154 THE MARRIAGE MAKER 



at last could look at each other and speak without reserve. 

 Though there had been no previous love-making between 

 them, no courtship of any kind, they both realized that they 

 had been brought together in fulfilment of their destiny; and 

 they were glad of it, for each had long held the other in the 

 highest esteem. Love sprang up spontaneously in their 

 hearts on the foundation of this mutual esteem, and grew 

 into a superstructure fit to withstand the buffetings of the 

 roughest weather and the vicissitudes of fickle fortune; for 

 •esteem is the most solid groundwork that love can rest upon. 



Wei Ku took his wife fondly by the hand and drew her 

 gently towards him. "Docs it not seem strange to you," 

 he asked, that we two should have been reserved for each 

 other in this wonderful way? 



"It does indeed," she replied. "It seems that we have 

 come together in obedience to the will of heaven. My uncle 

 always said that I should marry the right man in time." 



"Your uncle!" exclaimed Wei Ivu in surprise, "who is 

 he?" 



"Well, " said Ch'un Lai with a smile, "the Prefect 

 then, for he is not really my father. He is my uncle, my 

 father's brother, and he adopted me when I was quite a 

 little child, after an accident that nearly cost me my life." 



"I never knew that," declared Wei Ku, more surprised 

 than ever. "You must tell me all about it." 



"Of course, you didn't know. It's such a long time 

 ago, and it didn't happen here." 



Ch'un Lai then related her story in a touching manner. 

 "We were not always well off," she began, "indeed, they 

 iell me that once we were very poor. My father died before 

 my birth, and my mother followed him when I was about a 

 year old. I was then left on the hands of my old nurse, 

 who took me away to her home. She lived in Sungkiang 

 where she kept a little tou-fw shop. The poor old soul did 

 Tier best, and was quite fond of me; she's dead now, alas! 

 how proud she would be to-day. 



One day, when I was about two years old, a madman 

 rushed into the shop : — he must have been mad, for he 

 lifted a heavy iron scoop and struck me a furious blow on 

 the head for no reason whatever. Happily, the old woman 

 wdio held me in her arms drew back in time, and avoided 

 the full force of the blow which glanced off my forehead, 

 but left a nasty cut. I was stunned, and bled profusely. 

 My old nurse screamed; the neighbours ran about in great 

 excitement and everybody thought I was dead, but I re- 

 covered. It was after that that my dear old uncle came 

 and took me away. He has been wonderfully kind to me, 



