However, when I had found the court, I had no difficulty in discovering Corcoran's lodging house When I asked the man who came to the door for the "depite," he shook his head, and said, "I dunno 'imThere ain't no such a person 'ereI never 'eard of 'im in all my bloomin' daysDon't believe there ain't nobody of that kind livin' 'ere or anywheres I took out Smollet's letter, and as I read it it seemed to me that the lesson of the spelling of the name of the court might guide me"What are you?" I asked "I'm the depity," he answered I saw at once that I was on the right trackPhonetic spelling had again misled meA half crown tip put the deputy's knowledge at my disposal, and I learned that MrBloxam, who had slept off the remains of his beer on the previous night at Corcoran's, had left for his work at Poplar at five o'clock that morningHe could not tell me where the place of work was situated, but he had a vague idea that it was some kind of a "new-fangled ware'us," and with this slender clue I had to start for PoplarIt was twelve o'clock before I got any satisfactory hint of such a building, and this I got at a coffee shop, where some workmen were having their dinnerOne of them suggested that there was being erected at Cross Angel Street a new "cold storage" building, and as this suited the condition of a "new-fangled ware'us," I at once drove to itAn interview with a surly gatekeeper and a surlier foreman, both of whom were appeased with the coin of the realm, put me on the track of BloxamHe was sent for on my suggestion that I was willing to pay his days wages to his foreman for the privilege of asking him a few questions on a private matterHe was a smart enough fellow, though rough of speech and bearingWhen I had promised to pay for his information and given him an earnest, he told me that he had made two journeys between Carfax and a house in Piccadilly, and had taken from this house to the latter nine great boxes, "main heavy ones," with a horse and cart hired by him for this purpose I asked him if he could tell me the number of the house in Piccadilly, to which he replied, "Well, guv'nor, I forgits the number, but it was only a few door from a big white church, or somethink of the kind, not long builtIt was a dusty old 'ouse, too, though nothin' to the dustiness of the 'ouse we tooked the bloomin' boxes from "How did you get in if both houses were empty?" "There was the old party what engaged me a waitin' in the 'ouse at PurfleetHe 'elped me to lift the boxes and put them in the drayCurse me, but he was the strongest chap I ever struck, an' him a old feller, with a white moustache, one that thin you would think he couldn't throw a shadder How this phrase thrilled through me! "Why, 'e took up 'is end o' the boxes like they was pounds of tea, and me a puffin' an' a blowin' afore I could upend mine anyhow, an' I'm no chicken, neither "How did you get into the house in Piccadilly?" I asked "He was there tooHe must 'a started off and got there afore me, for when I rung of the bell he kem an' opened the door 'isself an' 'elped me carry the boxes into the 'all "The whole nine?" I asked "Yus, there was five in the first load an' four in the secondIt was main dry work, an' I don't so well remember 'ow I got 'ome I interrupted him, "Were the boxes left in the hall?" "Yus, it was a big 'all, an' there was nothin' else in it I made one more attempt to further matters"You didn't have any key?" "Never used no key nor nothinkThe old gent, he opened the door 'isself an' shut it again when I druv offI don't remember the last time, but that was the beer "And you can't remember the number of the house?" "No, sirBut ye needn't have no difficulty about thatIt's a 'igh 'un with a stone front with a bow on it, an' 'igh steps up to the doorI know them steps, 'avin' 'ad to carry the boxes up with three loafers what come round to earn a shop copper

The daughter of this woman married a slaveShe was a remarkably active and capable young woman, and, by her industry and thrift, and the most persevering self-denial, raised nine hundred dollars for her husband?s freedom, which she paid, as she raised it, into the hands of his masterShe yet wanted a hundred dollars of the price, when he diedShe never recovered any of the money These are but few facts, among multitudes which might be adduced, to show the self-denial, energy, patience, and honesty, which the slave has exhibited in a state of freedom And let it be remembered that these individuals have thus bravely succeeded in conquering for themselves comparative wealth and social position, in the face of every disadvantage and discouragementThe colored man, by the law of Ohio, cannot be a voter, and, till within a few years, was even denied the right of testimony in legal suits with the whiteNor are these instances confined to the State of OhioIn all states of the Union we see men, but yesterday burst from the shackles of slavery, who, by a self-educating force, which cannot be too much admired, have risen to highly respectable stations in