The gloom which had overspread Lynde's countenance vanished.

"It is not one of her severest turns," continued Miss Ruth, ceasing to
be a statue on a pedestal and slowly descending the hotel steps with her
waterproof trailing from her left arm, "and she is quite capable of
executing her threat. What shall we do, Mr. Lynde?"

"I think we had better try the mountain--for her sake," answered Lynde.
"We need not attempt the Mer de Glace, you know; that can be left for
another day. The ascent takes only two hours, the descent half an hour
less; we can easily be back in time for lunch."

"Then let us do that."

Lynde selected the more amiable-looking of the two mules with side-
saddles, dismissed one of the guides after a brief consultation, and
helped Miss Denham to mount. In attending to these preliminaries Lynde
had sufficient mastery over himself not to make any indecorous betrayal
of his intense satisfaction at the turn affairs had taken. Fortune had
given her into his hands for five hours! She should listen this time to
what he had to say, though the mountain should fall.

At a signal from Lynde the remaining guide led the way at a brisk pace
through the bustling town. In front of the various hotels were noisy
groups of tourists about to set forth on pilgrimages, some bound for the
neighboring glaciers and cascades, and others preparing for more distant
and more hardy enterprises. It was a perfect Babel of voices--French,
Scotch, German, Italian, and English; with notes of every sort of
patois--above which the strident bass of the mules soared triumphantly