DOI article:
Le Gallienne, Richard: Four Prose Francies
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26392#0255
By Richard Le Gallienne 251
about his deathbed was one of fantastic Eldorados, sudden colossal
legacies, and miraculous windfalls.
K I haven’t told you,” he said presently, “of the piece of good
luck that has befallen me. You are not the only person in luck.
I can hardly expect you to believe me, it sounds so like the
Arabian nights. However, it’s true for all that. Well, one of
the little sisters was playing in the garden a few afternoons ago,
making mud-pies or something of that sort, and she suddenly
scraped up a sovereign. Presently she found two or three more,
and our curiosity becoming aroused, a turn or two with the spade
revealed quite a bed of gold, and the end of it was that on further
excavating, the whole garden proved to be one mass of sovereigns.
Sixty thousand pounds we counted .... and then what do you
think—it suddenly melted away . . . .”
He paused for a moment, and continued more in amusement
than regret :
“ Yes—the government got wind of it, and claimed the whole
lot as treasure-trove ! ”
“ But not,” he added slyly, “ before I’d paid off two or three
of my biggest bills. Yes—and—you’ll keep it quiet, of course,
there’s another lot been discovered in the garden, but we shall
take good care the government doesn’t get hold of it this time, you
may bet.”
He told this wild story with such an air of simple conviction
that, odd as it may seem, one believed every word of it. But the
tale of his sudden good fortune was not ended.
“ You’ve heard of old Lord Osterley,” he presently began again.
“ Well, congratulate me, old man, he has just died and left every-
thing to me. You know what a splendid library he had—to think
that that will all be mine—and that grand old park through which
we’ve so often wandered, you and I. Well, we shall need fear no
gamekeeper
about his deathbed was one of fantastic Eldorados, sudden colossal
legacies, and miraculous windfalls.
K I haven’t told you,” he said presently, “of the piece of good
luck that has befallen me. You are not the only person in luck.
I can hardly expect you to believe me, it sounds so like the
Arabian nights. However, it’s true for all that. Well, one of
the little sisters was playing in the garden a few afternoons ago,
making mud-pies or something of that sort, and she suddenly
scraped up a sovereign. Presently she found two or three more,
and our curiosity becoming aroused, a turn or two with the spade
revealed quite a bed of gold, and the end of it was that on further
excavating, the whole garden proved to be one mass of sovereigns.
Sixty thousand pounds we counted .... and then what do you
think—it suddenly melted away . . . .”
He paused for a moment, and continued more in amusement
than regret :
“ Yes—the government got wind of it, and claimed the whole
lot as treasure-trove ! ”
“ But not,” he added slyly, “ before I’d paid off two or three
of my biggest bills. Yes—and—you’ll keep it quiet, of course,
there’s another lot been discovered in the garden, but we shall
take good care the government doesn’t get hold of it this time, you
may bet.”
He told this wild story with such an air of simple conviction
that, odd as it may seem, one believed every word of it. But the
tale of his sudden good fortune was not ended.
“ You’ve heard of old Lord Osterley,” he presently began again.
“ Well, congratulate me, old man, he has just died and left every-
thing to me. You know what a splendid library he had—to think
that that will all be mine—and that grand old park through which
we’ve so often wandered, you and I. Well, we shall need fear no
gamekeeper