“Dear Forsyte,

“If you think that in such a delicate matter as decoration I can bind myself to the exact pound, I am afraid you are mistaken. I can see that you are tired of the arrangement, and of me, and I had better, therefore, resign.

“Yours faithfully,

“Philip Baynes Bosinney.”

Soames pondered long and painfully over his answer, and late at night in the dining-room, when Irene had gone to bed, he composed the following: