FROM THE FRENCH OF THEOPHILE GAUTIER.


In the province of Canton, several miles from the city, there
once lived two rich Chinese merchants, retired from business. One
of them was named Tou, the other Kouan. Both were possessed
of great riches, and were persons of much consequence in the
community.

Tou and Kouan were distant relatives, and from early youth had
lived and worked side by side. Bound by ties of great affection,
they had built their homes near together, and every evening they
met with a few select friends to pass the hours in delightful
intercourse. Both possessed of much talent, they vied with each
other in the production of exquisite Chinese handiwork, and spent
the evenings in tracing poetry and fancy designs on rice-paper
as they drank each other's success in tiny glasses of delicate
cordial. But their characters, apparently so harmonious, as time
went on grew more and more apart; they were like an almond tree,
growing as one stem, until little by little the branches divide
so that the topmost twigs are far from each other--half sending
their bitter perfume through the whole garden, while the other
half scatter their snow-white flowers outside the garden wall.

From year to year Tou grew more serious; his figure increased in
dignity, even his double chin wore a solemn expression, and he
spent his whole time composing moral inscriptions to hang over
the doors of his pavilion.

Kouan, on the contrary, grew jolly as his years increased. He