Soamesfrowned。”Well?””Shehasremainedfaithfultomemory。”Havingsaidthat，Jolyonwasashamed。Hiscousinhadflushedaduskyyellowishred。Whathadmadehimteasethepoorbrute！”Iwastotellyousheissorryyouarenotfree。Twelveyearsisalongtime。Youknowyourlaw，andwhatchanceitgivesyou。”
Soamesutteredacuriouslittlegrunt，andthetworemainedafullminutewithoutspeaking。’Likewax！’thoughtJolyon，watchingthatcloseface，wheretheflushwasfastsubsiding。’He’llnevergivemeasignofwhathe’sthinking，orgoingtodo。Likewax！’Andhetransferredhisgazetoaplanofthatflourishingtown，’By-
StreetonSea，’thefutureexistenceofwhichlayexposedonthewalltothepossessiveinstinctsofthefirm’sclients。Thewhim-
sicalthoughtflashedthroughhim：’IwonderifIshallgetabillofcostsforthis——”ToattendingMr。JolyonForsyteinthematterofmydivorce，toreceivinghisaccountofhisvisittomywife，andtoadvisinghimtogoandseeheragain，sixteenandeightpence。”’
SuddenlySoamessaid：”Ican’tgoonlikethis。Itellyou，I
can’tgoonlikethis。”Hiseyeswereshiftingfromsidetoside，likeananimal’swhenitlooksforwayofescape。’Hereallysuffers，’thoughtJolyon；’I’venobusinesstoforgetthat，justbecauseIdon’tlikehim。’”Surely，”hesaidgently，”itlieswithyourself。Amancanalwaysputthesethingsthroughifhe’lltakeitonhimself。”
Soamesturnedsquaretohim，withasoundwhichseemedtocomefromsomewhereverydeep。”WhyshouldIsuffermorethanI’vesufferedalready?WhyshouldI?”
Jolyoncouldonlyshrughisshoulders。Hisreasonagreed，hisinstinctrebelled；hecouldnothavesaidwhy。”Yourfather，”wentonSoames，”tookaninterestinher——why，goodnessknows！AndIsupposeyoudotoo?”hegaveJolyonasharplook。”Itseemstomethatoneonlyhastodoanotherpersonawrongtogetallthesympathy。Idon’tknowinwhatwayIwastoblameI’veneverknown。Ialwaystreatedherwell。Igavehereverythingshecouldwishfor。Iwantedher。”
AgainJolyon’sreasonnodded；againhisinstinctshookitshead。
’Whatisit?’hethought；’theremustbesomethingwronginme。
Yetifthereis，I’dratherbewrongthanright。’”Afterall，”saidSoameswithasortofglumfierceness，”shewasmywife。”
Inaflashthethoughtwentthroughhislistener：’Thereitis！
Ownerships！Well，weallownthings。But——humanbeings！Pah！’”Youhavetolookatfacts，”hesaiddrily，”orratherthewantofthem。”
Soamesgavehimanotherquicksuspiciouslook。”Thewantofthem?”hesaid。”Yes，butIamnotsosure。””Ibegyourpardon，”repliedJolyon；”I’vetoldyouwhatshesaid。
Itwasexplicit。””Myexperiencehasnotbeenonetopromoteblindconfidenceinherword。Weshallsee。”
Jolyongotup。”Good-bye，”hesaidcurtly。”Good-bye，”returnedSoames；andJolyonwentouttryingtounderstandthelook，half-startled，half-menacing，onhiscousin’sface。HesoughtWaterlooStationinadisturbedframeofmind，asthoughtheskinofhismoralbeinghadbeenscraped；andallthewaydowninthetrainhethoughtofIreneinherlonelyflat，andofSoamesinhislonelyofce，andofthestrangeparalysisoflifethatlayonthemboth。’Inchancery！’hethought。’Boththeirnecksinchancery——andher’ssopretty！’
CHAPTERIX
VALHEARSTHENEWS
ThekeepingofengagementshadnotasyetbeenaconspicuousfeatureinthelifeofyoungValDartie，sothatwhenhebroketwoandkeptone；itwasthelattereventwhichcausedhim，ifanything，thegreatersurprise，whilejoggingbacktotownfromRobinHillafterhisridewithHolly。Shehadbeenevenprettierthanhehadthoughtheryesterday，onhersilver-roan，long-tailed’palfrey’；anditseemedtohim，self-criticalinthebrumousOctobergloamingandtheoutskirtsofLondon，thatonlyhisbootshadshonethroughouttheirtwo-hourcompanionship。Hetookouthisnewgold’hunter’——presentfromJames——andlookednotatthetime，butatsectionsofhisfaceintheglitteringbackofitsopenedcase。Hehadatemporaryspotoveroneeyebrow，anditdispleasedhim，foritmusthavedispleasedher。Crumneverhadanyspots。
