第4章

Thetwofamiliesdon’tknoweachother。"

"Howromantic！"

’Now，whatdoesshemeanbythat？’hethought。Thewordwastohimextravagantanddangerous——itwasasifshehadsaid:"Howjolly！"

"Andthey’llcontinuenottoknoweach，other，"headded，butinstantlyregrettedthechallengeinthosewords。Fleurwassmiling。

Inthisage，whenyoungpeoplepridedthemselvesongoingtheirownwaysandpayingnoattentiontoanysortofdecentprejudice，hehadsaidtheverythingtoexciteherwilfulness。Then，recollectingtheexpressiononIrene’sface，hebreathedagain。

"Whatsortofaquarrel？"heheardFleursay。

"Aboutahouse。It’sancienthistoryforyou。Yourgrandfatherdiedthedayyouwereborn。Hewasninety。"

"Ninety？AretheremanyForsytesbesidesthoseintheRedBook？"

"Idon’tknow，"saidSoames。"They’realldispersednow。Theoldonesaredead，exceptTimothy。"

Fleurclaspedherhands。

"Timothy？Isn’tthatdelicious？"

"Notatall，"saidSoames。Itoffendedhimthatsheshouldthink"Timothy"delicious——akindofinsulttohisbreed。Thisnewgenerationmockedatanythingsolidandtenacious。"Yougoandseetheoldboy。Hemightwanttoprophesy。"Ah！IfTimothycouldseethedisquietEnglandofhisgreat—nephewsandgreat—nieces，hewouldcertainlygivetongue。AndinvoluntarilyheglancedupattheIseeum;yes——Georgewasstillinthewindow，withthesamepinkpaperinhishand。

"WhereisRobinHill，Father？"

RobinHill！RobinHill，roundwhichallthattragedyhadcentred！

Whatdidshewanttoknowfor？

"InSurrey，"hemuttered;"notfarfromRichmond。Why？"

"Isthehousethere？"

"Whathouse？"

"Thattheyquarrelledabout。"

"Yes。Butwhat’sallthattodowithyou？We’regoinghometo—

morrow——you’dbetterbethinkingaboutyourfrocks。"

"Blessyou！They’reallthoughtabout。Afamilyfeud？It’sliketheBible，orMarkTwain——awfullyexciting。Whatdidyoudointhefeud，Father？"

"Neveryoumind。"

"Oh！ButifI’mtokeepitup？"

"Whosaidyouweretokeepitup？"

"You，darling。"

"I？Isaidithadnothingtodowithyou。"

"JustwhatIthink，youknow;sothat’sallright。"。

Shewastoosharpforhim;fine，asAnnettesometimescalledher。

Nothingforitbuttodistractherattention。

"There’sabitofrosalinepointinhere，"hesaid，stoppingbeforeashop，"thatIthoughtyoumightlike。"

Whenhehadpaidforitandtheyhadresumedtheirprogress，Fleursaid:

"Don’tyouthinkthatboy’smotheristhemostbeautifulwomanofherageyou’veeverseen？"

Soamesshivered。Uncanny，thewayshestucktoit！

"Idon’tknowthatInoticedher。"

"Dear，Isawthecornerofyoureye。"

"Youseeeverything——andagreatdealmore，itseemstome！"

"What’sherhusbandlike？Hemustbeyourfirstcousin，ifyourfatherswerebrothers。"

"Dead，forallIknow，"saidSoames，withsuddenvehemence。"I

haven’tseenhimfortwentyyears。"

"Whatwashe？"

"Apainter。"

"That’squitejolly。"

Thewords:"Ifyouwanttopleasemeyou’llputthosepeopleoutofyourhead，"sprangtoSoames’lips，buthechokedthemback——hemustnotletherseehisfeelings。

"Heonceinsultedme，"hesaid。

Herquickeyesrestedonhisface。

"Isee！Youdidn’tavengeit，anditrankles。PoorFather！Youletmehaveago！"

Itwasreallylikelyinginthedarkwithamosquitohoveringabovehisface。SuchpertinacityinFleurwasnewtohim，and，astheyreachedthehotel，hesaidgrimly:

"Ididmybest。Andthat’senoughaboutthesepeople。I’mgoinguptilldinner。"

"Ishallsithere。"

