he east put together some benches in
the north corner of the square, and a young man in a black hat came
forward, attended by five assistants and carrying a bunch of
hearse-plumes in his hand. It was the young man of our story.

He adjusted his clothes, looked timidly up and down, and then cleared
his throat and began his tune with an air of great diffidence.

He sang the dirge "Dew on the Garlic."[3] His voice rose so shrill and
clear that "its echoes shook the forest trees." Before he had finished
the first verse, all who heard were sobbing and hiding their tears.

[3] See p. 58, "170 Chinese Poems," Alfred A. Knopf, 1919.

When the performance was over, every one made fun of the western
undertaker, and he was so much put out that he immediately removed his
exhibits and retired from the contest. The audience was amazed by the
collapse of the western undertaker and could not imagine where his rival
had procured so remarkable a singer.

It happened that the Emperor had recently issued an order commanding the
governors of outside provinces to confer with him at the capital at
least once a year.

At this time the young man's father, who was governor of Ch`ang-chou,
had recently arrived at the capital to make his report. Hearing of the
competition, he and some of his colleagues discarded their official
robes and insignia, and slipped away to join the crowd. With them was an
old servant, who was the husband of the young man's foster-nurse.
Recognizing his foster-son's way of moving and speaking, he was on the
point of accosting him, but not daring to do so, he stood weeping
silently. The father asked him why he was crying, and the servant
replied, "Sir, the young man who is singing reminds me of your lost
son." The father answered: "My son became the prey of robbers, because I
gave him too much money. This cannot be he." So saying, he also began to
weep and, leaving the crowd, returned to his lodging.

But the old servant went about among the members of the troupe, asking
who it was that had just sung with such skill. They all told him it was
the son of such a one; and when he asked the young man's own name, that
too was unfamiliar, for he was living under an _alias_. The old servant
was so much puzzled that he determined to put the matter to the test for
himself. But when the young man saw his old friend walking towards him,
he winced, turned away his face, and tried to hide in the crowd. The old
man followed him an