more wide-awake, she could hardly have failed to
notice how quickly the housework and cooking were done next day; but as
she was not given to interesting herself in other people's motives
(although she was very suspicious when there was the slightest cause for
it, and sometimes when there was none at all), she did not observe that
Little Yi was eager to prepare her pipe and pot of tea, while An Ching
and Nelly wiped out the bowls and put them in the cook-house. There is
not much to do in a Chinese family--no scrubbing or polishing; the
cooking, too, is quite simple in the ordinary home. The stone floors are
swept and the furniture wiped over. The Chinese don't mind dust, but
they like to have things in their places and the rooms orderly. Chinese
girls never come in from a walk and throw their hats and gloves on a
chair, because, to begin with, they don't wear hats and gloves, and they
very seldom go for walks.

An Ching pretended to be cross because Nelly had spilled some rice, and
told the children to go off and leave her to finish alone. They went
directly to their favourite side court, and at once got the red paper
out of the heap of stones and threw a piece with a pebble inside over
the wall. Nelly finding that she could not throw any better than
before, Little Yi tried, and succeeded very well--so well, indeed, that
Chang was there with his ladder in almost no time after they had left
the house. He gave the children the usual Chinese greeting of, 'Fine
day. Are you well?'

Nelly replied: 'Quite well. It is rather hot. This is Little Yi.'

Chang hoped Little Yi was well, and when she had replied that she was,
and hoped he was too, he asked for 'the young Ku Nai-nai,' meaning An
Ching.

Nelly explained (not without the assistance of Little Yi, who liked to
put in her word) that An Ching did not consider it proper to talk to
Chang without his wife.

Chang repeated this to his wife, who was at the foot of the ladder.

'She is quite right,' said Chang Nai-nai.

'Then,' said Chang, 'you must come up and talk to her.'

Now Chang Nai-nai had never mounted a ladder, and she was rather afraid
to do it, but she thought she would like to see into the next compound,
and resolved to try.

Chang came down, and she cautiously went up a few rungs, but stopped and
asked Chang to follow her, as she felt rather nervous. When Chang had
reassured her, she ventured to go two rungs higher, gave a great sigh,
and exclaimed, 'Yo