* * * * *

Imperceptibly, I believe, things are settling down a little and
assuming broad outlines which can be more easily understood as the
days go by. Most people who went through the siege have now gone away.
A few remaining missionaries and their converts have flowed far away
and quartered themselves in some of the residences of the minor Manchu
princes, and are now selling off what they have found by auction. They
have the special permission of the Ministers and Generals to act in
this way. Loot-auctions, indeed, are going on everywhere, and the few
people who have managed to get through from other places in China with
loads of silver dollars are making fortunes. There are enormous masses
of silver _sycee_ in nearly everybody's hands, and I am certain now
that several of our _chefs de mission_ are in clover. My own chief,
who pretends to be virtuous because he is something of a _faineant_,
to put it mildly, eyed me very severely the other day and said that
everyone reported that I had developed into a species of latter-day
robber-chief, and had slain hundreds of people. He said all sorts of
other things, too. I let him exhaust his oratory before I replied.
Then I inquired regarding the definition of the term treasure-trove,
which has become the consecrated phrase for all our many hypocrites.
The generals and many of his colleagues had much treasure-trove, I
said; I had some, too. Of course, I admitted that if there were
investigations, and everyone had to render a strict account, I would
do the same; but for the time being I wanted to know that there was
going to be only one law for everyone. Those were good replies, for
some of the biggest people in the Legations are so mean and so bent on
covering up their tracks that they are using their wives to do their
dirty work.

I believe my chief thought for a moment that I knew something about an
affair in which he was involved, for he only said one word, "_Bien,"_
and looked at me in a strange way. I knew I had frightened him, and
that he must have thought that if I chose to speak later on there
would be trouble. I had no such intention, of course, only I hated
being annoyed by a man of little courage. Had he been courageous I
should never have answered at all, except perhaps to offer him a share
of my private treasure-trove!

Yet with all this settling down it seems to me that people must be
becoming suddenly more and more commercial, a