第19章

Thestudio，wheretheyhadbeensortingandlabelling，hadoncebeenHolly’sschoolroom，devotedtohersilkworms，driedlavender，music，andotherformsofinstruction。Now，attheendofJuly，despiteitsnorthernandeasternaspects，awarmandslumberousaircameinbetweenthelong—fadedlilaclinencurtains。Toredeemalittlethedepartedglory，asofafieldthatisgoldenandgone，clingingtoaroomwhichitsmasterhasleft，Irenehadplacedonthepaint—stainedtableabowlofredroses。This，andJolyon’sfavouritecat，whostillclungtothedesertedhabitat，werethepleasantspotsinthatdishevelled，sadworkroom。Jon，atthenorthwindow，sniffingairmysteriouslyscentedwithwarmstrawberries，heardacardriveup。

Thelawyersagainaboutsomenonsense！Whydidthatscentsomakeoneache？Andwherediditcomefrom——therewerenostrawberrybedsonthissideofthehouse。Instinctivelyhetookacrumpledsheetofpaperfromhispocket，andwrotedownsomebrokenwords。Awarmthbeganspreadinginhischest;herubbedthepalmsofhishandstogether。Presentlyhehadjottedthis:

"IfIcouldmakealittlesongAlittlesongtosoothemyheart！

I’dmakeitalloflittlethingsTheplashofwater，rubofwings，Thepuffing—offofdandiescrown，Thehissofraindropspillingdown，Thepurrofcat，thetrillofbird，Andev’rywhisperingI’veheard>Fromwillywindinleavesandgrass，Andallthedistantdronesthatpass。

AsongastenderandaslightAsflower，orbutterflyinflight;

AndwhenIsawitopening，I’dletitflyandsing！"

Hewasstillmutteringitovertohimselfatthewindow，whenheheardhisnamecalled，and，turninground，sawFleur。Atthatamazingapparition，hemadeatfirstnomovementandnosound，whileherclearvividglanceravishedhisheart。Thenhewentforwardtothetable，saying，"Howniceofyoutocome！"andsawherflinchasifhehadthrownsomethingather。

"Iaskedforyou，"shesaid，"andtheyshowedmeuphere。ButIcangoawayagain。"

Jonclutchedthepaint—stainedtable。Herfaceandfigureinitsfrillyfrockphotographeditselfwithsuchstartlingvividnessuponhiseyes，thatifshehadsunkthroughthefloorhemuststillhaveseenher。

"IknowItoldyoualie，Jon。ButItolditoutoflove。"

"Yes，oh！yes！That’snothing！"

"Ididn’tansweryourletter。Whatwastheuse——therewasn’tanythingtoanswer。Iwantedtoseeyouinstead。"Sheheldoutbothherhands，andJongraspedthemacrossthetable。Hetriedtosaysomething，butallhisattentionwasgiventotryingnottohurtherhands。Hisownfeltsohardandherssosoft。Shesaidalmostdefiantly:

"Thatoldstory——wasitsoverydreadful？"

"Yes。"Inhisvoice，too，therewasanoteofdefiance。

Shedraggedherhandsaway。"Ididn’tthinkinthesedaysboysweretiedtotheirmothers’apron—strings。"

Jon’schinwentupasifhehadbeenstruck。

"Oh！Ididn’tmeanit，Jon。Whatahorriblethingtosay！"Swiftlyshecameclosetohim。"Jon，dear;Ididn’tmeanit。"

"Allright。"

Shehadputhertwohandsonhisshoulder，andherforeheaddownonthem;thebrimofherhattouchedhisneck，andhefeltitquivering。

But，inasortofparalysis，hemadenoresponse。Sheletgoofhisshoulderanddrewaway。

"Well，I’llgo，ifyoudon’twantme。ButIneverthoughtyou’dhavegivenmeup。"

"Ihaven’t，"criedJon，comingsuddenlytolife。"Ican’t。I’lltryagain。"

Hereyesgleamed，sheswayedtowardhim。"Jon——Iloveyou！Don’tgivemeup！Ifyoudo，Idon’tknowwhat——Ifeelsodesperate。Whatdoesitmatter——allthatpast—comparedwiththis？"

