Abreezesighedinthehigherboughs;theskyseenthroughtheirgreenwasveryblueandverywhiteincloud——thoseheavywhitecloudsalmostalwayspresentinriverlandscape。Bees，shelteringoutofthewind，hummedsoftly，andoverthelushgrassfellthethickshadefromthosefruit—treesplantedbyherfatherfive—and—twenty，yearsago。Birdswerealmostsilent，thecuckooshadceasedtosing，butwood—pigeonswerecooing。Thebreathanddroneandcooingofhighsummerwerenotforlongasedativetoherexcitednerves。Crouchedoverherkneesshebegantoscheme。Herfathermustbemadetobackherup。Whyshouldhemindsolongasshewashappy？Shehadnotlivedfornearlynineteenyearswithoutknowingthatherfuturewasallhereallycaredabout。Shehad，then，onlytoconvincehimthatherfuturecouldnotbehappywithoutJon。Hethoughtitamadfancy。Howfoolishtheoldwere，thinkingtheycouldtellwhattheyoungfelt！Hadnotheconfessedthathe——whenyoung——hadlovedwithagrandpassion？Heoughttounderstand！’Hepilesuphismoneyforme，’shethought;’butwhat’stheuse，ifI’mnotgoingtobehappy？’
Money，andallitbought，didnotbringhappiness。Loveonlybroughtthat。Theox—eyeddaisiesinthisorchard，whichgaveitsuchamoonylooksometimes，grewwildandhappy，andhadtheirhour。’Theyoughtn’ttohavecalledmeFleur，’shemused，’iftheydidn’tmeanmetohavemyhour，andbehappywhileitlasts。’Nothingrealstoodintheway，likepoverty，ordisease——sentimentonly，aghostfromtheunhappypast！Jonwasright。Theywouldn’tletyoulive，theseoldpeople！Theymademistakes，committedcrimes，andwantedtheirchildrentogoonpaying！Thebreezediedaway;midgesbegantobite。Shegotup，pluckedapieceofhoneysuckle，andwentin。
Itwashotthatnight。Bothsheandhermotherhadputonthin，palelowfrocks。Thedinnerflowerswerepale。Fleurwasstruckwiththepalelookofeverything;herfather’sface，hermother’sshoulders;
thepalepanelledwalls，thepalegreyvelvetycarpet，thelamp—
shade，eventhesoupwaspale。Therewasnotonespotofcolourintheroom，notevenwineinthepaleglasses，fornoonedrankit。
Whatwasnotpalewasblack——herfather’sclothes，thebutler’sclothes，herretrieverstretchedoutexhaustedinthewindow，thecurtainsblackwithacreampattern。Amothcamein，andthatwaspale。Andsilentwasthathalf—mourningdinnerintheheat。
Herfathercalledherbackasshewasfollowinghermotherout。
Shesatdownbesidehimatthetable，and，unpinningthepalehoneysuckle，putittohernose。
\"I’vebeenthinking，\"hesaid。
\"Yes，dear？\"
\"It’sextremelypainfulformetotalk，butthere’snohelpforit。
Idon’tknowifyouunderstandhowmuchyouaretomeI’veneverspokenofit，Ididn’tthinkitnecessary;but——butyou’reeverything。Yourmother——\"hepaused，staringathisfinger—bowlofVenetianglass。
\"Yes？\"’
\"I’veonlyyoutolookto。I’veneverhad——neverwantedanythingelse，sinceyouwereborn。\"
\"Iknow，\"Fleurmurmured。
Soamesmoistenedhislips。
\"YoumaythinkthisamatterIcansmoothoverandarrangeforyou。
You’remistaken。I’mhelpless。\"
Fleurdidnotspeak。
\"Quiteapartfrommyownfeelings，\"wentonSoameswithmoreresolution，\"thosetwoarenotamenabletoanythingIcansay。They—
—theyhateme，aspeoplealwayshatethosewhomtheyhaveinjured。\"
