The Moon by Night

Author:Madeleine L'engle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: 2012-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

Twelve

“What gives?” John called as he ran to catch up.

Suzy is seldom at a loss for words, but all she could do was croak, “D-d-daddy—” and point at the tent.

“’Smatter, Sue?” Daddy asked.

“In the t-tent,” Suzy gasped. “M-mother—”

All I could think of was that something terrible had happened to Mother, and I grabbed John’s arm.

Rob ducked into the tent under Daddy’s elbow, and I heard him give an excited shout. “Mother’s had a baby!”

Daddy’s voice came, low and startled, “Wha—a-at?”

And we heard Mother say sleepily, “Wallace?”

As John and I headed for the tent Suzy’s tongue was released. “There’s a baby in there with Mother!”

“Hunh?”

“I went in, and Mother was on the sleeping bag sound asleep, and there was a baby sleeping right beside her!”

We heard Rob asking, “Is it ours?”

Now we were all sticking our heads in the tent. Mother was sitting up on the sleeping bag, and right beside her was a baby, sleeping all through the sound and fury, its tiny thumb loosely in its mouth.

“Where did you get the baby?” Mother asked Daddy.

“That’s what I was just about to ask you,” Daddy said.

Mother looked down at the baby, couldn’t help smiling at it, then said, “Wallace, is this your idea of a joke?”

Daddy often looks dead serious when he’s joking, but there wasn’t a hidden twinkle anywhere this time. “Victoria, I’ve never seen this baby before in my life.”

“Is it ours?” Rob asked again.

Mother looked at all of us clustered in the doorway of the tent. “Where did you get the baby?”

Nobody answered.

“Who put the baby in the tent with me?”

Silence.

Mother started, “Now look, fun’s fun, but—”

Daddy broke in. “Victoria, we’ve all been swimming together. We haven’t been separated for a moment. Suzy ran ahead and into the tent, but she certainly didn’t have time to pick up a baby on the way.”

“Suzy?” Mother asked.

Suzy still sounded a little shaky, but now she was perfectly able to gabble. “I ran in to the tent, and there you were, sound asleep, and the baby right with you.”

“Then it must be ours,” Rob said.

The baby waked up and began to cry. Mother picked it up and patted its little bottom; it gave a hiccup and put its head on Mother’s shoulder.

Daddy stood looking down at them. “One thing’s certain. It’s too small to have got here by itself. Clear out for a minute, kids. I want to have a look at it.”

We stood huddled outside the tent until Daddy came out, announcing, “He’s a fine, healthy boy, about five or six months old. The first thing to do is ask at the tents and trailers around us if anybody’s lost a baby. It’s a little difficult to imagine anyone putting a baby in the wrong tent by mistake, but it’s possible. John, you and Rob go together, and Vicky and Suzy. John, that way. Vicky, over here. I’ll take this section across the road. Mother’ll stay in the tent with the baby in case anybody comes looking for him.”

Suzy and I got back before the others.

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