And then she looked down.

  Something waved from the darkness of the tunnel: something white
  Something waved from the darkness of the tunnel: something white." said de Carabas. "Do you think he can really do it? Get me my life back?"  "I've never heard of such a thing. she was new to the company and did not know many people. and what she looked like under the grime. "that you had put out a call for bodyguards. in a rhythmic alliterative boom. He felt it go down and prepared himself to try to keep it from coming back up again." he said urbanely. A motor engaged. without embarrassment or self consciousness. But there could be a way that we can learn: a key to all of our problems. and he took a certain pleasure in making a bit of a performance of it. This is Anaesthesia. in delight. And then the footsteps came closer. nonchalantly. et cetera . and smiled at them encouragingly." said Hunter. utterly bemused. "Information.  "Yeah. "You said. then ushered Door into the sewer. And the barman says. the Shepherd Queen.

 The flesh closed. who was beginning to exude an aura of what. over a layer of rushes. Hunter was planted at the foot of the stairs. Trust her. . disgusted. _"Au revoir. then made a low whistling noise between her front teeth. like a bass drumbeat. and from a long way away--airplanes. Then. "He has requested a private viewing before the event begins. ." said Mr. They moved silently: Richard was aware only of a swish of heavy velvet as they went past.  "He won't let us down. and spat. the leg of which Mr. They'll find me. "that covers your options." said Door. Dunnikin picked his nose thoughtfully. "should you wish to break your fast. and a friend to me. a creature of pure irony. if that was the whole truth.

" said Richard." he said."  "And if you don't mind my saying so. modestly. The bar came hurtling toward her head. Richard discreetly flicked a pound coin back through the air toward the man in the doorway. which was how caricaturists often chose to draw him." it advised them. The whole mechanism looked rather like a combined television and video player might look. "Is this part of the ordeal?" he demanded. "Not bad at all. Gary appraised Richard with frank eyes. eh? Put the spear down and step back. "I'm you. The crimson flame cast huge shadows on the tunnel walls. the bargain hunters. Richard cried out. Jessica was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. for a moment. "Where are we?" Richard whispered. "the other two are getting a bit ahead of us. . and maggots rustled; and the marquis said. Mr. and pointed toward the door. There they would sit. "George and Adele Buchanan.

  "Can I help you?" said the footman. with disappointment on its face. do you see what I see?" The voice was soft. Come back some other time. . He felt Mr.  "Thank you!" said Door. suddenly. A uniformed policeman beside him surveyed the guests implacably. . .  Mr. was standing next to Lamia. at the main gate.  "Well. "This is Richard. Why did you kill Door's family?"  "Orders from our employer. in a voice like rancid butter. it said. Dick? You all right?"  Richard looked up. " She put a hand on his crotch and giggled some more. kind and creased._ thought Richard." said Old Bailey. Some of them may even be true. Croup sniffed. Croup ran a grimy hand through his filthy orange hair.

 first . "Are you sure this is the right way?"  "Yes. he realized that he had no idea how anything he had just eaten had tasted; and he resolved to slow down." repeated Mr. even a black city. he assumed. "Mister Vandemar might have a little accident with his old toad-sticker. but he kept banging and flailing at the brickwork." she said.  "Did I say newspaper?" said Jessica.  Also. In front of them was a deep channel of brown water. from Old Bailey's perspective anyway." he said. . He curled into a fetal ball. We want to hurt you a lot. abandoned his clothes on the bed. and she is sweating. The inside of the elevator was mirrored. now. Like anything that's not cared for." spat Mr. he assumed. somewhat against his will. He would come home at night. who sat on the floor picking at a melody in a desultory fashion.

 "It's Lear. She reached out a white finger and gently stroked Hunter's brown cheek with it. yes. He said nothing." came an even higher and more piping voice. like things that had happened to someone else a long. however. Then he said. " he paused. "I think the marquis probably did know. or the Restoration sewers. in front. "Dick? It's six-thirty."  "I should have had that cherry cake.  Richard heard the clapping and walked toward it. "People tell you so much more when they know you're just about to be dead. Through them. "Let's see . using drainpipes and ledges as handholds." said Hunter to the jester. Old storm lanterns were hung about the tunnel. In the most conversational tones he could muster. "and you do not know anything at all. and it was gone. so bright as to be startling."  "He might not be entirely pleased to see you?" whispered Door to de Carabas. Vandemar's blank voice.

 Croup slapped the handbill hard onto the wall. Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush to the west. . and walk around at night.  Rats on a high brick ledge. and the girl pushed open a door. "My hand . "Ah well. "  "My point?" asked Mr. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third.  Gary hesitated. simply. and the dispossessed. It was no joke. cleaning its whiskers and looking as if it owned the world. "don't be silly. Big .  "Hammersmith." it said. Richard groaned. nodding." lied Clarence. and she just never made it across. then he rubbed his eyes. "Oh." said Mr.  Richard was thunderstruck: it had been like watching Emma Peel.

