The Chinese being very fond or privacy, all the compound walls are built very high and solid, and as the houses are only one storey high, no one can see into his neighbour's premises. Nelly did not remember to have heard any sounds coming from the next compound before; but noises there were, sure enough, and the talking became more and more distinct. Nelly got up from her seat to look at the wall. As she did so, she saw what was evidently a Chinaman's head just above the top, and she heard him quite distinctly tell some one below 'to hold the ladder tight.' Nelly was just wondering what she should do, and was half inclined to run through the hole into the next court, when the rest of the head came into view, and she saw that it belonged to a plump, pleasant looking Chinaman. It was very round, and Nelly was at once reminded of the Cheshire cat in _Alice in Wonderland_. It and she looked at each other for some seconds. Nelly was the first to speak. 'Oh!' she said. 'A fine day,' said the head. 'Rather hot,' replied Nelly. 'Was that you singing?' asked the head. 'Yes,' answered Nelly. 'I can sing that too,' said the head. Nelly was too much astonished to reply. Then the head rose a little higher, and showed a pair of shoulders and arms. 'He does not look like the Cheshire cat now,' thought Nelly, 'but a rather nice Chinaman.' He continued: 'How is it that you have large feet? You look like a foreigner. Don't be afraid of me.' Thus encouraged, Nelly replied: 'I am a foreigner, and of course I have large feet.' 'What are you doing here?' asked the man. 'I have been brought here,' replied Nelly vaguely, 'and I want to get away, but Ku Nai-nai will be very angry if she knows I am talking to you.' 'Then don't tell her,' said the man. 'I shan't. She is the woman who speaks so loudly, I suppose. I'll bob down if she comes. Where do you live?' 'Peking, the British Legation.' And then Nelly told the man all about Little Yi and herself being brought to Yung Ching by Hung Li and Ku Nai-nai. When she had finished the man seemed to be considering for some time. At length he said: 'Perhaps I can help you to escape. You had better not say a word to any one. Would you come with me and leave the Chinese girl?' 'Oh no,' replied Nelly. 'Little Yi does not mind being here nearly so much as I do, but she does not want to stay, and I am afraid they would never take her home without me. I wish An Ching could come with us.' 'Who is An Ching?'