Chapter 24 Chapter Eleven

Lady Barlow Bassett was one such woman who did not have much confidence in her social status, and who often followed fashion trends step by step.She had planned to go to Homburg for a holiday in August, but she suddenly fell ill and needed an immediate operation.She went to a private hospital, thinking she would never get better.What saddened her most was that she was about to leave Reggie behind.He was not yet ready to face the hardships of life, and just when he needed the guidance of his mother's love the most, he had to go on alone.Her heart ached as she held her son by her side.However, she has long learned to restrain her tender feelings, so when her son told her that he was going to study in the countryside with his tutor, she did not intervene to stop him.He may die, so his son must live independently like a real lawyer.So she resolutely concealed her illness and put away her anxiety and worry; she showed indifference to the upcoming operation so that the child would not be distracted from work.Reggie promised her to write to her every day, and what moved Mrs. Barlow Bassett even more was that he insisted on staying in London to accompany her after the operation.Although he couldn't come to visit her, he could at least learn about her operation.Mrs. Barlow Bassett, of course, did not agree, and she and her son drove to Wimble Street to bid their son a tender farewell.But in the end, just before her son left, her confidence suddenly collapsed, and she couldn't help crying.

"If anything happens, Reggie, if I don't get better, you'll still be a good boy, won't you? You'll be honest and upright and loyal, won't you?" "What were you thinking?" Reggie said. She held her son in her arms, so firm, but more befitting of her slightly pompous attire; then, letting him dry his tears, she went away smiling.Mrs. Bassett, however, had overestimated her condition.The operation went smoothly, and she recovered fully two days after the operation without any recurrence.Reggie, who is studying in Brighton, wrote her a letter of congratulations, including about his own studies.He was very detailed, and it seemed that he worked so hard that Mrs. Bassett wanted to protest to his teacher. After all, it was summer vacation and it was a bit unfair to make Reggie work so hard.By the end of the month, she had fully recovered and returned home.On the morning she came home, she went downstairs in a good mood, basking in the joy of her regained health and the wonderful weather.She opened the morning newspaper casually, and as usual, glanced at the column where birth announcements, obituaries and marriage notices were published.Suddenly, she discovered her name and read the following passage:

Barlow Bassett-Higgins - 30th of this month, St. George's, Hannover Square.Reginald, only son of the late Mr. Frederick Barlow Bassett, and Anne (Lauria Galbraith), second daughter of Mr. Jonathan Higgins of Wimbledon. Mrs. Bassett didn't understand it at once, so she read it twice in bewilderment before she realized that it was his son announcing his marriage to the world.The wedding date was the day of her operation, and Reggie called from Wimble Street in the morning to greet her.The butler was also in the room, and the helpless Mrs. Bassett handed him the newspaper. "Do you know what that means?" she asked the butler.

"I don't know, ma'am." Her first thought was that this must be a hoax; but if so, what about the name in brackets—Lauria Galbraith?She called the operator and told him to send an immediate telegram to Reggie in Brighton to explain the bizarre announcement.After breakfast, she cabled her lawyer and Reggie's mentor in London.The tutor's telegram came first, saying he hadn't seen Reggie since June, and as to Mrs Bassett's second question, he said he had been in London all summer.At last Mrs. Bassett began to understand that something terrible had happened.She went to Reggie's room and found a locked drawer, which she pried open; inside was a pencil case, which, to Mrs. letter.Looking through the things, she first noticed that some of the bills she had paid for were not actually paid, and there were many bills that seemed to her to be staggeringly large, and she had no knowledge of.She then learned from those pawn tickets that Reggie had pawned his father's watch, his own jewelry, a makeup case she had given him, and many other things.For a moment she hesitated to open the letters, but only for a moment; she had a right to know the worst, and it gradually dawned on her that she had been living in a fool's paradise.The first thing that came into view was a collection of letters, polite, earnest, and threatening; and then some complaints, including the word prison, and various unimaginable punishments, which shocked Mrs. Bassett ;these letters are all written by women, in different scripts, most of them are badly spelled, and the writing utensils used are very cheap.Mrs. Bassett read the letters with a frown, horror and horror; some loving, some angry, but all pointing to the obvious fact that Reggie was with multiple women at the same time.At last there was a bundle of letters, very different from the previous ones--the paper was thick, expensive, and smelling; and though she didn't realize it at first, as soon as she opened them, Mrs. Bassett cried out: "The top of the paper On the left, curled around the border, is the name Grace in gold letters.Although no address was given, Mrs. Bassett knew that it was undoubtedly Mrs. Castingyoung.After reading all the letters, her disappointment turned to shame and anger.From the correspondence, it appears the woman was giving Reggie a check and cash.One letter reads: I hope you can cash the check; another: you are so tight, I will give you five pounds first; and another: your mother is so worthless, so stingy!Where did she spend the money?Some of the letters were passionate at first, but they soon complained about his ruthlessness, and the letters were full of bitter invective.

