2.
Uncle Chris confronted Freddie sternly outside the front door.
"What does this mean? Good God, Freddie, have you no delicacy"
"Eh?" said Freddie blankly.
"Why are you bringing Underhill to this party? Don't you realize that
poor Jill will be there? How do you suppose she will feel when she
sees that blackguard again? The cad who threw her over and nearly
broke her heart!"
Freddie's jaw fell. He groped for his fallen eyeglass.
"Oh, my aunt! Do you think she will be pipped?"
"A sensitive girl like Jill!"
"But, listen. Derek wants to marry her."
"What!"
"Oh, absolutely. That's why he's come over."
Uncle Chris shook his head.
"I don't understand this. I saw the letter myself which he wrote to
her, breaking off the engagement."
"Yes, but he's dashed sorry about all that now. Wishes he had never
been such a mug, and all that sort of thing. As a matter of fact,
that's why I shot over here in the first place. As an ambassador,
don't you know. I told Jill all about it directly I saw her, but she
seemed inclined to give it a miss rather, so I cabled old Derek to
pop here in person. Seemed to me, don't you know, that Jill might be
more likely to make it up and all that if she saw old Derek."
Uncle Chris nodded, his composure restored.
"Very true. Yes, certainly, my boy, you acted most sensibly. Badly as
Underhill behaved, she undoubtedly loved him. It would be the best
possible thing that could happen if they could be brought together.
It is my dearest wish to see Jill comfortably settled. I was half
hoping that she might marry young Pilkington."
"Good God! The Pilker!"
"He is quite a nice young fellow," argued Uncle Chris. "None too many
brains, perhaps, but Jill would supply that deficiency. Still, of
course, Underhill would be much better."
"She ought to marry someone," said Freddie earnestly. "I mean, all
rot a girl like Jill having to knock about and rough it like this."
"You're perfectly right."
"Of course," said Freddie thoughtfully, "the catch in the whole
dashed business is that she's such a bally independent sort of girl.
I mean to say, it's quite possible she may hand Derek the mitten, you
know."
"In that case, let us hope that she will look more favorably on young
Pilkington."
"Yes," said Freddie. "Well, yes. But--well, I wouldn't call the
Pilker a very ripe sporting proposition. About sixty to one against
is the way I should figure it, if I were making a book. It may be
just because I'm feeling a bit pipped this morning--got turfed out of
bed at seven o'clock and all that--but I have an idea that she may
give both of them the old razz. May be wrong, of course."
"Let us hope that you are, my boy," said Uncle Chris gravely. "For in
that case I should be forced into a course of action from which I
confess that I shrink."
"I don't follow."
"Freddie, my boy, you are a very old friend of Jill's and I am her
uncle. I feel that I can speak plainly to you. Jill is the dearest
thing to me in the world. She trusted me, and I failed her. I was
responsible for the loss of her money, and my one object in life is
to see her by some means or other in a position equal to the one of
which I deprived her. If she marries a rich man, well and good. That,
provided she marries him because she is fond of him, will be the very
best thing that can happen. But if she does not there is another way.
It may be possible for me to marry a rich woman."
Freddie stopped, appalled.
"Good God! You don't mean . . . you aren't thinking of marrying Mrs
Peagrim!"
"I wouldn't have mentioned names, but, as you have guessed . . . Yes,
if the worst comes to the worst, I shall make the supreme sacrifice.
Tonight will decide. Goodbye, my boy. I want to look in at my club
for a few minutes. Tell Underhill that he has my best wishes."
"I'll bet he has!" gasped Freddie.
