FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65  
66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   >>   >|  
own mind; no dependable woman made these mistakes. James reflected sourly that they had a nice house (rather small) in an excellent position, no children, and no money troubles. Soames was reserved about his affairs, but he must be getting a very warm man. He had a capital income from the business--for Soames, like his father, was a member of that well-known firm of solicitors, Forsyte, Bustard and Forsyte--and had always been very careful. He had done quite unusually well with some mortgages he had taken up, too--a little timely foreclosure--most lucky hits! There was no reason why Irene should not be happy, yet they said she'd been asking for a separate room. He knew where that ended. It wasn't as if Soames drank. James looked at his daughter-in-law. That unseen glance of his was cold and dubious. Appeal and fear were in it, and a sense of personal grievance. Why should he be worried like this? It was very likely all nonsense; women were funny things! They exaggerated so, you didn't know what to believe; and then, nobody told him anything, he had to find out everything for himself. Again he looked furtively at Irene, and across from her to Soames. The latter, listening to Aunt Juley, was looking up, under his brows in the direction of Bosinney. 'He's fond of her, I know,' thought James. 'Look at the way he's always giving her things.' And the extraordinary unreasonableness of her disaffection struck him with increased force. It was a pity, too, she was a taking little thing, and he, James, would be really quite fond of her if she'd only let him. She had taken up lately with June; that was doing her no good, that was certainly doing her no good. She was getting to have opinions of her own. He didn't know what she wanted with anything of the sort. She'd a good home, and everything she could wish for. He felt that her friends ought to be chosen for her. To go on like this was dangerous. June, indeed, with her habit of championing the unfortunate, had dragged from Irene a confession, and, in return, had preached the necessity of facing the evil, by separation, if need be. But in the face of these exhortations, Irene had kept a brooding silence, as though she found terrible the thought of this struggle carried through in cold blood. He would never give her up, she had said to June. "Who cares?" June cried; "let him do what he likes--you've only to stick to it!" And she had not scrupled to say something of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65  
66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Soames
 
things
 

looked

 

thought

 

Forsyte

 

Bosinney

 

direction

 

opinions

 

wanted

 
giving

increased
 

struck

 

unreasonableness

 

disaffection

 

extraordinary

 
dependable
 

taking

 

struggle

 
terrible
 

carried


exhortations

 

brooding

 

silence

 

scrupled

 
dangerous
 

friends

 

chosen

 

championing

 

unfortunate

 

separation


facing
 
necessity
 
dragged
 

confession

 

return

 
preached
 

reason

 

foreclosure

 

mortgages

 
excellent

timely

 
separate
 

position

 

unusually

 

income

 
reserved
 
business
 
capital
 

affairs

 
troubles