y pulled Judith out--not without difficulty--and wiped the snow off
her face.

"Are you hurt?" said Jack anxiously.

Judith struggled to get her breath.

"It's--too--beautiful," she said, without opening her eyes, her mind
evidently still on the river view,--"perfectly glorious!"

Jack burst into relieved laughter.

"Judith's a game little thing," he said to his mother later on; "I
suppose we shouldn't have left them so soon, but she seemed to get the
hang of it very quickly--she slid into that bank as neatly as an
arrow--I'm mighty glad she isn't hurt."

* * * * *

Judith could hardly keep her eyes open at the dinner-table, and she was
glad enough to accept Mrs. Nairn's suggestion that she go to bed early.

Nancy and Sally May perched on the foot of the bed ready to talk over
the day's happenings, but found to their astonishment that Judy seemed
asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. They tiptoed
gently away, but they need not have been afraid of wakening her.

"Doesn't she look sweet?" whispered loyal Nancy to Sally May as she
turned off the bedside lamp. Judith was smiling happily, for in her
dreams she was flying, flying through sunlit skies, and Tim, of the grey
eyes and the half friendly, half quizzical smile, was flying beside
her.

CHAPTER VIII

CASTLES IN THE AIR

NEXT morning Judith could scarcely move; her limbs were stiff from the
unaccustomed exercise and one shoulder was bruised and wrenched from her
fall, so Mrs. Nairn kept her in bed all morning and gave her much
petting and mothering.

The plans for the afternoon had included a skating party on the river,
ending with a drive out to the Nairns' summer cottage, which had been
opened in preparation for this week of winter sports. A neighbouring
farmer's wife had promised to have a roaring fire ready for the skaters
when they should appear about five o'clock, and the farmer himself was
to meet them at the river with his big sleigh. Clearly Judith could not
skate to-day, so other plans were made for her. Nancy, of course, must
be with the skaters, since she was the hostess, but Sally May insisted
on staying at home with Judith. Naturally this embarrassed Judith, for
she knew that Sally May loved skating, and an outdoor party of this
kind would be a novelty to a Southerner. Finally Jack talked things over
with his mother, and, as Judith declared that she was well enough to go,
Mrs. Nairn a