's dull, and likes to come and dine with
me quietly, I'll give her such a bottle of champagne as she doesn't get
every day." Staring down from his height on Soames he contracted his
thick, puffy, yellow hand as though squeezing within it all this small
fry, and throwing out his chest he waddled slowly away.

Mrs. Small and Aunt Hester were left horrified. Swithin was so droll!

They themselves were longing to ask Soames how Irene would take the
result, yet knew that they must not; he would perhaps say something
of his own accord, to throw some light on this, the present burning
question in their lives, the question that from necessity of silence
tortured them almost beyond bearing; for even Timothy had now been told,
and the effect on his health was little short of alarming. And what,
too, would June do? This, also, was a most exciting, if dangerous
speculation!

They had never forgotten old Jolyon's visit, since when he had not once
been to see them; they had never forgotten the feeling it gave all who
were present, that the family was no longer what it had been--that the
family was breaking up.

But Soames gave them no help, sitting with his knees crossed, talking of
the Barbizon school of painters, whom he had just discovered. These were
the coming men, he said; he should not wonder if a lot of money were
made over them; he had his eye on two pictures by a man called Corot,
charming things; if he could get them at a reasonable price he was going
to buy them--they would, he thought, fetch a big price some day.

Interested as they could not but be, neither Mrs. Septimus Small nor
Aunt Hester could entirely acquiesce in being thus put off.

It was interesting--most interesting--and then Soames was so clever
that they were sure he would do something with those pictures if anybody
could; but what was his plan now that he had won his case; was he going
to leave London at once, and live in the country, or what was he going
to do?

Soames answered that he did not know, he thought they should be moving
soon. He rose and kissed his aunts.

No sooner had Aunt Juley received this emblem of departure than a change
came over her, as though she were being visited by dreadful courage;
every little roll of flesh on her face seemed trying to escape from an
invisible, confining mask.

She rose to the full extent of her more than medium height, and said:
"It has been on my mind a long time, dear, and if nobody else will tell