The Complete Project Gutenberg Works of Galsworthy

y in full plumage. But whosoever of these favoured persons has possessed the gift of psychological analysis (a talent without monetary value

of society, so clear a reproduction of society in miniature. He has been admitted to a vision of the dim roads of social progress, has understood something of patriarchal life, of the swarmings of savage hordes, of the rise and fall of nations. He is like one who, having watched a t

rver who chanced to be present at the house of old Jolyon Forsyte in S

amily were present, even Aunt Ann, who now but seldom left the corner of her brother Timothy's green drawing-room, where, under the aegis of a plume of dyed pampas grass in a light blue vase, she sat all day reading

e had as yet died; they did not die; death being contrary to their principles, they took precautions again

ok, an alert, inquisitive assurance, a brilliant respectability, as though they were attired in defiance of some

stituted old Jolyon's 'home' the psychological moment of

n exaggeration of family importance, and-the sniff. Danger-so indispensable in bringing out the fundamental quality of any society, group, or individual-was what the Forsytes scented

n called these brothers-like the bulky Swithin, over six feet in height, but very lean, as though destined from his birth to strike a balance and maintain an average, brooded over the scene with his permanent stoop; his grey eyes had an air of fixed absorption in some secret worry, broken at intervals by a rapid, shifting scrutiny of surrounding facts; his cheeks, thinned by two parallel folds, and a long, clean-shaven upper lip, were framed within Dundreary whiskers. In his hands he turned and

rry Septimus Small, a man of poor constitution. She had survived him for many years. With her elder and younger sister she lived now in the house of Timothy, her sixth and youngest brothe

pread below the level of his strong jaw, he had a patriarchal look, and in spite of lean cheeks and hollows at his temples, seemed master of perennial youth. He held himself extremely upright, and his shrewd, steady eyes had lost none of their clear shining. Thus he g

las, and Roger, there was much difference, much similarity. In turn, each of th

astness of chin, underlying surface distinctions, marking a racial stamp, too prehistoric to tra

he object of which was undoubtedly the man whose acquaintance they were thus assembled to make. Philip Bosinney was known to be a young man without fortune, but Forsyte girls had become engaged to such before, and had actually married them. It was not altogether for this reason, therefore, that the minds of the Forsytes misgave them. They could not have explained the origin of a misgiving obscured by the mist of family gossip. A story was un

es had fastened by intuition on this hat; it was their significant trifle, the detail in which was embedded the meaning of the whole matter; for each had asked himself: "Come

ly been worn as a practical joke! He himself was a connois

ed from mouth to mouth, till it became t

hed June afterwar

ought to let him,

the little embodiment of will she was: "Oh! what

ld Jolyon's acknowledged heiress, had done so well for himself? He was an architect, not in itself a sufficient reason for wearing such a hat. None of the

notorious. Had she not said to Mrs. Soames-who was always so beautifully dressed-that feathers were

rsytes from gathering to old Jolyon's invitation. An 'At Home' at Stanhope Gate was a grea

me notion of what sort of presents they would ultimately be expected to give; for though the question of wedding gifts was usually graduated in this way: 'What are you givin'? Nicholas is givin' spoons!'-so very much depended on the bridegroom. If he were sleek, well-brushed, prosperous-looking, it was more necessary to give him nice

ow impossible and wrong would it have been for any family, with the regard for appearances

rumpled appearance, as though he found what was going on around him unusual. He had an air,

make a bolt of it-th

ent cheek-bones, and hollow checks. His forehead sloped back towards the crown of his head, and bulged out in bumps over the eyes, like foreheads seen in the Lion-house at t

ld like an 'alf-tame leopard." And every now and then a F

ebody once said, 'all hair and spirit,' with fearless blue eyes, a firm jaw, and a b

ber of the family had once compared to a heathen godd

ide, and the eyes of all men near were fastened on it. Her figure swayed, so balanced that the very air s

mile-that men looked; they were sensitive lips, sensuous and sweet, and through

nscious of this passive goddess. It was Bosin

up to the woman with

um," she said: "Please b

they were smiling, Soames Forsyte, silently appearing from beh

troduce

separated by the exigencies of social intercourse, could be seen following her a

es, was still scrutinizing th

for years. This young Bosinney" (he made the word a dactyl in opposition to general usage of a short o) "has got nothing. Whe

decades, had extinguished in the family all sense of time. She made no reply, for she rarely spoke

ving no money. Soames was in such a hurry; h

on the piano, he let his eyes

d unexpectedly, "that it'

g. If Irene had no money she would not be so foolish as to do anything wrong; for they s

rrupted he

, "was Timothy? Hadn'

mpressed lips a tende

so much of this diphtheria about;

answ

mself. I can't afford to take t

of admiration, envy, or contem

rm engaged mainly in the production of religious books, had invested the quite conspicuous proceeds in three per cent. consols. By this act he had at once assumed an isolated position, no other Forsyte being content with less than four per cent. for his money; and this isolation had slowly

tapping the p

e young man. From all I can learn, he's got no business, no income, and no co

trembling passed; the spidery fingers of her hands pressed against eac

ts and egotists one and all-though not, indeed, more so than their neighbours-they quailed before h

ong, thin legs

made such a mess of it, and done for himself by deserting his wife and child and running away with that foreign governess. "Well," he resumed hastily, "if he likes t

