Chapter 16 Chapter Seven An Afternoon at Timothy's Home

Had old Jolyon said, as he got into the cab, "I don't believe a word of it!" he would have expressed his feelings more faithfully. The thought of James and his wives, seeing himself with their son, aroused in him not only that resentment which was so often felt in times of disappointment, but also that natural enmity between brothers; The underlying root sometimes penetrates deeper and deeper as life grows, and, though hidden from the surface, at the right season causes its plant to bear the most poisonous fruit. Before this, among the six brothers, it was only secretly that I doubted you, and you doubted me--in fact, it was natural--I was afraid that one was richer than the other, and there was no bad feeling; when everyone's death was approaching-- —Which one is worse than the other, and death is not the end—this suspicion intensifies, and it becomes almost a curiosity; the man who manages the property for them just keeps his mouth shut and never reveals anything; this man is quite shrewd. Gula always said he didn't know how much James had, always told James he didn't know how much old Jolyon had, always told old Jolyon he didn't know how much Roger had, always said Roger I don't know how much Slesing has, but when I talk to Slesing, I say that Nicholas must be rich, which is really annoying.Timothy was the only one who didn't count because he was full of solid bonds.

But now, between at least two brothers, a quite different kind of hatred arose.Ever since James's insolent prying into his private affairs--according to his brother--old Jolyon had steadfastly disbelieved these rumors about Bosinney.His granddaughter was being bullied by a member of "this guy"'s family!He made up his mind that Bosinney was being abused.He must have had other reasons for turning his back on Joan. Joan had probably quarreled with him, or something; she had never been so bad-tempered. But, he wants to give Timothy a little bit of a try, and see if he continues to spread rumors!

And he did what he wanted to do, and went to Timothy's house immediately to clean him up so that he wouldn't have to make a second trip over the matter. He saw James' carriage lying across the pavement before the Nest.It turned out that they had arrived ahead of him—surely, they had already been talking about seeing him!Farther on, Switzing's gray horse was whispering to James's two bay ponies, as if whispering about his family, while the grooms of the two families were also sitting on it. Old Jolyon put his hat on the chair in the narrow hall where Bosinney's hat had been mistook for a cat; Dabai's bearded face was wiped vigorously, as if to erase all traces of expression on his face, and he walked up the stairs.

He saw that the front of the living room was full of people.The drawing-room was quite full even at the best of times—when there was no company—when there was no one—for Timothy and his two older sisters, following the tradition of their generation, considered a A room is not "beautiful" unless it is "well" furnished.In this room, therefore, there were eleven chairs, a couch, three tables, two chests of drawers, innumerable knick-knacks and bric-a-brac, and one half of a grand piano.In the room at this time sat Mrs. Small, Aunt Hester, Sweatsin, James, Lysier, Winifred, Euphemia (who came again to return the I read "Love and Painkillers" at lunch), Euphemia's good friend Frances (she is Roger's daughter, a musician for the Forsyte family, and can compose), so there is only one One chair was unoccupied--there were, of course, two chairs that were never occupied--and the only place to get in was taken by the cat, so old Jolyon stomped on it. .

Such a large number of guests in Timothy's house was not uncommon at these times.The whole family is in awe of Aunt An, without exception, now that she has passed away, everyone comes to the "nest" more often, and the time is longer. Syushin was the first to arrive, sitting blankly on a red satin chair with a gold back, living longer than anyone else in that way.He was indeed worthy of the "Fatty" that Bosinney called him, tall and big, with a head of white hair, and a fat, rigid face shaved, which was all the more obvious in this well-furnished room. Full of primitive flavor.

His conversation, like many of his lately, turned at first on Irene, and was eager to express his opinion on the rumor to Aunts Jolie and Hester, for he had heard that it had been circulated. up.No—that was his word—Irene might want to flirt—a pretty woman has to indulge; but he didn't believe it would go any further than that.There was nothing to criticize; she was perfectly reasonable, and she knew very well how a person of her position and family should behave!No—he was going to say there was no "scandal," but the thought was so bad that he just waved his hand, which meant—"Forget it!"

Even if Slesing's view of the matter is a bachelor's view--yet, to be honest, it is not because of the family status that so many people in this family get along so well, and all of them are of considerable status. for the sake?Even if in the past when he talked about his ancestors, he had heard people describe them as "small farmers" and "insignificant" when they became pessimistic and depressed for a while, did he really believe it? No!He always secretly held another opinion, and held it in his arms bitterly; he thought that there was always something in his lineage that stood out.

