Galsworthy's sequel to The Forsyte Saga came in A Modern Comedy, written in the years 1924 to 1928. This comprises a novel, The White Monkey, an interlude, A Silent Wooing, a second novel, The Silver Spoon, a second interlude, Passers By, and a third novel, Swan Song.

A silent wooing is the interlude between The white monkey and The silver spoon; Passers by is the interlude between The silver spoon and the Swan song.

Rose Campbell returns to the "Aunt Hill" after two years of traveling around the world and is surrounded by male admirers eager to marry her, but before she marries anyone, Rose is determined to establish herself as an independent young woman.