e told them she was delighted to
see them. Her Majesty ordered the eunuchs to have chairs brought in
for the ladies, and at the same time other eunuchs brought in tea. Her
Majesty asked Mrs. Evans whether she liked China; what she thought of
Peking; how long she had been there; how long she was going to stay, and
where she was staying. I was so accustomed to Her Majesty's questions
that I knew exactly what she would ask. Mrs. Conger told her interpreter
to tell Her Majesty that she had not seen her for such a long time, and
enquired about Her Majesty's health. Her Majesty said to me: "You tell
Mrs. Conger that I am in good health and that I am delighted to see her.
It is a pity that I cannot hold an audience more frequently, otherwise
I could see more of her." She continued: "The Imperial Princess (her
adopted daughter-daughter of Prince Kung) will accompany them to lunch."
This ended the audience.

Lunch was served at the back of her own Palace building (Yang Yuen
Hsuen--the place where the clouds gather to rest). This room was
specially furnished as a banqueting room where refreshments could be
served. All the Court ladies went to the lunch, except Her Majesty, the
Young Empress and the Secondary wife. It had taken me two hours to fix
the table for the luncheon. Her Majesty ordered that a white foreign
tablecloth should be used, as it looked cleaner. The eunuch gardeners
had decorated the table with fresh flowers, and Her Majesty gave
instructions as to how the seats were to be placed. She said: "Mrs.
Evans is the guest of honor. Although Mrs. Conger is the wife of the
American Minister, she is more of a resident, so Mrs. Evans must have
the principal seat." She also told me to arrange to seat everybody
according to their respective ranks. The Imperial Princess and Princess
Shun (Her Majesty's niece, sister of the Young Empress) were hostesses,
and were to sit opposite each other. We placed golden menu holders and
little gold plates for almonds and watermelon seeds; the rest all silver
ware, including chopsticks. Her Majesty ordered that foreign knives and
forks should be provided also. The food was served in Manchu style, and
was composed of twenty-four courses, besides sweetmeats--candies and
fruits. Her Majesty instructed us that only the best champagne was to be
served. She said: "I know that foreign ladies love to drink."

I think I was the only one who was really happy to meet these ladies,
more so than the res