Thestudio，wheretheyhadbeensortingandlabelling，hadoncebeenHolly’sschoolroom，devotedtohersilkworms，driedlavender，music，andotherformsofinstruction。Now，attheendofJuly，despiteitsnorthernandeasternaspects，awarmandslumberousaircameinbetweenthelong—fadedlilaclinencurtains。Toredeemalittlethedepartedglory，asofafieldthatisgoldenandgone，clingingtoaroomwhichitsmasterhasleft，Irenehadplacedonthepaint—stainedtableabowlofredroses。This，andJolyon’sfavouritecat，whostillclungtothedesertedhabitat，werethepleasantspotsinthatdishevelled，sadworkroom。Jon，atthenorthwindow，sniffingairmysteriouslyscentedwithwarmstrawberries，heardacardriveup。
Thelawyersagainaboutsomenonsense！Whydidthatscentsomakeoneache？Andwherediditcomefrom——therewerenostrawberrybedsonthissideofthehouse。Instinctivelyhetookacrumpledsheetofpaperfromhispocket，andwrotedownsomebrokenwords。Awarmthbeganspreadinginhischest;herubbedthepalmsofhishandstogether。Presentlyhehadjottedthis:
\"IfIcouldmakealittlesongAlittlesongtosoothemyheart！
I’dmakeitalloflittlethingsTheplashofwater，rubofwings，Thepuffing—offofdandiescrown，Thehissofraindropspillingdown，Thepurrofcat，thetrillofbird，Andev’rywhisperingI’veheard>Fromwillywindinleavesandgrass，Andallthedistantdronesthatpass。
AsongastenderandaslightAsflower，orbutterflyinflight;
AndwhenIsawitopening，I’dletitflyandsing！\"
Hewasstillmutteringitovertohimselfatthewindow，whenheheardhisnamecalled，and，turninground，sawFleur。Atthatamazingapparition，hemadeatfirstnomovementandnosound，whileherclearvividglanceravishedhisheart。Thenhewentforwardtothetable，saying，\"Howniceofyoutocome！\"andsawherflinchasifhehadthrownsomethingather。
\"Iaskedforyou，\"shesaid，\"andtheyshowedmeuphere。ButIcangoawayagain。\"
Jonclutchedthepaint—stainedtable。Herfaceandfigureinitsfrillyfrockphotographeditselfwithsuchstartlingvividnessuponhiseyes，thatifshehadsunkthroughthefloorhemuststillhaveseenher。
\"IknowItoldyoualie，Jon。ButItolditoutoflove。\"
\"Yes，oh！yes！That’snothing！\"
\"Ididn’tansweryourletter。Whatwastheuse——therewasn’tanythingtoanswer。Iwantedtoseeyouinstead。\"Sheheldoutbothherhands，andJongraspedthemacrossthetable。Hetriedtosaysomething，butallhisattentionwasgiventotryingnottohurtherhands。Hisownfeltsohardandherssosoft。Shesaidalmostdefiantly:
\"Thatoldstory——wasitsoverydreadful？\"
\"Yes。\"Inhisvoice，too，therewasanoteofdefiance。
Shedraggedherhandsaway。\"Ididn’tthinkinthesedaysboysweretiedtotheirmothers’apron—strings。\"
Jon’schinwentupasifhehadbeenstruck。
\"Oh！Ididn’tmeanit，Jon。Whatahorriblethingtosay！\"Swiftlyshecameclosetohim。\"Jon，dear;Ididn’tmeanit。\"
\"Allright。\"
Shehadputhertwohandsonhisshoulder，andherforeheaddownonthem;thebrimofherhattouchedhisneck，andhefeltitquivering。
But，inasortofparalysis，hemadenoresponse。Sheletgoofhisshoulderanddrewaway。
\"Well，I’llgo，ifyoudon’twantme。ButIneverthoughtyou’dhavegivenmeup。\"
\"Ihaven’t，\"criedJon，comingsuddenlytolife。\"Ican’t。I’lltryagain。\"
Hereyesgleamed，sheswayedtowardhim。\"Jon——Iloveyou！Don’tgivemeup！Ifyoudo，Idon’tknowwhat——Ifeelsodesperate。Whatdoesitmatter——allthatpast—comparedwiththis？\"
