If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you spend a fair amount of time online. However, considering how much of an influence the Internet has in our daily lives, how many of us actually know the story of how it got its start?
Here’s a brief history of the Internet, including important dates, people, projects, sites, and other information that should give you at least a partial picture of what this thing we call the Internet really is, and where it came from.
While the complete history of the Internet could easily fill a few books, this article should familiarize you with key milestones and events related to the growth and evolution of the Internet between 1969 to 2009.
1969: Arpanet
was the first real network to run on
technology (new at the time). On the October 29, 1969, computers at Stanford and UCLA connected for the first time. In effect, they were the first hosts on what would one day become the Internet.
The first message sent across the network was supposed to be &Login&, but reportedly, the link between the two colleges crashed on the letter &g&.
1969: Unix
Another major milestone during the 60′s was the inception of : the operating system whose design heavily influenced that of Linux and FreeBSD (the operating systems most popular in today’s web servers/web hosting services).
1970: Arpanet network
An Arpanet network was established between Harvard, MIT, and BBN (the company that created the &interface message processor& computers used to connect to the network) in 1970.
1971: Email
Email was first developed in 1971 by , who also made the decision to use the &@& symbol to separate the user name from the computer name (which later on became the domain name).
1971: Project Gutenberg and eBooks
One of the most impressive developments of 1971 was . Project Gutenberg, for those unfamiliar with the site, is a global effort to make books and documents in the public domain available electronically–for free–in a variety of eBook and electronic formats.
It began when
gained access to a large block of computing time and came to the realization that the future of computers wasn’t in computing itself, but in the storage, retrieval and searching of information that, at the time, was only contained in libraries. He manually typed (no
at the time) the &Declaration of Independence& and launched Project Gutenberg to make information contained in books widely available in electronic form. In effect, this was the birth of the eBook.
1972: CYCLADES
France began its own Arpanet-like project in 1972, called . While Cyclades was eventually shut down, it did pioneer a key idea: the host computer should be responsible for data transmission rather than the network itself.
1973: The first trans-Atlantic connection and the popularity of emailing
Arpanet made its first trans-Atlantic connection in 1973, with the University College of London. During the same year, email accounted for 75% of all Arpanet network activity.
1974: The beginning of TCP/IP
1974 was a breakthrough year. A
was published to link Arpa-like networks together into a so-called &inter-network&, which would have no central control and would work around a transmission control protocol (which eventually became ).
1975: The email client
With the popularity of emailing, the first modern email program was developed by , a programmer at the University
of Southern California in 1975. The biggest technological advance this program (called MSG) made was the addition of &Reply& and &Forward& functionality.
1977: The PC modem
1977 was a big year for the development of the Internet as we know it today. It’s the year the first , developed by
and , was introduced and initially sold to computer hobbyists.
1978: The Bulletin Board System (BBS)
(BBS) was developed during a blizzard in Chicago in 1978.
1978: Spam is born
1978 is also the year that brought the first unsolicited commercial email message (later known as spam), sent out to 600 California Arpanet users by Gary Thuerk.
1979: MUD – The earliest form of multiplayer games
The precursor to
was developed in 1979, and was called
(short for MultiUser Dungeon). MUDs were entirely text-based virtual worlds, combining elements of role-playing games, interactive, fiction, and online chat.
1979: Usenet
1979 also ushered into the scene: , created by two graduate students. Usenet was an internet-based discussion system, allowing people from around the globe to converse about the same topics by posting public messages categorized by newsgroups.
1980: ENQUIRE software
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (better known as ) launched
(written by ), a hypertext program that allowed scientists at the particle physics lab to keep track of people, software, and projects using hypertext (hyperlinks).
1982: The first emoticon
While many people credit Kevin MacKenzie with the invention of the
in 1979, it was
in 1982 who proposed using :-) after a joke, rather than the original -) proposed by MacKenzie. The modern emoticon was born.
1983: Arpanet computers switch over to TCP/IP
January 1, 1983 was the deadline for Arpanet computers to switch over to the TCP/IP protocols developed by Vinton Cerf. A few hundred computers were affected by the switch. The name server was also developed in ’83.
1984: Domain Name System (DNS)
was created in 1984 along with the first Domain Name Servers (DNS). The domain name system was important in that it made addresses on the Internet more human-friendly compared to its numerical IP address counterparts. DNS servers allowed Internet users to type in an easy-to-remember domain name and then converted it to the IP address automatically.
1985: Virtual communities
1985 brought the development of
(short for Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link), one of the oldest virtual communities still in operation. It was developed by Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant in February of ’85. It started out as a community of the readers and writers of the Whole Earth Review and was an open but &remarkably literate and uninhibited intellectual gathering&. Wired Magazine once called The Well &The most influential online community in the world.&
1986: Protocol wars
The so-called Protocol wars began in 1986. European countries at that time were pursuing the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), while the United States was using the Internet/Arpanet protocol, which eventually won out.
1987: The Internet grows
By 1987, there were nearly 30,000 hosts on the Internet. The original Arpanet protocol had been limited to 1,000 hosts, but the adoption of the TCP/IP standard made larger numbers of hosts possible.
1988: IRC – Internet Relay Chat
Also in 1988, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was first deployed, paving the way for real-time chat and the instant messaging programs we use today.
1988: First major malicious internet-based attack
One of the first major Internet worms was released in 1988. Referred to as &The Morris Worm&, it was written by Robert Tappan Morris and caused major interruptions across large parts of the Internet.
1989: AOL is launched
When Apple pulled out of the AppleLink program in 1989, the project was renamed and America Online was born. AOL, still in existence today, later on made the Internet popular amongst the average internet users.
1989: The proposal for the World Wide Web
1989 also brought about the , written by Tim Berners-Lee. It was originally published in the March issue of MacWorld, and then redistributed in May 1990. It was written to persuade CERN that a global hypertext system was in CERN’s best interest. It was originally called &Mesh&; the term &World Wide Web& was coined while Berners-Lee was writing the code in 1990.
1990: First commercial dial-up ISP
1990 also brought about the first commercial dial-up Internet provider, . The same year, Arpanet ceased to exist.
1990: World Wide Web protocols finished
The code for the World Wide Web was written by Tim Berners-Lee, based on his proposal from the year before, along with the standards for HTML, HTTP, and URLs.
1991: First web page created
1991 brought some major innovations to the world of the Internet. The
was created and, much like the first email explained what email was, its purpose was to explain what the World Wide Web was.
1991: First content-based search protocol
Also in the same year, the first search protocol that examined file contents instead of just file names was launched, called .
1991: MP3 becomes a standard
file format was accepted as a standard in 1991. MP3 files, being highly compressed, later become a popular file format to share songs and entire albums via the internet.
1991: The first webcam
One of the more interesting developments of this era, though, was the . It was deployed at a Cambridge
University computer lab, and its sole purpose was to monitor a particular coffee maker so that lab users could avoid wasted trips to an empty coffee pot.
1993: Mosaic – first graphical web browser for the general public
The first widely downloaded Internet browser, , was released in 1993. While Mosaic wasn’t the first web browser, it is considered the first browser to make the Internet easily accessible to non-techies.
1993: Governments join in on the fun
In 1993, both the White House and the United Nations came online, marking the beginning of the .gov and .org domain names.
1994: Netscape Navigator
Mosaic’s first big competitor, , was released the year following (1994).
1995: Commercialization of the internet
1995 is often considered the first year the web became commercialized. While there were commercial enterprises online prior to ’95, there were a few key developments that happened that year. First,
(Secure Sockets Layer) encryption was developed by Netscape, making it safer to conduct financial transactions (like credit card payments) online.
In addition, two major online businesses got their start the same year. The first sale on &Echo
Bay& was made that year. Echo Bay later became .
also started in 1995, though it didn’t turn a profit for six years, until 2001.
1995: Geocities, the Vatican goes online, and JavaScript
Other major developments that year included the launch of
(which officially closed down on October 26, 2009).
also went online for the first time.
Java and JavaScript (originally called LiveScript by its creator, , and deployed as part of the Netscape Navigator browser
– ) was first introduced to the public in 1995.
was launched by Microsoft the following year.
1996: First web-based (webmail) service
(the capitalized letters are an homage to HTML), the first webmail service, was launched.
1997: The term &weblog& is coined
While the first blogs had been around for a few years in one form or another, 1997 was the first year the term && was used.
1998: First new story to be broken online instead of traditional media
In 1998, the first major news story to be broken online was the
(also referred to as &Monicagate& among other nicknames), which was posted on
after Newsweek killed the story.
1998: Google!
went live in 1998, revolutionizing the way in which people find information online.
1998: Internet-based file-sharing gets its roots
In 1998 as well,
launched, opening up the gates to mainstream file-sharing of audio files over the internet.
1999: SETI@home project
1999 is the year when one of the more interesting projects ever brought online: the
project, launched. The project has created the equivalent of a giant supercomputer by harnessing the computing power of more than 3 million computers worldwide, using their processors whenever the screensaver comes on, indicating that the computer is idle. The program analyzes radio telescope data to look for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
2000: The bubble bursts
2000 was the year of the , resulting in huge losses for legions of investors. Hundreds of companies closed, some of which had never turned a profit for their investors. The NASDAQ, which listed a large number of tech companies affected by the bubble, peaked at over 5,000, then lost 10% of its value in a single day, and finally hit bottom in October of 2002.
2001: Wikipedia is launched
With the dotcom collapse still going strong,
launched in 2001, one of the websites that paved the way for collective web content generation/social media.
2003: VoIP goes mainstream
is released to the public, giving a user-friendly interface to Voice over IP calling.
2003: MySpace becomes the most popular social network
Also in 2003,
opens up its doors. It later grew to be the most popular social network at one time (though it has since been overtaken by Facebook).
2003: CAN-SPAM Act puts a lid on unsolicited emails
Another major advance in 2003 was the signing of the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, better known as the .
2004: Web 2.0
Though coined in 1999 by Darcy DiNucci, the term &Web 2.0&, referring to websites and Rich Internet Applications (RIA) that are highly interactive and user-driven became popular around 2004. During the first Web 2.0 conference, John Batelle and Tim O’Reilly described the concept of &the Web as a Platform&:
software applications built to take advantage of internet connectivity, moving away from the desktop (which has downsides such as operating system dependency and lack of interoperability).
2004: Social Media and Digg
The term &social media&, believed to be first used by Chris Sharpley, was coined in the same year that &Web 2.0& became a mainstream concept. Social media–sites and web applications that allow its users to create and share content and to connect with one another–started around this period.
, a social news site, launched on November of 2004, paving the way for sites such as , , and . Digg revolutionized traditional means of generating and finding web content, democratically promoting news and web links that are reviewed and voted on by a community.
2004: &The& Facebook open to college students
launched in 2004, though at the time it was only open to college students and was called &The Facebook&; later on, &The& was dropped from the name, though the URL
still works.
2005: YouTube – streaming video for the masses
launched in 2005, bringing free online video hosting and sharing to the masses.
2006: Twitter gets twittering
launched in 2006. It was originally going to be called twittr (inspired by Flickr); the first Twitter message was &just setting up my twttr&.
2007: Major move to place TV shows online
was first launched in 2007, a joint venture between ABC, NBC, and Fox to make popular TV shows available to watch online.
2007: The iPhone and the Mobile Web
The biggest innovation of 2007 was almost certainly the , which was almost wholly responsible for renewed interest in mobile web applications and design.
2008: &Internet Election&
The first && took place in 2008 with the U.S. Presidential election. It was the first year that national candidates took full advantage of all the Internet had to offer. Hillary Clinton jumped on board early with YouTube campaign videos. Virtually every candidate had a Facebook page or a Twitter feed, or both.
Ron Paul set a new fundraising record by raising $4.3 million in a single day through online donations, and then
only weeks later by raising $4.4 million in a single day.
The 2008 elections placed the Internet squarely at the forefront of politics and campaigning, a trend that is unlikely to change any time in the near future.
2009: ICANN policy changes
2009 brought about one of the biggest changes to come to the Internet in a long time when the U.S.
over ICANN, the official naming body of the Internet (they’re the organization in charge of registering domain names).
The Future?
Where is the future of the Internet headed? Share your opinions in the comments section.
Sources and Further Reading
A timeline of the Internet from guardian.co.uk.
An early timeline of the Internet, from precursors in the 1800s up through 1997.
A series of videos from Microsoft to celebrate the launch of Internet Explorer 8.
A brief history of major developments associated with the Internet .
A very thorough timeline of the Internet, starting in 1957 and going up through 2004, with tons of statistics and source material included.
A basic timeline of Internet history .
Related Content
Related categories:
About the Author
Cameron Chapman is a professional web and graphic designer with over 6 years of experience in the industry. She’s also written for numerous blogs such as Smashing Magazine and Mashable. You can find her personal web presence at . If you’d like to connect with her, .
