To Let by John Galsworthy (the beginning after the end novel read TXT) 📖
- Author: John Galsworthy
Book online «To Let by John Galsworthy (the beginning after the end novel read TXT) 📖». Author John Galsworthy
When The Heart Failed Like This--Surely It Was
Not Quite Natural! Perhaps His Father's Consciousness Was In The Room
With Him. Above The Bed Hung A Picture Of His Father's Father. Perhaps
His Consciousness, Too, Was Still Alive; And His Brother's--His
Half-Brother, Who Had Died In The Transvaal. Were They All Gathered
Round This Bed? Jon Kissed The Forehead, And Stole Back To His Own
Room. The Door Between It And His Mother's Was Ajar; She Had Evidently
Been In--Everything Was Ready For Him, Even Some Biscuits And Hot Milk,
And The Letter No Longer On The Floor. He Ate And Drank, Watching The
Last Light Fade. He Did Not Try To See Into The Future--Just Stared At
The Dark Branches Of The Oak-Tree, Level With His Window, And Felt As
If Life Had Stopped. Once In The Night, Turning In His Heavy Sleep, He
Was Conscious Of Something White And Still, Beside His Bed, And Started
Up. His Mother's Voice Said:
"It's Only I, Jon Dear!" Her Hand Pressed His Forehead Gently Back; Her
White Figure Disappeared.
Alone! He Fell Heavily Asleep Again, And Dreamed He Saw His Mother's
Name Crawling On His Bed.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 75
The Announcement In The Times Of His Cousin Jolyon's Death Affected
Soames Quite Simply. So That Chap Was Gone! There Had Never Been A Time
In Their Two Lives When Love Had Not Been Lost Between Them. That
Quick-Blooded Sentiment Hatred Had Run Its Course Long Since In Soames'
Heart, And He Had Refused To Allow Any Recrudescence, But He Considered
This Early Decease A Piece Of Poetic Justice.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 76For Twenty Years The
Fellow Had Enjoyed The Reversion Of His Wife And House, And--He Was
Dead! The Obituary Notice, Which Appeared A Little Later, Paid
Jolyon--He Thought--Too Much Attention. It Spoke Of That "Diligent And
Agreeable Painter Whose Work We Have Come To Look On As Typical Of The
Best Late-Victorian Water-Colour Art." Soames, Who Had Almost
Mechanically Preferred Mole, Morpin, And Caswell Baye, And Had Always
Sniffed Quite Audibly When He Came To One Of His Cousin's On The Line,
Turned The Times With A Crackle.
He Had To Go Up To Town That Morning On Forsyte Affairs, And Was Fully
Conscious Of Gradman's Glance Sidelong Over His Spectacles. The Old
Clerk Had About Him An Aura Of Regretful Congratulation. He Smelled, As
It Were, Of Old Days. One Could Almost Hear Him Thinking: "Mr. Jolyon,
Ye-Es--Just My Age, And Gone--Dear, Dear! I Dare Say She Feels It. She
Was A Naice-Lookin' Woman. Flesh Is Flesh! They've Given 'Im A Notice
In The Papers. Fancy!" His Atmosphere In Fact Caused Soames To Handle
Certain Leases And Conversions With Exceptional Swiftness.
"About That Settlement On Miss Fleur, Mr. Soames?"
"I've Thought Better Of That," Answered Soames Shortly.
"Aoh! I'm Glad Of That. I Thought You Were A Little Hasty. The Times Do
Change."
How This Death Would Affect Fleur Had Begun To Trouble Soames. He Was
Not Certain That She Knew Of It--She Seldom Looked At The Paper, Never
At The Births, Marriages, And Deaths.
He Pressed Matters On, And Made His Way To Green Street For Lunch.
Winifred Was Almost Doleful. Jack Cardigan Had Broken A Splashboard, So
Far As One Could Make Out, And Would Not Be "Fit" For Some Time. She
Could Not Get Used To The Idea.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 77"Did Profond Ever Get Off?" He Said Suddenly.
"He Got Off," Replied Winifred, "But Where--I Don't Know."
Yes, There It Was--Impossible To Tell Anything! Not That He Wanted To
Know. Letters From Annette Were Coming From Dieppe, Where She And Her
Mother Were Staying.
"You Saw That Fellow's Death, I Suppose?"
"Yes," Said Winifred. "I'm Sorry For His Children. He Was Very Amiable."
Soames Uttered A Rather Queer Sound. A Suspicion Of The Old Deep
Truth--That Men Were Judged In This World Rather By What They Were Than
By What They Did--Crept And Knocked Resentfully At The Back Door Of His
Mind.