Sheclungtohim。Hekissedhereyes，hercheeks，herlips。Butwhilehekissedherhesaw，thesheetsofthatletterfallendownonthefloorofhisbedroom——hisfather’swhitedeadface——hismotherkneelingbeforeit。Fleur’swhispered，\"Makeher！Promise！Oh！Jon，try！\"seemedchildishinhisear。Hefeltcuriouslyold。
\"Ipromise！\"hemuttered。\"Only，youdon’tunderstand。\"
\"Shewantstospoilourlives，justbecause——\"
\"Yes，ofwhat？\"
Againthatchallengeinhisvoice，andshedidnotanswer。Herarmstightenedroundhim，andhereturnedherkisses;butevenwhileheyielded，thepoisonworkedinhim，thepoisonoftheletter。Fleurdidnotknow，shedidnotunderstand——shemisjudgedhismother;shecamefromtheenemy’scamp！Solovely，andhelovedherso——yet，eveninherembrace，hecouldnothelpthememoryofHolly’swords:
\"Ithinkshehasa’having’nature，\"andhismother’s\"Mydarlingboy，don’tthinkofme——thinkofyourself！\"
Whenshewasgonelikeapassionatedream，leavingherimageonhiseyes，herkissesonhislips，suchanacheinhisheart，Jonleanedinthewindow，listeningtothecarbearingheraway。Stillthescentasofwarmstrawberries，stillthelittlesummersoundsthatshouldmakehissong;stillallthepromiseofyouthandhappinessinsighing，floating，flutteringJuly——andhishearttorn;yearningstronginhim;hopehighinhimyetwithitseyescastdown，asifashamed。Themiserabletaskbeforehim！IfFleurwasdesperate，sowashe——watchingthepoplarsswaying，thewhitecloudspassing，thesunlightonthegrass。
Hewaitedtillevening，tillaftertheiralmostsilentdinner，tillhismotherhadplayedtohimandstillhewaited，feelingthatsheknewwhathewaswaitingtosay。Shekissedhimandwentup—stairs，andstillhelingered，watchingthemoonlightandthemoths，andthatunrealityofcolouringwhichstealsalongandstainsasummernight。
Andhewouldhavegivenanythingtobebackagaininthepast——barelythreemonthsback;orawayforward，years，inthefuture。Thepresentwiththisdarkcrueltyofadecision，onewayortheother，seemedimpossible。Herealisednowsomuchmorekeenlywhathismotherfeltthanhehadatfirst;asifthestoryinthatletterhadbeenapoisonousgermproducingakindoffeverofpartisanship，sothathereallyfeltthereweretwocamps，hismother’sandhis——
Fleur’sandherfather’s。Itmightbeadeadthing，thatoldtragicownershipandenmity，butdeadthingswerepoisonoustilltimehadcleanedthemaway。Evenhislovefelttainted，lessillusioned，moreoftheearth，andwithatreacherouslurkingdoubtlestFleur，likeherfather，mightwanttoown;notarticulate，justastealinghaunt，horriblyunworthy，whichcreptinandabouttheardourofhismemories，touchedwithitstarnishingbreaththevividnessandgraceofthatcharmedfaceandfigure——adoubt，notrealenoughtoconvincehimofitspresence，justrealenoughtodefloweraperfectfaith。
Andperfectfaith，toJon，notyettwenty，wasessential。HestillhadYouth’seagernesstogivewithbothhands，totakewithneither—
togivelovinglytoonewhohadhisownimpulsivegenerosity。Surelyshehad！Hegotupfromthewindow—seatandroamedinthebiggreyghostlyroom，whosewallswerehungwithsilveredcanvas。Thishousehisfathersaidinthatdeath—bedletter——hadbeenbuiltforhismothertolivein——withFleur’sfather！Heputouthishandinthehalf—dark，asiftograsptheshadowyhandofthedead。Heclenched，tryingtofeelthethinvanishedfingersofhisfather;tosqueezethem，andreassurehimthathe—hewasonhisfather’sside。Tears，prisonedwithinhim，madehiseyesfeeldryandhot。Hewentbacktothewindow。Itwaswarmer，notsoeerie，morecomfortingoutside，wherethemoonhunggolden，threedaysofffull;thefreedomofthenightwascomforting。IfonlyFleurandhehadmetonsomedesertislandwithoutapast——andNaturefortheirhouse！Jonhadstillhishighregardfordesertislands，wherebreadfruitgrew，andthewaterwasblueabovethecoral。Thenightwasdeep，wasfree——therewasenticementinit;alure，apromise，arefugefromentanglement，andlove！Milksoptiedtohismother’s……！Hischeeksburned。Heshutthewindow，drewcurtainsoverit，switchedoffthelightedsconce，andwentup—stairs。
