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

Chapter 15 (Guesswork) Pg 145

The Letter In A Newly Addressed Envelope; "No,  Don't Go,  I Want To Speak

To You About Mr. Silver."

 

Garvington Threw Himself With A Growl Into A Chair. "I Don't Know

Anything About Him Except That He's My Tenant," He Complained.

 

"Then It Is Time You Did. Perhaps You Are Not Aware That Mr. Silver

Tried To Blackmail Me."

 

"What?" The Little Man Grew Purple And Exploded. "Oh,  Nonsense!"

 

"It's Anything But Nonsense." Agnes Rose And Went To Her Desk To Get The

Forged Letter. "He Came To Me A Long Time Before Christmas And Said That

Chaldea Found This," She Flourished The Letter Before Her Brother's

Eyes,  "In Hubert's Tent When He Was Masquerading As Hearne."

 

"A Letter? What Does It Say?" Garvington Stretched Out His Hand.

 

Agnes Drew Back And Returned To Her Seat By The Fire. "I Can Tell You

The Contents," She Said Coolly,  "It Is Supposed To Be Written By Me To

Noel And Makes An Appointment To Meet Him At The Blue Door On The Night

Of Hubert's Death In Order To Elope."

 

"Agnes,  You Never Wrote Such A Letter," Cried Garvington,  Jumping Up

With A Furious Red Face.

 

His Sister Did Not Answer For A Moment. She Had Taken The Letter Just

Written To Jarwin By Garvington And Was Comparing It With That Which

Miss Greeby Had Extorted From Silver. "No," She Said In A Strange Voice

And Becoming White,  "I Never Wrote Such A Letter; But I Should Be Glad

To Know Why You Did."

 

"I Did?" Garvington Retreated And His Face Became As White As That Of

The Woman Who Confronted Him,  "What The Devil Do You Mean?"

 

"I Always Knew That You Were Clever At Imitating Handwriting,  Freddy,"

Said Agnes,  While The Two Letters Shook In Her Grasp,  "We Used To Make A

Joke Of It,  I Remember. But It Was No Joke When You Altered That Check

Hubert Gave You,  And None When You Imitated His Signature To That

Mortgage About Which He Told Me."

 

"I Never--I Never!" Stammered The Detected Little Scoundrel,  Holding On

To A Chair For Support. "I Never--"

 

"Spare Me These Lies," Interrupted His Sister Scornfully,  "Hubert Showed

The Mortgage,  When It Came Into His Possession,  To Me. He Admitted That

His Signature Was Legal To Spare You,  And Also,  For My Sake,  Hushed Up

The Affair Of The Check. He Warned You Against Playing With Fire,

Freddy,  And Now You Have Done So Again,  To Bring About His Death."

 

"It's A Damned Lie."

 

Chapter 15 (Guesswork) Pg 146

"It's A Damned Truth," Retorted Agnes Fiercely. "I Got You To Write The

Letter To Mr. Jarwin So That I Might Compare The Signature To The One In

The Forged Letter. Agnes Pine In One And Agnes Pine In The Other,  Both

With The Same Twists And Twirls--Very,  Very Like My Signature And Yet

With A Difference That I Alone Can Detect. The Postscript About The

Motor I Asked You To Write Because The Word Occurs In The Forged Letter.

Motor And Motor--Both The Same."

 

"It's A Lie," Denied Garvington Again. "I Have Not Imitated Your

Handwriting In The Letter To Jarwin."

 

"You Unconsciously Imitated The Signature,  And You Have Written The Word

Motor The Same In Both Letters," Said Agnes Decisively. "I Suddenly

Thought Of Your Talent For Writing Like Other People When Clara Greeby

Asked Me To-Day If I Could Guess Who Had Forged The Letter. I Laid A

Trap For You And You Have Fallen Into It. And You"--She Took A Step

Forward With Fiery Glance So That Garvington,  Retreating,  Nearly Tumbled

Over A Chair--"You Laid A Trap For Hubert Into Which He Fell."

 

"I Never Did--I Never Did!" Babbled Garvington,  Gray With Fear.

 

"Yes,  You Did. I Swear To It. Now I Understand Why You Threatened To

Shoot Any Possible Burglar Who Should Come To The Manor. You Learned,  In

Some Way,  I Don't Know How,  That Hubert Was With The Gypsies,  And,

Knowing His Jealous Nature,  You Wrote This Letter And Let It Fall Into

His Hands,  So That He Might Risk Being Shot As A Robber And A Thief."

 

"I--I--I--Didn't Shoot Him," Panted The Man Brokenly.

 

"It Was Not For The Want Of Trying. You Broke His Arm,  And Probably

Would Have Followed Him Out To Inflict A Mortal Wound If Your Accomplice

In The Shrubbery Had Not Been Beforehand With You."

 

"Agnes,  I Swear That I Took Pine For A Burglar,  And I Don't Know Who

Shot Him. Really,  I Don't!"

