They wore long dresses made of velvet." said Richard.

" said Hunter
" said Hunter. He pointed to the level beneath Door and Hunter."  With her left hand she pulled a knife from her belt. nodding from time to time. had sold perfume. The place did look a little like a stable. all boards and nails and posters. "it's _The Masque of the Red Death_ all over again. she had found a hiding place."  "How did I get here? Where are my friends?"  The friar pointed to the corridor. and the rustling sound he had heard was made by a cowled figure in a black robe. "Enough!"  The woman looked up. " She pulled air into her lungs with an effort. red blood in enormous quantities."  He sipped his tea and tried to pretend that everything was normal. for. . where it did not even make a bulge.  Mr. "For you. Richard started away from them. then. odd scientific instruments; there were maps on the walls.

 "But this cannot be de Carabas. as a memorial. "All right. Richard and Door walked through the gate. not speaking. I think I've had dreams about the Beast. She didn't look up. London had grown. and said nothing. only more useful). not uncomfortably. Are you going to apologize?"  "What?"  "Apologize." said Hunter. slowly. "If I have to. Door shook her head and swallowed a mouthful of hastily chewed chicken leg. They wore their hair long and matted. Richard was sweating. and I'll be fine. while civilization crumbles about their ears. I've met Islington. "In the stables of a friend.  There was something deeply tribal about the people.

 Croup likes words. I cannot. and to the sound of money landing on a coat.  Clarence tipped his head on one side. "Hello. "So what's your point?" asked Door."  "Ah. "Oh. in so much pain . a trifle unsteadily. momentarily. The Angel Islington looked out at them.  Richard stared at the glistening street. He wondered how he'd know if he was. He turned. . be more to the upwortder than met the eye. but she paid it no mind." he said to Richard. "Unless you'd like a little nap. He waved."  He lowered it down to her. tell her he was sorry.

 and I tried to be a Good Samaritan. See?" said Door. wrapping her arms around him. eh?" he said. "  She looked disappointed."  "But you have to. m one intricate unending dance: and Hunter is watching them from outside herself. confused. "I'm really not sure how much weight the board will bear. Richard thrust his hands deep into his pockets." She had washed herself while he was gone. Croup. helpfully. He blinked at the darkness.  There was a string quartet playing." said Richard. and opened his eyes on nothing--nothing but darkness. She nodded." he said. walked in. Unfortunately we didn't have a bodyguard around."  "Ah. and in the process lost all my personal possessions.

 and on its tusks. she would know it. she went back to Richard. he ran straight and true through the labyrinth. She was carrying a staff. "But rat-speakers hardly ever need to go to the market. I need a little time to recover. "You can't just go running off like that." They went up some stone steps. Then he walked up the stone stairs and out of the Underground station."  Mr. They hold it in a different place every time. as Richard was convinced forever after. "That's nice. . chomping and chewing wildly. he thought; he would soon be twenty-three. and Richard went with her. it's not very convenient right now."  "But you have to. was starting to wonder whether he had cut the right cord or not. please. ?"  Hunter opened the door.

 he assumed. The distant roaring began again. "And the rats will tell you what to do with it. He introduced himself as the previous tenant. loudly. Croup picked up the earpiece. Good night.  "Oh. "Thirty pieces of silver?" She pulled it. "Do you know what this is?"  "I wish I didn't. the man remained resolutely on the telephone. "I'm taking her back to my place. A hundred eyes were fixed on him. The grime was gone from her face and hands.  Serpentine looked perfectly satisfied. The two friars began to walk down the corridor. Vandemar's voice was a night wind blowing over a desert of bones.  "Hurt him some more. The man looked up as Richard approached. About her curse." he said. and all the lights went out. and Croup and Vandemar walked behind him.

" she said."  Mr. and the screen went blank. almost proprietarily."  The marquis walked to the edge of the roof. one-two. "Look. sang. to grouse. If my desk is there. long time ago. "Something's happening.  It smelled musty." said Richard. on reflection. He got up and answered the door. Vandemar. readily identifiable by the shapes of their trunks. Not even to us. Tiny buses and taxis. . "What kind of a name is Door. And when he reached the junction he.

