第5章

"We’veknownitwouldcomesomeday。"

Heansweredherwithsuddenenergy:

"IcouldneverstandseeingJonblameyou。Heshan’tdothat，eveninthought。Hehasimagination;andhe’llunderstandifit’sputtohimproperly。IthinkIhadbettertellhimbeforehegetstoknowotherwise。"

"Notyet，Jolyon。"

Thatwaslikeher——shehadnoforesight，andneverwenttomeettrouble。Still——whoknew？——shemightberight。Itwasillgoingagainstamother’sinstinct。Itmightbewelltolettheboygoon，ifpossible，tillexperiencehadgivenhimsometouchstonebywhichhecouldjudgethevaluesofthatoldtragedy;tilllove，jealousy，longing，haddeepenedhischarity。Allthesame，onemusttakeprecautions——everyprecautionpossible！And，longafterIrenehadlefthim，helayawaketurningoverthoseprecautions。HemustwritetoHolly，tellingherthatJonknewnothingasyetoffamilyhistory。

Hollywasdiscreet，shewouldmakesureofherhusband，shewouldseetoit！Joncouldtaketheletterwithhimwhenhewentto—morrow。

Andsothedayonwhichhehadputthepolishonhismaterialestatediedoutwiththechimingofthestableclock;andanotherbeganforJolyonintheshadowofaspiritualdisorderwhichcouldnotbesoroundedoffandpolished……

ButJon，whoseroomhadoncebeenhisdaynursery，layawaketoo，thepreyofasensationdisputedbythosewhohaveneverknownit，"loveatfirstsight！"HehadfeltitbeginninginhimwiththeglintofthosedarkeyesgazingintohisathwarttheJuno——aconvictionthatthiswashis’dream’;sothatwhatfollowedhadseemedtohimatoncenaturalandmiraculous。Fleur！Hernamealonewasalmostenoughforonewhowasterriblysusceptibletothecharmofwords。InahomoeopathicAge，whenboysandgirlswereco—educated，andmixedupinearlylifetillsexwasalmostabolished，Jonwassingularlyold—

fashioned。Hismodernschooltookboysonly，andhisholidayshadbeenspentatRobinHillwithboyfriends，orhisparentsalone。Hehadnever，therefore，beeninoculatedagainstthegermsoflovebysmalldosesofthepoison。Andnowinthedarkhistemperaturewasmountingfast。Helayawake，featuringFleur——astheycalledit——

recallingherwords，especiallythat"Aurevoir！"sosoftandsprightly。

Hewasstillsowideawakeatdawnthathegotup，slippedontennisshoes，trousers，andasweater，andinsilencecreptdownstairsandoutthroughthestudywindow。Itwasjustlight;therewasasmellofgrass。’Fleur！’hethought;’Fleur！’Itwasmysteriouslywhiteoutofdoors，withnothingawakeexceptthebirdsjustbeginningtochirp。’I’llgodownintothecoppice，’hethought。Herandownthroughthefields，reachedthepondjustasthesunrose，andpassedintothecoppice。Bluebellscarpetedthegroundthere;amongthelarch—treestherewasmystery——theair，asitwere，composedofthatromanticquality。Jonsniffeditsfreshness，andstaredatthebluebellsinthesharpeninglight。Fleur！Itrhymedwithher！AndshelivedatMapleduram——ajollyname，too，ontheriversomewhere。

Hecouldfinditintheatlaspresently。Hewouldwritetoher。Butwouldsheanswer？Oh！Shemust。Shehadsaid"Aurevoir！"Notgood—bye！Whatluckthatshehaddroppedherhandkerchief！Hewouldneverhaveknownherbutforthat。Andthemorehethoughtofthathandkerchief，themoreamazinghisluckseemed。Fleur！Itcertainlyrhymedwithher！Rhythmthrongedhishead;wordsjostledtobejoinedtogether;hewasonthevergeofapoem。