Withapartinglookatherextendedinachair——alookhalf—

resentful，half—adoring——Soamesmovedintotheliftandwastransportedtotheirsuiteonthefourthfloor。Hestoodbythewindowofthesitting—roomwhichgaveviewoverHydePark，anddrummedafingeronitspane。Hisfeelingswereconfused，tetchy，troubled。Thethrobofthatoldwound，scarredoverbyTimeandnewinterests，wasmingledwithdispleasureandanxiety，andaslightpaininhischestwherethatnougatstuffhaddisagreed。HadAnnettecomein？Notthatshewasanygoodtohiminsuchadifficulty。

Whenevershehadquestionedhimabouthisfirstmarriage，hehadalwaysshutherup;sheknewnothingofit，savethatithadbeenthegreatpassionofhislife，andhismarriagewithherselfbutdomesticmakeshift。Shehadalwayskeptthegrudgeofthatuphersleeve，asitwere，anduseditcommercially。Helistened。Asound——thevaguemurmurofawoman’smovements——wascomingthroughthedoor。Shewasin。Hetapped。

"Who？"

"I，"saidSoames。

Shehadbeenchangingherfrock，andwasstillimperfectlyclothed;astrikingfigurebeforeherglass。Therewasacertainmagnificenceaboutherarms，shoulders，hair，whichhaddarkenedsincehefirstknewher，abouttheturnofherneck，thesilkinessofhergarments，herdark—lashed，greyblueeyes——shewascertainlyashandsomeatfortyasshehadeverbeen。Afinepossession，anexcellenthousekeeper，asensibleandaffectionateenoughmother。Ifonlysheweren’talwayssofranklycynicalabouttherelationsbetweenthem！

Soames，whohadnomorerealaffectionforherthanshehadforhim，sufferedfromakindofEnglishgrievanceinthatshehadneverdroppedeventhethinnestveilofsentimentovertheirpartnership。

Likemostofhiscountrymenandwomen，heheldtheviewthatmarriageshouldbebasedonmutuallove，butthatwhenfromamarriagelovehaddisappeared，or，beenfoundnevertohavereallyexisted——sothatitwasmanifestlynotbasedonlove——youmustnotadmitit。Thereitwas，andthelovewasnot——butthereyouwere，andmustcontinuetobe！Thusyouhaditbothways，andwerenottarredwithcynicism，realism，andimmoralityliketheFrench。Moreover，itwasnecessaryintheinterestsofproperty。Heknewthatsheknewthattheybothknewtherewasnolovebetweenthem，buthestillexpectedhernottoadmitinwordsorconductsuchathing，andhecouldneverunderstandwhatshemeantwhenshetalkedofthehypocrisyoftheEnglish。Hesaid:

"Whomhaveyougotat’TheShelter’nextweek？"

Annettewentontouchingherlipsdelicatelywithsalve——healwayswishedshewouldn’tdothat。

"YoursisterWinifred，andtheCar—r—digans"——shetookupatinystickofblack——"andProsperProfond。"

"ThatBelgianchap？Whyhim？"

Annetteturnedhernecklazily，touchedoneeyelash，andsaid:

"HeamusesWinifred。"

"IwantsomeonetoamuseFleur;she’srestive。"

"R—restive？"repeatedAnnette。"Isitthefirsttimeyouseethat，myfriend？Shewasbornr—restive，asyoucallit。"

Wouldshenevergetthataffectedrolloutofherr’s？

Hetouchedthedressshehadtakenoff，andasked:

"Whathaveyoubeendoing？"

Annettelookedathim，reflectedinherglass。Herjust—brightenedlipssmiled，ratherfull，ratherironical。

"Enjoyingmyself，"shesaid。

"Oh！"answeredSoamesglumly。"Ribbandry，Isuppose。"

Itwashiswordforallthatincomprehensiblerunninginandoutofshopsthatwomenwentinfor。"HasFleurgothersummerdresses？"

"Youdon’taskifIhavemine。"

"Youdon’tcarewhetherIdoornot。"

"Quiteright。Well，shehas;andIhavemine——terriblyexpensive。"

"H’m！"saidSoames。"WhatdoesthatchapProfonddoinEngland？"

Annetteraisedtheeyebrowsshehadjustfinished。

"Heyachts。"

