ie did not know whether the man was asking what the time
was, or whether he desired to be directed to some place. So he gave a
glance round, and discovering that the man was begging he shook his head
gravely. The beggar departed, and Charlie inwardly congratulated himself
on having done very well. His self-satisfaction was, however,
short-lived. He looked round to assure himself that Fred and Ping Wang
were following him, and just as he did so a European lady stepped out of
a shop, and her parasol, which she was in the act of opening, prodded
him in the back. He turned sharply, and the lady, believing him to be a
Chinaman, apologised in Chinese. Seeing that she was apologising Charlie
quite forgot his disguise, and seizing his skull-cap, raised it. Of
course the pigtail came off with it, to the amazement of the lady, who
stepped quickly into her trap and drove off.

[Illustration: "The pigtail came off with the skull-cap."]

Fred had the greatest difficulty in preventing himself from laughing
aloud, but Ping Wang hurried forward, and taking Charlie by the arm,
said in an undertone, 'Come into this shop: you have put your cap on
crooked.'

The Chinese shop assistant laughed heartily as he saw Ping Wang arrange
Charlie's skull-cap. He saw that Charlie was a European, but, as Ping
Wang said later, it was better that he should discover it than some of
the street loafers, who would probably have set to work to find out the
reason for an Englishman being disguised as a Chinaman.

'We had better go back at once,' Ping Wang said, as they quitted the
shop, and they walked to their temporary home without further adventure.

The manager was highly amused on hearing of Charlie's mishap, but when
his merriment had subsided he gave the brothers a few words of advice.

'You will have to be very careful indeed when you get away from the
treaty ports,' he said earnestly, 'for if people discovered you in
Chinese attire, they would think that you were disguised for some evil
purpose. Of course, there are some missionaries who wear Chinese dress,
but the people know them, and understand their reasons. But you, not
being missionaries, would naturally be regarded with great suspicion,
and would probably be punished severely--perhaps executed.'

'I will remember what you have said,' Fred answered, 'and I am very much
obliged to you.'

'And so am I,' Charlie declared. 'My brother and I will be very careful
after to-day.'

The convers