IV
SOAMESCOGITATES
TheannouncementinTheTimesofhiscousinJolyon’sdeathaffectedSoamesquitesimply。Sothatchapwasgone！Therehadneverbeenatimeintheirtwoliveswhenlovehadnotbeenlostbetweenthem。
Thatquick—bloodedsentimenthatredhadrunitscourselongsinceinSoames’heart，andhehadrefusedtoallowanyrecrudescence，butheconsideredthisearlydeceaseapieceofpoeticjustice。Fortwentyyearsthefellowhadenjoyedthereversionofhiswifeandhouse，and——hewasdead！Theobituarynotice，whichappearedalittlelater，paidJolyon——hethought——toomuchattention。Itspokeofthat\"diligentandagreeablepainterwhoseworkwehavecometolookonastypicalofthebestlate—Victorianwater—colourart。\"Soames，whohadalmostmechanicallypreferredMole，Morpin，andCaswellBaye，andhadalwayssniffedquiteaudiblywhenhecametooneofhiscousin’sontheline，turnedTheTimeswithacrackle。
HehadtogouptoTownthatmorningonForsyteaffairs，andwasfullyconsciousofGradman’sglancesidelongoverhisspectacles。
Theoldclerkhadabouthimanauraofregretfulcongratulation。Hesmelled，asitwere，ofolddays。Onecouldalmosthearhimthinking:\"Mr。Jolyon，ye—es——justmyage，andgone——dear，dear！I
daresayshefeelsit。Shewasamice—lookin’woman。Fleshisflesh！They’vegiven’imanoticeinthepapers。Fancy！\"HisatmosphereinfactcausedSoamestohandlecertainleasesandconversionswithexceptionalswiftness。
\"AboutthatsettlementonMissFleur，Mr。Soames？\"
\"I’vethoughtbetterofthat，\"answeredSoamesshortly。
\"Ah！I’mgladofthat。Ithoughtyouwerealittlehasty。Thetimesdochange。\"
HowthisdeathwouldaffectFleurhadbeguntotroubleSoames。Hewasnotcertainthatsheknewofit——sheseldomlookedatthepaper，neveratthebirths，marriages，anddeaths。
Hepressedmatterson，andmadehiswaytoGreenStreetforlunch。
Winifredwasalmostdoleful。JackCardiganhadbrokenasplashboard，sofarasonecouldmakeout，andwouldnotbe\"fit\"forsometime。
Shecouldnotgetusedtotheidea。
\"DidProfondevergetoff？\"hesaidsuddenly。
\"Hegotoff，\"repliedWinifred，\"butwhere——Idon’tknow。\"
Yes，thereitwas——impossibletotellanything！Notthathewantedtoknow。LettersfromAnnettewerecomingfromDieppe，wheresheandhermotherwerestaying。
\"Yousawthatfellow’sdeath，Isuppose？\"
\"Yes，\"saidWinifred。\"I’msorryfor——forhischildren。Hewasveryamiable。\"Soamesutteredaratherqueersound。Asuspicionoftheolddeeptruth——thatmenwerejudgedinthisworldratherbywhattheywerethanbywhattheydid——creptandknockedresentfullyatthebackdoorsofhismind。
\"Iknowtherewasasuperstitiontothateffect，\"hemuttered。
\"Onemustdohimjusticenowhe’sdead。\"
\"Ishouldliketohavedonehimjusticebefore，\"saidSoames;\"butI
neverhadthechance。Haveyougota’Baronetage’here？\"
\"Yes;inthatbottomrow。\"
Soamestookoutafatredbook，andranovertheleaves。
\"Mont—SirLawrence，9thBt。，cr。1620，e。s。ofGeoffrey，8thBt。，andLavinia，daur。ofSirCharlesMuskham，Bt。，ofMuskhamHall，Shrops:marr。1890Emily，daur。ofConwayCharwell，Esq。，ofCondafordGrange，co。Oxon;1son，heirMichaelConway，b。1895，2
daurs。Residence:LippinghallManor，Folwell，Bucks。Clubs:Snooks’:
CoffeeHouse:Aeroplane。SeeBidIicott。\"
\"H’m！\"hesaid。\"Didyoueverknowapublisher？\"
\"UncleTimothy。\"
\"Alive，Imean。\"
