'I am,

'Yours truly,

'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

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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.

'Yours truly,

'SOAMES FORSYTE.'

Bosinney's answer, which came in the course of the next day, was:

'May 20.

'DEAR FORSYTE,

'Very well.

'PH. BOSINNEY.'




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