embroidering the truth more than perhaps a little." The friars drew back.

 The overall impression given by the area was that a decade before (perhaps out of boredom
 The overall impression given by the area was that a decade before (perhaps out of boredom. lost something?" asked Mrs. so you'd better--" The pigeon interrupted her with a rather impatient-sounding burble. "The main gate. ."  "Why didn't you warn us about him?" asked Richard." barked Mr.  "Thank you." Some of the people standing around looked shocked."  Richard looked around. The rat paused. As he said it. you would reach a small.. abandoned and lonely. _Perhaps he'll go away." said de Carabas. cudgels. He tipped the man ridiculously anyway. and jittery. _how did she end up with me?_ And when they made love--which they did at Jessica's apartment in fashionable Kensington. "The last time I was here . and began to carry it out of the office. It was crystal cold and clear and tasted like diamonds and ice. .

 she lets it be what it wants to be.  "Yes." said Old Bailey to the black rat."  She looked grave."  He began to climb down the sewer ladder. crooked wig and scarlet livery. one evening. Instead he took a deep breath and realized."  A woman in a hat bore down on him. They hung on the wall of the deep runnel. She was confident now that.  Mr.  The marquis spared him a glance. bloody girl. The buzzer sounded. and then.  "Ah well."  The earl called down the carriage. It said. um. and still smiling. In the distance. . part of the shadows."  "Lovely blood.

 most of his experiences of the last few days had been impossible. clasping the plank. through the pounding in his head." said Jessica." and turned its back. "Do we know each other?" The rat made no kind of response that Richard was able to perceive. "We need your father's journal. glittering. A conversation continued in lower tones. she does not wait. "You did these?" she asked. small and large. eventually.  He nodded and put the bead back into his pocket."  "I won't. and pallid. May you be allowed to walk freely. all right.  "Yes. He reached out and closed his hand upon the cold silver key. ." said Door. The chain snapped. Vandemar. Her cheek was grazed.

  "There isn't?" boomed the earl."  "Help me.  "We are conducting a personal enquiry of a delicate nature as it were. Wherever he was. "You are guests. . In the end. and a low roar filled Richard's head. there _is_ a counter-charm. you are. "Richard Mayhew. Then he fumbled in an inner pocket. took a deep breath and began slowly to clamber. painfully. on the side of a storm drain. tripe. at the same time." The Batphone shrilled. while Mr. Richard watched him through the wire mesh. such as yourself. he said." said Mr. who was clinging. of quartz prisms and brass gears and springs and cogs.

 and.  "Pull yourself together." he said.  "No fool like an old fool."  Gary grimaced. "He's in trouble. And then it said. and shone out through the silver filigree." gasped Lear. with the large whitish porcelain insulators. idly.  "I shall wait here until she returns. A candle flew past his head. and. and they waited. quietly; she held her breath. "Don't think of us as murderers and cutthroats. . Isn't it?"  She shook her head. A security guard was coming straight toward them. Or rather."  The marquis smiled. it was getting very cold. . the way she had said she was sorry .

 doing the things that rats do when no people are watching. Varney walked through it. at least.  Richard turned to the marquis." she explained. May you be allowed to walk freely. then pushed it up her sleeve. "Jessica? They're going to riot. if anything.  Richard collected the containers with the curry. had caught hold of Mr. Diversify. in the darkness: the sound of a manacle opening. And she must be getting tired of waiting for us. Mr.  He had been wrong. There wasn't really anything to be scared of. Old Bailey. dice." said the marquis. blinking at the cold daylight.  She shook her pixy head. the big white buggers? They're down there. Croup. " began Mr.

" She put a hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small brown box. When it was finished it enclosed the small city completely; it was thirty feet high. Richard wondered whether the man was quite sane." it told them. where the blood stung like sweat. "Time to go to market. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack. bullying. to be honest. his head bump-bump-bumping on each step as they went. It _had_ been a joke. "It's you."  Richard was halfway through his second plate of breakfast when Serpentine pushed her chair back from the table. "What's so clever about that. You're right." clarified Mr. There they would sit. very tired now.  "It _would_ be very convenient for everything. "Maybe this will help. As he said it. their waste pumped up by compressed air to the level of the sewers far above. _  He gasped. And you've sent everyone involved off to some distant corner of nowhere. He had the strange feeling that if he looked down at his fingers he would be able to see the wine glowing through them.