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Mind,the lighted pieces of paper falling from above might burn you."Pao-yue smiled."I'm not going far,"he answered."I'm merely going out ofthe room,and will be back at once."Dowager lady Chia directed the matrons to "be careful and escort him."Pao-yue fwith no other attendants however than She Yueeh,Ch'iu Wen and several youthful maids."How is it,"his grandmother Chia felt obliged so ask,"that I don't seeanything of Hsi Jen?Is she too now putting on high and mighty airs that sheonly sends these juvenile girls here?"Madame Wang rose to her feet with all haste."Her mother,"she explained,"so being in deep mourning,she couldn't very well presentherself."Dowager lady Chia nodded her head assentingly."When one is in service,"shesmilingly remarked,"there should be no question of mourning or no mourning.Is it likely that,if she were still in my pay,she wouldn't at present be here?Allthese practices have quite become precedents!"Lady Feng crossed over to her."Had she even not been in mourning to-night,"she chimed in with a laugh,"she would have had to be in the garden and keep aneye over that pile of lanterns,candles,and fireworks,as they're most dangerousthings.For as soon as any theatricals are set on foot in here,who doesn'tsurreptitiously sneak out from the garden to have a look?But as far as she goes,she's diligent,and careful of every place.Moreover,when the company dispersesand brother Pao-yue retires to sleep,everything will be in perfect readiness.But,had she also come,that bevy of servants wouldn't again have caredand on his return,after the party,the bedding would have been cold,the tea-water wouldn't have been ready,and he would have had to put up withevery sort of discomfort.That's why I told her that there was no need for her tocome.But should you,dear senior,wish her here,I'll send for her straightway andhave done."Old lady Chia lent an ear to her arguments."What you say,"she promptly putPAGE 1084
in,"is perfectly right.You've made better arrangements than I could.Quick,don't send for her!But when did her mother die?How is it I know nothing aboutit?""Some time ago,"lady Feng laughed,"Hsi Jen came in person and toldyou,worthy ancestor,and how is it you've forgotten it?""Yes,"resumed dowager lady Chia smiling,after some reflection,"Iremember now.My memory is really not of the best."At this,everybody gave way to laughter."How could your venerableladyship,"they said,"recollect so many matters?"Dowager lady Chia thereupon heaved a sigh."How I remember,"she added,"theway she served me eveand how she waited upon Yuen Ehow at last she was given to that prince of devils,and how she has slavedaway with that imp for the last few years.She is,besides,not a slave-girl,born orbred in the place.Nor has she ever received any great benefits from our hands.When her mother died,I meant to have given her several but itquite slipped from my mind.""The other day,"lady Feng remarked,"Madame Wang presentedso that was all right."At these words,old lady Chia nodded assent."Yes,never mind about that,"she observed."Yuan Yang's mother also died,as it happens,but taking into consideration that both her parents lived in the south,I didn'tlet her return home to observe a period of mourning.But as both these girlsare now in mourning,why not allow them to live together?They'll thus beable to keep each other company.Take a few fruits,eatables,and other suchthings,"continuing she bade a matron,"and give them to those two girls toeat.""Would she likely wait until now?"Hu Po laughingly interposed."Why,shejoined (Hsi Jen)long ago."In the course of this conversation,the various inmates partook of somemore wine,and watched the theatricals.
But we will now turn our attention to Pao-yue.He made his way straight intothe garden.The matrons saw well enough that he was returning to his rooms,but instead of following him in,they ensconced themselves near the fire in thetea-room situated by the garden-gate,and made the best of the time bydrinking and playing cards with the girls in charge of the tea.Pao-yue enteredthe court.The lanterns burnt brightly,yet not a human voice was audible."Have they all,forsooth,gone to sleep?"She Yueeh ventured."Let's walk ingently,and give them a fright!"Presently,they stepped,on tiptoe,past the mirrored partition-wall.At aglance,they discerned Hsi Jen lying on the stove-couch,face to face withsome other girl.On the opposite side sat two or three old nurses nodding,half asleep.Pao-yue conjectured that both the girls were plunged in sleep,andwas just about to enter,when of a sudden some one was heard to heave a sighand to say:"How evident it is that worldly matters are very uncertain!Hereyou lived all alone in here,while your father and mother tarried abroad,androamed year after year from east to west,without any fixed place of abode.Iever thought that you wouldn't have been able to be with them but,as it happened,(your mother)died in this place this year,andyou could,after all,stand by her to the end.""Quite so!"rejoined Hsi Jen."Even I little expected to be able to see any ofmy parents'funeral.When I broke the news to our Madame Wang,she alsogave me forty taels.This was really a kind attention on her part.I hadn'tnevertheless presumed to indulge in any vain hopes."Pao-yue overheard what was said.Hastily twisting himself round,heremarked in a low voice,addressing himself to She Yueeh and hercompanions:"Who would have fancied her also in here?But were I to enter,she'll bolt away in another tantrum!Better then that we should retrace oursteps,and let them quietly have a chat together,eh?Hsi Jen was alone,anddown in the mouth,so it's a fortunate thing that she joined her in such goodtime."As he spoke,they once more walked out of the court with gentle tread.Pao-yue went to the back of the rockery,and stopping short,he raised hisclothes.She Yueeh and Ch'iu Wen stood still,and turned their faces away.
"Stoop,"they smiled,"and then loosen your clothes!Be careful that thewind doesn't blow on your stomach!"The two young maids,who followed behind,surmised that he was bent uponsatisfying a natural want,and they hurried ahead to the tea-room to prepare thewater.Just,however,as Pao-yue was crossing over,two married women came insight,advancing from the opposite direction."Who's there?"they inquired."Pao-yue is here,"Ch'ing Wen answered."But mind,if you bawl and shoutlike that,you'll give him a start."The women promptly laughed."We had no idea,"they said,"that we werecoming,at a great festive time like this,to bring trouble upon ourselves!What alot of hard work must day after day fall to your share,young ladies."Speaking the while,they drew near.She Yueeh and her friends then askedthem what they were holding in their hands."We're taking over,"they replied,"some things to the two girls:MissChin and Miss Hua.""They're still singing the 'Eight Worthies'outside,"She Yueeh went on toobserve laughingly,"and how is it you're running again to Miss Chin's andMiss Hua's before the 'Trouble-first moon-box'has been gone through?""Take the lid off,"Pao-yue cried,"and let me see what there's inside."Ch'in Wen and She Yueeh at once approached and uncovered the boxes.Thetwo women promptly stooped,which enabled Pao-yue to see that the contentsof the two boxes consisted alike of some of the finest fruits and tea-cakes,which had figured at the banquet,and,nodding his head,he walked off,whileShe Yueeh and her friend speedily threw the lids down anyhow,and followed inhis track."Those two dames are pleasant enough,"Pao-yue smiled,"and they know but it's they who get quite worn out every day,and theycontrariwise say that you've got ample to do daily.Now,doesn't this amount toPAGE 1087
bragging and boasting?""Those two women,"She Yueeh chimed in,"are not bad.But such of them asdon't know what good manners mean are ignorant to a degree of allpropriety.""You,who know what's what,"Pao-yue added,"should make allowances forthat kind of rustic people.Ythat's all."Speaking,he made his exit out of the garden gate.The matrons had,thoughengaged in drinking and gambling,kept incessantly stepping out of doors tofurtively keep an eye on his movements,so that the moment they perceivedPao-yue appear,they followed him in a body.On their arrival in the coveredpassage of the reception-hall,they espied two young waiting-the onewith a smathe other with a towel thrown over her arm.They also held a bowl and small kettle,and had been waiting in that passagefor ever so long.Ch'iu Wen was the first to hastily stretch out her hand and test the water."The older you grow,"she cried,"the denser you get!How could oneever use this icy-cold water?""Miss,look at the weather!"the young maid replied."I was afraid thewater would get cold.Itis it cold now?"While she made this rejoinder,an old matron was,by a strange coincidence,seen coming along,carrying a jug of hot water."Dear dame,"shouted theyoung maid,"come over and pour some for me in here!""My dear girl,"the matron responded,"this is for our old mistress tobrew tea with.I'you'd better go and fetch some yourself.Are you perchance afraid lest your feet might grow bigger by walking?""I don't care whose it is,"Ch'iu Wen put in."If you don't give me any,I shall certainly empty our old lady's teapot and wash my hands."The old maand,catching sight of Ch'iu Wen,shethere and then raised the jug and poured some of the water.
