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“SOAMES FORSYTE.”

On the following day he received a note from Bosinney:

“PHILIP BAYNES BOSINNEY,

“Architect,

“309D, SLOANE STREET, S.W.,

“May 18.

“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:

“62, MONTPELLIER SQUARE, S.W.,

“May 19, 1887.

“DEAR BOSINNEY,

“I think that in both our interests it would be extremely undesirable that matters should be so left at this stage. I did not mean to say that if you should exceed the sum named in my letter to you by ten or twenty or even fifty pounds, there would be any difficulty between us. This being so, I should like you to reconsider your answer. You have a “free hand” in the terms of this correspondence, and I hope you will see your way to completing the decorations, in the matter of which I know it is difficult to be absolutely exact.