"My father's will instructed me to bury him at robin hill instead of in the family mausoleum at highgate, and this decision marked the final rupture between him and the rest of the forsyte family." "Apart from providing separately for june and irene, he left everything to me, including the house itself." "Ironic thought." "I am now a man of property." "How poor bosinney would have laughed." "Well, my love, I'm off." "Oh, by the way, where's holly?" "I told her she might go to the picnic with the brewsters, oh, yes." "Of course." "And stay with them tonight." "Good." "I was sure you wouldn't mind." "Oh, why should I?" "Father wouldn'T." "He always believed that young things ought to be happy." "Have you seen june?" "She's upstairs, I think." "Do you know if she's made up her mind?" "I don't know." "If she decides to leave, jo... oh, perhaps she won'T." "She will." "Because of me." "No." "It's useless to say no." "She will leave because she hates me." "She resents me." "She always will." "My darling, that simply isn't true." "It's a delusion." "You think I have delusions?" "You see?" "Is it a delusion?" "She is ready to go." "Why should she go and leave you if it is not because of me?" "I have decided to go, if I can find the right place to live in london." "My reasons have nothing to do with you." "That I do not believe." "Oh, helene." "Let me make this quite clear." "Look, jo... helene, you must listen, and you must understand." "I'm 23 years old." "I'm strong." "Years and years to live if the other forsytes are anything to go by." "What am I to do with those years?" "Do you think I can stay placidly here dreaming my life away, pruning roses and going to tea parties at the vicarage?" "You will be married." "Never." "After knowing philip, whom should I wish to marry?" "Oht t thare... e cucu t younicich, spspot a innobuanlastperett no." "I shall never marry." "D than t tgran, I don't haveo." "O." "Inndom." "Thytupw who doesn't have to be kept by some man or other." "I can live comfortably on a quarter of my income." "Good for you." "What will you do with the rest of it?" "Well, do y not think there's plenty to be done?" "Young people, artists all over london, gglingo lili while alt t one toogzeali'p" "I can now, and I will." "That's why I'm going, helene, and I beg you to believe me." "That's the only reason." "I'll come and see you often." "I'llait t you in t tarriage, father." "Bo and so bve." "But I can't believe her." "I think you must." "My darling, I don't think i ought to leave you today." "There's no hurry why?" "Why shouldn't you leave me?" "You must be feeling pretty low, and I quite understand why." "Tomorrow will do." "Tomorrow will not do." "You must find june a place to live... and then go and see irene." "You've put it off too long." "There's been a lot to do here." "Yes, but why should she be kept waiting to hear of her good fortune?" "Not one single day of happiness should be wasted." "Are you sure?" "But come home soon." "I'll be home for dinner." "Jo!" "This is all quite overwhelming, cousin jo." "I don't know what to say." "Thank you." "Now, you cannot touch the capital, you understand that?" "My father, bless his heart, was still a forsyte." "And forsytes don't leave their capital away from the family." "I understand." "But the interest is yours for life." "And the lawyer tells me that the income should be, oh, around about 500 pounds a year." "So much?" "Clear of income tax." "I'll send you a check every quarter." "But... that's riches!" "A comparative thing, isn't it?" "Unless I'm much mistaken, you and I have both learned how to live on a good deal less." "And you had a family to support." "How is holly?" "Oh, getting she's a dear child." "I became very fond of her." "And she of y i remember she wrote to my wife about you that time we were in spain." "It caused something of a sensation." "I can imagine that, and I'm sorry." "Oh, no." "I was anxious about it." "But uncle jolyon insisted i should come down." "I worried about him too." "He seemed so frail and shaky." "But nothing could stop him coming up once a week to a concert or the opera." "I knew he was burning himself out, but... stubborn to the last." "Resolute." "Oh, wonderful." "To be 86 and determined to live your life completely to the very end." "To enjoy your cigar, your wine." "To appreciate good music... and the company of a beautiful woman." "He was a man." "Yes." "He was so kind to me." "That last day... tell me about it." "He wrote me a letter." "Dignified and... sad." "I couldn't bear it." "I'd told him, you see, that since you were all coming home... yes." "What did you do?" "I sent him a telegram and went down to robin hill." "I walked up from the copse and he was sitting there in his chair under the tree." "Such a lovely day." "He looked so beautiful and peaceful i thought he was asleep." "Then balthasar whined suddenly, and I knew." "He must have died that very minute." "And cousin jo, he was happy." "Did you know?" "Master jolly won this for swimming." "Indeed, ma'am?" "Oh, yes." "If jolly were here, I could... tell him what jo said about simplicity." "Yes, ma'am." "Take a brush and some water and so yes, ma'am." "Cobalt blue." "No." "No." "No." "No." "No, stupid." "Not cobalt." "You take some... chrome yellow." "Yes, yellow." "The color of sunshine." "So." "Everything... so." "But jolly isn't here." "Nobody's here." "They've gone." "They've gone to leave me." "Jo, where are you?" "Don't leave me here." "Help me!" "I can't move." "Jo!" "Well?" "No hope." "No hope at all." "Why?" "Why not?" "!" "Because she's bleeding to death, that's why." "Miss forsyte, I'll tell you this because it may give you comfort." "But mind you, you are to say nothing to your father." "What is it?" "Your stepmother was my patient for many years." "I delivered both her children." "I know that." "So I know her well." "Something of the sort was bound to happen to her, she knew it herself." "She had an illness." "Nothing you can classify, nothing I can put a name to." "But what sort of an illness?" "In the mind." "In the mind?" "Yes, ms." "Forsyte, and for her to die like this before the sickness in her mind took charge completely, well, it's a blessing." "Blessing?" "For all of you." "But especially for her." "Goodbye, jo." "My love." "I..." "love you." "Not for helene, the pomp of a forsyte funeral." "She lies near my father in the churchyard at robin hill." "But other forsytes were dying and being interred with all due ceremony." "Uncle swithin, aged 80, from an apoplexy." "Aunt susan hayman at the ridiculously early age of 74." "And now uncle roger, at 86." "His son, george, maintains that roger died of anxiety about the impending war in south africa and the effect it might have on the value of house property." "But at timothy's, other reasons were suggested." "Poor roger." "He was always the least bit eccentric about his digestion." "You remember how he always preferred german mutton?" "Yes." "Quite an original." "Do you know, when we were little, he used to stick pins into me?" "Did you think it went off well?" "Fair enough, I suppose." "James wasn't there." "How is timothy?" "Oh, he's worrying rather about those dreadful boers." "He's in quite a stew." "Soames, dear, do you think they'll resist?" "I'm sure of it." "There'll be a fall in consols, mark my words." "But if they do fight, it won't last long." "A month or two, it will all be over." "Oh, I do hope so." "It's so bad for timothy if it isn'T." "And soames, dear, your dear father will feel it a great deal at his age." "The boers will fight, and fight hard." "The's no need r you to worry." "The transvaal's a long way off." "Well, if mr." "Chamberlain becomes prime minister, he'll send the navy." "That will settle the matter." "Really, aunt, send the navy to the interior of africa?" "Anyway, I'm on the boers' side." "They have a perfect right to their own land." "You don't know what you're talking about." "Francie, my love, I don't know what the dear queen would say if she could hear you talking like that." "Well, they signed a contract." "They must stick by it." "I know there's something to be said for their point of view, but a contract is a contract." "Oh, stuff." "Well, we shall see." "If you'll excuse me," "I must go now." "Oh, so soon?" "Soames, dear, it was good of you to come and tell us all about the funeral." "Yes, dear." "Bye, aunt juley." "They tell me you have a charming house now." "Yes, at mapledurham, on the river." "But don't you find it lonely without...?" "Juley, dear, have another cup of tea, will you?" "Do you ever hear of irene?" "No." "They tell me that your cousin jo is her trustee." "Had you heard that?" "He must be quite middle-aged now." "And a widower again for the second time." "He was such a pretty baby." "The first of you all." "And you... goodbye and remember me to uncle timothy." "Oh, dear, he seemed quite upset." "Did I say anything?" "Frankly, juley... good for you, aunt." "Oh, really, I didn'T... he's a sound fellow, young soames." "A long-headed chap, and getting to be a very warm man, they tell me." "But that brother of yours, george, why don't he turn up to pay his respects?" "He'll come into a decent bit of your father's money." "I think he had another appointment." "He left immediately after the funeral." "It must have been something very important." "Oh, it was." "It appears that george and monty dartie are joint owners of a horse." "A horse?" "Oh, ho a filly to be exact." "It's called sleeve-links." "And they expect it to win at newmarket tomorrow." "A racehorse?" "Well, natura george says monty's got his shirt on it." "His shirt?" "Oh, damn it, it's unbelievable." "Down the drain!" "Right down the blasted drain." "If ever there was a stone-cold certainty... in racing, monty, there's no such thing." "The trainer swore to me..." "he's not infallible." "You should have laid off your bets, like I did." "How did you come out of it, may I ask?" "200 on the right side." "A fat lot of use that would be to me." "Damn it george," "I stood to win 3000." "But you didn'T." "I needed that money." "I'm aware of that." "Spanish dancers don't come cheap these days." "What?" "Well, what do you know about...?" "My dear chap, you're not the most reticent man in london, especially in your cups." "And last night, old boy, you were in your cups." "Oh." "I see." "I assure you, there's practically nothing I don't know about the alluring consuela diego." "Her... charms." "Her obduracy and your desire to melt it with suitable little gifts." "The sad fact that little gifts don't seem to get you very far." "Oh, shut up, george!" "And so on and so forth." "I'm sorry." "I'm serious about this." "Well, bad luck." "But don't worry." "The world's full of señoritas, and who knows, sleeve-links might win next time out." "Oh, damn sleeve-links." "By all means." "Well, I'm off." "Got to see a man at the club." "Don't bother." "I know my way." "I'll tell you what though." "If it's any use, I'll..." "I'll give you 450 for your half of the filly." "Four... all right, I'll accept that, thank you." "Send you round a check in the morning." "Did you know?" "Val's here." "Yes, I know." "Isn't it jolly?" "How did he wrangle leave from his crammer's?" "Well, his tutor brought him up." "He's asked him to dine at the oxforand cambridg to meet someone." "A professor, I think." "Val?" "Dining with old snobby?" "He'll die of boredom." "There!" "Ooh!" "I'm taking the opportunity to see about his clothes." "I can't have him going up all anyhow." "If he doesn't work harder, he'll skew his exams." "Then he won't go up at all." "Anyway, he's got heaps of things." "I'm the one that needs clothes." "You ungrateful child!" "When I think of the hours i spent with you at dressmakers..." "now run along and I shall be down in 10 minutes." "Hello, imogen." "I say, you don't look half bad." "Wish I could say the same f you." "He looks gorgeous." "All ady foa nighof feaul dissipation with old snobby?" "Better than roast beef and claret cup at littlehampton." "Well, be good." "Mother?" "Um... by the way, have you any money?" "Oh, darling." "You know, you are naughty about money." "Sorry, but I had to borrow five from old snobby." "Darling, you shouldn't pay him tonight." "You're his guest." "Well, we might go to the theater." "Yes, but... and I ought to pay." "He's always hard up." "Oh, well, in that case you'd better pay him." "But you mustn't stand the tickets as well." "Well, if I do, I can'T." "Thanks awfully, mother." "Where's dad?" "He's dining out." "Oh." "Well, I suppose I'll see him in the morning." "By the way, could I have a couple of plover's eggs?" "I know cook's got some, and they do top up so jolly well." "All right." "I'll have them left out in the parlor." "Thanks awfully, mother." "My pearls!" "No, they were there." "Yesterday." "Look here, crum, you're not having me on." "No, dear boy." "Why should I?" "No, but you really know her?" "Well, not la diego herself." "And I'm not sure I'd want to." "A little on the full-blown side, don't you think?" "I suppose so." "But I do know a couple of girls in the ballet." "Shall we go in?" "Excuse me." "I mean, really, dear boy, what's one to do?" "Look at that frightful bounder." "He's screwed!" "Hello, hello." "Look who's here." "Seems to know you too, dear boy i say, you fellows, look." "There's my son, the young devil." "Val!" "Val!" "What's the matter?" "Where's he gone?" "There you are." "There you are, my lovely." "Monty?" "What do you want?" "Why are you still up?" "Because I must talk to you." "I'm sorry." "I can't talk to anyone." "I'm very tired." "Monty, where are my pearls?" "Pearls?" "What pearls?" "The wedding present you gave me and papa paid for." "They've gone." "Someone's taken them." "Oh, rubbish." "You just mislaid them." "They'll turn up." "If they don't," "I'm going to the police." "You can do what you damn well like." "I'm going to bed!" "No!" "Monty, did you take them?" "Insult me in my own house, would you?" "Well, I don't care." "I'm finished with it all." "Do you hear me?" "I tell you I am finished with it all!" "Don't be a clown, monty." "I am sick and tired of being nagged." ""Monty, don't drink." ""Monty, don't waste money." "Monty, don't go on living!"" "Well, I'm not going to." "Well..." "I can't do it." "For the sake of the children." "But you're all against me now, aren't you?" "Even the children." "Do you know what val did to me tonight?" "Yes, he told me when he came in." "He cut you." "Cut me dead." "He ought to be ashamed of himself, cutting his own father." "Oh, he was ashamed... of himself and of you." "His friend called you a bounder, and he was right." "That's what hurt val." "Bounder, am I?" "All right." "You want to know about the pearls?" "All right, I'll tell you." "That spanish filly's got the what's the matter with that?" "Any objections, and I'll..." "spanish filly?" "You..." "you mean that dancer we saw at the empire?" "Yeah." "Then you are not only a bounder, you're a thief and a blackguard!" "For shame!" "Hold still, you... and what's more... you're the absolute limit!" "Limit, am I?" "We'll see about that." "I'll show her." "Oh, damn it, I..." "I never thought it would come to this." "I'm tired of being insulted by you." "You've brought it on yourself." "No self-respecting man can stand it." "I took photograph of imogen." "Give her my love." "Goodby" "I shall not ask you for anything again." "I don't care what your family say, it's all their doing." "I'm going to live a new life." "Can I keep this?" "It's evidence." "Yes." "When I got your note, I went to see george." "Had he seen monty?" "He had." "And there's no doubt about it." "Monty sailed for buenos aires this morning." "His ship's the tuscarora." "To do?" "Can you prove cruelty?" "I don't know." "What is cruelty?" "Wes he struck you or anything?" "He twisted my arm." "Would pointing a pistol count?" "Or being too drunk to undress himself?" "Or..." "I'm not going to bring in the children." "No." "Well, you'll have to tell them." "Yes, but not yet." "They mustn't know yet." "I don't want val worried just as he's going up to oxford." "Well, there's legal separation." "We can get that." "What does it mean?" "Well, that he can't touch you, or you him." "You're both of you married and unmarried, so to speak." "But, well, that's no position to be in." "I've always regretted myself that I... no, it'll have to be divorce." "There's a way of shortening the two-year period for desertion now." "You ask monty to come back, then we apply to the court for restitution of conjugal rights." "Then if monty doesn' we file a suit for divorce in six months time." "Ask him to come back?" "Of course you don't want him back, but they're not to know that." "Mind you, there is a danger." "He might come back." "No, cruelty would be safer." "No." "No, it's too beast we'll go for restitution of conjugal rights, then divorce." "Oh, and be very careful about this." "Don't say anything to anybody." "And above all..." "don't pay any of his debts." "Soames, dear, that does make it seem final." "It had better be." "Now, I think I'd better