Major Forsyth arrived in time for tea, red-faced, dapper, and
immaculate. He wore a check suit, very new and very pronounced, with a
beautiful line down each trouser-leg; and his collar and his tie were of
the latest mode. His scanty hair was carefully parted in the middle, and
his moustache bristled with a martial ardour. He had lately bought a
fine set of artificial teeth, which, with pardonable pride, he
constantly exhibited to the admiration of all and sundry. Major
Forsyth's consuming desire was to appear juvenile; he affected slang,
and carried himself with a youthful jauntiness. He vowed he felt a mere
boy, and flattered himself that on his good days, with the light behind
him, he might pass for five-and-thirty.
"A woman," he repeated--"a woman is as old as she looks; but a man is as
old as he feels!"
The dandiness which in a crammer's pup--most overdressed of all the
human race--would merely have aroused a smile, looked oddly with the
Major's wrinkled skin and his old eyes. There was something almost
uncanny in the exaggerated boyishness; he reminded one of some figure
in a dance of death, of a living skeleton, hollow-eyed, strutting gaily
by the side of a gallant youth.
It was not difficult to impose upon the Parsons, and Major Forsyth had
gained over them a complete ascendancy. They took his opinion on every
possible matter, accepting whatever he said with gratified respect. He
was a man of the world, and well acquainted with the goings-on of
society. They had an idea that he disappointed duchesses to come down to
Little Primpton, and always felt that it was a condescension on his part
to put up with their simple manners. They altered their hours; luncheon
was served at the middle of the day, and dinner in the evening.
Mrs. Parsons put on a Sabbath garment of black silk to receive her
brother, and round her neck a lace fichu. When he arrived with Colonel
Parsons from the station, she went into the hall to meet him.
"Well, William, have you had a pleasant journey?"
"Oh, yes, yes! I came down with the prettiest woman I've seen for many a
long day. I made eyes at her all the way, but she wouldn't look at me."
"William, William!" expostulated Mr. Parsons, smiling.
"You see he hasn't improved since we saw him last, Frances," laughed the
Colonel, leading the way into the drawing-room.
"No harm in looking at a pretty woman, you know. I'm a bachelor still,
thank the Lord! That reminds me of a funny story I heard at the club."
"Oh, we're rather frightened of your stories, William," said Mrs.
Parsons.
"Yes, you're very risky sometimes," assented the Colonel,
good-humouredly shaking his head.
Major Forsyth was anecdotal, as is only decent in an old bachelor, and
he made a speciality of stories which he thought wicked, but which, as a
matter of fact, would not have brought a blush to any cheek less
innocent than that of Colonel Parsons.
"There's no harm in a little spice," said Uncle William. "And you're a
married woman, Frances."
He told an absolutely pointless story of how a man had helped a young
woman across the street, and seen her ankle in the process. He told it
with immense gusto, laughing and repeating the point at least six times.
"William, William!" laughed Colonel Parsons, heartily. "You should keep
those things for the smoking-room."
"What d'you think of it, Frances?" asked the gallant Major, still hugely
enjoying the joke.
Mrs. Parsons blushed a little, and for decency's sake prevented herself
from smiling; she felt rather wicked.
"I don't want to hear any more of your tales, William."
"Ha, ha!" laughed Uncle William, "I knew you'd like it. And that one I
told you in the fly, Richmond--you know, about the petticoat."
"Sh-sh!" said the Colonel, smiling. "You can't tell that to a lady."
"P'r'aps I'd better not. But it's a good story, though."
They both laughed.
"I think it's dreadful the things you men talk about as soon as you're
alone," said Mrs. Parsons.
The two God-fearing old soldiers laughed again, admitting their
wickedness.
"One must talk about something," said Uncle William. "And upon my word,
I don't know anything better to talk about than the fair sex."
Soon James appeared, and shook hands with his uncle.
"You're looking younger than ever, Uncle William. You make me feel quite
old."
