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

Chapter 18 (An Amazing Accusation) Pg 169

 

"Beng In Tutes Bukko!" Swore Chaldea In Good Romany,  Meaning That She

Wished The Devil Was In Some One's Body. And She Heartily Meant What She

Said,  And Cared Little Which Of The Two Men's Interior Was Occupied By

The Enemy Of Mankind,  Since She Hated Both. The Girl Was Disappointed To

Think That Lambert Should Escape From Her Snare,  And Enraged That

Garvington's Production Of One Revolver And His Confession That Silver

Had The Other Tended To This End. "May The Pair Of You Burn In Hell,"

She Cried,  Taking To English,  So That They Could Understand The Insult.

"Ashes May You Be In The Crooked One's Furnace."

 

Lambert Shrugged His Shoulders,  As He Quite Understood Her Feelings,  And

Did Not Intend To Lower Himself By Correcting Her. He Addressed Himself

To His Cousin And Turned His Back On The Gypsy. "Silver Shot Hubert

Pine," He Repeated,  With His Eyes On Garvington's Craven Face.

 

"It's Impossible--Impossible!" Returned The Other Hurriedly. "Silver Was

Shut Up In The House With The Rest. I Saw To The Windows And Doors

Myself,  Along With The Butler And Footmen. At The Inquest--"

 

"Never Mind About The Inquest. I Know What You Said There,  And I Am Now

Beginning To See Why You Said It."

 

"What The Devil Do You Mean?"

 

"I Mean," Stated The Other,  Staring Hard At Him,  "That You Knew Silver

Was Guilty When The Inquest Took Place,  And Screened Him For Some

Reason."

 

"I Didn't Know; I Swear I Didn't Know!" Stuttered Garvington,  Wiping His

Heated Face,  And With His Lower Lip Trembling.

 

"You Must Have Done So," Replied Lambert Relentlessly. "This Bullet Will

Fit Both The Revolvers I Gave You,  And As You Passed On One To Silver--"

 

"Rubbish! Bosh! Nonsense!" Babbled The Little Man Incoherently. "Until

Chapter 18 (An Amazing Accusation) Pg 170

You Brought The Bullet I Never Knew That It Would Fit The Revolver."

 

This Was True,  As Lambert Admitted. However,  He Saw That Garvington Was

Afraid For Some Reason,  And Pressed His Advantage. "Now That You See How

It Fits,  You Must Be Aware That It Could Only Have Been Fired From The

Revolver Which You Gave Silver."

 

"I Don't See That," Protested Garvington. "That Bullet May Fit Many

Revolvers."

 

Lambert Shook His Head. "I Don't Think So. I Had That Brace Of Revolvers

Especially Manufactured,  And The Make Is Peculiar. I Am Quite Prepared

To Swear That The Bullet Would Fit No Other Weapon. And--And"--He

Hesitated,  Then Faced The Girl,  Who Lingered,  Sullen And Disappointed.

"You Can Go,  Chaldea," Said Lambert,  Pointing To The French Window Of

The Library,  Which Was Wide Open.

 

The Gypsy Sauntered Toward It,  Clutching Her Shawl And Gritting Her

White Teeth Together. "Oh,  I Go My Ways,  My Rye,  But I Have Not Done

With You Yet,  May The Big Devil Rack My Bones If I Have. You Win

To-Day--I Win To-Morrow,  And So Good Day To You,  And Curses On You For

A Bad One. The Devil Is A Nice Character--And That's You!" She Screamed,

Beside Herself With Rage. "The Puro Beng Is A Fino Mush,  If You Will

Have The Kalo Jib!" And With A Wild Cry Worthy Of A Banshee She

Disappeared And Was Seen Running Unsteadily Across The Lawn. Lambert

Shrugged His Shoulders Again And Turned To His Miserable Cousin,  Who Had

Sat Down With A Dogged Look On His Fat Face. "I Have Got Rid Of Her

Because I Wish To Save The Family Name From Disgrace," Said Lambert

Quietly.

 

"There Is No Disgrace On My Part. Remember To Whom You Are Speaking."

 

"I Do. I Speak To The Head Of The Family,  Worse Luck! You Have Done Your

Best To Trail Our Name In The Mud. You Altered A Check Which Pine Gave

You So As To Get More Money; You Forged His Name To A Mortgage--"

 

"Lies,  Lies,  The Lies Of Agnes!" Screamed Garvington,  Jumping Up And

Shaking His Fist In Puny Anger. "The Wicked--"

 

"Speak Properly Of My Wife,  Or I'll Wring Your Neck," Said Lambert

Sharply. "As To What She Told Me Being Lies,  It Is Only Too True,  As You

Know. I Read The Letter You Wrote Confessing That You Had Lured Pine

Here To Be Shot By Telling Falsehoods About Agnes And Me."

 

"I Only Lured Him To Get His Arm Broken So That I Might Nurse Him When

He Was Ill And Get Some Money," Growled Garvington,  Sitting Down Again.

 

"I Am Well Aware Of What You Did And How You Did It. But You Gave That

Forged Letter To Silver So That It Might Be Passed On To Pine."

 

"I Didn't! I Didn't! I Didn't! I Didn't!"

 

"You Did. And Because Silver Knew Too Much You Gave Him The Abbot's Wood

Chapter 18 (An Amazing Accusation) Pg 171

Cottage At A Cheap Rent,  Or At No Rent At All,  For All I Know. To Be

Quite Plain,  Garvington,  You Conspired With Silver To Have Pine Killed."

 

"Winged--Only Winged,  I Tell You. I Never Shot Him."

 

"Your Accomplice Did."

