ssengers to Swindon, Bennett," I said, as my
chauffeur threw away his cigarette and approached me. "What kind of car
have the ladies?"

"A twenty-four. It's in the garage up yonder. The clutch won't hold, it
seems. But their man's a foreigner, and doesn't speak much English. I
suppose I'd better pack our luggage tighter, so as to give the ladies
room."

"Yes. Do so. And let's get on the road as soon as possible."

"Very well, sir," responded the man as he entered the car and began
packing our suit-cases together while almost immediately the two ladies
emerged, the elder one, whose voice was harsh and squeaky, and who was,
I noticed, very deformed, thanking me profusely.

We stowed them away as comfortably as possible, and just as the
cathedral chimes rang out half-past ten, the ladies gave parting
injunctions to their chauffeur, and we drew out of the yard.

I apologised for the dampness and discomfort of an open car, and briefly
explained my long journey and its object. But both ladies--the name of
the queer little old widow I understood to be Sandford--only laughed,
and reassured me that they were all right.

That night I drove myself. With the exhaust opened and roaring, and the
siren shrieking, we sped along through the dark, rainy night up by old
Sarum, through Netheravon, and across Overton Heath into Marlborough
without once changing speed or speaking with my passengers. As we came
down the hill from Ogbourne, I had to pull up suddenly for a farmer's
cart, and turned, asking the pair behind how they were faring.

As I did so I noticed that both of them seemed considerably flurried,
but attributed it to the high pace we had been travelling when I had so
suddenly pulled up on rounding the bend.

Three-quarters of an hour later I deposited them at their destination,
the "Goddard Arms," in Old Swindon, and, descending, received their
profuse thanks, the elder lady giving me her card with an address in
Earl's Court Road, Kensington, and asking me to call upon her when in
London.

It was then half an hour past midnight, but Bennett and I resolved to
push forward as far as Oxford, which we did, arriving at the "Mitre"
about half-past one, utterly fagged and worn out.

Next day was brighter, and we proceeded north to Birmingham and across
once again to the east coast, where the bulk of my work lay.

About a fortnight went by. With the assistance of two well-known
staff-officers I had been reconnoitring the c