The mirror should be fairly large to be really useful, and it is better to have one with a handle to it. Just before starting take the glass out of the little drawer and put it into the little flap pocket of the car. You will find it useful to have it handy--not for strictly personal use, but to occasionally hold up to see what is behind you. Sometimes you will wonder if you heard a car behind you--and while the necessity or inclination to look round is rare, you can, with the mirror, see in a flash what is in the rear without losing your forward way, and without releasing your right-hand grip of the steering-wheel. If you are going to drive alone in the highways and byways it might be advisable to carry a small revolver. I have an automatic “Colt,” and find it very easy to handle as there is practically no recoil--a great consideration to a woman. While I have never had occasion to use it on the road (though, I may add, I practise continually at a range to keep my eye and hand “in”) it is nevertheless a comfort to know that should the occasion arise I have the means of defending myself. If you are driving alone a dog is great company. The majority of dogs like motors and soon get into the habit of curling up on the seat by your side, under your coat. [Illustration: _Photo. H. W. Nicholls._ THIS LITTLE DRAWER IS THE GREAT SECRET] CHAPTER III THE MECHANISM OF THE CAR In which a Practical Introduction to the Car is given with Simple Explanations of the Details of the Machinery--The Importance of Lubrication--The Testing of the Brakes--The Six Levers and their Various Functions--The Electric Battery “Be sure you are right, then go ahead.” This good old motto is just the thing to remember when one is going in for motoring. Remember, I am discussing the woman who drives her own car, and does all those things that ordinarily a chauffeur would have to do. I am constantly asked by some astonished people, “Do you really understand all the horrid machinery of a motor, and could you mend it if it broke down?” but it really is not a very difficult matter. The details of the engine may sound complicated and may look “horrid,” but an engine is easily mastered. A few hours of proper diligence, provided you are determined to learn, and you know all that you have to know. Again, I must remind you that I am discussing the single-cylinder car, which is by far the simplest for a woman to drive and attend to alone. I have made it a rule never to allow any one to drive my own little car--and this is a rule that every one will find useful. All cars have their individual idiosyncrasies, and if you alone drive, you get to understand every sound; but if you allow any one to drive you are ignorant of what strain the car has been put to. As a matter of fact, a strange hand on the wheel and levers seems to put the car out of tune.