"  "You can say that again. "Hey. have you ever used a spear?"  "No. and lights on buildings and on bridges. with a smile.  "I'll make the speech now. . "A rat-speaker brought you here?"  He nodded.  He went back to writing his mental diary. where it threw up chips of brick and concrete. and went into the living room. "Turned out It'd been put into storage. by way of introduction. Two legs. Well." said Mr. to the edge of the platform. Mister Croup. but he could no more fight with it than he could jump across the Thames. "Why are you even talking to her? Why is she still with us? She was a traitor--she tried to make us think that you were the traitor. He could hear trains echoing through tunnels nearby. A magnifying lens placed across it increased the size of the picture. wrinkling his nose. "My family. It's going to have to be the Door female." she said. Vandemar tried to pull the knife out of the wall with his free hand. . in what Richard took to be some kind of bizarre fashion affectation.

 which looked as if the man had placed them there himself to persuade passersby that everyone was doing it. Croup walked over to Door and unlocked the right-hand manacle. drinking bad tea and worse coffee. I'm out of your life.  Someone stumbled into him. She was looking paler than usual. his eyes never ceased moving."  "Give us time enough. Have you anything to bind it with?"  Old Bailey fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a grubby length of cloth. the security guard.  Then Door let go of Richard and ran to the abbot. He passed it to the marquis. "Oh. then. She says she can take us anywhere in the Underside.  "Mine. to the drawing room; no one answered. He wiped the water from his eyes and shivered with cold. they gave me the door to my prison. He made the statue of the Beast vanish inside his coat once more. a sink. Those two don't come cheap.  "Look."  "I only hope that I can be worthy of that trust. "Wait. evaluating. awkwardly. like a priest performing a ritual. "How do you know that kid was telling you the truth about the market?" he asked.

 Don't set it free. full of ideas . Croup did not. ghostly and feral and mad. disappointed. Stockton's collection of angels. most of them improvised. and a slightly baffled expression. Now you're one of them. It just stared. and light." said Mr. Then he smiled at Richard with yellow teeth. removed them. and still smiling._ And then he began to wonder whether there was a baron in Barons Court Tube station. "Somebody. The train had stopped. "You don't welch on Mister Croup and Mister Vandemar. and has been repeating it to himself over and over for the last forty minutes to make sure that he didn't forget." said Anaesthesia."  "I take it that there is no such similar prohibition on extirpating the marquis . Mr. her tiny hand in his. was coming up on the side of his nose; he was filthy. "There." He jigged around his stall. "It's not rubbish. and drank.

 and their hands did not tremble. And then he. I'll tell you where your sister is . the picture remained unchanged: the desk. Too risky. or. . and an open first aid kit. Someone sat down next to him. The marquis edged a little closer. still. But do not ask me to follow you to London Above.  They turned their backs on the brown water and made their way back into the tunnels. There was a man standing in the doorway."  Richard edged over. And then the air was filled with candles. a remedy for the oddness of his situation. and he laughed at me. and then he succumbed to her kiss entirely. his hands held up at his chest. It was his office. my own agenda.  Anaesthesia shook her head." said the marquis. threw back her head.  "Where's the next Floating Market?" asked Door. but his lips were pressed together tightly." She swallowed."  The marquis grinned once more.

 which was extremely pale indeed. and then.  In the waking world. And then the plank began to shake. "It's _that_ rat? Yes. If you pay them any attention. " She paused. at the Piccadilly end of Soho. not just worked; when they had lived and lusted and laughed." said Hunter.  "According to this scroll. The acoustics had altered as well: they were in a bigger room. inspecting angels. who had been slowly walking along the Embankment toward them. hard.  "I am your bodyguard. in a ghastly parody of a smile. We're very near. "And then. Blood dripped from his forehead into his eyes. you wish. he passes her a padlock. He pulled up the trouser leg: tiny purple welts were coming up on the skin of his ankle and calf. "Why are you going to the market. her odd-colored eyes narrowed. have had almost as much as I'm willing to take.   . and the doors sang a sad fluting downward trill as they closed behind him. her mother had.

 pushing her along. then. coldly. a gesture of affection and possession. and commenced to stare hard at Varney. "And you worked for her. as if to see whether or not they would do as he wished. and had left them there on the ground to rot. combed its hair. "I'm really not sure that we're doing the right thing." said the angel. I regard it as a personal betrayal. um. "Islington?" she said." she said." Richard took an involuntary step backwards. "that there are folk walking the streets above who will never know the beauty of these sewers. Door and Hunter set off along one of them. gently. I mean. without everyone knowing. Mr. the Angelus didn't seem to be here either.  "The police? Alas. "So. We haven't got the time.  When he had first arrived. the weasel is reaching out a forepaw toward her. The angel handed it to Door.

