n of the road--to my distraction.

Here was trouble enough, but--what was worse--upon my sounding the
horn, the driver refused to give way. He knew of my presence, of
course. He heard me, he saw my headlights, and--he sought to increase
his pace....

I sounded the horn till it failed: I yelled till my throat was sore:
Piers raged and howled: behind, I heard Berry bellowing like a
fiend.... I cursed and chafed till the sweat of baffled fury ran into
my eyes....

For over five hideous miles I followed that bucketing van.

I tried to pass it once, but the brute who was driving swerved to the
left--I believe on purpose--and only our four-wheel brakes averted a
headline smash.

At that moment we might not have been on earth.

My lady stopped as a bird stops in its flight. With the sudden heave
of a ship, she seemed to hang in the air. Wild as I was, I could not
but marvel at her grace....

Out of the check came wisdom.

It was safe, then, to keep very close.

I crept to the blackguard's heels, till our headlights made two rings
upon his vile body.

With one foot on the step, Piers hung out of the car, watching the road
beyond.

Suddenly the van tilted to the right....

I knew a swerve must follow, if the driver would keep his balance.

As it came, I pulled out and crammed by, with my heart in my mouth....

A glance at the clock made me feel sick to death.

Fifteen priceless minutes that van had stolen out of my hard-earned
hoard. I had risked our lives a score of times to win each one of
them. And now an ill-natured churl had flung them into the draught....

I set my teeth and put the car at a hill at eighty-five....

We flashed through Langon at twenty minutes to ten.

Thirty-five minutes left--and thirty miles to go.

We were on the main road now, and the surface was wide, if rough. What
little traffic there was, left plenty of room.

I took the ashes of my caution and flung them to the winds.

Piers told me afterwards that for the first twenty miles never once did
the speedometer's needle fall below seventy-two. He may be right. I
knew that the streets were coming, and the station had to be found. It
was a question, in fact, of stealing time. That which we had already
was not enough. Unless we could pick some out of the pocket of
Providence, the game was up.

I had to slow down at last for a parcel of stones. The road was being
re-made, and thirty yards of rubble had to be delicat