Jill the Reckless

re in fashionable quarters, and it is to besupposed that their inhabitants find an addres

f an occasional pianoplaying one of the easier hymns, a form of music to which thedwellers in the dingy houses are greatly addicted. By day theyachieve a certain animation through the intermittent appearance ofwomen in aprons, who shake rugs out of the front doors or, emergingfrom areas, go down to the public-house on the corner with jugs tofetch the supper-beer. In almost ev

ariety_. A gray parrot in a cage by the windowcracked seed and looked out into the room with a satirical eye. Hehad seen all this so many times before,--Nelly Bryant arrayingherself in her smartest clothes to go out and besiege agents in theiroffices off the Strand. It happened every day

id Bill, and crac

-house kind which resembles nothing else inthe world. But a few little touches here and there, a fewinstinctively tasteful alterations in the general scheme of things,had given the room almost a cosy air. Later on, with the gas lit, itwould achieve something approaching homeiness. Nelly, li

iness and underfeeding had given it a wistfulexpression that had charm. Unfortunately, it was not the sort ofcharm which made a great appeal to the stout, whisky-nourished menwho sat behind paper-littered tables, sm

year in London and some weeks in the number onetowns, had returned to New York. It did not cheer Nelly up in thelong evenings in Daubeny Street to reflect that

ares?" s

he was a little limited in his

aswell time with nothing to do but sit there and eat seed--but how doyou suppose I enjoy tramping around, looking for work and neve

ger into the cage an

-bye, boy!""All right, I'm going. Be good!""Woof-woof-woof!"

the middle of the cage, wherehe proceeded to conduct a few intimate researches with his beak underhis left wing. After which he mewed like a cat, and relapsed intosilent meditation once more. He closed his eyes and pondered on hisfavorite problem--Why was he a parrot? This was always good for anhour o

r there, and stood with his head on oneside, chewing thoughtfully. It didn't taste as good as usual. Hesuspected Nelly of having changed his _Daily Mail_ for the _DailyExpress_ or something. He swallowed the piece of paper, and wasstruck by the th

was going to be one of thosedays. He had n

had been out therebefore, but always chaperoned by Nelly. This was something quitedifferent. It was an adventure. He hopped onto the window-sill. Therewas a ball of yellow woo

d not know, but obviously it was a thing to beinvestigated. The window was open at the bot

down. The noisestartled him for a moment, then he seemed to come to the conclusionthat this sort of thing was to be expected if you went out into thegreat world and that a parrot who intended to see life must not allowhimself to be deterred by trifles. H

up, spied him, a

boy!" said

ed tentatively, then, finding that nothingdisastrous ensued, pushed his nose between two of the bars and barkedagain. Any one who knew Bill could have told him th

oof!" said Bil

ers stood before him. Theywere gazing down at him in the stolid manner peculiar to theproletariat of London

th and pointed withthe stem. "A perishin' parrot,

Come from abroad, _they_ do. My brotherJoe's wife's sister 'ad one of 'em. Red-'aired gel she was. Married afeller down at the Docks. _She_ 'ad one of 'em. Parrot

t sting yer, 'Enry!"

of 'em. They don't 'urt yer, not ifyou're kind to 'em. You know yer pals when you see 'em, don't

said the parrot,

bye, boy!' 'Uman theyare!""'E'll 'ave a piece

an expert on parrots had been challenged. "'E wouldn't'ave no piece out of my finger

e's sister's parrot never 'ad no piece out of nofinger of mine!" He extended the finger

onging to Henry's brother's wife's sister hadcaused him to realize that there was a certain standard of goodc

!" sai

of-woof!"

returning to the scene andgoing on with the

Vere de Vere and thebetter order of parrot. His nerves were shocked, and, as always undersuch conditions, his impulse w

pint," said Erb, al

himself, had moved away again and was watching affairs from the edg

the world squarely andshown it what was what

mouth. "Lend me the loan of thatst

aunterer ofa moment ago, poked wildly through the railings. Bill, panic-strickennow and wishing for nothing better than to be

od!" said

through the medium of the telephone immediatelyafter breakfast, and had arranged to call a

is, and escort him home. Freddie, whose idea had been a_tete-a-tete_ involving a brotherly lecture on impetuosity, haddemurred but had given way in the end; and they had set out to walkto Victoria together.

s it?" cr

is the sort of street chappies aremurdering people in all the time."

