“It is like a story out of a book of marvels,” said her father, “and even now you have not exhausted all the necessary explanations.  For, since my release, your friend Wei has been here to ask for my daughter in marriage.  From some questions I put to him, he is evidently unaware that you are my only daughter, and I therefore put him off and told him to wait until you returned.  He is in a very impatient state, and, no doubt, will be over shortly.”

Nor was the colonel wrong, for almost immediately Wei was announced, who, after expressing the genuine pleasure he felt at seeing Jasmine again, began at once on the subject which filled his mind.

“I am so glad,” he said, “to have this opportunity of asking you to explain matters.  At present I am completely nonplussed.  On my return from Peking I inquired of one of your father’s servants about his daughter.  ‘He has not got one,’ quoth the man.  I went to another, and he said, ‘You mean the “young noble,” I suppose.’  ‘No, I don’t,’ I said; ’I mean his sister.’  ‘Well, that is the only daughter I know of,’ said he.  Then I went to your father, and all I could get out of him was, ’Wait until the “young noble” comes home.’  Please tell me what all this means.”

“Your great desire is to marry a beautiful and accomplished girl, is it not?” said Jasmine.

“That certainly is my wish,” said Wei.

“Well then,” said Jasmine, “I can assure you that your betrothal present is in the hand of such a one, and a girl whom to look at is to love.”

“That may be,” said Wei, “But my wish is to marry your sister.”

“Will you go and talk to Tu about it?” said Jasmine, who felt that the subject was becoming too difficult for her, and whose confidence in Tu’s wisdom was unbounded, “and he will explain it all to you.”

Even Tu, however, found it somewhat difficult to explain Jasmine’s sphinx-like mysteries, and on certain points Wei showed a disposition to be anything but satisfied.  Jasmine’s engagement to Tu implied his rejection, and he was disposed to be splenetic and disagreeable about it.  His pride was touched, and in his irritation he was inclined to impute treachery to his friend and deceit to Jasmine.  To the first charge Tu had a ready answer, but the second was all the more annoying because there was some truth in it.  However, Tu was not in the humour to quarrel, and being determined to seek peace and ensue it, he overlooked Wei’s innuendos and made out the best case he could for his bride.  On Miss King’s beauty, virtues, and ability he enlarged with a wealth of diction and power of imagination which astonished himself, and Jasmine also, to whom he afterward repeated the conversation.  “Why, Tu, dear,” said that artless maiden, “how can you know all this about Miss King?  You have never seen her, and I am sure I never told you half of all this.”

“Don’t ask questions,” said the enraptured Tu.  “Let it be enough for you to know that Wei is as eager for the possession of Miss King as he was for your sister, and that he has promised to be my best man at our wedding to-morrow.”