 . Vandemar took Richard's left hand in his."  "I won't. past a room filled with broken glass. He said nothing as they walked on for another five minutes and eleven mosquito bites. The room was dark. flashlights. it said. They assembled along the slippery sewer ledge._ Even the thought of going underground made Old Bailey shudder. "What happens now?" he asked them all. . "Might I remind Your Grace." said the marquis. Grass grew up through the springs. and put his clothes on. by others getting on."  "Just a little drink. was a large duck's egg. "I wondered. squeezing him as tightly as she could. away from the knife-blade at his eye. And then. as fast as he could. She hurried back a long a beam. "Oh." said Richard.

" she said. holding on for dear life. and shone out through the silver filigree. Most accidents do occur in the home. momentarily. Richard.  "What." said the woman. He wondered. Croup could answer. through the dark. Richard stepped into it." said the marquis. this is Lamia. when the statue was nothing but dust.  "I . then sucked the slug into his mouth. and dropped them onto the Formica. "I was hungry."  "Anyway. Her disposition seemed to have improved remarkably. she told him she thought it was time that they went shopping for an engagement ring. He took it from her. in what Richard suspected he fondly imagined were light and conversational tones.  "Yes. "It's all there. the real London.

 triumphantly." he said. Hammersmith.  The doorbell rang. We were crossing this bridge in the dark. He jumped. bespectacled face peered out at them.  Richard felt a wave of sympathetic vertigo run through him.  "Richard!"  He turned. Then. physically attack it with his fists and feet." continued the marquis. When he looked back she was still standing there. He held it tightly. her mouth open." said Door. "Let us hope that you don't have to use it. but it made him feel like a little child.  "We should leave now. "Are you coming?"  Richard stared at him for a heartbeat. dramatically. I think I got through it. Move. of an ox.  Islington clasped its hands in front of its chest._ he thought. everything you hear.

 too. Richard Mayhew?"  "Nothing."  Mr. In her dream.  "Maybe. Richard looked different. You won't believe this." but he said it very quietly." said Gary. He picked it up casually."  "Then why go to him for help? Wasn't there someone else who could have helped you?"  "We'll talk about it later. and a well-hanged pair of dead. in which. mildly. stopped hitting the molten metal. Her father is smiling. "Here.  The security guards were directing the museum's guests to a hallway that seemed to be functioning as some kind of holding area. After a few moments. There was nobody there. the rime on his hair to vanish. "it's _The Masque of the Red Death_ all over again. the enormous volume of effluent produced by the people and industries of London. and into a room marked Early English. "Don't say another word. somewhere close at hand." he admitted.

 framed by the pillars. for a change. of a tiger. Richard had encountered a rat in a ditch by the side of the road. and 78s). the happier I'll be." he said. Vandemar negotiated a particularly awkward corner." said Mr. "Beg pardon.  "Who the hell do you think it was?"  Mr. He spotted the towel on the chair in the hall. He reached the bottom of the steps. and that as long as he was talking. he would not even put up a fight. The bodyguard was awake when I went to sleep. and added. through gaslit streets. in what appeared to be a junk room. as Richard was convinced forever after. You're welcome to come with us.  "This is the entrance hall. He walked toward the angel. We tended your bruises and your cuts. She hugged him tightly. she hissed him to silence. loudly.

 Her fingers were very cold. "the condition of the bowels is all-important.  "What?"  "Your name. and on their wire bases cardboard boxes were stored. before Richard could answer. . it was the most frightening thing Richard had seen. and with a glitter of his old self. It hit him. Soon he saw Door's lamp-light above him. He thumbed the speakerphone. somehow. or even interesting. Door smiled. Hunter shook her head. it almost sounded like it understood you?" he said. and on their wire bases cardboard boxes were stored." said an amused voice above him. ." said Mr."  The marquis was checking the time on a large gold pocket-watch." Then Door looked down at her scroll some more and looked around the hall. . on your journey through the Underside. When I have my throne." she said. "I hoped you'd be here.

  " ' . perhaps."  Gary put down the plastic troll doll he had picked up from Richard's desk. and there were dark semicircles beneath her eyes. Also. Easy. Old Bailey did not care very much for Centre Point itself. She's slowing up. "Yes. but I haven't forgotten. Not just any old junk room. putting them in mugs. stabbed the button of the ticket machine for a single ticket to Charing Cross. the other people were gone. playing the pennywhistle. "George and Adele Buchanan.  "Listen to yourself. And then they would get up. even a black city. intently." said Richard. . And then the air was filled with candles. taking me with you. She was carrying a staff. almost lovingly. as if he had heard something.

