rink beneath it and the mountains above. The houses and shops,
German pensions and crowded balconies had no particular charm. Even the
tall, thin spire of the church lacked distinction; and yet it seemed to
Winn that it would be difficult to forget. He stopped at the rink as he
returned to pick up his skates. He told himself that he was fortunate
when he discovered Claire, with Lionel on one side of her and Ponsonby
on the other; he had wanted the help of an audience; now he was going to
have one. Claire saw him before the others did, and skated swiftly
across to him.

"But why don't you put your skates on?" she said, pointing to them in
his hand. "You're not much good there, you know, on the bank."

"I'm not much good anywhere, as far as that goes," said Winn, quickly,
before the others came up. Then he said in a different voice, "I hope
you enjoyed your dance last night."

Claire paused the briefest moment before she answered him; it was as if
she were trying quickly to change the key in which she spoke in order to
meet his wishes, and as if she did not want to change the key.

"Yes, I did," she said, "most awfully. It was a heavenly dance. I was
so sorry you couldn't come, but Captain Drummond told me why."

Winn confounded Lionel under his breath for not holding his tongue; but
he felt a warmth stir in his heart at the knowledge that, no matter what
was at stake, Lionel would not suffer the shadow of blame to attach
itself to him. It had been one of Winn's calculations that Claire would
be annoyed at his disappointing her and think the less of him because
she was annoyed. He was not a clever calculator.

"Of course I understood," Claire went on; "you had to be with poor Mr.
Bouncing. It was just like you to stay with him." She had said a good
deal, considering that Mr. Ponsonby and Lionel were there. Still, Winn
did not misunderstand her. Of course she meant nothing.

"Well," he said, holding out his hand, "I'm extremely glad, Miss Rivers,
to have run across you like this, because I'm off this afternoon to St.
Moritz. I want to have a look at the Cresta."

Claire ignored his outstretched hand.

"Oh," she cried a little breathlessly, "you're not going away, are you?
But you'll come back again, of course?"

"I hope so, I'm sure, some day or other," said Winn. Then he turned to
Ponsonby. "Have you been down the Cresta?" he asked.

Mr. Ponsonby shook his head.

"Not from Church Leap," he replied. "I've got