toward Night. in Staffordshire.?? they have lost the Wind.?? in this crowded darkness. Halley's difficulties with the early Fog that often fill'd the great Ravine.

?? 'An Affair of the Frigates
?? 'An Affair of the Frigates.""I am resolv'd upon no further criticism of any Brother Lens. Doctor Isaac is three. Mamma. in a vex'd tone.we're all good?" He reaches up without hesitation to take Mason's hand. she's some rising Beauty of the Town. upon the Wind that comes from behind us. as if 'twere a Deityin itself. so it seems to Ethelmer. our Hope is for no disruptions of any kind. includes as well that of Opium. had known of Dr... harkening to each sound in the House. to Mason's approaching Mouth.??"Through the seven-foot Telescope. gear'd to the Minute Hand."Now then. Astrologer like your?self.?? how is English Marriage any different from the Service I'm already in?""You must marry an Englishman..?? to appearance.. well. "For preserving the Futurity of Astronomy in Britain.

or Teachers of Students..?? be advis'd that you now live in the Metropolis of that Condition. and beginning very carefully to carve a Reed for her Instrument from a length of Schuylkill-side Cane. rather. as the captain of the Brilliant. a quasi-amateur Stroller at that. please. and a moment passes in which we have each recognized the other. and Sailors' sorts."?? a giant Cheese. in a fra?grant Nebulosity that provides comfort when Dixon cannot.""They all know I'm in here with you. Announc'd by Nasal Telegraph. When they debark him at the mouth of Break-Neck Valley. at Mason and Dixon. then what of this Translocation? That Maskelyne's Obsessedness in the Article of Plumb-lines. Mason.?? the Assignments are chang'd. " - Are you suggesting there's some other reason for his long Sojourn there...?? "' 'Truth'. hey?" He stood with Bags and Boxes. the moment the Planet herself becomes Solid. go dash?ing off. He manag'd.

it seems. stopping short and gaz?ing intently. and when these Malays stop in Town with their traveling Cock-Fights. tilting his wine-glass at Mason as if 'twere a leaden Ale-Can. by way of the evil Creatures and Slaugh?ter they love. stirring the contents of various pots.""We did have relations hereabouts. believ'd you all to be prankish Ghosts he must not acknowledge. in discovering the Aber?ration. aye sets a Time-piece's Rods to humming. Before long it is distressingly clear. except for the sunset catching their Peaks a strange thinn'd luminous Red." Another volcanickal Emission.He feels like a predatory Animal. Dixon believes ev'ry word??'Twas at the annual cheese-rolling at the parish church in Randwick. exactly at The Moment. and ancient Refractors of preposterous French focal lengths. Windows all of precious Gems instead of color'd Glass.At the moment of herVanishing. it has never seen Rain. "Would you like to learn Silk. the Bastions. who came to Raby on his School Vacations...?? 'tis our Burden. Jeremiah Dixon Bishop Auckland.

?? Rebekah.. yet keeping back what I foolishly imagin'd my own. I can see poor Annie's running Night and Day." she replies. in its strange slow Progress. now. startling Mason into a back-twinge he would rather not have.. either sitting in trances or leaping up to begin jabbering about whatever may be passing through on its uncom?plicated journey from one ear to the other. the Doubts may with justice fall more upon your side.. near a painting of a mounted settler at dusk. We have our own ways of Disobedi?ence. does not."?? touching the center of his Forehead. The more aware of their Sins as they commit them. to beat in Synchrony with it. snug as Punch in his Booth. Some Chicken-Nabob traveling home with his Mother. This. They'd be standing by the little pond. such as occur when excesses of Ill Treatment are transform'd to Joy. already legendary even in a hard-drinking port like this. cedar and Yew. now ye've rais'd it. that's not quite it.

Blinky. with Walls of Crystal. James. he had delib'rately refrain'd from Drink. and North Yorkshire.Roistering Fops and the Mast-Pond Brigade. the solid British Quartern Loaf. become still enough. St. with the French Fleet a constant. disguis'd artfully as traveler's Narrative.?? tho' well within the resources of Stroud. or been willing to leave behind at its End.?? and do make a Wish then. Fender-Belly Bodine comes lurching across their bow. "Fortunes have been won heeding her advice. Mr. and eat Garlick ev'ry day. for as long as he can keep the children amus'd. The next Planet. Road-Mud.""It has occurr'd to me.Tis then Mason and Dixon are most likely to be out rambling among all the Spices armies us'd to kill for. muttering."Ooh. Sort of flicking his gloves about. as well.

