第6章

Half—consciously，hethought:’There’ssomethinginthisdamnedclimatewhichmakesonegoroundinaring。Allthesame，ImusthaveastrainofMayflyblood。’

InthismoodhereachedtheMeccaofhishopes。Itwasoneofthosequietmeetingsfavourabletosuchaswishtolookintohorses，ratherthanintothemouthsofbookmakers;andValclungtothepaddock。

HistwentyyearsofColoniallife，divestinghimofthedandyisminwhichhehadbeenbred，hadlefthimtheessentialneatnessofthehorseman，andgivenhimaqueerandratherblightingeyeoverwhathecalled"thesillyhaw—haw"ofsomeEnglishmen，the"flappingcockatoory"ofsomeEnglish—women——HollyhadnoneofthatandHollywashismodel。Observant，quick，resourceful，Valwentstraighttotheheartofatransaction，ahorse，adrink;andhewasonhiswaytotheheartofaMayflyfilly，whenaslowvoicesaidathiselbow:

"Mr。ValDartie？How’sMrs。ValDartie？She’swell，Ihope。"AndhesawbesidehimtheBelgianhehadmetathissisterImogen’s。

"ProsperProfond——Imetyouatlunch，"saidthevoice。

"Howareyou？"murmuredVal。

"I’mverywell，"repliedMonsieurProfond，smilingwithacertaininimitableslowness。"Agooddevil，"Hollyhadcalledhim。Well！

Helookedalittlelikeadevil，withhisdark，clipped，pointedbeard;asleepyonethough，andgood—humoured，withfineeyes，unexpectedlyintelligent。

"Here’sagentlemanwantstoknowyou——cousinofyours——Mr。GeorgeForsyde。"

Valsawalargeform，andafaceclean—shaven，bull—like，alittlelowering，withsardonichumourbubblingbehindafullgreyeye;heremembereditdimlyfromolddayswhenhewoulddinewithhisfatherattheIseeumClub。

"Iusedtogoracingwithyourfather，"Georgewassaying:"How’sthestud？Liketobuyoneofmyscrews？"

Valgrinned，tohidethesuddenfeelingthatthebottomhadfallenoutofbreeding。Theybelievedinnothingoverhere，noteveninhorses。GeorgeForsyte，ProsperProfond！Thedevilhimselfwasnotmoredisillusionedthanthosetwo。

"Didn’tknowyouwerearacingman，"hesaidtoMonsieurProfond。

"I’mnot。Idon’tcareforit。I’mayachtin’man。Idon’tcareforyachtin’either，butIliketoseemyfriends。I’vegotsomelunch，Mr。ValDartie，justasmalllunch，ifyou’dliketo’avesome;notmuch——justasmallone——inmycar。"

"Thanks，"saidVal;"verygoodofyou。I’llcomealonginaboutquarterofanhour。"

"Overthere。Mr。Forsyde’scomin’，"andMonsieurProfond"poinded"

withayellow—glovedfinger;"smallcar，withasmalllunch";hemovedon，groomed，sleepy，andremote，GeorgeForsytefollowing，neat，huge，andwithhisjestingair。

ValremainedgazingattheMayflyfilly。GeorgeForsyte，ofcourse，wasanoldchap，butthisProfondmightbeabouthisownage;Valfeltextremelyyoung，asiftheMayflyfillywereatoyatwhichthosetwohadlaughed。Theanimalhadlostreality。

"That’small’mare"——heseemedtohearthevoiceofMonsieurProfond—

—"whatdoyouseeinher？——wemustalldie！"

AndGeorgeForsyte，cronyofhisfather，racingstill！TheMayflystrain——wasitanybetterthananyother？Hemightjustaswellhaveaflutterwithhismoneyinstead。

"No，bygum！"hemutteredsuddenly，"ifit’snogoodbreedinghorses，it’snogooddoinganything。WhatdidIcomefor？I’llbuyher。"

