JILL OF THE FIELDS

Evening Star, Issue 21638, 6 February 1934, Page 3

JILL OF THE FIELDS

A ROMANCE

[By KENNAWAY JAMES.] (Author of “Hers to Command,” “ What Hargreaves Knew,” etc.)

CHAPTER XV. BARBOUR FORCES THE PACE. Whilst Mark and George had been talking, Barbour had been speaking with Inspector Norton. When Phillip had left Jill with his reassuring words he had gone to the door, where the inspector was awaiting him. Jill had not taken his reassurance too seriously, and was filled with apprehension. She went quickly to a window which overlooked the farmyard and the meadows where Norton seemed to be doing most of his cross-examination. From here she was able to watch Barbour and the inspector as they talked. The conversation did not take long, and Jill was astonished to see the inspector smiling at the end of it. She had not thought him capable of a smile. Presently, after ho had chatted a little with the inspector, Jill saw Phillip returning to the house, and found herself running eagerly downstairs to meet him. He entered the house almost with a touch of bravado. “ We’ve soon put that little matter right,” he said airily as Jill led the way into the old farm kitchen. “ I don’t think he will want to ask me any more questions, but of courso'thc chap is only doing his duty.” . “ Yes, only he needn’t do it in quite such an obnoxious manner. What questions did he ask you? ” “ Oh, just wanted to know what I was doing up here and what was my interest in Stone Town. Of I told him of the book I was writing about the old farms of England, and how it necessitated my seeing various documents in old farms.” ” I want you to tell me more about that book some time,” said Jill. Her old doubts about the existeflee of such a book had gone. She accepted Barbour’s occasional references to it readily. “ Yes, I’ll tel! you more about it later. Meanwhile 1 am rather held up until you kindly allow me to look through your father’s papers. When will you let me do that? ”

“ Oh, quite soon,” she replied. “ Let us get a few of these troubles out of

the way. Listen, that’s the door bell again. I shudder every time it rings.” A moment later Mrs Blore knocked on the door and entered.

“ Another of those newspaper men,” she said. “ Oh, bother.” exclaimed Jill. “It seems as though I shall never have any peace again. Very well, ask him to wait.” “ No, tell him to go,” put in Barbour sternly. “ You are too kind to those fellows. I can’t have you worried like this.” Mrs Blore looked from one to the other in surprise and perplexity. “ All right, thou, tell him to go,” she said meekly, not without some astonishment at the manner in which she was capitulating to Barbour. Had she known it, Barbour at the moment was playing a desperate game. Ho had a definite feeling that others besides himself were after the formula, and he had fears that he might lose it after all. He must do something to make his chances as certain as possible, and the best thing seemed to be to carry his friendship with Jill to a more definite status. He had thought it over very thoroughly, and ha cl, arrived at the conclusion that to marry Jill would be a sweet and easy way out of his difliculties. He was partly in love with her, or so he imagined, and she was the owner of one of the tinest farms in England. What more could a man want? When Mrs Blore had gone, he stroked her tenderly on the shoulder.

“Poor little woman,” lie said. “ You are having a rough time. You’ve no idea how sorry 1 was tor you last uight.” “ You must have thought me an idiot to cry like that,” answered Jill. “ It’s not often that I cry, though it has happened a few times lately.” “ Why, Jill r'” “Oh, because tilings all seem wrong. The farm isn’t doing too well, qnd then there are all these strange things happening to upset one. I mean the burglary and this murder. It makes me think there’s something strange come over the place—a sort ,of curse. Then you have come upon the scene.”

“Surely I'm not a curse,” laughed Phillip. , , “ No, on the contrary, you v e been awfully nice. You were positively sweet to me last night when i broke down like a kid.’’ . .... Barbour took her hands in his lor a moment and then released them. “ You are only a kid, Jill,” he said. “ i think I understand you pretty well. You have been running this farm with that clever little head ol yours, living, indeed almost a man’s life. But you’ve got the heart of a girl, a heart that is quite easily bruised. J ill Jill made a little exclamation and stepped back in sudden apprehension. Pliilhp stepped forward. “ Jill, you’ve got to listen,” he said. “ There’s one thing only to ease your troubles, and that is to have someone to look after you, and I’m going to do it. You know what 1 mean, my dearest. 1 mean that I’m going to marry you. 1 haven’t forgotten how I felt when you were sobbing in my arms last night. 1 wanted to look after you always like that, and i still want to. Jill had not forgotten the previous night and the comfort of him, neither. Nevertheless, she drew back and sank into a chair, thus almost reacting the scene. Phillip completed the reacting by sitting on the arm of her chair as ho had done previously. “ Well, Jill, what are you going to say?” he asked when she failed to make reply. Then impulsively he knelt at her feet, knowing that to give her thav moment of triumph beloved of all women was to bring his own victory nearer. Jill’s mind was working rapidly as she sat there. There came to her a series of instantaneous little pictures. She saw herself, lonely, fighting against d’'fiicu)ties; she saw herself and Mark in a state of perpetual quarrel; the murder, the police, and the newspaper men came before her, and she looked down at Barbour. She could not say she loved him, though she came verv near it at this moment. ■‘Jill, darling, ’ he said, looking up at her pleadingly. Suddenly, to ins surprise, Jill burst into laughter. “ Why, you haven’t even said you love me yet.” she cried, and Barbour knew that the day was won. “No more have 1,” he replied, laughing, too. “ Jill, darling, 1 love you. 1 love you. I love you. Now kiss me.” A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and Mrs Blore entered. “ That newspaper man’s come back again, Miss Jill,” she said in a tone which implied that she thought it was her fault. “ Let me deal with him,” said Phillip. making for the door. Ho found a short man wearing glasses at the door.

