CHAPTER XX

"WHEN I AM NOT WITH YOU"


A fortnight had passed since Johnny Everard's first visit to Starden,
and during that time he had been again and yet again. He had never taken
Ellice with him since that first time.

Two days after the first visit he had driven Constance over, and
Constance and Joan Meredyth had become instant friends.

"You'll come again and often; it is lonely here," Joan had said. "I
mean, not lonely for me, that would be ungrateful to Helen, but I know
she is very fond of you, and she will like you to come as often as
possible, you and your brother."

"Con," Johnny said as he drove her home that evening, "don't you think
we might run to a little car, just a cheap two-seater? It would be so
useful. Look, we could run over to Starden in less than half an hour. We
can be there and back in an hour if we wanted to, and Helen would be so
jolly glad, don't you think?"

Constance smiled to herself.

"We haven't much money now, Johnny," she said. "Last year's hops
were--awful!"

"They are going to be ripping this year. I've got that blight down all
right," he said cheerily.