Certainly the Chinese seem an exception to the rule laid down by some writers, that no people can flourish who do not rest every seventh day.  In many ways they are an abnormal people, one striking point in their condition being the state of dirt and filth in which they not only exist, but increase and multiply.  The children look healthy and happy too, in spite of these apparent drawbacks, and notwithstanding the fact that in many cases their poor little feet must be cruelly tortured by the practice of bandaging them tightly to make them small.

When we got back to Shameen there was time for a stroll along the Bund.  It is very pleasant, for the river runs close under the parapet, and its surface is always covered with junks, sampans, and boats and ships, going swiftly up or down with the strong tide.  The walk is shaded with trees, and seats stand at intervals all along it.

An agreeable saunter was followed by a quiet, pleasant little dinner, and though we have been here only a few days we feel quite sorry that this is to be our last night in Canton, so kind has everybody been to us.

[Illustration:  Chinese Foot and boot.]

Monday, March 5th.—­I was awake and writing from half-past four this morning, but before I got up, a woman who comes here every day to work brought me some small ordinary shoes which I had purchased as curiosities, and took the opportunity of showing me her feet.  It really made me shudder to look at them, so deformed and cramped up were they, and, as far as I could make out, she must have suffered greatly in the process of reducing them to their present diminutive size.  She took off her own shoes and tottered about the room in those she had brought, and then asked me to show her one of mine.  Having most minutely examined it, she observed, with a melancholy shake of the head, ’Missisy foot much more good, do much walky, walky; mine much bad, no good for walky.’

Having said farewell to our kind hostess, we went off in the house-boat to the steamer.  There was a great crowd on the lower deck—­at least 900 Chinamen—­to struggle through in order to reach the European quarters.  We found other friends on board, who had come to see us off.

A few minutes before nine o’clock the bell rang as a signal for our friends’ departure, and we steamed ahead, among such a crowd of sampans and junks that it was more like moving through a town than along a river.  No accident, however, occurred, though one junk and one sampan had the very narrowest escape.

The voyage down took much longer than our voyage up, on account of the tide being against us, and in consequence we did not reach Hongkong until 3.30 p.m., when the gig with the children was soon alongside.  We got off as soon as we could, for we expected some friends to afternoon tea on board the yacht.  There was just time to dress before the first visitors arrived, and by half-past six at least two hundred had come.  At one time quite a flotilla of boats lay around us, looking very pretty with all their flags flying.  I think the people enjoyed it very much as something new, and we only wanted a band to enliven the proceedings.