\"Buthe——Jon——\"
\"He’stheirfleshandblood，heronlychild。Probablyhemeanstoherwhatyoumeantome。It’sadeadlock。\"
\"No，\"criedFleur，\"no，Father！\"
Soamesleanedback，theimageofpalepatience，asifresolvedonthebetrayalofnoemotion。
\"Listen！\"hesaid。\"You’reputtingthefeelingsoftwomonths——twomonths——againstthefeelingsofthirty—fiveyears！Whatchancedoyouthinkyouhave？Twomonths——yourveryfirstloveaffair，amatterofhalfadozenmeetings，afewwalksandtalks，afewkisses—
—against，againstwhatyoucan’timagine，whatnoonecouldwhohasn’tbeenthroughit。Come，bereasonable，Fleur！It’smidsummermadness！\"
Fleurtorethehoneysuckleintolittle，slowbits。
\"Themadnessisinlettingthepastspoilitall。
Whatdowecareaboutthepast？It’sourlives，notyours。\"
Soamesraisedhishandtohisforehead，wheresuddenlyshesawmoistureshining。
\"Whosechildareyou？\"hesaid。\"Whosechildishe？Thepresentislinkedwiththepast，thefuturewithboth。There’snogettingawayfromthat。\"
Shehadneverheardphilosophypassthoselipsbefore。Impressedeveninheragitation，sheleanedherelbowsonthetable，herchinonherhands。
\"But，Father，consideritpractically。Wewanteachother。There’seversomuchmoney，andnothingwhateverinthewaybutsentiment。
Let’sburythepast，Father。\"
Hisanswerwasasigh。
\"Besides，\"saidFleurgently，\"youcan’tpreventus。\"
\"Idon’tsuppose，\"saidSoames，\"thatiflefttomyselfIshouldtrytopreventyou;Imustputupwiththings，Iknow，tokeepyouraffection。Butit’snotIwhocontrolthismatter。That’swhatI
wantyoutorealisebeforeit’stoolate。Ifyougoonthinkingyoucangetyourwayandencouragethisfeeling，theblowwillbemuchheavierwhenyoufindyoucan’t。\"
\"Oh！\"criedFleur，\"helpme，Father;youcanhelpme，youknow。\"
Soamesmadeastartledmovementofnegation。\"I？\"hesaidbitterly。
\"Help？Iamtheimpediment——thejustcauseandimpediment——isn’tthatthejargon？Youhavemybloodinyourveins。\"
Herose。
\"Well，thefat’sinthefire。Ifyoupersistinyourwilfulnessyou’llhaveyourselftoblame。Come！Don’tbefoolish，mychild——myonlychild！\"
Fleurlaidherforeheadagainsthisshoulder。
Allwasinsuchturmoilwithinher。Butnogoodtoshowit！Nogoodatall！Shebrokeawayfromhim，andwentoutintothetwilight，distraught，butunconvinced。Allwasindeterminateandvaguewithinher，liketheshapesandshadowsinthegarden，except——herwilltohave。Apoplarpiercedupintothedark—blueskyandtouchedawhitestarthere。Thedewwettedhershoes，andchilledherbareshoulders。Shewentdowntotheriverbank，andstoodgazingatamoonstreakonthedarkeningwater。Suddenlyshesmelledtobaccosmoke，andawhitefigureemergedasifcreatedbythemoon。ItwasyoungMontinflannels，standinginhisboat。Sheheardthetinyhissofhiscigaretteextinguishedinthewater。
\"Fleur，\"camehisvoice，\"don’tbehardonapoordevil！I’vebeenwaitinghours。\"
\"Forwhat？\"
\"Comeinmyboat！\"
\"NotI。\"
\"Whynot？\"
\"I’mnotawater—nymph。\"
\"Haven’tyouanyromanceinyou？Don’tbemodern，Fleur！\"
Heappearedonthepathwithinayardofher。
\"Goaway！\"
\"Fleur，Iloveyou。Fleur！\"
Fleurutteredashortlaugh。
\"Comeagain，\"shesaid，\"whenIhaven’tgotmywish。\"