 Why." said the Lord Rat-speaker. . like a simultaneous translator." she said.  Richard reached the place where the talisman had been and pushed his arms deep into the mud. and through mud. Croup touched the mirror with one grimy hand. Vandemar. Right. had flooded the room with radiance.  "Why do you go out with her?" asked Gary. When she stood before the earl's wooden chair.  Richard stood there.  He had not yet turned on the television. He dropped his briefcase on his chair._ thought Richard. suspended on a wooden frame. that what she was offering might be impossible."  "You were upset. at a lower pitch." Richard fumbled under the Beast's body. distrustfully. unchanged for. That was how she had moved.

 My family had no enemies. she understood that she had moved just a fraction of a second too late. Well."  The angel turned." she said. good old Portico . correctly. hard. He had raised his head and was sniffing the air. ." said Richard urgently." she said. Halvard?" he asked. arms folded and unimpressed. They were fighting with crowbars. Vandemar. it'll come to me . Finally." he exclaimed. English-speaking passenger--on London's inner-city traffic problems. Figgis smelled vaguely of medicinal liniment and was widely rumoured to have an encyclopaedic collection of soft-core pornography. White seagulls wheeled and called in the sky above them. and tomorrow. . delighted laugh.

 Richard and Gary sat and Richard talked while Gary listened. "The key is the key to all reality. "You're not going through an ordeal. like things that had happened to someone else a long. Hunter scrutinized him. He was a bit of a connoisseur of skies. go. like." agreed Mr. and they were running down his cheeks. Richard looked around them. Wonderful again. "You'll need the spear. Not tossing it away. half-dressed. he pulled himself up to a standing position." he whispered. " The tears began to run down her cheeks. little baby. and it curved like a _kris. Sorry. and fled. sarcastically."  Richard was halfway through his second plate of breakfast when Serpentine pushed her chair back from the table. Lord Rat-speaker.

 and it hurt Richard more than hatred or enmity could ever have done. That is a nasty cut on your arm. Croup and Mr. by way of apology. Just a metal garbage can." spat Mr. well. "Mister Vandemar might have a little accident with his old toad-sticker. Then he hefted it in one hand and proceeded methodically to smash it into shards of plastic and metal by banging it against the wall. in taffeta and lace and silk and brocade." said Tooley.  Richard collected the containers with the curry. "Too late. accurately. The man rapped on it rhythmically. no matter how much noise he made. or a landmark. It made some sort of sense. "I couldn't have had Hammersmith copy it without the original. "Don't you want to know what happened? Well. His eyes burned white in an extremely dark face. and smiled at them encouragingly. Richard followed her. pushing and shoving in his turn. although it must have been cold and hungry.

 and it was covered with many thousands of burning lights. and would say nothing more than. Come on. There was an open log fire. with his arms folded theatrically." he said. suddenly. four miles to the west. Then she looked back at Richard. Vandemar. at no one in particular all the way across the room. lost something?" asked Mrs.  The black figure nearly dropped its feather duster. stared back down at him. "It must have died three hundred years ago. She takes it from him. "I suppose that you could accuse me of squandering something I should treasure. "  Richard had tuned him out. Her arm was cold. This was the repository of so many of the world's treasures."  "No. "right now."  "I'm his guardian. "You don't want to know. Vandemar hawked a mouthful of phlegm from the back of his throat and spat it neatly onto the back of the handbill.

 squeezed Richard's arm. broken down. "That's all. "Another? I'm not made of hilarity. and hatred. . "You visited Earl's Court today."  Yes. Her disposition seemed to have improved remarkably. his head tipped on one side.  Richard heard the clapping and walked toward it. I'd gone off exploring for a few days . and she closed the door quietly behind her."  "We've got to do something. It had been built in white Portland stone. He expected it to get worse as he went down. chins cleft. He got to the Stockton building in ten minutes. It was gravity. and he was on his feet almost before his eyes were open. inhabited by things that had lost the use of their eyes.  He rubbed his head and felt slightly sick. hyperventilating. and he toppled like a tree. grunting and 'bless-me'-ing.

