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Speaker 1: Lord Beaden's Motor by John Harris Burland. A hard man

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was Ralph Strang, seventh Earl of Beaden, seventy years of

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age on his last birthday, but still upright as a dart,

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with hair white as snow, but with the devilry of

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youth still sparkling in his keen dark eyes. He was

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indeed able to follow the hounds with the best of us,

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And there were few men, even among the youngest and

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most hot headed of our riders, who cared to follow

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him over all the jumps he put his horse at.

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When I first came to Upston Way as a doctor,

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I thought it strange that so good a sportsman should

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be so unpopular. As a rule, a man can do

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pretty well anything in a sporting county, so long as

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he rides straight to hounds. But before I had been

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in the place a month, I attended him after a

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fall in the hunting field, and I saw that a

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man like that would be unpopular, even if he gave

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all his goods to the poor and lived the life

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of Saint Francis of ASSISI not that he was harsh

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or even unpleasant, but he had the knack of making

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one feel foolish and uncomfortable, and there was something in

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the expression of his eyes that made one unable to

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look him squarely in the face. His manners, indeed were perfect,

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and he retained all the old world courtliness which seemed

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to have been permanently abandoned by this generation. But I

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could not help feeling that underneath all his politeness and

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even hospitality lay a solid substratum of contempt. It was

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doubtless this impression which had earned him his unpopularity, for

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I never heard a single one of his enemies lay

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anything definite to his charge, beyond the fact that his

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elder brother had died in a lunatic asylum, and that

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Lord Beadon was, in some vague way held responsible for

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this unfortunate event. But it was not until Lord Beaden

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purchased a twelve hose power Napier motor car that the

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villagers really began to consider him possessed of a devil.

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And certainly his spirit of devilry seemed to have found

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a worthy plaything in that gray mass of snorting machinery,

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which went through the lanes like a whirlwind, enveloped in

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a cloud of dust and scattering every living thing close

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back against the hedges as a steamer dashes the waves

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against the banks of a river. I had often heard

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people whisper that he bore a charmed life in the

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hunting field, and that another and better man would have

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been killed years ago. And he certainly carried the same

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spirit of dash and foolhardiness, and also the same good

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fortune into a still more dangerous pursuit. It was the

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purchase of this car that brought me into closer contact

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with him. I had had some experience of motors, and

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he was sufficiently humble to take some instructions from me,

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and also to let me accompany him on several occass

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At first I drove the car myself and tried to

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inculcate a certain amount of caution by example. But after

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the third lesson, he knew as much about it as

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I did, and resigning the steering gear into his hands,

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I took my place by his side. With some misgivings,

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I must confess that he handled it splendidly. The man

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had a wonderful nerve, and when an inch to one

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side or the other would probably have meant death, his

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keen eye never made a mistake, and his hand on

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the wheel was as steady as a rock. This inspired confidence,

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and though the strain on my nerves was considerable, I found,

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after a time a certain pleasurable excitement in these rides.

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And it was excitement. I can tell you. No twelve

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miles an hour for Lord Beaden, no precautionary breaks downhill,

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no white curves for corners. He rode as he did

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to hounds, straight and fast. Sometimes we had six inches

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to spare, but never more, and often as not another

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half inch would have shot us both out of the car.

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We always seemed to come round a sharp corner on

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two wheels. It was certainly exhilarating, but there was something

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about it I did not quite like. I don't think

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I was physically afraid, but I recalled certain stories about

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Lord Beaden's mad exploits in the hunting field, and it

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almost seemed to me as though he might be purposely

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riding for a fall. Then all at once my invitations

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to ride with him ceased. I thought at first that

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I had offended him, but I could think of no

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possible cause of offense, And besides, his manner towards me

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had not changed in any way, and I dined with

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him more than once at Beaden Hall, where he was

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as courteous and irritating as usual. However, he offered no explanation,

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and I certainly did not intend to ask for one.

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I watched him narrow when we talked about the motor,

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but he made no mystery about his rides. I noticed, however,

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that he looked older and more care worn, and that

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his dark eyes burned now with an almost unnatural brilliancy.

