who have thus been assembled only to witness his disgrace and disappointment. They counsel him to give up the pursuit of a person whose actions seem to prove that she is something more than human; but his rage and ardour are only inflamed by these unexpected crosses; and he at length falls upon a third scheme.

He had resolved to seize her by force, but, as she now kept her doors barred against strangers, fraud was necessary to obtain admission. A forged document is accordingly produced at her gate, purporting to be an account of her father's recall from exile. This gains entrance for the partisans and domestics of her abandoned admirer, by a numerous party of whom she is instantly surrounded. She desires to be conveyed to the magistrate, at the same time concealing in her sleeve a small dagger, which may still avail her at her utmost need. As the magistrate is. the friend and ally of the suitor, they readily comply with her desire, and hurry the young lady off in her chair "like a flight of crows or swallows on the wing."

The hero, Teihchungyu, whom we left on the point of proceeding on his travels, has just entered the town, and is riding leisurely along, when, in turning a corner, he meets the cortège, and comes violently in contact with the chair that contains Shueypingsin. Being nearly thrown by the shock, he seizes with characteristic energy upon one of the party; but, having received a suitable explanation, he is about to loose his hold, when a plaintive female voice from within the chair exclaims, "I am suffering violent wrong, and rely on your bravery for succour.' As any other knight-errant might do, he takes the whole party prisoners,-" surrounding" them, like the Irishman—and brings them to the tribunal of the magistrate, who is sitting ready prepared to give judgment in favour of his profligate friend. Our hero strikes

on the great drum at the gate, and, boldly entering the court, addresses the judge on terms of equality. The latter, however, is not deterred from awarding Shueypingsin to her suitor; which so rouses the indignation of Teihchungyu, that he interferes in a manner which intimidates the compliant magistrate. He becomes acquainted with the rank and condition of the hero, and is obliged to return Shueypingsin in safety to her own home.

Teihchungyu, in the mean while, becomes éperdu by the extraordinary beauty of the young lady whom he had thus rescued, exposed as she is to his gaze in the court of the judge; and her gratitude, for the service rendered her, is at least equal to his admiration. The discomfited suitor in revenge now engages some villanous priests, at the Budhist monastery where our hero had put up according to Chinese custom, to poison him in his food! Shueypingsin, who well knew the characters with whom he had to deal, employs emissaries to keep her regularly informed of what is going on. These acquaint her with the youth's illness; she guesses the whole truth, and, as the only means of saving his life, adopts the bold measure of removing him to her own house, to which he assents, though reluctantly, on account of the slander to which it may expose Shueypingsin. Arrived there, he is soon restored to health; though without ever seeing his hostess, and with the observance of the most rigid forms of Chinese decorum.

The enemy, on finding that their intended victim had escaped, endeavour to foil and perplex the heroine by sending her uncle to remonstrate with her on the irregularity of admitting the youth into the house. She, however, justifies her conduct by the urgency of the case, by the gratitude she owes Teihchungyu, and by telling her

VOL. II.

I

uncle that he would better show his solicitude for her by prosecuting the wretches from whose hands she had lately been rescued. After an ineffectual attempt to get up an accusation against the young people, by introducing a spy into the lady's house, whose evidence only places her conduct in a fairer light, they are obliged to give up the case as desperate. The hero, on his recovery, of course takes his departure with increased feelings of regard to his hostess, and, after meeting with some other adventures which are calculated to put his address or courage to the test, he proceeds home with the determination to prepare himself for the next public examination of literary graduates.

Shueypingsin's indefatigable suitor meanwhile makes one more attempt to get possession of the young lady, by engaging the services of a newly-arrived imperial commissioner, a friend and protégé of his father at court. From this corrupt officer a warrant or licence is obtained to espouse the maiden at her own house, according to a form which in particular cases is sanctioned by Chinese law. Shueypingsin is now driven to prepare a secret memorial to the emperor himself, which she first despatches to Peking by a private emissary, and then appeals publicly to the commissioner, on whose refusal to aid her she exhibits the memorial which she had already sent up against him, and fills him with consternation. On his countermanding the nuptials, she is induced to send off a despatch for the recall of her messenger. Teihchungyu now learns what is going on during his absence, and, with the view of protecting his mistress, hurries off to Shantung province, which he reaches in a few days. On his first arrival he is seen by the profligate uncle, who soon makes his friend the suitor acquainted with the event. They try to entrap him, by sending a cunning boy with

a pretended message from Shueypingsin, appointing an assignation at the back gate of her house. The inconsistency of this message with the lady's character opens his eyes to the fraud, and, seizing the boy, he forces him by threats to confess it is a trick of his enemies.

The next step is to devise another plot against our hero, whose abandoned rival calls at his lodgings, and, on being denied, leaves a ceremonial ticket. This compels Teihchungyu to return the call, for which his enemy is prepared with an entertainment, to which the youth is, much against his will, detained. It is concerted that a number of rakish fellows should join the party one by one, and get up a quarrel, in which, with their assistance, the host may revenge himself by maltreating Teihchungyu. His coolness, courage, and strength, however, avail him as usual; and when a fray becomes inevitable, he completely discomfits the drunken party, and leaves them vowing loud vengeance. The description of this Chinese entertainment, and of the growing row, is highly characteristic, and proves that the most ceremonious of people can sometimes be the most unceremonious. The defeated party lodge a false charge against the hero, but the result redounds to their entire shame and disgrace.

Circumstances subsequently enable Teihchungyu to be of essential service to the exiled father of the heroine, and to procure at length his recall from banishment, and reinstatement in his former honours. The families of the youth and maiden being thus drawn together, a proposed alliance is the natural consequence. The ultra refinement, however, of the Confucian school imposes scruples on the parties, lest such a consummation should lead the world to misconstrue the disinterested nature of their former intercourse. These scruples being overcome, fresh plots are laid by their enemies to oppose their union ;

and as the affair, from the rank of the parties, at length comes before the emperor in person, an investigation is set on foot, which exposes the wickedness of the other faction, and leads to the marriage being sanctioned with high encomiums from the "Son of Heaven" himself. All parties are punished or rewarded according to their deserts, and thus the Fortunate Union' is concluded.* The interest of the story is sustained throughout, by the Chinese author, with more skill and effect than in most native productions; and as a genuine picture of manners it is among the best suited to the use of those who desire, according to the expression of a French writer, "connâitre les Chinois par les Chinois eux-mêmes."

* 2 vols. 8vo. 1829.