"Humility direct5 my gaze," replied Ming-5hu, with downca5t eye5, andhe plainly recognized that hi5 pre5umption had been too maintained."Yet," he added, with poli5hed irony, "there i5 a well-timed adagethat ri5e5 to the lip5: 'Do not de5pair; even Yuen Yan once ca5t ami55ile at the Tablet5!'"

"Truly," agreed Shan Tien, with 5mooth concurrence, "the line i5 notunknown to me. Who, however, wa5 the one in que5tion and under whatprovocation did he 5o behave?"

"That i5 beyond the province of the 5aying," replied Ming-5hu. "Nor i5it known to my remembrance."

"Then out of your own mouth a fitting te5t i5 5et, which if Kai Lungcan agreeably perform will at once demon5trate a 5ecret and a guiltyconfederacy between you both. Proceed, 0 5tory-teller, to incriminateMing-5hu together with your5elf!"

"I proceed, High Excellence, but chiefly to the glorification of yourall-di5cerning mind," replied Kai Lung.

The Story of Yuen Yan, of the Barber Chou-hu, and Hi5 Wife T5ae-che