Red Money by Fergus Hume (the little red hen ebook .txt) 📖

Millionaire. There Was A Great Deal Of Talk

After The Body Had Been Placed In The Lambert Vault,  And There Was More

Talk In The Newspapers When An Account Was Given Of The Funeral. But

Neither By Word Of Mouth,  Nor In Print,  Was Any Suggestion Made Likely

To Afford The Slightest Clue To The Name Or The Whereabouts Of The

Assassin. Having Regard To Pine's Romantic Career,  It Was Thought By

Some That The Act Was One Of Revenge By A Gypsy Jealous That The Man

Should Attain To Such Affluence,  While Others Hinted That The Motive

For The Crime Was To Be Found In Connection With The Millionaire's

Career As A Gentile. Gradually,  As All Conjecture Proved Futile,  The

Gossip Died Away,  And Other Events Usurped The Interest Of The Public.

Pine,  Who Was Really Hearne,  Had Been Murdered And Buried; His Assassin

Would Never Be Discovered,  Since The Trail Was Too Well Hidden; And Lady

Agnes Inherited At Least Two Millions On Which She Would Probably Marry

Her Cousin And So Restore The Tarnished Splendors Of The Lambert Family.

In This Way The Situation Was Summed Up By The Gossips,  And Then They

Began To Talk Of Something Else. The Tragedy Was Only A Nine Minutes'

Wonder After All.

 

The Gossips Both In Town And Country Were Certainly Right In Assuming

That The Widow Inherited The Vast Property Of Her Deceased Husband. But

What They Did Not Know Was That A Condition Attached To Such Inheritance

Irritated Agnes And Caused Garvington Unfeigned Alarm. Pine's

Solicitor--He Was Called Jarwin And Came From A Stuffy Little Office In

Chancery Lane--Called Garvington Aside,  When The Mourners Returned From

The Funeral,  And Asked That The Reading Of The Will Might Be Confined To

A Few People Whom He Named.

 

"There Is A Condition Laid Down By The Testator Which Need Not Be Made

Public," Said Mr. Jarwin Blandly. "A Proposition Which,  If Possible,

Must Be Kept Out Of Print."

 

Garvington,  With A Sudden Recollection Of His Iniquity In Connection

With The Falsified Check,  Did Not Dare To Ask Questions,  But Hastily

Summoned The People Named By The Lawyer. As These Were The Widow,  Lady

Garvington,  Himself,  And His Cousin Noel,  The Little Man Had No Fear Of

What Might Be Forthcoming,  Since With Relatives There Could Be No Risk

Of Betrayal. All The Same,  He Waited For The Reading Of The Will With

Some Perturbation,  For The Suggested Secrecy Hinted At Some Posthumous

Revenge On The Part Of The Dead Man. And,  Hardened As He Was,  Garvington

Did Not Wish His Wife And Lambert To Become Acquainted With His

Delinquency. He Was,  Of Course,  Unaware That The Latter Knew About It

Through Agnes,  And Knew Also How It Had Been Used To Coerce Her--For The

Pressure Amounted To Coercion--Into A Loveless Marriage.

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 88

The Quintette Assembled In A Small Room Near The Library,  And When The

Door And Window Were Closed There Was No Chance That Any One Would

Overhear The Conference. Lambert Was Rather Puzzled To Know Why He Had

Been Requested To Be Present,  As He Had No Idea That Pine Would Mention

Him In The Will. However,  He Had Not Long To Wait Before He Learned The

Reason,  For The Document Produced By Mr. Jarwin Was Singularly Short And

Concise. Pine Had Never Been A Great Speaker,  And Carried His Reticence

Into His Testamentary Disposition. Five Minutes Was Sufficient For The

Reading Of The Will,  And Those Present Learned That All Real And

Personal Property Had Been Left Unreservedly To Agnes Pine,  The Widow Of

The Testator,  On Condition That She Did _Not_ Marry Noel Tamsworth

Leighton Lambert. If She Did So,  The Money Was To Pass To A Certain

Person,  Whose Name Was Mentioned In A Sealed Envelope Held By Mr.

Jarwin. This Was Only To Be Opened When Agnes Pine Formally Relinquished

Her Claim To The Estate By Marrying Noel Lambert. Seeing That The Will

Disposed Of Two Millions Sterling,  It Was A Remarkably Abrupt Document,

And The Reading Of It Took The Hearers' Breath Away.

 

Garvington,  Relieved From The Fears Of His Guilty Conscience,  Was The

First To Recover His Power Of Speech. He Looked At The Lean,  Dry Lawyer,

And Demanded Fiercely If No Legacy Had Been Left To Him. "Surely Pine

Did Not Forget Me?" He Lamented,  With More Temper Than Sorrow.

 

"You Have Heard The Will," Said Mr. Jarwin,  Folding Up The Single Sheet

Of Legal Paper On Which The Testament Was Inscribed.

 

"There Are No Legacies."

 

"None At All."

 

"Hasn't Pine Remembered Silver?"

 

"He Has Remembered Nothing And No One Save Lady Agnes." Jarwin Bowed To

The Silent Widow,  Who Could Not Trust Herself To Speak,  So Angered Was

She By The Cruel Way In Which Her Husband Had Shown His Jealousy.

 

"It's All Very Dreadful And Very Disagreeable," Said Lady Garvington In

Her Weak And Inconsequent Way. "I'm Sure I Was Always Nice To Hubert And

He Might Have Left Me A Few Shillings To Get Clothes. Everything Goes In

Cooks And Food And--"

 

"Hold Your Tongue,  Jane," Struck In Her Husband Crossly. "You're Always

Thinking Of Frocks And Frills. But I Agree With You This Will Is

Dreadful. I Am Not Going To Sit Under Such A Beastly Sell You Know," He

Added,  Turning To Jarwin. "I Shall Contest The Will."

