pily. Men
servants and maid servants and all the sailors had long since gone to
sleep. He looked about him on all sides, but there was no one to be
seen. Little Golden Daughter was standing at the front of the ship,
thinking no evil, when a hand suddenly thrust her into the water. Then
Mosu pretended to be frightened, and began to call out: "My wife made
a misstep and has fallen into the water!"

And when they heard his words, the servants hurried up and wanted to
fish her out.

But Mosu said: "She has already been carried away by the current, so
you need not trouble yourselves!" Then he gave orders to set sail
again as soon as possible.

Now who would have thought that owing to a fortunate chance, Sir Hu,
the mandarin in charge of the transportation system of the province,
was also about to take charge of his department, and had anchored in
the same place. He was sitting with his wife at the open window of the
ship's cabin, enjoying the moonlight and the cool breeze.

Suddenly he heard some one crying on the shore, and it sounded to him
like a girl's voice. He quickly sent people to assist her, and they
brought her aboard. It was Little Golden Daughter.

When she had fallen into the water, she had felt something beneath her
feet which held her up so that she did not sink. And she had been
carried along by the current to the river-bank, where she crept out of
the water. And then she realized that her husband, now that he had
become distinguished, had forgotten how poor he had been, and for all
she had not been drowned, she felt very lonely and abandoned, and
before she knew it her tears began to flow. So when Sir Hu asked her
what was the matter, she told him the whole story. Sir Hu comforted
her.

"You must not shed another tear," said he. "If you care to become my
adopted daughter, we will take care of you."

Little Golden Daughter bowed her thanks. But Hu's wife ordered her
maids to bring other clothes to take the place of the wet ones, and to
prepare a bed for her. The servants were strictly bidden to call her
"Miss," and to say nothing of what had occurred.

So the journey continued and in a few days' time Sir Hu entered upon
his official duties. Wu We, where Mosu was district mandarin, was
subject to his rule, and the latter made his appearance in order to
visit his official superior. When Sir Hu saw Mosu he thought to
himself: "What a pity that so highly gifted a man should act in so
heartless a manner