"Definitely," he said to little Jolyon once, before anything happened to the boy. "Look at us, we are all doing well! There must be some noble blood in us." He used to like little Jolyon: the boy had some good friends at college, and he knew all of the sons of that old scoundrel Sir Charlie Fester - one of whom had turned into a big villain too. and the boy has a style--it's a pity he should run off with that foreign woman--and a governess!If he had to elope, why didn't he choose a decent woman, everyone would save face!What is he now!Worked as an underwriter at Lloyd's Steamship Company; they said he also painted--painted!damn it!He could very well be in Jolyon Forsyne's place as a baronet, a member of Parliament, and a farmer in the country!

Sooner or later, some of the great families are driven by some impulse to the Bureau of Arms; and it was by this same impulse that Slesing once went to the Bureau of Arms; Forsey must be of the same family, and the family emblem of this family is "red line on black background, three hooks on the right"; of course, it is hoped that he can adopt it. But Slesing did not adopt it; but after asking that the coat of arms above was a "primary pheasant" and a motto "Blessings the Sheep," he used the pheasant for his carriage and groom. Print the pheasant and the motto on the stationery you bring.As for the coat of arms, he only kept it in his stomach, partly because he hadn't paid for it, and it would be too ostentatious to paint it on a carriage, and he hated ostentation, and partly because he, like any practical man in the country, I personally don't like and look down on things that I don't understand-he thinks this "red line on black background, three hooks on the right" is too elusive, and anyone will be like this.

But the people in the Bureau told him at that time that as long as he paid, he was eligible to adopt. This sentence he always remembered, and it made him more sure that he was a gentleman.Before I knew it, the rest of the clan adopted the pheasant, and some of the more serious adopted the motto; but old Jolyon would not use the motto, calling it nonsense--in his It seems that it doesn't make any sense. Those who have lived a long life may know which great historical event this emblem originated from; No, they all felt that only the French and Russians lied. Among the younger generation, the matter was kept secret, and no one would mention it; they neither wanted to hurt their elders nor to make themselves ridiculous; they just adopted the emblem.

