that I am a
      fierce-looking old woman?" I was very much surprised that she should call
      me in and ask me such questions during her meal. She looked quite serious
      and it seemed to me she was quite annoyed. I assured her that no one ever
      said anything about Her Majesty but nice things. The foreigners told me
      how nice she was, and how graceful, etc. This seemed to please her, and
      she smiled and said: "Of course they have to tell you that, just to make
      you feel happy by saying that your sovereign is perfect, but I know
      better. I can't worry too much, but I hate to see China in such a poor
      condition. Although the people around me seem to comfort me by telling
      that almost every nation feels very friendly towards China, I don't think
      that is true. I hope we will be strong some day." While she was saying
      this I noticed her worried expression. I did not know what to say, but
      tried to comfort her by saying that that time will come, and we are all
      looking forward to it. I wanted to advise her on some points, but seeing
      that she was angry, I thought I had better not make any suggestions that
      day, but wait until I had another opportunity. I felt sorry for her, and
      would have given anything in the world to help her by telling what the
      general opinion of her was so as to let her know the truth, which no one
      dared to tell her. Something told me to be silent. I kept thinking all the
      time she was talking to me, and finally made up my mind that the time was
      not yet ripe for me to make any suggestion. I had grown to love her very
      much, so I wanted to take care not to offend her; that would probably
      finish my ambition. I wanted to study her first thoroughly and then try to
      influence her to reform China.
    </p>
    <p>
      I stood all the time while she was eating. She got up from the table and
      handed me her napkin (this napkin was made of a piece of silk a yard
      square, woven in many colors). One corner was turned in, and a golden
      butterfly was fastened to it. It had a hook at the back of this butterfly
      so as to hook on her collar. She said: "I am sure you must be hungry. Go
      and tell the Young Empress and the rest of the people to come and eat. You
      can eat anything you want from these tables, so eat all you can." I was
      very, very hungry. Just imagine, I had been up since 5:00 o'clock and had
      only a light breakfast, and had walked a great deal. It was almost noon
      when Her Majesty sat down at her table. She ate so slowly, too. While I
      stood there talking to her I thought she would never finish. She ate a
      good meal. The Young Empress stood at the head of the table, and we all
      stood on either side. We did not like to be forward, so we stood at the
      other end of the table. The food was very much the same as the first day
      we were there. Her Majesty came out from the inner room, had just finished
      washing her face and hands, and had changed into another gown. This one
      was simple, but very pretty. It was woven with pink and gray raw silks,
      which gave it a changeable light whenever she moved. She came out and
      said: "I want to see you people eat; why is it that you are standing at
      the end of the table, the best dishes are not there? All of you come over
      here and eat near the Young Empress." So we moved from our end of the
      table to the other. Her Majesty stood near me, and pointed to a smoked
      fish and wanted me to try it, as it was her favorite, and said: "Make
      yourselves at home. You know you have to fight your own battles here with
      this crowd. Of course you can come and tell me if anyone does not treat
      you fair." Her Majesty then went out, saying that she would walk a bit. I
      noticed that some of the court ladies did not look pleased, seeing that
      Her Majesty paid so much attention to us. I could see they were a little
      jealous of me, but that did not worry me in the least.
    </p>
    <p>
      After we got through our luncheon, I followed the Young Empress, for it
      was all so new to me, and I did not know what I must do&mdash;whether to
      join Her Majesty or not. After seeing that they were jealous of me, I paid
      strict attention to everything, so as not to make any mistake in doing my
      work and let them have the satisfaction of laughing at me. I would not
      give them the chance. I heard Her Majesty talking to the eunuchs who
      looked after the garden, about some branches which ought to be cut down,
      saying they were lazy. So we went to her. She said to us: "You see I have
      to look after everything myself, if not, my flowers would be ruined. I
      can't depend on them at all. I wonder what they are good for. They ought
      to look around every day and cut down the dead branches and leaves. They
      have not been punished for several days and they are looking forward to
      it." She laughed and said: "I will not disappoint them, but give them all
      they wish to have." I thought these people must be idiots, looking forward
      to a whipping, and wondered who would whip them. Her Majesty turned to me
      and said: "Have you ever witnessed such an operation?" I told her that I
      had, having seen the convicts being whipped at a Magistrate's Yamen when I
      was a little girl living at Shansi (on the Yangtsze). She said: "That is
      nothing. The convicts are not half so wicked as these eunuchs. Of course
      they deserve a heavier punishment when they are bad." Her Majesty said
      that I should learn to play dice with her, as she never had enough people
      to play with, so we went back to the same room where she had taken her
      lunch. A square table was in the middle of this large room and a little
      throne of Her Majesty's, facing south (her favorite direction). Her
      Majesty sat on her throne and said to me: "I will show you how to play
      this game. Do you think you know enough Chinese to read this map?" I
      noticed a large map, the same size as the table, and laid upon it, drawn
      in different colors. In the center of the map was written the direction of
      the game. It said: "This game is called the 'Eight Fairies Travel across
      the Sea.' The names are Lu Hsien, Chang Hsien, Li Hsien, Lan Hsien, Hang
      Hsien, Tsao Hsien and Hain Hsien. These seven were masculine fairies. Hor
      Hsien was the only lady fairy." This map was the map of the Chinese
      Empire, and the names of the different provinces were written on the
      drawing. There were eight pieces of round ivory, about one inch and a half
      in diameter and a quarter of an inch thick. The names of these fairies
      were engraved upon them. This game could be played either by eight people
      or four people, when each person had to take two fairies' places, instead
      of one. A porcelain bowl was placed in the center of the map, to compare
      the point by throwing six dice into the bowl. For instance, four people
      play. One throws these six dice into the bowl and counts the points on
      them. The highest that one could get was 36, and should 36 be thrown the
      fairy should go to Hangehow to enjoy the beautiful scenery. This person
      threw dice for Lu Hsien and had 36 points and placed this ivory piece of
      Lu Hsien on Hangehow upon the map. The same person has to throw another
      time for another fairy, so each person throws twice if four people play
      the game, and once if played by eight. These different points count
      different provinces. They are counted thus:&mdash;Six dice alike. One pair
      in six dice, to three pairs. The lowest was the double 1, 2, 3. If any
      unfortunate fairy got this he should go on exile and be left out
      altogether. Any one of the fairies that travelled round the map to reach
      the Imperial Palace, the first, was the winner.
    </p>
    <p>
      I read this to Her Majesty. She seemed to be quite pleased, and said: "I
      had no idea that you could read so well. This game was my own invention
      and I taught three Court ladies to play. I had a very hard time teaching
      them. I also taught them how to read Chinese in order to play the game,
      but it took them so long to learn anything that I got quite discouraged
      before I got through with them. I am sure you know how to play it now." I
      was very much surprised to hear that these Court ladies were as ignorant
      as this. I thought they must be excellent scholars, so did not dare to
      show my knowledge of Chinese literature. We began to play the game. Her
      Majesty was lucky. The two fairies held by her were way ahead of ours. One
      of the Court ladies said to me: "You will be surprised to see that Lao Tsu
      Tsung is always the winner." Her Majesty smiled and said to me: "You will
      never be able to catch my fairies." She said: "You are the first day here
      to play this game and if any of your fairies beat any of mine I will give
      you a nice present, so hurry up." I thought I could never get ahead of her
      fairies, for they were so far ahead of mine, but I tried hard, as Her
      Majesty told me to call out for the points I wanted. I did, but it came
      out something so different 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 brought another two cups, and there were several Court
      ladies talking with us. This eunuch did not give them any. I noticed at
      the other end of this long veranda there were another two boxes, exactly
      the same as these, and a big tall eunuch made tea and brought it to the
      Young Empress in a yellow porcelain cup, with a silver saucer and a silver
      top cover. He did not give any to the others.
    </p>
    <p>
      I was puzzled when one of the Court ladies sitting next to me said: "Would
      you mind telling Wang (our head eunuch) to give me a cup of your tea, just
      to save me the trouble to go and get it from the small room at the end of
      this long veranda?" I gave her such a surprised look, for I did not know
      that this was our tea, but I thought I'd just tell Wang to bring her a
      cup, and find out afterwards the reason, for I would give anything in the
      world rather than appear ignorant before those people. While we were
      talking Her Majesty came out. Before she reached the veranda I got up and
      told the Young Empress that Her Majesty was coming. I saw her first
      because I sat facing her back hall. Her Majesty said to us all: "It is
      almost three o'clock now, and I am going to rest a while. Let us leave
      here." We all stood in a line for her to enter her chair, and then we went
      to ours. It was quite a fast ride and we got out of our chairs before
      arriving at the courtyard of her own Palace. We walked ahead of her chair
      and formed into another line for her to alight. She walked to her bedroom
      and we all followed. A eunuch brought her a cup of hot water and another
      brought a bowl of sugar. She took her golden spoon and took two
      teaspoonfuls of sugar and put it into her cup of hot water, and drank it
      very slowly. She said: "You know before one goes to sleep or ever lies
      down, sugar water will quiet one's nerves. I always take it, and find it
      very good indeed." She took the flowers off from her headdress and I fixed
      them back in their boxes at once, and placed them in the jewel-room. When
      I came out of this jewel-room she was in bed already, and said to us: "You
      all go and rest a while. I don't need you now."
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
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    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER EIGHT&mdash;THE COURT LADIES
    </h2>
    <p>
      WE retired from her room, but I noticed that two of the Court ladies did
      not come out with us. One of them said to me: "I am glad that I can rest a
      bit to-day, for I have been sitting three afternoons in succession." At
      first I did not know what she meant. Then she said: "Oh, your turn has not
      come yet. We don't know whether you received the order or not. You know
      two of us must stay with Her Majesty during her afternoon siesta, to watch
      the eunuchs and the servant girls." I thought that was the funniest thing
      I had ever heard of, and wondered how many people would be in her room.
      The Young Empress said: "We had better go at once and rest ourselves,
      otherwise Her Majesty will be up again before we get the chance." Of
      course I had not the least idea how long she slept. So we went back to our
      rooms. I did not realize how tired I was until I sat down in my room. I
      felt finished and awfully sleepy at the same time, for I was not used to
      getting up at 5 o'clock. Everything was so new to me. As I sat there my
      thoughts wandered to Paris, and I thought how strange it was that I used
      to go to bed at 5 o'clock after the dances, and here I had to get up at
      such a time. All the surroundings seemed new to me, seeing the eunuchs
      running here and there waiting on us, as if they were chambermaids. I told
      them that I didn't need them any more. I wanted them to go out of the room
      so that I could lie down a bit. They brought us tea and different kinds of
      candies, and asked what else was wanted. I was just going to change into a
      comfortable dress, when the eunuch came in and informed me that "Yo ker
      lila" (visitors have come), and two Court ladies came, and another girl of
      about seventeen came in. I had seen her that very morning when I came to
      the Palace, busy working, but I was not introduced to her. These two girls
      said: "We have come to see you and also to find out if you are
      comfortable." I thought they were kind to come and see me that way, but I
      did not like their faces. They introduced this mean-looking girl to me and
      told me her name was Chun Shou (Graceful Long Life). She did not look as
      if her life would last long, being so thin and delicate. She looked sick
      and worn out to me. I did not know who she was. She courtesied to me and I
      returned to her, in a sort of half way. (I will explain about the
      courtesy.)
    </p>
    <p>
      (To Her Majesty, the Emperor and the Young Empress, we went down and bent
      our knees, while we stood upright to the people of lower rank than
      ourselves. In this case one must always wait while the inferior courtesies
      first, and bend the knees a little bit in return. This was the way I
      returned Chun Shou's courtesy to me.) The two girls then said "Chun Shou's
      father is only a small official, so she has not much standing at the
      Court. She is not exactly a Court lady, but she is not a servant girl
      either." I almost laughed right out, to hear such a funny statement, and
      wondered what she must be. I saw her sitting down with the Court ladies
      that very morning, so of course I asked her to sit down, too. These two
      Court ladies asked me if I felt tired, and how I liked the Empress
      Dowager. I told them that Her Majesty was the most lovely lady I had ever
      seen, and that I already loved her very much, although I had only been
      there a few days. They looked at Chun Shou and exchanged smiles. They did
      that in such a peculiar way that it annoyed me. They asked: "Do you think
      you would like to live in this place, and how long do you intend to stay?"
      I said I would love to stay long, and would do my best to wait on Her
      Majesty, and be useful to her, for she had been so kind towards us in the
      short time we had been there, and besides, it was my duty to serve my
      sovereign and country. They laughed and said: "We pity you, and are sorry
      for you. You must not expect any appreciation here, no matter how hard you
      work. If you are really going to do as you have said just now, you will be
      disliked by everybody."
    </p>
    <p>
      I did not know what they were talking about, or what their conversation
      referred to. I thought this was so strange that I had better put a stop to
      it, so I immediately changed the subject. I asked them who dressed their
      hair, and who made their shoes for them, as they had asked me. They
      answered my questions by saying that their maids did everything for them.
      Chun Shou said to these two girls: "Tell her everything about this Palace,
      and I am sure she will change her mind when she actually sees things for
      herself." I didn't like this Chun Shou, and her face didn't impress me.
      She was a little bit of a thing, tiny head with thin lips. When she
      laughed one could only hear the noise she made; no expression was on her
      face at all. I was just going to say something to them, so as not to give
      them the opportunity of gossiping, but found they were too cunning. They
      noticed that I tried every way to stop them, so they said: "Now let us
      tell you everything. No one else will know. We like you very much and we
      want to give you some warning, so as to be able to protect yourself
      whenever you are in trouble." I told them that I would take great care to
      do my work and didn't think that I would ever get into trouble. They
      laughed and said: "That makes no difference. Her Majesty will find fault."
      I could not believe these things that they said, and intended to tell them
      that I refused to hear such statements, but I thought I had better listen
      to what they had to say first and not to offend them, for I never believed
      in making enemies. I then told them that it would be impossible for so
      sweet and kind-hearted a person like Lao Tsu Tsung (the old ancestor) to
      find fault with such helpless girls as we were, for we were her people,
      and she could do anything she liked with us. They said: "You don't know,
      and have no idea how wicked this place is; such torture and suffering one
      could not imagine. We are sure that you think you must be happy to be with
      the great Empress Dowager, and proud to be her Court Lady. Your day hasn't
      come yet, for you all are new to her. Yes, she is extremely kind to you
      just now, but wait until she gets tired of you and then see what she will
      do. We have had enough, and know what the Court life is. Of course you
      must have heard that Li Lien Ying (the head eunuch) rules this Palace
      behind Lao Tsu Tsung's back. We are all afraid of him. He pretends that he
      cannot influence Lao Tsu Tsung, but we always know the result after a long
      conversation consulting how to punish anyone. If any of us do anything
      wrong, we always go to him and beg him to help us out. Then he says he has
      no power to influence Her Majesty, and also that he dare not tell her
      much, for she would scold him. We hate all the eunuchs, they are such bad
      people. We can see very plainly they are awfully polite to you because
      they can see that you are in favor. To receive such rudeness from them,
      constantly, as we do, is unbearable.
    </p>
    <p>
      "Lao Tsu Tsung is very changeable. She may like one person to-day,
      to-morrow she hates this same person worse than poison. She has moods, and
      has no appreciation whatsoever. Even Chu Tzu, the Young Empress (Chu Tzu
      means Mistress, that is to say she was mistress of us all, for the Manchus
      were considered by the sovereign as slaves) is afraid of Li Lien Ying, and
      has to be very nice to him. In fact, we all have to be polite to him."
      They talked so long that I thought they would never finish. About this
      time Wang came in and brought tea for us. Suddenly I heard people howling
      in the distance, so I asked Wang what was the matter. The girls were
      listening also and a eunuch came flying in and told us Lao Fo Yeh chin la
      (The Great Buddha wakes up). The girls got up and said we must all go to
      see her, so they went. I was not at all pleased with their visit, and
      wished they hadn't come, especially as they told me such horrible things.
      It made me quite sad to listen to the awful way they talked about Her
      Majesty. I loved her the first day I was there, and made up my mind to
      forget everything they had told me.
    </p>
    <p>
      I was cross also because I didn't have time to change my clothes, and had
      to go up to Her Majesty at once. I went into her bedroom, and found her
      sitting upon the bed cross-legged, with a small table placed on the bed in
      front of her. She smiled and asked: "Have you had a good rest? Did you
      sleep at all?" I said that I was not sleepy, and could not sleep in the
      daytime. She said: "When you are old like me, you will be able to sleep at
      any time. Just now you are young, and fond of play. I think you must have
      been on the hills to gather flowers, or walked too much, for you look
      tired." I could only say "Yes." The two Court ladies who had just been
      talking nonsense about Her Majesty came in, to assist in handing her the
      toilet articles. I looked at them, and felt ashamed for them to face her,
      after having said so many disagreeable things. Her Majesty washed her face
      and combed her hair, and a servant girl brought her fresh flowers, of
      white jasmine and roses. Her Majesty stuck them in her hair and said to
      me: "I am always fond of fresh flowers&mdash;better than jade and pearls.
      I love to see the little plants grow, and I water them myself. I have been
      so busy ever since you came that I haven't been able to visit my plants.
      Tell them to get the dinner ready and I will take a walk afterwards." I
      came out of her room and gave the eunuch the order. As usual we brought
      little dainties to her. By this time Her Majesty was dressed and was
      sitting in the large hall, playing solitaire with her dominoes. The eunuch
      laid the tables as usual, and Her Majesty stopped play, and commenced to
      eat. She asked me: "How do you like this kind of life?" I told her that I
      very much enjoyed being with her. She said: "What kind of a place is this
      wonderful Paris I have heard so much about? Did you enjoy yourself while
      you were there, and do you wish to go back again? It must be hard for you
      people to leave China for three or four years, and I suppose you were all
      pleased when you received the order to come back, after your father's term
      was finished."
    </p>
    <p>
      The only thing I could say was "Yes," because it wouldn't be nice to tell
      her that I was awfully sorry to leave Paris. She said: "I think we have
      everything in China, only the life is different. What is dancing? Someone
      told me that two people hold hands and jump all over the room. If that is
      the case I don't see any pleasure in it at all. Do you have to jump up and
      down with men? They told me that old women, with white hair, dance, too."
      I explained to her about the balls given by the President, and all the
      private dances, and also all about the masquerade balls, etc. Her Majesty
      said: "I don't like this masquerade ball because you don't know whom you
      are dancing with if they are wearing a mask." I explained to her how
      carefully the people issued their invitations, and that anyone who behaved
      badly could never enter into high society. Her Majesty said: "I would like
      to see how you jump, can you show me a little?" I went in search of my
      sister, and found her busy talking to the Young Empress. I told her that
      Her Majesty wished to see how people dance, and that we must show her. The
      Young Empress and all the Court ladies heard this, and all said that they
      also wished to see. My sister said that she had noticed a large gramophone
      in Her Majesty's bedroom, and that perhaps we could find some music. I
      thought that was a good idea, and went to ask her for the gramophone. She
      said: "Oh, must you jump with music?" I almost laughed when she said that,
      and told her it was much nicer with music, as otherwise one could not keep
      in time. She ordered the eunuchs to have the gramophone brought to the
      hall, and said: "You jump while I take my dinner." We looked over a lot of
      records, but they were all Chinese songs, but at last we found a waltz, so
      we started to dance. We could see that a lot of people were looking at us,
      who perhaps thought that we were crazy. When we had finished we found Her
      Majesty laughing at us. She said: "I could never do that. Are you not
      dizzy turning round and round? I suppose your legs must be very tired
      also. It is very pretty, and just like the girls used to do centuries ago
      in China. I know that it is difficult and one ought to have any amount of
      grace to do it, but I don't think it would look nice to see a man dancing
      with a girl like that. I object to the hand around the girl's waist; I
      like to see the girls dance together. It would never do for China for a
      girl to get too close to a man. I know the foreigners don't seem to think
      about that at all. It shows that they are broader minded than us. Is it
      true that the foreigners don't respect their parents at all-that they
      could beat their parents and drive them out of the house?" I told her that
      it was not so, and that someone had given her wrong ideas about
      foreigners. Then she said: "I know that perhaps sometimes one among the
      commonest class do that, and that people are apt to take it wrong, and
      conclude that all foreigners treat their parents that way. Now I see just
      the same thing done by the common people in China." I wondered who had
      told her such nonsense and made her believe it.
    </p>
    <p>
      After we had taken our dinner it was just half-past five, and Her Majesty
      said she would take a walk along the long veranda, so we followed her. She
      showed me her flowers, and said that she had planted them herself.
      Whenever Her Majesty went anywhere there was always a lot of attendants
      following her, exactly the same as when she went to the morning audiences.
      When we reached the end of this long veranda, which took us a quarter of
      an hour to walk, Her Majesty ordered her stool to be brought into one of
      the summer houses. These summer houses were built of nothing but bamboo,
      all the furniture being made of different shaped bamboo. Her Majesty sat
      down, and one of the eunuchs brought tea and honeysuckle flowers. She
      ordered the eunuchs to give us tea also. Her Majesty said: "This is my
      simple way of enjoying life. I love to see the country scenery. There are
      a great many pretty places which I will show you and I am sure that after
      you have seen them you will not like foreign countries any more. There is
      no scenery in the world which can beat the Chinese. Some returned
      Ministers from abroad said to me that the trees and mountains in foreign
      countries looked ugly and savage. Is that true?" I concluded right away
      that someone had wished to please her by saying things about foreigners,
      so I told her that I had been in almost every country, and had found
      lovely scenery, but of course it was different from China. While we were
      talking Her Majesty said that she felt chilly and asked: "Are you cold?
      You see you have your own eunuchs, they are all standing around, and have
      nothing to do. Next time tell them to carry your wraps along with you. I
      think that foreign clothes must be quite uncomfortable either too warm or
      too cold. I don't see how you can eat, having your waist squeezed that
      way." Her Majesty got up and we all went on walking slowly towards her own
      Palace. She sat down on her favorite little throne in the hall and started
      to play solitaire. We came out on the veranda, and the Young Empress said
      to us: "You must be tired, for I know you are not used to doing such hard
      work all day long without stopping. You had better wear Manchu clothes,
      because they are comfortable and easy to work in. Look at your long train;
      you have to take it up in your hands while walking."
    </p>
    <p>
      I told her that I would be only too pleased to change the clothes, but
      that not having received an order from Her Majesty I could not make any
      suggestions. The Young Empress said: "No, don't ask anything, and I am
      sure Her Majesty will tell you to change by and by. Just now she wishes to
      see your Paris gowns, because she wants to know how foreign ladies dress
      on different occasions. She thought that some of the ladies came to the
      Garden Party dressed in woolen clothes. We thought that foreign ladies
      were not so extravagant as we are until we met Mdme. Plancon the other
      day. Do you remember what Her Majesty said to you? 'That Mdme. Plancon was
      so different from many ladies she had met, and also dressed differently.'"
      It was a chiffon dress, with hand paintings, which Mdme. Plancon wore,
      which pleased Her Majesty very much. While I was talking with the Young
      Empress all the electric lights turned up, so I went to Her Majesty to see
      if she needed anything. She said: "Let us play a game of dice before I go
      to bed." We began to play the same thing as we had done in the afternoon.
      Her Majesty won another game, this time it took only an hour to finish the
      game. Her Majesty said to me: "Why can't you win once?" I knew she wanted
      to tease, so I said that my luck was bad. She laughed and said: "To-morrow
      you try to put your stocking on wrong side out; that is a sure sign of
      winning." I told her that I would, and I knew that pleased her. During the
      short time I was there I kept studying her most of the while. I could see
      nothing would make her happier than for me to obey her orders. Her Majesty
      said that she felt tired, and that we must bring her milk. She said to me:
      "I want you to burn incense sticks and bow to the ground every night to
      the Buddha in the next room before I go to bed. I hope you are not a
      Christian, for if you are I can never feel as if you are mine at all. Do
      tell me that you are not." I did not expect that question at all, and I
      must say that it was a very difficult question to answer. For my own
      protection I had to say that I had nothing to do with the Christians. I
      felt guilty at having deceived her that way, but it was absolutely
      necessary, and there was no other way out of it. I knew that I had to
      answer her question at once, because it would never do for her to see any
      hesitation, which would arouse her suspicions. Although my face showed
      nothing, my heart stopped beating for a while. I felt ashamed to have
      fooled her. The earliest training I had was never to be ashamed to tell
      the truth. When Her Majesty heard me say that I was not a Christian, she
      smiled and said: "I admire you; although you have had so much to do with
      foreigners, yet you did not adopt their religion. On the contrary, you
      still keep to your own. Be strong and keep it as long as you live. You
      have no idea how glad I am now, for I suspected you must believe in the
      foreign God. Even if you don't want to, they can make you believe it. Now
      I am ready for bed."
    </p>
    <p>
      We helped her to undress, and I, as usual, put away her jewels, and
      noticed she wore only one pair of jade bracelets to sleep. She changed
      into her bed clothes and lay down between the silk covers and said to us:
      "You can go now." We courtesied to her and withdrew from her bedroom. Out
      in the hall there was on the cold stone floor six eunuchs. They were the
      watchmen and must not sleep at all during the night. In her bedroom were
      two eunuchs, two servant girls, two old women servants and sometimes two
      Court ladies. These people also must not sleep. The two girls massaged her
      legs every night, and the two women were there to watch the girls, the two
      eunuchs to watch the two old women, and the two Court ladies to watch them
      all, in case they did any mischief. They all took turns, and that was the
      reason why sometimes two Court ladies must sit overnight when it happened
      that the eunuchs were not reliable. Her Majesty trusted the Court ladies
      the most. I was never more surprised in my life than when one of these six
      eunuchs told me in the hall, for I had asked what they were all doing
      there.
    </p>
    <p>
      Later on one of the Court ladies said to me that it was customary for them
      to take turns to attend at Her Majesty's bedchamber in the morning to wake
      her up, and that I should take my turn the next morning and my sister the
      following morning. While saying this she smiled in a most peculiar way. I
      did not understand at the time, but found out later. I asked her what I
      should do to wake Her Majesty, and she said: "There is no particular way,
      you will have to use your own judgment; but be careful not to make her
      angry. It was my turn this morning. I knew that she was very tired, having
      had a very trying time the day before, so I had to make a little more
      noise than usual when waking her. She was very angry and scolded me
      dreadfully when she arose, as it was rather late. This very often happens
      when Her Majesty gets up late, as she always says that we do not make
      enough noise to wake her. However, I don't think she will do this to you,
      just now, as you are new here; but wait until you have been here a few
      months." What this Court lady said to me worried me quite considerably;
      but from what I had seen of Her Majesty so far, I could not believe that
      she would be angry with anyone who was doing her duty properly.
    </p>
    <p>
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      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER NINE&mdash;THE EMPEROR KWANG HSU
    </h2>
    <p>
      THE next day I arose earlier than usual and dressed in a great hurry, as I
      feared I might be late. When I got to Her Majesty's Palace there were a
      few Court ladies there sitting on the veranda. They smiled and asked me to
      sit down with them as it was still too early, being only five o'clock. I
      had been told to wake Her Majesty at five thirty. The Young Empress came
      up a few minutes later and we all courtesied and wished her "good
      morning." After talking with us a few minutes, she asked if Her Majesty
      was awake and which one of us was on duty that day. When I informed her
      that it was my turn, she immediately ordered me to go to Her Majesty's
      room at once. I went very quietly and found some servant girls standing
      about and one Court lady, who was sitting on the floor. She had been on
      duty all night. When she saw me she got up and whispered to me, that now
      that I had come, she would go and change her clothes and brush up a bit,
      and for me not to leave the room until Her Majesty was awake. After this
      Court lady had gone, I went near to the bed and said: "Lao Tsu Tsung, it
      is half-past five." She was sleeping with her face toward the wall, and
      without looking to see who had called her, she said: "Go away and leave me
      alone. I did not tell you to call me at half-past five. Call me at six,"
      and immediately went off to sleep again. I waited until six and called her
      again. She woke and said: "This is dreadful. What a nuisance you are."
      After she had said this, she looked around and saw me standing by the bed.
      "Oh! it is you, is it? Who told you to come and wake me?" I replied: "One
      of the Court ladies told me that it was my turn to be on duty in Lao Tsu
      Tsung's bedchamber." "That is funny. How dare they give orders without
      receiving instructions from me first? They know that this part of their
      duty is not very pleasant and have put it off on you because they know you
      are new here." I made no reply to this. I got along as best I could that
      day and found it no easy matter, as Her Majesty was very exacting in
      everything. However, the next time I managed to divert her attention to
      things new or interesting in order to take her mind off of what she was
      doing, and in this way had much less trouble getting her out of bed.
    </p>
    <p>
      My reader can't imagine how very glad we were to get back to our rooms,
      and it was just 10:30 P. M. I was very tired and sleepy, so I undressed
      and went to bed at once. I think that as soon as my head touched the
      pillow I was asleep.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following day there was the same thing, the usual audience in the
      morning, of course busy all the time, which went on for fifteen days
      before I realized it. I began to take great interest in the Court life,
      and liked it better every day. Her Majesty was very sweet and kind to us
      always, and took us to see the different places in the Summer Palace. We
      went to see Her Majesty's farm, situated on the west side of the lake, and
      had to cross over a high bridge to get there. This bridge is called Tu Tai
      Chiao (Jade Girdle Bridge). Her Majesty often took us under this bridge in
      a boat, or we walked round on the border. She seemed very fond of sitting
      on the top of this bridge on her stool and taking her tea, in fact this
      was one of her favorite places. She used to go and see her farm once every
      four or five days, and it always pleased her if she could take some
      vegetables and rice or corn from her own farm. She cooked these things
      herself in one of the courtyards. I thought that was good fun, and also
      turned up my sleeves to help her cook. We brought fresh eggs also from the
      farm and Her Majesty taught us how to cook them with black tea leaves.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty's cooking stoves were very peculiar. They were made of brass,
      lined with bricks. They could be moved anywhere, for they had no chimneys.
      Her Majesty told me to boil the eggs first until they were hard, and to
      crack them but to keep the shells on, and add half a cup of black tea,
      salt and spices. Her Majesty said: "I like the country life. It seems more
      natural than the Court life. I am always glad to see young people having
      fun, and not such grand dames when we are by ourselves. Although I am not
      young any more, I am still very fond of play." Her Majesty would taste
      first what we had been cooking, and would give us all to taste. She asked:
      "Do you not think this food has more flavor than that prepared by the
      cooks?" We all said it was fine. So we spent the long days at the Court
      having good fun.
    </p>
    <p>
      I saw Emperor Kwang Hsu every morning, and whenever I had the time he
      would always ask some words in English. I was surprised to learn that he
      knew quite a bit of spelling, too. I found him extremely interesting. He
      had very expressive eyes. He was entirely a different person when he was
      alone with us. He would laugh and tease, but as soon as he was in the
      presence of Her Majesty he would look serious, and as if he were worried
      to death. At times he looked stupid. I was told by a great many people who
      were presented to him at the different audiences that he did not look
      intelligent, and that he would never talk. I knew better, for I used to
      see him every day. I was at the Court long enough to study him, and found
      him to be one of the most intelligent men in China. He was a capital
      diplomat and had wonderful brains, only he had no opportunities. Now a
      great many people have asked me the same question, if our Emperor Kwang
      Hsu had any courage or brains. Of course outsiders have no idea how strict
      the law is, and the way we have to respect our parents. He was compelled
      to give up a great many things on account of the law. I have had many long
      talks with him and found him a wise man, with any amount of patience. His
      life was not a happy one; ever since his childhood his health was poor. He
      told me that he never had studied literature very much, but it came
      natural to him. He was a born musician and could play any instrument
      without studying. He loved the piano, and was always after me to teach
      him. There were several beautiful grand pianos at the Audience Hall. He
      had very good taste for foreign music, too. I taught him some easy waltzes
      and he kept the time beautifully. I found him a good companion and a good
      friend, and he confided in me and told me his troubles and sorrows. We
      talked a great deal about western civilization, and I was surprised to
      learn he was so well informed in everything. He used to tell me, time
      after time, his ambitions for the welfare of his country. He loved his
      people and would have done anything to help them whenever there was famine
      or flood. I noticed that he felt for them. I know that some eunuchs gave
      false reports about his character,&mdash;that he was cruel, etc. I had
      heard the same thing before I went to the Palace. He was kind to the
      eunuchs, but there was always that distinction between the master and the
      servants. He would never allow the eunuchs to speak to him unless they
      were spoken to, and never listened to any kind of gossip. I lived there
      long enough, and I know just what kind of cruel people those eunuchs were.
      They had no respect for their master. They came from the lowest class of
      people from the country, had no education, no morals, no feeling for
      anything, not even between themselves. The outside world has heard so many
      things against His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu's character, but I
      assure my readers that these things were told by the eunuchs to their
      families, and of course they always stretched it out as far as possible in
      order to make the conversation interesting. The majority of the people
      living in Peking get all kinds of information through them. I have
      witnessed the same thing many a time during my stay at the Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      One day during the time of Her Majesty's afternoon rest we heard a
      dreadful noise. It sounded just like the firing off of fire-crackers. Such
      a noise was quite unusual in the Palace for such things are not allowed to
      be brought into the Palace grounds. Of course Her Majesty woke up. In a
      few seconds time everyone became excited and were running to and fro as if
      the building was on fire. Her Majesty was giving orders and telling the
      eunuchs to be quiet, but no one listened to her and kept yelling and
      running around like crazy people, all talking at the same time. Her
      Majesty was furious and ordered us to bring the yellow bag to her. (I must
      explain about this bag. It was made of ordinary yellow cloth and contained
      bamboo sticks of all sorts and sizes and are made to beat the eunuchs,
      servant girls and old women servants with.) This bag was carried
      everywhere Her Majesty went, to be handy in case of emergency. Everyone of
      us knew where this bag was kept. We took all the sticks from the bag and
      Her Majesty ordered us to go to the courtyard and beat the eunuchs. It was
      such a funny sight to see all the Court ladies and servant girls each with
      a stick trying to separate the excited crowd. On my part I thought I was
      having good fun so I laughed and found the rest were laughing too. Her
      Majesty was standing on the veranda watching us but she was too far away
      to see well and with all that noise, we knew she could not hear us
      laughing. We tried our best to separate the crowd, but were laughing so
      much we did not have enough strength to hurt any of them. All of a sudden
      all the eunuchs became quiet and stopped talking, for one of them saw the
      head eunuch, Li Lien Ying, followed by all his attendants coming towards
      them. Everyone of them became frightened and stood there like statues. We
      stopped laughing, too, and turned back each with a stick in our hand,
      walking toward Her Majesty. Li Lien Ying was having a nap, too, and had
      heard the noise and had come to enquire what the trouble was and to report
      it to Her Majesty. It seemed one of the young eunuchs caught a crow. (The
      eunuchs hated crows, as they are considered an unlucky bird. The people in
      China called eunuchs crows because they were very disagreeable. That was
      the reason why the eunuchs hated them so.) They always set traps to catch
      them and then tied a huge fire-cracker to their legs, set fire to the
      cracker and then set the unfortunate birds free. Naturally the poor birds
      would be glad to fly away and by the time the powder exploded would be
      high up in the air and the poor bird would be blown to pieces. It seemed
      this was not the first time the eunuchs had played this cruel trick. I was
      told it always delighted them so much to see blood and torture. They
      always invited others to drink some wine with them to celebrate an
      occasion such as this. This cruel deed was always done outside of the wall
      of the Audience Hall but that day the crow flew towards Her Majesty's own
      Palace while she was sleeping and the powder exploded while the bird was
      passing the courtyard. After the head eunuch had told Her Majesty what had
      happened, she was very angry and ordered that this young eunuch be brought
      in and receive punishment in her presence. I noticed one of the head
      eunuch's attendants push the culprit out from the crowd. The head eunuch
      immediately gave orders to lay this man on the ground and two eunuchs
      stood on each side of him and beat him on his legs with two heavy bamboo
      sticks one at a time. The victim never uttered a word while this was going
      on. The head eunuch counted until this man had received one hundred blows,
      then he gave orders to stop. Then he knelt in front of Her Majesty waiting
      for her orders and at the same time kowtowed on the ground until his head
      made a noise on the stone steps, asking to be punished for his
      carelessness and neglect of duty. Her Majesty said that it was not his
      fault and ordered him to take the offender away. During all this time the
      offender was still on the ground, and did not dare to move. Two eunuchs
      each took hold of a foot and dragged him out of the courtyard. We were all
      afraid even to breathe aloud for fear Her Majesty would say that we were
      pretending to be frightened at witnessing this punishment, at the same
      time when it was over we would go and gossip about how cruel she was. No
      one was surprised at what had happened, as we were accustomed to seeing it
      almost every day and were quite used to it. I used to pity them, but I
      changed my mind very soon after I had arrived.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first person I saw punished was a servant girl, she had made a mistake
      about Her Majesty's socks and had brought two which were not mates, Her
      Majesty finding that out, ordered another servant girl to slap her face
      ten times on each cheek. This girl did not slap hard enough, so Her
      Majesty said they were all good friends and would not obey her orders, so
      she told the one who had been slapped to slap the other. I thought that
      was too funny for anything and wanted to laugh the worst way, but of
      course did not dare. That night I asked those two girls how they felt
      slapping each other that way. The reason why I asked them was because they
      were laughing and joking as usual immediately they were out of Her
      Majesty's bedchamber. They told me that was nothing; that they were quite
      used to it and never bothered themselves about such small things. I in
      turn soon became used to it, and was as callous as they were.
    </p>
    <p>
      Now regarding the servant girls, they are a much better class of people
      than the eunuchs. They are the daughters of Manchu soldiers, and must stay
      ten years at the Palace to wait upon Her Majesty, and then they are free
      to marry. One got married after my first month at the Court. Her Majesty
      gave her a small sum of money, five hundred taels. This girl was so
      attached to Her Majesty that it was very hard for her to leave the Court.
      She was an extremely clever girl. Her name was Chiu Yuen (Autumn's Cloud).
      Her Majesty named her that because she was so very delicate looking and
      slight. I liked her very much during the short time that we were together.
      She told me not to listen to anyone's gossip at the Court, also that Her
      Majesty had told her she was very fond of me. On the twenty-second day of
      the third moon she left the Palace, and we were all sorry to lose her. Her
      Majesty did not realize how much she missed her until after she had gone.
      For a few days we had nothing but troubles. It seemed as if everything
      went wrong. Her Majesty was not at all satisfied without Chiu Yuen. The
      rest of the servant girls were scared, and tried their best to please Her
      Majesty, but they had not the ability, so we had to help and do a part of
      their work so as not to make Her Majesty nervous. Unfortunately, she
      stopped us, and said: "You have enough to do of your own work, and I do
      not want you to help the servants. You don't please me a bit that way."