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I met him two or three times on the road

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when I was going my rounds in the trap, and

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he appeared to be driving his machine more furiously and

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fearlessly than ever. I was almost glad that his invitations

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had ceased. Strangely enough, I always encountered him on the

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same road, one which led straight to Oxminster, a town

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about twenty miles away. One evening, however, late in August,

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while I was finishing my dinner in solitude, I heard

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a familiar hum and rattle along the road in the distance.

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In less than a minute, I saw the flash of

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bright lamps through my open window and heard the jar

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of a break. Then there was a ring at the bell,

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and Lord Beaden was announced good evening. Scott, he said,

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taking off his glasses. Lovely night, isn't it. Would you

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care to come for a ride. He looked very pale

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and was covered with dust from head to foot. A ride,

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Lord Beadon, I replied, thoughtfully, Well, I hardly know what

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to say. Will you have some coffee and a cigar?

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He nodded assent and sat down. I poured him out

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some coffee and noticed that his hand shook as he

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raised the cup to his lips. But driving a motor

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car at a rapid rate might easily produce this effect.

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Then I handed him a cigar and lit one for myself.

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Rather late for a ride, isn't it, I said, after

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a slight pause. Not a bit, Not a bit, he

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answered hastily. It is as bright as day and the

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roads clear of traffic. Come. It will do you good.

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We can finish our cigars in the car, yes, I

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replied thoughtfully, or at any rate, the draft will finish

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them for us. Look here, Scott, he continued, in a

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lower voice, leaning over the table and looking me straight

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in the eyes. I particularly want you to come. In fact,

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you must come to oblige me. I want you to

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see something which I have seen I am a little

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doubtful of its actual existence. I looked at him sharply.

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His voice was cold and quiet, but his eyes were

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certainly a bit too bright. I should say that he

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was in a state of intense excitement, yet with all

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his nerves well under control. I laughed a little uneasily.

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Very well, Lord Beadon, I replied Horisi from my chair.

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I will come, but you will excuse me, saying that

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you don't look well to night. I think you are

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rather overdoing this motor business. It shakes the system up

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a good deal. You know. I am not well, Scott,

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he said, but you cannot cure me. I said no more,

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and left the room to put on my glasses and

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an overcoat. We set off through the village at about

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ten miles an hour. It was a glorious night, and

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the moon shone clear in the sky, but I noticed

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a bank of heavy black clouds in the west and

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thought it not unlikely that we should have a thunderstorm.

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The atmosphere had been suffocating all day, and it was

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only the motion of the car that created the cool

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and pleasant breeze which blew against our faces. When we

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came to the church, we turned sharp to the right

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onto the Oxminster Road. It ran in a perfectly straight

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white line for three miles. Then it began to wind

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and ascend the Oxbourne Hills, finally disappearing in the darkness

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of some woods which extend for nearly five miles over

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the summit in the direction of Oxminster. Where are we

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going to, I asked, settling myself firmly in my seat. Oxminster,

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he replied, rather curtly, Please keep your eyes open and

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tell me if you see anything on the road. As

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he spoke, he pulled the lever farther towards him, and

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the great machine shot forward with a sudden plunge, which

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would have unseated me if I had not been prepared

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for something of the sort. We quickly gathered up speed.

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Hedges and trees went past us like a flash. The

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dust whirled up into the moonlight like a silver cloud,

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and before five minutes had elapsed we were at the

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foot of the hills and were tearing up the slope

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at almost the same terrific pace. As we ascended, the

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foliage began to thicken and close in upon us on

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either side. Then the moon disappeared, and only our powerful

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lamps illuminated the darkness ahead of us. The car was

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a magnificent hill climber, but the gradient soon became so

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steep that the pace slackened down to about eight miles

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an hour. Lord Beadon had not spoken a word since

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he told me where we were going to, but he

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had kept his eyes steadily fixed on the broad circle

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of light in front of the car. I began to

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find the silence and darkness oppressive, and say the truth

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was not quite comfortable in my own mind about my

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companion's sanity. I took off my glasses and tried to

