"Where are we?" she asked eagerly. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Feeling better?" queried Garth, reassured by the stronger note in her
voice.

"Quite all right, thanks. But tell me where we are?"

"Nearly at our journey's end, I take it," he replied grimly, suddenly
slackening speed. "There's a stationary car ahead there on the left, do
you see? That will be our friends, I expect, held up by petrol shortage,
thanks to Jim Brady."

Sara peered ahead, and on the edge of the broad ribbon of light that
stretched in front of them she could discern a big car, drawn up to one
side of the road, its headlights shut off, its side-lights glimmering
warningly against its dark bulk.

Exactly as they drew level with it, Garth pulled up to a standstill.
Then a muttered curse escaped him, and simultaneously Sara gave vent to
an exclamation of dismay. The car was empty.

Garth sprang out and flashed a lamp over the derelict.

"Yes," he said, "that's Kent's car right enough."

Sara's heart sank.

"What can have become of them?" she exclaimed. She glanced round her
as though she half suspected that Kent and Molly might be hiding by the
roadside.

Meanwhile Garth had peered into the tank and was examining the petrol
cans stowed away in the back of the deserted car.

"Run dry!" he announced, coming back to his own car. "That's what has
happened."

"And what can we do now?" asked Sara despondently.

He laughed a little.

"Faint heart!" he chided. "What can we do now? Why, ask ourselves what
Kent would naturally have done when he found himself landed high and
dry?"

"I don't know what he _could_ do--in the middle of nowhere?" she
answered doubtfully.

"Only we don't happen to be in the middle of nowhere! We're just about a
couple of miles from a market town where abides a nice little inn whence
petrol can be obtained. Kent and Miss Molly have doubtless trudged there
on foot, and wakened up mine host, and they'll hire a trap and drive
back with a fresh supply of oil. By Jove!"--with a grim laugh--"How Kent
must have cursed when he discovered the trick Brady played on him!"

Ten minutes later, leaving their car outside, Garth and Sara walked
boldly up to the inn of which he had spoken. The door stood open, and
a light was burning in the coffee-room. Evidently some one had just
arrived.

Garth glanced into the room, then, standing back, he motioned Sara to
enter.

Sara stepped quickly over the threshold and then pa