"Ah！"saidSoames;"he’sasleepychap。"

"Sometimes，"answeredAnnette，andherfacehadasortofquietenjoyment。"Butsometimesveryamusing。"

"He’sgotatouchofthetar—brushabouthim。"

Annettestretchedherself。

"Tar—brush？"shesaid。"Whatisthat？HismotherwasArmenienne。"

"That’sit，then，"mutteredSoames。"Doesheknowanythingaboutpictures？"

"Heknowsabouteverything——amanoftheworld。"

"Well，getsomeoneforFleur。Iwanttodistracther。She’sgoingoffonSaturdaytoValDartieandhiswife;Idon’tlikeit。"

"Whynot？"

Sincethereasoncouldnotbeexplainedwithoutgoingintofamilyhistory，Soamesmerelyanswered:

"Racketingabout。There’stoomuchofit。"

"IlikethatlittleMrs。Val;sheisveryquietandclever。"

"Iknownothingofherexcept——Thisthing’snew。"AndSoamestookupacreationfromthebed。

Annettereceiveditfromhim。

"Wouldyouhookme？"shesaid。

Soameshooked。Glancingonceoverhershoulderintotheglass，hesawtheexpressiononherface，faintlyamused，faintlycontemptuous，asmuchastosay:"Thanks！Youwillneverlearn！"No，thankGod，hewasn’taFrenchman！Hefinishedwithajerk，andthewords:"It’stoolowhere。"Andhewenttothedoor，withthewishtogetawayfromherandgodowntoFleuragain。

Annettestayedapowder—puff，andsaidwithstartlingsuddenness"Quetoesgrossier！"

Heknewtheexpression——hehadreasonto。Thefirsttimeshehadusedithehadthoughtitmeant"Whatagroceryouare！"andhadnotknownwhethertoberelievedornotwhenbetterinformed。Heresentedtheword——hewasnotcoarse！Ifhewascoarse，whatwasthatchapintheroombeyondhis，whomadethosehorriblenoisesinthemorningwhenheclearedhisthroat，orthosepeopleintheLoungewhothoughtitwell—bredtosaynothingbutwhatthewholeworldcouldhearatthetopoftheirvoices——quackinginanity！Coarse，becausehehadsaidherdresswaslow！Well，soitwas！Hewentoutwithoutreply。

ComingintotheLoungefromthefarend，heatoncesawFleurwherehehadlefther。Shesatwithcrossedknees，slowlybalancingafootinsilkstockingandgreyshoe，suresignthatshewasdreaming。Hereyesshowedittoo——theywentofflikethatsometimes。Andthen，inamoment，shewouldcometolife，andbeasquickandrestlessasamonkey。Andsheknewsomuch，soself—assured，andnotyetnineteen。

Whatwasthatodiousword？Flapper！Dreadfulyoungcreatures——

squealingandsquawkingandshowingtheirlegs！Theworstofthembaddreams，thebestofthempowderedangels！Fleurwasnotaflapper，notoneofthoseslangy，ill—bredyoungfemales。Andyetshewasfrighteninglyself—willed，andfulloflife，anddeterminedtoenjoyit。Enjoy！ThewordbroughtnopuritanterrortoSoames;

butitbroughttheterrorsuitedtohistemperament。Hehadalwaysbeenafraidtoenjoyto—dayforfearhemightnotenjoytomorrowsomuch。Anditwasterrifyingtofeelthathisdaughterwasdivestedofthatsafeguard。Theverywayshesatinthatchairshowedit——

lostinherdream。Hehadneverbeenlostinadreamhimself——therewasnothingtobehadoutofit;andwhereshegotitfromhedidnotknow！CertainlynotfromAnnette！AndyetAnnette，asayounggirl，whenhewashangingabouther，hadoncehadaflowerylook。Well，shehadlostitnow！

Fleurrosefromherchair—swiftly，restlessly;andflungherselfdownatawriting—table。Seizinginkandwritingpaper，shebegantowriteasifshehadnottimetobreathebeforeshegotherletterwritten。Andsuddenlyshesawhim。Theairofdesperateabsorptionvanished，shesmiled，wavedakiss，madeaprettyfaceasifshewerealittlepuzzledandalittlebored。

Ah！Shewas"fine"——"fine！"

