ines of sentries
and wandered along, only to be accosted once more as soon as I was in
a quiet alley. I soon found that this man and his mates were more
cunning than those with whom I had had previously to deal and that
some time must elapse before a bargain could be struck. They wasted
time ascertaining who I was, and only hinted at good things--not the
usual watches and rings, they said, but really things worth their
weight in pure gold. Then one man tempted me deliberately with an
abrupt movement which reminded me of the way the sellers of obscene
playing-cards in Paris disclose to the unsuspecting stranger their
wares. He drew from his tunic a little wooden box, opened it quickly,
and laid bare a most exquisite Louis XV. gold belt-buckle, set in
diamonds and rubies, and beautifully painted. I, who knew a little of
Manchu history, understood that belt-buckle. It must have been one of
the countless presents made during the early days of the Jesuits in
Peking, when they almost controlled the destinies of the Empire. It
was a priceless relic.

Of course I succumbed. Such things have an international value, and
were not merely the sordid pickings from deserted private dwellings.
Who would not rob a fleeing Emperor of his possessions?

After this we went into the English camp unostentatiously, and by some
means men came forward from nowhere, and without greeting or
superfluous words showed me what they had. The English are good
traders; they never waste their words; and as I looked I thought of
the anguish which the patrons of the Hotel Drouot or Christie's would
have felt could they have seen this marvellous collection. For these
common men had made one of such taste and value that there could be no
doubt where the things had been obtained. Every piece was good and a
century or two old. There were enamels and miniatures which must have
lain undisturbed for countless years watching the Manchu Emperors come
and go. There were beautiful stones and snuff-boxes, and many other
things. There might be none of the black pearls of General Monttauban,
Comte de Palikao, that had delighted the Empress Eugenie half a
century ago, but there were _objets de vertu_ such as duchesses love.

In the end, I, too, became commercial and arranged that some men
should come and find me that same evening, bringing as much as they
could carry of the spoils they had amassed. They were to be paid in
gold coin or in gold bars just as I pleased, we