 

"You Liar!" Said Agnes With Intense Scorn. "When You Posted Your

Accompl--"

 

She Had No Chance To Finish The Word,  For Garvington Broke In Furiously

And Made A Great Effort To Assert Himself. "I Had No Accomplice. Who

Shot Pine I Don't Know. I Never Wrote The Letter; I Never Lured Him To

His Death; He Was More Good To Me Alive Than Dead. He Never--"

 

"He Was Not More Good To You Alive Than Dead," Interrupted Lady Agnes In

Her Turn. "For Hubert Despised You For The Way In Which You Tried To

Trick Him Out Of Money. He Thought You Little Better Than A Criminal,

And Only Hushed Up Your Wickedness For My Sake. You Would Have Got No

More Money Out Of Him,  And You Know That Much. By Killing Him You Hoped

That I Would Get The Fortune And Then You Could Plunder Me At Your

Leisure. Hubert Was Hard To Manage,  And You Thought That I Would Be

Easy. Well,  I Have Got The Money And You Have Got Rid Of Hubert. But I

Shall Punish You."

Chapter 15 (Guesswork) Pg 147

 

"Punish Me?" Garvington Passed His Tongue Over His Dry Lips,  And Looked

As Though In His Terror He Would Go Down On His Knees To Plead.

 

"Oh,  Not By Denouncing You To The Police," Said His Sister

Contemptuously. "For,  Bad As You Are,  I Have To Consider Our Family

Name. But You Had Hubert Shot So As To Get The Money Through Me,  And

Now That I Am In Possession I Shall Surrender It To The Person Named

In The Sealed Envelope."

 

"No! No! No! No! Don't--Don't--"

 

"Yes,  I Shall. I Can Do So By Marrying Noel. I Shall No Longer Consider

The Financial Position Of The Family. I Have Sacrificed Enough,  And I

Shall Sacrifice No More. Hubert Was A Good Husband To Me,  And I Was A

Good And Loyal Wife To Him; But His Will Insults Me,  And You Have Made

Me Your Enemy By What You Have Done."

 

"I Did Not Do It. I Swear I Did Not Do It."

 

"Yes,  You Did; And No Denial On Your Part Will Make Me Believe

Otherwise. I Shall Give You A Few Days To Think Over The Necessity Of

Making A Confession,  And In Any Case I Shall Marry Noel."

 

"And Lose The Money. You Shan't!"

 

"Shan't!" Agnes Stepped Forward And Looked Fairly Into His Shifty Eyes.

"You Are Not In A Position To Say That,  Freddy. I Am Mistress Both Of

The Situation And Of Hubert's Millions. Go Away," She Pushed Him Toward

The Door. "Take Time To Think Over Your Position,  And Confess Everything

To Me."

 

Garvington Got Out Of The Room As Swiftly As His Shaky Legs Could Carry

Him,  And Paused At The Door To Turn With A Very Evil Face. "You Daren't

Split On Me," He Screeched. "I Defy You! I Defy You! You Daren't Split

On Me."

 

Alas! Agnes Knew That Only Too Well,  And When He Disappeared She Wept

Bitterly,  Feeling Her Impotence.

 

 

 

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 148

Lady Agnes Was Inaccurate When She Informed Miss Greeby That Her Cousin

Had Taken A House In Kensington,  Since,  Like Many Women,  She Was

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 149

Accustomed To Speak In General Terms,  Rather Than In A Precise Way. The

Young Man Certainly Did Live In The Suburb She Mentioned,  But He Had

Simply Rented A Furnished Flat In One Of The Cheaper Streets. He Was The

Poorest Of All The Lamberts,  And Could Scarcely Pay His Club

Subscriptions,  Much Less Live In The Style His Ancient Name Demanded.

The St. James's Chambers Had Merely Been Lent To Him By A Friend,  And

When The Owner Returned,  The Temporary Occupant Had To Shift. Therefore,

On The Score Of Economy,  He Hired The Dingy Flat And Brought Up Mrs.

Tribb To Look After It. The Little Woman,  On Her Master's Account,  Was

Disgusted With The Mean Surroundings.     

 

"When You Ought To Be Living In A Kind Of Buckingham Palace,  Master

Noel,  As I Should Declare With My Dying Breath," She Said Indignantly.

"And Have The Title,  Too,  If Things Was As They Ought To Be."

 

"I Shouldn't Be Much Better Off If I Did Have The Title,  Mrs. Tribb,"

Replied Lambert With A Shrug. "It's Common Knowledge That Garvington Can

Scarcely Keep His Head Above Water. As An Old Family Servant You Should

Know."

 

"Ah,  Master Noel,  There's Many Things As I Know,  As I'm Sorry I Do

Know," Said Mrs. Tribb Incoherently. "And Them Lords As Is Dead And

Buried Did Waste The Money,  There's No Denying.