登陆注册
5227100000014

第14章 CHAPTER II OLD JOLYON GOES TO THE OPERA(4)

He had been in the habit all his life of enjoying things, even imperfect things--and there had been many imperfect things--he had enjoyed them all with moderation, so as to keep himself young. But now he was deserted by his power of enjoyment, by his philosophy) and left with this dreadful feeling that it was all done with. Not even the Prisoners' Chorus, nor Florian's Song, had the power to dispel the gloom of his loneliness.

If Jo, were only with him! The boy must be forty by now. He had wasted fourteen years out of the life of his only son. And Jo was no longer a social pariah. He was married. Old Jolyon had been unable to refrain from marking his appreciation of the action by enclosing his son a cheque for L500. The cheque had been returned in a letter from the 'Hotch Potch,' couched in these words.

'MY DEAREST FATHER, 'Your generous gift was welcome as a sign that you might think worse of me. I return it, but should you think fit to invest it for the benefit of the little chap (we call him Jolly), who bears our Christian and, by courtesy, our surname, I shall be very glad.

'I hope with all my heart that your health is as good as ever.

'Your loving son, 'Jo.'

The letter was like the boy. He had always been an amiable chap.

Old Jolyon had sent this reply:

'MY DEAR JO, 'The sum (L500) stands in my books for the benefit of your boy, under the name of Jolyon Forsyte, and will be duly-credited with interest at 5 per cent. I hope that you are doing well. My health remains good at present.

'With love, I am, 'Your affectionate Father, 'JOLYON FORSYTE.'

And every, year on the 1st of January he had added a hundred and the interest. The sum was mounting up--next New Year's Day it would be fifteen hundred and odd pounds! And it is difficult to say how much satisfaction he had got out of that yearly transaction. But the correspondence had ended.

In spite of his love for his son, in spite of an instinct, partly constitutional, partly the result, as in thousands of his class, of the continual handling and watching of affairs, prompting him to judge conduct by results rather than by principle, there was at the bottom of his heart a sort of uneasiness. His son ought, under the circumstances, to have gone to the dogs; that law was laid down in all the novels, sermons, and plays he had ever read, heard, or witnessed.

After receiving the cheque back there seemed to him to be something wrong somewhere. Why had his son, not gone to--the dogs? But, then, who could tell?

He had heard,. of course--in fact, he had made it his business to find out--that Jo lived in St. John's Wood, that he had a little house in Wistaria Avenue with a garden, and took his wife about with, him into society--a queer sort of society, no doubt-- and that they had two children--the little chap they called Jolly (considering the circumstances the name struck him as cynical, and old Jolyon both feared and disliked cynicism), and a girl called Holly, born since the marriage. Who could tell what his son's circumstances really were? He had capitalized the income he had inherited from his mother's father and joined Lloyd's as an underwriter; he painted pictures, too--water-colours. Old Jolyon knew this, for he had surreptitiously bought them from time to time, after chancing to see his son's name signed at the bottom of a representation of the river Thames in a dealer's window. He thought them bad, and did not hang them because of the signature; he kept them locked up in a drawer.

In the great opera-house a terrible yearning came on him to see his son. He remembered the days when he had been wont to slide him, in a brown holland suit, to and fro under the arch of his legs; the times when he ran beside the boy's pony, teaching him to ride; the day he first took him to school. He had been a loving, lovable little chap! After he went to Eton he had acquired, perhaps, a little too much of that desirable manner which old Jolyon knew was only to be obtained at such places and at great expense; but he had always been companionable. Always a companion, even after Cambridge--a little far off, perhaps, owing to the advantages he had received. Old Jolyon's feeling towards our public schools and 'Varsities never wavered, and he retained touchingly his attitude of admiration and mistrust towards a system appropriate to the highest in the land, of which he had not himself been privileged to partake.... Now that June had gone and left, or as good as left him, it would have been a comfort to see his son again. Guilty of this treason to his family, his principles, his class, old Jolyon fixed his eyes on the singer. A poor thing--a wretched poor thing! And the Florian a perfect stick!

It was over. They were easily pleased nowadays!

In the crowded street he snapped up a cab under the very nose of a stout and much younger gentleman, who had already assumed it to be his own. His route lay through Pall Mall, and at the corner, instead of going through the Green Park, the cabman turned to drive up St. James's Street. Old Jolyon put his hand through the trap (he could not bear being taken out of his way); in turning, however, he found himself opposite the 'Hotch Potch, ' and the yearning that had been secretly with him the whole evening prevailed. He called to the driver to stop. He would go in and ask if Jo still belonged there.

He went in. The hall looked exactly as it did when he used to dine there with Jack Herring, and they had the best cook in London; and he looked round with the shrewd, straight glance that had caused him all his life to be better served than most men.

"Mr. Jolyon Forsyte still a member here?"

"Yes, sir; in the Club now, sir. What name?"

Old Jolyon was taken aback.

"His father," he said.

And having spoken, he took his stand, back to the fireplace.