\"MontyknewoneathisClub。Hebroughthimheretodinneronce。
Montywasalwaysthinkingofwritingabook，youknow，abouthowtomakemoneyontheturf。Hetriedtointerestthatman。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Heputhimontoahorse——fortheTwoThousand。Wedidn’tseehimagain。Hewasrathersmart，ifIremember。\"
\"Diditwin？\"
\"No;itranlast，Ithink。YouknowMontyreallywasquitecleverinhisway。\"
\"Washe？\"saidSoames。\"Canyouseeanyconnectionbetweenasuckingbaronetandpublishing？\"
\"Peopledoallsortsofthingsnowadays，\"repliedWinifred。\"Thegreatstuntseemsnottobeidle——sodifferentfromourtime。Todonothingwasthethingthen。ButIsupposeit’llcomeagain。\"
\"ThisyoungMontthatI’mspeakingofisverysweetonFleur。IfitwouldputanendtothatotheraffairImightencourageit。\"
\"Hashegotstyle？\"askedWinifred。
\"He’snobeauty;pleasantenough，withsomescatteredbrains。
There’sagooddealofland，Ibelieve。Heseemsgenuinelyattached。
ButIdon’tknow。\"
\"No，\"murmuredWinifred;\"it’s——verydifficult。Ialwaysfounditbesttodonothing。ItissuchaboreaboutJack;nowweshan’tgetawaytillafterBankHoliday。Well，thepeoplearealwaysamusing，I
shallgointotheParkandwatchthem。\"
\"IfIwereyou，\"saidSoames，\"Ishouldhaveacountrycottage，andbeoutofthewayofholidaysandstrikeswhenyouwant。\"
\"Thecountryboresme，\"answeredWinifred，\"andIfoundtherailwaystrikequiteexciting。\"
Winifredhadalwaysbeennotedforsang—froid。
Soamestookhisleave。AllthewaydowntoReadinghedebatedwhetherheshouldtellFleurofthatboy’sfather’sdeath。Itdidnotalterthesituationexceptthathewouldbeindependentnow，andonlyhavehismother’soppositiontoencounter。Hewouldcomeintoalotofmoney，nodoubt，andperhapsthehouse——thehousebuiltforIreneandhimself——thehousewhosearchitecthadwroughthisdomesticruin。Hisdaughter——mistressofthathouse！Thatwouldbepoeticjustice！Soamesutteredalittlemirthlesslaugh。Hehaddesignedthathousetore—establishhisfailingunion，meantitfortheseatofhisdescendants，ifhecouldhaveinducedIrenetogivehimone！
HersonandFleur！Theirchildrenwouldbe，insomesort，offspringoftheunionbetweenhimselfandher！
Thetheatricalityinthatthoughtwasrepulsivetohissobersense。
Andyet——itwouldbetheeasiestandwealthiestwayoutoftheimpasse，nowthatJolyonwasgone。ThejunctureoftwoForsytefortuneshadakindofconservativecharm。Andshe——Irene—wouldbelinkedtohimoncemore。Nonsense！Absurd！Heputthenotionfromhishead。
Onarrivinghomeheheardtheclickofbilliard—balls，andthroughthewindowsawyoungMontsprawlingoverthetable。Fleur，withhercueakimbo，waswatchingwithasmile。Howprettyshelooked！Nowonderthatyoungfellowwasoutofhismindabouther。Atitle——
land！Therewaslittleenoughinland，thesedays;perhapslessinatitle。TheoldForsyteshadalwayshadakindofcontemptfortitles，ratherremoteandartificialthings——notworththemoneytheycost，andhavingtodowiththeCourt。Theyhadallhadthatfeelingindifferingmeasure——Soamesremembered。Swithin，indeed，inhismostexpansivedayshadonceattendedaLevee。Hehadcomeawaysayingheshouldn’tgoagain——\"allthatsmallfry。\"Itwassuspectedthathehadlookedtoobiginknee—breeches。Soamesrememberedhowhisownmotherhadwishedtobepresentedbecauseofthefashionablenatureoftheperformance，andhowhisfatherhadputhisfootdownwithunwonteddecision。Whatdidshewantwiththatpeacocking——
