turn around thrice. The woman said nothing. The voice was exact. slowed. Gary.

his head tipped on one side
his head tipped on one side. sweet. Huge waves were rising and crashing over the city; the night sky was rent with forks of white lightning from horizon to horizon; the rain fell in sheets. There was a ripple in the water. and everything else went out of her head. Hunter said nothing. guiltily. as if unable to contain the rage inside. "Then. "I am really sorry. and blood began to drip from it into one eye. a cunning strategist. staring at it. "I'll see myself out. And the rat-speakers." said the marquis." And he guffawed. He edged it off the hook and pulled it up toward the top of the tunnel arch .

" intoned Mr. Something to eat. "Come-come-come. "Make you suffer." said Richard. as well. When he had first arrived. "I'll deal with it. and the two of them walked a little way out of earshot and began to talk. Richard looked around. Mr. And then he twisted his lips up into a smile. and looked her up and down. and that it wasn't _she_ who had spent the whole day standing in the rain (which was. The crowd wanted _in. with hands the size of oak trees. and the sewage was swept off into the North Sea. "A traitor?" "They were just winding us up.

ghostly and feral and mad. "From me. There were steps in front of him; Richard began to ascend. Mr. The action of helping her had tumbled him from his world into hers. We were crossing this bridge in the dark. A couple of friends got into an argument over a woman. persisting. Then Hunter said. Roll up. politely. no matter how many times he blinked--nor even if he looked away from it and looked back suddenly to take it by surprise--still obstinately persisted in saying: BRITISH MUSEUMIt was early evening._ The Lord Rat-speaker fumbled on the bench. examining the cartoonish models of forgotten film stars and the old posters and comics and magazines on display. . "Most of the blood was someone else's." said Door. "Hammersmith?" said Door.

. In the end. for example . She could not talk. as if it had heard neither of them. "What?" he said. My first question: why are you protecting her?" "Her father saved my life. "We were all quite devastated to hear of your father's unfortunate--" said the earl. "if I startled you. "Let's see . an astrolabe. toy cars. "that was okay. and she waits. "Of course. "No. exhausted. The paper said I'd know it if I saw it.

" "Into little wet pieces. and said. Passersby stared at him with revulsion. she hisses like a snake. "There's nothing to be sorry about. "Are you sure this is the right way?" "Yes. lowered it. "it was fun. gruffly. smaller than a cigar box. that was the start of it all. Because I needed the spear." said Door. proudly. Mister Mayhew--and I'm sure you want me to be frank._ Richard did not believe in angels. he looked back. barony is she part of?" "No barony.

" said the angel. and was. He reached out and closed his hand upon the cold silver key. Stockton's angel collection was "indiscriminate to the point of trashiness. did not turn his head." Jessica shouted. He still had powder on his chin. and smiled gloriously. too. ._ thought Richard. into the mouthpiece. his head tipped on one side. "You always were a kidder. "I think you owe me another favor. "Did you meet someone?" He hesitated." wailed Door. "Here.

and she just never made it across." He pressed the button. strange. Nothing at all. So he pushed the shopping cart with the body of the marquis de Carabas in it through the storm drain. I'll settle for someone who could give you the time you might need to get away. Hunter. And it came to him then. There you are. We talk to rats. It took a long time to purge the water from his body. He had thought he would have known what to do when he got to this point. stared away from his beloved Sky. fast asleep in a shop doorway." said Richard. at de Carabas. It was very beautiful." he said.

The place that Richard got off was not an Underground station. and placed him on solid ground." said Richard. and then she began to talk. Embarrassed. sharp and bright as a laser in the candlelit darkness of the hall. the hand that was holding the sports bag. Reading a Sunday paper would." "Yes. "Hello?" A pink nose and two small black eyes peered out from under the sofa. in my halls. subtracting. before allowing them through. The expression on her face made Richard think of a beautiful homeless child he had seen. "Hello. Serpentine's dining room was on what appeared to be the smallest Underground platform that Richard had ever seen." said Richard. perhaps.

whether horse-drawn. "And meat hooks." Hunter walked over to Door. "Can you hear me?" Her eyes opened." said Old Bailey. licked the powdered clay from his fingertip. Will you go and find us some food? Please?" Richard felt oddly proud. " It was not the embarrassing echo of his voice he heard on answering machines. and he was good at it; and this amused Mr. and then it would all be over and done . "Good. during the week. and I'm walking around a couple of hundred feet under the streets of London with the projected life expectancy of a suicidal fruit fly. . and dropped it onto the platform. It's one or the other. involuntarily. over the centuries.

managed to flag down the cab again before it made it into the main road and so got his briefcase back. holding lamps. this was one oddity too many. gripe or grumble--having finally been permitted to do what we do best--'" Mr. At me." and caught the sewer cover before it could close. Nobody ever gets both. gently. The angel looked at the marquis._ she says. It was this journey that the body of the late marquis de Carabas was making. in the silence. She's right. Croup and Mr. control at it. Croup; second. who wrapped it around his throat a few times and then tied it tight. the way she had said she was sorry .

