Red Money, Fergus Hume [10 ebook reader .txt] 📗

Yet,  Owing To Your Marriage,  So Far

From You," Muttered The Man Savagely.

 

"If It Is Hard For You,  Think How Hard It Must Be For Me," Said The

Woman Vehemently,  Her Passion Coming To The Surface. "People Talk Of The

Way In Which You Avoid Me,  And Hint That We Love One Another Still."

 

"It Is True! Agnes,  You Know It Is True!"

 

"Need The Whole World Know That It Is True?" Cried Agnes,  Rising,  With

Chapter 5 (The Woman And The Man) Pg 47

A Gust Of Anger Passing Over Her Face. "If You Would Only Come To The

Manor,  And Meet Me In London,  And Accept Hubert's Invitations To Dinner,

People Would Think That Our Attachment Was Only A Boy And Girl

Engagement,  That We Had Outgrown. They Would Even Give Me Credit For

Loving Hubert--"

 

"But You Don't?" Cried Lambert With A Jealous Pang.

 

"Yes,  I Do. He Is My Chosen Husband,  And Has Carried Out His Part Of The

Bargain By Freeing Many Of Garvington's Estates. Surely The Man Ought To

Have Something For His Money. I Don't Love Him As A Wife Should Love Her

Husband,  Not With Heart-Whole Devotion,  That Is. But I Give Him Loyalty,

And I Respect Him,  And I Try To Make Him Happy In Every Way. I Do My

Part,  Noel,  As You Do Yours. Since I Have Been Compelled To Sacrifice

Love For Money,  At Least Let Us Be True To The Sacrifice."

 

"You Didn't Sacrifice Yourself Wholly For Money."

 

"No,  I Did Not. It Was Because Of Garvington's Crime. But No One Knows

Of That,  And No One Ever Shall Know. In Fact,  So Happy Am I And

Hubert--"

 

"Happy?" Said Lambert Wincing.

 

"Yes," She Declared Firmly. "He Thinks So,  And Whatever Unhappiness I

May Feel,  I Conceal From Him. But You Must Come To The Manor,  And Meet

Me Here,  There,  And Everywhere,  So That People Shall Not Say,  As They

Are Doing,  That You Are Dying Of Love,  And That,  Because I Am A Greedy

Fortune-Hunter,  I Ruined Your Life."

 

"They Do Not Dare. I Have Not Heard Any--"

 

"What Can You Hear In This Jungle?" Interrupted Lady Agnes With Scorn.

"You Stop Your Ears With Cotton Wool,  But I Am In The World,  Hearing

Everything. And The More Unpleasant The Thing Is,  The More Readily Do

I Hear It. You Can End This Trouble By Coming Out Of Your Lovesick

Retirement,  And By Showing That You No Longer Care For Me."

 

"That Would Be Acting A Lie."

 

"And Do I Not Act A Lie?" She Cried Fiercely. "Is Not My Whole Marriage

A Lie? I Despise Myself For My Weakness In Yielding,  And Yet,  God Help

Me,  What Else Could I Do When Garvington's Fair Fame Was In Question?

Think Of The Disgrace,  Had He Been Prosecuted By Hubert. And Hubert

Knows That You And I Loved; That I Could Not Give Him The Love He

Desired. He Was Content To Accept Me On Those Terms. I Don't Say He Was

Right; But Am I Right,  Are You Right,  Is Garvington Right? Is Any One Of

Us Right? Not One,  Not One. The Whole Thing Is Horrible,  But I Make The

Best Of It,  Since I Did What I Did Do,  Openly And For A Serious Purpose

Of Which The World Knows Nothing. Do Your Part,  Noel,  And Come To The

Chapter 5 (The Woman And The Man) Pg 48

Manor,  If Only To Show That You No Longer Care For Me. You

Understand"--She Clasped Her Hands In Agony. "You Surely Understand."

 

"Yes," Said Lambert In A Low Voice,  And Suddenly Looked Years Older. "I

Understand At Last,  Agnes. You Shall No Longer Bear The Burden Alone. I

Shall Be A Loyal Friend To You,  My Dear," And He Took Her Hand.

 

"Will You Be A Loyal Friend To My Husband?" She Asked,  Withdrawing It.

 

"Yes," Said Lambert,  And He Bit His Lip. "God Helping Me,  I Will."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6 (The Woman And The Man) Pg 49

The Interview Between Lady Agnes And Lambert Could Scarcely Be Called A

Love-Scene,  Since It Was Dominated By A Stern Sense Of Duty. Chaldea,

Lying At Length Amongst The Crushed And Fragrant Flowers,  Herself In Her

Parti-Colored Attire Scarcely Distinguishable From The Rainbow Blossoms,

Was Puzzled By The Way In Which The Two Reined In Their Obvious

Passions. To Her Simple,  Barbaric Nature,  The Situation Appeared

Impossible. If He Loved Her And She Loved Him,  Why Did They Not Run Away

To Enjoy Life Together? The Husband Who Had Paid Money For The Wife Did

Not Count,  Nor Did The Brother,  Who Had Sold His Sister To Hide His

Criminal Folly. That Lady Agnes Should Have Traded Herself To Save

Garvington From A Well-Deserved Punishment,  Seemed Inexcusable To The

Gypsy. If He Had Been The Man She Loved,  Then Indeed Might She Have

Acted Rightly. But Having Thrown Over That Very Man In This Silly

Fashion,  For The Sake Of What Did Not Appear To Be Worth The Sacrifice,

Chaldea Felt That Agnes Did Not Deserve Lambert,  And She Then And There

Determined That The Gentile Lady Should Never Possess Him.

