‘The question is’ said Miss Helena Palmer, as they changed gear for the last long spiral of country road, ‘how would I have managed without you?’ The young man at the wheel thought the question quite otherwise, slowing down as he asked the air, ‘Is this it, then? Is this it?’

His young wife beside him pointed out a signpost beyond. ‘Of course it is. Look, it says.’ They drew up to the notice; there was the name of the proprietor of all that land, and who knew what else besides, surmounting a prohibition against hunting. ‘The house must be up there, over the curve. You can see where the avenue begins.’