"That will do!"exclaimed Ch'iu Wen."With all your years,don't you yetknow what's what?Who isn't aware that it's for our old mistress?Butwould one presume to ask for what shouldn't be asked for?""My eyes are so dim,"the matron rejoined with a smile,"that I didn'trecognise this young lady."When Pao-yue had washed his hands,the young maid took the small juand,as she held it in her hand,Pao-yue rinsed his mouth.ButCh'iu Wen and She Yueeh availed themselves likewise of the warmafter which,they followed Pao-yue in.Pao-yue at once asked for a kettle of warm wine,and,starting from sister-in-law Li,he began to replenish their cups.(Sister-in-law Li and his auntHsueeh)pressed him,however,with smiling faces,but hisgrandmother Chia remonstrated."He's only a youngster,"she said,"so lethim pour the wine!We must all drain this cup!"With these words,she quaffed her own cup,leaving no heel-taps.MesdamesHsing and Wang also lost no timso Mrs.Hsueeh and'sister-in-law'Li had no alternative but to drain their share."Fill the cups too of your female cousins,senior or junior,"dowager lady Chiawent on to tell Pao-yue."And you mayn't pour the wine anyhow.Each of youmust swallow every drop of your drinks."Pao-yue upon hearing her wishes,set to work,while signifying his assent,toreplenish the cups of the several young ladies in their proper gradation.But whenhe got to Tai-yue,she raised the cup,for she would not drink any wine herself,and applied it to Pao-yue's lips.Pao-yue drained the contupon which Tai-yue gave him a smile,and said to him:"I am much obliged toyou."Pao-yue next poured a cup for her.But lady Feng immediately laughed andexpostulated."Pao-yue!"she cried,"you mustn't take any cold wine.Mind,your hand will tremble,and you won't be able to-morrow to write yourcharacters or to draw the bow."
"I'm not having any cold wine,"Pao-yue replied."I know you're not,"lady Feng smiled,"but I simply warn you."After this,Pao-yue finished helping the rest of the inmates inside,with theexception of Chia Jung's wife,for whom he bade a maid fill a cup.Thenemerging again into the covered passage,he replenished the cups of ChiaCheafter which,he tarried with them for a while,andat last walked in and resumed his former seat.Presently,the soup was brought,and soon after that the 'feast oflanterns'cakes were handed round.Dowager lady Chia gave orders that the play should be interrupted for a time."Those young people,"(she said)"are be to pitied!Let them too have some hotsoup and warm viands.They then can go on again.Take of every kind of fruit,"she continued,"'feast of lanterns'cakes,and other such dainties and give them afew."The play was shortly stopped.The matrons ushered in a couple of blindsinging-girls,who often came to the house,and put two benches,on theopposite side,for them.Old lady Chia desired them to take a seat,and banjosand guitars were then handed to them."What stories would you like to hear?"old lady Chia inquired of'sister-in-law'Li and Mrs.Hsueeh."We don'"both of them rejoined with one voice."Any will do!""Have you of late added any new stories to your stock?"old lady Chiaasked."We've got a new story,"the two girls explained."It's about an oldaffair of the time of the Five Dynasties,which trod down the T'angdynasty.""What's its title?"old lady Chia inquired.
"It's called:'A Feng seeks a Luan in marriage':(the male phoenix asks thefemale phoenix in marriage),"one of the girls answered."The title is all very well,"dowager lady Chia proceeded,"but why Iwonder was it ever given to it.First tell us its general purport,and if it'sinteresting,you can continue.""This story,"the girl explained,"treats of the time when the T'ang dynasty wasextinguished.There lived then one of the gentry,who had originally been adenizen of Chin Ling.His name was Wang Chun.He had been minister undertwo reigns.He had,about this time,pleaded old age and returned to his home.He had about his knees only one son,called Wang Hsi-feng."When the company heard so far,they began to laugh."Now isn't this a duplicate of our girl Feng's name?"old lady Chia laughinglyexclaimed.A married woman hurried up and pushed (the girl)."That's the name of yourlady Secunda,"she said,"so don't use it quite so heedlessly!""Go on with your story!"dowager lady Chia shouted.The girl speedily stood up,smiling the while."We do deserve death!"sheobserved."We weren't aware that it was our lady's worthy name.""Why should you be in such fear and trembling?"lady Feng laughed."Go on!There are many duplicate names and duplicate surnames."The girl then proceeded with her story."In a certain year,"she resumed,"hishonour old Mr.Wang saw his son Mr.Wang off for the capital to be in time forthe examinations.One day,he was overtaken by a heavy shower of rain and hebetook himself into a village for shelter.Who'd have thought it,there lived in thisvillage,one of the gentry,of the name of Li,who had been an old friend of hishonour old Mr.Wang,and he kept Mr.Wang junior to put up in his library.ThisMr.Li had no son,but only a daughter.This young daughter's worthy name wasCh'u Luan.She couldand she had aknowledge of books and of painting.There was nothing that she did notunderstand."