 The smoke-tentacle let go of Richard's ankle and slid back over the edge of the platform. . He closed the box. Don't do anything too stupid in the meantime.  The thin girl was gulping down one of Richard's bananas in what was."  Richard said nothing. "Temple and Arch." she said. I know I should have phoned before."  "And marquis of Westmorland.The Lady Serpentine. built of polished walnut and oak. She saw something glinting in the lamplight ahead of them. It was the size of a large chess-piece. "If there aren't any taxis we could get night buses." said the woman. Vandemar showed them his teeth. owned all the Sunday papers that Rupert Murdoch had failed to buy. He forced himself to breathe slowly. unwanted. She settled herself on his sofa and opened the book. He would come home at night. and thorny political issues of the day. she lets it be what it wants to be. running down a pavement in Bloomsbury's Russell Street. "Fine work.  "Look. socks . and stood up.

" said Anaesthesia.  "Hmm? Use the Angelus. showing his teeth. and expensive junk one would only expect to see somewhere like . They climbed in total darkness. as she liked to explain. managed to flag down the cab again before it made it into the main road and so got his briefcase back. quickly man. Are you coining?"  He looked at her then: a small creature with huge eyes staring at him urgently from a heart-shaped."  Hunter glanced at the ground. Anaesthesia hesitated and then turned left. roasting small animals on spits. or an ambulance; that it was dangerous to lift an injured person; that he had really." And she set off up the steps. Richard moved around to the other side of the desk. with her father's voice. She walked away.    TELL US IF YOU SAW HER. "Now. a notebook computer. . but it would do."  "The Angelus . "No. The sign on the station said KNIGHTSBRIDGE. sucking the air into her shattered rib cage. you are. and touched his single remaining manacle. but then they turned a corner.

 He was about to turn and run when someone handed him a cup of tea in a Styrofoam cup. and breathed into his nose and mouth. "Bring the spear." said Richard. Croup and Mr. The angels I have in mind are all wings. His nose was running."  "I'll take you wherever you want to go. more carefully. then. firmly. and I did so want to tell you this to your face. cheerfully. peering wide-eyed at the cars and the buses and the tiny sprawl of shops--a bakery. It was unquestionably the most horrible thing that Richard had ever seen. "She said she was going to have to owe you a really big favour. could not bring it back from the lost places. you know. and now he was holding a knife. The earl clambered to his feet when he saw them. The white room contained no doors: no openings of any kind. Two small."  "And if you don't mind my saying so. It was a huge and happy smile. He fumbled in his back pocket. as well as he could shrug from a supine position. and even a few children. The party had been over for a long time. .

" said the marquis. and color and distance become impossible to judge. covering the drainage system and the newly created District Line of the Underground. I trust. Perhaps this really was some kind of joke: one of those jokes that everyone else seemed to get and she never did. Richard noticed that the room fell quiet whenever she spoke. some carrots and potatoes. and gestured with its front paws. . I _am_ Portico's oldest daughter. Are you blind?"  It looked like it had once been the door to a cathedral. He felt it go down and prepared himself to try to keep it from coming back up again. "Psst. "Come on. ." _Hunter will look after you as long as you stay in London Below. "You all right. "What does it look like?"  For a moment he thought she was going to reprimand him simply for asking. it wrapped itself tightly around Richard's ankle.  "I'm a hunter. much worse. crossing the bridge. They climbed in total darkness. "The fact of the matter is that while I was away for a few weeks.  Old Bailey remembered when people had actually _lived_ here in the City. It seemed utterly right. His nose was running. "Wait.  Jessica checked her watch and increased her pace.

 "We mustn't keep Mister Stockton waiting. she curtseyed." explained Anaesthesia."  In the pitch darkness. although she knows that." she said. constructed of marble and of cast iron. "Come on. And he tries so to scream. It followed patterns. She wanted to stop. and Richard walked with them. . late at night. desperately. And then he said. and hated it and himself."  "Lovely blood. down into the gap between the train and the platform. if they attacked. Have either of you crossed Night's Bridge before?" Anaesthesia shook her head. first."_  He passed the lights and the noise of the Virgin megastore."  The man took the card in his street-blackened hands. and even a few children. with those two still around we have to get a message to . beneath the shadows of his cowl. Croup shook his head: _not yet. bristling from its sides and back.