Thedoorofhisroomwasopen，thelightturnedup;hismother，stillinhereveninggown，wasstandingatthewindow。Sheturnedandsaid:
\"Sitdown，Jon;let’stalk。\"Shesatdownonthewindow—seat，Jononhisbed。Shehadherprofileturnedtohim，andthebeautyandgraceofherfigure，thedelicatelineofthebrow，thenose，theneck，thestrangeandasitwereremoterefinementofher，movedhim。Hismotherneverbelongedtohersurroundings。Shecameintothemfromsomewhere——asitwere！Whatwasshegoingtosaytohim，whohadinhisheartsuchthingstosaytoher？
\"IknowFleurcameto—day。I’mnotsurprised。\"Itwasasthoughshehadadded:\"Sheisherfather’sdaughter！\"AndJon’shearthardened。
Irenewentonquietly:
\"IhaveFather’sletter。Ipickeditupthatnightandkeptit。
Wouldyoulikeitback，dear？\"
Jonshookhishead。
\"Ihadreadit，ofcourse，beforehegaveittoyou。Itdidn’tquitedojusticetomycriminality。\"
’Mother！\"burstfromJon’slips。
\"Heputitverysweetly，butIknowthatinmarryingFleur’sfatherwithoutloveIdidadreadfulthing。Anunhappymarriage，Jon，canplaysuchhavocwithotherlivesbesidesone’sown。Youarefearfullyyoung，mydarling，andfearfullyloving。Doyouthinkyoucanpossiblybehappywiththisgirl？\"
Staringatherdarkeyes，darkernowfrompain，Jonanswered\"Yes;oh！yes——ifyoucouldbe。\"
Irenesmiled。
\"Admirationofbeautyandlongingforpossessionarenotlove。Ifyourswereanothercaselikemine，Jon——wherethedeepestthingsarestifled;thefleshjoined，andthespiritatwar！\"
\"Whyshouldit，Mother？Youthinkshemustbelikeherfather，butshe’snot。I’veseenhim。\"
AgainthesmilecameonIrene’slips，andinJonsomethingwavered;
therewassuchironyandexperienceinthatsmile。
\"Youareagiver，Jon;sheisataker。\"
Thatunworthydoubt，thathauntinguncertaintyagain！Hesaidwithvehemence:
\"Sheisn’t——sheisn’t。It’sonlybecauseIcan’tbeartomakeyouunhappy，Mother，nowthatFather——\"Hethrusthisfistsagainsthisforehead。
Irenegotup。
\"Itoldyouthatnight，dear，nottomindme。Imeantit。Thinkofyourselfandyourownhappiness！Icanstandwhat’sleft——I’vebroughtitonmyself。\"
Againtheword\"Mother！\"burstfromJon’slips。
Shecameovertohimandputherhandsoverhis。
\"Doyoufeelyourhead，darling？\"
Jonshookit。Whathefeltwasinhischest——asortoftearingasunderofthetissuethere，bythetwoloves。
\"Ishallalwaysloveyouthesame，Jon，whateveryoudo。Youwon’tloseanything。\"Shesmoothedhishairgently，andwalkedaway。
Heheardthedoorshut;and，rollingoveronthebed，lay，stiflinghisbreath，withanawfulheld—upfeelingwithinhim。
VII
EMBASSY
EnquiringforheratteatimeSoameslearnedthatFleurhadbeenoutinthecarsincetwo。Threehours！Wherehadshegone？UptoLondonwithoutawordtohim？Hehadneverbecomequitereconciledwithcars。Hehadembracedtheminprinciple——likethebornempiricist，orForsyte，thathewas——adoptingeachsymptomofprogressasitcamealongwith:\"Well，wecouldn’tdowithoutthemnow。\"Butinfacthefoundthemtearing，great，smellythings。