societyPennington, among clergymen, Douglas and Ward, among editors, are well known instances If this persecuted race, with every discouragement and disadvantage, have done thus much, how much more they might do if the Christian church would act towards them in the spirit of her Lord! This is an age of the world when nations are trembling and convulsedA mighty influence is abroad, surging and heaving the world, as with an earthquakeAnd is America safe? Every nation that carries in its bosom great and unredressed injustice has in it the elements of this last convulsion For what is this mighty influence thus rousing in all nations and languages those groanings that cannot be uttered, for man?s freedom and equality? O, Church of Christ, read the signs of the times! Is not this power the spirit of Him whose kingdom is yet to come, and whose will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? But who may abide the day of his appearing? ?for that day shall burn as an oven: and he shall appear as a swift witness against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger in his right: and he shall break in pieces the oppressor Are not these dread words for a nation bearing in her bosom so mighty an injustice? Christians! every time that you pray that the kingdom of Christ may come, can you forget that prophecy associates, in dread fellowship, the day of vengeance with the year of his redeemed? A day of grace is yet held out to usBoth North and South have been guilty before God; and the Christian church has a heavy account to answerNot by combining together, to protect injustice and cruelty, and making a common capital of sin, is this Union to be saved,?but by repentance, justice and mercy; for, not surer is the eternal law by which the millstone sinks in the ocean, than that stronger law, by which injustice and cruelty shall bring on nations the wrath of Almighty God! Each summer as usual a batch of Chinese students were returning home after completing their studies abroad, and about a dozen of them were aboardMost were young people who had not as yet found employment; they were hastening back to China at the start of the summer vacation to have more time to look for jobsThose who had no worries about jobs would wait until the cool autumn before sailing leisurely toward homeAlthough some of those on board had been students in France, the others, who had been studying in England, Germany and Belgium, had gone to Paris to gain more experience of nightlife before taking a French ship homeMeeting at a far corner of the earth, they became good friends at once, discussing the foreign threats and internal turmoil of their motherland, wishing they could return immediately to serve herThe ship moved ever so slowly, while homesickness welled up in everyone's heart and yearned for releaseThen suddenly from heaven knows where appeared two sets of mahjong, the Chinese national pastime, said to be popular in America as wellThus, playing mahjong not only had a down-home flavour to it but was also in tune with world trendsAs luck would have it, there were more than enough people to set up two tables of mahjongSo, except for eating and sleeping, they spent their entire time gamblingBreakfast was no sooner over than down in the dining room the first round of mahjong was to beginortress Besieged, or Wei-ch'eng, first serialized in Literary Renaissance (Wen-i fu-hsing) and published in book form in 1947, has been acclaimed as "one of modern China's two best novels,"' or her "greatest novel;"2 it has been the subject of two doctoral dissertations and one master's thesis and various scholarly papers in English and Chinese Among differing views on the merits of the novel, CHsia has highly praised the novel's comic exuberance and satire;4 Dennis Hu, its linguistic manipulation; Theodore Huters, its relationship to modern Chinese letters; and Mai Ping k'un has written favorably on both Ch'ien's essays and his fictionWhat each critic has stressed is one aspect of the novel's multifaceted brilliance, and it is the intent of this introduction to discuss the novel as an artistic whole On November 10, 1910, Ch'ien Chung-shu, the author of Fortress Besieged, was born into a literary family in Wuhsi, Kiangsu provinceHis father Ch'ien Chi-po (1887?1957) was a renowned literary historian and university professorCh'ien was a precocious child, noted for his photographic memory and brilliance in writing Chinese verse and proseUpon graduation from grade school, he attended StJohn's University Affiliated High Schools in Soochow and WuhsiIn high school, Ch'ien excelled in EnglishWhen he sat for the matriculation examination of the prestigious Tsing-hua University, it was said that he scored very poorly in mathematics but did so well in English and Chinese composition that he passed the examination with some ~cIat At Tsing-hua, Ch'ien was known as an arrogant young man, who cut lectures and kept much to himselfAmong his few intimate friends was Achilles Fang, the "word wizard" (as Marianne Moore called him), who was then a student in the department of shop philosophy

