Whether or no James had cherished hopes of an inheritance, or of something rather distinguished to be found down there,he came back to town in a poor way, and went about with a pathetic attempt at making the best of a bad job.

“There’s very little to be had out of that,” he said; “regular country little place, old as the hills....”

Its age was felt to be a comfort. Old Jolyon, in whom a desperate honesty welled up at times, would allude to hisancestors as: “Yeomen — I suppose very small beer.” Yet he would repeat the word ‘yeomen’ as if it afforded himconsolation.

They had all done so well for themselves, these Forsytes, that they were all what is called ‘of a certain position.’ Theyhad shares in all sorts of things, not as yet — with the exception of Timothy — in consols, for they had no dread in lifelike that of 3 per cent. for their money. They collected pictures, too, and were supporters of such charitable institutionsas might be beneficial to their sick domestics. From their father, the builder, they inherited a talent for bricks andmortar. Originally, perhaps, members of some primitive sect, they were now in the natural course of things members of theChurch of England, and caused their wives and children to attend with some regularity the more fashionable churches of theMetropolis. To have doubted their Christianity would have caused them both pain and surprise. Some of them paid for pews,thus expressing in the most practical form their sympathy with the teachings of Christ.

Their residences, placed at stated intervals round the park, watched like sentinels, lest the fair heart of this London,where their desires were fixed, should slip from their clutches, and leave them lower in their own estimations.

There was old Jolyon in Stanhope Place; the Jameses in Park Lane; Swithin in the lonely glory of orange and blue chambersin Hyde Park Mansions — he had never married, not he — the Soamses in their nest off Knightsbridge; the Rogers in Prince’sGardens (Roger was that remarkable Forsyte who had conceived and carried out the notion of bringing up his four sons to anew profession. “Collect house property, nothing like it,” he would say; “I never did anything else”).