第12章

Fleurwassmiling，alittledefiantly;hismother’sstartledfacewaschangingquicklytotheimpersonalandgracious。Itwasshewhoutteredthefirstwords:

"I’mverygladtoseeyou。ItwasniceofJontothinkofbringingyoudowntous。"

"Weweren’tcomingtothehouse，"Jonblurtedout。"IjustwantedFleurtoseewhereIlived。"

Hismothersaidquietly:

"Won’tyoucomeupandhavetea？"

Feelingthathehadbutaggravatedhisbreachofbreeding，heheardFleuranswer:

"Thanksverymuch;Ihavetogetbacktodinner。ImetJonbyaccident，andwethoughtitwouldberatherjollyjusttoseehishome。"

Howself—possessedshewas！

"Ofcourse;butyoumusthavetea。We’llsendyoudowntothestation。Myhusbandwillenjoyseeingyou。"

Theexpressionofhismother’seyes，restingonhimforamoment，castJondownlevelwiththeground——atrueworm。Thensheledon，andFleurfollowedher。Hefeltlikeachild，trailingafterthosetwo，whoweretalkingsoeasilyaboutSpainandWansdon，andthehouseuptherebeyondthetreesandthegrassyslope。Hewatchedthefencingoftheireyes，takingeachotherin——thetwobeingshelovedmostintheworld。

Hecouldseehisfathersittingundertheoaktree;andsufferedinadvanceallthelossofcastehemustgothroughintheeyesofthattranquilfigure，withhiskneescrossed，thin，old，andelegant;

alreadyhecouldfeelthefaintironywhichwouldcomeintohisvoiceandsmile。

"ThisisFleurForsyte，Jolyon;Jonbroughtherdowntoseethehouse。Let’shaveteaatonce——shehastocatchatrain。Jon，tellthem，dear，andtelephonetotheDragonforacar。"

Toleaveheralonewiththemwasstrange，andyet，asnodoubthismotherhadforeseen，theleastofevilsatthemoment;soheranupintothehouse。NowhewouldnotseeFleuraloneagain——notforaminute，andtheyhadarrangednofurthermeeting！Whenhereturnedundercoverofthemaidsandteapots，therewasnotatraceofawkwardnessbeneaththetree;itwasallwithinhimself，butnotthelessforthat。TheyweretalkingoftheGalleryoffCorkStreet。

"Webacknumbers，"hisfatherwassaying，"areawfullyanxioustofindoutwhywecan’tappreciatethenewstuff;youandJonmusttellus。"

"It’ssupposedtobesatiric，isn’tit？"saidFleur。

Hesawhisfather’ssmile。

"Satiric？Oh！Ithinkit’smorethanthat。Whatdoyousay，Jon？"

"Idon’tknowatall，"stammeredJon。Hisfather’sfacehadasuddengrimness。

"Theyoungaretiredofus，ourgodsandourideals。Offwiththeirheads，theysay——smashtheiridols！Andlet’sgetbackto—nothing！

And，byJove，they’vedoneit！Jon’sapoet。He’llbegoingin，too，andstampingonwhat’sleftofus。Property，beauty，sentiment—

—allsmoke。Wemustn’townanythingnowadays，notevenourfeelings。

Theystandinthewayof——Nothing。"

Jonlistened，bewildered，almostoutragedbyhisfather’swords，behindwhichhefeltameaningthathecouldnotreach。Hedidn’twanttostamponanything！

"Nothing’sthegodofto—day，"continuedJolyon;"we’rebackwheretheRussiansweresixtyyearsago，whentheystartedNihilism。"

"No，Dad，"criedJonsuddenly，"weonlywanttolive，andwedon’tknowhow，becauseofthePast——that’sall！"

"ByGeorge！"saidJolyon，"that’sprofound，Jon。Isityourown？

ThePast！Oldownerships，oldpassions，andtheiraftermath。Let’shavecigarettes。"

Consciousthathismotherhadliftedherhandtoherlips，quickly，asiftohushsomething，Jonhandedthecigarettes。Helightedhisfather’sandFleur’s，thenoneforhimself。HadhetakentheknockthatValhadspokenof？Thesmokewasbluewhenhehadnotpuffed，greywhenhehad;helikedthesensationinhisnose，andthesenseofequalityitgavehim。Hewasgladnoonesaid:"Soyou’vebegun！"

