第3章

Georgeputoutawell—kepthand。

"Haven’tseenyousincetheWar，"hesaid。"How’syourwife？"

"Thanks，"saidSoamescoldly，"wellenough。"

Somehiddenjestcurved，foramoment，George’sfleshyface，andgloatedfromhiseye。

"ThatBelgianchap，Profond，"hesaid，"isamemberherenow。He’sarumcustomer。"

"Quite！"mutteredSoames。"Whatdidyouwanttoseemeabout？"

"OldTimothy;hemightgooffthehooksatanymoment。Isupposehe’smadehisWill。"

"Yes。"

"Well，youorsomebodyoughttogivehimalookup——lastoftheoldlot;he’sahundred，youknow。Theysayhe’slikearummy。Whereareyougoin’toputhim？Heoughttohaveapyramidbyrights。"

Soamesshookhishead。"Highgate，thefamilyvault。"

"Well，Isupposetheoldgirlswouldmisshim，ifhewasanywhereelse。Theysayhestilltakesaninterestinfood。Hemightlaston，youknow。Don’twegetanythingfortheoldForsytes？Tenofthem——averageageeighty—eight——Iworkeditout。Thatoughttobeequaltotriplets。"

"Isthatall？"saidSoames，"Imustbegettingon。"

’Youunsociabledevil，’George’seyesseemedtoanswer。"Yes，that’sall:Lookhimupinhismausoleum——theoldchapmightwanttoprophesy。"Thegrindiedontherichcurvesofhisface，andheadded:"Haven’tyouattorneysinventedawayyetofdodgingthisdamnedincometax？Ithitsthefixedinheritedincomeliketheverydeuce。Iusedtohavetwothousandfivehundredayear;nowI’vegotabeggarlyfifteenhundred，andthepriceoflivingdoubled。"

"Ah！"murmuredSoames，"theturf’sindanger。"

OverGeorge’sfacemovedagleamofsardonicself—defence。

"Well，"hesaid，"theybroughtmeuptodonothing，andhereIaminthesearandyellow，gettingpoorereveryday。TheseLabourchapsmeantohavethelotbeforethey’vedone。Whatareyougoingtodoforalivingwhenitcomes？Ishallworkasix—hourdayteachingpoliticianshowtoseeajoke。Takemytip，Soames;gointoParliament，makesureofyourfourhundred——andemployme。"

And，asSoamesretired，heresumedhisseatinthebaywindow。

SoamesmovedalongPiccadillydeepinreflectionsexcitedbyhiscousin’swords。Hehimselfhadalwaysbeenaworkerandasaver，Georgealwaysadroneandaspender;andyet，ifconfiscationoncebegan，itwashe——theworkerandthesaver——whowouldbelooted！

Thatwasthenegationofallvirtue，theoverturningofallForsyteprinciples。Couldcivilizationbebuiltonanyother？Hedidnotthinkso。Well，theywouldn’tconfiscatehispictures，fortheywouldn’tknowtheirworth。Butwhatwouldtheybeworth，ifthesemaniacsoncebegantomilkcapital？Adrugonthemarket。’Idon’tcareaboutmyself，’hethought;’Icouldliveonfivehundredayear，andneverknowthedifference，atmyage。’ButFleur！Thisfortune，sowidelyinvested，thesetreasuressocarefullychosenandamassed，wereallfor——her。Andifitshouldturnoutthathecouldn’tgiveorleavethemtoher——well，lifehadnomeaning，andwhatwastheuseofgoingintolookatthiscrazy，futuristicstuffwiththeviewofseeingwhetherithadanyfuture？

