"Zenna Henderson - Pilgrimage2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Henderson Zenna)

haven't thought even once of Him this whole evening. If you're so all-fired
eager to go busting into His house uninvited you'd better stop bawling and
start thinking up a convincing excuse."
"You're mean!" Lea wailed, like a child.
"So I'm mean.'" Karen stopped so suddenly that Lea stumbled into her. "Maybe
I should leave you alone. I don't want this most wonderful thing that's
happening to be spoiled by such stupid goings on. Good-by!"
And she was gone before Lea could draw a breath. Gone completely. Not a sound
of a footstep. Not a rustle of brush. Lea cowered in the darkness, panic
swelling in her chest, fear catching her breath. The high arch of the sky
glared at her starrily and the suddenly hostile night crept closer and closer.
There was nowhere to go-nowhere to hide-no corner to back into.
Nothing-nothing!
"Karen!" she shrieked, starting to run blindly. "Karen!"
"Watch it." Karen reached out of the dark and caught her. "There's cactus
around here." Her voice went on in exasperated patience. "Scared to death of
being alone in the dark for two minutes and fourteen seconds-and yet you think
an eternity of it would be better than living-
"Well, I've checked with Miriam. She says she can help me manage you, so come
along.
"Miriam, here she is. Think she's worth saving?" Lea recoiled, startled, as
Miriam materialized vaguely out of the darkness.
"Karen, stop sounding so mean," the shadow said. "You know wild horses
couldn't pull you away from Lea now. She needs healing-not hollering at."
"She doesn't even want to be healed," Karen said.
"As though I'm not even here," Lea thought resentfully. "'Not here. Not here."
The looming wave of despair broke and swept over her. "Oh, let me go! Let me
die!" She turned away from Karen, but the shadow of Miriam put warm arms
around her.
"She didn't want to live either, but you wouldn't accept that-no more than
you'll accept her not wanting to be healed."
"It's late," Karen said. "Chair-carry?"
"I suppose so," Miriam said. "It'll be shock enough, anyway. The more contact
the better."
So the two made a chair, hand clasping wrist, wrist clasped by hand. They
stooped down.
"Here, Lea," Karen said, "sit down. Arms around our necks."
"I can walk," Lea said coldly. "I'm not all that tired. Don't be silly."
"You can't walk where we're going. Don't argue. We're behind schedule now.
Sit."
Lea folded her lips but awkwardly seated herself, clinging tightly as they
stood up, lifting her from the ground.
"Okay?" Miriam asked.
"Okay," Karen and Lea said together.
"Well?" Lea said, waiting for steps to begin.
"Well," Karen laughed, "don't say I didn't warn you, but look down."
Lea looked down. And down! And down! Down to the scurrying sparks along a
faded ribbon of a road. Down to the dew-jeweled cobweb of street lights
stretching out flatly below. Down to the panoramic perfection of the whole
valley, glowing magically in the night. Lea stared, unbelieving, at her two