Old lady Chia eagerly chimed in."It's no wonder,"she said,"that the story hasbeen called:'A Feng seeks a Luan in marriage,''(a male phoenix seeks a femalephoenix in marriage).'But you needn't proceed.I've already guessed thedenouement.There's no doubt that Wang Hsi-feng asks for the hand of this MissCh'u Luan.""Your venerable ladyship must really have heard the story before,"thesinging-girl smiled."What hasn't our worthy senior heard?"they all exclaimed."But she'squick enough in guessing even unheard of things.""All these stories run invariably in one line,"old lady Chia laughinglyrejoined."They're all about pretty girls and scholars.There's no fun in them.They abuse people's daughters in every possible way,and then they still termthem nice pretty girls.They're so concocted that there's not even a semblanceof truth in them.From the very first,they canvass the families of the gentry.If the paterfamilias isn't a then he's made a minister.The heroine is bound to be as lovable as a gem.This young lady is sure tounderstand all about letters,and propriety.She knows every thing and is,in aword,a peerless beauty.At the sight of a handsome young man,she pays noheed as to whether he be relation or friend,but begins to entertain thoughtsof the primary affair of her life,and forgets her parents and sets her books onone side.She behaves as neither devil nor thief would:so in what respect doesshe resemble a nice pretty girl?Were even her brain full of learning,shecouldn't be accounted a nice pretty girl,after behaving in this manner!Justlike a young fellow,whose mind is well stored with book-lore,and who goesand plays the robber!Now is it likely that the imperial laws would look uponhim as a man of parts,and that they wouldn't bring against him some chargeof robbery?From this it's evident that those,who fabricate these stories,contradict themselves.Besides,they may,it's true,say that the heroinesbelong to great families of official and literary status,that they're conversantwith propriety and learning and that their honourable mothers toounderstand books and good manners,but great households like theirs must,in spite of the parents having pleaded old age and returned to their nativesplaces,contain a greand the nurses,maids andattendants on these young ladiand how is it then that,PAGE 1092
whenever these stories make reference to such matters,one only hears ofyoung ladies with but a single close attendant?What can,think foryourselves,all the other people be up to?Indeed,what is said before doesn'taccord with what comes afterwards.Isn't it so,eh?"The party listened to her with much glee."These criticisms of yours,venerable ancestor,"they said,"have laid bare every single discrepancy.""They have however their reasons,"old lady Chia smilingly resumed."Amongthe writers of these stories,there are some,who begrudge people's wealth andhonours,or possibly those,who having solicited a favour (of the wealthy andhonorable),and not obtained the object,upon which their wishes were set,have fabricated lies in order to disparage people.There is moreover a certainclass of persons,who become so corrupted by the perusal of such tales thatthey are not satisfied until they themselves pounce upon some nice pretty girl.Hence is it that,for fun's sake,they devise all these yarns.But how could suchas they ever know the principle which prevails in official and literary families?Not to speak of the various official and literary families spoken about in theseanecdotes,take now our own immediate case as an instance.We're only such amiddle class household,and yet we've got none so don'tlet her go on spinning these endless yarns.We must on no account have any ofthese stories told us!Why,even the maids themselves don't understand any ofthis sort of language.I've been getting so old the last few years,that I feltunawares quite melancholy whenever the girls went to live far off,so my wonthas been to have a few passbut as soon as they got back,I at once put a stop to these things."'Sister-in-law'Li and Mrs.Hsueeh both laughed."This is just the rule,"they said,"which should exist in great families.Not even in our homes isany of this confused talk allowed to reach the ears of the young people."Lady Feng came forward and poured some wine."Enough,that will do!"shelaughed."The wine has got quite cold.My dear ancestor,do take a sip andmoisten your throat with,before you begin again to dilate on falsehoods.Whatwe've been having now can well be termed 'Record of a discussion onfalsehoods.'It has had its origin in this reign,in this place,in this year,in thismoon,on this day and at this very season.But,venerable senior,you've only gotPAGE 1093
one mouth,so you couldn't very well simultaneously speak of two families.'When two flowers open together,'the proverb says,'one person can only speakof one.'But whether the stones be true or fictitious,don't let us say anythingmore about them.Let's have the footlights put in order,and look at the players.Dear senior,do let these two relatives have a glass of wine and and you can then start arguing about one dynasty after another.Eh,whatdo you say?"Saying this,she poured the wine,laughing the while.But she had scarcelydone speaking before the whole company were convulsed with laughter.Thetwo singing girls were themselves unable to keep their countenance."Lady Secunda,"they both exclaimed,"what a sharp tongue you have!Wereyour ladyship to take to story-telling,we really would have nowhere to earn ourrice.""Don't be in such overflowing spirits,"Mrs.Hsueeh laughed."Thethis isn't like any ordinary occasion.""There's only my senior brother-in-law Chen outside,"lady Feng smiled."Andwe've been like brother and sister from our youth up.We've romped and been upto every mischief to this age together.But all on account of my marriage,I've hadof late years to stand on ever so many ceremonies.Why besides being like brotherand sister from the time we were small kids,he's anyhow my senior brother-in-law,and I his junior sister-in-law.(One among)those twenty four dutiful sons,travestied himself in theatrical costume (to amuse his parents),but those fellowshaven't sufficient spirit to come in some stage togs and try and make you have alaugh,dear ancestor.I've however succeeded,after ever so much exertion,in sodiverting you as to induce you to eat a little more than you would,and in puttingeverand I should be thanked bit'sonly right that I should.But can it be that you will,on the contrary,poke fun atme?""I've truly not had a hearty laugh the last few days,"old lady Chia smiled,"but thanks to the funny things she recounted just now,I've managed to getin somewhat better spirits in here.So I'll have another cup of wine."Thenhaving drunk her wine,"Pao-yue,"she went on to say,"come and present acup to your sister-in-law!"
