CHAPTER XVI
_In which Adam proposes a game_
"To be, or not to be!" Bellew leaned against the mighty bole of "KingArthur," and stared up at the moon with knitted brows. "That is thequestion!--whether I shall brave the slings, and arrows and things,and--speak tonight, and have done with it--one way or another, or liveon, a while, secure in this uncertainty? To wait? Whether I shall, atthis so early stage, pit all my chances of happiness against the chancesof--losing her, and with her--Small Porges, bless him! and all thequaint, and lovable beings of this wonderful Arcadia of mine. For, ifher answer be 'No,'--what recourse have I,--what is there left me but togo wandering forth again, following the wind, and with the gates ofArcadia shut upon me for ever? 'To be, or not to be,--that is thequestion!'"
"Be that you, Mr. Belloo, sir?"
"Even so, Adam. Come sit ye a while, good knave, and gaze upon Dian'sloveliness, and smoke, and let us converse of dead kings."
"Why, kings ain't much in my line, sir,--living or dead uns,--me never'aving seen any--except a pic'ter,--and that tore, though very lifelike. But why I were a lookin' for you was to ax you to back me up,--an'to--play the game, Mr. Belloo sir."
"Why--as to that, my good Adam,--my gentle Daphnis,--my ruggedEuphemio,--you may rely upon me to the uttermost. Are you in trouble? Isit counsel you need, or only money? Fill your pipe, and, while yousmoke, confide your cares to me,--put me wise, or, as your Frenchcousins would say,--make me 'au fait.'"
"Well," began Adam, when his pipe was well alight, "in the first place,Mr. Belloo sir, I begs to remind you, as Miss Anthea sold her furnitur'to raise enough money as with what the 'ops will bring, might go to payoff the mortgage,--for good an' all, sir."
"Yes."
"Well, to-night, sir, Miss Anthea calls me into the parlour to ax,--oras you might say,--en-quire as to the why, an' likewise the whereforeof you a buyin' all that furnitur'."
"Did she, Adam?"
"Ah!--'why did 'e do it?' says she--'well, to keep it from bein' tookaway, p'raps,' says I--sharp as any gimblet, sir."
"Good!" nodded Bellew.
"Ah!--but it weren't no good, sir," returned Adam, "because she sez as'ow your 'ome being in America, you couldn't really need thefurnitur',--nor yet want the furnitur',--an' blest if she wasn't talkin'of handing you the money back again."
"Hum!" said Bellew.
"Seeing which, sir, an' because she must have that money if she 'opes tokeep the roof of Dapplemere over 'er 'ead, I, there an' then, madeup,--or as you might say,--concocted a story, a anecdote, or ayarn,--upon the spot, Mr. Belloo sir."
"Most excellent Machiavelli!--proceed!"
"I told her, sir, as you bought that furnitur' on account of you beingwishful to settle down,--whereat she starts, an' looks at me wi' hereyes big, an' surprised-like. I told 'er, likewise, as you had told meon the quiet,--or as you might say,--con-fi-dential, that you boughtthat furnitur' to set up 'ouse-keeping on account o' you being on thep'int o' marrying a fine young lady up to Lonnon,--"
"What!" Bellew didn't move, nor did he raise his voice,--neverthelessAdam started back, and instinctively threw up his arm.
"You--told her--that?"
"I did sir."
"But you knew it was a--confounded lie."
"Aye,--I knowed it. But I'd tell a hundred,--ah! thousands o' lies,con-founded, or otherwise,--to save Miss Anthea."
"To save her?"
"From ruination, sir! From losing Dapplemere Farm, an' every thing shehas in the world. Lord love ye!--the 'ops can never bring in bytheirselves all the three thousand pounds as is owing,--it ain't to beexpected,--but if that three thousand pound ain't paid over to thatdirty Grimes by next Saturday week as ever was, that dirty Grimes turnsMiss Anthea out o' Dapplemere, wi' Master Georgy, an' poor little MissPriscilla,--An' what'll become o' them then,--I don't know. Lord! when Ithink of it the 'Old Adam' do rise up in me to that extent as I'm mindedto take a pitch-fork and go and skewer that there Grimes to his ownchimbley corner. Ye see Mr. Belloo sir," he went on, seeing Bellew wassilent still, "Miss Anthea be that proud, an' independent that she'dnever ha' took your money, sir, if I hadn't told her that there lie,--sothat's why I did tell her that here lie."
"I see," nodded Bellew, "I see!--yes,--you did quite right. You actedfor the best, and you--did quite right, Adam,--yes, quite right"
"Thankee sir!"
"And so--this is the game I am to play, is it?"
"That's it, sir; if she ax's you,--'are you goin' to getmarried?'--you'll tell her 'yes,--to a lady as you've knowed from yourchildhood's hour,--living in Lonnon,'--that's all, sir."
"That's all is it, Adam!" said Bellew slowly, turning to look up at themoon again. "It doesn't sound very much, does it? Well, I'll play yourgame,--Adam,--yes, you may depend upon me."
"Thankee, Mr. Belloo sir,--thankee sir!--though I do 'ope as you'llexcuse me for taking such liberties, an' making so free wi' your 'eart,and your affections, sir?"
"Oh certainly, Adam!--the cause excuses--everything."
"Then, good-night, sir!"
"Good-night, Adam!"
So this good, well-meaning Adam strode away, proud on the whole of hisnight's work, leaving Bellew to frown up at the moon with teeth clenchedtight upon his pipe-stem.
The Money Moon: A Romance Page 16
