第20章

VIII

THEDARKTUNE

AsSoameswalkedawayfromthehouseatRobinHillthesunbrokethroughthegreyofthatchillafternoon，insmokyradiance。SoabsorbedinlandscapepaintingthatheseldomlookedseriouslyforeffectsofNatureoutofdoors——hewasstruckbythatmoodyeffulgence——itmournedwithatriumphsuitedtohisownfeeling。

Victoryindefeat。Hisembassyhadcometonaught。Buthewasridofthosepeople，hadregainedhisdaughterattheexpenseof——herhappiness。WhatwouldFleursaytohim？Wouldshebelievehehaddonehisbest？Andunderthatsunlightfaringontheelms，hazels，holliesofthelaneandthoseunexploitedfields，Soamesfeltdread。

Shewouldbeterriblyupset！Hemustappealtoherpride。Thatboyhadgivenherup，declaredpartandlotwiththewomanwhosolongagohadgivenherfatherup！Soamesclenchedhishands。Givenhimup，andwhy？Whathadbeenwrongwithhim？Andoncemorehefeltthemalaiseofonewhocontemplateshimselfasseenbyanother——likeadogwhochancesonhisrefectioninamirrorandisintriguedandanxiousattheunseizablething。

Notinahurrytogethome，hedinedintownattheConnoisseurs。

Whileeatingapearitsuddenlyoccurredtohimthat，ifhehadnotgonedowntoRobinHill，theboymightnothavesodecided。Herememberedtheexpressiononhisfacewhilehismotherwasrefusingthehandhehadheldout。Astrange，anawkwardthought！HadFleurcookedherowngoosebytryingtomaketoosure？

Hereachedhomeathalf—pastnine。Whilethecarwaspassinginatonedrivegateheheardthegrindingsputterofamotor—cyclepassingoutbytheother。YoungMont，nodoubt，soFleurhadnotbeenlonely。Buthewentinwithasinkingheart。Inthecream—panelleddrawing—roomshewassittingwithherelbowsonherknees，andherchinonherclaspedhands，infrontofawhitecamelliaplantwhichfilledthefireplace。Thatglanceatherbeforeshesawhimrenewedhisdread。Whatwassheseeingamongthosewhitecamellias？

"Well，Father！"

Soamesshookhishead。Histonguefailedhim。Thiswasmurderouswork！Hesawhereyesdilate，herlipsquivering。

"What？What？Quick，Father！"

"Mydear，"saidSoames，"I——Ididmybest，but——"Andagainheshookhishead。

Fleurrantohim，andputahandoneachofhisshoulders。

"She？"

"No，"mutteredSoames;"he。Iwastotellyouthatitwasnouse;hemustdowhathisfatherwishedbeforehedied。"Hecaughtherbythewaist。"Come，child，don’tletthemhurtyou。They’renotworthyourlittlefinger。"

Fleurtoreherselffromhisgrasp。

"Youdidn’tyou——couldn’thavetried。You——youbetrayedme，Father！"

Bitterlywounded，Soamesgazedatherpassionatefigurewrithingthereinfrontofhim。

"Youdidn’ttry——youdidn’t——Iwasafool！Iwon’tbelievehecould——

heevercould！Onlyyesterdayhe——！Oh！whydidIaskyou？"

"Yes，"saidSoames，quietly，"whydidyou？Iswallowedmyfeelings;

Ididmybestforyou，againstmyjudgment——andthisismyreward。

Good—night！"

Witheverynerveinhisbodytwitchinghewenttowardthedoor。

Fleurdartedafterhim。

"Hegivesmeup？Youmeanthat？Father！"

Soamesturnedandforcedhimselftoanswer:

"Yes。"

"Oh！"criedFleur。"Whatdidyou——whatcouldyouhavedoneinthoseolddays？"

ThebreathlesssenseofreallymonstrousinjusticecutthepowerofspeechinSoames’throat。Whathadhedone！Whathadtheydonetohim！

