Dangerous position of the Mandarin.-I suspect the Taiping emissary as a rival in my affections.-Loo A-Lee fears him.-Reports of the Emperor's illness at Je-hol.-Accounts of his death.-The Mandarin in tribulation at the event.-A sad parting from Loo A-Lee.-The people go into mourning for the deceased Emperor.-Relations with the British Embassy suspended.

HEN I reflected on what the Taiping emissary had said, and the inducements he held out to enlist the mandarin in the cause, I became alarmed for the safety of the father of my beloved. I knew well, from what had transpired at Canton, of the sanguinary punishments inflicted on the rebels, even if only suspected, as proved by the wholesale decapitations by the monster Yeh. Nothing of the kind had occurred in Peking, as the Government had too much on hand with foreign affairs to look after these internal matters. This in a great measure accounted for the impunity with which Cut-sing had gone about his mission.

Of course I was careful not to whisper a word at the embassy about the secrets divulged by the emissary, but thought it advisable to ask Loo A-Lee if she was not afraid that his frequent visits would cause suspicion to fall upon her father, and he might come under the wrath of the Board of Punishments.

ILLNESS OF THE EMPEROR.

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"I am indeed, and I have told my father that it is not safe to see Cut-sing come so often to the house. He agrees with me, and that man—of whom I have an involuntary dread has been told to make his visits less frequent, to prevent any of us getting into trouble."

This information was satisfactory in more ways than one, as I had a strong suspicion that the sinister-looking Taiping emissary cast an amorous eye on the mandarin's daughter, and that his frequent visits were on her account as much as that of the father. Be that as it may, I did not see Cutsing at the house again, though I heard from Meng-kee that he saw him occasionally for a short time in the evening after it was dark, and that his mission was progressing favourably without creating any suspicion,

"The fact is, my honourable son, the present condition of the Government is so disjointed, that any important event may cause it to fall to pieces; and the ministers have been rendered powerless by the successes of your victorious army, and also by those of the Taipings. Moreover, the emperor is known to be seriously ill at his retreat of Je-hol in the fastnesses of the Tartar mountains; and the empress, whom we supposed to be in the secret apartments of the palace here, has been in close attendance on her lord in case he succumbs to his disease."

"This is important news, my honourable father, and would be of value to our embassy; so may I make use of the information, without compromising you in the matter?"

"You may do so, but be careful that my name is not mentioned as your informant."

At the embassy they had heard something about the emperor's illness, but as it was officially reported in the "Peking Gazette" that he was well, they were inclined

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to disregard the rumours. But I heard that Mr. Bruce's Chinese, secretary had, an interview with Prince Kung that afternoon, who appeared in very low spirits.. Wan Se-ang, the prime-minister, was also present, who wished to know from Mr. Wade if he had any recent news of the movements of the Taipings, and put the question point-blank, as to whether, in the event of their attacking the Takoo forts or Tien-tsin, we would defend those places. The secretary replied that the Taipings had no ships, and that there was no risk whatever of their coming near any place where the Allies were in military occupation. This functionary excused the dulness of the prince, as it was probably from some domestic cause, and there was nothing politically wrong. However, this explanation was not satisfactory to the members of the legation, and on further inquiry among their Chinese agents they learned that the information about the emperor's dangerous illness was correct.

Shortly afterwards a rumour was current that the emperor had died ten days before, and that it has been the policy of the Government on such occasions to keep the event secret until they deemed it proper to announce the fact publicly. There is one peculiar law put in force after such announcements, namely, that subjects of his deceased majesty are not allowed to marry for nine months. In view of his actual demise the matrimonial market at Peking was excessively busy concluding engagements that otherwise would not have been consummated until the following year. Great was the traffic among the match-makers, and the purveyors of wedding furnishings raised their prices in consequence of the demand for their wares and services. The number of marriage processions seen in the streets quadrupled from what I had seen in ordinary times. Some of these were on

CURIOUS CUSTOMS ON THE EMPEROR'S DEATH. 149

a much grander scale than usual-camels were introduced into them, with the bridal chair, covered with gorgeous trappings, on the back, like the howdah on the elephant in India. Altogether the anxiety to get out of the state of single blessedness seemed to be the great characteristic of the day among the young Pekingese.

This uncertain state of affairs continued for more than a fortnight, and the people were "marrying and giving in marriage" until they ceased altogether. Then the' official announcement of the emperor's death arrived from Je-hol. At the same time a decree was published, proclaiming his eldest son, a boy between six and seven years of age, as his successor, with a council of eight ministers to assist him in carrying on the government-in fact, leaving him a mere puppet in the hands of the council, which consisted of those who had shown the greatest aversion to foreign intercourse, while all the best statesmen friendly to foreigners, including Prince Kung, were carefully excluded.

This event created great consternation among all classes of the Pekingese, and caused considerable anxiety to the members of the foreign legations. It was evident to every one that a serious crisis in the government of the empire was at hand; I therefore lost no time in calling upon the mandarin.

He was alone in his library, busy with his duties in connection with the State ceremonies to be arranged on the occasion of the Court going into mourning, and making preparations for the funeral of the deceased emperor. There was a careworn expression on his face, and this appearance was heightened by the change in his apparel, which was blue and white, without any ornamental work, according to the rules laid down in the Book of Rites, when the people mourn for a dead monarch.

"How will this event affect you?" I inquired, after salutations were over.

"Very seriously, my son," replied Meng-kee. "As you are aware, the members of this new council of State are inimical to foreigners, and should they hold supreme control over the various Boards, they will remove from office every one whom they suspect to be friendly to your countrymen. here. Now I am not only suspected of this, but there are spies about our offices who would denounce me as a Taiping for the sake of obtaining promotion. Seeing that there is trouble in store for me, I must be very circumspect in my conduct, even towards you. To-morrow all relations between the Government and the embassies will be suspended for twenty days, during which there must be no intercourse between us. You will therefore, my son, have to postpone your visits for that period, so that I may not get into further trouble."

It was a sad parting with Loo A-Lee. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she sobbed at the thought of our future, though she almost recovered her composure before I left, and promised to write to me by a faithful messenger should anything important happen.

In the streets preparations were being made everywhere for the public mourning at the emperor's death, which was to continue for a hundred days. The shopkeepers were taking down all the red ornaments on their shop-fronts, and were hanging up strips of white and blue calico, or silk if the proprietors could afford it. All the richly-gilded signboards which hung outside the doors were also taken down, and a modest white sign substituted. Unusual activity prevailed, likewise, amongst the barbers, every person having his head shaved for the last time for three months, during