Hefeltlessyoung。

Fleurlookedatherwatch，androse。Hismotherwentwithherintothehouse。Jonstayedwithhisfather，puffingatthecigarette。

"Seeherintothecar，oldman，"saidJolyon;"andwhenshe’sgone，askyourmothertocomebacktome。"

Jonwent。Hewaitedinthehall。Hesawherintothecar。Therewasnochanceforanyword;hardlyforapressureofthehand。Hewaitedallthateveningforsomethingtobesaidtohim。Nothingwassaid。Nothingmighthavehappened。Hewentuptobed，andinthemirroronhisdressing—tablemethimself。Hedidnotspeak，nordidtheimage;butbothlookedasiftheythoughtthemore。

IV

INGREENSTREET

UncertainwhethertheimpressionthatProsperProfondwasdangerousshouldbetracedtohisattempttogiveValtheMayflyfilly;toaremarkofFleur’s:"He’slikethehostsofMidian——heprowlsandprowlsaround";tohispreposterousinquiryofJackCardigan:"What’stheuseofkeepin’fit？"or，moresimply，tothefactthathewasaforeigner，oralienasitwasnowcalled。Certain，thatAnnettewaslookingparticularlyhandsome，andthatSoames——hadsoldhimaGauguinandthentornupthecheque，sothatMonsieurProfondhimselfhadsaid:"Ididn’tgetthatsmallpictureIboughtfromMr。

Forsyde。"

Howeversuspiciouslyregarded，hestillfrequentedWinifred’severgreenlittlehouseinGreenStreet，withagood—naturedobtusenesswhichnoonemistookfornaivete，awordhardlyapplicabletoMonsieurProsperProfond。Winifredstillfoundhim"amusing，"andwouldwritehimlittlenotessaying:"Comeandhavea’jolly’withus"——itwasbreathoflifetohertokeepupwiththephrasesoftheday。

Themystery，withwhichallfelthimtobesurrounded，wasduetohishavingdone，seen，heard，andknowneverything，andfoundnothinginit——whichwasunnatural。TheEnglishtypeofdisillusionmentwasfamiliarenoughtoWinifred，whohadalwaysmovedinfashionablecircles。Itgaveacertaincachetordistinction，sothatonegotsomethingoutofit。Buttoseenothinginanything，notasapose，butbecausetherewasnothinginanything，wasnotEnglish;andthatwhichwasnotEnglishonecouldnothelpsecretlyfeelingdangerous，ifnotpreciselybadform。ItwaslikehavingthemoodwhichtheWarhadleft，seated——dark，heavy，smiling，indifferent——inyourEmpirechair;itwaslikelisteningtothatmoodtalkingthroughthickpinklipsabovealittlediabolicbeard。Itwas，asJackCardiganexpressedit——fortheEnglishcharacteratlarge——"abittoothick"——

forifnothingwasreallyworthgettingexcitedabout，therewerealwaysgames，andonecouldmakeitso！EvenWinifred，everaForsyteatheart，feltthattherewasnothingtobehadoutofsuchamoodofdisillusionment，sothatitreallyoughtnottobethere。

MonsieurProfond，infact，madethemoodtooplaininacountrywhichdecentlyveiledsuchrealities。

WhenFleur，afterherhurriedreturnfromRobinHill，camedowntodinnerthatevening，themoodwasstandingatthewindowofWinifred’slittledrawing—room，lookingoutintoGreenStreet，withanairofseeingnothinginit。AndFleurgazedpromptlyintothefireplacewithanairofseeingafirewhichwasnotthere。

MonsieurProfondcamefromthewindow。Hewasinfullfig，withawhitewaistcoatandawhiteflowerinhisbuttonhole。

"Well，MissForsyde，"hesaid，"I’mawfulpleasedtoseeyou。Mr。

Forsydewell？Iwassayin’to—dayIwanttoseehimhavesomepleasure。Heworries。"

