Evening star., 1921-02-13
THE OLD COMPRADORE'S GOGGLES Bvszany Partridge

! her his all over my floor. She means
| well, poor soul, but it made me nerv-
GUS trying to pick them up after her.
But 1t was awfully good In you to
come and help . fellow out this way
/ don't know how I am to thank you
Don't try to thank me. Just accep,
my little penance, and"-she leaned
| over him and took his right hand In
| hers and held 1t for q moment-"you
know all good people have to do pen.
| ance some time. Just tell me that
| am forgiven"
Penance? ForgivenessT'-he held
the hand and wouldn't let It go now
why, Miss Florence. what do you
| mean?"
"why. it was all my fault. that run.
with you that pony would never have
bolted. would he?"
We'll. perhaps not, but then. you
see, II he hadn't bolted. why you and
I would not be here now. would wer
mo. I suppose not; we might just
be ,t,, drankinE Ing. tea At at one Of you,
"And then we shouldn't be alone
| should we. F1orence?" (Naughty boy
he. to just drop the Miss" before hi.
| nurses name In this way without
giyiing her , any preliminary notice.)
Yes. and I shouldn't be able ia
tell you that really am deeply re-
ligfous-though may not look tt
and a profound believer in lifelong
penanceT'
But I don't want to he a nurse
and stay In this hospital all my life.''
she gently protested.
No. no; not in this hospital: but
just in this dear old land OF China. as
the guardian angel of heartsick
patient. you see?"
"And in memory Of the event
certainly call it a runaway match
wouldn't they"
"Who cares IL they dor was his
reply. as he drew her nearer to him.
And so it came to pass that when
Mr.. Anthony Lowder of the imperial
few days later the nurse who as
sisted him into his 1inrikisha wore
on the third finger Of her left hand
sparkling decoration that was not
strictly a st. Luke's Hospital badge!
"Yes." remarked Wang Foo. in his
sioner before his return to Hong
kong. the ties of family relationship
are still very strong in China. Now
who among the Europeans would
have thought that your Office boy and
Old Wang. the receiver of stolen
the River King were all brothers
and all mixed up in the same family
game?"
quite true" remarked Sir Arthur.
''and who would have suspected that
same sleepy old office boy Of mine
brains enough--to make duplicate
key to my desk?'
"Or. again. who would have sus-
pected the guards on the pier. Of
being foolish enough and careless
enough to allow the River. Kings
opium
''But how could a younger brother,
under the strict rules Of the Con-
fusian ethics. ever bring an accusa-
tion against an elder one? Is not
that most serious violation of the
teaching-in fact. crime?''
"Ah, you see, that is just the point.
That is where he saved his face as
we Chinese say; he didn't really ac-
cuse him-he merely suggested that
We look through the goggles. and
SO he freed himself and shifted the
and why did he call the old
bridge The Compradore's Goggles?'
why, simply because that is a
popular country name for it. and
his brother. you see, had once been
compradore and had worn such
goggles for years."
what an ingenious play on
words"
"Yes. China is full of that sort of
thing. and it means far more than
the foreigners realize. He knew that
If we stopped down and looked
through the old arches we should see
just that old house-and that was
the very place where the opium was
concealed. And then. perhaps, he
recalled that famous old saying of
the classics:
Looking through the crystal spheres,
One can gaze upon the hidden treasures"