\"Whatisyourwish？\"
\"Askanother。\"
\"Fleur，\"saidMont，andhisvoicesoundedstrange，\"don’tmockme！
Evenvivisecteddogsareworthdecenttreatmentbeforethey’recutupforgood。\"
Fleurshookherhead;butherlipsweretrembling。
\"Well，youshouldn’tmakemejump。Givemeacigarette。\"
Montgaveherone，lightedit，andanotherforhimself。
\"Idon’twanttotalkrot，\"hesaid，\"butpleaseimaginealltherotthatalltheloversthateverwerehavetalked，andallmyspecialrotthrownin。\"
\"Thankyou，Ihaveimaginedit。Good—night！\"Theystoodforamomentfacingeachotherintheshadowofanacacia—treewithverymoonlitblossoms，andthesmokefromtheircigarettesmingledintheairbetweenthem。
\"Alsoran:’MichaelMont’？\"hesaid。Fleurturnedabruptlytowardthehouse。Onthelawnshestoppedtolookback。MichaelMontwaswhirlinghisarmsabovehim;shecouldseethemdashingathishead;
thenwavingatthemoonlitblossomsoftheacacia。Hisvoicejustreachedher。\"Jolly—jolly！\"Fleurshookherself。Shecouldn’thelphim，shehadtoomuchtroubleofherown！Ontheverandahshestoppedverysuddenlyagain。Hermotherwassittinginthedrawing—
roomatherwritingbureau，quitealone。Therewasnothingremarkableintheexpressionofherfaceexceptitsutterimmobility。
Butshelookeddesolate！Fleurwentupstairs。Atthedoorofherroomshepaused。Shecouldhearherfatherwalkingupanddown，upanddownthepicture—gallery。
’Yes，’shethought，jolly！Oh，Jon！’
X
DECISION
WhenFleurlefthimJonstaredattheAustrian。Shewasathinwomanwithadarkfaceandtheconcernedexpressionofonewhohaswatchedeverylittlegoodthatlifeoncehadslipfromher，onebyone。
\"Notea？\"shesaid。
Susceptibletothedisappointmentinhervoice，Jonmurmured:
\"No，really;thanks。\"
\"Alilcup——itready。Alilcupandcigarette。\"
Fleurwasgone！Hoursofremorseandindecisionlaybeforehim！Andwithaheavysenseofdisproportionhesmiled，andsaid:
\"Well——thankyou！\"
Shebroughtinalittlepotofteawithtwolittlecups，andasilverboxofcigarettesonalittletray。
\"Sugar？MissForsytehasmuchsugar——shebuymysugar，myfriend’ssugaralso。MissForsyteisavereekindlady。Iamhappytoserveher。Youherbrother？\"
\"Yes，\"saidJon，beginningtopuffthesecondcigaretteofhislife。
\"Veryyoungbrother，\"saidtheAustrian，withalittleanxioussmile，whichremindedhimofthewagofadog’stail。
\"MayIgiveyousome？\"hesaid。\"Andwon’tyousitdown，please？\"
TheAustrianshookherhead。
\"Yourfatheraveryniceoldman——themostniceoldmanIeversee。
MissForsytetellmeallabouthim。Ishebetter？\"
HerwordsfellonJonlikeareproach。\"OhYes，Ithinkhe’sallright。\"
\"Iliketoseehimagain，\"saidtheAustrian，puttingahandonherheart;\"hehavevereekindheart。\"
\"Yes，\"saidJon。Andagainherwordsseemedtohimareproach。
\"Henevergivenotroubletonoone，andsmilesogentle。\"
\"Yes，doesn’the？\"
\"HelookatMissForsytesofunnysometimes。Itellhimallmystory;hesosympatisch。Yourmother——sheniceandwell？\"
\"Yes，very。\"
\"Hehaveherphotographonhisdressing—table。Vereebeautiful\"
Jongulpeddownhistea。Thiswoman，withherconcernedfaceandherremindingwords，waslikethefirstandsecondmurderers。
\"Thankyou，\"hesaid;\"Imustgonow。May——mayIleavethiswithyou？\"