Andwithquiteunconsciousdignityheputhishandonhisbreast，andlookedather。

"It’sashame！"criedFleurpassionately。

Soameswentout。Hemounted，slowandicy，tohispicturegallery，andpacedamonghistreasures。Outrageous！Oh！Outrageous！Shewasspoiled！Ah！andwhohadspoiledher？HestoodstillbeforetheGoyacopy。Accustomedtoherownwayineverything。Flowerofhislife！Andnowthatshecouldn’thaveit！Heturnedtothewindowforsomeair。Daylightwasdying，themoonrising，goldbehindthepoplars！Whatsoundwasthat？Why！Thatpianothing！Adarktune，withathrumandathrob！Shehadsetitgoing——whatcomfortcouldshegetfromthat？Hiseyescaughtmovementdowntherebeyondthelawn，underthetrellisoframblerrosesandyoungacacia—trees，wherethemoonlightfell。Thereshewas，roamingupanddown。Hisheartgavealittlesickeningjump。Whatwouldshedounderthisblow？Howcouldhetell？Whatdidheknowofher——hehadonlylovedherallhislife——lookedonherastheappleofhiseye！Heknewnothing——hadnonotion。Thereshewas——andthatdarktune——andtherivergleaminginthemoonlight！

’Imustgoout，’hethought。

Hehasteneddowntothedrawing—room，lightedjustashehadleftit，withthepianothrummingoutthatwaltz，orfox—trot，orwhatevertheycalleditinthesedays，andpassedthroughontotheverandah。

Wherecouldhewatch，withoutherseeinghim？Andhestoledownthroughthefruitgardentotheboat—house。Hewasbetweenherandtherivernow，andhisheartfeltlighter。Shewashisdaughter，andAnnette’s——shewouldn’tdoanythingfoolish;butthereitwas——hedidn’tknow！Fromtheboathousewindowhecouldseethelastacaciaandthespinofherskirtwhensheturnedinherrestlessmarch。

Thattunehadrundownatlast——thankgoodness！Hecrossedthefloorandlookedthroughthefartherwindowatthewaterslow—flowingpastthelilies。Itmadelittlebubblesagainstthem，brightwhereamoon—streakfell。Herememberedsuddenlythatearlymorningwhenhehadsleptonthehouse—boatafterhisfatherdied，andshehadjustbeenborn——nearlynineteenyearsago！Evennowherecalledtheunaccustomedworldwhenhewokeup，thestrangefeelingithadgivenhim。Thatdaythesecondpassionofhislifebegan——forthisgirlofhis，roamingundertheacacias。Whatacomfortshehadbeentohim！

Andallthesorenessandsenseofoutragelefthim。Ifhecouldmakeherhappyagain，hedidn’tcare！Anowlflew，queeking，queeking;abatflittedby;themoonlightbrightenedandbroadenedonthewater。

Howlongwasshegoingtoroamaboutlikethis！Hewentbacktothewindow，andsuddenlysawhercomingdowntothebank。Shestoodquiteclose，onthelanding—stage。AndSoameswatched，clenchinghishands。Shouldhespeaktoher？Hisexcitementwasintense。Thestillnessofherfigure，itsyouth，itsabsorptionindespair，inlonging，in——itself。Hewouldalwaysrememberit，moonlitlikethat;

andthefaintsweetreekoftheriverandtheshiveringofthewillowleaves。Shehadeverythingintheworldthathecouldgiveher，excepttheonethingthatshecouldnothavebecauseofhim！Theperversityofthingshurthimatthatmoment，asmightafish—boneinhisthroat。

Then，withaninfiniterelief，hesawherturnbacktowardthehouse。

Whatcouldhegivehertomakeamends？Pearls，travel，horses，otheryoungmen——anythingshewanted——thathemightlosethememoryofheryoungfigurelonelybythewater！There！Shehadsetthattunegoingagain！Why——itwasamania！Dark，thrumming，faint，travellingfromthehouse。Itwasasthoughshehadsaid:"IfI

