\"We’veknownitwouldcomesomeday。\"
Heansweredherwithsuddenenergy:
\"IcouldneverstandseeingJonblameyou。Heshan’tdothat，eveninthought。Hehasimagination;andhe’llunderstandifit’sputtohimproperly。IthinkIhadbettertellhimbeforehegetstoknowotherwise。\"
\"Notyet，Jolyon。\"
Thatwaslikeher——shehadnoforesight，andneverwenttomeettrouble。Still——whoknew？——shemightberight。Itwasillgoingagainstamother’sinstinct。Itmightbewelltolettheboygoon，ifpossible，tillexperiencehadgivenhimsometouchstonebywhichhecouldjudgethevaluesofthatoldtragedy;tilllove，jealousy，longing，haddeepenedhischarity。Allthesame，onemusttakeprecautions——everyprecautionpossible！And，longafterIrenehadlefthim，helayawaketurningoverthoseprecautions。HemustwritetoHolly，tellingherthatJonknewnothingasyetoffamilyhistory。
Hollywasdiscreet，shewouldmakesureofherhusband，shewouldseetoit！Joncouldtaketheletterwithhimwhenhewentto—morrow。
Andsothedayonwhichhehadputthepolishonhismaterialestatediedoutwiththechimingofthestableclock;andanotherbeganforJolyonintheshadowofaspiritualdisorderwhichcouldnotbesoroundedoffandpolished……
ButJon，whoseroomhadoncebeenhisdaynursery，layawaketoo，thepreyofasensationdisputedbythosewhohaveneverknownit，\"loveatfirstsight！\"HehadfeltitbeginninginhimwiththeglintofthosedarkeyesgazingintohisathwarttheJuno——aconvictionthatthiswashis’dream’;sothatwhatfollowedhadseemedtohimatoncenaturalandmiraculous。Fleur！Hernamealonewasalmostenoughforonewhowasterriblysusceptibletothecharmofwords。InahomoeopathicAge，whenboysandgirlswereco—educated，andmixedupinearlylifetillsexwasalmostabolished，Jonwassingularlyold—
fashioned。Hismodernschooltookboysonly，andhisholidayshadbeenspentatRobinHillwithboyfriends，orhisparentsalone。Hehadnever，therefore，beeninoculatedagainstthegermsoflovebysmalldosesofthepoison。Andnowinthedarkhistemperaturewasmountingfast。Helayawake，featuringFleur——astheycalledit——
recallingherwords，especiallythat\"Aurevoir！\"sosoftandsprightly。
Hewasstillsowideawakeatdawnthathegotup，slippedontennisshoes，trousers，andasweater，andinsilencecreptdownstairsandoutthroughthestudywindow。Itwasjustlight;therewasasmellofgrass。’Fleur！’hethought;’Fleur！’Itwasmysteriouslywhiteoutofdoors，withnothingawakeexceptthebirdsjustbeginningtochirp。’I’llgodownintothecoppice，’hethought。Herandownthroughthefields，reachedthepondjustasthesunrose，andpassedintothecoppice。Bluebellscarpetedthegroundthere;amongthelarch—treestherewasmystery——theair，asitwere，composedofthatromanticquality。Jonsniffeditsfreshness，andstaredatthebluebellsinthesharpeninglight。Fleur！Itrhymedwithher！AndshelivedatMapleduram——ajollyname，too，ontheriversomewhere。
Hecouldfinditintheatlaspresently。Hewouldwritetoher。Butwouldsheanswer？Oh！Shemust。Shehadsaid\"Aurevoir！\"Notgood—bye！Whatluckthatshehaddroppedherhandkerchief！Hewouldneverhaveknownherbutforthat。Andthemorehethoughtofthathandkerchief，themoreamazinghisluckseemed。Fleur！Itcertainlyrhymedwithher！Rhythmthrongedhishead;wordsjostledtobejoinedtogether;hewasonthevergeofapoem。
