friends, therefore, went alone, and brilliant success attended their venture.  They both passed with honours, and returned to Mienchu to receive the congratulations of their friends.  Jasmine’s delight was very genuine, more especially as regarded Tu, and the first evening was spent by the three students in joyous converse and in confident anticipation of the future.  As Jasmine took leave of the two new M.A.’s, Wei followed her to the outer door and whispered at parting: 

“I am coming to-morrow to make my formal proposal to your sister.”

Jasmine had no time to answer, but went home full of anxious and disturbed thoughts, which were destined to take a more tragic turn than she had ever anticipated even in her most gloomy moments.  The same cruel fate had also decreed that Wei’s proposal was to be suspended, like Buddha, between heaven and earth.  The blow fell upon him when he was attiring himself in the garments of his new degree, in preparation for his visit.  He was in the act of tying his sash and appending it to his purse and trinkets, when Jasmine burst into the young men’s study, looking deadly pale and bearing traces of acute mental distress on her usually bright and joyous countenance.

“What is the matter?” cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was shown by Jasmine.  “Tell me what has happened.”

“Oh, my father, my poor father!” sobbed Jasmine.

“What is the matter with your father?  He is not dead, is he?” cried the young men in one breath.

“No, it is not so bad as that,” said Jasmine, “but a great and bitter misfortune has come upon us.  As you know, some time ago my father had a quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this morning to prison.”

The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears and rocked herself to and fro in her grief.  Tu and Wei, on their knees before her, tried to pour in words of consolation.  With a lack of reason which might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that her father was innocent before they knew the nature of the charges against him, and they pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night until they had rescued him from his difficulty.  When, under the influence of their genuine sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, Tu begged her to tell him of what her father was accused.

“The villain,” said Jasmine, through her tears, “has dared to say that my father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes for recommending men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers’ ration-money, and has been in league with highwaymen.”

“Is it possible?” said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long catalogue of crimes.  “I should not have believed that any one could have ventured to have charged your honoured father with such things, least of all the intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching palm.  But I tell you what we can do at once.  Wei and I, being M.A.’s, have a right to call on the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to us to exercise our new privilege for the first time in your service.  We will urge him to inquire into the matter, and I cannot doubt that he will at once quash the proceedings.”