Plans for the future must turn upon this as upon an axle.  Moreover, to effect anything some distinguished person of high position and importance must come forward, and the man whom the I.G. named when he was asked for his advice was Prince Ching.  He was the one person with whom the Foreign Powers would be most likely to treat, as it was to his influence, rumour said, that the Legations owed the merciful truce during the Siege.  Li Hung Chang, it is true, had also been given full powers to negotiate with the Nations, but they looked rather askance at him because of two telegrams he had sent.  One stating that the Legations had reached Tientsin in safety was a most unfortunate falsehood and prejudiced the world against him, more’s the pity, as he had hitherto been considered able and powerful abroad.  The other was a foolish request that no foreign troops should pass Tungchow—­a town on the Grand Canal about fifteen miles from the capital.  It was quite right and proper that, being appointed, Li should share Prince Ching’s labours and not allow everything, criticism included, to be thrown on the latter alone; but the more he was discredited, the more need for Prince Ching to return to Peking—­and quickly.

[Illustration:  SIR ROBERT HART AND MISS KATE CARL

In the costume given her by the Empress-Dowager of China when Miss
Carl painted her portrait for the St. Louis Exhibition.]

At last the officials discovered where he was—­he had fled with the Court but stopped en route—­urged him to come back, and he came.  I believe one of the first things he did was to send for the I.G., whom he greeted with great cordiality.  “This is China’s oldest friend,” he said to the officials standing by, “and I rely on him to help us.  Indeed I can remember, as if it was yesterday, when we worked together before on the Franco-Chinese negotiations in 1885.”

The meeting was a memorable and decisive one.  As the Chinese themselves knew, and as the I.G. agreed, there were but two ways of solving the difficulty before them.  Either it must be fought out—­and the fact that China’s military strength could not arrest the steps of the foreign troops, and that a fort-night sufficed for them to march victoriously from the sea to Peking, was in itself sufficient to show that nothing could be hoped from the noble idea of “no surrender”—­or at all costs some peaceful arrangement must be made.

A note was accordingly drawn up requesting the doyen of the Diplomatic Corps to fix a day to receive the Chinese Plenipotentiaries, who “were ready to begin negotiations and had prepared a proposal for discussion,” which they enclosed.  A bold stroke this, and rather a surprise to the diplomats, who marvelled that the Chinese—­injuring parties as they were—­should have the courage—­let us call it so, for there was truly much admirable bravery in it—­to take the first step.