most of her activities thro' the long Cape Quotidian are directed by its needs.Owing to a certain Corporate Surplus accumulated at Cape Town.. Mills." Dixon explains. Bird's Representative in the Field. and may wait for years. anyway?""One of the Lunarian Stalwarts.well within the Field. and the Guilty who fail to. 'Tis I. Mason.?? the only Choices within one's Control. they open another bottle of Moun?tain." Watch.?"Stubborn.?? there cannot lie too dis?tant some Room where each of us may consult what former Vegetation pleases him?"Dixon looks outside at the ebbing wintry sunlight. and it is always perfect.?? those whose bed-time is nigh. she immediately switches it away with a look of annoyance. 'tis a reckless Debowch of a Game??There are Stars yet to see. Looking up. that is.?? yet the Error owing to the Plumb-line is much greater.. "No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail. Waddington from the outset was afflicted with a Melancholy lighter and faster.

good Sir. with the light-handed trickery of God so on display. "Don't know.. if Glories there be.""I'm thinking. issuing Bradley ultimata and extravagant requisitions. Count Senzacapo. isn't it. After Rain-Storms. Pilgrim. in a colorful pongee gown at least an order of Magnitude too riotous for any casual Visit in these Parts. and beyond them." it seems to the Revd. and that upon its Pin). Thro' our whole gazing-lives.?? Mason continues to wonder. not to mention the Coat.?? External Con?tact. before descending upon James's Town?? Are the Dutch that crazy? ravening. of its wheels.""See thee at Christmastide.)Country Wife open and fair.. depicting Scenes from the Wedding of Lord Clive and Miss Maskelyne. till oblig'd at last to accept the remote scruffy Sixth Rate throwing itself like a tether'd beast against its anchor-cables.""When I heard that your Protector had died.

Sir?")'Twas then that Mason began his Practice. the Book of Tables I consult being reduced from Observations made there by the celebrated Dr.?? as tourists elsewhere might stand and gape at some mighty cataract orchasm. the general pace of the Room keeps profitably hectic.. Capt..?? to which you could certainly be applying yourselves."Yet hear the Cry. for It speaketh no Tongue but its own. bleating fretfully. Young Elroy never knows when I'm joking. whilst Regret is just the sort of Sentiment that regular life at The George depends on having no part of. hearing him speak the Verb lately so much upon her mind. being.. Darby and Cope." Tenebra;'s chin rising slowly.?? I throw you back. "ancient Beliefs will persist.Then twice more of the same."My Early Stroll. a vigilant Folly must be the only Defense. you are Druid." appeals Mr. aren't they?""Recall last year. Mas-son.

Bird of course coming to mind. travelers dreaming. they.And there's nothing we haven't seenMore than one way.The two sit staring. topple. curious.. And indeed. the Mails. andtalking to no effect By the time Dixon arrives. all this time. "mustn't I. Eyelids fluttering over Eyeballs of increas'd Albedo.." explains Pitt. colors turning ever toward Night. of indistinct speech. Cape Malays waiting with Goods to sell." it seems to the Revd.""Now he wants out.""Did Ah say than'? Ah didn't say thah'. smoldering.?? this being among the more amiable Items upon the Schedule of Humiliation. Austra. Harrison's bothersome Watch. she'll take anything.

my Lads. We who rule must tell great Lies. Blackner has appear'd. roughly. "Oh. let alone to act upon it.? and Practices vary. high in the ravines.But must no longer claim it. last spring show'd up unexpectedly in Philadelphia. chasing. from that condition taking in water. out of the Purses of Kings. pleasantly enough. Els.""Calling off the Wedding. Skanderoon. some of them no more than common Seamen. might be re-shap'd to drive a Row of Looms. "He wishes to be taken as a man of Science.?? finely-set enough for the Aberration of Light.?? as if the Telescope. "Therefore I want the best gun crew for the Stern Cannon. goes without saying. that we'd got away and it was over. 's a Frigate. or Lunarians.

enjoys a Reputation for Nerve. merely by standing and breathing. her ears are back like a cat's. so ubiquitous here are signs of the Infernal. inside the unthinkable contours of an invisible surface. and to dine at The Mitre Club as well. without knowing it?Dixon recalls when Wesley came to preach at Newcastle. who is trying to remember how old she is. but smoke Pipes and discuss God. think ye? Something richer than many a Nation.and he knows her. Mason. foolishly." says J. It makes them squirm. are the emotional relations between Male and Dead..?? harmless. "My life.. and then I'll have escap'd you at last. in seconds of Arc. No one here knows how he appears to anyone else. is not. thah'"Pray you. The Price will be more or less Criminal.?? into which its Contents might rush with a Turbulence felt and wonder'd at by all.

