Basil

Of Windermere, nothing remains.

At least, nothing of the Windermere of my youth.

Nature has taken over.

The great Hall is now a ruin, just a roost for wild birds.

By night, all life leaves Windermere.

There are stories of the sad ghosts that haunt the Hall.

Alone in the dark, perhaps, Windermere herself dreams

of the lost days of her glory

as I now dream of the lost days of my youth.

It was a wild and frightful night

when the masked man set forth

with black murder in his heart.

What are you talking about?

The masked man.

It's a character that Basil has made up.

A man with a face so hideous that he masks it.

Basil has been telling us stories about this masked man.

His stories are good, sir.

They're funny and bold.

There are no masked men, Basil.

And if you persist in making things up,

I shall send you back to London for the summer.

Oh really, Frederick.

They were just harmless make-believe.

Make-believe is never harmless.

Look Basil, Windermere Hall.

Windermere Hall.

If you're a good boy, Ralph, and behave yourself,

one day it will be yours.

And if you're a good boy, Basil, and behave yourself,

you will be allowed to visit.

If you are a good boy.

And if I behave myself.

Your father went to his study to read for a bit.

Your hands are hot, mother.

Do you have a fever?

Slight one, perhaps.

He looks like the masked man, mother.

Is it bad to make-believe?

I'm not sure, but I do want to hear

what happened to the Masked Man

when he set forth with black murder in his heart.

Basil.

There is a little girl who's going to be living with us.

Who is this little girl?

She is the daughter of an old friend of your father.

Little Clara's parents just died in an accident,

so your father and I thought it would be best

if we took her in.

Basil, you will remove yourself from my sight immediately.

You will stay in your room, 'till you're ready to apologize.

I saved some of my supper for you.

That was very clever, what you did with your face.

Don't you think you should go down

and apologize to your father?

Do you think I should?

Good to get it over with.

But wait, your face.

It's still crooked.

Come in.

I'm sorry, sir.

Come here.

Come on, come here.

Can you tell me who that is.

Great-grandfather was an admiral in the Royal Navy.

And who is that?

That is his brother,

personal physician to His Late Majesty.

That?

That is my grandfather

and his heft in the House of Lords.

Are you worthy of your ancestors, Basil?

Do you think they are looking down on you with pride?

Huh, your imagination.

She's a wild horse, Basil.

Rein her in tight or she will drag you to disaster.

Ohs, carry on to bed.

Do you need a candle, Master Basil?

Good night, Master Basil.

Who are these people?

On the first Monday of every month,

the Hall is open to the public.

Ralph, and you too Basil, see me in my study.

The girl who took your fancy tonight

is the daughter of a school teacher in Windsor.

I spoke to the father.

He seems a nice man.

He was very grateful to be allowed into the Hall.

He knows his place, Ralph.

I trust you know yours, as well.

Whoa, giddy.

Sir, please.

You are a father, too.

Be merciful.

Let them be married.

We will not be able to hide her condition much longer.

Please.

I have a manor on my mother's side in Yorkshire.

The place is a wilderness.

The land barren and inhospitable.

You will see to it, Agnes,

that his things are packed immediately,

and that he is dispatched to this retreat.

I wash my hands of him, he is not my son.

You did not see what you saw, Basil.

But, I did.

I saw father...

You did not see that.

When you are older, you will understand.

I promise.

But until then.

Tell me about the masked man, Basil.

Make up a story for your mother.

Mother, mother.

Mother, mother.

What's happening?

Mother?

Mother, get up.

Take him away.

I have only you now, Basil.

My hopes all rest on you.

The pride of generations rests on you.

And you have only me, Basil, so beware.

If you dash my hopes and damn my pride,

you will lose the last living soul

linked to you by flesh and blood.

What you doing?

Why are you burning these?

Clara.

Basil.

You've grown so thin.

Have they been feeding you well?

Only too well, Clara.

Made any friends this term?

My studies keep me fully occupied.

There is no time for friends.

That's awful.

No, no it's good.

Friends can be and usually are bad influences.

Well, Windermere then.

Move on it.

Do you need a candle, sir?

I'm fine, thank you.

Stay where you are.

Don't move.

There we go.

We should be safe here for the moment.

By nightfall the tide should rise

but I expect to have you home by then.

So let's look at your leg, shall we?

This is going to hurt,

but we must do this or you'll be left with a limp.

And we cannot have the future Lord of Windermere

all limping now, can we, Master Basil?

Hold those in place right there.

My name is John Mannion, sir.

I am grateful to you, Mr. Mannion.

John.

And I am Basil to you.

How did you know who I am?

I'm staying in the village close by.

I'm here on holiday.

Some of the villagers pointed you out to me

when you drove by in your carriage.

You're not from these parts, then?

No, sir, I'm from London.

I manage accounts for a small linen merchant.

Not quite the social circle you must be used to.

I do not have a social circle.

I lead a very private life, really.

And I have no friends.

Is that so?

That is a pity, sir.

Basil, every man needs a mate.

Go ahead, share a smoke.

All right, I must leave you here and fetch help.

Stay where you are.

I'll come back for you.

I promise.

Help!

Help me!

You came back.

I promised I would.

I'm a man of my word.

I fetched a boat.

Hang on tight.

Take a deep breath.

And with the tide rising,

you would surely have drowned, Basil.

I thank you, sir.

It was a very brave thing you did.

It was only human, sir.

No more than what you would have done for me, I'm sure.

Can we offer you a room for the night?

Ah, thank you, sir, but I have a room at the Village Inn.

Shall I order a carriage to take you back, then?

Thank you again, sir, but I enjoy walking.

Good night.

Watch out for yourself, Basil.

Well, there goes a man who knows his place.