Four of the Americans were living together.

I called with the Inland missionary at a time when they were at dinner.

We were shown into the drawing-room, where the most conspicuous ornament was a painted scroll with a well executed drawing of the poppy in flower, a circumstance which would confirm the belief of the Chinese who saw it, that the poppy is held in veneration by foreigners.

While we waited we heard the noise of dinner gradually cease, and then the door opened and one of the single ladies entered.

She was fierce to look at, tall as a grenadier, with a stride like a camel; she was picking her teeth with a hairpin.