I know it by my own heartWhen I think of all she suffered, of my own early sufferings, of the distresses and struggles of my heroic wife, of my sister, sold in the New Orleans slave-market,?though I hope to have no unchristian sentiments, yet I may be excused for saying, I have no wish to pass for an American, or to identify myself with them ?It is with the oppressed, enslaved African race that I cast in my lot; and, if I wished anything, I would wish myself two shades darker, rather than one lighter ?The desire and yearning of my soul is for an African nationalityI want a people that shall have a tangible, separate existence of its own; and where am I to look for it? Not in Hayti; for in Hayti they had nothing to start withA stream cannot rise above its fountainThe race that formed the character of the Haytiens was a worn-out, effeminate one; and, of course, the subject race will be centuries in rising to anything ?Where, then, shall I look? On the shores of Africa I see a republic,?a republic formed of picked men, who, by energy and self-educating force, have, in many cases, individually, raised themselves above a condition of slaveryHaving gone through a preparatory stage of feebleness, this republic has, at last, become an acknowledged nation on the face of the earth,?acknowledged by both France and EnglandThere it is my wish to go, and find myself a people ?I am aware, now, that I shall have you all against me; but, before you strike, hear meDuring my stay in France, I have followed up, with intense interest, the history of my people in AmericaI have noted the struggle between abolitionist and colonizationist, and have received some impressions, as a distant spectator, which could never have occurred to me as a participator ?I grant that this Liberia may have subserved all sorts of purposes, by being played off, in the hands of our oppressors, against usDoubtless the scheme may have been used, in unjustifiable ways, as a means of retarding our emancipationBut the question to me is, Is there not a God above all man?s schemes? May He not have over-ruled their designs, and founded for us a nation by them? ?In these days, a nation is born in a dayA nation starts, now, with all the great problems of republican life and civilization wrought out to its hand;?it has not to discover, but only to applyLet us, then, all take hold together, with all our might, and see what we can do with this new enterprise, and the whole splendid continent of Africa opens before us and our childrenOur nation shall roll the tide of civilization and Christianity along its shores, and plant there mighty republics, that, growing with the rapidity of tropical vegetation, shall be for all coming ages ?Do you say that I am deserting my enslaved brethren? I think notIf I forget them one hour, one moment of my life, so may God forget me! But, what can I do for them, here? Can I break their chains? No, not as an individual; but, let me go and form part of a nation, which shall have a voice in the councils of nations, and then we can speakA nation has a right to argue, remonstrate, implore, and present the cause of its race,?which an individual has not ?If Europe ever becomes a grand council of free nations,?as I trust in God it will,?if, there, serfdom, and all unjust and oppressive social inequalities, are done away; and if they, as France and England have done, acknowledge our position,?then, in the great congress of nations, we will make our appeal, and present the cause of our enslaved and suffering race; and it cannot be that free, enlightened America will not then desire to wipe from her escutcheon that bar sinister which disgraces her among nations, and is as truly a curse to her as to the enslaved ?But, you will tell me, our race have equal rights to mingle in the American republic as the Irishman, the German, the SwedeWe ought to be free to meet and mingle,?to rise by our individual worth, without any consideration of caste or color; and they who deny us this right are false to their own professed principles of human equalityWe ought, in particular, to be allowed hereWe have more than the rights of common men;?we have the claim of an injured race for reparationBut, then, I do not want it; I want a country, a nation, of my ownI think that the African race has peculiarities, yet to be unfolded in the light of civilization and Christianity, which, if not the same with those of the Anglo-Saxon, may prove to be, morally, of even a higher type ?To the Anglo-Saxon race has been intrusted the destinies of the world, during its pioneer period of struggle and conflictTo that mission its stern, inflexible, energetic elements, were well adapted; but, as a Christian, I look for another era to ariseOn its borders I trust we stand; and the throes that now convulse the nations are, to my hope, but the birth-pangs of an hour of universal peace and brotherhood ?I trust that the development of Africa is to be essentially a Christian oneIf not a dominant