第4章
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  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。

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