Chapter 5 chapter Five

Soon all the guests, except Frank Herrier, left after saying good night to Miss Ley, but Frank seemed to have no intention of that. "You don't want to go back to sleep, do you?" asked Miss Ley. "Then let's go to the library." Frank took his pipe from a drawer, filled it with tobacco leaves from a tobacco urn that had been prepared, and sat down.After noticing Bella's slight surprise, Miss Ley explained it. "Frank kept a pipe here and asked me to buy him his favorite tobacco. It's an advantage of old age to sit and talk with young people like this in the early morning."

After Frank had gone too, our old-fashioned hostess, who did not want to upset her guests, escorted Bella back to her room. "I hope you enjoy this little gathering," she said. "I like it very much," replied Bella, "but why did you invite Mrs. Castingyan? She's very vulgar, don't you think?" "My dear," replied Miss Ley, with a touch of sarcasm, "her husband is a very important person in Dorsetshire, and she herself was born of a wealthy and cultivated family." "I don't think she looks like a city person at all," Bella said seriously. "She's so tacky to me."

"She is very vulgar indeed," replied Miss Ley, "but the kind that comes from the best family. Talks too loudly, and laughs like a bus driver, speaks the most common slang, and dresses strangely." Stunning, these are the hallmarks of a prestigious dame. I used to see women in Bond Street with painted cheeks, dyed hair, and clothes that would surprise even high-class courtesans, and I realized that they were It's London's fashion leader... Good night. Don't expect to see me at breakfast, breakfast is just a gathering of angels in heaven." Miss Langton sat down, for at the moment she did not seem to be sleepy.

"Don't just go away. I want to know all about Mr. Kent." Miss Ley settled herself comfortably in an arm-chair, like her friend.Miss Doris once said that in order to cultivate self-discipline, a virtuous person should do two things he doesn't like every day. To this, Miss Ley replied very impolitely, if this is the case, then she So she embarked on the broad road of eternal happiness, because in the next twenty-four hours, she will definitely do two things that she hates very much-get up, and then go to sleep again.So, as she was not in a hurry to go to bed in her room at the moment, she began to tell Miss Langton slowly what she knew about Basil Kent.To be honest, it is not surprising that Kent caught Bella's attention, because his appearance is so unusual; he is very elegant in traditional English evening clothes, but people feel that in order to match his romantic style, it is logical Said that he should wear another piece of armor that fits a Florentine knight.His limbs were slender and handsome, his hands white and handsome, and his brown curly hair, grown long, set off the pleasant color of his face; the dark eyes, the thin cheeks, and the full, sensual lips formed the expressive, reminiscent of early Italian paintings of people whose minds and bodies seemed to be in a never-ending battle - to them, the earth was always beautiful and loving, and at the same time It is also full of conflicts, with a poetic deep blue sky, but disillusionment can be seen everywhere, and the dark and lonely monastery, even in the turmoil of the imperial court or military camp depicted, also has an irresistible attraction.Those who saw him did not think that he would have a very peaceful life in the future; although his brown eyes showed sensuality and asceticism, impulsiveness and chivalry at the same time, he also had a sense of all kinds of wind, frost, rain and snow in the world. sensitive.There is no doubt that his exposure to all this foreshadows that he will be hit twice as hard as ordinary people.

"He's Mrs. Vizard's son," said Miss Ley. "What?" Bella cried. "You don't mean the woman connected with that dreadful case five years ago?" "Yes, that was her. He was at Oxford, and became good friends with Frank there. I first met him through Frank. His father was a cousin of Kent, who now lives in Moseley, when he was a boy. He was brought up by his grandmother, for his mother married Lord Vizard not long after his father's death. Even now she is a very beautiful woman. In the past, she was more she was pictured in every shop window—she was young just at the time when young men were keen to buy portraits of beautiful women whom they did not know, and who, even the purest ladies, did not feel It was a disgrace for photographs to be placed in stationery shops or used to decorate shop counters. In those days, Ms. Vizard's every move was always well documented, and one could see the most fashionable in London at her parties. People, things, things. She will appear at every race meeting, always surrounded by her admirers; of course, there is also a box for her in the theater, and in Hamburg, she is also the most attractive One of the people who catches the eye."