"Oh, I never age, bless you! Why, I was talking to my old friend, Lady
Green, the other day--she was a Miss Lake, you know--and she said to
me: 'Upon my word, Major Forsyth, you're wonderful. I believe you've
found the secret of perpetual youth.' 'The fact is,' I said, 'I never
let myself grow old. If you once give way to it, you're done.' 'How do
you manage it?' she said. 'Madam,' I answered, 'it's the simplest thing
in the world. I keep regular hours, and I wear flannel next to my
skin.'"
"Come, come, Uncle William," said James, with a smile. "You didn't
mention your underlinen to a lady!"
"Upon my word, I'm telling you exactly what I said."
"You're very free in your conversation."
"Well, you know, I find the women expect it from me. Of course, I never
go beyond the line."
Then Major Forsyth talked of the fashions, and of his clothes, of the
scandal of the day, and the ancestry of the persons concerned, of the
war.
"You can say what you like," he remarked, "but my opinion is that
Roberts is vastly overrated. I met at the club the other day a man whose
first cousin has served under Roberts in India--his first cousin, mind
you, so it's good authority--and this chap told me, in strict
confidence, of course, that his first cousin had no opinion of Roberts.
That's what a man says who has actually served under him."
"It is certainly conclusive," said James. "I wonder your friend's first
cousin didn't go to the War Office and protest against Bobs being sent
out."
"What's the good of going to the War Office? They're all corrupt and
incompetent there. If I had my way, I'd make a clean sweep of them.
Talking of red-tape, I'll just give you an instance. Now, this is a
fact. It was told me by the brother-in-law of the uncle of the man it
happened to."
Major Forsyth told his story at great length, finishing up with the
assertion that if the army wasn't going to the dogs, he didn't know what
going to the dogs meant.
James, meanwhile, catching the glances which passed between his mother
and Colonel Parsons, understood that they were thinking of the great
subject upon which Uncle William was to be consulted. Half scornfully he
gave them their opportunity.
"I'm going for a stroll," he said, "through Groombridge. I shan't be
back till dinner-time."
"How lucky!" remarked Colonel Parsons naively, when James had gone. "We
wanted to talk with you privately, William. You're a man of the world."
"I think there's not much that I don't know," replied the Major,
shooting his linen.
"Tell him, Frances."
Mrs. Parsons, accustomed to the part of spokeswoman, gave her tale,
interrupted now and again by a long whistle with which the Major
signified his shrewdness, or by an energetic nod which meant that the
difficulty was nothing to him.
"You're quite right," he said at last; "one has to look upon these
things from the point of view of the man of the world."
"We knew you'd be able to help us," said Colonel Parsons.
"Of course! I shall settle the whole thing in five minutes. You leave it
to me."
"I told you he would, Frances," cried the Colonel, with a happy smile.
"You think that James ought to marry the girl, don't you?"
"Certainly. Whatever his feelings are, he must act as a gentleman and an
officer. Just you let me talk it over with him. He has great respect for
all I say; I've noticed that already."
Mrs. Parsons looked at her brother doubtfully.
"We haven't known what to do," she murmured. "We've prayed for guidance,
haven't we, Richmond? We're anxious not to be hard on the boy, but we
must be just."
"Leave it to me," repeated Uncle William. "I'm a man of the world, and
I'm thoroughly at home in matters of this sort."
* * *
According to the little plan which, in his subtlety, Major Forsyth had
suggested, Mrs. Parsons, soon after dinner, fetched the backgammon
board.
"Shall we have our usual game, Richmond?"
Colonel Parsons looked significantly at his brother-in-law.
"If William doesn't mind?"
"No, no, of course not! I'll have a little chat with Jamie."
The players sat down at the corner of the table, and rather nervously
began to set out the men. James stood by the window, silent as ever,
looking at the day that was a-dying, with a milk-blue sky and tenuous
clouds, copper and gold. Major Forsyth took a chair opposite him, and
pulled his moustache.
"Well, Jamie, my boy, what is all this nonsense I hear about you and
Mary Clibborn?"
Colonel Parsons started at the expected question, and stole a hurried
look at his son. His wife noisily shook the dice-box and threw the dice
on the board.
"Nine!" she said.
James turned to look at his uncle, noting a little contemptuously the
change of his costume, and its extravagant juvenility.
"A lot of stuff and nonsense, isn't it?"
