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

One. In A Moment She Knew

That Lambert And His Cousin Were Making For Silver's Abode,  Which Was

Just What She Had Expected Them To Do. At Once She Determined To Again

Adopt Her Former Tactics,  Which Had Been Successful In Enabling Her To

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Overhear The Conversation Between Lambert And Lady Agnes,  And,  Following

At A Respectful Distance,  She Waited For Her Chance. It Came When The

Pair Entered The Cottage,  For Then Chaldea Ran Swiftly In A Circle

Toward The Monoliths,  And Crouched Down Behind One. While Peering From

Behind This Shelter,  She Saw Silver Pass The Window Of The Studio,  And

Felt Certain That The Interview,  Would Take Place In That Room. Like A

Serpent,  As She Was,  The Girl Crawled And Wriggled Through The Frozen

Vegetation And Finally Managed To Get Under The Window Without Being

Observed. The Window Was Closed,  But By Pressing Her Ear Close To The

Woodwork She Was Enabled To Hear A Great Deal,  If Not All. Candidly

Speaking,  Chaldea Had Truly Believed That Lambert Had Shot Pine,  But

Now That He Had Disproved The Charge So Easily,  She Became Desperately

Anxious To Learn The Truth. Lambert Had Escaped Her,  But She Thought

That It Might Be Possible To Implicate His Wife In The Crime,  Which

Would Serve Her Purpose Of Injuring Him Just As Well.

 

Silver Was Not Surprised To See His Landlord,  As It Seemed That

Garvington Paid Him Frequent Visits. But He Certainly Showed An Uneasy

Amazement When Lambert Stalked In Behind The Fat Little Man. Silver Was

Also Small,  And Also Cowardly,  And Also Not Quite At Rest In His

Conscience,  So He Shivered When He Met The Very Direct Gaze Of His

Unwelcome Visitor.

 

"You Have Come To Look At Your Old House,  Mr. Lambert," He Remarked,

When The Two Made Themselves Comfortable By The Studio Fire.

 

"Not At All. I Have Come To See You," Was The Grim Response.

 

"That Is An Unexpected Honor," Said Silver Uneasily,  And His Eyes Sought

Those Of Lord Garvington,  Who Was Spreading Out His Hands To The Blaze,

Looking Blue With Cold. He Caught Silver's Inquiring Look.

 

"I Couldn't Help It," Said Garvington Crossly. "I Must Look After

Myself."

 

Silver's Smooth,  Foxy Face Became Livid,  And He Could Scarcely Speak.

When He Did,  It Was With A Sickly Smile. "Whatever Are You Talking

About,  My Lord?"

 

"Oh,  You Know,  D---- You! I Did Give You That Revolver,  You Know."

 

"The Revolver?" Silver Stared. "Yes,  Why Should I Deny It? I Suppose You

Have Come To Get It Back?"

 

"I Have Come To Get It,  Mr. Silver," Put In Lambert Politely. "Hand It

Over To Me,  If You Please."

 

"If You Like. It Certainly Has Your Name On The Handle," Said The

Secretary So Quietly That The Other Man Was Puzzled. Silver Did Not Seem

To Be So Uncomfortable As He Might Have Been.

 

"The Revolver Was One Of A Pair Which I Had Especially Made When I Went

To Africa Some Years Ago," Explained Lambert Elaborately,  And Determined

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To Make His Listener Understand The Situation Thoroughly. "On My Return

I Made Them A Present To My Cousin. I Understand,  Mr. Silver,  That Lord

Garvington Lent You One--"

 

"And Kept The Other," Interrupted The Man Sharply. "That Is True. I Was

Afraid Of Burglars,  Since Lord Garvington Was Always Talking About Them,

So I Asked Him To Lend Me A Weapon To Defend Myself With."

 

"And You Used It To Shoot Pine," Snapped Garvington,  Anxious To End His

Suspense And Get The Interview Over As Speedily As Possible.

 

Silver Rose From His Seat In An Automatic Manner,  And Turned Delicately

Pale. "Are You Mad?" He Gasped,  Looking From One Man To The Other.

 

"It's All Very Well You Talking," Whimpered Garvington With A Shiver;

"But Pine Was Shot With That Revolver I Lent You."

 

"It's A Lie!"

 

"Oh,  I Knew You'd Say That," Complained Garvington,  Shivering Again.

"But I Warned You That There Might Be Trouble,  Since You Carried That

Letter For Me,  So That It Might Fall By Chance Into Pine's Hands."

 

"Augh!" Groaned Silver,  Sinking Back Into His Chair And Passing His

Tongue Over A Pair Of Dry,  Gray Lips. "Hold Your Tongue,  My Lord."

 

"What's The Use? He Knows," And Garvington Jerked His Head In The

Direction Of His Cousin. "The Game's Up,  Silver--The Game's Up!"

 

"Oh!" Silver's Eyes Flashed,  And He Looked Like A Rat At Bay. "So You

Intend To Save Yourself At My Expense. But It Won't Do,  My Lord. You

Wrote That Letter,  If I Carried It To The Camp."

 

"I Have Admitted To My Sister And To Lambert,  Here,  That I Wrote The

Letter,  Silver. I Had To,  Or Get Into Trouble With The Police,  Since

Neither Of Them Will Listen To Reason. But You Suggested The Plan To Get

Pine Winged So That He Might Be Ill In My House,  And Then We Could Both

Get Money Out Of Him. You Invented The Plot,  And I Only Wrote The

Letter."

