good enough and a little
better than any other because it was their world, had kept the old
Forsytes singularly free of "flummery," as Nicholas had been wont to call
it when he had the gout. Soames' generation, more self-conscious and
ironical, had been saved by a sense of Swithin in knee-breeches. While
the third and the fourth generation, as it seemed to him, laughed at
everything.

However, there was no harm in the young fellow's being heir to a title
and estate--a thing one couldn't help. He entered quietly, as Mont
missed his shot. He noted the young man's eyes, fixed on Fleur bending
over in her turn; and the adoration in them almost touched him.

She paused with the cue poised on the bridge of her slim hand, and shook
her crop of short dark chestnut hair.

"I shall never do it."

"'Nothing venture.'"

"All right." The cue struck, the ball rolled. "There!"

"Bad luck! Never mind!"

Then they saw him, and Soames said:

"I'll mark for you."

He sat down on the raised seat beneath the marker, trim and tired,
furtively studying those two young faces. When the game was over Mont
came up to him.

"I've started in, sir. Rum game, business, isn't it? I suppose you saw
a lot of human nature as a solicitor."

"I did."

"Shall I tell you what I've noticed: People are quite on the wrong tack
in offering less than they can afford to give; they ought to offer more,
and work backward."

Soames raised his eyebrows.

"Suppose the more is accepted?"

"That doesn't matter a little bit," said Mont; "it's much more paying to
abate a price than to increase it. For instance, say we offer an author
good terms--he naturally takes them. Then we go into it, find we can't
publish at a decent profit and tell him so. He's got confidence in us
because we've been generous to him, and he comes down like a lamb, and
bears us no malice. But if we offer him poor terms at the start, he
doesn't take them, so we have to advance them to get him, and he thinks
us damned screws into the bargain.

"Try buying pictures on that system," said Soames; "an offer accepted is
a contract--haven't you learned that?"

Young Mont turned his head to where Fleur was standing in the window.

"No," he said, "I wish I had. Then there's another thing. Always let a
man off a bargain if he wants to be let off."

"As advertisement?" said Soames dryly.

"Of course it is; but I meant on principle."

"Does your firm work on those lin