"Zenna Henderson - Holding Wonder" - читать интересную книгу автора (Henderson Zenna)

"Then she didn't suggest you trade with Gene."

"Yes, ma'am, she did," he said reluctantly.

"When?" I asked, wondering if he was going to turn out to be a twisted child
after all.

"When you were out getting Gene. I called her and told her." He smiled his
tentative lip-smile. "She gave me fits for fighting and suggested Gene might
like the rat.. I like it, too, but I have to make up for the ground squirrel."
He hesitated. I said nothing. He left.

"Well!" I exploded my held breath out. "Ananias K. Munchausen! Called his
mother, did he? And no phone closer than MONSTER MERCANTILE! But still--!" I
was puzzled. "It didn't feel like a lie!"

Next afternoon after dismissal time I sighed silently. I was staring moodily
out the window where the lonely creaking of one swing signified that Vincent,
as well as I, was waiting for his mother to appear. Well, inevitable, I guess.
Send a taped-up child home, you're almost sure to an irate parent back. And
Vincent had been taped up! Still was, for that matter.

I hadn't heard the car. The creaking of the swing stopped abruptly, and I
heard Vincent's happy calling voice. I watched the two of them come up onto
the porch, Vincent happily clinging.

"My mother, Teacher," he said, "Mrs. Kroginold."

"Good afternoon, Miss Murcer." Mrs. Kroginold was small, dark haired and
bright eyed. "You wait outside, erring man-child!" She dismissed him with a
spat on his bottom. "This is adult talk." He left, his small smile slanting
back over his shoulder a little anxiously.

Mrs. Kroginold settled comfortably in the visitor's chair I had already pulled
up beside my desk.

"Prepared, I see," she sighed. "I suppose I should have come sooner and
explained Vincent."

"He is a little unusual," I offered cautiously. "But he didn't impress me as
the fighting kind."

"He isn't," said Mrs. Kroginold. "No, he's-um-unusual in plenty of other ways,
but he comes by it naturally. It runs in the family. We've moved around so
much since Vincent's been in school that this is the first time I've really
felt I should explain him. Of course, this is also the first time he ever
knocked anyone out. His father could hardly believe him. We'll, anyway, he's
so happy here and making such progress in school that I don't want anything to
tarnish it for him, so-" she sighed and smiled. "He says you asked him about