354 VISIT TO A MANDARIN. [Cuar. XIX. 
anxious not to bring him or his relations into any 
scrape on my account. 
When we reached the mandarin’s house, the 
doors were thrown open, and I walked boldly into 
the reception-room. It was a most difficult matter 
for the servants to keep out the crowd, but they 
accomplished the task partly by threats, and partly 
by whips, which they used rather more freely than 
we should approve of in England. This, however, 
is a common mode of punishing the rabble in China, 
and when they know they deserve it they take it 
very quietly. 
“Tell your master I want to see him,” said [ 
in a lofty tone to one of the attendants, who imme- 
diately went into an inner apartment and returned 
with the mandarin himself, clothed in his most 
imposing robes of office,—hat, button, peacock 
feather, and all. I made him several very low 
bows, which he most politely returned. “I amina 
great hurry,” said I, “to go on to Shanghae, and have 
been trying to engage a boat for that purpose, but 
cannot succeed without your assistance. Will you 
have the goodness to aid me?” After repeating 
after me what I had said, as is the invariable custom 
in Chinese conversation, he put the following ques- 
tion tome: ‘“ How old are you?” This may seem 
strange, but it is considered complimentary by the 
Chinese, and is generally amongst the first questions 
they put. I thanked him for his inquiry, told him 
my age, and then asked his, and again proposed 
the question regarding the boat. Upon this, he 
