whole of the projected tour was to be carried out, and the
Shakespeare villages inspected, not to speak of Edgehill, Evesham,
Broadway, and Gloucester, which they had also set their hearts on
seeing, it was impossible to do more than rush through the various
sights, so their boxes were once more strapped on to the
luggage-carrier, and the car set off on its further travels.

They did not escape the usual accidents that delay motorists: a tyre
exploded one afternoon with a terrific bang, and the ladies of the party
had to sit for an hour by the roadside, while the men-folk fixed on the
Stepney wheel. Giles's love for by-roads landed him sometimes in
difficulties. He whisked them once down a charming primrose-starred
lane, only to find that it ended in a ford. As you cannot run a car
through even the shallowest river without stopping the engine, it was
evidently a case of "thus far and no farther", and there was nothing for
it but a return to the highway. There was no room to turn in the narrow
lane, so the car had to back the whole distance to the road--a most
difficult performance between high banks and round sharp corners, and
one which required all Giles's skill as a chauffeur. Another time,
trying a short cut across some fields, the car ran into soft earth and
refused to stir. Her occupants got down and tried with their united
efforts to push her out of her "slough of despond", but with no effect.
Giles kept starting the engine, but the wheels, instead of gripping,
simply turned round and round, and sank deeper into the soil. They were
obliged to go to a farm for help, and have planks fixed under the wheels
before the heavy car could move on to terra firma and proceed with its
journey. These little accidents, however, all added a spice of adventure
and fun to the tour; the young folks, at any rate, did not wish
everything to be too plain sailing; they thoroughly enjoyed the romantic
side of the trip, and liked to get off the beaten track into the wilds
of the country. They had brought all sorts of wonderful contrivances for
cooking the mid-day lunch, which they always ate out-of-doors. There was
an apparatus with a spirit-lamp for making coffee, which whistled like a
canary when the beverage was brewed; there was a marvellous double
frying-pan, heated merely by strips of newspaper being lighted
underneath it, which cooked eggs and sausages with surprising speed; and
there was a neat canteen-basket with cups, plates, s