 

The Lawyer Coughed Dryly And Smiled. "As You Are Not Mentioned In The

Testament,  Lord Garvington,  I Fail To See What You Can Do."

 

"Hum! Hum! Hum!" Garvington Was Rather Disconcerted. "But Agnes Can

Fight It."

 

"Why Should I?" Questioned The Widow,  Who Was Very Pale And Very Quiet.

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 89

 

"Why Should You?" Blustered Her Brother. "It Prevents Your Marrying

Again."

 

"Pardon Me,  It Does Not," Corrected Mr. Jarwin,  With Another Dry Cough.

"Lady Agnes Can Marry Any One She Chooses To,  Save--" His Eyes Rested On

The Calm And Watchful Face Of Lambert.

 

The Young Man Colored,  And Glancing At Agnes,  Was About To Speak. But On

Second Thoughts He Checked Himself,  As He Did Not Wish To Add To The

Embarrassment Of The Scene. It Was The Widow Who Replied. "Did Sir

Hubert Tell You Why He Made Such A Provision?" She Asked,  Striving To

Preserve Her Calmness,  Which Was Difficult Under The Circumstances.

 

"Why,  No," Said Jarwin,  Nursing His Chin Reflectively. "Sir Hubert Was

Always Of A Reticent Disposition. He Simply Instructed Me To Draw Up The

Will You Have Heard,  And Gave Me No Explanation. Everything Is In Order,

And I Am At Your Service,  Madam,  Whenever You Choose To Send For Me."

 

"But Suppose I Marry Mr. Lambert--"

 

"Agnes,  You Won't Be Such A Fool!" Shouted Her Brother,  Growing So

Scarlet That He Seemed To Be On The Point Of An Apoplectic Fit.

 

She Turned On Him With A Look,  Which Reduced Him To Silence,  But

Carefully Avoided The Eyes Of The Cousin. "Suppose I Marry Mr. Lambert?"

She Asked Again.

 

"In That Case You Will Lose The Money," Replied Jarwin,  Slightly Weary

Of So Obvious An Answer Having To Be Made. "You Have Heard The Will."

 

"Who Gets The Money Then?"

 

This Was Another Ridiculous Question,  As Jarwin,  And Not Without Reason,

Considered.

 

"Would You Like Me To Read The Will Again?" He Asked Sarcastically.

 

"No. I Am Aware Of What It Contains."

 

"In That Case,  You Must Know,  Madam,  That The Money Goes To A Certain

Person Whose Name Is Mentioned In A Sealed Envelope,  Now In My Office

Safe."

 

"Who Is The Person?" Demanded Garvington,  With A Gleam Of Hope That Pine

Might Have Made Him The Legatee.

 

"I Do Not Know,  My Lord. Sir Hubert Pine Wrote Down The Name And

Address,  Sealed The Envelope,  And Gave It Into My Charge. It Can Only Be

Opened When The Ceremony Of Marriage Takes Place Between--" He Bowed

Again To Lady Agnes And This Time Also To Lambert.

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 90

"Pine Must Have Been Insane," Said Garvington,  Fuming. "He Disguises

Himself As A Gypsy,  And Comes To Burgle My House,  And Makes A Silly Will

Which Ought To Be Upset."

 

"Sir Hubert Never Struck Me As Insane," Retorted Jarwin,  Putting The

Disputed Will Into His Black Leather Bag. "A Man Who Can Make Two

Million Pounds In So Short A Space Of Time Can Scarcely Be Called

Crazy."

 

"But This Masquerading As A Gypsy And A Burglar," Urged Garvington

Irritably.

 

"He Was Actually A Gypsy,  Remember,  My Lord,  And It Was Natural That He

Should Wish Occasionally To Get Back To The Life He Loved. As To His

Being A Burglar,  I Venture To Disagree With You. He Had Some Reason To

Visit This House At The Hour And In The Manner He Did,  And Doubtless If

He Had Lived He Would Have Explained. But Whatever Might Have Been His

Motive,  Lord Garvington,  I Am Certain It Was Not Connected With

Robbery."

 

"Well," Snapped The Fat Little Man Candidly,  "If I Had Known That Pine

Was Such A Blighter As To Leave Me Nothing,  I'm Hanged If I'd Have

Allowed Him To Be Buried In Such Decent Company."

 

"Freddy,  Freddy,  The Poor Man Is Dead. Let Him Rest," Said Lady

Garvington,  Who Looked More Limp And Untidy Than Ever.

 

"I Wish He Was Resting Somewhere Else Than In My Vault. A Damned

Gypsy!"

 

"And My Husband," Said Lady Agnes Sharply. "Don't Forget That,

Garvington."

 

"I Wish I Could Forget It. Much Use He Has Been To Us."

 

"_You_ Have No Cause To Complain," Said His Sister With A Meaning

Glance,  And Garvington Suddenly Subsided.

 

"Won't You Say Something,  Noel?" Asked Lady Garvington Dismally.

 

"I Don't See What There Is To Say," He Rejoined,  Not Lifting His Eyes

From The Ground.

 

"There You Are Wrong," Remarked Agnes With A Sudden Flush. "There Is A

Very Great Deal To Say,  But This Is Not The Place To Say It. Mr.

Jarwin," She Rose To Her Feet,  Looking A Queenly Figure In Her Long

Black Robes,  "You Can Return To Town And Later Will Receive My

Instructions."

 

The Lawyer Looked Hard At Her Marble Face,  Wondering Whether She Would

Choose The Lover Or The Money. It Was A Hard Choice,  And A Very