five tales-第47部分

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And；　squeezing　out　his　cigarette；　he　took　six　deep　breaths　of　the　night　air；　and　got　into　bed。







INDIAN　SUMMER　OF　A　FORSYTE

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃And　Summer's　lease　hath　all　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　too　short　a　date。〃　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Shakespeare


I

In　the　last　day　of　May　in　the　early　'nineties；　about　six　o'clock　of　the　evening；　old　Jolyon　Forsyte　sat　under　the　oak　tree　below　the　terrace　of　his　house　at　Robin　Hill。　　He　was　waiting　for　the　midges　to　bite　him；　before　abandoning　the　glory　of　the　afternoon。　　His　thin　brown　hand；　where　blue　veins　stood　out；　held　the　end　of　a　cigar　in　its　tapering；　long…nailed　fingersa　pointed　polished　nail　had　survived　with　him　from　those　earlier　Victorian　days　when　to　touch　nothing；　even　with　the　tips　of　the　fingers；　had　been　so　distinguished。　　His　domed　forehead；　great　white　moustache；　lean　cheeks；　and　long　lean　jaw　were　covered　from　the　westering　sunshine　by　an　old　brown　Panama　hat。　　His　legs　were　crossed；　in　all　his　attitude　was　serenity　and　a　kind　of　elegance；　as　of　an　old　man　who　every　morning　put　eau　de　Cologne　upon　his　silk　handkerchief。　　At　his　feet　lay　a　woolly　brown…and…white　dog　trying　to　be　a　Pomeranianthe　dog　Balthasar　between　whom　and　old　Jolyon　primal　aver…sion　had　changed　into　attachment　with　the　years。　　Close　to　his　chair　was　a　swing；　and　on　the　swing　was　seated　one　of　Holly's　dolls　called　'Duffer　Alice'…　…with　her　body　fallen　over　her　legs　and　her　doleful　nose　buried　in　a　black　petticoat。　　She　was　never　out　of　disgrace；　so　it　did　not　matter　to　her　how　she　sat。　　Below　the　oak　tree　the　lawn　dipped　down　a　bank；　stretched　to　the　fernery；　and；　beyond　that　refinement；　became　fields；　dropping　to　the　pond；　the　coppice；　and　the　prospect　'Fine；　remarkable'at　which　Swithin　Forsyte；　from　under　this　very　tree；　had　stared　five　years　ago　when　he　drove　down　with　Irene　to　look　at　the　house。　　Old　Jolyon　had　heard　of　his　brother's　exploitthat　drive　which　had　become　quite　celebrated　on　Forsyte　'Change。'　Swithin！　And　the　fellow　had　gone　and　died；　last　November；　at　the　age　of　only　seventy…nine；　renewing　the　doubt　whether　Forsytes　could　live　for　ever；　which　had　first　arisen　when　Aunt　Ann　passed　away。　　Died！　and　left　only　Jolyon　and　James；　Roger　and　Nicholas　and　Timothy；　Julia；　Hester；　Susan！　　And　old　Jolyon　thought：　'Eighty…five！　I　don't　feel　itexcept　when　I　get　that　pain。'

His　memory　went　searching。　　He　had　not　felt　his　age　since　he　had　bought　his　nephew　Soames'　ill…starred　house　and　settled　into　it　here　at　Robin　Hill　over　three　years　ago。　　It　was　as　if　he　had　been　getting　younger　every　spring；　living　in　the　country　with　his　son　and　his　grandchildrenJune；　and　the　little　ones　of　the　second　marriage；　Jolly　and　Holly；　living　down　here　out　of　the　racket　of　London　and　the　cackle　of　Forsyte　'Change；'　free　of　his　boards；　in　a　delicious　atmosphere　of　no　work　and　all　play；　with　plenty　of　occupation　in　the　perfecting　and　mellowing　of　the　house　and　its　twenty　acres；　and　in　ministering　to　the　whims　of　Holly　and　Jolly。　　All　the　knots　and　crankiness；　which　had　gathered　in　his　heart　during　that　long　and　tragic　business　of　June；　Soames；　Irene　his　wife；　and　poor　young　Bosinney；　had　been　smoothed　out。　　Even　June　had　thrown　off　her　melancholy　at　lastwitness　this　travel　in　Spain　she　was　taking　now　with　her　father　and　her　stepmother。　　Curiously　perfect　peace　was　left　by　their　departure；　blissful；　yet　blank；　because　his　son　was　not　there。　　Jo　was　never　anything　but　a　comfort　and　a　pleasure　to　him　nowadaysan　amiable　chap；　but　women；　somehoweven　the　bestgot　a　little　on　one's　nerves；　unless　of　course　one　admired　them。