Mrs. Bassett took all the contents of the pencil case, locked them in her locker, and hurried to Reggie's tutor.There, she discovers that everything she suspects is true.She went home again and called out the servants.It had been a great humiliation to question the servants about her son's behaviour, but that was beyond her concern now.At first, the servants said nothing.After some assurances and threats, she learned from the servant what her son had done in the past two years.The final blow came from a letter written by Reggie himself. Mrs. Bassett wept bitterly, for she had not expected her son to be so callous, so foolish and frivolous; but outraged all her other feelings, she wrote back angrily, telling Reggie never to appear in her presence again. at home, or she would be thrown into the street by the servants, and she would not leave him a dime.However, after thinking about it, she thought that maybe it would be better to deal with it in silence, so she decided to ignore this rude letter.But it was also necessary for her to vent her anger, so she sent an urgent letter to Miss Ley asking her to come at once.

Mrs. Bassett was walking up and down the room restlessly, almost hysterically, when the good Miss Ley was summoned; she was bewildered like a middle-aged drunk. "Thank goodness you're here at last!" she cried. "Reggie is married to an actress and I've disinherited him. I'll never see him again, but even so I fear he's going to starve .” Miss Ley was not at all surprised.Everything she expected has happened. "I've been lied to by him all the time. He didn't pass any of his exams, and the servants told me he used to come home in the middle of the night drunk. He lied to me all the time, tried everything; He's a fine and honest boy, and he's been living a life of debauchery all along!"

Miss Ley looked at Mrs. Bassett in silence until she stopped talking and began to cry.After a while, Mrs. Bassett calmed down. Miss Ley said softly: "I admit, I was very surprised that he got married. Emily, your daughter-in-law must be very individual and very resourceful. But your friends knew about the rest of the situation last year." "You mean, you already knew he was a drunk, no better than a thief and a liar?" "yes." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I thought, you'd find out for yourself soon, and Emily, you're such a fool, that's only going to make things worse."

Mrs. Bassett was in a terrible mood and didn't have the energy to get angry over such a blunt statement. "But there are things you don't understand. I also found letters written to him by many women. They were the ones who led him astray. Do you know who the worst of them are?" "Mrs. Casting Young?" "Do you even know that? Does everyone know how shamed I am, that my son is ruined, and no one reminds me? But I'm going to make her pay. I'm going to send her every letter Husband, look at what shameful things she has done." She took the bundle of letters from the drawer and handed it to Miss Ley.

"It's all here?" she asked. "yes." Miss Ley carried with her a little satin bag in which her purse and handkerchief were contained.She quickly opened the bag and put the letters in it. "what are you doing?" "Honey, don't be silly! You can't show anyone these letters, I'll burn them all when I get home. Reggie was a swinger before he met Grace Castingyan And there is only one woman who ruined him, and that is yourself! Once, I told you that the greatest misfortune of a man is to have a mother who is too loving. You were very angry at the time, but I tell you, if you Not under your bad influence, Reggie is no worse than anyone else."

Mrs. Bassett flew into a rage. "You must be mad, Mary. I tried to make him a gentleman, as best I could, by example. I have worked my whole life for his education, and I have sacrificed myself completely from the day he was born. Confession That being said, I'm definitely a good mother." "I'm sorry," said Miss Ley coldly, "but you've been a bad mother, a very selfish one, and have been sacrificing him to your own wild whims." "How can you say such things when I am in need of sympathy and help! Don't you have any sympathy for me?"

