Jerry Hard stumbled along the muddy, uneven path leading to the hamlet that lay near the southern boundary of Lord Moran's land. Of course it was connected to Moran Castle by a road, but the road took a roundabout route that was three times longer than the path. And anyway, fuel was a problem.
"They've gone absolutely crazy, my dear fellow," Lord Moran told Jerry. "They're allowing people ten gallons a month. A month! And that Roller I have goes through a gallon every dozen miles. You know, that trip to Galway and back involved draining all the vehicles on the estate of every last drop of fuel."
"That's terrible," said Jerry. He was saying 'that's terrible' increasingly often, these days. What was most distressing was that most of the time it was true.