go." "Won't you stay to dinner?" "No, I can'T." "There's some difficulty over a property of father's in soho." "I've promised I'll look into it." "Yes, soames." "I'll call around at park lane on my way." "Thank you, soames." "You're very kind." "Hello, uncle soames." "Val." "When do you go off to oxford?" "On the 12th." "You have a relation up there, you know." "Oh, who's that?" "My cousin jolyon's boy." "Look, I'm going down to robin hill tomorrow on business." "Come with me, and I'll introduce you to his family." "It might be useful." "Thanks very mu good." "I'll call for you after lunch." "You'll like it there." "It's in the country." "You haven't said anything about all this at park lane?" "Well, I've told mama, but she hopes to keep it from papa." "Ah, james." "Well, dear." "Did you have a nice nap?" "There's no such thing." "I've been..." "Oh, it's only a motor car, james." "I know what it is." "The country's rattling to the dogs." "Would you like to go up and tidy now?" "What's this about dartie?" "Now, what have you been hearing?" "You never tell me but I heard you and winifred whispering this afternoon." "Must be dartie." "He's gone bankrupt." "He has not." "He's gone to buenos aires." "What did he go there for?" "He's got no money." "What did he take?" "Winifred's pearls and a dancer." "What?" "!" "I paid for those pearls." "He's a thief." "I knew how it would be." "He'd be the death of me." "Now, don't fuss, james." "Winifred can have my pearls." "I never wear them." "She'd better get a divorce." "Divorce." "There you go." "We've never had one in the family." "Where's soames?" "I don't know." "He's got his own affairs to attend to." "James:" "Ah, there you are." "Dartie's gone to buenos aires." "Yes, I know." "Good riddance." "I'm taking steps." "At my age, you get nervous." "I wish you lived here, my boy." "I've been very poorly all day." "They never tell me anything." "When we do, you only get into a state." "There's nothing to worry about." "Would you like me to take you upstairs?" "You can have dinner in bed." "You should have had a son, soames, it..." "well, when you get on a bit... yes." "Look." "There is a bill here for 600 weight of potatoes." "But here in the book, you have only entered five." "Oh, he delivered only five that day." "The sixth did not come till later." "Voil." "The day before yesterday." "EntréZ." "Madame lamotte?" "Oui, monsieur." "I represent your landlord." "In fact, I'm his son." "Ah, mr." "Forsyte." "Bonjour." "Please come in." "Thank you." "This is my daughter, annette." "Bonjour." "Bonjour." "Do please sit down." "Thank you." "Oh." "Thank you very much." "Now, I understand you have some plans for making alterations to the property." "I wish to enlarge the kitchen by knocking down the wall into the scullery." "Ah." "But that..." "please." "Allow me to show you." "Voici." "The kitchen staff is hindered by the cramped quarters." "Well, that would be a structural alteration." "Oh, I will pay, monsieur." "Quite." "In france, it would be permitted." "But here in england it is not?" "That depends on the terms of your lease." "My solicitor perhaps has missed something?" "It's possible." "A larger kitchen will be a great help, monsieur." "Yes, well, we could hardly object if it improved the property." "If you'll give me the name and address of your builder, I'll get in touch and get our surveyor to look over his plans." "Avec plaisir, monsieur." "I have it here somewhere." "You're very kind." "No, not at all." "Voici." "Thank you." "When I've got the surveyor's report, I'll come back if I oh, of course, it will be a great pleasure." "A bientt, monsieur." "Um... goodbye." "Goodbye, monsieur." "Thank you." "Hm." "Jolly nice view." "Yes, that doesn't change." "Cousin soames." "This is val dartie, my sister's son." "How do you do?" "How do you do?" "He's going up to oxf so I thought he should come down here and meet your boy." "Yes, of course." "I'm afraid he's out this afternoon visiting friends." "What college?" "B.N.C." "Well, jolly's at the house." "I'll tell him about you." "He'll look you up." "Thanks awfully, sir." "Well, if you can put up with a female relation, you'll find holly in there." "She'll show you around." "Hello." "Hello." "I'm val dartie, a sort of distant cousin of yours." "How do you do?" "I say, you're dad's rather a swell, isn't he?" "Bearded like the pard?" "But not full of strange oaths." "Forgive me if I'm a little curious, soames, but it is some time since we met." "Yes, some time." "Not since..." "as a matter of fact, it's that I've come about." "You're irene's trustee now," "I understand." "Yes." "But I don't see her." "No, but you know where she lives." "Oh, I don't want her address." "I know it." "What exactly do you want?" "She deserted me." "I want a divorce." "It's a little late in the day for that, isn't it?" "Yes." "Well, I'm afraid I don't know much about these things." "Or rather, I've forgotten." "Well, I presume that there's someone that she's..." "I don't know, soames." "I imagine you've both lived as though the other were dead." "It's usual under the circumstances." "My father was very fond of her, you know." "I can't think why." "She brought trouble to june, which brought trouble to everybody." "I would've given her anything she wanted." "No, she chose to leave me." "I could go and see her if you like." "It's quite possible she might be glad of a divorce." "I'd be obliged to you." "I don't want to see her." "I understand." "I don't know your mother." "Oh, she's... nor any of my relations." "Are there many?" "Oh, tons." "Most of them awful." "Well, you know what forsytes are." "No, I don'T." "What are they?" "Well, jolly careful." "Not a sportsman among them." "Take old uncle soames for instance." "Well, I suppose all one's relations are awful, aren't they?" "I should think they think one awful too." "I don't see why they should." "No one could think you awful." "This is mine." "Fairy." "Jolly fine head." "Horses are ripping, aren't they?" "My dad..." "yes?" "Oh, he's often gone amuck over them." "I'm jolly fond of them too." "Riding." "Racing." "Hunting." "I'd like to be a gentleman rider." "Oh, so should I. Well, I mean, girls can'T." "Oh, I don't know." "There's a newmarket town plate once a year." "Specially for girls." "Once a year?" "Well, what's the good of that?" "I say, if I hire a gee tomorrow, will you come riding in richmond park?" "Oh, yes." "I'd love to." "Well, miss holly... well?" "Do you like your cousin?" "Yes." "Good-looking youngster, like his father before him." "Let's hope he's inherited some of his mother's common sense." "Why don't you approve of uncle soames, father?" "Oh." "Perceptive monkey, aren't you?" "There was an atmosphere." "I dare say." "There are good reasons." "And even if there weren't, it'd still be the same." "The antipathy is mutual, I can assure you." "Now, come along." "Back to work." "There's still an hour of daylight left." "And please, holly, for my sake, keep still." "Mrs. Heron is at home, sir." "Oh." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Cousin jo, after all these years." "I was so pleased to have your letter." "My word, you certainly made some changes here." "Yes, thanks to your father." "And you yourself, completely unchanged." "And you look younger." "Oh, I'm ancient." "Although I must say, I don't feel it." "That's one good thing about being a painter." "It keeps you young." "Titian lived to be 99." "Had to have the plague to kill him off." "You know..." "the first time I saw you," "I was reminded of one of his pictures." "It's called la bella." "When did you see me for the first time?" "Ah." "In the botanical gardens." "How did you know me if you'd never seen me before?" "By someone who came up to you." "That was many lives ago." "Yes." "Now, tell me." "How have you been keeping?" "What do you do with yourself all day long?" "I still give lessons, but now I can choose my pupils." "I have an agreement with a publisher, translations from the french." "What else?" "Well, dressmaking, of course." "And charitable work for women less fortunate than myself." "A sober, industrious life." "Any pleasures?" "Oh, I go out very little." "I've been living alone so long i don't mind it a bit." "I believe i'm naturally solitary." "Oh, I can hardly believe that." "I must say you look very well on it." "What's your secret for youth?" "People who don't live are wonderfully preserved." "Yes." "Well... as you've probably guessed, I had a reason for coming here." "Naturally." "Mm." "You remember my cousin, soames?" "He wants a divorce." "Do you?" "After 12 years?" "Won't it be difficult?" "Extremely I should say, unless of course..." "unless I have a lover now." "But I've never had one since philip." "Well, then he'll have to find the evidence himself." "He has too much to lose, and I have nothing." "He had his chance once." "I don't know why he didn't take it." "Because he's a forsyte, my dear." "And forsytes don't part with anything, unless they want something in exchange." "And not always then." "I believe you would." "Oh, I'm not a true forsyte." "I'm a bit of a mongrel." "I put the halfpennies on my checks, not take them off." "What does soames want in place of me?" "Children, perhaps." "Yes." "Yes, it's hard for him." "I would help him to be free if I could, but I can't take a lover to order." "No." "Then what can I do?" "I don't know at the moment." "But if there's anything i can do, you must let me know." "Please look upon me as a sort of feeble substitute for my father." "No." "Different, more sophisticated, but not feeble." "He had principals." "All I have is tolerance." "A rare and charming virtue." "Don't you want to be free?" "What does it matter now?" "I have all the freedom I need." "Suppose you were to fall in love again?" "I should love." "Thank you for a most excellent meal." "Oh, monsieur, it was a pleasure to have your company." "Please do make yourself at home." "Perhaps another cognac?" "Annette will look after you." "I will be back shortly." "Do you know how pretty you look?" "Monsieur is very good." "Oh, no." "No, not a bit good." "You work very hard." "Yes." "But not all the time." "I have been to richmond last sunday." "Did you like it there?" "Oh, yes." "The river was beautiful." "I have a house by the river, at mapledurham." "Oh." "Where is that?" "That's near pangbourne, in berkshire." "Oh, the country." "The english country is... ravissant." "Well, then perhaps someday you... yes, monsieur?" "Do you like this life?" "No, I do not like it." "But you're young." "You've got everything before you." "Sometimes I think there is nothing before me." "I'm not so in love with work as mother." "Oh, you're mother's a wonder." "Failure will never come her way." "Perhaps." "But to be rich... you will be." "Divorce?" "!" "You're going to divorce father?" "!" "But that's absolutely foul." "Why?" "Oh, all right, mother." "You don't have to tell me." "But it won't be made public, will it?" "Can't it be done secretly somehow?" "It's so beastly for you and... and everybody." "Well, everything will be done as quietly as possible." "You can be sure." "But why is it necessary at all?" "!" "Mother doesn't want to get married again." "Do you, mother?" "No, darling." "No." "You don't understand what your mother's had to put up with all these years." "This is just the last straw." "Shall I tell him?" "Your father's always been a burden." "Your mother's paid his debts over and over again." "He's got drunk." "Well, you've seen that for yourself." "And in that state he's abused your mother and threatened her." "Now he's gone of to buenos aires with a woman, a dancer." "He took your mother's pearls and gave them to her." "That will do, soames." "Stop!" "Well, we can't have it starting all over again if he comes back." "There is a limit." "I see." "But you won't bring that out about the pearls, will you?" "I couldn't bear that." "Oh, no, val." "Never." "But you had to know everything, darling." "We had to make you understand." "But why is it necessary now?" "Why not wait?" "No." "There's nothing so fatal as delay in these matters." "I tell you boy, there's nothing so fatal as delay!" "I know from experience." "Look, I don't want to speak ill of your father." "But of this I am sure, he'll be back on your mother's hands within a year." "Well, she's suffered enough." "The only thing to do is to cut the knot for good." "He's right, val." "I'm afraid he is right." "All right, mother." "We'll back you up." "But I want to know when it's going to be." "I don't want it to happen in term-time." "Oh, my dear boy." "It is a bore for you." "Well, he had to be told." "I know, but... now, look here." "I've drafted a letter for you to write." ""I have received your letter" ""with the news that you have left me forever" ""and are on your way to buenos aires." ""It has naturally been a great shock." ""I am writing to tell you "that I am prepared to let bygones be bygones "if you will return to me at once." "I beg you to do so."" "There's a lot more along the same lines but... does it have to be so...?" "So?" "What, humble?" "Yes, it does." "Every word of that letter will tell in court." "Mr. Jolyon forsyte has called, madam." "Jo?" "Here?" "Maid:" "He asked for mr." "Soames, madam." "Please show him in." "He's irene's trustee, you know." "I asked him to see her." "Oh?" "What about?" "Maid:" "This way, mr." "Forsyte, please." "I'll tell you when he's gone." "Then I'll leave you." "Mr. Forsyte, madam." "Thank you." "My dear winifred." "Good afternoon, jo." "I shouldn't have known you." "It's the beard." "And old age." "Nonsense." "You have business to discuss, so will you excuse me?" "Yes, of course." "I went to your office, soames, and gradman told me i should find you here." "As I shall not be in london again for some time, I thought perhaps that..." "I'm obliged to you." "I've seen irene." "Well?" "She has remained faithful to memory." "Oh, she told me to tell you how sorry she was you're not free." "Sorry." "Well, you know your law better than I do, soames, and what chance you have after so long." "No, I can't go on like this." "I tell you I can't go on like this." "But surely it's up to yourself." "A man can always put these things through if he takes it on himself." "Well, why should I?" "Why should I suffer more?" "Anyway, it's of no matter." "What you have to face now is the facts... or rather the lack of them." "Lack of them?" "I'm not so sure of that." "I beg your pardon." "What she told me was quite explicit." "I dare say." "But in my experience, her word is not to be trusted." "We s see." "Good day to you." "Jo?" "Soames?" "It's intolerable!" "My neck's in chancery, and I've got to get out." "I'm a wealthy man, but... oh, that means nothing, nothing at all, unless you've got someone else to take an interest." "Someone to leave it to." "The older one gets, the more it matters." "Yes, dear, I know." "You see, winifred, I met someone, a french girl." "At last." "Oh, soames, I am glad." "But she's years younger than me." "But that doesn't matter." "Not a bit." "Do you love her?" "Well, she's pretty and attractive and sensible." "I want her." "I nt a s and by god, winifred," "I'm going to get one." "Soames, can you get free?" "Is jo going to help with irene?" "Oh, that fellow is on her side." "Oh, no." "You want something done, you must do it yourself." "Who shall I say it is, sir?" "Mr. Forsyte." "Very good, sir." "Excuse me, ma'am." "Mr. Forsyte to see you." "Maid:" "Would you come this way, sir?" "You?" "Yes." "I hope I find you well." "Thank you." "Will you sit down?" "You don't change." "No?" "What have you come for?" "To discuss things." "I've heard what you want from your cousin." "Well?" "I'm willing." "I always have been." "Perhaps you'll be good enough to give me the information on which I can act." "I have none to offer that you don't already know." "After 12 years?" "Do you expect me to believe that?" "I don't expect you to believe anything I say." "But it's the truth." "The truth." "When did you ever tell me the truth?" "Always." "I suppose you're quite comfortably off now?" "Thank you, yes." "Well, why didn't you let me provide for you?" "I would have." "In spite of everything." "Well, you're still my wife." "I'm not dangerous." "Well, you may as well tell me." "It's to your interest as well as to mine to be free." "I have told you." "You mean to say that in all that time there's been... no one?" "No one." "You better look to your own life." "Oh, no." "No, that won't do." "You deserted me." "In common justice, you... why didn't you divorce me then?" "I shouldn't have cared." "If only you'd been a... if you'd been a good wife to me, in spite of everything, in spite of all that happened," "I would have been only too glad to... no, you wouldn'T." "All those years have been wasted, for you as well as for me." "Yes." "It was a crime to marry you, but I've paid for it." "You'll find some way perhaps." "Well, you needn't mind about my reputation," "I have none to lose." "Now, I think you'd better go." "Where did you get this from?" "I bought its fellow at