If she could find anybody who had plenty of money and would be good to her, she knew that she would encounter no parental opposition, in spite of Mrs. Ross’s pronounced views upon the slavery of matrimony.

Allison had been very decent in releasing her from her awkward predicament.  He had even arranged it so that no answer was necessary and she need not even see him again.  She had the natural shrinking of the healthy young animal from its own stricken kind.  It would be much nicer not to see him again.

But, if he could write letters now, it would not be long before he would be able to come over, though his hand had not yet been taken off.  It was too bad, for everything had been very pleasant until the accident.  She had missed Allison’s daily visits and had probably lost the touring car, though as she had taken pains to find out, it had fallen into the ditch and had been injured very little.

Aunt Francesca and Rose had been queer ever since it happened.  After Colonel Kent and the servants and the twins had lifted Allison out of “The Yellow Peril” and carried him up to his own room on an improvised stretcher, while someone else was telephoning for every doctor in the neighbourhood, the twins had taken her home.  She had insisted upon their helping her up the steps, and as soon as Aunt Francesca and Rose heard the news, they had paid no attention to her at all, but, with one voice, had demanded that the twins should take them to Kent’s immediately.

They had gone without even stopping for their hats, and left her wholly to the servants.  Even when they had come home, late at night, in their own carriage, it was over half an hour before Aunt Francesca came to her room, so overburdened with selfish grief that she did not even listen to the recital of Isabel’s numerous bruises.

Perhaps it would be best to go away, though the city was terrible in Summer, and she had only money enough to take her to the hotel where her mother retained a suite of three rooms.  If Aunt Francesca and Rose would leave her alone in the house long enough, and she could pack a suit-case and get the carriage just in time to take her to the train, she could write a formal note and ask to have the rest of her things sent by express.  If there were a late train, or one very early in the morning, she could probably manage it, even without the carriage, but, on consulting the time-table, she found that trains did not run at hours suitable for escape.

However, it was just as well to pack while she had time.  She could keep the suit-case hidden until the auspicious moment arrived.  It would only take a moment to open it and sweep her toilet articles into it from the top of her dresser.

She had just taken a fresh shirtwaist out of the drawer when there was a light, determined rap at the door.  When she opened it, she was much astonished to see Aunt Francesca come in, dressed for a drive.

“Are you almost ready, Isabel?” she asked, politely.