ClIAP. XI. 
THE TEIN-SIN. 
181 
the house and fare, and tried not to be outdone in 
pohteness by my kind-hearted landlord. 
In the course of the evening a little boy, the landlord'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 dis- 
agreeable, 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 proceeding 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 did not feel inclined to eat 
anything more that night. Sing-Hoo, however, said it 
was a most unusual proceeding to refuse the Tein-sin, 
and, thinking it better to conform to the customs of the 
country, I followed him into the hall. Here I found a 
table covered with many Chinese dishes. Our host had 
killed some fowls for the occasion, which had been cut 
up into small pieces, and were served up with, or rather 
in, some excellent soup. Had I been a<t all hungry I 