TogetherwithCrumrosethesceneinthepromenadeofthePandemonium。To-dayhehadnothadthefaintestdesiretounbosomhimselftoHollyabouthisfather。Hisfatherlackedpoetry，thestirringsofwhichhewasfeelingforthefirsttimeinhisnineteenyears。TheLiberty，withCynthiaDark，thatalmostmythicalembodimentofrapture；thePandemonium，withthewomanofuncertainage——bothseemedtoValcompletely’off，’freshfromcommunionwiththisnew，shy，dark-hairedyoungcousinofhis。Sherode’Jollywell，’too，sothatithadbeenallthemoreflatteringthatshehadlethimleadherwherehewouldinthelonggallopsofRichmondPark，thoughsheknewthemsomuchbetterthanhedid。
Lookingbackonitall，hewasmystifiedbythebarrennessofhisspeech；hefeltthathecouldsay’anawfullotoffetchingthings’
ifhehadbutthechanceagain，andthethoughtthathemustgobacktoLittlehamptononthemorrow，andtoOxfordonthetwelfth——
’tothatbeastlyexam，’too——withoutthefaintestchanceoffirstseeingheragain，causeddarknesstosettleonhisspiritevenmorequicklythanontheevening。Heshouldwritetoher，however，andshehadpromisedtoanswer。Perhaps，too，shewouldcomeuptoOxfordtoseeherbrother。Thatthoughtwaslikethefirststar，whichcameoutasherodeintoPadwick’sliverystablesinthepurlieusofSloaneSquare。Hegotoffandstretchedhimselfluxuriously，forhehadriddensometwenty-fivegoodmiles。TheDartiewithinhimmadehimchafferforfiveminuteswithyoungPadwickconcerningthefavouritefortheCambridgeshire；thenwiththewords，”Putthegeedowntomyaccount，”hewalkedaway，alittlewideattheknees，andflippinghisbootswithhisknottylittlecane。’Idon’tfeelabitinclinedtogoout，’hethought。
’Iwonderifmotherwillstandfizzformylastnight！’With’fizz’andrecollection，hecouldwellpassadomesticevening。
Whenhecamedown，specklessafterhisbath，hefoundhismotherscrupulousinaloweveningdress，and，tohisannoyance，hisUncleSoames。Theystoppedtalkingwhenhecamein；thenhisunclesaid：”He’dbetterbetold。”
Atthosewords，whichmeantsomethingabouthisfather，ofcourse，Val’sfirstthoughtwasofHolly。Wasitanythingbeastly?Hismotherbeganspeaking。”Yourfather，”shesaidinherfashionablyappointedvoice，whileherfingerspluckedratherpitifullyatsea-greenbrocade，”yourfather，mydearboy，has——isnotatNewmarket；he’sonhiswaytoSouthAmerica。He——he’sleftus。”
VallookedfromhertoSoames。Leftthem！Washesorry?Washefondofhisfather?Itseemedtohimthathedidnotknow。Then，suddenly——asatawhiffofgardeniasandcigars——hishearttwitchedwithinhim，andhewassorry。One’sfatherbelongedtoone，couldnotgooffinthisfashion——itwasnotdone！Norhadhealwaysbeenthe’bounder’ofthePandemoniumpromenade。Therewerepreciousmemoriesoftailors’shopsandhorses，tipsatschool，andgenerallavishkindness，wheninluck。”Butwhy?”hesaid。Then，asasportsmanhimself，wassorryhehadasked。Themaskofhismother’sfacewasalldisturbed；andheburstout：”Allright，Mother，don’ttellme！Only，whatdoesitmean?””Adivorce，Val，I’mafraid。”
Valutteredaqueerlittlegrunt，andlookedquicklyathisuncle——
thatunclewhomhehadbeentaughttolookonasaguaranteeagainsttheconsequencesofhavingafather，evenagainsttheDartiebloodinhisownveins。Theflat-checkedvisageseemedtowince，andthisupsethim。”Itwon’tbepublic，willit?”
SovividlybeforehimhadcomerecollectionofhisowneyesgluedtotheunsavourydetailsofmanyadivorcesuitinthePublicPress。”Can’titbedonequietlysomehow?It’ssodisgustingfor——formother，and——andeverybody。””Everythingwillbedoneasquietlyasitcan，youmaybesure。””Yes——but，whyisitnecessaryatall?Motherdoesn’twanttomarryagain。”
Himself，thegirls，theirnametarnishedinthesightofhisschoolfellowsandofCrum，ofthemenatOxford，of——Holly！
Unbearable！Whatwastobegainedbyit?”Doyou，Mother?”hesaidsharply。
Thusbroughtfacetofacewithsomuchofherownfeelingbytheoneshelovedbestintheworld，WinifredrosefromtheEmpirechairinwhichshehadbeensitting。Shesawthathersonwouldbeagainstherunlesshewastoldeverything；and，yet，howcouldshetellhim?Thus，stillpluckingatthegreen’brocade，shestaredatSoames。Val，too，staredatSoames。Surelythisembodimentofrespectabilityandthesenseofpropertycouldnotwishtobringsuchasluronhisownsister！