opinion that it was very much like me, while the others
thought the painting a very poor one. When I informed Her Majesty of the
arrival of the portrait she ordered that it should be brought into her
bedroom immediately. She scrutinized it very carefully for a while, even
touching the painting in her curiosity. Finally she burst out laughing
and said: "What a funny painting this is, it looks as though it had been
painted with oil." (Of course it was an oil painting.) "Such rough work
I never saw in all my life. The picture itself is marvellously like you,
and I do not hesitate to say that none of our Chinese painters could get
the expression which appears on this picture. What a funny dress you
are wearing in this picture. Why are your arms and neck all bare? I have
heard that foreign ladies wear their dresses without sleeves and without
collars, but I had no idea that it was so bad and ugly as the dress you
are wearing here. I cannot imagine how you could do it. I should have
thought you would have been ashamed to expose yourself in that manner.
Don't wear any more such dresses, please. It has quite shocked me. What
a funny kind of civilization this is to be sure. Is this dress only worn
on certain occasions, or is it worn any time, even when gentlemen are
present?" I explained to her that it was the usual evening dress for
ladies and was worn at dinners, balls, receptions, etc. Her Majesty
laughed and exclaimed: "This is getting worse and worse. Everything
seems to go backwards in foreign countries. Here we don't even expose
our wrists when in the company of gentlemen, but foreigners seem to
have quite different ideas on the subject. The Emperor is always talking
about reform, but if this is a sample we had much better remain as we
are. Tell me, have you yet changed your opinion with regard to foreign
customs? Don't you think that our own customs are much nicer?" Of course
I was obliged to say "yes" seeing that she herself was so prejudiced.
She again examined the portrait and said: "Why is it that one side
of your face is painted white and the other black? This is not
natural--your face is not black. Half of your neck is painted black,
too. How is it?" I explained that it was simply the shading and was
painted exactly as the artist saw me from the position in which she was
sitting. Her Majesty then enquired: "Do you think that this Artist lady
will paint my picture to look black also? It is going to America, and
I don