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

Snapped Her Fingers. "First,  The Letter To Shame Her; Then The

Bullet To Hang Him. The Rest Comes After. My Price,  You Know,  My

Gorgious Artful. I Toves My Own Gad. It's A Good Proverb,  Lady,  And True

Romany."

 

"What Does It Mean?"

 

"I Wash My Own Shirt," Said Chaldea,  Significantly,  And Sprang Up The

Steps Of Her Gaily-Painted Caravan To Shut Herself In.

 

"What A Fool I Am Not To Take That Bullet From Her," Thought Miss

Greeby,  Standing Irresolutely Before The Vehicle,  And She Cast A Glance

Around To See If Such An Idea Was Feasible. It Was Not,  As She Speedily

Decided,  For A Single Cry From Chaldea Would Bring The Gypsies Round To

Protect Their New Queen. It Was Probable Also That The Girl Would Fight

Like A Wild Cat; Although Miss Greeby Felt That She Could Manage Her So

Far. But She Was Not Equal To Fighting The Whole Camp Of Vagrants,  And

So Was Compelled To Abandon Her Scheme. In A Somewhat Discontented Mood,

She Turned Away,  Feeling That,  So Far,  Chaldea Had The Whip-Hand.

 

Then It Occurred To Her That She Had Not Yet Examined Mother Cockleshell

As Had Been Her Original Intention When She Came To The Camp. Forthwith

She Passed Back To The Tent Under The Elm,  To Interview The Deposed

Queen. Here,  She Found Gentilla Stanley Placing Her Goods In An Untidy

Bundle On The Back Of A Large Gray Donkey,  Which Was Her Private

Property. The Old Creature's Eyes Were Red With Weeping And Her Gray

Chapter 14 (Miss Greeby, Detective) Pg 133

Hair Had Fallen Down,  So That She Presented A Somewhat Wild Appearance.

This,  In Connection With Her Employment,  Reminded Miss Greeby--Whose

Reading Was Wide--Of A Similar Scene In Borrow's "Lavengro," When Mrs.

Pentulengro's Mother Shifted Herself. And For The Moment Mother

Cockleshell Had Just The Hairy Looks Of Mrs. Hern,  And Also At The

Moment,  Probably Had The Same Amiable Feelings.

 

Feeling That The Old Woman Detested Her Successful Rival,  Miss Greeby

Approached,  Guessing That Now Was The Right Moment To Work On Her Mind,

And Thus To Learn What She Could Of Chaldea's Underhand Doings. She

Quite Expected A Snub,  As Gentilla Could Scarcely Be Expected To Answer

Questions When Taken Up With Her Own Troubles. But The Artful Creature,

Seeing By A Side-Glance That Miss Greeby Was A Wealthy Gentile Lady,

Dropped One Of Her Almshouse Curtseys When She Approached,  And Bundled

Up Her Hair. A Change Passed Over Her Withered Face,  And Miss Greeby

Found Herself Addressing Not So Much A Fallen Queen,  As A Respectable

Old Woman Who Had Known Better Days.

 

"And A Blessing On Your Sweet Face,  My Angel," Mumbled Mother

Cockleshell. "For A Heart You Have To Feel For My Sorrows."

 

"Here Is A Sign Of My Feelings," Said Miss Greeby,  Handing Over A

Sovereign,  For She Rightly Judged That The Gypsy Would Only Appreciate

This Outward Symbol Of Sympathy. "Now,  What Do You Know Of Pine's

Murder?"

 

Mother Cockleshell,  Who Was Busy Tying Up The Sovereign In A Corner Of

Her Respectable Shawl,  After Biting It To Make Sure It Was Current Gold,

Looked Up With A Vacant Expression. "Murder,  My Lady,  And What Should I

Know Of That?"

 

Miss Greeby Looked At Her Straightly. "What Does Chaldea Know Of It?"

 

A Vicious Pair Of Devils Looked Out Of The Decent Widow's Eyes In A

Moment,  And At Once She Became The Romany. "Hai! She Knows,  Does She,

The Drab! I Hope To See Her Hanged."

 

"For What?"

 

"For Killing Of Hearne,  May His Bones Rest Sweetly."

 

Miss Greeby Suppressed An Exclamation. "She Accuses Lady Agnes Of Laying

A Trap By Writing A Letter,  And Says That Mr. Lambert Fired The Shot."

 

"Avali! Avali!" Mother Cockleshell Nodded Vigorously,  But Did Not

Interrupt Her Preparations For Departure. "That She Would Say,  Since She

Loves The Gorgio,  And Hates The Rani. A Rope Round Her Neck To Set The

Rye Free To Make Chaldea--My Curses On Her--His True Wife."

 

"She Couldn't Have Fired The Shot Herself,  You Know," Went On Miss

Greeby In A Musing Manner. "For Then She Would Remove An Obstacle To Mr.

Lambert Marrying Lady Agnes."

 

"Blessings On Her For A Kind,  Gentile Lady," Said Gentilla,  Piously,

Chapter 14 (Miss Greeby, Detective) Pg 134

And Looking More Respectable Than Ever,  Since The Lurking Devils Had

Disappeared. "But Chaldea Is Artful,  And Knows The Rye."

 

"What Do You Mean?"

 

"This,  My Lady. Hearne,  Who Was The Gorgio Pine,  Had The Angel To Wife,

But He Did Not Hope To Live Long Because Of Illness."

 

Miss Greeby Nodded. "Consumption,  Pine Told Me."

 

"If He Had Died Natural," Pursued Mother Cockleshell,  Pulling Hard At A

Strap,  "Maybe The Gentile Lady Would Have Married The Golden Rye,  Whom

She Loves. But By The Violent Death,  Chaldea Has Tangled Up Both In Her

Knots,  And If They Wed She Will Make Trouble."

