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I was glad to escape from it not withstanding a delightful Italian gentleman; Sig. Picorini, married to an American lady who has a sister living in Detroit, met me at the wharf and begged me to make his home mine during my stay in Shanghai.

I had not met before Sig. Picorini nor his wife, nor her relatives, but they are friends of good old Coleman of Capri, and he had sent them word of my coming and they had reached me by letters at Singapore and had urged me to be their guest in Shanghai which I had declined.  But when meeting Sig. Picorini at last, I learned that he is an ardent collector of Chinese art, knows everybody worth knowing in Shanghai, has some office in the Chinese Customs under Sir Robt.-Hart, and his wife is a devoted Whistlerite.  So on my return to Shanghai from here I shall see something of this interesting couple.