“Four or five hours, ordinarily.  Jane undoubtedly will make it in much less time, if she drives at her usual rate of speed.  Straight south, Jane.  I will tell you when to change.”

The faces of the girls wore a puzzled expression.  They could not imagine where they were going.  Miss Elting had made a mystery of this summer vacation, and not a word had the girls been able to obtain from her as to where they were to go:  whether to tour the country in Crazy Jane’s automobile, or to go into camp.  Tommy declared that it was a perfectly delightful mythtery, and that she didn’t care where they were going, while Margery on the contrary, grumbled incessantly.

The start had been made late in the afternoon.  The day had been cloudy.  There were even indications of rain, but the girls did not care.  They were too well inured to the weather to be disturbed by lowering skies and threatening clouds.  In the meantime Jane McCarthy was bowling along to the southward, throwing up a cloud of dust, having many narrow escapes from collisions with farmers’ wagons and wandering stock.  They had been traveling about two hours when the guardian directed their daring driver to turn to the left.  The latter did so, thus heading the car to the eastward.

“I think I begin to understand,” thought Harriet Burrell aloud.

“What ith it that you underthtand?” demanded Tommy, pricking up her ears.  “You know where we are going, don’t you?”

“I can make a close guess,” replied Harriet, nodding brightly.

“Oh, tell uth, tell uth,” begged Tommy.

Harriet shook her head.

“I couldn’t think of it.  Miss Elting wishes it to be a surprise to you.”

“Well, won’t it be jutht ath much of a thurprithe now ath it will be thome other time?” argued Grace Thompson.

“Perhaps Harriet just imagines she knows.  I do not believe she knows any more about our destination than do the rest of our party,” said the guardian.  “But why worry about it?  You will know when you get there.”

Jane stopped the car, and, getting out, proceeded to put the curtains up on one side, Harriet and Hazel doing the same on the opposite side.  The storm curtain, with its square of transparent isinglass, was next set in place to protect the driver from the front, the wind shield first having been turned down out of the way.

“Now let the rain come,” chuckled Jane, after having taken a quick survey of their work.

“Yes; it is nice and cosy in here,” answered Miss Elting.  “I almost believe I should like to sleep in here during a rainstorm.”

“Excuthe me,” objected Tommy.  “I’d be thure to get crampth in my neck.”

“She would that,” answered Jane laughingly, starting the car and a moment later throwing in the high-speed clutch.

The party was not more than fairly started on the way again when the raindrops began pattering on the leather top of the car.