ArrivingattheGalleryoffCorkStreet，however，hepaidhisshilling，pickedupacatalogue，andentered。Sometenpersonswereprowlinground。Soamestookstepsandcameonwhatlookedtohimlikealamp—postbentbycollisionwithamotoromnibus。Itwasadvancedsomethreepacesfromthewall，andwasdescribedinhiscatalogueas"Jupiter。"Heexamineditwithcuriosity，havingrecentlyturnedsomeofhisattentiontosculpture。’Ifthat’sJupiter，’hethought，’IwonderwhatJuno’slike。’Andsuddenlyhesawher，opposite。Sheappearedtohimlikenothingsomuchasapumpwithtwohandles，lightlycladinsnow。Hewasstillgazingather，whentwooftheprowlershaltedonhisleft。"Epatant！"heheardonesay。

"Jargon！"growledSoamestohimself。

Theother’sboyishvoicereplied"Missedit，oldbean;he’spullingyourleg。WhenJoveandJunocreatedhethem，hewassaying:’I’llseehowmuchthesefoolswillswallow。’Andthey’velappedupthelot。"

"Youyoungduffer！Vospovitchisaninnovator。Don’tyouseethathe’sbroughtsatireintosculpture？Thefutureofplasticart，ofmusic，painting，andevenarchitecture，hassetinsatiric。Itwasboundto。Peoplearetired——thebottom’stumbledoutofsentiment。"

"Well，I’mquiteequaltotakingalittleinterestinbeauty。IwasthroughtheWar。You’vedroppedyourhandkerchief，sir。"

Soamessawahandkerchiefheldoutinfrontofhim。Hetookitwithsomenaturalsuspicion，andapproachedittohisnose。Ithadtherightscent——ofdistantEaudeCologne——andhisinitialsinacorner。

Slightlyreassured，heraisedhiseyestotheyoungman’sface。Ithadratherfawn—likeears，alaughingmouth，withhalfatoothbrushgrowingoutofitoneachside，andsmalllivelyeyes，aboveanormallydressedappearance。

"Thankyou，"hesaid;andmovedbyasortofirritation，added:"Gladtohearyoulikebeauty;that’srare，nowadays。"

"Idoteonit，"saidtheyoungman;"butyouandIarethelastoftheoldguard，sir。"

Soamessmiled。

"Ifyoureallycareforpictures，"hesaid，"here’smycard。IcanshowyousomequitegoodonesanySunday，ifyou’redowntheriverandcaretolookin。"

"Awfullyniceofyou，sir。I’lldropinlikeabird。Myname’sMont—Michael。"Andhetookoffhishat。

Soames，alreadyregrettinghisimpulse，raisedhisownslightlyinresponse，withadownwardlookattheyoungman’scompanion，whohadapurpletie，dreadfullittlesluglikewhiskers，andascornfullook—

—asifhewereapoet！

Itwasthefirstindiscretionhehadcommittedforsolongthathewentandsatdowninanalcove。Whathadpossessedhimtogivehiscardtoaracketyyoungfellow，whowentaboutwithathinglikethat？AndFleur，alwaysatthebackofhisthoughts，startedoutlikeafiligreefigurefromaclockwhenthehourstrikes。Onthescreenoppositethealcovewasalargecanvaswithagreatmanysquaretomato—colouredblobsonit，andnothingelse，sofarasSoamescouldseefromwherehesat。Helookedathiscatalogue:"No。

32’TheFutureTown’——PaulPost。"’Isupposethat’ssatirictoo，’hethought。’Whatathing！’Buthissecondimpulsewasmorecautious。

Itdidnotdotocondemnhurriedly。Therehadbeenthosestripey，streakycreationsofMonet’s，whichhadturnedoutsuchtrumps;andthenthestippledschool;andGauguin。Why，evensincethePost—

Impressioniststherehadbeenoneortwopaintersnottobesneezedat。Duringthethirty—eightyearsofhisconnoisseur’slife，indeed，hehadmarkedsomany"movements，"seenthetidesoftasteandtechniquesoebbandflow，thattherewasreallynotellinganythingexceptthattherewasmoneytobemadeoutofeverychangeoffashion。Thistoomightquitewellbeacasewhereonemustsubdueprimordialinstinct，orlosethemarket。Hegotupandstoodbeforethepicture，tryinghardtoseeitwiththeeyesofotherpeople。