Jonremainedinthisconditionformorethanhalfanhour，thenreturnedtothehouse，andgettingaladder，climbedinathisbedroomwindowoutofsheerexhilaration。Then，rememberingthatthestudywindowwasopen，hewentdownandshutit，firstremovingtheladder，soastoobliteratealltracesofhisfeeling。Thethingwastoodeeptoberevealedtomortalsoul—even—tohismother。
IV
THEMAUSOLEUM
TherearehouseswhosesoulshavepassedintothelimboofTime，leavingtheirbodiesinthelimboofLondon。Suchwasnotquitetheconditionof\"Timothy’s\"ontheBayswaterRoad，forTimothy’ssoulstillhadonefootinTimothyForsyte’sbody，andSmitherkepttheatmosphereunchanging，ofcamphorandportwineandhousewhosewindowsareonlyopenedtoairittwiceaday。
ToForsyteimaginationthathousewasnowasortofChinesepill—box，aseriesoflayersinthelastofwhichwasTimothy。Onedidnotreachhim，orsoitwasreportedbymembersofthefamilywho，outofold—timehabitorabsentmindedness，woulddriveuponceinabluemoonandaskaftertheirsurvivinguncle。SuchwereFrancie，nowquiteemancipatedfromGod（shefranklyavowedatheism），Euphemia，emancipatedfromoldNicholas，andWinifredDartiefromher\"manoftheworld。\"But，afterall，everybodywasemancipatednow，orsaidtheywere——perhapsnotquitethesamething！
WhenSoames，therefore，tookitonhiswaytoPaddingtonstationonthemorningafterthatencounter，itwashardlywiththeexpectationofseeingTimothyintheflesh。HisheartmadeafaintdemonstrationwithinhimwhilehestoodinfullsouthsunlightonthenewlywhiteneddoorstepofthatlittlehousewherefourForsyteshadoncelived，andnowbutonedweltonlikeawinterfly;thehouseintowhichSoameshadcomeandoutofwhichhehadgonetimeswithoutnumber，divestedof，orburdenedwith，fardelsoffamilygossip;thehouseofthe\"oldpeople\"ofanothercentury，anotherage。
ThesightofSmither——stillcorseteduptothearmpitsbecausethenewfashionwhichcameinastheyweregoingoutabout1903hadneverbeenconsidered\"nice\"byAuntsJuleyandHester——broughtapalefriendlinesstoSoames’lips;Smither，stillfaithfullyarrangedtooldpatternineverydetail，aninvaluableservant——nonesuchleft——
smilingbackathim，withthewords:\"Why！it’sMr。Soames，afterallthistime！Andhowareyou，sir？Mr。Timothywillbesopleasedtoknowyou’vebeen。\"
\"Howishe？\"
\"Oh！hekeepsfairlybobbishforhisage，sir;butofcoursehe’sawonderfulman。AsIsaidtoMrs。Dartiewhenshewasherelast:ItwouldpleaseMissForsyteandMrs。JuleyandMissHestertoseehowherelishesabakedapplestill。Buthe’squitedeaf。Andamercy，Ialwaysthink。Forwhatweshouldhavedonewithhimintheair—
raids，Idon’tknow。\"
\"Ah！\"saidSoames。\"Whatdidyoudowithhim？\"
\"Wejustlefthiminhisbed，andhadthebellrundownintothecellar，sothatCookandIcouldhearhimifherang。Itwouldneverhavedonetolethimknowtherewasawaron。AsIsaidtoCook，’IfMr。Timothyrings，theymaydowhattheylike——I’mgoingup。Mydearmistresseswouldhaveafitiftheycouldseehimringingandnobodygoingtohim。’Buthesleptthroughthemallbeautiful。Andtheoneinthedaytimehewashavinghisbath。Itwasamercy，becausehemighthavenoticedthepeopleinthestreetalllookingup——heoftenlooksoutofthewindow。\"
\"Quite！\"murmuredSoames。Smitherwasgettinggarrulous！\"Ijustwanttolookroundandseeifthere’sanythingtobedone。\"
