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Miss Meadows
Basil is Miss Meadows’s fiancé. At the start of the story, he has sent Miss Meadows a letter breaking off their engagement because, while he “loves her as much as he could love any woman” the idea of marriage “fills him with—” and he has written the word “disgust,” crossed it out, and written in “regret.” Miss Meadows believes that his failure to fully remove the word “disgust” shows how little he cares about her, underscoring his general disregard for her feelings. A reader from Mansfield’s time would see many hints in the story that Basil is gay and is marrying Miss Meadows to cover this up. He is vain about his appearance and overly concerned with furniture, which were stereotypes for gay men in the early 20th century. Furthermore, when he proposes to Miss Meadows (rather dispassionately), he touches the end of her ostrich feather boa rather than touching Miss Meadows herself. Their engagement surprises Miss Meadows herself and the people at her school, because he is twenty-five and handsome, where she is thirty, which would have been considered old for a single woman. While both he and Miss Meadows seem to be marrying one another primarily to live up to the expectations of their communities rather than out of love, Basil is quite cruel to Miss Meadows, seeming not to consider her feelings at all when he leaves her a cold note ending their engagement, and then sending a casual, lighthearted telegram renewing their engagement without ever apologizing for—or even acknowledging—the pain he has caused. That he takes Miss Meadows for granted and doesn’t seem all that committed to their engagement suggests rough times ahead.
Basil Quotes in The Singing Lesson
The The Singing Lesson quotes below are all either spoken by Basil or refer to Basil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Singing Lesson
Quotes
“I love you as much as it is possible for me to love any woman, but, truth to tell, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a marrying man, and the idea of settling down fills me with nothing but” and the word “disgust” was scratched out lightly and “regret” written over the top.
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“The headmaster’s wife keeps on asking me to dinner. It’s a perfect nuisance. I never get an evening to myself in that place.”
“But can’t you refuse?”
“Oh, well, it doesn't do for a man in my position to be unpopular.”
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But nobody had been as surprised as she. She was thirty. Basil was twenty-five. It had been a miracle, simply a miracle, to hear him say, as they walked home from church that very dark night, “You know, somehow or other, I’ve got fond of you.’” And he had taken hold of the end of her ostrich feather boa.
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“Pay no attention to letter, must have been mad, bought hat-stand to-day—Basil”
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“Oh, no, thank you, Miss Wyatt,” blushed Miss Meadows. “It’s nothing bad at all. It’s”—and she gave an apologetic little laugh—“it’s from my fiancé saying that . . . saying that—” There was a pause. “I see,” said Miss Wyatt. And another pause. Then—“You've fifteen minutes more of your class, Miss Meadows, haven’t you?”
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Basil Quotes in The Singing Lesson
The The Singing Lesson quotes below are all either spoken by Basil or refer to Basil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Singing Lesson
Quotes
“I love you as much as it is possible for me to love any woman, but, truth to tell, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a marrying man, and the idea of settling down fills me with nothing but” and the word “disgust” was scratched out lightly and “regret” written over the top.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“The headmaster’s wife keeps on asking me to dinner. It’s a perfect nuisance. I never get an evening to myself in that place.”
“But can’t you refuse?”
“Oh, well, it doesn't do for a man in my position to be unpopular.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
But nobody had been as surprised as she. She was thirty. Basil was twenty-five. It had been a miracle, simply a miracle, to hear him say, as they walked home from church that very dark night, “You know, somehow or other, I’ve got fond of you.’” And he had taken hold of the end of her ostrich feather boa.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Pay no attention to letter, must have been mad, bought hat-stand to-day—Basil”
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Explanation and Analysis:
“Oh, no, thank you, Miss Wyatt,” blushed Miss Meadows. “It’s nothing bad at all. It’s”—and she gave an apologetic little laugh—“it’s from my fiancé saying that . . . saying that—” There was a pause. “I see,” said Miss Wyatt. And another pause. Then—“You've fifteen minutes more of your class, Miss Meadows, haven’t you?”
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