She looked at her son; Duke was carefully looking elsewhere. “Very well, I will listen. Not that it can possibly do any good.”
“I hope that it will because it is supremely important. Grace, there is no point in heckling Karen. Besides being cruel, it’s ridiculous. Her pregnancy is the best thing that has happened to us.”
“Hubert Farnham, are you out of your mind?”
“Please. You are reacting in terms of conventional morality, which is foolish.”
“Oh? So morals are foolish, are they? You hymn-singing hypocrite!”
“Morals are not foolish; morals must be our bedrock, always. But whether it was moral for Karen to breed a baby at another time and place, in a society that is no more, is irrelevant; we will not discuss it. The fact is, she did-and it is a blessing to us. Please analyze it. Six of us, four from one family. Genetically that is too small a breeding stock. Yet somehow we must flourish-or saving our own lives is wasted. But now we have a seventh, not here in person. That’s better than we had any reason to hope. I pray that the twins that run in my family will show up in her. It would strengthen the stock.”
“How can you talk about your own daughter as if you were breeding a cow!”
“She is my daughter whom I love. But more important- her supreme importance-is that she is a woman and pregnant. I wish that you and Barbara were pregnant, too-by outsiders. We need variety for the next generation.”
“I will not sit here and be insulted!”
“I simply said ‘wish.’ In Karen we do have this miracle; we must cherish it. Grace, Karen must be treated with every consideration during her pregnancy. You must take care of her.”
“Are you insinuating that I wouldn’t? You are the one who cares nothing about her welfare. Your own daughter.”
“It doesn’t matter that she is my daughter. It would apply if it were Barbara, or you, or another woman. No more heavy work for Karen. That laundry she did today-you’ll do that; you’ve loafed long enough. You’ll pamper her. But most urgent, there will be no more scoldings, no harsh words, no recriminations. You will be sweet and kind and gentle with her. Don’t fail in this, Grace. Or I will punish you.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“I hope I won’t be forced to.” Hugh faced his son. “Duke. Do I have your backing? Speak up.”
“What do you mean by ‘punishment,’ Dad?”
“Whatever we are forced to use. Words. Social sanctions. Physical punishment if we must. Even expulsion from our group if no other choice remained.”
Duke drummed on the table. “That’s putting it brutally, Dad.”
“Yes. I want you to think about the extremes.”
Duke glanced at his sister. “I’ll back you. Mother, you’ve got to behave.”
She started to whimper. “My own son has turned against me. Oh, I wish I had never been born!”
“Barbara?”
“My opinion? I agree with you, Hugh. Karen needs kindness. She mustn’t be scolded.”
“You keep out of this!”
Barbara looked at Grace without expression. “I’m sorry but Hugh asked me. Karen asked me to be in it, too. I think you have behaved abominably, Grace. A baby isn’t a calamity.”
“That’s easy for you to say!”
“Perhaps. But you’ve been nagging Karen steadily-and really, you mustn’t.”
Karen said suddenly, “Tell them, Barbara. About yourself.”
“You want me to?”
“You’d better. Or now she’ll start on you.”
“Very well.” Barbara bit her lip. “I said that a baby is not a calamity. I’m pregnant, too-and I’m very happy about it.”
The silence told Barbara that her purpose of taking the heat off Karen had been achieved. As for herself, she was tranquil for the first time since she had begun to suspect that she was pregnant. She had not shed a tear-oh, no!-but she found that a tension she had not been conscious of was gone.
“Why, you tramp! No wonder my daughter went wrong, exposed to influences like-”
“Stop it, Grace!”
“Yes, Mother,” agreed Duke. “Better keep quiet.”
“I was just going to say-”
“You’re not going to say anything, Mother. I mean it.”