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152.

Grand Hotel des Wagons-Lits, Ltd.
Tel. Address: Wagonlits.  Code: A.B.C. 5th Edition.


Peking, Sept 27th, 1909.

Dear Colonel Hecker.

In response to my cable request of last Friday, and with their accustomed promptness the "Shanghai Bank" - here so termed -Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation in reality, early this (Monday) morning notified me that they were holding for me the sum of £1.000. sterling.  Many thanks for your kind and prompt response to my second call.  When calling upon you for the £2.000. I thought that sum would be ample, but I did not then know that I had reached Peking at one of the two best annual times for purchasing fine objects.

The Chinese well-to-do people must have money twice a year-  First on their New Years day - February 1st, when every chinaman inventories his property, collects all outstanding accounts due him and pays all his debts - for ordinary purchases he pays only annually [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] that is on February 1st.  His second requirement is for ready cash with which to celebrate

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