Spring came unexpectedly to Peking where, since it was so far North, it came later than in any other part of the country.
But now the almond trees were blossoming in the courtyard of Tseng-Wen’s house, the magnolia was in bud and the pomegranate trees showed pink.
Stanton Ware could feel the sun warm on his face and the winds no longer had the chill of snow in them.
He knew that outside the City the Chinese landscape was now a delight, but he could see nothing beyond the confines of the courtyards in his host’s house.
There the stone pools were filled with goldfish moving among the green leaves and wax-like flowers of the water lilies and flanked by artificially cultivated dwarf trees.
He was, however, fortunate in knowing what was going on in the outside world because Tseng-Wen had a