同类推荐
  • 古今事通

    古今事通

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 法华龙女成佛权实义

    法华龙女成佛权实义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蕅益三颂

    蕅益三颂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 月令七十二候集解

    月令七十二候集解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 立齋閒錄

    立齋閒錄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 美人何处

    美人何处

    安意如最新散文集,依然是解读古典,全书分两部分内容——解读古代美容时尚,通过赏析古代女性的经典故事,以其独有的特质为本,与当下美容话题形成对比、解析。如:杨贵妃的风韵和现今的减肥话题、金庸笔下小龙女的清新和现今的美白话题等。解读古代情商高的美女。文字隽永,将古代美与现代美给予新的注释。如:褒姒以及烽火戏诸侯的故事、牡丹亭中杜丽娘的爱情观、王宝钏一生倔强且悲凉的等待,鱼玄机与温庭筠的故事等。
  • 大唐征伐志

    大唐征伐志

    本书从唐太宗率领大唐将士征讨高句丽开始,至唐睿宗继位结束,主要描写大唐在此期间对外征伐的事迹、宫廷的事迹、部分人物生活的事迹,本书中有很多融入了我的经历和我对人生的感受的内容,通过书中人物的事迹展现出来,所以本书不仅是一部历史题材的小说,也是一部与众不同的自传。因为本书是一部历史题材的小说,所以书中的内容有经过了我的艺术化创作的真实的历史,也有完全杜撰出来的内容,历史题材的小说的内容需要真实的历史与杜撰出来的内容相结合。
  • 心灵花雨:通信集

    心灵花雨:通信集

    本书收录了9篇通信稿,包括:《一石激起千层浪——有对话引起的震荡》、《青春是一个斜坡——与大学生们的通信》和《学海无涯苦勤是岸》等。
  • 刘乘风修仙传

    刘乘风修仙传

    修真界刘乘风被老祖无情夺舍后意外附体重生,发现熟悉的世界已经变样,这里不是修真界,而是地球。仙路无情,他从地球开始,重新踏上无情修仙大道。
  • 细节决定成败的24堂课

    细节决定成败的24堂课

    该书用最鲜明的成功实例或失败教训来说明问题。在实例的前后,又有编者总结的各个成功人士和名人智者所共知共识的道理和分析,来尽可能地让读者认识到每一堂课所要教授的内容,领会每一节课所要阐述的要领。
  • 隐婚-豪女宠夫

    隐婚-豪女宠夫

    内容:“倩衣,我们分手吧!我们根本就是两个不同世界的人,我不能自私的让你一个千金大小姐,跟着我吃泡面,整天风里来风里去的”倩衣顿时感觉委屈,心里被几十斤的大石头压着喘不过气来,泪眼汪汪的说“峰哥哥,你不要我?”…现实的残忍,身份的隔阂让两个深深相恋了三年的恋人,被迫要面对分离,他不想被人认为吃软饭,她不想放弃这段经营了三年的恋情,爱情,打破了一切的传统,他们做了一个决定——隐婚!一场没人祝福的婚礼,一场只有一个证婚人的婚礼,三个人的婚礼展开一段,为爱情努力的人生…他终于从一个默默无闻的快递员成了跨国企业的首席设计师,他有能力给爱的人一个避风港,却发现早已回不到最初的位置,究竟是谁变了,还是最纯真的爱情已经变质了?《隐婚——豪门贱夫》为各位讲诉一段传奇的人生,这是梦缘的最新力作!希望多多支持!
  • 繁华落尽莫不静好

    繁华落尽莫不静好

    靖康末年,中原大地惨遭金人铁骑的蹂躏,三千多皇室子女被掳北上,唯有仁福帝姬在心上人岳飞的帮助下逃出魔掌,谁知素来亲近的九哥哥做了皇帝,反而暗害于她。且看女主如何反击并与心上人终成眷属。情节虚构,请勿模仿!
  • 向腹黑恶少投降

    向腹黑恶少投降

    【既然吻了我的嘴,就要做我的女人】~~~“他是想要钱,还是要命!”吴美琪紧张兮兮的偷瞄了他们一眼,无奈的搜了搜兜,可是找了半天只拿出了,今天吃冰激凌剩下的1元钱,还是一枚硬币。“就一元钱,是不是显得小气了点,但是这可是身上所有的家当,看来只有破财免灾了,管他呢!”想着。吴美琪把这枚硬币递给了他,“这是,吻你的小费,不用找零了。”
  • 我若为莲,只愿为你娉开

    我若为莲,只愿为你娉开

    谭海子和孙丽惠,用眼神碰撞出爱的火花,开始了他们甜蜜的初恋。然而,在他们所生活的落后封闭的小山村里,他们不愿意接受的包办婚姻不期而至,谭海子和孙丽惠进行了反抗,谭海子出走……为了改变命运,谭海子自学,考上大学;孙丽惠进城学手艺,开小吃。优秀的海子和孙丽惠,都不乏狂热的追求者,然而,他们排除干扰,有情人终成眷属。故事发生在改革开放前期,农村的青年渐渐觉醒,婚姻想自主,并不断地走出大山,到外面去闯荡世界。有志的海子和孙丽惠,不愿向命运低头,用实际行动改变现状,并带动了农村观念的改变。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 魔幻之高校风云

    魔幻之高校风云

    一个寒门学霸,进清华北大易如反掌的天才,却阴差阳错只就读了一所三流大学。你以为他的错位人生就这样完了?不,依靠一款席卷全国大学校园的大型氪书游戏,他很快就脱颖而出星光四射,成为整条街,噢不,是整个校园里的最靓的仔,然后高校电竞联赛路上华丽丽各种人生大逆袭了。