Abovethetomatoblobswaswhathetooktobeasunset，tillsomeonepassingsaid:"He’sgottheairplaneswonderfully，don’tyouthink！"

Belowthetomatoblobswasabandofwhitewithverticalblackstripes，towhichhecouldassignnomeaningwhatever，tillsomeoneelsecameby，murmuring:"Whatexpressionhegetswithhisforeground！"Expression？Ofwhat？Soameswentbacktohisseat。

Thethingwas"rich，"ashisfatherwouldhavesaid，andhewouldn’tgiveadamnforit。Expression！Ah！theywereallExpressionistsnow，hehadheard，ontheContinent。Soitwascomingheretoo，wasit？Herememberedthefirstwaveofinfluenzain1887——or’8——

hatchedinChina，sotheysaid。Hewonderedwherethis——thisExpressionismhadbeenhatched。Thethingwasaregulardisease！

Hehadbecomeconsciousofawomanandayouthstandingbetweenhimandthe"FutureTown。"Theirbackswereturned;butverysuddenlySoamesputhiscataloguebeforehisface，anddrawinghishatforward，gazedthroughtheslitbetween。Nomistakingthatback，elegantaseverthoughthehairabovehadgonegrey。Irene！Hisdivorcedwife——Irene！Andthis，nodoubt，was——herson——bythatfellowJolyonForsyte——theirboy，sixmonthsolderthanhisowngirl！

Andmumblingoverinhismindthebitterdaysofhisdivorce，herosetogetoutofsight，butquicklysatdownagain。Shehadturnedherheadtospeaktoherboy;herprofilewasstillsoyouthfulthatitmadehergreyhairseempowdery，asiffancy—dressed;andherlipsweresmilingasSoames，firstpossessorofthem，hadneverseenthemsmile。Grudginglyheadmittedherstillbeautifulandinfigurealmostasyoungasever。Andhowthatboysmiledbackather！

EmotionsqueezedSoames’heart。Thesightinfringedhissenseofjustice。Hegrudgedherthatboy’ssmile——itwentbeyondwhatFleurgavehim，anditwasundeserved。Theirsonmighthavebeenhisson;

Fleurmighthavebeenherdaughter，ifshehadkeptstraight！Heloweredhiscatalogue。Ifshesawhim，allthebetter！Areminderofherconductinthepresenceofherson，whoprobablyknewnothingofit，wouldbeasalutarytouchfromthefingerofthatNemesiswhichsurelymustsoonorlatevisither！Then，half—consciousthatsuchathoughtwasextravagantforaForsyteofhisage，Soamestookouthiswatch。Pastfour！Fleurwaslate。ShehadgonetohisnieceImogenCardigan’s，andtheretheywouldkeephersmokingcigarettesandgossiping，andthat。Heheardtheboylaugh，andsayeagerly:"Isay，Mum，isthisbyoneofAuntieJune’slameducks？"

"PaulPost——Ibelieveitis，darling。"

ThewordproducedalittleshockinSoames;hehadneverheardheruseit。Andthenshesawhim。HiseyesmusthavehadinthemsomethingofGeorgeForsyte’ssardoniclook;forherglovedhandcrispedthefoldsofherfrock，hereyebrowsrose，herfacewentstony。Shemovedon。

"Itisacaution，"saidtheboy，catchingherarmagain。

Soamesstaredafterthem。Thatboywasgood—looking，withaForsytechin，andeyesdeep—grey，deepin;butwithsomethingsunny，likeaglassofoldsherryspilledoverhim;hissmileperhaps，hishair。

Betterthantheydeserved——thosetwo！Theypassedfromhisviewintothenextroom，andSoamescontinuedtoregardtheFutureTown，butsawitnot。Alittlesmilesnarleduphislips。Hewasdespisingthevehemenceofhisownfeelingsafteralltheseyears。Ghosts！