Heputaten—shillingnoteonthetraywithadoubtinghandandgainedthedoor。HeheardtheAustriangasp，andhurriedout。Hehadjusttimetocatchhistrain，andallthewaytoVictorialookedateveryfacethatpassed，asloverswill，hopingagainsthope。OnreachingWorthingheputhisluggageintothelocaltrain，andsetoutacrosstheDownsforWansdon，tryingtowalkoffhisachingirresolution。Solongashewentfullbat，hecouldenjoythebeautyofthosegreenslopes，stoppingnowandagaintosprawlonthegrass，admiretheperfectionofawildroseorlistentoalark’ssong。Butthewarofmotiveswithinhimwasbutpostponed——thelongingforFleur，andthehatredofdeception。Hecametotheoldchalk—pitaboveWansdonwithhismindnomoremadeupthanwhenhestarted。ToseebothsidesofaquestionvigorouslywasatonceJon’sstrengthandweakness。Hetrampedin，justasthefirstdinner—bellrang。
Histhingshadalreadybeenbroughtup。HehadahurriedbathandcamedowntofindHollyalone——ValhadgonetoTownandwouldnotbebacktillthelasttrain。
SinceVal’sadvicetohimtoaskhissisterwhatwasthematterbetweenthetwofamilies，somuchhadhappened——Fleur’sdisclosureintheGreenPark，hervisittoRobinHill，to—day’smeeting——thatthereseemednothingtoask。HetalkedofSpain，hissunstroke，Val’shorses，theirfather’shealth。Hollystartledhimbysayingthatshethoughttheirfathernotatallwell。ShehadbeentwicetoRobinHillfortheweek—end。Hehadseemedfearfullylanguid，sometimeseveninpain，buthadalwaysrefusedtotalkabouthimself。
\"He’sawfullydearandunselfish——don’tyouthink，Jon？\"
Feelingfarfromdearandunselfishhimself，Jonanswered:\"Rather！\"
\"Ithink，he’sbeenasimplyperfectfather，solongasIcanremember。\"
\"Yes，\"answeredJon，verysubdued。
\"He’sneverinterfered，andhe’salwaysseemedtounderstand。I
shallneverforgethislettingmegotoSouthAfricaintheBoerWarwhenIwasinlovewithVal。\"
\"ThatwasbeforehemarriedMother，wasn’tit？\"saidJonsuddenly。
\"Yes。Why？\"
\"Oh！nothing。Only，wasn’tsheengagedtoFleur’sfatherfirst？\"
Hollyputdownthespoonshewasusing，andraisedhereyes。Herstarewascircumspect。Whatdidtheboyknow？Enoughtomakeitbettertotellhim？Shecouldnotdecide。Helookedstrainedandworried，altogetherolder，butthatmightbethesunstroke。
\"Therewassomething，\"shesaid。\"Ofcoursewewereoutthere，andgotnonewsofanything。\"Shecouldnottaketherisk。
Itwasnothersecret。Besides，shewasinthedarkabouthisfeelingsnow。BeforeSpainshehadmadesurehewasinlove;butboyswereboys;thatwassevenweeksago，andallSpainbetween。
Shesawthatheknewshewasputtinghimoff，andadded:
\"HaveyouheardanythingofFleur？\"
\"Yes。\"
Hisfacetoldher，then，morethanthemostelaborateexplanations。
Sohehadnotforgotten！
Shesaidveryquietly:\"Fleurisawfullyattractive，Jon，butyouknow——ValandIdon’treallylikeherverymuch。\"
\"Why？\"
\"Wethinkshe’sgotrathera’having’nature。\"
\"’Having’？Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。She——she——\"hepushedhisdessertplateaway，gotup，andwenttothewindow。
Holly，too，gotup，andputherarmroundhiswaist。
