eks we locked not only the stable door, but every single door to which a key could be fitted-and suffered accordingly. In a word, our convenience writhed. To co
de us ready for lunch. As
rs locked?"
held u
is," s
r fumed
d P
n shook
is, instead of Pau, if the cars were standing in an undesirable t
aid Daphne, "but you kn
ll
y fr
ged your protest, which will receive the deepest consideration. I shall dwell upon it during the soup. And now push off a
to the scale, my cousin took the line o
take the complete cracknel. Since the locks were fitted, I've done nothing but turn the key from morni
ad had the room to ourselves. As it was, Jonah made his way to the door amid an enraged mu
o be said for bo
ing had been done. Now, however, that we were in a strange country, where the tracing of a stolen car would, for a variety of reasons, be an extremely dif
being wrongfully imprisoned, the result might have been different. As it was, after barking furiously for five minutes, he had recourse to reprisal and, hardly waiting to remove the paper in which it was wrapped, devoured half a kilogramme of ripe Brie with a revengeful voracity to which the condition of the interior of the car bore hideous witness. Finally, when the urchin who was in ou
of the cars, and proved. So far as we could see, there was no fault in it. Once the key was withdrawn, the car concerned was useless. It could be driven,
oms swe
ite upon every possible occasion. As drivers of long standing, Jonah and I found this eagerness hard to indulge. Use holds, and, try as we would, it wa
turned
advanced your opinion. Is this because you reali
ery letter you post. The truth is, what little sense of proportion you have is fail
the advance of old age and gluttony. I see. To which of your physica
external influence. The sew
compared to a drain at the very outset of what promises
d my ey
sighed. "I don't know what's
ne, "I quite forgot. Di
said he
ey give you?
e francs to
Daphne and Adèle in h
esterday, as, but for your entreaties, I sho
d it was down, why
wn; it's up. In the second place, I was down-to four francs tw
likely to go bac
g to do. It's a law unto itself. Compared with the Money Market of to-day, Monte Carlo's a Sunday-school. I
said his wife. "It's throwing away money." Here my c
t?" sai
eque when the f
said Jonah.
"can it have risen
gone down
ree's less th
, taking an olive from a dis
aid Jill
e imports exceed the exports, the roll rises"-up went his hand-"as good bread should. But when the exports exceed the
nd across her sw
salt-cellar go
d Berry. "That was to d
ed with i
an't help yourself, it isn't likely you can help me. And, any way, I wouldn'
id I rel
ow can
that all the francs in the wor
opping would b
id Jill f
pound's worth of herrings. Fish is
es
night herr
You have to get out of bed and
to shake w
id Jill e
rately, "when you come to buy another pound's
rying to decide whether to have one or two poun
ok up th
ple," he said. "Thi
k a deep
h
" she
esday you look at it again, and find it's fifty
his sister
t's just the opposite.
es
," said Jon
d from Daphne to Adèle-dazedly. T
dea of how the thing worked. Now I'm confused for ever. If they are to be believed, in
was leaving the room and had come to
? But, I say, what a fall in the franc! Three po
adieus and
good sayin
thout honour, save
*
that we were bowling alo
strained at the leash of Winter with an eager heart. The valleys smiled, high places lifted up their heads, the hasty Gave de Pau swir
roat. The surface improving as we left Pau behind, I drew on the seven-league boots-surreptitiously. Very soon we were flying....
