Read Online The Moon by Night by Madeleine L'Engle - Free Book Online Page A

Yugoslavs,
South Africans hate the Dutch,
And I don’t like anybody
Very much.”

    He whistled the melody through, and I reacted as I might if it had been John, or one of the kids at school. “I think that’s awful. It’s ghoulish.”
    â€œDon’t be naive, Vicky,” he said, and sang:

    â€œBut we can be tranquil
And thankful and proud,
For man’s been endowed
With the mushroom-shaped cloud.
And we know for certain
That some lovely day
Some one’ll set the spark off
And we’ll all be blown away.
They’re rioting in Africa,
They’re striking in Iran.
What nature doesn’t do to us
Will be done by our fellow man.”

    He laughed gayly, the first real laugh I’d heard him give. “Cute, isn’t it?”
    I laughed, too, at the same time that I shuddered, the way you do when someone’s supposed to have walked over where your grave’s going to be. The melody was so pretty and gay and the words in such black contrast that I couldn’t help thinking it funny at the same time that it scared me stiff. Sure, I was worried about war. We all were, even Rob, to the point of worrying about it in his God-bless. Who could help it, with parents listening to news reports, and current events and air raid drills at school, where you’re taught how to hide under your desk to shield you from the worst effects of a nuclear blast? And all this stuff about building shelters or not building shelters. And do you stick a gun in your neighbor’s face if he doesn’t have a shelter and keep him out of yours? All that kind of business over and over until it runs out of your ears like mashed potatoes.

    â€œSo why not spend Pop’s money now, eh, Vicky?” Zachary asked. “What’re we waiting for? I have other reasons, too.”
    â€œWhat reasons?”
    â€œTell you some other time. So you’re moving to New York? Stinking city. Can’t stand it. What’re you going to do there?”
    â€œOh, the usual, school and stuff,” I said.
    â€œWhat’s your father?”
    â€œHe’s a doctor.”
    â€œSpecialist?”
    â€œInternal medicine and research. But he was pretty much a G.P. in Thornhill. What does your father do?”
    â€œReal estate. As for me, I’m studying law.”
    â€œYou want to be a lawyer?”
    â€œNo, I don’t want to be a lawyer, as you so naively put it, but I intend to be one. Therefore I suppose I’ll have to pick up my high school diploma somewhere next year. It’s a real bore having been booted, puts me back a stinking year. We live in a lousy world, Vicky-O, and the only way to get the better of the phonies who boss it is to outwit them, and law will help me do that. My old man’s smart, but I’m going to be even smarter. If I know law I can protect myself. I can do pretty much anything I want and get away with it.”
    â€œWhat do you mean? Get away with what?” Zachary excited me, and he disturbed me. I kept wanting to let my fingers touch that velvety black hair.
    â€œMy dear child, if you have money and you know law, there are legal gimmicks for every situation. How do you think my old man’s done so well? He’s a smart cookie and he’s got good lawyers. I intend to skip the middle man and be my own lawyer.
Then I don’t have to pay out huge lawyers’ fees like my old man does and I can get away with anything I want.”
    â€œBut what do you want to do that you’d have to get away with?”
    â€œMy poor, innocent child. No wonder you’re traveling in a cheap tent with practically no equipment.” My skin bristled at that, but he went gaily on. “I suppose you’re taught the golden rule. Can’t get along that way any more, Vicky-O. That’s outmoded. Got to be smart today. And that’s what I’m going to be. Have what I want, do what I want, go where I want, get what I