he bosom of a director towards his shareholders, he faced them
calmly. Soames faced them too. He knew most of them by sight. There
was old Scrubsole, a tar man, who always came, as Hemmings would say, 'to
make himself nasty,' a cantankerous-looking old fellow with a red face, a
jowl, and an enormous low-crowned hat reposing on his knee. And the Rev.
Mr. Boms, who always proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, in which
he invariably expressed the hope that the Board would not forget to
elevate their employees, using the word with a double e, as being more
vigorous and Anglo-Saxon (he had the strong Imperialistic tendencies of
his cloth). It was his salutary custom to buttonhole a director
afterwards, and ask him whether he thought the coming year would be good
or bad; and, according to the trend of the answer, to buy or sell three
shares within the ensuing fortnight.

And there was that military man, Major O'Bally, who could not help
speaking, if only to second the re-election of the auditor, and who
sometimes caused serious consternation by taking toasts--proposals
rather--out of the hands of persons who had been flattered with little
slips of paper, entrusting the said proposals to their care.

These made up the lot, together with four or five strong, silent
shareholders, with whom Soames could sympathize--men of business, who
liked to keep an eye on their affairs for themselves, without being
fussy--good, solid men, who came to the City every day and went back in
the evening to good, solid wives.

Good, solid wives! There was something in that thought which roused the
nameless uneasiness in Soames again.

What should he say to his uncle? What answer should he make to this
letter?

. . . . "If any shareholder has any question to put, I shall be glad
to answer it." A soft thump. Old Jolyon had let the report and accounts
fall, and stood twisting his tortoise-shell glasses between thumb and
forefinger.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Soames' face. They had better hurry up
with their questions! He well knew his uncle's method (the ideal one) of
at once saying: "I propose, then, that the report and accounts be
adopted!" Never let them get their wind--shareholders were notoriously
wasteful of time!

A tall, white-bearded man, with a gaunt, dissatisfied face, arose:

"I believe I am in order, Mr. Chairman, in raising a question on this
figure of L5000 in the accounts. 'To the widow and family"'