"Truly so; for whose ears could be so dull as not to have drunk in his fame as a wise minister of state?"
"Yet such is the viscissitude of fortune, that the colao is now before thee, O youth, plucked of the peacock feather, and the golden ball torn from his cap."
"The great and good colao degraded to a mean soldier! Are such things possible? O unfortunate man!" said Nicholas, bowing respectfully to the fallen noble.
"The purest sky is sometimes shaded by the blackest cloud. The cloud over the head of Ki is the Prince Li-Kong, to whom every thing is now possible; but open thy lips, youth, and send forth thy wishes with the Prince Woo-san-Kwei. If it be to ask promotion to some office, know that he has none to give, for the shadow of Li-Kong stands between him and the Majesty of China."
"Thy servant seeketh nothing for himself, O noble Ki, but to serve the Emperor, to whom through the great Woo-san-Kwei, he would present a petition."
"All petitions now pass through the Prince Li-Kong," said Ki sorrowfully.
"Then, by the vermilion pencil, I will seek the Emperor himself, O noble Ki."
"Thou wouldst be slain in the attempt, O daring boy; there is but one means."
"Name it, O noble Ki, and thy name shall be buried in my heart," said Nicholas impetuously.
"It would be but to condemn thee to death."