“I’m not quite sure whether it would be of any use to tell you, but I shall know better in a few hours’ time, when I’ve seen a little more of you. I’m going to take you out for a drive now, before luncheon. The car is still at the door.”
Ten minutes later, Betty took her seat beside the old lady, and the car glided out of the quiet street into a busy thoroughfare. It was a lovely spring day, and she was glad to be out of doors in a part of London more or less new to her. She was also very curious about what Godmother had recently hinted, though she scarcely liked to question her on the subject.
They were passing Westminster Abbey now, and nodding toward it Godmother said:
“You don’t call that ugly?”
Before Betty could answer, they had reached the end of Westminster Bridge and turned on to the Embankment. Raised on the end parapet of the bridge, was a group of statues in which the chief figure was a woman in flowing robes furiously driving a strange-looking chariot.
“Do you know what that represents?” asked Godmother, when she saw Betty glance at the monument with interest. “It’s Queen Boadicea driving into battle. I only want you just to remember her name, because you may hear something about her later.”
Again Godmother’s voice was mysterious, and Betty glanced at her, with more curiosity than ever.
It was delightful to be driving by the side of the river with the spring sunlight sparkling on the water, but she wondered where they were going.
As though she guessed her thought, Godmother said presently, “We are going first to drive slowly over London Bridge.”