WHAT DID BASIL MEAN?
It was rather late on the evening of the second day after Ermengarde
and her father had gone to Glendower, that Marjorie, who had been
playing with the nursery children, and dragging the big baby about,
and otherwise disporting herself after the fashion which usually
induces great fatigue, crept slowly upstairs to her room.
She was really awfully tired, for the day had been a hot one, and
nurse had a headache, and Clara, the nursery-maid, was away on a
holiday. So Marjorie had scarcely breathing time all day long. Now she
was going to bed, and the poor little girl looked rather limp and
abject as she crept along the passage to her room.
"I do hope Ermie is having a jolly time," she murmured to herself. "I
can just fancy how delicious it is at Glendower now. It is such a
beautiful, perfect place, just hanging over the sea. And there's going
to be a moon. And the moon will shine on the sea, and make it
silver."
Marjorie reached her room. She climbed up on the window-ledge and
gazed out.
"Yes, the moon is getting up," she said, speaking her thoughts aloud,
which was one of her old-fashioned ways. "Oh, how beautiful the moon
must look on the sea. I wonder if Ermie is looking at it. Not that
poor Ermie cares for moons, or things of that sort; but Lilias does.
Who's that? O Basil, is it you? Have you come to talk to me? How
awfully jolly! There's lots of room for both of us on the
window-ledge. Squeeze in, Basil; there, aren't we snug? Please, may I
put my arm round your neck to keep myself tight?"
"All right, Mag. Only don't quite throttle me if you can help it. I
thought you had some one with you. I heard you chattering."
"Only to myself. It's a way I have."
"Well, go on, never mind me; I'm nobody."
"Oh, aren't you, just! Why, you are Basil, you're the eldest of us all
and the wisest, and the best."
"Hush, Maggie."
Basil's brow was actually contracted with pain.
"Yes, you are," repeated Marjorie, who saw the look, and began to feel
her little heart waxing very hot. "O Basil, I meant to spend all
to-day and yesterday clearing you; yes, I did, darling, I did! And I
never thought, when it was made to be my plain duty to stay at home,
that I was only to help in the nursery all day long. O Basil, I _am_
so sorry."
"I don't know what you mean, Maggie, by clearing me," said Basil.
"Clearing me of what?"
"Why, of course, you have been unjustly accused by father."
"Stop, Maggie. I have not been unjustly accused by anyone."
"Basil, you know you didn't break the little sister's miniature, nor
steal it from Miss Nelson. You know you never did!"
Basil put his arm round Marjorie's waist.
"You think not?" he said with a slow, rather glad sort of smile.
"_Think_ not? I know you didn't do it! _You_ do anything mean and
horrid and wicked and shabby like that! _You?_ Look here, Basil, even
if you told me you did it, I wouldn't believe you."
"All right, Mag; then I needn't say anything."
"Only you might just tell me----"
"What?"
"That you didn't do it. That you are shamefully and falsely
suspected."
"No, I could not tell you that, Maggie. My father has every right to
be annoyed with me."
"Basil!"
"I can't explain, my dear little Mag. You must just take it on trust
with me. I am not falsely accused of anything."
Marjorie unlinked her hand from Basil's clasp. She sprang off the
window-ledge on to the floor.
"Look here," she said, "I can't stand this! There's a mystery, and I'm
going to clear you. Oh, yes, I will; I am determined!"
"No, Maggie, you are not to clear me. I don't wish to be cleared."
"Basil, what do you mean?"
"What I say. I don't wish to be cleared."
"Then father is to go on being angry with you?"
Basil suppressed a quick sigh.
"I'm afraid he will, for a bit, Maggie," he answered. "He'll get over
it; I'm not the first fellow who has had to live a thing down."
"But when you never did the thing?"
"We won't go into that. I've got to live it down. Boys often have
rough kinds of things to get through, and this is one. It doesn't
matter a bit. Don't fret, Mag. I assure you, I don't feel at all bad
about it."
"Oh, look at the moon!" suddenly exclaimed Marjorie. "Isn't she a
lady? isn't she graceful? I wish those trees wouldn't hide her; she'd
be so lovely, if we could have a good look at her."
"We can't half see her here," said Basil. "Let's come into father's
room. We'll have a splendid view from one of his windows."
Marjorie had forgotten all about her fatigue now. She took Basil's
hand, and in a silent ecstasy which was part of her emotional little
nature, went with him into the big bedroom where Mr. Wilton slept.
They could see splendidly all over the park from here, and as they
looked, Marjorie poured out a good lot of her fervent little soul to
her favorite brother.
Basil was never a boy to say much about his feelings. Once he stooped
down and kissed Marjorie.
"What a romantic little puss you are," he said. Then he told her she
must be sleepy, and sent her away to bed.
"But you won't stay in this great lonely room by yourself, Basil."
"This room lonely?" said Basil with a smile. "I used to sit here with
mother. And her picture hangs there. I'm glad of the chance of having
a good look at it in the moonlight."
"Basil, do let me stay and look at it with you."
"No, Maggie. I don't want to be unkind. You are a dear little thing,
but it would help me best to be alone with mother's picture. You don't
misunderstand me, Mag?"
"Of course I don't. Good-night, _dear_ Basil; good-night, darling.
This talk with you has been as good as two or three days at
Glendower."
Marjorie ran off, and Basil was alone. He went and knelt down under
the girlish picture of his dead mother. The moonbeams were shining
full into the room, and they touched his dark head, and lit up his
young mother's fair face. Basil said no words aloud. He knelt quietly
for a moment; then he rose, and with tears in his eyes gave another
long look at the picture as he turned to leave the room.