Jill the Reckless

t without regret. Every thinking man,however, knows that this is not so. The true zero hour, desolate,gloom-ridden, and specter-haunted, occurs immediately before dinnerwhile we are waiting for that cocktail. It is then that, stripped fora brief moment of our armor of complacency and self-esteem,

in an arm-chair at the Drones Club about two weeksafter Jill's departure from

her,one is conscious of one's limitations as a writer. Gloom like h

er Algyarrived, it was impossible for him to get his cocktail. There he sat,surrounded by happy, laughing young men, each grasping a glass of thegood old mixture-as-before, absolutely unable to connect. Some ofthem, casual acquaintances, had nodded to him, waved, and gone onlowering the juice,--a spectacle which made Freddie feel much as thewounded soldier would have felt if Sir Philip Sidney, instead

him. From the first he hadblamed himself for the breaking-off of her engagement with Derek. Ifhe had not sent the message to Derek from the police-station, thelatter wou

e like a thunderbolt through

r money? What do you mean?"Ronny was surprised. Hadn't Freddie heard? Yes, absolute fact. He hadit from the best authority. Didn't know how it had happened and allthat, but Jill Mariner had gone completely bust; Underhill had givenher the miss-in-baulk; and the poor girl had legged it, no one knewwhere. Oh, Fr

ek didn't even know Jillhad lost her money. He broke the engagement because . . ." Freddiestopped short. He didn'

of. "He broke it offbecause of something quit

really!"Ronny

I wouldn't have done it, but Underhill did,and that's all there is to it. I mean, a tick's a tick, and there'snothing more to say. Well, I know he's bee

me a sort of social center. Cheery birds would roll up to passthe time of day, and festive old eggs would toddle over to havecoffee and so forth, and all that sort of thing. Jolly! On thisoccasion nobody had rolled, and all the eggs present had taken theircoffee elsewher

you waiting."Freddie looked up from his broke

dn't notice how time wasslipping."Over the soup, Freddie was still a prey to gloom. For once thehealing gin-a

nquired Algy

pped," admit

ut Derek.""Derek? Who's . . . ? Oh, you mean Underhill?""Yes."Algy Martyn chased an elusive p

about him?"Freddie was too absorbed in his su

oosed him into theroom, and it turned out to be a fellow I used to know years ago downin Worcestershire. I didn't know him from Adam at first, butgradually the old bean got to work, and I placed him. Wally Mason hisname was. Rummily enough, he had spoken to me at the Leicester thatnight when the fire was, but not

ain and told me who hewas, I began to remembe

ownin Worcestershire, you see. We were all pretty pally in those days,if you see what I mean. Well, this man Mason, it seems, had heardsomewhere about Jill losing her money, and he wanted to know if itwas true. I said absolutely. Hadn't heard any details, but Ronny hadtold me and Ronny had had it from some one who had stable informa

rek broke it off.' He said'Oh!' (What? Oh yes

him along.' Derek had been out for a stroll,you see, and we were waiting for him to come in. Well, just at thispoint or juncture, if you know what I mean, in he came, and I said'Oh, what ho!' and introduced Wally Mason. 'Oh, do

?" enquired

ng introduced to a strange chappie, and WallyMason, giving it an absolute miss, went on t

gement for lunch. So long!' and biffed out,without apparently knowing Derek was on the earth. I mean . . ."Freddie reached for his glass, "What I mean is, it

le have forgotten the thing. I mean tosay, fellows like Ronny and I and Dick Wimpole and Archie Studd andthe rest of our lot,--well, we all knew Jill and thought she was atopper and had danced with her here and there and seen her about andall that, and naturally we feel pretty strongly about the wholedashed business. Underhill isn't in our particular set, but we allknow most of the people he knows, and we talk about this business,and the thing gets about, and there you are! My sister, who was agreat pal of Jill's, swears that all the girls she knows mean to cutUnderhill. I tell you, Freddie, London's going

ldof the stick and biffed him with some vim, and a policeman rolled upand the fellow made a fuss and the policeman took Jill and me off tochokey. Well, like an ass, I sent round to Derek to bail us