wastingtimeandmoney;therewasnothinginit！
TheinstinctwhichhadmadeandkepttheEnglishCommonsthechiefpowerintheState，afeelingthattheirownworldwasgoodenoughandalittlebetterthananyotherbecauseitwastheirworld，hadkepttheoldForsytessingularlyfreeof\"flummery，\"asNicholashadbeenwonttocallitwhenhehadthegout。Soames’generation，moreself—consciousandironical，hadbeensavedbyasenseofSwithininknee—breeches。Whilethethirdandthefourthgeneration，asitseemedtohim，laughedateverything。
However，therewasnoharmintheyoungfellow’sbeingheirtoatitleandestate——athingonecouldn’thelp。Heenteredquietly，asMontmissedhisshot。Henotedtheyoungman’seyes，fixedonFleurbendingoverinherturn;andtheadorationinthemalmosttouchedhim。
Shepausedwiththecuepoisedonthebridgeofherslimhand，andshookhercropofshortdarkchestnuthair。
\"Ishallneverdoit。\"
\"’Nothingventure。’\"
\"Allright。\"Thecuestruck，theballrolled。\"There！\"
\"Badluck！Nevermind！\"
Thentheysawhim，andSoamessaid:
\"I’llmarkforyou。\"
Hesatdownontheraisedseatbeneaththemarker，trimandtired，furtivelystudyingthosetwoyoungfaces。WhenthegamewasoverMontcameuptohim。
\"I’vestartedin，sir。Rumgame，business，isn’tit？Isupposeyousawalotofhumannatureasasolicitor。\"
\"Idid。\"
\"ShallItellyouwhatI’venoticed:Peoplearequiteonthewrongtackinofferinglessthantheycanaffordtogive;theyoughttooffermore，andworkbackward。\"
Soamesraisedhiseyebrows。
\"Supposethemoreisaccepted？\"
\"Thatdoesn’tmatteralittlebit，\"saidMont;\"it’smuchmorepayingtoabateapricethantoincreaseit。Forinstance，sayweofferanauthorgoodterms——henaturallytakesthem。Thenwegointoit，findwecan’tpublishatadecentprofitandtellhimso。He’sgotconfidenceinusbecausewe’vebeengeneroustohim，andhecomesdownlikealamb，andbearsusnomalice。Butifweofferhimpoortermsatthestart，hedoesn’ttakethem，sowehavetoadvancethemtogethim，andhethinksusdamnedscrewsintothebargain。
\"Trybuyingpicturesonthatsystem，\"saidSoames;\"anofferacceptedisacontract——haven’tyoulearnedthat？\"
YoungMontturnedhisheadtowhereFleurwasstandinginthewindow。
\"No，\"hesaid，\"IwishIhad。Thenthere’sanotherthing。Alwaysletamanoffabargainifhewantstobeletoff。\"
\"Asadvertisement？\"saidSoamesdryly。
\"Ofcourseitis;butImeantonprinciple。\"
\"Doesyourfirmworkonthoselines？\"
\"Notyet，\"saidMont，\"butit’llcome。\"
\"Andtheywillgo。\"
\"No，really，sir。I’mmakinganynumberofobservations，andtheyallconfirmmytheory。Humannatureisconsistentlyunderratedinbusiness，peopledothemselvesoutofanawfullotofpleasureandprofitbythat。Ofcourse，youmustbeperfectlygenuineandopen，butthat’seasyifyoufeelit。Themorehumanandgenerousyouarethebetterchanceyou’vegotinbusiness。\"
Soamesrose。
\"Areyouapartner？\"
\"Notforsixmonths，yet。\"
\"Therestofthefirmhadbettermakehasteandretire。\"
Montlaughed。
\"You’llsee，\"hesaid。\"There’sgoingtobeabigchange。Thepossessiveprinciplehasgotitsshuttersup。\"
\"What？\"saidSoames。
\"Thehouseistolet！Good—bye，sir;I’moffnow。\"
