different colors, pale mauve, blue, pink, green and violet, and were
placed one on top of the other. Over the top of the bed was a frame
of wood handsomely carved and from this frame white crepe curtains,
beautifully embroidered, hung, and numerous little gauze silk bags
filled with scent were suspended from the carved work of the frame. The
odor from these bags was very strong and made one feel sick until they
became used to it. Her Majesty was also very fond of musk and used it on
all occasions.

It took us about fifteen minutes to make the bed, and when I had
finished, I turned around and saw that Her Majesty was dressing her
hair. I stood beside her Majesty while the eunuch was dressing it and
saw that as old as she was, she still had beautiful long hair which
was as soft as velvet and raven black. She parted it in the center and
brought it low at the back of her ears, and the back braid was brushed
up on the top of her head and made it into a tight knot. When she
had finished doing this, she was ready to have the Gu'un Dzan (Manchu
headdress) placed on and pinned through the knot with two large pins.
Her Majesty always dressed her hair first and then washed her face. She
was as fussy and particular as a young girl and would give it to the
eunuch if he did not get it just to suit her. She had dozens of bottles
of all kinds of perfume, also perfumed soap. When she had finished
washing her face, she dried it on a soft towel and sprayed it with a
kind of glycerine made of honey and flower petals. After that she put
some kind of strong scented pink powder on her face.

When she had completed her toilet, she turned to me and said: "It must
seem to you quite funny to see an old lady like me taking so much care
and pains in dressing and fixing up. Well! I like to dress myself up and
to see others dress nicely. It always gives me pleasure to see pretty
girls dressed nicely; it makes you want to be young again yourself." I
told her that she looked quite young and was still beautiful, and that
although we were young we would never dare compare ourselves with her.
This pleased her very much, as she was very fond of compliments, and
I took great pains that morning to study her and to find out what she
liked and what she didn't.

After this Her Majesty took me into another room and showed me where her
jewels were kept. This room was covered with shelves on three sides of
the room from top to bottom, on which were placed piles