The housekeeping was likewise simple. My grandmother was the head of the family during her husband’s absence, and she had always the management of the minor affairs of the entire establishment. She it was who assigned the duties and superintended the work of the servants, and the employments of the daughters, and the daughters-in-law. We had a hired cook, several maid-servants and a man-servant, so that there was never a need that the ladies of our family should soil their dainty hands or weary their delicate feet. My grandmother, however, had her own ideas about work, and used to arrange that her daughters should not be idle or ignorant. The hour for rising was between six and seven A. M. The children of the household had to go to school at seven; and the men had business to attend to. As soon as day dawned, the servants were stirring. They swept the brick floors, and having heated some water, they would go to wake their respective mistresses, placing the warmed water before them for the morning toilet. As each emerged from his or her slumber, greetings were scrupulously exchanged. We Chinese say “Early morning!” instead of “Good morning!” The servants were then sent out to market to buy the materials for breakfast. Let us follow them. After winding in and out through narrow streets flanked with blank walls, the monotony broken only by doorways, we come to the business portion of the city. We emerge into a scene of life and animation. Men and servant-girls are either on their way to market or returning, carrying wicker baskets of eels, fish, pork, vegetables. Here are incense-shops, butcher-shops and grocery-stores, fish-stalls and vegetable-stands. The stone pavement is slippery with mud. The din is deafening. The present stage in the development of trade in China does not admit of one price for one’s wares. The seller and buyer must wrangle for minutes over a few mills. Time is of no consideration. A man will go through and through the market, listening to what others are giving, pricing everything for himself, and at the same time beating the price down so low that the hawker will not agree to sell.