haven man, with hardly a hair on his head, a long, broken n

he muttered,

(he had made a large fortune, quite legitimately, out of the companies of which he was a direct

p at night. The doctor can't tell why. He's a clever fellow, o

us. There's no satisfaction to be got out of them; they'll tell you anything. There's Swithin, now. What good hav

a chest like a pouter pigeon's in its plumage o

rating the 'h' strongly (this difficult letter was a

looked at the other two, knowing by experien

said James, "that you

pale round eyes with

d, leaning a little forward, "not o

leaned back again into a state of immobility, for he

rful woman! Eighty-six if a day; might live another ten years, and had never been strong. Swithin and James, the twins, were only seventy-five, Nicholas a me

t my nerves are out of order. The least thing w

's no good. What I want is sea air. There's nothin

thin slowly. "Dreadful pain here;" and

, his eyes on the china. He quickl

mblance to a turkey-cock

take plenty: I never u

ut. "I know nothing about anybod

xed him wi

u do for a

brig

a comp

e you,

ll face raised from her little height t

s faded from

ur young man's aunts? You'll have a lot of rain there. This isn't real old Worcester." He

turned to Aunt Ann. A very sweet look had come into the old l

aid, "and so you're go

was beginning to come, followed her wistfully amongst the bustling crowd, for people were beginning to say good-bye; and her finger-tips, pre

they seemed all Forsytes-and certainly there was not much difference-she saw only her own flesh and blood. It was her world, this family, and she knew no other, had never perhaps known any other. All their little secrets, illnesses, engagements, and marriages, how they were getting on, and whether they were making money-all this was her property, her delight, her life; beyond this only a

ime ago! And when June's mother died, six years ago, Jo had married that woman, and they had two children now, so she had heard. Still, he had forfeited his right to be there, had cheated her of the complete fulfilment of her family pride, deprived her of the rightful pleasure of

Ann?" said a

with something round and secret about his whole appearance, looked downwards an

think of the enga

departure from the family nest, he was now her favourite, for she recognised in

he's a good-looking young fellow; but I doub

e edge of a gold-

get it nowadays. It'd do well in a sale at Jobson's." He spoke with relish, as though he felt that he was cheering up his old aunt.

those things," said Aunt An

's smi

e sleeps a great deal better than I do," and he looked

Ann s

well for her not to see so much of June.

is flat cheeks and centered between his eyes, whe

bet," he burst out, but noticing that they were no long

t have a lot of money-he must have more money than he knows what to do with! Montpellie

e," said the voice of Swithin, "and from

to the Forsytes, nor was this remarkable, since the

, had come from Dorsetshire ne

his intimates, had been a stonemason by trade,

en his ten children. Old Jolyon alluded to him, if at all, as 'A hard, thick sort of man; not much refinement about him.' The second generation of For

uses, my dear. His hair about your Uncle Swithin's colour; rather a square build. Tall? No-not very tall" (he had been five feet five, with a mottled face); "a f

e grey church with a buttressed outer wall, and a smaller and greyer chapel. The stream which worked the mill came bubbling down in a dozen rivulets, and pigs were hunting round that estuary. A haze hovered

rather distinguished to be found down there, he came back to town in a poor

of that," he said; "regular country

ed up at times, would allude to his ancestors as: "Yeomen-I suppose very small

and were supporters of such charitable institutions as might be beneficial to their sick domestics. From their father, the builder, they inherited a talent for bricks and mortar. Originally, perhaps, members of some primitive sect, they were now in the natural course of things members of the Church of England,

tinels, lest the fair heart of this London, where their desires were fixed, s

r married, not he-the Soamses in their nest off Knightsbridge; the Rogers in Prince's Gardens (Roger was that remarkable Forsyte who had conceived and carr

and so tall that it gave the observer a crick in the neck; the Nicholases in Ladbroke Grove, a spacious abode and a great ba

er what he had given for that house in Montpellier Square. He himself had had

nted the details

ed James; "The very house I was a

lyon f

suit my purpose at that price. Soames knows the house, we

Jolyon, "care a fi

"you will have your own

o drive down to Hurling

e lonely tomorrow. What'

come and di

he horses, tall and majestic with auburn hair; on her left, Irene-the two husbands, father and son, sitting forward, as though they expected something, opposite t

he silence was bro

uch a collection of

him one of her unfathomable looks. It is likely enough that each branch of the

directing their steps alongside Hyde Park towards the Praed Street Station of the Underground. Like all other Fo

ne foliage; the brothers did not seem to notice phenomena, which contr

's a good-lookin' woman

they don'

ght grey eyes measured the street frontage of the houses by the way, and now and then he

oney," repl

ing then the golden age before the Married Women's Property

as her

me, a Professor,

hook hi

money in tha

mother's fathe

face bri

bankrupt," we

trouble with her; you mark my words, he'l

licked

n," and he waved asi

ked Roger presently. "She must c

f-cracked about her. She refused him five tim

pleasant colour was heightened by exercise, he swung his umbrella to the level

he said, "but her

made n

ng Bosinney will never do any good for himself. They say at Burkitt's he's one of these artistic chaps-got an idea

ered the

re you going?

d Nicholas;-"you never

inute later, the two brothers parted and entered their respective compartments. Each felt aggrieved that the o

tubborn beg

as expressed

s chap Roger

In that great London, which they had conquered and b