The Boy Fortune Hunters in China by L. Frank Baum

We were glad to turn away from these disgusting and fearful creatures, and Archie asked our conductor:

"Is there a harem connected with the palace?"

"Of course," said Wi; "but you are not permitted to visit it."

"Had the late Prince many wives? " inquired Joe.

"He had none at all. In the harem lives his sister, a young girl but sixteen years of age. Her mother is long since dead, but she has nine aunts, now well advanced in years, to keep her company. They were the wives of Kai-Tien, the father of Prince Kai Lun Pu."

"And was the Prince fond of his sister? " I asked, remembering that he had never mentioned her.

"He scarcely knew her. She was a mere child when he went to England, and during his brief visits to Kai-Nong afterward he seldom entered the harem."

"Will she inherit none of his property? " asked Archie.

"She inherits nothing. But she is entitled to a home in the harem as long as she lives, and our Celestial and August Emperor will doubtless attend to her welfare. Nor-Ghai, as she is named, is quite beautiful, and she will be presented to the Most Serene Emperor as a candidate for his harem, in a few months."

This was almost as horrible as the story of the King Ape, and I was glad our approach to a beautiful building put an end to the conversation.

We had descended from the mound and passed through a grove of willow trees, finding before us the edifice I have referred to. It was very ornamental in design, and was built almost entirely of bamboo wands polished to a mirror-like surface. The workmanship was everywhere exquisite, and the carving so delicate and flowerlike that I was amazed. The building was not extensive, being perhaps thirty feet square, and on each of its four sides was a flight of steps leading up to a platform before an entrance.

"Oh," said I, "this must be the House of Ancestors."

"You are right," said a harsh voice beside me, and turning I beheld the expressionless, putty-like countenance of Mai Lo. He reminded me of "old Death's-Head" more forcibly than ever, and I was not at all pleased to have him intrude upon us.

"What are you doing here? " I demanded angrily.

"This is my domain," he replied, with a sweep of his arm. "I rule the Ancestral Halls as their especial guardian."

"You ought to be the Keeper of the Sacred Apes," I retorted, with a sneer.

"That is my function also," quietly answered Mai Lo.

Somewhat at a loss how to proceed I turned again to gaze at the Ancestral Halls which were to play so important a part in our adventures. A guard paced slowly up and down before each entrance; not one of the eunuchs, but a soldier in handsome costume and armed with a naked scimitar.

"Do you live in the palace grounds? " Joe asked the governor.

"My residence is there," said Mai Lo, pointing to a large, substantial building some distance away. "Prince Kai desired me to live near to the Ancestral Halls. I have another house outside the walls, in the city."