“ I’m afraid you can't see Miss Merridew,” ho said.

“ Is that her decision or yours, Mr Barbour?” asked the man, who had handed Phillip a card hearing the name

of Hissopp and that of a lending daily newspaper. Phillip was taken aback a little at Hissopp’s use of his name. These newspaper men knew a fearful lot. However did they’ manage it? As a matter of fact, this one managed it by getting it from Mrs Blore, who, whilst on the point of taciturnity indoors, was quite loquacious out. “It is my decision.” said Phillip. “ Pm sorry, but there it stands.” “ I bow to it, sir,” said Hissopp, “ but perhaps you’ll kindly tell me what right you have to make such a decision ?” “ Because,” said Phillip slowly, “ because I have to-day become engaged to Miss Mcrridew.” “ In which case, sir, I oiler my congratulations and withdraw.” “Phew!”.said Hissopp to himself a few moments later. “ That’s a bit of luck. Miss Jill Merridcw; murder-day engagement; romance follows scarecrow crime. That should please the gods of the newsroom.” Thus had Phillip helped a good journalist. He was soon to regret it, for when he returned to Jill to take her in his arms again she whispered: “ Don’t tell anybody yet, Phillip, not a soul.” And Phillip, not knowing what makes a good jmirnalist, promised. The scoop in a certain well-known daily newspaper next morning, however, did much to enlighten him. “ And now,” said Jill after he had given his promise, “ let's talk about an extraordinary’ girl called Jill Merridew who promises to marry a man about whom she knows hardly anything.” “ Well, in the first place she is the most lovable girl in the world, and I’m inclined to think she is the bravest.” “Why?” “ For promising to marry me in the circumstances. She has taken me at her own valuation and has had the courage to stand by her intuition.” “ Well, you mustn’t let me down then,” said Jill. “ Of course 1 won’t,” replied Phillip. “ And now I’m going to tell you a little about myself, i have already told you that I come of a very old French family. We became merchants in London by the time of the Middle Ages, but some time after that we seem to have disappeared from all records.

“ We picked up the family again in the day’s of the early Georges who apparently were squires. Then hundred years later we went back to France where he had some lauds. These were sold and we lived the life of ease. My’ father died out there, leaving me a tittle money—sufficient for you and me, Jill, whether we stay at Stone Farm or not.” „ ~ “ Oh, we shall stay at Stone arm, said Jill. “ I couldn’t bear to leave it. But what have you done with y’ourself since your father died? Haven’t you ever done any work?” “Of course, 1 have,’ replied Barhour. “ I came over to England and held a post in a show connected with agriculture. Then I was in the last part of the war. and here we are today.” “ But since the war?

Harbour hesitated a little. “ Well, since the war 1 have held various secretarial posts and, of course, have done some writing on antiquities of which 1 have some knowledge.” Having delivered himself of these various pieces of fact mingled with fiction Phillip took Jill in his arms again and kissed her good-night, for darkness had descended long ago on Stone Farm and its troubles. Two policemen had been left on duty, and the sound of their tread echoed about the quiet old buildings and distressed those who heard them. Ihe body of the dead man had been moved to Deubridge to await the inquest, a fact for which Jill was truly grateful. The publication of the news of the crime had brought her a number of messages of sympathy from old friends. Also there had been several callers from among her neighbours, including Herbert Norgrove, a middle-aged , farmer from Deubridge, for whom Jill had a great liking, and whom she invariably met when sne went to the Denbndge cattle market. He said he would come over again on the following morning to see if he could do anything to help. Norgrove was a well-meaning fellow and as reliable as the earth he farmed. A widower of some years’ standing, he had often wished that Jill might marry him, and had made his intentions plain, but to no purpose. He was, therefore, another to be surprised by the morrow s newspaper containing the news of Jill and Phillip Barbour. , . Jill had not encountered Mark since the arrival back from London of Phillip though he had not been out or her mind. She now felt rather as thought she had lost a jewel and had replaced it by one which might possibly turn out to be paste. Somehow, her engagement to Barbour had not brought her that supreme happiness which most girls feel on such occasions, but this she attributed to the vicissitudes through which she had passed- during the recent crowded hours. Her reflections were interrupted by a maidservant entering the room with a letter. Taking it from the girl she looked at the writing on the envelope. It was that of Mark Hanson. (To be continued.)