James was still in the dining-room talking to Soames, who had come round
again before breakfast. On hearing who his visitor was, he muttered
nervously: "Now, what's he want, I wonder?"
He then got up.
"Well," he said to Soames, "don't you go doing anything in a hurry. The
first thing is to find out where she is--I should go to Stainer's about
it; they're the best men, if they can't find her, nobody can." And
suddenly moved to strange softness, he muttered to himself, "Poor little
thing, I can't tell what she was thinking about!" and went out blowing
his nose.
Old Jolyon did not rise on seeing his brother, but held out his hand,
and exchanged with him the clasp of a Forsyte.
James took another chair by the table, and leaned his head on his hand.
"Well," he said, "how are you? We don't see much of you nowadays!"
Old Jolyon paid no attention to the remark.
"How's Emily?" he asked; and waiting for no reply, went on "I've come to
see you about this affair of young Bosinney's. I'm told that new house
of his is a white elephant."
"I don't know anything about a white elephant," said James, "I know he's
lost his case, and I should say he'll go bankrupt."
Old Jolyon was not slow to seize the opportunity this gave him.
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