      She could see that I was not accustomed to her ways, for she had spoken
      severely, so she smiled and said to me: "I know you are good to help them
      so as not to make me angry, but these servants are very cunning. It isn't
      that they cannot do their work. They know very well that I always select
      the clever ones to wait on me in my bedroom and they don't like that, so
      they pretend to be stupid and make me angry so that I will send them to do
      the common work. The eunuchs are worse. They are all afraid to take Chiu
      Yuen's place. Now I have found them out, and I will only keep the stupid
      ones to wait on me from now." I almost laughed when I noticed that they
      all looked serious for a moment. I thought these people must be really
      stupid, and not lazy, but I had dealings with them every day and found
      them out all right. The eunuchs don't seem to have any brains at all. They
      are such queer people and have no feelings. They have the same mood all
      day long&mdash;I should say they are in a cruel mood. Whenever Her Majesty
      gave an order they always said "Jer" (Yes) and as soon as they got to our
      waiting room they would say to each other: "What was the order? I have
      forgotten all about it." Then they used to come to one of us who had
      happened to be present when the order was given: "Please tell us what the
      order was. I did not listen while Her Majesty was talking." We used to
      laugh and make fun of them. We knew they were afraid to ask Her Majesty,
      and of course we had to tell them. One of the eunuch writers had to keep
      writing down the orders that had been given during the day, for Her
      Majesty wanted to keep records of everything. There were twenty eunuchs
      who were educated and they were excellent scholars. These had to answer
      any questions which Her Majesty happened to ask them about Chinese
      literature, while she had a good knowledge of it herself. I noticed that
      it pleased her a great deal if anyone could not answer a question, or knew
      less than she did. She took delight in laughing at them. Her Majesty was
      also very fond of teasing. She knew that the Court ladies did not know
      very much about literature, so she used to try it on us. We had to say
      something whether it was appropriate to her questions or not, and that
      would make her laugh. I was told that Her Majesty did not like anyone to
      be too clever, and yet she could not bear stupid people, so I was rather
      nervous, and did not know how to act for the first three weeks I was
      there, but it did not take me very long to study her. She certainly
      admired clever girls, but she did not like those who would show their
      cleverness too much. How I won her heart was this way. Whenever I was with
      her I used to fix my whole attention on her and watched her very closely
      (not staring, for she hated that) and always carried out her orders
      properly. I noticed another thing, and that was that whenever she wanted
      anything to be brought to her, such as cigarettes, handkerchief, etc., she
      would only look at the article and then look at anyone who happened to be
      there at the time. (There was always a table in the room, on which
      everything she needed for the day was placed.) I got so used to her habits
      that after a short time I knew just what she wanted by looking at her
      eyes, and I was very seldom mistaken. This pleased her a great deal. She
      was strong-minded, and would always act the way she thought was right, and
      had perfect confidence in herself. At times I have seen her looking very
      sad. She had strong emotions, but her will was stronger. She could control
      herself beautifully, and yet she liked people to sympathize with her&mdash;only
      by actions, not by words, for she did not like anyone to know her
      thoughts. I am sure my readers will think how hard it was to be the Court
      lady of Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager of China, but on the contrary I
      enjoyed myself very much, as she was so interesting, and I found that she
      was not at all difficult to please.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first day of the fourth moon Her Majesty was worried over the lack of
      rain. She prayed every day after the audience for ten days, without any
      result. Every one of us kept very quiet. Her Majesty did not even give any
      orders that day, and spoke to no one. I noticed that the eunuchs were
      scared, so we went without our luncheon. I worked so hard that morning,
      and was so hungry&mdash;in fact all the Court ladies were. I felt sorry
      for Her Majesty. Finally she told me I could go, as she wanted to rest a
      while, so we came back to our own quarters. I questioned our own eunuch
      Wang as to why Her Majesty was worrying about rain, for we were having
      lovely weather then, day after day. He told me that Lao Fo Yeh (Old
      Buddha) was worried for the poor farmers, as all their crops were dead
      without rain for so long. Wang also reminded me that it had not rained
      once since I came to live at the Palace. I did not realize that it was so
      long as two months and seven days, and on the other hand it seemed to me
      longer than that, for the life was very nice and pleasant, and Her Majesty
      was very kind to me, as if she had known me for years already. Her Majesty
      took very little food at dinner that night. There was not a sound
      anywhere, and everyone kept quiet. The Young Empress told us to eat as
      fast as we could, which puzzled me. When we came back to our waiting room,
      the Young Empress said to me that Her Majesty was very much worried for
      the poor farmers and that she would pray for rain, and stop eating meat
      for two or three days. That same night, before Her Majesty retired, she
      gave orders that no pigs were to be slaughtered within the gates of
      Peking. The reason of this was that by sacrificing ourselves by not eating
      meat the Gods would have pity on us and send rain. She also gave orders
      that everyone should bathe the body and wash out the mouth in order that
      we might be cleansed from all impurities and be ready to fast and pray to
      the Gods. Also that the Emperor should go to the temple inside the
      Forbidden City, to perform a ceremony of sacrifice (called Chin Tan). He
      was not to eat meat or hold converse with anyone, and to pray to the Gods
      to be merciful and send rain to the poor farmers. His Majesty, the Emperor
      Kwang Hsu, wore a piece of jade tablet about three inches square, engraved
      "Chai Chieh" (the meaning being just like Chin Tan-not to eat meat but to
      pray three times a day), both in Manchu and Chinese, and all the eunuchs
      who went with the Emperor wore the same kind of tablets. The idea was that
      this jade tablet was to remind one to be serious in performing the
      ceremonies.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning Her Majesty got up very early and ordered me not to bring
      any jewels for her. She dressed herself in great haste. Her breakfast was
      very simple that day, just milk and steamed bread. Our own breakfast was
      cabbage and rice cooked together, with a little salt. It was tasteless.
      Her Majesty did not talk to us at all, except when giving orders, and so,
      of course, we kept silent. Her Majesty wore a pale gray gown, made very
      plain, with no embroidery or trimmings of any kind. She wore gray shoes to
      match, not to mention her gray handkerchief. We followed her into the hall
      where a eunuch knelt with a large branch of willow tree. Her Majesty
      picked a little bunch of leaves and stuck it on her head. The Young
      Empress did the same, and told us to follow her example. Emperor Kwang Hsu
      took a branch and stuck it on his hat. After that Her Majesty ordered the
      eunuchs and the servant girls to do the same thing. It was a funny sight,
      and everyone did look queer with a bunch of leaves on the head. The head
      eunuch came and knelt in front of Her Majesty and said that everything was
      prepared for the ceremony in the little pavilion in front of her own
      palace. She told us that she preferred to walk, as she was going to pray.
      It took us only a few minutes to cross the courtyard. When we arrived at
      this pavilion I noticed a large square table was placed in the center of
      the room. A few large sheets of yellow paper and a jade slab, containing
      some vermilion powder instead of ink, with two little brushes to write
      with. At each side of the table stood a pair of large porcelain vases,
      with two large branches of willow. Of course no one was allowed to speak,
      but I was curious and wanted to find out why everyone had to wear the
      willow leaves on the head. Her Majesty's yellow satin cushion was placed
      in front of this table. She stood there and took a piece of sandalwood and
      placed it in the incense burner filled with live charcoal. The Young
      Empress whispered to me to go over and help Her Majesty to burn them. I
      placed several pieces in until she told me that was enough. Then Her
      Majesty knelt on her cushion, the Young Empress knelt behind her, and we
      all knelt in a row behind the Young Empress, and commenced to pray. The
      Young Empress taught us that very morning how to say the prayer: "We
      worship the Heavens, and beg all the Buddhas to take pity on us and save
      the poor farmers from starving. We are willing to sacrifice for them. Pray
      Heaven send us rain." We repeated the same prayer three times, and bowed
      three times&mdash;nine times in all. After that Her Majesty went to her
      usual morning audience. It was much earlier than usual that morning for
      the Court was returning to the Forbidden City at noon. His Majesty, the
      Emperor Kwang Hsu, was to pray at the Forbidden City and Her Majesty
      always wanted to accompany him wherever he went. It was nine o'clock in
      the morning when the audience was over. She ordered me not to bring any
      jewels for her to the Forbidden City this time, for she would not need
      them at all. I went to the jewel-room and locked everything up, and placed
      the keys in a yellow envelope, sealed it, and placed the envelope among
      the others, and gave them to a eunuch who takes care of these things. We
      packed all her favorite things. Her gowns were the most important things
      to pack, she had so many and it was impossible to take all. I noticed that
      the Court lady who was looking after her gowns was the busiest amongst us.
      She had to select gowns enough to last four or five days. She told me that
      she had selected about fifty different ones. I told her that Lao Tsu Tsung
      might stay at the Forbidden City four or five days, and that she would not
      need so many gowns. She said it was safer to bring many, for one was not
      sure what would be Her Majesty's idea for the day. Packing at the Court
      was very simple. Eunuchs brought many yellow trays, which are made of
      wood, painted yellow, about five feet by four feet and one foot deep. We
      placed a large yellow silk scarf in the tray, then the gowns, and covered
      them with a thick yellow cloth. Everything was packed the same way. It
      took us about two hours to pack fifty-six trays. These things always
      started off first, carried by the eunuchs. His Majesty, the Emperor Kwang
      Hsu, the Young Empress and all the Court ladies, had to kneel on the
      ground for Her Majesty's sedan chair to pass the Palace Gate, then we went
      in search of our own chairs. The procession as usual was pretty, soldiers
      marching in front of her chair, four young Princes riding on horseback on
      each side of her, and from forty to fifty eunuchs also on horseback behind
      her, all dressed in their official robes. The Emperor's chair and the
      Young Empress' chair were of the same color as Her Majesty's. The
      Secondary wife of the Emperor had a deep yellow chair. The chairs of the
      Court ladies were red, and were carried by four chair bearers, instead of
      eight like their Majesties. Our own eunuchs also rode on horseback, behind
      us. We rode a long time, it seemed to me, before I noticed the Emperor's
      chair begin to descend from the stone-paved road, and we all followed him.
      I could see that Her Majesty's chair was still going straight on, and we
      took a nearer route to reach Wan Shou Si (The long life temple), to await
      Her Majesty's arrival. We alighted from our chairs and started at once to
      prepare Her Majesty's tea and her little dishes. I went to help her to
      alight, and supported her right arm to mount the steps. Her Majesty sat on
      Her Throne, and we placed a table in front of her and my sister brought
      her tea. (The custom was, that if she went anywhere, or during the
      festivals, we must bring to her everything, instead of the eunuchs.) We
      placed all the dainties in front of her, and then we went to rest. Her
      Majesty always stopped at this temple on the way from the Summer Palace to
      the Forbidden City.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER TEN&mdash;THE YOUNG EMPRESS
    </h2>
    <p>
      I THOUGHT of so many things while I was riding in my chair. It was a
      glorious day. I felt sorry for Her Majesty, for she was very quiet that
      day. Generally she was happy, and made everyone laugh with her. I thought
      about the branches of willow, too, but could not understand the meaning. I
      came out of the hall while Her Majesty was dining with the Emperor, and
      found the Young Empress sitting in a small room on the left side of the
      courtyard, with several Court ladies. When they saw me they made signs for
      me to go there. I found them all drinking tea, and the Young Empress said
      to me, "I am sure you must be tired and hungry. Come and sit near me and
      have a cup of tea." I thanked her and sat down beside her and we talked of
      what we saw on the roads and how we had enjoyed our long ride. She said:
      "We have still an hour's ride before we reach the Forbidden City." She
      also talked about the ceremony we had performed that morning and said that
      we must all pray earnestly for rain. I could not wait any longer, so I
      asked her what those branches of willow meant. She smiled and told me that
      willow could bring water, as the Buddhist religion believes, and that it
      was an old custom of the Court wearing willow leaves, when praying for
      rain. She also told me that we must perform the same ceremony every
      morning until the rain came.
    </p>
    <p>
      We heard Her Majesty talking in the courtyard, and knew that she had
      finished her luncheon, so we went in with the Young Empress, and ate what
      was left, as usual. I found the food very nice indeed, although it seemed
      rather funny without having meat. We came out into the courtyard and saw
      that Her Majesty was walking up and down. She said to us: "My legs are so
      stiff, riding in the chair. I must walk a little before we leave here. Are
      you all tired?" We told her that we were not tired, so she ordered us to
      walk with her. It looked very funny to see us walking round and round, Her
      Majesty in front, and we following her. Her Majesty turned and smiled at
      us, and said: "We are just like horses taking their rounds at a stable."
      It reminded me of a circus. Li Lien Ying came and knelt down, and said
      that it was time for Her Majesty to depart, in order to reach the
      Forbidden City at the lucky hour she had selected, so we left Wan Shou Si.
      All the chairs went very fast, and after an hour's ride we came near the
      Palace Gate. We followed the Emperor's chair, taking a shorter route, and
      noticed the gate was wide open. His Majesty, the Emperor, and the Young
      Empress' chairs went in, but we had to alight and walk in. There were
      small chairs waiting for us. (As I explained before these little chairs
      were carried by eunuchs, with a rope across their shoulders.) We came to
      the courtyard of the Audience Hall where the Emperor and the Empress were
      waiting for us. As usual His Majesty knelt in front. Behind him was the
      Young Empress, and we knelt in a row behind her, waiting to welcome Her
      Majesty to her Palace. She went to her room where the eunuchs had placed
      everything in order long before her arrival. We held the ceremony that
      afternoon and evening. After Her Majesty had retired we came back to our
      rooms and found that everything was in order, our eunuchs had made up our
      beds already. It was very nice to have them, for we could not do our own
      work at all. I was so tired and my limbs were stiff. I immediately went to
      sleep and did not realize how long I had slept until I heard someone
      knocking at my window. I got up and pulled the blind away. I noticed that
      the sky looked dull and thought it was clouded. I felt happy, and thought
      it might rain, and so relieve Her Majesty. I got dressed in great haste,
      but much to my disappointment I saw the sunshine on the opposite windows.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Palace in the Forbidden City was so old, and built in such a queer
      way. The courtyards were small, and the verandas very broad. All the rooms
      were dark. No electric light. We had to use candle light. One could not
      see the sky except by going into the courtyard and looking up. I found
      that I had risen before the sun was up, and I was not quite awake yet, and
      thought the sky was clouded. I went to Her Majesty's own Palace and found
      the Young Empress already there. She was always the first and always
      looked so tidy I often wondered how early she had to get up. She told me
      that I was not late, although Her Majesty was awake but not up yet. I went
      into her bedroom and made my usual morning courtesy to her. The first
      thing she asked me was about the weather. I had to tell her the truth&mdash;that
      there was no sign of rain. Her Majesty got up, dressed, and had her
      breakfast as usual, and told us there would be no audience that morning.
      The Emperor went to the Temple, sacrificing, and there was nothing
      important to attend to. We prayed for three days in succession, but no
      rain came. I found that Her Majesty was truly discouraged, and ordered
      each of us to pray twenty times a day. We marked a spot with vermilion
      powder and a little water on big yellow sheets of paper each time we
      prayed.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the sixth day of the fourth moon the sky was clouded. I ran to Her
      Majesty's bedroom that morning to tell her the news, but found that
      someone had told her already. She smiled, and said to me: "You are not the
      first one to give me the good news. I know everyone of you wanted to be
      the first to tell me. I feel very tired today, and wish to lie down a
      little longer. You can go, and I will send for you when I am ready to get
      up." When I went to search for the Young Empress I found all the Court
      ladies there also. They all asked me if I had noticed the rain. We came
      out of the waiting room and found that the courtyard was wet, and after a
      while it rained very fast. Her Majesty got up, and we prayed as usual.
      Fortunately the rain did not stop, but came pouring down all that day.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty played solitaire with the dominoes, and I stood at the back of
      her chair watching her. I saw that the Young Empress and all the girls
      were standing on the veranda. Her Majesty saw them, too, and said to me:
      "Go and tell them to wait in the waiting room. Can't they see that the
      veranda is wet?" I went to them, but before I had the opportunity of
      telling them anything the Young Empress told me that the waiting room was
      wet, and that the water had gone in. As I said before, this building was
      very old, and there were no drains at all. Her Majesty's own Palace was
      high; it had twelve steps, while our waiting room, which was on the left
      side of her Palace, was built right on the ground, with no raised
      foundation at all. While I was talking on the veranda just for a few
      minutes, I got quite wet. Her Majesty knocked at her glass window and told
      us to go in. Now I must explain that none of us, not even the Young
      Empress could enter Her Majesty's Palace without her orders except we had
      work to do there, or were on duty. Her Majesty was very happy that day.
      She laughed and said that we looked as if we had just been pulled out of
      the lake. The Young Empress had on a pale blue gown, and the red tassel on
      her headdress was dripping red water all over her gown. She smiled and
      said to us: "Look at those girls; their gowns are all spoiled." While we
      were talking, Her Majesty gave us orders for us to change our clothes.
    </p>
    <p>
      After they had gone, I went back to Her Majesty. She looked at me and
      said: "You are wet also, only your clothes do not show." I had on a
      cashmere dress which was made very plain. She touched my arm and said:
      "How wet you are. You had better change, and put on a thick dress. I think
      foreign clothes must be very uncomfortable; the waist is too small and it
      seems to me out of proportion to the rest of the body. I am sure that you
      will look much prettier in our Manchu gown. I want you to change and put
      your Parisian clothes away as souvenirs. I only wanted to know how foreign
      ladies dressed and now I have seen enough. The Dragon Boat Festival will
      be here next month and I will make some pretty gowns for you." I thanked
      her by kowtowing to the ground and told her that I would be only too
      pleased to change into Manchu clothes, but having lived so many years
      abroad, and having always worn foreign clothes, I had not had any made. We
      were planning to change into Manchu gowns before coming to the Court, but
      we had received orders that Lao Tsu Tsung wished to see us in foreign
      clothes. I was very glad when I received that order as there were several
      reasons why I wanted to wear Manchu gowns. First, the Court ladies at the
      beginning treated us as outsiders. Secondly, I knew that Her Majesty did
      not like them, and besides, we were very uncomfortable living at the
      Palace in Peking, and made up our minds that we must wear Manchu clothes,
      which were made for it. We had so much work to do, and having to stand
      most of the time one absolutely needed loose garments. Her Majesty ordered
      one of the eunuchs to bring one of her dresses for me to try on, so I went
      back to my own room, and took off my wet clothes and changed. I tried on
      her gown, but it was too loose for me. The length was quite all right and
      so were the sleeves. Her Majesty told one of the eunuch writers to write
      down my measurements in order to have a gown made for me, and said she was
      sure it would fit me. She did the same thing for my mother and sister, and
      ordered our gowns to be made at once. I knew she was pleased, as she told
      me what color would suit me the best. She said that I should always wear
      pink and pale blue, for they suited, and were her favorite colors, too.
      She also talked about our headdress, and ordered some made the same as
      worn by the other Court ladies. She said to me: "I know you can wear my
      shoes, for I tried yours on the first day you came, don't you remember? I
      must select a lucky day for you to become a Manchu once more," she said
      this with a smile, "and no more foreign clothes after that." She took her
      special book for lucky days and hours, and studied it a little while, then
      she said the eighteenth of that month was the best. Li Lien Ying, the head
      eunuch knew how to please Her Majesty, and said he would give orders to
      have everything ready for us at that time. Her Majesty told us the way we
      must have our hair dressed, and what kind of flowers we should wear, in
      fact she was very happy arranging to make us into Manchus. A short while
      after she dismissed us for the day. It rained for three days without
      stopping. The last day the Emperor came back, and all ceremonies ceased.
      Her Majesty never liked to stay in the Forbidden City, and I was not a bit
      surprised, as I hated the place. We had to use candles to dress by, in the
      morning, as the rooms were in absolute darkness even in the middle of the
      afternoon. It rained so much that finally Her Majesty said she would
      return to the Summer Palace the next day, whether it was raining or not,
      and we were all very glad to go.
    </p>
    <p>
      We returned to the Summer Palace on the seventh. It was a dull day, but no
      rain. We packed everything in just the same way we had done when we came,
      and stopped at Wan Shou Si and had our luncheon. That day we commenced to
      eat meat again. I noticed that Her Majesty enjoyed her meal very much. She
      asked me if I liked the food without meat, and I told her that everything
      was nicely done and that I enjoyed the food very much, although without
      meat. She told me that she could not eat that kind of food and enjoy it,
      and that if it were not necessary to make sacrifice she would not have
      abstained.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first garden party of the year was given by the Empress Dowager to the
      ladies of the Diplomatic Corps, in the fourth moon. This year Her Majesty
      desired to deviate a little from previous custom, and issued orders that
      stalls should be arranged in the garden, on a similar principal to a
      bazaar, on which were to be displayed curios, embroidered work, flowers,
      etc., etc. These were to be given as presents to the guests. The guests
      were: Mrs. Conger, wife of the American Minister, Mrs. Williams, wife of
      Chinese Secretary of the American Legation, Madame and Mademoiselle de
      Carcer, wife and daughter of the Spanish Minister, Madame Uchida, wife of
      the Japanese Minister, and a few ladies of the Japanese Legation, Madame
      Almeida, wife of the Portuguese Charge d' Affaires, Madame Cannes, wife of
      the Secretary of the French Legation, the wives of several French
      Officers, Lady Susan Townley, wife of the First Secretary of the British
      Legation, two ladies from the German Legation, wives of German Officers,
      and wives of a few Customs Officials. On this occasion Her Majesty
      selected a most beautiful gown of peacock blue, embroidered all over with
      phoenix. The embroidery was raised and each phoenix had a string of pearls
      two inches long sewed into its mouth. Whenever Her Majesty stirred, these
      strings of tiny pearls moved forwards and backwards and it made a very
      pretty effect. Of course, she wore her jade phoenix on her hair as usual
      and shoes and handkerchief embroidered with the same pattern. My mother
      wore a lavender silk gown, trimmed with silver braid, her hat was of the
      same shade with plumes to match. My sister and myself wore pale blue
      Chinese silk gowns with insertion and medallions of Irish crochet and
      trimmed with tiny velvet bands. We wore blue hats with large pink roses.
      All the Court ladies dressed in their most picturesque gowns and it was a
      very pretty sight to see the procession walking to the Audience Hall.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was in her happiest mood that morning and said to us: "I
      wonder how I would look in foreign clothes; my waist is very small, but
      wearing this kind of loose gown it would not show. I don't think I would
      need to squeeze myself so tight, either, but I don't think there is
      anything in the world prettier than our Manchu gowns."
    </p>
    <p>
      First the guests were received in audience by Their Majesties. They were
      accompanied by the Doyen, Baron Czikann, Minister for Austria, and an
      interpreter from each Legation. On entering the Audience Hall all the
      guests stood in line and the Doyen presented a short address to Their
      Majesties. This was translated to Prince Ching, who, in turn, communicated
      it to the Emperor. The Emperor made a suitable reply in Chinese which was
      translated by the Doyen's interpreter. Then the Doyen mounted the steps of
      the dais and shook hands with Their Majesties, the rest of the guests
      being presented in turn. I was standing at the right hand of the Empress
      Dowager and as each guest came forward, called out their names, and the
      Legation which they represented. Her Majesty had a few words for everyone,
      and when she saw a new face she would ask how long they had been in China;
      whether they liked it, etc., etc. All these conversations I interpreted
      for Her Majesty. As the guests finished paying their respects they passed
      along and remained standing in the Hall until everybody had been
      presented.
    </p>
    <p>
      The interpreters, who did not take part in this ceremony but had remained
      standing in the Hall until it was over, were then conducted by Prince
      Ching to another part of the Palace, where refreshments were provided for
      them. After they had gone out Their Majesties descended from the dais and
      mixed with the guests.
    </p>
    <p>
      The formal ceremony now being concluded, chairs were brought in and
      everybody made themselves comfortable. Tea was brought in by the eunuchs
      and after a few minutes' conversation, we all adjourned to the refreshment
      room, with the exception of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Young
      Empress and the Secondary wife. In the absence of Her Majesty, the
      Imperial Princess (The Empress Dowager's adopted daughter) officiated as
      hostess, Mrs. Conger sitting at her right and Madame de Carcer, wife of
      the Spanish Minister, on her left. The food was all Chinese, but knives
      and forks were provided for the use of the guests. During the luncheon the
      Imperial Princess stood up and spoke a few words of welcome, which I
      translated into English and French. After the luncheon was over we
      adjourned to the garden where Their Majesties were awaiting us. A brass
      band was playing European airs.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty led the way around the gardens, passing the various stalls on
      the way, where the ladies would stop and admire the different articles,
      which were later presented to them as souvenirs of the occasion. On
      arriving at a teahouse which had been erected in the gardens, everybody
      rested and partook of tea. Their Majesties then wished everybody good-bye
      and the guests were then conducted to their chairs and took their
      departure.
    </p>
    <p>
      As usual, we reported to Her Majesty everything that had taken place and
      how the guests had enjoyed themselves. She said: "How is it that these
      foreign ladies have such large feet? Their shoes are like boats and the
      funny way they walk I cannot say I admire. I haven't yet seen one
      foreigner with pretty hands. Although they have white skins, their faces
      are covered with white hair. Do you think they are beautiful?" I replied
      that I had seen some American beauties when I was abroad. Her Majesty
      said: "No matter how beautiful they are they have ugly eyes. I can't bear
      that blue color, they remind me of a cat." After a few more remarks, she
      ordered us to retire, saying that we must be tired. We were rather used up
      and glad of an opportunity to rest, so made our courtesies and retired.
    </p>
    <p>
      We had been at the Palace more than two months, and I had had no
      opportunity to see my father at all, who was quite ill at that time. We
      did not know whether we could ask leave of absence from the Court. I
      received letters from my father every day, telling me to have courage, and
      to do my duty. My mother asked the Young Empress if it would be correct to
      ask Her Majesty for permission to go home for a day or two. The Young
      Empress told us that it would be quite all right to do that, but she
      thought it would be better if we could wait until after the eighth, for
      there would be a feast on that day. The eighth day of the fourth moon
      every year is the ceremony of eating green peas. According to the Buddhist
      religion there is a hereafter which divides or grades, according to the
      life that is lived on earth, that is to say, those who live good lives go
      to Heaven when they die and those who are bad go to a bad place to suffer.
      On this occasion Her Majesty sent to the people she liked, each a plate
      containing eight peas, and we had to eat them. The Young Empress told me
      that if I presented a plate of peas to Her Majesty it would please her,
      which I did. This meant: "May we meet in the hereafter" (Chi Yuen Dou).
      Her Majesty was very happy that day. We went to the west side of the lake
      and had our luncheon there. Her Majesty talked to us about the first day
      we came to the Court, and then said to mother: "I wonder if Yu Keng is any
      better. When will he be able to come to the Court? I haven't seen him
      since he returned from France." (My father had asked three months leave of
      absence from the Court on account of his poor health.) My mother answered
      and said that he was feeling better, but that his legs were still very
      weak, and he could not walk much. Her Majesty then said to us: "Oh, I have
      forgotten to tell you that if you wish to go home, you can ask permission.
      I have been so busy lately, and forgot to remind you." We thanked her and
      told her that we would like to go home and see how my father was, so she
      gave orders that we should leave the Court the next day. Then she asked me
      how long I would like to stay at home, and of course I knew the custom,
      and told her that I was waiting for her orders: "Would two or three days
      be enough?" We told her that it suited us beautifully. I was so surprised
      when she mentioned it to us, and wondered if anyone had told her of our
      intentions, or if Her Majesty was a mind reader.
    </p>
    <p>
      When she retired that afternoon I went to see the Young Empress, who was
      always very nice and kind, and asked me to sit near her. Her eunuch
      brought me a cup of tea. Her rooms were furnished exactly the same as Her
      Majesty's, but everything looked extremely dainty, and showed very good
      taste. We talked about the life at the Palace for a long time, and she
      told me that she was very fond of us, and so was Her Majesty. I told her
      that Her Majesty had mentioned to us about going home for two or three
      days and that I was surprised to see how thoughtful she was. She said that
      someone had reminded Her Majesty to let us go home, for we had been at the
      Court for more than two months. I found out afterwards that it was the
      head eunuch Li who had heard that we were anxious to go. The Young Empress
      said to me: "I want to teach you to be wise, that is, you are ordered to
      leave the Court to-morrow, but Her Majesty did not mention any particular
      hour. You must not talk about it to anyone, and don't show that you are
      excited to go home. Don't dress as if you are going out to-morrow, but be
      natural and do your work as if you don't care about going at all. Don't
      you remind her, in case she forgets to tell you to go, and come back on
      the second day, which is the custom. It will show that you are anxious to
      see Her Majesty, so you come back one day earlier than the appointed
      time." I was so happy to get this information and asked her if it would be
      all right to bring Her Majesty some presents when we returned to the
      Court. She said that was just the proper thing to do. The next day we did
      the same work, and went to the Audience Hall with Her Majesty, as usual.
      After the audience was over Her Majesty ordered her luncheon to be served
      at the country teahouse. This teahouse was built in country style, and
      right on top of her peony mountain, with bamboo and straw, and all the
      furniture was made of bamboo also. They were beautifully made, and the
      frames of the windows were carved into a line of characters&mdash;Shou
      (long life), and butterflies, with pink silk curtain hangings. At the rear
      of this exquisite little building was a bamboo shade, with railings all
      around, hung with red silk lanterns. The seats were built against the
      railings, so that one could sit on them comfortably. This was supposed to
      be used by the Court ladies as their waiting room. We played dice with Her
      Majesty when luncheon was over. We played a very long time, and I won the
      game that day. Her Majesty laughed and said to me: "You have luck to-day.
      I think you are so happy to go home that your fairies have helped you to
      win the game." As I mentioned before, this game was called "Eight Fairies
      Going across the Sea." "I think it is time for you to go now." While
      saying this she turned and asked one of the eunuchs what the time was, and
      he answered that it was half-past two. We kowtowed to Her Majesty, and
      stood waiting for more orders. Then she said: "I am sorry to see you go
      although I know you are coming back within two or three days. I know I
      shall miss you." To my mother she said: "Tell Yu Keng to take care of his
      health and get well soon. I have ordered four eunuchs to accompany you,
      and am sending some of my own rice for him." We had to kowtow again in
      thanking Her Majesty for her kindness and finally she said: "Nemen tzowba"
      (you can go now).
    </p>
    <p>
      We withdrew, and found the Young Empress on the veranda. We courtesied to
      her, and said good-bye to the Court ladies and came to our rooms to get
      ready to start. Our eunuchs were very good, and had everything packed up
      ready for us. We gave ten taels to each of our eunuchs, for that was the
      custom, and gave four taels to each chair bearer of the Palace. When we
      arrived at the Palace Gate our own chairs were waiting for us. We said
      good-bye to our eunuchs. Strange to say they seemed attached to us and
      told us to come back soon. The four eunuchs ordered by Her Majesty to see
      us home were there, and as soon as we got into our chairs I saw them
      riding on horseback beside us. It seemed to me just like a dream the two
      months I had spent at the Court, and I must say I felt very sorry to leave
      Her Majesty, but at the same time I wanted very much to see my father. We
      got home after a two hours' ride, and found him looking much better, and
      one can imagine how happy he was to see us. The four eunuchs came into our
      parlor, and placed the yellow bag of rice on the table. My father thanked
      Her Majesty by kowtowing to the ground. We gave these eunuchs each a
      little present, and they departed.
    </p>
    <p>
      I told my father about my life at the Palace, and how very kind Her
      Majesty was to me. He asked me if I could influence Her Majesty to reform
      some day, and hoped he would live to see it. Somehow or other I had the
      idea that I could and promised him that I would try my best.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty sent two eunuchs to see us the next morning, and also sent us
      food and fruits. They told us that Her Majesty missed us, and had told
      them to ask if we missed her. We told these eunuchs that we were returning
      to the Court the next day. We stayed at home only two days and a great
      many people came to see us, and kept us busy all the time. My father
      suggested that we should start from the house at about 3:00 A. M., so as
      to get to the Summer Palace before Her Majesty was up. We left our house
      at 3:00 A. M. in total darkness, just like we had two months before. What
      a change. I thought I was the happiest girl in the world. I was told by
      many people, especially by the Young Empress, that Her Majesty was
      extremely fond of me. I had also heard that she did not care for young
      people at all. Although I was happy, I noticed that some of the Court
      ladies did not like me, and they made me uncomfortable on many occasions
      by not telling me just the way Her Majesty wanted the work to be done.
      They smiled to each other whenever Her Majesty was saying to my mother
      that she liked me, and that I was always careful in doing anything that
      pleased her. I knew I was going to see those people again. However, I made
      up my mind to fight my battles alone. I only wished to be useful to Her
      Majesty, and would not take any notice of them.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was a little after five o'clock when we reached the Summer Palace. Our
      own eunuchs were very happy to see us again and told us that Her Majesty
      was not up yet and that we had time to go to our rooms, where they had
      some breakfast prepared for us. We went to see the Young Empress first,
      and found she was ready to go to Her Majesty's Palace. She was also very
      glad to see us, and told us that our Manchu costumes were all ready, and
      that she had seen them and they were perfectly lovely. We were very
      hungry, and enjoyed our breakfast immensely. After that we went to see Her
      Majesty. She was awake, so we went into her bedroom. We greeted her the
      same way that we did every morning, and kowtowed to her and thanked her
      for all the things she had sent us while we were at home. She sat up on
      the bed, smiled, and said: "Are you glad to come back? I know everyone who
      comes to me and stays for a while does not like to go away from here any
      more. I am glad to see you (to my mother). How is Yu Keng?" My mother told
      her that my father was much better. She asked us what we did for those two
      days, staying at home. She also wanted to know whether we still remembered
      which day she had chosen for us to change into our Manchu costume. We told
      her we knew the date, and were looking forward to it. The eunuchs brought
      in three large yellow trays, full of beautiful gowns, shoes, white silk
      socks, handkerchiefs, bags for nuts, in fact the whole set, including the
      gu'un dzan (Manchu headdress). We kowtowed to her, and told her we were
      very much pleased with everything she had given us. Her Majesty told the
      eunuchs to bring everything out for us to see. She said to us: "You see I
      give you one full official dress, one set of Chao Chu (amber heads), two
      embroidered gowns, four ordinary gowns for everyday wear, and two gowns
      for Chi Chen wear (the anniversary of the death of an Emperor or Empress),
      one sky blue, the other mauve, with very little trimming. I also have a
      lot of underwear for you." I was excited and told Her Majesty that I would
      like to commence to dress up at once. She smiled, and said: "You must wait
      until the day comes, the lucky day I have selected for you. You must try
      to fix your hair first, which is the most difficult thing to do. Ask the
      Young Empress to teach you." Although she told me to wait, I knew she was
      pleased to see that I showed so much enthusiasm. She asked me the first
      day when we came to the Court why my hair was so curly. I showed her that
      I curled it with paper, and she teased me ever afterwards. She also said
      that I could not pull my hair straight in time to wear Manchu clothes,
      that everyone would laugh at me, and how ugly I would look. That night one
      Court lady came over to me while I was sitting on the veranda and said: "I
      wonder if you will look nice in Manchu dress?" I told her I only wanted to
      look natural. "You have lived so many years abroad we consider you are a
      foreigner to us." I told her that as long as Her Majesty considered I was
      one of her own, I would be satisfied and that she need not worry herself
      about me. I knew they were jealous of us, so I went in search of the Young
      Empress and left this girl alone. We were talking with the Young Empress
      in the waiting room, and this girl came in and sat near me, smiling to
      herself most of the time. One of the servant girls was fixing some fresh
      flowers for Her Majesty. She looked at her and asked her why she was
      smiling. The Young Empress saw, and asked her the same question. She would
      not answer, but kept on smiling all the time. At this moment a eunuch came
      and said that Her Majesty wanted me. I afterwards tried to find out what
      she had told the Young Empress but could not. Several days passed very
      quietly. Her Majesty was happy, and so was I. One day the Young Empress
      reminded us that we should make all preparations in order to be able to
      dress ourselves properly on the eighteenth, as the time was getting short&mdash;only
      two days left. That night, after Her Majesty had retired, I went to my own
      room and fixed my headdress on and went to see the Young Empress. She said
      that I looked very nice, and that she was sure Her Majesty would like me
      better in Manchu costume. I told her that I used to wear Manchu dress when
      I was a little girl, before we went to Europe, and of course I knew how to
      put it on. I also told her that I could not understand why these girls
      looked upon me as a foreigner. She said that they only showed their
      ignorance, and that they were jealous of me and I should not pay any
      attention to them at all.
    </p>
    <p>
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      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER ELEVEN&mdash;OUR COSTUMES
    </h2>
    <p>
      THE next day we got up earlier than usual and dressed ourselves in our new
      gowns. I could not believe my own eyes, and asked several times whether
      that was myself or not. I found that I looked all right, although I hadn't
      been wearing this sort of costume for so long. They seemed to think that
      we would look awkward. Our own eunuchs were delighted to see us dressed
      that way. The Young Empress came in while passing our rooms on her way to
      the Empress Dowager's Palace, and waited for us to go with her. When we
      arrived at the waiting room a lot of people came in and looked at us, and
      talked so much about us, that it made me feel rather shy. Everyone told us
      that we looked much better that way than in foreign clothes, except the
      Emperor Kwang Hsu. He said to me: "I think your Parisian gowns are far
      prettier than this." I smiled and said nothing. He shook his head at me,
      and went into Her Majesty's bedroom. Li Lien Ying came and saw us, and was
      very much excited and told me to go and see Her Majesty at once. I told
      him that everyone was looking at us, as if we were curios. He said: "You
      don't know how nice you look now, and I wish that you would not wear
      foreign clothes at all." Her Majesty laughed so loud when she saw us that
      it made me uncomfortable, for I was afraid we looked unnatural to her. She
      said: "I cannot believe you are the same girls. Just look at yourselves in
      this looking-glass." She pointed to a large mirror in her room. "See how
      you have changed. I feel that you belong to me now. I must have some more
      gowns made for you." Then Li Lien Ying said that the twenty-fourth would
      be the first day of the Summer. On that day everyone would begin to wear
      jade hairpins instead of gold, and we had none. Her Majesty said to Li: "I
      am very glad you told me that. I must give them each a jade hairpin after
      having asked them to change into Manchu dress." Li went away and came back
      with a box of hairpins of pure green jade. Her Majesty took a beautiful
      one and handed it to my mother and told her that that pin had been worn by
      three Empresses. She took two very nice ones, and gave one to me and one
      to my sister. She told us that these two were a pair, and that the other
      Empress Dowager (the East Empress Dowager) used to wear one, and that the
      other was worn by herself when she was young. I felt ashamed that Her
      Majesty had given us so many presents and I had done nothing for her in
      any way. However, we thanked her most sincerely, and showed our
      appreciation. She said: "I look upon you as my own people, and the gowns I
      have made for you are the very best. I have also decided to let you wear
      the full Court dress, the same as one of the Princesses. You are my Court
      lady, so you are equally ranked here." Li stood there behind her and made
      a sign to us to kowtow to her. I cannot remember how many times I kowtowed
      that day. The headdress was very heavy, and I was not quite used to it; I
      was afraid it might fall off. Her Majesty also said that she would make
      our rank known to the Court on her seventieth birthday. I will explain
      this. On every decade from the time of her birth Her Majesty used to give
      special favors to anyone she liked, or to anyone who had done something
      for her, and had been useful to her. She could promote anyone at any time,
      but on these occasions it was something special. The Young Empress
      congratulated us, and said that Her Majesty was looking for a young Prince
      to marry me. She was also very fond of teasing. I wrote to my father about
      all the favors that had been given to me. He wrote me he hoped that I
      deserved them all, and that I must do all I could to be useful and loyal
      to Her Majesty as long as she lived.
    </p>
    <p>
      I was very happy. Life was perfectly lovely at the Palace. Her Majesty was
      always nice and kind. I noticed the difference in the way she had treated
      us since (as she said) we had become Manchus once more. One day Her
      Majesty asked me while we were sailing on the lake in the moonlight, if I
      wanted to go to Europe any more. It was a superb night, and several boats
      were sailing behind us. In one boat several eunuchs were playing a kind of
      sweet music on the flute and an instrument very much like the mandolin,
      called Yeuh Chin (small harp, like the shape of the moon), with Her
      Majesty singing very softly to herself. I told her I was satisfied to be
      with her, and did not wish to go anywhere at all. She said that I must
      learn to sing poetry and that she would teach me every day. I told her
      that my father had made me study all kinds of poetry and I had composed
      some myself. She looked surprised and said: "Why didn't you tell me that
      before? I love poems. You must read to me sometimes. I have many books
      here containing poems of different dynasties." I told her that my
      knowledge of Chinese literature was very limited, and I dared not let her
      see how little I knew. I had only studied eight years. Her Majesty told me
      that the Young Empress and herself were the only ones who were familiar
      with Chinese literature at the Court. She told me that she tried to teach
      the Court ladies to read and write some time ago, but having found them so
      lazy she gave them up. My father told me to be very careful not to show
      them what I could do until I was asked, so I kept it to myself. After they
      found this out, some of the Court ladies were very disagreeable to me, and
      this went on day after day.
