"It is indeed so," Niu readily agreed. "They are a crop that never fails. The land teems with them, and there seems no prospect of decrease."
"And yet I have burdened myself with another," the Viceroy said regretfully.
"If your illustrious highness," Niu commenced, when the Viceroy interrupted him.
"The trade is made," he said shortly. "It only remains for the coin to be counted."
Then he signed for a servant to approach.
"Take the girl to Wang," he commanded.
Tuen uttered a little gasp but did not move, and her father, seeing her agitation, said tenderly:
"Go, my daughter, and may all the gods protect you."
Tuen followed the attendant, her form shaking with suppressed sobs, and he led the way from the main hall into a second court, larger and more beautiful than the first. A gnarled and twisted evergreen, simulating a canopy, stood in the centre of this court, and underneath its thick branches was a little pool, encircled by moss-covered rocks, and filled with brilliant gold-fish. The walk was formed of many-colored pebbles, laid in unique designs, but Tuen did not have time to decipher them for she was hurried on into a luxurious apartment, where bright-colored lanterns of horn and oiled silk, decorated with long red tassels, hung from the joists, and on the walls were pen-and-ink sketches of landscapes, and paper panels bearing the ornamental autographs of friends—for with the Chinese, fine writing is a great accomplishment. The bedstead was of ebony, carved in fruits and flowers, and from the tester hung draperies of flowered silk. Beside it was a massive chair of the same costly wood, the arms ending in dragon's claws; and rich porcelain vases, taller than Tuen, stood upon the floor, while in one corner was a handsome pearl-inlaid bookcase. Tuen had now dried her eyes and was looking in wondering amazement at this fairy-land she had entered, and as they went out through the leaf-shaped door, hung with silken curtains, and through a narrow corridor lighted by means of a window made of small panes of oyster-shell, she uttered an exclamation of delight at the beautiful scene before her. They were now in a spacious court, where lilies, peonies, geraniums, and many flowers she had never seen before bloomed in odd-shaped jardinières. In the centre was a miniature lake where the rich green leaves of the lotus lay upon the still water, and here and there a pink bud peeped out from its cool hiding-place. Shrubs cut in the shape of inviting benches or cosy chairs invited the weary to rest, while the light fell dimly through a roof of oyster-shells upon this lovely spot. A polished stone table stood on the bank of the lake, with chairs around it—for here the Viceroy often came to drink his tea—and hanging from the branches of trees were cages of chirping goldfinch. Tuen could but wish she might stay here a little while, but her guide was anxious to be rid of her and went quickly on. They now entered another bedroom, not less magnificent than the one she had lately seen, where the air was heavy with the perfume of incense that burned in a copper tripod, and passing out at a door, this time shaped like an urn, she was led through many other corridors and apartments, until at last they came to the last court of all, where, surrounded by earthen tubs and buckets, two women were washing clothes, chattering constantly the while. A little apart from them stood an elderly woman with a shrewd, pleasant face, who seemed to be overlooking the others.