\"Yes，sir。Idon’tthinkthere’sanythingexceptasmellofmiceinthedining—roomthatwedon’tknowhowtogetridof。It’sfunnytheyshouldbethere，andnotacrumb，sinceMr。Timothytooktonotcomingdown，justbeforetheWar。Butthey’renastylittlethings;
youneverknowwherethey’lltakeyounext。\"
\"Doesheleavehisbed？\"——
\"Oh！yes，sir;hetakesniceexercisebetweenhisbedandthewindowinthemorning，nottoriskachangeofair。Andhe’squitecomfortableinhimself;hashisWillouteverydayregular。It’sagreatconsolationtohim——that。\"
\"Well，Smither，Iwanttoseehim，ifIcan;incasehehasanythingtosaytome。\"
Smithercolouredupabovehercorsets。
\"Itwillbeanoccasion！\"shesaid。\"ShallItakeyouroundthehouse，sir，whileIsendCooktobreakittohim？\"
\"No，yougotohim，\"saidSoames。\"Icangoroundthehousebymyself。\"
Onecouldnotconfesstosentimentbeforeanother，andSoamesfeltthathewasgoingtobesentimentalnosingroundthoseroomssosaturatedwiththepast。WhenSmither，creakingwithexcitement，hadlefthim，Soamesenteredthedining—roomandsniffed。Inhisopinionitwasn’tmice，butincipientwood—rot，andheexaminedthepanelling。Whetheritwasworthacoatofpaint，atTimothy’sage，hewasnotsure。Theroomhadalwaysbeenthemostmoderninthehouse;andonlyafaintsmilecurledSoames’lipsandnostrils。
Wallsofarichgreensurmountedtheoakdado;aheavymetalchandelierhungbyachainfromaceilingdividedbyimitationbeams。
ThepictureshadbeenboughtbyTimothy，abargain，onedayatJobson’ssixtyyearsago——threeSnyder\"stilllifes，\"twofaintlycoloureddrawingsofaboyandagirl，rathercharming，whichboretheinitials\"J。R。\"——TimothyhadalwaysbelievedtheymightturnouttobeJoshuaReynolds，butSoames，whoadmiredthem，haddiscoveredthattheywereonlyJohnRobinson;andadoubtfulMorlandofawhiteponybeingshod。Deep—redplushcurtains，tenhigh—backeddarkmahoganychairswithdeep—redplushseats，aTurkeycarpet，andamahoganydining—tableaslargeastheroomwassmall，suchwasanapartmentwhichSoamescouldrememberunchangedinsoulorbodysincehewasfouryearsold。Helookedespeciallyatthetwodrawings，andthought:’Ishallbuythoseatthesale。’
>Fromthedining—roomhepassedintoTimothy’sstudy。Hedidnotremembereverhavingbeeninthatroom。Itwaslinedfromfloortoceilingwithvolumes，andhelookedatthemwithcuriosity。Onewallseemeddevotedtoeducationalbooks，whichTimothy’sfirmhadpublishedtwogenerationsback—sometimesasmanyastwentycopiesofonebook。Soamesreadtheirtitlesandshuddered。Themiddlewallhadpreciselythesamebooksasusedtobeinthelibraryathisownfather’sinParkLane，fromwhichhededucedthefancythatJamesandhisyoungestbrotherhadgoneouttogetheronedayandboughtabraceofsmalllibraries。Thethirdwallheapproachedwithmoreexcitement。Here，surely，Timothy’sowntastewouldbefound。Itwas。Thebooksweredummies。Thefourthwallwasallheavilycurtainedwindow。Andturnedtowarditwasalargechairwithamahoganyreading—standattached，onwhichayellowishandfoldedcopyofTheTimes，datedJuly6，1914，thedayTimothyfirstfailedtocomedown，asifinpreparationfortheWar，seemedwaitingforhimstill。InacornerstoodalargeglobeofthatworldnevervisitedbyTimothy，deeplyconvincedoftheunrealityofeverythingbutEngland，andpermanentlyupsetbythesea，onwhichhehadbeenverysickoneSundayafternoonin1836，outofapleasureboatoffthepieratBrighton，withJuleyandHester，SwithinandHattyChessman;
