not worth knowing, and after a match had taken place every round was
described in full. I grew quite an enthusiast.

He could never bear to see another car in front without trying to pass
it. "Let her rip, Miss," he would implore--"Don't be beat by them
Frenchies." Needless to say I did not need much encouragement, and
nothing ever passed us. (There are no speed limits in France.) There was
a special hen at one place we always tried to catch, but it was a wily
bird and knew a thing or two. McLaughlan was dying to take it home to
the Sergeants' Mess, but we never got her.

One day, as we were rattling down the main street, one of the tyres went
off like a "4.2." We drew to the side, and there it was, as flat as a
pancake.

There are always a lot of people in the streets of a town who seem to
have nothing particular to do, and very soon quite a decent-sized crowd
had collected.

"We must do this in record time," I said to McLaughlan, who knew nothing
about cars, and kept handing me the wrong spanners in his anxiety to
help. "See," exclaimed one, "it makes her nothing to dirty her hands in
such a manner."

"They work like men, these English young girls, is it not so?" said
another. "_Sapristi, c'est merveilleux._"

"One would truly say from the distance that they _were_ men, but this
one, when one sees her close, is not too bad!" said a third.

"Passing remarks about _you_, they are, I should say," said McLaughlan
to me as I fixed the spare wheel in place.

"You wait," I panted, "I'll pay them out."

"See you her strong boots?" they continued. "Believe you that she can
understand what we say?" asked one. "Never on your life," was the
answer, and the wheel in place, they watched every movement as I wiped
my hands on a rag and drew on my gloves. "Eight minutes exactly,"
whispered McLaughlan triumphantly, as he seated himself beside me on the
lorry preparatory to starting.

The crowd still watched expectantly, and, leaning out a little, I said
sweetly, in my best Parisian accent: "_Mesdames et Messieurs, la seance
est terminee_." And off we drove! Their expressions defied description;
I never saw people look so astounded. McLaughlan was unfeignedly
delighted. "Wot was that you 'anded out to them, Miss?" he asked. "Fair
gave it 'em proper anyway, straight from the shoulder," and he chuckled
with glee.

I frequently met an old A.S.C. driver at one of the hospitals where I
had a long wait while the rations were unl