Pennell, Joseph; Pennell, Joseph: Our sentimental journey through France and Italy (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1893)

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road, and had come kilometres out of our way,
but that all we could do was to go on to a place
called Lafayette. There we should find a high-
way that would eventually lead us into the Route
Nationale.—This was not encouraging. It was op-
pressively hot in the shadeless valley. The road
was bad, full of stones and ugly ruts and ridges,
and before long degenerated into a mere unused
cow-path, overgrown with grass, crossing the fields.
We tried to ride; we tried to walk, pushing the
machine. Both were equally hard work.
“ To a Frenchman any road's good so he don't
have to climb a hill,” said J , in a rage. “If
I only had that fellow here ! ”
—We were walking at the moment.-
“ Get on ! ” he cried, and I did.
—We bumped silently over the ruts.-
“Get off!” he ordered presently, and meekly
I obeyed, for indeed I was beginning to be
alarmed.
—He took the machine by the handle-bars and
shook it hard.—-—
“You’ll break it! ” cried I.
“ I don’t care if I do,” growled he, and he
gave it another shake.
—But at this crisis two women coming towards
us, he inquired of them, with as good grace as he
could