allduetoSwithin，whowasalwaystakingthingsintohishead，andwho，thankgoodness，hadbeensicktoo。Soamesknewallaboutit，havingheardthetalefiftytimesatleastfromoneorotherofthem。
Hewentuptotheglobe，andgaveitaspin;itemittedafaintcreakandmovedaboutaninch，bringingintohispurviewadaddy—long—legswhichhaddiedonitinlatitude44。
’Mausoleum！’hethought。’Georgewasright！’Andhewentoutandupthestairs。Onthehalf—landinghestoppedbeforethecaseofstuffedhumming—birdswhichhaddelightedhischildhood。Theylookednotadayolder，suspendedonwiresabovepampas—grass。Ifthecasewereopenedthebirdswouldnotbegintohum，butthewholethingwouldcrumble，hesuspected。Itwouldn’tbeworthputtingthatintothesale！AndsuddenlyhewascaughtbyamemoryofAuntAnn——dearoldAuntAnn——holdinghimbythehandinfrontofthatcaseandsaying:\"Look，Soamey！Aren’ttheybrightandpretty，dearlittlehumming—birds！\"Soamesrememberedhisownanswer:\"Theydon’thum，Auntie。\"Hemusthavebeensix，inablackvelveteensuitwithalight—bluecollar—herememberedthatsuitwell！AuntAnnwithherringlets，andherspiderykindhands，andhergraveoldaquilinesmile——afineoldlady，AuntAnn！Hemovedonuptothedrawing—roomdoor。Thereoneachsideofitwerethegroupsofminiatures。ThosehewouldcertainIybuyin！Theminiaturesofhisfouraunts，oneofhisUncleSwithinadolescent，andoneofhisUncleNicholasasaboy。
Theyhadallbeenpaintedbyayoungladyfriendofthefamilyatatime，1830，about，whenminiatureswereconsideredverygenteel，andlastingtoo，paintedastheywereonivory。Manyatimehadheheardthetaleofthatyounglady:\"Verytalented，mydear;shehadquiteaweaknessforSwithin，andverysoonaftershewentintoaconsumptionanddied:solikeKeats——weoftenspokeofit。\"
Well，theretheywere！Ann，Juley，Hester，Susan——quiteasmallchild;Swithin，withsky—blueeyes，pinkcheeks，yellowcurls，whitewaistcoat—largeaslife;andNicholas，likeCupidwithaneyeonheaven。Nowhecametothinkofit，UncleNickhadalwaysbeenratherlikethat——awonderfulmantothelast。Yes，shemusthavehadtalent，andminiaturesalwayshadacertainback—wateredcachetoftheirown，littlesubjecttothecurrentsofcompetitiononaestheticChange。Soamesopenedthedrawing—roomdoor。Theroomwasdusted，thefurnitureuncovered，thecurtainsdrawnback，preciselyasifhisauntsstilldwelttherepatientlywaiting。Andathoughtcametohim:WhenTimothydied——whynot？Woulditnotbealmostadutytopreservethishouse——likeCarlyle’s——andputupatablet，andshowit？\"Specimenofmid—Victorianabode——entrance，oneshilling，withcatalogue。\"Afterall，itwasthecompletestthing，andperhapsthedeadestintheLondonofto—day。Perfectinitsspecialtasteandculture，if，thatis，hetookdownandcarriedovertohisowncollectionthefourBarbizonpictureshehadgiventhem。Thestillsky—bluewalls，tilegreencurtainspatternedwithredflowersandferns;thecrewel—workedfire—screenbeforethecast—irongrate;themahoganycupboardwithglasswindows，fulloflittleknickknacks;thebeadedfootstools;Keats，Shelley，Southey，Cowper，Coleridge，Byron’sCorsair（butnothingelse），andtheVictorianpoetsinabookshelfrow;themarqueteriecabinetlinedwithdimredplush，fulloffamilyrelics:Hester’sfirstfan;thebucklesoftheirmother’sfather’sshoes;threebottledscorpions;andoneveryyellowelephant’stusk，senthomefromIndiabyGreat—uncleEdgarForsyte，whohadbeeninjute;ayellowbitofpaperproppedup，withspiderywritingonit，recordingGodknewwhat！