etter
that way than in foreign clothes, except the Emperor Kwang Hsu. He
said to me: "I think your Parisian gowns are far prettier than this."
I smiled and said nothing. He shook his head at me, and went into Her
Majesty's bedroom. Li Lien Ying came and saw us, and was very much
excited and told me to go and see Her Majesty at once. I told him that
everyone was looking at us, as if we were curios. He said: "You don't
know how nice you look now, and I wish that you would not wear foreign
clothes at all." Her Majesty laughed so loud when she saw us that it
made me uncomfortable, for I was afraid we looked unnatural to her. She
said: "I cannot believe you are the same girls. Just look at yourselves
in this looking-glass." She pointed to a large mirror in her room. "See
how you have changed. I feel that you belong to me now. I must have some
more gowns made for you." Then Li Lien Ying said that the twenty-fourth
would be the first day of the Summer. On that day everyone would begin
to wear jade hairpins instead of gold, and we had none. Her Majesty said
to Li: "I am very glad you told me that. I must give them each a jade
hairpin after having asked them to change into Manchu dress." Li went
away and came back with a box of hairpins of pure green jade. Her
Majesty took a beautiful one and handed it to my mother and told her
that that pin had been worn by three Empresses. She took two very nice
ones, and gave one to me and one to my sister. She told us that these
two were a pair, and that the other Empress Dowager (the East Empress
Dowager) used to wear one, and that the other was worn by herself when
she was young. I felt ashamed that Her Majesty had given us so many
presents and I had done nothing for her in any way. However, we thanked
her most sincerely, and showed our appreciation. She said: "I look upon
you as my own people, and the gowns I have made for you are the very
best. I have also decided to let you wear the full Court dress, the
same as one of the Princesses. You are my Court lady, so you are equally
ranked here." Li stood there behind her and made a sign to us to kowtow
to her. I cannot remember how many times I kowtowed that day. The
headdress was very heavy, and I was not quite used to it; I was afraid
it might fall off. Her Majesty also said that she would make our rank
known to the Court on her seventieth birthday. I will explain this. On
every decade from the time of her birth Her Majesty used to give speci