Far…off　a　cuckoo　called；　a　wood…pigeon　was　cooing　from　the　first　elm…tree　in　the　field；　and　how　the　daisies　and　buttercups　had　sprung　up　after　the　last　mowing！　The　wind　had　got　into　the　sou'…west；　tooa　delicious　air；　sappy！　He　pushed　his　hat　back　and　let　the　sun　fall　on　his　chin　and　cheek。　　Somehow；　to…day；　he　wanted　company　wanted　a　pretty　face　to　look　at。　　People　treated　the　old　as　if　they　wanted　nothing。　　And　with　the　un…Forsytean　philosophy　which　ever　intruded　on　his　soul；　he　thought：　'One's　never　had　enough'

With　a　foot　in　the　grave　one'll　want　something；　I　shouldn't　be　surprised！'　　Down　hereaway　from　the　exigencies　of　affairshis　grandchildren；　and　the　flowers；　trees；　birds　of　his　little　domain；　to　say　nothing　of　sun　and　moon　and　stars　above　them；　said；　'Open；　sesame；'　to　him　day　and　night。　　And　sesame　had　openedhow　much；　perhaps；　he　did　not　know。　　He　had　always　been　responsive　to　what　they　had　begun　to　call　'Nature；'　genuinely；　almost　religiously　responsive；　though　he　had　never　lost　his　habit　of　calling　a　sunset　a　sunset　and　a　view　a　view；　however　deeply　they　might　move　him。　　But　nowadays　Nature　actually　made　him　ache；　he　appreciated　it　so。　　Every　one　of　these　calm；　bright；　lengthening　days；　with　Holly's　hand　in　his；　and　the　dog　Balthasar　in　front　looking　studiously　for　what　he　never　found；　he　would　stroll；　watching　the　roses　open；　fruit　budding　on　the　walls；　sunlight　brightening　the　oak　leaves　and　saplings　in　the　coppice；　watching　the　water…lily　leaves　unfold　and　glisten；　and　the　silvery　young　corn　of　the　one　wheat　field；　listening　to　the　starlings　and　skylarks；　and　the　Alderney　cows　chewing　the　cud；　flicking　slow　their　tufted　tails；　and　every　one　of　these　fine　days　he　ached　a　little　from　sheer　love　of　it　all；　feeling　perhaps；　deep　down；　that　he　had　not　very　much　longer　to　enjoy　it。　　The　thought　that　some　day　perhaps　not　ten　years　hence；　perhaps　not　fiveall　this　world　would　be　taken　away　from　him；　before　he　had　exhausted　his　powers　of　loving　it；　seemed　to　him　in　the　nature　of　an　injustice　brooding　over　his　horizon。　　If　anything　came　after　this　life；　it　wouldn't　be　what　he　wanted；　not　Robin　Hill；　and　flowers　and　birds　and　pretty　facestoo　few；　even　now；　of　those　about　him！　With　the　years　his　dislike　of　humbug　had　increased；　the　orthodoxy　he　had　worn　in　the　'sixties；　as　he　had　worn　side…whiskers　out　of　sheer　exuberance；　had　long　dropped　off；　leaving　him　reverent　before　three　things　alonebeauty；　upright　conduct；　and　the　sense　of　property；　and　the　greatest　of　these　now　was　beauty。　　He　had　always　had　wide　interests；　and；　indeed　could　still　read　The　Tines；　but　he　was　liable　at　any　moment　to　put　it　down　if　he　heard　a　blackbird　sing。　　Upright　conduct；　propertysomehow；　they　were　tiring；　the　blackbirds　and　the　sunsets　never　tired　him；　only　gave　him　an　uneasy　feeling　that　he　could　not　get　enough　of　them。　　