ncluded lamely.

But for my sister's presence, I would have told him the truth. This
was that I had bet Jonah that I could get from Orthez to Peyrehorade in
twenty minutes. The distance was exactly thirty kilometres, and the
road was perfect. There were no corners, and the bends were few.
There were hills, certainly; but these were straightforward enough and
could be taken, so to speak, in our stride. Moreover, there were no
cross-roads, and only two turnings worth thinking about. To some cars
the feat would have been nothing. Whether it was within the reach of
Ping and Pong remained to be seen....

As we left Orthez, I looked at my watch.

Ten minutes to eleven.

I laid hold of the wheel....

To this hour I cannot tell why Daphne did not exercise the prerogative
of a passenger and protest against the pace. But neither at the time
or thereafter did she so much as mention it. Berry confessed later
that he had been frightened to death.

Three kilometres out, there was a bend, and the needle of the
speedometer, which, after rising steadily, had come to rest against the
stop, retreated momentarily to record fifty-five.... We sang past a
wayside farm, dropped into a valley, soared up the opposite side,
flashed in and out of an apparently deserted village, shot up a long
incline, and slowed up for a curve.... Then some poultry demanded
consideration. As we left them behind, the agitation of two led horses
necessitated a still further reduction of speed. We lost such time as
I had made, and more also. Still, we were going downhill, and, as if
impatient of the check, the car sprang forward.... We rose from the
bottom with the smooth rush of a non-stop elevator. As we breasted the
rise, I saw another and steeper dale before us. The road was becoming
a switchback....

At the top of the opposite hill was a big grey cabriolet coming towards
us. At the foot was a panting lorry going our way. An approaching
Ford was about to pass it. The cabriolet and Pong fell down their
respective slopes....

The Ford was abreast of the lorry, and the cabriolet was prepared to
pass the two when we arrived. It was a question of giving way--at
least, it ought to have been. It was, however, too late. Happily,
there was more room than time at our disposal--a very little more.
There was no time at all....

For one never-to-be-forgotten instant there were four vehicles in a
row. I doubt if an ordinary matchbox could hav