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pierce the darkness on either side. The moon fluttered through

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the trees and made strange shadows in the depths of

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the woods, but there was nothing else to be seen,

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and ahead of us there was only a white streak

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of road disappearing into blackness. Then suddenly my companion let

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go of the steering gear with one hand and clutched

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me by the arm. Listen, Scott, he cried, do you

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hear it? I listened attentively, and at first heard nothing

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but the throb of the motor and a faint rustling

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among the trees as a slight breeze began to stir

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through the wood. Then I noticed that the beat of

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the piston was not quite the same as usual. It

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sounded jerky and irregular, faint and loud alternately, and I

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had an idea that it had considerably quickened in speed.

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I hear nothing, Lord Beaden, I replied, except that the

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end sounds a little erratic. It ought not to make

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such a fuss over this hill. If you listen more carefully,

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he said, you will understand that sound is the beat

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of two pistons, and one of them is some way off.

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I listened again. He was right. There was certainly another

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engine throbbing in the distance. I cannot see any lights,

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I answered, looking first in front of us and then

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into the darkness behind. But it's another motor I suppose.

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It does not appear to me to be anything out

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of the way. He did not reply, but replaced his

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hand on the steering gear and peered anxiously ahead. I

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began to feel a bit worried about him. It was

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strange that he should get so excited about the presence

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of another motor car in a neighborhood. I was not

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reassured either, when in rearranging the rug about my legs.

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I touched something hard in his pocket. I passed my

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fingers lightly over it, and had no doubt whatever that

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it was a revolver. I began to be sorry I

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had come A revolver is not a necessary tool for

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the proper running of a motor car. We were nearly

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at the top of the hill now, and still in

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the shadow of the trees. The road here runs for

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more than a mile along the summit before it begins

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to descend, and half way along the level another road

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crosses it at right angles, leading one way down a

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steep slope to Little Stanway, and the other along the

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top of the Oxbourne Hills to Kelston and Rutherton, two

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small villages some miles away on the edge of the moors.

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We had scarcely reached the level when a few heavy

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drops of rain began to fall, and looking up, I

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saw that the moon was no longer visible through the

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branches overhead. A minute later there was a low roll

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of thunder in the distance, and for an instant the

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scenery ahead of us flashed bright and faded into darkness.

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I turned up the collar of my coat. The car

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was now moving almost at full speed, but to my surprise,

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before we had gone a quarter of a mile, Lord

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Beaden slowed it down and finally brought it to a

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full stop with the break. Then he appeared to be

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listening attentively for something. But the rising wind and pouring

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rain had begun to make an incessant noise among the trees,

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and the thunder had become more loud and continuous. I

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strained my sense of hearing to the utmost, but I

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could hear nothing beyond the sounds of the elements. What

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is the matter, I queried impatiently. Are we going to

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stop here? Yes? He replied curtly, that is to say,

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if you have no objection, there is a certain amount

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of shelter. I drew a cigar from my pocket, and,

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after several attempts, managed to light it to say the truth.

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I was in hopes that we should go no farther.

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The downward descent three quarters of a mile ahead of

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us was about one in ten, and I did not

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feel much inclined to let my companion take me down

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a hill of that sort. Then, for a few seconds,

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00:14:09,519 --> 00:14:12,399
the rustling of the wind and pattering of the rains

241
00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,679
ceased among the trees, and once more I could distinctly

242
00:14:15,759 --> 00:14:20,639
hear the thud, thud, thud of an engine. It might

243
00:14:20,679 --> 00:14:23,559
have been a motor car, but it certainly sounded to

244
00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,879
me more like the noise attraction engine would make. As

245
00:14:27,919 --> 00:14:31,639
we listened, the sound came nearer and nearer, and appeared

246
00:14:31,679 --> 00:14:34,120
to be on our left, still some distance down the hill.

