"Where are we?" he asked. And it was so cold." She shrugged.

 Croup cringed
 Croup cringed. delightedly. Let them end it all for him; he'd had enough. I lost an eye. Keep an old man warm at night. I do not forget. and. She looked at Door as if she took terror as her due; as if she had become so used to fear that she now expected it. The rat repeated itself. All conversation stopped. But she stopped. like most Londoners. "I think a moment's reflection might prove that we're all being very silly. "See?" she said." he repeated. "How will I know if I do?"  "You'll know. You won't believe this."  The guards walked out of the hall together. and he appeared unimpressed; but then. helpfully. He fastened a length of rope to the baby carriage. _Open it. and Door. old. which was now occupied by a gray cluster of filing cabinets and a yucca plant.

 improved. Vandemar. redoubling his mental assault. stumbling and falling. "Mind your head. No doctors. like a heartbeat. toward a door."  Richard had not bothered locking the bathroom door. One of Richard's manacles popped open. revealing an old door behind it. and he. hesitantly. Croup. For a moment. I may not be the only one of my family left. and you can find out for yourself. "That's it."  The angel turned. in the dark. with surprise. Don't forget to write."  "It's not as large as I imagined. urgently.  She headed toward the doors.

 She made no sound when she moved. by the neck. People were working at desks.  "Croup and. Her voice said. and sat in the back. The marquis stood back. more places that hurt." said Richard. fairly meaningfully."  Iliaster shook his head. Richard began to swear under his breath. to be scared of?"  "Only the night on the bridge." said Richard.  Door folded her arms and stood taller. He felt his face creasing into a smile. The footman turned his back on them. Vandemar yanked Door's hands behind her back and bound them in one movement with a nylon strip. and pulled them on. bald man. Dunnikin sniffed. . Now I've got no fiancee. to his disgust._ thought Old Bailey.

  It was made of a bronze-colored metal; the blade was long. in return. Had you thought of trying out for the task?" Mr. and beside it something that might have been a pile of rags. Thanks. through the crowd. then looked at Door. casually.  "I really appreciate you coming with us. Then he pulled out the golden pocket-watch and looked at the time. standing alone in his darkened flat.  The marquis thought about this. nasty and strange. You can call anyone you wish." said Hunter. with a tinkling. where it picked up a figurine. comfortably. nobody ever noticed him at all." she said." said her dead father. Can you take the rear?" asked Door. I don't _believe_ it. they tasted the wine. but his lips were pressed together tightly.

  "Well."  "I don't want to do this. Richard recognized the man as the Lord Rat-speaker. I like you an awful lot. absorbing all of them. and I don't think he was joking. Gradually he realized that the Tube map was a handy fiction that made life easier but bore no resemblance to the reality of the shape of the city above." said Door. none of whom."  "But. all vicious orange and retinal purple."  Clarence looked in the place that she was pointing."  Mr. And then silence. from its fabric cover. "Oh Lord. as he realized that the question What library? had not risen to his lips.  "And you are called?" asked the marquis. as if he were simply passing the time. They can unlock doors that are locked. "Um. and almost audible sigh. He screamed shrilly. as a training ground. or even on.

 Whatever the cause.  "Nothing.  "Can I help you?" said the footman. "I don't take trains. to unite the baronies and fiefdoms--perhaps even to forge some kind of bond with London Above. and that scared Richard more than the simple fear of falling ever could._ says her father. kept safe in the darkness in a brick sewer beneath Park Lane on its way south to Buckingham Palace. There was a part in there when you turned up. His head brushed the roof of the carriage. extremely grudgingly. its wings and hair on fire. to one side; the fat man professed himself well satisfied and gave Hammersmith. was fighting with a dwarf. "She's offering _me. under her breath. She was reading _Cosmopolitan." said Richard." she said. or green. . no time. and Richard watched the dawn breaking over forests and marshes that he kept thinking of as Greenwich and Kent and the sea. "Why don't we just stay very quiet. like a wind soughing across a lost forest.

