"As soon as I found myself alone with my young brother Bob,--a bright fellow he was, and quick at a bargain,--I told him in strict confidence the whole story of my adventures, and then laid before him my plans for the future, in carrying out which plans I should need his co-operation. "I am now going," said I, "to Mr. Simpson's office, and shall pay him handsomely for the papers I have sold. I then propose to contract with him for the New York and Boston daily papers, paying for six months in advance, to be delivered to you every morning at half-past five o'clock precisely. At six o'clock you will drop the bundle, carefully made up and nicely secured, as I shall direct Mr. Simpson, right through the centre of the hole, to which I will direct you by and by,--always being very careful to let it fall from your hand at a height of four feet above the surface of the earth; in which case it will, of course, rise just four feet _above_ the surface on the other side, and I shall be able to secure it without difficulty. I will pay you fifteen per cent on the net profits of the enterprise for the first six months, which ought to be regarded as a liberal compensation for the small amount of time that you will be obliged to give to the work. "Now, Bob, listen to what I am about to say with strict attention. On every Saturday morning you must delay dropping your bundle for half an hour; and between six and half-past six o'clock, be on the careful lookout for a bundle _which I shall send to you_ from the other side. This will contain my remittance for the week, which I wish you to deposit to mother's credit in three places, the names of which I give you on paper. She can then draw from time to time such sums as she may need. "I shall remain at home for a few days and arrange to be in China next Monday evening. On Tuesday morning you will forward the bundle of papers." "Are you going to tell mother and sister all about this?" said Bob. "No: it would only worry them. I shall merely say that I have a great opening for making money, and shall be obliged to be absent from home for several months." "I think," said Bob, chuckling,--Bob labored under the delusion that he was a wag,--"that it _is_ a great opening, or rather, I might say, a _lengthy_ opening." Every thing was duly arranged according to the programme; and, on the following Monday, I bade adieu for a while to the sweet light of day,--I don't mean that I said exactly these words as I stood on the edge of the hole--but that is the way in which it would be expressed in a book,--and jumped boldly into the dark abyss. In due time I arrived safely in China, and took lodgings in a small country inn about two miles off, as I did not care to show myself at the Canton Coffee-House until I had the papers in my possession. It was with a somewhat anxious heart that I went to my Air-Line Station, as I had taken a fancy to call it, on Tuesday evening. CHAPTER II. HOW JOHN GOT INTO TROUBLE IN CHINA.