"Ca the 6th day of the 9h month, thi venerable Indy Zee Kiung-wei left this world. To-day, at 4 o'clock, the Great Shrouding Ceremony will take place.
"Moo Niang-niang (my Chinese name) is respectfully invited to be present."
So ran a Chinese note of invitation, bearing my name in native characters un a little red leaf pasted in the corner, Zee Kiung-wei, a widow, had. been for some time'a member of our church, and 20 had her only child, a girl of eighteen, the sender of this invitation; but ull cheit relatives were heathen. A week previously the sick woman had been brought toa hospital close to our home, where every care and comfort were provided for her. The day before her death, however, her brother had insisted on her return to he dwelling in a narrow noisome street of the native city that she might escape the misfortune, as the Chinese consider it, ut dying away from home; although beth native and English doctors had assured him hor only hope of recovery was destroyed by such a proceeding. Pitiful it was to have her daughter clinging to us in agonies of tears when obliged tu submit to this cruel measure.
Ssu when next morning we received the foregoing notice we decided to be present ut the encoffinment of the body, partly for the poor gitl'e suke, partly in the hope of being able to hold some Christian service on the occasion.
We found a dense pack of people in the narrow alley outside, in the courtyard, and inside the house, Relatives of the dead were distinguished by white cloths wrapped bandage-like around their heads, At the doorway stood a aandarin's empty chair, red parasol, and torches and other such "paraphen intended to indicate the spirit's approaching departure. A band: of uiusicians were in the courtyard and these feou time to time svt up the doleful discord which could surely seem music only in the ears of a bagpipe-scooned High lander, Tu the entrance mom stood huge wooden coffin, ite head towards the door: and neue it we found Zee Sinv-tiny the orphaned daughter, clinging toa kind native woman bolunging to a missionary household. 'The former invited us to an inner room to view the body: " most strange spectacle Head wud face, enveloped in white wadding, lucked like " large snow-ball. With s touch of pride Zee-Slav-tein told us that four dollare' worth of cotton-wool hud been thus applied, Thickly padded also was the budy beneath ite raiiment of rich red silk and maw-coloured massive embroidery, resembling that of a bride. On the feet were white socks with scarlet soles.
Several members of our native church were among the crowd in the outer room, and without difficulty ly husband obtained quiet there, while he read a few verses of Scripture, and spoke of the Christian hope in the hour of death, and briefly prayed. Immediately afterwards, while the appointed female mourners broke forth into loud wailing, burying their tearless faces voluminous calico cloths, the corpse was carried in and laid on benches beside the coffin spread with a very large coverlet of quilted crimson satin, This was wrapped around it,. leaving the head exposed, and was secured by thick red silken cord, laced over it in an elaborate pattern. Then several similar quilts were laid within,, the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.