To Let by John Galsworthy (the beginning after the end novel read TXT) 📖
- Author: John Galsworthy
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"Tell Me About It, Father!"
Soames Became Very Still.
"What Should You Want To Know About Such Things, At Your Age?"
"Is She Alive?"
He Nodded.
"And Married?"
"Yes."
"It's Jon Forsyte's Mother, Isn't It? And She Was Your Wife First."
It Was Said In A Flash Of Intuition. Surely His Opposition Came From
His Anxiety That She Should Not Know Of That Old Wound To His Pride.
But She Was Startled. To See Some One So Old And Calm Wince As If
Struck, To Hear So Sharp A Note Of Pain In His Voice!
"Who Told You That? If Your Aunt--! I Can't Bear The Affair Talked Of."
"But, Darling," Said Fleur, Softly, "It's So Long Ago."
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 20"Long Ago Or Not, I--"
Fleur Stood Stroking His Arm.
"I've Tried To Forget," He Said Suddenly; "I Don't Wish To Be
Reminded." And Then, As If Venting Some Long And Secret Irritation, He
Added: "In These Days People Don't Understand. Grand Passion, Indeed!
No One Knows What It Is."
"I Do," Said Fleur, Almost In A Whisper.
Soames, Who Had Turned His Back On Her, Spun Round.
"What Are You Talking Of--A Child Like You!"
"Perhaps I've Inherited It, Father."
"What?"
"For Her Son, You See."
He Was Pale As A Sheet, And She Knew That She Was As Bad. They Stood
Staring At Each Other In The Steamy Heat, Redolent Of The Mushy Scent
Of Earth, Of Potted Geranium, And Of Vines Coming Along Fast.
"This Is Crazy," Said Soames At Last, Between Dry Lips.
Scarcely Moving Her Own, She Murmured:
"Don't Be Angry, Father. I Can't Help It."
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 21But She Could See He Wasn't Angry; Only Scared, Deeply Scared.
"I Thought That Foolishness," He Stammered, "Was All Forgotten."
"Oh, No! It's Ten Times What It Was."
Soames Kicked At The Hot-Water Pipe. The Hapless Movement Touched Her,
Who Had No Fear Of Her Father--None.
"Dearest!" She Said: "What Must Be, Must, You Know."
"Must!" Repeated Soames. "You Don't Know What You're Talking Of. Has
That Boy Been Told?"
The Blood Rushed Into Her Cheeks.
"Not Yet."
He Had Turned From Her Again, And, With One Shoulder A Little Raised,
Stood Staring Fixedly At A Joint In The Pipes.
"It's Most Distasteful To Me," He Said Suddenly; "Nothing Could Be More
So. Son Of That Fellow--It's--It's--Perverse!"
She Had Noted, Almost Unconsciously, That He Did Not Say "Son Of That
Woman," And Again Her Intuition Began Working.
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 22Did The Ghost Of That Grand Passion Linger In Some Corner Of His Heart?
She Slipped Her Hand Under His Arm.
"Jon's Father Is Quite Ill And Old; I Saw Him."
"You--?"
"Yes, I Went There With Jon; I Saw Them Both."
"Well, And What Did They Say To You?"
"Nothing. They Were Very Polite."
"They Would Be." He Resumed His Contemplation Of The Pipe-Joint, And
Then Said Suddenly: "I Must Think This Over--I'll Speak To You Again
To-Night."
She Knew This Was Final For The Moment, And Stole Away, Leaving Him
Still Looking At The Pipe-Joint. She Wandered Into The Fruit-Garden,
Among The Raspberry And Currant Bushes, Without Impetus To Pick And
Eat. Two Months Ago--She Was Light-Hearted! Even Two Days
Ago--Light-Hearted, Before Prosper Profond Told Her. Now She Felt
Tangled In A Web--Of Passions, Vested Rights, Oppressions And Revolts,
The Ties Of Love And Hate. At This Dark Moment Of Discouragement There
Seemed, Even To Her Hold-Fast Nature, No Way Out.
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 23How Deal With It--How
Sway And Bend Things To Her Will, And Get Her Heart's Desire? And,
Suddenly, Round The Corner Of The High Box Hedge, She Came Plump On Her
Mother, Walking Swiftly, With An Open Letter In Her Hand. Her Bosom Was
Heaving, Her Eyes Dilated, Her Cheeks Flushed. Instantly Fleur Thought:
"The Yacht! Poor Mother!"
Annette Gave Her A Wide Startled Look, And Said:
"J'ai La Migraine."
"I'm Awfully Sorry, Mother."
"Oh; Yes! You And Your Father--Sorry!"