Lady Feng gave a smile."There's no use for him to give me any wine,"she ventured."(I'll drink out of your cup,)so as to bring upon myselfyour longevity,venerable ancestor."While uttering this response,she raised dowager lady Chia's cup to her lips,anddrained the remaining after which,she handed the cup to awaiting-maid,who took one from those which had been rinsed with tepid water,and brought it to her.But in due course,the cups from the various tables werecleared,and clean ones,washed in warm water,and when freshwine had been served round,(lady Feng and the maid)resumed their seats."Venerable lady,"a singing-girl put in,"you don't likbut may we thrum a song for you?""You two,"remarked old lady Chia,"had better play a duet of the'Chiang Chuen ling'song:'the general's command.'"Hearing her wishes,the two girls promptly tuned their cords,to suitthe pitch of the song,and struck up on their guitars."What watch of the night is it?"old lady Chia at this point inquired."It's the third watch,"the matrons replied with alacrity."No wonder it has got so chilly and damp!"old lady Chia added.Extra clothes were accordingly soon fetched by the servants and maids.Madame Wang speedily rose to her feet and forced a smile."Venerablesenior,"she said,"wouldn't it be prudent for you to move on to the stovecouch in the winter apartments?It would be as well.These two relatives areno strangers.And if we entertain them,it will he all right.""Well,in that case,"dowager lady Chia smilingly rejoined,"why shouldn't thewhole company adjourn inside?Wouldn't it be warmer for us all?""I'm afraid there isn't enough sitting room for every one of us,"MadameWang explained."I've got a plan,"old lady Chia added."We can now dispense with thesePAGE 1095
tables.All we need are two or three,we can then sit in agroup,and by bundling together it will be both sociable as well as warm.""Yes,this will be nice!"one and all cried.Assenting,they forthwith rose from table.The married women hastened toremove the debandade of the banquet.Then placing three large tableslengthways side by side in the inner rooms,they went on to properly arrange thefruits and viands,some of which had been replenished,others changed."You must none of you stand on any ceremonies!"dowager lady Chiaobserved."If you just listen while I allot you your places,and sit downaccordingly,it will be all right!"Continuing,she motioned to Mrs.Hsueeh and 'sister-in-law'Li to take theupper seats on the side of honour,and,making herself comfortable on the west,she bade the three cousins Pao-ch'in,Tai-yue and Hsian-yuen sit close to her onthe left and on the right."Pao-yue,"she proceeded "you must go next to yourmother."So presently she put Pao-yue,and Pao-ch'ai and the rest of the youngladies between Mesdames Hsing and Wang.On the west,she placed,in propergradation,dame Lou,along with Chia Lan,and Mrs.Yu and Li Wan,with ChiaLan,(number two,)between them.While she assigned a chair to Chia Jung'swife among the lower seats,put crosswise."Brother Chen,"old lady Chia cried,"take your cousins and be off!I'm also going to sleep in a little time."Chia Chen and his associates speedily expressed their obedience,andmade,in a body,their appearance inside again to listen to any injunctionsshe might have to give them."Bundle yourself away at once!"shouted dowager lady Chia."You needn'tcome in.We've just sat down,and you'll make us get up again.Gbequick!To-morrow,there are to be some more grand doings!"Chia Chenassented with alacrity."But Jung Erh should remain to replenish the cups,""it's only fair that he should.""Quite so!"answered old lady Chia laughingly."I forgot all about him.""Yes!"acquiesced Chia Chen.Then twisting himself round,he led ChiaPAGE 1096
Lien and his companions out of the apartment.(Chia Chen and Chia Lien)were,of course,both pleased at being able to getaway.So bidding the servants see Chia Tsung and Chia Huang to their respectivehomes,(Chia Chen)arranged with Chia Lien to go in pursuit of pleasure and inquest of fun.But we will now leave them to their own devices without anotherword."I was just thinking,"meanwhile dowager lady Chia laughed,"that it wouldbe well,although you people are numerous enough to enjoy yourselves,tohave a couple of great-grandchildren present at this banquet,so Jung Erhnow makes the full complement.But Jung Erh sit near your wife,for she andyou will then make the pair complete."The wife of a domestic thereupon presented a play-bill."We,ladies,"old lady Chia demurred,"are now chatting in high glee,andare about to start a romp.Those young folks have,also,been sitting up sofar into the night that they must be quite cold,so let the plays alone.Tellthem then to have a rest.Yet call our own girls to come and sing a coupleof plays on this stage.They too will thus have a chance of watching us abit."After lending an ear to her,the married women assented and quitted the room.And immediately finding some servant to go to the garden of Broad Vista andsummon the girls,they betook themselves,at the same time,as far as the secondgate and called a few pages to wait on them.The pages went with hurried step to the rooms reserved for the players,andtaking with them the various grown-up members of the company,they only leftthe more youthful behind.Then fetching,in a little time,Wen Kuan and a fewother girls,twelve in all,from among the novices in the Pear Fragrance court,theyegressed by the corner gate leading out of the covered passage.The matrons tooksoft bundles in their arms,as their strength was not equal to carrying boxes.Andunder the conviction that their old mistress would prefer plays of three or fiveacts,they had put together the necessary theatrical costumes.After Wen Kuan and the rest of the girls had been introduced into the room byPAGE 1097
the matrons,they paid their obeisance,and,dropping their arms against theirsides,they stood reverentially."In this propitious first moon,"old lady Chia smiled,"won't your teacher let youcome out for a stroll?What are you singing now?The eight acts of the 'Eightworthies'recently sung here were so noisy,that thso you'dbetter let us have something more quiet.You must however bear in mind thatMrs.Hsueeh and Mrs.Li are both people,who give theatricals,and have heard Idon't know how many fine plays.The young ladies here have seen better plaand they have heard more beautiful songs than they.Theseactresses,you see here now,formed once,despite their youth,part of a companybelonging to renowned families,and though mere children,theyexcel any troupe composed of grown-up persons.So whatever we do,don't let ussay anything disparaging about them.But we must now have something new.TellFang Kuan to sing us the 'Hsuen Meng'and let only flutes and Pandeanpipes be used.The other instruments can be dispensed with.""Your venerable ladyship is quite right,"Wen Kuan smiled."Our actingcouldn't,certainly,suit the taste of such people as Mrs.Hsueeh,Mrs.Liand the young ladies.Nevertheless,let them merely heed our enunciation,and that's all.""Well said!"dowager lady Chia laughed.'Sister-in-law'Li and Mrs.Hsueeh were filled with delight."What asharp girl!"they remarked smilingly."But do you also try to imitateour old lady by pulling our leg?""They're intended to afford us some ready-at-hand recreation,"old ladyChia smiled."Besides,they don't go out to earn money.That's how it isthey are not so much up to the times."At the close of this remark,shealso desired K'uei Kuan to sing the play:'Hui Ming sends a letter.'"Youneedn't,"she added,"make your face up.Just sing this couple of plays soas to merely let both those ladies hear a kind of parody of them.But ifyou spare yourselves the least exertion,I shall be unhappy."When they heard this,Wen Kuan and her companions left the apartment andpromptly apparelled themselves and mounted the stage.First in order,was sungPAGE 1098
