"Thomas," he said, "how do you know which foot is which?" "It depends whose," said Thomas. He was busy tying a large rucksack of lunch on to himself, and was in no mood for Samuel's ball-room chatter. "You've got one ski on one foot," I said. "Then the other ski goes on the foot you've got over. I should have thought you would have seen that." "But I may have put the first one on wrong." "You ought to know, after all these years, that you are certain to have done so," I said severely. Having had my own hired skis fixed on by the _concierge_ I felt rather superior. Simpson, having bought his in London, was regarded darkly by that gentleman, and left to his own devices. "Are we all ready?" asked Myra, who had kept us waiting for twenty minutes. "Archie, what about Dahlia?" "Dahlia will join us at lunch. She is expecting a letter from Peter by the twelve o'clock post and refuses to start without it. Also she doesn't think she is up to ski-ing just yet. Also she wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with the girl in red, and break it to her that Thomas is engaged to several people in London already." "Come on," growled Thomas, and he led the way up the hill. We followed him in single file. It was a day of colour, straight from heaven. On either side the dazzling whiteness of the snow; above, the deep blue of the sky; in front of me the glorious apricot of Simpson's winter suiting. London seemed a hundred years away. It was impossible to work up the least interest in the Home Rule Bill, the Billiard Tournament, or the state of St. Paul's Cathedral. "I feel extremely picturesque," said Archie. "If only we had a wolf or two after us, the illusion would be complete. The Boy Trappers, or Half-Hours among the Rocky Mountains." "It is a pleasant thought, Archie," I said, "that in any wolf trouble the bachelors of the party would have to sacrifice themselves for us. Myra dear, the loss of Samuel in such circumstances would draw us very close together. There might be a loss of Thomas too, perhaps--for if there was not enough of Simpson to go round, if there was a hungry wolf left over, would Thomas hesitate?" "No," said Thomas, "I should run like a hare." Simpson said nothing. His face I could not see; but his back looked exactly like the back of a man who was trying to look as if he had been brought up on skis from a baby and was now taking a small party of enthusiastic novices out for their first lesson. "What an awful shock it would be," I said, "if we found that Samuel really did know something about it after all; and, while we were tumbling about anyhow, he sailed gracefully down the steepest slopes. I should go straight back to Cricklewood." "My dear chap, I've read a _lot_ about it." "Then we're quite safe." "With all his faults," said Archie, "and they are many--Samuel is a gentleman. He would never take an unfair advantage of us. Hallo, here we are!"