    </p>
    <p>
      Except for this unpleasantness the fourth moon passed very agreeably. The
      first day of the fifth moon was a busy day for us all, as from the first
      to the fifth of the fifth moon was the festival of five poisonous insects,
      which I will explain later&mdash;also called the Dragon Boat Festival. All
      the Viceroys, Governors and high officials, besides the Imperial Family,
      Court ladies and eunuchs, all offer Her Majesty beautiful presents. I
      never saw such a lot of things as came into the Palace during this
      festival. Each person who sent in presents must accompany them with a
      sheet of yellow paper, and at the right lower corner the sender's name
      must be written and also the word Kuai Jin, meaning to present their gifts
      kneeling, also to write what the presents were. The eunuchs took big
      yellow trays to bring them in. During these five days everyone was busy,
      especially the eunuchs. I could not count just how many people sent
      presents to Her Majesty. The presents were of every kind, such as things
      for the household; silks and jewelry of all kinds and description. A large
      part of the presents were foreign goods of the ordinary kind. I also saw
      lovely carved thrones and embroideries. Her Majesty ordered them to be put
      away, and the foreign things to be kept in her Palace, for those were new
      to her.
    </p>
    <p>
      The third day of the fifth moon was the day for just the people of the
      Palace to make presents. It was a most beautiful sight to see. We were
      busy all night making preparations, and had to go and help the Young
      Empress. The next morning we placed our presents in the big courtyard in
      these big yellow trays. The Young Empress had her trays in the first row.
      The presents from the Young Empress to the Empress Dowager were made by
      her own hands. There were ten pairs of shoes, silk embroidered
      handkerchiefs, little bags for betel nuts, and bags for tobacco, all
      exquisitely done. The Secondary wife of the Emperor Kwang Hsu presented
      about the same to Her Majesty. The Court ladies' presents were all
      different, as we could ask permission to go out shopping before the Feast.
      We could not go out together, for one or two of us must be there at all
      times, and it was very exciting to tell each other what we had bought. We
      ourselves did not ask permission to go out of the Palace, for we had our
      presents ready long before. Everyone seemed to be talking about presents,
      whether Her Majesty would like them or not. My mother, my sister and
      myself had written to Paris to get some lovely French brocades, one set of
      furniture, French Empire style. We had learned Her Majesty's taste already
      during our short stay there, so including those presents we also gave her
      fans, perfumes, soaps and some other French novelties. Her Majesty always
      looked over everything, and noticed some of the presents were of very poor
      quality, and wanted to know the sender's name. The eunuchs and servant
      girls also made her good and useful presents. Her Majesty would select the
      articles she liked the best, and order the rest to be put away, and she
      might never see them again. I must say that Her Majesty liked and admired
      some foreign things very much, she especially loved the French fancy
      brocades, for she was making new gowns almost every day. She was also
      pleased with soaps and powder that would beautify the skin. She always
      thanked us in a very nice way and said how very thoughtful we were in
      selecting beautiful articles for her. Her Majesty would also say something
      nice to the eunuchs and girls, and that made everyone feel pleased.
    </p>
    <p>
      The fourth day of the fifth moon was the day that Her Majesty gave
      presents to us all, the different Princes, high officials, servant girls
      and eunuchs. Her memory was something extraordinary, for she could
      remember every one of the presents that had been given to her the day
      before, and the names of the givers also. That was a busy day for us. Her
      Majesty gave people presents according to the way they gave her. We had
      yellow sheets of paper and wrote out the names of those to whom she wished
      to give. That day Her Majesty was very angry with one of the wives of a
      certain Prince because her presents were the poorest. Her Majesty told me
      to keep that tray in her room and said she would go over them and see what
      they were. I knew she was not pleased, for she had a telltale face. She
      told us to measure the silks and ribbons in that tray, and leave it in the
      hall. The ribbons were all of different lengths, all too short to trim a
      gown, and the dress materials were not of good quality. Her Majesty said
      to me: "Now you look for yourself. Are these good presents? I know very
      well all these things were given to them by other people and they of
      course would select the best for themselves, and give me what was left.
      They know they are obliged to send me something. I am surprised to see how
      careless they are. Probably they thought as I receive so many presents I
      would not notice. They are mistaken, for I notice the poorest the first,
      in fact I can remember everything. I can see those who gave me things in
      order to please me, and those who gave because they were obliged to. I
      will return them the same way." She gave the Court ladies each a beautiful
      embroidered gown and a few hundred taels, the same to the Young Empress
      and the Secondary wife. The presents which she gave us were a little
      different, consisting of two embroidered gowns, several simple ones,
      jackets and sleeveless jackets, shoes, and flowers for the Manchu
      headdress. She said that we had not so many gowns, and instead of giving
      us the money, she had things made for us. Besides that, she gave me a pair
      of very pretty earrings, but none to my sister, for she noticed that I had
      a pair of ordinary gold earrings, while my sister had a pair set with
      pearls and jade. Her Majesty said to my mother: "Yu Tai Tai. I can see you
      love one daughter better than the other. Roonling has such pretty earrings
      and poor Derling has none." Before my mother could answer her she had
      turned to me while I was standing at the back of her chair: "I will have a
      nice pair made for you. You are mine now." My mother told her that I did
      not like to wear heavy earrings. Her Majesty laughed and said: "Never
      mind, she is mine now, and I will give her everything she needs. You have
      nothing to do with her." The earrings she gave me were very heavy. Her
      Majesty said that if I would wear them every day I would get used to them,
      and so it proved that after some time I thought nothing of it.
    </p>
    <p>
      Now about this Feast. It is also called the Dragon Boat Feast. The fifth
      of the fifth moon at noon was the most poisonous hour for the poisonous
      insects, and reptiles such as frogs, lizards, snakes, hide themselves in
      the mud, for that hour they are paralyzed. Some medical men search for
      them at that hour and place them in jars, and when they are dried,
      sometime use them as medicine. Her Majesty told me this, so that day I
      went all over everywhere and dug into the ground, but found nothing. The
      usual custom was that at noon Her Majesty took a small cup filled with
      spirits of wine, and added a kind of yellow powder (something like
      sulphur). She took a small brush and dipped it into the cup and made a few
      spots of this yellow paint under our nostrils and ears. This was to
      prevent any insects from crawling on us during the coming summer. The
      reason why it was also called the Dragon Boat Festival was because at the
      time of the Chou Dynasty the country was divided into several parts. Each
      place had a ruler. The Emperor Chou had a Prime Minister named Chi Yuan,
      who advised him to make alliance with the other six countries, but the
      Emperor refused, and Chi Yuan thought that the country would be taken by
      others in the near future. He could not influence the Emperor, so he made
      up his mind to commit suicide and jumped into the river, taking a large
      piece of stone with him. This happened on the fifth day of the fifth moon,
      so the year afterwards, the Emperor got into a Dragon boat to worship his
      soul, and throw rice cakes, called Tzu Tsi, into the river. On that day
      the people have celebrated this feast ever since. At the Palace the
      theatre played first this history, which was very interesting, and also
      played the insects trying to hide themselves before the most poisonous
      hour arrived. On that day we all wore tiger shoes, the front part of which
      was made of a tiger's head, with little tigers made of yellow silk to wear
      on the headdress. These tigers were only for the children to wear, and
      signified that they would be as strong as a tiger, but Her Majesty wanted
      us to wear them also. The wives of the Manchu officials came to the Court,
      and when they saw us they laughed at us. We told them it was by Her
      Majesty's orders.
    </p>
    <p>
      A register recording the birthdays of all the Court ladies was kept by the
      head eunuch, and a few days before my own birthday came around, the tenth
      day of the fifth moon, he informed me that the custom of the Court was to
      make a present to Her Majesty and said that the present should take the
      form of fruit, cakes, etc., so I ordered eight boxes of different kinds.
    </p>
    <p>
      Early in the morning I put on full Court dress, and made myself look as
      nice as possible and went to wish Her Majesty good morning. When she had
      finished dressing, the eunuchs brought in the presents and, kneeling, I
      presented them to Her Majesty, bowing to the ground nine times. She
      thanked me and wished me a happy birthday. She then made me a present of a
      pair of sandalwood bracelets, beautifully carved, also a few rolls of
      brocade silk. She also informed me that she had ordered some macaroni in
      honor of my birthday. This macaroni is called (Chang Shou Me'en) long life
      macaroni. This was the custom. I again bowed and thanked her for her
      kindness and thoughtfulness. After bowing to the Young Empress and
      receiving in return two pairs of shoes and several embroidered neckties, I
      returned to my room, where I found presents from all the Court ladies.
    </p>
    <p>
      Altogether I had a very happy birthday.
    </p>
    <p>
      I can never forget the fifteenth day of the fifth moon as long as I live,
      for that was a bad day for everyone. As usual we went to Her Majesty's
      bedroom quite early that morning. She could not get up and complained that
      her back ached so much. We rubbed her back, in turns, and finally she got
      up, though a little late. She was not satisfied. The Emperor came in and
      knelt down to wish her good morning, but she scarcely took any notice of
      him. I noticed that when the Emperor saw that Her Majesty was not well, he
      said very little to her. The eunuch who dressed her hair every morning was
      ill, and had ordered another one to help her. Her Majesty told us to watch
      him very closely to see that he did not pull her hair off. She could not
      bear to see even one or two hairs fall out. This eunuch was not used to
      trickery, for instance, in case the hair was falling off, he could not
      hide it like the other one did. This poor man did not know what to do with
      any that came out. He was frightened, and Her Majesty, seeing him through
      the mirror, asked him whether he had pulled her hair out. He said that he
      had. This made her furious, and she told him to replace it. I almost
      laughed, but the eunuch was very much frightened and started to cry. Her
      Majesty ordered him to leave the room, and said she would punish him
      later. We helped her to fix up her hair. I must say it was not an easy
      job, for she had very long hair and it was difficult to comb.
    </p>
    <p>
      She went to the morning audience, as usual, and after that she told the
      head eunuch what had happened. This Li was indeed a bad and cruel man, and
      said: "Why not beat him to death?" Immediately she ordered Li to take this
      man to his own quarters to receive punishment. Then Her Majesty said the
      food was bad, and ordered the cooks to be punished also. They told me that
      whenever Her Majesty was angry everything went wrong, so I was not
      surprised that so many things happened that day. Her Majesty said that we
      all looked too vain with our hair too low down at the back of the head.
      (This Manchu headdress is placed right in the center of one's head and the
      back part is called the swallow's tail, and must reach the bottom part of
      one's collar.) We had our hair done up the same way every day, and she had
      previously never said a word about it. She looked at us, and said: "Now I
      am going to the audience, and don't need you all here. Go back to your
      rooms and fix your hair all over again. If I ever see you all like that
      again I am going to cut your hair off." I was never more surprised in my
      life when I heard her speak so sharply to us. I don't know whether I was
      spoken to or not, but I thought it well to be wise, and I answered I
      would. We were all ready to go and Her Majesty stood there watching us.
      When we were about five or six feet away we heard her scolding Chun Shou
      (the girl who was neither a Court lady nor a servant). Her Majesty said
      she was pretending she was all right, and Her Majesty ordered her to go
      also. When we were walking towards our own place, some of them laughed at
      Chun Shou, which made her angry. When Her Majesty was angry with anyone,
      she would say that we were all doing something on purpose to make her
      angry. I must say that everyone of us was scared, and wondered who would
      have dared to do that. On the contrary, we tried our best to please her in
      every way.
    </p>
    <p>
      But that day she was furious all day and I tried to stay away from her. I
      noticed some of the eunuchs went to her to ask questions concerning
      important matters, but she would not look at them, but kept on reading her
      book. To tell the truth, I felt miserable that day. At the beginning I
      thought all the eunuchs were faithful servants, but seeing them every day,
      I got to know them. It did not do them any harm to be punished once in a
      while.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Young Empress told me to go in and wait on Her Majesty as usual. She
      said that probably if I would suggest playing dice with her, she might
      forget her troubles. At first I did not want to go, for I was afraid that
      she might say something to me, but seeing that the poor Young Empress
      spoke to me so nicely, I told her I would try. When I entered Her
      Majesty's sitting room I found her reading a book. She looked at me and
      said: "Come over here, I would like to tell you something. You know these
      people at the Palace are no good and I don't like them at all. I don't
      want them to poison your ears by telling you how wicked I am. Don't talk
      to them. You must not fix your hair too low down at the back of your head.
      I was not angry with you this morning. I know you are different. Don't let
      them influence you. I want you to be on my side, and do as I tell you."
      Her Majesty spoke very kindly to me, and her face changed also&mdash;not
      at all the same face she had that morning. Of course I promised her that I
      would be only too happy to do all I could to please her. She spoke to me
      just like a good mother would speak to a dear child. I changed my opinion
      and thought that perhaps after all she was right, but I had often heard
      from the officials that one cannot be good to a eunuch, as he would do all
      he could to injure you without any reason whatsoever.
    </p>
    <p>
      I noticed that day they all seemed to be more careful in doing their work.
      I was told that when once Her Majesty got angry, she would never finish.
      On the contrary, she talked to me very nicely, just as if there had been
      no troubles at all. She was not difficult to wait upon, only one had to
      watch her moods. I thought how fascinating she was, and I had already
      forgotten that she had been angry. She seemed to have guessed what I was
      thinking, and said: "I can make people hate me worse than poison, and can
      also make them love me. I have that power." I thought she was right there.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER TWELVE&mdash;THE EMPRESS AND MRS. CONGER
    </h2>
    <p>
      ON the twenty-sixth day of the fifth moon, during the morning audience,
      Prince Ching told Her Majesty that Mrs. Conger, the wife of the American
      Minister to Peking, had asked for a private audience, and would Her
      Majesty please mention a day. She told him not to give any answer until
      the next day, just to give her time to think it over. I was sitting behind
      the large screen, listening, but the other Court ladies made too much
      noise, so Her Majesty ordered them not to say a word during audience. I
      was very glad myself, because I could listen to some of the interesting
      conversations between the Empress Dowager and her Ministers. After the
      audience, Her Majesty ordered her lunch to be served on the top of the
      hill at Pai Yuen Dien (Spreading Cloud Pavilion). She said that she
      preferred to walk, so we followed her very slowly. To get to this place we
      had to mount two hundred and seventy-two steps, besides ten minutes'
      climbing over rough stones. She did not seem to mind the climbing part at
      all. It was the funniest thing to see two little eunuchs on either side,
      to support her arms, trying to keep pace with her. I noticed that she was
      very much preoccupied, and did not speak to any of us. When we arrived at
      our destination we were very tired and quite exhausted. Her Majesty, who
      was a good walker herself, laughed at us. She was always very much pleased
      when she excelled in games of skill or endurance. She said: "You see I am
      old, and can walk much faster than you young people. You are all no use.
      What is the matter with you?" Her Majesty was very fond of receiving
      compliments. I had been there long enough to know and had learned to say
      things which would please her. She also hated anyone to pay her
      compliments at the wrong moment, so one had to be very careful even in
      paying her compliments.
    </p>
    <p>
      This "spreading cloud" pavilion was a beautiful Palace. It had an open
      space in front of the building, just like one of the courtyards, with pink
      and white oleanders all over the place. There was a porcelain table and
      several porcelain stools. Her Majesty sat on her own yellow satin stool
      and was drinking her tea in silence. It was very windy that day, although
      the sky was blue with warm sunshine. Her Majesty sat there just for a few
      minutes, and then said it was too windy and went into the building. I was
      more than glad to go in, too, and whispered to the Young Empress that I
      thought the wind might blow off my headdress. The eunuchs brought the
      luncheon and placed everything upon the table. The Young Empress made a
      sign for us to follow her, which we did. When we came to the back veranda
      we sat down on the window seats. I will explain about these seats. All the
      windows were built low at the Palace, and on the veranda there was
      something like a bench built along the window, about a foot wide. There
      were no chairs to be seen excepting Her Majesty's thrones. The Young
      Empress asked me whether I had noticed that Her Majesty had something on
      her mind. I told her that perhaps she was thinking about the private
      audience which Prince Ching had mentioned that morning. She said that I
      had guessed right, and asked: "Do you know anything about this audience?
      When will it take place?" I said that Her Majesty had not yet given her
      answer.
    </p>
    <p>
      By this time Her Majesty had finished eating and was walking up and down
      the room, watching us eating. She came over to my mother and said: "I am
      just wondering why Mrs. Conger asks for a private audience. Perhaps she
      has something to say to me. I would like to know just what it is so I can
      prepare an answer." My mother said that probably Mrs. Conger had someone
      visiting her who wished to be presented to Her Majesty. "No, it can't be
      that, because they must give the list of names of those who wish to come
      to the Palace. I don't mind the formal audiences, but I don't think that I
      should have private ones at all. I don't like to be questioned, as you all
      know. The foreigners are, of course, very nice and polite, according to
      their own way, but they cannot compare with us, so far as etiquette is
      concerned. I may be conservative in saying that I admire our custom and
      will not change it as long as I live. You see our people are taught to be
      polite from their earliest childhood, and just look back at the oldest
      teachings and compare them with the new. People seem to like the latter
      the best. I mean that the new idea is to be Christians, to chop up their
      Ancestral Tablets and burn them. I know many families here who have broken
      up because of the missionaries, who are always influencing the young
      people to believe their religion. Now I tell you why I feel uneasy about
      this audience is because we are too polite to refuse anyone who asks any
      favors in person. The foreigners don't seem to understand that. I'll tell
      you what I will do. Whenever they ask me anything, I'll simply tell them
      that I am not my own boss, but have to consult with my Ministers; that
      although I am the Empress Dowager of China, I must also obey the law. To
      tell the truth, I like Madame Uchida (wife of the Japanese Minister to
      Peking) very much. She is always very nice and doesn't ask any silly
      questions. Of course the Japanese are very much like ourselves, not at all
      forward. Last year, before you came to the Court, a missionary lady came
      with Mrs. Conger, and suggested that I should establish a school for girls
      at the Palace. I did not like to offend her, and said that I would take it
      into consideration. Now, just imagine it for a moment. Wouldn't it be
      foolish to have a school at the Palace; besides, where am I going to get
      so many girls to study? I have enough to do as it is. I don't want all the
      children of the Imperial family studying at my Palace."
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty laughed while she was telling us this, and everyone else
      laughed, too. She said: "I am sure you will laugh. Mrs. Conger is a very
      nice lady. America is always very friendly towards China, and I appreciate
      their nice behavior at the Palace during the twenty-sixth year of Kwang
      Hsu (1900), but I cannot say that I love the missionaries, too. Li Lien
      Ying told me that these missionaries here give the Chinese a certain
      medicine, and that after that they wish to become Christians, and then
      they would pretend to tell the Chinese to think it over very carefully,
      for they would never force anyone to believe their religion against their
      own will. Missionaries also take the poor Chinese children and gouge their
      eyes out, and use them as a kind of medicine." I told her that that was
      not true; that I had met a great many missionaries, and that they were
      very kind-hearted and willing to do anything to help the poor Chinese. I
      also told her what they had done for the poor orphans&mdash;given them a
      home, food and clothing; that sometimes they went into the interior and
      found the blind children who might be useless to their parents, and when
      they get them they have to support them. I know several cases like that.
      These country people offer their deformed children to the missionaries, as
      they are too poor to feed and take care of them. I told her about their
      schools, and how they helped the poor people. Her Majesty then laughed,
      and said: "Of course I believe what you say, but why don't these
      missionaries stay in their own country and be useful to their own people?"
      I thought it would be of no use for me to talk too much, but at the same
      time I would like her to know of the dreadful times some of the
      missionaries had in China. Some time ago, two of them were murdered at Wu
      Shuih, in June, 1892 (a little below Hankow), the church being burnt down
      by the mob. My father was appointed by Viceroy Chang Chih Tung to
      investigate the matter. After much trouble he caught three of the
      murderers and, according to the Chinese law, they were put to death by
      hanging in wooden cages, and the Government paid an indemnity to the
      families of the murdered missionaries. The year after, 1893, a Catholic
      church was burnt down at Mar Cheng, on the Yangtse, near Ichang. The mob
      said they saw many blind children at the church, who were made to work
      after having their eyes gouged out. The Prefect of Ichang Province said it
      was true that missionaries did get the Chinese childrens' eyes for making
      medicine, so my father suggested having those blind children brought into
      the Yamen and ask them. The Prefect was a most wicked man, and was very
      anti-foreign also. He gave the poor children plenty of food, and taught
      them to say that the missionaries did gouge their eyes out, but when they
      were brought in the next day they said that the missionaries treated them
      very kindly and gave them a nice home, good food and clothing. They said
      they were blind long before they became Catholics, and also said that the
      Prefect had taught them to say that the missionaries were cruel to them,
      which was not true. The blind children begged to go back to the school and
      said that they were very happy there.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty said: "That may be all right for them to help the poor and
      relieve their suffering. For instance, like our great Buddha Ju Lai, who
      fed the hungry birds with his own flesh. I would love them if they would
      leave my people alone. Let us believe our own religion. Do you know how
      the Boxer rising began? Why, the Chinese Christians were to blame. The
      Boxers were treated badly by them, and wanted revenge. Of course that is
      always the trouble with the low class of people. They went too far, and at
      the same time thought to make themselves rich by setting fire to every
      house in Peking. It made no difference whose house. They wanted to burn so
      long as they could get money. These Chinese Christians are the worst
      people in China. They rob the poor country people of their land and
      property, and the missionaries, of course, always protect them, in order
      to get a share themselves. Whenever a Chinese Christian is taken to the
      Magistrate's Yamen, he is not supposed to kneel down on the ground and
      obey the Chinese law, as others do, and is always very rude to his own
      Government Officials. Then these missionaries do the best they can to
      protect him, whether he is wrong or not, and believe everything he says
      and make the magistrate set the prisoner free. Do you remember that your
      father established rules in the twenty-fourth year of Kwang Hsu, how the
      Chinese officials should treat the Bishops whenever they had dealings with
      each other? I know the common class of people become Christians&mdash;also
      those who are in trouble&mdash;but I don't believe that any of the high
      officials are Christians." Her Majesty looked around and whispered: "Kang
      Yue Wai (the reformer in 1898) tried to make the Emperor believe that
      religion. No one shall believe as long as I live. I must say that I admire
      the foreigners in some ways. For instance, their navies and armies, and
      engineers, but as regards civilization I should say that China is the
      first country by all means. I know that many people believe that the
      Government had connections with the Boxers, but that is not true. As soon
      as we found out the trouble we issued several Edicts, and ordered the
      soldiers to drive them out, but they had gone too far already. I made up
      my mind not to go out of the Palace at all. I am an old woman, and did not
      care whether I died or not, but Prince Tuang and Duke Lan suggested that
      we should go at once. They also suggested that we should go in disguise,
      which made me very angry, and I refused. After the return of the Court to
      Peking, I was told that many people believed that I did go in disguise,
      and said that I was dressed in one of my servant's clothes, and rode in a
      broken cart drawn by a mule, and that this old woman servant of mine was
      dressed as the Empress Dowager, and rode in my sedan chair. I wonder who
      made that story up? Of course everyone believed it, and such a story would
      get to the foreigners in Peking without any trouble.
    </p>
    <p>
      "Now to come back to the question of the Boxer Rising. How badly I was
      treated by my own servants. No one seemed anxious to go with me, and a
      great many ran away before the Court had any idea of leaving the Capital
      at all, and those who stayed would not work, but stood around and waited
      to see what was going to happen. I made up my mind to ask and see how many
      would be willing to go, so I said to everyone: 'If you servants are
      willing to go with me, you can do so, and those who are not willing, can
      leave me.' I was very much surprised to find that there were very few
      standing around listening. Only seventeen eunuchs, two old women servants
      and one servant girl, that was Sho Chu. Those people said they would go
      with me, no matter what happened. I had 3,000 eunuchs, but they were
      nearly all gone before I had the chance of counting them. Some of the
      wicked ones were even rude to me, and threw my valuable vases on the stone
      floor, and smashed them. They knew that I could not punish them at that
      important moment, for we were leaving. I cried very much and prayed for
      our Great Ancestors' Souls to protect us. Everyone knelt with me and
      prayed. The Young Empress was the only one of my family who went with me.
      A certain relative of mine, whom I was very fond of, and gave her
      everything she asked, refused to go with me. I knew that the reason she
      would not go was because she thought the foreign soldiers would catch up
      the runaway Court, and kill everyone.
    </p>
    <p>
      "After we had been gone about seven days, I sent one eunuch back, to find
      out who was still in Peking. She asked this eunuch whether there were any
      foreign soldiers chasing us, and whether I was killed. Soon after the
      Japanese soldiers took her Palace, and drove her out. She thought she was
      going to die anyway, and as I was not yet assassinated, she might catch up
      with the Court, and go with us. I could not understand how she traveled so
      fast. One evening we were staying at a little country house, when she came
      in with her husband, a nice man. She was telling me how much she had
      missed me, and how very anxious she had been all that time to know whether
      I was safe or not, and cried. I refused to listen to what she was saying
      and told her plainly that I did not believe a word. From that time she was
      finished for me. I had a very hard time, traveling in a sedan chair, from
      early morning, before the sun rose, until dark and in the evening had to
      stop at some country place. I am sure you would pity me, old as I am, that
      I should have had to suffer in that way.
    </p>
    <p>
      "The Emperor went all the way in a cart, drawn by a mule, also the
      Empress. I went along, and was praying to our Great Ancestors for
      protection, but the Emperor was very quiet, and never opened his mouth.
      One day something happened. It rained so much and some of the chair
      carriers ran away. Some of the mules died suddenly. It was very hot, and
      the rain was pouring down on our heads. Five small eunuchs ran away also,
      because we were obliged to punish them the night before on account of
      their bad behavior to the Magistrate, who did all he could to make me
      comfortable, but of course food was scarce. I heard these eunuchs
      quarreling with the Magistrate, who bowed to the ground, begging them to
      keep quiet, and promised them everything. I was of course very angry.
      Traveling under such circumstances one ought to be satisfied that one was
      provided for.
    </p>
    <p>
      "It took us more than a month before we reached Shi An. I cannot tell you
      how fatigued I was, and was of course worrying very much, which made me
      quite ill for almost three months. So long as I live I cannot forget it.
    </p>
    <p>
      "We returned to Peking early in the twenty-eighth year of Kwang Hsu and I
      had another dreadful feeling when I saw my own Palace again. Oh! it was
      quite changed; a great many valuable ornaments broken or stolen. All the
      valuable things at the Sea Palace had been taken away, and someone had
      broken the fingers of my white jade Buddha, to whom I used to worship
      every day. Several foreigners sat on my throne and had their photos taken.
      When I was at the Shi An I was just like being sent into exile, although
      the Viceroy's Yamen was prepared for us, but the building was very old,
      damp and unhealthy. The Emperor became ill. It would take a long time to
      tell you everything; I thought I had enough trouble, but this last was the
      worst. When I have time, I will tell you more about it. I want you to know
      the absolute truth.
    </p>
    <p>
      "Now let us come back to the question of Mrs. Conger's private audience.
      There must be something special, but I hope that she will not ask for
      anything, for I hate to refuse her. Can you guess what it is?" I told Her
      Majesty that there could not be anything special; besides, Mrs. Conger
      considered herself to be a person who knew Chinese etiquette very well,
      and I didn't believe she would ask for anything at all. Her Majesty said:
      "The only objection I have is that Mrs. Conger always brings one of the
      missionaries as her interpreter, when I have your mother, your sister and
      yourself, which I think should be sufficient. I don't think it is right
      for her to do that; besides, I cannot understand their Chinese very well.
      I like to see the ladies of the Diplomatic body sometimes, but not the
      missionaries. I will stop that when the opportunity comes."
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning Prince Ching told Her Majesty that the American Admiral,
      and Mrs. Evans, and suite wished to be presented to her. The American
      Minister asked two private audiences. He said he had made a mistake by
      telling her that Mrs. Conger had asked an audience for herself, the day
      before.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the regular morning audience was over Her Majesty laughed and said:
      "Didn't I tell you yesterday that there must be a reason for asking an
      audience? I rather would like to meet the American Admiral and his wife."
      Turning to us she said: "Be sure and fix everything up pretty, change
      everything in my bedroom, so as not to show them our daily life." We all
      said "Jur" (yes), but we knew it was going to be a hard task to turn the
      Palace upside down.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was just the night before the appointed audience. We started to work
      taking off the pink silk curtains from every window, and changing them for
      sky blue (the color she hated); then we changed the cushions on the chairs
      to the same color. While we were watching the eunuchs doing the work,
      several of them came into the room, carrying a large tray full of clocks.
      By this time her Majesty had come into the room, and ordered us to remove
      all her white and green jade Buddhas and take some of the jade ornaments
      away, for those things were sacred, and no foreigners should see them, so
      we replaced them with these clocks, instead. We also took away the three
      embroidered door curtains, and changed them for ordinary blue satin ones.
      I must explain that these three curtains were sacred, too. They were
      embroidered to represent five hundred Buddhist deities, on old gold satin,
      and had been used by Emperor Tou Kwang. Her Majesty believed that by
      hanging these curtains at her door they would guard against evil spirits
      entering her room. The order was that one of us should remember to place
      them back again when the audience was over. We fixed every piece of
      furniture in her bedroom. Her toilet table was the most important thing.
      She would not let anyone see it-not even the wives of the Officials who
      came in, so of course we had to put it in a safe place, and lock it up. We
      changed her bed from pink color into blue. All her furniture was made of
      sandalwood, also carvings on her bed. This sandalwood, before it was made
      into furniture, was placed in different temples, to be sanctified, so of
      course no foreigner could see it. As we could not take this carving from
      her bed, we covered it up with embroidered hangings. While we were working
      Her Majesty came in and told us not to hurry in her bedroom, because the
      audience the next day would only be for Admiral Robley Evans and his
      staff, and they would not visit the private rooms. The audience for Mrs.
      Evans and the other ladies would be the day after. She said it was
      important to see that the Audience Hall was fixed up properly. She said:
      "Place the only carpet we have here in the hall. I don't like carpets
      anyway, but it cannot be helped."
    </p>
    <p>
      After we had finished, Her Majesty started to tell us what to wear for the
      ladies' audience. She said to me: "You need not come to the throne
      to-morrow, there will only be gentlemen. I will get one of the Ministers
      from Wai-Wu-Pu (Bureau of Foreign Affairs). I don't want you to talk to so
      many strange men. It is not the Manchu custom. These people are all
      strangers. They might go back to America and tell everybody what you look
      like." At the same time Her Majesty gave orders for the Imperial Yellow
      Gown to be brought in next day, for the gentleman's audience. She said
      that she must dress in her official robe for this occasion. This robe was
      made of yellow satin, embroidered with gold dragons. She wore a necklace
      composed of one hundred and eight pearls, which formed part of this
      official dress. She said: "I don't like to wear this official robe. It is
      not pretty, but I am afraid I will have to." She said to all of us: "You
      need not dress especially."
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning Her Majesty got up early, and was busier than ever. It
      seemed to me that whenever we had an audience we always had so much
      trouble. Something was sure to go wrong and make Her Majesty angry. She
      said: "I want to look nice, and be amiable, but these people always make
      me angry. I know the American Admiral will go home and tell his people
      about me, and I don't want him to have a wrong impression." It took her
      almost two hours to dress her hair, and by that time it was too late for
      her usual morning audience, so she proposed holding that after the
      foreigners had gone away. She looked at herself in the looking-glass, with
      her Imperial robe on, and told me that she did not like it, and asked me
      whether I thought the foreigners would know that it was an official robe.
      "I look too ugly in yellow. It makes my face look the same color as my
      robe," she said. I suggested that as it was only a private audience, if
      she wished to dress differently, it would not matter at all. She seemed
      delighted, and I was afraid lest I had not made a proper suggestion, but
      anyway I was too busy to worry. Her Majesty ordered that her different
      gowns should be brought in, and after looking them over she selected one
      embroidered all over with the character "Shou" (long life), covered with
      precious stones and pearls, on pale green satin. She tried it on, and said
      that it was becoming to her, so she ordered me to go to the jewel-room and
      get flowers to match for her hair. On one side of the headdress was the
      character (shou) and on the other side was a bat (the bat in China is
      considered to be lucky). Of course her shoes, handkerchiefs and everything
      else were embroidered in the same way. After she was dressed, she smiled
      and said: "I look all right now. We had better go to the audience hall and
      wait for them, and at the same time we can play a game of dice." Then to
      us all she said: "All of you will stay at the back of the screen during
      the audience. You can see all right, but I don't wish that you should be
      seen." The eunuchs had laid the map down on the table and were just going
      to commence playing dice, when one of the high rank eunuchs came into the
      Hall and, kneeling down, said that the American Admiral had arrived at the
      Palace Gate, together with the American Minister&mdash;ten or twelve
      people altogether. Her Majesty smiled and said to me: "I thought it was
      just going to be the American Minister and the Admiral, and one or two of
      his staff. Who can the rest of the people be? However, never mind, I will
      receive them anyway." We helped her to mount her throne upon the dais,
      fixed her clothes, and handed her the paper containing the speech she was
      to give. Then we went back of the screen, with the Young Empress. It was
      so very quiet, not a sound anywhere, that we could hear the boots of the
      visitors as they walked over the stones in the courtyard. We were peeping
      from behind the screen, and could see several of the Princes mounting the
      steps, conducting these people to the Hall. The Admiral and the American
      Minister came in, and stood in a line. They bowed three times to the
      Empress Dowager. The Emperor was also on his throne, sitting at her left
      hand. His throne was very small, just like an ordinary chair. Her
      Majesty's speech was simply to welcome the Admiral to China. They then
      came up to the dais and shook hands with their Majesties, ascending on one
      side, and retiring down the other. Prince Ching took them into another
      Palace building, where they had lunch, and the audience was over. It was
      very simple and formal.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the audience was over Her Majesty said that she could hear us
      laughing behind the screen, and that maybe the people would talk about it,
      and did not like it at all. I told her that it was not myself who laughed.
      She said: "The next time when I have men in audience you need not come
      into the Audience Hall at all. Of course it is different when I have my
      own people at the morning audiences."
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty did not go to her bedroom that afternoon. She said she wanted
      to wait until these people had gone and hear what they had to say. After a
      couple of hours Prince Ching came in and reported that they had lunched,
      and that they were very pleased to have seen Her Majesty, and had gone
      away. I must here explain that the Admiral had entered by the left gate of
      the Palace. The middle gate was only used for Their Majesties, with one
      exception, viz.: in the case of anyone presenting credentials. Then they
      entered by the center gate. The Admiral left by the same gate he had
      entered. Her Majesty asked Prince Ching whether he had showed them around
      the Palace buildings or not (this was in the Summer Palace), and what they
      had thought about it. Did they say anything, and were they pleased or not.
      She said to Prince Ching: "You can go now, and make the necessary
      preparations for the ladies' audience next day." That same evening Her
      Majesty said to us: "You must all dress alike to-morrow, and wear your
      prettiest clothes. These foreign ladies who are coming to the Palace may
      never see us again, and if we don't show them what we have now, we will
      not have another opportunity." She ordered us all, including the Young
      Empress, to wear pale blue, also the Secondary wife of the Emperor. She
      said to me: "If the ladies ask who the Secondary wife is, you can tell
      them; but if they don't ask, I don't want you to introduce her to them at
      all. I have to be very careful. These people at the Palace here are not
      used to seeing so many people and they might not have nice manners, and
      the foreigners will laugh at them." Then she said to us again: "I always
      give presents when ladies come to the Court, but don't know whether I will
      give this time or not, for at the last audience I did not give anything at
      all." Addressing me, she said: "You can prepare some pieces of jade, in
      case I need them. Put them in a nice box and have them all ready. Don't
      bring them to me until I ask for them." She said: "We have talked enough
      now, and you can all go to rest." We courtesied good night. I was only too
      glad to go to my own room.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning everything went on very nicely and there was no trouble
      at all. Her Majesty was well satisfied, for we had all taken great care in
      fixing ourselves up. She said to me: "You never put enough paint on your
      face. People might take you for a widow. You will have to paint your lips,
      as that is the custom. I don't need you yet, so go back and put some more
      paint on." So I went back to my room and painted myself just like the rest
      of them, but I could not help laughing at seeing myself so changed. By the
      time I got to her room again, she said: "Now you look all right. If you
      think that powder is expensive, I will buy some for you." She said that
      with a laugh, for she always liked to tease me.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the time Her Majesty had finished her toilet, one of the ladies brought
      a number of gowns for her to select one from. She said she would wear pale
      blue that day. She looked over twenty or thirty gowns, but found nothing
      which suited her, so she gave orders for some more to be brought in.
      Finally she chose a blue gown embroidered with one hundred butterflies,
      and wore a purple sleeveless jacket, which was also embroidered with
      butterflies. At the bottom of this gown were pearl tassels. She wore her
      largest pearls, one of which was almost as large as an egg, and was her
      favorite jewel. She only wore this on special occasions. She wore two jade
      butterflies on each side of her headdress. Her bracelets and rings were
      also all designed in butterflies, in fact everything matched. Among her
      beautiful jewels, she always wore some kind of fresh flowers. White
      jessamine was her favorite flower. The Young Empress and the Court ladies
      were not allowed to wear fresh flowers at all unless given to them by Her
      Majesty as a special favor. We could wear pearls and jade, etc., but she
      said that the fresh flowers were for her, her idea being that we were too
      young, and might spoil fresh flowers if we wore them. After she was
      dressed we went into the Audience Hall. She ordered her cards to be
      brought in as she wanted to play solitaire. She talked all the time she
      was playing, and said that we must all be very nice and polite to the
      American ladies, and show them everywhere. She said: "It doesn't matter
      now, for we have everything changed." She said: "I want to laugh myself.
      What is the use of changing everything? They will imagine we are always
      like this. By and bye, if they question you about anything, just tell them
      that it is not so, and that we change everything at each audience, just to
      give them a bit of surprise. You must tell it some day, otherwise no one
      will know it at all, and the trouble would not be worth the while." It was
      a private audience for ladies, and Her Majesty did not use the big throne,
      but was sitting on her little throne at the left side of the Audience
      Hall, where she received her own Ministers every morning; the Emperor was
      standing. A eunuch came in, the same as the day before, and announced that
      the ladies had arrived at the Palace Gate, nine in all. Her Majesty sent
      some of the Court ladies to meet them in the courtyard, and bring them to
      the Audience Hall, which they did. I was standing at the right side of Her
      Majesty's chair, and could see them mounting the steps. Her Majesty
      whispered to me, and asked: "Which one is Mrs. Evans?" As I had never seen
      the lady, I answered that I could not tell, but when they got nearer I saw
      a lady walking with the American Minister's wife, and concluded that she
      must be Mrs. Evans, and told Her Majesty. As they got nearer, Her Majesty
      said: "Again that missionary lady with Mrs. Conger. I think she must like
      to see me. She comes every time. I will tell her I am very glad to see her
      always, and see if she understands what I mean."