"Youthinkso？"saidFleurshortly。

"Worries，"repeatedMonsieurProfond，burringther’s。

Fleurspunround。"ShallItellyou，"shesaid，"whatwouldgivehimpleasure？"Butthewords，"Tohearthatyouhadclearedout，"diedattheexpressiononhisface。Allhisfinewhiteteethwereshowing。

"Iwashearin’attheClubto—dayabouthisoldtrouble。"

Fleuropenedhereyes。"Whatdoyoumean？"

MonsieurProfondmovedhissleekheadasiftominimizehisstatement。

"Beforeyouwereborn，"hesaid;"thatsmallbusiness。"

Thoughconsciousthathehadcleverlydivertedherfromhisownshareinherfather’sworry，Fleurwasunabletowithstandarushofnervouscuriosity。"Tellmewhatyouheard。"

"Why！"murmuredMonsieurProfond，"youknowallthat。"

"IexpectIdo。ButIshouldliketoknowthatyouhaven’thearditallwrong。"

"Hisfirstwife，"murmuredMonsieurProfond。

Chokingbackthewords，"Hewasnevermarriedbefore，"shesaid:

"Well，whatabouther？"

"Mr。GeorgeForsydewastellin’meaboutyourfather’sfirstwifemarryin’hiscousinJolyonafterward。Itwasasmallbitunpleasant，Ishouldthink。Isawtheirboy——niceboy！"

Fleurlookedup。MonsieurProfondwasswimming，heavilydiabolical，beforeher。That——thereason！Withthemostheroiceffortofherlifesofar，shemanagedtoarrestthatswimmingfigure。Shecouldnottellwhetherhehadnoticed。AndjustthenWinifredcamein。

"Oh！hereyoubotharealready;ImogenandIhavehadthemostamusingafternoonattheBabies’bazaar。"

"Whatbabies？"saidFleurmechanically。

"The’SavetheBabies。’Igotsuchabargain，mydear。ApieceofoldArmenianwork——frombeforetheFlood。Iwantyouropiniononit，Prosper。"

"Auntie，"whisperedFleursuddenly。

Atthetoneinthegirl’svoiceWinifredclosedinonher。’

"What’sthematter？Aren’tyouwell？"

MonsieurProfondhadwithdrawnintothewindow，wherehewaspracticallyoutofhearing。

"Auntie，he—hetoldmethatfatherhasbeenmarriedbefore。Isittruethathedivorcedher，andshemarriedJonForsyte’sfather？"

NeverinallthelifeofthemotheroffourlittleDartieshadWinifredfeltmoreseriouslyembarrassed。Herniece’sfacewassopale，hereyessodark，hervoicesowhisperyandstrained。

"Yourfatherdidn’twishyoutohear，"shesaid，withalltheaplombshecouldmuster。"Thesethingswillhappen。I’veoftentoldhimheoughttoletyouknow。"

"Oh！"saidFleur，andthatwasall，butitmadeWinifredpathershoulder——afirmlittleshoulder，niceandwhite！Shenevercouldhelpanappraisingeyeandtouchinthematterofherniece，whowouldhavetobemarried，ofcourse——thoughnottothatboyJon。

"We’veforgottenallaboutityearsandyearsago，"shesaidcomfortably。"Comeandhavedinner！"

"No，Auntie。Idon’tfeelverywell。MayIgoupstairs？"

"Mydear！"murmuredWinifred，concerned，"you’renottakingthistoheart？Why，youhaven’tproperlycomeoutyet！Thatboy’sachild！"

"Whatboy？I’veonlygotaheadache。ButIcan’tstandthatmanto—

night。"

"Well，well，"saidWinifred，"goandliedown。I’llsendyousomebromide，andIshalltalktoProsperProfond。Whatbusinesshadhetogossip？ThoughImustsayIthinkit’smuchbetteryoushouldknow。"

Fleursmiled。"Yes，"shesaid，andslippedfromtheroom。

Shewentupwithherheadwhirling，adrysensationinherthroat，agutteredfrightenedfeelinginherbreast。Neverinherlifeasyethadshesufferedfromevenmomentaryfearthatshewouldnotgetwhatshehadsetherhearton。Thesensationsoftheafternoonhadbeenfullandpoignant，andthisgruesomediscoverycomingonthetopofthemhadreallymadeherheadache。Nowonderherfatherhadhiddenthatphotograph，sosecretlybehindherown—ashamedofhavingkeptit！ButcouldhehateJon’smotherandyetkeepherphotograph？Shepressedherhandsoverherforehead，tryingtoseethingsclearly。