\"Don’tbeangry，Jondear。Wecan’tallseepeopleinthesamelight，canwe？Youknow，Ibelieveeachofusonlyhasaboutoneortwopeoplewhocanseethebestthat’sinus，andbringitout。ForyouIthinkit’syourmother。Ioncesawherlookingataletterofyours;itwaswonderfultoseeherface。Ithinkshe’sthemostbeautifulwomanIeversaw——Agedoesn’tseemtotouchher。\"
Jon’sfacesoftened;thenagainbecametense。Everybody——everybodywasagainsthimandFleur！Itallstrengthenedtheappealofherwords:\"Makesureofme——marryme，Jon！\"
Here，wherehehadpassedthatwonderfulweekwithher——thetugofherenchantment，theacheinhisheartincreasedwitheveryminutethatshewasnottheretomaketheroom，thegarden，theveryairmagical。Wouldheeverbeabletolivedownhere，notseeingher？
Andhecloseduputterly，goingearlytobed。Itwouldnotmakehimhealthy，wealthy，andwise，butitclosetedhimwithmemoryofFleurinherfancyfrock。HeheardVal’sarrival——theForddischargingcargo，thenthestillnessofthesummernightstoleback——withonlythebleatingofverydistantsheep，andanight—Jar’sharshpurring。
Heleanedfarout。Coldmoon——warmair——theDownslikesilver！
Smallwings，astreambubbling，theramblerroses！God——howemptyallofitwithouther！IntheBibleitwaswritten:Thoushaltleavefatherandmotherandcleaveto——Fleur！
Lethimhavepluck，andgoandtellthem！Theycouldn’tstophimmarryingher——theywouldn’twanttostophimwhentheyknewhowhefelt。Yes！Hewouldgo！Boldandopen——Fleurwaswrong！
Thenight—jarceased，thesheepweresilent;theonlysoundinthedarknesswasthebubblingofthestream。AndJoninhisbedslept，freedfromtheworstoflife’sevils——indecision。
XI
TIMOTHYPROPHESIES
OnthedayofthecancelledmeetingattheNationalGallerybeganthesecondanniversaryoftheresurrectionofEngland’sprideandglory——
or，moreshortly，thetophat。\"Lord’s\"——thatfestivalwhichtheWarhaddrivenfromthefield——raiseditslightanddarkblueflagsforthesecondtime，displayingalmosteveryfeatureofagloriouspast。Here，intheluncheoninterval，wereallspeciesoffemaleandonespeciesofmalehat，protectingthemultipletypesoffaceassociatedwith\"theclasses。\"TheobservingForsytemightdiscerninthefreeorunconsideredseatsacertainnumberofthesquash—
hatted，buttheyhardlyventuredonthegrass;theoldschool——orschools——couldstillrejoicethattheproletariatwasnotyetpayingthenecessaryhalf—crown。Herewasstillacloseborough，theonlyoneleftonalargescale——forthepaperswereabouttoestimatetheattendanceattenthousand。Andthetenthousand，allanimatedbyonehope，wereaskingeachotheronequestion:\"Whereareyoulunching？\"Somethingwonderfullyupliftingandreassuringinthatqueryandthesightofsomanypeoplelikethemselvesvoicingit！
WhatreservepowerintheBritishrealm——enoughpigeons，lobsters，lamb，salmonmayonnaise，strawberries，andbottlesofchampagnetofeedthelot！Nomiracleinprospect——nocaseofsevenloavesandafewfishes——faithrestedonsurerfoundations。Sixthousandtophats，fourthousandparasolswouldbedoffedandfurled，tenthousandmouthsallspeakingthesameEnglishwouldbefilled。Therewaslifeintheolddogyet！Tradition！AndagainTradition！Howstrongandhowelastic！Warsmightrage，taxationprey，TradesUnionstaketoll，andEuropeperishofstarvation;butthetenthousandwouldbefed;and，withintheirringfence，strollupongreenturf，weartheirtophats，andmeet——themselves。Theheartwassound，thepulsestillregular。E—ton！E—ton！Har—r—o—o—o—w！