ObligedbyAnnettetohaveone——aRollhardwithpearl—greycushions，electriclight，littlemirrors，traysfortheashesofcigarettes，flowervases——allsmellingofpetrolandstephanotis——heregardeditmuchasheusedtoregardhisbrother—in—law，MontagueDartie。Thethingtypifiedallthatwasfast，insecure，andsubcutaneouslyoilyinmodernlife。Asmodernlifebecamefaster，looser，younger，Soameswasbecomingolder，slower，tighter，moreandmoreinthoughtandlanguagelikehisfatherJamesbeforehim。Hewasalmostawareofithimself。Paceandprogresspleasedhimlessandless;therewasanostentation，too，aboutacarwhichheconsideredprovocativeintheprevailingmoodofLabour。OnoneoccasionthatfellowSimshaddrivenovertheonlyvestedinterestofaworkingman。Soameshadnotforgottenthebehaviourofitsmaster，whennotmanypeoplewouldhavestoppedtoputupwithit。Hehadbeensorryforthedog，andquitepreparedtotakeitspartagainstthecar，ifthatruffianhadn’tbeensooutrageous。Withfourhoursfastbecomingfive，andstillnoFleur，alltheoldcar—wisefeelingshehadexperiencedinpersonandbyproxyballedwithinhim，andsinkingsensationstroubledthepitofhisstomach。AtsevenhetelephonedtoWinifredbytrunkcall。No！FleurhadnotbeentoGreenStreet。Thenwherewasshe？Visionsofhisbeloveddaughterrolledupinherprettyfrills，allbloodanddust—stained，insomehideouscatastrophe，begantohaunthim。Hewenttoherroomandspiedamongherthings。
Shehadtakennothing——nodressing—case，noJewellery。Andthis，areliefinonesense，increasedhisfearsofanaccident。Terribletobehelplesswhenhislovedonewasmissing，especiallywhenhecouldn’tbearfussorpublicityofanykind！Whatshouldhedoifshewerenotbackbynightfall？
Ataquartertoeightheheardthecar。Agreatweightliftedfromoffhisheart;hehurrieddown。Shewasgettingout——paleandtired—
looking，butnothingwrong。Hemetherinthehall。
\"You’vefrightenedme。Wherehaveyoubeen？\"
\"ToRobinHill。I’msorry，dear。Ihadtogo;I’lltellyouafterward。\"And，withaflyingkiss，sheranup—stairs。
Soameswaitedinthedrawing—room。ToRobinHill！Whatdidthatportend？
Itwasnotasubjecttheycoulddiscussatdinner——consecratedtothesusceptibilitiesofthebutler。TheagonyofnervesSoameshadbeenthrough，thereliefhefeltathersafety，softenedhispowertocondemnwhatshehaddone，orresistwhatshewasgoingtodo;hewaitedinarelaxedstuporforherrevelation。Lifewasaqueerbusiness。Therehewasatsixty—fiveandnomoreincommandofthingsthanifhehadnotspentfortyyearsinbuildingupsecurity—
alwayssomethingonecouldn’tgetontermswith！Inthepocketofhisdinner—jacketwasaletterfromAnnette。Shewascomingbackinafortnight。Heknewnothingofwhatshehadbeendoingoutthere。
Andhewasgladthathedidnot。Herabsencehadbeenarelief。Outofsightwasoutofmind！Andnowshewascomingback。Anotherworry！AndtheBolderbyOldCromewasgone——Dumetriushadgotit——
allbecausethatanonymousletterhadputitoutofhisthoughts。Hefurtivelyremarkedthestrainedlookonhisdaughter’sface，asifshetooweregazingatapicturethatshecouldn’tbuy。HealmostwishedtheWarback。Worriesdidn’tseem，then，quitesoworrying。
>Fromthecaressinhervoice，thelookonherface，hebecamecertainthatshewantedsomethingfromhim，uncertainwhetheritwouldbewiseofhimtogiveither。Hepushedhissavouryawayuneaten，andevenjoinedherinacigarette。
Afterdinnershesettheelectricpiano—playergoing。Andheauguredtheworstwhenshesatdownonacushionfootstoolathisknee，andputherhandonhis。
\"Darling，benicetome。IhadtoseeJon——hewrotetome。He’sgoingtotrywhathecandowithhismother。ButI’vebeenthinking。