the 'Hsuen M'next,'(Hui Ming)'during which,everybodyobserved such perfect silence that not so much as the caw of a crow fell on theear."I've verily seen several hundreds of companies,"Mrs.Hsueeh smiled,"but never have I come across any that confined themselves to flutes.""There are some,"dowager lady Chia answered."In fact,in that play acted justnow called:'Love in the western tower at Ch'u Ch'iang,'there's a good deal sungby young actors in unison with the flutes.But lengthy unison pieces of thisdescription are indeed few.This too,however,is purethere'snothing out of the way about it.When I was of her age,"resuming,she pointedat Hsiang-yuen,"her grandfather kept a troupe of young actresses.There wasamong them one,who played the lute so efficiently that she performed the partwhen the lute is heard in the 'Hsi Hsiang Chi,'the piece on the lute in the 'YueTs'an Chi,'and that in the supplementary 'P'i Pa Chi,'on the Mongol flageoletwith the eighteen notes,in every way as if she had been placed in the realcircumstances herself.Yea,far better than this!""This is still rarer a thing!"the inmates exclaimed.Old lady Chia then shortly called the married women,and bade them tell WenKuan and the other girls to use both wind and string instruments'At the feast of lanterns,the moon is round.'The women servants received her orders and went to execute them.Chia Jungand his wife meanwhile passed the wine round.When lady Feng saw dowager lady Chia in most exuberant spirits,she smiled."Won't it be nice,"she said,"to avail ourselves of the presence of the singinggirls to pass plum blossom round and have the game of forfeits:'Spring-happyeyebrow-corners-go-up,'eh?""That's a fine game of forfeits!"Old lady Chia cried,with a smile."Itjust suits the time of the year."Orders were therefore given at once to fetch a forfeit drum,varnished black,andornamented with designs executed with copper tacks.When brought,it wasPAGE 1099
handed to the singing girls to put on the table and rap on it.A twig of red plumblossom was then obtained."The one in whose hand it is when the drum stops,"dowager lady Chia laughingly proposed,"will have to drink a cup of wine,andto say something or other as well.""I'll tell you what,"lady Feng interposed with a smile."Who of us can pitherself against you,dear ancestor,who have ever ready at hand whatever youwant to say?With the little use we are in this line,won't there be an absolutelack of fun in our contributions?My idea is that it would be nicer weresomething said that could be appreciated both by the refined as well as theunrefined.So won't it be preferable that the person,in whose hands the twigremains,when the drum stops,should crack some joke or other?"Every one,who heard her,was fully aware what a good hand she had always beenat witty things,and how she,more than any other,had an inexhaustible supply ofnovel and amusing rules of forfeits,ever stocked in her mind,so her suggestionnot only gratified the various inmates of the family seated at the banquet,buteven filled the whole posse of servants,both old and young,who stood inattendance below,with intense delight.The young waiting-maids rushed witheagerness in search of the young ladies and told them to come and listen to theirlady Secunda,who was on the point again of saying funny things.A whole crowdof servant-girls anxiously pressed inside and crammed the room.In a little time,the theatricals were brought to a close,and the music was stopped.Dowager ladyChia had some soup,fine cakes and fruits handed to Wen Kuan and hercompanions to regale themselves with,and then gave orders to sound the drum.The singing-girls were both experts,sand now slow.Eitherslow like the dripping of the remnants of water in a clepsydra.Or quick,as whenbeans are being sown.Or with the velocity of the pace of a scared horse,or thatof the flash of a swift lightning.The sound of the drum came to a standstillabruptly.The twig of plum blossom had just reached old lady Chia,when by astrange coincidence,the rattle ceased.Every one blurted out into a boisterous fitof laughter.Chia Jung hastily approached and filled a cup."It's only natural,"they laughingly cried,"that you venerable senior,should be the firfor then,thanks to you,we shall also come in for some measure ofgood cheer.""To gulp down this wine is an easy job,"dowager lady smiled,"but toPAGE 1100
crack jokes is somewhat difficult.""Your jokes,dear ancestor,are even wittier than those of lady Feng,"theparty shouted,"so favour us with one,and let's have a laugh!""I've nothing out of the way to evoke laughter with,"old lady Chia smilinglyanswered."Yet all that remains for me to do is to thicken the skin of myantiquated phiz and come out with some joke.In a certain family,"sheconsequently went on to narrate,"these married ten wives.The tenth of these wives was,however,so intelligent,sharp,quick of mind,andglib of tongue,that her father and mother-in-law loved her best of all,andmaintained from morning to night that the other nine were not filial.These ninefelt much aggrieved and they accordingly took counsel together.'We nine,'theysaid,'are fithe only thing is that that shrew has the gift of thegab.That's why our father and mother-in-law think her so perfect.But to whomcan we go and confide our grievance?'One of them was struck with an idea.'Let's go to-morrow,'she proposed,'to the temple of the King of Hell and burnincense.We can then tell the King our grudge and ask him how it was that,whenhe bade us receive life and become human beings,he only conferred a glib tongueon that vixen and that we were only allotted such blunt mouths?'The eightlistened to her plan,and were quite enraptured with it.'This proposal isfaultless!'they assented.On the next day,they sped in a body to the temple of theGod of Hell,and after burning incense,the nine sisters-in-law slept under thealtar,on which their offerings were laid.Their nine spirits waited with the specialpurpose of seeing the carriage of the King of Hbut they waited andwaited,and yet he did not come.They were just giving way to despair when theyespied Sun Hsing-che,(the god of monkeys),advancing on a rolling cloud.Heespied the nine spirits,and felt inclined to take a golden rod and beat them.Thenine spirits were plunged in terror.Hastily they fell on their knees,and pleadedfor mercy.""'What are you up to?'Sun Hsing-che inquired.""The nine women,with alacrity,told him all.""After Sun Hsing-che had listened to their confidences,he stamped hisfoot and heaved a sigh.'Is that the case?'he asked.'Well,it's luckyenough you came across me,for had you waited for the God of Hell,hePAGE 1101
wouldn't have known anything about it.'""At these assurances,the nine women gave way to entreaties.'Greatsaint,'they pleaded,'if you were to display some commiseration,wewould be all right.'""Sun Hsing-che smiled.'There's no difficulty in the way,'he observed.'Onthe day on which you ten sisters-in-law came to life,I was,as luck wouldhave it,on a visit to the King of Hell's place.So I (saw)him do something onthe ground,and the junior sister-of-law of yours lap it up.But if you nowwish to become smart and sharp-tongued,the remedy lies in water.If I toowere therefore to do something,and you to drink it,the desired effect will beattained.'"At the close of her story,the company roared with laughter."Splendid!"shouted lady Feng."But luckily we're all slow of tongue anddull of intellect,otherwise,we too must have had the water of monkeys todrink.""Who among us here,"Mrs.Yu and dame Lou smilingly remarked,addressingthemselves to Li Wan,"has tasted any monkey's water.So don't sham ignoranceof things!""A joke must hit the point to be amusing,"Mrs.Hsueeh ventured.But while she spoke,(the girls)began again to beat the drum.The youngmaids were keen to hear lady Feng's jokes.They therefore explained to thesinging girls,in a confidential tone,that a cough would be the given signal(for them to desist).In no time (the blossom)was handed round on bothsides.As soon as it came to lady Feng,the young maids purposely gave acough.The singing-girl at once stopped short."Now we've caught her!"shouted "drink your wine,be quick!And mind youtell something nice!But don't make us laugh so heartily as to getstomachaches."Lady Feng was lost in thought.Presently,she began with a smile."A certainhousehold,"she said,"was celebrating the first moon festival.The entire familyPAGE 1102
