ther.

"I suppose we _have_ asked the right one," said Myra doubtfully.

"His young affections are divided. There was a third girl in pink with
whom he breakfasted a lot this morning. It is the old tradition of the
sea, you know. A sailor--I mean an Admiralty civilian has a wife at
every wireless station."

"Take your seats, please," said Archie. "The horses are sick of
waiting."

We sat down. Archie took Dahlia's feet on his lap, Myra took mine, Miss
Cardew took Thomas's. Simpson, alone in front, nursed a guide-book.

"_En avant!_" cried Simpson in his best French-taught-in-twelve-lessons
accent.

Gaspard muttered an oath to his animals. They pulled bravely. The rope
snapped--and they trotted gaily down the hill with Gaspard.

We hurried after them with the luges....

"It's a good joke," said Archie, after this had happened three times,
"but, personally, I weary of it. Miss Cardew, I'm afraid we've brought
you out under false pretences. Thomas didn't explain the thing to you
adequately. He gave you to understand that there was more in it than
this."

Gaspard, who seemed full of rope, produced a fourth piece and tied a
knot that made even Simpson envious.

"Now, Samuel," I begged, "do keep the line taut this time. Why do you
suppose we put your apricot suit right in the front? Is it, do you
suppose, for the sunset effects at eleven o'clock in the morning, or is
it that you may look after the rope properly?"

"I'm awfully sorry, Miss Cardew," said Simpson, feeling that somebody
ought to apologize for something and knowing that Gaspard wouldn't, "but
I expect it will be all right now."

We settled down again. Once more Gaspard cursed his horses, and once
more they started off bravely. And this time we went with them.

"The idea all along," I explained to Miss Cardew.

"I rather suspected it," she said. Apparently she has a suspicious mind.

After the little descent at the start, we went uphill slowly for a
couple of miles, and then more rapidly over the level. We had driven
over the same road in a sleigh, coming from the station, and had been
bitterly cold and extremely bored. Why our present position should be so
much more enjoyable I didn't quite see.

"It's the expectation of an accident," said Archie. "At any moment
somebody may fall off. Good."

"My dear old chap," said Simpson, turning round to take part in the
conversation, "why anybody _should_ fall off----"

We went suddenly round a corner,