    </p>
    <p>
      Mrs. Conger shook hands with Her Majesty and presented Mrs. Evans and also
      the wives of the American officers. I was watching Her Majesty and saw
      that she was very nice and amiable, with such a pleasant smile&mdash;so
      different from her everyday manner. She told them she was delighted to see
      them. Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to have chairs brought in for the
      ladies, and at the same time other eunuchs brought in tea. Her Majesty
      asked Mrs. Evans whether she liked China; what she thought of Peking; how
      long she had been there; how long she was going to stay, and where she was
      staying. I was so accustomed to Her Majesty's questions that I knew
      exactly what she would ask. Mrs. Conger told her interpreter to tell Her
      Majesty that she had not seen her for such a long time, and enquired about
      Her Majesty's health. Her Majesty said to me: "You tell Mrs. Conger that I
      am in good health and that I am delighted to see her. It is a pity that I
      cannot hold an audience more frequently, otherwise I could see more of
      her." She continued: "The Imperial Princess (her adopted daughter-daughter
      of Prince Kung) will accompany them to lunch." This ended the audience.
    </p>
    <p>
      Lunch was served at the back of her own Palace building (Yang Yuen Hsuen&mdash;the
      place where the clouds gather to rest). This room was specially furnished
      as a banqueting room where refreshments could be served. All the Court
      ladies went to the lunch, except Her Majesty, the Young Empress and the
      Secondary wife. It had taken me two hours to fix the table for the
      luncheon. Her Majesty ordered that a white foreign tablecloth should be
      used, as it looked cleaner. The eunuch gardeners had decorated the table
      with fresh flowers, and Her Majesty gave instructions as to how the seats
      were to be placed. She said: "Mrs. Evans is the guest of honor. Although
      Mrs. Conger is the wife of the American Minister, she is more of a
      resident, so Mrs. Evans must have the principal seat." She also told me to
      arrange to seat everybody according to their respective ranks. The
      Imperial Princess and Princess Shun (Her Majesty's niece, sister of the
      Young Empress) were hostesses, and were to sit opposite each other. We
      placed golden menu holders and little gold plates for almonds and
      watermelon seeds; the rest all silver ware, including chopsticks. Her
      Majesty ordered that foreign knives and forks should be provided also. The
      food was served in Manchu style, and was composed of twenty-four courses,
      besides sweetmeats&mdash;candies and fruits. Her Majesty instructed us
      that only the best champagne was to be served. She said: "I know that
      foreign ladies love to drink."
    </p>
    <p>
      I think I was the only one who was really happy to meet these ladies, more
      so than the rest of the Court ladies, the reason being that Her Majesty
      lectured them too severely, telling them how to behave, so that they had
      grown to hate the very mention of a foreign audience. While we were
      eating, a eunuch came in and told me that Her Majesty was waiting at her
      private Palace, and that I should bring these ladies there after the lunch
      was over. So when we had finished we entered her own Palace and found her
      waiting there for us. She got up and told me to ask Mrs. Evans whether she
      had had anything to eat&mdash;that the food was not very good. (This is a
      custom with the Chinese when entertaining, always to underrate the food.)
      She said that she would like to show Mrs. Evans her private apartments, so
      that she could form some idea of the way we lived, so she took Mrs. Evans
      to one of her bedrooms. She invited Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Conger to sit
      down, and the eunuchs brought in tea, as usual. Her Majesty asked Mrs.
      Evans to stay a little while in Peking, and to visit the different
      temples. She said: "Our country, although very old, has not such fine
      buildings as there are in America. I suppose you will find everything very
      strange. I am rather too old now, otherwise I would like to travel around
      the world. I have read much about different countries, but of course there
      is nothing like visiting the different places and seeing them yourself.
      However, one cannot tell. I may be able to go after all, by and bye, but I
      am afraid to leave my own country. By the time I returned I should not
      know the place any more, I'm afraid. Here everything seems to depend on
      me. Our Emperor is quite young."
    </p>
    <p>
      She then turned and ordered us to take these ladies to visit the different
      buildings of the Palace, also the famous temple of the King of Dragons.
      This is on a little island in the center of the lake of the Summer Palace.
      Mrs. Conger said that she had something to ask Her Majesty, and told the
      Missionary lady to proceed. While Mrs. Conger was speaking to this lady
      Her Majesty became rather impatient as she wanted to know what they were
      talking about, so she asked me. It was very hard for me to listen to both
      of the ladies and to Her Majesty at the same time. The only words I heard
      were: "The portrait," so I guessed the rest. Before I had a chance to tell
      Her Majesty this Missionary lady said: "Mrs. Conger has come with the
      special object of asking permission to have Her Majesty's portrait painted
      by an American lady artist, Miss Carl, as she is desirous of sending it to
      the St. Louis Exhibition, in order that the American people may form some
      idea of what a beautiful lady the Empress Dowager of China is." Miss Carl
      is the sister of Mr. F. Carl who was for so many years Commissioner of
      Customs in Chefoo.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty looked surprised, for she had been listening very carefully
      whilst this lady was talking. She did not like to say that she did not
      quite understand, so she turned to me, as had been previously arranged,&mdash;a
      sign for me to interpret. I did not, however, do so immediately, so Mrs.
      Conger told her missionary friend to repeat the request in case Her
      Majesty had not quite understood it. Her Majesty then said to me: "I
      cannot quite understand what this lady says. I think perhaps you can tell
      me better." So I explained everything, but I knew that Her Majesty did not
      know what a portrait was like, as, up to that time she had never even had
      a photograph taken of herself.
    </p>
    <p>
      I must here explain that in China a portrait is only painted after death,
      in memorium of the deceased, in order that the following generations may
      worship the deceased. I noticed that Her Majesty was somewhat shocked when
      the request was made known to her. I did not want Her Majesty to appear
      ignorant before these foreign ladies, so I pulled her sleeve and told her
      that I would explain everything to her later. She replied: "Explain a
      little to me now." This was spoken in the Court language, which the
      visitors were unable to understand, it being somewhat different from the
      ordinary Chinese language. This enabled Her Majesty to form some idea of
      the conversation, so she thanked Mrs. Conger for her kind thought, and
      promised to give her answer later. She said to me: "Tell Mrs. Conger that
      I cannot decide anything alone, as she is probably aware that I have to
      consult with my Ministers before deciding anything of an important
      character. Tell her that I have to be very careful not to do anything
      which would give my people an opportunity to criticize my actions. I have
      to adhere to the rules and customs of my ancestors." I noticed that Her
      Majesty did not seem inclined to discuss the subject further at the
      moment.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just then the head eunuch came in and, kneeling down, informed Her Majesty
      that the boats for the ladies were ready to take them across the lake, to
      see the temple. This action on the part of the eunuch was owing to his
      having received a signal from one of the Court ladies, which implied that
      Her Majesty was getting tired of the conversation, and wished to change
      the subject. I must explain that on every occasion when a foreign audience
      was taking place, one of the Court ladies was always told off to watch Her
      Majesty, and whenever she appeared to be displeased or tired of any
      particular subject under discussion, she, the Court lady, would give the
      signal to the head eunuch, who would break in upon the conversation in the
      above manner, and thus save the situation from becoming embarrassing. So
      Her Majesty said good-bye to the ladies, as she thought it would be too
      late for them to have to return to say good-bye, besides which it would
      give them more time to see the various sights.
    </p>
    <p>
      The ladies then proceeded to the island in the Empress Dowager's pleasure
      boat known as the Imperial barge, previously described, and visited the
      temple. This temple is built on top of a small rock, in the center of
      which is a natural cave, and it was generally supposed that no human being
      had ever been inside of this cave. The Empress Dowager believed the
      popular superstition that this hole was the home of the King of Dragons&mdash;from
      which the temple derives its name.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER THIRTEEN&mdash;THE EMPRESS'S PORTRAIT
    </h2>
    <p>
      AFTER staying a little while at the temple, we returned to the Palace, and
      the ladies said goodbye and took chairs to the Palace gate, where their
      own chairs were waiting for them. I then went to report to Her Majesty in
      the usual way what had been said by the visitors; whether they had
      expressed themselves as being pleased with the reception they had
      received. Her Majesty said: "I like Mrs. Evans. I think she is a very good
      woman. It seems to me that her manners are quite different from those of
      the other American ladies whom I have met. I like to meet people who are
      polite." Then, referring to the subject of the portrait Her Majesty said:
      "I wonder why Mrs. Conger has this idea. Now please explain to me what
      painting a portrait really is." When I explained that it would be
      necessary for her to sit for several hours each day she was excited, and
      afraid she would never have the patience to see it through. She asked me
      what she must do during the sitting, so I explained that she would simply
      have to pose for the portrait, sitting in one position all the time She
      said: "I shall be an old woman by the time the portrait is finished." I
      told her that I had had my own portrait painted during my stay in Paris,
      by the same artist Mrs. Conger had proposed should paint her own portrait
      (Miss Carl). She immediately told me to fetch the portrait of myself so
      that she could examine it and see what it was like, so I gave the order
      right away to a eunuch who was standing by to go to my house and bring it.
      Her Majesty said: "I do not understand why I must sit for the portrait
      Couldn't someone else do it for me." I explained to her that as it was her
      own portrait, and not that of somebody else, they wished to paint, it
      would be necessary for her to sit herself. She then enquired whether it
      would be necessary for her to wear the same dress at each sitting, also
      the same jewels and ornaments. I replied that it would be necessary to do
      so on each occasion. Her Majesty then explained that in China it was only
      necessary for an artist to see his subject once, after which he could
      start right away and finish the portrait in a very short time, and thought
      that a really first-class foreign artist should be able to do the same. Of
      course I explained the difference between foreign portrait painting and
      Chinese, and told her that when she had seen it she would see the
      difference and understand the reason for so many sittings. She said: "I
      wonder what kind of a person this lady artist is. Does she speak Chinese?"
      I said that I knew Miss Carl very well, and that she was a very nice lady,
      but that she didn't speak Chinese. She said: "If her brother has been in
      the Customs service for so long, how is it that she doesn't speak Chinese
      also?" I told her that Miss Carl had been away from China for a long time;
      that in fact she had only been in China for a very short time altogether,
      most of her work being in Europe and America. Her Majesty said: "I am glad
      she doesn't understand Chinese. The only objection about this portrait
      painting is that I have to have a foreigner at the Palace all the time.
      With my own people gossiping they might tell her things which I don't want
      anyone to know." I told her that would be impossible as Miss Carl did not
      understand Chinese at all, neither did any of the people at Court
      understand English, with the exception of ourselves (my mother, sister and
      myself). Her Majesty answered: "You must not rely too much on that, as
      after spending a short time at the Court they will soon learn to
      understand each other." Continuing, she said: "By the way, how long will
      it take before this portrait is finished?" I told her that it depended
      entirely upon how often she sat, and how long each time. I didn't like to
      tell her exactly how long it would take, as I was afraid she might
      consider it too much bother, so I said that when the artist arrived I
      would tell her to get along and finish the portrait as quickly as
      possible.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty said: "I don't see how I can very well refuse Mrs. Conger's
      request. Of course I told her, as you know, that I would have to consult
      with my Ministers, just to give me time to think the matter over. If you
      know all about this artist lady, and think she is quite all right to come
      here to the Palace, of course she may come, and I will tell Prince Ching
      to reply to Mrs. Conger to that effect. First of all we must talk over
      what we are going to do, for to have a foreign lady staying in the Palace
      is out of the question altogether. As a rule I always spend the summer at
      my Summer Palace, and it is so far from the city that I don't think she
      will be able to go to and from the Palace every day, on account of the
      distance. Now, where can we put her? Someone will have to watch her all
      the time. This is such a difficult matter that I hardly know what to
      decide upon. How would you like to look after her? Do you think you could
      manage it in such a way that no one at the Palace will have a chance to
      talk with her during the daytime, but who is going to stay and watch her
      during the night?" Her Majesty walked up and down the room thinking it
      over for quite a while. Finally she smiled and said: "I have it. We can
      treat her as a prisoner without her knowing it, but it will all depend on
      your mother, your sister and yourself to act for me in this matter. Each
      of you will have to play your part very carefully, and I mine also. I will
      give orders to have the Palace Garden of Prince Chung (the Emperor Kwang
      Hsu's father) fixed up for Miss Carl during her stay here."
    </p>
    <p>
      This Palace garden is quite close to Her Majesty's own Palace, about ten
      minutes' drive. It is not in the Palace ground, but is quite a separate
      Palace outside the Summer Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      Continuing, Her Majesty said: "Now, you will have to come with her every
      morning and return to stay with her every night. I think this is the
      safest way out of the difficulty, but be careful with regard to all
      correspondence which she may either receive or send away. The only thing
      about it is that it will give you a lot of extra work, but you know how
      particular I am over things of this kind, and it will save a lot of
      trouble in the end. There is another thing you will have to be very
      careful about, and that is to watch that Miss Carl has no chance to talk
      with the Emperor. The reason why I say this is because, as you know, the
      Emperor is of a shy disposition, and might say something which would
      offend her. I will appoint four extra eunuchs to be in attendance during
      the sittings for the portrait, so that they will be on hand in case
      anything is wanted." Her Majesty then said: "I noticed that Mrs. Conger
      was watching you when you pulled my sleeve. I wonder what she thought of
      it. You needn't care, anyway. Let her think anything she likes. I
      understood what you meant if Mrs. Conger didn't, and that is all that is
      necessary." I told her that perhaps Mrs. Conger thought I wanted to advise
      her to refuse this request, but Her Majesty said: "What does that matter?
      If it hadn't been that you know the artist yourself I would not have
      consented in any case. It is not the painting of the portrait that I mind,
      but it might give rise to serious results."
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning I received a letter from Mrs. Conger begging me not to
      prejudice Her Majesty against Miss Carl in any way. I translated this to
      Her Majesty, and it made her furious. She said: "No one has any right to
      write to you in such a way. How dare she suggest that you would say
      anything against Miss Carl? Didn't I tell you she was watching you when
      you pulled my sleeve? When you reply to that letter tell her whatever you
      like, but answer in the same way she writes herself, or, better still, you
      write and inform her that it is not customary for any Court lady to try
      and influence Her Majesty in this country, and that in addition, you are
      not so mean as to say anything against anybody. If you don't like to say
      that, just say that as Miss Carl is a personal friend of yours you
      certainly would never think of saying anything against her."
    </p>
    <p>
      I therefore replied to Mrs. Conger's letter in the ordinary way, making it
      as formal as possible.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty then talked of nothing but the portrait during the whole of
      that afternoon. By and bye she said: "I hope that Mrs. Conger will not
      send a missionary lady with Miss Carl to keep her company during her stay
      at the Palace. If she does I will certainly refuse to sit." The next
      morning the eunuch arrived with my portrait, and everyone at the Court had
      a good look at it before I took it to show to Her Majesty. Some of them
      were of the opinion that it was very much like me, while the others
      thought the painting a very poor one. When I informed Her Majesty of the
      arrival of the portrait she ordered that it should be brought into her
      bedroom immediately. She scrutinized it very carefully for a while, even
      touching the painting in her curiosity. Finally she burst out laughing and
      said: "What a funny painting this is, it looks as though it had been
      painted with oil." (Of course it was an oil painting.) "Such rough work I
      never saw in all my life. The picture itself is marvellously like you, and
      I do not hesitate to say that none of our Chinese painters could get the
      expression which appears on this picture. What a funny dress you are
      wearing in this picture. Why are your arms and neck all bare? I have heard
      that foreign ladies wear their dresses without sleeves and without
      collars, but I had no idea that it was so bad and ugly as the dress you
      are wearing here. I cannot imagine how you could do it. I should have
      thought you would have been ashamed to expose yourself in that manner.
      Don't wear any more such dresses, please. It has quite shocked me. What a
      funny kind of civilization this is to be sure. Is this dress only worn on
      certain occasions, or is it worn any time, even when gentlemen are
      present?" I explained to her that it was the usual evening dress for
      ladies and was worn at dinners, balls, receptions, etc. Her Majesty
      laughed and exclaimed: "This is getting worse and worse. Everything seems
      to go backwards in foreign countries. Here we don't even expose our wrists
      when in the company of gentlemen, but foreigners seem to have quite
      different ideas on the subject. The Emperor is always talking about
      reform, but if this is a sample we had much better remain as we are. Tell
      me, have you yet changed your opinion with regard to foreign customs?
      Don't you think that our own customs are much nicer?" Of course I was
      obliged to say "yes" seeing that she herself was so prejudiced. She again
      examined the portrait and said: "Why is it that one side of your face is
      painted white and the other black? This is not natural&mdash;your face is
      not black. Half of your neck is painted black, too. How is it?" I
      explained that it was simply the shading and was painted exactly as the
      artist saw me from the position in which she was sitting. Her Majesty then
      enquired: "Do you think that this Artist lady will paint my picture to
      look black also? It is going to America, and I don't want the people over
      there to imagine that half of my face is white and half black." I didn't
      like to tell her the truth, that her portrait would in all probability be
      painted the same as mine, so I promised Her Majesty that I would tell the
      artist exactly how she wished to be painted. She then asked me if I knew
      when the artist proposed commencing the portrait. I told her that the
      artist was still in Shanghai, but that Mrs. Conger had already written to
      her to come up to Peking, to make the necessary preparations. One week
      later I received a letter from Miss Carl informing me that she proposed
      coming up to Peking at once, and that she would be delighted if Her
      Majesty would allow her to paint this portrait. I translated the letter to
      Her Majesty, who said: "I am very glad that you know this lady personally.
      It will make it much easier for me. You know there may be some things
      which I may want to tell Miss Carl, but which I don't want Mrs. Conger to
      know. I mean that there might be certain things which I shall have to say
      to Miss Carl, which, if Mrs. Conger heard of them, would give her the
      impression that I was very difficult to please. You understand what I
      mean. As this lady is a friend of yours, you will of course be able to
      tell her things in such a manner as not to offend her, and I may tell you
      again that if it were not that she is a personal friend of your own I
      would not have her here at all, as it is quite contrary to our custom."
    </p>
    <p>
      On the third day of the second-fifth moon Prince Ching informed Her
      Majesty that the artist had arrived at Peking and was staying with Mrs.
      Conger and wished to know Her Majesty's pleasure in regard to commencing
      the portrait. Now I must explain that the Chinese year varies as to the
      number of moons it contains. For example, one year contains the ordinary
      twelve months or moons. The following year may contain thirteen moons.
      Then the two years following that may contain twelve moons only, and
      thirteen moons the next year, and so on. At the time of the proposed visit
      of the artist the Chinese year contained thirteen moons, there being two
      fifth moons in that year. When Prince Ching asked Her Majesty to name the
      day on which Miss Carl should commence her work, she replied: "I will give
      her my answer to-morrow. I must first consult my book, as I don't want to
      start this portrait on an unlucky day." So the next day, after her usual
      morning audience Her Majesty consulted this book for quite a time. Finally
      she said to me: "According to my book the next lucky day will not occur
      for another ten days or so," and handed me the book to look myself.
      Eventually she picked out the twentieth day of the second-fifth moon as
      the most lucky day for beginning the work. Next she had to consult the
      book again in order to fix on the exact hour, finally fixing on 7 o'clock
      in the evening. I was very much worried when she told me that, as by that
      time it would be quite dark, so I explained to Her Majesty as nicely as I
      could that it would be impossible for Miss Carl to work at that hour of
      the day. Her Majesty replied: "Well, we have electric lights here. Surely
      that would be sufficient light for her." Then I had to explain that it
      would not be possible to get such good results by means of artificial
      light as if it were painted during the daytime. You see I was anxious to
      get her to change the hour, as I was sure that Miss Carl would refuse to
      paint by means of electric light. Her Majesty replied: "What a bother. I
      can paint pictures myself in any kind of light, and she ought to be able
      to do the same." After much discussion it was finally settled that 10
      o'clock on the morning of the twentieth day of the second-fifth moon
      should be the time for Miss Carl to commence to paint this portrait, and I
      can assure you that I felt very much relieved when it was all settled.
      When the eunuch brought in my portrait, he also brought in several
      photographs which I had had taken during my stay in Paris, but I decided
      not to show them to Her Majesty in case she should decide to have a
      photograph taken instead of having this portrait painted, as it would be
      much quicker and save her the trouble of sitting each day. However, as Her
      Majesty was passing on the veranda in front of my bedroom the next morning
      she stepped into the room just to have a look around and, as she put it,
      to see whether I kept everything clean, and in good order. This was the
      first time she had visited me in my own room, and I was naturally very
      much embarrassed, as she very rarely visited the rooms of her Court
      ladies. I could not keep her standing, and I could not ask her to sit down
      in any of my own chairs, as it is the Chinese custom that the Emperor and
      Empress should only sit down in their own special chairs, which are
      usually carried by an attendant wherever they go. I therefore was on the
      point of giving an order for her own stool to be brought in, when Her
      Majesty stopped me and said that she would sit on one of the chairs in the
      room, and so bring me good luck. So she sat down in an easy chair. A
      eunuch brought in her tea, which I handed to her myself instead of letting
      the eunuch wait upon her. This of course was Court etiquette, and was also
      a sign of respect
    </p>
    <p>
      After she had finished her tea, she got up and went around the room,
      examining everything, opening up all my bureau drawers and boxes in order
      to see whether I kept my things in proper order. Happening to glance into
      one corner of the room she exclaimed: "What are those pictures on the
      table over there," and walked across to examine them. As soon as she
      picked them up, she exclaimed in much surprise: "Why, they are all
      photographs of yourself, and are very much better than the picture you had
      painted. They are more like you. Why didn't you show them to me before?" I
      hardly knew what to answer, and when she saw that I was very much
      embarrassed by her question, she immediately started talking about
      something else. She often acted in this manner when she saw that any of us
      were not quite prepared for any of her questions, but she would be sure to
      reopen the subject at some future time, when we were expected to give a
      direct answer.
    </p>
    <p>
      After examining the photographs for sometime, which by the way, were all
      taken in European dress, Her Majesty said: "Now these are good
      photographs; much better than the portrait you had painted. Still I have
      given my promise, and I suppose I shall have to keep it. However, if I do
      have my photograph taken, it will not interfere at all with the painting
      of the portrait. The only trouble is I cannot ask an ordinary professional
      photographer to the Palace. It would hardly be the thing."
    </p>
    <p>
      My mother thereupon explained to Her Majesty that if she desired to have
      her photograph taken, one of my brothers, who had studied photography for
      some considerable time, would be able to do all that was necessary.
    </p>
    <p>
      I would like to explain that I had two brothers at Court at that time, who
      held appointments under the Empress Dowager. One was in charge of all the
      electrical installation at the Summer Palace, and the other, her private
      steam launch. It was the custom for all the sons of the Manchu officials
      to hold certain positions at the Court for two or three years. They were
      perfectly free to walk about the grounds of the Palace, and saw Her
      Majesty daily. Her Majesty was always very kind to these young men, and
      chatted with them in quite a motherly way. These young fellows had to come
      to the Palace each morning very early, but as no man was allowed to stay
      all night in the Palace they of course had to leave when they had finished
      their duties for the day.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty heard what my mother said, she was very much surprised,
      and asked why she had never been told that my brother was learned in
      photography. My mother replied that she had no idea that Her Majesty
      wished to have a photograph taken, and had not dared to suggest such a
      thing herself. Her Majesty laughed, and said: "You may suggest anything
      you like, as I want to try anything that is new to me, especially as
      outsiders can know nothing about it." She gave orders to send for my
      brother at once. On his arrival Her Majesty said to him: "I hear that you
      are a photographer. I am going to give you something to do." My brother
      was kneeling, as was the custom of the Court, whilst Her Majesty was
      addressing him. Everybody, with the exception of the Court ladies, had to
      kneel when she was speaking to them. Even the Emperor himself was no
      exception to this rule. Of course the Court ladies, being constantly in
      attendance, were allowed not to kneel, as Her Majesty was talking to us
      all the time, and it was her orders that we should not do so, as it would
      be wasting a lot of time.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty asked my brother when he would be able to come and take her
      photograph, and what kind of weather was necessary. My brother said that
      he would go back to Peking that night, to fetch his camera, and that he
      could take the photograph at any time she desired, as the weather would
      not affect the work. So Her Majesty decided to have her photograph taken
      the next morning. She said: "I want to have one taken first of all in my
      chair, when going to the audience, and you can take some others
      afterwards." She also asked my brother how long she would have to sit, and
      was surprised to learn that only a few seconds would suffice. Next she
      enquired how long it would be before it was finished, so that she could
      see it. My brother answered that if it were taken in the morning it could
      be finished late the same afternoon. Her Majesty said that was delightful,
      and expressed a wish to watch him do the work. She told my brother that he
      might select any room in the Palace to work in, and ordered a eunuch to
      make the necessary preparations.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next day was a beautiful day, and at eight o'clock my brother was
      waiting in the courtyard with several cameras. Her Majesty went to the
      courtyard and examined each of them. She said: "How funny it is that you
      can take a person's picture with a thing like that." After the method of
      taking the photograph had been fully explained to her, she commanded one
      of the eunuchs to stand in front of the camera so that she might look
      through the focusing glass, to see what it was like. Her Majesty
      exclaimed: "Why is it your head is upside down? Are you standing on your
      head or feet?" So we explained when the photo was taken it would not look
      that way. She was delighted with the result of her observations, and said
      that it was marvellous. Finally she told me to go and stand there, as she
      wanted to have a look at me through this glass also. She then exchanged
      places with me, and desired that I should look through the glass and see
      if I could make out what she was doing. She waved her hand in front of the
      camera, and on my telling her of it, she was pleased.
    </p>
    <p>
      She then entered her chair, and ordered the bearers to proceed. My brother
      took another photograph of Her Majesty in the procession as she passed the
      camera. After she had passed the camera she turned and asked my brother:
      "Did you take a picture?" and on my brother answering that he had, Her
      Majesty said: "Why didn't you tell me? I was looking too serious. Next
      time when you are going to take one, let me know so that I may try and
      look pleasant."
    </p>
    <p>
      I knew that Her Majesty was very much pleased. While we were at the back
      of the screen during the audience, I noticed that she seemed anxious to
      get it over, in order to have some more photographs taken. It only took
      about twenty minutes to get that particular audience over, which was very
      rare.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the people had gone, we came from behind the screen and Her Majesty
      said: "Let us go and have some more pictures taken while the weather is
      fine." So she walked the courtyard of the Audience Hall, where my brother
      had a camera ready, and had another photograph taken. She said that she
      would like to have some taken sitting on her throne, exactly as though she
      were holding an audience. It took us only a few minutes to have everything
      prepared in the courtyard. The screen was placed behind the throne, and
      her footstool was also placed ready for her, and she ordered one of the
      Court ladies to go and bring several gowns for her to select from. At the
      same time I went and brought some of her favorite jewelry. She ordered the
      two gowns which she had worn at the audiences when she received Admiral
      Evans and Mrs. Evans, to be brought in, and also the same jewels as she
      had worn on those respective occasions. She had two photographs taken in
      these costumes, one in each dress. Next she wanted one taken in a plain
      gown, without any embroidery. She then ordered my brother to go and finish
      the pictures which had already been taken, as she was anxious to see what
      they were like. She said to my brother: "You wait a minute, I want to go
      with you and see how you work on them." Of course, I had not considered it
      necessary to explain to Her Majesty the process of developing the
      pictures, the dark room, etc., so I explained to her as well as I could
      the whole thing. Her Majesty replied: "It doesn't matter. I want to go and
      see the room, no matter what kind of a room it is." So we all adjourned to
      the dark room in order to see my brother work on the photographs. We
      placed a chair so that Her Majesty could sit down. She said to my brother:
      "You must forget that I am here, and go along with your work just as
      usual." She watched for a while, and was very pleased when she saw that
      the plates were developing so quickly. My brother held up the plate to the
      red light, to enable her to see more distinctly. Her Majesty said: "It is
      not very clear. I can see that it is myself all right, but why is it that
      my face and hands are dark?" We explained to her that when the picture was
      printed on paper, these dark spots would show white, and the white parts
      would be dark. She said: "Well, one is never too old to learn. This is
      something really new to me. I am not sorry that I suggested having my
      photograph taken, and only hope that I shall like the portrait painting as
      well." She said to my brother: "Don't finish these photographs until after
      I have had my afternoon rest. I want to see you do it." When she got up at
      about half-past three, it did not take her long to dress herself, as was
      her usual custom, and she went immediately to where my brother had the
      papers and everything prepared. He then showed Her Majesty how the
      printing was done. There was plenty of light, as it was summer time, and
      as it was only four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was still high. Her
      Majesty watched for two hours while my brother was printing, and was
      delighted to see each picture come out quite plainly. She held the first
      one in her hands so long while examining the others, that when she came to
      look at it again, she found that it had turned quite black. She could not
      understand this at all, and exclaimed: "Why has this gone black? Is it bad
      luck?" We explained to her that it must be washed after printing,
      otherwise a strong light would cause the picture to fade, as this one had
      done. She said: "How very interesting, and what a lot of work there is."
    </p>
    <p>
      After the printing process had been finished, my brother placed the
      pictures in a chemical bath, as usual, finally washing them in clean
      water. This caused Her Majesty even more surprise when she saw how clear
      the pictures came out, and caused her to exclaim: "How extraordinary.
      Everything is quite true to life." When they were finally completed, she
      took the whole of them to her own room and sat down on her little throne,
      and gazed at them for a long time. She even took her mirror in order to
      compare her reflection with the photographs just taken.
    </p>
    <p>
      All this time my brother was standing in the courtyard awaiting Her
      Majesty's further commands. Suddenly she recollected this fact, and said:
      "Why, I had forgotten all about your brother. The poor fellow must be
      still standing waiting to know what I want next. You go and tell him&mdash;no,
      I had better go and speak to him myself. He has worked so hard all the
      day, that I want to say something to make him feel happy." She ordered my
      brother to print ten copies of each of the photographs, and to leave all
      his cameras at the Palace, in order that he could proceed with the work
      the next day.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following ten days it rained continually, which made Her Majesty very
      impatient, as it was impossible to take any more photographs until the
      weather improved. Her Majesty wanted to have some taken in the Throne
      Room, but this room was too dark, the upper windows being pasted over with
      thick paper, only the lower windows allowing the light to enter. My
      brother tried several times, but failed to get a good picture.
    </p>
    <p>
      During this rainy period the Court was moved to the Sea Palace, as the
      Emperor was to sacrifice at the Temple of Earth. This was a yearly
      ceremony and was carried out on similar lines to all other annual
      ceremonies. On account of the rain Her Majesty ordered that boats should
      be brought alongside the west shore of the Summer Palace. On entering the
      boats, Her Majesty, accompanied by the Court, proceeded to the Western
      Gate of the city, and on arrival at the last bridge, disembarked. Chairs
      were awaiting us and we rode to the gate of the Sea Palace. There we again
      entered the boats and proceeded across the lake, a distance of about a
      mile. While crossing the lake Her Majesty noticed a lot of lotus plants
      which were in full bloom. She said: "We are going to stay at least three
      days here. I hope the weather will be fine, as I should like to have some
      photographs taken in the open boats on the lake. I have also another; good
      idea, and that is, I want to have one taken as 'Kuan Yin' (Goddess of
      Mersy). The two chief eunuchs will be dressed as attendants. The necessary
      gowns were made some time ago, and I occasionally put them on. Whenever I
      have been angry, or worried over anything, by dressing up as the Goddess
      of Mercy it helps me to calm myself, and so play the part I represent. I
      can assure you that it does help me a great deal, as it makes me remember
      that I am looked upon as being all-merciful. By having a photograph taken
      of myself dressed in this costume, I shall be able to see myself as I
      ought to be at all times."
    </p>
    <p>
      When we arrived at the private Palace the rain ceased. We walked to her
      bedroom, although the ground was still in bad condition. One of Her
      Majesty's peculiarities was a desire to go out in the rain and walk about.
      She would not even use an umbrella unless it was raining very heavily. The
      eunuchs always carried our umbrellas, but if Her Majesty did not use her
      umbrella, of course we could not very well use ours. The same thing
      applied in everything. If Her Majesty wanted to walk, we had to walk also,
      and if she decided to ride in her chair, we had to get into our chairs and
      ride as well. The only exception to this rule was when Her Majesty, being
      tired walking, ordered her stool to rest on. We were not allowed to sit in
      her presence, but had to stand all the time. Her Majesty liked her Sea
      Palace better than her Palace in the Forbidden City. It was far prettier,
      and had the effect of making her good tempered.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty ordered us to retire early that day, as we were all very tired
      after the trip, and said that in the event of it being fine the next day,
      she would have the proposed photographs taken. However, much to Her
      Majesty's disappointment, it rained incessantly for the next three days,
      so it was decided to stay a few days longer. On the last day of our stay
      it cleared up sufficiently to enable the photographs to be taken, after
      which we all returned to the Summer Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      The day after our arrival at the Summer Palace Her Majesty said that we
      had better prepare everything for the audience to receive the lady artist
      (Miss Carl). She told the chief eunuch to issue orders to all the other
      eunuchs not to speak to Miss Carl, but simply be polite as occasion
      required. We Court ladies received similar orders. Also, that we were not
      to address Her Majesty while Miss Carl was present. The Emperor received
      similar instructions. Her Majesty gave orders to have the Gardens of
      Prince Chung's Palace ready. She then said to us: "I trust you three to
      look after this lady artist. I have already given orders for food to be
      supplied by the Wai Wu Pu. The only thing that I have been worried about
      is that I have no foreign food here for Miss Carl." She ordered us to have
      our stove taken over to Prince Chung's Palace in case Miss Carl desired
      something cooked. She said: "I know it will be very hard for you to take
      her to the Palace each morning and return with her at night, besides
      having to watch her all day long, but I know you do not mind. You are
      doing all this for me." After a while she smiled, and said: "How selfish
      of me. I order you to bring all your things to this place, but what is
      your father going to do? The best thing will be to ask your father to come
      and live in the same place. The country air might benefit him." We
      kowtowed and thanked Her Majesty, as this was a special favor, no official
      nor anyone else having been allowed to live in Prince Chung's Palace
      previously. We all were very pleased&mdash;I could now see my father every
      day. Hitherto we had only been able to see him about once a month, and
      then only by asking special leave.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next day Her Majesty sent us to Prince Chung's Palace to make all
      necessary arrangements for Miss Carl's stay.
    </p>
    <p>
      This Palace of Prince Chung's was a magnificent place. All the smaller
      dwellings were quite separate from each other, not in one large building,
      as was the custom. There was a small lake in the grounds, and lovely
      little paths to walk along, exactly like the Empress Dowager's Summer
      Palace, but, of course, on a much smaller scale. We selected one of these
      small dwellings, or summer houses, for the use of Miss Carl during her
      stay, and had it fitted up nicely, to make her as comfortable as possible.
      We ourselves were to occupy the next house to Miss Carl, in order that we
      might always be on hand, and at the same time keep a good eye on her. We
      returned to the Summer Palace the same evening, and told Her Majesty just
      how everything had been arranged. She said: "I want you all to be very
      careful not to let this lady know that you are watching her." She seemed
      very anxious about this, repeating these instructions for several days
      prior to Miss Carl's arrival.
    </p>
    <p>
      I felt very much relieved when the day before the audience arrived, and
      everything was finally fixed to Her Majesty's satisfaction. She ordered us
      to retire early that evening, as she wanted to rest and look well the next
      morning. When morning came we hurried over everything, even the usual
      morning audience, so that we could be ready when Miss Carl arrived.
    </p>
    <p>
      While I was standing behind the screen, as usual, a eunuch came and told
      me that Mrs. Conger, the artist, and another lady had arrived, and that
      they were now in the waiting room. By that time the audience was about
      finished. The chief eunuch came in and told Her Majesty that the foreign
      ladies had arrived and were waiting in another room. Her Majesty said to
      us: "I think I will go to the courtyard and meet them there." Of course,
      at all private audiences Her Majesty received the people in the Throne
      Room, but as Miss Carl was more of a guest, she did not think it necessary
      to go through the usual formal reception.
    </p>
    <p>
      While we were descending the steps we saw the ladies entering the gate of
      the courtyard. I pointed out Miss Carl to Her Majesty, and noticed that
      she eyed Miss Carl very keenly. When we arrived in the courtyard, Mrs.
      Conger came forward and greeted Her Majesty and then presented Miss Carl.
      Her Majesty's first impression of Miss Carl was a good one, as Miss Carl
      was smiling very pleasantly, and Her Majesty, who always liked to see a
      pleasant smile, exclaimed to me in an undertone: "She seems to be a very
      pleasant person," to which I replied that I was very glad she thought so,
      as I was very anxious about the impression Miss Carl would make on Her
      Majesty. Her Majesty watched Miss Carl and myself as we greeted each
      other, and I could see that she was satisfied. She told me afterwards that
      she had noticed Miss Carl appeared very glad to see me again, and said:
      "We will handle her pretty easily, I think." Her Majesty then went to her
      own private Palace, and we all followed. On our arrival, Miss Carl told me
      that she had brought her own canvas. This was a piece about six feet by
      four feet. I had told Miss Carl a little previously that Her Majesty
      refused to sit for a very small portrait and that she would like a
      life-size one. When Her Majesty saw the canvas she appeared to be very
      much disappointed, as in her opinion even that was not large enough. We
      placed the tables ready for Miss Carl, and Her Majesty asked her to choose
      the position in which she wished to paint. I knew that Miss Carl would
      have great difficulty in choosing a good position on account of the
      windows being built so low, there being very little light except low down
      near the ground. However, Miss Carl finally placed the canvas near the
      door of the room. Her Majesty told Mrs. Conger and the rest to sit down
      for a while as she wanted to change into another gown. I followed her into
      her bedroom. The first question Her Majesty asked was how old I thought
      Miss Carl was, as she herself could not guess her age, her hair being
      extremely light, in fact almost white. I could hardly refrain from
      laughing outright on hearing this, and told Her Majesty that Miss Carl's
      hair was naturally of a light color. Her Majesty said that she had often
      seen ladies with golden hair, but never one with white hair, excepting old
      ladies. She said: "I think that she is very nice, however, and hope she
      will paint a good portrait."
    </p>
    <p>
      Turning to one of the Court ladies, she ordered her to fetch a yellow gown
      as although, as she put it, she did not like yellow, she thought it would
      be the best color for a portrait. She selected one from a number which the
      Court lady brought, embroidered all over with purple wisteria. Her shoes
      and handkerchiefs matched. She also wore a blue silk scarf, embroidered
      with the character "Shou" (long life). Each character had a pearl in the
      center. She wore a pair of jade bracelets and also jade nail protectors.
      In addition she wore jade butterflies and a tassel on one side of her
      headdress, and, as usual, fresh flowers on the other side. Her Majesty
      certainly did look beautiful on that occasion.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the time she came out from her room Miss Carl had everything prepared.
      When she saw how Her Majesty was dressed, she exclaimed: "How beautiful
      Her Majesty looks in this dress," which remark I interpreted to Her
      Majesty, and it pleased her very much.
    </p>
    <p>
      She seated herself on her throne, ready to pose for the picture. She just
      sat down in an ordinary easy position, placing one hand on a cushion. Miss
      Carl explained: "That is an excellent position, as it is so natural.
      Please do not move." I told Her Majesty what Miss Carl said, and she asked
      me whether she looked all right, or not. If not, she would change her
      position. I assured her that she looked very grand in that position.
      However, she asked the opinion of the Young Empress and some of the Court
      ladies, who all agreed that she could not look better. I could see that
      they never looked at Her Majesty at all, they were too much interested in
      what Miss Carl was doing.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Miss Carl commenced to make the rough sketch of Her Majesty everyone
      watched with open mouth, as they had never seen anything done so easily
      and so naturally. The Young Empress whispered to me: "Although I don't
      know anything about portrait painting, still I can see that she is a good
      artist. She has never seen any of our clothes and headdresses, and she has
      copied them exactly. Just imagine one of our Chinese artists trying to
      paint a foreign lady, what a mess he would make of it."
    </p>
    <p>
      After the sketch was finished Her Majesty was delighted and thought it was
      wonderful for Miss Carl to have made it so quickly and so accurately. I
      explained that this was a rough sketch and that when Miss Carl commenced
      painting, she would soon see the difference. Her Majesty told me to ask
      Miss Carl whether she was tired and would like to rest; also to tell her
      that she was very busy all the day, and would only be able to give her a
      few minutes' sitting each day. We then took Miss Carl to luncheon,
      together with Mrs. Conger, and after luncheon we accompanied Her Majesty
      to the theatre.