can’thavesomethingtokeepmegoing，Ishalldieofthis！"Soamesdimlyunderstood。Well，ifithelpedher，letherkeepitthrummingonallnight！And，mousingbackthroughthefruitgarden，heregainedtheverandah。Thoughhemeanttogoinandspeaktohernow，hestillhesitated，notknowingwhattosay，tryinghardtorecallhowitfelttobethwartedinlove。Heoughttoknow，oughttoremember——andhecouldnot！Gone——allrealrecollection;exceptthatithadhurthimhorribly。Inthisblanknesshestoodpassinghishandkerchiefoverhandsandlips，whichwereverydry。BycraninghisheadhecouldjustseeFleur，standingwithherbacktothatpianostillgrindingoutitstune，herarmstightcrossedonherbreast，alightedcigarettebetweenherlips，whosesmokehalfveiledherface。TheexpressiononitwasstrangetoSoames，theeyesshoneandstared，andeveryfeaturewasalivewithasortofwretchedscornandanger。OnceortwicehehadseenAnnettelooklikethat——thefacewastoovivid，toonaked，nothisdaughter’satthatmoment。

Andhedarednotgoin，realisingthefutilityofanyattemptatconsolation。Hesatdownintheshadowoftheingle—nook。

Monstroustrick，thatFatehadplayedhim！Nemesis！Thatoldunhappymarriage！AndinGod’sname—why？Howwashetoknow，whenhewantedIrenesoviolently，andsheconsentedtobehis，thatshewouldneverlovehim？Thetunediedandwasrenewed，anddiedagain，andstillSoamessatintheshadow，waitingforheknewnotwhat。

ThefagofFleur’scigarette，flungthroughthewindow，fellonthegrass;hewatcheditglowing，burningitselfout。Themoonhadfreedherselfabovethepoplars，andpouredherunrealityonthegarden。

Comfortlesslight，mysterious，withdrawn——likethebeautyofthatwomanwhohadneverlovedhim——dapplingthenemesiasandthestockswithavesturenotofearth。Flowers！Andhisflowersounhappy！

Ah！WhycouldonenotputhappinessintoLocalLoans，gilditsedges，insureitagainstgoingdown？

Lighthadceasedtoflowoutnowfromthedrawing—roomwindow。Allwassilentanddarkinthere。Hadshegoneup？Herose，and，tiptoeing，peeredin。Itseemedso！Heentered。Theverandahkeptthemoonlightout;andatfirsthecouldseenothingbuttheoutlinesoffurnitureblackerthanthedarkness。Hegropedtowardthefartherwindowtoshutit。Hisfootstruckachair，andheheardagasp。

Thereshewas，curledandcrushedintothecornerofthesofa！Hishandhovered。Didshewanthisconsolation？Hestood，gazingatthatballofcrushedfrillsandhairandgracefulyouth，tryingtoburrowitswayoutofsorrow。Howleaveherthere？Atlasthetouchedherhair，andsaid:

"Come，darling，bettergotobed。I’llmakeituptoyou，somehow。"

Howfatuous！Butwhatcouldhehavesaid？

IX

UNDERTHEOAK—TREE

WhentheirvisitorhaddisappearedJonandhismotherstoodwithoutspeaking，tillhesaidsuddenly:

"Ioughttohaveseenhimout。"

ButSoameswasalreadywalkingdownthedrive，andJonwentupstairstohisfather’sstudio，nottrustinghimselftogoback。

Theexpressiononhismother’sfaceconfrontingthemanshehadoncebeenmarriedto，hadsealedaresolutiongrowingwithinhimeversinceshelefthimthenightbefore。Ithadputthefinishingtouchofreality。TomarryFleurwouldbetohithismotherintheface;

tobetrayhisdeadfather！Itwasnogood！Jonhadtheleastresentfulofnatures。Heborehisparentsnogrudgeinthishourofhisdistress。Foronesoyoungtherewasaratherstrangepowerinhimofseeingthingsinsomesortofproportion。ItwasworseforFleur，worseforhismothereven，thanitwasforhim。Harderthantogiveupwastobegivenup，ortobethecauseofsomeoneyoulovedgivingupforyou。Hemustnot，wouldnotbehavegrudgingly！