Jonremainedinthisconditionformorethanhalfanhour，thenreturnedtothehouse，andgettingaladder，climbedinathisbedroomwindowoutofsheerexhilaration。Then，rememberingthatthestudywindowwasopen，hewentdownandshutit，firstremovingtheladder，soastoobliteratealltracesofhisfeeling。Thethingwastoodeeptoberevealedtomortalsoul—even—tohismother。

IV

THEMAUSOLEUM

TherearehouseswhosesoulshavepassedintothelimboofTime，leavingtheirbodiesinthelimboofLondon。Suchwasnotquitetheconditionof"Timothy’s"ontheBayswaterRoad，forTimothy’ssoulstillhadonefootinTimothyForsyte’sbody，andSmitherkepttheatmosphereunchanging，ofcamphorandportwineandhousewhosewindowsareonlyopenedtoairittwiceaday。

ToForsyteimaginationthathousewasnowasortofChinesepill—box，aseriesoflayersinthelastofwhichwasTimothy。Onedidnotreachhim，orsoitwasreportedbymembersofthefamilywho，outofold—timehabitorabsentmindedness，woulddriveuponceinabluemoonandaskaftertheirsurvivinguncle。SuchwereFrancie，nowquiteemancipatedfromGod（shefranklyavowedatheism），Euphemia，emancipatedfromoldNicholas，andWinifredDartiefromher"manoftheworld。"But，afterall，everybodywasemancipatednow，orsaidtheywere——perhapsnotquitethesamething！

WhenSoames，therefore，tookitonhiswaytoPaddingtonstationonthemorningafterthatencounter，itwashardlywiththeexpectationofseeingTimothyintheflesh。HisheartmadeafaintdemonstrationwithinhimwhilehestoodinfullsouthsunlightonthenewlywhiteneddoorstepofthatlittlehousewherefourForsyteshadoncelived，andnowbutonedweltonlikeawinterfly;thehouseintowhichSoameshadcomeandoutofwhichhehadgonetimeswithoutnumber，divestedof，orburdenedwith，fardelsoffamilygossip;thehouseofthe"oldpeople"ofanothercentury，anotherage。

ThesightofSmither——stillcorseteduptothearmpitsbecausethenewfashionwhichcameinastheyweregoingoutabout1903hadneverbeenconsidered"nice"byAuntsJuleyandHester——broughtapalefriendlinesstoSoames’lips;Smither，stillfaithfullyarrangedtooldpatternineverydetail，aninvaluableservant——nonesuchleft——

smilingbackathim，withthewords:"Why！it’sMr。Soames，afterallthistime！Andhowareyou，sir？Mr。Timothywillbesopleasedtoknowyou’vebeen。"

"Howishe？"

"Oh！hekeepsfairlybobbishforhisage，sir;butofcoursehe’sawonderfulman。AsIsaidtoMrs。Dartiewhenshewasherelast:ItwouldpleaseMissForsyteandMrs。JuleyandMissHestertoseehowherelishesabakedapplestill。Buthe’squitedeaf。Andamercy，Ialwaysthink。Forwhatweshouldhavedonewithhimintheair—

raids，Idon’tknow。"

"Ah！"saidSoames。"Whatdidyoudowithhim？"

"Wejustlefthiminhisbed，andhadthebellrundownintothecellar，sothatCookandIcouldhearhimifherang。Itwouldneverhavedonetolethimknowtherewasawaron。AsIsaidtoCook，’IfMr。Timothyrings，theymaydowhattheylike——I’mgoingup。Mydearmistresseswouldhaveafitiftheycouldseehimringingandnobodygoingtohim。’Buthesleptthroughthemallbeautiful。Andtheoneinthedaytimehewashavinghisbath。Itwasamercy，becausehemighthavenoticedthepeopleinthestreetalllookingup——heoftenlooksoutofthewindow。"

"Quite！"murmuredSoames。Smitherwasgettinggarrulous！"Ijustwanttolookroundandseeifthere’sanythingtobedone。"