Sheclungtohim。Hekissedhereyes，hercheeks，herlips。Butwhilehekissedherhesaw，thesheetsofthatletterfallendownonthefloorofhisbedroom——hisfather’swhitedeadface——hismotherkneelingbeforeit。Fleur’swhispered，"Makeher！Promise！Oh！Jon，try！"seemedchildishinhisear。Hefeltcuriouslyold。

"Ipromise！"hemuttered。"Only，youdon’tunderstand。"

"Shewantstospoilourlives，justbecause——"

"Yes，ofwhat？"

Againthatchallengeinhisvoice，andshedidnotanswer。Herarmstightenedroundhim，andhereturnedherkisses;butevenwhileheyielded，thepoisonworkedinhim，thepoisonoftheletter。Fleurdidnotknow，shedidnotunderstand——shemisjudgedhismother;shecamefromtheenemy’scamp！Solovely，andhelovedherso——yet，eveninherembrace，hecouldnothelpthememoryofHolly’swords:

"Ithinkshehasa’having’nature，"andhismother’s"Mydarlingboy，don’tthinkofme——thinkofyourself！"

Whenshewasgonelikeapassionatedream，leavingherimageonhiseyes，herkissesonhislips，suchanacheinhisheart，Jonleanedinthewindow，listeningtothecarbearingheraway。Stillthescentasofwarmstrawberries，stillthelittlesummersoundsthatshouldmakehissong;stillallthepromiseofyouthandhappinessinsighing，floating，flutteringJuly——andhishearttorn;yearningstronginhim;hopehighinhimyetwithitseyescastdown，asifashamed。Themiserabletaskbeforehim！IfFleurwasdesperate，sowashe——watchingthepoplarsswaying，thewhitecloudspassing，thesunlightonthegrass。

Hewaitedtillevening，tillaftertheiralmostsilentdinner，tillhismotherhadplayedtohimandstillhewaited，feelingthatsheknewwhathewaswaitingtosay。Shekissedhimandwentup—stairs，andstillhelingered，watchingthemoonlightandthemoths，andthatunrealityofcolouringwhichstealsalongandstainsasummernight。

Andhewouldhavegivenanythingtobebackagaininthepast——barelythreemonthsback;orawayforward，years，inthefuture。Thepresentwiththisdarkcrueltyofadecision，onewayortheother，seemedimpossible。Herealisednowsomuchmorekeenlywhathismotherfeltthanhehadatfirst;asifthestoryinthatletterhadbeenapoisonousgermproducingakindoffeverofpartisanship，sothathereallyfeltthereweretwocamps，hismother’sandhis——

Fleur’sandherfather’s。Itmightbeadeadthing，thatoldtragicownershipandenmity，butdeadthingswerepoisonoustilltimehadcleanedthemaway。Evenhislovefelttainted，lessillusioned，moreoftheearth，andwithatreacherouslurkingdoubtlestFleur，likeherfather，mightwanttoown;notarticulate，justastealinghaunt，horriblyunworthy，whichcreptinandabouttheardourofhismemories，touchedwithitstarnishingbreaththevividnessandgraceofthatcharmedfaceandfigure——adoubt，notrealenoughtoconvincehimofitspresence，justrealenoughtodefloweraperfectfaith。

Andperfectfaith，toJon，notyettwenty，wasessential。HestillhadYouth’seagernesstogivewithbothhands，totakewithneither—

togivelovinglytoonewhohadhisownimpulsivegenerosity。Surelyshehad！Hegotupfromthewindow—seatandroamedinthebiggreyghostlyroom，whosewallswerehungwithsilveredcanvas。Thishousehisfathersaidinthatdeath—bedletter——hadbeenbuiltforhismothertolivein——withFleur’sfather！Heputouthishandinthehalf—dark，asiftograsptheshadowyhandofthedead。Heclenched，tryingtofeelthethinvanishedfingersofhisfather;tosqueezethem，andreassurehimthathe—hewasonhisfather’sside。Tears，prisonedwithinhim，madehiseyesfeeldryandhot。Hewentbacktothewindow。Itwaswarmer，notsoeerie，morecomfortingoutside，wherethemoonhunggolden，threedaysofffull;thefreedomofthenightwascomforting。IfonlyFleurandhehadmetonsomedesertislandwithoutapast——andNaturefortheirhouse！Jonhadstillhishighregardfordesertislands，wherebreadfruitgrew，andthewaterwasblueabovethecoral。Thenightwasdeep，wasfree——therewasenticementinit;alure，apromise，arefugefromentanglement，andlove！Milksoptiedtohismother’s……！Hischeeksburned。Heshutthewindow，drewcurtainsoverit，switchedoffthelightedsconce，andwentup—stairs。

