She took her place and in a minute they were off.  And there had been nobody but Joanna on the big porch to wave good-by at Sally Lane!

Then came a fast drive to town, during which neither of them talked much.

“I wish there were time to take you up to the house to see mother and Jo,” Jarvis said, as they came into the down-town streets.  “But Jo may be at the station.  I telephoned the house, but they’d evidently driven somewhere else before going home.  I left word, so I’m hoping Jo will get it.  She’ll be heart-broken if you get off without her seeing you.”

But Josephine was not at the station.  Alec and Bob were there, however, and they told Sally that Max would come in time to see her off.  Personally they were much upset at the outlook.

“I don’t see why you have to be the one,” protested Alec.  “Uncle Timothy must have some ancient sister or cousin or aunt to see to him, without sending for a girl like you.”

Jarvis had rushed away to the ticket-office, and Sally had her brothers to herself for the time.  She made the most of it.

“But he hasn’t, Alec,” she explained.  “I simply have to go.  But I want you boys not to mind my being away.  Joanna will take beautiful care of everything, and you must have your friends out, and crack nuts and pop corn and roast apples in the evenings, and be just as jolly as if—­”

“Oh, wow!” cried Bob.  “Sally, what do you take us for?  What we’ll do will be to moon around the fire and wonder what you’re doing.  We—­”

“No, no!  It will be winter soon, and you must go tobogganing—­”

“Why, you aren’t going to stay away all winter, are you?” Alec grew wrathful.  “Look here—­I won’t stand for anything like that—­neither will the rest.  You’ve got to—­”

“Listen, dear.  I may be back in a—­well—­in a very short time, if Uncle Timothy gets on.  But you know how it was a few years ago when he had pneumonia—­he was a long time getting about.  He’s older now, and—­”

“Yes, but we’ve first right to you.  Besides, you’ll use yourself all up trying to nurse—­”

“No—­I’m strong and well, Alec—­I won’t use myself up.  But Uncle Timmy is all we have left—­and—­oh, please don’t talk about it!—­I’m so anxious lest I can’t do anything for him when I get there.”  She conquered a constriction in her throat, while they waited, for that last phrase had silenced them.  They were all fond of Uncle Timothy—­they didn’t want to lose him.  In a minute Sally went on cheerfully:  “If you’ll only write to me I can stand anything.  Tell me all about everything.  Oh, here’s Max!”

She turned to meet him.  He was looking gravely disapproving, as was to have been expected, but something in the sight of his sister’s face made him refrain from reproaching her for not having consulted him, as he had intended to do.  Besides, the hands of the clock were pointing too nearly to the time of her departure for him to feel like thrusting upon her the weight of his displeasure.