excursion to Spain. The fact that Piers could speak Spanish suggested that all the arrangements should be left in his hands. We embraced
m to Paris and Rome. My cousin's farewell to her future husband had been ridiculously affecting. P
arm things. I'm sure it's still most awfully cold up there, and-and
, binder," co
then. I remembe
said he
great thing was to keep warm
looked
dren," he said, "wi
ers, because your left one comes down. And be very careful crossing the streets. Wait till there's
does. Combine business with pleasure
darling, I love you very much, and-and God bless you, dear,
ers put her fin
bye, M
one another
ving, and the Duke swung himself
to trot by
up the attempt and stood waving her tiny ha
, she turned
brow. "I wish to goodness we were married. Then I could have gone with him." She stumbled, and I caught her.
erest, darling. Piers i
her eyes th
"My very own.... Boy, will you take me
t, two stout body-belts had been di
*
his napkin to his knees, "to consume oxt
do," sa
Afterwards he can be hosed. And now about Spain. Of course, without Piers to talk for us, we shall be mocked, misled, and g
e day after to-morrow, spend one night at Pampelun
red Daphne. "I suppose
do," said Adèle,
the main thing. We must get some money at the bank-Spanish money, I m
secticide," said Berry. "
e," said
n't wake me to inspect the bodyguard. Have we any castanets? And w
g in fancy dress, I'd rather remain at Pau.
n," was the reply, "tha
I had carefully studi
r myself that, had I be
would have found
of a white bowler, a morning-coat, golf-breeche
ght really to have had my cuffs trimmed with skunk,"
said Adèle. "We mus
. "I promised Piers we'd
h gr
our passport photogr
n. Mine, I must confess, is less successful. Had I been told that it was a study of the Honorary Treasurer of the Splodgeworth Goose Club on bail, I should have held it an excellent likeness. Daphne's is very good. She's wearing that particularl
Adèle. "He loo
es out in the flesh. The camera can never lie. And now don't choke. It's unmaidenl
" said
n-pen,"
," sai
said
pener,"
id Berry. "That's nin
bush. If you must have a camera-well, take one. But as for soap
lain man of few words, all this vulga
expected that he wou
ignation was at its height t
d the same expleti
h
will be--" The crash of glass interrupted him. "Don't move, Falcon, or you'll wrec
sir," replie
e candles in a min
aid my brother-in-law, "
or?" sa
now where the port was, and I could peel
huddering. "Oh, why i
said I, "calls
similarly placed, what w
have continued his discourse,
nah. "Any more queri
sister. "How ex
ver the mountains by Roncevaux. It's a wonderful drive, they say, but the very deuce of a climb. Pampeluna'
. "It's only a hundr
d resumed a surreptitious
all strike some
" crie
d together. Then, if one falls, it'll take the other with it
phne, "don't they bring
, ma
or, and go and see
good,
utler emerged from the r
can't bear it any longer.
ng for the wretched things ever since the l
had a
len
n put on the table,"
y are," s
he
e your pretty
. "They're in-- Oh, you brut
y," said Berry. "
it on purpose. You know you did. Daphne,
," said Berry. "It'll
k, you'll ha
with two inches of candle upon
n the centre of the table, the
ne before Berry and was about to withdra
ered at t
there, mada
ked round
to feel under his chair, "I think-I me
a small silver bowl whic
ook a de
and let us feel all over the table, and pretended you were l
I never...." He stopped short an
rom beneath the table,
ther-in-law he
ilt more pla
sank to the floor: the pert white tail was lower
Nob
head upon the ground, and the
dog," said I. "Besi
und of chocolat
't chocolates at all. They were marrons glacés-the la
ped his
he demanded, "to torm
a C.B.