It’sreallyinyourhands，Father。Ifyou’dpersuadeherthatitdoesn’tmeanrenewingthepastinanyway！ThatIshallstayyours，andJonwillstayhers;thatyouneedneverseehimorher，andsheneedneverseeyouorme！Onlyyoucouldpersuadeher，dear，becauseonlyyoucouldpromise。Onecan’tpromiseforotherpeople。Surelyitwouldn’tbetooawkwardforyoutoseeherjustthisoncenowthatJon’sfatherisdead？\"
\"Tooawkward？\"Soamesrepeated。\"Thewholething’spreposterous。\"
\"Youknow，\"saidFleur，withoutlookingup，\"youwouldn’tmindseeingher，really。\"
Soameswassilent。Herwordshadexpressedatruthtoodeepforhimtoadmit。Sheslippedherfingersbetweenhisown——hot，slim，eager，theyclungthere。Thischildofhiswouldcorkscrewherwayintoabrickwall！
\"WhatamItodoifyouwon’t，Father？\"shesaidverysoftly。
\"I’lldoanythingforyourhappiness，\"saidSoanies;\"butthisisn’tforyourhappiness。\"
\"Oh！itis;itis！\"
\"It’llonlystirthingsup，\"hesaidgrimly。
\"Buttheyarestirredup。Thethingistoquietthem。Tomakeherfeelthatthisisjustourlives，andhasnothingtodowithyoursorhers。Youcandoit，Father，Iknowyoucan。\"
\"Youknowagreatdeal，then，\"wasSoames’glumanswer。
\"Ifyouwill，JonandIwillwaitayear——twoyearsifyoulike。\"
\"Itseemstome，\"murmuredSoames，\"thatyoucarenothingaboutwhatIfeel。\"
Fleurpressedhishandagainsthercheek。
\"Ido，darling。Butyouwouldn’tlikemetobeawfullymiserable。\"
Howshewheedledtogetherends！Andtryingwithallhismighttothinkshereallycaredforhim——hewasnotsure——notsure。Allshecaredforwasthisboy！Whyshouldhehelphertogetthisboy，whowaskillingheraffectionforhimself？Whyshouldhe？BythelawsoftheForsytesitwasfoolish！Therewasnothingtobehadoutofit——nothing！Togivehertothatboy！Topassherintotheenemy’scamp，undertheinfluenceofthewomanwhohadinjuredhimsodeeply！
Slowly——inevitably——hewouldlosethisflowerofhislife！Andsuddenlyhewasconsciousthathishandwaswet。Hisheartgavealittlepainfuljump。Hecouldn’tbearhertocry。Heputhisotherhandquicklyoverhers，andateardroppedonthat，too。Hecouldn’tgoonlikethis！\"Well，well，\"hesaid，\"I’llthinkitover，anddowhatIcan。Come，come！\"Ifshemusthaveitforherhappiness——shemust;hecouldn’trefusetohelpher。Andlestsheshouldbegintothankhimhegotoutofhischairandwentuptothepiano—player——
makingthatnoise！Itrandown，ashereachedit，withafaintbuzz。
Thatmusicalboxofhisnurserydays:\"TheHarmoniousBlacksmith，\"
\"GloriousPort\"——thethinghadalwaysmadehimmiserablewhenhismothersetitgoingonSundayafternoons。Hereitwasagain——thesamething，onlylarger，moreexpensive，andnowitplayed\"TheWild，WildWomen，\"and\"ThePoliceman’sHoliday，\"andhewasnolongerinblackvelvetwithaskybluecollar。’Profond’sright，’hethought，’there’snothinginit！We’reallprogressingtothegrave！’Andwiththatsurprisingmentalcommenthewalkedout。
HedidnotseeFleuragainthatnight。But，atbreakfast，hereyesfollowedhimaboutwithanappealhecouldnotescape——notthatheintendedtotry。No！Hehadmadeuphismindtothenerve—rackingbusiness。HewouldgotoRobinHill——tothathouseofmemories。
Pleasantmemory——thelast！Ofgoingdowntokeepthatboy’sfatherandIreneapartbythreateningdivorce。Hehadoftenthought，since，thatithadclinchedtheirunion。And，now，hewasgoingtoclinchtheunionofthatboywithhisgirl。’Idon’tknowwhatI’vedone，’
hethought，’tohavesuchthingsthrustonme！’Hewentupbytrainanddownbytrain，andfromthestationwalkedbythelongrisinglane，stillverymuchasheremembereditoverthirtyyearsago。
