Chang
Chih Tung would be of Jade, since that was his particular passion—and
he had money enough to pay for any whim he might elect to foster. I
recalled how he had received, during one of our visits to his home in
the long ago, a shipment of Jade in its crude state. This Jade he took
into his own house, where he set his craftsmen to work upon it. From
one piece a foot in length and several inches thick he might find one
flawless piece from which something of rare value might be carved. . . .
"The
first present that was disclosed to Her Majesty was a pair of Jade
earrings! Now, Her Majesty's collecÂtion of Jade was marvellous in its
richness, colour and value; but I who had acted as custodian of her
treasures knew that she had nothing in her collection to match this
gift for purity and beauty. I could see by Her Majesty's face that the
same thought had come to her. Those Jade earrings were of the purest
green, carved in the shape of crescents, about an inch in length. Her
Majesty gasped a little when she saw them. Then she held them up to a
light.
"
'See!' she said. 'They are perfect! There is not a flaw in them
anywhere.' It may be said here that the Chinese preferred their Jade
utterly smooth, as they believed any additional carving on it was
executed for the purpose of hiding its imperfections. But these
earrings were perfect.
" 'There is nothing in our collection to equal it,' said the Dowager Empress. I could already see them on Her Majesty's ears.
" 'Will the Old Ancestor wear them at once?' I asked excitedly.