o the shape of a high-wheeled gig, jogged for a moment to meet us, and vanished into space. A dolls'-house by the wayside swelled into a villa ... a chateau ... a memory
crossing with the
n whether to withdraw them or no. After a long look up the line, howev
rrive," she
ed the engine and li
said Daphne, "
a matter for conjecture. We addressed one another for more than twenty minutes, but
did you he
almost certain that towards the end of our communion she said, 'Oh, he
ne s
"After all, that's the main thing. You mad
It's no good pretending that 'Wednesday's' a good word to shout, but I mad
shrieked
louder t
that's
tarted
rcredi,'" he
shake wit
y sister regar
you say?" s
rcre
rd of it," cried Daph
ow you
le freight-train started to
mble bega
must have got 'Wednes
have rung u
offered me a cigar. Then he turned to
he man whom she had chosen out of so many suitors. Little knowing that we were at Pau, Evelyn had written to us from Biarritz. In due season her letter had arrived, coming by way of Hampshire. An answer in the shape of a general invitation to lunch had brought not s
e, all six, upon the road-my wife and cousins in
o the paved str
d Berry, "when
ehorade,"
e the stones begin, or the
ok my
ck. But-well, there's a hill or two coming, and-and I
es, 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. More
thez, I looke
utes to
ld of the
nger and protest against the pace. But neither at the time or thereafter did she
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, an
At the foot was a panting lorry going our way. An approaching Ford was abo
It was a question of giving way-at least, it ought to have been. It was, however, too late. Happi
ordinary matchbox could have been passed between our near-side running-board and that
on and up and
all was pla
eyrehorade, I gl
er of a minute. But for the led ho
nd that was that the driver of the gr
. Almost immediately the road deteriorated. Its fine straightforward
my brother-in-law slowed up an
iven upon this ro
ok my
p, I am. I'd rather drive on the beach." With that h
d, detaining him
or blistering leagues. I know these roads.
ood practice,
that there it will be my blithesome duty continually to back a charabanc with a
ving so beautiful
finesse?" sai
said I. "G
ean-'ginger'?
ion," said
b-bull-dog
'Shove-me-and-I'll-shove-your-face'
door and felt for
ted down th
and pot-holes, but the remains of a railway platform which might have been brought from one of what we know as 'the stricken areas,' laid, like
t a huge pantechnicon, "that
and brain-shaking as that induced by the passage of a French pantechnicon, towed at a high speed over an abominable road. That the driver of the tractor
dust, the reek, the vibration, the pandemonium, were combining to create an atmosphere worthy of a place in the Litany. One's senses were cuffed and buffeted almost to a stands
aching the to
With a yell of triumph, my unwitting brother-i
he same time opening the throttle as wide as I dared. I fancy we took the corner on two whe
ched Biarritz alive, she should drive
ssing grey-headed Bayonne, we came to her s
the road, while Jonah was leaning languidly against the
d. "They're out. Won't be back
*
e engagement had been well and truly made, and that if Evelyn and her husband chose to forget all about it, that was no fault of his. Finally, when Jonah suggested that after l
leading questions. 'I quite expect we were expected yesterday, weren't
esides, I'd be only too relieve
ied her husband. "What a
s some cold stuffed venison on the sideboard. I do
hook hi
id mournfully. "I d
round hungrily-"w
villa again w
elicited the informati
t the previous day
rother-in-law explained the position and desired permissi
lon meekly enough. When he had written his lett
EVE
WE F
ul, I call it. To have been unprepared to receive us would have been bad enough,
on economy, forewent her breakfast and arrived upon your threshold faint and ravening, you will conceive the emotion with w
at is
ope, twice risked a life, the loss of which would, as you know, lower half the flags in Bethnal Green, and postponed
rs
ccount. As is my humble wont, I bent my head to the storm, strong in the fearless confiden
of yourself,"
not be,
f to find a suitable and sheltered grove, within sound of the Atlantic
husband can play golf. He
ar old
RR
arritz. Anyway, they ought to be prosecuted. Driving about the country like a drunken hornet. Mercifull
*
ds were whol
