III.
In a large old-fashioned house in the old section of the city lived Basil’s great-uncle, Benjamin Reilly, and there Basil presented himself that evening. It was a last resort—Benjamin Reilly and Basil’s grandfather were brothers and they had not spoken for twenty years.
He was received in the living room by the small, dumpy old man whose inscrutable face was hidden behind a white poodle beard. Behind him stood a woman of forty, his wife of six months, and her daughter, a girl of fifteen. Basil’s branch of the family had not been invited to the wedding, and he had never seen these two additions before.
“I thought I’d come down and see you, Uncle Ben,” he said with some embarrassment.
There was a certain amount of silence.
“Your mother well?” asked the old man.
“Oh, yes, thank you