Andyetasonegrewold——wasthereanythingbutwhatwasghost—likeleft？Yes，therewasFleur！Hefixedhiseyesontheentrance。Shewasdue;butshewouldkeephimwaiting，ofcourse！Andsuddenlyhebecameawareofasortofhumanbreeze——ashort，slightformcladinasea—greendjibbahwithametalbeltandafilletbindingunrulyred—goldhairallstreakedwithgrey。ShewastalkingtotheGalleryattendants，andsomethingfamiliarrivetedhisgaze——inhereyes，herchin，herhair，herspirit——somethingwhichsuggestedathinSkyeterrierjustbeforeitsdinner。SurelyJuneForsyte！HiscousinJune——andcomingstraighttohisrecess！Shesatdownbesidehim，deepinthought，tookoutatablet，andmadeapencilnote。Soamessatunmoving。Aconfoundedthing，cousinship！"Disgusting！"heheardhermurmur;then，asifresentingthepresenceofanoverhearingstranger，shelookedathim。Theworsthadhappened。

"Soames！"

Soamesturnedhisheadaverylittle。

"Howareyou？"hesaid。"Haven’tseenyoufortwentyyears。"

"No。Whatevermadeyoucomehere？"

"Mysins，"saidSoames。"Whatstuff！"

"Stuff？Oh，yes——ofcourse;ithasn’tarrivedyet。

"Itneverwill，"saidSoames;"itmustbemakingadeadloss。"

"Ofcourseitis。"

"Howd’youknow？"

"It’smyGallery。"

Soamessniffedfromsheersurprise。

"Yours？Whatonearthmakesyourunashowlikethis？"

"Idon’ttreatArtasifitweregrocery。"

SoamespointedtotheFutureTown。"Lookatthat！Who’sgoingtoliveinatownlikethat，orwithitonhiswalls？"

Junecontemplatedthepictureforamoment。

"It’savision，"shesaid。

"Thedeuce！"

Therewassilence，thenJunerose。’Crazylookingcreature！’hethought。

"Well，"hesaid，"you’llfindyouryoungstepbrotherherewithawomanIusedtoknow。Ifyoutakemyadvice，you’llclosethisexhibition。"

Junelookedbackathim。"Oh！YouForsyte！"shesaid，andmovedon。

Aboutherlight，fly—awayfigure，passingsosuddenlyaway，wasalookofdangerousdecisions。Forsyte！Ofcourse，hewasaForsyte！

Andsowasshe！Butfromthetimewhen，asameregirl，shebroughtBosinneyintohislifetowreckit，hehadneverhititoffwithJuneandneverwould！Andhereshewas，unmarriedtothisday，owningaGallery！……AndsuddenlyitcametoSoameshowlittleheknewnowofhisownfamily。TheoldauntsatTimothy’shadbeendeadsomanyyears;therewasnoclearing—housefornews。WhathadtheyalldoneintheWar？YoungRoger’sboyhadbeenwounded，St。JohnHayman’ssecondsonkilled;youngNicholas’eldesthadgotanO。B。E。，orwhatevertheygavethem。Theyhadalljoinedupsomehow，hebelieved。ThatboyofJolyon’sandIrene’s，hesupposed，hadbeentooyoung;hisowngeneration，ofcourse，tooold，thoughGilesHaymanhaddrivenacarfortheRedCross——andJesseHaymanbeenaspecialconstable——those"Dromios"hadalwaysbeenofasportingtype！Asforhimself，hehadgivenamotorambulance，readthepaperstillhewassickofthem，passedthroughmuchanxiety，boughtnoclothes，lostsevenpoundsinweight;hedidn’tknowwhatmorehecouldhavedoneathisage。Indeed，thinkingitover，itstruckhimthatheandhisfamilyhadtakenthiswarverydifferentlytothataffairwiththeBoers，whichhadbeensupposedtotaxalltheresourcesoftheEmpire。Inthatoldwar，ofcourse，hisnephewValDartiehadbeenwounded，thatfellowJolyon’sfirstsonhaddiedofenteric，"theDromios"hadgoneoutonhorses，andJunehadbeenanurse;butallthathadseemedinthenatureofaportent，whileinthiswareverybodyhaddone"theirbit，"sofarashecouldmakeout，asamatterofcourse。Itseemedtoshowthegrowthofsomethingorother——orperhapsthedeclineofsomethingelse。HadtheForsytesbecomelessindividual，ormoreImperial，orlessprovincial？OrwasitsimplythatonehatedGermans？……Whydidn’tFleurcome，sothathecouldgetaway？Hesawthosethreereturntogetherfromtheotherroomandpassbackalongthefarsideofthescreen。TheboywasstandingbeforetheJunonow。And，suddenly，ontheothersideofher，Soamessaw——hisdaughter，witheyebrowsraised，aswelltheymightbe。Hecouldseehereyesglintsidewaysattheboy，andtheboylookbackather。ThenIreneslippedherhandthroughhisarm，anddrewhimon。Soamessawhimglancinground，andFleurlookingafterthemasthethreewentout。

