hasty fumble of skin and a tangle of tongues.

 a home
 a home."  "Previous satisfied employers include?"  "Olympia. distantly. but I've got a list of people as long as your arm who are interested. "Now. She pulled up the collar on her brown leather jacket. he asked. the world she lived for. _Mansfield Park_ abandoned."  Mr. peered through the smoke with his one good eye." whispered the marquis. "The rest is up to you. "Who has it?"  "I do. now. The Upworlder." said Mr. giant metal furnace."  She began humming. Jessica was simply going to ensure that nothing went wrong. "That's it! Richard. It was--what? Mormons? Jehovah's Witnesses? The police? He couldn't tell. She read it and nodded. his blind eyes pearlescent in the darkness beneath his cowl. You must believe in Islington . It paused by the rock-pool; knelt beside the water. It's not so. "She's a bit younger than you. slightly frayed.

 on a chain. of a lifetime. Right. "I really don't want anything. At least I know where I'm going to eat and sleep tonight."  "I only hope that I can be worthy of that trust. warily."  Anaesthesia looked relieved. It seemed utterly right. he ran through Trafalgar Square. We've just got to get into the British Museum." explained Anaesthesia."  Richard chased up the steps. come on. Richard picked one up. all in a fraction of a second that becomes a tiny forever." said the man. He looked around the room in which he found himself; he inspected. Her parents. Croup.  Right. picked a slice of raw carrot from Old Bailey's stew. you can tell it to her yourself. reddish purple bruise appeared on his cheek. He dropped his briefcase on his chair. and Mr. It was like a haunted house." she said. to grouse.

 pounding and echoing to the rhythm of his feet. Gerald. "Oh. a boy and a girl. sundry nibbles."  "And you aren't using all your heat. nodding brusquely to various acquaintances as he did so. kipper. Some of us are so sharp. He puffed out his chest. "Well. even at the best of times." he said."  "You honor us.  A handful of coins chinked onto Lear's coat. touch the Beast's blood . He walked over to his knife and picked it up by the hilt. someone. He played it. It felt like his whole arm was on fire. and he splashed warm water over her arm and shoulder.  "It's what friends are for. What if he still had no job? What did it matter if small." she said. and it was.  "What's that?" asked Gary. roasting small animals on spits."  The abbot sighed. until eventually Richard said.

 relieved. . Still.  "Richard? What are you doing?" asked Jessica. "Do you ever wonder if this is all there is?"  "What?"  Richard gestured vaguely. and to disregard the lettuce. His eyes were open wide and sightless. He had the knife. had embarked on a campaign of systematic grave robbery. she would hold him very tightly. They felt so small. But you don't want to know about that. and she is sweating. Exchange. You said Door wasn't with you.  Halvard. Mr. They set up their stalls as early as they could. She was certainly unlike anyone he had ever known. and it no longer enclosed the city. They were a luminescent gray. impossibly. through a long. Close your eyes."  Door held up the chain. He took one of the photocopies from Vandemar. And between us and Islington is the labyrinth and the Beast. Every wall was covered with pictures. "My point is that we are assassins.

 quietly. from the cold. Jessica stepped over the crumpled form. The last time I saw your father. It sounded. "Sire. and she was breaking stuff. What was real was the message that Jessica had left on his machine. What's going on? Is this a joke or something?"  Gary looked around. "I need a little more time in which to savor the occasion." Then Door looked down at her scroll some more and looked around the hall. . and. although he knew it was a bad idea."  "Thanks. Croup. Something was about to happen." said Hunter. some of which looked like they had at some point been set on fire. of a heart attack. Croup went paler than pale. and sprinkled the breadcrumbs around. "A scarecrow man?" he ventured." said Richard." said Richard. and said. She leaned against the wall. walking up and down the platform." said Mr.

 staring at it."  "Take it. but his eyes felt as if they were frozen open. and then he succumbed to her kiss entirely. cheering up a little. "I liked doing that .  He took his cashcard out of his wallet."  "She must be losing a lot of blood. He pushed his hands deep into his pockets. ."  Jessica looked down at him. Gary put his hand into his pocket and produced a small plastic troll. and having noticed him. child. up a short wooden staircase; and then. and we've been engaged for the last eighteen months." They turned a corner. better get on with it. He could accept "Mind the Gap" and the Earl's Court. long lashes covering and revealing her foxglove-colored eyes.  Something echoed through the tunnels: a bellow. "Do I Hell. and quite hairless. Or rather. Mister Mayhew. that's all. or. Richard caught his breath. and said.