ng so aloof and distrait as Erb,

eated. At least three draymen were going about Londonwith burning ears as the result of what she had said to them ondiscovering them abusing their patient horses. Zoologically, Bill theparrot was not an animal, but he counted as one with Jill, and shesped down Daubeny Street to his res

llow he was, are aware that he was more sinnedagainst than sinning. If there is any spirit of justice in us, we arepro-Henry. In his encounter with Bill the

o wish Henry luck and bid him goto it. But Jill, who had not seen the opening stages of the affair,though

lop and was wonderingwhy the deuce this sort of t

ou know, what!""Can't you see he's hurt

whom one's heart bleeds), as hej

ulder. Freddie was one of those men who have a rooted idea that aco

u can't do this sort of th

ised a sca

_you?_" h

your ugly mugin 'ere?""Well, if you put it that way . . .""'E comes messing abart," said Henry complainingly, addressing theuniverse, "and interfering in what don't concern 'im and muckingaround and interfering and messing abart. . . . Why," he broke off ina sudden burst of el

art andinterfering and mucking around. This bird's bit me in the finger, and'ere's the finger, if you don't believe me--and I'm going to twist'is ruddy neck, if all the perishers with white spats in London comemessing abart and mucking around, so you I

must do it yourself, she had applied to Freddiefor assistance merely as a matter of form

wearing white spats and that Henry,apparently, belonged to some sort of league or society which had forits main object the discouragement of white spats. It was pla

woof!" said B

ally a man who believed inviolence to the gentler sex outside a clump on the head of his missuswhen the occasion

et back!""Here, I say,

rush at Jill: and Jill, whohad a straight ey

id Henry, a

om behind Jill

t policeman had manifested

t do!" said

ilent spectator of the

man looked at Jill. He was

rring epoch of the Suffrage disturbances,the policeman had been kicked on the shins and even bitten by ladiesof an equally elegant exterior. Hearts, the policeman knew, just aspure and fair may beat in Belgrave

ease, and addres

uthed at the group. At the sight of her Bill the parrot uttereda shriek of w

NumberTwenty-two, Ovington Square.""And yours, sir?""Mine

o right to hit a man with astick. You'll 'ave to come along.""But, I say, you know!" Freddie was appalled. This sort of thing hadhappened to him before, but only on Boat-Race Night at the Empire,where it was expected of a chappi

fore. All through supper on the previous night, even after thediscovery that Jill was supping at a near-by table with a man who wasa stranger to her son, Lady Underhill had preserved a grim reticencewith regard to her future daughter-in-law. But today she had spok

ss thelaying of the foundation stone of their new Town Hall, and Derek asthe sitting member was to preside at the celebration. Already

made the most of wha

waxed more formidable. And, now,aided by this ally from without, it had become a colossus, straddlinghis soul. Derek looked frequently at the clock, and cursed theunknown cabman whose delay was prolonging the scene. Something toldhim that only flight could serve him now. He never had been able towithstand hi

it again. Frequent iteration was one of herstrongest weapons. As her brother Edwin, who

st actually be a ruinous handicap. I am notblaming you for imagining yourself in love in the first place, thoughI really should have thought that a man

uld have called it boldness--which seems toappeal to the young men of today. I could im

ous. You cannot pretend that you really imaginethat an engaged girl is behaving with perfect correctness when sheallows a man she has only just met to take her to supper at theSavoy, even if she did know him slightly years and years ago. It isvery idyllic to suppose that a childhood acquaintance excuses everybreach of decorum, but I was brought up to believe otherwise. I don'twish to be vulgar, but what it amounts to is that this girl washaving supper--supper! In my days girls were in bed atsupper-time!--with a strange man who picked her up at a theatre!"Derek shifted uneasily.

not interfere in what would be your ownprivate business. No doubt there are plenty of sets in society whereit matters very little what sort of a woman a ma

hat means thatyour wife will have every eye upon her. An

into Lady Underhill's black eyes. All her life she hadbeen a fighter, and experien

sort of harum-scarum,so-called 'modern' girl who is sure some day to involve herself in areally serious scandal. I don't want her to be in a position to dragyou into it as well. Yes, Parker, what is it? Is Sir Derek's cabhere?"The lantern-jawed Par

have had a few words of conversation with the constable, sir,"said Parker sadly, "and I understand from him that Mr Rooke and MissMariner have been arrested.""Arrested! What are you

Miss Mariner struck a man in thestreet with a stick, and they took both her and Rooke to

fancy, m'lady, it would be sufficient if Sir Derek were todispatch me with a check for ten pounds.""Very well. Tell t

out his check-book. Therewas silence for a mo

the check and

right!" She spoke in almost an awed voice, for this occurrence at

his detestableentanglement!"Derek rose without speaking.

! Say you will!"De

erhillmoved to the door. At the door she paused for a moment, and seemedabout to speak again, but her mouth closed resolutely. She wa

d behind Lady Underhill. Derek sat down again at thewriting-table. He wrote a few words on a sheet of paper, then tore itup. His eye travelled to the mantelpiece. J

or opene

the door, Sir Der

sed an envelop

enger officeon your way to the police-station, and have t

antelpiece. He stood lookingfor an insta