't believe a word of it," repeated Algy firmly. "And nobodyelse will either. It's dashed good of you, Freddie, to cook up a yarnlike th

e use, Freddie, between old

d out that Jill hadn't anymoney, he chucked her.""But why should Derek care whether Jill was well off or

h a sizeable chunk of theready, and, when the

a pain to think of him."And Algy Martyn, suppressing every effort which Fredd

the Albany in a state

ved and had their being isnothing but a village, and it was evident that village gossip washostile to Derek. P

r. Somethinghad got to be done. He was devoted to Derek. This sort of thing wasas bad as being cut himself. Whatever Fred

ers, a leading member of Parliament, who had been unable toappear; and he was still in the grip of that feeling of degradedrepletion which city dinners induce. The dry-salters, on theseoccasions when they cast off for a night the cares and anxieties ofdry-salting, do their gue

affairs, it seemed to Freddie impossible that thenight should be allowed to pass without some word spoken on thesubject. He thought of Ronny and

old top.

elf, and looked gloomily across the room to

Freddie wasno diplomat, and the fact enabled him to find a way in the presentcrisis. Equipped by nature with an amiable tactlessness

, on which the fire wasplaying with a little too fierce a glow, and mis

said Der

s mindthat Derek was looking exactly like Lady Underhill. It was

was saying . . .

? And he has been saying something about . . . ?""It isn't only Ronny, you know," Freddie hastened to interject. "AlgyMartyn's talking about it, too. And lots of other fellows. And Algy'ssister and a lot of people. They're all saying . . .""What are they saying?"Fre

what he felt was that afellow had no righ

saying?" repeat

tly smile. This was not wholly due to mentaldisturbance. The dull heaviness which was the legacy of theDry-Salters' dinner had begun to change to something more

rivate affairs.""Sorry, old man. But they started it, don't you know.""And, if you feel you've got to discuss me, kindly keep it toy

smajestically as an ex-guest of the Worshipful Company of Dry-Saltersmay, in the direction of the door. "I shall go to the Savoy.""Oh, I say, old man! No need to do that.""Good night.""But, I say . . .""And you can tell your friend Devereux that, if he doesn't stoppoking his nose into my private business, I'll pull it off.""W

og along smoothly. What arotten place the worl

sappears. He would missher badly. What a good

re or less, ever since Winc

ression. He lit another cigarand curled up in one of the arm-chairs. He was feeling tired. He hadbeen pla

loor. A cold cigar followedit. From the d

ulder brought Freddie wi

side him. A tousled Der

lo!"A spasm twis

, bringing low the haughtiest of us, less than loveitself a respecter of persons. This was a different Derek

, the mists of sleep float

d was asking for. It hadsounded just like peps

n the Last ofthe Rookes was a good man to have at your side. It was Freddie whosuggested that Derek should recline in the arm-chair which he hadvacated; Freddie who nipped round th

e rewarded. Presently t

k reco

oneso foreign to his nature. Freddie had never seen him so subdued. Hewas like a convalescent child. Between them, the all-night chemis

od is the day afterthe semi-annual banquet. Go to

ie," sai

to ten minutes pasttwo. Derek spoke in a low, soft voice. Perhaps the doctors are rightafter all, and two o'clock is the

say about . . . you know?"Freddie he

the fire. Scattered all over London atthat moment, probably, a hundred worshipful Dry-Salters were equallysleepless and subdued, looking wide-eyed into black pasts. "Is ittrue she has gone to America, Freddie?""She to

e may be an election coming on at any moment. I can'tstir."Freddie leaped from his se

the gentlemood which comes with convalescence after a City

eep me here, you know. What's the matter with mypopping over to America and finding Jill?" F

ou?" he as

t's a wheeze! I'll get on the next boat andcharge over in the capacity of a jolly old ambas