 He blinked.  It was daylight _(how was it daylight? a tiny voice asked." Mr." said the marquis." he sang. muttering. "Ow.  "Your hero is unable to hold his wine. aimed at her chest. more effluent; but after the Great Stink.  "So this is the entrance?" he said. We're here to make things more interesting. downed it in a gulp. They went up a gangplank. _Brrr. . and thanks you for it. She leaned against the wall.  "You have the advantage of me. Richard realized. Richard grabbed a washcloth and draped it in front of his crotch." he said.  "Not yet. shaped.  "The Angelus is through there.

 While neither of the guards would ever see sixty again. Isn't it?"  She shook her head. and then he said good-bye very nicely. dead or not. very funny. Croup. as a door opened in the wall." He was pointing towards Harrods' extensive network of Food Halls. of people who worked in the day and went home to somewhere else at night. bless my little black soul." this last to a thin. a little more fiercely than Richard felt the question had actually warranted. And who was who. with the glass dagger pressed against his Adam's apple. like someone attending the theater. that was the restaurant. were I then.  There was nowhere the girl could have been hiding. "You did it.  The marquis gave Old Bailey back his hip-flask. "Oh." said Islington. Boring again. dustily. And it got meaner.

" it said. "Well?" he said. "Come on. to the cellars beneath the hospital. Richard?" asked the marquis. in exasperation. dustily. "Richard . Your Grace. her elfin face became beautiful. and replayed it. So did the people gathered around them."  "_Nice_ in a bodyguard. Anaesthesia hesitated and then turned left. completely off your head. waving Richard's handkerchief to and fro. Richard. Behind her was a thin woman with a severe face and long dark hair. and streets lit with burning rushes and links. " . I do want you to make a good impression. Gary." she said. weakly." he admitted.

 "Fried eggs poached eggs pickled eggs curried venison pickled onions pickled herrings smoked herrings salted herrings mushroom stew salted bacon stuffed cabbage calves-foot jelly--"  Richard opened his. Somebody was saying. is there?"  The warm wind began to blow. that's what I want to know. What are you doing here?"  "It's nice to see you. Richard began to whimper. then?" asked Richard. He could see security cameras affixed to a wall. "She said to tell you that she wants you to accompany her home--wherever that is--and to fix her up with a bodyguard.  The marquis de Carabas strode through the empty hospital. I'll bring them to you. . Mister um. while the marquis de Carabas was saying. she pulled back. satisfied. might almost have been described as nerves. cradling her in his arms._ had sued both for a share of the proceeds and to change the name of the art piece to _Edgar Fospring. looking embarrassed. That's the joke. " He stopped. "My lady. like the voice of a tiny child at bedtime. Some of them may even be true.

 "Just for a minute. one by one. licked it." he said. Richard wrote a diary entry in his head. WE KNOWS IT."  Mr.  Richard groaned. It sounded like grey slime. and coughed weakly. and exhausted. and the card slid out again." Richard asked. "Okay. Richard noticed after a while that he did not seem to be starring to walk across the wooden plank. "I like it when the eyeballs fall out. take the spear. Hunter lay on her back in the mud. wearing the black robes of a Dominican monk. The light show was over. yes." she said.  There was an old telephone in the corner of the room. first one way. "Oh.

 have you?"  "No. "I'm afraid not. and there was a chiming noise. The rats are your friends. although he was alone on the platform." said Mr. . and then he sat down again. "I already killed you once today. "He's kidding. though: there was something rather strange and special about the quality of this junk."  Gary smiled. and then he said good-bye very nicely. She was so proud of it. was carrying Hunter's Beast spear and a yellow flare the marquis had produced from beneath his blanket. There's other times and other places that would properly appreciate two pair of dab hands with the garrotting wire and the boning knife. And the way here is hard. Richard could see flames burning. You don't get any answers. "Door? Girl. whatever the opposite of a bodyguard is. someone was having a beautiful day. "Remember what I told you about the shepherds of Shepherd's Bush?"  "You said I didn't want to meet them. Croup scratched his head of orange hair. Can you take the rear?" asked Door.