and commanding race, they are, at least, an affectionate, magnanimous, and forgiving oneHaving been called in the furnace of injustice and oppression, they have need to bind closer to their hearts that sublime doctrine of love and forgiveness, through which alone they are to conquer, which it is to be their mission to spread over the continent of Africa ?In myself, I confess, I am feeble for this,?full half the blood in my veins is the hot and hasty Saxon; but I have an eloquent preacher of the Gospel ever by my side, in the person of my beautiful wifeWhen I wander, her gentler spirit ever restores me, and keeps before my eyes the Christian calling and mission of our raceAs a Christian patriot, as a teacher of Christianity, I go to my country,?my chosen, my glorious Africa!?and to her, in my heart, I sometimes apply those splendid words of prophecy: ?Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee; I will make thee an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations!? ?You will call me an enthusiast: you will tell me that I have not well considered what I am undertakingBut I have considered, and counted the costI go to Liberia, not as an Elysium of romance, but as to a field of shop work

She complained of a headache and wanted to return to the ship to restAll the way back he was very apologetic, but she remained in low spiritsAfter seeing her to her cabin, he slept for two hours himselfAs soon as he got up he went to her cabin, tapped on the partition, and called her name, asking if she felt any betterTo his surprise, the curtain opened and Miss Six came out saying Miss Pao was sick, had thrown up twice, and had just fallen asleepHe was at once chagrined and embarrassed; he said something lamely and beat a hasty retreat During dinner everyone noticed Miss Pao's absence and teased Fang, asking him where she wasHe mumbled, "She's tiredShe isn't feeling well Gloatingly, Miss Six said, "She ate with MrFang and came back with an upset stomachNow she can't keep a thing downI'm just afraid she's con tracted dysentery!" The callous men students laughed heartily and spouted all sorts of non sense, asking, "Who told her to eat with Little Fang23 behind our backs?" "Little Fang is a real disgrace! Why can't he pick a clean restaurant when he asks a girl out to eat?" "It couldn't be the restaurant's faultMiss Pao was probably too happy and ate so much she couldn't digest it allRight, Little Fang?" "Little Fang, you didn't get sick? Oh, I get it! Miss Pao's beauty is such a feast to the eye,24 and you got your fill just looking at her and didn't have to eat "I'm afraid what he feasted on wasn't beauty but-" The speaker was 21 going to say "cooked meat"; then suddenly thinking the words would be inelegant in front of Miss Six and might be passed on to Miss Pao, he picked up a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth Fang actually hadn't had enough to eat during lunch but now could no longer stand everyone's teasing Without waiting for all the dishes to be served, he took off, causing the others to laugh even harderAs he stood up and turned around, he saw the waiter, Ah Lix, standing behind him and giv ing him an understanding wink Miss Pao stayed in bed for a day or two; then she finally got upShe still toyed with Fang but not as freely as beforePerhaps because they would be reaching Hong Kong in a few days, she had to cleanse her mind and body in preparation for meeting her fiance Three or four students and the Suns were going to disembark at Colon to take the Canton-Hankow train With departure imminent they gam bled away for all they were worth, only lamenting that lights were not per mitted in the dining room after midnightOn the afternoon before arrival in Hong Kong, they exchanged home addresses and made repeated promises to see one another again, as if the shipboard friendship was never to be forgotten Fang was about to go on deck to look for Miss Pao when Ah Lix fur tively called himEver since the day he had given Ah Lix the three hundred francs, he felt uneasy whenever he saw Ah LixHardening his expression, he asked Ah Lix what the matter wasAh Lix said that among the cabins he took care of there was one vacant; he asked Fang if Fang wanted it for the eve ning, saying he would only ask six hundred francs for itWith a wave of the hand, Fang said, "What would I want with that?" and bounded up the steps two at a time, with Ah Lix laughing scornfully behind himHe suddenly realized what Ah Lix had had in mind and his face burned with shameHe went up to sputter out the incident to Miss Pao, cursing that scoundrel Ah LixShe gave a snort, but as others were coming up, there was no chance to say anymoreSun said, "Today, to mark our parting, we should live it up and gamble through the whole nightAh Lix has an empty cabin which I've reserved for two hundred francs Miss Pao threw Fang a contemptuous glance, then immediately stared at her plate and ate her soupSun, feeding her child with a spoon, asked meekly, "We'll be going ashore tomorrowAren't you afraid of getting tired?" MrSun said, "Tomorrow I'll find a hotel and sleep for days and nights on endThe engines on the ship are so noisy, I've nor been sleeping shop well

