parasol, to throw a cheerful and brilliant note.

We passed through the first temple yard, in which are a couple of
white china turrets, bronze lanterns, and the statue of a large horse
in jade. Then without pausing at the sanctuary, we turned to the left,
and entered a shady garden, which formed a terrace halfway up the
hill, and at the extremity of which was situated the
_Donko-Tchaya_,--in English: _the tea-house of the Toads_.

It was here that Chrysanthème was taking us. We sat down at a table,
under a black linen tent, decorated with large white letters (of
funereal aspect), and two laughing _mousmés_ hurried up to wait upon
us.

The word _mousmé_ means a young girl, or very young woman. It is one
of the prettiest words in the Niponese language; it seems almost as if
there were a little _moue_[C] in the very sound, and as if a pretty
taking little pout such as they put on, and also a little pert
physiognomy, were described by it. I shall often make use of it,
knowing none other in our own language that conveys the same meaning.

[Footnote C: _Moue_ means "pout" in French.]

Some Japanese Watteau must have mapped out this _Donko-Tchaya_, for it
has rather an affected air of rurality, though very pretty. Well
shaded, under a thick vault of large trees densely foliaged, a
miniature lake hard by, the chosen residence of a few toads, has given
it its attractive denomination. Lucky toads, who crawl and croak on
the finest of moss, in the midst of tiny artificial islets decked with
gardenias in full bloom. From time to time, one of them informs us of