Jill the Reckless

the door of number twe

, hadsent the thermometer up with a run and broken the cold spell whichhad been gripping London. It was one of those afternoons whichintrude on the bleakness of winter with a false but none the l

Finding himself at the police-station penniless withthe exception of a little loose change, he had sent that message toDerek, imploring assistance, as the only alternative to spending thenight in a cell, with Jill in another. He had realized that there wasa risk of Derek taking the matter hardly, and he had not wanted toget Jill into trouble, but there seemed nothing else to do. If theyremained where they were overnight, the thing would get into thepapers, and that would be a thousand times worse. And if he appliedfor aid

he crisis hadarrived, he had forgotten--absolutely forgo

for granted that he had secured their releasein the manner indicated. He did not propos

laugh at the wholebally affair like a sportsma

e head had popped up over thebanisters fl

taken a later train.""There's a lady in the drawing-room, miss, waiting to

ll. The drawing-room was on the ground floor,a long, dim room that would have looked like a converted studio b

ll was surprised. She had no recollection of ever having seen theother before. Her visitor was a rather pretty girl, with a sort ofj

so forlorn

Oh, I see.""I heard you say to the cop that you lived here, so I came al

d any minute, so I waited.""That was awfull

e all upif that plug-ugly had killed him.""But what a shame you had to wait so long.""I liked it."Nelly Bryant looked about the r

re you go, won't you?" said

ve, what?""I wonder you remember.""Oh, I remember. Quite a time ago, eh? Miss Bryant was in that show,'Follow the Girl,' Jill, at the Regal.""Oh, yes. I rememb

you know. I used to live in New York whenI was very small, but I've almost forgotten what it was like. Iremember a sort of over-head r

e. And a very blue sky.""Yes,

w a fellownamed Williamson, do you?""I don't believe I do.""Or Oakes?""No.""That's rummy! Oakes has lived in New York for years.""So have about seven million other people," interposed J

of tea for her visitor

now. I hope he hasn't got into any mischief among the wildstock-brokers down

ing!" said Jill remo

lly. "There's been an awful slump on the Stock Exchange today, andhe

led at Nelly. "He had forgottenall about it in the excitement of being a

ou're feeling devilish fit and cheery and all that afterdinner, and somebody sidles up to you and slips his little hand inyours and tells you

you up and prevent youbeing so silly again

, you needn't tell anybody. We'll keep it a secret. In fact,we'll start at once, for I hear Uncle Chris outside. Let usdissemble. W

Hush! Hush!""What's the matter?""Nothing, nothing. . . . We've got visitors. You know Freddie Rooke,of c

days, had charmed many a five-pound note out of thepockets of his fellow-men and m

le Chris had a manner. It was not preciselycondescending, and yet it was not the manner of an equal. He treatedyou as an equal, true, but all the time you were conscious of thefact that it was extraordinarily good of him to do so. Uncle Chrisaffected the rank and file of his fellow-

n, a mouth that smiled often andpleasantly beneath the closely-clipped moustache, and very brightblue eyes which met yours in a clear, frank, honest gaze. Though hehad served in his youth in India, he had none of the Anglo-Indian'ssun

one who supplied Uncle Chris. And, as for hats, whileit is no doubt a fact that you can get at plenty of London shops somesort of covering for your head which will keep it warm, the onlyhatter--using the term in its deeper sense--is the man who enjoyedthe patronage of Major Christopher Selby. From foot to head, inshort, from furthest South to extremest North, Uncle Chris wasperfect. He was an ornamen

ely legs before the fire, and

irred it. "I was in America as ayoung m

"I guess I know most every town inevery State, from New York to the last one-night stand. It's a greatold country, isn't it?""It is!" said Uncle Chris. "I shall be

decide to do t

nd urbane asever. But something about him, a look in his eyes that came and went,an occasional quick twitching of his mouth, told her that all was notwell. She was a little troubled, but not greatly. Uncle Chris was notthe sort of man to whom grave trag

eadmy morning paper while breakfasting. It has grown and developedd

lded to what I might call a public demand. Thewilling hands for my nearest and dearest were behind me, pushing, andI did not resist them. I have never regretted it. America is a partof every young man's education. You ought to go there, Freddie.""Rummily enough," said Freddie, "I was

ng the bones'--which in those days was a verypresent help in time of trouble. At Craps, I fear, my hand in lateyears had lost much of its cunning. I have had

tle seven!'""'Come, eleven!

to it.""'Baby needs new shoes!'""'Baby needs new shoes!' Precisely!""It soun

n, go West!' The years areslipping away from me, my dear Jill,--slipping so quickly that in afew minutes you will he wondering why my nurse does not come to fetchme. The wanderlust is upon me. I gaze around me at all thisprosperity in which I am lapped," said Uncle Chris, eyeing thearm-chair severely, "all this comfort and luxury which swaddles me,and I feel staggered. I want activity. I want to be braced!""You would hate it," said Jill composedly. "You know you're thelaziest old darling in the world.""Exactly what I am endeavoring to point out. I am lazy. Or, I wastill this morning.""Something very extrao

are not vegetables like young Rooke here.""Eh, what?" said the vegetable, waking

ging wild gipsy songs, absolutelydefying fatigue.""That," said Uncle Chris, "is a perfectly justified slur. I shudderat the depths to which prosperity has caused me to sink."

