never set eyes upon him again, though I have made every endeavour to find out his whereabouts. As it is, I can now only look forward to repaying him in the next life ; but if I let you take me in in the same way, why, when the next life comes and I am changed, maybe into a horse or a donkey, I shall have quite enough to do to find him, and your debt will go dragging on till the life after that. No, no, there is no time like the present ; hereafter I might very likely forget what was the exact sum I owed you.'
" They continued to argue the point until the country- man consented to accept a trifle as a set-off against the fineness of his silver, and went away with his goods, the shopkeeper bawling after him as long as he was in sight that he had sold him inferior articles at a high rate, and was positively defrauding him of his money. The countryman, however, got clear away, and the shop- keeper returned to his grumbling at the iniquity of the age. Just then a beggar happened to pass, and so in anger at having been compelled to take more than his due he handed him the difference. 'Who knows/ said he, ' but that the present misery of this poor fellow may be retribution for overcharging people in a former life ? '
" ' Ah/ said T'ang, when he had witnessed the finale of this little drama, ' truly this is the behaviour of gentle-
��men
��" Our travellers then fell into conversation with two respectable -looking old men who said they were brothers, and accepted their invitation to go and take a cup of tea together. Their hosts talked eagerly about China, and wished to hear many particulars of t the first nation in the world.' Yet, while expressing their ad-
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