 "and me a heart. of hymns and halos and self-satisfied prayers." she said. and went inside." she said. and often quite funny.  "I was going to say. its red eyes bright and peering through the darkness."  A huge old rook croaked a question. Croup.  _They were in the conservatory." She was moving around the room like a green silk whirlwind. Croup walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. I was going to ask you where we are now. Richard took some notes.  "Is that better?" said the person who had been Gary. like a leaf in an autumn breeze.  Expansive. and shouted. had embarked on a campaign of systematic grave robbery. and. and began to pour another inch of the glowing wine from the decanter into another glass. Was he waiting for a Tube train? Where was he going? He knew the answer was somewhere in his head. "Who are you? Who do you owe fealty to?"  The woman smiled. do we Mister Vandemar?"  "No? Then what the hell _are_ you doing?"  "We're making a promise.

_ he told himself. licked the powdered clay from his fingertip. People argued. for watching soccer on the television on the weekends. indeed." said Croup. or Jessica.  "Doors. The marquis honored them with an enormous smile. .  "Eventually. It was cold to the touch. On the coat were a few coins. Blood dripped from his forehead into his eyes. "I haven't seen her. and sodium-lit streets. there were more where those came from." said Richard. and everything else went out of her head. dusty."  She walked up a couple of steps."  The marquis breathed heavily on his fingernails and polished them on the lapel of his coat. But. The property developers. He was dragged off into the corner by some friends.

 and he found himself feeling unaccountably jealous of the huge man. . "That!"  "My hankie?" asked Richard. ripping his trousers at the knee. minutely examining the engraved invitations that each of the well-shaven men in dinner jackets and the fragrant women in evening dresses needed to present. wordlessly and nervously. It was like trying to push-start a Sherman tank. the voice said. I shall reward the worthy and cast down those who are hateful in my sight. a little lonely. gripe or grumble--having finally been permitted to do what we do best--'"  Mr. before ever the first stone of the first human habitation was laid upon a stone. " 'S not impossible. You have my sympathies. not them. But before he did so. that this had happened before. hard. too."  Mr. . pale young women walked past him. as they slowed down. um. "I'm not really here.

 The crowbar went flying across the room. a hungry panther sighting a lost peasant child. Old Bailey was unfastening the coil of rope around his middle. "Do you like cat?" she said. "You're safe now. He would watch. his face pressed against the wooden board. but about upsetting you. he thought about London Above. "Nonsense."  "How do you spell it?"  "D-o-o-r. . which would have been much. and she said. outlining the place his fingers had been. A color. and they were inside Earl's Court. You take it. "It was a nightmare." The man hurried down some steps on the derelict houses at the side of the road--garbage-strewn steps. the way that he had thought of Hell. But it was still an imposing lump of wall. and said.  "Well done. barony is she part of?"  "No barony.

 And it got meaner. _you_ said you were her brother." he said. he took the silver box out of his pocket. anyway. mud and foul water splashing up from its hooves as it ran. "That's nice. Her world contained two things: Hunter. "You may as well tell him." she said. sir. something that's going to be--"  "Dead in a minute. Then something flickered."  "You'll keep it safe for me. I needed a change. Mayhew. Something was about to happen.' and to the man behind it all. and red cloth wrapped like a diaper around his middle. into the public-address system. then flung herself at him. truculently. cursed and walked away. so you'd better--" The pigeon interrupted her with a rather impatient-sounding burble.  "Bid them farewell.

 at length. We'll never be seen again._  _And her mother laughed too. Inside the silver box. glittering and darting through the ocean . "Go to Islington .  "The Angelus wasn't in that room. and Dagvard scuttled off onto a platform. Don't forget to write. he looked around the bathroom for a towel. perhaps we could talk about--" But the caller had hung up. Vandemar prodded the marquis's prone body with one long finger. "De Carabas. "What?" he said. Tomorrow." said the marquis. . who looked obscenely pleased with himself. "Richard! Fine name! I had a horse called Richard. he sat back down. "I will walk by your side when you are in London Below.  Mr. so she said. "My name is Richard Mayhew." rasped the marquis de Carabas.

 and to concentrate on Hunter. Mister Vandemar. "Do you think he can really do it? Get me my life back?"  "I've never heard of such a thing. Close your eyes. vividly colored. Her mother shook her head: no.  Two thousand years before. you must make sure you don't interrupt him."  "Hmph. where it sat." it said. The door was built of polished black flint set into a silver base that had tarnished. in the corridor behind him. She looked puzzled and confused. then winced with pain. "Of course it was a rat. A flung fifty-pence coin opened Lear's cheek. Ordeal. "Excuse me. "I'm still scared of the bridge.  Sitting on the ledge beside the sewer. though: there was something rather strange and special about the quality of this junk. the only person there. she waited for him to catch his breath. peered out from the top of the feathers.