"Yes，sir。Idon’tthinkthere’sanythingexceptasmellofmiceinthedining—roomthatwedon’tknowhowtogetridof。It’sfunnytheyshouldbethere，andnotacrumb，sinceMr。Timothytooktonotcomingdown，justbeforetheWar。Butthey’renastylittlethings;

youneverknowwherethey’lltakeyounext。"

"Doesheleavehisbed？"——

"Oh！yes，sir;hetakesniceexercisebetweenhisbedandthewindowinthemorning，nottoriskachangeofair。Andhe’squitecomfortableinhimself;hashisWillouteverydayregular。It’sagreatconsolationtohim——that。"

"Well，Smither，Iwanttoseehim，ifIcan;incasehehasanythingtosaytome。"

Smithercolouredupabovehercorsets。

"Itwillbeanoccasion！"shesaid。"ShallItakeyouroundthehouse，sir，whileIsendCooktobreakittohim？"

"No，yougotohim，"saidSoames。"Icangoroundthehousebymyself。"

Onecouldnotconfesstosentimentbeforeanother，andSoamesfeltthathewasgoingtobesentimentalnosingroundthoseroomssosaturatedwiththepast。WhenSmither，creakingwithexcitement，hadlefthim，Soamesenteredthedining—roomandsniffed。Inhisopinionitwasn’tmice，butincipientwood—rot，andheexaminedthepanelling。Whetheritwasworthacoatofpaint，atTimothy’sage，hewasnotsure。Theroomhadalwaysbeenthemostmoderninthehouse;andonlyafaintsmilecurledSoames’lipsandnostrils。

Wallsofarichgreensurmountedtheoakdado;aheavymetalchandelierhungbyachainfromaceilingdividedbyimitationbeams。

ThepictureshadbeenboughtbyTimothy，abargain，onedayatJobson’ssixtyyearsago——threeSnyder"stilllifes，"twofaintlycoloureddrawingsofaboyandagirl，rathercharming，whichboretheinitials"J。R。"——TimothyhadalwaysbelievedtheymightturnouttobeJoshuaReynolds，butSoames，whoadmiredthem，haddiscoveredthattheywereonlyJohnRobinson;andadoubtfulMorlandofawhiteponybeingshod。Deep—redplushcurtains，tenhigh—backeddarkmahoganychairswithdeep—redplushseats，aTurkeycarpet，andamahoganydining—tableaslargeastheroomwassmall，suchwasanapartmentwhichSoamescouldrememberunchangedinsoulorbodysincehewasfouryearsold。Helookedespeciallyatthetwodrawings，andthought:’Ishallbuythoseatthesale。’

>Fromthedining—roomhepassedintoTimothy’sstudy。Hedidnotremembereverhavingbeeninthatroom。Itwaslinedfromfloortoceilingwithvolumes，andhelookedatthemwithcuriosity。Onewallseemeddevotedtoeducationalbooks，whichTimothy’sfirmhadpublishedtwogenerationsback—sometimesasmanyastwentycopiesofonebook。Soamesreadtheirtitlesandshuddered。Themiddlewallhadpreciselythesamebooksasusedtobeinthelibraryathisownfather’sinParkLane，fromwhichhededucedthefancythatJamesandhisyoungestbrotherhadgoneouttogetheronedayandboughtabraceofsmalllibraries。Thethirdwallheapproachedwithmoreexcitement。Here，surely，Timothy’sowntastewouldbefound。Itwas。Thebooksweredummies。Thefourthwallwasallheavilycurtainedwindow。Andturnedtowarditwasalargechairwithamahoganyreading—standattached，onwhichayellowishandfoldedcopyofTheTimes，datedJuly6，1914，thedayTimothyfirstfailedtocomedown，asifinpreparationfortheWar，seemedwaitingforhimstill。InacornerstoodalargeglobeofthatworldnevervisitedbyTimothy，deeplyconvincedoftheunrealityofeverythingbutEngland，andpermanentlyupsetbythesea，onwhichhehadbeenverysickoneSundayafternoonin1836，outofapleasureboatoffthepieratBrighton，withJuleyandHester，SwithinandHattyChessman;

allduetoSwithin，whowasalwaystakingthingsintohishead，andwho，thankgoodness，hadbeensicktoo。Soamesknewallaboutit，havingheardthetalefiftytimesatleastfromoneorotherofthem。

