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。