    </p>
    <p>
      After Mrs. Conger had departed I took Miss Carl to my room to rest. As
      soon as we arrived there, Her Majesty sent a eunuch to call me to her
      bedroom. Her Majesty said: "I don't want this lady to paint during my
      afternoon rest. She can rest at the same time. As soon as I am up you can
      bring her here to paint. I am glad that it looks like turning out better
      than I had anticipated." I therefore told Miss Carl Her Majesty's wishes
      in this respect and that she could paint for a little while, if she chose
      to, after Her Majesty had had her rest. Miss Carl was so interested in Her
      Majesty, she told me she didn't want to rest at all, but that she would
      like to go on with the painting right away. Of course, I did not like to
      tell her anything the first day, as it might upset her, and did not say
      that this was a command from Her Majesty. After a lot of maneuvering I got
      her to give up the idea of continuing straight off, without offending her.
      I took her out on the veranda as the eunuch was preparing the table for
      Her Majesty's dinner in the room we were then occupying. The Young Empress
      kept Miss Carl busy talking, I acting as interpreter. Soon one of the
      eunuchs came and informed us that Her Majesty had finished dinner, and
      would we please come and take ours. On entering the room I was very much
      surprised to see that chairs had been placed there, as this had never been
      done previously, everybody, with the exception of Her Majesty, taking
      their meals standing. The Young Empress was also very much surprised and
      asked me whether I knew anything about it. I said that perhaps it was on
      account of Miss Carl being there. The Young Empress told me to go over and
      ask Her Majesty, as she was afraid to sit down without receiving orders to
      do so. Her Majesty whispered to me: "I don't want Miss Carl to think we
      are barbarians, and treat the Young Empress and the Court ladies in that
      manner. Of course, she does not understand our Court etiquette and might
      form a wrong impression, so you can all sit down without coming over to
      thank me, but be natural, as though you were accustomed to sitting down to
      dinner every day."
    </p>
    <p>
      After Her Majesty had washed her hands she came over to our table. Of
      course we all stood up. Her Majesty told me to ask Miss Carl whether she
      liked the food, and was pleased when Miss Carl answered that she liked the
      food better than her own kind. That relieved Her Majesty.
    </p>
    <p>
      After dinner was over I told Miss Carl to say good-bye to Her Majesty. We
      courtesied to her, also to the Young Empress, and said good night to the
      Court ladies. We then took Miss Carl to the Palace of Prince Chung. It
      took us about ten minutes' ride in the carts. We showed Miss Carl her
      bedroom, and were pleased to leave her and get to our own rooms, for a
      good night's rest.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning we took Miss Carl to the Palace, and arrived there during
      the morning audience. Of course Miss Carl, being a foreigner, could not
      enter the Throne Room, so we sat down on the back veranda of the Audience
      Hall and waited until it was over. This, of course, prevented my being in
      attendance each morning, as usual, and was a great disappointment to me,
      as I was unable to keep in touch with what was taking place. Moreover,
      during the time I had been at Court, my one object had been to endeavor to
      interest Her Majesty in Western customs and civilization. I believed that
      to a great extent Her Majesty was becoming interested in these things, and
      would refer the subjects of our conversations to her Ministers, for their
      opinions. For instance, I had shown her photographs taken of a Naval
      Review at which I was present in France. Her Majesty seemed to be
      impressed, and said that she would certainly like to be able to make a
      similar display in China. This matter she consulted with her Ministers,
      but they gave the usual evasive answer, viz.: "There is plenty of time for
      that." From this you will see that Her Majesty was not able to introduce
      reforms entirely alone, even though she might desire to do so, but had to
      consult the Ministers, who would always agree with Her Majesty, but would
      suggest that the matter be put off for a time.
    </p>
    <p>
      My experience while at the Palace was that everybody seemed to be afraid
      to suggest anything new for fear they might get themselves into trouble.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty came out from the Audience Hall, Miss Carl went up to her
      and kissed Her Majesty's hand, which caused her great surprise, although
      she did not show it at the time. Afterwards, however, when we were alone,
      she asked me why Miss Carl had done this, as it was not a Chinese custom.
      She naturally thought that it must be a foreign custom, and therefore said
      nothing about it.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty then proceeded on foot to her own Palace, to change her dress
      for the portrait. It was a beautiful morning, and when she had posed for
      about ten minutes, she told me that she felt too tired to proceed, and
      asked if it would be all right to ask Miss Carl to postpone it. I
      explained that as Miss Carl was going to be at the Palace for some time,
      the postponement of one day's sitting would not make much difference at
      that time, although I knew that Miss Carl would naturally be disappointed.
      Still, I had to humor Her Majesty as much as possible, otherwise she might
      have thrown up the whole thing. Miss Carl said that if Her Majesty wished
      to go to rest, she could be working painting the screen and the throne,
      and Her Majesty could pose again later on if she felt like it. This
      pleased Her Majesty, and she said that she would try to sit again after
      taking her afternoon's rest. Her Majesty ordered me to give Miss Carl her
      lunch in my own room at twelve o'clock each day, my mother, my sister and
      myself keeping her company. Dinner at the Palace was usually taken about
      six o'clock, and it was arranged that Miss Carl should take dinner with
      the Young Empress and the Court ladies at that hour, after Her Majesty had
      finished dining. Her Majesty also ordered that champagne or any other wine
      which Miss Carl preferred, should be served, as she said she knew it was
      the custom for all foreign ladies to take wine with their meals. Where she
      got hold of this idea, nobody knew. I was sure that Her Majesty had been
      misinformed by somebody, but it would have been bad policy to have tried
      to tell her different at the moment. She disliked very much to be told
      that she was wrong in any of these things, and it could only be done by
      waiting and casually introducing the subject at some other time.
    </p>
    <p>
      After Miss Carl had gone to rest during the afternoon, Her Majesty sent
      for me and asked the usual question, viz.: What had Miss Carl been saying?
      etc., etc. She seemed particularly anxious to know what Miss Carl thought
      of her, and when I told her that Miss Carl had said that she was very
      beautiful and quite young looking, she said: "Oh! well, of course Miss
      Carl would say that to you." However, on my assuring her that Miss Carl
      had given this opinion without being asked for it, she showed very plainly
      that she was not at all displeased with the compliment.
    </p>
    <p>
      Suddenly Her Majesty said: "I have been thinking that if Miss Carl can
      paint the screen and the throne, surely she ought to be able to paint my
      clothes and jewels, without it being necessary for me to pose all the
      time." I told her that would be quite impossible, as nobody could hold the
      things for Miss Carl to get the proper effect. To my surprise she
      answered: "Well, that is easily gotten over. You wear them in my place." I
      hardly knew what to say, but thought I would get out of the difficulty by
      telling her that perhaps Miss Carl would not like such an arrangement. Her
      Majesty, however, could see no possible objection on Miss Carl's part, as
      she herself could pose when the time came for painting her face. So I put
      the matter as nicely as possible to Miss Carl, and it was finally arranged
      that I should dress in Her Majesty's robes and jewels whenever Her Majesty
      felt too tired to do the posing herself. In this manner the portrait of
      the Empress Dowager was painted, and with the exception of just a few
      hours to enable Miss Carl to get Her Majesty's facial expression, I had to
      sit for two hours each morning, and for another two hours each afternoon
      until the portrait was finished.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER FOURTEEN&mdash;THE EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY
    </h2>
    <p>
      MY father's four months' leave having expired, he was received in audience
      by their Majesties on the first day of the sixth moon. He was much
      improved in health, but his rheumatism was still very troublesome. This
      was particularly noticeable when climbing the steps to the Audience Hall,
      and Her Majesty ordered two of the eunuchs to assist him.
    </p>
    <p>
      First he thanked Her Majesty for her kindness towards my sister and
      myself, and, as was the custom, took off his hat and knelt down, bowing
      his head until it struck the ground. This ceremony was always gone through
      by any official who had received special favors from Their Majesties.
    </p>
    <p>
      He then replaced his hat on his head and remained kneeling before the
      throne. Her Majesty then questioned him about his life in Paris, from time
      to time complimenting him on his work. Seeing that remaining in this
      kneeling position appeared to be making him tired, Her Majesty ordered one
      of the eunuchs to bring a cushion for him to use, which was another great
      honor, as this cushion was only used by the President of the Grand
      Council.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty told him that as he was now getting to be a very old man, she
      did not intend sending him away from China again, as she wanted to keep my
      sister and myself at the Court, which she could not do if she sent him to
      some foreign country, as he would want to take his daughters with him. She
      said she was pleased, that although we had been away from China for such a
      long time, we were well acquainted with the Manchu customs. My father
      replied that it had been his care that we should be brought up according
      to the customs of our own country.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty when asked the Emperor if he had anything to say, and he
      replied by asking my father if he spoke French, and thought it very
      strange on learning that he did not. My father explained that he had never
      had the time to study it, besides which he considered himself too old to
      learn a foreign language.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Emperor next asked what was the feeling in France towards China. My
      father replied that they were very friendly at that time, but that
      immediately after the Boxer trouble the post of Minister had been a very
      embarrassing one. Her Majesty said that it had been an unfortunate affair,
      but she was glad that everything was now settled satisfactorily. She told
      my father that he was to get well again as quickly as possible, and the
      audience came to an end.
    </p>
    <p>
      Afterwards Her Majesty said that my father was looking very old since his
      return from France and that he would have to be careful and take things
      easy until he got stronger again. She was pleased that he had shown
      appreciation of her interest in my sister and myself.
    </p>
    <p>
      Preparations were now commenced for celebrating the birthday of His
      Majesty, the Emperor Kwang Hsu, which was to take place on the 28th of
      that month. The actual date of the Emperor's birthday was the 26th of the
      sixth moon, but this day, being the anniversary of the death of a previous
      Emperor of China, we were unable to hold any festivities, and so it was
      always celebrated on the 28th day instead. The official celebration lasted
      for seven days, three days before and four days after the actual date.
      During that time the whole of the Court dressed in official robes, and no
      business of any kind whatever was attended to. This being the Emperor's
      32nd birthday, and as the full celebrations only took place every tenth
      year, i. e. On his 20th birthday, his 30th birthday, and so on, the
      festivities were not carried out on a very grand scale. However, it was
      quite sufficient to interfere with all business, and the usual morning
      audiences did not take place during these seven days. The Empress Dowager
      herself was the only person who did not dress especially during these
      celebrations, and who did not take any active part in the festivities.
      Another reason why the celebrations were not carried out on a very large
      scale was the fact that the Empress Dowager, being alive, she took
      precedence, according to the Manchu custom, over the Emperor himself, in
      fact she was the actual ruler of the country, the Emperor being second.
      The Emperor was quite aware of this fact, and when the Empress commanded
      that preparations be commenced for the celebrations, the Emperor would
      always suggest that it was not at all necessary to celebrate the occasion
      unless it happened to be a tenth year, and would very reluctantly agree to
      the festivities taking place. Of course this was more out of politeness on
      the part of the Emperor and to conform to the recognized etiquette, but
      the nation recognized this birthday and naturally celebrated according to
      the usual custom. During this period, therefore, the painting of the
      portrait was postponed.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the morning of the 25th arrived, the Emperor dressed himself in his
      official robe-yellow gown, embroidered with gold dragons and coat of a
      reddish black color. Of course, being the Emperor, in place of the usual
      button on the hat he wore a large pearl. I might mention that the Emperor
      was the only person who could wear this particular pearl in place of a
      button. He came as usual to wish Her Majesty Chi Hsiang and then proceeded
      to the temple to worship before the ancestral tablets. After this ceremony
      was over he returned to the Empress Dowager and kowtowed to her. All the
      Chinese adopt this rule of kowtowing to their parents on their own
      birthdays, as a sign of reverence and respect. The Emperor next proceeded
      to the Audience Hall, where all the Ministers were assembled, and received
      their salutations and congratulations. This ceremony very often caused
      amusement, for to see several hundred people all bobbing their heads up
      and down, especially when they did not all manage to do it together, was a
      very funny sight. Even the Emperor himself had to laugh, it was such an
      extraordinary spectacle.
    </p>
    <p>
      The musical instruments which were used during the ceremony deserve a
      little description. The principal instrument is made of hard wood, and has
      a flat bottom about three feet in diameter, with a dome-shaped top raised
      about three feet from the ground. The inside is quite hollow. A long pole
      made of the same material is used as a drumstick, and an official,
      specially appointed, beats with all his might on the drum. The noise can
      be better imagined than described. This is used as a signal to announce
      when the Emperor takes his seat upon the throne. In addition to the above,
      a full sized model of a tiger, also made of similar hard wood, and having
      twenty-four scales on its back, is brought into the courtyard. In this
      case they did not beat the instrument, but scraped along its back over the
      scales, which emitted a noise similar to the letting off simultaneously of
      innumerable crackers. This noise was kept up during the whole of the
      ceremony, and what with the drum and this tiger instrument it was
      sufficient to deafen one. During the ceremony, an official crier used to
      call out the different orders, such as when to kneel, bow, stand up,
      kowtow, etc., etc., but with the noise it was quite impossible to hear a
      single word of what he uttered. Another instrument was composed of a frame
      made of wood, about eight feet high by three feet broad. Across this frame
      were three wooden bars, from which was suspended twelve bells, made out of
      pure gold. When these were struck with a wooden stick the sound was not at
      all unlike the dulcimer, only, of course, very much louder. This was
      placed on the right side of the Audience Hall. On the left side a similar
      instrument was placed, with the exception that the bells were carved out
      of white jade. The music which could be brought out of the instrument was
      very sweet.
    </p>
    <p>
      When this ceremony of receiving the Ministers was concluded, the Emperor
      proceeded to his private Palace, where the Young Empress (his wife), the
      Secondary wife and all the Court ladies were gathered, and, after
      kowtowing, all of the Court ladies present, led by the Young Empress,
      knelt before him and presented him with a Ru Yee. This is a kind of
      sceptre. Some are made out of pure jade, while others are made out of wood
      inlaid with jade. This Ru Yee is a symbol of good luck and was supposed to
      bring happiness and prosperity to the person to whom it was presented. The
      ceremony was gone through to the accompaniment of music played on string
      instruments, which was very sweet.
    </p>
    <p>
      Next the eunuchs were received by the Emperor, and they similarly
      congratulated him, but without the accompaniment of music. After the
      eunuchs came the servant girls, and the whole of the ceremony was over.
      The Emperor next proceeded to Her Majesty's Palace, where he knelt before
      Her Majesty and thanked her for the celebration which had been given in
      his honor, after which Her Majesty, accompanied by the whole Court, went
      to the theatre to see the play. On arrival at the theatre we were all
      presented by Her Majesty with sweetmeats, this being the custom on these
      occasions, and after a little while Her Majesty retired for her afternoon
      rest. Thus the celebration ended.
    </p>
    <p>
      Two days after the celebration the seventh moon commenced. The seventh day
      of the seventh moon was the occasion of another important anniversary.
    </p>
    <p>
      The two stars, Niu Lang (Capricorn) and Chih Nu (Lyra) are supposed to be
      the patrons of agriculture and weaving and, according to tradition, were
      at one time man and wife. As the result of a quarrel, however, they were
      doomed to live apart, being separated from each other by the "Milky Way."
      But on the seventh day of the seventh moon of each year they are allowed
      to see each other and the magpies are supposed to build a bridge to enable
      them to meet.
    </p>
    <p>
      The ceremony is rather peculiar. Several basins full of water were placed
      so that the sun's rays would fall upon them. Her Majesty then took several
      tiny needles and dropped one into each basin. These floated on the water,
      casting a shadow across the bottom of the basins. These shadows took
      different forms, according to the position of the needle, and if the
      shadow took certain prescribed forms, the person throwing in the needle
      was supposed to be very lucky and clever, while if they represented
      certain other forms, they were despised by the gods as being ignorant. In
      addition, Her Majesty burned incense and offered up prayers to the two
      gods referred to.
    </p>
    <p>
      This was always a sad moon for Her Majesty, it being the anniversary of
      the death of her husband, the Emperor Hsien Feng, who died on the 17th of
      that month. The fifteenth of the seventh moon each year is the day of the
      festival for the dead, and early in the morning the Court moved to the Sea
      Palace in order to sacrifice. The Chinese hold that when a person dies,
      his soul still remains on the earth, and on these anniversaries they burn
      imitation money, the belief being that the soul of the departed one will
      benefit to the extent of the amount of money so represented. On the
      anniversary above referred to Her Majesty sent for hundreds of Buddhist
      priests to pray for those unfortunate people who had died without leaving
      anyone who could sacrifice for them. On the evening of this day, Her
      Majesty and all her Court ladies set out in open boats on the lake, where
      imitation lotus flowers were arranged as lanterns, with a candle placed in
      the centre, which formed a sort of floating light, the idea being to give
      light to the spirits of those who had departed during the year, so as to
      enable them to come and receive the blessings which had been prepared for
      them. Her Majesty ordered us to light the candles and place the flowers on
      the water ourselves, as she said it would be appreciated by the spirits of
      the dead. Some of the eunuchs had told Her Majesty that they had actually
      seen some of these spirits, which assertion was thoroughly believed.
      Although she had never seen them herself, she accounted for this by the
      fact that she was of too high a rank and the spirits were afraid of her,
      but she ordered all the rest of us to keep a sharp lookout and tell her if
      we saw anything. Of course we didn't see anything, but many of the Court
      ladies were so frightened that they closed their eyes for fear they might
      see something supernatural.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was devoted to the late Emperor Hsien Feng, and she was very
      sad and morose during this period. We all had to be very careful indeed
      not to upset her in any way, as she would find fault on the slightest
      provocation. She hardly had a word to say to any of us, and cried almost
      incessantly. I could hardly understand the reason for such grief, seeing
      that the Emperor had died so many years previously. None of the Court
      ladies were allowed to dress in light-coloured gowns during the whole of
      the seventh moon. We all dressed either in dark blue or pale blue, while
      Her Majesty herself dressed in black every day without exception. Even her
      handkerchiefs were black. The theatres which were usually opened on the
      first and fifteenth of each month, were closed during the seventh moon.
      There was no music, and everything was conducted in the most solemn
      manner; in fact, the whole Court was in deep mourning.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the morning of the seventeenth day of the seventh moon, Her Majesty
      visited the late Emperor's tablet, and knelt there crying for quite a
      while. In order to show respect for the late Emperor, none of us were
      allowed to eat meat for three days. This being my first year at the
      Palace, it appeared to me very strange, after the customary gaiety and
      noise. Of course I felt very sorry for Her Majesty, as I could see that it
      was a genuine display of grief and was not in any way put on. As I was her
      favorite at that time, she kept me close to her side during this sad
      period. The Young Empress said to me one day: "Her Majesty is very much
      attached to you, and I think you had better stay with her for the time
      being." This I did, and I was so miserable myself that when Her Majesty
      commenced crying I would cry also. When she saw that I was crying, Her
      Majesty would immediately stop and ask me not to cry. She would tell me
      that I was too young to cry, and that in any case I did not know what real
      sorrow was as yet. During the conversations we had at that time she would
      tell me quite a lot about herself. On one occasion she said: "You know I
      have had a very hard life ever since I was a young girl. I was not a bit
      happy when with my parents, as I was not the favorite. My sisters had
      everything they wanted, while I was, to a great extent, ignored
      altogether. When I first came to the Court, a lot of the people were
      jealous of me because I was considered to be a beautiful woman at that
      time. I must say myself that I was a clever one, for I fought my own
      battles, and won them, too. When I arrived at Court the late Emperor
      became very much attached to me and would hardly glance at any of the
      other ladies. Fortunately, I was lucky in giving birth to a son, as it
      made me the Emperor's undisputed favorite; but after that I had very bad
      luck. During the last year of his reign the Emperor was seized with a
      sudden illness. In addition to this the foreign soldiers burnt down the
      Palace at Yuen Ming Yuen, so we fled to Jehol. Of course everybody knows
      what took place at that time. I was still a young woman, with a dying
      husband and a young son. The East Empress Dowager's nephew was a bad man,
      who coveted the throne, which he had no right to in any event, as he was
      not of royal blood. I would not wish anyone to experience what I myself
      passed through at that time. When the Emperor was in a dying condition,
      being practically unconscious of what was taking place around him, I took
      my son to his bedside and asked him what was going to be done about his
      successor to the throne. He made no reply to this, but, as has always been
      the case in emergencies, I was equal to the occasion, and I said to him:
      'Here is your son,' on hearing which he immediately opened his eyes and
      said: 'Of course he will succeed to the throne.' I naturally felt relieved
      when this was settled once and for all. These words were practically the
      last he spoke, for he died immediately afterwards. Although it is now so
      many years ago, I can see him now in that dying condition, just as though
      it all happened only yesterday.
    </p>
    <p>
      "I thought that I could be happy with my son as the Emperor Tung Chi, but
      unfortunately he died before he was twenty years of age. Since that time I
      have been a changed woman, as all happiness was over as far as I was
      concerned when he died. I had also quite a lot of trouble with the East
      Empress Dowager and found it very difficult to keep on good terms with
      her. However, she died five years after the death of my son. In addition
      to all this, when the Emperor Kwang Hsu was brought to me as a baby three
      years old, he was a very sickly child, and could hardly walk, he was so
      thin and weak. His parents seemed to be afraid of giving him anything to
      eat. You know his father was Prince Chung, and his mother was my sister,
      so of course he was almost the same as my own son, in fact I adopted him
      as such. Even now, after all my trouble on his account, he is not in
      perfect health. As you know, I have had plenty of other troubles beside
      these, but it is useless to mention them now. I am disappointed with
      everything, as nothing has turned out as I had expected." With this remark
      Her Majesty commenced crying afresh. Continuing, she said: "People seem to
      think that just because I am the Empress Dowager that I am bound to be
      happy, but what I have just told you is not all. I have gone through much
      more than that. If ever anything went wrong, I was always the one who was
      blamed. The censors even dare to impeach me once in a while. However, I am
      philosopher enough to take things for what they are worth, otherwise I
      would have been in my own grave long, long ago. Just imagine how small
      minded these people are. Amongst other things they objected to my
      transferring my Court to the Summer Palace during the hot weather,
      although I could do no harm by being there. Even in the short time you
      have spent at Court, you can see that I am unable to decide anything
      alone, while whenever they want anything they consult with each other and
      then present their petition to me, which, unless it is something of a very
      serious nature, I never think of refusing."
    </p>
    <p>
      After the time set apart for mourning had expired, we all went back to the
      Summer Palace, where Miss Carl re-commenced her work on Her Majesty's
      portrait. Her Majesty apparently soon got tired of this portrait painting,
      for one day she asked me when I thought it would be finished. She was
      afraid that it would not be finished by the time the cold weather came on,
      when we always removed the Court to the Forbidden City, and she said it
      would be a lot of trouble and inconvenience to have to continue the
      portrait there. I told Her Majesty that it could easily be arranged and
      that she need not worry herself.
    </p>
    <p>
      After I had been posing in Her Majesty's place for several days Her
      Majesty asked me whether Miss Carl had said anything about it, and if she
      did, I was to inform her that it was a command from Her Majesty, and that
      I dare not make any further suggestions in that respect. So we had no
      further trouble with Miss Carl after that. I had, however, quite a lot of
      trouble with the eunuchs, who, in spite of Her Majesty's instructions,
      were anything but polite to Miss Carl. Of course Miss Carl herself did not
      know this. I tried to make them behave better by threatening to tell Her
      Majesty about them, which had a good effect for a while, but they were
      soon as bad as ever.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the commencement of the eighth moon, Her Majesty always attended to the
      transplanting of her chrysanthemums, which was one of her favorite
      flowers, so each day she would take us with her to the west side of the
      lake and, assisted by us, would cut the tops of the young plants and set
      them in flower pots. I was very much surprised at this, as there were no
      roots, only the stems of the flowers, but Her Majesty assured me that they
      would soon grow into very pretty plants. Every day we went over to water
      these flowers until they began to bud. In case it rained heavily, Her
      Majesty would order some of the eunuchs to go over and cover up these
      chrysanthemum plants with mats, so that they would not be broken. It was
      characteristic of Her Majesty that, no matter what other business she had
      to attend to, her flowers had her first consideration and she would, if
      necessary, even go without her usual rest in order to superintend them
      personally. She also spent quite a time in looking after her orchard,
      where she had planted apple trees, pear trees, etc. Another thing which I
      began to notice was that when the spring and summer days had passed, she
      got quite irritable and sad, while in the winter she was simply
      unbearable. She loathed cold weather.
    </p>
    <p>
      One day, during the eighth moon, Her Majesty was taken slightly ill, and
      complained of suffering from severe headaches. This was the only time I
      ever saw Her Majesty actually sick. She, however, got up as usual in the
      morning, and held audience, but was unable to take her luncheon, and very
      soon had to retire to her bed. Several doctors were summoned, each of whom
      took her pulse. This was quite a ceremony in itself. The doctors knelt at
      the bedside, and Her Majesty stretched forth her arm, resting her hand
      upon a small pillow which was provided for that purpose. After this each
      doctor wrote out his prescription, all of which were different from each
      other. We handed them to Her Majesty, who chose the one which she thought
      was the nicest to take, and two attendants and the doctor himself had to
      take a dose in her presence before she would touch it. Then she would take
      it all right.
    </p>
    <p>
      During this time it rained a great deal and was very hot. The climate at
      this time of the year is very damp, which causes the flies to make their
      appearance in millions. If there was one thing more than another that Her
      Majesty detested it was these flies. During the actual summer they were
      not so troublesome as at this particular time. Of course every precaution
      was taken to keep them away, a eunuch being posted at each door, provided
      with sort of a switch made of horse hair fastened at the end of a bamboo
      pole. We were never troubled by mosquitoes, however; in fact I never saw a
      mosquito curtain in the Palace during the whole of my stay there. These
      flies were an abomination, and in spite of all that could be done a few
      would find their way into the rooms. Whenever they alighted on Her Majesty
      she would scream, while if by any chance one were to alight on her food
      she would order the whole lot to be thrown away. This would spoil her
      appetite for the whole day and put her into a terrible temper as well.
      Whenever she saw one anywhere near her, she would order whoever happened
      to be present to go and catch it. I myself often received this order, but
      I detested them almost as much as Her Majesty did, they were so dirty, and
      stuck to one's hands whenever they touched them.
    </p>
    <p>
      After her illness Her Majesty was indisposed more or less for quite a long
      time, and doctors were constantly in attendance. She took so many
      different kinds of medicine that instead of getting better she got worse
      and eventually contracted a fever. Her Majesty was very much afraid of
      fevers of any kind and we had to stay with her all night and all day and
      had to take our meals whenever we could get away from her bedside for a
      few minutes. Another peculiarity was Her Majesty's aversion for any kind
      of perfume near her when she was sick, while when she was feeling well she
      was simply smothered in it. The same applied to fresh flowers; in spite of
      her love for them under ordinary conditions, when she was sick she could
      not bear them anywhere near. Her nerves became absolutely unstrung, as she
      was unable to sleep during the day, and consequently the time passed very
      slowly to her. In order to make the time pass a little less tediously, she
      gave instructions for one of the better educated eunuchs to read to her
      during the daytime. This reading generally consisted of ancient Chinese
      history, poetry and all kinds of Chinese lore, and while the eunuch was
      reading to her we had to stand by her bedside, one of us being told off to
      massage her legs, which seemed to soothe her somewhat. This same program
      was gone through every day until she was completely herself again&mdash;some
      ten days later.
    </p>
    <p>
      One day Her Majesty asked me: "What kind of medicine does a foreign doctor
      usually give in case of a fever? I have heard that they make you take all
      kinds of pills. This must be very dangerous, as you never know what they
      are made of. Here in China all medicines are made from roots, and I can
      always find out whether I am receiving the right medicine, as I have a
      book which explains what each different medicine is for. Another thing I
      have heard is that foreign doctors generally operate on you with a knife,
      while we cure the same sickness by means of our medicine. Li Lien Ying
      told me that one of our little eunuchs had a boil on his wrist and someone
      advised him to go to the hospital. Of course they didn't know what they
      would do, and the foreign doctor there opened the boil with a knife, which
      frightened the child very much. I was very much surprised when I heard he
      was all right again in a couple of days." Continuing, Her Majesty said: "A
      year ago one of the foreign ladies came to the Palace, and hearing me
      cough a lot, gave me some black pills and told me to swallow them. I did
      not like to offend her, so I took the pills and told her I would take them
      by and bye. However, I was afraid to take them and threw them away." Of
      course I answered that I didn't know much about medicines, to which she
      replied that she had seen me take foreign medicines whenever I was not
      feeling well. She then said: "Of course I know there are people in Peking
      who do take the medicines given them by foreign doctors and even some of
      my own relatives patronize these foreigners also. They try not to let me
      know, but I do know for all that. In any case, if they choose to kill
      themselves by taking these things, it is none of my business; that is the
      reason why, when they are sick, I never send my own doctors to attend
      them."
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty had completely recovered from her illness she used to go
      out on the lake a great deal, sometimes in an open boat and at other times
      in a steam launch. She always appeared to enjoy this kind of thing. For
      some reason or other she always insisted on taking the west side of the
      lake, which was very shallow, and invariably the launch would get stuck
      fast in the mud, which seemed to afford Her Majesty great enjoyment; she
      simply loved to feel the launch strike the bottom. The open boats would
      then come alongside and we would have to get out of the launch and enter
      the boats and proceed to the top of the nearest hill to watch the efforts
      of the eunuchs trying to refloat the launch. It was a characteristic of
      Her Majesty to experience a keen sense of enjoyment at the troubles of
      other people. The eunuchs knew this quite well, and whenever opportunity
      offered, they would do something which they thought would amuse Her
      Majesty. So long as it was nothing of a serious nature Her Majesty would
      always overlook it, but in case it proved serious or was carelessness, she
      would always order them to be severely punished. Thus it was very hard to
      tell just what to do in order to please her.
    </p>
    <p>
      Another of Her Majesty's peculiarities was inquisitiveness. For example:
      As I have stated before, it was the custom for Her Majesty to have
      sweetmeats brought to her before every meal, and after she had finished
      with them, the remainder were distributed among the Court ladies. Whenever
      it happened that we were very busy, we did not bother with the sweetmeats
      at all, which Her Majesty very soon found out. One day, after she had
      finished dining, she came and looked through the window to see what we
      were doing, and saw some of the eunuchs eating the sweetmeats which she
      had given to us. She did not say anything, but simply ordered that the
      sweetmeats should be brought back again, making us believe that she wanted
      some more herself. I knew that there was something wrong, as she never
      ordered them back before. When she saw what was left of them, she asked
      who had been eating so many, as they were nearly all finished, but she got
      no reply&mdash;we were all too scared. However, after thinking it over, I
      came to the conclusion that it would be best to tell her the truth, for I
      was quite certain that she knew anyhow. So I told her that we had all been
      very busy and had forgotten all about the sweetmeats, and that the eunuchs
      had come and taken them themselves, and I added that this was not the
      first time they had done so. I was rather glad that she had given me this
      opportunity to report the eunuchs, for Her Majesty replied that if she
      intended the eunuchs to have sweetmeats, she herself could give them some,
      but thought it a lack of appreciation on our part not eating them
      ourselves after she had been so kind as to provide them for us. She turned
      to me, and said: "I am glad that you have told the truth, as I saw myself
      what was happening." She gave orders that the offending eunuchs should
      each have three months' wages deducted as a punishment, but of course I
      knew very well they didn't mind that, as they were making many times the
      amount of their salary in other ways. On my return to the sitting room,
      one of the Court ladies said: "You should not have told Her Majesty about
      the eunuchs, they are sure to revenge themselves in some way." I asked how
      they could possibly injure me in any way, as they were only servants, but
      she told me that they would find some underhand way in which to get even
      with me, this being their general custom. Of course I knew the eunuchs
      were a bad lot, but could not see what cause they had to be against me in
      any way. I knew they dare not say anything against me to Her Majesty, so I
      forgot all about the matter. I found out afterwards that one of the tricks
      they used to play on any of the Court ladies who offended them was to try
      and prejudice Her Majesty against us. For instance, if Her Majesty told
      one of the eunuchs that a certain thing should be done, instead of telling
      me what Her Majesty wanted, the eunuch would go off to one of the other
      ladies and tell her. In this way Her Majesty would get the impression that
      I was too lazy to wait upon her myself, and of course the other lady would
      get all the credit. Although Her Majesty was very kind to me, also the
      Young Empress, it was very hard to get along with eunuchs, and it was not
      good policy to offend them in any way. They regarded themselves as being
      exclusively the servants of Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and refused
      to take instructions from anybody else, consequently they were often very
      rude to the other ladies of the Court, not even excepting the Young
      Empress.
    </p>
    <p>
      Everything proceeded as usual until the eighth moon, when the Emperor was
      to sacrifice at the "Temple of the Sun." On this occasion the Emperor wore
      a red robe.
    </p>
    <p>
      About this time Mrs. Conger asked for a private audience, as she wanted to
      see Her Majesty and at the same time see how the portrait was progressing.
      Her Majesty replied that she would receive her and gave orders
      accordingly. At this private audience Mrs. Conger brought into the Court
      two of her relatives to be presented to Her Majesty, besides Miss Campbell
      and a missionary lady. As it was a private audience, the guests were
      conducted to Her Majesty's private Palace. They were received in the hall
      which was being used as studio for this lady artist, although Her Majesty
      was out of patience with the portrait painting, and talked to us a great
      deal about it, yet when she saw Mrs. Conger and the others she was
      extremely polite and told them that the portrait was going to be a
      masterpiece. She was in an unusually good humor that day and told me to
      give orders to the eunuchs to open all the buildings and show them to her
      guests. Her Majesty led the way from one room to another and showed them
      her curios in the different rooms, until she came to rest in one of the
      bedrooms, when she ordered chairs to be brought in for the guests. There
      were many chairs in this room, but they were really small thrones of Her
      Majesty's, although they looked like any ordinary chairs. The custom is
      that no matter what kind of a chair it may be, as soon as she uses it, it
      is at once called her throne and no one is allowed to sit on it thereafter
      unless the order is given by her.
    </p>
    <p>
      During the time the eunuchs were bringing in the chairs kept purposely for
      foreigners to use, one of the ladies of the party made a mistake and sat
      upon one of Her Majesty's thrones. I noticed her at once, and before I had
      a chance to warn her, Her Majesty made a sign of annoyance to me. I went
      to this lady at once and told her I wanted to show her something and
      naturally she was obliged to get up. The trouble was this, although Her
      Majesty felt that no one had the right to sit upon her throne, she
      expected me to get this lady off the chair and at the same time not to
      tell her the reason why. While I was busy interpreting for her, she said
      in an undertone: "There she is again, sitting on my bed. We had better
      leave this room." After this the ladies were conducted to the refreshment
      room, and when they had partaken of lunch, bade Her Majesty good-bye,
      leaving Miss Carl with us. As usual we reported to her that we had seen
      the guests safely off. She said to me: "That was a funny lady: first she
      sat upon my throne, and then upon my bed. Perhaps she does not know what a
      throne is when she sees one, and yet foreigners laugh at us. I am sure
      that our manners are far superior to theirs. Another thing&mdash;did you
      notice that Mrs. Conger handed a parcel to Miss Carl out in the courtyard
      when she came in?" I replied that I had noticed her passing something like
      a parcel, but could not tell what the parcel contained. She thereupon told
      me to go and ask Miss Carl what it was. At that time I had received so
      many peculiar orders from Her Majesty that I was beginning to get
      accustomed to them and used my own discretion in carrying out her
      instructions. Therefore I did not ask Miss Carl, but set about finding out
      for myself. However, when I began to look around for the parcel, it had
      mysteriously disappeared and I could not find the thing anywhere. This
      naturally worried me, knowing as I did that Her Majesty liked her
      instructions carried out quickly. While I was searching, one of the
      eunuchs came in and told me that Her Majesty wanted to see me, and of
      course I had to go to her. Before she could say anything to me, I informed
      Her Majesty that I had not been able to ask Miss Carl about the parcel as
      she was asleep, but would do so immediately she got up. Her Majesty said:
      "I don't want Miss Carl to think I have told you to ask what the parcel
      contains, otherwise she might think I am suspicious of what is going on,
      so you must manage to get the information somehow without mentioning the
      matter; you are clever enough to do that much." Shortly afterwards, while
      I was walking along with Miss Carl to Her Majesty's Palace, to proceed
      with the portrait, I noticed that she was carrying the parcel in question,
      which was a great relief to me, I can assure you. On arrival at the
      Palace, Miss Carl said to me: "You need not trouble to pose at present, as
      it is rather dark, and I can be painting the throne; you can look through
      this magazine, if you like, to pass the time away." So I opened up the
      parcel, which proved to contain nothing more than an ordinary American
      monthly magazine. After glancing through the book, I made an excuse to
      hurry away and inform Her Majesty. However, she had already gone out for
      her usual trip on the lake, so I took my chair and followed. When I
      reached the lake, Her Majesty, who had seen me, sent a small boat and I
      was rowed out to the launch. Before I could get a chance to speak, Her
      Majesty said with a smile: "I know all about it, it was a book and Miss
      Carl handed it to you to read." I was very much disappointed that I had
      had my journey for nothing. I knew that the eunuchs would report it to Her
      Majesty at the first opportunity, but I hardly expected they would have
      done so already. Her Majesty was now quite satisfied, and simply asked
      whether Miss Carl suspected that she had enquired about the matter.
    </p>
    <p>
      As I was about to return to Miss Carl, Her Majesty called me and said:
      "There is one thing I want to tell you and that is whenever any foreign
      ladies are visiting the Palace, always keep close to the Emperor so that
      in the event of their speaking to him you can interpret." I answered that
      so far whenever any foreigners were present I was present also and did not
      think that anybody had held any conversation with the Emperor whatsoever.
      She explained that her reason for mentioning this was that she wanted me
      to be just as courteous to the Emperor as I was to herself, and I was to
      place myself entirely at his disposal whenever visitors were present. Of
      course I knew very well that this was not the true reason at all but that
      she wanted to take every precaution to preclude the possibility of
      foreigners influencing the Emperor in matters of reform, etc.
    </p>
    <p>
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    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
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    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER FIFTEEN&mdash;THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
    </h2>
    <p>
      ON the fifteenth day of the eighth moon came the celebration of the
      Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes called the Moon Festival.
    </p>
    <p>
      This name is derived from the belief which the Chinese hold that the moon
      is not permanently round when full, but that on this particular day it is
      a perfect circle. The ceremony which is gone through is conducted entirely
      by the Court ladies and consists of worshiping the moon as soon as it
      appears in the sky. In other respects the celebrations are exactly the
      same as in the Dragon Boat Festival, presents were exchanged between Her
      Majesty and the Court officials. The festival concluded with a theatrical
      performance which describes a scene in the moon. The belief is that a
      beautiful maiden lives in the moon, her only companion being a white
      rabbit, called a Jade Rabbit. According to the play this rabbit escapes
      from the moon to the Earth and becomes a young and beautiful girl. A
      golden rooster which lives in the sun, becoming aware of the rabbit's
      descent to the earth, himself descends from the sun and changes into a
      handsome prince. Of course they very naturally meet and immediately fall
      in love. Now, on the earth lived another rabbit&mdash;a red one, who, on
      finding out what was going on, changed himself into a prince also and set
      about making love to the beautiful maiden with the object of cutting out
      the rooster. However, he was seriously handicapped inasmuch as he was
      unable to change the color of his face, which remained red, therefore his
      love making met with no success and the rooster prince had it all his own
      way. At this point, the beautiful maiden in the moon, on discovering her
      loss, sent the soldiers of Heaven to re-capture her rabbit, with the
      result that she was taken back to the moon and the rooster being left
      alone, had no alternative but to reluctantly return to his home in the
      sun.
