l. While I was talking on the
veranda just for a few minutes, I got quite wet. Her Majesty knocked at
her glass window and told us to go in. Now I must explain that none of
us, not even the Young Empress could enter Her Majesty's Palace without
her orders except we had work to do there, or were on duty. Her Majesty
was very happy that day. She laughed and said that we looked as if we
had just been pulled out of the lake. The Young Empress had on a pale
blue gown, and the red tassel on her headdress was dripping red water
all over her gown. She smiled and said to us: "Look at those girls;
their gowns are all spoiled." While we were talking, Her Majesty gave us
orders for us to change our clothes.

After they had gone, I went back to Her Majesty. She looked at me and
said: "You are wet also, only your clothes do not show." I had on a
cashmere dress which was made very plain. She touched my arm and said:
"How wet you are. You had better change, and put on a thick dress. I
think foreign clothes must be very uncomfortable; the waist is too small
and it seems to me out of proportion to the rest of the body. I am
sure that you will look much prettier in our Manchu gown. I want you to
change and put your Parisian clothes away as souvenirs. I only wanted to
know how foreign ladies dressed and now I have seen enough. The Dragon
Boat Festival will be here next month and I will make some pretty gowns
for you." I thanked her by kowtowing to the ground and told her that
I would be only too pleased to change into Manchu clothes, but having
lived so many years abroad, and having always worn foreign clothes,
I had not had any made. We were planning to change into Manchu gowns
before coming to the Court, but we had received orders that Lao Tsu
Tsung wished to see us in foreign clothes. I was very glad when I
received that order as there were several reasons why I wanted to wear
Manchu gowns. First, the Court ladies at the beginning treated us as
outsiders. Secondly, I knew that Her Majesty did not like them, and
besides, we were very uncomfortable living at the Palace in Peking, and
made up our minds that we must wear Manchu clothes, which were made for
it. We had so much work to do, and having to stand most of the time one
absolutely needed loose garments. Her Majesty ordered one of the eunuchs
to bring one of her dresses for me to try on, so I went back to my own
room, and took off my wet clothes and changed. I tried on her gown, but
i