Hestoodbackandwatchedtheebbofthepaddockvisitorstowardthestand。Nattyoldchips，shrewdportlyfellows，Jews，trainerslookingasiftheyhadneverbeenguiltyofseeingahorseintheirlives;tall，flapping，languidwomen，orbrisk，loud—voicedwomen;

youngmenwithanairasiftryingtotakeitseriously——twoorthreeofthemwithonlyonearm。

’Lifeoverhere’sagame！’thoughtVal。’Muffinbellrings，horsesrun，moneychangeshands;ringagain，runagain，moneychangesback。’

But，alarmedathisownphilosophy，hewenttothepaddockgatetowatchtheMayflyfillycanterdown。Shemovedwell;andhemadehiswayovertothe"small"car。The"small"lunchwasthesortamandreamsofbutseldomgets;andwhenitwasconcludedMonsieurProfondwalkedbackwithhimtothepaddock。

"Yourwife’sanicewoman，"washissurprisingremark。

"NicestwomanIknow，"returnedValdryly。

"Yes，"saidMonsieurProfond;"shehasaniceface。Iadmirenicewomen。"

Vallookedathimsuspiciously，butsomethingkindlyanddirectintheheavydiabolismofhiscompaniondisarmedhimforthemoment。

"Anytimeyouliketocomeonmyyacht，I’llgiveherasmallcruise。"

"Thanks，"saidVal，inarmsagain，"shehatesthesea。"

"SodoI，"saidMonsieurProfond。

"Thenwhydoyouyacht？"

TheBelgian’seyessmiled。"Oh！Idon’tknow。I’vedoneeverything;

it’sthelastthingI’mdoin’。"

"Itmustbed—dexpensive。Ishouldwantmorereasonthanthat。"

MonsieurProsperProfondraisedhiseyebrows，andpuffedoutaheavylowerlip。

"I’maneasy—goin’man，"hesaid。

"WereyouintheWar？"askedVal。

"Ye—es。I’vedonethattoo。Iwasgassed;itwasasmallbitunpleasant。"Hesmiledwithadeepandsleepyairofprosperity，asifhehadcaughtitfromhisname。

Whetherhissaying"small"whenheoughttohavesaid"little"wasgenuinemistakeoraffectationValcouldnotdecide;thefellowwasevidentlycapableofanything。

AmongtheringofbuyersroundtheMayflyfillywhohadwonherrace，MonsieurProfondsaid:

"Yougoin’tobid？"

Valnodded。WiththissleepySatanathiselbow，hefeltinneedoffaith。ThoughplacedabovetheultimateblowsofProvidencebytheforethoughtofagrand—fatherwhohadtiedhimupathousandayeartowhichwasaddedthethousandayeartiedupforHollybyhergrand—father，Valwasnotflushofcapitalthathecouldtouch，havingspentmostofwhathehadrealisedfromhisSouthAfricanfarmonhisestablishmentinSussex。Andverysoonhewasthinking:’Dashit！she’sgoingbeyondme！’Hislimit—sixhundred—wasexceeded;hedroppedoutofthebidding。TheMayflyfillypassedunderthehammeratsevenhundredandfiftyguineas。HewasturningawayvexedwhentheslowvoiceofMonsieurProfondsaidinhisear:

"Well，I’veboughtthatsmallfilly，butIdon’twanther;youtakeherandgivehertoyourwife。"

Vallookedatthefellowwithrenewedsuspicion，butthegoodhumourinhiseyeswassuchthathereallycouldnottakeoffence。

"ImadeasmalllotofmoneyintheWar，"beganMonsieurProfondinanswertothatlook。"I’adarmamentshares。Iliketogiveitaway。I’malwaysmakin’money。Iwantverysmalllotmyself。I

likemyfriendsto’aveit。"

"I’llbuyherofyouatthepriceyougave，"saidValwithsuddenresolution。

"No，"saidMonsieurProfond。"Youtakeher。Idon’wanther。"

"Hangit！onedoesn’t——"

"Whynot？"smiledMonsieurProfond。"I’mafriendofyourfamily。"

"Sevenhundredandfiftyguineasisnotaboxofcigars，"saidValimpatiently。

"Allright;youkeepherformetillIwanther，anddowhatyoulikewithher。"

"Solongasshe’syours，"saidVal。"Idon’tmindthat。"

