white-armored legion coming to call him. All his ambition, aim, hope, and future plans had been swept away in one moment. The further consideration that the populace might spread this news, thus making him the laughingstock of such people as Little D and Wang-hu, would be a matter of minor concern as compared to his present chagrin.
It seemed that never before had he experienced such listlessness and that he had lost all interest in his queue being wrapped on his head. He began to hold it in light esteem and for the sake of vengeance was highly desirous of letting it down at once. But in the end he failed to let it down and wandered about until nighttime. He gulped down two bowls of wine, which he got on credit, and gradually grew blithe and merry, visualizing fragments of white helmets and white armor.
One day, when, as usual, he had been whiling away the time in nonsense until evening, and had waited until the wine shop had closed its doors, he returned to T'uku Temple.
Crack, bang!
He suddenly heard an unusual noise, which surely could not have been firecrackers. Since, by nature, Ah Q had always liked excitement and was in the habit of investigating trifles he of course ventured into the darkness. There seemed