Andthepicturescrowdingonthewalls——allwater—colourssavethosefourBarbizonslookingliketileforeignerstheywere，anddoubtfulcustomersatthat——picturesbrightandillustrative，\"TellingtheBees，\"\"HeyfortheFerry！\"andtwointhestyleofFrith，allthimblerigandcrinolines，giventhembySwithin。Oh！many，manypicturesatwhichSoameshadgazedathousandtimesinsuperciliousfascination;amarvellouscollectionofbright，smoothgiltframes。
Andtheboudoir—grandpiano，beautifullydusted，hermeticallysealedasever;andAuntJuley’salbumofpressedseaweedonit。Andthegilt—leggedchairs，strongerthantheylooked。Andononesideofthefireplacethesofaofcrimsonsilk，whereAuntAnn，andafterherAuntJuley，hadbeenwonttosit，facingthelightandboltupright。
Andontheothersideofthefiretheonereallyeasychair，backtothelight，forAuntHester。Soamesscreweduphiseyes;heseemedtoseethemsittingthere。Ah！andtheatmosphere——evennow，oftoomanystuffsandwashedlacecurtains，lavenderinbags，anddriedbees’wings。’No，’hethought，’there’snothinglikeitleft;itoughttobepreserved。’And，byGeorge，theymightlaughatit，butforastandardofgentlelifeneverdepartedfrom，forfastidiousnessofskinandeyeandnoseandfeeling，itbeatto—dayhollow——to—daywithitsTubesandcars，itsperpetualsmoking，itscross—legged，bare—neckedgirlsvisibleuptothekneesanddowntothewaistifyoutookthetrouble（agreeabletothesatyrwithineachForsytebuthardlyhisideaofalady），withtheirfeet，too，screwedroundthelegsoftheirchairswhiletheyate，andtheir\"Solongs，\"andtheir\"OldBeans，\"andtheirlaughter——girlswhogavehimtheshudderswheneverhethoughtofFleurincontactwiththem;andthehard—eyed，capable，olderwomenwhomanagedlifeandgavehimtheshudderstoo。
No！hisoldaunts，iftheyneveropenedtheirminds，theireyes，orverymuchtheirwindows，atleasthadmanners，andastandard，andreverenceforpastandfuture。
Withratherachokyfeelingheclosedthedoorandwenttiptoeingup—
stairs。Helookedinataplaceontheway:H’m！inperfectorderoftheeighties，withasortofyellowoilskinpaperonthewalls。Atthetopofthestairshehesitatedbetweenfourdoors。WhichofthemwasTimothy’s？Andhelistened。Asound，asofachildslowlydraggingahobby—horseabout，cametohisears。ThatmustbeTimothy！Hetapped，andadoorwasopenedbySmither，veryredintheface。
Mr。Timothywastakinghiswalk，andshehadnotbeenabletogethimtoattend。IfMr。Soameswouldcomeintotheback—room，hecouldseehimthroughthedoor。
Soameswentintotheback—roomandstoodwatching。
ThelastoftheoldForsyteswasonhisfeet，movingwiththemostimpressiveslowness，andanairofperfectconcentrationonhisownaffairs，backwardandforwardbetweenthefootofhisbedandthewindow，adistanceofsometwelvefeet。Thelowerpartofhissquareface，nolongerclean—shaven，wascoveredwithsnowybeardclippedasshortasitcouldbe，andhischinlookedasbroadashisbrowwherethehairwasalsoquitewhite，whilenoseandcheeksandbrowwereagoodyellow。Onehandheldastoutstick，andtheothergraspedtheskirtofhisJaegerdressing—gown，fromunderwhichcouldbeseenhisbed—sockedanklesandfeetthrustintoJaegerslippers。Theexpressiononhisfacewasthatofacrossedchild，intentonsomethingthathehasnotgot。Eachtimeheturnedhestumpedthestick，andthendraggedit，asiftoshowthathecoulddowithoutit:
