Gregory, of course, refused point blank to ride a single yard; but he
was rarely sorry, none the less, when the time came to climb the steps
and settle down in a chair.

They had lunch that first day near Yarnton, without making any camp or
cooking anything. The cooking was to be saved for the evening. They
merely tore the two cold chickens to pieces and ate them with
bread-and-butter and stone ginger beer from an inn beside the road. It
is much the best way with a cold chicken. Afterwards bananas, which
someone had told Mrs. Avory were the most sustaining of fruit.

Robert had arranged an easy day to begin with, and they were to go no
farther than Woodstock, where, for those not too tired, there was
Blenheim to see, the wonderful house of the Duke of Marlborough, and
Fair Rosamond's Bower, and the park and the lake. Hester even had hopes
of finding a distressed Blenheim spaniel puppy in some romantic sort of
way, and adopting it for life.

But there were none of these things for them. Indeed, caravaners very
soon get out of the habit of making plans at all. It is all too
uncertain. The only things that really are certain are work and delay.
They got no nearer to Blenheim than to peer through its gates and to
recite, very imperfectly, the verses about old Caspar's work and little
Wilhelmine.

At about half-past three they entered Woodstock, and, after passing
through the village and doing a little shopping there, surrounded by
all Woodstock's children who were not in school, they began to look
about for a camping-place. And this needs more thought than one might
suppose, for there must be some shelter from the wind, and water must
not be too distant. Also one does not want to be very close to a busy
and dusty road.

Kink, who had gone off on a little tour of inspection, came back at
last and said he had found an excellent field, high and dry, and
sheltered too. Stopping a labourer, they found that the farmer was Mr.
Gosden, of Blackett's; and Gregory and Mary Rotheram hurried off to the
farm-house, which was a few fields off, to ask permission, and get some
milk, and perhaps eggs and butter.

They found the door of the kitchen open, but no one there. It was a
large, low kitchen, with a very red brick floor, and it led into the
dairy, where they could see the flat pans of milk. The fire was burning
so brightly that they knew the farmer's wife could not be far away.
Over the mantelpiece was a gun. Two or three hi