shapes of ghostly horsemen riding upon horses, and of phantom chariots dragon-drawn, and of standards of trailing cloud.  In every dragon’s beard glimmered the mystic pearl; in every rider’s helmet sparkled the gem of rank.  And each day Tchi would weave a great piece of such figured silk; and the fame of her weaving spread abroad.  From far and near people thronged to see the marvellous work; and the silk-merchants of great cities heard of it, and they sent messengers to Tchi, asking her that she should weave for them and teach them her secret.  Then she wove for them, as they desired, in return for the silver cubes which they brought her; but when they prayed her to teach them, she laughed and said, “Assuredly I could never teach you, for no one among you has fingers like mine.”  And indeed no man could discern her fingers when she wove, any more than he might behold the wings of a bee vibrating in swift flight.

* * * * *

The seasons passed, and Tong never knew want, so well did his beautiful wife fulfil her promise,—­“I will provide”; and the cubes of bright silver brought by the silk-merchants were piled up higher and higher in the great carven chest which Tchi had bought for the storage of the household goods.

One morning, at last, when Tong, having finished his repast, was about to depart to the fields, Tchi unexpectedly bade him remain; and opening the great chest, she took out of it and gave him a document written in the official characters called li-shu.  And Tong, looking at it, cried out and leaped in his joy, for it was the certificate of his manumission.  Tchi had secretly purchased her husband’s freedom with the price of her wondrous silks!

“Thou shalt labor no more for any master,” she said, “but for thine own sake only.  And I have also bought this dwelling, with all which is therein, and the tea-fields to the south, and the mulberry groves hard by,—­all of which are thine.”

Then Tong, beside himself for gratefulness, would have prostrated himself in worship before her, but that she would not suffer it.

* * * * *

Thus he was made free; and prosperity came to him with his freedom; and whatsoever he gave to the sacred earth was returned to him centupled; and his servants loved him and blessed the beautiful Tchi, so silent and yet so kindly to all about her.  But the silk-loom soon remained untouched, for Tchi gave birth to a son,—­a boy so beautiful that Tong wept with delight when he looked upon him.  And thereafter the wife devoted herself wholly to the care of the child.

Now it soon became manifest that the boy was not less wonderful than his wonderful mother.  In the third month of his age he could speak; in the seventh month he could repeat by heart the proverbs of the sages, and recite the holy prayers; before the eleventh month he could use the writing-brush with skill, and copy in shapely characters the precepts of Lao-tseu.  And the priests of the temples came to behold him and to converse with him, and they marvelled at the charm of the child and the wisdom of what he said; and they blessed Tong, saying:  “Surely this son of thine is a gift from the Master of Heaven, a sign that the immortals love thee.  May thine eyes behold a hundred happy summers!”