ok here,
little pal, there's nothing else for it; I must trudge off to St. Flour
and collect the missing five. Are you afraid to be left here alone?"

Of course I said no; but when he had disappeared, walking very fast, I
thought of a large variety of horrors that might happen; almost
everything, in fact, from an earthquake to a mad bull. As the sun leaned
far down toward the west, the level red light lay like pools of blood
in the snow-hollows, and the shadows "came alive," as they used when I
was a child lying awake, alone, watching the play of the fire on wall
and ceiling.

Long minutes passed, and at last I could sit still no longer. Gaily
risking my brother's displeasure, now I knew that he wasn't "cross," I
slipped out into the snow again, opened the car door, stood in the
doorway, hanging on with one hand, and after much manoeuvring extricated
the tea-basket from among spare tyres and luggage on the roof. Then,
swinging it down, planted it inside the car, opened it, and scooped up a
kettleful of snow. As soon as the big white lump had melted over a rose
and azure flame of alcohol, I added more snow, and still more, until the
kettle was filled with water. By the time I had warmed and dried my feet
on the automatic heater under the floor, the water bubbled; and as jets
of steam began to pour from the spout I saw six figures approaching,
dark as if they had been cut out in black velvet against the snow.

"Tea for seven!" I said to myself; but the kettle was large, if the cups
were few.

It took half an hour to dig the car out, and push her up from the hollow
where the snow lay thickest. When she stood only a foot deep, she
consented readily to move. We bade good-bye to the five men, for whom we
had emptied our not-too-well filled pockets, and forged, bumbling, past
St. Flour. It was a great strain for a heavy car, and the chauffeur only
said, "I thought so!" when a chain snapped five or six miles farther on.

"What a good thing Lady Turnour isn't here!" said I, as he doctored the
wounded Aigle.

[Illustration: "_It took half an hour to dig the car out, and push her
up from the hollow where the snow lay thickest_"]

"Lots of girls would be in a blue funk," said he. "I could shake that
beastly woman for not taking you with her."

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "When I'm not doing you _any_ harm!"

He glanced up from his work, and then, as if on an irresistible impulse,
left the chain to come and stand beside me, as I sa