247
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,879
Then the storm broke out again with fresh fury, and

248
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:42,159
we could hear nothing else. Lord Beadon pulled the lever

249
00:14:42,279 --> 00:14:45,639
towards him, and we ran slowly forward until we were

250
00:14:45,679 --> 00:14:48,600
within thirty yards of the cross roads, when he again

251
00:14:48,879 --> 00:14:53,440
brought the machine to a standstill. The noise had become

252
00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:56,320
much louder now and was even audible above the roar

253
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,679
of the wind and rain. It certainly came from somewhere

254
00:14:59,679 --> 00:15:03,000
on our left. I looked down through the trees and

255
00:15:03,159 --> 00:15:06,679
thought I saw a faint red glow some way down

256
00:15:06,759 --> 00:15:10,720
the hill. Lord Beadon saw it too, and pointed to

257
00:15:10,759 --> 00:15:14,559
it with a trembling hand. Looks like a fire in

258
00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,200
the wood, I said, carelessly. I did not very much

259
00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:22,360
care what it was. Don't be a fool, he replied sharply,

260
00:15:22,879 --> 00:15:27,799
can't you see it's moving? Yes? He was right, It

261
00:15:27,919 --> 00:15:30,360
was certainly moving, and in a few seconds it was

262
00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,000
hidden by a thicker mass of foliage. I did not, however,

263
00:15:34,159 --> 00:15:37,879
see anything very noticeable about it. It was evidently coming

264
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,519
up the road to our left, and was probably a

265
00:15:40,559 --> 00:15:45,279
belated traction engine returning home from the reaping. I was

266
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:50,240
more than ever convinced of my companion's insanity, and wished

267
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,879
that I was safe at home. I had half a

268
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,240
mind to get off the car and walk, but he

269
00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,320
had by now managed to infect me with some of

270
00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,000
his own fear and excitement, and I did not quite

271
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,960
fancy being left with no swifter mode of progression than

272
00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:08,759
my feet. The thumping sound came nearer and nearer, and

273
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,240
as we heard it more distinctly, was even more suggestive

274
00:16:12,279 --> 00:16:16,279
of attraction engine. Then I saw a red light through

275
00:16:16,279 --> 00:16:18,759
the trees, like the glow of a furnace, and not

276
00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,440
more than fifty yards away from us. My companion laid

277
00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,759
his left hand on the lever and stared intently at

278
00:16:25,759 --> 00:16:32,879
the corner. Then a rather peculiar thing happened. Whatever it

279
00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,559
was that had been lumbering slowly up the hill like

280
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,960
a gigantic snail, suddenly shot across the road in front

281
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,440
of us like a streak of smoke and flame, and

282
00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,679
through the trees to our right I could see the

283
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,600
red glow spinning up the road to Kelston at over

284
00:16:46,759 --> 00:16:51,639
thirty miles an hour. Almost simultaneously, Lord Beeden pulled down

285
00:16:51,639 --> 00:16:55,080
the lever and I instinctively clutched the seat with both hands.

286
00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,360
We shot forward, took the corner with about an inch

287
00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,039
to spare between us and the ditch, and dashed off

288
00:17:01,039 --> 00:17:04,279
along the road in hot pursuit. But the red glow

289
00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,839
had got at least a quarter of a mile's start,

290
00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,160
and I could not see what it proceeded from a

291
00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,920
flash of lightning, however, showed a dark mass flying before

292
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,160
us in a cloud of smoke. It looked something like

293
00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,079
a large wagon with a chimney sticking out of it,

294
00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:22,799
and sparks streamed out of the back of it until

295
00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:26,359
they looked like the tail of a comet. What the

296
00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:30,559
juice is it? I said, you'll see when we come

297
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,400
up to it. The all answered between his teeth. We

298
00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,519
shall go faster. In a few minutes. We were, however,

299
00:17:37,759 --> 00:17:40,519
going quite fast enough for me, and though I have

300
00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,319
ridden on many motors since, and occasionally at a greater speed,

301
00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,759
I shall never forget that ride along the Kelston Road.

302
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,440
The powerful machine beneath us trembled as though it were

303
00:17:51,519 --> 00:17:54,799
going to fall to pieces. The rain lashed our faces

304
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,960
like the thongs of a whip. The thunder almost deafened us.

