the candle,
and managed to find her way along the passage to her friend's room.
Loveday, much astonished to be thus awakened, took her into her bed, and
they laughed over the little adventure.

"Oh, yes, it's all very fine to laugh," said Diana. "But if _you_ were
all alone you wouldn't like it yourself. Nothing will induce me to sleep
by myself again in a strange hotel; so I warn you. You'll be saddled
with your pixie girl for the rest of the tour. She's a scared baby at
nights, and she doesn't mind confessing it. Rats--ugh! The very name of
them makes me creep."

CHAPTER XVI

A Family Crest

After the joys of Stratford-on-Avon came the delights of the rest of the
fascinating Shakespeare villages. "Piping Pebworth", "Dancing Marston",
"Drunken Bidford", "Haunted Hillborough", "Hungry Grafton", "Papist
Wixford", and "Beggarly Broom" were visited and rejoiced over in turn;
then the car wended its way from Warwickshire to sample the glories of
Gloucestershire. Here, too, our pilgrims found plenty to arouse their
enthusiasm: the richness of the landscape, with orchards just breaking
into bloom; the slow winding rivers, with their willowy, reedy banks;
the beautiful half-timbered manors and farms and the thatched cottages
set in a tangle of greenery, made an ideal picture of English country
life. They saw it at the cream of the year, in all the glory of spring
tints and blossoms, and even if showers came on they put up the hood of
the car and whisked along wet roads, admiring the freshness of the
rain-washed leaves and the effects of gathering storm-clouds over
distant hills. They were a full day's journey beyond Stratford when
suddenly there happened that most common misfortune to motorists,
"something wrong with the car". Giles just managed to run her into the
nearest village, then, stopping at the inn, he sent for the services of
the blacksmith, who was somewhat of a mechanic, and with his aid set to
work on repairs. Leaving Giles, with his coat off and his sleeves rolled
up, crawling under the car and getting exceedingly oily and dusty in the
process, the rest of the party set off to explore the neighbourhood on
foot. The village was so charming that they could really hardly grumble
at being held up there. Each cottage seemed a picture, with its thatched
or red-tiled roof, black-and-white walls, creeper-covered porch, and gay
little garden. So luxuriant were the flowers that they even strayed
through the ra