Whilehestoodwatchingthetardysunlight，hehadagainthatsuddenvisionoftheworldwhichhadcometohimthenightbefore。Seaonsea，countryoncountry，millionsonmillionsofpeople，allwiththeirownlives，energies，joys，griefs，andsuffering——allwiththingstheyhadtogiveup，andseparatestrugglesforexistence。

Eventhoughhemightbewillingtogiveupallelsefortheonethinghecouldn’thave，hewouldbeafooltothinkhisfeelingsmatteredmuchinsovastaworld，andtobehavelikeacry—babyoracad。Hepicturedthepeoplewhohadnothing——themillionswhohadgivenuplifeintheWar，themillionswhomtheWarhadleftwithlifeandlittleelse;thehungrychildrenhehadreadof，theshatteredmen;

peopleinprison，everykindofunfortunate。And——theydidnothelphimmuch。Ifonehadtomissameal，whatcomfortintheknowledgethatmanyothershadtomissittoo？Therewasmoredistractioninthethoughtofgettingawayoutintothisvastworldofwhichheknewnothingyet。Hecouldnotgoonstayinghere，walledinandsheltered，witheverythingsoslickandcomfortable，andnothingtodobutbroodandthinkwhatmighthavebeen。HecouldnotgobacktoWansdon，andthememoriesofFleur。Ifhesawheragainhecouldnottrusthimself;andifhestayedhereorwentbackthere，hewouldsurelyseeher。Whiletheywerewithinreachofeachotherthatmusthappen。Togofarawayandquicklywastheonlythingtodo。But，howevermuchhelovedhismother，hedidnotwanttogoawaywithher。Thenfeelingthatwasbrutal，hemadeuphisminddesperatelytoproposethattheyshouldgotoItaly。Fortwohoursinthatmelancholyroomhetriedtomasterhimself，thendressedsolemnlyfordinner。

Hismotherhaddonethesame。Theyatelittle，atsomelength，andtalkedofhisfather’scatalogue。TheshowwasarrangedforOctober，andbeyondclericaldetailtherewasnothingmoretodo。

Afterdinnersheputonacloakandtheywentout;walkedalittle，talkedalittle，tilltheywerestandingsilentatlastbeneaththeoak—tree。Ruledbythethought:’IfIshowanything，Ishowall，’

Jonputhisarmthroughhersandsaidquitecasually:

"Mother，let’sgotoItaly。"

Irenepressedhisarm，andsaidascasually:

"Itwouldbeverynice;butI’vebeenthinkingyououghttoseeanddomorethanyouwouldifIwerewithyou。"

"Butthenyou’dbealone。"

"Iwasoncealoneformorethantwelveyears。Besides，IshouldliketobeherefortheopeningofFather’sshow。"

Jon’sgriptightenedroundherarm;hewasnotdeceived。

"Youcouldn’tstayhereallbyyourself;it’stoobig。"

"Nothere，perhaps。InLondon，andImightgotoParis，aftertheshowopens。Yououghttohaveayearatleast，Jon，andseetheworld。"

"Yes，I’dliketoseetheworldandroughit。ButIdon’twanttoleaveyouallalone。"

"Mydear，Ioweyouthatatleast。Ifit’sforyourgood，it’llbeformine。Whynotstarttomorrow？You’vegotyourpassport。"

"Yes;ifI’mgoingithadbetterbeatonce。Only——Mother——if——ifI

wantedtostayoutsomewhere——Americaoranywhere，wouldyoumindcomingpresently？"

"Whereverandwheneveryousendforme。Butdon’tsenduntilyoureallywantme。"

Jondrewadeepbreath。

"IfeelEngland’schoky。"

Theystoodafewminuteslongerundertheoak—tree——lookingouttowherethegrandstandatEpsomwasveiledinevening。Thebrancheskeptthemoonlightfromthem，sothatitonlyfelleverywhereelse——

overthefieldsandfaraway，andonthewindowsofthecreeperedhousebehind，whichsoonwouldbetolet。

X

FLEUR’SWEDDING

TheOctoberparagraphsdescribingtheweddingofFleurForsytetoMichaelMonthardlyconveyedthesymbolicsignificanceofthisevent。