By rights, if music and perfume have any power, we should have fallen asleep. The air, however, prevented us. Here was an inspiriting lullaby-a sleeping-draught laced wit
ld get me that spray
irable. Remembering this, I did as Berry and Jonah were doing-stared
oy
, de
ink you c
shoulder, sworn three times, and ruined the appearance
that'll look lovely in the drawing-room. The w
o have picked it," I sa
mind," she added cheerfully, slipping
my back and scream, I relighted
k with Jill i
, two ferns, and a square foot of moss-the latter, much to the irritation of its inhabitants, many of whom refused to evacuate their homes and therefore accompanied us. I drew the line at frogs, on the score of crue
y, dropping our spoils and
scrap. And-and don't be angry with me, Boy. Jonah's been cros
own," said I. "At least-we
ings. It fell, perhaps, one inch below her knees. For a moment she regar
d I have seen it tumbled about her shoulders. I have seen her grave, and I have seen her gay. I have seen her on hors
dge of dancing. Her heightened colour, the poise of her shapely head, the parted lips lent to that exquisite face the air of an elf. All the sweet grace of a child was welling out of her maidenhood. Her apple-green frock fitted the form of a shepherdess. Her pretty grey l
eathed "Madonna!" but although I swung round
," said Jill. Clearly s
ed to my
sweet altogether. Something'll have to be done about it. You'll be stolen
go and flung her
nt she stared at the reflection. "I don't think I look very nice," she added gravely. "However..." She kissed me abstractedly and sta
ime I began to r
t a slip of a bough and swung herself athletically to the top
l," she announced. "It'
e reached the point fr
awaiting u
as we
married. You ought to have been with Adèle." She ran
ould be. And now jump in. Berry has taken the othe
the car, and a few minutes later we were at the mouth of the Adour. Here we left Ping beside Pong, an
heavily over
cross with
ld I be,
n him so long, and he's still so exactly
rty?" said my wife. "But
ed at her
yours,"
aughed
e," she said, smiling, "b
nk, was unco
ssed her slig
ched our
ily. But I'm not going to. The wind annoys me,
a pointing arm. "Just look at that one-that
elsh Harp-on a dirty night," replied
retreat before the menace of the
nly a magnifi
ably mingled, the very lulls between the paroxysms were big with wrath. There was a point, too, where the river's bank became coastline, a blunt corner of land, which seemed to exasperate the sea out of all reason. A stiff breeze abetting them
play till, as they say, the cows come home. My brother-in-
denunciation o
half-past three, and if we're to avoid the playground of the
èle nicely, first, if she'll take my pl
ady," h
long, the v
me feel in
e hurriedly, "but I've
y hus
hat, cocked it,
ar?" he demanded. "Or
retorted, "and you
g was sailing into th
.. Adèle and I pored over the print, while out of our bickering Berry plucked such instructions as his fancy suggested, and, alternately advancing and retiring, cruised to and fro about a gaunt
len
erry, "did they walk round J
think," said
you aren't quick, we shall have this c
me initiative
erry, darting u
into the corner, whence, before we had recovered our equilibrium, a violent swerve to the right
end was
SCO
e another. Finally we stared at Berry. The latte
d of a cricket-bat and a false nose, he could find a swamp upon an empty stomach. They tried him once, for fun, at a garden-party. Nobody
persuaded hi
ain road to Peyrehorade could not compare with it. At every twist and turn-and there were many-some fresh attraction confronted us. The countryside, shy of the great highways, crept very clo
ndown set our
atent: and then, again, Time can be kind to the dead. What Death had given, Time had magnified. Years had added to the grey walls a peace,
our later we ran
and, encouraged by the promise of a la
es later we
up the drive
missed that venison, and if the main road hadn't been vile, we should have missed Bidache. Indeed, provide
agreed enthu
hall with a note an
as from Mrs
ST DA
. Falcon insisted that you would wish us to have lunch, so we did-a jolly good one, too. And Jack smoked one of
oving
pé. They went by us to-day like a flash of lightning. Fortunately we w
nd was f
d by Falco
must 'ave 'is key.... And as Love's the honly thing as laughs at locksmiths, sir, will you kindly return
e is seventy miles-
*
a memory kept whispering above the rush of