Avoicesaidcheerfully:"Bitthick，isn’tit，sir？"

Theyoungmanwhohadhandedhimhishandkerchiefwasagainpassing。

Soamesnodded。

"Idon’tknowwhatwe’recomingto。"

"Oh！That’sallright，sir，"answeredtheyoungmancheerfully;"theydon’teither。"

Fleur’svoicesaid:"Hallo，Father！Hereyouare！"preciselyasifhehadbeenkeepingherwaiting。

Theyoungman，snatchingoffhishat，passedon。

"Well，"saidSoames，lookingherupanddown，"you’reapunctualsortofyoungwoman！"

Thistreasuredpossessionofhislifewasofmediumheightandcolour，withshort，darkchestnuthair;herwide—apartbrowneyesweresetinwhitessoclearthattheyglintedwhentheymoved，andyetinreposewerealmostdreamyunderverywhite，black—lashedlids，heldovertheminasortofsuspense。Shehadacharmingprofile，andnothingofherfatherinherfacesaveadecidedchin。Awarethathisexpressionwassofteningashelookedather，SoamesfrownedtopreservetheunemotionalismpropertoaForsyte。Heknewshewasonlytooinclinedtotakeadvantageofhisweakness。

Slippingherhandunderhisarm，shesaid:

"Whowasthat？"

"Hepickedupmyhandkerchief。Wetalkedaboutthepictures。"

"You’renotgoingtobuythat，Father？"

"No，"saidSoamesgrimly;"northatJunoyou’vebeenlookingat。"

Fleurdraggedathisarm。"Oh！Let’sgo！It’saghastlyshow。"

InthedoorwaytheypassedtheyoungmancalledMontandhispartner。

ButSoameshadhungoutaboardmarked"Trespasserswillbeprosecuted，"andhebarelyacknowledgedtheyoungfellow’ssalute。

"Well，"hesaidinthestreet，"whomdidyoumeetatImogen’s？"

"AuntWinifred，andthatMonsieurProfond。"

"Oh！"mutteredSoames;"thatchap！Whatdoesyourauntseeinhim？"

"Idon’tknow。Helooksprettydeep——mothersaysshelikeshim。"

Soamesgrunted。

"CousinValandhiswifewerethere，too。"

"What！"saidSoames。"IthoughttheywerebackinSouthAfrica。"

"Oh，no！They’vesoldtheirfarm。CousinValisgoingtotrainrace—horsesontheSussexDowns。They’vegotajollyoldmanor—

house;theyaskedmedownthere。"

Soamescoughed:thenewswasdistastefultohim。"What’shiswifelikenow？"

