«What with Mrs. Clements and the girls also gone for the week, I suppose I was very conscious of the fact that once I departed, Darlington Hall would stand empty for probably the first time this century —perhaps for the first time since the day it was built. It was an odd feeling and perhaps accounts for why I delayed my departure so long. […] It’s hard to explain my feelings once I did finally set off. […] But then eventually the surroundings grew unrecognizable and I knew i had gone beyond all previous boundaries. I have heard people describe the moment, when setting sail in a ship, when one finally loses sight of the land. I imagine the experience of unease mixed with exhilaration often described in connection with this moment in very similar to what I felt in the Ford as the surroundings grew stranger around me. This occurred just after I took a turning and found myself on a road curving around the edge of a hill. […] I decided to step out and stretch my legs a little...