They had all enjoyed their stay in Canton very much, and often thought about the New Year's Day which had been kept, while they were there, with such grand rejoicings. At midnight, on the last day of the old year, a bell, never used except on this occasion, pealed forth, when, at the signal, people rushed into the streets in crowds to let off fireworks.
Every temple and every pagoda was lighted up, and people burnt incense before idols in their own homes. Some streets are lighted in Canton by lanterns, but, as a rule, the smaller streets are in darkness, with the exception of paper lanterns, which hang, every now and then, from before shops or private houses, and even these are put out by half-past nine o'clock. Paraffin lamps are now being introduced along Chinese city streets.
All New Year's night a great noise was to be heard, and in the morning friends dressed in their best to call upon, and salute, one another.
In the streets they were to be seen prostrating themselves upon the ground. Rich and poor alike had great rejoicings on New Year's Day, the rich often keeping up their holiday for ten days.
Latterly Mr. Graham had been several times backwards and forwards to Hong-Kong, where he had made his final arrangements.
The missionary, whose place he was about to fill, would, when he left the island, take with him to England, besides his own family, Sybil and Leonard Graham. Until they sailed, the Grahams would all stay with them at the Mission House, when it would be handed over to Mr. Graham.
The other missionary had three children of his own, two daughters, twelve and ten years old, and a son of nine, but as they had been absent from Hong-Kong when the Grahams had been there before, the children had not yet made one another's acquaintance.
The eldest, Katie, now became Sybil's very useful interpreter, for as she had been born in China and lived there all her life, she could understand, and speak, many Chinese dialects.
Sybil now knew several Chinese words herself. "Che-fan," or "Have you eaten your rice?" was "How do you do?" though, as a rule, when people said "How do you do?" to her it was "Chin-chin mississi?"
When she went out visiting, questions such as the following were generally put to her, "What honourable name have you?" "What is the name of your beautiful dwelling?" and "What age have you?" Had she been grown up, this question would probably have been, "What is your venerable age?"