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

But Some Of Your

Cousins,  Master Noel,  Have Gone Into Trade And Made Money,  More Shame To

Them."

 

"I Don't See That,  Mrs. Tribb. I'd Go Into Trade Myself If I Had Any

Head For Figures. There's No Disgrace In Trade."

 

"Not For Them As Isn't Lamberts,  Master Noel,  And Far Be It From Me To

Say So,  Gentry Not Being So Rich As They Used To Be When My Mother Was A

Gal. I Don't Hold With It Though For You,  Sir. But Now Lady Agnes Having

Millions And Billions Will Make Things Easier For You."

 

"Certainly Not,  Mrs. Tribb. How Could I Take Money From Her?"

 

"And Why Not,  Master Noel? If You'll Excuse My Making So Free. As A

Child She'd Give You Anything In The Way Of Toys,  And As A Grown-Up,  Her

Head Is Yours If Not Her Heart,  As Is--"

 

"There! There! Don't Talk Any More," Said Lambert,  Coloring And Vexed.

 

"I Haven't Annoyed You,  Sir,  I Hope. It's My Heart As Speaks."

 

"I Appreciate The Interest You Take In The Family,  Mrs. Tribb,  But You

Had Better Leave Some Things Unsaid. Now,  Go And Prepare Tea,  As Lady

Agnes Has Written Saying She Will Be Here This Afternoon."

 

"Oh,  Master Noel,  And You Only Tell Me Now. Then There Ain't Time To

Cook Them Cakes She Dotes On."

 

But Lambert Declined To Argue Further,  And Mrs. Tribb Withdrew,

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 150

Murmuring That She Would Have To Make Shift With Sardine Sandwiches. Her

Tongue Was Assuredly Something Of A Nuisance,  But The Young Man Knew How

Devoted She Was To The Family,  And,  Since She Had Looked After Him When

He Was A Child,  He Sanctioned In Her A Freedom He Would Not Have

Permitted Any One Else To Indulge In. And It Is To Be Feared,  That The

Little Woman In Her Zeal Sometimes Abused Her Privileges.

 

The Sitting Room Was Small And Cramped,  And Atrociously Furnished In An

Overcrowded Way. There Were Patterns On The Wall-Paper,  On The Carpet,

On The Tablecloth And Curtains,  Until The Eye Ached For A Clean Surface

Without A Design. And There Were So Many Ill-Matched Colors,  Misused For

Decorative Purposes,  That Lambert Shuddered To The Core Of His Artistic

Soul When He Beheld Them. To Neutralize The Glaring Tints,  He Pulled

Down The Blinds Of The Two Windows Which Looked On To A Dull Suburban

Roadway,  And Thus Shut Out The Weak Sunshine. Then He Threw Himself Into

An Uncomfortable Arm-Chair And Sought Solace In His Briar Root. The

Future Was Dark,  The Present Was Disagreeable,  And The Past Would Not

Bear Thinking About,  So Intimately Did It Deal With The Murder Of Pine,

The Threats Of Silver,  And The Misery Occasioned By The Sacrifice Of

Agnes To The Family Fetish. It Was In The Young Man's Mind To Leave

England Forthwith And Begin A New Life,  Unhampered By Former Troubles

And Present Grievances. But Agnes Required Help And Could Not Be Left To

Struggle Unaided,  So Lambert Silently Vowed Again,  As He Had Vowed

Before,  To Stand By Her To The End. Yet So Far He Was Unable To See What

The End Would Be.

 

While He Thus Contemplated The Unpleasantness Of Life He Became Aware

That The Front Door Bell Was Ringing,  And He Heard Mrs. Tribb Hurrying

Along The Passage. So Thin Were The Walls,  And So Near The Door That He

Heard Also The Housekeeper's Effusive Welcome,  Which Was Cut Short By A

Gasp Of Surprise. Lambert Idly Wondered What Caused The Little Woman's

Astonishment,  But Speedily Learned When Agnes Appeared In The Room. With

Rare Discretion Mrs. Tribb Ushered In The Visitor And Then Fled To The

Kitchen To Wonder Why The Widow Had Discarded Her Mourning. "And Him

Only Planted Six Months,  As You Might Say," Murmured The Puzzled Woman.

"Whatever Will Master Noel Say To Such Goings On?"

 

Master Noel Said Nothing,  Because He Was Too Astonished To Speak,  And

Agnes,  Seeing His Surprise,  And Guessing Its Cause,  Waited,  Somewhat

Defiantly,  For Him To Make An Observation. She Was Dressed In A Gray

Silk Frock,  With A Hat And Gloves,  And Shoes To Match,  And Drew Off A

Fur-Lined Cloak Of Maroon-Colored Velvet,  When She Entered The Room. Her

Face Was Somewhat Pale And Her Eyes Looked Unnaturally Large,  But She

Had A Resolute Expression About Her Mouth,  Which Showed That She Had

Made Up Her Mind. Lambert,  Swift,  From Long Association,  To Read Her

Moods,  Wondered What Conclusion She Had Arrived At,  And Proceeded To

Inquire.

 

"Whatever Is The Meaning Of This?" He Demanded,  Considerably Startled.

 

"This Dress?"

 

"Of Course. Where Is Your Widow's Cap And--"

 

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 151

"In The Fire,  And There They Can Remain Until They Are Burned To Ashes."

 

Lambert Stared Harder Than Ever. "What Does It Mean?" He Asked Again.