\"Hestilllooksstrong，\"saidSoamesunderhisbreath。
\"Oh！yes，sir。Youshouldseehimtakehisbath——it’swonderful;hedoesenjoyitso。\"
ThosequiteloudwordsgaveSoamesaninsight。Timothyhadresumedhisbabyhood。
\"Doeshetakeanyinterestinthingsgenerally？\"hesaid，alsoloud。
\"OhIyes，sir;hisfoodandhisWill。It’squiteasighttoseehimturnitoverandover，nottoreadit，ofcourse;andeverynowandthenheasksthepriceofConsols，andIwriteitonaslateforhim—
verylarge。Ofcourse，Ialwayswritethesame，whattheywerewhenhelasttooknotice，in1914。WegotthedoctortoforbidhimtoreadthepaperwhentheWarbrokeout。Oh！hedidtakeonaboutthatatfirst。Buthesooncameround，becauseheknewittiredhim;andhe’sawondertoconserveenergyasheusedtocallitwhenmydearmistresseswerealive，blesstheirhearts！Howhedidgoonatthemaboutthat;theywerealwayssoactive，ifyouremember，Mr。Soames。\"
\"WhatwouldhappenifIweretogoin？\"askedSoames:\"Wouldherememberme？ImadehisWill，youknow，afterMissHesterdiedin1907。\"
\"Oh！that，sir，\"repliedSmitherdoubtfully，\"Icouldn’ttakeonmetosay。Ithinkhemight;hereallyisawonderfulmanforhisage。\"
Soamesmovedintothedoorway，andwaitingforTimothytoturn，saidinaloudvoice:\"UncleTimothy！\"
Timothytrailedbackhalf—way，andhalted。
\"Eh？\"hesaid。
\"Soames，\"criedSoamesatthetopofhisvoice，holdingouthishand，\"SoamesForsyte！\"
\"No！\"saidTimothy，andstumpinghisstickloudlyonthefloor，hecontinuedhiswalk。
\"Itdoesn’tseemtowork，\"saidSoames。
\"No，sir，\"repliedSmither，rathercrestfallen;\"yousee，hehasn’tfinishedhiswalk。Italwayswasonethingatatimewithhim。I
expecthe’llaskmethisafternoonifyoucameaboutthegas，andaprettyjobIshallhavetomakehimunderstand。\"
\"Doyouthinkheoughttohaveamanabouthim？\"
Smitherheldupherhands。\"Aman！Oh！no。Cookandmecanmanageperfectly。Astrangemanaboutwouldsendhimcrazyinnotime。Andmymistresseswouldn’tliketheideaofamaninthehouse。Besides，we’reso——proudofhim。\"
\"Isupposethedoctorcomes？\"
\"Everymorning。Hemakesspecialtermsforsuchaquantity，andMr。
Timothy’ssoused，hedoesn’ttakeabitofnotice，excepttoputouthistongue。\"
\"Well，\"saidSoames，turningaway，\"it’srathersadandpainfultome。\"
\"Oh！sir，\"returnedSmitheranxiously，\"youmustn’tthinkthat。Nowthathecan’tworryaboutthings，hequiteenjoyshislife，reallyhedoes。AsIsaytoCook，Mr。Timothyismoreofamanthanheeverwas。Yousee，whenhe’snotwalkin’，ortakin’hisbath，he’seatin’，andwhenhe’snoteatin’，he’ssleepin’;andthereitis。
Thereisn’tanacheoracareabouthimanywhere。\"
\"Well，\"saidSoames，\"there’ssomethinginthat。I’llgodown。Bytheway，letmeseehisWill。\"
\"Ishouldhavetotakemytimeaboutthat，sir;hekeepsitunderhispillow，andhe’dseeme，whilehe’sactive。\"
\"Ionlywanttoknowifit’stheoneImade，\"saidSoames;\"youtakealookatitsdatesometime，andletmeknow。\"
\"Yes，sir;butI’msureit’sthesame，becausemeandCookwitnessed，youremember，andthere’sournamesonitstill，andwe’veonlydoneitonce。\"