HadtheytoldJon——hadhervisittoRobinHillforcedthemtotellhim？Everythingnowturnedonthat！Sheknew，theyallknew，except——perhaps——Jon！

Shewalkedupanddown，bitingherlipandthinkingdesperatelyhard。

Jonlovedhismother。Iftheyhadtoldhim，whatwouldhedo？Shecouldnottell。Butiftheyhadnottoldhim，shouldshenot——couldshenotgethimforherself——getmarriedtohim，beforeheknew？ShesearchedhermemoriesofRobinHill。Hismother’sfacesopassive——

withitsdarkeyesandasifpowderedhair，itsreserve，itssmile——

baffledher;andhisfather’s——kindly，sunken，ironic。InstinctivelyshefelttheywouldshrinkfromtellingJon，evennow，shrinkfromhurtinghim——forofcourseitwouldhurthimawfullytoknow！

Herauntmustbemadenottotellherfatherthatsheknew。SolongasneithersheherselfnorJonweresupposedtoknow，therewasstillachance——freedomtocoverone’stracks，andgetwhatherheartwasseton。Butshewasalmostoverwhelmedbyherisolation。Everyone’shandwasagainsther——everyone’s！ItwasasJonhadsaid——heandshejustwantedtoliveandthepastwasintheirway，apasttheyhadn’tsharedin，anddidn’tunderstand！Oh！Whatashame！AndsuddenlyshethoughtofJune。Wouldshehelpthem？ForsomehowJunehadleftonhertheimpressionthatshewouldbesympatheticwiththeirlove，impatientofobstacle。Then，instinctively，shethought:

’Iwon’tgiveanythingaway，though，eventoher。Idaren’t。ImeantohaveJon;againstthemall。’

Soupwasbroughtuptoher，andoneofWinifred’spetheadachecachets。Sheswallowedboth。ThenWinifredherselfappeared。Fleuropenedhercampaignwiththewords:

"Youknow，Auntie，Idowishpeoplewouldn’tthinkI’minlovewiththatboy。Why，I’vehardlyseenhim！"

Winifred，thoughexperienced，wasnot"fine。"Sheacceptedtheremarkwithconsiderablerelief。Ofcourse，itwasnotpleasantforthegirltohearofthefamilyscandal，andshesetherselftominimisethematter，ataskforwhichshewaseminentlyqualified，"raised"fashionablyunderacomfortablemotherandafatherwhosenervesmightnotbeshaken，andformanyyearsthewifeofMontagueDartie。Herdescriptionwasamasterpieceofunderstatement。

Fleur’sfather’sfirstwifehadbeenveryfoolish。Therehadbeenayoungmanwhohadgotrunover，andshehadleftFleur’sfather。

Then，yearsafter，whenitmightallhavecome——rightagain，shehadtakenupwiththeircousinJolyon;and，ofcourse，herfatherhadbeenobligedtohaveadivorce。Nobodyrememberedanythingofitnow，exceptjustthefamily。And，perhaps，ithadallturnedoutforthebest;herfatherhadFleur;andJolyonandIrenehadbeenquitehappy，theysaid，andtheirboywasaniceboy。"ValhavingHolly，too，isasortofplaster，don’tyouknow？"Withthesesoothingwords，Winifredpattedherniece’sshoulder;thought:’She’sanice，plumplittlething！’andwentbacktoProsperProfond，who，inspiteofhisindiscretion，wasvery"amusing"thisevening。

ForsomeminutesafterheraunthadgoneFleurremainedunderinfluenceofbromidematerialandspiritual。Butthenrealitycameback。Heraunthadleftoutallthatmattered——allthefeeling，thehate，thelove，theunforgivingnessofpassionatehearts。She，whoknewsolittleoflife，andhadtouchedonlythefringeoflove，wasyetawarebyinstinctthatwordshaveaslittlerelationtofactandfeelingascointothebreaditbuys。’PoorFather！’shethought。

