The Forsyte Saga - Volume 1

This was the case for the defence, and young Jolyon sighed.

'The core of it all,' he thought, 'is property, but there are many

people who would not like it put that way. To them it is "the sanctity

of the marriage tie"; but the sanctity of the marriage tie is dependent

on the sanctity of the family, and the sanctity of the family is

dependent on the sanctity of property. And yet I imagine all these

people are followers of One who never owned anything. It is curious!

And again young Jolyon sighed.

'Am I going on my way home to ask any poor devils I meet to share my

dinner, which will then be too little for myself, or, at all events,

for my wife, who is necessary to my health and happiness? It may be that

after all Soames does well to exercise his rights and support by his

practice the sacred principle of property which benefits us all, with

the exception of those who suffer by the process.'

And so he left his chair, threaded his way through the maze of seats,

took his hat, and languidly up the hot streets crowded with carriages,

reeking with dusty odours, wended his way home.

Before reaching Wistaria Avenue he removed old Jolyon's letter from his

pocket, and tearing it carefully into tiny pieces, scattered them in the

dust of the road.

He let himself in with his key, and called his wife's name. But she had

gone out, taking Jolly and Holly, and the house was empty; alone in the

garden the dog Balthasar lay in the shade snapping at flies.

Young Jolyon took his seat there, too, under the pear-tree that bore no

fruit.