\"Quite，\"saidSoames。Hedidremember。SmitherandJanehadbeenproperwitnesses，havingbeenleftnothingintheWillthattheymighthavenointerestinTimothy’sdeath。Ithadbeen——hefullyadmitted——analmostimproperprecaution，butTimothyhadwishedit，and，afterall，AuntHesterhadprovidedforthemamply。
\"Verywell，\"hesaid;\"good—bye，Smither。Lookafterhim，andifheshouldsayanythingatanytime，putitdown，andletmeknow。\"
\"OhIyes，Mr。Soames;I’llbesuretodothat。It’sbeensuchapleasantchangetoseeyou。CookwillbequiteexcitedwhenItellher。\"
Soamesshookherhandandwentdown—stairs。Hestoodforfullytwominutesbythehat—standwhereonhehadhunghishatsomanytimes。
’Soitallpasses，’hewasthinking;’passesandbeginsagain。Pooroldchap！’Andhelistened，ifperchancethesoundofTimothytrailinghishobby—horsemightcomedownthewellofthestairs;orsomeghostofanoldfaceshowoverthebannisters，andanoldvoicesay:’Why，it’sdearSoames，andwewereonlysayingthatwehadn’tseenhimforaweek！’
Nothing——nothing！Justthescentofcamphor，anddust—motesinasunbeamthroughthefanlightoverthedoor。Thelittleoldhouse！A
mausoleum！And，turningonhisheel，hewentout，andcaughthistrain。
V
THENATIVEHEATH
\"Hisfoot’suponhisnativeheath，Hisname’s——ValDartie。\"
WithsomesuchfeelingdidValDartie，inthefortiethyearofhisage，setoutthatsameThursdaymorningveryearlyfromtheoldmanor—househehadtakenonthenorthsideoftheSussexDowns。HisdestinationwasNewmarket，andhehadnotbeentheresincetheautumnof1899，whenhestoleoverfromOxfordfortheCambridgeshire。Hepausedatthedoortogivehiswifeakiss，andputaflaskofportintohispocket。
\"Don’tovertireyourleg，Val，anddon’tbettoomuch。\"
Withthepressureofherchestagainsthisown，andhereyeslookingintohis，Valfeltbothlegandpocketsafe。Heshouldbemoderate;
Hollywasalwaysright——shehadanaturalaptitude。Itdidnotseemsoremarkabletohim，perhaps，asitmighttoothers，that——halfDartieashewas——heshouldhavebeenperfectlyfaithfultohisyoungfirstcousinduringthetwentyyearssincehemarriedherromanticallyoutintheBoerWar;andfaithfulwithoutanyfeelingofsacrificeorboredom——shewassoquick，soslylyalwaysalittleinfrontofhismood。Beingfirstcousinstheyhaddecided，ratherneedlessly，tohavenochildren;and，thoughalittlesallower，shehadkeptherlooks，herslimness，andthecolourofherdarkhair。
Valparticularlyadmiredthelifeofherownshecarriedon，besidescarryingonhis，andridingbettereveryyear。Shekeptuphermusic，shereadanawfullot——novels，poetry，allsortsofstuff。
OutontheirfarminCapecolonyshehadlookedafterallthe\"nigger\"babiesandwomeninamiraculousmanner。Shewas，infact，clever;yetmadenofussaboutit，andhadno\"side。\"Thoughnotremarkableforhumility，Valhadcometohavethefeelingthatshewashissuperior，andhedidnotgrudgeit——agreattribute。ItmightbenotedthatheneverlookedatHollywithoutherknowingofit，butthatshelookedathimsometimesunawares。