Funny——sonearLondon！Someoneevidentlywasholdingontothelandthere。Thisspeculationsoothedhim，movingbetweenthehighhedgesslowly，soasnottogetoverheated，thoughthedaywaschillenough。
Afterallwassaidanddonetherewassomethingrealaboutland，itdidn’tshift。Land，andgoodpictures！Thevaluesmightfluctuateabit，butonthewholetheywerealwaysgoingup——worthholdingonto，inaworldwheretherewassuchalotofunreality，cheapbuilding，changingfashions，sucha\"Hereto—dayandgoneto—morrow\"spirit。
TheFrenchwereright，perhaps，withtheirpeasantproprietorship，thoughhehadnoopinionoftheFrench。One’sbitofland！
Somethingsolidinit！Hehadheardpeasantproprietorsdescribedasapig—headedlot;hadheardyoungMontcallhisfatherapigheadedMorningPoster——disrespectfulyoungdevil。Well，therewereworsethingsthanbeingpig—headedorreadingtheMorningPost。TherewasProfondandhistribe，andalltheseLabourchaps，andloud—mouthedpoliticiansand’wild，wildwomen’！Alotofworsethings！AndsuddenlySoamesbecameconsciousoffeelingweak，andhot，andshaky。
Sheernervesatthemeetingbeforehim！AsAuntJuleymighthavesaid——quoting\"SuperiorDosset\"——hisnerveswere\"inaproperfautigue。\"Hecouldseethehousenowamongitstrees，thehousehehadwatchedbeingbuilt，intendingitforhimselfandthiswoman，who，bysuchstrangefate，hadlivedinitwithanotherafterall！
HebegantothinkofDumetrius，LocalLoans，andotherformsofinvestment。Hecouldnotaffordtomeetherwithhisnervesallshaking;hewhorepresentedtheDayofJudgmentforheronearthasitwasinheaven;he，legalownership，personified，meetinglawlessbeauty，incarnate。Hisdignitydemandedimpassivityduringthisembassydesignedtolinktheiroffspring，who，ifshehadbehavedherself，wouldhavebeenbrotherandsister。Thatwretchedtune，\"TheWild，WildWomen，\"keptrunninginhishead，perversely，fortunesdidnotrunthereasarule。Passingthepoplarsinfrontofthehouse，hethought:’Howthey’vegrown;Ihadthemplanted！’
Amaidansweredhisring。
\"Willyousay——Mr。Forsyte，onaveryspecialmatter。\"
Ifsherealisedwhohewas，quiteprobablyshewouldnotseehim。
’ByGeorge！’hethought，hardeningasthetugcame。’It’satopsy—
turvyaffair！’
Themaidcameback。\"Wouldthegentlemanstatehisbusiness，please？\"
\"SayitconcernsMr。Jon，\"saidSoames。
Andoncemorehewasaloneinthathallwiththepoolofgrey—whitemarbledesignedbyherfirstlover。Ah！shehadbeenabadlot——hadlovedtwomen，andnothimself！Hemustrememberthatwhenhecamefacetofacewithheroncemore。Andsuddenlyhesawherintheopeningchinkbetweenthelongheavypurplecurtains，swaying，asifinhesitation;theoldperfectpoiseandline，theoldstartleddark—
eyedgravity，theoldcalmdefensivevoice:\"Willyoucomein，please？\"
Hepassedthroughthatopening。Asinthepicture—galleryandtheconfectioner’sshop，sheseemedtohimstillbeautiful。Andthiswasthefirsttime——theveryfirst——sincehemarriedherseven—and—thirtyyearsago，thathewasspeakingtoherwithoutthelegalrighttocallherhis。Shewasnotwearingblack——oneofthatfellow’sradicalnotions，hesupposed。
\"Iapologiseforcoming，\"hesaidglumly;\"butthisbusinessmustbesettledonewayortheother。\"
\"Won’tyousitdown？\"
\"No，thankyou。\"
Angerathisfalseposition，impatienceofceremonybetweenthem，masteredhim，andwordscametumblingout:
\"It’saninfernalmischance;I’vedonemybesttodiscourageit。I
