Lady Grace smiled over his head and took no verbal notice of the remark.

"They are a distinguished-looking family," she said. "Run and wash your
hands, Billy. Are you thinking of ski-ing this afternoon, Rose?"

"You bet!" murmured Billy, under his breath. He too had seen the distant
figure of Sir Eustace on the mountain-side.

"It depends," said Rose, non-committally.

"Captain Brent and Sir Eustace have been on skis all the morning," said
her mother. "We must see what they say about it."

Billy spun a coin into the air behind her back. "Heads Sir Eustace and
tails Captain Brent," he muttered to the man who had commented upon
Isabel's beauty. "Heads it is!"

Lady Grace turned round with a touch of sharpness at the sound of his
companion's laugh. "Billy! Did I not tell you to go and wash your hands?"

Billy's green eyes smiled impudent acknowledgment. "You did, Lady Grace.
And I'm going. Good-bye!"

He pocketed the coin, winked at his friend, and departed whistling.

"A very unmannerly little boy!" observed Lady Grace, with severity.
"Come, my dear Rose! We must go in."

"I don't like either the one or the other," said Rose, with a very
unusual touch of petulance. "They are always in the way."

"I fully agree with you," said Lady Grace acidly. "But it is for the
first and last time in their lives. I have already told the Colonel so.
He will never ask them to accompany us again."

"Thank goodness for that!" said Rose, with restored amiability. "Of
course I am sorry for poor little Dinah; but there is a limit."

"Which is very nearly reached," said Lady Grace.

CHAPTER XV

THE MOUNTAIN CREST

That sleigh-drive was to Dinah the acme of delight, and for ever after
the jingle of horse-bells was to recall it to her mind. The sight of the
gay red trappings, the trot of the muffled hoofs, the easy motion of the
sleigh slipping over the white road, and above all, Isabel, clad in
purple and seated beside her, a figure of royal distinction, made a
picture in her mind that she was never to forget. She rode in a magic
chariot through wonderland.

She longed to delay the precious moments as they flew, like a child
chasing butterflies in the sunshine; but they only seemed to fly the
faster. She chattered almost incessantly for the first few miles, and
occasionally Isabel smiled and answered her; but for the most part it was
Scott, seated opposite, who responded to her raptures,--Scott,
unfailingly attenti