CHAPTER XV
_In which Adam explains_
"Adam!"
"Yes, Miss Anthea."
"How much money did Mr. Bellew give you to--buy the furniture?"
Miss Anthea was sitting in her great elbow chair, leaning forward withher chin in her hand, looking at him in the way which always seemed toAdam as though she could see into the verimost recesses of his mind.Therefore Adam twisted his hat in his hands, and stared at the ceiling,and the floor, and the table before Miss Anthea, and the wall behindMiss Anthea--anywhere but at Miss Anthea.
"You ax me--how much it were, Miss Anthea?"
"Yes, Adam."
"Well,--it were a goodish sum."
"Was it--fifty pounds?"
"Fifty pound!" repeated Adam, in a tone of lofty disdain, "no, MissAnthea, it were _not_ fifty pound."
"Do you mean it was--more?"
"Ah!" nodded Adam, "I mean as it were a sight more. If you was to takethe fifty pound you mention, add twenty more, and then another twenty tothat, and then come ten more to that,--why then--you'd be a bit nigherthe figure--"
"A hundred pounds!" exclaimed Anthea, aghast.
"Ah! a hundred pound!" nodded Adam, rolling the words upon his tonguewith great gusto,--"one--hundred--pound, were the sum, Miss Anthea."
"Oh, Adam!"
"Lord love you, Miss Anthea!--that weren't nothing,--that were only aflea-bite, as you might say,--he give more--ah! nigh double as much asthat for the side-board."
"Nonsense, Adam!"
"It be gospel true, Miss Anthea. That there sideboard were the plum o'the sale, so to speak, an' old Grimes had set 'is 'eart on it, d'ye see.Well, it were bid up to eighty-six pound, an' then Old Grimes 'e goestwenty more, making it a hundred an' six. Then--jest as I thought itwere all over, an' jest as that there Old Grimes were beginning to swellhisself up wi' triumph, an' get that red in the face as 'e were a sightto behold,--Mr. Belloo, who'd been lightin' 'is pipe all this time, upand sez,--'Fifty up!' 'e sez in his quiet way, making it a hundred an'fifty-six pound, Miss Anthea,--which were too much for Grimes,--Lord! Ithought as that there man were going to burst, Miss Anthea!" and Adamgave vent to his great laugh at the mere recollection. But Anthea wasgrave enough, and the troubled look in her eyes quickly sobered him.
"A hundred and fifty-six pounds!" she repeated in an awed voice, "butit--it is awful!"
"Steepish!" admitted Adam, "pretty steepish for a old sideboard, I'llallow, Miss Anthea,--but you see it were a personal matter betwixtGrimes an' Mr. Belloo. I began to think as they never would ha' left offbiddin', an' by George!--I don't believe as Mr. Belloo ever would haveleft off biddin'. Ye see, there's summat about Mr. Belloo,--whether itbe his voice, or his eye, or his chin,--I don't know,--but there besummat about him as says, very distinct that if so be 'e should 'appento set 'is mind on a thing,--why 'e's a-going to get it, an' 'e ain'ta-going to give in till 'e do get it. Ye see, Miss Anthea, 'e's so veryquiet in 'is ways, an' speaks so soft, an' gentle,--p'raps that's it.Say, for instance, 'e were to ax you for summat, an' you said'No'--well, 'e wouldn't make no fuss about it,--not 'im,--he'djest--take it, that's what he'd do. As for that there sideboard he'd asat there a bidding and a bidding all night I do believe."
"But, Adam, why did he do it! Why did he buy--all that furniture?"
"Well,--to keep it from being took away, p'raps!"
"Oh, Adam!--what am I to do?"
"Do, Miss Anthea?"
"The mortgage must be paid off--dreadfully soon--you know that, and--Ican't--Oh, I can't give the money back--"
"Why--give it back!--No, a course not, Miss Anthea!"
"But I--can't--keep it!"