considermydaughtercrazy，butI’vegotintothehabitofindulgingher;that’swhyI’mhere。Isupposeyou’refondofyourson。\"
\"Devotedly。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Itrestswithhim。\"
Hehadasenseofbeingmetandbaffled。Always——alwaysshehadbaffledhim，eveninthoseoldfirstmarrieddays。
\"It’samadnotion，\"hesaid。
\"Itis。\"
\"Ifyouhadonly——！Well——theymighthavebeen——\"hedidnotfinishthatsentence\"brotherandsisterandallthissaved，\"buthesawhershudderasifhehad，andstungbythesighthecrossedovertothewindow。Outtherethetreeshadnotgrown——theycouldn’t，theywereold\"SofarasI’mconcerned，\"hesaid，\"youmaymakeyourmindeasy。I
desiretoseeneitheryounoryoursonifthismarriagecomesabout。
Youngpeopleinthesedaysare——areunaccountable。ButIcan’tbeartoseemydaughterunhappy。WhatamItosaytoherwhenIgoback？\"
\"PleasesaytoherasIsaidtoyou，thatitrestswithJon。\"
\"Youdon’topposeit？\"
\"Withallmyheart;notwithmylips。\"
Soamesstood，bitinghisfinger。
\"Irememberanevening——\"hesaidsuddenly;andwassilent。Whatwasthere——whatwasthereinthiswomanthatwouldnotfitintothefourcornersofhishateorcondemnation？\"Whereishe——yourson？\"
\"Upinhisfather’sstudio，Ithink。\"
\"Perhapsyou’dhavehimdown。\"
Hewatchedherringthebell，hewatchedthemaidcomein。
\"PleasetellMr。JonthatIwanthim。\"
\"Ifitrestswithhim，\"saidSoameshurriedly，whenthemaidwasgone，\"IsupposeImaytakeitforgrantedthatthisunnaturalmarriagewilltakeplace;inthatcasethere’llbeformalities。WhomdoIdealwith——Herring’s？\"
Irenenodded。
\"Youdon’tproposetolivewiththem？\"
Ireneshookherhead。
\"Whathappenstothishouse？\"
\"ItwillbeasJonwishes。\"
\"Thishouse，\"saidSoamessuddenly:\"IhadhopeswhenIbeganit。Iftheyliveinit——theirchildren！Theysaythere’ssuchathingasNemesis。Doyoubelieveinit？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Oh！Youdo！\"
Hehadcomebackfromthewindow，andwasstandingclosetoher，who，inthecurveofhergrandpiano，was，asitwere，embayed。
\"I’mnotlikelytoseeyouagain，\"hesaidslowly。\"Willyoushakehands\"——hislipquivered，thewordscameoutjerkily——\"andletthepastdie。\"Heheldouthishand。Herpalefacegrewpaler，hereyessodark，restedimmovablyonhis，herhandsremainedclaspedinfrontofher。Heheardasoundandturned。Thatboywasstandingintheopeningofthecurtains。Veryqueerhelooked，hardlyrecognisableastheyoungfellowhehadseenintheGalleryoffCorkStreet——veryqueer;mucholder，noyouthinthefaceatall——haggard，rigid，hishairruffled，hiseyesdeepinhishead。Soamesmadeaneffort，andsaidwithaliftofhislip，notquiteasmilenorquiteasneer:
\"Well，youngman！I’mhereformydaughter;itrestswithyou，itseems——thismatter。Yourmotherleavesitinyourhands。\"
Theboycontinuedstaringathismother’sface，andmadenoanswer。
\"Formydaughter’ssakeI’vebroughtmyselftocome，\"saidSoames。
\"WhatamItosaytoherwhenIgoback？\"
Stilllookingathismother，theboysaid，quietly:
\"TellFleurthatit’snogood，please;Imustdoasmyfatherwishedbeforehedied。\"
\"Jon！\"
\"It’sallright，Mother。\"
InakindofstupefactionSoameslookedfromonetotheother;then，takinguphatandumbrellawhichhehadputdownonachair，hewalkedtowardthecurtains。Theboystoodasideforhimtogoby。
Hepassedthroughandheardthegrateoftheringsasthecurtainsweredrawnbehindhim。Thesoundliberatedsomethinginhischest。
’Sothat’sthat！’hethought，andpassedoutofthefrontdoor。