To her joy it swung open and there were bills inside, yes, and a little drawer with silver change! Wonderful!

She gathered them out. Across the whole bundle was scribbled in her father’s writing, Cash payment from Mr. Smith for deposit Monday. All but a few of the top bills were crisp and new, and done into small bundles, some of which were labeled with the amount. As she riffled through them she estimated that there must be somewhere around a thousand dollars altogether, perhaps a little more. She hadn’t time to count them carefully now. There was too much to be done before night.

She hadn’t an idea how much she would need to keep the seven of her family for three months, but certainly a thousand was better than nothing.

Much relieved, she put away the papers and other things she did not mean to take with her, whirled the knob carefully, closed the panel, and replaced the picture that hung over it. Then she searched for her mother’s jewel pouch and, taking them all, retired to her own room behind a locked door to put her capital into safety for the journey, taking the precaution to save out a nice little sum for Jeremy to carry. She must get something to put it in or he would stick it in his hip pocket and laugh at her fears. But she did not intend that they should take any risks with their tiny fortune. There would be many needs in three months if they were to stay hidden safely until she was of age. One of them might be sick. There would be board to pay. They couldn’t live in the car continually, not with children.

As these thoughts flitted through her mind her young soul quaked within her. What was she daring to do? Take the whole family into an unknown world and be responsible for all of them? Oh, was she doing right? But it was too late now, and there was no time to think of any other plan. She must get them all away before Aunt Petra and Aunt Majesta got to work and separated them.

Frantically she folded Jeremy’s portion into a plain envelope. She would hunt among Father’s things for a money belt. She was sure he had one.

She hurried back to her father’s chiffonier and found the money belt. Now the money part was all arranged for the journey. That was a big thing off her mind.

Jennifer sat down at her own desk and wrote a list of things she must do before she left. There were letters to write, first and foremost, one to Uncle Blake. Then one to the gardener who lived in a little street not far away and must be asked to keep on caring for the place, the garden and lawn, etc. There was a note also to the local police, asking them to keep guard over the house during their absence, telling them that the gardener would be keeping things in order and that they were to report any irregularities to Uncle Blakefield. Jennifer chose Uncle Blakefield to refer to because she liked him best of all her uncles. There might have been a guardian appointed, of course, who had power to lord it over him; Jennifer had not stayed in the library long enough to find out. But Uncle Blake would at least see that all was as it should be. A guardian didn’t bulk very large in Jennifer’s mind at that moment. She intended to be guardian herself before she came back to the family home.

Her letters were crisp and to the point. She did not waste much time on them. To her uncle she wrote:

Dear Uncle Blake:

I was in the library while the relatives were talking, and heard their plans.

We don’t intend to be separated, so we are running away until I am of age and have a right to look after the family. That will be October 5th.

I am not telling anybody but you about it because, even if there is a guardian appointed, I couldn’t trust anybody else.

Sorry we had to do it this way, but we couldn’t see having Aunt Petunia and Aunt Maje run us.

We’ve got some money, so we shan’t suffer, and if we need anything we’ll telegraph you.

If you need to get in touch with us after next Thursday, you can put a “Personal” in the New York Times, addressed to J.J., and we’ll find a way to see it within a few days.