The Forsyte Saga - Volume 1

Soames, in his capacity of executor, received the guests, for Timothy

still kept his bed; he would get up after the funeral; and Aunts Juley

and Hester would not be coming down till all was over, when it was

understood there would be lunch for anyone who cared to come back. The

next to arrive was Roger, still limping from the gout, and encircled

by three of his sons--young Roger, Eustace, and Thomas. George, the

remaining son, arrived almost immediately afterwards in a hansom, and

paused in the hall to ask Soames how he found undertaking pay.

They disliked each other.

Then came two Haymans--Giles and Jesse perfectly silent, and very well

dressed, with special creases down their evening trousers. Then old

Jolyon alone. Next, Nicholas, with a healthy colour in his face, and a

carefully veiled sprightliness in every movement of his head and body.

One of his sons followed him, meek and subdued. Swithin Forsyte, and

Bosinney arrived at the same moment,--and stood--bowing precedence to

each other,--but on the door opening they tried to enter together; they

renewed their apologies in the hall, and, Swithin, settling his stock,

which had become disarranged in the struggle, very slowly mounted the

stairs. The other Hayman; two married sons of Nicholas, together with

Tweetyman, Spender, and Warry, the husbands of married Forsyte and

Hayman daughters. The company was then complete, twenty-one in all, not

a male member of the family being absent but Timothy and young Jolyon.

Entering the scarlet and green drawing-room, whose apparel made so vivid

a setting for their unaccustomed costumes, each tried nervously to find

a seat, desirous of hiding the emphatic blackness of his trousers. There

seemed a sort of indecency in that blackness and in the colour of their

gloves--a sort of exaggeration of the feelings; and many cast shocked

looks of secret envy at 'the Buccaneer,' who had no gloves, and was

wearing grey trousers. A subdued hum of conversation rose, no one

speaking of the departed, but each asking after the other, as though

thereby casting an indirect libation to this event, which they had come

to honour.

And presently James said:

"Well, I think we ought to be starting."

They went downstairs, and, two and two, as they had been told off in

strict precedence, mounted the carriages.

The hearse started at a foot's pace; the carriages moved slowly after.

In the first went old Jolyon with Nicholas; in the second, the twins,

Swithin and James; in the third, Roger and young Roger; Soames, young

Nicholas, George, and Bosinney followed in the fourth. Each of the other

carriages, eight in all, held three or four of the family; behind them

came the doctor's brougham; then, at a decent interval, cabs containing

family clerks and servants; and at the very end, one containing nobody

at all, but bringing the total cortege up to the number of thirteen.