"No," said Switzing, "he saw it once; I'm sure Irene treated the little 'pirate' or Bosinney--whatever he was called--as Irene treated himself. It was all the same; in fact, he was going to say..." Unfortunately, at this moment Frances and Euphemia came in, and the conversation had to be broken off, because such things are not proper to talk about in the presence of young people. However, although Slesing felt a little uncomfortable when he was interrupted when he was just talking about a critical moment, he soon became kind again.He was quite fond of Frances--the family called her Francie.She was clever, they told him, and she made a lot of pollen money on her songs; he said that was her cleverness. He is very proud of his open-minded attitude towards women, thinking why women can't paint some pictures, or compose music, or even write a book, especially if they can make some money from it; it is absolutely possible—— Lest they mess around.They are not the same as men! "Little Francie," as she was usually sarcastically scorned, was an important character; and she was important as a mere instance of the Forsyte's artistic vision.She was not really "small", she was quite tall, and the Forsyte family's dark hair, coupled with gray eyes, gave her a so-called "Celtic face".All the songs she wrote were titles like "Sigh of Sigh," or "Mother, Kiss Me Before I Die, Mother," and the chorus in it was like a hymn: She wrote the lyrics herself, as well as some poetry.When she's happy, she also writes some waltzes, one of which is called "The Cansingdon Dance", which is sung almost everywhere in the Cansingdon area. There is a place in which the break is very pleasant, and it looks like this: very chic.And her "Songs for Children," which are educational and funny, especially "Grandmother's Snapper," and that short song called "Punch His Little Eyes Blue," which is simply Like a prophecy, it was full of the emerging imperial spirit at that time. Whichever publishing house does not want these songs, some magazines such as "The High Life" and "The Lady's Guide" are full of praise: "Another light song by Miss Francie Forsyte, round and beautiful, full of soul. We are all moved I cried and laughed. Miss Forsyte must have a future." Francie was a true Forsyte by nature, and she set her sights on decent people--those who wrote about her, those who proclaimed her, and those in the world--and always kept that in mind. A coquettish occasion, keeping an eye on the steady rise in the prices of her songs; it was, in her mind, a sign of the future.That's how she made herself generally respectable. Once, a little emotionally agitated by her choice of a man—because Roger, who devoted all his life to collecting real estate, had given her only daughter a hobby of collecting love—she rewrote great and true works, choosing A long form for the violin.It was the only one of her many creations that disturbed the Forsyte family.It immediately occurred to them that they might not be able to sell it. Roger was very fond of having such a clever daughter, and he often told people that she earned him a lot of pocket money, but he was very unhappy when he heard this violin diva. "Such a bad thing!" he called the tune.It turned out that Francie had borrowed little Frachialetti from Euphemia, and played it once in the living room of the Prince's Garden. In fact, Roger was right.It's bad, but—what's annoying is that this kind of thing can't be sold yet.As any Forsyte knows, a bad thing isn't bad at all if it sells--not really bad. And yet, for all the sanity of these people who value a work of art by how much it sells for, some in the Forsyte family could not help feeling sorry for Francie, who felt that she did not write classical music; Aunt Te is one, she has always liked music.Nor did she think Francie's verse; but, as Aunt Hester said, there was hardly anyone writing verse these days;No one can write anything like Or Childe Harold; either of those poems makes you feel like you're really reading poetry.Still, it's good for Francie to have something to do; other girls spend money on this and that, and she's making money!So Aunt Hester and Aunt Jurie had been delighted to hear of her having recently raised the price of a piece of music she had composed. They were listening to her now, and Slesing was listening too, but he sat and pretended not to listen, for these young men talked so fast and babbled that he couldn't make out what was being said! "I don't know," said Mrs. Small, "how you do it. I've never been so thick-skinned!" Francie smiled lightly, "I'd rather deal with a man than a woman. Women are too smart!" "Honey," exclaimed Mrs. Small, "I dare say we're not smart." Euphemia laughed like that silently again, and finally let out that scream; she said as if being strangled: "Oh, you will laugh me to death one day, Second Aunt." Sweatsing didn't see anything funny; he hated being laughed at when he didn't see it funny.To tell the truth, he didn't like Euphemia at all, and whenever she was mentioned, he always said "Nikolai's daughter, what's her name--the pale face?" He almost made her godfather-- —To be honest, if it wasn't for his firm opposition to her foreign name, he would have done it.He hated being someone's godfather.For these reasons, Swissing said to Francie with a pretentious face: "It's fine weather—er—at a time like this." But he used to refuse to do her godfather's business. Clear, so he turned to Aunt Hester, and began to tell her how he had run into Irene, Soames' wife, in the Mission Store. "Is Soames with her, then?" asked Aunt Hester, for Mrs. Small had not yet had an occasion to tell her about it. "Soames with her? Of course not!" "But is she out alone?" "Oh, no; there's Mr. Bosinney with her. She's very well dressed." But Slesing, when Irene's name was mentioned, looked at Euphemia