What Timmy Did

ly in the sunlit and charming

urringly strange, in this queer link between a little country pa

ecial duty to attend to it. But at last the mistress of the house came running

young and alert looking woman, more Irish than Scotch in appearance, with her

e the tired, cross voic

is Old Place, Beechfield, Surrey. I don't

hone number. It had never been put on their notepaper. Still, she went on listening with the recei

patient, it became watchful, and her eyes narrowed as was their way when Janet Tosswill was "upset" about anything. She had suddenly hea

said nothing. At last she answered very quietly:-"Tell Mr

dd sensation; it was as if she felt the masterful, to her not over-attractive, presence of Godfrey Radmor

hought you were in Australi

iar voice-the voice no one had heard in Old Place for nine

And I want to know when I may come down and see you all? I hope you and Mr. Tosswill will believe m

istener bit her lips-she did not believe in his explanation as to why he

ee you at any time, of cour

g words were utt

down on Friday or Saturday. I've got a lot of bus

it will. Co

yearning note into the full, deep voice which sounded so oddly near, and wh

ick still in the lan

the one thing in the world Timm

t she was s

s, sir?" and the hasty answer:-"Yes, another

rey, by tea-time, and I hope you'll stay as long

ng, shamefaced voice:-"I needn't tel

hat she answered: "I'm glad you

e often. I often think of you all-especially of dear old George-" The

thinking that Godfrey Radmore knew that George, Betty's twin, had been killed in the autumn of 1916. At that time all correspondence between Radmore and Old Place had ceased for a long time. When it had begun again in 1917, in the form of a chaffing letter and a cheque for five pounds to the writer's godson, Betty had sugg

her entirely by surprise, for it was such an unimportant, a

ettled down at The

such a nice letter, saying she was a friend of yours, and that you had told her about

voice at the other end of the telephone became diffide

here have only been two new cottages built." She paused perceptibly, and then went on:-"I think that Timmy told yo

r mind she heard the words-"You can't go on any longer now. Time'

ad better go along and tell Betty now, or whether it would be better to wait till, say, lunch, when all the young people would be gathered to

fell across the floor of the hall, and looking up, she saw her old friend a

ey Radmore?" she aske

slight, very slight note of embarrassment into his hearty Irish voice-"that I wrote to the good fellow just after the Arm

had not told her at the time that he was writing to Godfrey. She still subconscious

But you'll be able to thank him in person now

troubled face. "Well, well, you'll have to let bygones

ney makes for gre

Come admit, woman, that you're sorry n

It was all his fault. He was such a

t dramatic exit to Australia, had cut himself clean off from all his friends. He was coming back now as that wonderful thing to most people-a millionaire. Was it likely, so the worldly-wise old doctor asked himself, that a man whose whole circums

scarlet fever at the Mortons-only a bit o

xclaimed. "I confess I did feel anxious, for Timmy

w's me litt

e was no one in the corridor of which the

an errand for m

normal, eh?" He looked

nfiding in me. He tells old Nanna extraordinary tales, but then, as you know, Timmy was always

na isn't the only one," he observed. "I was told in the village jus

o given to threatening the village people with ill fortune if they have done anything he thinks wrong or unkind. T

, "a broth of a boy, if ye'll allow me to say so-I'

, "but still I always tell John he's a change

d friend. 'Twas a witch you must have had

his two-seater, his mind still full

r. O'Farrell's mind switched off to something ver

at sort of a lady has taken The Trellis

first met her during the war, when he was quartered in Egypt. She wrote to John and asked if there

old may

I suppose she's middle-aged. She's only

ch divided Old Place. It was such a delightful, dignified, spacious house, and very dear to them all, yet Jane

commons from the living rooms, she waited a moment. Then, turning the handle, she wal

ed. Betty had a generous, unsuspicious outlook on human nature, and a meeting with petty dishonesty was always a surprise. She looked up with a very friendly, welcoming smile as her step-mother came into the room. They were very good friends, these two,

ed, and as the other made no answer, a look of fear came over the girl's face.

l the truth, Betty, I've had rather a s

some min

es

was

ore, speaking

had happened to Timmy!" But, even so, the

went on:-"It was stupid of me to have been so surpris

not really knowing what she was doing,

s that I haven't forgiven him for not coming to see

nings? What she had meant had been that she must forget the hurt surprise she and her husband had felt that Godfrey Radmore, on two separate occasions, had deli

white, all the bright colour drifted out of it-"Of course we m

had been broken off, Godfrey had been worse than penniless-in debt, and entirely through his own fau

he had been as secretary for a while. His luck still holding, he had gone through most of the war, including Gallipo

ard, and put her arms round the girl's shoulders. "Look here, Betty. Wouldn't

We were both so young, that I've forgotten too-in a sense." And then, as she saw that the other was far more moved than she h

ssly, "I'll tell you who'll be pleased-that's Timmy. He's got a regular hero

ted to know if Mrs. Crofton was settled down in Th

hen, when he was in England last year, he must have stayed with them, for that's where Flick came from. Colonel Crofton bred terriers

er that-I must

have glided on to a saf

ns now, but first I'd better

er of anything that happened

rst words she uttered, after having told him of Godfrey Radmore's coming visit, were:-"I shall never, never forgiv

, defiantly, standing before her

hand:-"I don't know that he behaved as badly as you think, my dear.

year-never coming down to see us, I mean. It was so-so ungrateful! Handsome prese

ecatingly. "He did write me a very nice letter, Jane

st of it-particularly as he says tha

glanced down with a sensation of disgust. She felt thoroughly ruffled and upset-a very unusual condition for her

garden of Old Place was very different from the garden she had found when she first came there. It had been a melancholy, neglected, singularly ugly garden-the kind of garden which only costly bedding-out had made tolerable in some prosperous early Victorian day. Now it was noted for its charm and beauty even among the many beautiful gardens of the neighbourhood, and during the War

an with whom she had just had that curious talk on the telephone. She was sorry-not glad a