llow where their elders led. Elton, the
groom, made some slight demur when Everard went down to the motor-house
and began to get out the big touring-car, but the boy behaved with such
assurance that he concluded he must be acting with his grandfather's
permission. Moreover, Elton was in charge of the horses, and not the
cars, and Milner, the chauffeur, who might reasonably have raised
objections, was away driving his master.

The cook, who perhaps considered it was no business of hers to offer
remonstrances, and that the house would be quieter without the young
folks, hastily packed a picnic hamper and filled the thermos flasks. A
rejoicing crew carried them outside and stowed them in the car.

It seemed a delightful adventure to go off in this way entirely on
their own. There was some slight wrangling over seats, but Everard
settled it in his lofty fashion.

"You'll sit where I tell you. I'll have Lilias in front, and the rest of
you may pack in behind. If you don't like it, you can stop at home. No,
I'm not going to have you kids interfering here, so you needn't think
it."

Everard had been taught by the chauffeur to drive, and could manage a
car quite tolerably well. He possessed any amount of confidence, which
is a good or bad quality according to circumstances. He ran the large
touring "Daimler" successfully through the park, and turned her out at
the great iron gateway on to the highroad. Everybody was in the keenest
spirits. It was a lovely day, wonderfully mild for January, and the
sunshine was so pleasant that they hardly needed the thick fur rugs.
There seemed a hint of spring in the air; already hazel catkins hung
here and there in the hedgerows, thrushes and robins were singing
cheerily, and wayside cottages were covered with the blossom of the
yellow jessamine. It was a joy to spin along the good smooth highroad in
the luxurious car. Everard was a quick driver, and kept a pace which
sometimes exceeded the speed limit. Fortunately his brothers and sisters
were not nervous, or they might have held their breath as he dashed
round corners without sounding his horn, pelted down hills, and on
several occasions narrowly avoided colliding with farm carts. A reckless
boy of seventeen, without much previous experience, does not make the
most careful of motorists. As a matter of fact it was the first time
Master Everard had driven without the chauffeur at his elbow, and,
though he got on very well, his performance