The interior was elaborately furnished. Large mirrors covered the walls. Marble‐topped tables with the inevitable clocks and vases of artificial flowers were placed round the sides. European chairs and Chinese blackwood stools stood about in curious contrast. But the _pièce de résistance_ was a lovely screen. An inner chamber was used as a mess‐room; and a long table covered with a white cloth, on which stood common Delft plates and glass tumblers, looked out of keeping with the surroundings. But, more regardful of the thirst induced by a hot ride than artistic proprieties, we threw ourselves into comfortable chairs and quaffed a much‐needed, cooling drink. In front of the pavilion was a square, paved yard, in which stood a curious scaffolding of gaily painted poles, which had served to spread an awning above the court. For here the imprisoned Emperor had been permitted to walk; and as we sat on the verandah and gave our hosts the latest news of Pekin, we gazed with interest on the confined space in which the monarch of the vast Empire of China had paced in weary anticipation of his fate. As it wanted an hour or two to lunch‐time, one of the officers of the garrison volunteered to guide us round the palace. We eagerly accepted his offer and were led out into a maze of courts surrounded by low houses. He brought us first to his quarters in a long, two‐storied building. From the upper windows on the far side a lovely view lay spread before our eyes. Below the house was a large lake, confined by a marble wall and balustrade that passed all round it. Close to us, on the right, the long, tree‐clad hill, on which stood the Empress‐Dowager’s temple and the Hall of Ten Thousand Ages, rose almost from the brink. To the left a graceful, many‐arched bridge stretched from the bank to a tiny island far out in the placid water. On it stood a small pavilion. Near the shore a flotilla of boats was anchored. It comprised foreign‐designed barges, dinghies, and a half‐sunken steam launch. Patches of lotus leaves lay on the tranquil surface. And away, far beyond the lake, a line of rugged and barren hills rose up from the plain. [Illustration: A STREET IN THE TARTAR CITY, PEKIN, AFTER HEAVY RAIN]