Unknown by Unknown Page B

the fair one bent close together over books and papers.
    “Oh, by the way, are you going to enter Trumpeter for the Show?” he asked when they had gone through everything.
    “Yes, of course,” Judith said promptly. “Why not?”
    Charles shrugged his shoulders.
    “Only that—he rather swept the board last year, didn’t he?” he suggested mildly.
    “He’s an extremely good bull,” Judith pointed out promptly. “Why shouldn’t he?”
    “Yes,” Charles said slowly. “Only—don’t you think that very fact is rather discouraging for other people who can’t hope to beat you?”
    “Not a bit,” Judith said promptly, all her old arrogance returning at the suggestion. “If other farmers took as much care as has always been taken here, they would stand a chance just as I do! But if I withdrew, someone else would win with an inferior beast and standards would drop. Surely you must see that?”
    Charles was silent, and Judith frowned.
    “You do see it, don’t you?” she demanded.
    “I think there is a feeling that you have greater opportunities—that you have more money behind you,” he explained.
    Judith’s eyes flashed.
    “That isn’t true!” she said forcefully. “My farm pays, as you know! It is true that I have got other means besides, but I live on what the farm makes and maintain a far more expensive house than most of them have got!”
    “Yes,” he admitted. “But all the same, you have the knowledge that, if there is a bad year, you have got other money to see you through. Consequently, too, you can afford to lock up more capital in good buildings and fertilisers and so on!”
    Judith stood up.
    “Of course, you are a newcomer here, but I should have thought you would have realised by now that the whole essence of a show like this is that everybody enters—no matter what their social position. Don’t you see that though they may think Windygates wins because there is more money behind it, if I didn’t enter for the various competitions they would be sure to say that I thought too much of myself! They always find something to criticise, you know!”
    So she realised that, did she! Evidently she was not so oblivious to village ways as he had imagined. Or perhaps it was that she had a blind spot where her own personal affairs were concerned.
    “Surely your brother shows locally, doesn’t he?” she went on and he had to admit that it was so. “Well, then!”
    And Charles knew that, short of telling her the truth as he believed it to be, he would never convince her. Probably he wouldn’t even if he did try to explain, for there was still no proof; his suspicions were certainties only in his own mind.
    “I’ll fill up the form for you to sign,” he said slowly, and went back to his work a rather troubled man. He could not convince her without proof, but finding that proof would mean that the trouble was coming to a head. And that was the last thing that he wanted.
     
    Desmond came in the same evening and stayed for an hour or so. He was amusing and entertaining and had no reason to complain of unresponsiveness in Judith. Indeed, her frequent laughter and the amount of interest she showed in their visitor put an idea into Miss Harriet’s head that made her grow silent and thoughtful.
    Linda was quite right in thinking that Miss Harriet did not like her, but in fact it was Desmond whom she really mistrusted most. He was far too charming and easy-going ever to make his way in the world without assistance, and Miss Harriet had no wish for Judith to be the one who provided that assistance. Some women might not suffer by being the leading spirit in a marriage, but Judith would. Inevitably she would grow more and more aggressive, less her true self. No, what she wanted was a man sufficiently strong not to be a bully, who would allow her to have a personality of her own yet would not let her deny him the same right. It was a lot to ask of a human being, but supposing one did find such a man,