A DAY AT LOUGH MELVIN. 51 



men, Mr. Bob Johnstone and his aide-du- 

 camp drove up their cars to the door. 



"It is impossible," said the Squire, look- 

 ing out of the window, " that a vehicle like 

 that could be the invention of a country 

 three degrees removed from barbarism. You 

 cannot talk, because you sit back to back : 

 you cannot see, because you sit sideways : 

 you cannot drive on account of the cramped 

 attitude : you have the motion of the horse 

 in addition to the jolting of the wheels : and 

 from every chance meeting in the road your 

 knees are in danger." 



" Cars are well enough," said the Scholar ; 

 " but as for these particular concerns, they 

 are all to pieces already. We shall never 

 get there." 



" Well, it must be confessed," said the 

 Captain, " Mr. Bobs turn-out is not in the 

 extreme of elegance. That off-wheel would 

 be much the better for its proper comple- 

 ment of spokes. Rope traces may do at a 

 pinch, but the prejudice certainly is in fa- 

 vour of leather. Yet for all that it will 

 carry us to Lough Melvin, and that is where 

 we want to go ; and I question whether the 

 Scholar's smart phaeton would do that, or 



