# § 4 explained — Mr. Britling Sees It Through

> Chapter companion for Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. Wells.

## What happens

Mr. Direck attempts to make his prepared speeches to Mr. Britling but is thwarted by Mr. Britling's inexperienced and perilous driving. The journey is marked by near misses, a failed attempt to turn into a gateway, and finally a crash into a hedge, leaving the two gentlemen sitting in a sloping car.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Direck

Passenger in Mr. Britling's car, anxious and unable to deliver his speeches due to the dangerous driving.

### Mr. Britling

Inexperienced driver who struggles with gears, nearly collides with a baker's cart, misses a gateway, and ultimately drives into a hedge.

## Key lines

> Mr. Direck perceived almost at once that Mr. Britling was probably driving an automobile for the first or second or at the extremest the third time in his life.

Mr. Direck quickly realized that Mr. Britling was a novice driver, likely on his first, second, or at most third attempt.

_Highlights Mr. Britling's lack of driving experience._

> I pressed the accelerator,” he explained afterwards, “instead of the brake. One does at first. I missed him by less than a foot.

Mr. Britling later admitted he mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake, narrowly avoiding a collision.

_Shows Mr. Britling's casual attitude toward his driving errors._

> Then the two gentlemen were sitting side by side in a rather sloping car that had ascended the bank and buried its nose in a hedge of dog-rose and honeysuckle

The car ended up tilted on a bank with its front embedded in a flowering hedge.

_Describes the final mishap of the drive._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mr_britling_sees_it_through_se/chapters/4
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mr_britling_sees_it_through_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mr_britling_sees_it_through_se/chapters