by Fergus Hume
CHAPTER XVI.
THE LAST STRAW.
Lady Agnes was inaccurate when she informed Miss Greeby that her cousinhad taken a house in Kensington, since, like many women, she wasaccustomed to speak in general terms, rather than in a precise way. Theyoung man certainly did live in the suburb she mentioned, but he hadsimply rented a furnished flat in one of the cheaper streets. He was thepoorest of all the Lamberts, and could scarcely pay his clubsubscriptions, much less live in the style his ancient name demanded.The St. James's chambers had merely been lent to him by a friend, andwhen the owner returned, the temporary occupant had to shift. Therefore,on the score of economy, he hired the dingy flat and brought up Mrs.Tribb to look after it. The little woman, on her master's account, wasdisgusted with the mean surroundings.
"When you ought to be living in a kind of Buckingham Palace, MasterNoel, as I should declare with my dying breath," she said indignantly."And have the title, too, if things was as they ought to be."
"I shouldn't be much better off if I did have the title, Mrs. Tribb,"replied Lambert with a shrug. "It's common knowledge that Garvington canscarcely keep his head above water. As an old family servant you shouldknow."
"Ah, Master Noel, there's many things as I know, as I'm sorry I doknow," said Mrs. Tribb incoherently. "And them lords as is dead andburied did waste the money, there's no denying. But some of yourcousins, Master Noel, have gone into trade and made money, more shame tothem."
"I don't see that, Mrs. Tribb. I'd go into trade myself if I had anyhead for figures. There's no disgrace in trade."
"Not for them as isn't Lamberts, Master Noel, and far be it from me tosay so, gentry not being so rich as they used to be when my mother was agal. I don't hold with it though for you, sir. But now Lady Agnes havingmillions and billions will make things easier for you."
"Certainly not, Mrs. Tribb. How could I take money from her?"
"And why not, Master Noel? if you'll excuse my making so free. As achild she'd give you anything in the way of toys, and as a grown-up, herhead is yours if not her heart, as is--"
"There! there! Don't talk any more," said Lambert, coloring and vexed.
"I haven't annoyed you, sir, I hope. It's my heart as speaks."
"I appreciate the interest you take in the family, Mrs. Tribb, but youhad better leave some things unsaid. Now, go and prepare tea, as LadyAgnes has written saying she will be here this afternoon."
"Oh, Master Noel, and you only tell me now. Then there ain't time tocook them cakes she dotes on."
But Lambert declined to argue further, and Mrs. Tribb withdrew,murmuring that she would have to make shift with sardine sandwiches. Hertongue was assuredly something of a nuisance, but the young man knew howdevoted she was to the family, and, since she had looked after him whenhe was a child, he sanctioned in her a freedom he would not havepermitted any one else to indulge in. And it is to be feared, that thelittle woman in her zeal sometimes abused her privileges.
The sitting room was small and cramped, and atrociously furnished in anovercrowded way. There were patterns on the wall-paper, on the carpet,on the tablecloth and curtains, until the eye ached for a clean surfacewithout a design. And there were so many ill-matched colors, misused fordecorative purposes, that Lambert shuddered to the core of his artisticsoul when he beheld them. To neutralize the glaring tints, he pulleddown the blinds of the two windows which looked on to a dull suburbanroadway, and thus shut out the weak sunshine. Then he threw himself intoan uncomfortable arm-chair and sought solace in his briar root. Thefuture was dark, the present was disagreeable, and the past would notbear thinking about, so intimately did it deal with the murder of Pine,the threats of Silver, and the misery occasioned by the sacrifice ofAgnes to the family fetish. It was in the young man's mind to leaveEngland forthwith and begin a new life, unhampered by former troublesand present grievances. But Agnes required help and could not be left tostruggle unaided, so Lambert silently vowed again, as he had vowedbefore, to stand by her to the end. Yet so far he was unable to see whatthe end would be.