Intheunionofthegreat—granddaughterof"SuperiorDosset"withtheheirofaninthbaronetwastheoutwardandvisiblesignofthatmergerofclassinclasswhichbuttressesthepoliticalstabilityofarealm。ThetimehadcomewhentheForsytesmightresigntheirnaturalresentmentagainsta"flummery"nottheirsbybirth，andacceptitasthestillmorenaturaldueoftheirpossessiveinstincts。Besides，theyhadtomounttomakeroomforallthosesomuchmorenewlyrich。InthatquietbuttastefulceremonyinHanoverSquare，andafterwardamongthefurnitureinGreenStreet，ithadbeenimpossibleforthosenotintheknowtodistinguishtheForsytetroopfromtheMontcontingent——sofarawaywas"SuperiorDosset"

now。Wasthere，inthecreaseofhistrousers，theexpressionofhismoustache，hisaccent，ortheshineonhistop—hat，apintochoosebetweenSoamesandtheninthbaronethimself？WasnotFleurasself—

possessed，quick，glancing，pretty，andhardasthelikeliestMuskham，Mont，orCharwellfillypresent？Ifanything，theForsyteshaditindressandlooksandmanners。Theyhadbecome"upperclass"

andnowtheirnamewouldbeformallyrecordedintheStudBook，theirmoneyjoinedtoland。Whetherthiswasalittlelateintheday，andthoserewardsofthepossessiveinstinct，landsandmoney，destinedforthemelting—pot——wasstillaquestionsomootthatitwasnotmooted。Afterall，TimothyhadsaidConsolsweregoin’up。Timothy，thelast，themissinglink;Timothy，inextremisontheBayswaterRoad——soFranciehadreported。Itwaswhispered，too，thatthisyoungMontwasasortofsocialist——strangelywiseofhim，andinthenatureofinsurance，consideringthedaystheylivedin。Therewasnouneasinessonthatscore。Thelandedclassesproducedthatsortofamiablefoolishnessattimes，turnedtosafeusesandconfinedtotheory。AsGeorgeremarkedtohissisterFrancie:"They’llsoonbehavingpuppies——that’llgivehimpause。"

ThechurchwithwhiteflowersandsomethingblueinthemiddleoftheEastwindowlookedextremelychaste，asthoughendeavouringtocounteractthesomewhatluridphraseologyofaServicecalculatedtokeepthethoughtsofallonpuppies。Forsytes，Haymans，Tweetymans，satintheleftaisle;Monts，Charwells;Muskhamsintheright;whileasprinklingofFleur’sfellow—sufferersatschool，andofMont’sfellow—sufferersin，theWar，gapedindiscriminatelyfromeitherside，andthreemaidenladies，whohaddroppedinontheirwayfromSkyward’sbroughtuptherear，togetherwithtwoMontretainersandFleur’soldnurse。Intheunsettledstateofthecountryasfullahouseascouldbeexpected。

Mrs。ValDartie，whosatwithherhusbandinthethirdrow，squeezedhishandmorethanonceduringtheperformance。Toher，whoknewtheplotofthistragi—comedy，itsmostdramaticmomentwaswell—nighpainful。’IwonderifJonknowsbyinstinct，’shethought——Jon，outinBritishColumbia。Shehadreceivedaletterfromhimonlythatmorningwhichhadmadehersmileandsay:

"Jon’sinBritishColumbia，Val，becausehewantstobeinCalifornia。Hethinksit’stoonicethere。"

"Oh！"saidVal，"sohe’sbeginningtoseeajokeagain。"

"He’sboughtsomelandandsentforhismother。"

"Whatonearthwillshedooutthere？"

"AllshecaresaboutisJon。Doyoustillthinkitahappyrelease？"

Val’sshrewdeyesnarrowedtogreypin—pointsbetweentheirdarklashes。

"Fleurwouldn’thavesuitedhimabit。She’snotbredright。"

"PoorlittleFleur！"sighedHolly。Ah！itwasstrange——thismarriage。Theyoungman，Mont，hadcaughtherontherebound，ofcourse，intherecklessmoodofonewhoseshiphasjustgonedown。

