knew what the French might do if they had the chance,
especially since that dreadful Fashoda scare, which had upset Timothy so
terribly that he had made no investments for months afterwards. It was
the ingratitude of the Boers that was so dreadful, after everything had
been done for them--Dr. Jameson imprisoned, and he was so nice, Mrs.
MacAnder had always said. And Sir Alfred Milner sent out to talk to
them--such a clever man! She didn't know what they wanted.

But at this moment occurred one of those sensations--so precious at
Timothy's--which great occasions sometimes bring forth:

"Miss June Forsyte."

Aunts Juley and Hester were on their feet at once, trembling from
smothered resentment, and old affection bubbling up, and pride at the
return of a prodigal June! Well, this was a surprise! Dear June--after
all these years! And how well she was looking! Not changed at all! It
was almost on their lips to add, 'And how is your dear grandfather?'
forgetting in that giddy moment that poor dear Jolyon had been in his
grave for seven years now.

Ever the most courageous and downright of all the Forsytes, June, with
her decided chin and her spirited eyes and her hair like flame, sat down,
slight and short, on a gilt chair with a bead-worked seat, for all the
world as if ten years had not elapsed since she had been to see them--ten
years of travel and independence and devotion to lame ducks. Those ducks
of late had been all definitely painters, etchers, or sculptors, so that
her impatience with the Forsytes and their hopelessly inartistic outlook
had become intense. Indeed, she had almost ceased to believe that her
family existed, and looked round her now with a sort of challenging
directness which brought exquisite discomfort to the roomful. She had
not expected to meet any of them but 'the poor old things'; and why she
had come to see them she hardly knew, except that, while on her way from
Oxford Street to a studio in Latimer Road, she had suddenly remembered
them with compunction as two long-neglected old lame ducks.

Aunt Juley broke the hush again. "We've just been saying, dear, how
dreadful it is about these Boers! And what an impudent thing of that old
Kruger!"

"Impudent!" said June. "I think he's quite right. What business have we
to meddle with them? If he turned out all those wretched Uitlanders it
would serve them right. They're only after money."

The silence of sensation was broken by Fr