jobson's the other day." "Remember how we used to buy china together?" "Take it." "I don't want it." "Irene... all I would like... well, couldn't we at least shake hands?" "Paper!" "Paper!" "War in south africa." "There have been many little wars in my time, necessary little wars in remote parts of the world brought about by the need to enforce the pax britannica, the freedom of the seas and the peaceful growth of the trade." "This war is no exception." "For the first time, at least in my memory, the people of england are divided as to its value and its justice." "Even among the forsytes, the younger ones naturally, there are those who maintain that the boers are right and we are wrong." "Well, of course they don't stand a chance, sir." "But I'm told they can shoot pretty well." "I've got a son in the inniskillings, sir." "Warmson, I didn't even know you were married." "No, sir." "I don't speak of it." "I expect he'll be going out there soon." "There you are, soames." "Ah, uncle." "I've seen your father." "He's not very spry." "No." "How are you?" "Poorly... very poorly." "I've been to harrogate, didn't do any good." "And now we've got this confounded war." "It's chamberlain's fault you know, stormy petrel." "I distrust him." "I'll tell you something, my boy." "House property is bound to go down." "You'll have trouble with roger's estate." "I often told him he ought to get out of house property." "But there, he was a stubborn chap." "I have it in hand." "I dare say." "You've got a head on you." "Thank you, uncle." "They tell me at timothy's that fellow dartie's gone at last." "Yes." "Good riddance." "He was a rotten egg." "It will be a relief to your father." "To us all." "You be careful, or he'll turn up again." "Winifred ought to have the tooth out, I should say." "No use hanging on, eh?" "I'm advising her." "Good." "Well, the brougham's waiting, so I'd better get home." "As I said, I'm very poorly." "Good night, my boy." "Good night, uncle." "Very poorly." "82 and he's never been ill in his life." "I've got, what, 30 or possibly 40 years." "I'm not going to waste them." "Where's soames," "I should like to know?" "I want to see soames." "He'll be here soon, dear." "Now drink your negus." "It'll do you good." "These boers..." "I shan't live to see the end of this." "Oh, nonsense, dear." "It'll be over by christmas." "What do you know about it?" "Well, nicholas says... nicholas?" "It's a pretty mess at this time of night too." "Oh, there you are." "Father." "Oh, good, dear." "Mother." "Nicholas was here." "Yes, I know." "I saw him." "He'll catch his death of cold," "I shouldn't wonder." "I can't go out in the evenings." "Soames, dear, have you dined?" "Yes, thank you, mother, at the club." "Oh." "Plenty to say there about it all." "Gabby lot." "You mark my words, soames, consols will go to par." "Well, I knew how it'd be." "All comes from that fellow, gladstone." "Nicholas blames chamberlain." "Tar of the same brush." "That chap, buller, he's no good." "They should send kitchener or roberts." "I don't know." "For all I can tell, val may go and enlist." "Oh, come now, james." "You talk as if there were danger." "And so there is." "They tell me very young roger's volunteered, or whatever they call it." "Val wouldn't be so stupid." "Volunteer indeed." "In his first year at oxford?" "Rubbish, dear." "No, mother's right." "Val's got a lot to learn, but he's no fool." "No." "Jolly fine breakfast, very civil of you to ask me." "Cigarette?" "Thanks, no, I'm in training." "My dear jolly, what for?" "Not football?" "Rowing." "Oh, good lord." "But that's masochism." "It's what?" "New word." "It means getting hurt and enjoying it." "Thanks." "Look here." "Didn't I see you at crum's roulette party the other evening?" "How did you do?" "I didn't play." "Oh, I won 15 quid." "It's a rotten game," "I think." "Oh, really?" "I rather like as for that chap crum," "I was at harrow with him." "Awful fool." "Too la-di-da for me." "He's a friend of mine." "Oh." "Sorry." "What do you think of the war?" "Rotten." "Why don't the boers come out and fight?" "Well, why should they?" "I rather admire them." "They can ride and shoot, but they're a lousy lot." "More coffee?" "No, thanks." "Your people coming up this term?" "You've met them, haven't you?" "My father and sister are coming up next week." "Oh, good." "Perhaps you'd like to ask them see over bnc, not that there is much to see." "Thanks." "I'll ask them." "Would they lunch?" "I've got rather a decent scout." "Afraid there won't be time." "Their two days are packed." "But you will ask them, though?" "Well, it's very good of you." "Well, I have to see my tutor." "Oh." "But look here, then." "They're dining with me here on wednesday." "Perhaps you'd care to join us?" "Oh, that's very kind of you." "What time?" "7:30." "Dress?" "No." "Your people coming up?" "Well, my sister, imogen, wants to, but mother..." "mm... mother can't leave town at the moment." "This is such a bore, soames." "There's something almost indecent about mentioning one's private affairs to total strangers." "Yes, I know, but it has to be done." "Well, yes, but val he's written to say he wants to play polo next term." "He seems to be in a very good set." "Good set or not, he's got to face it." "Oh, soames." "Soames, will there be much publicity?" "It's so bad for him." "I wish you wouldn't..." "and imogen." "Yes, the newspapers, I know." "But it hasn't got to that yet." "We're merely seeing dreamer on the question of restitution." "Now, he understands that we're aiming at a divorce, but we don't mention that." "You must seem genuinely anxious to get monty back." "Yes." "Ah, forsyte." "Bellby." "Uh, winifred, this is mr." "Bellby." "Bellby, this is my sister, mrs." "Dartie." "Good day to yo please, sit down." "Thank you." "Now, I've..." "ah, mrs." "Dartie, isn't it?" "I have here three... got the facts of the case in his head already." "Able fellow, able fellow." "Yes, I want to get a move on with this." "If dartie doesn't comply with the restitution order, we can't bring divorce proceedings for six months." "The law's delays, mrs." "Dartie." "Six months brings us to the end of june." "There there's the long vacation." "I want to put the screw on." "So we want to get him back, don't we, mrs." "Dartie?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, indeed." "In fact, I..." "my sister's position is intolerable." "Exactly." "Now, can we rely on the cabled refusal or must we wait till after christmas to give him a chance to have written?" "That's the point, isn't it?" "The sooner we... what do you say, bellby?" "We can't be on before the middle of december." "No need to give him more rope than that." "No." "Why should my sister be incommoded by his choosing to go off..." "to jericho." "Quite so." "People oughtn't to go to jericho, ought they, mrs." "Dartie?" "No." "I agree." "We can go forward." "Is there anything more?" "No, I just wanted you to meet my sister." "Delighted." "Delighted." "Good day, mrs." "Dartie." "Bellby here will keep me informed." "Well, goodbye, mr." "Bellby." "Thank you for being so helpful." "Not at all." "Not at all." "There now." "Thank you." "Thank you, bellby." "We should be all right if we keep moving." "Yes." "Oh, soames." "I keep thinking of monty." "If only he wasn't such a clown." "The evidence of the stewardess will be very complete." "Let me come in." "Just for a moment." "Very well." "Why are you here?" "Didn't I make it quite plain last time, I... irene." "It's your birthday." "Is it?" "I bought this for you." "Soames, no." "I couldn'T." "Well, why not?" "Just as a sign that there's no ill-feeling." "Irene, let bygones be bygones." "Well, if I can, surely you might." "Let's begin again." "I know I wanted a divorce." "I know I wanted to get married again, but... well, after I saw you the other evening, well, surely you can't want to live the rest of your life in this hole." "Come back to me, and I'll give you everything you want." "You shall lead your own life," "I swear it." "Hmph!" "Yes, I know, I know, I know." "This time I mean it." "I ask only..." "only one thing." "I want a son." "Don't look like that." "I want one." "I must have a son." "Well, is it so unnatural to want a son by one's own wife?" "You wrecked our life." "Is it so very unflattering to you that in spite of everything," "I..." "I still want you?" "Irene... oh, for god's sake." "Look, it's not too late." "It's not..." "don't!" "I'm alone here." "You won't behave again as you did once before." "I'm not going until you give me a reasonable answer." "Reason has nothing to do with it." "You can only have the truth." "I would rather die." "As bad as that?" "That's very pretty." "Sorry." "You wanted an answer." "I can't help the truth, can I?" "Truth?" "What do women know of the truth?" "It's nerves, that's what it is, nerves." "Yes, they don't lie." "Haven't you discovered that?" "You have got a lover." "I'm sure of it." "Otherwise you wouldn't be such an idiot." "If you didn't believe what i told you, you wouldn't be here." "Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?" "Do you ever think that I found out my mistake, my terrible mistake, the very first night of our marriage?" "That I went on trying for three years?" "You know I tried." "Was it for myself?" "I don't know what it was for." "I've never understood you." "I never shall." "Look... what's the matter with me?" "I ask you, what is it?" "I'm not lame, I'm not loathsome." "I'm not a fool, nor a bore." "What is it?" "What's the mystery about me?" "Eh?" "Jo:" "Well, it's not for me to say." "Your coach knows best." "But if there is a fault, I'd say you've a tendency to snatch a bit, jolly." "All rowed fast, but none so fast as stroke." "Exactly." "Shut up." "I say, I'm sorry about vaht." "That was a bore." "Well, he wanted to give you lunch and show you bnc, so I thought I'd ask him to dinner then you needn't go." "Why, is that such a terrible thing?" "Oh, I don't like him." "Why not?" "Oh, I don't know." "He just seems so awfully showy and bad form." "Well, he's only a second cousin, isn't he?" "What are his people like?" "Well, you better ask holly." "She's met his uncle." "I like val." "But his uncle, not so much." "Yes, I'd be surprised if you did." "Come and talk to me, dad, while I'm changing." "Well, what about the young lady?" "Well, she'll be all right." "There's some magazines over there." "All right." "Punch and the illustrated." "I say, sorry, dad." "Hm?" "This can't be for me." "It's re-addressed from robin hill." "From somebody called irene." "Oh." "That's my fault, for having you christened jolyon." "Honestly, I don't imagine... no." "No." "No, son." "It's all right." "You'll have to excuse me." "I must go out to send a telegram." "Well, you don't have to." "My scout can take it." "No, you go and change." "I'll be back in good time for dinner." "It's all right." "Well, if you think i'm going to tell you..." "I don't want you to." "But it's dashed rum." "Is it?" "Well, we were just talking about val's uncle." "Yes?" "Well, the letter began..." "no "dear mr." "Forsyte", or anything." "It just said, "soames came again tonight, my 36th birthday."" "Oh." "And it ended, "yours affectionately, irene."" "Don't you think that's rum?" "Not a bit." "What?" "Because I know who she is." "Oh?" "You never met her." "Don't you remember, when grandpapa died?" "Ah, lord yes, now I do." "She was married to cousin soames, wasn't she?" "But they've been separated for years." "Daddy's her trustee." "I got it all out of june." "Yes." "Well, it's still a jolly rum letter." "That's all I can say." "That's all you have said." "Now look here." "Hello." "Hello." "Come in." "Oh, I say." "You're alone." "Yes." "Yes, I am for the moment." "What luck." "My father's out, and jolly's changing." "Oh." "It's marvelous to see you again." "I say, would you wear this?" "Thank you." "Val?" "Mm?" "I never said anything about our ride together." "Oh, rather not." "That's just between us." "How's that filly of yours?" "Very well, thank you." "Do tell me about oxford." "Must be lovely." "Oh, well, it's marvelous to be able to do what you like." "And I ride quite a lot." "Oh, I'm so glad." "I expect you have to go to a lot of lectures." "Well, they're rather a bore, but no one makes you go to them." "There's quite a lot of decent chaps up here, but..." "I wish I were in town so that i could come down and see you." "I thought robin hill was a ripping place." "Oh, it is!" "But I want to go... everywhere." "See everything." "I wish I were a gypsy." "You're rather like one, you know." "Am I?" "To go mad rabbiting everywhere and live in the open." "Well, let's do it." "Oh, yes, let'S." "Marvelous!" "Just you and I together." "What nonsense." "You can't do that sort of thing when you're grown up." "Oh, cousins can." "Anyway, I believe in doing what you want to do." "Next vac begins in june, you know, and it goes on for simply ages." "We'll watch our chance." "Well, it wouldn't come off." "Why?" "Who's going to stop it?" "Not your father or your brother." "What about your uncle?" "Old uncle soames?" "That dried-up old fossil?" "Who's going to ask him?" "Entrez." "Monsieur forsyte." "Good evening, annette." "Good evening, monsieur." "Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." "I've been dining here." "Oh." "If I'd only known." "But now I am quite sure you have enough time for another cup of special coffee or liqueur perhaps?" "Or cognac?" "Cognac." "Thank you." "Oh, I see you're expecting another guest." "Sorry." "Yes, we are expec... not for a while yet." "And it is not important, annette." "There." "Thank you." "I shall order the coffee." "Well... annette." "Well, monsieur." "Well, you have some queer customers out there." "Riff-raff." "Republicans." "Pro-boers, foreigners." "Yes?" "Annette, why do you think i come here?" "Why?" "Because the cuisine is good." "Yes, it is." "But you can get just as good elsewhere, hm?" "Better, perhaps." "Well then, for ambience, the atmosphere, as you call it?" "Hardly." "Yes." "As you say, too much riff-raff and foreigners." "Not your style, monsieur." "Well, there can be only one reason." "You know it?" "Oh, certainly." "You come, like a good son, to look after your father's property." "Annette, you know very well that..." "I managed to get away early from the hospital." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I didn't know there was anyone else here." "Hello, charles." "Monsieur forsyte, may I present dr." "Fryer?" "How do you do, sir?" "How do you do?" "That was a splendid evening, jolly." "I thoroughly enjoyed i'm only sorry you're going tomorrow." "Do you have to?" "Oh, I'm afraid so." "Business." "Hard luck on holly though." "Hundreds of dashing, young undergraduates and she hasn't met one." "Oh, I don't know." "Mr. Jolyon, nice seeing you again, sir." "Next time you come down, we'll... you'll show us the treasures of brasenose college." "We shall enjoy it." "Thank you." "Good night." "Goodnight, sir." "Come along, holly." "Goodbye, val." "Good night, holly." "Good luck, jolly." "Thank you." "Haven't finished your port." "Oh." "Well... let me fill your glass." "Oh, thanks awfully." "Here's to general buller, and damnation to the boers." "Don't you like the toast?" "I'll drink to general buller, but I won't drink damnation to anyone." "My dear jolly, isn't that the least bit priggish?" "I don't think so." "Oh, well." "Thanks for a very decent dinner." "Wait a minute." "Yes?" "What were you saying to my sister?" "I beg your pardon?" "My hearing's pretty good." "Well, that's nice." "You were fixing up something." "What was it?" "It's my business." "It's mine too!" "She's only a kid." "You leave her alone." "And suppose she doesn't want me to?" "Now, look here!" "Yes, you're about to do something?" "I was about to punch you on the nose but... but you remembered that I'm your guest." "Golly, forsyte." "You are a prig." "Get out!" "Thanks." "Come and dine with me sometime." "I'll punch you on the nose like billy-O." "June:" "It's all right, plunket," "I know the way." "Thank you," "I should by now." "Father?" "Ah, there you are, little one." "So you got my letter." "Yes, father." "Good." "And thank you for sending the carriage, but there was no need." "I was coming to see you anyway." "June, what I wanted to say..." "I'm furious." "Do you remember my telling you about eric cobbley?" "Cobbley?" "Ah, the one-armed sculptor?" "No, the painter." "Oh." "Oh, he's a genius, you know, but terribly hard up and he has a wife and two children." "Well, I arranged a one-man show for him at the barkington." "The manager came to see his work." "Oh, wonderful work." "And now he's changed his mind." "No, the manager." "That beastly manager." "He had the cheek to say that from the selling point of view, it'd be a one-horse show." "If that isn't commercial cowardice." "Absolutely." "Now, june, what I wanted to say..." "dad, is it true that I simply can't touch any of my money?" "Fortunately, only the income." "How perfectly foul." "There must be some way." "I want to buy a small gallery." "That seems a modest desire." "But your grandfather foresaw it." "Oh, all this care about money." "It's awful when there's so much genius in the world being crushed for want of a little." "Why shouldn't I do some good with mine instead of having it all tied up for things which will never happen?" "My darling june, our name happens to be forsyte and we live by the principle that so long as there is a possibility of keeping property inside the family, it must not get out." "Think what I could do." "Make eric cobbley's name in no time, and lots of others." "Names worth making make themselves." "When they're dead." "Did you ever know anybody living who was improved by having his name made?" "Yes." "You." "Ah, now you're up to something." "Darling... yes, all right." "I know." "You buy the gallery, and I'll pay your rent." "Four hundred a year." "It would be a splendid investment." "Well, it all seems a little dubious to me." "An artist buying his own gallery." "Well, 10,000 pounds is rather a large lump." "I'm not a commercial character." "No, but you're awfully businesslike." "And it would be a perfect way of scoring off those wretched dealers and people." "Where is this desirable gallery?" "Just off cork street." "I thought it would be" ""just off" somewhere." "[Bell ringing]" "All right, I'll think about it." "Not now." "I had an urgent reason for seeing you, remember?