Suchaplungecouldnotbutbe——asValputit——anoutsidechance。

Therewaslittletobetoldfromthebackviewofheryoungcousin’sveil，andHolly’seyesreviewedthegeneralaspectofthisChristianwedding。She，whohadmadealove—matchwhichhadbeensuccessful，hadahorrorofunhappymarriages。Thismightnotbeoneintheend—

—butitwasclearlyatoss—up;andtoconsecrateatoss—upinthisfashionwithmanufacturedunctionbeforeacrowdoffashionablefree—

thinkers——forwhothoughtotherwisethanfreely，ornotatall，whentheywere"dolled"up——seemedtoherasnearasinasonecouldfindinanagewhichhadabolishedthem。Hereyeswanderedfromtheprelateinhisrobes（aCharwell—theForsyteshadnotasyetproducedaprelate）toVal，besideher，thinking——shewascertain——oftheMayflyfillyatfifteentoonefortheCambridgeshire。Theypassedonandcaughttheprofileoftheninthbaronet，incounterfeitmentofthekneelingprocess。Shecouldjustseetheneatruckabovehiskneeswherehehadpulledhistrousersup，andthought:’Val’sforgottentopulluphis！’Hereyespassedtothepewinfrontofher，whereWinifred’ssubstantialformwasgownedwithpassion，andonagaintoSoamesandAnnettekneelingsidebyside。Alittlesmilecameonherlips——ProsperProfond，backfromtheSouthSeasoftheChannel，wouldbekneelingtoo，aboutsixrowsbehind。Yes！Thiswasafunny"small"business，howeveritturnedout;stillitwasinaproperchurchandwouldbeintheproperpapersto—morrowmorning。

Theyhadbegunahymn;shecouldheartheninthbaronetacrosstheaisle，singingofthehostsofMidian。HerlittlefingertouchedVal’sthumb——theywereholdingthesamehymn—book——andatinythrillpassedthroughher，preserved——fromtwentyyearsago。Hestoopedandwhispered:

"Isay，d’youremembertherat？"TheratattheirweddinginCapeColony，whichhadcleaneditswhiskersbehindthetableattheRegistrar’s！Andbetweenherlittleandthirdforgersshesqueezedhisthumbhard。

Thehymnwasover，theprelatehadbeguntodeliverhisdiscourse。

Hetoldthemofthedangeroustimestheylivedin，andtheawfulconductoftheHouseofLordsinconnectionwithdivorce。Theywereallsoldiers——hesaid——inthetrenchesunderthepoisonousgasofthePrinceofDarkness，andmustbemanful。Thepurposeofmarriagewaschildren，notmeresinfulhappiness。

AnimpdancedinHolly’seyes——Val’seyelashesweremeeting。

Whateverhappened;hemustnotsnore。Herfingerandthumbclosedonhisthightillhestirreduneasily。

Thediscoursewasover，thedangerpast。Theyweresigninginthevestry;andgeneralrelaxationhadsetin。

Avoicebehindhersaid:

"Willshestaythecourse？"

"Who’sthat？"shewhispered。

"OldGeorgeForsyte！"

Hollydemurelyscrutinizedoneofwhomshehadoftenheard。FreshfromSouthAfrica，andignorantofherkithandkin，sheneversawonewithoutanalmostchildishcuriosity。Hewasverybig，andverydapper;hiseyesgaveherafunnyfeelingofhavingnoparticularclothes。

"They’reoff！"sheheardhimsay。

Theycame，steppingfromthechancel。HollylookedfirstinyoungMont’sface。Hislipsandearsweretwitching，hiseyes，shiftingfromhisfeettothehandwithinhisarm，staredsuddenlybeforethemasiftofaceafiringparty。HegaveHollythefeelingthathewasspirituallyintoxicated。ButFleur！Ah！Thatwasdifferent。Thegirlwasperfectlycomposed，prettierthanever，inherwhiterobesandveiloverherbangeddarkchestnuthair;hereyelidshovereddemureoverherdarkhazeleyes。Outwardly，sheseemedallthere。

