nter, cheerily over his shoulder to
the Colonel.

Our gastronomic friend merely grunted for reply, and I should have
thought him to be asleep had not the red glow of his cigar assured me
that he was still awake.

Winter jammed on his third speed and the hedges began to fly past us. We
were in the country now and were able to appreciate the fineness of the
night. Indeed it was a perfect night. The air was sharp but without
sting. The moon shone with a clear brilliance which betokened rain in
the near future. The road was clean and dry, and there was no dust in
the air except the thin cloud which floated behind us. We passed the
Welsh Harp without a check, and not until we reached Edgeware did Winter
revert to his second speed. We ran through the little town with only
momentary slackening of pace, and so we sped onwards until we opened the
stretch of road leading to Brockley Hill. Here Winter, seeing the road
clear ahead, jammed on his highest speed and the wheels droned like a
hive of bees as we darted towards the incline. We were half way up the
hill before Winter found it necessary to transform his speed into power,
and we finished the ascent with ease. Then once more the order was third
speed, and we whirled away through Elstree and passed through Radlett a
bare half hour from the time we started.

Just at this time I looked back to see how Colonel Maitland fared. His
cigar no longer glowed, though it was still tightly held between his
teeth. His head was bent forward, and the regular and gentle murmur
which came from his nose proclaimed that he slept. I had just mentioned
the fact to Winter, and had turned again to assure myself that he was
comfortably wrapped in his rug, when I thought I saw on the road behind
me another car.

"Hullo!" I said to Winter. "There's another chap coming on behind us.
Without lights, too!"

A slight bend in the road shut out the view, however, and made me doubt
whether or no my eyes had been deceiving me.

"Pooh!" replied Winter. "We've passed nothing on the road, and at the
pace we've been travelling there's not another car owned in this
district we should not have left miles behind us, even if it had started
at the same time as ourselves. You must have mistaken some of the
shadows from the trees. How much of that port did you drink?"

I laughed, but as we had now reached a straight stretch of road I looked
back again.

"I'm right," I said. "There is another car, and by jove! I