305
00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,920
The lightning first blinded us with its flashes and then

306
00:18:01,039 --> 00:18:05,279
left us in more confusing darkness. And to crown all,

307
00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,359
a dense volume of smoke poured from the machine in

308
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,680
front and hid the light of our own lamps. It

309
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,839
would be hard to imagine worse conditions for a motor

310
00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,440
ride than the man who keep a steady hand on

311
00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,960
the steering gear under circumstances like these. Was a man. Indeed,

312
00:18:22,799 --> 00:18:24,759
I should not have cared to try it, even in

313
00:18:24,799 --> 00:18:28,359
a daytime. But Lord Beadon's luck was with him still,

314
00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,440
and we moved as though guided by some unseen hand.

315
00:18:33,559 --> 00:18:36,200
You will find a small lever by your side, Scott,

316
00:18:36,519 --> 00:18:39,279
he said, after a long pause. Pull it towards you

317
00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,200
until it gives a click. It is an invention of

318
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:47,039
my own. I found the handle, and, following out his instructions,

319
00:18:47,319 --> 00:18:49,920
saw the arc of light from our lamps shoot another

320
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,119
fifty yards ahead, leaving the ground immediately in front of

321
00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:57,359
the car in darkness. We had gained considerably. The light

322
00:18:57,759 --> 00:19:02,440
just impinged on the streaming tail of sparks. At last,

323
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,279
my companion muttered, he has always had half a mile

324
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,240
start before, and the oil has given up before I

325
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:15,279
could catch him, but he cannot escape us. Now what

326
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,480
is it, Lord Beaden. I am glad you see it,

327
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,400
he replied. I thought before to night that it was

328
00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,119
a fancy of my brain. Of course I see it,

329
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:29,799
I said, sharply, I am not blind. But what is it?

330
00:19:31,279 --> 00:19:34,039
He did not answer, but a flash of lightning showed

331
00:19:34,039 --> 00:19:36,759
me his face, and I did not repeat the question.

332
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,839
Mile after mile we spun along the lonely country road,

333
00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:47,440
but never gaining another inch. We dashed through Kelstone like

334
00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,519
a streak of light. It was fortunate that all the

335
00:19:50,559 --> 00:19:53,920
inhabitants were in bed. Then we shot out on to

336
00:19:54,039 --> 00:19:57,200
a road leading across the open moor, which stretches from

337
00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:00,839
here to the sea twenty miles away. And I remembered

338
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,160
that eight miles from Kelston there was a deep descent

339
00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,799
into the valley of the store, and it was scarcely

340
00:20:06,839 --> 00:20:10,480
possible that we could escape destruction. I quickly made up

341
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,680
my mind to overpower Lord beden and gain control of

342
00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:18,119
the machine. Then we suddenly began to sweep down a

343
00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:22,839
long and gentle gradient, and second after second our speed increased,

344
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,599
until the arc of light shone on the machine ahead

345
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:28,640
of us, and I could see what manner of thing

346
00:20:28,799 --> 00:20:34,000
it was that we pursued. It was, I suppose, a

347
00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,680
kind of motor car, but unlike anything I had ever

348
00:20:37,759 --> 00:20:41,240
seen before, and bearing no more resemblance to a modern

349
00:20:41,279 --> 00:20:44,240
machine than a bone shaker of twenty years ago does

350
00:20:44,279 --> 00:20:47,960
to the modern freewheel. It appeared to be built of

351
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,559
iron and was painted a dead black. In the forepart

352
00:20:52,599 --> 00:20:56,079
of the structure, a five foot flywheel spun round at

353
00:20:56,079 --> 00:21:00,559
a terrific speed, and various bars and beams moved rapidly

354
00:21:00,599 --> 00:21:04,480
backwards and forwards. The chimney was quite ten feet in

355
00:21:04,519 --> 00:21:08,839
height and poured out a dense volume of smoke. On

356
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,839
a small platform behind, railed in by a stout iron rail,

357
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,160
stood a tall man with his back to us. His

358
00:21:16,279 --> 00:21:19,359
dark hair, which must have reached nearly to his shoulders,

