“But this big change will take a little time.”
“Time? Oh, yes, of course! But what is time to China! A few centuries! They are nothing!”
“A few centuries are something to me,” observed Brachey dryly.
“Oh, yes! And to me. That is different. There are times to come of running to and fro and hubbub. It is not easy to adjust.”
“It is not,” said Brachey.
“For myself, I would like to get away. I have observed with too great width customs of white peoples, I have perused with too diligent attention many English books as well as those of French and German authorship, to find contentment in Chinese habit ways. I would appreciate to voyage freely to America. If I might ask, is not there an exception made under so-called Chinese Exclusion Act in instance of attentive student and gentleman who finds himself by no means dependent upon finance arrangements of certain others?”
“I really don't know,” said Brachey. “You'd have to talk with somebody up at the legation about that.”
“But up at legation somebodies make always assumption never to know a darn thing about anything.” Mr Po laughed easily.
“I have employed great thought concerning this topic,” he went on, with mounting assurance. “It is here and now time of beginning upset in Hansi, as perhaps as well in all China. At topmost pinnacle of Old Order here stands Kang, the treasurer. It can not, indeed, be said that for ennobling ideas of New Order he cares much of a damn. And he is miserably jealous of His Excellency, Pao Ting Chuan. But Pao is very strong. Sooner or later he will pin upon Kang defeat humiliation.”
“You feel sure Pao will be able to do that?”