. 'Fold it up and put any character which
means Chang on the outside.'

Little Yi did so, and they screwed the bit of paper up with a pebble
inside and threw it over the wall.

The preparations for departure were very few and simple. They had no
luggage. An Ching had a small bundle with some extra clothing, comb,
etc., and a box was fastened on behind the cart with cups, a tea-pot, a
few cooking utensils, and some charcoal for cooking their food on the
way. Nelly could hardly believe that they were to start. They had only
been a few months in Yung Ching, but it seemed like years.

Ku Nai-nai was unusually pleasant at the last. She told Little Yi that
she should miss her, and said a few kind words to Nelly.

Just before sunset the party started. An Ching and the children were
inside the cart, with Hung Li as driver, sitting on the shafts. Hung Li
had forgotten to pull down the curtain in front of the cart, and just as
they turned out of the compound into the street they came face to face
with Chang.

Nelly and Little Yi both started and bent forward to greet him, but An
Ching held them back and whispered, 'Hush!'

Chang, after making sure that Hung Li was not looking, quickly put his
head forward and asked under his breath, 'To Peking?'

The children nodded vigorously, but An Ching said, in a low voice, 'I
don't know.'

Chang vanished, and the children looked questioningly at An Ching. She
motioned to them to keep silent, and they did so, greatly wondering.
When Hung Li, who was sitting with his back to the others, turned and
saw that the curtain was not drawn, he angrily pulled it down, whipped
up the mule, and they were off at a good pace. Nelly was quite pleased
to feel the jolting of a cart once more. 'But surely,' she thought,
'this one bumps more than others.' It seemed so to her because she had
not been in a cart for so long a time.

Just when they were getting outside Yung Ching, the thunderstorm which
they had been expecting came, and the rain fell heavily, so that they
were glad to keep well inside the cart. Hung Li tried to get under
shelter too, but he found that he must make up his mind to bear the
rain, if he meant to get any distance on the road before it became dark.
He was very cross, and no one dared to speak a word.

CHAPTER XII

POOR MULE!

It was very uncomfortable for every one during the next couple of hours.
The cotton covering of the cart became soaked, and drops of water b