Eleanor nodded, and, climbing on to the driver's seat, took the reins with reassuring calmness.

Thomas balanced the meat-basket behind, and "t'owd mare" started at a good pace up a hill which would have reduced most south-country horses to crawl.
"Father and Mother are away still," said Eleanor, after a pause.

"So Thomas says.

But they'll be back in a day or two." We were driving up a sandy road such as we had seen winding over the hills.

To our left there was a precipitous descent to the vale of the river.