"Veryquiet，butnice，Ithink。"

Soamescoughedagain。"He’saracketychap，yourCousinVal。"

"Oh！no，Father;they’reawfullydevoted。Ipromisedtogo——SaturdaytoWednesdaynext。"

"Trainingrace—horses！"saidSoames。Itwasextravagant，butnotthereasonforhisdistaste。Whythedeucecouldn’thisnephewhavestayedoutinSouthAfrica？Hisowndivorcehadbeenbadenough，withouthisnephew’smarriagetothedaughteroftheco—respondent;ahalf—sistertooofJune，andofthatboywhomFleurhadjustbeenlookingatfromunderthepump—handle。Ifhedidn’tlookout，shewouldcometoknowallaboutthatolddisgrace！Unpleasantthings！

Theywereroundhimthisafternoonlikeaswarmofbees！

"Idon’tlikeit！"hesaid。

"Iwanttoseetherace—horses，"murmuredFleur;"andthey’vepromisedIshallride。CousinValcan’twalkmuch，youknow;buthecanrideperfectly。He’sgoingtoshowmetheirgallops。"

"Racing！"saidSoames。"It’sapitytheWardidn’tknockthatonthehead。He’stakingafterhisfather，I’mafraid。"

"Idon’tknowanythingabouthisfather。"

"No，"saidSoames，grimly。"HetookaninterestinhorsesandbrokehisneckinParis，walkingdown—stairs。Goodriddanceforyouraunt。"Hefrowned，recollectingtheinquiryintothosestairswhichhehadattendedinParissixyearsago，because。MontagueDartiecouldnotattendithimself——perfectlynormalstairsinahousewheretheyplayedbaccarat。Eitherhiswinningsorthewayhehadcelebratedthemhadgonetohisbrother—in—law’shead。TheFrenchprocedurehadbeenveryloose;hehadhadalotoftroublewithit。

AsoundfromFleurdistractedhisattention。"Look！ThepeoplewhowereintheGallerywithus。"

"Whatpeople？"mutteredSoames，whoknewperfectlywell。

"Ithinkthatwoman’sbeautiful。"

"Comeintothispastry—cook’s，"saidSoamesabruptly，andtighteninghisgriponherarmheturnedintoaconfectioner’s。Itwas——forhim——asurprisingthingtodo，andhesaidratheranxiously:"Whatwillyouhave？"

"Oh！Idon’twantanything。Ihadacocktailandatremendouslunch。"

"Wemusthavesomethingnowwe’rehere，"mutteredSoames，keepingholdofherarm。

"Twoteas，"hesaid;"andtwoofthosenougatthings。"

Butnosoonerwashisbodyseatedthanhissoulsprangup。Thosethree——thosethreewerecomingin！HeheardIrenesaysomethingtoherboy，andhisanswer:

"Oh！no，Mum;thisplaceisallright。Mystunt。"Andthethreesatdown。

Atthatmoment，mostawkwardofhisexistence，crowdedwithghostsandshadowsfromhispast，inpresenceoftheonlytwowomenhehadeverloved——hisdivorcedwifeandhisdaughterbyhersuccessor——

SoameswasnotsomuchafraidofthemasofhiscousinJune。Shemightmakeascene——shemightintroducethosetwochildren——shewascapableofanything。Hebittoohastilyatthenougat，anditstucktohisplate。Workingatitwithhisfinger，heglancedatFleur。

Shewasmasticatingdreamily，buthereyeswereontheboy。TheForsyteinhimsaid:"Think，feel，andyou’redonefor！"Andhewiggledhisfingerdesperately。Plate！DidJolyonwearaplate？

Didthatwomanwearaplate？Timehadbeenwhenhehadseenherwearingnothing！Thatwassomething，anyway，whichhadneverbeenstolenfromhim。Andsheknewit，thoughshemightsittherecalmandself—possessed，asifshehadneverbeenhiswife。AnacidhumourstirredinhisForsyteblood;asubtlepaindividedbyhair’sbreadthfrompleasure。IfonlyJunedidnotsuddenlybringherhornetsabouthisears！Theboywastalking。