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "June, I need your help." "Irene's in trouble." "Ir soames is after her again, pestering her to go back to him." "She'll be safer if we can find her asylum somewhere." "Irene." "Is she coming here?" "I think possibly she's here already." "I can't bear soames." "I never could." "He sneers at everything that isn't successful." "She's proud, difficult to help." "We must tread gently." "Mrs. Heron is here, sir." "Yes, thank you, plunket." "I'm late because i've been trespassing." "I came up through the coppice and garden." "I always used to." "You can never trespass here, my dear, history makes that impossible." "History?" "I once told uncle jolyon that love was forever." "Well, it isn'T." "Only aversion lasts." "There." "I've wanted to do that for years." "Thank you." "Now... come and sit down, both of you." "June." "So soames is worrying you again?" "As I told you in my letter, he wants me to go back to him." "You won't, of course no, but his position is horrible." "That's his own fault." "He should've divorced you years ago if..." "all right, let's hear what irene is going to do." "I'd better give him fresh excuse to get rid of me." "No!" "Well, what else can I do?" "Without love, out of the question." "Well, I shall go to soames and tell him to leave you alone." "What does he want at his age?" "A child." "It's not unnatural." "A child." "Something to leave his money to." "Well, if he wants one badly enough, let him take somebody and have one." "Then you can divorce him, and he can marry her." "Let's try and keep calm about this, shall we?" "Ring the bell for plunket and we'll all have some tea." "Irene, I'm going to suggest you come here to us to live until we see how things shape." "Of course." "No, I should only bring trouble on you all." "I shall go to paris." "But if he follows you there, won't you feel more helpless?" "I don't know." "I can but try." "Do you need any money?" "No, would you like me to let your flat?" "Oh, yes, jo, please." "When shall you be going?" "Tomorrow." "And you'll let me have your address?" "I feel you're a rock." "Built on sand." "But if there is anything i can do at any time, you must let me know." "I will." "Meanwhile, if you change your mind, there will be a home for you here." "Oh, yes." "Always." "Thank you." "I'll remember that." "Ohld people be tortured and kept miserable and helpless year after year?" "Whoever made these sanctimonious, disgusting laws ought to be shot." "And of all the undignified and revolting beasts, well, soames is the worst." "Polteed:" "This is a pleasure, mr." "Forsyte." "I could've visited you." "I was pass if a client sends for me, he takes what precautions he likes." "If he comes here, we convince him that we have no leakages." "I may safely say we lead in security, if nothing else." "Now, sir, what can I do for you?" "I've come to you early like this because there's not an hour to lose." "Have you a really reliable woman free?" "Hm, the very woman." "Then send her at once to watch mrs." "Irene heron, flat d, truro mansions, chelsea, until further notice." "Precisely." "Divorce, I presume?" "I'll put it into the cipher category." "Under that system, a name is never mentioned." "We work by numbers." "You keep that, sir." "It's your key." "I retain this duplicate." "Now, the party watched is number 17." "The watcher, 19." "The mansion's 25." "Yourself," "I mean, of course, your firm is 31." "Any person we suspect is 47, and, well, so on." "Now, any special hint or instruction?" "No." "No, that is everything compatible with the...?" "Of course." "And... expense?" "Within reason." "Now, keep it entirely in your own hands." "Entirely." "Good morning, sir." "Good morning." "Send in mrs." "Blanch." "Ah, mrs." "Blanch." "This party is to be watched." "Every possible precaution, even more than usual, is to be taken." "You look very nice, val." "Oh..." "just pull your coat collar up a little more at the back." "If they bully you... they won'T." "I shall be very cool." "It's the only way." "And I shan't have to give evidence or anything, shall I?" "No, dear." "It's all arranged." "There it's happerly brown, so we should be on first." "This way." "Uncle, you're not going to let those beastly papers in, are you?" "I understand you want to play polo at oxford." "Rather that's a very expensive business." "You're grandfather won't foot the bill unless he's sure there's no other drain on him." "Come along." "Winifred." "Val." "You don't have to take your furs off." "Fuggy sort of place." "Remember, you must seem genuinely anxious to get him back." "Dartie versus dartie." "There was a crisis early in october, and the respondent wrote my client this letter from his club." "I propose to read it with the emendations necessary to the epistle of a gentleman who has been, shall we say dining, me lud." "Old brute." "You're not paid to make jokes." ""I'm leaving the country tomorrow." ""I'm tired of being insulted by you." ""You brought it on yourself." ""No self-respecting man can stand it." ""I took the photograph of imogen, give her my love." ""Goodb "I shall not ask you for anything again." ""I don't care what your family say, it's all their doing." "I'm going to live a new life." "M.D."" ""I'm tired of being insulted by you." My client will tell your ludship that these so-called insults consisted in her calling him" ""the limit." A very mild expr i venture to suggest in all the circumstances." "Next day, my lud, the respondent left by the steamship tuscarora for buenos aires." "Since when we have nothing from him but a cabled refusal in answer to the letter which my client wrote in great distress, begging him to return to her." "With your ludship's permission i shall now put mrs." "Dartie in the box." "Mrs. Dartie." "Say after me:" "I swear that the evidence i shall give," "I swear that the evidence i shall give, shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me god." "So help me god." "You are the wife of montague dartie, of 64 green street, london?" "Yes." "Now, mrs." "Dartie i should like to ask you, why did your husband really leave you?" "Not because you called him" ""the limit", you know." "No, my lord, but it had gone on a long time." "What had gone on?" "Our differences about money." "But you supplied the money." "Do you suggest he left you to better his position?" "No, my lord, but you see," "I had refused to give him any more money." "It took him a long time to believe that, but he did at last." "And when he did..." "I see." "You refused, but you have sent him some since?" "My lord, I wanted him back." "And did you think that would bring him?" "Well?" "I don't know, my lord." "I acted on my father's advice." "One more question, mrs." "Dartie." "Are you still fond of your husband?" "Yes, my lord." "Thank you, mrs." "Dartie." "That is all." "Thank you, my lord." "I want it sent at once." "Immediately, you understand?" "To mr." "Forsyte." "Send it by hand." "Ready?" "Number 19's latest report to hand." "Number 17 left number 25 three days ago for victoria station and took the boat-train for paris." "She was alone." "Nineteen, according to instructions, followed, and will communicate further." "I judged that you would authorize this expenditure in view of the importance of the matter." "Here they are." "Warmson, I'll let you know when we're ready for luncheon." "Thank you, madam." "Now, don't worry, dear." "You'll know in a minute." "It's a new-fangled way of doing things." "I'll just go and meet them." "I don't know." "I can't tell how it's all going to end." "Father, how are you?" "We got the decree of restitution." "Who was the judge?" "Happerly browne." "A pretty shrewd chap." "Now, look here, soames, when the divorce comes up, suppose happerly browne is the judge again." "Quite possible." "Well, won't it smell fishy?" "Suppose it comes out that we knew of misconduct from the start?" "He'll forget." "Good morning to you, mr." "Forsyte." "Why, sir, he'll try 100 cases between then and now." "Besides, he's bound to give us a divorce for precedence, according to the evidence, if it's satisfactory." "We won't let him know that mrs." "Dartie had knowledge of the facts." "Dreamer does these things very well." "He has a fatherly touch about him." "Well, so long as dartie doesn't obey the order of the court." "We don't want him turning up again." "I must congratulate you, mrs." "Dartie." "You have a natural gift for giving evidence." "Where's val, dear?" "We were expecting him." "He sent his apologies, mama." "He has an important appointment." "Appointment?" "What appointment?" "How should I know?" "But..." "winifred:" "But he'll come to dinner very soon." "Good, dear." "Your father does so like to see him." "I do hope won't come on till after the summer vacation." "I'd like the season to be over too." "Don't fret." "There have to be an interval of six months." "After that, the sooner the better." "Mr. Soames, sir." "This was sent round from your office." "They said it was marked private and urgent." "Thank you." "I expect you'll have a lot of extra expenses." "Dear papa, thank you." "That's a new hat you've got on." "Look... tell val i want to see him." "Paris?" "What the devil?" "Jo!" "What news, poor exile?" "Today only good news." "You have some to see me." "Today?" "Why?" "Has soames... no." "Nothing." "Ah, that's a comfort." "Well, I've let your flat." "And like a good steward, I bring you money." "You're very kind." "I hope you didn't come over especially for that." "No, no, no." "As a matter of fact," "I come here quite often, especially in the winter." "I know, the roasting chestnuts and the wood smoke." "Yes, but there's a more important reason." "Is anything more important?" "No forsytes." "Of course." "Touring forsytes." "In summer, paris is full of them." "They annoy me." "They always look as if they want to be somewhere else as soon as possible." "They gobble up the opera, the louvre, notre dame, yes, damn it, even the moulin rouge." "And they looked shocked, as if to say," ""now show us something we can really disapprove of."" "You're desperate hard on them." "No more than they deserve." "But in three whole days, irene, I haven't seen a single forsyte." "It's a refreshment for my soul." "Three whole days before calling on me?" "Well, I meant to call the day i arrived... but you didn'T." "I wanted to, but..." "in england, we find it a little difficult to do the natural thing." "I wanted to see you, very badly as a matter of fact but it took me three whole days to admit to anything so natural." "And well, now I'm a naturalized frenchman again." "May I take you out to luncheon?" "Enchanté, monsieur." "Good." "I know just the place." "Thank you, jo." "I'll go and get ready." "Is all well at robin hill?" "Holly?" "Holly." "Well, she's growing up." "There's a certain look in her eye." "I think I know what it is, but I daren't mention it." "No?" "Why not?" "I should think you could say anything." "To my children, about their emotions?" "Tell them not to have any because I don't approve?" "When I've never been able to manage my own?" "You're the dearest man." "Mm-mm." "Jolly, you startled me." "Oh?" "Have you any reason to be startled?" "Why do you ask?" "Because I've been riding in the park." "I saw you and that fellow dartie." "Well... do you know that we had a row last term?" "Who won?" "Oh, don't be an idiot!" "Nobody won." "It wasn't that kind of row." "What was it about?" "Never you mind." "But I do mind." "I mind very much." "So you'd better tell me." "Was it about me?" "Well... well, yes." "I told him to leave you alone." "That was impertinent of you, and very poor tactics." "Now look here..." "for goodness sake, jolly!" "You know very well you shouldn't see him alone without telling anyone." "Well, who ought I to tell?" "You?" "Dad isn't here." "Why shouldn't I ride with him?" "Because he's not to be trusted." "I think he's a bounder and a rotter." "It's your own fault for not liking him." "Will you stop going out with him?" "No." "We'll see about that." "He isn't a rotter." "He's not." "He's not." "Irene:" "And here is niobe." "She's kept me company during many lonely hours." "She's a pretty thing." "Not my idea of a cheerful companion." "No?" "Well, now I don't need her." "Not cold?" "Not a bit." "You were telling me about june's mother." "Poor frances." "Yes." "But I should of thought as a forsyte wife, you'd have been spared no details of that business." "I wasn'T." "Shall I tell you what I did hear?" "After so long?" "Is it so important?" "It is to me because... because, well, even then i suspected that what I was shown was only one side of the coin." "You were a monster." "Oh, was I?" "Oh, yes." "And frances, an angel." "A young unsophisticated girl from leicestershire from a very good family, they said." "Yes, her mother was an honorable." "For all I know, she still is." "She'll only be about 70, and still riding to hounds, I shouldn't wonder." "But you were cruel to frances." "Was I?" "Yes." "You behaved disgracefully with june's governess." "Quite a common girl, they said." "Foreign... german." "She was austrian." "And quite uncommon." "And frances?" "Tell me about her." "I will tell you." "Although why, I don't know," "I have never told anyone." "That's a good reason." "Frances should never have married, least of all, me." "Why?" "Because to her, the act of love was an obscenity." "I see." "Do you understand then?" "Yes." "I know that it can be for a woman." "As I know it can be her greatest joy." "And helene?" "We were deeply in love." "If only..." "ye if only she could've believed that I was happy with her, that I wanted nothing else but our life together." "Do you still mourn for her?" "No." "No, not anymore." "Remember telling me once that love doesn't last?" "Well, grief goes too." "Yes." "Even she, I suppose, stopped weeping in the end." "I was awfully worried about you today." "Why didn't you turn up?" "What happened?" "Well, nothing, except... val, jolly knows about our riding together." "Well, what about it?" "Is he in?" "No, but I expect he will be soon." "Then... holly, there's something i have to tell you." "It's about my father." "He's not..." "I mean, they're trying to divorce him." "Mother took him to court, and the judge ordered him to come back." "Were you there?" "Mm." "Was it horrid?" "Pretty bad." "Of course, nothing's come out yet, but it will soon." "Divorce suits are beastly." "I wanted to tell you because, well, because I love you, holly, and I want you to marry me." "And if you don't love me, I don'T... val." "My god." "Who was that?" "Jolly." "Well, I don't care." "Now we're engaged." "I beg your pardon." "I wasn't spying." "Well, anyway it's none of your business." "Oh, yes, it is." "Holly, you'd better go." "No!" "Holly and I are engaged." "This is our house, and I won't insult you in it." "But my father's away, and I'm in charge of my sister." "You've taken advantage of me." "I didn't mean to." "Oh, I think you did, or you would have waited for my father to come back." "There were reasons." "What reasons?" "Family reasons." "I've just told her." "You're only kids." "We're not." "Yes, you are." "You're not 20." "And what are you?" "I am 20." "Only just." "Anyway, I'm as good a man as you." "We'll see about that." "I dare you to do what I'm going to do." "Dare me?" "Dare you." "And I know very well you won'T." "I haven't forgotten you are a fire-eater." ""Damnation to the boers"" "and all that." "But I think that's about all you are." "What?" "I'm going to join the imperial yeomanry and I dare you to do the same, mr." "Val dartie." "Take your time." "Sit down." "Think it over." "All right." "Done." "Tomorrow then?" "We'll meet at the main recruiting office at 