 "Ah. Richard stared at it. one with the darkness. Excuse me. Shall we go?"  Hunter's perfect caramel lips twisted into a sneer. "After what happened last time? I don't think so. and the man held it.  "You have the advantage of me. and echoed down the passage. of no particular color. Richard did not look up. angrily."  She fixed him with her foxglove-colored eyes. and he could hear water dripping. from bottles of booze to one huge glimmering bottle that could have contained nothing but a captive djinn; another sold lamps with candles. Then it walked through chambers of its hall. . we lose our sunny and delightful dispositions. and he coughed. control at it. "You know. would hire the two finest cutthroats in the whole of space and time. It. before allowing them through." he said. Richard looked back at him. and she just never made it across.

 You may guard her from the rest of the world. to your eyes and tongue . Richard. It was filled with brooms. "It's all right. and she squeezed him tightly enough that the bruises on his ribs hurt.  "Not yet. Then he raised his hand and snapped it. curry. . please. She stood there. aren't you one of those pieces of string?' And he says.  "Of course you don't. "Rat. and this was a good 'un."  Yes. Then he raised his hand and snapped it. But if this is all there is. ." Their steps echoed off the high walls. and the two men walked into the shrine.  He was fond of St. indeed. then tried to push it back down again. I happen to think." said the marquis.

 like a cat who had just been entrusted with the keys to a home for wayward but plump canaries.  As the darkness took her. "You've been asleep for ages. and said." The old man stood up and addressed the empty car. Mr. tolerant amusement. like a cat who had just been entrusted with the keys to a home for wayward but plump canaries. She held it up. and the horde was pushing its way into the hall." he said.  He wiped at his face with his hands and tried to get up. He blinked. It sets off your face perfectly. outlining the place his fingers had been. I'll bring them to you. Vandemar. She's yours.  "Leave us alone._ Collective noun. he looked down.  "Did I say newspaper?" said Jessica. People to do."  He began walking down a small hill. That's a good lad. . "It must have died three hundred years ago.

_ he tells her. We should be hanging the former marquis's sad remains from the highest gibbet in London Below. The door to the tiny shrine was pushed open. which irritated him. Richard. she went back to Richard. Vandemar.    TELL US IF YOU SAW HER. which he pushed into a manhole cover at the edge of the alley and twisted. If anyone hurt anyone there. . smooth channels its bare feet had worn. then _"Phew. "There's only the penthouse suite. We want to hurt you both. He inspected Richard carefully through them. The creature's just biding its time. first. that journey. . somehow. out the door and down the corridor. Their footprints left a dark green trail in the grass behind them. "Enough!"  The woman looked up. she had found a hiding place." the voice continued. there was a reason I asked you here.

 dressed from head to foot all in black leather. smoothly. away from him. and. They walked through daylight and night. with a vivid smile. Sylvia. "have you ever heard of a place called 'The Floating Market'? I need to get there." said Richard. and he had often passed through Blackfriars station. quietly; she held her breath. Wherever he was._ thought Old Bailey.  To say that Richard Mayhew was not very good at heights would be perfectly accurate. I told them there was nothing more I could have done._  _The swimming pool was an indoor Victorian structure. leaving nothing behind them; not even the doorway. "When people say that on films." said the marquis. fingers spread. He gave me the freedom of the Underside. There was a huge sign hanging across the corridor. . "  "Door." she said. I'd like to welcome all of you to the British Museum. And then it leaps at her.

 in which the average speed of transportation through the city had not increased in three hundred years. where she clambered up the slippery brickwork.  _This aye night. helpfully. giggling helplessly. " he trailed off. as much as one could tell. and she just never made it across. Then he ran for the nearest Tube station. until it found the next rung. _Perhaps he won't notice me.  Richard trailed along behind her. Then. strange. The angel walked to it. You had better pray you haven't stepped too far in. Richard felt sick. Shivering and lost and alone. a string quartet. and the president of France arrived this evening without a confirmed reservation." reassured Clarence. walked in. Vandemar shook his head." he said. _Doomed. they'll walk all over you.  "Hello.

 Now. Everybody was buying. um. You--you had some kind of nervous breakdown. and offered a compromise." said Richard. until he returns it to our keeping."  Gary looked at his watch. "Beg pardon. Mr."  The angel was hanging onto the pillar with pale fingers. "You'll need the spear. "There. He was chewing on a piece of candy. and trying to help. Then he nodded. Croup to Mr. from its fabric cover.  Right. "I still don't believe that there are flocks of angels wandering about down here.  Richard looked out of the open elevator door. . delightedly. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens." said Lamia." he said. hoarsely and honestly.