Hewentuptotheglobe，andgaveitaspin;itemittedafaintcreakandmovedaboutaninch，bringingintohispurviewadaddy—long—legswhichhaddiedonitinlatitude44。

’Mausoleum！’hethought。’Georgewasright！’Andhewentoutandupthestairs。Onthehalf—landinghestoppedbeforethecaseofstuffedhumming—birdswhichhaddelightedhischildhood。Theylookednotadayolder，suspendedonwiresabovepampas—grass。Ifthecasewereopenedthebirdswouldnotbegintohum，butthewholethingwouldcrumble，hesuspected。Itwouldn’tbeworthputtingthatintothesale！AndsuddenlyhewascaughtbyamemoryofAuntAnn——dearoldAuntAnn——holdinghimbythehandinfrontofthatcaseandsaying:"Look，Soamey！Aren’ttheybrightandpretty，dearlittlehumming—birds！"Soamesrememberedhisownanswer:"Theydon’thum，Auntie。"Hemusthavebeensix，inablackvelveteensuitwithalight—bluecollar—herememberedthatsuitwell！AuntAnnwithherringlets，andherspiderykindhands，andhergraveoldaquilinesmile——afineoldlady，AuntAnn！Hemovedonuptothedrawing—roomdoor。Thereoneachsideofitwerethegroupsofminiatures。ThosehewouldcertainIybuyin！Theminiaturesofhisfouraunts，oneofhisUncleSwithinadolescent，andoneofhisUncleNicholasasaboy。

Theyhadallbeenpaintedbyayoungladyfriendofthefamilyatatime，1830，about，whenminiatureswereconsideredverygenteel，andlastingtoo，paintedastheywereonivory。Manyatimehadheheardthetaleofthatyounglady:"Verytalented，mydear;shehadquiteaweaknessforSwithin，andverysoonaftershewentintoaconsumptionanddied:solikeKeats——weoftenspokeofit。"

Well，theretheywere！Ann，Juley，Hester，Susan——quiteasmallchild;Swithin，withsky—blueeyes，pinkcheeks，yellowcurls，whitewaistcoat—largeaslife;andNicholas，likeCupidwithaneyeonheaven。Nowhecametothinkofit，UncleNickhadalwaysbeenratherlikethat——awonderfulmantothelast。Yes，shemusthavehadtalent，andminiaturesalwayshadacertainback—wateredcachetoftheirown，littlesubjecttothecurrentsofcompetitiononaestheticChange。Soamesopenedthedrawing—roomdoor。Theroomwasdusted，thefurnitureuncovered，thecurtainsdrawnback，preciselyasifhisauntsstilldwelttherepatientlywaiting。Andathoughtcametohim:WhenTimothydied——whynot？Woulditnotbealmostadutytopreservethishouse——likeCarlyle’s——andputupatablet，andshowit？"Specimenofmid—Victorianabode——entrance，oneshilling，withcatalogue。"Afterall，itwasthecompletestthing，andperhapsthedeadestintheLondonofto—day。Perfectinitsspecialtasteandculture，if，thatis，hetookdownandcarriedovertohisowncollectionthefourBarbizonpictureshehadgiventhem。Thestillsky—bluewalls，tilegreencurtainspatternedwithredflowersandferns;thecrewel—workedfire—screenbeforethecast—irongrate;themahoganycupboardwithglasswindows，fulloflittleknickknacks;thebeadedfootstools;Keats，Shelley，Southey，Cowper，Coleridge，Byron’sCorsair（butnothingelse），andtheVictorianpoetsinabookshelfrow;themarqueteriecabinetlinedwithdimredplush，fulloffamilyrelics:Hester’sfirstfan;thebucklesoftheirmother’sfather’sshoes;threebottledscorpions;andoneveryyellowelephant’stusk，senthomefromIndiabyGreat—uncleEdgarForsyte，whohadbeeninjute;ayellowbitofpaperproppedup，withspiderywritingonit，recordingGodknewwhat！Andthepicturescrowdingonthewalls——allwater—colourssavethosefourBarbizonslookingliketileforeignerstheywere，anddoubtfulcustomersatthat——picturesbrightandillustrative，"TellingtheBees，""HeyfortheFerry！"andtwointhestyleofFrith，allthimblerigandcrinolines，giventhembySwithin。Oh！many，manypicturesatwhichSoameshadgazedathousandtimesinsuperciliousfascination;amarvellouscollectionofbright，smoothgiltframes。