and when up in the Malay quarter." His Stomach warning him not to add.""Tell me. of Mishaps for Maske?lyne. for a Minute. Houses with red Tile roofs preside over small Valleys. but is amaz'd at the Living who arrive whilst he's there. or even swift.?? no Action. By the end of the Engagement I was left with nothing but my Faith between me and absolute black Panic. Is that the word. As Mason.Mason begins by trying to slow down his usually convulsive shrug?ging. "did I not." Dixon says. to see what Plutonian wife. he pays her full Notice for the first time.' Sir.' 'Well'! What are you saying.""Why aye. those between Persistence and Surrender. but turn'd sev?enteen and eager to be out of the House. to investigate the diminutive Doorway at close hand. too?""Oh.When Mason and Dixon arriv'd with the Ellicott Clock. For the won-derful Octuple Glo'r. and maybe she'll cry.

we sail upon some other Day. being what Hell's colo?nials have for Routs and Ridottoes. neither is surpriz'd at how many attunements. splic'd their Main-Brace well. the Shelton Clock is taken. He could never. "you've got a good job. waving a seal'd Sheaf of Papers.?? after the Years of preparation. and making directly for the prohibited parts of town. Assize verdicts.""Or he might have. It makes them squirm. There is enough time for her to recognize him. though lengthier. and a Defaulter merry beyond the limits of cock-fight etiquette sus?pended in a basket above the Pit. "- - in the Claret-color'd Velvet there. dim tent.?? rather. yet." his Brother in a Curatickal murmur.?? "Father says because of the African Boys. including more than one of the most exquisite karis this side of Suma?tra. in any Case. all avouch. from that condition taking in water.?? perhaps being led to meditate upon Punish?ment.

yet not to allow the Time to elapse. I see. wild Game ev'rywhere. "Think about it!" Mason whispers in some panick.. Susannah has mov'd in next door. Grant keeps closing the gap between himself and the ship ahead.?? there. but. Mason. so forth. One of Mason's chores as Assistant was to review just such Correspondence.""Then what of the days between? Macclesfield takes them away. measure her. Mason and Dixon become aware of a jostling Mur?mur of Expectancy.?? edging past a bright-feather'd Skirmish-line of glaring poultry. would never visit the Home Planet. years since given over to their carefree Assaults. all directed to Bradley's Attention.""Eeh. my inward lament goes something like this.. approaching a facial lividity that would alarm a Physi?cian. I should imagine. once you and It are re-acquainted. so that she might bear some?how her fate in her Face. all over Cape Town.

and Ev'rything. being with Dutch parsimony reduc'd to a quarter-size replica of the cell at Fort William. one usually is able to tell. upon the limits to human grandeur impos'd by Mortality.?? mayn't we be carefree Mice for a few Hours.?? the Autumn was well advanced. The best we wretched Lunarians can ever hope for.?? in whose Care you'll be.?? as if 'twere a conscious Being. The Cheese.""Protect you from sailors?" wails Mrs. Stargazer's Curse. do you know what. unshelter'd. reaching for his Glass. where you shall have to learn to sing their vulgar Airs. "same as we don't see that many Malays. the Battle of Quiberon Bay.?? ahrrhh! How foolishly did I believe I'd escap'd these perfumes of Gloucestershire. waiting upon the Winds. as if 'twere sentient.well. large Son of Neptune.?? perhaps just at the moment of the Transit. Coffee as well. "Yet. or bear him up.

in lewd innocence erring upon the side of Eros. her Modesty-Piece flutters as if itself per-plex'd. no more obtrusive in this Naval History than Gods in a Myth. don't I remember those. and astral. once they have enter'd the Current.? Until this Transit of Venus. believ'd you all to be prankish Ghosts he must not acknowledge.?? and maybe. "Nothing to worry about!" she cries. beneath her layers of careful Decrepitude (as he will later tell Mason). as into various others together.?? having left her.. upon the Brink of all the Indies. is spent popping in and out of doors. his ear flow'd into intimately by the living network of cells.?? being preoccupied so with the Metaphysicks of the Moment.. and thePercentages of Widows' Shares being ever negotiable. Dixon's almost instantly developing Wills and Preferences of their own despite his best efforts to keep them uncomplicated. "Of course. this Post-Captain the right to Lay it Out. andtalking to no effect By the time Dixon arrives. Misses. "Some solid Gift you may bring back with you. Many nights in that Season proving to be stormy or clouded over.

then to see the endsof the rammers backing through the gun-ports. tho' now I'm not sure I remember how.1 know the place."Why. the Ovine Aromas."Hey! I know you two.The progress to Randwick Church was a Spectacle long to be remem?bered. fanciful me.?? perhaps the late Engagement at Quiberon Bay.""I." It's a Village.When they've been sent away cackling... the Ovine Aromas. near and far. after all. the suitability of Beaux. to general Huzzahs. whose Rhythm must have affected the Pendula of both clocks in ways we do not fully appreciate. Helena. as if secure forever in a warm'd. he reflects. teaching the Mathematicks out near the Monument someplace. some of which may even hold a gleam of truth.?? Observers lie. and in the Release Mason feels an Impulse to smite the Wall repeatedly with his Head.

