Wang the Ninth

hrouded in snow, served to dim these

due interest. Occasionally by dint of blows and wrathful utterances he made the youth work at the forge, seating him at the first glimmering

him the very incarnation of energy-of a force that drives things along. The boy would sit with his ugly, expressive face gazing straight in front of him. Grasping the wooden handle of the bellows firmly in both hands and stretching his legs wide apart, he would wo

ck them up. Barmecide feasts of a nature satisfying even to his voracious appetite would rise before him-mutton and roast ducks and all manner of browned pork heaped on great platters just as

nically, refusing to make any confi

her was bad and the bi

aring beyond all quest and only returning when it was dark. He would never tell his father where he went; even a beating would not make him confess. W

n whilst indulging in the delectable pastime of sliding on the ice by means of an iron runner fastened to one foot as all the boys in the neighbourhood did. But that was in the early stages of the game. Soon he accustomed himself to pushing open impudently the sliding-bars; and then by creeping right inside

had answered the man. "But then

course, the guards might catch him o

. They were always sleeping or eating or going off into the city leaving the youngest recruit nominally on duty. Once he surprised them all drunk as a result of a weight-lifting contest

s would leave the city in the sixth month when the great heat had commenced. On such occasions every soul of the common herd was shut indoors to permit the cortège to pass in perfect seclusion. Blue cloth screens were hung along the roadway, and a

eing beautifully polished and were taken out for exercise precisely as if they had been living things. It was no longer safe ev

arrival of the cortège, to prevent any mishap. For days he watched very carefully and one evening his vigilance was rewarded. Not only were the guards busy with the boats; but expert watermen had arrived who were engaged in testing every

lete but he was not sure that he would be able to execute it. On the fateful morn he

e militia patrol softly singing to themselves to keep away spirits. It seemed to him that there were many more than usual: ce

ew as well as any of the wine-smugglers, he finally reached the banks of the Imperial Canal. H

that the start would soon be made. Still the most difficult part of the business re

ng repeatedly towards the East for the first glimmer of dawn. Like every Chinese peasant he cou

ut them in a handy pile near by. Then he dug up a clot of earth with a plant growing in it, and rounded it off so that he could clap it right on his head. Having completed these preparations he rehearsed his part, thrusting his head through the hole in the tree-trunk an

behind him and forced him to conceal himself like a frightened frog in his rotted tree. With his eyes greedily drinking in every detail, he lay and watched. Twice he was disappointed in his hopes; for twice there had been

floating towards him rhythmically, cleaving their way through the l

struck eyes, his vast curios

rhythmically. Now he saw in through the pale blue silk curtains of the first glasshouse. There was a lonely figure inside. It must be the emperor. It was impossible to see clearly. But behin

e. The blue marquees had been struck and the common people were beginning to pass freely

ing to him, he told his father in a matter of fact way that he