ter returned to the attack.

"Are you coming, Boy?"

"Yes," said I. "I am."

Berry sat up and stared at me.

"Don't be silly," he said. "There's a service this morning. Besides,
they've changed the lock of the poor-box."

"I want to watch the Vicar's face when he sees you," said I.

"It will be a bit of a shock," said Jonah, looking up from the paper.
"Is his heart all right?"

"Rotten," said Daphne. "But that doesn't matter. I sent him a note to
warn him yesterday."

"What did you say?" demanded her husband.

"I said, '_We're back at last, and--don't faint--we're all coming to
Church to-morrow, and you've got to come back to lunch._' And now, for
goodness' sake, go and change."

"But we shall perspire," said Berry. "Profusely. To walk half a mile in
this sun is simply asking for it. Besides----"

"What's the car done?" said Jonah. "I'm going, and I can't hurry with
this." He tapped his short leg affectionately. "We needn't take Fitch.
Boy or I can drive."

"Right oh," said my sister, rising. "Is ten-minutes-to early enough?"

Jonah nodded.

"This," said Berry, "is a conspiracy for which you will all pay.
Literally. I shall take the plate round, and from you four I shall
accept nothing but paper. Possibly I shall----"

Here the girls fell upon him and bore him protesting into the house and
out of earshot.

"Who's going to look after the car while we're in church?" said I.

"There's sure to be somebody ready to earn a couple of bob," said Jonah.
"Besides, we can always disconnect the north-east trunnion, or jack her
up and put the wheels in the vestry or something."

"All right. Only we don't want her pinched." With a yawn I rose to my
feet. "And now I suppose I'd better go and turn her out."

"Right oh," said Jonah, picking up his paper again.

I strolled into the house.

We were proud of the car. She was a 1914 Rolls, and we had bought her at
a long price less than a week ago. Fresh from the coach-builder's, her
touring body was painted silver-grey, while her bonnet was of polished
aluminium. Fitted with every conceivable accessory, she was very
good-looking, charming alike to ride or drive, and she went like the
wind. In a word, she did as handsome as she was.

It was eight minutes to eleven as we slid past the lodge and on to the
Bilberry road.

Before we had covered two furlongs, we swung round a corner to see a
smart two-seater at rest by the dusty hedgerow, and a slight dark girl
in