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

Into His Heart."

 

Chaldea's Eyes Flashed,  And She Made A Hasty Sign To Attract The Happy

Omen Of His Saying To Herself. "Kushto Bak," Cried Chaldea,  Using The

Gypsy For Good Luck. "And To Me,  To Me," She Clapped Her Hand. "Hark,  My

Golden Rye,  And Watch Me Dance Your Love Into My Life."

 

The Wind Was Rising And Sighed Through The Wood,  Shaking Myriad Leaves

From The Trees. Blending With Its Faint Cry Came A Long,  Sweet,

Sustained Note Of Music. Lambert Started,  So Weird And Unexpected Was

The Sound. "Kara,  Isn't It?" He Asked,  Looking Inquiringly At Chaldea.

 

"He Talks To The Night--He Speaks With The Wind. Oh-Ah-Ah-Ah.

Ah-Oha-Oha-Oha-Ho," Sang The Gypsy,  Clapping Her Hands Softly,  Then,

As The Music Came Breathing From The Hidden Violin In Dreamy Sensuous

Tones,  She Raised Her Bare Arms And Began To Dance. The Place,  The

Dancer,  The Hour,  The Mysterious Music,  And The Pale Enchantments Of

The Moon--It Was Like Fairyland.

 

Lambert Soon Let His Cigar Go Out,  So Absorbed Did He Become In Watching

The Dance. It Was A Wonderful Performance,  Sensuous And Weirdly Unusual.

He Had Never Seen A Dance Exactly Like It Before. The Violin Notes

Sounded Like Actual Words,  And The Dancer Answered Them With Responsive

Movements Of Her Limbs,  So That Without Speech The Onlooker Saw A

Love-Drama Enacted Before His Eyes. Chaldea--So He Interpreted The

Dance--Swayed Gracefully From The Hips,  Without Moving Her Feet,  In The

Style Of A Nautch Girl. She Was Waiting For Some One,  Since To Right And

Left She Swung With A Delicate Hand Curved Behind Her Ear. Suddenly She

Started,  As If She Heard An Approaching Footstep,  And In Maidenly

Confusion Glided To A Distance,  Where She Stood With Her Hands Across

Her Bosom,  The Very Picture Of A Surprised Nymph. Mentally,  The Dance

Translated Itself To Lambert Somewhat After This Fashion:

 

"She Waits For Her Lover. That Little Run Forward Means That She Sees

Him Coming. She Falls At His Feet; She Kisses Them. He Raises Her--I

Suppose That Panther Spring From The Ground Means That He Raises Her.

She Caresses Him With Much Fondling And Many Kisses. By Jove,  What

Pantomime! Now She Dances To Please Him. She Stops And Trembles; The

Dance Does Not Satisfy. She Tries Another. No! No! Not That! It Is Too

Dreamy--The Lover Is In A Martial Mood. This Time She Strikes His Fancy.

Kara Is Playing A Wild Hungarian Polonaise. Wonderful! Wonderful!"

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He Might Well Say So,  And He Struggled To His Feet,  Leaning Against The

Pillar Of Stone To See The Dancer Better. From The Wood Came The Fierce

And Stirring Slav Music,  And Chaldea's Whole Expressive Body Answered To

Every Note As A Needle Does To A Magnet. She Leaped,  Clicking Her Heels

Together,  Advanced,  As If On The Foe,  With A Bound--Was Flung Back--So

It Seemed--And Again Sprang To The Assault. She Stiffened To Stubborn

Resistance--She Unexpectedly Became Pliant And Yielding And Graceful,

And Voluptuous,  While The Music Took On The Dreamy Tones Of Love. And

Lambert Translated The Change After His Own Idea:

 

"The Music Does Not Please The Dancer--It Is Too Martial. She Fears Lest

Her Lover Should Rush Off To The Wars,  And Seeks To Detain Him By The

Dance Of Venus. But He Will Go. He Rises; He Speeds Away; She Breaks Off

The Dance. Ah! What A Cry Of Despair The Violin Gave Just Now. She

Follows,  Stretching Out Her Empty Arms. But It Is Useless--He Is Gone.

Bah! She Snaps Her Fingers. What Does She Care! She Will Dance To Please

Herself,  And To Show That Her Heart Is Yet Whole. What A Bacchanalian

Strain. She Whirls And Springs And Swoops And Leaps. She Comes Near To

Me,  Whirling Like A Dervish; She Recedes,  And Then Comes Spinning Round

Again,  Like A Mad Creature. And Then--Oh,  Hang It! What Do You Mean?

Chaldea,  What Are You Doing?"

 

Lambert Had Some Excuse For Suddenly Bursting Into Speech,  When He Cried

Out Vigorously: "Oh,  Hang It!" For Chaldea Whirled Right Up To Him And

Had Laid Her Arms Round His Neck,  And Her Lips Against His Cheek. The

Music Stopped Abruptly,  With A Kind Of Angry Snarl,  As If Kara,  Furious

At The Sight,  Had Put His Wrath Into The Last Broken Note. Then All Was

Silent,  And The Artist Found Himself Imprisoned In The Arms Of The

Woman,  Which Were Locked Round His Neck. With An Oath He Unlinked Her

Fingers And Flung Her Away From Him Fiercely.

 

"You Fool--You Utter Fool!" Cried Lambert,  Striving To Calm Down The

Beating Of His Heart,  And Restrain The Racing Of His Blood,  For He Was

A Man,  And The Sudden Action Of The Gypsy Had Nearly Swept Away His

Self-Restraint.

 

"I Love You--I Love You," Panted Chaldea From The Grass,  Where He Had

Thrown Her. "Oh,  My Beautiful One,  I Love You."