While he thus contemplated the unpleasantness of life he became awarethat the front door bell was ringing, and he heard Mrs. Tribb hurryingalong the passage. So thin were the walls, and so near the door that heheard also the housekeeper's effusive welcome, which was cut short by agasp of surprise. Lambert idly wondered what caused the little woman'sastonishment, but speedily learned when Agnes appeared in the room. Withrare discretion Mrs. Tribb ushered in the visitor and then fled to thekitchen to wonder why the widow had discarded her mourning. "And himonly planted six months, as you might say," murmured the puzzled woman."Whatever will Master Noel say to such goings on?"
Master Noel said nothing, because he was too astonished to speak, andAgnes, seeing his surprise, and guessing its cause, waited, somewhatdefiantly, for him to make an observation. She was dressed in a graysilk frock, with a hat and gloves, and shoes to match, and drew off afur-lined cloak of maroon-colored velvet, when she entered the room. Herface was somewhat pale and her eyes looked unnaturally large, but shehad a resolute expression about her mouth, which showed that she hadmade up her mind. Lambert, swift, from long association, to read hermoods, wondered what conclusion she had arrived at, and proceeded toinquire.
"Whatever is the meaning of this?" he demanded, considerably startled.
"This dress?"
"Of course. Where is your widow's cap and--"
"In the fire, and there they can remain until they are burned to ashes."
Lambert stared harder than ever. "What does it mean?" he asked again.
"It means," said Agnes, replying very directly, "that the victim is nolonger decked out for the sacrifice. It means, that as Hubert insultedme by his will, I no longer intend to consider his memory."
"But, Agnes, you respected him. You always said that you did?"
"Quite so, until his will was read. Then when I found that his meanjealousy--which was entirely unreasonable--had arranged to rob me of myincome by preventing my marriage with you, I ceased to have any regardfor him. Hubert knew that I loved you, and was content to take me onthose terms so long as I was loyal to him. I _was_ loyal, and did whatI could to show him gratitude for the way in which he helped the family.Now his will has broken the bargain I respect him no longer, and forthat reason I refuse to pose any longer as a grieving widow."
"I wonder, with these thoughts, that you posed at all," said Lambertgloomily, and pushed forward a chair.
"I could not make up my mind until lately what to do," explained Agnes,sitting down gracefully, "and while I accepted his money it appeared tome that I ought to show his memory the outward respect of crape and allthe rest of it. Now," she leaned forward and spoke meaningly, "I amresolved to surrender the money. That breaks the link between us. Thewill! the will!" she tapped an impatient foot on the carpet. "How couldyou expect any woman to put up with such an insult?"
Lambert dropped on the sofa and looked at her hard. "What's up?" heasked anxiously. "I never saw you like this before."
"I was not free when you last saw me," she replied dryly.
"Oh, yes; you were a widow."
"I mean free, in my own mind, to marry you. I am now. I don't intend toconsider the family or society, or Mr. Silver's threats, or anythingelse. I have shaken off my fetters; I have discarded my ring." Sheviolently pulled off her glove to show that the circle of gold wasabsent. "I am free, and I thank God that I am free."
"Agnes! Agnes! I can't reduce you to poverty by marrying you. It wouldnot be honorable of me."
"And would it be honorable on my part for me to keep the money of a manI despise because his will insults me?" she retorted.
"We argued all this before."
"Yes, we did, and concluded to wait until we saw how the estates couldbe freed before we came to any conclusion."
"And do you see now how the estates can be freed without using Pine'smoney, Agnes?" asked Lambert anxiously.
"No. Things are ever so much worse than I thought. G
arvington can holdout for another year, but at the end of twelve months the estates willbe sold up by the person whose name is in the sealed envelope, and hewill be reduced to some hundreds a year. The Lamberts!" she waved herarm dramatically, "are ruined, my dear; entirely ruined!"
"And for the simple reason that you wish us to place love before duty."
Agnes leaned forward and took his hand firmly. "Noel, you love me?"
"Of course I do."
"Do you love the family name better?"
"In one way I wish to save it, in another I am willing to let it gohang."
