The Forsyte Saga - Volume 1

Old Jolyon was not given to hasty decisions; it is probable that he

would have continued to think over the purchase of the house at Robin

Hill, had not June's face told him that he would have no peace until he

acted.

At breakfast next morning she asked him what time she should order the

carriage.

"Carriage!" he said, with some appearance of innocence; "what for? I'm

not going out!"

She answered: "If you don't go early, you won't catch Uncle James before

he goes into the City."

"James! what about your Uncle James?"

"The house," she replied, in such a voice that he no longer pretended

ignorance.

"I've not made up my mind," he said.

"You must! You must! Oh! Gran--think of me!"

Old Jolyon grumbled out: "Think of you--I'm always thinking of you,

but you don't think of yourself; you don't think what you're letting

yourself in for. Well, order the carriage at ten!"

At a quarter past he was placing his umbrella in the stand at Park

Lane--he did not choose to relinquish his hat and coat; telling Warmson

that he wanted to see his master, he went, without being announced, into

the study, and sat down.

James was still in the dining-room talking to Soames, who had come round

again before breakfast. On hearing who his visitor was, he muttered

nervously: "Now, what's he want, I wonder?"

He then got up.

"Well," he said to Soames, "don't you go doing anything in a hurry. The

first thing is to find out where she is--I should go to Stainer's about

it; they're the best men, if they can't find her, nobody can." And

suddenly moved to strange softness, he muttered to himself, "Poor little

thing, I can't tell what she was thinking about!" and went out blowing

his nose.

Old Jolyon did not rise on seeing his brother, but held out his hand,

and exchanged with him the clasp of a Forsyte.

James took another chair by the table, and leaned his head on his hand.

"Well," he said, "how are you? We don't see much of you nowadays!"

Old Jolyon paid no attention to the remark.

"How's Emily?" he asked; and waiting for no reply, went on "I've come to

see you about this affair of young Bosinney's. I'm told that new house

of his is a white elephant."

"I don't know anything about a white elephant," said James, "I know he's

lost his case, and I should say he'll go bankrupt."

Old Jolyon was not slow to seize the opportunity this gave him.

"I shouldn't wonder a bit!" he agreed; "and if he goes bankrupt, the

'man of property'--that is, Soames'll be out of pocket. Now, what I was

thinking was this: If he's not going to live there...."