Red Money - Fergus Hume (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📗

Chapter 20 (The Destined End) Pg 199

Flames Seemed To Roar At His Discomfiture. He Could Do Nothing But Stand

Helplessly And Gaze Upon What Was Plainly Garvington's Funeral Pyre.

 

By This Time The Villagers Were Making For The Wood,  And The Whole Place

Rang With Cries Of Excitement And Dismay. The Wintry Scene Was Revealed

Only Too Clearly By The Ruddy Glare And By The Same Sinister Light.

Lambert Suddenly Beheld Chaldea At His Elbow. Gripping His Arm,  She

Spoke Hoarsely,  "The Tiny Rye Is Dead. He Drove The Engine Over A Bank

And It Smashed Him To A Pulp."

 

"Oh! Ah! And--And Miss Greeby?"

 

"She Is Dying."

 

Lambert Clenched His Hands And Groaned,  "Garvington And Mother

Cockleshell?"

 

"She Is Dead And He Is Dead By Now," Said Chaldea,  Looking With A

Callous Smile At The Burning Cottage,  "Both Are Dead--Lord Garvington."

 

"Lord Garvington?" Lambert Groaned Again. He Had Forgotten That He Now

Possessed The Title And What Remained Of The Family Estates.

 

"Avali!" Cried Chaldea,  Clapping Her Hands And Nodding Toward The

Cottage With A Meaning Smile,  "There's The Bonfire To Celebrate The

Luck."

 

Chapter 21 (A Final Surprise) Pg 200

A Week Later And Lambert Was Seated In The Library Of The Manor,  Looking

Worn And Anxious. His Wan Appearance Was Not Due So Much To What He Had

Passed Through,  Trying As Late Events Had Been,  As To His Dread Of What

Inspector Darby Was About To Say. That Officer Was Beside Him,  Getting

Ready For An Immediate Conversation By Turning Over Various Papers Which

He Produced From A Large And Well-Filled Pocket-Book. Darby Looked

Complacent And Important,  As An Examination Into The Late Tragedy Had

Added Greatly To His Reputation As A Zealous Officer. Things Were Now

More Ship-Shape,  As Miss Greeby Had Died After Making Confession Of Her

Crime And Had Been Duly Buried By Her Shocked Relatives. The Ashes Of

Lord Garvington And Mother Cockleshell,  Recovered From The Débris Of

The Cottage,  Had Also Been Disposed Of With Religious Ceremonies,  And

Silver's Broken Body Had Been Placed In An Unwept Grave. The Frightful

Catastrophe Which Had Resulted In The Death Of Four People Had Been The

Talk Of The United Kingdom For The Entire Seven Days.

Chapter 21 (A Final Surprise) Pg 201

What Lambert Was Dreading To Hear Was The Report Of Miss Greeby's

Confession,  Which Inspector Darby Had Come To Talk About. He Had Tried

To See Her Himself At The Village Inn,  Whither She Had Been Transferred

To Die,  But She Had Refused To Let Him Come To Her Dying Bed,  And

Therefore He Did Not Know In What State Of Mind She Had Passed Away.

Judging From The Vindictive Spirit Which She Had Displayed,  Lambert

Fancied That She Had Told Darby The Whole Wretched Story Of The Forged

Letter And The Murder. The Last Was Bound To Be Confessed,  But The Young

Man Had Hoped Against Hope That Miss Greeby Would Be Silent Regarding

Garvington's Share In The Shameful Plot. Wickedly As His Cousin Had

Behaved,  Lambert Did Not Wish His Memory To Be Smirched And The Family

Honor To Be Tarnished By A Revelation Of The Little Man's True

Character. He Heartily Wished That The Evil Garvington Had Done Might

Be Buried With Him,  And The Whole Sordid Affair Forgotten.

 

"First,  My Lord," Said Darby Leisurely,  When His Papers Were In Order,

"I Have To Congratulate Your Lordship On Your Accession To The Title.

Hitherto So Busy Have I Been That There Has Been No Time To Do This."

 

"Thank You,  Mr. Inspector,  But I Regret That I Should Have Succeeded

Through So Tragic A Death."

 

"Yes,  Yes,  My Lord! The Feeling Does You Honor," Darby Nodded

Sympathetically; "But It Must Be Some Comfort For You To Know That Your

Poor Cousin Perished When On An Errand Of Mercy,  Although His Aim Was

Not Perhaps Quite In Accordance With Strict Justice."

 

Lambert Stared. "I Don't Know What You Mean," He Remarked,  Being Puzzled

By This Coupling Of Garvington's Name With Any Good Deed.

 

"Of Course You Don't,  My Lord. But For You To Understand I Had Better

Begin With Miss Greeby's Confession. I Must Touch On Some Rather

Intimate Things,  However," Said The Inspector Rather Shyly.

 

"Meaning That Miss Greeby Was In Love With Me."

 

"Exactly,  My Lord. Her Love For You--If You Will Excuse My Mentioning So

Private A Subject--Caused The Whole Catastrophe."

 

"Indeed," The Young Man Felt A Sense Of Relief,  As If Darby Put The

Matter In This Way The Truth About The Forged Letter Could Scarcely Have

Come To Light,  "Will You Explain?"