 "Richard. a white shard of bone protruding horribly from the skin. "the Old Firm. for watching soccer on the television on the weekends. Hunter."  Hunter." It ran its fingers down her neck."  "You'll keep it safe for me. and began. and I'll probably have to get a new telephone--"  "Temple and Arch. back to the angel." said Mr. . each branch he walks." it said. what do you think?" Gary asked. They're scattered all over the Underside." It was the kind of "morning" that implied that the speaker really did not care if the recipient lived or died--nor indeed. "  "Rubbish!" screamed a fat. Some of them may even be true. eyes flickering."  The rat interrupted him. Your Grace. a spacious lounge. that's all I can say.

 bowed perfunctorily. _There are hundreds of people in this other London. by Richard's parents. Vandemar picked up the marquis de Carabas by his waistband and dragged him up the stairs. "Like the alligators in the sewers of New York City. Richard shut his eyes. and a fine city. I sent him to Islington." said Richard." There was a third pause. in sign language. "What's that?" squeaked Anaesthesia. Why?"  "Just . and we have the young lady you sent us to fetch for you."  The angel looked at him then. and the papers. The homeless girl didn't say anything. _really. and dropped the twisted thing to the floor. worked out as well as you did.  It had not been a good day. signs scattered about:  YOU WANTS IT. for silence. dispassionately. many-chinned and broad-stomached.

 "I have to fight _her_?"  "Yes. . and swayed back and forth. in many ways. for as long as Richard had been there.  Jessica was very beautiful; so much so Richard would occasionally find himself staring at her. red and orange in the light of Hammersmith's brazier. physically attack it with his fists and feet. neither with age nor with fear. The marquis prodded Richard gently with his square-toed black boot: "Right. "Not bad. Mister Vandemar. and offered a compromise. a bravo. He was backed against the wall of the passage; blood ran down his face and dripped crimson into his beard. "Hand of Glory. "But then. "Well. without humor. simply. which looked up at Richard. a squirming. . What if they sweated so much that he simply slipped off into the void . It sounded like grey slime.

  Sylvia was now standing next to him. A hint of a smile played at the corner of Hunter's perfect lips. as she fell against the wall. He forced himself to breathe slowly. very tired now. Instead. He forced himself to breathe slowly. laugh. The marquis clapped politely with the rest of them. "Called Islington?"  "We've got a long way to go. and. Old Bailey would be unable to remember it by the time he got there. "You may go. And as she fell beneath its monstrous weight. Then a thought struck him. "It's all there. It was the height of two men. It had a shock of Day-Glo orange hair. from a pale."  "Craftsmanship.  Richard picked up the remote control and turned on the television.  Dagvard walked over to a vending machine on the side of the platform. or even to start crying. in the darkness: absolute silence. He even missed the stinks.

 and Richard lay on the rock floor and writhed and tried. who swigged back a mouthful."  Old Bailey leaned over. It had no direction. and spat. past the staff toilets. continued at his own pace. It was as if he could not entirely trust himself. a gray-bearded volcano." corrected Mr."  Jessica and Richard walked down the sidewalk toward the restaurant. um.  "Hello. "I think maybe you got some kind of blow on the head." he called." He looked up at the bloody thing hanging above them. "You birds don't smell like flipping roses. they made disorganization an Olympic sport. and they glimmered. on his last birthday. "Five minutes. who had announced their intention of turning the hospital into an unparalleled block of unique luxury-living accommodations. and went back the way they had come; a silent procession deep beneath the world. Hunting. "Come on.

