TO NEWCASTLE BY ROAD I found several of my brother's friends staying at Feltham, who were also well known to me, and my aunt, who was playing hostess, had several women staying with her.

We spent the time very much after the fashion of an ordinary house-party during the first week of October.
We shot until four o'clock, came home and played bridge until dinner-time, bridge or billiards after dinner, varied by a dance one night and some amateur theatricals.

On the fifth day a singular thing happened to me.
The whole of the house-party were invited to shoot with my uncle, Lord Horington, who lived about forty miles from us.

We left in two motor-cars soon after breakfast-time, and for the last few miles of the way we struck the great north road.

It was just after we had entered it that we came upon a huge travelling car, covered with dust, and with portmanteaus strapped upon the roof, hung up by the side of the road.