12:00." "I shall be there." "Well, at least there will be lots of riding and shooting, anyway." "Val." "Mm, marveilleux!" "Superbe!" "Merci." "Really, jo, the most wonderful food." "Whoever invented crpe suzette was a genius, don't you think?" "Ranking with beethoven and michelangelo?" "No, no." "Nothing's as solid as that." "Mozart, yes, and fragonard." "There, now you will think of me as a greedy gourmand, but I don't care." "Where else except in paris could we eat so well?" "For that matter, where else could we be so free?" "To talk and stroll and make our little expeditions:" "Versailles." "Fontainebleau." "The galleries." "Yes, paris agrees with you." "You suit each other." "You've been happy here?" "Since you came, yes." "But not before?" "When I was a girl at the conservatoire, it was thrilling." "But then soames brought me here after our wedding." "And for many years, I couldn't think of paris without a kind of horror." "Yet you came back." "I thought, "how stupid!"" "I was determined to... to lay the ghost?" "And is it laid?" "Well and truly." "Thanks so much to you, my dear jo." "I wish I could take the credit." "These past few weeks have been so wonderful for me." "Our companionship." "Your relish for beauty." "And you, irene." "You, yourself, how you have illuminated for me the smallest pleasures." "Wonderful weeks." "Weeks I shall never forget." "Forget?" "Is it over?" ""Have joined imperial yeomanry." "Jolly."" "You must go home at once." "Tomorrow." "How easy it is for a forsyte to deceive himself." "During a whole month in paris, almost up to the moment of parting, I had been persuaded that between irene and me, there was no emotion stronger than a friendly companionship." "Well, perhaps that's all it was to her." "But for me?" "One hour in the boat train, and no doubts remained." "It seemed both natural and ludicrous." "Natural, because how should I help loving her?" "And ludicrous... a bad case of elderly rapture." "Because at my age, how could she ever return my love?" "I walked from the station because somehow I was reluctant to meet jolly." "While I had been lotus-eating in paris, my son had taken a step towards danger, hardship, even death." "Lumbago." "What love ends in, if you're not careful, at my age." "Balthasar!" "Come on." "Here, boy!" "What's the matter, old boy?" "Hey." "What's the matter?" "Oh, no." "Oh, poor little boy." "Eighteen years." "Dr. Dewar's old bitch had three pups, and he gave me this one." "I remember bringing him home to st." "John's wood in my jacket pocket." "Yes, now he's gone." "Seems like yesterday." "It's nearly all my life." "When you were still a youngster, he was very, very old." "Why did you call him balthasar?" "Remember, in the bible?" "Three wise men?" "Oh, I see." "Yeah, the pups looked just like them, ancient and wise." "Balthasar, he looked the oldest and wisest of the three." "Of cours well, it's funny how you don't think about it." "As far as I was concerned, he was called balthasar, just as I was christened jolyon." "And as overshoes are christened galoshes." "Oh, blast it." "Thanks, old son." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Strange life, a dog'S." "The only animal with the rudiments of altruism and a sense of god." "Do you believe in god?" "Well..." "I've never known." "Depends on what you mean by god." "There are two quite separate ideas of him, and I've never been able to reconcile them." "There's the creative principle, which one can't explain." "Darwin thought he had, but all he did was to describe it." "Well, I believe in that." "And the other?" "Altruism." "The sum of all the unselfishness in mankind." "The impulse that makes a man prefer the interests of others to his own." "Well, naturally, I believe in that too." "Where does christ come in?" "Ah." "The link perhaps." "Hm?" "One sublime life proving that two opposing ideas can be joined." "What do you think?" "Oh, I don't know." "My first year, we talked a good bit about this sort of thing." "But in the second, one gives it up." "I don't know why." "It's jolly interesting." "Yes, it was much the same in my day." "But when you say that dogs have a sense of altruism, isn't it just selfish emotion?" "No." "No, dogs love something outside themselves." "They aren't pure forsytes." "I think I'm one." "You?" "Rubbish." "You enlisted, didn't you?" "Why?" "Wasn't it because you thought you should?" "In a way, I suppose." "I didn't want to." "Exactly." "I admire you for it, though." "I doubt if I should have the courage to do it at your age." "Forsytes don'T." "Still I suppose the type gets thinner with each succeeding generation." "Your son, jolly, may well be the perfect altruist." "Hm, not if he's like me, he won'T." "I'm a forsyte, all right." "No altruist." "No blooming hero." "No?" "I only enlisted because I dared val dartie to go with me." "Really?" "Why?" "We..." "yes?" "Well, we had a row." "I can't stand the chap." "Well, I'll take this round the back." "So the feud goes on." "Into the third generation." "Now, you do look nice in that dickey." "So much easier for you." "Dickey." "Always wasting your money on something." "Why we have to make the fuss?" "It's only the family." "I know, dear." "But how often these days do we have a dinner party?" "So I thought we'd make it a proper one." "Well, it's very good practice for imogen, now that she's coming out." "She'll be pretty," "I shouldn't wonder." "Uh-huh, she is pretty." "She ought to make a very good match." "Oh, there you go." "She'd much better stay at home and look after her mother." "Oh, where's warmson?" "I should like a glass of madeira tonight." "There's champagne, james." "No body." "I can't get any good of it." "Ring for warmson." "All right, dear." "Ah, there he is, like magic." "Oh, my darling." "There you are." "And in very good time." "Warmson." "Sir?" "Hello, mother." "There we are, my darling." "Hello, my darling." "Get me up a bottle of that madeira I had from old mr." "Jolyon." "You know where to find it?" "Yes, sir." "It's never been moved." "Ought to be in prime condition, but I don't know." "Don't shake it." "Very good, sir." "He will shake it, likely as not." "Ah, soames, there you are." "Soames:" "Father." "Ah, dear papa." "Mm, how well you look." "That's as may be." "Tell me..." "no word from that fellow, dartie?" "Nothing." "No, not a sign." "Good job too." "Have a glass of sherry, soames." "Ah, imogen." "Good evening." "You sit by me, dear." "Val." "Good evening, sir." "Now." "That old madeira," "I was saving it for our golden wedding." "But I shan't see another three years at my age." "Oh, papa, what nonsense." "Come, james, don't be morbid." "I don't know about morbid." "But there's that w and when I'm gone, there it will be." "I don't know what will become of it." "It will be drunk or spoiled," "I shouldn't wonder." "Mother." "No, thank you, dear." "Val?" "Thank you, soames." "Your mother tells me you want to take up polo next term." "Only if papa can afford it, you know." "Well, I should like to, but... but what, dear?" "Well, the fact is... yes?" "The fact is I shan't be going back to the varsity." "Val, what do you mean?" "I've joined the imperial yeomanry." "What?" "Yes." "Jolly forsyte and I went up together." "You haven't signed?" "Rather." "I go to camp on monday." "I sa what's that?" "I didn't hear." "Only that val has joined the yeomanry, dear." "Well, it's so nice for him." "He'll look his best in uniform." "Rubbish!" "Why, he'll have to go out there." "He'll be fighting before he knows where he is." "You're underage." "I said I was 21." "Good for you." "If you go on like this, I don't know what will become of you." "It's all right, moth things are much better out there now." "I only hope I'll come in for something." "Won't they be astonished at timothy'S." "I say, val, do you have a sword, or only a pop-gun?" "Oh, dry out." "What on earth made you do it?" "I think it's splendid." "He's got just the figure for a soldier." "I thought you and jolly weren't on good terms." "We're not." "Soames:" "Then why...?" "But I wasn't going to be beaten by him." "Has anybody seen that father of his?" "Say, what's he doing?" "He's been away." "In paris." "Paris?" "Yes." "Artists." "Dinner is served, madam." "Thank you, warmson." "High time too." "I'll take imogen." "Thank you." "Emily:" "Yes, dear." "And we'll go in first, shall we?" "So that I can see that everything is all right." "Now, my darling, cook has excelled herself... may I sit next to you?" "We'll sit together." "Imogen:" "Thank you." "Didn't you tell me that irene...?" "Yes." "Soames, dear..." "it isn't conceivably possible that...?" "That chap?" "If I thought that, I..." "it isn't conceivably possible." "Can I get you something?" "Nothing, dear." "Your grandmama's dinners." "Yes." "I..." "I'm sorry to be leaving you, mother." "Well, you'll be out of the way of that wretched divorce." "You must go to your tailors, val, and have your uniform properly made." "When do you go to camp?" "Did you say?" "On monday." "Then there's time." "And we must try and get you a commission." "Then you won't have to rough it so much." "Do you know any drill?" "Not a scrap." "But of course," "I ride pretty well, and that's the main thing." "Yes, I suppose so." "Give me a kiss, darling." "Dearest val." "Good night." "Mother, I... yes?" "Nothing, mother." "Good night." "Val." "A gentleman, a 47, as we say, has been paying marked attention to 17 during the last month in paris." "So you said in your last report." "Can you enlarge on this?" "Oh, there's nothing very conclusive at present." "The meetings have all been in public places:" "Restaurants." "The o he's not staying at the same hotel?" "No." "Then these meetings aren't of any value." "Oh, I wouldn't say that." "In fact, the situation is quite promising." "Requires patience, of course." "Do you know the identity of 47?" "Oh, yes." "It's rather curious." "Has the same name as number 31." "Your firm." "Christian name, "jolyon." I suppose it's all right?" "We don't want to be running a wrong hare." "Go on with it." "But be careful." "By the way, what's their attitude to each other?" "She mentioned it in the summary." "Ah, here we are." ""17, very attractive." "47, longer in the tooth."" "That's slang for age, you know." ""He's definitely caught." ""Waiting his time." ""17 perhaps holding off for terms." ""But I'm inclined to think she doesn't know her own mind." ""Likely to act on impulse someday." "Both have style."" "Style?" "Yes, it's an expression we use meaning it's unlikely to be a weekend business." "They'll come together seriously or not at all." "Excuse me." "Miss darnley, is there another post in yet?" "Oh, good." "I'll come in for it." "Excuse me." "Here we are." "Today's report." "Well?" "Hm." "She says, uh, "47 left for england today."" "That's four days ago." ""He parted from 17 outside her hotel at midnight." ""Nothing very striking." ""Think it best to stay" ""and continue observation of 17." ""No doubt you will deal with 47 in england, if you think it desirable."" "Hm, interesting development." "Very intelligent woman, 19, and a wonderful makeup." "She says, "17 has no suspicion of being shadowed so far."" "But you know, sensitive people begin to feel it." "So may I advise letting up on 17 and keeping an eye on the gentleman here." "No." "Leave this end alone." "Keep the watch going in paris." "As you wish." "But discreetly." "Of course." "Good day." "I put these flags in to indicate the strategic positions of the campaign." "Smither:" "Miss francie forsyte." "Mr. George forsyte." "Oh, how nice." "Francie, dear." "And george." "Aunt hester, lovely to see you." "This is a pleasure." "Do come in." "Tea, smither." "Yes, miss." "Good lord." "Who's that?" "It can't be." "It is." "Your uncle timothy's taking a great deal of interest." "Well, george." "I find it..." "timothy:" "Now, there's colenso, do you see?" "Yes, dear." "There's pretoria." "And there's mafeking." "Now..." "timothy, dear." "Hester:" "Here's francie and george, come to see us." "Do go and talk to them." "Hello, dear." "How nice to see you." "And you too, dear." "Uncle timothy." "It's been such a long time." "What's this I hear about winifred's boy enlisting?" "And young jo's boy?" "Hey?" "Isn't it exciting?" "And giles and jesse hayman." "They tell me you're going out there with the red cross." "Oh, george." "All this going out there, that's not the way to beat those boers." "What is, uncle all this newfangled volunteering and expense, letting the money out of the country." "That's the position!" "It's very bad." "Hester:" "Sit down." "How are you going to improve it without more men?" "Men?" "What we need is a napoleon." "But if there isn't one, dear?" "Well, that's their business." "What do we keep an army for?" "Eating their heads off." "Yes." "They ought to be ashamed of themselves, coming on the country to help them." "Let every man stick to his own business." "Then we'll get on." "Volunteering indeed." "We must save!" "Conserve money and energy." "Energy!" "That's the only way!" "Oh, dear." "Oh, dear." "The blood's gone to his head again." "He'll have to put his feet in mustard and hot water this evening." "Remind me to tell smither, dear." "Mustard and poppycock." "The fellow talked a great deal of sense." "It sounded like complete rubbish to me." "Francie!" "Well, it did." "Of course we need men out there." "Certainly!" "We shall all be out there soon." "En avant the forsytes." "Roll, bowl or pitch." "General timothy, quarter-master nicholas, and lance-bombardier george." "What a c i don't like to hear the army made fun of, especially now when they're so progressive." "Think of giving up their scarlet tunics for that dreadful khaki." "Fancy what the iron duke would have said." "I think the new color's quite attractive." "Val looks very smart, anyway." "Oh, I do so wonder what jo's boy is like." "To think we've never seen him." "His father must be proud of him." "They tell me his father's in paris." "Really?" "Mrs." "Macander was here yesterday, just back from paris." "Juley!" "And whom do you think she saw in the street?" "You'll never guess." "We shan't try, aunt." "Irene!" "Imagine." "Walking with a fair beard..." "impossible, my dear aunt." "I was going to say walking with a fair-bearded gentleman looking as pretty as ever." "The gentleman, aunt?" "Now don't be naughty, george." "I think that's marvelous." "I'm mad about beards." "Do you know...?" "I've had such a dreadful thought." "Hester:" "Then don't utter it." "Keep it to yourself." "We don't want to hear it." "What's dreadful about it?" "Francie:" "Tell u they say that jo has grown a fair beard." "Hello, soames." "What can I do for you?" "Won't keep you long." "Glass of sherry?" "No, thank you." "Thank you, johnson." "Well?" "You've been in paris, I hear." "Yes, just back." "Did you happen to see irene?" "It appears she's abroad somewhere." "Yes, I saw her." "How was she?" "Very well." "When I saw you last, I was of two minds." "I remember." "Yes, you expressed your opinion very clearly." "I don't want to re-open that discussion, but I will say this." "Our differences happened a long time ago." "I'm going to ask her to let bygones be bygones and come back to me." "But you have asked her, soames, and she refused." "The idea was new to her." "It came as a shock." "Now that she's thought about it, she must realize that it's the only way for both of us." "That's not my impression of her state of mind." "It's the only reasonable way." "I believe you're making a big mistake if you think that reason comes into this at all." "Perhaps I see th a little more clearly than you imagine." "Do you now?" "Man:" "Good morning." "Good morning." "Is that what you came to tell me?" "No." "My position with her is very difficult." "Your position?" "I want to be sure that you won't try to influence her against me." "I don't know what makes you think that I have any influence." "But if I have, I'm bound to use it in the direction of her happiness." "Does that mean you're against me?" "I'm against any woman living with a man, soames, whom she definitely dislikes." "Married or not." "I suppose every time you see her, you put your opinions into her mind." "I'm not likely to be seeing her." "Well, do you mean...?" "You're not going back to paris?" "No." "Not as far as I know." "Than that's all that I had to say." "Except to point out that anyone who comes between man and wife incurs a heavy responsibility." "Yes, you said something of that sort before." "Is that all?" "For the moment." "Then good day to you." "I have just had a visit from soames." "Somehow he has discovered that you are in paris." "I don't want to alarm you, but I think you should know he's going to have another try." "But please be calm." "There's absolutely nothing he can do." "You will be sad to hear that your old friend balthasar is dead." "We're fools, aren't we?" "To give our affection when we know it must end in heartache." "I think the warning in your first letter must have been a false alarm because there has been no sign from soames." "As you say, it is as well to be