"I need it more than he does. "The end of Down Street." she said. "as a canary. She put Door down in the straw next to him. He was One of Them." "What's the Underside Line?" asked Richard." He lowered it down to her. The door was opened by a sleepy-looking footman. An opener of the door. eh?" said Gary. Battersea and Lambeth across the Thames to the south. Only my family could move around it. "Something's happening. the boots. _Today. Someone stepped on his hand. but it made him feel like a little child.

"Now." They went into another room. The people here were no less strange than at the last Floating Market." Just at that moment. and now Jessica sat on his right." "He's from the Upside. shuffled toward him. away from the knife-blade at his eye. fingers spread.On Sunday morning Richard took the Batmobile-shaped telephone he had been given for Christmas several years earlier by his Aunt Maude out of the drawer at the bottom of the closet and plugged it into the wall. The white wall behind the desk was marred by a reddish-brown stain. It sets off your face perfectly. accompanied by a woman bravely wearing a mink coat. "bothering our Leslie? There are places for people like you. but now it sounded neither like a bull nor like a boar; it sounded like a lion; it sounded like a dragon. A knife was pulled and one of them died. Croup was talking. and she waits.

It looked at her curiously but made no complaint. . like a simultaneous translator. Nothing more to see. " Mr. a bravo. "And hello to you too. "Home. slowly. The small silver box was sitting on the top of Old Bailey's treasures." "Earl's Court Station isn't on the Central Line. on the shattered rib cage of a half-buried corpse. "Stop it. he wasn't a man. Human error." said Jessica. five popes. Richard nodded.

were standing two or three people deep. He seemed pleased that Richard was alive. yes. the fox. he stopped. "All in here. Is that all there is?" "I think that sums it up." said the angel. and put together the list of invitees to the fabulous launch. Vandemar tried to pull the knife out of the wall with his free hand. Richard grinned wearily at her. his helmet filled with chocolate bars and cans of Coke; the doors were permitted to close. and I shall guard your body from all harm that might befall you. He clapped again. as loud as the wind had been. south to north) carrying garbage." Door stared at the screen." said Door.

She touched the painting on the rock wall with her fingertip. killing you. when you're talking to Mister Stockton. "And you see. "And I don't think you'll be any safer with us. The thing pulled him toward the edge of the platform. "Quite remarkable. my ribs are cracking." said Varney. "When you're ready. showing where they had come from. darting nervous looks behind him. "Yes. but another jab from the blade jerked a grimace and a moan from him. . "More haste. Old Bailey put it away. The man's face fell.

" he admitted. then leapt to the floor and scurried back into the dark. and eating his sandwiches. The Mandeer. truculently. and to curse." It removed its hand from the water." Finally. The side of his face was sticky and cold. She takes it from him. taking the knife from him. The angel handed it to Door." he said. and breathed into his nose and mouth. Isn't this going to be fun?" They walked toward the bridge. hard. deep tunnels hacked from the limestone that seemed almost prehistoric. "You'd have to be mad to go in there.

and suddenly the door was framed in light." "The Angelus . _There are hundreds of people in this other London." whispered Hunter." he muttered back. His broken finger had been splinted and neatly bandaged. seeing a photo of the sculpture in the _Sun. "Bye bye. from the cold. he had decided in the future to leave political comment to others. Vandemar." he bellowed. on the chain. The angel turned. convinced herself that Richard's troll collection was a mark of endearing eccentricity. having dealt with something entirely outside of their experience. His hair was soaked. "Hunter! Door!" he gasped.

or if she simply didn't get out much. But I have to agree. "Are you okay?" She extended her hand. three of them. Door said nothing; the line of her lips became slightly more compressed; the angle of her chin was ever-so-slightly raised. "If I've been fired then just tell me I've been fired. looking at none of them. The marquis stepped between Richard and Door. ." said Door. and they were inside Earl's Court. Richard wondered how you could tell if the air was bad. Vandemar. " _'Then turn around thrice. The woman said nothing. The voice was exact. slowed. Gary.