THE MARRIAGE MAKEft 151 



When everything was in order, the musicians, and coolies 

 who had enlivened the proceedings with a needless amount 

 of vociferation, were liberally paid off with packets of money 

 wrapped in red paper, and a particularly heavy packet fell 

 to the share of the faithful old servant who took back to his 

 master Wei Ku's card in acknowledgment of safe delivery. 



On the day of the wedding there were great rejoicings at 

 Wei Ku's house. The gates which had been draped with red 

 hangings and decorated with red lanterns, were thrown wide 

 open, and from early dawn till night there flowed in a 

 constant stream of guests and visitors who came to tender 

 their congratulations; they did so by grasping their own 

 hands and shaking them vigorously at Wei Ku. Wei Ku, 

 who was dressed in his official robes and wore his insignia of 

 office, had enough to do< to receive his numerous friends, 

 return their salutations, and with his own hands pass them 

 tea from trays brought in by the attendants. 



During the whole day a band of musicians played wed- 

 ding music on the so-yia 1 to the accompaniment of drums, 

 gongs and cymbals in the courtyard, which was also gaily 

 festooned in red, and hung with countless red lanterns. In 

 the reception hall, which opened on to the courtyard, all 

 the satin and silk scrolls with congratulatory sentences sent 

 by friends had been hung up, and a score of square tables 

 were laid out for a sumptuous banquet for the gentlemen; 

 the ladies being entertained separately in the inner apart- 

 ments. The chairs were all covered with rich embroideries 

 on red satin, and every post and pillar was adorned with red 

 placards on which were written in large characters of gold, 

 Fu, Lu, Shou and Hsi, or Happiness, Emoluments, 

 Longevity and Joy. The effect of the whole scene was 

 gorgeous and entrancing; nothing could have had a more 

 festive appearance. 



Towards the ninth hour, 2 or the hour of Shen, the shrill 

 strains of another band of so-na in the distance proclaimed 

 the approach of the bride in her bridal sedan chair. In a 

 little while the Prefect's trusty old servant who had run on 

 ahead, burst in upon the company in a breathless hurry to 

 announce that the procession would soon arrive. The old 

 fellow was attired in his best clothes in honour of the 

 occasion; he was proud of his young mistress, and could 

 not do enough to be useful on her wedding day. 



1 A shrill brass wind instrument producing notes resembling those 

 of bagpipes. 



2 From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 



