“Judy Says No”

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1931, Page 14

“Judy Says No”

By

Winifred Carter.

CHAPTER Vl.—Continued.

■ ■'’Well, would It?" she said irritably, with a look round the plainly furnished room. ’, . ‘‘You mean you want to be free If another wealthier suitor comes riding by?" L' “I mean nothing of the kind," she Bald. “All the same it is only right that I should, be free. Still, I’m going to defy grandfather. I’m coming here to see you, Nick. I can’t go on like this." “You mean you'll do it secretly? Although you won’t openly be engaged you’re coming here to tempt me. You mean to let me go on making love to you—but you won't burn your boats?" She looked at him, at the moody handsome young face that was so different from the laughing tender one ' of the photograph. Then Rpger Bourne's face came. She shuddered. But to be poor! She couldn't face that I To drudge here in this little ■ place, to have no new frocks. Not oven a maid. She couldn’t. He went on bitterly! “If you think that I'm that sort of a poor creature, you're wrong. It’s all or nothing. I love you, Enid, with every fibre of my being. I’ll work until I drop for you, but though love ■can stand a lot, it can’t stand deception. If you will stand shoulder to shoulder now I'll forget you ever tortured me so, but refuse me—and it’s the end! J He looked at the lovely face with his heart in his eyes, I She. stood, twisted this way and that. Love pulled at her heartstrings, but it was not enough. 1 “Why can’t you be sensible?" she - j “Sensible! You mean let us cheat!" I “I don't! We can meet here. No Jone would know, and you could be drying to clear your name, and then ■when you have proofs you can show -them to grandfather." ■ “And If he admits me into favour again we could be engaged?" said Nick, grimly. | "Yes, Nick," said Enid, her face clearing a little. I "And if he doesn't admit, me back into favour, what then?" j Her face fell again. I He knew then. She loved him, but not enough, and he wanted none of It. And quite suddenly he tb ought ■of Judy. How fiercely she would 'face the world, and declare she trusted him. 'And if it meant slaving to the end of time she'd be in it. r In the moonlight his face looked 'grey; his hands were cleifched. He jwas comparing Enid, lovely Enid, ’with a. girl he had only met a few ;tlmes, and Enid was being weighed in Jihe balance and found- wanting. x : -‘'Thls had better be good-bye," said Nick, quietly. “It wasn't quite fair of you to trail me through It twice." | "You don’t seem to have any pity ■for me. How can you say this is good-bye when you know I care for ! youl I can't rest for thinking of you. 'Oh, Nick, let’s take what we can." ‘ ! He shook his head. Looking at her, it seemed as though the fair, lovely face was no longer beautiful. It was as though a blight had fallen. IJ "Love isn’t like that. It’s got to be stuff' that lasts.". ' j . She began to cry, yet for all her apparent feminine softness she was ■ (hard as nails underneath. Never so long as he was poor would she consent to an engagement. What was her love worth? A mere matter of the senses, nothing deep or permanent, nor stable about it. What a mercy ' U was that he had discovered before -marriage how slight a hold he had on (her affections. He went In and closed the door. Still she cried, but she could not move him again. Then he heard her footsteps die away in the distance. Now he went to a desk in a corner of the room, and pulled out a drawer. One photograph , remained. He had gone through this once, gone through this hell only to go through It again. Ha had letters then, and her photographs, and everything dear and sweet that had come from her. But this was too beautiful to burn it seemed, it would be a crime! Just for a moment Nicholas Harmer s grim eyes stared at the lovely, desirable face. Those eyes that gazed at tils so soulfully were hiding the mercenary soul beneath. Suddenly he ripped it across and flung it into the fire. Done with for ever! How little he knew! How little he knew!

CHAPTER VII.

A Disappointment for Judy.

Clive took Judy out In the car the next day, explaining to her that he intended to take her to the farm, a few miles outside Bridgeways, where the girl whom Nicholas had been trifling with lived. Into Judy’s eyes flashed a look of excitement. “You see, I thought it was bettei If you went and had a talk with the ■girl herself. It was her father whc came to see Henry Harmer, otherwise ha would never have known that Nicholas, although he was engaged tn Enid, was carrying on an intrigue with a farm labourer's daughter.” “You mean,” corrected Judy, “that grandfather thought Nicholas had been carrying on an intrigue?" “Well, that is what we are going to prove," said Clive hastily. Judy sat In silence for a while. No\y that the time had really come for her to do something she felt half afraid. It would be so terrible if Nicholas were proved to be the black ■sheep his grandfather thought he was. It did not strike Judy that Clive had no difficulty at all in finding the cottage, although It was a winding road which ended In a dead end. “You stay here while I go and see if I can discover the girl," said Clive." He was out of the car, and had vaulted a gate, and was walking towards a barn. A moment later he came out again. 9 “Marion Jackson is over at the dairy. I’ll slip along and bring her felt uncomfortable. It wouldn’t •be a bit nice interrogating the girl. Still it had to be done. Presently Clive appeared. He was talking earnestly to the girl. As she neared tne car Judy saw that she was an exceptionally handsome’girl. but at the moment there Was a lowering look on her face, and her dark eyes looked sullenly from wider level black brows. It struck. Judy that she was the exact antithesis

<Df Enid Crawford. Any man who had fallen in love v/lth Enid would not be attracted to this girl, of that she was sure.

