"Phyllis_A._Whitney_-_Feather_On_The_Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Whitney Phyllis A)

FEATHER ON THE MOON
"You've been told about Mrs. Aries's stroke?" he asked as we reached the second floor.
"Yes, it's been mentioned."
"We try to see that she doesn't get upset these days."
"That must be difficult with the Corwins here."
"I hope you won't add to the problem," he said gravely, and went off toward the rear stairs to the third floor.
I started toward my room at the front, where I'd left my door ajar. It was closed now, so probably Dillow had been up here. I opened it to a sense of movement inside-to something that slipped away just beyond my line of vision. The room was quiet-too quiet, as though it waited for something to happen. A single lamp I'd left burning was still on and the room seemed even bigger and more shadowy than I remembered.
"Is someone here?" I asked.
This time a faint breath was released. The sound came from behind a corner chair, and I went quickly to reach into darkness and pull out the girl who was crouching there.
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The encounter was too sudden, too unexpected, My hands shook as I drew the child into the lamp's soft light. She was wiry thin. I could feel the bones of her arm in my hand, where my Debbie's arms had been soft, rounded flesh. Her face, tilted up to me with an air of defiance, had pointy features-a short nose and chin, and a straight mouth that wouldn't curve easily into smiles. Her hair was much fairer than Debbie's light brown, and it was short and curly, where Debbie's had been straight. Though hair, of course, could be changed, and very well might be if concealment were necessary. Her eyes were wide and very blue-but so were the eyes of thousands of other little girls.
Her whole body had tensed defensively, as though she expected nothing from me but anger. I knew with a sinking feeling that this wasn't my darling Debbie, but she was a child who had probably been mistreated by dreadful parents.
"Hello," I said, releasing her arm. "I've heard about youyou must be Alice Aries."
She'd started away as though she meant to run out the door, but now she turned and stood her ground suspiciously. "I bet the old lady told you. The one they say is my greatgrandmother."
"Come and sit down so we can talk," I said. "Dr. Radburn
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thinks you might be lonely in this house, where there aren't any other children."
"Doc's okay. But I don't like kids much and they don't like me. Anyway, I don't care. I don't have to go to school right now because I guess we'll go away pretty soon. The old lady doesn't want me, so she won't give Farley any money for
me."
She was a mass of defensiveness, suspicion, and disturbing information that should have been kept from her. Waiting for my reaction, she stared at me without blinking.
"I don't know if any of that is true," I said.
"What do you know? You just came."
This was true, but at least she had decided not to run off right away. Perhaps the trait she'd best cultivated was curiosity, and for the moment she was curious about me. She seated herself on the edge of a chair, thin bare knees protruding beneath a too frilly skirt. One knee had scabbed over from a fall, and that bruised knee seemed the only familiar thing about her. I'd been used to skinned knees, both with Debbie and with the children I taught. I wondered how Mrs. Aries could ever have connected this child with the picture of Debbie.
"I thought you'd gone out with your parents to a movie and dinner," I said.
She shrugged elaborately, copying a grown-up manner. "That's boring. They never pick a movie I like, and at dinner they don't talk to me. Mostly they don't talk. Or when they do it's about me, and I hate that. Don't you want to know why I was hiding in your room?"
"Let me guess. I could be somebody interesting, and you wanted to learn about me. Am I right?"
"Maybe. Everybody's buzzing about you. The old lady doesn't have visitors since she's been sick. She doesn't want anybody to see her the way she is now. She can walk a little, but she won't try much, so her legs get weak. That's what Doc says. She gets Crampton to dress her up every day as if
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she was going to a party. Of course Dr. Joel wants her to be quiet and not see many people-so you're a-a-"
"A mystery?" I wondered who was buzzing-her awful parents, probably.
She could stare almost as impassively as Mrs. Aries, but some of her defensive anger had lessened.
"Do you like mysteries?" I went on.
"I like to read them. But mostly not the books in the old lady's library. Anyway, I'm not supposed to go in there unless she invites me. Even when she goes out for a drive, Dillow watches to see I don't go in. But sometimes I get even with him. It's easy to do."
Weariness struck through me again. Mrs. Aries had been right about the child not being attractive. Her unfortunate upbringing wasn't my problem. The answer I'd feared had been given me and all I wanted now was to go to bed and sleep-just to shut out the disappointment and letdown that had hit me like a body blow. Even though I'd told myself I was prepared, I had hoped, and the reaction left me limpalmost ill with the old despair.
Alice scratched her left arm absently, and my heart did a flop. Debbie had scratched her arm in just that way because of a rash that had resisted treatment for a long time. I went quickly to push up the left sleeve of the child's sweater. There was nothing there but a red mark from scratching.
"Do you always do that?" I asked.
She looked at me blankly. "Do what?"
I let it go. An itching arm was hardly identification.
"I'd like to go to bed now," I told her. "I've come a long way and I'm tired."
She took the hint and moved indifferently toward the door.
"Perhaps we can talk some more tomorrow," I said, disturbed by her quick acceptance of dismissal.
"Maybe." She turned and stared at me again. "What do you do?"
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FEATHER ON THE MOON
"Do? I'm not sure what you mean."
"Grown-up ladies do something. Peony-sometimes I call her Peony to upset her, but she's my mother-Peony is a magician's assistant." She spoke almost proudly.