"Philippa, if we make a chair with our hands do you think we can ski
down together with Erna? It will be quite a job not to jolt her, but
I think we'd better get her down to Duvoisine as soon as possible. How
about it?" Kaatje asked.
"O.K.," Flip said.
Jackie, trailing gallantly down at the tail of the race, stopped in
dismay at the sight of Erna lying on the ground, and helped her up onto
Flip's and Kaatje's hands. Then they started slowly down the mountain.
This was the most difficult skiing Flip had ever done, because she did
not have her arms to help her balance herself and she and Kaatje had to
ski as though they were one, making their turns and swerves in complete
unison in order not to jolt Erna who was trying bravely not to cry out
in pain. Jackie had skied on ahead and Mlle. Duvoisine was waiting
for them with the doctor, and Erna was borne off to the chalet to be
administered to. Flip looked almost as limp and white as Erna as she
went to join the other intermediates who were eating sandwiches while
they waited for the senior events to be finished.
So now it was all over. She thought she had done well in Form, but she
had lost both races. She felt too tired, and too depressed now that her
part in the long-waited-for meet was over, to be elated simply because
she had skied well.
Just as Kaatje van Leyden came swooping down to win the seniors' Long
Race, Jackie said, "Here's Erna," and Mlle. Duvoisine was pushing Erna,
sitting on one chair, her bandaged foot in a green ski sock with a
large hole in the toe, on another, across the snow to them. They all
clustered about her.
"How are you, Erna?"
"Is it broken?"
"Does it hurt?"
"I'm fine," Erna told them as Mlle. Duvoisine left her with them.
"It's just a sprain. It hurts like blazes and I have to go to the
infirmary when we get back to school but Duvoisine says I can stay for
the prizes. Kaatje's up talking to the judges. They must be ready to
begin. Give me a sandwich, somebody, quick."
Fräulein Hauser stood up in the judges' box and blew her whistle. On
the table in front of her was a box with medals and the silver cup.
Everybody stopped talking and waited.
"I want to say that I am proud of the way you all skied today,"
Fräulein Hauser told them. "I think that you put on a splendid and
professional showing. And now I have a pleasant surprise for all of
you. An old friend has consented to give out the awards, someone I know
you will all be delighted to see. Suppose I let her speak for herself."
A cheer of welcome came from the girls as Madame Perceval detached
herself from the spectators, walked across the snow, and climbed the
steps to the judges' box.
"Percy!"
"Madame Perceval!"
"But I didn't _see_ her!"
"Percy! How super!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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