Soameswatchedhisdaughtergiveherhand，sawherwinceatthesqueezeitreceived，anddistinctlyheardtheyoungman’ssighashepassedout。Thenshecamefromthewindow，trailingherfingeralongthemahoganyedgeofthebilliard—table。Watchingher，Soamesknewthatshewasgoingtoaskhimsomething。Herfingerfeltroundthelastpocket，andshelookedup。
\"HaveyoudoneanythingtostopJonwritingtome，Father？\"
Soamesshookhishead。
\"Youhaven’tseen，then？\"hesaid。\"Hisfatherdiedjustaweekagoto—day。\"
\"Oh！\"
Inherstartled，frowningfacehesawtheinstantstruggletoapprehendwhatthiswouldmean。
\"PoorJon！Whydidn’tyoutellme，Father？\"
\"Ineverknow！\"saidSoamesslowly;\"youdon’tconfideinme。\"
\"Iwould，ifyou’dhelpme，dear。\"
\"PerhapsIshall。\"
Fleurclaspedherhands。\"Oh！darling——whenonewantsathingfearfully，onedoesn’tthinkofotherpeople。Don’tbeangrywithme。\"
Soamesputouthishand，asifpushingawayanaspersion。
\"I’mcogitating，\"hesaid。Whatonearthhadmadehimuseawordlikethat！\"HasyoungMontbeenbotheringyouagain？\"
Fleursmiled。\"Oh！Michael！He’salwaysbothering;buthe’ssuchagoodsort——Idon’tmindhim。\"
\"Well，\"saidSoames，\"I’mtired;Ishallgoandhaveanapbeforedinner。\"
Hewentuptohispicture—gallery，laydownonthecouchthere，andclosedhiseyes。Aterribleresponsibilitythisgirlofhis——whosemotherwas——ah！whatwasshe？Aterribleresponsibility！Helpher——
howcouldhehelpher？Hecouldnotalterthefactthathewasherfather。OrthatIrene——！WhatwasityoungMonthadsaid——somenonsenseaboutthepossessiveinstinct——shuttersup——Tolet？Silly！
Thesultryair，chargedwithascentofmeadow—sweet，ofriverandroses，closedonhissenses，drowsingthem。
V
THEFIXEDIDEA
Thefixedidea，\"whichhasoutrunmoreconstablesthananyotherformofhumandisorder，hasnevermorespeedandstaminathanwhenittakestheavidguiseoflove。Tohedgesandditches，anddoors，tohumanswithoutideasfixedorotherwise，toperambulatorsandthecontentssuckingtheirfixedideas，eventotheothersufferersfromthisfastmalady——thefixedideaoflovepaysnoattention。Itrunswitheyesturnedinwardtoitsownlight，obliviousofallotherstars。Thosewiththefixedideasthathumanhappinessdependsontheirart，onvivisectingdogs，onhatingforeigners，onpayingsupertax，onremainingMinisters，onmakingwheelsgoround，onpreventingtheirneighboursfrombeingdivorced，onconscientiousobjection，Greekroots，Churchdogma，paradoxandsuperioritytoeverybodyelse，withotherformsofego—mania——allareunstablecomparedwithhimorherwhosefixedideaisthepossessionofsomeherorhim。AndthoughFleur，thosechillysummerdays，pursuedthescatteredlifeofalittleForsytewhosefrocksarepaidfor，andwhosebusinessispleasure，shewas——asWinifredwouldhavesaidinthelatestfashionofspeech——\"honesttoGod\"indifferenttoitall。
Shewishedandwishedforthemoon，whichsailedincoldskiesabovetheriverortheGreenParkwhenshewenttoTown。SheevenkeptJon’sletters，coveredwithpinksilk，onherheart，thanwhichindayswhencorsetsweresolow，sentimentsodespised，andchestssooutoffashion，therecould，perhaps，havebeennogreaterproofofthefixityofheridea。
Afterhearingofhisfather’sdeath，shewrotetoJon，andreceivedhisanswerthreedayslateronherreturnfromariverpicnic。ItwashisfirstlettersincetheirmeetingatJune’s。Sheopeneditwithmisgiving，andreaditwithdismay。
\"SinceIsawyouI’veheardeverythingaboutthepast。Iwon’ttellityou——IthinkyouknewwhenwemetatJune’s。Shesaysyoudid。
Ifyoudid，Fleur，yououghttohavetoldme。Iexpectyouonlyheardyourfather’ssideofit。Ihaveheardmymother’s。It’sdreadful。Nowthatshe’ssosadIcan’tdoanythingtohurthermore。Ofcourse，Ilongforyouallday，butIdon’tbelievenowthatweshallevercometogether——there’ssomethingtoostrongpullingusapart。\"
So！Herdeceptionhadfoundherout。ButJon——shefelt——hadforgiventhat。Itwaswhathesaidofhismotherwhichcausedthegutteringinherheartandtheweaksensationinherlegs。
Herfirstimpulsewastoreply——hersecond，nottoreply。Theseimpulseswereconstantlyrenewedinthedayswhichfollowed，whiledesperationgrewwithinher。Shewasnotherfather’schildfornothing。ThetenacitywhichhadatoncemadeandundoneSoameswasherbackbone，too，frilledandembroideredbyFrenchgraceandquickness。Instinctivelysheconjugatedtheverb\"tohave\"alwayswiththepronoun\"I。\"Sheconcealed，however，allsignsofhergrowingdesperation，andpursuedsuchriverpleasuresasthewindsandrainofadisagreeableJulypermitted，asifshehadnocareintheworld;nordidany\"suckingbaronet\"everneglectthebusinessofapublishermoreconsistentlythanherattendantspirit，MichaelMont。
ToSoamesshewasapuzzle。Hewasalmostdeceivedbythiscarelessgaiety。Almost——becausehedidnotfailtomarkhereyesoftenfixedonnothing，andthefilmoflightshiningfromherbedroomwindowlateatnight。Whatwasshethinkingandbroodingoverintosmallhourswhensheoughttohavebeenasleep？Buthedarednotaskwhatwasinhermind;and，sincethatonelittletalkinthebilliard—
room，shesaidnothingtohim。
InthistaciturnconditionofaffairsitchancedthatWinifredinvitedthemtolunchandtogoafterwardto\"amostamusinglittleplay，’TheBeggar’sOpera\"’andwouldtheybringamantomakefour？
Soames，whoseattitudetowardtheatreswastogotonothing，accepted，becauseFleur’sattitudewastogotoeverything。Theymotoredup，takingMichaelMont，who，beinginhisseventhheaven，wasfoundbyWinifred\"veryamusing。\"\"TheBeggar’sOpera\"puzzledSoames。Thepeoplewereveryunpleasant，thewholethingverycynical。Winifredwas\"intrigued\"——bythedresses。Themusic，too，didnotdispleaseher。AttheOpera，thenightbefore，shehadarrivedtooearlyfortheRussianBallet，andfoundthestageoccupiedbysingers，forawholehourpaleorapoplecticfromterrorlestbysomedreadfulinadvertencetheymightdropintoatune。
MichaelMontwasenrapturedwiththewholething。AndallthreewonderedwhatFleurwasthinkingofit。ButFleurwasnotthinkingofit。HerfixedideastoodonthestageandsangwithPollyPeachum，mimedwithFilch，dancedwithJennyDiver，posturedwithLucyLockit，kissed，trolled，andcuddledwithMacheath。Herlipsmightsmile，herhandsapplaud，butthecomicoldmasterpiecemadenomoreimpressiononherthanifithadbeenpathetic，likeamodern\"Revue。\"Whentheyembarkedinthecartoreturn，sheachedbecauseJonwasnotsittingnextherinsteadofMichaelMont。When，atsomejolt，theyoungman’sarmtouchedhersasifbyaccident，sheonlythought:’IfthatwereJon’sarm！’Whenhischeerfulvoice，temperedbyherproximity，murmuredabovethesoundofthecar’sprogress，shesmiledandanswered，thinking:’IfthatwereJon’svoice！’andwhenoncehesaid，\"Fleur，youlookaperfectangelinthatdress！\"sheanswered，\"Oh，doyoulikeit？thinking，’IfonlyJoncouldseeit！’
