Page:Leaves from my Chinese Scrapbook - Balfour, 1887.djvu/65

 good man indeed," replied the carter. "And does he never take bribes?" pursued the fare. "Not he," was the reply; "but people do say that he sometimes waylays the fine presents that are being carried to the Prince of Kung, and keeps them for himself—just by way of a joke, you know; and of course the Prince of Kung does not dare object." This idea seemed to amuse the stranger vastly. Then the carter asked where he should set him down. "Drive me to the Liu-yeh Fu" (Prince Kung's palace), said the fare. When they were within a reasonable distance of the door the carter stopped. The stranger asked why he did not go on. The carter replied that it was not permitted to go farther in that direction. The shabby person, however, insisted on his proceeding, and the carter eventually did so, protesting that if he got into trouble his fare should bear the blame. In a few minutes the dirty cart, with the donkey, and the shabby man inside, drew up at the palace of the Sixth Prince. The front doors were immediately flung open, and a cry was raised by all the servants in attendance, "The Fifth Prince has arrived!" The carter looked round in trepidation for the approaching cortège, and heartily wished himself a mile underground; when his shabby fare, jumping out, indulged in a good-natured laugh at the poor man's terror, telling him he need not fear, for he was no other than the Prince of Tun himself. That was the last occasion, however, on which the carter drove that cart and donkey, for the next day the Fifth Prince sent him a present of a new and handsome vehicle, with a good stout mule, by means of which he has been earning a comfortable living ever since. Stories of this kind, be they strictly true in every particular or not, are