ned to Nelly, poi

home, and leave thisenervating London! You . . .

me ifI'm away long. Good-bye. Thank you ever so much for what

-bye.""Good-bye, Mr Rooke."Fred

alongmyself. About time I was getting back to dress for dinner and

front door forher. The night was cool and cloudy, and there was still in the airthat

g!" said Freddie

w, this girl, on the other hand, hadall the earmarks of being something of a topper. She had a softvoice. Rummy accent and all that, but nevertheless a soft andpleasing voice. She was mild and unaggressive, and these werequalities which Freddie esteemed. Freddie, though this was a thing hew

d for the last five minutes. He wasjust about to break the silence, when, as they passed under a st

unable to cope,--crying girls anddog-fights. The glimpse he had caught of Nelly's face froze h

bye," sa

faced her nervously, withone hand on the grimy railings. This wanted looking into. When itcame to girls trick

up?" he

ou might not think it,to look at me, but I'm really rather a dashed shrewd chap, and I can_see_ there's something up. Why not give me the j

s theeasiest thing in the world, only you couldn't be bothered to do it,kind of got me going. And to think I could be there right now if Iwasn't a bone

I stopped on in London when therest of the company went back home, and now I've got

. No, they haven't star

earnestly, "if you've gotnothing to keep you in England, why not pop back to Am

h an old aunt of mine up in Scotland the yearbefore last and not being able to get away fo

ve never been on any of them, so it's rather hard tosay. But I hear the Cunard well spoken of, and then again somechappies swear by the White Star. But I should imagine you can't gofar wrong, whichever you pick. They're all pretty ripe, I fancy.""Which of them is giving free trips? T

e fact that Nelly was agirl and in many resp

. The thought hurt Freddie likea blow. H

id. "Are you bro

to whom he gave shillings, he had not met anyone for yearswho had not plenty of money. He had friends at his clubs whofrequently claimed to be unable to

God!"

an hour or so ago he hadbeen kicking himself for not having remembered that fifty-pound note,tacked onto the lining of his coat, when it would have come in handyat the police-stat

th swift fingershe jerked the note free from its moorin

it! I absolutely cannotstick it at any price!

eyes. She was stunned. Shetook it limply, and looked

ldn't!"

ked whichline was giving free trips. The Freddie Rooke Line, by Jove, sailingsevery Wednesday and Saturday! I mean, w

ake a touch? Absolutely not! Kid yourself of the jolly oldsuperstition entirely. You see before you, old thing, a chappie whoknow

ers blighters here and there--and I can tell any of themwith my eyes shut. I know y

"I don't see why . . . Gee! I wish I could tell

ers,you know,--used to say to me at school.""Are you sure you can

't know how . . ."Freddie shuffled nervously. B

ssand all that. Awfully glad to have seen you, and all that sort ofr

-wrap," she said,

said Freddie uncomfortably. "Any time you're passing . . . !""Awfully good . . . Well, good-bye.""Toodle-oo!""Maybe we'll meet again some day.""I hope so. Absolutely!"There was a l

ek. He was aware of an odd mixtur

worn coquettishly over one ear, was gazingintently up through the railings. Their eyes met.

ewondered whether he had made a frightful ass of himself, sprayin

ght, and he decided--no, absolutely not. Rummy as thegadget might appear, it had be

istaken in supposing that Uncle Chris wasworried about something. This restlessness of his, this desire formovement, was strange in him. Hitherto he had been l

eddie met," said Jill diplomatically. There was no needto w

I may, thank goodness." He lit a cigar. "Do you remember,Jill, years ago, w

py marriages except where the wife didn'tmind the smell of tobacco. Well, it's lucky, as a matter

ffected his eyesight. Jill had provided a solution for the greatproblem of his life. Marriage had always appalled him, but there wasthis to be said for it, that married people had daughters. He hadalways wanted a daughter, a smart girl he could take out and be proudof; and fate had given him Jill at precisely the right age. A childwould have bored Uncle Chris--he was fond of children, but they madethe deuce of a noise

h a wonderful crease? Youreally are a credit to me!"There was a momentary silence. A shade of embarrassm

erly. "I wish I were. I'm afraidI'm a p

trust you to me. Your father had more sense. He alwayssaid I was a wrong'un."Jill got up quickl

before him. He had one ofthose rare volatile natures which can ignore the blows of fate solong as their effects are not brought home by visible evidence ofdisaster. He lived in t

weighed unceasingly upon another man. His mind was atelephone which he could cut off at will, when the voice of Troublewished to speak. The time wou

