Page:Shen of the Sea.pdf/32

 howling with rage when his brother Cha entered the room. The quick eyes of Brother Cha soon saw that something was amiss. He gazed at the wall where the plaques had struck. He gazed at the jam-coated plaques. Then he too howled, but with joy. "Oh, Brother Chi," he shouted. "You have chanced upon a wonderful invention. It is a quick way for making books. What huge luck." He led Brother Chi to the wall and pointed. "See. For reason of its jam, each plaque has made a black impression on the wall. Every line of the carving is reproduced upon the wall. Now do you understand? You will carve my thoroughly miserable stories upon blocks of wood. Ah Mee will spread black jam upon the carven blocks. Then I will press the blocks upon paper, sheet after sheet, perhaps a hundred in one day With the laborious brush I can make only one story a month. With the blocks—I can make thousands. Oh, what a wonderful invention."

Ching Chi carved his brother's stories upon wooden blocks. Ah Mee spread the jam