"Has Mr. Kent seen her?" Bella asked. "There were moments when he was on vacation with her, and he adored her as much as anyone else. Frank told me that Basil only adored her mother; Passionate about things and very proud of my mother's extraordinary appearance. I happened to see her at a party once, and she also impressed me, and was one of the most luxurious and elegant women I have ever met; Said she was like Madame de Montesta, mistress of King Louis XIV of France." "Does she like her son?" "It should be in her own way! She naturally doesn't want her son to be around her. She has a good way of retaining her youth; and Lord Vizard is younger than her, so she Nor did she want to have a nearly grown son hanging around. So she was glad that old Mrs. Kent, whom she loathed, was willing to take care of Basil. But when he came to her house for a short stay, she always gave him A lot of money, and it always made him happy to take him out to the theater every night. I dare say she was also happy with his handsome looks, because maybe at the age of sixteen, he had grown up. Prettier than many young Greek men. But if he had shown an attachment that might be inconvenient, I guess Ms Vizard might not have encouraged it. He went from Harrow to Oxford, Frank the keen observer told me, Basil was a very simple boy, especially open-minded and frank. He never kept any secrets from anyone, and he always said what he wanted frankly, as long as he could think of it. Of course, over the years, There have been many scandals about Ms. Vizard. Notorious for her extravagance, Vizard is not particularly rich or generous, but his wife spends a lot of money, and her emeralds are obviously worth a lot. Basil has also met many of his mother's male friends. Perhaps, when he was looking forward to spending a rare holiday with his mother, she was distressed because Basil's existence prevented her from being too public; When a man gives him money, he pockets it safely, thinking he deserves it on some merit of his own. Now, I must go to bed."

Miss Ley rose from her chair with a teasing smile, but Bella stopped her. "Don't play tricks, Mary. You know that I want to know the rest of the story." "Do you know it's past one o'clock in the morning?" "I don't care about that, you must finish telling me now." Miss Ley, after creating this little disagreement, had to sit down again and continue her story, which was not against her will, and which she saw as a reading. "The only time Basil can appear pompous is when speaking of his mother, who is evidently proud of her social success and of the admiration she inspires everywhere; he can use Life was a gamble on his mother's flawless character, so he was horrified when that accident happened. Do you remember that! It was one of those events that caught the attention of prudish Englishmen. Every A bulletin board displayed, in large letters, something that particularly pleased the middle classes: the court was dealing with an upper-class divorce case in which no fewer than four co-defendants were accused of adultery. , mainly because of his fear of his wife's extravagance, Lord Vizard finally filed a complaint against his wife and Lord Ernest Torrance, Colonel Loom and Mr. Norman Wing. It seems that, The couple's married life was not happy, because Lady Vizard later also brought a lawsuit against Lord Vizard, accusing him of having an affair with her maid, and, in addition, with a man who lived in Shaftesbury Street. Mrs. Rattle's woman also had illicit relationships. There were vitriolic attacks on both sides and many testified, which is a rare occurrence. Of course, Bella, you may also have read in the Church Times These specific details."

"I recall it was reported in the Code," replied Miss Langton, "but I didn't read it." "What a virtuous person!" Miss Ley said with a slight smile. "Generally speaking, if the reports of divorce related developments do not disclose more details about the private lives of celebrities, the British will never continue to maintain a close relationship with these people." Anyway, what Sir and Lady Vizard have accused each other of is enough to make some people in the country feel horrified." Miss Ley paused for a moment, and then, after calm reflection, as if she had been concerned with the subject for a lifetime and had carefully weighed all the pros and cons, she resumed her subject.

