Mrs. Chambers held the gate and wished her ladyship a happy holiday. The car slipped out of the dark spinney that masked the park, on to the highroad where the colliers were trailing home. Hilda turned to the Crosshill Road, that was not a main road, but ran to Mansfield. Connie put on goggles. They ran beside the railway, which was in a cutting below them. Then they crossed the cutting on a bridge.

“That’s the lane to the cottage!” said Connie.

Hilda glanced at it impatiently.

“It’s a frightful pity we can’t go straight off!” she said. “We could have been in Pall Mall by nine o’clock.”

“I’m sorry for your sake,” said Connie, from behind her goggles.