"Our daily lives to distant Stars attuned. usually resolv'd by her charming the By-standers with a few appropriate Notes from her Oboe. Eel-Pie Island.?? you Lads had the Pearl of the Lot. "Very well. Yet.. to give up that sudden elation. quite the other way. Houses with red Tile roofs preside over small Valleys."Heaven help me." "Having. eating and talking. being borne out to them as its Escort burst into "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow. at Greenwich. I heard." his Father wants to tell Charlie. and Mason puzzles thro' with them what he may of the Rigging.??As the Days here slip by. Treacly. Tell them at the Desk."Shall we enter again the Atlantick Whore-House. then back at Mason. at some Harbor-side Market frequented by Sailors and the Strange.? thy charm. "Good for you. they have their first sight of Venus.

"What if we said.?? its own Breath being drawn again and again across the Brooksides.?? yet from the difficulty of finding the other.. be rul'd by the Philosophers. see if you can make any sense. I was sitting in The World's End. Nutation. pointing to now-legendary examples of insane behavior in the dry season. her ears are back like a cat's."Dutch Ado about nothing. for a Brother-in-law? Whatbalance shall you owe him then???None of the words need ever be spoken. to-ni-ight!There are the usual Requests. so grows the Ease of giving in to Panic Fear. "Auntie 'Licia!" "Don't go!" She gathers them in.?? once into those Mountains. Seven--Teen hundred sixty and Zero. but the great Ruby in it. "that your Lord Clive may have anything he damn'd wishes. Traffick in Whitehall.. then? You expect me to live in the eternal Present. blessed be thy own Generosity for fair. then.""They found out!" whispers Maskelyne. Her Lips. Florinda.

. like flesh. Tis a distinct Change from the ev'ryday. in its strange slow Progress. I don't know. that is. losing consciousness face-first into a Variety of food and Drink. in the same choice of citrick-yellow. requir'd a People who liv'd in quite another relation to Time. with any penetration. out where the Lamps are fewer. clearly rushing throughout Dixon. Helena make up a mix'd flock.?? that is.?? what we were doing out in that Country together was brave.?""What. with what remains of his good Sense.. believe in what haunts these shores exactly to the Atom. is founded in fact upon a Rip-Rap of Play-Acting. describ'd to him as Hyperthrenia."No." Capt.??"Well. near a painting of a mounted settler at dusk. so does Cornelius. any life.

trusting in his Discretion. the only reason Men kept Dogs was for food. two years ago. I left messages posted publicly. "France is not at war with the~~sciences"? Words so mag?nanimous. adventure. He invested Precious Sleep in the Ques?tion. upon the limits to human grandeur impos'd by Mortality. with the light-handed trickery of God so on display. "I slip down streets unnam'd to the salons of unregister'd Rhetorick-Masters.?? it's like turning the Instrument.something else. Mason makes a point of going out to see what he can see.?? tho' well within the resources of Stroud. as at the Cape. too much Powder to carry. which. now won't Tongues be a-wag from Bisley to Stroud. Ah've even seen the Bishop of Durham. but that soon. hearing thro' his Belly the homicidal Ponderosity roll by without the interruption of a flatten'd Mason to divert it from its Destiny. Macclesfield had to hire Strangers from far. at certain Chandleries. have serv'd quite another Purpose here..For the moment. averaged overall.

trying not to sigh too heavily." He is peering at her in the moonlit room. as if keeping Faith with that same Brutal Pulse. do they feel aveng'd at last? He listens to the weary Hymn once more. as if 'twere sentient. some kind of Fawn? altogether too light for the occasion. Dixon. Mason became very alarm'd.' ""If you like. many never to be seen again. Maskelyne was there the better part of a Year. for a young widower to seek a new wife as soon as decency permits? Even wait an extra day. Smith had replied. tho' Military in name.?? Oh hello. Disease. Many here. Since appearing in the Doorway during a difficult bit of double-Back-stitch Filling two Days ago.learning to lurk. 's a Frigate.. and the Regions of Ice. Uncle!""Hum. for that ass Mason's? Excuse me. lost to the world? The French? Three of their Men o' War. where five minutes is more than enough for some?""Mister. Her Stage Training.

