Well, as I wasn’t a boy, I had none of this, so had to be content. As smallpox was very bad, I had a label on my back to say I had already had it (though I hadn’t), but that was to deceive the goddesses. Then, to make quite sure, I had a cloth monkey strung round my neck, which made a nice plaything. I am afraid I wasn’t always good at night—I am sure you all are!—but cried, for I didn’t have enough to eat most of the time; so father got the teacher next door to write a verse and paste it on the wall outside. This is how it goes: Tien hwang, hwang, dee hwang, hwang, Ngo jah yo go yea coo long, Go wong jwin dz nien san bien, Ee jo shway dao da tien liang. In English it is— Ye gods in the heavens, ye powers on the earth, My baby began from the hour of her birth With horrible screams to rend the night! O passing stranger, these my rhymes Read, I pray you, through three times, And then she will sleep till broad daylight. But I’m afraid there were not many who read them three times, for it didn’t make much difference. Still, it was the correct thing to do, so mother felt satisfied. CHAPTER II. ORPHANED THROUGH OPIUM. According to our Chinese books, when a son is born he sleeps on a bed, he is clothed in robes, he plays with gems, his cry is princely loud; as an emperor, he is clothed in purple, and he is the king of the home. But when a daughter is born she sleeps on the ground, she is clothed in a wrapper, she plays with a tile; she cannot be either good or evil, and has only to prepare wine and food without giving any cause of grief to her parents. So, being a girl, I learned to play with broken tiles, and found them as good as gems. When I was about three years old, something dreadful happened. Another baby was born—and it was a girl. I didn’t mind at all, as I wanted someone to play with, and a girl is as good as a boy—better, _I_ think. But our proverb says, “Eighteen beautiful daughters are not equal to one son, even though he be lame.” My father was dreadfully angry, and beat mother; so she was miserable, and cried a good deal. After a few days I missed my baby sister, and when I asked where she was, someone laughed, and pointed to a pond, near by. I didn’t know then what he meant; but sister never came back, so I had to play alone. About this time I was betrothed. Practically all girls are, in China, and at a very early age. My father said girls were a useless expense, so he wanted to get me off his hands as soon as possible. So a lucky day was chosen, and two middlemen engaged, who came and compared the day and the hour of my birth with that of the lad they suggested. Then followed a feast, when the agreement was made and my future fixed.