"I Know There Was A Superstition To That Effect," He Muttered.
"One Must Do Him Justice Now He's Dead."
"I Should Like To Have Done Him Justice Before," Said Soames; "But I
Never Had The Chance. Have You Got A 'Baronetage' Here?"
"Yes; In That Bottom Row."
Soames Took Out A Fat Red Book, And Ran Over The Leaves.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 78"Mont--Sir Lawrence, 9th Bt. Cr. 1620. E.S. Of Geoffrey 8th Bt. And
Lavinia Daur. Of Sir Charles Muskham Bt. Of Muskham Hall, Shrops: Marr.
1890 Emily, Daur. Of Conway Charwell Esq. Of Condaford Grange, Co.
Oxon; 1 Son, Heir Michael Conway, B. 1895, 2 Daurs. Residence:
Lippinghall Manor, Folwell, Bucks: Clubs: Snooks: Coffee House:
Aeroplane. See Bidlicott."
"H'm!" He Said: "Did You Ever Know A Publisher?"
"Uncle Timothy."
"Alive, I Mean."
"Monty Knew One At His Club. He Brought Him Here To Dinner Once. Monty
Was Always Thinking Of Writing A Book, You Know, About How To Make
Money On The Turf. He Tried To Interest That Man."
"Well?"
"He Put Him On To A Horse--For The Two Thousand. We Didn't See Him
Again. He Was Rather Smart, If I Remember."
"Did It Win?"
"No; It Ran Last, I Think. You Know Monty Really Was Quite Clever In
His Way.".
"Was He?" Said Soames. "Can You See Any Connection Between A Sucking
Baronet And Publishing?"
"People Do All Sorts Of Things Nowadays," Replied Winifred.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 79"The Great
Stunt Seems Not To Be Idle--So Different From Our Time. To Do Nothing
Was The Thing Then. But I Suppose It'll Come Again."
"This Young Mont That I'm Speaking Of Is Very Sweet On Fleur. If It
Would Put An End To That Other Affair I Might Encourage It."
"Has He Got Style?" Asked Winifred.
"He's No Beauty; Pleasant Enough, With Some Scattered Brains. There's A
Good Deal Of Land, I Believe. He Seems Genuinely Attached. But I Don't
Know."
"No," Murmured Winifred; "It's Very Difficult. I Always Found It Best
To Do Nothing. It Is Such A Bore About Jack; Now We Shan't Get Away
Till After Bank Holiday. Well, The People Are Always Amusing, I Shall
Go Into The Park And Watch Them."
"If I Were You," Said Soames, "I Should Have A Country Cottage, And Be
Out Of The Way Of Holidays And Strikes When You Want."
"The Country Bores Me," Answered Winifred, "And I Found The Railway
Strike Quite Exciting."
Winifred Had Always Been Noted For Sang-Froid.
Soames Took His Leave. All The Way Down To Reading He Debated Whether
He Should Tell Fleur Of That Boy's Father's Death. It Did Not Alter The
Situation Except That He Would Be Independent Now, And Only Have His
Mother's Opposition To Encounter. He Would Come Into A Lot Of Money, No
Doubt, And Perhaps The House--The House Built For Irene And
Himself--The House Whose Architect Had Wrought His Domestic Ruin. His
Daughter--Mistress Of That House! That Would Be Poetic Justice! Soames
Uttered A Little Mirthless Laugh.
Part III IV (Soames Cogitates) Pg 80He Had Designed That House To
Re-Establish His Failing Union, Meant It For The Seat Of His
Descendants, If He Could Have Induced Irene To Give Him One! Her Son
And Fleur! Their Children Would Be, In Some Sort, Offspring Of The
Union Between Himself And Her!
The Theatricality In That Thought Was Repulsive To His Sober Sense. And
Yet--It Would Be The Easiest And Wealthiest Way Out Of The Impasse, Now
That Jolyon Was Gone. The Juncture Of Two Forsyte Fortunes Had A Kind
Of Conservative Charm. And She--Irene--Would Be Linked To Him Once
More. Nonsense! Absurd! He Put The Notion From His Head.
On Reaching Home He Heard The Click Of Billiard-Balls; And Through The
Window Saw Young Mont Sprawling Over The Table. Fleur, With Her Cue
Akimbo, Was Watching With A Smile. How Pretty She Looked! No Wonder
That Young Fellow Was Out Of His Mind About Her. A Title--Land! There
Was Little Enough In Land, These Days; Perhaps Less In A Title. The Old
Forsytes Had Always Had A Kind Of Contempt For Titles, Rather Remote
And Artificial Things--Not Worth The Money They Cost,
Comments (0)