"Not at all! You brought it all on yourself. You made him a liar. You made him tell you his most secret things, you wanted him to be pure and he could only lie. You warned He resists temptation, only to let it double his appeal. You never allow him to have his own free will or instincts, stubbornly making him act like a lifeless middle-aged man, or even An uneducated woman. You oppose all his ideas and impose your own on him. My God! If you still hate your son, then you are the most selfish, cruel and harsh mother in the world!" Mrs. Bassett looked at her, completely bewildered. "But what I ask for is just the most ordinary honesty and trust. I just want his life to be free from stains, and my moral requirements for him are also imposed on us by religion and other things." "You overwhelmed his nature—a boy's natural desire for pleasure and his natural desire for love. You ran him as a woman of fifty. A wise mother would let her son go his own way, for those young And you, you see all these little mistakes as deadly sins. After all, moralists spout nonsense about human frailty. But when you look into those Vices, you will find that they are not absolute evil. A good man may also stay up late, drink sometimes, be less cautious, gamble a few times, or have a little affair with a woman of questionable reputation. These, are Part of human nature is the result of youth and vigor. Some nations, wiser than ours, have rules against these." "I wish I never had such a son!" cried Mrs. Bassett. "You are luckier than I am!" Miss Ley stood up with a strange look on her face. "Oh dear, don't say that! Tell you, if Reggie were my child, I would give him everything I had, even if I knew he was idle and selfish. On this vast earth, No soul really cares about me anymore, except for Frank, because I can make him happy. I am so lonely. And I am getting older. I often feel that I am too old to live. I long to have that It doesn't matter to a man whether I am good or bad, dead or alive. My dear, you should thank God for having a son!" "I can't because I know now how ugly and immoral he is." "But what's ugly and what's immoral? Are you sure we know? I was a man of good morals. I didn't hurt anyone; I helped a lot; To get something I want so badly, I can resist the temptation not to because I have a deep-seated belief that anything nice is inappropriate. But sometimes, I think, I wasted my life .I daresay I would have been a better woman if I hadn't been so virtuous. Now that I look back, I regret not the things I got, but the things I refused. I'm old, Never been in love, no kids, no friends. Emily, I promise you, if I could live again, I would never be so moral. I would enjoy all the good things life has to offer, and I would So many rules to think about. And most importantly, I'm going to have a baby." "Mary, what are you talking about?" Miss Ley shrugged and fell silent.Her voice also became trembling, and she could not speak.Mrs. Bassett's thoughts returned to the hurt Reggie had done her, and she showed Miss Rye Reggie's letter. "Not a word of regret in the letter. He seems to have no sense of shame or conscience. He was married on the day I had my operation, and I could have died any moment. How cruel he is!" "Do you know what I would do if I were you?" asked Miss Ley, glad to be free from her emotions, "I would go to him and ask him to forgive me for all that I have done to him. harm." "Me? Mary, you must be crazy. Why should I ask his forgiveness?" "Think about it. Now, I know, you're not going to give your kids a chance, and I'm not sure you're going to make it right; but anyway, you can't annul their marriage, and it might save Your son." "You don't want me to accept an actress as my daughter-in-law!" "Nonsense! She would be a better wife than a duchess." When Mrs. Barlow Bassett showed Rye Reggie's letter, she had carefully noted the address, and the next afternoon she called on the newlyweds.They lived in a somewhat seedy boarding house on Vauxhall Bridge Road (a long, dirty road).Miss Ley was led into a small attic which served as a drawing-room.In the attic there were some cheap and gaudy pieces of furniture, all in tatters.To create a homely feel, the walls are covered with photographs squiggly signed with the names of stage actors, though none of them are well-known.When Miss Ley entered, Reggie was wearing a rather dated coat and a Homburg tweed hat, reading The Times.While his wife stood in front of the mirror and fixed her hair.Although it was getting late, she was still wearing a red satin pajamas covered with cheap lace, which was not new or clean, of course.Miss Ley's appearance caused a moment of embarrassment, and Reggie hastened to make the necessary introductions. "Excuse me for looking like this," said Mrs. Reggie, pinning the hairpins in her hand. "I was just getting dressed." She was a small woman, looking a little older than her husband, and not at all beautiful, which surprised Miss Ley.Her eyes were manly, sharp, and fully