7
As they came back from that day's climb —it was
up the Mittaghorn —they had to cross a shining space
of wet, steep rocks between two grass slopes that needed
a little care. There were a few loose, broken fragments
of rock to reckon with upon the ledges, and one place
where hands did as much work as toes. They used the
rope —not that a rope was at all necessary, but because
Ann Veronica's exalted state of mind made the fact of
the rope agreeably symbolical; and, anyhow, it did
insure a joint death in the event of some remotely
possibly mischance. Capes went first, finding footholds
and, where the drops in the strata-edges came like long,
awkward steps, placing Ann Veronica's feet. About
half-way across this interval, when everything seemed
going well, Capes had a shock.
“Heavens!” exclaimed Ann Veronica, with extraordinary
passion. “My God!” and ceased to move.
Capes became rigid and adhesive. Nothing ensued.
“All right?” he asked.
“I'll have to pay it.”
“Eh?”
“I've forgotten something. Oh, cuss it!”
“Eh?”
“He said I would.”
“What?”
“That's the devil of it!”
“Devil of what? . . . You do use
vile language!”
“Forget about it like this.”
“Forget what?”
“And I said I wouldn't. I said I'd do anything. I
said I'd make shirts.”
“Shirts?”
“Shirts at one —and —something a dozen. Oh, goodness!
Bilking! Ann Veronica, you're a bilker!”
Pause.
“Will you tell me what all this is about?” said Capes.
“It's about forty pounds.”
Capes waited patiently.
“G. I'm sorry. . . . But you've got to lend me forty
pounds.”
“It's some sort of delirium,” said Capes. “The
rarefied air? I thought you had a better head.”
“No! I'll explain lower. It's all right. Let's go
on climbing now. It's a thing I've unaccountably
overlooked. All right really. It can wait a bit longer.
I borrowed forty pounds from Mr. Ramage. Thank
goodness you'll understand. That's why I chucked
Manning. . . . All right, I'm coming. But all this business
has driven it clean out of my head. . . . That's why he
was so annoyed, you know.”
“Who was annoyed?”
“Mr. Ramage —about the forty pounds.” She took
a step. “My dear,” she added, by way of afterthought,
“you do obliterate things!”