AmongthemanyForsytes，presentonahunting—groundtheirs，bypersonalprescriptiveright，orproxy，wasSoameswithhiswifeanddaughter。Hehadnotbeenateitherschool，hetooknointerestincricket，buthewantedFleurtoshowherfrock，andhewantedtowearhistophatparadeitagaininpeaceandplentyamonghispeers。HewalkedsedatelywithFleurbetweenhimandAnnette。Nowomenequalledthem，sofarashecouldsee。Theycouldwalk，andholdthemselvesup;therewassubstanceintheirgoodlooks;themodernwomanhadnobuild，nochest，noanything！HerememberedsuddenlywithwhatintoxicationofpridehehadwalkedroundwithIreneinthefirstyearsofhisfirstmarriage。Andhowtheyusedtolunchonthedragwhichhismotherwouldmakehisfatherhave，becauseitwasso\"chic\"——alldragsandcarriagesinthosedays，nottheselumberinggreatStands！AndhowconsistentlyMontagueDartiehaddrunktoomuch。Hesupposedthatpeopledranktoomuchstill，buttherewasnotthescopeforitthereusedtobe。HerememberedGeorgeForsyte—
—whosebrothersRogerandEustacehadbeenatHarrowandEton——
toweringuponthetopofthedragwavingalight—blueflagwithonehandandadark—blueflagwiththeother，andshouting\"Etroow—
Harrton！\"Justwheneverybodywassilent，likethebuffoonhehadalwaysbeen;andEustacegotuptotheninesbelow，toodandifiedtowearanycolourortakeanynotice。H’m！Olddays，andIreneingreysilkshotwithpalestgreen。Helooked，sideways，atFleur’sface。Rathercolourless—nolight，noeagerness！Thatloveaffairwaspreyingonher——abadbusiness！Helookedbeyond，athiswife’sface，rathermoretouchedupthanusual，alittledisdainful——notthatshehadanybusinesstodisdain，sofarashecouldsee。ShewastakingProfond’sdefectionwithcuriousquietude;orwashis\"small\"voyagejustablind？Ifso，heshouldrefusetoseeit！
Havingpromenadedroundthepitchandinfrontofthepavilion，theysoughtWinifred’stableintheBedouinClubtent。ThisClub——anew\"cockandhen\"——hadbeenfoundedintheinterestsoftravel，andofagentlemanwithanoldScottishname，whosefatherhadsomewhatstrangelybeencalledLevi。Winifredhadjoined，notbecauseshehadtravelled，butbecauseinstincttoldherthataClubwithsuchanameandsuchafounderwasboundtogofar;ifonedidn’tjoinatonceonemightneverhavethechance。Itstent，withatextfromtheKoranonanorangeground，andasmallgreencamelembroideredovertheentrance，wasthemoststrikingontheground。OutsideittheyfoundJackCardiganinadarkbluetie（hehadonceplayedforHarrow），battingwithaMalaccacanetoshowhowthatfellowoughttohavehitthatball。Hepilotedthemin。AssembledinWinifred’scornerwereImogen，Benedictwithhisyoungwife，ValDartiewithoutHolly，Maudandherhusband，and，afterSoamesandhistwowereseated，oneemptyplace。
\"I’mexpectingProsper，\"saidWinifred，\"buthe’ssobusywithhisyacht。\"