III

ATROBINHILL

JolyonForsytehadspenthisboy’snineteenthbirthdayatRobinHill，quietlygoingintohisaffairs。Hedideverythingquietlynow，becausehisheartwasinapoorway，and，likeallhisfamily，hedislikedtheideaofdying。Hehadneverrealisedhowmuchtilloneday，twoyearsago，hehadgonetohisdoctoraboutcertainsymptoms，andbeentold:

"Atanymoment，onanyoverstrain。"

Hehadtakenitwithasmile——thenaturalForsytereactionagainstanunpleasanttruth。Butwithanincreaseofsymptomsinthetrainonthewayhome，hehadrealisedtothefullthesentencehangingoverhim。ToleaveIrene，hisboy，hishome，hiswork——thoughhedidlittleenoughworknow！Toleavethemforunknowndarkness，fortheunimaginablestate，forsuchnothingnessthathewouldnotevenbeconsciousofwindstirringleavesabovehisgrave，norofthescentofearthandgrass。Ofsuchnothingnessthat，howeverhardhemighttrytoconceiveit，henevercould，andmuststillhoveronthehopethathemightseeagainthoseheloved！Torealisethiswastoendureverypoignantspiritualanguish。BeforehereachedhomethatdayhehaddeterminedtokeepitfromIrene。Hewouldhavetobemorecarefulthanmanhadeverbeen，fortheleastthingwouldgiveitawayandmakeheraswretchedashimself，almost。Hisdoctorhadpassedhimsoundinotherrespects，andseventywasnothingofanage——hewouldlastalongtimeyet，ifhecould。

Suchaconclusion，followedoutfornearlytwoyears，developstothefullthesubtlersideofcharacter。Naturallynotabrupt，exceptwhennervouslyexcited，Jolyonhadbecomecontrolincarnate。Thesadpatienceofoldpeoplewhocannotexertthemselveswasmaskedbyasmilewhichhislipspreservedeveninprivate。Hedevisedcontinuallyallmannerofcovertoconcealhisenforcedlackofexertion。

Mockinghimselfforsodoing，hecounterfeitedconversiontotheSimpleLife;gaveupwineandcigars，drankaspecialkindofcoffeewithnocoffeeinit。Inshort，hemadehimselfassafeasaForsyteinhisconditioncould，undertheroseofhismildirony。Securefromdiscovery，sincehiswifeandsonhadgoneuptoTown，hehadspentthefineMaydayquietlyarranginghispapers，thathemightdieto—morrowwithoutinconveniencinganyone，givinginfactafinalpolishtohisterrestrialstate。Havingdocketedandencloseditinhisfather’soldChinesecabinet，heputthekeyintoanenvelope，wrotethewordsoutside:"KeyoftheChinesecabinet，whereinwillbefoundtheexactstateofme，J。F。，"andputitinhisbreast—

pocket，whereitwouldbealwaysabouthim，incaseofaccident。

Then，ringingfortea，hewentouttohaveitundertheoldoak—tree。

Allareundersentenceofdeath;Jolyon，whosesentencewasbutalittlemorepreciseandpressing，hadbecomesousedtoitthathethoughthabitually，likeotherpeople，ofotherthings。Hethoughtofhissonnow。

Jonwasnineteenthatday，andJonhadcomeoflatetoadecision。

EducatedneitheratEtonlikehisfather，noratHarrow，likehisdeadhalf—brother，butatoneofthoseestablishmentswhich，designedtoavoidtheevilandcontainthegoodofthePublicSchoolsystem，mayormaynotcontaintheevilandavoidthegood，JonhadleftinAprilperfectlyignorantofwhithewantedtobecome。TheWar，whichhadpromisedtogoonforever，hadendedjustashewasabouttojointheArmy，sixmonthsbeforehistime。Ithadtakenhimeversincetogetusedtotheideathathecouldnowchooseforhimself。

Hehadheldwithhisfatherseveraldiscussions，fromwhich，underacheeryshowofbeingreadyforanything——except，ofcourse，theChurch，Army，Law，Stage，StockExchange，Medicine，Business，andEngineering——JolyonhadgatheredratherclearlythatJonwantedtogoinfornothing。Hehimselfhadfeltexactlylikethatatthesameage。Withhimthatpleasantvacuityhadsoonbeenendedbyanearlymarriage，anditsunhappyconsequences。ForcedtobecomeanunderwriteratLloyd’s，hehadregainedprosperitybeforehisartistictalenthadoutcropped。Buthaving——asthesimplesay——

