The band played “Land of Hope and Glory.” Then there was a party, and Tak-Wing, Emily, and the cricketers danced—first the rumba, then the samba, then the foxtrot and the lindy hop. Tak-Tam and I stood on the sidelines feeling awkward, though the music did make my feet itch. Ferdinand “Sonny” Maria Castro, female impersonator and minor celebrity in the expatriate community sang, and periodically introduced Isadore Davis Wong on bass, Tanaka Shigeru on piano, and on drums, the health inspector Edward Kerrison. A couple of the band members had bruises on their faces, and Isadore winced when it was time for the bass to get fancy. Emily had told me that on the day of the registry wedding, her band had been attacked by a crew of British thugs who had driven them from their most beloved venue, the Repulse Bay Hotel, but they wouldn’t miss playing at her cricket club wedding for the world. If the men were in pain, it didn’t affect their music. They played with unbelievable skill. They played “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Moonglow,” and “Dream a Little Dream.” They played “Sweet Leilani,” “Sophisticated Lady,” and “One O’Clock Jump.” They played popular Chinese tunes too: “Ye Shanghai,” “Paris of the East,” and “Blooming Flowers, Full Moon.” The music was so infectious that eventually Tak-Tam and I also got up and danced and laughed with Tak-Wing, Emily, and the young cricketers. Someone got a cricket ball out and a handful of celebrants played catch over the heads of the dancers. As they tossed and spun the ball, it seemed to dance in the air of its own volition, to do a little cha-cha-cha with the more enthusiastic of the dancers. It was a wonder no one was hurt and nothing was broken. Champagne flowed and everyone ate the shrimp salad and Quails Juniper, and we forgot Ting-Yan’s curse and all of our other troubles and differences for those few hours. Maybe this monkey’s wedding offered the possibility of a new world after all.

Old Cheung was supposed to be at the Tai Hang house, packing. But he didn’t have many possessions, and there really wasn’t much to do, so he came down to the club in hopes of getting Colville’s key from him directly and saying a last goodbye. He ended up watching the wedding from behind the stands, fuming.

We got bottles of Awakening Lion aerated lemonade from the bartender and sat beneath the wilting proscenium arch while Chinese workers moved chairs and tables all around us.

“Who was that strange girl who croaked like a sea monster?” Emily asked.

“Yes, she very nearly ruined your wedding!” I said. “Thank goodness Lindsay Ride had the forbearance to simply continue.”

Tak-Wing didn’t say a word.