’Poorme！PoorJon！ButIdon’tcare，Imeantohavehim！’Fromthewindowofherdarkenedroomshesaw"thatman"issuefromthedoorbelowand"prowl"away。Ifheandhermother——howwouldthataffectherchance？Surelyitmustmakeherfatherclingtohermoreclosely，sothathewouldconsentintheendtoanythingshewanted，orbecomereconciledthesoonertowhatshedidwithouthisknowledge。

Shetooksomeearthfromtheflower—boxinthewindow，andwithallhermightflungitafterthatdisappearingfigure。Itfellshort，buttheactiondidhergood。

AndalittlepuffofaircameupfromGreenStreet，smellingofpetrol，notsweet。

V

PURELYFORSYTEAFFAIRS

Soames，cominguptotheCity，withtheintentionofcallinginatGreenStreetattheendofhisdayandtakingFleurbackhomewithhim，sufferedfromrumination。Sleepingpartnerthathewas，heseldomvisitedtheCitynow，buthestillhadaroomofhisownatCuthcott，KingsonandForsyte’s，andonespecialclerkandahalfassignedtothemanagementofpurelyForsyteaffairs。Theyweresomewhatinfluxjustnow——anauspiciousmomentforthedisposalofhouseproperty。AndSoameswasunloadingtheestatesofhisfatherandUncleRoger，andtosomeextentofhisUncleNicholas。Hisshrewdandmatter—of—courseprobityinallmoneyconcernshadmadehimsomethingofanautocratinconnectionwiththesetrusts。IfSoamesthoughtthisorthoughtthat，onehadbettersaveoneselfthebotherofthinkingtoo。Heguaranteed，asitwere，irresponsibilitytonumerousForsytesofthethirdandfourthgenerations。Hisfellowtrustees，suchashiscousinsRogerorNicholas，hiscousins—in—lawTweetymanandSpender，orhissisterCicely’shusband，alltrustedhim;hesignedfirst，andwherehesignedfirsttheysignedafter，andnobodywasapennytheworse。Justnowtheywereallagoodmanypenniesthebetter，andSoameswasbeginningtoseethecloseofcertaintrusts，exceptfordistributionoftheincomefromsecuritiesasgilt—edgedaswascompatiblewiththeperiod。

PassingthemorefeverishpartsoftheCitytowardthemostperfectbackwaterinLondon，heruminated。Moneywasextraordinarilytight;

andmoralityextraordinarilyloose！TheWarhaddoneit。Bankswerenotlending;peoplebreakingcontractsallovertheplace。Therewasafeelingintheairandalookonfacesthathedidnotlike。Thecountryseemedinforaspellofgamblingandbankruptcies。Therewassatisfactioninthethoughtthatneitherhenorhistrustshadaninvestmentwhichcouldbeaffectedbyanythinglessmaniacalthannationalrepudiationoralevyoncapital。IfSoameshadfaith，itwasinwhathecalled"Englishcommonsense"——orthepowertohavethings，ifnotonewaythenanother。Hemight——likehisfatherJamesbeforehim——sayhedidn’tknowwhatthingswerecomingto，butheneverinhisheartbelievedtheywere。Ifitrestedwithhim，theywouldn’t——and，afterall，hewasonlyanEnglishmanlikeanyother，soquietlytenaciousofwhathehadthatheknewhewouldneverreallypartwithitwithoutsomethingmoreorlessequivalentinexchange。Hismindwasessentiallyequilibristicinmaterialmatters，andhiswayofputtingthenationalsituationdifficulttorefuteinaworldcomposedofhumanbeings。Takehisowncase，forexample！Hewaswelloff。Didthatdoanybodyharm？Hedidnoteattenmealsaday;heatenomorethan，perhapsnotsomuchas，apoorman。Hespentnomoneyonvice;breathednomoreair，usednomorewatertospeakofthanthemechanicortheporter。Hecertainlyhadprettythingsabouthim，buttheyhadgivenemploymentinthemaking，andsomebodymustusethem。Heboughtpictures，butArtmustbeencouraged。Hewas，infact，anaccidentalchannelthroughwhichmoneyflowed，employinglabour。Whatwasthereobjectionableinthat？InhischargemoneywasinquickerandmoreusefulfluxthanitwouldbeinchargeoftheStateandalotofslow—flymoney—

