I do not mean to say that she
was without character; that was her job, to do what Edward
wanted. So I figured it out, that for those five years, Edward
wanted long passages of deep affection kept up in long, long talks
and that every now and then they "fell," which would give Edward
an opportunity for remorse and an excuse to lend the Major
another fifty. I don't think that Mrs Basil considered it to be
"falling"; she just pitied him and loved him.
You see, Leonora and Edward had to talk about something during
all these years. You cannot be absolutely dumb when you live
with a person unless you are an inhabitant of the North of England
or the State of Maine. So Leonora imagined the cheerful device of
letting him see the accounts of his estate and discussing them with
him. He did not discuss them much; he was trying to behave
prettily. But it was old Mr Mumford--the farmer who did not pay
his rent--that threw Edward into Mrs Basil's arms. Mrs Basil came
upon Edward in the dusk, in the Burmese garden, with all sorts of
flowers and things. And he was cutting up that crop--with his
sword, not a walking-stick. He was also carrying on and cursing in
a way you would not believe.
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