 

"You Are Crazy," Retorted Lambert,  Quivering With Many Emotions To Which

He Could Scarcely Put A Name,  So Shaken Was He By The Experience. "What

The Devil Do You Mean By Behaving In This Way?" And His Voice Rose In

Such A Gust Of Anger That Kara,  Hidden In The Wood,  Rejoiced. He Could

Not Understand What Was Being Said,  But The Tone Of The Voice Was Enough

For Him. He Did Not Know Whether Chaldea Was Cheating The Gentile,  Or

Cheating Him; But He Gathered That In Either Case,  She Had Been

Repulsed. The Girl Knew That Also,  When Her Ardent Eyes Swept Across

Lambert's White Face,  And She Burst Into Tears Of Anger And

Disappointment.

 

"Oh,  Rye,  I Give You All,  And You Take Nothing," She Wailed Tearfully.

 

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"I Don't Want Anything. You Silly Girl,  Do You Think That For One Moment

I Was Ever In Love With You?"

 

"I--I--Want You--To--To--Love Me," Sobbed Chaldea,  Grovelling On The

Grass.

 

"Then You Want An Impossibility," And To Lambert's Mind's Eye There

Appeared The Vision Of A Calm And Beautiful Face,  Far Removed In Its

Pure Looks From The Flushed Beauty Of The Fiery Gypsy. To Gain Control

Of Himself,  He Took Out A Cigar And Lighted It. But His Hand Trembled.

"You Little Fool," He Muttered,  And Sauntered,  Purposely,  Slowly Toward

The Cottage.

 

Chaldea Gathered Herself Up With The Spring Of A Tigress,  And In A

Moment Was At His Elbow With Her Face Black With Rage. Her Tears Had

Vanished And With Them Went Her Softer Mood. "You--You Reject Me," She

Said In Grating Tones,  And Shaking From Head To Foot As She Gripped His

Shoulder.

 

"Take Away Your Hand," Commanded Lambert Sharply,  And When She Recoiled

A Pace He Faced Her Squarely. "You Must Have Been Drinking," He

Declared,  Hoping To Insult Her Into Common Sense. "What Would Kara Say

If--"

 

"I Don't Want Kara. I Want You," Interrupted Chaldea,  Her Breast

Heaving,  And Looking Sullenly Wrathful.

 

"Then You Can't Have Me. Why Should You Think Of Me In This Silly Way?

We Were Very Good Friends,  And Now You Have Spoiled Everything. I Can

Never Have You To Sit For Me Again."

 

Chaldea's Lip Drooped. "Never Again? Never Again?"

 

"No. It Is Impossible,  Since You Have Chosen To Act In This Way. Come,

You Silly Girl,  Be Sensible,  And--"

 

"Silly Girl! Oh,  Yes,  Silly Girl," Flashed Out Chaldea. "And What Is

She?"

 

"She?" Lambert Stiffened Himself. "What Do You Mean?"

 

"I Mean The Gentile Lady. I Was Under The Window This Afternoon. I Heard

All You Were Talking About."

 

The Man Stepped Back A Pace And Clenched His Hands. "You--Listened?" He

Asked Slowly,  And With A Very White Face.

 

Chaldea Nodded With A Triumphant Smile.

 

"Avali! And Why Not? You Have No Right To Love Another Man's Romi."

 

"I Do Not Love Her," Began Lambert,  And Then Checked Himself,  As He

Really Could Not Discuss So Delicate A Matter With This Wildcat. "Why

Chapter 6 (The Woman And The Man) Pg 57

Did You Listen,  May I Ask?" He Demanded,  Passing His Tongue Over His Dry

Lips.

 

"Because I Love You,  And Love Is Jealous."

 

Lambert Restrained Himself By A Violent Effort From Shaking Her. "You

Are Talking Nonsense," He Declared With Enforced Calmness. "And It Is

Ridiculous For You To Love A Man Who Does Not Care In The Least For

You."

 

"It Will Come--I Can Wait," Insisted Chaldea Sullenly.

 

"If You Wait Until Doomsday It Will Make No Difference. I Don't Love

You,  And I Have Never Given You Any Reason To Think So."

 

"Chee-Chee!" Bantered The Girl. "Is That Because I Am Not A Raclan?"

 

"A Raclan?"

 

"A Married Gentile Lady,  That Is. You Love Her?"

 

"I--I--See,  Here,  Chaldea,  I Am Not Going To Talk Over Such Things With

You,  As My Affairs Are Not Your Business."

 

"They Are The Business Of The Gorgious Female's Rom."

 

"Rom? Her Husband,  You Mean. What Do You Know Of--"

 

"I Know That The Gentle Pine Is Really One Of Us," Interrupted The Girl

Quickly. "Ishmael Hearne Is His Name."

 

"Sir Hubert Pine?"

 

"Ishmael Hearne," Insisted Chaldea Pertly. "He Comes To The Fire Of The

Gentle Romany When He Wearies Of Your Gorgious Flesh-Pots."

 

"Pine A Gypsy," Muttered Lambert,  And The Memory Of That Dark,  Lean,

Eastern Face Impressed Him With The Belief That What The Girl Said Was

True.

 

"Avali. A True Son Of The Road. He Is Here."

 

"Here?" Lambert Started Violently. "What Do You Mean?"

 

"I Say What I Mean,  Rye. He You Call Pine Is In Our Camp Enjoying The

Old Life. Shall I Bring Him To You?" She Inquired Demurely.

 

In A Flash Lambert Saw His Danger,  And The Danger Of Agnes,  Seeing That

The Millionaire Was As Jealous As Othello. However,  It Seemed To Him

That Honesty Was The Best Policy At The Moment. "I Shall See Him Myself

Later," He Declared After A Pause. "If You Listened,  You Must Know That

There Is No Reason Why I Should Not See Him. His Wife Is My Cousin,  And

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