suckingofficials。Andastowhathesavedeachyear——itwasjustasmuchinfluxaswhathedidn’tsave，goingintoWaterBoardorCouncilStocks，orsomethingsoundanduseful。TheStatepaidhimnosalaryforbeingtrusteeofhisownorotherpeople’smoneyhedidallthatfornothing。Thereinlaythewholecaseagainstnationalisation——ownersofprivatepropertywereunpaid，andyethadeveryincentivetoquickenuptheflux。Undernationalisation——justtheopposite！Inacountrysmartingfromofficialismhefeltthathehadastrongcase。

Itparticularlyannoyedhim，enteringthatbackwaterofperfectpeace，tothinkthatalotofunscrupulousTrustsandCombinationshadbeencorneringthemarketingoodsofallkinds，andkeepingpricesatanartificialheight。Suchabusersoftheindividualisticsystemweretheruffianswhocausedallthetrouble，anditwassomesatisfactiontoseethemgettingintoastewatfastlestthewholethingmightcomedownwitharun——andlandtheminthesoup。

TheofficesofCuthcott，KingsonandForsyteoccupiedthegroundandfirstfloorsofahouseontheright—handside;and，ascendingtohisroom，Soamesthought:’Timewehadacoatofpaint。’

HisoldclerkGradmanwasseated，wherehealwayswas，atahugebureauwithcountlesspigeonholes。Half—the—clerkstoodbesidehim，withabroker’snoterecordinginvestmentoftheproceedsfromsaleoftheBryanstonSquarehouse，inRogerForsyte’sestate。Soamestookit，andsaid:

"VancouverCityStock。H’m。It’sdowntoday！"

WithasortofgratingingratiationoldGradmanansweredhim:

"Ye—es;buteverything’sdown，Mr。Soames。"Andhalf—the—clerkwithdrew。

Soamesskeweredthedocumentontoanumberofotherpapersandhunguphishat。

"IwanttolookatmyWillandMarriageSettlement，Gradman。"

OldGradman，movingtothelimitofhisswivelchair，drewouttwodraftsfromthebottomlefthanddrawer。Recoveringhisbody，heraisedhisgrizzle—hairedface，veryredfromstooping。

"Copies，Sir。"

Soamestookthem。ItstruckhimsuddenlyhowlikeGradmanwastothestoutbrindledyarddogtheyhadbeenwonttokeeponhischainatTheShelter，tillonedayFleurhadcomeandinsisteditshouldbeletloose，sothatithadatoncebittenthecookandbeendestroyed。

IfyouletGradmanoffhischain，wouldhebitethecook？

Checkingthisfrivolousfancy，SoamesunfoldedhisMarriageSettlement。Hehadnotlookedatitforovereighteenyears，notsinceheremadehisWillwhenhisfatherdiedandFleurwasborn。Hewantedtoseewhetherthewords"duringcoverture"werein。Yes，theywere——oddexpression，whenyouthoughtofit，andderivedperhapsfromhorse—breeding！Interestonfifteenthousandpounds（whichhepaidherwithoutdeductingincometax）solongassheremainedhiswife，andafterwardduringwidowhood"dumcasta"——old—

fashionedandratherpointedwords，putintoinsuretheconductofFleur’smother。HisWillmadeituptoanannuityofathousandunderthesameconditions。Allright！HereturnedthecopiestoGradman，whotookthemwithoutlookingup，swungthechair，restoredthepaperstotheirdrawer，andwentoncastingup。

"Gradman！Idon’tliketheconditionofthecountry;therearealotofpeopleaboutwithoutanycommonsense。IwanttofindawaybywhichIcansafeguardMissFleuragainstanythingwhichmightarise。"

Gradmanwrotethefigure"2"onhisblotting—paper。

"Ye—es，"hesaid;"there’sanahstyspirit。"

"Theordinaryrestraintagainstanticipationdoesn’tmeetthecase。"