prepared, but a mouth has passed now, so perhaps he's changed his mind." "I have been re-reading what you wrote about affection." "Surely it's never foolish to give, whatever the end may be." "But to take without giving in return, is not only foolish, but wicked." "June:" "Aren't you glad that's done and out of the away?" "Jolly:" "You're an absolute angel." "Ah, jolly." "Nice to see you in civilized clothes again." "I wonder when you'll wear them next?" "Are you packed?" "Packed and re-packed." "June's been helping me, and you know what that means." "Yes, indeed." "June." "June." "If the ship goes down, you'll know whom to blame." "Don't be so ungrateful." "My kit is bulging with unnecessary objects ranging from liniment to balaclava helmets." "I think she imagines that south africa lies somewhere north of greenland." "What nonsense." "I'm told the nights can be very cold on the veldt." "Who told you?" "Nurses who have been out there." "Nurses?" "What nurses?" "I didn't know you knew any any." "Oh, didn't I tell you?" "I've been attending classes for two weeks now." "No, you didn't tell me, and you know perfectly well you didn't tell me." "What have you been up to, miss june?" "I shall go out to the cape, as soon as they'll take me." "Jolly:" "Good lord!" "I thought you were oh, I'm still that." "Then how can you...?" "I'm pro-people." "Boers or english who need help." "Well, I can hardly go out and nurse the boers, can I?" "Well, hardly." "Don't laugh at me, fa oh, that's the last thing i should do." "I never know with you." "Oh, my dearest girl." "Have an olive." "No, thank you." "When I read the news of spion kop, all our casualties." "Oh, that was bad enough." "But natural, when you think what idiots these generals seem to be." "But do you realize that for every man killed in action out there, five, five are dying from disease?" "Enteric, dysentery, blackwater fever." "Well, I think that's horrible." "Horrible and wasteful." "It's the country, june." "I don't believe that." "It's sheer incompetence." "It must be." "We've hardly progressed since the crimea." "And you're going to put it right?" "I'll have a jolly good try." "Then jolly good luck to you." "That's what I say." "And so say I." "Really, father?" "You don't mind?" "Mind?" "Of course I mind." "But I shan't try and stop you." "I've got more sense." "I can only say that I'M..." "I'm very grateful." "Yes, and a little astonished too that I should have such children." "Come back, won't you?" "Safely and soon." "We shall miss you, holly and I." "By the way, where is that girl?" "Val?" "Hm?" "Won't you come into the house?" "No, darling." "You don't really know my father." "He's generous." "Kind." "I want him to know about us." "And jolly?" "He'll have nothing to do with it." "Don't be too certain of that." "Then you won't come in?" "No." "I'm sure your father's everything you say he is, but there's something between our families." "I don't know what." "But there is a bar." "I've seen it in my grandfather's face and my uncle'S." "You don't think it stands between us?" "Oh, no." "Do you?" "No." "Well, then, when I come back... no." "Hold me close, I have an idea." "And I'll tell you what it is." "Then I'll have to or they'll be wondering where I am." "It's unlike holly to be late." "Especially on your last night." "Oh, isn't it, though?" "Ah, here she is." "Jo:" "Come along, dinner's ready." "I know." "I'm sorry i'm late, father." "Where have you been?" "I've been in the garden, thinking." "No." "Father?" "Yes?" "Has june told you about being a nurse?" "Yes, we did manage to prize it out of her." "I was going to tell you anyway, this evening." "Well, father, if you'll allow it," "I should like to start training too." "Tomorrow." "Why?" "Well, because I... because I want to." "Well, I suppose that's the best answer I'm likely to get." "What a family." "May we go and dine now?" "And if you want to know why," "I'll tell you." "I'm now secretive." "I happen to be hungry." "June?" "Oh, father." "Jo:" "Press the bell." "Good gracious me, juley." "What do you suppose is going on?" "Smither?" "Oh, miss!" "Oh, ma'am." "You've never seen anything like it out there." "All the streets full of people roaring their heads off with funny hats on, and dancing and jigging!" "I quite thought I'd be swept away in the rush." "What people?" "Dancing in the streets?" "All kinds of people!" "West end, east end, all mixed up together." "Yes, but why, smither?" "Don't ask me, ma'am." "I spoke to several of them, but they just shouted at me." ""Mafficking!" "Mafficking!" "Mafficking!" So I asked a copper." "I mean, a policeman, miss." "And what did he say?" ""Mafficking."" "Soames:" "Please don't touch me!" "Excuse me!" "What the..." "hello, soames!" "Have a nose." "Don't be a fool!" "Go it from one of these sportsmen." "Had to knock him down for bashing my hat." "Ah!" "Filthy buggers!" "What are the police doing?" "It's unspeakable." "It's not english." "Ah, but it is." "You'll see." "One of these days we'll have to fight these chaps." "Radicals, socialists, the lot of them." "They want our property." "Tell uncle james that from me!" "They won't dispose of us so easily." "Possession is nine points of the law." "Thank goodness we had the carriage." "How we should have got home at all, I... imogen!" "Yes, mama?" "Do you perceive a scent?" "Is it tobacco?" "I can't smell anything." "I say, if that's how they behave on mafeking night, what do you suppose will happen when we win the war?" "I'd rather not think about it, dear." "No." "Strange." "Imogen:" "After all those fittings this afternoon, I'm exhausted." "Nice, though, and amusing." "Oh, look." "The library sent me the new anthony hope." "I think I'll take it up and have a rest before dinner." "Yes, dear." "Do that." "God!" "Who is it?" "Man:" "Winifred." "Hi." "I got your letters." "So I'm back." "I had to come steerage." "It was absolute hell." "I've nothing left but what I stand up in." "And who has the rest?" "How dared you come." "How dared you!" "Dared?" "You knew perfectly well what that letter meant." "You knew I was going to divorce you." "Well, there are easier ways." "Why didn't you take one of them?" "Oh, monty!" "Oh, yes, because of the kids." "Yes." "How are they?" "Don't come near me!" "Oh, god." "If you knew the time I've had." "I'm glad I don'T." "How did you get in?" "With my key." "Now I hung on to that." "Then at least the maids don't know." "You can't stay here, monty." "Where do you suggest I go?" "What do I care?" "To my club?" "They'd throw me out." "Just look at me." "What do I look like?" "That damned woman..." "if you mention her," "I go straight to park lane and I don't come back!" "Very well." "I'm in your hands." "Whatever you say." "Look, you can have a room for tonight." "Your things are still here." "And imogen's the only one at home." "Val?" "He's in south africa with the army." "And I thank god for it." "He's been shamed enough already." "You don't need to hit so hard." "It isn't necessary." "I've been scared." "Oh, freddie... don't call me that!" "I've been so scared." "Have you got a cigarette?" "Yes, there were some." "Two." "I've smoked them." "You'll find a box in the dressing room." "Go and have a hot bath and change." "We'll talk later." "All right." "Warmson:" "Good evening, sir." "Oh, warmson." "I shall be sleeping here tonight, warmson." "Streets aren't safe for civilized people." "Just letting off steam, sir." "It's a good thing at times." "Yes, perhaps you're right." "What's the news of that son of yours?" "Nothing but good so far, sir." "He's been made a corporal." "Excellent." "Not that we hear much, sir." "He's no hand at writing, and his mother frets." "Yes." "Yes, I dare say." "Good evening, ma please leave us, warmson." "I want to speak to mr." "Soames." "What's the matter?" "Monty." "He's come back." "Damn!" "Hoist with our own petard!" "I told you, you should have let me go for cruelty." "Soames, no!" "What shall I do?" "Has he anything to say for himself?" "No." "Nothing." "One of his boots is split across the toe." "Oh, yes." "On his beam ends." "So it all begins again." "There must be some way, in law, of keeping you free of that chap." "The law!" "Oh, no, soames." "I won't be made a fool of again." "I'd sooner put up with him." "Then we'll just have to come to terms." "Terms." "What terms?" "It'll always be the same." "When he recovers... cards." "Betting." "Drink." "Women!" "When he recovers?" "Why, is he ill?" "He's burnt out." "You and I... we don't have any luck, do we?" "No." "This will finish father." "Can't we keep it from him?" "Oh, I doubt it." "I doubt it." "He has an instinct for trouble." "Well, what is it?" "Something's happened." "I can tell by the look of you." "Father... uh?" "Monty's come back." "Oh, no, dear." "Now this really is too bad of him." "It's all right, mother." "No good fussing." "He'll be the death of me." "Winifred:" "Now you're not to worry." "Just to be spared that horrible divorce." "Divorce!" "Rubbish." "Why I agreed to it," "I don't know." "I should have offered him an allowance to stay out of england." "Soames, go and propose it to him." "Yes, by all means." "And tell him he'll be prosecuted if he doesn't keep away!" "After all, he took her pearls, you know." "And if he hasn't brought them back... that's only bluff." "He'll know it." "No, I've made up my mind." "Now he's back, he can stay." "I'll make him behave." "Good heavens!" "Daddy!" "Well, my little one?" "Are you pleased to see me back?" "Of course." "But you're a rotten old father." "Am I?" "Seven months away without even a postcard." "And you've missed val." "Did you know?" "Yes, I know." "I'm sorry about that i should think so too." "Tell me, has your mother said anything... mama!" "Look." "Did you know?" "Yes, of course, dear." "Now shouldn't you go and change for dinner?" "Yes, mama." "See you at dinner, daddy." "Very well, my chick." "Run along now." "Run along." "I should like to speak to you." "Well, I suppose you've been to park lane." "How's the old man?" "Not dead." "Oh, now, freddie." "Understand this, monty." "I will not have him worried." "Do you want to stay here?" "Yes." "Then you may." "As long as you behave yourself." "Have you told the children val knows everything." "He had to be told." "Imogen?" "No details." "Only that you had to make a trip to south america." "Oh, you'd mind her knowing, wouldn't you?" "You care for her, even if you don't give two pence for my feelings." "Very well." "If you give me cause, any cause, she shall know." "I shall tell her the whole filthy story." "All right, go on." "Hit me." "I'm down." "I don't want to hit you." "You can live here, on my terms." "I can't stand anymore, though, and I won'T." "So you'd better be quite sure of that." "You've made yourself very clear." "Good." "Over the years, monty, you've made me suffer." "I've been jealous, deeply hurt and just downright angry." "You've humiliated me almost beyond endurance." "But I used to be fond of you." "And for the sake of that... for the sake of that... that's rather a good thing." "Is this one of your haunts?" "Yes." "It's a little lonely." "No." "There's always one's shadow." "You'll be free of that any moment you wish." "Oh?" "Irene, come back to me, and be free." "Don't laugh!" "Listen, if you come back to me, you can have a separate house." "Anything." "Now is there any condition I can make...?" "None!" "None!" "If you hunt me to the grave, I will not come." "Don't make a scene." "Is that your last word?" "Wait!" "You gave me your sacred vow..." "and broke it." "You've refused me children, the son I wanted." "You've put me in prison." "But... you still move me." "In spite of everything," "I still want you." "God made me as I am." "Wicked if you like, but not so wicked that i'll give myself again to a man I hate." "Dad?" "Mm-hm?" "More coffee?" "No, no, thank you." "I've been meaning to tell you... it was through me that jolly enlisted." "Really?" "When you were in paris, dad, val dartie and i fell in love." "We got engaged." "Well, jolly found out." "He thought he'd stop it, so he dared val to enlist." "Yes, he told me that." "I didn't know you were concerned though." "That makes a great deal of difference." "It appears my children are forsytes after all." "So you see, it was all my fault." "So I want to go out to the cape with june." "Because if anything happens to jolly or val, I..." "I'd feel... anyway, I'm just as well-trained as june." "They won't let you go, my darling." "You're too young." "No." "June says it can be arranged if... if you consent." "If I consent?" "It's a bit late in the day for that, isn't it?" "Let me go, dad." "Please." "Let me go." "I never stop anyone doing anything." "You know that." "You're the best father in the world." "Most likely the worst." "No." "But this engagement, I don't get on very well with val's parents." "I don't really know val." "But jolly doesn't like him." "I love him." "Hm." "Then that settles it." "I'll go and get everything arranged." "Oh, dad." "I hate to leave you." "But I must." "I just have to go." "June?" "June, I'm coming." ""Green's hotel." "Richmond."" "Irene:" "You'll be surprised to see how near I am to you." "Paris became impossible... and I have come here to be within reach of your advice." "Is all well with you?" "I don't think anyone knows yet that I am here." "When we discovered that 17 had also left paris, we took up the matter at the other end." "Most gratifying." "Observation of 47 has enabled us to locate 17 again at the green hotel, richmond." "Now they've met daily in richmond park." "And on two occasions, 17 has visited robin hill." "At what hour?" "During the day." "But, sir." "Both times she stayed until 10:00 P.M. And was driven back in 47's carriage." "Now in conjunction with what we had from paris, I believe we can satisfy the court." "Perhaps." "I'm not so sure." "But I've made up my mind to act." "Excellent." "I presume you know the real identity of the lady?" "My dear sir." "Very well, then." "There's no need to say more about it." "I'm instructing linkman and laver of budge row." "Kindly make your report on the evidence to mr." "Linkman." "Immediately." "And continue to observe the utmost secrecy." "Of course." "Bien." "Depeche-toi, annette." "You are keeping charles waiting." "Voíla." "It was worth waiting for." "You'll be the belle of the party." "And I shall be the envy of all my colleagues." "Au revoir, maman." "Au revoir." "I'll take great care of her, madame lamotte." "Oh, I'm sure you will." "Enjoy yourselves, my children." "But mind you, bring her back before midnight." "On the dot." "Au revoir." "Entrez." "Ah, good evening, monsieur forsyte." "I am so sorry." "My daughter has just gone out with dr." "Fryer." "Yes, I saw them go." "But you I came to see." "So... please, do sit down." "Thank you." "I want to talk to you." "Oui, monsieur?" "But first, I must ask you something." "Oui." "That young doctor, is there anything between him and annette?" "Oh, she's young, monsieur, and so is monsieur le docteur." "Between young people, things move quickly." "But my daughter is a good girl, and sensible." "So there's nothing definite?" "Oh, indeed no." "Monsieur le docteur is very nice, but what we do...?" "There is no money, at present." "Ah, let me offer you something, monsieur." "A cognac," "I think, huh?" "Thank you." "Bien, monsieur forsyte." "It is some time since you visited us." "Yes, I've been busy." "Uh-huh." "Madame lamotte," "I must tell you this." "I'm a marr but I've been living apart from my wife for some time." "Now I'm going to sue her for a divorce." "So... the world is full of tragedies." "Thank you." "And will the suit be successful?" "I have every confidence, madam." "I'm a rich man." "And when I marry again, my wife will have a generous settlement." "Generous, monsieur?" "I had in mind the sum of 15,000 pounds." "So..." "I believe you, madam, are thinking of returning to paris?" "Eventually, we are." "London is a beautiful city, but for me it means hard work." "And..." "paris, after all, is home." "Oui, monsieur." "My one ambition is to be near my grandchildren." "My french grandchildren." "It is natural." "Yes." "Very natural." "Unfortunately, my capital is all invested here in this restaurant." "If you were to dispose of the goodwill of your restaurant you could realize your ambition?" "Oh, oui, monsieur, I could." "And it should not be difficult." "Soho has many possibilities." "I have no doubt when the time comes, we can come to some satisfactory arrangement." "I'm sure we can, monsieur." "And there is no hurry." "A month here or there will make no difference at all." "I shall say nothing as yet to annette." "That would be wise." "But I'm happy to think that you understand me." "Ah, oui, monsieur." "I think we understand one another, hm?" "Forsyte versus forsyte and forsyte." "Hm." "Well, there it is." "Pinned down on legal parchment for the whole world to gape at." "After all these years, the feud in our family will be common property." "Common property!" "That's a notion abhorred and despised by every forsyte that