"D'you think so?" asked James, wearily. "We've been taking it very
seriously."
"You're a set of old fogies down here. You want a man of the world to
set things right."
"Ah, well, you're a man of the world, Uncle William," replied James,
smiling.
The dice-box rattled obtrusively as Colonel Parsons and his wife played
on with elaborate unconcern of the conversation.
"A gentleman doesn't jilt a girl when he's been engaged to her for five
years."
James squared himself to answer Major Forsyth. The interview with Mrs.
Jackson in the morning had left him extremely irritated. He was resolved
to say now all he had to say and have done with it, hoping that a
complete explanation would relieve the tension between his people and
himself.
"It is with the greatest sorrow that I broke off my engagement with Mary
Clibborn. It seemed to me the only honest thing to do since I no longer
loved her. I can imagine nothing in the world so horrible as a loveless
marriage."
"Of course, it's unfortunate; but the first thing is to keep one's
word."
"No," answered James, "that is prejudice. There are many more important
things."
Colonel Parsons stopped the pretence of his game.
"Do you know that Mary is breaking her heart?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'm afraid she's suffering very much. I don't see how I can help it."
"Leave this to me, Richmond," interrupted the Major, impatiently.
"You'll make a mess of it."
But Colonel Parsons took no notice.
"She looked forward with all her heart to marrying you. She's very
unhappy at home, and her only consolation was the hope that you would
soon take her away."
"Am I managing this or are you, Richmond? I'm a man of the world."
"If I married a woman I did not care for because she was rich, you would
say I had dishonoured myself. The discredit would not be in her wealth,
but in my lack of love."
"That's not the same thing," replied Major Forsyth. "You gave your word,
and now you take it back."
"I promised to do a thing over which I had no control. When I was a boy,
before I had seen anything of the world, before I had ever known a woman
besides my mother, I promised to love Mary Clibborn all my life. Oh, it
was cruel to let me be engaged to her! You blame me; don't you think
all of you are a little to blame as well?"
"What could we have done?"
"Why didn't you tell me not to be hasty? Why didn't you say that I was
too young to become engaged?"
"We thought it would steady you."
"But a young man doesn't want to be steadied. Let him see life and taste
all it has to offer. It is wicked to put fetters on his wrists before
ever he has seen anything worth taking. What is the virtue that exists
only because temptation is impossible!"
"I can't understand you, Jamie," said Mrs. Parsons, sadly. "You talk so
differently from when you were a boy."
"Did you expect me to remain all my life an ignorant child. You've never
given me any freedom. You've hemmed me in with every imaginable barrier.
You've put me on a leading-string, and thanked God that I did not
stray."
"We tried to bring you up like a good man, and a true Christian."
"If I'm not a hopeless prig, it's only by miracle."
"James, that's not the way to talk to your mother," said Major Forsyth.
"Oh, mother, I'm sorry; I don't want to be unkind to you. But we must
talk things out freely; we've lived in a hot-house too long."
"I don't know what you mean. You became engaged to Mary of your own free
will; we did nothing to hinder it, nothing to bring it about. But I
confess we were heartily thankful, thinking that no influence could be
better for you than the love of a pure, sweet English girl."
"It would have been kinder and wiser if you had forbidden it."
"We could not have taken the responsibility of crossing your
affections."
"Mrs. Clibborn did."
"Could you expect us to be guided by her?"
"She was the only one who showed the least common sense."
"How you have changed, Jamie!"
"I would have obeyed you if you had told me I was too young to become
engaged. After all, you are more responsible than I am. I was a child.
It was cruel to let me bind myself."
"I never thought you would speak to us like that."
"All that's ancient history," said Major Forsyth, with what he flattered
himself was a very good assumption of jocularity. It was his idea to
treat the matter lightly, as a man of the world naturally would. But his
interruption was unnoticed.
"We acted for the best. You know that we have always had your interests
at heart."
James did not speak, for his only answer would have been bitter.
Throughout, they had been unwilling to let him live his own life, but
desirous rather that he should live theirs. They loved him tyrannically,
on the condition that he should conform to all their prejudices. Though
full of affectionate kindness, they wished him always to dance to their
piping--a marionette of which they pulled the strings.
