The cooling, sunlit air was delightful. It was long since Miss Sterling had been in an automobile, and the car rode as easy as a rocking-chair. She drew deep breaths, and half forgot that her ankle was still throbbing from its recent effort.
"Feel equal to a little longer ride?" suddenly inquired the driver, throwing the query toward Miss Sterling.
"Equal to anything!" was the happy reply.
"Oh, that will be nice!" cried Polly, squeezing her friend's arm, and beaming on her right-hand neighbor.
"Am I going too fast for you?" was the next question.
"Not a bit!"—"It is lovely!"—"The faster the better!" came in merry succession from the back seat.
They spun along the smooth road with greater speed, and the freshness of the country was brought to them in one steady sweep.
"This is glorious!" breathed Miss Sterling.
"I never rode in one of these cars before," confessed Mrs.
Adlerfeld blithely.
"Indeed!" a pleasant light flashed in the driver's eyes. "And how do you like it?"