Excerpt: ...was still partly open and the two friends entered boldly. "Come this way," said Ch'ang. "He must be in the back-yard digging in his garden." But when they reached the vegetable patch there was no one to be seen. "This is very strange," whispered the gander. "I don't understand it, for I have never known him to grow tired of work so early. Surely he cannot have gone in to rest." Led by her friend, Hu-lin entered the house on tiptoe. The door of the miser's bedroom stood wide open, and they saw that there was no ...
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Excerpt: ...was still partly open and the two friends entered boldly. "Come this way," said Ch'ang. "He must be in the back-yard digging in his garden." But when they reached the vegetable patch there was no one to be seen. "This is very strange," whispered the gander. "I don't understand it, for I have never known him to grow tired of work so early. Surely he cannot have gone in to rest." Led by her friend, Hu-lin entered the house on tiptoe. The door of the miser's bedroom stood wide open, and they saw that there was no one either in that room or any other room of the miserable cottage. "Come! let's see what kind of bed he sleeps on," said Hu-lin, 110 filled with curiosity. "I have never been in a fairy's room. It must be different from other people's rooms." "No, no! just a plain brick bed, like all the rest," answered Ch'ang, as they crossed the threshold. "Does he have a fire in cold weather?" asked Hu-lin, stooping to examine the small fire hole in the bricks. "Oh, yes, a hot fire every night, and even in spring when other people have stopped having fires, the brick bed is hot every night." "Well, that's rather strange for a miser, don't you think?" said the girl. "It costs more to keep a fire going than it does to feed a man." "Yes, that's true," agreed Ch'ang, pruning his feathers. "I hadn't thought of that. It is strange, very. Hu-lin, you're a wise child. Where did you learn so much?" At that moment the gander turned pale at hearing the gate slam loudly and the bar thrown into place. "Good gracious! what ever shall we do?" asked Hu-lin. "What will he say if he finds us here?" "No telling," said the other, trembling, "but, my dear little friend, we are certainly caught, for we can't get away without his seeing us." 111 "Yes, and I've already had one beating to-day! And such a hard one that I don't believe I could live through another," sighed the child, as the tears began to flow. "There, there, little girl, don't worry! Let's hide in this dark corner...
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