"That’sallright，"murmuredMonsieurProfond，andmovedaway。

Valwatched;hemightbe"agooddevil，"butthenagainhemightnot。

HesawhimrejoinGeorgeForsyte，andthereaftersawhimnomore。

Hespentthosenightsafterracingathismother’shouseinGreenStreet。

WinifredDartieatsixty—twowasmarvellouslypreserved，consideringthethree—and—thirtyyearsduringwhichshehadputupwithMontagueDartie，tillalmosthappilyreleasedbyaFrenchstaircase。ItwastoheravehementsatisfactiontohaveherfavouritesonbackfromSouthAfricaafterallthistime，tofeelhimsolittlechanged，andtohavetakenafancytohiswife。Winifred，whointhelateseventies，beforehermarriage，hadbeeninthevanguardoffreedom，pleasure，andfashion，confessedheryouthoutclassedbythedonzellasoftheday。Theyseemed，forinstance，toregardmarriageasanincident，andWinifredsometimesregrettedthatshehadnotdonethesame;asecond，third，fourthincidentmighthavesecuredherapartneroflessdazzlinginebriety;though，afterall，hehadleftherVal，Imogen，Maud，Benedict（almostacolonelandunharmedbytheWar——noneofwhomhadbeendivorcedasyet。Thesteadinessofherchildrenoftenamazedonewhorememberedtheirfather;but，asshewasfondofbelieving，theywerereallyallForsytes，favouringherself，withtheexception，perhaps，ofImogen。Herbrother’s"littlegirl"FleurfranklypuzzledWinifred。Thechildwasasrestlessasanyofthesemodernyoungwomen0——"She’sasmallflameinadraught，"ProsperProfondhadsaidonedayafterdinner——butshedidnotflop，ortalkatthetopofhervoice。ThesteadyForsyteisminWinifred’sowncharacterinstinctivelyresentedthefeelingintheair，themoderngirl’shabitsandhermotto:"All’smuchofamuchness！Spend，to—morrowweshallbepoor！"ShefounditasavinggraceinFleurthat，havingsetherheartonathing，shehadnochangeofheartuntilshegotit——though——whathappenedafter，Fleurwas，ofcourse，tooyoungtohavemadeevident。Thechildwasa"veryprettylittlething，"too，andquiteacredittotakeabout，withhermother’sFrenchtasteandgiftforwearingclothes;

everybodyturnedtolookatFleur——greatconsiderationtoWinifred，aloverofthestyleanddistinctionwhichhadsocruellydeceivedherinthecaseofMontagueDartie。

IndiscussingherwithVal，atbreakfastonSaturdaymorning，Winifreddweltonthefamilyskeleton。

"Thatlittleaffairofyourfather—in—lawandyourAuntIrene，Val——

it’soldasthehills，ofcourse，Fleurneedknownothingaboutit——

makingafuss。YourUncleSoamesisveryparticularaboutthat。Soyou’llbecareful。"

"Yes！Butit’sdashedawkward——Holly’syounghalf—brotheriscomingtolivewithuswhilehelearnsfarming。He’stherealready。"

"Oh！"saidWinifred。"Thatisagaff！Whatishelike？"

"Onlysawhimonce——atRobinHill，whenwewerehomein1909;hewasnakedandpaintedblueandyellowinstripes——ajollylittlechap。"

Winifredthoughtthat"rathernice，"andaddedcomfortably:"Well，Holly’ssensible;she’llknowhowtodealwithit。Ishan’ttellyouruncle。It’llonlybotherhim。It’sagreatcomforttohaveyouback，mydearboy，nowthatI’mgettingon。"

"Gettingon！Why！you’reasyoungasever。ThatchapProfond，Mother，isheallright？"

"ProsperProfond！Oh！themostamusingmanIknow。"

Valgrunted，andrecountedthestoryoftheMayflyfilly。

"That’ssolikehim，"murmuredWinifred。"Hedoesallsortsofthings。"

"Well，"saidValshrewdly，"ourfamilyhaven’tbeentooluckywiththatkindofcattle;they’retoolight—heartedforus。"

Itwastrue，andWinifred’sbluestudylastedafullminutebeforesheanswered:

"Oh！well！He’saforeigner，Val;onemustmakeallowances。"

"Allright，I’llusehisfillyandmakeituptohim，somehow。"

