Mrs. Avory was very particular about tinned things. "You must have plenty
of tongues," she said, "in case the fire won't burn or the meat is too
tough;" and privately she instructed Kink to keep an eye on their eating.
"They must eat, Kink, don't forget. Never mind what they say; make them eat
sensibly." To the stores Mrs. Avory herself added a number of tongues and a
good deal of plain chocolate.

The day for Kink's departure--at least three days before the others were to
leave--at last arrived, and by eleven o'clock everything was ready: Kink
was seated on the shafts, with the reins in one hand, and in the other an
ancient map of the road from London to Oxford, which Robert had found in
one of his father's Road Books, of which there were many in the library,
and had carefully traced. It was called _Britannia Depicta;_ OR, _"Ogilby"
Improved,_ 1753, and, so that you may see what kind of help Kink was
offered, I have had the map reproduced here. Kink, I may say, having some
difficulty in reading even the plain print of the morning paper, held the
tracing in his hand only so far as he was in sight. He then folded it up
and placed it in his pocket, and when he was in any doubt as to the way,
asked the first person he met.

Mr. Lenox and Mr. Scott were both there in time to see the start of the
Slowcoach, as they had decided to call it. Also present at the start was
the greater part of adult Chiswick and all its children, who filled the
street opposite "The Gables" and cheered. Kink accepted their enthusiasm
with calm, but as he said afterwards to Collins, "I felt like the Prince of
Wales and all the royal family."

Both Mr. Scott and Mr. Lenox brought contributions to the Slowcoach's
stores. Mr. Scott's was a large bundle of firelighters and twelve dozen
boxes of matches. "You can't have too many matches," he said. Mr. Lenox's