Andtheboudoir—grandpiano，beautifullydusted，hermeticallysealedasever;andAuntJuley’salbumofpressedseaweedonit。Andthegilt—leggedchairs，strongerthantheylooked。Andononesideofthefireplacethesofaofcrimsonsilk，whereAuntAnn，andafterherAuntJuley，hadbeenwonttosit，facingthelightandboltupright。

Andontheothersideofthefiretheonereallyeasychair，backtothelight，forAuntHester。Soamesscreweduphiseyes;heseemedtoseethemsittingthere。Ah！andtheatmosphere——evennow，oftoomanystuffsandwashedlacecurtains，lavenderinbags，anddriedbees’wings。’No，’hethought，’there’snothinglikeitleft;itoughttobepreserved。’And，byGeorge，theymightlaughatit，butforastandardofgentlelifeneverdepartedfrom，forfastidiousnessofskinandeyeandnoseandfeeling，itbeatto—dayhollow——to—daywithitsTubesandcars，itsperpetualsmoking，itscross—legged，bare—neckedgirlsvisibleuptothekneesanddowntothewaistifyoutookthetrouble（agreeabletothesatyrwithineachForsytebuthardlyhisideaofalady），withtheirfeet，too，screwedroundthelegsoftheirchairswhiletheyate，andtheir"Solongs，"andtheir"OldBeans，"andtheirlaughter——girlswhogavehimtheshudderswheneverhethoughtofFleurincontactwiththem;andthehard—eyed，capable，olderwomenwhomanagedlifeandgavehimtheshudderstoo。

No！hisoldaunts，iftheyneveropenedtheirminds，theireyes，orverymuchtheirwindows，atleasthadmanners，andastandard，andreverenceforpastandfuture。

Withratherachokyfeelingheclosedthedoorandwenttiptoeingup—

stairs。Helookedinataplaceontheway:H’m！inperfectorderoftheeighties，withasortofyellowoilskinpaperonthewalls。Atthetopofthestairshehesitatedbetweenfourdoors。WhichofthemwasTimothy’s？Andhelistened。Asound，asofachildslowlydraggingahobby—horseabout，cametohisears。ThatmustbeTimothy！Hetapped，andadoorwasopenedbySmither，veryredintheface。

Mr。Timothywastakinghiswalk，andshehadnotbeenabletogethimtoattend。IfMr。Soameswouldcomeintotheback—room，hecouldseehimthroughthedoor。

Soameswentintotheback—roomandstoodwatching。

ThelastoftheoldForsyteswasonhisfeet，movingwiththemostimpressiveslowness，andanairofperfectconcentrationonhisownaffairs，backwardandforwardbetweenthefootofhisbedandthewindow，adistanceofsometwelvefeet。Thelowerpartofhissquareface，nolongerclean—shaven，wascoveredwithsnowybeardclippedasshortasitcouldbe，andhischinlookedasbroadashisbrowwherethehairwasalsoquitewhite，whilenoseandcheeksandbrowwereagoodyellow。Onehandheldastoutstick，andtheothergraspedtheskirtofhisJaegerdressing—gown，fromunderwhichcouldbeseenhisbed—sockedanklesandfeetthrustintoJaegerslippers。Theexpressiononhisfacewasthatofacrossedchild，intentonsomethingthathehasnotgot。Eachtimeheturnedhestumpedthestick，andthendraggedit，asiftoshowthathecoulddowithoutit:

"Hestilllooksstrong，"saidSoamesunderhisbreath。

"Oh！yes，sir。Youshouldseehimtakehisbath——it’swonderful;hedoesenjoyitso。"

ThosequiteloudwordsgaveSoamesaninsight。Timothyhadresumedhisbabyhood。

"Doeshetakeanyinterestinthingsgenerally？"hesaid，alsoloud。

"OhIyes，sir;hisfoodandhisWill。It’squiteasighttoseehimturnitoverandover，nottoreadit，ofcourse;andeverynowandthenheasksthepriceofConsols，andIwriteitonaslateforhim—

verylarge。Ofcourse，Ialwayswritethesame，whattheywerewhenhelasttooknotice，in1914。WegotthedoctortoforbidhimtoreadthepaperwhentheWarbrokeout。Oh！hedidtakeonaboutthatatfirst。Buthesooncameround，becauseheknewittiredhim;andhe’sawondertoconserveenergyasheusedtocallitwhenmydearmistresseswerealive，blesstheirhearts！Howhedidgoonatthemaboutthat;theywerealwayssoactive，ifyouremember，Mr。Soames。"

"WhatwouldhappenifIweretogoin？"askedSoames:"Wouldherememberme？ImadehisWill，youknow，afterMissHesterdiedin1907。"

"Oh！that，sir，"repliedSmitherdoubtfully，"Icouldn’ttakeonmetosay。Ithinkhemight;hereallyisawonderfulmanforhisage。"

Soamesmovedintothedoorway，andwaitingforTimothytoturn，saidinaloudvoice:"UncleTimothy！"

Timothytrailedbackhalf—way，andhalted。

"Eh？"hesaid。

"Soames，"criedSoamesatthetopofhisvoice，holdingouthishand，"SoamesForsyte！"

"No！"saidTimothy，andstumpinghisstickloudlyonthefloor，hecontinuedhiswalk。

"Itdoesn’tseemtowork，"saidSoames。

"No，sir，"repliedSmither，rathercrestfallen;"yousee，hehasn’tfinishedhiswalk。Italwayswasonethingatatimewithhim。I

expecthe’llaskmethisafternoonifyoucameaboutthegas，andaprettyjobIshallhavetomakehimunderstand。"

"Doyouthinkheoughttohaveamanabouthim？"

Smitherheldupherhands。"Aman！Oh！no。Cookandmecanmanageperfectly。Astrangemanaboutwouldsendhimcrazyinnotime。Andmymistresseswouldn’tliketheideaofamaninthehouse。Besides，we’reso——proudofhim。"

"Isupposethedoctorcomes？"

"Everymorning。Hemakesspecialtermsforsuchaquantity，andMr。

Timothy’ssoused，hedoesn’ttakeabitofnotice，excepttoputouthistongue。"

"Well，"saidSoames，turningaway，"it’srathersadandpainfultome。"

"Oh！sir，"returnedSmitheranxiously，"youmustn’tthinkthat。Nowthathecan’tworryaboutthings，hequiteenjoyshislife，reallyhedoes。AsIsaytoCook，Mr。Timothyismoreofamanthanheeverwas。Yousee，whenhe’snotwalkin’，ortakin’hisbath，he’seatin’，andwhenhe’snoteatin’，he’ssleepin’;andthereitis。

Thereisn’tanacheoracareabouthimanywhere。"

"Well，"saidSoames，"there’ssomethinginthat。I’llgodown。Bytheway，letmeseehisWill。"

"Ishouldhavetotakemytimeaboutthat，sir;hekeepsitunderhispillow，andhe’dseeme，whilehe’sactive。"

"Ionlywanttoknowifit’stheoneImade，"saidSoames;"youtakealookatitsdatesometime，andletmeknow。"

"Yes，sir;butI’msureit’sthesame，becausemeandCookwitnessed，youremember，andthere’sournamesonitstill，andwe’veonlydoneitonce。"

