As Flip left Mlle. Dragonet's sitting room and started down stairs she wondered how she could ever live through the hours until the ski meet. The two months since the Christmas holidays had flown by like a swift bird but the brief time until the next day stretched out ahead of her like an eternity. Erna met her when she got downstairs. "You didn't get your mail, Flip. I took it for you." "Oh, thanks ever so much," Flip said. "Oh, wonderful! It's a letter from father. Thanks lots, Erna." There was just time to read the letter before Call Over if she hurried, and she was glad to escape the questions and exclamations of the girls who came clustering about her again, probing her about the ski meet, telling her that Fräulein Hauser had already crossed her name off the lists. She ran down the corridor to the bathroom, locked herself in, and opened her father's letter.--I'm so glad it came today, she thought.--I need it to give me courage for tomorrow. 11 "My darling champion skier," the letter began. "How proud I am of the way you've worked at your skiing and I hope your triumph at the ski meet will be everything you and Paul could hope for. Now please don't be disappointed, darling--as a matter of fact maybe you'll be relieved--but I don't think I'll be able to make it for the ski meet. You'll probably do much better if you're not worrying about my being there and the spring holidays will be here before we know it." She sat staring at the closed white bathroom door in front of her, with the paint chipped off in places. She was filled with completely disproportionate disappointment. When she heard someone pounding on the door and calling, "Flip! Flip!" she could not keep the unwelcome tears from her eyes. "Flip! Flip!" She forced the tears back and opened the door and Erna and Jackie were anxiously waiting for her. "Flip!" Erna cried. "You missed Call Over and Hauser's simply furious and she wants to see you right away." "She says you're sulking because she took your name off the ski lists. Oh, Flip, what _do_ you want to be in the ski meet for anyhow when you can't ski!" "I _can_ ski," Flip said. "And I'm _not_ sulking because of the ski meet. Father said he could come and now he can't." The tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I haven't seen him since school began," she managed to whisper. Erna patted her clumsily on the shoulder. "That's awful, Flip. That's an awful shame." "Maybe he'll be able to come at the last minute," Jackie said. "Don't cry, Flip." The door opened again and Fräulein Hauser, looking extremely annoyed, stood in the doorway. "Really, Philippa Hunter!" she exclaimed. "I have seldom seen such a display of bad sportsmanship."