viciously; and indeed, Euphemia, whatever she may be undressed, never looked good in clothes, so he said: "Dressed like a lady, I daresay. It was a joy to see her." At this time it was reported that James and his two daughters were coming.Dartier, who was drunk, pretended to have an appointment with the dentist, told them to drop him off at Marpomen, hired a cab, and was sitting at the window of his club in the Piccadilly.He told his friends that his wife would take him to visit relatives and friends.It wasn't his doing - no elephant.hehe! He called the valet over and told him to go out in the hall and see which horse had won the race at four-thirty.He was too tired to move, he said, and that was true; and spent the afternoon "seeing" about with his wife in a carriage.Later he resolutely quit.Life cannot be dictated by others. He was now looking out of the arched window--his favorite seat, for all passers-by could see it--unfortunately, perhaps fortunately--he saw Soames from the green Looking around from the other side of the park, he obviously intended to come to the club, for he was also a member of the Isym Club. Dartie jumped up; snatching up his glass, muttered something about the four-thirty race, and slipped hastily into the card-room, a room into which Soames never entered, and played cards there. Alone in the room, under the dim light, he commanded his life until half-past seven; by this time Soames must have been gone. intolerable!He told himself this over and over whenever he felt itchy and wanted to find someone to croak over the arched window; his finances were such that "Old Man" (James) since the kerosene-stock accident— —Actually, he can’t be blamed—it’s so difficult to talk, and it’s absolutely unacceptable to quarrel with Winifred casually at this time. If Soames saw him at the club, word of his absence from the dentist would surely reach her ears.No one's family affairs will spread so fast.He sat uncomfortably between the green baize card tables, with a frown on his olive face, legs crossed in plaid trousers, patent leather shoes gleaming in the dim, and he sat chewing his fingers, thinking that if the Where would the money be if the Piscey couldn't win the Lanka State Silver Cup? His thoughts were gloomy about the Forsytes.This group of people is really rare!They couldn't be squeezed at all--and it would be extremely difficult if they could be squeezed; and there was not one of them who could be called loyal, unless it was George.For example, that Soames fellow, if you try to borrow ten pounds from him, you can make him faint, or, if you don't faint, look at you with his goddamn haughty smile, just Like you deserve death, all because you have no money. And his wife (Dartier's mouth watered), he always wanted to be close to her, just as a person who has a beautiful sister-in-law naturally wants to be close to her, but this is the misfortune—(he thought a foul word)—don't even talk to him—she's looking at him like he's bullshit—yet she's good at it, he'll bet.He knew women; such soft eyes and waists were not for nothing, that fellow Soames would soon learn--the thing he had heard about the "Pirate" fellow was not without shadow. Dartie got up from his chair, walked about the room, and at last came to the mirror above the marble stove; he stood there for a long time before it, thinking about his own shadow.The countenance--this is what some people have--as if soaked in linseed oil, with a waxed black beard, two excellent short whiskers; a slightly curved and large nose. There seemed to be a scrofula next to him, which made him very anxious. Just then old Jolyon found the remaining chair in Timothy's large drawing room and sat down.His arrival obviously interrupted everyone's conversation, and the scene became very tense.Aunt Juli is notoriously kind, so hurry up and try to put everyone at ease. "Yes, Jolyon," she said, "we were just talking about your absence for a long time; but we needn't be surprised. You're busy, of course, aren't you? What a busy time-" "Did he say that?" said old Jolyon, looking hard at James. "As long as everyone minds his own business, he will never be so busy." James, who was sitting on a low chair, wondering how high his knees were, shifted his foot uncomfortably, and accidentally stepped on the cat; Whoever flees to him for refuge is called unwise. James felt stepping on a soft, furry body, drew his foot back in horror, and said in an annoyed voice, "Look, there's a cat here." "Several of them," said old Jolyon, looking at them one by one; "I stepped on one just now." Then there was silence. Then Mrs. Small wriggled her fingers, looked about her with pathetic serenity, and asked, "How is dear Joan?" Old Jolyon's stern eyes were narrowed with amusement.A marvelous old woman is, Julie!No one can speak so ignorantly as she does! "Not good," he said; "London isn't right for her—too many people and too much gossip!" He said the words emphatically, and stared again at James' face. No one spoke. Everyone feels that the situation is too dangerous, and they must not talk or act.In this well-furnished drawing-room there was all that catastrophic feeling of watching a Greek tragedy; it was crowded with gray-haired old men in frock coats and fashionable ladies; There is an indescribable similarity in the middle. It's not that they are aware of it—the presence of those evil gods who control fate is only faintly felt. Then Swedesin stood up.Sitting here and suffering like this, he will never come - he won't eat anyone's words!So he walked around the room with a special air, shaking hands with everyone. "You tell Timothy I said it," he said, "he's over-kept!" and turning to Francie--whom he thought was "witty"--he added: " When you come to my house one day, I will take you out of the city in a carriage." But as soon as he said the words, he