Read Online Listening Valley by D. E. Stevenson - Free Book Online Page A

mother’s command.
    â€œI don’t know what to do with her,” complained Mrs. Melville to her husband. “She isn’t like other girls, somehow. Lydia says her girls enjoy going out with her in the car and shopping and that sort of thing. Lydia’s girls have plenty to say for themselves. They’re amusing and bright. I wish to goodness Tonia were not so sulky.”
    â€œShe isn’t sulky,” replied Mr. Melville.
    â€œWell, silent, then,” said Mrs. Melville. “I never know what she’s thinking about.”
    â€œIt’s because you never bothered with them when they were young. They were always in the nursery. I told you at the time you were making a mistake, but you wouldn’t listen. You’re paying for it now.”
    â€œIt isn’t that, at all.”
    â€œWhat is it, then?”
    â€œTonia is… queer ,” declared Mrs. Melville.
    â€œNonsense!”
    â€œIt isn’t nonsense. There really is something queer about her. Sometimes she behaves as if she weren’t all there. She looks absolutely blank.”
    â€œShe’s dreamy.”
    â€œIt’s more than that. She must take it from the Melvilles, of course. We were all perfectly normal.”
    Mr. Melville rose in his wrath. “She’s as normal as you are!” he retorted in violent tones. “In fact, she’s a damn sight more normal. She isn’t crazy about bridge. And let me tell you that my family…” and he proceeded to tell her (in detail and at length) of the excellences of the Melville connection.
    It was a first-class row and Mr. and Mrs. Melville both enjoyed it, for the odd thing was that they really did enjoy a good row. They were fond of each other in their own way—a peculiar way, perhaps: they depended upon each other’s loyalty, and if a third party had entered the lists they would have combined forces immediately and fought for each other tooth and nail, but when they were alone, or when nobody but Tonia was present, they enlivened their existence by quarreling incessantly. Fortunately, although both of them possessed hasty tempers and unruly tongues, neither of them was sensitive, nor sulky, so however fiercely they went for each other they soon came around and resumed their normal relationship and forgot all the hard things that had been said in the heat of battle.
    Having failed to turn her daughter into a social success, Mrs. Melville gave up the attempt and returned to her bridge. She was out nearly every afternoon, and it became the usual thing for Tonia to be waiting for her father when he came in from the office after his day’s work and for them to have tea together by the fire. She got on quite well with her father, for she took care not to irritate him, and he neither desired nor expected her to talk.
    One day Mr. Melville brought a friend home to tea, a tall, good-looking man with gray hair. He was introduced to Tonia as “Mr. Norman” and he smiled at her kindly as he shook her by the hand. Apart from the conventional greeting he took very little notice of her, for he had come to talk business and he was pressed for time. Tonia poured out the tea and listened to the talk of stocks and shares and did not understand a word of it, but although the actual business was beyond her she realized quite soon that Mr. Norman was an important person. Father was slightly in awe of Mr. Norman and anxious to make a good impression upon him—anxious, also, to obtain his advice—it was rather odd to see father playing second fiddle.
    â€œVery sound,” said Mr. Melville when his guest had gone. “Norman knows the ropes. I got a lot of useful information out of him, and you behaved very sensibly, Tonia. Thank heaven you aren’t a chatterbox!”
    It was a new experience to be commended for silence, and, what was even more surprising, she had evidently gained credit from Mr. Norman, as well, for the next