Emma Lewis stopped smiling.
She pulled Nancy Allen to the side and sat down, speaking in a low voice: "Nancy, I feel a bit guilty."
Nancy could tell Emma wasn't her usual self. She held Emma's hand and gently patted her palm: "What happened? Tell me about it."
Emma took a deep breath and said seriously: "Back when I was with Basil Smith, many people said we weren't well matched, but my parents agreed without hesitation. I thought they agreed because of Godfery Shaw, or because they didn't care about such things. But I accidentally overheard my parents' conversation, where my mom said Basil's parents dying was a good thing because there were no parents above, so I wouldn't be bullied in the future."
Emma paused for a while, then continued.
"My parents explained to me that they didn't mean to be dismissive of Basil. They said they misspoke. I know they're worried about me, but I just... I feel like they regarded Basil's hardships as advantages, and I feel sorry for Basil."
