voys that I watched all day wending their way to the
north of the city represented petrified fear in forms that I hope I
may never see again. I stopped one cart, all bedecked with
flags--German flags, English flags, Russian flags, French flags,
Japanese flags, every kind of flag, to help to protect from all
possible injury--merely to inquire at what hour precisely Prince Ching
would arrive and where he was going to live. What a result these
questions had! Instantly he heard my voice, the official inside the
cart crawled half out with a deathly green pallor on his face, and
with his whole body trembling so violently that I thought he would
collapse for good. As it was, he remained in a sort of stricken
attitude, like a man who has been stunned. He was quite speechless. I
called to him several times that all was well, that he would not be
hurt, to calm himself.... In vain. Every word I spoke only added to
his terror and remained unintelligible because of his panic. He was a
lost soul--for ever. The iron had entered too deeply. He was so
smitten that he never could be cured.

His outriders, who had swung themselves from their saddles, at last
bowed to me. They were a little pale, but quite collected.
"Excellency," they said, "forgive him; it is not his fault. He has
been frightened into semi-insanity." "_Hsia hu-tu-lo,"_ they said.
Yes, that is the phrase, frightened into semi-lunacy. They are
employing this for everyone. The tragedy has been so immense, the
strain has been endured for so many months, there has been so much of
it, that all minds excepting those of the common people have become a
little unhinged. Half the time you speak to men you are not
understood; they look at you with staring eyes, wondering whether the
rifle or the bayonet is to follow the question. It is past curing for
the time being.

Meanwhile Prince Ching has got in safely, and has been given a big
residence, which is closely guarded by the Japanese. Perhaps the
_modus vivendi_ will after all be arranged.

XI

THE IMPOSSIBLE

30th September, 1900.

* * * * *

Prince Ching has been here a number of days now--I have not even taken
the trouble to note how many--but still nothing has been done. They
say that half the Powers refuse to treat with him until things are
better arranged, and that the Russians have already raised insuperable
difficulties because they say the Japanese have the big Manchu in
th