ved in the
country when she was a girl, and it used to set behind different trees
at different times of the year.

'When you are as old as I am, An Ching, you will know more about
things,' said she. 'You would know more now if you spent less time in
looking into the glass.'

And then they certainly would have quarrelled, if Hung Li had not
appeared and scolded them for not being ready; at which Ku Nai-nai
turned upon him and asked in a loud voice what he meant by being rude to
his parent in a public inn. As no Chinaman likes to appear disrespectful
to his mother, Hung Li said no more.

At last they were ready to start again. Nelly could scarcely climb into
the cart, so stiff and sore was she with her long cart ride of yesterday
and two nights on a stone kang with only a wadded quilt to lie upon. But
she did manage to get in, though not without shedding some tears at the
thought that she was going farther away from her parents. And somehow
the cart did not seem to bump so badly to-day, and the stiffness wore
off instead of growing worse as she had expected. She was getting used
to it.

They went along very slowly all day, and put up again that night at
another inn. This time it was a small village, and there was no open
space in front. The children were too tired even to talk. They both went
to sleep almost as soon as they arrived, and slept until rather late
the next morning, for Hung Li did not now seem to be in such great
haste to reach Yung Ching. When they woke they were quite fresh, and
Little Yi was anxious to be off once more; for An Ching said that there
was a river to cross, which she seemed to think rather exciting.

In about two hours' time they came to this river, which was after all
only a muddy stream with steep banks. There was a flat ferry-boat with
two men to manage it. These men, the carter, and Hung Li took the mules
out of the carts and made the women and children sit well back in them.
Then they slid the carts slowly down the incline and on to the boat, and
took them over, after which they fetched the mules and harnessed them
again. Then came the difficult part, to get the mules to pull the carts
up the incline at the other side, with the men pushing behind and
shouting and screaming at each other and the poor mules, enough to
deafen you. The children's cart was tilted so high that they were
looking up at their toes all the time: at least Nelly and Little Yi
were, for An Ching's toes had becom