He reached Madame Bernard's without accident and Isabel, almost wild with joy, ran out of the gate to meet him and climbed in. Only Rose, from the shelter of her curtains, saw them as they went away.
"Where shall we go?" Isabel asked. She was hatless and the sun dwelt lovingly upon her shining black hair.
"Back for Dad. He's waiting for us. Do you like it, dear?"
"Indeed I do. Oh, so much! It was lovely of him, wasn't it? He wouldn't care, would he, if we took a little ride just by ourselves before we went back for him?"
"Of course not, but we can't go far and we'll have to go fast."
"I love to go fast. I've never been fast enough yet. I wonder if the
Crosbys have got their automobile?"
"I heard so, but I haven't seen it. I understand that Romeo is learning to drive it in the narrow boundaries of the yard."
"What day of the month is it?"
"The thirtieth. There's less than three months to wait now, darling— then you'll be mine, all mine."
"Then this is the day the Crosbys were going to celebrate—it's the anniversary of their uncle's death. I'm glad we've got our automobile. Can't we go by there? It's only three miles, and I'd love to have them see us go by, at full speed."