A nobleman, the brother of Koon Lin, a former pupil in the school, who is now, with her sister Juan, in the royal palace—the latter being a wife of His Majesty the king—asked me to come to the palace and teach his sisters during the two months of vacation.
I lived in the royal harem for one month, and I think it will interest your friends to have me tell you some of the things I saw while there. It is said that within the palace-walls there are about one thousand women, wives, slaves and servants, as no man is permitted to live there except His Majesty the king. I should judge that about thirty of these women are wives of the king. Many of these wives, with their servants, live in a long brick building which stands near the palace. Eight of the king's half-sisters and the only daughter of the regent of the Belur are the highest in position, and their rooms in the harem are more richly and beautifully furnished than those of the other wives. The rooms of the king's favorite, Peahong Sawang (one of his half-sisters), are three in number. The first is trimmed with pink silk, another blue and the third green. Even the windows and door are colored, and all is very beautiful to the eye.
Peahong Sawang is the mother of the oldest son of His Majesty, who is now about two years