    </p>
    <p>
      During this performance the head eunuch brought a young man into the
      courtyard, who kowtowed to Her Majesty. This was such an unusual
      occurrence that everybody noticed it. I could see that he was a stranger
      and did not belong to the Court and I wondered who he could be. At the
      other end of the veranda I saw two or three of the Court ladies whispering
      together and smiling. They finally came over to me and asked if I knew who
      he was. I told them that he was a stranger to me and they ought to know
      better than I did as they had been at the Court much longer. Anyhow I gave
      it as my opinion that he was decidedly ugly. That same evening Her Majesty
      asked me whether I had noticed this young man, and told me that he was the
      son of a very high Manchu official; that his father was dead and that he
      had succeeded to the title and to a large amount of money. I was surprised
      that Her Majesty should give such a lengthy explanation about this young
      man, but I told her that I did not think him very handsome. Her Majesty
      was talking in a very serious manner but I did not think anything of the
      occurrence at the time but a few days later while I was posing for the
      portrait I heard Her Majesty whispering to my mother at the other end of
      the room. I saw that Her Majesty was holding a photograph in her hands
      which she showed to my mother, at the same time asking whether my mother
      considered him good looking. My mother answered "not very." On Her Majesty
      replying that beauty was not everything I began to suspect that there was
      something going on which directly concerned me. I began to think of some
      excuse in order to get out of what I could plainly see was a proposed
      marriage between myself and this gentleman. I knew that if Her Majesty had
      made up her mind that I was to marry him I could not help myself, but, at
      the same time, I made up my own mind that rather than marry anyone whom I
      did not like, especially one I had never seen before, I would leave the
      Court altogether. When Her Majesty retired for her usual afternoon rest
      she told me she wanted to see me for a moment. After beating about the
      bush for some time, she asked me whether I would like to stay with her
      always or whether I would like to go away again to some foreign country. I
      at once answered that I was quite satisfied to stay with her as long as
      she cared to have me but that when she was tired of me she could then send
      me away. Her Majesty informed me that it had been her intention to marry
      me to this young gentleman and asked my opinion. I told her that I did not
      want to get married at all, especially seeing that my father was sick at
      this time, and leaving home to go to live apart from my family would break
      his heart and perhaps be the cause of his premature death. Her Majesty
      said that was no excuse as I should not have to go out of China but would
      be able to see my father and family any time I wished. I told Her Majesty
      that I would much rather stay with her altogether and that I did not want
      to marry anybody. Her Majesty then said: "I won't listen to any excuse. I
      have already explained everything to your mother, but much to my surprise
      she said it would be better to mention it to you first, on account of your
      having been brought up differently from the rest of the Court ladies. Had
      it not been for this fact I would simply have arranged everything with
      your mother and the matter would have been settled so far as you were
      concerned." I could not say anything in answer to this, so commenced to
      cry. I told Her Majesty that I was not like the rest of the Court ladies
      who pretended they did not want to marry, when all the time they were
      simply looking forward to getting married, if only for the change from the
      monotony of Court life. I promised that I would stay with her forever, and
      that I had no desire to go away from China again. I explained that I
      should not have gone away at all had it not been that my father was
      transferred to Paris. Her Majesty said: "Oh, well, I am very glad that you
      did go away as you are more useful to me than you would have been had you
      stayed in China all your life." After a lot more discussion Her Majesty
      said: "Well, I will leave you to think the matter over. If you don't like
      the young man I have chosen there are plenty of others," which remark did
      not help me very much as I could see that she meant to marry me off
      anyway. However, I had managed to get out of it this time, and thought I
      would be able to arrange matters satisfactorily should the question come
      up again. Nothing further was said about the matter until nearly a month
      later when I heard that a marriage had been arranged between this
      gentleman and the daughter of one of the princes. So everything ended very
      satisfactorily from my point of view.
    </p>
    <p>
      The twenty-sixth day of the eighth moon was the occasion of another
      celebration. At the time the Manchu Dynasty began, Emperor Shung Chih, who
      had fought very hard to gain the throne, found himself on the twenty-sixth
      day of the eighth moon, absolutely out of provisions of every kind and it
      was necessary for him and his army to live on the leaves of trees, which
      was the only form of food obtainable at the time. Thus the anniversary of
      this day, even up to the present time, is always celebrated by the Manchu
      people, who deny themselves all luxuries, especially at the Court. We did
      not eat any meat on that day, but only rice wrapped in lettuce leaves.
      Chopsticks were also discarded and the food was conveyed to the mouth by
      the hands alone. Even the Empress Dowager was no exception to this rule.
      This is done in order to remind the present generation of the privation
      suffered by their ancestors who established the Manchu Dynasty.
    </p>
    <p>
      Towards the close of the eighth moon Her Majesty's gourd plants, which had
      been planted early in the spring, were ripening, and each day she would
      take us all to see what progress they were making. She would pick out
      those which she considered to be the most perfect in form, i. e., those
      with the smallest waist and tie ribbons around them so as not to lose
      sight of them. She pointed to one of these plants one day, and said to me:
      "This reminds me of yourself when dressed in foreign clothes. Surely you
      feel more comfortable in the clothes you are now wearing." When these
      gourds were quite ripe they were cut down and Her Majesty would scrape the
      outer skin with a bamboo knife, afterwards wiping the fruit with a wet
      cloth. They were then allowed to dry and after a few days they would
      assume a brownish color, when they were ready for hanging as ornaments in
      the Summer Palace. In one room alone there were over 10,000 of these
      gourds, of different shapes. It was the duty of the Court ladies to
      periodically wipe these gourds with a cloth, in order to give them a shiny
      appearance, and also to scrape any new ones which were pulled and prepare
      them for the Palace. None of us cared very much about this work excepting
      Her Majesty. One day whilst attending to these gourds I happened to knock
      the top off one of the old ones which was Her Majesty's particular
      favorite. I dared not go and tell Her Majesty what had happened and one of
      the Court ladies suggested throwing the thing away altogether and saying
      nothing about it as Her Majesty would not be likely to find it out, having
      so many of them. However, I finally decided to go and tell Her Majesty
      about it, and take punishment if necessary. For a wonder Her Majesty did
      not make much bother about it. She said: "Well it was quite an old one in
      any case and the top was ready to drop off at any time; it so happens that
      you were the one to wipe it, and of course it came off. It can't be
      helped." I told Her Majesty that I was very much ashamed at being so
      careless, especially as I knew it was one of her favorites, and there the
      matter ended. All the rest of the Court ladies were in the waiting room
      and were anxious to know how I would get out of it, and when I told them
      they said that had it been any of them there would have been a fine row.
      They laughed, and said it must be nice to be a favorite which made me feel
      very uncomfortable. I told the Young Empress exactly what had happened,
      and she said I was quite right to tell Her Majesty the truth and told me
      to be very careful as there was much jealousy going on.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the beginning of the ninth moon the chrysanthemums commence to bud and
      it was the duty of the ladies of the Court to go and trim them each day by
      cutting away all the buds except one on each stalk. This trimming gives
      the flower a better chance of developing, a much larger blossom being the
      result. Even Her Majesty would help with this work. She was very
      particular about these plants, and would not allow any of us to meddle
      with them if our hands were not perfectly cool, as to touch them with hot
      hands would cause the leaves to shrivel up. These flowers are generally in
      full bloom about the end of the ninth moon or beginning of the tenth moon.
      Her Majesty had a wonderful gift of being able to tell what kind of flower
      would bloom from each separate plant, even before the buds appeared. She
      would say: "This is going to be a red flower," and we would place a bamboo
      stick in the flower pot, with the name written on it. Then another, Her
      Majesty would declare to be a white one and we would place a similar
      bamboo stick in the flower pot, with the description, and so on. Her
      Majesty said: "This is your first year at the Palace and no doubt you are
      surprised at what you have just seen and heard me say, but I have never
      yet made a mistake. For you will see when the flowers commence to bloom."
      It was a fact as everything turned out exactly as she had predicted. None
      of us ever knew how she was able to distinguish one from the other, but
      she was always right. I did once ask her to explain how she was able to
      tell but she answered that it was a secret.
    </p>
    <p>
      All this time the portrait was proceeding very slowly and one day Her
      Majesty asked me how long I thought it would be before it was finished and
      what the custom in Europe was as regards remuneration for such a portrait.
      I replied that it was customary to pay very handsomely, but she would not
      hear of such a suggestion, saying that in China it was not the custom and
      that it would be regarded as an insult to offer money for such a service.
      She suggested decorating Miss Carl as a reward for her services, which she
      considered would be appreciated far more than a money present. There was
      nothing for me to say at this time but I determined to mention the matter
      again when a favorable opportunity occurred.
    </p>
    <p>
      During the ninth moon a Russian circus visited Peking and of course
      everybody talked of little else. Her Majesty, hearing so much talk about
      this circus asked what it was like, and after we had explained to her, she
      became very interested and said that she would like to see it. My mother
      thought it would be a good idea to have the circus brought up to the
      Summer Palace, where they could perform, so she asked Her Majesty whether
      this might be done. Her Majesty was delighted with the idea, and
      arrangements were accordingly made for the performance. While everything
      was being fixed, the people belonging to the circus, and the animals, were
      quartered near our own house and we had to feed them at our own expense.
      However, we wanted to show Her Majesty what a circus was like so the
      expense did not matter. It took them two days to erect the tent and make
      all necessary preparations, and during this time Her Majesty received
      reports as to what was being done, and the progress they were making.
    </p>
    <p>
      The day before the performance, we noticed that Her Majesty, on coming
      from her audience, looked very angry, and on our enquiring what was the
      matter she informed my mother and myself that some censors had raised
      objections against having this circus in the Palace grounds, as there had
      never been anything of this kind allowed before and they had begged Her
      Majesty to give up the idea. Her Majesty was very angry, and said: "You
      see how much power I have here; I cannot even have a circus without
      somebody raising objections. I think we had better pay them something and
      let them go away." Of course we agreed to anything she thought best. After
      considering for a time Her Majesty jumped up and said: "They have the tent
      up already; they will talk just the same whether we have the circus or
      not; I will have it anyway." So the performance duly took place and Her
      Majesty and all the Court were delighted. One item consisted of a young
      girl walking and dancing on a large globe. This especially pleased Her
      Majesty and she insisted on the performance being repeated several times.
      Another item of interest was the trapeze act. Of course nobody present
      with the exception of my mother, sister and myself had ever seen a circus
      performance before, and Her Majesty was very much afraid that the man
      would fall from the trapeze and kill himself. Another thing which
      interested Her Majesty was the bare-back riding, which she thought simply
      wonderful. The only objection to the whole show which she raised was when
      it was suggested to bring in the lions and tigers, etc. She said it was
      not safe to bring wild beasts into the Palace and that she would rather
      not see this part of the performance. The proprietor of the circus,
      however, brought in a small baby elephant which performed several clever
      tricks. This delighted Her Majesty more than anything else and when the
      proprietor saw how pleased she was he offered the elephant as a present,
      which she accepted. However, after the performance was over we tried to
      make him go through his tricks again but he would not budge an inch, so we
      had to give it up as a bad job and send him away to be placed along with
      the other elephants belonging to the Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      Altogether there were three performances given by the circus, and before
      the final performance, the circus Manager told me that he would very much
      like to show the lions and tigers: there was no chance of any accident and
      it really would be worth seeing. So after a lot of discussion Her Majesty
      finally consented to allow them to be brought in but on the distinct
      understanding that they should not be let out of their cages.
    </p>
    <p>
      When they were brought in the ring all the eunuchs gathered around Her
      Majesty, and after remaining in the ring for a few minutes Her Majesty
      ordered them to be taken away again. She said: "I am not afraid for
      myself, but they might get loose and hurt some of the people." This item
      finished the whole of the performance and the circus departed richer by
      some Taels 10,000 which Her Majesty had ordered to be given to them.
    </p>
    <p>
      For the next couple of days we discussed the merits of the circus but
      afterwards, Her Majesty, when referring to the subject, expressed great
      disappointment with the whole thing. She said she had expected something
      entirely different and far more wonderful. This was another characteristic
      of Her Majesty; nothing pleased her for more than five minutes at a time.
      She said to me: "I don't see anything at all wonderful in foreign
      accomplishments. Take for instance this portrait which this lady is
      painting. I don't think it is going to be at all a good picture, it seems
      so rough. (Her Majesty did not understand oil painting). Then again why
      should she always want to have the things before her while painting them.
      An ordinary Chinese artist could paint my dress, shoes, etc., after seeing
      the things once. She cannot be very much of an artist in my opinion,
      though you need not tell her that I said so." Continuing, Her Majesty
      said: "By the way, what do you talk about when you are posing for this
      portrait of mine; although I don't understand what she is saying, still I
      can see she has a lot to say. Be sure not to tell her anything connected
      with the Court life and do not teach her any Chinese. I hear that she
      often asks what different things are called in Chinese, but don't tell
      her. The less she knows the better for us. I can see that she has seen
      nothing of our ordinary Court life, as yet. I wonder what she would say if
      she were to see one of the eunuchs being punished, or anything like that.
      She would think that we were savages, I suppose. I noticed the other day,
      when I was angry, that you took this lady artist away. This was very wise
      of you; it is better that she should not see me in a temper, she might
      talk about it afterwards. I wish this portrait was finished. The cool
      weather is coming on and we have to open up the boxes and get our winter
      clothes ready. You girls need winter clothes I know as you have none but
      foreign dresses. Then, again, my birthday is next month and there will be
      the usual celebrations. After that we return to the Sea Palace, and what
      can we do with this artist? I suppose she will have to go back and stay at
      the American Legation and come to the Sea Palace each day until the work
      is finished. This will be a lot of trouble as it is not ten minutes' drive
      as at present, but nearer an hour's drive. And even if this can be
      satisfactorily arranged, what about the Winter Palace in the Forbidden
      City? Try and get to know how long she expects to be before it is
      finished." This gave me an opportunity to tell Her Majesty that Miss Carl
      was just as anxious to get the work finished as she was to have it
      finished, but explained that Miss Carl had very little time to paint as
      Her Majesty could spare very little time to give personal sittings, and
      again, when Her Majesty went to lie down each afternoon, Miss Carl had to
      stop painting as she was working in the next room to Her Majesty's
      bedroom. Her Majesty replied: "Well, if she expects me to sit for her all
      day long I will give up the whole thing at once," and then added: "I think
      you yourself are getting tired of sitting, and want me to take it up
      again, but I have already had quite enough of it." Of course, I told her
      that instead of being tired of it, I enjoyed sitting on Her Throne, which
      I regarded as a great honor. I explained to Her Majesty that Miss Carl did
      not like me to pose in her place, as she could not get along so quickly as
      if she were to sit herself; but she simply said that I was acting under
      her commands, and that should be sufficient for me.
    </p>
    <p>
      For the next ten days we were kept very busy selecting materials for
      winter clothing and also official robes for my sister and myself to be
      worn during the forthcoming birthday celebrations. These dresses were full
      winter Court dresses, of red satin embroidered with golden dragons and
      blue clouds, and were trimmed with gold braid and lined with grey
      squirrel. The cuffs and collars (which were turned down) were of sable.
      While Her Majesty was giving one of the eunuchs instructions as to how
      these were to be made, the Young Empress beckoned to me, and I went out.
      She said: "You go and kowtow to Her Majesty as it is a great favor for her
      to give you a dress trimmed with sable. This is usually only worn by a
      Princess." So when I returned to the room I availed myself of the first
      opportunity to kowtow and thank Her Majesty for the great favor she had
      granted me. She answered: "You deserve it, and I see no reason why you
      should not be treated as a Princess anyway; many of the Princesses are not
      of the Imperial family. Any title may be bestowed for special services
      rendered to the country and you have been of more help to me than any
      other Court lady I have ever had, and I can see that you are faithful in
      the discharge of your duties. You may think I do not notice these things,
      but I do. You are certainly entitled to be ranked as a Princess, and in
      fact I never treat you different from the Princesses, but rather better in
      many ways." Turning to a eunuch she said: "Bring my fur cap here." This
      cap was made of sable, trimmed with pearls and jade and Her Majesty
      explained that our caps would be something after the same style except
      that the crown, instead of being yellow as in the case of Her Majesty's
      cap, would be red. I was naturally delighted. In addition to the cap and
      full Court dress Her Majesty had two ordinary dresses made for everyday
      wear, one lined with sheepskin and the other lined with grey squirrel.
      Then she gave us four other dresses of finer material, lined with black
      and white fox skin, and all trimmed with gold braid and embroidered
      ribbons. In addition there were two other dresses, one of a pale pink
      color, embroidered with one hundred butterflies and the other of a reddish
      color embroidered with green bamboo leaves. Several short jackets, also
      lined with fur, were also included in Her Majesty's present, and several
      sleeveless jackets went to complete the lot.
    </p>
    <p>
      On coming out of the room, one of the Court ladies remarked that I was
      very lucky to receive so many clothes from Her Majesty and said that she
      had never received so many during the whole time she had been at the
      Palace&mdash;nearly ten years. I could see she was jealous. The young
      Empress, overhearing this conversation, joined us and told her that when I
      arrived at the Palace I had nothing but foreign clothes and how was I to
      manage if Her Majesty did not get me the proper dresses. This incident was
      the beginning of another unpleasant time for me with the ladies of the
      Court. At first I took no notice until one day one of the girls attached
      to the Palace joined in the unkind remarks. She said that before my
      arrival she had been Her Majesty's particular favorite, but I gave her to
      understand that she had no right to discuss me in any way whatsoever. The
      Young Empress, who was present, spoke to them about their treatment of me
      and said that some fine day I would be telling Her Majesty about it. This
      seemed to have a good effect for they never troubled me much afterwards
      with their talk.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER SIXTEEN&mdash;THE SUMMER PALACE
    </h2>
    <p>
      JUST about the end of the ninth moon Her Majesty began to tire of doing
      nothing day after day, and said: "What is the use of waiting until the
      first of the month to have the theatrical performance? Let us have a
      performance to-morrow." So she gave instructions for the eunuchs to
      prepare for the play, which should be staged without the assistance of any
      outside actors. I might here mention that certain of the eunuchs were
      specially trained as actors and used to study their parts every day.
      Indeed, they were far cleverer than the professionals from outside.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty gave the head eunuch the list of the plays she wished to be
      performed, which were for the most part dramatised fairy tales, and we had
      a performance the next day.
    </p>
    <p>
      After Her Majesty had gone to rest in the afternoon, during the theatrical
      performance I met the Emperor returning to his own Palace. I was surprised
      to see only one eunuch in attendance. This was the Emperor's own private
      eunuch and he trusted him implicitly. He asked me where I was going and I
      told him I was going to my room to rest a while. He remarked that he had
      not seen me for quite a long time, which made me laugh as I saw him every
      morning at the audience. He said: "I don't get as much chance of chatting
      with you as formerly since this portrait painting began. I am afraid I am
      not making much progress with my English as I have nobody to help me now
      that your time is occupied with this lady artist. You appear to enjoy her
      company very much. All the same I suppose it is very monotonous. Has she
      found out yet that you are there simply to keep an eye upon her?" I told
      him that I was very careful not to betray myself in any way and that I did
      not think she suspected she was being watched.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Emperor then said: "I understand there is a rumor to the effect that
      when this lady has finished Her Majesty's portrait she is going to paint
      mine. I should very much like to know who says so." I told him this was
      the first I had heard about it so could not say. I asked him whether he
      would like to have his portrait painted but he only answered: "That is
      rather a difficult question for me to answer. You know best whether I
      ought to have it painted or not.
    </p>
    <p>
      "I see Her Majesty having so many photographs taken and even the eunuchs
      are in the picture." I understood at once what he meant, so I asked him if
      he wished me to take him with my little kodak. He looked surprised and
      asked: "Can you take pictures, too? If it is not too risky for us, we
      might try it some day when we have an opportunity. Don't forget, but I
      think we must be very careful."
    </p>
    <p>
      He then changed the conversation by saying: "Well, now that we have time
      to talk I want to ask you a question and I expect you to answer me truly.
      What is the general opinion amongst the foreigners regarding myself? Do
      they consider me a man of character and do they think me clever? I am very
      anxious to know." Before I could say anything in answer to this question
      he continued: "I know very well that they regard me as nothing more than a
      boy, and as being of no consequence at all. Tell me, is not this so?" I
      replied that many foreigners had asked me about him&mdash;as to what kind
      of man he was, but that they had never expressed any opinion of their own
      regarding him excepting that they understood he was in the best of health.
      "If any wrong impression does exist regarding myself and my position at
      the Court," continued the Emperor, "it is owing to the very conservative
      customs of the Chinese Court. I am not expected to either say or do
      anything on my own initiative, consequently outsiders never hear much
      about me and I am regarded as being nothing more than a figure-head. I
      know this is so. Whenever they ask you about me in the future just explain
      to them exactly what my position here is. I have plenty of ideas regarding
      the development of this country but you know I am not able to carry them
      out as I am not my own master. I don't think the Empress Dowager herself
      has sufficient power to alter the state of things existing in China at
      present, and even if she has, she is not willing to. I am afraid it will
      be a long time before anything can be done towards reform."
    </p>
    <p>
      The Emperor went on to say how nice it would be if he were allowed to
      travel about from place to place the same as the European monarchs, but of
      course such a thing was out of the question for him. I told him that
      several Princesses had expressed a wish to visit the St. Louis Exposition
      and said I thought it would be a good thing if that could be arranged as
      they would see for themselves the difference between their own country and
      customs and foreign countries and customs. The Emperor expressed doubts as
      to this permission being granted as such a thing had never been heard of
      before.
    </p>
    <p>
      We talked for quite a long time, mostly about foreign customs, and the
      Emperor remarked that he would very much like to visit Europe and see for
      himself how things were carried on there.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just then one of my eunuchs came and said that Her Majesty was awake, so I
      had to hurry off to her room.
    </p>
    <p>
      We now arrive at the tenth moon.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first day it snowed, and the head eunuch enquired of Her Majesty
      whether it was her intention to celebrate her birthday at the Summer
      Palace as usual. As previously explained the Summer Palace was Her
      Majesty's favorite place of abode; so she replied in the affirmative and
      arrangements were accordingly made for the celebration to be held there as
      usual. The head eunuch then brought Her Majesty a list giving the names
      and ranks of all the Princesses and the names of the wives and daughters
      of the Manchu officials, and she selected those whom she wished to be
      present at the celebrations. On this occasion she selected forty-five
      ladies, who were duly informed that she desired their presence at the
      Palace. I was standing behind Her Majesty's chair all this time, and she
      turned and said: "Usually I do not ask many people to my birthday
      celebrations, but on this occasion I have made an exception as I want you
      to see the way they dress and how ignorant they are of Court etiquette."
    </p>
    <p>
      The celebrations commenced on the sixth day of the tenth moon. Miss Carl,
      having returned to the American Legation in Peking for the time being, my
      mother, my sister and myself went back to the Palace again. Early on the
      morning of the sixth, the eunuchs decorated the verandas with different
      colored silks and hung lanterns all over the place and amongst the trees.
      At about seven o'clock in the morning the visitors began to arrive and I
      quite agreed with what Her Majesty had told me about them. The eunuchs
      introduced them to all the Court ladies, but they seemed to have very
      little to say, appearing very shy. They were then conducted to the waiting
      room, but there were so many of them that we Court ladies had to stand
      outside on the veranda. Some of them were very expensively dressed, but
      their colors were, for the most part, very old fashioned, and their
      manners very awkward. We watched them for quite a while and then went off
      to report to Her Majesty.
    </p>
    <p>
      On such occasions as this Her Majesty was generally in pretty good
      spirits. She commenced asking us a lot of questions. Amongst other things
      she asked whether we had noticed an elderly lady among the visitors,
      dressed as a bride. She explained that this lady was the only Manchu lady
      present who was married to a Chinese official, and had been invited
      because of her previous connection with the Court. Her Majesty said she
      had never seen her herself, but understood that she was a very clever
      woman. We had not noticed such a person, and suggested that perhaps she
      had not yet arrived.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty dressed very quickly, and as soon as she was ready she came
      into the hall, where the head eunuch brought in the visitors and presented
      them to Her Majesty. We Court ladies were all standing in a row behind the
      Throne. As they came in, some kowtowed; others courtesied, while others
      did not do anything at all, in fact nobody appeared to know what to do
      with herself. Her Majesty spoke a few words of welcome and thanked them
      for the presents they had sent her.
    </p>
    <p>
      I would like to say here that, contrary to the general idea which exists,
      Her Majesty always expressed her thanks for any present or service
      rendered, no matter how insignificant.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty could see plainly that everybody was embarrassed and ordered
      the head eunuch to show them to their respective rooms, and told them to
      make themselves at home and to go and take a rest. They hesitated a
      moment, not knowing whether to go or not, until Her Majesty said to us:
      "Take them and present them to the Young Empress."
    </p>
    <p>
      When we arrived at the Palace of the Young Empress they were duly
      presented and were not nearly so shy as before. The Young Empress informed
      them that in case they desired to know anything or to be put right on any
      point of Court etiquette, the Court ladies would be pleased to give them
      all necessary information and she decided that the best way would be for
      each Court lady to have charge of so many of the visitors, as it would not
      be nice to have any mistakes occur during the ceremony, on the tenth. So
      we each were allotted so many guests and had to look after them and
      instruct them how to act on the different occasions.
    </p>
    <p>
      During Her Majesty's afternoon rest I paid a visit to the guests I was to
      take charge of. Among them was the bride referred to by Her Majesty. So I
      went and made myself agreeable to her and found her very interesting. She
      had evidently received a good education, unlike the majority of Manchu
      ladies, as I found she could read and write Chinese exceptionally well. I
      then explained to all of them what they would have to do, and how to
      address Her Majesty, should it be necessary to do so. I don't know whether
      I have mentioned it previously, but whenever anybody spoke to Her Majesty,
      they always addressed her as "Great Ancestor," and when referring to
      themselves, instead of the pronoun "I," they would say "Your slave." In
      all Manchu families a similar rule is observed, the pronouns "You" and "I"
      being dispensed with and the titles "Mother" and "Father" and the son's or
      daughter's first name being substituted.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was very particular about this rule being strictly observed.
    </p>
    <p>
      For the next four days, until the day of the ceremony, these visitors
      passed their time in learning the Court etiquette and going to the
      theatre.
    </p>
    <p>
      Every morning, as usual, we waited on Her Majesty and reported anything of
      interest which had occurred during the previous day. Then we all preceded
      Her Majesty to the theatre, where we awaited her arrival standing in the
      courtyard. On Her Majesty appearing, we would all kneel down until she had
      passed into the building opposite the stage, kneeling in rows&mdash;first
      the Emperor, behind him the Young Princess, next the Secondary wife, then
      the Princesses and Court ladies, and last of all the visitors. The first
      two days everything went of all right, but on the third morning the
      Emperor, from whom we received the signal, suddenly turned and said: "Her
      Majesty is coming." Down we all went on our knees, the Emperor alone
      remaining standing and laughing at us. Of course there was no sign of Her
      Majesty and everybody joined in the laugh. He was never so happy as when
      he could work off a joke like this.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the evening of the ninth, none of the Court ladies went to bed, as we
      all had to be up betimes on the morning of the tenth. The visitors were
      told to proceed by chair to Her Majesty's special Audience Hall on the top
      of the hill, where they were to await our arrival. They arrived at the
      Audience Hall at three o'clock in the morning, and we followed soon
      afterwards, arriving there about daybreak. By and bye Her Majesty arrived
      and the ceremony commenced. This ceremony in no way differed from the one
      previously described in connection with the Emperor's birthday, so there
      is no need to give particulars, except one thing. Very early on the
      morning of the tenth, we had to bring another present to her and each of
      us brought a hundred birds of various kinds. Each year, on her birthday,
      Her Majesty did a very peculiar thing. She would buy 10,000 birds with her
      own money, from her private purse and set them free. It was a very pretty
      sight to see those huge cages hung in the courtyard of the Audience Hall.
      Her Majesty would select the most lucky hour and order the eunuchs to
      carry the cages and to follow her. The hour selected was four o'clock in
      the afternoon. Her Majesty took the whole Court with her to the top of the
      hill, where there was a Temple. First she burnt sandal wood and offered up
      prayers to the Gods, then the eunuchs, each with a cage of birds, knelt in
      front of Her Majesty and she opened each cage one after another and
      watched the birds fly away, and prayed to the Gods that these birds should
      not be caught again. Her Majesty did this very seriously and we asked each
      other in whispers which bird we thought was the prettiest and would like
      to keep it for ourselves. Among this lot there were a few parrots. Some
      were pink; others were red and green; all were chained on stands, and when
      the eunuchs broke the chains, the parrots would not move. Her Majesty
      said: "How funny; each year a few parrots will not go away at all and I
      have kept them until they died. Look at them now. They won't go away." By
      this time the head eunuch arrived. Her Majesty told him what had happened
      and he immediately knelt down and said: "Your Majesty's great luck. These
      parrots understand Your Majesty's kindness and would rather stay here and
      serve Your Majesty." This ceremony is called "Fang Sheng." It is
      considered a very meritorious action and will not fail of reward in
      Heaven.
    </p>
    <p>
      One of the Court ladies asked me what I thought of the parrots that would
      not fly away, and I told her that it was really very strange. She said:
      "It is very simple and not strange at all. These eunuchs, ordered by the
      head one, have bought these parrots long ago and trained them. During Her
      Majesty's afternoon rest, these parrots were brought to the top of the
      very same hill every day to accustom them to the place. The object of this
      is just to please and otherwise fool Her Majesty, to make her feel happy
      and believe that she is so merciful that even such dumb things would
      rather stay with her." Continuing, she said: "The huge joke is this: while
      Her Majesty is letting the birds free, there are a few eunuchs waiting at
      the rear of the hill to capture them and sell them again, and so, no
      matter how Her Majesty prays for their freedom, they will be caught at
      once."
    </p>
    <p>
      The celebrations were continued until the thirteenth day. Nobody did any
      work and all was gaiety and enjoyment, the theatre being open every day.
      Towards the close of the thirteenth day the visitors were informed that
      the celebrations were at an end and they made arrangements to leave early
      the next morning. They all bade Her Majesty good-bye that evening and
      departed early the following day.
    </p>
    <p>
      For the next few days we were all busy preparing for removing to the Sea
      Palace. Her Majesty consulted her book and finally selected the 22d as
      being the most favorable day for this removal. So at six o'clock on the
      morning of the 22d the whole Court left the Summer Palace. It was snowing
      very heavily and the journey was only accomplished with great difficulty.
      Of course we were all in chairs, as usual, and the eunuchs who were not
      employed as chair-bearers rode horseback. Many of the horses fell on the
      slippery stones and one of Her Majesty's chair-bearers also slipped and
      brought Her Majesty to the ground. All of a sudden I thought something
      dreadful had happened, horses galloping and eunuchs howling: "Stop!
      Stop!!" I heard someone saying: "See if she is still alive." The whole
      procession stopped and blocked the way. This happened on the stone road
      just before entering the Western Gate. Finally we saw that Her Majesty's
      chair was resting on the ground, so we all alighted and went forward to
      see what had happened. A great many people were talking excitedly all at
      the same time, and for a moment I was rather frightened (for just about
      that time we heard a rumor that some of the revolutionists were going to
      take the life of the whole Court, and, although we heard that, we did not
      dare tell Her Majesty), so I immediately went to her chair and found her
      sitting there composedly giving orders to the chief eunuch not to punish
      this chair-bearer, for he was not to blame, the stones being wet and very
      slippery. Li Lien Ying said that would never do, for this chair-bearer
      must have been careless, and how dare he carry the Old Buddha in this
      careless way. After saying this, he turned his head to the beaters (these
      beaters, carrying bamboo sticks, went everywhere with the Court, for such
      occasions as this) and said: "Give him eighty blows on his back." This
      poor victim, who was kneeling on the muddy ground, heard the order. The
      beaters took him about a hundred yards away from us, pushed him down and
      started to do their duty. It did not take very long to give the eighty
      blows and, much to my surprise, this man got up, after receiving the
      punishment, as if nothing had happened to him. He looked just as calm as
      could be. While we were waiting a eunuch handed me a cup of tea, which I
      presented to Her Majesty, and asked her if she was hurt. She smiled and
      said it was nothing, ordering us to proceed on our journey. I must explain
      about this tea; the eunuchs had it prepared all the time and always
      carried a little stove along with hot water. Although this went every time
      when the Court moved, it was seldom used.
    </p>
    <p>
      As usual, all the Court ladies take a short cut to the Palace, so as to be
      ready to receive Her Majesty, when she arrived. After waiting in the
      courtyard for quite a long time, during which we were nearly frozen, Her
      Majesty arrived, and we all knelt until she had passed, and then followed
      her into the Palace. Her Majesty also complained of the cold and ordered
      that fires should be brought into the hall. These fires were built in
      brass portable stoves lined with clay, and were lighted outside and
      brought into the hall after the smoke had passed off somewhat. There were
      four stoves in all. All the windows and doors were closed, there being no
      ventilation of any description, and very soon I began to feel sick.
      However, I went on with my work getting Her Majesty's things in order
      until I must have fainted, for the next thing I remembered was waking up
      in a strange bed and inquiring where I was, but on hearing Her Majesty
      giving orders in the next room, I knew it was all right. One of the Court
      ladies brought me a cup of turnip juice which Her Majesty said I was to
      drink. I drank it and felt much better. I was informed that Her Majesty
      had gone to rest, and so I went off to sleep again myself. When I awoke,
      Her Majesty was standing by my bedside. I tried to get up, but found that
      I was too weak, so Her Majesty told me to lie still and keep quiet and I
      would soon be all right again. She said that I had better have a room
      close to her bedroom, and gave instructions for the eunuchs to remove me
      there as soon as it was prepared. Every few minutes Her Majesty would send
      to inquire how I was progressing and whether I wanted anything to eat. It
      was the custom to stand up whenever receiving a message from Her Majesty,
      but it was out of the question for me to do so, although I tried, with the
      result that I made myself worse than ever.
    </p>
    <p>
      Towards evening the head eunuch came to see me and brought several plates
      of sweetmeats. He was very nice, and told me that I was very fortunate, as
      Her Majesty very rarely bothered herself about any of the Court ladies and
      that evidently she had taken a fancy to me. He sat talking for some little
      time, and told me to eat some of the sweetmeats. Of course I was not able
      to eat anything at all, let alone sweetmeats, so I told him to leave them
      and I would eat them later. Before leaving he said that in case I wanted
      anything I was to let him know. This visit was a great surprise to me, as
      usually he took very little notice of any of us, but I was told afterwards
      that the reason he was so nice was because Her Majesty showed such an
      interest in me.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning I was able to get up and resume my duties. I went in to
      see Her Majesty and kowtowed to her, thanking her for her kindness during
      my indisposition. Her Majesty said that the head eunuch had told her the
      previous evening that I was much better and that she was glad I was up and
      about again. She said it was nothing serious, simply that I was
      unaccustomed to the fumes from the fires, which had gone to my head.
    </p>
    <p>
      As the snow had stopped falling, Her Majesty decided that the next day we
      would go and choose a place for Miss Carl to continue the painting. I
      suggested that perhaps it would be better if we waited until Miss Carl
      arrived herself, so that she could choose a suitable place for her work,
      but Her Majesty said that would not do at all, because if it were left to
      Miss Carl, doubtless she would choose some impossible place. Of course
      there were many parts of the Palace which were kept quite private and Miss
      Carl would not be allowed to go there. So the next day Her Majesty and
      myself set out to find a place. After visiting many different rooms, all
      of which were too dark, we finally fixed on a room on the lake side of the
      Palace. Her Majesty said: "This is very convenient, as you can go to and
      fro either by chair or by water." I found that it took about
      three-quarters of an hour by chair to get to the Palace Gate, and rather
      less than that by boat. I was expecting to return to stay at the Palace
      with Her Majesty, but it was finally decided that this would not do, as it
      would not be policy to allow Miss Carl, who was staying at the American
      Legation, to go in and out of the Palace Gate alone, so Her Majesty said
      it would be better for me to stay at my father's place in the city and
      bring Miss Carl to the Palace each morning, returning with her in the
      evening. This was anything but pleasant, but I had no other alternative
      than to obey Her Majesty's instructions.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Miss Carl arrived at the Palace the next day and saw the room which
      had been selected for her to work in, she was not at all pleased. In the
      first place she said it was too dark, so Her Majesty ordered the paper
      windows to be replaced by glass. This made the room too bright, and Miss
      Carl asked for some curtains so as to focus the light on the picture. When
      I informed Her Majesty of this request, she said: "Well, this is the first
      time I have ever changed anything in the Palace except to suit myself.
      First I alter the windows, and she is not satisfied, but must have
      curtains. I think we had better take the roof off, then perhaps she may be
      suited." However, we fixed up the curtains to Miss Carl's satisfaction.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty examined the portrait to see how it was progressing, she
      said to me: "After all the trouble we have had over this picture, I am
      afraid it is not going to be anything very wonderful. I notice that the
      pearls in my cape are painted in different colors; some look white, some
      pink, while others are green. You tell her about it." I tried to explain
      to Her Majesty that Miss Carl had simply painted the pearls as she saw
      them, according to the different shades of light, but Her Majesty could
      not understand that at all and asked if I could see anything green about
      them, or pink either. I again explained that this was simply the tints
      caused by the light falling on the pearls, but she replied that she could
      not see any shade except white. However, after a while she did not seem to
      trouble any further about the matter.
    </p>
    <p>
      Situated in a room near Her Majesty's bedroom in the Sea Palace was a
      Pagoda, about ten feet in height, made of carved sandalwood. This
      contained various images of Buddha, which Her Majesty used to worship
      every morning. The ceremony consisted of Her Majesty burning incense
      before the Pagoda, while a Court lady was told off each day to kowtow
      before the images. Her Majesty told me that this Pagoda had been in the
      Palace for more than a hundred years. Among the different images was one
      representing the Goddess of Mercy. This image was only about five inches
      in height and was made of pure gold. The inside was hollow and contained
      all the principal anatomical parts of the human body, made out of jade and
      pearls. This Goddess of Mercy was supposed to possess wonderful powers and
      Her Majesty often worshiped before it when in any trouble, and maintained
      that on many occasions her prayers had been answered. She said: "Of
      course, when I pray to the image, I pray earnestly, not the same as you
      girls, who simply kowtow because it is your duty and then get away as
      quickly as possible." Her Majesty went on to say that she was quite aware
      that many of the people in China were discarding the religion of their
      ancestors in favor of Christianity, and that she was very much grieved
      that this was so.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was a firm believer in the old Chinese superstitions connected
      with the Sea Palace, and during one of our conversations she told me I was
      not to be surprised at anything I saw. She said it was quite a common
      occurrence for a person walking beside you to suddenly disappear
      altogether, and explained that they were simply foxes who took human shape
      to suit their purpose. They had probably lived in the Sea Palace for
      thousands of years and possessed this power of changing their form at
      will. She said that no doubt the eunuchs would tell me they were spirits
      or ghosts, but that was not true: they were sacred foxes and would harm
      nobody. As if to confirm this superstition, one evening, a few days later,
      my fire having gone out, I sent my eunuch to see if any of the other Court
      ladies were awake, and if so, to try to get me some hot water. He went out
      taking his lantern along with him, but he returned almost immediately with
      a face as white as chalk. On inquiring what was the matter, he replied: "I
      have seen a ghost: a woman, who came up to me, blew the light out and
      disappeared." I told him that perhaps it was one of the servant girls, but
      he said "No"; he knew all the women attached to the Palace and he had
      never seen this one before. He stuck to it that it was a ghost. I told him
      that Her Majesty had said there were no ghosts, but that it might be a fox
      which had taken human shape. He replied: "It was not a fox. Her Majesty
      calls them foxes, because she is afraid to call them ghosts." He went on
      to tell me that many years previously the head eunuch, Li Lien Ying, while
      walking in the courtyard back of Her Majesty's Palace, saw a young servant
      girl sitting on the edge of the well. He went over to ask her what she was
      doing there, but on getting closer he found that there were several other
      girls there also, and on seeing him approach, they all deliberately jumped
      down the well. He immediately raised the alarm, and on one of the
      attendants coming forward with a lantern, he explained what had occurred.