"learned"hisboytodrawpigsandotheranimals，heknewthatJonwouldneverbeapainter，andinclinedtotheconclusionthathisaversionfromeverythingelsemeantthathewasgoingtobeawriter。

Holding，however，theviewthatexperiencewasnecessaryevenforthatprofession，thereseemedtoJolyonnothinginthemeantime，forJon，butUniversity，travel，andperhapstheeatingofdinnersfortheBar。Afterthatonewouldsee，ormoreprobablyonewouldnot。

Infaceoftheseprofferedallurements，however，Jonhadremainedundecided。

SuchdiscussionswithhissonhadconfirmedinJolyonadoubtwhethertheworldhadreallychanged。Peoplesaidthatitwasanewage。

Withtheprofundityofonenottoolongforanyage，Jolyonperceivedthatunderslightlydifferentsurfacestheerawaspreciselywhatithadbeen。Mankindwasstilldividedintotwospecies:Thefewwhohad"speculation"intheirsouls，andthemanywhohadnone，withabeltofhybridslikehimselfinthemiddle。Jonappearedtohavespeculation;itseemedtohisfatherabadlookout。

Withsomethingdeeper，therefore，thanhisusualsmile，hehadheardtheboysay，afortnightago:"Ishouldliketotryfarming，Dad;ifitwon’tcostyoutoomuch。Itseemstobeabouttheonlysortoflifethatdoesn’thurtanybody;exceptart，andofcoursethat’soutofthequestionforme。"

Jolyonsubduedhissmile，andanswered:

"Allright;youshallskipbacktowherewewereunderthefirstJolyonin1760。It’llprovethecycletheory，andincidentally，nodoubt，youmaygrowabetterturnipthanhedid。"

Alittledashed，Jonhadanswered:

"Butdon’tyouthinkit’sagoodscheme，Dad？"

"’Twillserve，mydear;andifyoushouldreallytaketoit，you’lldomoregoodthanmostmen，whichislittleenough。"

Tohimself，however，hehadsaid:’Buthewon’ttaketoit。Igivehimfouryears。Still，it’shealthy，andharmless。’

AfterturningthematteroverandconsultingwithIrene，hewrotetohisdaughter，Mrs。ValDartie，askingiftheyknewofafarmernearthemontheDownswhowouldtakeJonasanapprentice。Holly’sanswerhadbeenenthusiastic。Therewasanexcellentmanquiteclose;sheandValwouldloveJontolivewiththem。

Theboywasduetogoto—morrow。

Sippingweakteawithlemoninit，Jolyongazedthroughtheleavesoftheoldoak—treeatthatviewwhichhadappearedtohimdesirableforthirty—twoyears。Thetreebeneathwhichhesatseemednotadayolder！Soyoung，thelittleleavesofbrownishgold;soold，thewhitey—grey—greenofitsthickroughtrunk。Atreeofmemories，whichwouldliveonhundredsofyearsyet，unlesssomebarbariancutitdown——wouldseeoldEnglandoutatthepacethingsweregoing！Herememberedanightthreeyearsbefore，when，lookingfromhiswindow，withhisarmcloseroundIrene，hehadwatchedaGermanaeroplanehovering，itseemed，rightovertheoldtree。NextdaytheyhadfoundabombholeinafieldonGage’sfarm。Thatwasbeforeheknewthathewasundersentenceofdeath。Hecouldalmosthavewishedthebombhadfinishedhim。Itwouldhavesavedalotofhangingabout，manyhoursofcoldfearinthepitofhisstomach。HehadcountedonlivingtothenormalForsyteageofeighty—fiveormore，whenIrenewouldbeseventy。Asitwas，shewouldmisshim。StilltherewasJon，moreimportantinherlifethanhimself;Jon，whoadoredhismother。

Underthattree，whereoldJolyon——waitingforIrenetocometohimacrossthelawn——hadbreathedhislast，Jolyonwondered，whimsically，whether，havingputeverythinginsuchperfectorder，hehadnotbetterclosehisowneyesanddriftaway。Therewassomethingundignifiedinoparasiticallyclingingontotheeffortlesscloseofalifewhereinheregrettedtwothingsonly——thelongdivisionbetweenhisfatherandhimselfwhenhewasyoung，andthelatenessofhisunionowithIrene。