 

"Augh! Augh!" Gulped Silver,  Unable To Speak Plainly.

 

"Do You Confess The Truth Of Lord Garvington's Statement?" Inquired

Lambert Suavely,  And Fixing A Merciless Eye On The Trapped Fox.

 

"No--That Is--Yes. He Swings On The Same Hook As I Do."

 

"Indeed. Then Lord Garvington Was Aware That You Shot Pine?"

 

"I Was Not! I Was Not!" Screamed The Head Of The Lambert Family,  Jumping

Up And Clenching His Hands. "I Swear I Never Knew The Truth Until You

Brought The Bullet To The Library To Fit The Revolver."

 

"The--The--Bullet!" Stammered Silver,  Whose Smooth Red Hair Was Almost

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Standing On End From Sheer Fright.

 

"Yes," Said Lambert,  Addressing Him Sharply. "Kara,  Under The Direction

Of Chaldea,  Found The Bullet In The Trunk Of The Elm Tree Which Was In

The Line Of Fire. She Came With Me To The Manor This Morning,  And We

Found That It Fitted The Barrel Of Lord Garvington's Revolver. At The

Inquest,  And On Unimpeachable Evidence,  It Was Proved That He Fired Only

The First Shot,  Which Disabled Pine Without Killing Him. The Second

Shot,  Which Pierced The Man's Heart,  Could Only Have Come From The

Second Revolver,  Which Was,  And Is,  In Your Possession,  Mr. Silver. The

Bullet Found In The Tree Trunk Will Fit No Other Barrel Of No Other

Weapon. I'm Prepared To Swear To This."

 

Silver Covered His Face With His Hands And Looked So Deadly White That

Lambert Believed He Would Faint. However,  He Pulled Himself Together,

And Addressed Garvington Anxiously. "You Know,  My Lord,  That You Locked

Up The House On That Night,  And That I Was Indoors."

 

"Yes," Admitted The Other Hesitating. "So Far As I Knew You Certainly

Were Inside. It Is True,  Noel," He Added,  Catching His Cousin's Eye.

"Even To Save Myself I Must Admit That."

 

"Oh,  You'd Admit Anything To Save Yourself," Retorted His Cousin

Contemptuously,  And Noting The Mistake In The Wording Of The Sentence.

"But Admitting That Silver Was Within Doors Doesn't Save You,  So Far As

I Can See."

 

"There Is No Need For Lord Garvington To Excuse Himself," Spoke Up

Silver,  Attempting To Enlist The Little Man On His Side By Defending

Him. "It Was Proved At The Inquest,  As You Have Admitted,  Mr. Lambert,

That He Only Fired The First Shot."

 

"And You Fired The Second."

 

"I Never Did. I Was Inside And In Bed. I Only Came Down With The Rest Of

The Guests When I Heard The Firing. Is That Not So,  My Lord?"

 

"Yes," Admitted Garvington Grudgingly. "So Far As I Know You Had Nothing

To Do With The Second Shot."

 

Silver Turned A Relieved Face Toward Lambert. "I Shall Confess This

Much,  Sir," He Said,  Trying To Speak Calmly And Judicially. "Pine

Treated Me Badly By Taking My Toy Inventions And By Giving Me Very

Little Money. When I Was Staying At The Manor I Learned That Lord

Garvington Had Also Been Treated Badly By Pine. He Said If We Could Get

Money That We Should Go Shares. I Knew That Pine Was Jealous Of His

Wife,  And That You Were At The Cottage Here,  So I Suggested That,  As

Lord Garvington Could Imitate Handwriting,  He Should Forge A Letter

Purporting To Come From Lady Agnes To You,  Saying That She Intended To

Elope On A Certain Night. Also I Told Lord Garvington To Talk A Great

Deal About Shooting Burglars,  So As To Give Color To His Shooting Pine."

 

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"It Was Arranged To Shoot Him,  Then?"

 

"No,  It Wasn't," Cried Garvington,  Glaring At Silver. "All We Wanted To

Do Was To Break Pine's Arm Or Leg So That He Might Be Laid Up In The

Manor."

 

"Yes,  That Is So," Said Silver Feverishly,  And Nodding. "I Fancied--And

For This Reason I Suggested The Plot--That When Pine Was Ill,  Both Lord

Garvington And Myself Could Deal With Him In An Easier Manner.

Also--Since The Business Would Be Left In My Hands--I Hoped To Take Out

Some Money From Various Investments,  And Share It With Lord Garvington.

We Never Meant That Pine Should Be Killed,  But Only Reduced To Weakness

So That We Might Force Him To Give Us Both Money."

 

"A Very Ingenious Plot," Said Lambert Grimly And Wondering How Much Of

The Story Was True. "And Then?"

 

"Then Lord Garvington Wrote The Letter,  And When Seeing Pine,  I Gave It

To Him Saying That While Keeping Watch On His Wife--As He Asked Me To,"

Said Silver With An Emphasis Which Made Lambert Wince,  "I Had

Intercepted The Letter. Pine Was Furious,  As I Knew He Would Be,  And

Said That He Would Come To The Blue Door At The Appointed Time To

Prevent The Supposed Elopement. I Told