Presently they walked up into a mist-wreath and had the novel experience of plodding along an invisible road smothered in close-packed glimmering whiteness. The sun outside was evidently shining brilliantly on the thick bank of mist, but, so far, its rays failed to disperse it and penetrated only in a weird luminous diffusion, which had a most curious effect on the senses. It made Lois’s head spin till she reeled dizzily along and at last clung to Ray’s arm for safety. “I believe I’m drunk,” she laughed mazedly. “Have we had anything stronger than coffee this morning?” “Not that I remember,” laughed Ray, in the same high-strung way. “Unless you slipped into one of the hotels we passed unbeknown to me. It’s queer, isn’t it? I feel absolutely light-headed. In fact I think the top front of my head is coming off. Hel-lo! Who’s this now?” This was a burly overcoated sentry, who loomed suddenly large in front of them and courteously informed them that they must keep to the lower road as this one led only to the barracks. So they stumbled back till they came on the main road again, and feeling their way by the granite posts, set up along the side of the road to keep the diligence from tumbling over into the valley, they came at last to the Furkablick Hotel, and were glad to grope into the hall and warm themselves at the blazing stove. “We can’t possibly go on if it keeps like this,” said Ray. “It’s neither safe nor wholesome. We can see nothing and might find ourselves walking over the edge into the valley.” “Suppose we have lunch and a good rest, and perhaps it will draw off. How far is it to the place we were to stop for the night?” “It’s about six miles to the Gletsch,--a bit less by the short cuts, and four miles or so on to Oberwald.” “Say three hours. We can give it a couple of hours to clear off, or even more if necessary.” So they fared sumptuously, and both fell fast asleep in big arm chairs near the stove in the salon afterwards, and when Ray yawned and woke it was close on three o’clock, and the sun had won and the mountains all round were shining white against the clear deep blue. There was no one else in the salon. There seemed, in fact, no one else in the hotel except a few officers who kept to the smoking-room. So he kissed Lois awake, and in five minutes they were footing it gaily up the Furka road, with the Bernese giants towering in front and dwarfing all the lesser wonders closer at hand. “That must be Finsteraarhorn,” said Ray, pointing to the highest and sharpest peak. “And that one further on is probably Jungfrau, but I know her better from the other side.” Then they passed the fortifications and turned a corner, and the great Rhone glacier lay below them, dappled here and there, where the sun got into the hollows, with the most wonderful flecks of fairy colour--tenderly vivid and lucently diaphanous blues and greens so magically blended that Lois caught her breath at the sight.