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

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 91

Difficult Position. He Could Not Read In Her Eyes What She Intended To

Do,  So Mutely Bowed And Took A Ceremonious Departure,  Paying A Silent

Tribute To The Widow's Strength Of Mind. "Poor Thing; Poor Thing,"

Thought The Solicitor,  "I Believe She Loves Her Cousin. It Is Hard That

She Can Only Marry Him At The Cost Of Becoming A Pauper. A Difficult

Position For Her,  Indeed. H'm! She'll Hold On To The Money,  Of Course;

No Woman Would Be Such A Fool As To Pay Two Millions Sterling For A

Husband."

 

In Relation To Nine Women Out Of Ten,  This View Would Have Been A

Reasonable One To Take,  But Agnes Happened To Be The Tenth,  Who Had The

Singular Taste--Madness Some Would Have Called It--To Prefer Love To

Hard Cash. Still,  She Made No Hasty Decision,  Seeing That The Issues

Involved In Her Renunciation Were So Great. Garvington,  Showing A

Characteristic Want Of Tact,  Began To Argue The Question Almost The

Moment Jarwin Drove Away From The Manor,  But His Sister Promptly

Declined To Enter Into Any Discussion.

 

"You And Jane Can Go Away," Said She,  Cutting Him Short. "I Wish To Have

A Private Conversation With Noel."

 

"For Heaven's Sake Don't Give Up The Money," Whispered Garvington In An

Agonized Tone When At The Door.

 

"I Sold Myself Once To Help The Family," She Replied In The Same Low

Voice; "But I Am Not So Sure That I Am Ready To Do So Twice."

 

"Quite Right,  Dear," Said Lady Garvington,  Patting The Widow's Hand. "It

Is Better To Have Love Than Money. Besides,  It Only Means That Freddy

Will Have To Give Up Eating Rich Dinners Which Don't Agree With Him."

 

"Come Away,  You Fool!" Cried Freddy,  Exasperated,  And,  Seizing Her Arm,

He Drew Her Out Of The Room,  Growling Like A Sick Bear.

 

Agnes Closed The Door,  And Returned To Look At Lambert,  Who Still

Continued To Stare At The Carpet With Folded Arms. "Well?" She Demanded

Sharply.

 

"Well?" He Replied In The Same Tone,  And Without Raising His Eyes.

 

"Is That All You Have To Say,  Noel?"

 

"I Don't See What Else I Can Say. Pine Evidently Guessed That We Loved

One Another,  Although Heaven Knows That Our Affection Has Been Innocent

Enough,  And Has Taken This Way To Part Us Forever."

 

"Will It Part Us Forever?"

 

"I Think So. As An Honorable Man,  And One Who Loves You Dearly,  I Can't

Expect You To Give Up Two Millions For The Sake Of Love In A Cottage

With Me. It Is Asking Too Much."

 

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 92

"Not When A Woman Loves A Man As I Love You."

 

This Time Lambert Did Look Up,  And His Eyes Flashed With Surprise And

Delight. "Agnes,  You Don't Mean To Say That You Would--"

 

She Cut Him Short By Sitting Down Beside Him And Taking His Hand. "I

Would Rather Live On A Crust With You In The Abbot's Wood Cottage Than

In Park Lane A Lonely Woman With Ample Wealth."

 

"You Needn't Remain Lonely Long," Said Lambert Moodily. "Pine's Will

Does Not Forbid You To Marry Any One Else."

 

"Do I Deserve That Answer,  Noel,  After What I Have Just Said?"

 

"No,  Dear,  No." He Pressed Her Hand Warmly. "But You Must Make Some

Allowance For My Feelings. It Is Right That A Man Should Sacrifice All

For A Woman,  But That A Woman Should Give Up Everything For A Man Seems

Wrong."

 

"Many Women Do,  If They Love Truly As I Do."

 

"But,  Agnes,  Think What People Will Say About Me."

 

"That Will Be Your Share Of The Sacrifice," She Replied Promptly. "If I

Do This,  You Must Do That. There Is No Difficulty When The Matter Is

Looked On In That Light. But There Is A Graver Question To Be Answered."

 

Lambert Looked At Her In A Questioning Manner And Read The Answer In Her

Eyes. "You Mean About The Property Of The Family?"

 

"Yes." Agnes Heaved A Sigh And Shook Her Head. "I Wish I Had Been Born A

Village Girl Rather Than The Daughter Of A Great House. Rank Has Its

Obligations,  Noel. I Recognized That Before,  And Therefore Married

Hubert. He Was A Good,  Kind Man,  And,  Save That I Lost You,  I Had No

Reason To Regret Becoming His Wife. But I Did Not Think That He Would

Have Put Such An Insult On Me."

 

"Insult,  Dear?" Lambert Flushed Hotly.

