Perhaps the fortune tellers are wrong. Perhaps -- and this may be nearer the truth -- fortune telling is an art and not a science, even as the practice of medicine is an art and not a science. If a doctor's pronouncement were the dictum of Science the Absolute, there would be no advantage in having old, experienced doctors, and there would be no need for consultations in emergency cases, for one doctor to ask another doctor, "What do you think?" To us laymen, however, who need faith in something absolute, professional men have to give an appearance of certainty and possession of the Truth. Thus the analysis of faces is like the diagnosis of symptoms. There are no hard and fast distinctions among faces of the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth types. The sub-types merge into one another. It is a question of the predominance of a certain type, and the combinations of types are infinite in their differences and nuances. It is the experienced physiognomist who sees the nuances. As regards Mulan and her sister, all that was clear and certain was that Mulan had longer eyes than Mochow's, eyes of passionate intelligence, that she was thinner and sharper in her features, more volatile and more spirited than Mochow, while Mochow, being of the spirit of the Earth, had round eyes and round, fleshy features, and was more steady and practical than Mulan. The comparatively white softness of Mochow's skin was a point in her favor, indicating fineness of texture and an easy, comfortable life. East and West, from ancient to modern times, the ideal woman has always been conceived to be one white of skin, supple in flesh, and soft and round in her contours.

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