 But she never hurt us. um."  "Shall I go out and see how they're doing?"  "No. and would say nothing more than. _"Lady?"_ said Hunter. her face contorted and unattractive. and smiled gloriously. He wasn't sure if it was a coat. in what appeared to be a junk room. Richard squinted: he could make out two figures.  "Yes. Nothing to it." she said. Croup. even heads. He put a hand to his forehead.  "Hello. "You did these?" she asked. "He's not yours. and no one glanced at them twice. and filled it with clean water again. But the most important thing for you to understand is this: all things want to open. scornfully. Richard clenched his teeth."  "No." said the woman in the hallway. he paused." said Richard. "We're not going to get the key back by lollygagging around here.

 squeezed his hand. Mr. with a high wooden ceiling. hadn't he?). are they?"  "Not for right now. launched himself at the speaker. sundry nibbles. no water below.  Varney took a step back: a mistake." he said. Many an overconfident general had seen certain victory turn to defeat in the closing minutes of a battle.  A gruff voice some distance away shouted. After a while he found himself at the edge of a flat roof."  Richard closed his eyes. Turning you into a cold thing like her. built ramshackle houses one leaning against the next."  "Mister Mayhew. and they stank. "You all right. at the audition. There are those . "In the stables of a friend. "Can't you make it open?" asked Richard. Each step he took left him more anxious. In the center of the office was a large desk. Her eyes were open. . "_Scare her. Vandemar.

 pulled desperately at his sleeve with his free hand. After that the blood began to flow. and to get a move on." said the marquis."  The guards walked out of the hall together. Anaesthesia stopped on the steps and performed a deep curtsey. quietly.  "Kneel. Yeah?" He turned and looked at Richard. awkwardly. in the heart of the rush hour. Ingress would water it with her tiny watering can. on reflection. "Hunter. and it was gone.  After some time. and her nose was red. and that it is almost beyond the human capacity for belief to accept how much museum cafeterias will brazenly charge for a slice of cake and a cup of tea. "I'll be happy if I never smell anything ever again. Honored guests." She hissed. Croup looked down at the telephone. and thus worthy of great suspicion. "You know I had warmest regards for him. The boy glared at her. "and it'll be off his neck before you can say Jack Ketch. "_That's_ how it's done. all debts were done. and they would sort it all out.

 thank you" and turned around. Croup fumbled in Door's pockets."  It was late afternoon in Central London. to be scanned and stored on computers.  As the darkness took her. accompanied by a woman bravely wearing a mink coat. "I don't understand. " The tears began to run down her cheeks. He said nothing as they walked on for another five minutes and eleven mosquito bites." He thought for a moment. You're Portico's oldest girl. from even further down the corridor." said the earl. Then he cleared the debris off a chair. Jessica tugged him into motion. _Chink." she said. and who would actually ask him. "we ought to look upon it as a mercy killing." There was a beat before the marquis de Carabas said. "You did these?" she asked. peering through the dim light. A minuscule vexation. glared at them from the doorway. and he could just make out details of the countryside around him: almost leafless oak. Vandemar." whispered the marquis. at the same time. And how can _we_ get to Islington?"  The earl nodded as if Door had said something profound.

  "Richard. as if it were something that might explode at any moment. The other line on his phone had begun to ring." said Old Bailey. . when he realized the Hunter-bitch still had it. The nearest person happened to be a short. "It would have cost less to buy one of those Tintorettos." He put it down by his feet on the stones of London Wall. there in the angel's empty hall; but soon the warmth of unconsciousness reached out and enveloped them both." It was then that Richard began to laugh; he couldn't help himself. Vandemar. somebody had to. each petal perfect and distinct. cheerfully. Battersea might as well have been in bloody Katmandu . She looked puzzled and confused._ Door began to talk. staring at her. She realized that her mouth was open. Croup turned back to Richard and essayed another foxy smile."  Richard walked down to the earl's chair. Mister Vandemar. smaller than a cigar box. empty sham."  The marquis sniffed. as friends kiss friends. They wore long dresses made of velvet." said Richard.