The Forsyte Saga - Complete

s on the last day of January, 1901, with such privacy

anywhere else under heaven. Her beauty in the best Parisian frocks was giving him more satisfaction than if he had collected a perfect bit

e in those old days when I first met her and she would not have me; when I sighed and starved after her and couldn't rest a minute until she yielded-no! If you mean do I admire her youth

see these things differently from us. They look at marriage from the point of view of establishments and children; and, from my own experience, I am not at all sure that theirs is not the sensible view. I shall not expect this time more than I can get, or she can give. Years hence I shouldn't be surprised if I have trouble

rejoined: "That's as it may be. If I get satisfaction for my senses, perpetuation of myself; good taste and good humour in the house; it is all I can expect

haved their upper lips, ate oysters out of barrels; 'tigers' swung behind cabriolets; women said, 'La!' and owned no property; there were manners in the land, and pigsties for the poor; unhappy devils were hanged for little crimes, and Dickens had but just begun to write. Well-nigh two generations had slipped by-of steamboats, railways, telegraphs, bicycles, electric light, telephones, and now these motorcars-of such accumulated wealth, that eight per cent. had become three, and Forsytes were numbered by the thousand! Morals had changed, manners had changed, men had become monkeys twice-removed, God had become Mammon-Mam

thnal Green; from Hackney, Hornsey, Leytonstone, Battersea, and Fulham; and from those green pastures where Forsytes flourish-Mayfair and Kensington, St. James' and Belgravia, Bayswater and Chelsea and the Regent's Park, the people swarmed down on to the roads where death would presently pass with dusky pomp and pageantry. Never again would a Queen reign so long, or people have a chance to see so much history buried for their money. A pity the war dragged on, and

n, domestically certain again at last; something which made property worth while-a real thing once more. Pressed close against her and trying to ward others off, Soames was content. The crowd swayed round them, ate sandwiches and dropped crumbs; boys who had climbed the plane-trees chattered above like monkeys, threw twigs and orange-peel. It was past time; they should be coming soon! And, suddenly, a little behind them to the left, he saw a tallish man with a soft hat and short grizzling beard, and a tallish woman in a little round fur cap and veil. Jolyon and Irene talking, smiling at each other, close together like Annette and himself! They had not seen him; and

nosed s

t pe

em; just turning a

nswered; "a mi

how she walk! Elle e

that swaying and erect, remote, unseizable; ever eluding the contact

end," he said, "t

of the procession, he was quivering with the sense of always missin

him. There it was-the bier of the Queen, coffin of the Age slow passing! And as it went by there came a murmuring groan from all the long line of those who watched, a sound such as Soames had never heard, so unconscious, primitive, deep and

arched alongside down the dense crowds mile after mile. It was a human sound, and yet inhuman, pushed out by animal

retrieve interest in the show. Soames lingered just long enough to gratify A

t all right before he died, and left her with that son of his. And he remembered the many evenings he and his brothers and their cronies had wagged their heads over their wine and walnuts and that fellow in his salad days. And now he had come to the throne. They said he had steadied down-he didn't know-couldn't tell! He'd make the money fly still, he sh

peror was here for the funeral, his telegram to old Kruger had been in shocking taste. He should not be surprised if that chap made trouble some day. Change! H'm! Well, they must look after themselves when he was gone: he didn't kn

possibility of knowing what his elder brother, once so looked up to, would have said, so worri

ent in the crowd brought him to a standstill at the window, his nose touching the pane and whitening from the chill of it. They had got her as far as Hyde Park Corner-they were passing now! Why didn't Emily come up here where she could see, instead of fussing

capital view

es; "why didn't you come befo

nt, staring wit

noise?" he a

Emily; "what are you thinki

n hea

nse, J

; what James heard was the groaning in h

t to know." And he turned from the window. There she went, the old Queen;

up the ha

r head," she said, "before they com

James; "they sa

s of the chair and slowly raised himself. Stooping and immaculate in his frock-coat, thin as a line in Euclid, he received Annette's hand in his; and the anx

been to see the Queen, I suppose

er from whom he hoped fo

spotless, Annette murmured something i

to come back from the Park to fetch him thence. His brown eyes rested on Annette with a stare of almost startled satisfaction. The second beauty that fellow Soames had picked up! What women could see in him! Well, she would play him the same trick as the other, no doubt; but in the meantime he was a lucky devil! And he brushed up his moustac

aid Annette in the cab, "

eorge!" s

tty. Your father is veree old. I think your mother

; but it disquieted him a little. The thought may have just flashed throug

ke you to," he said; "you'll find it funny, but we must

's was different. They were delighted to see dear Soam

eyes-she afterwards described them to Francie, who dropped in, as: "Cornflower-blue, so pretty, I quite wanted to kiss them. I must say dear Soames is a perfect connoisseur. In her French way, and not so very French eit

rte," Franc

to London, we had a foxhound puppy-to 'walk' it was called then; it had a tan top

Francie, "but I don'

eyes and hair, you know...." She was silent, as if surprised in some inde

the two sisters whether Timothy should

bother!"

o scared about Fashoda. I think perhaps we had better not run the risk, Hester. It's nice to h

terposed

think of Lond

. It came, sensible, composed: "Oh! I

fferent notions about gentility, and to shrink from connection with it might seem to her

o you know best?

aid Annet

snapped

ated Aunt Ju

nd the family,'

ch, and interes

r had some houses there once; he was always

the subject t

n there soon to settle in. We are all so looking for

nt Hester despera

wait for tea, and

y part of London; and you're altogether above that restaurant business now; I mea

opened; a little sm

" she

ooked at her hard. 'She's got good business instincts,

t of course the very rich. It may be stupid, but there it is, you see. It isn't advisable in England to let people know that you ran a restaurant or kept a shop or were

nette; "it is th

elieved and taken aback. "Of cou

nette; "comme

ical.' His knowledge of French was not yet such as to make him grieve that sh

tes ma bel

f into a little

z pas Francais, Soames. What is that ol

e said; "she's always saying somet