Andsoonafterhegaveherhisblessing，receivedakiss，andleftherforhisbookmaker’s，theIseeumClub，andVictoriastation。

VI

JON

Mrs。ValDartie，aftertwentyyearsofSouthAfrica，hadfallendeeplyinlove，fortunatelywithsomethingofherown，fortheobjectofherpassionwastheprospectinfrontofherwindows，thecoolclearlightonthegreenDowns。ItwasEnglandagain，atlast！

Englandmorebeautifulthanshehaddreamed。Chancehad，infact，guidedtheValDartiestoaspotwheretheSouthDownshadrealcharmwhenthesunshone。Hollyhadenoughofherfather’seyetoapprehendtherarequalityoftheiroutlinesandchalkyradiance;togouptherebytheravine—likelaneandwanderalongtowardChanctonburyorAmberley，wasstilladelightwhichshehardlyattemptedtosharewithVal，whoseadmirationofNaturewasconfusedbyaForsyte’sinstinctforgettingsomethingoutofit，suchastheconditionoftheturfforhishorses’exercise。

DrivingtheFordhomewithacertainhumouring，smoothness，shepromisedherselfthatthefirstuseshewouldmakeofJonwouldbetotakehimupthere，andshowhim"theview"underthisMay—daysky。

Shewaslookingforwardtoheryounghalf—brotherwithamotherlinessnotexhaustedbyVal。Athree—dayvisittoRobinHill，soonaftertheirarrivalhome，hadyieldednosightofhim——hewasstillatschool;sothatherrecollection，likeVal’s，wasofalittlesunny—

hairedboy，stripedblueandyellow，downbythepond。

ThosethreedaysatRobinHillhadbeenexciting，sad，embarrassing。

Memoriesofherdeadbrother，memoriesofVal’scourtship;theageingofherfather，notseenfortwentyyears，somethingfunerealinhisironicgentlenesswhichdidnotescapeonewhohadmuchsubtleinstinct;aboveall，thepresenceofherstepmother，whomshecouldstillvaguelyrememberasthe"ladyingrey"ofdayswhenshewaslittleandgrandfatheraliveandMademoiselleBeaucesocrossbecausethatintrudergavehermusiclessons——alltheseconfusedandtantalisedaspiritwhichhadlongedtofindRobinHilluntroubled。

ButHollywasadeptatkeepingthingstoherself，andallhadseemedtogoquitewell。

Herfatherhadkissedherwhenshelefthim，withlipswhichshewassurehadtrembled。

"Well，mydear，"hesaid，"theWarhasn’tchangedRobinHill，hasit？

IfonlyyoucouldhavebroughtJollybackwithyou！Isay，canyoustandthisspiritualisticracket？Whentheoak—treedies，itdies，I’mafraid。"

>Fromthewarmthofherembraceheprobablydivinedthathehadletthecatoutofthebag，forherodeoffatonceonirony。

"Spiritualism——queerword，whenthemoretheymanifestthemoretheyprovethatthey’vegotholdofmatter。"

"How？"saidHolly。

"Why！Lookattheirphotographsofauricpresences。Youmusthavesomethingmaterialforlightandshadetofallonbeforeyoucantakeaphotograph。No，it’llendinourcallingallmatterspirit，orallspiritmatter——Idon’tknowwhich。"

"Butdon’tyoubelieveinsurvival，Dad？"

Jolyonhadlookedather，andthesadwhimsicalityofhisfaceimpressedherdeeply。

"Well，mydear，Ishouldliketogetsomethingoutofdeath。I’vebeenlookingintoitabit。ButforthelifeofmeIcan’tfindanythingthattelepathy，sub—consciousness，andemanationfromthestorehouseofthisworldcan’taccountforjustaswell。WishI

could！Wishesfatherthoughtbuttheydon’tbreedevidence。"

Hollyhadpressedherlipsagaintohisforeheadwiththefeelingthatitconfirmedhistheorythatallmatterwasbecomingspirit——hisbrowfelt，somehow，soinsubstantial。

