before you, and is henceforth an integral part of your organization,
has failed you in any particular, no matter how unimportant, explain
the matter to her, and the amendment will be a speedy and a joyful
task."

It was indeed true that Ling's mind was troubled, but the fault did
not lie with Mian, as the person in question was fully aware, for
before her eyes as before those of Ling the unevadable compact which
had been entered into with Chang-ch'un was ever present, insidiously
planting bitterness within even the most select and accomplished
delights. Nor with increasing time did the obstinate and intrusive
person Wang become more dignified in his behaviour; on the contrary,
he freely made use of his position to indulge in every variety of
abandonment, and almost each day he prevented, by reason of his
knowledge of the things to be done and not to be done, some refined
and permissible entertainment upon which Ling and Mian had determined.
Ling had despatched many communications upon this subject to Chang-
ch'un, praying also that some expert way out of the annoyance of the
lesser and more unimportant things not to be done should be arrived
at, but the time when he might reasonably expect an answer to these
written papers had not yet arrived.

It was about this period that intelligence was brought to Ling from
the villages on the road to Peking, how Li Keen, having secretly
ascertained that his Yamen was standing and his goods uninjured, had
determined to return, and was indeed at that hour within a hundred li
of Si-chow. Furthermore, he had repeatedly been understood to
pronounce clearly that he considered Ling to be the head and beginning
of all his inconveniences, and to declare that the first act of
justice which he should accomplish on his return would be to submit