"Nao，"saidGradman。

"SupposethoseLabourfellowscomein，orworse！It’sthesepeoplewithfixedideaswhoarethedanger。LookatIreland！"

"Ah！"saidGradman。

"SupposeIweretomakeasettlementonheratoncewithmyselfasbeneficiaryforlife，theycouldn’ttakeanythingbuttheinterestfromme，unlessofcoursetheyalterthelaw。"

Gradmanmovedhisheadandsmiled。

"Ah！"hesaid，"theywouldn’tdotha—at！"

"Idon’tknow，"mutteredSoames;"Idon’ttrustthem。"

"It’lltaketwoyears，sir，tobevalidagainstdeathduties。"

Soamessniffed。Twoyears！Hewasonlysixty—five！

"That’snotthepoint。DrawaformofsettlementthatpassesallmypropertytoMissFleur’schildreninequalshares，withantecedentlife—interestsfirsttomyselfandthentoherwithoutpowerofanticipation，andaddaclausethatintheeventofanythinghappeningtodivertherlife—interest，thatinterestpassestothetrustees，toapplyforherbenefit，intheirabsolutediscretion。"

Gradmangrated:"Ratherextremeatyourage，sir;youlosecontrol。"

"That’smybusiness，"saidSoamessharply。

Gradmanwroteonapieceofpaper:"Life—interest——anticipation——

divertinterest——absolutediscretion……"andsaid:

"Whattrustees？There’syoungMr。Kingson;he’sanicesteadyyoungfellow。"

"Yes，hemightdoforone。Imusthavethree。Thereisn’taForsytenowwhoappealstome。"

"NotyoungMr。Nicholas？He’sattheBar。We’vegiven’imbriefs。"

"He’llneversettheThamesonfire，"saidSoames。

AsmileoozedoutonGradman’sface，greasyfromcountlessmutton—

chops，thesmileofamanwhositsallday。

"Youcan’texpectit，athisage，Mr。Soames。"

"Why？Whatishe？Forty？"

"Ye—es，quiteayoungfellow。"

"Well，puthimin;butIwantsomebodywho’lltakeapersonalinterest。There’snoonethatIcansee。"

"WhataboutMr。Valerius，nowhe’scomehome？"

"ValDartie？Withthatfather？"

"We—ell，"murmuredGradman，"he’sbeendeadsevenyears——theStatuterunsagainsthim。"

"No，"saidSoames。"Idon’tliketheconnection。"Herose。Gradmansaidsuddenly:

"Iftheyweremakin’alevyoncapital，theycouldcomeonthetrustees，sir。Sothereyou’dbejustthesame。I’dthinkitover，ifIwereyou。"

"That’strue，"saidSoames。"Iwill。WhathaveyoudoneaboutthatdilapidationnoticeinVereStreet？"

"I’aven’tservedityet。Theparty’sveryold。Shewon’twanttogooutatherage。"

"Idon’tknow。Thisspiritofunresttoucheseveryone。"

"Still，I’mlookin’atthingsbroadly，sir。She’seighty—one。"

"Betterserveit，"saidSoames，"andseewhatshesays。Oh！andMr。

Timothy？Iseverythinginorderincaseof——"

"I’vegottheinventoryofhisestateallready;hadthefurnitureandpicturesvaluedsothatweknowwhatreservestoputon。Ishallbesorrywhenhegoes，though。Dearme！ItisatimesinceIfirstsawMr。Timothy！"

"Wecan’tliveforever，"saidSoames，takingdownhishat。

"Nao，"saidGradman;"butit’llbeapity——thelastoftheoldfamily！ShallItakeupthematterofthatnuisanceinOldComptonStreet？Thoseorgans——they’renahstythings。"

"Do。ImustcallforMissFleurandcatchthefouro’clock。Good—

day，Gradman。"

"Good—day，Mr。Soames。IhopeMissFleur——"

"Wellenough，butgadsabouttoomuch。"

"Ye—es，"gratedGradman;"she’syoung。"

Soameswentout，musing:"OldGradman！IfhewereyoungerI’dputhiminthetrust。There’snobodyIcandependontotakearealinterest。