College teachers -- Fiction; Interpersonal relations -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"It has required the most Herculean of labors to establish it and the
greatest Niagaras of water. You are the first human being who has known
what I have tried to do. You have been there, of course?"
"No," answered Dr. Scott, sadly, "I have never been there."
Now the moon floated over its scented loveliness. There was neither
sound nor motion except that of a moth, huge and heavy-winged. Thomasina
herself sat perfectly still, her hands folded in her lap. Presently she
raised them, one to each burning cheek.
"What is to come of this?" said she aloud.
After a while she rose and stepped out into the garden and began to
pace up and down. An hour later, when even Mrs. Scott was asleep,
Thomasina was still pacing up and down.
Dr. and Mrs. Lister did not cross the campus directly, but went round by
one of the paths, since a direct course would have brought upon them the
company of the Myerses. Mrs. Lister was trembling; her husband felt her
lean more and more heavily upon him.
"Mother," said he impatiently, "what is the matter? What is it that
troubles you?"
Mrs. Lister did not answer until they had reached the porch.
"They dare not drag poor Basil from his grave! I can't have it! It can't
be!"
"But is there anything against Basil? Did he commit any crime? Did he
wrong any one? This young man is ill-bred, but he is evidently sincere
in his admiration. What is there to fear? What can be found out?"
Mrs. Lister answered hesitatingly, choosing her words.
"He did not get on with my father. He--he went away. He was always
strange--we loved him dearly. I--oh, Thomas, he went away in anger and
we couldn't find him; we never saw him or heard of him till he was dead.
No one knew that he was alienated from us. I cannot endure it that any
one should know!"
Then Richard came up on the porch.
"Little Cora might have amounted to something with another mother,"
said he. "Who is this man Utterly? He sat there beside Miss Thomasina
and rattled like a dry gourd full of seeds. What is his business here?"
Dr. Lister remembered that Richard had been out of the room when Utterly
had said his say about Basil Everman. Mrs. Lister found in his absence
one cause for thankfulness. She answered with an evasion and the three
went into the house.
CHAPTER X
"MY BROTHER BASIL WAS DIFFERENT!"
In the morning Utterly sought Thomasina early. He looked about her
beautiful room and out into the quiet garden and his hopes rose. Here
was atmosphere! If he had only seen Miss Davis first, he might have
saved a great deal of time. He had accounted to himself for her sudden
silence the evening before. Mrs. Lister was within hearing and her
morbid attitude toward the memory of her brother was doubtless known to
her friends. He had brought with him the copies of "Willard's Magazine"
and had laid them on the table beside him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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