The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Slowcoach, by E. V. Lucas

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Title: The Slowcoach

Author: E. V. Lucas

Posting Date: November 19, 2008 [EBook #2086]
Release Date: February, 2000

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLOWCOACH ***

THE SLOWCOACH

BY

E. V. LUCAS.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: THE AVORIES
CHAPTER 2: THE SOUND OF MYSTERIOUS WHEELS
CHAPTER 3: THE THOROUGH EXAMINATION
CHAPTER 4: THE ITEMS
CHAPTER 5: DIOGENES AND MOSES
CHAPTER 6: THE PLANS
CHAPTER 7: MR. LENOX'S YOUNG BROTHER
CHAPTER 8: THE FIRST DAY
CHAPTER 9: THE FIRST NIGHT
CHAPTER 10: THE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND CARAVAN
CHAPTER 11: THE WAYSIDE FRIEND
CHAPTER 12: STRATFORD-ON-AVON
CHAPTER 13: THE ADVENTURE OF THE YOUNG POLICEMAN
CHAPTER 14: THE ADVENTURE OF THE LITTLE OLD LADY
CHAPTER 15: THE ADVENTURE OF THE RUNAWAY PONIES
CHAPTER 16: THE BLACK SPANIELS
CHAPTER 17: THE ADVENTURE OF THE LOST BABY
CHAPTER 18: THE ADVENTURE OF THE OLD IRISHWOMAN
CHAPTER 19: THE LETTER TO X
CHAPTER 20: THE ADVENTURE OF THE LINE OF POETRY
CHAPTER 21: COLLINS'S PEOPLE
CHAPTER 22: THE ADVENTURE OF THE GIANT
CHAPTER 23: THE MOST SURPRISING ADVENTURE OF ALL
CHAPTER 24: THE END

CHAPTER 1

THE AVORIES

Once upon a time there was a nice family. Its name was Avory, and it
lived in an old house in Chiswick, where the Thames is so sad on grey
days and so gay on sunny ones.

Mr.--or rather Captain--Avory was dead; he had been wounded at Spion
Kop, and died a few years after. Mrs. Avory was thirty-five, and she
had four children. The eldest was Janet, aged fourteen, and the
youngest was Gregory Bruce, aged seven. Between these came Robert
Oliver, who was thirteen, and Hester, who was nine.

They were all very fond of each other, and they rarely quarreled. (If
they had done so, I should not be telling this story. You don't catch
me writing books about people who quarrel.) They adored their mother.

The name of the Avories' house was "The Gables," which was a better
name than many houses have, because there actually were gables in its
roof. Hester, who had funny i