“You wanted to speak to me," said the girl, with an insolent toss ef her head.

“Please don’t think I have come here in anything but a friendly spirit," said Judy winningly. ■She had had a good deal to do with recalcitrant young women in her father's'parish. Whenever no one could do anything with a difficult character Judy was sent for to see what she could accomplish. “I’ll answer any questions you like to put to me, miss," said the girl sullenly. “I have come because there are rumours that my cousin, Nicholas Harmer, has been making love to you. I don’t believe it is true, and I want you to tell me that it is all a mistake." “But what if I tell you it is the truth?" said the girl. “Then I shall have to believe you," said Judy. “But please, I can’t think it’s true. You see, my cousin Nicholas was engaged. I know him. He is not the sort to do an underhand trick." “You think he is not the sort, Judy,” broke in Clive. “Remember, wKAt we want is the truth. You can’t take everyone at face value." “I know," said Judy, miserably, and she turned again to the girl. “Can you set my mind at rest? There has been some mistake, it wasn’t Nicholas, was it?" “Nicholas Harmer has been here many a time. He came courting me, promised that when he came into his grandfather's money and the big house he would marry me." “But how could he say that?" said Judy, desperately troubled. “He was engaged to Enid." “I knew all about that," said the girl quickly. “But he told me he did not care for her, that was just to suit his grandfather. The moment he was free he was going to marry me. No one would have heard anything about it, but dad saw me out here one night with a young fellow, and he thrashed me. I’d not have let on who he was but for that." “I see," said Judy. • She turned away, her eyes fixed desolately on the far horizon. She had not thought her investigations would prove that Nicholas was a scamp, and she missed the look that passed from Clive Crawford’s crafty eyes, a look of commendation to the girl. With a sigh Judy turned to Clive. • -.j-M ’ “There is no need to stay any longer. We may as well go back," she said dully. ; . Clive turned tthe car round and they set off back. Judy was very quiet, thoroughly disconsolate over the failure of her mission. * "She was very pretty," said Judy at last.

“A handsome piece of goods," agreed Clive. “Oh,. Nick always had a good taste in feminine charms.

Judy winced. “I don’t want you to be downhearted, Judy," went on Clive. “Mind you, I thought old Henry Harmer was too shrewd to have disinherited Nick without being pretty well assured that he was unworthy to Inherit. All the same I’ll writs to-day to the house where the card-party took place. You know, the one where the forged cheque was passed. Perhaps we’ll find something extenuating there. I can’t bear to see you looking so sad."

“ It’s good of you to bother, Clive," she said gratefully. It was the night of the party, but somehow the zest seemed to have been taken out of it. Rapson was there, ready to dress her In her apple-blos-som frock. She exclaimed with pleasure when Judy was ready to go down.

“Just look at yourself, Miss Judy. I do think you ought. You really do look sweet."

Judy lifted her purple-blue eyes to her reflection In the mirror. Yes, she looked different somehow, but the sparkle had gone from her eyes. She wasn’t quite .the same Judy that had comj» away from the Vicarage. Those few weeks had left their mark on her somehow. Why was it? Was It disappointment over Nicholas? She was puzzled about him. He did not look the sort to be making love to two girls at the same time. “If I could only ask him outright," she said to herself. But that was something even ■she could not do. And now she was ready, and she turned to go down. Some of the guests had already arrived. She stood at the door for a moment looking in. Enid was there, looking an exquisite and sophisticated vision in a gleaming sliver lame frock. She was talking to a. th(ok-'set, elderly man whose eyes were fixed on hers with obvious admiration, Roger Bourne.

There were several other women there, lovely, fashionably dressed women. She felt half afraid, and drew back, and then her grandfather beckoned her. He was smiling genially, though the conversation he had just been having was anything but to his liking. He had just heard that the young upstart farmer, who had taken Wilcox's Rest, was going to use a tractor, an abomination in Henry Harmer's eyes.

The Great Night.

Henry Harmer forgot his irritation as Judy appeared. She looked a perfect little beauty as she came half timidly into the room, Mrs Crawford frowned. She could not help wishing that Judy would disgrace her grandfather. It was all very well Clive hoping to marry her, but ©he would rather the girl be sent packing, and Clive reinstated. Almost Instantly Lord Kenway gravitated to her side. “Oh, it’s good to see a friendly face," said Judy, with a sigh of relief. “I’m' going to glue myself to your side all the evening." Lord Kenway asked for no better fate.

' When Clive came in and saw the two together he felt oddly vexed, not only because he had no intention of letting Kenway have Judy, but for another and more disturbing reason. Actually it was jealousy that rioted through him. He was alarmed as he realised that what had been started as a political move was now a matter of the heart. And he knew well enough that old Harmer wanted the favoured suitor to be Kenway.

(To ba sontinued.l