hall.

"Many of the porcelains in our country are made to be read," he said.
"All educated Chinese people can read porcelains. An American porcelain
has no story."




VI.

THE MANDARIN PLATE.


Among the heirlooms to be found in the closets of many New England
houses is a curious pattern of China plate. This plate is colored
blue-and-white, and in the bowl of each is a picture. The picture
represents a rural scene in China--a bridge on which are two young
people, a man and a woman; a house, and a tree, and two birds of
beautiful plumage flying away. Mrs. Van Buren had such a plate, and a
platter with the same rural picture, on her dining-room wall.

It was the delight of Lucy to have Sky-High explain to her the meaning
of the pictures on the Chinese vases and on an ornamental Chinese
umbrella which hung in the reception-room. One day when Sky-High was
dusting in the dining-room, Lucy's eye fell on the blue-and-white plate
with the picture of the bridge and birds.

"Oh, Sky-High," said Lucy, "mother has a treasure here--a porcelain
plate of your country, see!"