Hehadkissedherintheporchbecauseheshouldnotbedoingsoontheplatform，thoughshewasgoingtothestationwithhim，todrivethecarback。TannedandwrinkledbyColonialweatherandthewilesinseparablefromhorses，andhandicappedbythelegwhich，weakenedintheBoerWar，hadprobablysavedhislifeintheWarjustpast，Valwasstillmuchashehadbeeninthedaysofhiscourtship;hissmileaswideandcharming，hiseyelashes，ifanything，thickeranddarker，hiseyesscrewedupunderthem，asbrightagrey，hisfrecklesratherdeeper，hishairalittlegrizzledatthesides。Hegavetheimpressionofonewhohaslivedactivelywithhorsesinasunnyclimate。
Twistingthecarsharproundatthegate，hesaid:
\"WhenisyoungJoncoming？\"
\"To—day。\"
\"Isthereanythingyouwantforhim？IcouldbringitdownonSaturday。\"
\"No;butyoumightcomebythesametrainasFleur——one—forty。\"
ValgavetheFordfullrein;hestilldrovelikeamaninanewcountryonbadroads，whorefusestocompromise，andexpectsheavenateveryhole。
\"That’sayoungwomanwhoknowsherwayabout，\"hesaid。\"Isay，hasitstruckyou？\"
\"Yes，\"saidHolly。
\"UncleSoamesandyourDad——bitawkward，isn’tit？\"
\"Shewon’tknow，andhewon’tknow，andnothingmustbesaid，ofcourse。It’sonlyforfivedays，Val。\"
\"Stablesecret！Righto！\"IfHollythoughtitsafe，itwas。
Glancingslylyroundathim，shesaid:\"Didyounoticehowbeautifullysheaskedherself？\"
\"No！\"
\"Well，shedid。Whatdoyouthinkofher，Val？\"
\"Prettyandclever;butshemightrunoutatanycornerifshegothermonkeyup，Ishouldsay。\"
\"I’mwondering，\"Hollymurmured，\"whethersheisthemodernyoungwoman。Onefeelsatseacominghomeintoallthis。\"
\"You？Yougetthehangofthingssoquick。\"
Hollyslidherhandintohiscoat—pocket。
\"Youkeeponeintheknow，\"saidValencouraged。\"WhatdoyouthinkofthatBelgianfellow，Profond？\"
\"Ithinkhe’srather’agooddevil。’\"
Valgrinned。
\"Heseemstomeaqueerfishforafriendofourfamily。Infact，ourfamilyisinprettyqueerwaters，withUncleSoamesmarryingaFrenchwoman，andyourDadmarryingSoames’sfirst。Ourgrandfatherswouldhavehadfits！\"
\"Sowouldanybody’s，mydear。\"
\"Thiscar，\"Valsaidsuddenly，\"wantsrousing;shedoesn’tgetherhindlegsunderheruphill。IshallhavetogiveherherheadontheslopeifI’mtocatchthattrain。\"
Therewasthatabouthorseswhichhadpreventedhimfromeverreallysympathisingwithacar，andtherunningoftheFordunderhisguidancecomparedwithitsrunningunderthatofHollywasalwaysnoticeable。Hecaughtthetrain。
\"Takecaregoinghome;she’llthrowyoudownifshecan。Good—bye，darling。\"
\"Good—bye，\"calledHolly，andkissedherhand。
Inthetrain，afterquarterofanhour’sindecisionbetweenthoughtsofHolly，hismorningpaper，thelookofthebrightday，andhisdimmemoryofNewmarket，Valplungedintotherecessesofasmallsquarebook，allnames，pedigrees，tap—roots，andnotesaboutthemakeandshapeofhorses。TheForsyteinhimwasbentontheacquisitionofacertainstrainofblood，andhewassubduingresolutelyasyettheDartiehankeringforaNutter。OngettingbacktoEngland，aftertheprofitablesaleofhisSouthAfricanfarmandstud，andobservingthatthesunseldomshone，Valhadsaidtohimself:\"I’veabsolutelygottohaveaninterestinlife，orthiscountrywillgivemetheblues。Hunting’snotenough，I’llbreedandI’lltrain。\"Withjustthatextrapinchofshrewdnessanddecisionimpartedbylongresidenceinanewcountry，Valhadseentheweakpointofmodernbreeding。Theywereallhypnotisedbyfashionandhighprice。Heshouldbuyforlooks，andletnamesgohang！Andherehewasalready，hypnotisedbytheprestigeofacertainstrainofblood！