 

"He's Not My Accomplice. He Was In The House--Everything Was Locked Up."

 

"By You," Said Lambert Quickly. "So It Was Easy For You To Leave A

Window Unfastened,  So That Silver Might Get Outside To Hide In The

Shrubbery."

 

"Oh!" Garvington Jumped Up Again,  Looking Both Pale And Wicked. "You

Want To Put A Rope Round My Neck,  Curse You."

 

"That's A Melodramatic Speech Which Is Not True," Replied The Other

Coldly. "For I Want To Save You,  Or,  Rather,  Our Name,  From Disgrace.

I Won't Call In The Police"--Garvington Winced At This Word--"Because

I Wish To Hush The Matter Up. But Since Chaldea And Silver Accuse Me

And Accuse Agnes Of Getting Rid Of Pine So That We Might Marry,  It Is

Necessary That I Should Learn The Exact Truth."

 

"I Don't Know It. I Know Nothing More Than I Have Confessed."

 

"You Are Such A Liar That I Can't Believe You. However,  I Shall Go At

Once To Silver And You Shall Come With Me."

 

"I Shan't!" Garvington,  Who Was Overfed And Flabby And Unable To Hold

His Own Against A Determined Man,  Settled Himself In His Chair And

Looked As Obstinate As A Battery Mule.

 

"Oh,  Yes,  You Will,  You Little Swine," Said Lambert Freezingly Cold.

 

"How Dare You Call Me Names?"

 

"Names! If I Called You Those You Deserved I Should Have To Annex The

Vocabulary Of A Texan Muledriver. How Such A Beast As You Ever Got Into

Our Family I Can't Conceive."

 

"I Am The Head Of The Family And I Order You To Leave The Room."

 

"Oh,  You Do,  Do You? Very Good. Then I Go Straight To Wanbury And Shall

Tell What I Have Discovered To Inspector Darby."

 

"No! No! No! No!" Garvington,  Cornered At Last,  Sprang From His Chair

And Made For His Cousin With Unsteady Legs. "It Might Be Unpleasant."

 

"I Daresay--To You. Well,  Will You Come With Me To Abbot's Wood?"

 

"Yes," Whimpered Garvington. "Wait Till I Get My Cap And Stick,  Curse

You,  For An Interfering Beast. You Don't Know What You're Doing."

 

Chapter 18 (An Amazing Accusation) Pg 172

"Ah! Then You Do Know Something Likely To Reveal The Truth."

 

"I Don't--I Swear I Don't! I Only--"

 

"Oh,  Damn You,  Get Your Cap,  And Let Us Be Off," Broke In Lambert

Angrily,  "For I Can't Be Here All Day Listening To Your Lies."

 

Garvington Scowled And Ambled Out Of The Room,  Closely Followed By His

Cousin,  Who Did Not Think It Wise To Lose Sight Of So Shifty A Person.

In A Few Minutes They Were Out Of The House And Took The Path Leading

From The Blue Door To The Postern Gate In The Brick Wall Surrounding The

Park. It Was A Frosty,  Sunny Day,  With A Hard Blue Sky,  Overarching A

Wintry Landscape. A Slight Fall Of Snow Had Powdered The Ground With A

Film Of White,  And The Men's Feet Drummed Loudly On The Iron Earth,

Which Was In The Grip Of The Frost. Garvington Complained Of The Cold,

Although He Had On A Fur Overcoat Which Made Him Look Like A Baby Bear.

 

"You'll Give Me My Death Of Cold,  Dragging Me Out Like This," He Moaned,

As He Trotted Beside His Cousin. "I Believe You Want Me To Take

Pneumonia So That I May Die And Leave You The Title."

 

"I Should At Least Respect It More Than You Do," Said Lambert With

Scorn. "Why Can't You Be A Man Instead Of A Thing On Two Legs? If You

Did Die No One Would Miss You But Cooks And Provision Dealers."

 

Garvington Gave Him A Vicious Glance From His Little Pig's Eyes,  And

Longed To Be Tall,  And Strong,  And Daring,  So That He Might Knock Him

Down. But He Knew That Lambert Was Muscular And Dexterous,  And Would

Probably Break His Neck If It Came To A Tussle. Therefore,  As The Stout

Little Lord Had A Great Regard For His Neck,  He Judged It Best To Yield

To Superior Force,  And Trotted Along Obediently Enough. Also He Became

Aware Within Himself That It Would Be Necessary To Explain To Silver How

He Had Come To Betray Him,  And That Would Not Be Easy. Silver Would Be

Certain To Make Himself Extremely Disagreeable. Altogether The Walk Was

Not A Pleasant One For The Sybarite.

 

The Abbot's Wood Looked Bare And Lean With The Leaves Stripped From Its

Many Trees. Occasionally There Was A Fir,  Clothed In Dark Green Foliage,

But For The Most Part The Branches Of The Trees Were Naked,  And Quivered

Constantly In The Chilly Breeze. Even On The Outskirts Of The Wood One

Could See Right Into The Centre Where The Black Monoliths--They Looked

Black Against The Snow--Reared Themselves Grimly. To The Right There Was

A Glimpse Of Gypsy Fires And Tents And Caravans,  And The Sound Of The

Romany Tongue Was Borne Toward Them Through The Clear Atmosphere. On

Such A Day It Was Easy Both To See And Hear For Long Distances,  And For

This Reason Chaldea Became Aware That The Two Men Were Walking Toward

The Cottage.

 

The Girl,  Desperately Angry That She Had Been Unable To Bring Lambert To

Book,  Had Sauntered Back To The Camp,  But Had Just Reached It When She

Caught Sight Of The Tall Figure And The Short