Chapter I: Front Matter

THE VERMILION PENCIL

THE VERMILION PENCIL
A ROMANCE OF CHINA

BY

HOMER LEA

NEW YORK
THE McCLURE COMPANY
MCMVIII

_Copyright, 1908, by The McClure Company_

Published, March, 1908

Copyright, 1906, by Homer Lea
_All rights reserved_

_To
My Father and to Fred Phillips
This Book is Dedicated_

CONTENTS

PAGE
PROLOGUE

THE TYPHOON 3

BOOK I. A WOMAN

CHAPTER
I. IN THE VALLEY OF THE FOUNTAIN 25
II. THE VICEROY 34
III. THE WIFE 43

BOOK II. TWO UNKNOWNS

I. THE YOUNGER 53

BOOK III. THE BEGINNING

I. PRO DEO ET ECCLESIA 65
II. THE SCHOLAR 72
III. HOMO! MUTATO! 80
IV. A DRAGON AND THE GROTTO 88
V. THE MONSOON 98
VI. A GIFT 111
VII. DAWN 121
VIII. THE DELUGE FAMILY 128
IX. THE DERELICT 144
X. TWILIGHT 155
XI. NIGHT 172

BOOK IV. THE NEMESIS OF FATE

I. THE WANDERER 185
II. WORD FROM THE UNKNOWN 198
III. DAWN AGAIN 205
IV. THE GROTTO OF THE SLEEPLESS DRAGON 211
V. THE PROPITIATION OF THE GODS OF THE WATERS 218
VI. The Propitiation of the Gods of the Waters (_Continued_) 238
VII. THE WHITE LAMB AND YELLOW WOLF 260
VIII. AND SO IT ENDED 276
IX. JUDGMENT 291
X. A FRIEND 305
XI. ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACTHANI 314