第36章

Dartie had gone bankrupt--fraudulently bankrupt,and to save Winifred and the children,he--James would have to pay!Could he--could Soames turn him into a limited company?No,he couldn't!

There it was!With every minute before Emily came back the spectre fiercened.Why,it might be forgery!With eyes fixed on the doubted Turner in the centre of the wall,James suffered tortures.

He saw Dartie in the dock,his grandchildren in the gutter,and himself in bed.He saw the doubted Turner being sold at Jobson's,and all the majestic edifice of property in rags.He saw in fancy Winifred unfashionably dressed,and heard in fancy Emily's voice saying:"Now,don't fuss,James!"She was always saying:"Don't fuss!"She had no nerves;he ought never to have married a woman eighteen years younger than himself.Then Emily's real voice said:

"Have you had a nice nap,James?"

Nap!He was in torment,and she asked him that!

"What's this about Dartie?"he said,and his eyes glared at her.

Emily's self-possession never deserted her.

"What have you been hearing?"she asked blandly.

"What's this about Dartie?"repeated James."He's gone bankrupt.""Fiddle!"

James made a great effort,and rose to the full height of his stork-like figure.

"You never tell me anything,"he said;"he's gone bankrupt."The destruction of that fixed idea seemed to Emily all that mattered at the moment.

"He has not,"she answered firmly."He's gone to Buenos Aires."If she had said "He's gone to Mars"she could not have dealt James a more stunning blow;his imagination,invested entirely in British securities,could as little grasp one place as the other.

"What's he gone there for?"he said."He's got no money.What did he take?"Agitated within by Winifred's news,and goaded by the constant reiteration of this jeremiad,Emily said calmly:

"He took Winifred's pearls and a dancer."

"What!"said James,and sat down.

His sudden collapse alarmed her,and smoothing his forehead,she said:

"Now,don't fuss,James!"

A dusky red had spread over James'cheeks and forehead.

"I paid for them,"he said tremblingly;"he's a thief!I--I knew how it would be.He'll be the death of me;he ."Words failed him and he sat quite still.Emily,who thought she knew him so well,was alarmed,and went towards the sideboard where she kept some sal volatile.She could not see the tenacious Forsyte spirit working in that thin,tremulous shape against the extravagance of the emotion called up by this outrage on Forsyte principles--the Forsyte spirit deep in there,saying:'You mustn't get into a fantod,it'll never do.You won't digest your lunch.You'll have a fit!'All unseen by her,it was doing better work in James than sal volatile.

"Drink this,"she said.

James waved it aside.

"What was Winifred about,"he said,"to let him take her pearls?"Emily perceived the crisis past.

"She can have mine,"she said comfortably."I never wear them.

She'd better get a divorce."

"There you go!"said James."Divorce!We've never had a divorce in the family.Where's Soames?""He'll be in directly."

"No,he won't,"said James,almost fiercely;"he's at the funeral.

You think I know nothing."

"Well,"said Emily with calm,"you shouldn't get into such fusses when we tell you things."And plumping up his cushions,and putting the sal volatile beside him,she left the room.

But James sat there seeing visions--of Winifred in the Divorce Court,and the family name in the papers;of the earth falling on Roger's coffin;of Val taking after his father;of the pearls he had paid for and would never see again;of money back at four per cent.,and the country going to the dogs;and,as the afternoon wore into evening,and tea-time passed,and dinnertime,those visions became more and more mixed and menacing--of being told nothing,till he had nothing left of all his wealth,and they told him nothing of it.Where was Soames?Why didn't he come in?.

His hand grasped the glass of negus,he raised it to drink,and saw his son standing there looking at him.A little sigh of relief escaped his lips,and putting the glass down,he said:

"There you are!Dartie's gone to Buenos Aires."Soames nodded."That's all right,"he said;"good riddance."A wave of assuagement passed over James'brain.Soames knew.

Soames was the only one of them all who had sense.Why couldn't he come and live at home?He had no son of his own.And he said plaintively:

"At my age I get nervous.I wish you were more at home,my boy."Again Soames nodded;the mask of his countenance betrayed no understanding,but he went closer,and as if by accident touched his father's shoulder.

"They sent their love to you at Timothy's,"he said."It went off all right.I've been to see Winifred.I'm going to take steps."And he thought:'Yes,and you mustn't hear of them.'

James looked up;his long white whiskers quivered,his thin throat between the points of his collar looked very gristly and naked.

"I've been very poorly all day,"he said;"they never tell me anything."Soames'heart twitched.

"Well,it's all right.There's nothing to worry about.Will you come up now?"and he put his hand under his father's arm.

James obediently and tremulously raised himself,and together they went slowly across the room,which had a rich look in the firelight,and out to the stairs.Very slowly they ascended.

"Good-night,my boy,"said James at his bedroom door.

"Good-night,father,"answered Soames.His hand stroked down the sleeve beneath the shawl;it seemed to have almost nothing in it,so thin was the arm.And,turning away from the light in the opening doorway,he went up the extra flight to his own bedroom.

'I want a son,'he thought,sitting on the edge of his bed;'Iwant a son.'