aware of her strength; her hair was black and beautiful; but most notable was her resolute attitude, her fierce lips that showed that if she did not Do as she wants, and someone will suffer.She looked at Miss Ley suspiciously, but received her with great hospitality, showing that she would be friendly if the visitor was not hostile. "I just found out yesterday that you're married," said Miss Ley, hastily, with the utmost friendliness. "I would very much like to meet your wife, Reggie." "Didn't you come from your mother?" he asked. "no." "I swear she must be confused." "Reggie, don't swear, I don't like it," said his wife. Miss Ley shrugged and smiled blankly.No one handed her a chair, she looked around herself, found the most comfortable place, and sat down.Mrs. Reggie's eyes flicked over her husband and Miss Ley, and then settled on her disheveled attire, debating whether to stay with her guests or to leave the two alone. "I'm sloppy now," she said. "Holy shit! It's so refreshing to see someone so undressed this late! I always feel like I'm on my shoulders every time I take off my pajamas. Sit down and tell me about your plans!" Miss Ley had this knack for making people feel at ease.Her tone was calm but full of majesty.Immediately convinced, the bride looked at her husband. "Reggie, take your hat off," she ordered her husband. "Oh, sorry. I forgot." When he took off his hat, Miss Ley noticed that his hair was very long, with a dramatic flourish.He spoke without haste, and sometimes with a touch of theatrical impassion and cadence, which delighted Miss Ley very much.His nails were not clean at all, and his boots needed a polish. "What does Mom think of me being an actress?" he asked, running his hands gracefully through his jet-black hair. "It's the best thing I can do, isn't it, Lauria? I think I've found myself." It is my nature to be an actor. This is the only career I am suitable for - to be an artist. Tell my mother that I will sacrifice everything for art. I hope you will come to see my performance." "I'd love to come." "Not in this play. You don't know, I'm just playing around right now. But next spring, Lauria and I plan to do multiple readings." He got up, stood in front of the fireplace, and held out his hand. He shouted the sentences at the top of his voice, each syllable with deep, dramatic stress. "Ah!" he said, "what a great chapter! They can't write sentences like that now. Actors have no future in modern plays, and none of the lines is longer than two lines." Miss Ley looked at him in amazement, for she had never expected him to make such progress; then she turned her head quickly to Lauria, thinking that a slight sarcasm might play on Lauria's lips. smile. "Tell you," Reggie said, patting his chest, "I think I'm going to be a great actor. Whenever I get the chance, I'm going to start writing. Lauria, I'm going to see Basil Kent , let him write a play for us." "Are you still planning to try to create?" Miss Ley asked Mrs. Reggie gently. Mrs. Reggie couldn't help it any longer, and she laughed loudly and sincerely, and Miss Ley began to like her a little. "Will you stay for a cup of tea, Miss Ley?" "Of course, I'm here for that." "That's great. I'll make you a cup of tea right away. Reggie, take the jug and go outside for a half-pint of milk." "Yes, my dear," he answered obediently, and briskly put on his tweed hat, and took a small milk jug from a table strewn with newspapers, trinkets, and household utensils. "How much money do you have in your pocket?" He took out some copper coins and a silver coin. "Seventeen and a halfpenny." "Then you'll have sixteen and a halfpence left when you get back. You can buy a case of straight whiskey for threepence and be back in ten minutes." "Yes, dear." He walked out meekly, closing the door behind him.Mrs. Reg went to the door and looked out. "His mother taught him badly," she explained, "and he'd probably be at the door listening to us." Seeing all this, Miss Ley laughed from the bottom of her heart.Lauria kept apologizing and explaining. "You know, I've got to keep an eye on his money, because he's a big drinker. I've got him off, but I'm always worried that if I'm not careful, he might be in the pub again. His mother Must be the biggest fool you've ever met, eh?" Mrs. Reggie had her eyes fixed on a pack of cigarettes, and Miss Ley, noting the yellowing of her forefinger, deduced that she was a heavy smoker; then it would be easier to make her feel comfortable. "Can you give me a cigarette?" "Oh, you smoke too?" Lauria exclaimed, with a cheerful look on her face. "I wanted to, but I didn't want to scare you." They lit their cigarettes, and Miss Ley pulled up another chair. "Do you mind if I put the legs on? I always thought that only four-legged animals would keep their legs upright." With a slight smile, she tried to blow out the smoke ring. "You're so right," Lauria said, nodding slightly in agreement. "I'm glad you came. I'd love to talk to someone who knew Reggie's