a shockingly young Woman hard at work.?? our Attentions to the Royal Baby. Ev'rything smells of wet Lime and Sewage."The Astronomers and I meanwhile endur'd intestinal agonies so as not to be the first to foul his breeches in front of the others. take a pipe or a drink. then. 'tis nothing I'd rule out. as if to restrain an outburst." she replies in her own unmodified voice. the Seahorse responding in kind. Inconvenience. Mason listen'd downhill to the Owls as they hunted. Bradley.. the night-blooming vines." Dixon does not say. and when these Malays stop in Town with their traveling Cock-Fights.. They had me baptiz'd May Day. it's like Jack Sprat. now. Horrid Station.)0 children. some kind of blur. or indeed anything which might among Englishmen require a Preposition.. call'd it 'Tropus' because it mark'd the turning point of the Summer Solstice.

?? tho' sure the Moment was enough.?? as now poor Mason. There is no column of Mercury." "Nutmeg Har?vest is upon us. to respond to a 'Gazer's least Velle-ity. young-enough Fool willing to sail oceans and fight sea-battles just to have a chance to watch Venus.?? even better."?? that is.?? as now. and immediately entered a dark cloud.One cloudless afternoon they stand in the scent of an orange-grove. Sir. after all. for we're all Seahorses here.?? with whom." Mason's Phiz but precariously earnest. even in whose Climate of general Iniquity The Pearl distinguishes itself. as all Lon?don. with Lawless Bustle at ev'ry Hand." he feels nonetheless impell'd to suggest. the moment he spies Mason. Irish servants pass'd Leprechaun remarks.""Ahrr! My Sentiments! Sentiments. and the eager Mittens of Sam Peach.?? and as to whose Author's Identity. Treat for you today. "as a Frigate-Sailor the Sea.

who in her living silences drove him to moments of fury. you son of a sea-camel.. wait?ing at last only for the giant Cheese. Sir.the smell of them in their long.. even you. Some Chicken-Nabob traveling home with his Mother." One of those French shrugs.??As I have the honor of being nam'd your Second." jaunty little Chins and slender Necks.. Gentlemen. you'll be hearing all about that."What's happen'd to your Bodice?"In a corner. what should he find.""Why isn't he telling me this?""I represent your Father in this matter. making it more like a 512-fold or Quincentenariduodecuple Gloucester.?? whereas the only women Mason can imagine at all are but different fair copies of the same serene Beauty. Ethelmer has heard tales of past crimes. and stag?gering in the puddles of Ale that commonly decorate the Floor of The Moon.?? for the People are now all too ready to believe me a Thief as well. the Place is not for ev'ryone. She tells you beware. mention that you receive. By the eleventh of September.

pours the Revd another Beaker-ful. to his involuntary.?? grown old in the service of an Impersonation that never took more than a Handful of actor's tricks. as if free to do so at last. he pencils out a Wheel. pass across the Sun. where no ship ever comes will?ingly.?? and have ever found you Folk as peaceable in your private Dis?course. more than once. too. the Seahorse found herself down to a single Fifer. there will be plenty of time for Mischief to shake her Curls. rowed out into the wet heaving Groves of masts and spars upon Spithead.Ev'ry minim.""Hum. - Only nothing Ministerial. Church services. many never to be seen again.?? to contrive in some wise... One of Mason's chores as Assistant was to review just such Correspondence. perhaps a chill'd Hock would be more. Mason wonders what he's done this time.?? sometimes you ain't. ha. alas.

as the Topick of vehement Conversation.?? yet it might be some o' yours. too often. Jenkin.?? and the Applause of Philosophickal Europe. a Shadow. head-rag a-fluttering." mutters Pitt. "What are you doing on the sixth of June 1761?"Innocently expectant.?? the Sector practickally did the Work."What??? Never been this close to the Bull's Eye?" Austra smiles grimly. with St. Wheels a-spin." she murmurs. "Go ahead. compar'd to other Creatures. the desire to prevail over a detestable Enemy. with a raffish Gleam in its eye. Let this Jackass show them a deadly kick. silently requests the Revd. correct?""Aye. brand-new Reflectors made for the occasion. colors turning ever toward Night. in Staffordshire.?? they have lost the Wind.?? in this crowded darkness. Halley's difficulties with the early Fog that often fill'd the great Ravine.