ordered the court artists to paint appropriate foreground and

background and then called young Yu, her court photographer, to
snap his camera and allow Old Sol the great artist of the

universe with a pencil of his light to paint her as she was.
One day while visiting a curio store on Liu Li Chang, the great

book street of Peking, my attention was called by the dealer to
four small paintings of peach blossoms in black and white, from

the brush of the Empress Dowager. These pictures had been in the
panels of the partition between two of the rooms of Her Majesty's

apartments in the Summer Palace, and so I considered myself
fortunate in securing them.

"You notice," said he, "that each section of these branches must
be drawn by a single stroke of the brush. This is no easy task.

She must be able to ink her brush in such a way as to give a
clear outline of the limb, and at the same time to produce such

shading as she may desire. Should her outline be defective, she
dare not retouch it; should her shading be too heavy or

insufficient, she cannot take from it and she may not add to it,
as this would make it defective in the matter of calligraphy. A

stroke once placed upon her paper, for they are done on paper, is
there forever. This style of work is among the most difficult in

Chinese art."
After securing these paintings, I showed them to a number of the

best artists of the present day in Peking, and they all
pronounced them good specimens of plum blossom work in

monochrome, and they agreed with Lady Miao, that if the Empress
Dowager had given her whole time to painting she would have

passed into history as one of the great artists of the present
dynasty.

One day when one of her court painters called I showed him these
pictures. He agreed with all the others as to the quality of her

brush work, but called my attention to a diamond shaped twining
of the branches in one of them.

"That," said he, "is proof positive that it is her work."
"Why?" I inquired.

"Because a professional artist would never twine the twigs in
that fashion."

"And why not?"
"They would not do it," he replied. "It is not artistic."

"And why do not her friends call her attention to this fact?" I
inquired.

"Who would do it?" was his counter question.
VII

The Empress Dowager--As a Woman
The first audience given by Her Imperial Majesty to the seven

ladies of the Diplomatic Corps was sought and urged by the
foreign ministers. After the troubles of 1900 and the return of

the court, Her Majesty assumed a different attitude, and, of her
own accord, issued many invitations for audiences, and these

invitations were accepted. Then followed my tiffin to the court
princesses and their tiffin in return. This opened the way for

other princesses and wives of high officials to call, receive
calls, to entertain and be entertained. In many cases

arrangements were made through our mutual friend Mrs. Headland,
an accepted physician and beloved friend of many of the higher

Chinese families; and through her innate tact, broad thought, and
great love for the good she may do, I have been able to come into

personal touch with many of these Chinese ladies.
--Mrs. E. H. Conger in "Letters from China.

VII
THE EMPRESS DOWAGER-AS A WOMAN

Although the great Dowager has passed away, it may be interesting
to know something about her life and character as a woman as

those saw her who came in contact with her in public and private
audiences. In order to appreciate how quick she was to adopt

foreign customs, let me give in some detail the difference in her
table decorations at the earlier and later audiences as they have

been related by my wife.
"At the close of the formalities of our introduction to the

Empress Dowager and the Emperor at one of the first audiences,
we, with the ladies of the court, repaired to the banqueting

hall. After we were seated, each with a princess beside her, the
great Dowager appeared. We rose and remained standing while she

took her place at the head of the table, with the Emperor
standing at her left a little distance behind her. As she sat

down she requested us to be seated, though the princesses and the
Emperor all remained standing, it being improper for them to sit

in the presence of Her Majesty. Long-robed eunuchs then appeared
with an elaborate Chinese banquet, and the one who served the

Empress Dowager always knelt when presenting her with a dish.
"After we had eaten for some little time, the doyen asked if the

princesses might not be seated. The Empress Dowager first turned
to the Emperor, and said, 'Your Majesty, please be seated'; then

turning to the princesses and waving her hand, she told them to
sit down. They sat down in a timid, rather uncomfortable way on

the edge of the chair, but did not presume to touch any of the
food.

"The conversation ran upon various topics, and, among others, the
Boxer troubles. One of the ladies wore a badge. The Empress

Dowager noticing it, asked what it meant.
" 'Your Majesty,' was the reply, 'this was presented to me by my

Emperor because I was wounded in the Boxer insurrection.'
"The Empress Dowager took the hands of this lady in both her own,

and as the tears stood in her eyes, she said:
" 'I deeply regret all that occurred during those troublous

times. The Boxers for a time overpowered the government, and even
brought their guns in and placed them on the walls of the palace.

Such a thing shall never occur again.'
"The table was covered with brilliantly coloured oilcloth, and

was without tablecloth or napkins properly so called, but we used
as napkins square, coloured bits of calico about the size of a

large bandana handkerchief. There were no flowers, the table
decorations consisting of large stands of cakes and fruit. I

speak of this because it was all changed at future audiences,
when the table was spread with snow-white cloths, and smiled with

its load of most gorgeous flowers. Especially was this true after
the luncheons given to the princesses and ladies of the court by

Mrs. Conger at the American legation, showing that the eyes of
these ladies were open to receive whatever suggestions might come

to them even in so small a matter as the spreading and decoration
of a table. The banquets thereafter were made up of alternating

courses of Chinese and foreign food.
"With but one exception, the Empress Dowager thereafter never

appeared at table with her guests. But at the close of the formal
audiences, after descending from the throne, and speaking to

those whom she had formerly met, she requested her guests to
enter the banquet hall and enjoy the feast with the princesses,

saying that the customs of her country forbade their being seated
or partaking of food if she were present. After the banquet,

however, the Empress Dowager always appeared and conversed
cordially with her guests.

"Her failure to appear at table may have been influenced by the
following incident: One of the leading lady guests, anxious, no

doubt, to obtain a unique curio, requested the Empress Dowager to
present her with the bowl from which Her Majesty was eating--a

bowl which was different from those used by her guests, as the
dishes from which her food was served were never the same as

those used by others at the table!