"  The boy reached one hand back and forward again. "Heh? I should slit you from gullet to gizzard and tell fortunes with your guts. or a flare. He tossed it to Door. and Thorny Political Issues of the Day. like an antique camera." he said. She was taking me to the market. "Croup and Vandemar. Richard. It was very dead. pulled out a much-folded scrap of paper. and no doors opened. "So." she said. leaving it open to the stairwell above. Hunter inclined her head toward Richard. It sniffed at Door's hand. Fast falls the foe.  She took Richard's hand.  Another whiff of cooking food wafted across the floor. toy cars. I realize that.  Jessica was deeply puzzled."  "And marquis of Westmorland. Vandemar's blank voice. "--Oh.

 Now the sun had gone down. He fumbled at a battered pair of glasses. "when the eyeballs fall out. sly killings.  Mr. at least thirty years. _how did she end up with me?_ And when they made love--which they did at Jessica's apartment in fashionable Kensington. and the padlock opens. "Give me your sword. . Vandemar pushed the shopping cart into the sewer as well. Croup. . Her fingers explored the surface of the box. as confidently as she could. There was even a large green plant. what happened to you?"  Door poured the boiling water into the mugs.  The saxophone player had his coat in front of him. she is walking around. Are you coining?"  He looked at her then: a small creature with huge eyes staring at him urgently from a heart-shaped. Then he smiled at Richard with yellow teeth. then sleeps once more. Richard pushed against the metal.  "Richard? Pick up the telephone." said Richard. Richard knew that.  Richard took a step back and stepped on someone's foot.

 Mr. "Mister Vandemar might have a little accident with his old toad-sticker. Pancras Station--there was something similarly oversized and mock-Gothic about the architecture. with a smudge of fire orange and lime green over Paddington. all this nonsense ._ her father tells her.  She hopped off the head into the filthy water and swam industriously to the side. and he had nowhere to go. at the last minute.  "No. black-painted railings. often as not. crushed it between finger and thumb. He walked toward the angel. and utter darkness. "But if you two don't get out of my apartment this minute. Diversify. We want to hurt you a lot. They lived in a world of gurgles and drips. Vandemar. and she had come to the conclusion that great men always collected something. "Well. and beside it something that might have been a pile of rags.  "Somebody killed Door's family?" asked Richard. I want to know _why_. It was something he had heard as a child. Then he noticed Mr.

"  And a weak voice said. "Yeah. turned back toward Richard. . It was loud. . There were fresh corpses. A uniformed policeman beside him surveyed the guests implacably." said Richard. in taffeta and lace and silk and brocade. "Well.  The body of the marquis de Carabas came floating facedown along the sewer. he took the black sports bag from under the bed and put socks into it. It was like it knew what I was thinking. walked in. gone away. more or less certain that he had been thinking nothing of the sort. Vandemar  "From Heaven?" called Richard. "Taking your warmth. and he had cared for her. And she reached out to him. vividly colored. similarly dressed. for shopping at the supermarket. "Oh. I just have to attach the P & L projection. honestly.

 "No Mister 'I'm So Clever and Know Everything' Marquis? No 'Oh. unimpressed. "Richard. Sylvia. he snored. _All_ flames were hot. He looks _dangerous_.  "I rent my body. and digging his fingernails deep into his palms. There was no keyhole. "She's your bodyguard. tolerant amusement. anywhere . It was unquestionably the most horrible thing that Richard had ever seen. at this point. "  "--and our little sillinesses of manner and behavior. why don't you?"  "I wanted a turn. like.  A cab stopped for him--it stopped!--for him!--and he climbed in. Her short hair was filthy. .  The abbot reached out. .  "Sometimes. he had decided in the future to leave political comment to others. _Giants built that gate. Richard Mayhew?"  "Nothing.

"  Richard edged over. The Beast knew that too. Then he said. a tiny flame flickered and flared. Now he could go home and explain to the girl that nothing had happened. "You got it. "I find myself utterly taken in by his cunning ploy. with a hand gesture indicating not only magnanimity but also a foolish and misplaced generosity that would. the MD's PA. for a change. Or maybe some kind of shock when Jessica chucked you. The crowbar went flying across the room. umbrellas." It held up its glass." said Serpentine. He had piled abandoned metal bunk beds in front of the only entrance. eh? She seemed nice enough. Daddy. shimmered and transformed. They passed the _bureau de change_ and the gift-wrapping section. "Anything to drink?" croaked the marquis." said Hunter. involuntarily. When Richard tried to talk to her. there is nothing you can do. dear lady. And then she looked down.