remembered the time he took Irene out of the city to play, which led to so many gossips, so he stood there for a long time He stood motionless, and stared, as if expecting to see what his words would lead to; then it occurred to him that he didn't care at all, and turned to old Jolyon and said, "Good-by, Jolyon! You shouldn't be running outside without a coat on; you'll get rheumatic pains!" With that, he gave the cat a little kick with the toe of his patent-leather boot, and walked away fluffing himself up. After he left, everyone quietly looked at each other to see how the words "out of the city" just now made everyone feel--this sentence has become famous, and its meaning is extremely important, because of the vague and indistinct topic that has been discussed in the clan. Among the weird rumors, this is the only so-called official communiqué. Euphemia couldn't hold back any longer, let out a short laugh, and said, "It's a good thing Uncle Siyuesin didn't ask me to go out of the city." Mrs. Small, wanting to comfort her but fearing the embarrassment the subject might cause, tried to mediate, and replied, "Honey, he likes to take out nicely dressed people to make him look better. I always remember The time he took me out of town. It was a great experience!" After she finished speaking, her fat old face showed a strange satisfaction for a moment; then her lips pursed, and tears welled up in her eyes.It turned out that she was reminded of the time she traveled in a carriage with Shiptimus Small many years ago. James, sitting in a low chair, had long since returned to his old state of intense contemplation, when suddenly he came to himself: "Sweeting is a ridiculous fellow," he said, absently.Old Jolyon's silence, and stern look, silenced them all.He himself hesitated about the two sentences he had just said—he had come to dispel the rumor, and these two words only made the rumor more important; but he was still angry. He wasn't done with them; no, no, he still had to deal with them. He didn't want to deal with these nieces, he didn't have a hard time with them--old Jolyon was always gentle with a decent young woman--but this guy James, and the rest of them, might be better than James Muses are better, but not one is spared.So he asked Timothy, too. Aunt Juli seemed to feel that her little brother was in danger, and suddenly asked him if he would like tea: "The tea is brewed in the back parlour," she said, "it's cold and unpalatable, but ask Smither to give it to you." Make another pot." Old Jolyon got up: "Thanks," he said, looking James squarely in the eye, "but I ain't got time for tea, or for listening--gossip, and other nonsense! It's time to go back It's time. Good-bye, Julia; good-bye, Hester; good-bye, Winifred." He and the rest went out without a word of greeting. Once in the carriage his anger died away, as he always did when he got angry--after a fit, he calmed down.His excitement suddenly went down.These people's mouths may have been blocked by him, but in exchange for what!He had made up his mind not to believe these rumors, but now he knew it must be true, and this was what he got in exchange.Joan was abandoned by someone, she lost her, and found that guy's wife!He felt that it was true, but pretended not to believe it; and under this determination, the anguish he had harbored in him grew gradually but resolutely into a blind rage against the James and his son. The remaining six women and one man in the little drawing-room began to talk, but after a moment of unhappiness, the conversation was not very comfortable; each of them knew the rest, although he was sure that he was not telling stories. Six were involved; therefore all were angry and bewildered.Only James was silent, and his heart was terribly agitated. After a while, Francie said, "I think Uncle Jolyon has aged very badly this year. What do you think, Third Aunt?" Aunt Hester shrank her head slightly: "Oh, you can ask Second Aunt!" she said; "I don't know anything about it." The others weren't afraid to agree with her, so James looked at the floor stoically and said, "He's not as good as he used to be." "I saw it long ago," went on Francie; "he's getting old." Aunt Juli shook her head; her whole face suddenly pouted. "Poor Jolyon," she said, "he ought to be looked after!" Everyone was silent again; then, as if they were afraid of being left behind to slip their orders, the five guests stood up at the same time, took their leave and left. Mrs. Small, Aunt Hester, and the cat were alone in the drawing-room again, and the sound of the distant closing of the door informed them that Timothy had come out. That night, Aunt Hester was in her back bedroom--it belonged to Aunt Jurie, and Aunt Jurie later lived in Aunt Ann's room--when Mrs Small opened the door and came in. , wearing a pink nightcap, and holding a candle: "Hester!" she said. "Hester!" Aunt Hester shivered slightly under the covers. "Hester," cried Aunt Jolie again, determined to see if she was awake, "I am so sorry for poor dear Jolyon. What do you think should be done for him?" She said the last Say two words emphatically. Aunt Hester trembled again under the covers, her voice sounded slightly begging for mercy: "How? How do I know?" Aunt Jurie turned away with satisfaction, and in order not to alarm dear Hester, she closed the door so lightly that it slipped from between her fingers, and shut with a clatter. Back in her room, she stood at the window and watched the moon over the trees in the park through a slit in the gauze curtain; the curtain was drawn so that no one could see it.And so, with a round face and pink nightcap, pouting lips and tears in her eyes, she thought of "dear Jolyon," so old and alone, and how she could do for him Do something; then he'd like her--for the first time since Shiptimus Small died, someone liked her.