>Fromwherehesathecouldseeaclusterofapple—treesinblossom。

NothinginNaturemovedhimsomuchasfruit—treesinblossom;andhisheartachedsuddenlybecausehemightneverseethemfloweragain。Spring！Decidedlynomanoughttohavetodiewhilehisheartwasstillyoungenoughtolovebeauty！Blackbirdssangrecklesslyintheshrubbery，swallowswereflyinghigh，theleavesabovehimglistened;andoverthefieldswaseveryimaginabletintofearlyfoliage，burnishedbythelevelsunlight，awaytowherethedistant"smoke—bush"bluewastrailedalongthehorizon。Irene’sflowersintheirnarrowbedshadstartlingindividualitythatevening，littledeepassertionsofgaylife。OnlyChineseandJapanesepainters，andperhapsLeonardo，hadknownhowtogetthatstartlinglittleegointoeachpaintedflower，andbird，andbeast——

theego，yetthesenseofspecies，theuniversalityoflifeaswell。

Theywerethefellows！’I’vemadenothingthatwilllive！’thoughtJolyon;’I’vebeenanamateur——amerelover，notacreator。Still，I

shallleaveJonbehindmewhenIgo。’Whatluckthattheboyhadnotbeencaughtbythatghastlywar！Hemightsoeasilyhavebeenkilled，likepoorJollytwentyyearsagooutintheTransvaal。Jonwoulddosomethingsomeday——iftheAgedidn’tspoilhim——animaginativechap！Hiswhimtotakeupfarmingwasbutabitofsentiment，andaboutaslikelytolast。Andjustthenhesawthemcomingupthefield:Ireneandtheboy;walkingfromthestation，withtheirarmslinked。Andgettingup，hestrolleddownthroughthenewrosegardentomeetthem……

Irenecameintohisroomthatnightandsatdownbythewindow。Shesattherewithoutspeakingtillhesaid:

"Whatisit，mylove？"

"Wehadanencounterto—day。"

"Withwhom？"

"Soames。"

Soames！Hehadkeptthatnameoutofhisthoughtstheselasttwoyears;consciousthatitwasbadforhim。And，now，hisheartmovedinadisconcertingmanner，asifithadside—slippedwithinhischest。

Irenewentonquietly:

"HeandhisdaughterwereintheGallery，andafterwardattheconfectioner’swherewehadtea。"

Jolyonwentoverandputhishandonhershoulder。

"Howdidhelook？"

"Grey;butotherwisemuchthesame。"

"Andthedaughter？"

"Pretty。Atleast，Jonthoughtso。"

Jolyon’sheartside—slippedagain。Hiswife’sfacehadastrainedandpuzzledlook。

"Youdidn’t—？"hebegan。

"No;butJonknowstheirname。Thegirldroppedherhandkerchiefandhepickeditup。"

Jolyonsatdownonhisbed。Anevilchance！

"Junewaswithyou。Didsheputherfootintoit？"

"No;butitwasallveryqueerandstrained，andJoncouldseeitwas。"

Jolyondrewalongbreath，andsaid:

"I’veoftenwonderedwhetherwe’vebeenrighttokeepitfromhim。

He’llfindoutsomeday。"

"Thelaterthebetter，Jolyon;theyounghavesuchcheap，hardjudgment。WhenyouwerenineteenwhatwouldyouhavethoughtofyourmotherifshehaddonewhatIhave？"

Yes！Thereitwas！Jonworshippedhismother;andknewnothingofthetragedies，theinexorablenecessitiesoflife，nothingoftheprisonedgriefinanunhappymarriage，nothingofjealousyorpassion——knewnothingatall，asyet！

"Whathaveyoutoldhim？"hesaidatlast。

"Thattheywererelations，butwedidn’tknowthem;thatyouhadnevercaredmuchforyourfamily，ortheyforyou。Iexpecthewillbeaskingyou。"

Jolyonsmiled。"Thispromisestotaketheplaceofair—raids，"hesaid。"Afterall，onemissesthem。"

Irenelookedupathim。