2.
There was a pause. Jill was looking a little grave.
"Wally!"
"Yes?"
She turned her face away, for there was a gleam of mischief in her
eyes which she did not wish him to observe.
"Derek was at the party!"
Wally had been about to butter a piece of toast. The butter, jerked
from the knife by the convulsive start which he gave, popped up in a
semi-circle and plumped onto the tablecloth. He recovered himself
quickly.
"Sorry!" he said. "You mustn't mind that. They want me to be
second-string for the 'Boosting the Butter' event at the next Olympic
Games, and I'm practising all the time. . . . Underhill was there, eh?"
"Yes."
"You met him?"
"Yes."
Derek fiddled with his knife.
"Did he come over . . . I mean . . . had he come specially to see
you?"
"Yes."
"I see."
There was another pause.
"He wants to marry you?"
"He said he wanted to marry me."
Wally got up and went to the window. Jill could smile safely now, and
she did, but her voice was still grave.
"What ought I to do, Wally? I thought I would ask you, as you are
such a friend."
Wally spoke without turning.
"You ought to marry him, of course."
"You think so?"
"You ought to marry him, of course," said Wally doggedly. "You love
him, and the fact that he came all the way to America must mean that
he still loves you. Marry him!"
"But . . ." Jill hesitated. "You see, there's a difficulty."
"What difficulty?"
"Well . . . it was something I said to him just before he went away.
I said something that made it a little difficult."
Wally continued to inspect the roofs below.
"What did you say?"
"Well . . . it was something . . . something that I don't believe he
liked . . . something that may interfere with his marrying me."
"What did you say?"
"I told him I was going to marry _you!_"
Wally spun round. At the same time he leaped in the air. The effect
of the combination of movements was to cause him to stagger across
the room and, after two or three impromptu dance steps which would
have interested Mrs Peagrim, to clutch at the mantelpiece to save
himself from falling. Jill watched him with quiet approval.
"Why, that's wonderful, Wally! Is that another of your morning
exercises? If Freddie does go into vaudeville, you ought to get him
to let you join the troupe."
Wally was blinking at her from the mantelpiece.
"Jill!"
"Yes?"
"What--what--what . . . !"
"Now, don't talk like Freddie, even if you are going into vaudeville
with him."
"You said you were going to marry me?"
"I said I was going to marry you!"
"But--do you mean . . . ?"
The mischief died out of Jill's eyes. She met his gaze frankly and
seriously.
"The lumber's gone, Wally," she said. "But my heart isn't empty. It's
quite, quite full, and it's going to be full for ever and ever and
ever."
Wally left the mantelpiece, and came slowly towards her.
"Jill!" He choked. "Jill!"
Suddenly he pounced on her and swung her off her feet. She gave a
little breathless cry.
"Wally! I thought you didn't approve of cavemen!"
"This," said Wally, "is just another new morning exercise I've
thought of!"
Jill sat down, gasping.
"Are you going to do that often, Wally?"
"Every day for the rest of my life!"
"Goodness!"
"Oh, you'll get used to it. It'll grow on you."
"You don't think I am making a mistake marrying you?"
"No, no! I've given the matter a lot of thought, and . . . in fact,
no, no!"
"No," said Jill thoughtfully. "I think you'll make a good husband. I
mean, suppose we ever want the piano moved or something . . . Wally!"
she broke off suddenly.
"You have our ear."
"Come out on the roof," said Jill. "I want to show you something
funny."
Wally followed her out. They stood at the parapet together, looking
down.
"There!" said Jill, pointing.
Wally looked puzzled.
"I see many things, but which is the funny one?"
"Why, all those people. Over there--and there--and there. Scuttering
about and thinking they know everything there is to know, and not one
of them has the least idea that I am the happiest girl on earth!"
"Or that I'm the happiest man! Their ignorance is--what is the word I
want? Abysmal. They don't know what it's like to stand beside you and
see that little dimple in your chin. . . . They don't know you've
_got_ a little dimple in your chin. . . . They don't know. . . . They
don't know . . . Why, I don't suppose a single one of them even knows
that I'm just going to kiss you!"
"Those girls in that window over there do," said Jill. "They are
watching us like hawks."
"Let 'em!" said Wally briefly.
THE END
