Ku Hung Li was not likely
to be back yet, and they could not attempt to get the children away
except by night, in which case they must wait for the moonlight.

Chang and his wife thought that their clever son had planned everything
marvellously, and next morning Chang went into the small court and
waited to see what would happen. He had not been there long when he saw
a little red ball on the other side of the wall rise up in the air
several times. Nelly was trying to throw a pebble wrapped in a piece of
red paper over the wall, but as Bob Bates had often told her, she threw
just like a girl, and it was only after several attempts that her little
red messenger landed on Chang's side.

Very soon after her successful throw Nelly saw Chang's pleasant, round,
smiling face appearing cautiously over the wall. When he was satisfied
that no one else was looking, he came a step higher.

'Good-morning, Ku-niang (young lady),' he said. 'What are the others
doing, and where are they?'

'They are all busy doing their hair,' Nelly replied; 'at least An Ching
and Ku Nai-nai are. Little Yi is washing some rice at the well, and the
old servant is still ill. I'll begin to sing at once if I see any one
coming. I can see quite well through the hole when I stand here in the
middle of the court. Please will you tell me your name?'

Chang did so, and said: 'My son thinks that we ought to let An Ching
know of the plan to get you away. Are you sure she is to be trusted?'

'Oh yes, quite,' replied Nelly.

'You are sure she won't tell her mother-in-law or any female friends who
come to the house?'

'I am certain she won't say anything about it to Ku Nai-nai, and I don't
believe she has any friends. She wants to get away from here and come to
me in Peking. But there's Little Yi,' Nelly went on. 'She'll be cross
if I tell An Ching and not her.'

'Well, well,' said Chang, 'of course she will have to know, and it may
as well be now.'

And then he told Nelly about his son's idea that she should write to her
father.

Nelly was delighted, until she suddenly remembered that she had nothing
to write with.

Chang at first said that she must do her best with Chinese paper and the
brush that the Chinese use for a pen, but then he recollected that Chi
Fu had a lead pencil and some foreign paper, of which he was very proud.
He promised to throw them over the wall, and went on to talk about his
clever son. He had by no means finished when Nelly,