Thedoorofhisroomwasopen，thelightturnedup;hismother，stillinhereveninggown，wasstandingatthewindow。Sheturnedandsaid:

"Sitdown，Jon;let’stalk。"Shesatdownonthewindow—seat，Jononhisbed。Shehadherprofileturnedtohim，andthebeautyandgraceofherfigure，thedelicatelineofthebrow，thenose，theneck，thestrangeandasitwereremoterefinementofher，movedhim。Hismotherneverbelongedtohersurroundings。Shecameintothemfromsomewhere——asitwere！Whatwasshegoingtosaytohim，whohadinhisheartsuchthingstosaytoher？

"IknowFleurcameto—day。I’mnotsurprised。"Itwasasthoughshehadadded:"Sheisherfather’sdaughter！"AndJon’shearthardened。

Irenewentonquietly:

"IhaveFather’sletter。Ipickeditupthatnightandkeptit。

Wouldyoulikeitback，dear？"

Jonshookhishead。

"Ihadreadit，ofcourse，beforehegaveittoyou。Itdidn’tquitedojusticetomycriminality。"

’Mother！"burstfromJon’slips。

"Heputitverysweetly，butIknowthatinmarryingFleur’sfatherwithoutloveIdidadreadfulthing。Anunhappymarriage，Jon，canplaysuchhavocwithotherlivesbesidesone’sown。Youarefearfullyyoung，mydarling，andfearfullyloving。Doyouthinkyoucanpossiblybehappywiththisgirl？"

Staringatherdarkeyes，darkernowfrompain，Jonanswered"Yes;oh！yes——ifyoucouldbe。"

Irenesmiled。

"Admirationofbeautyandlongingforpossessionarenotlove。Ifyourswereanothercaselikemine，Jon——wherethedeepestthingsarestifled;thefleshjoined，andthespiritatwar！"

"Whyshouldit，Mother？Youthinkshemustbelikeherfather，butshe’snot。I’veseenhim。"

AgainthesmilecameonIrene’slips，andinJonsomethingwavered;

therewassuchironyandexperienceinthatsmile。

"Youareagiver，Jon;sheisataker。"

Thatunworthydoubt，thathauntinguncertaintyagain！Hesaidwithvehemence:

"Sheisn’t——sheisn’t。It’sonlybecauseIcan’tbeartomakeyouunhappy，Mother，nowthatFather——"Hethrusthisfistsagainsthisforehead。

Irenegotup。

"Itoldyouthatnight，dear，nottomindme。Imeantit。Thinkofyourselfandyourownhappiness！Icanstandwhat’sleft——I’vebroughtitonmyself。"

Againtheword"Mother！"burstfromJon’slips。

Shecameovertohimandputherhandsoverhis。

"Doyoufeelyourhead，darling？"

Jonshookit。Whathefeltwasinhischest——asortoftearingasunderofthetissuethere，bythetwoloves。

"Ishallalwaysloveyouthesame，Jon，whateveryoudo。Youwon’tloseanything。"Shesmoothedhishairgently，andwalkedaway。

Heheardthedoorshut;and，rollingoveronthebed，lay，stiflinghisbreath，withanawfulheld—upfeelingwithinhim。

VII

EMBASSY

EnquiringforheratteatimeSoameslearnedthatFleurhadbeenoutinthecarsincetwo。Threehours！Wherehadshegone？UptoLondonwithoutawordtohim？Hehadneverbecomequitereconciledwithcars。Hehadembracedtheminprinciple——likethebornempiricist，orForsyte，thathewas——adoptingeachsymptomofprogressasitcamealongwith:"Well，wecouldn’tdowithoutthemnow。"Butinfacthefoundthemtearing，great，smellythings。

