THE STORY 289 



thing in an hour or so, and it's better to take the 

 risk than lose my reason.' So I just told Giveen 

 I was very sorry but he'd have to accommodate 

 himself to circumstances, and I got a fishing-Une 

 of the uncle's and fastened his wrists behind his 

 back; then I fastened him with a rope and a 

 roUing bend knot to the iron bedstead in the bed- 

 room, told him I wouldn't be more than an hour 

 away, shut the door on him, jumped into the 

 car and drove off. I got to Southend in record 

 time. I only ran over one hen, but I very nearly 

 had an old woman and a dog. I piled up with 

 sixpenny novels and comic papers at the first 

 book shop, got three bottles of Johnnie Walker, 

 half a pound of navy-cut and some matches, and 

 started back. It was half-past three when I left 

 Southend, and I hadn't gone more than two miles 

 when the car came to a dead stop. I don't know 

 the ' innards ' of a car. I only knew that the 

 thing had stopped, that I was nine miles from the 

 cottage, and that the car was right in the fair way 

 blocking the road. A butcher's cart came along 

 and the butcher got down and helped me to push 

 her out of the middle on to the side of the road. 

 He said he didn't know of any repairing shop or 

 blacksmith's nearer than Southend. I asked him 

 to lend me his horse to drag the car back to South- 

 end, but he couldn't. He had his meat to dehver, 

 but he said I'd be sure to find help before long as 

 there was a lot of traffic on the road. So off he 

 went and left me. I thought of leaving the old 