mom. I think she must be mad. I asked him to tell his mom ahead of time, but he didn't dare. Besides, if he could do something in a roundabout way, he would never do it in a straight line. When it comes to lying, he's better than women. You can tell him Mom, I will spend all my time making his son a gentleman." Miss Ley smiled coldly. "I have never seen a newly married woman who is so aware of the flaws in her husband's character." "Reggie isn't really a bad guy," his wife says, shrugging, "but he needs to be built to be." "I'm very surprised, why did you marry him?" Miss Ley asked thoughtfully, and as she spoke, she stubbed out her cigarette. Lauria looked at her sharply, hesitated a little, but finally made up her mind to have a frank talk with her. "Looks like you're a nice guy, and you've seen the world; after all, I'm married to him, so you'll just have to be nice to me. Reggie's handsome, isn't he?" She looked at the mantelpiece on the mantelpiece. A photo, "And I like him. You know what, I've been an actor for eight years, since I was sixteen. How old am I now?" "Twenty-seven years old, I want to say." Miss Ley made a mistake on purpose. Lauria smiled kindly. "Some people say I'm twenty-eight. But anyway, I'm tired of being an actor. I want to get out of it." "I thought you were going to play Romeo and Juliet with Reggie." "Yes, I know myself! On the one hand, I know very well that Reggie can't act at all, and when he first started acting, everyone wanted to be Hamlet. It's strange that even the temps who are running errands on the set feel I could be another Owen writer if I had the chance. I hear that too much. Every girl I know says to me: 'Lauria, I think I'm talented, all I need is One chance!' I'm tired of all this. I don't want to run around anymore, work like a nigger on weekdays, and run around on weekends. I don't want to live in a dark, messy house and endure all the other hardships. I'm just going to let Reggie talk for a while now, keep him busy with drama studies and not turn bad. I think it will take three months for his mom to change her mind and accept us, by then Reggie should be tired of acting too. I like him, If he stays in my hands for a few months, I can train him to be a decent and good person. But I don't hide it, if I didn't know his mother is so rich, I wouldn't marry him. " "You're a smart woman. First of all, I don't know how you got him to marry you. I never thought he'd get married." "Dear Miss Ley, I thought you were a man of the world. If a woman of my age makes up her mind to marry a man, he must be desperate to save herself. Don't you Do you understand this?" "I must say I have often doubted that," said Miss Ley, laughing. "Of course, you get to choose who's going to be your man. I saw Reggie pass me and I took him to a dance. We actors have a bad reputation, you know, but that's bullshit. We don't compare No one is worse, just because we face more temptations, and whenever something happens, the newspapers will make a big deal about us, just because we are professionals. But I already knew how to take care of myself, I just let Reggie knew I wasn't going to be made a fool of. I wooed him for two weeks and told him I wouldn't see him again. He was so into acting at the time and begged me to marry him .” "Sounds simple. How did you tame him so tame?" "I just made him understand that he had to be nice to me if he wanted to be decent, and he figured that out pretty quickly. You might not think that I can be very short-tempered if I'm annoyed. He Listen to me about everything, and know I'm not soft on any nonsense. Why, he'll be all right in six months." "What do you want me to tell his mother?" "Just tell her to leave us alone. We are not short of money now, and she can subsidize us when she calms down. Six hundred pounds a year is enough, and we will buy a house in Bournemouth. Before Reggie reassures me , I don't want to live in London." "Very well," Miss Ley responded, "I'll say that, and I'll tell her that she should thank God for Reggie to have such a good wife. I have no doubt that you will turn Reggie on become a respected person in society." "He's back with milk!" Reggie came in and they made tea together.When Miss Ley left, Lauria sent Reggie downstairs to see her off. "Isn't she a little savage?" he exclaimed. "I tell you, Miss Ley, she's actually a good person. Tell Mama she's not inferior to me at all." "Inferior to you! She's six times better than you, boy. And I dare say you'd at least be a reasonable gentleman with her." Reggie looked at her with a tragic expression on his face, his head held high, his hands resting on his strong chest. "Oh, I'm a villain, and a worthless fool!" he cried. "For God's sake, hold your tongue!" she cut him off hastily. She held out her hand to him, and when he shook it he leaned forward again stealthily, and cried out: "I want to get evidence first, more convincing evidence than this. With this play, I can discover the secrets of the king's heart."