"Avram Davidson - The House the Blakeneys Built" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Avram)

The House the Blakeneys Built
by Avram Davidson


"Four people coming down the Forest Road, a hey," Old Big Mary said.

Young Red Tom understood her at once. "Not ours."

Things grew very quiet in the long kitchenroom. Old Whitey Bill shifted in his
chairseat. "Those have's to be Runaway Little Bob's and that Thin Jinnie's,"
he said. "Help me up, some."

"No," Old Big Mary said. "They're not."

"Has to be." Old Whitey Bill shuffled up, leaning on his canestick. "Has to
be. Whose elses could they be. Always said, me, she ran after him."

Young Whitey Bill put another chunk of burnwood on the burning. "Rower,
rower," he muttered. Then everyone was talking at once, crowding up to the
windowlooks. Then everybody stopped the talking. The big foodpots bubbled.
Young Big Mary mumbletalked excitedly. Then her words came out clearsound.

"Look to hereтАФlook to hereтАФI say, me, they aren't Blakeneys."

Old Little Mary, coming down from the spindleroom, called out, "People!
People! Three and four of them down the Forest Road and I don't know them and,
oh, they funnywalk!"

"Four strange people!"

"Not Blakeneys!"

"Stop sillytalking! Has to be! Who elses?"

"But not Blakeneys!"

"Not from The House, look to, look to! PeopleтАФnot from The House!"

"Runaway Bob and that Thin Jinnie?"

"No, can't be. No old ones."

"Children? Childrenchildren?"

All who hadn't been lookseeing before came now, all who were at The House,
that isтАФrunning from the cowroom and the horseroom and dairyroom, ironroom,
schoolroom, even from the sickroom.

"Four people! Not Blakeneys, some say!"