The war dragged on. Nicholas had been heard to say that it would cost
three hundred millions if it cost a penny before they'd done with it!
The income-tax was seriously threatened. Still, there would be South
Africa for their money, once for all. And though the possessive instinct
felt badly shaken at three o'clock in the morning, it recovered by
breakfast-time with the recollection that one gets nothing in this
world without paying for it. So, on the whole, people went about their
business much as if there were no war, no concentration camps, no
slippery de Wet, no feeling on the Continent, no anything unpleasant.
Indeed, the attitude of the nation was typified by Timothy's map, whose
animation was suspended--for Timothy no longer moved the flags, and
they could not move themselves, not even backwards and forwards as they
should have done.
Suspended animation went further; it invaded Forsyte 'Change, and
produced a general uncertainty as to what was going to happen next. The
announcement in the marriage column of The Times, 'Jolyon Forsyte to
Irene, only daughter of the late Professor Heron,' had occasioned doubt
whether Irene had been justly described. And yet, on the whole, relief
was felt that she had not been entered as 'Irene, late the wife,' or
'the divorced wife,' 'of Soames Forsyte.' Altogether, there had been a
kind of sublimity from the first about the way the family had taken
that 'affair.' As James had phrased it, 'There it was!' No use to fuss!
Nothing to be had out of admitting that it had been a 'nasty jar'--in
the phraseology of the day.
But what would happen now that both Soames and Jolyon were married
again? That was very intriguing. George was known to have laid Eustace
six to four on a little Jolyon before a little Soames. George was so
droll! It was rumoured, too, that he and Dartie had a bet as to whether
James would attain the age of ninety, though which of them had backed
James no one knew.
Early in May, Winifred came round to say that Val had been wounded
in the leg by a spent bullet, and was to be discharged. His wife was
nursing him. He would have a little limp--nothing to speak of. He wanted
his grandfather to buy him a farm out there where he could breed horses.
Her father was giving Holly eight hundred a year, so they could be quite
comfortable, because his grandfather would give Val five, he had said;
but as to the farm, he didn't know--couldn't tell: he didn't want Val to
go throwing away his money.