 

"It Means," Said Agnes,  Replying Very Directly,  "That The Victim Is No

Longer Decked Out For The Sacrifice. It Means,  That As Hubert Insulted

Me By His Will,  I No Longer Intend To Consider His Memory."

 

"But,  Agnes,  You Respected Him. You Always Said That You Did?"

 

"Quite So,  Until His Will Was Read. Then When I Found That His Mean

Jealousy--Which Was Entirely Unreasonable--Had Arranged To Rob Me Of My

Income By Preventing My Marriage With You,  I Ceased To Have Any Regard

For Him. Hubert Knew That I Loved You,  And Was Content To Take Me On

Those Terms So Long As I Was Loyal To Him. I _Was_ Loyal,  And Did What

I Could To Show Him Gratitude For The Way In Which He Helped The Family.

Now His Will Has Broken The Bargain I Respect Him No Longer,  And For

That Reason I Refuse To Pose Any Longer As A Grieving Widow."

 

"I Wonder,  With These Thoughts,  That You Posed At All," Said Lambert

Gloomily,  And Pushed Forward A Chair.

 

"I Could Not Make Up My Mind Until Lately What To Do," Explained Agnes,

Sitting Down Gracefully,  "And While I Accepted His Money It Appeared To

Me That I Ought To Show His Memory The Outward Respect Of Crape And All

The Rest Of It. Now," She Leaned Forward And Spoke Meaningly,  "I Am

Resolved To Surrender The Money. That Breaks The Link Between Us. The

Will! The Will!" She Tapped An Impatient Foot On The Carpet. "How Could

You Expect Any Woman To Put Up With Such An Insult?"

 

Lambert Dropped On The Sofa And Looked At Her Hard. "What's Up?" He

Asked Anxiously. "I Never Saw You Like This Before."

 

"I Was Not Free When You Last Saw Me," She Replied Dryly.

 

"Oh,  Yes; You Were A Widow."

 

"I Mean Free,  In My Own Mind,  To Marry You. I Am Now. I Don't Intend To

Consider The Family Or Society,  Or Mr. Silver's Threats,  Or Anything

Else. I Have Shaken Off My Fetters; I Have Discarded My Ring." She

Violently Pulled Off Her Glove To Show That The Circle Of Gold Was

Absent. "I Am Free,  And I Thank God That I Am Free."

 

"Agnes! Agnes! I Can't Reduce You To Poverty By Marrying You. It Would

Not Be Honorable Of Me."

 

"And Would It Be Honorable On My Part For Me To Keep The Money Of A Man

I Despise Because His Will Insults Me?" She Retorted.

 

"We Argued All This Before."

 

"Yes,  We Did,  And Concluded To Wait Until We Saw How The Estates Could

Be Freed Before We Came To Any Conclusion."

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 152

"And Do You See Now How The Estates Can Be Freed Without Using Pine's

Money,  Agnes?" Asked Lambert Anxiously.

 

"No. Things Are Ever So Much Worse Than I Thought. Garvington Can Hold

Out For Another Year,  But At The End Of Twelve Months The Estates Will

Be Sold Up By The Person Whose Name Is In The Sealed Envelope,  And He

Will Be Reduced To Some Hundreds A Year. The Lamberts!" She Waved Her

Arm Dramatically,  "Are Ruined,  My Dear; Entirely Ruined!"

 

"And For The Simple Reason That You Wish Us To Place Love Before Duty."

 

Agnes Leaned Forward And Took His Hand Firmly. "Noel,  You Love Me?"

 

"Of Course I Do."

 

"Do You Love The Family Name Better?"

 

"In One Way I Wish To Save It,  In Another I Am Willing To Let It Go

Hang."

 

"Yes. Those Were My Views Until Three Or Four Days Ago."

 

"And What Caused You To Change Your Mind,  Dear?"

 

"A Visit Which Clara Greeby Paid Me."

 

"Oh." Lambert Sat Up Very Straight. "She Hasn't Been Making Mischief,

Has She?"

 

"Not At All. On The Contrary,  She Has Done Both Of Us A Great Service."

 

Lambert Nodded Thankfully. He Felt Doubtful As To Whether Miss Greeby

Really Had Meant To Renounce Her Absurd Passion For Himself,  And It Was

A Relief To Find That She Had Been Acting Honestly. "Has She Then

Learned Who Killed Pine?" He Asked Cautiously.

 

Lady Agnes Suddenly Rose And Began To Pace The Room,  Twisting Her Gloves

And Trying To Control Herself. Usually She Was So Composed That Lambert

Wondered At This Restlessness. He Wondered Still More When She Burst

Into Violent Tears,  And Therefore Hastened To Draw Her Back To The

Chair. When She Was Seated He Knelt Beside Her And Passed His Arm Round

Her Neck,  As Distressed As She Was. It Was So Unlike Agnes To Break Down

In This Way,  And More Unlike Her To Sob Brokenly. "Oh,  I'm Afraid--I'm

Afraid."

 

"Afraid Of What,  Darling?"

 

"I'm Afraid To Learn Who Killed My Husband. He Might Have Done So,  And

Yet He Only Fired The First Shot--"

 

"Agnes," Lambert Rose Up Suddenly,  "Are You Talking Of Garvington?"

 

"Yes." She Leaned Back And Dried Her Tears. "In Spite Of What He Says,

I Am Afraid He May Be Guilty."

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