 

"What Else Can You Call This Forbidding Me To Marry You? The Will Is

Certain To Be Filed At Somerset House,  And The Contents Will Be Made

Known To The Public In The Usual Way,  Through The Newspapers. Then What

Will People Say,  Noel? Why,  That I Became Hubert's Wife In Order To Get

His Money,  Since,  Knowing That He Was Consumptive,  I Hoped He Would Soon

Die,  And That As A Rich Widow I Could Console Myself With You. They Will

Chuckle To See How My Scheme Has Been Overturned By The Will."

 

"But You Made No Such Scheme."

 

"Of Course Not. Still,  Everyone Will Credit Me With Having Done So.

As A Woman,  Who Has Been Insulted,  And By A Man Who Has No Reason To

Mistrust Me,  I Feel Inclined To Renounce The Money And Marry You,  If

Only To Show How I Despise The Millions. But As A Lambert I Must Think

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 93

It Is Wise To Place Duty Above Love For The Second Time,  Considering The

Misery We Have Endured,  And The Small Thanks We Have Received For Our

Self-Denial?"

 

"Surely Garvington's Estates Are Free By Now?"

 

"No; They Are Not. Hubert,  As I Told You When We Spoke In The Cottage,

Paid Off Many Mortgages,  But Retained Possession Of Them. He Did Not

Charge Garvington Any Interest,  And Let Him Have The Income Of The

Mortgaged Land. No One Could Have Behaved Better Than Hubert Did,  Until

My Brother's Demands Became So Outrageous That It Was Impossible To Go

On Lending And Giving Him Money. Hubert Did Not Trust Him So Far As To

Give Back The Mortgages,  So These Will Form A Portion Of His Estate. As

That Belongs To Me,  I Can Settle Everything With Ease,  And Place

Garvington In An Entirely Satisfactory Condition. But I Do That At The

Cost Of Losing You,  Dear. Should The Estates Pass To This Unknown

Person,  The Mortgages Would Be Foreclosed,  And Our Family Would Be

Ruined."

 

"Are Things As Bad As That?"

 

"Every Bit As Bad. Hubert Told Me Plainly How Matters Stood. For

Generations The Heads Of The Family Have Been Squandering Money. Freddy

Is Just As Bad As The Rest,  And,  Moreover,  Has No Head For Figures. He

Does Not Know The Value Of Money,  Never Having Been In Want Of It. But

If Everything Was Sold Up--And It Must Be If I Marry You And Lose The

Millions--He Will Be Left Without An Acre Of Land And Only Three Hundred

A Year."

 

"Oh,  The Devil!" Lambert Jumped Up And Began To Walk Up And Down The

Room With A Startled Air. "That Would Finish The Lambert Family With A

Vengeance,  Agnes. What Do You Wish Me To Do?" He Asked,  After A Pause.

 

"Wait," She Said Quietly.

 

"Wait? For What--The Deluge?"

 

"It Won't Come While I Hold The Money. I Have A Good Business Head,  And

Hubert Taught Me How To Deal With Financial Matters. I Could Not Give

Him Love,  But I Did Give Him Every Attention,  And I Believe That I Was

Able To Help Him In Some Ways. I Shall Utilize My Experience To See The

Family Lawyer And Go Into Matters Thoroughly. Then We Shall Know For

Certain If Things Are As Bad As Hubert Made Out. If They Are,  I Must

Sacrifice You And Myself For The Sake Of Our Name; If They Are Not--"

 

"Well?" Asked Lambert,  Seeing How She Hesitated. Agnes Crossed The Room

And Placed Her Arms Round His Neck With A Lovely Color Tinting Her Wan

Cheeks. "Dear," She Whispered,  "I Shall Marry You. In Doing So I Am Not

Disloyal To Hubert's Memory,  Since I Have Always Loved You,  And He

Accepted Me As His Wife On The Understanding That I Could Not Give Him

My Heart. And Now That He Has Insulted Me," She Drew Back,  And Her Eyes

Flashed,  "I Feel Free To Become Your Wife."

 

Chapter 10 (A Difficult Position) Pg 94

"I See," Lambert Nodded. "We Must Wait?"

 

"We Must Wait. Duty Comes Before Love. But I Trust That The Sacrifice

Will Not Be Necessary. Good-Bye,  Dear," And She Kissed Him.

 

"Good-Bye," Repeated Lambert,  Returning The Kiss. Then They Parted.

Chapter 11 ( Blackmail) Pg 95

Having Come To The Only Possible Arrangement,  Consistent With The

Difficult Position In Which They Stood,  Lambert And Lady Agnes Took

Their Almost Immediate Departure From The Manor. The Young Man Had

Merely Come To Stay There In Response To His Cousin's Request,  So That

His Avoidance Of Her Should Not Be Too Marked,  And The Suspicions Of

Pine Excited. Now That The Man Was Dead,  There Was No Need To Behave In

This Judicious Way,  And Having No Great Love For Garvington,  Whom He

Thoroughly Despised,  Lambert Returned To His Forest Cottage. There He

Busied Himself Once More With His Art,  And Waited Patiently To See What

The Final Decision Of Agnes Would Be. He Did Not