Red Money by Fergus Hume (read dune .txt) 📕

Under The Large Window Of The Studio. This Was

Slightly Open,  And The Girl Could Hear Every Word That Was Spoken,  While

So Swiftly And Cleverly Had She Gained Her Point Of Vantage,  That Those

Within Never For One Moment Suspected Her Presence. If They Had,  They

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Would Assuredly Have Kept Better Guard Over Their Tongues,  For The

Conversation Was Of The Most Private Nature,  And Did Not Tend To Soothe

The Eavesdropper's Jealousy.

 

Lambert Was So Absorbed In His Painting--He Was Working At The

Esmeralda-Quasimodo Picture--That He Scarcely Heard The Studio Door

Open,  And It Was Only When Mrs. Tribb's Shrill Voice Announced The Name

Of His Visitor,  That He Woke To The Surprising Fact That The Woman He

Loved Was Within A Few Feet Of Him. The Blood Rushed To His Face,  And

Then Retired To Leave Him Deadly Pale,  But Agnes Was More Composed,  And

Did Not Let Her Heart's Tides Mount To High-Water Mark. On Seeing Her

Self-Possession,  The Man Became Ashamed That He Had Lost His Own,  And

Strove To Conceal His Momentary Lapse Into A Natural Emotion,  By Pushing

Forward An Arm-Chair.

 

"This Is A Surprise,  Agnes," He Said In A Voice Which He Strove Vainly

To Render Steady. "Won't You Sit Down?"

 

"Thank You," And She Took Her Seat Like A Queen On Her Throne,  Looking

Fair And Gracious As Any White Lily. What With Her White Dress,  White

Gloves And Shoes,  And Straw Hat Tied Under Her Chin With A Broad White

Ribbon In Old Georgian Fashion,  She Looked Wonderfully Cool,  And Pure,

And--As Lambert Inwardly Observed--Holy. Her Face Was As Faintly Tinted

With Color As Is A Tea-Rose,  And Her Calm,  Brown Eyes,  Under Her Smooth

Brown Hair,  Added To The Suggestive Stillness Of Her Looks. She Seemed

In Her Placidity To Be Far Removed From Any Earthly Emotion,  And

Resembled A Picture Of The Madonna,  Serene,  Peaceful,  And Somewhat Sad.

Yet Who Could Tell What Anguished Feelings Were Masked By Her Womanly

Pride?

 

"I Hope You Do Not Find The Weather Too Warm For Walking," Said Lambert,

Reining In His Emotions With An Iron Hand,  And Speaking Conventionally.

 

"Not At All. I Enjoyed The Walk. I Am Staying At The Manor."

 

"So I Understand."

 

"And You Are Staying Here?"

 

"There Can Be No Doubt On That Point."

 

"Do You Think You Are Acting Wisely?" She Asked With Great Calmness.

 

"I Might Put The Same Question To You,  Agnes,  Seeing That You Have Come

To Live Within Three Miles Of My Hermitage."

 

"It Is Because You Are Living In What You Call Your Hermitage That I

Have Come," Rejoined Agnes,  With A Slight Color Deepening Her Cheeks.

"Is It Fair To Me That You Should Shut Yourself Up And Play The Part Of

The Disappointed Lover?"

 

Lambert,  Who Had Been Touching Up His Picture Here And There,  Laid Down

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His Palette And Brushes With Ostentatious Care,  And Faced Her Doggedly.

"I Don't Understand What You Mean," He Declared.

 

"Oh,  I Think You Do; And In The Hope That I May Induce You,  In Justice

To Me,  To Change Your Conduct,  I Have Come Over."

 

"I Don't Think You Should Have Come," He Observed In A Low Voice,  And

Threw Himself On The Couch With Averted Eyes.

 

Lady Agnes Colored Again. "You Are Talking Nonsense," She Said With Some

Sharpness. "There Is No Harm In My Coming To See My Cousin."

 

"We Were More Than Cousins Once."

 

"Exactly,  And Unfortunately People Know That. But You Needn't Make

Matters Worse By So Pointedly Keeping Away From Me."

 

Lambert Looked Up Quickly. "Do You Wish Me To See You Often?" He Asked,

And There Was A New Note In His Voice Which Irritated Her.

 

"Personally I Don't,  But--"

 

"But What?" He Rose And Stood Up,  Very Tall And Very Straight,  Looking

Down On Her With A Hungry Look In His Blue Eyes.

 

"People Are Talking," Murmured The Lady,  And Stared At The Floor,

Because She Could Not Face That Same Look.

 

"Let Them Talk. What Does It Matter?"

 

"Nothing To You,  Perhaps,  But To Me A Great Deal. I Have A Husband."

 

"As I Know To My Cost," He Interpolated.

 

"Then Don't Let Me Know It To _My_ Cost," She Said Pointedly. "Sit Down

And Let Us Talk Common Sense."

 

Lambert Did Not Obey At Once. "I Am Only A Human Being,  Agnes--"

 

"Quite So,  And A Man At That. Act Like A Man,  Then,  And Don't Place The

Burden On A Woman's Shoulders."

 

"What Burden?"

 

"Oh,  Noel,  Can't You Understand?"

 

"I Daresay I Can If You Will Explain. I Wish You Hadn't Come Here

To-Day. I Have Enough To Bear Without That."

