the middle of the day."

"I don't believe I was doing anything like thirty miles an hour," said
Sam. "I should say twenty-seven at the outside. And there was no risk
because everybody cleared out of my way. I had the street practically to
myself. It was rather fun seeing all the other cars and carts and things
piled up upon the footpaths at either side and the people bolting
into the shops like rabbits. But there wasn't any risk. However, old
Hazlewood evidently thought there was, and seemed frightfully pleased
about it He said he had a car of his own, a sixty h.p. Daimler, and that
he'd like to see me drive it. I said I'd take him for a spin any time he
liked. I gave him a hint that we might start immediately after lunch and
run up to Belfast in time for dinner. With a car like that I could have
done it easy. However, he wasn't on."

"Do you think he really had the car?"

"Oh, he had her all right I drove her afterwards. Great Scott, such a
drive! The next thing he said was that he believed I was a pretty good
man in a boat. I said I knew something about boats, though not much."

Modesty is one of Sam's virtues. He is, I believe, an excellent hand in
a small yacht, and does a good deal of racing.

"I asked him what put it into his head that I could sail a boat, and he
said O'Meara told him. O'Meara is a man I sail with occasionally, and I
thought it nice of him to mention my name to this old boy. I can hoist
a spinnaker all right and shift a jib, but I'm no good at navigation.
Always did hate sums and always will. I told him that, and he said he
could do the navigation himself. All he wanted was a good amateur crew
for a thirty-ton yawl with a motor auxiliary. He had four men, and he
asked me to make a fifth. I said I'd go like a shot. Strictly speaking,
I ought to have been attending lectures; but what good are lectures?"
"Very little," I said. "In fact, hardly any." "I wasn't going to lose a
cruise for the sake of any amount of lectures," said Sam, "particularly
with the chance of a tour on that sixty h.p. car thrown in."

Sam paused at this point. It seemed to me that he wanted encouragement.

"You'd have been a fool if you had," I said.

"Up to that time," said Sam thoughtfully, "I hadn't tumbled to what he
was at. I give you my word of honour I hadn't the dimmest idea that he
was after anything in particular. I thought he was simply a good old
sport with lots of money, which he knew how to spend in sensible