Page:Glimpses into Chinese homes.djvu/117



As we left the school we were invited to visit a family in a rear court. Again we contend the narrow pathway with swine and fowl, and pass in to the room indicated.

The old mother smilingly shakes her own hands, after their custom of greeting, and we return the salutation in kind. She turns to clear a place on the platform for us to sit. The remnants of a recent meal are still upon the little table, which stands upon the platform.

This table is about six inches high and three feet square. It is the common style of dining table seen in homes. One is served from a high table, about four feet square, in inns and restaurants.

Amid the rubbish with which the platform is crowded are three covered baskets contain-