arranged with Bennett that after a
rest, we would push forward at half-past ten by Marlborough, as far as
Swindon, on our way to Birmingham.

The waiter had brought me a couple of telegrams from Ray telling me good
news of another inquiry he was instituting, and having finished my meal
I was seated alone by the smoking-room fire enjoying a cigarette and
liqueur. Indeed, I had almost fallen asleep when the waiter returned,
saying:

"Excuse me, sir, but there's a lady outside in great distress. She wants
to speak to you for a moment, and asks if she may come in." He presented
a card, and the name upon it was "Mrs. Henry Bingham."

Rather surprised, I nevertheless consented to see her, and in a few
moments the door reopened and the younger of the two ladies I had seen
at dinner entered.

She bowed to me as I rose, and then, evidently in a state of great
agitation, she said:

"I must apologise for disturbing you, only--only I thought perhaps you
would be generous enough, when you have heard of our difficulty, to
grant my mother and I a favour."

"If I can be of any assistance to you, I shall be most delighted, I'm
sure," I answered, as her big grey eyes met mine.

"Well," she said, looking me straight in the face, "the fact is that our
car has broken down--something wrong with the clutch, our man says--and
we can't get any further to-night. We are on our way to Swindon--to my
husband, who has met with an accident and is in the hospital, but--but,
unfortunately, there is no train to-night. Your chauffeur has told our
man that you are just leaving for Swindon, and my mother and I have been
wondering--well--whether we might encroach upon your good nature and
beg seats in your car?"

"You are quite welcome to travel with me, of course," I replied without
hesitation. "But I fear that on such a night it will hardly be pleasant
to travel in an open car."

"Oh, we don't mind that a bit," she assured me. "We have lots of
waterproofs and things. It is really most kind of you. I had a telegram
at four o'clock this afternoon that my husband had been taken to the
hospital for operation, and naturally I am most anxious to be at his
side."

"Naturally," I said. "I regret very much that you should have such cause
for distress. Let us start at once. I shall be ready in ten minutes."

While she went back to her mother, I went out into the yard where the
head-lights of my big "sixty" were gleaming.

"We shall have two lady pa