Merely Borrowed.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 47, 15 April 1899, Page 1

Merely Borrowed.

Chinese butlers have a way, when,fchsir>own supplies fall short, of bonding from neighbours. At least, this was a very comnioffineustorn not long ago, and goods changed hands over the garden wall with squishing celerity, the butlers, meantime .keeping a strict account. A European- lady residing in' China writes thus :— --_ "At the first large dinner -^axty towhich I was invited — I went as^ briJe-t- . I found myself eating witlt^my, ©w,n , brand new knives, forks, and^poogssw I I stared at them very hard ; fapse. could; bey no mistake, for I oould ses .th^-fteai? monograms. I did not dars^^y .say- anything, but when I reacb(jsd,,:bomG'l told my husband, rather tremblingly, fo^ I ■was quite sure they 1 ad been stolW " To my amazement he oulj, laughed, and X ' said : " ' Oh, you will get Hs^.tov&aisoon, ' and when j t ou hare too- many g^^a you will find that, insteadl'safc^slcrog.yjs^to get more supplies, the^ba^B-will* psJf borrow your neighbouxa^f? A^'ay^jtflake ,up the deficiency.' «' And so it profes^ t can well' remember once, whec^m^ %aband.i I}^ asked eight guests in to- dinner only halt an. hour before the u%ual~fcime (<^& f fo^ each of the delicious spring snipe he had > shot), that there appep,«dj lasier,'a, l at)lendi^. roast leg of mutto^,a3 i Qn^ a of'the oom-s*s v ' " Now, I knew wefliad ikpi,inutj;oft foi. earlier in the" day tfee t o6ftfc"Wd'' been' Ue A f " wailiog the non-a»?ieJ«P^,thg- S^ajigh^ "

steamer, by which it always came. Turning to the gentleman on my lett, 1 asked : . " ' Did your steamer come from bnanghai to day ? ' "Yes; \ihy?' , , ... " I lookpd down to the other end of the table whexe my husband was carwng the unexpected treasuie-tiove >uth very evident enjoyment. " ' Well, ours did not,' said I, and vet tl Pie caught sight of the mutton. c "Oh!' he laughed. 'I suppose that is mine. No doubt youis will come tomorrow, and probably be much better; so I shall be- the gainer this time.' "