?Well, stranger, what will you take?? ?Well, now,? said Haley, ?I could raise that ar chap myself, or get him raised; he?s oncommon likely and healthy, and he?d fetch a hundred dollars, six months hence; and, in a year or two, he?d bring two hundred, if I had him in the right spot; I shan?t take a cent less nor fifty for him now ?O, stranger! that?s rediculous, altogether,? said the man ?Fact!? said Haley, with a decisive nod of his head ?I?ll give thirty for him,? said the stranger, ?but not a cent more ?Now, I?ll tell ye what I will do,? said Haley, spitting again, with renewed decision?I?ll split the difference, and say forty-five; and that?s the most I will do ?Well, agreed!? said the man, after an interval?Where do you land?? ?At Louisville,? said the man ?Louisville,? said Haley?Very fair, we get there about duskChap will be asleep,?all fair,?get him off quietly, and no screaming,?happens beautiful,?I like to do everything quietly,?I hates all kind of agitation and fluster And so, after a transfer of certain bills had passed from the man?s pocket-book to the trader?s, he resumed his cigar It was a bright, tranquil evening when the boat stopped at the wharf at LouisvilleThe woman had been sitting with her baby in her arms, now wrapped in a heavy sleepWhen she heard the name of the place called out, she hastily laid the child down in a little cradle formed by the hollow among the boxes, first carefully spreading under it her cloak; and then she sprung to the side of the boat, in hopes that, among the various hotel-waiters who thronged the wharf, she might see her husbandIn this hope, she pressed forward to the front rails, and, stretching far over them, strained her eyes intently on the moving heads on the shore, and the crowd pressed in between her and the child ?Now?s your time,? said Haley, taking the sleeping child up, and handing him to the stranger?Don?t wake him up, and set him to crying, now; it would make a devil of a fuss with the gal The man took the bundle carefully, and was soon lost in the crowd that went up the wharf When the boat, creaking, and groaning, and puffing, had loosed from the wharf, and was beginning slowly to strain herself along, the woman returned to her old seatThe trader was sitting there,?the child was gone! ?Why, why,?where?? she began, in bewildered surprise ?Lucy,? said the trader, ?your child?s gone; you may as well know it first as lastYou see, I know?d you couldn?t take him down south; and I got a chance to sell him to a first-rate family, that?ll raise him better than you can The trader had arrived at that stage of Christian and political perfection which has been recommended by some preachers and politicians of the north, lately, in which he had completely overcome every humane weakness and prejudiceHis heart was exactly where yours, sir, and mine could be brought, with proper effort and cultivationThe wild look of anguish and utter despair that the woman cast on him might have disturbed one less practised; but he was used to itHe had seen that same look hundreds of timesYou can get used to such things, too, my friend; and it is the great object of recent efforts to make our whole northern community used to them, for the glory of the UnionSo the trader only regarded the mortal anguish which he saw working in those dark features, those clenched hands, and suffocating breathings, as necessary incidents of the trade, and merely calculated whether she was going to scream, and get up a commotion on the boat; for, like other supporters of our peculiar institution, he decidedly disliked agitation But the woman did not screamThe shot had passed too straight and direct through the heart, for cry or tear Dizzily she sat downHer slack hands fell lifeless by her sideHer eyes looked straight forward, but she saw nothingAll the noise and hum of the boat, the groaning of the machinery, mingled dreamily to her bewildered ear; and the poor, dumb-stricken heart had neither cry not tear to show for its utter misery The trader, who, considering his advantages, was almost as humane as some of our politicians, seemed to feel called on to administer such consolation as the case admitted of ?I know this yer comes kinder hard, at first, Lucy,? said he; ?but such a smart, sensible gal as you are, won?t give way to itYou see it?s necessary, and can?t be helped!? ?O! don?t, Mas?r, don?t!? said the woman, with a voice like one that is smothering ?You?re a smart wench, Lucy,? he persisted; ?I mean to do well by ye, and get ye a nice place down river; and you?ll soon get another husband,?such a likely gal as you?? ?O! Mas?r, if you only won?t talk to me now,? said the woman, in a voice of such quick and living anguish that the trader felt that there was something at present in the case beyond his style of operationHe got up, and the woman turned away, and buried her head in her shop cloak