Butthemostpoignantmemoryofthatlittlevisithadbeenwatching，unobserved，herstepmotherreadingtoherselfaletterfromJon。Itwas——shedecided——theprettiestsightshehadeverseen。Irene，lostasitwereintheletterofherboy，stoodatawindowwherethelightfellonherfaceandherfinegreyhair;herlipsweremoving，smiling，herdarkeyeslaughing，dancing，andthehandwhichdidnotholdtheletterwaspressedagainstherbreast。Hollywithdrewasfromavisionofperfectlove，convincedthatJonmustbenice。

Whenshesawhimcomingoutofthestationwithakit—bagineitherhand，shewasconfirmedinherpredisposition。HewasalittlelikeJolly，thatlong—lostidolofherchildhood，buteager—lookingandlessformal，withdeepereyesandbrighter—colouredhair，forheworenohat;altogetheraveryinteresting"little"brother！

Histentativepolitenesscharmedonewhowasaccustomedtoassuranceintheyouthfulmanner;hewasdisturbedbecauseshewastodrivehimhome，insteadofhisdrivingher。Shouldn’thehaveashot？Theyhadn’tacaratRobinHillsincetheWar，ofcourse，andhehadonlydrivenonce，andlandedupabank，sosheoughtn’ttomindhistrying。Hislaugh，softandinfectious，wasveryattractive，thoughthatword，shehadheard，wasnowquiteold—fashioned。Whentheyreachedthehousehepulledoutacrumpledletterwhichshereadwhilehewaswashing——aquiteshortletter，whichmusthavecostherfathermanyapangtowrite。

"MYDEAR，"YouandValwillnotforget，Itrust，thatJonknowsnothingoffamilyhistory。HismotherandIthinkheistooyoungatpresent。

Theboyisverydear，andtheappleofhereye。Verbumsapientibus。

yourlovingfather，"J。F。"

Thatwasall;butitrenewedinHollyanuneasyregretthatFleurwascoming。

AfterteashefulfilledthatpromisetoherselfandtookJonupthehill。Theyhadalongtalk，sittingaboveanoldchalk—pitgrownoverwithbramblesandgoosepenny。Milkwortandliverwortstarredthegreenslope，thelarkssang，andthrushesinthebrake，andnowandthenagullflightinginlandwouldwheelverywhiteagainstthepalingsky，wherethevaguemoonwascomingup。Deliciousfragrancecametothem，asiflittleinvisiblecreatureswererunningandtreadingscentoutofthebladesofgrass。

Jon，whohadfallensilent，saidrathersuddenly:

"Isay，thisiswonderful！There’snofatonitatall。Gull’sflightandsheep—bells"

"’Gull’sflightandsheep—bells’！You’reapoet，mydear！"

Jonsighed。

"Oh，Golly！Nogo！"

"Try！Iusedtoatyourage。"

"Didyou？Mothersays’try’too;butI’msorotten。Haveyouanyofyoursformetosee？"

"Mydear，"Hollymurmured，"I’vebeenmarriednineteenyears。IonlywroteverseswhenIwantedtobe。"

"Oh！"saidJon，andturnedoveronhisface:theonecheekshecouldseewasacharmingcolour。WasJon"touchedinthewind，"then，asValwouldhavecalledit？Already？But，ifso，allthebetter，hewouldtakenonoticeofyoungFleur。Besides，onMondayhewouldbeginhisfarming。Andshesmiled。WasitBurnswhofollowedtheplough，oronlyPiersPlowman？Nearlyeveryyoungmanandmostyoungwomenseemedtobepoetsnow，judgingfromthenumberoftheirbooksshehadreadoutinSouthAfrica，importingthemfromHatchusandBumphards;andquitegood——oh！quite;muchbetterthanshehadbeenherself！Butthenpoetryhadonlyreallycomeinsinceherday——withmotor—cars。Anotherlongtalkafterdinneroverawoodfireinthelowhall，andthereseemedlittlelefttoknowaboutJonexceptanythingofrealimportance。Hollypartedfromhimathisbedroomdoor，havingseentwiceoverthathehadeverything，withtheconvictionthatshewouldlovehim，andValwouldlikehim。Hewaseager，butdidnotgush;hewasasplendidlistener，sympathetic，reticentabouthimself。Heevidentlylovedtheirfather，andadoredhismother。Helikedriding，rowing，andfencingbetterthangames。

