An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle Page B

language as much as in words. “Snake has much power. Mana power, good power, but sometimes hurting power.”
    Fumblingly, Polly tried to explain that Louise was a harmless black snake, and a special one, a family friend.
    Tav let her know that Louise’s friendship was good. “You are gift. The Mother’s gift. You will come? Tonight?”
    “I cannot. I—” What was the word for promise? Or for grandparents? Mother was something like modr . “Mother says no.” That was the best she could do.
    He laughed. “Mother sent you! You will come!” He bent toward her again and delicately touched her hair with the tips of his fingers. It was like a kiss. Then he picked up his spear and walked along the path in the direction of the star-watching rock.
    Polly went back to the house. His touch had been gentle, pleasing. He had actually compared her red hair to the sun. Her fear of him had vanished. But she also felt confused. Why had he been ready to kill Louise? Did he really think the snake was about to strike? What had he meant by good power and hurting power? His intent had certainly not been to kill for killing’s sake, but only to protect her.
     
    At lunch she told her grandparents about Tav. They listened, made little comment. It was evident that they were deeply concerned. “I won’t cross the field to the stone wall again,” she promised. “But he was nice, really he was.”
    “Three thousand years ago?” her grandfather asked wryly.
    Her grandparents did not scold her for going to the stone wall. They were all unusually silent as they ate lunch.

Chapter Five
    Promptly at two, Zachary drove up in his red sports car. It struck Polly again how sheerly felicitous he was to behold, like Hamlet, she thought, Hamlet in modern dress. Black jeans and a pale blue cashmere turtleneck, his black jacket over his arm. Dark hair framing a pale face. Tav had likened Polly to the sun, and himself to the moon. Although Zachary’s hair was a dark asTav’s was fair, he was far more a moon creature than a sun creature.
    He greeted her grandparents deferentially, pausing to sit and tell the Murrys a little about his work in the law office in Hartford. “Long hours at a desk,” he said. “I feel as though I’ve come out from under a stone. But I’m lucky to have got an internship, and I’m learning a lot.”
    Again he was making a good impression, she thought.
    “I’ve done some research on this Ogam stuff,” he said. “As a language, it isn’t that difficult, is it? It really does look as though this land was visited three thousand years ago, long before anyone thought. Primitive people weren’t nearly as primitive as we’d like to think, and they did an incredible amount of traveling to all kinds of places. And druids, for instance, were not ignorant savages who did nothing but slit the throats of sacrificial victims. They could navigate by the stars, and as a matter of fact, their knowledge of astronomy was astounding.”
    “Bishop Colubra would agree with that,” Polly said.
    Her grandparents were polite, but not enthusiastic.
    Zachary said, “I’d really like to talk with the bishop. My boss, whom I’ve been pumping, is erudite and dull.”
    Mr. Murry smiled. “Let’s keep Polly in the twentieth century.” But his smile was strained.
    Zachary said, “Fine with me. Is there someplace around here we can go?”
    As far as she knew, the village consisted of post office, store, church, filling station, and a farm-equipment place.
    Her grandfather suggested quickly that they go to the country club, that he’d already called ahead to arrange a guest pass. Polly knew that her grandfather occasionally played golf when he needed to talk to a colleague without fear of being overheard. “It’s a lovely drive,” he told Zachary, “especially right now when the colors are still bright. But there’s not much going on at the club this time of year if you’re not a golfer.”
    “My pop is,” Zachary said. “I