After the splendidly-surfaced gravelled or tarmac roads of Kent the greasy granite setts and bumpy slag roads of the north came as an unpleasant surprise to the easy-going Peter. A couple of punctures in addition to a slight collision with a "lurry"--a type of vehicle hitherto known to him as a lorry--did not improve his peace of mind, while what ought to have been the climax to a day of mishaps was the sudden failure of the magneto at a desolate spot on the western slope of the Pennine Hills.
But unruffled Peter pushed the car on to the side of the road and tramped stolidly into the nearest village--a good three miles. Here, in an interview with the decrepit motor-engineer (Barcroft guessed rightly that he was too passe even for munition making), he learnt that at least a month must elap