"Yes. Those were my views until three or four days ago."
"And what caused you to change your mind, dear?"
"A visit which Clara Greeby paid me."
"Oh." Lambert sat up very straight. "She hasn't been making mischief,has she?"
"Not at all. On the contrary, she has done both of us a great service."
Lambert nodded thankfully. He felt doubtful as to whether Miss Greebyreally had meant to renounce her absurd passion for himself, and it wasa relief to find that she had been acting honestly. "Has she thenlearned who killed Pine?" he asked cautiously.
Lady Agnes suddenly rose and began to pace the room, twisting her glovesand trying to control herself. Usually she was so composed that Lambertwondered at this restlessness. He wondered still more when she burstinto violent tears, and therefore hastened to draw her back to thechair. When she was seated he knelt beside her and passed his arm roundher neck, as distressed as she was. It was so unlike Agnes to break downin this way, and more unlike her to sob brokenly. "Oh, I'm afraid--I'mafraid."
"Afraid of what, darling?"
"I'm afraid to learn who killed my husband. He might have done so, andyet he only fired the first shot--"
"Agnes," Lambert rose up suddenly, "are you talking of Garvington?"
"Yes." She leaned back and dried her tears. "In spite of what he says,I am afraid he may be guilty."
Lambert's heart seemed to stand still. "You talk rubbish!" he criedangrily.
"I wish it was. Oh, how I wish it was rubbish! But I can't be sure. Ofcourse, he may have meant what he says--"
"What does he say? Tell me everything. Oh, heavens!" Lambert clutchedhis smooth hair. "What does it all mean?"
"Ruin to the Lambert family. I told you so."
"You have only told me scraps so far. I don't understand how you canarrive at the conclusion that Garvington is guilty. Agnes, don't go oncrying in so unnecessary a way. If things have to be faced, surely weare strong enough to face them. Don't let our emotions make fools of us.Stop it! Stop it!" he said sharply and stamping. "Dry your eyes andexplain matters."
"I--I can't help my feelings," faltered Agnes, beginning to respond tothe spur, and becoming calmer.
"Yes, you can. I don't offer you brandy or smelling salts, or anythingof the sort, because I know you to be a woman with a firm mind. Exertyour will, and compel your nerves to be calm. This exhibition is toocheap."
"Oh," cried Agnes indignantly, and this feeling was the one Lambertwished to arouse, "how can you talk so?"
"Because I love you and respect you," he retorted.
She knew that he meant what he said, and that her firmness of mind andself-control had always appealed to him, therefore she made a greateffort and subdued her unruly nerves. Lambert gave her no assistance,and merely walked up and down the room while waiting for her to recover.It was not easy for her to be herself immediately, as she really wasshaken, and privately considered that he expected too much. But pridecame to her aid, and she gradually became more composed. MeanwhileLambert pulled up the blind to display the ugly room in all itsdeformity, and the sight--as he guessed it would--extorted anexclamation from her.
"Oh, how can you live in this horrid place?" she asked irrelevantly.
"Necessity knows no law. Are you better?"
"Yes; I am all right. But you are brutal, Noel."
"I wouldn't have been brutal to a weaker woman," he answered. "And byacting as I have done, I show how much I think of you."
"Rather a strange way of showing approval. But your drastic methods havetriumphed. I am quite composed, and shall tell you of our disgrace in asunemotional a manner as if I were reckoning pounds, shillings andpence."
"Disgrace?" Lambert fastened on the one word anxiously. "To us?"
"To Garvington in the first place. But sit down and listen. I shalltell you everything, from the moment Clara came to see me."
Lambert nodded and resumed his seat. Agnes, with wonderful coolness,detailed Miss Greeby's visit and production of the letter. Thence shepassed on to explain how she had tricked Garvington into confession."But he did not confess," interrupted Lambert at this point.