Staring　into　the　stilly　radiance　of　the　early　evening　and　at　the　little　gold　and　white　flowers　on　the　lawn；　a　thought　came　to　him：　This　weather　was　like　the　music　of　'Orfeo；'　which　he　had　recently　heard　at　Covent　Garden。　　A　beautiful　opera；　not　like　Meyerbeer；　nor　even　quite　Mozart；　but；　in　its　way；　perhaps　even　more　lovely；　some…thing　classical　and　of　the　Golden　Age　about　it；　chaste　and　mellow；　and　the　Ravogli　'almost　worthy　of　the　old　days'highest　praise　he　could　bestow。　　The　yearning　of　Orpheus　for　the　beauty　he　was　losing；　for　his　love　going　down　to　Hades；　as　in　life　love　and　beauty　did　gothe　yearning　which　sang　and　throbbed　through　the　golden　music；　stirred　also　in　the　lingering　beauty　of　the　world　that　evening。　　And　with　the　tip　of　his　cork…soled；　elastic…sided　boot　he　involuntarily　stirred　the　ribs　of　the　dog　Balthasar；　caus…ing　the　animal　to　wake　and　attack　his　fleas；　for　though　he　was　supposed　to　have　none；　nothing　could　persuade　him　of　the　fact。　　When　he　had　finished；　he　rubbed　the　place　he　had　been　scratching　against　his　master's　calf；　and　settled　down　again　with　his　chin　over　the　instep　of　the　disturbing　boot。　　And　into　old　Jolyon's　mind　came　a　sudden　recollectiona　face　he　had　seen　at　that　opera　three　weeks　agoIrene；　the　wife　of　his　precious　nephew　Soames；　that　man　of　property！　Though　he　had　not　met　her　since　the　day　of　　the　'At　Home'　in　his　old　house　at　Stanhope　Gate；　which　celebrated　his　granddaughter　June's　ill…starred　engagement　to　young　Bosinney；　he　had　remembered　her　at　once；　for　he　had　always　admired　hera　very　pretty　creature。　　After　the　death　of　young　Bosinney；　whose　mistress　she　had　so　reprehensibly　become；　he　had　heard　that　she　had　left　Soames　at　once。　　Goodness　only　knew　what　she　had　been　doing　since。　That　sight　of　her　facea　side　viewin　the　row　in　front；　had　been　literally　the　only　reminder　these　three　years　that　she　was　still　alive。　　No　one　ever　spoke　of　her。　　And　yet　Jo　had　told　him　some…thing　oncesomething　which　had　upset　him　completely。　　The　boy　had　got　it　from　George　Forsyte；　he　believed；　who　had　seen　Bosinney　in　the　fog　the　day　he　was　run　oversomething　which　explained　the　young　fellow's　distressan　act　of　Soames　towards　his　wifea　shocking　act。　　Jo　had　seen　her；　too；　that　afternoon；　after　the　news　was　out；　seen　her　for　a　moment；　and　his　description　had　always　lingered　in　old　Jolyon's　mind…　…'wild　and　lost'　he　had　called　her。　　And　next　day　June　had　gone　there　bottled　up　her　feelings　and　gone　there；　and　the　maid　had　cried　and　told　her　how　her　mistress　had　slipped　out　in　the　night　and　vanished。　A　tragic　business　altogether！　One　thing　was　certainSoames　had　never　been　able　to　lay　hands　on　her　again。　　And　he　was　living　at　Brighton；　and　journeying　up　and　downa　fitting　fate；　the　man　of　property！　For　when　he　once　took　a　dislike　to　anyon