wouldn't mind. There was no use making a fuss about it; he had
done the best thing for her. He was handing all that immaculate, fresh
youth into a keeping worthy of it. He wasn't fit himself. There were too
many things he couldn't tell her, there was too much in him still that
might upset and shock her. He would have done his best, of course, to
have taken care of her; but better men could take better care. Lionel
had said nothing so far; he had taken Claire skiing and skating, and
once down the Schatz Alp. When he had come back from the Schatz Alp he
had gone a long walk by himself. Winn had offered to accompany him, but
Lionel had said he wanted to go alone and think. Winn accepted this
decision without question. He knew Lionel was a clever man, but he
didn't himself see anything to think about. The thing was perfectly
simple: Lionel liked Claire or he didn't; no amount of being clever
could make any difference. Winn was a little suspicious of thinking. It
seemed to him rather like a way of getting out of things.

The room was very cold, but Winn didn't like going away and leaving Mr.
Bouncing. By the by he heard voices in the next room. He could
distinguish the high, flat giggle of Mrs. Bouncing. She had come back
from the dance, probably with young Rivers. He must go in and tell her.
That was the next thing to be done. He got up, shook himself, glanced at
the appeased and peaceful young face upon the pillow, and walked into
the next room. It was a sitting-room, and Winn had not knocked; but he
shut the door instantly after him, and then stood in front of it, as if
in some way to keep the silent tenant of the room behind him from seeing
what he saw.

Mrs. Bouncing was in a young man's arms receiving a prolonged farewell.
It wasn't young Rivers, and it was an accustomed kiss. Mrs. Bouncing
screamed. She was the kind of woman who found a scream in an emergency
as easily as a sailor finds a rope.

It wasn't Winn's place to say, "What the devil are you doing here, sir?"
to Mr. Roper; it was the question which, if Mr. Roper had had the
slightest presence of mind, he would have addressed to Winn. As it was
he did nothing but snarl--a timid and ineffectual snarl which was
without influence upon the situation.

"You'd better clear out," Winn continued; "but if I see you in Davos
after the eight o'clock express to-morrow I shall give myself the
pleasure of breaking every bone in your body. Any one's at liberty to
play a g