Chap. IV. 



LEAVE-TAKING. 



77 



them on my plate and on the table at its side. 

 Various kinds of Chinese wines, hot and cold, 

 were also pressed upon me, some of which were 

 palatable, but scarcely suited to the English taste. 

 I took a little of each in order to please my enter- 

 tainer, and then confined myself to tea, which was 

 also set before us. 



I had now prolonged my visit much beyond the 

 time I had set apart for it, and quite as long as 

 politeness demanded. But time spent in this 

 manner was not altogether unprofitable, inasmuch 

 as one gets an insight into Chinese life and 

 manners which we cannot acquire in the streets 

 or on the hill-side. My kind host and his friends 

 accompanied me to the outer door of the man- 

 sion, and, with the palms of our hands laid flat 

 together and held up before us, we bowed low 

 several times, muttered our thanks, and bade each 

 other farewell. 



