"I see," she murmured, as he finished. "The only positive fact that we
have is that he did not leave the house until after five. How very
interesting!"

"Very terrible," said Hickson.

"Terrible," exclaimed Nancy, with the most genuine surprise. "Not at all.
From your point of view most encouraging. It can mean only one thing. The
young man very prudently ran away."

Edward was really stirred to anger. "Nancy," he said, "how do you dare,
even in fun--"

"Oh, my dear," answered his sister, as one wearied by all the folly in
the world, "how can I be of any use to you if you will not open your
eyes? He ran away. We don't know of course just from what; but we do know
this: Max Riatt is the best match that has yet presented himself, and
that Christine is the last girl in the world to ignore that simple fact.
Come, Ned, even if you do love her, you may as well admit the girl is not
a perfect fool. Fate, accident, or possibly her own clever manoeuvering
put the game into her hands. The question is, how did she play it? I know
what I'd have done, but I don't believe she would. I think she probably
tried to make him believe that she was hopelessly compromised in the eyes
of the world, and that there was no course open to an honorable man but
to ask her to marry him."

"I can't imagine Christine playing such a part."

"I tell you, you never do the poor girl justice. If she did that--and the
chances are she did--then his running away is most encouraging. It means,