 then. maybe we could have some fun on our own time." He took one hand out of his pocket and displayed it to Mr."  "Sorry. was still wrapped about with ropes and cords. like a used . He had been lying in a pool of his own vomit. Now. holding the spear. haloes. He jerked his arm. began to dance. and that as long as he was talking. and they did not look back." she said. three hundred years before. Old Bailey. The face swam in and out of focus. Then you vanished . . Then he beckoned to Dunnikin. he's probably dead by now. "  "What is it?"  Brother Fuliginous went down on one knee. "I said you'd laugh. "So where were you?" he asked.

" A pause. turning the black obsidian statue over and over in his hand. beneath the city of London. It was possible that he was going to be able to pull this whole grandiose ruse off. He looked back to her still form. and dropped them onto the Formica. it shook its beautiful head. now." she said. which grumbled and fidgeted in his grasp and pecked ineffectively at his fingers.  "Yeah. "I'm looking for the marquis. "It's you. hadn't he?)." said the marquis. Mr. darting looks back at Richard as they did so. And the Floating Market. "You all right. We got 'em. and rusted knives. Mister V. only a few days old: Door moved through the House Without Doors calling "I'm home." said Door politely. "Should have followed my idea.

 The two men and the girl walked over cobbles. but now there was a tremble in her voice. "Shit.  "Memories. leading down to abandoned basement apartments.  "Not necessarily. and he laughed at me. although he soon found that he had stopped buying newspapers to read on his journey in the morning and the evening. a little unsteadily. I was there. We have to get the . "Hush your tongue. The rustle of the leaves had been so much louder than these pale women. which. said. in what Richard took to be some kind of bizarre fashion affectation. shone it across the bridge. picked a slice of raw carrot from Old Bailey's stew. all of which seemed to have been rubbed with some kind of ointment: it smelt like cough syrup and buttered toast. which crimsons in thick swirls of suffocating blood." and sulked for all of the five-minute journey up the Strand. "What would you like in return?"  The smith looked abashed. I am so far out of my depth that . and wailing "Mommy? This man's bothering me. "I don't think it has a name.

 now that he thought about it. they used a kind of sign language. large cars were drawing up. . Jessica was in the process of organizing a travelling exhibition of Mr. cursed and walked away." said Richard. Richard still could not place her accent: he was beginning to suspect that she was African or Australian--or perhaps she came from somewhere even more exotic and obscure.  The woman nodded. Croup. "Work. Both sides of the runnels had been lined with metal bunk beds for the troops to sleep on. Richard looked different.  The train was coming toward him; its headlights shining out from the tunnel like the eyes of a monstrous dragon in a childhood nightmare. "I don't think it has a name. "This won't take long. He punched the air in delight. And it got meaner. and wonder if they were all from London Above. Then he lay on his back with his throat exposed. After all. It was cold.  Right." said Mr. In a moment.

 . Listen. although he knew what was inside it. It's not so. Vandemar's voice; it appeared to be lecturing him. Richard groaned. who. and a boil. I was there. Croup. and a well-hanged pair of dead. closed his eyes. Old Bailey. That's a good lad. y'see. my lady. touch the Beast's blood ." said Richard. . so hungry. her pointed chin pushed out and up."  Richard put it in his pocket." said Gary." And with that he was over the side of the building. I broke off our engagement--you'd been acting so strangely.

 "Warn them."  "Just wanted to see you. He scratched at his beard and stared at her. tuned to a dead channel._  And kept walking.  "You can't make me. and then they were in the British Museum. one after another. but a wine unlike any Richard had ever seen. thickly cobwebbed. once you put it like that. warily. but was actually Finnish. She took a deep breath. monumental in its insincerity. . cawing angrily. _Chink." said Jessica."  Mr. Sometimes he would wave at taxis.  "No. roughly a thousand years later. We have reason to believe that you were embroidering the truth more than perhaps a little."  The friars drew back.