      The attendant showed him that it was impossible for anybody to jump into
      the well, as it was covered with a large stone. My eunuch said that a long
      time before this several girls did actually commit suicide by jumping down
      this well, and that what Li Lien Ying had seen were the ghosts of these
      girls, and nothing more. It is believed by the Chinese that when a person
      commits suicide their spirit remains in the neighborhood until such time
      as they can entice somebody else to commit suicide, when they are free to
      go to another world, and not before. I told him that I did not believe
      such things and that I would very much like to see for myself. He replied:
      "You will only want to see it once; that will be sufficient."
    </p>
    <p>
      Things went along in the usual way until the first day of the eleventh
      moon, when Her Majesty issued orders to the Court that as the eleventh
      moon contained so many anniversaries of the deaths of previous rulers of
      China, the usual theatrical performance would be eliminated and the Court
      dress would in addition be modified to suit the occasion. On the ninth day
      the Emperor was to go and worship at the Temple of Heaven. So, as was
      customary on all these occasions, he confined himself to his own private
      apartments for three days before the ninth, during which time he held no
      communication whatsoever with anybody excepting his private eunuchs. Not
      even the Young Empress, his wife, was allowed to see him during these
      three days.
    </p>
    <p>
      This ceremony did not differ very materially from the other sacrifices,
      except that pigs were killed and placed on the numerous altars of the
      Temple, where they remained for a time, after which they were distributed
      among the different officials. The eating of the flesh of these pigs,
      which had been blessed, was believed to bring good luck and prosperity,
      and the officials who were presented with them considered themselves
      greatly favored by Her Majesty. Another difference was that the Emperor
      could not appoint a substitute to officiate for him; but must attend in
      person, no matter what the circumstances might be. The reason for this
      was, that according to the ancient law, the Emperor signs the death
      warrant of every person sentenced to death, record of which is kept in the
      Board of Punishments. At the end of the year the name of each person
      executed is written on a piece of yellow paper and sent to the Emperor.
      When the time for worshiping at the Temple arrives, he takes this yellow
      paper and burns it in order that the ashes may go up to Heaven and his
      ancestors know that he has been fearless and faithful, and has done his
      duty according to the law.
    </p>
    <p>
      As this ceremony of worshiping at the Temple of Heaven was to take place
      in the Forbidden City, in spite of Her Majesty's dislike to the place, she
      commanded that the whole of the Court be transferred there, her reason for
      this being that she did not wish to be away from the Emperor's side even
      for an hour. So we all moved to the Palace in the Forbidden City. After
      the ceremony was over, the Court was to return to the Sea Palace, but as
      the thirteenth day was the anniversary of the death of the Emperor Kang
      Hsi, it was decided that we should remain in the Forbidden City, where the
      ceremony was to be held. The Emperor Kang Hsi ruled over the Chinese
      Empire for sixty-one years, the longest reign of any Chinese Ruler up to
      the present time, and Her Majesty told us that he was the most wonderful
      Emperor China had ever had and that we must respect his memory
      accordingly.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN&mdash;THE AUDIENCE HALL
    </h2>
    <p>
      ON the fourteenth day of the eleventh moon, after the morning audience,
      Her Majesty informed us that there was a likelihood of war breaking out
      between Russia and Japan and that she was very much troubled, as although
      it actually had nothing whatever to do with China, she was afraid they
      would fight on Chinese territory and that in the long run China would
      suffer in some way or other. Of course we did not bother ourselves about
      it much at the moment, but the next morning the head eunuch reported to
      Her Majesty that fifty eunuchs were missing. As there was no apparent
      reason for this, everybody was much excited. There was no rule against any
      of the eunuchs going into the city after their duties were ended,
      providing they returned before the Palace Gate was closed, but when on the
      following morning it was reported that another hundred eunuchs had also
      disappeared, Her Majesty at once said: "I know now what the trouble is;
      they must have heard what I said about this war coming on and are afraid
      there may be a repetition of the Boxer trouble, and so they have cleared
      out." It was the custom whenever a eunuch was missing to send out search
      parties and have him brought back and punished, but in the present
      instance Her Majesty gave instructions that nothing was to be done about
      recapturing them. One morning, however, one of Her Majesty's personal
      attendants was missing, which made her furious. She said that she had been
      very kind to this particular eunuch in many ways, and this was all the
      thanks she got; he ran away at the first sign of trouble. I myself had
      noticed how good she had been to this eunuch, but I was not really sorry
      that he had left, as he used to take advantage of every opportunity of
      getting some of the Court ladies into trouble.
    </p>
    <p>
      These disappearances continued from day to day until Her Majesty decided
      that it would be safer for us to remain in the Forbidden City until the
      following spring at any rate.
    </p>
    <p>
      On inquiring from my eunuch the cause of these disappearances, he said
      that it was just as Her Majesty suspected; they were afraid of getting
      mixed up in another such affair as the Boxer trouble, and added that he
      was not a bit surprised at Her Majesty's favorite eunuch going along with
      the rest. He further told me that even Li Lien Ying himself was not to be
      absolutely relied upon, as at the time of Her Majesty's leaving Peking for
      Shi An during the Boxer movement, he had feigned sickness, and followed a
      little later, so that in the event of anything happening, he would be able
      to return and make his escape. While talking about Li Lien Ying, my eunuch
      told me in confidence that he was responsible for the death of many
      innocent people, mostly eunuchs. He had unlimited power at the Court, and
      it was very easy for him to get anybody put away who offended him or to
      whom, for some reason or another, he took a dislike. Furthermore, the
      eunuch informed me that, although not generally known, Li Lien Ying was
      addicted to opium-smoking, which habit he indulged in very freely. Even
      Her Majesty was unaware of this, as opium-smoking was strictly forbidden
      in the Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      Each morning there was fresh news regarding the trouble between Russia and
      Japan, and of course everybody gradually became very much excited at the
      Palace. One day Her Majesty summoned the whole of the Court to a special
      audience and there informed us that there was no need for us to get
      excited at all; that if any trouble did occur, it was none of our business
      and we should not be interfered with, as the spirits of our ancestors were
      watching over us, and she did not want to hear any more talk and gossip on
      the subject. However, she summoned all of the Court ladies to her
      apartment and there commanded us to pray to the spirits of our ancestors
      to protect us, which plainly showed that she was just as much worried as
      we were ourselves. In spite of what she had said with reference to
      gossiping about this trouble, Her Majesty often spoke about it herself,
      and during one of our conversations she said she wished she could get
      information each day as to what was actually occurring, so I suggested
      that it would be very easy to get all the latest news by taking the
      foreign papers and also Reuter's specials. Her Majesty jumped at the
      suggestion and told me to have these sent each day to my father's house in
      his name, and have them brought to the Palace, where I could translate
      them for her. I told her that my father received all these papers as they
      were published, so I arranged that they should be brought along as
      directed by Her Majesty. Each morning during the audience I translated
      into Chinese all the war news, but the telegrams began to arrive so
      rapidly that it soon became quite impossible for me to write them all out
      in Chinese, so I told Her Majesty that I would read and translate them
      into Chinese as they arrived. This was much quicker and interested Her
      Majesty so much that she insisted on my not only translating the war news,
      but everything else of interest in the papers. Especially was she
      interested in all news appertaining to the movements, etc., of the crowned
      heads of Europe, and was very plainly astonished when she learned that
      their every movement was known. She said: "Here, at any rate, it is more
      private, for nobody outside the Palace ever knows what is going on inside,
      not even my own people. It would be a good thing if they did know a little
      more, then perhaps all these rumors about the Palace would stop."
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, during our stay in the Forbidden City, Miss Carl attended each
      morning to work on the portrait. We had given her a nice room, which
      seemed to suit her very well, and Her Majesty had instructed me to let her
      have every convenience possible to assist her, as she was getting tired of
      the business and would like to see it finished quickly. Her Majesty hardly
      ever went near the place herself, but when she did go, she would be most
      affable and, really, one would think that it was the greatest pleasure of
      her life to go and inspect the portrait.
    </p>
    <p>
      Things went very slowly during this eleventh moon on account of the Court
      being in mourning, so one day Her Majesty suggested that she should show
      us round the Forbidden City. First we proceeded to the Audience Hall. This
      differs somewhat from the Audience Hall of the Summer Palace. To enter,
      one must mount some twenty odd steps of white marble, with rails on either
      side of the steps made of the same material. At the top of the steps a
      large veranda, supported by huge pillars of wood, painted red, surrounded
      the building. The windows along this verandah were of marvellously carved
      trellis-work, designed to represent the character "Shou" arranged in
      different positions. Then we entered the hall itself. The floor is of
      brick, and Her Majesty told us that all these bricks were of solid gold
      and had been there for centuries. They were of a peculiar black color,
      doubtless painted over, and were so slippery that it was most difficult to
      keep on one's feet. The furnishing was similar to that in the Audience
      Halls in the Summer Palace and in the Sea Palace, with the exception that
      the throne was made of dark brown wood inlaid with jade of different
      colors.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hall was only used for audience on very rare occasions, such as the
      birthday of the Empress Dowager and New Year's Day, and no foreigner has
      ever entered this building. All the usual audiences were held in a smaller
      building in the Forbidden City.
    </p>
    <p>
      After spending some little time in the Audience Hall, we next visited the
      Emperor's quarters. These were much smaller than those occupied by Her
      Majesty, but were very elaborately furnished. There were thirty-two rooms,
      many of which were never used, but all were furnished in the same
      expensive style. In the rear of this building was the Palace of the Young
      Empress, which was smaller still, having about twenty-four rooms in all,
      and in the same building three rooms were set apart for the use of the
      Secondary wife of the Emperor. Although close together, the Palaces of the
      Emperor and his wife were not connected by any entrance, but both
      buildings were surrounded by verandas connecting with Her Majesty's
      apartments, which were quite a distance away. There were several other
      buildings, which were used as waiting rooms for visitors. In addition to
      the above, there were several buildings which were not used at all; these
      were sealed and nobody seemed to know what they contained, or whether they
      contained anything at all. Even Her Majesty said she had never been inside
      these buildings, as they had been sealed for many years. Even the entrance
      to the enclosure containing these buildings was always closed, and this
      was the only occasion that any of us ever even passed through. They were
      quite different in appearance from any other buildings in the Palace,
      being very dirty and evidently of great age. We were commanded not to talk
      about the place at all.
    </p>
    <p>
      The apartments of the Court ladies were connected with those of Her
      Majesty, but the rooms were so small one could hardly turn round in them;
      also they were very cold in winter. The servants' quarters were at the end
      of our apartments, but there was no entrance and they could only be
      reached by passing along our veranda, while the only entrance we ourselves
      had to our rooms was by passing along Her Majesty's veranda. This was Her
      Majesty's own idea, in order that she could keep an eye on all of us and
      could see when we either went out or came in.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty now conducted us to her own Palace, and pausing a little said:
      "I will now show you something which will be quite new to you." We entered
      a room adjoining her bedroom, which was connected by a narrow passage some
      fifteen feet in length. On either side the walls were painted and
      decorated very beautifully. Her Majesty spoke to one of the eunuch
      attendants, who stooped down and removed from the ground at each end of
      this passage two wooden plugs which were fitted into holes in the
      basement. I then began to realize that what I had hitherto regarded as
      solid walls were in reality sliding panels of wood. These panels when
      opened revealed a kind of grotto. There were no windows, but in the roof
      was a skylight. At one end of this room or grotto was a large rock, on the
      top of which was a seat with a yellow cushion, and beside the cushion an
      incense burner. Everything had the appearance of being very old. The room
      contained no furniture of any description. One end of this room led into
      another passage similar to the one already described, having sliding
      panels, which led into another grotto, and so on; in fact the whole of the
      palace walls were intersected by these secret passages, each concealing an
      inner room. Her Majesty told us that during the Ming dynasty these rooms
      had been used for various purposes, principally by the Emperor when he
      wished to be alone. One of these secret rooms was used by Her Majesty as a
      treasure room where she kept her valuables. During the time of the Boxer
      trouble, she hid all her valuables here before she fled. When she returned
      and opened this secret room she found everything intact, not one of the
      vandals who ransacked the Palace even suspecting there was such a place.
    </p>
    <p>
      We returned to our veranda, and on looking around for the rooms we had
      just vacated, could see nothing excepting black stone walls, so well were
      they hidden. One of the principal reasons for Her Majesty's dislike to the
      Forbidden City was the mysteries which it contained, many of which she did
      not know of herself. She said: "I don't even talk about these places at
      all, as people might think that they were used for all kinds of purposes."
    </p>
    <p>
      While at the Palace in the Forbidden City I met the three Secondary wives
      of the previous Emperor Tung Chi, son of the Empress Dowager, who, since
      the death of the Emperor, had resided in the Forbidden City and spent
      their time in doing needlework, etc., for Her Majesty. When I got to know
      them I found that they were highly educated, one of them, Yu Fai, being
      exceptionally clever. She could write poetry and play many musical
      instruments, and was considered to be the best educated lady in the Empire
      of China. Her knowledge of western countries and their customs surprised
      me very much; she seemed to know a little bit of everything. I asked how
      it was that I had never seen them before, and was informed that they never
      visited Her Majesty unless commanded by her to do so, but that when Her
      Majesty stayed in the Forbidden City, of course they had to call and pay
      their respects each day. One day I received an invitation to visit them in
      their Palace. This was separated from all the other buildings in the city.
      It was rather a small building, and very simply furnished, with just a few
      eunuchs and servant girls to wait upon them. They said they preferred this
      simple life, as they never received any visitors and had nobody to please
      but themselves. Yu Fai's room was literally packed with literature of all
      descriptions. She showed me several poems which she had written, but they
      were of a melancholy character, plainly showing the trend of her thoughts.
      She was in favor of establishing schools for the education of young girls,
      as only very few could even read or write their own language, and she
      suggested that I should speak to Her Majesty about it at the first
      opportunity. In spite of her desire to see western reforms introduced into
      China, however, she was not in favor of employing missionary teachers, as
      these people always taught their religion at the expense of other
      subjects, which she feared would set the Chinese against the movement.
    </p>
    <p>
      Toward the end of the eleventh moon Her Majesty granted an audience to the
      Viceroy of Chihli, Yuan Shih Kai, and as this particular day was a holiday
      and Miss Carl was absent, I was able to attend. Her Majesty asked him for
      his opinion of the trouble between Russia and Japan. He said that although
      these two countries might make war against each other, China would not be
      implicated in any way, but that after the war was over, there was sure to
      be trouble over Manchuria. Her Majesty said she was quite aware of that,
      as they were fighting on Chinese territory, and that the best thing for
      China to do would be to keep absolutely neutral in the matter, as she had
      quite enough of war during the China-Japan war. She said it would be best
      to issue orders to all the officials to see that the Chinese did not
      interfere in any way, so as not to give any excuse for being brought into
      the trouble.
    </p>
    <p>
      She then asked his opinion as to what would be the result in the event of
      war&mdash;who would win. He said that it was very hard to say, but that he
      thought Japan would win. Her Majesty thought that if Japan were
      victorious, she would not have so much trouble over the matter, although
      she expressed doubts as to the outcome, saying that Russia was a large
      country and had many soldiers, and that the result was far from certain.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty then spoke about the condition of things in China. She said
      that in case China were forced into war with another nation, we should be
      nowhere. We had nothing ready, no navy and no trained army, in fact
      nothing to enable us to protect ourselves. Yuan Shih Kai, however, assured
      her there was no need to anticipate any trouble at present so far as China
      was concerned. Her Majesty replied that in any event it was time China
      began to wake up and endeavor to straighten things out in some way or
      other, but she did not know where to begin; that it was her ambition to
      see China holding a prominent position among the nations of the world and
      that she was constantly receiving memorials suggesting this reform and
      that reform, but that we never seemed to get any further.
    </p>
    <p>
      After this audience was over, Her Majesty held an audience with the Grand
      Council. She told them what had been said during her interview with Yuan
      Shih Kai, and of course they all agreed that something should be done.
      Several suggestions were discussed with regard to national defense, etc.,
      but a certain Prince said that although he was in perfect sympathy with
      reform generally, he was very much against the adoption of foreign
      clothing, foreign modes of living, and the doing away with the queue. Her
      Majesty quite agreed with these remarks and said that it would not be wise
      to change any Chinese custom for one which was less civilized. As usual,
      nothing definite was decided upon when the audience was over.
    </p>
    <p>
      For the next few days nothing was talked of but the war, and many Chinese
      generals were received in audience by Her Majesty. These audiences were
      sometimes very amusing, as these soldiers were quite unaccustomed to the
      rules of the Court and did not know the mode of procedure when in the
      presence of Her Majesty. Many foolish suggestions were made by these
      generals. During one of the conversations Her Majesty remarked on the
      inefficiency of the navy and referred to the fact that we had no trained
      naval officers. One of the generals replied that we had more men in China
      than in any other country, and as for ships, why we had dozens of river
      boats and China merchant boats, which could be used in case of war. Her
      Majesty ordered him to retire, saying that it was perfectly true that we
      had plenty of men in China, but that the majority of them were like
      himself, of very little use to the country. After he had retired,
      everybody commenced to laugh, but Her Majesty stopped us, saying that she
      did not feel at all like laughing, she was too angry to think that such
      men held positions as officers in the army and navy. One of the Court
      ladies asked me why Her Majesty was so angry with the man for mentioning
      the river boats, and was very much surprised when I informed her that the
      whole of them would be worse than useless against a single war vessel.
    </p>
    <p>
      Just about the end of the eleventh moon Chang Chih Tung, Viceroy of
      Wuchang, arrived, and was received in audience. Her Majesty said to him:
      "Now, you are one of the oldest officials in the country, and I want you
      to give me your unbiased opinion as to what effect this war is going to
      have on China. Do not be afraid to give your firm opinion, as I want to be
      prepared for anything which is likely to happen." He answered that no
      matter what the result of the war might be, China would in all probability
      have to make certain concessions to the Powers with regard to Manchuria
      for trade purposes, but that we should not otherwise be interfered with.
      Her Majesty repeated what had been discussed at the previous audiences on
      this subject and also regarding reform in China. Chang Chih Tung replied
      that we had plenty of time for reform, and that if we were in too great a
      hurry, we should not accomplish anything at all. He suggested that the
      matter be discussed at length before deciding upon anything definite. In
      his opinion it would be foolish to go to extremes in the matter of reform.
      He said that ten or fifteen years ago he would have been very much against
      any reform whatsoever, but that he now saw the need for it to a certain
      extent, as circumstances had changed very much. He said that we should
      adhere strictly to our own mode of living and not abandon the traditions
      of our ancestors. In other words, he simply advised the adoption of
      western civilization where it was an improvement on our own, and nothing
      more. Her Majesty was delighted with the interview, for Chang Chih Tung's
      opinions coincided exactly with her own.
    </p>
    <p>
      During the whole of these audiences the Emperor, although present each
      time, never opened his lips to say a word, but sat listening all the time.
      As a rule, Her Majesty would ask his opinion, just as a matter of form,
      but he invariably replied that he was quite in accord with what Her
      Majesty had said or decided upon.
    </p>
    <p>
      Of the many religious ceremonies in connection with the Buddhist religion
      the "La-pachow" was the most important. This was held on the 8th day of
      the twelfth moon each year. According to the common belief, on this eighth
      day of the twelfth moon, many centuries ago, a certain Buddhist priest Ju
      Lai set out to beg for food, and after receiving a good supply of rice and
      beans from the people, he returned and divided it with his brother
      priests, giving each an equal share, and he became celebrated for his
      great charity. This day was therefore set apart as an anniversary to
      commemorate the event. The idea was that by practising self-denial on this
      day, one would gain favor in the sight of this Buddha Ju Lai, therefore
      the only food eaten was rice, grain and beans, all mixed together in a
      sort of porridge, but without any salt or other flavoring. It was not at
      all pleasant to eat, being absolutely tasteless.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN&mdash;THE NEW YEAR FESTIVALS
    </h2>
    <p>
      WE now reached the time set apart for cleaning the Palace in preparation
      for the New Year festivals. Everything had to be taken down and thoroughly
      overhauled, and all the images, pictures, furniture and everything else
      were subjected to a thorough scrubbing. Her Majesty again consulted her
      book in order to choose a lucky day on which to commence these operations,
      finally choosing the twelfth day as being most favorable. As we had all
      received our orders previously, we commenced early on the morning of the
      twelfth. Several of the Court ladies were told off to take down and clean
      the images of Buddha and prepare new curtains for them. The rest of the
      cleaning was done by the eunuchs. I asked Her Majesty whether I was to
      clean her jewelry, but she answered that as nobody but herself ever wore
      it, it didn't need cleaning.
    </p>
    <p>
      After everything had been cleaned to Her Majesty's satisfaction, she
      prepared a list of names of the people she desired to attend the ceremony
      of Tzu Sui. This ceremony was held on the last day of each year and was
      something like the midnight services usually held in Europe on the last
      night of each old year&mdash;just a farewell ceremony to bid the old year
      adieu. The guests were invited about a fortnight ahead, so as to give them
      plenty of time to get ready. Her Majesty also ordered new winter clothing
      for the Court ladies. The only difference between these new garments and
      those we were then wearing was that they were trimmed with the fur of the
      silver fox instead of the gray squirrel.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next thing was to prepare cakes, which were to be placed before the
      Buddhas and ancestors, during the New Year. It was necessary that Her
      Majesty should make the first one herself. So when Her Majesty decided
      that it was time to prepare these cakes the whole Court went into a room
      specially prepared for the purpose and the eunuchs brought in the
      ingredients-ground rice, sugar and yeast. These were mixed together into a
      sort of dough and then steamed instead of baked, which caused it to rise
      just like ordinary bread, it being believed that the higher the cake
      rises, the better pleased are the gods and the more fortunate the maker.
      The first cake turned out fine and we all congratulated Her Majesty, who
      was evidently much pleased herself at the result. Then she ordered each of
      the Court ladies to make one, which we did, with disastrous results, not
      one turning out as it should. This being my first year, there was some
      excuse for my failure, but I was surprised that none of the older Court
      ladies fared any better, and on inquiring from one of them the reason, she
      replied: "Why, I did it purposely, of course, so as to flatter Her
      Majesty's vanity. Certainly I could make them just as well as she, if not
      better, but it would not be good policy." After we had all finished making
      our cakes, the eunuchs were ordered to make the rest, and needless to say
      they were perfect in every way.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next thing was to prepare small plates of dates and fresh fruits of
      every kind. These were decorated with evergreens, etc., and placed before
      the images of Buddha. Then we prepared glass dishes of candy, which were
      to be offered to the God of the Kitchen. On the twenty-third day of the
      last moon the God of the Kitchen left this earth to go on a visit to the
      King of Heaven, to whom he reported all that we had been doing during the
      past year, returning to earth again on the last day of the year. The idea
      of offering him these sweets was in order that they should stick to his
      mouth and prevent him from telling too much. When these candies were
      prepared, we all adjourned to the kitchen and placed the offering on a
      table specially placed for the purpose. Turning to the head cook, she
      said: "You had better look out now; the God of the Kitchen will tell how
      much you have stolen during the past year, and you will be punished."
    </p>
    <p>
      The following day another ceremony had to be gone through, that of writing
      out the New Year Greetings for the guests and Court, so in the morning we
      all went with Her Majesty to the Audience Hall, where the eunuchs had
      prepared large sheets of yellow, red and pale green paper. Her Majesty
      took up a large brush and commenced to write. On some of these sheets she
      wrote the character "Shou" (Long Life) and on others "Fu" (Prosperity). By
      and bye, when she began to feel tired, she would get either one of the
      Court ladies or one of the official writers to finish them for her. When
      finished, they were distributed to the guests and different officials, the
      ones Her Majesty had written herself being reserved for her special
      favorites. These were given out a few days before the New Year.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty received New Year presents from all the Viceroys and principal
      officials. She would examine each present as it was received, and if it
      found favor in her eyes, she would use it, but if not, she would have it
      locked away in one of the storerooms and probably never see it again.
      These presents consisted of small pieces of furniture, curios, jewelry,
      silks, in fact everything&mdash;even clothing. The present sent by Viceroy
      Yuan Shih Kai was a yellow satin robe, embroidered with different colored
      precious stones and pearls designed to represent the peony flower; the
      leaves were of green jade. It was really a magnificent thing, and must
      have cost a fortune. The only drawback was its weight; it was too heavy to
      wear comfortably. Her Majesty appeared delighted with this gown, and wore
      it the first day, after which it was discarded altogether, although I
      often suggested that she should wear it, as it was the most magnificent
      gown I ever saw. Once when Her Majesty was granting an audience to the
      Diplomatic Corps, I suggested that she should wear this dress, but she
      refused, giving no reason, so nobody outside the Court has ever seen this
      wonderful garment.
    </p>
    <p>
      Another costly present was received from the Viceroy of Canton, and
      consisted of four bags of pearls, each bag containing several thousands.
      They were all perfect in shape and color, and would have brought fabulous
      prices in Europe or America. However, Her Majesty had so many jewels,
      especially pearls, that she hardly paid any attention to them beyond
      remarking that they were very nice.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Young Empress and the Court ladies were also expected to give presents
      to Her Majesty each New Year. These were for the most part articles that
      we had made ourselves, such as shoes, handkerchiefs, collars, bags, etc.
      My mother, my sister and myself made presents of mirrors, perfumes, soaps
      and similar toilet accessories which we had brought with us from Paris.
      These Her Majesty appreciated very much; she was very vain. The eunuchs
      and servant girls gave fancy cakes and other food stuffs.
    </p>
    <p>
      The presents were so numerous that they filled several rooms, but we were
      not allowed to remove them until Her Majesty gave orders to do so.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Court ladies also exchanged presents among themselves, which often led
      to confusion and amusement. On this occasion I had received some ten or a
      dozen different presents, and when it came my turn to give something, I
      decided to use up some of the presents I had received from my companions.
      To my surprise, the next day I received from one of the Court ladies an
      embroidered handkerchief which I immediately recognized as the identical
      handkerchief I had myself sent her as my New Year's present. On mentioning
      the fact, this lady turned and said: "Well, that is rather funny; I was
      just wondering what had made you return the shoes I sent you." Of course
      everybody laughed very heartily, and still further merriment was caused
      when, on comparing all the presents, it was found that quite half of us
      had received back our own presents. In order to settle the matter, we
      threw them all into a heap and divided them as evenly as possible,
      everybody being satisfied with the result.
    </p>
    <p>
      About a week before New Year's day all audiences ceased and the seals were
      put away until after the holidays. During this time no business was
      transacted by Her Majesty. Everything was much more comfortable and we
      could see that Her Majesty also appreciated the change from bustle to
      quietness. We had nothing whatever to do but to take things easy until the
      last day of the year.
    </p>
    <p>
      Early on the morning of the thirtieth Her Majesty went to worship before
      the Buddhas and Ancestral Tablets. After this ceremony was finished, the
      guests began to arrive, until by midday, all the guests, numbering about
      fifty, were present. The principal guests were: The Imperial Princess
      (Empress Dowager's adopted daughter), Princess Chung (wife of Emperor
      Kwang Hsu's brother), Princesses Shun and Tao (wives of the Emperor's
      younger brothers), Princess hung (wife of the nephew of the Imperial
      Princess), and Prince Ching's family. All these ladies were frequent
      visitors to the Court. Next day many other Princesses, not of the Imperial
      family, but whose titles were honorary titles bestowed by previous rulers,
      came. Next, the daughters of the high Manchu officials and many other
      people whom I had never seen before. By midday all the guests had arrived,
      and, after being presented to Her Majesty, were taken to their different
      apartments and told to rest a while. At two o'clock in the afternoon
      everybody assembled in the Audience Hall, lined up according to their
      different ranks and, led by the Young Empress, kowtowed to Her Majesty.
      This was the ceremony Tzu Sui already referred to, and was simply a last
      goodbye to Her Majesty before the New Year set in. When it was all over,
      Her Majesty gave each of us a small purse made of red satin embroidered
      with gold, containing a sum of money. This is to enable each one to
      commence the New Year with a kind of reserve fund for a rainy day, when
      they would have this money to fall back upon. It is an old Manchu custom
      and is still kept up.
    </p>
    <p>
      The evening was spent in music and enjoyment, and was carried on right
      through the night, none of us going to bed. At Her Majesty's suggestion we
      commenced gambling with dice, Her Majesty providing each of us with money,
      sometimes as much as $200. She told us to be serious about it, and to try
      and win, but of course we took good care not to win from Her Majesty. When
      Her Majesty began to tire, she stopped the game and said: "Now, all this
      money I have won I am going to throw on the floor, and you girls can
      scramble for it." We knew that she wanted to see some fun, so we fought
      for it as hard as we could.
    </p>
    <p>
      At midnight the eunuchs brought into the room a large brass brazier
      containing live charcoal. Her Majesty pulled a leaf from a large evergreen
      tree, which had been placed there for the purpose, and threw it into the
      fire. We each followed her example, adding large pieces of resin, which
      perfumed the whole atmosphere. This ceremony was supposed to bring good
      luck during the coming year.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next item was making cakes or pies for New Year's day. On the first of
      the New Year, nobody is allowed to eat rice, these cakes taking its place.
      They were made of flour paste, with minced meat inside. While some of us
      were preparing these cakes, others were peeling lotus seeds for Her
      Majesty's breakfast.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was now well on into the morning hours and Her Majesty said that she
      was tired and would go and rest a while. She was not going to sleep,
      however, so we could carry on our noise as much as we liked. This we did
      for some time, and on visiting Her Majesty's bedroom, we found that she
      was fast asleep. We then all repaired to our various rooms and commenced
      to make ourselves tidy for the day. As soon as Her Majesty was awake, we
      all proceeded to her bedroom, taking with us plates of apples
      (representing "Peace"), olives ("Long Life"), lotus seeds (Blessing). She
      suitably acknowledged these gifts and wished us all good luck in return.
      She inquired whether we had been to bed and, on learning that we had been
      up all night, she said that was right. She herself had not meant to sleep,
      only to rest a little, but somehow she had not been able to keep awake,
      and gave as a reason that she was an old woman. We waited on her until she
      had finished her toilet and then wished her a Happy New Year. We then
      proceeded to pay our respects to the Emperor and to the Young Empress.
      There was nothing further to be done in the way of ceremonies, and we
      therefore all accompanied Her Majesty to the theatre. The performance took
      place on a stage erected in the courtyard, and Her Majesty closed in one
      part of her veranda for the use of the guests and Court ladies. During the
      performance I began to feel very drowsy, and eventually fell fast asleep
      leaning against one of the pillars. I awoke rather suddenly to find that
      something had been dropped into my mouth, but on investigation I found it
      was nothing worse than a piece of candy, which I immediately proceeded to
      eat. On approaching Her Majesty, she asked me how I had enjoyed the candy,
      and told me not to sleep, but to have a good time like the rest. I never
      saw Her Majesty in better humor. She played with us just like a young
      girl, and one could hardly recognize in her the severe Empress Dowager we
      knew her to be.
    </p>
    <p>
      The guests also all seemed to be enjoying themselves very much. In the
      evening, after the theatrical performance was over, Her Majesty ordered
      the eunuchs to bring in their instruments and give us some music. She
      herself sang several songs, and we all sang at intervals. Then Her Majesty
      ordered the eunuchs to sing. Some were trained singers, and sang very
      nicely, but others could not sing at all and caused quite a lot of
      amusement by their efforts to please Her Majesty. The Emperor appeared to
      be the only one present who was not having a good time; he never smiled
      once. On meeting him outside, I asked him why he looked so sad, but he
      only answered: "A Happy New Year" in English, smiled once, and walked
      away.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty rose very early next morning and proceeded to the Audience
      Hall to worship the God of Wealth. We all accompanied her and took part in
      the ceremony. During the next few days we did nothing but gamble and
      scramble for Her Majesty's winnings. This was all very nice in its way,
      until one day one of the Court ladies began to cry, and accused me of
      stepping on her toes in the scramble. This made Her Majesty angry and she
      ordered the offender to go to her room and stay there for three days,
      saying that she did not deserve to be enjoying herself if she could not
      stand a little thing like that.
    </p>
    <p>
      The tenth of the first moon was the birthday of the Young Empress, and we
      asked Her Majesty whether we would be allowed to give presents. She gave
      us permission to give whatever presents we might wish to. However, we
      submitted all our presents to Her Majesty for her approval, before giving
      them to the Young Empress, and we had to be very discreet and not choose
      anything which Her Majesty might think was too good. It was very difficult
      to tell what to send, as Her Majesty might take a fancy to any of the
      presents herself, even though they might not be of much value
      intrinsically. In such a case Her Majesty would tell us that she would
      keep it, and to give the Young Empress something else.
    </p>
    <p>
      The celebration was very similar to that of the Emperor's birthday, but
      not on such an elaborate scale. We presented the Ru Yee to the Young
      Empress and kowtowed to her. She was supposed to receive these tokens of
      respect sitting on her throne, but out of deference to Her Majesty (we
      were Her Majesty's Court ladies) she stood up. She always was very polite
      to us under all circumstances.
    </p>
    <p>
      On this day, as on the Emperor's birthday, the Emperor, Young Empress and
      Secondary wife dined together. These were the only two occasions when they
      did so, always dining separately at other times. Her Majesty sent two of
      her Court ladies to wait upon the Empress, I myself being one of them. I
      was very pleased, as I wanted to see for myself how they conducted
      themselves when together. I went into the Young Empress' room and informed
      her that Her Majesty had ordered us to wait upon them, to which she simply
      answered: "Very well." So we went to the dining room and set the table,
      placing the chairs into position. The meal was much different from what I
      expected. Instead of being stiff and serious like Her Majesty when dining
      they were quite free and easy, and we were allowed to join in the
      conversation and partake of some of the food and wine. A very pretty
      ceremony was gone through at the commencement of the meal. The Emperor and
      Young Empress seated themselves, and the Secondary wife filled their cups
      with wine and presented it to them in turn as a sign of respect, the
      Emperor first. When the meal was over we returned to Her Majesty's
      apartment and told her that everything had passed off nicely. We knew very
      well that we had been sent simply to act as spies, but we had nothing
      interesting to tell Her Majesty. She asked if the Emperor had been very
      serious and we answered "Yes."
    </p>
    <p>
      The New Year celebrations terminated with the Festival of Lanterns on the
      fifteenth day of the first moon. These lanterns were of different shapes,
      representing animals, flowers, fruits, etc., etc. They were made of white
      gauze, painted in different colors. One lantern representing a dragon
      about fifteen feet long was fastened to ten poles, and ten eunuchs were
      required to hold it in position. In front of this dragon a eunuch was
      holding a lantern representing a large pearl, which the dragon was
      supposed to devour. This ceremony was gone through to the accompaniment of
      music.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the lanterns came a firework display. These fireworks represented
      different scenes in the history of China, grape vines, wisteria blossoms,
      and many other flowers. It was a very imposing sight. Portable wooden
      houses had been placed near the fireworks from which Her Majesty and the
      rest of the Court could see them without being out in the cold air. This
      display lasted for several hours without a stop, and thousands of
      firecrackers were set off during the time. Her Majesty seemed to enjoy the
      noise very much. Altogether it was a good finish to the celebrations and
      we all enjoyed it very much.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next morning all the guests departed from the Palace and we
      re-commenced our everyday life.
    </p>
    <p>
      As usual after the guests had departed Her Majesty began to criticise
      their mode of dressing, their ignorance of Court etiquette, etc., but
      added that she was rather glad, as she didn't want them to know anything
      about Court life.
    </p>
    <p>
      As Spring soon arrived it was time for the farmers to commence sowing seed
      for the rice crop, and of course there was another ceremony. The Emperor
      visited the Temple of Agriculture where he prayed for a good harvest. Then
      he proceeded to a small plot of ground situated in the temple and after
      turning the earth over with a hand plow he sowed the first seeds of the
      season. This was to show the farmers that their labors were not despised
      and that even the Emperor was not ashamed to engage in this work. Anybody
      could attend this ceremony, it being quite a public affair, and many
      farmers were present.
    </p>
    <p>
      About this same time the Young Empress went to see the silkworms and watch
      for the eggs to be hatched. As soon as they were out, the Young Empress
      gathered mulberry leaves for the worms to feed upon and watched them until
      they were big enough to commence spinning. Each day a fresh supply of
      leaves were gathered and they were fed four or five times daily. Several
      of the Court ladies were told off to feed the worms during the night and
      see that they did not escape. These silkworms grow very rapidly and we
      could see the difference each day. Of course when they became full grown
      they required more food and we were kept busy constantly feeding them. The
      Young Empress was able to tell by holding them up to the light when they
      were ready to spin. If they were transparent then they were ready, and
      were placed on paper and left there. When spinning the silkworm does not
      eat, therefore all we had to do was to watch that they did not get away.
      After spinning for four or five days their supply of silk becomes
      exhausted and they shrivel up and apparently die. These apparently dead
      worms were collected by the Young Empress and placed in a box where they
      were kept until they developed into moths. They were then placed on thick
      paper and left there to lay their eggs.
    </p>
    <p>
      If left to themselves, the silkworms when ready for spinning will spin the
      silk around their bodies until they are completely covered up, gradually
      forming a cocoon. In order to determine when they have finished spinning
      it was customary to take the cocoon and rattle it near the ear. If the
      worm was exhausted you could plainly hear the body rattle inside the
      cocoon. The cocoon is then placed in boiling water until it becomes soft.
      This, of course, kills the worm. In order to separate the silk a needle is
      used to pick up the end of the thread which is then wound on to a spool
      and is ready for weaving. A few of the cocoons were kept until the worms
      had turned into moths, which soon ate their way out of the cocoons when
      they were placed on sheets of paper and left to lay their eggs, which are
      taken away and kept in a cool place until the following Spring, when the
      eggs are hatched and become worms.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the silk had all been separated we took it to Her Majesty for
      inspection and approval. On this particular occasion Her Majesty ordered
      one of the eunuchs to bring in some silk which she herself had woven when
      a young girl in the Palace, and on comparing it with the new silk it was
      found to be just as good in every way although many years had passed since
      it was made.
