Afterward, the guests were taken out into the yard, and led to the comprehensive grave of the nineteen dogs.  Minerva kept at a safe distance, but the five puppies gambolled and frolicked, even to the verge of the sepulchre.  Romeo desired to send a dog to Allison, and generously offered Isabel her choice, but she refused.

“I’ll take the pup,” said the Doctor.  “It might amuse him, and anyhow, he’d like to know that you thought of him.”

Isabel had strolled down toward the barn.  Juliet hesitated, duty bidding her follow Isabel and inclination holding her back.  Presently Isabel returned, and her face was surprisingly animated.

“Is that our car in the barn?” she asked.  Her manner betrayed great excitement.

“Why, it’s Allison Kent’s car, isn’t it?” inquired Romeo.

“I thought it was mine.  Colonel Kent gave it to me for a wedding present.”

“I thought you couldn’t keep the wedding presents unless the wedding came off,” Juliet observed, practically.

“I’ve still got my ring,” said Isabel.  “Allison said he wanted me to keep it, and he gave me his violin, too.  I should think they’d want me to keep the car.”

“Better make sure,” suggested Doctor Jack, politely.

“People don’t scatter automobiles around carelessly among their friends, as a general rule,” observed Juliet.

“I wish I could get it up to Kent’s,” Romeo said, thoughtfully.  “It always reminds me—­here.”

“I’d just as soon drive it back,” the Doctor answered.  “It’s more of a trot out here than I supposed it was.”

“Why, yes,” cried Juliet.  “You can drive it back to-night and take Isabel home!”

“Charmed,” lied the Doctor, with an awkward bow.

So it happened that Isabel once more climbed into the red car and went back over the fateful road.  The machine ran well, but it seemed to require the driver’s entire attention, for his conversation consisted of brief remarks to which answers even more brief were vouchsafed.

When he turned, on the wide road in front of Madame Bernard’s, after leaving Isabel at the gate, she lingered in the shadow, watching, until he was out of sight.  The throb of the engine became fainter and fainter, then died away altogether.  Isabel sighed and went in, wondering if Allison, after giving her the ring and the violin, would not also want her to have the car.  Or, if that seemed too much, and she should send back the violin—­she pondered over it until almost dawn, then went to sleep.

The following afternoon, while Madame Bernard slept, Isabel sat idly in the living-room, looking out of the window, though, as she told herself fretfully, there was not much use of looking out of the window when nobody ever went by.  But no sooner had she phrased the thought than she heard the faint chug-chug of an approaching motor.

She moved back, into the shelter of the curtain, and presently saw the big red automobile whizz by.  Doctor Jack, hatless and laughing, was at the wheel.  Beside him was Colonel Kent.