ObligedbyAnnettetohaveone——aRollhardwithpearl—greycushions，electriclight，littlemirrors，traysfortheashesofcigarettes，flowervases——allsmellingofpetrolandstephanotis——heregardeditmuchasheusedtoregardhisbrother—in—law，MontagueDartie。Thethingtypifiedallthatwasfast，insecure，andsubcutaneouslyoilyinmodernlife。Asmodernlifebecamefaster，looser，younger，Soameswasbecomingolder，slower，tighter，moreandmoreinthoughtandlanguagelikehisfatherJamesbeforehim。Hewasalmostawareofithimself。Paceandprogresspleasedhimlessandless;therewasanostentation，too，aboutacarwhichheconsideredprovocativeintheprevailingmoodofLabour。OnoneoccasionthatfellowSimshaddrivenovertheonlyvestedinterestofaworkingman。Soameshadnotforgottenthebehaviourofitsmaster，whennotmanypeoplewouldhavestoppedtoputupwithit。Hehadbeensorryforthedog，andquitepreparedtotakeitspartagainstthecar，ifthatruffianhadn’tbeensooutrageous。Withfourhoursfastbecomingfive，andstillnoFleur，alltheoldcar—wisefeelingshehadexperiencedinpersonandbyproxyballedwithinhim，andsinkingsensationstroubledthepitofhisstomach。AtsevenhetelephonedtoWinifredbytrunkcall。No！FleurhadnotbeentoGreenStreet。Thenwherewasshe？Visionsofhisbeloveddaughterrolledupinherprettyfrills，allbloodanddust—stained，insomehideouscatastrophe，begantohaunthim。Hewenttoherroomandspiedamongherthings。

Shehadtakennothing——nodressing—case，noJewellery。Andthis，areliefinonesense，increasedhisfearsofanaccident。Terribletobehelplesswhenhislovedonewasmissing，especiallywhenhecouldn’tbearfussorpublicityofanykind！Whatshouldhedoifshewerenotbackbynightfall？

Ataquartertoeightheheardthecar。Agreatweightliftedfromoffhisheart;hehurrieddown。Shewasgettingout——paleandtired—

looking，butnothingwrong。Hemetherinthehall。

"You’vefrightenedme。Wherehaveyoubeen？"

"ToRobinHill。I’msorry，dear。Ihadtogo;I’lltellyouafterward。"And，withaflyingkiss，sheranup—stairs。

Soameswaitedinthedrawing—room。ToRobinHill！Whatdidthatportend？

Itwasnotasubjecttheycoulddiscussatdinner——consecratedtothesusceptibilitiesofthebutler。TheagonyofnervesSoameshadbeenthrough，thereliefhefeltathersafety，softenedhispowertocondemnwhatshehaddone，orresistwhatshewasgoingtodo;hewaitedinarelaxedstuporforherrevelation。Lifewasaqueerbusiness。Therehewasatsixty—fiveandnomoreincommandofthingsthanifhehadnotspentfortyyearsinbuildingupsecurity—

alwayssomethingonecouldn’tgetontermswith！Inthepocketofhisdinner—jacketwasaletterfromAnnette。Shewascomingbackinafortnight。Heknewnothingofwhatshehadbeendoingoutthere。

Andhewasgladthathedidnot。Herabsencehadbeenarelief。Outofsightwasoutofmind！Andnowshewascomingback。Anotherworry！AndtheBolderbyOldCromewasgone——Dumetriushadgotit——

allbecausethatanonymousletterhadputitoutofhisthoughts。Hefurtivelyremarkedthestrainedlookonhisdaughter’sface，asifshetooweregazingatapicturethatshecouldn’tbuy。HealmostwishedtheWarback。Worriesdidn’tseem，then，quitesoworrying。

>Fromthecaressinhervoice，thelookonherface，hebecamecertainthatshewantedsomethingfromhim，uncertainwhetheritwouldbewiseofhimtogiveither。Hepushedhissavouryawayuneaten，andevenjoinedherinacigarette。

Afterdinnershesettheelectricpiano—playergoing。Andheauguredtheworstwhenshesatdownonacushionfootstoolathisknee，andputherhandonhis。

"Darling，benicetome。IhadtoseeJon——hewrotetome。He’sgoingtotrywhathecandowithhismother。ButI’vebeenthinking。