again, searching for the best me

ngs, but therewas what is called a slump on the Stock E

s terribly blue whenhe got here this afternoon. He said he had got 'nipped' inAmalgamated Dyes. He had lost about tw

ating about the bush--I lost everything! Everything!""Everything?""Everything! It's all gone! All fooled away. It's a terriblebusiness. This house will have to go.""But--but doesn't the house belong to me?""I was your trustee, dear." Uncle Chris smoked f

aken them f

understand,

witness thehumiliation of her oldest friend. Uncle Chris was bound upinextricably with everything in her life that was pleasant. She couldremember him, looking exactly the same, only with a thicker andwavier crop of hair, playing with her patiently and unwearied

ys on the river, days at Hurlingham, days at Lords', days atthe Academy. He had always been the same, always cheerful, alwayskind. He was U

ld thing!

stranger, coming into the room at that moment, would havesaid that here was a girl trying to coax her blunt, straightforward,military father into s

hing?" he rep

And stop trying to loo

it matter! Jill, don't you hate me?""As if anyone could hate an old darling like you!"Uncle Chris threw away his cigar, and put his arms round Jill. For amoment a dreadful fear came to her that he was going to cry. Sheprayed t

th someflowers, her back turned. The tension had been relieved, and shewanted to give him time to recover his poise. She knew him we

blunt fact that she was penniless, that all this comfortwhich surrounded her was no longer her own. For an instant a kind ofpanic seized her. There was a bleakness about the situation whichmade one gasp. It was l

sconcerned, he told himself, this was the best thing that could havehappened. He had been growing old and sluggish in prosperity. Heneeded a fillip. The wits by which he had once lived so merrily hadbeen getting blunt in their easy retirement. He welcomed theopportunity of matching them once more against the world. He wasremors

erealways adventures and the spoils of war for the man with brains t

.

seized upon her. If Derek wanted her now, it wouldbe because his love was the str

the sound of it, Jillsmiled again. She knew it

y mean everything, or were youbeing melodramatic? Exactly how do we stand?""It's dashed hard to say, my

attitude towards life. He flicked away life'sproblems with just the same airy carelessness. "You mustn't worryabout me, my dear. I shall be all right. I

ably lazy. If I had gone onliving my present life for another year or two, why, dash it! Ihonestly believe I s

for this disaster, but he wascertainly making it endurable. However greatly he might be deservingof censure, from the standpoint of the ster

Candide'?" Uncle Chris shook his head. He was n

possible worlds."Uncle Chris felt a touch of embarrassment. It occurred to him that hehad been betrayed by his mercurial temperament into a

ipping--till one day there's nothing left to dip for--onlya far-off rustling--the ghosts of dead bank-notes. That's how it waswith me. The process was almost automatic. I hardly knew it was goingon. Here a little--there a little. It was like snow melting on amountain-top. And one morning--all gone!" Uncle Chris drove the pointhome with a gesture. "I did what I could. When I found that therewere only a few hundreds left, for your sake I took a chance. Allheart and no head! There you have Christopher Selby in a nutshell! Aman at the club--a fool named--I've forgotten his damnname--recommended Amalgamated Dyestuffs as a speculation. Monroe,that was his name, Jimmy Monroe. He talked about the future ofBritish Dyes now t

t know about it being wise. It's the only thing to do. I mustsee him tonight. Oh, I forgot. He was going away this afternoon for aday or two.""Capital! It will give you time to think it over.""I don't want to think it over. There's nothing to think about.""Of co

ir."Jill took the n

toldif there was an answer.""If the note is from Derek," said Uncle Chris, "it's

rval. She spoke tenderly. She was a great admirer ofDerek, and considered it a pre

seemed to rouse herself.

Jane to the cook with indignation, "the wayshe read it. _I_ like people to have a little feeling!"Jill sat turning the letter over and over in her fingers. Her facewas very white. Th

dear?"Jill turned the le

gagement," said Jill in a dull voice. Shelet the note

ed him. "What did you say?""He's broken it off.""The hound!" cried Uncle Chris. "The bl

know. It has nothing to do with that.""But . . ." Uncle Chris stooped to where the note lay. "May I . . . ?""Yes, you can read it if you

he letter violently, "if I were . . . Jill! My dear littleJill!"He plunged dow

il! My own darling little girl! I'll thrash him within an inch ofhis l

quivering, but her mout

he let his hand

he smiled a twisted smile. "You look so funny! Yourhair's all rumpled, and you

at man . . ." he

orthit!" Jill stopped, and faced him, her hands clenched. "Let's ge

getaway!"Uncle Chris raised his right hand, and shook it. Hi

t boat, dammit! I'll takecare of you, dear.

I won't do! Nothing! By Jove!"shouted Uncle Chris, raising his voice in a red-hot frenzy ofemotion, "I'll work! Yes, by Gad, if it comes right down to it, I'llwork!"He