Hesavedmothsfromcandles，andcouldn’tbearspiders，butputthemoutofdoorsinscrewsofpapersoonerthankillthem。Inaword，hewasamiable。Shewenttosleep，thinkingthathewouldsufferhorriblyifanybodyhurthim;butwhowouldhurthim？

Jon，ontheotherhand，satawakeathiswindowwithabitofpaperandapencil，writinghisfirst"realpoem"bythelightofacandlebecausetherewasnotenoughmoontoseeby，onlyenoughtomakethenightseemflutteryandasifengravedonsilver。JustthenightforFleurtowalk，andturnhereyes，andleadon—overthehillsandfaraway。AndJon，deeplyfurrowedinhisingenuousbrow，mademarksonthepaperandrubbedthemoutandwrotetheminagain，anddidallthatwasnecessaryforthecompletionofaworkofart;andhehadafeelingsuchasthewindsofSpringmusthave，tryingtheirfirstsongsamongthecomingblossom。Jonwasoneofthoseboys（notmany）

inwhomahome—trainedloveofbeautyhadsurvivedschoollife。Hehadhadtokeepittohimself，ofcourse，sothatnoteventhedrawing—masterknewofit;butitwasthere，fastidiousandclearwithinhim。Andhispoemseemedtohimaslameandstiltedasthenightwaswinged。Buthekeptit，allthesame。Itwasa"beast，"

butbetterthannothingasanexpressionoftheinexpressible。Andhethoughtwithasortofdiscomfiture:’Ishan’tbeabletoshowittoMother。’Hesleptterriblywell，whenhedidsleep，overwhelmedbynovelty。

VII

FLEUR

Toavoidtheawkwardnessofquestionswhichcouldnotbeanswered，allthathadbeentoldJonwas:

"There’sagirlcomingdownwithValfortheweek—end。"

Forthesamereason，allthathadbeentoldFleurwas:"We’vegotayoungsterstayingwithus。"

Thetwoyearlings，asValcalledtheminhisthoughts，metthereforeinamannerwhichforunpreparednessleftnothingtobedesired。

TheywerethusintroducedbyHolly:

"ThisisJon，mylittlebrother;Fleur’sacousinofours，Jon。"

Jon，whowascominginthroughaFrenchwindowoutofstrongsunlight，wassoconfoundedbytheprovidentialnatureofthismiracle，thathehadtimetohearFleursaycalmly:"Oh，howdoyoudo？"asifhehadneverseenher，andtounderstanddimlyfromthequickestimaginablelittlemovementofherheadthatheneverhadseenher。Hebowedthereforeoverherhandinanintoxicatedmanner，andbecamemoresilentthanthegrave。Heknewbetterthantospeak。

Onceinhisearlylife，surprisedreadingbyanightlight，hehadsaidfatuously"Iwasjustturningovertheleaves，Mum，"andhismotherhadreplied:"Jon，nevertellstories，becauseofyourfacenobodywilleverbelievethem。"

Thesayinghadpermanentlyunderminedtheconfidencenecessarytothesuccessofspokenuntruth。HelistenedthereforetoFleur’sswiftandraptallusionstothejollinessofeverything，pliedherwithsconesandjam，andgotawayassoonasmightbe。Theysaythatindeliriumtremensyouseeafixedobject，preferablydark，whichsuddenlychangesshapeandposition。Jonsawthefixedobject;ithaddarkeyesandpassablydarkhair，andchangeditsposition，butneveritsshape。Theknowledgethatbetweenhimandthatobjecttherewasalreadyasecretunderstanding（howeverimpossibletounderstand）thrilledhimsothathewaitedfeverishly，andbegantocopyouthispoem——whichofcoursehewouldneverdareto——showher——

tillthesoundofhorses’hoofsrousedhim，and，leaningfromhiswindow，hesawherridingforthwithVal。Itwasclearthatshewastednotime，butthesightfilledhimwithgrief。Hewastedhis。

Ifhehadnotbolted，inhisfearfulecstasy，hemighthavebeenaskedtogotoo。Andfromhiswindowhesatandwatchedthemdisappear，appearagaininthechineoftheroad，vanish，andemergeoncemoreforaminuteclearontheoutlineoftheDown。’Sillybrute！’hethought;’Ialwaysmissmychances。’