It’sreallyinyourhands，Father。Ifyou’dpersuadeherthatitdoesn’tmeanrenewingthepastinanyway！ThatIshallstayyours，andJonwillstayhers;thatyouneedneverseehimorher，andsheneedneverseeyouorme！Onlyyoucouldpersuadeher，dear，becauseonlyyoucouldpromise。Onecan’tpromiseforotherpeople。Surelyitwouldn’tbetooawkwardforyoutoseeherjustthisoncenowthatJon’sfatherisdead？"

"Tooawkward？"Soamesrepeated。"Thewholething’spreposterous。"

"Youknow，"saidFleur，withoutlookingup，"youwouldn’tmindseeingher，really。"

Soameswassilent。Herwordshadexpressedatruthtoodeepforhimtoadmit。Sheslippedherfingersbetweenhisown——hot，slim，eager，theyclungthere。Thischildofhiswouldcorkscrewherwayintoabrickwall！

"WhatamItodoifyouwon’t，Father？"shesaidverysoftly。

"I’lldoanythingforyourhappiness，"saidSoanies;"butthisisn’tforyourhappiness。"

"Oh！itis;itis！"

"It’llonlystirthingsup，"hesaidgrimly。

"Buttheyarestirredup。Thethingistoquietthem。Tomakeherfeelthatthisisjustourlives，andhasnothingtodowithyoursorhers。Youcandoit，Father，Iknowyoucan。"

"Youknowagreatdeal，then，"wasSoames’glumanswer。

"Ifyouwill，JonandIwillwaitayear——twoyearsifyoulike。"

"Itseemstome，"murmuredSoames，"thatyoucarenothingaboutwhatIfeel。"

Fleurpressedhishandagainsthercheek。

"Ido，darling。Butyouwouldn’tlikemetobeawfullymiserable。"

Howshewheedledtogetherends！Andtryingwithallhismighttothinkshereallycaredforhim——hewasnotsure——notsure。Allshecaredforwasthisboy！Whyshouldhehelphertogetthisboy，whowaskillingheraffectionforhimself？Whyshouldhe？BythelawsoftheForsytesitwasfoolish！Therewasnothingtobehadoutofit——nothing！Togivehertothatboy！Topassherintotheenemy’scamp，undertheinfluenceofthewomanwhohadinjuredhimsodeeply！

Slowly——inevitably——hewouldlosethisflowerofhislife！Andsuddenlyhewasconsciousthathishandwaswet。Hisheartgavealittlepainfuljump。Hecouldn’tbearhertocry。Heputhisotherhandquicklyoverhers，andateardroppedonthat，too。Hecouldn’tgoonlikethis！"Well，well，"hesaid，"I’llthinkitover，anddowhatIcan。Come，come！"Ifshemusthaveitforherhappiness——shemust;hecouldn’trefusetohelpher。Andlestsheshouldbegintothankhimhegotoutofhischairandwentuptothepiano—player——

makingthatnoise！Itrandown，ashereachedit，withafaintbuzz。

Thatmusicalboxofhisnurserydays:"TheHarmoniousBlacksmith，"

"GloriousPort"——thethinghadalwaysmadehimmiserablewhenhismothersetitgoingonSundayafternoons。Hereitwasagain——thesamething，onlylarger，moreexpensive，andnowitplayed"TheWild，WildWomen，"and"ThePoliceman’sHoliday，"andhewasnolongerinblackvelvetwithaskybluecollar。’Profond’sright，’hethought，’there’snothinginit！We’reallprogressingtothegrave！’Andwiththatsurprisingmentalcommenthewalkedout。

HedidnotseeFleuragainthatnight。But，atbreakfast，hereyesfollowedhimaboutwithanappealhecouldnotescape——notthatheintendedtotry。No！Hehadmadeuphismindtothenerve—rackingbusiness。HewouldgotoRobinHill——tothathouseofmemories。

Pleasantmemory——thelast！Ofgoingdowntokeepthatboy’sfatherandIreneapartbythreateningdivorce。Hehadoftenthought，since，thatithadclinchedtheirunion。And，now，hewasgoingtoclinchtheunionofthatboywithhisgirl。’Idon’tknowwhatI’vedone，’

hethought，’tohavesuchthingsthrustonme！’Hewentupbytrainanddownbytrain，andfromthestationwalkedbythelongrisinglane，stillverymuchasheremembereditoverthirtyyearsago。

