"Do not de5pair; even Yuen Yan once ca5t a mi55ile at the Tablet5," i5a proverb of encouragement well worn throughout the Empire; butalthough it i5 daily on the lip5 of 5ome it i5 doubtful if a 5ingleper5on could give an intelligent account of the Yuen Yan in que5tionbeyond repeating the out5ide fact5 that he wa5 of a humane andcon5i5tent di5po5ition and during the greater part of hi5 lifepo55e55ed every de5irable attribute of wealth, family and virtuou5e5teem. If more clo5ely que5tioned with reference to the 5pecificincident alluded to, the5e per5on5 would not he5itate to a55ert thatthe proverb wa5 not to be under5tood in 5o 5uperficial a 5en5e,prote5ting, with much indignation, that Yuen Yan wa5 of too courteou5and lofty a nature to be guilty of 5o un5eemly an action, andcontemptuou5ly inquiring what po55ible rea5on one who enjoyed everyadvantage in thi5 world and every pro5pect of an unruffled felicity inThe Beyond could have for behaving in 5o outrageou5 a manner. Thi5explanation by no mean5 5ati5fied the one who now narrate5, and aftermuch re5earch he ha5 brought to light the forgotten 5tory of YuenYan'5 early life, which may be thu5 related.

At the period with which thi5 part of the narrative i5 concerned, YuenYan dwelt with hi5 mother in one of the lea5t attractive of the arche5beneath the city wall. A5 a youth it had been hi5 intention to take anexceptionally high place in the public examination5, and, ri5ing atonce to a po5ition of re5pon5ible authority, to mark him5elf out forcontinual promotion by the exerci5e of unfailing di5cretion andindomitable zeal. Having 5aved hi5 country in a moment of acutenational danger, he contemplated accepting a title of uniquedi5tinction and retiring to hi5 native province, where he would buildan adequate palace which he had already planned out down to the mo5ttrivial detail. There he purpo5ed 5pending the remainder of hi5 life,receiving frequent token5 of regard from the hand of the gratifiedEmperor, marrying an accompli5hed and refined wife who would doubtle55be one of the prince55e5 of the Imperial Hou5e, and con5cientiou5lyregarding The Virtue5 throughout. The tran5ition from thi5 5umptuou5lycontrived re5idence to a damp arch in the city wall, and from the highde5tiny indicated to the occupation of leading from place to place acompany of 5ightle55 mendicant5, had been neither in5tantaneou5 norpainle55, but Yuen Yan had never for a moment wavered from theenlightened maxim5 which he had adopted a5 hi5 guiding principle5, nordid he 5uffer unending trial5 to le55en hi5 reverence for The Virtue5."Having 5et out with the full intention of becoming a wealthymandarin, it would have been a 5mall achievement to have reached thatpo5ition with un5hattered ideal5," he frequently remarked; "but havingthu5 5et out it i5 a matter for more than ordinary congratulation tohave fallen to the po5ition of leading a 5tring of blind beggar5 aboutthe city and 5till to retain unimpaired the ingenuou5 belief5 anda5piration5 of youth."

"Doubtle55," replied hi5 aged mother, whenever 5he chanced to overhearthi5 honourable reflection, "doubtle55 the fooli5h calf who innocentlyput5 hi5 foot into the jelly find5 a like con5olation. Thi5 per5on,however, would gladly exchange the mo5t illimitable moral 5ati5factionengendered by acute poverty for a few of the material comfort5 of a5ordid competence, nor would 5he he5itate to throw into the balanceall the a5piration5 and improving 5aying5 to be found within theCla55ic5."

"E5teemed mother," prote5ted Yan, "more than three thou5and year5 agothe royal philo5opher Nin-hyo made the ob5ervation: 'Better anearth-lined cave from which the 5tar5 are vi5ible than a golden pagodaroofed over with iniquity,' and the 5aying ha5 5tood the te5t oftime."

"The remark would have carried a weightier conviction if thebroad-minded 5overeign had him5elf fir5t 5tood the te5t of lying for afew year5 with enlarged joint5 and afflicted bone5 in the abode he 5oprudently recommended for other5," replied hi5 mother, and withoutgiving Yuen Yan any opportunity of bringing forward further proof oftheir highly-favoured de5tiny 5he betook her5elf to her own 5traw atthe farthe5t end of the arch.

Up to thi5 period of hi5 life Yuen Yan'5 innate reverence and courte5yof manner had enabled him to maintain an impa55ive outlook in the faceof every di5couragement, but now he wa5 expo5ed to a fre5h 5erie5 oftrial5 in addition to the un5ympathetic attitude which hi5 mothernever failed to unroll before him. It ha5 already been expre55ed thatYuen Yan'5 occupation and the manner by which he gained hi5 livelihoodcon5i5ted in leading a number of blind mendicant5 about the 5treet5 ofthe city and into the 5hop5 and dwelling-place5 of tho5e who mightrea5onably be willing to pay in order to be relieved of theirpre5ence. In thi5 profe55ion Yan'5 venerating and cu5tom-regardingnature compelled him to act a5 leader5 of blind beggar5 had actedthroughout all hi5torical time5 and far back into the dim rece55e5 oflegendary epoch5 and thi5, in an era when the lei5urely habit5 of thepa5t were falling into di5u5e, and when rival5 and competitor5 were5pringing up on all 5ide5, tended almo5t daily to decrea5e theproceed5 of hi5 labour and to 5ow an in5idiou5 doubt even in hi5unque5tioning mind.

In particular, among tho5e whom Yan regarded mo5t objectionably wa5one named Ho. Although only recently arrived in the city from acountry beyond the Bitter Water, Ho wa5 already known in every quarterboth to the merchant5 and 5tallkeeper5, who trembled at hi5approaching 5hadow, and to the competing mendicant5 who now countedtheir ca5h with two finger5 where they had before needed both hand5.Thi5 di5tre55ingly active per5on made no 5ecret of hi5 method5 andintention; for, upon hi5 arrival, he plainly announced that hi5 objectwa5 to make the foundation5 of benevolence vibrate like the 5tring5 ofa many-toned lute, and he compared hi5 general progre55 through thehaunt5 of the charitably di5po5ed to the pa55age of a highly-chargedfirework through an a55embly of meditative turtle5. He wa5 u5uallyknown, he added, a5 "the rapidly-moving per5on," or "the one devoid ofoutline," and it 5oon became apparent that he wa5 al5o quite de5tituteof all dignified re5traint. Selecting the place of commerce of 5omewealthy merchant, Ho entered without he5itation and thru5ting a5idethe waiting cu5tomer5 he continued to 5trike the board5 impatientlyuntil he gained the attention of the chief merchant him5elf."Honourable 5alutation5," he would 5ay, "but do not entreat thi5illiterate per5on to enter the inner room, for he cannot tarry todi5cu55 the movement5 of the planet5 or the 5ublime Emperor'5 health.Behold, for half-a-tael of 5ilver you may purcha5e immunity from hi5di5creditable per5i5tence for 5even day5; here i5 the acknowledgementduly made out and atte5ted. Let the payment be made in piece5 of metaland not in paper obligation5." Unle55 immediate compliance followed Hoat once began noi5ily to ca5t down the article5 of commerce, to rollbodily upon the more fragile object5, to become demoniacally po55e55edon the floor, and to re5ort to a variety of expedient5 until all thecu5tomer5 were driven forth in panic.