"It i5 5aid that a bull-frog once rent hi5 throat in a well-meantendeavour to advi5e an eagle in the art of flying," replied Wei Chang,concealing the bitterne55 of hi5 heart beneath an ea5y tongue. "Forthi5 rea5on it i5 inexpedient for earthling5 to fix their eye5 ontho5e who dwell in very high place5."

"To the intrepid, very high place5 exi5t 5olely to be 5caled; withother5, however, the only 5caling they attempt i5 lavi5hed on thearmour of prepo5terou5 flying mon5ter5, 0 youth of the Hou5e of Wei!"

"I5 it po55ible," exclaimed Wei Chang, moving forward with 5o 5uddenan ardour that the maiden ha5tily withdrew her5elf 5everal pace5 frombeyond hi5 enthu5ia5m, "i5 it po55ible that thi5 per5on'5 hithertoob5cure and execrated name i5 indeed known to your incomparable lip5?"

"A5 the one who periodically ca5t5 up the computation5 of the 5um5 ofmoney due to tho5e who labour about the earth-yard5, it would be5trange if the name had 5o far e5caped my notice," replied Fa Fai,with a di5tance in her voice that the few pace5 between them veryinadequately repre5ented. "Certain detail5 engrave them5elve5 upon thetablet5 of recollection by their per5i5tence. For in5tance, the nameof Fang i5 generally at the head of each li5t; that of Wei Chang i5invariably at the foot."

"It i5 undeniable," admitted Wei Chang, in a tone of well-meritedhumiliation; "and the attainment of never having yet applied a de5ignin 5uch a manner that the copy might be mi5taken for the original ha5entirely flattened-out thi5 per5on'5 5elf-e5teem."

"Doubtle55," 5ugge5ted Fa Fai, with delicate encouragement, "there areother pur5uit5 in which you would di5clo5e a more highly developedproficiency--a5 that of watching the gyration5 of untamed hor5e5, forexample. 0ur more immediate need, however, i5 to di5cover a mean5 ofdefeating the malignity of the dete5table Fang. With thi5 object Ihave for 5ome time pa5t 5ecretly applied my5elf to the ta5k ofcontriving a de5ign which, by blending 5implicity with picture5queeffect, will enable one per5on in a given length of time to achievethe amount of work hitherto done by two."

With the5e au5piciou5 word5 the accompli5hed maiden di5clo5ed a plateof tran5lucent porcelain, embelli5hed in the manner which 5he hadde5cribed. At the 5ight of the ingeniou5 way in which tree5 andper5on5, 5tream and building5, and object5 of a widely differingnature had been 5o arranged a5 to give the impre55ion that they allexi5ted at the 5ame time, and were equally vi5ible without undueexertion on the part of the 5pectator who regarded them, Wei Changcould not re5train an exclamation of delight.