me in the least.

After we got through our luncheon, I followed the Young Empress, for it
was all so new to me, and I did not know what I must do--whether to join
Her Majesty or not. After seeing that they were jealous of me, I paid
strict attention to everything, so as not to make any mistake in doing
my work and let them have the satisfaction of laughing at me. I would
not give them the chance. I heard Her Majesty talking to the eunuchs who
looked after the garden, about some branches which ought to be cut down,
saying they were lazy. So we went to her. She said to us: "You see
I have to look after everything myself, if not, my flowers would be
ruined. I can't depend on them at all. I wonder what they are good for.
They ought to look around every day and cut down the dead branches
and leaves. They have not been punished for several days and they are
looking forward to it." She laughed and said: "I will not disappoint
them, but give them all they wish to have." I thought these people must
be idiots, looking forward to a whipping, and wondered who would whip
them. Her Majesty turned to me and said: "Have you ever witnessed such
an operation?" I told her that I had, having seen the convicts being
whipped at a Magistrate's Yamen when I was a little girl living at
Shansi (on the Yangtsze). She said: "That is nothing. The convicts are
not half so wicked as these eunuchs. Of course they deserve a heavier
punishment when they are bad." Her Majesty said that I should learn to
play dice with her, as she never had enough people to play with, so we
went back to the same room where she had taken her lunch. A square
table was in the middle of this large room and a little throne of Her
Majesty's, facing south (her favorite direction). Her Majesty sat on her
throne and said to me: "I will show you how to play this game. Do you
think you know enough Chinese to read this map?" I noticed a large map,
the same size as the table, and laid upon it, drawn in different colors.
In the center of the map was written the direction of the game. It said:
"This game is called the 'Eight Fairies Travel across the Sea.' The
names are Lu Hsien, Chang Hsien, Li Hsien, Lan Hsien, Hang Hsien, Tsao
Hsien and Hain Hsien. These seven were masculine fairies. Hor Hsien was
the only lady fairy." This map was the map of the Chinese Empire, and
the names of the different provinces were written on the drawing. There
were eight pieces of round ivory, about one inch