In the wink of a falcon’s eye—so short a time it seemed—the Mother Queen and her host descended.
As the chariots touched the island, a bevy of radiant maidens came forward, some to attend the [[84]]Queen Mother and some to lead Cat-kin into her own room in the palace. There the most gorgeous robes were put on her, beside a cap begemmed with glittering, precious stones of various colors, and a pair of gold-embroidered velvet slippers.
Cat-kin was surprised when one of the shining maidens set a royal tiara adorned with five gems upon her brow.
“For me?” she asked in surprise.
“Yes for you, whom the Heavenly Mother Queen would honor.”
“And what do these five gems, jade, crystal, malachite, amber and agate signify?” asked Cat-kin.
“Ah, that is not for us to tell you, but the Queen Mother ordered these. Tomorrow she will explain to you the secret of each gem.”
Cat-kin walked about freely, enjoying the lovely sights and sounds. She also ate with keen appetite and to her full of the delicacies set on the table before her. Yet never once did she feel sleepy, nor see any beds, nor hear anyone talk of retiring. She wondered what they meant when they said “tomorrow”; for she could see no sun or moon or twilight. However, she did not think long about such things, and by and by forgot all about them.
When the entire court and all the hosts of the Queen Mother’s attendants had assembled, Her [[85]]Majesty’s chamberlain read the proclamation, which declared that the Queen looked with great favor upon the Korean people, and had decided to bestow great gifts upon them. For this purpose, she had selected and brought to her palace the Korean maid named Cat-kin, to endow them through this, their daughter, with five precious traits of disposition and character. In token of gracious thought and tender love, Her Majesty would now present and explain the meaning of the five precious gems. These were jade, crystal, malachite, amber, and agate.
Cat-kin kneeled down before the Queen, who placed in Cat-kin’s hands the shining gems, while an attendant fairy took them from her opened palm and placed each one of them on vermilion velvet, edged with gold. Then five maidens stood by, each with a gem laid on a cushion.