. "Tea without a marron glacé will be like
France has a close
his face i
d. "The last of the bunch
imilarly placed, what wo
," said
" said
fe sm
tracks for Sp
*
own with everything," I touched my hat, and we rolled slow
ion was ve
pasted upon our passports. The visas were deliberately inspected. Our certificates were unfolded and scrutinised. Our travelling pass was digested. To our great relief, however, he let the luggage go. We had no contraband, but we were two hours late, and to
if tortuous, had been as flat as your hand. But the gorge was a cul de sac-a beautiful blind alley, with mountains' flanks for walls. So the road had been made to
and we went at a wicked
ely the scenery
ces, up, above all, an exquisite vesture of snow, flawless and dazzling-these stood for beauty. All the wonder of height, the towering proportions of the place, the bewildering pitch of the sky-these stood f
-for we had instinctively
by woods and coppices, over grey bridges-wet and shining and all stuck with ferns-now looking forward to the snow-bound ridge, now facing back to find the frontier vil
rung with the wind, and presently up and into and over the snow,
unwarrantably hot, and, after a moment's consideration, I
it?" sa
e. At least, I think so. Of course it's a deuc
ing to get out
second
ouble when first I suspected its presence. Had I done so, I should have spared the engine, I should have been able to corre
I made
to have Berry. I've got a new strap in the
yes and sank his c
id Daphne. "I'm very
aid Berry. "Besides, I h
et out?" sa
we got him as far a
I said im
nd beautiful it looks, does not it?" He took a deep breath and let himself down upon his toes. "A-A-ah!
of beyond, but I found it at l
fixing the strap, you mi
th?" sai
Just pick it up
e me strength," said Berry brokenly.
s the
pick up som
h it, dear-well. Then the
ing it up, then? I mean, my le
hat, too," c
n the pictures they used to have a barrel of whisky round their necks. The great thing was to be found by a
the radiator?" said I,
ss. My fingers were cold and clumsy, and everything
oking over
d all the snow round here. Just a few feet, you kn
n?" said I. "Is
but it seems to go down. I've put
non revealed the unpleasant tru
ned this
for the last twenty minutes I have been at some pains to
id I, "is
, I might have been trying to eat a la
e cooled her d
o induce my brother-in-law to continue his Danaidean task
on to the radiator and
ly uneasy, an
country lay before us. We were nearly at the top of the pass, and, presumably, once we were over we sh
ly I put
lipping constantly. I had to go very gingerly. Two deep furrows ahead told of P
t we snarled past a ruined cabin and, stumbling
impossible to say, and there was no one to be seen. The place looked like a toy som
he water, and hoped for the best. While I was doing this, Berry had closed the car-a wise measure, for, though
d. And the road was splendidly laid: its long clean sweeps, its graceful curves, the way in which its line befitted
de and stricken it looked. There was no glass in the windows: filth littered th
ised with a shock what sort of a night w
. Presently the road forked and we switched to the righ
mean?" said my sister, looki
,'" said I. "As for accidentad
shall be there any minute. This must b
eared hi
urn and it become necessary to ply me with cordial, just part my lips and
n the right-hand side of the road stands
ly beautiful specimen of the palae
lied the radiator. Just take the cap off
he reply. "Unfortunately I h
phne, thrusting a hotwa
cy I forgot
hted a c
d," said I,
y received the godsend a
two minutes
he water's too hard or somethi
e," said
sband. "You go and tempt
ut of it and hold
tell
out m
aid, "it'll be dark, and we
Berry di
e was filling the rad
crewed on the cap and m
my bottle?" s
ry, slamming the door, "that fu
never dr
each of my sleeves first, and then spat all over my head. Yes, it is funny, isn't it? Never mind. Game to the last, he we
in water, for very soon, to my di
re a sturdy mother came lugging a great caldron before we had named our need. In all cot terrible asce
ong hill, round two or three death-trap bends,
six when we ran
reets were crowded, and we moved slowly, with the result that the eight urchins who decided to mount the running-boards d
