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

 

Lambert's Heart Seemed To Stand Still. "You Talk Rubbish!" He Cried

Angrily.

 

"I Wish It Was. Oh,  How I Wish It Was Rubbish! But I Can't Be Sure. Of

Course,  He May Have Meant What He Says--"

 

"What Does He Say? Tell Me Everything. Oh,  Heavens!" Lambert Clutched

His Smooth Hair. "What Does It All Mean?"

 

"Ruin To The Lambert Family. I Told You So."

 

"You Have Only Told Me Scraps So Far. I Don't Understand How You Can

Arrive At The Conclusion That Garvington Is Guilty. Agnes,  Don't Go On

Crying In So Unnecessary A Way. If Things Have To Be Faced,  Surely We

Are Strong Enough To Face Them. Don't Let Our Emotions Make Fools Of Us.

Stop It! Stop It!" He Said Sharply And Stamping. "Dry Your Eyes And

Explain Matters."

 

"I--I Can't Help My Feelings," Faltered Agnes,  Beginning To Respond To

The Spur,  And Becoming Calmer.

 

"Yes,  You Can. I Don't Offer You Brandy Or Smelling Salts,  Or Anything

Of The Sort,  Because I Know You To Be A Woman With A Firm Mind. Exert

Your Will,  And Compel Your Nerves To Be Calm. This Exhibition Is Too

Cheap."

 

"Oh," Cried Agnes Indignantly,  And This Feeling Was The One Lambert

Wished To Arouse,  "How Can You Talk So?"

 

"Because I Love You And Respect You," He Retorted.

 

She Knew That He Meant What He Said,  And That Her Firmness Of Mind And

Self-Control Had Always Appealed To Him,  Therefore She Made A Great

Effort And Subdued Her Unruly Nerves. Lambert Gave Her No Assistance,

And Merely Walked Up And Down The Room While Waiting For Her To Recover.

It Was Not Easy For Her To Be Herself Immediately,  As She Really Was

Shaken,  And Privately Considered That He Expected Too Much. But Pride

Came To Her Aid,  And She Gradually Became More Composed. Meanwhile

Lambert Pulled Up The Blind To Display The Ugly Room In All Its

Deformity,  And The Sight--As He Guessed It Would--Extorted An

Exclamation From Her.

 

"Oh,  How Can You Live In This Horrid Place?" She Asked Irrelevantly.

 

"Necessity Knows No Law. Are You Better?"

 

"Yes; I Am All Right. But You Are Brutal,  Noel."

 

"I Wouldn't Have Been Brutal To A Weaker Woman," He Answered. "And By

Acting As I Have Done,  I Show How Much I Think Of You."

 

"Rather A Strange Way Of Showing Approval. But Your Drastic Methods Have

Triumphed. I Am Quite Composed,  And Shall Tell You Of Our Disgrace In As

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 154

Unemotional A Manner As If I Were Reckoning Pounds,  Shillings And

Pence."

 

"Disgrace?" Lambert Fastened On The One Word Anxiously. "To Us?"

 

"To Garvington In The First Place. But Sit Down And Listen. I Shall

Tell You Everything,  From The Moment Clara Came To See Me."

 

Lambert Nodded And Resumed His Seat. Agnes,  With Wonderful Coolness,

Detailed Miss Greeby's Visit And Production Of The Letter. Thence She

Passed On To Explain How She Had Tricked Garvington Into Confession.

"But He Did Not Confess," Interrupted Lambert At This Point.