 

"And Have I Nothing To Bear?" She Demanded,  A Flash Of Passion Ruffling

Her Enforced Calm. "Do You Think That Anything But The Direst Need

Brought Me Here?"

 

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"I Don't Know What Brought You Here. I Am Waiting For An Explanation."

 

"What Is The Use Of Explaining What You Already Know?"

 

"I Know Nothing," He Repeated Doggedly. "Explain."

 

"Well," Said Lady Agnes With Some Bitterness,  "It Seems To Me That An

Explanation Is Really Necessary,  As Apparently I Am Talking To A Child

Instead Of A Man. Sit Down And Listen."

 

This Time Lambert Obeyed,  And Laughed As He Did So. "Your Taunts Don't

Hurt Me In The Least," He Observed. "I Love You Too Much."

 

"And I Love In Return. No! Don't Rise Again. I Did Not Come Here To

Revive The Embers Of Our Dead Passion."

 

"Embers!" Cried Lambert With Bitter Scorn. "Embers,  Indeed! And A Dead

Passion; How Well You Put It. So Far As I Am Concerned,  Agnes,  The

Passion Is Not Dead And Never Will Be."

 

"I Am Aware Of That,  And So I Have Come To Appeal To That Passion. Love

Means Sacrifice. I Want You To Understand That."

 

"I Do,  By Experience. Did I Not Surrender You For The Sake Of The Family

Name? Understand! I Should Think I Did Understand."

 

"I--Think--Not," Said Lady Agnes Slowly And Gently. "It Is Necessary To

Revive Your Recollections. We Loved One Another Since We Were Boy And

Girl,  And We Intended,  As You Know,  To Marry. There Was No Regular

Engagement Between Us,  But It Was An Understood Family Arrangement. My

Father Always Approved Of It; My Brother Did Not."

 

"No. Because He Saw In You An Article Of Sale Out Of Which He Hoped To

Make Money," Sneered Lambert,  Nursing His Ankle.

 

Lady Agnes Winced. "Don't Make It Too Hard For Me," She Said

Plaintively. "My Life Is Uncomfortable Enough As It Is. Remember That

When My Father Died We Were Nearly Ruined. Only By The Greatest

Cleverness Did Garvington Manage To Keep Interest On The Mortgages Paid

Up,  Hoping That He Would Marry A Rich Wife--An American For Choice--And

So Could Put Things Straight. But He Married Jane,  As You Know--"

 

"Because He Is A Glutton,  And She Knows All About Cooking."

 

"Well,  Gluttony May Be As Powerful A Vice As Drinking And Gambling,  And

All The Rest Of It. It Is With Garvington,  Although I Daresay That

Seeing The Position He Was In,  People Would Laugh To Think He Should

Marry A Poor Woman,  When He Needed A Rich Wife. But At That Time Hubert

Wanted To Marry Me,  And Garvington Got His Cook-Wife,  While I Was

Sacrificed."

 

"Seeing That I Loved You And You Loved Me,  I Wonder--"

 

"Yes,  I Know You Wondered,  But You Finally Accepted My Explanation That

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I Did It To Save The Family Name."

 

"I Did,  And,  Much As I Hated Your Sacrifice,  It Was Necessary."

 

"More Necessary Than You Think," Said Lady Agnes,  Sinking Her Voice To

A Whisper And Glancing Round,  "In A Moment Of Madness Garvington Altered

A Check Which Hubert Gave Him,  And Was In Danger Of Arrest. Hubert

Declared That He Would Give Up The Check If I Married Him. I Did So,  To

Save My Brother And The Family Name."

 

"Oh,  Agnes!" Lambert Jumped Up. "I Never Knew This."

 

"It Was Not Necessary To Tell You. I Made The Excuse Of Saving The

Family Name And Property Generally. You Thought It Was Merely The

Bankruptcy Court,  But I Knew That It Meant The Criminal Court. However,

I Married Hubert,  And He Put The Check In The Fire In My Presence And In

Garvington's. He Has Also Fulfilled His Share Of The Bargain Which He

Made When He Bought Me,  And Has Paid Off A Great Many Of The Mortgages.

However,  Garvington Became Too Outrageous In His Demands,  And Lately

Hubert Has Refused To Help Him Any More. I Don't Blame Him; He Has Paid

Enough For Me."

 

"You Are Worth It," Said Lambert Emphatically.

 

"Well,  You May Think So,  And Perhaps He Does Also. But Does It Not

Strike You,  Noel,  What A Poor Figure I And Garvington,  And The Whole

Family,  Yourself Included,  Cut In The Eyes Of The World? We Were Poor,

And I Was Sold To Get Money To Save The Land."

 

"Yes,  But This Changing Of The Check Also--"

 

"The World Doesn't Know Of That," Said Agnes Hurriedly. "Hubert Has Been

Very Loyal To Me. I Must Be Loyal To Him."

 

"You Are. Who Dares To Say That You Are Not?"

 

"No One--As Yet," She Replied Pointedly.

 

"What Do You Mean By That?" He Demanded,  Flushing Through His Fair Skin.

 

"I Mean That If You Met Me In The Ordinary Way,  And Behaved To Me As An

Ordinary Man,  People Would Not Talk. But You Shun My Society,  And Even

When I Am At The Manor,  You Do Not Come Near Because Of My Presence."

 

"It Is So Hard To Be Near You And