s right. Straight on. Look at that one. He's holding on by t
said I, s
. That must be it,
e boys alighted from the dickey, the w
r I found mys
ility to speak a word of Spanish and his inability to speak a word of anything else disfavoured an intelligent conversa
leasing informati
r.' I suppose a superman might have put it more plainly, but it's a pretty broad hint. And now what shall we do? Thr
e. "Get in, Boy. I
nd started
out again w
, who had remounted
ain, feelin
we visited was ad
he second time, Jonah came
of order, there's no steam heat, and there are no fire-places. Both the bath-rooms have been let as bedrooms, and the garage is conveniently situated about a mile and a half away. The porter's cut his hand, so you'l
*
we are. Don't talk. Don't do
NA
t the word
ding, hat in hand, and stepped into
e were whipping
be mended and the car to be washed had been understood and would be executed, I was almost too tired to care. I was also abominably cold. The prospect
f the hotel I had been
contentedly. What it all meant, I had not the faintest idea. Enough that I was com
with a rush be
ffeur removed his hat, and
nto the grateful shelte
invited to ascend the huge staircase. I did so in silence. At th
wn footfalls. The atmosphere was pleasantly warm and full of the sweet scent of burning wood. What furniture I saw was very handsome. Three exquisite sta
my guide wo
he stopped to kn
it?" cri
e, and she calle
o the finest bedroom
rs, table-lamps-all were in beautiful taste. An open door in one corner, admitting the flash of tiles, promised a bath-room. On the bed my dress-clothes, which I had packed for San Sebastian
d round
my neck. "And I thought you were never coming. I wanted to wait for you, lad, but they wouldn't let me. But I'
ure I'm alive. I'm not sure I'm not mad. 'Sure'? I don't know the meaning of the wo
Adèle, "I've not
ut
last we began to understand that he'd got some rooms for us elsewhere. You can imagine our joy. Once we understood, he didn't have to ask us whether we'd come. The next minute two chauffeurs were slinging the baggage on to a couple of cars, and, after we'd managed to explain that you were coming back, Berry paid some sort of a bill and we all pushed off. When we
the magnificence of our lodging, it would have been reasonable enough. Still, we knew nothing
ad begun to wonder whether it was wo
*
d we had passed into the shadowed comfort of a gorgeous library, where only the ceaseless flicker of a great log fire had lighted us to deep-cushioned chairs and
aven that we had fallen so magically upon our own, confined our conversation to the events of our jo
hout which, to make life worth living, no car should ever take the road,
witch on the light, the man
rry glanced at
de Serrano, Madrid.' Better have him in, hadn't we?" He tur
t bowed an
oy, perhaps twenty-three years
with an open-hearted delight whi
t it's shortening his life. I've had a fearful time with him. There are about a thousand things he wants to know, and he's commissioned me to find them out without asking any questions. That, he says,
s in five feet of water on a particularly blasted mountain-side. But don't be disconcerted. We shouldn't think of drow
ank int
ne, twittering, "I can't
ed at her cu
fice till this afternoon. Then they took it to the mayor. Of course he nearly died. But, being a man of action, he got a move on. He flew round here and laid the facts before the steward-the owner happens to be away-and arranged to put this house at your disposal. Then he rushed round, borrowed a couple of
he mayor and you and everyone, but why-in the first pla
raised hi
"when they saw the tel
the wire?"
said Jona
deux petites chambres avec salle
NS
ing to faint. Then he covered his fac
m from his pocket, unfolde
sent," he said jerkily, "but
deux petites chambres avec sall
NO
aloud there was a
len
in upside down this morning, but I little dreamed it was to be a royal progress. However
nodded
e first and foremost questio
*
response to a wire from San Sebastian peremptoril
had, indeed, dealt with the delicate situation with admirable
ad unconsciously assumed must be deliberately mai
proud, and I think it'd kill him. Very well, then. Your course, plainly, is the line of least resistance. O friends, Romans, countrymen,
out Epi