've twenty-five miles to
do before then."

"May I come with you?"

"Certainly. But----"

I stepped to where Jill was scribbling a note.

"We needn't start before half-past three," I said. "Will you wait for
me?"

She nodded abstractedly.

Jonah was dozing over a cigarette. Berry had disappeared.

Three minutes later I was sitting in a comfortable coupe, which Miss
Childe was driving at an unlawful speed in the direction of Colt.

"You drive a lot, don't you?" flashed my companion.

"A good deal."

"Then I expect you hate being driven by a stranger?"

"Not at all. Sometimes, of course----" I waited for us to emerge from
between two motor-lorries and a traction-engine. As we were doing over
forty-five, the pause was but momentary. "I mean----"

"That you're being frightened to death?"

"Not to death. I've still got some feeling in my right arm." We dropped
down one of the steepest hills I have ever seen, with two bends in it,
at an increased speed. "You keep your guardian angel pretty busy, don't
you?"

A suspicion of a smile played for a second about my lady's lips.

"The only thing I'm really frightened of is a hansom cab," she affirmed.

"Try and imagine that there are half a dozen round the next corner, will
you?"

The smile deepened.

"Is your heart all right?" she demanded.

"It was when we started."

"But I know this road backwards."

"You needn't tell me that," said I. "We should have been killed long ago
if you didn't. Seriously, I don't want to abuse your hospitality, but
we're going to have kidneys for breakfast to-morrow, and I should be
sorry to miss them."

"Are you fond of kidneys?"

"Passionately. I used to go out and gather them as a child. In the
morning and the meadows. Or were we talking of haddock?"

Miss Childe hesitated before replying.

"I used to, too. But I was always afraid of their being toadstools.
They're poisonous, aren't they?"

"Deadly. By the way, there are six hansoms full of toadstools at the
cross-roads which I observe we are approaching."

"I don't believe you."

I was wrong. But there was a waggon full of logs and a limousine full of
children, which were rather worse.

We proceeded amid faint cries of indignation.

"What do you do," said I, "when you come to a level-crossing with the
gates shut? "

"I don't," said Miss Childe.

I was still working this out, when my companion slowed down and brought
the car to a standstill in front of a hig