 or the beating of mighty wings. and use it. hand in hand with a woman who looked like a larger. and this was a good 'un. if it were simply the door that she had opened. behind them._ sharp on one side." he told the rat. The kettle was boiling. Vandemar." It turned away. I gave them a good run for their money. almost languid. filled with firelight and smoke. and my associates. Mister Croup.  "I did a bad thing. . "this wouldn't be a good time to point out that I'm really bad at heights. There _was_ an Orme Passage. _Fire and fleet and candlelight . the carriage was deserted. full bottles and empty bottles of every shape and every size. with a little surprise. Croup glared up at his associate. no ." he said.  He smiled. after one flick of the eyes.

  "See?" said Door. one by one. A candle was lit: it burned weakly."_ He made a noise then--the _cuck-koo cuck-koo_ that a cuckoo might make."  Lamia looked up at Hunter with delight."  Door ignored him. the bargain hunters. Richard was relieved. Footsteps.  Something slithered past them in the dark. and she squeezed him tightly enough that the bruises on his ribs hurt. See?" said Door." muttered Mr."  Old Bailey nodded. The marquis stepped onto the platform. "Jessica. kept safe in the darkness in a brick sewer beneath Park Lane on its way south to Buckingham Palace. Most of the basement floors were covered with a thin layer of oily rainwater. almost imperceptibly. signs scattered about:  YOU WANTS IT. it being Saturday. I . to be forgotten. Each blade stuck into the wall. "I'm sure you'll have fun." Mr. Here for curry?"  She fixed him with her violet gaze and said. We might want to hurry. white-knuckled.

 Figgis smelled vaguely of medicinal liniment and was widely rumoured to have an encyclopaedic collection of soft-core pornography."  "Then why did you have us killed?"  "Not all of you." it was saying."  Door opened her hand. Then he said. Now the sun had gone down. Croup. set beside a wall. It made some sort of sense. perhaps.  "The Angelus wasn't in that room.D. was completely dead. They all had a Knack of one kind or another. "He's a little bit dodgy in the same way that rats are a little bit covered in fur. and raised her head." said Richard to Anaesthesia. They said nothing for some time.  He wanted someone to hold him. incuriously." said Door. the Jubilee. while.  "Oh yes. and looked her up and down. At the far end of the room she could see Mr. He nodded; put his hand into his pocket. Vandemar walked toward the contemplative angel." said Richard.

 Something moved.  She had put on the brown leather jacket she had been wearing when he had found her. again. as he said it." said the abbot. Now . he realized. and she is sweating." said the flat voice. .  She caught her breath in the tunnel outside. standing up.  None of the paintings were very high off the ground. doing the things that rats do when no people are watching.  And the subject had indeed come up. "Circumlocution." The old man still wore his feathered coat. . She was tired of it. that the elevator was hanging. Door said. "I cannot go with you to London Above. Then he stuck his hand out and realized that he had just spat on it. He went down onto his hands and knees on the empty platform. somebody had to. "All right. Wipe. "Hello?" he called. which looked as if the man had placed them there himself to persuade passersby that everyone was doing it.

 Richard said."  "How did I get here? Where are my friends?"  The friar pointed to the corridor. I think this must be some kind of storage space or something. "He's not just saying it. then. All that foolishness about uniting the Underside. who squinted at it.  Richard and Hunter and Door pushed their way through the crowds on the deck._ That we should be brought to this. and he appeared unimpressed; but then. I'm approachable." said Jessica. "I don't see the point in this. "A traitor?"  "They were just winding us up. "Well. as if it were being inserted in an imaginary door. involuntarily. actually." said Richard. . The ticket seller in the office was speaking to someone on the telephone when Richard went over to complain and to buy his ticket manually; and despite--or perhaps because of--Richard's cries of "Hey!" and "Excuse me!" and his desperate tapping on the plastic barrier with a coin. A hundred eyes were fixed on him. "I need a little more time in which to savor the occasion. Mister Vandemar?"  "Door. She smiled again.   . like an antique camera. He gave Richard his knife--Hunter's knife--once more. each man and woman desperately fighting and clawing in order to give Lear their money.

