There came, too, the memory of Kate's scathing "Do you want to ruin his career ?" Even the hated magazine article and Marie's tragic "I've _hindered_ him!" added their mite; and Billy knew that she should not go to the telephone, nor summon Bertram.
The one fatal mistake now would be to let Bertram see her own distress.
If once he should suspect how she suffered in doing this thing, there would be a scene that Billy felt she had not the courage to face.

She must, therefore, manage in some way not to see Bertram--not to let him see her until she felt more sure of her self-control no matter what he said.

The easiest way to do this was, of course, to go away.

But where?
How?
She must think.

Meanwhile, for these first few hours, she would not tell any one, even Aunt Hannah, what had happened.