Duringthisdriveshetookaresolution。ShewouldgotoRobinHillandseehim——alone;shewouldtakethecar，withoutwordbeforehandtohimortoherfather。Itwasninedayssincehisletter，andshecouldwaitnolonger。OnMondayshewouldgo！ThedecisionmadeherwelldisposedtowardyoungMont。Withsomethingtolookforwardtoshecouldaffordtotolerateandrespond。Hemightstaytodinner;
proposetoherasusual;dancewithher，pressherhand，sigh——dowhatheliked。Hewasonlyanuisancewhenheinterferedwithherfixedidea。Shewasevensorryforhimsofarasitwaspossibletobesorryforanybodybutherselfjustnow。Atdinnerheseemedtotalkmorewildlythanusualaboutwhathecalled\"thedeathofthecloseborough\"——shepaidlittleattention，butherfatherseemedpayingagooddeal，withthesmileonhisfacewhichmeantopposition，ifnotanger。
\"Theyoungergenerationdoesn’tthinkasyoudo，sir;doesit，Fleur？\"
Fleurshruggedhershoulders——theyoungergenerationwasjustJon，andshedidnotknowwhathewasthinking。
\"YoungpeoplewillthinkasIdowhenthey’remyage，Mr。Mont。
Humannaturedoesn’tchange。\"
\"Iadmitthat，sir;buttheformsofthoughtchangewiththetimes。
Thepursuitofself—interestisaformofthoughtthat’sgoingout。\"
\"Indeed！Tomindone’sownbusinessisnotaformofthought，Mr。
Mont，it’saninstinct。\"
Yes，whenJonwasthebusiness！
\"Butwhatisone’sbusiness，sir？That’sthepoint。Everybody’sbusinessisgoingtobeone’sbusiness。Isn’tit，Fleur？\"
Fleuronlysmiled。
\"Ifnot，\"addedyoungMont，\"there’llbeblood。\"
\"Peoplehavetalkedlikethatfromtimeimmemorial\"
\"Butyou’lladmit，sir，thatthesenseofpropertyisdyingout？\"
\"Ishouldsayincreasingamongthosewhohavenone。\"
\"Well，lookatme！I’mheirtoanentailedestate。Idon’twantthething;I’dcuttheentailto—morrow。\"
\"You’renotmarried，andyoudon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingabout。\"
Fleursawtheyoungman’seyesturnratherpiteouslyuponher。
\"Doyoureallymeanthatmarriage——？\"hebegan。
\"Societyisbuiltonmarriage，\"camefrombetweenherfather’scloselips;\"marriageanditsconsequences。Doyouwanttodoawaywithit？\"
YoungMontmadeadistractedgesture。Silencebroodedoverthedinnertable，coveredwithspoonsbearingtheForsytecrest——apheasantproper——undertheelectriclightinanalabasterglobe。Andoutside，therivereveningdarkened，chargedwithheavymoistureandsweetscents。
’Monday，’thoughtFleur;’Monday！’
VI
DESPERATE
TheweekswhichfollowedthedeathofhisfatherweresadandemptytotheonlyJolyonForsyteleft。Thenecessaryformsandceremonies—
—thereadingoftheWill，valuationoftheestate，distributionofthelegacies——wereenactedoverthehead，asitwere，ofonenotyetofage。Jolyonwascremated。Byhisspecialwishnooneattendedthatceremony，orworeblackforhim。Thesuccessionofhisproperty，controlledtosomeextentbyoldJolyon’sWill，lefthiswidowinpossessionofRobinHill，withtwothousandfivehundredpoundsayearforlife。ApartfromthisthetwoWillsworkedtogetherinsomecomplicatedwaytoinsurethateachofJolyon’sthreechildrenshouldhaveanequalshareintheirgrandfather’sandfather’spropertyinthefutureasinthepresent，saveonlythatJon，byvirtueofhissex，wouldhavecontrolofhiscapitalwhenhewastwenty—one，whileJuneandHollywouldonlyhavethespiritoftheirs，inorderthattheirchildrenmighthavethebodyafterthem。