 

"Not At The Moment. He Did Yesterday In A Letter To Me. You See,  He Left

My House Immediately And Slept At His Club. Then He Went Down To The

Manor And Sent For Jane,  Who,  By The Way,  Knows Nothing Of What I Have

Explained. Here Are Two Letters," Added Agnes,  Taking An Envelope Out Of

Her Pocket. "One Is The Forged One,  And The Other Came From Garvington

Yesterday. Even Though He Is Not Imitating My Writing,  You Can See Every

Now And Then The Similarity. Perhaps There Is A Family Resemblance In

Our Caligraphy." Her Cousin Examined The Two Epistles With A Rather

Scared Look,  For There Was No Doubt That Things Looked Black Against The

Head Of The Family. However,  He Did Not Read Garvington's Letter,  But

Asked Agnes To Explain. "What Excuse Does He Make For Forging Your

Name?" Asked Lambert In A Business-Like Way,  For There Was No Need To

Rage Over Such A Worm As Freddy.

 

"A Very Weak One," She Replied. "So Weak That I Scarcely Believe Him To

Be In Earnest. Besides,  Freddy Always Was A Liar. He Declares That When

He Went To See About Getting The Gypsies Turned Off The Land,  He Caught

Sight Of Hubert. He Did Not Speak To Him,  But Learned The Truth From

Mr. Silver,  Whom He Forced To Speak. Then He Wrote The Letter And Let It

Purposely Fall Into Mr. Silver's Hands,  And By Mr. Silver It Was Passed

On To Hubert. Freddy Writes That He Only Wanted To Hurt Hubert So That

He Might Be Laid Up In Bed At The Manor. When He Was Weak--Hubert,  I

Mean--Freddy Then Intended To Get All The Money He Could Out Of Him."

 

"He Did Not Wish To Kill Pine,  Then?"

 

"No. And All The Evidence Goes To Show That He Only Broke Hubert's Arm."

 

"That Is True," Murmured Lambert Thoughtfully,  "For The Evidence Of The

Other Guests And Of The Servants Showed Plainly At The Inquest That The

Second Shot Was Fired Outside While Garvington Was Indoors."

 

Agnes Nodded. "Yes; It Really Seems As Though Freddy For Once In His

Life Is Telling The Exact Truth."

 

Her Cousin Glanced At Garvington's Lengthy Letter Of Explanation. "Do

You Really Believe That He Hoped To Manage Pine During The Illness?"

 

"Well," Said Agnes Reluctantly,  "Freddy Has Tremendous Faith In His

Powers Of Persuasion. Hubert Would Do Nothing More For Him Since He Was

Such A Cormorant For Money. But If Hubert Had Been Laid Up With A Broken

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 155

Arm,  It Is Just Possible That He Might Have Been Worried Into Doing What

Freddy Wanted,  If Only To Get Rid Of His Importunity."

 

"Hum! It Sounds Weak. Garvington Certainly Winged Pine,  So That Seems To

Corroborate The Statement In This Letter. He's Such A Good Shot That He

Could Easily Have Killed Pine If He Wanted To."

 

"Then You Don't Think That Freddy Is Responsible For The Death?"

Inquired Agnes With A Look Of Relief.

 

Lambert Appeared Worried. "I Think Not,  Dear. He Lured Hubert Into

His Own Private Trap So As To Get Him Laid Up And Extort Money.

Unfortunately,  Another Person,  Aware Of The Trap,  Waited Outside And

Killed Your Poor Husband."

 

"According To What Freddy Says,  Mr. Silver Knew Of The Trap,  Since He

Delivered The Letter To Hubert. And Mr. Silver Knew That Freddy Had

Threatened To Shoot Any Possible Burglar. It Seems To Me," Ended Agnes

Deliberately,  "That Mr. Silver Is Guilty."

 

"But Why Should He Shoot Pine,  To Whom He Owed So Much?"

 

"I Can't Say."

 

"And,  Remember,  Silver Was Inside The House."

 

"Yes," Assented Lady Agnes,  In Dismay. "That Is True. It Is A Great

Puzzle,  Noel. However,  I Am Not Trying To Solve It. Clara Says That Mr.

