No person was yet in sight and there was utter silence.

The beat of his heart was so hard that it gave him actual physical pain.

The shadow he knew was that of a large closed automobile, but no driver was in the seat, and he did not believe that anybody was inside.

Both the silence and the loneliness became sinister.
John slipped forward boldly.

It required no divination to know that he was expected to drive this machine.