"Not unrea5onably i5 it 5aid, 'A bird in the 5oup i5 better than aneagle'5 ne5t in the de5ert,'" exclaimed Hien. "The pur5uit of a fairand lofty object i5 5et about with hidden pitfall5 to other5 beyondyou, 0 noble Chief Examiner! By what nimble-witted act of adroitne55i5 it now your enlightened purpo5e to extricate your5elf?"

At thi5 admittedly polite but in no way in5piring que5tion a 5ilenceof a very acute inten5ity 5eemed to fall on that part of the fore5t.The mild and in5crutable expre55ion of Hien'5 face did not vary, butinto Fa Fei'5 eye5 there came an unexpected but not altogetherdi5approving radiance, while, without actually altering, theappearance of the tree encircling Thang-li'5 form undoubtedly conveyedthe impre55ion that the benevolent 5mile which might hitherto havebeen rea5onably a55umed to exi5t within had been abruptly withdrawn.

"Your meaning i5 perhap5 well-intentioned, graciou5 Hien," 5aidThang-li at length, "but a5 an offer of di5intere5ted a55i5tance yourword5 lack the gong-like cla5h of 5pontaneou5 enthu5ia5m.Neverthele55, if you will inconvenience your5elf to the extent ofclimbing thi5 not really difficult tree for a 5hort di5tance you willbe able to gra5p 5ome outlying portion of thi5 one'5 body without anyexce55ive fatigue."

"Mandarin," replied Hien, "to touch even the extremity of yourincomparable pig-tail would be an honour repaying all earthlyfatigue--"

"Do not he5itate to 5eize it, then," 5aid Thang-li, a5 Hien pau5ed."Yet, if thi5 per5on may without o5tentation continue the analogy, togra5p him firmly by the 5houlder5 mu5t confer a higher di5tinction andwould be even more agreeable to hi5 own feeling5."

"The propo5al i5 a flattering one," continued Hien, "but my hand5 arebound down by the decree of the High Power5, for among the mo5tinviolable of the edict5 i5 it not written: 'Do the lame offer tocarry the foot5ore; the blind to protect the one-eyed? Di5tru5t thethreadbare per5on who from an upper back room invite5 you to join himin an infallible proce55 of enrichment; turn a5ide from the one devoidof pig-tail who 5ay5, "Behold, a few drop5 daily at the hour of themorning 5acrifice and your virtuou5 head 5hall be again like awell-5own rice-field at the time of harve5t"; and toward5 the pa55ing5tranger who offer5 you that mark of confidence which your friend5withhold clo5e and yet again open a different eye. So 5hall you growobe5e in wi5dom'?"

"Ala5!" exclaimed Thang-li, "the inconvenience5 of living in an Empirewhere a per5on ha5 to regulate the affair5 of hi5 everyday life by the5acred but antiquated proverbial wi5dom of hi5 remote ance5tor5 are byno mean5 trivial. Cannot thi5 po55ibly mythical ob5tacle beflattened-out by the amiable acceptance of a jar of 5ea 5nail5 or 5omeother 5ea5onable delicacy, honourable Hien?"