Blue Castle (Bedtime Story) Chapter 9

L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle is a beautiful tale of transformation. Faced with her own mortality, Valancy chooses love, freedom, and truth over convention. A gentle story of self-discovery and the healing power of courage.

Transcript

Chapter 9 Uncle Herbert and Aunt Alberta's silver wedding was delicately referred to among the Stirlings during the following week as the time we first noticed poor Valancy was.

A little,

You understand.

Not for words.

Would any of the Stirlings have said out and out at first that Valancy had gone mightily insane or even that her mind was slightly deranged?

Uncle Benjamin was considered to have gone entirely too far when he had ejaculated.

She is tippy,

I tell you,

She is tippy,

And was only excused because of the outrageousness of Valancy's conduct at the aforesaid wedding dinner.

But Mrs.

Frederick and Cousin Stickles had noticed a few things that made them uneasy before the dinner.

It had began with the roach bush,

Of course.

Aunt Valancy never was really quite right again.

She did not seem to worry,

In the least about the fact that her mother was not speaking to her.

You would never suppose she noticed it at all.

She had flatly refused to take either purple pills or Redfern's bitters.

She had announced coolly that she did not intend to answer to the name of Daws any longer.

She had told Cousin Stickles that she wished she would give up wearing that brooch with Cousin Artema Stickles' hair in it.

She had moved her bed in her room to the opposite corner.

She had read Magic of Wings Sunday afternoon.

When Cousin Stickles had rebuked her,

Valancy had said indifferently,

Oh I forgot it was Sunday and had gone on reading it.

Cousin Stickles had seen a terrible thing.

She had caught Valancy sliding down the banister.

Cousin Stickles did not tell Mrs.

Frederick this.

Poor Amelia was worried enough as it was.

But it was Valancy's announcement,

On Saturday night,

That she was not going to go to the Anglican church any more,

That broke through Mrs.

Frederick's stony silence.

Not going to church any more?

Daws,

Have you absolutely taken leave?

Oh,

I am going to church,

Said Valancy early.

I'm going to the Presbyterian church.

But to the Anglican church I will not go.

This was even worse.

Mrs.

Frederick had resorced to tears.

Having found outrage,

Majesty had ceased to be effective.

What have you got against the Anglican church?

She sobbed.

Nothing,

Only just that you've always made me go there.

If you'd made me go to the Presbyterian church,

I'd want to go there.

Is that a nice thing to say to your mother?

Oh,

How true it is that it is sharper than a serpent's tooth to have a tankless child.

Is that a nice thing to say to your daughter,

Said unpretentious Valancy?

So Valancy's behavior at the silver wedding was not quite the surprise to Mrs.

Frederick and Christine Stickles as it was to the rest.

They were doubtful about the wisdom of taking her,

But concluded it would make talk,

If they didn't.

Perhaps she would behave herself,

And so far no outsider suspected there was anything queer about her.

But a special mercy of Providence it had poured torrents Sunday morning,

So Valancy had not carried out her hideous threat of going to the Presbyterian church.

Valancy would not have cared in the least if they had left her at home.

These family celebrations were all hopelessly dull,

But the Stirlings always celebrated everything.

It was a long-established custom.

Even Mrs.

Frederick gave a dinner party on her wedding anniversary,

And Cousin Stickles had friends in to supper on her birthday.

Valancy hated these entertainments because they had to pinch and save and contrive for weeks afterwards to pay for them,

But she wanted to go to the silver wedding.

It would hurt Uncle Herbert's feelings if she stayed away,

And she rather liked Uncle Herbert.

Besides,

She wanted to look over all her relatives from her new angle.

It would be an excellent place to make public her declaration of independence if occasion offered.

''Put on your brown silk dress,

'' said Miss Stirling.

As if there were anything else to put on,

Valancy had only the one festive dress,

That snuffy brown silk Aunt Isabel had given her.

Aunt Isabel had decreed that Valancy should never wear colors,

Did not become her.

When she was young,

They allowed her to wear white,

But that had been tactically dropped for some years.

When she put on her brown silk,

It had a high collar and long sleeves.

She had never had a dress with low neck and elbow sleeves,

Although they had been worn even in Deerwood for over a year.

She did not do her hair pompadour.

She knotted it on her neck and pulled it out over her ears.

She thought it became her,

Only the little knot was so absurdly small.

Mrs.

Frederick resented the hair,

But decided it was wisest to say nothing on the eve of the party.

It was so important that Valancy should be kept in good humor,

If possible,

Until it was over.

Mrs.

Frederick did not reflect that.

This was the first time in her life that she had thought it necessary to consider Valancy's humors.

But then Valancy had never been queer before.

On their way to Uncle Herbert's,

Mrs.

Frederick and Cousin Stickles,

Walking in front,

Valancy trotting meekly along behind.

Roaring Abel drove past them,

Drunk as usual,

But not in the roaring stage,

Just drunk enough to be excessively polite.

He raised his reputable old tartan cap,

With the air of a monarch saluting his subjects,

And swept them a grand bow.

Mrs.

Frederick and Cousin Stickles dared not cut Roaring Abel's altogether.

He was the only person in Deerwood who could be cut to do odd jobs of carpenting and repairing,

When they needed to be done,

So it would not do to offend him.

But they responded with only the stiffest,

Slightest of vows.

Roaring Abel must be cut in his place.

Valancy behind them did a thing they were fortunately spared seeing.

She smiled gaily and waved her hand to Roaring Abel.

Why not?

She had always liked the old sinner.

He was such a jolly,

Picturesque,

Unashamed reputable,

And stood out against the trap respectedly of Deerwood and its customs,

Like a flame-red flag of revolt and protest.

Only a few nights ago Abel had gone through Deerwood in the wee smog,

Shouting oaths at the top of his stentorian voice,

Which could be heard for miles,

And lashing his horse into a furious gallop as he tore along Pring proper Elm Street.

Yelling and blaspheming like a fient,

Shuddered Cousin Stickles at the breakfast table.

I cannot understand why the judgment of the Lord has not fallen upon that man long ago,

Said Miss Frederick,

Pertutently,

As if she thought Providence was widely deletery and ought to have a gentle reminder.

He'll be picked up dead some morning,

He'll fall under his horse's hooves,

And be trampled to death,

Said Cousin Stickles,

Reassuring me.

Valancy had said nothing,

Of course,

But she wondered to herself if Roaring Abel's periodical sprees were not his futile protest against the poverty and drudgery and monotony of his existence.

She went on dream sprees in her blue castle.

Roaring Abel having no imagination could not do that.

His escapes from reality had to be concrete.

So she waved at him today with a sudden fellow feeling,

And Roaring Abel,

Not too drunk to be astonished,

Nearly fell off his seat in his amazement.

By this time they had reached Maple Avenue and Uncle Herbert's house,

A large pretentious structure peppered with meaningless bay windows and exquisite porches.

A house that looked like a stupid,

Prosperous,

Self-satisfied man with words on his face.

A house like that,

Said Valancy solemnly,

Is a blasphemy.

Miss Frederick was shaken to her soul.

What had Valancy said?

Was it profane or only just queer?

Miss Frederick took off her hat in Aunt Alberta's spare room with trembling hands.

She made one more feeble attempt to avert disaster.

She hauled Valancy back on the landing as Cousin Stickles went downstairs.

''Won't you try to remember you are a lady?

'' she pleaded.

''Oh,

If there were only any hope of being able to forget it,

'' said Valancy wearily.

Miss Frederick felt that she had not deserved this from Providence.