was enjoying the sight of the lanterns,and drinking their wine.In real truthunusual excitement prevailed.There were great grandmothers,grandmothers,daughters-in-law,grandsons'wives,great grandsons,granddaughters,granddaughters-in-law,aunts'granddaughters,cousins'and ai-yo-yo,there was verily such a bustle and confusion!"While minding her story,they laughed."Listen to all this mean mouthsays!"they cried."We wonder what other ramifications she won'tintroduce!""If you want to bully me,"Mrs.Yu smiled,"I'll tear that mouth ofyours to pieces."Lady Feng rose to her feet and clapped her hands."One does all one can to rack one's brain,"she smiled,"and here youcombine to do your utmost to confuse me!Well,if it is so,I won't goon.""Proceed with your story,"old lady Chia exclaimed with a smile."Whatcomes afterwards?"Lady Feng thought for a while."Well,after that,"she continued laughingly,"they all sat together and crammed the whole room.They primed themselveswith wine throughout the hours of night and then they broke up."The various inmates noticed in what a serious and sedate manner shenarrated her story,and none ventured to pass any further remarks,butwaited anxiously for her to go on,when they became aware that she coldlyand drily came to a stop.Shih Hsiang-yuen stared at her for ever so long."I'll tell you another,"lady Feng laughingly remarked."At the first moonfestival,several persons carried a cracker as large as a room and went out oftown to let it off.Over and above ten thousand persons were attracted,and theyfollowed to see the sight.One among them was of an impatient disposition.Hecould not reconso stealthily he snatched a joss-stick and setfire to it.A sound of 'pu-ch'ih'was heard.The whole number of spectatorsPAGE 1103
laughed boisterously and withdrew.The persons,who carried the cracker,felt agrudge against the cracker-seller for not having made it tight,(and wondered)how it was that every one had left without hearing it go off.""Is it likely that the men themselves didn't hear the report?"Hsiang-yuen insinuated."Why,the men themselves were deaf,"lady Feng rejoined.After listening to her,they pondered for a while,and then suddenly theylaughed aloud in chorus.But remembering that her first story had been leftunfinished,they inquired of her:"What was,after all,the issue of the firststory?You should conclude that too."Lady Feng gave a rap on the table with her hand."How vexatious you are!"she exclaimed."Well,the next dso the festivities of theyear were over,and the feast itself was past and gone.I see people busy puttingthings away,and fussing about still,so how can I make out what will be theend of it all?"At this,one and all indulged in renewed merriment."The fourth watch has long ago been struck outside,"lady Feng smilingly said."From what I can see,our worthy seniand we should,likewhen the cracker was let off in that story of the deaf people,be bundlingourselves off and finish!"Mrs.Yu and the rest covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs and laughed.Now and now they bent backward.And pointing at her,"This thing,"they cried,"has really a mean tongue."Old lady Chia laughed."Yes,"she said,"this vixen Feng has,in realtruth,developed a meaner tongue than ever!But she alluded to crackers,"she added,"so let's also let off a few fireworks so as to counteract thefumes of the wine."Chia Jung overheard the suggestion.Hurriedly leaving the room,he took thepages with him,and having a scaffolding erected in the court,they hung upthe fireworks,and got everything in perfect readiness.These fireworks werePAGE 1104
articles of tribute,sent from different states,and were,albeit not large in size,contrived with extreme ingenuity.The representations of various kinds ofevents of antiquity were perfect,and in them were inserted all sorts ofcrackers.Lin Tai-yue was naturally of a weak disposition,so she could not stand thereport of any loud intonation.Her grandmother Chia therefore clasped herimmediately in her embrace.Mrs.Hsueeh,meanwhile,took Hsiang-yuen inher arms."I'm not afraid,"smiled Hsiang-yuen."Nothing she likes so much as letting off huge crackers,"Pao-ch'aismilingly interposed,"and could she fear this sort of thing?"Madame Wang,thereupon,laid hold of Pao-yue,and pulled him in her lap."We've got no one to care a rap for us,"lady Feng laughed."I'm here for you,"Mrs.Yu rejoined with a laugh."I'll embrace you.Thereyou're again behaving like a spoilt child.You've heard about crackers,andyou comport yourself as if you'd had honey to eat!You're quite frivolousagain to-day!""Wait till we break up,"lady Feng answered laughing,"and we'll go and letsome off in our garden.I can fire them far better than any of the young lads!"While they bandied words,one kind of firework after another was lightedoutside,and then later on some more again.Among these figured 'fill-heaven-''nine dragons-enter-''over-whole-land-a-crack-of-''fly-up-''sound-ten shots,'and other such small crackers.The fireworks over,the young actresses were again asked to render the'Lotus-flowers-fall,'and cash were strewn upon the stage.The young girlsbustled all over the boards,snatching cash and capering about.The soup was next brought."The night is long,"old lady Chia said,"andsomehow or other I feel peckish."
"There's some congee,"lady Feng promptly remarked,"prepared withduck's meat.""I'd rather have plain things,"dowager lady Chia answered."There's also some congee made with non-glutinous rice and powder ofdates.It's been cooked for the ladies who fast.""If there's any of this,it will do very well,"old lady Chia replied.While she spoke,orders were given to remove the remnants of the banquet,and insidwere served every kind of _recherche_smalldishes.One and all then partook of some of these refreshments,at theirpleasure,and rinsing their mouths with tea,they afterwards parted.On the seventeenth,they also repaired,at an early hour,to the Ning mansion topreseand remaining in attendance,while the doors of theancestral hall were closed and the images put away,they,at length,returned totheir quarters.Invitations had been issued on this occasion to drink the new year wine at Mrs.Hsueeh's residence.But dowager lady Chia had been out on several consecutivedays,and so tired out did she feel that she withdrew to her rooms,after only ashort stay.After the eighteenth,relatives and friends arrived and made theor else they came as guests to the banquets given.But so little was oldlady Chia in a fit state to turn her mind to anything that the two ladies,MadameHsing and lady Feng,had to attend between them to everything that cropped up.But Pao-yue as well did not go anywhere else than to Wang Tzu-t'eng's,and theexcuse he gave out was that his grandmother kept him at home to dispel herennui.We need not,however,dilate on irrelevant details.In due course,the festivalof the fifteenth of the first moon passed.But,reader,if you have anycuriosity to learn any subsequent events,listen to those given in theCHAPTERbelow.&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&[61]&&&&&&
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