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Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 38, 24 November 1938, Page 7

The big feature was an American film and the story on which it was based was a singularly inept one. 1 his may or may not have been the reason, but it failed completely to grip Mary Donovan’s attention, which wandered out of the theatre to a bank in front of a mill-stream —actually a far more romantic setting, than any of the elaborate studio sets on the screen. Mentally she compared the man sitting at her side, absorbed in the unsubtle and hackneyed picture they were watching, and the one who had shared his tea with her that afternoon. Of Garrod she knew everything—his history, his ambitious and sometimes, she imagined, his very thoughts. She knew, indeed, how he would react to any given situation. She had few romantic illusions, and appreeiaxed his sterling qualities, realising that four girls out of live in Alossford were frankly envious of her chance.

But she knew with even greater clarity that she did not love him in the least. She had told him so and he had argued that*love would come, that love as described in hooks and on the screen was a lot of poppy-cock, so much romantic nonsense. Nor was she certain that he was wrong, for. in her experience, not a few marriages which had apparently started as wild romances had ended in disillusion of one kind or another. She liked Garrod, as she. had admitted to her mother when Airs Donovan had boon inclined to press his claims'. But there was no thrill in the thought of him. She realised with grim insight that she would just as soon have been sitting in that cinema with a girl. Ferguson, on the other hand, interested her as no other man had done. Indeed, interest was hardly the word. He intrigued her. worried lief so that she. found herself thinking of him at the oddest moments. Only Alary-Dono-van knew that the meeting that afternoon at the deserted mill had not been such a.coincidence as it appeared. Her aunt had mentioned casually that Ferguson had; borrowed the rod and meant to try his hand at fishing on the Saturday. And, as Many Donovan knew, the mill was the. one place where fishing was possible within several miles of Alossford.

As they walked back to Mary’s home after the show, she said, “I met Mr Ferguson this afternoon.’’

‘‘Who?’’ “Mr Ferguson. He’s just come to Trevowe’s from London.’’ “Fereguson?” said the Inspector, as if the name stirred some meitfory in him.

“Yes. 1 cycled to the Aiill—out on the Ponders Road—and he was fishing there. We had a very interesting chat.”

* “Do you know anything about him?” Garrod asked.

“Nothing whatever. I wish I did.” “Why?” “I don’t know. Ho scorns a hit out of the ordinary.” “Meaning I’m not?” “lint you are out of the ordinary, silly! You’ve told me so often enough, anyway. An Inspector at thirty-two, she mocked. “Go on. Pull my leg!” “He seemed rather depressed, 1 thought,” she went on. “Shouldn’t wonder,” he said. “Did you like the film You didn’t say.” “It was all right. What do you mean by ‘shouldn’t wonder’?” “I think you’re enough to depress any man.”

“Oh? Do you know anything about him?”

For several seconds .he considered his reply before he said: “If 1 were you I shouldn’t have much to do with him.”

“Why not?” . “I’d rather not say,” “But you say that about every man in whom I’m interested!”

“I know I do.” “Tell me, George,” she said quietly, “whether you do know anything about Mr Ferguson.” “I’d rather not talk about him, Mary, if you don’t mind. I’ve given you my advice.”

“But is your objection to him just the usual one or is it particular?” “Both.” v “You won’t tell me?” “No.” “Why not?” “Oh, confound the fellow!” “J shan’t. And I think it’s unfair of you’ George, to warn me.against him and then refuse, to give me a reason.”

“I didn’t ‘warn’ you against him. And I .wasn’t speaking as an official but as a man who happens to he in love with you.”

They had reached her home, “Coming in?” she asked. “Sure! I like your mother very much.” “And she likes you.” “1 wish you did, Mary.”

“But I do. I’ve told you so. And 1 think it’s jolly mean ol you to refuse to tell me what you know about Ferguson.”

“I never said I knew anything about him,” he replied, almost as he would have spoken if he had been under cross-examination in court. “You didn’t actually say it. But I can set' that you do.” “In any case, my dear, you will remember that ! didn’t say ! knew him, won’t yon?” MARY WONDERS. There was a curious incident at Trevowe's a week or so after the meeting between .Mary Donovan and Ferguson at the Mill. Dor some days Ferguson had been in the cashier’s department owing to the absence of several victims of a belated ’flu epidemic. It concerned a matter of a sum of seventeen pounds fifteen shillings which happened to he due to Messrs Trevowe’s, Ltd., from a seller of hoots and shoes named Jacob Foskett in Mossford itself. Mr Foskett’s son had called at the