I’m glad I’m not in Uncle Blake’s shoes. Still, maybe he won’t tell he’s had a letter.”

“I wish we knew whether they’ve found it out and are broadcasting it,” said Jennifer. “We’d better keep to the back roads. Have we plenty of gasoline?”

“Now you worry, will you?” growled Jeremy. “What do you think I am? Of course I’ve got plenty of gasoline, full up, besides some in a couple of bottles in the tool chest, and an oil can strapped among the luggage.”

“Say, you’re great, brother!”

“Yes, I am! But I brought the radio from my car. Got it attached. Turn that button and see what you can get. Fixed it so we could get police reports.”

In wonder they turned on the radio quite softly and listened to the mysterious night calls—warnings of fights in various places, a man asleep on a back porch to be investigated, a shooting affair, a hold-up! They listened a long time, but there was no suggestion that seven Graeme children had stolen forth from their ancestral home and were lost out in the world in the night. No uncles and aunts as yet on the warpath! And Robin, at least, was sound asleep, with Karen running a close second to his regular breathing.

The night went on and the moon waned, and Jeremy fairly fell over with sleep.

Suddenly Jennifer came to herself.

“Jerry,” she whispered, and with a quick look behind she said, “stop the car and you slip out and come around this side. Take Robin in your lap, and I’ll slide over and drive. You are fairly dead with sleep.”

Jeremy slowed down and stopped, but no one woke up. He came around and gathered Robin in awkward strong arms, and Jennifer slipped into his place and took the wheel. Then they were on again, into an unknown night.

“Keep on this same road,” murmured Jeremy sleepily. “If anything comes along, wake me up.”

Then his head and Robin’s snuggled together and he dozed off.

And now Jennifer, for the first time really alone since the tragic death of her parents, had a chance to think clearly. As her brain cleared from sleep and she drove on in the darkness, heaven and earth seemed to get together and make her stand in awe. She had never thought so much about living before.

She had to go all through that awful experience of getting the word about the disaster, and the tragedy that followed, and then on through each day until she sat again in the library and was roused from her sorrow by Aunt Petra’s voice and the inexorable words of them all. Well, she had frustrated them! At least she hoped she had, for the time anyway. They might keep on hunting and eventually might find them, but the days would be going by and her majority would be almost at hand. Then surely, surely, darling brothers and sisters! It seemed to her that she had never realized before how she loved them.

How those outrageous aunts had been disposing of them all so calmly. Had they any right? Well, anyway, if she found out that they did have rights she would take the children and run to the ends of the earth with them before she would let them come under any auntly power. It couldn’t be that Daddy had realized any danger like that. He would surely have done something to prevent it!

Then it came to her what the aunts had said about herself. How they had so easily settled her fate to marry Peter! Peter! She almost seemed to hate him now, just because the whole thing had been so definitely arranged for her.

And, of course, Aunt Petra or Aunt Majesta must have talked to Peter or he never would have come around at such a time as this and made those propositions about getting married right away and going away to Europe where she wouldn’t have to be bothered with her family at all. What did he think she was, anyway, that she would consent to do a thing like that!

Then she thought of her father and mother and lifted her eyes to the blackness of the sky. Her heart cried out, as if those two who were gone from her forever could hear her thoughts.

Oh, Daddy! Oh, Mother! You know I wouldn’t do a thing like that to your dear babies! Over and over she said it to herself, and more and more she felt she despised Peter.

She had never thought much about Peter, except that he was good fun to go around with. It hadn’t entered her head to think of loving him. She wasn’t thinking of love yet; she had merely been having a good time. And now the good times were all over and grave living had begun. If she could only get away with this act and keep the children safely away from those cormorants who were so determined to get their hands upon everything and everyone! If of age, what did it matter whether she ever got married or not? She certainly wouldn’t want to marry Peter. If she ever did marry it must be somebody like her father. But probably there weren’t any more men in the world like Daddy.