359
00:21:19,519 --> 00:21:22,599
streamed behind him in the wind. In each hand he

360
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,480
grasped a huge lever, and he was apparently gazing steadily

361
00:21:26,519 --> 00:21:29,400
into the darkness before him. Though it seemed to me

362
00:21:29,559 --> 00:21:31,839
that he might just as well have shut his eyes,

363
00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,400
for the machine had no lamps, and the only light

364
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,400
in the whole concern streamed out from the half open

365
00:21:38,519 --> 00:21:42,880
furnace door. Then, to my amazement, I saw the man

366
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,279
take his hands off the levers and cally proceed to

367
00:21:46,319 --> 00:21:50,079
shovel coal into the roaring fire. I held my breath,

368
00:21:50,319 --> 00:21:53,200
expecting to see the flying mass of iron shoot off

369
00:21:53,279 --> 00:21:55,920
the side of the road and turn head over heels

370
00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:01,440
down the sloping grass. But nothing happened. The machine apparently

371
00:22:01,559 --> 00:22:05,279
required no guidance and proceeded on its way as smoothly

372
00:22:05,319 --> 00:22:09,160
and swiftly as before. I took hold of my companion's

373
00:22:09,279 --> 00:22:13,079
arm and called his attention to this somewhat strange circumstance.

374
00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:18,680
He only laughed. Look at the smoke, he cried, That

375
00:22:18,839 --> 00:22:22,200
is rather strange too. I looked up and saw it

376
00:22:22,279 --> 00:22:25,519
poring over our heads in a long, straight cloud, but

377
00:22:25,559 --> 00:22:28,079
I did not notice anything odd about it, and I said, so,

378
00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:33,720
can you smell it? He continued. I sniffed and noticed

379
00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:36,039
for the first time that there had been no smell

380
00:22:36,039 --> 00:22:38,720
of smoke at all, though in the earlier part of

381
00:22:38,759 --> 00:22:42,359
the journey we had been half blinded with it. I

382
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,640
began to feel uncomfortable. There was certainly something unusual about

383
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:48,720
the machine in front of us, and I came to

384
00:22:48,759 --> 00:22:51,599
the conclusion that we had had about enough of this

385
00:22:51,759 --> 00:22:55,759
kind of sport. I think we will go back, Lord Beaden,

386
00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,519
I remarked, pleasantly, moving one hand towards the lever. You

387
00:23:00,559 --> 00:23:04,559
will go back to perdition, Scott, he answered quietly. If

388
00:23:04,599 --> 00:23:07,039
you meddle with me, we shall be smashed to pieces.

389
00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,039
We are going forty miles an hour, and if you

390
00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,480
distract my attention for a single instant, I won't answer

391
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,400
for the consequences. I felt the truth of what he said,

392
00:23:17,599 --> 00:23:21,519
and put my hand ostentatiously in my pocket. It was

393
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,759
quite evident that I couldn't interfere with him, and equally

394
00:23:24,799 --> 00:23:27,319
evident that if we went on as we were going now,

395
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,680
we should be dashed to pieces. My only hope was

396
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:35,559
that we should speedily accomplish whatever mad purpose Lord Beadon

397
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,920
had in his mind, although by now I began to

398
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,279
think that he had no other object than suicide. The

399
00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:46,559
valley of the store was only two miles off, but

400
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,680
we had been gaining inch by inch down the slope,

401
00:23:49,759 --> 00:23:52,160
and were now not more than thirty yards from the

402
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:55,640
machine in front of us. Showers of sparks whirled into

403
00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,200
our faces, and I kept one arm before my eyes.

404
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,440
I soon found, however, that for some reason or other,

405
00:24:02,799 --> 00:24:05,599
the sparks did not burn my skin, and I was

406
00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,920
able to resume a more comfortable position and study the

407
00:24:09,039 --> 00:24:15,079
occupant of the car. His figure somehow seemed strangely familiar

408
00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:17,720
to me, and I tried hard to recollect where I

409
00:24:17,799 --> 00:24:21,119
had seen those square shoulders and long, lean limbs before.

