to the wealth or social status of either; and this is after all the essence of what constitutes the true gentleman.”
“In that case,” cried T‘ang, “let us not hurry on, but rather improve ourselves by observing the ways and customs of this people.”
By-and-by they arrived at the market-place, where they saw an official servant[1] standing at a stall engaged in making purchases. He was holding in his hand the articles he wished to buy and was saying to the owner of the stall, “Just reflect a moment, Sir, how impossible it would be for me to take these excellent goods at the absurdly low price you are asking. If you will oblige me by doubling the amount, I shall do myself the honour of accepting them; otherwise, I cannot but feel that you are unwilling to do business with me to-day.”
“How very funny!” whispered T‘ang to his friends. “Here now is quite a different custom from ours, where the buyer invariably tries to beat down the seller, and the seller to run up the price of his goods as high as possible. This certainly looks like the ‘consideration for others’ of which we spoke just now.”
The man at the stall here replied, “Your wish, Sir, should be law to me, I know; but the fact is I am already overwhelmed with shame at the high price I have ventured to name. Besides I do not profess to adhere rigidly to ‘marked prices,’ which is a mere trick of the trade; and consequently it should be the aim of every purchaser to make me lower my terms to the very smallest figure. You, on the contrary, are trying to raise the price to an exorbitant figure; and although I fully appreciate your kindness in that respect, I must really ask you to seek what you require at some other establishment. It is quite impossible for me to execute your commands.”
T‘ang was again expressing his astonishment at this extraordinary reversal of the platitudes of trade when the would-be
- ↑ A class very much dreaded by shop-keepers in China for their avarice and extortion. Usually called “runners.”