ever was." "By god!" "It must have cost soames a lot to do that." "Anguish and desperation." "Yes, poor devil." "To give in and admit defeat after all this time." "It doesn't seem possible." "I find it hard to believe." "No, irene, it's an ironic business." "Ironic?" "We're perfectly well able to defend this suit." "You know that, don't you?" "Yes, jo." "But do you realize exactly what that would mean?" "I think so." "You an I would have to go into the witness box and swear that between us, there's been nothing." "No act, no gesture, no words even of love." "And that's the truth." "Yes, jo, that's the truth." "But to do it, hm?" "To stand up in public, before an english judge and 12 solid tradesman in the jury box, explain our meetings in paris, our walks in richmond, your visits to me here." "To answer one insinuating question after another." ""Seriously, mrs." "Forsyte." ""Are you trying to tell the jury that in all these meetings, you spoke only of..."" "painting and music and food and wine." "How fresh and beautiful the flowers are in the market by the seine." "And the young bracken in richmond park." "Of cabbages and kings." "And whether pigs have wings." "Exactly." "Are they likely to believe us?" "And even if they do, the damage will be done." "The scandal will be just as horrible." "Hypocrites will have a field day." "The newspapers will sell like hotcakes." "Oh, my dear, irene, I don't think I can bear the thought of you standing up in that box under all those gloating eyes." "And do you think I should like to see you there?" "Dear jo... even if you told the truth, would it be the whole truth?" "Nothing but the truth?" "Do you think I don't know that you love me?" "Did you imagine you could keep it a secret?" "I don't know." "I tried." "Why?" "Not because you couldn't face the world." "I know you too well for that." "Because of your children?" "They're grown now, and you've taught them your own tolerance, your own belief that people should be free." "Yes, I did think of them." "Especially jolly." "Yes." "Yes, and what you've told me, it's clear that he is most vulnerable." "But there's another reason, and I believe i know what it is." "Tell me." "Tell me, please." "Over these last months, you've been a comfort and a refuge to me." "Thanks to you and to your father who began the... the cure..." "I've become alive again." "And you're quite aware of this." "You know that I have given you my whole trust and my affection." "But you're afraid, aren't you?" "Afraid that I can give you nothing more." "That if you told me of your love, you might lose everything." "Scrupulous." "Most chivalrous." "Dearest jo... but a coward too." "Irene... oh, my dear." "Oh, sir!" "Oh, excuse me, sir." "Yes, plunket, what is it?" "I told him you were engaged, but... mr." "Soames forsyte, sir." "So you're together." "As you can see." "Very pretty." "I don't know what else you'd expect after what we both received this morning." "You bring an action for divorce." "Irene is the respondent, and I, it appears, am the co-respondent." "Surely your decision takes away any rights you once possessed." "We'll see about that." "Yes, we will." "What do you want?" "I came..." "I came to give you one final chance." "As for you, you are a forsyte, as I am." "Oh, soames." "Is that so humorous?" "Whatever you may have been in the past, you are now a man of substance and standing, 50 years old." "You're a successful an associate of the academy, hung on the line." "Whether you like it or not, you have a reputation to lose." "You have a son, I believe, in south africa, and daughters old enough to appreciate scandal and feel shame." "Shame?" "I too, have a reputation to lose, but understand this... now understand this, irene:" "If you two don't swear to keep away from each other from now on," "I won't sp i'll divorce you with every possible mark of disgrace." "Leave her alone." "Irene, will you swear to this?" "No." "You?" "Still less." "So you're guilty." "You're both guilty." "Yes." "You are the devil!" "Get out of this house, soa and you're a thief." "Stealing another man's wife." "God help me, soames, if you don't get out of this house..." "I'll make you pay for this!" "Certainly!" "Any sum you like." "You!" "I hope you'll treat him as you've treated me." "All right." "All right, my dear." "It's all right." "It's over." "I apologize." "I lost my temper." "You did well to lose it." "Yes, but I feel sorry for him." "He's possessed." "Still, we progress, don't we, eh?" "Do we?" "Fifty years ago, that might have ended in a brawl." "A century ago, it could have been a duel." "Who knows, 50 years from now, such matters will be settled over a sup of tea." "Come on." "Let's go out onto the terrace." "The air in here is not what it was." "And irene... thank you for that..." "for that good lie." "And thank you... dear, beloved jo." "Before this night's over, we'll make it the truth." "More, please." "Ah, thank you." "Thank you." "All right." ""Regret to inform you your son..." ""died of enteric fever, june 20th." "Deep sympathy."" "To die out there, alone, without me, without any of us..." "better to die cleanly in battle." "He was just 20 years old, irene." "He had no life." "No life at all." "Emily:" "Now, james, you'll catch cold." "Why can't you wait quietly?" "Wait?" "I'm always waiting." "Why doesn't he come?" "Don't fuss, dear." "You can speak to him tomorrow." "There you go, always cock-a-hoop." "I may be dead by tomorrow." "Maybe he won't come at all." "Well if he does," "I'll bring him up." "If he doesn't, you won't catch him by making a guy of yourself out on the landing." "You see?" "He's here." "Ah, well, that's all right." "Now, come in and I'll brush your hair." "You know you like that." "Come along, dear." "Sit down." "Ah, dear boy." "There you are." "Father." "Mother." "Dear." "I've been waiting." "You look better." "No." "No, I..." "I want to say something." "I haven't told your mother." "Your father's been in a great state all evening." "I'm sure I don't know what about." "I'm getting on, soames." "Nearly 90." "At that age, I can't tell." "There'll be a lot of money." "Who'll get it all?" "Val's out there." "His precious father's got to be watched." "He'll get what he can." "No doubt somebody will pick up imogen, I shouldn't wonder." "Oh, if that's all... no!" "No... no, it's you, my boy." "You ought to get a divorce." "I don't know what's become of her." "They say she's abroad." "Your uncle swithin used to admire her." "He was a funny chap." "She wouldn't be alone, I dare say." "Come now, james." "Soames knows best." "But there's all my money, and his too." "Who's going to get it?" "When he dies, the name goes out." "There are other forsytes." "As if that helped me!" "I shall be in my grave." "Unless soames marries again... nobody." "Yes, you're quite right." "I'm getting a divorce." "What?" "There." "Nobody tells me anything." "My dear boy, this is a surprise after all these years." "It will be a scandal." "I can't help that." "Don't brush so hard." "When does it come on?" "Before the long vacation." "It's not defended." "I shan't live to see my grandson." "Of course you will, dear." "Soames will be as quick as he can." "How did you know I was here?" "Well, I'll tell you." "When you're not with me, I feel lost." "Suddenly, I didn't feel lost anymore." "It's as simple as that." "Simple flattery." "That's what you go in for." "And I'm simple enough to believe it." "How did the shopping go?" "As it always does here." "When in rome..." "I haggled for half an hour over a piece of lace, didn't buy it in the end, and came away with a dozen handkerchiefs for you." "I don't need handkerchiefs." "No, but it's very good for you to be given things now and then." "Because you're a giver, not a taker." "A non-forsyte." "I love you for being that." "Well, that's g yes, but there's a danger even in virtue, carried to excess." "Danger?" "Of course." "You might become... smug." "Oh, never." "Oh, yes." "Even you." "No, no." "Jo?" "Mm?" "I love you." "Yes, you do, don't you?" "You most certainly do." "And it never ceases to astonish me." "It shouldn'T." "You're a lovable man." "But when it comes to giving things the small things, as well as the great, you must indulge me, jo." "Perhaps you don't know this, but since my father died when I was 15," "I've never had the chance to buy presents for anyone I loved." "Idiotic things like pipe racks and key rings and books about fishing." "So if I bombard you with terracotta statuettes of st." "Peter, or handkerchiefs that you don't need..." "accept them... and forgive me." "All right." "Iem, and I forgive you." "Very well, then." "No painting today?" "No, not today." "Or yesterday." "I don't seem to be able to paint in rome." "Other painters have been able to." "Yes, that's he trouble." "Far too many, and all too good at it." "No, all I can do is sit in the sun and think." "About jolly?" "Yes." "Every day." "Oh, and june too, and holly." "I had a letter from south africa this morning." "Holly and val dartie." "They're married." "Oh." "Do you mind?" "Mind?" "Who am I to mind?" "But I hope he loves her." "Holly needs to be loved." "Like daughter... like father." "Who?" "Who do you say he married?" "Holly forsyte." "Jo's daughter." "Good lord." "He got special leave." "Well, I didn't even know they knew each other." "Well, I... it's awkward, isn't it?" "Awkward." "With this case coming on, it... shall I mention it when I write to him?" "Yes, you'd better." "She may know already." "You've seen her, haven't you?" "Is she pretty?" "Yes." "I suppose so." "Slim, quite ladylike." "Oh, well, that doesn't sound so bad." "But it is a coil." "What will father say?" "No, no, no." "He musn't be told." "Well, the war's nearly over." "Val had better stay out there." "But I want him back." "I miss him." "He helps me to get on." "Yes, I know." "But still... well, he'd better take up farming." "That fellow will give his daughter money," "I shouldn't wonder." "Yes." "Well, perhaps for the time being." "Soames, would you like me to come to the court with you?" "No!" "No, winifred, thank you, but I'd rather go alone." "Never mind, dear." "You'll feel so much better when it's all over." "I don't know what I did." "I've never known." "I was fond of her." "Always was." "Poor old boy." "It's been too bad of her, all along." "Well, I've made up my mind about one thing." "I'm going to retire." "From the firm?" "Mm." "From the law?" "But soames, it's been your whole life." "Oh, no after this scandal's out, I'm finished with the law." "I don't see how you can do that." "It's done." "We've amalgamated with cuthcott, kingson and holliday." "I've left my name as sleeping partner, and my clients go with it." "The new firm will be called cuthcott, kingson and forsyte." "For that, I shall receive a considerable sum." "But soames, you've looked after things for so long, for all the family." "That I can still do, where occasion arises." "And old gradman can stay on as clerk, dealing with exclusively forsyte matters." "After all this time." "But what will you do with yourself?" "I shall buy pictures." "And sell them." "And keep the best." "You've always had a flair for that." "Yes." "I shall go on developing it." "In time, I shall have a unique collection." "And when I die... it shall go to the nation." "The forsyte bequest." "Splendid." "Now that is worth doing." "Yes, I think so." "But first there's this damnable divorce." "Will it go on for long?" "In court, I mean?" "No." "No, those two, before they went abroad, left very clear evidence of adultery." "It should last about half an hour." "But in that half-hour... yes, I know, dear, and I am sorry." "I'm claiming damages." "Substantial damages." "Soames?" "Mm-hm." "Is that wise?" "Won't people say...?" "Oh, that I got a good price for her." "Yes, I know what they'll say, if they're given a chance." "But I've spoken to counsel, and he'll announce in court that the damages will be awarded to charity." "To the blind." "They should assess them pretty highly, wouldn't you think?" "This case is perfectly clear." "Adultery by the respondent has not only been admitted, but has been abundantly proved to the satisfaction of the jury." "The petition is granted." "Decree nisi in favor of the petitioner." "The claim for damages against the co-respondent is admitted for the sum assessed by the jury." "Annette... is there anything of interest in the newspapers today?" "Oh, a new restaurant opens in dean street... the queen is not well, the battersea murderer will be hanged." "And the décolleté will be lower and the hips will be more slender." "Ha!" "Annette, I am going upstairs." "I think I have the little migraine." "Oh, quel dommage." "But a migraine, maman, fortunately it happens very seldom." "Entrez." "Annette." "Good evening." "Good evening." "You are a stranger." "I haven't wished to be." "I've been busy." "Where's your mother?" "I have some news for her." "She's, uh, upstairs." "Shall I call her?" "No." "Are you unwell?" "No, it's nothing." "Nothing." "A touch of the sun, perhaps." "Well, sit down." "It will pass, then." "Thank you." "May I get you something?" "A cognac?" "No, no, no." "Thank you." "Annette, sit down." "I want to talk to you." "I'm going to mapledurham tomorrow for a long holiday." "Oh, to your house by the river." "Good." "You can rest there." "I'm going to write to your mother and ask you both to come down and spend a few days." "The country's looking at its best just now." "Will you come?" "It will be very nice." "Annette, do you know i'm a married man?" "Oh, I imagined so." "Oh?" "Why?" "Well, few men of your age are not." "And then... you come here and..." "look at me the way you look at me now, as if I am attractive to you." "You are." "Yet you say nothing." "Well, up till now, there was very little I could say." "But now... you've seen the evening paper?" "I see." "Well, you're discreet." "I admire that in you." "Well, there's no point in going into details... but according to english law," "I can't marry again for six months." "When that time is up... annette, I'm not a young man." "Oh, but not old." "No." "So... what do I offer you?" "Wealth." "I know you want that." "A beautiful home, a social position." "A life of security and leisure." "Children." "Will that be... enough for you?" "I am honored that you should wish to marry me." "May I have a little time to think?" "Of course." "And to consult my mother." "I shall write to your mother, formally asking her permission." "You are very kind." "Then give me your hand." "Darling?" "Hm?" "This will do for shoes and other oddments." "[Lau by jove, if we go on collecting any more rubbish... your fault, darling." "Look at it." "If I admire something, you buy it." "I've already decided to dislike everything, in any shop, from now on." "Well, I've got a better id every time we buy something, let's throw something away, hm?" "Certainly not." "But we have had a spree, haven't we?" "Yes, we certainly have." "I have a surprise for you." "This has just arrived." ""Soames awarded decree nisi today." "Stop." ""Have paid damages and costs." "Stop." ""You are now stony broke." "Stop." "Regards to you both." "Jack herring."" "What does he...?" "Oh, no, my darling." "He's only joking." "I'm very far from being stony broke." "Even if I were, it would be worth it, to know that you're free." "At last." "Yes." "After all these years." "I can't believe it." "But jo," "I don't feel any more free than I did yesterday, or since that day when you told me you loved me." "No, no." "You told me." "True, but you've been telling me ever since." "In six months, we can be married." "Will you marry me?" "You once asked me a long time ago, what I should do if I fell in love again..." "and you said," ""I should love." And that's what I have done." "Joyfully, without regrets." "So it's for you to decide, jo." "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." "Irene, I'm afraid." "You?" "Afraid?" "Because I'm a forsyte." "But darling, you said yourself you're only half A... please, listen." "Deep inside me, like all the forsytes, there's a worm." "It's called the possessive instinct." "I've tried to kill it, but it's still there." "We're a breed of spoilers, close and greedy." "If you marry me, you become my property." "The law says so." "Wouldn't it be better if you were to remain free, to come to me when you wish and go when you please?" "Am I to be trusted not to grasp and possess and finally destroy what i love most in all the world?" "Yes, jo." "You are to be trusted." "That's why I'm here." "So tell me... do you want us to marry?" "You know I do." "Then we shall." "And jo... no more anxiety." "Don't ever have doubts again." "Don't be afraid of yourself, or of me." "Freedom to come and go as I please, indeed." "No woman really wants that sort of freedom." "Not if she's in love, as I am." "Certainly not if she's going to have a child." "Yes, jo, I think so." "I'm sure of it." "And I'm so happy, my love." "I'm so happy." "Did you say wounded, dear?" "Poor val." "Where was he hit?" "In the leg, aunt." "Oh!" "Oh, it's not