 He stumbled back against the wall.'_ "  Somebody began knocking at the door. "I think maybe we are a bit smashed." Richard stared at the old man. Dick? You all right?"  Richard looked up. looted and found and rescued and donated over hundreds of years. Croup reached over and took the key from him. shuffled around and cupped his hand to his mouth.  "Hello? Richard? The managing director needs to know when he'll have the report. and it was cut too long in the back. side by side. a Dickensian curator of the Museum of the Damned contemplating a prize exhibit. I need a little time to recover. there was the Wandsworth report." someone said. tabling his diary entry for the moment. wide and scared. And you know what they say about people who talk to themselves. and said.  "You embarrassed me very deeply last night. Vandemar's voice was a night wind blowing over a desert of bones. but it was locked from the other side. he wasn't a man. placed it beneath her pointed chin. swaying gently. as if it were caressing her. He looks _dangerous_. Good place to start looking. "Well.

 He felt it warming him. . and he noticed that. Richard and Gary sat and Richard talked while Gary listened. "Are you ready to take it back? It fair gives me the creepy shivers. . Mr. who stood there. activating a screen-saver of dancing hippopotami. That was how she had moved. _That_ much.  _He was a small child. Richard. Pass me the lamp.  The next time the floors were washed. "What about _plain_ mineral water? Bubbles aren't everybody's cup of tea."  Gary was sitting on the bench. and the Beast came out of the dark. I can't quite see how it could have happened. "_Me?_ Um. There were broken spears. "Er."  They pushed past Richard on their way to the front door. exhausting their prey. and thanks you for it. but firmly. from time to time. He touched his bloody fingers to his eyes. Then.

 have been something much worse.  There were eight of them: Sylvia and her young man. Someone picked Richard up with a hand the size of a sheep's head. staring."  "There are _no_ shepherds in Shepherd's Bush.  The security guards were directing the museum's guests to a hallway that seemed to be functioning as some kind of holding area. in a low voice. in delight." gurned Old Bailey with a grin that was most terrible to behold. "I must beg to differ. insincerely. a kitsch monument spanning the Thames. and there wasn't really anything else he could do. joining Battersea to the south with the Chelsea end of the Embankment.  The marquis stepped between Richard and Door. which Door was pulling open: it was opening slowly. and the high. knotted finger. and into a room marked Early English. He was not sure that the same could be said for the rest of the City of London: he peered over the roof. his eyes: a deep. "But then. and put his clothes on. No . an astrolabe. five popes. where it threw up chips of brick and concrete.  She tries to open the padlock. and sprinkled the breadcrumbs around.

 Door whimpers softly.  The string quartet was warming up. The guests. as fast as he could. You really don't. He opened the front door."  "No. No. the more he took at face value."  "We took the journal. and quite hairless. they screamed. made of flint and tarnished silver. two days' time.  "Not you. . It tipped its head on one side. I . " He was silent then. and it said.  "There are shepherds. as you requested. Varney giggled. Richard had been told to fuck off and die with more warmth and good humor. "You're not going through an ordeal.  "A bunch of monks ." admitted Richard. mustn't rust the blade . the MD's PA.

 but willing to play along. crossing the bridge. And then." said Richard. Then. and exhausted. ."  "Not long now. "And you are . studded with nails.  The fog had begun to thin. at least. "I was certain it would be here. barony is she part of?"  "No barony. Old Bailey. " . He opened the box. . The acoustics had altered as well: they were in a bigger room. He looked into her amazing eyes. . Vandemar yanked Door's hands behind her back and bound them in one movement with a nylon strip. he nodded. "What about _plain_ mineral water? Bubbles aren't everybody's cup of tea. Oxford Street was the retail hub of London. Mister Croup. "What's the bathroom like?" asked the woman. Something in the quality of the darkness beyond his closed eyelids changed. In Harvey Nichols's men's fashion department she would pick out for him the kinds of clothes she thought that he should wear--and he wore them.

 Almost." said Mr. as if it were a poor substitute for a real person. the security guard. "Well." she said. shimmered and transformed." it said. Some passengers obviously stared at the four travelers; others." Richard said. with the key. cast in brass and in bronze and in burnt caramel. "  "And you said you'd pay me for being your guide. this is Lamia. "Interesting decor." There were now more than a dozen of the fur-trimmed people standing around them. taking in everything. on Down Street; remembered her hugging him on the ship . He knew it had to be Door's. hoping each time that she would relent. . "Keep him.  "I wish we'd stayed back with the bodyguard" said Richard. Croup smiled. "Have you thought about seeing somebody?"  "See somebody? Look. It was just like her mother's. It was a handkerchief on a stick. you heard what Islington said to us about keeping my sister alive. That was what made him so terrible.

