Hung Li grunted, but said nothing.

'But,' went on Mr. Grey, 'I will let you go on one condition, that you
give up all claim to your wife and let her come to live with my daughter
in Peking, and I will give you fifty taels for her.'

Hung Li did not expect to be let off so easily. 'Take the woman,' he
said. 'She has no children and I don't want her.'

'All right,' replied Mr. Grey. 'I take all these people to witness our
bargain.'

There was a chorus of 'Hao, hao' (good, good), from the crowd, and
everybody seemed pleased.

Mr. Grey at once ordered his servant to fetch his bag containing the
lumps of silver and long strings of copper cash with a hole through the
middle, which are the only coins the Chinese have. The inn-keeper
brought a scale; the silver was weighed and handed over to Hung Li. He
went away without taking any notice of An Ching, and nobody was
surprised. The Chinese do not think much of women, you see.

As for An Ching, she was delighted.

All this time Chang and his son had kept quietly in the background.
They were Hung Li's neighbours and did not want to make an enemy of
him. This was their Chinese caution. As soon as he had gone they came
forward. Mr. Grey thanked them warmly, and told them that they should
have the reward he had offered if they would come with him to Peking,
which they were very glad to do.

They were soon ready to leave the inn. Mr. Grey's servant had hired a
cart and good strong mule. An Ching and the children got into the cart
and the others rode alongside, excepting the Legation student, who went
ahead to prepare Mrs. Grey.

Nelly was almost too excited to sit still as they came into Peking, and
even Little Yi was very anxious.

'How do you feel, An Ching?' asked Nelly.

'I don't know,' she replied. 'Glad and sorry, but more glad than sorry.
Nobody cares for me but you now. My parents did, a little, but no
Chinese girl is ever loved by her father as yours loves you.'

'That's not true,' said Little Yi, although she knew that it was.

'Well, I hope I am wrong, Little Yi. When children are as good and
truthful as Nelly perhaps their parents are very fond of them; but I
never knew a Chinese girl so good.'

Little Yi sniffed, but said no more.

When the large gates of the Legation were opened and the cart drove in,
Nelly almost fainted again. It was a very pale, fragile-looking little
creature that Mr. Grey lifted out of the cart. Mrs. Grey had been on the
look-out