was characteristic of England, the most
selfish country in the world; the country which sucked the blood of
other countries; destroyed the brains and hearts of Irishmen, Hindus,
Egyptians, Boers, and Burmese, all the finest races in the world;
bullying, hypocritical England! This was what he had expected, coming
to such a country, where the climate was all fog, and the people all
tradesmen perfectly blind to Art, and sunk in profiteering and the
grossest materialism. Conscious that Hannah Hobdey was murmuring:
"Hear, hear!" and Jimmy Portugal sniggering, June grew crimson, and
suddenly rapped out:

"Then why did you ever come? We didn't ask you." The remark was so
singularly at variance with all that she had led him to expect from
her, that Strumolowski stretched out his hand and took a cigarette.

"England never wants an idealist," he said.

But in June something primitively English was thoroughly upset; old
Jolyon's sense of justice had risen, as it were, from bed. "You come
and sponge on us," she said, "and then abuse us. If you think that's
playing the game, I don't."

She now discovered that which others had discovered before her--the
thickness of hide beneath which the sensibility of genius is sometimes
veiled. Strumolowski's young and ingenuous face became the incarnation
of a sneer.

"Sponge, one does not sponge, one takes what is owing--a tenth part of
what is owing. You will repent to say that, Miss Forsyte."

"Oh, no," said June, "I shan't."

"Ah! We know very well, we artists--you take us to get what you can out
of us. I want nothing from you"--and he blew out a cloud of June's
smoke.

Decision rose in an icy puff from the turmoil of insulted shame within
her. "Very well, then, you can take your things away."

And, almost in the same moment, she thought: 'Poor boy! He's only got a
garret, and probably not a taxi fare. In front of these people, too;
it's positively disgusting!'

Young Strumolowski shook his head violently; his hair, thick, smooth,
close as a golden plate, did not fall off.

"I can live on nothing," he said shrilly; "I have often had to for the
sake of my Art. It is you bourgeois who force us to spend money."

The words hit June like a pebble, in the ribs. After all she had done
for Art, all her identification with its troubles and lame ducks. She
was struggling for adequate words when the door was opened, and her
Austrian murmured:

"A young lady, gnadiges fraulein."

"Wher