 . which tasted of thyme and peppermint and winter mornings. "You knew this would happen. dressed from head to foot all in black leather. What's yours?"  The girl. too. and commenced to stare hard at Varney." said Mr." said Mr. my partner and I become restive and. my lord?" suggested the jester.  "Of course. realizing it was true as he said it."  Hunter. desperately. He sipped the lemonade.  There is a tiny noise in the waking world. Turning to Jessica. but seemed somehow to be coming from everywhere. _Brrr. Keen and incisive isn't the half of it." she told them. and this was going too far."  "Very well. Eventually. the one he had thought of as a wolf. out the door and down the corridor. "It seems the other one isn't going to work out. Guaranteed to work.

 was more or less white again; but it was still St." The woman smiled thinly and glided away. "If I take the job. the last smoking a cigar). And as he thought that. mad or sane. he followed Door toward the earl's empty throne. when those men came over . gesturing elegantly. loveless. "She did."  "I'll be there. of what point he was trying to make. or people who have fallen through the cracks. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. Door pulled the chain up from around her neck. shrinking as he fell.  _Remember. Serpentine's dining room was on what appeared to be the smallest Underground platform that Richard had ever seen. "Spoil your day. and lay it in the mud. "_Scare her.  "When you call the ambulance. "Five minutes. she said. perhaps even as a statement. wondering whether the mess on his shirt (his best shirt. we are merely private citizens.  It was made of a bronze-colored metal; the blade was long.

 it was more than that. On the bridge. feeling the weight of the lock in her hands. . too. and the high. it seemed to Richard that that bench was one of the most desirable objects he had ever seen. graciously. "We like you like that. and. What'll I get?"  "I don't have any money. It licked its lips. "Or the door."  Hunter bit her lower lip." said Richard. PLEASE KNOCK. rather more enthusiastically. the last smoking a cigar). have you? You're in trouble already. the shape resolved into objects. clutching his bag. "It's my stuff. but whatever kind of outer garment it was. Insurance.  "Calm yourself. He bought a take-away curry from the Indian restaurant across the road.  "The fool. and tossed it toward the bin. Hunter.

 An honor." he said. and sounded the first notes the old Julie London song. When Richard tried to talk to her. Croup tumbled. maddening whine of mosquitoes. The steps dead-ended in a rough brick wall. something else. well. through the inside of the sewer. um. "I've taken it. And the rat-speakers. so hungry." It released her chin and stroked her face with long. Door shook her head and swallowed a mouthful of hastily chewed chicken leg. not in his voice."  "Thanks for everything you did.  The other Richard sat on his left. Vandemar still occasionally found fragments of snuff merchant in it. are you?" she pointed out. I'm on my way through a labyrinth with a mad bastard who came back from the dead and a bodyguard who turned out to be a . under the world. "Right. he was at least learning to play the game. maybe we could have some fun on our own time. I mean. "He used to go into his study.  "Nothing.

 and she closed the door quietly behind her." into the microphone. They were walking up the back stairs that led to the fourth floor. which was attached to the base. what do you want? Knowledge? Or birds?"  The marquis walked over. You don't have to explain it anymore. Door would not meet his eyes.  The angel took the top off the crystal and poured an inch of the liquid inside it into a wine glass. remembering the chilly passion of her embrace. ._ thought Richard. . but it would fail to give the full picture. Ever. sat down." said a female voice. in a time of scary things." said Mr. State your business. She looked. Underpants." said the marquis. ?"  / _don't need this shit. Door pushed against the door and. . and crying like a little girl. "And how is the Creature from the Black Lagoon?"  "Jessica's from Ilford. as they slowed down. "Can they see us?" he asked.

 he had placed it on his computer monitor. ending with the hammer poised over the china figurine. and it curved like a _kris. he assumed. The door to the tiny shrine was pushed open. alone and crazy. cold and dripping and wrapped in his towel. What about getting me back home?"  The marquis raised an eyebrow. in smaller letters:    DOWN STREET."  "She's not here anymore. Richard. "Now."  "Anyway. gently. because he was naked. hoping that it was the correct one. all of which seemed to have been rubbed with some kind of ointment: it smelt like cough syrup and buttered toast. talking to people who weren't there ." said the rat-speaker."  Richard was leaning against a wall. "The Lady Door.  Richard had passed through Angel Station hundreds of times." Richard began to admit. . "There. The hinge was taller than Richard. He made the statue of the Beast vanish inside his coat once more. very fast. between Richard and Anaesthesia.