"Ofcourse，AuntieJune"——sohecalledhishalf—sister"Auntie，"didhe？——well，shemustbefifty，ifshewasaday！——"it’sjollygoodofyoutoencouragethem。Only——hangitall！"Soamesstoleaglance。

Irene’sstartledeyeswerebentwatchfullyonherboy。She——shehadthesedevotions——forBosinney——forthatboy’sfather——forthisboy！

HetouchedFleur’sarm，andsaid:

"Well，haveyouhadenough？"

"Onemore，Father，please。"

Shewouldbesick！Hewenttothecountertopay。WhenheturnedroundagainhesawFleurstandingnearthedoor，holdingahandkerchiefwhichtheboyhadevidentlyjusthandedtoher。

"F。F。，"heheardhersay。"FleurForsyte——it’smineallright。

Thankyoueverso。"

GoodGod！Shehadcaughtthetrickfromwhathe’dtoldherintheGallery——monkey！

"Forsyte？Why——that’smynametoo。Perhapswe’recousins。"

"Really！Wemustbe。Therearen’tanyothers。IliveatMapledurham;wheredoyou？"

"RobinHill。"

Questionandanswerhadbeensorapidthatallwasoverbeforehecouldliftafinger。HesawIrene’sfacealivewithstartledfeeling，gavetheslightestshakeofhishead，andslippedhisarmthroughFleur’s。

"Comealong！"hesaid。

Shedidnotmove。

"Didn’tyouhear，Father？Isn’titqueer——ourname’sthesame。Arewecousins？"

"What’sthat？"hesaid。"Forsyte？Distant，perhaps。"

"Myname’sJolyon，sir。Jon，forshort。"

"Oh！Ah！"saidSoames。"Yes。Distant。Howareyou？Verygoodofyou。Good—bye！"

Hemovedon。

"Thanksawfully，"Fleurwassaying。"Aurevoir！"

"Aurevoir！"heheardtheboyreply。

II

FINEFLEURFORSYTE

Emergingfromthe"pastry—cook’s，"Soames’firstimpulsewastoventhisnervesbysayingtohisdaughter:’Droppingyourhand—kerchief！’

towhichherreplymightwellbe:’Ipickedthatupfromyou！’Hissecondimpulsethereforewastoletsleepingdogslie。Butshewouldsurelyquestionhim。Hegaveherasidelonglook，andfoundshewasgivinghimthesame。Shesaidsoftly:

"Whydon’tyoulikethosecousins，Father？"Soamesliftedthecornerofhislip。

"Whatmadeyouthinkthat？"

"Celasevoit。"

’Thatseesitself！’Whatawayofputtingit！AftertwentyyearsofaFrenchwifeSoameshadstilllittlesympathywithherlanguage;atheatricalaffairandconnectedinhismindwithalltherefinementsofdomesticirony。

"How？"heasked。

"Youmustknowthem;andyoudidn’tmakeasign。Isawthemlookingatyou。"

"I’veneverseentheboyinmylife，"repliedSoameswithperfecttruth。

"No;butyou’veseentheothers，dear。"

Soamesgaveheranotherlook。Whathadshepickedup？HadherAuntWinifred，orImogen，orValDartieandhiswife，beentalking？Everybreathoftheoldscandalhadbeencarefullykeptfromherathome，andWinifredwarnedmanytimesthathewouldn’thaveawhisperofitreachherfortheworld。Sofarassheoughttoknow，hehadneverbeenmarriedbefore。Butherdarkeyes，whosesouthernglintandclearnessoftenalmostfrightenedhim，methiswithperfectinnocence。

"Well，"hesaid，"yourgrandfatherandhisbrotherhadaquarrel。