"Not at the moment. He did yesterday in a letter to me. You see, he leftmy house immediately and slept at his club. Then he went down to TheManor and sent for Jane, who, by the way, knows nothing of what I haveexplained. Here are two letters," added Agnes, taking an envelope out ofher pocket. "One is the forged one, and the other came from Garvingtonyesterday. Even though he is not imitating my writing, you can see everynow and then the similarity. Perhaps there is a family resemblance inour caligraphy." Her cousin examined the two epistles with a ratherscared look, for there was no doubt that things looked black against thehead of the family. However, he did not read Garvington's letter, butasked Agnes to explain. "What excuse does he make for forging yourname?" asked Lambert in a business-like way, for there was no need torage over such a worm as Freddy.
"A very weak one," she replied. "So weak that I scarcely believe him tobe in earnest. Besides, Freddy always was a liar. He declares that whenhe went to see about getting the gypsies turned off the land, he caughtsight of Hubert. He did not speak to him, but learned the truth fromMr. Silver, whom he forced to speak. Then he wrote the letter and let itpurposely fall into Mr. Silver's hands, and by Mr. Silver it was passedon to Hubert. Freddy writes that he only wanted to hurt Hubert so thathe might be laid up in bed at The Manor. When he was weak--Hubert, Imean--Freddy then intended to get all the money he could out of him."
"He did not wish to kill Pine, then?"
"No. And all the evidence goes to show that he only broke Hubert's arm."
"That is true," murmured Lambert thoughtfully, "for the evidence of theother guests and of the servants showed plainly at the inquest that thesecond shot was fired outside while Garvington was indoors."
Agnes nodded. "Yes; it really seems as though Freddy for once in hislife is telling the exact truth."
Her cousin glanced at Garvington's lengthy letter of explanation. "Doyou really believe that he hoped to manage Pine during the illness?"
"Well," said Agnes reluctantly, "Freddy has tremendous faith in hispowers of persuasion. Hubert would do nothing more for him since he wassuch a cormorant for money. But if Hubert had been laid up with a brokenarm, it is just possible that he might have been worried into doing whatFreddy wanted, if only to get rid of his importunity."
"Hum! It sounds weak. Garvington certainly winged Pine, so that seems tocorroborate the statement in this letter. He's such a good shot that hecould easily have killed Pine if he wanted to."
"Then you don't think that Freddy is responsible for the death?"inquired Agnes with a look of relief.
Lambert appeared worried. "I think not, dear. He lured Hubert intohis own private trap so as to get him laid up and extort money.Unfortunately, another person, aware of the trap, waited outside andkilled your poor husband."
"According to what Freddy says, Mr. Silver knew of the trap, since hedelivered the letter to Hubert. And Mr. Silver knew that Freddy hadthreatened to shoot any possible burglar. It seems to me," ended Agnesdeliberately, "that Mr. Silver is guilty."
"But why should he shoot Pine, to whom he owed so much?"
"I can't say."
"And, remember, Silver was inside the house."
"Yes," assented Lady Agnes, in dismay. "That is true. It is a greatpuzzle, Noel. However, I am not try
ing to solve it. Clara says that Mr.Silver will hold his tongue, and certainly as the letter is now in mypossession he cannot bring forward any evidence to show that I aminculpated in the matter. I think the best thing to do is to let Freddyand Mr. Silver fight out the matter between them, while we are on ourhoneymoon."
Lambert started. "Agnes! What do you mean?"
She grew impatient. "Oh, what is the use of asking what I mean when youknow quite well, Noel? Hubert insulted me in his will, and cast a sluron my character by forbidding me to marry you. Freddy--although he didnot fire the second shot--certainly lured Hubert to his death by forgingthat letter. I don't intend to consider my husband's memory any more,nor my brother's position. I shall never speak to him again if I canhelp it, as he is a wicked little animal. I have sacrificed myselfsufficiently, and now I intend to take my own way. Let the millions go,and let Freddy be ruined, if only to punish him for his wickedness."
"But, dear, how can I ask you to share my poverty?" said Lambert,greatly distressed. "I have only five hundred a year, and you have beenaccustomed to such luxury."