"What would you have me do?"
"Keep your word, James," answered his father.
"I can't, I can't! I don't understand how you can wish me to marry Mary
Clibborn when I don't love her. _That_ seems to me dishonourable."
"It would be nothing worse than a _mariage de convenance_," said Uncle
William. "Many people marry in that sort of way, and are perfectly
happy."
"I couldn't," said James. "That seems to me nothing better than
prostitution. It is no worse for a street-walker to sell her body to any
that care to buy."
"James, remember your mother is present."
"For God's sake, let us speak plainly. You must know what life is. One
can do no good by shutting one's eyes to everything that doesn't square
with a shoddy, false ideal. On one side I must break my word, on the
other I must prostitute myself. There is no middle way. You live here
surrounded by all sorts of impossible ways of looking at life. How can
your outlook be sane when it is founded on a sham morality? You think
the body is indecent and ugly, and that the flesh is shameful. Oh, you
don't understand. I'm sick of this prudery which throws its own
hideousness over all it sees. The soul and the body are one,
indissoluble. Soul is body, and body is soul. Love is the God-like
instinct of procreation. You think sexual attraction is something to be
ignored, and in its place you put a bloodless sentimentality--the vulgar
rhetoric of a penny novelette. If I marry a woman, it is that she may be
the mother of children. Passion is the only reason for marriage; unless
it exists, marriage is ugly and beastly. It's worse than beastly; the
beasts of the field are clean. Don't you understand why I can't marry
Mary Clibborn?"
"What you call love, James," said Colonel Parsons, "is what I call
lust."
"I well believe it," replied James, bitterly.
"Love is something higher and purer."
"I know nothing purer than the body, nothing higher than the divine
instincts of nature."
"But that sort of love doesn't last, my dear," said Mrs. Parsons,
gently. "In a very little while it is exhausted, and then you look for
something different in your wife. You look for friendship and
companionship, confidence, consolation in your sorrows, sympathy with
your success. Beside all that, the sexual love sinks into nothing."
"It may be. The passion arises for the purposes of nature, and dies away
when those purposes are fulfilled. It seems to me that the recollection
of it must be the surest and tenderest tie between husband and wife; and
there remains for them, then, the fruit of their love, the children whom
it is their blessed duty to rear till they are of fit age to go into the
world and continue the endless cycle."
There was a pause, while Major Forsyth racked his brain for some
apposite remark; but the conversation had run out of his depth.
Colonel Parsons at last got up and put his hands on Jamie's shoulders.
"And can't you bring yourself to marry that poor girl, when you think of
the terrible unhappiness she suffers?"
James shook his head.
"You were willing to sacrifice your life for a mere stranger, and cannot
you sacrifice yourself for Mary, who has loved you long and tenderly,
and unselfishly?"
"I would willingly risk my life if she were in danger. But you ask
more."
Colonel Parsons was silent for a little, looking into his son's eyes.
Then he spoke with trembling voice.
"I think you love me, James. I've always tried to be a good father to
you; and God knows I've done all I could to make you happy. If I did
wrong in letting you become engaged, I beg your pardon. No; let me go
on." This he said in answer to Jamie's movement of affectionate protest.
"I don't say it to reproach you, but your mother and I have denied
ourselves in all we could so that you should be happy and comfortable.
It's been a pleasure to us, for we love you with all our hearts. You
know what happened to me when I left the army. I told you years ago of
the awful disgrace I suffered. I could never have lived except for my
trust in God and my trust in you. I looked to you to regain the honour
which I had lost. Ah! you don't know how anxiously I watched you, and
the joy with which I said to myself, 'There is a good and honourable
man.' And now you want to stain that honour. Oh, James, James! I'm old,
and I can't live long. If you love me, if you think you have cause for
gratitude to me, do this one little thing I ask you! For my sake, my
dear, keep your word to Mary Clibborn."
"You're asking me to do something immoral, father."
Then Colonel Parsons helplessly dropped his hands from Jamie's
shoulders, and turned to the others, his eyes full of tears.
"I don't understand what he means!" he groaned.
He sank on a chair and hid his face.