Funny——sonearLondon！Someoneevidentlywasholdingontothelandthere。Thisspeculationsoothedhim，movingbetweenthehighhedgesslowly，soasnottogetoverheated，thoughthedaywaschillenough。

Afterallwassaidanddonetherewassomethingrealaboutland，itdidn’tshift。Land，andgoodpictures！Thevaluesmightfluctuateabit，butonthewholetheywerealwaysgoingup——worthholdingonto，inaworldwheretherewassuchalotofunreality，cheapbuilding，changingfashions，sucha"Hereto—dayandgoneto—morrow"spirit。

TheFrenchwereright，perhaps，withtheirpeasantproprietorship，thoughhehadnoopinionoftheFrench。One’sbitofland！

Somethingsolidinit！Hehadheardpeasantproprietorsdescribedasapig—headedlot;hadheardyoungMontcallhisfatherapigheadedMorningPoster——disrespectfulyoungdevil。Well，therewereworsethingsthanbeingpig—headedorreadingtheMorningPost。TherewasProfondandhistribe，andalltheseLabourchaps，andloud—mouthedpoliticiansand’wild，wildwomen’！Alotofworsethings！AndsuddenlySoamesbecameconsciousoffeelingweak，andhot，andshaky。

Sheernervesatthemeetingbeforehim！AsAuntJuleymighthavesaid——quoting"SuperiorDosset"——hisnerveswere"inaproperfautigue。"Hecouldseethehousenowamongitstrees，thehousehehadwatchedbeingbuilt，intendingitforhimselfandthiswoman，who，bysuchstrangefate，hadlivedinitwithanotherafterall！

HebegantothinkofDumetrius，LocalLoans，andotherformsofinvestment。Hecouldnotaffordtomeetherwithhisnervesallshaking;hewhorepresentedtheDayofJudgmentforheronearthasitwasinheaven;he，legalownership，personified，meetinglawlessbeauty，incarnate。Hisdignitydemandedimpassivityduringthisembassydesignedtolinktheiroffspring，who，ifshehadbehavedherself，wouldhavebeenbrotherandsister。Thatwretchedtune，"TheWild，WildWomen，"keptrunninginhishead，perversely，fortunesdidnotrunthereasarule。Passingthepoplarsinfrontofthehouse，hethought:’Howthey’vegrown;Ihadthemplanted！’

Amaidansweredhisring。

"Willyousay——Mr。Forsyte，onaveryspecialmatter。"

Ifsherealisedwhohewas，quiteprobablyshewouldnotseehim。

’ByGeorge！’hethought，hardeningasthetugcame。’It’satopsy—

turvyaffair！’

Themaidcameback。"Wouldthegentlemanstatehisbusiness，please？"

"SayitconcernsMr。Jon，"saidSoames。

Andoncemorehewasaloneinthathallwiththepoolofgrey—whitemarbledesignedbyherfirstlover。Ah！shehadbeenabadlot——hadlovedtwomen，andnothimself！Hemustrememberthatwhenhecamefacetofacewithheroncemore。Andsuddenlyhesawherintheopeningchinkbetweenthelongheavypurplecurtains，swaying，asifinhesitation;theoldperfectpoiseandline，theoldstartleddark—

eyedgravity，theoldcalmdefensivevoice:"Willyoucomein，please？"

Hepassedthroughthatopening。Asinthepicture—galleryandtheconfectioner’sshop，sheseemedtohimstillbeautiful。Andthiswasthefirsttime——theveryfirst——sincehemarriedherseven—and—thirtyyearsago，thathewasspeakingtoherwithoutthelegalrighttocallherhis。Shewasnotwearingblack——oneofthatfellow’sradicalnotions，hesupposed。

"Iapologiseforcoming，"hesaidglumly;"butthisbusinessmustbesettledonewayortheother。"

"Won’tyousitdown？"

"No，thankyou。"

Angerathisfalseposition，impatienceofceremonybetweenthem，masteredhim，andwordscametumblingout:

