During the last ten days he had gone down a little in weight, and, though the doctor would have preferred it otherwise, he reminded him that he must have ups and downs; no cure was uninterrupted progress. But this, piled on the top of his other cares, which were rendered harder to bear by a couple of days of south wind, instead of the cold purity of windlessness, unduly depressed him, and Sybil, coming out of the hotel to the sheltered corner of the veranda which he usually occupied in the morning, found him somewhat listless and dejected. But, with tact which had often succeeded before, she affected not to notice it, and discoursed on indifferent subjects. 'Such a bore!' she said. 'The road down the valley is too soft for sleighing, and the rink is too sloppy for skating.' Charlie brightened up a little; he seemed to have seen much less of her lately. 'So you're going to have an idle day,' he said. 'Sit and talk to me.' 'Well, we are going out almost immediately,' she said, 'just to go down the Schwester toboggan-run, which they say is still possible. I wish you could come, Charlie, but there's no way of getting up except walking.' Charlie instantly froze into himself. 'I'm afraid that's quite impossible,' he said. 'You're going with Bilton, I suppose.' 'Yes; I rather think he's waiting for me.' Charlie registered to himself the fact that she had not asked for the doctor's report of him, though Monday was his regular day for being overhauled. 'Never keep people waiting,' he said, and opened a book. Then his better disposition came to his aid. 'I hope it will be possible for you to get a good run,' he said cordially. 'It is horrid, this weather, is it not?' 'Horrid--quite horrid!' she said. 'Well, good-bye; your mother will be out directly.'