'Besides,' he thought honestly, 'who knows whether, even for my boy's

sake, I could have stood this state of things much longer? Anyway, her

neck will be out of chancery at last!' Thus absorbed, he was hardly

conscious of the heavy heat. The sky had become overcast, purplish with

little streaks of white. A heavy heat-drop plashed a little star pattern

in the dust of the road as he entered the Park. 'Phew!' he thought,

'thunder! I hope she's not come to meet me; there's a ducking up there!'

But at that very minute he saw Irene coming towards the Gate. 'We must

scuttle back to Robin Hill,' he thought.

*****

The storm had passed over the Poultry at four o'clock, bringing welcome

distraction to the clerks in every office. Soames was drinking a cup of

tea when a note was brought in to him:

"DEAR SIR,

"Forsyte v. Forsyte and Forsyte

"In accordance with your instructions, we beg to inform you that we

personally served the respondent and co-respondent in this suit to-day,

at Richmond, and Robin Hill, respectively.

"Faithfully yours,

"LINKMAN AND LAVER."

For some minutes Soames stared at that note. Ever since he had given

those instructions he had been tempted to annul them. It was so

scandalous, such a general disgrace! The evidence, too, what he had

heard of it, had never seemed to him conclusive; somehow, he believed

less and less that those two had gone all lengths. But this, of course,

would drive them to it; and he suffered from the thought. That fellow to

have her love, where he had failed! Was it too late? Now that they had

been brought up sharp by service of this petition, had he not a lever

with which he could force them apart? 'But if I don't act at once,' he

thought, 'it will be too late, now they've had this thing. I'll go and

see him; I'll go down!'

And, sick with nervous anxiety, he sent out for one of the 'new-fangled'

motor-cabs. It might take a long time to run that fellow to ground, and

Goodness knew what decision they might come to after such a shock! 'If

I were a theatrical ass,' he thought, 'I suppose I should be taking a

horse-whip or a pistol or something!' He took instead a bundle of papers

in the case of 'Magentie versus Wake,' intending to read them on the way

down. He did not even open them, but sat quite still, jolted and jarred,

unconscious of the draught down the back of his neck, or the smell of

petrol. He must be guided by the fellow's attitude; the great thing was

to keep his head!




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