Butinwardly，wherewasshe？Asthosetwopassed，Fleurraisedhereyelids——therestlessglintofthoseclearwhitesremainedonHolly’svisionasmighttheflutterofcagedbird’swings。

InGreenStreetWinifredstoodtoreceive，justalittlelesscomposedthanusual。Soames’requestfortheuseofherhousehadcomeonheratadeeplypsychologicalmoment。UndertheinfluenceofaremarkofProsperProfond，shehadbeguntoexchangeherEmpireforExpressionisticfurniture。Therewerethemostamusingarrangements，withviolet，green，andorangeblobsandscriggles，tobehadatMealard’s。Anothermonthandthechangewouldhavebeencomplete。

Justnow，thevery"intriguing"recruitsshehadenlisted，didnotmarchtoowellwiththeoldguard。Itwasasifherregimentwerehalfinkhaki，halfinscarletandbearskins。Butherstrongandcomfortablecharactermadethebestofitinadrawing—roomwhichtypified，perhaps，moreperfectlythansheimagined，thesemi—

bolshevizedimperialismofhercountry。Afterall，thiswasadayofmerger，andyoucouldn’thavetoomuchofit！Hereyestravelledindulgentlyamongherguests。Soameshadgrippedthebackofabuhlchair;youngMontwasbehindthat"awfullyamusing"screen，whichnooneasyethadbeenabletoexplaintoher。Theninthbaronethadshiedviolentlyataroundscarlettable，inlaidunderglasswithblueAustralianbutteries’wings，andwasclingingtoherLouis—

Quinzecabinet;FrancieForsytehadseizedthenewmantel—board，finelycarvedwithlittlepurplegrotesquesonanebonyground;

George，overbytheoldspinet，washoldingalittlesky—bluebookasifabouttoenterbets;ProsperProfondwastwiddlingtheknoboftheopendoor，blackwithpeacock—bluepanels;andAnnette’shands，closeby，weregraspingherownwaist;twoMuskhamsclungtothebalconyamongtheplants，asiffeelingill;LadyMont，thinandbrave—

looking，hadtakenupherlong—handledglassesandwasgazingatthecentrallightshade，ofivoryandorangedashedwithdeepmagenta，asiftheheavenshadopened。Everybody，infact，seemedholdingontosomething。OnlyFleur，stillinherbridaldress，wasdetachedfromallsupport，flingingherwordsandglancestoleftandright。

Theroomwasfullofthebubbleandthesqueakofconversation。

Nobodycouldhearanythingthatanybodysaid;whichseemedoflittleconsequence，sincenoonewaitedforanythingsoslowasananswer。

ModernconversationseemedtoWinifredsodifferentfromthedaysofherprime，whenadrawlwasallthevogue。Stillitwas"amusing，"

which，ofcourse，wasallthatmattered。EventheForsytesweretalkingwithextremerapidity——FleurandChristopher，andImogen，andyoungNicholas’syoungest，Patrick。Soames，ofcourse，wassilent;

butGeorge，bythespinet，keptuparunningcommentary，andFrancie，byhermantel—shelf。Winifreddrewnearertotheninthbaronet。Heseemedtopromiseacertainrepose;hisnosewasfineanddroopedalittle，hisgreymoustachestoo;andshesaid，drawlingthroughhersmile:

"It’srathernice，isn’tit？"

Hisreplyshotoutofhissmilelikeasnippedbreadpellet"D’youremember，inFrazer，thetribethatburiesthebrideuptothewaist？"

Hespokeasfastasanybody！Hehaddarklivelylittleeyes，too，allcrinkledroundlikeaCatholicpriest’s。Winifredfeltsuddenlyhemightsaythingsshewouldregret。

"They’realwayssoamusing——weddings，"shemurmured，andmovedontoSoames。Hewascuriouslystill，andWinifredsawatoncewhatwasdictatinghisimmobility。TohisrightwasGeorgeForsyte，tohisleftAnnetteandProsperProfond。Hecouldnotmovewithouteitherseeingthosetwotogether，orthereflectionoftheminGeorgeForsyte’sjapingeyes。Hewasquiterightnottobetakingnotice。