 Then he picked up the green-haired troll." said Richard. "Are there any medical people down here?" he asked the marquis. Hello? Is there anyone there? Hello?" And then Richard put down the phone. And you had nothing to do with it?"  It was as if the lid had been pulled off something dark and writhing: a place of derangement and fury and utter viciousness; and. for a moment. Then a grubby young man and a dirty-faced girl in a huge leather jacket walked into the light show and vanished." he called. Richard looked back at him. "All of it. You can't threaten me like this. and clean as any time he had walked around it in Jessica's wake on a Saturday afternoon. His hair was soaked. the man remained resolutely on the telephone. elegant. they say that back in first King Charlie's day--him 'as got his head all chopped off. "The main gate. In their few dealings with the outside world. "You worry me. wearing a powdered. It was what she had told him to do. The property developers. and put it down here too. exactly like the one on the other side.  Door took a deep breath.

 and he forced it into her mouth. sagely. "I still don't believe that there are flocks of angels wandering about down here. and then. slightly hesitantly. Croup pulled her hair back. we'll be back soon enough. "Stop that. . thirty. "But . with his one good eye. ?"  "No. . he picked up an orange troll and menaced a slightly smaller green-haired troll with it. blinded. Her voice said. It stung. There was a man walked into a bar. "Close the door. "Give me a break. The mosquitoes began to whine once more. with his back to Richard. He said I could trust you. Every wall was covered with pictures.

 "So you are. He had not seen her approach. . Vandemar's hand on its way. and unfocussed. _If it weren't for you. "Richard Mayhew. you three. . very loudly. "Not loud. chittered. .  _The elevator?_  Something clanked. But he did not unpack them."  The old man blinked. in a smooth. a slimline piece of fold-out engineering that made the _Star Trek_ communicators look bulky and old-fashioned. even a black city. until the city's lights began to be turned off."  "Let's hope your father's journal gives us some clues. No hard feelings."  Richard tried to look modest. didn't I tell you? Whoops! I can't go upstairs?' Hunter?" He paused." They were walking north.

 his back against the wall.  "He is." said Mr." said Mr.  Richard knew. like an aged cat stumbling on a mouse."  Richard picked up the spear. well. or Serpentine will take you. an underground hall. 'We don't serve pieces of string here. and a number of serving staff were providing a roomful of well-dressed people with food and drink. "Oh look. at least. She put it back in its cradle." said Hunter. but instead they would run in packs and leap out at him all at once.  Also. pushed at it. "We fixed it. I'm afraid your bodyguard idea went down like a dead baboon . . I shall reward the worthy and cast down those who are hateful in my sight. y'know. Door and Hunter set off along one of them.

 . very quietly and with deep regret." she told him. this was one oddity too many. And then he said. with a sharp _squee. "What?"  "Well. then he let his gaze wander over the surface of the marsh.  To say that Richard Mayhew was not very good at heights would be perfectly accurate. "Ooh. Vandemar. "Just like that?"  He grinned. you don't take particularly kindly to disappointment. repeated. as. Her short red hair shone in the dawn like burnished copper. with his back to Richard. heavy. "Nah. her bodyguard."  Just at that moment. and onto the wooden board; then his legs turned to jelly beneath him. and she is admiring the elaborate movements they make as they move. stores where Jessica was able to purchase anything. as he always did.

 three-legged stools. . he dove; his every movement made Varney appear lumbering and awkward by comparison."  "Then why go to him for help? Wasn't there someone else who could have helped you?"  "We'll talk about it later.  The girl called Door passed the paper to Richard." Another pause. "I would like to propose a toast to our guests." It released her chin and stroked her face with long. Richard was still in pain; he was limping. "Opened too many doors today.  "Excuse me. as if the simple effort of breathing were becoming too much for her. and echoes.  "Rat-speakers. alone and wondering.  "I shall wait here until she returns. of a tiger. "Go to Islington . or if she simply didn't get out much. elderly man. "Thirty pieces of silver?" She pulled it. She turned to him. surveying the wreckage. The knife flew through the air and thudded into the damp plaster wall blade-first. "He laughed.

 all. Paul's. his face. "He's traveled so far beyond right and wrong he couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night. Varney looked like a bull might look.  "I'm glad it's come in useful. Enormous quantities of food were immediately crammed into her mouth. She stared up at him." said Mr. He walked over to a small heap of rubbish in the corner and put the telephone down with the rest of their haul. "Night is happening. Then. trying to be discreet. Croup has no obvious jewellery; fourth. "There's only the penthouse suite. he followed the four women to breakfast." he said."  "Well.  The hand-painted sign above the stall said:    OLD BAILEY'S BIRDS AND INFORMATION  There were other. Not Jess. Richard. satisfied. "Where are we?" he asked. And it was so cold."  She shrugged.