"I have another five hundred a year of my own," said Agnes obstinately,"which Hubert settled on me for pin money. He refused to make any othersettlements. I have a right to that money, since I sacrificed so much,and I shall keep it. Surely we can live on one thousand a year."
"In England?" inquired Lambert doubtfully. "And after you have led sucha luxurious life?"
"No," she said quickly. "I mean in the Colonies. Let us go to Australia,or Canada, or South Africa, I don't care which, and cut ourselves offfrom the past. We have suffered enough; let us now think of ourselves."
"But are we not selfish to let the family name be disgraced?"
"Freddy is selfish, and will disgrace it in any case," said Agnes, witha contemptuous shrug. "What's the use of pulling him out of the mud,when he will only sink back into it again? No, Noel, if you love me youwill marry me within the week."
"But it's so sudden, dear," he urged, more and more distressed. "Taketime to consider. How can I rob you of millions?"
"You won't rob me. If you refuse, I shall make over the money to somecharity, and live on my five hundred a year. Remember, Noel, what peoplethink of me: that I married Hubert to get his money and to become yourwife when he died, so that we could live on his wealth. We can onlyprove that belief to be false by surrendering the millions and marryingas paupers."
"You may be right, and yet--"
"And yet, and yet--oh," she cried, wounded, "you don't love me."
The man did not answer, but stood looking at her with all his soul inhis eyes, and shaking from head to foot. Never before had she looked sodesirable, and never before had he felt the tides of love surge to sohigh a Water-mark. "Love you!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Agnes, Iwould give my soul for you."
"Then give it." She wreathed her arms round his neck and whispered withher warm lips close to his ear, "Give me all of you."
"But two millions--"
"You are worth it."
"Darling, you will repent."
"Repent!" She pressed him closer to her. "Repent that I exchange alonely life for companionship with you? Oh, my dear, how can you thinkso? I am sick of money and sick of loneliness. I want you, you, you!Noel, Noel, it is your part to woo, and here am I making all the love."
"It is such a serious step for you to take."
"It is the only step that I can take. I am known as a mercenary woman,and until we marry and give up the money, everybody will thinkscornfully of me. Besides, Freddy must be punished, and in no other waycan I make him suffer so much as by depriving him of the wealth hesinned to obtain."
"Yes. There is that view, certainly. And," Lambert gasped, "I loveyou--oh, never doubt that, my darling."
"I shall," she whispered ardently, "unless you get a special licenseand marry me straightaway."
"But Garvington and Silver--"
"And Clara Greeby and Chaldea, who both love you," she mocked. "Let themall fight out their troubles alone. I have had enough suffering; so haveyou. So there's no more to be said. Now, sir," she added playfully,"wilt thou take this woman to be thy wedded wife?"
"Yes," he said, opening his arms and gathering Agnes to his heart. "Butwhat will people say of your marrying so soon after Pine's death?"
"Let them say what they like and do what they like. We are going to theColonies and will be beyond reach of slanderous tongues. Now, let ushave tea, Noel, for I am hungry and thirsty, and quite tired out withtrying to convince you of my earnestness."
Lambert rang for the tea. "Shall we tell Jarwin that we intend tomarry?"
"No. We shall tell no one until we are married," she replied, and kissedhim once, twice, thrice, and again, until Mrs. Tribb entered with thetray. Then they both sat demurely at the first of many meals which theyhoped would be the start of a new Darby and Joan existence.
And the outcome of the interview and of the decision that was arrived atappeared in a letter to Mr. Jarwin, of Chancery Lane. A week later hereceived a communication signed by Agnes Lambert, in which she statedthat on the preceding day she had married her cousin by special license.Mr. Jarwin had to read the epistle twice before he could grasp theastounding fact that the woman had paid two millions for a husband.
"She's mad, crazy, silly, insane," murmured the lawyer, then his eyeslighted up with curiosity. "Now I shall know the name of the person inthe sealed letter who inherits," and he forthwith proceeded to his safe.