 

Of Course,  On The Face Of It,  There Was No Question Of Possession. The

Man Being Weaker Than The Woman Would Have Been Only Too Glad To Elope,

And Thus Cut The Gordian Knot Of The Unhappy Situation. But The Woman,

Having Acted From A High Sense Of Duty,  Which Chaldea Could Not Rise To,

Evidently Was Determined To Continue To Be A Martyr. The Question Was,

Could She Keep Up That Pose In The Face Of The Undeniable Fact That She

Loved Her Cousin? The Listening Girl Thought Not. Sooner Or Later The

Artificial Barrier Would Be Broken Through By The Held-Back Flood Of

Passion,  And Then Lady Agnes Would Run Away From The Man Who Had Bought

Her. And Quite Right,  Too,  Thought Chaldea,  Although She Had No Notion

Of Permitting Such An Elopement To Take Place. That Agnes Would Hold To

Her Bargain All Her Life,  Because Hubert Had Fulfilled His Part,  Never

Occurred To The Girl. She Was Not Civilized Enough To Understand This

Chapter 6 (The Woman And The Man) Pg 50

Problem Of A Highly Refined Nature.

 

Since The Situation Was So Difficult,  Lambert Was Glad To See The Back

Of His Cousin. He Escorted Her To The Door,  But Did Not Attend Her

Through The Wood. In Fact,  They Parted Rather Abruptly,  Which Was Wise.

All Had Been Said That Could Be Said,  And Lambert Had Given His Promise

To Share The Burden With Agnes By Acting The Part Of A Lover Who Had

Never Really Been Serious. But It Did Not Do To Discuss Details,  As

These Were Too Painful,  So The Woman Hurried Away Without A Backward

Glance,  And Lambert,  Holding His Heart Between His Teeth,  Returned To

The Studio. Neither One Of The Two Noticed Chaldea Crouching Amongst The

Flowers. Had They Been Less Pre-Occupied,  They Might Have Done So; As It

Was She Escaped Observation.

 

As Soon As The Coast Was Clear,  Chaldea Stole Like A Snake Along The

Ground,  Through The High Herbage Of The Garden,  And Beyond The Circle Of

The Mysterious Monoliths. Even Across The Lawns Of The Glade Did She

Crawl,  So As Not To Be Seen,  Although She Need Not Have Taken All This

Trouble,  Since Lambert,  With A Set Face And A Trembling Hand,  Was

Working Furiously At A Minor Picture He Utilized To Get Rid Of Such

Moods. But The Gypsy Did Not Know This,  And So Writhed Into The Woods

Like The Snake Of Eden--And Of That Same She Was A Very Fair

Sample--Until,  Hidden By The Boles Of Ancient Trees,  She Could Stand

Upright. When She Did So,  She Drew A Long Breath,  And Wondered What Was

Best To Be Done.

 

The Most Obvious Course Was To Seek Ishmael And Make A Lying Report Of

The Conversation. That His Wife Should Have Been With Lambert Would Be

Quite Enough To Awaken The Civilized Gypsy's Jealousy,  For After All His

Civilization Was But Skin Deep. Still,  If She Did This,  Chaldea Was

Clever Enough To See That She Would Precipitate A Catastrophe,  And

Either Throw Agnes Into Lambert's Arms,  Or Make The Man Run The Risk Of

Getting Pine's Knife Tickling His Fifth Rib. Either Result Did Not

Appeal To Her. She Wished To Get Lambert To Herself,  And His Safety Was

Of Vital Importance To Her. After Some Consideration,  She Determined

That She Would Boldly Face The Lover,  And Confess That She Had Overheard

Everything. Then She Would Have Him In Her Power,  Since To Save The

Wife From The Vengeance Of The Husband,  Although There Was No Reason For

Such Vengeance,  He Would Do Anything To Keep The Matter Of The Visit

Quiet. Of Course The Interview Had Been Innocent,  And Chaldea Knew That

Such Was The Case. Nevertheless,  By A Little Dexterous Lying,  And Some

Vivid Word-Painting,  She Could Make Things Extremely Unpleasant For The

Couple. This Being So,  Lambert Would Have To Subscribe To Her Terms. And

These Were,  That He Should Leave Agnes And Marry Her. That There Was

Such A Difference In Their Rank Mattered Nothing To The Girl. Love

Levelled All Ranks,  In Her Opinion.

 

But While Arranging What She Should Do,  If Lambert Proved Obstinate,

Chaldea Also Arranged To Fascinate Him,  If Possible,  Into Loving Her.

She Did Not Wish To Use Her Power Of Knowledge Until Her Power Of

Fascination Failed. And This For Two Reasons. In The First Place,  It Was

Not Her Desire To Drive The Man Into A Corner Lest He Should Defy Her

And Fight,  Which Would Mean--To Her Limited Comprehension--That