    </p>
    <p>
      All this was done with the same object as the Emperor sowing the seeds,
      viz.:&mdash;to set the people a good example and to encourage them in
      their work.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">
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    </p>
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      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER NINETEEN&mdash;THE SEA PALACE
    </h2>
    <p>
      THIS year we had a very hot spring and Her Majesty was desirous of getting
      back again to the Sea Palace. However, as war had already been declared
      between Russia and Japan it was thought best to remain in the Forbidden
      City until things were more settled. Her Majesty was very much worried
      over this war and spent most of her time in offering prayers to the
      different divinities for the welfare of China and we, of course, were
      expected to join her. Things were very monotonous about this time and
      nothing particular occurred until the beginning of the second moon. By
      this time Her Majesty was quite sick of staying in the Forbidden City and
      said that no matter what happened she would remove the Court to the Sea
      Palace, where Miss Carl could get along and finish the portrait which had
      been hanging on for nearly a year. So on the sixth day of the second moon
      we moved back to the Sea Palace. Everything looked fresh and green and
      many of the trees had commenced to blossom. Her Majesty took us around the
      lake and we were in such good spirits that Her Majesty remarked that we
      acted more like a lot of wild animals escaped from a menagerie than human
      beings. She was much brighter now, but said that she would be happier
      still to get to the Summer Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      Miss Carl was summoned to the Palace, and Her Majesty visited her and
      asked to see the portrait. She again asked me how long it would be before
      it was finished, and I told her that unless she gave a little more of her
      time to posing it might not be finished for quite a long time. After a lot
      of consideration Her Majesty finally agreed to give Miss Carl five minutes
      each day after the morning audience, but that she desired it to be
      distinctly understood that she did not intend to pose for anything but the
      face. She accordingly sat for two mornings, but on the third morning she
      made an excuse saying that she was not feeling well. I told her that Miss
      Carl could not proceed further unless she sat for the face, so, although
      she was very angry, she gave Miss Carl a few more sittings until the face
      was finished. She absolutely refused to sit again whether it was finished
      or not, saying that she would have nothing more to do with the portrait. I
      myself sat for the remainder of the portrait, viz.:&mdash;for Her
      Majesty's dress, jewels, etc., and so by degrees the portrait was
      completed.
    </p>
    <p>
      When Her Majesty learned that the portrait was nearing completion she was
      very much pleased, and I thought it a good opportunity to again broach the
      subject of payment. Her Majesty asked me whether I really thought it
      necessary to pay cash for the portrait and how much. I told her that as
      painting was Miss Carl's profession, if she had not been engaged on
      painting Her Majesty's portrait she would most probably have been engaged
      on other similar work for which she would have received compensation, and
      that therefore she would naturally expect to be paid even more handsomely
      in this instance. It was difficult to make Her Majesty understand this and
      she asked if I was quite certain that Miss Carl would not be offended by
      an offer of money, also Mrs. Conger who had presented her. I explained
      that in America and Europe it was quite customary for ladies to earn their
      own living either by painting, teaching or in some other similar manner,
      and that it was no disgrace but rather the opposite. Her Majesty seemed
      very much surprised to learn this, and asked why Miss Carl's brother did
      not support her himself. I told Her Majesty that Miss Carl did not desire
      him to provide for her, besides which he was married and had a family to
      support. Her Majesty gave it as her opinion that this was a funny kind of
      civilization. In China when the parents were dead it was the duty of the
      sons to provide for their unmarried sisters until such time as they
      married. She also said that if Chinese ladies were to work for their
      living it would only set people talking about them. However, she promised
      to speak with Her Ministers about paying Miss Carl, and I felt somewhat
      relieved as there seemed to be a probability of something satisfactory
      being arranged after all.
    </p>
    <p>
      The twelfth day of the second moon was the anniversary of another
      interesting ceremony, viz.:&mdash;the birthday of the flowers and trees.
      After the morning audience we all went into the Palace grounds, where the
      eunuchs were waiting with huge rolls of red silk. These we all commenced
      to cut into narrow strips about two inches wide and three feet long. When
      we had cut sufficient Her Majesty took a strip of red silk and another of
      yellow silk which she tied round the stem of one of the peony trees (in
      China the peony is considered to be the queen of flowers). Then all the
      Court ladies, eunuchs and servant girls set to work to decorate every
      single tree and plant in the grounds with red silk ribbons, in the same
      manner as Her Majesty had done. This took up nearly the entire morning and
      it made a very pretty picture, with the bright costumes of the Court
      ladies, green trees and beautiful flowers.
    </p>
    <p>
      We then went to a theatrical performance. This represented all the tree
      fairies and flower fairies celebrating their birthday. The Chinese believe
      that all the trees and flowers have their own particular fairies, the tree
      fairies being men and the flower fairies being women. The costumes were
      very pretty and were chosen to blend with the green trees and flowers
      which were on the stage. One of the costumes worn by a lotus fairy was
      made of pink silk, worked so as to represent the petals of the flower, the
      skirt being of green silk to represent the lotus leaves. Whenever this
      fairy moved about the petals would move just as though wafted by the
      breeze, like a natural flower. Several other costumes representing
      different flowers were made in the same manner. The scene was a woodland
      dell, surrounded with huge rocks perforated with caves, out of which came
      innumerable small fairies bearing decanters of wine. These small fairies
      represented the smaller flowers, daisies, pomegranate blossoms, etc. The
      result can be better imagined than described. All the fairies gathered
      together and drank the wine, after which they commenced to sing,
      accompanied by stringed instruments, played very softly. The final scene
      was a very fitting ending to the performance. It represented a small
      rainbow which gradually descended until it rested on the rocks; then each
      fairy in turn would sit upon the rainbow which rose again and conveyed
      them through the clouds into Heaven. This completed the celebration and we
      all retired to our rooms.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the fourteenth day of the second moon (March 2, 1904), I completed my
      first year at Court. I had quite forgotten this fact until Her Majesty
      reminded me of it. She asked whether I was comfortable and happy where I
      was or did I long to return to Paris. I answered truly that although I had
      enjoyed myself while in France still I preferred the life of the Court, it
      was so interesting, besides which I was in my own native land and among
      all my friends and relations, and naturally I preferred that to living in
      a strange land. Her Majesty smiled and said she was afraid that sooner or
      later I would tire of the life in the Palace and fly away again across the
      ocean. She said that the only way to make sure of me was to marry me off.
      She again asked me what was my objection to getting married; was I afraid
      of having a mother-in-law, or what was it? If that was all, I need not
      worry, for so long as she was alive there was nothing to be afraid of. Her
      Majesty said that even if I were married it would not be necessary for me
      to stay at home all the time, but that I would be able to spend my time in
      the Palace as usual. Continuing, she said: "Last year when this marriage
      question came up I was willing to make allowances as you had been brought
      up somewhat differently from the rest of my Court ladies, but do not run
      away with the idea that I have forgotten all about it. I am still on the
      lookout for a suitable husband for you." I simply answered as before&mdash;that
      I had absolutely no desire to marry, but that I wanted to stay where I was
      and live at the Court so long as Her Majesty was willing to have me there.
      She made some remark about my being stubborn and said that I should
      probably change my mind before long.
    </p>
    <p>
      During the latter part of the second moon Miss Carl worked very hard to
      get the portrait finished and Her Majesty again consulted her book in
      order to select a lucky day on which to put the final touches to the
      picture. The 19th of April, 1904, was chosen by Her Majesty as the best
      time, and Miss Carl was duly notified. Miss Carl most emphatically stated
      that it was quite impossible to finish the portrait properly by the time
      named, and I told Her Majesty what Miss Carl said, explaining that there
      were many small finishing touches to be added and I suggested it would be
      better to give Miss Carl a few days longer if possible. However, Her
      Majesty said that it must be finished by four o'clock on the 19th day of
      April, and therefore there was nothing further to be said.
    </p>
    <p>
      About a week before the time fixed for completion Her Majesty paid a visit
      to the studio to finally inspect the picture. She seemed very much pleased
      with it, but still objected to her face being painted dark on one side and
      light on the other. As I have said before, I had explained that this was
      the shading, but Her Majesty insisted on my telling Miss Carl to make both
      sides of her face alike. This led to a pretty hot discussion between Miss
      Carl and myself but she finally saw that it was no use going against Her
      Majesty's wishes in the matter, so consented to make some slight
      alteration. Happening to catch sight of some foreign characters at the
      foot of the painting Her Majesty inquired what they were and on being
      informed that they were simply the artist's name, said: "Well, I know
      foreigners do some funny things, but I think this about the funniest I
      ever heard of. Fancy putting her own name on my picture. This will
      naturally convey the impression that it is a portrait of Miss Carl, and
      not a portrait of myself at all." I again had to explain the reason for
      this, saying that it was always customary for foreign artists to write
      their names at the foot of any picture they painted, whether portrait or
      otherwise. So Her Majesty said she supposed it was all right, and would
      have to remain, but she looked anything but satisfied with it.
    </p>
    <p>
      By working practically all night and all day, Miss Carl managed to get the
      portrait finished by the time stipulated, and Her Majesty arranged that
      Mrs. Conger and the other ladies of the Diplomatic Corps should come to
      the Palace and see the portrait. This was quite a private audience and Her
      Majesty received them in one of the small Audience Halls. After the usual
      greetings Her Majesty ordered us to conduct the ladies to the studio,
      which we did, Her Majesty bidding them good-bye and remaining in her own
      apartments. The Young Empress in accordance with instructions from Her
      Majesty, accompanied us to the studio, and acted as hostess. Everybody
      expressed great admiration for the portrait and it was voted a marvellous
      likeness. After inspecting the picture we all adjourned for refreshments.
      The Young Empress sat at the head of the table and asked me to sit next to
      her. Shortly after everybody was seated a eunuch came and asked the Young
      Empress to inform these ladies that the Emperor was slightly indisposed
      and was unable to be present. I interpreted this, and everybody appeared
      satisfied. As a matter of fact the Emperor was quite well, but we had
      forgotten all about him. And so the guests departed without seeing him on
      this occasion.
    </p>
    <p>
      On reporting everything to Her Majesty as usual, she asked what they
      thought of the portrait, and we told her that they had admired it very
      much. Her Majesty said: "Of course they did, it was painted by a foreign
      artist." She didn't appear to be very much interested and was quite cross
      about something, which caused me great disappointment after all the
      trouble Miss Carl had taken to finish the portrait. Her Majesty then
      remarked that Miss Carl had taken a long time to get the portrait
      finished, and asked why nobody had reminded her to inform the Emperor
      about the audience, being particularly angry with the head eunuch on this
      occasion. Her Majesty said that as soon as she remembered, she immediately
      sent a eunuch to make excuses, as the ladies might very well think that
      something had happened to the Emperor and it might cause talk. I told her
      that I explained to them that the Emperor was not well and they evidently
      thought nothing further of his absence.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the next day the carpenters in the Palace had finished the frame for
      the portrait and when it had been properly fitted Her Majesty ordered my
      brother to take a photograph of it. This photograph turned out so well
      that Her Majesty said it was better than the portrait itself.
    </p>
    <p>
      The picture being now quite finished, Miss Carl prepared to take her
      leave, which she did a few days later, having received a handsome present
      in cash from Her Majesty in addition to a decoration and many other
      presents as remuneration for her services. For quite a long time after
      Miss Carl had left the Palace I felt very lonely, as during her stay I had
      found her a genial companion and we had many things in common to talk
      about. Her Majesty noticed that I was rather quiet, and asked me the
      cause. She said: "I suppose you are beginning to miss your friend, the
      lady artist." I did not care to admit that this was so, for fear she might
      think me ungrateful to herself, besides which I knew she did not like the
      idea of my being too friendly with foreigners. So I explained to Her
      Majesty that I always did regret losing old friends but that I would get
      used to the change very soon. Her Majesty was very nice about it and said
      she wished that she was a little more sentimental over such small things,
      but that when I got to her age I should be able to take things more
      philosophically.
    </p>
    <p>
      After Miss Carl had left the Court, Her Majesty asked me one day: "Did she
      ever ask you much about the Boxer movement of 1900?" I told her that I
      knew very little of the Boxer movement myself, as I was in Paris at the
      time and I could not say very much. I assured her that the lady artist
      never mentioned the subject to me. Her Majesty said: "I hate to mention
      about that affair and I would not like to have foreigners ask my people
      questions on that subject. Do you know, I have often thought that I am the
      most clever woman that ever lived and others cannot compare with me.
      Although I have heard much about Queen Victoria and read a part of her
      life which someone has translated into Chinese, still I don't think her
      life was half so interesting and eventful as mine. My life is not finished
      yet and no one knows what is going to happen in the future. I may surprise
      the foreigners some day with something extraordinary and do something
      quite contrary to anything I have yet done. England is one of great powers
      of the world, but this has not been brought about by Queen Victoria's
      absolute rule. She had the able men of parliament back of her at all times
      and of course they discussed everything until the best result was
      obtained, then she would sign the necessary documents and really had
      nothing to say about the policy of the country. Now look at me. I have
      400,000,000 people, all dependent on my judgment. Although I have the
      Grand Council to consult with, they only look after the different
      appointments, but anything of an important nature I must decide myself.
      What does the Emperor know? I have been very successful so far, but I
      never dreamt that the Boxer movement would end with such serious results
      for China. That is the only mistake I have made in my life. I should have
      issued an Edict at once to stop the Boxers practising their belief, but
      both Prince Tuan and Duke Lan told me that they firmly believed the Boxers
      were sent by Heaven to enable China to get rid of all the undesirable and
      hated foreigners. Of course they meant mostly missionaries, and you know
      how I hate them and how very religious I always am, so I thought I would
      not say anything then but would wait and see what would happen. I felt
      sure they were going too far as one day Prince Tuan brought the Boxer
      leader to the Summer Palace and summoned all the eunuchs into the
      courtyard of the Audience Hall and examined each eunuch on the head to see
      if there was a cross. He said, 'This cross is not visible to you, but I
      can identify a Christian by finding a cross on the head.' Prince Tuan then
      came to my private Palace and told me that the Boxer leader was at the
      Palace Gate and had found two eunuchs who were Christians and asked me
      what was to be done. I immediately became very angry and told him that he
      had no right to bring any Boxers to the Palace without my permission; but
      he said this leader was so powerful that he was able to kill all the
      foreigners and was not afraid of the foreign guns, as all the gods were
      protecting him. Prince Tuan told me that he had witnessed this himself. A
      Boxer shot another with a revolver and the bullet hit him, but did not
      harm him in the least. Then Prince Tuan suggested that I hand these two
      eunuchs supposed to be Christians to the Boxer leader, which I did. I
      heard afterwards that these two eunuchs were beheaded right in the country
      somewhere near here. This chief Boxer came to the Palace the next day,
      accompanied by Prince Tuan and Duke Lan, to make all the eunuchs burn
      incense sticks to prove that they were not Christians. After that Prince
      Tuan also suggested that we had better let the chief Boxer come every day
      and teach the eunuchs their belief; that nearly all of Peking was studying
      with the Boxers. The next day I was very much surprised to see all my
      eunuchs dressed as Boxers. They wore red jackets, red turbans and yellow
      trousers. I was sorry to see all my attendants discard their official
      robes and wear a funny costume like that. Duke Lan presented me with a
      suit of Boxer clothes. At that time Yung Lu, who was the head of the Grand
      Council, was ill and asked leave of absence for a month. While he was
      sick, I used to send one of the eunuchs to see him every day, and that day
      the eunuch returned and informed me that Yung Lu was quite well and would
      come to the Palace the next day, although he still had fifteen days more
      leave. I was puzzled to know why he should give up the balance of his
      leave. However, I was very anxious to see him, as I wished to consult him
      about this chief Boxer. Yung Lu looked grieved when he learned what had
      taken place at the Palace, and said that these Boxers were nothing but
      revolutionaries and agitators. They were trying to get the people to help
      them to kill the foreigners, but he was very much afraid the result would
      be against the Government. I told him that probably he was right, and
      asked him what should be done. He told me that he would talk to Prince
      Tuan, but the next day Prince Tuan told me that he had had a fight with
      Yung Lu about the Boxer question, and said that all of Peking had become
      Boxers, and if we tried to turn them, they would do all they could to kill
      everyone in Peking, including the Court; that they (the Boxer party) had
      the day selected to kill all the foreign representatives; that Tung Fou
      Hsiang, a very conservative General and one of the Boxers, had promised to
      bring his troops out to help the Boxers to fire on the Legations. When I
      heard this I was very much worried and anticipated serious trouble, so I
      sent for Yung Lu at once and kept Prince Tuan with me. Yung Lu came,
      looking very much worried, and he was more so after I had told him what
      the Boxers were going to do. He immediately suggested that I should issue
      an Edict, saying that these Boxers were a secret society and that no one
      should believe their teaching, and to instruct the Generals of the nine
      gates to drive all the Boxers out of the city at once. When Prince Tuan
      heard this he was very angry and told Yung Lu that if such an Edict was
      issued, the Boxers would come to the Court and kill everybody. When Prince
      Tuan told me this, I thought I had better leave everything to him. After
      he left the Palace, Yung Lu said that Prince Tuan was absolutely crazy and
      that he was sure these Boxers would be the cause of a great deal of
      trouble. Yung Lu also said that Prince Tuan must be insane to be helping
      the Boxers to destroy the Legations; that these Boxers were a very common
      lot, without education, and they imagined the few foreigners in China were
      the only ones on the earth and if they were killed it would be the end of
      them. They forgot how very strong these foreign countries are, and that if
      the foreigners in China were all killed, thousands would come to avenge
      their death. Yung Lu assured me that one foreign soldier could kill one
      hundred Boxers without the slightest trouble, and begged me to give him
      instructions to order General Nieh, who was afterwards killed by the
      Boxers, to bring his troops to protect the Legations. Of course I gave him
      this instruction at once, and also told him that he must see Prince Tuan
      at once and Duke Lan to tell them that this was a very serious affair and
      that they had better not interfere with Yung Lu's plans. Matters became
      worse day by day and Yung Lu was the only one against the Boxers, but what
      could one man accomplish against so many? One day Prince Tuan and Duke Lan
      came and asked me to issue an Edict ordering the Boxers to kill all the
      Legation people first and then all remaining foreigners. I was very angry
      and refused to issue this Edict. After we had talked a very long time,
      Prince Tuan said that this must be done without delay, for the Boxers were
      getting ready to fire on the Legations and would do so the very next day.
      I was furious and ordered several of the eunuchs to drive him out, and he
      said as he was going out: 'If you refuse to issue that Edict, I will do it
      for you whether you are willing or not,' and he did. After that you know
      what happened. He issued these Edicts unknown to me and was responsible
      for a great many deaths. He found that he could not carry his plans
      through and heard that the foreign troops were not very far from Peking.
      He was so frightened that he made us all leave Peking." As she finished
      saying this, she started to cry, and I told her that I felt very sorry for
      her. She said: "You need not feel sorry for me for what I have gone
      through; but you must feel sorry that my fair name is ruined. That is the
      only mistake I have made in my whole life and it was done in a moment of
      weakness. Before I was just like a piece of pure jade; everyone admired me
      for what I have done for my country, but the jade has a flaw in it since
      this Boxer movement and it will remain there to the end of my life. I have
      regretted many, many times that I had such confidence in, and believed
      that wicked Prince Tuan; he was responsible for everything."
    </p>
    <p>
      By the end of the third moon Her Majesty had had enough of the Sea Palace
      and the Court moved into the Summer Palace. This time we travelled by boat
      as it was very beautiful weather. On reaching the water-gates of the
      Palace we found everything just lovely and the peach blossoms were in full
      bloom. Her Majesty plainly showed how glad she was to be back once more
      and for the time being seemed to have forgotten everything else, even the
      war.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER TWENTY&mdash;CONCLUSION
    </h2>
    <p>
      MY second year at the Palace was very much the same as the first. We
      celebrated each anniversary and festival in the same way as before: the
      usual audience was held each morning by Her Majesty, after which the day
      was given up to enjoyment. Amongst other things Her Majesty took great
      interest in her vegetable gardens, and superintended the planting of the
      different seeds. When vegetables were ready for pulling, from time to
      time, all the Court ladies were supplied with a kind of small pruning fork
      and gathered in the crop. Her Majesty seemed to enjoy seeing us work in
      the fields, and when the fit seized her she would come along and help. In
      order to encourage us in this work, Her Majesty would give a small present
      to the one who showed the best results so we naturally did our best in
      order to please her, as much as for the reward. Another hobby of Her
      Majesty's was the rearing of chickens, and a certain number of birds were
      allotted to each of the Court ladies. We were supposed to look after these
      ourselves and the eggs had to be taken to Her Majesty every morning. I
      could not understand why it was that my chickens gave less eggs than any
      of the others until one day my eunuch informed me that he had seen one of
      the other eunuchs stealing the eggs from my hen house and transferring
      them to another, in order to help his mistress to head the list.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty was very particular not to encourage untidyness or
      extravagance among the Court ladies. On one occasion she told me to open a
      parcel which was lying in her room. I was about to cut the string when Her
      Majesty stopped me and told me to untie it. This I managed to do after a
      lot of trouble, and opened the parcel. Her Majesty next made me fold the
      paper neatly and place it in a drawer along with the string so that I
      would know where to find it should it be wanted again. From time to time
      Her Majesty would give each of us money for our own private use and
      whenever we wanted to buy anything, say flowers, handkerchiefs, shoes,
      ribbons, etc., these could be bought from the servant girls who used to
      make them in the Palace and we would enter each item in a small note book
      supplied by Her Majesty for the purpose. At the end of each month Her
      Majesty examined our accounts and in case she considered that we had been
      extravagant she would give us a good scolding, while on the other hand, if
      we managed to show a good balance she would compliment us on our good
      management. Thus under Her Majesty's tuition we learned to be careful and
      tidy against such time as we might be called upon to look after homes of
      our own.
    </p>
    <p>
      About this time my father began to show signs of breaking down and asked
      for permission to withdraw from public life. However, Her Majesty would
      not hear of this and decided to give him another six months vacation
      instead. It was his intention to go to Shanghai and see the family
      physician, but Her Majesty did not approve of this, maintaining that her
      own doctors were quite as good as any foreign doctor. These doctors
      therefore attended him for some time, prescribing all kinds of different
      concoctions daily. After a while he seemed to pick up a little but was
      still unable to get about on account of having chronic rheumatism. We
      therefore again suggested that it would be better for him to see his own
      doctor in Shanghai, who understood my father thoroughly, but Her Majesty
      could not be made to see it in that light. She said that what we wanted
      was a little patience, that the Chinese doctors might be slow, but they
      were sure, and she was convinced they would completely cure my father very
      soon. The fact of the matter was she was afraid that if my father went to
      stay in Shanghai the rest of the family would want to be there with him,
      which was not in her programme at all. So we decided to remain in Peking
      unless my father showed signs of getting worse.
    </p>
    <p>
      In due course the time arrived on which it had been arranged to hold the
      Spring Garden Party for the Diplomatic Corps, and as usual one day was set
      apart for the Ministers, Secretaries and members of the various Legations,
      and the following day for their wives, etc. This year very few guests
      attended the Garden Party but among those who did come were several
      strangers. About half a dozen ladies from the Japanese Legation came with
      Madame Uchida, wife of the Japanese Minister. Her Majesty was always very
      pleased to see this lady whom she very much admired on account of her
      extreme politeness. After the usual presentation we conducted the ladies
      to luncheon, showed them over the Palace grounds, after which we wished
      them good-bye and they took their leave. We reported everything to Her
      Majesty, and as usual were asked many questions. Among the guests there
      was one lady (English so far as I could make out) dressed in a heavy tweed
      travelling costume, having enormous pockets, into which she thrust her
      hands as though it were extremely cold. She wore a cap of the same
      material. Her Majesty asked if I had noticed this lady with the clothes
      made out of "rice bags," and wasn't it rather unusual to be presented at
      Court in such a dress. Her Majesty wanted to know who she was and where
      she came from. I replied that she certainly did not belong to any of the
      Legations as I was acquainted with everybody there. Her Majesty said that
      whoever she was she certainly was not accustomed to moving in decent
      society as she (Her Majesty) was quite certain that it was not the thing
      to appear at a European Court in such a costume. "I can tell in a moment,"
      Her Majesty added, "whether any of these people are desirous of showing
      proper respect to me, or whether they consider that I am not entitled to
      it. These foreigners seem to have the idea that the Chinese are ignorant
      and that therefore they need not be so particular as in European Society.
      I think it would be best to let it be understood for the future what dress
      should be worn at the different Court Functions, and at the same time use
      a certain amount of discretion in issuing invitations. In that way I can
      also keep the missionary element out, as well as other undesirables. I
      like to meet any distinguished foreigners who may be visiting in China,
      but I do not want any common people at my Court." I suggested that the
      Japanese custom could be followed, viz.: to issue proper invitation cards,
      stipulating at the foot the dress to be worn on each particular occasion.
      Her Majesty thought this would meet the case and it was decided to
      introduce a similar rule in China.
    </p>
    <p>
      Whenever the weather permitted, Her Majesty would pass quite a lot of her
      time in the open air watching the eunuchs at work in the gardens. During
      the early Spring the lotus plants were transplanted and she would take
      keen interest in this work. All the old roots had to be cut away and the
      new bulbs planted in fresh soil. Although the lotus grew in the shallowest
      part of the lake (the West side) it was necessary for the eunuchs to wade
      into the water sometimes up to their waists in order to weed out the old
      plants and set the young ones. Her Majesty would sit for hours on her
      favorite bridge (The Jade Girdle Bridge) and superintend the eunuchs at
      their work, suggesting from time to time as to how the bulbs were to be
      planted. This work generally took three or four days, and the Court ladies
      in attendance would stand beside Her Majesty and pass the time making
      fancy tassels for Her Majesty's cushions, in fact doing anything so long
      as we did not idle.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was during the Spring that Yuan Shih Kai paid another visit to the
      Palace, and among other subjects discussed was the Russo-Japan war. He
      told Her Majesty that it was developing into a very serious affair and
      that he feared China would be the principal sufferer in the long run. Her
      Majesty was very much upset by this news, and mentioned that she had been
      advised by one of the censors to make a present to the Japanese of a large
      quantity of rice, but had decided to take no action whatever in the
      matter, which resolve Yuan Shih Kai strongly supported.
    </p>
    <p>
      I was still working each day translating the various newspaper reports and
      telegrams relating to the war and one morning, seeing a paragraph to the
      effect that Kang Yu Wei (Leader of the Reform Movement in China in 1898)
      had arrived at Singapore from Batavia, I thought it might interest Her
      Majesty and so translated it along with the rest. Her Majesty immediately
      became very much excited which made me feel frightened as I did not know
      what could be the matter. However, she explained to me that this man had
      caused all kinds of trouble in China, that before meeting Kang Yu Wei the
      Emperor had been a zealous adherent to the traditions of his ancestors but
      since then had plainly shown his desire to introduce reforms and even
      Christianity into the country. "On one occasion," continued Her Majesty,
      "he caused the Emperor to issue instructions for the Summer Palace to be
      surrounded by soldiers so as to keep me prisoner until these reforms could
      be put into effect, but through the faithfulness of Yung Lu, a member of
      the Grand Council, and Yuan Shill Kai, Viceroy of Chihli, I was able to
      frustrate the plot. I immediately proceeded to the Forbidden City, where
      the Emperor was then staying and after discussing the question with him he
      replied that he realized his mistake and asked me to take over the reins
      of government and act in his stead."
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     (The result of this was, of course, the Edict of 1898
     appointing the Empress Dowager as Regent of China.)
</pre>
    <p>
      Her Majesty had immediately ordered the capture of Kang Yu Wei and his
      followers, but he had managed to effect his escape and she had heard
      nothing further about him until I translated this report in the newspaper.
      She seemed relieved, however, to know where he was, and seemed anxious to
      hear what he was doing. She suddenly became very angry again and asked why
      it was that the foreign governments offered protection to Chinese
      political agitators and criminals. Why couldn't they leave China to deal
      with her own subjects and mind their own business a little more? She gave
      me instructions to keep a lookout for any further news of this gentleman
      and report to her immediately, but I made up my mind that in any case, I
      would not mention anything about him again and so the matter gradually
      died away.
    </p>
    <p>
      During one of our visits to the Sea Palace Her Majesty drew attention to a
      large piece of vacant ground and said that it had formerly been the site
      of the Audience Hall which had been destroyed by fire during the Boxer
      trouble. Her Majesty explained that this had been purely an accident and
      was not deliberately destroyed by the foreign troops. She said that it had
      long been an eyesore to her as it was so ugly, and that she had now
      determined to build another Audience Hall on the same site, as the present
      Audience Hall was too small to accommodate the foreign guests when they
      paid their respects at New Year. She therefore commanded the Board of
      Works to prepare a model of the new building in accordance with her own
      ideas, and submit it for her approval. Up to that time all the buildings
      in the Palace Grounds were typically Chinese but this new Audience Hall
      was to be more or less on the foreign plan and up to date in every
      respect. This model was accordingly prepared and submitted to Her Majesty.
      It was only a small wooden model but was complete in every detail, even to
      the pattern of the windows and the carving on the ceilings and panels.
      However, I never knew anything to quite come up to Her Majesty's ideas,
      and this was no exception. She criticised the model from every standpoint,
      ordering this room to be enlarged and that room to be made smaller: this
      window to be moved to another place, etc., etc. So the model went back for
      reconstruction. When it was again brought for Her Majesty's inspection
      everybody agreed that it was an improvement on the first one, and even Her
      Majesty expressed great satisfaction. The next thing was to find a name
      for the new building and after serious and mature consideration it was
      decided to name it Hai Yen Tang (Sea Coast Audience Hall). Building
      operations were commenced immediately and Her Majesty took great interest
      in the progress of the work. It had already been decided that this
      Audience Hall was to be furnished throughout in foreign style, with the
      exception of the throne, which, of course, retained its Manchu appearance.
      Her Majesty compared the different styles of furniture with the catalogues
      we had brought with us from France and finally decided on the Louis
      Fifteenth style, but everything was to be covered with Imperial Yellow,
      with curtains and carpets to match. When everything had been selected to
      Her Majesty's satisfaction, my mother asked permission to defray the
      expense herself and make a present of this furniture. This Her Majesty
      agreed to and the order was accordingly placed with a well-known Paris
      firm from whom we had purchased furniture when in France. By the time the
      building was completed the furniture had arrived, and it was quickly
      installed. Her Majesty went to inspect it and, of course, had to find
      fault as usual. She didn't seem at all pleased with the result of the
      experiment and said that after all a Chinese building would have been the
      best as it would have had a more dignified appearance. However, the thing
      was finished and it was no use finding fault now, as it could not be
      changed.
    </p>
    <p>
      During the Summer months I had plenty of leisure time and devoted about an
      hour each day to helping the Emperor with his English. He was a most
      intelligent man with a wonderful memory and learned very quickly. His
      pronunciation, however, was not good. In a very short time he was able to
      read short stories out of an ordinary school reader and could write from
      dictation fairly well. His handwriting was exceptionally fine, while in
      copying old English and ornamental characters, he was an expert. Her
      Majesty seemed pleased that the Emperor had taken up this study, and said
      she thought of taking it up herself as she was quite sure she would learn
      it very quickly if she tried. After two lessons she lost patience, and did
      not mention the matter again.
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course these lessons gave me plenty of opportunity to talk with His
      Majesty, and on one occasion he ventured the remark that I didn't seem to
      have made much progress with Her Majesty in the matter of reform. I told
      him that many things had been accomplished since my arrival at Court, and
      mentioned the new Audience Hall as an instance. He didn't appear to think
      that anything worth talking about, and advised me to give up the matter
      altogether. He said when the proper time arrived&mdash;if it ever did
      arrive&mdash;then I might be of use, but expressed grave doubts on the
      subject. He also enquired about my father and I told him that unless his
      health improved very soon it would be necessary for us to leave the Court
      for a while at any rate. He replied that although he should very much
      regret such a necessity, he really believed that it would be for the best.
      He said he felt certain that I should never be able to settle down
      permanently to Court life after spending so many years abroad, and for his
      part would put no obstacles in the way of my leaving the Court if I
      desired to do so.
    </p>
    <p>
      Her Majesty had given me permission to visit my father twice every month,
      and everything appeared to be going along nicely until one day one of Her
      Majesty's servant girls told me that Her Majesty was trying to arrange
      another marriage for me. At first I did not take any notice of this, but
      shortly afterwards Her Majesty informed me that everything was arranged
      and that I was to be married to a certain Prince whom she had chosen. I
      could see that Her Majesty was waiting for me to say something, so I told
      her that I was very much worried at that time about my father and begged
      her to allow the matter to stand over for the time being at any rate. This
      made Her Majesty very angry, and she told me that she considered me very
      ungrateful after all she had done for me. I didn't reply, and as her
      Majesty did not say anything more at the time, I tried to forget about it.
      However, on my next visit home, I told my father all about it, and as
      before he was strongly opposed to such a marriage. He suggested that on my
      return to the Palace I should lay the whole matter before Li Lien Ying,
      the head eunuch, and explain my position, for if anybody could influence
      Her Majesty, he was the one. I, therefore, took the first opportunity of
      speaking to him. At first he appeared very reluctant to interfere in the
      matter, and said he thought I ought to do as Her Majesty wished, but on my
      stating that I had no desire to marry at all, but was quite willing to
      remain at Court in my present position, he promised to do his best for me.
      I never heard anything further about my marriage, either from Her Majesty
      or Li Lien Ying, and therefore concluded that he had been able to arrange
      the matter satisfactorily.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Summer passed without anything further important occurring. During the
      eighth moon the bamboos were cut down and here again the Court ladies were
      called upon to assist, our work being to carve designs and characters on
      the cut trees, Her Majesty assisting. These were afterwards made into
      chairs, tables and other useful articles for Her Majesty's teahouse.
      During the long Autumn evenings Her Majesty would teach us Chinese history
      and poetry and every tenth day would put us through an examination in
      order to find out how much we had learned, prizes being awarded for
      proficiency. The younger eunuchs also took part in these lessons and some
      of their answers to Her Majesty's questions were very amusing. If Her
      Majesty were in a good humor she would laugh with the rest of us, but
      sometimes she would order them to be punished for their ignorance and
      stupidity. However, as they were quite accustomed to being punished they
      did not seem to mind very much and forgot all about it the next minute.
    </p>
    <p>
      As Her Majesty's seventieth birthday was approaching the Emperor proposed
      to celebrate this event on an unusually grand scale, but Her Majesty would
      not give her consent to this proposal on account of the war trouble, for
      fear people might comment on it. The only difference, therefore, between
      this birthday and former ones was that Her Majesty gave presents to the
      Court, in addition to receiving them. These included the bestowal of
      titles, promotions and increases in salary. Among the titles conferred by
      Her Majesty, my sister and myself received the title of Chun Chu Hsien
      (Princess). These titles, however, were confined to members of the Court,
      and were granted specially by the Empress Dowager. Similar promotions to
      outside officials were always conferred by the Emperor. It was proposed to
      hold the celebrations in the Forbidden City as it was more suited for such
      an important event. However, Her Majesty did not like this idea at all,
      and gave instructions that the Court should not be moved until three days
      before the 10th of the tenth moon, the date of her birthday. This entailed
      a lot of unnecessary work as it necessitated decorating both the Summer
      Palace and the Forbidden City. Everything was hurry and bustle. To add to
      this, it snowed very heavily during the few days previous to the tenth.
      Her Majesty was in a very good mood. She was very fond of being out in the
      snow and expressed a wish to have some photographs taken of herself on the
      hillside. So my brother was commanded to bring his camera, and took
      several very good pictures of Her Majesty.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the seventh day the Court moved into the Forbidden City and the
      celebrations commenced. The decorations were beautiful; the Courtyards
      being covered with glass roofs to keep out the snow. The theatres were in
      full swing each day. The actual ceremony, which took place on the tenth,
      did not differ in any respect from previous ones. Everything passed off
      smoothly, and the Court removed again into the Sea Palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      While at the Sea Palace we received news that my father's condition was
      becoming serious, and he again tendered his resignation to Her Majesty.
      She sent her eunuchs to find out exactly what the matter was, and on
      learning that he was really very ill, accepted his resignation. Her
      Majesty agreed that it might be better for him to go to Shanghai and see
      if the foreign physicians could do him any good. She said she supposed it
      would be necessary for my mother to accompany him to Shanghai, but did not
      consider it serious enough to send my sister and myself along also. I
      tried to explain that it was my duty to go along with him as he might be
      taken worse and die before I could get down to see him again, and I begged
      Her Majesty to allow me to go. She offered all kinds of objections but
      eventually, seeing that I was bent on going, she said: "Well, he is your
      father, and I suppose you want to be with him, so you may go on the
      understanding that you return to Court as soon as ever possible." We did
      not get away until the middle of the eleventh moon, as Her Majesty
      insisted on making clothes for us and other preparations for our journey.
      Of course we could do nothing but await Her Majesty's pleasure.
    </p>
    <p>
      When everything was ready Her Majesty referred to her book to choose a
      suitable day for our departure, and fixed on the thirteenth as being the
      best. We therefore left the Palace for our own house on the twelfth. We
      kowtowed and said good-bye to Her Majesty, thanking her for her many
      kindnesses during our stay with her. Everybody cried, even Her Majesty. We
      then went to say good-bye to the Emperor and Young Empress. The Emperor
      simply shook hands and wished us "Good Luck" in English. Everybody
      appeared sorry to see us leave. After standing about for a long time Her
      Majesty said it was no use wasting any more time and that we had better
      start. At the gate the head eunuch bade us good-bye and we entered our
      carriage and drove to my father's house, our own eunuchs accompanying us
      to the door. We found everything prepared for our journey, and early the
      next morning we took train to Tientsin where we just managed to catch the
      last steamer of the season leaving for Shanghai. As it was, the water was
      so shallow that we ran aground on the Taku bar.
    </p>
    <p>
      On arrival in Shanghai my father immediately consulted his physician who
      examined him and prescribed medicine. The trip itself seemed to have done
      him a lot of good. I very soon began to miss my life at Court, and,
      although I had many friends in Shanghai and was invited to dinner parties
      and dances; still I did not seem to be able to enjoy myself. Everything
      seemed different to what I had been accustomed to in Peking and I simply
      longed for the time when I should be able to return to Her Majesty. About
      two weeks after our arrival, Her Majesty sent a special messenger down to
      Shanghai to see how we were getting along. He brought us many beautiful
      presents and also a lot of medicine for my father. We were very glad to
      see him. He informed us that we were missed very much at Court and advised
      us to return as soon as it was possible for us to do so. As my father
      began to show signs of improvement he suggested that there was no further
      need for me to stay in Shanghai, and thought it better that I should
      return to Peking and resume my duties at Court. I therefore returned early
      in the New Year. The river was frozen and I had to travel by boat to
      Chinwantao, from thence by rail to Peking. It was a most miserable journey
      and I was very glad when it was over. Her Majesty had sent my eunuchs to
      the station to meet me and I at once proceeded to the Palace. On meeting
      Her Majesty we both cried again by way of expressing our happiness. I
      informed her that my father was progressing favorably and that I hoped to
      be able to remain with her permanently.
    </p>
    <p>
      I resumed my previous duties, but this time I had neither my sister for a
      companion nor my mother to chat with and everything appeared changed. Her
      Majesty was just the same, however, and treated me most kindly. Still, I
      was not comfortable, and heartily wished myself back again in Shanghai. I
      stayed at the Court, going through pretty much the same daily routine as
      before until the second moon (March 1905), when I received a telegram
      summoning me to Shanghai as my father had become worse, and was in a
      critical condition and wished to see me. I showed Her Majesty the telegram
      and waited for her decision. She commenced by telling me that my father
      was a very old man, and therefore his chances of recovery were not so
      great as if he were younger, finally winding up by telling me that I could
      go to him at once. I again wished everybody good-bye, fully expecting to
      return very soon; but this was not to be. I found my father in a very
      dangerous condition, and after a lingering illness, he died on the 18th of
      December, 1905. Of course we went into mourning for one hundred days which
      in itself prevented my returning to the Court.
    </p>
    <p>
      While in Shanghai I made many new friends and acquaintances and gradually
      began to realize that after all, the attractions of Court life had not
      been able to eradicate the influences which had been brought to bear upon
      me while in Europe. At heart I was a foreigner, educated in a foreign
      country, and, having already met my husband the matter was soon settled
      and I became an American citizen. However, I often look back to the two
      years I spent at the Court of Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager of China,
      the most eventful and happiest days of my girlhood.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although I was not able to do much towards influencing Her Majesty in the
      matter of reform, I still hope to live to see the day when China shall
      wake up and take her proper place among the nations of the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">





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