eleven
o'clock
If Johnson had hitherto been a little slack in respect of sounding his horn , it was the only fault of which his employers could complain . He kept the fittings of the car at the very zenith in the matter of polish , he was punctuality personified , and most skilful at the tedious business of repairing or changing tires ; he rarely spoke addressed , but when questioned he seemed to have a good acquaintance with the country , knew which were the best roads , and what sights were worth visiting in the various places through which they passed . All of which are highly desirable qualities in a chauffeur , and a satisfaction to all concerned . It was the general plan of the holiday to start about ten or eleven o'clock , take a picnic-basket with them , lunch somewhere in the woods , arrive at their next halting-place about three or four , and spend the remainder of the day in sight-seeing , or in Major Rogers ' case resting , if he were suffering from a severe attack of pain . As they motored across Somerset in the direction of Wells , they chose for their mid-day stop a lovely place on the top of a range of low hills . A belt of fir trees edged the roadside , and through these a gate led into a field . As the gate was open they felt licensed to enter , and to encamp upon a sunny bank under a hedge .