CHAPTER XIX.
THE PRINCESSES OF THE MINGS, AND THE LADY CANDIDA.
Enwrapped as the mind of Nicholas had been in the delicious scene aroundhim, no sooner did he reach the ground than a bitter feeling arose thathis beloved Emperor should be content to repose in such soft and costlyindolence, while millions of his subjects were being plundered byrapacious nobles. In deep thought he reached the far-famed mulberryorchard, where, for a time, he stood contemplating the industry of themarvelous little worms whose number and color cast a sickly hue over thebroad green foliage of the trees, then in full leaf. Passing throughthis orchard, he came in front of a mimic palace, hewn out of rockcrystal, and which glittered in the sun, so that it was some minutesbefore his dazzled vision could perceive that he was near the imperialmenagerie and aviary, where were kept the rare beasts and birdspresented to the Emperor by his tributary kings. The sight was curious,and he would have stopped, but for the rustling of leaves in theorchard, and the sound of soft footsteps, that warned him of hisimprudence, and made him seek shelter in a small pagoda, from whence,through a kind of loophole which fronted the menagerie, he could seewithout being seen. Now his heart beat tremulously; the footsteps mightbe those of the princess and her ladies. He was right in his conjecture,for scarcely had he placed himself at the loophole, when two ladies,attended by female slaves, who held above the heads of their mistressesumbrellas of embroidered yellow silk deeply fringed with gold, cametoward the menagerie. The princess was of middle height, with a form asgraceful and elastic as a fawn; her face, like those of all of her race,was broad, but fair almost as a European blonde, yet looked the fairerfrom its contrast with the raven hair and eyelashes which beneath thethin brows shaded a pair of tiny jet black eyes, which like the purestdiamonds, compensated by fire for their deficiency in size, and with thedelicately small mouth, parted by a pair of thin pouting lips, lit upher sweet countenance with animation and vivacity. Of her hands and feetI can say nothing, for they were hidden beneath the ample folds of herlong gold-embroidered robe of yellow satin. Upon her head she wore akind of crown of rich silk, decorated upon each side with a"fong-hoang," the phoenix of China, which it is believed has but onceappeared, and whose next advent will be the fore-running of the goldenage. The extended wings of the little birds, which were of frosted gold,and sparkling with jewels, rested upon the forepart of the crown, sothat while their beaks fell over the forehead, the spreading plumage oftheir tails afforded a graceful crest upon its summit; moreover theyappeared to come with a tiny parterre of artificial flowers, which werefastened with a bevy of silver bodkins, whose heads were formed out ofpearls, diamonds, and rubies; but far beyond her rare beauty and costlyattire was the artlessness of her manner, which, arising from a virtuousheart and cultivated mind, won the love of all with whom she came incontact.
As for Nicholas, he was bewitched, and from the moment his eyes restedupon her, he lost all doubt of the success of his mission.
Of the lady in attendance I will only say, that she was of maturer age,and of fuller form. More plainly attired than the royal lady, she wore arobe of green silk, embroidered with flowers of the same color, and ahead-dress of silk, slightly sprinkled with large pearls; her brow washigh, and her features regular and handsome, but seemingly shadowed withcare for the interests and ministers of Christ, to whose doctrines shehad long been a convert; for this lady was no other than the illustriousCandida Hiu, of whom the colao had spoken to Nicholas. Her history wasremarkable, and may be told in a few lines. The Emperor at thecommencement of his reign, had been so favorably disposed to theChristian religion, that, although not a convert himself, he hadpermitted many of the lords and ladies of his court to embrace itstenets; chief and most sincere among the proselytes had been the primeminister, Paul Syu, whose influence over his weak-minded master hadenabled him to protect the missionaries from the jealous bonzes andpagan mandarins around. No sooner, however, had this good man gone tohis grave, than the bonzes accused the Christians of endeavoring tosubvert the reigning family, and so artfully did they intrigue, that theEmperor ordered the Christians to leave China, and a terriblepersecution took place, when all the court but the Lady Candida and theson and daughter of the monarch, returned to the worship of Fo. As Ihave said, the Emperor's love was so great for his beautiful daughter,that he permitted the princess and her friend Candida to follow thedictates of their own hearts; hence it was that the good lady had beenable to protect her fellow-Christians from the rapacity of the bonzesand mandarins, even to obtaining permission for them to remain in Pekin.Further, to show her zeal, she founded at her own cost no less thanthirty churches in different parts of the empire, and had vast numbersof religious books translated into Chinese, which she distributed bymeans not only of blind beggars, but vagabond fortune-tellers, whom shepaid handsomely to stand at the corners of streets, and read the Gospel,in place of practicing upon the credulity of the populace with theirvile falsehoods. Such were the two ladies now within a few yards ofNicholas.