"Quite，"saidSoames。Hedidremember。SmitherandJanehadbeenproperwitnesses，havingbeenleftnothingintheWillthattheymighthavenointerestinTimothy’sdeath。Ithadbeen——hefullyadmitted——analmostimproperprecaution，butTimothyhadwishedit，and，afterall，AuntHesterhadprovidedforthemamply。

"Verywell，"hesaid;"good—bye，Smither。Lookafterhim，andifheshouldsayanythingatanytime，putitdown，andletmeknow。"

"OhIyes，Mr。Soames;I’llbesuretodothat。It’sbeensuchapleasantchangetoseeyou。CookwillbequiteexcitedwhenItellher。"

Soamesshookherhandandwentdown—stairs。Hestoodforfullytwominutesbythehat—standwhereonhehadhunghishatsomanytimes。

’Soitallpasses，’hewasthinking;’passesandbeginsagain。Pooroldchap！’Andhelistened，ifperchancethesoundofTimothytrailinghishobby—horsemightcomedownthewellofthestairs;orsomeghostofanoldfaceshowoverthebannisters，andanoldvoicesay:’Why，it’sdearSoames，andwewereonlysayingthatwehadn’tseenhimforaweek！’

Nothing——nothing！Justthescentofcamphor，anddust—motesinasunbeamthroughthefanlightoverthedoor。Thelittleoldhouse！A

mausoleum！And，turningonhisheel，hewentout，andcaughthistrain。

V

THENATIVEHEATH

"Hisfoot’suponhisnativeheath，Hisname’s——ValDartie。"

WithsomesuchfeelingdidValDartie，inthefortiethyearofhisage，setoutthatsameThursdaymorningveryearlyfromtheoldmanor—househehadtakenonthenorthsideoftheSussexDowns。HisdestinationwasNewmarket，andhehadnotbeentheresincetheautumnof1899，whenhestoleoverfromOxfordfortheCambridgeshire。Hepausedatthedoortogivehiswifeakiss，andputaflaskofportintohispocket。

"Don’tovertireyourleg，Val，anddon’tbettoomuch。"

Withthepressureofherchestagainsthisown，andhereyeslookingintohis，Valfeltbothlegandpocketsafe。Heshouldbemoderate;

Hollywasalwaysright——shehadanaturalaptitude。Itdidnotseemsoremarkabletohim，perhaps，asitmighttoothers，that——halfDartieashewas——heshouldhavebeenperfectlyfaithfultohisyoungfirstcousinduringthetwentyyearssincehemarriedherromanticallyoutintheBoerWar;andfaithfulwithoutanyfeelingofsacrificeorboredom——shewassoquick，soslylyalwaysalittleinfrontofhismood。Beingfirstcousinstheyhaddecided，ratherneedlessly，tohavenochildren;and，thoughalittlesallower，shehadkeptherlooks，herslimness，andthecolourofherdarkhair。

Valparticularlyadmiredthelifeofherownshecarriedon，besidescarryingonhis，andridingbettereveryyear。Shekeptuphermusic，shereadanawfullot——novels，poetry，allsortsofstuff。

OutontheirfarminCapecolonyshehadlookedafterallthe"nigger"babiesandwomeninamiraculousmanner。Shewas，infact，clever;yetmadenofussaboutit，andhadno"side。"Thoughnotremarkableforhumility，Valhadcometohavethefeelingthatshewashissuperior，andhedidnotgrudgeit——agreattribute。ItmightbenotedthatheneverlookedatHollywithoutherknowingofit，butthatshelookedathimsometimesunawares。

Hehadkissedherintheporchbecauseheshouldnotbedoingsoontheplatform，thoughshewasgoingtothestationwithhim，todrivethecarback。TannedandwrinkledbyColonialweatherandthewilesinseparablefromhorses，andhandicappedbythelegwhich，weakenedintheBoerWar，hadprobablysavedhislifeintheWarjustpast，Valwasstillmuchashehadbeeninthedaysofhiscourtship;hissmileaswideandcharming，hiseyelashes，ifanything，thickeranddarker，hiseyesscrewedupunderthem，asbrightagrey，hisfrecklesratherdeeper，hishairalittlegrizzledatthesides。Hegavetheimpressionofonewhohaslivedactivelywithhorsesinasunnyclimate。

