218 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. XII. 



case, however, this being in a small village, and our 

 host himself a simple countryman, the information 

 that his guest was a Loi-ya produced a marked effect, 

 and his attentions were redoubled, until they became 

 quite irksome. He made a great many excuses for 

 the poorness of the fare which he set before me. 

 " Had I only sent him notice of the honour I intended 

 doing him by coming to his house, he would have 

 been better prepared," and so on. I praised the 

 house and fare, and tried not to be outdone in polite- 

 ness by my kind-hearted landlord. 



In the course of the evening a little boy, the land- 

 lord's son, came to me and asked me whether I 

 should like to smoke opium, as they had some in the 

 house of good quality. I thanked him, but, of course, 

 declined the offer. Upon inquiry I found that opium 

 is kept in all these inns, where it is retailed in small 

 quantities, just as a London innkeeper retails tobacco. 

 It is very disagreeable, and I afterwards found it so, 

 to be in one of these places when you have a number 

 of opium-smokers for fellow-travellers. 



Between nine and ten o'clock at night, and just as 

 I was retiring to rest, Sing-Hoo came and informed 

 me that the landlord wished me to partake of a fine 

 supper which he had prepared. I think he called it 

 the Tein-sin. I believe this is not an unusual pro- 

 ceeding on the part of Chinese landlords when they 

 have any one in their houses whom they " delight to 

 honour." Being perfectly ignorant of the existence 

 of such a custom, I desired my servant to beg the 

 landlord to excuse me, as I had had my dinner, and 



