nearly nine o'clock
In her heart was a nameless dread -- had been , in fact , since Gerald won her consent to allow him to run at a faster pace on the return trip . The highways in this part of Maryland were all that could be desired , and Gerald was not long in fulfilling part of his promise . Knowing that something over half way to their destination there was for several miles a bad stretch of road , he wished to even matters by making good time until the rough spots were reached . It was nearly nine o'clock now , and as the auto gathered speed , Aunt Betty gave a little gasp , then looked at Dorothy and bravely smiled . Gradually Gerald let the car out until she was doing fully forty miles an hour . This could be kept up only on the smooth level stretches which they encountered every now and then . In climbing the hills , the car did not average over eight .