Iftheyhadnochildren，itwouldallcometoJonifheoutlivedthem;andsinceJunewasfifty，andHollynearlyforty，itwasconsideredinLincoln’sInnFieldsthatbutforthecrueltyofincometax，youngJonwouldbeaswarmamanashisgrandfatherwhenhedied。AllthiswasnothingtoJon，andlittleenoughtohismother。
ItwasJunewhodideverythingneedfulforonewhohadlefthisaffairsinperfectorder。Whenshehadgone，andthosetwowerealoneagaininthegreathouse，alonewithdeathdrawingthemtogether，andlovedrivingthemapart，Jonpassedverypainfuldayssecretlydisgustedanddisappointedwithhimself。Hismotherwouldlookathimwithsuchapatientsadnesswhichyethadinitaninstinctivepride，asifshewerereservingherdefence。Ifshesmiledhewasangrythathisansweringsmileshouldbesogrudgingandunnatural。Hedidnotjudgeorcondemnher;thatwasalltooremote——indeed，theideaofdoingsohadnevercometohim。No！hewasgrudgingandunnaturalbecausehecouldn’thavewhathewantedbecauseofher。Therewasonealleviation——muchtodoinconnectionwithhisfather’scareer，whichcouldnotbesafelyentrustedtoJune，thoughshehadofferedtoundertakeit。BothJonandhismotherhadfeltthatifshetookhisportfolios，unexhibiteddrawingsandunfinishedmatter，awaywithher，theworkwouldencountersuchicyblastsfromPaulPostandotherfrequentersofherstudio，thatitwouldsoonbefrozenoutevenofherwarmheart。Onitsold—
fashionedplaneandofitskindtheworkwasgood，andtheycouldnotbearthethoughtofitssubjectiontoridicule。Aone—manexhibitionofhisworkwastheleasttestimonytheycouldpaytoonetheyhadloved;andonpreparationforthistheyspentmanyhourstogether。
Joncametohaveacuriouslyincreasedrespectforhisfather。Thequiettenacitywithwhichhehadconvertedamediocretalentintosomethingreallyindividualwasdisclosedbytheseresearches。Therewasagreatmassofworkwithararecontinuityofgrowthindepthandreachofvision。Nothingcertainlywentverydeep，orreachedveryhigh——butsuchastheworkwas，itwasthorough，conscientious，andcomplete。And，rememberinghisfather’sutterabsenceof\"side\"
orself—assertion，thechaffinghumilitywithwhichhehadalwaysspokenofhisownefforts，evercallinghimself\"anamateur，\"Joncouldnothelpfeelingthathehadneverreallyknownhisfather。Totakehimselfseriously，yetneverboreothersbylettingthemknowthathedidso，seemedtohavebeenhisrulingprinciple。Therewassomethinginthiswhichappealedtotheboy，andmadehimheartilyendorsehismother’scomment:\"Hehadtruerefinement;hecouldn’thelpthinkingofothers，whateverhedid。Andwhenhetookaresolutionwhichwentcounter，hediditwiththeminimumofdefiance——notliketheAge，isit？Twiceinhislifehehadtogoagainsteverything;andyetitnevermadehimbitter。\"Jonsawtearsrunningdownherface，whichsheatonceturnedawayfromhim。Shewassoquietaboutherlossthatsometimeshehadthoughtshedidn’tfeelitmuch。Now，ashelookedather，hefelthowfarhefellshortofthereservepoweranddignityinbothhisfatherandhismother。And，stealinguptoher，heputhisarmroundherwaist。
Shekissedhimswiftly，butwithasortofpassion，andwentoutoftheroom。