Argosy, September 1955 — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: | THE CHRYSALIDS 11g I was shocked some two days after Petra was born, without understanding why. ; I was sitting quietly that afternoon in the small room next to my parents’ bedroom where my mother still lay in bed. It was not entirely by chance. ‘There was a tendency for people to find jobs for me to do in the afternoons, but if I could slip away early from the dinner-table and remain invisible until they had all gone to work again, I was safe. Nobody had yet thought of looking for me in that room. The chief drawback was that the wattle wall between the two rooms was cracked so that I had to move very cautiously on tiptoe lest my mother should hear me. On that particular day I was just wondering whether I had allowed enough time for safety, when a high-wheeled trap came driving up, and as it passed the window, I had a glimpse of my Aunt Harriet holding the reins. I edged carefully on stockinged feet to the side of the window where I was able to watch her tether the horse, pick a white bundle out of the trap, and carry it carefully into the house. A moment later her steps passed the door of my room, and the latch of the next door clicked. “Why, Harriet! ’’ exclaamed my mother’s voice, in surprise, and not altogether in approval, “‘so soon! You don’t mean to say you’ve brought a tiny baby all that way! ”’ ‘“I know,”’ said my aunt’s voice, accepting the reproof in my mother’s tone, “‘ but I had to, Emily—I had to. She was born a week ago. I didn’t know what to do. ‘Then I heard that your baby had been born early. It was like an answer to a prayer, so I came as soon as I could—Oh, there she is! Oh, she’s lovely, Emily. She’s a lovely baby.”’ There was a lot of mutual congratulation which didn’t interest me very much. Presently my mother said, “‘ Henry must be delighted.” | “Oh yes, of course he is,’’ Aunt Harriet told her, but somehow : there was a flatness in her voice. After a brief pause, she added: ‘“ You’ve got the certificate for her? ”’ ‘“Of course!’ My mother’s tone was sharp, ready to be : offended. I could well imagine her expression. When she spoke again, there was a quality in her voice that disturbed me. “Harriet! ”’ she said, abruptly, ‘“‘ you don’t mean to say you’ve not got a certificate? ” My aunt made no reply, but I caught the sound of a suppressed sob. My mother said, ‘“‘ Harriet! let me see that child properly.”’ For some seconds I could only hear more sobs from my aunt. Then she said unsteadily: “‘ It’s such a little thing, you see. It’s nothing much.” ‘* Nothing much!’ snapped my mother. “‘ You have the effrontery to bring your monster into a godfearing house and say #’s nothing much! ”’ comiclbooks.conn a ee eee eS ee ee se OP el OL Pale Oe SS eee con Se ee . - - ~ ’ — * * sl - = a