The lawyer was startled.
"Is he--?"
The blankness of the lawyer's face was a remarkable sight. His small, athletic brain failed him. A moment passed in silence.
"Yes, early tomorrow morning," said Solem. "I thought I'd tell you. Because after all it was your idea first."
"Yes, so it was," said the lawyer. "You're quite right. But now he'll be ahead of me."
Solem knew how to get round that.
"No, I didn't promise to go," he said. "I told him I had to go to the village tomorrow."
"But we can't deceive him. I don't want to do that."
"Pity," said Solem. "Everybody says the first one to climb the Blue Peak will be in all the papers."
"He'll take offense," the lawyer murmured, considering the matter.