se to-night,
or leaves unobtrusively by the milk train to-morrow morning, is about to
be settled," I murmured.

"'RULE ONE.--He must be brought up to be ambidextrous.' It will be very
useful," explained Simpson, "when he fields cover for England."

"Or when he wants to shake hands with two people at once," said Archie.

"'RULE TWO.--He must be taught from the first to speak French and German
fluently.' He'll thank you for that later on when he goes abroad."

"Or when he goes to the National Liberal Club," said Archie.

"'RULE THREE.--He should be surrounded as far as possible with beautiful
things.' Beautiful toys, beautiful wall-paper, beautiful scenery----"

"Beautiful godfathers?" I asked doubtfully.

Simpson ignored me and went on hurriedly with the rest of his rules.

"Well," said Archie, at the end of them, "they're all fairly futile, but
if you like to write them out neatly and frame them in gold I don't mind
hanging them up in the bathroom. Has anybody else got anything fatuous
to say before the ladies leave us?"

I filled my glass.

"I've really got a lot to say," I began, "because I consider that I've
been rather left out of things. If you come to think of it, I'm the only
person here who isn't anything important, all the rest of you being
godfathers, or godmothers, or mothers, or fathers, or something.
However, I won't dwell on that now. But there's one thing I must say,
and here it is." I raised my glass. "Peter Blair Mannering, and may he
grow up to be a better man than any of us!"

Upstairs, in happy innocence of the tremendous task in front of him, the
child slept. Poor baby!

We drank solemnly, but without much hope.

WINTER SPORT

WINTER SPORT

I.--AN INTRODUCTION

"I had better say at once," I announced as I turned over the wine list,
"that I have come out here to enjoy myself, and enjoy myself I shall.
Myra, what shall we drink?"

"You had three weeks' honeymoon in October," complained Thomas, "and
you're taking another three weeks now. Don't you ever do any work?"

Myra and I smiled at each other. Coming from Thomas, who spends his busy
day leaning up against the wireless installation at the Admiralty, the
remark amused us.

"We'll have champagne," said Myra, "because it's our opening night.
Archie, after you with the head-waiter."

It was due to Dahlia, really, that the Rabbits were hibernating at the
Hotel des Angeliques, Switzerland (central-heated throughout