I've driven all over England and the Continent this
Summer--as these girls will tell you. They were in the party."

"It's nothing to me whether you drove up the Matterhorn and down the
other side; as long as you can't show me a plain old American license,
you'll have to pay the costs."

"How much is it?" quickly asked Dodo, taking her purse out to settle the
bill.

"I don't know. You'd better follow me to the police station and we'll
see."

Dodo was handed a little paper which she read aloud to her horrified
companions, and thus, finding themselves arrested, they meekly tried to
follow the blue-jacket. But the cars had not been disentangled, although
both boys from the racer were doing their utmost to clear the way.

As the storm raised in the hearts of the two students by the carelessness
of Dodo abated, both boys realized how pretty and helpless the five girls
were, so they began to feel sorry for them. Besides this, the front
wheels were now divorced and the two cars backed away from each other to
give room for the congested traffic to pass.

"Dear me," wailed Dodo, "what will Mr. Dalken say when he hears about his
car! I don't mind going to jail or being made to pay a hundred dollars
fine, but to break up his automobile the first time I drove it, and get
his license tag into trouble--that is terrible!"

Polly laughed. "Not Dalken's license tag, but his name--in the papers.
That's what comes of being so well-known in New York."

"And the newspaper men will be sure to say that a party of joy-riders
stole his car to have a little jaunt in the country, I suppose," added
Eleanor, teasingly.

One of the good-looking young students now came over to the girls and
lifted his cap. "Did I understand you to say this is Mr. Dalken's car?"

Five girls glowered at him. Polly snapped out: "Are you a reporter from a
city paper?"

John Baxter laughed. "No, I am his protege. Mr. Dalken is the executor
of my father's estate and I was just on my way to the city, to visit him,
this evening."

"Oh how nice! We know Mr. Dalken very well, too. He is one of our best
friends," returned Polly, eagerly.

Nancy Fabian would have been more reticent had she been spokeswoman for
the girls; but both boys were so pleasant, now, that they were
introducing themselves to the girls, hence she said nothing.

"We'll go with you to the station house and see that the sergeant behaves
himself," suggested John.

The girls felt very grateful