"But, Mother--I Am. I Know What It Feels Like."
Annette's Startled Eyes Grew Wide, Till The Whites Showed Above Them.
"You Innocent!" She Said.
Her Mother--So Self-Possessed, And Commonsensical--To Look And Speak
Like This! It Was All Frightening! Her Father, Her Mother, Herself! And
Only Two Months Back They Had Seemed To Have Everything They Wanted In
This World.
Annette Crumpled The Letter In Her Hand. Fleur Knew That She Must
Ignore The Sight.
"Can't I Do Anything For Your Head, Mother?"
Annette Shook That Head And Walked On, Swaying Her Hips.
'It's Cruel,' Thought Fleur, 'And I Was Glad! That Man! What Do Men
Come Prowling For, Disturbing Everything! I Suppose He's Tired Of Her.
What Business Has He To Be Tired Of My Mother? What Business!' And At
That Thought, So Natural And So Peculiar, She Uttered A Little Choked
Laugh.
She Ought, Of Course, To Be Delighted, But What Was There To Be
Delighted At? Her Father Didn't Really Care! Her Mother Did, Perhaps?
She Entered The Orchard, And Sat Down Under A Cherry-Tree.
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 24A Breeze
Sighed In The Higher Boughs; The Sky Seen Through Their Green Was Very
Blue And Very White In Cloud--Those Heavy White Clouds Almost Always
Present In River Landscape. Bees, Sheltering Out Of The Wind, Hummed
Softly, And Over The Lush Grass Fell The Thick Shade From Those
Fruit-Trees Planted By Her Father Five-And-Twenty Years Ago. Birds Were
Almost Silent, The Cuckoos Had Ceased To Sing, But Wood-Pigeons Were
Cooing. The Breath And Drone And Cooing Of High Summer Were Not For
Long A Sedative To Her Excited Nerves. Crouched Over Her Knees She
Began To Scheme. Her Father Must Be Made To Back Her Up. Why Should He
Mind So Long As She Was Happy? She Had Not Lived For Nearly Nineteen
Years Without Knowing That Her Future Was All He Really Cared About.
She Had, Then, Only To Convince Him That Her Future Could Not Be Happy
Without Jon. He Thought It A Mad Fancy. How Foolish The Old Were,
Thinking They Could Tell What The Young Felt! Had Not He Confessed That
He--When Young--Had Loved With A Grand Passion! He Ought To Understand.
'He Piles Up His Money For Me,' She Thought; 'But What's The Use, If
I'm Not Going To Be Happy?' Money, And All It Bought, Did Not Bring
Happiness. Love Only Brought That. The Ox-Eyed Daisies In This Orchard,
Which Gave It Such A Moony Look Sometimes, Grew Wild And Happy, And Had
Their Hour. 'They Oughtn't To Have Called Me Fleur,' She Mused, 'If
They Didn't Mean Me To Have My Hour, And Be Happy While It Lasts.'
Nothing Real Stood In The Way, Like Poverty, Or Disease--Sentiment
Only, A Ghost From The Unhappy Past! Jon Was Right. They Wouldn't Let
You Live, These Old People! They Made Mistakes, Committed Crimes, And
Wanted Their Children To Go On Paying! The Breeze Died Away; Midges
Began To Bite. She Got Up, Plucked A Piece Of Honeysuckle, And Went In.
It Was Hot That Night. Both She And Her Mother Had Put On Thin, Pale
Low Frocks. The Dinner Flowers Were Pale. Fleur Was Struck With The
Pale Look Of Everything: Her Father's Face, Her Mother's Shoulders; The
Pale Panelled Walls, The Pale-Grey Velvety Carpet, The Lamp-Shade, Even
The Soup Was Pale. There Was Not One Spot Of Colour In The Room, Not
Even Wine In The Pale Glasses, For No One Drank It. What Was Not Pale
Was Black--Her Father's Clothes, The Butler's Clothes, Her Retriever
Stretched Out Exhausted In The Window, The Curtains Black With A Cream
Pattern. A Moth Came In, And That Was Pale. And Silent Was That
Half-Mourning Dinner In The Heat.
Her Father Called Her Back As She Was Following Her Mother Out.
Part II IX (Fat In The Fire) Pg 25She Sat Down Beside Him At The Table, And, Unpinning The Pale
Honeysuckle, Put It To Her Nose.
"I've Been Thinking," He Said.
"Yes, Dear?"
"It's Extremely Painful For Me To Talk, But There's No Help For It. I
Don't Know If You Understand How Much You Are To Me--I've Never Spoken
Of It, I Didn't Think It Necessary; But--But
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