Twistingthecarsharproundatthegate，hesaid:

"WhenisyoungJoncoming？"

"To—day。"

"Isthereanythingyouwantforhim？IcouldbringitdownonSaturday。"

"No;butyoumightcomebythesametrainasFleur——one—forty。"

ValgavetheFordfullrein;hestilldrovelikeamaninanewcountryonbadroads，whorefusestocompromise，andexpectsheavenateveryhole。

"That’sayoungwomanwhoknowsherwayabout，"hesaid。"Isay，hasitstruckyou？"

"Yes，"saidHolly。

"UncleSoamesandyourDad——bitawkward，isn’tit？"

"Shewon’tknow，andhewon’tknow，andnothingmustbesaid，ofcourse。It’sonlyforfivedays，Val。"

"Stablesecret！Righto！"IfHollythoughtitsafe，itwas。

Glancingslylyroundathim，shesaid:"Didyounoticehowbeautifullysheaskedherself？"

"No！"

"Well，shedid。Whatdoyouthinkofher，Val？"

"Prettyandclever;butshemightrunoutatanycornerifshegothermonkeyup，Ishouldsay。"

"I’mwondering，"Hollymurmured，"whethersheisthemodernyoungwoman。Onefeelsatseacominghomeintoallthis。"

"You？Yougetthehangofthingssoquick。"

Hollyslidherhandintohiscoat—pocket。

"Youkeeponeintheknow，"saidValencouraged。"WhatdoyouthinkofthatBelgianfellow，Profond？"

"Ithinkhe’srather’agooddevil。’"

Valgrinned。

"Heseemstomeaqueerfishforafriendofourfamily。Infact，ourfamilyisinprettyqueerwaters，withUncleSoamesmarryingaFrenchwoman，andyourDadmarryingSoames’sfirst。Ourgrandfatherswouldhavehadfits！"

"Sowouldanybody’s，mydear。"

"Thiscar，"Valsaidsuddenly，"wantsrousing;shedoesn’tgetherhindlegsunderheruphill。IshallhavetogiveherherheadontheslopeifI’mtocatchthattrain。"

Therewasthatabouthorseswhichhadpreventedhimfromeverreallysympathisingwithacar，andtherunningoftheFordunderhisguidancecomparedwithitsrunningunderthatofHollywasalwaysnoticeable。Hecaughtthetrain。

"Takecaregoinghome;she’llthrowyoudownifshecan。Good—bye，darling。"

"Good—bye，"calledHolly，andkissedherhand。

Inthetrain，afterquarterofanhour’sindecisionbetweenthoughtsofHolly，hismorningpaper，thelookofthebrightday，andhisdimmemoryofNewmarket，Valplungedintotherecessesofasmallsquarebook，allnames，pedigrees，tap—roots，andnotesaboutthemakeandshapeofhorses。TheForsyteinhimwasbentontheacquisitionofacertainstrainofblood，andhewassubduingresolutelyasyettheDartiehankeringforaNutter。OngettingbacktoEngland，aftertheprofitablesaleofhisSouthAfricanfarmandstud，andobservingthatthesunseldomshone，Valhadsaidtohimself:"I’veabsolutelygottohaveaninterestinlife，orthiscountrywillgivemetheblues。Hunting’snotenough，I’llbreedandI’lltrain。"Withjustthatextrapinchofshrewdnessanddecisionimpartedbylongresidenceinanewcountry，Valhadseentheweakpointofmodernbreeding。Theywereallhypnotisedbyfashionandhighprice。Heshouldbuyforlooks，andletnamesgohang！Andherehewasalready，hypnotisedbytheprestigeofacertainstrainofblood！