 

"So She Says. But Can She?"

 

"Hai! But She's A Deep One,  Ma'am,  Believe Me When I Say So," Mother

Cockleshell Nodded Sapiently. "But Foolish Trouble Has She Given

Herself,  When The Death Of Hearne Natural,  Or By The Pistol-Shot Would

Stop The Marriage."

 

"What Do You Mean?" Inquired Miss Greeby Once More.

 

"You Gentiles Are Fools," Said Gentilla,  Politely. "For You Put Other

Things Before True Love. Hearne,  As Pine,  Had Much Gold,  And That He

Left To His Wife Should She Not Marry The Golden Rye."

 

"How Do You Know That?"

 

"Chaldea Was Told So By The Dead,  And Told Me,  My Lady. Now The Angel Of

The Big House Would Give Up The Gold To Marry The Rye,  For Her Heart Is

All For Him. 'But,' Says He,  And Tell Me If I'm Wrong. Says He,  'No. If

I Make You My Romi That Would Beggar You And Fair It Would Not Be,  For A

Romany Rye To Do!' So,  My Lady,  The Red Gold Parts Them,  Because It's

Red Money."

 

"Red Money?"

 

"Blood Money. The Taint Of Blood Is On The Wealth Of The Dead One,  And

So It Divides By A Curse The True Hearts Of The Living. You See,  My

Lady?"

 

Miss Greeby Did See,  And The More Readily,  Since She Had Heard Lambert

Express Exactly The Sentiments With Which The Old Gypsy Credited Him.

An Overstrained Feeling Of Honor Prevented Him In Any Case From Making

Agnes His Wife,  Whether The Death Had Come By Violence Or By Natural

Causes. But It Was Amazing That Gentilla Should Know This,  And Miss

Greeby Wonderingly Asked Her How She Came By Such Knowledge. The

Respectable Widow Chuckled.

 

"I Have Witchly Ways,  Ma'am,  And The Golden Rye Has Talked Many A Time

Chapter 14 (Miss Greeby, Detective) Pg 135

To Me In My Tent,  When I Told Him Of The Gorgious Lady's Goodness To Me

When Ill. They Love--Aye,  That Is Sure--But The Money Divides Their

Hearts,  And That Is Foolish. Chaldea Had No Need To Shoot To Keep Them

Apart."

 

"How Do You Know She Shot Pine?"

 

"Oh,  I Can Say Nothing The Poknees Would Listen To," Said Mother

Cockleshell Readily. "For I Speak Only As I Think,  And Not As I Know.

But The Child Was Impatient For Joy,  And Hoped By Placing The Cruel Will

Between True Hearts To Gain That Of The Golden Rye For Her Own Part. But

That She Will Not. Ha! Ha! Nor You,  My Lady,  Nor You."

 

"Me?" Miss Greeby Colored Even Redder Than She Was By Nature.

 

Gentilla Looked At Her Shrewdly. "La! La! La! La!" She Croaked. "Age

Brings A Mighty Wisdom. They Were Fools To Throw Me Out," And She Jerked

Her Grizzled Head In The Direction Of The Caravans And Tents.

 

"Don't Talk Rubbish,  You Old Donkey! Mr. Lambert Is Only My Friend."

 

"You're A Woman And He's A Man," Said Mother Cockleshell Sententiously.

 

"We Are Chums,  Pals,  Whatever You Like To Call Us. I Want To See Him

Happy."

 

"He Will Never Be Happy,  My Lady,  Unless He Marries The Rani. And Death,

By Bringing The Money Between Their True Love,  Has Divided Them Forever,

Unless The Golden Rye Puts His Heart Before His Fear Of Silly Chatter

For Them He Moves Amongst. The Child Was Right To Shoot Hearne,  So Far,

Although She Could Have Waited And Gained The Same End. The Rye Is Free

To Marry Her,  Or To Marry You,  Ma'am,  But Never To Marry The Angel,

Unless--" Mother Cockleshell Adjusted The Bundle Carefully On The

Donkey,  And Then Cut A Long Switch From The Tree.

 

"I Don't Want To Marry Mr. Lambert," Said Miss Greeby Decisively. "And

I'll Take Care That Chaldea Doesn't!"

 

Gentilla Chuckled Again. "Oh,  Trust You For That."

 

"As To Chaldea Shooting Pine--"

 

"Leave It To Me,  Leave It To Me,  Ma'am," Said The Old Gypsy With A

Grandiloquent Wave Of Her Dirty Hand.

 

"But I Wish To Learn The Truth And Save Lady Agnes From This Trouble."

 

"You Wish To Save Her?" Chuckled Mother Cockleshell. "And Not The Golden

Rye? Ah Well,  My Angel,  There Are Women,  And Women." She Faced Round,

And The Humor Died Out Of Her Wrinkled Face. "You Wish For Help And So

Have Come To See Me? Is It Not So?"

 

"Yes," Said Miss Greeby Tartly. "Chaldea Will Make Trouble."

Chapter 14 (Miss Greeby, Detective) Pg 136

"The Child Won't. I Can Manage Her."

 

Miss Greeby Hitched Up Her Broad Shoulders Contemptuously. "She Has

Managed You Just Now."

 

"There Are Ways And Ways,  And When The Hour Arrives,  The Sun Rises To

Scatter The Darkness," Said Gentilla Mystically. "Let The Child Win For

The Moment,  For My Turn Comes."

 

"Then You Know Something?"

 

"What I Know Mustn't Be Said Till The Hour Strikes. But Content

Yourself,  My Gorgious Lady,  With Knowing That The Child Will Make No

Trouble."

 

"She Has Parted With The Letter?"

 

"I Know Of That Letter. Hearne Showed