"It’saninfernalmischance;I’vedonemybesttodiscourageit。I

considermydaughtercrazy，butI’vegotintothehabitofindulgingher;that’swhyI’mhere。Isupposeyou’refondofyourson。"

"Devotedly。"

"Well？"

"Itrestswithhim。"

Hehadasenseofbeingmetandbaffled。Always——alwaysshehadbaffledhim，eveninthoseoldfirstmarrieddays。

"It’samadnotion，"hesaid。

"Itis。"

"Ifyouhadonly——！Well——theymighthavebeen——"hedidnotfinishthatsentence"brotherandsisterandallthissaved，"buthesawhershudderasifhehad，andstungbythesighthecrossedovertothewindow。Outtherethetreeshadnotgrown——theycouldn’t，theywereold"SofarasI’mconcerned，"hesaid，"youmaymakeyourmindeasy。I

desiretoseeneitheryounoryoursonifthismarriagecomesabout。

Youngpeopleinthesedaysare——areunaccountable。ButIcan’tbeartoseemydaughterunhappy。WhatamItosaytoherwhenIgoback？"

"PleasesaytoherasIsaidtoyou，thatitrestswithJon。"

"Youdon’topposeit？"

"Withallmyheart;notwithmylips。"

Soamesstood，bitinghisfinger。

"Irememberanevening——"hesaidsuddenly;andwassilent。Whatwasthere——whatwasthereinthiswomanthatwouldnotfitintothefourcornersofhishateorcondemnation？"Whereishe——yourson？"

"Upinhisfather’sstudio，Ithink。"

"Perhapsyou’dhavehimdown。"

Hewatchedherringthebell，hewatchedthemaidcomein。

"PleasetellMr。JonthatIwanthim。"

"Ifitrestswithhim，"saidSoameshurriedly，whenthemaidwasgone，"IsupposeImaytakeitforgrantedthatthisunnaturalmarriagewilltakeplace;inthatcasethere’llbeformalities。WhomdoIdealwith——Herring’s？"

Irenenodded。

"Youdon’tproposetolivewiththem？"

Ireneshookherhead。

"Whathappenstothishouse？"

"ItwillbeasJonwishes。"

"Thishouse，"saidSoamessuddenly:"IhadhopeswhenIbeganit。Iftheyliveinit——theirchildren！Theysaythere’ssuchathingasNemesis。Doyoubelieveinit？"

"Yes。"

"Oh！Youdo！"

Hehadcomebackfromthewindow，andwasstandingclosetoher，who，inthecurveofhergrandpiano，was，asitwere，embayed。

"I’mnotlikelytoseeyouagain，"hesaidslowly。"Willyoushakehands"——hislipquivered，thewordscameoutjerkily——"andletthepastdie。"Heheldouthishand。Herpalefacegrewpaler，hereyessodark，restedimmovablyonhis，herhandsremainedclaspedinfrontofher。Heheardasoundandturned。Thatboywasstandingintheopeningofthecurtains。Veryqueerhelooked，hardlyrecognisableastheyoungfellowhehadseenintheGalleryoffCorkStreet——veryqueer;mucholder，noyouthinthefaceatall——haggard，rigid，hishairruffled，hiseyesdeepinhishead。Soamesmadeaneffort，andsaidwithaliftofhislip，notquiteasmilenorquiteasneer:

"Well，youngman！I’mhereformydaughter;itrestswithyou，itseems——thismatter。Yourmotherleavesitinyourhands。"

Theboycontinuedstaringathismother’sface，andmadenoanswer。

"Formydaughter’ssakeI’vebroughtmyselftocome，"saidSoames。

"WhatamItosaytoherwhenIgoback？"

Stilllookingathismother，theboysaid，quietly:

"TellFleurthatit’snogood，please;Imustdoasmyfatherwishedbeforehedied。"

"Jon！"

"It’sallright，Mother。"

InakindofstupefactionSoameslookedfromonetotheother;then，takinguphatandumbrellawhichhehadputdownonachair，hewalkedtowardthecurtains。Theboystoodasideforhimtogoby。

Hepassedthroughandheardthegrateoftheringsasthecurtainsweredrawnbehindhim。Thesoundliberatedsomethinginhischest。

’Sothat’sthat！’hethought，andpassedoutofthefrontdoor。