"You know, divorce can be done in two ways - either decently, when you don't care about each other or are afraid of each other, and at the next stage, there's not much to say, or vindictive, Two people who had sworn to love each other for ever became eager to discredit each other, no matter how much dirt they had stuck to it. Mrs. Vizard began to loathe her husbands, and especially the second husband, For he did not die gracefully in the fourth year of marriage, as the first had done. His pettiness, bad temper, and drunkenness became notorious; he had his servants testify against some of his charges against his wife , published his intercepted letters, and summoned the businessmen to swear in court and name the persons who paid for Lady Vizard's jewels and dresses. Lord Vizard had the brightest criminal defense lawyers of his day , In two days, Mrs. Vizard showed amazing wit, courage and resourcefulness to face all the cross-examinations. If it were a weaker woman, she might have collapsed. It is precisely because of her because the jury admired her fighting spirit, partly because it was difficult for everyone to believe that such an imposing woman could do the abominable things her husband accused her of, but more likely because they found it difficult to There was a choice between pots and crock pots and the like, so the jury eventually found the charges not guilty, and Mrs. Vizard remained a lady. I think you can guess the rest."

"No, I can't guess. Go ahead, Mary!" "Basil didn't know about it at first, and then he read it in the morning paper over breakfast. He couldn't believe his eyes. As he read the report, his feelings quickly changed from disbelief to disbelief. Depression and fear. The news broke him. He had seen countless insignificant things that never really entered his eyes, and he began to understand that his mother could be the same as the whores in the paintings who sold their bodies for five pounds. No difference." "But, Mary, how do you know this?" Bella asked suspiciously, "You can't make it up, can you?"

"I read it in the papers," replied Miss Ley rudely. "Frank told me a lot, and I have common sense. I think I know human nature better. If Basil hadn't told me If you think like that, so should he. If you keep interrupting me, I'll never finish this story." "Forgive me," said Bella humbly, "please go on." "You know, Frank was older than Basil, when he was doing his M.B.C. He wants to put everything aside and look forward, like nothing has happened, even go to the lobby to eat as usual. Sometimes, what may be no big deal to one person may be very difficult for another person to get over. Basil imagined everyone looking at him as something unclean, and he used to boast of his good mother, and he guessed that people would now repeat what he had said with contempt. The newspapers continued to print their educated the witnesses told many disgraceful things; and Basil was sleepless and haggard, unable to hide his pain. Frank gave him a lot of strength, and later, he went to the hospital without saying a word. He left London without telling anyone. After the trial he went to see Mrs Vizard, but what happened next I do not know. He did not return to Oxford. At that time the Imperial Army was recruiting and Basil, who happened to be passing St. James's Park, just happened to see them doing military drills. He wanted to leave England because he thought everyone was pointing at him contemptuously here, so he took it as an escape from it all opportunity; he enlisted and was sent to South Africa a month later." "A cavalryman?" asked Miss Langton. "Yes. I think he did very well in the army because they gave him his commission and he declined it, and then they gave him the Distinguished Conduct Medal in the Field. He was there for three years until the end He only returned to England when a regiment of Zouaves were sent back. He settled down and started to study for the bar, which he passed last year." "Has he seen his mother?" "I don't think so. He has a modest income, about three hundred pounds a year, on which he can make a decent living. I think his entry into the bar is a formality, as he intended to write. You probably haven't seen the little book he put out last year about South Africa, with its beautiful landscapes and studies of its people. It wasn't particularly successful, but in my opinion, it portends a A good prospect; I remember some uncommon ups and downs in the descriptions of some battles. He is writing a novel now, and I dare say he will write something very profound someday." "Do you think he will become famous in the future?" Miss Ley shrugged. "You know, to be hugely successful in literature you've got to write some vulgar stuff, but I don't think Basil has that. To really move and affect people, you have to understand something completely stuff, and you can only do that if you have some human grime in you... Now, I have to go to bed. You're so chatty, Bella, I think you're going to keep me up all night I plan to talk to you." The remark was a bit harsh on Miss Langton, who hadn't spoken for nearly an hour.