sy
cumshaw."

A slender hand slips around the open door, against one side of which I
press my knee while he braces a huge foot against the other, and in the
hand lies a red leather box painted with flowers and dragons. "Present
for Missy; cumshaw," says the pleasant voice, and what can you do?
"Amelican lady you say down-stair, she buy heap pearls, so I bring Missy
cumshaw." Whereupon in he comes, with his gratitude for the American
lady, his bargains, his wheedling, and we are lost!

[Illustration: Village outside walls of Peking]

[Illustration: Fortune teller]

After some weeks of this--Tiffany and others, and our own
excursions--our room became a veritable curio-shop, and our curios were
so overlaid with spring dust which the "boys" had failed to remove
that we called in a packer one day, had everything boxed, and resolved
to buy nothing more. On this afternoon, March 16, we went over to the
legation compound to arrange with our consul for invoices, and as we
crossed the compound Dr. Reinsch appeared from his house, and came over
and spoke to us. He looked very tired and troubled, showing the strain
of the last few weeks.

"I've just had word from the Chinese Foreign Office," he said, "that the
Russian Government has been overturned!" He had no details, just the
mere fact, but the shock was so great that we forgot all about our visit
to the consul, forgot our intention to obtain an invoice; all we wanted
to do was get off and talk it over! We flew back to the hotel, simply
bursting with the news! It's so exciting, in this old, barbaric city, to
hear such news as that, so casually, from your minister! No one in the
hotel to talk to,--three o'clock, a bad hour! So we went for a walk on
the only available place for a walk that Peking affords, the top of the
wall. For you can't walk with comfort in the streets, they are too
crowded, with camels and wheelbarrows to be dodged at every turn. And as
we walked on the wall, discussing that bit of tremendous news, going
over and over again the possibilities contained in those few words, we
met other people out walking, also talking it over. The French minister
and his first-secretary came by, deeply engrossed in conversation. Some
little distance behind us came Dr. Reinsch with one of the press
correspondents. We met all diplomatic Peking walking on the wall that
afternoon, talking it over! For the wall is a good safe place for
conversations: one can't possibly be overhe