Part 61 (1/2)

”But, Artie,” said Ann, trying to grasp it, ”d'you mean to say he's took our money?”

”Speckylated it!” said Kipps, with an ill.u.s.trative flourish of the arm, that failed to ill.u.s.trate. ”Bort things dear and sold 'em cheap, and played the 'ankey-pankey jacka.s.s with everything we got. That's what I mean 'e's done, Ann.” He repeated this last sentence with the addition of violent adverbs.

”D'you mean to say our money's _gone_, Artie?”

”Ter-dash it, _Yes_, Ann!” swore Kipps, exploding in a shout. ”Ain't I tellin' you?”

He was immediately sorry. ”I didn't mean to 'oller at you, Ann,” he said, ”but I'm all shook up. I don't 'ardly know what I'm sayin'. Ev'ry penny.”...

”But, Artie----”

Kipps grunted. He went to the window and stared for a moment at a sunlit sea. ”Gord!” he swore.

”I mean,” he said, coming back to Ann and with an air of exasperation, ”that he's 'bezzled and 'ooked it. That's what I mean, Ann.”

Ann put down the bib. ”But wot are we going to _do_, Artie?”

Kipps indicated ignorance, wrath and despair with one comprehensive gesture of his hands. He caught an ornament from the mantel and replaced it. ”I'm going to bang about,” he said, ”if I ain't precious careful.”

”You saw _'er_, you say?”

”Yes.”

”What did she say 'xactly?” said Ann.

”Told me to see a s'licitor--tole me to get someone to 'elp me at once.

She was there in black--like she used to be--and speaking cool and careful-like. 'Elen!... She's precious 'ard, is 'Elen. She looked at me straight. 'It's my fault,' she said, 'I ought to 'ave warned you....

Only under the circ.u.mstances it was a little difficult.' Straight as anything. I didn't 'ardly say anything to 'er. I didn't seem to begin to take it in until she was showing me out. I 'adn't anything to say. Jest as well, perhaps. She talked like a call a'most. She said--what _was_ it she said about her mother? 'My mother's overcome with grief,' she said, 'so naturally everything comes on me.'”

”And she told you to get someone to 'elp you?”

”Yes. I been to old Bean.”

”O' Bean?”

”Yes. What I took my business away from!”

”What did he say?”

”He was a bit off'and at first, but then 'e come 'round. He couldn't tell me anything till 'e knew the facts. What I know of young Wals.h.i.+ngham, there won't be much 'elp in the facts. No!”

He reflected for a s.p.a.ce. ”It's a smash-up, Ann. More likely than not, Ann, 'e's left us over'ead in debt. We got to get out of it just 'ow we can....

”We got to begin again,” he went on. ”_'Ow_, I don't know. All the way 'ome my 'ead's been going. We got to get a living some'ow or other.

'Aving time to ourselves, and a bit of money to spend, and no hurry and worry, it's all over for ever, Ann. We was fools, Ann. We didn't know our benefits. We been caught. Gord!... Gord!”

He was on the verge of ”banging about” again.