Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace Read Online Free PDF Page B

worried because of it. And children react instinctively to how adults feel. So Valerie, who was wearing a training bra under her nightie, looked up at Nevin morosely as she bit into her toast. Margaret, however, spoke to him when he sat down as if there was nothing wrong at all.
    Nevin had to turn about to speak to her, and every time he did he could see her kneecaps through the banister. Then he took out a package of cigarettes and asked everyone in the room individually if they would like one, even Valerie, who just shook her head. Then Valerie said something to Margaret in French and burst out laughing. She laughed with that giddiness eleven-year-olds have. Then she put both hands over her mouth, and in this way seemed to embellish every moment of her hilarity, which all seemed to be directed at Nevin.
    Then Allain said three words in French to his granddaughter and she got up and went upstairs. Then he turned about and smiled at Nevin apologetically.
    There was a stew cooking on the stove. Another short phrase came from Allain in French, and oncemore Valerie appeared. She walked by Nevin as if it were his fault she had been subdued, and took a plate from the kitchen cupboard.
    “Is Antony here?” Nevin said.
    There was an unpleasant silence, so much so that Nevin was made to feel he shouldn’t have asked the question. Valerie, very carefully, so as not to spill any, walked with the plate of stew into the porch. She half closed the old porch door and Nevin could hear voices. He could hear her speak to someone, and he could hear Antony answer in a whisper:
“Non, non
– Val –” And then muffled laughter. Then he distinctly heard someone take a mouthful of stew and swallow.
    Then there was a car on the highway, a truck, a tractor trailer. All of these seemed to roar past the house at once, as if some sort of indictment had been passed on Nevin with the noise they made.
    Nevin stood and walked over to the door, and, standing there, said in a shaking voice:
    “Antony, I know you’re there – I know!”
    Nevin turned and smiled at the old folks. Allain’s dark fingers holding the cigarette Nevin had just given him, and the tufts of hair, sticking up on the little old man’s head, seemed also to be an indictment against Nevin.
    “Antony, I know you’re there!” Nevin said again.
    There was a long moment of silence, felt by everyone, and finally the sound of someone slurping tea. This bothered Nevin so much he buttoned his coat the wrong way and left the house.
    As soon as he left, Antony came out of the room to get himself another plate of stew.
    He didn’t speak to any of them, but assumed a look of having accomplished a great deal. Margaret, feelingthat he would order her to do something, stood and tiptoed upstairs. The only problem was that at the far end of the hall she turned left, by force of habit, and walked into the wall. There used to be a door to the bathroom there, but Antony had walled it up two days before and made the door next to his room.
    Margaret swore and yelled out in French that she had just broken her nose, and Valerie burst out laughing – uncontrollably, as she had earlier in the evening.
    Antony, shaking his head as if everyone should know that he had walled up the door, walked back into the porch.
    There was a short silence.
    Then Antony said something to Valerie, and it started her giggling all over again, so much so that they finally had to say “boo” to her and give her sugar.

    A week later Antony walked down the path by the old sleigh for the Belgian horse with the tail he tied up with twine. He kicked at a block of wood, and threw it up on the back of the woodpile as if angry about something. Then he hauled his pants up and continued on his way. Ivan had gone up to town that morning, received his severance pay, and had finally gotten the money for Nevin.
    Antony found Vera and Nevin sitting in the living room. Vera was three months pregnant. For a long time she had been unable