CHI FU'S SCHEME
Chang and his wife saw no more of their son that day until it was time
to eat rice in the evening. Chi Fu had been at the mission compound.
Naturally the Changs were both full of excitement over the morning's
adventure; so little happens to disturb the tranquillity of home life in
China. They had talked of nothing else, and were quite ready to begin
again when Chi Fu arrived.
'Well, have you thought of a plan to get hold of those children?' his
mother asked, as soon as he had swallowed one bowl of rice.
The family oracle replied slowly that he had thought a good deal about
it, and that he had inquired at the mission when the courier was going
to Peking.
'You surely did not tell about those children?' screamed Chang Nai-nai.
'No, I only asked about the courier,' quietly replied Chi Fu, 'and as he
has only just left, my letter could not go until next month. It would
not be prudent to send a letter written in foreign characters otherwise
than by the mission courier, and were I to use Chinese writing it might
be read on the way.'
Chi Fu partook of another half bowl of rice, and then continued:
'Therefore it would be advisable to make some plan for the escape of
the two young ladies, and receive them here.'
'But what plan?' cried his mother. 'Your father and I have been thinking
it over all the afternoon, and there seems no way.'
'No, there is no way unless we get the help of some one in the
compound,' replied Chi Fu. Then he dropped a little of his dignity, and
warming to the subject, unfolded his plan, which was that his father
should question Nelly next day about An Ching, and that if she seemed
reliable Nelly should tell her everything, and they would arrange a
meeting between her and Chang. If An Ching were willing to help, it
would be quite possible to get the children over the wall by means of
ropes. Chi Fu, who certainly had a good head on his shoulders and could
use it to some purpose when he forgot his affectation, suggested also
that in case of an extra courier being sent from the mission, or the
arrival of a missionary, Nelly had better write a letter to her parents,
which he could enclose.
'But,' said Chang, 'if we get the children, are we to keep them here
until they are taken back to Peking?'
Chi Fu replied that he was afraid his father would be obliged to make
the journey to Peking, and told his mother to fatten her fowls in
readiness. There would be plenty of time, as 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, who spied An Ching
coming, suddenly began to sing most vigorously. Chang broke off and
vanished, leaving Nelly standing in the middle of the court foolishly
looking at the wall.
'Whatever is the matter?' An Ching asked when she had hobbled into the
court. 'What are you looking at?'
'Nothing,' said Nelly; 'at least he's gone now.'
'Who? What do you mean?' exclaimed An Ching.
'The Christian--I mean Chang.'
An Ching was more and more puzzled, and looked at Nelly in wonder.
At length Nelly said, 'Come and sit down and I'll tell you all about
it.'
They both sat down on the bench near the wall, and Nelly told her tale
to the astonished An Ching, or rather she half told it, for just as she
was in the middle of it Ku Nai-nai came shouting for that lazy An Ching
to come indoors.
You may be sure that An Ching made haste to finish up her work after
they had all eaten their mid-day meal. She and Nelly got out to the
court alone, and Nelly was able to finish the exciting story. An Ching
was too surprised to offer any advice. She agreed, however, that Little
Yi must know at once, and when that young lady joined them she was told
the wonderful news of the man in the next compound who was willing to
help them to get away.
Little Yi was quite as enthusiastic about it as was possible to a
Chinese girl. She wanted Nelly to throw over some red paper at once to
call Chang, but An Ching said that as Ku Nai-nai had already been
smoking and dozing some time, she might call them at any moment, so it
was decided that they should wait until next day, and throw over the
paper as soon as ever Ku Nai-nai was comfortably settled on the kang
with her pipe.
Poor An Ching! she hated the thought of being left behind, and was
dreadfully disappointed when she heard that Chang had said he could not
take her; but she promised to do nothing to hinder their flight in any
case. There was one thing she did not want to do, though, and that was
to talk to Chang over the wall unless his wife were there. 'You must see
him first, Nelly,' she said, 'and tell him to send up his wife to talk
to me, or else get two ladders. It would not be at all proper for me to
speak to a strange man alone. Respectable Chinese young women never do
that.' Nelly saw no objection, though she thought An Ching was foolish,
and it was decided that she and Little Yi should receive Chang next day.