Soamesstoleaglance。Nomovementinhiswife’sface！Whetherthatfellowwerecomingornot，sheevidentlyknewallaboutit。ItdidnotescapehimthatFleur，too，lookedathermother。IfAnnettedidn’trespecthisfeelings，shemightthinkofFleur’s！Theconversation，verydesultory，wassyncopatedbyJackCardigantalkingabout\"mid—off。\"Hecitedallthe\"greatmid—offs\"fromthebeginningoftime，asiftheyhadbeenadefiniteracialentityinthecompositionoftheBritishpeople。Soameshadfinishedhislobster，andwasbeginningonpigeon—pie，whenheheardthewords，\"I’masmallbitlate，Mrs。Dartie，\"andsawthattherewasnolongeranyemptyplace。ThatfellowwassittingbetweenAnnetteandImogen。
Soamesatesteadilyon，withanoccasionalwordtoMaudandWinifred。
Conversationbuzzedaroundhim。HeheardthevoiceofProfondsay:
\"Ithinkyou’remistaken，Mrs。Forsyde;I’ll——I’llbetMissForsydeagreeswithme。\"
\"Inwhat？\"cameFleur’sclearvoiceacrossthetable。
\"Iwassayin’，younggurlsaremuchthesameastheyalwayswere——
there’sverysmalldifference。\"
\"Doyouknowsomuchaboutthem？\"
Thatsharpreplycaughttheearsofall，andSoamesmoveduneasilyonhisthingreenchair。
\"Well，Idon’tknow，Ithinktheywanttheirownsmallway，andI
thinktheyalwaysdid。\"
\"Indeed！\"
\"Oh，but——Prosper，\"Winifredinterjectedcomfortably，\"thegirlsinthestreets——thegirlswho’vebeeninmunitions，thelittleflappersintheshops;theirmannersnowreallyquitehityouintheeye。\"
Attheword\"hit\"JackCardiganstoppedhisdisquisition;andinthesilenceMonsieurProfondsaid:
\"Itwasinsidebefore，nowit’soutside;that’sall。\"
\"Buttheirmorals！\"criedImogen。
\"Justasmoralastheyeverwere，Mrs。Cardigan，butthey’vegotmoreopportunity。\"
Thesaying，socrypticallycynical，receivedalittlelaughfromImogen，aslightopeningofJackCardigan’smouth，andacreakfromSoames’chair。
Winifredsaid:\"That’stoobad，Prosper。\"
\"Whatdoyousay，Mrs。Forsyde;don’tyouthinkhumannature’salwaysthesame？\"
Soamessubduedasuddenlongingtogetupandkickthefellow。Heheardhiswifereply:
\"HumannatureisnotthesameinEnglandasanywhereelse。\"Thatwasherconfoundedmockery！
\"Well，Idon’tknowmuchaboutthissmallcountry\"——’No，thankGod！’
thoughtSoames——\"butIshouldsaythepotwasboilin’underthelideverywhere。Weallwantpleasure，andwealwaysdid。\"
Damnthefellow！Hiscynicismwas——wasoutrageous！
Whenlunchwasovertheybrokeupintocouplesforthedigestivepromenade。Tooproudtonotice，SoamesknewperfectlythatAnnetteandthatfellowhadgoneprowlingroundtogether。FleurwaswithVal;shehadchosenhim，nodoubt，becauseheknewthatboy。HehimselfhadWinifredforpartner。Theywalkedinthebright，circlingstream，alittleflushedandsated，forsomeminutes，tillWinifredsighed:
\"Iwishwewerebackfortyyears，oldboy！\"
Beforetheeyesofherspiritaninterminableprocessionofherown\"Lord’s\"frockswaspassing，paidforwiththemoneyofherfather，tosavearecurrentcrisis。\"It’sbeenveryamusing，afterall。
SometimesIevenwishMontywasback。Whatdoyouthinkofpeoplenowadays，Soames？\"
\"Preciouslittlestyle。Thethingbegantogotopieceswithbicyclesandmotor—cars;theWarhasfinishedit。\"
\"Iwonderwhat’scoming？\"saidWinifredinavoicedreamyfrompigeon—pie。\"I’mnotatallsureweshan’tgobacktocrinolinesandpegtops。Lookatthatdress！\"
Soamesshookhishead。