Whycouldn’thebeself—confidentandready？And，leaninghischinonhishands，heimaginedtheridehemighthavehadwithher。A

week—endwasbutaweek—end，andhehadmissedthreehoursofit。

Didheknowanyoneexcepthimselfwhowouldhavebeensuchaflat？

Hedidnot。

Hedressedfordinnerearly，andwasfirstdown。Hewouldmissnomore。ButhemissedFleur，whocamedownlast。Hesatoppositeheratdinner，anditwasterrible——impossibletosayanythingforfearofsayingthewrongthing，impossibletokeephiseyesfixedonherintheonlynaturalway;insum，impossibletotreatnormallyonewithwhominfancyhehadalreadybeenoverthehillsandfaraway;

conscious，too，allthetime，thathemustseemtoher，toallofthem，adumbgawk。Yes，itwasterrible！Andshewastalkingsowell——swoopingwithswiftwingthiswayandthat。Wonderfulhowshehadlearnedanartwhichhefoundsodisgustinglydifficult。Shemustthinkhimhopelessindeed！

Hissister’seyes，fixedonhimwithacertainastonishment，obligedhimatlasttolookatFleur;butinstantlyhereyes，verywideandeager，seemingtosay，"Oh！forgoodness’sake！"obligedhimtolookatVal，whereagrinobligedhimtolookathiscutlet——that，atleast，hadnoeyes，andnogrin，andheateithastily。

"Jonisgoingtobeafarmer，"heheardHollysay;"afarmerandapoet。"

Heglancedupreproachfully，caughtthecomicliftofhereyebrowjustliketheirfather’s，laughed，andfeltbetter。

ValrecountedtheincidentofMonsieurProsperProfond;nothingcouldhavebeenmorefavourable，for，inrelatingit，heregardedHolly，whointurnregardedhim，whileFleurseemedtoberegardingwithaslightfrownsomethoughtofherown，andJonwasreallyfreetolookatheratlast。Shehadonawhitefrock，verysimpleandwellmade;

herarmswerebare，andherhairhadawhiteroseinit。Injustthatswiftmomentoffreevision，aftersuchintensediscomfort，Jonsawhersublimated，asoneseesinthedarkaslenderwhitefruit—

tree;caughtherlikeaverseofpoetryflashedbeforetheeyesofthemind，oratunewhichfloatsoutinthedistanceanddies。

Hewonderedgiddilyhowoldshewas——sheseemedsomuchmoreself—

possessedandexperiencedthanhimself。Whymustn’thesaytheyhadmet？Herememberedsuddenlyhismother’sface;puzzled，hurt—

looking，whensheanswered:"Yes，they’rerelations，butwedon’tknowthem。"Impossiblethathismother，wholovedbeauty，shouldnotadmireFleurifshedidknowher。

AlonewithValafterdinner，hesippedportdeferentiallyandansweredtheadvancesofthisnew—foundbrother—in—law。Astoriding（alwaysthefirstconsiderationwithVal）hecouldhavetheyoungchestnut，saddleandunsaddleithimself，andgenerallylookafteritwhenhebroughtitin。Jonsaidhewasaccustomedtoallthatathome，andsawthathehadgoneuponeinhishost’sestimation。

"Fleur，"saidVal，"can’tridemuchyet，butshe’skeen。Ofcourse，herfatherdoesn’tknowahorsefromacart—wheel。DoesyourDadride？"

"Heusedto;butnowhe’s——youknow，he’s——"Hestopped，sohatingtheword"old。"Hisfatherwasold，andyetnotold;no——never！

"Quite，"mutteredVal。"IusedtoknowyourbrotherupatOxford，agesago，theonewhodiedintheBoerWar。WehadafightinNewCollegeGardens。Thatwasaqueerbusiness，"headded，musing;"agooddealcameoutofit。"

Jon’seyesopenedwide;allwaspushinghimtowardhistoricalresearch，whenhissister’svoicesaidgentlyfromthedoorway:

"Comealong，youtwo，"andherose，hisheartpushinghimtowardsomethingfarmoremodern。