one o'clock
Fortunately his brothers and sisters were not nervous , or they might have held their breath as he dashed round corners without sounding his horn , pelted down hills , and on several occasions narrowly avoided colliding with farm carts . A reckless boy of seventeen , without much previous experience , does not make the most careful of motorists . As a matter of fact it was the first time Master Everard had driven without the chauffeur at his elbow , and , though he got on very well , his performance was not unattended with risks . Towards one o'clock the crew at the back began to clamor for lunch , and to suggest a halt when some suitable spot should be reached . The difficulty was to find a place , for they were driving so fast that by the time the younger boys had called out the possibilities of some wood or small quarry , the car had flown past , and , sooner than turn back , Everard would say : `` Oh , we 'll stop somewhere else ! '' By unanimous urging , however , he was at last persuaded to halt at a picturesque little bridge in a sheltered hollow , where they had the benefit of the sunshine and escaped the wind . A small brook wandered below between green banks where autumn brambles still showed brown leaves , and actually a shriveled blackberry or two remained .