"Because I don't know it either, and I thought--" "What?" "Well, you know, we ought to know Oldham--one of us ought to. It was a Unionist gain last time." "Are you a Unionist?" "My dear, you see in me--at least you would see in me, if it were not so dark--a high Tory." "I thought you were a boy-scout." "The two are not incompatible. Did you see that thing in Ally Sloper last week?" "No, I didn't. Here's a gate." I got down and opened it, and she drove carefully through. It was the first of seven gates. By the time we had done six, I was becoming good at getting up and down, but rather tired. As I resumed my seat for the sixth time, I sighed. For the sixth time she returned me the reins. "You don't take much care of your clothes, boy-scout," she said. "Nearly all the men I know hitch up their trousers when they sit down." "Perhaps they're sailors." "No, they aren't." "My dear girl, I don't know how you can see I don't, but I don't because I haven't got any on. I mean, I'm wearing breeches." "Would you hitch them up if you had got on trousers?" "Let's see, to-day's Thursday. Yes, I should." "Why do men always bother so about their knees?" "Take care of the bags, and the coats will take care of themselves," I observed sententiously. "But why--?" Here we came upon the seventh gate. I groaned. "Six gates shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do, but the seventh--" "Out you get, boy-scout." I laid a hand on my companion's shoulder. "Are you an enchantress?" I said. "At least, of course you are. But I mean, is this the way to your castle, Circe? And am I going to be turned into a herd of swine presently? They always have seven gates and a dense forest through which I cut a path with my sword, which, by the way, I have left in the tool-shed, unless perchance, maiden, thou hast filched it from my side this last half-hour. Note the blank verse again. I may say I am looking at you narrowly." "Fret not for thy sword, Sir Scout." she replied, "neither flatter thyself that Circe wastes her spells on all who come her way. Those only will she lure who--" "I simply love your voice," I said. "Get down and open the gate." I did so, and climbed slowly back. "It's all right," she said, "We haven't got much further to go." "I'm sorry for that." "Sorry?" "Certainly. I've enjoyed this awfully. It's rather funny, isn't it? Our meeting in the dark like this and driving all these miles together and not being able to see each other once." "Unique, I should think." "Yes, it's rather like being in a cell next to some one and talking by rapping against the wall." "Is it?" "Yes, it reminds me awfully of my young days at Brixton." "Were you at school there?" "Yes, for five years, before I went to Dartmoor." "Oh, were you at Dartmoor? I had a cousin there a year or two ago. But he's out now. His name was Taber." "What! Not Billy Taber?" "That's right." "This is very strange, Circe."