"Can't keep it, Miss Anthea mam,--an' why not?"
"Because I'm very sure he doesn't want all those things,--the idea isquite--absurd! And yet,--even if the hops do well, the money they bringwill hardly be enough by itself, and so--I was selling my furniture tomake it up, and--now--Oh! what am I to do?" and she leaned her headwearily upon her hand.
Now, seeing her distress, Adam all sturdy loyalty that he was, mustneeds sigh in sympathy, and fell, once more, to twisting his hat untilhe had fairly wrung it out of all semblance to its kind, twisting andscrewing it between his strong hands as though he would fain wring outof it some solution to the problem that so perplexed his mistress. Then,all at once, the frown vanished from his brow, his grip loosened uponhis unfortunate hat, and his eye brightened with a sudden gleam.
"Miss Anthea," said he, drawing a step nearer, and lowering his voicemysteriously, "supposing as I was to tell you that 'e did want thatfurnitur',--ah! an' wanted it bad?"
"Now how can he, Adam? It isn't as though he lived in England," saidAnthea, shaking her head, "his home is thousands of miles away,--he isan American, and besides--"
"Ah!--but then--even a American--may get married. Miss Anthea, mam!"said Adam.
"Married!" she repeated, glancing up very quickly, "Adam--what do youmean?"
"Why you must know," began Adam, wringing at his hat again, "ever sincethe day I found him asleep in your hay, Miss Anthea, mam, Mr. Belloo hasbeen very kind, and--friendly like. Mr. Belloo an' me 'ave smoked a goodmany sociable pipes together, an' when men smoke together, Miss Anthea,they likewise talk together."
"Yes?--Well?" said Anthea, rather breathlessly, and taking up a pencilthat happened to be lying near to hand.
"And Mr. Belloo," continued Adam, heavily, "Mr. Belloo has doneme--the--the honour," here Adam paused to give an extra twist to hishat,--"the--honour, Miss Anthea--"
"Yes, Adam."
"Of confiding to me 'is 'opes--" said Adam slowly, finding it muchharder to frame his well-meaning falsehood than he had supposed,"his--H-O-P-E-S--'opes, Miss Anthea, of settling down very soon, an' ofmarryin' a fine young lady as 'e 'as 'ad 'is eye on a goodishtime,--'aving knowed her from childhood's hour, Miss Anthea, and aslives up to Lonnon--"
"Yes--Adam!"
"Consequently--'e bought all your furnitur' to set up 'ousekeepin',don't ye see."
"Yes,--I see, Adam!" Her voice was low, soft and gentle as ever, but thepencil was tracing meaningless scrawls in her shaking fingers.
"So you don't 'ave to be no-wise back-ard about keepin' the money, MissAnthea."
"Oh no,--no, of course not, I--I understand, it was--just a--businesstransaction."
"Ah!--that's it,--a business transaction!" nodded Adam, "So you'll putthe money a one side to help pay off the mortgage, eh, Miss Anthea?"
"Yes."
"If the 'ops comes up to what they promise to come up to,--you'll beable to get rid of Old Grimes--for good an' all, Miss Anthea."
"Yes, Adam."
"An' you be quite easy in your mind, now, Miss Anthea--about keepin' themoney?"
"Quite!--Thank you, Adam--for--telling me. You can go now."
"Why then--Good-night! Miss Anthea, mam,--the mortgage is as good aspaid,--there ain't no such 'ops nowhere near so good as our'n be.An'--you're quite free o' care, an' 'appy 'earted, Miss Anthea?"
"Quite--Oh quite, Adam!"
But when Adam's heavy tread had died away,--when she was all alone, shebehaved rather strangely for one so free of care, and happy-hearted.Something bright and glistening splashed upon the paper before her, thepencil slipped from her fingers, and, with a sudden, choking cry, sheswayed forward, and hid her face in her hands.
The Money Moon: A Romance Page 15
