“Having thus spoken, Cheng-chong bade the man good night and went at once to his palace.

“Very early in the morning he caused proclamation to be made that an examination would be held that day, at a certain hour.  Notwithstanding the brief time for preparation, when the hour arrived a large number of men presented themselves at the king’s palace as candidates.

“In the crowd was the poor man whom the king, in his disguise, had talked with the night before.  Though he understood little of the matter, he felt that his visitor of the previous night must have known perfectly about it.

“When all had assembled, the following was announced as the subject of the examination:  ’The song of a man in mourning, the dance of a nun, the tears of an old man.’

“With the exception of the poor man, not a single one of the candidates was able to make a bit of sense out of the subject.  He alone knew it perfectly well, because of his own personal sad experience.  Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

“Cheng-chong then bestowed the degree of doctor upon the man, and ordered that he be brought into his presence.

“Upon the man’s appearance, the king asked:  ’Do you know who I am?  It is I who last night advised you to be present at this examination.  Raise your head and look at me.’

“With fixed gaze the man looked at the king, and recognized his benefactor.  He at once bowed himself to the ground in gratitude, and in words of the most humble sort returned his thanks.

“‘Go at once,’ said Cheng-chong, ’and return to your wife and old father.  Make them happy with the good news you have for them.’

“This story of royal generosity has been handed down from generation to generation, and I give it to you,” concluded the monk, “as an example of the goodness of our ancient kings and the rich inheritance we have from them.  True devotion to parents has never been unrewarded in Korea.”

His story concluded, the monk expressed a desire to retire for the night.  At Ki Pak’s command a servant led him to a sleeping-room.  Yung Pak and the other members of the family also retired, and were soon buried in peaceful slumber.

CHAPTER VII.

A JOURNEY

It sometimes happened that Ki Pak, in performing his official duties, was obliged to make long journeys to various parts of Korea.  One of Yung Pak’s greatest pleasures was to listen to the stories which his father used to tell him about these journeys.