410
00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:24,359
I wished I could see the man's face, for I

411
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,720
was quite certain that I should recognize it, but he

412
00:24:27,759 --> 00:24:31,200
never looked back, and appeared to be absolutely unconscious of

413
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:35,640
our presence so close behind him. Nearer we crept, and

414
00:24:35,759 --> 00:24:38,799
still nearer, until our front wheels were not more than

415
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,079
ten feet from the platform. The glow of the furnace

416
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,680
bathed my companion's face in crimson light, and the figure

417
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:47,759
of the man in front of us stood out like

418
00:24:47,799 --> 00:24:52,559
a black demon toiling at the eternal fires. Be careful

419
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,519
or beaten, I cried, we shall be into it. He

420
00:24:56,599 --> 00:24:59,039
turned to me with a smile of triumph, and I

421
00:24:59,079 --> 00:25:01,720
thought I saw the light of madness in his eyes.

422
00:25:02,839 --> 00:25:04,960
Do you know what I'm going to do? He said,

423
00:25:05,039 --> 00:25:07,839
in a low voice, putting his lips close to my ear.

424
00:25:08,759 --> 00:25:12,079
I'm going to break it to bits. We have a

425
00:25:12,079 --> 00:25:14,759
little speed in hand yet, and when we get to

426
00:25:14,839 --> 00:25:17,759
the slope of the store valley, I shall break the

427
00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:23,960
cursed thing to bits. For Heaven's sake, I cried, put

428
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,519
the brake on, Lord Beaden, are you mad? And I

429
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,680
gripped him by the arm. He shook my hand off,

430
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,200
and I clung to my seat with every muscle of

431
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,240
my body strained to the utmost. For as I spoke,

432
00:25:36,519 --> 00:25:38,799
there was a flash of lightning, and I saw the

433
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,160
road dipping, dipping, dipping, and far below the gleam of water,

434
00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,480
among dark trees, and on the height above a large

435
00:25:46,519 --> 00:25:50,799
building with many spires and towers. I idly called to

436
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,960
mind that it was the Rockshire County Asylum. Our speed

437
00:25:56,039 --> 00:25:59,559
quickened horribly, and the car began to sway from side

438
00:25:59,559 --> 00:26:02,799
to side. I saw my companion pull the lever an

439
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,440
inch nearer to him, and quit the steering wheel with

440
00:26:05,519 --> 00:26:09,160
both hands. Then suddenly the road seemed to fall away

441
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,519
beneath us. We sprang off the ground and dropped downward

442
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,400
and forward like a stone flung from a precipice. We

443
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,079
were going to smash clean through the machine in front

444
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:23,720
of us. For five seconds, I held my breath, only

445
00:26:23,759 --> 00:26:27,799
awaiting the awful crash of splintering wood and iron, and

446
00:26:27,839 --> 00:26:30,839
the shock that would fring us fifty feet from our seats.

447
00:26:32,079 --> 00:26:34,880
But we only touched the ground with a sickening thud,

448
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,599
an inch behind the other machine. And then a wonderful

449
00:26:38,799 --> 00:26:43,799
thing happened. We began to slowly pierce the rail and

450
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,000
platform in front of us, until the man seemed to

451
00:26:47,039 --> 00:26:50,440
be almost touching our feet. And at last I saw

452
00:26:50,559 --> 00:26:55,240
his face, a wild, dark face with madness in the eyes,

453
00:26:55,599 --> 00:26:58,319
and the face of Lord Beiden, as I had seen

454
00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:04,240
a portrait of him in Beadenhall All, taken thirty years ago.

455
00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:07,160
My companion rose on his seat and grappled with his

456
00:27:07,279 --> 00:27:10,880
own likeness, but he seemed to be only clutching the air,

457
00:27:11,279 --> 00:27:16,240
and neither car nor occupant appeared to have any tangible substance.