 

"Certainly,  My Lord. Miss Greeby Always Wished To Marry Your Lordship,

But She Knew That You Loved Your Wife,  The Present Lady Garvington,  Who

Was Then Lady Agnes Pine. She Believed That You And Lady Agnes Would

Sooner Or Later Run Away Together."

 

"There Was No Reason She Should Think So," Said Noel,  Becoming Scarlet.

 

"Of Course Not,  My Lord. Pardon Me Again For Speaking Of Such Very

Private Matters. But I Can Scarcely Make Your Lordship Understand How

The Late Sir Hubert Pine Came By His Death Unless I Am Painfully Frank."

Chapter 21 (A Final Surprise) Pg 202

"Ah,  My Lord,  Therein Lies The Cleverness Of The Idea. Poor Lord

Garvington Had Threatened To Shoot Any Burglar,  And That Gave Miss

Greeby The Idea. It Was Her Hope That Your Late Cousin Might Kill Sir

Hubert By Mistaking Him For A Robber,  And She Only Posted Herself In The

Shrubbery To Shoot If Sir Hubert Was Not Killed. He Was Not,  As We Know

That The Shot Fired By Lord Garvington Only Broke His Arm. Miss Greeby

Made Sure By Killing Him Herself,  And Very Cleverly She Did So."

 

"And What About My Late Cousin's Philanthropic Visit To Silver?"

 

"Ah,  My Lord,  That Was A Mistake. His Lordship Was Informed Of The

Forged Letter By Chaldea The Gypsy Girl,  Who Found It In Sir Hubert's

Tent,  And For The Sake Of Your Family Wished To Get Silver Out Of The

Country. It Would Have Been Dreadful--As Lord Garvington Rightly

Considered--That The Name Of His Sister And Your Name Should Be

Mentioned In Connection With An Elopement Even Though It Was Untrue. He

Therefore Went To Induce Silver To Leave The Country,  But The Man,

Instead Of Being Grateful,  Stunned His Lordship With A Blow From A Poker

Which He Had Picked Up."

 

"How Was That Known,  Mr. Inspector?"

 

"Miss Greeby Had The Truth From His Own Lips. Silver Threatened To

Denounce Her,  And Knowing This Chaldea Went To London To Warn Her."

 

"Oh," Muttered Lambert,  Thinking Of What Gentilla Stanley Had Said,  "How

Did She Find Out?"

 

"She Overheard A Conversation Between Silver And Lord Garvington In The

Cottage."

 

Lambert Was Relieved Again,  Since Miss Greeby Had Not Evidently

Mentioned Him As Being Mixed Up With The Matter. "Yes,  Mr. Inspector,  I

Can Guess The Rest. This Unfortunate Woman Came Down To Get Silver,  Who

Could Have Hanged Her,  Out Of The Country,  And He Set Fire To The

Cottage."

 

"She Set Fire To It," Corrected Darby Quickly,  "By Chance,  As She Told

Me,  She Overturned A Lamp. Of Course,  Lord Garvington,  Being Senseless,

Was Burned To Death. Gentilla Stanley Was Also Burned."

 

"How Did She Come To Be There?"

 

"Oh,  It Seems That Gentilla Followed Hearne--He Was Her Grandson I Hear

From The Gypsies--To The Manor On That Night And Saw The Shooting. But

She Said Nothing,  Not Feeling Sure If Her Unsupported Testimony Would Be

Sufficient To Convict Miss Greeby. However,  She Watched That Lady And

Followed Her To The Cottage To Denounce Her And Prevent The Escape Of

Silver--Who Knew The Truth Also,  As She Ascertained. Silver Knocked The

Old Woman Down And Stunned Her,  So She Also Was Burned To Death. Then

Silver Ran For The Motor Car And Crushed Miss Greeby--Since He Could Not

Manage The Machine."

Chapter 21 (A Final Surprise) Pg 203

 

"Did He Crush Her On Purpose,  Do You Think?"

 

"No," Said Darby After A Pause,  "I Don't Think So. Miss Greeby Was Rich,

And If The Pair Of Them Had Escaped Silver Would Have Been Able To

Extort Money. He No More Killed Her Than He Killed Himself By Dashing

Into That Chalk Pit Near The Road. It Was Mismanagement Of The Motor In

Both Cases."

 

Lambert Was Quiet For A Time. "Is That All?" He Asked,  Looking Up.

 

"All,  My Lord," Answered The Inspector,  Gathering His Papers Together.

 

"Is Anything Else Likely To Appear In The Papers?"

 

"No,  My Lord."

 

"I Noted," Said Lambert Slowly,  "That There Was No Mention Of The Forged

Letter Made At The Inquest."

 

Darby Nodded. "I Arranged That,  My Lord,  Since The Forged Letter Made So

Free With Your Lordship's Name And That Of The Present Lady Garvington.

As You Probably Saw,  It Was Only Stated That The Late Sir Hubert Had

Gone To Meet His Secretary At The Manor And That Miss Greeby,  Knowing Of

His Coming,  Had Shot Him. The Motive Was Ascribed As Anger At The Late

Sir Hubert For