Silver Will Hold His Tongue,  And Certainly As The Letter Is Now In My

Possession He Cannot Bring Forward Any Evidence To Show That I Am

Inculpated In The Matter. I Think The Best Thing To Do Is To Let Freddy

And Mr. Silver Fight Out The Matter Between Them,  While We Are On Our

Honeymoon."

 

Lambert Started. "Agnes! What Do You Mean?"

 

She Grew Impatient. "Oh,  What Is The Use Of Asking What I Mean When You

Know Quite Well,  Noel? Hubert Insulted Me In His Will,  And Cast A Slur

On My Character By Forbidding Me To Marry You. Freddy--Although He Did

Not Fire The Second Shot--Certainly Lured Hubert To His Death By Forging

That Letter. I Don't Intend To Consider My Husband's Memory Any More,

Nor My Brother's Position. I Shall Never Speak To Him Again If I Can

Help It,  As He Is A Wicked Little Animal. I Have Sacrificed Myself

Sufficiently,  And Now I Intend To Take My Own Way. Let The Millions Go,

And Let Freddy Be Ruined,  If Only To Punish Him For His Wickedness."

 

"But,  Dear,  How Can I Ask You To Share My Poverty?" Said Lambert,

Greatly Distressed. "I Have Only Five Hundred A Year,  And You Have Been

Accustomed To Such Luxury."

 

"I Have Another Five Hundred A Year Of My Own," Said Agnes Obstinately,

"Which Hubert Settled On Me For Pin Money. He Refused To Make Any Other

Settlements. I Have A Right To That Money,  Since I Sacrificed So Much,

And I Shall Keep It. Surely We Can Live On One Thousand A Year."

Chapter 16 (The Last Straw) Pg 156

"In England?" Inquired Lambert Doubtfully. "And After You Have Led Such

A Luxurious Life?"

 

"No," She Said Quickly. "I Mean In The Colonies. Let Us Go To Australia,

Or Canada,  Or South Africa,  I Don't Care Which,  And Cut Ourselves Off

From The Past. We Have Suffered Enough; Let Us Now Think Of Ourselves."

 

"But Are We Not Selfish To Let The Family Name Be Disgraced?"

 

"Freddy Is Selfish,  And Will Disgrace It In Any Case," Said Agnes,  With

A Contemptuous Shrug. "What's The Use Of Pulling Him Out Of The Mud,

When He Will Only Sink Back Into It Again? No,  Noel,  If You Love Me You

Will Marry Me Within The Week."

 

"But It's So Sudden,  Dear," He Urged,  More And More Distressed. "Take

Time To Consider. How Can I Rob You Of Millions?"

 

"You Won't Rob Me. If You Refuse,  I Shall Make Over The Money To Some

Charity,  And Live On My Five Hundred A Year. Remember,  Noel,  What People

Think Of Me: That I Married Hubert To Get His Money And To Become Your

Wife When He Died,  So That We Could Live On His Wealth. We Can Only

Prove That Belief To Be False By Surrendering The Millions And Marrying

As Paupers."

 

"You May Be Right,  And Yet--"

 

"And Yet,  And Yet--Oh," She Cried,  Wounded,  "You Don't Love Me."

 

The Man Did Not Answer,  But Stood Looking At Her With All His Soul In

His Eyes,  And Shaking From Head To Foot. Never Before Had She Looked So

Desirable,  And Never Before Had He Felt The Tides Of Love Surge To So

High A Water-Mark. "Love You!" He Said In A Hoarse Voice. "Agnes,  I

Would Give My Soul For You."

 

"Then Give It." She Wreathed Her Arms Round His Neck And Whispered With

Her Warm Lips Close To His Ear,  "Give Me All Of You."

 

"But Two Millions--"

 

"You Are Worth It."

 

"Darling,  You Will Repent."

 

"Repent!" She Pressed Him Closer To Her. "Repent That I Exchange A

Lonely Life For Companionship With You? Oh,  My Dear,  How Can You Think

So? I Am Sick Of Money And Sick Of Loneliness. I Want