really serious oh, no." "And holly is nursing him, but he will have a limp." "Oh." "Oh." "He wants james to buy him a farm out there." "A farm, emily?" "Oh, yes, but for breeding horses." "But james is very doubtful." "And with good reason." "Because if he doesn't buy a farm, then it can't turn out badly, don't you know." "And horses are rather uncertain, are they not?" "I'm sure dear monty finds them so." "Val is different." "He takes after me." "Yes, thank goodness." "Anyway, I think he ought to work at something." "In london, it's amusing to do nothing, but out there, why, he'd be bored to death." "Well, just so long as he doesn't lose anything by it." "Timothy, you know, did so much better by retiring." "Yes, and it is not as if they had no money." "Oh, no, indeed." "James is giving val 500 a year." "And holly is to have 800 from her father." "Well, jo has fewer demands on him, of course." "June's money is her own." "Oh, I would so like to see dear jo again, now that horrid divorce is over." "Juley, dear..." "you know that that would never do." "Whatever would soames think?" "Having being so kind too, such a constant visitor." "Mr. Nicholas, ma'am." "Nicholas." "Well, how do you do?" "What a lovely surprise, dear." "How nice, dear." "We're always so glad to see you." "Well, my dear." "Dear nicholas." "This war, it'll cost 300 million, if it costs a penny... good gracious!" "...Before they've done with it." "Well then, as timothy says, we shall have south africa once and for all." "That's as may be." "I don't trust those boers." "Never did." "Never will." "Here, you won't have seen the times yet." "No, dear." "Timothy keeps it till after tea." "There's an item there." "Here, you read it to them." "You've got young eyes." "Oh, uncle, thank you." "Nicholas:" "In the marriages." "Juley and hester:" "Marriages?" "Oh!" "Two items." "Two?" ""Jolyon forsyte to irene, only daughter of the late professor heron."" "Oh." "Would you call that a true description of irene?" "Really, hester." "Would you prefer to see her described as the divorced wife of soames forsyte?" "And the second item." ""In paris." "Soames forsyte to annette." "Only daughter of the late michel lamotte."" "Oh, dear soames." "Soames, married." "Emily, winifred, did you know?" "Yes, of course, dear." "How delightful." "What is she like?" "French." "I don't hold with the french." "Never did." "Emily:" "Well, we haven't actually..." "hester:" "Really, smither!" "Madam." "Well, what is it?" "It's the queen, ma'am." "The poor old queen." "She's dead." "Good lord, it's uncle nicholas!" "Oh, I asked him." "Am I late?" "No, sir." "She is." "Your uncle swithin and i saw her crowned." "Slim thing she was." "Got very stout lately." "Didn't get about enough." "And we saw her married to that german chap." "He turned out all right in the end." "But that son of his..." "his majesty, uncle." "Good old bertie." "Now, he's a sportsman." "Hm." "They tell me this german emperor is here for the funeral." "I shouldn't be surpr if he gave us trouble one of these days." "Bombastic chap." "Germans!" "Oh, here she comes." "Come along, uncle nick." "I'll get you a place by the window." "Thank you, george." "I'd like to see the end of it all." "But hester, do you not think, after all...?" "No, juley." "You know what winifred said." "The procession is not coming down the bayswater road, so it's quite useless for us to go to the window." "But I should like to." "Very well, but you won't see anything." "Nothing." "Nothing at all, I assure you." "Oh, hester, look." "All those people." "What is it, dear?" "Thousands and thousands of people." "Oh!" "How extraordinary." "The park is full of people." "They won't see anything either." "No, hester." "But they're there." "Oh, he shouldn'T." "He really shouldn'T." "All those persons with their hats off." "If they're not careful, they'll catch their death of cold." "Well, annette." "Take a good look." "The passing of an age." "You won't see anything like this again." "Soames?" "Hm?" "Did you see?" "That lady," "I'm sure she knows you." "No, it's a mistake." "What a lovely face." "And how she looks." "Elle est tres distinguee." "Pay attention." "They're coming." "How sad it is." "And beautiful." "Well, james, you've got a capital view from here." "I thought you were never coming." "Might have missed it." "I had to talk to cook about the soufflé." "Soufflés!" "Well, dear, you'd be the first to complain... sh!" "Be quiet." "And with soames bringing annette to luncheon for the first time." "I'm told the french are very particular about what they..." "here she comes." "Now we've got this chap, edward." "Bertie, they call him." "They say he's steadied down, but I don't know." "I can't tell he'll make the money fly, I shouldn't wonder." "Well, there it is." "Ann." "Jolyon." "Swithin." "Roger." "All gone." "James, just listen to those drums." "I am listening." "Oh, no, dear!" "Don't try to get up." "You can see perfectly well from there." "I don't care to be sitting when the queen passes by." "She had a lot of worry and anxiety." "Glad to be out of it," "I should think." "Don't you ever tell me where I'm buried." "I shan't want to know." "Very well, dear." "Now, we've just got time to get you tidy before they come." "You must look your best." "What time are they coming?" "Half past one." "They're calling in at timothy's on the way to introduce annette." "Yes." "They say she's pretty." "Yes." "Annette." "Oh, you are so pretty." "Almost too young and pretty for our dear soames." "But you'll find him very attentive and careful, and such a good husband." "Damn it, george, you've got to admit it." "That fellow soames knows how to pick them, eh?" "I don't know what they see in him, myself." "Nor I. Well, she'll probably play him the same trick as the last one did." "Yeah, but meanwhile..." "meanwhile he's a lucky devil, what?" "Yes, he certainly is." "And you, dear soames?" "How are you?" "Have you quite got over that horrid divorce?" "Juley, but it's quite ridiculous, you know." "You can't possibly expect me to think of you as an aunt." "Now can she, mother?" "I'm sure there's no need to do any such thing." "I hope you will call me annette." "Of cou after all, imogen, I used to call your grandmama emily." "No!" "Indeed, yes." "It was quite the fashion for a few seasons." "Annette?" "Well, now." "Do sit down." "Well, annette, dear." "And what do you think of london?" "I know london." "I have visited before." "And what part of london do you know best?" "Soho." "Soho?" "Soho?" "Yes, it's very french." "And interesting." "Yes." "Your uncle roger had property there." "He was always turning the tenants out, I remember." "Soames, when do you go to mapledurham?" "Early next week." "That is, if annette's had enough of london and the shops." "Who could be interested in london shops after paris?" "Well, that is a matter of taste, my dear." "Exactly." "Well, I'm sure you'll both be very happy down there." "And we're all so looking forward to the time when annette has a dear little... juley, dear!" "Um... we must be going." "Father will be waiting." "Of course." "Give my love to your father, and to your mother." "Are you going to this luncheon?" "Eh, I couldn't get out of it." "How's the old man?" "He must be over 90." "Coming up for it." "I doubt if he'll stay the course, though." "I'll lay you evens he does." "You're on." "Monty!" "Coming, dear." "I shouldn't mention soho, if I were you." "No?" "No, well..." "I mean, I want you to meet the right sort of people, and the english are such snobs." "Yes." "Well, there it is." "Doesn't do round here to let anybody know that you've been in any sort of trade, however creditable." "Puts a sort of label on you." "You understand?" "Oh, yes." "It is the same in france." "Good." "Good." "Of course, class is everything, really." "Comme vous tes sage." "Hm?" "Et vous tes ma belle femme." "Oh, no, soames." "No." "Ne parlez pas français, hm?" "That old aunt... juley?" "Juley." "What is she looking forward to?" "Oh, god knows... she's always saying something." "My darling?" "Irene:" "Hm?" "Nurse jenkins has arrived, and plunket is feeding her tea and muffins." "How are you feeling?" "Very well, my love, thank you." "That's what you always say." "But I am." "Don't you think I look well?" "Calm and serene and beautiful as ever." "I don't know how you do it." "I'm as jumpy as a cat." "Jo, dear, you are not to worry." "Well." "I can't help it." "After all... after all, I am nearly 38 and this will be my first baby." "Is that why you're so anxious?" "Well, I should be anyway, but..." "yes, I know." "All I can tell you is that if i look calm, it's because I am." "The long, wasted years have simply fallen away." "All through this last year when we've been together, I've just grown younger and younger." "Now I feel about 20 years old." "It's ridiculous." "It's an enchantment, that's what it is." "We're under a blinking spell." "Even me, disreputable old graybeard that I am." "Disreputable young bluebeard." "I shall ignore that remark, but on any other occasion," "I should probably beat you." "You see?" "Juvenile." "Jo, when he's born... you're certain, aren't you?" "Of course." "We shall have a son." "And if you don't mind, darling," "I should like to call him jolyon." "Why should I mind?" "After your father, whom I loved, and you, because i love you most dearly..." "and because of jolly?" "Do you imagine i should care about that?" "Perhaps." "Irene... when grand people die, I mean, people who make a mark on their generation, we put up statues to them." "And usually very ugly statues they are too." "Now, I've never quite seen the point of this." "Either a man will be remembered for his own work, like shakespeare." "And beethoven." "Yes." "Or not at all." "Now, this is the only kind of immortality that I can accept." "For the rest of us," "I think we live on in the memory of those who loved us." "When they are gone, we must die too." "Do you need anything more?" "I don'T." "No." "So jolly lives on for a little while." "Through you and holly and val?" "Yes, val will remember him." "Nobody of the next generation, because jolly was... well, he was not permitted to have children of his own." "But when I spoke of enchantment... you were not wholly frivolous, were you?" "No." "Miracle would have been a better word." "Because if we have a son... and we call him jolyon, which we will, he'll not only be your child and mine, but in some sort of strange sense, he'll be the son that jolly never had." "It was good of you to come." "We've been longing to hear how it all went off." "Was your father pleased with his presents?" "I'm sure he was, though he was very funny about it all." "He said he couldn't think what the fuss was about." "And why should people throw their money away on him, and what should he do with birthday presents at his age?" "Oh, dear james." "That is the point." "He is 90." "The oldest of us all." "Now tell me." "Annette and soames were there, of course." "Dear soames." "How well and happy he looked when they were here." "Yes, but annette." "Imagine, she's only two years older than me." "It must be awful for her, married to uncle soames." "I mean, when I..." "really, imogen!" "Your uncle soames is an excellent match for anyone." "He's a very clever man, and good-looking." "And considerate and careful." "I hope that you will marry as good a man." "Miss frances forsyte." "Hester:" "Well!" "Well, what do you think of it?" "Think of what, dear?" "Do you mean you don't know?" "Know what, dear?" "In the times, this morning." "Oh, don't be so annoying, francie." "Nobody's looked at a paper today." "Is it something dreadful?" "Do you think you ought to tell us?" "What was it?" "Irene's had a son at robin hill." "Oh!" "And they were only married in january." "Yes, aunt." "Isn't it interesting?" "Well, I'm glad." "Oh, really..." "no, I'm really glad." "I was very sorry for jo, losing his boy." "It might have been val." "George was amusing about it." "He's calling jo the three-decker." "Why, dear?" "Well, on account of his having three families, don't you know?" "Hester:" "George is naughty, isn't he?" "Such a droll." "I wonder what dear soames thinks about it." "I know he so much wanted a son himself." "A little bird has always told me that." "Well, you might as well know." "Bar accidents, he's going to have one." "Oh." "Oh." "Well, doctor?" "It's serious." "How serious?" "The position i i can make pretty certain of her life, if I operate." "Then you... but..." "the baby will be born dead." "If I don't operate, the baby will probably live, but it's a great risk for the mother." "A great risk." "In either case, I don't think she can ever have another child." "We must get a specialist." "There's no time for that." "If I'm going to operate, it must be done at once." "Well, then my wife must decide." "She's in no state to do so." "What time does her mother get here?" "Not till late tonight." "Then the decision must be yours." "I'm going back to the surgery to get my instruments, but I'll be back within the hour." "Soames?" "Soames." "Winifred!" "Didn't you get my letter?" "Letter?" "What letter?" "I've seen nothing for two days." "Father's very ill." "He caught a chill three days ago, and it's gone to his lungs." "The doctor says there's little hope for him." "I can't leave here now." "Not now." "What's happened?" "Annette?" "She's in labor prematurely, and it's dangerous." "Without an operation, she may die." "Oh, soames!" "But an operation will certainly kill the child." "And she can never have another." "She wants the child." "I know she does." "She longs for it, as much as I do." "But winifred," "I have to decide." "How can I?" "She's so young, no more children... all those years with... nothing." "Then there's father, waiting." "To decide between life and death." "How can I?" "How can I?" "Poor soames." "You have decided already, haven't you?" "Shall I stay here with you?" "No." "Go back to london." "I'll come as soon as I can." "Very well, dear." "I shall give father your love." "Winifred." "It's all right." "I'm on your side, you know." "I always have been." "And ll tell u thg." "Annewould losg ra thalose h by." "Th'sot.?" ", Th'ssier." "I' sn paent." "Ye the siion tam ve yed i don't operate." "Not?" "You do understand the risk?" "You said there was a chance." "A chance, yes." "But only a chance." "And the baby must be born dead if you do?" "No doubt of that." "Do y s t thain a ce, shcaner ve ather one n'bebsoly re well... it's most unlikely." "She'strong." "We'll risk it." "Very well." "It's on your shoulders." "What's the good of that?" "I don't want to know." "Very well, dear." "I'm sure there's no need." "I want to see soames." "Send for soames." "We've done so, dear." "Winifred has gone down to fetch him." "I want to see soames." "Of course, dear." "He won't be long." "It's over." "Over?" "What do you mean?" "I mean that the child is born, and your wife is alive." "I congratulate you." "It was touch and go." "Thank you." "Thank you." "They'll both do very well, but it was lucky she had a daughter." "Daughter?" "Yes." "A boy would have killed her." "The head, you know." "Well, would you like to see them?" "No, not now." "I can'T." "I have to go to london." "My father is dying." "Is it all right?" "When does her mother come?" "Um... about 9:00." "I'll stay till then." "You may go with an easy mind." "Very well." "Oh, there'll be some dinner." "Ask for anything you want." "There now, warmson, don't look like that." "What?" "We all come to it, you know, we all come to it." "He had a very good innings, better than most." "It's been a long time, sir, that's all." "I've been with mr." "Forsyte a long time." "Ah, there you are, my boy." "How is he?" "Going fast, but he keeps asking for you." "Worrying about something, though what he's got to worry about... will you have a glass of wine, sir?" "No, thank you, warmson." "Excuse me, uncle." "Well... good night, warmson." "Mustn't keep the horses waiting." "It's cruel." "Here I am, father." "Soames." "What... what news?" "They... never tell." "It's good news, father." "The best." "Annette has had her child." "And... it's a son, father." "Soames:" "A son." "Is soames here?" "He arrived over an hour ago." "These englishmen, incroyable." "Doesn't he want to see his child?" "To be emotional is bad form, maman." "Bad form." "That, I have learned." "Does this not distress you?" "There is no hurry." "He will come." "You grow just like him." "I think perhaps, maman, it is better that I should." "Ah." "The baby is adorable." "Your wife has been waiting for you." "Forgive me." "My father died in london." "Did you know?" "Yes." "I'm sorry." "Well, how do you feel?" "Not so bad now." "But I suffered terribly." "Oh, how I suffered." "There will be no more children." "Did you know?" "And I'm glad, soames." "I'm glad." "Well, we must feed you up and make you strong again." "Don't you want to see the baby?" "Yes, of course." "Very much." "She's asleep." "Elle est adorable, n'est-ce pas?" "Ma petite fleur." "Fleur." "We'll call her that." "Fleur." "Mine." "This is mine."