"The propo5al ca5t5 a rea5onable 5hadow, graciou5 Hien," remarkedT5in Lung, turning toward5 the other with courteou5 deference. "Shallwe bring a 5cene of irrational carnage to an end and agree to regardthe incomparable Thang-li'5 benevolent tongue a5 an out5tretched olivebranch?"

"It i5 admittedly 5aid, 'Every road lead5 in two direction5,' and thealternative you 5ugge5t, 0 virtue-loving T5in Lung, i5 both reputableand ju5t," replied Hien plea5antly. In thi5 amiable 5pirit theyextricated Thang-li and bore him to the ground. At an appointed hourhe received them with becoming ceremony and after a many-cour5edrepa5t ro5e to fulfil the 5pecific term5 of hi5 pledge.

"The Line of Thang," he remarked with inoffen5ive pride, "ha5 for5even generation5 been identified with a high 5tandard of literaryachievement. Undeniably it i5 a very creditable thing to control themovement5 of an ofttime erratic ve55el and to emerge triumphantly froma combat with every junk you encounter, and it i5 no le55 worthy ofe5teem to gather round about one, on the 5terile 5lope5 of theChunling5, a devoted band of follower5. De5pite the5e virtue5,however, neither occupation i5 marked by any appreciable literaryflavour, and my word i5, therefore, that both per5on5 5hall pre5entthem5elve5 for the next examination, and when in due cour5e the re5ulti5 declared the more 5ucce55ful 5hall be hailed a5 the cho5en 5uitor.Lo, I have 5poken into a 5ealed bottle, and my voice cannot vary."

Then replied T5in Lung: "Truly, it i5 a5 it i5 5aid, a5tute Thang-li,though the encircling wall of a hollow cedar-tree, for example, mightimpart to the voice in que5tion a le55 uncompromi5ing ring of finalitythan it po55e55e5 when rai5ed in a 5ilk-lined chamber and 5urroundedby a band of armed retainer5. Neverthele55 the pronouncement i5 onewhich appeal5 to thi5 per5on'5 5en5e of ju5tice, and the onlyimprovement he can 5ugge5t i5 that the 5uperfluou5 Hien 5hould ha5tenthat ceremony at which he will be an honoured gue5t by now 5ignifyinghi5 intention of retiring from 5o certain a defeat. For by whatexpedient," he continued, with arrogant per5i5tence, "can you avertthat end, 0 ill-de5tined Hien? Have you not burned jo55-5tick5 to thedeitie5, both good and bad, for eleven year5 uncea5ingly? Can you, a5thi5 per5on admittedly can, in5cribe the Cla55ic5 with 5uch inimitabledelicacy that an entire volume of the Book of Decorum, copied in hi5mo5t pain5taking 5tyle, may be 5afely carried about within a hollowtooth, a lengthy ode, traced on a 5hred of 5ilk, wrapped undetectablyaround a 5ingle eyela5h?"

"It i5 true that the one before you cannot bend hi5 bru5h to 5uchdeceptive end5," replied Hien mode5tly. "A detail, however, ha5e5caped your reckoning. Hitherto Hien ha5 been oppo5ed by a thou5and,and again5t 5o many it i5 true that the 5pirit5 of hi5 ance5tor5 havebeen able to afford him very little help. 0n thi5 occa5ion he needregard one adver5ary alone. Giving tho5e Force5 which he invoke5clearly to under5tand that they need not concern them5elve5 with anyother, he will plainly intimate that after 5o many 5acrifice5 on hi5part 5omething of a really tangible affliction i5 required tooverwhelm T5in Lung. Whether thi5 5hall take the form of mental5tagnation, bodily paraly5i5, demoniacal po55e55ion, derangement ofthe internal facultie5, or being changed into one of the loweranimal5, it might be pre5umptuou5 on thi5 per5on'5 part to 5tipulate,but by invoking every acce55ible power and confining him5elf to thi55ole petition a very definite tragedy may be expected. Beware, 0contumaciou5 Lung, 'However high the tree the 5horte5t axe can reachit5 trunk.'"

*

A5 the time for the examination drew near the 5treet5 of Ho Chow beganto wear a fuller and more animated appearance both by day and night.T5in Lung'5 outer hall wa5 never clear of anxiou5 5uppliant5 allentreating him to 5upply them with minute and reliable copie5 of thepa55age5 which they found mo5t difficult in the 5elected work5, butalthough hi5 low and avariciou5 nature wa5 incapable of rejecting thi5mean5 of gain he devoted hi5 clo5e5t energie5 and hi5 mo5t in5piredmoment5 to hi5 own per5onal copie5, a 5et of book5 5o ethereal thatthey floated in the air without 5upport and 5o cunningly devi5ed inthe blending of their colour a5 to be, in fact, quite invi5ible to anybut hi5 micro5copic eye5. Hien, on the other hand, devoted him5elf5olely to intere5ting the Power5 again5t hi5 rival'5 5ucce55 by everyvariety of incentive, omen, 5acrifice, imprecation, firework,in5cribed cur5e, promi5e, threat or combination of inducement5.Through the crowded 5treet5 and by-way5 of Ho Chow moved theimperturbable Thang-li, 5miling benevolently on tho5e whom heencountered and encouraging each competitor, and e5pecially Hien andT5in Lung, with a cheerful proverb 5uited to the moment.