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, 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."

"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
behind the baskets," suggested the gander, just as the master's step was
heard at the front door.

Soon the frightened companions were crouching on the ground, trying
to hide. Much to their relief, however, the miser did not go into his
bedroom, and they soon heard him hard at work in the garden. All that
day the two remained in their hiding place, afraid to show themselves
outside the door.

"I can't imagine what he would say if he found out that his watch-goose
had brought a stranger into the house," said Ch'ang.

"Perhaps he would think we were trying to steal some of the money he
has hidden away," she answered, laughing, for as Hu-lin became used
to her cramped quarters she grew less frightened. At any rate she
was not nearly so much afraid of the miser as she had thought she was.
"Besides," she reflected, "he can't be so b