" He laughed. a squirming. for that matter."  "That's not what I meant. creakily.  The Lord Rat-speaker stood up. squinting about him. It was just as well she didn't have a boyfriend."  Richard was not dead. All the nightmares that have come out when the sun goes down. then nodded. Your life's a joyless. _I've survived walking the plank. Then he and Mr.  Someone stepped on his hand. I would imagine. back on patrol." it said. Her hair was piled on her head. but it was too late. coldly.  Richard walked back to his flat. A small cut opened on Varney's forehead. I'm warning you.  "Yes?" she said. dimly lit station platform." He took one hand out of his pocket and displayed it to Mr. Then he said." said the flat voice.

" said the abbot. taking the knife from him. "Tch. old drink. "Richard. and a finger prodded him gently in the ribs. Dunnikin reached for a long shrimping net; one practiced hand movement and he was fishing out a rather bedraggled mobile telephone from the water. which was on a long."  Richard wondered if he should kiss her. He opened the door and went in. Mr. which began to spurt blood." The phone. A candle was lit: it burned weakly." said Door." said Richard. "do you know what your own liver tastes like?" Richard was silent. really.  It was getting harder to breathe. who was not much good at lying when faced with a direct question." he said. painfully. Ehh?" Then he leaned toward the marquis. not about what I did."  "Anyway. amusement parks." he said.  The black rat spoke. It was my birthday.

 . and empty threats the final sanctuary of the terminally inept. They pulled it in with their hooks and their nets. She was so tired. Please.  Richard sat up on the couch.  Dunnikin spotted something in the water. because he had come to dislike it intensely.  He walked through the rooms beneath the building. Vandemar. was more or less white again; but it was still St. then. a wolf on the prowl." it said. She's going to kill me. removed." The rook croaked again. It was like trying to push-start a Sherman tank. and bits of office furniture. and Richard was down on his hands and knees. More of waiting till she has left the market and scrobbling her ." to the removal men.  The saxophone player was extremely tall; he had shoulder-length dark hair and a long. hoping that the guards would forget about him. He walked toward the angel. he would not even put up a fight. Just Richard." said one of the guards. somehow.

  _"I'm a believer.  Door is dreaming of her father. Well. ." he explained. Her family had remarkable recuperative powers. Mr. mm. A brown rat stepped out into the light. Don't overuse it. How Best to Deal with Crime. "that was okay. had already managed to eat most of the fruit that Richard had brought with him. The noise was coming from an old wooden chest in which Old Bailey kept those things he most prized. You must believe in Islington .  "One day. a big black male. animal carcasses." to the removal men. went into his bedroom. almost desperately. We want to hurt you both." she said. from which the once-white paint was peeling in long. He was a huge Rastafarian who looked like nothing so much as an obese and enormous baby. Thanks. "You're going to think I'm absolutely awful. small and large. "I'll get a chain for it when we get to the market.

 When they came upon it. from time to time. "Nothing to it. It was not a particularly clean handkerchief; it had been a present from his Aunt Maude. She was sweating. Richard buried his face deep in his hands. but willing to play along. "Richard! Fine name! I had a horse called Richard." observed Serpentine." it said. odd.  "We are conducting a personal enquiry of a delicate nature as it were. for all the good that will do you. And Richard. " . . "Don't get too near to him." he said. silently. and this was a good 'un." said Door. while tourists threw handfuls of pigeon feed down for the legions of tubby pigeons and took their snapshots of Nelson's Column and the huge Landseer lions that flanked it.) Then I found an injured girl bleeding on the pavement. or an hour. "Hello. "Kill someone. rare. "The dance is not yet over. And.

 Any idea when the next market is?"  She stepped into the light. looked at it. "Stop that. She had nowhere to go." into the microphone.  "I am Serpentine. and the elevator doors opened." he confided. as if unable to contain the rage inside. the marquis de Carabas was a bit on the heavy side.  He walked over to the window and sipped his tea. leaving only their names behind. Vandemar's chin. . he put down the trolls. she would tell her friends." said the marquis. and loss. He clapped again. He found the box with his clothes in it. "Richard. red and orange in the light of Hammersmith's brazier. I was born up here. and bent down to slide the folded note into the woman's hand. once." The plank vibrated as someone moved along it. which he pulled open."  "I'm sure that will remedy itself as the day goes on. a hasty fumble of skin and a tangle of tongues.