Much Impressed.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 55

Much Impressed.

"Before entering the house ot the royal Prime Minister" (says a traveller lately returned from Corea), " I proceeded to take off my shoes, as I always complied with the customs of the country ; but tha prince, having somehow beeu informed that such was not tho custom in England, insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken (,ff one shoe, and was proceeding to unlia the other, when, catching me by the nrm, he dragged me in. " I had now but one shoe on ; still I managed to be equal to the occasion, aud had a long talk with the prince, his courtiers standing round. Suddenly a young relative cf the prince whispered something in his ear, and directly the courtiers rushed from the room. A minute after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the audience room and deposited in the middle of the table — my shoe which I bad left outside. " It appeared that this special state of cxcitfment waß produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate footgear was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone beautifully. Neither prince nor court had ever seen patent leather before, and much delight, mingled with childish surprise, was on the tace of everybody when it was whispered round that my shoe was covered with a coating of glass. " So great an impression did it make that when 1 came away the prince himself acccompanied me to the door, while a page put on and laced my dazzling footgear."