458
00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:22,039
Steadily and silently we bored our way clean through the

459
00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:27,319
machine inch by inch, foot by foot, through the blazing furnace,

460
00:27:27,599 --> 00:27:30,759
through the framework of the boiler, through bolt and bar

461
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:35,559
and stanchion, through whirring flywheel and pulsing shaft and piston,

462
00:27:36,079 --> 00:27:38,920
until there was nothing beyond us but the dip of

463
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:43,319
the white road, and looking back I saw the whole

464
00:27:43,559 --> 00:27:49,079
dark mass running behind our back wheels. Lord Beaden was

465
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,920
still standing and tearing at the air with his fingers.

466
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,240
Our car was running without guidance, and I sprang to

467
00:27:55,319 --> 00:27:58,319
the steering wheel and reversed the lever, but it was

468
00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,440
too late. We struck something at the side of the road,

469
00:28:01,599 --> 00:28:04,000
and the whole machine made a leap from the ground.

470
00:28:04,599 --> 00:28:07,279
There was a rush of air, an awful shock and crash,

471
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:14,039
and then darkness. A week afterwards, in the hospital they

472
00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:18,440
told me Lord Beaden was dead. He had fallen on

473
00:28:18,519 --> 00:28:21,599
a large piece of scrap iron by the roadside, and

474
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,359
nearly every bone in his body had been broken. I

475
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,559
myself had had a miraculous escape by falling into a

476
00:28:28,599 --> 00:28:30,960
thick clump of gorse, and had gotten off with a

477
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,000
broken arm and dislocated collar bone, but I was not

478
00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:38,160
able to get about for two months. I said nothing

479
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,079
of what had happened, and the accident required but little explanation.

480
00:28:43,319 --> 00:28:47,400
Motor car accidents are common enough, especially on slopes like

481
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,400
that of the store Valley. When I was able to

482
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,000
get about, however, I visited the scene of the disaster.

483
00:28:56,119 --> 00:28:58,279
A friend of mine, one of the doctors at the

484
00:28:58,319 --> 00:29:01,599
County Lunatic Asylum, for me and drove me over to

485
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,680
the place the smash had occurred, nearly half way down

486
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:09,640
the hillside, close to a ruined shed. The ground was

487
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:13,480
covered with gorse and bracken, but here and there huge

488
00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:17,480
pieces of rusty iron were scattered about. Some of them

489
00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,200
were sharp and brown and ugly, but many were overgrown

490
00:29:21,279 --> 00:29:25,240
with creeping convolvulus. They looked as if they had once

491
00:29:25,359 --> 00:29:31,039
been parts of some great machine. A curious coincidence, said

492
00:29:31,039 --> 00:29:34,759
my companion, as we drove away from the place. What

493
00:29:34,799 --> 00:29:39,000
do you mean I have been told? He continued that

494
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,480
thirty years ago this old shed was used by the

495
00:29:42,559 --> 00:29:47,200
late Earl's elder brother. He was a mechanical genius, and

496
00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:50,160
they say that his efforts to work out some particular

497
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,519
invention in a practical form drove him off his head.

498
00:29:54,599 --> 00:29:57,039
He was allowed to have this place as a workshop, and,

499
00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,880
under the supervision of two keepers, worked on his invention

500
00:30:01,119 --> 00:30:04,920
till the day of his death. It was thought that

501
00:30:05,079 --> 00:30:08,720
perhaps he would recover his reason if ever he accomplished

502
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:13,400
the task. But in some mysterious way, his plans were

503
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:17,359
stolen from him no fewer than three times, and after

504
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:21,599
the third time the poor fellow lost heart and destroyed himself.

505
00:30:23,039 --> 00:30:25,599
I have heard it whispered by one of my colleagues

506
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,359
up Yonder that the late Earl was not altogether ignorant

507
00:30:29,359 --> 00:30:34,039
of these thefts. But this is probably only gossip. All

508
00:30:34,079 --> 00:30:37,240
the fragments of iron you saw lying about were parts

509
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:42,039
of the machine. Heaven knows what it was. I did

510
00:30:42,039 --> 00:30:45,640
not venture any suggestion on this point, but I think

511
00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:52,319
I could have done so. End of Lord Beaden's Motor